Between Akpabio and Wike: There Is a Dead Deal to Dine and a Dutiful Deal to Dialogue.

By Bala Ibrahim

Today is day 2 of the nationwide protest called upon to demand the recall of bad governance in Nigeria. It started yesterday, and in some places, prominent amongst which is my native Kano, the outcome is as awful as it is abhorrent. Aside the isolated cases of gruesome reactions from the law enforcement agents, which I am sure would be investigated, and those found wanting sanctioned accordingly, generally, the way and manner the protest was handled and is being handled by the police, can be described as proportionately pleasant.

Today is day two and we are starting with new narratives.The prayer is that, things would continue to improve, and hopefully, we shall not get to the tenth day as planned, before God intervenes, by giving the nation the power of breathing a better and fresher air. Two things happened that prompted this write up.The first is pre-protest, or happened in the build up to the protest, while the second happened on the first day of the protest. And both came from people I hold in esteem, extreme esteem.

The media was awash with comments, which seemed coined in an uncomplimentary colour, allegedly uttered by the Senate President, His Excellency, Godswill Akpabio. The reader may perceive my position with respect to H.E. Akpabio as patronizing, but I don’t care. I am an unapologetic friend and supporter of the man, His Excellency, Godswill Akpabio.

In all my encounters with him, he had proven to be a man that acts in God’s will, and every time we met, he came in the character of a friend indeed, acting like a friend in need. For that, I would stand by him as one that can really be relied upon. Ditto Wike, the FCT minister and the former Governor of Rivers State.

So please discontinue reading, if you are the type that would take offense, when these people are commended.

From the gains of the protest so far, came the offer from H.E.Wike, that the Government is willing to go into the deal of dialogue with the protesters. After a meeting with President Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on day one of the protest, Wike told the press that the Federal Government is open to having a dialogue with the protesters. Wike said, “I met the President and he assured that the Government is willing to dialogue with the protesters. I want you to continue with that peace process, because he who makes peace will, at the end of the day, enjoy the dividends of peace”. Certainly this is a big plus to the struggle by the protesters, because they have succeeded in getting the government to listen, and agreed to a dialogue deal.

Before yesterday, as the hands of the clock ticked towards the D day, the Senate President, H.E. Godswill Akpabio, was quoted, rightly or wrongly, as saying, we shall be eating while you are protesting.To start with, I have not spoken to the Senate President on this, so I don’t know the exact context under which he made the remarks, so I am not holding brief for him. But from the disposition of the Akpabio I know, he is a man with the predisposition of cracking jokes. He has the attitude, or quality of being amusing, sometimes even comical. And people with such behaviour can easily fall victims of misinterpretation. Particularly when they play expensive jokes.

Like I said, I haven’t spoken to him on the issue, but from the media reports I read, his remarks were more of a mockery, to those planning the protest. He was said to have spoken at the Niger Delta Ethnic Nationalities, Youths and Women Group Sensitisation Conference in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, a day or two, to when some Nigerians were planing to take part in the nationwide protest against economic hardship. After appealing against the protest, in his characteristic comical habit, Akpabio said, he and other members of the National Assembly would be “eating” while they (the protesters) are protesting.

Yes, it can be easily misconstrued to sound sarcastic, but if you know the Senate President well, you would agree with me that he is a man with a satirical sense of humor. I can bet my wallet that the negative interpretation alluded, is in conflict with his intention. And I am not saying this for the sake of PR. Akpabio is a lawyer, a former Commissioner, former Governor, former Minister. And now the Senate President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. He has been everything that would make anyone understand the implications of insulting the sensibilities of the public. More so, the Nigerian public that help him in his journey to success and stardom.

So, without being commissioned by Akpabio to come to his defence, I beg to disagree with the position that his statements were made in contempt of the protesters. He is a very refined man, that would not want to dine, while the public is dying. No way! It’s not in his character.

Therefore, the bottom-line of Day two of the protest so far is, there is no deal to dine from Akpabio, but there is a dutiful deal to dialogue from Wike. Which to me, sounds like a victory to the planners.

May the pugnacious potency of the protest continue to subside, while God gives our leaders the wisdom to act in tune with the best wishes of Nigerians, ameen.