By Prince Ade
The picture of 90-year-old Chief Ayo Adebanjo happily posing with Saraki, Ekweremadu and so many backers of terrorist IPOB in that group photograph at NASS made whatever was resolution of the meeting with the Senate last week dead on arrival! To make Nigeria better is not the job of hypocrisy. To achieve a Nigeria of citizens’ dream is not a product of insincerity, neither a thing to be achieved through conspiracy of people who, while many other Nigerians were crying and yearning for improved condition, were happy working with those in power at that time who put the country in that sorry case without many knowing that it was because they were individually being served with blood money shared through the office of the National Security Adviser for personal good, while many Nigerian soldiers and innocent citizens were being killed in the North East.”
Some leaders drawn from Afenifere, Ijaw group, Ohanaeze and North Central geopolitical zone recently met with the Senate leadership in Abuja. Led by Chief Edwin Clarke, the man who not only publicly proclaimed by his actions and utterances while the sun was so shining for People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and Goodluck Jonathan Presidency to be godfather of the President, the coalition claimed they represented Nigeria’s Southern and Middle-Beltan peoples to drive home their demands for restructuring of Nigeria and others.
Before going further on the elements contained in that coalition and the purpose of their visit, let it be sounded clear here because people sometimes forget so quickly that the same Clarke, the moment he saw that President Muhammadu Buhari was unstoppable and pre-and-post 2015 general elections, had switched to show support for the sitting President even to the extent of disowning his own godson of yesteryears, Jonathan, not withstanding that while Jonathan was in power, Chief Clarke had, backed by the President of that time, organised a well covered, widely publicized lecture where he became the chairman of the day, master of ceremony and guest lecturer himself.
And the main duty he carried out in that multifaceted role was to incite the PDP-led Federal Government to declare General Muhammadu Buhari, General Ibrahim Babamasi Babangida and other (Muslim) retired Generals and former rulers from the North as sponsors of Boko Haram and get them arrested. That was the colour of Chief Edwin Clarke in the People’s Democratic Party’s Jonathan era and that exactly was the role he played. Any recap by NTA and some of the privately owned national television will prove this right.
Regrettably, NTA that is owned by all Nigerians regardless of political, religious, ethnic affiliations was at that time used freely by those people who saw themselves either as ruling party leaders, members or godfathers, godsons or godwives or godfamilies of the Ijaw man in power.
They freely ran impunity in the land using and supporting indiscriminate arrest and silencing of opposition to the extent that even many governors carrying the constitutional privileges of immunity on them were clamped down upon with Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi arrested by soldiers in Akure, who even threatened that if he dared move an inch they had order from the above to shoot him dead. Amaechi, Nasir El-Rufai, others went to for All Progressives Congress (APC) programme in Kano, the plane that took them to Kano was impounded and, by the support of the then Governor of Kano, Rabiu Musa Kwakwanso, Governor Amaechi got an SUV that he drove with El-Rufai and others in it and they travelled without security protection through the night from Kano to Abuja. Same way Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State was stopped from attending APC mega rally in Ado-Ekiti as his helicopter was impounded in Benin, the Edo State capital while Ayodele Fayose was let loose wearing military camouflage to execute his own campaigns of PDP sponsored by President Jonathan with $35 million that was later with Buhari in power exposed to be part of money the government of the ruling PDP took in disguise that it was going to spend it to fight Boko Haram insurgency.
They were doing all of those evils unmindful of whose ox was gored. Nigerian military troops were being killed and their bases were being attacked with many of their packed jet fighters destroyed. Soldiers were being defeated by Boko Haram insurgents with many of them having to take to race into neighbouring country of Cameroon.
Unfortunately, soldiers running from battle with Boko Haram into Cameroonian territory became the only excitement for Nigerian Media as they celebrated it so much without remembering (or may be they knew but didn’t want) to ask the PD-led Goodluck Jonathan government what it did with all the billions of dollars that it took on claims of wanting to use same to fight insurgencies. The same media also celebrated the take over by Boko Haram of 27 Local Governments in the North East of Nigeria and hoisted their own acclaimed “Boko Haram Republic” flag there without asking questions why. The same Nigerian Media believed the Jonathan administration when, on advice of Ayo Oritsejafor-led Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), it acted on the belief that Boko Haram was Northern Agenda to Northernise and Islamise Nigeria and wipe out Christians and so all Muslims became subject of attacks by the Nigerian Media, who persistently called them terrorists. It was so much that even the media of Nigeria celebrated why every Muslim woman in hijab, not only in the North but also, anywhere in Nigeria even Yoruba Land was tagged terrorist and she was harassed for wearing hijab. Then the anti-Islamic mission of CAN became more active as they sacked and embarrassed many Muslim women in their various offices of work.
Nigeria was tough at that time that no one cared about anybody. Although General Andrew Azazi, Sambo Dasuki’s predecessor as National Security Adviser (NSA), publicly declared that among members of the PDP government were Boko Haram but they paid no attention until Boko Haram chose the very backyard of Aso Rock where President Jonathan lived as factory for manufacturing of their bombs. It was that time, when the President had got all his black hairs turn grew in minutes, that they started doing something. Yet they did nothing. The only thing they did well was believing Oritsejafor, who, by revelation of use of his bombardier jet for airlifting of $9.3 million and later another $5.3 million from Nigeria to South Africa for some covert operations, became importer of military weapons without the knowledge of Chief of Defence Staff and others. It then became clear why Oritsejafor and CAN were very highly influential during the Administration of PDP’s Goodluck Jonathan. It should not be wished away in a hurry that, under the watch of the 7th Senate membered by people Edwin Clarke, Ayo Adebanjo and Nwodo met last week, PDP’s President Goodluck Jonathan gave a private jet of a over $55 million out as Birthday Gift to Ayo Oritsejafor. They did not ask where he saw the money.
These so-called elders of South and Middle-Belt were alive they didn’t question that birthday gift. But they now, knowing full well that some $496 million approved by Buhari to buy 12 Tucano helicopters were not only done according to the law but also were for national security, which no one should attempt to work against, and the amount was paid directly into the treasury of the United States of America. Yet the Senators want to impeach the President for this reason and these “elders” of South and Middle-Belt happily went and held meeting with a man they assume is going to be next President of Nigeria after the impeachment must have succeeded. Wishful thinking. They fail to learn from history. Their members who supported Jonathan yesterday for reason of getting millions of dollars from his damaging of Nigeria are today regretting they ever did.
It took the untiring effort of only the Sultan of Sokoto at that time to stand up to their ambiguities and hypocrisies saying “Muslims are not terrorists” and that it was not possible for anybody to Islamise Nigeria just like, he added, it was impossible for anybody to Christianise Nigeria. He then would consistently asked, “Why then do you tag Muslims terrorists”. The same Sultan, respected not only in Nigeria but worldwide, had warned before the problem of Boko Haram went haywire to look into the complaints of a sect who said Jonathan government must do justice over the killing in custody of their leader and of over 800 of their members unjustifiably.
At that time, Chief Olu Falae attacked the complainants saying their demands could not be meant. Falae spoke in an interview in Vanguard from his Oba-Ile Akure home at that time saying the group’s request for Sharia and no-western education could not be meant. He did not address what led to the claim for Sharia and no-western education which was the fact that those guys later described by President Buhari as “misguided brothers” felt if western law and education that Nigeria used in governing were reason for the high poverty rate of the North East and injustice they suffered then there must be nothing of such any more.
All of those Southern leaders, press and lawyers did not allow Jonathan to see the words of reason in what the Sultan said. And Jonathan misfired to the extent that when, after the group had now become terrorists, he, his wife Patience and other PDP politicians refused to believe that abduction by the Boko Haram (a name later given to them by the Press after they had successfully pushed them to become hardened senseless criminals) of 276 Chibok schoolgirls was real. They kept saying there was nothing like the Chibok schoolgirls abduction was merely a fiction of imagination of newly formed APC and so they did nothing about rescuing them until Buhari came and released 109 of them.
That was the era all of the leaders who now visited the Senate had reigned and reigned with impunity with their bank accounts swollen. Recall they happily took photographs with Saraki and Ekweremadu after they had rained insults and attacks on President Buhari during their meeting.
With their publicly taking turns in attacking Buhari during the meeting with Saraki and Ekweremadu, popularly known to be the people in the Legislature working against the President’s effort to make Nigeria better, the so-called South/Middle-Belt leaders and elders led by Chief Edwin Clark had clearly shown their bias even on issues that are clearly within the purview of the federal lawmakers.
It is therefore mischievous for the elders, which prides itself as leaders of thought from the South and the Middle Belt, to even accuse the executive arm of government of ignoring National Assembly resolutions when it is common knowledge that those resolutions are merely advisory.
To make them feel fulfilled for having done something whereas they have done but nothing, Saraki had promised them restructuring as if restructuring Nigeria is what could be done at Gerin Alimi without sincerity of purpose. But, having said that, may they questions be asked: Those leaders from South and Middle-Belt that visited the Senate, what manner of leaders?! What is Middle-Belt doing with them after it became clear that Afenifere/Ohanaeze coalition failed to achieve the split of Nigeria with their joint use of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB)?
It was in public knowledge threats and meetings by some Middle-Belt people led by Professor Jerry Gana to go away from North by fire by crook. Is that the reason they are killing themselves through state government sponsored militias to blackmail the core-Northerner in power so they can gain unneeded freedom?! Is that why all they can do now is to join force with people who have made it difficult to fight totally the common enemy of Nigeria – Corruption – and who in doing that have tried to install themselves as President, invited military coup and lately plotted an impeachment just for the purpose of #BringBackOurCorruption?
The picture of 90-year-old Chief Ayo Adebanjo happily posing with Saraki, Ekweremadu and so many backers of terrorist IPOB in that group photograph at NASS made whatever was resolution of the meeting with the Senate last week dead on arrival! To make Nigeria better is not the job of hypocrisy.
To achieve a Nigeria of citizens’ dream is not a product of insincerity, neither a thing to be achieved through conspiracy of people who, while many other Nigerians were crying and yearning for improved condition, were happy working with those in power at that time who put the country in that sorry case without many knowing that it was because they were individually being served with blood money shared through the office of the National Security Adviser for personal good, while many Nigerian soldiers and innocent citizens were being killed in the North East.
