When my authority inspires sycophancy, I have no followers, only resentful manipulators of my power for their own selfish gain. — George Kunz

When in June 2015, I started gathering materials for my book, ‘Against The Run of Play’, I also decided I would go through the newspaper reports from the first day President Goodluck Jonathan assumed power on 6th May 2010 to his last day in office on 28th May 2015. Even though I knew it would be a big task, and I wasn’t even sure I could pull it off at the time, I believe it would make selecting the salient issues that dominated the period easier to do. And since THISDAY library is in Lagos, my options on how to achieve the goal were limited.

With my friend, Mannir Dan Ali, the Chief Executive Officer/Editor-in-Chief of Daily Trust, assigning their chief librarian to help me with whatever I needed from their archives, my plan was to spend two hours every day at the library for as long as it would take me to complete the task. But on my second day at Daily Trust, the chief librarian, a rather pleasant fellow, asked: “Sir, what exactly are you looking for?”

After explaining to him what I was doing, he then told me Daily Trust has all their publications in microfilms and that if I could pay, he would burn everything printed within the period into a collection of CDs for me. I paid the agreed sum to their accounts department and within two weeks, I collected 61 CDs, each containing monthly Daily Trust publications from May 2010 to April 2015. And while it may have taken me about five months to go through all the publications, the efforts helped me in the process of selecting the issues that I believed affected the outcome of the election.

Interestingly, those CDs have become useful in recent days as I pore through the December publications in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014 to see how the birthday of President Muhammadu Buhari was celebrated in those years. And I learnt a lot going through those editions of Daily Trust. Even when we may forgive the fact that Buhari’s new friends forgot him in 2010, 2011, 2013 and 2014, of particular interest to me was December 2012 when he marked a landmark birthday: The 70th!

With the international Conference Centre, Abuja already booked for the birthday anniversary to be chaired by Lt General T.Y. Danjuma and Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah slated as Guest Speaker, all was set for the occasion until the last minute cancellation in deference to the helicopter crash that claimed the lives of the then Kaduna State Governor, Mr Patrick Yakowa and former National Security Adviser, General Andrew Azazi.

However, despite the publicity that preceded the day, these were the only people who placed congratulatory advertisements for Buhari: The defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) signed by Senator Lawal Shuiabu and Alhaji Lai Mohamnmed; CPC Senator representing Niger North, Ibrahim Musa; former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar; former Vice President Atiku Abubakar; Senator Hadi Sirika; then CPC National Chairman, Prince Tony Momoh; CPC members representing Katsina State in the House of Representatives and the then Speaker, Aminu Tambuwal.

I have gone through the foregoing lengthy background so that readers can compare what happened at that period when Buhari clocked age 70 and now that he is 75. Quite naturally, this year’s birthday has attracted hundreds of pages of congratulatory advertisements, including a scandalous and very expensive glossy four-page wrap-around by a state governor and no fewer than four special cakes. Yet, what makes all the difference between Buhari at 70 and Buhari at 75 is the favour and privileges he can now dispense or withhold as president of Nigeria.

Unfortunately, while flatterers and those who genuflect before power are antithetical to good governance and are of no help to serious leaders, in both the public and private sectors in our country today, it is the sycophants who get along very well. Even within the religious institutions, they are the ones who secure rapid promotions simply by worshipping the Papas and Mamas, sometimes more than the God from whom those individuals claim to have secured their spiritual mandates.

That then explains why the birthday ceremonies of political office holders and that of their spouses as well as the burial ceremonies of their parents have become state functions. Yet, when you create an environment in which leaders are hero-worshipped, as it is the case in Nigeria today, there is no way you can instil transparency and accountability in such a system and the people are the loser.

Meanwhile, I must point out quickly that this piece is really not about President Buhari, or his birthday. I am just using him to illustrate the point about the level of sycophancy in the society. However, it is nonetheless sad that a man who came to power as an austere leader could not foresee the deluge of sycophancy that attended his birthday and advised in advance that all gifts and congratulatory adverts be converted to social welfare contributions. A birthday observance that has become an open contest for the familiar Nigerian sycophants is hardly a tribute to a president who insists on an anti-corruption identity.

All said, since there are people in the presidency who enjoy illustrating every point with Biblical stories, let me also conclude this piece with one in the spirit of the season.

In the days when King Ahab reigned over Israel, he asked Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, to join forces with him to reclaim Ramoth Gilead from Aram. While Jehoshaphat agreed to the request, he advised King Ahab to first seek the counsel of the Lord. That was no problem for the king of Israel who quickly assembled his close advisers comprising 400 prophets and sought their opinion. “Go, for the Lord will give it into the king’s hand”, the prophets roared. But being more circumspect, King Jehoshaphat asked: “Is there not a prophet of the Lord here whom we can inquire of?”

That statement was a serious indictment on the 400 prophets, the leading advisers of King Ahab. Jehoshaphat must have seen through them and must have concluded that there was no point relying on the prophecy of sycophants. What the King of Judah demonstrated is that it is only the intellectually curious leader that consciously seeks the wisdom of alternative viewpoints.

His question provoked a disturbing response that is common with leaders who enjoy the adulation of sycophants, as recorded in second Chronicles Chapter 18, Verse 7: “The King of Israel answered Jehoshaphat, ‘There is still one man through whom we can inquire of the Lord, but I hate him because he never prophesies anything good about me, but always bad. He is Micaiah the son of Imlah.”

It is evident from that confession that the King of Israel was not seeking the truth, he wanted validation for a decision he had already taken, even if it was wrong; and those 400 prophets were ‘his men’, those who would tell him what he wanted to hear. We have several of such well-placed individuals at practically all levels of governance in Nigeria today, the ‘400 prophets’ who celebrate and buy giant cakes only for those in power. They are not loyal to anybody or sacred principles. They are, as George Kunz described them, resentful manipulators of power for their own selfish gain. And while President Buhari may enjoy cutting different birthday cakes with them, he should also be wary of them.

In his exposition on that Biblical story, using his country as an illustration, this is what Kenyan writer, David Oginde, has to say and it is my parting shot: “Sad to say, but this is what seems to play out over and over again in our national life. Our kings whether at home, in church, mosques, corporates, governments, or political parties—would so much rather gather around them 400 false prophets than listen to the one lone voice of reason. Of course Micaiahs can often be a thorn in the flesh, but they do help us see our blind spots and in the long run sharpen our vision and warn us of potential dangers.”

I wish President Buhari happy 75th birthday!

Bisi Fayemi, Loud and Clear!

The favourite saying of my late mother was, ‘Ai le soro, ni bere ori buruku’ which translates into, ‘a closed mouth precedes closed destiny’. That much can be glimpsed from the philosophical underpinning of the writings of Mrs Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi which, according to her, derives from a conversation she once had with a grieving friend. And on Tuesday night in Abuja, she dazzled her audience comprising top government officials, members of the diplomatic community, activists, seasoned writers and politicians with the manner she explained what informs her interventions in the public space.

As the lead discussant at the reading of her latest collection of essays, I can attest to the fact that ‘Loud Whispers’, which represents the thoughts of a wife, a mother, a professional, a rights activist and certainly a leading feminist is a compelling read. The 65 essays gleaned from her blog posts over a period of 20 months are both refreshing and engaging. The fact that she does not tiptoe around issues makes the work appealing and with her frank temperament, she adds humour to enhance her argument without being offensive.

Divided into eight sections, every essay in ‘Loud Whispers’ speaks to the society which the author is keenly interested in while the language is friendly and the bold print makes it a delight for avid readers. Apparently bothered by the misunderstanding that enshrouds the concept of feminism, the author takes her time to educate anyone with bias against feminism. In her words, “Women do not want to replace patriarchy with matriarchy. We want to live in a world in which there is mutual respect, rights for all, and opportunities that are not mediated by the sex we are born with.”

From gender-based violence to sexual exploitation to politics and religion, it is fascinating how the author was able to weave sundry issues together to make an interesting whole. And just when you think the book will be ideal only for women, Mrs Fayemi comes with suggestions on how to be a good husband.

With the Libya story on slavery still trending, her piece titled, ‘Cold Alone and Forgotten’ captures the struggles of African migrants the world over. While she hinges her narrative on her experience in England, it is sadly the case in other places around the world. This trend will continue as long as our ever increasing youth population does not have any hope of survival and the political class continues to pretend all is well.

The author also writes on the pitfalls of unbridled use of the social media and the negative impact it is having on societal values. Consenting adults, according to Mrs Fayemi, “can do whatever they like in private…you like recording yourself while you have sex? Enjoy. You like posing in your birthday suit? Good for you…Why do you need an audience for any of these adventures?”

On Tuesday, we had an engaging conversation, especially as the audience pushed Mrs Fayemi to define the boundaries of feminism. ‘How do we explain a situation in which the kitchen knife has suddenly become a weapon of man destruction with some aggrieved wives literally and metaphorically now taking the law into their own hands?’, I sought to provoke but she was in her comfort zone. At the end, there were ‘testimonies’ by big men who said they had been converted into becoming feminists based on the author’s persuasive arguments.

Mrs Fayemi’s husband, the Minister of Mines and Steel Development, who came with some of his colleagues in the federal executive council, gave a vote of thanks that spoke to an abiding faith that the power imbalances can be bridged with mutual respect between and across genders.

No doubt, the collection of essays comes highly recommended not only because of the way and manner Mrs Fayemi tackles different issues, but also because her robust wit and clear expression makes the work ideal for both the young and old. It is a fascinating book that is full of wisdom but more importantly nobody needs to strain their ears to hear Mrs Fayemi. Her call in the book is indeed louder than whispers.

I wish all my readers merry Christmas!

•This column originally appeared in today’s edition of ThisDay, of which Adeniyi is Editorial Board Chairman. You can follow him on his Twitter handle, @Olusegunverdict and on wolusegunadeniyi.com

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