Okay, so, Farooq Kperogi, you know, the Nigerian-American professor – a pretty well-known public affairs analyst, by the way – he’s weighed in on that Wike and Lieutenant Yerima situation. The viral clash? Yeah, that one. And, honestly, he’s not holding back.

Kperogi basically calls it a “defining moment.” A defining moment, he says, of courage, um, and restraint. Like, a clash between power… and, uh, principle. He even went all philosophical on us, comparing it to that old saying… you know: “an unstoppable force meets an immovable object.” It’s quite a visual, right?

And apparently, Yerima’s calm demeanor – like, his coolness under pressure – really stood out. A sharp contrast, Kperogi notes, to Wike’s, well, “trademark aggression.” Which, I guess, forced Wike into a bit of a retreat. Which a lot of people are viewing as a, uh, humbling experience. Talk about a power dynamic shift.

Kperogi praised Yerima’s composure, you know, his self-assuredness. Attributing it to “deep-rooted discipline and moral upbringing.” Right? Makes sense. He makes a point about how the young officer—despite the whole like, social and political gap—remained respectful, but unyielding. Even when faced with some “verbal intimidation.” Good for him, honestly. Proving integrity, can stand firm even before authority, or maybe especially before authority.

Then things got a little deeper. Kperogi starts talking about this Nigerian thing, ageism, but like…in reverse? He calls it “reverse ageism,” where older folks use their age… as a weapon. To shut down dissent. Using seniority to invalidate valid criticism, regardless of…wait, no—intellectual or emotional maturity. It’s a thing, apparently.

The conclusion? The viral thing revealed more about Wike’s arrogance… than Yerima’s youth. It’s not about age, says Kperogi. It’s about conduct. And he totally commends Yerima for, you know, representing a new generation—a generation that’s not afraid to challenge intimidation with dignity. And, uh, reason.

Here’s Kperogi’s post, in full. It’s titled: “Three Quick Thoughts on Wike and Yerima”

He starts by saying he’s read different takes on the whole thing—the “correctitude (or lack thereof)”– between Wike and Yerima. But he’s, like, focused on something else.

“Several social media commentators, irrespective of partisan affiliations, appear united in proclaiming that Wike finally “met his match” in Yerima.” So, yeah, the people are talking.

He brings up that old saying again. The “unstoppable force.” Which Wike thinks he is, and that other people think he is, too. You know, because he’s always so “boisterous, venomous-tongued cantankerousness.” Lol. And that thing about the immovable object? That’s Yerima.

“Yerima has emerged, without planning to, as the first person, at least publicly, to make it clear to Wike that although Wike has acquired well-earned notoriety as a vicious, perpetually drunk, psychotic pocket tyrant who railroads people into kowtowing to him through intimidation, boozy taunts, and primitive vituperative aggression, he is ‘not a fool’ who yields to inebriated, power-drunk, geriatric bullies.” Whoa.

He really lays it out there, huh?

Then Kperogi gets into the whole “I am not a fool, sir” bit. How it’s not just a retort. It’s “respectful but firm defiance to an insufferably self-important ministerial hoodlum.” I mean, the guy is not pulling punches.

He even makes this connection, it’s kind of funny, where he says many people heard Yerima saying “I am not Fubara, sir.” Because “fool” and “Fubara” sound alike. Obviously, he knows it’s a bit of a stretch. A “partisan terrain,” but it helps make the point about how Fubara, well, is being used “as the most recognized referent for disempowering spinelessness.” Yeah.

Thought number two? Yerima’s unflappability. His “courage, and self-assuredness.” Like, there’s this huge gap between them, generationally, socially, politically. And Yerima didn’t even flinch. “He stood his ground and caused Wike to beat a humiliating retreat.”

He says, “You don’t buy that kind of valor and self-confidence in the market.” You gotta cultivate it from a young age. Turns out Yerima comes from a military family. It all, you know, clicks.

“His father must have taught him a version of one of my favorite Malcolm Xian exhortations: “Be peaceful, be courteous, obey the law, respect everyone; but if someone puts his hand on you, send him to the cemetery.”” Whoa, powerful words.

And basically, that’s what Yerima did.

Final thought: That whole “reverse ageism” thing. The “almost involuntary predilection for gerontocratic egotism.” He actually wrote about this before, back in 2022, in an article called “Reverse Ageism as a Tool to Gag Criticism in Nigeria.”

He quotes from the article. About how Nigeria’s stuck in this “regressive reverse ageism.” Where old age trumps everything. Even “emotional and intellectual age.”

“Only backward, lowbrow bumpkins are hung up on age and invoke it to delegitimize valid criticism that they can’t confront with the resources of logic and evidence.” Savage.

He basically says everything he wrote three years ago applies to Wike now. Even though Yerima’s younger, he’s way more mature and dignified.

“So, who cares if Wike is older than Methuselah, especially because he behaves like a rambunctious toddler uneasily stuck in an adult’s body?” Ouch!

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