And Four Other Things…
BAWA ON BOARD
President Buhari pulled a bit of a surprise on us by nominating Mr Abdulrasheed Bawa as the new EFCC chairman. The ouster of Mallam Ibrahim Magu, who held the position in acting capacity for nearly five years, shocked many Nigerians, especially as he was thought to be doing a good job. Bawa has many unique attributes: at 40, he would be the youngest chairman; he is an economist and financial expert; he is not a police officer, unlike all previous appointees; and he is the first among the EFCC cadets to get the chance to lead the organisation. My friendly advice to him: do your work diligently and do not engage in media trials – and you will be fine. Professionalism.
ETHNIC PROFILING
Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, the Islamic cleric “negotiating” with bandits, engaged in classic profiling at a recent meeting with them. In a viral video, he told the bandits that it is non-Muslim soldiers that are attacking them. Hear him: “What I want you people to understand is soldiers that are involved in most of the criminalities are not Muslims. You know, soldiers have Muslims and non-Muslims. The non-Muslims are the ones causing confusion just to ignite crisis.” The life of every non-Muslim in the security agencies is now at risk. Of course, we know Gumi’s claim is blatantly false, but that is how profiling works: just put a tag on a people on the basis of their race, ethnicity or religion. Jaundiced.
VACCINE VICE
Let me take a bet: politicians and other public office holders will be the priority for the COVID vaccine roll-out in Nigeria. In countries where leadership means service, it is the most vulnerable that will be prioritised. But in my dearly beloved country, to be a leader means to be served first. Others manage the crumbs. I remember when Jack Ma donated test kits to Nigeria last year. Suddenly, ministers and governors started saying “I tested negative”. The people who really needed to be tested, particularly the frontline workers, were left in the lurch. Leadership in Nigeria is all about “I, me and myself”. Until this mentality changes, Nigeria will never change. Selfishness.
JET APOSTLE
Apostle Johnson Suleman, the founder of Omega Fire Ministry (OFM) who is always in the news for one outrageous thing or the other, recently said that he was praying that the COVID-19 pandemic, which has killed 2.5 million people globally, should not end. Why? “In COVID, I bought a jet. The third one. I have three. I was praying for COVID not to end because I was resting. While people were complaining, my wife asked, ‘Can life be this sweet?’” he said. He has tried to withdraw the statement, saying it was a slip of tongue. However, I don’t think he needs to be apologetic. The Bible says out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. He should keep having fun. Amen?