Monuments
& Recognitions: The By Ndubueze
Godson III biafraalways@yahoo.com You
damn right I just refused to go away I refuse to die not for the cassava
nation,
Ah
ha! As my Igbo forebears would say; “where a crying child points
there you would either find that child’s mother or father” thus
all the numerous articles on the evils of “If
you’re not ready to die for History
is replete with people who have died and continue to in defense of their
countries from external aggression or democratic goals. In order for one
to pay the ultimate sacrifice the cause should be worth the final
outcome. And I don’t believe Obasanjo or anyone in his illegitimate
government has established beyond the rhetorical sense of civic the
logic behind this stupid call. Isn’t it pure madness for a government
not driven by the general welfare of its population to call on them to
die for her? Nigerians are yet to experience governance imbued by the
fundamental tenet of a true egalitarian system based on government of,
by and for the people that pursues ideals that is in the overall
interest of the common man but this does not stop Nigerian
Nebuchadnazzer from insulting their sense of worth with his mean
spirited and unintelligent atrocious call for them to lay their lives.
Conversely Obasanjo’s preoccupation is the protection of the Since
Obasanjo has made the identification process easy I wonder out of
curiosity how many of our Hausa, Yoruba and Bini friends are willing to
die for their Obasanjo’s
simplistic definition of who’s qualified to bear this unfortunate
appellation disqualified a great many who by the way see no sense in
associating with his Nigeria nonetheless, wasn’t General Johnson
Thomas Umunnakwe Agoinyi-Ironsi, who surrounded himself with a bunch of
Awusa thugs; Yakubu Gowon, Theophilus Danjuma, William Welbe, Hassan
Katsina, Murtalla Mohammed and many, many more of these untrustworthy
killers the first to die for your Nigeria? Even as a youngster I
wondered what Ironsi was thinking or was he practicing Obasanjo’s
“One Nigeria” joke when he encircled himself with “Murder,
Inc.,” didn’t his mother taught him better? Could you then tell us
sir, in your usual embarrassingly heavily accented broken/pidgin English
what this true detribalized first son and his family (Igbo) got from
your How
many monuments bear this gallant soldiers’ soldier’s image in honor
of his memory, history and death; tell us how many of you still remember
this hero? Please don’t count the withholding of his entitlements as
something worth noting, I thought I let you know in advance considering
your numerous follies in the past a fumble is expected hence my caution.
Check you guys out when the question relating to Abacha’s military
entitlements was asked, “He is not to be paid pensions but if
the family applies by writing to me, we will pay.” In
the same breathe the man charged with overseeing the pension of
ex-military men and women responded when asked about General Ironsi’s
entitlements; “I am not quite sure of that since that took place
long ago, but if their families apply, we will process.”
- Director of Military Pensions, Group Captain Adamu Bargo Kachiro;
Thisdayonline His
performances without the luxury of boots against the English teams
helped polish the image of this dying nation yet no acknowledgements is
forthcoming ever. Moving right along, the last time I heard about the
Yoruba soccer power house of the past Thunder Balogun, was in junior
high which should be long, long time ago yet he too did not meet your
requirements to be honored I guess. People, there are things inherently
wrong with a system that honors crooks, the vile and killers while
relegating to the background of history those eminently qualified to be
so recognized. This shit, oops I mean Arithmetic does not add up it is
not translating as long as folks like the very venerable Tai Solarin and
Philip Imoudu and great many like them from all areas of that monkey
republic are not immortalized with some monuments and the like. I hereby
propose that What
is the reason for the glamour to plaster Abiola’s image all over the
nation for, didn’t our late ebullient vocal and honest
musician/activist affectionately known as Fela tell us about the corrupt
corporation (ITT) Abiola founded? This corrupt company was
heavily patronized by all the equally corrupt military dictators until
they couldn’t take anymore of Abiola’s bullshit. “ITT! International
Thief, Thief; International thief; International thief,
thief; we go fight dem well, well; welu, welu, welu welu welu wey.”
– Fela sang and bellowed as he informed the populace how they were
being ripped off by ITT and Abiola.
If
one’s death should propel him to national prominence regardless of his
evil crafts we wonder why deceased men who brought positive recognitions
to A
very high number (99.999%) of all the so-called national awards go to
people whose characters are not worth discussing talk of emulating. All
awards disbursed to coupists, embezzlers, forgers, mass murderers,
contract deserters, sycophants and other worthless idiots in essence
convey a very negative and dangerous message to the younger generations
and posterity at large. This much these half baked half cooked leaders
ought to have known with their tacky and desperate self-recognitions
bestowed on one another in the order of who stole or killed the most? I
guess so. A troubling number of these useless awardees are military boys
who at best deserve forfeiture of the stolen wealth they acquired and at
worst a combination of long hard prison sentences and confiscation of
the ill-gotten wealth and properties. Didn’t a good number of them
commit one criminal act or another by defiling her with their countless
coups, embezzlements, murders, you name it yet shamelessly accept
‘recognitions’ from her. Who
says crime does not pay? Their mischievous criminal activities on
society are constantly rewarded with one title or the other yet we
wonder why the moral decadence in that society screeched out of control.
Given that it makes no absolute sense whatsoever where are the
self-professed defenders of evil deeds who see no shred of wrong in
these blatant acts. A tradition that suffered a setback or slow down
until Abdulsalami Abubakar who did not see the embarrassment in his
self-nomination for recognition resuscitated it. This nonsense cherished
by only crooks and murderers was also given to the same Ishak Bamayi
that has made Kirikiri prison his abode for the last five years. One
thing that can be said about Sani Abacha is that at least he had great
wisdom in allowing the stupid awards to rest in dustbin of history
during his tyranny. This writer does not and will not extend courtesy to
anyone based on his stolen wealth or phony appellation since my
unalloyed respect and admiration goes to affable people who are
scrupulous in their everyday dealings, folks whose integrity is
unquestionable, period. Why are Nigerian monuments and recognitions
reserved mostly for Fela Anikulapo’s defined VIPs? That is Vagabonds
In Power, for the JJCs, did it again I mean Johnny
Just Comes. The list below does not by any means reflect
all who received these National Shame Awards. 1998
National Awards Recipients: Grand
Commander of the General
Abdulsalami A. Abubakar, General Yakubu Gowon, OFR, General Muhammadu
Buhari, V/ADM O. M. Akhigbe, General I.B. Babangida, Ernest. O. Shonekan
(too?) Grand
Commander of the Order of the V/ADM
O. M. Akhigbe, A.M. Daggash, Lt. General IR Bamaiyi, V/ADM J.O Ayinla Alhaji
I. A. Coomassie, ADM A. Aikhomu, V/ADM P. S. Koshoni, V/ADM Mah Nyako,
Air Marshal A.C. Dada, Major General B. J. Oteri, Major General S. I.
Momah, Major General O. Popoola, Major General I. D. Gumel, Major
General R. Kale, R/ADM P. A. Jerome, AVM G. Y. Kontagora, Major General
M.M. Bamaiyi, Major General L. A. Onoja and so on, folks. This
writer’s civic call made it absolutely necessary to identify the folly
of this inane practice in order to abridge their high-five - premature
celebratory euphoria on what they mistakenly considered the pinnacle of
achievement. Not so fast I say to these man-must-wacks based on the
numerous illustrious sons that brought worldwide positive identity and
recognition to Obasanjo’s Continuing
on monuments and recognitions, holy Jesus what is Murtala Mohammed’s
name still doing at that International airport based on his history
doesn’t he qualify as a war criminal, a coupist and a murderer? Does
his death in the hands of his brothers in crime the sole indicator of
the retention of his name as the country’s image ambassador?
Wouldn’t visitors to that country want to know who this fella was do
you tell them; “oh, em, you mean Murtala?” “He, he was… never
mind?” Even your erstwhile crooked minister for Labor and Productivity
Husseini Zanwa Akwanga was recognized with a premature award lo and
behold his thievery became public within the same period. What a funny
joke. How many closet/wardrobe Akwangas exist in your cabinet and
‘honor’ list today, madam Olusegun? Belatedly attempt is being made
to void or withdraw Akwanga’s award my advice therefore to him is to
wage a vigorous legal battle if they attempt this unbalanced withdrawal
without extending the same favor to Obasanjo and his gang of thieves.
Listen Akwanga if they attempt this embarrassment with their ill
conceived call to de-recognize you call upon me I’ll even represent
you pro bono despite the fact that I am not a lawyer after all we’re
talking about Nigeria where anything goes. With bunch of Kangaroo Judges
and lawyers in that “yeye” land I bet I did do a better job than
most of them this would be my little contribution to that society. Thank
you, thank you; don’t mention, please sit down what are ‘friends’
for. And you believe? The real outrage that led to the unnecessary
recognition of people who were/are supposed to be imprisoned for crimes
against humanity and/ or embezzlements of public monies was when
Christian North, Christian West and Christian Midwest joined the
jihadist North to fight their fellow Christian in Eastern Region some
thirty-eight years ago. Sadly the same episode is rearing its ugly head
in the Plateau area and not much is being done by the ever sleepy
assembly members instead they belatedly and unconstitutionally supported
the unnecessary illegal “emergency” declaration maybe out of fear or
bribed yet again, who knows. You
have what’s that tired old man’s name, um, Anthony Enahoro running
around his Bini neighborhood with shouts of Sovereign National
Conference just to appear stately yet the Igbo proposed and
accepted one in Putative
excerpt from Igbo
Counsel: Obasanjo
and company if you didn’t believe the importance of the Igbo nation in
Africa speaking generally and Nigeria particularly, how come you guys
went out of step to keep them there, example of “out of step,”
didn’t you and Gowon cede Bakassi peninsula in the Eastern Region to
the Cameroon to win your genocidal war? Let me also remind the courts
that the rightly accused and his cabal confiscated the properties of the
Igbo and murdered their innocent pregnant women, the elderly, children
and the sick that were receiving treatments in the hospitals in northern
Obasanjo:
Eh,
olori maje oooo, abi na, em, em wetin I go call am? Are we still in a
democracy or what? Why is that governor running around and speaking all
over the country and blah blah blah. Judge:
(cuts in) Sir,
answer the question and stop wasting the court’s time you are in the not
Aso Rock and the year is 2008 not 2004. Counsel you may proceed. Igbo
Counsel: Thank
you your Honor however, with Obasanjo’s sudden stuttering, I rest. The
defense for this bruised “efulefu”… Judge:
(cuts in) Watch
your language counsel don’t you have a better word? Igbo
Counsel: Sorry
your Honor I meant the “criminal” might ask for continuance if he
wishes but his guilt is obvious as such I have no further
cross-examination for this whacked, disoriented and drooling defendant. Judge: The
courts will continue to hold Obusonjo in its basement until a
maximum-security prison that would accommodate him and his family in sin
is completed somewhere in the
Rwandan rainforest. Igbo
Counsel: (sidebar) At
this point I requested to approach the bench based on the threat to
Obasanjo’s life. I
believe it is in the defendant’s best interest your Honor to hold him
as you said since the Igbo nation do not want anything to do with this
death moreover, we now have a functioning country we proudly call ours,
which was made so by the U.S. led resolution in the U.N. If it pleases
the court to also know your Honor, the Hausa uncles of the defendant are
calling for nothing but his head for leading them asunder tenfold. All
diplomatic pleas by the Igbo to spare Obasanjo’s life so far have
fallen on deaf ears. The new “Communist
Republic of Arewa” according to them claimed that as a member of
Islamic countries who are strictly guided by Sharia, death is the only
thing it sanctioned with no option of Abuja Hilton type imprisonment. Judge: Thank
you counsel for that privileged information it has been noted. Igbo
Counsel: You’re
welcome your Honor; all we wanted all along is a place to call home and
now that it has been actualized we’re not interested in any frivolity
we wish to move on with our lives. I have to catch a connecting flight
in Judge: You
certainly may counsel of course, have a nice trip. Igbo
Counsel: Thank
you, your Honor! Court
Bailiff: All riseeeeeeeeeee! |