03 Sep 2008 |
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Yar'Adua’s disappearing acts Ok, enough have been written and said about the health and whereabouts of the president of Nigeria in the last 12 days. While it was appropriate to be agitated over the well being of the nation’s number one citizen, it is however a shame that the news of his demise is quick on the lips of everyone each time he decides to ghost off the scene for a quick check on his health. Accept it or not, those in Abuja managing Yar’adua’s affairs fueled the speculations about his death. For one, they underrated the intelligence of the Nigerian populace. They see the Nigerian bunch as one that is wallowing in ignorance… and therefore see us as those, who do not search for information or being able to be speculative of an occurrence based on past events. So these so called spin doctors throw loads of garbage into our mist and then expect us to swallow them delightfully like a frog would gladly do a fly. Besides, when you are in public glare as a president, no matter how discrete you intend to keep you privacy, it will always be a thing of public debate. The press corps surrounding Yar’adua had earlier reeled out his itineration to the world. He was to decorate the new service chiefs and then embark on a trip to the holy land for his lesser hajj and afterwards go to Brazil. For one who has a busy schedule or one who has a fixed time to appear at a given destination, it is therefore natural that any delay in Saudi Arabia will stimulate reactions from every quarters. Give or take questions like where is the president? Why is his trip to Brazil delayed? Is something wrong with his presidential plane? Will be asked. And based on Yar’adua’s condition, his health situation will always get the most attention. Not that the nation is missing or missed Yar’adua for the 12 days that he was gone? (He has always been absent anyway), far from it, it is just a case of not wanting a vacuum in that seat when the whole Nigerian entity needs serious fixing. It does not do a sick country any good to have an equally sick man at the helm nor is it appropriate for a gravely ill doctor to operate on a gravely ill patient! So the issue of Yar’adua’s health hovers back to the question of the process that gave Nigerians a sick man for a president? While I think we should empathize with the man in his condition, we should also not forget that our sick nation also needs a lot of our empathies to get well and get back on track. Now as all these unfolds, need we say that the erstwhile lord of the manor never had Nigeria’s interest at heart nor did the loud mouthed professor who conducted the charade of a process and the entire ruling PDP clan by dumping an unfit and unready man on us. And while we say those who barged Yar’adua on us did not give a hoot of care about Nigerians, we can also say same of Yar’adua not loving Nigeria because, firstly, he was part and parcel of the plot from the on set. Secondly, he knew his state of health before he accepted to take part but the allure of Aso rock was too compelling. Thirdly, the whole best governor thing that we were sold on seems to be a big fraud because we have not seen any report or sign of Katsina state’s rapid growth under Yar’adua. He must have been as obscure then as he is now. Seriously speaking, Yar’adua’s acts of now you see me, now you don’t is a bad sign of a man who is struggling to keep life and that of course will be his number one priority. Therefore he is not fit to rule Nigeria, he should therefore consider resigning and by doing that, he would have done the most honorable act he can ever do for the country. Daniels walks out on Obasanjo If the report above as seen in the punch newspaper of Wednesday 3rd of September 2008, is anything to go by then I fancy chipping in this few lines. Not that it directly influences Nigerians in their daily walks of life; it is just a case of reflection of how the known mighty man of yesterday now gets dirtied by one of his own political sons. Obasanjo was said to have wanted to impose a removed candidate back on Daniels in his typical style, Obasanjo stressed the fact that he is the ‘father of Ogun politics’ and therefore shouldn’t be objected. So as the argument heated up, Daniels just simply walked out on him. It has always been on the cards for such to happen though, the Aremu of Ota should have known better. Power is transient in nature. In Nigeria it is like a ‘pay as you go’ recharge card, when the pin number is obtained from the card, the card becomes useless. Same can also be said of political ‘godfatherism’, you are only as useful as your time of influence as the ‘baba so pe’ of the country or state. The farmer of Ota should respect his age and accept that his relevance nowadays in the thick of things is limited. This is not 2004.People have the right to their own decisions and all he can do is to advice where necessary, though it is not compulsory to take every advice given. For Gbenga Daniels, it is just amazing that him, who termed Obasanjo as the “father of modern Nigeria”, in his welcome back home speech just over a year ago now, deemed it fit to ridicule the same Obasanjo by walking out on him. Not that the action did Nigeria any harm? No, it doesn’t, in fact it is very fascinating to watch the erstwhile “all in all” lose his few remaining friends. With earlier reports of Tony Anenih and Bode George doing the ‘Usain Bolt’ on ‘baba’ only heavens know who is next to desert him? Fasting and praying to combat corruption: who is fooling who? I think some public officials in Nigeria should have their heads examined with the kind of utterances they profess as solutions to our endemic malaise. When the head of the ICPC (independent corrupt practices commission) Rtd. Justice Emmanuel Ayoola told audiences in ibadan late last month that September 6th and 7th 2008 will be a national praying and fasting day for the fight against corruption in Nigeria, he don’t deserve anything but a trip to the nearest psychiatric home for that remark. Hear him “If this could be done, there will be a total transformation when the Holy Spirit takes over the affairs of every citizen of this country. We are also going to do this among the Muslim community. If the Muslims change, Christians change, then who will be corrupted in our nation? Those are the two major religions in our country. If they begin to act to their faiths, the Christians believe they have to be honest, Muslims also believe that they have to be honest, then the war would have been won.” No, you are wrong sir; the looters of our country don’t reside in the churches and mosques or their various communities. They are in the heart of governance (including your office) we all know who and who is stealing or stole our national funds. People are quick to show their piety when in the churches or mosques but quicker to shed their skin to show their original thieving selves when in their offices. The poor Nigerians who find it hard to get a meal a day can not embark on another ochestrated hunger whilst the looters in government continue to loot the treasury? We are not herds of sheep? Justice Ayoola should go to Aso rock and other government buildings in the country to preach and deliver them of their pilfering, and after he has certified them clean of any looting tendencies, then we can now commence on his proposed idea. After all they are the ones who institutionalized corruption. If the job is becoming too daunting for Justice Ayoola, he should resign than he saying things that are void of common sense. Africa for Obama ’08 and the seized 74m.naira.
For Prof. Ndidi Onyiuke-Okereke, it had been one hell of a month. The championing of a cause that many saw as remotely related to Nigeria and Nigerians, so therefore can not relate to, requires a comment or two on here. No doubt, the consequence of the furore that the event generated has left a bitter taste in the mouth of the NSE boss. What madam should have known is that the country will not erupt negatively like it did for the Obama ’08 event, should the occasion had been for the cause of the displaced Nigerians in the just ceded Bakassi peninsula or if the 74 million naira raised was for the accounts of the NUT (national union of teachers) in the south east of Nigeria. And for her to brandish her intelligence and academic records in defense of the gaffe committed showed desperation of one who had been ill advised. Prof. There are loads of worthy cause to raise millions of naira for in Nigeria. No one is deliberately picking on you but you need to re consider what you table as a noble cause. Your fellow female counterpart in government Dora Akunyili doesn’t get bad press because there are no reasons to bad press her. If you take a sober reflection of all what has made you get the negative flacks in the papers you will discover that it was all on events that were anti people. As for the seized funds, the EFCC should let us know how they intend refunding the money back. We don’t want any of the money developing wings. Demola Adeniran.
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