NDDC nominations: Exorcising the Philistines in Buhari’s camp

I will begin this write-up with the instructive experience of King David in the Bible. David became famous as a child solider and his exploits attracted envy and hatred, which as time went on transformed to clear threat to his life. To save his life, he had to leave Israel and go into self-exile in the land of the Philistines. Once he got there, David did the reasonable thing any man with good judgment would do. He reached out to the king of his new abode and held consultations from which he extracted the permission to stay safe in a place called Ziklag.
In this place David also held consultations with the local population he met and from this point relationship was so cordial to the point that David the great warrior was ready to fight on the side of his Philistine hosts. David offered to do this because he felt from what he was seeing that he was in the midst of friendly people all of whom shared common brotherliness and a sense of having one destiny. But the bubble burst one-day when David had accompanied them to war and while he was away, a section of the same Philistine army came from behind and carted away all that belonged to David and his soldiers, including their wives and children. The intension was to stop the David group from procreation and to destroy an assured future that the children represented. The final objective of this enemy within the camp was to obliterate the destiny of the Davidic era.
That is what an enemy in the camp can do and that is why leaders who know history take special time, always, to critically examine those who surround them and particularly those who would shout Hosanna even when there is no reason to do so. “Philistines in the camp” is a popular feature of politics especially in under-developed settings such as ours. So many politicians joined All Progressives Congress (APC) not because they share the philosophy of President Muhammadu Buhari or those of the party. Rather, they crossed over because the baggage, which they accumulated in Egypt had become so embarrassing and left them very exposed. Therefore, they had no alternative but to seek new territories. Some of them found a home in APC where their actions are contradicting the well-intentioned Change Agenda of the Buhari administration. The issue today is the Niger Delta Development Commissions (NDDC) nominations made by the President to and referred to the Senate for confirmation which I have had cause to comment on two occasions to point out some anomalies that could turn round to tarnish the image of our hard-working President.
At the time I made those observations my findings showed clearly that the President was not responsible for them but some enemies within who still desire to wallow in corruption did it. The Senate Committee on NDDC screening which sat last Tuesday has confirmed my fears. Senator Osita Izunaso, national organizing secretary of APC who was the nominee for Imo wrote in to decline the nomination on the sound moral ground that he is not from the oil producing area of Imo State. He went ahead to add that he did not want to be a source of new crises in his state especially when the NDDC Act expressly provides that only an indigene from an oil producing community should be nominated as commissioner to the board. What Senator Izunaso did is a demonstration of honour and integrity personified. This man I can boldly say deserves higher placing in the appointive hierarchy of the APC. He did honour to himself, his family, his state and to the Buhari camp. Izunaso has showed what the Change Mantra is all about. That it is not about political office but more about the greater good of the Nigerian people.
Chief Tokumbo Ajasin the nominee from Ondo State behaved like his father the legendary Pa Michael Ajasin. While he lived Pa Ajasin would not allow mundane material things to stand between him and honour; when asked if he is from oil producing area, this gentleman simply said no and he did not argue any further. But when the same question was put to the Abia nominee he said yes and had to be shown a certified map from Shell Petroleum Development Company and the office of the Surveyor-General of the Federation to disprove that Osisioma Local Government Area in Abia State is not an oil producing area. I don’t know what to make of this development, I am even finding it difficult to know whether there is issue of honour or dishonour involved. What I do know is that nationally and internationally, issues surrounding oil are sensitive and very delicate. Negative oil politics has always been at the root of major causes of instability, and our nation is no exemption.
The Abia case is pathetic; this one area that produces the best quality oil for the nation. As can be seen from the documents from Shell and the Surveyor-General’s office, only one local government in Abia and that is Ukwa West Local Government Area has habours all the functional oil wells for which the state is known as an oil producing state. The area is under-developed and neglected yet it is on record that the youths have never for once embarked on any form of agitation or militancy. Now rather than being compensated for good behavior what is theirs and guaranteed by law is about being taken by persons who see themselves as being in the corridors of power to serve themselves and create more problems for the nation. Like I said earlier, I don’t see President Buhari whose love for the Niger Delta is very manifest taking actions that could provoke new area of militancy in the region. The President’s thinking is far ahead of this kind of manipulations and maneuvers.
The way the nomination process has gone, it has created a vacuum which some people who are not of APC and consider themselves powerful feel they can exploit and put themselves forward; this should not be because Ukwa West LGA of Abia State has a well constituted chapter of APC and membership comprises very distinguished men and women, some of whom have excelled in high public office. The Presidency should look closer and choose from among them and in case, if they are finding this a difficult thing to do, I have no hesitation in putting forward the following names: Hon. Chinonyerem Macebuh, two-time member of the House of Representatives and Senatorial candidate of APC in 2015; John Ogunka and Barr. Levi Isiguzo, among others. In all let the anomalies be rectified and justice be done, this is the example APC has committed itself to do.