Between the ‘choppers’ and ‘lookers’ in Buhari administration

As the Muhammadu Buhari administration clocks two in office tomorrow, its achievements or absence of it is a matter of the level of impact the administration has made in the lives of people in their individual capacities.

While some Nigerians say it was in the current Buhari administration that their “economic tap began to run” many others believe that they have had it tough and rough in the last two years. Recently, association of party chairmen of the All Progressives Congress (APC) from all the 36 states of the federation complained bitterly over the manner of appointments by the president. Among other grievances they tabled before the national leadership of the party was the principle of “monkey de work baboon dey chop” kind of reward system adopted by the President.

They were particularly miffed at the pattern of appointment that excessively rewards some families more than necessary. They said it was wrong for the president to be appointing two or three members of a family when other committed members of the party, who also worked for the success of the party at the polls are left in the cold.

The Senate last week stopped what looked like one of such appointments, insisting that the appointee must not go near the office unless the red chamber gives its nods. Indeed, there are numerous mere “otimkpus” whereas an infinitesimal number of the population belongs to the group of “ndi-oriri”.

As the APC government clocks two today, a good number of those who voted for the party in 2015 have lost their jobs; many have slipped into serious poverty occasioned by poor management of the economy by government.
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Miserable pontificators!

In Nigeria, everybody is a saint, including the man who wears his sin-stained garment about. Here, we see those whose names are in the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)’s book as looters of treasury, those whose cases are still pending at the law courts over allegations of corrupt enrichment of selves while in public office still presiding over lectures and conferences that has as their theme ‘Antidote to corruption in Nigeria.’

Some of them were in politics just a few years back and soiled their hands in dirty deals, even though Nigerian youths had reposed confidence in them and had expected that they, being youths in politics was a good sign and was going to change the narrative.

But they left office humiliated on account of their involvement in corrupt activities. Today, they have become experts; pontificators, gallivanting from one big hotel in Lagos, Abuja and in other big cities in the country, as guests of honour and guest lecturers speaking “lies in hypocrisy” about how to wipe out corruption in Nigeria. These talk shows amount to nothing at the end of the day. And they take all of us for a ride. But we know when we are being insulted!
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K-A-C-H-I-K-W-U!

The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu, made a very serious verbal slip last week in far away London. Kachikwu seemingly toed the path of sycophancy when he claimed that President Muhammadu Buhari who is currently in the United Kingdom on health matters was still working from his sick bed. This is what some people call white lie.

Before the president jetted out of the country, his illness had become a national issue and a public knowledge. Since he returned to the country in April after a 49-day medical sojourn in the UK, he had largely remained inactive. His continuous absence at the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting exposed the seriousness of his infirmity.

So, at the time he left Nigeria two weeks ago, he was already in bad shape. Now, having transmitted power to an acting president, what type of work would he be doing from his sick bed as claimed by Kachikwu? The minister who claimed that his principal is working from London disappointed me when he acknowledged however, that he did not know the details of Buhari’s ailment. He also claimed that Buhari “has continued some levels of meetings and has been able to play some roles.”

If the Acting President Yemi Osinbajo is “efficient” as noted but Kachikwu, then what sorts of meetings must Buhari be holding in London? Do we have two presidents at the same time? Why do we delight in stoking controversy and causing confusion all over the place? It appears a lot of wheeling and dealing is really going on somewhere. And it is all to the detriment of the country.
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Coup kite and calculated distractions

Some people must be up to something. They will just fly a kite to feel the pulse of Nigerians. That’s how those in government have been dealing with us over the years. They will just introduce one satanic policy and if the noise level is high they try to retrace their step, but if otherwise, “they carry go.”

Nigerians woke up recently to hear about moves to topple the government and how politicians have become “Nicodemuses” to the apartments of high ranking military officers with the intent to invite them to do certain untoward things. This alarm, when critically viewed could be said to be like the proverbial cry of wolf. How is it possible that politicians would be instigating soldiers to seize power at this time? Does a military coup profit politicians? It appears to me that rather than yoke politicians into this plan, those in the highest echelon of the military should search themselves.

There are too many stories flying around, including the perceived division in the Aso Rock, and how some people may have allegedly sworn to resist the emergence of others as full-fledged president. In fact, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Jagaban himself, a politician of note, smelt a rat and issued a warning thus: “Nigeria has come too far for such a thing to happen. Those people behind such idea will find no fertile ground to plant their seed in Lagos. We will not buy their sad product; whatever they want to sell is a bad product and we are going to reject it.”
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The burden of Ndigbo

Chris Nwabueze Ngige, a former governor of Anambra State and current minister of Labour and Productivity, the other day picked up a long whip and seriously trashed the people of South East geo-political zone. Ngige counts himself among the lucky ones who the Buhari administration and APC government called to “come and chop”. The minister believed he was wise enough to have invested heavily in the Buhari campaign in 2015 and is reaping bountifully at the moment. While he is having a loud laugh, he is justifying whatever treatment Ndigbo are receiving from the government at the centre.

But I found it curious that Ngige could claim that there were no voting in most parts of the South East on the Presidential election day, and that all that happened was that “they (Ndigbo, as if they were the INEC officials) just allocated 5 percent to APC”. Ngige is not a stranger to the plight of the South East in Nigeria since after the civil war; as a politician he should know better that at the time of the election, the people (who had bought wholesale huge lies and deceit sold to them by Goodluck Jonathan, who they erroneously branded as Ebele Azikiwe), were still operating on the principle of “the devil you know…”

The minister should not begin to celebrate simply because he and his household are comfortable in this government, the question to ask is, is Ngige really in the inner caucus of the Buhari administration? Is he not being looked at mischievously by those who believe they have more stake in government than he does? I think what the likes of Ngige should be doing in government should be to always table the accumulated plights of Ndigbo before government and appeal to their conscience by asking a simple question, “if you were treated the way Ndigbo are being treated would you like it?”

But as long as they continue to pick dangerous stones for the enemies’ catapults against his kinsmen, they will discover that at the end of the day they are on the wrong side of history.

Zebulon Agomuo