Let me begin by saying that I am neither a paid agent nor a writer who feeds from the crumbs off Aso Rock dining table. In fact, the highest rank any member of my family attained in government is level 11 in a State Civil Service.
This piece will take a swipe at the current lousiest individual in the country. His name is Dele Momodu who I will subsequently refer to as ‘DM’. In his latest article, DM informed us that he is not a fan of President Goodluck Jonathan. If he was anticipating a thunderous OVATION applause from the readers, I hope he got it.
First of all, we do not need anyone to bore us with such statement because a vast majority of us are not GEJ’s fan. In fact, personally, I often lead debate or co-moderate discourse on the many imperfections of the present regime.
If there are those who had doubts before now, this line, “I don’t want you to believe all the cheap blackmail that it is because we lost an election or wanted favour and attention”, opened his large behind. For heaven’s sake, this man should wake up to the reality that he is and always will be a political neophyte. All his articles directed at Jonathan are simply too ridiculous to get him the attention he desires.
I still do not get why DM is making all these deafening noise. He really wants to become more popular than he is already? He is obviously angered that an olive branch has yet been extended by the presidency, but is it by force? He and jokers alike – Olopade Agoro, (Pastor) Chris Okotie etc – perhaps thought presidential elections in the world’s most populous black nation is pap and akara.
After the 2011 polls, the president reached out to major opposition parties he felt gave him a though battle during the race. Expectedly and understandably, bros wasn’t invited. Well, I would have done the same. What business do I have inviting someone who got only ONE, ONE in his own ward? (Ward 10 Unit 24, Wasimi Community High School). What business do I have inviting someone who did not even have a manifesto? Why should I invite someone who was looking for who he’d pay N5 million in exchange for a well-drafted manifesto? Why would I invite someone who quickly jumped ship to the National Conscience Party after the Labour Party wisely denied him the ticket because he was a weak candidate? I need him to give me one sensible reason why he deserved an invite after polling a total of 26, 000 votes.
Is he aware that that figure is less than 1% of 1% of the 67million voters the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, registered? Going by those meager votes, I strongly believe he would have been trounced if he had contested Chairmanship of Afenmai Local Government in his home state of Edo.
Few weeks after he was left out in the cold, DM resumed boisterous attack on Jonathan. Not done, he actually sworn to challenge his loss, saying “INEC recorded over 26, 000 for me nationwide despite not having access to public funds like Dr. Abati’s boss”. This is absolute nonsense. If DM was giving all the money in circulation, did he honestly think he can cause an upset without using a formidable platform?
His public spat with Abati is another issue entirely. For those who missed it, see: http://saharareporters.com/
DM is a just shameless man who should be ignored. He goes about claiming to be a disciple of the murdered president we never had, MKO Abiola. He has Aare Onakakanfo’s photograph everywhere including his car bonnet and toilet, but betrayed him in his death. He once frolicked with the family of the man that invalidated his late boss’s mandate in what remains the freest and fairest election ever.
Under the guise of covering events of the Babangidas (and other countless rogues), DM occasionally profiled the evil-genius in his magazine. He enjoyed a somewhat decent relationship with the family, splashing their ill-gotten – of which a large chunk is part our collective $12 billion looted oil windfall – on our faces. I recall that at that time, many expressed disgust over what they described as an image-laundering campaign for the former military dictator. DM responded the bad-belles, saying it is no one’s business to determine whoever he decides to feature in his publication. Can you hear that, because of money!
Later when the affair went awry, he turned 180 degrees to say he would contest presidency because the man who incarcerated MKO had threw in his candidature. In 2010, an ambitious DM on his back page ThisDay column derisorily boasted he was more popular than the gap-toothed Niger-born General. Lmao! I guess he had a bottle of rum while he was writing that.
In his bid for recognition, DM must have sent over 400 letters to the Federal Government. I have an example:
“On July 2, 2011, I wrote yet another open letter to Mr President: Your choice of Ministers I believe is impressive, minus a few controversial names.” The question is would he have labeled some of the Federal Executive Council members as ‘controversial’ if his name was included in the list?
Another example:
“On July 9, 2011, I wrote an open memo to the new ministers and highlighted the urgent and priority areas they must tackle with all seriousness”…Busybody, like the appointees dropped from Mars.
Again, according to DM, “I’ve written several such memos to government offering free and unsolicited advice in the hope that we can all lift our nation up”…sigh.
I appreciate the fact that he has a lot of things to contribute to governance, but he should spare us the daily clatter pending the time his numerous ideas are implemented – probably in the next life.
I have no soft spot for him but I think that GEJ just like any other human being is not stone-hearted; even the dreaded Sani Abacha had those he listened to. Jonathan must have at one point or the other listened to or considered inputs from his critics. He may have at one time or the other invited such persons to physically present their positions. DM’s should go and fast and all being well, his dream shall come to pass.
Kudos to Nasir El-rufai and co; his comments usually unsettle the villa because he pounds the administration’s policies, not its Head. Not only that, the ex-Minister does proffer solutions he believes are workable. I have read so many of which dwelled on education, power, housing, light rail, roads etc. This is what we expect, not 400 write-ups focused targeted at one man.
Enter Oby Ezekwesili, the famous Madam Due Process. Only ONE speech (not loud-mouthed opinions) she gave at the University of Nigeria Nsukka rattled the Federal Government, so much that the combination of Reno, Abati, Doyin and Maku till today cannot convince Nigerians that Obiageli truly “dished out lies”. Aunty dared them to a public debate and instead they unleashed ICPC to probe her tenure in the Education Ministry – a very mumu strategy though.
Also, Kudos to far a more intelligent clique and members of the Kick Out SIDDON LOOK: Okey Ndibe, Tunde Fagbenle, Pius Adesanmi, Okey Ndibe, Tunji Ariyomo and Modupe Debbie Ariyo. Admittedly, they attack GEJ but these group have not elevated that to a hobby; the hammer on the performance, not the office of the president.
On a second reasoning, DM may be craving for the image a fugitive on the wanted list of the national government; he wants to attract the State Security Service at all cost. Okey, Nasir, Elombah and a few others are usual suspects so he wants to belong.
DM, you are a genius at advising the government of the day and I admire your effort. But why not consider joining the newly-formed All Progressives Congress, APC. There, you can vie for the 2015 presidential ticket. But if you do not get it (which is certain), you may be compensated with a Ministerial slot for your sweat.
In the meantime, let us have a slight breathing space. Your “notice-me” strategy really isn’t working. Devote more time on your build-up to 2015; miracles do happen. This time around, the Almighty God may come to your rescue by raising more than 26, 000 electorate to queue behind you.
Twitter: @WaleOdunsi
