They are at work again. Yes, the hawks among us are on the prowl one more time doing the evils they know how to do best. They are searching viciously for who to devour.  

These are eerie characters with an unquenchable appetite for the awful. Always asking for more, like their insatiable counterpart, Oliver Twist. They are even worse than that. They are smooth operators brutal and barbaric all at the same time. To them, the end justifies the means.

They display native intelligence. That is why they wisely pick a useful lesson from that popular Yoruba axiom: “Bo ba o pa, bo ba o bu lese (If you catch up with him kill him, if not, injure him).” That has been their motto. And they always adhere to it strictly.

Long expected but it still hit us like a thunderbolt. The timing was shocking, but by all means excellent. The “famed” cabal was clearly at work. So far, they are getting it damn right and real good too. Distinctly on spot!

They are the masterminds. And things are just falling into pleasant places for them. They are striking harder as time presses on. Making selective calculation as each day passes is their strongest strategy.

This is handsomely paying off for them. More so, they are meeting virtually zero resistance in their operation. They are so smooth to be true. And they derive a lot of encouragement from this.

So, these hawks from the North first made the dastardly move. They picked their prey in Vice President Yemi Osinbajo. They see him as a stinking irritant in the Muhammadu Buhari presidency.

They believe, intensely too, that our collective power is their birthright, inheritance and heritage, though they know near to nothing about good governance. Yet, they are convinced they are the only ones born to rule. What a queer audacity!

And, sadly enough, whenever they hold sway, they end up ruining us. That has been our tragic lot, our cross. They see nothing wrong or abnormal about this warped phenomenon. Do you blame them? That is what they were twisted to understand. They are all mischief-makers. That sordid and disgusting foundation was dubiously laid long in 1914, more than a century ago.

It was consolidated and cemented shortly before Independence by our British colonial lords. It became glaringly manifest at Independence on October 1, 1960. Since then, we have been wobbling and stumbling with no fixed direction. No clear-cut motive. It has been weird motion without movement.

The ethnic jingoists from the North came calling a week ago. They came on board with their co-rabble-rousers. But we were wise enough to spot the differences. We certainly knew where they were coming from. And where they are ultimately heading to (perdition?).

The target of the current power play is 2023. Osinbajo is their template and scapegoat. It started with the “sack” of the Vice President. The President himself did the remote kick-start. He unceremoniously stripped him and dissolved the Economic Management Team (EMT). It used to be chaired by Osinbajo.

With no input from the Vice President, Buhari replaced EMT with his newfound Economic Advisory Council (EAC). Whatever sense that makes. Osinbajo’s “kinsman,” Professor Doyin Salami, heads EAC. What a bait! A terse statement from the Presidency explained that away. And Osinbajo was left naked.

In quick succession, he also lost the headship of the Social Investment Programmes (SIP). More than that, his pet project, TraderMoni, was violently taken away from him: “Tradermoni and other SIPs will now be handled by the new Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs.”

Not to too worry, Osinbajo still chairs the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), National Boundary Commission (NBC), Border Communities Development Agency (BCDA) and Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC).

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In addition to all these humiliations, there is a damning proviso Osinbajo must comply with. Henceforth, even with little or no power left for him, he must seek Buhari’s approval for every detail coming out of his office. He has finally become a spare tyre. That is what his office actually is.

With this leeway, the hawks in waiting swooped on Osinbajo. They flaunted and went to town with many of Osinbajo’s alleged unpardonable sins. This time around, they moved faster than ever before.

Barely 24 hours after he lost the EMT job, his top aides were practically thrown out of the Villa. They were scattered all over ministries, departments and agencies. They would operate far away from the seat of power as mere Aso Rock annexes. Help, a complex maladministration incubating.

The hawks are hungry and angry. They would not stomach Osinbajo’s uncanny guts any further. They alleged he did some missteps in the first term. That would never happen again. They claimed, while acting as President, he stepped on dangerous toes of the cabal. Now is the payback time. That is why the hawks are having the present laugh.

They insisted Osinbajo’s sins are legion. Now the final onslaught, they are going for the VP’s jugular. They want him out of the way for 2023. And they are burning the midnight candle over that. They became more confrontational and ferocious. They went for the broke. They were ravaging all the way. They dug deep, throwing up some spurious allegations against him.

Samplers: “Authorised payment of N5.9 billion to NEMA without approval from the National Assembly. Again, he signed for N25 billion for NNPC as ‘funding contract.’ He had no such powers.”

Without mincing and mixing words, Osinbajo has his fault and blame to carry. He was naïve, unguarded and he cared less all along until very recently. He never for once behaved like a “true” Nigerian politician.

Take away the office from him, he becomes cold and home alone. Up till now, he had no known fall-back plan. He relied solely on his Plan A, which is the Office of the Vice President.

His venomous traducers knew this very much and they feasted on it. They exploited his loopholes and weaknesses to their greatest benefit. He has been too carried away by the office he occupies. That is taking a huge toll on him now.

Osinbajo did not care a hoot to notice the landmines laid out for him. He was too involved to be conscious. He asked for it. And he is getting it in good measure. He has been successfully used, abused and ready to be dumped. Great pity.

Wonder how such politicians of the famed “timber and calibre” would heedlessly allow things to fester to their disadvantage. They would still pretend all is well. They continue to feign ignorance of their impending calamity.

Unarguably, the situation is under grave alarm; there is little or no need for control. Osinbajo’s predicament is enormous, vast and expansive.

All the same, we are exceedingly glad things are happening with the great speed they are happening. We are even happier the revelations would become messier in no distant future.

We are sure more damaging disclosures are in the offing in the days ahead. Our fervent prayer, we will all be living witnesses. The play-ups will definitely be heart warming.

The honest take-away without apologies: No tears for Osinbajo not even crocodile’s. Agreed?