BEFORE THE COOKIE CRUMBLES

THE TRUTH MUST BE TOLD
Before the Cookie Crumbles








“Nigeria is regularly ranked as one of the world’s most corrupt nations. Although several top figures have recently been dismissed from office and dragged to court, no senior public official has been found guilty in court for corruption since Olusegun Obasanjo was voted in as president in 1999.”-Scotman.com

I have warned of the looming dangers of civil disobedience in Nigeria. Because, I have been on location in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria where I have witnessed the lawlessness of the Federal Government of Nigeria in the persistent violations of the fundamental human rights of the people of the Niger Delta region.

The President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Chief. Olusegun Obasanjo has no respect for the Rule of Law and also indulges in corrupt practices while pretending to combat corruption. The President has so many proxies fronting for him and his corrupt political party, the so-called Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) the largest political party in Africa and also the most corrupt. The PDP is more despotic than democratic and the hallmarks of the PDP are Nepotism, Thuggery, Misadministration, Misappropriation, Bribery and Corruption in all the sectors of the government. And the criminal agents and proxies of the ruling party continue in their corrupt practices with impunity. While their chieftain goes about in the masquerade of Anti-Corruption. But, the international community is not fooled by such hypocrisy and the gullibility of the majority of the citizens of Nigeria who are mostly the poor masses without any form of empowerment to challenge the corrupt ruling party. The tragic occurrences of politically motivated assassinations and riots since 1999 to date have made the international community to question the legitimacy of the ruling party and to doubt the credibility of the Nigerian government.

The international community knows most of the corrupt Nigerian State governors with foreign bank accounts in America and Europe and the various foreign investments procured with stolen money from Nigeria. And they have been using these misappropriated funds to purchase real estate in exclusive High Brow locations in the UK, US and other parts of the world. They also use proxies to buy up Lion’s Shares in various banks in Nigeria.

I have had the opportunities of direct and indirect relationships with many of these corrupt rulers of Nigeria from 1987 to date. So, I have been following their trail for years. I don’t know any of the so called Nigerian billionaires that could be innocent of corruption, because all of them are government contractors and none of the major government contractors in Nigeria is innocent of the crimes of bribery and corruption in Nigeria. Including all the Telecom operators and their multinational collaborators and the multinational oil and gas companies and their Nigerian collaborators. If they were in China or Japan, they would have been arrested and convicted. But, in Nigeria, they are the lords of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. A Conference of Criminals in power and the President of Nigeria is their Chairman.
The President is also the leading extortionist and also the Minister of Tourism and Petroleum resources among other questionable positions. He has his fingers dipped and soiled in so many pies in Nigeria. And he continues with shameless effrontery and debauchery.

Investigations have shown that the government has failed to serve the best interests of the majority of Nigerians and only serves the interest of the corrupt oligarchy controlling the reins of political power in Nigeria.

No amount of irresponsible posturing and hypocrisy can fool the international community, because they are well informed that we have No Confidence in the government of Nigeria.

How can you trust a President that habours one of the most notorious war criminals in the world. named Charles Taylor, the wanted warlord from Liberia whom we know has fraudulent business relationships with some highly placed Nigerians who have decided to grant him safe refuge in Nigeria.

I mean imagine the criminal implications of accommodating a wanted serial killer and armed robber and ruthless terrorist. And that is exactly what President Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria is doing by habouring Charles Taylor who is wanted for his crimes against humanity and also for his crimes in the United States of America. So, how corrupt could one be before one could be indicted and convicted?

As far as I am concerned in true justice, both partners in crime should be arrested and arraigned for public trial in an international court of justice.

This present Nigerian government is even worse than the worst military government in the history of Nigeria.

The collapse of the public schools in Nigeria and the terrible state of the medical facilities and deplorable services have made the majority of the people to feel depressed and irresponsible. Because the indignities of poverty have reduced the value of human life in Nigeria with the falling standards of modern education, health care, civil service and governance.

The government is not a democracy, but an oligarchy controlled by private contractors and their multinational collaborators that are exploiting both the mineral resources and human resources in Nigeria for their own selfish aggrandizement and bourgeois establishment.

I have to speak the truth and damn the wrath of the enemies of human progress.

I reject the corruption and the travesty of democracy and governance in Nigeria. And I reject the perpetrators of the evils plaguing Nigeria. The sooner they leave the corridors of power, the better Nigerians would be.

Where there is no justice, there will be no peace.


EKENYERENGOZI MICHAEL CHIMA, June 13, 2005.
HAVE YOU READ, "THE TRUTH MUST BE TOLD: Before the Cookie Crumble." on the NIGERIAN TIMES on http://bloggercrab.com/blogs/?u=OSINACHI?

DEAR CAMEO JOEY

THE TROUBLE WITH AFRICA

A Political Dialogue Between Cameo Joey an American intellectual and Orikinla Osinachi an African Writer in May 2005.
This discussion has been published on line on the Current Affairs Board in the open forum of www.ukraine.com
……………………………………………………………………………
Hi,The trouble with Africa is such a long list that I cannot start to explain it, but I will speak on some of the critical issues of what is happening.Last year in Moscow, Russia, 40 or so students were executed by a fire disaster in a dormitory that was set ablaze and locked as to not let the African students escape. The action was a murder of innocent students who were considered the cream of the crop from Africa. Maybe they were the ones with money rather than the cream? The dormitory was nothing special and some Russians did not like the cream of the crop. It seems the conditions were not too good anyway, but the fire was arson and it was murder.
Africans are warned to beware in the subways after dark, as they could be stabbed, robbed, etc. what are the problems in Africa? Too many to list.Africa has not contributed much to humanity as history and text will show. Not many if any inventions. Little or no donations to other countries of the world. Millions of deaths caused by AIDS, which cost the civilized world billions of dollars.

Africa does not provide or contribute to the world in hardly any area.We read about Africa and it's problems. We read about Africa and the lack of progress. We read about how Africa needs your money. Africa needs money, but nothing is ever achieved by giving Africa money.
The French have ruled many parts of Africa for years. The Belgians have ruled Africa too. You can name many countries that have run Africa and you can see Europeans ran the slave trade with permission of the Africans. What other countries do you see selling their people with no regard in history as Africa has done?What does the future hold for Africa? Lots more of the same as history shows us is what Africa has to look for. List me the nations in Africa who have good or even almost good economies, health standards, clean prisons or hospitals, etc. Okay, just see if you can start a list and if you can, are those places created by Africans and is the money coming from Africa?

Africa has failed for hundreds of years and I dare say nothing will change, because as long as corruption and (NO UNITY) for any and every cause exists, then the same things will take place.Maybe Osi can blame America for the failures of Africans but anyone with half a brain will understand Africa is a failure because of Africans.

Camster.


Cameo Joey,

You are wrong to say Africa has not contributed to the advancement of human civilization when Africa is in fact the cradle of human civilization. The Nubians ruled ancient Egypt for centuries and developed the foundation of Mathematics and Sciences.

In fact, researches have confirmed that we taught the ancient Greek scholars.Lest, I bore you with the typical Osinachi's fables, simply log on http://www.emeagwali.com, the web site of the intelligentsia of the African Genius.Dr. Philip Emeagwali is the super genius of the Internet and Dr. Oyibo has solved the Unified Law of Relativity discovered by Albert Einstein. Dr. Oyibo is being nominated for the Nobel Prize.Both geniuses are from Nigeria. And Prof. Bart Nnaji who is one of the top seven masters of Robotics in the world is also a Nigerian.There is also Dr. Bankole Olowofoyeku who is a computer genius about to launch a new revolutionary operating system.We have our own totally made in Nigeria Computer called ZINOX.The names will make a long list.Just log on http://www.emeagwali.com and read about all our achievements and contributions to the advancement of modern civilization.I don't want to mention Literature where we have won over four NOBEL PRIZES since 1986 when my elder compatriot Prof. Wole Soyinka won it first and my contemporary writer Ben Okri who has won the BOOKER PRIZE in the UK will win another NOBEL PRIZE in literature in the future. No matter what Petro, SRD and clique think, if God keeps me alive for four more decades, I will most likely win the NOBEL PRIZE in Literature. I have eight novels, ten volumes of plays and four anthologies and TOLSTOI has inspired me since my first book was published in 1987. And the book "Children of Heaven" has become a classic. We have great inventions you are ignorant of.

Not Much

Hi,

The cradle of civilization is no more and to deal with the dynamics of how humans evolved would be interesting if we had all the answers.You listed four Nobel Laureates, but if you check the records that would make about one percent of the awards given. In regards to INVENTIONS you will find that out of 270 major ones, the Americans have about 60% or 70% with the English and other Europeans rounding out the rest.There are a few things you could mention, but not so many, my friend and that are just the simple truth.As far as geniuses go, it's not hard to find them all over the world. The difference in the genius is not what makes the contribution but rather the WORK.So the Dutch colonized Africa along with the English, French, Belgians and a host of others? Right?

After the civilization took place, then what have the Africans done with it? Can you show me a good economy? I can show Nigeria as a great oil producer who pays its workers no money other than less than minimum wage and few people take the rest. With all the dollars involved in that country, it remains poverty stricken and a terrible mess.As usual Africa begs for money while they have money. African governments squander anything and everything they have or are given and in the name of hope and a future they turn to me and ask for my donations for hungry children. At the same time they have more oil than TEXAS and more poverty than the poorest countries of South America. Can you explain the logical and stupidity involved here? I can explain it and the problem always falls to culture, greed, brutality, stupidity, and ignorance.Top

Dollar

When a country comes into Nigeria and goes fishing as you put it, it means they are doing business right? They are doing legal business and paying good money for the oil right?
What Nigeria does with the money is Nigeria's problem as it seems and the poor situation cannot be blamed on any western country because they are paying the going rate for the oil. These western countries do not have ANYTHING to do with how the money is paid to workers right? These western countries are just buying a product. It's the same old problem where the failures of a people with ample monies and business cannot give the average citizen anything in return other than a few dollars per hour.

I doubt you want the UN to come in and tell Nigeria to be fair? I doubt you want western countries to point out the problem? This would be just another excuse to blame America, Britain, France, and a host of other countries for your own failures. Have you ever wondered why the western countries don't want to deal with Africa on a large scale? It's because the corruption, murder, riots, etc. This is something you can try to blame on America but it will never work and only aid the corruption level that already exists.


Dear Cameo Joey,

As I noted earlier that your analysis of the trouble with Africa was factual and I actually passed on your points of view to the appropriate authorities that often think I am over-critical of the government whenever I make the same observations.

I will not want to totally say the advanced countries are not guilty of the problems in Africa. They have been very much involved in the governance of the peoples of Africa directly or indirectly through their proxies.

The Western Conspiracy cannot be dismissed. As Dr. Matthias Rath noted in his critical document I have called the MATTHIAS RATH REPORT reported as "THE UNITED NATIONS COMMITTED SUICIDE" on my web site, http://www.nigeriantimes.bravehost.com. There is an economic and political manipulation and exploitation of Africa. And I can attest to this fact, because I have been engaged in projects done by the USAID and the UNICEF in Nigeria.

Most of the programs sponsored are only meant for Social Marketing of Western Products and Services. For example, the so called HIV/AIDS Aid to Africa is to export shipments of HIV/AIDS Drugs and Condoms to Africa to be paid for in the long run and the so called "Roll Back Malaria" program is meant to export anti-malaria drugs manufactured in America and Western Europe to African countries.

The World Bank and IMF give us loans to be used for projects contracted to American and Western European multinational companies.

For example, I live in the NIGERIA LNG Estate that has been rated as the most developed town in West Africa. But outside the town is an underdeveloped Bonny town. The multinational oil and gas companies could have developed the remaining parts of Bonny Island, but they only built the estate to their taste, because they are going to live there. The places the Americans and Europeans live in Africa are as good as anywhere in America and Europe. And their African cronies live there with them, while the rest of the millions of the poor majority live in the ghettoes all around them.

They want to perpetuate the poverty, because the poor masses provide them the cheap labour they need, such as drivers, messengers, office assistants, houseboys and house girls and other forms of servile labour. Our Police and Army barracks look like Concentration Camps in the USSR. You can see up to 100 people sharing two toilets in a block of single rooms in Police barracks in Nigeria.

I know a Nigerian soldier who was recruited when he was an unmarried man and his single room accommodation has not changed since he got married and started to raise his family. My friend George who is from the Niger Delta has been living in the same single room since 1995 when he was still single to date that he is now married with five children. And his status has not improved and the government has not factored the need to have different accommodations for young officers with wives and children, regardless of their rank and file.

How can police officers with a family of six live in a single room for 10 years?

The UN has many agencies claiming responsibilities for social welfare services they don't render in Africa. More millions of dollars are spent on workshops in five star hotels and accommodating UN Staff in posh houses in reserved areas than the amount spent on the medical services provided for the deprived children and women they often advertise on public billboards and on CNN as the beneficiaries of the billions of dollars American and European countries have donated. But as a former UNICEF Consultant and also a consultant for the USAID, I know how they wasted millions of the billions of dollars in Africa. In 1988, when I was a UNICEF Consultant, I was accommodated in a double suite in a five star hotel in Nigeria. And I asked what do I need a double suite for? Just for only me? So, I had the luxury of jumping from one bed to the other and there was also room service at my beck and call. What the UNICEF spent to pay my bills in one week could have provided a borehole for water supply for a village of 200 Hausas in Maiduguri, Nigeria.

The UN and US and allies are collaborators and accomplices in the economic and political exploitation of Africa.

We want to change all the corrupt leaders and rulers in Africa by peace or by force.

If they won't repent, they will perish.

I am ready to sacrifice my life for the revolution that will bring about the transformation of my people for our common good.

The days of reckoning are coming.
Yes, they are around the corner.

The die is cast.

May God help us?

BASANGA, CHICHI, CZAMANI AND DEMBEREZA

BASANGA, CHICHI AND DEMBEREZA

Basanga - 11:18 AM ET June 27, 2005 (#3428 of 3430)


Where do we go? What can I do?

I am a young African perplexed by the problems facing Africans, and blacks around the world. I think that the main obstacle to development for Africans and blacks in general is themselves. I remember in my sophomore year I attended a pro-black meeting in Philadelphia held my black Americans to “discus” (black people love to do this) the prevailing problems in the community. The whole meeting was a blaming session, it was white oppression that’s holding us back, it was the new immigrants (especially the Asians) that were taking all the jobs and opportunities that should be the African Americans and funny enough it was also mentioned that African immigrants were also at fault because they were industrious and taking their opportunities.


Does this sound similar? When will we be ready to take responsibility for our failures? I am not down playing the role colonialism played or how detrimental slavery was, but we also have a part to play in our own failure or success.

”I REPEAT AGAIN THAT THE EVILS OF WHAT GREEDY AND WICKED AFRICAN RULERS AND EMPLOYERS ARE DOING TO THEIR FELLOW AFRICANS IN AFRICA ARE WORSE THAN ALL THE EVILS THAT AFRICANS SUFFERED DURING THE WESTERN COLONIZATION OF AFRICA.” (Chichi316 - 11:34 AM ET June 26, 2005)


For years now the UN and western countries have poured billions of dollars into Africa. But we are no better off than we were before the aid. Is the problem really that there is a lack of aid or that the ruling minority has not been using these funds adequately. I think the answer is obvious even to a layman. The main question is what can we do to install a government that is working with the people’s interest at hand? And I think that’s the hardest question to answer. Can economic development occur where there is no real democracy, freedom of speech, respect for the law and human rights? I think that Africa’s record indicates the answer is no. The reason why western countries are so successful is because these elements are present. I think that for the next ten years the UN, western countries, and most importantly Africans and black people in general should try and focus on how to move towards real democracy.


I am young and had the opportunity to be educated abroad I want to be active in reconstructing Africa, but this task seems so daunting. I am sick and tired of talking, and want to take action. But where do we start. What can I do without risking my life?


Dembereza - 3:04 PM ET June 27, 2005 (#3429 of 3430)

Robert Mugabe Is A True Son Of Africa!!!


Chichi, You know what, pal? I am beginning to suspect that you ARE a White Man pretending to be an African. I think you are some White "farmer" from Zimbabwe whose land has been Africanized or you are one of the millions of white people around the globe who have learned how to parrot anti-Mugabe insults in defense of your now-landless brethren in Zimbabwe. White people are TRIBAL, you know. They stick together through thick and thin. They are no different than other peoples when it comes to tribalism. Thus you will find newspapers in Toronto, New York and London reporting the same news of a dead white man in Africa just because the dead white man was a victim of African violence. In the same day the newspapers in Toronto, London and New York report the violent end of the lone white man in Africa, perhaps hundreds of other people died but their death goes unreported. Goes to show you how tribal white people are. So are you white or black Chichi? Stop lying and confess. Have the balls to confess!!!


chichi316 - 6:16 AM ET June 28, 2005 (#3430 of 3430)


AFRICA IS TOO BLESSED TO BE DEPRESSED!


Dembereza,

Why not listen to the voice of Basanga, the voice of reason?


You said White folks stick together! No wonder they are united and are ahead of us.

Why can't we Africans stick together like the White folks do?

Africans are not united. They behave like tortoise and the fox.

Look at what Czamani said in truth about how Nigeria wants to kiss the white arse of the White man in order to win the favours of the White man?

THE OAU WAS USELESS AND THE AFRICAN UNION IS NOT BETTER.


Basanga my brother, we can do it.
We can make Africa to be a world leader and not a world beggar.

I mentioned Donald Duke a Young African state governor in Nigeria who is making us proud of our human and mineral resources. Because, he is making good use of our resources to develop his state Cross Rivers State in Nigeria. And if Donald Duke can do it, then others can do it.

I am a writer/publisher and TV/Film producer and I am engaged in sustainable human development. Both the French Government supports our NGO and sensible Nigerians like the publisher of the OVATION International magazine and others like Dr. Pat Utomi. And we have resolved to reject all the enemies of progress in Nigeria and to denounce them.

But, they don't want to leave public office. And we have resolved to get rid of them. Because, if we don't destroy their evils, their evils will destroy us.

Africans must unite to build a new Africa in the leadership of the world.

Africa can survive without any Western Aid.

Africa has all the human and mineral resources to be independent and self-reliant, without begging the G-8 for any Aid or loan.

Africa is too blessed to be depressed.

We are too blessed to be stressed.



Dembereza - 12:51 PM ET June 28, 2005 (#3431 of 3435)

Robert Mugabe Is A True Son Of Africa!!


Chichi,
You used the word "Basanga" in your post. It sounds more like a Congolese word than a Nigerian word. Are you sure you are from Nigeria? Are you sure you are not an OREO (White On The Inside and Black On The Outside, if it must be spelled out for you!) or a true white man? Why did you use a Congolese word when you say you are from Nigeria?


Czamani - 10:56 PM ET June 28, 2005 (#3432 of 3435)
(In response to Basanga.)

You are right that progress in Africa will never come without democracy taking hold. I must caution you though, do not mistake the notion of democracy advanced by Indo-Europeans as true democracy for in fact it is the opposite. Democracy as Indo-Europeans would like us to practice includes liberalizing markets, lowering labor protection and environmental standards and allowing Indo-Europeans to form the core of the propertied class on the continent. Popular will, when it opposes the free movement of wealth out of Africa and into Indo-European hands is always opposed by the western capitalist oligarchies that make no excuse for their rampant racism.

They will not ever say directly that they are opposed to the will of the majority of the people, but if you read between the lines and decode their cryptic speech the truth is there for all to see. For example: leaders such as Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe and Hugo Chavez of Venezuela are routinely referred to as resorting to "populism" to stay in power... well let us analyze what they are saying to us... if resorting to "populism" means doing what is popular for political expediency then is this not democracy in the very purest essence of the word? Is not democracy when leadership does that which the majority of people would like them to do.... that which is popular or the popular will of the people? Right or wrong.... in a country where the vast majority of the population are poor, landless and Black does it not make sense that it would be the popular will to evict the greedy white landowners from their stolen farms and return them to rightful owners? A simply exercise of logic typically exposes the lies, deceit and hypocrisy of the evil-hearted. Even whites acknowledge that Robert Mugabe has massive popularity with the majority of the Blacks in all of Southern Africa.... Zimbabwe, South Africa, Zambia, Mozambique, Botswana, Namibia, Lesotho, Swaziland and Malawi. How then does one explain how it is s threat to democracy if he is in power? That Mugabe is so popular not only with his own compatriots but also widely within the region is a testament to the core principle of democracy... yet the Indo-Europeans will continue to cry "populism" as if this is something to disparage. Secondly democracy is more than just showing up to vote every 5 years, democracy involves social and economic freedom and participation as well as political freedom. Democracy cannot exist in a situation where a small racist minority controls the economy from racially exclusive boardrooms that do not ask for a vote from their labor force, much less the general population before they engage in job elimination, wage decreases, or projects that threaten the environment.

Western governments and their Black puppet leaders in some African countries conveniently ignore that there is no democracy involved in running the economy. Yet they parrot democracy as something that we must learn from them while not ever engaging in that magic word again: "populism".

The great Vietnamese revolutionary Ho Chi Minh approached Winston Churchill early in his political development before becoming a communist to tell him that he admired the tenets of democracy and would like that form of government for his fellow Vietnamese.... Winston Churchill responded to him by stating that democracy was for whites, not "coolies" like him and that he should remember his place, this so incensed Ho Chi Minh and contributed to his development as a stalwart opposed to the Indo-Europeans perverted view of democracy. This is a true story and not a myth.

During this same period (the second European war) and soon thereafter, the United States was claiming to be fighting Hitler, and later fighting communism to spread democracy, at the very same time Blacks were being beaten, jailed, bombed, raped, hung from trees, and attacked by dogs for demanding their right to vote and be included in the so-called democracy that America was supposedly spreading to the planet.

Czamani - 10:58 PM ET June 28, 2005 (#3433 of 3435)
(In response to Basanga.)
Part 2

More recently the United States has supported un-democratic regimes in Zimbabwe until the late 1970's (known at that time to the white supremacists as "Rhodesia") Today, the united states of ameriKKKa continues to denounce the "populism" of elected leaders such as Robert Mugabe and Hugo Chavez, while continuing to be a strong, silent ally of Aristocracies such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, and of coup-installed governments such as the illegal regime of Gerard Latortue in Haiti, none of these examples of government have anything to do with "rule by and for the people". So Basanga you are right that there is very little democracy in Africa, and I admire and support your desire to make a difference, I also am a young African (born a descendant of stolen Africans on north American soil) who wishes to make a difference on the continent of my ancestral origin.

I believe that the first step is to consolidate democracy on the continent. Specifically this involves requiring that leaders appeal to "populism" and cease being puppets of western governments and multinational corporations... or, as in some cases, direct operatives of foreign intelligence agencies... as was Mobutu. This is a first step, Chichi will attest to this, as much of the Nigerian elite are western puppets or "Oreos" as Dembereza would say. The second step is to re-appropriate national resources, which entails seizing property, businesses and natural resources from minority and multinational control and returning control of those resources to the majority. In this respect it can be said that the economy is being democratized by allowing the majority of the population to have a stake in ownership of economic assists. The resources need to be distributed evenly so that a true level playing field is created. Every person should have equal opportunity to succeed in life not just in theory but also in practice, and this necessitates a vast redistribution of wealth. Lastly, after "populist" leaders are installed, and wealth is redistributed to the majority, truly democratic nations must work together to ensure that they are not bullied into submission by the anti-democratic regimes and greedy corporations that characterize most of the western world... to this extent some progress is being made as evidenced by the African Union refusing to demonize Robert Mugabe at the behest of the white supremacist lobby and at the expense of dealing with real African crisis such as that happening in the DR Congo, Sudan and other places where instead of poor people worrying about having to move back to the country with their relatives because their filthy crime-ridden illegal slum was demolished, they have to worry about being hacked by a machete for simply existing. Thus, Basanga to contribute to the African renaissance which is already underway you and I and all other "true sons of Africa" should contribute to one, two or all three of the major objectives stated above... to recap:

1. Install populist leaders that will enact laws that are wanted by the popular will of the majority of the population, facilitating true political participatory democracy.

2. Reposes and redistribute, land, natural resources, businesses and other forms of wealth, including education, from the hands of multinational corporations and greedy minorities to the hands of the majority of the people, facilitating true economic democracy.

3. Defend your God-given right to control your own destiny and support the defense of other democratic countries from the assaults of the racists, the imperialists and the domestic African elitists.


Czamani - 10:59 PM ET June 28, 2005 (#3434 of 3435)
(In response to Basanga.)
Part 3

One final note... you ask how to do this without risking your life... such is impossible, freedom is never given voluntarily by the oppressors it must be taken by the oppressed. No African nation was born into independence without sacrifice. This is not to say that one should seek martyrdom, strive to live and thrive in spite of their assaults but understand that your very life is always at risk when you challenge the powerful and the wicked. Robert Mugabe is a great example as he will most certainly die of old age... others such as Patrice Lumumba and Samora Machel were not so fortunate, but their sacrifice enabled us to begin our journey towards redemption, but we still have a long way to go. It is youth such as you and I that must make the decision, I for one would rather die free than live as a slave... and though I do not seek martyrdom I understand that those who oppose the African renaissance, white or black, will not stand idly by. Nonetheless I plan to die of old age and I wish the same to you! Amandla... Awethu! (The power is ours.)


Chichi316 - 5:18 PM ET June 29, 2005 (#3435 of 3435)

Good Talk

Czamani Well articulated. That was quite a lecture on Black Consciousness and the restoration of Africa. The salient points of your essay are well noted. I hope we are not the only people in this forum. Because, the full benefits of your views would be better appreciated if more Africans know about them and they can also join in the sensitization and mobilization of the poor majority in Africa without much education to understand the values of your statements.

OH, CZAMANI! OH, AFRICA!

Czamani - 9:53 PM ET June 25, 2005 (#3421 of 3425)

Chichi,
Phew... that was something. I do not agree with the way in which your assessment of the ills of Africa was so absolute. I agree that many Africans in power rushed to be like their formal colonial rulers, turning their brethren into their servants, schooling their kids in the west and hiding money in foreign accounts. I do not agree that things are worse then they were during colonialism.

The facts just do not add up. Take Zimbabwe for example, at UDI in 1965 and now 40 years later. Look at indicators such as literacy, hospitals and clinics built, primary schools and universities, Black business ownership, Black political participation, universal suffrage, freedom of movement, and social mobility for Blacks. In all of these indicators the situation has vastly improved in Zimbabwe, look it up if you need confirmation of this truth. I think it is an insult that you should assert that things were better during colonialism. When was the last time the ANC government in South Africa rolled up on a group of school-children and opened fire, as did the racist apartheid government in Sharpsville and Soweto? The African nation-state by design is designed to fail as the borders and boundaries are artificial, dividing people that should be together and bringing together peoples that have been separate for many thousands of years. This in and of itself is problematic and leads to conflict. Make no mistake I am not an apologist for corruption in Africa or any other part of the world. But nothing is as absolute as you present it. Where is your analysis of African leadership successes, where is your consideration of external interventions, coups, and laboratory created epidemics?


When the Belgians dropped paratroopers over the Democratic Republic of Congo was this result of Patrice Lumumba's failure as a leader... or was it because the Belgians coveted the rich Katanga area? Did not the UK default on its Lancaster House agreement to finance land reform in Zimbabwe? Was it fellow Africans who dissolved Lumumba's body in acid... or was it two Belgian men? Was it another African-led nation that sabotaged the air traffic control signal that sent Samora Michel’s presidential plane crashing into a mountain or was that the apartheid government of South Africa. Was an African organizer and financier found to be behind the coup plot in equatorial guinea or was it Simon Mann, Nick Du Toit and Mark Thatcher?

You are absolutely correct in your analysis of much of the African elite... many just wanted to sip on gin and tonic by the poolside of their former "baas". But to point to a small band of African elitists that choose to mimic the cultural backwardness of Indo-Europeans as evidence of all that is wrong with the continent and African leadership is to over-simplify the situation and to ignore the very real element of neo-colonialism. Africa is the most diverse human group on the planet, so it disserves your argument to make such sweeping generalizations homogenizing so many different experiences and cultures. If the entire human family were a tree then people of African decent would be the roots, the trunk and the canopy, and the entirety of every single other race and culture on earth (all of those that left Africa: i.e. Indo-Europeans, Asians, native Americans, pacific islanders) would be represented by a single twig on one of the limbs of this tree.

Genetically, linguistically and culturally there is far more diversity within Africa then there is in the rest of the entire world. To site example: A Scottish person and a Pakistani are far more similar genetically than an Ibo person is to a Xhosa. Do not romanticize Africans as all similar in our beliefs and actions... good or bad. The Nigerian elite may have sold out their less fortunate compatriots, but this is not the reality everywhere, in every country and with every ruling-class on the continent. I'm afraid it is you now my friend who could benefit from some objectivity.


Czamani - 10:19 PM ET June 25, 2005 (#3422 of 3425)

Nigeria is not Africa

In my opinion Nigeria is one of the more corrupt African nation states on the continent. Citing Nigeria as an example of African leadership would inevitably lead one to conclude that Africa has no hope. And if all African leadership resembled that which resides in Nigeria I would probably throw myself from a tall building. This dialogue is actually very interesting to me because in my experience most Nigerians with whom I have discussions about Africa are exceedingly cynical about African leadership... and many trumpet the same notion as you do that things were better under colonialism.... well my friend perhaps you should invite the racists back if that is how you feel, so long as the white supremacists are content to just have Nigeria, who am I to say that you are wrong to want to be dominated by Indo-Europeans again... to each his own right? Just remind me never to travel to Nigeria, as the idea of being sold into slavery again does not particularly appeal to me. Nigeria has been lobbying the west for a seat on the UN security council while ignoring the opinions of other African states. Nigeria was the ONLY African state to side with the white commonwealth over the continued suspension of Zimbabwe. Nigeria RUSHED to invite the white farmers that were kicked out of Zimbabwe to their lands to set up shop. Many (not all) Nigerians that I meet here in the U.S. are staunch elitists who have no sense of solidarity with other Nigerians, other Africans, and defiantly show no love to us Africans that were born here in North America descendant of those stolen generations that were enslaved in the South.

Most Nigerians I know are cunning capitalists who make no apology for their belief in the accumulation of wealth at the expense of the greater economic security of the masses. So my friend, I hear you... and I validate your frustration with the Nigerian elite, because they have disappointed me time and time again with respect to their priorities. The Nigerian elite, to me represents the group in Africa that most closely resembles the cultural pathology of the average Indo-European. I am glad that I can dialogue with a Nigerian who is as disgusted with such behavior as I am. But alas Nigeria is not Africa. I feel very differently about the ruling classes of places like Tanzania, Mozambique, Angola, Zimbabwe, Ghana and Namibia. Perhaps you should relocate there so as to regain faith in our continent. Because without hope for our future where do we stand? I'll tell you... we stand on the edge of a tall building contemplating the jump.



Czamani,

Of course, Nigeria is not Africa.
My favourite African countries are Ghana, Botswana, Namibia and three other countries I am still evaluating.

Nigeria is the worst disappointment among African countries.

What you stated about Nigerians in the US and even in the UK is a fact.

But there is a new leadership coming up that will change all that. The year 2007 will determine the future of Nigeria.

I am not saying we should return to colonial rule. I am saying that we ought to have fared better.

Neo-Colonialism is not an excuse and the Western economic and political powers are not to blame for our failures and I can affirm this, because I have been a principal partner in the local and international agencies for human development. And it would be a horrible and terrible embarrassment to say we could be fooled by the Western powers for over 45 years since our independence to date.
Are we zombies?

I don't wish for even my worst enemies to be admitted in any public hospital in Nigeria or to study at any of the local government schools in Nigeria. The children of the greedy and wicked Nigerian oligarchy don't attend any of these state-run schools and they don't go to the public hospitals, because they are in horrible and terrible conditions. The have abandoned them for the millions of poor masses in order to condemn the poor masses to the state of despair, miserable and humiliated into a perpetual state of inferiority complex to make them educationally and politically disabled and handicapped, so that they will not be able to challenge their status quo and their ruling oligarchy. They now give their own children the best form of Western Education and medical services to give them undue advantage over the deprived children of the poor majority in order to perpetuate the state of poverty. So, their own generations will continue to control and dominate the public and private sectors of the state of Nigeria. In fact, only very few African countries are different from Nigeria. Since one in every five Africans is a Nigerian, Czamani, you can see the ratio of the catastrophic proportions of the debacle of the oracle of Africa and the tragedy of the African malady?

Africans must stop being the zombies of America and the rest of the members of the G-8.

Africans must also stop the deprivations and exploitations of their fellow Africans like what is happening in Zimbabwe now and similar horrible and terrible violations of human rights have been going on for decades in other countries in Africa.

It is bad enough for the White man to cheat and exploit me. But it is worse if my own fellow African or black also cheats and exploits me too.

I REPEAT AGAIN THAT THE EVILS OF WHAT GREEDY AND WICKED AFRICAN RULERS AND EMPLOYERS ARE DOING TO THEIR FELLOW AFRICANS IN AFRICA ARE WORSE THAN ALL THE EVILS THAT AFRICANS SUFFERED DURING THE WESTERN COLONIZATION OF AFRICA.

What is happening in Zimbabwe today and in the majority of African countries is the worst case of MAN'S INHUMANITY TO MAN SINCE THE HOLOCAUST OF THE WORLD WAR TWO.

I hereby rest my case in the hands of God who will judge us all.

AN ODE TO KAREN KING-ARIBISALA

"You see, you cannot negotiate truth: truth is truth because it is truth. You can't talk around it you know. Whether one sees it as a perversity or not I believe it is a perversity."

-KAREN KING-ARIBISALA

Truth is Truth

An Ode to Karen King-Aribisala

Yes, Lady Karen
I heard the echoes of the siren
But I stuck my fingers into my ears
Lest, I hear the echoes of my fears.
For if you hear her voice, you would be lost
So, I fled from pillar to post.
Until I saw you in the shade of the whispering palms
I saw you reciting the sacred verses of the Psalms
And I rushed to your side
To join you in the shade.

Like a butterfly to the rose flower
I was attracted to your petals
Like a wandering bee in search of nectar
I sniffed at the ribbons of your sandals.
Oh, fair lady from the heart of Guyana
Oh, divine muse of our Nirvana
Read to me the fables and the tales of the 9th heaven
And let my soul find peace in the heart of your haven.

LOOTERS OF NIGERIA

OWNERS OF NIGERIA SHARING THEIR NATIONAL CAKE
Then after taking the Lion's Shares, they leave the crumbs for the poor majority who they treat like their dogs.

OWNERS OF NIGERIA


-PART 2

Continued from http://www.dawodu.com/oduyela6.htm

By

Seyi Oduyela
seyioduyela@aol.com

August 24, 2004
Under Alhaji Shehu Shagari, the Chadian gendarmes invaded Borno State, and the government ordered the deployment of troops from the 3rd Armoured Division of the Nigerian Army to the borders in the North East. This action did not last long as smugglers in the Shagari's government mounted pressure on him to order the withdrawal of the troops, because the presence of the soldiers was preventing them from their smuggling.

Alhaji Shehu Shagari ordered the withdrawal of the troops but the General Officer Commanding the 3rd Armoured Division of the Nigerian Army, based in Jos knew it was not a wise decision to take, he declined until he was ordered by the Chief of Army Staff, then General Wushishi, the GOC reluctantly withdrew his men and that marked the beginning of the end of Alhaji Shehu Shagari's government. This man was General Muhammadu Buhari.

The support of all officers was needed and this group led by Buhari set out to get as many people as they could to their side. There was a man they needed and someone was sent to him. Domkat Bali was the man and the man who went to discuss the coup possibility was Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida. Bali had told Babangida to still give the politicians time to sort themselves out; but after the 1983 election, Buhari met with Bali on the latter's way to Langtang, he raised the issue of the coup again, it was then it became clear to Bali that Babangida was just delivering message, Bali of course consented and few days later, they struck.
One thing that was not clear to Buhari and others was that there was another coup within their own coup. The position of the Chief of Army Staff was for Bako, the man who was to deliver Shagari, but Babangida was also interested in that same position. He knew why he wanted it. It was to position himself for eventual take over from Buhari. All the General Officers Commanding report to the Chief of Army Staff that was the chain of command before 1985. They do not report to the Head of state or President directly, and to succeed in any coup, you need these GOCs, since they are in direct contact with the soldiers and whatever may be needed for the coup, in terms of troops, weapons and ammunitions. To displace Bako, a plan was hatched to bring someone in to coordinate the coup in Abuja, the man now a Senator was recalled from Harare where he was serving, though he was to coordinate the coup in Abuja, his actual mission was to stop Bako.

Eventually Bako died in the coup allegedly shot from the back. But no one ever queried that. That he was shot from the back showed clearly that he did not die during gun battle but was killed. It was a case of a coup within a coup.

At the early stage of the coup planning, Ibrahim Babangida was sent to General Domkat Bali, to feel the latter's pulse. Bali advised him to give the civilian time to sort themselves out. To Bali it was Babangida who was planning the coup, but it dawned on him that Babangida was not the man behind the coup but an errand boy. He was on his way to Langtang and he stopped over to say hi to the GOC 3rd Armoured Division, Jos, Buhari was the GOC and it was then that Buhari now asked Bali again if it was time to strike, this is about the end of 1983 and Bali said yes. They struck and Shagari was removed. Bali was in that government, though he was the most senior officer, Babangida was made the Chief of Army Staff.
Some of Babangida's seniors were forced to retire because they could not stand him being their chief, but they paid dearly for it.
Zamani Lekwot was one of them, and this was why he was arrested for the Sango Kataf crisis, he was roped into the crisis by IBB to get even with the man. Thank God Zamani Lekwot is still alive to tell his stories.

As Chief of Army Staff, he was able to win some of the GOCs; Abacha was the GOC 2nd Mechanised Division, Ibadan then. He used the office judiciously. But before the Buhari coup, when Shagari took over, Babangida and some Northern officers had advised against leaving Alani Akinrinade as Chief of Army Staff, to them, it was not safe for Shagari, the Grade II teacher and Nigeria's first (s) elected Executive President knew nothing, he was advised to ease out Akinrinade. How did they achieve this?


The position that never existed in the history of the Nigerian Army was created and after their aim was achieved it was scrapped. Shagari asked Akirinade to write a blue print on duties of a Chief of Defence Staff a new position to be created; the unsuspecting Akinriande did not know he was preparing his new office. He was later made the Chief of Defence Staff. With Akinrinade's promotion to redundancy, Gen Jalo, now late, became the Chief of Army Staff. Something happened that never happened in the history of the Nigerian Army and did not happen there after. The post of a Deputy Chief of Army Staff was created and General Wushishi was appointed as the Deputy Chief of Army Staff. Babangida led the group of those who contrived the concept of the D-COAS.
Having being isolated, Lt. Gen. Alani Akinrinade retired and Jalo was made the Chief of Defence Staff while Wushishi became the COAS and the position of D-COAS was scrapped. Ironically, the same Babangida who schemed out Akinrinade now invited him back to serve in his government and surprisingly Akinrinade accepted.
When Buhari took over power at gunpoint, it was their thinking that Nigerians need a change of attitude. War Against Indiscipline was launched. We were to queue at bus stops, public places, it became an offence to litter, urinate in the public. A day was set aside monthly for environmental sanitation. Buhari/Idiagbon thought of addressing the problem of inflation created by Shagari and his army of politicians, this they did by changing the currency and those who have stolen money could not bring them out. Many of them at the time were in detention, they lost it all. But with a government, getting Nigeria out of external debt, changing the psyche of Nigerians and raising hope of a better and disciplined citizenry, what could bring about its ouster? Babangida, Abacha, Joshua Dongoyaro, Abubakar Umar, Abdul Mumini, Tanko Ayuba, Tunde Ogbeha, David Mark, Lawan Gwadabe and others that I cannot remember have answers to this question.
In 1985 August, Babangida using the crop of Mid-riff officers struck and took over power from Buhari. Why they struck is still sketchy but we know some of those who supported the take over then. One prominent name and personality was late Chief M.K.O Abiola, he supported the coup morally and financially and he benefited immensely from it. Col. Abubarkar Umar, Abdulmummini, Gwadabe were among the mid-riff officers used, they were Majors; there was Tunde Ogbeha and David Mark now Senators. They played prominent roles in the ouster of Buhari's government. The best military government so far in the history of Nigeria. This is subject to debate and it is open. If we compare the Buhari's government to Babangida we know that the difference is clear. While one succeeded in instilling discipline in Nigerians, the other encouraged it and institutionalised corruption. I wonder why Col. Abubakar Umar served Babangida's government for that long seeing all that happened, the stealing, looting, killings, annulment of June 12 1993 elections and still has the moral gut to write to Obasanjo, leaving out Babangida. This is my problem with Umar. In as much as I would have respected his views on Obasanjo, I think he is guilty of double standard. He knew what happened on June 12, he was part of it, let him come out and tell us. He has no excuse to have served under one of the world's adjudged worst military government in Nigeria and he feels he is democratic. He owes Nigerians the duty of telling them what happened during the June 12, why sparing Babangida and taking on Obasanjo.

It was Joshua Dogonyaro who announced the coup. Which was a blessing to the politicians, some of Babangida's friends and one of his very good friends, Aliyu Mohammed Gusau. Of course MKO Abiola supported the coup because he fell out of favour with the Buhari/Idiagbon government. It was part of Buhari/Idiagbon government's policy that the Oku-Igboku Newsprint Company must be patronized and no Newspaper publisher should import newsprint from overseas. MKO imported newsprints and the Buhari/ idiagbon government seized them.

At the inception of the Buhari/Idiagbon government a panel was set up to probe the rice importation scandal and the person behind it turned out to Aliyu Mohammed Gusau, Shagari's Director of Military Intelligence. This earned him retirement from the military. As soon as Babangida came in, Gusau was reinstated. It never happened before Gusau and after him. Rafindadi, the Nigeria Security Organization Director who took over from Umar Shankafi under Shagari, released the information that nailed Gusau. Shinkafi, being aware of the plot to topple Shagari, and for some reasons known to him, tendered his resignation letter on health ground, but never hinted Shagari of the plot. Rafindadi was then appointed, Rafindadi is a Daura man like Buhari, and it was easy for them to plot the coup, since they now have their man as NSO Director. But Rafindadi paid for letting the information on Gusau out. Gusau while under Shagari had got a $1m importation license for rice. And when Babangida came in, Rafindadi was arrested, and detained for a long time. Hence his appearance at the Oputa panel, Babangida and Gusau knew what Rafindadi would have revealed to the whole world and that explained why they didn't show up.

When he took over power in 1985, he withdrew the oversight function of the Chief of Army Staff on the GOCs to his office and made Abacha the Chief of Army Staff. Abacha was just there without control on the GOCs. The GOCs were directly responsible to the Head of State.

As soon as he took over power, Babangida opened up a debate on the political ideology Nigeria wanted, money was spent, and the Political bureau went round the country. Nigerians, according to the Political Bureau's findings wanted Socialism, but Babangida said he was not ready to impose an ideology on Nigerians. What about the IMF debate? We debated and he said, no, but what we got was IMF through the back door in the name of Structural Adjustment Programme. We have not recovered from the adjustment. It was adjustment from good to bad, wealth to penury, sqalour. The man-Evil Genius changed our lives. It became unlawful to serve in government without stealing. You must steal as a government official and no one will arrest you. It was Babangida who made the likes of Bolaji Akinyemi. Professor Bolaji Akinyemi is closely related to Sonny Okogwu Marayam Babangida's elder brother. In actual fact, Sonny Okogwu once lived with Bolaji Akinyemi's father. It was through this that he met Babangida, which eventually gave him the NIIA job and eventually the Foreign Affairs Minister job. Mike Okhai Akhigbe, the king pin of the illegal bunkering mafia, also benefited from Babangida. Olabode George, the loud mouth of PDP, chairman of Nigeria Ports Authority and the Vice Chairman of PDP Southwest, also benefited from Babangida. Did he know anything about Bola Ige's death? Ask Atiku, it is pity Sunday Afolabi is dead; we would have asked him too.
In 1986 after the alleged coup plot of Mamman Vatsa, Babangida began the demobilization of the Nigerian Air Force. He actually wanted to scrap it and merge it with the Airborne of the Nigerian Army, but stopped for Ibrahim Alfa's sake. Ibrahim Alfa was the Chief of Air Staff and played a prominent role in the removal of Buhari and Idiagbon. It was Alfa who went with Idiagbon to Mecca on Hajj. It was part of their plan to execute the coup when Idiagbon would not be around, so at the Supreme Military Council Meeting, Alfa and others joined in voting Idiagbon as the head of the Federal Government delegate to the Hajj and Alfa had to go with him to monitor him there. So IBB had to respect him and left the Air force untouched but redundant. The Air force personnel were only in uniform but empty in terms of tools. This lasted up to Abacha's era. Babangida did it because of the fact that Mamman Vatsa and his group was alleged to have planned to use the AirForce to take over power in 1986.


What happened to Nigerian educational system? What was behind the introduction of the so-called 6-3-3-4? What role did Jubril Aminu play in Babanigida's government, what about the April 20, 1990 revolution? Chief Obafemi Awolowo died in 1987. What killed him? They said heart attack. Is this true? On 26 September 1992, Nigeria lost a generation of mid-riff officers in the C-130 plane crash. Who dunnit? What about the families of those who died in the crash?

September 6, 2004

In October 1986, on a Sunday two things happened to Africa and one particularly affected Nigeria. Samora Machel of Mozambique died in a plane crash, Dele Giwa, the founding Editor-in-Chief of Newswatch Magazine was killed through a letter bomb. It was a shock to us all; a new dimension into killing in the history of Nigeria was launched. Sadly no one has been named officially for the killing. The reason is clear, we all know it. That the government killed Dele Giwa. Which government? What do we mean by government? Not you, not me. We know that Nigerian government does not involve us the masses, the government is personified in the leader, so when we say government, we mean, Badamasi Babangida. Will Florence Ita-Giwa serve under Babangida if he becomes Nigerian President?

This is so crystal clear. No individual in Nigeria had access to what was used to kill Dele Giwa except the military. Giwa had received a call from Halilu Akilu that morning to confirm if he was in. we do not know why he was killed, but the rumour is that he had information on Gloria Okon. The Buhari/Idiagbon government for drug trafficking arrested Gloria Okon, she was detained. And few days later, the news came that she had died in detention of food poison. Who killed Gloria? We were waiting for that when Buhari was toppled. Well some people benefited from the death of Dele Giwa, the chairman of the board of director of the magazine, chief Alex Akinyele became a minister under Babangida. It was said that dele Giwa had information on what actually happened to Gloria Okon.

We do not know if this was the reason. Someone also died around that time, Dan Archibong, Military Governor of Cross River State under Babangida. It was reported that he died in a car accident on his way back to Cross River. He was in Lagos on the invitation of the Military President Babangida. But we did not see the car that killed Archibong, was he driving alone at the time of the accident? Was it a collision of two cars? A governor under the military as we know travel with escorts, but what happened to Archibong? He got killed on the Gloria Okon-related issue.

Odeleke, husband of Bola Odeleke the woman Bishop, until his death was a Colonel in the Nigerian Army. He was in Abuja to attend a meeting summoned by President Babangida, what we later heard was that, while on short break, Odeleke was killed by a hit-and-run car in Abuja, in day light! The hit-and-run driver was not arrested. But where did this happen? Who was there to know it was a hit-and-run driver. Someone must have been watching to see it happen, but who was this 3rd eye? Why was his funeral rushed? They didn't even wait for his wife to see his remains before burial. Why the rush? They didn't want them to see that he was shot and not knocked down by a car. Just as Archibong was killed and arranged like an accident.
While the killings go on, the military government of Babangida opened the way for Advanced Fee Fraud. He started the Finance Houses; fraudsters to swindle used this. Forum Group was one, Ade Bendel, Fred Ajudua, late Maurice Ibekwe and others.


On education, Jubril Aminu was made the Education Minister and we had 6-3-3-4 from the government, we also had nomadic education. According to the 6-3-3-4 policy, we have 6 years of elementary education, first 3 years of junior high school, second 3 years of senior high school and the last 4 years for university education. No mention of Polytechnic or College of Education.

You spend more than four years in Polytechnic, first two years for Ordinary Diploma, and you might decide not to go back for your Higher National Diploma, the College of Education has three year for Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE). At that time, Teacher Training College education was scrapped. Surprisingly, the scrapping took place in the South it did not affect the north. I did my National Youth Service (NYSC) in Borno State, Buba Marwa, and then a Lt. Col. Was the Governor of Borno State (1990-1991).

In the north then, after the first three years in high school, students are transferred to Teachers College to complete their last three years in High school; they also have Senior Science secondary School, something that does not exist in the south. Though their Instructional Laboratories were well equipped, there were no teachers to teach. They buy uniform for their students, feed them, and even give them transport fare to go home and come back to school. It was a ploy to slow down our education in the south. The 6-3-3-4 was just a ruse; it has not showed any meaningful impact on the social-economic development of Nigeria, because it was not meant for that, neither did the nomadic education made the northern nomads educated. I taught JSS I-III Christian Religious Knowledge, SS I-II English Language and Economics and the SS III Literature in English, this I did with BA (hons) religious studies. My friend and roommate, a graduate of Biochemistry from the University of Ilorin, now a Medical Doctor, taught Chemistry, Biology and Mathematics. We were not given any extra allowance for all these. We lived on our 350 naira/month allowance. It was at Government Girls Secondary School, Gajiganna, and Borno State. The village had no electricity; we lived on generator for 6 hours daily, from 6pm-12am. It is on Baga road, few miles away from Lake Chad. Funny enough that is where the NNPC depot is located and it is just about 1 hour from late general Sani Abacha's village.

In 1987, Chief Obafemi Awolowo died. It was a shock to Nigerians, not because the death was untimely, not because he died at a tender age, but we were not expecting that the man would die so soon even at his age. He was seen dead on the floor in his bathroom. What could kill Baba Awolowo? They said cardiac arrest. Is this true? The rumour then was that Pa Awolowo committed suicide after he was confronted by IBB on some findings. Let us say this is true, (which can never be anyway), what could have been the issue that Chief Awolowo would have to take his life for? The life he did not take during the treasonable felony trial. If he did not commit suicide, what killed him? It is known that one of his last visits was to Dodan Barracks; the landlord of Dodan Barracks entertained him. Did he drink tea like MKO Abiola?

It was Babangida who created the concept of NEW BREED Politicians. New breed politicians with the backings of Old Politicians. The late Musa Yar'Adua, Bola Ige, Adamu Ciroma, and others were banned. Yar'Adua saw something in Atiku Abubakar, and asked him to resign from the Customs to join politics. Atiku left Customs in 1991 or thereabout to become a new breed politician. Babangida asked the politicians to form political associations, they did, but he eventually gave them NRC & SDP. He wrote the constitution and provided money for them to run the parties. Our politicians without any iota of principle jumped at it, since all they wanted was power, they do not care how they get it. They organised primary elections, surprisingly Yar'Adua won in the West beating Falae. This feat was achieved with the help of the amala and gbegiri politician, Lamidi Adedibu.

Babangida annulled it, banned them, and MKO Abiola came on the scene. Before this time, MKO Abiola never saw anything wrong in Babangida's goal post shifting, he was IBB's spokesman, appealing to Nigerians to bear with IBB and support him. I save the rest on Abiola till when I get there. I never believed Abiola would rule Nigeria. I had told my friends in 1993, they didn't believe me, we fought over this and I think they owe me apology now.


On May 30 1989, we Nigerian University students embarked on what was called SAP riot, but it was a peaceful demonstration to liberate ourselves from perpetual economic slavery of Babangida and his colonial masters. The then Gbenga Olawepo (NANS PRO) and a student of University of Lagos, was in South Korea to represent Nigerian Students at a world conference. Babangida had sent his SSS as Nigerian students, but the then Olawepo went and presented the true situation of Nigeria at the conference. We all saluted his courage then. This was embarrassing to Babangida, who declared Olawepo wanted, at that time Gbenga Komolafe, Student Union Speaker of University of Ibadan was also wanted. Olawepo was eventually arrested when he came back to the country; Komolafe too was arrested at Dugbe in Ibadan. Both were first detained at Shangisa, but got transferred to Kirikiri when they caught their middleman who went to deliver message to Mr. Femi Falana. The SSS man was arrested and sent to another jail, we don't where and what happened to him till date. These guys were in detention for 6 months or more than that. At this time, Babangida shut 6 Universities for their involvement in the Anti-SAP demonstration. The Universities were not opened until November 1989 from May 30. This actually marked the beginning of irregular academic calendar in our Universities, and it also greatly affected the exchange programme with foreign universities, many professors left our universities and things have not been the same since then.

After their release, they came to UI and we drove them round the campus in a Coaster bus, I remember, it was at night. Unfortunately, now it was a waste. We have lost Gbenga Olawepo. He is not dead, but politically he is gone. I almost cried the day I saw Olawepo on the NTA Tuesday live defending PDP and Obasanjo's government. At first, I didn't believe it was the same Gbenga I had listened to at rallies in the 80s, passionately talking about our beloved country, Nigeria, can now align with the same people who jailed, maimed and tortured him. This is a crazy world. Bode Ojomu has also become a government contractor and a PDP member. Ojomu had been involved in student union activism from his days at the Oyo State College of Arts and Sciences (OSCAS). Then Gbenga Komolafe was the President and Bode was the Speaker, but when they got to UI, they both changed position. I will dwell more on this when I get to "Repositioning Student movement." On this, I intend to trace the origin of the present crisis rocking the student movement in Nigeria and make some suggestions. I could not believe my eyes the day I saw Bode Ojomu at the Defense Headquarters in Abuja. This was in 2000, he was there as a contractor and later discovered that he is a card-carrying member of PDP. I still salute Adewale Bashar and Gbenga Komolafe who stood firm on their ideology and did not falter. Today, like the Apostle Paul, Gbenga Olawepo a former anti-Babangida is now Pro-Babangida. This is a tragedy!

It is very sad to see him thrown out of PDP in a disgraceful manner. Obasanjo, using Atiku as a smoke screen expelled him from PDP. Olawepo, late Harry Marshal and Emmanuel Ibeshi were pro-Obasanjo elements in PDP, but a plot was hatched by Atiku and with Obasanjo's approval, they were expelled without regard to court's restraining order. We shall talk more on their expulsion under Atiku in part V.

In 1990 April 20, we woke up to another Marshal song, it was a revolution, not a coup. Contrary to general opinion, it succeeded, but they were not able to seize power. I said it succeeded because we all got the message of the proponents of this revolution. For the second time, we failed to yield to the wake-up call. The first time was in 1967 when Odumegwu Ojukwu started the revolution, it was termed civil war, and Obasanjo is now claiming the glory of ending the war leaving out the likes of Benjamin Adekunle and the important role Pa Awolowo played in ending the "war." The second call came from Major Mukoro and his group, Gideon Orkar paid with his life. Rather than support them, we termed them tribalists. The likes of General Oladipo Diya, then GOC 82 Mechanized Division in Enugu came on air to condemn the revolution, Raji Rasaki too in Lagos did not support it. Though Ishaya Rizi Bamaiyi claimed the glory of stopping the revolt in Lagos, it was General Zidon Gandi who actually deserved the glory. Zidon was in Ikeja Cantonment as a Commander at that time, but because Zdion has problem expressing himself, all he said on that Sunday was "the dissidents have been dislodged." This was a turning point in Babangida's life. But for Sani Abacha, Babangida would have been dead by now. What did Abacha do? He saved and haboured Babangida and his family on that Sunday night. Where was Babangida's deputy, Augustus Aikhomu? Oh, he was in a boat holding party with friends.

Though the ECOWAS Monitoring Group ECOMOG was set up to give helping hands to fellow West African countries, but the genuine intention of the creator was to settle score with the 123 Brigade Battalion, Ikeja Military Cantonment because of their alleged role in the April 20, 1990 revolution. They stayed in Liberia for two years and were later disbanded. The military under Babangida, according to his former Chief of Army Staff, Salihu Ibrahim, was an "anything goes military." Under Babangida we had a military infected with corruption, this period produced a large number of military millionaires. Promotion and appointments were not done strictly on merit but on godfatherism. Babangida's regime laid the foundation of what Nigerians later experienced under late Sani Abacha.
On September 26, 1992 another Sunday, over 168 mid-riff officers were killed in a plane crash at the Ejigbo swamp, Lagos. The Officers were the 15th Course of the Senior Division of the Command and Staff College, Jaji. It was the first time in the world that a nation's military will lose such a number of officers in an accident in a day, not even in war situation.


I shall conclude Babangida in the next part and begin with MKO Abiola.

What was the link between Abiola and the Military? What about the ITT, June 12 and all that?

Thank you for all your comments. Stay tuned.

Friday September 17, 2004

When Babangida annulled the Presidential primaries of SDP & NRC, it angered Yar'Adua and some other politicians; he also banned them from contesting. MKO Abiola did not see anything wrong in the annulment. As it was an opportunity for him to contest. Earlier, his late wife Simbiat had kicked against the idea of MKO going into politics. But after her death in late 1992, MKO saw the opportunity to fulfill his life ambition, of having both economic and political power. He joined SDP and no sooner, like Obasanjo did in PDP launched his campaign for Presidency "Hope 93," then I called it "Hopeless 93."
This did not receive the blessing of his former business partner, Shehu Musa Yar'Adua, Baba Gana Kingibe, once the National Chairman of SDP also indicated interest in presidency; this drew the ire of Yar'Adua more than MKO's. Yar"Adua, Abiola, Bamanga Tukur and Raymond Dopeksi were partners in African Ocean Lines and multi-million Dollar shipping business. Tukur and Dopeksi are experienced hands in marine while Yar'Adua a lucky guy who retired as Major General at the age of 36, and Abiola contributed money. The business collapsed, and there was a rift between Abiola and Yar'Adua, but they still have Habib Bank. I save the rest on MKO till when I get there.

Eventually, we had the Presidential election on 12 June 1993. It was between Tofa and Abiola. Tofa and Sylvester Ugoh, his running did not have voters card, as a result they didn't vote on the election date. After IBB had shifted dates from 1990 to 1993. In all, IBB spent 50 Billion Naira on a transition to nowhere.

There was an unwritten agreement between Babangida and Abacha that the former will hand over power to the latter by 1990, this didn't work out and the late Abacha didn't like it. There were moves to stop the June 12 election. Arthur Nzeribe went to court, got an injunction to stop the election through his Association for Better Nigeria (ABN). Professor Omo Omoruyi in many of his press interviews also mentioned a meeting with Babangida and Professor Humphrey Nwosu, the NEC Chairman, where the idea of suspending the election came up. Babangida was strongly advised against it.
Why would Babangida, the man with great vision and who meant well for Nigeria, want to postpone the election? Babangida or any of his sponsored or unsolicited spokespersons should tell us.


Nigerians voted and SDP had 14 million votes. Suddenly we had the news that the announcement of the election result has been suspended and that the election has been annulled. The release was on a plain sheet of paper without signature.
But what happened then was that some Nigerians knew before the annulment that the election would be annulled and that there would be an interim government. General Olusegun Obasanjo, late Major-General Shehu Musa Yar'Adua, and Chief Tony Anenih-the then National Chairman of SDP- knew about the annulment. While this was on, Sani Abacha was scheming too. Abacha's scheming and how Lt. Gen. Oladipo Diya was used, as a pun would be discussed when we get to Abacha.

In 2000 or thereabout, some Nigerians organized a conference in Jos, Plateau State. The organizers of this conference were Babangida's beneficiaries, those IBB raised from nobody to somebody in the world of looting and misgovern ace. We have his former Foreign Affairs Minister, former Apostle of SAP, former District Officers (Military Governors) and many other contractors without offices in attendance. Their agenda was to take over power. This in actual fact created panic in Aso Rock.

Then Obasanjo and Babangida were having some misunderstanding on someone. Who? Turaki Adamawa, Alhaji Abubakar Atiku. I am not going to talk about why now, but I will talk about the moves IBB made and the outcome of the Jos conference. Was the move to impeach Obasanjo part of it? No. Who wanted Obasanjo removed? Later.
After the coup that removed Chief Sunday Awoniyi, Bamanga Tukur, Chief Ume Ezeoke, late Harry Marshal, Emmanuel Ibeshi, and Gbenga Olawepo from PDP, there were moves to form political associations to fight PDP. Chief Awoniyi formed National Frontier and other members expelled from PDP, but it did include Ibeshi, Olawepo and Marshal. National Frontier took its name from Arewa Frontier, the Youth wing of Arewa. Babangida's guys too came up about two associations. But the Awoniyi group sounded more serious and could command more respect than the IBB's association. Though Babangida denied involvement, but one of his alter egos, Chief Alex Akinyele, the Lobosin of Ondoland, came on AIT to link IBB with it. He said he joined because of IBB; this didn't go down well with IBB.
Their plan was to form many associations, make one vocal and distance the rest from IBB. UNDP became very vocal, was very critical of Obasanjo's government. Before this, IBB's group attempted an alliance with National Frontier, but it did not work out. And Kenny Martins was used to divide National Frontier (NF). NF was divided and Awoniyi withdrew. That was a very good strategy to get rid of potential threats. After the exit of Awoniyi, they took over NF and fused it to UNDP. Ahkiomu led another group to APP and they took over APP, changed it to ANPP. This was revealed by one of IBB's ally in Ibadan. According to him, they will create a decoy for Obasanjo. NDP is another IBB association. They had attempted to use the garrulous Pastor Chris Okotie as a southwest presidential candidate. Okotie had gathered journalists in his church for support and to block negative publicity in the media. While it lasted, he was receiving briefing from Minna. He was able to pocket a number of media editors. But he was dropped after some considerations. The concert at the National stadium was sponsored from Minna, they also promised him that his famous broadcast on AIT would be translated into Arabic and Hausa and aired in the North. He was to go to Kano for another show when the drum beat changed. He did not know until the night of the long knife at the International Conference center Abuja, when he lost to Ike Nwachukwu.

But between the ends of 2001 to early 2002, Mr. Fix-it (Anenih) mediated between IBB and his former oga. Atiku got wind of Anenih's visit to Minna, he was angry and PDM was split into two, Yar'adua's Political machinery. Who masterminded the Obasanjo declaration of April 26 2002? Why was Atiku absent? Why did Obasanjo first declare on a presidential chat of the April 26 2002 night on FRCN that his running mate would be known after the PDP primaries and three days later, through Tunji Oseni, his Special Adviser on Media Affairs, announced Atiku as his running mate? Many questions begging for answers. All coming under Atiku.

Footnote:
While it is not in my character to respond to some side talks, because it amounts to waste of time and unnecessary distraction, I think it is good to set the record straight.


This is not an attempt to attack any individual but to remind ourselves of the damage these people have done to us, and why they don't deserve to be where they are today. To be rich in Nigeria today, you cut corners. Yes, no civil servant can afford to own property, to buy tokunbo cars; you need cash, minimum of 300,000 naira. Where can an average Nigerian get this? Many of those who live abroad forget that what they enjoy our people back home don't. If the government is good, why do our boys abandon their university education in pursuit of visa abroad? Why do we have our Professors, Medical Practitioners, lawyers, Engineers and other professionals scattered in Europe and America?


Babangida meant well and he had vision. Yes. He meant well for himself, and had vision for himself. He created Directorate of Road and Rural Infrastructure, Mass Mobilization for Self Reliance, Peoples' Bank. Where did all these end? They were avenues of stealing. Conduit pipes for looting. We have also been making mistakes judging the success of some governments as good because of the involvement of some personalities. Most of these personalities, we found to be inconsistent. The say one thing today and do another tomorrow. That late Tai Solarin served in Peoples Bank does not give Babangida's government credence. He brought the likes of Solarin in to humiliate them, which he did. Tai Solarin was appointed chairman of People's Bank, without fund to run the bank and with no power. I remember that Tai Solarin after quitting tendered apology. He admitted he made a mistake. Tai Solarin who once vowed never to wear Agbada, who once said that it is only a lazy man that wears agbada, wore it as Chairman of Peoples Bank.

What was the state of our economy before August 1985 and from 1985 to 1993?


Heaven, they say, help those who help themselves.

LOOTERS OF NIGERIA

We are very glad to publish the classic socio-political report of one of the most fearless investigative journalists in Africa, SEYI ODUYELA, THE AUTHOR OF THE CONTROVERSIAL "OWNERS OF NIGERIA".

Mr. Seyi Oduyela has given us the permission to do so. We have decided to title it "LOOTERS OF NIGERIA".And we are going to publish the whole report as permitted. The first part is what we are presenting to you .
We welcome your reactions.

OWNERS OF NIGERIA
-PART 1

By

Seyi Oduyela
seyioduyela@aol.com


August 15, 2004

After the 419 Gubernatorial and Presidential elections last year (by 4/19 I mean April 19, coincidentally it means Advanced Fee Fraud and that was exactly what the election was), Chief Bisi Akande, former Governor of Osun State, the man adjudged as one of, if not the best Governor of 1999-2003 said that his defeat was like a thief coming to rob you of your possession, you are harmless, the only thing you can do is just keep quiet and allow it.

I thought about this and I have come to the conclusion that our situation in Nigeria is like that. But I think I disagree with him in the area of not doing anything to it. This we talk about later on.

Nigeria in the last 44 years has been stolen by a cabal and turned to their own. These few robbers have created dynasties for themselves and they pass us round. I have to call them owners of Nigeria because that is what I think they are and the rest of us are tenants. Who are these people and why are they owners of Nigeria?

They cut across all the geo-political zones of Nigeria. We have them in the West, North, East and South-South, also the Middle belt. Our living has been subjected to theirs; we live how they want us to live, do what they want us to do, sneeze when they ask us to, eat what they offer us. This is pathetic, but I think we caused it. They are able to do this to us because we allow them to have access to wealth while we remain complacent. We hail them, worship them, sing their praises, kill ourselves because of them, and fight each other for them to live. They enjoy seeing us dying, suffering, queuing at the gas stations, running after commuter buses, begging for crumbs from their table, even when it demands that we struggle with their dogs to get it.

We live in the midst of plenty yet we are poor. Many of our children abandoned their school for embassies, because they need visa to go and be slaves in another man’s country. They succeeded in driving our good brains out, so that they will turn our land to a jungle. Nothing works except what they want to make-work. They control everything including the air we breathe. While we pay the NEPA bill and don’t enjoy the power, they don’t yet never experienced power failure. We don’t have good water to drink, they waster the ones they have. They make the refineries unworkable and import petroleum products for us with the money going back to their different purses from their refineries outside the country. Many of them have been in the system since the birth of an Independent Nigeria and they are still there, some are replacing themselves with their sons and daughters, and we fold our hands watching helplessly.

They kill and get away with it, maim nothing happens. They call the shots in all facets of our lives. They tell us who is going to be out next President and where he will come from, they write constitution for us, a constitution that has the hand of Esau and the voice of Jacob. A constitution unitary in all its features but called federal.

They are not faceless, they are people we see daily, meet daily and sing their praises. Their empire is big. They have the media, banks, police, and military, state security and above all government.

One edition of publication cannot talk about these people, but it has taken me time to come out with this and I intend to write a book on these owners of Nigeria.
Though I was born 6 years after the so-called independence, I think as a history student both at my elementary and high school I learnt about Nigerian history and now as an adult I can talk of what happened since independent to date. At a forum in New York on 6/12, I mean June 12 I maintained a position that we only have one Republic in Nigeria, because we have only be ruled by one set of rulers under same system that is cyclic. What I mean is that since 1960 we have been going round the vicious cycle. Or how do you explain the presence of Alhaji Adamu Ciroma, a graduate of History from the University of Ibadan who was appointed a Central Bank governor and has been featuring in one government or the other be it military or civilian, up till 2003. Even when he was sick Obasanjo kept his portfolio. Or that of Asiodu Phillip.

Let me start with the present President of Nigeria and Balogun of Owu, the Commander-in-Chief of Armed Forces and Chairman of the Owu King makers.

Olusegun Matthew Aremu Okikiola Obasanjo- became a household name in 1976 after the coup that killed Murtala Mohammed on the fateful day of February 13, 1976, I was in primary six then. As we were made to know, Obasanjo had wanted to turn down the offer of ruling Nigeria but had to accept at gunpoint. This fable sounds ridiculous, because under no circumstance will a brave man compromise his principle for anything. A soldier as we are made to know do not fear death, they know this from their day one in the military. Let us leave that aside. He ruled Nigeria for 3 years, with iron hand.

It was in his tenure that Akintunde Ojo, who incidentally was is godson was killed at the University of Lagos in 1978. Professor Ade Ajayi, then Vice Chancellor of University of Lagos lost his job because he attended Akintunde Ojo’s burial. Ebenezer Babatope, Ola Oni and many others lost their jobs as lecturers in various Institutions over the student’s unrest then. He launched OFN, and then called Operation Feed the Nation, little did we know that it was a sample of what we were to see later as Obasanjo Farms Nigeria (OFN). While Operation Feed the Nation failed, Obasanjo Farms Nigeria did not. It has branches in Ota, Igbo-Ora, Owiwi, and some other places I cannot remember now. He added a secondary school to the farm project Bell School, one of the most expensive high schools in Nigeria. I learnt he is planning to establish a University. I wonder what knowledge the university will impart on its students. A president that does not have regards for education, who kept university students at home for over 6 months, now planning to establish a university, we need to check on his Bell school to know the minimum wage there first.

I n his books “My Command” and “Not My Will” he painted himself as the hero of the Civil war. He stated that what some people struggle all their life to get and they didn’t he got it without sweat. He also confirmed that he voted for NPN in the 1979 elections. When he was the Head of State, one of the Yoruba senior officers had gone to him to discuss the need to restructure the military to favour all ethnic nationality, he called Yaradua and Danjuma to the meeting and asked this man to repeat it, the officer a Major-General repeated it, he left but heard of his retirement on the radio on his way home. Why was he chosen as Head of State in 1976? Not because he was the next to Murtala, no, Babangida gave the reason in 1996 or 1997 when Obasanjo was jailed for the 1995 phantom coup. According to Babangida, Obasanjo is a conformist. They see him, someone who can sell his own brother for a plate of porridge, he did in 1979, did in 1993, 1998, 2001, 2003 and 2004.

In 1979, he saw the rigging and closed his eyes, Awolowo lost not at the poll but at the desire of Obasanjo and those who put him there. In 1993 he sold out and supported the annulment of June 12 1993 elections. We all remember that there was a movement he set then on good governance- Buhari and idiagbon were members, they pulled out after seeing that OBJ supported the annulment and was also talking of new elections and not the de-annulment of the election. This issue caused a rift between him and his childhood friend Onoolapo Soleye, a Sociology lecturer at the University of Ibadan who served as Buhari’s Finance Minister; we still remember the 53-suit cases scandal. Soleye on hearing of the imminent annulment disagreed with OBJ, the argument heated up that Soleye walked stormed out he got to his before he remembered that he has left his agbada in OBJ’s house. In 1998 Abiola was killed for him to become President. In 2001 December 23, Ajibola Ige was killed. Ige until his death was the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, and it is sad that he did not get justice, his killer is not at the National Assembly making laws. In fact he won his election while in jail, unprecedented, it is only in Nigeria, Giant of Africa, in the biggest Political Party in Africa that a murder suspect would be nominated for a position as high as Senator of the Federal republic of Nigeria and the Un-Independent Electoral Commission will clear him. According to Audu Ogbeh he warned them against it. It is sad. And this is what we call democracy. A kind of democracy being administered by robbers, people who stole our mandate through the barrel of gun, made Governors over us stole our money. These are bunch of informal and formal illiterates. What they know about governance his looting of treasury. And in 2004 Ige’s killer was set free.

His recent shameful act at Owu has shown that the man is on a journey of self-destruction. Tunde Bakare came up to speak that Obasanjo was not God sent, he was condemned, but I told people then that they should wait, that God’s time is not our time, it was too early to write off Bakare, I think a lot of people will not see reason in Bakare’s prophecy. Forget about those other pastors fallings on themselves to gain access to the villa. In Old Testament studies, some prophets are categorized as domesticated, they are official prophets, politicians go to them for prophecy to win elections and they bless them. I won’t mention names, but it is unfortunate that we found them in such positions; they see the truth and avoid it because they want recognition. That a country’s president or his wife attends any church’s convention does not make the gathering acceptable before God. God does not respect position. Will Adeboye, Oyedepo, Okonkwo tell the world that Nigeria is okay? What in their own observation works well in Nigeria? Power failure, water failure, crime, insecurity, unemployment and underemployment still persist, under democracy.

They cannot see all that because they are too high to see what those at the lower level are going through. They ride the best cars, have guards, they do not know if there fuel crisis because they wont’ queue at the filling stations, there church workers do all that for them, even if the workers will have to join Molue to church. The poor in Nigeria pay tithes, spent by the Pastors for “GOD.”

Well we shall come back to the religious leaders later.

Now the President of Nigeria doubled himself as the head of King makers in his town Owu, the majority of the kingmakers picked someone and just one person said NO! This is the man leading Nigeria to the promise land! Sad! Pathetic! What does he know about democracy?

Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida- After the coup that brought in Aguiyi Ironsi in 1966, a group of young Northern military officers decided to embark on ethnic cleansing, because they believe the earlier coup was Igbo concentrated as a result they want to avenge the killing of their ancestors. This led to the killing of Aguiyi Ironsi in Ibadan and Adekunle Fajuyi who was the Governor of the Western Region and host of Aguyi Ironsi was killed with him. This brought in 29 year-old Yakubu Gowon as Head of State, by that time, Gowon was a bachelor, one of the members of the group is Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida who, 19 years later became the first Military President of Nigeria.

Before 1983 not much was known by the Nigerian public about Ibrahim Babangida, even in 1983 when he was made the Chief of Army Staff, not many people still know him. He seemed like and underdog, a new face, but this is not true. Even Buhari and Idiagbon did not know much about him. He played a vital role in the coup that toppled Shagari’s government, this he did with the help of his man who was then the Director of Military Intelligence, Aliyu Mohammed Gusau.

Babangida is an adroit politician, he knows his onions, and he knows what he wants and how to get it. He pretends to be used when in actual fact he is using his user.

It was not in the plan to make Babangida the Chief of Army Staff after toppling Shagari, the position was for Bako who was to deliver Shagari, but because Babangida needed the position for his eventual take over of government form Buhari, he maneuvered and got it. How did he get it? What did he do to displace Bako? All these I will answer in the second part of this article.

This article is in series, I cannot finish in one edition, and this is what I have been doing since May. Sit back and relax.

Continues...