What do the Yorubas Want
By
Abubakar Jika
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.
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
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.