Last week was replete with different political stories that kept Nigerians busy with diverse reactions. FirstNews picked many of these events that Nigerians considered ridiculous and examined their implications on the country’s political development.
1. Jangebe schoolgirls’ abduction
One of the most ridiculous events in Nigeria’s political scene last week was the Friday, February 26 abduction of 317 schoolgirls in Government Girls Secondary School, Jangebe, Talata Mafara Local Government Area of Zamfara State by bandits.
Their abduction came while 27 other students of Kagara Government Science College in Niger State, who were kidnapped alongside some of their teachers a week earlier, were still in captivity. The Kagara students were later released on Saturday by the bandits.
Why it matters: ‘Once beaten, twice shy,’ they say. For many Nigerians, it has become highly ridiculous how terrorists and bandits continue to abduct citizens, especially schoolchildren under the nose of a government whose primary duty is to secure the lives and property of citizens.
More ridiculous in the whole saga, according to many observers of events in Nigerian politics, is President Muhammadu Buhari and his government’s reasons for the inability of the Federal Government to deploy soldiers against the marauding bandits.
Lest we forget, this is Buhari’s exact word as quoted by his media aide, Garba Shehu, on why his government is afraid to attack bandits: “We have the capacity to deploy massive force against the bandits in the villages where they operate, but our limitation is the fear of heavy casualties of innocent villagers and hostages who might be used as human shields by the bandits.”
Mr President may be right. However, what many Nigerians want to hear from their number one leader are words of assurance on how to deal with the bandits and not excuses on why the government will do nothing but allow them to continue to wreak havoc on the country and hapless citizens.
2. Lalong’s funny claim
Governor of Plateau State and Chairman of the Northern Governors Forum, Simon Lalong, on Tuesday, February 23, made a claim many Nigerians described as laughable when he said that Fulani herdsmen were not the only ones carrying AK-47 rifles about; but farmers, too.
Lalong said on a Channels Television programme, ‘Sunrise Daily’, “Today, we are now seeing the hazard of allowing people do open grazing here and there. But they (herders) also want a solution; by the time you explain to them, they also want to stay in one place, they would also want to keep away from carrying AK-47.
“I am not justifying anybody to carry AK-47, but don’t forget that in the course of our deliberations and investigations, it was not only Fulani herdsmen that were carrying AK-47, even farmers were carrying AK-47.
“At the time there were farmers-herdsmen’s clashes in Plateau, we arrested people; farmers also had AK-47 and the herdsmen were also holding AK-47, too.”
Why it matters: As far as many Nigerians are concerned, the claim by the governor appears laughable and sycophantic. Some are already accusing Lalong of making the claim just to impress the Presidency and remain in the good books of the Federal Government, which had several times been accused of looking the other way over the many atrocities of killer herdsmen across the country.
Beyond the amusement the claim generates, many Nigerians want Lalong to prove his claim with fact. They are also saying that, if farmers carry AK-47 like the killer herdsmen, as Lalong want them to believe, why then are farmers always casualties in clashes involving them and herdsmen?
Meanwhile, if the claim that some farmers, like herdsmen, carry AK-47 is true, it paints only a picture of one thing: failure of governance.
3. Gov Ikpeazu’s, Senator Adeyemi’s shameful rants
Another last week event several Nigerians considered ridiculous was the rants between the senator representing Kogi West, Smart Adeyemi and governor of Abia State, Okezie Ikpeazu.
At the plenary of the Senate on Tuesday, February 23, Adeyemi, while making a contribution to a motion on the urgent need for the restoration and revalidation of the Safe School Initiative in Nigeria, said:
“In some states of Nigeria today, where we have highly intelligent people, highly educated people, very enterprising people, like Abia, they are governed by drunkards. The governor of Abia is a champagne drinking man.”
The same day, Okezie through his Chief Press Secretary, Onyebuchi Ememanka replied that Adeyemi required urgent psychiatric evaluation for acute dementia. He added that the senator sas suffering from “occasional fits of schizophrenia, which manifests with the making of careless, dishonourable, unrelated and incoherent statements.”
Why it matters: This kind of rants by the leaders at a time Nigeria is under fire from terrorists, bandits, killer herdsmen and kidnappers are not only laughable but also give an insight into why Nigeria’s situation continues to deteriorate, when leaders whose ‘house is on fire are busy pursuing rats.’
4. Lai’s absurd excuse
You may not want to believe this, but it is true. On Monday, February 22, the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, bewildered Nigerians with his excuse on why the Muhammadu Buhari-led government is hesitatant in flushing out bandits kidnapping school children and other Nigerians, raping women, rustling cows, killing innocent citizens and committing other heinous crimes.
The minister while speaking on a Channels Television programme, ‘Politics Today,’ said that the government would not want to destroy forests because of bandits hiding inside them.
According to him, the solution to “eliminating bandits from the forest is to have better consultation between sub-national governments, the federal government and security agencies, instead of destroying forests to dislodge them.”
He added, “We cannot destroy the forests because of climate change. The better approach is not to destroy the forests because it would affect the eco-system. But what we need is better consultation with sub-national governments and security agencies on how to secure the forests to make them safe for everybody.”
Why it matters: This is coming from the same government which a CNN report and other media reports confirmed unleashed its soldiers recently to destroy harmless and unarmed youths protesting for the good of the country at Lekki tollgate in Lagos.
The same government, which also recently, deployed soldiers in forests in Orlu, Imo State, to haunt down Eastern Security Network members, who are not known to have committed a modicum of the atrocities being committed on a daily basis by bandits and terrorists, is saying it would not want to destroy forests because of bandits.
Strange, many political observers say. According to them, there may possibly be more to the statement than meet the eyes.
5. Cleric Gumi’s incredible advice
Also, to fall in the list of ridiculous events in Nigeria’s political scene in the week under review was the incredible advice to Nigerians by a popular Islamic cleric, Sheik Ahmad Gumi.
The cleric on Thursday, February 25, while speaking on Arise TV, told Nigerians to stop addressing bandits as criminals.
“You’re emphasising on criminality, even the press are criminals too because they are putting oil into the fire. These people (bandits) are listening to you; you should not address them as criminals, if you want them to succumb.” Gumi said.
Why it matters: The cleric’s comment is pitiable. It only goes to show how primordial sentiments of ethnicity and religion may have dangerously affected the reasoning of many Nigerians, especially those expected to know better.
6. Ex-Gov Okorocha’s ‘shaming’
For Nigerians, it was comical watching the drama that played out in Imo State on Sunday, February 21, when the former Imo State governor was arrested by police alongside some of his aides.
Okorocha, a current senator representing Imo West, was arrested for allegedly unsealing Spring Palm Estate linked to his wife, Nkechi.
Why it matters: One of the lessons from Okorocha’s ‘shaming’ is that power is transient. It also shows the level of ‘impunity’ among some Nigerian politicians. If truly Okorocha committed the act he was accused of by Hope Uzodinma’s government, he showed a good example of how those who make the law make a 360 degree turn around to break the same law.
7. Ortom vs Muhammed
Another ridiculous event past week was the spat between Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom and his counterpart from Bauchi State, Bala Mohammed.
On Monday, February 22, Ortom claimed that Mohammed was one of the ‘terrorists terrorising Nigeria’. He stated this in response to a recent comment by the Bauchi State Government justifying Fulani herdsmen carrying ‘AK-47, and attacking Ortom for his stand against open grazing.
“I wouldn’t want to be joining issues with my brother, friend, and colleague, Bauchi Governor, but since he has continued to vilify, intimidate and blackmail me, it is said that silence is consent… I am beginning to think that my brother, the governor of Bauchi State is part of the terrorist Fulani organisation that is terrorising this country.”
Why it matters: When the leaders continue to fight and wash their dirty linen in public, what do they expect those they are leading to do? Copy their examples, many will say. There are better things these leaders should engage themselves with. Defending criminality and attacking themselves were the least Nigerians expected from them. Hope they know the country is bleeding?
8. Ganduje’s aide’s arrest, sack
One of the events Nigerians considered most ridiculous was the sack and arrest of Salihu Tanko Yakasai, an aide to Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, on February 26.
Following the abduction of over 300 schoolgirls in Zamfara State, Salihu, who is the son of an elder statesman, Tanko Yakasai, had said, “Clearly, we as APC government, at all levels, have failed Nigerians in the number one duty we were elected to do which is to secure lives and properties. Not a single day goes by without some sort of insecurity in this land. This is a shame! Deal with terrorists decisively or resign.”
Soon after that statement, Salihu was not only sacked by the Kano State governor, but was also arrested by the Department of State Service.
DSS has confirmed it arrested Salihu. It however said, “He is being investigated over issues beyond the expression of opinions in the social media as wrongly alleged by sections of the public.”
Why it matters: Many still find what happened to Salihu in a country that claims to be practising democracy, unbelievable. Whatever the reason that may be given on why the former aide to the Kano State governor was arrested, one thing that is certain is that Nigerians are not fools.
Hope events in this new week will not be more ridiculous.
Find out when Politics Roundup returns next week. Till then, have a great week!
