A friend recently asked for my opinion on the growing fracas between Nyesom Wike, a minister from the PDP, and some governors of the APC. This was my response:
What we are witnessing is the inevitable consequence of hiring a mercenary to fight a battle that your own troops could have won—if only they had been properly mobilised, motivated and trusted.
A mercenary fights for money, opportunity and personal advantage. A regular army fights for the honour and defence of the territory it is sworn to protect. When the battle is over, the mercenary does not suddenly become loyal; he simply begins to calculate his next advantage.
Experienced generals have always warned against relying on mercenaries, except perhaps as cannon fodder. History repeatedly teaches us that mercenaries may eventually turn their weapons against those who hired them—especially when interests change, rewards diminish or new opportunities arise.
Therefore, what we are witnessing today is neither strange nor unexpected. It is merely the bill arriving for an arrangement whose dangers were obvious from the beginning.
– Babafemi Ojudu
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