January 18, 2009
Defending falsehood is one of the most arduous tasks to undertake. One feels sorry for Adagbo Onoja in his feeble efforts to defend Governor Sule Lamido against public criticisms regarding his recent declaration in Gusau, Zamfara State that the job of the PDP leaders is to destroy opposition. Mallam Garba Deen, a Columnist with the Sunday Trust was so outraged that he rightly he branded Lamido a fascist. Little did he realise, however, that such choice of word would draw him flaks from Lamido’s obsequious Media Adviser, Mr. Adagbo Onoja, who even questioned the columnist’s qualification to discuss fascism, a subject he considered outside Garba Deen’s field of knowledge.
In his excessive zeal to defend his boss, Mr. Onoja reeled off a list of Governor Lamido’s ideological antecedents and revolutionary struggles against the forces of reaction to prove that Lamido could not have been a fascist. Admittedly, nobody can deny that Lamido was once a member of the progressive forces, especially during the days of the Northern Elements Progressive Union (NEPU), ably and credibly led by the late Mallam Aminu Kano. He was also with the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) in the Second Republic.
It was this background that makes Lamido a credible politician. Unfortunately, tergiversation can sweep away one’s credibility and burn it on the altar of opportunism. Mr. Onoja believes that fascism belongs to military regimes such as Babangida which introduced the Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) and the late Gen. Sani Abacha which suppressed all forms of opposition.
Many readers were surprised why throughout his advertorials, Mr. Adagbo Onoja evaded how Sule Lamido deviated from the ideological orientation of Mallam Aminu Kano’s politics which is founded on courage and undiluted commitment to principle. Since fascism is more fitting for Babangida and Abacha’s regimes, why did Lamido accept appointment under the late General Abacha as the Chairman of Nigerian Cooperative and Agricultural Bank? Again, why did Lamido, as the Secretary of the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP) connive with “fascist” military governments of Babangida and Abacha to frustrate the late Chief Abiola’s mandate?
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo is one of the worst dictators Nigerians can ever imagine and even after being elected under a democratic environment, he didn’t cast off dictatorial tendencies. Gen. Obasanjo once declared that opposition is synonymous with an enemy, suggesting that intolerance of opposition is legitimate. Obsession for absolute power and control are features of a dictator and consequently, former President Obasanjo frequently defied the Constitution, which pitted him against the National Assembly on several occasions.
Throughout former President Obasanjo’s dictatorial rule, Sule Lamido was one of his chorus boys, clapping enthusiastically as the dictator was destroying the Constitution and internal democracy in the PDP. Lamido was never on record for ever criticizing Obasanjo, despite his glaring despotic excesses and tendencies. Instead, Lamido was among the PDP leaders appointed by affirmation and who frequently defended Obasanjo’s dictatorship, including his nauseating attempt to succeed himself even after the Constitution limited him to two-terms. Save for the courage of PDP lawmakers in the National Assembly who defied the party leadership, the third term agenda would have succeeded. Public opinion alone wouldn’t have stopped Obasanjo from his crazy third term ambition. Typical of dictators, he ignored public feeling and imposed frequent fuel prices increases on helpless Nigerians.
With stubborn loyalists like Lamido in the PDP leadership, the former President was blinkered with power to see reason. It is on record how Sule Lamido openly insulted former Vice President Atiku Abubakar for his audacity to oppose Obasanjo’s third term ambition. In fact, former Comrade Lamido also fell out with Alhaji Abubakar Rimi, the former Governor of Kano State because Rimi was consistently attacking Obasanjo’s dictatorship and moral double standards.
Any student of Obasanjo’s do-or-die politics, such as Lamido, should not rely on old ideological glory to defend himself against fascist labels. Didn’t Governor Lamido ensure that all the 27 local government councils in Jigawa State were won by the PDP? Why should a politician with this record and loyalty to dictatorship create so much fuss because a columnist branded him a fascist? Governor Lamido publicly declared that their job is to extirpate opposition in Nigeria and his attitude is consistent with fascist tendencies.
It is sad that a man of Onoja’s education would assume that all you need to fool the public is to throw in money and sponsor expensive advertorials. Fascism is a state of the mind, an attitude that believes opposition must be deracinated by whatever means. Didn’t Lamido’s declaration in Gusau give a clear picture of Nigeria’s descend into one-party state and the annihilation of the opposition? This ambition by the PDP is obvious to all Nigerians and Lamido only confirmed what we already knew. If Lamido is not ashamed to make such declaration in Gusau, why is he disconcerted because he is branded a fascist? A former Chief Press Secretary to former President Clinton of the United States of America, Mr. Mike McCurry resigned his job, saying he was “sick and tired of lying for anybody,” a reference to the Monica Lewinsky sex scandal in 1998. McCurry took the path of honour rather than lying on behalf of his boss who knew deep down he was having some liaison with Monica.
Adagbo Onoja, Lamido’s Media Adviser, should borrow a leaf from Mr. McCurry instead of ridiculing himself by defending Governor Lamido even against his own words, which were accurately reported by the Press. The clear impression created by Onoja is that Governor Lamido should not be criticized, even if legitimately. Any public office holder, especially those elected into office, must learn to live with the reality of being criticized. It goes with the territory; even the Prophets of God were criticized by opponents. If Lamido doesn’t like the heat, let him get out of the kitchen.
Falsehood is like a thatched house; no matter how neatly the stalks are arranged, it will inevitably rain through. If Onoja had bought the entire newspaper spaces in Nigeria, it wouldn’t have changed the truth and intention of Governor Lamido who said their mission is to destroy the opposition.
Was it not the same Lamido who recently branded General Buhari, the ANPP flag-bearer in the 2007 presidential election, a tyrant? Didn’t he say that the difference between President Yar’Adua and Buhari is the difference between heaven and hell? A man who talks like this should not be behaving like a cat on hot bricks because of predictable and hostile public reactions to his reckless and vacuous public utterances, which his Media Adviser, Mr. Adagbo Onoja, was trying desperately, but unconvincingly to defend or re-write.
Signed:
BILYAMINU HASSAN GARBA
No. 28 Gabese Street,
Zone 2, Wuse, Abuja
In his excessive zeal to defend his boss, Mr. Onoja reeled off a list of Governor Lamido’s ideological antecedents and revolutionary struggles against the forces of reaction to prove that Lamido could not have been a fascist. Admittedly, nobody can deny that Lamido was once a member of the progressive forces, especially during the days of the Northern Elements Progressive Union (NEPU), ably and credibly led by the late Mallam Aminu Kano. He was also with the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) in the Second Republic.
It was this background that makes Lamido a credible politician. Unfortunately, tergiversation can sweep away one’s credibility and burn it on the altar of opportunism. Mr. Onoja believes that fascism belongs to military regimes such as Babangida which introduced the Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) and the late Gen. Sani Abacha which suppressed all forms of opposition.
Many readers were surprised why throughout his advertorials, Mr. Adagbo Onoja evaded how Sule Lamido deviated from the ideological orientation of Mallam Aminu Kano’s politics which is founded on courage and undiluted commitment to principle. Since fascism is more fitting for Babangida and Abacha’s regimes, why did Lamido accept appointment under the late General Abacha as the Chairman of Nigerian Cooperative and Agricultural Bank? Again, why did Lamido, as the Secretary of the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP) connive with “fascist” military governments of Babangida and Abacha to frustrate the late Chief Abiola’s mandate?
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo is one of the worst dictators Nigerians can ever imagine and even after being elected under a democratic environment, he didn’t cast off dictatorial tendencies. Gen. Obasanjo once declared that opposition is synonymous with an enemy, suggesting that intolerance of opposition is legitimate. Obsession for absolute power and control are features of a dictator and consequently, former President Obasanjo frequently defied the Constitution, which pitted him against the National Assembly on several occasions.
Throughout former President Obasanjo’s dictatorial rule, Sule Lamido was one of his chorus boys, clapping enthusiastically as the dictator was destroying the Constitution and internal democracy in the PDP. Lamido was never on record for ever criticizing Obasanjo, despite his glaring despotic excesses and tendencies. Instead, Lamido was among the PDP leaders appointed by affirmation and who frequently defended Obasanjo’s dictatorship, including his nauseating attempt to succeed himself even after the Constitution limited him to two-terms. Save for the courage of PDP lawmakers in the National Assembly who defied the party leadership, the third term agenda would have succeeded. Public opinion alone wouldn’t have stopped Obasanjo from his crazy third term ambition. Typical of dictators, he ignored public feeling and imposed frequent fuel prices increases on helpless Nigerians.
With stubborn loyalists like Lamido in the PDP leadership, the former President was blinkered with power to see reason. It is on record how Sule Lamido openly insulted former Vice President Atiku Abubakar for his audacity to oppose Obasanjo’s third term ambition. In fact, former Comrade Lamido also fell out with Alhaji Abubakar Rimi, the former Governor of Kano State because Rimi was consistently attacking Obasanjo’s dictatorship and moral double standards.
Any student of Obasanjo’s do-or-die politics, such as Lamido, should not rely on old ideological glory to defend himself against fascist labels. Didn’t Governor Lamido ensure that all the 27 local government councils in Jigawa State were won by the PDP? Why should a politician with this record and loyalty to dictatorship create so much fuss because a columnist branded him a fascist? Governor Lamido publicly declared that their job is to extirpate opposition in Nigeria and his attitude is consistent with fascist tendencies.
It is sad that a man of Onoja’s education would assume that all you need to fool the public is to throw in money and sponsor expensive advertorials. Fascism is a state of the mind, an attitude that believes opposition must be deracinated by whatever means. Didn’t Lamido’s declaration in Gusau give a clear picture of Nigeria’s descend into one-party state and the annihilation of the opposition? This ambition by the PDP is obvious to all Nigerians and Lamido only confirmed what we already knew. If Lamido is not ashamed to make such declaration in Gusau, why is he disconcerted because he is branded a fascist? A former Chief Press Secretary to former President Clinton of the United States of America, Mr. Mike McCurry resigned his job, saying he was “sick and tired of lying for anybody,” a reference to the Monica Lewinsky sex scandal in 1998. McCurry took the path of honour rather than lying on behalf of his boss who knew deep down he was having some liaison with Monica.
Adagbo Onoja, Lamido’s Media Adviser, should borrow a leaf from Mr. McCurry instead of ridiculing himself by defending Governor Lamido even against his own words, which were accurately reported by the Press. The clear impression created by Onoja is that Governor Lamido should not be criticized, even if legitimately. Any public office holder, especially those elected into office, must learn to live with the reality of being criticized. It goes with the territory; even the Prophets of God were criticized by opponents. If Lamido doesn’t like the heat, let him get out of the kitchen.
Falsehood is like a thatched house; no matter how neatly the stalks are arranged, it will inevitably rain through. If Onoja had bought the entire newspaper spaces in Nigeria, it wouldn’t have changed the truth and intention of Governor Lamido who said their mission is to destroy the opposition.
Was it not the same Lamido who recently branded General Buhari, the ANPP flag-bearer in the 2007 presidential election, a tyrant? Didn’t he say that the difference between President Yar’Adua and Buhari is the difference between heaven and hell? A man who talks like this should not be behaving like a cat on hot bricks because of predictable and hostile public reactions to his reckless and vacuous public utterances, which his Media Adviser, Mr. Adagbo Onoja, was trying desperately, but unconvincingly to defend or re-write.
Signed:
BILYAMINU HASSAN GARBA
No. 28 Gabese Street,
Zone 2, Wuse, Abuja
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