Fintri, Butrus disease and Nigerian politicians: All is vanity!

I am a hardcore Nigerian. I was born in the Igboukwu (Anambra State), schooled in Enugu (Federal Government College) Ibadan (UI) Zaria(ABU) and Lagos(UNILAG). I ‘corpered’ in Bauchi and worked in Enugu, Jos, Kaduna, Kano, Lagos and now, I am at Ago-Iwoye. I have been observing and writing on Nigerian affairs since 1978 and I have visited all parts of the country, except Sokoto State. Still, I do not understand Nigerians, especially the weird specie called politicians. In the recent past, a part of our dear country has been under the vice-like grip of book-haram. Some vociferous Nigerians, hold President Jonathan wholly responsible for this unfortunate scenario. There was no dispersed responsibility and even the affected governors went all the way to the US to explain to the world how ‘clueless’ the president had become over the matter. Then, suddenly, we had another terrorist invasion and even though the ‘terrorist’ died, he had already discharged the explosive-Ebola Virus Disease. The thing landed in Lagos, sneaked into PH, showed up at Enugu and caused severe trepidation across the land.  By the combined efforts of Federal and state governments, private and public medical practitioners and institutions and international agencies, we subdued EVD. But the same Nigerians who blamed Goodluck for all BH issues now accuse him of attempting to take credit for the EVD success. So, GEJ can take all the blames but any glory that comes by should be shared. Nigerians!

And that brings me to the case Fintiri : a fellow suffering from political covetousness and Darwinian greed, and blinded by naked ambition. Our elders say that the person who swallows a needle should not celebrate until he has successful defecated. Our people also say that untying the mystic Arondizuogu ram (tied with the tiniest thread during a show to exhibit juju capabilities) is just the end of the beginning; the person should go, consume the ram and be up and about the following day. That is when he can beat his chest.  Fintri swallowed the needle but could not easily defecate; he untied the ram but did not wake up the following day. The bone he swallowed has stuck to his throat just like a snake that swallowed a toad. In effect, his victory was fake. Our people also say that the dog does not eat a piece of bone tied around its neck. But that proverb did not tell the whole story. The bone must not be tied in such a way that the dog can see or have access to it. Whenever the rope is long enough to make the bone visible and accessible o the dog, anything can happen. In the case of Fintri, the rope was long enough such that the bone was visible and accessible, attractive and there was no deterrence; he therefore went for it. That was what happened recently in Egypt where General Sisi seized the mandate he was supposed to be defending with impartiality.

Fintri acted with clinical and mathematical efficiency. He decapitated the governor and the deputy (who came from same LG with him), lavishly deployed state resources (power of incumbency) to obtain the gubernatorial ticket and he appeared unstoppable as he swaggered all over the place. He had won the drawn out war between him, Nyako and  Bamanga Tukur ( who have been scheming to ensure that their children rule the children of their present subjects). Nothing was sacrosanct in the process including his relationship with Ngilari (same party, same LGA); he knew that because of Nigeria’s balancing politics,  he could not be on top without eliminating his kinsman. And then, everything fizzled out….. All is vanity!

Before Festus Keyamo accused Fintri of a constitutional coup, I had bemoaned the apparent limitless power and tyranny of the legislature in which one leg of the tripod rides roughshod over the other two. Now, it appears the judiciary has come in to save the day. Or did it? Or was it because Fintri has shown signs early in the day that he would not keep to the gentleman’s agreement that brought him to power? Was he ousted by the courts or at the various nocturnal meetings for which politicians are known?

Fintiri is not the first and will not be the last. Lucifer rebelled against his boss and was banished to the earth to the chagrin of us humans. Butrus, forgot that ambition should be made of a sterner stuff and stabbed his trusting friend. Even in Nigeria, there are many covetous and greedy Fintris all over the place.

As a group, our politicians suffer from an acute groupthink, because they want to be on the winning side and satisfy their insatiable greed and need to circulate at the windows of power. The key features of groupthink they exhibit are illusion of invulnerability, ignoring negative feedbacks, pressurizing dissenters, stereotyping the enemies negatively and escalating commitment: the tendency to continue with a course of action when a rational analysis would have suggested a rethink (see Ik.Muo (2010)’Excessive Cohesiveness, Groupthink & Conformity: A Case Study of The PDP & The Third-Term Project’; Babcock Journal of  Management & Social Sciences. Vols 1&2, July ,pp299-317. As groups and as individuals, they are characterized by shortsightedness, acute selfishness and parochialism do-or-die and fight-to-finish tendencies. For them, nothing is sacred and they are ready to sacrifice everything-blood or bond-that stands on their way; they forget that power is transient and they do not spare any thought for their constituents

In Nassarawa state, the legislators who were outfoxed at the last impeachment attempt are still gearing up for another attempt. In  Enugu, the Deputy Governor was impeached for running a poultry (which was there before he came on board and for which appropriations had always been made) and despite haven been a permanent secretary and a commissioner before becoming a DG, he was reassigned to the civil service as a Level 13 officer!   We also see what is happening in River and Edo states where breaking of heads and limbs has become a normal part of the legislative process and where the independent legislature now seat in the government house.  The Suntai-health politics is also still trending in Taraba State

Fintris misadventure and resort to primitive and extrajudicial tactics has once more placed the state into another political topsy-turvy and disorganized its governance with three governors and dissolution of government structures within a few months. The resources of the state have been squandered to pursue selfish political goals and INECs budget has been thrown into disarray because they had mobilized 98 percent for the election.

As for Ngilari, some legal egg-heads led by Fred Agbaje and Chris Akiri argue that it is not proper for him to benefit from his own mischief because he deliberately misdirected his letter as he knew or ought to know where to submit his letter.  It is also not proper for politicians to renege on the understandings they reached with their colleagues, provided there are no inherent illegalities. Whatever the case, the ignored stone has become the corner stone. But let him remember that power is transient and that tomorrow will surely come!..

Ik Muo