When Charles Soludo, the former CBN governor and present Anambra State governor accused Goodluck Ebele Jonathan of running CBN like Idi Amin (one of the most corrupt and violent African dictators) before the 2015 Nigerian Presidential elections, many who were blinded by ethnicity and religion clapped. When Soludo joined the bandwagon that included Sanusi Lamido Sanusi (another former CBN Governor and disposed Emir of Kano) to accuse the Jonathan administration of missing trillions of Naira, even skeptics started believing the fiction that Jonathan was the most corrupt leader to ever occupy Aso Rock. After about eight years of APC rulership and having all the resources and international collaboration to criminalize and persecute Jonathan, Jonathan is still accepting invitations from some of the most credible organizations in the world as one of the most respected Nigerian leaders ever.

So, when I read about Soludo’s most recent accusation, I smiled and became sad. My sadness arose from the fact that lately, I have been trying to build a hypothesis that intelligence is arguably the most important attribute that makes people successful. Whenever I listen to the interview of the truly successful, this hypothesis is reinforced. From the Grammy Award-winning Wizkid to the UFC Champion Israel Adesanya who are not in the field of intellectualism, you can see that their success and longevity can be attributed to their intellect when they speak. Sadly, this hypothesis has suffered a lot of hits lately. From the acceptance of the role of watchdog by Reno Omokri to the recent statement by Soludo that Peter Obi’s investments as Anambra State Governor is presently worthless, I am now convinced that intelligence is never enough to be successful and respected.

It is very easy for us to respect the intelligent and successful among us. Success and intelligence are very seductive. These days megalomaniacs like Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin who are venerated by their worshippers, anchor their worship on Trump being a billionaire and Putin being a former highly intelligent spy. The same veneration mixed with ethnicity and religion is fueling the waning support Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Atiku Abubakar still have among some Nigerians. One would have expected a Professor of Economics who is highly regarded for his academic prowess to know better. Unfortunately, as I have come to acknowledge from those still supporting Tinubu and Atiku, intelligence is subjective to greed and our emotions. Greed, emotion, and jealousy can erode the simple path or conclusion that intelligence would prescribe. Those who thought Charles Soludo was a reasonable man can now see he belongs to that group of men and women whose intelligence has been conquered by greed, emotions, and jealousy.

Ata Ukuta. Editor – Towncryyers