Columnists
Nigeria ‘JAGA JAGA’: Adamawa Show Of Shame -By Richard Odusanya
“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” Sure, it’s a little dramatic, and you wouldn’t be blamed for letting loose a loud sigh and eye roll if someone said it to you in a preachy way. But the man who wrote these words had a good point. Continuity is necessary to progress — or, in normal-people words, we must remember stuff from our past in order to do it better in the future.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo and Eedris Abdulkareem once engaged in battle over ‘Nigeria Jaga Jaga’ song. Similarly, Abdulkareem once had a running battle with the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo for disparaging him in his new release, ‘jagajaga reloaded,’ Abdulkareem had a serious issues with former President Olusegun Obasanjo in 2004 when he first released his song ‘Jaga Jaga.’ Tragically, the same Festus Keyamu (SAN), was in a hurry to congratulate Aisha Binani in a shameful melodrama in infamous ‘Adamawa debacle.’
On Sunday 16th of April, Nigerians were taken by surprise with the unfolding events in Adamawa state, the home state of Atiku Abubakar the peoples democratic party PDP candidate in the just concluded general elections. Sadly, a certain Hudu Yunusa-Ari, the resident electoral commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Adamawa, has stoked controversy in the state’s governorship election.
Around 9am on Sunday morning, the ‘INEC REC’ announced Aisha ‘Binani’ Dahiru, candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), as the winner of the election. His announcement elicited serious concerns about the legalities and the display of impunity. Hudu, was aided by the paraphernalia of state, which includes the state commissioner of police, the state director of DSS and others. The rogue ‘INEC REC’ throw caution into the wind and embarked on the kind of activities that we have not witness after the dark era of Prof Morris Iwu, supervised by the then President Olusegun Obasanjo.
Unsurprisingly, hidden behind misadventures is self-centered mind-sets, personal aggrandizement and greed. Many are worthy in learning but unworthy in character. No values, no virtues, no integrity. It is instructive that today in the 21st century and technology age, our beloved country Nigeria is still struggling with electoral malpractices involving the high and mighty. What is more, the mind kept agitating, will the much talk about the Nigeria’s Political Dilemma continue like this? Is it a parting gift from president Muhammadu Buhari and the wife? Why the desperation?
Could it be a case of history repeating itself? I remember vividly the same scenario played out with the then ruling party NPN in the 1983 general elections, they called it “landslide victory” which inevitably led to the military take-over. Again in the current dispensation (4th republic), election manipulation, rigging and all manners of brigandage was the norm during the inglorious era of former President Olusegun Obasanjo who is the protagonist of do-or-die politics.
Incidentally, to those who are saying when we have more women in power things will get better, now we all can see what a representative of the women is doing. Engaging in fraud, malpractices and whatever is wrong is not about gender. We have bad men and women. Tragically, this is not the kind of democracy that our heroes envisioned. The woman at the center of the drama is certainly not a reflection of the likes of: Hillary Clinton, Funmilayo Ramsome-Kuti, Margaret Ekpo and Queen Amina the great Amazon.
It is against this backdrop that I will be advocating for stringent measures that will serve as a deterrent to others. Therefore, it has become absolutely necessary to strengthen our laws, so that we do not continue to reward bad behavior with plum office like the case of a current and ranking Senator who organized the stealing of the symbol of authority of the 8th NASS and subsequently was rewarded with higher office. Nation-building goes beyond a handful of greedy minds sharing political positions and offices, it is about selflessness and patriotism.
Finally, permit me to conclude this contribution with the golden words of a Spanish philosopher George Santaya, who was credited with the old adage: “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” Sure, it’s a little dramatic, and you wouldn’t be blamed for letting loose a loud sigh and eye roll if someone said it to you in a preachy way. But the man who wrote these words had a good point. Continuity is necessary to progress — or, in normal-people words, we must remember stuff from our past in order to do it better in the future.
Richard Odusanya
odusanyagold@gmail.com
