ÈKÌTÌ PARAPÒ

I remember speaking with my cousins a few weeks back about soccer matters until we were distracted by the live broadcast of the campaign rally by the labour party gubernatorial candidate M. O. Bamidele. A local comedian had just performed to rally the people to support the man who many felt was disenfranchised and barred from contesting against the incumbent governor, Fayemi at the APC primaries. Bamidele soon took to the podium and immediately crashed to his knees after taking off his Awoesque cap, singing praises and choruses to God like a pro.

I do not claim to know much about or understand adequately the dynamics of Ekiti politics but it is clear to me that the people are very much active and participate greatly during elections. My cousin soon assured me that the PDP candidate would win overwhelmingly while the incumbent would fail woefully. He grew up in Ikere-Ekiti and is still very much in tune with the happenings in the state. I doubted his judgement because I felt the people would not want someone with corruption charges hovering over his head to return as governor. His conviction was based primarily on the failings of the incumbent and his queen rather than the appropriateness of the highly controversial grassroot champion, Fayose.

Governor Fayemi who is supposed to be equivalent to a highly rated professor with his numerous degrees and academic achievements was reported to have given a dreadful answer to a question directed to him during an interview about a university currently being established by his wife in Ghana. I also got informed about the many projects executed by his government some of which have his branding or that of his wife on it. They must have trusted that these clear evidences of infrastructural development would be sufficient to convince the people to gift them another four years to establish their empire. How wrong? The man acclaimed to have been a champion for the restoration of democracy during the struggles against a certain military regime went about with his wife endorsing their names on just about every painted structure made with blocks and cement.

Many are baffled that a seemingly rouge-like individual could topple an erudite scholar but they have forgotten that Goodluck Jonathan is the president of Nigeria. My cousins told me of a very funny conversation that ensued between a clearly upset caller to a TV station and governor Fayose during his first tenure as governor; the caller was said to have started out all guns blazing berating the governor for failing in his duties and responsibilities to his town. It was said that Fayose scolded the man on air and emphasized to him that it was improper and unacceptable for a citizen to address a sitting governor the way he did no matter the level of frustration. The governor thereafter proceeded to answer the questions of the caller. Fayose is said to be a very popular and down to earth guy unlike Fayemi who in a way appears to me as too sophisticated to be an Ekiti man. I have never heard him address any gathering of his people in the local dialect; I cannot tell if he actually does that or if he is even fluent at all in the language.

There is already a lot of talk about the many professors that have originated from Ekiti, a state that only came into existence after much struggle and petitions. I grew up with the knowledge that my father and his peers from our home town had been writing open letters to the governments of the day since the 70s for their home town to be adequately represented at the local government level. They soon carved out Emure-Ise-Orun local government and later Ise-Orun which is what exists now. My mother told me that my town's people in Orun-Ekiti are the primary land owners before migrants arrived and settled in Ise. The town is pretty much not developed with only a few posh houses that litter the terrain which belong to some patriotic indigent sons that have made a success of their lives. 
Most of the roads are not tarred except the main road that cuts through towards Emure. My first visit to my town was as a young boy in 1988. I remember crossing the road in front of my grandfather's house and walking past an ancient filing station to my grandmother's house. The next time I was home was in 2004 and I could actually reenact that trip because nothing had changed in 16 years. In 2004, my grandfather's mud house was more or less deserted. My father told me then that some settlers who had migrated from somewhere in the Niger delta were dwelling there and farming on the farm lands that belonged to the generation of my grandfather. Many houses were deserted or occupied by really old people whose widely educated children and grandchildren had moved out of Ekiti and beyond. My father's older brother and some of his family members still dwell there and my mother also has cousins one of whom is a very "successful" bone setter and traditional orthopedic consultant.

The situation was quite worse in the neighboring Ise-Ekiti which is just a line away. The distinction between both towns must only rest in the minds of those born there as there is no landmark that delineates them. Several houses were deserted and now occupied by numerous Hausa-Fulani migrants who had come to partake in the cultivation and transport of kolanuts and bitter kola out of the towns. This was in 2010 and I was quite intrigued to learn that such farm produces were abundant in the towns as well as other regular cash and food crops. The migrant workers I saw were just content to eat fresh pineapples and get on with their farm work. It may be safe to conclude that a good number of towns that make up the state may be populated by individuals who are not the primary owners of such lands. These people have gone about their business without much hassle and had children who can lay as much claim to be from Ekiti being able to speak the dialect. Those who are indigent may be serving as company for the aged or fronts to help guard and protect the interests of their more prosperous relatives in diaspora. I wonder if the quality of education at primary and secondary levels in the state is adequate enough to help the people with the necessary tools that could alter their lives for good. It goes beyond just building and painting class room blocks. If the governments of the day cannot do beyond what was operational in 1954 when my father was in primary school there, how do incumbents expect that votes would not be valued at a small bag of raw rice or a plate of cooked food? The highest bursary I ever got in medical school was 2000 naira for one year. It was always about the fact that there was a high number of Ekiti students in school and that there was no drop of crude oil coming from Ekiti; just rocks.

If so many medical students (and potential doctors that could serve the state)taught to change their states of origin by their parents from Ondo to Ekiti were deserving of just 2000 naira from their state, one wonders how much is budgeted for the education of the children at the basic level. I recently learnt of a transaction between some not too distant relatives of mine and the state government through an intermediary. Over 60 plots of land belonging to several families based on some really old laws were sold to the state government by a few without informed consent for just 2 million naira of which only 1 million had been paid. That is the kind of lucrative deals that many are perpetuating in my town, I would really like to know if other towns have such dilemma going on. What is the small matter of a gubernatorial election where the people stand to benefit instant supply of bags of foodstuff and some hard quid to perhaps embark on a jamboree to Lagos? Who are the people that voted? It definitely was not me, Ayenco or Medictoa. Many of the doctors working in Ekiti are not even from Ekiti, I am not sure if the state understands what they stand to gain from some who still choose to identify with a state that has given them next to nothing.

I remember meeting a former commissioner from Ekiti in Abuja in 2007. The man and a few other men had been involved in an accident on their way to the airport that led to the death of one of them. He was very restless and wanted to get out of the hospital as soon as possible since there was little wrong with him. He calmed down when I got talking with him. I told him I was also from Ekiti and I thereafter discharged him and his friends who had only scratches. He asked me if I was interested in following them back to their base in Abuja; for a moment I thought about what I could have benefited from attending to an injured commissioner from my state and what great things the future held if only I had such connections. I must have remembered the many billboards hailing governor Fayose that littered the roads all the way from Ekiti to Ibadan during a trip as students just about 2 years prior. I politely declined the offer explaining that it was already late and I watched on as the commissioner and his team strolled out to perhaps continue their lavish lives that night following their aborted journey. Fayose was subsequently in Obasanjo's black book and lost his throne in 2006; the PDP's Segun Oni was then ousted by the courts and the good commissioner had to go too.

Those who fought and clamored for the state are perhaps not even remembered for their valor. We are left with people fighting over regents and obas; we have politicians overturning vehicles and mysterious deaths. We have a people that perhaps have no hope for a better life, a people available for their masters chores. A people we think are like us, discerning right from wrong. Brothers and sisters we do not know especially by those of us born outside of home. Why are we surprised Fayemi failed? Obasanjo laid the foundation stone in 2003; the playbook just got upgraded with armed enforcers, malnourished horses, diseased dogs and credit alerts. The 400,000 plus votes from Ekiti cannot elect an incumbent president in isolation, they would need to up their game.

God save our land.

Jide Akeju

22/06/2014

“BAD MARKET”

I would not be caught pants down watching the American legal drama “Fairly legal” by myself. The few episodes I have watched were with my wife who somehow finds them quite interesting, very different from the epics and thrillers that I find more appealing. Home alone and deciding to do some house chores with the TV on, I paid little attention to the episode of fairly legal that was airing until I heard a remark that startled me. This 8th episode of the 2nd season titled “Ripple of hope” was about the main character, Kate who had a chance encounter with a female prison inmate during mediation between aggrieved prisoners and the prison wardens. The prisoners had embarked on a hunger strike and were demanding for better welfare conditions particularly the inclusion of fruits and vegetables twice a week in their menu. Kate was quite surprised that a particular inmate who ought to be restless and agitated like the rest was rather reasonable and helped to douse the tension. The inmate’s story was about wrongful imprisonment and maintaining her confessions of innocence when a guilty plea could have earned her parole much earlier.  After discussing the option of taking up the case for a retrial with her colleague Ben, he warned her about the possibility of falling prey to the deceptions of a potentially hard core criminal. The character used the analogy of Nigerians defrauding foreigners by asking them to make deposits in anticipation of a future fortune or inheritance that would never come.

Quite a number of foreign produced series and movies have made reference to Nigeria particularly with respect to financial fraud, terrorism and religious conflict. I found it rather upsetting that one not highly rated in my books could use similar lines to ridicule my country when in fact they could have generated a fictitious African nation to drive home their point. This stigma has sadly become the best way to stereotype Nigerians by those who may regard themselves as far superior, but do we blame them?

Karl Maier in his book “this house has fallen” mentioned that Nigerians accounted for one out of every six Africans at a time when our population was speculated to be 110 million. I am uncertain if that ratio has been altered since then, I may be wrong. For a nation with such mammoth resources to be demeaned as crooks ought to trigger genuine soul searching by the individuals that bear the name of the country that we have brought more shame than honour to. I agree that most of us have never dreamt of typing that bogus mail in search of potential “magas”, nor have we stripped others of their hard earned resources. However, for every act of deliberate silence or negligence; we may as well be declared guilty of shaming the motherland.

How did we ever get to this point where we operate by abysmal moral values propelled by an insatiable desire for more, more of what only brings decay and death? We have in our minds a nation divided by stereotypes where one individual requires a super ability to anticipate the moves and intentions of another who differs in tribe, dialect, religion, education and in numerous other parameters. The Yoruba man needs to take his brain to the zone of the market controlled by his eastern brethren just as the Ife mother has to plead with and warn her sons to desist from encroaching into Modakeke land. The policeman on stop and search is ready to discharge his weapon at any “suspected criminal” that opts to engage him intellectually or dispute any fabricated charge while politicians remember their religious leanings whenever they hope to gain significantly by fomenting trouble.

How did a nation where the technology of television commenced before or just after present day world powers get to have incompetence and ineptitude as leaders? I am not sure there is any nation so blessed but plagued by those who see nothing wrong in giving excuses for failure due to their primitive sentiments. It is not enough that the ruling class constantly blame forces seen and unseen for their inability to do what is right; the president and his aides never fail to mention how Nigeria and Pakistan are similar but forget easily that there was a time when bombs never went off sporadically on our streets, shopping malls and bus parks. Why does he never look for a relatively blissful nation to model Nigeria after? They blame the opposition that is hardly any different from them for their headache and constipation. I asked a while back if the opposition were responsible for the numerous political gaffes and incredible utterances that have emanated from the president and his team. The APC must have written the script for the dramatization of grief captured at the hallowed chambers of the imperious first lady following the alleged kidnap of over 200 young women from their school in Chibok. We give ready excuses for our sluggish method of governance and attribute infancy and militarized abuse on the psyche of Nigerians as the root causes of our abnormal state. Should we not consider retracing our steps to the days before the uniformed men ever dreamt of establishing dynasties? Should that template however imperfect not be considered for review and upgrade instead of the present status quo of groping around in absurdity and uncertainty?

The debate is usually centered on where the source of our much needed change ought to come from. Should it be from the top or from the bottom? Government sympathizers are quick to quote the late American president John F. Kennedy who told Americans to ask what they could contribute to their country instead of what they could gain. They want Nigerians to volunteer services to a country that they owe no allegiance, a country they are convinced has not done anything significant for their careers and welfare but constant harassment and ridicule both home and abroad. The ruling elite indulge in gallivanting around the globe with state resources where they meet with Nigerians in diaspora from time to time and encourage them to return home and/ or invest their human and material resources to develop the nation of their birth. Those who return must truly have green blood flowing through their veins or must have been guaranteed seats at the table where the national cake is mutilated. Those that choose to ignore the invites are not any less patriotic. Common sense should dictate that it is not wisdom to leave the relative comfort and security of a nation that has welcomed and given them opportunities for the uncertainty of insecurity and corruption. A nation where the primitive act of stealing from the state treasury is just like a son taking meat from his mother’s pot of soup without permission. That should not in any case deserve more than a talking to and should not be confused as corruption of the mind. It is absolutely normal for governors to allocate incredible benefits to themselves and generations unborn after leaving office just before they relocate to the retirement senate chamber where meagre sums are allocated for their general upkeep.

We have a system where those who have gone ahead or privileged to have opportunities remove the ladder to prevent others from reaching the heights envisioned in their dreams but not before helping their children, kinsmen, lovers and conspirators get a head start. Our values have been so eroded that it is acceptable to speak with both angles of our mouths, words devoid of honor and integrity. Our political parties have no ideology while our religious bodies lack integrity; they roll side by side and share the limelight with the ruling class. Why would any intelligent mind who has hustled his/ her way to raise millions of naira for tuition to earn a degree and possibly a good paid employment in a foreign land return home and get shot in cold blood by armed robbers and policemen because of an international drivers’ license they may not be familiar with?  Why would anybody give his life for a country that does not acknowledge his existence nor remembers his sacrifice and if necessary, death? Many in the civil and public service see their offices as a means to advance up the predatory food chain. There seems to be a sense of insecurity and lack of faith even in the educational system. Those who ought to preserve and strengthen basic educational are busy scrambling to get their wards into schools at home and abroad that is more or less beyond the capacity of their pay grade. They only need to indulge in petty theft and little kickbacks here and there to fund and sustain these lofty aspirations. Appointments into government establishments are based largely on politicking and familiarity with the king makers. Competence is not a prime requirement but it could come in handy in the long run. Appointees soon find themselves only loyal to whoever they owe the opportunity to feast, maladministration ensues and anyone that is bold enough to challenge the way they run their empires are either invited to lunch or constantly blackmailed to shift ground.


Those that choose not to challenge what is wrong mostly do so because they are too timid and fearful of losing their livelihood or are simply holding out for their own opportunity to indulge without the similar distraction of naysayers. Those who benefited from opportunities to study on scholarships both at home and abroad have now taken quality basic formal education and technical training beyond the reach of the average young person. Those who gained admissions or employments on merit have now resorted to lower the standards to accommodate their children and wards at the expense of more deserving candidates; they pull their strings and work everything down to youth service postings and then go to church to give testimonies about his wonderful deeds. We have lecturers and professors that victimize students and in many cases set questions they could never have solved when they were students. Education is severely underfunded, scholarships are diverted to benefit only a few and now government and religious bodies established institutions are beyond the means of hardworking parents who are too ashamed to steal even a little. Some of us are still grateful that we had the privilege of attending Federal government colleges, the quality of education and values imbibed during those years of relating with teachers and fellow students have contributed in no small measure to what we have become now. I may not have gone to the University of Ibadan at a time when beddings were changed regularly or when free meals abounded at the various campus cafeterias, I still got to pay 90 naira for accommodation albeit for only my fresher year. Those who protested over a reduction in the quantity of free chicken served on their campuses now turn their noses up at young people who protest for their fundamental rights. The air we breathe in Nigeria must be capable of causing retrograde amnesia and irreversible hysteria whenever an undeserved portfolio drops freely into our laps.  That is the only logical explanation.

How really difficult is it to govern in Nigeria? A people so resilient and demanding only basic amenities to live their lives in satisfaction and loyalty. That is why young mothers would trade their votes for a branded bag of rice or a keg of vegetable oil. The reason why a young man will allocate his vote to anyone capable of buying his drinks at the football viewing center and the old and frail grandmother will convince her children to vote for the cunning politician who gives her 1000 naira on a monthly basis. The sky is so vast for every flying creature to glide without collision. The soils are so blessed; a particular region can feed the others with enough left to process and export. The people so gifted; they could dwarf others across the globe in arts, sports and sciences amongst other spheres. A nation of over 150 million people despite a hugely significant infant and mother fatality rates cannot in this present time produce a fleet of short distant sprinters capable of regularly dipping under 10 seconds for men and 11 seconds for women. The relatively tiny islands that make up the Caribbean are never in short supply of such from their processing plant that is not even financed by crude oil and natural gas reserves. The giant of Africa is so impoverished that she resorts to choosing the sports to participate in at major international competitions deceiving herself that medal hopefuls exist in only those sports. They eventually attend and usually return empty or well short of the lofty targets set by the administrators completely cut off from reality. Every individual that is appointed to supervise sports in the country assumes by default that sports equate football. What does being an infant democracy have to do with this sort of confusion? We pride ourselves as a major footballing force on the continent; one that is perpetually cap in hand before the government patrons for funding. South Africa is not necessarily blessed with as many footballing talents like Nigeria; they however have a well packaged and properly run league independent of state funds. I usually like watching the present South African minister of sport on TV, the man is everywhere sports is organized in his country. School sports, white sports, black sports, swimming, cycling; just name it. Our own administrators would not even listen to any request for funding shooting, sailing or kayaking, those sports do not command the side attraction of a jamboree like a trip to the beaches of Rio.

The people below have their issues as well; we are untrained to be timid and tolerant of mediocrity. How can one explain away the embarrassment of the pseudo-office of the first lady and the numerous nuclear weapons that are detonated by the occupant of that illegal office? How can individuals who have been through the perimeter of a school and earning O-level, Diploma, Bachelor and postgraduate degrees excuse the wife of the supposed highest citizen in the land for her numerous infantile grammatical blunders and thereafter blame it on the fact that English is not our mother tongue? On a trip from London to Lagos via Madrid in November 2012, it would have been beneficial if I could for once deny my citizenship. We arrived in Madrid in the afternoon and had to locate the boarding gate for the connecting flight to Lagos. The huge edifice of the Madrid Airport meant that we had to cover a significant distance to find our gate. We soon came across the gate for passengers going to Accra and I could not help but observe the tranquility of the passengers headed that way. A quick look ahead and it was clear where the flight going to Nigeria was set to board; we just had to head in the direction of commotion. My fellow Nigerians caused a scene to delay the boarding process of the plane in order to force on excess hand luggage they did not want checked in, they did not even give way for mothers carrying babies or the elderly to precede first into the plane. The conversations I was able to overhear during the flight ranged from beating the Spanish banking and loan system to becoming “baby mamas” for Caucasians in order to get a permanent stay. It was so disheartening to learn that fellow Nigerians have to resort to prostitution, deception and fraud to earn a good living. I wondered why such people even had to leave the relative comfort of their home nation in the first place. Some of the male passengers were soon seated on the edges of their seats chatting like they were on a chattered flight; they hounded the Iberia air hostesses who appeared used to them for more wine. The most hilarious part was when a female passenger stood up to open overhead compartment and retrieve a foil paper wrapped mass of fried chicken from her bag. Then I understood the reason for the commotion prior to boarding. One would assume that a people that have been downtrodden for so long ought to know what is best for them but this is not always the case with Nigerians. The ruling class always seems to have unhindered access to the reset button that controls the minds of helpless Nigerians. We could have in fact murdered our messiahs in the past without knowing.

General elections have been scheduled for February 2015 and there is no clarity of where we are headed. Important issues are not being headlined to determine where the electorate may be tilted. The incumbent repeatedly assure a “free and fair” election but they seem not to have a clue what that phrase means.  How is an election where one aspirant has access to state funds and machinery while the opponent(s) trek fair? How can an election where the incumbent does not turn up for a scheduled debate to showcase knowledge and competence be termed fair? The judiciary is another matter for another day; they are yet to prove their undivided loyalty to the survival of the Nigerian state. The same gullible followers may however still be hardworking and resourceful. They are still able to use whatever comes their way to earn a honest living.


Numerous privately owned businesses have sprung up with meagre resources; shoe makers, cloth designers, furniture makers, comedians, event managers etc. without the knowledge of the governments that ought to assist them. This is enough proof that if the enabling factors are available, it would be impossible to stop the average Nigerian. YouWin or whatever potentially laudable contraption by any government can only go so far in meeting the demands of Nigerian youths. Such programs in my opinion have only served as a channel to enrich a few government apologists and at the same time raise a battalion of misguided sycophants that would go online and offline to wage war on perceived enemies of their benefactors. Many would say “wait till you get there, you would do even worse”; I understand the likes of Reuben Abati appeared to have sold out just like many others including media outfits have in the past. What about those that never did? What about those that have been through hell or sacrificed for what they regard as just, right and fair? Do they have two heads or two livers? I believe strongly that a man is exactly what he thinks in his heart; it goes beyond what he says or writes. If one ruminates on self-preservation and luxury, such would yield and bear fruit when placed in a suitable and convenient environment provided room temperature remains constant.

Nigeria as it is can best be described as an unsellable bad product. No amount of rebranding like the now deceased Dora Akunyili tried in vain to do in 2009 can remedy our image. The “good people great nation” toga remains superficial. As long as the people that constitute the entity called Nigeria do not see the good and benefits inherent in others, the call to imbibe change would only be unpleasant sounds in their ears. There is no amount of tagging God as an alibi for our evil intentions and deeds that would miraculously give us a good name. We should not be deceived by any expressed or subtle endorsement given to corrupt politicians by religious leaders; what is wrong is wrong and God’s name should not be used in the same sentence with corruption. The green passport would for a long time appear like a curse and the land many of us call home would be constantly desecrated even on our TV screens until we arise to fight for the soul of our country. We have a reason to fight even if we do not think we can yet win in our lifetime, our children will overcome eventually.

Jide Akeju
12/06/2014

New Nigeria: A 54years Game of Thrones.

The plot of the critically acclaimed HBO series "Game of Thrones" is about an ancient world locked in merry-go-round battles between and amongst kingdoms tied by blood, deception, betrayal and thirst for vengeance all in a bid to claim an ultimate iron throne.

 

I have been reading a great deal and watching historical clips about Nigeria. My earliest encounter with Nigerian historical literature was a book titled "13 years of Military rule" a compilation by the defunct Daily Times of events from the first republic to the eventual handover by General Olusegun Obasanjo to Shehu Shagari with a focus on the 13 years the military held sway, 1966-1979. My father purchased this book for N1.50k in 1979 perhaps because of his enthusiasm of a better Nigeria. As a child, I only enjoyed looking through the pictures of past government participants and coup plotters. The book is more or less skewed towards documents that most likely emanated from government press releases and may not be as objective. However, it does give a good summary of the landmarks that have altered the course of events in this country and to some extent, derailed the Nigerian train from the track of genuine nationhood.

 

Towards the 2011 general elections, it was clear to me that the possible emergence of the PDP candidate would spell disaster for our great country. I thought this was clear to most Nigerians, to those who had persevered long enough and gotten tired of tolerating incompetence in leadership. I assumed the general North would be split if not won by the major opposition candidate while the PDP would lose overwhelmingly in the Southwest just like they always did. I also did not think the PDP could sweep the southeast of greater than 90% of the votes there. How wrong I was. It was clear the leaders of the southwest dominated party did some kind of dealings with the incumbent and withheld their indigenous machinery to ensure that the PDP did not have a credible showing in the southwest. The southeast and south-south overwhelmingly voted for their son with some states recording over 90% of total votes for the PDP despite documentation and recordings of obvious vote rigging. The Northern states and particularly the middle belt region with governors sympathetic and loyal to the ambitions of their party and its candidate witnessed a majority decision for Goodluck Jonathan, PhD.

 

The outcome of the elections baffled me greatly. I was completely at a loss as to how Nigerians allowed someone so clearly inept and unprepared to win by an incredibly overwhelming margin. I wondered if the southeastern people lacked progressive and rationally thinking people; worst still I pondered on how my fellow southwestern people watched on as GEJ garnered over a million votes in Lagos. Gutted with a feeling of being let down, I concluded that the Nigerian people were simply overrated, myopic and sentimental. Some wanted a first timer minority, some were awed by the PhD that may be devoid of a thesis while the worst group made up greatly of young minds like myself said they voted for the man and not the party. How outrageous? The people sold out, the media sold out and the opposition sold out. My grudge with Channels TV still persists.

 

Why did Nigerians do what they did? Some of the answers lie in the annals of our great country. The contraption and geographical expression named Nigeria by the British was done primarily to serve themselves. They plundered valuable resources; humans and goods, cash crops, minerals and art work that still adorn their museums till tomorrow. They did however bring formal education, religion, mirrors and gin. They, in some way made less apparent the multi-ethnic diversity by focusing on the dominant tribes that have since commandeered the political landscape with the numerous and smaller other tribes playing the minority second fiddle. This uneven topography and imbalanced political structure handed over to the young and inexperienced agitators in 1960 led to distrust and a lot of power play, scheming and betrayals. With this entrenched bitterness, the game for the throne of supremacy began.

 

Literature abound on how radical middle ranked soldiers, mostly in their late 20s eliminated critical players of the first republic, both military and civilian. The label that the first coup was tagged still lingers in the minds of a lot of Nigerians. This led to an insatiable hunger for vengeance among officers grouped as northerners who perceived that the Ironsi led supreme military council were reluctant to try the arrested coup plotters and administer justice. A large scale murder of Igbo nationals and other Easterners ensued in the North, aided and abated by the connivance or in some cases, the watchful neglect of the northern elite. These incidents went without justice and emboldened the disgruntled northern officers to embark on a mutiny murdering numerous Eastern officers in cold blood. These men, led by Murtala Mohammed who was in his late 20s set Nigeria on a downward slope with the main goal of terminating the existence of the infant nation. Appeals against secession caused the Northern caucus to change their minds but not without arm-wrestling the leadership of the nation for the most senior surviving soldier at the time.

 

Even if the Eastern officers wanted to retaliate, they were already vanquished and the vengeful northerners would have perhaps killed every single one of them in sight. These heinous crimes went unpunished and further crimes perpetuated during the civil war particularly in the sector commanded by the fiery Murtala have been by and large swept under the carpet while those who suffered have been assumed to have moved on. I have just concluded a book title "Oil, politics and Violence: Nigeria's military coup culture (1966-1976)" by Max Siollun. It chronicles an unbiased and detailed account of the unfortunate events that have bedeviled Nigeria and still plagues us now. The book has the potential to break our hearts and at the same time mend it, it gave me hope that this entity named Nigeria can still arise from the ashes only if we come to the junction of equity, justice and forgiveness. We need not forget the evils we have done one to another, we have to open the wounds that have been inflicted on our bodies and minds. Covering them up does not heal them, it only succeeds in eating us up on the inside and gets transferred as either a dominant or recessive trait from parent to offspring. This anomaly as it is, is indestructible.

 

The escalation of crude oil exploration and the subsequent expansion of the nation's monetary reserves reinforced corruption and only served to murder the agricultural sector that had contributed enormously to the economy of the regions established prior to independence. It improved the appetite of the now  politicized military junta and their civilian conspirators. There was free money they did not necessarily need to account for. Sadly, a culture of waste followed and the distribution of this new found wealth was skewed leading to the advent of armed revolts against the military led by Isaac Boro. It is shocking to know that a 50% derivation formula for oil producing communities once existed which plunged to 2% at a time. It is now set at 13%, clearly unfavorable to those concerned. Some people feel that "monkey dey work, baboon dey chop" is the modus operandi in Nigeria, hence the agitation.

 

Oil has become Nigeria's curse, our Achilles heel. The Northern brotherhood that conspired and murdered suddenly imploded. They suddenly realised they were indeed different, torn by tongue and God. Blood was "shared" and some innocent ones caught in the cross fire rendering many widowed and orphaned. A more deadly spanner was thrown into the wheel of the nation, deadlier than tribe, tongue or geography. It must have been in existence but became full blown with time. Religious affiliation became one of the tools of trade in the hands and systems of those who have perpetually held this country in bondage since independence.

 

The military men and their aides sunk their fangs deeper into the jugular of un-merited wealth and power. The cold war and continued patronage by world powers for the lucrative "bonny blite" crude perhaps plunged Nigeria further down the abyss, the wealthy got even wealthier while the poor wasted away into oblivion. Those who died amongst them are regarded as heroes having their names gracing establishments and monuments across the land. Those alive still occupy positions in government, possess personal oil wells and worse still continue to spread the venom that fuels bitterness and thoughts of revenge among the tribes that make up Nigeria. The jostle for the throne at the centre still persists till this day. Do they think the evil they have done is hidden? Or do they assume that the people particularly impoverished and almost annihilated are too busy scrapping for survival to remember?

 

Our political system still remains primitive, held hostage by sentiments and justified grief. In some cases, it is the fear of deja vu while in others, a direct or indirect effect of the landlords' protocol to create timid and voiceless Nigerians. The national cake is continuously plundered, many have sold their souls to partake in the crude oil hysteria losing their identities in the process. It has degenerated to a survival of the fittest, jungle style. Many have become too greedy, they would rather watch while others perish even their kin. A good number still harbour deep seated hatred for the Nigerian state. They would rather have a goat preside over the the affairs of the state as long as the goat is from their backyard instead of supporting any genuine effort to retrieve the reins of our national ship heading for the rocks. A vast populace are held back by religious sentiments and ethnic loyalty instead of promoting the common interest of Nigerians. Even their elite are not vocal enough to ensure their liberation and in some cases, this silence has rendered them as accomplices when their wards misbehave and take matters into their own hands.

 

Sixteen years ago and fresh from secondary school, I had written my last paper on the 4th of June, 1998 and was back at home unsure of what the future had in stock. June 8 was my birthday and I did not know what to expect. My father had temporarily moved to the new state Bayelsa to hustle for his family so that we could survive. Even if I wanted to celebrate, there was really nothing to rejoice about except for life. The day ended on a high however for most Nigerians when news filtered in that the dreaded tyrant Sani was no more. Moshood Abiola left soon after under mysterious circumstances as old and new alliances were established to chart a new course as another chance to rectify our wrong moves fell into our laps. My optimism was soon dashed when leadership was thrust yet again upon the shoulders of Obasanjo. It seemed to me that the soldiers wanted convenience and not necessarily the best option for Nigerians. It is 15 years since 1999 under a one party rule and I do not think the future and integrity of Nigeria has ever looked this dire. Those born in 1998 and 1999 are more or less out or almost out of secondary school today, Nigeria still will appear like a mirage to them.

 

Some people are advocating for a disintegration, some have faith in the ongoing conference while many others have rather opted to jump ship and sear the part of their brains that constantly reminds them of the country of birth. I looked at the map of Nigeria recently and for the first time realised how small in size the southeast is compared to other regions. It seems not to be even bigger than Oyo in my eyes. The Igbo territory is somewhat landlocked and the people are highly active that the land cannot contain and sustain them. If Biafra breaks away, which ports would they use to convey huge consignments from the globe? Who would they be doing business with? They would be needing visas to enter other regions of present day Nigeria, how tedious would that be? The south-south people do not appear versatile and responsible enough to manage the vast resources they have in their region. The effects of blood diamonds might just be child's play compared to what can occur. The core North is backward, truth be told. The people are resilient and generally hard working. Their leaders need to be confronted with the truth, their feigned ignorance and over-indulgence has contributed in no small measure to the proliferation of armed insurgents in the area. A fractured North would be landlocked as well and would sweat a great deal to break even. If the UAE can develop their region to outrageous extents, committed leaders in that northern sector would be able to replicate same. The middle belt is blessed with human resources and great soil. They are caught up between rival regions and have the dilemma of which to affiliate with. The southwest has a coast line and possess quite a good amount of intelligent people to steer a Yoruba ship. We may however be too cunning and restless for our own good. Perhaps a union with other regions helps to keep issues in the right perspective.

 

This contest for supremacy has been characterized by intrigues and conspiracy. Our history alone can make Nollywood surpass even the Americans. However, these lofty dreams are already aborted even before the morula can get embedded. We have sinned greatly and our offences against one another are indeed very grave. We have skeletons buried under our beds and in our closets. We kill a man and expect his widow to forgive and forget or die with their grudge. We loot the land and still earmark largess for our personal generations unborn. The authorities in Australia apologized to the indigenous aborigines for the savage afflictions they had to endure. In Nigeria, we prevent films that appear to tell part of the story from airing for fear of the unknown; we bury our heads deep in gravel expecting ourselves to live together like nothing ever happened and begrudge those with genuine sentiments poured out in books. It is clear some people derive pleasure from the eruptions in a certain region of the country. They surely deserve their fair share of violence but must we watch on and not realise we and our kin are afflicted in the chaos? Should we not consider forgiveness? Should we collaborate with incompetence and ineptitude because of the grudge and scars we still bear? Should our children continue these hot and cold wars and pass it on to theirs?

 

It is a very difficult remedy that I prescribe, it takes believing in one nation again. It takes genuine acknowledgement of wrong and guilt, a lot of declassification. It may require  active steps to erase traces of those indicted for war crimes and wickedness to fellow Nigerians. It would take restitution and compensation to those who were innocent but yet killed. It will take justice and reducing the powers at the centre. This game of thrones must stop and we can start by advocating for credibility and competence and rid ourselves of primitive ideologies and individuals with unverified PhDs.

God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

 

 

Jide akeju
4/06/14