Anybody familiar with the Hebrew Bible, would recall the story of how King David ,in demonstrating “leadership rascality ” had carnal knowledge of Bathsheba ,wife of Uriah the Hittite ,who was at the war front at the point in time .To have Bathsheba by his side for life ,King David made sure that the husband was sent to the fiercest place of battle, where he lost his life. Having achieved his evil plan ,King David went ahead to marry widowed Bathsheba. This callous story of King David as recorded in the book of Samuel, was one case of “leadership rascality ” taken to far.
The outspoken former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo who shoots from the
hip ,on a visit to Abia state governor, Dr Alex Otti in Umuahia, made the expression “leadership rascality ” Come to life while descending heavily on former governors and deputies ripping the states off in the name of huge pensions payed . Walter Rodney ,the author of the book “How Europe underdeveloped Africa ” would have done a sequel with a little change in title “How governors and deputies underdevelope their states in Nigeria ” if not for the enemies of truth that took him away .
Taking leave of Abia ,the writer had decided to return to history in capturing some incidents of what qualifies as “leadership rascality ” that took place in the past in this country which most people have forgotten.
In the 70s under the military administration of General Yakubu Gowon, a clear case of “leadership rascality ” manifested in Rivers state when ,Minere Amakiri the then correspondent of Observer newspaper, had his hair scrapped with bottles on the orders of the then military administrator of the state ,Navy captain Diette Spiff .What was the offence of the journalist? He wrote a story that embarrassed the governor who was celebrating his birthday on the day he did. In the writer’s book “Press freedom in Nigeria:the story so far” this act of ” leadership rascality ” was documented for the sake of history. Today ,Alfred Diette Spiff ,is the Amanyanabo(king) of Twon- Brass in Bayelsa state ,and one believes that such an incident was one that the Royal father had wished never happened.
Under the Babaginda administration,
another Naval military administrator, Commander Amadi Ikwecheghe, came to the state with a certain high -highdednes that bothers on rascality. Welcoming the then military president to his Palace, the then reigning monarch of Owerri, Eze Alexius Njemanze ,reported the military administrator to then visiting military president. Making pun with the name “Ikwecheghe ” the Igwe Ozuruigbo IV of Owerri was credited to have told the military administrator in Igbo (Ikwecheghe na Kwa echekii) which when translated means that ” Ikwecheghe should check himself “. To the then monarch ,he had a responsibility to speak truth to power and to check “leadership rascality “.
General Ibrahim Babaginda on his part was culpable of “leadership rascality ” when after banning some set of politicians from
running for office ,ended up annulling the June 12 presidential election in which MKO Abiola the presidential candidate of the Social Democratic party (SDP) was said to have won. It was an action that threw the country into chaos and claimed the lives of so many patriots and that of the life of the acclaimed winner of the election, Bashorun MKO Abiola. With all the good things that were achieved under the Babaginda era , the annulment of June 12 presidential election, which amounted to “leadership rascality ” continue to cast a slur on that military administration.
With General Sani Abacha on the saddle ,the country witnessed “leadership rascality ” of the highest order as human rights activists were hounded and freedom of speech and the press a luxury . The fear
of Abacha became the beginning of wisdom ,a situation that made the Cicero of Ago Iwoye ,late Chief Bola Ige resorting to what he described as “siddon look” after he described the five political parties approved by General Sani Abachas regime as ” five fingers of a leprous hand”.
Under the administration of General Sani Abacha ,the military administrator of Ondo State, Navy captain Anthony onyearugbulem, became another case study of “leadership rascality ” in view of his utterances and actions . As military administrator of Ondo State ,the fire -spitting Navy captain Onyearugbulem, was reported in 1998 as having snatched a prepared sermon from a reverend father ,who was berating Abachas regime from the pulpit. The incident took place at Mary’s Queen of Angels Catholic Church,
Akure during a memorial service .Navy captain Onyearugbulem grabbed the microphone and gave a counter sermon to the utter disbelief of the audience.
The same,Navy captain Onyearugbulem, once confronted late Pa Michael Ajasin ,former governor of Ondo State, and chairman of then National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) and laying accusations of causing troubles in Owo and Ondo State . He boldly told the old man ,that he was going to restrain him from holding political meetings ,as he wishes. That was a general in “leadership rascality ” talking tough.
Still on Navy captain Onyearugbulem, there was a time his driver physically assaulted the female general manager of Ondo State
Television (ODTV) which eventually led to the woman being suspended from office .
When confronted on this ugly incident by the press about his driver ,who was a six -footer and weighed 100 kilograms, Navy captain Onyearugbulem had to play the role of a defence counsel to his driver with the following statements:
“If my driver had slapped her ,three thing would have happened to her. One ,she would likely be in coma ;two ,if she was not in a coma ,she would die instantly;and number three ,if at all the driver smarked her, she would be in hospital, and she would will not survive” he defended.
While on a posting to Edo State, like the saying that says a “leopard does not change its spots” Navy captain Anthony Onyearugbulem took his “leadership
rascality ” to the revered Palace of Oba of Benin. In a letter to the Palace, he suspended the then Benin monarch, Solomon Erediauwa as member of Edo State security Council, and chairman of the state Council of traditional Rulers in Edo State. His action came as a rude shock to an average Benin person that saw the Oba of Benin as higher than deities.
The Navy captain given to vitriolic vituperation ,also did not spare the press in his display of “leadership rascality “as in an interview published in the then National Concord of January 10,1997 ,the military administrator accused the press of destroying Nigeria. He blurted ” you people just wake -up and write whatever you feel you can write. Look ,I’m a very good writer. If I pick my pen and address you,you will feel it ” . With such a comment ,he left no
one in doubt as to who he was . He courts for trouble and throws whoever stands on his way under the bus .
Back to Imo state under democratic dispensations the nation was shown “leadership rascality ” of the highest order.
Rochas Okorocha ,as governor turned the governance of the state to family affair ,as wife ,daughters , son -in- laws and family friends were calling the shots in Owerri. He even wanted his son -in -law to succeed him as governor, which Imolites resisted .
Rochas Okorocha path crossed with that of Eze Emmanuel Njemanze, the traditional ruler of Owerri ,whom he accused of having sympathy for Eze Cletus Ilomuanya ,the chairman of Imo state Council of traditional Rulers relieved of his position by the governor. In return,Eze
Njemanze accused the governor of balkanising Owerri and the entire state. Rochas Okorocha in displaying his own “leadership rascality ” had to suspend Eze Njemanze as the Deputy Chairman of State Council of traditional Rulers, to the chargrin and consternation of most Owerri indigenes .
The governor that Rochas Okorocha defeated in Imo at the poll to become governor, Ikedi Ohakim ,also demonstrated his own version of “leadership rascality ” Under his watch as governor, Father Eustace Okorie ,a Catholic priest was attacked by his security aid ,with no sanction meted to the bully . This ugly incident contributed to the aborting of his second term bid as governor, as the Catholic Community in the state decided to take a pound of the flesh . Infact a
music was actually waxed in Igbo language that went this way: onye ahu kuru fade ihe ,aga ahi achi kwa anyi ozo(The person that beats the reverend father will not govern us again) and the message in the music came to pass .
Returning to the denunciation of the payment of pension to former governors and deputies by no a less a person than Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, the writer wants to invoke the saying in law that he/she who goes to equity ,must do so with a clean hand ” by insisting that former presidents and Vice presidents who receive huge sum of monies as benefits every year ,should declare that it should stop, and used to develop the Nigerian State .Chief Obasanjo who went to Abia to condemn the pensions earned by governors and their Deputies should lead
that moral campaign.
As to the “leadership rascality ” that takes so many forms like ,governors making mincemeat of security votes ,while insecurity holds sway, misappropriation of public funds ,conversion of government properties , political office holders ,competing with King Solomon in the bible for number of wives and concubines ;thereby succumbing to the “power of female anatomy ” as authored by the world literary critic ,professor Chinweizu ,intimidation of critics, verbal assaults ,hiding under the immunity clause to commit atrocities, etc , the panacea to the problem remains the courts and the polls to challenge such “leadership rascality ” .
Dr Uche Akunebu, is the Head of the poets in Nigeria (poets Del Mundo) and the Editor of African book series of the international human rights arts Festival based in New York.
