BURNING POT BY PRINCE CHARLES DICKSON

'Oso Abiola' And Some Tales In Nigeria
pcdbooks@gmail.com

"You can only go round a pepper tree, you cannot climb it"

 
The crab may swim across big and small rivers but it will eventually end up in an old woman's soup pot.

 
"How are you celebrating Yoruba democracy day. ’They' like the man but no gree make dey change 'unilag' to his name. Na UNN name dey want make dey give am"


The above was sent to me by my friend,  on June 12, as I read it I recalled that phrase "oso abiola" (refers to how ibos reacted in the aftermath of the elections) the date was like any other day except it has become a reference point for some of the nation's many fairy tales. 
 

IBB has been our pillar--Abiola’s family. Misquoted, or misrepresentation. It tells it all, it is a true, and it is a lie. Already I seem to enjoy the tragi-comedy in the Abiola family, on who is the greatest and the revelation that even Obasanjo gave some 'smart' members of the family a few million to keep body and soul.

 
I have gone through countless opinions, commentaries and figments of June 12. This is my admonition…

 
There are several hundred stories about June 12, so there is about Nigeria, depends on who is telling it. Whether it is about Vatsa or IBB, or it’s about Idiagbon or Ojukwu, the document that says we should split by 2014. How Ironsi was killed or was Balewa shot?

 
Rumors, and small facts, myths and outright moonlighting tales and the actors keep dying one after the other. Former example anything said against Abacha, no Abacha to defend it… And how about that document that killed June 12, signed by the Sule Lamidos, Ciromas, Dongoyaros, Marks, Gusaus, Musa Yar'adua, Rimis, Nwobodos...and some several dozen fellows dead and alive to establish the 'fi edi ha' (take small part of yansh siddon) interim govt.

 
When a woman has ten children, there is nothing that happens in the night that she does not know about

 
I have used the term 'rumors', because most important events about Nigeria are only available at elite men parties and commoners’ beer parlors and palm wine joints.

 
A sizable amount of Nigerians believe that MKO got what he deserved, after his long romance with the military with business interests that were largely fronts for top military brass. All these businesses are dead today anyway.

 
Rumors: that once upon a time, despite all that claim of Nigerians voted for the first time a Muslim/Muslim ticket. Many Christians and others till tomorrow believe that folklore of him 'sinking' a ship load of bibles. Or wait that he and IBB basically put Nigeria into Organization of Islamic Countries.

 
Many Nigerians benefited from the MKO salt, wrapper, sugar and monies, but why did IBB and his men not stop the process when they could--forget that lame excuse of 'pressure' to hand over as promised.

 
If there was a particular group so against MKO emerging president after the military class. It was the Yoruba elite that fought against him. And while everyone who claimed NADECO went on to better their lot via asylums that came like VISA lotteries, the man died alone.

 
Many elite would say, after all he stabbed Awo and worked for Obasanjo to stop the Yorubas and was rewarded with money for Concord to fight Tribune...His bakery served ECOMOG and was responsible for that ‘wheat policy’…so?

 
How strange that our democratic symbols are rife with all manner of controversies, MKO was labeled International Thief-Thief by none other than Fela, a democracy without democrats and caricature activists.

 
I recall this factual tale, from an inside player that what hurt Abacha was the fact that after the brouhaha, he met with MKO and made him an offer (some big sum). MKO accepted, only to renege.

 
Most Eastern and South-South states don't care about June 12 and whatever it stands for, just as Tofa Bashir (the man MKO beat) has said June 12 should be confined to the cemetery, dead, buried and of no-value. Is it not an irony NADECO today is headed by Rear Admiral Ndubuisi Kanu, an Igbo son?

 
But again the fact that it is celebrated in Southern Western states speaks volumes of our so-called unity. I have stopped since to preach our false unity, preferring to engage on the strength of our diversity. We are not one, cannot be one and the earlier we face that rumor the better.

 
While some celebrated the dictator that Abacha was, some even rate him higher than Jonathan in all spheres, after all even his looting records have been broken by the current crop.

 
If anyone had the chance of immortalizing MKO, it would have been Obasanjo, but here's a man that has never hid his scorn for the name MKO for reasons only more tales can tell.

 
Just before you ask me my drive in this admonition, my take or stand. I will tell you, 80% of Nigerian young people aged around the 35year point don't understand June 12, and these include the Akokites that prefer their 'sexy’, name Unilag against some MAU-MAU acronym.

 
Many young Nigerians beyond book theorization do not know themselves or Nigeria except rumors, fairy tales and perceptions, few real, but many largely false.


I say categorically the problem with Nigeria is not PDP, nor APC but a politically bankrupt class and a grossly diminished intellectual yard.

 
That Nigeria itself is a tale celebrated and argued based on ethnic groups and religion, whims and caprice of a few that will continue to lord it over us because we are yet to find out whether MKO drank a poisoned cup of tea or Abacha ate poisoned Apple.

 
One of the many reasons Amaechi is being fought, is the political calculus that why should he connive with some Hausas to fight his 'inactive' brother. Would an Hausa man fight another sitting Hausa president to be vice an analyst from you know where asked me?

 
While another tale is that, it’s all about Namadi Sambo, Shema and Yuguda, just like Obasanjo was compensation to Yorubas for Abiola, the idea is Sambo will be dropped, he has no clout, infact he is from Agenebode, like Murtala was from Edo and IBB from Ogbomosho and Gowon (sef na like me) from many places and the battle is for the veepee post.

 
So like Americans say it, we are so full of 'shit'. The truth is far from us, our critics including me are just more or less exercising our nuisance value, go ask Reuben and Ribadu, ask all those PDP soon to be APC chieftains—the exercise is called June 12-ing and next year, there will be more tales to tell.


We are not a united nation; we are not even a nation, we never may become one, till we are ready to move forward with the truth, stop all the tales, start to appreciate our diversity and ‘steal less’ and ‘lie less’ ever year we will keep June 12-ing--only time will tell.