2023: Elites, Mischievous Fairy-Tale And Fallacies

Nigeria's "Oil Curse": 'Paradox of Plenty' or 'Poverty of Paradox'?
Richard Odusanya

A wise man once said that we can’t make anyone feel or do anything. We can throw things into the wind, but it’s up to each person to decide how they want to react, where they want to stand when things fall. Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth. Your perspective is the way you see something. Your perspective on life defines who you are, but tapping into different perspectives can broaden the way you perceive the world. To know that we know what we know, and to know that we do not know what we do not know, that is true knowledge

Unarguably, perspective is a particular way of viewing things that depends on one’s experience and personality: it is a world of different perspective, as such, the example of Usman Yusuf a Nigerian professor of haematology-oncology and bone marrow transplantation and an alumnus of Ahmadu Bello University who has practiced medicine across three continents – Africa, Europe and North America – after his MBBS in 1982. He was appointed the executive secretary / chief executive officer of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) in August 2016 by President Muhammadu Buhari. Usman was subsequently dismissed as NHIS Executive Secretary.

Usman Yusuf, the same character that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) a Nigerian law enforcement agency that investigates financial crimes such as advance fee fraud (419 fraud) and money laundering had publicly indicted. The EFCC specifically stated that it was investigating suspected cases of fraud and misappropriation totalling N919 million in the NHIS during its tenure as the executive secretary between July 2016 and July 2017. I am compelled to agree on the issue of perspective or at best mischievous fairy tale and fallacies given the level of misinformation championed by the elites.

Paradoxically, an indicted Usman Yusuf, a controversial character and one of the beneficiaries of a rotten system had posited: “PDP did not give Atiku ticket. He bought it with money. Even the southerners could not resist his Dollar. And that is the capacity the party needed. His choice of candidate was based on whom he can control or manipulate. He knew that he will not be able to control Wike.” “BAT bought his ticket with money and threat. There was need to keep to agreement, else the cat will be let loose. And his choice of candidate was based on who is ruthless enough to champion the Northern muslim votes.”

“The supporters of the above two are the long term structures that have kept us in the dark while the world is making progress. And they want the evil to continue. They use their structures to collapse the national structures. And they are boasting about those structures even to our faces.” “Obi picked Labour Party ticket based on his integrity, financial produnce and outstanding leadership prowess. And he went for Datti who possess similar qualities.

He needed someone who will look into his eye and say no. Because he acknowledged that he doesn’t know it all. He believes in team work.”

“And his supporters are the people without structures, the downtrodden, the poor masses, the beggers and the labourers, those that are cursed to Labour till death, those that the structures are trampling upon. He is not standing for himself. He is standing for the masses. He is not the one contesting.” “The masses are contesting through him. He is not standing for any specific tribe or religion. He is standing for all tribes and religions. He is the hope of the common man. With him, Nigeria will be great again.”

Similarly, the founder of Stanbic IBTC Bank PLC, Atedo Peterside, one of the mischievous elites who recently says he has joined a political party and has registered as a member of Social Democratic Party and may have ended up with the labour party (LP). Peterside joined the likes of Usman Yusuf and a handful of mischievous elites who are the beneficiaries of a rotten system as exemplified by the Doyin Okupe’s saga, (A criminal conviction). A few days ago Atedo Peterside regaled the nation with a compromised opinion polls on a national TV. How do you explain criminals who had manipulated the system projecting one of them as different from others. Thereby deceitfully exposing the vulnerability and gullibility of the masses.

Flowing from the foregoing, it has become imperative to enlighten our citizens and explain that, in every spheres of influence there is what is called track record that carries most of the assessment marks. The question I asked is what is Obi’s track record in governance, innovation, or even so-called financial prudence? He said he kept money in the bank. Let’s ignore the statement of his successor on this and ask: was he voted in to go and keep money in bank or to go and improve the lives of the Anambra people?

What I see is a person that lacked ideas on which to spend money towards improving the people’s plight! How many workers were unpaid? Were all the hospitals full equipped? All the roads but town and rural tarred? All working age of Anambra fully and gainfully employed? How many equivalent of NEXT supermarket did he create?

What would this Professor, Atedo Peterside and the so-called Obidients have said if PitObi had been successful in securing PDP presidential ticket? Is Obi’s disgruntlement that propelled him to Labour not a demonstration of what he claims the others are like – unprincipled and greedy? Is it not a passive demonstration or statement of Emilokan? Please, let’s be real.

Does he believe in anything? He was in PDP for so many years benefited tremendously from the system including running mate to Atiku in 2019, haba! People like this Professor and his co travellers destroyed Nigeria because they mischievously keep supporting weak men that reflect who they are. Obi is an initiative dullard and at best a good buy and sell trader. I am ashamed of the lack of analysis from a supposedly academic high achiever.

Finally, Peter Obi’s claim that he is different from the ruling party APC and the major opposition party PDP candidates Bola Ahmed Tinubu (BAT) and Atiku Abubakar (AA) is nothing but a calculative fallacy. Although PitObi chances of getting the nod is near impossible given the Nigerian political configuration. However, I predict that if Nigerians are bamboozled and succeeded in the mistake of electing Obi, he would never be able to shake off the yoke of the military god-fathers and Nigerians would end up in more misery.

Lastly, Usman Yusuf and his co travellers erred in my opinion, it is a case of elites, mischievous fairy tale and fallacies in criminal conspiracy. I end with the fact that as a patriot and mindful of the fragile peaceful coexistence of our dear nation is what informed my assessment of the political actors. Let the one that can convince Nigerians win – it is politics and we run the American system where you cannot win without money. Let’s be realistic and stop crying wolf! “Truth is incontrovertible, malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is”.- Sir Winston Churchill.

 

Richard Odusanya

odusanyagold@gmail.com

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