RE -Making Of A Brand Dino Melaye.

Five days ago Reuben Abati wrote a piece titled Making Of A Brand Dino Melaye...It was a long and deep writeup and

He got a Response..

Oh My Goodness..SEE GOBE!!!

REUBEN ABATI’S DUBIOUS, INCONCLUSIVE RESEARCH ON DINO MELAYE:

{Response to Abati’s “Making of a brand” (Dino Melaye)}

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Someone recently said about Dino Melaye “You either love him or hate him.” Lately, the haters have been having a platform to vent on. But whether the haters see it or not, they have a rare, great man to contend with.

What did Reuben Abati mean when he said “Dino Melaye can get a whole Vice Chancellor to do his bidding?” Is he cleverly trying to imply that the ABU Vice Chancellor lied for Dino? Abati even described the VC’s testimony as ‘needless’ anyway. If that were the case, then senator Ndume, the one who raised the certificate issue by Sahara Reporters in the Senate, and called for its investigation did something equally needless! 

The Senate investigation also he would term “needless”. All the derogatory testimonies from so-called fellow students pointing fingers at Dino’s university status are maliciously needless. So what confused point is being made here?

To all intents and purposes, all the drama looks like a desperate new political campaign – ‘Operation Destroy Dino’ is at work, starting with the attempted destruction of his reputation. The arrow-head being Sahara Reporters, the paid-piper, now notoriously popular for “Pull Him Down” (PhD) journalism.
Reuben Abati himself has a PhD Certificate – which has not been contested. But it so happens that he would not have been awarded the degree IF the competence with which he carried out the research for his doctorate was as pedestrian as he has done for this “PhD” article he wrote against Dino Melaye.

Abati says that Dino has not moved any thought-provoking bills? That is simply not true! Maybe he has not been paying attention to the activities of the senate – starring Senator Dino Melaye among others, or perhaps he has not even done sufficient research into bills of the past and motions since the man was at the House of Representatives before he came to the Senate. Abati, like other anti-Dino warriors so far, has managed to conveniently avoid remembering that he bagged the Senator Of The Year Award for 2016, having presented the highest number of motions, bills and legislative engagements.

And, according to Abati’s thesis, Dino has the whole National Assembly queuing up after him? Is he hypnotising them so the other 108 distinguished senators do not have minds of their own anymore? Or is Abati simply not able to come to terms with a man with a rare brand of political charisma that’s making him shine in their midst?

We must give it to Abati, that he at least appears to acknowledge there was a graduation at Ahmadu Bello University, and Dino came away with a third class degree. That, Abati can handle with glee. But one cannot help thinking why an otherwise erudite scholar of Abati’s mould would join the scandalous anti-Dino bandwagon to completely refute the graduation if it had been anything higher than that. After all he already hinted that the VC was coerced into stating the fact that the senator actually graduated.

From the very beginning of this latest Dino drama, I have wondered what all the fuss was about when, apart from the implication of dishonesty or even fraud, there was no actual danger of being unqualified for a political appointment. After all, the qualification required was a secondary school certificate which is obviously lower than a first degree of any class.

When he says a man like Dino would never be elected in a place like the US because of his failed marriage and activities therein, Abati also did not do his research well and misfired. Apart from the fact that Nigeria has always seen fit to forgive their leaders their trespasses, the Americans are doing that also. Take their new sitting President Donald Trump who has been accused of sexual molestation against unrelated women in his past, with recordings and affidavits as proof. 

While Dino’s ex-wife’s false accusations with made in China pictures as proof, are being mischievously resurrected; an incident which most people had forgotten about and moved on, mention of the ‘short-lived successor’ who fled after six months is mischievously inaccurate. She was never battered by him. The woman herself said as much: ‘he had never laid a hand on me. This was conveniently overlooked in a quest to pile up and sensationalise his “sins”.

And when men of LITTLE MINDS are desperately searching for scandals and sins to bring down perceived enemies who, unknown to them are made of STERNER STUFF, their ultimate goal is failure. Former US President Bill Clinton’s scandal and “sin” with the White House intern, Monica Lewinsky did not bring him down. It made him stronger. And as far as our Nigerian political, social and economic ELITES are concerned, to find one without sin would be as difficult as finding a virgin in a Labour Room.

 In the Good Book, to the woman the Jews were accusing of adultery and set to stone to death, Jesus told them: “he who has no sin should cast the first stone”. They all disappeared one after the other.

As more twisted facts and bias spewed out of the write-up, Sahara Reporters and all the other “Destroy Dino” sponsors must have been jumping for joy, but I suspect it will be short lived, because he is a very popular man amongst his people especially the youths. My gut feeling is that it is all going to backfire and catapult the senator speedily towards a most successful career. 

What many, especially his enemies do not yet realise is that Senator Dino Melaye is NOT the run-of-the-mill Nigerian politician. Soon, those who do not know who he really is will have their eyes opened.

His heroism in his constituency is reflected in the fact that he has sponsored many projects, from providing educational scholarships, building health and public facilities, digging boreholes, providing foodstuff and other necessary provisions in the communities. Most notably he has successfully obtained contracts at the senate for the construction and rehabilitation of major road networks within his State of Kogi. That is why they love him. 

They even love all the drama around him. I was privileged to visit his village and witnessed the excitement and exuberance with which he was received outside his house. The presence of a crowd outside his residence first thing in the morning, felt as if the community members had figured him out as some sort of messiah! Surely, this love for him has nothing to do with his University certificate, but all to do with his charisma, his superior being and service to his people.

 Reuben Abati PhD, after his stint as a lecturer, member of the Guardian Editorial Board and former presidential spokesperson should pray for the day he would be so loved by his own people.
Abati went on to emphasise the scarcity of information on Dino’s website, with regards to sponsored bills and motions, as if they did not exist. No attempt was made to look elsewhere. If he was objective, diligent and sincere about finding out the truth before pointing accusing fingers, he would have found all he needed from the records easily accessible from Dino’s office.

This dangerous precedent of attention-seeking tabloid journalism to whip up scandalous public opinion against strong, notable individuals that may be a threat to someone somewhere is fast becoming the norm amongst the elite in this country and is quite noticeable at the senate. Unwary Nigerians are saddled with frivolous, uncorroborated stories rather than more serious matters like investigating key appointments in sensitive positions. We have a well-timed distraction, the intrigues and details of which we may never know.

If Abati were truly objective about Dino’s political integrity, and ‘not condemning him’ as he kept mouthing, he would have at least peeped under the veil as it were, and found out Dino’s position on education, healthcare, infrastructure, housing, national & social security, and more. But instead he prefers to insinuate a vacuum in the senator’s political positions by claiming not to know what they are by serving the dubious hint that they do not exist!

Dino Melaye has written a book on corruption, his favourite subject, and it is due to be released soon. I am convinced that, whatever Abati claimed are missing from the only online research he could manage to dig up would be found in the Book. Although this book is Dino’s first, it will certainly not be his last.
Senator Dino Melaye is bold, courageous, and forthright, in whom you would find no dishonesty of any sort. He is a man who seems to live by the words of a celebrated American Secret service officer, Mr Edward Snowdon who says: Speak not because it is SAFE, but speak because it is RIGHT.

Dino Melaye’s friends, plus many of his enemies to-day who, when they really know him, would become his ardent admirers, will consistently proclaim loud and clear on this strong, progressive and colourful character, “…we like him that way!”

Dr Chinny Okafor writes in from London.