His Excellency, Rtd. Hon. Phillip Shaibu has just won the hearts of millions of fans all over the world for his heroic stand and support for his boss, His Excellency Godwin Nogheghase Obaseki. Together, they overcame one of the most turbulent and intimidating political battles of their career—the defeat of an unforgiving ferocious enemy of democracy! His boss was the target; as governor, he was slated for dismissal and from the physical angle, the handwriting was on the wall; there was little to suggest that his end had not come judging from our brand of politics where godfathers simply emerge from nowhere and remove a sitting governor—whether he likes it or not. Though life is largely unpredictable and our fears largely unconscious with many of us having default lines, the ones with a weaker heart would readily jump ship; take Edo State, for example, the chief of staff to the governor—a trusted position for that matter—abandoned his boss at the last minute; commissioners who swore to an oath jumped ship, but perhaps the biggest betrayal of all was recorded in Lagos State during the contentious and dubious 2018 primary; the former governor was given the unkindest cut in life when he was betrayed by his deputy just for the love of lucre! The woman (name withheld) not only betrayed her boss but went ahead to grant press interviews in her Iba Ward and displayed posters of her boss opponent! Some have argued that she was between the devil and the deep blue sea, but this again is base logic.; loyalty connotes sentiments and the feelings of devotion that one holds for his/her country, creed, family or friends; loyalty is seen as a virtue; it implies allegiance, fidelity, sense of duty and attachment to something or someone.; betrayal never come from enemies; it usually does from trusted friends, associates or subordinates. A deeper look at betrayals would show that it has been of ages; Jesus Christ was betrayed by Judas Iscariot; Peter denied his master Jesus Christ; Pontius Pilate did his own. Betrayals often occur in times of trouble and threats; in all cases, it is often for personal interest—nothing to do with the national interest. That’s why in politics you find people otherwise known as “leaders” decamping as many times –or regularly-as the wind blows. There is no shame here; they tell you that they are doing so to be “better placed” to serve their people! A former Speaker had just decamped to another party after only just joining. That’s how to be a politician in Nigeria—or you lose out. There are laws alright guiding participation in politics, but they are broken with impunity and fueled by greed. When you ask, they will tell you that they defending equity and justice! Hmm, how smart these people can be! Since personal interest and passion for continued relevance is probably the driving force behind loyalty and betrayals, you may want to look deeper before casting aspersion on them. You also have the imperfections in our society to contend with. An imperfect situation invariably throws up imperfect results. When you have a society with individuals more powerful than prescribed Institutions, there is bound to be problems; a nation without any known or identified ideology will definitely be susceptible to manipulations and consequently encourage betrayals; Remember Chinwoke Mbadinuju? His then powerful godfather, Chief Emeka Offor wanted him out as governor; he decamped to AD and contested and lost. The repercussion is that he has remained irrelevant till date; that example perhaps aroused stiff competition and resistance to godfatherism; this explains the resolve to confront recalcitrant godfathers in the years to come thus creating the platform for betrayals and commitment to loyalty. The casualty is often our nascent democracy which is at the mercy of godfathers who are mostly totalitarian in attitude and decision making; they visit any perceived rebellious act with recriminations and punitive actions resulting in palpable fears amongst supporters, followers, etc. In that Lagos State 2018 APC botched primary, 63 local council officials abandoned their boss and pledged loyalty to the entrenched godfather; members of the Assembly followed suit as did the party faithful; they hid under the pseudo acronym –GAC– Governorship Advisory Council to perpetrate their crime. Alone, the former governor knowing the “system” very well, relaxed and choose the peaceful way knowing that the triumph of evil over good is only but temporal. The payment for his proven loyalty as of the moment is unexpectedly to keep him under snub; if a man cannot reward loyalty because of his inherent shortsightedness and innate greed, not so for celestial forces—the ultimate judge of all our actions. Fast track to Edo 2020, where nearly 42 political appointees jumped ship to align with the opposition because of his perceived connections to the incongruous word “Federal might”. 14 members of the house of assembly had previously refused to be sworn in and teamed with up with the so-called godfather whom they adjudged more powerful than the incumbent governor. What can inform such betrayals except for selfish and opportunistic considerations? They may have reasoned that since the Lagos State godfather prevailed and succeeded, Edo was not going to be different; they never reckoned with the people’s power. If a deputy governor capitulated to that allure and stabbed his boss from behind, not so for Comrade Phillip Shaibu who was majority leader when Oshiomole—sadly, his political mentor—was in office as governor. Don’t forget Oshiomole’s deputy for eight years, Dr Pius Odubu was severely hounded and undermined. When he expressed his interest to contest the post of governor, he was again bypassed; that’s what James Hadley Chase call the “double shuffle” treatment. But Comrade Phillip Shaibu is different; he displayed classic loyalty and conspicuous faith; he was sincere, unwavering, dependable, reliable and a team player. He showed trustworthiness, respect, fairness and citizenship; he showed that in good and bad times, he was there for Godwin Obaseki! For this reason, his name has entered into the record books of fame and let no one be surprised when his rewards begin to unfold in far greater terms than what obtains today. Typical of our porous political environment, Phillip must have been pestered to abandon his boss to become the governor; he must have been lured with bags of money but he refused. When the going got messier, Phillip may have feared defeat in the horizon; we are all humans; no one is immune from petty mistakes. He must have looked at the luxury surrounding his office and ruminate over the consequence of losing all that; but at the end, he stood his ground; ignored luxury, his enviable position as deputy governor—the connections, the glory and wealth—and committed himself to his boss; like the rock of Gibraltar, they stood together and fought together sending a strong message to the rest of prospective betrayers. Phillip showed that there is more to wealth and relationship; he relied on goodwill, patriotism and commitment, something seriously lacking in our political annals. He showed that with loyalty, comes anything—it could be wealth, position, favour—but the most important is respect. That’s what he has brought for himself. The future holds bright for him and others like him. Not so for the Lagos State deputy governor who backstabbed her boss. Nature and Time will determine her fate when next the “system” wants a competent administrator. She may be a paragon of beauty, but what about her character and ethical disposition? Nevertheless, both occurrence in Lagos and Edo has thrown up two interesting lessons in loyalty: the one from the former governor and this, from the deputy governor. The former governor in Lagos despite his maltreatment remained loyal, sincere, patriotic and patient. Even though he is still being sidelined by his political party –which is another mystery—he is yet calm and very available for service. Can anyone fathom why the Lagos godfather is behaving this way? No matter what, it would have been better to encourage loyalty; after all, what is the struggle for? Regardless or not, his time will certainly come—and very soon. That’s how nature works. You don’t know how, but when the intricate web starts you will be left in marvel; that’s a mystery. For Phillip Shaibu, dubbed as “Mr Constituency Projects”, a former “Assistant Inspector of Prison” who resigned to go into politics and business, whose parents were both “pastors” and “teachers” respectively, his faithfulness to duty and servant leadership plus “political sagacity” over the years coupled with his indifference to wealth and position will certainly speak well for him as well as remain his biggest fortress. It pays to be loyal—and sincere.
