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When the imperious and colourful Roman dictator, Emperor Julius Caesar, was stabbed severally by conspirators led by his bossom friend, Marcus Brutus, after defying the “Ides of March” warning, he gasped for life, and with vacant, hollow, fixated eyes, he uttered his last words, “et tu Brute?” (Latin for “and you, Brutus?” It was believed that Caesar’s closest friend, Marcus Brutus’s stab was “the most unkindest cut of all”, for “Caesar dearly loved him”. Shakespeare tells us that “when the noble Caesar saw him stab, ingratitude, more strong than the traitors’ arms, quite vanquished him, then burst his mighty heart”.
It is from this perspective I view the action of our hardworking Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo, SAN’s unfortunate intervention in Emir Sanusi’s investigation by the Kano State House of Assembly, as one of indiscretion.
Make no mistake about it: cerebral Sanusi is one monarch very dear to my heart. He has refused to be weighed down by his royal turban, or be circumscribed by the royal blood that runs through his veins, to ignore the plight of the common man and woman. He has been speaking , screaming and pontificating against the ills of the society, bad governance, warped democracy and the apparent directionlessness of the country, in a way and manner that would make Martin Luther King Jnr, or Chief Gani Fawehinmi, green with envy from their graves.
For his brutal frankness and outspokenness, Emir Sanusi has enlisted the anger of the State Governor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, who promptly set the State’s Public Complaints and Anti-corruption Commission and House of Assembly, after him. They were ordered to probe him of serial corruption allegations involving alleged embezzlement of over N6 Billion Kano Emirate Council funds; mismanaging Kano state’s resources while on a trip to China; tarnishing the image of the Emirate by assigning his daughter to represent him at a public function; introducing strange religious issues; involvement in politics; and alleged offensive remarks about proposed Kano light rail project.
It is with respect to the Acting President’s alleged intervention, in concert with other eminent Nigerians, such as the Sultan, IBB, Abdulsalami and Dangote, that worries me. It worries me because a “whole President” is said to be involved in stopping further investigations into alleged corruption allegations when he should actually crusade for a full blown investigation that could lead to total exoneration or culpability. For the other involved Nigerians, why not? But, for Nigeria’s President? Absolutely no.
The sour taste it leaves in our mouths is that, although all animals are equal in this anti-corruption ‘war’, some, like in George Orwell’s Animal Farm, ‘are more equal than others’. I would have preferred Osinbajo allowing the investigation go the whole hog. The abrupt termination of the investigation, especially by the Kano State House of Assembly, on the grounds of the Emirs “personal remorse”, and because “Governor Ganduje has explained everything to us and we are convinced that the Emir deserved to be forgiven since he has accepted his mistakes and promised not to repeat them again”, sound too pedestrian for a Government’s flagship project.
So, corruption allegations automatically abate, “because we also want peace and harmony to continue in our dear state”, and “because we want the government, the Emirate Council and the House to continue to work peacefully,”? Haba!
Or, are we now to believe that the governor was merely on a vendetta mission? Surely, this is not how to fight corruption. The entire scenario stinks of compromise and the “unkindest cut” of the jugular of the anti-corruption mantra.
The Igbos are under siege in their country
I am shocked that the Igbos are not speaking up at the apparent siege laid on their land by uniformed person of different categories. They range from Army, Navy, Police, Civil Defence, Customs, FRSC, etc. My journey had taken me by road from Isele-Mkpitime, where I had gone to pay tribute to a Nigerian icon, Chief (Dr) P.K.C. Isagba, the Odogwu of Isele-Mkpitime. He was one of the first Nigerians to believe in my ability as a young fledgling lawyer. I had been handling his cases whilst at Chief Gani Fawehinmi’s Chambers. When I left as Deputy Head to set up my practice in January 1986, Chief Isagba personally went to Chief Gani Fawehinmi, to allow him move his files to me, to continue handling his cases; a request the amiable and selfless Gani granted immediately. So, Chief Isagba became my first major client as a tottering practising lawyer, trying to find my groggy feet. He became my bossom friend and elder brother.
My journey from Isele-Mkpitime, through Asaba, to Port-Harcourt, told me clearly that the entire Igbo land is locked down in a physical, psychological and mental siege, reminiscent of a civil war time.
When the Civil War ended January 15, 1970, the then military ruler, General “Jack” Yakubu Gowon, who became Head of State, at 31 and a bachelor, proclaimed the three Rs: “Reconciliation, Reconstruction and Rehabilitation”, which heralded his policy of “No Victor, No Vanquished”. This was after the unfortunate failure of the 4th-5th January, 1967, of the “Aburi Accord”, that would have prevented the bloody war in which over 2 million civilians and 100, 000 military combatants were killed. Or, was it an historical mistake that these people who had already manufactured “Ogbunigwe” (series of weapons, that included detonation mines, IED, and rocket propelled missiles), with which they prosecuted the Nigeria – Biafra war between 1967 and 1970, were prevented from leaving Nigeria? Perhaps, we would today have had a Japan, Singapore or South Korea lying side by side a sprawling “giant of Africa” on clay legs.
These policies were meant to quickly heal the gaping wounds of the gruesome blood-letting, forget the horrors and evils of the fratricidal war and quickly reintegrate the Igbos into the society.
But, have these hardworking, gregarious “Jews” of Nigeria been reconciled, rehabilitated and reintegrated into the mainstream of the Nigerian society? I doubt it. Simple proof: show me any Igbo man in today’s all powerful cabal kitchen cabinet of PMB’s Government. My journey from Isele-Mkpitime, Delta State, through Asaba, Onitsha, Oba, Oraifite, Okija, Ihiala, Mgbidi, Awomama, Owerri, Aba to Port-Harcourt, was a strangulating reminder that the Igbos, inspite of their unquantifiable contributions to the commerce, industry and innovations that drive the non-oil sector of the Nigerian economy and give it oxygen, are nearly a conquered people. The check-points along the above stretch of road are nauseating and asphyxiating, as the security agencies, including para-military ones out-do each other to harass, torment, search, intimidate and extort money from travelers.
Earlier journeys by road (I travel a lot on professional duties), had shown me the same siege through countless roadblocks: Enugu, through the Ugwogo Nike-Opi-Nsukka Road; Amansea in Awka-Ugwuoba Oji River; Nnewi, Alor, Ekwulobia, Amesi, Ugar, Umuchu; Okigwe, Awgu and Ituku Ozalla, Umuahia and Isiala-Ngwa, on Enugu-Port Harcourt expressway. On the Umuahia-Ikot Ekpene highway, you have exasperating road blocks at Michael Okpara University junction; Isingwu-Nkweogwu junction of the Isuikwuato-Uzuakoli-Ajayi-Igbere road; and the 14 Brigade Army barracks junction at the Ohafia-Arochukwu highway.
As you are crossing one check point, a mere look ahead of you, of less than half a kilometer, will reveal another barricade. It is all so frustrating. There is no war, or security breach. South East is not North East where Boko Haram still calls the shots (forget about Government’s pet words of “we have degraded Boko Haram”; Boko Haram is still very potent, controlling large areas, killing and maiming people on a daily basis. Their representative said that much at the 2nd May, 2017, Re-Union meeting of the 2014 National Conference delegates at Daar Communications Centre, Abuja, where I delivered the keynote address).
Yet, in this Boko Haram-ravaged region, you would not find this armada of security, treating the entire geo-political zone made up of five states (the least in Nigeria; some others have seven states), like a conquered territory.
It is only the recent suit by my good friend, Olisa Agbakoba, SAN, (six of us founded the Civil Liberties Organization (CLO) – the first human rights body in Nigeria-on 15th October, 1987), over “marginalisation of the South East region”, that has perhaps brought to the front burner, these disturbing tons of injustice. That is why no one can ignore Nnamdi Kanu and his IPOB, Ralph Uwazurike’s MASSOB, etc, agitating for self –determination, a right sanctioned and recognised even by the UNO.
These fully armed and trigger-happy security personnel have never taken steps to protect the Igbo race, against rampaging Fulani Herdsmen that raid their homes, to maim, kill and rape their wives (remember Nimbo in Uzo Uwani LGA in Enugu State). They have never repelled the incessant reign of terror by armed robbers, kidnappers, hired assassins and murderers. No, they are stationed there for three main reasons: (1) check the bid for self determination by the Igbos; (2) extort money from the wealthy and poor Igbo traders who ply these routes; (3) remind the Igbos that the all powerful Federal Government is on ground to silence the people and force them to toe their ruling party line. Wait a minute; is that why some prominent Igbos, including erstwhile leaders, members of the BOT and two-time Governors for eight years under PDP, have been outdoing each other to decamp to a non-performing and fundamentally flawed party like the APC? Let me end this piece by recommending to the Ndigbos, the legendary Hubert Ogunde’s immortal words, in his most famous 1964 play, “Yoruba Ronu” (“Yorubas, think”), a stinging satire that got his theatre company banned, which ban was later lifted in 1966, by the new military Governor.
Ndigbos, cheenu echiche (Igbos, think).
The gathering rumours of a military coup: Give democracy a chance
The recent gathering rumours of a possible military coup is not only worrisome, but is quite disturbing. It is not only the floundering APC party that should condemn and resist such an ignoble misadventure as alleged; but the entire beleaguered Nigerian citizenry will rise up and defend our hard earned democracy by resisting any intrusive military “Kakistocracy”, (rulership by the worst, least qualified and most unscrupulous persons). To be sure, the worst form of democracy is absolutely better than, and preferable to, the most benevolent military dictatorship. The recent startling revelations of hemorrhaging pilfering, crass barbaric and primitive acquisition of our national wealth and common patrimony, by the military class, has shown the military to be even worse and more satanically luciferous than our thieving kleptomaniac political class.
The military has proven itself to be a horrifically sad amalgam and complete negative approximation of the entire 1999 constitutional three arms of government joined together, and which some creative minds have derisively labelled as Legisllooters (Legislature, section 4); Executhieves (Executive, section 5); and the Judisharing (Judiciary, section 6).The luxuriating gigantic iroko tree that has today become Nigeria’s endemic and cancerous corruption was conceived, incubated, planted, watered, nurtured, manured, cultivated and weaned by successive rampaging military juntas. Because despotic military does not possess democratic blood in its autocratic veins of brute force, it can never give democracy (government of the people, by the people and for the people-US president, Abraham Lincoln, in his 19th November, 1863 Gettysburg Declaration).
The hallowed principle is “nemo dat quod non habet” (no one can give what he does not possess). But, make no mistake about the rumours. There can hardly be any smoke without fire. Lt-General Tukur Buratai, Army Chief of Staff, is quite worried: he made it public. Remember that the military has never ever written to, nor received a sweet-heart love letter of invitation from, their collaborative political class, before striking. Before they strike, they watch the inclement season of anomie, the debilitating political and socio-economic environment of the particular time, the pervasive disillusionment, the haplessness and total hopelessness of the suffering hoi polloi, the smoldering flames of divisiveness and schism deliberately engendered and engineered by politicians in the polity, etc. They strike on fertile soil. When Gideon Orka’s coup did not meet such fertile soil on April 22, 1990, it was crushed. While calling for thorough investigation into this alarming scenario and the proactive smoking out of all possible culprits, my panacea remains that politicians who find themselves in government must deliver to Nigerians the positive “change” and democracy dividends they were promised. The greatest antidote against coups is good governance, not moral platitudes and sentimental sermons. After all, the maxim is “pacta sunt servanda” (agreements must be respected). Even among robbers, there is honour and dignity in sharing.
Thought for the week
“Our goal of poverty eradication and of inclusive growth that embraces the disadvantaged and marginalised sections of the society can be achieved when our actions are guided by a social conscience and are not devoid of sensitivity”. (Pratibha Patil).
