*By Bolaji O. Akinyemi
*2023 Presidency:* Northern Leaders Optimistic Kwankwaso Will Step Down For Atiku – Daily Independent.
That was the headline of confirmation for me published on the front page of Daily Independent Newspaper of Monday the 30th day of January 2023, after been troubled by the political trajectory of my moment of honour to which I was invited by ACIPA. The angels in the hallowed chamber of the National Headquarters of the ECWA Church in Jos, must have been as surprised as I was, when ACIPA DAY 2023 took a turn for political marketing engineered by Fulani nation using one from among us.
Born to rule is the slogan of Sokoto state, an interpretation of the grip of the oligarchy represented by the throne of the Sultan. Born to rule doesn't apply to all who were born in Sokoto or northern Nigeria, it speaks of those who by DNA have identified with the throne; as Fulanis.
Please, don't misunderstand me, I have nothing against the fulani nation and tribe, my excitement knew no bounds when I saw a thorough bred fulani man; Buba Aliyu, President of Fulani Christian Association of Nigeria, I sacrificed the front seat offered me by ACIPA's Chairman Rev Shehu Luke to sit beside this rare Ambassador of the Fulani nation.
It was meant to be a day of prayers, awards, investiture and book dedication according to the organizers.
A privilege it was for me to be listed for honour along with persons whose mark of stewardship to God for humanity in ministry has placed me close enough to humbly and gladly unlace their sandals if given the opportunity!
Rt. Rev. Fr. Dr Matthew Hassan Kukah is no mere a man of diplomacy and statesmanship. A seminarian extraordinaire with specialty in apologetics. His impact in this regard is beyond the borders of our continent having served the Vatican City as a member of the Pontifical Council For Inter-Religious Dialogue under 3 popes, now a member of the Dicastery For the Promotion of Human Integral Development at the Vatican City!
The "Calipher" Bishop of Sokoto has elevated his pulpit to global relevance.
Christmases in recent times are incomplete until his homily is heard or read, not just in Nigeria but all over the world. Though, he was absent, this took not the glamour from the event. Another man of ministry service listed was Rev Dr Caleb Ahima, a man of quite disposition, but a silent achiever. Candidate in one of past CAN election that I worked vigorously for against Miyetti Allah's sponsored candidate, the choice of Miyetti Allah won! I will conceal the details of drama that made us victims as Christians as a result of our wrong decisions taken as a body in the past. I don't intend to heat up the church as we go towards 2023 elections. I hope I won't have to!
Listed for honour on the other divide of religion were Engr Mansur Salihu Nakande, National Secretary, Fityanul Islam of Nigeria, Mallam Nuhu Ibrahim Almasih, a privilege to meet Sheik Muhammad Nuru Khalid, the point blank, "say it as it is" former Imam of Apo Central Mosque.
Politicians were not left out, Dr Daniel Bwala whose wits of words has the capacity to strip an Angel of its angelic form in human minds and make a demon desirable as replacement for an angel. He couldn't make it to the event.
A star studded occasion if you will permit me the usage of the word. Political list was led by HE, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, the Executive Governor of Delta State, who was ably represented by HE, Boni Haruna, former Governor of Adamawa state!
On one of the Awardees, Rt Honourable Yakubu Dogara rested the responsibility to deliver the speech of the occasion, themed; *The Past, Present and Future Roles of Northern Christians In The Development of Nigeria.*
Typical of politicians at political seasons, he was far from doing justice to the topic as no single mention was made of the roles of any Christian or groups in the past, the present or the future. No doubt, he stole the opportunity to push his candidate, nevertheless, the speech will be rated "A" in political marketing. Dogara was principally one of the political pillars upon which Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu won his APC ticket. The credit of Osibajo's defeat at APC primary goes to the rallying influence of political Christians like him. His submission on Asiwaju will leave only the gullible confused. The meeting ended without an opportunity to ask questions. So he walked away with his answer to the questions on my mind. Could much of the Pablo Escobar-style discovery about Tinubu be between the APC primaries and now?
Atiku, he told us has done so much for the Church in the north. He cited the example of his becoming the Speaker of the House of Representatives on the wings of Atiku, a particular Christian would never had been the Governor of Taraba, he stated.
Rev Jolly Nyame will be eternally grateful to Atiku Abubakar for making him a Governor. He further cited the case of my friend since the advent of social media H. E. Boni Haruna, who I was meeting in person at the event for the first time. He was nodding in approval to the rhetorical political sermon of Dogara. He left no one in doubt of the mindset of an average Northern Nigerian Christian who sees citizens' rights as privileges for which they must shout rankadede!
This rankadede mind set and the pattern sustaining it is the biggest challenge of Northern Christians, and except there is a mind shift, they will wait till Jesus comes at the table of oligarchy for fallen crumbs!
He wasn't done until he took a swipe at Obi, but it is important for me to state my take away which is the fact that northerners of tribes outside Fulani, Christians in north and south, Nigerians in general and politicians in particular are ignorant of the complexity of the oligarchy institution driving the power process in Nigeria. We are far removed from the reality of the pawns we are in the power game. The king of the 2023 game is the Fulani man; Atiku Abubakar, once traded for Buhari to be rewarded with 2023. Tambuwa was traded at PDP primary for AA and his reward in the future is sure. It is the turn of Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso to be traded for a future reward. To the oligarchy, the north is one politically even though they are terribly divided, but the string to pull them together for joint political position and mission they have never lost. Their social welfare negligence is a tool of subjugation but their nemesis today for taking the people for granted for so long!
Back to the question of Peter Obi and how he fits in the puzzle. Who is Obi? An inconsequential personality in the estimation of the oligarchy but potent weapon of change in the hands of angry Nigerians who were promised change in 2015, next level of change in 2019 and extra level of it in BAT's 2023 Hope Renewed!
The people have heard world class manifestos from the mouth of FFK, Daniel Bwala, Festus Keyamo. This pattern is the suspicion selling Obi. The tongue of FFK is tied to APC manifesto and it is sweet in his mouth, but the man whose mind and plan for Nigeria the manifesto represents is a direct opposite of the document everytime he opens his mouth!
Keyamo may shout at Seun Okinbaloye and fight with Rufai Oseni all he likes! Their disagreement is unresolvable because his principal is painting town hall meetings and campaigns in different shades of blue. Dino is too garrulous and vulgar to communicate his product to the people who should buy. The gap is the question on Atiku's candidacy. It was wise of APC to exclude Lai Mohammed from their campaign! Smart also is the absence of Sheikh Isa Pantami whose face may remind the nation of terrorism. The unresolved question of persons like him is the reason it is dangerous to ignore the threat that the Muslim/Muslim ticket poses.
Is an Atiku presidency any different from Tinubu/Shettima's Muslim/Muslim ticket? If anything; I think it is a deeper version. A Fulani Muslim succeeding another Fulani Muslim in a nation left at the mercy of Fulani herders in the past seven odd years because one of their own is in power according to Nasir El-Rufai will be too much a reality for any logical mind to ignore. An Atiku presidency would keep power to the Fulani as designed by the oligarchy for 16 years. The choice is ours!
Political alliances is the strength of the oligarchy's game, they know how and when to form it and when it should be discard. Okowa is just another useful tool serving the time!
Is Obi really the best presidential candidate among all the 18? I personally don't think so. But he is the very best among the leading four for the exigency of the time!
In this battle for the soul of Nigeria, it is the right of someone like 'Yele Sowore to give command to his army but the quest for political diplomacy sought for a face with the mouth, Obi's face and mouth fits the yearning of the masses who were tired of reading imported manifestos without local intelligence to interpret and execute them. The trader in Obi met the expectations of most Nigerians. That's the crux, the meat, a thousand criticisms of Obi by proven failures hold no water. Nigerians in my observation have made up their minds. If they must be scammed, it must be by a new scammer!
Dogara had nothing really to say about Rabiu Musa Kwakwanso. I will submit that all I can make out of his thoughts on RMK is, he is a brother of Atiku and their Oligarchy political partrimony will take care of his interests.
While Dogara was the hands of the Oligarchy stretched forth from the altar of ECWA National Headquarters camouflaging as the voice of the church. His conclusion was the superior experience of Atiku for which we all must follow him to the place where his mistake of selling Aluminum smelting company built for $3.2 billion and sold for $205 million with a down payment of 5 million dollars and the balance of $200 to be paid within a period of 20 years. A company from which $324 million was earned in export of Aluminum products the year Atiku became the Vice President.
That's an herdsman sales, cows appreciate but national assets don't!
We have never stop asking the question who did this to us from 2015 till date! Will the question still suffice after 2023 election or we are going to undo what we did to ourselves?
In his word, nobody can take another to where they haven't been before. The truth is, Dogara spoke for himself and his co- beneficiaries in an Atiku Presidency.
Northerner or Arewa, in local language is the veil behind which leaders hide. "Leaders" is the political identity of the clique in control of power, the power gamers I grew up to know as the Oligarchy, same day, Sunday 29th January 2023 were expressing their optimism that Senator Rabiu Kwankwanso, the presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), will eventually step down for Atiku Abubakar, the flagbearer of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)!
My insinuation a leading member of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), who spoke with Daily Independent on Sunday, has confirmed. He said, the leaders are optimistic that a partnership will be brokered between Kwankwaso and Atiku!
The sophistication of the Oligarchy in the game of power is revealed in the Daily Independent story which stated that, the Northern leaders have agreed that there is a need for the region to forge a common front ahead of the election, especially given the hostility and gang-up against Atiku by the PDP G-5, led by Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State.
Wike's right of expression is concluded as a gang up against Atiku and possibly against him, who was born to rule!
The NEF chieftain, who, according to Daily Independent asked not to be named as he is not authorised to speak on the issue, said eminent retired generals, religious leaders and traditional rulers are all talking with Kwankwaso on the need to collapse his structures for Atiku!
He added that if the NORTH can present a consensus candidate and the Southern votes are shared between Asiwaju Bola Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP), Atiku will easily coast home to victory!
The ideology of one Nigeria in all intent of the north is one north, that is why their sons preferably Fulani Muslims are born to rule the rest of us and to decide who among the northern Christians they have humiliated to humility enough to serve their interest!
In the usual way of northern political pragmatism, the Atiku Abubakar Presidential Campaign Council said Atiku has promised to run a government of national unity and will partner patriotic Nigerians in the mission to rebuild the country from the ruins caused by the APC! My question is which party was Atiku in 2015 when the contract to ruin Nigeria was sealed?
The pattern before us that must be broken going forward is the need to square the 2023 race on resetting of Nigeria on competence, character and charisma.
Who is the candidate with competence, and character of frugality that we must model as a country? With 77 trillion debt hanging on the necks of our unborn children, who is that candidate adverse to loan as a way to growing the economy? Who among them has shown charismatic communication that brought his plan for the country home to ordinary Nigerians to understand? Who has promised to cut the extravagant recklessness of political office holders and their civil servant cohorts whose financial flamboyancy we can not continue to bear. These are the questions in the mind of Nigerians, that, candidates and political parties must have answers to. For now it is the Oligarchy vs Nigeria, and may Nigeria win!
Dr Bolaji O. Akinyemi is an Apostle and Nation Builder, President, Voice Of His Word Ministries and Convener Apostolic Round Table.
08033041236
*2023: Datti, the Future and Fulani Advantage.*
By Bolaji O. Akinyemi.
The invincibility of Fulani in our political space is far more than what can be seen and measured. From the conquest of Sokoto and northern Nigeria till date, their expansionism and entrenchment hasn't abated. That is who Fulanis are, and Datti is one of them! The younger brother of Hakeem Baba-Ahmed on whom I wrote: *"Northern Elders and Their Mouth from Mauritania".*
Reminding me of Datti's Fulani identity is needless. Our experience with the tribe might have been generally not pleasant, but no tribe is entirely bad and none is outrightly good!
Datti, I hope will be the good report of Fulani in leadership. Realist me, however, good or bad is prepared, the future will happen! If history is the panacea to the future, it won't be out of place to take caution based on history.
The frenzy of the Obi-dients shouldn't be beclouded by the reality of what lies ahead. Datti is first a Fulani man, a 2nd generation one at that. Even the Bible supports Datti's possibility of favoritism of his family of faith!
Gal 6:10 (NET): "So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who belong to the family of faith."
Islam no doubt is a generous faith. It has given undue advantage to immigrants while indigenous Muslim citizens are being compelled by Northern Elders to step down. Their Christian counterparts begged for Vice presidency yet weren't given.
The scale of balance in the north is pivoted on one pillar, Islam and the dynamic swings in the direction of 2 Muslim tribes, Fulani and the Kanuri, every other tribe and religion will pick the floor for whatever the scale pan couldn't hold.
That is the reality we are compelled to rationalize against by civilization but 99.9% of Fulani are primitive and uncivilized, living in the forest and watching the back of their elites corps who in turn ensure they are protected by policies and actions whenever and wherever needed!
Should Obi be suspicious of his Fulani running mate: "seeing what Atiku did to Obasanjo? Atiku nearly topedoed Obasanjo, despite that OBJ was a very strong personality and former military head of state"!
A brother and friend, a pen warrior who rose to become an editor of one of the leading Newspapers in the country wrote in reaction to my article; *2023 Election: Fulani Versus the rest of Nigeria* thus:
_"Can Obi survive where Obasanjo nearly perished? The same Obasanjo was reduced to a figurehead military head of state by his deputy, Shehu Musa Yar'Adua, a Fulani! Beware of the Fulani!_
_Eliminating the Fulani from the 2023 election equation is a task that must be done!_
_Hence, the PDP and LP tickets must be avoided like a plague. Only Tinubu's Yoruba/Kanuri and Kwankwaso's Hausa/South South tickets should be considered. A word, they say, is enough for the wise!"_
His counsel seems armless when viewed from the prism of politics, but reality must tend politics, informed by history and prevailed upon to chat a new path to the future. While we can't deny the tendencies of each component tribe that make up the house of Nigeria based on historical antecedents, denying the rights of individual to elect and be elected is nothing but a campaign of calumny and manifest democratic ignorance. Bare faced tribal hatred that must be avoided!
Ours is a democracy and its tenets must inform our thoughts, guide of decisions and initiate our actions!
A lesson in politics taught me by Bishop Theophilus Ajose, PFN DPG Director for Lagos state is the need for us as Christians to be in every political party where primary decisions are made for secondary voters' decision. This is the Fulani advantage. We must be strategic going forward, like Fulani a tribe of less than 5 million people overwhelming a nation of over 200 million, we must be everywhere!
In 2015, I was on the side of Nation Builders. I knew Goodluck was better than Buhari, partisan politicians thought otherwise and fell prey to the Oligarchy plan!
In 2019, the choices were between Fulanis' devil and the deep blue sea.
Nation Builders knew Atiku was a Better Fulani man than Buhari who was half Fulani and half Kanuri. With all due respect to Ijebu and Ijesa people, do permit me to use this uncharitable reference of an adage; ijebu o dara, ijesa o sun won, enikan lohun ijebujesa! That is the summary. Fulani/Kanuri leadership provided by Buhari. But partisan politicians in hope of "Emi lokan" thought otherwise, hence we are here!
Burdened with 77 trillion and in search of an amount over that in alleged stamp duty fraud!
2023, we are not stranded facing the blue sea while the devil is in chase of us. Today we have a third force birthed not by us, but the high-handedness of PDP. Within the context of our exigencies, all Nation Builders should agree with me that Obi is the best among the LEADING four! Partisan politicians are saying otherwise in defense of their parties and candidates!
In priority of our needs; if fighting insecurity is the premium, check Obi's record of Anambra before his administration and during his administration.
If checking political elites and legislative corruption is of any importance to us as a nation, check on Obi's administration efforts as Governor of Anambra state. He was impeached for this purpose, all thanks to the hope of the common man, the judiciary!
If education is the foundation upon which all great nations are built, check Obi's achievement in Education!
On the economy – we must never be tempted to measure by the hidden channels of greasing hands and lining pockets under infrastructural developments – which the wellbeing of the state as it provides opportunity for the well-being of individuals within the state. What then was the economy of Lagos and Anambra under Tinubu and Obi as Chief Executives of their states?
Obi has promised consumption to production. Tinubu has promised to reduce purchasing power and to widen tax net. Each of them has personally proven their capacity in these areas. Obi is a stingy man consuming little and producing so much! His expenses doesn't look like what can threaten his wealth, it never did Anambra in 8years, he rather left billions without any loan burden whatsoever. Is it bad to take loan? No! But can we afford to add to our overburdening? Growth is possible without loan, Malaysia has taught the world!
Tinubu widened the net of tax collection in Lagos and for as long as Lagos exists, his unborn children can never lack. This is the choice before us!
Obi is not a saint and we can't find any, anyway. Within the context of our urgent need to keep Nigeria together as one and purse the 4 agenda mentioned; insecurity, corruption, education and the economy, Obi is my choice and honestly should be for anyone who truly love Nigeria!
In conclusion; we can't deny Datti or any other man of any tribe their legitimate rights as citizens but we all as tribesmen can protect our interests by sending true representatives of our communities to the national assembly! Under the APC administration of one Fulani President and one Yoruba Vice President between 2015 and 2023, how come things have fallen so bad, are all our Senators and House of Representatives Members also Fulani?
This situation Image-Nation is seeking to confront and provide solution to, God willing with the cooperation of Nigerians at the Blue Chamber, on the 18th of February 2023 decisions will be taken in favour of a united Nigeria and in protection of our ethnic nationalities!
Blue is the colour of love, our Green and Red Chambers must draw their mandate from our Blue Chamber, blue being the colour of LOVE must lead us to this election.
Green speaks of a new beginning, of growth and the productivity it must birth!
Red speaks of Sacrifice, courage and justice!
Let's make it a new beginning of productivity and justice at the BLUE CHAMBER, a people's driven "National Assembly". Where worthy representatives of the people to the Green and Red Chambers of our National Assembly in line with the values of sacrifice, courage, justice for new beginning of growth and productivity will be decided and endorsed for the new Nigeria!
Will PDP Senators and House of Reps Members be comfortable in an Obi led Presidency? May be, and may be not! APC Senators and House of Rep members are just the other side of the same coin, a legislative gang up can't be ruled out given Obi's determination to lower cost of governance and push for cuts in legislators' allowances! We must decide NASS composition away from political party tradition. Those who have proven themselves worth in the 9th Assembly, we will work and walk in their constituencies to return. New Legislators on tickets apart from APC and PDP should be given opportunity.
A new Nigeria can only be birthed in the chambers of the National Assembly.
Our Senators and House or Reps Members are far more important than who becomes the President in the dynamics needed to reset Nigeria!
*Legislative Revolution Network, LRN* is the only way to make it possible!
Be Honourable! Join us at the Blue Chamber for Image-Nation!
Dr Bolaji O. Akinyemi is an Apostle and Nation Builder, President Voice of His Word Ministries and Convener, Apostolic Round Table.
08033041236
© LATEST NEWS PLUS ®👇👇👇
No comments