Anyaoku and Gambari: Poor Homeless Patriots

By

Tatabonko Orok Edem

critterdocs@netzero.com

 

May I through this medium congratulate the ‘life’ president of the federal republic on the allocation of choice government properties in Lagos, built during colonial times with government money to Anyaoku and Gambari, who are homeless patriots. These men served as diplomats for Nigeria, and are therefore experts at politely getting what they want at little cost. They were trained at great cost by the nation, and have throughout their life been engaged in the patriotic art of lying for Nigeria. In other words, they have been able to convince us through the current executive, that the ‘getting’ of houses by them was their actually ‘giving’ the houses to Nigeria.

Anyaoku is from Obosi, close to Onitsha, he has never been unemployed and has earned a good part of his remuneration in pounds sterling, crowning his career as a senior staff of the British Commonwealth. Anyaoku can build a house for himself. He does not live in Lagos, but comes from Anambra state, his house was not torched during the recent mayhem at Awka. Infact, he stands to lose a lot, because some of the properties burnt down could have been sold to his offspring during future allocations by the state government, which refuses to explain his deafening silence on the Anambra imbroglio. (Let that crazy Achebe stay out there and weather the vicissitudes of winter in old age.)

Gambari is a scion of the ruling house of Ilorin. He does not come from Lagos. He earns a fat sum in foreign currency as a United Nations official. He has never been unemployed in his life. Needless to say, he too could purchase a house for himself, and was living somewhere before his recent posting to New York. His allocation is actually for strategic reasons as a fall back on the likely future torching of houses in Ilorin, by the Odua Peoples Congress.

The cases of Anyaoku and Gambari, are just examples of involuntary conversion of state property, and it is legal and based on international law. The ‘right of return’ is a fundamental liberty right proclaimed by the United Nations and applicable to the likes of Anyaoku and Gambari. It is trite to mention that the Nigerian state being a law abiding entity, ‘shall’ do all in its power to obey treaties voluntarily entered on behalf of Nigeria by the aforementioned two. Enemies of democracy should stop questioning the powers of the executive to cut underhand deals with their cronies, in an environment where it is not wise to be honest, when nobody is looking.

I have a word for the detractors of this government who are nursing the following queries: Firstly, where does Aremu the great, the embodiment of the state, have the right to allocate houses to the aforementioned two, so that they could ‘return’ to the country? Secondly, can’t they build their own houses, buy one, or partake in the bidding process like normal decent people? Finally, what did we expect from men with elastic consciences, anywhere?

The answer lies when we find out how old these men are, and what they needed theses houses for, apart from greed and their insufferable belief that Nigeria owes them. Allocation of houses to them was actually unfortunate for them, because they happen to come from a country where the great are small and the small are great, in other words they lacked a place in their villages, through no fault of theirs, where they can live and scratch any part of their body that itches, which is the bane of the poor of this country. It is the will of God.

As a man who did not realize the blessings of being born poor until I got over it, I wish to use this opportunity to proclaim my support for the government of the day in its anti corruption activities, but to differ in their definitions of illegal acts such as bribery and criminal conspiracies which are merely ‘inappropriate actions’ and ‘miscertifications’ of documents. It is also unfortunate, that this has led to the ‘firing’ and ‘resignations’ of some power brokers of the day. I respectfully beg to disagree, and to state categorically that they are only ‘not’ being asked to continue in their present jobs. Therefore, anyone asking for the Minister responsible for this fiasco to be fired should please keep this in mind.

I have no comment on the remaining 205 allocations made to people who never have to speak about their actions because their actions speak for it. They at least, were the normal and honest Nigerians who believe in the federal common wealth.

April 3, 2005