Nigeria Times

By Idoko Ainoko

I was surprised sometime back when the governor of Ondo State, Rotimi Akeredolu, made a strong case for the legalization of cannabis in the country, but not anymore. The recent events in the state and his public utterances indeed justified my new position.

We all know some of the effects of acute consumption of cannabis, and Governor Rotimi Akeredolu might be exhibiting some of these symptoms. I say this after stumbling on a supposed press statement credited to him regarding that supposed change of guards in the leadership of the All Progressive Congress (APC).

The press statement was not only comical; it further heightened the popular notion that some governors in the country are patrons of cannabis, hence why tangible development has continued to elude us.

He sounded like a drunk who suddenly woke up from the gutter after a long drinking spell in the press statement. He was neither here nor there, and one could hardly place a finger on the message he was trying to pass across. The fact that he gave out the identity of those demigods within the APC that wanted Governor Mai Mala Buni out by all means necessary is not just despicable; it reinforces the belief that some deplorable individuals rode on the wings of the APC to position themselves as progressives, while in truth they are detractors.

It is funny that he bears the title of a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), and yet he made some uncomplimentary remarks about the judiciary. It is also funny that he described some of his fellow governors as yahoo yahoo governors trying to secure a black market judgment.

This is the beauty of the truth. Maybe as the lawyer, he claimed to be, his years of practice have been characterized by yahoo enterprise and not competence. It is, therefore, not surprising that such an individual that can be termed a yahoo patron could easily identify the yahoo tendencies.

In his words: “Succinctly, aside from feeling delighted as a major stakeholder in the latest successful Rescue Mission, I express my confidence in the ability and capacity of Governor Sanni Bello(ABU LOLO) to take APC through. We, the Governors, are for the party except for the few “Yahoo, Yahoo” Governors (apologies to Salihu, former DG of the Progressive Governors’ Forum) who were hand in glove with Buni to circumvent the will of the majority of our Party (APC) members. Progressive Governors in the true name, mostly all of us, are determined to see our Party through these patchy parts at all cost.”

It is indeed the trajectory of foolery for Rotimi Akeredolu to assume that he is a progressive governor. I doubt if he understands the meaning of progressive. Maybe his definition of progressive is to plot coups to subvert the people’s will. Funny again that he confessed that he is a part of the governors under the Rescue Mission. Maybe he meant a coup mission. Again I can understand that he is always under the influence of cannabis that has altered his sense of judgment in deciphering between good and evil.

I can guess that his emphasis on the phrase “yahoo” is probably because that is his turf before he became governor and as governor. And as such, he tells all that cares to listen that what happened in the supposed change of leadership at the APC is a manifestation of “Yahoo Plus.”

If this is not the case, how could one possibly come to terms with how a group of governors in the blind pursuit for the soul of the party would throw caution in the wind and attempt to rubbish the laudable efforts of Governor Mai Mala Buni in repositioning the party after a tumultuous era that almost set the party on the path of extinction.

If after several months of efforts at pacifying warring factions within that party by Governor Mai Mala Buni is not appreciated, at least the fact that he is a fellow governor who agreed to stand in the gap for the party in times of need should be respected. Yes, it is understandable that political scheming is the order of the day in the buildup to the general elections in 2023, but that should not becloud our sense of reasoning.

Take it or leave it, what the likes of Governor Rotimi Akeredolu and his cohorts have succeeded in doing is a coup against democracy. As the Caretaker and Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee chairman, Governor Mai Mala Buni indeed ruffled feathers, but for the party’s interest. He stood his ground to ensure that the APC was well repositioned in preparation for the general elections in 2023.

And what did he get in return? He got betrayal and character assassination from some governor in the mould of Rotimi Akeredolu. They are constantly under the influence of cannabis and cheap alcohol. For them, it should be business as usual. Therefore Governor Mai Mala Buni must be shown the way out by all means possible.

What a shame that the President has been dragged into this despicable conduct by some APC governors with the blind and ignoble ambition to play politics, not minding whose ox is gored. It has been a regime of name dropping to the chagrin of all the APC as a party represents.

I think Governor Rotimi Akeredolu must reduce his cannabis addiction and come to terms with reality to advise himself and his co-travellers that their actions are nothing but a coup intended to serve their puerile interest. It’s funny that Governor Abubakar Bello is their preferred stooge to do their bidding, another coup expert that the good people of Niger state are contending with.

We are now aware that this move is not for the good of the party but that of some goons and baboons after the soul of the party. But they should do well to know that the world is watching as events unfold.

I wait earnestly to see what becomes of the APC after this coup. Governor Rotimi Akerdolu and his band of marauders should desist from this path of dishonour, for it is indeed a dance of shame. I make bold to say that Governor Rotimi Akeredolu and his cohorts are the “Pocket-filling Black Legs in Corridors of Power.”

Ainoko wrote this piece from Kaduna.

By Friday Peter

About every single Nigerian alive today rues the choice of President Muhammadu Buhari, who rode to power as a civilian president on the expectation that he was the antidote to the epidemic of corruption that has held the country back from emerging as a viable and competitive country.

When in his first term it became apparent that he has failed to show commitment to tackling corruption, he blamed the glaring failure on “corruption fighting back”. However, events of recent months have proven that the more things change the more they stay the same. President Buhari merely flipped the mat to have his assemblage of saints sit on the reversed side.

Mr. President is fully living the truism of “show me your friend and I will tell you whom you are”. Top on the list of those with access to the president today is Kebbi State Governor Atiku Bagudu, who also is among those manipulating him to the extent that the crisis in his party, the All Progressive Congress (APC), has revealed. Bagudu alongside Kaduna State Governor, Nasir el-Rufai and others were able to deploy their experience in running scams to get President Buhari to sign off, with his revered signature, on a fraudulent zoning list for the party’s national positions.

It is instructive that Bagudu remains this close to the President at a time when his name is making international news, not for providing quality leadership for the hapless population of Kebbi state, but for insisting on keeping the proceeds of the theft he committed some decades ago. The brazenness. Bloomberg reported that the United States authorities will resume legal proceedings to seize over $150 million that Bagudu allegedly laundered as far back as in the 90s. What would be discovered to be missing from Kebbi State’s coffers when Bagudu is done with his tenure is better left to the imagination.

As worrisome as it is that a character of this mold hangs around a President, who is futilely attempting the cut an anti-corruption persona, it is more worrisome to learn that the administration he leads has been abusing government powers to shield Bagudu from the international consequence of his theft of money that belonged to Nigerians. Another saint in the administration, Abubakar Malami, conveniently the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, cooked up the necessary legal hogwash to explain why Nigeria cannot testify against Bagudu for this monumental theft.

Interestingly, Malami is a permanent fixture among the group of shady characters that have practically hijacked the Presidency, with the likes of Bagudu, arrogantly prancing around as the puppet masters of the man whom Nigerians elected to clean out the mess of corruption but who sadly is now the strongest enabler of sleaze.

President Buhari continuing to hobnob with Bagudu after the latest US moves to seize the money he stole has outdone that nauseous moment when he went to Kano to raise Governor Umar Ganduje’s hands and endorse him for re-election after the viral video showing Ganduje stuffing wads of dollars received as bribe into his apparel. It is no wonder that those around the President have realized that, with President Buhari, the path to sainthood is to engaged in corrupt acts in a manner that is mind-boggling.

One can only shake one’s head in contemplative regret that there was a Buhari, the fiery spartan who abhorred corruption and vowed with his every breath to root out the evil from Nigeria when elected and given the chance to clean up the system. Today’s Buhari is different. He is one that jumps into bed with the very people he should be facilitating jail terms for. Buhari as the president has become everything he hated and railed against as a candidate when he wanted to become the president of the country.

But the country now has a problem in its hands. It is bad enough that President Buhari failed to tame corruption like he promised to. It is disheartening that he elevated corrupt people to positions of influence once their ethnic and sectarian affiliation aligned with his narrow jingoist leanings. It is alarming that corruption has been institutionalized in the years Buhari has been president and would have become a sacred vocation by the time his tenure ends on May 29, 2023. What should get Nigeria worried, however, is the disaster staring us all in the face by way of Buhari prepping the band of corrupt people around him as his replacement when he is done messing our system.

In this, the response of Nigerians must be united and unequivocal. A man who failed to deliver on his anti-corruption promise when he became president has no right to further inflict his lack of integrity on Nigerians. He has in fact lost the right to meddle in how his successor will emerge since he has repeatedly proven that he will always resort to his collection of saints to source a successor. Nigeria cannot survive another administration that would not make genuine efforts to tame corruption.

Nigerians must go further to socially and politically ostracize Buhari’s band of saints, who are archangels of corruption as they would invariably sink what is left of the country. If Nigerians unite on this, there would be no need to go through the hassle of barring thieves from public offices, it would be a matter of the people declaring this set of people persona non-grata.

Peter wrote this article from Kaduna.