'Onyearugbulem's Complaints' by Reuben Abati
Joshua Meisler
by Reuben Abati
January 24, 1999
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Following a widespread condemnation of his decision to suspend the Oba
of Benin, Solomon Erediauwa, as member of the Edo State Security
Council, and chairman of the State Council of Traditional Rulers the Edo
State Military Administrator, Navy Captain Anthony Onyearugbulem has
since taken his case to the court of public opinion: not to apologise to
the Oba, not to withdraw his letter to the Oba, but to complain that
there is no crisis in Edo State: whatever has been reported is a product
of mischief on the part of the Nigerian press. Onyearugbulem was quoted
as having said: "The Oba is still the Oba; so why are you making all the
noise? Whatever problem there is, was started by the press." He also
further accused journalists of "writing what they do not know about."
According to him, he had only directed the Oba to {abstain} from
attending council meetings, which is not the same as {suspending} Oba
Erediauwa. In other words, Nigerian journalists do not understand the
meaning and import of the two phrases: {abstain} and {suspend}. The
matter then, is one of grammar. But as it has turned out, Navy Captain
Onyearugbulem has only under-estimated the Nigerian press.
{The National Concord} took up the challenge on Wednesday, January 20,
by publishing on pages 1-2, the correspondence between the Oba of Benin
and Onyearugbulem. The letter from Onyearugbulem to the Oba is clear and
straightforward. In it he accused the Oba of "non-neutrality" in the
on-going political process, urged him to retract a certain press release
in which he expressed partisan interest, and failing this, the
administrator declared: "Your Majesty (shall) cease to be the chairman
of the State Council of Traditional Rulers of Edo State. Let it also be
understood that this is not unlikely to be an (sic) harbinger of
subsequent measures which your Majesty may likely find unpalatable."
Thus, Onyearugbulem not only removed the Oba from the Council of Rulers,
so to speak, as chairman, he also suspended him as member of the State
Security Council, with a well-considered threat about "subsequent
measures."
Since the publication of the correspondence between the Oba and the
MILAD, there has been no denial of the authenticity of the letters from
either the palace or the Government House. The point then, is that the
Nigerian press is not at fault in this matter. It is not the journalists
that are lying, it is Onyearugbulem who is playing a funny game of
hockey with the truth. A man of his education and standing, ought to be
more interested in the cause of truth. Why would he say one thing in a
letter, and later go to the public, to edit himself? Clearly, what the
events of the last few days have shown is that Navy Captain
Onyearugbulem has realised the futility of his earlier choice. Between
him and the Oba, he is the only one retracing his steps, contradicting
himself, and worrying about the difference between {abstain} and
{suspend}. The Oba, to use Onyearugbulem's own words, is meanwhile,
"still the Oba." Earlier in the week, the MILAD met with other
traditional rulers in Edo State. Together, they issued a communiqué
saying that there is no crisis in Edo State, and that if there is a
crisis, it is not something that cannot be resolved. The communiqué
barely stopped short of saying: "Oba gha to kpere!"
Onyearugbulem owes Nigerian journalists an apology. The problem as we
can see, is not with the press, but with his own style. He should in
fact, be grateful to the press. He is after all, a creation of the
Nigerian press, in the same sense in which most prominent persons are.
They love and hug the press as long as it is convenient for their
purposes: a critical press however, poses a threat to men with expansive
egos, with a tendency to play games with the truth. What is
Onyearugbulem's style? As Military Administrator of Ondo State, he was
reported, in January 1998 as having snatched a prepared sermon from a
Reverend Father, who was beginning to criticise the Abacha government
from the pulpit. This was at Mary's Queen of Angels Catholic Church,
Akure, during a memorial service in honour of late Alhaji Ibrahim Sani
Abacha. Onyearugbulem allegedly grabbed the microphone, and gave a
counter-sermon.
Before then, he also confronted the late Pa Michael Adekunle Ajasin,
former chairman of NADECO, statesman, and frontline politician.
Onyearugbulem accused Ajasin of causing problems in Owo and Ondo State,
and threatened to prevent him from holding political meetings in his own
house! Much later, one of Onyearugbulem's aides, his driver in fact,
apparently inspired by his boss's style, physically assaulted the female
General Manager of Ondo State Television (ODTV). The woman was suspended
from office (you see, Onyearugbulem enjoys the power of suspension!),
her husband went to court, enraged, and in one of the initial reports,
Onyearugbulem was quoted as having said that his driver Akpu, a
six-footer, weighing 100 kilogrammes, could not have assaulted the
madam. "If my driver had slapped her, three things would have happened
to her. One, she would likely be in a coma; two, if she was not in a
coma, she would die instantly; and number three, if at all the driver
smacked her, she would be in hospital, and she will not survive"}, he
said. Onyearugbulem also likes to attack journalists. In an interview
published in {The National Concord} of January 10, 1997, he pointedly
accused journalists of having destroyed Nigeria: "{You people just wake
up and write whatever you feel you can write. Look, I'm a very good
writer. If I pick my pen and address you, you'll feel it."} Well?
Really?
In Edo State, Navy Captain Onyearugbulem's style has remained
consistent. We have no better evidence of this than the text of Oba
Erediauwa's letter of January 5. In at least two paragraphs, the Oba
reports that His Excellency, Onyearugbulem took pains to lecture us on
legal interpretation of words. You see, Onyearugbulem also loves to
lecture! The Oba further discloses that the MILAD brought out a
dictionary in the course of the lecture, to teach the royal fathers,
"the meanings of words." As a follow-up it seems, the Oba simply decided
to pay Onyearugbulem back in his own coins, by equally giving him a
counter-lecture in the letter on "the meanings of words." And yet, the
MILAD claims there is no crisis in Edo State. When the palace and the
Government House split hairs over "the meanings of words" what further
proof of a crisis do we need?
The way Onyearugbulem is carrying on, publishers of dictionaries may
well make good sales in Edo State, this year. I wouldn't be surprised if
in due course, the MILAD decrees that every Edo State citizen should
purchase a dictionary, to avoid any further misunderstandings in the
state. The only problem that I see, is that the MILAD himself does not
own a very good edition of any dictionary. He is at best, a proud owner
of {Michael West's Dictionary}, that early school dictionary with which
we all began to study English in those days. The MILAD, given his love
for words such as {abstain} and {suspend}, (I hope he now knows which is
which), will need a more advanced dictionary. I don't know his birthday.
How I wished I knew. Anyhow, those who know Onyearugbulem's birthday
should remember this: The best gift to give him at his next birthday
should be a dictionary. He'd appreciate that, I believe.
II: NEPA IS A MENACE
Angry youths of Anifowoshe, in Ikeja area of Lagos under the cover of a
group identified as "The Progressive Youths of Anifowoshe" went to a
NEPA area office last Monday. They attacked the NEPA officials on duty,
chanted slogans, and blamed NEPA for disrupting business activities in
Lagos, through irregular power supply. We may question the desperate
tactics adopted by the Anifowoshe youths, but they have a strong point.
NEPA is the most unreliable public institution in this country today.
Lagos, which ought to be treated as a strategic city is in darkness most
of the time. Industries have had to close down. Private persons now rely
on power generators which pollute the environment, and rob neighbours of
sleep. Now, and then, NEPA management issues public statements in which
it claims that it lacks basic equipment. So? What is the duty of the
management? To solve problems? Or to whine endlessly? The problem, by
the way, is not with supply, but distribution.
The various NEPA tension-cables that we see across the nation are
permanently conveying {electricity}, but the supply never really gets to
the consumer. And when NEPA obliges us with service, they always
remember to inflate the tariff, and the bills. What, really, is the
matter? Two things: the Managing Director of NEPA should be fired,
without further delay. The distribution section of NEPA should be
privatised. When angry youths begin to beat up NEPA officials, what it
means is that NEPA is no longer serving the purpose for which it was
established. If General Abubakar cannot summon the courage to sack the
NEPA Managing Director, the in-coming civilian government should do so,
within a week, from May 29.
III: SIXTY MINUTES WITH OBA REMI ADEOYE
Last Tuesday, I travelled in the company of my dear friend, Muyiwa
Olusa, to a small community called Okelamunren, which is only a few
minutes outside Ijebu-Ode, off the Lagos-Benin Expressway. It was a good
opportunity to see the countryside, and I was excited. I wanted to get
away from the noise and confusion in Lagos, and enjoy the freshness, and
the closeness to nature which every trip out of Lagos tends to offer.
Why Okelamunren? Muyiwa is a son-in-law to His Royal Highness, Oba Remi
Adeoye, the Alamunren of Okelamunren. He wanted us to visit his
father-in-law. We ended up spending a very engaging one-hour in the
Oba's palace. I also had a chance to have a good look at Okelamunren. It
is one of those communities where life is still uncomplicated, and the
people can sleep at night without the protection of dogs, sirens, and
high walls and barbed wires.
Oba Adeoye, a former Public Relations practitioner, and Director of ROD
Publicity, a PR firm ascended the throne in 1992. Since then, he has
brought electricity to Okelamunren. A borehole which provides potable
water for communal use has also been sunk. The Kabiyesi has also erected
a cenotaph at the centre of the community. "What else do I want to do
with my time?" Oba Adeoye asked rhetorically. "I want to serve my people
and bring development to Okelamunren." Throughout our stay, there was
surprisingly, uninterrupted power supply. As we drove back to Lagos, my
attention was drawn to another community called Ogbo Ijebu, and a house
which I was told belongs to Chief Ayo Adebanjo, in front of which a flag
of the Alliance for Democracy (AD) swayed gently to the evening breeze.
Outside Lagos, life is still a lot easier. Lagos is the crazy city where
dreams die as soon as they are hatched.
© 1999 Reuben Abati and The Guardian Newspapers (Lagos, Nigeria)