Background
Chinua Achebe once declared that “true leaders are not those who have chains of Cambridge and oxford certificates but those who speak the language of the people”. A bold attempt by Nigerian government under the ailing president Umaru Yar’adua to finally surrender the Nigerian petroleum industry to the vagaries of market economy has precipitated inescapable conflict with organized labor and civil society groups resulting to legislative inquest which uncover the grand corruption this the fabric of Nigerian petroleum industry in the regime President Goodluck Jonathan. While ordinary Nigerians continue to see the issue as an extension of anti people agenda, which Obasanjo designed through arbitrary increase in prices of petroleum products, on the commonsense logic that a cost of a beer consumed by an average Nigerian worker, was higher than the cost of a litre of petroleum products.
The Need for Deregulation
It is against the aforementioned background, that Yar’adua administration through telecasts and Newspaper advertorials enumerated the anticipated gains of the planned deregulation – increase availability of petroleum products; Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the industry through building of more refineries and allied product factories thereby creating job and Significantly reduced unemployment; more revenues to the government through NNPC equity shares in all filling station; reduced pump price as evident in reduced telecom tariff as result of deregulation-induced competition; reallocation of erstwhile subsidy funds to other critical sectors of the economy like health, social infrastructure, agriculture, education housing e.t.c. to meet the millennium development goals. These were packaged into the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) originally put together by Nigerian Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative (NEITI) and the then insightful Special Adviser to the late President Umar Yaradua on petroleum resources, Dr Rilwan Lukman.
More so, the regime identified the compulsory dismantling of a very power full cartel in the petroleum industry – which hijack, bunker and smuggle abroad petroleum product and create artificial scarcity -as a great task that must be a accomplished by the government through deregulation. Hence the establishment of Petroleum Product Pricing Regulatory Agency(PPPRA) .All these are to enamored by the proposed Petroleum Industry Bill (2009 as may redrafted) when passed into law.
Background to the Fuel Subsidy Scam -The Ali’s Connection
Whereas the organized labour and civil societies group conceded that in as much as the so called anticipated gains - well canvassed – of deregulation remain logically plausible, commonsensically rational and politically expedient, the desideratum should be the fixing of refineries before the take off since government can not justifies importation of refined petroleum products. This is seen as a soft laden for the civil societies and Nigerian masses should the deregulation turn out to be another abracadabra and a decoy of few Nigerians to exploit the masses within the premises of tenability, patriotism and welfarism.The post Yaradua transmogrifications of this discourse is the $7.6 USD subsidy fraud unearth by the diminutive Farouk Lawan led house of representative ad-hoc committee in 2012.the committee indicted many corporate oil marketers for prosecution. It fell short of indicting Ahmadu Ali who chairs the board of PPPRA from 2007 to 2011 through cheques, minutes and memo as a part time chairman where there was an executive secretary. The committee instead usurps what should have been the party query –meaning you have a question to answer – and translate it to Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) as recommendation for prosecution. One is amazed that the investigative committee which claimed to be thorough and not bias could teach the EFCC how to deal with Ahmadu Ali when he is not indicted on their report. The same harsh recommendation never went for the petroleum minister –this is an outright superficiality, sterotypical offensiveness and malicious agenda which have rubbished the supposed rigorous commitment of the committee.
The fraud unearthed by the committee is institutional, systematic and traditional. The PPPRA does not out rightly deal with physical products but data and regulations. If being a part time chairman of an agency means liability for any fraud committed there, there is no need for an audit. We should always look for the chairman. The case of chief Bode George established a link between George’s official directive and abuse of office; he went to jail. You will agree with me that it is proper and to have indicted Ahmadu Ali before recommending him for prosecution. Notwithstanding this little infraction, the Farouk Lawan committee did their imperfect best. Those indicted should be punished. The distraction about Farouk Lawan integrity should be insolated from the report.
The Ideological Force of Ali’s Politicking –an Overview
The focus of this literature is not to hold brief for Ahmadu Ali,but to bring to light the reasons for the ever increasing visibility and criticality of a diminutive politician; an old political wizard called Ahmadu Ali on all conflict dark spots in our national history including the ongoing deregulation. Political sociologist, Parento once propounded that what we called politics is mostly determine elite struggle and conspiracy (called it counterstrategy). Ali Ahmadu”- as fondly called by his co-conspirator’ political bedmate and contemporary, Gen(R TD) Olusegun Obasanjo can not be understood without analogical inquest into the football career of a former Super Eagle utility player, a kano -born Garba Lawal.
The Ex –Super Eagle Garba Lawal’s Connection
Garba Lawal made his debut for Nigerian national team as a member of the all conquering and celebrated Dream Team 1 that won the Olympic Gold in 1996 centennial Olympics in Atlanta U.S.A under coach Boniface Johannes. He became the pivot of all sub segment squads paraded by successive coaches –Philip Troussier, Bora Multinovic,Christian chukwu, Eguavoen, Berti Vogts and Shaibu Ahmadu. But the tragic-comedy of all this is that Nigerian football followership (except member of national team) did not see Lawal as capable of being capable for the national team screening, let alone make the national team. All conches came under attack from “over –sabi” football fans and analysts for fielding a man ‘who has no business with the national team’. It was also alleged –in some quarters that it was to fill the northern quotas in the national team. He nevertheless justifies his inclusion by scoring critical and miraculous goals that were face-saver to our national pride even though his normal mistakes –like other favoured players – were prejudicially blown out of proportions.
Christian chukwu, worried by the intensity of anti- Garba Lawal campaign of calumny – based on gross and pervasive misconception –included in one of his open technical reports that “Garba Lawal possesses a pivotal footballing skills which only the trained eyes can see”. Time has proved this as Garba Lawal; a retried foreign based member of the national team is the toast of many soccer crazy fans today that won’t touch him with long pole. Outside Austin okocha and Samuel Okwaraji, objective analyst will believe that Garba Lawal is the most utility player in Nigeria history – ask NFF technical department.
Ali Ahmadu –Early Life
Ali has many live –as a palace boy; as a soldier doctor; as a soldier politician; as a family Man; as a homeboy and growing up child. Providence arranges the inauguration of one great man by another. This could be hand shake, commendation or mentorship. For instance, Aristotle tutored Plato; MKO Abiola,Oladip Diya and Abiola were classmates at Abeokuta Baptist School. Master Ali was brought up at Atta Igala palace as one of the 22 boys sponsored by the late Great Atta’ Igala,a mystical monarch and miracle worker, Umaru Ameh Oboni through the defunct Igala Native Authority scholarship scheme. When the then Nigerians students in the 50s came together for the first time to form a united front to legitimately confront the authority over their interest under the aegis of the Nigerian Student Union (now NANS),comrade Ali of the University College Medicine, Ibadan was made the pioneer Secretary-General. He was granted governor-general commission as a second lieutenant to the 4t battalion of Nigerian Army in Ibadan in 1973, appointed the 1st Executive Director of the National Youth Service Corps.
The celebrated “Ali Must Go” Riot
As a military politician, was appointed Federal Commissioner for Education on Janary 24th, 1975.it is on this post in 1978 that a memo sent by the National University Commission (NUC) under the headship of Prof. Jubril Aminu to withdraw meal subsidy triggered a chain of reactions which left many student dead in what is today known as “Ali must go” riot. The celebrated riot started as a peaceful demonstration but was hijacked by hoodlums –Agberos and things went out of hands. The police had to wade in on the instruction of the Inspector-General of Police. Ali was physically trapped among the rioters who could not recognize him and he miraculously turned what sociologist refered as “a participant observer” .Ali did not issue meme to police to kill student as the riot was spontaneous and Ali did not get to office. He was very lucky to be alive later in the day to gist his family at no 55 Ogunlana Drive, Falomo Ikoyi Lagos. The supreme military council which acted on the the NUC memo did not abandon him until he retired in 1979 and was elected a Senator by his people –the present day Kogi East. He was the one that presented the memo for the creation of current Kogi State at the respective State assemblies of Benue and Kwara State in 1981 respectively.
The Controversial Providence Unique To Ali
Senator Ali, a 3-time Senator chaired different Senate committees like Education, Health and Aviation etc at the three different republics from 1979-1993. When the Abacha junta was under pressure to handover to a democratically elected regime 1996, Ali was one of the choice of the Junta to douse the politically charged atmosphere precipitated by June 12 annulment for which PDM marshaled by the late Shehu Yar’adua political machine was making a political capital. Ali was appointed as the leader of Kogi State delegation to the 1995 constitutional conference. The talismanic, telepathic and invisible Yar’adua group considered Senator Ali a greater threat ahead of the Umaru Dikko pro-establishment group. The late Yar’adua’s political machine took a pre-emptive strike at Ali’s Jugular. Ali kinsman, Dr. Sule Odoma – a then fearless political green horn –was use by the Yar’adua’s political machine to fire the first salvo. He moved a motion asking the Abacha Junta to step aside 1st January, 1996. Ali being an elite class man was caught unaware. But the pre-establishment strategies regrouped and the outcome of the confab stampeded. He was appointed the Director -General of South –South Health Delivery Service in the Fourth Republic. When the fifth republic PDP President Obasanjo could not get the command – structure loyalty from the PDP party Chairmen (Barnabas Gemade, Audu Ogbe ), Obasanjo had to call on Ali –the only political multilingual fellow in Nigerian political history – to ply the political trade only him knows best. At his swearing –in ceremony, he never pretended PDP he was a behemoth of confusion and crises that needed expert diagnosis and treatment. He drew an analogy between the PDP’s malaise and a military medical emergency whereby shrapnel (bullet) has to be carefully removed before from the flesh before the wound could be treated. The elated Obasanjo in his usual characteristic humorous manner regaled the audience that “Ali must not go again, Ali must stay “. Chairman Ali, the greatest survivalist in Nigerian political history completed his tenure as the chairman of the largest party in Black world-first in history; survive Obasanjo malfeasance through Nasir El-Rufai. The whole nation came hard on him when he gave 2 slots of his 25 personal political slots went to his family – wife (Maryam) and son (Ogala). Obasanjo followed the tide and Ali withdrew his wife and son from the boards of both Nigerian Port Authority (NPA) and Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) People forgot that when Tony Anenih was PDP BOT Chair, his wife a minister; Obasanjo daughter Iyabo was a Senator –Detractors forgot that Ali as a party chair was not a public officer for the purpose of Code of Conduct in the fifth schedule of 1999 constitution. Chief Olabode George who benefitted from Ali’s wife’s withdrawal is today a Jail bird.El-Rufai and Ibori who were also used by some invincible hands to checkmate and punish Ali’s larger-than-life chairmanship today are today facing the greatest battles of their lives. Obasanjo too is living on borrowed time as the plethora of corruption indictment against him by Yar’ adua administration was too enormous. The late Yaradua would have had no moral reason, if Yaradua had recuperated, not to incarcerate Obasanjo for his sleazy days through EFCC. This was because Obasanjo had squandered the goodwill which he maliciously and unsuccessfully asked the PDP BOT to ask the ailing Yar’Adua to step aside for the then Vice President, Dr Goodluck Jonathan.
There is no petition or indictment against Ali on corruption any where in the world. But he is always sentenced to death in the court of public opinion based on his unique ideology.
When the issue of constitutional amendments of 2007 came up, Chairman Ali never hid his conclusion of the “rascality” of the contemporary Senators after the entire constitutional amendment proposals were thrown away. The senate rose to the occasion by threatening to delist Ali from the senate register if he fails to retract the adjective – rascals.Ali grouse was that the entire amendment proposal should not have been thrown out because of the euphoria and the hysterics of tenure elongation (a.k.a “The Third Term”). This he did and he owned up to his statement. Today, the 7th Senate is back to the constitutional amendments it (the 6th Senate) threw away just because of a contentious tenure elongation. Is Ali now justified? Where would we have been now if the tenure elongation was shut down and other amendments carried out? What would have happened when the late Yaradua was away in Saudi Arabia and the Vice President could not act? The Senate saw Ali’s diatribe as an expression of frustration by a third term anchorman.
Obnoxious Chairmanship in an Obnoxious Party Structure
Chairman Ali PDP tenure could be regarded as revolutionary –historic membership revalidation where many party members including yours sincerely were deregistered from the party elective congress; the principle of affirmation; conceptualization of colossal mega structure as PDP secretariat to represent the party strength; the lexicon of “ political tsunami and garrison commander”; reversal of many Obasanjo obnoxious policies and decisions by Government arms of the party; enthronement of the middle of the road successive party leadership headed by Vincent Ogbulafor among others.
Chairman Ali, in one of his sober mood at the denouncement of his tenure was reported to have run down the capitalist and inhuman policies of the erstwhile Obasanjo’s regime. This made Obasanjo to rant it as a first hand indictment by Ali- his beneficiary. Ali describes this as press mischief; describing the Nigerian press as having problem of semantics. The whole media community in Nigeria fired from all their cylinders, threatening to boycott any occasion that has Ali as an attendee. The issue died a natural death. Ali was and today remains a press delight. The elite class under Umaru Yara’adua administration tried to push him ashore as Nigerian ambassador but for some mix –ups in diplomatic circles. Ali had to observe a compulsory political sabbatical to gather another momentum until the contentious deregulation, where he is brought in as an ‘arbiter’. Ali raised alarm in 2010 that the Federal Government is the problem of the petroleum ministry. This predated the Farouk Lawan Ad-hoc Committee on fuel Subsidy fund.Hence; the panel has confirmed the old wine. Could Ali then have abandoned the elite class as he approach the octogenarian age- grade? Was he playing to the gallery knowing that a game will be up one day? Why did survive this attack and was allowed to complete his tenure? Today he stands to be justified since he did not resigned and was not directly indicted through any primary investigation but was outrageously recommended for prosecution without a prima facie –this pure bile, impulse and superstition .
People who try others in the court of public opinion and pass their sentences must know that real democracy is speculative, hypothetical and currently non existent. What obtains in the so called democratic climes is parliarchy, is a system of elite rule with public gratifications. All democratic decisions in Uk, Europe, U.S.A etc are those fashioned and approved by different power groupings anchor on the philosophies and dictates of elites. If the democracy really exists, George bush, Tony Blair and Donald Rumsfeld should have be on trial or jailed for Iraqi war crime either through their local jurisprudences or the united nation framework. The Iraqi was based on propaganda of non existent weapon of mass destruction by Saddam Hussein Iraqi, which the successive authorities of the United States and the United Kingdom have established as a Bush -Blair conspiracy promoted by BBC and CNN media network. The direct beneficiaries of this war are the elite defense contractors of the United States who fund Republican Party and those of the United Kingdom who control the Labour party.
I pity the naivety of those who felt Ali is irrelevant as they themselves will need Ali when it is expedient. This is better seen in the light of late Steven Makoji Achema words:
“I can not experience exactly what other people experience, so I have to rely on people for their experiences”
Thus, Ali is an Iconoclast of Nigerian politics. The only things to keep Ali away from Nigerian politics because of his ‘controversial nature’ are laws; the court of law; the complete absence conflict; absence of elite; and when experience is no longer required. Those federally ambitious and upwardly mobile politicians who choose to despise Ali for whatever reason do that at their own peril. No wonder when the dragon of Nigerian politics appeared for Senate screening for ambassadorial postings, in 2008, a cemetery silence overwhelms the hallowed chamber as he mounted the rostrum. Most fire-brand senators who had hitherto murmured one thing or the others against Ali restrained themselves, while few courageous ones quizzed the man with protocol questions dressed in hard case euphemism which Ali easy parried. To me Ali is frank, profound and lacks the swash buckling of Nigerian average politicians. He is very original, logical, and full of scope and never a slogan peddler.
I foresee Aliism creeping into the lexicon of conflict school of political thought. I anticipate endowment of Ali professorial chair for political conflict in any of Nigerian universities or an establishment of Ali Institute of Conflict Studies. Ali is a repertoire of both formal and informal know ledge in conflict. He should be a Mecca-of-sorts to all conflict students from all over the world or students of Nigerian politics.
Ali -Winding Up Of A Dragon
To end this random note on Ali socio-political phenomena, I called on the talismanic and cell-time chairman Ahmadu Ali to use his survival enigma to make Nigerian masses survive the looming deregulation and PDP misrule as a current member or potential chair of the Board of Trustees. By this way, he will become a hero in the political inconsequential public Opinion. Justice Mohammed Uwais too used this political reform assignment to redeem his battered image in Nigerian inconsequential public opinion and now a hero.
Senator Ali sir, your legacies like JAMB, NUC, some1st and 2nd generation federal universities, polytechnics (excluding Kadpoly and Yabatech) and colleges of education, unity schools of 1970s still endure for Nigerian generations yet to come. Besides, you are often referred to as “the Father of youth service”. I doff my hat for you, Chairman Ali; it is about time you take your deserved rest with a saying: “e don do”. I doff my hat for you chairman Ali, Ochada Atta of Igala; knighted with top-echelon Grand Commander Order of Niger. It is about time you take your bow for a well deserved rest from the Nigerian public service while waiting for your turn as PDP BOT chair saying:
“E don do,
I am now
A consultant; a
Farmer at River
Niger valley in Idah”
This should not be construed to mean holding brief for Ahmadu Ali, but to place him in his right context based on the logic of objectivity, rigorosity and exactitude that are the hallmarks of intellectualism. I declare that Ali’s transcending on Nigerian Socio-Political space can be bi-furcated into public service life and corporate life. The dark spot on Ali’s Public service life is the “Ali must go riot” which the government white paper absolved him of any blame The Farouk Lawan’s committee gaffed for recommending Ali for prosecution in the absence of primary indictment, instead of asking the PDP to issue a moral query –meaning you have a question to answer. It is possible they insinuated that PDP would take it as a family affair and would not ask a fair question. Whereas, the corporate life of Ali is mostly spent in party politics – NPN, NRC, UNCP and PDP.
Ali has never pretended to be a progressive. The Nigerian democracy has been wobbly, fumbling, stumbling, no thanks to the actors and the political institutions – including the political parties. The Nigeria political stakeholders comprising the political parties, the politicians, leadership and followership are yet to attain the ethos of democracy as their Western model counterparts. No wonder the intelligent IBB once described the Nigerian Political Parties as “unwieldy; such that personalities are easily subsumed”. In order words, IBB meant that patriotic visionaries in Nigerian political parties risk the ridicule of fools. As Nigerian democracy and party politics grapple towards the highway of globally accepted standards, providence has made Ali one of the inevitable co-travelers.By and large, Ali as a public officer has done his imperfect best, whereas a party chieftain, not recognized in Nigerian 1999 constitution –as amended – as a public officer has neither achieved his best nor done his worst.
While composing this Wade Mecum, I went into a trance; a dragon appeared to me saying “:that Ali is the one to roll back the PDP’s mat from Aso Rock by 2015 as a B.O.T Chairman; that Farouk has been struck by celestial forces protecting the dragon. The same forces that is haunting Nosiru Al-Rufai for pulling down the pantheon built by the dragon for it’s heavenly mentors. A senator has lost his seat for backstabbing the dragon;no youngster dares a masquerade and expect a peaceful night rest .See my G.C.O.N national medal as I am flashing it; I am quitting public service to start a farm at River Niger Valley at Idah – up to Gbobe in Kogi State”.
Honor must be given to whom it is due. No erudite Political or social scientist will dispute that Ali has imparted the Nigerian Political space. Ali as a phenomenon has sprung up a lot of researches that are shaping today’s learning. The imperfect Ali could have been you and me – strictly by opportunity.
This is no historic revisionism but a logical statement of matters of fact. Ali must not die before “the truth must be told” – apology to Muffet. A. Dragon(sorry,Dr)Ali who exhibits the colonial financial meticulousness and discipline of the colonial public servants is not popular among many Igala folks – political hirelings, thugs and the traditionalists – because he does not believe that wholesale charity cures poverty. He believes in economic and intellectual empowerment. Hence he advised Igala youths to take politics as a part time in 2005 when Igala Students Association paid him a courtesy call. This ideology translated to the current day Federal Polytechnic Idah, Unity School at Ugwuolawo, F.C.E Okene among many federal appointments from his personal slot and influences for his kinsmen –from among many that stabbed him in the back.
will Kogi elite politicians take cue from the luck enigma, President Goodluck Jonathan, who called Ahmadu Ali: “My god father in politics? The extempore speech of Goodluck Jonathan on this day of presidential election campaign to Kogi state in early 2011, no doubt flowed from Ali’s contemporal logic – the recognition of the works of late Peter.S Achimuyu (Snr), S.B Awoniyi are all issues of conservative politics of Ahamdu Ali’s school.The dragon was at his polyglot self on this when he refeered to himself as Onu Otemeje (the emperor),but not without paying tribute to the then Governor Ibrahim Idris with banter as “IBRO NA’ALLAH” –derived from a model economic empowerment programme for Kogi Youths by the former Governor .The camaign tour had no agenda for the then incumbent governor to make speech,while the dragon spoke in all the dialects of kogi state.Former President Obasanjo had to reconise Ali – in his usual characteristic – to pay him homage on his investiture as Umahionu-Igala by the late Atta Ali Obaje (RIP) in early 2000s ahead of the host Governor,Prince Abubakar Audu ;an Igala among other Kogi illustrious sons and others.The Civic Center at the Atta Igala palace was regaled –with disbelief and surprise at unique recognition – as the dragon prostrated in homage of the comical knight Obasanjo.Ali reduces some PDP politicians in Kogi state, who thought they could suspend him for a purported anti- party activity –over Kogi East Senatorial ticket of 2011 –to political pedestrians as he waxes stronger with more influence;more political engagement and increased invicibilities.
The dragon is reported to be responsible for Jonathan’s presidency through nomination for the Vice Presidency, when the erstwhile favoured Peter Odilih kissed the dust before President Obasanjo over a purported anti -third term ticket rumor. Like it or not, Ali is the most decorated politician in Nigerian history. The Ali, a man of extreme fate, is either a starter or a finisher. He completed the ambush of many invincible political machnines and dynasties – the Yaradua’s PDM machine in PDP promoted by Atiku Abubakar, pioneered dystfication of Mr. fix It, Chief Tony Anenih from returning as PDP BOT Chair. 1ST PDP chair to complete a tenure; oversees the withdrawal of students’ meal subsidy; headed PPPRA to manage an all-time deregulation of the petroleum industry; the first politician to be given a second chance by Olusegun Obansanjo, to mention but few. No wonder, during his chairmanship tenure he move around with retinue of security men with spectacles, reminiscent of war time ministers. I suspected he too should be wearing armoured vest, as his aides in those peaceful era because of what obnoxious fate confers upon him by nature. The involvement of Ali’s son Mamman Nassir Ali in the fuel subsidy scandal would not have come at a better time.
The younger Ali; an adult could have exploited the euphoria of “the chairman son’s” to a desperate and irresponsible level. He is personal liable for no performance – he must have dropped his father name and influence to get the PPPRA contract for his company. The senior Ali, the dragon stands free as a part- time chairman of PPPRA.

I recall the pontifications of Aaron Linfold while playing violin for the dragon as he mourns the fallen Ata’Igala, Ali Obaje(RIP),who knighted him as God -knows –what,the Ochada Attah of Igala at the threshold of 1980s :
: If with pleasure you are viewing any work a man is doing,
If you like him and you trust him tell him now,
don’t withhold your approbation till the person
makes oration and he lies with snowy lilies over his brows;
for no matter how you shout it, he won’t know anything about it,
for he can not read his tombstone”.



Ambassador Sani-Aji,M.

Adjunct Secretary,
Nigerian Merchant Navy Corps,
6th Force Road,Obalende
Lagos.
samoopenskyworld@yahoo.co.uk
Tel: +2348057147579