Sunday Vanguard Jide Ajani's encounter with Attahiru Jega in London as Jega says '' I am relaxed''

That quotation from Socrates is very true, but between Professor Attahiru Jega, immediate past Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, and I, slander was out of it.
The following would demonstrate that.
This was an encounter that could not have been predicted.   Not by me; and definitely not by Professor Jega. Throughout his tenure as INEC Chairman, I never had an encounter with him.    Last December, during preparations for the 2015 general elections, a first meeting could have occurred when Jega came to Lagos to brief editors about INEC’s preparations for the polls.  
But I was away at Oxford University, United Kingdom, for a short executive course on SUSTAINABILITY, arranged by Alim Abubakre’s TEXEM (The Executive Minds) with the university’s Smith’s School of Environmental Studies (SSES).
Why an encounter between Jega and I can be described as coming with a tantalizing outcome is because throughout his tenure, no Nigerian journalist – or any other journalist for that matter anywhere in the world – chose Jega and the processes leading to the 2015 election as a project; and a special one at that.    With a total of over 42 exclusive news stories, features (opinion and analysis), most of them splashed on the front page of Sunday Vanguard, and even generating curious observations from colleagues on what appeared to be an addiction, I kept a tab on Jega. 
Interestingly, when I started investigating the goings-on at INEC sometime in early 2014, specifically Jega’s attempt to clean the Voter Register, a few colleagues and friends thought it was needless ballyhoo (sensational or noisy publicity) for Jega.    A few insinuated that Jega must have paid for the packaging.    Yet, here was a man I had never met, neither had he attempted to reach me through third parties.
Suddenly, Jega’s genuine attempt at cleaning the Voter Register did not go down well with some powerful politicians from the North (and I dare say the opposition All Progressives Congress, APC) – with moles and a few National Commissioners acting a script.    Now, whether Jega was in the know or whether these hawks in the Commission were merely playing on Jega’s messianic determination to leave behind an enduring legacy, is a matter of conjecture.    But in my view, based on facts and happenings at the Commission and the sometimes funny pronouncements from INEC, I was in no doubt that some people were determined, even much more than Jega, to pollute the process.
The then INEC Chairman had always been very humble enough to admit that mistakes could be and were made. He was always open to rebasing the processes.
But at no time did the focus on Jega shatter imaginations than when 30,000 Polling Units, PUs, were introduced by the Commission.
Sunday Vanguard broke the story and went to town weekly with analysis of the figures and the seemingly incongruous sharing formula which allocated 21,615 to the North and 8,412 to the South – the PUs were distributed as follows: North West-7,906; North East- 5, 291; North Central-6,318; South East-1, 167; South West- 4, 160 and South-South-3,087.
Worse still, of the 12 states that got over 1,000 PUs, only Lagos State was a southern state.
Jega’s position was that this would make it easier for voters in far-flung deserts of the North to have PUs located closer to their places of abode.
My reading was that whereas this may be true, some officials of the Commission had their own agenda and were very eager to see it through.
But because Jega was also conscious of public opinion and the desire to ensure that he bequeathed to the nation a lasting legacy,  he, after a widely publicised meeting of INEC on Monday, November 10, 2014, sent out a message to Resident Electoral Commissioners, RECs, across the country announcing the suspension of the exercise.
Jega’s message read:   
“REC, the Commission met today and reviewed reports from the State Offices on Reconfiguration and Creation of Additional PUs. 
“The Commission decided, in view of time constraint and the controversy over the matter that is overheating the polity, to: 
“1) Suspend the creation of new PUs until after the 2015 general elections; 
“2) Continue with the existing practice of using Voting Points to decongest PUs; 
“3) As much as possible relocate all PUs in unsuitable locations to more suitable locations and;
“4) Ensure that as much as possible PUs in open spaces are moved to classrooms or suitable enclosures, such as tents”.
Then came the issues of the Permanent Voter Cards, PVCs, the Card Readers, CRs, and the postponement of the February 14, 2015 elections. The distribution of the PVCs suffered incalculable discounts in the South while it appeared smooth in the North.
Meanwhile, the National Security Adviser, Colonel Sambo Dasuki (rtd), went to Chattam House, UK, to seek the postponement of the elections, suggesting that the government of the day wanted to compromise the process.    But in truth, was INEC really ready for the elections of February 14?    Jega insisted the Commission was ready; but said it could perfect its processes more, given time. No process can be perfect in the affairs of mortal, especially an electoral process in a country like Nigeria; therefore, the argument went, the elections should have held.    In the end, again confronted with reality, INEC postponed the elections.
There were even correspondences from INEC to the Management of Vanguard about my stories on the Commission and Jega.    But because this was not a sponsored agenda (many thought so), each time INEC raised a flag, the pole on which it was hoisted collapsed because it was weak and facts don’t lie.
So, it was the last thing you expected – meeting Jega; and in London of all places.
Even if you were a Nigerian, it would have taken a keen observation to have been able to recognize him.
Far out of his sartorial comfort of a simple Kaftan or the familiar three-piece babanriga, Jega was lost in the crowd of shoppers.    He wore a dull colour blazer on brownish-grey trousers.
The meeting was at the first floor of the Westfield Mall in London!
I had attended an executive course on Leadership and Human Resource Management at the Aston Business School, Birmingham, the previous week, and had just arrived London, penultimate Monday afternoon; and checked into the Hilton, Kensington.    I needed to quickly do some shopping before taking a deserved rest.    I had just stepped out of the Salvatore Ferragamo boutique and headed for the escalator when the duo walked past me.    After struggling to properly arrange the shopping bags into my two hands for ease of carriage, I looked up so as not to bump into these gentlemen.
The one in suit was ahead to my left while the casually dressed younger chap was on the right.   
In an attempt to walk ahead of them, I flashed a rightward glance at the slightly taller man now by my right hand and suspected that he looked like Jega.
Not so sure, I relaxed my pace, slowed down to size him up from behind and quickly caught up with him and gave a slight tap on his left shoulder and the following ensued:

Good afternoon
Yes, good afternoon

You’re Professor Jega
Yes (he keeps walking)

I thought as much
And you are?

My name is Jide Ajani  (He stops suddenly, looks straight at you; it was more a stare than a look)
Jiideee Ajani of….
(We chorus  Sunday  Vanguard).
He grabs me by my right shoulder and holds on tight – as if to really size me up.
I cannot here claim to have known what could have been going on in his mind but something in his gaze suggested that he must have been as surprised as I was; that of all places in the world, our first direct contact would be somewhere very far away from Nigeria, at the Westfield Mall in London, UK).

Good afternoon sir
Ha, Jide!   So this is you Jide.
Good afternoon.
How are you?
(Surprisingly, he was all smiles – cheerful even.
For a man whose acts of omission and/or commission were constantly within my radar, I was not expecting him to be that pleasant – although I did not expect a fight.   It was a very pleasant surprise.

I’m fine.   And you too sir?
I’m good.    How do you do?

I’m fine Prof.
Jide, please meet my brother (name withheld).
He has just completed his Ph.D here in the UK.
He will be coming back to Nigeria soon to settle and contribute his quota to our nation’s development.

That’s good sir.  (I extend my hand for a handshake with the chap)
Looking right, in the direction of his brother, Professor Jega said,  This Jide did so many terrible things to me when I was the Chairman of INEC.

Haba Prof., I was only doing my job sir.
Come on Jide  (Jega, all smiles).
I was merely pulling your legs.
(At that point, I can say here, with some degree of exactitude, that Professor Jega was as surprised as I was. It was very obvious from his disposition. But one fact remained unmistakable: Jega was all smiles – that relates to emotional intelligence, a very large heart.
Then I remembered one minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Godsday Orubebe, who, while results of the presidential election were being collated chose to, in the full glare of global television and cable audience, made a fool of himself by attempting to disrupt the exercise.
Jega, with equanimity, the type that could only be referenced with virtuous biblical examples, remained unruffled.    He neither challenged Orubebe nor did he appear ruffled by the conduct of the man.
That is what my boss, Eze Anaba, Deputy Editor of the Vanguard Group, would describe as an ample demonstration of unparalleled display of emotional intelligence.
So, with this rare contact with Jega, was he allowing me to ventilate or was his warm embrace genuine?
Jega came across as just a nice, very nice man who, though surprised to see me, did not harbor any ill feelings.    That is the hallmark of a great man).

Prof, how are you?
Jide, I’m fine

Yes, you look fine. That’s good to know.
And you also look so relaxed, away from the harried moments of the 2015 elections sir.
Yes, at least you can see I’m relaxed and I’m relaxing.

Indeed you are.
Yes I am

I was with your sister at Aston Business School, Birmingham.
My sister?

Yes. (I mention her name)
Oh! That’s my eldest daughter

She’s your daughter?
Yes, my eldest daughter.   She’s leaving, I think,  tomorrow

I thought she is your sister. She was quiet. But, above all, she was very humble – very, very humble. I’m sure that must have been a function of the type of upbringing she got from you as a good father.
Thank you, Jide

I’m leaving  tomorrow,  Tuesday, too Prof. I just came in from Birmingham this afternoon.
That’s good.   And it’s really good seeing you.

Yes o. I can’t believe this too, that I’m meeting with you and that we are meeting here.
(As if in a hurry to stave me off, he started walking and I kept pace with him).

I think it would be very great and nice to sit with you for at least an hour or two; we need to examine and review the 2015 elections and the outcomes.
Yes Jide, that would be nice.

Where are you domiciled that we can meet and do it – Kano or the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja.
We can arrange the interview.

I agree Prof.   Not now though but any time you fix.
Let us look at August. We can sit down in August and have the chat.

Prof., thanks a lot. I feel honoured
Thanks Jide
(Still overwhelmed by this encounter, I began to walk away; then I instinctively stopped, walked back to him and continued the engagement)
Prof. please why don’t you allow your brother take a picture of you and I?
Jide, with all these shopping bags you’re carrying?
Prof., no now. I can drop the shopping bags. The photographs would be for my private collection.  (To be candid, the shopping bags were about seven).
Private collection?

Yes Prof; private collection.
You Jide! You will publish the photograph (He keeps smiling and laughing)
Prof., I will not publish. I promise on my honour
Jide you will publish
Prof., you know if I publish, I would forfeit our August engagement that we are supposed to have; and that would not be honourable.
Jide, let’s leave everything till August
Okay Prof.  (Meanwhile you are all walking towards the exit, still amazed)
Okay Jide
Finally, Nigerians owe you.    At least we are living peacefully and we still have a nation after the elections.
Thanks Jide.    Thanks
Professor Jega shared many moments of drama with the expectant Nigerian public while he was INEC Chairman but, in the highs and lows of these moments, he never gave in to bluster or needless speechifying.
That was why, in this encounter, he elevated the pedestal of respect he has attained after the 2015 elections by dispelling misconceptions the public were made to believe about him, including the hallow of irredentism.
He made a calculated handover to Ambassador Wali and conveyed the impression that he took a studied background examination of Mrs Amina Zakari, and, being able to foretell the damage her links with the current leadership can have on the corporate image of INEC, decided to skip her, because the effect will not only harm her previous hard work but will taint the Commission.    The controversy about Zakari is still on.
Professor Jega was in Oxford, United Kingdom, recently and, in answering key questions, he showed that he had not lost any of his dignified calm.
This was one encounter that could not have been predicted.    But it was a pleasant one.