Unizik VC Saga: Mbadiwe is the Villain – By Val Obienyem

It is a pity that Ambassador Greg Mbadiwe has continued to prove himself an irresponsible progeny of his father – KO. When he started misbehaving as UNIZIK Governing Council Chairman, I republished a piece I wrote that was published in “Thisday” and “Champion“ newspapers in 2005 to show how useless he is.

What a man! See what he did with UNIZIK entrusted to him. When such a man becomes Governor or President, what could he possibly do with his realm?

I take the liberty to republish the piece again.

Mbadiwe’s Campaign for Obasanjo (Archives, 2005)

Valentine Obienyem

I initially thought I would resist the temptation to write about Ambassador Greg Mbadiwe. I have the feeling that upon reading this article, along with the numerous others written about him, he may be pleased with himself.

Indeed, history shows that some people come into the limelight by holding or proposing views or measures that others may consider outlandish. This was how Alcibiades, the Athenian figure from centuries ago, cut the tail of his beautiful dog, saying he did it so people would talk about him.

Ambassador Greg Mbadiwe is now the talk of the town for championing the idea that Chief Olusegun Obasanjo should stay in power indefinitely. I am only surprised that Nigerians are paying so much attention to such distractions, though I would be just as surprised if we did not occasionally witness the emergence of such characters.

Some argue that Mbadiwe is not sincere in his statements but is only seeking a political appointment, trying to deceive Obasanjo into thinking he is among those willing to die for him. But who made these critics the censors of Mbadiwe’s inner thoughts? Can a man truly gamble with his reputation just for a political appointment? The evidence suggests that Nigerians are not overly concerned and would, in fact, do anything to gain and retain power.

Ambassador Greg Mbadiwe is the scion of the famous Dr. K. O. Mbadiwe, and in the reckoning of great Nigerians, he somewhat merits a place. But when you look again at the sons and daughters of most great Nigerians, you notice that they are not particularly spectacular. I have come to believe that many of them suffer from the handicap of having great or wealthy parents, with assured and comfortable lives. Without the fear of hunger or the resentment of subordination, they often lack the drive to achieve.

Let us face it—where are the sons of the men who fought for Nigeria’s independence? Some were on the verge of becoming useless, in no metaphorical sense, to both themselves and the country, until Chief Olusegun Obasanjo decided to rehabilitate them. This is likely why the scions of prominent families like the Ziks, the Mbadiwes, the Awolowos, the Akintolas, and the Adesanyas have been appointed to serve the country in various capacities.

Nigeria is not unique in this regard. The general degeneration among some sons of influential people is observable elsewhere. Interestingly, most geniuses do not give birth to geniuses. I have often pondered the reasons for this. Is it that the genius expends so much energy on their great work that they have little left for procreation? Or is it that the complex genetic gamble that produces a genius only succeeds once in many generations?

If you look around, you will notice that the rehabilitated sons of famous men are not particularly excelling in their posts. Nigeria has an abundance of human resources, especially those who have proven their worth without any external aid—those who have risen from obscurity through sheer hard work. It is unjust when such individuals are neglected in favour of people whose only credential is being born to great men. If this is how governance is managed, then one has every reason to be disappointed.

Mbadiwe, however, has every right to do what he is doing today. With saxophones and talking drums, he is dancing around Obasanjo, possibly out of gratitude for the rehabilitation he and others like him received. This is merely my suspicion, though, as Mbadiwe is neither deaf nor dumb; he claims he is being realistic for the greater good of the country. In his calculation, since Obasanjo is God’s anointed, as evidenced by the good work he is doing, Nigerians should allow him to continue. Who else, he argues, has the courage to undertake the far-reaching reforms that Baba is pursuing? It is on this logic that he frequently rests his case.

If we limit the debate over Mbadiwe’s actions to logic and rationalisation, I see no end in sight. After studying human nature, I have noticed that there is nothing that cannot be rationalised. For instance, I once heard about a woman who knew but never told her husband that he had bad breath. He was a tyrant who did not welcome any opinion that did not celebrate him. Eventually, a foreign woman, after spending the night with him, had the courage to tell him. When he angrily questioned his wife about why she had never said anything, she rationalised her silence by saying that she had never come close to any other man, so she thought all men smelt like him. Her response disarmed him.

Consider, too, the story of Emperor Caesar, who once, contrary to tradition, sat down to receive the Roman Senators. This humiliated the Senators, and tongues wagged. One of Caesar’s aides explained that Caesar had a stomach problem and had chosen to sit to avoid the careless movement of his bowels at so unpropitious a moment. This, too, was rationalisation.

And then there is the Frisian King, who, when about to be baptised, learned that his unbaptised ancestors were in hell. He turned away from the baptism, declaring that he preferred to spend eternity with his ancestors. Similarly, a Frisian philosopher once argued that bedbugs served a divine purpose by preventing us from oversleeping.

But what do all these stories have to do with Mbadiwe? The man has been busy rationalising why Obasanjo should rule forever. Like his fellow rationalisers, he can offer us excellent reasons to support his thesis. However, Mbadiwe should reflect on the different types of rationalisation: the woman’s clever one, Caesar’s aide’s afterthought, and the Frisian’s foolishness. He should be concerned about how his own rationalisations will be classified. Is he seriously telling us that no other Nigerian is capable of ruling?

With Obasanjo’s recent pronouncement that he will not stay beyond 2007, we are led to believe that he has realised that those urging him to stay are not his true friends. Once a leader has inner conviction, not even the clamour of a million Mbadiwes will make him choose the path of dishonour.

As Voltaire said, let each man be free to follow whatever his enlightened or deluded reason dictates to him—but let it not be to the detriment of democracy, peace, and fairness. The events in Togo, the Republic of Congo, and other countries offer enough specimens in the laboratory of history.

— Obienyem, a lawyer, writes from Abuja.

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