Does Atiku deserve our pity?
Asks Abdulaziz Ahmad Abdulaziz Fagge
“Wise men profit more from fools than fools from wise men; for the wise men shun the mistake of fools, but fools do not imitate the success of wise” - Cato the Elder (234 BC – 149 BC) from Plutarch, Lives.
I am optimistic that sociologists as well as psychologists will testify in my favour, when I say Nigerians are the most merciful, forgiven and sympathetic people living on today’s earth. It is only a Nigerian that you will cheat, insult and subject under all form of molestation and inhuman treatment today, because you have opportunity (such as power or money) to do so. And wonderfully, if tomorrow life turned itself away from you, that person will join mourners to show you sympathy, pity and even forgive you despite all what you did to him.
Of recent, there was massive flow of write-ups, opinions and analysis in both print and electronic media in support and sympathy of the Nigerian Vice President Atiku Abubakar. At the same time, such write-ups are condemning what the authors call “injustice” “victimization”, “harassment”, “illegal” e.t.c treatments the VP receives from his boss, President Olusegun Obasanjo.
Atiku Abubakar was a man with low reputation in Nigerian polity before his nomination as the Obasanjo’s running mate during the 1999 general elections which once again brought Nigeria under civilian rule. The vice president ticket was offered to Atiku, considering the role he played both financially and using his political machinery to win the election. The then political camp which Atiku was identified with was the People’s Democratic Movement (PDM) which was born out of the People’s Front of Nigeria (PFN) both associated with late Tafidan Katsina, Gen. Shehu Musa Yaradua (rtd).
It was due to the nature of Nigerian politics, which favours only those that can ‘spread’ naira, that Atiku fresh from the Nigerian Custom Service, where he served for 20 years and accumulated wealth, became a factor in the PDM and on Gen. Yaradua’s death he ‘inherited’ the throne. Consequently, when it came to forming transitional political parties, Atiku merged his PDM with the then G34 to form the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Albeit, Atiku had secured the gubernatorial seat of his home state, Adamawa, he was dashed the vice president ticket against many bidders at the time as reported the VP’s official website and I quote “It came as a surprise to Atiku shortly after that, when Obasanjo sent for him, following his emergence as the PDP flagbearer, in the heat of lobbying by many candidates for the vice-presidential slot.
‘Turaki, are you prepared to take orders from me?’ he asked Atiku, calling him by the traditional title in his native Adamawa state. ‘Ah, I have always taken instructions from you, sir’ Atiku replied, ‘because you are a general. ’‘Okay you are my vice-president’, Obasanjo told the stunned Atiku, ‘go and break the news to the party leaders!’”
That was how it all began and that was the beginning of all nastiness and cruel governance, a super-military rule under the guise of civilian and above all democratic mode of governance. At the begnning, Atiku was extra-loyal to Obasanjo and adhered to his likes and dislikes, dos and don’ts. During those hey days of their relationship, Atiku have been bragging and proud to associate himself with any step and actions of his boss, Chief Obasanjo. In several occasions, the VP had identified himself as the President’s “hand bag”, “loyalist” and affirming that “the views of the president is the view of the VP.” But the question on the tongues of Nigerians over the last two years is simply why did that sweet romance turn sour?.
There are some speculated reasons, for that and the widely belief is that the president did not want Atiku to succeed him. However, this allegation was falsified by the eldest son of the president, Dr. Olugbenga Obasanjo, in an interview with Somore Omoyole exactly a year ago where Dr. Gbenga was reported to have said “On Atiku, I think people get it wrong thinking that Baba is working against him. Atiku just thinks that the presidency is his birthright.” Whatever is the reason; we should also consider the level of support, complimentary, empathy, pity and commiseration in the media and in our informal chats, in favour of the VP and ask ourselves whether the same Atiku we knew deserve all these.
His Excellency, the Vice President is a twin brother of President Obasanjo in terms of characters and policies. All the economic hardships, all the reforms are done with Atiku’s active participation; he never pointed accusing fingers at the reforms which cause hardship to Nigerian common man. He only turned to be a “democrat”, “a fighter for the cause of poor”, overnight when Obasanjo abandoned him.
That was why I laughed and shook my head when late last year at the heat of their hokum and loggerhead, Atiku came out displaying crossed checks and other documents that are evident of embezzlement shamefacedlessly through his agents, accusing President Obasanjo of corruption and money laundering. The question to ask the VP then was why did he not expose all those gauche happenings in the presidency since, and why didn’t he resign for the good of poor? Therefore, reasonable Nigerians could believe and trust him. It was a matter of “You chop I chop” and the game of “He is bad I am ugly”.
When it comes to looting and embezzlement, no one can back Atiku from the vulgar business in the PTDF, where the VP is accused over diversion of multi-billion PTDF funds, since he himself could not defend himself from such allegation. Another instance is the VP’s chairmanship of the Bureau of Public Enterprise (BPE), where significant government owned companies and properties are sold out in a dishonest and opaque way. In most cases, those properties were sold to friends and associates and the money siphoned to personal treasury.
Yet no comprehensive explanation whatsoever from the VP to at least prove himself innocent against accuses like this one from the Obasanjo’s child; “Look at AP and the privatization process, they just sold the entire country to themselves. Look at the Pentascope deal; they stole over one billion dollars from Nigeria without fixing a single telephone line. This was done between El-Rufa'i and VP Atiku. Go to the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and see those who owns Pentascope you will see the fraud perpetuated against Nigeria.” I don’t know whether it was lack of convincing evidences to falsify such claim that backed him from protecting his image.
The same Atiku who brutally and massively rigged the 2003 elections to illegally allow him and his master perpetuate on power, is now harmless and hopeless democrat. What a drama! It is not something hidden from the fore that the role Atiku played in 2003 to see that the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has retained its presidential and capture many states’ gubernatorial seats is unquantifiable. It was to the extent that no one did more than him to see the “success” of the PDP.
If this is the real figure, Atiku Abubakar, the “victimized” and “harassed” vice president, represents, so why are we so concerned about him, about his relationship with his boss? It is nothing but like a saying “If elephants are fighting it is only grass that will suffer.” Thus, we are just pitying someone who does not pity and never pity us, someone who when oil price was escalated would only glow and cheer someone who when prices skyrocket could not remember us– the poor.
He is now someone whom we don’t like to see his tears, we don’t want him to be offended, we only like to see his golden side not the blunt as Gbenga said it in the interview with Somore Omoyole thus; “…but the press would never report these things; they like to paint him nice even when the facts about these misdeeds are public knowledge.”
Whatsoever, I am of the opinion that Atiku Abubakar does not deserve all these concern, sympathy, pity and support Nigerians are extending to him, simply because he does not reciprocate the same gestures to us. I would like to rest my case here with this wise saying from a renowned philosopher, physicist and author in person of Albert Einstein (1879 – 1955) said he: “If you are out to describe the truth leave elegance to the tailor.”

Abdulaziz Fagge, Public Relations Officer, Trust Writers Forum, resides at Fagge, Kano and can be reached at faggenian2005@yahoo.co.uk or mylittlewisdom@yahoo.com