{"id":126495,"date":"2026-04-08T14:53:12","date_gmt":"2026-04-08T13:53:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/?p=126495"},"modified":"2026-04-08T14:53:12","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T13:53:12","slug":"from-praise-to-rebuke-omokri-greets-david-mark-at-78","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/from-praise-to-rebuke-omokri-greets-david-mark-at-78\/","title":{"rendered":"From Praise to Rebuke: Omokri Greets David Mark at 78"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">By Oscar Okhifo<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A former presidential aide and Ambassador-designate to Mexico, Reno Omokri, has penned a strongly worded open letter to former Senate President, David Mark, on the occasion of his 78th birthday, commending his past service while questioning his current political engagements.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In the letter published on his verified Omokri acknowledged Mark\u2019s decades of contribution to Nigeria, tracing his public service career back to 1967 when he joined the Nigerian Army.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cNigeria owes you a debt of gratitude for the roles you have played in nation building for the past sixty years beginning in 1967 when you joined the Nigerian Army,\u201d Omokri wrote.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He further praised Mark\u2019s role during the Nigerian Civil War, noting that, \u201cyou fought on the federal side against the defunct Republic of Biafra during the Nigerian Civil War, for which a grateful nation must thank you for your service.\u201d<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Omokri also highlighted Mark\u2019s subsequent appointments, including his leadership of the Committee on Abandoned Property in 1976, his tenure as Military Governor of Niger State in 1984, and later as Communications Minister in 1987.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">However, the former aide did not shy away from controversial aspects of Mark\u2019s career, referencing his involvement in the political upheaval that led to the removal of the Interim National Government in 1993.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cOn November 17, 1993, by your own admission, you collaborated with General Sani Abacha to topple the civilian administration of Chief Ernest Shonekan,\u201d he stated.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Turning to Nigeria\u2019s return to democracy in 1999, Omokri noted the role of pro-democracy groups such as the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), and commended Mark\u2019s eventual rise to Senate President in 2007, where he served for eight years.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Despite the commendations, Omokri questioned what he described as a decline in Mark\u2019s political standing, particularly his reported involvement in internal disputes within the African Democratic Congress.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The development comes against the backdrop of a recent birthday message issued by the African Democratic Congress (ADC) under Mark\u2019s leadership to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, which was widely described as sharply critical.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u00a0In that message, the party reportedly chastised the President\u2019s leadership style and economic policies, saying they \u201chave reduced drastically the purchasing power of majority of Nigerians.\u201d<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Observers say Omokri\u2019s letter appears to strike a contrasting tone, blending praise with pointed criticism, and, in part, serving to temper what some viewed as the ADC\u2019s earlier hardline stance.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cDistinguished Senator, how could you have been the Number Three person in Nigeria for eight years, yet you are today struggling for the position of Chairman of a fringe party, with a man who is almost in the same age bracket as your oldest grandchild?\u201d he queried.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He further challenged Mark\u2019s current role in national politics, suggesting that at 78, he should be serving as a unifying figure rather than being embroiled in political disputes.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Citing literary icon Chinua Achebe, Omokri invoked a proverb to underscore his point about elder statesmanship and responsibility.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In the closing paragraphs of the letter, Omokri wrote:<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cSir, at 78, should you be the person undermining an institution as vital to Nigeria&#8217;s existence as the Independent National Electoral Commission?<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">What did Chinua Achebe say?<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u2018When an adult is in the house, the she-goat is not left to suffer the pains of parturition on its tether\u2019.\u201d<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cInstead of engaging in what the Lukumi Yoruba people describe as &#8216;Two fighting, ediye meji n ja&#8217; with the 35-year-old Nafiu Bala, at 78, perhaps you, sir, could be the adult in the house and stop the parturition pains that your faction of the African Democratic Congress is heaping on the nation and the Independent National Electoral Commission.\u201d Omokri concluded.<\/div>\n<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Related Posts generic via filter on the_content -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Oscar Okhifo A former presidential aide and Ambassador-designate to Mexico, Reno Omokri, has penned a strongly worded open letter to former Senate President, David Mark, on the occasion of&hellip;<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Related Posts generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":126496,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-126495","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>From Praise to Rebuke: Omokri Greets David Mark at 78 - Pointblank News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/from-praise-to-rebuke-omokri-greets-david-mark-at-78\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"From 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