By Okanga Agila
“Let your consciousness, savoir faire and understanding liberate you from all the clutches of delusions, dopiness, greed, arrogance, sufferings and hopelessness. Let you reclaim your brilliance, be able to interact with the core of your being, connect, integrate and merge with your higher self and feel the bliss, acceptance of what is and joy that comes with radiating your true self to your world. Let all the dense and menacing fog be cleared away by your own sunlight…. “-Rajesh Goyal, an author.
Goyal’s philosophy invokes a lot of wisdom for Rivers State Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike. If only leaders like Wike could find sense in such words on marble, they would discover like the rest of us, how needless it is to connect harshly with the outside world, when the inner self is riotous and forsakes peace on tenets of idealism.
Unfortunately, though, Wike is not a leader to be placated with such ideas in leadership. I believe he is more attuned to his caged world of leadership brigandage, deceit, roaring or meaningless verbal attacks on opponents and its thuggish manifestations. Nigerians know him more as a clown on the leadership space of Nigeria.
I am flabbergasted by Gov. Wike’s brand of politicking, but not surprised because he is a politician groomed ab initio in such precincts. Overtime, I have known Wike as unique in political weirdness, mudslinging, vendetta and very acerbic attacks on opponents.
He is very conversant with the character of politics and leadership in Nigeria; he knows, Nigerians romance leaders who mouth one thing and do exactly the opposite behind the scenes. One must not be a psychologist to understand that even Wike’s facial look betrays him as a political undertaker. Almost all his media photographic images have this imprimatur.
This Governor is uncouth, rasped and feels, his political survival only depends on the extent he dubiously attacks perceived rivals with concocted claims and confrontations. In such instances, he barks like a wounded lion.
The ilk of Wike were two in Nigeria, the now opposition PDP dashed Nigerians. But time has ebbed out former Ekiti Governor, Pastor Ayo Fayose. He is now more silent than an adventurous, lone soldier who stumbled across a ravenous monster in a wild forest. But Fayose’s gulf has been bridged by Zamfara State Governor, Abduaziz Yari who swallowed all the security votes in his state when it was pleasure time but fast to resign his constitutional role as Chief Security Officer when the bandits came calling.
And in these leaders, I sense a common denominator. They have a shameless flair for re-manufacturing reality in a sublimity that would make creative writers green with envy. The urge to twist facts and stoking hatred on the political arena, even where the circumstances defile such colorations is outstanding and outlandish.
But for Wike, so long as the missiles weaken their targets, its alright. And like Machiavelli has echoed, the end result justifies the means, so the likes of Wike are infinitely consoled.
I am the least dumbfounded that Gov. Wike and his soulmates have bickered everyone or institution in the country, the last four years for empty political grandstanding and reasons of grabbing power. They are easily provoked once their satanic plots are detected and scuttled. At such points, they accuse, haggle, scold and even curse those who they think constitute obstacles. From President Muhammadu Buhari to the police, to the Nigerian Army, the DSS and political opponents, Gov. Wike neither spares any weapon nor anyone.
What I know is that such leaders are perpetually afraid of their evil haunting shadows. Each of their actions is conceived and delivered on the altars of devilry. So, they are burdened by the phobia of reprisal attacks from the same personalities they have unjustly defamed, attacked and even murdered. But it baffles me that they dread death themselves.
And it can be glimpsed from the recent and numerous alarms by Gov. Wike who falsifies assassination claims so freely, and frequently than a man chants the name of his favorite son. Since he grabbed the governorship seat of Rivers state in 2015, Wike has been shouting alleged assassination attempts on him till yesterday.
Wike’s Commissioner for Information and Communication, Dr Austin Tam-George as far back as 2017 alleged his Governor survived five assassination attempts. By now, the number would have increased to 10, but Gov. Wike is still alive and kicking.
It’s Wike’s regular menu like his friend, Pastor Fayose , once they run into brick walls after misusing political power. And it’s like a virus in some Governors today. Gov. Wike has been quiet at his own alleged sponsored and glaring assassination attempt on his 2015 APC governorship opponent, Dr. Peterside Dakuku, the DG, NIMASA’s in March 2016 , when the DSS napped Wike’s Chief of Staff (COS) Mr. Chukwuemeka Woke, in front of their office in Port Harcourt, who led a killer squad to trail Dakuku on his way home on Aba road and still followed him after he detoured on realization of being trailed to DSS office. But I am sure, Gov. Wike hates to remember the incident.
Therefore, I am not appalled with Gov. Wike’s penchant to drag everybody into this unfounded frenzy of wild and unsubstantiated assassination alarms. If Wike is not accusing the Federal Government of Nigeria under President Buhari, he gladly picks the quarrel with all arms of security agents protecting him. No leader, I have known in my adult life with everything evil; everything dubious, nasty and brutish like Gov. Wike.
I have come to realize, it is a gimmick Wike deploys to earn national public sympathy, to veil the execution of his dubious and satanic plots of silently eliminating his political opponents. He diverts attention with such gimmicks.
Like most Nigerians, it’s very clear to me Gov. Wike has become a terribly tormented soul since after “winning” a controversial election in 2015 and again, in 2019 adopting the same crude arm-twisting tactics. If he is not talking about Amaechi today, he is talking about Buhari. The Wike we know as master rigger, sadist and brutal electoral thief, felt the flattering sanity on advising President Buhari against rigging the 2019 presidential polls, as if the President exhibits his greed, lust or debauchery in forcefully acquiring political power.
That’s how we know empty leaders. But has Wike ever asked himself whether he possesses an inch of the pedigree of formal and informal advisers to President Buhari on anything? Mr. President detests characters like Wike more stringently than he abhors Lucifer.
Wike’s latest publicity stunt is to attack the General Officer Commanding (GOC), 6 Division of the Nigerian Army, Major Gen. Jamil Sarham, alleging an attempted assassination on him. He mouthed it while addressing some international observers on the eve of the February 2019 presidential and national assembly elections.
Thereafter, Wike confirmed my conviction in his personality, by engaging the Nigerian Army in sustained altercations over the alleged assassination he could not justify, even after the Army gave him a seven-day ultimatum to prove or permanently hide his face in shame. To my knowledge, Gov. Wike has not been able to substantiate beyond alleging that soldiers, on protection mission in the build-up to the 2019 general elections cordoned his residence for protection. Is this a leader?
Nonetheless, it is known to us that Wike’s grudge against the GOC, Maj. Gen. Sarham is the latter’s resolute refusal to compromise his integrity and that of the Nigerian Army by accepting the Governor’s series of overtures and monetary inducements of millions of dollars, both in person or through cronies to assist rig the general elections in favour of PDP
And Maj. Gen. Sarham is not the only victim of this campaign of calumny from Wike and his proxies. Even when the Nigeria Police Force transferred the Rivers State Commissioner of Police, who was replaced with a new officer, Wike alleged, the new commissioner of police was redeployed to the state to assassinate him.
If any other Nigerian takes Gov. Wike seriously, I am an exemption. And I know, there are millions of us with same perception on him. When the demons which irretrievably occupy Wike’s demented soul prick his conscience to reflect about his countless atrocities, he strangely relives himself by attacking the military, instead of genuine confession and penitence.
I am constrained to emphasis that let truth be told; Wike is just afraid of the 2019 election he has rigged again to wriggle himself into office. And with Buhari’s renewed searchlight on the judiciary, Gov. Wike is angry that he may not buy justice again, like he did in 2015 against Dakuku.
Wike is afraid that “Wike” will be exposed at the tribunal and Wike intends to divert serious attention from Wike by accusing everybody, including flies which fly past his dinning table of assassination plots. Only if Wike listens to the wisdom of author, Rajesh Goyal! But we are aware of his antics!
Okanga wrote this piece from Agila, Benue State.
