What I am about to discuss is not essen- tially about Nuhu Ribadu, because this is what a glance on the title would suggest. Today’s discourse is on a very serious matter, the big issue of political prostitution. It is about lack of principles in our affairs as individuals and as a nation. I did not want to talk about the Nuhu Ribadu issue because before this I have writ- ten over six times from different dimensions on the man Ribadu, but decided to rest the works for the simple reason that I fore- saw that Ribadu, in spite of the empty noise and false posturing without substance was not the kind of new-breed reformer our nation needs at this time. Let me make this observation: at the emergence of Ribadu into our national consciousness, I could see he had no good foundation to support the kind of assignment he entrusted on himself. To be a reformer in our kind of setting your early antecedent must have prepared you for the task ahead. In the case of Ribadu I did not see all that, noting even his college background has anything to his credit along this line. In the police force where he rose rapidly possibly on account of quota system, there was nothing to show that he was a fighter for higher grounds. His public speeches and demeanor established him clearly as an impulsive personality rather than a well-groomed fighter for public cause. So while others including a section of the media in Lagos saw him as liberator, I saw him as an impostor of a high order, and worst of all a victim of imperialistic adventure to create new kinds of leader- ship for the conservative north and by extension our nation. See Ribadu, see El-Rufai: tell me what you see in terms of traits, professed commitment to new changes. Have we taken into consideration why they rose to the top very quickly? Ribadu was for Obasanjo later Tinubu, now Jonathan; El-Rufai for Atiku, Obasanjo now Buhari. Does that tell any story? Have we ever wondered why in spite of what they consider their achievements, the Northern establishment is still skeptical about them? Find out the reasons for the above and you will see why our nation is the way it is: blessed with human capital resources, endowed with natural resources yet backward, dislocated and very quarrel- some. The biggest reason is that we have chosen to run on the philosophy of “Ribaduism.” We have decided by omis- sion to run a nation that has no regard for principles. We have accepted the view that morality has no place in a modern nation, and that only the weak who lack ability to compete talk about principles. It is such thinking that has paved the way for the gifted to be relegated and for the mediocre to become the stars and the celebrated. It is a case of the blind leading the blind. Any wonder then why our nation has turned to become the hell that it is. Political prostitut- ing began with us shortly after independence, precisely in the Western region when some politicians in a victorious party on account of selfishness and ethnic considerations overnight jumped ship. They got what they wanted because some of the times bad behaviour can bring temporary gains, but not long af- ter, those gains turned ashes in their own hands also. They did not only lose those positions, some of them lost their lives in very tragic circumstances, but the unfortunate thing was that the life of no principle of a few became a big albatross on the nation. It made us lose millions of other lives through tense social relations that followed and the subsequent killings it provoked including a bloody civil war that lasted nearly three years. History of old and modern societies including studies have confirmed that every society requires principles and moral- ity to run successfully. Those who ignore it make a shipwreck of their destinies. America for instance is the chief promoter of materialism through individual- ism. But that society knows that individualism left on its own can become a burden for society. So they insist on principles and the rule of law. In America, Brit- ain, Germany, France you can change party loyalty on account of freedom of association, it is rare though, but you lose worth, immediately people see you as a man that cannot be trusted because you stand on nothing. Here see what we have made of the whole thing, we have taken individualism but thrown overboard the spirit that should propel it. It is still incomprehen- sible that Ribadu, an Obasanjo boy and abuser of Tinubu on issues of corruption could find Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) such a conducive party to pursue his political ambition. There is a clash of principles in that engagement. I am yet to un- derstand the grounds on which that party made Ribadu their Presidential candidate in 2011. Was it on account of experi- ence, clarity of vision or just on impulsive effusions? Would it not have been more natural that Ribadu would have followed his master? Ribadu abused Jonathan and PDP to high heavens and suddenly a former Presidential candidate has found it convenient to go over to the other side to eat his vomit, and not only that, to contest for a much lower office and he says it is because of service: how many visions does he harbor per time? I do know that a double-minded man is a confused man and has no principles. But unfortunately such character thrives in the country because we now run without principles, and our leaders reinforce the order by telling us “there is no permanent friend or enemy but permanent interests”, a maxim from hell. Light and darkness can never cohabit, so it is in societies that mean business. We don’t mean business that is why our nation has turned to become an Animal Kingdom. Ribaduism is the mistake the opposition makes; it is also the standard we have set as a nation that is destroying us. Name any kind of crime Boko Haram, militancy, Jonathan must not run, kidnapping, armed robbery, food insecurity, poor social infrastructure, stealing of public funds and the distrust of engineers, all have their roots in the death of morality. I under- stand Ikimi, Mimiko have gone, and more will follow: I will not be surprised if tomorrow Amaechi, Kwankwanso, Saraki, Wamako, Fashola, Obi and even Nyako return to PDP. It is time we realize the dan- ger political prostitution which they have re-baptized as defec- tion constitutes to our wellbe- ing. Our constitution should be immediately be reworked to make it difficult for cross carpeting and if anybody must hide under freedom of association or any other reason to cross carpet, Nigerians should first of all see such a personality as valueless and if such a subject is having the mandate won on another platform he should not only resign but should be made to handover that mandate to the one that came second in the old platform. I do not accept that parties should lose what they have labored to gain because of the indiscretion of one foolish and selfish person.
Posted on: Sun, 31 Aug 2014 06:18:22 +0000
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