{"id":30793,"date":"2014-09-01T10:19:29","date_gmt":"2014-09-01T09:19:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/?p=30793"},"modified":"2014-09-01T10:19:29","modified_gmt":"2014-09-01T09:19:29","slug":"marilyn-ogar-becoming-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/articles-opinions\/marilyn-ogar-becoming-news\/","title":{"rendered":"Marilyn Ogar: Becoming The News"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Michael Egbejumi-David<\/strong><\/p>\n

First saw Ms Ogar on London\u2019s BEN Television about a couple of years ago.\u00a0 I can no longer remember what it was she was pushing on BEN then, but I remember that it was a phone-in show.<\/p>\n

In my view, on that occasion, Ms Ogar did quite well speaking for the Department of State Security (DSS) and for Nigerian security agencies in general.\u00a0 Oh, she veered off into non-answer and banalities once or twice – especially when asked tough or searching questions – and tried to pass those off as responses, but callers to the programme wouldn\u2019t let her.\u00a0 Her feet were held to the fire with robust questioning and counter arguments \u2013 you know, the type that Bishop Mathew Kukah absolutely loathes.<\/p>\n

But, overall, Ms Ogar acquitted herself very well and I went away thinking here was a lady who knew her job.\u00a0 However, it is a whole different Marilyn Ogar that I see on Nigerian TV stations these days: overbearing, patronising, impatient, condescending, pushy and intolerant – the quintessential overzealous civil servant who ignores the demarcation between the state and a political party.\u00a0 The Marilyn Ogar I see now is full of hubris, has the penchant to sermonise, and talks down to people.\u00a0 She also seems to regard anyone who has a contrary view an enemy of the state.<\/p>\n

So it was true to form when Ms Ogar showed up on Channels TV about a couple of weeks ago bristling about lack of bombing after the APC won a governorship contest in Osun State.\u00a0 Ms Ogar was practically frothing at the mouth.\u00a0 She was at her acerbic best.\u00a0 Her body language was something to behold.\u00a0 She was basically throwing a hissy-fit.\u00a0 Initially, I was confused by her general angst.\u00a0 I thought that as a spokesperson for the DSS and as a Nigerian, the lady would be glad that mad people did not bomb anywhere, but her countenance and her delivery suggested otherwise.\u00a0 She sermonised that every time the APC loses an election, bombs are let off in Nigeria.<\/p>\n

Until Ms Ogar made this assertion, I didn\u2019t realise that this was the case.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t even know that there had been that many electoral contests in Nigeria since Boko Haram declared war on Nigerians and began bombing us almost on a weekly basis.\u00a0 As far as I could count it, there have been 5 recent gubernatorial elections.\u00a0 Of the 5, the opposition won 4 (Osun, Anambra, Edo and Ondo) while the PDP won just Ekiti State.\u00a0 So where is this link between APC electoral losses and the ongoing bombings in Nigeria?<\/p>\n

Ms Ogar then went on to claim that a political party tried to make her organisation an offer prior to the election to influence its outcome.\u00a0 Incredibly, there the story ended.\u00a0 Can you imagine Nuhu Ribadu in his hypocritical heydays refusing to mention the name of an Obasanjo opponent that tried to bribe him or the EFCC?<\/p>\n

Trying to unduly influence electoral outcome is an offence under our laws.\u00a0 Is Ms Ogar content to just let this slide?\u00a0 Should serious security matters be politicised like this \u2013 especially by a civil servant?<\/p>\n

Quite palpable was the distaste on Ms Ogar\u2019s face as she discussed APC\u2019s victory in Osun.\u00a0 Clearly, the fact that there was no bombings post election was added merely for effect to make a larger point, to wit: how dare these people win this election?\u00a0 I do not know how and why a civil servant employed by the Nigerian state would be so unhappy about a local election outcome \u2013 unless Ms Ogar also doubles as a PDP spokesperson too but nobody has informed the rest of us yet.<\/p>\n

Personally, I have plenty of distaste in my mouth from APC\u2019s victory in Osun.\u00a0 This is because Rauf Aregbesola, an apostle of made-in-Nigeria Sharia, won.\u00a0 Apart from forcing religion down the throat of a decent, secular society, Aregbesola has the temerity to look like Shaggy of Scooby-Doo fame.\u00a0 But I am a private citizen with no official role or responsibility in the civil service.<\/p>\n

Nigeria\u2019s unsavoury past is littered with governments using security agencies to fight the opposition.\u00a0 Remember the IBB regime and its parcel bomb?\u00a0 Abacha and his killer squad?\u00a0 Since then it has become fashionable for overly ambitious and ubiquitous civil servants to overreach themselves.<\/p>\n

This is why Ms Ogar is quite happy to tell Nigerians who should be and who shouldn\u2019t be at electoral events due to their State of origin.\u00a0 A PR person for the DSS is ready to redefine how electioneering should be conducted in Nigeria.\u00a0 You see how some people take themselves too seriously?<\/p>\n

A civil servant actually came to the public space and made very weighty accusations against people, some of which bordered on state treason without presenting any proof, facts or evidence, just mouthing a few inelegant innuendoes and wink, wink, knowing full well that there would be no reprisals; that is how low things have sunk around here.\u00a0 In our country, professionalism is eagerly sacrificed on the altar of sycophancy and ugliness.\u00a0 Ms Ogar even called the opposition \u2018bad winners.\u2019\u00a0 We are talking about a civil servant in a sensitive post here!<\/p>\n

Back in July, Ms. Ogar labelled the \u2018BringBackOurGirls\u2019 campaigners a franchise (meaning that they belong to a larger organisation).\u00a0 She also claimed they were carrying out smear campaigns against government officials.\u00a0 Again, no proof, no facts, no evidence.<\/p>\n

The DSS is supposed to be one of our most discreet intelligence agencies, unfortunately now, it is its own PR person that is hanging a shabby image around the agency\u2019s neck.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s no gain-saying it: for a long time, Ms Ogar has become the news.\u00a0 She has been very unprofessional in the discharge of her duties.\u00a0 She\u2019s courted too many controversies and there have been too many instances of lack of decorum and lack of discretion.\u00a0 What is on show is just plain recklessness, and frankly, I\u2019m embarrassed for her.\u00a0 She misuses information that may or may not be in the possession of the DSS.\u00a0 Furthermore, the line between serving the state and serving a political party has been completely erased in her mind.\u00a0 She needs help, she needs a break.<\/p>\n

But don\u2019t hold your breath; usually, nobody resigns in Nigeria, and we know that her bosses won\u2019t reassign her.\u00a0 They are probably wishing they had the platform to say half of what she says so the ruling politicians can notice them too.<\/p>\n

And you can bet your bottom dollar that if an opposition party comes to power tomorrow, Ms Ogar will turn up on NTA and plot another graph that blames the PDP for all the bombings.\u00a0 She will do this without batting a crooked eyelash.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

demdem@hotmail.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n

Twitter: demdemdem1<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Michael Egbejumi-David First saw Ms Ogar on London\u2019s BEN Television about a couple of years ago.\u00a0 I can no longer remember what it was she was pushing on BEN…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":30470,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30793","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles-opinions"],"yoast_head":"\nMarilyn Ogar: Becoming The News - 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\/articles-opinions\/marilyn-ogar-becoming-news\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Marilyn Ogar: Becoming The News - 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