RANDOM MUSINGS:
IGP EGBETOKUN AND THE gODS,
OUR PRESIDENT’S WORK-STAY IN FRANCE AND
ONE OTHER THING.
By
Ben C. Abraham.
IGP EGBETOKUN, HIS PALM KERNEL AND THE BENEVOLENT gODS;
On Tuesday 20th August 2024, a book, ‘Readings in Policing, Peace, and security’ was unveiled in honour of the Inspector General of Police Kayode Egbetokun in Abuja. In his remarks, the IG said that his life was full of testimonies and since it was not yet thanksgiving Sunday he would reserve the details for the set time. Meanwhile, IG didn’t need to wait for thanksgiving before telling everyone that his position in life today was mainly orchestrated by President Tinubu. According to Egbetokun, his life changed within 24 hours of meeting Tinubu in 1998 and since then it had been Eldorado. That meeting removed the IG, then a Deputy Superintendent of Police, from the daily harsh rigours and grinding exactitudes of life in the Force faced by the majority of police men and women. He became the CSO to Tinubu, then a fast rising political maverick who meant different things to different people – to some, a benevolent godfather; to others, a villain. That benevolence finally brought Egbetokun to the zenith of his career and the Police, a position that every police recruit has less than one per cent odds to attain. Meanwhile, chances are that Egbetokun will stay beyond 60 years of age (which he is soon to attain) as mandated by the Service rules because, on prompting by the godfather, the Police Act was recently amended by the National Assembly to allow a Police IG to stay in office until his career retirement date even though he has attained 60 years of age. Indeed, Egbetokun has been loyal to his boss. The reverberations from the recent protests, the ping pong with the NLC and the continued detention of the protesters without arraignment are few pointers. While Egbetokun readies for thanksgiving day, let someone remind him that the outcry by some Police inspectors in Uyo on behalf of over 1500 colleagues concerning their 11 months’ withheld salaries doesn’t cast Egbetokun in the light of someone whose palm kernel was broken by the benevolent godfather. Let him match his words with action as he promised to do upon assumption of office – the promotion of the welfare of police officers.
TINUBU AND THE WORK STAY IN FRANCE;
Our President, Tinubu seems to have a more than perfunctory affinity with France. He goes to France as often as he gets the opportunity. Before and after his inauguration and during the CAF Nations cup in Ivory Coast Tinubu travelled to France for days, on private visit we were informed. I am not told and I don’t know if he speaks francais. Well that may not matter. Having come back from Equatorial Guinea after a 3-day visit on the invitation of President Teodoro Mbasogo (who by the way is 82 years old and has ruled the country since 1979), Tinubu quickly dashed off to France again. Perhaps not willing to raise queries, the visit was described as a work stay. Presidency yarn masters are sure feeling the mood of the people. They don’t know how to say it’s another private visit. With time, we will figure out what a work stay really means. But it seems that the more Tinubu’s media buffs strive to impress us with how much he is working to better Nigeria, the more our President flunks the impression by a display of his outrageous tastes. After all our first lady regaled us just before inauguration that her family was rich and that they didn’t need anything from Nigeria. Well, that lifestyle, that huge and exotic taste bud is what our National cashbox must fund. While Nigerians were being mowed down by security agents for daring to protest about hunger and a falling standard of living, Tinubu had perfected plans to launch a new presidential jet and a Cadillac escalade – his official car, reminiscent of the US president’s Beast. As he departed to Equatorial Guinea the Nigerian Beast was unveiled and on his way to France Tinubu flew in the ‘new’ jet. The combined cost of these crafts is a subject of ongoing inquiry by Nigerians. But tentative estimates put the ‘Beast’ at five million less a billion Naira mark. Upon return on Friday 23 August, we were briefly told that Tinubu would return to France immediately after swearing in the new Chief Justice of Nigeria, Kudirat Kekere-Ekun. Those who sighted his plane’s flight plan said it was billed to depart for Nice in France, a place it came in from. Later Villa insiders said that the President would stay back in Nigeria. The flight plan was changed and the trip was put off. So Tinubu stays with us; at least for now. But that flight plan would soon be re initiated and he would go and continue his work stay. He has unfinished business in Nice and Nigerians must cut him some slack. He will not come and kill himself. Always remember that our first lady warned us before now.
……AND ONE OTHER THING:
CJN KUDIRAT KEKERE-EKUN AND LEGACIES:
Nigeria has the fortune of producing another female Chief Justice and Head of the third arm of Government. It’s the second since independence from Britain and among 22 former Chief Justices. In a hugely patriarchal world, this apogee for Madam Kudirat must be celebrated. Having risen through the judicial ranks, Chief Justice Kudirat Motonmori Kekere-Ekun was sworn in by President Tinubu on Friday 23 August pending confirmation by the Senate. Well, we don’t expect the Senate to delay or deny her this one-in-a-lifetime position. If they didn’t deny a recent CJN who did not know what technicality in adjudication entailed, they will quickly approve of our 2nd female Judiciary leader. My lord may even be asked to bow and go. That is no wahala. So what is the wahala? Not really, but the President’s charge to our amazon to continue with the legacies of the outgone CJN, her immediate predecessor Kayode Ariwoola has stirred so many reactions. Ariwoola presided over a Judiciary that was enmeshed in much controversy. He took over from Tanko Muhammad but instead of initiating bold reforms as one who had seen it all, he chose to fiddle while Rome burnt. Even lawyers, who by the ethics of their profession, should not be heard to criticize the Bench, cast that finesse aside to lampoon the Supreme court under Ariwoola. They bemoaned the depths into which the apex court and others had sunk, what with the uncertainty that followed their judgments despite clear precedents. Ariwoola was also, among others, roundly disparaged for making the process of Judicial appointments brazenly tied to filial ropes. So not a few people would raise eye brows about that presidential injunction to Madam Kekere-ekun. Ariwoola’s legacies are not positive and not only should she abandon them, her lordship should embark on immediate and far reaching reforms if anything will be salvaged from the sinking ship. A recent report by the NBS working with the UNODC showed that Public officials in Nigeria received a total of N721bn in bribes in 2023 with Judges topping the list. That report foreshadows Kekere-ekun’s tenure and I suggest that my lady should print a copy, study it and get to work if she will be remembered for anything better than Ariwoola. Sadly, our dear Madam also comes along with some baggage which she must strive to offload as she begins the colossal task before her. The muck raised by that Imo State Governorship election judgment has refused to go away. Only my lady has the soap to wash it away. I wish her Bon voyage.