Coro: Opening up of interstate travel and sundry issues…Edo: Like Naboth, like Obaseki
A lot is happening on the coro front. The first and the greatest news this week is the open-up on interstate travels. Most Nigerians, especially transporters and allied businesses (including area boys) are rejoicing; they have lost about N200m due to the interstate lockup. However, the security agents are mournful because their collective ATM has been dis-enabled. I have seen and or spoken to those who travelled, some regularly, during the interstate lockdown.
It is just a matter of cash. Premium Times (1/6/20) did undercover operations on the matter and reported what they saw as an extortion bazaar, with security agents and state officials as the auctioneers. The Cable (25/5/20) did theirs and reported that with N16,500, you could conveniently travel from Lagos to Abuja (what are you going to do at Abuja that warrants such a huge investment on bribery?). So, the security agents are sad but as Osadebe would say, Osondi-Owendi! (some are happy and some are sad).
So how do Nigerians react to this “good” news. Those of us who are “village men” are glad that we should touch base with our folks at home. Those whose residences and offices are in different states (like Lagos-Ogun; Abuja-Nasarawa) are glad that they can now do their bit in peace and save all the money and harrowing stress associated with illegal interstate operations. But people are worried about the implications in an environment where people do not believe that coro is real, lack personal discipline and believe that God would do it for them.
The picture that emerged of people desperately struggling for food at the Ibadan burial last week or those struggling for bus-space at Obalende after the tumultuous rains two weeks ago, show how safety-conscious we are. But the government has little choice; given the nature of our socio-economic environment, Nigeria CANNOT afford to lock down its economy. We just lack what it takes to lock down. But coro is real. A dear friend of mine just informed me that he has been coronised while Governor Akeredolu of Ondo state, in the midst of the political rofo-refo his deputy has just tested positive!
The flurry of events involving Obaseki, Oshiomhole, Edo State and APC in the past two weeks will make an epic novel or film. Unfortunately, I am neither Chinua Achebe nor Kunle Afolayan
On 11/6/20, we examined the political dynamics of the coro-war in Kogi State; how the state awarded itself the non-covid gold medal and frontally accused the NCDC of manipulating the process to ensure that Kogi is coronalised. (Ik Muo; Kogi State & Coro: The politics of acrimony & incivility,11/6/20) Before then, the state had announced to that it tested 111 samples “with testing kits sourced independently but following NCDC guidelines”, and they all turned out negative! After the stringent denial of the Kogi index case, and the mudslinging following it, everything appeared to have cooled down.
But in the recent past, the Kogi State Chief Judge (Nassir Ajanah) died at an isolation centre in Abuja. An Aid to the governor and President of Kogi Customary Court of Appeal also died. I did not see much in the press from the Kogi Commissioners for Information and Health but just as I was writing this, Governor Bello himself roared! He was tired of speaking through his “boys”. At the third day prayers for late Ajana, the governor declared that the late jurist did not die of coro, a disease he described as artificial and worse than banditry, Boko Haram and genocide put together; adding that it was unfortunately imported, propagated and forced on the people for no just cause. He ended by advising “his people” to reject the “cut and paste disease meant to create fear, panic; orchestrated to reduce and shorten their lifespan”! This is harsh and serious. Again, I ask: what is happening? Is there something that we, the ordinary people do not know? While commiserating with the families, I believe that there is no benefit in denying the obvious because facts do not seize to exist because they are denied. I also encourage the Kogi State Government to prioritise the interest of Kogites and leave politics out of the matter.
In Anambra state, the process and access to coro-testing remains mysterious. On the 19th of May, it was gleefully announced that a private laboratory in the state, Accunalysis Diagnostic Centre Limited, Nnewi had been accredited by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and had begun COVID-19 testing in the state. This was in addition to other centres awaiting NCDC certification. Last week, a good friend of mine got sick and his people were willing to undertake the coro test but it was not to be. The stories were that Anambra State does its tests at Irrua Specialist Hospital Edo State and that this is done biweekly! Irrua Specialist Hospital?
Once every two weeks? What happened to the certified centre at Nnewi and why should the test samples be collected once in two weeks? I tried to confirm “what’s gwan” from a state government official who is in a position to clarify but did not hear from him as at 30/6/20. Enugu State does its coro-tests at Ebonyi State. It may not be as stressful as the process in Anambra state but a friend of mine told me that one needed to know people at NCDC who can then give you a free passage to the place. So, what is happening? In Lagos, there are test centres in all the 20 “authentic” local governments areas. The addresses are publicised and people encouraged to go and undertake the tests. There is even community testing in some parts of the country. So, what is the problem? Is this a federal or a state affair? Whatever the case and whoever is responsible, Anambra lives matter!
Other Matters: Like Naboth, like Obaseki; well, not exactly!
Even my best friend, the one I trusted completely, the one who shared my food, has turned against me. Psalm 41.9
The flurry of events involving Obaseki, Oshiomhole, Edo State and APC in the past two weeks will make an epic novel or film. Unfortunately, I am neither Chinua Achebe nor Kunle Afolayan. However, if one cannot do a BIG thing, let him at least do a small one he can. Whether big or small, the common denominator is doing something! I have therefore decided to interrogate a minuscule of these weird, embarrassing and shameful happenings. It is shameful for our politics and politicians, for governance for our judicial system, for rule of law and for individuals involved, especially our former khaki wearing comrade.
The story of Naboth is told in 1 Kings 21:1-16. Our people say that being a neighbour to a big man is either a beneficial or woeful experience unless the neighbour is equally a big man. King Ahab wanted Naboth’s land to further expand and beautify his already expansive abode. The King was willing to pay whatever it is worth in cash and kind but Naboth refused and His fiendish wife, Jezebel, was surprised that Ahab, a whole king could not dominate ordinary Naboth and she took it from there and that is where the similarity between Naboth and Obaseki arose. She wrote a letter in the king’s name, directing the elders to set up an emergency religious jury, procure some area boys to manufacture charges against Naboth, judge and condemn him to death and get the judgment executed. They did so and the king took over the land. (Don’t underestimate the power of women or you can go and ask Mugabe in the grave or Zimbabweans!). Naboth had no chance in the whole matter. The whole thing was cooked up from above and given the power of his traducers, he was out even before the battle started.
In this Edo political charade, Oshiomhole acted like Jezebel. Oshiomhole, whose own certificates have several gaping holes in them, set up a screening committee to clear the APC governorship candidates, including Obaseki who worked with him for 8 years and has been governor for almost 4 years. The first committee expectedly floored Obaseki mercilessly and submitted its report to another committee where Oshiomhole was in charge and within a minute, the report was ratified. And this is an issue in which Oshiomhole has direct visible interest and thus he became a judge in his and his own case! And the winner is…. Eze-Iyamu; a classical situation of working from answer to question. Oshiomhole went home to dance… for destroying what he had built! That was in bad taste. I actually wanted to make sure that he had a good celebration and had sourced the most expensive champagne ever made, ‘Taste of Diamonds’, by Goût de Diamants, costing $1.8m bottle! That was the only drink worthy of such an epic celebration. Unfortunately, before the sinfully expensive drink, which bottle houses a real diamond right on its face could arrive, the tables turned so suddenly and violently and the former comrade fell from the pinnacle to the valley
How are the mighty fallen and despite his small size, it was a great fall? It appears Osho was being punished for all his political iniquities (Amos 3:2) and he was overthrown like God mercilessly overthrew Sodom & Gomorrah. We all know that those who are down to earth do not do things in half measures (if you doubt, go to Kaduna and ask). The former comrade who had declared Obaseki was the backbone of his administration and best man for the job, and who called Eze-Iyamu a Thi… in the market square, suddenly and bold-facedly declared that Eze-Iyamu is the only man and that Obaseki is a villain. I don’t want to go into what happened to Ahab and his foxy wife but the Bible has it that ‘there never was anyone like Ahab for double dealing and for doing what is displeasing to God, urged by Jezebel… (1 King 21:25). I don’t know what Oshiomhole’s wife (who has been missing in action of late) has to do with this political hocus-pocus (I speak big grammar when I am annoyed) but in this matter, Oshiomhole has showcased his expertise in double dealing.
Actually, Psalm 41.9 quoted at the beginning can be the lamentation of Oshiomhole or Obaseki, his frenemy and nemesis. Of course, Obaseki is not a harmless, meek lamb like Naboth. Leo Sobechi( I have always savoured his reports) accused Oshiomhole who had stood ‘at all times against the imposition of one mans will against the collective whim of the people’, of political trickery and administrative overkill and of demanding that political stricture be appeased and serviced ( Guardian, 21/6/20,pp28-29). Obaseki on his own path got involved on self-preservation and confrontational manoeuvres, invented imaginary enemies, deployed his troop and powers and fought like a wounded lion. He inaugurated a minority legislator, got a few ward executives to floor the National Chairman, declared a whole Oshoo, a persona non grata in Edo state (he learnt from Amaechi and Ganduje!) and demolished the house of Oshos supporter. He also did not know that there is something called betrayal of thrust.
How can Oshiomhole turn around to play the godfather? Or even dream of doing so? He who crowned himself the nemesis of godfathers, boasted how he politically demolished, demystified and banished the likes of Anenih, Dokpesi and Igbinedion, and banished them from the polity? He who swore the step on toes and if necessary, chop off those toes in the larger public interest. He who had promised NEVER to distract or interfere with whoever governs afterwards’! In an interview in 2016, he declared ‘As I speak, all of them are down and I am the only one standing’. So, even though he had left office, he still carried on as the only one STANDING turning himself into a puppeteer and remote control! In a democracy and particularly in a Nigerian democracy?
And look at the shame of the Nigerian party politics. The PDP, which spent the last four years attacking Obaseki, mostly maliciously, exposing his incompetence will now raise his hand and beat drums for him? And APC which had been saying ‘nothing do you’ to Obaseki will now move to the other side of the field and tell the people how hopeless he is! APC made history by having 4 chairmen in 24 hours; the courts were issuing injunctions right left and centre while Obaseki and to the less extent, Iyamu climbed the tree from the top. And you call it a democracy?
Anyway, it is not yet over but Oshiomhole has finished himself. That is what happens when ordinary people start playing god. That is what happens when people wear the perquisites in their forehead (rather than behind) such that life becomes meaningless when it falls off. As for the September election, I can only prophesy that one party must win. Yes; there is no way two of them can win! Maybe then, I will make available my $1.8m champaign for the final celebration. And for Obaseki, this is just the end of the beginning and he should learn from the travails of his master