I have read Kayode Fayemi's generous and gracious concession speech in the face of a defeat that is so thorough and overwhelming in scope. I commend his gesture. I am happy with the reaction that the said speech has begun to generate. It is indicative of our hunger for a new political culture. However, there is a little problem. I am worried about what many of these reactions say about us and our attitude to memory. I am encountering such hyperbolic gems as "unprecedented", "unheard of", "never before seen" in frenzied reactions to this concession speech. This attitude has graver implications beyond the speech. We have trouble with the precedence of innovation. We have trouble with the memory of innovation. And this goes into the heart of our political practice. Every new government wipes out every trace of innovation in the governments that preceded it to create room for hyperbolic descriptions of its own programmes as the origin of innovation in Nigeria. Consequence: no culture of continuity because we have no memory of anything.
As Speaker of the Federal House of Reps and Nigeria's fourth most important citizen, Dimeji Bankole was a colossal failure and disappointment. He was the statement my generation made to Nigeria: forget us when we attend Oxford University, read all the books in this world, and return home talking to you in hurriedly acquired Cockney. We have nothing to offer. He was corrupt. Above all, he was a thief. Even President Jonathan who under normal circumstances rationalizes stealing would draw the line when confronted with the scale of Dimeji Bankole's stealing.
