Prince Charles Dickson

Pcdbooks@yahoo.com

Jos, Plateau Nigeria

While virtually all Nigerians were having one of the most distressful Yuletide celebrations with a New Year of doubts. Our leaders were still out there playing out their foolishness to the public. I had taken a resolution on the New Year’s eve to try and see the good in my nation, try to be positive, tell myself and others that the present government maybe after all the best thing to have happened to Nigerians since amalgamation. Believe that, there is absolutely nothing wrong, maybe third, tenth or whatever term in any guise is in the best interest of the nation considering the miracles the present PDP thing has performed in the polity in the presence of difficult Nigerians.

However as I picked my pen, the truth, certainly bitter, could not be res trained, it also dawned on me that the present charade called leadership had come into the New Year without any plan to change. Besides the fact is that you do not change a habit you consider okay, you only improve upon it…so Nigerians are in for the beating. As the Year 2005 went away, the same trend played on, if it was not the old fools in Ibadan, it was the presidential aides telling the Americans to mind their business. The MDD/MRD noise fizzled out as they learnt of an “operation Ribadu” looking for us may be launched. If Marwa after service to the master can be so humiliated how much more us… Fani-fatty cheeks-Kayode sure had a lovely festive period making cool money as the President’s Public Address System having recently overtaken Jerry Gana (the Professor of Geography that has not be in a class in two decades) as ‘liar of the year 2005’. While the ‘third termers’ as I call them strategized, they added a dimension, the “Operation Put Mumu” (robot) that is if all fails, which they doubt much.

So as we entered this New Year, I was opportune to take an evening out with three of Africa’s horrors in leadership. The beauty of the evening was that two of my guests were dead, but they offered insightful advice and made instructive statements which I am sure Baba Iyabo will learn from or naturally would discard. Both Mbotu Seseko and Idi Amin having seen hell were sober and strangely were on the people’s side although from time to time one could notice from their comments why they were culprits of a peoples’ revolt. They advised Obasanjo on the need to turn a new leaf, to change not just for the purpose of a third term but to leave a legacy. A legacy that would once more bring some semblance of pride to African leadership. To l eave come 2007 with no fear as no one would probe him, like General Abdulsalami, and himself (Obj), and all Black Presidents that indeed hand over is a saint.

As they discussed I chipped in, and my additions to their conversation was primarily targeted at Obasanjo because of national interest and selfishness, but could he answer…my questions were blunt and direct devoid of the ism that they have used intellects in deceiving the common man. I asked Mr. President---“are you a crook, are you scared of going to jail a second time, why are you doing this to your birds at the farm, how suddenly you have changed from the smiling crook of 1979 that managed to hand over somehow to a manipulating don that now frowns each time you see a 2007 calendar? Mr. President how short could your memory have become that you were a slave some years back but now you have turned an entire nation into one big slave market? After resurrecting your farm you gained genius status by adding a library to the farm. As the Year 2007 approaches why are you suddenly seeing that every presidential hopeful ate from Abacha’s pot? Would you not soon arrest Buhari for heading PTF? Yet Mr. President you have pencilled down rogues that have stolen in bright daylight as possible replacements if you are forcefully chased out, this being the case there is no need for an election, we need not spend all that money”.

At this point Brother Olusegun  ordered some of Adedibu’s thugs to throw me into a detention camp, surprisingly for the intervention of Brother Mbotu who philosophized loudly “Olusegun how many would you continue to persecute, how many would you put behind bars, leave the poor man alone?”.

“As a good Christian…” Idi Amin quipped in, “Brother Segun, do you so soon forget the scriptures you read at least every Sunday, take time you may soon be like King Nebuchadnezzar. The knee is not far from the grass, you may fall woefully, I have been there, and it would really hurt to see you eat grass. Those that lie to you (Obj) at per se cond rate, do you no good. As poor as you have made Nigerians become both in cash and in mind, does not necessarily mean that they have a blurred vision of the recent past…they certainly can pray on their feet, if an apple can kill a fellow General, a pineapple can be more dangerous. The Ganas, Maduekes and co are all the same bunch, the chameleon changes to adapt frequently but it never at anytime becomes a lizard”.

I summoned courage and continued… “Recently a group with a nice sounding name, something Policy In itiative being sponsored by Corporate Nigeria has already started running your own version of “whom the cap fits”…never mind he that the cap fits, history has shown wears it in the world hereafter”. Despite their best efforts they have categorically failed to see a President that has failed, a President for all he has ruled could not make a single refinery work, a President that has created oil moguls from the peoples’ collective sweat and made the same masses suffer for same oil.

For who he is, at this point Baba Iya bo asked me to shut up, he shook in his rage…” have I not promised there would be no fuel increase come the WHOLE 2006, I have been liberal with the crooks at the National Assembly, I have, I have…?”  

Both Mbotu and Idi Amin answered simultaneously “we know these little tricks, it does not work all the time, when the peoples’ revolt did start in our various countries, it was really, really hot, tell them now that you are going back to those fatherless chickens, Stella has l eft then… you too, want to leave?

At this junction Obasanjo nearly twin-slapped both ex-despots, only to realize they were spirits, mere ghosts. A President arrogant even to the dead, sadly there is a soft spot I have for the President’s arrogance, that being, his arrogance hardly deals with the issue, he rakes, curses, swears, walks out on people even ghosts yet he has not dealt with the matter, say, like ask him are you going for a third term…the man would rake like the poor Lion that was provoked by a prophet at the Ibadan University Zoo, The lion tore the man.

 What an evening, while we walked, Brother Idi Amin, expressed his amazement, saying… Obj may not be as wicked as I was after all you can even write and what’s that Archibishop’s name…” “John Onaiyekan” I answered. He continued “the man would have been in my refrigerator by now”.  At this point Obj smiles, “no, brother Idi Amin, the chairman of my fan club Fani Kayode has answe red him, why really bother about a pastor for now, my problem are some disgruntled Generals, Journalists, and those ‘yeye’ civil rights coalition people and those persons who know all my secrets and moves.

Briefly I was in thoughts…It was not shocking as one more Governor…Gbenga Daniels less I forget he is Otunba, a man who is one of Obasanjo’s oil fronts had nothing to say other than “Obasanjo is the best President we have, he can run…there is nothing immoral”, even a pagan would not talk like this, but with enough f lesh around the skeleton in one’s cupboard you must talk to please the master.

Suddenly the President brought me back by bringing up the issue of third term himself and said “look no one can intimidate me”, I interjected “but sir you are intimidating the nation by not being forthright”, SHUT UP! The President bellowed and thundered, “I installed a President in Ivory Coast, Sudan is my pocket, I have kept Charlie d Tailor against public opinion, you know how much I have…”

Field Marshall Brother Idi Amin Dada and His Excellency Brother Mbotu Seseko both smiled , and  said “ Matthew Okiki, Aremu, Sege and the many names you are called by, REDEEM yourself, redeem us”, but Baba Iyabo would not listen…” after all the money I have sunk and still sinking into this 2007 project, he screamed in Yoruba ‘RARA’! Meaning no and both Mbotu and Idi Amin disappeared. As for me I just walked on in soliloquy…