There is a common saying that if a serial liar continues to tell a particular lie, he deludes himself that it would someday be mistaken for truth. Very recently, Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State alleged that the abduction of over 200 schoolgirls from their hostels by Boko Haram in Chibok, Borno State almost two years ago, was a hoax.
The through his aide, Lere Olayinka, said “the abduction was a political tool deployed to stir public sentiments against the Goodluck Jonathan administration ahead of the 2015 general elections.”
Irrationally, Fayose’s comments was his reaction to the story that one of the would-be female suicide bombers arrested in northern Cameroon recently and who claimed to be one of the abducted schoolgirls, is not from Chibok. He said he does not think any of these girls is missing; and that it is a political strategy.
Fayose seems to be biting more than he can chew in the current political dispensation as he remains most unreasonable, garullous and lacks intellectual debt to engage. His comments aren’t any surprise as what much do you expect from a motor park tout in government house? If his four daughters were among the missing Chibok girls like one of the agonising Chibok parent he would not have made such ungodly comment about the missing girls. It remains a shame of the immediate past PDP government as the girls were abducted during their era in government. Going by recent reports from the United Kingdom envoy, if Fayose’s Jonathan was a serious-minded President, the Chibok girls would have been rescued early enough before they were taken far into hiding. It took visiting Taliban survivor and girl-child education campaigner, Yousafzai Malala to convince Jonathan to show some empathy to the parents of the missing girls.
What political strategy would be playing out with the traumatisation of over 200 young school girls for over one year? Compared to the Jonathan’s lack-lustre government, President Muhammadu Buhari has dealt more devastating blow on the Boko Haram insurgents within the short period of his administration . He has degraded their weapons and amoury which the PDP government failed to do. Instead, they were shamelessly sharing the money meant to buy the arms and ammunition to combat Boko Haram.
If the use of Boko haram was anything to be a political strategy, the PDP should be the sole culprit-guilty as charged. Why was General Ihejirika confronting Boko Haram with kid gloves and allow the insurgents to take over territories of Nigeria for such a long time? Does that not speak volume of the PDP weakness in government?
Only recently, a chieftain of the PDP, Femi Fani Kayode told Nigerians that the PDP Chairman, Ali Moudu Sheriff was the founder and financier of Boko Haram and vowed to fight him out as the chairman of the party. Fani Kayode was not alone, many PDP members chorused same from almost all parts of the country. That is the leader of Fayose’s party and instead of burying his head like the Ostrich, he is still rearing his ugly head to the public.
Besides, the head of agberos of Ekiti veered off his track to ‘lament’ that human rights groups had gone silent since President Muhammadu Buhari came on board, and that he is concerned about the activities of human rights groups. Who is Fayose to turn his heat on the human rights groups? What credentials does he really have to be a governor if not for his being a certified tout? The human rights community have helped this country a great deal. But for the rights activist, Jonathan wouldn’t have been an acting President vide the doctrine of necessity. But for them, the military would have been ruling the country till now.
Fayose also plays Pharaoh in his recent outbursts. He thumps his chest about and makes uncouth comments such as “any government that rises against me, that government will come down. I’m Peter the rock. By engaging me, you make me more popular and relevant and then court sympathy. I’m one person that is going places. That is why all these challenges are against me,” Fayose must know that his freedom of speech has a life span. He forgets that his immunity ends one day. He forgets he still has the corruption case over the poultry farms of his first administration is still pending and he will have to face the music as soon as his immunity expires.
Fayose must not shout victimization when the long arm of the law comes calling. That is when his might will be needed, not to flee like Diezani and Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala after the fall of their corruption- infested government. That is when Fayose will know that whatever a man soweth that he shall reap. That is when his mouth would be sealed and his boasts will become empty.
Nigerians cannot forget in a hurry how this same Fayose went gaga during the election firing from all cylinders. He called for the sack of then INEC Chairman, Attahiru Jega.
His madness got to the point that the national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party disowned him that he was not speaking for the party on the call for the sacking Jega. That is how demented this man can be.
Nigerians can recall with nostalgia too how the same Ayo Fayose was sponsoring some front page adverts, sadly with Ekiti State public funds, in some national newspapers bandying lies that the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for the March 28, 2015 Presidential election, General Muhammadu Buhari was ill and cannot stand for the election. When he discovered that the man was waxing stronger in his campaigns and that his lies were not swaying anybody, he cooked up another story when Buhari went to the Chatham House to address the international community on his manifesto to take Nigeria out of the sinking ship that Buhari went to London for medical treatment for undisclosed ailment and that his presentation in Chatham House was a mere cover up.
That lie falling flat on its face and without convincing the electorate, Fayose went for the kill. He sponsored yet another satanic advertorial on the front page of punch displaying all former presidents from the North West of Nigeria who died while serving the country and went on to insinuate same for Buhari with a question mark? It was the height of political malevolence and desperation on the part of Fayose.
But on a serious note, family members, friends and well wishers of Ayo Fayose must now know that they have a problem in their hands. They must appreciate that they have to deliver their own from the worsening oral diarrhoea. He needs urgent attention to save him from committing political suicide. He is cutting his path dangerously to perdition and he is not being helped by his aides and associates. This is the tout’s dilemma at the moment.
• Mr. Dan Owegie is a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Edo State.
