By Dele Sobowale
In all matters, one must consider the end” – Jean De La Fontaine, 1621-
“A man cannot be too careful in his choice of enemies”– Oscar Wilde, 1856-1900.
Every active and deliberately controversial politician in a deadly political environment has two lives to protect – his real life and his political life. Occasionally, the two lives are imperiled at the same time on account of circumstances brought about by him or beyond his control. For a long time in the history of partisan politics, a politician has placed his two lives in jeopardy. The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, has inadvertently boxed himself into a very tight corner.
With the exception of the Almighty God, who alone can do and undo, his two lives now are in the hands of one man – President Bola Tinubu; who by merely dropping him as a Minister, will hand him to all the enemies ready to literally tear him to pieces unless he can run away. Even, long life in self-exile is not guaranteed. Nyesom Wike might not realize this; he has been the architect of what may eventually happen to him. Here is why.
SERIAL BETRAYAL OF POLITICAL ASSOCIATES
“Ingratitude is a crime more despicable than revenge; which is returning evil for evil; while ingratitude returns evil for good” – William George Jordan.
Among the latest victims of Wike’s brand of politics is Governor Makinde of Oyo State; who committed the greatest blunder of his political life by teaming up with Wike to deny the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Atiku, of winning the election in 2023. Makinde was one of four other PDP governors who went on several trips with Wike to London to work against the party’s ticket. The only beneficiary of their anti-party activities has been Wike.
With the scales now removed from his eyes, Makinde finds himself at loggerheads with Wike. My Yoruba brother deserves the pain for choosing the wrong leader to follow. He should have asked others who helped to promote Wike from Local Government Chairman to Commissioner to Minister to governor. All of them – including a former president and former governors of Rivers State – are now his life-long enemies. They now wish they never set their eyes on him. There must be a reason.
It is instructive that the man who, as governor of Rivers State, ordered the demolition of the State Headquarters of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Port- Harcourt, has turned around to revoke the Certificate of Occupancy of the PDP HQ in Abuja in order to please his current boss; while still claiming to be a PDP member. Political perfidy has no better definition. The obvious question is: In whose interest does he use the power given to him? It certainly cannot be in the interest of the parties; which should seek to promote the policy of politics without bitterness. Acrimonious employment of power invariably invites conflict and violence which threaten our weak democracy. Abuse of power is betrayal of trust.
POWER DRUNKENNESS CAN BE SELF-DESTRUCTIVE
“It is useless pushing a drunkard; he’ll fall down all by himself” – Andre Schwartz-Bart, VANGUARD BOOK OF QUOTATIONS, VBQ, p 43.
Drunkenness, whether induced by the contents of a bottle or by great power, frequently leads to the same result socially. The fellow who has over-stepped the bounds of what is generally acceptable soon finds himself increasingly isolated. Inevitably, the effort to get rid the fellow gathers momentum. Thereafter, only God can save him. We are at that stage now.
Ignoring Wilde’s advice, Wike has been too careless in his choice of enemies. The adversaries are now at the gate; and they are not about to leave soon without claiming a scalp – unless God and Tinubu save him.
Those who exercise power with the attitude, “Let them hate as long as they fear” (Lucius Accius, c170-86 BC), bring into power a spiked club, ready to bludgeon any opposition, even on minor matters, into submission. Negotiation and compromise are alien to them. They are secure as long as they wield the power; but, vulnerable when power falls from their hands. Unfortunately for Wike, the power he now wields is borrowed. He serves at the pleasure of the president who delegated the clout. His survival hangs on a thread which can be severed at will by Tinubu. Thereafter, the hunter will become the most hunted man in Nigeria. I pity Wike.
Suddenly, rumours have started flying about alleged massive corruption; which have placed Tinubu in serious jeopardy with respect to the 2027 elections. I said rumours because fairness dictates that Wike deserves the benefits of doubt. No man should be convicted on the pages of newspapers or on the television or radio or social media merely on suspicion. However, Wike should understand that every Nigerian is not Dele Sobowale. Millions have already judged him guilty as allegedly charged. They are only waiting for Tinubu to rubber stamp their verdict in order for the lynch mob to take over. I feel very sorry for Wike.
On the face of it, the allegations appear to confront Tinubu with a serious dilemma. Wike is being accused of allocating about 40,000 plots of land in various parts of the FCT to his son, Joaquim; 350 hectares to Joaq Farms and Estates Ltd – also said to be mostly owned by the son; other land allocations were allegedly made to his 90-year old father, Joshua Wike, as well as over 30 other family members.
As if that was not serious enough, West Africa Weekly reported that Wike, in March this year, allegedly acquired a $2 million mansion in Florida, USA, in the names of his children: Joaquin, Jazmyne and Jordan, and his wife, Justice Eberechi Wike – who is also alleged to be a member of the Democratic Party in America. All these remain mere allegations. But, if only a fraction of the accusations turn out to be true, Wike would be best advised to run away as fast as his legs can carry him. He would have become a major liability to Tinubu; who would most likely cut the thread and remove the life support.
“Silence means consent.”
However, it is interesting that Wike, who hitherto had never allowed any accusation made against him to go unanswered almost the same day it is brought to his attention, has remained silent on the Florida mansion allegation. One thing remains.
Tinubu was away in Japan, US and Brazil when the news broke. Even if he had been briefed, more pressing state matters would place any decision on this issue on hold. The president will certainly have a report waiting on this matter when he returns.
RUINED UNIVERSITY EDUCATION; RUINED NATION
“Revolutions end up in the hands of mad men” – Saul Bellow, 1915-2005
It was a world class university, when the University of Ibadan was established in 1948 and managed by the British. They bequeathed to us in 1960 departments producing graduates as good as London University. Today, under the onslaught of Nigerian leaders and academics, UI no longer ranks as a world class university. The decline of the Nigerian pioneer university is symptomatic of what has happened to university education in the country as a whole.
Today, this nation lays claim to over 300 federal, state and private universities – as well as illegal ones – all producing over 500,000 graduates every year; but only a few are employable. Politically and corruption motivated approval of universities have brought us to a situation, in which, last year, 199 universities attracted less than 100 applicants, 34 zero applicants and one university had staff of 1, 200 attending to 800 students. The over-expansion of federal universities accelerated under President Jonathan and has continued till recently when the Minister of Education announced a pause. But, that was after Tinubu added eight more to under-funded, badly staffed and undesirable universities in Nigeria.
Shortly after Jonathan conceded the presidential election in 2015, I traveled to Otuoke, his home town, to find out the environment to which he would be retiring; and to take a look at the Federal University of Otuoke, whose temporary campus was just a stone throw, literally, from the presidential mansion. I returned to write a report on the Education Page of VANGUARD predicting that the university was destined to struggle for decades and might never be a good one. The number of applicants to that university, eight years after Jonathan summarises the situation of Nigerian universities established for political reasons.
I was in Niger State two weeks ago and several new private universities have sprung up since my last visit five years ago. The revolution started by Chief Igbinedion, when he established his university, has certainly ended in the hands of mad men.
How on Earth did we get here? And how can we get out of it?
*Dr. Sobowale is a commentator on
public issues
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