Follow Us on Google
Senate President Godswill Akpabio is never afraid of money. That is why he has the Midas touch in everything he does. As governor of Akwa Ibom State, he made giant strides in delivering dividends of democracy. He called it “Uncommon Transformation.” As minister of Niger Delta Affairs, he changed the perception of money in the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). As the former NDDC managing director, Ms Joy Nunieh, once alleged, Akpabio asked her to change the dollars in the NDDC account the first day she stepped into office; that he described her as having poverty mentality and being afraid of money.
Akpabio has one thing going for him – payment of tithe. As a true Christian, he performs this obligation in different ways. Last Monday, for instance, he deposited some tithes into the accounts of his fellow senators. He called it a token meant to enable them to enjoy their holiday. Each of the 109 senators reportedly got not less than N2 million. It amounted to a total of about N218 million. It is likely that the principal officers collected higher amounts. When the senators murmured and informed him that he was speaking on live television, he rephrased his statement: “I withdraw that statement. In order to allow you to enjoy your holiday, the Senate President has sent prayers to your mailboxes to assist you to go on a safe journey and return.”
Akpabio is a wise man, a very spiritual person! I won’t be surprised if he devotes substantial part of the Senate plenary sessions to prayer meetings. Who does not know that tithe is a form of prayer, a religious-cum-legislative obligation? I suspect that part of the prayers in the lawmakers’ mailboxes goes like this: “O Lord, pursue our pursuers and deliver us from the hands of the evil ones. May we find more inspiration in our mailboxes for our daily devotions! All the witches and wizards plotting our downfall, Holy Ghost…Fire!”
We should never underestimate our senators in any way. By the way, they are entitled to 10 per cent of their annual basic salary as recess allowance once a year. The annual basic salary of a senator is N2,026,400. Hence, the recess allowance is N202,240 per annum. Recall that President Bola Tinubu, in June, allocated N70 billion to the National Assembly (NASS) in the amended supplementary budget to support the working conditions of new members. This is despite the N228.1 billion allocated to NASS in the 2023 budget.
It is possible that Akpabio’s latest tithe is 10 per cent of this N70 billion. In that case, I wonder what critics want him to do. Whether you call it prayer token or holiday token, the most important thing is that Akpabio has paid his tithe. Some critics say his own share was far higher than what his colleagues collected; that the entire token was for facilitating the approval of the appointment of President Bola Tinubu’s ministers – the take-a-bow kind of approval. I heard that the senators complained that the N2 million given to them was paltry. Do they not know that tithe has a limit? Don’t they know that it is 10 per cent of the entire income? Do they expect the Senate President to share everything without deducting service charges, including the cost of fuelling his exotic vehicles to Aso Rock?
It is hypocritical for the lawmakers or anybody for that matter to condemn Akpabio when many public servants do worst things while clutching their Bible or Koran. Look at the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele. The day the Department of State Services (DSS) brought him to court, he was clutching an oversized Bible. And that was after committing a serious sin called illegal possession of firearm and ammunition. After his failed cashless policy plot against the ruling party in the last election, he knew his cup was full. The best way he thought of defending himself against any attack was to acquire a single barrel shotgun without licence. If he had emulated the notorious Niger Delta militant, Asari Dokubo, by acquiring more sophisticated weapons, the DSS would have been afraid to arrest him. Thank God for his eventual arrest and arraignment.
Thank God also for the probe into the alleged job racketeering at the Federal Character Commission (FCC). One Haruna Kolo, a former employee of the FCC, alleged that job seekers paid between N1 million and N1.5 million each into his personal account for onward transmission to the chairperson of the FCC, Mrs. Muheeba Dankaka. To avoid any trace, Kolo said Mrs. Dankaka insisted on cash only; that she later compensated him and three others with a job at the Asset Management Company of Nigeria (AMCON). Mrs. Dankaka claimed that Mr. Kolo and others forged her signature to give employment to people without her approval. An ad hoc committee of the House of Representatives is probing the matter as well as other job racketeering allegations at ministries, departments and agencies.
The problem with Nigeria is that the small fry are the ones who get roasted in these perennial probes of a thing. If the Reps go deeper, they will likely discover that the sin committed in the FCC is a minor one. They may find out that the Customs, Immigration, Police, Civil Defence, and many other MDAs may have committed deadlier sins.
That is why nobody should blame Akpabio. He did not initiate corruption in Nigeria. And corruption will not end with him. Was he the cause of our serial failures in Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index? Are most of the newly appointed ministers better than him? Does his token equate to the late Head of State, Sani Abacha’s loot?
We should rather appreciate this man who lessens the burden of the poor in a unique way. Knowing that laughter heals, he recently presented a motion to halt planned electricity tariff hike in the country by humorously saying, “Let the poor breathe.” Senator Akintunde Abiodun, who represents Oyo senatorial district in the Senate, first made that statement while speaking on the motion at the plenary on July 26, 2023. But Akpabio’s enemies left him to descend on the Senate President, saying he was mocking the poor. The man had to clarify that he didn’t mean to insult the people because he was aware of the hardship in the country. The motive behind the motion, he said, was to reject any plan of increasing electricity tariffs for Nigerians, considering economic challenges Nigerians were faced with.
My happiness is that President Tinubu will not move against him. If not for anything, the President loves people who are pragmatic like him. He knows that paying tithe is a spiritual obligation we owe as public servants. He is aware that moving against Akpabio will affect many things, including the stability of the Senate and even that of the executive.
Our President also appreciates the fact that he who regularly pays his tithe gets a mansion in paradise. Akpabio’s permanent residence is already assured in the choicest part of our Abuja kingdom. He deserves the highest honour in our land; a 21-gun salute!
His enemies are merely throwing him to the wolves. They should go and read Psalm 4:2. It says, “How long, you mortals, will you harden your hearts? How long will you delight in deceit? How long will you love what is false?” Let me console poor Nigerians with my own prayer token as contained in Psalm 4:7 and 8. It says, “Let them rejoice in their abundant wine and grain; you have given far more to me. I lie down, and at once I sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me rest in safety.” Amen!
Re: Dokubo and Oluomo will be useful in Niger
Dear Casy, Asari Dokubo, M.C Oluomo and their likes only “make mouth” when it comes to issues that concern the Igbo. Now that Nigeriens and their military are insulting and challenging our President Tinubu, let them rise up to the occasion and defend the president. The senate, dominated by Northern Muslims, rejected Tinubu’s deployment of military forces on Niger because the northerners have a sort of filial affinity with the people of Niger. Otherwise, the Senator Godswill Akpabio-led senate lacks the effrontery to reject any letter or request from President Tinubu. Akpabio just didn’t want to incur the wrath of northern senators. During Buhari’s regime, how many times did the senate reject Buhari’s request for the deployment of soldiers to the South-east? Not even once; rather they supported President Buhari for the number of times the military pythons danced in the South-east. It shows that the north has many things in common with Niger than the South-east even when we claim to be one country.
–Ifeanyi, Owerri, +234 806 156 2735
Dear Casy, Messrs Oluomo and Asari Dokubo are goons serving the dirty political, economic and associated financial interests of their pay-masters who, unfortunately, masquerade as ‘leaders’ to the detriment of the poor, helpless masses of this country, Nigeria. Sending the duo to serve the foreign interests of their Principal, with Niger Republic and their current travail as case-study, would, inadvertently, amount to sending them to Golgotha. We thank God that some few members of the National Assembly, whose mental cavities are still intact, after weighing the implications of military intervention as put forward to them by the Aso Rock Chief, put their foot down and threw the military intervention option into the trash bin. After all, it is proverbially said that someone who is externally seen to be strong but, internally seen to be limping, should not, out of unbridled self-estimation, go and carry another limping person on his back. That would be thoughtlessly suicidal.
–Steve Okoye, Awka, 08036630731
Casmir, Tinubu is not the ‘right’ kind of leader to send emissaries to Niger to resolve the conflict! Why? He lacks the ‘temperament’ of a leader that is needed to resolve such a big conflict! He is deficient in ‘moral appeals’ sequel to his unattractive brand of democracy which is a ‘hard sell’ in Africa! He should stop pontificating to Tchiani on the way forward. Here is someone who imposed the Muslim-Muslim ticket both at the executive arm of government and at the party level. For selfish reasons, he ignores the constitutional demand of federal character! Hence, it is largely hypocritical of Tinubu to evangelize to a sovereign country on the type of system that suits them per season! ECOWAS is not Economic Community of ‘Democratic’ West African States. It was set up primarily for the ‘economic’ growth of West African states. Tinubu, rather than practise the 3 C’s principles of conflict resolution by consulting, consolidating before confronting, started by confronting Tchiani and later consulted and now ‘consolidated- consultation’.
–Mike, Mushin, +234 816 111 4572
Casmir, APC government in its 8 years has brought a lot of crises to Nigeria.
This is evident in every facet of the economy. Insecurity, poverty, health challenges, low productivity, workers protest due to poor remunerations , high cost of petrol, electricity, corruption, brigandage, lawlessness are today the esteemed landmarks of APC government. Most people who are supposed to be in prison are made to enjoy first-class treatment because they are close to the corridors of power. Today, government is not in control of security, many locations in the North, economy and one wonders how the government hopes to control the crises that may rise from plunging into another nation crises.
Nigeria cannot survive going to war with Niger because the government under Tinubu pretends to legitimize his illegitimate government.
–Pharmacist Okwuchukwu Njike, +234 803 885 4922
I love your page. Dokubo and Oluomo should go and fight. You made my day. Failed nation and a failed president! Thanks.
–Anonymous, +234 806 254 2815
