Apparently, tongues have been wagging since the controversial Femi Fani Kayode, FFK as he is fondly called moved to the APC after his previous track of being a serial opposing attack dog to the Buhari administration but let me burst your bubble, FFK is one of the most smartest and properly educated Nigerians ever, take this to the bank.
The reason why Nigerians have developed a mentality that would see the action of FFK as unusual is the fact that most see being dedicated to work, duty or causes as absurd. The only acceptable standard in the society now is hypocrisy where you must appear to be comfortable with a venture even when your heart says no or that the price to move to the next is right. There can never be a more retrogressive mentality than this in a lifetime and that is why there is so much poverty and hopelessness in the society because people are scared to try certain things for the fear of stereotypes and discriminations which is so prevalent in the current FFK defection matter, unfortunately for some of them, the guy had long grown a thick skin for it and he had got enough answers for them, they can’t even stand him on a public debate podium.
When did it become a norm to begin to hold us accountable for all of the things we’ve said in a lifetime? Seriously? People don’t have a right to have change of mind. Every decision of a lifetime is made based on prevailing circumstances and once those conditions are no longer existent, one would be a fool to continue to harbor initial positions. Some other people say he swore and I’ve always wondered in my life how people must insist to have assumed godly status to the point of determining the status of a swear or sins per time, God himself whom we swear about forgives. Let me refer you to my article of 16 June 2020 titled ‘Pantami and His Citizen Right to Political Opinion’ and which can be found here https://dailytrust.com/pantami-and-his-citizen-right-to-political-opinion. In the article I had called the attention of the critics of the Prof’s past political commentaries to the fact that all of them were made at a time when certain conditions were prevalent and once those conditions have changed, the reaction and opinions must also change.
Some other people including some media personalities have also spoken about FFK’s bigoted posturing and I wondered who is really a saint regarding bigotry issues in this country. I have written articles which certain media men and houses will refuse to publish clearly because it didn’t sit well with their bigoted tendencies but then I understood because I’ve been well grounded in the Nigerian issues and I know how it could go per time and circumstance. The question is ultimately if anyone of us is sincerely qualified to crucify anyone in terms of bigotry.
Then let me simply tell you why politicians like FFK, he is very intelligent and never a hypocrite. He has come a long way of building critical knowledge and a beautiful selling point of eloquence that’s good enough to bully off detractors and opposing views. Who wouldn’t want to recruit such a figure. So many other people who had different opinions in the past like Godswill Akpabio and who have defected to the APC did not generate the sort of furor that FFK’s has generated, this says much about how much swag he carries. Hate him or loath him, you’ll always give it to him for his eloquence. Furthermore, we must not forget the sacrosanct fact of politics being just a game and nothing more, recruitment of players to further boost chances is absolutely allowed and only those who have showcased capacity and critical skills needed per time will be approached and of-course once the fees are right, deal is sealed.
All of these are why we have always clamored for citizens to imbibe critical skills and develop them
Into selling points to the extent that one becomes a walking commodity that could be priced at any instance and of-course once the condition and price are right, working together becomes imminent and it’s incumbent on the employee to ensure a near perfect delivery of what’s expected of them. So before we all crucify FFK and Buhari (APC), let’s ponder on these thoughts.
Hashim Suleiman
oneheartnaija@yahoo.com