Donald Trump,the embattled president of the United States of America last week very disrespectfully sacked his Chief of Staff Reince Priebus.From the outset the appointment was a disaster that was bound to end in a bitter divorce,despite the spirited efforts by both sides to convince the world that the 190 days marriage, did not irretrievably break down.Priebus ,part of the Washington swamp that Trump promised to drain was imposed on Trump by Paul Ryan,the Speaker House of Representatives.Priebus no doubt has impressive credentials and the capacity to help drive the conservative legislative agenda,especially the Repeal and Replace of the irritating Obamacare.
But Priebus was bound to run into a storm ,because he is an outsider in the inner Trump circle (Cabal) of Ivanka,his daughter,Jared Kusher,his son -in – law. So it was always going to be difficult for him to function,and his situation was worsened by the fact that some of the Trump appointees, including Anthony Scaramucci who precipitated his exit, didn’t report to him.Scaramucci has since been fired just days after his appointment as Director of Communications. To crown it all, Priebus and Trump didn’t see eye to eye on most issues.The question everyone kept asking,was why did he take the job, that from the outset was a disaster waiting to happen?
The Kaduna State Governor Nasir El- Rufai has been under fire for appointing Jimmy Adebisi Lawal, better known as Jimi Lawal, a Yoruba man, his friend and confidant as Special Adviser. Indeed Jimi is El -Rufai’s man Friday, and his appointment is without jurisdiction,except for politics which he has kept a safe distance from. Man Friday is defined by The Cambridge Dictionary as “a man who helps someone with their work and is loyal and can be trusted”. El- Rufai and Jimi Lawal have no doubt come a long way. The problem is the failure of most people to come to terms with that fact, that both men are inseparable. And more fundamental is that governance in Kaduna State and indeed Nigeria can no longer be about the provision of roads. Such jobs are routine assignments the Director of Civil can and should handle, while the governor is concerned with broad policies.Credit must be paid to Bola Tinubu,who definitely laid the foundation on which Babatunde Fashola and Akinwunmi Ambode are building on.
In the light of the Priebus and Trump failed marriage,we must begin to look at not just our political recruitment process, but the ways we make appointments.Political leaders must have the latitude to appoint into certain offices,those who are loyal, and whom they have absolute trust and confidence in,to deliver the goods. Were John Kennedy,the late American ,President a Nigerian, he would have been killed several times over for appointing his junior brother Robert,Attorney General and Presidential Advisor. Working together both brothers waged a total and successful war against organized crime and ensured the swift passage of the historic Civil Rights Act,which granted full equality to blacks,who had long been denied the right to vote and barred from public facilities.That is the power of synergy,of thinking alike though it can be abused.
From the very outset Jim Lawal’s appointment,was never going to be popular with politicians,because he is not one of them and never pretended to be.Worse still,he is yoruba and his detractors say he has this “I know it all airs”, which they can’t stomach.Maybe Jimi would have been acceptable to the established political elite, if he was a deals man, if he was willing to use his closeness to El-Rufai,to facilitate the award of contracts and other sweet deals.His other crimes are his sharp razor tongue,which some consider insulting,especially as he is a non indigene, his assured self confidence,knowledge and his huge capacity for hard work, which nobody disputes has further alienated him. Jimi gets to his desk by 8am and doesn’t leave before 9pm.
In the typical Nigerian fashion,to win over converts,the war against Jimi is being portrayed more as fight of liberation of the State,from the hands of the invading army of Yorubas,the imposition” of the Yoruba race, the take over of Kaduna State, which El – Rufai has facilitated, when in fact the war is about resources.The resort to ethnicity/religion is the standard fighting method of opponents with, than their competence or lack of it. Luckily Jimi is a Muslim,so religion hasn’t been used in the war so far,but his sect might become an issue when the war hits up. To date no one has questioned Jimi s capacity for hard work,competence,and loyalty to Nasir El – Rufai,who obviously can trust him with his life.Kaduna State is the beneficiary of a relationship that works,as the Trump and Priebus failed marriage has shown. That El-Rufai’s government is very stable,unlike Trump’s, is a confirmation that elected officials need partnerships that works.
There is also the unsubstantiated allegation by “saints” that Jimi is a convict.That their stiff opposition to his appointment and presence in Kaduna State,is due to his conviction in absentia, as a former Managing Director of the Alpha Merchant Bank . But they can’t name the court that convicted him,nor the name of the Judge. Or the sentence. If truly Jimi has a criminal conviction, it raises ethical questions for Nasir El-Rufai who has raised the bar on ethical standard. Jimi has vigorously denied the allegation”I was the founder of Alpha Merchant Bank in 1988 and became the MD/CEO at a relatively young age of 29. My then chairman wanted a loan without collateral, which I refused as a professionally qualified banker that would always abide by the rules. The chairman made false allegations against me, which were investigated and found to be false. He also sued me for not being fit to be the MD but I was cleared by the court. A couple of years later, Alpha bought a controlling interest in the then Afribank, having competed and won a bid against others. One of the companies that competed against us was owned by General Abacha, who later became Head of State. So, another false allegation (was) made against me and other directors as part of a plan to take over the shares in Afribank” he said.
In a warfare,all is said to be fair, but there is a limit to politics.If the opposition to Jimi is based on his tribe, this definitely has worrying and dangerous implications for our dear country. But the irony is that many of those opposed to the presence of Jimi in the Government House,on the basis of his tribe, have American Green Cards,with all the rights of a citizen.America has remained great,unlike other great countries that collapsed because it has continued to renew itself by attracting the very best from all over the world. Arnold Schwarzenegger,an Austrian- American only migrated to America at the age of 21, but he went on to become a two term Governor of California,the fourth largest economy of the world. In fact he is the second foreign born governor of California. Back home in Nigeria,Adams Oshiomhole,the former governor of Edo State literally hijacked Olaitan Oyerinde from the Nigerian Labour Congress to be his Principal Private Secretary. Unknown to many, is the fact that Olaitan was one man who could stand up to Adams,because he knew Adams and Adams knew him.When he was brutally murdered, Adams appointed another “foreigner” from Adamawa State Yakubu Aliyu,to replace him.What was Adams looking for in these appointments? Loyalty trust,capacity and competency.
Jimi’s problem has no doubt been worsened by the very “lean” government of the All Progressive Congress(APC), at the State and federal levels. So in the Sahara desert of appointments,the political elite believes that Jimi has “short changed” one Kaduna State indigene,hence the loud noise.But assuming El- Rufai appointed anyone of them they would have obviously fallen apart due to lack of that essential relationship that is critical for such positions. Our elites are appointment driven,so Kaduna State or Nigeria is okay depending on whether they are patronized or not.Thats not to say that they are not entitled to rewards for their efforts,the snag is that the money is not just there anymore to support such a lifestyle – the retinue of Special Assistants,who in the true sense are only important as Party delegates. In the United States of America,people back candidates who will initiate policies – lower taxes, or embark on healthcare reforms or other programmes that will further free enterprise, in Nigeria everyone wants lucrative appointments and not incentives for manufacturing,because they have never manufactured and have no plans of manufacturing anything in their life.
Not many people remember the famous K.O is Not OK headline of Daily Times. K. O. Mbadiwe,the flamboyant politician from present Imo State had been left out in the initial appointments by President Shehu Shagari,in spite of his “timber and caterpillar ” contributions to the success of the National Party of Nigeria at the polls. K. O was only OK, when he was eventually settled. Daily Times did a follow up with a K.O is OK headline. During the Olusegun Obasanjo administration,Kaduna State produced two ministers – El- Rufai,who was Minister of the Federal Capital Territory and Nenadi Usman,the Minister of Finance and so many others.But Buhari has reluctantly made only few,and if he had his way,he would have picked only one Minister from each of the six Geo- Political Zones,because Nigeria is too broke to support a huge cabinet. His body language also shows that boards of agencies due to finances would be selectively constituted.And this means more of ethnic crisis – indigene,settler and none indigene palaver.
Jimi Lawal ,must be very special for El-Rufai to be willing to expend political capital on him. He has been referred to variously as a “One Man Cabal”, de facto governor, etc. Under Ramallan Yero, one Atiku an indigene of Zamfara State,was as powerful as Jimi,in fact he was the other half of Yero,but his closeness didn’t generate hues and cries,like that of Jimi Lawal.Jimi is hardly outside the government House,unlike Atiku that was everywhere. And like Jimi,Atiku is also not an indigene of Kaduna State.Was the defeating silence,from the political elite informed by fact that Atiku was a “deals man”, a contractor more concerned with sharing,than baking.Kaduna State people are not hostile,though the elite create the impression they are. We need to mindful of the implications of the vicious attacks on Jimi for us as a people, especially as we work towards forging a nation.
Why can’t they stomach Jimi,when they are at home with all manners of white skinned foreigners,especially the brief case carrying Indians and Lebanese,who add absolutely nothing,than corruption. Though the more they push for his sack,the more the governor makes it manifestly clear,that Jimi Lawal is going nowhere,it would have great for nation building that he was embraced,rather than hounded. It will always leave sour taste in the mouth. Deng Xiaoping the Chinese leader said it doesn’t matter ,whether “it is a white cat or a black cat” that catches a mice. That the important thing is that a good cat has caught the mice.For the people of kaduna and indeed other states,where non indigenes with certain skills have been brought in to help,they should be happy that they are providing service.The truth is that we are far from being a nation. In fact the more we talk about it,the farther away we are from it.
El – Rufai is on a familiar road, as his predecessors faced similar,iallegations.The late Dabo Lere was tagged weak and indecisive,his brother the present Chief of Lere, was accused of being the governor,nature after all abhours vacuum. Namadi Sambo was equally accused of running “Kaduna State Government Family Incorporated.” administration. While Ahmed Makarfi,was accused of being pro- Southern Zaria, which earned him the name Pastor Micheal. The crime of Late Patrick Yakowa was that he was pro – Zaria,when he was to have retaliated years of underdevelopment of Southern Kaduna.There will always be allegations.
In the United States of America,political appointments which had a long history of patronage system- spoils system, with jobs going to supporters and family,saw the need to change and indeed changed. The term “spoils” was culled by the New York Senator Willam Marcy who was notorious for saying “to the Victor,belongs the spoils”.The spoils patronage system eventually led to widespread inefficiency,including the assassination of President James Garfield, by Charles Guiteau ,a mentally deranged political office seeker, forcing America to turn its eyes to a merit system.And Congress passed the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act,that advocated appointments based on merit. Nigeria,maybe slowly moving towards such a law.