UPPER MARLBORO, MARYLAND, USA
“Our constitution works, our great republic is a government of laws and not of men. Here the people rule. But there is a higher power, by whatever name we honor Him, who ordains not only righteousness but love, not only justice but mercy|”
-Gerald Ford 1913-2006
The last time I wrote about the ills of our country, Nigeria, was in 2003 after the monumental election rigging by the ruling PDP and its leader, President Olusegun Obasanjo. After what happened in the 2003 election, I was so disenchanted and to put it more succinctly, depressed every time I discuss with colleagues the current events in Nigeria. I am only contented in writing about my state, Anambra, and its own domestic problems as they say that charity begins at home. Most of my write ups remain local on the way to tackle the menace in my state.
But I will never give up on my country, never. The current event in Nigeria these few months engineered by the ruling party, PDP, is very troubling. I am troubled, not only because I think that the country will break up or that we will be plunged into another civil war. None of these will happen by His grace! What is troubling to me is the ease with which the government of OBJ is dangerously leading the country to chaos and most people are sitting on the fence instead of doing something to stop this dictator parading himself as a democrat and a ’God sent’ reformer. Our hard-earned democracy must be saved at all cost. We have seen this before and it is not a new thing to us. If Nigeria survived past dictators, why not this one.
In 1975 when General Yakubu Gowon was the Head of State, and after the Supreme Military Council decided that an election should be organized to hand over to civilians. Gowon later changed his mind and stated that to hand over at the scheduled date would be “unrealist”. He was toppled a few months by General Murtala Mohammed, after the announcement in keeping with the yearning of the masses.
During the time of IBB, he used the National Election Commission (NEC) to disqualify all viable candidates calling them “old breed” and favoring what he called the “new breed” politicians that will move the country forward. People like Yakubu Gowon, Chief Emeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, Chief Chuba Okadigbo, Alhaji Umaru Dikko and all the political heavy weights in the country so numerous to mention were disqualified from contesting election. All the parties that were formed at the time in preparation for the election were banned. In their place, IBB formed two political parties, National Republican Convention (NRC) and Social Democratic Party (SDP) and invited Nigerians to join any of the two parties of their choice. When IBB was doing the scheming, he had at the back of his mind to clear the road for his friend at the time, Chief MKO Abiola, to become his successor. After clearing the road for his friend Abiola, and after destroying all opposition on the way of Abiola, the general belief was that Abiola would be the next president of Nigeria. Between the time IBB cleared the road for Abiola and during the election proper, no one knows till this day what transpired between the two long time friends. It was speculated that Abiola later proved not to be as docile as IBB thought and that was why the latter backed off from making Abiola president.
IBB decided to use the Association for Better Nigeria, ABN, led by Chief Jerry Okolo to scuttle the election. They applied to court for an injunction using frivolous and vexation reason that there would be chaos if the election was held. They got an injunction a day before the election to restrained NEC from holding the election on June 12, 1993. The Chairman of NEC, Professor Humfrey Nwosu, went public and told people that come what may, the election would hold that day and in fact, directed his Electoral Commissioners to ignore the injunctions and carry on with their job of conducting the election. The election went further as scheduled. But when the result started coming in and Chief Abiola was poised to win, and in fact winning by a high margin even in his opponent, Alhaji Bashir Tofa’s territory, IBB came out of his shelf and ordered NEC to suspend releasing the result. When Prof Nwosu ignored IBB’s orders and continued to release more result, he was said to have been summoned by IBB and was severely tortured. IBB went on to nullify the results, and his reason was that the rule of law was not followed as court order of injunction was not obeyed. Imagine IBB and his government obeying the order of the court! He also said that he had to nullify the result so as to save the nation from disintegration. Power was very good and IBB decided to stay on to power. However, he was thinking like a man, but God had other plans. IBB was forced to ’step aside’ and he had no choice than to form an Interim Nation Government and made Chief Ernest Shonekan, the Chairman. IBB and his top brass agreed that all of them should all leave the reign of power. However, IBB retained his right hand man, General Abacha, as the Defense Minister. At that time, Nigeria formed a popular saying “after you na me”- which the grapevine said was that that was what Abacha told IBB when the latter was planning to retire all the top brass in IBB‘s government. The plan was for Abacha to take over and then prevent IBB from prosecution for all the ill he committed while in power.
When a court of competent jurisdiction declared the Interim National Government unconstitutional, null and void, Gen Abacha quickly took over power and suspended the constitution, banned all political parties, unions and all political activities and promulgated the all powerful Decree 107 (Suspension and Modification of the Constitution)1993.
After Abacha took over, he took a cue of IBB whom he studied for years. Abacha had a plan of succeeding himself. While IBB was subtle; a little humane and smooth with his toothy smile, Abacha was more aggressive and brutal. He mercilessly dealt with all opposition to his government. He used his State Security Service, SSS, apparatus to haunt and eliminate all government opponents. Ken Saro-Wiwa was eliminated via judicial murder. Alhaja Kudirat Abiola, the wife of MKO Abiola, and Chief Alfred Rewane fell by the assassins’ bullets. Abacha used one Sgt. Rogers as his trigger finger to eliminate known and imagined enemies of his government. In fact, people like Chief Abraham Adesanya, the leader of NADECO, Chief Enahoro and Chief Alex Ibru should thank their stars as the evil man, Abacha‘s men did not succeed in finishing them off. The whole country was brought down to its knees. He was the most brutal dictator of all times in Nigeria that his name alone instilled fears in every Nigerian at the time.
When he finally lifted ban on political activities and under his plan to rule Nigeria forever, all political parties formed at the time were fighting each other over who to adopt Abacha as its presidential candidate! Sycophants were everywhere singing Abacha’s praise. “Abacha Forever” emblem was everywhere. There was the notorious 1 million match for Abacha led by YEAA (Youths Ernestly Ask for Abacha). He continued to play ’god’ with the destiny of our great country, Nigeria. When he was poised to succeed himself, God had another plans for him and for our country. Abacha died like a chicken in his bed room. There were many stories as to how he died and to the circumstances that led to his death. Whatever the circumstances surrounding his death, it was God that did it. God did it again for Nigeria! Who knows how the country would have been had Abacha succeeding in his evil machinations. Who knew that the great Abacha would die just like that? We are all mortals. God never sleeps and He will never let His people suffer for so long.
When I traveled to Nigeria in late 2005, I attended a church service in my hometown. Then towards the end of the service, a familiar prayer was called “Prayer for Nigeria in Trouble”. I was amazed! That was the same prayer formed during the explosive aftermath of June 12. I jokingly asked a friend beside me “So Nigeria is still in trouble”? And he busted out laughing. That prayer was very powerful. It is still powerful as we are again faced with the same thing under OBJ. We have been through this road before! This present government does not care about what they are about to do to this country and the generality of its citizens. The way and manner it is going about its conduct of the election clearly shows that the election is designed to fail. By the comments of OBJ and his retinue of advisers’ cum-sycophants, leaves no one in doubt as to what their intentions are. The intention of OBJ is to cause confusion and force the opposition to protest violently and thereby cause the government to declare a state of emergency and then extend its tenure indefinitely borrowing a leaf from Babangida and Abacha before him that “no reasonable government will hand over power in a state of uncertainty”
By using the EFCC, ICPC and INEC to disqualify all viable opposition to the stooge in the name of Alhaji Umar Yar’Adua, is a familiar happening in Nigeria. By imposing Yar’Adua as the candidate for his party, PDP, changing PDP’s constitution to make OBJ the party chairman which will make him all powerful even over a president who comes from his party and going ahead to use INEC to rig election in April, OBJ believe that the coast is clear for him and that the next president will not probe his government. His other plan is that having imposed a weak and sick man as president, the rigors of the presidency would aggravate Yar’Adua’s sickness and he would die or resign, then the evil more docile Vice President, Goodluck would become president in keeping with the constitution and OBJ would rule Nigeria from his Otta Farm.
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