By Abdullahi Abdulmajeed

Ever since the controversies that heralded the re-appointment of Prof. Oba Abu vis-à-vis the alleged opposition of Dr. Bukola Saraki berthed, I have consciously opted to remain loudly silent and deliberately removed myself from the epicenter of the raging battle- the online platforms. Although this is quite unlike me (as I have subconsciously, albeit unfortunately cultivated the habit of the Nigerian bandwagon style of reacting on impulse on topical national issues), but my reason to 'stare clear' was equally plausible. This is because in all honesty, I believed that a lot of people were acting only on impulse and losing their minds along the line on a matter that has not left the threshold of rumor, innuendos and outright lies. Yet, I was careful enough not lose sight of the fact of unpredictability of politics and politicians alike. I was thus playing the 'sidon dey look' game. But certain events in the last two weeks have inexplicably spurred me out of my shell, thereby inevitably swinging me between two extremes-either continuing feigning ignorance of the fire on my roof top or descending into the arena of the war. I was then stuck between the devil and the blue sea!

One of such events referred to above was the comments credited to Prof Oba Abu in reaction to one of the Facebook timelines of Kwara Matters- an online page that enjoys some appreciable following. To say that it was not Prof Oba that was in the other side of the line is to be patently dishonest. For reasons yet unknown, the administrator of the page posted what is not more than a bear parlor gossip (though now taking a life of its own) about a purported plot to hijack the Kwara PDP from the hands of its present managers into the hand of Prof Oba Abu, who is being allegedly handsomely funded by the Presidency. No politician who is worth his name will ever believe this trash of a joke. If you believe this, then you can believe anything! Yet, a cerebral figure like Oba Abu, also obviously acting on impulse, fell for this, and commented under what is no more than a bear pallor gossip. An extract of Prof's reaction will suffice here; On my honour, I wish to refute the content of this post in its entirety. IT IS A WICKED, UNDIGNIFYING AND SHAMELESS LIE AND DUMMY WHICH WAS FIRST SOLD ............. IN KWARA STATE AS PART OF A GRAND DESIGN TO RUBBISH MR PRESIDENT AND THE PDP.

With all due respect to Prof, such public postures add no gloss to his professorial prestige and his legendary dignity. It is not only needless but utterly distasteful. It only serves to embolden the opposition the more. One would have reasonably expected Prof Oba to temper his utterances. He will be better advised that whatever he says now is susceptible to misrepresentation and can be a ready tool in the hands of the blackmailers.

Yet another event that ultimately dragged me out of my cocoon was the acerbic content of a full page paid advert in the 2nd July, 2013 edition of The Nation newspaper (page 42). It was but an unpardonable insult on the already bruised sensibilities of all sons and daughters of Ilorin that are worth their names. It was a pill too bitter to swallow, hence this piece. Personally, I have placed a “readers' discretion is advised” on the said paid advert by a so-called 'Ilorin Emirate Patriots'. The reason being that I regret ever reading it; it was not only a waste of my precious time, but a misfortune too grave to bear. It was as disgusting as it was reckless! The insult was even further aggravated with none of its purveyors and their sponsors ever being man enough to take responsibility for their ignobility, by ascribing their names or any name at all to the advert!

But the piece clearly bore the imprimatur of Dr. Bukola Saraki and his insufferable arrogance. The faceless and miserable goons behind the advert have only succeeded in damaging the already thoroughly damaged 'Saraki Brand'. It has unwittingly exposed Bukola Saraki's lack of rigor and retrospection, and has brought out into the full public glare his legendary arrogance! I am not under an illusion that the faceless 'Ilorin Emirate Patriot' is a creation of the Sarakis. I make bold to say that there is no known group existing effectively and responsibly by that name in Ilorin, or anywhere else. It is neither registered with the CAC or any other statutory bodies. It is a wanton décor of the Sarakis not only to humiliate Prof Oba but all Ilorin people of good conscience. How The Nation newspaper fell for their lies still beat me. But in an era of lucre-for-news, where the media has had its hands tied to its back, in order to induce it to echo the faulty sentiments of the marauders, a shameful outing like this has become increasingly common place. Or how else would you describe a situation whereby a phony group will cough out well over Five Hundred Thousand Naira (N500, 0000.00) in advert rate, without ascribing it to the main beneficiary of the offensive advert, Bukola Saraki? Not even the Ilorin Emirate Descendants Progressive Union (IEDPU), a more responsible and respected pressure group in llorin could muster that much without the thoughtful intervention of its very numerous well-to-do members.

In fact, some of us know how the original draft was emailed to The Nation correspondent that may have been "mobilised" to  carefully orchestrate a 'report' on a purported senate screening of Oba Abu and the landmines being set down against him. . At the appropriate time, the fact shall speak for itself!   

Now, back to the advert, isn't it highly impolitic and downright insensitive of Bukola Saraki and his numerous crumb catchers to demand 'loyalty' from Prof Oba Abu? Maybe if they had been more circumvent, and perhaps subjected their draft to a more saner editing, they would have realized that it is not only of Oba Abu that Bukola is forcefully extracting 'loyalty' but inferably of all those like him – all successful sons and daughters of Ilorin at home and in Diaspora, no matter how highly placed! Some of us are sane enough to look beyond the Oba Abu façade to realize that what EMPERROR Bukola Saraki is actually and impliedly demanding of us all is to be beholden to him, nothing more, nothing less! So, next time they rush to the press again, the Bukola attack dogs should be men enough to make a comprehensive list of all others, like Professor Oba Abu, that must bow to lick the boot of our new found toddler slave master! They should remember to include the Emir, the Chief Imam, the Baloguns, the Serikis, the Majagis, Ola Sa'ad, Gen Abdullahi Adangba, Justices Kwau, Oniyangi, Belgore, Akanbi, Lambo, Haroon, Imam Fulani, AGF Abdulrasak (SAN), Salman (SAN), the Sagayas, the Gobirs, the Assayoutis, the Oniyangis, the Duros, the Alapasanpas, the Oloriegbes, the Ajanakus, Professors Sheu Jimoh, Badmus, Abdullahi, Hassan Saliu, Ambali. They would also be kind enough to inscribe 'and so on, and so forth' at the end of their list in order that 'rabble rousers' like me could be properly accommodated in the bootlickers' category! How more impertinent can a man get?

And as if to add insult into our injuries, the 'IEP' also went ahead to demand that Oba should go back to the 'source'. There was nothing more reprehensible about the advert other than this. So, who is the 'source' of whom, if I may ask? Bukola Saraki, the 'source' of Oba Abu? Did Bukola Saraki read through that portion before he signed the cheque for its publication? Does he ever know the immediate, medium and long term implications of such an offensive demand to the collective sensibility of Ilorin people, who are not going cap-in-hands to him for favour, and who would never bow to his feudalist egocentrism? No doubt in Ilorin Emirate, there are dozens far more qualified than Bukola Saraki on every score. But none could be counted upon like him to be the scourge to his own people! So, disparaging Oba Abu for being an 'ingrate' (whatever that means) and being 'dishonorable' simply because Oba has refused to be Bukola's boyscout is nothing but a pedestrian, childish way of measuring the 'Ilorinness' in us.  

To me, the battle line is drawn, and there can hardly ever be a retreat. But the battle is not that of Oba, that is why he does not have any business descending into the arena of the fight. The battle is of all of us, whether at home or abroad, who are poised to nip the Bukola Saraki nuisance in the bud! Our fight is clearly well cut out, and the earlier we realize this, the better for us and the generations yet unborn. There is no better evidence that the younger Saraki is set to sail the slave ship where his father wrecked and abandoned it than the offensive advert of the The Nation newspaper. It is a reflection of both his frustrations and aspirations alike. To say he was not privy to the draft before it eventual publication is to be clever by half. It is unfortunate though that we have to re-enact what our progenitors stood against for centuries (but seemed to be wary of now), but it seems the war, and not the fight, is lost. And to the Emir and the IEDPU that have kept a loud silence while the mountain is being set on fire, I say hmmmmmn……!

Abdullahi Abdulmajeed National Orientation Agency (NOA) Federal Secretariat, Kuru, Jos. This writer is a beneficiary of Prof Oba's large heartedness. I got my first job through him.