By Mideno Bayagbon
TINUBU’S VICE
The presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Alhaji Bola Ahmed Tinubu finally announced, what those of us who have studied his politics have always known, on Sunday. He unveiled his vice presidential candidate, Senator Kashim Shettima, former governor of Borno state to a thunderous disquiet in the country.
I wonder why some people, especially Christians, are surprised at the announcement. Readers of this column have over the months been prepared for this eventuality. I have always stated that the Asiwaju has his mind firmly made up on having a Muslim vice presidential candidate no matter what the general body of Christians think. He sees that as the only road to clinching the presidency. The reasoning is not whether he understands the implication of his action. It is a well calculated risk which his handlers have carefully analysed. The road to victory, as they see it, is Tinubu doing the unthinkable: nominating a Muslim vice presidential candidate. They have developed counter measures to confront the fall outs.
Let us examine some of the reasons. The Moslem north, it is argued, will never vote for a Southern candidate who decides to have a Christian deputy from any part of the north. It doesn’t matter if the Southern candidate is a moslem himself. This is because not many Moslems in the north think that practitioners of their fate in the South, meaning South West, are true adherents. Of course it is, therefore, unthinkable to expect the Islamic faithfuls, under the guidance of the political elements who control the thinking, to even contemplate voting for a Christian northerner to be their representative at Aso Rock.
Over the years, since the unfortunate assassination of the Sarduana of Sokoto, Alhaji Ahmadu Bello, by military adventurists, the unity of the north has gradually fallen apart. A new power bloc has emerged. The ascendant victorious wing is the radical Fulani Moslems, with a population said to be around 22 million. The Kanuris in the Northeast, the hotbed of current Islamic terrorism, have been fighting for a foothold in the current political over lordship table of the Fulanis. The closest they have got is Atiku Abubakar as VP to President Obasanjo. Boss Mustapha who replaced Babachir Lawal as Secretary to Government of the Federation occupies the highest position by Christian northerners, at least under the Buhari government.
I do not claim to be an expert on northern politics. But the little insights I have are these. Think about this: when last did you hear of Kaduna Mafia or the ruling class in the North still being referred to as Hausa-Fulani? Especially under the Buhari government, the Fulani have been the dominant power bloc. The Hausas are mostly Christians and animists.
Christians, said to constitute about 40 percent of the population in the North are at the lowest rung of the power ladder.
It appears a major resolve to decimate the Christians and subjugate them. Unlike their great leader who saw the north, as one whether Moslem, Christians, Animists, etc., the victorious group using the religious toga have appropriated every benefit to the North to only the inner circle and their acolytes.
The era when the North paraded such powerful Christians as Generals Yakubu Gowon, Theophilus Danjuma, and others as part of the power equation, ended more than 20 years ago. Even the once powerful Langtang mafia, which had people like Domkat Bali, Joshua Dongoyaro, Jeremaih Useni and so on were crushed long ago and sidelined in the power circle. In the military, in governance, and other spheres, the new power bloc now fully dominating the national political space, are fully in charge. If you think it is a coincidence that our northern borders are left open to the influx of migrants from Niger, Mali and even to as far as Libya, then you do not know what is coming. If you think the thousands of Moslem youths, most of them non Nigerians, who the South is being flooded with daily is another coincidence, then you will not understand why a Tinubu presidency is their desired option.
Tinubu wants power. It comes at a cost. His backers assure him the heaven will not fall with a Muslim-Muslim ticket. Tinubu has done what President Muhammadu Buahri was not brave enough to attempt. Which shows just how strong the northern ruling class have become. Watch the media. It is Christians who will be put in the forefront of promoting this ticket. Two Delta state Christians: Festus Keyamo and Ovie Omo-Agege have already set the ball rolling.
BUHARI TO SOLVE INSECURITY PROBLEM BEFORE HE LEAVES
Please do not laugh. President Buhari finally made it back home to Daura for the Sallah holidays and used the opportunity to do two things: to walk home from the mosque as a show of popularity and security; and to, secondly, send a message to troubled Nigerians, who daily see their nation being taken over by Islamic terrorists, bandits and a coteries of other criminals, that he will solve all these problems before he leaves office in ten months.
Let me just state that I believe him. And you should too. For the president to take seven years and two months to make up his mind to crush the many hydra-headed security insurgencies trampling the country afoot, means that he knows what to do to effect the solution. He was just waiting for the right time, the best time when the problem is at its crescendo. Gbam, like the Superhero which he is, and which unfortunately, Nigerians have failed to accord him the respect, President Buhari will leave office with all our security problems solved. Just like that.
This is what I suspect the General in him wants to do. He will start with the recent incidents: the mass shooting of Christians who went to church in Owo, Ondo State; the attack on the presidential advance convoy in Katsina; the slaughtering of tens of military men in Shiroro area; the devastating prison break which set free all captured terrorists and some criminal elements from Kuje Prison, Abuja; the daily kidnap of Priests and people from communities and our unsafe highways.
Since it is not his style to punish his appointees or hold them accountable for their actions and inactions, he neither sacks or punishes them. He will invite them to Aso Rock, for photo ops as a solution to the security challenges. So the DSS Director, Correctional Services chief, the ministers for Internal Affairs and Defence or even the NSA or the military chieftains who should be tasting pepper for their indolence and laxity will have their plum jobs further secured by the President.
Mind you, if you have a family member still in the clutches of the terrorists who bombed the Abuja-Kaduna train, look for the demanded N100 million and go and bail your relative. Leave the President’s new resolve out of it. No, the kidnapped Chibok girls and the many other students kidnapped over the last seven years are not part of the deal. Justice for the girl, Deborah, who was accused of blasphemy and was murdered and incinerated by Islamic fundamentalists; the moslem man slaughtered by foreign Okada riders in Lagos supposedly for blasphemy, and other such affront on our humanity and nationhood must remain hidden in our subconscious and should not be used to trouble our Superhero President.
The President, at the appropriate time, will wave the magic wand, like the cheery solution he provided for the economy that has saved the Naira, fought corruption to a standstill, and made every Nigerian prosperous and thriving. All myriads of problems we have troubled him with, all security problems will disappear at the President’s say so, next year. You better believe him and don’t make serious alternative security arrangements for yourself and family.
WHO WILL DANGOTE, MTN, AND EVEN TheNewsGuru.com EMPLOY AS MD BETWEEN ATIKU, TINUBU, OBI, KWANKWASO?
Just want to ask you a question. Please ponder over it for the next one week. Imagine there is a vacancy for a Managing Director in Dangote Industries, which includes the Sea Port; or Shell or Mobil or MTN, or even TheNewsGuru.com, have a vacancy for one, and you are the owner of these companies, who will you employ between Tinubu, Atiku, Kwankwaso or Obi as your MD? Your answer should help us decide whether the ordinary Nigerian is Nigeria’s major problem or not.