Afam Ogene: …Not Worthy In Character & Learning? By Emeka Odinammadu

A Japanese adage holds, ‘If you want to harvest for a year, plant rice; for a decade plant trees, and for a life time, plant education’. From the foregoing, logical deduction finds solace that rice is harvested annually, trees are harvested in decades, whereas the principles learnt in education are eternal. It is this intrinsic deposits made by education that stands it out from other human endeavors and achievements. Hence, all over the world academic certificates are awarded on the modest caveat ‘…found worthy in character and learning’. It is no rocket science that the conduct of an educated mind is an emblem. The current crisis rocking the Nigeria state is the dearth of supposed educated minds to conduct themselves in like manner. Hence, we are trapped in the mire conjectures of men and women who are perceived as being educated; but are actually functional illiterates. Pathetically, not all with certificates have been certified, ‘… found worthy in character and learning’.

It is from this sea of inability to conduct themselves as educated minds that the Hon. Afam Ogene, Deputy Chairman, House Committee on Media and Publicity and his co travelers have embarrassed this nation beyond human contemplation. Barely, weeks after Ogene, held press conference on Tambuwal’s defection to defend the indefensible, he took sarcasm to imaginary lanes, just to tell us that he’s Speaker’s Chief Press Secretary. How a speaker who emerged from a majority party, from where he garnered votes that made him speaker, suddenly jumped ship, to a minority party in the House and still retain his position as speaker only exists in Ogene’s sensory delusions. Part of what seem like Ogene’s intellectual impairment, even as journalist is his limitations in discerning that his support for a man who cannot be entrusted with sensitive public office is a menace. Tambuwal’s claim that his people have preference for his new party, smacks of his perfunctory status. So, Sokoto matters more to Tambuwal, than Nigeria? The irony of the applause is that as a typical Fulani man, Sokoto mattered to Tambuwal, but the Ogbaru people and Ndi Igbo doesn’t matter to Ogene! It is this blind and slavish followership that led Ogene into flying the National Assembly gate to a world in
awe; just to prove to his speaker that he is loyal. Ogene, not only flew National Assembly fence, he supervised other House members and aided the weaker ones like Femi Gbajagbiamila to come over to Macedonia. This speaks volume of Victor Ogene’s lawless nature and destabilizing tendencies. Again, like the big bang the questions sounds, whose interest is Ogene serving in the House? His overt hobnobs with APC indicates that he has elected to be leprous. And should be treated like a leper. Perhaps,

THE Inspector General of Police, Abba Sulaiman’s refusal to recognize Tambuwal as the Speaker before the House Committee on Police will open another chapter in the unfolding the melodrama. Sahara Reporters, captured it thus, ‘The IG had opened his statement explaining why the police invaded the house last week by rehashing the initial police statement that they had credible intelligence that some thugs had planned on causing mayhem at the resumed sitting of the house. He said this intelligence led them to send policemen to the house to confront the thugs.

 He proceeded to say that one Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal led a group of thugs to overpower the security at the first gate. A move he claimed led the police to lock down the second gate and fire a canister of teargases’.
‘However, his reference to the “Speaker of the House as “one Alhaji Tambuwal” drew the ire of committee members who asked the IGP to properly address the speaker of the house according to protocol. The house committee members asked the IGP to revisit the way he addressed the speaker, the IG then said the case of the speaker was in court and as such he wouldn’t like to comment further on it’.

‘The committee member refused to proceed with the hearing until the IGP properly addressed the speaker. They said as long as he refuses to do so, they too would no longer recognize him as IG. The prolonged argument brought the meeting to a standstill and eventually a rancorous end as members walked out on the IGP’.

 But, how far Tambuwal can go can truly be predicted as we all watched Sanusi eat the humble pie. In my village, a common parlance holds, those who want to battle with the gods had given their chosen ones’ must first battle with their tears!

According to Ag CP Emmanuel Ojukwu at Police Press Briefing on 20th November, 2014 on the incident at the National Assembly Abuja, alarmed by APC’s threats at the rally at Eagle Square days earlier, the police deployed their men to keep vigil on sensitive government properties which Governor Amechi had ostensibly made reference to that will be torched, to drive home their madness.

Their agenda is to cow Nigerians into bowing to their threats in 2015. The police adopted a stop and check routine at the National Assembly complex, an exercise meant to benefit all and sundry. Other House members arrived calmly, subjected themselves to check and were allowed in. When Tambuwal and the likes of Ogene who by the virtue of being Honorable members are above law and order arrived, mayhem took over the scene as they refused to be checked and of course, were denied access to a public edifice erected with tax payers’ money. Unknown to the cursory reader, being an Honorable member doesn’t guarantee access to the National Assembly. If there are security issues likely to endanger the lives of Nigerians, the police reserve the onus to seal of the place; in such a situation, National Assembly is not an exception.

Let us also note that the police don’t owe anybody explanations or seek permission to act when matters that pose threat to national security stare them in the face. 

In August, Anambra people led by their amiable governor Mr. Willie Obiano under the APGA platform and declared their unassuming support for President Jonathan. That exercise was to lend their unalloyed support to a President who despite designed distractions by his detractors has vested considerable energy in the making of a true African State. His ability to have managed his temper, carriage and deployed his strength towards national reconstruction makes Jonathan the ‘Most Important Leader in 21^st Century’.
It was on this same political platform of APGA that the people of Ogbaru elected Hon. Afam Ogene to represent them at the Green Chambers. In his bid to curry favor in opaque quarters, Ogene have abandoned the ideals and manifesto of his party, references abound. As he throws his feather weight behind his bosom friend from Sokoto, he should find out what happened to Austin Nwachukwu and Dino Melaye, the circumstantial human right activist as honorable members at the Green Chambers. As for Tambuwal, studies have shown that Speakers of House of Representathieves often don’t end well: Ghali Umar Naba, Bello Massari, Saliu Buhari, Patricia Eteh and Dimeji Bankole. His will not be an exception
By Emeka Odinammadu
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