The Traffic

The Antics Of Hakeem Baba Ahmed

By Kabir Mohammed

The recent streak of tantrums and potshots fired at the Tinubu Presidency by Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, who recently resigned his position as Special Adviser on Political Matters to the President (Office of the Vice President), reveals an alarming impulse for vengeance steeped in subversion of self by self - the archetype of Nigeria’s predicament.

For the avoidance of doubt, it is the inalienable right of public office holders to resign from their positions. The reason(s) could be as a result of loss of public confidence or the loss of confidence of the principal at whose behest they serve, misconduct or scrutiny, and personal reasons. In some cases, resignations are forced, particularly if they have lost the confidence of the leader. 

Based on this premise, no sane mind will disparage Hakeem Baba-Ahmed for the exercise of this democratic right; the push back he has continued to receive since he threw in the towel is, however, predicated on his sabre-rattling and unconstructive, relentless attack on the Tinubu Presidency once out of office. His hostile and subversive activities expose the underbelly of a sinister plot to bring down an administration that gave him the opportunity to serve the country at the highest level of government. By his own admission, Hakeem Baba-Ahmed failed to rise to the challenge and demand of this call to national duty. 

As has become crystal clear, his inability to understand his new role as political adviser and the former mouthpiece of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) bears vicarious responsibility for the lethargy he evinced as Political Adviser and his lacklustre performance in office. The successful resolution of the contradiction inherent in both roles he once occupied would have yielded a more effective political operative consumed by the pursuit of a higher purpose in the national interest, and not a pathetic opportunist and ethnic chauvinist who would mindlessly play the ethnic card in order to unleash a deranged ideology.

Baba-Ahmed’s allegation that he had no channel to engage the President, despite his own admission that he saw and discussed national issues with the Vice President almost on a daily basis, is a classic example of either perfidy or a lack of understanding of the workings of government. Operating at that highest level without impact is a tacit admission of failure.

The Vice President, who enjoys a healthy working relationship with the President, is an astute leader vastly experienced beyond his years; critically, he is unrelenting and has the ears of the President. He is about the most effective and trusted channel to convey ideas and advice to the President. If every appointee of the current administration has to wait to meet with the President before discharging the responsibilities of their office, it would then invalidate critical roles of other layers of government and make a mockery of rank relationships and various positions of authority occupied by other public servants in different capacities. 
It would appear that after a deep reflection, Baba-Ahmed had come to the inevitable conclusion that he underperformed as Political Adviser, but is unable to come to terms with this haunting reality.

The warning signs of his effectiveness were always in plain sight.  In a veiled rebuke of Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, Minister of State for Defence, Mohammed Matawalle, in April 2024, urged northern appointees to defend the Tinubu administration against criticisms and misrepresentation. His comment came amidst sustained blistering criticism of the current administration, for which the former Political Adviser had no coherent strategy to deal with in any sustained, meaningful way. 

As the holder of high office in the Presidency, Hakeem Baba-Ahmed missed a glaring opportunity to shed the toga of an ethnic champion by cementing his role as an elder statesman. A glaring opportunity was presented to him to be at the vanguard of the forces of change that will ultimately write a new inspired Nigerian story but he chose capitulation. Instead of working from behind to support and encourage the current administration to confront and deal with the many intractable problems and challenges it inherited, he chose to play to the gallery by entertaining a captive audience. His return to the waiting hands of the opposition is both predictable and unfortunate. As the megaphone of the opposition, he continues to spew the bile, threatening fire and brimstone. The North, he alluded to recently, would reject Tinubu and the present administration at the polls in 2027. This reckless statement is not only opportunistic and disingenuous, but also anchored on the unfortunate assumption that the North will be a political tool in the hands of desperate political predators.

Hakeem Baba-Ahmed does not in any way speak for the North. He has since relinquished his role as the spokesman of NEF. At best, he is flying the kite of his newfound friends in the opposition. Lest we forget, the present administration came on board at a period when the country was beset by profound challenges - an ailing economy amidst formidable security problems. Any leader promising a quick fix and solutions to these problems is either insincere or lacks the capacity to fully appreciate the enormity of the challenges and the steps it would take to ameliorate them. The Tinubu/Shettima administration continues to demonstrate boldness, courage and focus in dealing with the problems. 
The effect of some of the economic measures and policies it initiated has, in the short term, negatively impacted the living standards of well-meaning Nigerians of all creeds and ethnic origins across the country, whether in the East, North, South or West. The intention of these policies is not to inflict pain and hardship on citizens; it is meant to cure deep-seated structural deficiencies that have prevented the arrival of shared prosperity and the unfurling of the great Nigerian possibility. The very idea that the reforms are targeted at the North alone is a fallacy for which there is no factual or moral equivalence. The truth is that countries that fail to reform their economies and cut down the cost of governance will, as a necessity, make sacrifices in order to return to effective governance in the interest of citizens. This is the inevitable experience Nigeria is going through.

Leadership and public service in a multiethnic society such as ours demand pragmatism and inclusion, not the relentless pursuit of a narrow, selfish agenda, which unfortunately is the albatross of our political experience. As a political adviser, it was within his purview to promote inclusivity and belonging, conflict resolution, shared vision and purpose, collaborative leadership and the promotion of national integration. His appointment presented a unique opportunity for him to join hands with other progressive forces within the administration to write a new chapter which reinforces the rubrics of our republic, not align with ethnic champions whose mindless promotion of heightened ethnic saliency undermines the very social fabric upon which a new Nigeria will emerge. 

A dancer with an inflated ego and an exaggerated sense of his self-worth may wallow irredeemably in a delusional state in which he thinks himself to be the best dancer; ultimately, unbiased judgment rests with the spectators. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed seems to be consumed by the hallucinatory obsession to bring down the government at whose behest he served the nation. His subversive and vengeful mission is a gamble taken too far. His latest trajectory, if unchecked, is capable of inflicting mortal damage on his image, leaving in its wake a tarnished legacy.  The time has therefore come for his genuine friends and associates to call him to order, to pull him back from the brink of irredeemable abyss dotted by relics of tragic figures who squandered their enormous capital in pursuit of a selfish agenda.   For the avoidance of doubt, the outcome of the 2027 Presidential election will not be shaped by the brand of entrenched primitive politics that the likes of Baba-Ahmed have come to embody. It will be defined by a constructive assessment of the performance of the current administration and its impact on citizens. Other critical factors will include the strength and quality of opposition candidates and, of course, how well they can mount an effective campaign. 

- Mohammed, a Commentator on National Affairs, Contributed this Piece from Bompai, Kano