They are now quite. Their words have been suppressed in their mouth. Before now they were talking at random – and making no sense – like market women in Night Mile, Enugu. They were are boiling furiously like the water in my mother’s cooking pot. They said all sorts of things just to score cheap points they could not get in their WAEC. Most times they become jesters. They said Atiku cannot visit the United States Of America, USA because he – embezzled Nigeria funds meant for the growth of the economy and therefore – was labelled corrupt and that he would be apprehended and incarcerated immediately he makes any attempt to visit the United States. Like me, most Nigerian people don’t believe in hearsay and grapevine, so we left them to wander in their own ocean of ignorance.
The shocking news to them today is that Atiku has visited the ‘almighty’ USA. He has landed like the super eagle. He has perched and have left a space for the bird to perch too. Should we say that they are UNAWARE oh his visit? Because all what the president and his subordinates claims these days is that he, the president, is unaware of some certain things that is going on around president. When I first draw the attention of my friend to the news, he said it was photoshopped. I laughed with my hands apart. The kind of laughter you give when you know that such a person cannot identify undoctored images. Then at that point, I knew he has drank from the stream of ignorance – which is the greatest disease.
To some of them like that, their belief and argument is that anyone who can’t travel to the US cannot become the president because he cannot represent us in foreign countries and discuss foreign policy and relations. They are only limited to their quack information.
But today we will educate and salvage them from their all rounded and half witted knowledge. Which can only cause more harm than good to Nigerians and Nigerian-Americans.
What were they thinking? After Atiku left office in 2007, did they expect him start running around within the country like one jobless man who only have 150 cows in Daura to take care of? No! Atiku went on to open a school and many business ventures where he employed thousand of Nigerians. Atiku went on to give economic lectures and defend thesis. These lectures are what he wants to convert into practical and bring to the fore in February this year, 2019. In his own words “As an individual, I believe my record in employing young Nigerians is unrivalled by any single private investor in Nigeria Lets Talk Of Jobs”. So you see, he was a workaholic. And he still is. He had the American University of Nigeria, in Adamawa his hometown. Why have the US embassy not seized the university from him before now, because, like they said, it was fuelled on fraud.
Atiku was also not thinking about going to America at that time because he also had INTEL Nigeria Limited to cater for as one of the companies that provides integrated and logistic services for the oil and gas sector. No little would one wonder when he Atiku said he would privatize the NNPC and will also not make himself the substantive minister of petroleum like others. Theses are were ideas come to play.
Atiku’s travel focuses on the Nigerian business community in America. And not to prove to some gullible ones wrong that he can actually visit America if he so chooses. The truth is that he has really been busy to get Nigeria working again. That is what good leadership quality portends. To feel with heart and handiwork and businesses of her citizens in foreign lands and not call them lazy.
They only labelled allegations on him but fail to prove themselves beyond doubt in court. They could not even bring out one evidence to nail him to the cross. So kept wandering like Esau. What a pity!
Our people used to say a man of worth does not get up to unsay what he said yesterday, so Atiku visited Washington DC. He left many lips dropping with leprotic saliva from their mouth. Atiku is a man of the people and a man for this season.
Chukwudi Ogbu writes from Asaba via chukwudiogbu12@gmail.com
