I am not so concerned about the plausibility or otherwise of Soludo’s seminal piece that has sparked off Fabian’s tantrums, not at all. His facts were laid bare and do not require further adumberations or footnotes. My worry is with how every lagard and human opprobrium now wants to exploit the rage of the emotive mobs to launder their putrid image. Like the bitter truth, if identifying with Soludo’s past successes is the pill required to heal Fabian’s ailing public image I believe Soludo should be magnanimous enough to oblige him. This is what brothers do after all.
My Warri friend would say, “dem dey find meat for pot, kpomo dey show face”. In all modesty Fabian Osuji, in a clime where shame is a thing, should not have the locus to engage in public discourse as one who once abused public trust in one of the popular bribery scandals that rocked his ship as the Minister for education under the then President Obasanjo. This is plus the known fact that the Federal Ministry of Education under his watch witnessed no significant face-lift. Thus, his sack was a deserving riddance to bad rubbish.
Suddenly, Fabian has found his voice under the pretext of “crowd mentality”, which makes no difference for one who has so much to explain to posterity. The Story of Soludo’s emergence as the Governor of Central Bank is one that every Tom, Dick and Harry is ascribing to themselves for the singular fact that he made huge success out of it. For this, an ever confident Soludo has continued to express thanks to all concerned for this, not because they are right, but for their sheer confidence to identify with his disruptive success story that repositioned the Banking sector and the Financial systems of the largest black Nation on earth.
One will then ask, “can those who recommended Fabian Osuji to President Obasanjo be proud to own up to it?” Your guess is as good as mine. Failure, they say, is an orphan. This should bother the sacked Minister of Education, not Soludo’s emergence, evolution and continued growth. Let’s also concede Soludo’s very existence to Fabian’s recommendation to God almighty, does it change the fact of his inglorious past that cannot be wiped off even if he elects to be the Chief Publicist of the “Obidient mob”.
By Cyril Igbokwe