I’ll My Father’s Enemies Very Soon

… Murtala Nyako jnr.

Rear Admiral Abdul’Aziz Murtala Nyako (rtd.) is the first son of former governor of Adamawa State, who recently won the central senatorial seat of the state on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC). In this interview with Uzo Chikere, he speaks on his arrest by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), his plans for the people of Adamawa Central Senatorial district and the reason his father was impeached among other issues.

Excerpts:

You are certainly going to be one of the youngest senators from Adamawa State, how do you feel? 

I feel honoured for the respect accorded me by the good people of Adamawa State who found me capable and worthy for this noble course. I cannot thank them enough and I promise them a good representation that will sharpen my constituency and the country at large.

If you were given a choice in the red chambers to select your committee, which one will you prefer?

All my life, I have been a military man under the Nigeria Navy, shouldering many responsibilities at one time or the other. Having gone through military discipline in my life, right from nursery up to Nigerian Defense Academy (NDA), I also received international military training with the British Naval training and USA. When I discovered things were going arbitrarily during my father’s administration, I retired as a Commodore from the Navy and his Royal Highness, the Lamido Adamawa gave me a traditional title of Sarkin Matasa (Youth leader) of his Emirate. I began to educate and enlighten youths in the Emirate on the negative effects of all the social vices most especially the serious dangers embedded in drugs abuse. I reawakened them from their giant sleep to discover that they are the present leaders we need.

You can see that I am a full blown military man and full blown civilian man. To answer your question properly I want to tell you that I love to be in a committee that has to do with security in the National Assembly where I can fit in to pass laws and bills that can tackle the issue of insecurity which has been a big challenge to our government; insurgency had badly affected my immediate constituency. I will work hand-in-hand with my serving friends in the Navy who presently are wearing the ranks of Brigadier to cut off all the problem of insurgency in Nigeria especially the north east.

You dedicated the success of the past election to your father, describing it as victory for Adamawa people. Does it mean you are placing your father first before the people of Adamawa central?

Many people will tend to get it wrong. I am trying to appreciate my father for being the best father in the whole world. I know if my father today was a labourer or a wood hewer, he will still be a good father. My father had done so much for me. Since I was young, he made sure he allows you to do what you are doing to the best of your knowledge. I remember when I passed out from Nigerian Defence Academy and needed him around to decorate me with my rank but he refused saying: ‘my son you did it alone, I was not there; you got all the praises from me. I thank God I was not kneeling down to beg you to do that. From that day, I realised my father does not interfere with your choice of life or whatever you are doing, all he says is to be the best you can in whatever thing you are doing.

I am trying to let you understand that my father is out of the game in this my new assignment. Thank God the people of Adamawa central voted me without him being around that some would even say he influenced my votes. Without him, the people spoke, so I owe them all it takes to bring change to the state.

Despite your discipline as a military man, you still look soft and gentle?

(Laughter)… Considering what I’m doing now, meeting people and listening to their complaints on a daily basis, some will hurt you and some will encourage you, and you still have to go along with them, so having a virtue of vegetable as a politician is an added advantage to help you meet people’s needs. Everybody needs those qualities to succeed in whatever thing one is doing.

Now that I have the traditional structure as Sarkin Matasa and the new office as a senator, I have to marry the two in a more organised way to help my people.

How did you see your contest with a female opponent?

I thank God for A’ishatu Binani, she gave me a good fight. In fact, I respect her for the good policies, pet projects and she is maintaining a good working relationship with the electorate. Binani is a big name in our senatorial zone. I came to discover that she is more of a sister to me only that along the line, we pitched our tents in different political platforms. With the kind of courage she has in politics, the sky is going to be her limit.

What exactly led to your arrest in Gombe by EFCC?

Don’t worry, I am preparing for that, when the set time comes, I am going to expose my father’s enemies; my enemies and those behind my father’s impeachment. 

Do you have plans of arresting your political enemies?                                       

No!  I cannot do that, I’ve left all things to God to vindicate me.

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Politicians, Campaign Rallies And Entertainers

Uzo Chikere

The build-up to 2011 elections threw up a new dimension to political campaigns as had not been witnessed in Nigeria before. An unprecedented feature was brought to bear on the process such that the whole exercise assumed the image of carnival. That was when performing artistes, singers, actors, comedians and other showbiz personalities became willing tools in the hands of political office seekers to cajole and convince the electorate of their worth.

Being famous and appealing to a cross section of the society, politicians who are intent on selling themselves as well as their programmes to the populace that is increasingly becoming aware and discerning started invoking the presence of celebrities at their rallies to attract attention and perhaps recognition, respect and regard.

The process even had an increased incentive at the just concluded 2015 elections. Entertainers were either conscripted or lured into the campaign ranks of various candidates, getting them to the rostrum to titillate otherwise pensive crowds that would have been bored by the monotony of political demagoguery.

In 2011, celebrity entertainers were a veritable feature of political campaigns at presidential and gubernatorial levels just as it happened in 2015. First, D’banj’s popular hit song, Koko, was used by the ruling Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) as the pay-off for its campaign promo cum commercial, and it did not matter how much he was paid as copyright royalty, D’banj was in the opposition quarters and their sympathisers perceived as a card-carrying member of the party. Again how that perception impinged on his career vis-à-vis live performance engagements, can only be conjectured.

Among the entertainers who graced campaign podia in 2011 as well as 2015 were, Onyeka Onwenu, Felix Liberty, Daddy Showkey D’Banj, Wande Coal, Weird MC, Sasha, Yinka Davies, and Yemi Showunmi and many more.

The affair spun off the production of an album dubbed “Goodluck Jonathan”, featuring such top acts as Zaaki Adzee, Sunny Neji, Sammie Okposo, African China, Naeto C, 6ft Plus, late Kefee, Waje, Tosin Martins, Daddy Showkey and others.

Another batch of the campaign christened “I Believe In Goodluck Jonathan”, also featured top Nigerian actors like Ngozi Nwosu, Desmond Elliot, Clem Ohameze, Femi Brainard, Ufuoma Ejenobor, Nonso Diobi, Yul Edochie, Yemi Blaq and Mercy Aigbe.

Others were Uche Obodo, Emmanuella Njudigbo, Ejike Asiegbu, Maureen Solomon, Tony Umez, Uche Iwuji, Chinyere Winifred, Emeka Enyiocha, Benita Nzeribe, Anne Idibia and others.

In the last elections, such acts as Pull Over crooner, KCee, Sammie Okposo, Flavour, featured prominently at political rallies. Artistes used their performances to either campaign or endorse candidates running for governorship elections across the states.

The question is; were they doing it all as a matter of being partisan or as professionals who must eke out a living through their practice? A lot of the artistes argue that it was not in support of any candidate that they mounted their campaign podia but rather due to the fact that they are entertainers who render services to those who pay their correct fees for so doing.

But Olanrewaju Dabiri aka eLDee, differs, explaining that before the 2011 voter registration exercise began in Nigeria some of them (artistes) were very excited as they saw it as an opportunity to effect the much-needed change in the country, stressing that he geared up and commenced non-partisan campaigns directed at youths in Nigeria to ensure that they register, vote, and protect their votes.

He regretted that people continue to take advantage of good intentions and initiatives for selfish and corrupt purposes.

In spite of el Dee’s postulation, there are industry followers who believe that Nigerian Celebrities are tools in the hands of politicians; that is why they could be used as campaign machinery for politicians.

There had been purely political campaign projects undertaken by actors, comedians and musicians in favour of candidates of the major contending parties in the country.  D’banj may pass for the most prominent example. The musician interviewed the current president of Nigeria, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, presidential candidate for the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in March 2011.

There was also a previously announced non-partisan voters’ campaign headlined by D’banj and tagged “Our Time” which transmuted into a Pro-Jonathan campaign. This resulted to a virile online and offline debate and a rebuttal from Nigerian artiste/producer eLDee – The Politics of “Our Time”.

Again, a campaign cum endorsement video featuring Olu Jacobs, Monalisa Chinda, Genevieve Nnaji, Ini Edo, Ramsey Nouah, Desmond Elliot and Stephanie Okereke matrialised online.
The video was posted on various sites across the internet, inspiring even more feverish debate. The video was subsequently removed from You tube but later uploaded again by a third party.

Featuring performing and recording artistes at political campaign rallies would appear to have become the norm rather than exception. Because the celebrity artiste has over time developed some kind of aura that commands strong emotional influence on his fans, who are most likely to sway their support towards any candidate he endorses just the way they (fans) will patronize a product of his endorsement, the politicians have seen good reason to enlist their services during their campaigns.

But there is no gainsaying that this new-fangled symbiotic relationship between entertainers and the political class promises far reaching implications for the polity. When the masked one, Bisade Ologunde aka Lagbaja declined to perform at the campaign rally of the PDP governorship candidate of Osun State Iyipola Omisore, coupled with the reason he (Lagbaja) adduced; that he had a hand in the death of Chief Bola Ige, the effect was not lost on the candidate’s aspiration to govern the state.

While it has every ecstatic and effervescent effect to the extent that it helps to attract a massive crowd to politicians’ campaign rallies, even when a large part of that crowd may just be cashing in on the opportunity just to watch at a close range their idols whose gate fees they may not be able to afford, the wrong engagement of these celebrities may be negative to the desire of the politician involved given the circumstance and context.

To be sure, enlistment of artistes as tools or a ploy to achieve political mileage by politicians is beneficial to both parties and may have come to stay. But whether or not these artistes really danced to their banks as the campaigns fade, remains to be seen.  

     

Idimogu Assures Adequate Representation Of Oshodi/Isolo constituency 2

Uzo Chikere

The man who emerged victorious at the election to represent Oshodi/Isolo constituency 2 in the Lagos State House of Assembly, Emeka Idimogu, has assured that he would ensure adequate laws are made in the state to benefit the generality of the people.

Expressed gratitude to the people of the area for choosing him to represent them, Idimogu assured that he would do his best to justify the trust reposed in him pointing out further that the idea of referring to some people as non-indigenes was obsolete and should be discarded for the polity to properly develop.

He stated that everyone is a stakeholder in the project to develop the constituency, and the nation, adding that he would use everything at his disposal to attract development to the area.

On the gale of defections emanating from the loss of PDP at the federal level, Idimogu observed that it was not the best thing, as it exposes the nation to a one- party rule.

According to him, there is the need for politicians to remain in their parties, to form a formidable opposition, which he said will keep the ruling government on its toes, adding that the formation of formidable opposition worked well for the APC, which finally paid off, as it won at the federal level.

He stated that for the first hundred days in the House, he would do his best to make his presence felt for the benefit of his constitutency.

The returning Officer, Dr Adeyemi Osinowo, had on Sunday, announced Idimogu, the PDP candidate as the winner of the seat with 27,423 votes against the APC candidate, Mr Olayinka Ajomale, who came second with 25,727 votes, while Mr Ifeanyi Udeh of APGA came third with 673 votes.

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Dr. Sid Set To Give Self Recognition

Uzo Chikere

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Mavin Records act Dr. Sid seems to be contented with his achievements in the music industry. The Surulere crooner recently disclosed that if all he has done in music did not attract recognition to him, he would give himself that recognition because he has done much.   

Said he: "That's why I sang the song Surulere. I have been in this industry for a long time. If I am not getting recognition for those songs, for the music I have put out...I give myself my own personal recognition.

"I know what I have done and I don't really anyone to tell me that 'you've done a great job'. Although it would be nice...At the end the path that my career has gone has been what has been ordained to be". .Dr. Sid arguably had the biggest song of 2013/2014, Surulere.

Racheal Oniga To Resume Acting After Elections

Uzo Chikere

Veteran Nollywood actress, Rachael Oniga has halted her movie career pending the exit of political campaigns and elections.

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popular Nollywood thespian, Rachael Oniga all about acting. But on the contrary, she has also been into politics as she revealed recently, stating that she had put a hold on her acting career to concentrate on politics.

The fair-complexioned actress has recently disclosed that she would return to movie sets after the elections and political campaigns.

Said she:  “It isn’t new; I’ve been into politics for some time now. For now, it’s politics. After that, I’ll go back to my job full time. That is not to say I haven’t been working. I’ve been going in and out of locations too”.

The Face of Jimi Agbaje’s campaign, the actress stated that though she wasn’t running for any elective office, she would not reject political appointment or offers.

“If a political appointment comes, fine. But that’s not the reason why I’m into it. I have my name to protect and I feel that this is the time for me to come out and do something. I do a lot on set and if I can come out and do the real thing, there’s nothing wrong with that,” she disclosed.