Imams: Institution Tinubu; Oyedepo and the destruction of Nigeria.

By Bolaji O. Akinyemi

Tinubu, as President is an Institution! No amount of negative prayers or curses will affect him- Oyedepo

Tinubu, no doubt is a man that God has blessed, crooked as his past might have been. The greatest blessing of any man is not in his bank balance, nor the inordinate desire to own the world and how much of it he has acquired. The blessings of men are men!

People, come rain or sunshine who have made up their minds to stick to you no matter what, are your spiritual blessings and your social assets! In politics, it is called loyalty. This, fortunately, is a two sided flow, it has its benefits to the loyals. I therefore can't get it when we stick to leadership for no gain!

The followership of Muhammadu Buhari was beyond politics, loyalty can't define the commitment of a people to whom living life was made further unbearable by APC and Buhari administration yet stucked to him till today! Cult followership was invented to describe what Buhari enjoys. 

Tinubu may likely overshadow Buhari in Cult followership! 

The statement credited to Oyedepo in my opening paragraph is not from the popular Bishop, who from the altar of Winners Chapel has never spared Buhari and APC nor has he given Tinubu a chance in possible leadership performance over the country.

It is from a senior friend, kingdom brother, a respectable and responsible gentleman. An accomplished Engineer, who is over qualified for the job at FERMA, but such a sensitive job was dashed out to a feeding bottle engineer who is one because he read engineering. There is no job in this country today where at least 3 years experience is not required. But a country with several failed and failing roads across the country for reasons known only to the President  saw the need for a straight from youth service Engineer to manage 36000 kilometres of road within 923,768 square kilometres!

Is the Engineer in Adeyemi Oyedepo blindfolded to the failure of the President in this regard? Men like him abound in the country, their followership of leadership is incomprehensible!

 Persons whose only wish is for Tinubu to succeed. But where are they in the strategic appointments the President needed to fan to flame the fickle of hopes they see but are unseen by critical minds like me in his leadership?

Oyedepo is the Managing Partner/CEO of HELBON ASSOCIATES LIMITED with interests in Power, Aviation and Engineering safety consultancy.

A very busy man but, who for his made in heaven love for Tinubu will find time to respond to every criticism of PBAT by me!

Oyedepo has engaged me more than any other Nigerian on my pose on the EFCC appointment, and several other articles.

He is one person who has not forgiven me for my stand on Muslim Muslim ticket! Though, he is not a Muslim. A Christian whose support for Tinubu is baseless of religion. Could it be tribe? I doubt it!

Engr Adeyemi Biodun Oyedepo graduated with a Bsc (Hons) in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Lagos in 1986 and also holds a Master of Business Administration in strategic management of the same institution. 

He obtained an MSc in Air safety Management from the City University of London and also a Bachelor of Law from the National Open University of Nigeria. 

Engineer Oyedepo joined the services of the then National Electric Power Authority (NEPA) in 1987 as a pupil Mechanical Engineer.  He sharpened his mechanical Engineering skills in NEPA with various postings from Afam Power station to Egbin Power station and to the Generation services at the Headquarters to the Technical Audit Department and to the Marketing Department at Ikeja Electricity Distribution region.

He later joined the services of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria in 2007 as the pioneer General Manager of safety and later as GM Mechanical Engineering.  He retired from FAAN in 2012 as the Acting Director of Engineering and safety.

To him, Tinubu is an infallible institution. However, Engineer Adeyemi Oyedepo needs to know that support for Tinubu's government by non partisan Nigerian like myself will come when we see proven and certified men of skills like himself on his team!

This appointments of political loyalists can only head us to the path of destruction. The emerging best global practice in corporate governance is to avoid bringing members of the same family on board. But Imam Ibrahim Kashim Iman, son of Mutawalli Kashim Ibrahim Iman, the current chairman of TETFUND is the choice of President Tinubu as the chairman of Federal Roads Maintenance Agency, FERMA. An agency involved in road construction, improvement and connectivity between states, with 36,000 kilometre of federal roads servicing 923,768 square kilometre is a huge job for a first class graduate, 25 years of age who completed his NYSC in August 2022! If it was back in the day Oyedepo graduated and completed his service, Iman would have joined FERMA as a Pupil Mechanical Engineer to garner experience. I only hope that the pearl FERMA in our drive for road development has not been thrown to the swine?

Withdrawing Imam's appointment after this article was published could only translate to one thing; the circle of influence around the President is composed of terrible individuals who are pests to this nation.

The manner in which the Senate made easy the confirmation of Olukoyede's appointment as the new EFCC Chairman would not have been different had Iman had the opportunity to stand before this 10th Senate led by Akpabio. Should we still have hope in the strength of the senate to do due diligence of their duties without inducement from outside. The rumour of some individuals requesting as much as $300 million on behalf of the Queen of Nigeria to offer this same appointment has just been given life with the hurried process the senate gave the most important office in Nigeria today, given the rot of corruption we are confronted with. The allegation that the senate is well taken care of by the distinguished Queen, a pretence by the senate through an elongated process could have been a face saving measure!

Without regard for history and comparison made of the Investment and Securities Act (ISA) that stipulates that for anyone to be appointed to be DG of Securities and Exchange Commission, the person must have worked in the capital market for 15 years, GoodLuck Jonathan contravened this by his appointment of Arunma Oteh from the African Development Bank where she worked for 17 years. She read Computer Science and didn't have direct capital market experience. That Oteh gave a good account of herself which no reasonable person will deny doesn't make that appointment right!

The current DG of SEC was appointed by our "repented Democrat",  apologies to Bola Ahmed Tinubu who in defence of  Muhammadu Buhari before 2015 election ascribed this to our alleged tyrant famous for his high-handedness in the country during his military days!

 A man who fell short of democratic values, true to his type pushed for the  appointment of a Director in Central Bank who has no direct capital market knowledge! 

Same man contested with Godwin Emefiele for CBN Governorship and lost. He had to retire. Buhari pulled him out of retirement and appointed him SEC DG! This, as inconsequential as it may look to sentiments of tribe and religion. It is a serious abuse of the constitution! We can't build a country on habitual attitude of contraventions of the constitution at will!

This qualification questions is becoming a recurring decimal at the EFCC, the former Chairman Abdullahi Bawa, faced the same over his not being a life long police officer!

The Senate should have ensured a process of confirmation that answers unasked questions to build our country on the constitution at this critical time of impunity.

The world is watching, observing how responsibly or not the Senate is going to discharge their core duty of overseeing that the laws of our land are adhered to by the Executive. Let the world be the judge of what transpired on the floor of the Senate; a betrayal of the constitution or a class protection transaction? Truth will soon surface!

The history and comparatives are interesting but did NASS consider that!

 EFCC is the gift of Nigeria Police to Nigerians. A fundamental problem in law enforcement and advocacy in Nigeria is the issue of a President constitutionally empowered to 'operationally control ' the Police and Attorney General of the Federation. But is this of concern to the NASS?

These are reasons why restructuring must be an agenda pushed for, by every Nigerian! 

In the meantime, there is an interesting scenario of interest coming up in Kano, where a party has taken the matter to court. Kano is home to Malami legal practice. Bawa and Malami are from Kebbi State. Whatever that suggests in the ongoing game, time will tell!

Someone in Kano has heeded the advice of Mr President to go to court and has filed the EFCC qualifications for hearing.

On this EFCC appointment, we will see Mr President and Nigerians in court for interpretation, if only to save the future!