By Emmanuel Nduka
While Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and Chief Sunday Adeyemo (Sunday Igboho), are still being held in detention, four prominent Nigerians who looked the current administration in the eye and laid bare their minds, had their lives cut short in 2021. Judging from the circumstances surrounding their deaths, many Nigerian assumed that they paid for their sins.
They include Dr. Junaid Mohammed, a 2nd Republic Lawmaker and popular government critic, who died on February 18, 2021; Yinka Odumakin, a Human Rights Activist, leader of Yoruba socio-cultural group, Afenifere and popular government critic who died few months later, on April 3, 2021; Barr. Olusegun Bamgbose, National Coordinator, Concerned Advocates for Good Governance (CAGG) who died on September 18, 2021; and a former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Dr. Obadiah Mailafia who died on September 20, 2021.
What they said to Government
Dr. Junaid Mohammed
Dr. Junaid Mohammed, a trained Doctor, in 2016 accused President Buhari of running a government that is based purely on nepotism rather than merit.
He was one of the first Nigerians who stated publicly that the President’s nephew, Mamman Daura, had become the most influential man in Nigeria.
“The most influential person in the Presidency today is one Mamman Daura who as you know, is a nephew of the President. His father was Buhari’s elder brother.
“In addition, Mamman Daura was the one who singlehandedly brought up Abba Kyari, the current Chief of Staff to the President. In fact, Abba Kyari knows Mamman Daura more than he knows his own father.
“Next, the Personal Assistant to Buhari himself is the son of Mamman Daura, next is what they call SCOP, State Chief of Protocol, and is also a son-in-law to Mamman Daura because he is married to Mamman Daura’s daughter. Next, the minister they unilaterally chose, against the interest of the party and against the wishes of Sokoto people, happens to be the daughter of the younger sister of Mamman Daura’s wife. Both of them are daughters of Sultan Dasuki, who was sacked by General Abacha.
“We have the Aide De Camp to Buhari himself, Colonel Abubakar. He is married to the granddaughter of one of Buhari’s elder sisters. Next, we have the woman who represents Kaduna in the Federal Executive Council, she is a cousin to Kaduna State governor, Nasir el-Rufai. It is well known that el-Rufai is one of the closest governors to Muhammadu Buhari.
“Next, we have the Minister for the Federal Capital Territory. The Minister of the FCT is the man called Musa Bello, who used to be the Managing Director of the Northern Nigeria Development Corporation, which used to be the biggest holding company that belonged to all the northern states. His only qualification to be FCT minister is the fact that his father has been Buhari’s friend over the years.
“Now, there is a young man called Sabiu Yusuf, nicknamed Tunde – probably because of the late General Tunde Idiagbon. He is another PA to President Buhari. He is also a grandson of another sister of Buhari. This is enough to prove to you that this is shamelessly the worst form of nepotism in the history of government in Nigeria. In fact, in the history of Africa, let me make bold to assert that I have never seen any level of nepotism that has equalled or surpassed this in my entire life – I am now in my 67th year.
“Another thing I also want you to know is that, Amina Zakari, who was and still a national commissioner in the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) representing the entire seven states in the North-West, it is being claimed that Buhari knows nothing about her appointment (before he became President); it is a lie.
“When President Goodluck Jonathan was re-organising the INEC and he was bringing in Prof. Attahiru Jega, he reached out to Buhari and asked Buhari to nominate somebody from the North-West so that that person would be a national commissioner. Of all the people in the North-West, Buhari decided to nominate his own niece, the daughter of his elder sister- Amina Zakari. She has been there; when Jega left, Buhari was determined to make her chairman, it was because of the massive backlash that he dropped the idea like hot potatoes.
“As we are talking today, that woman is a national commissioner which means she is one of the principal election umpires. Throughout my reading of history, political science, and social sciences generally, I have never heard of any dictator or any tyrant under any system of government whether totalitarian or fascist, appointing his own niece to conduct elections in which he was either a party or going to be a party to; Buhari has done that. The immediate younger brother to Amina Zakari is currently the Minister for Water Resources representing Jigawa State in the same Buhari government.
“In addition, even though they are from Kazaure, Kazaure is contiguous to Daura. The eldest sister of both of them is now the Commissioner for Education in the All Progressives Congress (APC) government in Jigawa State. If this is not nepotism, then I don’t know what is nepotism and anybody who has the guts, the brutal arrogance to appoint these relations not bothering about public opinion, about the sense of justice, about competence, then you can see that he has a very serious question to answer. There are two mysterious cases.”
Yinka Odumakin
Yinka Odumakin had been a government critic for decades. He played a key role in the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) that fought the regime of General Sani Abacha after the annulment of the June 12, 1993 election.
He was also one of the spokespersons of the Southern and Middle Belt Leaders’ Forum (SMBLF), the body representing ethnic nationalities in the South-West, South-South, South-East, and the Middle Belt. He was married to another activist, Dr. Joe Odumakin, and was one of the strongest critics of the present government.
Odumakin consistently took on the Buhari-led government over alleged impartiality and favouritism in appointment into various offices.
He partook in various students and youth struggles against successive military dictatorships in the 1980s and 1990s. His voice was also very loud in condemning the activities of killer herdsmen in Yoruba land.
Shortly before his death, he warned the Nigerian Government against arresting a Yoruba Nation activist, Sunday Igboho for issuing a quit notice to the Fulani herders in Ibarapa, Oyo State and subsequently ejecting the Sarkin Fulani in Igangan.
speaking on the Buhari administration, he said: “We had thought that if he comes to power, things would improve. But in the last three and a half years, not one thing has been done to improve our electoral process. In fact, things have gotten worse. When they do good things, we say it.
“When this government decided to honour June 12, didn’t we commend it? We did. We are not mad people who will see (a) good thing and say it’s bad but we are also not sycophants who will see (a) bad thing and say it’s good.
“Even if you do not support the government, you will not say that the country should be destroyed. We will be happy if they (the government) get it right”.
Speaking on Buhari’s delay in forming his Cabinet Members when he come into power, Odumakin said: “When they said they were waiting for the cabinet – five months after elections, two months after elections, we thought that ‘oh, maybe they are going to bring some experts from World Bank, some professors from Havard… We waited.”
Olusegun Bamgbose
According to Sahara Reporters, Olusegun Bamgbose in one of the last statements he released before his death, told President Buhari to stop sleeping and hold meetings at midnight to tackle the nation’s deteriorating security situation.
Making reference to the attack on the Nigeria Defence Academy (NDA), which was carried out around during midnight sometime in the year, he said it was obvious bandits do not sleep, wondering why Nigerian leaders should sleep comfortably while the country is on fire.
He said the bandit attack on NDA, one of Nigeria’s strongest security units, has shown that the criminals have no atom of respect or fear for the Nigerian military, and no regard for the President.
In April 2021, he questioned the morality of Buhari to remain at the Presidential Villa, and submitted that Nigerians committed a great blunder electing Buhari in 2015, and that those who repeated the mistake in 2019 cannot be forgiven.
“The possibility of Buhari stepping down come 2023 is very slim. I have reasons to believe that the persistence of insecurity in Nigeria is a subtle ploy to extend Buhari’s tenure.
“The recent attacks in Kebbi State where about 300 bandits with AK-47 operated for 8 hours moving from house to house, room to room, and robbing people, is a strong indication that the security architecture of the country has collapsed.
“There is a strong possibility that this government may not be able to tackle insecurity headlong for Buhari to remain in power beyond 2023. This is very obvious.
“We are seriously in a precarious situation where the lives of Nigerian citizens are traded on the platter of politics. This is a sad situation.
“Buhari once told the bandits not to push their luck too far, that he can crush them, but have they not pushed their luck too far? What has Buhari done to tackle insecurity apart from warnings that are not backed with actions?
“The most unfortunate thing is that Buhari had since stopped reading newspapers and watching news on TV unlike before.
“In essence, he has lost touch with the plight of Nigerians. This is sad. Nigerians should rise to the occasion and resist all attempts to elongate Buhari’s tenure through the backdoor,” he said.
Obadiah Mailafia
Obadiah Mailafia was very critical of President Buhari. He had during a radio programme, alleged that repentant Boko Haram members had revealed to him that a serving Northern Governor was a commander of the terrorist group.
Early in September, he described the alleged ‘fulanisation’ of Nigeria as real, just as he disclosed that there was an ongoing plot by Buhari’s administration to foist an alleged Fulani and Islamic agenda on Nigerians.
“The kind of Islam that is coming from Sahara is dangerous. They want to take over your land and enslave you. Christians must rise to protect it. They want to take over your land and enslave you.
“In the North East alone, more than 3,000 churches have been destroyed, more than 400 priests and pastors have been killed. Last year, the CAN (Christian Association of Nigeria) chairman of Adamawa was beheaded, even after a ransom was paid. We have been told that they are so-called bandits, who should not be called bandits because bandits do not bring down military aircraft.
“No bandit has the capacity to bring down military aircraft. No bandit has the power to attack Nigeria Defence Academy which is the premier institution for the training of armed forces. No bandit has the capacity to do that, only terrorists have the capacity to do that.
“We are being told that these terrorists are part of the insurgency because they did these kidnappings to raise money in order to fund the insurgency,” he said.
Credit- SaharaReporters
