The Generals

The Generals, Atiku, Governors And Others At War (Presidency 2007)

Prince Charles Dickson

Jos, Plateau Nigeria

Only last week I wrote an essay on General Buhari, one of the Generals that believe they still have something to offer, this essay is not only a sequel but also to right the records and help us look at the issue of Presidency come 2007 with less blind passion and more common sense. The particular piece drew as much criticism as much as it drew plenty accolades.

The General was tried and convicted in the court of public opinion for one and a thousand reasons, ranging from his notorious Decree 2, his poor human right records...the missing suitcases, the missing billions while he was in charge at the Petroleum Ministry. The list of his wrongdoings were too numerous, away from all these, I want to look dispassionately at those that want to rule you and I in few paragraphs, also I intend for us to see this as contributory and the courting of controversy shall only be a matter of opinion.

Personally me thinks and believe that no General deserves to be President of Nigeria, From Buhari-IBB, Gowon-Obj, Marwa-Kontongora, Gusau-Ukiwe, not even General Prince Charles If I were one. It is a slap on the face of Nigerians that the same people we blame for bringing the nation to its knees are the same people that are coming back on a so-called redemption mission, the people whose claims as messiah in their first coming were failures. However, sadly this is Nigeria where anything can happen and indeed does happen, it is Nigeria where an armed robber who plays well can be guaranteed a national honour because his State submitted his name or the President likes his face.

We have seen the much talked about success of General Obasanjo, like his blind shares and blind trust magic. Let us be sane for a minute because in our case insanity is the rule not an exception. What are the criteria for selecting, electing or rigging in a President in Nigeria? How did Obj's armoured division do its magic in places like Rivers and Ogun States with those mudslide figures? How has IBB atoned for Dele Giwa, in the simplest of questions who killed Dele, who annulled June 12, how and where went the Oil windfall that breezed itself to Minna and environs? Have we so suddenly forgotten that between 1988-1993 we ran the most expensive transition programme, this is exempting the billions that General Abdulsalam spent graciously because he was handing us over to another General.

Was it not General Obasanjo that asked Gowon what he forget that he was looking for as Head of State again, but soon Obasanjo was looking for the goose that could lay for him any sort of egg, and truly we have seen his eggs in his slanted anti-corruption fight that has accidentally been a battle against his enemies, real and perceived (although I must quickly state that it is unfortunate too that his enemies sometimes cannot explain their sticky fingers).

There was a certain Marwa that at a point was sure to give any person a run for his money for the position, lets not forget that only these Generals have the "pay" to do battle either way, but then like late Fela would say suddenly, suddenly...everything scattered for the man after he was guest to Mallam Ribadu. Infact barely months ago when I was privileged to speak with Ribadu, he on record said "the lid was yet to be covered on General Marwa and that at the right time when they have concluded investigations..." Yet the General after the initial shock wants to "continue the reforms of another General" after helping a dark goggled eye General.

Funny is it, that General Marwa at a point was assisting General Obasanjo to tackle 'Political General' Atiku, and was having it so good that he started unintelligently taking on his mentor General IBB...In the heat of the third term I remember General Gowon warned General Obj and Fat mouth Kayode of ‘defending my master fame' then asked if he had the moral right.

True talk; do these Generals whether Buhari, IBB, Marwa or Obasanjo, Gusau et al not think that they have done enough harm? The answer is no because they would still have pockets of support either from little me that would be impressed or those they would razzmatazz with our own money. In the army its all about war, tactics, winning and loosing and their targets in the Nigerian case is the populace and then the field depends on the intrigues at play, that is why when the music is sweet, they never want to leave the dance floor. Gowon did not want to leave Murtala showed him the exit doors, Obj left for Shehu Shagari but believed things would have been so bastardized that he would be the only one to repair it, after serving time for trying to betray a fellow General Abacha.

General Buhari parked his car at owners risk and General IBB with his gap tooth smiled his way to Dodan Barracks...years later General Abacha struck, tired of only announcing coups, he believed only him deserved to wear the cap. Almighty Allah was not asleep; as is the case when all hope is lost. Plus and minus the rumour mill had it, that General IBB and other Generals felt that Olu Falea and Alex Ekeume were chicken hearted civilians, so, with an understanding a returnee General was imposed on us. Another General provided rivalry in Buhari, though he lost...

Atiku the Custom miracle man has been stubborn, Chris Okotie has not lost faith that his God has said that he will be President, and then recently fine face acada Pat Utomi is lecturing us that he can do it. I have not forgotten the association of Governors needing relevance. The likes of Kalu, Odili, Sani, Markarafi, Udenwa, Bukar Ibrahim, Abdullahi Adamu and co, incidentally the chairman for that group's screening Governor Fayose has been getting tried left, right, and center by brother EFCC. Much ado about a nation.

Now to those I term the others, first is, Atiku tops on that list. I will say the truth as I see it, call it naive but I reserve the right, despite the beer parlour permutations for those who indulge and the local parliament discus at the vendors, the fact is that Atiku should have resigned to face Baba squarely, although it is true that Generals can be deceptive but then the recent mouth of exposing Obasanjo to moi is all mouth and nothing but mouth, did Atiku just wake up. Because to the informed there is nothing to expose again about Mr. President, it is there for all to see. Though it is debatable but often I have questioned why is it that, all the Vice President's men are not too clean, also the fact that Atiku has remained till now shows clearly that his one hell of a schemer, put in PR terms like I have been accused recently of, he is a tactician, but I have said his failure of tactics to support Ekueme in 2003 would always haunt him. That is why today he is torn between ACD and PDP, once bitten twice really shy.

From Atiku I take a swing to debutant Pat Utomi, I like Pat, I know he is not crook or like a friend said he has had no opportunity to be one, but he will really need a strong alliance of him and the others, the problem is who are the others...Its a good thing that the likes of Utomi are at this stage of our national life standing up to be counted but then can he play by 'their' rules, will he be able to convince away from intellectualism, one in which he cannot even beat Pastor Politician President Chris Okotie in terms of grammar. A quite sizeable number of Nigerians question his ability to go the whole nine yards. If Gani Fawehinmi cannot win his local government, it is one thing to be liked by the masses, and then another to get their votes to count. Bien venue, this is Nigeria!

Quickly, the others in my analysis are the present group of governors that suddenly have caught the bug of come and see what I have done in my State, the same States where barely a tenth of them can say they have effectively cleared refuse and that is why I love Governor Dariye who is not ambitious, he loves little beginnings so...he has decided to go continue his re-engineering in the Senate. Let me in all sincerity ask, why did all this Governors have to wait till their tenure was due and then, Baba too baring any devilish unforeseen most go in some 200 hundred or so days before they started hearing that voice only pastors and politicians hear in Nigeria. Is it that after four years they had not done enough damage to contest against Baba or that really the fear of Baba's toy the EFCC was regarded as wisdom?

Nigerians are gullible and that is why we have the present war of the Generals, Governors and others to rule me and you, they claim we want them like the desert Camel craves for water, yet they get there do their own thing, re-establish their ailing businesses, come up with new UAC's to continue the colonization of Nigerians by Nigerians, a capitalist state of accumulation, accumulation and accumulation. They promise us heaven now and when the time comes we do not need a survey to tell us this is hell.

Like the present General and talk of all his reforms, we see the Junior Minister of Health involved in an auto accident, one, bad driving by the convoy and excessive speed, two, bad roads, then arrangements are made for her to leave abroad for treatment yet her aides say the accident was not serious. And they tell us the health sector has witnessed tremendous reforms. The general and his Custom General Veepee have their own private Universities prized high above you and I bloody civilians, and the Generals are reforming education. The rate of insecurity, robberies, assassinations only confirm that a nation that has the wrong value system will pay the prize, after all these Generals became Generals by passing exams, knowing the right godfather, mother and in cases godson to get their way, while others have simply helped themselves to state coffers...a case of the more we see the less we understand.

We need to define what we want, vote massively in an unriggable manner, ...a dream? Certainly not, lets not be deceived, Nigeria deserves a great man, a truly great man, if we have none, lets make one, NAFDAC made Dora one, debt relief made Ngozi wahala one. We need to decide if we are practicing democracy, dictatorship or cilimicy or we are practicing, shacakism, a confabulation for sharing of the cake government. Almighty Allah fight this battle for us, the masses even if we have the number we need the awakening that our destiny lies in our hands and that we can do it. If the Generals, Governors and Others are at war, let the white horse emerge.