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‘Bobrisky’: Army’s Unfair Jab At Wike

Published

7 years ago

August 16, 2019

Even the most casual exploration of the realm of paradoxes easily reveals the difference between lying and telling a lie. While in lying, there is the implication of willfulness, in the second case, the actor only delivers a message without liability for the content of such a message. A further exploration of this paradox easily betrays how much the modern world depends on reports and other communication that could easily fall into the category of half-truths, crass untruths and blatant lies. For instance, virtually all the books of fiction that define the literary culture of the contemporary world are chronicles of untrue situations. Taking it to specifics, who was Robinson Crusoe? Who was Gulliver of ‘Gulliver’s Travels’? Coming down to African literature who can trace the lineage of Mai Sunsaye, the lead character in the book, ‘Burning Grass’ by Cyprian Ekwensi? The common truth about these books is that they are mere fictional works built around typical figures that may not have existed and even if they did, may not have manifested exactly in the forms they were presented to the world.
Meanwhile, the world’s dependence on fictional reports is even more pronounced in the flood of daily briefings produced for top officials of government, business and clergy by subordinates, who could easily assert the liberty to forward mere figments of their imagination to higher authority, in place of credible eye witness accounts and associated dependable intelligence.
A recall of this paradoxical sojourn was spawned by a recent jab against the Rivers Governor, Chief Nyeson Wike by the Army in respect of one wanted ‘Bobrisky’ – presented in the public domain as a most wanted criminal. Incidentally, there is a real life Bobrisky whose birth name is Okuneye Idris, a male who straddles the internet with provocative posts of himself mimicking females and a portraying bohemian character. With an estimated networth of $250,000, Bobrisky’s show has a princely commercial value.
Meanwhile, acting out his missionary zeal in running the affairs of the Rivers State as the governor, Nyesom Wike had acted on the basis of otherwise credible security report, and placed a bounty of N30 million to be
paid to anyone who provides useful assistance to the capture of a fellow presented to the public domain also as ‘Bobrisky and who for the purpose of clarification in this piece will be assigned the name ‘Bobrisky 2’. The latter Bobrisky is reportedly a notorious criminals who with his gang terrorises the Ogoni axis of the state. Soon after the announcement of the bounty, the governor announced to an elated Rivers community that Bobrisky 2 had been arrested by the Army, and he was in the process of releasing the N30 million to the Army. No sooner had the words fallen out of the governor’s mouth that the same Army he was favouring turned against him by denying the arrest of Bobrisky2 by their men and specifically called him a liar.
The moral of the preview to this story is that even if Wike’s claim on Bobrisky 2 was false, he could not have been the author of the narrative. The entire package on Bobrisky2 could have been provided him by elements in the official Rivers State Security network of which the Army constitutes a critical component. And given that the Army was even the would-be primary beneficiary of the bounty, whatever report on the arrest that never took place could have come from military sources. By implication, therefore a lie was fed to a whole state governor who innocently paraded it to the entire state, only to be ridiculed by the very Army he was trying to favour.
While in the course of his busy schedule as governor, Wike may not be inclined to dwell exhaustively on such an issue, the public take on it goes beyond the governor’s response. The level of insecurity in the state has reached fever pitch with the governor launching a multi-faceted all-out war on the syndrome. Needless to note that in this onslaught against insecurity, the Army remains a most critical component. As the ultimate hard-blow response to wherever decisive physical action is required in taming the scourge and its sponsors, its contributions can never be over-emphasised. In that context, therefore, the Army occupies a pole position that renders their word and action of equal sanctity as gospel truth. Hence, having the Army portrayed as indulging in any circumstance that is associated with disparaging the governor of the state comes with a sour taste.
comes with a sour taste.
The Army can however still vindicate itself by clearing whatever mix up has come up in this saga, by arresting whoever the real character is, even with his obvious misrepresentation as Bobrisky, since even with another name, he is still the terror in the equation and needs a date with the soldiers. Especially,as the bounty is still intact.

Featured

Fubara Dissolves Rivers Executive Council

Published

6 days ago

February 13, 2026

The Tide

Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminialayi Fubara, has dissolved the State Executive Council.

The governor announced the cabinet dissolution yesterday in a statement titled ‘Government Special Announcement’, signed by his new Chief Press Secretary, Onwuka Nzeshi.

Governor Fubara directed all Commissioners and Special Advisers to hand over to the Permanent Secretaries or the most Senior officers in their Ministries with immediate effect.

He thanked the outgoing members of the State Executive Council for their service and wished them the best in their future endeavours.

The three-paragraph special announcement read, “His Excellency, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, GSSRS, Governor of Rivers State, has dissolved the State Executive Council.

“His Excellency, the Governor, has therefore directed all Commissioners and Special Advisers to hand over to the Permanent Secretaries or the most Senior officers in their Ministries with immediate effect.

“His Excellency further expresses his deepest appreciation to the outgoing members of the Executive Council wishing them the best in their future endeavours.”

Featured

INEC Proposes N873.78bn For 2027 Elections, N171bn For 2026 Operations

Published

6 days ago

February 13, 2026

The Tide

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday told the National Assembly that it requires N873.78bn to conduct the 2027 general elections, even as it seeks N171bn to fund its operations in the 2026 fiscal year.

INEC Chairman, Prof Joash Amupitan, made the disclosure while presenting the commission’s 2026 budget proposal and the projected cost for the 2027 general elections before the National Assembly Joint Committee on Electoral Matters in Abuja.

According to Amupitan, the N873.78bn election budget covers the full conduct of national polls in 2027.

An additional N171bn is needed to support INEC’s routine activities in 2026, including bye-elections and off-season elections, the commission stated.

The INEC boss said the proposed election budget does not include a fresh request from the National Youth Service Corps seeking increased allowances for corps members engaged as ad-hoc staff during elections.

He explained that, although the details of specific line items were not exhaustively presented, the almost N1tn election budget is structured across five major components.

“N379.75bn is for operational costs, N92.32bn for administrative costs, N209.21bn for technological costs, N154.91bn for election capital costs and N42.61bn for miscellaneous expenses,” Amupitan said.

The INEC chief noted that the budget was prepared “in line with Section 3(3) of the Electoral Act 2022, which mandates the Commission to prepare its election budget at least one year before the general election.”

On the 2026 fiscal year, Amupitan disclosed that the Ministry of Finance provided an envelope of N140bn, stressing, however, that “INEC is proposing a total expenditure of N171bn.”

The breakdown includes N109bn for personnel costs, N18.7bn for overheads, N42.63bn for election-related activities and N1.4bn for capital expenditure.

He argued that the envelope budgeting system is not suitable for the Commission’s operations, noting that INEC’s activities often require urgent and flexible funding.

Amupitan also identified the lack of a dedicated communications network as a major operational challenge, adding that if the commission develops its own network infrastructure, Nigerians would be in a better position to hold it accountable for any technical glitches.

Speaking at the session, Senator Adams Oshiomhole (APC, Edo North) said external agencies should not dictate the budgeting framework for INEC, given the unique and sensitive nature of its mandate.

He advocated that the envelope budgeting model should be set aside.

He urged the National Assembly to work with INEC’s financial proposal to avoid future instances of possible underfunding.

In the same vein, a member of the House of Representatives from Edo State, Billy Osawaru, called for INEC’s budget to be placed on first-line charge as provided in the Constitution, with funds released in full and on time to enable the Commission to plan early enough for the 2027 general election.

The Joint Committee approved a motion recommending the one-time release of the Commission’s annual budget.

The committee also said it would consider the NYSC’s request for about N32bn to increase allowances for corps members to N125,000 each when engaged for election duties.

The Chairman of the Senate Committee on INEC, Senator Simon Along, assured that the National Assembly would work closely with the Commission to ensure it receives the necessary support for the successful conduct of the 2027 general elections.

Similarly, the Chairman of the House Committee on Electoral Matters, Bayo Balogun, also pledged legislative support, warning INEC to be careful about promises it might be unable to keep.

He recalled that during the 2023 general election, INEC made strong assurances about uploading results to the INEC Result Viewing portal, creating the impression that results could be monitored in real time.

“iREV was not even in the Electoral Act; it was only in INEC regulations. So, be careful how you make promises,” Balogun warned.

The N873.78bn proposed by INEC for next year’s general election is a significant increase from the N313.4bn released to the Commission by the Federal Government for the conduct of the 2023 general election.

Featured

Tinubu Mourns Literary Icon, Biodun Jeyifo

Published

6 days ago

February 13, 2026

The Tide

President Bola Tinubu yesterday expressed grief over the death of a former President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities and one of Africa’s foremost literary scholars, Professor Emeritus Biodun Jeyifo.

Jeyifo passed away on Wednesday, drawing tributes from across Nigeria and the global academic community.

In a condolence message to the family, friends, and associates of the late scholar, Tinubu in a statement by his spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, described Jeyifo as a towering intellectual whose contributions to African literature, postcolonial studies, and cultural theory left an enduring legacy.

He noted that the late professor would be sorely missed for his incisive criticism and masterful interpretations of the works of Nobel laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka.

The President also recalled Jeyifo’s leadership of ASUU, praising the temperance, foresight, and wisdom he brought to the union over the years.

Tinubu said Jeyifo played a key role in shaping negotiation frameworks with the government aimed at improving working conditions for university staff and enhancing the learning environment in Nigerian universities.

According to the President, Professor Jeyifo’s longstanding advocacy for academic freedom and social justice will continue to inspire generations.

He added that the late scholar’s influence extended beyond academia into political and cultural journalism, where he served as a mentor to numerous scholars, writers, and activists.

Tinubu condoled with ASUU, the Nigerian Academy of Letters, the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism, the University of Ibadan, Obafemi Awolowo University, Oberlin University, Cornell University, and Harvard University—institutions where Jeyifo studied, taught, or made significant scholarly contributions.

“Nigeria and the global academic community have lost a towering figure and outstanding global citizen,” the President said.

“Professor Biodun Jeyifo was an intellectual giant who dedicated his entire life to knowledge production and the promotion of human dignity. I share a strong personal relationship with him. His contributions to literary and cultural advancement and to society at large will be missed.”

Jeyifo was widely regarded as one of Africa’s most influential literary critics and public intellectuals. Among several honours, he received the prestigious W.E.B. Du Bois Medal in 2019.