Afam Ogene:Not Worthy in Character & Learning

Afam Ogene: Not Worthy in Character & Learning? 

A Japanese adage holds, ‘If you want to harvest for a year, plant rice; for a decade plant trees, and for a life time, plant education’. From the foregoing, logical deduction finds solace that rice is harvested annually, trees are harvested in decades, whereas the principles learnt in education are eternal. It is this intrinsic deposits made by education that stands it out from other human endeavors and achievements. Hence, all over the world academic certificates are awarded on the modest caveat ‘…found worthy in character and learning’. It is no rocket science that the conduct of an educated mind is an emblem. The current crisis rocking the Nigeria state is the dearth of supposed educated minds to conduct themselves in like manner. Hence, we are trapped in the mire conjectures of men and women who are perceived as being educated; but are actually functional illiterates.
It is from this sea of inability to conduct themselves as educated minds that the Hon. Afam Ogene, Deputy Chairman, House Committee on Media and Publicity and his co travelers have embarrassed this nation beyond human contemplation. Barely, weeks after Ogene, held press conference on Tambuwal’s defection to defend the indefensible, he took sarcasm to imaginary lanes, just to tell us that he’s Speaker’s Chief Press Secretary. How a speaker who emerged from a majority party, from where he garnered votes that made him speaker, suddenly jumped ship, to a minority party in the House and still retain his position as speaker only exists in Ogene’s sensory delusions. Part of what seem like Ogene’s intellectual impairment, even as journalist is his limitations in discerning that his support for a man who cannot be entrusted with sensitive public office is a menace. Tambuwal’s claim that his people have preference for his new party, smacks of his perfunctory status. So, Sokoto matters more to Tambuwal, than Nigeria? The irony of the applause is that as a typical Fulani man, Sokoto mattered to Tambuwal, but the Ogbaru people and Ndi Igbo doesn’t matter to Ogene! It is this blind and slavish followership that led Ogene into flying the National Assembly gate to a world in awe; just to prove to his speaker that he is loyal. Ogene, not only flew National Assembly fence, he supervised other House members and aided the weaker ones like Femi Gbajagbiamila to come over to Macedonia. This speaks volume of Victor Ogene’s lawless nature and destabilizing tendencies. Again, like the big bang the questions sounds, whose interest is Ogene serving in the House? His overt hobnobs with APC indicates that he has elected to be leprous. And should be treated like a leper. Perhaps, THE Inspector General of Police, Abba Sulaiman’s refusal to recognize Tambuwal as the Speaker before the House Committee on Police will open another chapter in the unfolding the melodrama. Sahara Reporters, captured it thus, ‘The IG had opened his statement explaining why the police invaded the house last week by rehashing the initial police statement that they had credible intelligence that some thugs had planned on causing mayhem at the resumed sitting of the house. He said this intelligence led them to send policemen to the house to confront the thugs.
He proceeded to say that one Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal led a group of thugs to overpower the security at the first gate. A move he claimed led the police to lock down the second gate and fire a canister of teargases’.
‘However, his reference to the “Speaker of the House as “one Alhaji Tambuwal” drew the ire of committee members who asked the IGP to properly address the speaker of the house according to protocol. The house committee members asked the IGP to revisit the way he addressed the speaker, the IG then said the case of the speaker was in court and as such he wouldn’t like to comment further on it’.
‘The committee member refused to proceed with the hearing until the IGP properly addressed the speaker. They said as long as he refuses to do so, they too would no longer recognize him as IG. The prolonged argument brought the meeting to a standstill and eventually a rancorous end as members walked out on the IGP’.
But, how far Tambuwal can go can truly be predicted as we all watched Sanusi eat the humble pie. In my village, a common parlance holds, those who want to battle with the gods had given their chosen ones’ must first battle with their tears!
According to Ag CP Emmanuel Ojukwu at Police Press Briefing on 20th November, 2014 on the incident at the National Assembly Abuja, alarmed by APC’s threats at the rally at Eagle Square days earlier, the police deployed their men to keep vigil on sensitive government properties which Governor Amechi had ostensibly made reference to that will be torched, to drive home their madness. Their agenda is to cow Nigerians into bowing to their threats in 2015. The police adopted a stop and check routine at the National Assembly complex, an exercise meant to benefit all and sundry. Other House members arrived calmly, subjected themselves to check and were allowed in. When Tambuwal and the likes of Ogene who by the virtue of being Honorable members are above law and order arrived, mayhem took over the scene as they refused to be checked and of course, were denied access to a public edifice erected with tax payers’ money. Unknown to the cursory reader, being an Honorable member doesn’t guarantee access to the National Assembly. If there are security issues likely to endanger the lives of Nigerians, the police reserve the onus to seal of the place; in such a situation, National Assembly is not an exception.
Let us also note that the police don’t owe anybody explanations or seek permission to act when matters that pose threat to national security stare them in the face.
In August, Anambra people led by their amiable governor Mr. Willie Obiano under the APGA platform and declared their unassuming support for President Jonathan. That exercise was to lend their unalloyed support to a President who despite designed distractions by his detractors has vested considerable energy in the making of a true African State. His ability to have managed his temper, carriage and deployed his strength towards national reconstruction makes Jonathan the ‘Most Important Leader in 21^st Century’.
It was on this same political platform of APGA that the people of Ogbaru elected Hon. Afam Ogene to represent them at the Green Chambers. In his bid to curry favor in opaque quarters, Ogene have abandoned the ideals and manifesto of his party, references abound. As he throws his feather weight behind his bosom friend from Sokoto, he should find out what happened to Austin Nwachukwu and Dino Melaye, the circumstantial human right activist as honorable members at the Green Chambers. As for Tambuwal, studies have shown that Speakers of House of Representathieves often don’t end well: Ghali Umar Naba, Bello Massari, Saliu Buhari, Patricia Eteh and Dimeji Bankole. His will not be an exception.

by Emeka Odinammadu

The dynamism of corruption

The dynamism of corruption

• Friday, 21 November 2014 00:00
• Written by Fry N. Ndubuisi


CORRUPTION has become a re-curing decimal in our quest for greatness and nationhood. It is here with us in every facet of our national life. No matter how much lies we want to tell about it, Nigeria is seen and rated as a  very corrupt nation all over the world. We can call it ‘common stealing, ‘official dereliction of duties’ ‘embezzlement of public funds’ ‘favouritism’ ‘unfair treatment,’ ‘unjust treatment’ ‘dishonesty,’ corruption has not allowed this nation to move forward. It comes in different forms, but it is tragic that when we talk of corruption our mind goes only to misappropriation of public funds. That is part of the truth, definitely not the whole truth about corruption. From whatever perspective we view it, corruption revolves around dishonest use of opportunities to our advantage. The issue is how honest have we been in the running of the affairs of the nation. The world is now a global village, we can no longer hide our activities from the binocular of the international community. Thus Nigeria was ranked 144 out of the 177 most corrupt nations in the world, by Transparency International’s 2013 corruption perception index. We should be worried about this as it says a lot about us.
   How much both in resources and development has  the nation lost as a result of corruption. The public service is seen as  a fertile ground for corruption. Nothing is done the way it ought to be done, even in recruitment of personnel;  favouritism and considerations other than merit is the order thereby allowing wrong and incompetent hands  to be in charge of very sensitive positions. It is an open secret that before you get  hired  in some establishment you must know key personnel there, or be ready to bribe your way through. I just remember an incident that took place sometime ago about a friend that told me he needed the services of a young accountant in his outfit. I recommended someone I was convinced would satisfy his need. After all the protocol and oral interviews, he decided to employ who was close to him, not who can  serve the purpose he was after. That is the trend in Nigeria both in the private and public sectors. What gives you jobs now is who you know and not your competence and capacity to prove your worth.
   The impact of corruption has hit this country most hard in infrastructural development. In spite of all the measures the government claimed to put in place: due process, and all that, it is a brute fact that contracts are not awarded to the best and the most competitive firms. Lobbying is more vital than competence, skill and experience. That explains why there are series of abandoned projects or half-heartedly executed projects all over the country. In some rural areas, boreholes only pump water the day they are  commissioned. After that, the equipment is allowed to rust away until another politician decides to revisit them. It is sad, that the government wastes billions of naira and time to execute projects and such projects are either abandoned half way or cease from functioning a few months after they were commissioned. Doors and keys of public buildings  become useless a few weeks after being fixed; painted halls washed away by rains few months after being commissioned. Yet there are designated officials that must certify such works before certificate of discharge is issued and final payment made. 
   Some have reasoned that there is overt official policy to promote corruption in the country. How do we make sense, out of government’s low cost housing project that sells for N50 million per unit and civil servants, that earn less than two million naira are meant to buy this. The mortgage banks are in business and they know who their funds go to.  And really, Nigerians  have been quite clever beating the government to its game. Imagine a city like  Abuja that could be seen as civil servants city, what apartments go for, the people that live there and the wonder on wheels they cruise on.    
  Nobody asks question as those that are supposed to ask are more guilty of the offence that alleged. Some have argued that it is an herculean task to tackle corruption in an environment such as ours, where there is no social security, where public services such as public schools and hospitals are below standard. It is survival of the fittest, many have reasoned.
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Behind Every Successful Governor … The Story of Rt. Hon. Princess Clara Chinwe Nwaebili – Speaker Anambra State House of Assembly by Okoro Benedict Chinedum

Although, the crusade for greater participation for women in politics has gained popular acclamation in the Jonathan led administration; most people still feel they merely complement the clamor for equal participation of women in politics. Hence, cannot compete with their male counterparts. This School of Thought view the performance of most women in Nigeria politics as one riddled in controversy – They often conjure the actions of Ndi Okereke Onyiuke, Stella Oduah et al as reference point. Male dominance in African politics is undoubtedly a true reflection of the African Society. It draws its inference from African social system. The sanctity of the African society and its inseparable spiritual jinx makes it unthinkable that women should play a role at all. There is no distinction between this world and the other worldly in the African traditional setting. The rites performed to live, to plant, to harvest are spiritual duties performed by males. This cultural disposition, projection and its sustenance are viewed as the exclusive preserve of men. Our political culture is unfortunately enmeshed in this pre cult perception of societal management. This impression is because of the tough terrain we find ourselves in. Bad as this culture may seem; no civilization or education is capable of obliterating this mindset. The political terrain was somewhat a closed circuit, where women are non initiates, no matter how hard they thrive.

Today, Mr. President, Goodluck Jonathan, has set the ball rolling for women, as many now dot his cabinet. From Okonjo Iweala to Chinwe Nwaebili, these women have proved our primordial concept as Stone Age philosophy. They have not just delivered; they have set high standards that most men will sweat to surpass, if they find themselves in such post in future. It is amongst this pantheon of women of immense value that Chinwe Nwaebili, Speaker Anambra State House of Assembly finds her lot!

On the day of her swearing in as Speaker Anambra State House of Assembly, all present had gone home with mixed feelings; wondering how a woman will do the impossible! That was the general perception about Chinwe Nwaebili, Speaker Anambra State House of Assembly during her swearing in, not much was really expected of her. It is not in doubt that Anambra State is the unofficial capital of Igbo land. Anambra is the container of all the problems and progress of Ndigbo. A walk into Awka today exudes some kind of conviviality, serenity and organization never seen in the governance of the State, until Peter Obi’s assumption of office. Obi’s regime could be said to be a prolegomenon to the enthronement of law and order in a State that politicians and money bags have preference for anarchy. The antecedents are not funny. It is this legacy of a solid State build on law and order and its continuation that Obi and Obiano are like Siamese twins. It is on this altar of orderliness that other developments which the State boasts of derive its origin. Could it be that there’s a tide in the names Obi and Obiano?

However, both Obi and Obiano didn’t achieve this alone. Their achievements are a collective venture that involves corporate partnership with Anambra House of Assembly presided over by Rt. Hon. Princess Clara Chinwe Nwaebili, Speaker Anambra State House of Assembly – Adaugo Ogbaru!

Chinwe has the unassuming mien, humility and candor typical of a sound mind with which she has coordinated her colleagues in the Anambra House beyond the expectation of everyone who witnessed her swearing in. Chinwe’s uncommon clairvoyance in the doctrine of Separation of Power enunciated by A C Dicey; and the eternal plea by the inventors of democracy on the need for the Executive, Legislature and Judiciary, as arms of government to work synchronically is evident in the transformation of Anambra.

Without fanfare and pageantry, Princess Clara despite her beauty conducts herself in a manner that dazzles every politician that comes across her. It is on this impeccable standard and carriage that she has steered the titanic Anambra House to an enviable status. This feat is responsible for the grand support that the governor banks on. Easy passage of bills and corporation with the executive to ensure meaningful development is attained.

Notably, Anambra State House of Assembly has commendable bills passed under her watch and leadership. Prominent amongst such is the bill on kidnapping which has set Anambra entirely another plane. Managing a male dominated House is a proof of Nwaebili’s mastery in legislative cues. While the neighboring Houses of Assembly are stuck in impeachment theatrics, Anambra seem to have learned its lesson from the Ngige debacle. The price of good leadership is inestimable.  Anambra House has become the Eastern bride as sound legislative resolutions continue to be churned out from that glowing chamber.

This is a certification that Anambra House is a compendium of men who are determined to change the trend. They are all indeed worthy of the prefix Honourable. They have shown that having a man or woman as Speaker doesn’t count, rather, development counts most.

As the rhythm of political jingle makes its way into the air, women who have paid their dues like Chinwe Nwabili deserve higher responsibilities to set the pace for teeming young ladies aspiring to join the trade. Positioning woman of great virtue like Chinwe in national map will further advance the logic that women are worthy patriots.

2015: Youth Group caution mischief politicians against violent utterances NAN-H 2015 Abakaliki, Sept.13, 2015.

(NAN) A youth group, Union for Social Renaissance (USR) on Saturday warned elder politicians against making violent outburst and inflammatory comments capable of setting the nation on fire ahead of 2015 general elections. Addressing a press conference in Enugu, the national coordinator of the group, Mr Benedict Chinedum Okoro and the national secretary, Barr. Emeka Nwani expressed dismay over what they described as unfortunate comments by some political leaders. They faulted the national chairman of the APC, Chief John Oyegun for allegedly saying “We would make sure Nigeria doesn’t survive another four years should Jonathan win next year’s election” made recently in Owerri, Imo State. Others included, “Rig and roast made by Tinubu, "The Dog and the baboon will be soaked with blood by Buhari, such comments are capable of throwing the nation into chaos," they said. USR also called on Nigerians to insist that the maximum age limit for presidential and governorship candidates be pegged at 70, in order to pave the way for younger persons to contribute in building the nation. "We will engage these men and their cohorts in a battle of all times... We will not allow any person above 70 years rule this country again! Never!’ "It is against this barrage of unwarranted threats that we call on women and youths of this nation to arise, arise great compatriots, walk like sprites to assume your place as providence has destined you,"Okoro said. 

According to the group, it was motivated to come together to champion the cause of the youths of this country who are the victim of mis-governance and violent outburst as a result of the actions and utterances of the older ones. The group said it had mobilized her members across the country to resist politicians who make unguarded comments intended to derail the nation.. "We therefore call on the Department of State Services (DSS) and other relevant security agencies to commence the prosecution of Nigerians especially politicians who make inciting comments capable of throwing the nation into chaos. 

The group said it has mobilized her members across the country to resist politicians who make unguarded comments intended to derail the nation, even as they called on the Directorate of State Security (DSS) and other relevant security outfits to begin The USR said it is aligned with the Transformation Agenda of the Federal Government under the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan positioned to improve the living condition of Nigerians. "We commend the various developmental thrusts and policies designed by President Jonathan to create jobs for the teeming unemployed youths of Nigeria. (NAN) NNO/

Weighing Umar Dikko on the Scale of History
By Chxta Bee

Umaru Dikko, died recently. He was the foster child of corruption under the Presidency of Shehu Shagari. Dikko ran to London in the days after Buhari toppled Shagari’s regime in 1983. Today's ‪#‎HistoryClass, is about the attempt by the Buhari regime to bring him back to Nigeria. Nigeria, in the early 1980s’ was synonymous with corruption under President Shagari. The amount pilfered between 1979 and 1983 is estimated to be at least $16 billion (roughly $480 billion today). Attempts to audit Shagari administration was a total fiasco as the politics of fires was invented to obliterate the illegalities heaped at Accounts & Records Department, just before the scheduled audit. When confronted with all of these stories, President Shagari pleaded with his Ministers, especially his son-in-law, Umaru Dikko. However, Dikko, and other Ministers, ignored the President. So Shagari decided to take the matter to God. God didn't listen.

Who was this Dikko that was so powerful that the President was too afraid to call him, his son-in-law, to order? At age 30 in 1966, Dikko’s rising profile made Hassan Katsina to ask him to unite the North after January 15, 1966. His power and influence was further amplified after the July 29, 1966 coup, as he was one of those who kept Nigeria together in that coup. Remember that both Murtala Mohammed and Theophilus Danjuma had wanted the Northern region to secede from Nigeria after killing Aguiyi-Ironsi. Dikko was one of the leaders who stopped that at a meeting at the British High Commission, on the night of July 29, 1966.

After that, he became quiet and spent the decade after the war building his power base in Kaduna, Kano and the North-Western states. Then, in 1979, he was made Shagari's campaign manager for the successful presidential campaign of the National Party of Nigeria. His reward after Shagari got to power (in addition to Shagari's daughter) was to be made Minister of Transport. As an aside, during the 1979 elections, Dikko contested for a seat in the Senate and lost. He never won an election.

There were a lot of stories about Dikko's wealth. One of such stories is that he once tried to pay an American contractor $500, 000 cash in his house, when the FG failed to honour the terms of a contract. What is certain is that in the Shagari government, he was the be all and end all, the man who could do and undo.

Nigeria's economy began to collapse in 1981, and by 1982 was in free-fall with a lot of food shortages and some starvation. In 1981, to stave off starvation, the importation of rice became a national affair, and Dikko was made the chairman of the committee that was set up to import the product. Well, the rice never got to the people, and there were accusations of committee members hoarding rice in order to drive up the prices for their own benefit. One of the reasons that Dikko advanced for the failure of his committee was that Ghanaians had sabotaged it, so Ghana-must-go became a government policy.

In 1983, a certain MKO Abiola tried to contest for the NPN's presidential ticket, and Dikko forced him out of the party. Following that, Dikko, in what is acknowledged to be Nigeria's most flawed election ever, was able to get his in-law returned to office for a second term. Finally, at the end of 1983, the Shagari government was kicked out of office in a coup which brought Buhari to power.

On his second day in power, Buhari issued a list of former government officials accused of a variety of crimes, mainly corruption. Dikko topped the list and was accused of embezzling several million dollars in oil profits from the national treasury. However, the man had vanished without a trace, so Nigeria recruited the services of Israel's Mossad to find him.

In January 1984, a team of Nigerian agents, posing as exiles rented an apartment in London. Their brief, to hunt Dikko down. About the same time, an Israeli team moved to London posing as anti-apartheid activists, but with the same brief. On 30 June 1984, he was located, living in luxury in the up market area of London known as Bayswater. Immediately, Lagos and Tel Aviv were informed, and his extradition was ordered. He was placed under 24-7 surveillance.

On July 4, 1984 a Nigerian Airways Boeing 707 cargo plane flew in with no cargo from Lagos and landed at Stansted airport. The British were told that the plane had come in to collect diplomatic baggage from the Nigerian High Commission. However, there were several Nigerian security operatives on the plane, and their presence was noted by the British intelligence.

The next day, the Nigerian team leader, Major Mohammed Yusufu, drove a rented van to Dikko's house in Bayswater. Inside the van were an Israeli doctor, Levi Shapiro, Alex Barak and Felix Abithol, both Mossad agents.

That day, Dikko had scheduled an interview with a Ghanaian journalist, Elizabeth Ohene, of the Talking Drum magazine. As he stepped out of his house to make his date, Barak and Abithol grabbed him, Shapiro drugged him. It was done in seconds. There was one snag. Dikko's secretary, Elizabeth Hayes, saw the whole thing and quickly notified British authorities. Because of the fact that the UK authorities knew who Dikko was, and that he was wanted in Nigeria, vigilance was raised at the borders.

Meanwhile, the drugged Dikko was loaded in a crate with Dr. Shapiro, while the Mossad agents were in another. Here, another snag came up. Group Captain Bernard Banfa, who would become head of Nigeria Airways, failed in his task. Banfa was meant to meet with Yusuf and Shapiro before they arrived at Stansted, to give diplomatic papers. He never showed up. Given the kind of cargo that they had, Yusuf and Shapiro decided to go ahead anyway and go to the airport. The van with the crates was escorted to the airport by two cars bearing Nigerian diplomatic plates.

Having been warned by the security forces to be wary, customs officers were unusually inquisitive and vigilant. A customs officer, Charles Morrow, noticed an unusual chemical smell from one of the crates and forced it open. Inside, was a bound and unconscious Umaru Dikko, with his minder, Shapiro. Abithol and Barak were in the second crate.
Dikko was taken to hospital he woke up 36 hours later with no knowledge of all the drama that had happened.

The incident led to a standoff between Nigeria and Britain, which lasted for two years and a huge court case. Barak got 14 years, Yusufu got 12 years, Shapiro and Abithol got 10 years each. They were all deported after release.

After the Dikko Affair, Britain as a matter of unofficial policy refused Nigeria requests for extradition. The consequence of this was that Nigeria's war on corruption fell apart as Britain became a safe haven for corrupt officials. Requests by the Buhari government to extradite Richard Akinjide and Adisa Akinloye were refused by the Thatcher government.

Dikko lived in London for 12 years after the incident, and was invited back to Nigeria by the Abacha government. He participated in the 1995 Constitutional Conference that recommended Abacha as a sole presidential candidate for 5 parties. He was also a founding member of the Arewa Consultative Forum, and finally, head of the PDP's disciplinary committee.

Justice Oputa’s political burial

The late Justice Chukwudifu Oputa was widely respected across the length and breadth of this land as a reputable jurist whose thoughts on different legal matters brought about new sublime vistas and whose judgments, delivered with unusual and deep insights, have continued to excite judges, lawyers and law students alike. It was not for nothing that he was widely regarded as the Lord Denning of Nigeria. Baron Denning, who lived for 100 years has been described as the most influential judge of the 20th century, in part because of the changes he brought to the British common law as well as for the personal touch that he left on the legal profession of Britain and such other countries like Nigeria, whose legal practice is hand in glove with that of the colonial masters.
 
When Justice Oputa also become a household name outside the legal circles on account of the famous panel on human rights abuses which was put together by the Olusegun Obasanjo administration and which he chaired. Even though the recommendations of the panel which was popularly known as the Oputa Panel were not implemented, they had their merit for providing the first national avenue for openly discussing and unearthing, for the first time, some provocative acts of impunity by previous administrations. After the Oputa panel, more Nigerians have found the voice and courage to question, and even challenge, impunity of governance.
 
Justice Chukwudifu Akunne Oputa, died at a ripe old age of 92 on May 4 2014 and has been mourned by all and sundry. It was difficult to see any voice which was raised in anger against the demised eminent jurist. It was, therefore, expected that his funeral would attract the presence and interest of Nigerians from all aspects of the national spectrum, in and out of government, in and out of the legal profession and amongst the ordinary people of the nation. People who make news in life usually make more news at their death. One of the key areas of the news-making process of Justice Oputa was in his having a son in whom he was well pleased, even if that son did not quite conform professionally to what could have been the best tastes of the jurist.
 
His son, Charles who had the best of education that an erudite and caring father could afford his favorite child decided very early in life to toe a path from where he knew he could best express himself for the benefit of his personal satisfaction and that of a public to which he was very devoted. Charles Oputa Junior was better known and reputed as Charly Boy, which was the name that defined the eminent but non-conformist roles he played, not in the judicial field but in the entertainment industry. Charly Boy was very good at what he did in such a unique way that defined him as a distinguished genre.
 
His father was well pleased in Charly Boy and said so in several interviews and public fora. The son was very enamored of the doting father who he cared for after his retirement until the old man joined his ancestors last month. The prayer and hope of every father is to have beloved children who would care for them in old age and finally confer a befitting funeral on him when it pleased God to call him back. Justice Oputa must have died a happy man knowing that he has a son who is capable of doing both.
Those who know the Oputa family well say the late jurist and his non-conformist son were very close and so must have understood and respected each other’s wishes and preferences. So, it was to be expected that Charles Oputa Junior knew how his father wished to be buried and remembered. He knew if his father wanted a politically vibrant funeral such that would have resulted in his body being ferried from pillar to post across the country, or if the man wanted to be buried respectably as a fervent Catholic and a good lawyer and judge. The way it finally turned out to the public looked as if Charly Boy was playing a script which conformed to an instruction that his father had left which was that he should not be buried like a politician, which he was not.
It is generally agreed by the Igbo that while a dead man would usually make a will on certain issues of his death and burial but it is often a convention amongst the Igbo that some elements of such a will are modified to suit the convenience of the living. On a very simple level, there are people who usually instruct that they should be spared the suffocating ritual of being put in the mortuary at their death and should be buried immediately they died. It is seldom that such wishes are respected to the letter because of the difficulty of the logistics of such an instruction on the living. Many people demand a quiet funeral and again because of the way the society is ordered and organized, it becomes next to impossible for a well-known person to have a quiet burial. So, you start to wonder: is it possible for a Nigeria big man or woman to be saved from a political funeral?
 
On Saturday, June 28, Justice Oputa was buried at his Oguta home town, in Imo State. As is usual with such a prominent Catholic a pontifical requiem Mass was celebrated to usher him to the great beyond. Such funeral occasions are definitely more than pure religious occasions. Their ecumenical nature is first and foremost the most eloquent testimony to the fact that the occasion is never confined strictly by the confines of pure religious demands. In such big funerals with high ranking members of the government and other organized and stratified institutions, protocol is observed and in circumstances in Nigeria where the lines between the religious and social affairs are blurred, any presence of administrators of states are given credence and recognition. In other words, many prominent Nigerians and outsiders from outside Imo State who came to attend the Oputa funeral must have enjoyed some protocol, security and welfare extended by the state government. The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) who represented the president must have been received and hosted by the state government officials. No state government ever wants that fact not to be taken into consideration.
 
In other words, no matter how much anyone might want to pretend that the burial of Justice Oputa in Oguta was a family affair, such assertion cannot hold much water due to the stature of the person for whom the bell tolls and on account of the heavy government facilities that are bound to be made available at the occasion.
 
The unfortunate fracas that took place during the funeral service led by Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, last Saturday was definitely unnecessary and avoidable and displayed a shameful lack of maturity on both sides of the fracas. To refresh the minds of those who are very conversant of the event under discourse, Charly Boy had reportedly snatched the microphone from Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State and had prevented him from speaking after Senator Anyim who represented the president. From my enquiries, I learnt that Oputa Junior had insisted that he did now want the funeral of his father to be politicized. I did not hear directly from Charly Boy, otherwise, I would have taken the statement as laughable because there was no way the speech of the governor could have been a greater politicization than that of the president. If there were to have been no speeches from political people, as I have seen done at some other occasions where speeches were limited to the members of the clergy and the bereaved family, it ought to have been observed across the board. To, therefore, stop Governor Okorocha from making a speech was the height of indiscretion and disrespect for the office he occupies. While not everybody in the any state might like the person of the governor but every citizen ought to feel insulted if the office a governor occupies at the behest of the people is desecrated. Snatching a microphone from a governor is the height of such desecration.
It hardly matters what might have been the other underlining issues that might have caused bad blood between the governor and the Oputa family, like the story making the rounds that the N20 million which the governor claimed to have donated for the funeral might not have been true. But the fact remains that nothing should have been done to drag the office of the governor to disrepute, for it was the entire Imo State that was denigrated and not just Owelle Rochas Okorocha. Charly Boy with his very wide exposure ought to have known that.
 
The flipside of the argument is that it was be counter protocol and even irresponsible of Governor Rochas to have sought to speak after the president had delivered his speech, thus, creating the situation whereby the microphone had to be snatched from his hand. Yes, it is unexpected and almost abnormal for the president to have spoken without the governor who was visibly present unless the governor had declined to speak. It is also a big surprise that Anyim had not invited Okorocha to speak before him, unless he saw that as an opportunity to belittle the governor who belonged to a rival party, and that would be most unfortunate.
 
Many observers I spoke to are describing the fracas as having been caused by three ‘big babies’. As angered and miffed as he might have been – and justifiably so – Governor Okorocha should have maturely kept his cool and allowed the funeral take its course in tandem with the respect which he claims to harbour for the man who was being celebrated. He and his government have ample avenues and opportunities to speak out later and complain against the slight and disrespect against his office, and therefore, the people of the state. To whom much is given, much is expected. Before that occasion there must have been incidents that would have provided him with the inkling that things were not on a proper keel between him and the Oputa family. Needless to say that Charles Oputa’s act was most disgraceful, immature and unexpected.
 
The event at Oguta last week ought to provide a watershed and redefine the role and behavior of high political figures when it comes to the funerals of the high and mighty. It has become almost an epidemic what infests political leaders and makes them see it as a right to hijack funerals with high visibility. It happened during Ojukwu’s burial, when governors of the component states had made more sound and fury than the whirlwind. These were the governors who had promised to bring down the cloud for Ojukwu but had ended up contributing nothing that could make the memories of the man and his times enduring. With all the noisy carnival that the likes of Governor Okorocha organized for Ojukwu in Owerri, he reportedly contributed nothing to efforts to produce materials that would immortalize the man. I was in the Ojukwu burial committee, so I know.
 
As funerals have become the biggest events in Igbo land, it is only such self-effacing leaders like Governor Sullivan Chime of Enugu State who do not run around hearses and throw their weight about in self-adulation. It might have been such showy attempts to wail louder than the bereaved that might have infuriated the likes of Charles Oputa Junior to the extent of exhibiting the type of unbecoming show that he enacted before the world on his father’s funeral. He should not have allowed the antics of desperate politicians to push him into an act that tends to denigrate the memories of a man who deserved the respect of Nigerians, especially at such a solemn occasion of a pontifical requiem Mass.

By Uche Ezechukwu

Oga OBJ, Where Are Your Boots?

Uche  Ezechukwu 

— June 2, 2014  

One of the very few things that helped to heal the deep physical and psychological wounds inflicted on the dissipated former Biafrans after the 30-month civil war was the savoury episodes of heroic exploits told by the ex-combatants. The war-weary demobilised soldiers, drawn from boys and men of variegated background, would be surrounded regularly by relatives and friends, listening attentively and in awe, as they lapped-up stories of exploits at the different theatres of the war.
The length, style and flavour of those accounts varied from person to person, depending on the expertise and disposition of the ex-soldier. But every returnee had a story. Of course, there were those who, stunned and still traumatised by their experiences, remained tongue-tied and only uttered a few words when they were compelled to. But, as it later became evident to those who listened to those told-and-retold heroic accounts – with more salt and pepper being added with every subsequent retelling – those who weaved the loftier stories of the war exploits turned out to be those who might not have even gone to the warfronts, but had only performed the less tasking chores at the ‘rear’.
Many of those ex-soldiers, were mostly recognisable through their dresses, which consisted of different varieties of worn-out military dresses and always of old boots. The boots were the most distinguishing features of the ex-soldiers in those days. There was this John whose very grandiose stories must have shown-off as one of the bravest and most gallant soldiers in Biafra, had started attracting a lot of doubts on account of their mutation into several versions. Soon, the impression grew that he might not be telling the truth. In fact, very soon, many people started doubting if, indeed, he even served in the army, especially as he never ever wore a pair of boots.
Nobody mustered enough courage to challenge John until on one bright day, a daring 12-year old boy, aware of the general skepticism that John’s antics had evoked in the community, stood up and queried him: “Dee John, ka igara Army, olekwanu boot gi? (Bro John, if you were in the Army, where are your boots?)”
The non-relenting, and now, nauseating tendency of President Olusegun Obasanjo to see himself as the only cock crowing in the yard in Nigeria’s affairs and as the man who has the ultimate and exclusive knowledge of the right things to do at every situation has continually evoked the memory of Dee John to me. Last week Obasanjo was at it again, talking down on the present administration under President Jonathan, who, he had, in his ultimate wisdom, enthroned as his co-successor. In interviews with the Channels TV and the US-based Bloomberg, Obasanjo, in his usual omniscient scathing ways, wrote off the present government in many ways.
The rough storm raised by the very un-presidential 18-page public letter which he addressed to President Jonathan early this year and which was roundly condemned by all including his own daughter, has hardly settled before he has now launched into another series of attacks on the government’s handling of the Boko Haram issue. He is also attacking the government’s handling of the Chibok kidnap issue as well as what he sees as the inappropriate tactics of the military in its ongoing challenging efforts to stem the tide of terrorism and more urgently, to rescue the school girls, still in captivity.
The need to respect a man of Obasanjo’s stature is never in doubt to any Nigerian, in and out of politics, especially on account of his age and precedents. However, and it is a pity that the fact that respect is earned and not commanded seems to have been lost permanently on President Obasanjo, as he persists on the delusion that a kingmaker would also remain the king. Many discerning observers see Obasanjo’s regular and unrelenting swipes at the Jonathan leadership as a sign of frustration for not being allowed to dictate to those at the helm, both in the top civil and military positions. It would have been normal for him to be content with proffering advice to the leadership on a variety of issues, but he should have also been the first to appreciate that no leader is bound to take every advice. It was even Obasanjo himself who had popularised the saying that he was not compelled to accept an advice of his own appointed advisers.
The tragedy of Obasanjo’s intrusive politics is that he has refused to accept his huge inadequacies both as the leader who institutionalised many of the vices which have held the country hostage today, like corruption and electoral malpractices. Today, he refuses to bat an eyelid when he sanctimoniously stands aloof and pours invectives in the mien of a man who instructs that, others do as he says but not as he did. Because there was nothing redeeming about the Obasanjo’s tenure as president, he has always lacked both the moral and statutory right to breathe down the neck of subsequent governments with prescriptions. One is even irked the more by Obasanjo’s pretentions to superior knowledge on military matters presumably because he served as a field commander during the war against a ragtag Biafran army or because he was a military head of state. Obasanjo had in “My Command”, a book of his exploits during the war, painted a picture of a very tactically competent and intelligent military strategist. His hyperbolic accounts of personal heroism where only puny credits were grudged others were later found to be like those heroic accounts of Dee John after the civil war. Those who knew him and his performance during that era of appropriated military heroism have since given a lie to most of those claims.
A recent book by the very cerebral retired Brigadier-General Godwin Alabi-Isama, entitled “On-the-Spot Account of the Nigeria-Biafra War in the Atlantic Theatre”, showed how most of the earlier claims of Obasanjo about his military prowess were falser than vows made in wine (apologies to Shakespeare). In other words, Alabi-Isama, like the courageous Igbo boy after the war, seemed to have asked Obasanjo, “Where are your boots?”
I am personally miffed about the flippant tendencies of Air Marshal Alex Badeh, a man who currently runs the Nigerian military, in my belief that he often puts his mouth in motion before engaging his mind in gear. I was pained when as he was being sworn in only a few months ago, he claimed, rather gratuitously, that the Boko Haram terrorism would be ended by April. Again, when last week, he claimed that the military knows where the kidnapped Chibok girls are, I had raised eyebrows but some of my military friends suggested that the statement must have been made to achieve certain effects and to generate certain reactions. Not used to questioning strategies of people in their areas of expertise, I held my peace and adopted the siddon-look attitude.
But Obasanjo, obviously in order to show how much superior knowledge he has about the Boko Haram insurgency and military strategies started making very dangerous insinuations about both, aimed at blaming the government for the escalation of the Boko Haram, and showing off his excellent record in religious harmony management. Obasanjo conveniently forgot that Boko Haram was created more by economic factors rather than religious ones, and that in the field of economic management, he cannot claim to have done better than the Jonathan administration.
Let me end with a story of an encounter between President Obasanjo and his then Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Victor Malu who got so exasperated with Obasanjo’s tendency of always wanting to lecture senior officers on military issues that one day, Malu, like the courageous Biafran boy, frontally confronted him with a few home truths about the changing times in the military, like with everything else in life.
“Sir, you left the military after 17 years as a lieutenant-general”, General Malu reportedly observed, “today I am in the Army as a lieutenant-general after 34 years in service. If you enter a tank today, you will not recognise anything because they are now mobile computers, and a far-cry from your days. So Sir, things change…”
So, is there no one who can nudge Obasanjo and urge him that it is time to go for a most deserved retirement, having become a dinosaur in most aspects of life?