The transient nature of power has continued to remain elusive to man. The insatiable nature of man and his quest for power is such that there is no limit to the level he goes to attain power. When they finally assume the office they seek or suddenly find themselves in power against their expectations only but a very insignificant few manage power to the benefit of their fellow man.
The sack of Lawal Daura, the Director General of the Department of State Service (DSS), by Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo, is no longer news. However, for those who still wield enormous power like the former spy chief, the lesson to learn is that power is never permanent and indeed, the only thing that is permanent is change. Change is, most times, vehemently resisted by men, but come it must; be it for good or bad.
If there is any aura woven around the allegory surrounding power, it is clearly in the mind of he that exercises that power. Power remains transient and never permanent. Yesterday’s very powerful men are today ordinary people.
Daura was said to have been sacked, and then whisked away into detention. For a man who operated like a feudal lord this was an unfamiliar role. Hitherto, it was his place to harass and detain people for as long as he fancied. Such was his power that he paid scant or no attention to the law.
Over time, since President Muhammadu Buhari came to power, there have been allusions to an existence of a cabal so powerful that many believed it has practically hijacked power from the president. Daura is believed to be one of the linchpins of that cabal.
Speaking recently on his defection to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal of Sokoto State accused that cabal of taking advantage of the president’s health challenges to hijack his government.
Addressing some youths and students who visited his office in appreciation of his inclusion of youths in his administration, Tambuwal said, “We supported Muhammadu Buhari in 2015 to become President unconditionally and we admit that Buhari has integrity but that’s not the only requirement for leadership.
“We are aware that the President is affected by serious challenges of health and is being held captive by a cabal that runs Nigeria for their personal interests.”
Daura was so powerful that he never hesitated to exercise it at any given opportunity. He is known to have talked down on people and spoken in a manner that suggested that he was untouchable. Perhaps, the tale of how he wrote damning reports on Ibrahim Magu, the acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), against the wish of the president, to the Senate, which has stalled the approval of Magu as the chairman of the anti-fraud agency, is an eloquent testimony to the power that Daura wielded.
Speaking last week, Femi Falana (SAN), Human rights lawyer, called on the new acting director general of the DSS, Mathew Seiyefa, to review cases of hundreds of illegally detained persons under the leadership of Daura and release them forthwith.
Falana, in an open letter, while congratulating Seiyefa, made a catalogue of the running battles his firm had with the ex-director general over alleged violations of the fundamental human rights of Nigerians. He called on the new DSS boss to release the hundreds of detainees that are languishing without trial in their various detention centres.
He also called for the release of Col. Sambo Dasuki and other suspects who have been admitted to bail severally by courts, including Sheik Ibraheem El Zak Zaky and his wife Hajia Zeinab from illegal custody in line with the orders of the Federal High Court. Daura’s record as the head of the secret service was marred by lawlessness and disregard for authority, including that of his principal, President Buhari.
Perhaps, the highpoint of the friction between security agencies was the open confrontation between Daura’s DSS and Magu’s EFCC when the latter attempted to arrest Ita Ekpeyong, Daura’s predecessor in office sometime in November 2017. EFCC’s attempt to arrest him and search his home at 46 Mamman Nasir Street, Asokoro, Abuja, was resisted by DSS as operatives of both agencies threatened to shoot each other.
The EFCC said Mr. Ekpeyong was wanted for his alleged role in the arms scam involving Dasuki, and other former senior military officials. Many of the other accused persons had been arraigned in court. Ekpeyong, who led the secret police between 2010 and 2015, had reportedly turned down multiple invitations by EFCC investigators.
Today, Daura is at the mercy of the very people he fought against; the police and the EFCC. The swift reaction of the Acting President can only mean that Daura clearly did not put him in the know of his plan to invade the National Assembly. It is also an indication that he clearly is a man that had little or no regards for his superiors.
Daura is not alone in this. The disposition of many of President Buhari’s appointees is principally responsible for many of the not too pleasant commentaries on his presidency. Rather than win him plaudits, his lieutenants in the hue of Daura have continued to cause frictions within the government by their actions which, given Osinbajo’s experience, the president probably knows nothing about.
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