When the children of two prominent Yoruba families accepted the possibly unsolicited offer to serve as officials in the presidential campaign team of Yahaya Bello, the Kogi State governor, I was taken aback. My thought was that within one generation, the children of Chief Victor Babaremilekun Adetokunboh Fani-Kayode, SAN, CON (1921–1995) and Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola, GCFR, (1937 –1998) are already beggars! I could not explain to myself how the child of one of Nigeria’s most brilliant and accomplished lawyers in the first republic could condescend so low to serve one of Nigeria’s most unpopular governors if not for financial gains. More surprising was the daughter of MKO Abiola following Femi Fani-Kayode’s inglorious footsteps. The more I thought about this anomaly, the more my conclusions started heading in one direction. For Femi Fani-Kayode (FFK), his reputation has become undisputed since he accepted the role of Attack Dog during President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration. He played his doggy role so well that he was rewarded with a ministerial appointment. Since then, he has established himself as one of Nigeria’s foremost paid mouth and mind.  

Going through the recent tweet of one of Nigeria’s most intelligent and influential social media influencers – Reno Omokri, I could easily see similarities between FFK’s modus operandi and what Reno Omokri is presently doing on Twitter where his efforts not long ago won him an international award for social media influencing. And I can presumably see the motivation for becoming an attack dog as opposed to the cool, calm, and collected opinion writer that Mr. Omokri has been over the years. If Atiku Abubakar wins the 2023 Presidential Election, Reno Omokri like Femi Fani-Kayode would have done enough dirty work on Atiku’s opponent to either get a ministerial or an ambassadorial appointment. This is a formula that has worked for many but with costly consequences. When fathers are not true to the path of justice and equity to their nation and become politicians or appointees without ethics, their children often become worse in that direction. This can be said to be the story of FFK’s father and Hafsat Abiola-Costello’s father.

The similarities between Femi Fani-Kayode and Reno Omokri are growing. Already they are lawyers whose parents practiced law. They are also social commentators who are very eloquent in written and oral narratives. They both commendably spoke passionately about Leah Sharibu. I pray these similarities end here because what started as attack doggedness for FFK has metamorphosed into full-blown shamelessness. One of the reasons for this metamorphosis is the lack of funds. The likes of Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala have remained respectable because, among other reasons, they have multiple streams of income via international appointments based on their hardwork, education, and experience. Chief Gani Fawehinmi, GCON, SAN (1938 – 2009) remains the standard for activism in Nigeria because no government or individual could control his mouth and mind. One among the many reasons for his incorruptibility is because he had a very successful law chamber and lucrative publication – Nigerian Weekly Law Reports, something FFK and Mr. Omokri lack. As electioneering for the 2023 Presidential election heats up, I pray that Reno Omokri returns to his objective and circumspective ways.

Ata Ukuta, Editor – Towncryyers