Tola Adeniyi, tribune, mon feb10, 2003 Dr STANLEY MACEBUH The appointment of some one to the post of a Deputy Chief of Staff in Africa’s wobbled presidential system should ordinarily not warrant or merit a comment. Any comment. But in the instance we are about to discuss, the appointment is not an ordinary one. President Obasanjo is just not an ordinary man. And Dr Stanley Macebuth is by no means an ordinary person. Dr Stanley Macebuth, university teacher, journalist, essayist, Leader writer, libertarian philosopher and humanist is easily one of the most decent human beings on this planet. He is cerebral without being pedagogic, extremely self confident without being boastful or egoistic, very courageous without being foolhardy, and very generous without being reckless. Cased in a small athletic frame, Macebuth is neither small minded nor mean spirited. Since he re-emerged on the Nigerian intellectual plane, courtesy Dr Dele Cole’s invitation to the Daily Times in 1976, Ibadan university- trained Macebuth has continued to shape and influence intellectual discourse in Nigeria’s mass media circles. He has helped found frontline newspapers and magazines, in addition to giving such babies informed and creative administrative structural base. Dr Macebuth’s strongest point is that he does not carry a badge. A proud citizen of Igbo ancestry, Macebuth is the quintessential human being. A universal man, Macebuth never sees himself as merely or wholly an Igbo, Yoruba, Fulani, Ibibio, Ijaw, Nigerian, or, even, African. His worldview encompasses and yet extends beyond all of those labels. He is a human being, and relates to every thing and every body within that purview. It was thus so refreshing that Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, Macebuth’s friend and admirer for so many years, invited him to Aso Rock on his Obasanjo’s second ascendancy to power. At that time, close to four years ago, most observers were surprised to see Macebuth accept such an offer. How would the dyed –in- the- wool libertarian co-habit with a dyed- in- the -wool ‘soldier man’? But what most people did not and still do not know is the fact that though Obasanjo may not be an intellectual, he appreciates intellectualism and would rather surround himself with intellectuals and brilliant minds, the likes of Dr Gbolade Osinowo, Dr Babangida Aliyu, Dr Olu Agunloye and a few others. Obasanjo values education. And if there is anything, which can make Obasanjo dance like a ‘kokoro’, it is the news of any body’s academic achievement One would only need to recall the day Obasanjo got the School Certificate result of one of his sons in mid 1980s. He came into his Otta farm residence brandishing the result sheet as if it was $50 million jackpot cheque. He was jumping up and down like a ‘wetin-call’ grinning from ear to ear. The young boy had scored impressive 8 or 9 A’s, coming out in Grade 1. Before you could call O-l-u-s-e-g-u-n, proud father Obasanjo was behind the wheels and we found our way through the hectic ‘go-slow’ into Mama Iyabo’s Ikeja residence! And a dance with amala!! . If the peculiar circumstances of the Nigerian polity would allow Macebuth a free hand in the exercise of his duties, the stature of the presidency would be better enhanced. And the smooth combination of General Abdul Mohammed and Macebuth, the two formidable Ms, would have gone a long way in purging the presidency of the many clowns and court jesters that have hijacked the hallowed place. Dr Stanley Macebuth is without a doubt a brilliant asset to our generation and to our nation. He may not be a politician but he certainly is a political scientist and political thinker of no mean status. He has both clarity of mind and of vision. And he is imbued with impeccable integrity. I will not be surprised if some day our nation employs his brain and genius as our Foreign Affairs Minister, or as our Permanent Representative at the UN, or whatever is left of that otherwise respectable Organ of the World. E-mail: [email protected] akogunijebu@canada
Posted on: Tue, 29 Oct 2013 17:45:46 +0000
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