Kola Animasaun
22 June 2008
Lagos — JUNE 12, 1993, simply won't go away by merely wishing it. It was the day for the first time in our political life, we made conscious effort to be welded together as a nation.
We did not look at our ethnic state; nor did we look at our religious state. We constructed a political state in which we would operate as one nation under God. It was a tentative state which would been nurturing - a step at a time to the final destination.
MKO Abiola was supposed to be that bridge by which we hope to clear the rubicon of doubts and ambivalence. He had houses in Zaria; he took titles all over the place and his friends spanned the entire country. His running mate was no other than Babagana Kingibe, currently the secretary to the Federal Government. He is from the Kanuri tribe. And he is a Muslim.
Humphrey Nwosu, the electoral head of the National Electoral Commission, 15 years after, released the figures to us at an elaborate book launching. Total votes cast was 14,396,917 and for Bashir Tofa (NRC) 7,076,612 (one third in 15 states and for MKO Abiola (SDP), 8,323,305 (one third in 28 states).
To tell you the truth these facts are not unfamiliar. The difference is that they are official. So to say, they are from the horse's mouth. He also added what we all know: that it was the freest and fairest and most peaceful election ever. Pedantic as these facts are, they are the reasons why the date won't ever go away.
While some would plead for forgiveness and others for forgetfulness the facts are so poignant that we are not likely to do either.
When Abdul-Salami asked us to put the June 12 behind us and move on, he probably had a point but he did not counsel what should be done for us to facilitate motion forward. Shall we behave as an elephant that learns nothing and forgets nothing? Shall we behave like the ostrich that buries his tiny head in the sand forgetting its bulk outside?
Professor Nwosu was full of praises for Babangida for laying the elaborate design for June 12. He said he provided all the funds, trimmed the parties into two. He has all the praises, why would he not have the blame? He (Nwosu) clearly demonstrated that Babangida was in charge, why did he not put his foot down and order the music to continue? The impression was that he was in charge and truly, he was.
He contrived a committee to look into solution for the impasse. He put all the perceived enemies of democracy in the committee - to produce a damning verdict. Of course, not only was the team intimidating, in actual fact Sani Abacha as the chairman intimidated the poor professor of political science into holding his peace and returning to his teaching job at Nsukka.
And you cannot see how IBB could not be held as culpable? The buck stops at his desk. No one accepts in good faith the encomiums heaved on him by Humphrey Nwosu. Isn't it amusing to hear Halilu Akilu calling on Nigerians to leave Ibrahim alone over the allegations that he annulled the elections? It is not that if we want IBB to apologise, he will do so at an appropriate time.
The appropriate time was 15 years ago. In time to mend matters and proceed on our way. It would have helped us consolidate on the gains of democracy. Now, matters have degenerated; we now have traducers of democracy and we have incorporated assassination into rigging culture. It is, however, better late than never.
Death of a revolution?
REVOLUTIONARIES do not take a wife when their mission is still on and not completed. And to think of taking another wife on top of one is talking of another thing. For a revolution, a woman, except she is a part, can be a drag. Women make them go soft. You can learn lessons from the strongmen of history and they are many. Samson typifies how the love of woman let you lose your guard.
These are my thoughts as I contemplate the state of Asari Dokubo who I read has just taken another wife. A princess is definitely bad for the business of revolution. She represents a part of the problem and can always be an interested party. I commiserate with MEND for the death of their revolution.
African magic
I HAVE cultivated the habit of watching the African Magic. It is a programme that featured mainly Igbo actors and actresses. In 90 percent of cases the principal actors and actresses have lost their fathers who are normally very rich and their fate are left to the whims and caprices of their uncles to be decided mostly with an eye to their fortune. Some even designed to have them as wives and parcel out their daughters to the highest bidders.
They mostly sit on their fortunes.
In real life, at least in my area of Lagos, I have done a study of women - Igbo women. In 50 percent of the cases, they are widows. May I ask my Igbo correspondents why this should be so? In the films, a man of substance is not one with degrees or native intelligence or high philosophy, he is the man with money. And it does not matter how he came by it. I am not comfortable with this image of fellow Nigerians.
Another thought
From my stock of thoughts I present the following ...
I DID something unconsciously the other day and it later occurred to me I had been used by Providence as an instrument for sharing His bounties. I had woken up to say my first prayer of the day as a Muslim. I took the water kettle from its normal place of repose for the sole purpose of performing ablution. I discovered there was some water in the kettle. I was reluctant to use it as I had the feeling that since it had lain there for quite a while, it might not be the clean water Islam approves for the purpose of ablution.
Not one to waste any material thing, I decided that rather than throw the water away, it might be found of immense benefit by the potted plants my daughter had placed on both sides of the entrance to the house.
I proceeded to one of the potted plants and emptied the entire content of the kettle on it. It then occurred to me that I should have divided the water between the two plants instead of endowing one with a surplus and the other with nothing.
It then crossed my mind mostly by way of rhetorical questions why things are the way they are. Why do some people have more than enough and others make do? Why is the seemingly less competent the most lucky? Why does it rain most somewhere and its drought in other places? Why do some have peace and some others have war? Why are some lucky and some unfortunate?
The questions came to me in torrents. I first submitted them to some empirical tests and got nowhere. But mostly I could not find explanations for most tests. They did not respect empirical tests.
It occurred to me that there is a certain invincible force that shapes various ends. Some may call it God, some Allah, yet others name Him Olodumare; to the Igbo it is Chineke.
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