By BOLAJI AKINYEMI

Thrills of moments that inspire us to be happy and trauma of moments that dampen our spirit to be sad are hidden in the memories we hold of our past; this comprise persons we have met and places we have been. Nothing hurts our present like the past, particularly things done wrong or that could have been done better. While the past can’t be corrected, same past holds the door knob to a beautiful future if our present is invested in not attempting to cover the past but admit the wrong done in them, thereby embracing reconciliation and moving on to do better in consciousness of duties and responsibilities we owe our office and the mandate graciously given to us by the people.

His Excellency, former governor of Akwa-Ibom State, Senator elected to represent Akwa-Ibom North-West Senatorial District, former Minister of Niger Delta, and now, the President of the 10th Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, has met persons and have been to places. He wouldn’t have become the governor of Akwa-Ibom State and Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria if he hadn’t been to PDP and met with people there. Your porting to APC rewarded you with a ministerial portfolio, and uncommon feat, a Senator and a minister in the same dispensation. Houses we are told are built by men, and the ultimate builder and maker of men is the Almighty God, to whom you must stay humble, for he is the God of all flesh; men, half men and half beast and even men who like Nebuchadnezzar are drunken with the wine of power and its intoxication see their accomplishments as what their efforts has given them. Your meeting and humility with the landlord of the house of APC, Bola Ahmed Tinubu during the presidential primaries, held between June 6 and 8, 2022, set the stage for your emergence as the president of the 10th Senate.

Destiny today has placed you in the position of the door to a greater and better nation. May you be moved on the hinges of purpose to favour the “in” and “out” in the mighty name of Jesus. To the “in” and the “out” and of representatives of the new forces of nation builders who do not believe in the rigmarole of patching a building with obvious foundation fault, who would rather see the entire building brought down for a new one to be built, you have become the senate President.

As the number three man of the nation and the head of the most important arm of a democratic government, you, more than any other holds the torch that can light our path to our desired future of a truly federating State.

The passionate section of Nigerian citizens I represent are wrongly tagged Obi-dient, because the movement found a face in Obi. This movement is far above Obi and it more than anyone in Nigerian, living or dead!

And may anything evil not happen to Peter Obi nor the Labour party. For this movement is hydra headed, with many faces hidden among every day Nigerians, East, West, North or South, whichever way it turns, a face for it can always be found. LP should be the least of your bother and of your party. The soul of the movement is non-partisan; we are “partiless”! A new Nigeria cake we hope you will bake without the colouring of religion and icing of tribe on the cake, a cake of which portions will be equally apportioned to all without fear of favour.

MKO Abiola was the face of a movement for democratic government, which is today our reality. Obi is a face of Justice which the future will definitely serve. How soon, I cannot tell. But Justice I know is coming!

A Yoruba saying says; “ilekun ri inu o tun ri ita”, meaning a door sees inside and outside. The outside and inside of our challenges in Nigeria today is PDP and APC respectively!

No one can tell better than you of our need for a better deal as a people than what PDP served in its 16 years of misrule and of the sad trauma that our adventure for change has become with APC in the last eight years!

The third force element of our political component is a movement that will not be patient with you or your political cliques, but you, have to be, with them.

In my article; Yari “yari” but Akpabio is the Senate President, I promised my readers this article, and I did in hope that you are a very important reader of my articles, that I will share the dynamism of a class I was in, back in the 80’s.

With me in that same beautiful class were Taibat Adeola, Sunday Orebiyi, Kabir Mogaji, Gafar Omisore, Kabir and the very naughty others like Adegbola Adejunwon and Adegoke Lawal that over 40 years of not seeing hasn’t deprived me of the beautiful memories of them.

Being in class 3B Lagos Baptist Secondary School Orile Agege, Lagos, and meeting wonderful people, some with whom I still share life, has sharpened my life and has provided the objective direction to which my life is committed. This piece will be incomplete without the mention of a mentor so deserving; our late school Principal, a proud Ekiti man, Chief M. O. Alake, the father of Mr Dele Alake, who is of immense value to everything Asiwaju.

I left 3B with a lesson in leadership I will like to share with you, your Excellency, and my other readers. The need for class captains, a leader among equals, was the order back then in schools as it is today!

Jubril Raheem, my late classmate who died on Tuesday, 9th May 2023, whose 40days prayer will come up this Sunday, 18th 2023, may his misdeeds be forgiven like our Muslim friends will pray.

The guy, was nicknamed “School boy”, he was everything school. Physically built to be a captain, he was the tallest boy in the call, 3B was a class of intelligent students and Jubril wasn’t lacking behind either. Emotional intelligence was however his snare, he was impatient with an impatient class and the class moved for his impeachment. He paved way for “Ewa”, so nicknamed for been short and stout, by Adejunwon, who so named everybody in the class, for my oblong head, he gave me “ogo”, fountain today from which several articles is flowing.

Ewa, was a patient personality. Emmanuel Isah Olusola captained the class till we all moved to class 4. Jubril had everything going for him except little, little patience, apologies to our own late reggea icon, Majekodunmi Fasheke, popularly known as Majek Fasek!

Sir, Jubril was the natural choice, but Emmanuel Isah Olusola was the needed choice, and nature soon paved way for need!

Today, nature is threatened by the quest to meet the needs of the world climaxing in the global warming phenomenon. May you beyond the political exigencies of the need of APC for a Christian Senate President, fill the need of all Nigerians for a Senate President who will strike the gavel for equity, justice and prosperity of over 200 million Nigerians looking up to the 10th senate for a better deal than we are being presently served by one of the richest nations on earth now turned to poverty capital of the world by her beasts in human form leaders whose recklessness and irresponsible character have seen us thus far.

May you from among them be touched for repentance. May this opportunity graced to you bring out through you, who a Christian is, indeed, and not in name or religion!

May you leave the seat of the Senate President better than you met it. May your name GODSWILL be etched in gold in the annals of our political history.

Akpabio! I sound your name in hope of a new settlement without corruption that Nigeria must become. And your being the first among a people united in love who must build it!

Meaning of your name, I need not remind you, however, Nigerians need to know the covenant you represent and demand from you expectations you cannot afford to fail!

According to Google, “It comes from two Efik/Ibibio words ‘akpa’ and ‘obio’. Obio traditionally means ‘people’ or ‘a settlement’, ‘a civilisation’, or ‘community’. On the other hand, ‘akpa’ means ‘the first or the initial’. Consequently, ‘Akpabio’ would translate to ‘the first people, first men, founding community or civilisation’”!

Akpabio! Akpabio!! Akpabio!!! How many times did I call you? You are ordained to lead us to a settlement of peace through enabling laws, a place of peace and tranquility, where herdsmen killings will be a thing of the past.

In Africa came the first historical civilisation served the world. Benin City, the suffix, “city” is not a modern recognition of an ancient city. Our Benin gave the world the first city which streets were lit with light.

We are back and streaming, Davido’s performance at the world cup finals, Tiwa Savage gracing the enthronement of Charles Philip Arthur George, (Charles the 3rd) and Burna boy’s show at the Champions League final are all pointing the world to a nation for whom the world has waited for.

Back to Majek Fasek’s counsel in his song, so long, we’ve being seating down for too long, we have been fooled around. Behind you is a generation conscious of the work to be done. Wake up and lead them there or be thronged down in their anger! Will you and your colleagues through the right laws drive Nigeria to her waiting room of honour in global entertainment!

On the other hand this community has today taken the New World of Internet by storm as proven by the support given to your Akwa Ibom daughter Hilda Bacci. Will you lead the Senate to off their mic as a result of attack on your class or raise their volume and spread the wings of the Eagle Nation; Nigeria, for them to fly us upon? Please, watch out for; Banana peels on the floor of the senate”. (Sunday Tribune)

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