OPC’S Call for Mohammed Abacha's Release

By

Wada Nas

wada@gamji.com

http://www.gamji.com

Recently, Dr. Fredrick Faseun, the factional leaders of the outlawed terrorist OPC, was in the news calling for the release of Mohammed Abacha and others from Obasanjo’s dungeon where they have been facing trial as political prisoners for the assumed sins committed by his late father against Mr. President. Ganiyu Adams, another factional OPC leader, reportedly also made a similar call. 

On his release from prison, after General Abubakar Abdulsalami granted him pardon, General Obasanjo made a statement to the effect that having turned a born-again-Christian, when in prison, he has forgiven those who committed wrong against him and also that he would never wish his worse enemy what happened to him.

No sooner he came to power, however, than the born-again-Christian sent his “worse enemies” to detention where they have been for almost two years undergoing political trial in Lagos courts.

When Mohammed Abacha and others were first taken to the court, Faseun’s OPC vanguards were there to stone the vehicle that brought detainees, shouting in their usual manner unprintable words against the Abachas and what they represent. So some few leaders from a section of the country felt good over the arrest, detention, and subsequent trial. Indeed, it is believed that this was part of an agenda handed to President Obasanjo to implement. Although there is no evidence to support this, the turn of events in their cosmetic trial in Lagos leaves no honest observer in doubt that there was more politics of vengeance and revenge mission in the whose drama than anything else.

We recall how a former judge described them as criminals even before the charges were read before him. Nigerians are also aware of the several twists their cases have been having in court culminating in the trial judge calling one of their lawyers, Mr. Emmanuel Toro, (SAN)” a gangster” and at a point threatened to deal with him, the nature of which he never explained.

In collaboration with a section of the media, false reports were attributed to Mohammed Abacha and others, while Faseun and Adams, who were individually charged with genocide and mass murder, were discharged soon after their arrest. Nigerians had no doubt in their minds that the seven political detainees, whose own offence pile to nothing in comparison to those of Faseun’s and Adams, were indeed undergoing vengeful trial for the supposed offences committed by late General Sani Abacha against Obasanjo.

This feeling among Nigerians has been growing day by day such that many have now joined in the call for either the release unconditionally on bail all the political detainees, just in the same way Faseun and Adams were released, with the federal government not appealing the judgment, which indicates a tactical approval for their freedom, in spite of the Nazi-type genocide they have committed that certainly was worse then what happened in United State on September 11 for which the Americans went to war with Afghanistan and took hundreds Afghans to faraway place. Yet, the Nigerian government never saw anything wrong in the unconditional release of the duo.

Some how, Faseun, perhaps disturbed by his conscience, felt the need to join other Nigerians in calling for the release of the seven political detainees, one of whom, whose case has never even been mentioned in any court since his detention about two years ago. But how sincere is this call? I am asking this question because he is on record as attributing the assassination of Bola Ige to Northerners and we all know that this is how some people have been planting hatred in the minds of Yorubas, which eventually led to the massacre of Gambaris in Ibadan, Shagamu and Lagos. At one time also, he joined his co-traveler in propagating another hatred against Northerners that they, Northerners, under the directive of Babangida, have concluded plan to kill 43 Yoruba leaders. No one is in doubt that this is typical of Nazi-type style where natives are taught how to hate others on the basis of falsehood leading eventually to genocide against such hated persons.

Given these incidences, we are bound to wonder whether or not there was sincerity in Faseun's call for the release of the seven political prisoners. While I hope he is indeed very sincere, I have my doubts for the reasons already stated and more. Having accused Northerners indirectly or otherwise of responsibility for Bola Ige’s death and alleged plot and plan by them to assassinate 43 prominent Yoruba leaders, without any iota of evidence, it is hard to believe that there is sincerity in this call. For, by accusing Northerners falsely, what he wants is the arrest of their leaders on framed-up charges. How could some one who wants others in jail on framed-up charges now seek the release of the relations of such persons?

If his intention is to seek understanding between the North and their Yoruba brothers, this is welcome. As I have kept on saying, basically, the poor Yoruba cocoa farmer and petty trader in the South-West have nothing against his equal peers in the North and East. The Nigerian poor are the same wherever and whoever they are, be they Igo, Itsekiri, Yoruba, Kanuri or whatever. The problem of the Northern poor is not the Yoruba or the Igbo. Rather, his problem is with the elites of all descriptions who exploit him, one way or the other, regardless of his tribal status. A Yoruba exploiter is as worse as a Northern or Igbo exploiter of the poor.

The suya seller in Lagos cannot possibly hate the Yoruba rural poor for they belong to the same class of  the poor and the exploited. Their problems are the same  and therefore have no reasons to hate one another except when they are wrongly instigated by their exploitative elites. Usually, the victims are not these intigating elites or their relations, but still the very poor. If the Nigerian poor masses know how their tribal elites have been using them to achieve their (elites) selfish interests, quite distinct from theirs (poor), they would never take up arms against themselves. All the talk about marginalisation and such stuff are the language of the elites who don’t recognise the poor across the land as the really and truly marginalized.

We expect him,  if he is sincere, to mount the soap box and preach such virtues to the Yoruba poor, who have been the victims of his preaching of hatred against Northerners. We expect him to buy space on the network services to call on his people, the OPC in particular, to see other Nigerians as human  beings and not animals to be slaughtered in the name of defending ethnic interests.

We desire of him to reach out to all segments of the Nigerian society and extend to all true hands of fellowship. If he has a case against Wada Nas, Babangida, Abacha or whoever in the North, he should not visit their supposed sins on the poor suya trader and street beggars of Northern origin  in Lagos, Ibadan or elsewhere in Yorubaland. To lump a whole people together insulting them daily, praying for their massacre, in the hands of some wrongly oriented people, is what we find hard to understand.

All this politics of hate and violence, which has been used as a weapon, cannot advance the cause of humanity. One thing some people cannot appreciate is that even if Nigeria breaks up today, her different peoples would continue to relate for ever and ever. The Yorubas, Igbos etc. would continue to live in the North as Northerners would also continue to live in the South. After all, there are millions of Nigerians living in other countries, so, even if Nigeria breaks up the citizens of the new countries that may emerge therefrom would continue to live where it pleases them. In simple language, we cannot run away from ourselves. There is no way we could do so. No matter what happens, our people would continue to live together even as citizens of different countries. If the North becomes a country today, the Yorubas would continue to buy their food stuff from the region as Northerners would also continue to buy their fuel from the “Federal Republic of Niger Delta” and the Igbos would remain to continue their spare parts business as citizens of the “Republic of Biafra”. Why then plant hated in people's minds when the truth is that nature has bounded them together?

Let me repeat that even if Nigeria breaks up today, her different peoples would continue to stick her together by the force of nature. So, Nigeria cannot break up so long as her peoples can never break their various ties. Those constantly calling for the balkanization of the country, as well as those who have been making lucrative business gains out of planting hatred in the minds of the people need to bear in mind this valid and important point. The worse our selfish elites should do therefore is the harmonization of the people because whether in a united Nigeria or a balkanized one they would remain to interact forever. If an Oduduwa Republic is created today, it would not be taken to any where but would remain where the South-West is presently, and so its people would continue to interact with the other Nigerians they are running away from. This is the simple law of nature which the Faseun’s and Adams of this world must learn to appreciate. There is nothing like  an exclusive tribal interest not bound with the overall interest of the whole. Any such interest is superficial. The interests of all Nigerians are the same and tied up together. It therefore doesn’t stand to reason for some one to loud mouth the assumed exclusive interest of his ethnic group outside the general interest of all the Nigerian people.

It is for Faseun and Adams their OPC vanguards to start appreciating the alliance nature of the Nigerian nation. Only then would we appreciate the sincerity of his call for the release of the seven political prisoners in Obasanjo’s dungeon. We remain to extend our hands of fellowship, friendship and brotherhood, if and when he realizes that our collective destiny is field up together. For us, we belong to one and each other and we make no distinction in over relationship as common citizens of the human kingdom bound by nature in our differences, which only if appreciated we would be creating for generation yet unborn a human paradise of peace, understanding and brotherhood. Faseun and Adams should join us in this human enterprise.