The Nation Newspaper

Category: Gbenga Omotoso

  • Jonathan and otherVIPs

    Jonathan and otherVIPs

    EXCEPT for the brouhaha over the purchase of N255m bulletproof cars for Aviation Minister Stella Oduah, all was quiet last week on the executive’s side.

    The weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting went without much excitement. There were, quite alright, the usual scenes of ministers cracking jokes, laughing, pumping hands and posing for photographs in their exquisite local apparels and Oxford Street suits. But, no earthshaking contract was announced. No policy statement was made. In fact, for reporters, it was a drought.

    The President was away in Israel on a pilgrimage. With him were a host of other Very Important Pilgrims (VIPs), including governors and ministers.

    It was a very busy time for His Excellency, Dr Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan, JP – of course. His media team did a fantastic job of ensuring that those who were not privileged to be in Israel did not miss the events. We were bombarded with photographs of the holy trip. There was one of the President and other VIPs singing on Mount Olive. A cheeky fellow grinned: “What manner of songs – praise (for personal blessings) or lamentation (for Nigeria’s parlous state, despite her huge blessings?”)

    Trust Nigerians; they have launched into a wild criticism of the pilgrimage, attacking every step the special pilgrims took. How much did this cost? Was it provided for in the budget? What benefit will Nigeria derive from this jamboree decked in a spiritual dress? What informed the choice of the entourage? Were they all on holiday? Shouldn’t this be a private affair? It’s all so irritating.

    They never saw the image of the President returning from the pilgrimage more compassionate, more forgiving and more spiritual, ready, as they say here, to move Nigeria forward. All they saw was a jamboree.

    It was, indeed, a humbling sight: Mr Pesident and the others, including Christian Association of Nigeria(CAN) President Ayo Oritsejafor, Governors Theodore Orji (Abia), Emmanuel Uduaghan (Delta), Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom), Martin Elechi (Ebonyi), Jonah Jang (Pleateau) and Gabriel Suswam (Benue) – JPs all – heads bowed and eyes shut, praying at the Dominus Flevit (the place where Jesus wept over Jerusalem).

    To those critics, of whom I had earlier spoken, who will never mind their own business, it was not enough for these leaders to just bow and pray here. One asked: “Did Jonathan weep over Nigeria there?” Another said: “If Jerusalem, rustic, calm and peaceful, attracted the Lord’s tears at that time, does Nigeria today not deserve wailing and crying from our leaders? But will such tears be genuine?”

    C’mon folks, today’s leaders are not like babies crying for lollipop. No. When confronted by those little hitches you guys describe as problems, they simply frown a bit, swear for a while shrug their shoulders and walk away. If they feel irritated, often by public outcry, they set up a probe panel, issue some nebulous directives – they are called terms of reference – and get on with their ever demanding jobs.

    His Excellency and the other excellencies were also photographed at the Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu (where Peter denied Jesus three times). They all stood there, their arms clasped either behind them or in front and their faces betraying unmistakable reverence. Some kind of submission. Another armchair critic, obviously one of those envious people who may never be able to afford such a pilgrimage, said the faces of the distinguished pilgrims may have been a betrayal of incredulity at Apostle Peter’s fate. He quoted the VIPs as thinking: “Shuo! Just for denying his master three times? Haba. Don’t we deny our godfathers a million times? Just three times and the poor guy earned a place in history? Na wa o. Isn’t treachery part of our political menu?”

    At the Wailing Wall, the VIPs – skull caps and all – were again praying. Some merely touched the wall; others slammed their two palms on it, murmuring their petitions in the belief that the angels would fly in to move them all to heaven for the Almighty to sanction. Trust the spoilsports. They launched into an elaborate guess work on what the VIPs were asking God to do for them.

    Jonathan, they said, must have been praying that God should remove all the obstacles on his way to 2015. In fact, one fellow with a dubious claim to telepathy quoted the President as saying: “O Lord, I know you have favoured me, making me the luckiest of all my people. I thank you. And I pray that you should not get tired of helping your son. This 2015 matter, now it’s a bit tough, but I know nothing is difficult for you to handle. Father, handle it for me well well o. Clear all obstacles and make me lucky, once again – in Jesus’ mighty name. Amen.”

    What were the others praying for? Was Jang seeking forgiveness for his role in the Governor’s Forum election debacte where he was the poster boy of the group that said 16 was bigger than 19, a position they defended up till the very day they embarked on the pilgrimage? Was Akpabio asking for God’s will –or his own will – in his bid to be a senator? Was he confessing his role as the ring leader of the 16-is-bigger-than-19 Governor’s Forum faction, which turned logic on its head and created the trouble from which the forum is yet to recover? Was Peter Obi praying for his candidate’s success in the November 16 election, knowing that Willie Obiano will find in Dr Chris Ngige a Goliath of an opponent? Uduaghan may have spared a thought on his role in the Governors’ Forum crisis. He was the Electoral Officer—sorry, an error there—the Returning Officer, who supervised it all, but joined the group that said 16, not 19, carried the day.

    Suswam is eager to be a senator. Was he begging God to help him beat Barnabas Germade, the incumbent and former PDP chair?

    Mr John Kennedy Okpara, the Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Pilgrims Commission, urged the pilgrims to see their trip as a time for spiritual rebirth and a time for divine encounter.

    Nonsense, another of those envious fellows of whom I had spoken, roared. In his view, the pilgrimage should be seen as a trip to a purgatory, a kind of reformation for the confession of sins. Restitution. He then began, without any attempt to differentiate between official and personal matters, to list those to whom he felt the pilgrimage should have been of immense benefit.

    Works Minister Mike Onolememen should have been on the pilgrimage, said the fellow, to seek forgiveness for what he called the criminal negligence of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway on which many great dreams have been terminated. He mentioned also the East-West road, saying there was no reason for allowing these roads to become the death traps they now are.

    Education Minister Nyesom Wike was not on the trip. He should have, said our man, who insisted that the chief should have sought forgiveness for pursuing a personal political goal while all parents are looking up to him to lead the resolution of the crisis that has got the universities shut for more than four months.

    The busybody went on. He said Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala was a sure candidate for the pilgrimage for, according to him, not telling the truth about the economy. He could not fathom why the economy could be doing “so well” and yet many are out of job and states would go on for three months without their statutory allocations. Besides, he accused the lady of telling university teachers to take what the government offered or go to hell – a statement the Minister of Finance and Co-ordinating Minister for the Economy denied.

    Our man, the interloper, was glad that Ms Oduah made the trip. It must have afforded her the opportunity to seek God’s face in the face of a huge assault on her integrity, he thought. Besides, some confession and penitence won’t be a bad idea. Buying N255m bulletproof toys – sorry, a wrong word there – cars in a country where many go to bed hungry and universities are shut down by a massive strike and doctors are pushing for better pay and poor electricity supply has killed many factories, is, no doubt, a big sin that requires some ethereal intervention to cleanse.

    And talking about Oduah. I wonder how President Jonathan shunned her – as reported in the media – in the Holy Land. Wouldn’t that have been sinful, negating the whole idea of the long spiritual peregrination? I saw Ms Oduah in one of those pictures, a big hat on her head, her face covered by the cream hat, a smart-fit shirt on a pair of trousers, just two rows behind Dr Jonathan. If His Excellency had looked back, I bet he would have been all smiles; those harmless smiles that often brighten his face.

    It is good to have our VIPs back. Now a thought for ASUU, Boko Haram – over 100 died in Yobe while you were away – extrajudicial killings, political intolerance – Federal Capital Territory (FCT) authorities are threatening to demolish New Peoples Democratic Party’s office in Abuja – and corruption.

    Shallom!

  • A thought for our women

    A thought for our women

    LET’S just move away from it all for a while. The killings and kidnappings. Clashes and crashes; bombings and bumbling -the telltale signs of a huge asylum (never mind the hyperbole).

    It’s true we can’t just feign ignorance of the calamities that have shaken our claim to civilisation. But, amid the bedlam of bombs and bullets, it is fit to spare a thought for our women, their pains and gains, particularly in the last few days.

    My heart goes out to the Youth Corps girl who claimed to have been raped by a certain Oba Adebukola Alli, the Alowa of Ilowa-Ijesa in Osun State. The court said the 23-year old girl did not prove her case beyond reasonable doubt. The bed sheet was not produced. There was no medical report that the “victim” was forced and her underwear was not tendered. This being a family newspaper, dear reader, I will spare you further details of the verdict, including the fact that the victim did not show her private part to prove that she suffered injuries in the process of being raped.

    The beastly act of rape is hard to prove in court. The victims end up crying, nursing their physical and psychological injuries in secret. Many carry the pains for life and the accused gloat over their savagery. Dominique Strauss-Khan, the disgraced former International Monetary Fund (IMF) chief accused of raping a New York hotel maid, has since moved on, becoming an economic adviser to the Serbian government.

    I am surprised that our women activists are yet to speak on the Osun court judgment, which has the potential of fuelling such reckless abuses against women by many champions of the jungle posing as human beings. Imagine the humiliation of being put in the dock, underpants and a doctor’s report held aloft, to answer questions on the invasion of one’s privacy in such a gory manner. Will His Lordship believe in just any doctor’s report? Can’t any of the other garments be evidence of the violence the victim may have suffered? Must the bruises be only on her private part? The law is the law, but isn’t it so protective of the accused to the disadvantage of the victim? But then, are all victims genuine? Complexities.

    Justice Oyejide Falola scolded Oba Alli, who claimed that Miss Helen Okpara had been his sexual partner long before the allegation, for sleeping with a Youth Corps member posted to his community. Wrong, my Lord; such acts of concupiscence have no respect for age or status. Take away the crowns, the beads and the horsetails, how are monarchs different from the rest of us? In fact, how many remember in their lasciviousness that even in the bedroom, there are rules of engagement?

    If women’s rights activists are not marching, swearing and cursing over the verdict, which is not just Ms Okpara’s personal loss but a collective assault on their psyche and wellbeing, not so with Ms Stella Oduah, the tempestuous Minister of Aviation. As the nation mourned the loss of lives in the Associated Aviation plane crash in Lagos, wondering why somebody couldn’t just ensure that aircraft are fit to fly our tempestuous airspace, Oduah was seized by a strange fit of anger. She launched into a rage that saw her calling critics of the aviation sector “drunk” and “drug addicts” who are ignorant of how the system works.

    Hold it, madam. Some decorum, please. A ministerial platform should never be a pulpit for infelicities and such motor park fulmination. No. Those who have questioned the propriety of spending billions on knocking down airport terminals that are taking years to rebuild are right. Aviation is not all about sparkling terminals and taxes. Then, when an accident occurs, we are told accidents are inevitable – in such a fatalistic manner that yields no space to skills and competence. Haba!

    Do we have all the safety equipment that we require? How dutiful are those who certify aircraft to fly? How foolproof are our preventive measures? How strong is our airports’ security? These are some of the questions that should be addressed in a sober manner; not with diatribes that portray the government as an intolerant headmaster whose actions must never be questioned.

    In Lagos, a driver’s wife has been delivered of a set of quadruplets. At first, her doctor told her she had fibroids, she said, adding that she was surprised to discover later that she was carrying four babies. “When I first learnt that I was carrying four babies, I became sad but my husband said we can’t question God,” the poor woman said at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH).

    Mrs Grace Tijani was thought to have had an In-Vitro Fertilisation (IVF). “I didn’t even know what IVF was, until I got to the hospital,” she said. Now, the Tijanis are worried; they do not know how they will cope with nursing the babies. The couple, who live in a one-room apartment in Ajangbadi on the outskirts of Lagos, had three kids. And now these. The wonders of nature in a world where many, rich and powerful, will give their all to have just one. Strange, indeed, are the ways of nature.

    And talking about strange pregnancies and such related matters; a probe is on in the prisons. This time, it is not about poor rations or indecent sanitary conditions. Nor are warders grumbling over their pay and the exertion of reining in VIP inmates who insist on having special diets and using mobile phones. Besides, there is no jail break; isn’t that becoming a routine? The Prisons Service is probing the rising incidence of pregnancy among inmates, according to a newspaper report.

    NPS spokesman Ope Fatinikun has denied that warders are putting women in the family way, saying male officials do not have access to the women section of the prisons. Besides, he explains that a pregnancy test is compulsory for new inmates within 24 hours of being admitted into a prison and cites some cases of women being delivered of babies. He says the women had been pregnant before coming into the prison in Owerri, Imo State. Interesting.

    Are more expectant mothers committing crime? Should expectant women be admitted into prisons, irrespective of the age of their pregnancies? When a woman is delivered of a baby in the prison, is the child to be raised there in confinement? What future for a kid raised in prison?

    When Joy Emordi lost her job as presidential adviser on National Assembly Matters, it was in circumstances that were hazy but surely unpleasant. She was said to have contributed to the failure of intelligence that culminated in the Kawu Baraje faction of the troubled ruling party, the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP), visiting the Assembly to address lawmakers – an action that infuriated the Presidency as if it had been stung by a swarm of bees. Another report said Mrs Emordi was asked to reach out–Sorry, prize for guessing what that means, dear reader–to the lawmakers in the PDP’s special way to prevent the high risk visit that could complicate the mess into which the largest party in Africa has plunged itself.

    The matter is neither here nor there. But where were the vocal backers of the affirmative action? I hope the lady will someday tell her story, which will surely be a prized companion of anybody willing to take up such risky jobs.

    It was not, however, all pains for our women. Mrs Folorunsho Alakija was named Africa’s wealthiest woman by Ventures Africa and African Business. The oil tycoon is said to be worth $7.3billion. Talk about beauty, brain and cash – all rolled into one.

    Even in far away South Korea, fortune smiled on our women – courtesy of the First Lady, Dame Patience Fakabelemi Jonathan. She won – sorry, a little mistake there – she was awarded a honorary doctorate degree in Social Welfare and Administration by Hansel University, Seoul. The recognition dazed her critics who have been so close, yet so undiscerning of her talents. A case of the prophetess not being without honour except in her own town? The other day when Her Excellency was awarded a permanent secretaryship in Bayelsa State, those arm-chair critics, the dem say dem say people against whom a law has been enacted in that state, scorned her for days on end. What will they say now?

  • A bloody birthday

    A bloody birthday

    NOTHING shocks Nigerians. Just when you think you have seen it all, a more terrifying absurdity hits you right in the face and you start struggling to figure it out. But the events in the days leading up to the 53rd Independence Anniversary were really shocking, even by Nigeria’s standards.

    I doubt if there is any horror movie producer who will not be petrified. A bank manager left Nasarawa for Abuja. In the car with him were his driver and a colleague. The journey was smooth; no stress and no traffic snarls. Suddenly, some armed men jumped onto the road. They stopped the car, ordered the driver and his passengers out and shot them dead. No questions. Shocking? Not quite? Wait for this: the evil men set the vehicle on fire and dug a big pit in which they buried the car and the bodies. Days after, the police found the grave and exhumed the car and the bodies. It was all ascribed to the Ombatse cult members.

    Before anybody could make any sense of the savagery, another blood chilling event had occurred, this time in the heart of Abuja – the seat of the government and home of the rich and the powerful. Soldiers and Department of State Security Service (DSS) officers stormed an uncompleted building in the dead of the night while its occupants were fast asleep. They turned their rifles at the building, raising a huge smoke of horror. As the shots rang out, cries of agony shrilled through the night, according to neighbours. By the time the smoke subsided, no fewer than nine men lay dead. Another died later in the hospital.

    Neighbours were frightened. The DSS claimed that the dead were Boko Haram members who, according to the security agents, fired the first shot. Those who knew the victims said they were people eked out a living as tricycle riders and menials without any rifle to fire. But the DSS insisted that some of them confessed to being members of Boko Haram.

    There have been many questions since the incident occurred. Were weapons recovered from them? Where are the exhibits? If two suspects “confessed” to being Boko Haram members, is that good enough an indication that all the occupants were Boko Haram men? Did they resist arrest? How long was the investigation that led to the assault on the uncompleted building? Are we convinced that those were no extrajudicial killings, the type that provoked the blood guzzling monster that is Boko Haram insurgency?

    The rumour is strong that the woman who owns the building, in a desperate attempt to eject the illegal occupants, told security agents that she suspected that they were Boko Haram members. Where is this landlady? Will she live in the house, with the ocean of blood created in there by the rain of bullets? Could this be true? The military and the DSS may have explained the killings as a mere routine in the fight against terrorism, but it is clear that they have put themselves in an invidious position. The argument will go on for long.

    If the Abuja incident was contentious in its motive and the identities of those involved disputable, not so the massacre of students in Yobe. Students of the College of Agriculture, Gujba were in bed last Sunday when a group of armed men stormed their hostel, woke them up and lined them up outside where they were executed. Forty – the official figure – died immediately in the Boko Haram attack. One died the next day in the hospital.

    Poor Governor Geidam. He was all tears. So were many parents who couldn’t find any sane reason for the mass murder of the innocent students. President Goodluck Jonathan was angry. But the popular thinking is that we did not do enough to show that we felt the pains of the parents who lost their children in that insanity. The mood was rather defiant – perhaps to show the architects of the madness that we will never bow; should this stop us from mourning the dead? – instead of being truly sober. Should we have carried on with the events of the 53rd Anniversary as if all was well? I do not think so. Shouldn’t we have declared a national day of mourning? I believe we should have.

    But then, can you win such an argument in a country that is fast losing its humanity and the essence of life and living? A country where everything is reduced to politics and freedom as well as all the other ideals cherished by humanity are being curtailed by forces of evil.

    A dark cloud of gloom fell on Kenya after the mall attack in which 67 people died. The world grieved with Kenya in its moment of trial. What national calamity could be greater than the massacre of 41 students – some are still missing – right in their hostel?

    Before Gujba, there was Benisheik where scores of travellers were pulled out of vehicles and shot dead. The military retreated as the insurgents got the upper hand. Where is Boko Haram getting its weapons from? Who supplies the cash? Are the sect’s attacks planned in Nigeria? How helpful are our neighbours in confronting this wickedness? How strong is our intelligence network? For how long will Boko Haram reign?

    The other day in Kokori, Delta State, a young man staged what amounted to a village square meeting where he railed against the state and the Federal governments for, according to him, neglecting the oil producing community. He issued a 60-day ultimatum for the governments to mend their ways or get whipped. Furious, the government went after Kelvin Prosper Oniarah (aka Ibruvwe), who is popularly known as Kelvin, a suspected hardened criminal whose specialty is kidnapping. In a matter of days, he was captured in Port Harcourt where he had gone frolicking with women of easy virtue. If Kelvin crossed the red line and was swiftly haunted down, how about Abubakar Shekau; has he not done enough havoc? Is it beyond our security agents’ capacity to seize him?

    The Joint Task Force (JTF) once announced that Shekau had died after being injured in a gun duel. Then the man showed up in a video, mocking our military might. When will he sufficiently provoke the authorities to act? President Jonathan was reported as seeking United States President Barack Obama’s help in fighting Boko Haram; are we truly helpless – as it is thought in many informed circles?

    But it was not all about blood and bullets. Love found – it will always do, even in the most stifling of situations – its way. Frontline businessman Emmmanuel Iwuanyanwu turned a beau all over again. Decked in a pair of suit and a tie, his shirt’s collar flying on one side, the chief,72, married a 26-year old beaming belle. The ways of love are, indeed, strange.

    The All Progressives Congress(APC) said the economy had collapsed. States went to Abuja thrice to collect their monthly handout; thrice they came back empty handed. Some said there was really nothing to share; others claimed it was a mere row over disparities in figures. Asked on television to speak on the health of the economy, President Jonathan smiled and declared that all was well. His proof: he rang the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange. Can you beat that?

    Consider Jos, Ombatse, Boko Haram, kidnappers and robbers as well as the army of illiterates we are breeding – varsity teachers remain on strike for three months – and think about Nigeria’s future. What is life worth here?

    NCAA and Arik

    VIATION authorities NCAA have sanctioned Nigeria’s leading carrier, Arik, for the unruly behaviour of its passengers who seized the tarmac in Abuja after being flown to Calabar where the aircraft could not land because it was late. The pilot returned to Abuja where it had been delayed because of a VIP movement.

    It’s good to enforce the rules, but I think NCAA should temper justice with mercy. Arik would have had no business flying late if there had been no VIP movement in this country of VIPs who insist on getting first class treatment always. Besides, the airline couldn’t have been able to control its angry passengers. Some discretion, please.

  • Chance meetings

    Chance meetings

    THEY were no friends. They had a cat-and-mouse relationship. Turbulent. One was the President; the other was a governor whose state’s monthly allocation had been seized- in a strange show of power that shredded all democratic credentials and mocked the laws on which institutions are built.

    Then, the two of them found themselves on a flight. A row broke out on politics and other issues. The former President threatened to push the former governor off the helicopter. A former Commonwealth chief stepped in to stop a potential disaster. Dear reader, sorry; no prize for guessing who the former president and the former governor are.

    The duo may have been frank about the thoughts they harboured about each other. I doubt if others are this blunt. Many see politics as a game of lies, intrigues and treachery – all in a bid to get power, power as an end in itself and not a vehicle to service that will bring joy to all.

    The other day at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, President Goodluck Jonathan was addressing the congregation at the chapel. He placed one hand on former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s shoulder and held the microphone with the other as he spoke nicely about him. Obasanjo was chuckling. What was on his mind? Was the President being frank? Or was it a case of “Pikin Deceive Papa”?

    After the post-Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) mini convention thanksgiving service, the duo strolled indoors, chatting and smiling , like a bride and her groom walking down the aisle. What were they discussing? What went on behind those glossy doors? Some home truth? I doubt it.

    The next day, a pro-Jonathan group condemned Obasanjo’s moves to lead the settlement of the PDP crises, saying he was, in fact, the architect of the ‘civil war’ that has turned the largest party in Africa – all size no sense? – into a laughing stock. It said Obasanjo, who was not at the rancorous convention, was recently in Jigawa eulogising Governor Sule Lamido, one of the seven governors pushing for sanity in the PDP. Besides, Obasanjo has been lashing the Jonathan administration on its response to Boko Haram and unemployment, among other issues.

    Why do our politicians lack the boldness to speak the truth when they meet one another? Is it simply out of their character to so do? Are they afraid that an encounter could result in violence? Let’s consider some chance meetings.

    When former State Delta Governor Chief James Onanefe Ibori finishes serving term in Britain, he will surely return home. He could run into Obasanjo at Heathrow. Will they shake hands? Obasanjo’s face will suddenly wear a frown, a grin and a scowl. He will chuckle and mutter: “If anybody dey vex, dat na im toro. I no send anybody any message.”

    Will the Ogidigboigbo just walk past? I doubt it. This being a family newspaper, I won’t like to bother you with the expletives that are likely to follow. Will they come to blows? I won’t guess.

    I do not know if Dr Chris Ngige, the charismatic former governor of Anambra State – he is in the November 16 race – has met Chief Chris Uba, the self-acclaimed godfather of Anambra politics since the 2005 incident in which the then governor was kidnapped and held incommunicado for hours. Ngige claimed that Uba asked him to surrender the treasury keys, but he refused. He had to pay the price. Ngige survived it all and ran a purposeful administration, which achieved so much. Should Ngige and Uba meet today, will they be all smiles? Uba’s brother, Andy, is in the desperate battle to secure the PDP ticket for the November race.

    Or consider a chance meeting between Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi and his former Chief of Staff, Nyesom Wike, the Minister of State for Education. Wike is said to be interested in succeeding Amaechi. The governor says this will not be right as both of them are from the same ethnic group; others should be given a chance. Ever since, Wike has been pouring invectives on Amaechi whose camp has also been attacking Wike. Nobody wishes to witness their supporters’ show of strength as it once happened at the Port Harcourt airport. But should Amaechi and Wike, who are said to be highly temperamental, meet, what will happen? Handshake? Pleasantries? Blows?

    Oyo State Governor Abiola Ajimobi may some day run into his predecessor, the exuberant Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala who has been trying to forge an alliance with Accord chieftain Rashidi Ladoja, the former governor who was elbowed off his seat by lawmakers loyal to the late Lamidi Adedibu. Ajimobi has transformed Ibadan, the capital city that suffered so much neglect in the Akala-Ladoja years. Other parts of the state are feeling the Ajimobi touch, but his opponents are doing their all to revile his efforts. Will methodical Ajimobi smile when he sees ebullient Alao-Akala? Will he be cheerful on seeing Ladoja to whom he gave so much space in his administration but got regular abuses in return? Will they embrace or settle it all once-and-for-all? Remember, street fighting, it is said, is Ibadan’s ailment (Ija igboro larun Ibadan).

    PDP chair Bamanga Tukur has been having it rough managing the rebellion in the party. One of his adversaries is Murtala Nyako, his state governor who has joined forces with six others to insist that Tukur should be removed. Tukur’s son is said to be interested in succeeding Nyako, who is against such thoughts. To pave the way for the young Tukur’s emergence, it is said, Nyako had to lose control of the party. Ever since, he has remained bitter against Tukur, with President Jonathan suffering some collateral damage. Just imagine Tukur and Nyako meeting at the Villa?

    Will former Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Chairman Farida Waziri smile and bend her knees if she runs into Obasanjo at a social event. Obasanjo believes Ibori got Mrs Waziri the EFCC job. The woman said she never met Ibori before getting the job. Angry, she said: “I will like to warn that those who live in glass houses don’t throw stones and, as such, Obasanjo should not allow me open up on him. Respectable elder statesmen act and speak with decorum.” Besides, she listed her academic achievements and doubted if Obasanjo could match them. Since then, the former President has held his fire.

    I do not want to guess what may happen should Obasanjo and Mrs Waziri- dark goggles and all- meet.

    In the run-up to the 2011 election, Senator John James Akpanudoedehe was set to give incumbent Governor Godswill Akpabio a run for his money. The senator, who was Akpabio’s campaign chief in the 2007 election, was popular, confident and bold. Akpabio saw the danger quite early. He unleashed the massive state machinery on Akpanudoedehe. He spared nothing in fighting the battle. Many heads were smashed and properties worth a fortune were razed. The senator was exhausted. I do not know if they have ever met since then.

    When Taraba State Governor Danbaba Suntai suddenly returned from a 10-month medical trip, frail and enervated, he moved swiftly to get his grip back on power. He wrote the Assembly that he was back at work, disbanded the executive council and appointed another Chief of Staff and Secretary to the State Government. But, his deputy, Alhaji Garuba Umar, reversed the actions, insisting that his boss could not have done all that were ascribed to him.

    There was confusion. Then the PDP stepped in to announce a strange plan under which Umar will continue to run the show, even as he consults Suntai. Has Umar seen Suntai since then? How will Suntai receive his deputy who some see as being power hungry and duplicitous?

    When will politicians and public servants be truthful to themselves – and to the rest of us?

     

    That show in the House

    OUR lawmakers returned to work on Tuesday in a sensational manner. When the Kawu Baraje faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) addressed the caucus in the House of Representatives, some members loyal to the Bamanga Tukur faction got angry. They heckled Baraje. A former member of the House, Binta Masi Garba, the Baraje faction’s woman leader, thought that was not decent. She descended on the heckler-in-chief, Afees Adelowo (PDP, Oyo), tore his dress and attempted to rain blows on him. Ms Garba deserves a prize for her show of martial skills. Women activists, where are you?

    Many were screaming, pushing and shoving. Pandemonium. Thankfully, there were no casualties. But, I was well entertained; I bet you were. If this is all our lawmakers can do to enliven the polity, they should do it more often, rather than heat up the system. After all, the dividends of democracy we often talk about can come in any form, including watching on television VIPs exchanging blows. Exciting. Isn’t it?

  • Of love, power and politics

    Of love, power and politics

    FIRST, a confession. I did not read the article that sparked the row between Femi Fani-Kayode, a chief, lawyer, former minister and public affairs analyst and Mrs. Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu. But, I have been following the altercation, which has fuelled a bigger disputation in restrooms, classrooms and newsrooms.

    A recapitulation: Fani-Kayode wrote an article in defence of the widely misconstrued –misconceived, some insist – “deportation” of some Anambra State indigenes from Lagos. He got a truckload of responses, some of them charging him with ethnic jingoism and others mincing no word in describing him as a tribalist. Not one to lose an argument so cheaply, the chief fired back. He said if he was a tribalist, he would not have had an “intimate relationship” with Mrs. Odumegwu-Ojukwu, Nigeria’s ambassador to Spain and pearl of the revered Eze Ndigbo Gburugburu and Ikemba Nnewi, Chief Emeka Odumegwu- Ojukwu – of exciting memories.

    Rather than resolve the matter, Fani-Kayode’s clarification was like adding salt to injury. Mrs. Odumegwu-Ojukwu, an ex-beauty queen, briefed her lawyers. They should sue Fani-Kayode for suggesting that they were lovers, a report said. The chief has taken up the gauntlet, setting the stage for a sensational legal battle.

    Trust Nigerians. They have refused to let the courts set the ball rolling. There are arguments everywhere on what “intimate relationship” means. Does it suggest a sexual affair? Platonic? Is it right for a man to claim to have had a “long standing and intimate relationship” with a woman who is married? Will saying so amount to lowering her esteem and damaging her reputation? Does anybody have the right to ask a man to explain what he means? What, in social parlance, does intimacy mean? Does it mean being in love? And what is love? Mere affection?

    When the matter eventually comes before the court, will Bianca be in the dock for cross-examination? What kind of questions will Fani-Kayode’s lawyers be asking her? Will she be beaming with those magical smiles that swept the great Ikemba off his feet? What will her lawyers be asking Fani-Kayode; to explain what he meant by “intimate relationship”? What is he likely to tell them? Will the court define this innocent, but sensitive phrase for the parties?

    Accused of having an affair with an intern, Monica Lewinsky, former United States President Bill Clinton hired the best lawyers money could fetch and mounted a moving defence to save his presidency. He said: “I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky.”

    Clinton also said: “There is not a sexual relationship, an improper sexual relationship or any other kind of improper relationship.” The lurid and erotic details of the scandal are so incredible that a respected family newspaper as The Nation would find it inappropriate to bother the reader about them. The main charge of perjury was spiced with legal definitions of sex to establish if an offence had been committed. For days, the salacious show went on and on before a grand jury. It was the biggest show on television.

    On August 17, 1998, Clinton admitted that he had an “improper physical relationship” with Lewinsky. He faced charges of obstruction of justice and perjury in the Congress. He was acquitted. He kept his job.

    Clinton was humbled. He was sober. It is worthy of note that all through the trauma, his wife, Hillary, stood by him. She saw the whole “political sex scandal” as a “vast right-wing conspiracy”. The power of love or – if you like – the love of power. Or both.

    Now a flashback. When the late President Umaru Yar’Adua was flown into Abuja in the dead of the night from Saudi Arabia where doctors were battling to save his life, so many questions were raised. Was it Hajia Turai’s show of love for a darling husband or a desperate attempt to grab power and use it by subterfuge? The latter turned out to be the case, following attempts to stop then Vice President Goodluck Jonathan from taking over power.

    All efforts to enforce the Constitution were resisted by a cabal headed by the Hajia. There was no doubt that she was in charge. Yar’Adua was not allowed to see people. People were not allowed to see him. The Villa propaganda machinery hit the overdrive. We were regaled with phantom stories of his fast recovery, how he was jogging for 30 minutes daily and how the doctors would soon certify him fit as a fiddle and he would be back at work. Then fate supervened. Yar’Adua died.

    Again, questions. Could he have made it if he was allowed to remain in the hospital and not hauled onto a plane and shipped home to retain his job? Who was running the show while His Excellency remained bedridden? Who signed the budget the late Yar’Adua was said to have signed? Who played what role in the Yar’Adua odyssey? We may never know.

    But that was a foreshadow of the Taraba situation. The story of how Governor Danbaba Suntai flew a plane that crashed on October 25, last year, got injured and was flown overseas where he spent 10months is well known. What is not clear is the state of His Excellency’s health. When he arrived to a tumultuous welcome the other day in Abuja, Suntai could only manage to raise his hand in a failed attempt to wave. He was helped off the plane. He spoke no word to anxious reporters. At the VIP Lounge with him was former minister Jerry Gana, beaming and chatting with Suntai who seemed to be paying no attention, just looking into empty space. Jet lag?

    Suntai got to Taraba and suddenly became active. He sent a letter to the House of Assembly, informing the lawmakers that he was back at work. He sacked the Executive Council, named a new Secretary to the State Government (SSG) and a new Chief of Staff (CoS). The governor remained holed up in the Government House where his wife, Hajia Hauwa, took charge.

    A video tape in which Suntai thanked the people for their support was released to the NTA. His voice was muffled as if he spoke with pains. When Adamawa Governor Murtala Nyako visited Suntai, he came out of the living room dejected. He was all tears. All attempts by lawmakers to see him were blocked, until it became obvious that the Hajia could no longer stop them. They said Suntai was not in a good shape. Deputy Governor Garba Umar announced that he was still in charge and that his boss could not have taken all the actions ascribed to him. Anarchy.

    Then, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) stepped in. It summoned all the parties to the crisis to Abuja. Suntai was not there. Hajia Huawa was there. Eventually, the matter was settled on Tuesday. Umar will keep running the state but he must consult Suntai, the PDP peacemakers said. Where is the Constitution in all of this? What was at play – Hajia Hauwa’s love for her man or her love of power? We may never understand.

    In fact, it is this lack of understanding – ignorance, actually – that may have spurred some mischief makers, armchair critics and busybodies who will never mind their business because they think everybody’s business is theirs to attack the First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, for demonstrating her love for the President.

    They have accused the amiable woman of fuelling the Rivers State crisis. It all began as a simple reprimand of Governor Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi- the one the First Lady calls her son – who planned to demolish some structures in Okrika to pave the way for beautiful schools. She reportedly snatched the microphone and warned the governor to stop using the word demonnis, demonnis. Politicians latched onto that harmless scene and unleashed trouble on the state. A new commissioner of police was drafted in and, ever since, the state has had little peace.

    Those layabouts, aforementioned, have recently stepped up their game. They said the Abuja Peace Rally that was hailed at home and abroad as one of the potent weapons against terrorism was nothing but a campaign to boost President Goodluck Jonathan’s 2015 ambition. They ask: “Didn’t the President say he would brood no distraction as he vigorously pursues his transformation agenda?” “Is this love for the First Citizen or mere passion for power?”

    Unfortunately, the drafters of the much pilloried 1999 Constitution forgot –it may have been deliberate, anyway – to make provision for the role of love in power. Otherwise, all these arguments would never have been necessary.

    See why we need a new constitution?

    PDP and the Offa vote heist

    LAST Saturday’s rerun election in Offa Local Government of Kwara State was peaceful. The results were signed by the presiding officers and security agents. Of the 12 wards, the All Progressives Congress (APC) won 11 with 11,337 votes. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) got 4,710 votes.

    Instead of announcing the winner, the Returning Officer vanished. He resurfaced in Ilorin where a radio station proclaimed the PDP candidate winner. Apparently troubled by his conscience, one of the would-be councillors, who was awarded the phantom victory, Mr Afolabi Jimoh, told a press conference that he never won.

    Again, the PDP has shamelessly turned winners into losers and losers into winners. Abracadabra. There have been protests over this brigandage, lack of shame and disrespect for decency that have turned the PDP into a mother hen that kills her chicks and a house of crises. Unfortunately, the party is trying to drag Nigeria down with it.

    The state government should emulate Jimoh, surrender the stolen mandate, instal the real winner and apologise to the people. It is not too late.

  • Daniel goes to Lagos

    Daniel goes to Lagos

    LET’S get it right from the outset. This is not about the former governor and chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) – sorry, an error there; the Labour Party(LP) – Otunba Gbenga Daniel.

    Neither is it about politics, its rough and tumble, twists and turns, intrigues and treachery. Nor is it about politicians and their wily ways, their inconsistency and ineffectuality that have bred a stifling socio-political situation. Boko Haram. Kidnapping. Armed robbery. Ritual killing and other despicable acts. No.

    The story is familiar. A kid packed his bag, left home in Benin City, headed for the airport and jumped into the wheel compartment of an aircraft getting set to fly. The pilot, who had earlier complained that he saw an unusual movement, was cleared to take off. He did. Some passengers said the take-off was not smooth. They claimed that there was a bang and many were screaming: “Jesus! Jesus!”.

    Thankfully, the plane landed safely in Lagos. The passengers disembarked and congratulated one another for a safe trip. From the tyre compartment emerged a boy, in all the innocence of a kid. He wore an orange-white sweat shirt with a hood, a white rosary dangling from his tender neck and a black backpack in his hand. He was grabbed by a security man who held him so tightly as if he was his after-race prize.

    Poor boy. From his countenance, Daniel was upset. Probably not because he was seized like a Lagos pick-pocket. No. Most likely because the trip ended so soon. He was, surely, not yet in his destination. Daniel was heading for America and realising that he was still in Nigeria must have infuriated him.

    After watching some movies, he had confided in his younger brother that he was one day going to fly to America. What he didn’t say was that he was going to so do in such a sensational manner.

    Why did 13-year old Daniel choose to travel in that weird way? His mum, Mrs. Evelyn Ohikhena, said he was never maltreated. He couldn’t have been running away from a hostile home. To psychologists, this is a practical expression of the fecundity of a youngster’s mind, the raw power of imagination. Even the famous movie pranksters, Aki and Pawpaw, could have found Daniel’s feat a bit odd. Neither Edddie Murphy – Coming to America – would have imagined a kid stowaway. Nor Nkem Owoh’s peregrination in Osofia in London would have harboured such a stunt.

    Like in such strange matters, the Daniel story has suddenly bred an army of emergency aeronautics engineers and beer parlour pilots, who have not allowed the experts to talk. They have been arguing that the huge sound the plane was said to have let out at take-off couldn’t have been caused by the kid’s presence in the tyre area. Can that happen without the person who may have caused the obstruction being hurt? What is the size of the tyre? How possible is Daniel’s action, going by the laws of aerodynamics? Where does avionics come in? Is the tyre area lit for Daniel to see during his flight? The row goes on and on.

    If the pilot had aborted the take-off – assuming he was not sure the obstacle he saw had been cleared – the next day’s headline would have been so electrifying. Sample: “Hundreds escape death on Arik Air flight.” And such other sensational stuff.

    Spiritualists have entered the fray. A senior government official who was on the flight described Daniel as “an evil spirit”. He was shaking as he spoke – apparently thinking the boy had some ethereal force to bring down the aircraft but was handicapped by a superior power. Some even said the little one thought he was going to heaven.

    There is also a large crowd of security experts, who have been postulating on how our airports –we have thrown billions into knocking down and rebuilding terminals with little consideration for the human element, the personnel – should be secured against cows, sheep, birds and touts.

    The Daniel story is yet to end. Who are his class mates? Who is his teacher? What kind of pupil is he? Brilliant? Troublesome? Talkative? Naughty? Where is his dad? What does he do? What are Daniel’s other ambitions, besides just flying to America? Who are his heroes? Can he sing the National Anthem? In other words, does he believe in Nigeria where his future is assured? What fired his imagination? The American dream? A mere case of an idle mind being the devil’s workshop? Infant fantasy? Shouldn’t he have been in summer school, like the kids of the rich? The questions are many.

    His sister told The Nation yesterday: “He always said he will surprise us one day. His younger brothers also informed our mother that Daniel told them that one day, he would make our family popular. Thank God he is alive to tell the story himself.”

    Will Daniel’s antics open a new door of opportunity for terrorists as it is being suggested in some circles? That is neither here nor there. What is sure is that our overzealous security agents may have got a new licence to brutalise innocent people. Watch out for accidental discharges at airports!

    Daniel’s escapade may not have been driven by poverty. Farouk Abdulmuttalab, the Christmas Day underwear bomber, is not from a poor home. The son of a respected banker, he was seduced into extremism by the thoughts he harboured. He, apparently for some inexplicable psychology reasons, lent himself to radicalism. He remains unrepentant till date.

    But Daniel is not the first stowaway. According to The Telegraph of UK, American Clarence Terhune became perhaps the first aviation stowaway in 1928 after he hid himself on an airship, flying from the United States to Germany. So thrilled by his daring feat, the Germans offered Terhune a job at a department store.

    Mere imagination may have fired Daniel to undertake the Benin-Lagos flight. Not so for another Nigerian. Olajide Oluwaseun Noibi boarded a Virgin Atlantic flight from New York to Los Angeles in 2011, using an out-of-date boarding pass. He was arrested in LA after attempting to board another flight, using the same invalid boarding pass. When the police searched him, they found 10 other boarding passes, none of which bore his name.

    There was also the crafty cleaner who in 2009 boarded an aircraft at Medina Airport in Saudi Arabia on the pretence of cleaning it. He hid in the toilet of the Jaipur, India-bound flight. He was discovered when a passenger tried to use the facility.

    Kid sensations are scare nowadays, except for some pop stars singing lewd songs that are neither elevating nor inspiring. All noise, no sense – to the old school.

    I hope Daniel is doing fine with the security agents who have been questioning him. He should be allowed to go home and continue dreaming. It is from such dreams that great deeds sprout.

    He is daring, the very quality that many of our leaders lack. It is this lack of boldness and courage – and character – that has kept the nation in toddlerhood even at adulthood. The Nigerian paradox has planted in the minds of our leaders a strong feeling that state police is not possible; why don’t we try? A national conference is avoided like a plague. Isn’t it imperative now, considering the quagmire in which we have found ourselves?

    Nigeria needs dreaming and daring leaders. How do we get them?

     

     

    The return of Suntai

    TARABA State Governor Danbaba Suntai’s return on Sunday from a 10-month overseas medical trip was as dramatic as the circumstances that led to his incapacitation for that long. But the Taraba show is yet unfolding.

    Suntai is, no doubt, physically exhausted. He needs time to recuperate in peace – no stress, no worries. But, like in the late President Umarau Yar’Adua’s case, the selfish forces that are gaining from his being there, even if he is out of form in every way, will not let him throw in the towel.

    He sent a letter to the House to say he was set to return to work. The governor followed it up yesterday with a shocking dissolution of the executive council. Besides, he made a short broadcast, thanking the people for standing by him. Lagos lawyer Femi Falana is calling for an inquiry into the health of His Excellency. That is what the law says. If he is certified fit, he should continue to run the show.

    Suntai will not lose anything if he is allowed to quit, should doctors confirm that he can’t do the job. The forces that seem to be holding him captive are being unfair to him and the people. The buffoonery is unnecessary.

  • More barbs, please

    More barbs, please

    IF Zimbabweans had any doubt that they were going to endure five more years of Robert Mugabe, that was settled on Tuesday when the court ruled that the election of the 89-year old was free and fair.

    His opponent, Morgan Tsvangirai, denounced the election as “a farce” and “a massive fraud”. Local observers said it was a sham and western powers were critical of the poll, but the African Union (AU) whose observers were led by former President Olusegun Obasanjo said it was all free and fair. In his first public speech after the rancorous poll, Mugabe, who has been in power since 1980, poured invectives on his opponents, telling those who accused him of vote grabbing to “go hang”. Tsvangirai was lucky the old man was in a good mood. Even before the voting began during his first attempt in 2008, he was given a black eye.

    In Britain, a professor has just condemned Winston Churchill’s speeches as uninspiring, saying it was wrong to claim that they stirred his compatriots to beat Nazi Germany. Prof Richard Tonye, in a new book, also asserted that the Second World War leader’s “finest hour” radio address, one of his most famous, lacked impact “because many people thought he was drunk”, according to “The Mail”.

    Back home in Nigeria, the barbs are flying. All Progressives Congress (APC) Chair Bisi Akande, in a widely publicised interview, told President Goodluck Jonathan that the presidency “is not for kindergarten”. For the Presidency, that was like a jab in the stomach. Dr Goodluck Jonathan’s aides were falling over one another to reply Chief Akande. One said he should respect his age. Fine. But, is it not said that with age comes wisdom, an attribute which nobody has accused the chief of lacking? If Chief Akande believes Jonathan’s handling of some critical issues is not good enough, what is wrong in saying so? Shouldn’t a lucid presentation of facts and figures have been deployed in replying him, rather than mere abuses? The debate is on for the phrase of the year. When the verdict eventually comes, I have no doubt that “kindergarten presidency” will snatch away the prize.

    The rain of blows in the Rivers State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) crisis seems to have subsided. Now, the two sides in the fratricidal war are launching verbal missiles. The other day in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, Minister of State for Education Nyesom Wike told his supporters to ignore what he said they must have read in the newspapers – that his opponents asked the President to remove him as a condition for peace. He said: “I have even overstayed. If you can be minister for two years, you must thank your God.” Many sneered at Wike’s comment. They do not need to. Given the chance, how many would not want to be minister for just one month? Just one month.

    Wike, who has his eyes on the governor’s seat in 2015, delivered a tirade in which he said: “We’ll make sure they will not sleep again, as they are sleeping now. They will not sleep with their two eyes closed. One eye will be open because they know there is danger.” It was not really clear if his listeners were inspired. What seems evident is that not many residents are sleeping deeply nowadays, with the return of kidnappers, rusty ex-militants and other criminals from what was like a long long holiday.

    Governor Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi was a bit philosophical in his reaction to Wike’s broadside. He said: “I heard he’s going all over town, saying I didn’t appoint him; the President appointed him, but I nominated him…but, you know character doesn’t come easily; character is a very difficult thing and I am a man of character.”

    Amaechi, who was hosting some Niger Delta Bishops who had earlier visited First Lady Dame Patience Jonathan to resolve the differences between the duo, recalled how it all started and concluded: “As wife of the President who is the head of the government and head of the nation, she is my mother, and you expect that as my mother she should be able to protect her son. No mother takes away a police commissioner to the detriment of her son. So when next you see my mother, please, tell her that she should try and protect her son.”

    That was thought-provoking. Did the First Lady influence the posting of Police Commissioner Mbu Joseph Mbu to Rivers? His tenure has been as turbulent as a flight in a bad weather, yet the authorities keep saying Mbu would not be moved, even as the National Assembly has resolved that he should leave.

    Mbu himself has defended his integrity, saying he is a professional and not a politician – an assertion backed by no less a personality than Inspector-General Mohammed Abubakar. Whoever will pick the Policeman of the Year will surely have a problem choosing between Mbu and former Kogi State Police Commissioner Amanana Ababakasanga -remember him? – the one who barred Osun politicians from travelling to Abuja because, according to him, they showed no convincing reason for embarking on the trip.

    Whichever way the Rivers crisis is resolved, it will be difficult to find a sarcasm that will be as biting as Amaechi’s on our dear First Lady. In other words, the first family’s spokespersons surely have their job well cut out for them.

    In Imo State, Governor Owelle Rochas Okorocha has dumped the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) for the APC. APGA is angry. Before one could say nna, which faction, Okorocha had been slammed with suspension. But the governor said he was not disturbed because Ndigbo’s interest is paramount in his mind. Such interest, he said, could be well served in the APC. “APC remains the best vehicle to promote the interest of our people. PDP has marginalised the Southeast and has nothing to show for all its years in power,” said the governor.

    Adamawa Governor Murtala Nyako told the world why he is not at peace with PDP Chair Bamanga Tukur. He cited what he described as Tukur’s dictatorial attitude. He believed Tukur is not the best for the job, adding: “Tukur is killing PDP. He has been setting up reconciliation committees, left, right and centre…without results. He has just made Umaru Dikko chairman of PDP disciplinary committee. Dikko was indicted during the military era; he would have been brought home from UK to Nigeria if not for the vigilance of the Scotland Yard Police. Now, Tukur glorified such a character, bringing integrity problem to PDP.”

    Nyako, who spoke through the party’s factional secretary, went on: “We are sure many Nigerians will lose confidence in the party… .” You can say that again, sir.

    Tukur has taken up the gauntlet, asking those pushing for his resignation to forget it. “I’m not resigning,” he said in a statement he personally signed. He added: “I am not looking for anything at my age other than putting it on record that God has helped me, and then I am using the opportunities he gave me to serve the rest of Nigeria to the best of my abilities.” Fine. But, chairman, some people are wondering whether Adamawa’s governorship isn’t big enough a toy for your son.

    Asked by this newspaper’s Edo State Reporter to comment on the Rivers crisis, Patrick Obahiagbon, the inimitable former member of the House of Representatives who is now the Chief of Staff to Governor Adams Oshiomhole, replied: “What are Amaechi’s transgressions? That he regularly gives vent to the collective decisions of his brother governors? That he nurses vice presidential ambition, which he has even denied? That he habilimented himself with a perfume of recusancy and not decumbency when he suspected a foul play on the oil wells that he insists belong to Rivers State? That he hobnobs with progressive governors? That he insists on the exercise of his inalienable right to recontest as chairman of the Governors’ Forum? Is this why the apparatchik and coercive apparatus of state sustained by taxpayers’ money has been arrayed against him? I see in this malodorous script the hands of Esau though the voice of Jacob and this is certainly an eschewable socio-political asphyxia cascading into a Frankenstein monster that does not dignify the Presidency and this Makosa dance must stop forthwith.” Mouthful. Indeed.

    Whether they are blabbing or babbling or sneering or sniggering, our politicians are surely an exciting lot. How I wish they could keep it all at this – no cudgels, no cutlasses, guns, bombs and bullets. After all, didn’t the late songster, the weird one, Fela Anikulapo- Kuti, a politician in his own right – MOP, Movement of the People (you remember? ) – say yabis is no case? Let the barbs fly, please.

  • Allah-De: A master’s passage

    Allah-De: A master’s passage

    FIRST, a confession. I am the least qualified to write the obituary of this great man, whose departure was as quiet and graceful as the life he led. His voice was loud, not in physical terms, but in the literary sense, as expressed in the evergreen column he wrote to whip indolent leaders, keep the ordinary man in high spirits and illuminate the dark alley of a political scene that we had.

    The late Hadj Alade Idowu Odunewu passed on without drama in Lagos on July 25. He was 85. There was a rain of tributes –from the President, governors and many eminent citizens, including frontline journalists who knew him intimately as I never did.

    But, thanks to Mr Lanre Idowu, one of the few remaining links between the old and the new schools of Nigerian journalism, I had an opportunity to contribute to “Nigerian columnists and their art”, a collection of articles he edited to mark the late Hadj Odunewu’s 80th birthday in 2009. Here are excerpts from my contribution, which I reproduce as a mark of my admiration for one of journalism’s greats:

    The columnist’s agenda

    For the Nigerian journalist, working could be like warring. Everyday could be like going to battle. It is not enough to be a good reporter, writer or editor; one must also be blessed with sharp instincts to know what to do at any time.

    But the journalist is only experiencing what others in the society are also feeling. The slight difference, however, is that for the journalist, the shoe pinches more because of the peculiarity of the trade.

    Practising journalism under the military was, at best, a dangerous pastime and, at worst, a suicide mission. What else was to be expected? The military were not responsible to anybody. They ruled like lords, by orders and decrees, not by law and constitutionalism. In fact, every time a new military regime mounted the throne, the Constitution became the first casualty. Then, decrees were spawned like mushrooms in the rains.

    It is, however, noteworthy to say that even as the risks mount, the courage to go on thickens. So, Nigerian journalists have not been found wanting in the discharge of their duties. They were there at the vanguard of the battle for Independence. They were there in those heady days of military rule; even in the days of Sani Abacha, the despot who seized the nation by the throat and turned Nigeria into a leper among decent countries. Many journalists fled into exile; the unlucky ones got clamped into jail without trial. The more the world rose to condemn the flagrant abuse of rights in Nigeria, the tougher the General became. He entertained no intellectual discourse. He rarely spoke –when he did, it was in an opaque manner that betrayed neither rhyme nor reason –.

    To escape the Abacha plague, journalists – as creative as ever – unleashed a new genre. Welcome guerilla journalism! Many publications sprang from underground, their addresses unknown by the authorities; their writers faceless but fiery fellows whose pens dripped with a deep passion for a great country. Anyway, Abacha died on June 8, 1998 – mysteriously.

    With the return of democracy, the atmosphere lost most of its smudge. This is not to say, however, that all is well. No.

    The Obasanjo presidency was always being nudged to perform. The criticisms, the administration believed, were harsh. The cat-and-mouse relationship got to a crescendo when it was clear that former President Olusegun Obasanjo might not call it a day on May 29, 2007 at the end of his two-term eight-year tenure. The third term scheme collapsed –thanks to a vigilant press which saw far ahead what the plot meant for the country’s future.

    Most Nigerian newspapers do not interpret the news. They are satisfied with a simple presentation of events which form the ingredients of the meal that the columnist brings to the table. So, many look up to the columnist’s analyses and interpretation of news as it breaks.

    A good column should be like a soothing balm, giving hope where there seems to be despair. In it must be found the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel. It must be exciting. It must be humorous, with a sting in the tail. And it must give the reader something to remember.

    Most Nigerian columnists are gripped by politics, which is in all areas of our national life. One cannot blame them. Why? The political scene is a vast canvass of all that is good and bad, hot and cold, fair and foul. It is a kingdom of light and darkness, both rolled into one. Therefore, no matter how insulated from politics a public commentator may want to be, the environment gets him entangled in it. Politics shapes our lives.

    Many columns have made remarkable impacts on their readers. Consider Olatunji Dare’s Matters Arising, one of the longest running columns in The Guardian. Many years after it stopped running, many are still enamoured of the column’s style – witty, breezy, yet deep and, sometimes, downright hilarious, full of friendly punches that evoked tears and laughter at the same time. The articles have been compiled into a book of the same title, Matters Arising. Happily for the reader, Olatunji Dare has started writing again; every Tuesday in The Nation.

    Columns are not ordinarily expected to sell newspapers. Not so for Matters Arising. It helped to boost the sale of The Guardian on Tuesdays.

    The Gbolabo Ogunsanwo column in The Sunday Times was, also, a crowd puller. Femi Ogunsanwo (1978) describes it as “by far the most popular column ever written by a Nigerian journalist”. The column was so popular that when the writer went on leave, readers demanded his return.

    Life with Gbolabo Ogunsanwo resurrected in The Comet. It retained its huge appeal, though it was not regular. Then, it disappeared and never returned. The paper itself was rested about one year ago. Even now, many are still talking about the column. Several attempts to bring it back remain unsuccessful .

    Gbolabo Ogunsanwo’s column was only one of the many the Sunday Times was proud and lucky to have. There were other first class writers. In fact, in Femi Ogunsanwo’s Sunday Times (The first 25 years), they occupy the fifth chapter where they are referred to as “The five powerful columnists”.

    Here they are: Ebenezer Williams (Abiodun Aloba), who is described as “the first great” columnist of the Sunday Times. His column ran continuously from December 23, 1953, to October 1, 1960, according to the book, which states: “In terms of longevity and popularity, four other writers qualify for the Sunday Times hall of fame of great columnists: Peter Pan (Peter Enahoro), Alla-de (Alade Odunewu), Sad Sam (Sam Amuka) and Gbolabo Ogunsanwo). All these columnists were also editors of the Sunday Times.”

    Several new columnists have since mounted the stage, plying their trade in a no less engaging manner. Unlike in those days, many editors do not write columns, apparently believing that this area of journalism should be left for editorial writers and others who belong to the academic community, but not necessarily journalists. Among the new columnists are the youthful writers in Thisday: Simon Kolawole, Kayode “The Marxist’ Komolafe and Ijeoma Nwogwugu. There are in The Sun Louis Odion (Bottomline), Amanze Obi (Broken Tongues), Funke Egbemode and Femi Adesina. The Punch has Azubuike Ishiekwene’s Viewpoint. There are in The Nation on Sunday Palladium, deep and punchy, written by Idowu Akinlotan. Tatalo Alamu, scholarly, witty, hilarious and dramatic, also appears on Sunday.

    Dan Agbese’s column in Newswatch is delightful for its incisiveness and humour. So are Yakubu Mohammed’s (Newswatch) and Ray Ekpu’s (Newswatch). In fact, many knew Ekpu, Agbese and Mohammed more as columnists than as directors of the magazine.

    There is also Muhammed Haruna, the former editor of New Nigerian whose column is run by The Nation and Daily Trust. His is easily the most recognisable voice from the North. In fact, many call him the “star of the North”. The Candido column ran for years in New Nigerian. An incisive comment on people and events, the column appeared for more than 30 years.

    There is a striking difference between today’s columnists and the old hands. Unlike the new kids on the block, the old-timers did not only inform and educate, they entertained as well, and went beyond that to make clinical predictions that came to pass. I recall how Allah-de, writing in The Comet, predicted that the newly appointed Eagles coach, Dutchman Bonfere Jo, would not last. A few days after, the coach was fired. Talk about the columnist as an oracle! Besides, there was humour. You read the late Aig-Imokhuede’s Notebook in Vanguard and laughed all day. Such columnists are hard to come by now.

    To the charge that columnists do not see anything good in government, my response is that since they are part of the society, their thoughts and actions are not insulated from the experience of the society. They, through their writings, embark on an idealistic battle for the utopian. They never achieve this, but along the line, society is enriched and the future has a past to refer to – thanks to the columnists.

  • Jonathan visits Obasanjo

    Jonathan visits Obasanjo

    IT was meant to be a private visit. But the President’s trip to Abeokuta, the exciting city that is the capital of Ogun State, to commiserate with his spokesman Dr Reuben Abati on the death of his mother has thrown up many issues. Not because it was out of place for Dr Goodluck Jonathan to be with the one he considers a member of his family on such an occasion. No.

    President Jonathan was with former President Olusegun Obasanjo same day. The popular thinking – “the popular is seldom correct”, don’t forget – is that the visit to Obasanjo was the main reason for the President’s presence in Abeokuta. That is neither here nor there. Also unclear is what transpired in the inner room of Obasanjo’s home where the two leaders – father and son, some will insist – poured out their hearts.

    There has been no official statement. Dr Jonathan told reporters that it was a mere courtesy call. No more. Editorial Notebook fans and numerous others have been eager to find out details of the meeting. A usually reliable source, who pleaded for anonymity because of what he described as the security implications of the high profile talks, has given some snippets, which he was able to piece together after an encounter with his uncle’s friend who swore that a colleague of his was there. Here is his account, which remains unconfirmed as neither Dr Jonathan nor Chief Obasanjo would take questions:

    A flurry of activities proclaims the arrival of a big man. Soldiers are taking positions. A long row of policemen and Civil Defence officials backing the road and domestic staff running around the expansive compound. A convoy of vehicles rumbles up at the gate and Obasanjo comes out to receive his visitor.

    Jonathan (embracing his host): Baba, good to see you again. You’re looking great sir.

    Obasanjo (smiling and stretching out his arms): Thank you so much. Please, come inside. I trust all is well o. Because this kind of visit … I don’t know if I’m still qualified for it o.

    Jonathan: Haba, baba! You remain my father, any time any day. You’re an elder statesman, the most respected of them all today. And we need to show you respect at all times; we need to consult you on matters of national importance, especially now that our country has some challenges and… . We need your experience to go through it all. And…

    Obasanjo cuts in: Thank you; thank you so much. Hmmm…huumm! (He clears his throat). Mr President. You know I won’t deceive you. I will be frank and blunt; you know me for that. It’s just that I’m a good man, I would have asked the guards to shut the gate. But, as a good Christian, I mustn’t do that. If I consider all the attempts made to humiliate me, with the connivance of your people, your party and so on.

    Jonathan: I don’t want to waste time Baba. You’re our father; the greatest Nigerian living today, ever patriotic. I should be consulting you everyday, but you know how this job is and you too, you’re a busy man; always moving. I beg you to forget the past and join us to strengthen the party and move it forward to 2015.

    Obasanjo: Thank you, oga President. So, you think people like us are still relevant at home in Nigeria? Abi, is it because the 2015 elections are coming? You see, any papa wey no sabi the number of im pikin, na yeye man; I know my children and my children know me. Where were you when I resigned from the board, BOT or whatever you call it? Interestingly, somebody – I won’t mention his name – told me that you would collect the letter and never ask me why. And you did immediately and never asked me why. That means you never wanted me in the first place.

    Jonathan: But, baba (the President tries to stop him) you’re … .

    Obasanjo (raising his left hand): Please…please; let me talk, oga President. With due respect, you people never wanted me in your party. The man you wanted is now there. So, I wish that my feeling should be respected. I should be allowed to just siddon look. No be so!

    Jonathan: Baba, no vex. With due respect, sir, you got it all wrong. I didn’t know you were not happy. I thought you were having too many international engagements and it was getting difficult to cope with the demands of that position. Now, people are saying all sort of things. Lies. Rumours. Nonsense. They say that em…emm…emmm …that I don’t have your support for 2015 and all that. And I tell them that the Baba Obasanjo that I know will always leave everything in the hands of God. I said, ‘no; these are dangerous rumours and I’ll come here to shame our common enemies and show the world that you remain my father.’

    Obasanjo (a wry smile on his lips): 2015? I dey laugh o! Who is talking about that? People have been telling me to intervene, that the road to 2015 is full of bumps, that we should save our democracy. Go and face your job o. All those telling you that they know what will happen in 2015, that they will fix it and all that jagbajantics, they’re deceiving you o. You don’t need such people around you. And note that I don’t have any problem with your party o. Please.

    Jonathan: Sir, you remain our leader, the head of the PDP family, a big family that is the envy of all others.

    Obasanjo cuts in, his face betraying a frown. Please, Mr President. Please, please and please. Me; PDP family? That’s a joke taken too far. Isn’t that strange? All my boys – Oyinlola, Oni and the others – have been pushed out of their positions by those who are bent on hijacking the party for their own selfish ends and with the connivance of your people. In Ogun here, the whole thing is scattered, like a tailor’s legs. And I’m a leader of the party. Leader my foot!

    Jonathan: Sir, that is why I’m here. I agree that we have problems in the PDP family. There are issues here in Ogun, Rivers, Adamawa, Ekiti and some other places. Minor issues. I intend to consult all the elders and I’m starting with you as our father.

    Obasanjo: I salute your courage. God will help you, but if you want to hear the truth – you know I’ll always be frank with you – these are self-inflicted wounds. Take, for instance, that boy; the one in Port Harcourt. Emmm…Amaechi. What’s his offence? What did he do? They said he refused to give them money. They contrived all manner of wuruwuru and suspended him. Is that a party looking for peace and reconciliation? They said your people dey shout say he must not be Governors’ Forum chairman. They held an election and said 16 is bigger than 19. Haba! Even among thieves, there is honour. A thief knows when he has taken too much and he stops, but this your family, me I no understand o.

    Jonathan: Thank you sir. That’s why I have come; so that we can resolve all these outstanding matters and forge ahead as a united, strong and purposeful family, the biggest party in Africa. Sir, you’re a man of foresight. Remember you warned in 2007 about featuring a candidate with k-leg. We’re seeing the result now.

    Obasanjo: Really? That was then. The leg don straight now and I’m seeing some people with k-leg warming up for 2015. I won’t say more than that.

    Jonathan: Thank you sir. All we want is peace. We need peace. If the party is troubled, the whole country will feel it.

    Obasanjo: You see, President. For there to be peace and reconciliation, there must be tolerance. The other day when I spoke about Boko Haram; that it was not something to be handled with kid gloves, your boys descended on me. They said I was talking from both sides of the mouth. I simply suggested a carrot-and-stick approach. Is that not what you’re doing now? Nobody can gag me o; tell them that I, Aremu Okikiola Obasanjo Baba Iyabo, will never be gagged. I will continue to say my own. Anybody who doesn’t like it, dat na im toro.

    Jonathan: Thank you, Baba. I take it that all the issues are resolved and that I remain your son and that I can count on your support. I have to leave now.

    Obasanjo: Thank you Jonna. You have done well. I need to get ready for some other visitors. Today is a day for visitors and I’m happy to have hosted you, even though you have refused to eat and drink. I know it’s Ramadan but you should have tried a little. All the best.

    They shake hands and the President leaves .Some 10 minutes after, some governors drive in to see Obasanjo. There is no ambiguity about their mission. They say the country is adrift and will like Obasanjo to join other elders to pull the brakes on the slide.

    Many opinions have been formed on these visits. One, it is said, is about mending fences to realise a personal goal. The other, said critics, is about altruism – stopping the ruckus in Rivers and saving democracy so that Nigeria can get to 2015 and not fulfill the doomsday prophecy of some self-acclaimed necromancers. The governors have since visited former military president Gen. Ibrahim Babangida and former Head of State Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar. Can you guess who Dr Jonathan’s next host will be?

  • Rivers: Where are the elders?

    Rivers: Where are the elders?

    WHAT is going on in Rivers State?

    The scene is familiar. A group of lawmakers – usually infinitesimal in number -find their way into the House of Assembly chamber, grab the mace, proclaim one of them speaker and, apparently in a befuddled state of a newfangled legal muscle, proceed to make fundamental decisions. By the time the world learns about such actions, it is too late for sanity to prevail, too late to withdraw a bitter joke.

    That was the scenario on Tuesday at the Rivers State House of Assembly. Five lawmakers – they are often described as loyalists of Minister of State for Education Nyesom Wike; have they lost their identities? – seized the chamber to proclaim a new leadership that lasted just a few minutes. Governor Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi moved in to pull the brakes on the theatrics. The nonsense stopped after a few heads had been smashed.

    A source has just told me that the root of the Rivers crisis is money. Cash. As a corollary of this is 2015. The crisis in the local Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been contrived to achieve a purpose, which surely is not to project the people’s interest, but to pursue personal designs for personal gains. I hope the actors do not think they can take the people for granted forever. When they realise the truth and rise, the consequences may be too grievous for us all to handle.

    A brief recall of some of the events. A court in Abuja handed over the leadership of the party to Felix Obuah as chairman. Obuah is believed to be loyal to Wike. Godspower Ake, who the Abuja court removed, is of Amaechi’s faction. He insists he was validly elected in an election Obuah never participated in. The House of Assembly suspended a local government chairman and his executives from office for alleged fraud. The party asked Amaechi to restore the council chiefs. He did not. He couldn’t have. The principle of the separation of powers will never allow that. The party suspended Amaechi and asked him to apologise for him to return to the party.

    Ever since, the Rivers crisis has been part of the trouble with the national PDP. Amaechi’s plan to retain his chairmanship of the Governors’ Forum became a fratricidal strife from which the forum is yet to recover. Governors became the subject of beer parlour jokes after Plateau State’s Jonah Jang maintained that he won the election with his 16 votes. Amaechi scored 19. Academic giants were seized by a strange frenzy in a bid to unravel the new theory of how 16 became bigger than 19 – the Nigerian politician’s latest contribution to scholarship. Till date, they are yet to resolve the mystery. Unable to conceal his questionable neutrality any longer, President Goodluck Jonathan embraced Jang, hosting him at the Villa.

    Amaechi was subjected to all manner of indignities. A recent visit of the First Lady shut down the Rivers capital city, Port Harcourt. He had to shelve some official engagements for as long as the Dame Patience Jonathan road show lasted. Many verbal grenades were hurled at him. The official aircraft that flew him to the Akure Airport was grounded in questionable circumstances. Before then, Rivers had lost some oil wells to its neighbour, Bayelsa, in what has been seen in many informed circles as an attempt to cripple the state financially.

    Amaechi and Commissioner of Police Mbu Joseph Mbu are not the best of friends. They are not working together. In fact, the governor says since Mbu’s arrival in the state, the crime rate has surged, adding that kidnappers are back in business and robbers have ended their holiday to seize the state by the throat. Mbu denies it all. He insists that he remains an impartial enforcer of the law and not an executioner of a political design drawn up from the very top as part of a line-up of activities to enfeeble Amaechi.

    The governor has remained pertinacious, saying the interest of the people is paramount. Nobody, it should be noted, has dismissed Amaechi’s achievements in many areas of development – health, education, infrastructure and all that. Why then is he having problems? Politics? Envy? Ambition?

    A school of thought says it is because Wike, a former associate and Chief of Staff to Amaechi, wants to succeed him, but that the governor has dismissed this as a mere dream because he and the minister are from Ikwerre. Others, he says, should be given a chance. Wike kicked. He launched into a war of attrition against Amaechi.

    Like a mere scratch of the skin, the Rivers crisis has grown into a sore that needs attention because of its potential to balloon into an infectious disease that will spread to other places and become difficult to heal. There are speculations that the main target of the madness in the House on Tuesday was Amaechi. If the five legislators had had their way, they would have initiated impeachment proceedings against the governor. Sounds strange? Yes. But, recall, dear reader, that recently, 16 was said to be bigger than 19. Besides, memories of such incidents are fresh. Dariye. Alamieyeseigha. Fayose. Impeachment is a long process, but our politicians sure know how to shorten any process. After all, doesn’t the end justify the means?

    The role of the police in this drama has been everything but noble. From just watching hoodlums harass the lawmakers on Tuesday, the police yesterday stepped up the game. They reportedly fired teargas into the Government House as they pursued people who had come to show solidarity with the embattled governor.

    Where is the Constitution in all this? Where is the rule of law on which the Jonathan presidency has built its shaky public image? With businesses shut down yesterday as policemen chased protesters around the city, there is a clear invitation to anarchy. Presidential aide Dr Doyin Okupe has said his boss is not involved in the crisis, adding that Amaechi is too small for Dr Jonathan to fight. Hold it doc; that is wrong. The issue is not Amaechi. Why should the President watch as a part of the country is being wracked by anarchists who don the garb of politicians. Shouldn’t he show he is not part of this morbid game – many believe he is –?

    Those former militants who made a living by fighting the law are back in business. They are leading the assault on the state’s constituted authority – obviously with official backing. Isn’t this a costly way of keeping ex-militants busy?

    Nigerians, ever inventive, have started cracking jokes with the Rivers situation. A friend sent me this: “Dad & Son.”

    Son: Dad, why are you training in martial arts?

    Dad: It has been entrenched in our constitution as part of the criteria to contest elective office.

    Son: Are you sure, dad, that we now have such in our constitution; since when?

    Dad: Oh my son, yesterday the Rivers State House of Assembly was suddenly turned into a boxing ring. I need to acquire skills to defend myself when I become a honourable member.

    But the Rivers crisis is no laughing matter. It is the type that makes decent people fulminate. Where are the elders? Should the nonsense in Rivers be allowed to go on? The other day at the Villa, a group of Rivers indigenes, among them some notable individuals, visited the President. They poured invectives on Amaechi, casting him in the mould of an implacable brat. That is not the way of elders who are expected to be custodians of public morality and wisdom. It is politics taken too far.

    It is good that the National Assembly has stepped into the matter. The nonsense in Rivers must be arrested. It should not be allowed to spread. With a state of emergency in three states, the fiendish bloodletting in Plateau and the communal clashes all over the place, Nigeria seems to be overdrawing its account in the bank of peace. It may hit the red.

    Rivers indigenes have a big role to play in the resolution of this crisis, which is part of the long-predicted implosion of the ruling PDP. They should demand peace and decency. But, again, where are the elders?