By David Onmeje
As a social commentator, there are some people I have regards for, and there are also some I do not have considerations for. The reasons are simple. There is a group that believes that the pen is mightier than that sword and are circumspect in their writings.
The other group of people who are opportunists masquerading as social commentators, while in truth, their motivation is for monetary gains. Farooq Keprogi and his ilk’s constitute the bulk of the second group and primarily why I am writing this piece.
Farooq Kperogi was one of the presidential speechwriters during the infamous regime of Olusegun Obasanjo between 2002 to 2004. So in a way, it is expected that he would not ordinarily see any good in the present administration in solidarity with his former boss.
I stand to be corrected. He has also somewhat displayed some erratic tendencies that indicate he may be offended by the theory of unfulfilled expectation regarding political patronage. Just maybe. However, that is a topic for another day.
As stated earlier, I think Nigerians should be wary of writings from such individuals especially on issues of national interest. This is not to say that he hasn’t contributed his share of brilliant writings over time, but rather to say that his recent posturing as reflected in his writings are suspect and highly misleading.
For some inexplicable reasons, Farooq Kperogi now seems to celebrate bad news. He seems to be quick in passing judgments like he would have done better if given the opportunity. The worrisome aspect of it all is that he is far away from the truth in Atlanta and ordinarily would depend on second-hand information or secondary data to keep abreast of happenings in Nigeria.
As a supposed researcher, he should know that secondary data are viewed with a pinch of salt because, the accuracy of secondary data is questionable due to, and, the data may be outdated.
I do not like to make classifications, but in this instance, I am forced to state that Farooq Kperogi has joined questionable characters like Deji Adeyanju who have made it their stock in trade to wait for a bomb to detonate and they get pictures of disaster scenes outside Nigeria and post online without having the courtesy to verify. Yes, that is how bad they have taken their trade. And I am not surprised.
I am of the opinion that Nigerians should not take these characters seriously because at some point I could not make a sense out of their supposed intellectual abilities. For Deji Adeyanju, it is quite understandable, because even my four -year-old daughter wouldn’t take him seriously because of his antecedents. But for Farooq Kperogi, it is hard to understand what went wrong. So much so that I recall asking a senior colleague of mine if he could place the rationale for Farooq’s recent decline in engaging the minds of his readers with quality research work. And his response was apt. He said, “Kperogi has lost it.”
Indeed, I agreed with him entirely because his arguments are mostly unfounded and laced with outright insinuations and illogical conclusions. This is aside from the fact that his delivery is also incoherent and deficient. And this is supposed to be an assistant professor. I mean, the preconceived mindset can be easily deciphered by a discerning mind. And the question is how did he disintegrate this low?
A situation where a group of people for reasons best known to them would spread outright falsehood to the unsuspecting public just merely because they can express themselves in writings is at best uncharitable and a great disservice to the fatherland.
It is more like they are in support of evil. For example, they are quick to publicized to the world the activities of terrorist in Nigeria. They are also quick to let the world know that we are experiencing terrorism. They are quick to post pictures and share stories. But they always shy away from projecting the great efforts of the government of the day.
They have constituted themselves into mourners. They eagerly await the next news on evil so that they can propagate it. But for how long they wish to do this is best known to them. One thing they cannot deny is the fact that the government of the day has shown an unalloyed commitment to the Nigerian cause unlike in times past where Nigeria almost became a Banana republic. The government of the day does not need the approval rating of a few that are not resident in the country to disburse the dividends of democracy to her citizens. The government of the day is also not distracted by the antics of those that do not mean well for the country.
Interestingly, these individuals are not in the majority, but rather in an infinitesimal group who are blinded by the quest for flirty lucre to continue to cast aspersion on the giant development strides recorded in Nigeria in the past three years in critical areas. Farooq Kperogi and his co-travelers should know and do better than what they are doing. They should retrace their steps and join hands in efforts at nation-building.
The global community’s appreciation of the giant strides that have been made by President Buhari’s Administration in fighting terrorism and corruption, as well as in deftly managing the nation’s economy at a time of global economic downturn, is an indication that the Administration is on course in its quest to ensure a better life for the people.
Nigeria shall thrive again; Nigeria is on the path to greatness. And we shall get there as a people and as a country regardless of the grand efforts of the agents of darkness. And it behooves on all well-meaning Nigerians to continue to work for a united Nigeria. Farooq Kperogi and his group of satanic mourners should take note.
Onmeje is a UK trained PR Consultant.
