Date Published: 09/15/09
RIBADU THE RASCAL SOCCER PLAYER – EEE! EE! EE ! By Farouk Martins Aresa
Nigeria is not without some very interesting news. Even those who say it is usually bad news will concede that we had good news recently with the majestic entry or homecoming of Nuhu Ribadu, to personally pay condolence visit to the family of one and only late Gani Fawehinmi. He did not have to and his bereaved hosts could have perfectly excused his absence. No matter how you feel about Ribadu, he still surprises our “Maradonas”.
Nigerians love for soccer is second to none anywhere. We have produced so many world players in that field but none of them can dribble like Nuhu Ribadu. We still remember when his superiors in the police ordered him to Abuja. They complained that he had skipped town like a coward and could not be found in Nigeria. They had speculated which road he took to his heels but did not know which route he took back to Abuja to report his presence.
Allah works in a mysterious way for those who help themselves as we celebrate Gani Fawehinmi’s life. If Ribadu’s car was not bullet proofed, they could have gotten him at an earlier age than Gani. The police are still asking for evidence of that attempted murder. That sends a message to the most doubtful Nigerians who disagreed with Ribadu during his tenure at EFCC unless they were sorry that those assassins missed. Others claimed he was trying to draw sympathy and attention to himself.
When he showed up at the Abuja EFCC office, they were flabbergasted, running helter-skelter. Before they could round up the police MOPOL, he was gone. He caught them flat footed. Again, they complained that he did not give a notice of his coming and missed his original appointment. Ribadu has been accused of many things in his career in the Police Force and at the EFCC, nobody has accused him of being a mumu yet.
He has dribbled them repeatedly. They could not find him in the Country and cannot liquidate him outside the Country, yet he appeared at Gani’s house in Ikeja, Lagos Nigeria! Before they could sight his presence, he was gone. This man must have turned into a magician. The last time they manhandled him was at his graduation and he knew they were going to do their worst. They did not disappoint him, without any regard for his family, friends and well-wishers.
The best way to remember Gani is to celebrate his life so that his enemies can be hunted in their sleep. There are many sightings of Ribadu these days in their sleep, especially in the guilty conscience of those he helped into power. We are now getting information that he appeared at Aso Rock as the light went out, courtesy of Nigerian Power Holding Corporation formerly dutifully referred to as NEPA . As they tried to grab him, he dribbled them here, there, forward, backwards, sideways, up, down and ee, ee, ee!
The next sighting in their sleep was at the National Assembly where he had some chat with friends and foes. When he left, he visited Aondoakaa’s office, the Attorney General of Ibori, Tinubu and Attah asking him to produce the Affidavit he (Ribadu) had signed against his fatherland. This is a case of crooks calling a poor man a thief to be dealt with at the Mushin Chief Customary court.
The Attorney General of Barawo called on his phone for help. The phone was ringing in his ears but was dead on the other end. Realizing that he needed to charge it, PHC electricity was gone. He had to yell for his driver’s attention. He ordered him to bring MOPOL right away, but there was no petrol. By the time security arrived, Ribadu had disappeared again into the wall. He made the point that; if you drive Nigerians up the wall, instead of fighting back, they disappear into the wall.
Dreams can be disappointing sometimes. Many of us are still in the dreamland waiting for others to sacrifice their lives so that mischievous people can get some break. Many of these lives have been wasted, from the young in their college days to the old and wise that never realized the Nigeria they fought for. Our tactics must change. Looters are waging a war on Nigeria from every front, we cannot defeat them by convectional methods. We must use our brains more.
Ribadu thought it was worth the risk of being caught and tortured to death in Nigeria like those before him who were brave enough to challenge the power that be or was. Indeed, it was a dangerous risk. Those who were killed are gone to a resting place. Those who are bereaved are the ones that suffer the loss. Please, as one with the knowledge of their secrets, be careful Ribadu. There is much more for you to accomplish before you get to Gani’s age and caliber.
Every reasonable African father prays for those coming after him to surpass his achievement in life. Gani was a giant and those who were lucky to stand on his shoulder must honor him by looking and seeing further than he did. We cannot wait to celebrate his achievement in life. We do not have to die in sorrow because of his loss since he would have expected more from us.
It turns out they were confusing Gani with Nuhu in their dreams. We must remember that their only good talika is a dead talika. Those who want Ribadu either dead or a coward so they can declare him a hero just for crocodile tears have to hold their breath. They cannot stop crying for Fawehinmi. Unashamed of their hypocrisy, in the full glare of those who witness their roles, they contributed to his death. If the dead could wake up in the midst of lies, Gani would wake up.
It must be noted that in spite of our cynicism in Nigerian experiment for investing in education all over our Country, that little is paying dividends. We can disagree and agree on Ribadu and others not because they are from the South or the North, but on the lines they draw for their battles. There is still hope for Nigeria.
