Wike memes: Reflections of the ephemerality of power and a dysfunctional state

There’s no day that passes in Nigeria without something new trending. As Gen Zs’ put it, ‘Naija na cruise’, and you can’t fault the assertion. While in the last weeks, the Country was put in a state of frenzy by a tweet on Truth Social by the current American President, Donald Trump, alleging that a Christian Genocide was taking place; a much burlesquic display took place a few days ago.

This revolves around the now trendy public confrontation between the Federal Capital territory ‘s minister, Nyesom Wike and a young naval officer,  Lt. AM Yerima in a case alleging revocation of land in Gaduwa area of the FCT. The said 30 or so hectares of land is said to have been legally acquired some years back by senior military officers of the Country.  As it is now being revealed, the FCT minister had revoked ownership of the land and reawarded it to others, including his friends and acquaintances.

The issue came to a head on a few days back when the confrontation between the minister and officers boiled over, and became a subject of national interest. Several interpretations have been given the confrontation, from the rational to the legal, the emotional to the comical and recently creation of different memes turning the confrontation to a physical one, with the younger officer smashing the listless older man to the ground. The last I saw was the composition of a song of the incident mocking the minister and asking people to search out for the officer who has been unwilling pushed into an unwanted limelight for a gift of N10,000. Besides, content creators have gone over themselves milking the trending issue, among them the inimitable governor Amuneke, Nasboi, Cute Abiola, 4Fun Mamamia and others.

Beyond these, most Nigerians expressed happiness that at last, someone has stood up to the minister who it will appear, has stepped on different toes recently with the spate of land revocation he had carried out recently and allegations that he awarded hectares of land to his sons. Several reasons could therefore be ascribed to why Nigerians reacted the way they did. Not the least, evocative videos of destroyed parks and homes which had been declared illegal and taken over by FCT officials. These are not helped by the garrulous and acerbic manners adopted in speeches and interviews by the minister. Utterances which should be seasoned with grace and civility most times come across as disdainful and detestable to hearers and viewers.

The incident which took place between the two parties and Nigerians reactions to it made a lot of revelations despite how much content creators and bloggers made light of it. The first is that the military still remains an institution respected for its power, strength and professionalism. It is still seen as a beacon of respectability to which others should learn from. As a result, there should be a fine diplomatic relationship between them and other arms of government or her officers. The discipline and regimental structure is ever present and instilled in her officers. The Nigerian state could borrow a leave from them. Little wonder, the President, Bola Tinubu alluded to their importance to the country. His statement, if nothing else reveals that the FCT minister is walking alone (apologies to Liverpool fans). The brotherhood in the military is reflected in the manner, retired and current officers have rallied around Lt. AM Yerima, and supported him.

The other point to note is the truism of a failing state displayed in full glare by the clash between Wike and the officer.  Within the laws of the land, the FCT minister is charged with allocation and revocation of land in the territory. Howbeit, the beauty of the law and power is that all should be guided within the parameters of the law. And at the same time, principles of humanity, compassion and empathy should define how the rules are applied.  From complaints, there are allegations that even when documents are presented, lands are revoked; even while cases are in court, the bulldozers move in. In these ways, people suffer losses, emotionally, financially, mentally and are traumatised. Such could have been avoided when we are guided by the rule of law, and obey it.

From the altercations between the officer and the minister, an irony is seen. While the younger man who was verbally abused and insulted, kept his cool and mien, the older man who should have shown the wisdom bestowed by age, couldn’t control his emotions! Lacking was the gravitas required by officers of the government.  Even if it is within his authority to confront the young officer, there must be senior FCT officials whose duties it is to handle such knotty cases. And if it was so important for the minister to be on the ground, he could have embraced the dignity of his office with decorum and courtesy. Especially with the realisation of the importance and place of the military in the Nigerian State. The Igbos have a proverb, “anaghi agwa nwata mara ihe, ka oputa la anwu (you don’t tell a wise child to come out from the sun)”.

Lastly, there should be more reflections and soul searching on the part of the minister and the government at large if most Nigerians would cheer and ululate at the confrontation between Gov. Nyesom Wike and Lt. AM Yerima. Apparently at the former being chased away from the disputed land. It shows that the government is far from the governed, and all efforts should be made to ensure implementation of people friendly policies which would impact lives. There is a hollowness or chasm which needs to be filled. And the time to ensure it is done, is now!

Okiyi PhD writes from Abuja, Nigeria.