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Politics of Fascism and Cultism in Obasanjo’s Nigeria By Mahamman Adarawa The recent open feud between Obasanjo and Atiku was predicted long ago and in reality not a surprise to those who have been keenly following our national politics. What is however suprising is unnecessary taking of sides especially among some Yoruba writers/intellectuals. Obasanjo and Atiku have very much in common that is why they colluded against the nation for such a long time. Behaviourally both are arrogant in their dealings with individuals, institutions and the nation at large. Atiku in one of his arrogant out bursts last year threatened to slap judges, just because their verdict on gubnatorial elections in Adamawa State did not favour him. Obasanjo’s arrogant statements need no mentioning because it is a daily affair and an integral part of his personality. Atiku also failed to imbibe the culture of genuine Northern politics. The culture of Northern politics demands the politician to be humble, honest, selfless and magnanimous. In the North money can buy false loyalty but can never buy respect. Respectable people in the North whether dead like Ahmadu Bello, Kashim Ibrahim, Aminu Kano, and Joseph Tarka or alive like Muhammadu Buhari, Muhammadu Goni, Balarabe Musa and Ibrahim Shekarau did not earn their respect by acquiring wealth illegaly, but by the aforementioned qualities. Buhari can work the length and breadth of Nigeria today without fear; in fact he is usually hailed where ever he appears. How ever if Atiku, Babangida or Obasanjo dare to go out along, the masses will not only boo and curse them, but could lynch them, despite their wealth and power. Politically both Obasanjo and Atiku crave for more powers and they can grab it at all cost. Both of them connived to rig the 2003 elections. The kingpin in the rigging process himself (Atiku) has confessed it. When Uba reminded Ngige that he rigged the elections for him in front of Obasanjo, the latter couldn’t take the embarrassment and had to tell them to get out of his sight, yet the decadent judiciary of our country threw out the case of rigging in the presidential elections! In their recent quarrel, Obasanjo denied swearing an oath to Atiku that he would not trample (emphasis mine) the constitution to extend his tenure because he felt it was unnecessary, yet he told us that he confronted Atiku to swear an oath with Bible or Quran to confirm his loyalty and the latter refused! Their encounter is typical of personalities of people with cult behaviour. This is comparable by every yard stick to the encounter between Chris Uba and Chris Ngige. It only revealed that politics in contemporary Nigeria of Obasanjo/Atiku has turned in to fascism and cultism. Fascism and cultism works on arrogance, blood letting, terror, suspicion, vengeance, craving for extra powers & wealth, blind loyalty to the leader, swearing oaths to the leader or deities, demoralising and eliminating genuine opposition and party members that are not “loyal” enough. Thus one of Atiku’s biggest mistakes is imbibing fascist and cult politics which are alien to Northern politics. No wonder Yoruba writers/intellectuals who are groomed in to believing instruments of cult politics like loyalty, power and revenge etc, kept on blaming Atiku for his disloyalty to Obasanjo, rather than to the nation. Political office holders should swear allegiance and loyalty to the nation in the name of God and not to personalities or deities. The PDP works like a cult organisation and not a political party, that is why the murderers of Bola Ige, Chuba Okadigbo, Dikibo and others cannot be brought to book. The natural history of cultism is that after wrecking havoc to the society, the leadership destroys it self. It is so sad that politics in the North has being ruined by greedy politicians like Atiku as well as his likes among the Governors like the blood thirsty Dariye of Plateau state, the hypocritical Bafarawa of Sokoto State and his neighbour Yariman Bakura of Zamfara State. Added to the calamity of having the above decadent politicians in our midst is the fact that the North to a large extent and indeed Nigeria as a whole is harbouring dangerous retired military officers whose political ideology is fascism/cultism just like Obasanjo. They include notably Danjuma, Babangida and a host of their deadly foot soldiers, who can go to any length in acquiring more power and wealth. When it comes to financial and material acquisition both of them have a lot to answer. Today we are hearing about the million dollar house of Atiku’s wife in USA which Paul Adujie rightly asked many questions about in his recent article. The only thing is that he forgot to ask the same questions some months ago when Obasanjo’s son multi million dollar overseas accounts were queried. Reuben Abati also queried Atiku’s dealings during the privatisation exercise although he was silent about the fact that Obasanjo cornered the petroleum sector of the economy to himself, family members, tribesmen and cronies since his second coming to power till today and nobody can dare to ask him to account for the large windfall in the oil revenues without getting eliminated. He then set up the Niger Delta people against Northerners with the National Confab. The PDP government of Obasanjo/Atiku performed worse than any government before. They are so insensitive to the sufferings and cries of the masses that is why they go on increasing the pump price of petrol in order to quadruple their profits and also show “full loyalty” to their masters in the World Bank and IMF. Despite the pump price increase and the large profit from international increase in crude oil price over the last few years, poverty, hunger and disease have been ravaging the people. This is compounded by general insecurity. Yet these two are fighting over who wants to trample the constitution to extend his tenure or rig elections to gain power. Added to all these is the fact that both of them have no respect in the eyes of Nigerians. Atiku in particular is resented in the whole North because he has not shown interest in the development of the region as well as bringing the aforementioned fascist/cult politics, but the resentment is even worse in his home state if anyone cares to discuss with the shy indigenes of Adamawa state. First, he imposed through rigging an inept Boni Haruna as their Governor and usually comes out openly in support of him during his speeches and interviews when even school children in their songs berated the Governor. Secondly, he retarded soci economic development. For example a Federal Medical Centre in Yola could not be equipped thanks to his cunningness. An irrigation project started by the PTF was deliberately sabotaged by Atiku leading to the drying of a once beautiful lake which is an important resource for the state. This has a catrostophic effect on the local tribesmen that depended on it for fishing as well as the nomads who use the surrounding area to graze their cattle during the summer in the course of their transhumance. Electricity supply in Yola is said to be only for a few hours a day until recently. Public schools are dilapidated while his private schools are lavishly built to cater for only very few rich people that is why majority of the students are not from the state. To show his people that he can do and undo, it is only his business ventures that thrive in Adamawa, because electricity supply is only to his private business ventures and private schools and more over he takes over small businesses or landed property by threats and intimidation. Thirdly like his Oga, his vindictiveness has not help matters, for he destroys people in the opposition parties as well as members of PDP whose “loyalty” is in doubt. In the rigged elections of 2003, he joined other decadent politicians and some decadent CAN leadership in calling Buhari a religious fanatic .It was a cheap blackmail to give Obasanjo an advantage during the rigged elections. Both CAN leadership and Atiku have ripped what they have sown. The people felt betrayed by Atiku’s attitude since they have shown him their good will in the past. This is again where he differed with Obasanjo.Though the latter was rejected by his people in the first elections because they knew his weaknesses, he went ahead and cornered development to the Southwest (while neglecting other regions, especially the North). He built dual carriage ways, improved electricity supply, promoted Yoruba officers in the security forces while unfairly retiring Northerners, Cornered the whole petroleum sector of the economy to his Yoruba tribesmen, tried to divide the North on tribal, religious and sub regional lines but failed (despite the assistance of his henchmen like Danjuma), then set up Niger Delta people against Northerners to argue about resource control while he was busy planning how to illegally extend his tenure with the help of decadent intellectuals like Jerry Gana. Though both of them have been fumbling with the affairs of the nation and are resented by the masses, Obasanjo is falsely consoled by the fact that he gets perverted tribal and spiritual support for his blunders by some Yoruba intellectuals/writers and CAN leadership respectively. The CAN leadership in particular childishly irritate Nigerians at intervals by falsely blaming demons for his blunders. They knew more than all of us that it is too late for even prayer to change him. They don’t want to tell him the naked truth that he should resign and repent! In conclusion, both Atiku and Obasanjo are essentially different sides of the same coin whose political ideology is fascism and cultism. Those who side one or the other out of perverted sentiments are wasting their efforts in futility. If Nigerians refuse to take measures to stop Obasanjo from distorting the constitution or Atiku rigging himself to power then in the next few years we shall fare worse than Mobutu’s Zaire or Idi Amin’s Uganda. It is an insult on our intelligence for an inept leader to plan to twist the constitution to extend his tenure or for his deputy to think that he is the natural heir to the presidency in a country where ideally political posts have to be contested in free & fair elections. It is in Obasanjo’s and Atiku’s interest to come out and fully confess to the rigging of elections they masterminded and then be tried in the courts for crimes against humanity. They can hand over to the Chief justice of the federation, who should then organise free and fair elections within six months. This is a great opportunity for realignment of the politics of this country. Politicians with the interest of the country at heart still in the PDP should resign from the party en masse and join Buhari in the ANPP (The hypocrites in the ANPP like Bafarawa and Yariman Bakura can go to the PDP if they so wish or else repent) or other political parties of their choice. They should work under the umbrella of the CNPP to neutralise the most fascist party in the world today so that it can implode safely, without injury to the nation.
Yours faithfully,
Mahamman Adarawa,
Abuja, Nigeria.
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