Friday, March 29, 2024

Kyari versus Oyo-Ita Drama of the absurd …over Maina

The ambience of the weekly Federal Executive Council meeting’s venue in Aso Villa, Abuja, was violated last week, amid snap shots, giggles, amusement, awe, and above all, technical eavesdrops. The gladiators must have shocked those given to the decorum expected from cabinet members waiting to hold the highest meeting in the land with Mr. President; but for those who had been following recent developments in the country with keen interest, it was all to be expected.

The gladiators in the seeming drama of the absurd were the Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, Abba Kyari, and the Head of Service, Mrs. Winifred Oyo-Ita. Assuredly, Oyo-Ita, in coming for the FEC meeting at a time a secret memo she sent to President Buhari was leaked, was no more than an endangered species.

Patently perturbed and undisguisedly angry, Oyo-Ita sought to know from the Chief of Staff why he was always picking on her, even as she further asked him to explain if she did any wrong against him. At that juncture, the National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno, reportedly joined in the conversation, trying to assuage frayed nerves; but the VP was reportedly muted, listening to all the sides, with the garb of the introspective

The leaked letter, indubitably put the Presidency or President Buhari himself in an awkward situation of needing explanation to Nigerians on why fugitive former boss of the Pension Reforms Task Force, Abdulrasheed Maina, was recalled to service; despite that Oyo-Ita had forewarned the President through the memo, against the action.

The controversial memo, according to its date, had been written before the media blew the whistle on the return of Maina, whom the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission had declared wanted over missing N100 billion pensioners’ life savings, kept under his watch.

When a wanted Maina was discovered at the Ministry of Interior recently, fully at work, the minister in charge, Abdulrahman Dambazau, passed the culpability buck to the desk of the HoS, who immediately rejected it, before further findings showed that the office of the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, owed Nigerians explanations on the scandal.

But while the blame game was on, a smart Maina was long gone, dazzling and dizzying EFCC officials who combed his office, home, everywhere, in search of him. 

Now, with Oyo-Ita’s leaked letter, the buck may have stopped on the table of the President, who seemingly went contrary to the wise counsel of the HoS, a woman that pointed out the dire implication of re-absorbing a suspected thief.

In the controversial missive, Oyo-Ita had stressed that bringing back a man wanted for allegedly embezzling pensioners’ money would not only cast aspersion on the image of the country, but also completely rubbish the anti-corruption crusade of the Buhari
administration.

But at the FEC meeting on Wednesday, while all were waiting for the arrival of the President for the meeting to kick off, the drama began to unfold. Oyo-Ita reportedly looked terrified as she walked past Kyari in concert with Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, but the effect of the brisk movement was not lost on Kyari.

However, the embattled HoS was said to have managed to greet Kyari, who, with the mien of a sleuth, fired a salvo, asking her to explain where she was ever sighted with President Buhari, in which she advised the President against the recall of Maina.

Kyari, according to those who eavesdropped on the war of words between the two cabinet members, was quoted as saying, “I will query you today and you must reply the query with photographic evidence of your meeting with the President over Maina’s issue.”

Piqued by what might have seemed a disgrace before the VP, which could negatively affect her job, the HoS reportedly replied Kyari, wanting to know too, “if you saw the President with a photographer to take pictures, so I can provide photo evidence and write; so that memos will be flying everywhere.”

Patently perturbed and undisguisedly angry, Oyo-Ita sought to know from the Chief of Staff why he was always picking on her, even as she further asked him to explain if she did any wrong against him. At that juncture, the National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno, reportedly joined in the conversation, trying to assuage frayed nerves; but the VP was reportedly muted, listening to all the sides, with the garb of the introspective.

While the hot words were at the verge of deteriorating into a hullabaloo, the newly sworn in Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, came in on hand, as he was reputed to have calmed down the
HoS.

But at this period, the verbal warriors were oblivious to the presence of journalists and photo-journalists, who had a good rake for the day, in the dirty fight between two top members of the Buhari
government.

Popular Articles