Abuja — Aliyu Modibbo Umar, the ex-minister of the Federal Capital of Nigeria, the one who cried his way out of office so copiously, all those months ago, was at his smoking best (no pun intended!) when he received a WHO anti-smoking award at the weekend in Abuja.

Taking advantage of the "smokeless" environment, Aliyu chose the occasion to announce a grand entry into the lucrative Nigerian NGO circuit. No more sitting on his hands doing nothing; neither is Aliyu going to waste time hoping for a new appointment from an apparently stingy President Umaru Yar'adua. No way! Modibbo is donning the toga of the goodly Count, Don Quixote de la Mancha to "tilt at windmills" or better still, check the bulging muscles and the primed karate posture: ladies and gentlemen, welcome into the political ring, our own "Proudly Nigerian" incarnation of R-A-M-B-O!

Modibbo made a startlingly "original" political discovery, ten years after the institution of the monstrosity, that Nigerian governors rule their states like Emperors! In these empires, the Houses of Assembly are peopled by political eunuchs, unable to provide the checks and balances expected of them by the Nigerian Constitution. The ex-minister is so rankled by his ten-year-late discovery that he decided something must be done about it and urgently: "We must reposition the state assemblies. That is why some of us are thinking we should have a movement this coming election. The best people should be in the state assemblies because governors have become emperors". Modibbo has a clear statement of objective accordingly: "I am spearheading right now the creation of an NGO that will specifically focus on educating Nigerians about the importance of state assemblies, of getting quality people into the state assemblies and I think if we can get good legislature at the state level, people of integrity, people of maturity, we will definitely reap the benefits of democracy because you can see right now some of our problems emanate from the states and the governors need a good challenge".

Very noble sentiments, indeed, fellow Nigerians! He is also right about the way the states are run by governor-emperors. Modibbo should be applauded for his democracy epiphany, ten years down the line! We can all see the light at some point in our lives, as 'Born Again' religious people often testify. But one thing was missing in the public posturing of our new-found Rambo; no hint of self-criticism or purging of heart for roles he played in the ten years of serving Nigeria's worst Emperor of them all, the despot, Olusegun Obasanjo! Did it ever occur to Modibbo, just for a moment, that he was a servant of the process which created, nurtured and helped the flowering of the monstrosity of Emperors who bestride and stifle Nigeria's political space? Is he aware that the Emperors of the Nigerian states are actually caricatures of the Grand Emperor that he served at the Aso Villa? It was unfortunate that he did not give us a clue as to how it felt to be part of the process which created the monstrosity he now wants to mobilize us to fight.

It is good to convert to democracy, especially when the political space has become as uncomfortable as it seemed to, for Modibbo. Such a situation brings the best in people and if Aliyu can help to ginger a new awareness about the system that he served so loyally, which was lucrative for him in many ways, then it is all so well. Modibbo's NGO is a most welcome idea, but the base is narrow: retired permanent secretaries and directors, who should "look at the tier(s)" of government at local and state levels, to "spearhead good electoral reforms in that area". This is really elitist posturing by a member of the new ruling elite who seemed to have lost out in recent intra-elite squabbles for what my old Political Science teacher at BUK, Professor Jalingo, used to call the "Mirinda of Politics": power and access to lucre!

But not to worry about these small details; Aliyu Modibbo Umar has done well. He saw the light and is now poised as the "Proudly Nigerian" Rambo that is determined to subdue the Emperors writ large in Nigeria's overburdened 36 states. With a new NGO in tow, Aliyu Modibbo Umar might need to re-work the words of the song by the Reggae musician, Max Romeo: "I'm gonna put on an iron shirt and chase the (Emperors) out of earth/ I'm gonna chase (them) to outer space, to find another race"! Aliyu Modibbo surely has his work cut out for him in the next few months because he can be sure the Emperors will also fight back.