By Denrele Animasaun

“The best index to a person’s character is how he treats people who can’t do him any good, and how he treats people who can’t fight back.”– Abigail Van Buren

President Michael Sata, the president of Zambia died on Tuesday at a London Hospital. He was 77 years old. Nicknamed King Cobra for his abrasive and acerbic rhetoric, he was larger than life and he had a warm relations with President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe and he was accused by critics of autocratic tendencies.

Sata was a man of many parts and his journey is altogether very remarkable. He is a devout Catholic; he was a former policeman, a car assembly worker, a trade unionist, taxidermist and platform sweeper at Victoria Station in London. He really cut his teeth on the shop front and he really did earn his political stripes. He was for a long time the opposition leader and he lost three pr

Zambia’s President Michael Sata (R) takes oath during his swearing-in ceremony at the Supreme Court in Lusaka, on September 23, 2011. Sata took office today, kicking off with a pledge to crack down on the rampant corruption that turned voters away from his predecessor Rupiah Banda. AFP PHOTO

esidential votes before finally becoming the Zambia’s fifth president in 2011.

He was brave enough to stand up to the Chinese and he was scathing, when describing their companies extracting Zambia’s natural resources as “infesters”. The cobra did mellow in time once he got into power .But he never lost his venom ,when a BBC journalist asked if he was losing an election in 2008, he snapped: “I haven’t bloody lost so don’t waste my time.”

And in 2012, Sata chided former US president George W. Bush for arriving 15 minutes late for meeting, he described the 66-year-old as “the young man” and berating him about colonialism! He was truly a formidable man.

He had been unwell for a while and had not been seen in public   and when he was accused of taking working overseas trips, he heard the law makers at the opening of the parliament in Zambia’s capital, Lusaka that ; “I am not dead yet.”

The interim president, Guy, who is white Zambian, son of British immigrants will not be eligible to stand for election as leader because his parents were not born in the country. He will take charge for three months until an election is held to choose a permanent successor.

Scott said of his new role: “It’s a bit of a shock to the system, coupled with this news from London,” Scott, 70, said. “Everyone is getting used to calling me ‘Your Excellency’, and I’m getting used to it. There are truckloads of guys, police following me on motorbikes. It’s very strange but I’m very proud to be entrusted with it.”

Here is wishing, Zambia a smooth transition and a fine example that other African countries should emulate.

Pride goes before a fall

“Wise men speak when they have something to say, fools speak because they have to say something” — Aristotle

Here we go again, when you thought that sabres are silent and peace was restored then, the rhetoric starts all over to tire the senses. The fight between Amaechi and the Goodluck is hotting up. Can they just get it over and done with or better still, do not bring Nigerians into their quarrel? Their fight is personal and not in the interest of Nigerians.

This “he said and she said”, is getting so tiresome and irritating.   So Amaechi accused   Patience Jonathan of corruption. And he said that Patience wanted him to bring the money meant for Rivers people to Abuja. Amaechi should have let sleeping dogs lie. Amaechi spoke at a rally according to the president’s men. Amaechi should not have goaded the Goodlucks and they should have shown some restraint and not respond. But of course, they did. President Goodluck Jonathan made a statement through his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, calling the allegations “baseless”. Expressing shock over the fact that Amaechi had lost the sense of responsible political behaviour adding that he was pursuing his selfish political interests.

“Governor Rotimi Amaechi took his obnoxious willingness to denigrate the highest office in the land in a reckless bid to advance his selfish political interests to a new level of irresponsible and rascally behaviour yesterday (Saturday) in Port Harcourt with his totally false and baseless vituperations against President Jonathan, the First Lady and the Federal Government.”

Goodluck Jonathan also accused Amaechi of losing the “touch with reality”. (Pot calling kettle black me thinks). And it continues “We can only assume therefore that he is deliberately spewing malicious falsehood in a desperate effort to incite the people of Rivers State and Nigeria against his assumed political foes.”

He warned Amaechi against crossing both legal and moral limits by such claims, which aim at tarnishing his wife’s reputation.

“The immunity which he currently enjoys notwithstanding, Governor Amaechi should be under no illusions: A day of reckoning will surely come when he will answer for all his actions and false allegations against President Jonathan, the First Lady and the Federal Government. He should also know that Nigerians are aware of the truth and will never be fooled or swayed by his arrant opportunism and anti-Jonathan ranting.” This is a threat and true, what they say, that when two elephants fight it is the grass that suffers. I hope that they can spare ordinary people and not innocent people suffering because of their personal fights.

Amaechi got a short shift telling off via GEJ’s impresario, Abati and he shot back by reminding Goodluck Jonathan that he is not his ‘Prefect’ and that he won’t be threatened by sanctions for speaking his mind, noting that, he cannot threaten him with sanctions for criticizing the president for not attracting developmental projects to the state.

Goodlucks’ court has hit back by accusing Amaechi of “Political rascality,” and Amaechi’s camp has returned the Volley by reminding the Goodlucks’ that the River State governor is an elected official and   governor is an elected official. Semenitari said, “I would want to say that the Presidential Spokesman should be careful for the kind of threats he issues to an elected Governor. And “he should remember that the President is not a prefect of the governor. He was elected as President just as the Governor was elected as a governor, and Nigeria is a federation.

She reminded, Abati of his limits and that he should not attempt to “cross his boundaries”. And that “it is a bit strange to hear the kind of comments coming out of the Presidency and this shows that the statement was already prepared before governor Amaechi spoke.

“At no point in his speech did Governor Amaechi make any references. His wife was not even discussed because she is not an official of government.

“I do not understand where or how Mr. Abati got his story, so we just take it that this is one of those clear indications of rascality within the Presidency trying to call a dog a bad name and hang it”.