Bayo Onanuga’s Recklessness

By Valentine Obienyem

Besides the trending old lyrics from Mike Ejeagha, “gwo gwo gwo gwom,” another issue that gained traction on social media platforms was the trademark diatribes from Mr. Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu. In his statements, he portrayed Mr. Peter Obi as an incurable anarchist with no basis. The opening line of Onanuga’s release immediately establishes the tone for the entire message: “Obi should be held accountable if the planned protest devolved into chaos.” This statement implies that Obi is behind the planned protest on August 1st. Even his reaction to the threat of legal action demonstrates that he is enjoying the attention generated by his media outburst, as sadists frequently do.

Although I had heard of Onanuga as the founder of “The News” Magazine, I had never taken the time to truly understand him until now. I saw his and others’ reckless behaviour during electioneering as influenced by the needs of the time. Yes, during election season, lesser minds seize the opportunity to hurl insults, obloquies, and vituperations at people. However, no known rational principle can justify the most recent recklessness. Comparing Onanuga as editor of “The News” to Onanuga as Special Adviser reveals a consistent pattern of recklessly driving wedges between people and pitting institutions against one another.The practice and spread of lies has remained his life’s primary interest. This is disappointing because the man we are discussing is nearly seventy years old and should have matured from impulse to thoughtfulness. With this in mind, my immediate reaction took the form of a Facebook post, in which I wrote:

“Yesterday, Mr. Bayo Onanuga claimed that Mr. Peter Obi was responsible for the planned protest. My relief when I heard this was that it did not come from Chief Joe Igbokwe. Ordinarily, he would have loved to break the news to reassure them of his continued loyalty.

On the surface, Onanuga appears to be an excellent journalist based on his extensive experience in the field. However, by seeing him as he is, in his nakedness, he has repeatedly demonstrated that he was overrated all along. He is becoming a victim of his own mistakes. They now make us suspicious of those who claim to be Democrats.

In retrospect, why would Obi organise a protest? Show me any of his speeches or releases where Obi mentions anyone by name. He consistently addresses issues and gives advice. Thus, linking him to any planned protest is an attempt to deflect attention away from the real issues. They are simply revealing their guild’s secret: they want to stop Obi at all costs. Who in Nigeria today is unaware that there is a hunger crisis? As they say, “A hungry man is an angry man.” If you do not want unrest, address the people’s enemy, hunger, and leave Obi alone.”

Many Obi supporters are unaware that a protest is planned, because Obi constantly encourages them to focus on finding ways to make Nigeria great. Those who follow him and his tweets are well aware that his consuming passion is not the destruction of Nigeria, but rather how the country can be rescued from the highway robbers who have hijacked and destroyed it. Onanuga’s remarks indicate that he is an active member of the gang. This publication, which has sparked outrage among Nigerians, is only one of a hundred irritants that have come to define him. Among those who work with Mr. President, he is the most effective at instilling tribal hatred and giving legitimacy to foolish decisions.

Reading his release raises numerous questions about him. Consider his bizarre analysis here: “The protesters’ call for revolution and the overthrow of an elected government is a civilian coup that amounts to high treason.” Rarely do we see a man approaching seventy speak in such an uncouth manner.

Onanuga is concerned that some Nigerians are planning a peaceful protest against hunger in the country. However, it did not occur to him that those planning the protest were said to have written to security agencies requesting police protection, as they are determined to do so within the law. This implies that they are not faceless or wearing masks.

No country loves or enjoys protests of any kind. Citizens who are engaged and happy are unlikely to protest. What Onanuga should have looked out for were the conditions that prompted Nigerians to protest. Are Nigerians hungry? Are Nigerians secure? Are Nigerians treated as citizens with full rights and as humans? Can the government’s decision to purchase jets costing billions of naira indicate its sensitivity, or lack thereof, to the country’s hunger? Was Nigeria as bad as it is now when the current President, Goodluck Jonathan, called for a revolution, which was interpreted as weeding out bad elements and hastening the rebirth of society? Is the response an offensive demonstration of their depravity? These are important questions to ask, and we may want to start there.

As Onanuga’s recklessness increases and the preceding questions arise, he reminds us of the importance of turning to history. Protests, whether peaceful or destructive, have always been the result of grievances and are thus a part of history that we can support or condemn but cannot change. When you push people to their elastic limits, they are forced to react. Growth in our beloved country is hampered by chaos, disasters, and impediments that must be systematically removed. Revolution, like cleansing, is the removal of waste, the surgery of the unnecessary. It arrives only when many things are about to die. Nigeria has died numerous times before. We have previously fought a civil war and experienced numerous coups. These deaths accomplished nothing because attempts at rebirth resulted in stillbirth. The country begs to be killed on all fronts so that it can be reborn. However, Obi is preaching his own version of how the country can be reborn by implementing the right policies and encouraging leaders to behave as true leaders in both word and deed – anarchism is alien to him. Other Nigerians who hold opposing views cannot be labelled as Obi’s supporters.

Economic hardship was one of several factors that contributed to the American Revolution. Whether we are talking about the French Revolution, the Haitian Revolution, the Russian Revolution, the Chinese Revolution, the Cuban Revolution, or the Arab Spring, the common causes are corruption, economic hardship, economic inequality, injustice, and political repression. In Nigeria today, the question is: to what extent are these factors at work, and what are the solutions for getting the country back on track?

For some, part of the solution is to bring these issues to the attention of those in power by forcing them to hear about them, despite their hearing impairment. People like Peter Obi, as he has effectively demonstrated over the years, believe that the solution lies in identifying these anomalies, bringing them to the attention of those in government, and offering advice on how to get the country working. In doing so, he demonstrates his fertile intellect and his infinite willingness to engage anyone in a mental duel.

At every engagement, he impresses everyone with his extensive economic knowledge, tenacious memory, intellectual acumen, penetrating judgement, and understanding of governance. It is this brilliance that bothers people like Bayo—his fascination with his multifaceted mind. Selfish men are already worried about what such brilliance will do to them in 2027, whereas Obi is only concerned with how to improve the country now.

At nearly 70, Onanuga is a poor role model for Nigerians, particularly his Ijebu people. The Ijebu people are known for their hard work and versatility, and they are not prone to telling extravagant lies in order to gain attention and feed off the crumbs. They generally take things in stride and are paragons of management and consistency, virtues that appear diametrically opposed to Onanuga’s, who lacks his people’s gaiety and grace, humour and wit, refinement and manners, and cultured Ijebu manliness.

Peter Obi is a treasure not only for Nigeria, but for humanity. We cannot attempt to demonise him when the entire world is celebrating him. He remains one of the leaders who can only be found in Plutarch’s writings.