MKO Abiola

The Fundamentals Of June 12 1993

/ Adeola / Leave a comment

The fundamentals of June 12 1993 revealed that every region in Nigeria should be allowed to control her own politics and resources just the way it was before the useless coups of the 60s. Regional government must now be allowed to stay and mature.

The Fundamentals of June 12 1993

By Adeola Aderounmu

Screenshot_20170529-080927

June 12 1993 will remain iconic and outstanding in the annals of Nigeria. It is very instructive also to relate recent developments in Nigeria to the significance of June 12 1993.

My blog (Thy Glory O’ Nigeria) is awashed with stories of the historic June 12 1993 election in Nigeria. One statement that l continue to emphasize is that the election was not about the contest between MKO Abiola of the Social Democractic Party(SDP) and Alhaji BashirTofa of the National Republican Convention (NRC).

These two presidential aspirants were only parts and parcel of a larger significance that the election and the results bore on Nigeria and the history of Nigeria.

To be clear, people have argued about MKO Abiola’s character and antecedents prior to 1993. Let us agree now that election is a process. It is an integral aspect of a democratic dispensation. Election is not a means by which anyone should supress voters’  or human rights. Election should not be a means to disenfranchising the people.

In 1993, the military gangsters headed by one notorious Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida commited the most obvious treasonable felony in Nigeria’s history when they annulled and eventually cancelled the results of the presidential election which held on June 12. It was generally known that MKO Abiola was poised to win.

The political transition that culminated in the botched election had been long and tiring. Nigerians had been patient and long suffering. But it all came to a dead-end when the tropical gangster Ibrahim Babangida willingly acted the script of the cabal and the North in ensuring that power did not transfer by vote to the winner from the South-West, MKO Abiola, despite the obvious facts that the votes had been accumulated across tribal and religious boundaries.

What he, Babangida-one of Nigeria’s most corrupt and shameless tyrant ever-failed to realise was that democracy is about the power of votes and the will of the people. He ignored the principles of human rights and the principles of democracy. He played out the scripts that seemed to have been written in Northern Nigeria.

He was disgraced out of power when he said that he stepped aside but he never faced charges for all the treasons he committed over the years planning coups and deleting election results. He was never prosecuted and lives today in a fortress in Minna. Ibrahim Babangida is one of the shameful symbols of the modern black race, a man who has no respect for life and values.

The discussion on why Nigeria’s corrupt elites and politicians have never faced corruption charges or even imprisonment is another inexplicable aspect of the Nigerian political terrain. That omission will continue to dent the intellectuallity of the black race.

Nigeria is an example of a country notorious for allowing criminals to roam free in the land, staging multiple comebacks to political scene and continuously looting the treasury till they drop dead or pass the shame to their children, accomplices and family members.

The obvious winner of the June 12 1993 election, MKO Abiola was eventually murdered in prison on July 7 1998 as he struggled to achieve the mandate given to him by millions of Nigerian voters. His death and how it happened remained points of discussions as different versions were thrown to the people depending on who was talking about it.

In 1999, Nigeria was eventually returned to civilian rule without the pressure of the June 12 1993 elections dwindling. One of the tropical gangsters in Nigeria, General Abdulsalami, who must definitely have a good knowledge of how Abiola was murdered under his watch eventually handed over to Olusegun Obasanjo, one of their own.

The arrangement perfected by/under Abdulsalami was a military one but it was masked by the hastened election that brought General Obasanjo to power. It was a move that was necessary to appease the South West after the murder of MKO Abiola. The North found a good ally in Obasanjo as he was now a civilian, eternally pro-North and anti-June 12.

Obasanjo was also a former military head of state and a major player in the electoral atrocities and malpractises of the late 1970’s. He handed over power to Shehu Shagari of the NPN. So for the umpteenth time, the Nigerian elites, the gangsters in khaki and the political pretenders refused to solve the political imbroglio that hung over Nigeria since the end of the civil war in 1970.

The fundamental lessons of June 12 are clear. Those who capture Nigeria at the center at any given point in time control everything. They have unlimited power and unlimited immunity. That is not true democracy.

It was the fear of losing that control that shook the North of Nigeria. It was that fear that made them murdered MKO Abiola. Those who sent Abiola to prison are the ones that killed him no matter how the murder was carried out. It was the North even if they had accomplices from other part of the country or from America. The story of Judas is common sense, not spiritual.

The fear of losing power under an authoritarian, unitary arrangement continue to grip the North. The North, over the years became too dependent on economic revenues from Lagos and the oil producing states. In the absence of clear cut agreement on how to sustain itself with the help of these undeserved wages should the structure change suddenly, the North continues to fear losing the center.

The North is always afraid and it continues to spread fear and threats among the other parts of the country as tactics for holding to power. In recent history, 3 key occurences have brought out the fear for all to see very clearly.

One is the annullment of the June 12 elections. If Bashir Tofa had won, the results would have stayed.

Two is the death of Musa Yar Adua and the desperation to prevent the emergence of Goodluck Jonathan as his replacement. The disastrous reign of Goodluck Jonathan did not help matters and the manner of his defeat through both [INEC styled] ballots and propaganda remain viable discussions for everyone keen on the progress of Nigeria.

The third is currently playing out. The absence of Mohammed Buhari and all the desperate measures now in place to keep the power in the North no matter the cost.

The crazy and defective ideology of born to rule is however the most significante revelation of the constant fear that grips the North. Unless one is born into a royal family, one is never born to rule. We have seen even how royal bloods continue to fade away globally. Born to rule is false hope.

In June 1993, following the annullment of the best election ever in the history of Nigeria, the message was clear: Votes will never count as long as the unitary system invented by the military persists. Nigerians were told pointblank that those who control the center will always decide the eventual rulers or Nigeria.

June 12 1993 showed us that Nigeria needed to restructure so that such errors and treasonable acts should never be made to reoccur. But the people were cowed and caged. Nigeria is still not restructured. Emergence at the head of the tyrannic unitary system can be well doctored by the electoral commission and the cabal. Past and recent elections under a unitary system justify these anomalies.

It cannot be rocket science. True, every system of governance has its own defects. Regional government had its imperfections and it was never even allowed to mature. Unitary system of government is like tyranny and on planet earth is probably the worst system of government. No matter the faults or defects that led to the coups of the 1960s, that system of government-the regional government- was far better and more productive for Nigeria.

Since the end of the civil war, Nigeria’s problems have become more profound and complicated. All the arms of government are practically useless as criminals hold sway everywhere in government. No matter the scandal or level of corruption today, the unitary system does nothing to address the situation. The system bears almost no difference under the military or civilians as most of the people in power have turned criminals.

Nigerians are living like in a rat race with their destinies out of their hands and control. Attempts to address the anomalies have always been myopic and selfish because rather than take an holistic approach to solve a generic problem nationally, the absence of leadership meant that a few individuals have taken advantage of the situations. They played the ethnic and tribal game so good that Nigeria is going in tatters.

It will be a matter of time to see where we are heading but it could turn out really worse than what we have seen till date. A situation that could have been managed by sensible leadership and patriotism led us to the existence of Biafra having her own currency and declaring her own holidays.

This has been followed by the Kaduna Declaration in which the North bore her minds and feelings about the East. No amount of retraction can obscure the mind of the North as clearly stated in the declaration, sponsored or not.

We got here because rather than applying common sense, rather than using merit, we sought to one useless federal character under a unitary system that promote foolishness, ineptitude, dumbness and corruption.

Nothing is too late in life. The choices are still before us. We knew before June 12 1993 that we were in an unholy alliance since the military struck in 1966. Some said that Nigeria was stitched together for the pleasure of the Queen of England.

Then treachery, suspicious minds and lack of patriotism took sway a long time ago. A long time ago, Nigeria seized to be a federation. She became a treasure to be captured and it remained so when APC outsmart PDP 2 years ago.

The political class realigned and continued the siege and rape of the land. Criminals everywhere, at the presidency, senate and all over.

Unless the system that encourages this type of madness is cut away soon, the violence trailing Boko Haram, Biafra(IPOB), MEND and the coming effects of both the Kaduna and Niger Delta declarations may lead to undesirable outcomes.

The fundamentals of June 12 1993 revealed that every region in Nigeria should be allowed to control her own politics and resources.

The time misspent in the past can be redeemed if common sense is allowed to prevail now. A stitch in time saves nine.

aderounmu@gmail.com

 

 

 

 

June 12 1993, Just Like Yesterday..!

/ Adeola / Leave a comment

Adeola Aderounmu

I remembered when my parents used to talk about how life was in the 1950s and 1960s. Then I used to imagine how they could possibly remembered things that happened so long ago vividly. Now that I am an adult, I think I understand better how time can fly and then 19 years can be like 4 months!

This is the way that the time that had passed since June 12 1993 to this moment seemed to me. In fact, June 12 seemed to me like yesterday. It’s all so fresh in my memory. I was studying at the University of Lagos at that time.

As I remember June 12, I will dwell on the principles of the events of that day and not on the person of MKO Abiola, Bashir Tofa or the tropical gangster called Babangida. The reason why I will not dwell on personalities fully is because the election was not about them, it was about democratic principles and the rule of law.

On June 12 1993, millions of Nigerians voted in the best election ever conducted in the history of Nigeria. It was possible for the people to vote right because the elections were properly planned and well conducted. There were pre-election debates and it was easy to know who was intelligent and who was really dull.

The 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. Now, that is a good man when it comes to the spirit of politics without bitterness. 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.

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 is a creditor of the government, or that a few idiots would not like to see him be president of Nigeria. Some people said it was because of what he did when he was in NPN that he betrayed Awolowo. I will not be drawn into these kinds of thoughtless arguments.

The fundamental thing about June 12 was that an election held and Abiola won. The crime about it was that some cabal 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.

The annulment was resisted by many true democrats, some were killed and many went into exile. Some people chickened out and were back in subsequent governments because they were simply thieves and opportunists originally. The vice-president-to-be for that annulled election is now back into the new illegitimate government that started on May 29 2007. This will show any reasonable person that such people have no shame for their misdeeds and I doubt that this man was not once a looter of our treasury. They never get enough, do they? They always stage a return to our lives and the implication is that since 1960, we have had a system of recycling sycophants in our government houses. Those that cannot be recycled stay out as useless godfathers-destroying the system to selfish ends.

Many people died in the struggle to actualize that mandate popularly called JUNE 12. May their souls find peace. They are more honourable than Babangida and his hopeless cabal put together. It remains to be proved if there were no foreign interference in the death of MKO Abiola himself, the man widely believed to have won the 1993 elections. It is not understandable why he died under questionable circumstances while a delegate from the United States was visiting him. How did a cup of tea become a poison? Historians have their hands full there and those who know the truth but cannot say it will always be judged by their consciences.

MKO Abiola died when many thought he would be released to claim his mandate after the death of one of the notorious generals called Abacha. The implication is that he was up against an evil cabal who will not mind travelling to hell just to deny him. Indeed the cabal succeeded in their plots and 14 years after, can anyone see any progress in Nigeria? Don’t even think about the GSM, I am tired of that jingle as a measure of progress.

One thing is sure, in as much as we have refused to take the right steps and as long as we have not resisted those who are manipulating our country to a selfish end, millions of people will continue to live in poverty. This is not a curse, I lived through this dilemma and my family and friends do not deserve my curse. It is just what I call the unarguable reality of our lives. It is not for fun that the holy books stated that “You will know the truth and the truth shall set you free”!

It is one thing for us to know the truth, acknowledge it, make amends and set Nigeria on the path of glory and it is definitely another thing to continue to deny ourselves the knowledge of the truth, make a few people enjoy the fruits of the land and leave the helpless and resilient majority wallowing in absolute/abject poverty.

The way to GLORY will be a struggle on all aspects of our lives, social, economic…and so on. The way to prosperity and the good of all will be to seek the men and women who will be ready to serve selflessly and dedicatedly. In Nigeria, we need the rule of law above the rule of men.

May each June 12 continue to unsettle the mind of the wicked. May it bring jugdement who those who spilled the blood of the innocents. AND May the goodness of June 12 bring milk and honey back to the Nigerians who are weak and poor, living on less than 1 dollar a day.

This is my personal opinion and that is the way that I see it.

 

First Published on this blog in 2007

JUNE 12 1993

/ Adeola / Leave a comment

By Adeola Aderounmu

What happened on June 12 1993?

On June 12 1993, several millions of Nigerians voted in the best election ever conducted in the history of Nigeria.

The elections itself had been planned along two party system. Social Democratic Party’s candidate was Chief MKO Abiola while Alhaji Bashir Tofa was the candidate of the National Republical Convention.

Nigerians voted massively in favour of Moshood Abiola.

Bashir Tofa (the opponent) sent congratulatory messages to MKO Abiola.

As the results were announced, the prices of goods and services were falling.

There was happiness all over Nigeria. There was hope that a new dawn has come.

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.

Bus conductor and drivers were offering free rides. You didn’t have to pay anything.

That was the spirit and mood until Nigerians received a rude shock from the military gangsters led by one notorious Ibrahim Babangida. He announced the annulment of the results of the elections without reasons.

There were many hypotheses trying to explain or justify the annulment including that Abiola was a creditor of the federal government, or that a few idiots would not like to see him be president of Nigeria.

Some people said it was because of what he did when he was in NPN that he betrayed or opposed Awolowo, a fellow Yoruba politician. He is also alleged to have sponsored military coups in Nigeria.

No form of arguments would justify the annulment of the June 12 1993 peaceful presidential elections.
The fundamental thing about June 12 was that an election held and Abiola won.

By cancelling the decisions made by Nigerians in a democratic process, treasonable felony was committed by Babangida and those around him including the late Abacha.

Babangida should be arrested and tried not only for corruption but for treason and crimes against humanity. Why is Babangida still a free man in Nigeria?

It is a revelation of the stupidity of the Nigerian Law system and the useless judiciary structure that make it impossible for people who committed treason to remain free in Nigeria.

It is a revelation of the types of thieves, looters and abnormal people who capture and rule Nigeria since 1960 to date.

Are some people above the law in Jonny’s county?

The annulment was resisted by many true democrats, some were killed and many went into exile.

Many innocent Nigerians died in the failed struggle to actualize the annulled mandate.

Many Nigerian politicians sold their souls for porridge because they could not stand on the June 12 mandate. Political prostitution is an old business in Nigeria.

Baba Gana Kingibe was a prince of the game of political prostitution long before Atiku Abubakar.

Nigerian traditional rulers who could have pressurized the silly Babangida kept mute. They loved bribes because their prosperity is built on them. Traditional rulers in Nigeria are part of the criminality of the rulership.

Those whom we taught were leaders became rulers and accomplices to the crime. Obasanjo said Abiola was not the messiah. I don’t remember MKO claiming to be one.

Abiola died without realizing his dreams and without claiming the mandate he got from millions of Nigerians in the most peaceful and fairest election ever in the history of Nigeria.

The circumstances surrounding Abiola’s death remains controversial. He died in the arms of American visitors sent by Bill Clinton. He was poisoned in the presence of the American delegation. It has become one of the several conspiracy theories that he was killed by the Nigerian military government with the assistance of the Americans.

Abiola’s nephew told me how the issue of repatriation seriously pursued by Abiola became one of his likely undoing.

Those who are too young to understand the June 12 story should continue to discern what they read because lies will be told. Many things have been said against Abiola. Some of them may be true but nothing said can take away the fact that he won the election and that Babangida is a living criminal.

How the laws work in Nigeria is still a mystery. How can someone commit treason and be free?

The 2011 elections are by no means close to the peaceful and fair elections of June 12 1993.

And for those who are superstitious it appears that until something is done to make amends for the devilish errors of June 12 1993, Nigeria may never make progress. Living conditions have become worse since then.

Naming the University of Lagos after MKO Abiola is very unnecessary. The man would turn in his grave if the hope of 1993 radiates once again.

When Obasanjo was imposed on Nigerians in 1999 politicians thought they have made amends for June 12 1993. That was an error of judgment. Obasanjo was anti-June 12, so it doesn’t count in the superstitious world. In fact it may have added salt to the injury.

Recently Obasanjo called Nigerian politicians crooks, thieves and armed robbers like I have always done. The difference between our common points of view is that Obasanjo is included in the list of those he counted. He looted especially the power fund. Nigerian remains in permanent darkness.

Since 1999 the standard of living has dropped and gotten worse. More people have become poorer and lives have been lost in several conflicts.

I do know that the Nigerian government also stupidly adopted May 29 as democracy day in Nigeria. May 29 is not a day of democracy. On May 29 1999, Evil triumphed over good in Nigeria.

Sometimes I wondered how Nigerians allow the useless government to impose things that are evil on them.

It would have been better, to honour those who gave their lives for democracy that June 12 be made the national democracy day. Or we just don’t have any democracy day and still honour these unsung heroes on October 1st every year.
Rather what we do is to decorate accomplished political looters and thieves with national honours.

It appears to me that for as long as we continue to deny the truth about the significance of June 12 and its role in the establishment of our struggling democratic process that we may not make any real progress in this country.

During the presidential debate in 1993 Abiola spoke to Nigerians and answered their questions on what his plans are and how he will help Nigeria to become great.

June 12 came with a manifesto and programs of hope. That is why it is sad that we didn’t experience the reign of Abiola.

A mandate similar to what Abiola got in 1993 and the hopes and confidence that came with it are necessary ingredients for growth and development of Nigeria.

I don’t think anybody can rule Nigeria successfully without a mandate similar to that which Abiola obtained in 1993.
It cut across religion, regions and tribes. It was a universal mandate, made in Nigeria.

It will also be impossible for anyone to lead Nigeria and make meaningful progress without a manifesto of hope and programs that are well planned and thought through.

The positive impacts of Abiola’s victory lasted a few hours; they are part of the most memorable hours of my life. For the first time in my life, then in 1993, I saw hope on the faces of Nigerians. As a country we saw light at the end of the tunnel but the light faded away, very quickly.

In 2012 we remain in the tunnel, led by useless rulers like Jonathan and ruled over by corrupt Ministers, corrupt governors and armed robber legislators as confirmed by Obasanjo.

Hope is gone?

Related post:
https://aderinola.wordpress.com/2007/06/05/june-12-1993-just-like-yesterday

 

Stupid Rulers of Nigeria: How to Honour MKO Abiola

/ Adeola / Leave a comment

By Adeola Aderounmu

You don’t honour a man like MKO Abiola by naming the prestigious University of Lagos after him. That is sheer stupidity. Goodluck Jonathan must be either out of his mind or senses.

If you want to honour Abiola, stop the corruption in Aso Rock and stop the corruption in all the government houses across Nigeria.

Honour Abiola by investing in, and promoting sport across Africa. He was the pillar of sports in Africa.
Maybe the return of Nigeria to regional government with power bases among the people will be a good way to honour MKO Abiola.

Maybe Goodluck Jonathan and all the politicians in Nigeria can stop stealing for a start to honour MKO Abiola.

Maybe one day we will have quality education and quality health services again. MKO will be honoured!

This stupid appeasement of naming the University of Lagos after Abiola is simply MADNESS that can only come from drunkards in Aso Rock. Nonsense and Ingredients!

Did General Abdulsalami Abubakar Kill Moshood Abiola, and How?

/ Adeola / 7 Comments

Adeola Aderounmu

There is a major news making rounds in Nigeria this week. The bottom line is that former Nigeria’s army Chief Security Officer (CSO), Major Hamza al-Mustapha is saying that General Abdulsalami Abubakar ordered the killing of MKO Abiola.

MKO Abiola won the June 12 presidential election but he was never the president of Nigeria because Babangida, one of Nigeria notorious ex-dictators annulled the election.

This, the murder charge, is not a new development per se. However this time Mustapha promised to produce evidence to support his claim.

Actually we are tired of his talking. Let him produce the evidence or forever remain silent and in prison for the evil that he participated in during the dark days of military regimes.

This is not the first time the Nigerian government has been accused of state murders. Babangida is widely alleged to have killed Dele Giwa and Obasanjo is alleged to have sponsored the PDP murder of Bola Ige.

And all these murderers have never been investigated for possible prosecution.

What a country?