Of Costly Slips, Sticky Negotiations and Dexterity in Politics
BY AFOLABI GAMBARI
Amid rumour that President Muhammadu Buhari was set to take a second wife some three weeks ago, the First Lady, Hajia Aisha, arrived in Abuja from London to be literally swarmed on by reporters at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport.
“I took time off for holiday as my doctors advised,” she said, adding: “I also did some medical checks while I spent the rest of the time to be with my children after having not seen them for quite some time.”
Mrs. Buhari should have been an ordinary Nigerian, and her statement would be perfectly understood. But she is far from being ordinary. Had she not once exposed the fact that the Aso Villa clinic enjoyed an annual budget of N3.9billion but lacked adequate medical facility, for which Nigerians hailed her? Had she not also emphasized that the country under her husband operated the most prudent system of governance especially since the return to democracy in 1999, for which she was hailed as well? Could she have forgotten all these before ventilating her London sojourn? What can really be a setback more than the wards of a first family living and studying abroad while lots of children at home have not only dropped out of school due to parental lack but also find learning environment unconducive? She vehemently denied that the raging marital rumour had brought her back home; but she would soon settle down at the Villa to spew a controversy that has appeared yet to subside after getting enmeshed in a negative family video that went viral and for which she would later apologize to the nation.
A nation-wide workers’ strike loomed as the government appeared to slow down talks with Labour and other stakeholders. But Labour Minister Dr. Chris Ngige moved fast, engaging in talks over the government’s stand on the proposed national minimum wage of N30,000. Reports said tempers flared at the meeting where rumour of a fuel price increase was brought to the table. In the end, reason prevailed and a seeming battle-wary Labour announced that the ‘matter’ has been settled and the warriors should sheath their swords. Then the good news followed. Payment will be from April this year and all workers should receive the money before this December.
For the Ogun State Governor, Southwest of Nigeria Dapo Abiodun, it has been a huge relief since he clocked 100 days in office in September. He opted from his swearing-in in May not to be distracted by critics who seemed sympathetic to the immediate past governor. Abiodun’s steadfastness has paid off after his adversaries see nothing to criticize him for any longer. He is now making a bold move to introduce a carbon copy of the Federal Government’s Anchor Borrowers Scheme. The State is going to engage 20,000 farmers, with hands already on the plough and fresh and younger farmers to cultivate crops with which the State already has comparative advantage. Abiodun was recently at the Presidential Villa in Abuja to ask for the permission of the Federal Government to reconstruct a stretch of road that opens into Lagos but in bad state of disrepair. The road can serve as a veritable alternative to the heavily congested Ogun State end of Lagos/Ibadan Expressway. The Governor knows what he is doing. He will be assuming that responsibility in order to open another viable economic route in and out of his State. Meanwhile he can ask for refund of his government’s expenses on the project because the road in question is a Federal highway. We can say that vibrations from Ogun State, neighbour of Lagos State that Governor Abiodun is looking forward to an exciting tenure.
Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State had it so smooth heading to the Government House in Port Harcourt, even with enemies from within and outside the state always stalking him. But he seemed to be a hard nut for all of them to crack. He is a Governor in the opposition People’s Democratic Party, PDP. He won his second term election on a platter of gold. He had no formidable challenger because the courts barred All Progressives Party, APC from fielding any candidate as a result of the party’s primaries conducted in contravention of the electoral law.
Governor Wike owes nobody any patronage. Therefore, he obeys his own mind and mood. No sooner the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal proclaimed Muhammadu Buhari the winner of the February presidential election than Wike congratulated the ruling APC candidate for his victory. And so he is the odd man out among the PDP Governors that supported Atiku Abubakar, the party’s candidate to press his petition at the Supreme Court. Why not? He is believed to be a major financial of the party. Yet whenever he demands preferential treatment he is denied the privilege. He feels. A case in point is his desire to have one of his men as the minority leader in the House of Representatives. He is still visibly angry that he was outmaneuvered out of the contest.
Meanwhile Wike keeps his accolade, ‘Mr. Projects’ that Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo bestowed on him when he visited his domain in Rivers State where he commissioned a number of projects the Governor executed in his first term in office. Although he has yet to settle down to anointing a successor when his two terms expires in 2023, Wike has left no one in doubt that he is consolidated in power in his State and a lone ranger in PDP.
Afolabi Gambari, Journalist, Environmentalist and Social Commentator writes from Lagos.
Tel: +2348064651922, +2348116706849
Of Costly Slips, Sticky Negotiations and Dexterity in Politics
BY AFOLABI GAMBARI
Amid rumour that President Muhammadu Buhari was set to take a second wife some three weeks ago, the First Lady, Hajia Aisha, arrived in Abuja from London to be literally swarmed on by reporters at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport.
“I took time off for holiday as my doctors advised,” she said, adding: “I also did some medical checks while I spent the rest of the time to be with my children after having not seen them for quite some time.”
Mrs. Buhari should have been an ordinary Nigerian, and her statement would be perfectly understood. But she is far from being ordinary. Had she not once exposed the fact that the Aso Villa clinic enjoyed an annual budget of N3.9billion but lacked adequate medical facility, for which Nigerians hailed her? Had she not also emphasized that the country under her husband operated the most prudent system of governance especially since the return to democracy in 1999, for which she was hailed as well? Could she have forgotten all these before ventilating her London sojourn? What can really be a setback more than the wards of a first family living and studying abroad while lots of children at home have not only dropped out of school due to parental lack but also find learning environment unconducive? She vehemently denied that the raging marital rumour had brought her back home; but she would soon settle down at the Villa to spew a controversy that has appeared yet to subside after getting enmeshed in a negative family video that went viral and for which she would later apologize to the nation.
A nation-wide workers’ strike loomed as the government appeared to slow down talks with Labour and other stakeholders. But Labour Minister Dr. Chris Ngige moved fast, engaging in talks over the government’s stand on the proposed national minimum wage of N30,000. Reports said tempers flared at the meeting where rumour of a fuel price increase was brought to the table. In the end, reason prevailed and a seeming battle-wary Labour announced that the ‘matter’ has been settled and the warriors should sheath their swords. Then the good news followed. Payment will be from April this year and all workers should receive the money before this December.
For the Ogun State Governor, Southwest of Nigeria Dapo Abiodun, it has been a huge relief since he clocked 100 days in office in September. He opted from his swearing-in in May not to be distracted by critics who seemed sympathetic to the immediate past governor. Abiodun’s steadfastness has paid off after his adversaries see nothing to criticize him for any longer. He is now making a bold move to introduce a carbon copy of the Federal Government’s Anchor Borrowers Scheme. The State is going to engage 20,000 farmers, with hands already on the plough and fresh and younger farmers to cultivate crops with which the State already has comparative advantage. Abiodun was recently at the Presidential Villa in Abuja to ask for the permission of the Federal Government to reconstruct a stretch of road that opens into Lagos but in bad state of disrepair. The road can serve as a veritable alternative to the heavily congested Ogun State end of Lagos/Ibadan Expressway. The Governor knows what he is doing. He will be assuming that responsibility in order to open another viable economic route in and out of his State. Meanwhile he can ask for refund of his government’s expenses on the project because the road in question is a Federal highway. We can say that vibrations from Ogun State, neighbour of Lagos State that Governor Abiodun is looking forward to an exciting tenure.
Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State had it so smooth heading to the Government House in Port Harcourt, even with enemies from within and outside the state always stalking him. But he seemed to be a hard nut for all of them to crack. He is a Governor in the opposition People’s Democratic Party, PDP. He won his second term election on a platter of gold. He had no formidable challenger because the courts barred All Progressives Party, APC from fielding any candidate as a result of the party’s primaries conducted in contravention of the electoral law.
Governor Wike owes nobody any patronage. Therefore, he obeys his own mind and mood. No sooner the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal proclaimed Muhammadu Buhari the winner of the February presidential election than Wike congratulated the ruling APC candidate for his victory. And so he is the odd man out among the PDP Governors that supported Atiku Abubakar, the party’s candidate to press his petition at the Supreme Court. Why not? He is believed to be a major financial of the party. Yet whenever he demands preferential treatment he is denied the privilege. He feels. A case in point is his desire to have one of his men as the minority leader in the House of Representatives. He is still visibly angry that he was outmaneuvered out of the contest.
Meanwhile Wike keeps his accolade, ‘Mr. Projects’ that Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo bestowed on him when he visited his domain in Rivers State where he commissioned a number of projects the Governor executed in his first term in office. Although he has yet to settle down to anointing a successor when his two terms expires in 2023, Wike has left no one in doubt that he is consolidated in power in his State and a lone ranger in PDP.
Afolabi Gambari, Journalist, Environmentalist and Social Commentator writes from Lagos.
Tel: +2348064651922, +2348116706849