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Joe Igbokwe the Desperate Chameleon By Bosah Chinedu Nothing describes Femi Kuti hit song known as “wonder” when I read Joe Igbokwe’s articles captioned “PDP is the problem of Nigeria” published in the Nations newspaper of Thursday November 13 2008 and Guardian November 14 2008. The said article was his reaction to Prof. Ahmed Alkali-the PDP spokesman who was also reacting to those who hold the opinion that the activities of PDP are the reasons why we have so many problems and rather Nigerians should commend PDP. Joe Igbokwe was correct when he made it clear that the PDP have done more damage to our economy but was wrong when he claimed that PDP alone as a political party was to be blamed. Yes, to a large extent and degree but AC, ANPP, PPA etc., have equally contributed their quota in the decadence that is confronting Nigerians. Obasanjo 8 years misrule is clear for everybody to see, but we also know all those who played one role or the other in the misrule including other parties like ANPP, AC etc. I wonder at Joe’s article not because he describes PDP as a failed party-as usual that is sometimes expected from a writer employed by another party, but because the same Joe to the best of my knowledge contributed his own quota as a squealer writer in the entrenchment of PDP. He wrote so many articles eulogizing Obasanjo. He was always quick to remind all those who were critical of the Obasanjo’s administration that the country is on the right path and called those who disagree with the administration as those who were in the business of truncating our “nascent democracy”. In his article (excerpts) published by an online media www.accessmylibrary.com in 2003 titled “Obasanjo hands are heavy”, he stated: “Obasanjo should be re-elected to continue with the reforms he started in 1999. The President has recreated the middle class-a combination of Buhari, IBB, Abacha and Abubakar destroyed in 16 years. President Obasanjo dealt a deadly blow to mafia at NNPC and since 1999 the cartel behind the endless fuel scarcity took to their heels. NEPA that was almost grounded has witnessed massive reconstruction and rehabilitation in the past three and half years and in Western Avenue where my office is situated regular power supply is now almost steady. Bureau for Public Enterprise (BPE) was the best thing to happen to Nigeria. For more than 50 years, some of our public enterprises have become conduit pipes for siphoning public money. Ministries of Education and Agriculture have witnessed modest achievements since 1999. Other sectors have also faired modestly well and I think honour should be given to whom honour is due.”
This is Joe
again at his best in another article after Obasanjo’s “re-election”
published by Thisday online of November 16 2004 titled “why Obasanjo won”:
“President Obasanjo's re-election has since shattered the age long myth.
The wind of change is now irreversible. Remember also that the January 27,
2002 explosions in Lagos, the police strike, the killing of Chief Bola Ige
etc; were simply part of the agenda to continue the destabilization acts.
This is Joe from another microscope in his article (excerpts) published in www.nigerdeltacongress.com/letters_and_viewpoints.htm in March 2002 titled “wicked ambush against nascent democracy”: “Before the recent PDP convention at Abuja, three principal characters, Chief Samuel Ogbemudia, Chief Barnabas Gemade and Chief Tony Anenih engaged themselves in a supremacy war in the PDP, and the political temperature of the nation got to the boiling point. These three chieftains of PDP have one thing in common-they are Abacha politicians.” He attacked ASUU for demanding for better welfare package and proper funding of education in the same article: “When President Obasanjo came in 1999 he was able to review the university teacher’s salaries from about N13,000 to nearly N100,000 per month. And granted that more still has to be done to address the problem of our universities, one had thought that the leadership of ASUU would have held what was given to them with left hand and continue to agitate for more with the right hand. But that was not to be with ASUU. At the drop of a hat, Dr. Dipo Fashina always declares trade dispute with the federal government. When ASUU joined the NLC in the recent strike following a hike in fuel price, many knowledgeable observers came to the conclusion that ASUU leadership has lost focus. ASUU leadership needs to convince Nigerians that mischief makers are not using them to put to danger our nascent democracy.” From numerous articles-between 1999 and 2007, one could deduce that Joe held the view that Obasanjo was the best thing that has happened to Nigeria given his achievements in all sectors of the economy; PDP was on course save for a few Abacha politicians who were responsible for the squabbles in party; and individuals and groups, including trade unions, other than himself, Obasanjo and other government apologists were all out to truncate democracy. Joe is a mercenary at the service of any political merchant once the pay is good. One is therefore not surprised at his recent blind outburst at PDP and Obasanjo because the interest of his paymaster (AC) is to pretend as if they are defending the peoples’ interest. Like a man without shame, Joe does not mind eating his vomit if it is required to please his new principal. His article (excerpts) published in February 2008 online by Sahara Reporters (www.saharareporters.com/www/letters/detail) attests to this. The man that once vilified ASUU and everything it represented while Obasanjo was in power turned 180 degree and called on Nigerians to support the academic union and did that without sparing Obasanjo some punches. The statement he signed as the Publicity Secretary of Lagos Action Congress (AC) reads in part, “The party says that ASUU is right and justified to take any decision to force an anti-education government installed by the immediate former Olusegun Obasanjo regime, which the present Yar’Adua government seems bent on continuing. He went on “We are at a loss why the present Yar’Adua government has played deaf to the demand for the recall of the vindicated lecturers if not to play to the dumb scripts of Obasanjo and his lackeys. We don’t see any plausible reason to continue on the destructive paths of Obasanjo, which saw the academe as a primary enemy that must be destroyed through all possible means. With each passing day and as these persecuted lecturers stay in the cold, caught in the matrix of the primitive and vindictive politics of Obasanjo, the nation sacrifices a crop of its teachers to the rashness of purblind leaders that do not see beyond their private interests.” Let us now read his recent article published in Nation newspaper and Guardian about PDP “PDP is the ruling party. For more than 10 years, the party has been in the saddle, calling the shots. In the past 10 years, this country earned more money than any regime since independence and yet you cannot readily point to any tangible the regime has recorded in terms of achievement. Our federal roads are in terrible shape, our universities are in bad shape, our economy is yet to gain momentum, majority of our working class are unemployed, we are still running a generator driven economy, corruption rating is still high, and our electoral system in shambles.” However, like I have stated before that there is no difference between PDP and AC, ANPP. I strongly hold this view because these parties in terms of policies and programs are not different from themselves. PDP privatises and through its policies have largely enriched a few privileged persons at the expense of the majority, so also is AC. PDP is peopled with corrupt politicians, so also AC. Like many know, the AC is the second eleven of PDP, which is the conglomeration of those who left PDP because the booty was not shared properly. In the same way and bigger degree the PDP have ruined the economy with little to show for huge resources accrued to it, so also the AC. ANPP have also ruined the economy on a smaller degree and nothing to show for its huge resources also accrued to it. For example, the Lagos state government and federal government have not explained to Nigerians what happened to $800 million deal signed with Enron on December 6 1999 having spent over $100million on the project to provide light and yet Lagos is still in perpetual darkness. The Lagos State government has got loans worth at least $478millions (N57billion) since 1999 from the world bank for the upgrading of slums and relocation of millions. Rather than upgrade the slums, but to justify the loans collected, the Lagos state government rendered hundreds of thousands of people homeless by demolishing their houses without any alternatives hereby dislocating and further endangering the already poor people. So, PDP in Abuja demolished houses, AC in Lagos did the same thing and even worse at least the 2005 demolition of Makoko that rendered over 90000 persons homeless and mass demolition elsewhere is still fresh in our memory. PDP where they build houses, it was exclusively for the rich so with AC in Lagos whose houses cost at least N5million when in actual fact in the same Lagos Alhaji Lateef Jakande built houses that was affordable for workers and middle class persons. Like PDP, AC in Lagos spends more money on propaganda than on projects. Despite the mass decay in the level of infrastructure, in the media we hear that Lagos is fast developing-maybe to measure development is on how many flowers a government plant on few major roads when over 95% of the roads remain impassable and in a deplorable state. In the same way PDP wasted trillions of Naira, AC in Lagos cannot justify the trillions of Naira accrued both to the local government level and the state in terms of internal generation and federation account. The schools are not only bad shape; education has collapsed while the hospitals and other basic infrastructures are in terrible state. What now happened to the huge public resources (over 3 trillion since 1999) as virtually everything is funded by private investors including the BRT scheme and the so called beautification project? Going through Joe Igbokwe’s article, it is obvious that he stands for nothing and defends nothing other than his pocket and bank account. Tomorrow, do not be surprised when he starts singing praise for another political machine-that is his stock in trade. Joe and AC are opposition of convenience and not opposition in the real sense of it. What has changed between 1999 and 2006 when Joe was a paid writer of PDP and Obasanjo and now he is writing for AC? The problem with the likes of Joe Igbokwe is that they think Nigerians are gullible and have short and poor memory. I call him a desperate chameleon whose preoccupation is to make money, but I leave him to the public to describe him in the most suitable language or words they choose. Just to remind him that Nigerians are watching and they know those who are trying to deceive them and those who genuinely defend their interest. The people only need a genuine working class party that will protect their interest and not the Active Crooks (AC), People Deceive People (PDP) and their likes. It is time the labour movement and other pro-people organisation began to build a mass working class party that will save Nigerians from the devastating grip of looters, opportunists, extorters, exploiters and crooks. That for me is the real task ahead.
Bosah Chinedu National Secretary Education Rights Campaign (ERC)
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