Gloomy Birthdays For Andrew, El-Rufai At 66

Certainly, there must be some weirdness or inscrutability in reaching the 66-year-old milestone. When God, having regretted the creation of man due to the wickedness of his heart, decided to set 70 years as the allotted age for man, the divine powers could have attempted to keep man in constant reminder of his mortality, and for him to think deeply and prepare for the inevitable that stares all in the face. Not so with some folks who have so much trouble to dish out, even when walking to the sunset of their lives. This week, two former occupants of the power saddle, the former British royal, Andrew Mountbatten, and the erstwhile Kaduna State governor, Mallam Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai, were caught in the mesh of their past.

The former governor should have known that beguiling the times remains a time-tested strategy, as fearlessness without wisdom makes men tactless and easy to prey upon. This week, both men had the ill luck of experiencing despair on their 66th birthday, with Andrew getting arrested and being released under investigation by the British police on Thursday over the files of the sex offender, now deceased, Jeffrey Epstein. Less than 48 hours before returning to Nigeria from Cairo, El-Rufai, popularly known as the brain behind the political disenfranchisers now in charge of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), cleared all doubts and predicted his planned arrest by the government.

The Unafraid One

The fearless one, whose eight-year reign as governor turned many of his supporters into foes, had predicted that it was just a matter of time for his planned arrest, which he labelled as political intimidation by the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led government. Nigeria would later learn that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had, in December last year, invited him for a chat over sundry accusations concerning his stewardship as governor of Kaduna State. If the EFCC’s invitation, which El-Rufai equated to political intimidation, is anything to go by, the failed planned arrest at the Abuja airport provided an allegory befitting of the small, but mighty man whose sight is dreaded by his opponents. The man’s choice of Monday, February 16, his birthday, to honour the anti-graft agency’s invitation, embodies the relevance of his resolve to bruise his political opponents and end the oppression of the poor, whose long, troubling nights he supervised.

Before turning himself in to the EFCC interrogators, the former governor widened his dilemma by accusing the National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, of issuing orders for his arrest. When asked if he had proof of his planned arrest, the man, who is never short of answers to any question, claimed that a source who had tapped Ribadu’s phone provided him with the information. Even when the interviewer attempted to create a window for him to avert the looming dangers contained in his allegation, the former Kaduna state helmsman said the government was also tapping the telephones of opposition politicians. The ceremony heralding El-Rufai’s arrival at the EFCC headquarters ended quickly as he was shepherded to face his past and defend his roles when he served as governor.

Andrew’s Arrest     

For former Prince Andrew, his arrest yesterday and subsequent release in London, as he clocked his 66th birthday, came after he was accused of sharing state secrets while serving as UK Trade Envoy in 2010 with Epstein. The former royal is under probe for sharing state secrets with a globally well-known pimp, whose exploits in creating pleasurable moments to satisfy the libido of the powerful are plucking down men and from their acmes of authority. The release of the Epstein files is creating ripples and exposing global icons whose paths crossed with the sex offender, who was famed for procuring ‘runaways’ for the highest bidder.

Clients of Epstein are said to have included the former world’s richest man, Bill Gates, who, though admitting he met Epstein, debunked allegations of any inappropriate relationship with the man infamous for arranging sex sessions for high-paying clients. In a swift response to a news report about his meeting with Epstein, the Microsoft founder absolved himself of any act of demeaning status. After being stripped of his royal duties in 2019 amid allegations that he shared state secrets with Epstein, the police briefly arrested Mountbatten and subsequently released him under investigation on Thursday. The former prince’s fate remains indeterminate, as the police probe may reveal the nature of his relationship with the famous panderer.

Striking Differences

The dilemma of both is reflective of the political and cultural orientations of the countries they hail from. Chinua Achebe’s ‘Arrow of God’ contains the timeless advice of the major character, Ezeulu: “It is praiseworthy to be brave and fearless, my son, but sometimes it is better to be a coward. We often stand in the compound of a coward to point at the ruins where a brave man used to live. The man who has never submitted to anything will soon submit to the burial mat.”

Developed nations have gone beyond addressing fundamental challenges of accessing basic human needs. Countries like that of the United Kingdom are now engaged in pursuing moral principles, unlike in Nigeria, where politicians are engaged in deploying sentiments to dehumanise citizens. El-Rufai has talked and walked himself into many troubles he ought to have avoided on account of perceived fierce loyalty from supporters. In the days ahead, the former governor will soon discover that he should not have relied on public applause. Now, alone and outside the floodlights, the former governor will soon realise that not all truths are meant to be said. Both Andrew and El-Rufai are about hitting rock bottom, but more for the latter. As the erstwhile governor experiences the other side of life, let’s hope that he will finally accept the Socratic paradox: “I know that I know nothing.”