|
Ndubụeze Godson III
Shhhhhh, be real quiet Mohammed Haruna is around! Again? We really should cut the noise right this moment and ask the advanced world to aid that over swollen confused nation you call Nigeria to organize a real headcount or remain silent. Whenever I run into the overbearing lies spouted daily by people who ought to know better I am reminded of the importance to not let it fly. The greater population claim by the Arab north as seen in “The Politics of Nigeria’s Head Count I & II” is a myth only those who believe in the idea of Santa Claus/Father Christmas or UFO – Unidentifiable Foreign Object would entertain. Certainly not happening! Some of their element’s only preoccupation is to deceive then confiscate things they don’t own and when those of us from the southern end snooze, we loose. As such all southerners should be on endless alert! It’s on!
Common decency should tell us that no one should derive any joy from being derogatory towards anyone if all things were to be equal, but most times due to the bad hand dealt through the actions of lying corrupt individuals, no better choice is given. They better then believe that no retreat is intended from the unattractive task of being at the fore to meet tyrannical corrupt entities and their offshoots head-on with little sassiness. As a matter of fact, every time I engage in my usual drift to paint true picture of what is happening and/ or happened in Nigeria with tiny bit of side snipe, I do so with the northern chaps that have privately communicated sensibly with me in mind. It is not about them as long as they don’t share the same archaic beliefs some of their folks bear. People especially writers and academicians should pursue the perspective of better equitable governance advanced constantly by professors Chinua Achebe and Wole Soyinka that in turn draw accolades to them. You don’t see them calling or supporting the annihilation of other people with “distinct languages” in Nigeria rather they express their disappointments with different wayward governments unlike the subject who peddles complete baloney to gain a little ground over others. Does he deserve the same treatments as our eminent professors? Not a chance!
Here is a classical example how things get screwed in Nigeria; the hurry, hurry, now, now lure by the so-called elites who in the end are nothing but village crackheads. Over there, they have their own version of Russians or Rushians, the influential who are always in a rush hence one of the many reasons that country remained in turmoil today. As one who was in Nigeria during their rush to crown Obasanjo King, Queen and Yeoman all combined I saw no reasonable excuse then for the haste. Deep inside me, I knew the political and military rogues were again missing a golden chance to positively seal Nigeria’s fate. Their failure to exercise patience with extra time for an interim government that would have, as the first sequence fixed the counterfeit you call constitution foisted on the people by Abacha and Abubakar without a shred of doubt set the motion for the mediocrity you see today. By the way, who the hell were these compound illiterates in khaki to have supervised a document people in refined world trust and call constitution, which remained a magical tool in Nigeria? Don’t believe me, then take a peek at the meaningless Section 308 of their bizarre constitution that practically gave the President, his vice, governors and their assistants (yes, you heard me, assistants, that’s what they are!) carteblanche to steal us to acidic numbness. I can manage an understanding of immunity from distracting civil suits but to let a murdering thief off hook based on the cranky immunity clause is the biggest joke of all times. Had to be! Yet they trusted it since 1999 without any of our ‘educated’ raising an eyebrow way back.
President Clinton almost went down simply for engaging a bimbo in a little touchry here and there yet Nigerian government cite the same U.S. when it suits them. Can a governor in U.S. or any other civilized world implicated in illegality skip the prosecutorial sharp lens? Could the reason for the continuance of this abject crap in Nigeria be that most citizens are imbecilic fools, idiots, con artists, mad or all of above? The yịịyịịyịị writers should answer please because “Odi onye wee anyi nkpa” - it is important to the Lord. First thing after Abacha’s journey of no return should have been an auxiliary civilian administration that would have organized the people to come up with a real guide (constitution) absence of the present or past fabrications you refer to before any other thing else. At the end of this exercise, an authentic unadulterated election under the watchful eyes of neutral international observers should have blessed the adventure. Finally, a genuine population count that would reflect the actual (not hoax) numbers of people with different “distinct languages” in that country should have followed. What’s wrong with these ideas you Rushians and their servants? There is this thing that bothers me, why does Nigeria operate more than one “CONstitution?” All one hears is according to XYZ of the 1999 constitution or ABC of 1963 constitution even 123 of 2000 constitution. Why not the CONSTITUTION without any numeric appellation? The unseriousness of these jokesters is a laughable shame! To apply two opposing and contradicting documents only adds to the confusion in an already beleaguered land.
Had all the roguish military and their civilian counterparts been banned from the first four elections to stem corruption, the flow of order would thrive today. Who, after all would have challenged the ban as “unconstitutional” when the damn thing (ban) would be stipulated in the constitution? These are what real journalists should have insisted upon and not the inflammatory junk that drops out of Mohammed Haruna’s keyboard. I had hoped for the enactment of a local ordinance that would check hanging around market places by the unstable. And since this is yet to happen and with his continued butt naked dance in the market square, it is now a matter of public health to stop this guy before his dance takes infectious turn. You know that can be. Much as I believe his people find his fable tales palatable it is really up to southern writers to put a stopper to this fallacy before sane folks start believing their census stories. We have to also take some blames here for forcing these guys to get some education which they now use against us. These guys were actually chased around to go to school back in the day. They ran helter-skelter to avoid being bundled into school because some of their parents saw education as punishment, which precipitated the awkward tradition of sending houseboys to school instead as a cushion for their sons. I guess they too have mastered the intrigues of Ken Saro-Wiwa who acted against Ndiigbo oblivious to the idea of reciprocal rebound, goes around comes around, in other words, karma. Despite the educational opportunities Igbo territory afforded him he spilled hate filled jargon against same before his fatality in Abacha’s hand. How ya like me now?
A little detour please. I can’t stand the categorization of Nigerians as wimps, let me tell you some, they are not. Lack of a united front as I see it is the problem. This absence of unity gives the dictatorial military bandits and their civilian forgers an explorative and exploitative avenue to further screw them good. You will agree with me that citizens of most other countries are able to rally together to eject the types of governments we continuously see because they work for the common good of all, different from Nigeria where the Arab north quickly gangs up with the Yoruba against the Igbo simply for raising opposition voice to undemocratic values. Don’t even dare, has anyone aside from the Igbo written in resentment of the constant threat of treason kids whose crime was soccer matches in the name of MASSOB receive? Are OPC and Arewa who are the present day fomenters of trouble so treated? Democracy should allow for the coming together of people to fight the chronic fermentation by quackish government not the sick attitude of people who only see things through outdated periscope. Theirs is primarily about people against people instead of encouraging support for people against all the autocratic ancient governments of Nigeria going back thirty plus years. The government therefore must first deal with the backward treatments of the Igbo, which has been their moral and legal dilemma before they could get a grip.
That nation will remain calamitous until their blurred incomplete story against Ndiigbo as contained in the type of repulsive brews their man Mohammed Haruna throws out there for consumption is told with a straight face. Certain important aspects of the Nigerian experience are ceaselessly being badly debased and passed on to the peasants as facts. To be totally honest with minimal disrespect I’m beginning to think honesty zoomed by our man so fast that it affected his oblongata going by his actions. He behaves like someone on a binge to score a cheap one against the Igbo first and foremost with a little spill over on the entire south before he vacates this world otherwise how could he continuously without failing advance his hoaxes and innuendos in such hostile manner? Is he on a final meltdown, scratchy or both? Didn’t he too read; “Oga, make we manage am so!” by a senior writer Mr. Hank Eso, a wonderful piece that should have acted as a guide? Which hopefully would have aided him to clearly appreciate and understand the true and legit requirements of a critic to avoid being seen as a critic [al] liar? Here is for all you who would love to see me go; do not write in jargons then I’m history. I see certain writers derive happiness from hurting people with their outrageous lies whose antidote is a virulent head-on response. While I actually ignore the non-lethal trashes due to time limitation, the heavy-duty ones, those stuffed with raw wickedness for the destruction of anyone outside their domains are unrelentingly and mercilessly defiled with every arsenal at my disposal for deterrence.
His attention is now called to a good piece by an all time great Ochereome Nnanna of Vanguard; “Liad Tella’s ignorant falsehood,” - Thursday March 03, 2005, to see the similarities between their lies and the ease with which it was as well shattered. My reaction is usually activated not by personalities I could really care much less rather the untold litany of falsehoods against Ndiigbo draws my bad boy side. I am bound to react whenever I run into a mean spirited lie, you can bet your bottom dollar on that, be it the Pope makes no difference because of the fallacy. Reasonable people no doubt at times wonder why these people are hell bent on twisting historical facts, for what purpose? Easy, unfair and undeserved advantage that would elude them were things to work properly as should. Mr. Haruna should have utilized the parameters set forth for gauging a bonafide critic according to Monsieur La Drière, as transcribed by Mr. Eso to easily capture his own folly without external help. His moulded merry-go-round should here from not be seen as random permutation as a result of his appalling interest in uncovering the truth.
The critic should be honest. He can never be perfectly intelligent, or perfectly informed, or perfectly disinterested, or perfectly humble; but it is open to everyone to be perfectly honest, and to a critic who is perfectly honest his inevitable shortcomings with respect to the rest will easily be forgiven. For honest statement is the soul of criticism; pretense is incompatible with criticism. Intelligence, awareness, disinterestedness, humility, honesty-these are the virtues of the critic, and together they are the sum of his responsibility - La Drière (Spirit, Vol. XII, 1947).
As an educated fella I am sure he will not have any problems to support a call for international bodies like U.N. and U.S. to be exact for the initiation of an authentic count devoid of the usual pastime fib that overburdens the puny minded. Only this time around the census will see nothing British close to any materials or structures that house the instruments for this headcount. If possible they should due to their history of deceit be asked to go on voluntary house arrest for the duration of this exercise in order to thwart their usual abracadabra as buttressed by Mr. Harold Smith. I have zero doubt the new internationally backed population count will satisfy all the inquiry minds who are still stunned over the bogus assertion that the north poses a higher number over the entire south. Is he kidding or am I dreaming? Maybe it is just me, but why would anyone with little brain matters rely on an exercise that was conducted under the Arab north’s barrel of the gun and machete considering the military’s irrationality? The statistics this guy waves around like victory flag is nothing but piece of garbage since no one with his faculties intact would believe such exercise. Yeah, right, let the their army conduct a census, sex up (real good) or doctor the figures, wallaaa, the north ten trillion size wise and the entire south a hundred thousand or even less. Could Mr. Haruna actually be uninterested to know their real numeric strength? Could he be afraid what he might discover? Then call for international participation!
Listen up people, here is the scenario; an Arab north commits their perennial treasonable coup acts, then points the gun at the heads of the hapless civilians for a population count and boom you have it, northern population figure one billion after usurping democratic order. The mind should itch, mine does when boldfaced lies are dispersed for no other reason than to gain unfair advantageous traction over the southern engine. I can only hope this Maalam who is supposed to use his position as a writer to seek better polity starting with a true census that would pass scrutiny will accept my simple challenge for outside involvement to find out who added what or is hiding where in Nigdanger or Nigeria same thing. To lean on a debased army induced statistics while violently refusing an honest count to me shows how prejudicial and ungentlemanly this dude and his people are. His use of information that is seriously defective to justify their false allegation is tragic. Does he really think we in the south are some ancient dummies? If indeed the north’s population as he claimed is larger we wonder how come a trip across their terrain only shows uninhabited dried lands overrun by wild animals. Who amongst you still does not know that while the north is sparsely populated the south is super densely inhabited? You cannot travel from Lagos to Port Harcourt or any part of the south without running into people most of the times. Are you still there, Mohammed? Please wait, where are you going, don’t run yet!
Since our house Maalam and some of his equally hintless folks probably won’t buy into our (Igbo/south) position and with hell freezing over a zillion times before we too believe their bunkum the only viable and reasonable alternative is a census taken under international control. Let me repeat by simplifying, the U.N. and the U.S. even the Red Cross and Red Crescent should be encouraged by all to come to that country and conduct this poll. During the conduct of this poll, each field trip should consist of a squad of international organizers supported by a member from each of the six zones for confirmation of the numbers of each household. Each counted person should then be marked with a special ink that is supposed to last for the duration of the count. Our neighbours must be constantly reminded that there is no short cut to truth. Nil! Never should you believe their flippant claims knowing what Islam says about deceit/insincere oaths. Are they not permitted to lie anytime they perceive a threat to their own well-being or that of Islam? They even have an Arabic name for it, Taquia. What greater threat is there than their true diminished size that would expose them as the minority they are? This issue should not be divisive and volatile if ulterior motive is not the mitigating factor. It should not be so difficult to have outside auspices for this assignment if he truly believes in his sing-song. Want proof, the mail below from Mr. Smith, the same British that revealed how his government rigged Nigeria's independence elections backed our position that the Arab north’s claim of superior population is bogus. Certain comments have been highlighted to draw extra attention.
25 March 2005
Dear Ndubueze Godson,
Where are Northern Government, Federal Government and Department of Statistics records stored? This stuff was top secret and dynamite. A team of researchers and historians will one day be stunned at what they find - if it has survived. The motivation to inflate was there. No one will own up. Use your own judgement. They got away with it. [So they thought! - mine]
I would believe nothing from people fixing elections. What will it take to convince you of a great, criminal, confidence trick? Any evidence of guilt has very likely been destroyed. They were not stupid!
Regards – Harold Smith
Yet Haruna relied on bloated population count conducted under undemocratic ambience by his Arab brethren and their backers? He even went as far back as 1953 and 1963 not minding that Mr. Smith already revealed how the British concocted their brew to favour the north they saw as easily manipulable. I don’t know about you guys, but the next line by him is a hard swallow for me due to its absurdity. “In the East the Christian population, according to the 1953 Census was 50.1 percent against 0.30 percent Muslim and 49.6 percent “Other.” Anyone that has lived in the east knows there is no way the Muslim population there could have been anything close to 0.0000001% not to mention thirty percent. Does this guy really think that a few, maybe three Igbo efulefus that out of hunger succumbed to Islam makes a dint in the entire east? This is pure ara – madness! I am equally less swayed by the citation of only eight army chiefs as having come from the Muslim north because they and their Middle Belt brethren are only separated by semantics, they too are north. Continued he; “For, from 1960 to date there has always been more Christian ministers than Muslims except for the regimes of Shagari, Buhari and Babangida. Tafawa Balewa had ten Christians to nine Muslims. Yakubu Gowon had 13 to eight; Murtala Mohammed, seven to four; General Obasanjo, 14 to seven; Shehu Shagari, seven to ten; Muhammadu Buhari, six to seven; Ibrahim Babangida, eleven to twelve; Ernest Shonekan, nine to six; Sani Abacha, 17 to 15; Abdulsalami Abubakar, 19 to 13; and President Obasanjo, 41 to 17!”
What power has a minister that could easily be sacked as was done to Osuji and those before him by mostly northern men in wrinkled khaki like; Gowon, Murtala, Buhari, Babangida, Abacha, Abubakar [Balewa, Shagari]? An otherwise terrible viewpoint could easily be averted with a hand, mouth and mind coordinates that is a prerequisite to clear writing in other words think then write. The type of fuzzy arithmetic northerners use will confuse even a Math. professor. To them, eight northern juntas are highly equitable to the south’s one and half; Obasanjo, Ironsi & Shonekan amount to half. The question should not be how many ministers or service chiefs has the north unfairly and unjustifiably produced but how many men in dirty boots from the north has forcefully ruled Nigeria. Now, that’s the real question! Said he, “But if it [conference] is used as a weapon for even more retribution against the Muslim North for crimes that are clearly more imagined than real, then it will have laid the foundation for breaking up Nigeria. The ball is in President Obasanjo’s court.” That’s how he ended his “O” level diatribe in history with his trademark threat to which I say Obasanjo, please kick that ball violently hard and let the havens fall! Ah, ah! Even this northern champion acknowledged that the only reasonable thing left is the scattering of the people of that country and it is with stretched arms I welcome it. Example of their persistent nonsense, “Census: Muslim Youths Raise Objection” – Thisday 3/31/05.
I have again stated my mind and now leave it up to Mr. Haruna to earnestly begin to write objectively. He should know better in order to draw reverence as someone that once occupied the chair of Managing Director. The earlier his rambling incredulities are replaced with more balanced outtake, the sooner people like me will begin to write in deference. It should also be said before I go that this matter affects everyone outside the territorial boundaries of the north so let our Yoruba neighbours and others not lean on the fence or join them again. Their claim this time is not an Igbo palaver so you better link hands with eyes ajar to checkmate this hypocritical reckless arrogance. Better safe than sorry applies here. As usual, the Islamists are taking the unimaginable nonsense they pour upon the mostly Christian south too far with their staunch and irrational support for census that was taken under Arab military intimidation over one that would imbue transparency. Southerners that were used to truncate our collective happiness must definitely be feeling foolish right now. And for now, I am laughing my butt off at the hate filled Maalam dot who else while we await his invite to the international community for the real deal, unmixed census that would hopefully put their exaggerated falsehood to permanent rest after the goats, cows, sheep, bags of peanuts and hired peasants from abutting Moslem countries; Chad, Niger etc are subtracted. I have zero doubt what the end result of their padded size would then be, crash! It is now left to southerners to remind the north that gentlemen will behave others must.
Update:
I never said the North was more populous than the South simply because it was larger. I said it was more populous because it was larger AND at least as hospitable. – M.H.
Huh? As my essay was being rounded I happened upon the Maalam’s disclaimer above which in itself is disingenuous because he did said what was ascribed to him, which is the north being more crowded, full of people, heavily populated, packed, you choose than the south. I believe after Mallam Haruna realized his obvious blunder he went on grammatical stuttering to deny he ever said that the north are more in size than the south, but let me remind him with his own words what he said before his latest dribbling in semantics;
The 1991 census has not been without its critics especially with respect to its claim that there were more males than females in Nigeria and its confirmation that the Northern population was higher than the Southern. – The Politics of Nigeria’s Head count, M.H.
During its voter registration exercise for the 2003 general elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission recorded 32,374,762 voters for the North against 28,448,260 for the South, a difference of 3,926,502. In comparison, the Department of National Civil Registration recorded 28,279,129 adult Nigerians (i.e. 18 and above) in the North as against 23,724,645 in the South, a difference of 4,554,482. If you consider the fact that the exercise was smoother and more thorough in the more compact and more urbanised South, it is easy to see why the North/South gap could even be wider that has been thought. –The Politics of Nigeria’s Head count II, M.H.
|