Dele Momodu was a good journalist, but lacks the capacity to stand as a man of his own, build a solid personality worth emulating, and grow into an elder who can serve as a positive reference point for the next generation. In one word, Momodu lacks integrity.
Often seen at the tables of the rich and powerful, Momodu has somehow been unable to become the kind of man at whose own table younger ones would sit and form solid connections. Nationally known as a bootlicker, it is shocking that even at over 60, Dele Momodu continues to grovel at the feet of self-made men for his livelihood. His lack of self-worth has seen him crawling across many carpets, becoming the political lapdog of the master of the day and has he has had many masters!
Coming to his latest unprovoked attack on Chief Bode George, a man he admits he respects – for obvious reasons – it is clear that the 65-year-old Dele Momodu is still a boy, as singer Davido once sarcastically referred to him.
In Yorubaland, they say it is not every errand you are sent on that you must carry out. If someone sends you to go slap an elder, you must find a way to avoid that mission, or you bring misfortune upon yourself. When Chief Bode George said what he did about Alhaji Atiku Abubakar – which was the honest truthv- it was not Momodu’s place to respond in the manner he did, knowing his relationship with Chief Bode George and his standing as a Yoruba man, as he claims when it suits him.
Telling Chief Bode George to allow Atiku to breathe is a grave insult and a misrepresentation of facts. It is to Atiku’s eternal shame that the PDP has become a house of wrangling today. If Atiku had heeded the advice of elders, founders, and party members in the 2023 elections, the PDP might still be standing strong and he might even be president of Nigeria today. Instead, he once again sabotaged his own chances. His obstinacy, foolish arrogance, and defiance are part of why the PDP is in its present state.
Atiku was given two good chances by the PDP and a beautiful opportunity to lead the party in 2023. Yet, what did he do? He scuttled off to Dubai after the elections and only half-heartedly confronted the APC, which the majority of Nigerians believe rigged the election against him. Many still suspect, with reason, that he had a deal with the late former President Muhammadu Buhari, leaving the party rudderless and allowing opportunists to seize leadership positions to serve their selfish interests.
After earning the sobriquet “Baba Dubai,” Atiku left the PDP in disarray, knowing full well that the party’s zoning policy would not favour him. Once again, the man often derided as a political prostitute gathered men of similar disposition to form the ADC.
Chief Bode George was simply stating the obvious in his interview. Therefore, Momodu should also allow Chief Bode George to breathe. He was merely expressing his opinion.
For Momodu to repeat Wike’s silly statements about Chief George – a man who surpasses him in every sphere – shows how quickly Momodu forgets insults, or perhaps the bootlicker in him now wears disgrace as a cloak of pride.
Was it not the same Wike who said Momodu, a father and a husband, eats like a pig? Did he not describe him as a glutton who came to his house to eat, with food falling from both sides of his mouth? This same Momodu wrote that he felt like crying for Chief Bode George. Should he not be wailing for himself after being so shamed by Wike? As a matter of fact, he should wear sackcloth, find a corner in his room and weep for himself. Perhaps that penance will purge his body and soul of the sin of bootlicking.
I would advise Dele Momodu, the once a respected journalist, to abstain from such a lowly position as a political messenger, all because of food and small change in his pocket. He should heed the biblical warnings against gluttony, greed, and avarice – three of the greatest sins of mankind. At 65, Momodu, should be a man of his own. A word, they say, is enough for the wise.
