Reno Omokri’s Widely Circulated Audio On Rt. Hon. Rotimi Amaechi And Why I Thought It’s Unlike Omokri -By Ifeanyichukwu Mmoh

I have followed Reno Omokri’s thoughts on social media and have noted the things he stands for as far as politics and governance in our country Nigeria was concerned. He impressed me with his allegations and I believe he did so to quite a number of other notable critics that plied their trade on the social media when the ‘Buhari Double’ propaganda rented the air.

I find some of his thoughts to be really educating especially as one who had once served in the inner circles of government himself. He did a beautiful nailing on Festus Keyamo’s style as a re-election spokesperson for President Buhari. Omokri comes across as one individual who will easily die for Nigeria and then wish to be remembered as a great Nigerian martyr. He is one barometer that tells whether or not one was democratic.

One wonders then what he is up to when he threatens to release an audio he claims was damaging to the person of Rt. Hon Chibuike Amaechi – Nigeria’s Transport Minister. For Omokri who will never fall for the idea that President Buhari was a democrat; you will be surprised to imagine whether or not he did consider his options well enough before proceeding to even ‘threaten’ an honorable minister.

If the Minister of Transport actually said those things, the question is: How has he offended the president? By the way, was it not true that the president listened to no one and cared less? And if the president discovers the tape and probably fires the Minister (as many bad-belle Nigerians wished he does); will it not confirm Omokri’s belief that the president was more of a melancholic autocrat than he was a democrat?

You see, sometimes one could become wise to a fault. Here was a man who believed this government and its president are totalitarian making a U-turn to do a thing in which he hoped will trigger the president to fire one of his most loyal minister in order to finally condemn the president as being autocratic. Would it not have been better if he turned his face the other way and allowed the APC sort themselves out?

The APC came to divide and rule Nigeria and this is why they both suffered and smiled. Sometime last year, it was the honorable minister of women affairs – Hajia Aisha Alhassan – who almost came under fire were it not for the fact that she owned up to what was allegedly credited to her. She openly confirmed what she’d said earlier and made it clear that she was not afraid of being relieved of her job.

The ominous self-styled Buharists led by Mallam Nasir El-Rufai had pounced on the saga in the hope of scoring some cheap political points. The fact is that Nigerians have given Mr. President the false impression that he was ‘god’ and that anyone who dared to talk back at him was doomed. I laugh when I hear breaking stories such as what is being credited to the honorable minister of transport.

It is cowardice on the part of the minister if that audio is true. It is cowardice because in the first place what was said is never a lie. The president does not seem to know that he is president of Nigeria. He thinks that he is the president of the federal republic of the ‘Cabal’ or the ‘Kitchen Cabinet’. It is not everyone who works in government that wished to be sidelined; salary or not. A great number prefer to make useful input whether or not they got paid.

Unfortunately, while your sensibility was greatly insulted by your C-in-C; your friends and close associates thought otherwise and that keep you from resigning your appointment. I remembered when in 2017, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu came out to say that the insubordination of the GMD of NNPC – Maikanti Baru – was becoming an embarrassment but was ignored. He did not do what I expected of him but remained in office.

Not up to 3 months later, Nigeria faced the great embarrassment of fuel scarcity that obliterated the little progress which the government hopes to use as pointers to their success when the president’s New Year speech for 2018 was due. It boiled down to the same thing: The President does not listen. He does not care! So, for Reno Omokri to know all these but yet go on to make the un-listening President look like god was unlike Omokri.

For me, the president does not need to hear the tape because he should – of course – know by now that if he was going to deal with the members of the NASS who booed him the other day; he may be required to update his list of enemies every minute of the day. This is because he who thinks he can intimidate the great people of Nigeria by divide and rule and, then subject the whole land to paucity of cash and food must be ready for surprises like this.

Reno Omokri must think of another good subject that can stir the hornet’s nest and quickly drop this joke. I can tell that the president himself knows that he is not on the same page with 2/3 of his party-men as things stand now. This is why he is determined that his close relatives must occupy those positions that may enable him to clinch power for a second term. If my claims aren’t correct, the president should prove it by removing Amina Zakari.

He should prove it by letting the IGP go into retirement. Only a president who has acted in fairness can feel betrayed by that audio; that is, assuming the audio was authentic. A president that has stirred the ship of state in a manner that make you only bite your finger and in anger, say: “Presido, come find second tenure if you fit. We dey wait for you with our PVCs.” Patriots like Omokri do not need to be seen as lending credence to an autocrat.

The APC is at best a party that was clearly heading for the rocks and I do not think it’s best for one to meddle in an affair that none was privy to when it all started. Just this morning, I read a copy of the Nigerian Pilot as I sought a balanced perspective to the trending story only to find what can best be described as balderdash. They captioned the story: STRIPPED! And then went on to write.

They said the DG of the Buhari re-election campaign had been technically stripped of the powers and, in his stead Asiwaju Bola Tinubu is named as the C-in-C of the campaign. But the question is: Who was Buhari’s campaign DG in 2014? Amaechi. What was Tinubu’s role back then? He was C-in-C of the campaign. Why then is it news today as Buhari announced that Tinubu was to be in charge of the campaign?

Recall that Tinubu had decline the offer to head the campaigns a few months ago. My guess is that the president knowingly put out the request again but this time; he did it openly and in such a manner that it was impossible for Tinubu to say no. So rather than entertain the public with the real gist, the paper turned and twisted the trending story just to stir up public interest.

Nigeria is standing at the junction that led to several directions. What the electorates are really interested in was to know WHO COULD FIX THEIR STOMACH INFRASTRUCTURE AND WHO CAN DO THAT IN RECORD TIME. As I write this piece, strong indications are that this election may well be about that candidate that out-buys his fellow contestants in the vote buying spree.

This is why entertainers on social media must focus on what was happening that could be detrimental to the elections instead of feeding us with frivolous stories that turns out to be rumors and lies at the end of the day. Meanwhile, I am not the image-manager for the honorable minister nor am I here to make enemies with Reno Omokri. What I write is simply MY TAKE on this subject. Do have a blessed evening reading this.                

Comrade Ifeanyichukwu Mmoh is an advocate for attitudinal change, a researcher and authored (THE ORIGIN OF IGBO MARGINALIZATION IN NIGERIA). 08062577718.