When a yesterday’s man came calling

Posted by admin Headlines Saturday, April 12th, 2014

The Villa plays host to different people daily. They come with different missions. While some meet personally with President Goodluck Jonathan, others meet his close aides who they believe, will in turn, present their requests to the ‘Oga at the top’. The personalities involved determine the time they will visit and which part of the expanse premises they will visit. Regular visitors can visit anytime during broad daylight while controversial and unusual visitors will prefer to come under the cover of darkness away from the prying eyes of journalists.

State House correspondents operate daily mainly from the Briefing Room of the Council Chambers not too far from the President’s office. Immediately after this journalists’ base is the last gate leading to the President’s office. From that vantage position, rarely will a visitor enter the President’s office during working hours without them noticing such a person.

That was the situation on Tuesday when one of the major critics of Jonathan and his administration who is also a chieftain of the opposition All Progressives Congress, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, came calling.

Immediately he was sighted in company with a man who is always seen with a governor of one of the South West states heading towards the President’s office, words quickly went round journalists that an unusual guest was in the Villa. One cannot blame them since oddity is one of the factors that determine the newsworthiness of events.

Being a former minister and a former spokesperson for an ex-President, gap-toothed Fani-Kayode was one of those who presidential spokesman, Dr. Reuben Abati, referred to in his piece, “The hypocrisy of yesterday’s men.” Hitherto, the man fondly called FFK has never seen or said anything good about Jonathan and his administration. He takes to the social media, especially Twitter, at will to carpet the government.

Seeing such a person walking confidently towards the office of a man who has remained his object of criticisms will definitely arouse interest. So, journalists decided to lay ambush for the former minister. A few minutes later, he walked into the ambush on his way back and had no choice than to answer reporters’ questions on his unusual visit. He said he was in the Villa to see the “wonderful people” there. He spoke at length on how, as a Nigerian, he was free to meet his President whenever the door is opened.

When he was asked about the subject of his discussion with the President, Fani-Kayode said he would not go into that. When further probed whether his presence in the Villa was a sign that he had dumped the APC. He was noncommittal despite his long answer to the effect that he would not be part of any group that promotes any religion above another.

He could however not hold back laughter when he was making his way out of the premises after the interview and one of the journalists shouted jokingly, “I don port o.” He was mimicking an actor popularly known as Saka who screamed the same words to announce his movement from the platform of a telecommunication firm to another in a popular television advertisement.

Shortly after he left the premises, the Internet was filled with stories of his visit with several insinuations being made regarding the purpose of the visit and its possible outcome. Some even went as far as saying that he has been penciled down for a presidential job.

What quickly came to mind was Abati’s statement in an interview with Saturday PUNCH published on October 12, 2013 in which he claimed that those who criticise him (that, I presume, include Fani-Kayode) would wish to be in government. “The same people (critics) will wish to be on this side, they will wish to be in government, and I see many of these same critical persons, perpetually hanging around government looking for this and that, practically begging, soliciting, hustling, but they go out there and pretend to be otherwise. But that is a story for another day. And their story shall be told someday,” Abati had said in the interview titled “Most of my critics hang around government looking for favours – Abati.”

We are all waiting to see where FFK’s new-found romance with the seat of power will lead to.

GDP rebasing and Nigeria’s hungry population

On Sunday, Nigeria released its rebased Gross Domestic Product of $510bn. As expected, mixed reactions have been trailing the figure which placed the country first in Africa and 26th globally.

Even the President himself said although the feat called for celebration, he would not roll out the drums because “too many of our citizens (are) living in poverty.” He made his position known via his Facebook account, the same platform on which he announced his desire to participate in the 2011 presidential election at that time.

“Yesterday (last Sunday), our Gross Domestic Product was rebased to give an accurate picture of where we are as a nation. I am glad to report to you that Nigeria is officially the largest economy in Africa with a Gross Domestic Product of $510bn which also places us as the 26th largest economy in the world. This feat is a collective achievement of all Nigerians particularly when you take into account the fact that our Per Capita Income had increased by over 60 per cent from $1091 in 2009 to $1700 in 2013, prior to the rebasing. While this calls for celebration, I personally cannot celebrate until all Nigerians can feel the positive impact of our growth. There are still too many of our citizens living in poverty,” the President wrote.

But on Tuesday, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Millennium Development Goals, Dr. Precious Gbenol, claimed that Nigeria has succeeded in reducing the number of people that are suffering from extreme hunger by half. She did not however disclose the population.

Gbenol who spoke with State House correspondents after the quarterly presidential committee meeting on assessment and monitoring of the MDGs chaired by Jonathan, said the achievement was in fulfillment of Goal One of the MDGs. She said the Federal Government achieved the feat well ahead the 2015 deadline for the goals to be met.

Her statement also attracted online comments faulting her claims. Not a few Nigerians agreed with the President that many citizens are living in poverty. But what they want from the present administration is not lamentation but deliberate efforts to change the situation.

…and the first daughter weds

If the wife of the President is referred to as the First Lady, his daughter too can be called the First Daughter. Last Saturday in Bayelsa State, the President gave out his daughter (whether foster, adopted or biological), Faith Sakwe, in marriage to a prince, Godwin Edwards. That was the traditional marriage.

All roads lead to the National Christian Centre, Abuja today where the church wedding will take place. An elaborate reception will hold thereafter at the International Conference Centre.

All things being equal, I may come up with tit-bits from the “wedding of the year” when I come your way next week. Stay away from trouble.
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