<\/p>\n
This is not the end of Senator Dino Melaye politically, he shall rise
\nagain pretty soon. He is like the calabash in water, hardly can it be
\nsuppressed. We have seen him rose from obscurity to limelight – from
\nseemingly nowhere to somewhere. He brought Okun land to national
\nreckoning and sustained it thus far. He seamlessly navigates his way
\nthrough the world of activism, patronage and politics, capturing the
\nminds of Nigerians. The story of this man is a gripping tale of divinely
\nwritten note laced with lyrical anecdote the tragic comedy experiences
\nof a lad who goes on to become a billionaire by sheer grit and
\ndetermination. In ABU Zaria, he bulldozed his way into the consciousness
\nof students unionism and remains a deciding reference until he exited
\nthe scene into the world of politics.<\/p>\n
Characteristics of a goal-getter, he integrated himself into the
\npolitical structure of General Buba Marwa when the latter was contesting
\nNigeria’s presidency under the People’s Democratic Party. Marwa lost the
\nticket but Dino won’t go the way of Marwa as he launched himself
\npolitically and thus began his voyage into national politics in 2007
\nwhen he won the seat to represent his people in the National Assembly as
\na member representing Kabba\/Ijumu Federal Constituency. From a mere
\nstudents agitator, Dino had become a federal legislator! This
\nunprecedented voyage would soon hit the rock when the devil in him
\nmanifested as he became the unofficial defender of Patricia Etteh,
\nSpeaker of the House of Representatives then. He could take a bullet for
\nher, he could fight anyone for her. By the time Etteh had vacated her
\nposition, it was a Dino that was left at the mercy of his colleagues. To
\nreclaim his legitimacy as a honourable member, he had to employ
\ndifferent surviving mechanism including fighting physically. In one of
\nthese infamous outings, Dino was reduced to nakedness as every piece of
\nclothing on him was shredded in rags. And this followed with an 8 months
\nsuspension from the House!<\/p>\n
Like an Abiku child, Dino returned again in 2015 when he joined forces
\nwith the progressives to dislodge the people ‘s Democratic Party. He was
\nthe official MC of all the APC presidential campaigns and life in the
\nparty was an assured one for the Okun boy survivalist. In Kogi State, he
\nbecame a strong political decider having won his first senatorial
\ncontest- having defeated Senator Smart Adeyemi of the PDP. Together, he
\ngalvanized votes for late Prince Abubakar Audu. He was the right-hand
\nman of Audu. Then came Audu’s death and Dino changed. He didn’t only
\nchange but changed to a spitting viper, taunting the Igalas as being too
\ngreedy with power. That was when he made his infamous speech, ‘The
\npeople voted for Audu, but God made Bello Governor, therefore, anyone
\nwho is against Bello is against God’!<\/p>\n
Dino, now a senator in the 8th Assembly resurfaced again this time more
\ndaring than ever. With the unpopular emergence of Senator Bukola Saraki
\nas Senate President as against the wishes of his party’s wish, Dino
\nassumed the position of a defender, attacker and striker for Saraki. He
\nwas firing from all angles. No one was spared in his protection of
\nSaraki’s territorial dynasty. First to be hit, were the Tinubus, he
\nreduced the Jagaban to almost a scorning reference. So daring and
\nimpulsive was Dino that he almost beat up Senator Remi Tinubu-
\nthreatening to put her in the family way! Not done, he took a flight to
\nBoundilion – Tinubu’s residence and challenged the political godfather
\nto touch him.<\/p>\n
Not done, he took on his governor,\u00a0 Kogi state Alhaji Yahaya Bello, this
\nfight was perhaps Dino’s albatross. This fight together with the others
\nled to the political predicament of Dino. Yahaya Bello, another young
\nman with pulsating energy as Dino went to the gutters as he mercilessly
\nengaged Dino to a standstill. So vicious was the fight that Dino became
\na fugitive in Kogi state. Several attempts were made to have brought to
\nLokoja where cases of illegal arms possession, murder were tied to him.
\nIt was during this court order to have him face the law in Lokoja that
\nhe jumped from a moving vehicle and almost put ‘police in trouble’. Same
\ntime he climbed a tall tree running from assassins as he put it.<\/p>\n
From every corner, Senator Dino was fighting everyone including the
\npolice. So notorious was his fight that he found the president as his
\nlast resort. During the 2018 Budget presentation, Dino was alleged to
\nhave led the booing gang that booed and humiliated president Muhammadu
\nBuhari. So infuriated was the president that he left without waiting to
\nhear the address of the leadership of the National Assembly. And since
\nthen, it was love lost relationship between Saraki, Dogara and the
\npresident with Dino playing the undertaker.<\/p>\n
Can we also say of his needless jibe on Senator Godswill Akabio during
\nthe valedictory ceremony of the 8th senate? In his usual uncouth jab, he
\nmocked Akpabio for losing his bid to return to the senate and reminded
\nhim that only the street would Akpabio find resort having lost in all
\nfronts. Today, Akpabio is a senior minister and one of the new APC
\nleadership in the South-South while Dino is a guest of the street having
\nlost his own senatorial bid. Indeed there is mystery in the affairs of
\nmen.<\/p>\n
Dino conveys the tragedy of the Nigerian youth, he symbolizes every
\nNigerian struggle since he does not have any ancestral influence but
\nlike a neatly air-filled balloon, he pierced it thus not just letting
\nout air but bursting the beautiful latex balloon. His full
\ncharacterization covers the Nigerian reality where personal interest
\ndefines existence. Like Ram Mohammed Thomas the child hero in the
\nblockbuster ‘The slumdog millionaire ‘ Dino challenged the Nigerian
\nreality where’ the poor can only dream of a good life and where rule of
\nlaw are handmaidens of the rich’, Dino forges his destiny through sheer
\nresilience, determination, perseverance, courage and brute force. He
\nbecame a fascinating reference of inspirations and symbol for the poor
\nmasses as they look up to him for inspirations. This was not to be as he
\ntoo like those before him jumped ship and chose to identify with the
\noppressors he once fought. From Dino of the people, it became Dino of
\nthe rich.<\/p>\n
As it is, the 9th Assembly may sail without Dino Melaye unless of
\ncourse, the court decides otherwise. Until then, he is going to be a
\ntenant of the street same place he wished Senator Godswill Akpabio. This
\nis what unguided heroism can cause, it makes one vulnerable, exposed and
\nopened to needless harms. The chick survived the fury of the hawks
\nbecause it lies low from the prey of the hawks. Please save your
\npromising rise by choosing the fight that suits you as the furious rise
\nof a child is usually not lasting especially when the child is against
\nnature.<\/p>\n
Take a bet, the Dino Melaye I know, a perilously intelligent, an
\nuncommon fighter defined in sheer doggedness will bounce back again. He
\nhas defined an impenetrable template of survival. From an abysmally poor
\nbackground, the Okun born lad extricated himself from the intimate
\nembrace of poverty. That he is where he is today, is a testimony that
\nwhere you come from is never a limitation to what you are today. Using
\nempirical measurements, I dare to say that Dino has broken the ceiling
\nof limitations. He has redefined what struggle for emancipation is. He
\nis a walking reference of grass to grace. when his rebound will happen,
\nonly time can tell. Until then, it is the end of an era for this enigma.<\/p>\n
Abdullahi O. Haruna Haruspice writes from Garki Abuja<\/p>\n
Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android [1]<\/p>\n
Links:
\n——
\n[1]
\nhttps:\/\/go.onelink.me\/107872968?pid=InProduct&c=Global_Internal_YGrowth_AndroidEmailSig__AndroidUsers&af_wl=ym&af_sub1=Internal&af_sub2=Global_YGrowth&af_sub3=EmailSignature<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
This is not the end of Senator Dino Melaye politically, he shall rise again pretty soon. He is like the calabash in water, hardly can it be suppressed. We…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":68621,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-70640","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles-opinions"],"yoast_head":"\n