Opinion: Minna, More Than A Kindred Coven By Adewale Momoh

On the radar, the venue was not Las Vegas but the city
of Minna, Nigeria. The dignitaries were not celebrities neither were
they industrialists nor inventors, they are Nigerian politicians, yes
politicians. The event was not an assemblage of attendees on the
precarious state of the nation’s free fall situation but the nikkah of
the last daughter of Ibrahim Babagida to a Gombe State businessman as
his third wife.

After the “show of force” to the bewildered
starving masses they thronged in endlessly into the “Maradona’s” hilltop
sanctuary, to ensure that they are visibly seen and captured by the
lenses of the paparazzi. Notable are the politicians irrespective of
their political affiliations were seen exchanging banters with the
“first table” generating a talking point.

The table had IBB
himself, Goodluck Jonathan, his wife Patience, Namandi Sambo, Asiwaju
Bola Tinubu, Sule Lamido and “hornets” of the country’s political
gladiators all united with one thing only; caliginous wealth gotten from
nowhere other from the bleeding hearts of the country’s commonwealth.

And the most pathetic of it is that none of them have industry within
the shores of this country. All they boast of are oil wells scattered
across the Niger-Delta with the proceeds lavished on private jets,
luxury yachts, bulletproof automobiles, choice properties… in highbrow
cities of the world.

Recession or no recession, who cares
amongst them the daily agonies of commuters on the deplorable roads, the
constant rise of prices of food stuffs, continued electricity epilepsy
as they purposely and flagrantly flaunt wealth and affluence to our very
own face with no tangible map pinned to their rise to fame other than
being politicians. 

Correct me if I’m wrong that Nigeria is
definitely the only country where politicians live extravagantly than
celebrities who are known for their blings with crumbs sprinkled on
their brain washed followers.

I have witnessed political rallies
where three hundred naira and a sachet water were giving to hundreds of
followers sing praising their leaders under the scorching sun for hours.
I have seen them engaged in bloody fights when their ward coordinator
wanted to shortchanged them to the tune of one hundred naira with
security personnel watching helplessly. Lives have been wasted all
because of peanuts to the dirty job of a so called leader.

Don’t
get it twisted, not only the miscreants are their boys, they have got
guys too in the corporate world (banking, media, public service,
tertiary institutions, etc) who seek for relevance in their circles and
latest frontiers. For the politicians, there’s always a someone suitable
for the next job.

For those political die hard supporters who
attacked their fellows just because they are in the opposing camp via
hate speech, slander, assault, in the build up to elections and seeing
those pictures from Minna I cannot but imagine your thoughts at the
moment… Is it that of foolishness, guilt or the feeling of being used
for a mere pot of porridge?

If you here still viewing the wedding
ceremony as just a mere merry making for the elite tribe of the country
then why we are still here now is very much understandable. My
brethren, with 2019 pretty much around the corner coupled with the
present unforeseen circumstances then who says Minna is not the perfect
meeting point for our “landlords”.

Few weeks ago, Obasanjo and
Abdulsalam had been widely reported to have met with IBB in Minna. Do
you think they went to discuss the wedding party? Hmmmmmmm.

Everly armed with their Machiavellian tricks, thousands of loyalists at
their subservience will always be at their beck and call for one of the
demeaning prices as well as with the aid of the tribal cloak we blindly
wear which they care less about.

Momoh is Journalist, Writer, and Blogger. Contact via adewalemomoh@gmail.com