The Nation Newspaper

Category: Femi Orebe

  • June 12 Annulment: Post confession, but without anapology from him, how should Nigerians see Babangida?

    June 12 Annulment: Post confession, but without anapology from him, how should Nigerians see Babangida?

    Abiola, his wife, Kudirat, alongside his many businesses; a NADECO chieftain, Alfred Rewane; business woman Suliat Adedeji and several others were consumed in the political convolution that Babangida’s perfidy set off, which completely engulfed Nigeria.

    He ought to be aware that these  tragic events can never be wished away merely through a trifle acknowledgement of wrong-doing, but by a major act of seeking  national forgiveness, coupled with corresponding acts of reparation; whether financial or otherwise. Nothing less would do”.

    A Premium Times Editorial.

    My first, and only, meeting with General Ibrahim Babangida  was at his opulent hilltop castle in Minna, Niger state, a few years ago in the company of  members of the Board of a Federal institution in the state, when we paid him a courtesy call.

    Although already hobbled by radiculopathy – a condition he allegedly

    got serving Nigeria on the war front – he actually once told a CNN reporter that he still has a bullet lodged in his body. I could not miss his gaiety, affability and charm; all of which were copiously on display. He was winsome and, when the Chairman introduced me as a columnist with The Nation on Sunday, he literally grabbed me, pulling me towards himself for some small talk.

    The ever irrepressible charmer!

    To know General Babangida, no matter how fleetingly, is to be  unwilling to roast him the way many have done since his book launch this  past week.

    Unfortunately, his gargantuan sins against God and humanity make it absolutely impossible for one to stay on that narrow and straight road. General Babangida offended, not only man, but God.

    His story is, therefore, a  tragi – comedy – a man so gifted, yet so unremittingly conflicted; that only God in His infinite mercy, not man, can forgive him his many sins against Nigeria and humanity.

    Babangida evokes strong emotions. For most, he is the symbol of the country’s tumultuous past, a past marked by nasty militarism, political upheaval, systemic corruption and economic stagnation.

    In recent years, however, he has attempted to rebrand himself, coyly seeking redemption, and forgiveness, even if the words “I regret” are too heavy for him; the more reason his efforts are like pouring water on a duck – fruitless.

    The catalyst for his latest attempt at transformation was his recent  confession, during his book launch, regarding the annulment of the June 12, 1993, presidential election.

    For years, he has denied any involvement in the annulment, but in a surprising turn of events, he publicly acknowledged his role in the gross act.

    The admission has sparked a huge national conversation, with many Nigerians grappling with how to process it, especially as he seems too  conceited to really, meaningfully, apologise to a nation he has severally trampled upon.

    Most commentators have, understandably, taken the retired general to the cleaners while on the other hand, some are willing to see his  confession as an act of courage and a  willingness to confront the demons of his past as well as take responsibility for his actions though  his failure to apologise directly, and fully, rather than take cover under some linguistic razmataz, robbed him of the sympathy of most Nigerians.

    In a country where public officials rarely admit to any wrongdoing, Babangida’s acknowledgment of his role in the annulment would have been a refreshing change, were he not unnecessarily too important in his own eyes.

    His traducers are, of course, far more skeptical, viewing his confession as a calculated move designed to rehabilitate his image and secure his legacy. They argue that his admission of guilt is too little, too late, and that it does not erase the harm caused by his malevolent actions.

    Read Also: June 12: Olanipekun berates Babangida for not apologising to Abiola, family

    Also, they argue, Babangida’s role in the annulment of the June 12 election was not an isolated incident. His military regime was marked by widespread human rights abuses, including the suppression of free speech and the detention of political opponents.

    In this context, his confession can be seen as an attempt to deflect attention from his broader record, to focus on a single issue, rather than confront the full scope of his torrid actions.

    So, how should Nigerians see Babangida post his confession?

    The answer is complex.

    While his admission of guilt is a step in the right direction, it is only the beginning of a long process of reckoning and accountability.

    Ultimately, Nigerians must approach Babangida’s confession with a critical eye, recognizing the extent of his thoroughly inhuman misdeeds, as well as, both the significance of his admission and the limitations of his apology.

    By doing so, we can begin to build a more nuanced understanding of our country’s past; one that acknowledges the complexities and contradictions of figures like Babangida. That would, without a doubt, lead us to a fair and just conclusion as to how we believe history will, inevitably, judge him.

    One Nigerian who has begun that process, even before the billions – Naira deluge of a book launch and his confession and efette apologies, is Professor Steve Egbo who, a whole 24(2001) years earlier, has written a tome on the  general with conclusions that have more than a fair chance of representing the retired general’s epitaph.

    With an eye on space constraint then , let us quote Professor Egbo at some length in his book:’Political Soldiering : Africa’s Men on Horseback”,  especially pages 84 – 94.

    Wrote Egbo: “Many have reacted to Babangida’s so called autobiography. Many more will still react. As a response to his obstinacy and lies, I have decided to produce a brief excerpt from my book, “Political Soldiering : Africa’s Men on Horseback”, published 24 years ago. This will serve as my personal response to Babangida’s false narratives. His attempt to rewrite history in his own image is just a proof of who he is.

    How Babangida’s private emotions, ideas and plans were foisted on the nation, how the nation’s resources were subjected to a plethora of abuse and misuse, and how the nation remained exceptionally receptive to para-psychological manipulations for a period of eight years vastly go beyond conventions and traditional wisdom.

    For Babangida, politics is not just “the art of the possible”, it is the art of ruling a people through deception, empty promises, lies and intimidation. For him, while politics remain the process by which people compete for the control of the instruments of favor, it must involve “the use of fraud”.

    For the smiling General and the perfidious faithlessness he represents, the best politician is a juggler, or better still a sorcerer, full of tricks, inconsistencies, nihilism and misathropy. Babangida saw himself as the Charles De Gaulle of our time.

    He believes himself to be a strong man, a man of action with a strong dose of egoism, pride, toughness, and cunning.

    This belief best explains the reason why he took Nigeria on a jolly ride for so many years. He told Nigerians that as political nonentities, they must learn the rudiments of democracy at his feet.

    It was a long lecture, scheduled to last eight years or  till eternity.  However, it was a very sad lecture because at the end of it all, Nigeria learnt nothing but lost everything. The energies, the resources and the time channeled therein went down the drain”.

    That I believe is how Nigerians should see, and remember, General Ibrahim Babangida, the self – proclaimed “evil genius”, alias Maradona.

  • Is Atiku Abubakar a glutton for punishment the way he keeps running to Obasanjo

    Is Atiku Abubakar a glutton for punishment the way he keeps running to Obasanjo

    What I did not know, which came glaringly later, was his parental background which was somewhat shadowy, his propensity to corruption, his tendency to disloyalty, his inability to say and stick to the truth all the time, a propensity for poor judgement, his belief and reliance on marabouts, his lack of transparency, his trust in money to buy his way out of all issues and his readiness to sacrifice morality, integrity, propriety, truth, and national interest for self and selfish interest” – President Obasanjo on his one – time Vice, Waziri Atiku Abubakar, in his book “MY WATCH”.

    In my part of the country, anybody so literally incinerated, would never remember that the person who so vaporised him exists, ever again.

    It is part of our Omoluabi ethos.

    But regrettably, the Waziri Adamawa is not cut from that cloth.

    He, therefore, goes forth and back to former President Segun Obasanjo like he had been told the latter is his sole access to the Nigerian presidency.

    Atiku Abubakar’s persistent pursuit of the presidency, despite facing numerous setbacks, has led many to wonder if he’s a glutton for punishment, just naive or too driven by the now hackneyed prediction of those marabouts Obasanjo was first to reveal.

    Or why, after seeing his many  visits to  Obasanjo, once with two bishops in tow, collapse like a pack of cards, would he again head to Ota, this time with mere mortals like Senator Abdul Ningi, former Cross River governor, Liyel Imoke, former Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal and, to really have Obasanjo’s ears, Otunba Oyewole Fasawe, Obasanjo’s one time very close associate.

    Atiku’s convoluted relationship with  President Olusegun Obasanjo is particularly intriguing, galling in fact, given their complicated history.

    Read Also: NNPC, Oando and Atiku Abubakar’s attacks, by Temitope Ajayi

    His determination to seek Obasanjo’s support, despite the latter’s apparent reluctance, raises questions about his motivations. Is he driven by a genuine desire to lead the country, or is it a personal vendetta? To understand this dynamic, it is essential to examine the genesis of the Obasanjo-Atiku controversy.

    The feud had began on the eve of the 2003 PDP primaries, when Atiku was pressured to leave Obasanjo’s side and contest the presidency. That Atiku succumbed to that pressure sparked Obasanjo’s ire, setting the stage for a protracted and tumultuous relationship.

    Fast-forward then  to the present, and Atiku’s actions seem to be driven by a desire invigorated by the marabouts’ say so.

    To properly contextualise matters, long before Atiku became anything outside of Nigerian customs, that is politically, marabouts had told him he would be elected governor of his state, never rule as such, but become the President after a brief time as Vice- President.

    Pity, he never escaped that entrapment.

    His repeated overtures to Obasanjo, despite the latter’s obvious disinterest, and continuous denigration of the supplicant, suggest a deep-seated, unalterable ambition. This behavior is perplexing, given Atiku’s extensive experience, popularity and  undeniable accomplishments both in politics and business.

    His critics argue that his actions are motivated by a sense of entitlement, rather than a genuine desire to serve the country.

    His recent criticisms of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, for instance, have been characterised as “harebrained propositions devoid of realistic alternatives” but aimed majorly at being in the limelight, especially as, rightly or wrongly, Peter Obi of the Labour party, considers himself  head of the opposition.

    Moreover, Atiku’s economic proposals have been serially dismissed as efette and lacking in substance. For instance,  his suggestion to privatise the four government-owned refineries has been criticised as a rehash of old ideas.

    Nigerians have also not forgotten the mess he made of the Privatisation programme of the Obasanjo government, as the man in charge, when between him,  Obasanjo and El Rufai, they sold about 147 enterprises worth around N100B, to cronies, for not even a fifth of that amount.

    Nor can we forget the PTDF cesspit.

    In the light of all these, it is reasonable to ask whether Atiku’s persistence is driven by a desire to prove himself or a genuine commitment to public service. His actions seem to be motivated by a need for validation, rather than a desire to address the country’s pressing challenges.

    This view is further reinforced by his visit to former President Ibahim Babangida this past week.

    Apparently to sell a dummy to Nigerians he visited former President Ibrahim Babangida in Minna, calling it a courtesy call ahead of the former’s  book launch of Thursday, 20 February, a bare 48 hours or so away.

    The  Waziri very easily gives himself away. If he would meet IBB a mere 48 hours or less away, why this rush, if not in furtherance of his subterranean 2027 ambitions?

    But, indeed, why visit Obasanjo or IBB anyway? When last did the candidates supported by these two titans last win any election?

    Atiku just loves to be in the limelight even if such would come to naught. What a pity for a once glamorous, and respected, politician until he demonstrated what a selfish politician he is; angling  so audaciously to see himself, a Northerner, succeed President Muhammadu Buhari, another Northerner,  who had just completed two terms of 8 years on the platform of a political party, PDP, which has zoning enshrined in its constitution.

    Ultimately, Atiku’s decision to continue seeking Obasanjo’s support, despite the latter’s apparent reluctance, raises questions about his judgment and motivations. Is he a glutton for punishment, driven by a desire for validation and acceptance? Or is he a genuine leader, committed to serving the country?

    Like a child running after lolly, Atiku continues to run to a man who not only serially rubbishes him, but had the temerity to insinuate his parental background into what, essentially, was nothing more than a political contestation.

    What insult will Atiku not take in his millennial pursuit of Aso Villa residency?

    If he didn’t know at that time, hasn’t he been privileged to read the highly respected Awujale’s views on Obasanjo?

    I can understand a  Peter Obi tying himself to Obasanjo’s apron strings, not an experienced Atiku, who would soon be 80 years on terra firma.

    Meanwhile he continues to further deepen the hostilities tearing the PDP, his only legitimate route to the Presidency, apart. He obviously would have acted differently, if only he had realised that come 2027, no amount of money will shake off the young turks now angling for the party”s leadership, if it manages to survive its current duel unto death. 

    All said, Wazirin Abubakar appears like his own worst enemy, not only by his political gallivanting, but more because he has never shown the inclination to help deepen, and get firmly rooted, any party to which he belongs, knowing full well he hasn’t the qualities to found one, yet always fighting to the death to emerge the Presidential candidate.

    Nigerians are waiting with bated breath, for that day when he would see himself as an elder statesman.

  • Controversy: Non – indigenes should be barred from contesting Senate, House of Representatives elections

    Controversy: Non – indigenes should be barred from contesting Senate, House of Representatives elections

    If for the sake of equity amongst Nigerian states and peoples, representation in the senate is set at 3 members per state, and  constituency, which is determined

    on  the basis of the population strength of each state, is the basis for allocating the number of Reps a state can have,  why are non- indigenes allowed to  contest for these positions outside their state of origin?

    I consider this grossly unfair in a country like ours where, in  some states in the Southeast geo- political zone would not tolerate a cleric, (even of the same Igbo ethnic stock) as their clergy if so appointed by the Pope if he comes from outside their own state. This we have seen severally.

    It could, in fact, be far worse, as happened when the entire indigenous peoples of Aba Ngwa not only rose, like one man, in rejecting a non- indgene as the Aba Mayor, but flagrantly dared their state governor, Alex Otti, to dare appoint one. Please see  Vanguard of Oct 19, 2023 for confirmation.

    These are the same people who come loaded with money to try everything  to contest elections, from councillorship to governorship, in the Southwest.

    I could barely hold myself when this past week, on a Seun Okinbaloye television programme, a  respected Muiz Banire, Senior Advocate of Nigeria,  glibly described this practice as signifying political freedom.

    What political freedom? Why should this freedom be applicable to the geese but not apply equally to the gander or where in the East can a Yoruba man, seriously, contest a senate seat?

    Whoever likes may call me an ethnic bigot but where, in all honesty,  has this been allowed to happen in the East?

    During the 2023 elections Peter Obi, not only ensured that Igbos predominated amongst party executives in both the North and the West, many of the party’s candidates for election, Pan – Nigeria, were equally Igbo.

    You can only imagine where, a politician, say from Aboh Mbaise LGA (Imo state), but representing Amuwo -Odofin(Lagos state) in the House of Representatives, will consider first for a  project between Imo and Lagos state.

    If this is truly freedom, then it should apply equally everywhere in the country.

    I, therefore, say enough of this absolute nonsense. The National Assembly must move, with all speed, to abrogate the misnomer.

    It could, in future, be reversed when all Nigerians consider themselves brothers and sisters enough to jettison primordial considerations in all things.

    As things stand today in Nigeria, we are neither Americans nor British in whose countries the phenomenon counts for nothing.

     The fundamental underlying this discussion is the truism that in Nigeria, unlike in the U.S, the UK or the West in general, primary loyalty goes to one’s place of birth, as well as to one’s people, while scant attention is paid, if at all, to people from far fetched areas since place of domicile is accorded any regard, majorly on his/her business. 

    So perfunctory, and ephemeral, is this little concern or attention, as we saw in Ibadan last year, where a sojourner thought nothing of allegedly storing dangerous, and flamable, mining chemicals within his community until it completely incinerated the entire area, causing serious damage to lives and property.

    It is very doubtful if anybody who owes his roots to where he lives would ever conjecture such a dangerous act.

    Read Also: Don’t allow selfish politicians incite us against Tinubu, Hunkuyi tells northerners

    It is the same reason many people, with no relationship to their immediate community, are known to go into very seedy areas of towns and cities to set up factories, manufacturing unsafe water in sathets for human consumption, or adultratrating all manner of alcoholic drinks, believing that the hardworking but overstretched NAFDAC may never be able to catch up with them.

    All these they won’t do in their villages.

    It is important to emphasise these differences so that nobody would come round trying to obfuscate things with the fact that anybody living in any state in the Unitetd States of America can contest elections after satisfying some residence conditionalities.

    If there is any place where the saying: ‘politics is local’, is truest, and should be sacrosanct, it is  Nigeria because,

    what is ours we always hold dearly but believe that we can throw trash to others.

    Therefore, whoever thinks he would not pay taxes in his state of domicile because he could not contest election into seats where his own state of origin has an equal number of seats allocated to it, must know that he cannot, legitimately, do any business in that state.

    That settled, it needs be said that the principle of equal representation in the senate is a cornerstone of federalism, ensuring that each state has an equal voice in the upper chamber. If this is so why allow individuals to contest senate and state elections outside of their own state?

    This will be  a contradiction in terms as it  will undermine the very principle of equal representation.

    To properly understand this issue, it is essential to delve into the history of the US Constitution, which established the framework for the senate and house of representatives.

    The Constitutional Convention of 1787 was a pivotal moment in American history, where delegates debated, and negotiated, the structure of the federal government. The concept of equal representation in the senate was a hard-won compromise, with smaller states insisting on equal representation to prevent larger states from dominating the chamber.

    The framers of the Constitution  established that each state would have two senators, regardless of population. This ensured that smaller states would have an equal voice in the senate, preventing larger states from imposing their will on the chamber.   

    Senators, like Reps are expected to represent the interest of their state, which requires a deep understanding of local issues and concerns.

    By allowing individuals to contest elections outside of their own state, the system risks undermining this principle of local representation. It is essential to strike a balance between allowing individuals, with expertise, to represent a state and ensuring that they have a genuine connection to the community they’re representing.

    Another argument against allowing individuals to contest elections outside of their own state is that it can lead to a lack of accountability. If an individual is elected to represent a state they don’t, in reality, belong to, they may not be accountable to the local community. Why would you wish to represent a people who language and culture you do not have a deep understanding of?This will certainly  lead to a disconnect between the elected representative and his constituents, thus undermining the principles of democracy and representation.

    In conclusion, the controversy surrounding the ability of individuals to contest senate and state elections outside of their own state is a straight forward one that should be resolved against the non – indegene. While the principle of equal representation in the senate is essential to federalism, it is equally important to ensure that elected representatives have a genuine connection to the community they seek to represent.

    Finally, it needs be stressed that the mathematics of representation must be strictly adhered to.

    It is of extreme importance that no non – indegene be allowed to compromise the equality of numbers as structured for senate and as allowed as a function of population in the number of Reps alloted to each state. To put it starkly, a Yoruba man or woman, contesting and winning an election in a non – Yoruba state, unfairly reduces the number of indigenes representing their people, whether in the Red or Green chamber.

    It is a lacuna that must be promptly removed for equity.

  • Okanlomo Omoluabi John Olukayode Fayemi at 60

    Okanlomo Omoluabi John Olukayode Fayemi at 60

    Love or hate him, as some do with the very sinew of their entire being, but which will, in the end, do nothing to detract anything from the  sterling attributes Yorubas have for centuries, attached to those two idiosyncratic epithets, namely, Okanlomo and Omoluabi used to describe Dr Fayemi in the caption.

    More interesting is the fact that he  earned them, having lived every facet of his multi- faceted life, whether as an academic, a public servant, public intellectual, politician or even as citizen, right up to the bill, emerging in the process, a glowing pride of our Alma Mata – the 89 year old Christ School, Ado – Ekiti, aka THE SCHOOL.

    Writing about a luminary like Kayode Fayemi can be something of a jigsaw especially for one, like me, who wrote  several articles evaluating his performance as governor of Ekiti and more.

    Given the byzantine web then of trying to select a particular article on this occasion, I would rather, choose to quote from my forthcoming book, a portion of the chapter which is dedicated to Dr Fayemi.

    I believe that the bit space constraint will permit will still give the reader a good grasp of the essential Kayode Fayemi.

    The chapter is titled:The Fayemi Phenomenon and The End of a Political Sabbatical.

    It reads as follows:

    “The sheer carnage of the Ondo state political crises of 1983,  my near escape, but more importantly,  the fact that my entire family – my wife , three young children  and I, could  very well have been wiped out  in those horrendous events, but for God, were more than enough to send me into a political sabbatical of over 25 years. This position was further accentuated by  the military coup that would  last from ’84 till ’99, my wife’s abiding dislike for  politics and the fact that it coincided with a time my children were going through  secondary schools and universities, both here in Nigeria, and abroad. This last meant that I had to take up an employment – as my business had been very badly disrupted by the Ondo state political convulsion.

    I did that with the Caprisonne Group,  a German-Nigerian company for a fairly long period before I went back to  business.

    The period also saw me  writing a column for a newspaper in a manner quite different from my, on  and off, articles of old in both The Sketch and The Tribune on Sunday. The result is that today, as you read this, I have written consistently, without fail even for a single week, for a period of  nearly twenty years, first for the Comet newspaper – for which I wrote for two years – and its successor, The Nation, for the remaining years.

    My articles which centred mainly on current political events took a dramatic turn when the  then incumbent Nigerian President, Olusegun Obasanjo, a retired general  who had been a one-time military Head of state, had been  jailed for a phantom coup and was rail-loaded into office again by a Northern  military cabal as  civilian President, began to treat Nigeria like his fiefdom.

    He literally ‘abrogated the Nigerian electorate’ through the shambolic national elections conducted under his watch both in 2003 and 2007. Indeed, towards the end of his two-terms, in 2007, he began at first cladestinely, but later much more flagrantly, by compromising members of the National Assembly, a spirited effort at elongating his tenure, if possible, to a life presidency in what is popularly known as The Third Term Project.

    Most disgusting to me personally, however, was how Obasanjo elected to treat Ekiti state and its people. He had started off in the Fayose administration to trample over all we stood for in Ekiti and when it pleased him, in a move designed to rig the next election ahead of time, he had schemed the impeachment of Governor Ayo Fayose, a man he had visited severally, and had many times called his son.  He cleverly schemed the governor’s ouster via a messy impeachment which turned out inchoate according to the highest court of the land. That was how Fayose twice humiliated him. Nonetheless, in Fayose’s place, he coyly brought in his Ogun state kinsman, Brig-General Tunji Olurin, a gentleman, but whose primary assignment, it seemed in retrospect, was to ensure that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ‘won’ the  2007 gubernatorial  election in the state, as all that Obasanjo ever truly  cared for, in reality, was to imagine himself competing with Awo’s legacy in Yoruba land.

    That was the primary reason for the brutal rigging of the 2007 elections everywhere in the Southwest, all of which were subsequently overturned through the unprecedented, yeoman’s efforts of Ashiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu – AKANBI ENIA- particularly in his involvement, in the different prosecution teams, of Adrian  Forty, an English Forensic expert, who exposed PDP election riggers – all of them – as no better than mere rookies.

    Obasanjo’s treatment of Ekitis got so indecent that there were some 2- or 3-day governors; and at the elections in 2007, his errand boys, friends, the INEC and the security services all combined to rob Dr Kayode Fayemi, the candidate of the Action Congress of victory at a time Ekiti people were already jubilantly dancing on the streets.

    All these would combine to dictate a completely new trend for my articles. And I was going to be in no way sparing of a man who treated us Ekiti’s so wretchedly.

    This was the juncture at which my paths crossed Dr Kayode Fayemi’s, even though I had known him by reputation much earlier.

    Of course, there was no way I could  have missed his exploits with Radio Kudirat.

    I came head on into the Fayemi campaigns during the rerun election (2009) though I had all along been very supportive of his brilliant campaign through my weekly articles in The Nation on Sunday.  Though I came into the campaign late, I have never accorded a greater devotion to any political cause. I thought nothing of the harm, nor reckoned with all the bestialities the opposition was known to be quite capable of, especially in the state.

    I saw in Dr Fayemi the decisive political leader I have looked for in vain after Chief Obafemi Awolowo.

    I saw in him a brilliant young man who had taken upon himself, the huge responsibility of  wanting  to morally lead a politically bastardised society into the mores of  true democracy and good governance as well as one who was  determined to carry on, whatever the odds; a marathon runner, indeed.

    And daunting odds mandate – thieves sure threw his way!

    The more I read of him, the more convinced I was about his genuineness. 

    I would finally meet him at the fund raiser hosted by his Christ’s School mates which held at the Events Centre, Ogba, Lagos at which Dr Eniola Ajayi, was Chairperson.  I remember sitting next to Professor Akin Oyebode who, Bolaji Aluko, then a U.S-based Professor of Chemical Engineering, had first asked to send him my telephone number with a view, I later learnt, to asking Dr Fayemi to link up with me. Bolaji had apparently been reading my  column. 

    So corrosively anti – PDP and Obasanjo were my articles that the authors of ‘The Long Walk’ – a chronicle of  Dr Fayemi’s titanic struggle with these anti-democratic forces wrote as follows concerning my humble  role in that effort:  ‘Dr. Orebe, columnist, The Nation newspaper, is a  man of vibrant disposition to public commentaries on discipline in private and public life, choosing transparency and good governance as his specialty. His many articles on Ekiti State debacle greatly helped in mobilizing critical public opinion against the fraud that was committed by the rogues in high places against Ekiti people before and after the re-run election, which cost responsible Nigerians their honour and integrity in the international arena’.

    I have referred to that first meeting with Dr Fayemi but  I  left out something I went away with from the event. In his speech on the occasion, the late Sir Remi Omotosho,  a consummate board room guru who  had served not only as the Personnel Director of Lever Brothers, a multi-national, but had also been the Group Managing Director of the O’dua Group, Ibadan and who must have  seen a thousand and one top grade curriculum vita, said: “On seeing the bio data of Dr Kayode Fayemi what first  came to my mind was  that were Ekiti not in dire need of the services of this young man, Nigeria should be recommending him for the position of the next Secretary-General of the United Nations”.  Remi did not make those remarks lightly.

    Dr Fayemi belongs in the top drawer. A thoroughly reflective individual, his education, erudition and accomplishments completely thump his under 50 years. I quote, once again, from the authors of the Long Walk. Writing on Dr Fayemi, they wrote:  ‘Signs that he would be an activist and a leader had manifested as early as the mid-80s when he was the Chairman of Eni-Njoku Hall, University of Lagos, where he earned his first degree in History. A charismatic personality, Fayemi easily understands people at first sight. He radiates a  pleasant aura which endears him to people. A good listener, he solves even intricate problems with the suave calmness of a combat soldier and he is very unassuming. This explains why the atmosphere was always electrified each time he was in Ekiti before, during and after the 2007 elections  He has always been a dogged fighter and underlying his gentle mien is the courage and strength of a lion. 

    Fayemi attended Christ School, Ado-Ekiti and received degrees in History, Politics and International Relations from the Universities of Lagos and Ife in Nigeria and obtained a Ph.D. in War Studies from the prestigious King’s college, University of London – where he is now a Visiting Professor, specializing in Civil Military Relations.   As a prominent member of the Nigerian opposition in exile, he was actively involved in the establishment of Radio Freedom, Radio Democracy International & Radio Kudirat, and played a key role in the opposition’s diplomatic engagements during the infamous military rule. He was the Technical Adviser to the Human Right Violations Investigation Commission (Oputa Panel) which investigated past abuses in Nigeria. 

    We would soon become quite close, especially as the campaign for the rerun election gathered momentum, and at a private fund raiser, over dinner for five  of us, hosted by the inimitable, absolutely unforgettable Dr Tosin Ajayi of blessed memory, at a Chinese Restaurant on Bank Anthony Way, Ikeja, Lagos I asked him: We know what these people are capable of doing and you know that Obasanjo continues to play God. Suppose they rig the election again? To which he promptly answered: Oga, I am a long-distance runner and to the tribunal I would head gain’.

    How uncannily we both proved!

    I soon became very involved and when on his campaign visit to my Irepodun wing of our Irepodun/Ifelodun  Local Government  Area  my people at Are-Ekiti saw me raise his hand on the podium  and declared him  the reason I was back in politics for the first time since ’83, my people rose like one man to give the candidate a tumultuous welcome and support.

    The elections came again, and as we had anticipated, the thieving  PDP, with the connivance of the powers that be, once again rigged it shamelessly.  And to the tribunal Fayemi again  headed but, again, surprisingly lost.

    All thanks to the Almighty God these elements were finally routed and put to shame at the Court of Appeal, Ilorin on 15 October, 2010, when the Appeal court ruled in favour of Dr Fayemi declaring him winner of both the 2007 election as well as the rerun.

    With that pronouncement ended the rule of man, as designed by Olusegun Obasanjo for Ekiti.

    My first official involvement with the new Fayemi government was in respect of the governor’s Education committee – The Education Task Force and Visitation Panel. The governor had invited me  to  his Isan country home on Christmas Day, 2010 and  during our discussion, he informed me of his intention to have an Education Stakeholders conference to take a holistic look at the  challenges he had observed since resuming office. It was my opinion that what he needed was a committee of experts whose recommendations would then form the working papers for the Stakeholders’ conference. He agreed with this view and we played around some names of probable members many of who later served on the committee.

    The Membership of the Visitation Panel to assess and appraise the state of Education in Ekiti State was as follows:  Chief (Dr) J. G. O. Adegbite (Chairman), Prof  Funke Egunjobi, Prof  L. B. Kolawole, Elder Fasanmade, Mr. Idowu Aderibigbe, Dr Femi Orebe, Prof Dupe Adelabu, Prof Tale Omole, Prof D. S. Daramola, Mr. Olu Ipinlaye, Prof Susan Ajibade, Alhaji Afolabi Ogunlayi, Alhaja Monisola Badmos, Prof Bolaji Aluko,  (Consultant) and Mr. Jide Akinleye (Secretary)

    Many of us subsequently served on the Stakeholders committee and I had the great honour of chairing the communiqué committee at the meeting proper at which Papa,  Professor Sam Aluko and Mama Joyce Aluko spent the entire duration with us.

    Read Also: Fayemi advocates electoral reform to address winner-takes-all politics

    Talking about the Fayemi phenomenon, I have never chosen a worthier political cause. It has been for me, the denouement of a long search for a politician with integrity, with a timeless devotion to cause, or causes, to which he believes. Twice, I have heard Dr Fayemi talk about how ephemeral he considers fleeting political office, even that of the governor of a state, in respect of which many will kill and, have indeed, killed. For him, what matters is how effectively you impact on society and for him, his 8-Point Agenda was  the driving force of his government.

    Below is the 8-Point Agenda:

    1) Governance – To enhance democratic governance and accountability at all levels

    2) Modernizing Agriculture – To make Agriculture a viable source of revenue and sustainable livelihood by ensuring suitable employment, food security, provision of industrial raw materials and poverty alleviation.

    3) Education & development of human capital – To improve access to and quality of education in the ‘fountain of knowledge’ towards the creation and consolidation of a knowledge economy.

    4) Health care services – Prevention will be the key goal of Ekiti Health Service under our watch and we will seek to ensure the provision of holistic and comprehensive health care services and facilities for the people of Ekiti.

    5) Industrial development – To expand Ekiti’s industrial base as a mechanism for increasing internal revenue and providing sustainable employment.

    6)Tourism & environmental sustainability – To make Ekiti an attractive and competitive tourism choice in West Africa.

    7)Gender equality & women empowerment – Promoting gender equality and empowering women by maximizing the potential of half of the population of Ekiti.

    8) Infrastructural development – To establish optimum communities that will improve the quality of life of citizens and attract maximum investments – with provision of electricity, well maintained roads network, potable drinking water, affordable shelter and security.

     On this joyous occasion, I am going to leave to my younger Aburo’s who are far gifted writers than I, and who also have the extra advantage of working directly with the governor – Wole Olujobi, Segun Dipe among others, to give details of Dr Fayemi’s meritorious achievements during his two terms during which not a single community, hamlet, village, town or city was left unimpacted.

    That freedom will give me the opportunity to dwell, at some length, on what in my view represents Governor Kayode Fayemi’s greatest achievement in Ekiti.

    His name of that achievement is His Excellency,Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji popularly called BAO,  by Ekiti’s home and abroad,  and I don’t mean this in the glib way people say that without a viable successor, a governor cannot be deemed successful.

    Without a precedent in any state of Nigeria, Fayemi’s installation of BAO as his successor, of course, through due process, though as usual, contentious was the very meaning of scoring a bulls eye. I won’t waste time on this but would suggest that whoever doubts that Fayemi was scrupulously neutral in the choice of his successor should read my indepth article on the subject titled- BAO: The Apple Does Not Fall Far From Tree, of 22 October, 2023.

    Ekiti politics of that era, including even that of Fayemi, was a bedlam; what I once described on these pages as: “bo ba o pa, bo ba o bu lese”-meaning just harm the opposition.

    I should know because I not only personally mediated quarells, there are still, as you read this, some party leaders of that era, who still do not greet each other, except, of course, BAO has worked his magic.

    I shall be lying if I say I know how BAO did it all – resolved all disputes across party lines, and restored peace in Ekiti politics so much that all our past governors, on all political party platforms, are now ‘ad idem” on literally all matters.

    But this I know, and here I shall be quoting from my aforementioned article of 22 October, ’23 wherein I wrote as follows, first about BAO: “As a writer, and close to government, even though not a government official, I have seen BAO at work, have keenly observed this quiet, and easy going  ‘complete Ekiti bureaucrat’, who not only studied mostly here within Ekiti, but have served, meritoriously, in various sections of the state government over a long time, and is attested to by those who should know, as a loyal and  competent gentleman who knows both the Ekiti people and the terrain very well”.

    Despite the near, all pervading bedlam in Ekiti politics, BAO was particularly lucky. He worked with, and under two, of our very best.

    I wrote further:”Even though it goes without saying that Oyebanji is well bred, that is, from home, his almost unparalleled respect for people, young and old, must have a lot to do with his long tutelage under the Omoluabi governor, Otunba Niyi Adebayo, whose Chief of Staff he was, just as governor Fayemi’s – whose SSG he was -natural, decent and quiet mien, must have  positively robbed off  on him.

    He must have many times, while not yet governor, wondered as to how the attitude to office, by the two were so unlike what he observed under other governors.

    This I suspect can only be the springboard from which Oyebanji’s approach to governance owes its origins

    All put together, it is a win – win for the long suffering people of Ekiti.

    Happy birthday Governor Fayemi.

    Many happy returns and super congratulations to our darling Erelu, your jewel of inestimable value.

  • As PDP implodes

    As PDP implodes

    PDP has imploded again. That cannot be news to Nigerians who have come to know that party like their palms. But then am not referring to last week’s fracas at the party’s National Headquarters in Abuja over which the  member representing Ideato North/Ideato South Federal Constituency of Imo State and spokesman of the Coalition of United Political Parties, the once – expelled, Ikenga Imo Ugochinye, so praised one of the cruiserweights, you would think that one had just won a national wrestling contest.

    The bruising contest had erupted when thugs from the two flanks of the  embattled party  emerged, fighting for either of the National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, and the former National Youth Leader Sunday Ude-Okoye – see the names, and mentally recall the unending imbroglio for the position of President of the senate in the Obasanjo years, and give yourself a good laugh. This cannot but be so as while in office, the U. S Ccommittee on Foreign Relations had long concluded that this is a party that thrives on rent seeking and clientelism. Giving Nigeria’s current challenges they are believing themselves as capable of winning elections in 2027, even without planning, without attempting a thorough cleasing of their Augean stable of a party.

    Let them carry go!

    Resplendent in their VIP seats as the war raged were the big guns, who never stopped deluding themselves, calling PDP ‘our great party’, rather than a hollow party – the BoT Chairman, Senator Adolphus Wabara, the Acting National Chairman, Ambassador Umar Damagum.

    BoT Secretary, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, Hajia Inna Ciroma, Senator Ben Obi, Chairman of PDP Reconciliation Committee,  Gen. Olagunsoye Oyinlola, and former Niger State Governor Babangida Aliyu, among others.

    The scene easily reminded me of what I wrote here recently in the tribute to my inimitable teacher, Dr Segun Osoba, to wit:”looking back now, one of the very important lessons I learned from him was the importance of understanding the past in order to appreciate the present, with a view to shaping the future. He taught us that history is not just a series of dates and events but a rich tapestry of human experiences, cultures, and traditions”.

    So is it a tradition of the PDP to always implode?

    Yes, of course, majorly because it have always been an ensemble of the same kind of people, united as President Obasanjo once said, by love of office, and patronage, or  a fresh craving for office.

    Unfortunately, even if this were not the case, the mere presence of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar in the party would have been enough to set it into a tailspin as has been the case since he returned from ACN, and later, APC.  When he exited the party for the ACN, it was for the sole purpose of wanting to emerge the Presidential candidadate of a party he did not found but which Ahmed Tinubu indulged him, and then went, solely on his own, to pick his VP without consultation.

    He actually has never been able to invest the patience and intellectual depth needed to found a political party.

    And that ambition to ride roughshod over any, and every, party to which he belongs, believing that money will make that a done deal.

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    I enjoin Nigerians to watch out as the equally ambitious politicians like Obi, Saraki, El Rufai, Ogbeni and others he must be surreptitiously romancing now, will not lie low and be prepared to play the monkey.

    Let us hear how  President Segun Obasanjo situated this Atiku’s corrosive ambition on reliance on Marabouts.

    He wrote in MY WATCH, Pages 31 – 32-

    “What I did not know, which came out glaringly later … were his propensity to corruption, his tendency to disloyalty, his inability to say and stick to the truth all the time, a propensity for poor judgment, his belief and reliance on marabouts , his lack of transparency, his trust in money to buy his way out on all issues and his readiness to sacrifice morality, integrity, propriety truth and national interest”.

    Had Atiku not sacrificed morality, he would have known how immoral it was to think that a Northerner should succeed President Muhammadu Buhari after completing two terms of 8 years. And to imagine that some myopic Northern leaders so supported him they bulldozed a frightened Aminu Tambuwal out of the race is insulting.   

    As a historian this leads me to my article of 16 January, 2011 titled:

    AS PDP IMPLODES –

    It reads:

    It is a settled truism that a house built of spittle must, of necessity, collapse. So let it be with the Peoples’ Democratic Party which one of its unreflective past chairmen once said would rule Nigeria like forever. Since they do not read, he could never have heard about Hitler’s Third Reich. But then, we must not be deceived; for a dangerous game is afoot, and Nigerians, especially those in both the ACN and the Labour party, two parties currently receiving hordes of departing decampees from the PDP, and therefore, the  obvious gainers from the demise of the party, must show themselves much smarter than either the manipulators within the PDP or the miserable cast of individuals now jumping ship in droves, determined only to go out there to prostitute, profit and then promptly return to their vomit. Therefore, they must be understood for who they are, and must be kept at reasonable arm’s length.

    They must be made to campaign for the presidential candidates of their new parties, whoever it turns out to be.

    We said it long ago that the party’s Chairman, Board of Trustees will lead it  to its demise.

    The hour has come and even with the very best of intentions, it is now beyond the PDP to save itself. But we must ensure that Nigeria does not go down with this ‘biggest rally’ in Africa.

    I haven’t the slightest doubt that those now decamping are on a mission to go and find an avenue for their political ambitions whilst leaving their  supporters for the would-be PDP presidential candidate. In which case, the parties now receiving them in droves may actually  end up being  used and subsequently dumped. They must not be allowed to eat their cake and at the same time, have it.

    The scenario building up before our very eyes is one more reason why the  Almighty God must always be given His full due of thanksgiving in all circumstances, as the holy writ enjoins us. He uses anybody, or anything, to accomplish His words and desires.  He appears ready to use a once, all-conquering, Obasanjo to set this country free. God in His infinite mercy is about taking plan – lessness, dubiety, profligacy and kleptomania out of our body politic. He is  setting us on the right path, in a way that Nigeria’s traducers would no longer blaspheme that  God gave us abundant resources but fools for leaders.

    The implosion of the PDP must be celebrated like the Israelites did the unprecedented parting of the red sea. Or where today is Nigeria after 12 years of outright rudderless – ness in the hands of a manipulating, and thoroughly unfeeling PDP? What is the status of infrastructure stock, energy or security in a country that received, in the last 12 years, an unprecedented quantum of petro – dollars?

    As you read this in the year of our Lord, 2011, twelve years into PDP’s stranglehold over the country, you do not have a dedicated road from Lagos to the nation’s capital, Abuja.

    In my view, nothing better illustrates the complete irresponsibility of the PDP than the state of our roads; not even the equally parlous state of electricity after blowing 16 billion dollars? How can  PDP, buoyed together only by patronage, be so acutely bereft of a plan to genuinely move this country forward, not as in their slogans, but genuinely, for the sake of today’s, and even unborn Nigerian generation? What exactly is that party doing to ensure that our young ones do not graduate into unemployment or into paving the streets, selling cheap imitation goods from China and Taiwan under the scotching sun?

    Should Nigerians, whether in our collective un-wisdom, or cruel trickery, allow the victory of the PDP come the next elections, then we would truly deserve our servitude, condemned as we would then be, to four more years of the same.    

    What was true of the PDP in 2011, is true today, 14 years after, as Alhaji Atiku Abubabakar’s purpose for it has not changed one bit.

    He sees it as a Northern political party to be used solely for the benefit of the North.

  • Electricity transmission tower vandals deserve the death penalty

    Electricity transmission tower vandals deserve the death penalty

    “The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) yesterday announced that vandals plunged 60 per cent of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) into darkness. This followed the vandals’ removal of the 132kV transmission line and underground cables conveying electricity to the Central Area and its environs.

    They did not only destroy cables, they carted away 40 meters of 1x500mm XLPE conductor on the 132KV transmission lines.

    The ICIR reports that Millennium Park is a stone’s throw from the Presidential Villa, housing  the President, the National Assembly, the Supreme Court and other prominent government institutions” – TCN in a public announcement published in several Nigerian newspapers on Saturday, 18 January, 2025.

    I am by no means a lover, or  fan of the death penalty, but one day soon Nigeria, not only Abuja and Lagos, will  wake up into utter and complete darkness. Avarice, misdemeanours – corruption in general – has so deeply eaten into the Nigerian fabric that while the big ogas are stealing with their biro pens, the supposedly poor, the hoi polloi,  probably as agents of the  rich, are either vandalising electricity transmission towers, carrying away huge transmission cables, scooping highly inflammable fuel from distressed petrol – bearing tankers to their peril or, in major Nigerian  cities, shamelessly removing giant sewage manhole covers with narry a thought to the probable  consequences of  their heinous  crimes.

    As things stand in our country today, I haven’t the slightest doubt some Nigerians can  attempt to steal daylight itself. That is how rotten – please pardon the language – things have become in our beloved country that one can say, with all the agony, that there was,  indeed, a country!

    We keep abusing our political leaders whereas, given the opportunity, literally every Nigerian will fail the integrity test. That exactly is how bad things have become in a, once upon a time, land of honour

    May God help us. 

    Please let nobody tell me these are the results of oil subsidy removal or currency floatation because for ages, some Nigerians have deliberately dismantled NEPA infrastructure, carrying away the cables or paving way for generator sellers, while some ensured that  our refineries hardly ever worked for any substantial length of time, despite the billions spent on turnaround maintainance. 

    The Nigerian power sector has been plagued by various challenges, including inadequate infrastructure, little or even negligible generation over the years, as well as inefficient transmission   systems, and rampant vandalism among others.

    Vandalism has become a major threat to the country’s power infrastructure with transmission towers and other critical installations being literally uprooted in several parts of the country. The consequences  are incalculable –  power outages, economic losses, even loss of lives.

    Vandalism has become so bad the Federal government must now ensure, working with the National Assembly, that our laws are given the needed teeth to deal with these national economic wreckers. It now appears quite obvious that only the death penalty can serve as adequate deterrent to these nihilists. Unfortunately, as we saw in the case of armed robbery, the death penalty will not completely eradicate vandalism but without a scintilla of doubt it will very substantially reduce this new drag on the Nigerian economic development.

    Read Also: Your impeachment followed due process, Lagos lawmakers reply Obasa

    Vandalism in the Nigerian power sector is a pervasive problem that has been ongoing for years. Transmission towers, substations, and other critical infrastructure have always been targeted by vandals, resulting in disruption to power supply.

    The motivations for these attacks vary, but are mostly driven by a desire for financial gain. Vandals steal critical components such as copper wire and transformers, which they then sell to their collaborators in the black market. It is believed to be  used also  as a means of extorting money from power companies.

    The consequences of vandalism in the power sector are severe and extremely  far-reaching. Power outages, which can last for days,  weeks or months, will naturally, adversely impact  businesses, hospitals, and other critical  organisations.

    SME’s are usually the worst hit, resulting in stoppage of their operations, and causing significant economic losses.

    It is believed that Nigeria loses billions of naira each year due to vandalism-related power outages.

    Vandalism, and the attendant power outages also have  considerable human cost as they result in increased mortality rates in hospitals where surgeries, as well as the maintainance of critical medical equipments, depend on stable power supply. These are beside the fact that consistent power outages facilitate increased criminalities and insecurity.

    It must be noted that government, at various levels, is trying to moderate, if not completely eradicate vandalism in the power sector

    For instance, the Electricity and Gas Regulations Commission (NERC) has established rules to prevent, and detect vandalism while the Nigeria Police Force has established a special task force to investigate and prosecute cases of vandalism.

    All these, sad to say, have proved so ineffective that  the Nigerian national grid has collapsed severally in the past  leading to almost zero power, nationally, on many occasions.

    As a result of vandalism combined with other reasons like poor infrastructure and paucity of funds, the grid collapsed 12 times in 2024, including on October 16, 2024, when it collapsed twice in 24 hours.

    The grid’s frequent collapses have raised concerns about the stability of Nigeria’s power infrastructure to correct which, the government, regulatory bodies, and the power sector need to work together to improve infrastructure, enforce maintenance protocols, and ensure financial viability.

    These frequent collapses  is the reason one fears that the country may, very soon, experience a sustained period of ZERO POWER, even for days, and we yet won’t hear that any of the fat cats in charge has been fired. It has always been business as usual.

    Indeed, current penalties for vandalism, which include fines and imprisonment, are so inadequate they have no capacity to deter any would-be vandal – the reason it is time the National Assembly does its bounden duty of putting in place, appropriate laws to check the terrorism these vandals daily visit on hapless Nigerians.

    Needless to say,  the lack of effective prosecution, and punishment, for those found guilty has further  aggravated the  culture of impunity that if things remain as they currently are, Nigerians may not have seen anything yet.

    Concluding, the imposition of the death penalty will certainly serve as a strong deterrent to would-be vandals, fully aware that engaging in vandalism could result in the ultimate penalty. It would also reflect the severity of the crime which, as we have shown,  can have incalculable economic and human costs.

    The imposition of the death penalty would be a strong statement of intent, demonstrating the government’s commitment to protecting critical infrastructure and ensuring reliable supply of power to the citizenry.

  • Dr Segun Osoba: My highly reverred teacher at 90

    Dr Segun Osoba: My highly reverred teacher at 90

    In a short commendation to the  award winning journalist, Bola Bolawole, after reading his beautiful tribute to Dr Segun Osoba on his 90th birthday anniversary this past week, I wrote:”Bola thanks for this article in honour of my Number One,  absolutely incomperable Teacher, Dr Segun Osoba. That I didn’t keep up my relationship with him is a shame I will never be able to explain”.

    As if he knew how   tortured I have been for years, that is, since I missed the appointment I had with the late Professor  Abubakar Momoh, who visits Dr Osoba regularly, to break the ice by visiting together with him, Bola replied: “E se pupo sir! You can still do sir!”.

    That hit me like a rubber bullet.

    Bola is right but he wrote so cavalierly  because he doesn’t know how very dearly Dr Osoba held me.

    He not only considered me among the top ten percent of all the students he ever taught, he so believed in me that he, and his late bosom friend, Mr Sesan Dipeolu of blessed memory, the University of Ife Librarian, very confidently recommended me, behind my back I must add, to their friend and University of Ibadan classmate, Mr S.J Okudu, then Registrar, University of Ibadan, to look no further for the Administrative officer the University Council had mandated him to headhunt to come and drive the preparations for the University’s humongous 25th Anniversary due November 17, 1973.

    Leaving the University of Ife Vice- Chancellor’s office, where I was assisting Mr GJO Adegbite, Professor Oluwasanmi’s Executive Assistant, on account of that introduction, was hell. Indeed, so bad did the Deputy Vice- Chancellor, Professor A. A. Adegbola take it that the University ensured I forfeited an Association of African Universities’ scholarship, contested for by all First class and Second class (Upper) graduates on the staff of the University, to undertake a Masters degree programme at the University of Legon, Ghana. To put it mildly, that event changed my entire life trajectory.

    But that is a matter for another day.

    Suffice it to say, however, that Dr Osoba had, even long before that, said he had ‘lost me the day I went into University administration rather than academics’, after graduating on top of my faculty.

    Fortunately, he couldn’t have felt the loss much because, pretty soon, many of his former students, the likes of  the world reputed Professor Toyin Falola, would soon start shining like a thousand stars in the academic world.

    In my own little corner, however, I continued to regret the literal separation because nothing would have been greater for me than being right there under his academic wings.

    An example would put this in perspective.

    About two weeks ago, I finished proofreading the Galleyproof of my book: ‘Simply A Citizen Journalist’, my  would – be magnum opus, to be formally presented, by the grace of God later in the year, only to realise that Dr Osoba, a man who so infinitely impacted my life, did not feature as much as I would have liked.

    To my chagrin, the only other reference to him, other than the one already mentioned, is  in the article ‘Re:

    Azikiwe and The Unifying Question’, of November 25, 2012  from which the following quote is culled:

    “Chief Olabode George, a one time PDP poster boy in the South West, is a colourful politician, any day. He has, since his return from abroad about a fortnight ago, a non event really, but which witnessed the usual uniform – wearing ensemble, massed again at the Lagos International Airport to welcome home the man whose generosity to the party’s womenfolk as Chairman of the Nigerian Ports Authority was legendary.

    He has since taken off from where he left, keen this time on winning back some lost ground in a party which former President Olusegun Obasanjo has predicted may soon be history in Lagos State”.

    Read Also: Aremo Segun Osoba @ 80 – recollections of a reporter

    “Bode George and I were contemporaries in the Nigerian university system, he at the University of Lagos, and I at Ife, at a time when it was trendy to be involved in student activism and we both were.

    But more germane to this piece is the fact that we had a particular teacher in common, he while at Ijebu Ode Grammar School, and I, at the University of Ife. And that happens to be my most admired university teacher ever: Dr Segun Osoba, the clear-headed socialist scholar per excellence, who

    taught my Philosophy of History as well as Diplomatic History, and would later pair with Dr Bala Usman, another equally hard-headed radical historian, now of blessed memory, to author a minority report on the 1975-76 Constitution Drafting Committee (CDC)”.

    “I imagine that till today, Dr Osoba sees George as a witheringly brilliant person. Unfortunately, beyond the fluidity of his language in the referenced article , I searched in vain for his brilliance, or the cold logic you would have ordinarily expected in a critique of that nature.You read the article, especially his suggestions, and all you find is a Bode George desperately running away from his shadows; from the essential Bode George Nigerians have come to know  so well  as the actualiser of Obasanjo’s convoluted, swashbuckling, military-like, vice- grip on South-Western Nigeria …”.

    I ought to have done far better in a book authored by me in respect of a teacher who, without a scintilla of doubt, had the greatest impact on me intellectually, especially as a member of the Socialist Discussion Group which he co- founded with Mr Dipeolu and to which only very few of us, students belonged.

    Born January 9, 1935

    Dr Osoba attended Saint Saviour’s Primary Scool, Ijebu – Ode and Ijebu- Ode Grammar School from where he proceeded to the Nigerian College of Arts and Science, the University of Ibadan and Moscow State University where he obtained his Ph.D in 1967, in that order.

    On his return from the Soviet Union, he joined the University of Ife, Ile – Ife, where our paths crossed.

    Dr Osoba has taught several generations of students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, researched and supervised hundreds of Masters and Ph.D students, especially in his core areas of: Philosophy and Methodology of History, History of Russia, both the Czarist Era as well as The Age of Revolution, History of European International Relations, African Political Thoughts in the 19th and 20th Centuries, the Politics of Decolonisation in Africa and Nigerian History in the 19th and 20th Centuries.

    I will never forget that of all the 6 subjects in which I earned ‘A’ in my final  degree examination, I worked the hardest in his  Philosophy and Methodology of History, and the History of European International relations(Diplomatic History). In Dr Osoba’s class, you simply had no alternative.

    A highly renowned historian and academic, Dr Osoba  reached a milestone birthday this past week, celebrating 90 years of life, learning, and legacy. As a former student, I cannot be happier  paying this tribute to one so absolutely deserving.

    As a teacher, his students, like many of his colleagues, considered him unparalleled. His passion for history was infectious, and his ability to make complex historical events look easy, and accessible to his students, despite the turgid language of Philosophy, for instance, seemed to me a gift of nature. He had a unique way of bringing history to life, making it relevant and engaging. His classes were always lively and interactive but always focussed on encouraging critical thinking and solid analysis, backed with facts.

     Looking back now, one of the very important lessons I learned from him was the importance of understanding the past in order to appreciate the present, with a view to shaping the future. He taught us that history is not just a series of dates and events, but a rich tapestry of human experiences, cultures, and traditions. He instilled in us a sense of pride and appreciation for our African heritage; something he considered a must, if we would ever escape the persistent struggle to shake off colonialism, especially its mental variety.

    He has been both mentor, and inspiration, to many young historians and scholars, providing guidance and support as they navigate their academic careers.

    As should be expected of such an intellectual giant,  his impact extends far beyond the classroom.

    He was such a persistent, and indeed, a leading voice for the emancipation of the Nigerian masses that the Federal Government could not help having him, as well as his razor chap, fellow historian, Dr Bala Usman, amongst the 50 wise men it appointed to write a new constitution for the country.

    To nobody’s surprise, both he and Dr Usman, of the 50, wrote a minority report which, had it been adopted by government would have completely changed the history of this country from the present “monkey dey work, baboon dey chop”, to one of equity, egalitarianism and rule of law.

    But they treated the minority report with benign neglect and left the  Nigerian masses permanently marooned in a devastating struggle for survival.

    Dr Osoba can justifiably say he has done his best for his country. His legacy will continue to inspire, and nurture coming generations.

    I am fortunate to have had the privilege of  learning from under his feet.

    And on behalf of all my classmates, who were blessed to be tutored by you, Sir, I say:

    Happy birthday and many happy returns.

  • By end of 2026 Nigerians will be clamouring for continuation of Tinubu administration

    By end of 2026 Nigerians will be clamouring for continuation of Tinubu administration

    YES. I wrote that even as I am neither God nor see into the future. As to any of us being alive December ’26 and beyond, you and I can only hope in the munificence of the Almighty God.

    So think not that I am playing God. Rather, I am looking at trends. At history.

    And by the way, I am not in any way suggesting that Tinubu’s political enemies, the likes of  Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, Kwankwaso or the Obidients, whose own existence depends solely on feeding fat on eethnicity would have evaporated from the face of the earth. No. not by any chance. Indeed, more anti – Tinubu groups would most probably have mushroomed as the 2027 elections draw nearer. All these are no prophecy but truisms waiting to materialise.

    I say these things for two main reasons, namely: one, the fact that, like a miracle, I have watched this ‘anjonu’ – read as Tinubu – two decades ago, turn around near disaster into a grand opportunity for massive renewal,  and a comparatively worse situation turned around to mark the very beginning of today’s thriving Lagos economy, now 4th in the African continent of 54 countries. Yes, he  did it and please just don’t just joke with that man who the Almighty God has set apart.

    Do you know how many waters Bola Ahmed Tinubu has passed through?

    Apart from all the schemes of the opposition, did President Muhammadu Buhari want him as his own successor? Where, today, are the court jesters rooting for Emefiele or do you any longer hear of then APC’s Chairman,   who would have done anything to instal. .?

    Put nothing beyond Tinubu as long as it is in the best interest of Nigeria.

    The second reason  is the fact that Nigerians are no fools. Once they see their circumstances improve, turned around for the better, they would stick by you through thick and thin. Trust them.

    I, intact, have already seen one asking for a Tinubu for Anambra state. Yet they haven’t seen anything yet.  They should give Tinubu  12 more  months and many will marvel.

    I am not only a chronicler of historical events. I am, first and foremost, a trained historian – Kudos to the greats, my teachers – Akinjogbin, Anjorin, Segun Osoba, Igbafe, Afolayan, Omosini, Olaniyan and others too numerous to mention – who all took me through the crucible.

    As governor of Lagos state in 1999, Bola Ahmed Tinubu inherited a state plagued by, among others, a galaxy  of stinking and suffocating streets, poor infrastructure,  and a very low internal revenue generation, implying very poor resources.

    Within his first year in office, Tinubu had begun to turn things around, laying the foundation that will turn Lagos into the thriving megacity it is today.

    About his first area of focus was education. wherein he initiated a comprehensive reform  aimed at making public schools attractive.  This included the rehabilitation of primary and secondary schools,  provision of free education in all public primary and secondary schools and the payment of WAEC/NECO fees for all students. These tremendously increased access to education for thousands of pupils with little or no additional stress for parents. He immediately prioritised infrastructure development, initiating several projects aimed at improving the state’s road network, expanding its water supply system as well as vigorously enhanced its waste management infrastructure. Not surprisingly,

    these efforts helped tremendously in improving the overall quality of life of the citizens.

    He also aggressively implemented  initiatives aimed at improving the state’s poor, if not negligible, internal revenue. This he did by introducing a new tax system,  expanding  the state’s tax base, and  implementing measures aimed at reducing tax evasion. He then computerised the entire payment system, to crown it all.

    When a few years ago, during a visit to him at his Bourdillon home he told Professor Bayo Williams and I the story of how he, as Lagos state governor, birthed the very first bond as a source of funding for Lagos state in the modern era, we could only marvel.

    As a result of his fear of Northern governors, President Olusegun Obasanjo could not start effecting payment of the 13 per cent derivation to oil producing state’s despite the latter’s pressure.

    Read Also: Oluremi Tinubu visits Gov Namadi, wife over son’s death

    Tinubu noticed the lacuna and persuaded the highly versatile governor Segun Osoba who had many friends among them, to plead with his Northern colleagues to relent, which he successfully did and payment began.

    Tinubu did that knowing full well that most of those huge funds would be sitting idle in banks, all of whose headoffices are domiciled in Lagos, well aware that banks would be receptive to funding solid state loan proposals. That was how he creatively got funding for all his massive infrastructural programmes in the  state.

    His administration also made significant investments in healthcare and social welfare. It initiated several projects aimed at improving the state’s healthcare infrastructure.

    Before you know it, a new Lagos was born,  to be vigorously nourished,  subsequently, by an uninterrupted succession system – which he birthed – and saw his party in power since 1999 till date.

    Let us now gravitate towards contemporary Nigeria and examine why, from the above experiences, I feel positive that President Tinubu will so impact Nigeria and Nigerians that, come election time in 2026 – 27, Nigerians will be clamouring – mind you not begging please – for his election and continuation in office in spite of the current efforts by opposition elements to demarket his government, shouting ‘ebi npa mi’.

    Considering the ambitious economic growth plan  he has unveiled for the country, it is obvious that I am in no fantasy land with my projection even if some doubt it.

    Among other things, Tinubu’s economic  plan aims at elevating Nigeria’s  GDP to $1 trillion by 2026 and to further expand it to $3 trillion by the end of the decade. 

    This will not only transform Nigeria’s economy, but so significantly improve the lives of Nigerians that ‘ebi npa mi’ would have long become history.

    Our current GDP is around $450 billion and taking it to $1 trillion would involve large scale investment and innovation. This will involve creating the right socio – economic environment for businesses to thrive, attract foreign investment, as well as develop the country’s infrastructure, none of which is beyond the capabilities of the technocratic and experienced politician we have in Tinubu. Indeed, a daring – do Tinubu has already shown himself as not only fearless, but sure- footed enough, to do whatever is necessary to make all these happen.

    As is already well known, his economic  plan is built around the following:

    *Infrastructure Development – investing in critical infrastructure such as roads, railways, airports, and seaports to facilitate trade and commerce, but certainly without eggregiously straying into building railways into foreign lands;

    *Industrialization – manufacturing and mining, in particular, to create jobs and stimulate economic growth.

    *Massive Agricultural Development – investing in Agriculture to increase food security, reduce food imports, and create jobs for rural communities especially through the establishment of food processing industries;

    *Human Capital Development –  investing in education, healthcare, and skills development to create a more productive and competitive workforce.

    It can bear repetition that Tinubu has the requisite competences, and experience,  to achieve, maximally, in these key areas and put the country on the road to a level of growth which will lead to increased prosperity as well as improved living standards for all.

    The impediments to achieving all these are, albeit, humongous and some will definitely require tact, and statesmanship, to resolve.

    First of all, apart from her ambitious politicians like Atiku and Kwankwaso, the North, as a political zone, has shown itself a major stumbling bloc to Tinubu’s success that no matter what some spokespersons say now in 2025, the North cannot truly wish to see President Tinubu succeed, not even for the sake of Nigeria. This should ordinarily be a surprise given the huge votes the North gave him in the 2023 election. The reality though is the fact that the North is immortality averse to not being in power.

    Only this past week, for the simple reason that it is currently not in power, and regardless of whether Tinubu created a  ministry of Livestock Development, or not,  a trending WhatsApp video showed a Northern group threatening to declare war on Nigeria. The  more sober ones are aggressiveky planning to drag former President Goodluck Jonathan out to contest not because they love him but rather because he can only now constitutionally spend a term. Forget, in the meantime, that this is the same man they disgraced out of office so their own Buhari could rule.

    For the North, therefore, just imagine the difference a mere four years can make.

    Corruption is another major impediment. It remains a significant challenge and President Tinubu would have to do far more than his government is currently  doing fighting the cankerworn as it can appear in any guise, to scuttle his administration at election.

    Insecurity is something  some people deliberately deploy, and escalate, to make the Tinubu government unpopular .

    On top of the challenges, as President Tinubu should know by now are the twin evils of hunger and the high and increasing cost of living.

    The realisation of my hope of Nigerians rooting for Tinubu’s continuation in office will rest squarely on how successfully, or not, he conquers these two.

    All things being equal, I haven’t the slightest doubt he will conquer because it is not for nothing that ThisDay Board of Editors recently wrote concerning him:”Overall, the President of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has by every note, caution, indication and inaction, earned the THISDAY Man of the Year, because of his doggedness,  resilience and his ability to take tough decisions even against the grain.”

    Once President Tinubu creatively addresses the impediments and gets them out of the way, he will be on the road to becoming a darling of Nigerians and I feel certain he will make a roaring success of his socio – economic programmes.

    I repeat: his ambitious economic growth plan has the potential to transform the Nigeria and improve the lives of all Nigerians.

  • 2024: Annus horribilis

    2024: Annus horribilis

    From beginning to end, it was a horrible year. The skies were unroofed as nonstop natural calamities destroyed human and animal life, agricultural crops, private homes and public infrastructure, paralyzed communication and transport, and disrupted supply chains. Schools, business and government offices closed down, airline and shipping services ground to a halt, and hunger and starvation spread as cities and towns went underwater and lost electric power for days. As soon as the weather cleared, and rescue and relief operations could proceed, various diseases broke out in many communities.

    As the threats from nature waned, they were replaced by man-made problems. The series of natural super typhoons left the Philippine “area of responsibility,” but a political super typhoon of incalculable severity struck in their place”

    That was Francisco S. Tatad, writing in the MANILA TIMES of 1 January, 2025 about what the outgoing year, 2024 was for Phillipinos.

    He was not alone.

    Concerning the British crown and the selfsame 2024, Ben Jureidini, a digital journalist with TATLER wrote, inter alia:

    “From health crises to family feuds, this year has been stormy for the House of Windsor.

    From two cancer diagnoses to a feud of Shakespearean proportion, the royal family may well be glad to see the back of 2024. The Firm was rocked by the news that both King Charles and Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales, had been diagnosed with cancer early in the year, and the last ten months have been tinged with anxiety over the major health concerns at the heart of the monarchy.

    Incidentally, the term “Annus Horribilis” was first coined by the Matriarch herself, the much loved, now departed, Queen Elizabeth II, in 1992 to describe a year of unmitigated disaster for the British royal family.

    The year 2024 will be etched in the collective memory of humanity as a period of unrelenting turmoil, a time when the very foundations of global stability, economic prosperity, and social cohesion were shaken to their core. It was a year marked by unprecedented challenges, catastrophic events, and profound transformations that left an indelible mark on the world.

    One of the defining features of 2024, especially in the West and Asia, was the increasing climate crisis which the in-coming U.S President Donald Trump claims is a fluke despite its torrid negative global  consequences.

    Read Also; Tinubu pledges completion of Eastern rail line

    The situation in the Sahel and Lake Chad region, close by, “is increasingly dire, as the compounding effects of insecurity, conflict, displacement, and climate change take a severe toll on vulnerable populations,” said Hassane Hamadou, NRC’s Central and West Africa regional director. “Our immediate priority is to ensure affected people across the region receive essential support such as shelter, food, and hygiene supplies. Longer-term solutions including the improvement of existing infrastructures must be coordinated with local governments to build resilience against future disasters.”

    Huge floods  equally ravaged several parts of Nigeria with human and economic consequences.

    Among the consequences of climate change, globally, are rising temperatures, more frequent natural disasters, and extreme weather flunctuations that have become the new normal.

    Others  include coastal cities being inundated by rising sea levels, droughts and heatwaves that ravaged entire regions, and unprecedented storms that left millions homeless and without access to basic necessities.

    Equally severe are the economic consequences of the  crisis.

    Global supply chains were disrupted, trade severely impacted, and  industries  forced to adapt or end production outrightly.This has resulted in economic instability leading to massive  job losses,  and a growing sense of desperation among the most vulnerable.

    No meaningful discourse of the horrors of the outgone year can fail to give the pride of place to the horrendous Israeli – Gaza war whose debauchery far outweighs the Russian -Ukranian slugfest, if only because the former is literally one- sided with Israel being  helped to the hilt with constant supplies of weaponry, arms and ammunition which far outweighs whatever assistance Iran could give the Palestinians, either in sophistication or quantity.

    Because Hamas, it was, which started their foolish invasion of Israel on October 7, 2023, Israel has found more than justifiable reasons to attack and severely pound Gaza far beyond all reasonableness: killing thousands of mostly women and helpless children, even those on admission in hospitals.

    The Gaza–Israel conflict is a localized part of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict which began way back in 1948, when about 200,000 Palestinians who fled, or were expelled, from their homes settled in the Gaza Strip as refugees.

    Since then, Israel has been involved in about 15 wars with groups in the Gaza Strip but none has been half as horrible as the current one since Israel sees it as a once, and for all, solution to the Palestinian question, preferring annihilation, if not extermination, to the more popular two state solution supported by most members of the United Nations.

    Israel has killed no less than 41,000 Palestinians to date, higher than the death toll of all other wars in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict combined, and with millions turned into refugees, with no surety of food, or access to drinking water. For the refugees, mostly innocent people, it has been hell on earth.

    No year could have been more horrible.

    Back here at home in Nigeria, 2024 was no less terrible, as it left its pangs which were felt literally by all strata of the society, even though not in equal measure.

    So bad was it that on 1 August, 2024 thousands rose in solidarity with Labour, with youths, activists, even Almajiris, pouring onto the streets to protest against economic hardship, rising food costs with food inflation hovering above 33 per cent, as well as demanding a cut in  electricity and petrol prices. That was not all.

    They equally called for good governance, justice and constitutional reforms.

    Happily, after an uncoordinated initial reaction, the government found its bearing, got to grips, and took charge comprehensively.

    Things have since improved, somewhat, with state governments beginning to take charge of their share of responsibilities in resolving the escalating food crisis, as well as  other existential challenges facing the country.

    Such is the situation now, that a group, The ThisDay & ARISE Group, which is habitually adversarial to the Tinubu government, could not help pronouncing President Tinubu as its Man of The Year, with ThisDay writing:

    “… it is difficult to argue that Tinubu did not earn his stripes as the most consequential Nigerian of 2024.

    “Overall, the President of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has by every note, caution, indication and inaction, earned the THISDAY Man of the Year, because of his doggedness,  resilience and his ability to take tough decisions even against the grain.”

    The group deserves nothing but our commendation when one realises the daily jeremiads of Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi, Tinubu’s two co-contestants in the 2023 Presidential election.

    Happy New Year to all my highly regarded readers as I pray that 2025 will be a far better year for us all than the preceeding one.

  • Nigeria: How we got here

    Nigeria: How we got here

    The declaration by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu that he has no regrets for the sudden removal of fuel subsidy without any cushioning measures to mitigate the resultant crippling effect on the productive sector, high cost of living and associated hardship which is now driving citizens to extreme poverty and early death also confirms APC’s disconnection from the primary purpose of government which is the welfare and security of the citizens.

    “It is instructive that President Tinubu in the chat admitted that Nigerians are bearing the brunt of the failure and inability of the APC administration under his watch to effectively police and secure our nation’s borders as to prevent the smuggling of petroleum products to neighbouring countries” – PDP’s  Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, commenting on the President’s Media chat adjudged by most as

    Reading through the above and, indeed, temporarily unmindful of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi’s forever lie- suffused, and convoluted, critique of the Tinubu administration, I was still easily reminded of my article of the above title, first published 26 May, 2024.

    When this duo of Nigeria’s most troubled politicians – they are currently thinking of  working together again in 2027 – criticise President Tinubu for not waiting to , as Ologunagba put it, put in place:”any cushioning measures to mitigate the resultant crippling effect on the productive sector, high cost of living and associated hardship”, as they do almost on a daily basis, they are merely lying through their teeth because, neither of them could have forgotten the promise to make subsidy removal their very first action in office, nor could Obi and his obidients deny that they were only waiting to immediately throw  their extremely partisan ally,  the Joe Ajaero – led NLC into the fray, had the President attempted any negotiation ahead of the removal.

    That, therefore, was a masterstroke by the president and

    it should beat any keen observer hollow, how the Nigerian political opposition continues, ad nauseam, to get their reading of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu completely wrong; each time  falling prey to his superior stratagems.

    Looking back now you won’t believe that Atiku actually had the opportunity to learn, first hand, from the master strategist during the ACN days.

    I digress.

    Back then to my article of  26 May, 2024  titled as above.

    With food inflation hovering at around 40 per cent, a threat of increase in the pump price of petrol, as well as an unremitting insecurity, there’s more than enough reason to critically examine how we got to this terrible juncture in Nigeria.

    There’s this popular Yoruba proverb about a disabled who, when  told how unsteady the load on his head was, tld the interlocutor to better look at his legs. There has been a deluge of criticism of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu government, especially by political opposition titans, the likes of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and Mr Peter Obi, both dishonestly attributing everything wrong in Nigeria to the present government  even when they both know that, truth be told, Nigeria did not get to this sorry pass  between May 29, 2023 and today.

    Any objective appraisal of the  Tinubu government must, therefore, take into cognisance how  President Muhammadu Buhari (2015 – 2023), and though of the same political party, completely wrecked Nigeria, taking her back, economically, no less than 30 years. That, in essence,  means that whoever became President on May 29, 2023 could only have done very little to ameliorate our extant circumstances.

    We must, therefore, outrightly dismiss the shibboleth that sees Tinubu as being the source of our current multi- sectoral problems simply because, as these do nothings claim, he removed fuel subsidy too quickly as if there was even, any longer, a budgetary provision for it beyond June, 2023 according to a statement  by President Buhari’s Finance Minister,  Zainab Ahmed on 7 October, ’22.

    Although they now, opportunistically, claim that they would have waited ages to end it, all presidential candidates of the major political parties promised to make fuel subsidy removal their very first action in office.

    Long story cut short, President Buhari, by his failure to have a firm grip on his government, especially on his key  aides, the likes of Attorney – General

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    Abubakar Malami, who completely took over control of the EFCC, Aviation Minister, Hadi Sirika, who sold Nigeria cheap, claiming to be  setting up a National Carrier and, of course, Godwin Emefiele the Central Bank governor, who so completely epitomised  Buhari’s laizerfaire,  Sheik-like approach to governance.

    Emefiele made it his bounden duty to  ensure  that Nigerians went through agonising  anguish, queuing up for hours in banks trying to access their own money which he had earlier cleverly ‘confiscated’, claiming that the CBN was going to redesign the national currency.

    So completely did Emefiele overawed President Buhari that the latter kept giving   his own interpretation of a Supreme court decision on the Naira re- design case after some state governors, belonging to the President’s own political party, had become so pissed off at his lilly livered actions on the issue they headed to the apex court for a quick constitutional resolution.

    For President Buhari, his position on the matter was a literal abdication of his official duties, indicating how powerful Emefiele had become, serving the financial interests of members of the Villa cabal.

    And, of course, his own as later events would show.

    On my part, all I could do was record all the sordid happenings for posterity.

    I did that in the article below, published Sunday, 19 March, 2023 drawing very close attention to the Presidential aide who went toe to toe with President Buhari on the furious journey to Golgotha, taking Nigeria down with them.

    Titled: ‘Godwin Emefiele: Not Until I Have Been Disgraced’, it read as follows, with slight editing for space-

    I was privileged to have been both a student, and later, staff of the University of Ife, Ile – Ife, when Olawale Gladstone Emmanuel Rotimi Esq, best known as Ola Rotimi (13 April 1938 – 18 August 2000), one of Nigeria’s leading playwrights, and theatre directors dominated, and popularised theatre at the Source ( Ile – Ife, that is.)

    In one of his many plays, the Tortoise, a slow, ugly and very crafty character, was seen preparing to go on a journey and was asked if he must, and when he would return.

    Without the slightest hint of shame, he retorted:”Not until I am disgraced”.

    As Lasisi Olagunju would put it later, “the Tortoise is that character who fights on both sides, plunging the world around him into needless wars and anguish. Seeing himself as a charmer who cannot fail, he was without any moderation in consumption or in his assumptions.”

    Emefiele, like the Tortoise, never cared a hoot; not for Nigeria nor for Nigerians.

    He has been in and out of one court or the other since he got booted out of office.

    The Tortoise story is, therefore, analogous to his  harebrained currency re- design and swap policy which, not surprisingly, failed spectacularly, turning millions of Nigerians to worse than beggars.

    In all this, it is President Mohammadu Buhari I pity the most. This column eulogised him highly during his first two years in office but I soon took all that back.

    However, the way things are now I, completely out of pity, earnestly wish he had left office even a day before Emefiele, and his co- conspirators, inflicted this currency deluge on Nigerians.

    Who exactly did Garba Shehu think he was deceiving when he issued his meaningless story about President Buhari not directing Emefiele and Malami to flout the Supreme Court judgment on the currency case?

    Nigerians know that President Buhari is not hard of hearing but can we also say that he never one day saw, even on television, the thousands of Nigerians milling around empty ATMS, from morning till  night, eager to withdraw their own money, even if as little as N5000? Neither Buhari nor Enefiele was bothered that those children of perdition, those God forsaken Boko Haram elements and their sundry cousins, could have decided to vent their own anger on these hapless Nigerians, many of who hadn’t eaten for days, nor knew where the next meal would come from.

    As I wrote earlier, I sincerely wish, for purposes of historical reckoning, that President Buhari had finished his tenure a day earlier than this Emefielian ‘mala fide’ because, truth be told, President Buhari was in the process of regaining something of his old aura amongst Nigerians. But as things now stand, generalised hunger, anger and utter delusion have wiped off all that possibility.

    Talk of his huge infrastructural achievements now and Nigerians are more likely to point to the unprecedented national debt, mention the railways, and you are likely to have Nigerians tell you they dare not risk their lives on a kidnapper- infested rail line.

    Nigerians have just been witnesses to the most inefficient duo of an arrogant Attorney – General and and an equally arrogant and tactless CBN governor who actually wanted to become the nation’s president.

    Only last week the defence in the P/ID 11B dollar arbitration case in London, raised serious issues of incompetence against the Attorney- General just as It will now take a new Attorney – General to let Nigerians know what, and what have been sold, and for how much, of the humongous EFCC’s legal seizures.

    The least said about Emefiele the better.

    Having been  serving  his ‘real bosses’ at the corridors of power far better than he served Nigeria, they were even prepared to make him President over us, so he could cook more of his failed ‘rice pyramids’ which evaporated as soon as his presidential dream collapsed.

    Under him, the CBN had multi – dollar exchange rates over which

    not even the World Bank or the IMF could restrain him.

    For instance, the IMF’s Staff Concluding Statement on the 2022 Article IV Mission to Nigeria reiterated its past recommendations towards moving towards a unified and market-clearing exchange rate by dismantling the various exchange rate windows at the CBN, accompanied by clarity on exchange rate policy and supportive fiscal and monetary policies. That in the medium term, the CBN should step back from its role as main FX intermediator, limiting interventions to smoothing market volatility and to allow deposit money banks determine FX buy-sell rates, in collaboration with it.  They noted that an end to his crooked forex policy would help increase  revenue and thus solve a major Nigerian fiscal challenge.

    But all these meant nothing to the arrogant CBN governor.

     Rather he left the country struggling for forex inflow, whilst  selling the limited volume it had at dubious rates.

    Indeed as at the time the two leading world financial institutions were advising him, he was acquiring over a hundred vehicles for his chimeric presidential election campaign.

    Like in the case of the A-G, the incoming administration must make it a point of duty to let Nigerians know who exactly Emefiele is.

    For now, he has received his comeuppance, having been thrown under the bus from his  olympian heights.

    Indeed, if he knows what is good for him, he should give public service a long berth.

    It is safe to say that while President Buhari looked askance, Godwin Emefiele took Nigeria down together  with himself.

    It will be President Tinubu’s bounden duty to retrieve her from that dungeon.

    That won’t be easy but I believe he can do it.