The debate is now raging. Is Ribadu now a shadow of himself and was he always an impostor? May God reverse the metamorphosis of the great Mallam Ribadu. He can’t become fact-bending otimkpu for a political godfather, no matter the motivation. The Igbo say the mad man roams around, his mind with him. But God knows that while it’s smart to stoop to conquer, sinking to depths of sycophancy in search of power could be a political and moral journey of no return.
Born in 1960, Nuhu Ribadu, perhaps, had independence in his genes. The son of a First Republic parliamentarian from Yola, Nuhu came with a good spoon in his mouth. After he studied Law, he joined the Police, climbing the career ladder of a corrupt and disoriented institution. Young Ribadu, it appeared, resisted the mind-bending culture and stored a grudge for filth. But cynics saw a temperamental, conceited, attention-seeking, power-hungry, and…