LEAVE BOLA TINUBU ALONE I BEG

By Farouk Martins Aresa

Poor Bola Tinubu, they will not let him enjoy his loot in peace. The same culture that created him in a country where anything goes wants a piece of his money by threatening to reopen his case with EFCC. Well, to be fair to those demanding a fair share, there is no reason to be stingy when Oshun, Oyo, Ekiti and even Ghana political thugs were fully sponsored by the “Asiwaju of Yorubaland”. His influence cannot stop here, those across the Niger are still waiting.

From Pointblanknews.com

While Yiminu (leave me) Tinubu loaded himself with a deal for pension that Ghanaians would not tolerate for a former head of State, that even Jakande, the best Governor of all time, can only view with envy, others and former governors will be lu cky to get paid their pension regularly. These cannot be the people Tinubu was crying to for help to be left alone, could they?

As long as they are aware that Tinubu has cornered the major contracts in Lagos State, they know he is still in money no matter how much he relinquished to settle with EFCC in the past. That was during the time of Ribadu. There is a new game in town now. As a Nigerian, we know that the police never stop coming because lucrative cases are never dead cases. So why is a one-eye man complaining in the land of the blind?

It could also be that his political enemies are jealous of his success and his opposition to their free ride in political arena. Those ones finally met a formidable opponent who can challenge them man for man, naira for naira and dollar for dollar.  If he had allied with any of them in the past and they are now in the position to call for his case file from EFCC, the same file they have ignored for so long; it means there are no permanent friends or enemies in politics.

Those who brought Nigeria to this sorry state with heavy yoke of corruption making it difficult for the Country to get up from its knees take us for a fool when they preach to us. Look at the rise of Tinubu in Nigeria politics or his drug peddling activities in the United States: here comes a senator and a governor. As this “success” continues, there will emerge a President of Nigeria.  Whether we like it or not, that is the path to a successful political leader.

Before it became international disgrace, we knew what we were brewing in Nigeria as our tolerance for corruption increased and embraced the slogan of “if you cannot beat them join them”. Tinubu is only a product of his environment and we deserve the leaders we nourished. He is not the worst either. Many of us are still alive as we went from ten percent kickback to fund party activities and personal projects to “family support”.

We are now reduced to throwing our support nowhere or to the least of all evils. When we see highly informed people supporting those they know are crooks, we either provide them with honest means of livelihood or resign to the fact that they may pitch their tents with people of shady characters when their personal interest are at stake. The alternative can be dire and sometimes destructive.

Saint Aminu Kano is dead and gone. His days are over and he did not leave any money behind.

Therefore, only a Nigerian born yesterday would be wondering how we got here. We have now embarked on foreign contracts to support our voracious appetites for kickbacks. These foreign contractors who are at the mercy of our extortionists are now getting into trouble with their governments. As one of the US congressman rightly told Ribadu, if they do not play along, other businessmen from Europe and Asia will displace them from lucrative contracts in Nigeria.

Nigerian politicians feel safe and comfortable with foreign kickbacks. It brings in hard currencies and culprits are beyond the reach of local enforcement or “family support”. That is a perfect avenue for most of the development we desire in Nigeria in terms of mini gas turbines, steel and motor manufacturing industries and of course diverting projects like Tinapa and Lagoon City. It is not an accident that Tinubu happen to be around to explain the benefit of Lagoon City in Lagos.

Consequently, it could be very worrisome for the children, relatives and friends of Tinubu to be calling him from all over the world wondering why this investigation is still hanging on his head since his enemies tried to prevent him from running for second term as Governor of Lagos State. These were the same people who Ribadu was harassing because of gifts from friends of their father. But none of them ever asked him what type of businesses he engaged in to come up with such stupendous wealth in a country where so many are suffering in the midst of plenty.

Every crook in Nigeria claim they make money from personal business or stock market but the Country they make the money from gets poorer everyday with very little to show its citizens in spite of  the amount of money made from black gold. In the case of Ghana, we could point to those who stole the gold. In our case, Omo-Akotileta, our traitor-vultures absolved them from responsibilities. These are the dignitaries who have usurped the role of how hard working Nigerians that still toil day and night to provide for their relatives and create=2 0jobs for others.

So please Tinubu do not cry to us. Those that eat with the devil must acquire long spoon. You still have yours that is working well for you. You came up in the system that made you what you are today. If you have to do it all over again, you will surely chose the same course. It is just nauseating when you preach to us about the problems of Nigeria as if you are not a product of the same. The rest of us only chose a different route to make a living.

You rode on the back of NADECO and became bigger than them. You rode on the back of AD and became bigger than AD. You will soon get bigger than AC. Maybe the members of coalition you are calling for are seeing through you realizing where you are going to land. Do not call on the grass to separate the fight between elephants