By Femi Adesina

On February 27, 2019, lawyer and activist, Mike Ozekhome, wrote a piece under the headline, 'Buhari's skewed view of the Igbo race.'

On face value, the piece seemed to advocate the cause of the Igbo race, but a dispassionate analysis shows it for what it truly is: drivel meant to incite the Igbo against the Muhammadu Buhari administration, and further inflame passions that would pedestal the ethnic nationality against the rest of the federation. Ozekhome appeared to be a friend to our brothers and sisters across the Niger, but in actual fact, he was a ravenous wolf in sheep's clothing. Shakespeare describes such as "goodly apple but rotten at the cheek."

It is always so very easy to claim that Nigeria is disunited, while at the same time be a purveyor of hatred and discord. What Ozekhome did was simply to fan the embers of hatred, bile and disunity, playing the Igbo against the rest of the country, while appearing to be their friend. Well, it is not surprising, as the Good Book tells us that even Satan has a way of appearing like an angel of light, to deceive and beguile the unwary.

The verbose and bombastic article (make it simple, is one of the principles of good communication) is filled with half truths, outright falsehood, and vitriol, all to ensure that the Igbo nation sees President Buhari as its arch enemy. It is example of an outsider weeping more than the bereaved.

Lawyer Ozekhome has a right to his political persuasion, which is also very well known. He is a friend of that rent seeking political class, which is fast becoming endangered species in Nigeria today. Under President Buhari, it is becoming crystal clear by the day that the political breed that the lawyer loves is becoming a vanishing sect. And that breed may never control the levers of power, and the purse strings of the country again. What grief for lawyers that thrive better under such circumstances!

See a portion of the acerbic piece that betrayed Ozekhome's political preference: "It was enough that President Jonathan had been sacrificed and booted out of office by APC and its international collaborators, led by the US, UK and EU. These are the same countries the very government is now tagging meddlesome interlopers in our internal affairs."

So, after all, the piece was not about love for the Igbo nation. At the substratum level is love for the free spending Goodluck Jonathan administration that frittered away the commonwealth of the country, looting everything from the Federation Account, to Excess Crude Oil Account, central bank, and the foreign reserves. Some lawyers possibly made a killing under such laissez faire atmosphere, and wished it had lasted forever. But here's the truth for Ozekhome: the Jonathan administration is gone, and gone forever. Nigerians are not likely to ever afflict themselves with such squander-mania again. Those who long for the onions, garlic and cucumber of Egypt had better accept the fact that we have left the land of servitude forever. We are now almost in Canaan, a land flowing with milk and honey, and there's no turning back.

Ozekhome described the February 23 presidential election as "complete murder of democracy and electoral process by the Buhari government." Really? Millions of Nigerians don't think so. Rather, the day of the election goes down in history as one in which bloody nose was given to the confederacy of wheeler dealers that wanted to seize the public treasury again, and make a mess of it. However, the people said a resounding no. It pains the lawyer and his ilk to the marrows. But not to worry, he can still make some fast bucks from the community of senior lawyers being assembled by Atiku Abubakar in a futile bid to regain a 'mandate' which never existed in the first place.

The Agenebode, Edo State born lawyer merely used the Igbo nation as a smokescreen to display his angst against the Buhari administration. Hear what he wrote about the Igbo in respect of the February 23 election: "However, notwithstanding the militarized process and disenfranchisement of many Nigerians, the Ndigbo people tenaciously stood their ground as a proud race. They clearly rejected Buhari through the ballot box." True? False. What about the Igbo that gave the All Progressives Congress (APC) and President Buhari more than the required 25 % in Abia, Imo and Ebonyi states? Are they not members of the ethnic nationality again? Does Ozekhome think Atiku Abubakar, or anybody else, would ever become Nigerian president by just locking down two geo-political zones out of the six in the country? It will never happen. They are the ones that fooled the old political war horse into believing that he was already president before the first ballot was cast. Soon, they will leave the man in the lurch, and look for economic benefits somewhere else. But they should never forget that the days of free money are gone in Nigeria. Yes, you can still get quite wealthy in this country, but you must work for it. And hard, too.

Ozekhome gave himself away as a typical person that speaks from both sides of the mouth. He said President Buhari did not visit Anambra State till he found the need to go for political campaign, first in the gubernatorial election of 2017, and the recent presidential race. You never can win with some people. Head or tail, you lose. They can cavil, and live permanently at the complaint counter of life. The president visits a state, he is criticized. He doesn't visit, he is excoriated. The best thing is just to ignore the professional complainers, and do what you think is right.

Pretending to love the Igbos, while inciting them to what may tantamount to political doomsday, the lawyer said President Buhari never attended the burials of Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, Chief Odumegwu Ojukwu, Chinua Achebe, and Dr Alex Ekwueme. Some people make political capital out of everything, including shedding crocodile tears at burial ceremonies, but not Muhammadu Buhari. We all know what he did when Dr Ekwueme took gravely ill, and he arranged medical evacuation by air ambulance abroad. The government also footed the medical bill. The state burial was attended by the Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo. So impressed was the Igbo nation that a high powered delegation came to the presidential villa to say thank you. Yet, a man from Agenebode, pretending to love the Igbo more than themselves, is playing cheap politics with burial ceremonies.

See this pettiness about the mausoleum of the great Zik, which had been abandoned before the Buhari administration completed it: "He was in Onitsha to commission his only project and 'federal presence' since 2015, the repainted grave tomb of Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe (Zik of Africa) whose burial obsequies he had also shunned in 1991."

If Ozekhome had been less consumed by hatred, he would have realized the deep friendship that existed between the then Gen Buhari, and Zik's son, Bamidele. They were so close that the latter played host to Buhari many times in Onitsha.

Bile and 'bad belle' also led the lawyer to describe the magnificent mausoleum as 'repainted grave tomb.' This was a project that Power, Works and Housing Minister, Babatunde Raji Fashola, personally supervised, and delivered in grand manner. But Ozekhome probably has not been to Onitsha, and does not even know the road to the city. That's why he calls it a repainted tomb. Yes, the horse of an adversary is never tall. If it stands at over six feet, the enemy says 'oh, see this dwarf horse.' Hatred blinds. Animosity addles the mind, and poisons the soul.

Sometime last year, Federal Government unveiled about 69 projects currently being executed in the South-east alone, including the Second Niger Bridge, roads, other bridges, electrification, and many others. But people like Ozekhome would not see it, as they would rather chase briefs in Ekiti State under Ayo Fayose, for which they got humongous legal fees. God dey!

In the Good Book, wise men came from the East to see the holy child, Jesus. Wise men still abound in the eastern part of Nigeria. They know what pertains to their peace, and they voted wisely on February 23. The Igbo must inevitably produce the President of Nigeria. But that eventuality will not come by listening to hate preachers like Mike Ozekhome. We have seen how hate preachers from the pulpit failed resoundingly in the presidential election. Hate preachers from the bar will also fail, and no mistake. You can only be president when you build a coalition round the country, and not by circumscribing yourself in two regions. That, at best, can only give you a clan head.

Adesina is Special Adviser to President Buhari on Media and Publicity

What a typical, baseless rant of a failed mouthpiece. Are you even aware that the "millions of Nigerians" you allude to (as supporting/reelecting you) are less than 8% of the population. That's a huge question mark on your legitimacy and commitment to nation building.

Even with your wholesome riggings, institutional corruption, gross voter intimidation and suppression, your party got less than 25% of vote from the South East as a zone. But you won't tell your gullible followers anything about that fact.

Rather than dealing with the glaring issues raised by Mr. Mike Ozekhome, all you could come up with as a spokesman (after 7 whole days of searching for nonexistent alibi) was this dumb diversionary personal attacks on the learned gentleman.

Shame!

Where were you when your principal used his infamous 97% vs 5% narrative to justify his very deliberately planned noninclusive style of governance against Ndigbo?

Where were you when your principal used his warped sense of "merit" to justify his lopsided, nepotistic, deliberate and total exclusion of Ndigbo from the security apparatus of the country?

Mr. spokesman, are you aware that Nigeria is being tagged as going the way of Venezuela currently?

You should be telling us what's your principal's take on that, rather than this childish rant against the truth.

And, talking about Venezuela vs Nigeria and your falsehoods about the economy, here's a nice food for thought:

You guys are so shamelessly dishonest.

FOR YOUR INFORMATION, VENEZUELA DID NOT FAIL BECAUSE OF LOW OIL PRICE, VENEZUELA FAILED BECAUSE OF ITS SOCIALIST AND ANTI MARKET POLICIES. And if you have been paying any attention, you'd know that APC is simply an assembly of the opportunistic socialist hypocrites. Their aim is to convert this nation into a giant socialist machine, where they and their cliques will be living off the rest of the intentionally pauperized masses

Back to the gist:

The oil price has long rebounded and is now higher than what it was in 2014/2015

The fuel pump price has nearly doubled (since 2017) compared to what it was in 2014.

Nigeria's oil output has remained very stable since the last 3 years.

Yet, in spite of these positive factors, Buhari and APC have constantly failed to return the GDP back to where it was when they took over in 2015.

If truly Buhari and his APC gang are fighting corruption, blocking loopholes and managing the economy well, the least they could do was to stabilize the decline of the GDP.

But nope.

Not only did Buhari and APC drive the economy into its first recession in over 25years, they have also nearly wiped out the middle class and drove the multitudes of investors away in droves.

Mind you, unlike the clueless APC, when PDP took over in 1999, oil was about $18 per barrel (much less than what APC got since 2015). On top of that, the county was terribly indebted and isolated due to its years of military abuse. Yet, the PDP did not blame anyone.

Instead, they went straight to work, assembled a team of seasoned Nigerian technocrats from around the world, fought corruption, grew the economy, brought back multitudes of investors - without going into recession once.

PDP did all that from 1999 with just a fraction of what APC has been getting from oil since 2015.

Yet, you ignoble goons won't quit spewing falsehoods and crappy silliness in support of an obviously failed régime with an APC tag.

I am still thinking

The FGN need to consider giving the Igbo's Biafra


Cos it's glaring this people no longer wanted and will be wise if they allowed to go.

Femi Adeshina is an idiot.Buhari is rather the most bigoted man Nigeria have ever had.

“Muhammadu Buhari as an agent of destabilization, ethnic bigot and religious fanatic who if given the chance would ensure the disintegration of the country. His ethnocentrism would jeopardize Nigeria"s national unity.”
Bola Tinubu Wikileaks (PUBLIC LIBRARY OF US DIPLOMACY,2003).

PDP are systematically spreading hate across Nigeria. I encourage President Buhari to treat them as traitors and charge them with treason. How can you try to divide a whole country just because the people rejected you. Thieves.

Igbo amaka

I think there should be a BSc course on Igbo studies in our universities.Everybody seems to be talking about the Igbos these days

I don't know whether it has become a culture and norm that once one joins APC, he loses his brain

Igbo this... Igbo that....



Leave them alone

Okay

Ozekhome is a defeated and a subdued fool

Paperwhite:
Femi Adeshina is an idiot.Buhari is rather the most bigoted man Nigeria have ever had.

Atiku and Obi and all their supporters are idiots.

Who approved this thread

It's quite pathetic that everyone now goes to bed and wakes up with nothing else in mind but "Igbos."

It has become too ridiculous that anyone who has something against the government of the day finds an easy channel by writing for and about the Igbos.

Have the Igbos become nwa gha ne megbu emegbu?

Take away the fear of what side Great Britain can take, no other Nigerian group or groups can stop the Igbo from taking Biafra out of most dysfunctional Nigeria filled with hatred and malice.


Femi Adesina and others on his train of ostracizing the Igbo, you must know the salient fact above.

Britain must be watching us.

The Most Corrupt SAN in History

Is anyone still wailing over Buhari's victory?

Next is Sanwo Olu victory


No way would Lagos go back to being in the opposition with the federal government. Lagos has lost so many projects in the past years due to the the fact that the state was in opposition. Thanks to Tinubu and other lagos visionary leaders for making Lagos a household name today. A state who has her seaport built before the Amalgamation of Nigeria should have been far better than this if the FG had invested a lot in it. Thank God for Buhari administration. Never would Lagos goes back to being in the opposition with the federal government.

Sai Buhari.
Sai Tinubu.
Sai Sanwo Olu.