What do the Yorubas Want

By

Abubakar Jika

jikaab@yahoo.com

The question repeatedly ask by northern Nigerians is :what do the Yorubas of south western Nigerian really want? This has been on the lips of most northerners except perhaps a fraction of their elite in the ruling PDP party, who believes groveling of the feet of the Yorubas would one day emancipate us. This question has been gaining increasing urgency since Olusegun Obasanjo, a Yoruba Chief, was sworn in as president of Nigeria on May 29th 1999.

 

This urgency has taken on bewildering proportions since the latest OPC inspired Lagos Idi – Araba Genocide Saturday February 2nd to Tuesday February 5th. This is the second time in less than a year, that Yorubas in Lagos, led by the OPC militia, and inspired by Afenifere irredentism, massacred northerners in genocidal proportion in Lagos alone. It is becoming increasingly obvious to most northerners, that perhaps their blood is so cheap that it can be spilt with carelessness.

 

WEEKLY TRUST in its edition of February 8th –14th 2002 gave extensive coverage of what the Yorubas controlled southwest media strenuously but unfairly covered up in its cover story: “OPC genocide – the Big cover up”. My very good friend Kabiru Yusuf’s TRUSTS Group of newspapers together with the NEW NIGERIAN & THE CHAMPION owned by Igbo - business man Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu are the only media in Nigeria that were fair and professionally just in covering one of the largest genocidal incidents in the African continent.

 

The South West media cover up of this tragedy has done incalculable damage to their reputations, and the political interests of their masters. This professional incompetence and injustice is threatening to redefine not only their readership in the north, but the very relationship the political southwest had with the north. Northerners are reading one meaning unto this – a virtual consensus – that to the Yoruba elite and their media “Hausa”  (northern) blood is cheap.  That our lives are taken as worthless and disposable.

 

But the greatest tragedy is for the Yoruba elite who stood askance in arrogance, insensitivity or conspiracy as northerners were slaughtered in Idi – Araba and other parts of Lagos. This injustice cannot go unrewarded. If not by man certainly by God Almighty. For law of retribution is Canonic, Biblical and Quranic: Do unto others, as you want them to do unto you.

 

What we observed, especially in Kano is the massive deployment of soldiers with tanks and machine guns to quell any reprisal attacks on Yorubas. From Thursday through Friday and the weekend that follows this massacre, mobile police and the Army massively patrolled the streets, with frightening cars, armed to the teeth. We believe if such a massive show of force is deployed to Lagos on Saturday so many lives could have been saved.

 

My understanding of this situation is that northerners are not inclined to revenge or reprisals,. They are bewildered and confused. They just want to know where they went wrong? Why are Yorubas in the southwest after their lives? Why is OPC still around? Why was fasheun freed? Why was Ganiyu Adams freed? So many whys. They cannot understand the handing of OPC matter by both the Obasanjo regime and Tinubu government. The President declared OPC illegal, but it operates with impunity in Yoruba land.

 

WEEKLY TRUST reported that “for three consecutive days the OPC militia laid siege on the predominantly Hausa settlement at Idi –Araba and their trade posts at lawanson, Itire, and Onipanu areas of Lagos, killing and maiming any Hausa man, woman or child insight, while also setting their houses and other properties worth millions of naira ablaze”.

 

Where are the northern governors? Where is Nassarawa state governor Abdullahi Adamu, who told the entire world at RECEPTION 2000 November 18th  2000 in Kaduna, that northern blood is sacred? That if the Yorubas of Southwestern Nigeria spilt northern blood again, there would be serious consequences in defence of the north? That the “north has capacity and capability to defend its own any where in the world”. Where are they? As at the time I wrote these, days after calm was restored in Lagos, only Kano State Executive Council came up with a tepid response. I also heard Mala Kachalla of Borno begging northerners in Lagos not to retaliate. Both Mala Kachalla and our own Kwankwaso were behind Abdullahi Adamu at Kaduna. I was also there. I saw with my own eyes, northern governors flanking Abdullahi Adamu, threatening fire and brimstone if a single northerner is attacked again.

 

After the Kaduna threat of retaliation, we had peace in Lagos for one year. Northerners were attacked at the end of last year. We heard fable protests. This time they were viciously attacked in a scale that can be described as “genocidal”.  What do we hear from our governors? As at the time I wrote this only ACF threatens to take action if the massacre is not stopped and of course Senator Kuta.

 

It is becoming increasingly clear, that the current political leaders, who are presumably representing northern interests are either ill – equip, shy, settled, confused, uncertain or sold out. You can take your pick. The North and northerners would be foolish to continue to rely on them to defend it and its interests. Alternatives have to be fashioned and this would be done through legitimate, democratic means.

 

The North as far as I can read the mood is not interested in a military coup against Obasanjo. In fact it has nothing to gain from such an adventure. This is the turn of the south, and the Yorubas are representing the entire south in this dispensation as far as we are concerned. If governance is for “eating” good luck to them. There are, in my view, few credible northerners interested in serving this regime. This is my personal opinion.

 

While we are talking of north, northerners and Obasanjo, may I put on record my response to some few insinuations I read on my criticism of this regime. It was claimed I am interested in serving this regime and that I should be settled so that I keep quiet. Well, I am NOT interested in serving this regime in any capacity except as a constructive critic. I am NOT interested in leaving my university teaching job. I am very pleased where I am. I am only interested in “academically catching up” what I missed since 1989. I want no post. I will take no post. Not under this regime that ignore OPC to operate as lawless militia. I wonder what those serving this regime would tell us later.

 

Chief Odumegwu Ojukwu publicly declared that this regime is “Cursed”. I would not go as far as this, but it certainly looks prone to controversies. I believe President Olusegun Obasanjo himself contribute significantly to these controversies. How he talks, how he behaves infuriate so many Nigerian. Indeed the line between arrogance, self – conceit and confidence is rather “too thin”.

 

OPC has now called the bluff of the northern governors. It has done so in grand style. All the talks of area boys cut no ice with us. As far as many northerners are concerned, OPC is responsible for the genocide as reported by THE TRUST newspapers. As far as many northerners are concerned their governors have collectively lost face as OPC has dared them. Many of the governors are busy campaigning for additional four years for Obasanjo on top of the remaining one year and half.

 

I want them and their chorus boys campaigning for Obasanjo to read the historic article of my friend ENI – B in THIS DAY on SUNDAY February 3rd 2002. He concluded in what could be regarded as the feelings of the people thus “indeed, this president need not be here. He has lost it.  Nigeria would be better off if he goes back to his farm after finishing his term in 2003. Let him spare us the trauma of another term. We have had enough”. This should be food, for thought. His own people are causing collateral political damage to his reputation.

 

 

Jika teaches at the Dept of Mass communication Bayero University, Kano.