Governor Nyesome Wike

By Richard Akinnola

Governor Nyesome Wike

It reminds me of Chimaroke Nnamani. He was a rampaging dictator, in fact, a terrorist to political opponents as Governor of Enugu state. There was even an instance when he personally supervised the demolition of the house of one of his opponents. He was that mean. No one could call him to order. He was dreaded. He left office after eight years and his anointed successor, Sullivan Chime literarily drive him out of town. It took a long while before he could re-enter Enugu state. Sullivan showed him pepper.

I have often counseled politicians and public office holders to learn from history. Major Hamza Al-Mustapher was the de facto Head of State under Abacha. Even Generals genuflected before him. He had the power of life and death. Many of us couldn’t enter Abuja because his Strike force was everywhere, including Sgt Rogers, his chief marksman. It was him who ordered his boys to insert broom stick into the penis of my detained friend, Mohammed. Through the CLO, we flew Mohammed out of the country after his release from detention, for Medical aid but he died shortly after he came back.

Fast forward to after Abacha died, the almighty Al-Mustapher was arrested, put on trial and spent 14 years in prison! A whole Al-Mustapher!! Sgt. Rogers ended up on the wheel chair. We don’t learn from history.

If you read my book -FAMOUS MURDER CASES IN NIGERIA, there was one case l highlighted. The case of Odozi Obodo in the 50s. The man committed all manner of atrocities and even after the Supreme Court affirmed his death sentence, he was still boasting that he could not be killed. But of course, he has hanged. That’s how people with so much self-importance carry on. Your supporters would egg you on to deal with your opponents who had once eaten with you but when the chips are down, you won’t find these supporters. They would have moved to other political honey spots.

Power is an aphrodisiac but it is ephemeral. Political differences are inevitable. Friends become enemies and enemies become friends. Your supposed political enemy today may be your Saviour tomorrow. I have seen a lot in this life that have shaped my outlook to life. We are just mere mortals who can’t even determine if we would see tomorrow. So, why play God?

Any person who holds a leadership position, it could be business, political or otherwise, who does not have someone who can call him to order, is on a path to destruction, no matter how independent that person thinks he is.

I had stated it here before, how in February 1995, l sat the great Gani Fawehinmi down and talked to him like a baby. In fact, in the course of that meeting, his intercom buzzed and as he wanted to pick it up, l politely instructed him not to pick it up as l didn’t want any disturbance. He obliged. Though he was much older but he respected me that l was one person who could look at him in the eyes and tell him the truth. Whatever we do today is history tomorrow.

*Richard Akinnol, journalist, lawyer and human rights activists, writes from Lagos