Take a good look at this business card above, which has been handed out to quite a few folks around Abuja these days. You are right; it must belong to a Top Government Official, TGO. That you can say right away from the bold imprint of the national coat of arms with its two horses, an eagle and the great rivers Niger and Benue in the centre. Actually, it belongs not to the officer himself, in this case the man who guards the men who guard the President, but to his wife. You know what? There is this allegation making the rounds that there is a secret clause in the 1999 Constitution as amended that created offices for the spouses of ALL government officials. That is why the First Lady’s office has more paraphernalia than the offices of all other elected officials, including her husband. The Wife of the Chief Cook to the Vice President, the Wife of the Water Bottle Opener to the Senate President, the Wife of the Mace Keeper to the Honourable Speaker, the Wife of the Laptop Carrier to the Governor of the Central Bank and the Husband of the Hairdresser to the Wife of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation have all got business cards emblazoned with the national coat of arms. All thanks to this secret clause in the Constitution… From Wadata Plaza to a rail wagon President Jonathan, don’t you know what it means to give an elderly man some peace and quiet? Alhaji Bamanga Tukur has just packed his bags from Wadata Plaza, a place that in the last few months was noisier than the Dei Dei metal market. All kinds of unkind words had been shouted at this patrician’s ear, ranging from “defection” to “impunity” to “NGF election” to “walk out” to “G7” to “caucus meeting” to “vote of no confidence” and “NEC”. A man who left that kind of place is searching for some peace and quiet. Those who said he left the place unwillingly because he even shed tears don’t know what they are saying. They didn’t know that the tears were of joy, not sadness. Alhaji Bamanga’s only worry was whether he will be left alone to enjoy his newfound peace and quiet. President Jonathan threatened during the hand over to his successor last Thursday to give Bamanga “a more challenging assignment” than the one he was leaving, which was difficult to imagine. Some newspapers said Jonathan was thinking about the Nigerian Embassy in China. Others alleged that he was thinking about the Defence Ministry, so that old man Bamanga will hear the booms of Boko Haram IEDs instead of the shouts of aggrieved PDP members. Well, it has now come to pass. Yesterday Bamanga Tukur was appointed as Chairman of the Nigeria Railway Corporation, NRC. The 120-year old railway is now a shadow of its former self and rebuilding its lost glory is many times more daunting than bringing 5 defected governors back to PDP. One look at the railway yard at Surulere and Bamanga will be homesick for Wadata Plaza…
Posted on: Wed, 22 Jan 2014 20:14:18 +0000
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