Not too long ago when MTV was still mildly entertaining, they had a great show called Celebrity Deathmatch. In naija we now have our own real life version of the show called Political Deathmatch.
In the far corner is the embattled VP - Atiku (aka oko jennifer) , his opponent is the president - obj (aka baba iyabo)
the story so far,
Round one, EFCC submits damning report on Atiku
Round two, Obj sends efcc report to the senate, recommending Atiku is impeached.
Round three, Atiku strikes back in true naija style ('you tarka me i daboh you'), claiming obj too is corrupt and they both 'shared' the loot
Both parties are taking no prisoners and its going to be a fight to finish
Trust Reuben Abati he has an interesting piece on the whole saga called 'A Bolekaja Presidency'
http://odili.net/news/source/2006/sep/15/2.html
http://odili.net/news/source/2006/sep/17/10.html
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???
The news that the military lost 8 major generals in the Dornier 228 plane that crashed near Obudu, raises a lot of questions as regards to why so many of the military top brass travelled on the same flight.
Apart from making the plane an obvious target for the many groups that have grudges against the military, it shows a complete lack of awareness of basic security precautions. A company i worked for had a policy where no more than 2 directors could travel on the same flight. It was actually for insurance purposes but it made absolute sense as it safeguards the future of the company.
The Nigerian military obviously doesn't understand the concept of not putting all your eggs in one basket. God help us all if we have to rely on them in a state of war...
3 comments:
The ongoing clash bewteen the president and his deputy which Reuben Abati refers to as Bolekaja Presidency in his op-eds, marks a milestone in Nigerian political history. And for it's worth it's darn good for the nation, politically.
As the clash has revealed both teh accusser and the accussed are both guilty of one crime or the other, impeachable crimes in my opinion.
I'm wont to ask if Atiku and Obasanjo are in good terms, or if Atiku has no plans to contest the 2007 presidencial elections, would Nigerians have lived to see the dirt of the two most important public officials being laundered openly? How many more guilty public officials have the EFCC failed to investigate? Why is it that the majority of those under the EFCC's radar are those with attachments to the anti-Obasanjo camp? Does it mean that those within the president's camp are all clean?
Why has the EFCC failed to expose the numerous ethical missteps of the president - his investments in TransCorp, a business conglomerate he helped created; and his acceptance of funds from questionable sources to fund his foundation and business interests? Has Mike Adenuga's N250 million donation to Obasanjo's presidential library been returned?
Despite the excellent work done by the EFCC, it appears that there are strong indications that the agency is being used to witch-hunt. Simple.
Unfortunately, the aspiring class of politicians wanting to step-in in 2007 have all failed to capitalize on the excellent opportunity this faceoff brings. I have yet to hear any clear statements from none of them on their stance on the matter. Even the so-called king of Nigerian pundits, Reuben Abati, so far hasn't mentioned nothing new, or offered any extra insights into the issue.
The the Obasanjo-Atiku faceoff should be seen beyond its entertainment value and its obvious consequences, but so far that is what everyone has done!
You have to appreciate the comical value in the face off between Atiku and Obj, its pure comedy watching the president and vice president calling each other thieves.
The EFCC may be going after those in the anti-Obasanjo camp but not too long ago these same people were in Obj's camp enjoying the high life.
Obj obviously has nothing to lose and his current moves shows that he doesn't care about the fall out from his war with Atiku. You have to remember that the first rule in Naija politics is self preservation. You don't declare open war on your 'political opponents' if you're planning to extend your rule, you either neutralise them early on or you coerce them into your fold.
That he has turned his dogs (EFCC) on Atiku and IBB at this stage is part of his back up strategy (since the third term plot failed) to ensure neither Atiku or IBB gets to Aso rock.
As regards to the other presidential candidates, like i said earlier the first rule in naija politics is self preservation. Until a clear winner emerges from the face off, none of them will say anything, although their silence speaks volumes about where their loyalties lie.
As regards to the allegations against Obj, his time will come. He obviously has not learnt anything from history. He seems to have forgotten that one of the laws/decrees that he put in place when he was in power in the 70s was later used by Abacha to imprison him in the 90s.
That EFCC bulldog that he has unleashed on his opponents may one day turn on him...
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