Congrats to my friend, Seye, on your enlightened piece. Quite informative and entertaining. You endeavoured to balance the story. Good piece of brilliant thinking.
Though you concurred that coup d’etat in Nigeria can hardly succeed, however you feel the deregulation of the airwaves has no impediment to coup execution. This is the only point where l disagree with you.
For national security reasons, l would not say much. I shall deliberately not say much.
For those Obidents clamouring for it, l feel sorry for them. For instance, if there is a coup today in Nigeria, God forbids, this is hypothetically speaking, the first casualty, of the three arms of government, is the legislature. Of course, the legislature represents the voice of the people, the masses.
Second, the fourth estate of the realm, the media, which is the gatekeeper of the society will be thoroughly gagged.
If you think l am fabricating stories, please go and verify from these grandmasters or gurus in the pen-profession – Ray Ekpu, Dan Agbese, Yakubu Mohammed, the founding Editors of defunct NewsWatch Magazine or Dele Alake, or Babafemi Ojudu or Bayo Onaunga who was, in the hey-days of the Military, the Editor-in-Chief of TheNews, gentleman Ajibade, or Babajide of Journalists Hangout, TVCNews.
They were regular visitors to the SSS office on Awolowo Road in Ikoyi and in many instances were held incarcerated. Do you know the number of journalists that died during the Military rule in Nigeria or innocent civilians who lost their breadwinners during the democratic struggle? Do you know the number of times Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, and his activist younger brother, the late Dr Beko Ransome-Kuti, papa Chief Frank Ovie Kokori were chased on the streets of Lagos and such other places across the country? Chief Gani Oyesola Fawehinmi, SAN died ostentatiously from his many incarcerations under worst human conditions.
Late Dr Tai Solarin also died at the heat of the 1993 sit-at-home crisis. He had gone to campaign at Yaba and was tear gassed. Pa Tai Solarin was an asthmatic patient. I also remember the radical, but fearless Comrade Chima Ubani, who was constantly in and out of military detention. None of these persons mentioned carried weapon against the State. Their crime was to voice out a contrary opinion in the finest and responsible tenor.
As for late Chief MKO Abiola of the then Social Democratic Party, otherwise known as SDP, who Nigerians voted overwhelmingly for across tribal and religuous lines, was reported to have scored 8,341,309 or 58.36% in that year’s election, to Alhaji Basir Tofa of the National Republican Convention’s 5,952 087 or 41.64% (NRC). It is historically important for the benefit of our youths, who are largely so paranoid in their utterances, that MKO from SouthWest won three, out of the five States in the SouthEast. This is inspite of the fact that their son, Dr Sylvester Ugho, who was during the unfortunate civil war of 1966 to 1970, the Biafra’s Central Bank Governor, was the Vice-Presidential candidate to Alhaji Bashir Tofa of the NRC. The entire country, perhaps with a negligible percentage, was solidly behind MKO, including Kano, the home State of Alhaji Tofa of blessed memory.
However, the military junta decided to annul that election, globally adjudged to be the freest and fairest. Nigerians merely murmured in the recesses of their inner-rooms and in very low tones.
Be that as it may, MKO voluntarily travelled out of the country because the political tension in Nigeria was palpable.
What was MKO offence? While away, his supporters prevailed on him to return home to actualise his mandate so freely given. He should not jettison his mandate. As a true democrat, he bowed to superior opinion, returned to the country and he made the subsequent historical Epetedo Declaration. A combined team of SSS, the Army and the Police went after and arrested MKO and brought him to Abuja.
The resultant effects of his declaration and arrest, were that his business empire suffered monumental losses. In fact, Concord Group of newspapers were shut-down and Summit Oil & Gas licenses were revoked. It was strongly rumoured then that the Federal Military government was owing his ITT company over N70billion.
It is unclear till date, if government has settled his family regarding this outstanding debt.
During the struggle, one of the wives, Alhaja Kudiratu, was gruesomely murdered around Alausa area in Ikeja. MKO Abiola also paid the supreme prize, as he too died in military house arrest.
Let me also add, if it were during military era that Alhaji Datti Baba-Ahmed, the Vice-Presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) made that paranoid and contemptuous statements, some days before the inaugural ceremony, the wild unsubstantiated allegation, that the current CJN met with the then President-Elect, as he was then known in France, that dollars exchanged hands and the recent parochial and despicable advert by the Obident group titled – All Eyes on the Judiciary – by now Peter Obi, Datti and their classless jesters would have been incarcerated. This is no exaggeration.
Thank God, however, we are in a democratic dispensation that tolerates all shades of opinions, including those pontificating irrationalties.
For better understanding, Peter Obi/Labour Party did not make any significant in-roads in the core North. He made partial outing in two States in North Central, one State in SouthWest (Lagos) and maximal outing in the SouthEast. Of course, that is understandable.
Perhaps, it is imperative to make the point. This is not a story to discuss the States scored or not scored. That is certainly not the essence of this endeavour. The importance of this story is to bring to the fore the very essence and beauty of democracy and to condemn, in the strongest terms possible, the vile, paranoid and childish agitation for a military intervention by some youths of a particular region. It is utterly a retrogressive mentality that should be condemned by all right thinking progressives.
It is a sad commentary in our historical evolution. If it were during the Military era that those young jesters went before Army Headquarters in Area 10, on bended knees to solicit for military intervention, walahi, those jesters would have been rounded up.
In conclusion, l like to respectfully appeal that we, especially the youths, should be scrupulous in our utterances so as not to abuse the democracy we currently enjoy. I further like to appeal to our youths to show restraint in their radical views which are capable of truncating our democracy. Let us guide our utterances. In any election, you win some day and lose at other time. In all cases, we should show maturity and be gallant losers.
Did late Chief Bola Ige not admonish us thus… the worst form of civilian administration is far better than a benevolent military rule.
Need l say more?
Bernard Balogun (BenPino) writes from Wuse District of Abuja.
