ADVERTISEMENT
The Sun Nigeria
  • National
  • Columns
    • Broken Tongues
    • Capital Matters
    • Diabetes Corner
    • Duro Onabule
    • Femi Adesina
    • Frank Talk
    • Funke Egbemode
    • Insights
    • Kalu Leadership Series
    • Kunle Solaja
    • Offside Musings
    • PressClips
    • Public Sphere
    • Ralph Egbu
    • Shola Oshunkeye
    • Sideview
    • The Flipside – Eric Osagie
    • Tola Adeniyi
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Entertainment
  • The Sun TV
  • Sporting Sun
  • The Sun Foundation
No Result
View All Result
  • National
  • Columns
    • Broken Tongues
    • Capital Matters
    • Diabetes Corner
    • Duro Onabule
    • Femi Adesina
    • Frank Talk
    • Funke Egbemode
    • Insights
    • Kalu Leadership Series
    • Kunle Solaja
    • Offside Musings
    • PressClips
    • Public Sphere
    • Ralph Egbu
    • Shola Oshunkeye
    • Sideview
    • The Flipside – Eric Osagie
    • Tola Adeniyi
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Entertainment
  • The Sun TV
  • Sporting Sun
  • The Sun Foundation
No Result
View All Result
The Sun Nigeria
No Result
View All Result
ADVERTISEMENT
Home Columns

If you Saraki me, I Oshiomhole you

18th August 2018
in Columns
0
OSHIOMHOLE SARAKI
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

I asked him about the two-third number of lawmakers that Saraki said would be needed to impeach him like Oshiomhole is asking for.

Chika Abanobi

Brothers and Sisters in Crisis, the way the Senate President, Bukola Saraki and Adams Oshiomhole, Chairman, All Progressives Congress (APC), are going about their war of words, I am afraid that very soon we will have another phrase “If you Saraki me, I Oshiomhole you” added to our burgeoning political lexicons. Just the same way we had “if you Tarka me, I go Daboh you,” invented.

READ ALSO: Northern groups split over Saraki, Oshiomhole, Akpabio

If you would recall, the legendary Joseph Tarka, who was minister of transport and then communications, under General Yakubu Gowon military administration, had called on Nigerians to report corrupt government officials as a way of stemming the pervading corruption in the system. Encouraged by the clarion call, Chief Godwin Daboh Adzuana. Daboh, a kinsman but a political enemy of Tarka, since the days of the United Middle Belt Congress (UMBC), in the 1950s, responded to the call by providing damning evidence against the minister.

Confronted by its sheer weight, Tarka was forced to resign. In return, he also looked for evidence to rubbish Daboh in a way that showed that his intention was not all that altruistic as he had originally made Nigerians to believe. At the end, it led to something like a tug-of-war between the two and that was how the phrase, “If you Tarka me, I go Daboh you,” was born.

Oshiomhole, the man I heard had since been crowned the Atawewe 1 or the Ose Oji 1, Odi-Mkpumkpu-Na-Eme Ire I of APC Autonomous Community, has asked Saraki to resign honourably or else be removed democratically. In return, Saraki said he will only do so if two-thirds of the Senators asked him to go.

When I contacted my lecturer in lexis and morphology, and the Head of Department of English, Lagos State University, (LASU), Ojoo, Dr. Mrs. Rachael Bello, on the issue of the word “honourably,” she wanted to know which spelling the person who used it, that is, Oshiomhole, went for, when he was talking about the issue: British or American.

She said that if it is British, it is spelt with a “u” between the second “o” in the word and “r” after it, but if it is American, it is spelt without the “u” in-between. I said since we are operating a British system of education, if Oshio-Baba is asked to write the word, he would spell it with a “u.” She laughed and asked why I am so sure when we are operating Presidential political system of government which is American rather than Parliamentary, which is British.

Back to our analysis of the word “honourably,” she said that morphologically speaking, it is derived from three morphemes: honour + able + ly. I told her that that is English. With the way we operate in Nigeria, I am sure by now, our politicians, their lackeys and supporters, must have divided the word into four or five morphemes: hon (for “horn before you overtake” at the National Assembly cornflakes (complex?) + our (to signify our selfishness and self-centredness in politics) + able (was it from this word that they got the name, Abule-Egba in Lagos?) + ly, (for liquor which everybody seemed to have taken an overdose measure of in recent times judging by the way we speak to one another as we prepare for the 2019 election).

READ ALSO: 2019 elections: How APC candidates’ll emerge – Tinubu

She asked if there is anything like the Nigerian spelling of the word. I said there must be, going by the way Oshiomhole talked about it in his recent press conference. She said if there is, she is not aware. Presuming her answer to be too academic, I turned to one of these roadside, general-purpose (machine gun?), English language teachers, in our rundown secondary schools and he came up with what appeared to me to be a brilliant expose on this matter.

“Chairman, Laugher Line People’s Party (LLPP), (referring to me, that is), it works this way. If you resign like Eng. Nuhu Gidado, former Deputy Governor of Bauchi State did, without ruffling feathers, without calling anybody names, good or bad, without announcing it before hand, that is what Oshio-Baba meant by “ resigning honourably,” but if you resign like Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State did, that is not honourable resignation. In Gidado’s case, he did not horn nor overtake anybody. That’s why they left the man the Bauchi people nicknamed Zuciyar Talakawa (the heart of the masses) alone. Or, did you hear anybody make any noise or insult him when or after he handed in his letter of resignation and left? In Ortom and Saraki’s cases, they did not horn before they overtook APC party in political intrigues.” After explaining this to me, I said that as far as I am concerned, this idea of operating double standards, instead of either American or British, makes no Ortom (atom?) or Ayota (iota?) of sense to me.

Next, I asked him about the two-third number of lawmakers that Saraki said would be needed to impeach him like Oshiomhole is asking for. What does it translate to in real term? For an answer, he referred me to a math teacher that specializes in teaching and solving mathematical problems like no one does. Brothers and Sisters in Crisis, I was shocked when I asked the man the question and he said that two-third translates to 8/22. I knew that maths and I have never been friends from my secondary school days when I failed and almost failed out of school because of it, but to say that two-third equals eight over twenty-two, this one is even more confusing than the mathematical questions I had to grapple with in my school days.

READ ALSO: Saraki can only be impeached by 73 Senators – Lawyers insist

I don’t understand, I said. “You don’t understand? Go to Benue State where eight lawmakers, against 22, tried to impeach the governor and you will understand. They say the men who gave us the expression “if you Tarka me, I go Daboh you” come from that state, abi? I said yes. “Very soon”, he added, “I see us replacing that phrase with a new one: ‘If you Saraki me, I Oshiomhole you.’ Take it or leave it. If you don’t know what Oshiomhole means by removing Saraki, ‘democratically,’ you better do so now before it becomes too late for you to do something about it.”

Tags: 2019 electionamericanbritishjoseph tarkalawmakersnigerian spellingortomoshiomholesarakiUMBCUnited Middle Belt Congressyakubu gowon
David

David

Sun News Online team

Related Posts

United xenophobic Republic of South Africa
Columns

When Tinubu sneezes, Buhari catches cold 

1st February 2023
Of false prophets and fake prophesies (2)
Columns

Ethics and discipline in law: Waiting for Godot (4)

1st February 2023
Go the extra mile, not miles
Columns

‘Amongst’, ‘amidst’ obsolete 

1st February 2023
Next Post
SUSPECT MY WIFE - TV

I suspect my wife, she’s too active!

CARDIAC ARREST

How sudden cardiac arrest kills faster

MOISTURIZER

Finding the right moisturizer for your skin type

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Highlights

2023: Leadway Assurance committed to risk management, as AI, data-driven  operations 

Lekki Deep Ports turns new bride as landlocked countries dump Cotonou, Togo 

Delta invests N20bn in gas project

ANLCA charges newly promoted Customs officers to add value to  trade facilitation 

NITDA engages foreign, local partners on digital acceleration for Nigerian startups

SkillUpImo: Tech giants race to  employ graduands in Imo State

Trending

Peseiro goes tough on players
Sporting Sun

Peseiro hails Flying Eagles unbeaten run 

1st February 2023
0

Super Eagles Head Coach, José Santos Peseiro was present at the NFF/FIFA Goal Project pitch on Tuesday...

New notes: Bank customers groan as queues at banks’ ATMs, soaring PoS charges persist  

New notes: Bank customers groan as queues at banks’ ATMs, soaring PoS charges persist  

1st February 2023
NAICOM, underwriters haven’t  been fair to us- Loss Adjusters lament 

NAICOM, underwriters haven’t  been fair to us- Loss Adjusters lament 

1st February 2023
2023: Leadway Assurance committed to risk management, as AI, data-driven  operations 

2023: Leadway Assurance committed to risk management, as AI, data-driven  operations 

1st February 2023
Lekki Deep Ports turns new bride as landlocked countries dump Cotonou, Togo 

Lekki Deep Ports turns new bride as landlocked countries dump Cotonou, Togo 

1st February 2023
ADVERTISEMENT

Follow us on social media:

Latest News

  • Peseiro hails Flying Eagles unbeaten run 
  • New notes: Bank customers groan as queues at banks’ ATMs, soaring PoS charges persist  
  • NAICOM, underwriters haven’t  been fair to us- Loss Adjusters lament 
  • 2023: Leadway Assurance committed to risk management, as AI, data-driven  operations 
  • Lekki Deep Ports turns new bride as landlocked countries dump Cotonou, Togo 
  • Delta invests N20bn in gas project
  • ANLCA charges newly promoted Customs officers to add value to  trade facilitation 
  • NITDA engages foreign, local partners on digital acceleration for Nigerian startups
  • SkillUpImo: Tech giants race to  employ graduands in Imo State
  • Classera raises $40m Series A funding in EdTech
  • Coinazer, Africa’s first web-based crypto payment gate, wallet system  debuts in Nigeria
  • SFS Fund mobile app records increase in users’ download by 300%
  • Naira redesign: Depositors’ funds intact –Emefiele
  • Nigeria’s public debt rises to N44.06trn –NBS
  • W/Bank tasks Nigeria on broadband penetration 
  • Cashless system helps in tracking election financing –Osinbajo
  • Enugu govt, World Bank splash N3.4bn grant on farmers
  • Nigeria’s Eurobonds down again after Moody’s rating downgrade
  • AfDB’s financing for women busineseshits  $1bn
  • LIRS boss, Subair, bags Vanguard Public Sector Icon Award

Categories

  • Abuja Metro
  • Anambra Watch
  • Arts
  • Broken Tongues
  • Business
  • Business Week
  • Cartoons
  • Citizen Joe
  • Columns
  • Cover
  • Culture
  • Duro Onabule
  • Editorial
  • Education Review
  • Effect
  • Elections
  • Entertainment
  • Events
  • Features
  • Femi Adesina
  • Food & Drinks
  • Frank Talk
  • Funke Egbemode
  • Gallery
  • Global Square by Kenneth Okonkwo
  • Health
  • Insights
  • Kalu Leadership Series
  • Kunle Solaja
  • Kunle Solaja
  • Letters
  • Lifeline
  • Lifestyle
  • Literary Review
  • Marketing Matters
  • Muiz Banire
  • National
  • News
  • Offside Musings
  • Opinion
  • oriental news
  • Politics
  • Press Release
  • PressClips
  • Public Sphere
  • Ralph Egbu
  • Shola Oshunkeye
  • Sideview
  • South-west Magazine
  • Sponsored Post
  • Sporting Sun
  • Sports
  • Sun Girl
  • Tea Time
  • The Flipside – Eric Osagie
  • The Sun Awards Live
  • The Sun TV
  • Thoughts & Talks
  • Time Out
  • Today's cover
  • Tola Adeniyi
  • Travel
  • Travel & Tourism
  • Trending
  • TSWeekend
  • Turf Game
  • Uncategorized
  • Updates
  • Views from Abroad
  • Voices
  • World
  • World News
  • About Us
  • Paper Ad Rate
  • Online Ad Rate
  • Change of Name
  • The Team
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy

© 2019 The Sun Nigeria - Managed by Netsera.

No Result
View All Result
  • National
  • Columns
    • Broken Tongues
    • Capital Matters
    • Diabetes Corner
    • Duro Onabule
    • Femi Adesina
    • Frank Talk
    • Funke Egbemode
    • Insights
    • Kalu Leadership Series
    • Kunle Solaja
    • Offside Musings
    • PressClips
    • Public Sphere
    • Ralph Egbu
    • Shola Oshunkeye
    • Sideview
    • The Flipside – Eric Osagie
    • Tola Adeniyi
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Entertainment
  • The Sun TV
  • Sporting Sun
  • The Sun Foundation

© 2019 The Sun Nigeria - Managed by Netsera.