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Nigerian
Politicians as Gangsters
American Films
& Nigerian Political Culture
By
Uche Nworah My favourite all time movie is The Godfather trilogy by Francis Ford Coppola. Back then
growing up in Nigeria, if you were a guy and you had not seen
any of the Godfather movies, then you were generally
‘dissed’ by peers as not knowing ‘what time it is’, The
Godfather movies glamourised crime, and so do other gangster
movies.
The director of the Godfather movies, Francis
Ford Coppola brought to the big screens what decent folks only
discussed privately at their dinner tables, he was smart and
creative in the production, mixing and combining of the power of
crime in very sexy ways, his all-star cast includes Marlon
Brando playing the lead role as Don Vito Corleone, and Al Pacino
playing the role of Michael Corleone (Don Vito’s last hope for
a breakthrough into white America). Robert de Niro and James
Caan complete the cast amongst other notable actors and
actresses.
My other favourite movies are Scarface, featuring Al Pacino in his star performance as Tony
Montana, the Cuban immigrant and drug lord; Once Upon A Time in
America and Good
Fellas, which featured Robert de Niro, Ray Liotta and
Joe Pesci.
My fascination with these movies were just
for their sheer entertainment value, they also provided me with
some form of escape as I could easily slip into my regular
daydreams and assume the role of any of the vicious characters
from the movies, and then go after my imaginary enemies with
sawn - off short guns, or best still I could fantasise about
sending Luca Brasi or the volatile Joe Pesci’s character after
them. In this my world, I remember killing emeka ifedi
(not his real name) many times for using his father’s Citroen
car and his privileged status as a doctor’s son to capture
Ijeoma, my love interest at the time.
In all these however, I was conscious and
cautious not to let my fascination and fantasies get the better
of me, else my murder count would have been in the hundreds by
now. I also knew that these movies were only works of art,
although art does sometimes imitate life and reality, but my own
reality, though twisted by some personal and political events at
the time didn’t warrant my trying to imitate art by taking the
laws into my hands.
These may not be the case with Nigerian
politicians; I just think that they watch too many gangster
movies, to the extent that they have now become gangsters
themselves. They seem not to be able to draw the line between
art and reality. Their actions point more and more to a gangster
mentality.
To understand the mentality of gangsters, it
also important to identify their key features and
characteristics.
Gangsters by their very nature are sworn
enemies of the law, they are always on the other side (opposing)
of the law, they do not hide this attribute hence they
wouldn’t engage in any of their multiple illegal activities.
If that is the case, then Nigerian politicians deserve to be
classified as gangsters because although they are law and policy
makers, that alone does not make them to be on the good side of
the law. They are among the greatest lawbreakers, they are
artful tax dodgers and evaders, and do not pay for the public
services they enjoy; they steal and rob public coffers with
their gold pens in addition to committing other nefarious
activities.
Just like their gangster idols, Nigerian
politicians are highly skilled in the art of deception. They are
very good at presenting and projecting personae to the public
quite different from their real selves, they are able to cover
their tracks such that it is difficult, if not impossible to
trace their illegal acts to them.
Nigerian politicians are good at opening
multiple bank accounts using false aliases, these bank accounts
both in Nigeria and abroad then become hosts of stolen public
funds, also they are very good at investing in properties and in
other businesses under assumed names, Joshua Dariye, the
governor of Plateau state showed Nigerians recently by his
actions how this is done, Chimaraoke Nnamani of Enugu state and
Orji Uzor Kalu of Abia state belong to this category of Business
men cum governors, Orji Uzor Kalu in particular owns an airline
(SLOK) and was widely reported to have bought a dream mansion
worth over $1.5m in the Potomac area of Washington D.C.
Also there have been this rumour, which
refuses to go away about Atiku’s covet investments in African
Petroleum, and also about IBB being the real owner of all Otunba
Michael Adenuga’s Business empire. Gangsters will operate in
this manner; they have people known as ‘fall guys’ who go
down for them should anything go wrong, and while the fall guy
is away in prison, his or her family will continue to be taken
care of by the gangster. This fall guy theory was seen in action
in the Maryam Babangida and Glory Okon/Jennifer Madike saga,
Nigerians still do not know the whole truth of the level of Mrs
Babangida’s involvement in the alleged cocaine stories. Once
again deception at its highest.
How about womanizing? Gangsters are the
quintessential playboys, it baffles me how they have such high
devotions to their wives and family and still live sleazy
lifestyles on the side, they are very good at setting women up
in rented apartments and paying them huge sums to be at their
beck and call, such high class women (prostitutes) are usually
trustees of information about hideous crimes their gangster
lovers commit.
We all know how Nigerian politicians are and
their low level of morality, do not be surprised at the number
of big bosomed women that throng their offices daily in search
of contracts, hotel operators and owners will ever be grateful
to them for their patronage, they are known to keep different
specifications of women at the same time in different hotels,
sometimes they do not have time to come and ‘service’ these
women, this responsibility then falls on their hundreds of aides
who would normally demand a ‘sample’ before handing over
their masters’ money gifts.
Several women have also benefited from their
largesse; they have received gifts of cars, houses, expenses
paid travel to Europe and America, etc. Are you surprised that
the late military president Sanni Abacha was rumoured to have
died in the arms of a Russian prostitute at Aso rock? The
Russian lady allegedly was part of a larger conspiracy.
Notice how the different state governors have
been adding ‘sweet sixteens’ to their harem, Orji Uzor Kalu
came to Enugwu-Ukwu for a chieftaincy title in 2000 and took
home a maiden as well, James Ibori has recently annexed a
beautiful Enugu girl, who in turn has given him a bouncing baby
boy, the story just like the snake between their legs is too
long for these pages.
Government houses and lodges are famous for
the select parties that take place there, anytime a compatriot
or fellow politician comes into town, a gala night is organised
for the ‘August’ visitor, with lots of young and half naked
women on offer, these women are usually from nearby schools and
universities, any surprise then that most state governors
usually have it as a priority to set up their own state
universities, not for the educational benefits to the people but
so that they would have supply bases and hunting spots. Do you
know that in Nigeria, pimping for a politician can be quite
lucrative? Hmm!
If you live in Enugu, you may still remember
the famous Jim Nwobodo parties at the government house while he
was the governor of the then Anambra state, the stories of the
coveting and philandering that took place in his parties are
better not repeated here, else parents would quickly withdraw
their daughters from Enugu schools and universities. At such
parties catering is provided by the best caterers in town, and
only the best wines and champagnes are drunk, sometimes
customised champagne are shipped in just like Chief Adisa
Akinloye, the then NPN chairman did when he celebrated his first
1 Billion Naira with a grandiose party.
There are other examples, especially amongst
the military politicians, remember the woman tussle between the
Bamaiyi brothers? And the Ndubuisi Kanu and Jubril Aminu wife
swap/snatch?
Picture Al Capone in his champagne parties,
with women doting on him and also Al Pacino’s character in Scarface
as he coveted his boss’ (Frank Lopez) girlfriend. This is
another aspect of the symbiotic relationship between gangsters
and Nigerian politicians: parties, women, and frolicking.
Gangsters are known forgers and dodgers. The
American government found it difficult to nail Al Capone because
Al Capone constantly manipulated his books, records and his
bookkeeper, the key witness sought desperately by the
government. There is no difference between Al Capone’s tactics
and antics and those of James Onanefe Ibori, the Delta state
governor. It is only tact and craft that enabled him to wriggle
out of his recent legal problem over the identity of the James
Ibori that was convicted by an Abuja court in 1995 and the James
Ibori that is currently the governor of Delta state, the star
witness (the ‘other’ James Ibori) in the matter was missing
and could not testify, just like Al Capone’s bookkeeper.
Play back the tape to the Toronto scandal of
the ex- speaker of the Federal House of Representatives, I am
sure that wherever he is now, Salisu Buhari will be wondering
why him and not the others?
Perhaps the greatest resemblance between
gangsters and Nigerian politicians is in the area of
perpetrating mayhem, killings, and the hiring of hoodlums and
goons. Party politics in Nigeria is never complete without
political thuggery and assassinations. There is a long list of
opponents in Nigeria that have fallen from assassins’ bullets
sponsored by political opponents. In gangster land, putting out
a hit or contract on a rival gangster is also commonplace.
Gangsters are known to belong to mobs and so
are Nigerian politicians, hence the descriptions Kaduna Mafia,
Langtang Mafia etc. This mob mentality actually became a
permanent feature of party politics in Nigeria in the second
republic.
In the eastern part of Nigeria, there were
lots of such hired goons, who were financed by the politicians
at the time; Jim Nwobodo was financing the Jim’s
Vanguard while Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu financed the Ikemba
Front. Clashes between these two opposing camps were widely
reported in the media and at the time provided real
entertainment to the party politics followers, their rivalry
culminated in the now famous Nkpo junction clash between the
Jim’s Vanguard and the Ikemba Front, this clash led to the
‘ignominious pimp’ speech by the Ikemba.
In Imo state, the ‘weeping’ governor late
Sam Mbakwe set up the Onunaka
Front Organisation (OFO)
which he used as his own private security outfit, Mbakwe had no
problems in recruiting members into this organisation as he had
ample supply from the unemployed weight lifters who normally
congregated at the Aba stadium, known as “ndi akpu
obi’ (Big and muscular lads).
These political thugs later metamorphosed
into armed robbers when they were disbanded as a result of the
Buhari/Idiagbon military coup, but having tasted power they
never really went away and have continued to provide
‘executioner’ services to successive politicians, they were
recently seen in action in Anambra state but this time under the
direction of Chris Uba.
Militia and Vigilante organisations such as
the OPC, MASSOB and The Bakassi have also been used in the
Western and Eastern parts of Nigeria by politicians as thugs to
intimidate their opponents; the politicians are known to sponsor
these organisations through the purchase of arms and also by
making financial contributions.
The other associated characteristics between
Nigerian politicians and gangsters are betrayal and back
stabbing (the kiss of death theory). OBJ demonstrated this in
his saga with Audu Ogbeh, he was having lunch with him while at
the same time detailing security operatives to his house to put
him under house arrest and force his resignation.
IBB did the same to his alleged friend, late
M.K.O Abiola when he annulled the June 12 elections, which
Abiola had contested with IBB’s assurances and won, this made
Abiola to remark that ‘with friends like this, we no longer
need enemies’.
I can recall Michael Corleone kissing his
brother-in-law in the presence of his sister, despite having
given the order for him to be executed.
Picture Al Capone in his dapper immaculate
suits, remember how Tony Montana described the attempted
assassination on his life, ‘they wanna spoil my $800 suit’
he said.
Nigerian politicians are lovers of high
fashion, their fashion budget can offset the interest payments
of the mounting debts they incur on behalf of the electorates,
in his days Jim Nwobodo was famous for his canali suits, when
they come abroad, they only shop at the best shops, the Harrords,
the Russell & Bromleys. Mrs. Maryam Babangida is still
remembered today, not for her better life programme but for her
fashion contest with Mrs. Maryam Abacha. The politicians wear
the best and most expensive lace and brocade materials, their
shoes and slip-ons are usually of the best animal skin and
Italian leather. How are they able to afford such luxuries? With
our money, of course.
There is now a growing trend of godfatherism
in Nigerian politics, the same way Amerigo Bonasera came to kiss
Don Corleone’s (the Godfather) feet to ask for favours, so do
Nigerian politicians run to their respective Godfathers for
help, for the state governors, these Godfathers force them to
sign away their federal allocations, they also enter into pacts
with the devil by swearing oaths of loyalty and allegiance at
native shrines. IBB is now the biggest Godfather of them all,
every known politician in Nigeria have benefited from his
benevolence, no wonder they are always running to his Minna
residence to pay homage.
In the west, Chief Lamidi Adedibu and Alhaji
Azeez Arisekola-Alao hold sway, Arthur Nzeribe may be waning in
importance but he still has his loyals, in Anambra state Chris
Uba has taken over from Emeka Offor as the political Godfather
in the state, in the other states Godfathers abound as well.
Nigerian politicians and gangsters are also
known to be corrupt, they bribe judges and therefore corrupt
justice. They intimidate their opponents using different
tactics; finally, they are professional liars, and always speak
from the two sides of their mouth, you can never trust a
gangster, neither can you trust a Nigerian politician, not with
your life nor with your protection, because they think only of
their own survival. posted 22 Januray 2005 *
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updated 13 October 2007
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