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IBB, Not Buhari, Overthrew Shagari’s Govt — Col. Nyiam - Politics - Nairaland

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IBB, Not Buhari, Overthrew Shagari’s Govt — Col. Nyiam by erinolu(m): 8:56am On Aug 25, 2013
In this interview, Col. Tony Nyiam, who was part of the failed attempt to oust the Gen. Ibrahim Babangida’s military government in 1990, tells WAHEED BAKARE and ALLWELL OKPI, how the Orkar coup originated and its relevance to Nigerian politics

You said what has come to be known as the Orkar coup was not a coup but an action. What is the difference between the two?

I said it was a pro-democracy action to stop a situation where there would have been perpetual diarchy in Nigeria, where politicians in uniform would have put a system in place for them to rule forever. I’m talking about a system similar to what the Arab uprising dismantled in Egypt.

But a more senior military officer, Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo, referred to it as a coup.

It is because in our setting we misuse words. And because we are used to misusing words, we believe even words that are not really the truth. A military coup would be a coup against an elected government. Our action was not against an elected government. In fact, it’s the responsibility of a military officer to rise up against anybody who takes over power from an elected government, which the government we took action against did. The government we took action against, which was part of the Muhammadu Buhari to Ibrahim Babangida regime, had usurped power from the elected government of Shehu Shagari. If there is a coup that overthrows an elected government, it is the duty of a military officer to do a counter-coup to restore democracy.

Would you have done the same thing if Buhari had remained in power to that time?

If we had seen the same indications during Buhari’s time, the plan by the military to perpetuate itself, we would have done that. But Buhari wasn’t of that kind of mould.

Are you saying your stay in power would have been brief, only long enough to prepare for elections?

Yes. We would have stayed just 18 months to do basically three things, which Nigeria still needs to do. They are: a national census, a proper headcount. I’m happy that as I’ve been saying for years, Festus Odimegwu, the new chairman of the National Population Commission, clearly said there has been no credible census in Nigeria since 1816. The fact is that Nigerians have been so ignorant and have refused to deal with the crucial matter. The census, right from the British time, has always been used to perpetuate the internal colonisers over the rest of Nigeria. The three things we would have done; first a proper national census, so we can know how many we are and how we are spread. If we truly know what the Nigerian population is, over 40 per cent of the constituencies in the North-West and North-East, would not exist. We can only know that if we do a proper census and that is why today, Festus Odimegwu’s life is being threatened because he wants to give us a true count for the first time.

The second thing would have been a conference, which would allow Nigerians to negotiate how they want to coexist. Today, we have a situation where there are abuses of the federal character system. For example, a candidate from say Delta State has to score 170 to pass, while another from another part of the country is required to score eight. Such abuses cannot really be acceptable by a people who have a nation. We are yet to have a nation. The imperative of a conference cannot be ruled out; people need to negotiate. The third thing was to conduct a free and fair election, which has eluded Nigeria for long. In all the regimes, a semblance of free and fair election we see only in a few states in Nigeria basically Lagos and the other states in the South-West. I’m not saying they have achieved it, but we see relatively free and fair elections in these regions. It is not surprising why these regions are the most developing, South-West is the most peaceful, relatively compared to other regions and of course it is the region, where there is relative collective governance of the people. I must give credit to this government, led by President Goodluck Jonathan. The Ondo and Edo states governorship elections, which were relatively free and fair, are credit to Jonathan’s government. These are the things we would have done in those 18 months and those three things whether we like it or not, have to be done. First, we must have a proper census and that is why all Nigerians must support Festus Odimegwu to give us a proper census. Two, we must sit down and negotiate our corporate existence. We must stop deceiving ourselves with these fraudulent elections we’ve been having.

There is the argument that we don’t need to have another conference since we have representatives at the National Assembly.

It is the most ignorant assumption. Why do I say it is ignorant? With all the political scientists we have in our midst, people forget that what we are practising is what we call indirect democracy. What do I mean? The proprietary right over people’s sovereignty is delegated to people we elect to make laws for us. When it comes to making constitutional reforms or constitution making, you go to what is called direct democracy. Direct democracy means direct voting by the people in the form of a referendum and that is why the universal practice is that a constitution making process that does not go through a constituent assembly, whose decisions are approved by a referendum, is null and void. We see the examples. Look at South Sudan; it’s creation resulted from a referendum. How is it that Nigerians do not understand that for a constitution to be legitimate, it has to be driven by the people, and the people are usually represented by a constituent assembly? And this constituent assembly is usually made up of non-partisan politicians, because partisan politicians are only concerned with the next election. They are not concerned about posterity or long-term issues in the country. So, constitution which outlives people and a generation should be driven by civil society, collection of every nationality in the country and clerics. I would cite an example. My second home is in Scotland and in Scotland those who drove for the national conference were the clerics of the Church of Scotland, they were at the forefront. We also saw it in Ireland. Britain has the oldest parliament in the world, why are they allowing a constituent assembly to go ahead, while there are parliaments? It is only in Nigeria that such argument is raised because of the ignorance of the difference between direct and indirect democracy. That’s why I have tried to do an aide-memoir to aid constitution- making. There are certain basic principles of constitution-making, which if we do not follow, would be like building a house on quicksand.

Do you think we would have been able to tackle these problems if the June 12 election had not been annulled by Babangida?

The thing is, Chief MKO Abiola, who I had the opportunity to work with when he escaped from Nigeria to UK, was a man that we lost because his plan was to correct the national issues and start democracy in Nigeria. But because some western interests in Nigeria did not want this, they colluded to do away with him.

You once said soldiers could be recruited for a coup without their knowledge. How is that possible?

Yes, there are many instances. You might want to verify this from Gen. Buhari, he was not the initiator of that coup that brought him in as Head of State, it was Gen. Ibrahim Bako and Babangida that initiated it. But because they wanted a credible figure as a face, he was brought in. He did not know the genesis of that coup. He was not quite aware of the original idea behind the coup and that was why when he decided to make a change, he was forced to step aside. So, if this could happen to a whole Gen. Buhari, who was supposedly the leader of a coup, it shows how many soldiers can be brought in that way.

Does that mean overthrowing Shagari’s government was IBB’s idea?

It was the idea of late Gen. Bako and IBB. Buhari was only brought in because they needed a face with integrity.

Can you give other instances?

Gen. Yakubu Gowon was not part of the coup that brought him in. He was a decent man. Nigerians like to play what the Yoruba people call bojuboju; they bring a figure with integrity to cover up their real intention; the real intention of politicians in uniform who have found cheap party. Many elements of them are in our partisan politics today.

That means such heads of states were under the control of the coup plotters that installed them.

Obviously. And these people are still the reason why we are not allowed to have a proper census, they are still the ones ensuring that we don’t have a conference as well as a free and fair election because if you give the people their rights to choose who to governs them, you have freed them and these oligarchs don’t want that.

Could it be a defence in the military to say I wasn’t part of a coup, I was just brought in?

It couldn’t be a defence because at the point you know that it is a coup, you should do everything possible to resist it.

Even at the risk of taking your life?

That was what we did. At the point when we realised that they were going to perpetuate the military government in Nigeria, we took the risk.

Can we say this plan was an Hausa-Fulani agenda, since most of these military leaders are northerners?

We cannot reduce this thing to an issue of a peaceful Hausa-Fulani man or a peaceful Yoruba man or a peaceful Igbo man. I think we are above that. What we see is an interest of oligarchs, who think power and money controls and there are all sorts of people in that fold. For a long time, you may say one ethnic group has a preponderant membership of that group.

It was reported that the late Gideon Orkar wanted to excise northern Nigeria from the country. Was it part of the agenda?

The unsung hero, Gideon Orkar, was far from anybody who wanted to divide the country. He was calling all regions of the country to some conditionality that they have to meet, if they want us to coexist. It was because that was an era when certain people were saying that they were superior, and that power was their prerogative and that they had the monopoly of power.

Would that have been due to the ethnic coloration of previous coups?

Sure. It is sad that democrats are missing the issue that we were fighting against, which we still need to fight against. It is a situation where they take over power and give advantage to their people to the extent that today if we count the local governments we have in Kano and Jigawa which are states not up to Lagos in population, the local governments are up to three to five times the number of local government areas in Lagos. Lagos is a place, apart from the Niger Delta which gives us foreign exchange earner. Lagos contributes over 70 per cent of our non-oil revenue generation and the same Lagos gets less than what Kano, which produces less than two per cent, gets. This is why I must say Lagos State made a mistake, instead of relocating the problem where it lies; it is not about deporting Igbo beggars to Onitsha end of the Niger Bridge. Lagos should take the right steps legally or otherwise to assert the rights of the state which is being the owner of the Value Added Tax and the sales tax generated in Lagos. The things we fought against are still structurally within our polity. Today, you cannot pass a bill at the National Assembly, if two zones — North-East and North-West — do not agree. So, two zones can stop four zones — South-East, South-West, South-South and North-Central — from moving forward. The irony of this is that these zones are in the semi-desert areas that are usually less populated going by all empirical evidence. We have problems with our census figure; that is why they have all those constituencies and that is why they planned coups to perpetuate that.

Do you think the action failed because the northerners were not involved and because of the conditions given to them to be part of Nigeria?

First of all, our action and Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu’s action were the only actions that were not palace coup. The likes of Bako and IBB’s coup which brought in Buhari wer. The fact is that the government of Shagari was a government that the military was highly involved in because of the ethnic kinsmanship. There was a fight over contracts that broke the coup. It was an in-house thing. So, the coup was driven by people’s selfish interests and that is why I don’t call it a military coup, I call it a politicians-in-uniform coup. Nzeogwu’s action and our action were done by outsiders, who felt this cash-and-carry ruling and stealing would not be allowed to continue.

If the action had been successful, who would have been the head of state?

It would have been Maj. Saliba Mukoro. He was the initiator. They heard about me and they wanted some senior people to be part of the action. When they approached me, I didn’t accept immediately because I wasn’t the type that will go for a coup or any action. But when I heard the strength of the argument, and in line with my insight as to what was happening in government because I was a close aide to Babangida and Sani Abacha. It would have been immoral of me to report the young officers. I was torn in-between reporting these young, overzealous and selfless boys, who wanted certain issues solved and maitaining loyalty to the military government. People forget that it was because of the action that Delta State was created. And the system in Delta State today has fraudulently prevented one of the people who initiated it, Great Ogboru, to govern. People forget that Bayelsa State was created because of the action. And that’s why I still find it sad that till today, even with the President coming from Bayelsa, no Bayelsan government has honoured those boys who sacrificed their lives for the Niger Delta. I have said it over and over that these chaps deserve to be honoured. I think the Niger Deltans, President Jonathan and the Ijaw should take cue from the Yoruba and honour those boys. The majority of the boys in our action were Niger Deltans for obvious reasons.

Were you the only colonel in the action?

We were two lieutenant colonels. I was brought in by another lieutenant colonel. But that lieutenant colonel sold out and that was why there was a leakage and we had to rush. The person who recruited me had sold out.

Is he a Niger Deltan?

Yes. His name was Lt. Col. Patrick Oketa.

When you were pardoned, what was your feeling?

First of all, we were grateful to Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar and Admiral Mike Akhigbe, who were the initiators of the pardon. These were two gentlemen who were never part of any coup. Power was just dumped on Abdulsalami and true to his character; he wasted no time in returning power to civillians. The system of returning power to civilians should have been better but because he didn’t want to stay a day longer, he left and this is a reflection of his character.

Do you still relate with your colleagues?

Sure, what we didn’t realise is that most of our colleagues who were travelling were very helpful to us, because they knew what we fought for. If our actions were not taken, you would never have had the chance of having an Igbo man as Chief of Army Staff. No Yoruba man would have had that chance either. Why do I say so? Some of us had insight as to a succession plan in the army for the next 50 years. You would never have had the likes of Gen. Martin Agwai being the Chief of Army Staff and Defence Staff, because he belongs to the northern Christian minority. The army, after General T.Y. Danjuma’s time became an army that was to be led by only an ethnic group. People forget that there is a linkage between our action and the chance that MKO Abiola was given for the election.

Now that we have Delta and Bayelsa states and we have the Ministry of Niger Delta and an Ijaw man is the head. Do you think these are enough to right the wrongs of the past?

Those issues are again the usual Nigerian way of dealing with things; rather than go for a holistic tactic. A fundamental thing essentially is to restore power. Once power is restored to the people it is left to them. All these things are just temporal measures. The fundamental issue is to return Nigeria to true federalism. This talk of diversifying our economy cannot happen if we do not have fiscal federalism. People forget that when we had proper federalism, the main foreign exchange for Nigeria was agriculture. So, we have to go back to that


http://www.punchng.com/feature/interview/ibb-not-buhari-overthrew-shagaris-govt-col-nyiam/

1 Like

Re: IBB, Not Buhari, Overthrew Shagari’s Govt — Col. Nyiam by icon8: 10:48am On Aug 25, 2013
Insightful!!!
Re: IBB, Not Buhari, Overthrew Shagari’s Govt — Col. Nyiam by Maxymilliano(m): 11:37am On Aug 25, 2013
erinolu:
Does that mean overthrowing Shagari’s government was IBB’s idea?

Col. Tony Nyiam: It was the idea of late Gen. Bako and IBB. Buhari was only brought in because they needed a face with integrity.


Very true, but the only name missing in the tripartite arrangement was a certain Brigadier Sani Abacha, who recommended GMB as the ideal candidate with an integrity face to serve as the Military Head Of State.

He, Sani Abacha read the speech after President Shagari was overthrown in December 31, 1983. The General was later forced to step aside by the younger elements in the force led by IBB, but without the support of Abacha, the least he did was to plead for a soft landing and the lot fell on Brigadier Joshua Dogonyaro to announce the coup in August 27, 1985.

Sani Abacha was one of the few loyalist of GMB, and when opportunity provided itself and he became the Head of State, Commander in Chief of Armed Forces, he extended invitation to GMB to head the newly created Petroleum Task Force (PTF) based on his records and integrity ...
Re: IBB, Not Buhari, Overthrew Shagari’s Govt — Col. Nyiam by oscaroshar(m): 12:11pm On Aug 25, 2013
Maxymilliano:

Very true, but the only name missing in the tripartite arrangement was a certain Brigadier Sani Abacha, who recommended GMB as the ideal candidate with an integrity face to serve as the Military Head Of State.

He, Sani Abacha read the speech after President Shagari was overthrown in December 31, 1983. The General was later forced to step aside by the younger elements in the force led by IBB, but without the support of Abacha, the least he did was to plead for a soft landing and the lot fell on Brigadier Joshua Dogonyaro to announce the coup in August 27, 1985.

Sani Abacha was one of the few loyalist of GMB, and when opportunity provided itself and he became the Head of State, Commander in Chief of Armed Forces, he extended invitation to GMB to head the newly created Petroleum Task Force (PTF) based on his records and integrity ...
Gen. Buhari has been clean right from time. Why is PDP telling Nigerians all sorts of lies against Buhari? Is it because they(thieves) dnt want Nigeria to be better? Let's all support Buhari in this fight to make Nigeria better.

1 Like

Re: IBB, Not Buhari, Overthrew Shagari’s Govt — Col. Nyiam by juman(m): 12:25pm On Aug 25, 2013
Abeg, abegi!

All of them were involved.
Re: IBB, Not Buhari, Overthrew Shagari’s Govt — Col. Nyiam by Wadeoye(m): 12:40pm On Aug 25, 2013
Maxymilliano:

Very true, but the only name missing in the tripartite arrangement was a certain Brigadier Sani Abacha, who recommended GMB as the ideal candidate with an integrity face to serve as the Military Head Of State.

He, Sani Abacha read the speech after President Shagari was overthrown in December 31, 1983. The General was later forced to step aside by the younger elements in the force led by IBB, but without the support of Abacha, the least he did was to plead for a soft landing and the lot fell on Brigadier Joshua Dogonyaro to announce the coup in August 27, 1985.

Sani Abacha was one of the few loyalist of GMB, and when opportunity provided itself and he became the Head of State, Commander in Chief of Armed Forces, he extended invitation to GMB to head the newly created Petroleum Task Force (PTF) based on his records and integrity ...

It really pays to be a man of integrity even if you dont have money. Everyday, history always talk about Buhari as a good man, a man of integrity, etc. I love this. I love you Buhari. I will fight myself to become a real man of integrity.

And for the teaming illiterates from a certain section of the country, this is another free history book for you to read to educate yourself. Life is not all about crime, selling fake stuff, and follow follow.

3 Likes

Re: IBB, Not Buhari, Overthrew Shagari’s Govt — Col. Nyiam by Lushgreen: 12:54pm On Aug 25, 2013
oscaroshar: Gen. Buhari has been clean right from time. Why is PDP telling Nigerians all sorts of lies against Buhari? Is it because they(thieves) dnt want Nigeria to be better? Let's all support Buhari in this fight to make Nigeria better.

The individuals/mindset that forced the Buhari/Idiagbon government out of power are still very much around today. They control the politics and economy of the country. These same set of Oligarchs are deceiving Buhari to contest against Pres. Jonathan and at the same time telling Pres. Jonathan he is the Messiah. They benefit from the confusion in the polity and would go any length to protect their interests and further tighten their grip on our collective opportunities.

These same set of people pop bottles of champagne when they see the current generation of youths engage in tribal/religous sentiments.

Sadly, we are too blind and bigotted to see them for what they really are.

1 Like

Re: IBB, Not Buhari, Overthrew Shagari’s Govt — Col. Nyiam by gramci: 12:55pm On Aug 25, 2013
Make una de deceive una self
Re: IBB, Not Buhari, Overthrew Shagari’s Govt — Col. Nyiam by Wadeoye(m): 12:56pm On Aug 25, 2013
Lushgreen:

The individuals/mindset that forced the Buhari/Idiagbon government out of power are still very much around today. They control the politics and economy of the country. These same set of Oligarchs are deceiving Buhari to contest against Pres. Jonathan and at the same time telling Pres. Jonathan he is the Messiah. They benefit from the confusion in the polity and would go any length to protect their interests and further tighten their grip on our collective opportunities.

These same set of people pop bottles of champagne when they see the current generation of youths engage in tribal/religous sentiments.

Sadly, we are too blind and bigotted to see them for what they really are.

Tell me one person who said the bolded? No sane person will say GEJ is the messiah. How?
Re: IBB, Not Buhari, Overthrew Shagari’s Govt — Col. Nyiam by Lushgreen: 1:11pm On Aug 25, 2013
Wadeoye:

Tell me one person who said the bolded? No sane person will say GEJ is the messiah. How?

The focus of the thread is not Pres. Jonathan

Step back, remove every tribal sentiment and ask yourself when/how we got where we currently are.

2 Likes

Re: IBB, Not Buhari, Overthrew Shagari’s Govt — Col. Nyiam by Nobody: 1:51pm On Aug 25, 2013
You can't change the past.
Re: IBB, Not Buhari, Overthrew Shagari’s Govt — Col. Nyiam by Nobody: 2:21pm On Aug 25, 2013
gramci: Make una de deceive una self
you will not ask or learn about the history of your nation, do you have a different version to tell us?
Re: IBB, Not Buhari, Overthrew Shagari’s Govt — Col. Nyiam by Nobody: 2:24pm On Aug 25, 2013
Maxymilliano:

Very true, but the only name missing in the tripartite arrangement was a certain Brigadier Sani Abacha, who recommended GMB as the ideal candidate with an integrity face to serve as the Military Head Of State.

He, Sani Abacha read the speech after President Shagari was overthrown in December 31, 1983. The General was later forced to step aside by the younger elements in the force led by IBB, but without the support of Abacha, the least he did was to plead for a soft landing and the lot fell on Brigadier Joshua Dogonyaro to announce the coup in August 27, 1985.

Sani Abacha was one of the few loyalist of GMB, and when opportunity provided itself and he became the Head of State, Commander in Chief of Armed Forces, he extended invitation to GMB to head the newly created Petroleum Task Force (PTF) based on his records and integrity ...
you painted a very clear pic of the events. Thumbs up

1 Like

Re: IBB, Not Buhari, Overthrew Shagari’s Govt — Col. Nyiam by Olaolufred(m): 8:28pm On Aug 25, 2013
oscaroshar: Gen. Buhari has been clean right from time. Why is PDP telling Nigerians all sorts of lies against Buhari? Is it because they(thieves) dnt want Nigeria to be better? Let's all support Buhari in this fight to make Nigeria better.

Simple, PDP,having ruled for 14 years, knows that Nigerians are somehow foolish.
They have consistently sold to us dummies which we fell into like a brainless people.
So, why would they not sell it to many of us mugus that Buhari is a dEmon?
The people of Nigeria are simply answering the name polithiefcian call them-FOOLS.
Re: IBB, Not Buhari, Overthrew Shagari’s Govt — Col. Nyiam by Nobody: 8:41pm On Aug 25, 2013
The Colonel has not said anything new.

Only gullible folks who are ignorant of their country's history call Buhari a coup plotter.

1 Like

Re: IBB, Not Buhari, Overthrew Shagari’s Govt — Col. Nyiam by Nobody: 8:44pm On Aug 25, 2013
List of coups and their respective coup leaders:

Jan 1966: Kaduna Nzeogwu.

Jul 1966: Murtala Mohammed (not Gowon).

1975: Murtala Mohammed (again).

1976: B.S. Dimka.

1983: IBB (not Buhari).

1985: IBB (again).

1993: Abacha.
Re: IBB, Not Buhari, Overthrew Shagari’s Govt — Col. Nyiam by Olaolufred(m): 8:45pm On Aug 25, 2013
HNosegbe: The Colonel has not said anything new.

Only gullible folks who are ignorant of their country's history call Buhari a coup plotter.


PDP (people decieving people) is fully grown up to PFP (people fooling people).
Re: IBB, Not Buhari, Overthrew Shagari’s Govt — Col. Nyiam by Nobody: 8:53pm On Aug 25, 2013
dont know how long before we start accusing IBB for our pregnat dogs at home

It dont matter who overthrew Shagari

What matters is there was a 1979 constitution in operation at the time which lays out how a President can be removed from office and coup was not one of them; there was also a Soldier Buhari who failed to defend this constitution but rather benefited from the usurpation of this constitution by becoming the Head of State after a democratically elected Government was overthrown!

So Buhari must take some responsibility for his role. No matter what happened in the Background Buhari must take responsibility for his role. Enough of the tales!

8 Likes

Re: IBB, Not Buhari, Overthrew Shagari’s Govt — Col. Nyiam by erinolu(m): 6:31am On Aug 26, 2013
erinolu:

Are you saying your stay in power would have been brief, only long enough to prepare for elections?

Yes. We would have stayed just 18 months to do basically three things, which Nigeria still needs to do. They are: a national census, a proper headcount. I’m happy that as I’ve been saying for years, Festus Odimegwu, the new chairman of the National Population Commission, clearly said there has been no credible census in Nigeria since 1816. The fact is that Nigerians have been so ignorant and have refused to deal with the crucial matter. The census, right from the British time, has always been used to perpetuate the internal colonisers over the rest of Nigeria. The three things we would have done; first a proper national census, so we can know how many we are and how we are spread. If we truly know what the Nigerian population is, over 40 per cent of the constituencies in the North-West and North-East, would not exist. We can only know that if we do a proper census and that is why today, Festus Odimegwu’s life is being threatened because he wants to give us a true count for the first time.

The second thing would have been a conference, which would allow Nigerians to negotiate how they want to coexist. Today, we have a situation where there are abuses of the federal character system. For example, a candidate from say Delta State has to score 170 to pass, while another from another part of the country is required to score eight. Such abuses cannot really be acceptable by a people who have a nation. We are yet to have a nation. The imperative of a conference cannot be ruled out; people need to negotiate. The third thing was to conduct a free and fair election, which has eluded Nigeria for long. In all the regimes, a semblance of free and fair election we see only in a few states in Nigeria basically Lagos and the other states in the South-West. I’m not saying they have achieved it, but we see relatively free and fair elections in these regions. It is not surprising why these regions are the most developing, South-West is the most peaceful, relatively compared to other regions and of course it is the region, where there is relative collective governance of the people. I must give credit to this government, led by President Goodluck Jonathan. The Ondo and Edo states governorship elections, which were relatively free and fair, are credit to Jonathan’s government. These are the things we would have done in those 18 months and those three things whether we like it or not, have to be done. First, we must have a proper census and that is why all Nigerians must support Festus Odimegwu to give us a proper census. Two, we must sit down and negotiate our corporate existence. We must stop deceiving ourselves with these fraudulent elections we’ve been having.
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Would that have been due to the ethnic coloration of previous coups?

Sure. It is sad that democrats are missing the issue that we were fighting against, which we still need to fight against. It is a situation where they take over power and give advantage to their people to the extent that today if we count the local governments we have in Kano and Jigawa which are states not up to Lagos in population, the local governments are up to three to five times the number of local government areas in Lagos. Lagos is a place, apart from the Niger Delta which gives us foreign exchange earner. Lagos contributes over 70 per cent of our non-oil revenue generation and the same Lagos gets less than what Kano, which produces less than two per cent, gets. This is why I must say Lagos State made a mistake, instead of relocating the problem where it lies; it is not about deporting Igbo beggars to Onitsha end of the Niger Bridge. Lagos should take the right steps legally or otherwise to assert the rights of the state which is being the owner of the Value Added Tax and the sales tax generated in Lagos. The things we fought against are still structurally within our polity. Today, you cannot pass a bill at the National Assembly, if two zones — North-East and North-West — do not agree. So, two zones can stop four zones — South-East, South-West, South-South and North-Central — from moving forward. The irony of this is that these zones are in the semi-desert areas that are usually less populated going by all empirical evidence. We have problems with our census figure; that is why they have all those constituencies and that is why they planned coups to perpetuate that.
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Now that we have Delta and Bayelsa states and we have the Ministry of Niger Delta and an Ijaw man is the head. Do you think these are enough to right the wrongs of the past?

Those issues are again the usual Nigerian way of dealing with things; rather than go for a holistic tactic. A fundamental thing essentially is to restore power. Once power is restored to the people it is left to them. All these things are just temporal measures. The fundamental issue is to return Nigeria to true federalism. This talk of diversifying our economy cannot happen if we do not have fiscal federalism. People forget that when we had proper federalism, the main foreign exchange for Nigeria was agriculture. So, we have to go back to that


http://www.punchng.com/feature/interview/ibb-not-buhari-overthrew-shagaris-govt-col-nyiam/

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These 3 grey areas in the interview are assigments for us to ponder on;
(1) True Census of Nigeria that will show correct population figures of the different states as that affects the character of the compostion of the national assembly. How can Kano post a higher population figure than Lagos. And by this Kano has higher number of National Assembly members than Lagos and have better voting advantage.

(2) We must negotiate our corporate existence as we do not practise true fiscal federalism. Nigeria as it is presently is a LIE, our Federal character is a LIE. According to the great Sage Awolowo, Nigeria is but a geographic expression. A people forced into a nation for the economic benefit of the imperialist British. Can't we re-write their wrongs and decide how we want to collective live together. Great democrats like Anthony Enahoro by wisdom canvassed for a Soverign National Conference so that we (different Ethic nationality) can decide how we want Nigeria to be.

(3) We must correct the LIE LIE election we have been posting all these years. It only brings in nonentities who think for their pockets not our collective good

me i don talk my own !!!!
Re: IBB, Not Buhari, Overthrew Shagari’s Govt — Col. Nyiam by Kessyy2k4(m): 6:46am On Aug 26, 2013
lipsrsealed[color=#990000][/color]
juman: Abeg, abegi!

All of them were involved.
wu told u dat.?? undecided
juman: Abeg, abegi!

All of them were involved.
wu told u dat.??
Re: IBB, Not Buhari, Overthrew Shagari’s Govt — Col. Nyiam by omenka(m): 7:57am On Aug 26, 2013
Buhari once said it in an interview a coupla years back that he was never involved in that coup but was only brought in to rule for want of a better officer. Here is another officer coroborating his claim. And from this interview, the last name anyone with any brain at all could call this man is 'bigot' or to say he's bias. I've said it time and again, the oligarchs would do anything to demonize the person of GMB for they know the great stuff he's actualy made of.

I hope some folks in here would take their time and read the entire piece, educate and enlighten themselves, and have a little change of heart.
FP Mods!
Re: IBB, Not Buhari, Overthrew Shagari’s Govt — Col. Nyiam by YesBosss(m): 9:20am On Aug 26, 2013
Lushgreen:

The individuals/mindset that forced the Buhari/Idiagbon government out of power are still very much around today. They control the politics and economy of the country. These same set of Oligarchs are deceiving Buhari to contest against Pres. Jonathan and at the same time telling Pres. Jonathan he is the Messiah. They benefit from the confusion in the polity and would go any length to protect their interests and further tighten their grip on our collective opportunities.

These same set of people pop bottles of champagne when they see the current generation of youths engage in tribal/religous sentiments.

Sadly, we are too blind and bigotted to see them for what they really are.

You are absolutely right. These are the people that bribe the press/paid agents to tarnish the image of Buhari, there are many Boko Haramites in the JTF custody yet there is no direct link to Buhari. God will surely expose them soon.
Re: IBB, Not Buhari, Overthrew Shagari’s Govt — Col. Nyiam by erinolu(m): 1:05pm On Aug 26, 2013
HNosegbe: List of coups and their respective coup leaders:

Jan 1966: Kaduna Nzeogwu.

Jul 1966: Murtala Mohammed (not Gowon).

1975: Murtala Mohammed (again).

1976: B.S. Dimka.

1983: IBB (not Buhari).

1985: IBB (again).

1993: Abacha.


Why Dimka dey your list nahhh....He did not boot out an elected government, but a Military one
Re: IBB, Not Buhari, Overthrew Shagari’s Govt — Col. Nyiam by MajHeadache: 1:09pm On Aug 26, 2013
See how they want to transform Buhari as an unwilling head of state.

The same Buhari that when asked about his timetable to return to civil rule bluntly replied that he did not believe democracy can work in Nigeria.

1 Like

Re: IBB, Not Buhari, Overthrew Shagari’s Govt — Col. Nyiam by Nobody: 1:49pm On Aug 26, 2013
erinolu:


Why Dimka dey your list nahhh....He did not boot out an elected government, but a Military one

A coup is a coup.
Re: IBB, Not Buhari, Overthrew Shagari’s Govt — Col. Nyiam by erinolu(m): 2:56pm On Aug 26, 2013
HNosegbe:

A coup is a coup.


Hope you read the interview properly.....See an excerpt pasted below for your digestion....

""....in our setting we misuse words. And because we are used to misusing words, we believe even words that are not really the truth. A military coup would be a coup against an elected government.""

So was Dimka's action against an elected government?
Re: IBB, Not Buhari, Overthrew Shagari’s Govt — Col. Nyiam by Katsumoto: 3:16pm On Aug 26, 2013
erinolu:


Hope you read the interview properly.....See an excerpt pasted below for your digestion....

""....in our setting we misuse words. And because we are used to misusing words, we believe even words that are not really the truth. A military coup would be a coup against an elected government.""

So was Dimka's action against an elected government?

Coup na coup.
Re: IBB, Not Buhari, Overthrew Shagari’s Govt — Col. Nyiam by Katsumoto: 3:19pm On Aug 26, 2013
HNosegbe: List of coups and their respective coup leaders:

Jan 1966: Kaduna Nzeogwu.

Jul 1966: Murtala Mohammed (not Gowon).

1975: Murtala Mohammed (again).

1976: B.S. Dimka.

1983: IBB (not Buhari).

1985: IBB (again).

1993: Abacha.

Ifeajuna was the leader of the January 66 coup. Ijeajuna, Okafor, and Oji had been planning the coup from early 1965/late 1964. Nzeogwu was invited late in 1965.
Re: IBB, Not Buhari, Overthrew Shagari’s Govt — Col. Nyiam by Nobody: 3:31pm On Aug 26, 2013
HNosegbe: List of coups and their respective coup leaders:

Jan 1966: Kaduna Nzeogwu.

Jul 1966: Murtala Mohammed (not Gowon).

1975: Murtala Mohammed (again).

1976: B.S. Dimka.

1983: IBB (not Buhari).

1985: IBB (again).

1993: Abacha.
You deserve an award
Re: IBB, Not Buhari, Overthrew Shagari’s Govt — Col. Nyiam by naptu2: 4:02pm On Aug 26, 2013
HNosegbe: List of coups and their respective coup leaders:

Jan 1966: Kaduna Nzeogwu.

Jul 1966: Murtala Mohammed (not Gowon).

1975: Murtala Mohammed (again).

1976: B.S. Dimka.

1983: IBB (not Buhari).

1985: IBB (again).

1993: Abacha.

Jan 1966: Emmanuel Ifeajuna

Jul 1966: Murtala Muhammed

1975: Shehu Yar'Adua/Joseph Garba

1976: The guy that was arrested at the hospital (can't remember his name)/Dimka

1983: IBB

1985: IBB

1993: Abacha

(The 1986 plot did not get to the execution stage before it was detected and aborted).
Re: IBB, Not Buhari, Overthrew Shagari’s Govt — Col. Nyiam by jmaine: 4:30pm On Aug 26, 2013
mikeansy: dont know how long before we start accusing IBB for our pregnat dogs at home

It dont matter who overthrew Shagari

What matters is there was a 1979 constitution in operation at the time which lays out how a President can be removed from office and coup was not one of them; there was also a Soldier Buhari who failed to defend this constitution but rather benefited from the usurpation of this constitution by becoming the Head of State after a democratically elected Government was overthrown!

So Buhari must take some responsibility for his role. No matter what happened in the Background Buhari must take responsibility for his role. Enough of the tales!

Thanks bruv . . . .let me further butress your post by supporting it with another excellent and impreganable submission by Deepsight.

https://www.nairaland.com/1169416/realistic-options-opposition-presidency-2015/8#13957156

Deep Sight:

I have heard this said by people and it never ceases to amaze me. You see; this is one of the problems we have with our way of thinking in this country: the willful determination NOT to take responsibility for our actions and particularly our in-actions.

My dear brother I would expect you of all people to see concisely into this: and just so that we may not dribble this way and that, I will adumbrate the issues here, for which you and others seek to exculpate Buhari, as he does himself: but which must not be heard for by any right-thinking and honest society -

1. Wilfull acceptance of the proceeds or results of a crime renders one an accessory after the fact and thus complicit in the crime

2. The act of taking over the government of Nigeria by unconstitutional means was, at the time perpetuated, an act of criminal treasonable felony.

3. Buhari as the most senior officer in the Military knew this.

4. Haven been "invited" to partake in the act (and of course he did participate in the final stages by making himself available publicly as the new Head of State - - - it is really beyond imagination, that when it is said, that it is treason to take over the Government by unconstitutional means; that "accepting" an illegal invitation so to do; does not amount to "taking over the Government by illegal means" - only Nigerians can imagine such an incongruity to be a valid excuse for treason!).

5. If at all it may be argued, as many have, that he had no choice but to accept, otherwise he would have lost his head; then this fact is obviated by the fact that he was made commander-in-chief: and therein had full powers to repudiate the coup and deal with the offending officers - a fact which cannot be denied for the evident reason that he turned out to be a very strong minded and stubborn leader - and as such it cannot be claimed that he could not have dealt with his subordinates if he had chosen to: and restored constitutionality. This further shows him to have happily accepted the illegality that he had become involved in. Indeed, the statement by the same officers that he was "rigid and uncompromising" shows clearly that he was fully in charge and not taking orders from anybody, even if acting in council.

I will give one example of this truth: although it lies within the take-over of a military government, the principle remains the same: when Dimka's coup was put down, why did the officers loyal to the government act the way they did to put the coup down? That's right - because of their responsibility and loyalty to the government. Now what would you say of such responsibility and loyalty if the officers that so acted, had rather thrown up ththeir hands and said - we have been invited to head the new Government.

Worse - if the proper government comes back to power - what would be its view of the actions of those who "accepted to head the new government"? ? ?


Seriously, Gbawe.

Now I have stated all the foregoing not because i needed to: and members of a sensible society should know these to be inherently true: I have stated them simply on account of the very shocking notion bandied about by many that Buhari bears no responsibility for the coup in question.

As an army officer, his constitutional duty was to protect the state and the government: as such, it is egregiously contradictory to state that after the government he is sworn to protect is illegally attacked and removed, he then abandons his duty to "accept an invitation" to become head of the then illegally established Government. That acceptance is the last and final and most important aspect of the coup, and nobody can argue otherwise.

Indeed, people are co-opted into coups at various statges - he was co-opted at the last stage - to take over as Military Head of State. That amounts to being part of the coup at its final stage. Nobody can argue otherwise.

Now in saying all this, I have not even touched upon his human rights record - which any one should know is incompatible with the idea of an officer and a gentleman - not to speak of a democratically inclined gentleman.

Finally, Gbawe: I am not particularly moved by your statement regarding not commenting on History much for one simple reason: you say you were not there. However the simple fact of life is that you are also not there to observe the generality of current affairs either. The same way you read history and watch it on TV and listen to the accounts of those who were there, is EXACTLY the same way you read current affairs in the papers, and watch it on TV and listen to the accounts of those who were there. Period.
Re: IBB, Not Buhari, Overthrew Shagari’s Govt — Col. Nyiam by Nobody: 6:32pm On Aug 26, 2013
Maxymilliano:

Very true, but the only name missing in the tripartite arrangement was a certain Brigadier Sani Abacha, who recommended GMB as the ideal candidate with an integrity face to serve as the Military Head Of State.

He, Sani Abacha read the speech after President Shagari was overthrown in December 31, 1983. The General was later forced to step aside by the younger elements in the force led by IBB, but without the support of Abacha, the least he did was to plead for a soft landing and the lot fell on Brigadier Joshua Dogonyaro to announce the coup in August 27, 1985.

Sani Abacha was one of the few loyalist of GMB, and when opportunity provided itself and he became the Head of State, Commander in Chief of Armed Forces, he extended invitation to GMB to head the newly created Petroleum Task Force (PTF) based on his records and integrity ...
Yes, u know all this because you were part of the ruling council then.

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