A GOOD ONE FROM A NIGERIA LONDONER - MRS. AKPABIO - Like yours truly, most people may assume Im about to celebrate Mrs. Ekaette Unoma Akpabio, first lady and wife of the unapologetic and determinedly unrepentant President Jonathan enthusiast who doubles as governor of Akwa Ibom state, Mr. Godswill Akpabio. Far from it. My tribute is to a lesser mortal that probably could have been lost in diaspora but for the events of last week. Mrs. Taiwo Akpabio, a Nigerian who sought refuge against the hellish Nigerian inhuman reality in a more humane UK never envisaged to be confronted with the same backwardness she escaped from that has turned Nigeria into some sort of a joke. Away from Nigeria but still conscious of her responsibility as a patriotic Nigerian, she set out for Radison Hotel in Central London to attend an event organised by Global Peace Movement - one of those shadowy NGOs without explicit objectives. The event was to honor credible Nigerians whose supposed life impacting leadership is globally acknowledged and is being appreciated. It was a Mahathir/Mandela/Ghandis sort of event going by the noise made by the organizers hence, Akpabio felt it was a patriotic duty for her to be there. Most Nigerians in London at the period of the event would have honored the invitation at least to shake off the home sickness caused by their long sojourn in foreign lands for no reason but to escape a wickedly analogue leadership that refused to digitalise and seemed rigidly determined to remain archaic in thoughts and actions. It was a rude shock for Mrs. Akpabio when the names of the honourees began to read like the who is who of the Nigerian gang that sentenced many people like her into a life of second class citizenship in foreign countries. First it was Ramalan Yero - perhaps being honored for taking the longest time in history for one to realise what it means to be in charge. The seconds awardee was no less shocking! The MD, Nigeria Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Mr. Nnamdi Udo was recognized for excellence in airspace management. One may wonder if the frequency of air crashes and the number of lives lost to avoidable air mishaps in Nigeria count in favor of Mr. Udo. Im sure families of thousands of victims of recent air mishaps like those of DANA Airline that have being exposseds to a sudden life of pain, poverty and misery by the lost of their breadwinners would struggle to understand excellence as defined by the organizers of the this bazaar. The rudest shock came when (fasten your seat belt) Princess Stella Oduah - yes! the same Oduah running helter skelter trying to avoid jail term for circumventing financial regulations in her dealings with Nigerians as Aviation minister was honored for AVIATION TRANSFORMATION AND BEST PERFORMING MINISTER IN NIGERIA! It is not for me to argue with the organizers, especially as they got it right concerning the transformation effort of the Princess of the villa. No one could deny that planes fall from Nigerian skies at the same rate with rain droplets since Oduah took charge of the Aviation ministry. Perhaps, it was the fear of Nigerian skies that stopped the organizers of the charade to host it in Nigeria. Late Olusegun Agagu, a one time minister of Aviation himself must be turning in his grave for this award of excellence. Agagu, who never suffered air crash in his earthly sojourn was not spared the Oduah Legacy of Excellence. He had to be killed again after he died and his body was being flown to his hometown for burial. No doubt a special farewell send off to a worthy predecessor. Perhaps, this is where Mrs. Akpabios fuse blew up and, every right thinking Nigerian would have reacted the same way. Akpabios description of the bazaar as shameless and embarrassing couldnt be more correct. Not that it may mean anything to either the organizers or the recipients who, by all intent and purposes were engaged in a marriage of convenience - one looking for easy money the other willing to pay for a cheap name, fame and popularity to feed an insatiable ego faced with threats of blockage from legitimate source of nourishment. It has became a culture for every Albert and Gilbert among Nigerian leaders to fill their political and moral deficits with purchased awards that make no sense to anybody but the crafty fools that packaged. To be silence in the presence of such a jamboree is the greatest intellectual deformity one may suffer as a member of the most sophisticated specie in this world. No doubt, Mrs. Akpabio have paid her dues. Unlike most Nigerians, she saw a lie and exposed it for what it was. I was happy when another lady, a certain Maryam Awolowo joined Mrs. Akpabio in this crusade. This reaction shows the effectiveness of even a lone voice speaking against tyrannical and mischievous leaders. This whole episode would have lost had Mrs. Akpabio decided to as silent as many Nigerians who naively believed in the power of silence to bring change. Change, just like wealth is as illusive as it is hard seeking. Most importantly it is always commiserate with ones effort. Same way you will reap garbage from an ignored farm, so you will reap more garbage from silence against political rascality and social gangsterism as institutionalized by Nigerian leaders. Suffice to say, the ethno-religious coloration of the Nigerian politics is more a myth than reality. Mrs. Akpabio and Awolowo could be from any geopolitical region of Nigeria but the North, generally certified as Jonathan enemies. I wonder how these two could see through the maze of deceits blocking even an otherwise rational mind from see the stark reality of mess unfolding right under their noses. So much time and money have been wasted by local media mechanics to sell this Oduah dummy (and it is working) for the simple reason most Nigerians are politically myopic and color blind. At least, it was good for the organizers to know that not all Nigerians are stupid! Akpabio and Awolowo might have been arrested and bundled out of the venue but, so what! Even an incurable idiot should know, they have done so much damage to the reputations of the award givers and receivers - assuming they are laying any claim to reputation of course.
Posted on: Sun, 01 Dec 2013 14:22:00 +0000
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