The ‘419’ scam is well known in Nigeria for boasting empty promises of stupendous returns which induce victims to willingly part with their valued possessions. The perpetrators of this fraud, ply their trade nationwide with targets which cut across the social spectrum and include otherwise, successful businessmen and highly educated professionals, who are usually gullible and driven by the unreasonable expectation of clearly unrealistic returns on their ‘investments’. Ultimately, the bubble would burst and much pain and sorrow would follow.

WHEN President Muhammadu Buhari was sworn a year ago, he went to America to thank President Barack Obama for backing him and solicit his support for his administration.

THESE are interesting times to live in Nigeria. Senate President, Bukola Saraki and his Deputy, Ike Ekweremadu are hurled before the courts on criminal charges of allegedly forging the Senate Standing Rules 2015. It raises intriguing questions; can the Senate forge its own rules? Which body but the Senate can determine what its rules are? Which forensic expert can detect the original Rules of the Senate from a forgery if the Senate claims that the latter are its actual rules?

The first part of this series appeared last week after the Federal Minister of Finance reversed herself by announcing that the Federal Government was again considering a bail-out package for the states. Even, before writing last week’s column, it was clear that advising governments in Nigeria is just about as useful as talking to a wall. They ask for “all hands on deck”; but they take cognizance of only the hands closer to the corridors of power and whose vested interests must be protected at all costs – even if the people pay dearly for it.

Wilson, Labor Party leader in the 1970s had left the world with a sentence carved on stone – “A week is a long time in politics.” He also left this advice which none of our national leaders had heeded until now – the need for a sense of history. If I had my life to live all over again, History would have been the subject of choice – not Economics. That, notwithstanding, it is still my strong belief that every leader requires a strong sense of history as a guide to making decisions. Plutarch, c46-120 BC, one of the greatest historians ever to grace the earth, wrote a series on leaders whose reigns were similar in many respects despite ruling in different countries and different times. From it, one can quickly grasp the message, that in some ways every leader mirrors the life of another one in the past. In Africa, Milton Obote of Uganda also ruled twice and was bundled out twice. “Not fire, nor walls of iron can hinder fate”, said Pindar, c518- 438 BC. (VAGUARD BOOK OF QUOTATIONS, VBQ, p 57). Buhari’s history as leader of Nigeria started in December 31, 1983 – it continues now. History would record that he thrown out by the same supporters who brought him to power. Will that history be repeated?