₦airaland Forum

deols: My enemy's enemy is my friend. Congrats Francois Hollande Only God reigns forever!!!!!


Nd btw, when are we going to start having elections in Nigeria

ON April 13, 2012, one Suraj Oyewale reacted to Professor Tony Afejuku’s series on Lamido Sanusi, the Central Bank Governor. Professor Tony Afejuku is a regular Monday columnist on the back page of Nigerian Tribune. I struck an acquaintance with him in my undergraduate days in the 1990s and thereafter we met and interacted at different times and in many forums until the year 2002/2003 when I had my Master’s degree programme in University of Benin where Afejuku was already a Professor. Since then he has been one of my intellectual mentors and senior friends. I am also a regular reader of and a once-in-a-while responder to his column. The man Suraj Oyewale I do not know physically. However, I have read one or two of his articles in one or two Nigerian newspapers. He comes to me, based on the very limited articles by him, which I have read, that Suraj is a budding scholar who has a flair for writing, public discourse and commentaries on topical socio-economic and political issues. I had no time to check on him on the Internet in full, as he did on Afejuku, but the little I saw of him is that he is a 2006 Economics graduate of Obafemi Awolowo University, a Chartered Accountant and business man. What is at stake here is not his person or personality but his reaction to Afejuku’s series on Lamido Sanusi entitled ‘Between Lamido Sanusi and Tony Afejuku.’ After reading the piece twice, I had a surge of mixed feelings, the strongest of the feelings urging me to react to Oyewale’s reaction for a number of reasons stated below.

First, Afejuku is my friend and one of my few intellectual mentors. So, I do have a conscience to put my dear friend in the proper and correct light, particularly when he seems to be misrepresented and put in the wrong public light, a thing I believe that Oyewale is also doing for Sanusi, his friend, or who is Sanusi to him? However, I am not reacting because he asked or wanted me to; for, all considered, Afejuku can respond for himself. I do not possess the intellectual fireworks that Professor Afej has acquired over the years in his cerebral armoury to prosecute a verbal war of his. Second, I am a Nigerian, just like Suraj, who has a stake on the issues at stake. As Afejuku himself acknowledges in one of those series: In a democratic culture as obtains in Nigeria today, everyone is guaranteed the right and freedom to express his or her opinion on any situation. But one very important thing is that freedom comes with certain burden and responsibility to make the fine distinction between sense and nonsense. Third, Oyewale, a budding writer and commentator on national issues when compared to Professor Afejuku, committed some fallacies of argument and clear inaccuracies in the piece above-mentioned.

In addition, there is a belief Oyewale and I share in common, which he cleverly stated and used in his attack on Afejuku. He states as follows: “Although I have never believed that one’s level of academic attainment totally immunes one from errors and sentiments, or even ignorance, the series further stamped my long held belief.” Really, no mortal man can lay claim to omniscience or perfection. The vast fields of education, degrees and knowledge that we acquire are but an infinitesimal reduction in the immeasurable expanse of our ignorance. Oyewale is saying in his words just quoted that even though Afejuku is a Professor; he has displayed sentiments, errors and ignorance. In trying to expose the so-called errors or ignorance in Afejuku’ series, Oyewale behaved like the proverbial naked man who bends to look and mock at another man’s yanch and privates only to exhibit his own to those behind! Below are the highlights of Suraj’s diatribe against the eminent professor:

Suraj says that Afejuku in the first of his five series on Sanusi claims that Alhaji Umaru Muttalab assisted Sanusi to the top of Nigeria banking system. That Afejuku links Alhaji Muttalab to the condemnable act of Abdul Muttalab, his son and the ‘underwear bomber.’ Suraj submits that “this is a most petty and very unfortunate line of reasoning for a professor.” He also claims that Afejuku drew a link between Sanusi and the misguided act of Umaru Muttalab’s son: “By Afejuku’s professorial logic, Abdul’s father and anybody who enjoys a relationship with him are also Muslim fundamentalists.” Suraj further states in disrespectful terms that Afejuku is most reckless in his assertions on Islamic banking. Subsequently, Suraj struggles and pants through words and phrases to disprove the professor and some facts of history that we know. In this endeavour, Suraj came worse off than the professor that he set out to criticize, committing many fallacies and inexactitudes.

On his first accusation, Suraj unconsciously assisted Afejuku in making the point better that Alhaji Muttalab did influence Sanusi’s appointment as Central Bank Governor. He admits that Sanusi is indeed Alhaji Mutalab’s godson and that the late Yar’Adua actually consulted Muttalab who strongly put Sanusi forward for the position. Consequently, he was appointed Governor, a historical fact that Afejuku simply stated in his column. Yes, Sanusi does have impressive credentials, but was he the very best of his kind nationwide when he was appointed? Were there no other Nigerians of Sanusi’s bent, patriotism and discipline, even in greater proportions, in all the geo-political zones? Why were they not all put forward for the President to consider them on merit for the position? Anyone who reads Suraj’s defence would see very clearly that Alhaji Muttalab, Sanusi’s godfather, did recommend him strongly to Yar’ Adua irrespective of the credentials that Sanusi possesses. Not even Sanusi can argue that his godfather was not of assistance to him in his ascent to the apex of our banking system. As Suraj argues, Yar’Adua did not know him before Muttalab recommended him. Had Alhaji Muttalab not strongly recommended him, and no other person, I believe, would the President who did not know him have appointed him the Governor?

Moving on, Suraj accuses Afejuku of linking both Alhaji Muttalab and Sanusi to the misguided phenomenon of Abdul, the underwear bomber, sometime ago, which placed Nigeria as a negative cynosure in the eyes of the entire world. Suraj is angry that Afejuku did not change the facts of history. Why should he? During that sensational thwarted bombing attempt, Nigeria, Alhaji Muttalab and his son were in negative limelight. So, how could any writer separate them? As we say in my area, no father nurtures his son to become mad at adulthood, but if it happens, people will surely say that the son of so-so-so man has gone mad. If you beget a son who becomes a robber or a great man, village singers will make a song and dance of it and you will be hurt or happy. In any case, Afejuku never accused the senior Muttalab of sending his son to perpetrate the terrorist act. He merely stated by way of additional information that the Alhaji Muttalab who recommended Sanusi for the position of Central Bank Governor also “sired Abdul Farouk Muttalab, the underwear bomber.” Nor did he categorically say that anyone connected to Alhaji Muttalab and Sanusi are Muslim fanatics, as Suraj has claimed. I read the first piece, to which Suraj referred, but I cannot see where he extrapolated this interpretation for which he is condemning the poet and Prof. For the avoidance of doubt, I quote the section of the Prof’s write-up on this aspect:

The first mentioned, who is presently under focus, is Nigeria’s number one banker, being the Governor of our apex bank, the Central Bank. A common story about him is that he is a scion of the Sokoto Caliphate who was helped to the current post primarily by Alhaji Umaru Mutallab (CON), a past Chairman of First Bank, whose son Umar Abdul Muttalab has gone into history as Nigeria’s first (and perhaps only?) “underwear bomber” ready to unleash his peculiar terror before his peculiar heart of terror failed him.(How his father’s heart is bleeding now!).

Why the link we are attempting to make? The same Alhaji Mutallab who sired an underwear bomber is equally responsible (perhaps) for propelling to the heights of our banking industry his fellow Islamic faithful who has been giving his fellow bankers and all of us a crash course in secular and Islamic banking.

The question why the link we are attempting to make? in this context should not be interpreted to mean that Sanusi is connected with the attempted suicide bombing by the junior Muttalab, but that there is a link between the man who fathered(sired) ‘the underwear bomber’ and Sanusi, the Governor, a link that Suraj also established in his write-up.

Furthermore, Suraj claims that Afejuku is reckless in evaluating the concept of Islamic banking which Suraj himself had earlier positively evaluated in one of his newspaper articles. Does the Prof not have the right to state his own assessment of the concept and proposal of Islamic banking? What exactly did the Prof say that is reckless? Does a professor become reckless for disagreeing with a proposed Islamic banking whose ulterior motives and modus operandi the teeming population of Nigerian Christians should be aware of before supporting its operation?

Suraj is fronting for Islamic banking, saying that it is in vogue now in Britain and America and so should not generate controversy in Nigeria. This overgeneralization sweeps under the carpet a number of realities about the fragile Nigerian State; and many a Nigerian political analyst and leader often commits this fallacy of oversimplification and overgeneralization from time to time: If it is done in Britain or America, then it can or must be done in Nigeria, or if it does not work in Europe and America, then it cannot work in Nigeria! They do fail to consider the dynamics of cultures, nature and environment, the juxtaposition of opposing religions, ethnographic and linguistic heterogeneity, political immaturity, level of education and illiteracy, political (un)consciousness, conflict of interests, among many other predicaments that characterize the tottering fabrication called Nigerian. Nigeria is a highly inflammable multi-religious, multi ethnic, multi lingual and multi-etc State. Issues that are otherwise not controversial in some developed and tolerant societies are highly combustible here. If Islamic banking operates in London, America, France or elsewhere, and you want to transfer it to Nigeria, the question is, does Nigeria have the enabling socio-political psychology to ensure its establishment and sustenance at present? Are some forms of debates and enlightenment not expedient before you usher in Islamic banking, no matter how convinced you may be of its altruistic operations and intentions? A people may reject an offer that you think is good for them if they think that the offer is not good for them, whether they are wrong or right. In any case, is the non-introduction of Islamic banking the bane of our economy today, is it? And in the Britain and America that Suraj mentioned, was it Islamic banking that rolled their economies to universal strengths over the ages and made them super powers?

Suraj believes and asserts with all-knowingness that “many Nigerians know practically nothing about what is happening at the global stage...” This, in my judgment, is insulting to Nigerians, many of whom are professors, medical doctors, nurses, politicians, students, lawyers, court judges, journalists, teachers, etc who are connected twenty-fours to the world. So, how come Suraj is stating with proud glee that ‘many Nigerians know practically nothing about what is happening at the global stage’? Suraj should withdraw this statement and apologize to Nigerians for this sweeping insult.

On the documented Sanusi attacks on the Yoruba and Ibo nations that Afejuku copiously quoted in his masterpieces, Suraj really has no points to counteract those extracts from Sanusi’s speech. He simply begged the questions. He could not show that Sanusi was misquoted or that Sanusi did not make those outbursts. Rather, Suraj draws a red herring by quoting something else that is palatable, which Sanusi once said. Lastly, Suraj says that there are other issues that Afejuku raised, which time would not permit him to address. So, are we expecting another piece from him?

Professor Afejuku is certainly not a perfect intellectual, but he is one who loves perfection, particularly in written works and in logic. He has several weaknesses of character, some very annoying and some endurable. You know, all human beings have their weaknesses. So, he is not an exception. Interestingly too, he has his strengths of character, one of which is the rare competence of calling a spade a spade, no matter who is at the receiving end. He is truthful and very open in his passions and expressions of hate and love. If Afejuku hates you, he will not leave you in any doubt whatsoever. If he loves you, it is in the same measure. Whenever he throws an accusation, right or wrong, he backs it up with facts and statistics, leaving you to defend or further implicate yourself. He writes with candour and facts, and that you cannot take away from his write-ups. His column In&out comes weekly with sound logic and data. Most of his predictions and calculations, with the famous Prophet T. Olabayo, have come to pass.

Sanusi Lamido is another controversial Nigerian, like Professor Tony Afejuku. Although I have not met him personally, I have read some of his works and listened to a number of his public speeches. He won my heart when he took a reasonable position on the case of Sefiya Husseini, the adultress, and particularly when he took on the National Assembly, exposing their financial excesses and recklessness. He takes on any issue with sincerity, passion and aplomb. However, he sometimes gets it absolutely wrong. For instance, my spirits sank into the depth of disappointment when he styled himself as a ‘Comrade,’ with Adams Oshiomole, Edo State Governor, to canvass support for a non-existent fuel-subsidy removal in a town hall meeting in Lagos in December 2011. And there is the Professor’s point of departure in his series about Sanusi.

Oyewale may be the youngest and certainly the least popular among them. The passion with which Suraj defends Sanusi presents Suraj as a fanatical media imagineer of Sanusi Lamido. In one of his articles, Suraj once resolved and assigned to himself the onerous task of defending Sanusi against public opinions and attacks. No problem! But Suraj ought to be courteous in the pursuit of his Sanusi-defence resolution so that posterity will not quote him in a negative light as Sanusi is being quoted now.

Lindx93: Strikeology, University of ASUU.

BahPulo: Interesting topic. the issue of the hijab seems to come up all the time. I only wear the hijab when I am praying. I know if I were to wear my husband will be the happiest man in earth. I know he wants me to do it but I am not ready yet and like me he understands it has to come from me not him. after all when I wear my hijab I want to do it because of Allah subhana wa tallah only. Also one more thing that really worries me is corporate america, I am in the actuary field which is dominated by white male you rarely see women and minorites in this industry. I have to make sur I change field or go to a company that is open minded the ones I see around my city i don't think will accept it.

BahPulo: Lol I guess I am one of the newbies who need to contribute more. I promise I'll try to do so but you oldies in here need to open interesting topic to discuss. don't forget some newbies are still learning how to navigate the forum.

Darui: A friend of mine is applying to UNILORIN with his cambridge A-level,(DE). He has very good results,both O and A. He wants to study engineering.
Now,the problem is his state is outside the catchment area. I want to know the chance he has of getting admitted on MERIT. Anybody with any idea,please help a good person out.

ebamma: wetin u like do pass when u dey toilet, as for me i dey like take my books go read 4 exams inside my toilet, what bout u

ogbeche77: Good to know u re still hanging there

maclatunji: Guy, why are you trying to pry into a private matter of the identity of the lady?

kumbalo: islam has destroyed the north and is destroying the development in the country. the Governor is just being cautious. as for those of you crying foul, make una go hug transformer. and if u chose to go to war like some idiot and myopic sighted individuals have threatened, SHALL WE BEGIN? Thank you FASHOLA!