The greatest fear of some who watched theSultan of Sokoto, Saad Abubakar III, and the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, speak at the Kaduna Investment Summit on Wednesday, April 5 is that those entrusted with governance in Nigeria have ditched their key roles for frivolities.
Abubakar and Sanusireminded the audience that politicians and political appointeesno longer care about how to deal with the problems of education, health, power, roads, employment, among others.
Not a few needed to be reminded of the fight for supremacy between Aso Rock and the National Assembly (NASS), with lawmakers loyal to the NASS authorities and the appointees of the executive stoking the fire as cases in point.
When All Progressives Congress (APC) National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, issued a statement the same day urging all government appointees to stop making inflammatory statements that heatup the polity, I knew who the target was.
Out of curiosity, I asked my colleague, Emeka Alex Duru,a tested political reporter cum analyst of many years standing, his thought on the statement.
Without mincing words Duru concluded thatgoing by that statement, the APC had dumped Professor Itse Sagay, the chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee against Corruption (PACAC).
That is the thinking of many perceptive minds.If you are in doubt visit social media and see what people are uploading on Sagay.
The statement, tagged “APC Urges Government Appointees To Stop Inflammatory Statements,” says: “In furtherance of … efforts [by the APC] to resolve the rift between the Executive and the [NASS] the APC urges all government appointees to stop making statements that may further worsen the relationship between the two arms of government and derail the party’s effort to make peace.
“Specifically, the Party urges … Sagay … to exercise restraint and desist from making utterances that may be misconstrued as an attack on the institution of the [NASS].
“The party acknowledges the fatherly role being played by President Muhammadu Buhari to resolve outstanding issues with the National Assembly, by setting up a high-level committee led by Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo.
“We believe the comments attributed to Sagay are uncalled for, regrettable and could further complicate the relationship between these vital arms of government.
“Our expectation would be that as a law professor of repute, Sagay would appreciate the need to not denigrate the institutions of democracy, be it the executive, legislature or judiciary.
“Moreover, as an appointee of Mr president, we should expect the learned professor to key into his principal’s temper and help him to make friends that would make his job easier and not make enemies of people who, by virtue of the position they occupy under our law, are critical to the running of government and the nurturing of our democracy.
“The party specifically objects to [Sagay’s] call on the Senate to withdraw invitation extended to him. As someone appointed by our government, we find this kind of posturing unacceptable and potentially injurious to the peace efforts by the party.
“The party wishes to reiterate its earlier position admonishing all elected or appointed officials of our government to desist from utterances that may endanger efforts to build harmonious relationship between the two arms of government. Sagay should not operate outside this admonition.
“The party expresses happiness with the meeting it had with the Senate Caucus on Tuesday and is confident that all the issues raised will be addressed. It also urges the [NASS] to further intensify its efforts to ensure timely passage of the 2017 national budget.”
Sagay fired back at the APC leadership, accusing it of compromising with evil.
“I am not an appointee of the APC. I don’t know where they thought they had the authority to tell me what I should do. I certainly will not honour it (Senate’s summons),” he said.
“My view about what we are doing is in consonance with what the president is doing. They (APC) are just compromising with evil. That is what the party is doing and they certainly will not get me to do that.
“I will continue with the original programme of Buhari to get rid of corruption in this country. I will not compromise.”
It was such a huge coincidence that the APC’s shelling on Sagay came a few minutes after I finished reading Reuben Abati’s piece on the back page of THISDAY of Tuesday, April 4.
I joinedAbati in saying, A je kun iya ni o je, A je kun iya ni o je, E ni ti o to ni na, to n dena de ni, A je kun iya ni oje,a song released recently and credited to Senator Dino Melaye (APC, Kogi West) as a demonstration of his peculiar misdemeanour or schizophrenia of the extremitiessince he went to the NASS many years ago.
While in the House of Representatives we saw Dino in his worst or best element depending on your perception of the scene he acted.
It is doubtful if Melaye would change from an attitude that has been raking ingood wealth for him as a lawmaker or lawbreakerwith all the paraphernalia of power on parade.
That I see the situation getting worse in the months to come is an understatement as we look forward to another election year in 2019, a fear Abubakar and Sanusi have grimly expressed.
Singing, dancing, fighting, acting, and shouting to draw attention to the minutest of issuesbrought Melaye fame and wealth.
Sagay seems headed in a similar but moderated direction, shouting himself hoax about what the Senate is doing right or wrong, and by so doing drawing needless attention to himself.
As Abati, a well lettered Yoruba, explained, “A je kun iya” (emphasises the severity of punishment), “eni ti o to ni na” (underscores the imbalance of weight, and the lack of equality in strength). “It is a song of intimidation, threat and abuse, completely arrogant in tone and sense.”
What Sagay fails to see in the intervention of the APC in his posturing is that the party assumes he was simply invited to “come and chop”, a popular refrain by politicians when the non-initiated are given political appointment.
A similar thing happened during the days of former President Olusegun Obasanjo withhis now late Justice Minister, Bola Ige.
As well intentioned as Sagay may appear because of his background, all those things he thought he was telling the Senate and its members that are in tune with legality were simply misinterpreted and will continue to be.
Does Sagay, a law professor, not know that disrespect to democratic institutions such as the Senate can be one of the easiest ways to destroy democracy?
Is it out of place for him to be seen to encourage the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, David Babachir, and the Comptroller General of Customs, Hameed Ali, not to respect the power of the Senate to summon?
Sagay criticised senators for rejecting Ibrahim Magu as chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), and for asking Buhari to drop him in acting capacity or they would not screen resident electoral commissioners (RECs).
Said Sagay: “That action is childish and irresponsible. Do they think Buhari is a man that can easily be threatened? My God! How can people of such character occupy the highest legislative office in the country?
“Nigeria is finished. It is a great mistake and they will regret it….
“What this action means is that the Senate is being occupied by the most unserious set of Nigerians in history.
“Nigeria is currently at its lowest level because we have people who have no sense of responsibility, who have no feeling and are there for just vanity and are ready to bring down the country in order to feel important, it is the worst case of abuse ever.
“Let them do what they want, they will regret it.”
That tirade made the Senate to summon Sagay on March 29 when a point of Order by the Deputy Senate Leader, Bala Ibn Na’Allah, reminded his colleagues of a publication in a national newspaper where the so-called insult was meted out to the Senate.
The Senate referred the matter to its Committee on Ethics and Privileges, led by Samuel Anyanwu, to investigate and report back in four weeks.
Sagay would not take any of that. He insisted he would not dignify the Senate with an appearance.