"The road of the truth-teller has always been rocky ... Something in human nature makes it resent the impact of new ideas." Napoleon Hill
Introduction
Kings are born, not made. I am not a writer and I don't write for a living. I write because I know what works. Indeed, I have strong political views, but time and time again, I have been vindicated by events. It is about the man, daring to reason and daring to dream aloud; subjecting himself to global scrutiny. It is not about the money or accolade. It is a trait - an infinite goal borne out of compassion. It is about a daring heart, influenced and nurtured by divine grace. My law degree did not make me. Before my LL.B and my Harvard experience, my credibility has been tested and proven. I would rather take a stand on the side of truth, honor, and dignity; bracing the likely consequences of my action, than find refuge in unproductive pandering and puerile news analysis as a weekly column. You cannot move a nation forward, regurgitating stale news as an opinion piece. Nigeria is a war zone and our political leaders are inordinately greedy, lacking any sense of accountability or nobility. Yes, I have strong political views, I know what works, and I suffer no scruples expressing them. This is my Idea Lab and it is my work history - my CV.
Standing for the Environment.
In the mid-eighties, an Italian Ship, loaded with toxic waste, embarked on a voyage to nowhere specific, but with a definite goal in mind: traversing the High Sea for the vulnerable harbor to dump its toxic materials. After a much fruitless search, they found greedy collaborators in Nigeria. The unfortunate Harbor turned out to be Koko, a sleeping town near Warri, under the then Bendel State. The Captain and the Crew uploaded their toxic waste and disappeared. Just like that. What makes the incident scandalous was that the Ship was on the High Sea for months, searching and bargaining for the vulnerable harbor to dump its toxic waste. And the story was adequately covered by the international media. I remember reading the story months earlier before finding its way to Nigerian water. True to type, none of the Nigerian Diplomatic Missions in Europe considered it prudent to alert the then Military Government about the movement of the Ship and its deadly contents. When the news of its trip to Koko Port eventually came to light, it was treated lackadaisically like the death of a Police Officer in present-day Nigeria – who cares, really. But I did, and I went to work. I was young and restless, obsessed with the idea of going to University to study law.
Visibly disappointed over the nonchalant attitude of our diplomatic staffs overseas and the seeming disinterestedness of our Military Government over the matter, I wrote a strongly worded letter, headed “Toxic Waste Terrorism” and hand-delivered it to the Nigerian Observer office at Airport Road in Benin City, and mailed another copy of the same letter to the Daily Times office in Lagos - the number one national daily newspaper then. Like a bolt from the blue, three days later, The Observer published the essay, not in the letter section, but as an Op-Ed piece – that is, on their Open Editorial Page. A few days later, the Daily Times also published the same piece unedited as Op-Ed piece. At the time of the publication, I was not even a University Student. And the essay, contrary to much apprehension of my immediate family members that I was going to be arrested by the Military Government, turned out to be the best thing that happened to the coverage of the story and the sleeping Koko Town of the Niger Delta. It brought in added unconventional voice, a new focus on an isolated development packed with global implications.
Our European based diplomats failed woefully in their mandates and in their national assignments. And I did not equivocate one bit on who to indict or making the story a front-page news over and over again. Sadly though, due to intense family pressure, I was not to write again after the publication of the essay.
Standing for My Community
I did not write again until January 2011, after decades of hibernation. It was a random opinion piece written and posted at my local community web page extemporaneously, based on the content of a Press Release issued and published in the social media by the Press Secretary to Governor Adam Oshiomhole of Edo State. The publication was in celebration of their two years in office, highlighting their accomplishments. The list contained all the projects the administration executed in all the communities in Edo State. Disturbingly, no project was mentioned in my community, Ewohimi - a community that happened to be the native homeland of the First Lady of Edo State.
Visibly disturbed, and acting on the spur of the moment, I drafted a short note, reflecting the above reality and posted it on our webpage. I was most disturbed by the fact that all the Grammar Schools in the generation of Pilgrim Baptist Grammar School (PBGS) Ewohimi were “refurbished” and functioning. Also, I cited another project that was also abandoned - the Odu River Dam Project, capable of serving the old Agbazilo region of Esan Tribe with pipe borne water throughout the year. Given the elaborate nature of the project, I suggested that the State Government should contact the Federal Government for technical and financial support. Also cited was the Ogbe-Idumogo-Idumuguokha Road, one of the longest intercity roads in the whole of Esan Tribe.
In conclusion, I warned the community not to be in denial, to wit, as of right, they are entitled to Government's presence in the form of infrastructural facilities. In other words, they have every right to any other community in Edo State to make demand upon their Governor, irrespective of the Son-In-Law status. As it turned out, while the short essay was celebrated by friends and foes as long overdue, a negligible few connected with the administration considered it incendiary, polarizing and a betrayal. The First Lady and I are cousins.
After fierce exchange emails, I was assured that PBGS is one of the educational projects in the work to be transformed to a Model Boarding School by the State Government. I was also assured that work on the Odu River Project is ongoing. A similar promise was made with respect to the Community Hospital. Today, only the Hospital has seen the light of the day as promised. The PBGS is at the worst state - now a complete jungle and abandoned. The water project is still in the exact state that it was when I wrote my protest letter. The Ogbe-Idumogo-Imuguokha Road is a write-off. The Ebele-Ozoguo Road and the Idumobo-Uzebu Roads are similarly abandoned.
Feeling uncomfortable with the nature of the misinterpretation of the contents of my letter published on the Community web page; the uproar and the adverse impacts it had on love that transcends decades, I resolved to abstain from making further comment on anything about Ewohimi and Edo State in general, until Governor Oshiomhole is out of power in Edo State. And in the past six years, I have not wavered in that commitment and I have not offered one comment on the affairs of my community and Edo State in general. Today, the Great PBGS and its future are unknown.
Am I feeling vindicated that I was unduly labeled for standing for the truth? Not exactly. Now, I can only weep for my Community, because in few months, our celebrated and respected Son-In-Law will be out of power in Edo State after eight years of purposeful stewardship in power. Yes, I weep for my people and I grieve over the future of my Great PBGS, forsaken and abandoned by those who should have been at the forefront, campaigning and championing its resurgence. And as a people and a community of learned men and women of industry and grace and culture, we were humiliated by our indefatigable Governor and his operatives on the ground.
(As I said earlier, the late First Lady of Edo State was my cousin. November 2010, I got a phone call from her. After a brief chat about the extended family, the blood line, and my upbringing, she broached the idea of an Adviser to me. Taken by surprise, I told her that I am back in graduate school for my LLM program, and hope to round up by May of the following year. And she wished me well and good luck. Little did I know that in about two months, she would be gone, and gone too soon. If I had known, I would have handled the offer differently. Today, the near collapse of the APC structure (her husband's political party) in our Senatorial District, as well as the appalling disconnect between our community members and the present political leaders on the scene that she saw coming, would have been a nip in the bud with me on the scene. It’s about credibility. Now, I can only weep for my community and beg for her forgiveness).
Daring to Dream: The Making of a Blog.
Months after the publication of the letter in the community portal, I went global. I started a private blog. I took my craft to a market I never for once thought existed or that I will make any impact. About the first week of January 2012, that is about a year after my “trouble at home,” I opened the Blog to the general public following the publication of “The Search for True Federalism: Balancing Feudal Interests with Southern Greed and Opportunism in Nigeria” and “Game Change: The Uncertainty of Sovereign National Conference (SNC) and A Case for Progressive Option.” Two landmark essays that later defined the trajectories of the convening of the 2014 National Conference and the amalgamation of the progressive forces that culminates in the formation of the present APC.
Standing for President Obama
My first major break came on June 08, 2012. Incensed that some very prominent Democrats and a prominent Business News Anchor were already reciting a dirge note for the Obama's second term Presidential bid, I wrote a very lengthy piece, titled "Obama: Citizen United, Invisible Resistance and the Hacking of American Democracy,” published June 08, 2012, on this Blog and my Facebook Wall. That piece of work successfully injected added vigor and commonsense-laced talking-points to President Obama 2012 US Presidential run. The impacts were hugely felt and the outcome was outstanding. Please see "My Obama Story" published below on May 15, 2016, for details.
Standing for President Jonathan
Every politic, according to pundits, is local. Following the prescription of the Boko Haram Sect and the declaration of a State of Emergency in Adamawa State, Borno State, and Taraba State in 2013, by President Jonathan, I wrote a piece, urging Nigerians to stand by our President and our men and women in Uniform with a view to surmounting the scourge of the Boko Haran sect. I sent the essay to Sahara Reporters and another newspaper, but they did not publish it.
The next day, Punch Newspaper carried a news story, titled “North Kicks against Ban on Boko Haram/Ansaru.” The gist of the story reinforces the concerns I expressed in my essay, and I took a chance. I uploaded my essay and embed it at the discussion section of the Punch story and signed it as Nonaligned Progressive.
About an hour later, there was some kind of stampede in the social media over, not the Punch story, but my opinion piece – the embedded essay. It turned out to be the most read piece of work for two days. It generated more than 400 positive comments and about 100 Thumb-ups - unprecedented approval by any standard. One anonymous commentator sent me a note, asking, “Did they [the Jonathan Presidency] even comprehend this sort of arguments you are putting up on their defense?” Well, they don’t have to. That is the essence of public intellectualism. I am simply being me. The proof of the pudding is in the eating. Google the story and look out for the accompanied public comments.
I did not write the essay because of any resentment I nurse against the Northern Elders. And it wasn’t for the so much love I have for President Jonathan, either. As a Nigerian, and given the indiscriminate killing of Nigerians at the time, I honestly thought that the proscription of Boko Haram and the state of the emergency regime were the appropriate steps at the time.
The unanimous approval of the Essay by Nigerians in the social media heralded the end of the debate on whether or not President Jonathan was right in prescribing the Boko Haram sect and declaring a State of Emergency in those three States. Given the tremendous impact the essay had on the debate, someone was to later qualify me as a mole for the administration. That’s far from the truth. My nature won’t even accept that. I am writing to make a change, not to be heard. I write about actions I should be taking if I am in the position to act.
Standing for President Buhari
January this year, President Buhari addressed the Nigerian Press for the first time since becoming the President. As expected, not many people were comfortable with his unequivocal approval of the handling or mishandling of the former NSA, Col Dasuki by the EFCC. But I saw it differently. And I came up with a long piece, titled “Debating the Rule of Law: Why I Stand with President Buhari.” The essay was published by the Nigeria Village Square on February 1, 2016.
As of today, that essay remains the number one piece of work – the most-read article on the website of Nigeria Village Square for a long time. And I want to add that since the beginning of this year, 2016, no other essay appearing on that platform has crossed the 1000 threshold; mine did within its first month of publication. And it is still soaring high in readership.
Indeed, acting consistently with the principles of rules of laws is universally accepted as fundamental to sustaining democratic practices; nevertheless, it is also fundamental in keeping with democratic practices and rules of laws that the scale of the squandering of our wealth are not taking from the news.
I didn’t write it for President Buhari or his handlers in anticipation of favor or because of any personal grudge against Col Dasuki. As a fed up Nigerian over the buffoonery of thieving Nigeria politicians, I felt that was a reasonable narrative to push at that point in time. That it garners the numero uno status among the best of its kinds in the punditry world since its publications is, to me, an added impetus in what I do.
For the unaffiliated, Nigeria Village Square is the citadel for the works of Nigerian columnists, public intellectuals, and the intellectual wannabe. It is a melting pot for gauging your worth and your work as an essayist – whether or not you have the craft to write what people want to read and whether or not you can alter the national conversation.
Standing for Justice
Still on altering the national conversation, the number one essay on this Blog, “Immunity: The Scope and Extent of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” received unprecedented hits a day after EFCC took control of the bank account of Governor Fayose of Ekiti State – a sitting Governor. More than one thousand Nigerian from every corner of the globe logged into read the essay within hours of the seizure. Yes, that piece of Constitutional review work is giving new meaning to forfeiture proceedings and the prosecution of former Governors, including those who rigged their way to the National Assembly under the illusion that the immunity they enjoyed as Governors, is transferable.
The truth is as at the time of writing the essay in June 2012, I did not for once anticipate that in no time it would emerge the most searched and the most read piece of legal analysis in the history of our embrace of the social media in Nigeria.
In a similar vein, I did not foresee the emergence of a daring duo, Barrister Abubakar Malami (SAN) as the AGF and Minister of Justice and Mr. Ibrahim Magu coming onboard the EFCC as Acting Chairman. Today, both gentlemen are putting to test every line, every syllable, every supposition, interpretation and analysis of Section 308 (2) as contained in the essay. Above all, what I thought will not happen in this generation in terms of that subsection is happening right now. It is indeed a new dawn in our Justice System, seeing Law Enforcement Agencies closing in on the Bank Account of a sitting Governor. The court, no doubt, has the final say.
Four years after its publication; it is still the most run after legal opinion on the web. Yes, I made the difference. Former Governors are now on the known that the immunity that they enjoyed during their stay at the Governor’s mansion is specifically for the duration of their stay in office as Governor.
Finally, those of you who are still crying over the retention of the Immunity Clause or agitating its removal from our Constitution should go and take a class in Leadership and Sustainable Development. Without the Immunity, the Military would have been in power by now,. Our politicians would have, out of greed, turned our budding democratic dispensation into one of a mob scene, crippling our justice system with frivolous suits and counter suits.
By the way, has anyone taken the pain to ponder over the state of the trial of bogus Petroleum Marketers? They do not enjoy any immunity. Aig-Imoukhuede Committee, in its reports, concludes beyond reasonable doubt that all the culprits indicted by Rep Farouk Lawah did cook up documents to scam NNPC and PPPRA. Where are the culprits today?
Standing for Peace in Syria
I want to use this opportunity to thank my brother, Mr. Bethuel Aguele who has this to say in the essay I wrote on overcoming the crisis in Syria, titled “Confronting the Dogmas of ISIS and Religious Fundamentalism around Us.” In his words: “Another masterpiece of a progressive Esan Man, whose heart bleeds for the well-being of the Common Man, and the global community … makes writing looks easy, really Love you my Brother" – Bethuel Aguele.
By the way, the essay under reference provides a profound insight into the unending Syria saga and offered unadulterated, novel, yet convincing arguments for American Combat Boots on the ground in Syria. The essay was first published in 2014. Given the recent deadly suicide attacks in Paris and Brussels by the ISIS cell, I repackaged the essay with new materials and republished it on my Blog on February 18, 2016, and on the website of the Nigeria Village Square on April 10, 2016, titled “A Timid World: Of ISIS and the Wisdom Of American Combat Boots on the Ground in Syria.”
Three days later, President Barack Obama, addressing the international audience in Hannover, Germany, agreed to increase US Special Forces in Syria by 250 personnel.
I have participated at the global stage, and I made history-making life better for the ordinary folks and making governance looks easy for the leadership who dare to dream and dare to trust the voice of one commanding from the wilderness.
Standing For Me
At this stage of my career, I have nothing more to prove.
I am not an accidental public servant. I have been tested and tested successfully. I have altered the national conversation several times with opinions that I hold and shared in the public domain.
I take full credit for the revolution that is emerging in our criminal justice system today, especially with respect to forfeiture proceedings, trial and prosecution of former Governors and the curtailment in the grant of interlocutory orders, injunctions or adjournments.
In spite of everything, I am optimistic - optimistic that the bold, the beautiful, the creative and the audacious Nigerians at home and abroad who are mentally and psychologically prepared for reinventing Nigeria will have their day in the governance of this great country in the very near future.
I am anointed - one of a kind God’s Creations, and I am a better author of my own story.
This essay was originally written as a rebuttal to a comment posted on a thread on my Facebook Timeline by a commentator.
