Irukera beware our Chinese loan

It would appear that Babatunde Irukera has a nose for trouble. This young Yagba man recently attempted to disrupt the normative order of things in his home state of Kogi by jumping into the non-vacant governorship race. He forgot that Yahya Bello was the anointed of the ruling party and got a bloody nose before […]

It would appear that Babatunde Irukera has a nose for trouble. This young Yagba man recently attempted to disrupt the normative order of things in his home state of Kogi by jumping into the non-vacant governorship race. He forgot that Yahya Bello was the anointed of the ruling party and got a bloody nose before the race began. Since then, he has returned to the relative obscurity he came from.

Usually, those who attempt to remove establishment candidates return to the purgatory of obscurity never to be heard from again. But Irukera has exposed his handsome face again, this time in Lagos.

Last week, he closed down Hua-fei Restaurant, operating from the highbrow Victoria Island allegedly for operating an apartheid era For Whites Only eatery.

PremiumTimes quoted Irukera’s Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Committee (FCCPC) as closing the restaurant for refusing to serve Nigerians.

Hear him: “Our law prohibits obnoxious practices. It is obviously obnoxious to discriminate.” He even threatened to sue the restaurant owners for discrimination.  The restaurant owners denied several claims of discrimination and demanded an apology from the federal agency. It said Hua-Fei means Chinese-African and that its owner is a titled chief in Ogun State and has run businesses in Nigeria for 20 years.

Brazen acts of nationalism are not required from beggar-nations. We are begging China to give us loans. If you take late MKO Abiola’s position that the hand of the borrower is always below that of the lender. They may not look like it, but the Chinese are the new kings on the borrower’s block. They have significant interest in the new colonisation.

The Chinese are doing very well in Africa. They are involved in various infrastructural development projects and charity work. They built an ultra-modern secretariat for the African Union (AU) and they are funding several other projects in the continent. For such altruism, the Chinese truly need exclusive watering hole. But it looks like Irukera wants such exclusive services limited to the Chinese Consulate, which under international law is an extension of the Chinese sovereignty anywhere it exists.

I think Irukera would get a query whenever President Muhammadu Buhari becomes aware that he is stoking Chinese anger. Nigeria cannot afford to make the Chinese people angry. We are just working on the best way to get a $27bn loan from China. Despite Covid-19 and the loss of lives and property, China is committed to granting this facility. I am not sure they know that some of the facilities would be broken before they are commissioned – Naija style.

Since the Buhari regime is accountable, it has compiled the list of projects that should get priority consideration when this huge amount of money gets into our hands. For those who think that the money might end up paying for those tear-rubber SUVs that our lawmakers are importing, please take your warped minds to the washerman and stay there until it has been thoroughly bleached.

The only stumbling block to us rolling the drums to welcome the arrival of these loan has nothing to do with our national shame. We didn’t take shame when the Europeans were carving out Africa for their mistresses and kings. The major problem is how the evil servants around the president just seem to set this patriotic leader up for national ridicule and controversy.

Now South East senators are subtly protesting the exclusion of their zone from projects to be financed with the Chinese loan. Apparently, the person(s) responsible for putting down the projects took Nnamdi Kanu too seriously on his Biafra project. President Buhari knows that our South East brothers are not going anywhere and they too need a sense of belonging.

The protesters know that the president is a busy man and did not see the lopsided project list. In local parlance, he is not aware. He trusted his lieutenants to take into cognisance every part of the country in line with the federal character. Those who think that the omission is deliberate are mischievous. The South East caucus of the National Assembly, led by Ike Ekweremadu, is working very hard to make the president aware. May they succeed!

As for those who made the mistake, they should be cautioned and let go to sin no more. Jobs are very hard to find and our amiable leader will not cut anybody’s head over this.

As for Irukera, he is on his own if he plays to the gallery and makes us lose our friendly-nation status with the Chinese.

At the rate things are going, Africa is open for the taking, and the Chinese are in hot contention for our resources as much as they might be to serve us their chow mein.