Tales of blood have railed our skein, of late. At intervals, they were intercepted by corruption and buffoonery. Each day in this country with its own issue. The scorching sun of our polity, that rises every morning, never sets. Yet, a nocturnal moon keeps interceding, reflecting rays of agony, and casting shadows of death and catastrophe on our land.
At one time, it was Atiku arrogating PDP’s presidential glory to himself, with some foreign currency. In Port Hacourt, he boosted the Bureau-de-Change business, as delegates stormed their offices, ‘nairalizing’ their portion of Atiku's Dollars.
.
Then it was the case between Obasanjo and God. The Owu chief threw down the gauntlet, God picked it. He had sworn never to back Atiku’s presidential ambition. Should he, he said, “God would not forgive me.”
.
Suddenly, both adversaries were spotted in Abeokuta, making peace. They were both flanked by a couple of men of God, giving the occasion a sense of divinity.
Whether their presence is for reconciliation or endorsement, it is unclear. Though it seemed more like invoking God’s forgiveness on Baba Iyabo, for forgiving his former Vice President, Atiku. But the question lingers: Will God forgive Obasanjo?
Then we were shocked by Ganduje. The Kano state Governor who was caught on camera receiving some Dollar bribes, and pocketing them in his Babanriga. Some said he was trying to hide them from the knowing of his aides. Selfishness, they claimed scuppered his persona. He would have at least not gone down alone.
.
Besides, who prompted Mr. Governor that Babanriga could play bank account, where Dollars can quietly reside without incurring a poke-nosing EFCC? Others were rather concerned about the Nigerian flag behind him. Lack of national respect, they cried.
.
Well, his media lieutenants have not been quiet either. Some have jumped into his defense, saying the video was fake and “obviously” doctored. They ask the journalist who exposed him to either provide full details of the scenario, or face the wrath of the law. They've been doing their job.
.
Nevertheless, Ganduje’s matter is still hovering in his State Assembly. It looks like impeachment is imminent and already knocking at the Governor’s door. Why Ganduje’s impeachment may likely come even earlier than expected is conspicuous. As his Deputy warms up for the Kano throne, the Speaker is also tired of banging gavels in the House. Storming the Government House as the Deputy may not be a bad idea after all— even if not more than three months.
.
Still nursing the Kano bruise, Fayose came in. Something is spectacular about that guy, I must confess. He is an outstanding media practitioner. As a matter of fact, his media advisers are not from this world. How he manages to pull media frenzies almost all the time—and persistently— stunnes me.
.
Whoever watched the “EFCC I’m here” saga more closely would see the plot. It was a deliberate stratagem. The timing was apt. Why was it on Fayemi’s Inauguration? Simple. He was bent on shifting media attention from the Ekiti swearing-in, and at the same time, ridicule the anti-corruption fisticuffs.
.
The basket-mouth stormed the media with a melodrama, as he'd always do. Remember the ‘inverted-P.O.P’ drama during Ekiti electioneering. Gbenga Omotoso described his emergence: “He showed up at the EFCC like an amateur mountaineer— in a black T-shirt emblazoned with ‘EFCC I’M HERE,’ a pair of black glasses, a jean Fez-cap, and a bagpack he carried like a schoolboy.”
.
He had even vowed to go along with his bed-sheet and a pillowcase, prepared for a tedious battle of words. Though I was not too happy when I saw him. He didn’t show up with a mattress, or even a water-bottle hung around his neck— in a parody of a kindergartener. I even heard that his EFCC T-shirt is really trending, as about 20,000 pieces of the brand were sold overnight!
.
Anyway, the EFCC doesn’t seem to give a damn about him or his media frenzy and paparazzi. They’ve received a court order to retain him for two weeks, pronto, and have confiscated his Lagos property. Although, investigations and interrogations are still ongoing, only a glimpse of Kuje or Kirikiri seems to be flashing at Mr. Peteru-The-Rock at the moment!
.
On a really sad note, however, we lost Hauwa Liman. An Aid worker, she was slain in cold blood by the terrorist corpus our leaders have been unable to scupper. It’s a show of how we’ve been stripped of our humanity. No emotions, no feelings, no heart to harbor respect for life.
.
Armed robbers sprinkle bullets on innocent souls. Kidnappers snatch fellow humans from their people and drain their hard-earned riches, in one go. Our leaders usurp our monies for themselves, and allege poor innocent animals of swallowing them.
.
Our workers are screaming of hunger; they are not being paid. Pensioners who have exhausted their lives serving the government die of distress. They are being knocked down by stroke and hypertension. Solely because someone somewhere has swayed their rights into his own personal account. But are those corrupt heartless elite anywhere to be found in our prisons?
.
If this is how far we have come as a nation, we have failed!
.
Then it was the case between Obasanjo and God. The Owu chief threw down the gauntlet, God picked it. He had sworn never to back Atiku’s presidential ambition. Should he, he said, “God would not forgive me.”
.
Suddenly, both adversaries were spotted in Abeokuta, making peace. They were both flanked by a couple of men of God, giving the occasion a sense of divinity.
Whether their presence is for reconciliation or endorsement, it is unclear. Though it seemed more like invoking God’s forgiveness on Baba Iyabo, for forgiving his former Vice President, Atiku. But the question lingers: Will God forgive Obasanjo?
Then we were shocked by Ganduje. The Kano state Governor who was caught on camera receiving some Dollar bribes, and pocketing them in his Babanriga. Some said he was trying to hide them from the knowing of his aides. Selfishness, they claimed scuppered his persona. He would have at least not gone down alone.
.
Besides, who prompted Mr. Governor that Babanriga could play bank account, where Dollars can quietly reside without incurring a poke-nosing EFCC? Others were rather concerned about the Nigerian flag behind him. Lack of national respect, they cried.
.
Well, his media lieutenants have not been quiet either. Some have jumped into his defense, saying the video was fake and “obviously” doctored. They ask the journalist who exposed him to either provide full details of the scenario, or face the wrath of the law. They've been doing their job.
.
Nevertheless, Ganduje’s matter is still hovering in his State Assembly. It looks like impeachment is imminent and already knocking at the Governor’s door. Why Ganduje’s impeachment may likely come even earlier than expected is conspicuous. As his Deputy warms up for the Kano throne, the Speaker is also tired of banging gavels in the House. Storming the Government House as the Deputy may not be a bad idea after all— even if not more than three months.
.
Still nursing the Kano bruise, Fayose came in. Something is spectacular about that guy, I must confess. He is an outstanding media practitioner. As a matter of fact, his media advisers are not from this world. How he manages to pull media frenzies almost all the time—and persistently— stunnes me.
.
Whoever watched the “EFCC I’m here” saga more closely would see the plot. It was a deliberate stratagem. The timing was apt. Why was it on Fayemi’s Inauguration? Simple. He was bent on shifting media attention from the Ekiti swearing-in, and at the same time, ridicule the anti-corruption fisticuffs.
.
The basket-mouth stormed the media with a melodrama, as he'd always do. Remember the ‘inverted-P.O.P’ drama during Ekiti electioneering. Gbenga Omotoso described his emergence: “He showed up at the EFCC like an amateur mountaineer— in a black T-shirt emblazoned with ‘EFCC I’M HERE,’ a pair of black glasses, a jean Fez-cap, and a bagpack he carried like a schoolboy.”
.
He had even vowed to go along with his bed-sheet and a pillowcase, prepared for a tedious battle of words. Though I was not too happy when I saw him. He didn’t show up with a mattress, or even a water-bottle hung around his neck— in a parody of a kindergartener. I even heard that his EFCC T-shirt is really trending, as about 20,000 pieces of the brand were sold overnight!
.
Anyway, the EFCC doesn’t seem to give a damn about him or his media frenzy and paparazzi. They’ve received a court order to retain him for two weeks, pronto, and have confiscated his Lagos property. Although, investigations and interrogations are still ongoing, only a glimpse of Kuje or Kirikiri seems to be flashing at Mr. Peteru-The-Rock at the moment!
.
On a really sad note, however, we lost Hauwa Liman. An Aid worker, she was slain in cold blood by the terrorist corpus our leaders have been unable to scupper. It’s a show of how we’ve been stripped of our humanity. No emotions, no feelings, no heart to harbor respect for life.
.
Armed robbers sprinkle bullets on innocent souls. Kidnappers snatch fellow humans from their people and drain their hard-earned riches, in one go. Our leaders usurp our monies for themselves, and allege poor innocent animals of swallowing them.
.
Our workers are screaming of hunger; they are not being paid. Pensioners who have exhausted their lives serving the government die of distress. They are being knocked down by stroke and hypertension. Solely because someone somewhere has swayed their rights into his own personal account. But are those corrupt heartless elite anywhere to be found in our prisons?
.
If this is how far we have come as a nation, we have failed!
Muneer Yaqub,
Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto
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