Rejoinder to Dr

Rejoinder to Dr. Paul Adujie on his, “Vice President Atiku Abubakar Must Resign Now!”

Ibrahim Garbati Saleh

I am disappointed by Dr Paul Adujie’s descent to as low as being involved in the profitable Bring-Atiku-Down ENTERPRISE, which is paradoxically funded by persons who are collectively and individually worse culprits of Nigeria’s social and economic quagmires than Atiku. Adujie, times are hard indeed! But must you morally degenerate to such an extent even though you are perceived to be a seasoned apologist and praise singer of OBJ?

No doubt, the cabal fighting Vice President Atiku Abubakar desperately wants him out of the way, either by constitutional means or otherwise, because his stay in office poses an increasing political threat to its despotic interest as 2007 approaches.

However, now that most Nigerians are at alert and keenly watching, it might have been crystal clear to the machiavellian cabal that getting ride of Turakin Adamawa by means other than constitution would worsen its already very bad case, because Nigerians, nay the civilized world, is increasingly fed up with Nigerian dictatorial and murderous vindicracy, sorry, I meant democracy; the modern world seems tired of an opportunist and vengeful presidency that is too busy hunting for its perceived enemies and even ancient foes, rather than concern itself with the alarmingly worsening security and the rapidly degenerating socio-economic condition of the otherwise pride of the black race, Nigeria, in spite of the tremendous resources at its disposal thanks to the oil wind fall.

Impeaching Atiku is another delicate and Herculean task. The National Assembly, where he still have an intimidating number of supporters, is not likely to even contemplate impeaching him at the bidding of the cabal, especially now that there is a growing disenchantment across the land with the acrimonious and quarrelsome government of OBJ, whose depriving and excruciating failure-amidst-plethora-of-resources has devastated Nigerians – especially the God-fearing ones, for which reason Atiku seems to be enjoying growing protest-solidarity from Nigerians and international communities who perceived him as being persecuted and sidelined by a failed government.

OBJ can’t get enough support from the Southwest either. A considerable number of Yoruba elites not only regard him as a big disgrace to the “great and wonderful Yoruba race” sequel to his inexcusable failure but are now openly backing the cosmopolitan Atiku in protest against what they see as unprecedented dishonour he (OBJ) brought on the sacred name of Odudua by falling much below his less literate, “Kolanut-chopping” predecessors of Northern descent.

It is indeed a blessing in disguise for Atiku, being publicly and indisputably sidelined by a woefully failed government that is believed to have invested heavily on wild witch-hunts and vendetta under various guises instead of pre-occupying itself with the development of the nation. No wonder no professional body associates itself with, or commends, this government besides some 419 NGO’s whose corrupted and nouveau riche leaders wine and dine with the despots as the masses they supposedly protect starve to death. So distancing Atiku from this failure is a great plus to his political and social credentials.

That, perhaps, is why the cabal has resorted to intimidating Atiku’s loyalists by persecuting them and branding Atiku himself as the most avaricious and corrupt of Nigerian government officials so that he will be deserted and, therefore, be left with no option but to resign. But, perhaps, unknown to the cabal, Atiku supporters have earth-quaking dossiers on its shoddy petro-deals especially at the NNPC. Governor Orji Kalu’s allegations have visibly rattled the cabal and shocked Nigerians no doubt. But believe it or not, it is the tip of the iceberg; it is not even the can of warms yet! So, the imperturbable Turaki can neither be stampeded nor provoked into resigning to the amusement of the Machiavellian cabal.

We know the desperate cabal has recruited some columnists to package and present Atiku in the most negative way possible with the help of some hired muckrakers. But no amount of muckraking and campaign of calumny can bring down Atiku. In fact we have observed that in most cases, the hired columnists do leave their arguments half way and fail to even rationalize the crimes of their sponsors.

Their greatest challenge is, perhaps, how to defend their tacit defense of OBJ who fails to make public the book of the NNPC, where over 95% of Nigerian wealth is sourced, several professional and other concerned individuals have asked OBJ to prove his transparency by opening the book to the scrutiny of professionals, but he fails to take up the gauntlet and, instead feigns personal conviction. But that is simplistic and suspicious. You don’t take solace in personal conviction in an all-important issue such as this!

I want to make it clear to both the ignorant and hypocritical critics of the VP that whoever monopolizes the transaction of the NNPC should be suspected to have accumulated wealth much more than any other alleged looter. Even if the allegations against Atiku are true, they are like a drop in the Atlantic Ocean compared to what the monopolizers of the NNPC, the greatest goldmine in Africa, are looting. Therefore, the first target of any honest anti-corruption crusader should be he that commandeers the NNPC as any other economic crime is just a pinch of Nigeria’s oil money. Let the Adujies, Tuongos and Barkindos know that all the state-of-the-art mansions; all the exotic cars; all the imaginable luxuries they alleged Atiku acquired illegally could only have been bought from a pinch of the multi-billion dollar oil money, which profile is only known to OBJ.

That was why I found absurd the fake patriotism exhibited by Dr. Adujie who in an arrogant style normally associated with paid “critics”, said, “we sought last week, to elicit explanation from Vice President Atiku of Nigeria, regarding his unexplained wealth..” failure of which Adujie calls on him (Atiku) to ‘resign now’. Adujie accuses Atiku of possibly looting or squandering $2 million, $25,000.00 million, $600 million and $15,000.00 million, some of which are repetitions of earlier allegations. Nevertheless, these alleged lootings are child play compared to what is suspected to be taking place at the NNPC on monthly basis. Simply, who are the real beneficiaries of the selfish non-repair of the NNPC refineries? Certainly not Atiku and those in the bad book of OBJ. For whose benefit is Nigeria the only oil-rich country that import oil? Definitely not friends and associates of Turaki. So who does Adujie want to deceive?

Dr. Adujie and co should know that commissioned pen pushers like those calling for Atiku’s head are part of Nigeria’s problem. At least that is what those who are able to read between the lines say. So he should properly compare his reputation (if he has any) with the value of the crumbs that those at the helm of the failed government might have extended to him.

We know for sure that it is largely the quarrelsomeness and vendetta pursuit of this government that distracts it from performing even its basic duties to us and hence our woes as partially enumerated by Adujie too. But whenever we wail miserably under the government’s burdensome abandonment of its responsibilities the Adujies “enlighten” us that the pain is the side effect of future-brightening reforms that are being embarked upon by this government. But just where are the reforms? When we look at the economic sector, we don’t see any reform; when we comb the educational sector, we don’t see an iota of reform; you look at health sector, the absence of reform stares at you; you turn to civil service, it is business worse than usual. Apart from Otta Farm what is it that has been reformed in Nigeria? More than ever before, the infrastructure in Nigeria is crying for reform and profusely too. So the “reforms”, Adujies should know, are just excuses designed to rationalize OBJ’s failure-amidst-means.

Little wonder every programme of this government has ended in a huge, sickening joke. Yet, instead of calling a spade a spade, certain Adujie wants to divert our attention by blaming Atiku for allegedly pinching from the multi-billion dollar Nigeria's money, the knowledge of which full profile has become the exclusive reserve of OBJ.

And in a familiar anti-Atiku/Boni mischief of these days aimed at fooling and instigating the “gullible” Nigerians particularly of Adamawa state origin, Adujie said of the $600 million allegedly stolen by Atiku, “money that is enough to provide clean drinking water for all of Adamawa state, money that is enough to generate electricity for 100 years for Yola and Jalingo, and Numan and more towns in our beloved Adamawa and environs!” What a timely alarm! But Adujie should first of all fight for the provision of “clean drinking water” and uninterrupted electric power supply in his home state (which I am sure, like any other state in Nigeira of today, lacks all these) before screaming over Adamawa. Charity, still, begins at home. Adujie should know that the people of Adamawa state are neither foolish nor so cheap to be deceived that they lack “clean drinking water” and uninterrupted electricity only because Atiku swindles them. They so well know that the infrastructure in the country as a whole has collapsed due to the financial crimes of Adujie’s sponsors, who are the custodian of the multi-billion dollar oil wind fall to the exclusion of Atiku. So Adujies should shut up! They should look for more decent ways of earning their daily bread. That also reminds me of another campaign of calumny spearheaded by Abdurrazaqq Bello Barkindo and Babayola Toungo that Turaki has refused to use his number two position to bring (federal) development to his home state of Adamawa even when they know very well that their beloved OBJ, who publicly displays phobia towards Atiku’s (political) popularity will never allow that. In presidential system and by our constitution, the President has enough ways of scuttling development from areas politically strategic to his Vice he does not want to be popular enough to succeed him – which is the case between OBJ and Turaki.

And contrary to the claim of Adujie that the counters to his allegations against Atiku amount to “a police officer arresting an armed robber in Ikeja the robber and his friends defending, by saying there are some other robbers in Ikoyi and Surulere”, the engagement is rather akin to a greedy stooge and praise singer, sitting on the laps of his benefactor king of robbers, barking and calling for the crucifixion of an alleged culprit of a negligible armed robbery crime, thereby attracts the anger of the people.

Perhaps to further impress his generous sponsors and attract their beneficial sympathy the more, Adujie cried, “we wrote, ‘Vice President Atiku Abubakar Must Explain!’….based on the investigation and findings that became available to us. Since then, we have received hate mails, churlish commentaries by defenders of the vice president, unwarranted telephone calls chastising me, some threatening my personal safety and life … I have since received countless annoying telephone calls to my home and my cellular phones..”

Oh my God? So many are the threats that Adujie has, I think, forgotten that those Atiku defenders must have also vowed to send a B-52 bomber to pound his house. They must have also recruited thousands of insultologists to be unleashing abuses on him and the innocent members of his family. So, his sponsors should send to him more petro-dollars to enable him beef up security around himself and buy pains killing drugs etc as might be prescribed by his Doctors.

Adujie further said “ … these pranks and cranks of calls, have strengthened my resolved to pursue those who loot Nigeria’s resources …” Let’s clap for Adujie because this time around he will probably beam his search light on more dangerous looters of our resources instead of making Atiku scapegoat in return for crumbs.