By Jude Atupulazi
This title is something I have been hearing almost all my adult life. I guess some people, if not many, have been hearing it too. I am also certain that many may not, however, know its true meaning. Roughly explained, though, it simply means that a person’s appearance or attire doesn’t define their character or true nature.
In our part of the world where the vast majority are Christians, the priest is seen as an embodiment of truth, good character and humaneness. In fact, as kids, we believed that priests were superhuman and thus, infallible.
Whenever we saw a priest, we experienced a certain aura oozing from him which most times elicited excitement from us. It even seems as if priests hold this aura more among children and this may explain why kids are usually seen to be excited when they see a priest. Thus you see them shouting; ”Fada! Fada!” as they run after him in any neighbourhood the priest is seen.
In politics, if there is any politician in the country today who commands the same reverence as a priest among children, that politician is Peter Obi. But it is not even only kids that are captivated by his personality. Many Nigerians have fallen in love with him because of what he represents, which, they believe, is lacking in many other politicians.
Obi has a certain grace about him that, even if you rave and rant against him, once you see him and behold his smile, your anger melts. It is an unusual gift, I tell you. But Obi, just like the priest, is only human, and both have their frailties. However, they ooze same aura which commands respect, attention and reverence.
It is difficult, going further, for anyone outside the ruling political class in the country or opposing parties, to loathe Peter Obi, having seen him as the representation of their hopes. Obi is also one politician who has contrived to remain in the national conversation since leaving an elective office. In fact, none of his contemporaries as Governor is near as relevant in the scheme of things in the country today as he is.
While they are spending their time having a ”deserved rest”, Obi has been going round, reaching out to institutions and individuals across the country by way of charity. If he is not donating money to a school in Bida, Niger State, he is giving succour to victims of some natural disaster in Bauchi or Sagamu. He is a man who has remained as busy as a sitting Governor, moving from place to place each day.
But what stands him out is that in all of those places he goes to, it is to do good, to offer help or build institutions. And in all of these places, the genuineness of his welcome is never in doubt. I have been privileged to accompany him to some of those places and I never fail to marvel at the sheer warmth and love shown him by students, workers, traders, et al, in all of those places.
It is not something that is forced. It is either that an entire street erupts in excitement, or a section of a market goes bananas on seeing him. Students become uncontrollable once they hear he is in their school and onlookers at those places weigh in with their own shouts of ”Obi! Obi!” Thus, to say he is regarded as the People’s President in today’s Nigeria is to state the very obvious.
Naturally, anyone with such popularity is bound to be envied by opposing politicians who know they can never be like him. It is one thing to draw crowds because of what they expect to get from you and quite another to do same even when they know they will get nothing. The latter is what happens with Obi.
As I stated earlier, this is something that will make some people green with envy; such envy that a man who spends money on a woman without getting loved has against another man who is loved by the same woman, even when she is getting nothing.
Was this the reason why the Benue State Governor, Rev Fr Hyacinth Alia, refused to allow Obi to visit his state to donate to a School of Nursing? But why was that coming from a supposed fellow Christian and a Catholic priest for that matter? While Obi had just visited Bauchi and Plateau States, of which one had a Muslim Governor, to donate to a School of Nursing and to victims of violence in their camps, respectively, it would not have been out of place to expect that a fellow Christian would only be too happy to receive Obi who was not coming for politics but to help give the Governor’s people a better life. But, alas, it was not to be.
For inexplicable reasons, the Benue State Governor refused to pick Obi’s calls or to reach Obi through the Governor’s aide-de-camp to whom Obi resorted in order to reach the Governor and tell him that he was visiting his state and would pay a courtesy visit. After three days, Gov Alia’s aide-de-camp told Obi that he had been unable to reach his principal and this, in itself, is indeed very odd because an aide-de-camp is the closest person to a Governor. Who is an aide-de-camp?
An aide-de-camp, according to Meta AI, is a military officer who serves as a personal assistant or secretary to a senior officer or government official. Their role typically includes:
- Administrative Support: Handling correspondence, scheduling, and administrative tasks.
- Advisory Role: Providing counsel and advice on military or official matters.
- Liaison Duties: Acting as a representative or intermediary between the senior officer and other units, departments, or organizations.
- Protocol and Ceremonial Duties: Assisting with official events, ceremonies, and protocol matters.
The term is often associated with high-ranking officials in the military, government, or royalty. The role requires discretion, organizational skills, and a strong understanding of military or governmental procedures.
In modern usage, the term can also refer to any trusted advisor or assistant in a non-military context.
For the purposes of this write up, the last definition will be taken. But we can see that, whether military or non-military, an aide-de-camp is very close to a Governor (in our context). Thus, when one tells you that they are not able to reach their boss after three days over such a simple matter, you then know that something is fishy and that was what Obi thought.
He then decided to proceed on the journey to Benue, probably deciding to shelve seeing the Governor and go do what he wanted to do: visit a School of Nursing there and go back.
It was while on his way that Obi’s security personnel intercepted a message from the Benue Government House warning anyone coming to the state for whatever reason to know they were not guaranteed their safety! It was not rocket science for Obi to decipher that it was referring to him. That was how the journey was aborted and the School of Nursing lost, at least for now, the opportunity of benefitting from Obi’s philanthropy.
But why would a priest do this? Why do this to a fellow Christian, even when a Muslim Governor had welcomed Obi? Obi could have been suspected of snatching the Benue Governor’s wife or girlfriend if he wasn’t a priest.
So why stop Obi from visiting a school in his state? Is there anything they are fighting for that we don’t know? This incident, more than anything, shines light on the saying that the hood doesn’t make the monk. Our inner traits tend to come out in certain situations that betray our real selves.
An article that elucidates all this is posted below for your perusal.
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When the Collar Turns Cold: Governor Alia, Peter Obi, and the Politics of Denial
By Emmanuel Maduka Nwazue
It is often said amongst Nigerians that anything which comes in contact with the All Progressives Congress (APC) seems to lose its soul, this appears true and unfortunately, Rev Fr Hyacinth Alia, a Catholic priest, appears their latest victim.
Since becoming the Governor of Benue State under the APC, his actions suggest that politics has dimmed the moral compass he once wore with his clerical collar.
Mr Peter Obi, the former Governor of Anambra State and Presidential Candidate, recently narrated an experience that has left many concerned. According to him, while touring some northern states, including Bauchi and Plateau – where he visited Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and institutions like schools of nursing – he sought to extend the same humanitarian gesture to Benue State.
Obi stated that he placed several calls to Governor Alia to inform him of this goodwill visit, but received no response. He eventually contacted the Governor’s Aide-De-Camp (ADC), who only got back after three days with the claim that he couldn’t reach his principal.
This was a strange and suspicious development, considering that Mr Obi was a Governor and knows how impossible it would be for an ADC not to have access to his principal for three whole days.
These visits are not unusual for him; they are well-known parts of his post-election engagements, often focused on humanitarian assistance. What followed from Governor Alia’s camp, however, was a carefully worded but deeply troubling public statement:
“For anyone considering a visit to Benue State without the Governor’s knowledge, it is imperative to reconsider such plans, as the safety and security of individuals in this regard cannot be guaranteed.”
That sentence raised more red flags than answers. For a man who claimed he had no knowledge of Obi’s intended visit to then release a statement suggesting foreknowledge is nothing short of contradictory.
It paints the Governor as disingenuous – a label unbecoming of any public servant, let alone one who once served as a priest of the Catholic Church. One would expect that a priest, whether actively ministering or not, would at least uphold the virtue of honesty.
Worse still is the implication of political spite. Governor Alia, who has failed to resettle the countless IDPs scattered across Benue State, could not tolerate that someone else might step in to offer even a shred of help. By barring Mr Obi’s visit under the guise of security concerns, the Governor essentially denied these vulnerable populations a moment of hope and relief.
This act is not just political pettiness – it’s moral failure.
One of the Corporal Works of Mercy in Catholic teaching is to assist the needy. And during the sacred period of Lent – specifically Holy Week – Catholics are urged to give alms and show compassion. It’s reasonable to believe that Mr Obi, a practicing Catholic himself, was attempting to fulfill that spiritual obligation.
Ironically, it was a Catholic priest, supposedly, a shepherd of mercy, who blocked the path of goodwill, behaving with the coldness of a political warlord rather than the warmth of a Christian leader.
Contrast this with the Governors of Bauchi and Plateau – neither of whom is a priests. One is even a Muslim. Yet, they welcomed Obi’s visit with open arms. The real paradox lies in the fact that it is the priest-turned-politician who showed the least compassion.
It’s a sad reflection of what politics – especially of the APC variety – can do to men who once wore the robe of service and humility. Governor Alia’s actions did not just betray Peter Obi; they betrayed the people of Benue and the very tenets of the faith he once swore to uphold.
