WAKE UP: When your acclaimed nepotism reflects it not

By BASHIR ADEFAKA

Some Nigerians sit in the comfort of their rooms abroad and send divisive messages home to make sad and regretful, those who insist they want to remain here and patriotically prove to the world that they have no other country except Nigeria. Some would have been incapacitated from going abroad because of money and visa security, some have all the opportunity to go but refuse to go and so many others do not think of it at all. They are here at home in Nigeria and are patriotically participatory in the Nigeria Project no matter how minute. These ones, who have chosen a strange land as their home (? talk not of George Floyd’s experience), are happy to trigger chaos by distorting idea about policies of the President in power because he is a Fulani man.

I have read their lord and master of all the “satanic” practice (any group or individual working to make Nigeria unliveable for me and others is satanic), the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, spat into the air over shortlisted Justices of the Court of Appeal (JCAs) claiming 13 Muslims of 20. These so called men of God in CAN have been so unhelped by the true God that they never remembered the corpse they buried still has its legs outside uncovered. Thanks to Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, NSCIA. It just helped the Pastor Samson Ayokunle-led religious body with verified facts and figures about where the JCAs stand as at today like it has always been: Of 70 Justices, 50 Christians but only 20 are Muslims in a country of over 100 Muslims. But like Prof. Kamal Bello would say pro-backward people criticise government decisions by region, ethnicity and religion, the Muslims don’t complain. If Muslims have ever complained like Muslim Rights Concern, MURIC, now does, it is defensive because, CAN not only ensures that all positions must be filled to create impression internationally that Nigeria is a Christian state but also, the Christian apex body chooses to persecute Muslims in public places: schools, hospitals etc, and so for this reason, Muslims have to be defensive. Asides that, there has been no other reason.

Christians of Nigeria, I know, are not what CAN takes them to be. They are the loving, accommodating and sensible pro-Nigeria ones. But CAN has created the Nigerian version of Christianity that is anchored on fanaticism to hate and persecute (not paganism but) Islam and its adherents, the Muslims. Worst still? They do these repression of Muslims and still shed crocodile tears screaming to America, United Nations, United Kingdom, about the fake and blatant lies of how COVID-19 lockdown was persecution of the Church and coronavirus/Boko Haram were plots by authorities in the country to kill Christians of Nigeria. CAN told this useless lie to Donald Trump’s United States of America, the White House believed them. What other reason reason could have been responsible for Christian Association’s open support for #RevolutionNow and #EndSARS protests? Very sad. Our sincere and true Nigerian Christians should speak out now against it.

I have also read those who would always come up with reason to wail whenever President Muhammadu Buhari makes an appointment or formulate a government policy. These guys did not remember that in USA or UK where they live, religion is regulated when they kicked over the Law if CAMA in Nigeria to say it was mean to silence Christianity as if Islam is not a religion also in Nigeria.

Now with appointment of new Acting IGP they quickly went to the archives and brought their one-sided record like always using the EFCC chairmanship since 1999 as I will copy-paste here verbatim from post of a Nigerian in the United States:

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commision Chairpersons (2002- till date)

Appointed by Olusegun Obasanjo

a. Nuhu Ribadu

Appointed by Yaradua Umaru

b. Farida Waziri

Appointed by GEJ

c. Ibrahim Lamorde

In his usual attitude to deride President Buhari, GCFR, he wrote under the presentation:

“Then, our dear Mr Integrity , my right hand buddy , my infallible mentor, President Muhamadu Buhari balanced the equation by appointing :

d. Ibrahim Magu

e. Bawa AbdulRashid

With this lopsidedness, Is the anticorruption battle on the upward swing? No! Is it kissing the ashes of defeat? Yes!

“Meanwhile, there is no Southerner who is fit enough to head the commision. The state of the nation there is! and promised “To be continued!”

Good that not all Nigerians queue behind Half-Truth Practitioners, another Nigerian l, this time a patriot, quickly jumped in countered him with ICPC chairmanship since 1999 as follows:

ICPC Chairmen since inception

1. Justice
Mustapha Akanbi Chairman 2000 2005

2. Justice
Emmanuel Ayoola Chairman 2005 2010

3. Professor Uriah Angulu Acting Chairman March 2011

4. Dr. Rose Abang-Wushishi Acting Chairman March 2011 August 2011

5. Abdullahi Bako Acting Chairman August 2011 November 2011

6. Barrister Ekpo Una Owo Nta Acting Chairman November 2011 June 2012

Chairman June 2012 January 2018

7. Prof. Bolaji Owasanoye Chairman January 2018 Present.

If this patriot, although a fellow Southerner, had wanted to be like that one living in the USA, he could have as well insinuate, “It means no Northerner is fit to head the ICPC”. No one should glforget that both EFCC and ICPC are anti-corruption agencies. What our man in the United States should have told us is, what is the track records of each of the he bodies to compare and contrast. But we won’t go there in this article. Don’t forget also that I write comments here not investigative report, which by my training, I will still have to do to really help guide Nigerians and the world properly.

Quoting Abutu Mike, another interlocutor in the discourse, Prof. Kamal Bello reposted Chief of Army Staff since 1999 and this should shame the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, who fight on the religion and ethnicity lines depending on what it wants to achieve. If it is ethnicity, it goes against North. If it is religion goes after Islam and Muslims but Chief of Army Staff since the start of Fourth Republic in 1999 have been more of Christians. Those Christians are largely from the North, THEN, CAN has no issue with their Northernism but here on Justices of Court of Appeal, he has problem with Northernism of appointees yet it is full of errors and assumptions.

Abutu Mike posted:

Chief of Army Staff since 1999 till date

1. Lt. Gen. Victor Malu (Benue):1999 – 2001

2. Lt. Gen Alex Ogomudia (Delta): 2001 – 2003

3. Lt Gen Martin Luther Agwai (Kaduna): 2003 –2006

4. Lt Gen Owoye Andrew Azazi (Bayesla): 2006 – 2007

5. Lt. Gen. Luka Yusuf (Kaduna): 2007 – 2008

6. Lt. Gen. Abdulrahman Danbazzau (Kano): 2008 – 2010

7. Lt. Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika (Abia):2010 – 2014

8. Lt. Gen. Kenneth Minimah (Rivers): 2014 – 2015

9. Lt. Gen Tukur Buratai (Borno): 2015 – 2021

10. Lt Gen Attahiru Ibrahim (Kaduna): 2021 –

NW – 4
NE – 1
NC – 1
SS – 3
SE – 1
SW – Zero

Christians – 7
Muslims – 3
Traditionalists – Zero

Now, you know better?
#SWA

Bello said: “When an appointee is a northerner it’s nepotism but when he’s a southerner it’s on merit. I don’t know when we shall be objective. Are the ministers appointed from south perform better than misters appointed from the North? Most if not all political appointments in Nigeria are not on merit but patronage or compensation to loyal party members. That’s why the country is not better than this.”

In his own position, another patriotic Nigerian speak to the agents of ethnic and religion criticise cism:

“Abeg o, make una bomb 2nd Niger bridge, Zik Mausoleum, Onitsha River port, the modular refinery in Imo state and the remodelled Enugu airport; destroy Enugu-Onitsha road, Enugu Port Harcourt road etc to prove that PMB hates the South East and has done nothing for the zone. Then go to historical records and erase that he made Okadigbo his VP candidate in 2003 and Ume-Ezeoke his VP candidate in 2007, and that he paid Biafran police their pensions.”

He then warned: “If it is war that some people want, then let the war happen so those who survive it will live to tell the story but to say that Nigeria is currently insecure is a big lie. Let me also state it clearly and remind the oversabi warmongers that if war breaks out, the Nigerian army will win the war and they will loose.”

*WAKE UP is opinion article column of Prince Bashir Adefaka, a media and publicity consultant in Nigeria. Reach him via his email: omope72@gmail.com