The Rantings of Irredentist
By
Wada Nas
The threat of impeachment served on General Olusegun Obasanjo has clearly brought out that many of us are incapable of learning from experience, in our commitment to irredentist ranting. It is indeed very terrible how some of us rate narrow-mindedness over the ideals of the nation state.
The same persons, who have been preaching to us what democracy is, are the very ones very intolerant of its true practices. I have been making the point that some of us believe that ethnocracy or tribocracy is one and the same with democracy, which is why they have been fooling the nation that they are soldiers of democracy, while, in truth, they are champions of tribalism, not much different from racism in their application of it.
Impeachment is part of the democratic process, which was applied to some of our current democratic leaders through the manipulation of President Obasanjo with the active support of some irredentist soldiers of misfortune. House Speaker Buhari was impeached for the offence of certificate forgery. The first newspaper to expose him, the now rested Abuja Mirror, was owned by a Northerner. Every democrat supported his removal because he violated the law. Democrats like Senator Idris Kuta never saw him as a Northerner but as a Nigerian who broke the law and consequently joined in exposing him. This is in line with the rule of law. Nobody threatened this country when Buhari was removed.
President Obasanjo, with the connivance of certain narrow-minded forces, instigated the impeachment of Okadigbo. The good people of Ndigbo, as true democrats, never threatened any one with hell. They saw it as a test case for the democracy project.
And what was Okadibgo's offence? Awarding a contract of N27 million through anticipatory approval and attempt to award the Phase 11 of NASS building at N4 billion. Everybody shouted, such that Obasanjo found it easy to set the police to invade his house. But when Obasanjo awarded Abuja stadium for N38 billion, paid Berger N12 billion, bought official quarters for N2.8 billion, assisted Niger Republic with 10 million dollars and more, all through the same anticipatory action, the professional noise makers could not utter a single word of protest because of excessive tribalism. The N4 billion contract for which Okadigbo was removed was re-awarded by the executive at N 27 billion still, the professional agitators could not open their mouths to protest.
For over three years, Obasanjo has been doing every thing possible to disgrace and remove Na'Abba, including as alleged recently, attempt to charge him for treason, for doing what the constitution allows him to do. Nobody threatened fire. Senate President Ayim, who has been doing a lot of dirty job for Aso Rock, is painfully being dumped with Godwin Dabo set after him. It is all right in the view of our masters of irredentism for these political officers to be disgraced but not Obasanjo who has committed over 100 constitutional crimes more than them. Obasanjo only tested a bit of the bitter pill he has been administering to other political officers. Nemesis has a way of catching up with some people.
One thing emerge very clear from the reaction of some people to the impeachment threats and that is that Nigerians cannot entrust the nurturing of the democracy project to some classes of people because it would be killed by tribalism. For years these characters have been accusing the North of poor management of the economy. Today every one is agreed that this is the worst government Nigeria ever had since independence, with them controlling virtually the economy, State Minister of Finance, Account General of the Federation, Auditor General of the Federation, Governor of the Central Bank, Managing Director, NICON, Executive Chairman of oil Price committee, Economic Planning Minister with Obasanjo as the oil minister, the country is in total economic ruins, inspite of their stronghold on the economy, in all its ratifications.
And take security. They are in firm control. Yet we have never witnessed such unprecedented violence in our history in peacetime. These people should just admit their failure to manage Nigeria inspite of their capacity for self-assumption. This threat of break up. Let me say that those who are preaching this would be the worst hit should Nigeria break up. They would be the first to regret it and if they so wish, let them go ahead and try. Nigerians cannot be fooled.
For years they have been preaching ethnic nationalism, in exactly the same way the Nazis and the racists have been doing such that there is hardly much difference between the two if any. They are the racists and Nazists of Nigeria. Their preachment of ethnic nationalism is greatly responsible for the several spates of ethnic violence we have been witnessing. We are saddled with a people who do not know the meaning of peace except violence and history bears witness. We are saddled with terrible tribalists, who find pleasure in insulting others and we are saddled with modern day racists and Nazrists, combined, who erroneously believe that only they have the monopoly of violence. As the Hausa say, "to be silent in the face of provocation is not cowardice but maturity". Nobody can frighten any part of this country into submission by mindless utterances of violence. Nobody is afraid of the break up of this country if this is the wish of the people. Nobody is prepared to submit himself to dictatorship under a democratic setting. If certain people don't want Obasanjo to be impeached, they should do well to advice him not to engage in crude violation of the constitution. If he can get others impeached, for committing no serious offence, why not him, who is known to be a dictator in civilian dress?
Let these elders deny the charges against him with superior logic rather than engage in frightened irredentist scheming. Let them fault the House of Representatives. Nigerians are not prepared to rate sentiments over and above the rule of law. This point must be made very clear. We do not know when sentiments have replaced the provisions of the constitution and we don't want to know. These self-proclaimed democrats have been succeeding in exposing themselves for what they are - believers in anti-democratic rules and champions of tribocracy.
Look at how silent they have kept over Bola Ige because of irredentism. Had he been killed, in such a cold blood, under the leadership of some one from outside their group, Nigerians wouldn't have known peace today. But because he was murdered during the era of a tribal man, many do not want to see anything wrong in this. How worse dangerous could tribalism be? They are still talking of Abiola and Dele Giwa but cannot make mention of Bola Ige. It is such a shame.
One writer said that the threat to Obasanjo is to get Atiku to succeed him. The same Atiku, they say, he is not liked by his northern brothers. In any case, but for Atiku and other Northerners and Ndigbos and the South South could Obasanjo have become president? We want to ask; where were these irredentists when other Nigerians were electing Obasanjo? Some people just don't have morals. If some people believe that a president from their own would continue to lord it over other Nigerians, they are making a great mistake. For years they have been insulting leaders from other tribes even in their graves, yet they don't want the misdeeds of their own to be highlighted.
We want to note that going by media reports, Obasanjo is said to have mobilized some people to engage in insulting other Nigerians. If this is how he hopes to secure a second term, let him be told that it is a wrong approach. History has proved that with or without irredentist votes, a Nigerian leader could emerge. Has Obasanjo forgotten this all of a sudden? One day he will remember. Come 2003.