When The President Knelt Down; Catch Them If We Can

Prince Charles Dickson

pcdbooks@yahoo.com

Jos, Plateau Nigeria

 

 

I recall this moment Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks in the movie “catch me if you can”…the movie helps me describe the Nigerian picture between Aded ibu and the President, Nigerians and governance, the civil society and government and how we operate under a massive system of feuds that conflicts the role and purpose of our corporate existence through falsification of everything that is good governance.

 

Hear Adedibu and catch him if you can “Gbolaruni is a youngman who has good reputation…he is my boy. He is from Ibadan here”. For reputation, try catching Nigerian politicians, last time there was a heated debate as to whether the President had a HND which many have attributed to him, a HND in Dictatorial Engineering from Peoples Garrison Polytechnic, we have seen Toronto and Chicago. Again the Adedibu’s boy on the block has been denied by his former Secondary school, his WAEC papers missing in action and the Pacific University which he attended could not identify any Hazzem Gbolaruni and yet the State House of Assembly of 2/3 of 419 of 18 gave him a clean bill of political health and my President knelt down.

 

Like Captain DiCaprio, he sure has reputation, catch if you can.

 

One of the so many rubbish the warlord from Ibadan talked of in his interview was loyalty, the newest form of it based on Obj’s political philosophy “Moguish” loyalty, the type psychologist call sheepish foolowership. Zombie no go move unless you tell am to move.

 

I have never known Baba Iyabo to be a humble man either has he been know to be generous with pleadings in whatever form. Infact there are very few occasions were Baba as those politicians that have lost their fa ther call him apologize. I recall one such time, when he needed to have the anti-labour bill sail through and El-Rufai misbehaved in the Senators perception and the Senators refused to play ball. Obasanjo begged because he could not stomach any longer the NLC wahala each time he needed blood money from fuel increase, so he begged and sent emissaries to the ‘boys in the upper hood’. So for the President to kneel down more than six times to lord Adedibu there is more these old crooks have hidden from the public eyes. One might begin to really appreciate this part of the interview if it was conducted in Yoruba language with the original Ibadan accent.

 

Adedibu claims he brought Ladoja to the PDP and later Ladoja expelled him as some of the grudge points. Catch our leaders if one can, when a person who is supposedly schooled joins a political party on the invitation of a political thug like Adedibu it tells a lot of the caliber of men we have. When Ngige a medical doctor sits with a Chris Uba that is barely literate beyond 7 Naira plus another 7 Naira. Then do we not deserve what we get? The present impasse i s simply the product of such alliances of con men, because the equation is that of political manipulation, not principle or progressive philosophy.

 

The next part of Adedibu’s interview is a learning curve in Nigeria’s political chalkboard. It tells a lot about Nigerians as a people, it reminds us once again how we have no control over our future, how power is not in the people’s hand. It explores further the naivete and gullible nature of the Nigerian despite his swindle skill; he is daily being checkmated by leadership. How people are selected based on party patronage to loot State treasury.

 

It is only a prostrating President that would allow an embarrassment called Adedibu to be reckless with the mouth on the excuse of being political relevant, what a sad commentary. At this point let me say that the President did kneel down for Adedibu and a lot of things Adedidu may be, but he is not a liar. Most of all he said in that interview was true to the point of the illegality of Ladoja’s removal.  The school of the purists argue, those who Adedibu said they can have the constitution but as for him…catch him if you can. Even this point was made manifest when no other than Chief Richard Akinjide a sound legal mind talked of the doctrine of efficacy in law and was though not necessarily supported by Gani Fawehinmi who spoke of first being a human being before being a lawyer.

 

 

To our political players, Adedibu said much, the law books are for mere mortals, not thieves in government. Let me pose one question before I am misconstrued at this junction if the abuse of process in Ladoja’s case was to involve a common street hawker like it has on several occasions, how many people really would bother.

 

Like other cry babies, the tear in relationship between the players in Oyo has once more exposed the moral bankruptcy that has enveloped the nation. Lies are told without much of an eye blink. The President gave Adedibu three cars and still knelt down, Adedibu believes in his right, after all no one knows how far he went-a-rigging for the PDP. Yet in Ibadan alone thousands cannot afford two-sided meal a day much more the proverbial three squared one. The President cannot kneel down to the electorate they did not put him there the Adedibus, Anineihs and co, rigged him through, so he owes them as many cars as possible and pays the real Nigerians with hunger, lack of security, poor health care delivery, sick education sector.

 

The reason for security votes to the tune of millions every month accor ding to Baba Molete is for Governors to settle godfathers so as to enjoy a crisis free reign, failure to do so-Adedibu has shown the implications. Catch these men if you can, the whole of Oyo State, it is only between Adedibu and Ladoja’s sons that a contract can be awarded and we say the government is fighting corruption and things are improving.

 

An electorate exists, yet the power to pick and dump lies in one man, just like how Leonardo somehow in the midst of plenty pilots who were qualified still flew a plane he was not qualified to. Why have our leaders like Leonardo DiCaprio turned con men and are daily perfecting the art, such that try as hard as we can, we cant seem to catch them rather every day we become more feeble minded in thought and action. A table of thieves Ladoja and Adedidbu, one camp says the people are happy, the other says the impeachment is illegal. However if I must tow a line I should then ask…Ladoja, how did you get into this mess, what would inspire Oby to prostrate to Adedibu, no matter how many commentaries, essays, discussions on this episode. The fact is that the plundering of the nation’s resources between godsons and fathers is nothing but an evolving and dangerous political culture and it poses several questions on the generality of Nigerians. How long will we watch these men con us, fool us, tease us, and still tell us to catch them if we can.

 

There were four foolish men sitting on various walls, different postures, one named Ngige, another named Alams, one named Ladoja, another called Dariye, fly away Chris Uba, fly away Obj, fly away Adedibu, fly away Mantu, and fly away PDP. For Tafa Balogun, for Wabara, for Osuji and the Makunjuolas, for all these cases and many more there are several moral dilemmas and judgments. In Plateau, they are flying the religious kite, in Bayelsa it is Atiku and resource control plot. In Ibadan someone said it is juju (native voodoo) affair. Anambra is money, all the plots are interwoven and all boil down to a master piece of con men at work…the con man Leonardo DiCaprio (Our Leaders/ People) and Tom Hanks the investigator (We/masses).

 

Ladoja, like any before him did not fall from grace to grass for any noble cause bur for reasons less worthy. While flaunting the religious garb…someone please with a big hallelujah tell me if Christianity condones stealing of public funds. How selective is selective justice when from b ottom to top are all rogues, from President Olusegun to Councilor Obasanjo. Do we exist as a people, why vote when our votes do not determine electoral success…the fly that refused counsel ended with the corpse in the grave, we soon will be forced to really chase, catch and punish all the looters of Nigeria one by one...I hope Almighty Allah will help us