Time was, when phantoms in scarlet persistently passed as men of
honour while the righteous faded in obscurity or lay spent in trenches of
blood. Hence it was no surprise that Nigerian businessmen, Jim Ovia, Tony
Elumelu, Wale Tinubu and Godwin Emefiele, Governor of the Central Bank of
Nigeria (CBN), in desperate bid to dig their claws into President Muhammadu
Buhari, bought first class tickets and flew after him to the United States of
America.
But the snag was, they were uninvited; even so, they embarked on
a desperate quest to establish themselves as Nigeria’s top businessmen and
cronies of the incumbent president. Back when Goodluck Jonathan was president,
they would have gotten away with such brazen disregard for protocol; in fact,
they would have constituted a crucial part of the former president’s travel
plans. But a new sheriff is in town and the businessmen are yet to get with his
programme.
Thus they had sheepishly gone to attend a meeting with Buhari in
America and Buhari on sighting them reportedly asked, “My friends, what are you
doing here? Did I invite you people? You are not needed here,” “Godwin, I know
you brought them.” Buhari allegedly told them. Shamefacedly, they gathered
their folders and left the meeting. Their steps became very heavy as they
trudged out of the venue.
It was indeed a big disgrace to these businessmen who once
formed a ring around the former President Jonathan. They quietly left the venue
with their tails and gargantuan pride tucked between their legs.
All around the world, presidential politics has always been a
game of the wealthy, for the wealthy and by the wealthy. Men of means have
always had a say and in several instances, determined the course of political
and socioeconomic affairs in the country. This becomes imperative in their
desperate bid to establish their dominance and affluence sustainably. The need
to maintain their controlling grip on their country’s economy, rather than
ensuring that the nation’s commonwealth is equitably distributed has always
been the only ideological and selfish motive driving their political
participation.
BBM PIN: 556E312A
WHATSAPP: 08099821118
TWITTER HANDLE: @naijatalkative
EMAIL: naijatalkative@gmail.com
Share this with your friends.
No comments: