Never again in Egypt, never!– Femi Adeoti Column

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FEMI ADEOTI COLUMN

That unguarded utterance almost derailed us. Just when you thought you
had outsmarted them. You goofed. They would spring even deadlier
surprises.
Their weird types don’t give up easily. They are forever defiant for
the wrong reasons. They would stop at nothing. Neither do they care a
hoot.
Selfish and devilish, that’s what they are. Not only that. They are
used to the old normal. We rightly thought we had left Egypt for the
good of us all. But they thought quite differently.
The Egyptians we saw yesterday and destroyed. These queer characters
want to bring back. And they are resolute and determined. The reason
they work assiduously behind the scenes. Stranger than fiction.
They carelessly throw huge spanners in the works for us. Wickedness is
in their DNA. By their evil fruits we can spot them. Their body
language, actions and inactions give them out.
They insist the hard-heartedness we witnessed in the recent past must
remain. They are allergic to genuine change. Reason: they are never
sincere for once. They want to stay back in Egypt. For that’s
profitable for them.
Dateline: Tuesday, June 20, 2023. Venue: Governor’s Office, Birnin
Kebbi, Kebbi State. He was to perform a simple task. But he was
reckless. He veered out of his brief. And fumbled and stumbled all the
way.
There was absolutely no need for what Rakiya Tanko-Ayuba did. He’s
Federal Commissioner, Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal
Commission (RMAFC). He was in Birnin Kebbi to present reports of the
reviewed remuneration package to Governor Nasir Idris.
Instead, he opted to fly a dangerous kite. It ignored the mood of the
nation. It jumped the gun. With gross insensitivity, he pronounced a
unilateral 114 per cent pay rise.
Some of the beneficiaries are extremely lucky. They got into office
less than a month ago and got salary increase. They include the
President and his Vice. Others are first-term governors and public
elected officials.
Tanko-Ayuba claimed he spoke for his chairman, Muhammad Shehu. He
actually came to represent him. What audacity! What impunity!
His thoughtless justification: “Sixteen years after the last review,
it is imperative that the remuneration packages for the categories of
the office holders mentioned in relevant sections of the 1999
Constitution (as amended) be reviewed.”
He erred gravely. He thought it was business as usual. So? He stuck to
doing things habitually. He did not realise we have long moved on.
Reality soon dawned on RMAFC. Sensing the folly in its action. It ate
its stinking vomit almost immediately. That was even before the dust
settled. There was no viable option left. It just must cover its
tracks.
Tragically, its spokesman, Christian Nwachukwu, was not even clever by
half. He neither denied nor confirmed the policy. He spoke from both
sides of his mouth.
He was uncoordinated. And it showed. He got us more confused. He spoke
on phone with Leadership. He disowned Tanko-Ayuba outright:
“My chairman has never made any statement on it. And I have not made
any statement on it. So, I don’t know. I heard one of the
commissioners said it. I don’t want to be quoted.”
He swore to high heavens: “No approval yet. I don’t know the source of
that story.” In another breath he shifted base. He was neither here or
there.
He tactically agreed something of a sort was in the offing:
“Everything is under the process. It has to come as a bill for Mr.
President to assent.”
Nwachukwu easily gave himself away. He was jittery: “I don’t want to
be quoted wrongly. It will be sent to the National Assembly. Whichever
way, whether it has been sent or not, the President has not assented
to it. The legislative process has to be completed.”
Even the Presidency couldn’t stomach Tanko-Ayuba’s guts. Dele Alake,
Special Adviser to the President on Special Duties, Communication and
Strategy, came out clear:
“We state, without any equivocation, that President Bola Tinubu has
not approved any salary increase and no such proposal has been brought
before him for consideration.” That sealed it.
All the same, RMAFC couldn’t quench the vexed and raging outrage. Its
frantic denial notwithstanding. Nigerians would not let the commission
go scot-free. They pounded it in great angst. They were convinced
there couldn’t have been smoke without fire.
Just then, the irritating Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) happened to
us. This time in another dimension. It reared its ugly head
annoyingly. And the Godwin Emefiele leftovers struck again.
They flaunted their known arrogance one more time. So brazen, with
open disregard to our feelings. They are never remorseful. The bank
stoutly hangs on to its adamance. CBN won’t pick useful lessons from
its failed naira restructuring.
The bank was buoyed by RMAFC’s kite. It didn’t take due notice. That
the kite never flew. It was instantly shot down before it took off.
So? It went on blindly to roll out another of its obnoxious policies.
And it has such policies in reckless abundance.
From the blues. CBN Director, Financial Policy and Regulations
Department, Chibuzo Efobi, jumped out of the wrong side of his
expansive bed. Hurriedly. He dusted the bank’s Customer Due Diligence
Regulations, 2023, report.
There, he inserted the Social Media Handles Under Section 6 (IV) in
the report. Without consideration for the rest of us. He posted it
instantly on the CBN website. Addressed to all banks and other
financial institutions.
That extremely unpleasant section comes with serious implications. It
“made the digital ID and social media handles of bank customers a
mandatory requirement for the Know Your Customer (KYC) policy in the
financial industry going forward.” That is how a news report explained
it.
It hit like the thunderbolt it is. CBN again? So soon? It tried to
persuade us. That “it was designed to fortify the fight against money
laundering, terrorism financing, and proliferation financing.” We
won’t be swayed.
The policy spreads obnoxious odours throughout the land. The fury that
greeted it couldn’t have been less. Reactions were harsh and hard.
They didn’t spare the policy masterminds. Do you blame them?
They have had enough unpleasant experiences. CBN did them in, in
recent times. They are not ready to give the bank the luxury of
another chance. That would be a monumental disaster.
Dr. Muda Yusuf, Chief Executive Officer, Centre for the Promotion of
Private Enterprise (CPPE), particularly stood in the gap for us. His
was a no-holds-barred reaction. He touched our feelings so vividly.
He saw the directive as an additional burden for bank customers. He
told Daily Sun: “It is a completely unnecessary obstacle.”
The reasons are not far-fetched: “The banks already have the National
Identification Number (NIN), Biometric Verification Number (BVN),
utility bills and other basic information to identify and monitor
customers with.
“If you want more information and surveillance on any customer, you
have the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU). You use
intelligence to track crimes.”
Another poser: “What will you do with those in the informal sector? We
have over 30-40 million people we are trying to bring into the
financial net. Many of them have no social media handles. These are
old and aging traders and entrepreneurs.”
More than that: “Many traders with large turnovers are not on social
media. Are you going to exclude them from formal banking system?
“If you want to fight terror and other forms of criminality, do
thorough intelligence gathering and analysis. We need the regulator to
do more rigorous thinking and not this approach in fighting terrorism
and other crimes.”
Evidently, some Emefieles are still at work. And calling the shots
effectively. Why should you delight in our plight? Our agony is your
ultimate pleasure.
There are eerie species inside of that bank. This cohort needs to be
identified, isolated and bombed. Just before they come calling afresh
and attempt to snuff life out of us.
They are good at window dressing. They would couch such evil polices
in flowery words. Present them in overblown flamboyance. Run, it’s a
trap. They don’t mean well.
Tell them, let them hear. We’ve left Egypt for good. It’s to our
greatest benefit, favour and advantage.
So? No turning back!

Arase: A police officers’ officer
At the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, Solomon Ehigiator Arase
was patient and submissive. His intellectual formative years actually
took place at the university.
He was picking useful lessons. These came handy when he was climbing
the ladder in the police force. He was dedicated and watchful to avoid
the pitfalls of life. He scaled all the landmines.
He rose through the ranks. He eventually attained the zenith. As the
18th Inspector-General of Police (IGP), he offered uncommon exemplary
leadership. Very rare in his time.
His short tenure, 2015 to June 20, 2016, was without blemish. It was
stainless and spotless. Two of his many achievements as IGP stood him
out. They are the very keys to effective and efficient policing.
One: The Intelligence Response Team (IRT) to combat high-profile
crimes and criminality. Two: The Complaint Response Unit (CRU) to
receive and address complaints of police misconduct from members of
the public.
With CRU, citizens could freely walk in and report cases. They include
police abuse, corruption and extortion. The initiative significantly
stemmed police brutality against Nigerians.
Arase touched lives positively in and out of service. And he is still
counting. He is short on words but long in actions. He walks his
talks. The proofs are in the public space. Very overwhelming for all
to testify.
You now know why he was pulled out of retirement on March 29, 2023, to
chair the Police Service Commission (PSC). And since he came, the
commission has known no lack. It continues to soar like an eagle,
conquering new territories.
His image looms large in the lives of those whose paths crossed his.
They never remain the same again.
Arase hit the ground running on June 21, 1956, in Sapele, now in Delta
State. He obtained a degree in Political Science at ABU. He went on to
study Law at the University of Benin.
He joined the Nigeria Police Force in 1981 as a Cadet Assistant
Superintendent of Police (ASP). He was once Deputy Commissioner of
Police, Ekiti State, and Commissioner of Police (CP) in Enugu State.
Arase, a total man. A police officers’ officer. You came 67 years ago.
You saw and you are still conquering. You must not go unsung.
God bless your new age.