This Dog Won't Hunt
By Kayode Adenaiya
The military junta in Nigeria, is at it again! On Wednesday, the 12th of March 1997, Chief Olu Falae, a former presidential aspirant, Chief Anthony Enahoro, elder statesman and former information minister, who moved the motion for Nigeria’s independence from the British colonialist in 1956, Professor Wole Soyinka, the first African Nobel laureate in literature, Retired General Akinrinade, former Chief of Army Staff and the most distinguished African soldier to graduate from Sandhurst Military Academy, Dr. Frederick Fasheun, a physician and human rights activist and eleven others were arraigned before a Lagos Magistrate Court on charges of treason without prior notice to defense Lawyers. If they are found guilty (which they surely will), the penalty is death. The extra judicial murder of Ken Saro-Wiwa and the Ogoni eight is still fresh in our minds. We must stop the impostor, General Sani Abacha and his military thugs before they kill again.
The treason tactic is not new in Nigeria’s bizarre politics. The first republic government of Alhaji Abubakar Tafawa Balewa drew a treason trump card against the well organized political machine of the Yoruba Action Group (AG) party led by Chief Obafemi Awolowo. In September 1963, Chief Awolowo and his notable aides were sentenced to various terms of imprisonment, ranging from two to ten years by a timid judge who did not declare that the prosecutor had proved its case beyond reasonable doubts. Rather, he declared that he had no choice except to convict the accused. Balewa’s political gangsterism weakened and eventually destroyed the AG . On July 6th 1967, the same power mongers reconstituted and went to war against Chief Emeka Ojukwu who protested the killing and maiming of the Igbos in northern Nigeria. In the end, the Nigeria-Biafra civil war claimed two million Nigerian lives in order for the warlords to perpetuate their dictatorship and hold on power.
The current political crisis is the third coming of Nigeria’s political incubus, this time, they came in their military format and annulled the freest, fairest and most peaceful election ever held on the Nigerian soil. The winner of that election Chief Moshood Abiola was charged with treason and has been held for three years without trial. The National Democratic coalition (NADECO) opposition leaders against the annulment are now being charged for treason. It has dawned on the military junta that the international community has rejected their dictated ‘democratic’ transition that has opposition groups in jail under lock and key. The treason tactic is a diversionary device to bring the OAU, United Nations, United States of America, European Union and the rest of the world to their knees pleading for leniency for treason victims. Meanwhile, on March 19th 1997, the African Caribbean Pacific-European Union (ACP-EU) joint assembly meeting in Brussels on a 60 to 30 votes resolved to impose oil embargo on Nigeria and to expel Nigeria from the Commonwealth in the next Head of States meetings. The resolution called on the Nigerian military junta to engage the opposition in a constructive dialogue so that an interim government headed by Chief Abiola can be established to conduct free and fair elections. The resolution called on ACP-EU member states not to grant visas to members of Nigerian regime and also encouraged member states to grant refugee status to Nigerians in exile.
In a family feud, like the one currently raging in Nigeria, there is a tendency to forget what caused the bickering and acrimony with the passage of time. The focus shifts from the real issues to new issues and from justice to vendetta . It is very important to know what the real issues are and to beam public attention on the issues. The ground test attests that the issue is neither tribal nor religious. The real issue in the current political crisis in Nigeria is the military.
First is the $12.2 billion issue:
During the de’facto military regime of General Mohamed Buhari, Nigeria could not muster resources or reserves to obligate her share of major projects like LNG , Steel and Petrochemical plants etc. The then military junta decided to set aside 100,000 barrels of crude oil a day and lodge proceeds from the sale in a special dedicated account. The money accrued until the Buhari regime was toppled by General Babangida.
The brutal military regime of General Abacha on seizing power mandated a renowned economist Dr. Pius Okigbo to institute a financial probe into the Central Bank and other financial institutions. By now the dedicated account had blossomed and accrued to $12.4 billion but a very angry Dr. Okigbo found only $200 million in the dedicated account. The only two signatories to the account are the military Head of state and the Governor of the Central Bank. The pertinent question is where is $12.2 billion ? Where is the cheese folks? Enquiring minds want to know!
Second is the June 12, election issue:
After several Machiavellian plots, the former dictator General Babangida, the then military Head of state allowed a presidential election in June 1993 . The election was adjudged free and fair by the international community. The military struck again and annulled the election. The relevant question here is who annulled the election and why is the president -elect in prison for treason and an unconstitutional, illegal government of General Sani Abacha usurping power? Nigerians need to know.
Third is the phantom coup issue:
After the annulment of the elections in 1993, a powerful opposition rose against the military establishment, from within the military, on the political front and the media.
A coup plot was fabricated and conjured. All leading voices of reason in the military, politics and media were implicated and roped in. Nigerians cannot accept a lie and must know the truth about the phantom coup.
Fourth is the extrajudicial murder issue:
Nigerians must know why Ken Saro-wiwa and eight Ogoni folks were hanged without due process of the law. Nigerians must know who killed Dele Giwa with a parcel bomb; they must know who killed Chief Alfred Rewane, a leading NADECO chieftain and Kudirat Abiola, the wife of the president-elect of Nigeria with an imploding bullet. Nigerians must know who shot Alex Ibru and Senator Abraham Adesanya. Also the people must know who murdered the Chief medical officer of Ahmadu Bello University(ABU), Professor Bamidele Bandipo.
Finally is the sovereign national conference issue:
In the long run, Nigerians must ask themselves these germane questions. Do we want to live together and how? What is the role of the military in the next political dispensation?
In order to install and operate a democratic system and the rule of law, the people and leadership of Nigeria must be active, engaged and informed. Presently, we have an apathetic, pliable and ignorant citizenry and a dictatorial, corrupt, morally bankrupt, asinine impostors pretending to lead.
If the renaissance must come, we have to cause it to happen and not just will it.
We have been passing the buck. Sooner than later it will dawn on us that, we the people must help ourselves. God and the international community will only help us, if we help ourselves. Our destiny is in our hands. This time, the treason (dog) must not hunt!
By Kayode Adenaiya is an Engineer and serves as the Financial Secretary of Egbe Isokan Yoruba.
For More Information Contact:
Egbe Isokan Yoruba
P.O. Box 90832, Washington, DC 20090
Tel: (202) 270-6382
FAX: (301) 499-5386
Internet: isokan@yoruba.org