Why Nigerians shouldn’t frustrate Dasuki’s investigation — Ikponmwen

  Onwuka Nzeshi and Johnchuks Onuanyim
We won’t comment on security matters — APC spokesman
A former Director, Legal Services of the Nigeria Army, Brigadier General Idada Don Ikponmwen, yesterday threw his weight behind the ongoing investigation into allegations of treasonable felony leveled against the immediate past National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd) . He urged Nigerians not to frustrate the current efforts by the Federal Government to fight corruption and impunity in the country.
Ikponmwen, a onetime Provost Marshal of the Nigeria Army, said while he had nothing personal against the embattled former NSA, he would want the Federal Government to investigate Dasuki thoroughly, given the weight of the allegations against him and the need to establish the truth about his roles in the counter- terrorism war in the last six years.
He expressed dismay at the protests in some quarters since the DSS raided the Abuja and Sokoto homes of Dasuki and argued that the search conducted on these residences were in order as long as the security officials who went on the operation were armed with search warrants obtained from a court of law.
“I believe that Nigerians should support anything that would unearth any wrong that had been done. There is a procedure and the Department of State Services(DSS) told us that they got a search warrant from a court of law.
Once you have a search warrant, you can go anywhere and search . If you don’t spring surprises, how can you get anything from your investigations? “Where are we going in this country? When the President doesn’t act, they quarrel; when he acts, they raise issues. When would we stop creating obstacles on the path of good governance? I support any move that would bring out the truth and a new move to stop us from going down the road to perdition which corruption has put us.
Even if President Buhari does nothing else but only to fight corruption convincingly and successfully, this country would be on its way to re- inventing itself in the comity of nations. Corruption has been a major problem of this country not only in the immediate past regime but over the years. We have to start from somewhere and in so far as President Buhari is a man known to have zero tolerance for corruption, Nigerians must be happy when he moves against corruption,” he said.
Ikponmwen said that if the preliminary findings of the investigations are anything to go by, Dasuki should be made to explain what the armoured vehicles, lethal weapons and other items found in his home were meant for even after he had relinquished his position as the NSA.
Meanwhile, the ruling party, All Progressives Congress ( APC) yesterday declined comments on the Dasuki saga and the allegations of treasonable felony against him. National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, told New Telegraph yesterday that the APC would not comment on the charges against the former National Security Adviser, Col. Dasuki Sambo because it was purely a security issue.

Read Buhari’s Article Posted on Washington Post today, Affirms Ministers Will Be Appointed In September

 

Ahead of his visit to President Obama today, President Buhari wrote an article for the Washington Posttitled ‘Nigeria committed to good governance and fighting terror” where he datiled what he has done so far and what he plans to do towards the fight against Boko Haram and corruption. He also affirmed that his Ministers will be appointed in September. Full text of the op-ed below..
This month, the world moved a step closer to the defeat of Boko Haram, the jihadist group that has terrorized hundreds of thousands in the northern states of Nigeria. In one of my first acts since taking office as president six weeks ago, I have replaced the heads of Nigeria’s army, navy and air force. Our new military leadership has not been chosen because of their familiarity with those in government, as was too often the case in the past, but on their track records and qualifications alone.These new military leaders will be based in Borno State in northern Nigeria, where the headquarters of the armed services has been relocated. This shift of resources and command directly to the front line, in addition to the replacement of the head of the State Security Service, Nigeria’s intelligence organization, and a new emphasis on working in partnership with our neighbors, has equipped us to take the fight directly to Boko Haram.
Already we are beginning to see a degrading of Boko Haram’s capabilities as a fighting force. In recent weeks, it appears to have shifted away from confronting the military directly to an increase in attacks on civilian areas, as we saw only last week when an elderly woman and 10-year-old girl blew themselves up at a Muslim prayer gathering in northeastern Nigeria. We should not be confused by this change, hateful as it is: It does not mean that Boko Haram is succeeding in its aims — it shows that it is losing.
While we work to defeat the terrorists, I ask the people of Nigeria and the world for resolve and fortitude. The campaign we will wage will not be easy; it may not be swift. We should expect stages of success and also moments when it may appear that our advances have been checked. But no one should have any doubt as to the strength of our collective will or my commitment to rid this nation of terror and bring back peace and normalcy to all affected areas.
Similarly, my determination should not be underestimated in other matters. This includes instilling good governance and tackling the scourge of corruption that has held Nigeria back for too long.
As I meet with President Obama today — the first time a president of the United States will encounter a Nigerian counterpart following the peaceful transfer of power in a contested election in our history — I will be discussing my plans for critical reforms. So, too, will I discuss why the formation of my administration is taking time and, crucially, why it must. Already there are voices saying these changes are taking too long — even though only six weeks have passed since my inauguration. I hear such calls, but this task cannot and should not be rushed.

When cabinet ministers are appointed in September, it will be some months after I took the oath of office. It is worth noting that Obama himself did not have his full Cabinet in place for several months after first taking office; the United States did not cease to function in the interim. In Nigeria’s case, it would neither be prudent nor serve the interests of sound government to have made these appointments immediately on my elevation to the presidency; instead, Nigeria must first put new rules of conduct and good governance in place.
I cannot stress how important it is to ensure that this process is carried out correctly, just as it has been crucial to first install the correct leadership of the military and security services before we fully take the fight to Boko Haram.
There are too few examples in the history of Nigeria since independence where it can be said that good management and governance were instituted at a national level. This lack of a governance framework has allowed many of those in charge, devoid of any real checks and balances, to plunder. The fact that I now seek Obama’s assistance in locating and returning $150 billion in funds stolen in the past decade and held in foreign bank accounts on behalf of former, corrupt officials is testament to how badly Nigeria has been run. This way of conducting our affairs cannot continue.
Indeed, the failure of governance, it can be argued, has been as much a factor in Nigeria’s inability thus far to defeat Boko Haram as have been issues with the military campaign itself.
So the path we must take is simple, even if it is not easy: First, instill rules and good governance; second, install officials who are experienced and capable of managing state agencies and ministries; and third, seek to recover funds stolen under previous regimes so that this money can be invested in Nigeria for the benefit of all of our citizens.
We seek the support and partnership of the United States in these tasks. The importance of the fight against terrorism and corruption in Nigeria, Africa’s most powerful economy and largest populace, cannot be underestimated. Our allies can provide much-needed military training and intelligence as our soldiers take the war effort to Boko Haram. Similarly, we look to U.S. businesses as well as the Obama administration to help develop governance initiatives that can ensure that Nigeria’s wealth benefits all its people, not just a few. By taking these steps, we will be positioned to benefit from increased investment — particularly in energy and electricity — from the United States.
I was elected on a platform of change. I know this is what the people of Nigeria desire more than anything else. I know they are impatient for action. I realize the world waits to see evidence that my administration will be different from all those that came before. Yet reforming my country after so many years of abuse cannot be achieved overnight. In our campaigns against both Boko Haram and corruption, we should remain steadfast and remember, as it is said: “Have patience. All things become difficult before they become easy.”

Nigeria committed to good governance and fighting terror

Muhammadu Buhari is president of Nigeria.
This month, the world moved a step closer to the defeat of Boko Haram, the jihadist group that has terrorized hundreds of thousands in the northern states of Nigeria. In one of my first acts since taking office as president six weeks ago, I have replaced the heads of Nigeria’s army, navy and air force. Our new military leadership has not been chosen because of their familiarity with those in government, as was too often the case in the past, but on their track records and qualifications alone.
These new military leaders will be based in Borno State in northern Nigeria, where the headquarters of the armed services has been relocated. This shift of resources and command directly to the front line, in addition to the replacement of the head of the State Security Service, Nigeria’s intelligence organization, and a new emphasis on working in partnership with our neighbors, has equipped us to take the fight directly to Boko Haram.
Already we are beginning to see a degrading of Boko Haram’s capabilities as a fighting force. In recent weeks, it appears to have shifted away from confronting the military directly to an increase in attacks on civilian areas, as we saw only last week when an elderly woman and 10-year-old girl blew themselves up at a Muslim prayer gathering in northeastern Nigeria. We should not be confused by this change, hateful as it is: It does not mean that Boko Haram is succeeding in its aims — it shows that it is losing.
While we work to defeat the terrorists, I ask the people of Nigeria and the world for resolve and fortitude. The campaign we will wage will not be easy; it may not be swift. We should expect stages of success and also moments when it may appear that our advances have been checked. But no one should have any doubt as to the strength of our collective will or my commitment to rid this nation of terror and bring back peace and normalcy to all affected areas.

Similarly, my determination should not be underestimated in other matters. This includes instilling good governance and tackling the scourge of corruption that has held Nigeria back for too long.
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As I meet with President Obama today — the first time a president of the United States will encounter a Nigerian counterpart following the peaceful transfer of power in a contested election in our history — I will be discussing my plans for critical reforms. So, too, will I discuss why the formation of my administration is taking time and, crucially, why it must. Already there are voices saying these changes are taking too long — even though only six weeks have passed since my inauguration. I hear such calls, but this task cannot and should not be rushed.
When cabinet ministers are appointed in September, it will be some months after I took the oath of office. It is worth noting that Obama himself did not have his full Cabinet in place for several months after first taking office; the United States did not cease to function in the interim. In Nigeria’s case, it would neither be prudent nor serve the interests of sound government to have made these appointments immediately on my elevation to the presidency; instead, Nigeria must first put new rules of conduct and good governance in place.
I cannot stress how important it is to ensure that this process is carried out correctly, just as it has been crucial to first install the correct leadership of the military and security services before we fully take the fight to Boko Haram.
There are too few examples in the history of Nigeria since independence where it can be said that good management and governance were instituted at a national level. This lack of a governance framework has allowed many of those in charge, devoid of any real checks and balances, to plunder. The fact that I now seek Obama’s assistance in locating and returning $150 billion in funds stolen in the past decade and held in foreign bank accounts on behalf of former, corrupt officials is testament to how badly Nigeria has been run. This way of conducting our affairs cannot continue.

Indeed, the failure of governance, it can be argued, has been as much a factor in Nigeria’s inability thus far to defeat Boko Haram as have been issues with the military campaign itself.
So the path we must take is simple, even if it is not easy: First, instill rules and good governance; second, install officials who are experienced and capable of managing state agencies and ministries; and third, seek to recover funds stolen under previous regimes so that this money can be invested in Nigeria for the benefit of all of our citizens.
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We seek the support and partnership of the United States in these tasks. The importance of the fight against terrorism and corruption in Nigeria, Africa’s most powerful economy and largest populace, cannot be underestimated. Our allies can provide much-needed military training and intelligence as our soldiers take the war effort to Boko Haram. Similarly, we look to U.S. businesses as well as the Obama administration to help develop governance initiatives that can ensure that Nigeria’s wealth benefits all its people, not just a few. By taking these steps, we will be positioned to benefit from increased investment — particularly in energy and electricity — from the United States.
I was elected on a platform of change. I know this is what the people of Nigeria desire more than anything else. I know they are impatient for action. I realize the world waits to see evidence that my administration will be different from all those that came before. Yet reforming my country after so many years of abuse cannot be achieved overnight. In our campaigns against both Boko Haram and corruption, we should remain steadfast and remember, as it is said: “Have patience. All things become difficult before they become easy.”
The WashingtonPost

Tinubu, “Nigeria’s Machiavelli”- Financial Times of London Hails The Soul Of APC

By Tobiloba 







One of the most respected economic and business daily newspapers in the World, The Financial Times of London has hailed Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as “Nigeria’s Machiavelli” in honour of the political prowess of the man whose strategizing produced the President Elect of the country, Muhammadu Buhari.
The feature subtitled ‘How a political godfather helped bring down a president’ features in the Monday April 6th edition of the publication.

From his redoubt on Bourdillon road in upmarket Lagos, a man popularly known as the Jagaban cemented his reputation this week as a political Svengali with the role he played helping to orchestrate the downfall of Nigeria’s sitting president, Goodluck Jonathan.
Bola Ahmed Tinubu, whose name comes from a chieftaincy title bestowed on him by the town of Borgu, in Nigeria’s north, was from 1999 to 2007 the provincial governor of the country’s economic engine, the coastal state and megacity of Lagos.
Read the full article here

N'Assembly Crisis: APC Govs, Lawmakers in Make-or-Mar Meeting Friday

 

 

APC Govs

• Tambuwal, Oshiomhole c’ttees to submit reports
Omololu Ogunmade in Abuja

Ahead of the National Assembly’s resumption on July 28, governors on the platform of All Progressives Congress (APC) will meet with all senators and House of Representatives’ members in Abuja with a view to ending the protracted crisis rocking the APC caucus in the federal parliament.

One of the senators told THISDAY in confidence at the weekend that all APC senators and House members have been asked to make it a date with history, as the two committees headed by the Governor of Edo State, Adams Oshiomhole, and his Sokoto State counterpart, Aminu Tambuwal, would also be expected to present their reports at the meeting.

At the last meeting of the governors with the combatant lawmakers on July 4 at the Imo governor’s lodge, Asokoro, Abuja, the Tambuwal committee was mandated to come up with a suitable solution to the crisis while the peace committee headed by Oshiomhole was tasked with drawing up a reconciliation plan for the warring lawmakers in both chambers of the National Assembly.

The senator told THISDAY that the objective of the meeting is to ensure that the protracted crisis rocking the APC caucus is nipped in the bud once and for all to enable all APC lawmakers in the National Assembly sheath their swords and simultaneously forge a sense of unity that would enable them to move forward as members of one fold without prejudice.

He said: “Our resumption had been postponed from July 21 to July 28. The APC governors will meet with us on July 25. They have asked all of us to come so that we can sort things out. The Tambuwal and Oshiomhole committees will report to the House.
“We need to sit down and solve our problems so that we can do the confirmation of the service chiefs and later the confirmation of ministerial nominees and move ahead.”

The source also said the introduction of Order 3(2iv) into the Senate Standing Rules which provides that chairmanship positions should be shared on the basis of geopolitical zones would be carefully looked into to avoid jeopardising the interest of APC which he said holds the majority in the Senate.

He added that even though the committees would be shared with Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) senators on a geographical basis, the latter would likely be assigned to head less influential committees with only very few strong ones conceded to them while the APC would mainly preside over the productive committees.

“We will know how to share the committees. We will look at the committees and look at the ones that should go to them without jeopardising the chances of our party. We have to be very careful. We have to look at those things. We have to look at the strong committees that we can give to them. What is happening is democracy in action. It will make us stronger,” he said.

However, the thinking among pundits is that it will take divine intervention for the lawmakers to come out of the meeting on July 25 beaming with smiles, as each of the factions has held on to its positions without conceding an inch.

For instance, the Senate Unity Forum has refused to be pacified over its loss of the Senate presidency to the rival Senators of Like Minds, as well as the refusal of Senate President Bukola Saraki to accede to the nominations of his rivals, Senator Ahmad Lawan and Senator George Akume, by the party as Senate Leader and Deputy Senate Leader respectively.

The Unity Forum, which is also pursuing the allegation of forgery of 2015 Senate Standing Orders which it said helped Saraki and his Deputy, Ike Ekweremadu, to emerge at the June 9 election of the Senate President and Deputy Senate President with the intention of declaring the elections illegal, has also vowed to resist the sudden introduction of Order (2iv) which offers PDP controlled zones the opportunity to occupy equal chairmanship positions with APC into the Senate Rules.

In the same vein, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara, has insisted that he will not accept the nomination of Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila as House Leader because the South-west where Gbajabiamila hails from, has already produced the Deputy Speaker.

On the other hand, Gbajabiamila’s camp has insisted that it is either the speaker accedes to the party’s nominations or nothing.
Against this background, it is left to be seen how the July 25 meeting will end this seeming irreconcilable differences.

Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu: At last, the Jagaban breaks his silence

Tinubu

 

 By: AYO ESAN

 

After being in the background for some week now and more especially with the crisis bedeviling his party, the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu came into the open last Tuesday, when he led other party stalwarts to the Presidential Villa where he held Ramadan breaking of the fast with President Muhammadu Buhari.
Obviously, the dinner with the president was held to further the peace initiatives by the ruling party to reconcile the warring factions in the National Assembly.
It would be recalled that the APC lawmakers in both chambers of the national assembly have been at loggerheads since the elections last month that threw up Senator Bukola Saraki as Senate President and Hon. Yakubu Dogara as Speaker of the House of Representatives. Their election was in defiance of the preferred nominees of the party for the two positions.
Loyalists of Tinubu lost in the race for the leadership of the national assembly and since then, he has refused to speak on the issue either in the open or in public.
After the breaking of fast with Mr President, hordes of journalists who have been looking for an opportunity to get Tinubu’s response to the crisis in the national assembly bombarded him right there in the Villa.
Tinubu, while talking to them was evasive in his response, stating: “that is an area where I am very cautious of my position and my utterances. I still want to keep my side of the interpretation or analysis to be able to achieve a resolution of the matter as quickly as possible.”
He stated that he was in support of what the president had carefully enumerated and articulated to the party on the issue, adding: “the party is supreme. The party must have disciplined leadership and followers. The party’s process must be respected because that is the confidence and the trust of the people.
“However, in every environment, we could have conflicts and conflict resolution mechanisms would be applied to resolve all the problems so we are there.
“There is honour in every struggle and every competition; there must be honour in victory too.”
Tinubu also used the opportunity to deny the claims by some of his antagonists that he has been making demands from President Muhammadu Buhari, as to who the latter should appoint to his government.
He said he respects Buhari and remains loyal to him.
He said: “I have no demands. If you understand what party politics and leadership is all about, it is about loyalty and commitment to the values, which the leadership believes in.
“I believe in what the president believes in. I respect him and I stand firmly loyal to his cause. So you can go to any length of speculation that you might want, I have not responded to all of that because I understand the president and the president understands me clearly.”
He further called on Nigerians to ignore the claims by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, that, Buhari was too slow, saying that the President could not be expected to clean up the mess left behind by the PDP’s 16 years of bad governance in 30 days.
“We are different, we cannot be PDP, we are APC, and we will not repeat their mistakes. We know their mistakes, errors, we understand what Nigeria wanted and Nigerians gave this party victory because of our manifesto,” he said.
“We are pro-people, we are progressives. We have had a conservative government in the last 16 years; this is a progressive party, just coming in barely 30 days.
“We understand the hopes of Nigerians, we understand the expectations of Nigerians, we believe in that expectation and in our promise of prosperity to the people. We will not change that,” he said.
Tinubu‎ described the APC as armoured personnel carrier, APC, saying it represented the diversity of Nigeria.
While thanking Buhari for the opportunity to break fast with him and for bringing together people from different background regardless of religious affiliations, he said: “We believe this diversity will continue to propel us for economic growth under your leadership.
“This is the first Ramadan after the election, we thank God for cutting down the opponents’ 60 years of fake promises to 16 years.
“I heard them say we are slow. Yes, we didn’t campaign to be fire fighters, but planners and meticulous ones at that. A latrine of 16 years can’t be cleaned up in 30 days because the mess is much.
“Mr. President, you started well, you hit the ground running. You promised Nigerians that you will address security and your first meeting with the Economic Community of West African States ( ECOWAS) presidents, was on security because we cannot fight it alone.
“You have been to other places; if they think it is a game of Ludo, we will say it is serious business. If they forgot G7, we will remind them.
“We have faith in you Mr. President; we have faith in your capacity and uprightness. I’m here filled up and not fed up.
“We promise to continue to be with you and support you, no matter what they are saying we are not re-running the election until four years time.
“We pray to God to give us four more years of this month and pray to Him to forgive our misdeeds and for peace and stability.
Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu was born on March 29, 1952, in Lagos . He attended St. John’s Primary School, Aroloya, Lagos, and Children’s Home School in Ibadan . Tinubu went to the United States in 1975, where he studied first at Richard J. Dailey College in Chicago, Illinois , and then at Chicago State University . He graduated in 1979 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting.
His political career began in 1992, when he was elected to the Nigerian Senate representing the Lagos West constituency in the short-lived Nigerian Third Republic. After the results of the June 12, 1993 presidential elections were annulled, Tinubu became a founding member of the pro-democracy movement, the National Democratic Coalition, NADECO, which mobilized support for the restoration of democracy and recognition of the 12 June results. He went into exile in 1994 and returned to the country in 1998, after the death of military dictator, Gen Sani Abacha, which ushered in a new democratic order.
In April 1999, he stood for the position of Executive Governor of Lagos State on the platform of Alliance for Democracy, AD, as the party’s governorship candidate .He won the gubernatorial election.
Tinubu completed his second term tenure as Lagos State Governor on May 29, 2007.
After the expiration of his tenure , the Jagaban Borgu , as he is fondly called by his admires, handed over to his political godson, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN) of the Action Congress (AC) . Before then,. Fashola had been Chief of Staff to Bola Tinubu

An Afternoon with President Buhari.

 

 

PENDULUM BY DELE MOMODU, Email: dele.momodu@thisdaylive.com

Fellow Nigerians, let me confess that in over 30 years of writing no President has ever reacted directly or positively to my constant admonitions, lamentations or commendations. Rather, most of the time, their aides, cronies and acolytes used to fire darts and barbs at us from every direction. We were called unprintable names that our parents did not give us and by now we are so used to being abused and harassed by those who can never learn useful lessons from the past. You can thus fathom a guess as to how I must have felt when Femi Adesina’s call sneaked in on me like a thief in the night.

I had written an article titled “A Desperate Memo to President Buhari” in which I tried to let the President feel the pulse of the people, especially those who felt he was being too sluggish about running the affairs of state. This memo to the President came on the heels of an earlier intervention titled “In Search of Patience” which unfortunately failed to achieve its objective. My mission had been to persuade my fellow citizens about giving the President some time to settle in before they start complaining about the pace and tempo of governance. I soon realised that rather than the dust settling down matters actually got exacerbated. In the desperate memo, I then attempted to tell the President some home truth about the things he could do urgently and without much ado. I took that chance because of the fact that I knew him to be a voracious reader of news, especially if it pertained to him. The gamble certainly paid off.

The President and his key aides read the “Desperate memo” which had gone viral. A particular online newspaper chose to sensationalise and slant the story in a manner I never intended or envisaged. Their version was garnished with salt and pepper by exhuming an old picture of mine in which I had cried for my mentor, Chief Moshood Abiola, and it was now tilted and titled “Dele Momodu Weeps for President Buhari”. If the idea was to draw a wedge between me and the Presidency, it actually backfired and failed woefully to paint me as someone who has dumped President Buhari within weeks of attaining power. One influential man in the Presidential villa, Nura Rimi, actually saw the post and felt sufficiently alarmed that a key supporter like me should not be allowed to turn his back on the Presidency. He mentioned his fears to Special Adviser Media, Femi Adesina, a childhood friend and brother from our early days at Ife. They decided to intimate the President on the necessity to reach out to me immediately. The President gave his instant approval.

I was away from the country when I received Femi Adesina’s call. My initial reaction before answering was that he was going to complain and grumble like most of his predecessors who only called whenever they felt you had written an unsavoury piece about their principal. At the very best, they would engage you in meaningless rigmarole, or issue veiled threats, by accusing you of being paid by their enemies. But Femi was refreshingly different. After exchanging pleasantries, he said “Bob Dee, the President would want to have a one-on-one meeting with you after reading your latest article.” The message sounded too unusual to be true because I had always seen Nigerian Presidents as the most unreachable human beings on earth. I told Femi I would be more than happy to head back to Nigeria to meet a man who has restored hope and dignity to every Nigerian.

The only problem was how to find a slot to squeeze me into the President’s over-tight schedule. I waited for about a week without an appointment and then suddenly I got a text from State Protocol: “Good morning sir. A window for you to see Mr President on Wednesday 15th July between 14.45 and 15.00hrs in his office has been created. Kindly note accordingly… SCOP” A similar text was also forwarded to me from Femi. I was pleasantly surprised when I received a written notice of audience from Permanent Secretary, State House, Engineer Nebolisa O. Emodi. Subsequent follow-up calls were made to my Lagos office as reminders to me.

The level of professionalism and efficiency displayed was commendable. It was a radical departure from the past when I met a previous Nigerian President in London and was invited to meet him in Abuja. I came for the appointment at the scheduled time but was unable to see him for days. The Chief Security Officer at the time was not so friendly. He took me into his office and lectured me on all the no-go areas of discussion in the Presidential Villa, which rendered my visit totally useless.

The Aso Rock I returned to last Wednesday was virtually transfigured. All the security checks were professionally handled. The guys were strict but friendly about it. Some even joked about following me on social media. In a matter of minutes, I was welcomed into Femi Adesina’s office by Senior Special Assistant, Media and Information, Garba Shehu. It was a happy reunion for the three of us old friends and I felt very much at home. I told Femi I wanted to pay courtesy call on the State House correspondents before meeting the President. I always give priority to my colleagues no matter how junior and went round shaking hands with most of those on duty. I promised to address them after meeting the President.

The day was made extra-special by the presence of the iconic diplomat and former Secretary-General of The Commonwealth, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, whose appointment to see the President was just ahead of mine. A great fan of my column, he came into the waiting lounge and he spoke for a couple of minutes with Femi and I. He inspired me as usual with his oratorical skills. “Dele, I continue to read your column with relish” he said matter-of-factly!

Thereafter, I was soon invited to climb the stairs leading to the President’s office. Since there was no prior agenda sent about the topic of discussion, I had visualised the likely scenario and rehearsed accordingly. I also jotted down some salient points because I was determined to maximise the 15 minutes allotted to me without overstaying my welcome. For me, it was a rare honour and privilege to sit down all by myself with the President of Africa’s greatest nation. It was important to pour out the boisterous content of my soul in a jiffy.
As time ticked away while I waited, I engaged myself in an interior monologue, otherwise known as stream-of-consciousness in Literary Appreciation. Then came the appointed time and I was ushered into the President’s room. I was stunned to see the President already waiting for me by the door. Though we had met on two previous occasions, I didn’t quite know how this particular meeting was going to pan out because on those occasions he was still a co-contestant at first and an aspirant/candidate on the latter visit in London.

I’ve met several Presidents in and out of power but the aura is never the same. The Buhari I met at his holiday apartment in London about four months ago, after his speech at Chatham House, was not the Buhari I met and discussed with last Wednesday. The new Buhari has the power to do and undo. As the aphorism goes, he can turn a certified and certificated pauper into an instant billionaire with a mere stroke of the pen, and vice versa. More importantly, the destiny of nearly 200 million complex beings resides within his palms. Yet here was the powerful man himself welcoming and leading me to a chair very close to him.

President Buhari fired the first shot right from the second I walked through the door: “Let me tell the truth that I was forced to see you by your friends here…” Wow, he would rather give credit to his aides. That was uncommon in our clime. The President was not yet done on the issue because as soon as I sat down, he fired another salvo: “I don’t know if I should tell you this but I suspect Femi is working for you!” and we both exploded raucously. I’m loving this man more and more, I told myself. By then, he had inadvertently relaxed me totally and we were like two old buddies. I had been told endlessly about his supposed taciturnity; that you could sit with him for hours doing all the talking while the President would respond in only a few words. But to my biggest bewilderment and pleasant surprise, the President actually opened up to me and responded to my suggestions. In short we had a dialogue rather than the monologue I had programmed myself to expect in a worst case situation.

I was glad he had allowed two wonderful photographers, Bayo Omoboriowo and Sunday Aghaeze, to join us, as well as a cameraman from NTA. It would have been sad to tell the world the cordial nature of my meeting with the President without solid evidence. This is because he had asked everyone out after the photo-opportunities were comprehensively dealt with. I seized the opportunity to present a copy of my forthcoming book, PENDULUM: A Book of Prophesies, which is a compilation of some of my landmark essays in the last five years or thereabout. Not only did he show some excitement, he actually requested for my autograph: “Please, sign it for me so that people could see I got the original copy from you…” he said with that inimitable tinge of childlike innocence. I couldn’t believe this was the same over-demonised Buhari who had been superfluously described in lurid colours by political opponents. If he was play-acting before me, then he must be a damn-good-actor, I thought to myself coolly.

We went into our discussions proper after the general interlocutions. I told him why I wrote the “Desperate Memo” to him; Nigerians were getting restless and impatient; they expect an instant miracle; the momentum he gained during the election was nose-diving and affecting his super-brand; the opposition was already creeping in and trying to take advantage… and so on. The President said he was aware of people’s expectations but they should exercise some patience as they would realise his vision and mission as events he was directing begin to unfold. He sounded like a man who knows what most of us don’t know. He’s the man in the driver’s seat and only he can see the blind spots.

I told him it is important to us that he succeeds because our opponents don’t believe things can be done better. I reiterated my belief that he cannot hand over Nigeria to typical politicians to run because they will wreck the entire process. I’m certain his Party is going to witness another combustion soon when he begins to assemble his team because political leaders prefer their lackeys to competent professionals. In spite of Party supremacy, he should not allow them to dump some garbage at his doorstep. He must insist on nominations that meet his avowed standards.

I suggested he should involve Nigerian academics in governance like he did as Head of State when he appointed Tam David-West, Ibrahim Gambari and others as Ministers before President Ibrahim Babangida repeated the same style by appointing Wole Soyinka, Olikoye Ransome-Kuti, Bolaji Akinyemi, Tai Solarin, Sunday Olagunju, Sam Oyovbaire, and others in various capacities. I theorised that the relative success of INEC is attributable to the fact that Professor Jega brought in many Professors who did not have the propensity for accumulation of wealth.

I told the President that he should do everything possible to carry the youths along. I suggested he could move a few of his important public functions from campus to campus. I mentioned how American Presidential debates and major Presidential interactions are often held in a university community with students in attendance. I observed that this helps to inspire the youths in no small measure. Any government that has the youths behind it will ultimately succeed.

The aspect of my submission that gave the President amusement amidst the seriousness was when I spoke about the importance of searching for bright women to bring on board: “Sir, I think women are better managers of people and resources for several reasons…” I posited that a woman cannot marry two or three men simultaneously but a man can have four wives and ten concubines at a go and this would encourage corruption. I also elaborated further by stating that women are more afraid of going to prison than men. The President was filled with mirth and exploded in laughter whilst acknowledging the sense and sagacity of my words.

The President confided in me that his three biggest worries are insecurity, corruption and power. He spoke a bit about how he planned to address these issues. Finally, as he saw me off to the door, he spoke about his efforts at combating crime and terrorism and had kind words for the Chadians in particular. He felt proud about Chadian interventions on behalf of Nigeria. He would love to see such cooperation from other African countries.

On the whole, I had spent more than my allotted time of 15 minutes but I believe both of us concluded that we had a good and fruitful discourse. Before I departed, I promised the President my support and assured him that I would always alert him of sensitive developments needing his immediate attention through my articles and Column.

May God grant our President favour to do that which he fervently desires for Nigerians and Nigeria! God bless our nation.