I have known Senator Ireti Kingibe since I was a kid. I knew her sister Nene, who was at Queen’s College with my late cousin Dr Doris Fisher, née Amachree, and Stella Amachree.
I know the family. I respect Ireti, and I know perfectly well the kind of woman Wike is dealing with.
So when I read that Nyesom Wike had called Senator Ireti Kingibe an “illiterate,” I could hardly believe what I was reading.
But he said it.
Speaking about her allegation that the FCT Administration had obtained loans without Senate approval, Wike said: “She is an illiterate, with all due respect.” He also declared that she would not return to the Senate in 2027. (TheCable)
An illiterate?
Ireti Kingibe is a civil engineer who graduated from the University of Minnesota with a degree in Civil Engineering. Her professional record includes engineering work with the Minnesota Department of Transportation and major engineering and project-management work after returning to Nigeria. (Ireti Heebah Kingibe)
So let us get the facts straight.
Wike himself studied law at Rivers State University of Science and Technology and later obtained an MA in Political and Administrative Studies from the same institution. He attended Nigerian Law School and was called to the Bar. Those are perfectly respectable qualifications. (Vanguard News)
But precisely because Wike is an educated man, he should know what the word illiterate means.
A disagreement over government borrowing does not turn a qualified civil engineer into an illiterate.
And instead of insulting Senator Kingibe, there is a very simple way to settle the argument.
Produce the records.
Kingibe has challenged Wike to produce the Senate Votes and Proceedings showing when the loans in question were approved. She says she cannot speak for the House of Representatives, but maintains that the borrowing was never brought before the Senate. (Premium Times Nigeria)
That is a factual question capable of a factual answer.
Where are the records?
This is exactly what Parliament is supposed to do. Senators are supposed to question ministers. They are supposed to scrutinise expenditure and borrowing. They are supposed to demand documents.
Calling the senator asking the question an “illiterate” does not answer the question.
And Wike certainly cannot announce who will or will not represent the FCT after the 2027 election. The voters decide that. Kingibe herself made precisely that point in her response. (The Times)
I have known Ireti long enough to know something else.
As a teenager I learnt that you had better think before opening your mouth when arguing with this lady. She is highly intelligent, extremely confident and perfectly capable of making you look foolish if you arrive without your facts.
The Lanval sisters did not tolerate nonsense when I knew them, and I see absolutely no evidence that age has changed Ireti in that department.
She comes from that first generation of Nigerian women who were completely comfortable being educated, professional, international and independent. She studied engineering at a time when there were remarkably few Nigerian women entering that profession. She worked as an engineer and built a professional career long before becoming a senator. (Blerf)
That is the woman Wike decided to call an illiterate.
I don’t need to speculate about why he seems so personally irritated by her. I don’t know what is going on inside Wike’s head, and neither does anyone else.
But I can judge the words that come out of his mouth.
And publicly calling an educated female senator an “illiterate” instead of producing the documents she has demanded does absolutely nothing to answer her allegation.
Ireti’s response was far more effective:
“I have never been one to be intimidated by insults, threats, or political pressure, and I will not start now.” (Chronicle NG)
Exactly.
So forget the insults.
Forget the political theatre.
Forget telling Nigerians who will or will not win an election that has not yet taken place.
Bring out the Votes and Proceedings.
If the Senate approved the loans, show the Nigerian people where and when it happened.
That is how democracy works.
Documents, Mr Wike. Not insults.
END
Be the first to comment