Lessons and Reminders for Mr. President
By
Wada Nas
The brutal and tragic assassination of Chief Bola Ige, former Attorney General and minister of Justice, has once more evoked the feeling of hatred of some people by others, when some elements are diverting attention by saying that no Yoruba man could possibly kill him.
Such expressions have always been used to find justification for the slaughtering of some citizens based on some primordial considerations.
At the time they were saying this, President Obasanjo was, on the other hand, preaching his own sermons against late Gen. Sani Abacha, (may his soul rest in peace) by saying that the late Nigerian leader wanted him dead. By making such statement, where he did, Gen. Obasanjo was sure enough evoking the same kind of hatred for which members of the Abacha family have been painfully suffering under his administration.
Leadership entails certain qualities and restrictions in what could be said or not said. It also demands serious reflections. President Obasanjo, perhaps, needs to be reminded that there was an honest Nigerian Army Colonel he hanged for committing no offence, when he signed a decree making coup offence punishable by hanging or firing squad. No amount of pleading was not made by this officer, during trial, of his innocence. Yet President Obasanjo, inspite of everything, ordered him to be hanged. Such was an innocent person made to part this world.
To this day, the family of the colonel has never made any utterance over the matter. In fact they were never among those who took their cases to Oputa. They left everything in the hands of Allah and have since forgiven him or forgotten everything. There is good lesson for the President to learn from here.
General Obasanjo wrote a book on Major Chukuma Kaduna Nzeogwu, the chief murderer of the Sardauna andleader of the assassins that killed several politicians and military officers during the 1966 brutal military coup. In the book, he seems to be praising he chief assassin without appreciating the implications of his actions. Nobody has been reminding him of this. Indeed to the best of my knowledge non of the relations of those murdered in 1966 coup, or the one in 1975, which helped his coming to power, ever took their cases to Oputa. They too have forgotten about it. There is yet another lesson here. Nor has the relations of Gen Shehu Musa ‘Yar’adua done so. Indeed at the time of his death they attributed it to the will of Allah and not the handiwork of any person. Like good Muslims they believe that life comes from Allah and He alone takes it back when He pleases. In all the noises made at Oputa, including the one from Obasanjo himself, none of the members of the ‘Yaradua family was there. Another good lesson.
We have Colonels Gwadabe, Dasuki, Sultan Dasuki and several others who were in the same boat with President Obasanjo. Nigerians have never heard them making meat out of the misfortune that befell them, during the time of Abacha. Another lesson for him here.
When Allah made it possible for Obasanjo to come to power, he sacked all military officers that served in some political capacities, including the younger ones, who served as ADCs, a clearly military posting. These people were deployed by the military, some even against their wishes, to serve in those positions. They have never been heard reminding him of what he did to them. Here is still another lesson in humility.
Presently Gen. Obasanjo is not doing less worse to the Abacha family than he did to him. In fact he is even worse to the extent that out of vengeance, he is visiting the supposed sins of a father on his son, a clearly irreligious action. He is either closing their bank accounts illegally or he is trying them in court or doing such other things against them only for the purpose of taking his pound of flesh. They have never been saying anything about his actions. Here once more is another lesson.
When Obasanjo came out of prison, by the will of Allah, he told us that he has forgiven those who did wrong to him, adding that he would never wish even his enemy what happened to him. Today he has not only remained unforgiving, and unforgetting, but he is taking it out against the family of his ‘enemy’, in a manner that speaks volume of his inner thoughts. This we all know as a point of fact.
In any case, the sentence passed by the military tribunal that tried Obasanjo was never a death sentence. If I recollect, he was to serve for 25 years and latter was reduced to 10 or 15 years by Gen. Sani Abacha. In what way, therefore, did Abacha want to kill him? It is on record that Gen. Sani Abacha is the only Head of State who never gunned down or hanged coup plotters even when there were evidences proving their guilt. This is a fact.
Gen. Obasanjo has no such record. He made the offence of coup a capital offence, hanged many young officers, including the innocent and the same deep pit he dug, consumed him thereafter. As the originator of capital punishment for coup offences, he is not today the right person to preach sermons to us on such matters.
It has not been enough for Mr. President to harass the Abacha family unless and until he harasses the dead in his grave. We all know how much Nigerian leaders after Obasanjo, tolerated him. He never spared Shagari, Buhari and even Babangida who, to this day, refuses to respond to his antics and utterances, and who by the grace of Allah, contributed to his success at the polls.
Babangida has been playing more or less like a house boy to him, yet he has not been treating him kindly. What hasn’t Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar done to ensure his success at the polls and what didn’t he do to the man?
When some of us are accused of responding to Mr. President in the way we have been doing, only a few have ever bothered to advise him to guard his utterances as a Nigerian leader. A few recent examples would do. There was his response to Ojukwu’s statement to the effect that the Igbos were still prepared to go back to 1967. Even as what Ojukwu said may be disagreeable, Mr. President’s response was certainly unpresidential. In any case, even some people have been muting the same idea as Ojukwu’s, particularly since post June 12, and the president was never heard describing them in such a hash language.
Ojukwu was so much provoked that he replied Mr. President in kind. It is not to the good image of a leader hat his citizens would find reasons to respond to his harsh language against them in a similar manner.
AS if this was not bad enough, he insulted and abused the whole members of the academic community, in a manner so unbecoming of his stature. There is always the need for Mr. President to guard his utterances, even for the good of his own image.
It is also important for him to know that the more he keeps on insulting Abacha in his grave the more Nigerians would come to the conclusion that he is not only a man of vengeance, unforgiving and unforgetting but also out to deal with the Abacha family, for what the late head of state did to him. If Obasanjo hanged several military officers, over coup offences, some, as already said, were quite innocent, and their relatives are not making so much noise today, what gives him the license to think that sending him to jail, for fifteen years, over coup plotting, is worse than his hanging an innocent people, for the same offence or less injurious than what he did to innocent military officers whom he, roundly sacked for obeying orders to serve in political positions, which he himself did? If it was a crime for military officers to have served in political positions, President Obasanjo, if he were sincere, would have disqualified himself from contesting the presidency for the same reason. In fact he could have declined accepting such a political position in exactly the same way Gen. Danjuma did. Twice did he, serve the nation in political capacity, as a military man, and never has he ever denounced himself for doing so. What crime did those who emulated him commit that he harshly terminated their military career? He never sacked those who served in political positions as he did before leaving office in 1979.
If we keep on reminding ourselves of the sad events of the past, we would never appreciate the verdict of the future. And if we continue to indulge in acts of hatred and vengeance we need to remind ourselves that history has a way of repeating itself. We are doing what we are doing today because we are what we are today. Tomorrow it would not be us. And so, what we are doing to others today may be done to us by those after us tomorrow, and if we keep on allowing this to occur repeatedly, as a philosophy, of our national life, then we will continue to indulge in vendetta and acts of vengeance and this would remain unhealthy for the nation.
Meanwhile, so much loose talks have been going on, that no Yoruba man could possibly take up a gun against late Chief Bola Ige. We are tired of listening to those, who believe, as an article of faith, that no evil could ever come to them except by the actions of others, even when faced with some basic facts. It has been the wanton tradition of some people to attribute all their failings to others as if they are angels and saints.
But we all know the purpose: to find an excuse to massacre and murder other Nigerians on the basis of pure hatred. Let it be stated that those who are instigating violence would never escape the judgement of violence. Faseun, who allegedly made this statement, has so soon forgotten how his own OPC brothers went after his blood at one time but for luck they would have dealt with him. The same organisation he leads is the same outfit whose members destroyed his clinic. He might as well tell us that those who did this to him were not his Yoruba brothers but other Nigerians.
The Nigeria Police must be interested to find out why some people are seeking to divert attention from the killers of Bola Ige. This is very important in the face of the leading leads before the public. Apart from the Ife episode, one of Ige’s close associates, told a Lagos based Magazine, that a group led by a prominent Yoruba politician, in Osun state, was bent on eliminating some Yoruba leaders. He said some members of he group phoned him to this effect. He indeed, named some of the leaders. Read The News Magazine for details.
What is more, the police have told us that according to the clues of the person who surrendered himself to them, claiming to have participated in Ige’s murder, those behind it are from neigbouring state with Oyo. Yet, here are some people seeking to divert attention from the facts, for reasons we don’t know. The police must be interested in finding out why they are doing so.
In the search of Bola Ige’s killers we must all be united because it can happen to any one of us. Turning it into an ethnic affair would not help matters. When June 12 was turned into an ethnic agenda, what happened? We must learn to learn from history.
Meanwhile, let Nigerians know how the Federal Government refused to appeal the judgement of the Lagos court over the Faseun and Gani Adams murder cases. It tells us a lot of things.
Let Nigerians find out why the Federal Government is never interested in appealing the judgement. It is important.
This brings us to his comment over the alleged role of Ghali Na’abba in the controversial electoral act. Even if it is true that the Speaker had such a hand, as a leader, the President should have owned up. This he didn’t. Which official now would come to his assistance knowing that he would never protect him in the event something goes wrong? Only a few would venture their heads for him.
But we know his battles against the Speaker, and since the President has shown himself as unforgiving, it is not likely that he has dropped his grouse against the Speaker. It is a calamity when a leader doesn’t forgive and pardon those who offended him.
In any case, if he knows that Na’abba did wrong, why didn’t he object to it? On the one hand he is saying that what Na’abba did was in line with what PDP instructed, and on the other he is framing the Speaker for same. It is terrible and should be seen as such.
There is a time a leader has to take full responsibility for the failings of those who did things in order to advance his interest or protect him. This is part of the ethics of leadership.
Finally, let it be noted that it is not that we do not know how to recall history. Rather it is that we do not want to do so to avoid opening old wounds. However, if it becomes necessary for us to do so, we have sufficient past misdeeds in store which we could easily put on display. But of what importance would it be to our country? This is a question for those who constantly indulge in such practices.