3rd August, 2015
By Nonso Nwando
The late afro beat music maestro, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, in one of his songs of 1980s says: ”…The driver committed a crime, conductor was sent to jail”. This best describes recent media onslaught of former aide, media and publicity to GEJ, Dr Reuben Abati. It is an unfortunate mindset to assail Mr Abati for his stewardship when the real culprit is the former president,Goodluck Ebele Jonathan. I have had to read several verbal attacks being hauled at Mr Abati with disbelief. Nobody has told us what he/she would have done differently. This is where the hypocrisy lies.
We may attempt to deceive other people but we can’t deceive ourselves. Mr Abati is one of our brightest minds. Take it or leave, he’s still very much on ground and should be celebrated for the service he rendered to his fatherland, though he wasn’t perfect. If the truth must be told, it was his exceptional brilliance that catapulted him to Aso Rock. He was not a failure with regard to his official duties. To be frank, I have always asked myself, if I was put in Mr Abati’s shoes, what will I do differently? You may as well extend the question to yourself and be honest in your assessment. Work ethics requires every employee to always speak well of their master, sure Mr Abati didn’t fail in that aspect. I am yet to see any man born of a woman in Nigeria that will turn down such a mouth-watering offer, to become a presidential spokesperson, and so Mr Abati is neither guilty as some people want us to believe nor did he offend anyone. No apologies to
people on the other side of the fence.
Everyone knows that Abati had distinguished himself as a prolific writer and author before he was called to serve his fatherland. Keen observers of Nigerian state know that the Nigerian government hates honest people who stand up to them. Mr Abati was among few honest Nigerian journalists until his appointment. The modus operandi is either to join the bandwagon or you leave them and die in penury. That was how Mr Abati fell for the former. Being a spokesperson to the president is a once in a lifetime opportunity, am sure Mr Abati is a fulfilled man now. Those who are disappointed may not know how fulfilled Abati’s immediate family, friends and well wishers are right now. Even pastors, general overseers accept financial inducements, positions from armed robbers, rogue politicians, government officials without questioning the rationale behind such gifts. Why will Abati refuse to serve his country?
If the truth must be told, it is not everyone that has the grace to turn black into white on the pages of newspaper. As a spokesman of any organization, the job entails telling lies, one must be a genius to succeed in the trade. Mr Abati is an exceptional and a prolific writer but lying is not his area of specialization but to report things the way they were. It was easy to know when he was peddling lies, to that extent the government he was defending became more vulnerable, he was never in a position to influence government decisions. Don’t forget, the media was very negative about the country, some people made it so. These people are not interested in the progress being made in the country.
Since Mr Abati has joined “yesterday’s men” attention should be shifted to the incumbent spokesman for the presidency, Mr Adesina. I want him to succeed because he’s a pastor but am afraid if he would. The reason is so simple, Nigerian politicians had made life so difficult that hardly will anyone survive in serving them without compromising. Professionals and men of God have sold themselves to our politicians for a pot of porridge. Williams Butler Yeats in his famous poem said, “The best lack all conviction while the worst are full of passionate conviction”. What a country!
I am happy for Mr Femi Adesina because it is a new dawn for him and his family and friends and bad news to the readers of his columns in the Sun newspapers. There will be no more inspiring articles for his readers until he’s done “shopping”. Until then, we will hear from him what Mr Abati is telling us now.
Well meaning Nigerians should compel Mr Adesina to do the things Mr Abati failed to do when he was there. That is the best way to go. It is note worthy to state without fear or favour that Mr Femi Adesina has done a number of things differently, one could see that he has learnt from Mr Abati’s mistakes. I observed that all the lies and propaganda that emanate from the presidency were left for their party’s publicity secretary to deal it. For me, this is an improvement compared to the previous administration, where Mr Abati dissipated the lies and also defended it. There was no division of labour.
It is two months down the line and still counting, and Nigerians are asking, where is the twenty thousand jobs for every state in Nigeria? Twenty million poor Nigerians are yet to receive their N5,000 monthly stipends. The argument that sixty days in office is not enough to assess a new administration could be tenable for others but not for president Muhammadu Buhari because he has prepared for this position for 12 years.
Charity they say begins at home. Nigerians seem to have lost touch with our new president, we don’t even understand what he is doing right now. The last two months witnessed a president who speaks from both sides of his mouth. He says one thing and does another, obviousily he has been caged and been remote-controlled. The enthusiasm that brought him to power is gradually fading and his party men provoked a very disappointing outcome in the National Assembly.
Barack Obama and African leaders are celebrating PMB today because of his stance on corruption and water tight resolution to end insurgency in the North eastern part of Nigeria. For me, I want Mr. President to carry all Nigerians along because nation building requires every citizen’s input. That was how we defeated Ebola outbreak in Nigeria.
Attacking Mr Abati when other burning national issues are begging for answers is hypocrital and amounts to playing to the gallery.
—Nwando writes from Lekki. E-mail: [email protected]