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Mko, The Igbos And Yar’adua’s Revisionism by adeyonbo: 12:19am On Jun 13, 2018 |
MKO, THE IGBOS AND YAR’ADUA’S REVISIONISM Click link for easier reading: https://en.calameo.com/read/0056084334dec709f67a7 In his analysis of greatness, William Shakespeare, the English literary titan of all times identified three categories of greatness. According to him, some are born great, some have greatness entrusted into to their hands while some attain greatness by dint of hard work. Undoubtedly, Major General Shehu Musa Yar’dua – a soldier, politician, statesman, Entrepreneur and a newspaper baron belongs to all the three categories cited above. The Tafida of Kastina was born great. He is a scion of an Arewa (Northern) aristocrat named Musa Yar’adua – an erstwhile Federal Minister in the First Republic. His illustrious father, was the Minister in charge of Lagos affairs and it was this great and colourful man that supervised the construction of the renowned Eko bridge in the 1960s. By dint of hard work and a combination of an element of luck, Shehu Musa Yar’adua rose to become one of the youngest soldiers to attain the rank of a Major General. As one of the principal actors in the coup d’état that booted the amiable General Gowon out of office; on the demise of General Murtala Mohammed in February, 1976, he had greatness entrusted into his young hands by his elevation to the position of Chief of general staff and head of government. Unlike July, 1966 when powerful group in the Nigerian army prevented Brigadier-General Ogundipe from assuming the mantle of leadership on the assassination of the powerful, mythical and ubiquitous Major-General Johnson Thomas Umunake Aguiyi-Ironsi; it was the dynamism, clairvoyance and reasonableness of General Yar’adua and other patriotic and progressive elements from the North of the Niger such as Lt. General Theophilus Danjuma, Major General Joe Garba and IBB that made General Olusegun Obasanjo’s ascension to the number one spot possible. It goes without saying that their patriotic act was a kind of harbinger of hope to the disadvantaged groups in the Nigerian army. Also, it was widely believed that General Yar’adua was one of the progressive Arewas that endorsed the candidature of the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo the UPN presidential flagbearer during the 1983 presidential election. This was a no mean feat if the magnitude of ethnic chauvinism and religious jingoism that reigned supreme then was anything to go by. In 1989, when the ban on politics was lifted by the IBB administration, this great general went a step further. He was said to be the financier of one of the progressive parties – (the patriotic Front) that transformed into the Social Democratic Party (SDP). Numerous political pundits are even persuaded that General Yar’adua’s overt association with the progressive elements might have contributed immensely to the large following enjoyed by the SDP north of the Niger. GODWIN DABOH’S REVELATIONS In June, 1990, a horrendous bombshell was unleashed. Dr. Godwin Daboh, the celebrated anti-corruption crusader (remember the saga of if you Tarka me, I will Daboh you?) in a press release made staggering and mind-boggling revelations about General Yar’adua’s Morbid and Pathological Phobia for both Chief Abiola and Yoruba race as a whole and the need for a concerted effort at stopping both Abiola and any of his kith and kin from attaining the political headship of this great nation (see Sunday “Concord”, 3rd June, 1990 and the Nigerian “Tribune”, 19th September, 1992 for Dr. Daboh’s Press Released). In view of General Yar’adua’s acclaimed brilliant credentials as regards his enormous love for this great nation, I dismissed Dr. Daboh’s stunning revelations with a wave of the hand. In the heart of my heart, I thought Dr. Daboh’s revelations were tantamount to an act of demagogism. I decided and concluded that it was a campaign of calumny, against the Tafida of Kastina. YAR’ADUA’S SCHEMINGS AND STRATAGEMS However, the roles played by General Yar’adua at the SDP conventions in Jos and Abuja appeared to have corroborated Dr. Daboh’s revelations. Contrary to wide spread belief, the reports that reached us showed that the general actually worked against the interests of Chief MKO Abiola at the Jos convention. The anti-Abiola roles played by the general at Jos are well known and do not need any recapitulation here (see “Tell” magazine, April 12, no 15, p. 19). Furthermore, if the general had genuinely endorsed the candidature of Chief Abiola, he would have instructed his lackey or protégé – Alhaji Abubakar Akitu to withdraw for Chief Abiola without any equivocation whatsoever. Atiku merely said ambivalently that he was withdrawing from the race in the interest of the party! He refused to say whether he withdrew for Chief Abiola neither did he instruct his followers to vote for Chief Abiola – what a mother of all withdrawals! Having failed in his bid to stop Chief Abiola at Jos, political analysts opined that the ubiquitous General perfected yet another stratagem in an attempt to create impediments on Chief Abiola’s way. For instance, in an attempt to bring about an equitable distribution of strategic positions among the various ethnic groups in the party, the chairmanship position should be zoned to the South Eastern Minorities. In keeping with the above arrangement or understanding, the various political groups within the party namely; the kingibe, Falae/Rimi/Balarabe/Lar and Mbakwe/Nwobodo groups threw their weights behind candidates from Eastern Minorities Zones. However, in any attempt to further his interest (at the expense of the macro interest of the party) and ostensibly in an attempt to make good its plan of stopping Chief Abiola, General Yar’adua, in a blitzkrieg fashion bulldozed his way (by all means at his command) and got his surrogate – Chief Tony Annenih elected as the Chairman of the SDP – thereby leaving the Eastern part of Nigeria in the cold! An act that fell short of declaring a state of belligerency against Chief Abiola. It is doubtful, if Chief Abiola would require the services of a soothsayer to be cognizant of the fact that Yar’adua’s gift of Chief Tony Annenih was indeed a Greek gift. His dastardly acts of commission or omission becomes nauseating when one bears in mind that both Chief Abiola and Annenih hail from the same geographical area (the defunct Western Region). What is more, the Edos and the Yorubas are cousins. There is an African adage which says that “the hawk is totally oblivious of the fact that its movements up in the sky are being monitored by the human beings below.” In General Yar’adua’s political calculations, he must have reasoned that Chief Abiola’s failure would enhance his political ambition of being the flagbearer in 1997 especially with the party apparatus firmly in his kitty. He must have forgotten that politics is not mathematics. General Yar’adua’s act of revisionism and renegadism may be counter-productive. His anti-party activities may engender a new thinking. It may unite all the groups that are truly progressive (Kingibe, Falae/Rimi/Balarabe/Lar and Nbakwe/Nwobodo groups) against the progressive renegades or the revisionists represented by the Yar’adua group because his antics and unbecoming actions may portray him as an agent of the NRC. A school of thought believes that beneath General Yar’adua’s acclaimed liberalism towards the southerners is a pathological and morbid phobia of the southerners. Those who know the general inside out opined that he subscribes to the perpetuity of the Hausa/Fulani political hegemonism in Nigeria. The said School of thought believes that he would do anything within his command to frustrate and create impediments for any southerner who attempts to rock the boat by aspiring for the numero-uno job in the land. THE DYNAMISM OF POWER One of the identified shortcomings of some human beings is either they have refused to learn from history or that their memories are too short. Otherwise, the general should have known by now that power is transient and ephemeral. Attempts to hold power in perpetuity by any group of people is bound to fail because it is against the natural law of nature. Heraclitus – the Greek philosopher who lived between 540 – 480 B.C. once said “All is flux, nothing stays still”. Also, Robert Burns had this to say about the dynamism of nature “Look around through nature’s range, nature’s mighty law is change.” The human history is replete and inundated with a group of people having power for a period of time only to lose it to other people as time wore on. For instance, the Egypt of the Pharaohs was not only the cradle of world civilization, for centuries Egypt ruled the then known world. It is an established fact that subjects such as Geometry, Algebra, Trigonometry, Medicine et cetera had their roots in Egypt. It should be recalled that Egypt the Greek Philosophers and scientists such as Pythagoras, Euclid, Eudoxus (Aristotle’s teacher) Aristotle, Plato, Socrates and a legion of others were under the tutelage of Egyptian teachers in various academics scattered all over Egypt. Pythagoras in particular spent an aggregate of twenty-one years in various schools in Egypt. As time wore on, power shifted to Mesopotamia where three powerful nations namely: Sumeria, Assyria and Babylon ruled the known world in that order. From the Babylonians, power shifted to the Persians; from the Persians, power shifted to the Greeks; from the Greeks, power shifted to the Romans; from the Romans, power shifted to the British; from the British, the world witnessed a bipolarism or dualism of powers in the international system between the United States of America (USA) and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). Now, with the Revisionism and the capitulation of the Soviet Union, we have a unipolarism of power with the United States calling the shots in the international system. Undoubtedly, at the appointed time, other country or countries would take over the reins of power from the Americans. To come nearer home in the West - Africa Sub-Region or what the historians would call Western Sudan; great Empires such as Ghana, Mali, Songhai, Kanem-Bornu, Benin, Oyo, Ashanti, Sokoto et cetera has risen and fell in consonance with the natural law of nature. It is a well-known fact that Calabar was the first capital of Nigeria, later on, the capital was shifted to Lagos, now it is situated in the great city of Abuja. If the omnipotent God want it in Kaduna or Kafanchan in about a thousand years, so be it! Yesterday, the words of our amiable General Yakubu (Jack) Gowon were law in our land, today it is our own IBB that is calling the shots and history has taught us that somebody else would be at the saddle tomorrow. From the above, who says that an upper hand gained by a group of people over the others would last for ever! RAPPROCHMENT IN EAST/WEST RELATIONS With the exit of Dr. Nnamdi Azikwe and Chief Obafemi Awolowo from the political scene, it has been observed that a major political development is unfolding that may have very fundamental impact on the political equation in Nigeria. In recent times, there has been a growing rapprochement or détente in the East/West relations. For instance, following the endorsement of the candidature of Chief Olu Falae by the Zik of Africa, Chief Sam Mbakwe and other Igbo leaders of thought, Chief Falae had an enchanting showing in the East during the botched presidential primary elections in 1992-an unthinkable thing at the apogee of mutual suspicion between the two groups. The growing understanding or Entete Cordiale between the two groups reached a crescendo at the Jos convention of the SDP when in an unprecedented manner, the Eastern delegates voted en masse for Chief Abiola. There is no gainsaying the truism that it was the massive support of the Easterners that enabled Chief Abiola to clinch the SDP presidential ticket, Chief Bobwendy Digitemie, the Rivers State Publicity Secretary of the SDP had this to say about the new Entente Cordiale between the East and the West “this is the beginning of a new but long-awaited accord between the West and the East. We would use it as a springboard to further the elusive understanding between the two major parts of the country” (see “Tell” magazine, April 12, 1993, p.19). From the look of things; it appears there is an increasing awareness on the part of the Southerners that as long as they remain divided that their more cohesive and monolithic brethren in the North would continue to monopolize the political power. What is more, it is an established fact that he who controls the political power, controls the economic power. Little marvel therefore, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, the fire-brand African revolutionary once said “seek yee the political kingdom first and all other things would be added unto it”. The quiet revolution that is going on in the South (in spite of the Nkemba’s renegadism) is a pointer to the fact that there is now an unbending resolve to have the perennial anomaly rectified or ameliorated and Jos has provided the rare opportunity. The events at Jos has corroborated the immortal words of Benjamin Disraeli, the 19th century British Prime Minister – hear him “the secret of success in life is for a man to be ready for his opportunity when it comes”. Having said that much about the Tafida’s political manoeuvres aimed at damaging Chief Abiola’s chances at the forthcoming presidential election in an attempt to pave way for his 1997 presidential ambition and the growing rapprochement between the East and the West, I would now wish to dwell on the symbolism of Chief Abiola in the unfolding political events. Chief Abiola’s breathtaking philanthropy and his impeccable credential as a detribalized Nigerian has brought about his acceptance by most ethnic groups in Nigeria. Consequently, in Abiola, there is an opportunity for a new beginning and a new hope. He symbolizes a new deal and a rejuvenated Nigeria that would be a victory for other ethnic groups that have been elbowed and shoved into the backwaters in the political equation of this nation for decades. The new deal would obliterate a situation whereby the Igbos are condemned perpetually to the role of professional running mates or second fiddlers. The endorsement of the candidature of Chief Abiola by the East would be congruent to an emphatic no to the role of servitude that has been earmarked for them. A vote for Abiola would send an unmistakeable signal that after Abiola, we want our own Mbakwe, Nwobodo, Okadigbo, Anaekwe, Ajuwa, Etuk, Aso or even the mercurial and maverick Nzeribe (He might have been changed from Saul to Paul then) to be the number one citizen of Nigeria. In the words of Aristotle “What we expect, that we find” and according to the Holy Bible “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and yee shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you” (Matthew 7:7). Voting for MKO is like putting one’s money where one’s mouth is. He is an achiever of no mean order, a philanthropist of staggering proportions, a detribalized Nigerian by all standards. He is what could be regarded as an homo sequendum – a leader in all respects - a visionary, trustworthy, intelligent, endowed with lots of guts, benevolent, magnanimous and above all he is God fearing. To our Eastern brethren, the words of Paul Micali is relevant here “if you are waiting for your ship to come in, start working days, nights and weekends building the dock”. CONCLUSION The illustrious General is advised to jettison his revisionist stance and join the mainstream of the party in working for the success of Chief Abiola because that is the only path of honor that could lead to his name being engraved in gold in the annals of the progressives in Nigeria. He should be a progressive not only in name, but indeed and in truth. Revisionist tendencies could bring about untold reverses to his political ambition in the morrow. Apart from the possible spill-over effects of acts of negativism on his political career, revisionists and renegades have always ended up in the dustbin of history. Ultimately, I wish to add that if it has been pre-ordained that Chief Abiola would become Nigeria’s helmsman come August, 1993, no mortal being can stop him. This established truism is in consonance with the famous Italian aphorism which says “Che Sara Sara” meaning what will be will be. A word they say is enough for the wise!
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Re: Mko, The Igbos And Yar’adua’s Revisionism by HungerBAD: 12:22am On Jun 13, 2018 |
I love history. Reading. 3 Likes |
Re: Mko, The Igbos And Yar’adua’s Revisionism by Nobody: 5:00am On Jun 13, 2018 |
With the exit of Dr. Nnamdi Azikwe and Chief Obafemi Awolowo from the political Nigerians, your now leaders are dividing you and its working perfectly.... Little wonder the eradication of history on the classrooms, in event it fails in the previous generation, the new can always be brainwashed.. |
Re: Mko, The Igbos And Yar’adua’s Revisionism by Caseless: 12:55pm On Jun 13, 2018 |
These eastern brethren are flat out hateful to listen to this advice till date. |
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