Africa

Africa, Never At Ease

/ Adeola / Leave a comment

Adeola Aderounmu

It pains me. The turn of events in Africa hurts.

Look at Gadhafi. He’s been there for over 40 years. He’s been the ruler for an entire generation. What would it have cost him to have prepared Libyans for the future, say at worst 20 years ago?

If not democracy, what about a system of governance not close to monarchy? Gadhafi could have left the stage, show his gratitude to Libya and Libyans. He had so much time on his hand but he decided to make himself a messiah. But he is not.

Things have now fallen apart in Libya. Gadhafi will not get a well-deserved exit. It will not be on his terms.
Gadhafi may also well be the victim of the usual international conspiracy. It’s a crazy world totally. You’ll never find a resting place for the blame game.

You can’t find it even in Ivory Coast where one man is claiming victory and he’s backed by the crazy international community. The other is backed by Pan-Africanism. The sum total of all this foolishness and the common madness of men is that their fellow beings are killing one another in the name of loyalties.

It’s sad because if not for madness and stupidity the two Ivorian presidents should meet face to face, discuss the way forward for their fellow citizens, give each other warm embrace, one step down for the other and the other ensure that as the president he ensures such justice that will promote peace and prosperity in Ivory Coast. The greatest service will be to avoid the type of mistakes that led to the present predicament and to ensure that now and in the future that Ivory Coast can solve her problems without the bias intervention of the useless international community.

One of the greatest achievements of the international community is the spread of both disharmony and war. Africa is easy target because of the greed and senselessness of the rulers there. It pains and hurts to come from a continent where foolishness and evil reign over good. It’s disheartening that a lot of things in Africa are decided by people outside of the continent.

One would wish that the changes sweeping through the North of Africa will continue to prosper the people. Yes, prosper. North Africa is prosperous and the leaders have not been totally foolish like other parts of Africa especially Western Africa. Take Nigeria for example and see foolishness of the rulers. Nigeria generates less than 3 000MW of Energy. For a nation of 150m that is probably the most absurd thing on earth. In addition over 15 million dollars have been spent on that project since 1999 with no apparent progress because some people like Gen Obasanjo and his cronies stole the money.

If they didn’t steal the money then Nigeria should be experiencing over supply of power by now but right now Nigeria is covered by total darkness. So Africa really pains me. My heart bleeds daily.

Add these wars to diseases, ignorance, illiteracy and the loads of problems in Africa, and then you ask, will Africa ever be at peace or ease?

There are too many problems in Africa and they won’t be solved until Africans wake up and live up to the challenges of the present century. What will trigger this awakening in Africa and make it a general conscious thought along the line of Common Good? When we know the answer, we will get on the right track.

aderounmu@gmail.com

Nigerians Must Rise Up And Take Their Destinies in Their Hands

/ Adeola / Leave a comment

aderounmu@gmail.com

Here are some of my messages to Nigerians as the election day approaches. But don’t forget that I strongly oppose these elections because they won’t be different from the elections of 1979, 1983, 1999, 2003 and 2007. History is just about to repeat itself, as usual. Do we ever learn anything in Nigeria?

Clip 1

Clip 2

Clip 3

Nigeria: Revolution is Our Last Option

/ Adeola / 6 Comments

The most consistent message from my articles since 2002 is that without a revolution ordinary Nigerians-more than 70% of the population- will never experience the good life and that the situation will get worse as the status quo in Nigeria is maintained or sustained.

This means that unless something drastic happens in Nigeria [something with magnitude and effect greater than the Northern African revolutions] mass poverty and penury will remain the portion of the larger percentage of the people.

In general the decadence in the society and the hopelessness that affects more than 90m Nigerians today will persist. More than any other country in the world Nigeria needs a revolution.

Just the other day Dimeji Bankole consoled himself on his personal fears and anxiety about a Nigerian revolution that will consume him and his likes. He said Nigerians have democracy and that the types of revolutions we see in North Africa cannot happen in Nigeria.

Does this dude even know that the standard of living under a dictatorial Mubarak was fear better than all the stupid forms of government that Nigerians have experienced and endured?

I have written several times that anyone that says that Nigeria is democratic country needs to see a doctor to ascertain the state of his/ her mental health.

I don’t know if Dimeji and all the politicians parading Nigeria and looting at will need a reminder of how they got their political appointments or selections. To make a generalization-almost all the political offices in Nigeria in the forth coming April elections are already determined and known.

I see a collective madness when the generality of Nigerians subscribe to the word “democracy”. Nigeria’s mad politics needs to be defined and explained. This is going to be a long essay.

In Tunisia the people rose against a family that controlled more than half of the country’s economy. In Nigeria the task is bigger. We are not dealing with a family. We are up against a gang of political robbers spread across Nigeria who with the consent and support of a few among us have found ways to suppress the genuine aspirations of the good people in Nigeria. We live as slaves and subjects. The expression “fellow Nigerians” that usually comes from Nigerian rulers is a figment of their imaginations.

In Nigeria we are dealing situations that have been made complicated by the exploitation of our cultural and ethnic diversities. The things that should have been used for the development and progress of Nigeria have been hijacked by these evil manipulators to create disunity and a perpetual means to enrich a few and enslave the rest of us. I refused to be manipulated.

Has anyone suggested to Jonathan, Dimeji and David Mark that they should all try to live on the minimum wage of N18 000/month for at least 3 months? These people are heartless bloodsuckers!

When I wrote My message to Nigerians in 2011 stop saying it’s God, I was emphatic on the need for Nigerians to emerge from their places of worship and confront the order of things. I was calling for a mass revolt that will overthrow the persistent illegitimacy in Nigeria and put a final end to the deep-rooted corruption in the system.

When I wrote is revolution our last option, I already knew it is the only way forward for Nigeria. In the last paragraph I stated that: this country belongs to all of us and it is our right to participate in the matters that shape our lives. The last probable option will be to do it by force. The people must utilize the best option that is open to them so that prosperity can be a bestowment to the generations unborn from this land flowing with milk and honey. That option in other words is the revolution.

When I wrote what happened to a cup of rice at 30kobo, my idea was that we must take back Nigeria now so that it will be ready for our great grandchildren by the turn of the next century. My views remain the same. Nigeria must be taken back from the oppressors, thieves and looters.

When I wrote who planned our lives in Nigeria, the aim was to sensitize Nigerians on the need to choke the greedy people out of Nigeria and for us to start a new plan. Sweden started with great reforms about 100 years ago and Tunisians are writing a new chapter in their history. All great countries made changes and reforms, at some points in their histories.

My code red to NVS was a message that I wrote specifically calling for the overthrow of corrupt regimes in Abuja and across all the states in Nigeria by the ordinary people who love Nigeria. In that essay I mentioned that it was time to move our online activism and demonstrations overseas back to Nigeria where the real action is.

I was called a preacher man. In the Middle East they are called “The Generation changing the world” (Time Magazine Feb 28). No one mocks people calling for changes that are overdue.

I haven’t read anywhere online or elsewhere where Egyptians at home are calling on Egyptians abroad to come home to lead a revolution. Libyans at home are doing the work while those abroad are mounting international pressures. What has also happened as we see even in Bahrain is that exiled politicians are returning home to join the revolts and to contribute to the new reawakening.

As recent as December 2010 a friend spoke to me in Nigeria and said, Adeola why don’t you come back home and write all these stuffs. Nigerians have been poisoned by this sort of layback mentality. I didn’t have enough time to tell him the risk some people are taking for Nigeria even after liberating themselves from the social malady and absolute madness in Nigeria.

I didn’t have the time to tell him about the various types of emails that I have been receiving from across the world and the fact that when I walk down the streets of Lagos I don’t know how anonymous I am really. My pictures are all over the web and my real names go with my opinions. Even the people who love me have warned me not to step into Nigeria or they encourage me to take alternative routes to Nigeria.

Nigerians need a revolution now, not later. It is not even worth waiting for the forthcoming election that has already resulted in the murder of several Nigerians and which, if care is not taken, may rank among the bloodiest elections in Nigeria. Jos and Maiduguri are indicators that cannot be overlooked or underrated.

Nigerians should come out in their millions and take back their country from the people in Abuja and other parts of Nigeria. Six months ago no one thought that Ben Ali dynasty could be wiped away from the surface of the earth. But it happened! Nothing is impossible. Where there is a will, there is a way.

Ben Ali was swept away. Why not Babangida as a Nigerian example? This man should be arrested and all the treasures of Nigeria in Minna, Paris, Switzerland and all other places should be taken back. Tunisians took their stuff from the former first family and burnt the rest. Nigerians must have clear cut goals and pursue them to the last letter.

Obasanjo should be made to return anything in excess of his salary from 1999-2007. Let’s do the calculations, how much do these rogues earn? How much do they have in their bank accounts through self-enrichment and abuse of offices?

Nigeria’s revolution should usher in the longest trial of corrupt people in human history. At that point Dimeji’s razzmatazz would not save him from all the allegations of looting hanging on his neck.

Nigerians can do the work that Ribadu refused to do because he was one of them anyway.

The Nigerian revolution should sweep away all undesirable elements in the Nigerian public service. David Mark, Dimeji Bankole and all the gangs in the Nigerian National Assembly and the House of Representatives should be made to return all the excess monies they have taken since 1999. How on earth can these rogues be allowed to take away 25% of Nigeria’s wealth while the rest of us are suffering?

Imagine how much monies the governors and ministers have stolen in Nigeria! What about commissioners and the rest of them?

In the whole world there is no greater need for revolution than in Nigeria.

Nigeria has reached the turning point. She must not refuse to turn. The momentum and impulse sweeping across Africa and the Mideast must not be allowed to hover around Nigeria just like that. Nigerians must harness and impact the wind of change.

There is a global support for change to usher in a better world; Nigerians cannot afford the luxury of wasting this golden moment in history. Change is now.

Change is now because even as I ponder this article a friend told me: Adeola, look, if you are a Nigerian politician, you must steal! He gave me the alternatives. If you don’t steal, you will be killed! If you don’t steal, the people under you will implicate you in deals. If you don’t steal, you will have problems.

This line of argument-that I must steal-is like a recurring decimal. I don’t win because Nigerians have a malformed mindset of the meaning of governance and public service. I have not been able to convince any Nigerian that rather than steal or loot, I will leave office or even die. They said it doesn’t happen in Nigeria.

I cannot wish more for a revolution than now and today. Many Nigerians have been brainwashed and even brain-damaged that they speak unthinkable things and give their supports to extreme anomalies like corruption, tribalism, nepotism, national character, sabotage, looting and many other vices.

My point?

We cannot continue to live with these anomalies and aberrations. Despite all the corrupt people and all the people who are waiting for their turn to loot or benefit from loot, there are people in Nigeria who can rescue Nigeria.

But the challenges are hard and difficult.

When I walk down the streets of Lagos I see that the people are totally disconnected from the politicians who are looting and deceiving them. The hopelessness and struggles in the Nigerian society has rendered millions of Nigerians powerless and voiceless.

Many are disillusioned by perpetual failure of governance and unmet expectations.

We described Nigerians as resilient people whereas in actual fact it is the government that has systematically zombified the populace. Imagine that Nigerians are going to vote and try to protect their votes in elections that some people already know the outcomes.

If you make a simple prayer like “May Sango strike dead any Nigerian politician that try to cheat in the forthcoming elections”, no Nigerian politician will dare say Amen or Amin.

The revolution coming to Nigeria must help us do away with this type of banana republic where a group of politicians prepare election results, force their way to INEC offices, bribe the soldiers with N50 000 each and announce the results they have made to tally with estimated voters from each constituencies.

This according to Obasanjo, has been the tradition since 1959 and in 1999 Atiku and Obasanjo perfected the same stupid strategy for the PDP. In 2007 Obasanjo, Iwu and Ibori did the dirty jobs for Yar Adua and Jonathan.

Since 1999 I have been careful not to carelessly address any Nigerian ruler as president. I have also been careful not to succumb to using the phrase “elected into office”. I refused to live with the nonsense that Nigerians called politics or elections.

I want to continue to raise my heads high. I also want to be able to say one day “there are no bases to lower the cognitive abilities and intellectuality of the black people using Nigerians living in Nigeria as the yardstick and our electoral process as a parameter”. Today the arguments are not in my favour so I don’t undertake them.

Today I cannot prove that a godfather collecting N25m monthly from a state is not mentally deranged or intellectually fatigued. Those giving away the funds too must be mad or something but then it’s called payback. In today’s Nigeria it is hard to prove that the people in the Nigerian senate and house of assembly are not deficient in their cognitive abilities if they earn the most money in the world doing almost nothing and living among the poorest people on earth.

In the future someday our great grandchildren will be able to use other parameters like GDP, family planning, level education, level of infrastructure, equality, growth index, social awareness, social justice, national insurance policy and several more as the lasting bridges of common human intellectual capacities.

The foundation for such a future must be laid now and revolution is the only way out.

The present government in Nigeria was borne out of illegality in 2007 and should be flushed away. The attempt to legalise it this April 2011 is not coming with a promise of better life. In such a short time, the illegal government of Jonathan has almost drain Nigeria’s foreign reserves. What a prodigal son!

Still Mr. Jonathan owes the people of Bayelsa both apologies and restitutions for the funds that were looted by him and his boss Diepreye Alamieyeseigha. Jonathan’s wife may suffer the same fate as Ben Ali’s second wife if our revolution takes place today.

I am talking about sending not only Jonathan to exile but also members of his family and over 120 personal assistants.

Together they are sucking the people dry in probably the most expensive government in the world.

Those who say revolution is not possible in Nigeria are viewing the extent of the damage that has been done over the past 50 years and counting on the mummification of Nigerians. But why should they also neglect the possibility of changes and the hope of a better future for our grandchildren that are not yet born.

Who says it’s too late?

Everything that is wrong and bad in Nigeria can be corrected through this revolution that will send all corrupt people to either jail or exile. It will serve as a long lasting solution to addressing national issues. The revolution will not end after one night and the changes will not appear in a fortnight. These things are processes. A journey of a thousand miles still needs one bold step to begin.

The greatest crime ordinary Nigerians are committing against themselves is their collective passivity and their continuous hope even in the face of outright hopelessness.

What is imperative now is that we need a revolution in Nigeria and it is something we must undertake.

Nobody has to worry about leading the revolt. Revolution takes its own shape as it unfolds. The prime thing is to have agenda, demands and the right to self-determination.

I have seen different Nigerian groups on Facebook. What we need is a group of selfless individuals who can harness these various groups under one umbrella. Nigerians must find their common grounds. If we succeed we will create the largest online revolt forum. From that point we can start to see and take our destinies in our hands.

I have no doubt in my minds since I wrote my first major article in 2002-why politicians steal-that the only option for Nigeria is a revolution.

While Discussing NLC, Mass Revolt and the Coming Revolution 2 years ago I thought that the nationwide protests by the NLC could usher in the revolution but it didn’t. Such demonstrations must now return with full force because together they still represent a viable option to rescue Nigerians.

The future of Nigeria is in the hands of Nigerians.

The outcome of a Nigerian revolution will help the Nigerian people to negotiate on the way they want to pursue their lives, how to seek happiness within Nigeria or without it. The sum of all our collective decisions will help us to determine the way forward.

Nigeria’s politics today is the single biggest investment for fraudulent minds. It is a disgrace to the intellectuality of the African race. It does not represent the change we seek and it does not signify the hope we can believe in.
Nigeria needs something that will bring all the corrupt rulers and politicians- both in past and present dispensations to justice now. Enough is enough, it’s been 50 years of waste and rot.

I am sure that it is only a revolution that can bring about a new order and glimpse of hope for the future for Nigerians.

Nigeria: Registration of Voters, Elections and A Season of Assassinations

/ Adeola / 1 Comment

By Adeola Aderounmu

This year 2011 Nigerians will go to the polls. At they have always done since 1959 Nigerians will be unprepared for these elections. There are a lot of optimists urging people to go out and register. In a sane country there is no harm for such a call. It is genuine and noble. In Nigeria, in my own opinion, and as I have argued times without number, the call is dubious, unnecessary and stupid. Votes will be counted in manners that will not portray respect for human dignity. Since 1959 Nigerians have wasted their time and energy on votes and elections that have been rigged and doctored. This year will not be different.

As recent as 2007 Mr. Obasanjo urged Nigerians to participate in a do-or-die election. That election ushered in the illegal regime of late Mr. Yar Adua and the beneficiary today is one Goodluck Jonathan whose political career has been steered more by his name than his vision because he doesn’t seem to have any vision in any case. He is now the candidate to be presented by the PDP- the party- that has given corruption his deepest foundation in the history of Nigeria. PDP was founded by crooks and nurtured by well-known corrupt ex-military and ex-civilian gangsters.

In the recent primaries PDP voters sold their souls for porridge and gave the votes to Jonathan. He paid the most with monies stolen from the Nigerian treasury. Nigerian politicians have not seen anything wrong with stealing and looting. And they always get away because it is accepted in Nigeria to be a thief slash politician. The primaries done by most of other political parties are laughable. One useless party has even co-adopted Goodluck as its flag bearer. Nonsense and ingredients!

I continue to advocate for a corrupt-free Nigeria. I will shout to the top of the roof for a government of merit. National character has destroyed the essence of Nigeria. People are called into government for the purpose of looting and cutting of the national cake as they used to joke. But it is not a joke; these fundamental issues must be addressed. Our politics is rubbish.

The charade been prosecuted by INEC is not turning out to be funny at all. In previous essays I have mentioned that the job and machines are not for INEC but for the National Population Commission. We don’t need these useless registration processes. What we need is a genuine population monitoring process. The implication is that we should be receiving voter’s cards by post or at collection centres at home and abroad. This process of registration is more than 2 000 years old, is archaic, irresponsible and absolutely dehumanizing. It reduces humans to animals.

Among millions of dehumanizing examples, one man left his job and for more than 2 days he was unable to register! Some people get lucky after 12 hours on a queue. There are complains across the nation. In some states DDC machines are in homes of politicians and crooks. In Anambra State, some machines were found in the forest or some sort of shrine. When you apply a system that is more than 2 00 years ago and you think it is modern because you use computers to re-enact the same process, you really need to do a reality check on your mentality. I argued that Nigerians are modern in several aspects of their lives but when you tell them to address these issues of elections once and for all, they tell you that they will get there some day. When?

Electoral processes in Nigeria are tragic occurrences. They present us as a people with extremely low intellectual capacity and defective IQs. With the rulers we have, these are no near surprises. I condemn the registration process just the same way I condemn in advance all the malpractices that will come with it.

There is turmoil in Tunisia and it has spread to Egypt. A serious wind of change is blowing across Africa. Ivory Coast is on the brink whether foreign influence or not.. Africans are wondering what is wrong and the world is amazed. The truth is Africa lacks the sort of leadership that is trustworthy and sincere. Those who considered themselves superpowers gave support to oppressive regimes in some parts of Africa. Those regimes will continue to fall as pan-Africanism continues to find its strength. One day Africa will be where it really belongs to as I argue in a previous post.

The real struggle for the emancipation of Africa is gaining momentum. Nigeria will not be left out. Never!

The wind of change will blow and this can be interpreted in different ways depending on who is making the point and from what perspective. People are talking about Register, Select, Vote and Preserve. This could make a lot of sense if it will happen in Nigeria. But serious minded people will tell you that you can’t sow maize and reap cassava. Wishful thinking has taken away the minds of people from the reality of the lives that they lead. If you live in Nigeria, you know how things are done. The parameters for successful elections and sound democracy are missing.

But those who make peaceful change impossible in Tunisia and Egypt are getting a feel of another type of change. I’m so certain that change will come to Nigeria. What I am not certain of is the preservation of the entity called Nigeria.

Indeed there are serious flashpoints as we approach the 2011 elections in Nigeria. Jos and Maiduguri have now overtaken the Niger Delta as potentially fatal and fragile hotspots. From time to time pockets of riots and violence leave hundreds and sometimes scores of people dead. It will be foolishness to ignore the growth and spread of terrorism in Nigeria. Even Abuja can feel the heat.

As this threat grows our politicians continue to improve their personal securities while targeting self-preservation and perpetuation in offices. No one has been formally charged for all the terrorist acts in Nigeria. Boko Haram looks set to take over Northern Nigeria.

No one has yet claimed to be responsible for the killing of a leading governorship candidate in Borno State. Modu Fannami Gubio was gunned downed along with 6 other persons by gunmen on motorbikes. The unfortunate incident took place outside of his home.

As usual when the evils deeds are done security patrols stormed the streets. The Nigerian government has not made adequate provisions for the prevention of these types of assassinations. Over the decades many Nigerians and politicians have been killed because they are in the opposition party, or they are opposed to tyranny or just aspiring for political offices. Usually no arrests are made. On rare occasions the police make false arrests and then we don’t hear anything again.

This political assassination is unfortunate. It is not the first. It adds up to the pile of unsolved murder cases. It’s a sad situation to belong to a helpless system where the focus is on politics and stealing from government.

The rest of us, in all that we do, we must ensure that our actions, comments and body languages are unified in condemning the type of government in present day Nigeria. A government borne of illegality has no moral standard to steer the course of West Africa or Africa. On what moral pedestal is Jonathan championing the military action in Ivory Coast? Who voted for Mr. Jonathan? Do Nigerians have short memories? Or they just chose to ignore the fact that in 2007 Iwu and Obasanjo messed Nigeria and Africa up? Time does not heal illegality. Being sworn in by a corrupt system or a Chief Justice does not translate that votes have been counted. Let us not mix these issues up.

Let us be clear. Those who live in glass houses cannot afford the cost of stone throwing. If you want to make me a dress, I have the right to view the one you are putting on. Nigeria is not fit to lead Africa based on the glories that predate 1960.

We must put our house in order. We still have the time and the opportunity for adjustments. The early signs for the 2011 elections are catastrophic. The price-winner takes it all- remains a recipe for dissent and violent outcomes.
In a country where the rule of men is far above the rule of law, where social justice remains a mirage and where corruption runs side-a-side a generally disorganized electoral process, it will be sheer recklessness to underestimate the consequences of the forthcoming [likely-to-be-fraudulent] elections in Nigeria in April 2011.

The outcome of this year’s elections may bring changes.

One of the greatest fears is, not knowing how the wind of change will blow. From Liberia, to Tunisia, to Egypt-the wind of change has blown and is still blowing across Africa. The forthcoming elections in Nigeria may serve as a whirlwind or catalyst for the needed or even unnecessary changes in Nigeria. Imagine a change influenced or prescribed by Boko Haram and the terrorists from Northern Nigeria. They are on the loose and the helpless government is applying medicine after each death, if you know what I mean.

It will appear that the resiliency of Nigerians is a momentum gathering phase that has lasted for ever. But like a snow ball rolling down a steep slope it must have gathered loads of additional masses on its way. The impacts will definitely be shattering.

We should never wish for a war. But we must support the types of demonstrations that will lead to the fall of fake and illegal governments that have dominated Nigeria since 1999. We must support all voices of reasoning that will ensure that the stolen loots are returned, to the last kobo. We must support all forms of actions that we ensure that all the houses that Nigerian politicians and public servants have abroad are sold and the proceeds returned to people of Nigeria.

We must attempt to reclaim and rebuild Nigeria. Nigeria is the greatest potential of a superpower from Africa but the foreign influences have ensured that we remain subdued and that our heroes never emerged. It is possible to emerge and it is not impossible to reestablish the greatness of the African mind even if we returned to our tents. [Fear of change is the greatest obstacle to our real freedom-Adeola Aderounmu]

aderounmu@gmail.com

Stupid, It’s ECOWAS..!

/ Adeola / 3 Comments

By Adeola Aderounmu

My pain in writing this essay is the little knowledge I have on the exact nature of the political crises in Ivory Coast. By that I mean why Gbagbo is really sitting tight and why the country’s Electoral bodies would falsify election results in favour of either Gbagbo or Quattara who are both claming to be presidents of the same country. I’m also not sure why Quattara enjoys foreign support and Gbagbo national support.

I should ask my friends including Kola Afolabi to tell me more about Ivory Coast. It seems that those who understood French language have a better understanding of the situation in Ivory Coast than the rest of us. One day I hope to become a student of political science.

Any day now ECOWAS may use force and military actions to unseat Laurent Gbagbo of Ivory Coast. Brothers will kill brothers and sisters will murder sisters. Africans don’t realize that they are one big family. The disorientations created by goods and slave trade, imported religions, colonialism, and decades of unsuccessful self-governance are some of the reasons that Africans continue to misunderstand their common ancestry.

But where was this useless organization called ECOWAS in 1993?
In 1993 Africa was presented with a golden opportunity that could probably have led to the liberation of the continent for all time.

At that time ECOWAS was probably sleeping and OAU was in coma.

In 1993 one tropical gangster called Ibrahim Babangida committed treason in Nigeria. That was not his first time but it was more serious in 1993.

On June 12 1993, millions of Nigerians voted in the best election ever conducted in the history of Nigeria, or perhaps Africa. The Nigerian people voted and the results were rolling in more to the favour of MKO Abiola. When it became evident that Abiola would win, Bashir Tofa (the opponent) was said to have sent him congratulatory messages.

Records have it that as the results were been announced, the prices of goods and services were dropping. There was a tailor who refused to be paid for the services he had rendered. He was so overjoyed that “at last” hope has come to the people. Some private bus operators were offering free services. Happiness and gladness was spreading on June 12 1993.

People were elated. Everyone was smiling and things were looking up and good despite the fact that Abiola has not been declared the winner.

That was the spirit and mood until Nigerians received a rude shock from the nonentity called Babangida. This useless man cancelled or annulled the best election in our history. There were many theories to this annulment including that Abiola was a creditor of the government, or that a few idiots would not like to see him become president of Nigeria. Some people said it was because of what he did when he was in NPN that he betrayed Awolowo.

As far as democratic principles are concerned those arguments are classified as animal talk.

The fundamental thing about June 12 was that an election held and Abiola won. The crime about it was that some cabal headed by Babangida secretly plotted against Abiola and eternally denied him of the mandate that the Nigerian masses gave to him. He was asked by the people to give them hope, but a few hopeless and selfish persons, some of whom unfortunately are still around the corridors of power decided otherwise.

We were denied the wonderful opportunity of knowing what the next 4 years with Abiola would have meant. Shivers are running down my spine as I write this. Tears are close because we were denied the chance to see “what would have happened with 4 years of Abiola”? One day with potentially Abiola-led government, June 12 1993-was one of the best days of my life! On June 12 1993 my prospective future was finally stolen away from me. No one will understand this but I never regained it!

Many people died in the struggle to actualize that mandate popularly called JUNE 12. Where was ECOWAS when Babangida rolled out the tanks and murdered Nigerians who were protesting the annulment of the June 12 1993 elections?
Where was ECOWAS in 2003 and 2007 especially, when Iwu and Obasanjo arranged a charade for 140m people?

To me ECOWAS is a useless body and this new songs of war must definitely have some undertones. That brings us to the circumstances surrounding the murder of MKO Abiola.

I don’t like to be misquoted. I am not a fan of Abiola. I will never be a fan of any politician whether they perform or not. I curse the day I behold people because of their positions or statuses the same way I have cursed the day I decide to steal public funds. My comments are essentially on public services and how such services must be executed-primarily for the good of all. To understand my opinions, you must read between the lines.

I’m wondering what Wikileaks will come up with concerning the murder of MKO Abiola. I am still wondering why he was murdered while a delegate from the United States was visiting him. How did a cup of tea become a poison? Does Bill Clinton have anything to do with the murder of Abiola? What was in for the US that Abiola was murdered?

We have been warned as Africans to be wary of the roles of the so called “faceless” International community in Africa. It is not a new call. For example you can wonder why there is a lot of international pressure on Gbagbo whereas Babangida suffered no personal loss or any form of pressure when he committed treason in Nigeria, more than once. Where were the French, the UK and the US in 1993 when the will of the people was thrown to the wind in Nigeria?

Stupid ECOWAS, Stupid International community! The world will never know peace because of social injustice and inequality of this nature.

Africans have a long way to travel. They are light years behind the developed nations. Africans must unite and speak in one voice. Africa must find a way to reclaim her position as the citadel of technology. Many elements of human development emanated from Africa. It therefore remains a mystery how Africans allowed the rest of the world to overtake her as she stood still.

Africa must rise again. She must overcome.

The leadership question in Africa leaves a lot to be desired. It is a leadership without the required orientations. It lacks focus, it has no plans and it is built on extreme egocentrism. It leaves no room for tribal integration and collective goals aimed at development and progress. African leadership problem is a major issue affecting the development of the continent.

Africa must retrace her steps to where she started getting it all wrong.

In Yoruba folk tradition we say that if the wall is not opened the lizard has no place therein. This was the case with colonial rule, imported religions and neo-colonization. It may also be the case with imperialism and the underdevelopment in Africa.

The people and rulers of Africa must realize that they are the walls and the International community is the lizard. The meaning of that expression is beyond the scope of this essay. It is an extensive area of discuss. If Africans unite, our true heroes will emerge-without the fear of being killed by national or international killer squads-and we will be free.

It’s a long thing brethren. We must encourage and protect our heroes. Some of us must give up our “freedom” for the rest of us to have it, for now and ever more.

The manipulations of the African continent from within and without must end, if Africa ever dream of catching up with the rest of the world or even to claim her rightful place.

Millions of us are living in poverty as a result of the bad governments across the continent. The situation will not change soon. We have not paid the price for the mistakes of the past and present stupid rulers.

If ECOWAS is a defender of justice and freedom I challenge the Jonathan-led ECOWAS to arrest Babangida for crimes against humanity and for his roles in the murder of Nigerians protesting the annulment of the June 12 1993 elections.
After all charity should always begin at home.

I know Jonathan cannot dare because he doesn’t seem to be the one propagating the war songs. It is obvious he is a tool in the hands of bigger factors. In addition, people who have skeletons in their cupboards will never be part of the true African revolution. Instead they will be brushed aside as we see now in Tunisia.

…Tomorrow will always belong to the people who prepared for it today (Malcolm X).

But we must learn about the truth. It is our passport to freedom. It is the best gift we can give our children, born and unborn. For their sake we must give our today. At any cost, we must!

This post is adapted from my views about June 12