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OPEN LETTER TO BANKY W. - DEJI ADEWUMI WRITES


Dear Wellington,

It was with great joy that I received the news of your intention to vie for elective public office. I commend the courage you summoned to leave the bandwagon of noisemaking, favour-seeking Nigerian celebrities, who are always at the beck and call of politicians, craving political and nonfunctional political appointments. Your candidature gladens my heart for two major reasons.

(1) Capacity and Character : You have shown over the course of your career that you are a young man of grit, character and credibility with the visionary capacity to develop our human capital and as such, one that can be entrusted with the delicate future of Nigeria. Before our very eyes, you successfully built a music company from the scratch and transformed a street chap from Ojuelegba to the pride of Africa, a foreign export and perhaps the greatest pop star to come from Africa yet.

(II) The other reason I rejoice as regards your candidature is founded upon your seriousness in contesting for a realistic elective position, one at which you can learn the craft and cunning of the diabolical business of Nigerian politics and thence sharpen your teeth.

The aforementioned by themselves do not constitute the main reason for this letter. Rather, this letter is born out of the desire to have a young Nigerian that is hopeful, intentionally and willing to be committed to shaping Nigeria and making  of it a great nation, one that coming generations will gladly call theirs.

My letter to you centers around a body of concerns highlighted in the underlisted points.

(1) POLITICS : Politics is simply warfare  and must be approached as such, with mental and physical alertness. Nigerian politics though democratic in name is vastly different from the ideal democracy practised by the more refined nations of the world.

Nigerian politics is encapsulated in this infamous expression made by a former Head of state - 'It is a do or die affair'. To this present day, politicians have become political institutions in themselves. And just as the saying goes, all is fair in the love affair (between Nigerian politicians and seats of power) and warfare (between these politicians, their armies of cronies and the just as ferocious opposition) on the theatre of Nigerian politics. Therefore Mr. Wellington, expect to be brutalized, attacked physical and verbally and quite likely get a few hits below the belt. Assassinations are not off the menu of the Nigerian politician and I am sure shadows of these must have been cast across your way, if at all the full weight of reality hasn't hit you yet.

Politics in Nigeria is life-changing. As you have joined the race, the standard by which you will be judged has been raised, if not completely changed. Nothing concerning your life is personal anymore, everything ranging from your private bath, to your bald hair are now items in the court of public opinion and traffic generators in the media. Some of these stories will be largely false, the classic work of operators of rumour mills, but the public will buy them nevertheless because your media friends will sell it to them even at your detriment.

That you have decided to pitch your tent with an unknown political party implies that you must be ready and willing to work hard - double that of an average politician. Politics as you know is grassroot, and I must at this junction commend your campaign team who thus far have performed fantastically well. However, if the ultimate aim is victory at the polls, much work still need to be done and efforts require serious intensification. Furthermore, that you are a celebrity counts for little; if anything it is a disadvantage. You must engage the influencers of your constituency, your presence must be felt in every nook and corner of Eti-osa, and not just by posters alone. You must be active, physically and verbally.

Permit me to add this that in the event that the election result comes negative, your presence must continually be felt. Do not fall into that trap of retreating to your shell, for in politics your actions after election is often times more important  when it comes to subsequent electorate actions. Sustained visibility rather than propaganda-driven occasional appearance should not be found anywhere near your quarters.

(II) Betrayal: Mr. Wellington, betrayal is at the heart of politics and it will always come from the least expected - I suppose that's why it is called betrayal. You will be making a first class political mistake if you expect loyalty from anyone, loyalty is a choice that cannot be forced but tested. If you expect everyone in the entertainment industry to support your candidature and campaign for you then your political tutors did not lecture you well and you are most certainly not ready for elective public office in Nigeria.

Folks will stab you in the heart and smile to your face! Brother, they will say good things about you on social media but paint a different picture elsewhere and  will not be apologetic about it. However, your capacity to do well politically is centered on your ability to forgive and bear no grudge.

(III) FAMILY : My point on betrayal leads  me to this next one. Ask every politician and you will be told that family is the most important asset a politician can have. They are the gift money cannot buy and one we will forever be grateful for. Seeing Adesua usher you on stage on your declaration day and her support for your candidature has doubled my respect for you. My brother, keep your loved ones close. Friends may leave but family sticks continually. Never prioritise your political office above them, though it is sacrosanct that they be informed that your new endeavor will take your time but their importance and place in your life must never be in doubt to them.

I do not claim to know you, for we have not met in person albeit, I have heard you speak of your friendship with captain Demuren and how as a friend he has transformed into a brother. If ever there was a time you needed him, now is the time.

(IV) LEARNING AND LEGACIES: The lesson politics will teach you will be vast and life-altering. In your little time you must have learnt a lot more than what your political tutor/adviser(s) ever taught you or you could have from books. No matter the outcome of the race, pen down your experience and make it freely available to everyone (PDFs on online platforms will be great). This is one gift/prize that is worth paying .

Finally, I wish you well and hope that you attain victory at the coming polls. I pray that come May 29, you will be address as Honorable Olubankole Wellington.

Thank you.

May God bless you.
May God bless Eti-Osa local government
May God bless Lagos state
May God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Adewumi Adedeji
Writes from Lagos, Nigeria.
0802790452
@_AdewumiAdedeji
Dejijupiter@gmal.com
#DPresidentDiary.
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ALEX SABUNDU BADEH ASSASINATION - MY TAKE


I have up till this moment resisted the urge to pick my pen and write about the shameful and unfortunate death of Alex Badeh, our 15th Chief of Defence staff. My hesitation was born out of rage at the utter silence of the government. How would an ex-COAS be killed in such a gruesome and demeaning manner and get such little reaction from the government? For the record, no human being has any right whatsoever to take the life of another human in any manner irrespective of how highly esteemed or lowly placed.

Perhaps, my displeasure at such a demeaning act would have been abated somewhat if the government has done it's job as it ought and launched into uninhibited action in investigating Alex Badeh's death.

You might wonder why I am not just angry but outraged, how come I couldn't just like any other 'strong' man look away? Afterall, it is none of my business you might say. In answering these questions and more, I believe that the time is right to let my voice be heard and set the record straight so that when the history of Badeh's assassination is being told, posterity will at least vindicate me as not being silent as the mute multitude of the present polity; that I spoke despite the inclination to be otherwise rather than take the easy way out like the complacent others. May this be a memorial raised to unborn generations, an ensign of reference.

As an addedum to the foregoing reasons for voicing out, I had the opportunity of being in a circle where Air Chief Marshal Alex Sabundu Badeh's death was being discussed, then I realize the level of ignorance amidst my folks, and how we discriminate because a person as by the providence of time and chance came to occupy a public or political office. My fellow discussants opined that they were not concerned, afterall he siphoned our funds. One even said to me: Deji, when Boko-Haram and Fulani-herdsmen were killing innocent citizens, you did not pick your pen to criticize the government against such killings. But now when just one person dies, you speak with a voice raised loudly to the heavens, all because you did not support President Muhammadu Buhari.

When Nigerians speak to me in such manner, I gift them with my silence because it is golden. How people forget that in my space I did not support Goodluck Jonathan's bid for re-election because for me, the first test of governance is to safeguard the life and property of the citizenry, one duty I do not see the present Head of State excelling at either.

I speak on Chief Badeh's death because of it's implications on our national identity. For a man to have been privileged to serve the nation is the capacity Badeh did at least deserves to be honored and some respect, irrespective of individual prejudice. The fact remains that I would still maintain my position if it was not Chief Alex Badeh - essentially, I respect the office, not the man.

To scale through the ranks and occupy the positions the Air Chief attained in his professional journey one must have spent over two decades in the Nigerian Armed Forces. In that capacity, one's level of infulence and intelligence on national and global security is a vault of treasure.

I speak confidently and unequivocally that for a person in the rank and position of chief of Armed Forces whether past or present, one is entitled to the presence of a security detail around-the-clock. The position gives you access to intelligence that even the president is not privy to. In the intelligence circle, it is called "holding democracy in balance".

When such a person is assisanted then you know questions need to be asked and answers provided. If I may ask, where were the people in his security details? Was his Aide-de-camp absent or on leave with the Chief left alone on a dangerous road at that odd hour of the day?

Let us be clear here, only a professional especially one that is well trained with alot of intelligence married with insider information that will have the guts to kill a man like Alex Sabundu Badeh at short range. It is synonymous to assassinating an Ex-President.

Lastly and for now, except by some weird twist of fate, this kind of operation cannot be carried out without the backing of at least a personnel in the topmost echelon of our military. Either the President, the National Security Adviser or the Chief of Armed Forces possess the green pen to sign the death approval of such a high profile personal like Badeh.

I will be surprised if the presidency confirm my assersation, absolute denial and politicking is what I expect of them. Let them just be informed that some of us know better and cannot be swayed by cheap press releases. We know that the presidency is rich will serious intelligence and details even globally.

I know the truth about Alex Badeh's death will be buried like those of Gani Fawehinmi, Bola Ige, Karo Saro-Wiwa, Funsho Williams and  others. The information will only be privJI uy to those in the closed cult of the initiated and powerful.

It is just a pity that our nation has become more unfit for living under an Ex-General and I am more than disappointed.

Thank you.

God bless you and may God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Adewumi Adedeji
Writes from Lagos, Nigeria.

08082790452
DC@gmail.com
@_AdewumiAdedeji
#DPresidentDiary. BADEH ASSASINATION - MY TAKE
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