Former presidential media aide, Reno Omokri has criticised an Arise TV anchor, Reuben Abati, for calling for President Bola Tinubu’s impeachment over the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State.
According to Omokri, Tinubu acted within the legal framework set by the National Assembly, which had granted the President the authority to suspend a state governor under the Emergency Powers (Repeal and Re-enactment) Bill of 2018.
He said if Abati or others disagree with the law, the appropriate response would be to seek judicial interpretation rather than call for impeachment.
Omokri also accused Abati of spreading misinformation by labelling Tinubu a “dictator” for granting the Rivers State Administrator the power to issue regulations.
He clarified that the administrator would not create new laws but could formulate regulations subject to approval by the Federal Executive Council and promulgation by the President.
“It would be very sad for Nigeria’s educational system if a PhD holder like Dr. Abati does not know the difference between a regulation and a law,”
“A law sets the legal framework for the government, while regulations provide the detailed rules necessary for compliance with the law.
“In any case, using the platform of a cable news station to call for the impeachment of the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces based on a limited understanding of the law and to misinform your viewers is rather callous and could trigger further instability,” Omokri said.
Senator Buruji Kashamu representing Ogun East Senatorial district at the National Assembly on Monday insisted that he is the authentic candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun state and urged the National Chairman of the party, Uche Srcondus, not to elevate party supremacy above the judiciary.
Kashamu said he and his running mate, Dr. Reuben Abati, are the candidate of the people for the governorship polls in Ogun State according to the expressed wishes of the people, which, he addd, was equally affirmed by the courts.
The Senator who spoke while addressing thousands of supporters in Ijebu – Igbo, the Headquarters of Ijebu North Local Government Area of the state, shortly after he was unveiled
by the Dayo Bayo – led arm of the Ogun State PDP, as the governorship candidate in the state, admitted that the party is supreme, but said “it is not superior to the judiciary.”
According to him, nobody should continue to act in contempt of the teeming members, leaders, elders of the party and the Courts in the name of “Party Supremacy.
The Senator who also extended hands of fellowship to every member of the party – both the agreeable and disagreeable ones, assured of his readiness, ability and willingness to work with everyone in the overall interest of PDP.
He said: “Politics is like a game of chess; full of intrigues, ups and downs. But, the mammoth crowd you have seen here says it all. We would not be distracted. We are focused on our Mission of Taking Ogun State to Greater Heights.
“I am a grassroots politician; a proud Ijebu man and a good citizen of Ogun State who is loved by his people.
“By the grace of the Almighty Allah, I am an entrepreneur; an employer of labour with several years of experience in business and human resources management.
” In 2015, when I contested to represent the good people of Ogun East Senatorial District, I promised selfless representation. That is what I have given.
“And there is no better proof than the over 90 projects that we have attracted to various parts of Ogun East Senatorial District. It is the first of its kind. No one has that record in our Senatorial District.
“As you are aware, I have also touched many lives and communities outside Ogun East and Ogun State through the Omoilu Foundation.
“This aspiration affords me yet another opportunity to continue to touch lives in diverse ways and on a bigger plane.
“Since government is a continuum, I believe we would continue from where the current government stops, and together, we would take our dear Ogun State to Greater Heights.
“As presented by my running mate, Dr. Reuben Abati, we have a blueprint that outlines our programmes and policies if you vote us as your Governor and Deputy Governor on the 2nd of March, 2019. Will you vote for us?
“This is your sure ticket for Taking Ogun State to Greater Heights. The Engr. Adebayo Dayo-led Ogun State Exco is the ONLY authentic and legally recognized PDP structure in the state. The people have spoken; the Courts have affirmed it and INEC has complied.
” Truly, the party is supreme. But, it is not superior to the judiciary. People cannot continue to act in contempt of the teeming members, leaders and elders of the Party and the Courts – all in the name of “Party Supremacy.
“At some point, like in saner climes, the judiciary must intervene and rein in those acting in utter disregard of our Party’s Constitution and the laws of the land. That is what has happened in our case.
“The national leadership of our Party supervised and approved the congresses that produced the Engr. Adebayo Dayo-led State Exco in 2016.
“There have been several court judgments that affirmed the validity of the State Exco under the leadership of Engr. Adebayo Dayo.
“In the build up to the 2019 general election, congresses were conducted by the Dayo-led State Exco in line with Section 25 (1) of the PDP Constitution (as amended in 2017) which states that, ‘There shall be a State Party Congress which shall consist of: (a) The State Chairman who shall be the Chairman. Section 25 (2c) states further, ‘The functions of the State Congress shall be to: (c) Elect governorship candidates of the Party.
“That is all we have done. So, if anyone decides to go and collect a flag in an office in Abuja, it does not bother us. They say they are the candidates of the Party.
“We say we are the candidates of the people and the Rule of Law. As the Governorship Candidate of the PDP in Ogun State, I extend my hands of fellowship to all and sundry. I am ready, able and willing to work with everyone in the overall interest of our Party.
“My dear good people of Ogun State, I am your son, your servant and a true representative of the people. I am willing, ready and able to serve you. I urge to elect me, Alaanu Mekunnu as your Governor. Mine will be a people-oriented government.”
Former Presidential spokesman to former President Goodluck Jonathan, Reuben Abati on Tuesday revealed lessons learnt from the just concluded reality TV show, Big Brother Naija.
The former presidential spokesman also touched the bad effects of the reality show on Nigeria’s family value and Nigeria as a whole.
In his article, Abati noted that although the show promoted the idea of choice, people’s power at the heart of democracy, stressing that the conclusion of the over 70 days show was a relief
He added that it should not be aired again because it promoted prostitution, nudity, chiefly adultery, love of money, and sex.
Read the full article below:
What a relief! So, the Big Brother Naija reality television programme is finally over. It ended Sunday evening with 23-year old Efe Michael Ejemba, University of Jos graduate of Economics and singer winning the N25 million + SUV at stake, with 57.6% of the votes from over 24 million voters across Africa. Warri, where Efe’s family lives, erupted in excitement. At the Multichoice viewing centre in Ikeja, Lagos, where Katung Aduwak took charge so brilliantly, there was a similar eruption of incandescent joy. I was relieved because, for about 70 days, the Big Brother Naija show was a big distraction, crass capitalism at its most cynical edge, a source of unmanageable madness in homes and on the streets. Now that it is over, it is time for some honest frank talk for the attention of all stakeholders involved.
Let me start with the lessons, on a positive note, before delivering the blows. Lesson one: In a very instructive manner, the Big Brother Naija reality television show promoted the ideas of choice and people power at the heart of democracy. Televised across Africa, the viewers had the final say in determining who stayed in the house or left during eviction moments on Sundays.
The votes were collated, audited and confirmed by Deloitte, a firm of auditors and thus, the viewer as the voter-determined the outcomes. In that regard, a reality show of that sort promoted a consciousness of democracy, choice and influence and it further explained why the people from Nigeria to Cape Agulhas all the way up to the Mediterranean sea took fierce ownership of the programme. In a continent where power is the ultimate aphrodisiac and every access to power, fame and influence is seen as an opportunity to oppress and demean, whatever is done to promote a consciousness of choice and the civil society is laudable. Multichoice, thanks.
L-R: Wangi Mba-Uzokwu, Regional Director, M-net West Africa; Michael Efe Ejeba, winner of BBNaija Season 2; Fela Ibidapo, Group Head, Corporate Affairs, Heritage Bank; John Ugbe, Managing Director, MultiChoice Nigeria and Eyo Bassey, Chief Executive Officer, Payporte during the presentation
Lesson Two: in every business concept, perseverance pays. Multichoice has been running its Big Brother Naija and Big Brother Africa concepts for a number of years. Apparently, this year’s Big Brother Naija has been the most impactful, the most profitable and probably also, the most exciting. In one week, over 11 million persons voted to determine the eviction. In the final week of the programme, over 24 million persons voted – that is more than the total number of persons who voted in the Nigerian Presidential election in 2015. This year, Multichoice has made more money from the Big Brother franchise than it has ever done. The programme was sponsored by PayPorte, and with all the voting, and the money spent on recharge cards, Big Brother and Multichoice are the biggest winners. In the end, it is all about business and profit. Everybody has been used. In business, once you have a good, attractive product and you can capture the market, you can fool everybody and make profit. Multichoice, weh done – in Falz, the bad guy’s voice.
[quote font_size=”18″ font_style=”italic” color=”#000000″ bgcolor=”#ddbc87″ bcolor=”#dd3333″ arrow=”yes”]Lesson three: humility pays. At the end of the day, in the last week of the programme, the decision by the viewing public was a moral, sentimental one. The biggest star of the programme was, I don’t know what you think, TBOSS (real name: Tokunbo Idowu), half Nigerian, half-Romanian. She dominated the space with her Jezebelic antics, even got some of the male participants ousted by entrapping and outsmarting them with her sexual wiles. She projected herself as a sex object, the ultimate manipulator, the champion Delilah of the Big Brother Africa series. She even made a joke of the entire Big Brother concept by saying she didn’t need the money and if she won, she would spend it in two weeks to pay off debts, and in any case, she had men hitting on her, offering to take her on a ride in their private jets. She played the role of a female barracuda.[/quote]
Given her looks and talents, she would have been a perfect winner. She would have looked good on the billboards. But she lost because of her arrogance. Attitude is everything: this is the lesson of TBOSS’s disgrace and humiliation. When she was sent out of the House as the second runner-up, the viewing centre in Ikeja, Lagos, including Kemen whose nemesis she was, danced in joy. “They are taunting me?” she asked Ebuka, the anchor. No, sweetheart, they were making a far more serious statement about you. The melodramatic ending of Big Brother Naija 2017 is its only redeeming outcome.
Bisola, the first runner up does not even have a degree but she showed talent and resolve, even if her whorish flirtation with Thin Tall Tony is so cheap and self-denigrating. Her One-Nigeria consolation prize is something big she should take seriously.
[quote font_size=”18″ font_style=”italic” color=”#000000″ bgcolor=”#ddbc87″ bcolor=”#dd3333″ arrow=”yes”]Efe won because of his humility. He is considered the poorest and the most needy of the contestants. Patrons of the programme chose to vote for the contestant who looked and sounded like he would need the money and the opportunity. They gave him a chance in life, although the organisers must ensure that going forward, the show does not become a poverty alleviation scheme. Bisola came second because she too looked like she needed help. Debbie Rise and Marvis also made the finals, but that was meant to be a great compliment to their good conduct, but they didn’t have enough support to make it to the top.[/quote]
TBOSS is the main star who lost. I hope she was taken out of South Africa with a private jet or maybe a submarine! Beauty is not everything, baby.
TBoss, Bisola, ThinTallTony and Gifty
Lesson four: Marketing helps. Branding is everything. Propaganda is profitable. Packaging is nice. Big Brother Naija is nothing but marketing, branding, propaganda, and packaging. A reality show is supposed to be nothing but reality, virtual reality as it happens, but let no one deceive you, everything that happened in the 70 days of BBNaija was packaged, marketed, carefully branded and manipulated. Ebuka, the Big Brother, thumbs up, the scenic designers, kudos, the content developers, three hearty cheers, Multichoice, you guys are the smartest capitalists around, well done! The finale was a bit overdone though, dragged out, over-delayed. Tiwa Savage (hey baby, watch that growing fat around your waist and thigh), Tuface (thanks, TuBaba but next time tell Annie to twerk for us- what was that!). In all, the power of television was well advertised.
Now the hard knocks: I rate the theatre high but I consider the whole show a sham, a 419 manipulative effort by a corporate agency, long overdue for an ethical review and scrutiny, a bad influence on corporate ethics. The owners of the programme are just a bunch of insultive, manipulative and exploitative capitalists, feeding on public need for distraction and the negligence of the authorities. Big Brother Naija 2017 is something that should never happen again in the shape we have seen. If Multichoice as a corporate investor wants to make a contribution to Nigeria, it must find ways of doing so in more meaningful forms.
Reality shows have become an established form on television, but whereas there are reality shows that promote talent, music, human capability and genius, enhanced relationships, and intellect, Multichoice, through its Big Brother Naija and Big Brother Africa franchises seems committed to the promotion of base values, chiefly adultery, prostitution, love of money, nudity and sex. What just ended as Big Brother Naija 2017 was nothing other than the corralling of some human beings into a zoo, pressured to behave like nothing but animals. The organisers made money devaluing other human beings.
[quote font_size=”18″ font_style=”italic” color=”#000000″ bgcolor=”#ddbc87″ bcolor=”#dd3333″ arrow=”yes”]Multichoice and Payporte, the sponsors, turned alcohol and pornography into a legitimate sport.[/quote]
TBOSS and the other girls kissed and got groped by the boys on live television putting their upbringing to shame. TBOSS, who claimed she didn’t need the money even exposed her breasts on live television more than once. I have seen better breasts TBOSS. I am not too sure those private jet owners will be excited by your fluffy, South-looking, slightly bigger than mangoes breasts. If the same men see bigger assets, I mean, those interesting Ojiakor-like ones that look like papayas, pineapples and watermelons, they will not send private jets, they will deploy submarines and fighter jets! And that ‘s why you got N500k in the end, way back behind Bisola with her hard facial features, and Efe whose victory is based on poverty logistics and appeal. But I have no doubt that TBOSS will end up doing better in the larger, outside market than the other finalists, because even those who did not vote for her, know in their hearts that she represents the message of the programme.
[quote font_size=”18″ font_style=”italic” color=”#000000″ bgcolor=”#ddbc87″ bcolor=”#dd3333″ arrow=”yes”]It is a wrong message and that is why Big Brother Naija drew more audience in Southern Nigeria than in the North. In the last week of the programme, every town in Southern Nigeria was seized by the #BBNaija fever. Prayers were offered in churches for Efe. One lady threatened to commit suicide if Efe did not win. Another one said she would not stop crying until Efe won. Nollywood stars declared support for housemates. There was Team Bisola, Team Efe, EfeNation, TBOSSNation, TeamDebbieRise (small), TeamMarvis (even smaller). There were public processions even in universities. We were told how to vote. Twitter was on fire. What I saw was nothing but sheer madness. T-shirts were printed. One musician turned his personal car into a billboard. Nigeria became a madhouse because of one reality television show. It looked like mass hypnotism at work.[/quote]
But it should not be allowed to happen again. BBNaija should not be hosted and staged in South Africa as has been the case. Multichoice, Payporte and their partners made crazy money and got brand promotion off the back and sweat of Nigerians. Do the maths; we got peanuts in return. We were told BBNaija could not be staged in Nigeria due to electricity problems so the studio had to be in South Africa. And the Nigerian government looked the other way. Wawu! All the billions that the South Africans are running away with, after giving our boy a Kia SUV and some N25m, who is going to collect the Value Added Tax on that? Nigeria or South Africa? See the real Gobbe! All the staff who worked on the programme with extremely marginal exception were South Africans. Where were the Nigerians? Abi, Lobatan oh.
The Nigerian government must assert itself. Nobody henceforth must brand anything involving primary production, Nigerian off Nigerian soil. We can’t get far by wearing made-in-Nigerian clothes on Mondays and Wednesdays, turning the country into an extension of Nollywood, but we can gain a lot by insisting that economic production and profit based on Nigerian talent and resource must have significant Nigerian content.
Congratulations Efe; the grace of God is forever sufficient, but sorry Nigeria.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), says former presidential spokesman, Dr Reuben Abati, honoured its invitation on Monday.
This is contrary to media reports that Abati was “arrested and brought’’ to the commission’s office.
“Former Special Adviser to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan on Media and Publicity, Dr Reuben Abati, on Monday, honoured an invitation by the EFCC at the agency’s headquarters in Abuja.
“ He is currently presently telling operatives of the commission his role in the alleged mismanagement of the nation’s resources through his office.
“ We shall keep you posted,’’ the anti-graft agency said on its Twitter handle on Tuesday.
Quoting anonymous EFCC sources, some of the media reports said Abati was arrested for allegedly collecting N100 million from former National Security Adviser (NSA), retired Col. Sambo Dasuki.
According to the reports, the money was part of 2.1 billion dollars meant for the purchase of arms for the Nigerian Army to fight Boko Haram insurgents.
Spokesman of the EFCC, Mr Wilson Uwujaren, is yet to confirm the reports. He did not answer his phone on Tuesday when NAN called to get update on the matter.(NAN)
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC) on Monday quizzed a former Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati over alleged N50million remitted to him by the Office of the National Security Adviser( ONSA) under ex-NSA Sambo Dasuki.
The cash was said to be part of the $2.1 billion arms funds being traced by the anti-graft commission.
According to a source, who spoke in confidence, Abati was invited by the EFCC to come and explain what informed the allocation of the N50million since his office was on monthly imprest.
Erstwhile spokesperson of former President Goodluck Jonathan, Dr. Reuben Abati, clocked 50 last Saturday. The media guru set out with the intention of having a small dinner with a few friends, but that was not to be as his pretty wife, Omolara, decided to mark the big number for her darling husband in a very special way.
The surprise birthday dinner was a gathering of many family members, friends and associates of Abati. The colourful but moderate soiree was held at the Jevnik Event Centre on Issac John Street, GRA, Ikeja, Lagos.
What thrilled those who graced the event most was how Abati’s wife tricked her husband to the event. Abati, who was expecting a small dinner, was driven to the venue without knowing what his wife had planned. Ruby, as he is fondly called, was obviously overwhelmed with pleasant surprise when he was called on stage to give a speech.
Folks, let’s do a gospel parallel on Nigeria’s ever boisterous political terrain.
God the Father, goes that inviolate classification, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. That is the Holy Trinity, right?
Well, apply that to the fiercely contrasting tirades from the Goodluck Jonathan presidential camp: one, from Edwin Clark, political father; the other, from Reuben Abati, political aide; but both fallen on barren political times.
Abati dubbed his riposte to Clark’s Jonathan putdown, “Clark the father, Jonathan, the son”. Did he have the holy trinity in mind?
If he did, it probably would have panned out thus: “Clark, the father; Jonathan, the son; and Abati, the …
“Holy Spirit!” the repressed but relieved ex-presidential camp would have blurted, given the spectacular way Clark had chucked his one glorious godson, saying he was feckless.
But “Evil Spirit”, the other camp would have countered, particularly given Epa Clark’s latest riposte to the Abati holier-than-thou challenge, in the defence of Goodluck Jonathan.
Now, both reactions could be credible, for it appears a classic clash between political and media merchandising, in the vigorous defence of an extant political order; and its aftermath, when that order went extinct.
For Epa Clark, political merchandising has been something like careerism. Well, you call it merchandising. But Epa calls it patriotism. Both views are not incorrect. It just depends on from which side you’re commenting.
From Gen. Yakubu Gowon to every other order in Nigeria’s chequered, if troubled, political history, Epa Clark had been there, giving his patriotic support. Why? He was a long time Gowon federal commissioner (now called minister) for Information. That was way back when Hardball was in primary school!
Now, if Epa was that patriotic for the North, why won’t he be even more, for his own Niger Delta “son”, for whom he was rightly and patriotically well pleased? Or, in Nigeria’s political hypocrisy, is patriotism inversely proportional (to borrow a jargon from basic chemistry) to one’s nativity? In other words, do you get less patriotic, simply because you support your own, when the principle — patriotic support for central power — is constant?
Hell, no, Epa’s supporters would yell! Yeah right, valid proof of political merchandising, the contrasting camp would equally bawl!
It’s nothing but where you’re coming from, see?
Now, to Abati — holy or evil spirit? Not a doubt, holy spirit — not with the way he, a mere aide, rallied for his fallen principal, when the father virtually threw him to the dogs.
But what of Abati’s pre-Aso Rock days, which the Epa, not illegitimately, dredged up in the virtual roforofo fight? Back then, Jonathan was plain Ahab (again, back to a Biblical allusion) and his spouse, the very Jezebel. But progression to Aso Rock, and everything changed: Jonathan, from Ahab, morphed sharp-sharp to David and Solomon combined, the very best in all of Israel!
Now, who are Abati, the media analyst; and Abati, the presidential spinner? The political equivalent of the two-faced Janus, whose being harbours two fiercely contrasting essences? Or the Nigerian contemporary equivalent of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde — one sweet; the other sinister?
Whether patriotism or merchandise, the driver would appear basic economics. That seems to logically explain why Epa Clark would fiercely turn against his lifetime allies, briefly rally for a co-native, but quickly revert to his default setting, immediately that co-native ran into storm.
For Abati, the columnist’s conversion from Paul to Saul, on the patriotic road to Damascus, explains no less.
I spoke with him on phone only once or twice during his tenure as Special Adviser on media to former President Goodluck Jonathan. Yet, I think Dr Reuben Abati, first class intellectual and columnist did a wonderful job as presidential spokesman in difficult circumstances. Except on one or two occasions, he was even tempered under pressure and very measured, dignified and restrained in carrying out his duties. Unlike many, he has remained loyal to his former boss even after the former lost out in the last election. I naturally disagreed with him on a number of occasions as regards his defence of the Jonathan administration but his professional integrity remains intact. Abati’spieces, ‘Six lessons we have learnt’ in The Guardian of Friday, 23rd October, and ‘Biafra, Oodua and the seventh lesson’ published yesterday were a delight to read even if you don’t agree with some of his views.His writing remains intelligent, nuanced, luminous and perceptive. This column heartily welcomes my friend and brother back to the terrain of qualitative public discourse.
I have tried delaying the writing of this piece in the honest expectation that someone probably misquoted Chief E.K. Clark, when he reportedly publicly disowned former President Goodluck Jonathan. I had hoped that our dear father, E.K. Clark, would issue a counter statement and say the usual things politicians say: “they quoted me out of context!” “Jonathan is my son”. That has not happened; rather, some other Ijaw voices, including one Joseph Evah, have come to the defence of the old man, to join hands in rubbishing a man they once defended to the hilt and used as a bargaining chip for the Ijaw interest in the larger Nigerian geo-politics.
If President Jonathan had returned to power on May 29, 2015, these same persons would have remained in the corridors of power, displaying all forms of ethnic triumphalism. It is the reason in case they do not realize it, why the existent power blocs that consider themselves most fit to rule, continue to believe that those whose ancestors never ran empires can never be trusted with power, hence they can only be admitted as other people’s agents or as merchants of their own interests which may even be defined for them as is deemed convenient. Mercantilism may bring profit, but in power politics, it destroys integrity and compromises otherwise sacred values.
President Jonathan being publicly condemned by his own Ijaw brothers, particularly those who were once staunch supporters of his government further serves the purpose of exposing the limits of the politics of proximity. Politics in Africa is driven by this particular factor; it is at the root of all the other evils: prebendalism, clientelism and what Matthew Kukah has famously described as the “myownisation of power”. It is both positive and negative, but obviously, more of the latter than the former. It is considered positive only when it is beneficial to all parties concerned, and when the template changes, the ground also shifts. As in that song, the solid rock of proximity is soon replaced by shifting sands. Old worship becomes new opportunism. And the observant public is left confounded.
Chief E.K. Clark? Who would ever think, Chief E.K. Clark would publicly disown President Jonathan? He says Jonathan was a weak President. At what point did he come to that realization? Yet, throughout the five years (not six, please) of the Jonathan Presidency, he spoke loudly against anyone who opposed the President. He was so combative he was once quoted as suggesting that Nigeria could have problems if Jonathan was not allowed to return to office. Today, he is the one helping President Jonathan’s successor to quench the fires. He always openly said President Jonathan is “his son”. Today, he is not just turning against his own son, he is telling the world his son as President lacked the political will to fight corruption. He has also accused his son of being too much of a gentleman. Really? Gentlemanliness would be considered honourable in refined circles. Is Pa E.K. Clark recommending something else in order to prove that he is no longer a politician but a statesman as he says?
As someone who was a member of the Jonathan administration, and who interacted often with the old man, I can only say that I am shocked. This is the equivalent of the old man deleting President Jonathan’s phone number and ensuring that calls from his phone no longer ring at the Jonathan end. During the Jonathan years, Chief E. K. Clark was arguably the most vocal Ijaw leader defending the government. He called the President “my son”, and both father and son remained in constant touch.
There is something about having the President’s ears in a Presidential system, elevated to the level of a fetish in the clientilist Nigerian political system. Persons in the corridors of power who have the President’s ear- be they cook, valet, inlaws, wife, cousin, former school mates, priests, or whatever, enjoy special privileges. They have access to the President and they can whisper into his ears. That’s all they have as power: the power to whisper and run a whispering campaign that can translate into opportunities or losses for those outside that informal power loop around every Presidency, that tends to be really influential.
Every President must beware of those persons who come around calling them “Daddy”, “Uncle”, na my brother dey there”, “my son”, “our in-law”: emotional blackmailers relying on old connections. They are courted, patronized and given more attention and honour than they deserve by those looking for access to the President or government. Even when the power and authority of the whispering exploiters of the politics of proximity is contrived, they go out of their way to exaggerate it. They acquire so much from being seen to be in a position to make things happen.
Chief E. K. Clark had the President’s ears. He had unfettered access to his son. He was invited to most state events. And he looked out for the man he called “my son”, in whom he was well pleased. Chief Clark’s energy level in the service of the Jonathan administration was impressive. Fearless and outspoken, he deployed his enormous talents in the service of the Jonathan government. If a press statement was tame, he drew attention to it and urged a more robust defence of “your boss”. If any invective from the APC was overlooked, he urged prompt rebuttal. If the party was tardy in defending “his son”, he weighed in.
If anyone had accused the President of lacking “the political will to fight corruption” at that time, he, E.K. Clark, would have called a press conference to draw attention to the Jonathan administration’s institutional reforms and preventive measures, his commitment to electoral integrity to check political corruption, and the hundreds of convictions secured by both the ICPC and EFCC under his son’s watch. So prominent and influential was he, that ministers, political jobbers etc etc trooped to his house to pay homage.
In due course, those who opposed President Jonathan did not spare Chief E. K. Clark either. He was accused of making inflammatory and unstatesman-like statements. An old war-horse, nobody could intimidate him. He was not President Olusegun Obasanjo’s fan in particular. He believed Obasanjo wanted to sabotage his son, and he wanted Obasanjo put in his place. Beneath all of that, was an unmistaken rivalry between the two old men, seeking to control the levers of Nigerian politics.
Every President probably needs a strong, passionate ally like Chief E. K. Clark. But what happened? What went wrong? Don’t get me wrong. I am not necessarily saying that the Ijaw leader should have remained loyal to and defend Goodluck Jonathan because they are both Ijaws, patriotism definitely could be stronger than ethnic affinities, nonetheless that E. K. Clark tale about leaving politics and becoming a statesman is nothing but sheer crap. If Jonathan had returned to office, he would still be a card-carrying member of the PDP and the “father of the President” and we would still have been hearing that famous phrase, “my son”. Chief E. K. Clark, five months after, has practically told the world that President Buhari is better than “his own son”.
It is the worst form of humiliation that President Jonathan has received since he left office. It is also the finest compliment that President Buhari has received since he assumed office. The timing is also auspicious: just when the public is beginning to worry about the direction of the Buhari government, E. K. Clark shows up to lend a hand of support and endorsement. Only one phrase was missing in his statement, and it should have been added: “my son, Buhari.” It probably won’t be too long before we hear the old man saying “I am a statesman, Buhari is my son.” I can imagine President Obasanjo grinning with delight. If he really wants to be kind, he could invite E.K. Clark to his home in Ota or Abeokuta to come and do the needful by publicly tearing his PDP membership card and join him in that exclusive club of Nigerian statesmen! The only problem with that club these days is that you can become a member by just saying so or by retiring from partisan politics. We are more or less being told that there are no statesmen in any of the political parties.
It is not funny. Julius Ceasar asked Brutus in one of the famous lines in written literature: “Et tu Brutus?” President Jonathan should ask Chief E. K. Clark: “Et tu Papa?” To which the father will probably tell the son: “Ces’t la vie, mon cher garcon.” And really, that is life. In the face of other considerations, loyalties vanish; synergies collapse. The wisdom of the tribe is overturned; the politics of proximity dissolves; loyalties remain in a perpetual process of construction. Thus, individual interests and transactions drive the political game in Nigeria, with time and context as key determinants.
These are teachable moments for President Jonathan. Power attracts men and women like bees to nectar, the state of powerlessness ends as a journey to the island of loneliness. However, the greatest defender of our work in office is not our ethnic “fathers and “brothers” but rather our legacy. The real loss is that President Jonathan’s heroism, his messianic sacrifice in the face of defeat, is being swept under the carpet and his own brothers who used to say that the Ijaws are driven by a principle of “one for all and all for another”, have become agent-architects of his pain. The Ijaw platform having seemingly been de-centered, Chief E.K. Clark and others are seeking assimilation in the new power structure. It is a telling reconstruction of the politics of proximity and mimicry.
Chief E.K. Clark once defended the rights of ethnic minorities to aspire to the highest offices in the land, his latest declaration about his son reaffirms the existing stereotype at the heart of Nigeria’s hegemonic politics. The same hegemons and their agents whom Clark used to fight furiously will no doubt find him eminently quotable now that he has proclaimed that it is wrong to be a “gentleman”, and that his son lacks “the political will to fight corruption”. There is more to this than we may ever know. Chief Clark can insist from now till 2019, that he has spoken as a statesman and as a matter of principle. His re-alignment, is curious nonetheless.
As Nigerians await the official release of President Muhammadu Buhari’s list of Special Advisers, it is uncertain who the appointees will be. Only Mr. Femi Adesina, a former Managing Director of The Sun Newspaper has been be assigned the role of Special Adviser on Media and Publicity.
President Buhari had on Monday sent a letter to the National Assembly, requesting the outgoing lawmakers to approve his plan to appoint 15 aides.
Former President Goodluck Jonathan picked 18 special advisers for his administration and assigned them different portfolios.
Here are Jonathan’s special advisers and the positions they occupied:
– Eng. Mohammed Kachalla Abubakar – Deputy Chief of Staff to the President
– Hassan Tukur – Principal Secretary to the President,
– Dr. Tunji Olagunju – Special Adviser to the President on NEPAD,
– Mr. Oronto Douglas – Special Adviser to the President on Research and Strategy
– Hon. Kingsley Kuku – Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta Affairs.
– Prof. Abubakar Sambo – Special Adviser to the President on Energy,
– Mrs. Sarah Akuben Pane – Special Adviser to the President on Social Development
– Mrs. Sarah Jibril – Special Adviser to the President on Ethics and Values
– Senator Joy Emordi – Special Adviser to the President on National Assembly Matters
-Pius Olakunle Osunyikanmi – Special Adviser to the President on International Relations.
– Prof. Dan Adebiyi – Special Adviser to the President on Special Duties
– Dr. Reuben Abati – Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity
– Mrs. Asma’u Abdulkadir – Special Adviser to the President on Gender Issues
– Nze Sullivan Akachukwu Nwakpo – Special Adviser to the President on Technical Matters
– Yakubu Abdullahi – Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters (Office of the Vice President)
– Barr. Bashir Sufyan – Special Adviser to the President on Legal Matters (Office of the Vice President)
– Senator Isaiah Ballat – Special Adviser to the President for Special Duties (Office of the Vice President).
