Between Wike and Yerima: Let us call a spade a spade for once
By Emma Nwosu
We have a very long way to freedom in this country. One actually wonders if at all there is still any hope of redemption. Among the most disconcerting challenges are moral depravity, might-is-right, sectarianism, tribalism, emotionalism and living in denial which are rendering Nigeria a worse Animal Farm than George Orwell’s. These base sentiments largely account for our failure to defeat terrorist Islamists for about two decades now, for the denial of Christian genocide by the Federal Government and the Nigerian Moslem leadership and for the continued incarceration of Nnamdi Kanu for no substance other than daring to call out mostly the Fulani for the Nigerian condition. These are just few examples.
They are at the root of the argumentum ad hominem pervading the reaction of Nigerians to the encounter between the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja, Barrister Nyesom Wike, and a Naval Officer, Lieutenant A. M. Yerima, over a parcel of land in the FCT. Opposition politicians, the Northern establishment and the top brass of the Armed Forces, along with other misguided citizens, have ganged up against Wike, calling on him to apologize and resign and even seeking to bully President Bola Tinubu to sack him if he would not voluntarily do so – while praising Yerima, advocating for his promotion and showering him with gifts – as if they are altruistic and not part and parcel of the Nigerian condition!
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Argumentum ad hominem is the fallacy of attacking a person based purely on ulterior motives, sentiment and perception rather than the facts of the issue at stake. It is adversarial. It beclouds logical reasoning by distorting the premise of an argument, thereby, leading to the wrong conclusion.
Nyesom Wike is perceived by many as Nigeria’s most garrulous bully, vulgar and predatory politician, at present. Among others, with the collusion of the judiciary, he has pocketed the government of Rivers State against the ideals of democracy. He is believed to have truncated the will of the people of the State in the general elections of 2023. He always speaks from both sides of the mouth, violating his declarations and oaths at will. It is this negative perception that has rendered him vulnerable, against the facts, in this case. Wike should realize that only God is invincible and that there is always a time for payback or retribution.
Yet, the truth is that the conduct of Lieutenant Yerima, on behalf of a retired General, towards Barrister Nyesom Wike, a serving minister, over a disputed parcel of land under his portfolio, is utterly repugnant. Whoever posted Yerima and company to that disputed parcel of land is the real sponsor of impunity in this case! Land dispute is a civil matter. He should have followed the legal process and not take laws into his hand. Moreover, by all accounts, he had never approached Minister Wike to reconcile the facts of that parcel of land to no avail!
We also do not know the information the Minister needed to verify on ground and all he had done beforehand. But his right to go to the field and the access to see things for himself, throughout the FCT, can never be in doubt. It is in this context that his angst can be understood, despite his typical lack of decorum.
Yes, soldiers obey the last order but that order must be legitimate because they also have the overriding duty to protect the Constitution. By all accounts, it was a clear case of forceful occupation that could result in a breach of peace which the Commander-in-Chief would not have authorized.
By taking an off-handed position against Wike, we are further acquiescing to those who feel that they own Nigeria and who seem to be unnerved by an audacious Southern Christian becoming the senior Minister of the FCT for the first time, notwithstanding that they are often the Minister of Petroleum Resources and Head of the NNPC and the NPA among other institutions based purely on the resources of the South! Thus, Wike’s assertion of legitimate power of development control is derisively seen as an affront. One can bet that it would never have been the case if he was a Fulani or a Northern Moslem! Should this stranglehold endure?
It is hoped that Mr. President can read between the lines and not fall to all the appeal to emotion for the resignation or dismissal of Wike. It is also hoped that he has ordered the soldiers to vacate the said parcel of land, to start with, before engaging his Minister to resolve the matter. No one is above the law.
Dislodging Islamic terrorists and restoring hapless farmers to their ancestral homes and farms as well as the orchestrated logjam of Nnamdi Kanu’s trial – to facilitate the restoration of economic and socio-political stability – should dominate President Tinubu’s interest at this time and not the appetite of one citizen. The eyes of world are now on Nigeria – as was bound to happen at some stage. He is to be blamed should the drift get more inviting to the roaring United States.
