Ibrahim Gambari: Better Than ‘the Very Best Of All Of Us’
Ibrahim Gambari arguably is one of Nigerians that have intimidating qualifications and career par excellence! A single Nigerian national who has worked with seven past leaders including Heads of State and Executive Presidents without necessary being a seasoned career civil servant and also served four past Secretary-Generals of the United Nations Organisation (UNO).
Gambari attended king’s college, Lagos. Subsequently, attended the London School of Economics where he bagged his B.Sc, Economics, 1968 with specialisation in International Relations. He later obtained M.A and Ph.D degrees in Political Science/International Relations from Columbia University, New York, USA in 1970 and 1974 respectively. Armed with such sophisticated qualifications he taught in City University of New York, USA, University of Albany, Ahmadu Bello University, Nigeria and many others in visiting capacity.
Gambari worked under Shehu Shagari, Muhammadu Buhari, Ibrahim Babangida, Ernest Shonekan, Sani Abacha, Abdulsalami Abubakar, Olusegun Obasanjo and now Muhammadu Buhari (again). He was the longest serving Nigerian Ambassador to UN from 1990-1999. He worked under Javier Perez de Cuellar from Peru 1982-1991, Boutros Boutros-Ghali from Egypt 1992-1996, Kofi Annan from Ghana 1997-2006, Ban Ki Moon from South Korea 2007-2016.
UNDOUBTEDLY, Gambari is better than ‘the very best of all of us,’ better in education and career wise as he reached the highest height and pinnacle of education and political/diplomatic career. Perhaps, the reason President Buhari picked him over rivals who made the list of replacement for Abba Kyari after he fell to the whims and caprices of COVID-19. Gambari perfectly fits into this administration and he is the best choice for Buhari as he has the exact HEART and CHARACTER of this administration.
JUSTIFICATIONS
Gerontocracy: A form of government run by old people is known as gerontocracy. Ibrahim Gambari was born in November 24, 1944. This shows that in a couple of months he would turn seventy six (76) years and his principal; Buhari is over seventy seven (77) years old. This is a justifiable reason to show that he is fit into the administration. Buhari ruled Nigeria between December 31, 1983-August 27, 1985 when Nigeria’s population was eighty one million (81,000,000) people and presently he is the ruler of Nigeria when the population is over two hundred million (2000, 000,000) people. This shows that from the period he left office in 1985 to the period he became an Executive President in 2015 (30yrs) Nigeria has added over one hundred and twenty million (120,000,000) people who qualified to be called young population yet the youngest minister in this administration is Sadiyya Umaru; the minister for humanitarian affairs, disaster management and social development who was born in November 5, 1974.
Gambari is better than ‘the very best of all of us;’ Kyari as he was born in September 23, 1952, therefore, he could not have matched Gambari in age while alive but unfortunately and politically, he died untimely. Buhari has passionate, incurable hates towards the young population as he personally believed that they are ‘lazy’ set of Nigerians who want to reap where they did not sow, hence, the exclusion of Nigerian youth in responsible positions except for menial/errand posts. However, I do not have issues with gerontocratic form of government but obviously, I do have issues with ‘lazy old men’ who go abroad for medical tourism on public funds when the public health system is in a state of comatose and unemployment skyrockets every second that passes!
Dictatorial Tendencies: Clamping down on judicial workers through Gestapo and lack of respect for rule of law has been one of the trademarks of this administration and Abba Kyari was seen to be at the helms of the affairs which the first lady vehemently opposed even crying fowls of Abba Kyari usurping the powers of the President. Gambari diplomatic profile rose astronomically during military regime in Nigeria. This shows his philosophical disposition to political power and his love for dictatorship. On several occasions he has been sighted with dictators around the world including the late leader of Libya; Gaddaffi, Omar of Sudan, late Sadam Hussein etc. beyond that, as a Minister of Foreign Affairs under Buhari in 1984-1985 he vehemently defended the attempt of using unconventional means in kidnapping and repatriating Umar Dikko; the minister of transportation under Shehu Shagari administration during the second republic before the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) claiming that Nigeria has the fundamental right as a sovereign country to repatriate her nationals from any part of the world even when obviously unconventional methods were deployed in doing that. Gambari took his love for dictatorship to international level which Abba Kyari did not dare; Gambari surpassed Kyari therefore, he is better than ‘the very best of all of us.’
Killings/Kidnapping: Buhari rode to power on one of the campaign promises of security but unfortunately, killings and kidnappings have increased in Nigeria like never before. Killings by bandits in Katsina, Sokoto, Zamfara etc to the killings by Boko Haram in Yobe, Adamawa, Borno etc to the killings by armed herdsmen in Southern Kaduna, Plateau, Benue, Taraba etc. kidnapping is the order of the day in all the states of the federation and Nigerians are dead-tired of the state of insecurity in all spheres of the country. The slaughter against Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) which was later proscribed is fresh in the hearts of the IMN followers, the killings of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) members and the incarcerations of many of their leaders is not yet forgotten in the hearts of lovers of IPOB and Nnamdi Kanu. All these took place under this administration with accusing fingers in most angles against Abba Kyari especially in the area of proscribing these groups.
Gambari is a lover of killings of innocent souls as he proved it in the case of Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight (8) Ogoni activists who fought against the pollution of Ogoniland which produces large percentage of the nation’s oil income. Gambari defended the killings of these innocent souls on December 22, 1995 at UN meeting and dismissed these innocent souls as ‘common criminals, ‘common criminals? When did activism become criminality? Perhaps; Sowere; the Sahara reporters’ publisher and 2019 presidential aspirant in Nigeria would help out as the word REVOLUTIONNOW was tagged criminal; that’s our political space, Nigeria as the constitution is subjected to the cabal in Aso Rock! Again at international level, he defended killings of innocent souls, this feat Kyari did not attain, therefore, Gambari is better than ‘the very best of all of us.’
Betrayal of the Poor: Buhari rode on the back of the poor to power. The TALAKAWAS; an ideology coined by late Aminu Kano who genuinely loved the poor masses but stolen by this administration. Upon getting to power, Buhari forget about the poor and his policies most especially on agriculture has been anti-masses and counter-productive, this is evident in the prices of food commodities in the market. The poor cared less about fancy cars and houses; food security and shelter are the common worries of the poor and this administration has eternally denied them. All they parade are social schemes of trader monies and a few that give insulting and embarrassing amount of money to people without evidence of verifiable database. A big blow of betrayal for the poor, Kyari was at the center of it all!
Dapo Fafowora, Akinyemi and some others are good witnesses to tears of betrayal in the hand of Gambari and Nigerians should not be too expectant before their blood pressure rise beyond control. A common disease killing many Nigerians unfortunately, there is no database to show these records.
Against Democracy: ‘Democracy is no food…’ this was a statement credited to Gambari sometimes in 1996 in defence of the military regime of Abacha. His current principal; Buhari overthrew the civilian government of Shehu Shagari and returned us all to dark days which lasted for over five thousand (5,000) days yet all these persons are the greatest beneficiaries of DEMOCRACY that Abiola, Ken Saro-Wiwa etc used their blood to pay the price, what an irony of life!
Our rewards system is faulty as the real ones labouring get little and the end of the day they are tagged ‘lazy.’ The lazy Nigerian youth are the ones running miles after vehicles on our high-ways in order to get their money from passengers who have bought their goods yet they are lazy because the rewards system already tags them so. Buhari and Gambari were beneficiaries of systems that are anti-democracy but they are really the greatest beneficiaries today, a sign of hopelessness as it takes genuine people who fought for democracy to bring the dividends of democracy to the masses. We have heard of Kyari but not to this level of openly opposing democracy unlike Gambari, therefore, Gambari is better that ‘the very best of all of us.’
IBRAHIM GAMBARI might not be good to Nigerians but assuredly, he will be better than ‘the very best of all of us,’ Kyari to Mr. President, Buhari. Gambari has a good history of loyalty to overall boss! He could betrayal others on the same pedestal with him, he could malign their persons, he could assassinate their characters but he will be loyal to BUHARI!