Chai! Dele Momodu finished Nigeria’s First Lady in This Open Letter (Read) | @DeleMomodu
Thisday Newspaper. Read below…
Your Excellency please let me start by emphasising
the fact that this is my very first letter to you since
destiny elevated you and your husband to the highest
positions in Nigeria. It may be the last before your
tenure expires on May 29, 2015, and another begins
with you or someone else in the saddle. Despite all
the controversies engulfing you and your husband, I
had resisted the temptation of writing you in the past
for several, if not many, reasons. Kindly permit me to
expatiate a bit.
I'm a great admirer of strong, confident and
energetic women who cannot be bullied by the galaxy
of male chauvinists that litter the political landscape
of Africa. As someone who was brought up by my
amazing mum, Omo Arotiwebiojo, an unlettered
woman and petty trader, I knew what it took to
survive in a particularly difficult terrain. Indeed,
whilst some have impugned you for your so-called
lack of command of the English language, I have
remained partial to you because, like most of us,
English is not your first language, and your
contributions have enriched our home-grown
lexicon! I can therefore imagine what you and our
dear beloved President must have gone through
together, in thunder, lightning, rain and sunshine.
The hurly-burly of life must have thrown you hither
and thither when there was no one else around to
share in your secret pain and anguish. But it must
have pleased God in His infinite mercy to raise you
and your husband up, like Jesus did to a dead
Lazarus, as original examples of uncommon
transformation.
I must say, Ma, that I have a soft spot for you for
other reasons. I was told on good authority that you
were a more formidable politician and mobiliser of
people and resources than your husband. A few of
your friends often regale how you have been a solid
pillar and a rock of Gibraltar behind the love of your
life, Dr Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan. It is said
that you're willing to sacrifice your all for his sake
and he has also reciprocated by according you
humongous respect and granting you such vast
powers that make onlookers see you as a de facto
President in your own right. To God be the glory.
I vividly recollect your relationship with the former
First Lady, Hajia Turai Yar'Adua. You gave her
tremendous respect and your taciturnity was
legendary. Not much was heard from you at that time
and not many, except probably Bayelsans, ever
suspected that you had so much buried inside your
heart and that you were only waiting for the
opportune time to vomit them. Even in the days of
tribulations when the cabal held sway and grabbed
our nation by the jugular, you and your husband
handled the volatile situation with maturity and
remarkable equanimity. Some of us were ready to
fight your battle, and risked our lives, because we
saw you as the underdogs who must be rescued
from the fangs of the political hyenas. We were
further emboldened by the facts of your husband's
man-in-the-street story, a fairy-tale of sorts about a
man from the Otuoke manger who had no shoes. We
were not just titillated but fascinated by such flashes
of inspiration.
Against all odds, your husband became the
substantive President and Commander-in-Chief of the
Armed Forces of Nigeria after the demise of
President Yar'Adua. Nigerians were happy about the
smooth transition of power and they even boasted
that for the first time we had not just another
graduate but a PhD holder as President. Sooner than
later, as time sped by, it was time for your husband
to run his own race. Nigerians from all walks of life
queued behind him and he won without much ado.
The goodwill he garnered was awesomely massive
and the people were very expectant about the "fresh
air" promised by him. Of course, to whom much is
given, much is expected.
It is nearly four years since that momentous occasion
and it is time for a re-examination and re-election.
But what should have been a simple walk-over for
your sweetheart seems to have developed k-leg.
While your husband and those close to him would
want us to believe he is Nigeria's best President ever,
many Nigerians feel he has under-performed and
would want to try someone else. I have seen you and
your husband waka up and down this nation
campaigning like no man's business. Many have
likened the exercise to a student engaging in last
minute agberu (memorising) after failing to do so all
along. This is the crux of my epistle to you today.
I have read and heard so much about you as a very
powerful First Lady. I know that when you are at that
level, not many people can tell you the gospel truth.
No one wants to offend those in power. But I have
decided to tell you the bitter reality once and for all.
I'm not writing out of any malice, since none can exist
between us. But for the sake of posterity, which I
know beckons as always; the fact must be told to you.
The summary of what I'm about to say is that you and
your husband have frittered away most of your
goodwill. Had you retained your humility in power,
may be you could have avoided this commotion and
conundrum of trying to achieve in two months what
you couldn't in about five years. You would probably
have avoided the tragedy of trying to manipulate the
electoral process, buying more time and doing a
catch-up on lost grounds.
If the actuality must be told Ma, the whole trouble
started the day you publicly ridiculed the Governor of
your home state. It was reported that you yanked a
microphone out of his hands and lambasted him like
a recalcitrant school boy. In order not to cause
mayhem right there, the Governor was said to have
left you to your tantrums and went home quietly like
a penitent student. That day, you sowed the seed of
discord that would later germinate and snowball into
a consuming fire. Though the Governor and your
husband like true gentlemen chose to carry on their
damaged relationship as if all was well, but the worst
was on the way.
The battle for the soul and control of your state
would later spread to Abuja where your husband
began to see the Governor as an enemy who must be
cut down to size. In the process of trying to achieve
that dream, more Governors joined the fray and in a
jiffy, the centre could no longer hold. I do not want to
go into some obvious details as I'm sure you know
about the intrigues of power more than me. But I
must give one more example of how you laid the
foundation for today's grand alliance against your
husband.
Let me put it this way. Never in the history of Nigeria
have I read of a First Lady responding to criticisms in
the frontal manner you attacked Professor Wole
Soyinka over an issue that you could easily have
ignored. That singular act of unrestrained
combativeness was one of your worst public
relations gaffes. Wole Soyinka is one of those global
icons that you can't take on and win. If for nothing,
here was a man who at about 76 years of age trekked
under the scorching sun of Abuja to defend the rights
of your husband when many of the acolytes around
you today were nowhere to be found. You were not
supposed to repay such selfless gestures with verbal
blows. That was when you finally lost me and I'm
sure many others.
Let me remind you that virtually all Nigerian leaders
have been disparaged at one time or the other. It is
one of the heavy prices to pay in compensation for
the privileges of leadership. Just imagine how much
some of us attacked President Ibrahim Babangida,
Chief Ernest Shonekan, General Sani Abacha and
others over the June 12 crisis. None of their wives
ever hit back at the critics no matter the degree of
provocation. In fact, they acted perfectly normal and
even tried to build bridges of friendship instead of
bombing the castle. I remember with fond memories,
Dr (Mrs) Maryam Ndidi Babangida, who remained
graceful to the very end. Mrs Maryam Abacha
endured the most blistering attacks against her
husband in life and death. She has since reconciled
with many of her husband's vociferous enemies.
Hajia Turai Yar'Adua was subjected to virulent
criticism by many, and I confess I was one of her
knockers in the dying throes of the cabal, but she
wisely kept her own counsel and declined to join
issues with anyone. When it dawn on her that the
battle was lost and won, she packed her baggage out
of Aso Rock without as much as a whimper.
If Justice Fati Abubakar was a selfish woman and a
poor adviser to her husband, General Abdulsalami
Abubakar, she would have insisted that they should
not quit power within the one year he promised to
hand over to a democratically-elected President. That
government had more than enough resources to buy
the ubiquitous array of mercenaries but General
Abubakar chose to go in peace and not in pieces. It
was such a rarity in Africa and till this day the
General is still enjoying a standing ovation for his
vision.
I must also mention specifically Mrs Stella Obasanjo,
whose husband has always had a running battle with
the media and yet she maintained steady media
frenzy in her own kingdom. She was everyone's
friend and continues to be fondly remembered even
in death. I recollect one occasion when we travelled
to Beverley Hills, USA, with her, and her simplicity
just wowed everyone. She made sure we jumped in
the cars and buses and headed out to a night club
owned by Don Cornelius. She was so down to earth.
On her last trip to Ghana before her unfortunate
death, I had gone to pay her a visit at M-Plaza hotel
where she and President Obasanjo stayed. Despite
my frosty relationship with her husband, we sat in
one corner chatting away as the President attended
to his own visitors. She never got involved in our
endless battles with Baba. I have cited these
examples to show that you and your husband are not
alone in the barrage of criticisms and attacks. You
must rise up way above such pedestal. But sadly, you
have not been able to allow any comment pass you
by, no matter how mundane.
I decided to write this open letter after the spate of
vocal terror you deployed in the last few days against
your husband's opponents. In case some praise-
singers told you lies that what you did was right, I
wish to assure you that you've done almost
irreparable damage to your husband's presidential
campaign. I will now proceed to paraphrase about
three of those satanic verses that escaped from your
tongue this week alone, but not in any particular
order.
The first shocker was when you said before a crowd
that those shouting the mantra of Change are not
serious and that as a matter of fact they should be
stoned anywhere they shout Change! I thought it was
a joke until the video went viral. The next one was
when you spoke dispassionately about how your
husband should be praised and thanked for
improving the welfare of the menacing Almajiri kids
in Northern Nigeria but you then went astray by
insensitively and inconsiderately saying that the
Northerners are fond of bearing children with
reckless abandon and throwing them on the streets
to fend for themselves. You went further to say such
things don't happen in the part of Nigeria you come
from. I think that wasn't very nice or tactful.
The last straw for me was when you declared matter-
of-factly that your husband's main challenger, Major
General Muhammadu Buhari should not be voted in
because he is "brain dead", according to you. That
was extremely malevolent and sinister, to say the
least. It is not an elegant language to be used by any
lady not to mention the First Lady and certainly not
about a former Head of State of the same country
that you are governing and from whose citizens you
are seeking a second term in office. However, I
believe that this may have been an innocent quip.
Whilst some may be willing to forgive such naivety, it
is essential for you to quickly assure Nigerians that
you meant no harm and that despite the ill-feeling
and bitterness that politics and electioneering may
engender you wish no evil to any man least of all
your husband's leading rival and contender. There is
nothing wrong in admitting your mistake of
commission or omission. It is actually a sign of
strength.
In conclusion, I think you need to offer urgent
apologies for those unguarded, unbecoming
statements and try to be more circumspect in the
future. One of your best appellations that I love most
sincerely is that of Mama Peace. Please, don't change
it to Mama War …!
May God continue to bless you and yours.
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