In recent weeks, Sen. Adams Oshiomhole has become unusually loud in the public space. From one hearing to another, he has taken on the posture of an enforcer, attacking officials and speaking as if he alone carries the moral authority of the National Assembly. Many Nigerians believe this sudden aggressiveness has less to do with governance and more to do with distraction.
When videos showing the Senator massaging Leshaan Dagama, a South African lifestyle influencer’s feet surfaced online, they immediately sparked public outrage. His first reaction was denial. He claimed the videos were fake and generated by artificial intelligence. That explanation quickly fell apart when the woman involved came out openly and confirmed the incident. From that moment, public attention became fixed on the issue.
Soon after, the Senator introduced for himself switch tactics, turning National Assembly sessions into dramatic confrontations. He began grilling officials aggressively, acting at once like the police, the courts, and even security agencies such as the DSS and EFCC. The message was clear: create a new storm big enough to push the old one out of the headlines.
It was in this tense atmosphere that the Minister of Works, HE David Umahi, CON became a target. Umahi’s record is visible across the country. Roads, bridges, and major infrastructure projects speak louder than words. These are things people see, use, and benefit from daily.
What played out is not about accountability alone. It is largely about diversion, noise, and an attempt to shift public focus from personal controversy by attacking a public officer who is delivering results.
Oversight is important in any democracy, but it must be fair and sincere not act of intimidation. When it is used to change the conversation or manage personal battared image, the public notices.
In all, I was so happy with the minister of Works in his style of handling the entire matter; first, he simply call on the Senator for calm at the National Assembly, second, he sees the entire scene as it is the public right to query him for he is “presiding over funds of public and as such, they want me to be accountable.”
Such an interesting, calm outing.
Oshiomhole should understand that Nigerians are not to be manipulated at all time, we know what he is doing and his style of doing it. Switching the topic should not be to the detriment of other distinguished Nigerians and in redeeming his battared image
By Francis Nwaze
