Few days ago, Pa Bisi Akande was interviewed by Edmund Obilo. The interview was very interesting and revealing. As a former governor of Osun State (1999-2003), Bisi Akande was (and is) widely acknowledged to have done well. He is, to some extent, an exemplar of good governance and respectable elder statesman.

This same elder statesman happened to be a former Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC). This is the party that took over the destruction of Nigeria from the People's Democratic Party (PDP) with the promise to repair the destruction only to crush Nigeria into debris. That Tinubu's APC will transform the debris (which Nigeria now is) to a developed Nigeria in the next two or six years can only be by miracle. That is to say, the possibility is near impossible.

This elder statesman gave the behind-the-scenes account on the emergence of Bola Ahmed Tinubu as Nigeria's president. Pa Akande, in that interview, recounts that Tinubu fought everyone that tried to persuade him to contest for president. Although to become Nigerian president is what Tinubu had craved for, for his entire political life, but he had to be convinced and begged to contest. Pa Akande did convince Tinubu and Tinubu became convinced that "Emi Lo Kan" to be president.

Hmm! Don't get confused and don't laugh. This is called orisirisi in Yoruba Language. Because I am not confident of my mastery of Yoruba (for I know my Yoruba is at the level of kindergarten) I will not translate orisirisi; I will rather render it into English. The rendition, in this context, would be that the narration by Pa Akande that he intervened to prevail on Tinubu to contest is surprisingly ironical.

Who should we believe between Pa Akande who gave the narration about how he pleaded with Tinubu and Tinubu who was the man pleaded to in the narration knowing full well that he needed not be convinced to contest for president which he claimed was his lifetime ambition? If this question is directed at me, I will say I don't know. Though I know Pa Akande's 600-page book "My Participation: An Autobiography" which he published in 2021 is said to be full of lies.

Pa Bode George said so. Pa Ayo Adebanjo seconded. Pa Olu Falae agreed that Pa Akande wrote nonsense which he published as book. I am not saying Pa Akande is a liar or has lied against Tinubu. After all, those mentioned above who think his book is encylopedia of lies are all politicians. I am only saying that the story he narrated should be probed.

To Pa Akande, one can say, from that interview, that Tinubu cannot do any wrong as president. In other words, he is solidly behind Tinubu for the fact that he "convinced" him to contest. But surprisingly, Pa Akande poignantly said Tinubu was very Ignorant about the politics of Nigeria. He acknowledged that Tinubu knows Lagos politics but not Nigerian. If this is coming from President Tinubu's critics, his bigoted worshippers would conclude that it is all politics. They will say such critics need Tinubu's appointment.

They may be right. We learnt this from Daniel Bwala. After he energetically and enthusiastically tarred Tinubu with a dirty brush by calling him all sorts of names, he ate every ugly words he had previously uttered as soon as he got Tinubu's PR job. Tinubu suddenly becomes a good man. "I was only doing my job under Atiku, I didn't mean my words" is the summarized paraphrase of the rationale for Bwala's historic U-turn. To understand what "integrity" and "the lack of it" is, that explanation from Bwala—and the rationale behind his sudden U-turn to the direction of Aso Villa—is basic.

But this declaration that Tinubu was very Ignorant of Nigerian politics before he became president is coming from Pa Bisi Akande, an elder statesman who claimed to have "convinced" and "influenced" Tinubu (against the latter's will) to contest for president. On Tinubu's ignorance of Nigerian politics, many think Pa Akande is right. But should deliberate ignorance be a blameworthy ignorance? If Tinubu is truly ignorant of the politics of Nigeria, it could be because he did not believe in one Nigeria. (Perhaps now, being the President, he believes in one Nigeria). If one doesn't not believe in one Nigeria, I don't think they should bother themselves about—or burden themselves with—the knowledge of Nigerian politics.

We learnt from Pa Akande that under Tinubu, everything is okay and nothing is wrong. Peace is everywhere. Pa Akande asserted: "only lazy people are hungry in Nigeria." The old man cannot see and will probably not see hunger anywhere in Nigeria because a Yoruba man whom he fully supports is currently the President. No one should blame him, especially from the North. For, when former president Buhari too was gradually but steadily separating Nigeria from every connection the country had with prosperity, some Northern elder statesmen were clapping for him and praising him as the only good thing that had ever happened to Nigeria. So, on this, anyone who had no problem with Buhari's praise singers should not have problem with Pa Akande. Yes, anyone can call Akande a blind and bigoted supporter of Yoruba presidency which Tinubu represents. I don't care and he should not care.

However, my problem with Pa Akande is the insult he hurled at us (Nigerian masses). When Edmund Obilo asked him again to confirm if he really meant calling hungry Nigerians lazy people, I thought the elder statesman will be guided by wisdom to realize that his blanket denigration of Nigerian masses who have been toiling fruitlessly as lazy people is unstatesmanlike. But alas, like Buhari, Pa Akande insisted that hunger cannot kill anyone in Nigeria except lazy people. To cap it all, he said: "He who does not work does not eat." This is my retort, in case Pa Akande does not know: "many Nigerians work under Tinubu regime but could not feed themselves."

He claims Nigeria has fertile land. He also claims that he plants what he eats and has vegetables in his wide compound. He thinks every Nigerian has a specious house like his with vast cultivable land that is wide enough to farm what they should eat. If elder statesmen—supposedly fathers of the nation—think and reason like this, one can only shake one's head regretfully that Nigeria still has a long way to go.

Reacting to this unfortunate characterization of hardworking but suffering Nigerians as lazy people, a Yoruba commentator lamented that all the Yoruba gods will judge Pa Akande for what he said. Touched and pained, I was about to shout amen to that prayer, then I realized I don't believe in the gods of Yoruba even though I speak Yoruba. Yet, and definitely, the Supreme God will judge Pa Bisi Akande, Pa Tinubu, Pa Buhari, and the rest of us, especially on that point that we are hungry because we are lazy.

That said, Pa Bisi Akande is a very intelligent man. Even at that age (over 85), his responses to the questions he was asked speak volume of his intelligence and mental alertness. It is only that Pa Akande used his intelligence to install Yoruba president then went to his hometown to rest. One would be tempted to conclude from that interview that Pa Akande's primary interest is not about Nigeria but about Yoruba presidency and about Tinubu who is very ignorant, according to him, of the politics of Nigeria.

I pray to witness the day in Nigeria when elected leaders will be supported based on the evidence of track record and good governance and criticized due to their woeful performance in office; not because of where they come from. I will not do justice in this column if I did not commend Edmund Obilo for that interview. It is too early to declare the Ibadan based journalist from Imo State the best interviewer of the year. This is January. Some describe him as an interrogator, not an interviewer. Obilo conducted the interview excellently by asking relevant and follow-up questions.

Abdulkadir Salaudeen
salahuddeenabdulkadir@gmail.com

God bless you PA Akande.

Political bedevilment and psycophancy is a plague no one should ever take to. It perverse logical reasoning and sound judgement. This is one of the trend that has destroyed this nation.

Tinubuadvocate:
God bless you PA Akande.

"We learnt from Pa Akande that under Tinubu, everything is okay and nothing is wrong. Peace is everywhere: "only lazy people are hungry in Nigeria." The old man cannot see and will probably not see hunger anywhere in Nigeria because a Yoruba man whom he fully supports is currently the President.

Reacting to this unfortunate characterization of hardworking but suffering Nigerians as lazy people, a Yoruba commentator lamented that all the Yoruba gods will judge Pa Akande for what he said..."

Justabdul1:
Few days ago, Pa Bisi Akande was interviewed by

Abdulkadir Salaudeen
salahuddeenabdulkadir@gmail.com

This one Na Ibo write up no doubt ☹️

We know that God will judge every human being already. According to you igbo you said it's only Yoruba that hungry I wonder who is buying those car part and others goods you people are selling. Igbo are traders yes we are agreed but who is patronize them most Yoruba yet you igbo will still say you are richer than Yoruba you that if Yoruba not buy somethingvin your hand you will not see food eat.

Racoon:
"We learnt from Pa Akande that under Tinubu, everything is okay and nothing is wrong. Peace is everywhere: "only lazy people are hungry in Nigeria." The old man cannot see and will probably not see hunger anywhere in Nigeria because a Yoruba man whom he fully supports is currently the President.

Reacting to this unfortunate characterization of hardworking but suffering Nigerians as lazy people, a Yoruba commentator lamented that all the Yoruba gods will judge Pa Akande for what he said..."

Kdon2:


This one Na Ibo write up no doubt ☹️

Lukumi would surely find a way to pin it on Igbos.
They are typical.

God bless Pa Akande

Gandollar:
Lukumi would surely find a way to pin it on Igbos.
They are typical.

Something their forefathers azikiwe, ojukwu, Achebe and osadebevand their co Cowards failed to achieve is what their offspring continue to do. Bloody Cowards☹️