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A ‘DANCING TORTOISE’ AND THE STATE OF THE NATION
By
Tondu Aonduna <tondua@yahoo.com>
Nov 1,. 2006
I must admit that this is not the first title that came to
mind when I set out to write this commentary. It wasn’t even considered at
all amongst the list of possible headings. And most definitely not, the
choice of title did not come to me through divine intervention as some
religion-conscious people are wont to say. The fact is, the “sudden
illumination” – if I may put it that way - happened some two miserly
minutes ago as I read through a curious report on the latest instalment of
the Anambra quagmire which in a sense is an apt statement on the state of
the nation under the clueless but dangerous Nigerian Caligula. According
to the Sunnews Online edition of Saturday, October 28, 2006, an obscure
association calling itself the Anambra Patriotic Front (APF) has gone to
town with the improbable allegation that Nigeria’s former vice-president
and statesman, Alex Ekwueme, an indigene of Anambra, is the brain behind
the attempt by a bunch of conniving state legislators to impeach the state
governor, Peter Obi. The APF is claiming that the anti-Obi lawmakers who
have since making known their intention to usurp power relocated to Asaba,
are under the occult influence of a witchdoctor there whose protection
rites for his customers from Awka are administered in the presence of a
lone witness in the form of a “dancing tortoise”!
"…The deal/agreement was sealed by a fetish
oath that was administered by a popular native doctor (name withheld by
us) who is a native of Delta State. During the oath-taking ceremony, which
allegedly took place in Orumba, each participant was clad in red pant. A
dancing tortoise was the only witness to the ceremony. …(The juju priest)
it was, who gave the instruction that all the Assembly men involved must
relocate to Delta State so that he will have easy access to them for a
morning and night 'blessing' ritual. He also advised the suspension of the
House members who are not in agreement with the plot so that the potency
of his medicine will not be diminished".
Surreal, one may say! The imagery
of a mythical dancing tortoise in the midst of a chaotic world of
mischief, mystification, impunity, sleaze and orchestrated mayhem should
be seen as a befitting metaphor for the Nigerian condition nowadays.
Crooked men and women are exerting an asphyxiating stranglehold on our
national politics. They do so chiefly by resorting to unorthodox and
patently criminal methods.
Yet, “surreal” is euphemistic if one considers the
regime-induced state of quasi-anarchy prevailing in Nigeria today without
any countervailing influences rising to meet the barbarians in a
confrontation that citizens can no longer afford to run away from. This is
precisely the subject of my article here, namely, the imperative on the
part of patriotic forces to envisage concrete strategies aimed at the
containment or extirpation of the malignant cancer the Obasanjo tyranny
has become today. An alternate title of the commentary should thus be
“Scenarios for the Containment of a Tragic-comic Autocracy”. Day in day
out, we are subjected to the rude and macabre shenanigans of unscrupulous
judges, rascally legislators and their paymasters in Abuja and elsewhere
to the extent that our country and its ordinarily hard-working people have
become the laughing-stock of the entire world. The likes of Baba Aremu and
his coterie of hangers-on, kow-towing courtiers and touts may find their
tragic-comic antics entertaining but Nigerians are not finding them funny.
They are in the millions calling for something to be done. The time for
whining or sobbing is over. One reason I was instinctively drawn to the
Sunnews Online story, and this does not imply that I necessarily subscribe
to the seemingly far-fetched accusation being levelled against Ekwueme, is
that I found revealing the apparent determination on the part of members
of the Anambra Patriotic Front, amongst other groups, to organize and
mobilize the public through concrete gestures by printing and circulating
leaflets to press their condemnation of the wayward legislators.
To say that there is unbearable malaise in the land is an
understatement. To intimate that much of that malaise is being fuelled by
the reckless, lawless and bumbling kleptocracy of the Aso Rock monster is
to state the obvious. Centrifugal forces of destruction and tyrannical
imposition are on the prowl and something must urgently be done to stop
them, before it is too late. Marooned in a desert of despair and
despondency occasioned by the frightening failures of a visionless despot
and his rogue regime, the average Nigerian must by now have reached that
point whereby mere words of caution ring hollow and injunctions about a
supposed ‘better-tomorrow’ appear forlorn and meaningless.
The tentativeness of an ineffectual opposition; the
timorous disposition of a largely discredited political class; the
alarming truancy of the National Assembly; the befuddling inadequacies of
a compromised and tarnished judiciary; the hypocrisy as well as sectarian
mind-set of the national media and civil society organisations coupled
with a cowardly and sedate populace, all these have contributed in no
small measure to the sustenance of the murderous autocracy of the Aso Rock
tin-god who seems to derive sadistic pleasure from inflicting hardship on
hapless Nigerians by the unleashing of violent and cruel forces on them.
If indeed all segments of society have in one way or the other contributed
to the state of anomie starring us in the face, then, it is only proper
that we as citizens devise concrete ways to put and end to the source of
our continued suffering. Enlightened self-interest does require therefore
that as a nation, we evolve ways and measures to effectively deal with
what is arguably Nigerian democracy’s Enemy Number One, namely, the
rampaging and predatory schemes of the dictatorship of Obasanjo and his
allies. In doing so, we should be prepared to show that we can learn from
history and apply its useful lessons.
Throughout the history of mankind, vicious tyrants and
self-important wreckers of the people’s dreams and aspirations have at the
appropriate moment been made to pay for their crimes and atrocities
against the people. From popular uprisings, armed campaigns to peaceful
protest, pressure has often been brought to bear on repressive regimes by
those interested in moving their country forward. Ancient tyrannies like
the one by the demented Caligula (Emperor of Rome, A.D. 37-41) were
sometimes terminated by way of determined resistance or isolated acts of
rebellion against the violent tactics which the potentates employed as
tools for their mindless subjugation of the people. The assassination of
Emperor Caligula by his praetorian guard did put a stop to the mad ruler’s
ruthless desecration of revered institutions. Not long ago, the demise of
Pakistan’s autocratic ruler, Zia Ul-Haque, was recorded in violent, if
mysterious circumstances – a suspected bomb or missile aimed at his plane.
In a note of finality, that suspected act of politically-motivated
elimination did deal a fatal blow to one of Asia’s most ruthless rulers.
We must caution here that the dubious weapon of political assassinations
is no solution, especially when one considers the fact that it is doubtful
that such eliminations of monsters does necessarily lead to qualitatively
better change. That said, Nigerians must in our present circumstances
resist the temptation of shying away from considering viable, legitimate,
and one must insist, democratic ways of tackling the critical danger
confronting the country now.
Due to our democratic disposition, we are naturally opposed
to a resort to violent means as a way of bringing sanity to the current
mess in the land. Of course, I hasten to add that, to paraphrase a popular
saying, those who make peaceful change impossible will invariably make
violent change inevitable. This is the conundrum one is faced with in
Nigeria these days. When a perfidious regime corruptly and violently
deploys state structures and resources in the advancement of a personal
agenda of self-perpetuation and revanchist scheming, is there any valid
justification for expecting that those who are at the receiving end of
such illegalities docilely and meekly remain in their corner and submit to
the depravities of Obasanjo and his ruthless thugs in places like Anambra
and Plateau? We reject violent confrontation but at the same time, must
insist that citizens have the right to sufficiently arm themselves against
a lawless and violent tyranny like the current Obasanjo misrule which has
proven time and time again that it is willing to deploy violence through
the criminal use of the police, the army and the SSS to commit untold
atrocities against the people. You may call it the enlightened repudiation
of terror inflicted by self-serving pols. Or to quote a Nigerian
euphemism, “self-help” which is a manifestation of the lack of confidence
in institutions that have been terribly debased and desecrated by
politicians and their collaborators.
It was Governor Orji Kalu of Abia state who only recently
did moot this idea of “self-help” as a possible response to the
unconscionable harassment – via armed assault - of his mother, amongst
other associates, by a wing of Obasanjo’s Gestapo known as the EFCC.
The time for sitting on the fence is over. Any deference to
evil-doers will only embolden them. If Nigerians do genuinely want a
"better tomorrow", they must immediately imagine bold and concrete steps
for taking out the source of their continued suffering. I concur with the
Abia state governor, Orji Kalu and Ishaku Ibrahim that the various state
executives should constitute a rampart against the rampaging, undemocratic
impulses of the current madman of Nigerian politics. The governors should
reject as deeply offensive any attempt at blackmail by Obasanjo and his
attack dogs. They should especially discard their whining for a more
purposeful and robust stand against the militaristic onslaught on Nigerian
democracy by the Aso Rock ‘born-again’ tyrant and his henchmen in the
likes of Adedibu, el-Rufai, Bode George, Nuhu Ribadu, Chris Uba, Mantu,
Ahmadu Ali and Anenih. As I did mention in my article entitled "Driving
Nuhu Ribadu Out of Town", the good people of Nigeria should use "every
means at their disposal" in the fight against the renewed military
occupation of our socio-political spaces. In Plateau, the youths rallied
to chase Ribadu and his fellow thugs out of town. Surely, the National
Assembly has not done its job as amply demonstrated by their shameful
abdication regarding the Ekiti debacle. It should make amends by drawing
up articles of impeachment against Obasanjo. This will serve as a serious
warning to the imperial king. As for citizens in general, they should
realize that they do have a potent weapon in the form of organized
peaceful protest. They should be ready to engage in a popular uprising to
press their legitimate demands, be it nation-wide or at the level of the
various states or cities which should have as objective the democratic
termination of the cruel tyranny of Nigeria's Bokassa. Here, the popular
resistance against the former dictator, Babangida, comes to mind.
The recent example by Plateau youths should serve as a
welcome warning to characters in the Obasanjo/Mantu mould. Obasanjo and
his partners in crime should know that the unpardonable killings of
innocent civilians in the pursuit of their evil designs are being
documented and that sooner or later, they must be called upon to account
for their crimes and atrocities. A special mention must also be made of
the destructive role being played by the various state judges, police
commissioners, military officers and so-called security agents. They also
will be called upon to render accounts to the Nigerian people.
There is nothing to cheer in the nauseating spectacle of
state-sponsored criminality and mayhem taking place in locations like
Ekiti , Plateau and Anambra. In Ekiti, the forced removal of the governor
was carried out by a military invasion of the state capital by Obasanjo’s
mercenaries erroneously referred to as the Nigerian army. What happened in
Ekiti a few weeks ago was nothing short of a military take-over with a
band of corrupt and irresponsible so-called legislators acting as
accessories to the crime. And when one hears the clown calling himself
Nigeria’s Attorney General shed crocodile tears in the manner of his
political master by feigning a condemnation of the illegal removal of the
governor and his deputy, he and his boss – master-mind of the perfidy in
Ekiti and elsewhere - should be told to shove their contrived lamentation
where it would have a most appropriate abode. But an even worse tragedy as
far as the Ekiti fiasco is concerned is the undignified and shameless role
played by so-called progressive activists in the likes of Gani Fawehinmi.
Opportunists of Nigeria’s pro-democracy/pro-human rights militancy would
seem to have lost their coherence when they prefer to play petty politics
in Ekiti instead of calling a spade a spade and condemning in no uncertain
terms the brazen lawlessness that led to the ‘coup d’état’ there. It is
sad that the inconsistency and duplicitous disarray of self-proclaimed
defenders of human rights are offering a dubious kind of comfort and
legitimacy to the illegalities of the Obasanjo regime.
In Plateau, quite obviously acting on cue, INEC has
predictably joined the fray in a most ignoble manner. Until they were
forced to retrace their steps, most likely by the defiant mood on the part
of the people of the state against the marauding agents of destabilization
and their sponsors, INEC agents did announce on the heels of the botched
attempt to initiate impeachment proceedings against Governor Dariye, that
they were going to hold elections for seats currently occupied by 14
legislators who happen to be opposing or at least not supporting the
illegal attempts to remove Dariye.
An important lesson from the stand-off in Plateau is the
value of concerted opposition to the type of thuggery represented by
Obasanjo and his sinister gang. A broad alliance of the local political
elite and the masses of the people, it would seem, has taken shape and is
determined to decisively reject the impositions of a desperate and
discredited band of usurpers operating from Abuja. This can only gladden
our hearts. At this critical moment, vigilance is de rigueur. As I keep
saying, one should not underestimate Obasanjo’s capacity for evil. We
salute the stand by the Nigerian Bar Association in their repudiation of
the kangaroo committee set-up by the Egbo-Egbo-like Chief Judge of Plateau
state as a prelude to the illegal overthrow of Governor Dariye by the
dictator from Ota. The NBA should remain resolute and refuse to be
intimidated. Their input has once more underscored the crying need for all
the strategic segments of society to do their part in the struggle to
entrench a truly democratic dispensation in the country.
It is pertinent therefore to reiterate here that the effort
by the National Assembly in the necessary opposition to the tyrannical
order in the country today should go hand in hand with the people’s
determination at all meaningful levels to protect their rights. In that
regard, it is noteworthy the concern expressed recently by the Senate
president, Ken Nnamani, who spoke a few weeks ago at the inauguration of
the Senate ad-hoc committee set up to probe the Petroleum Technology
Development Fund (PTDF) in the light of the allegations by Obasanjo and
Vice president Atiku, respectively, regarding their alleged misuse of the
fund.
Nnanami did observe: "These accusations have the capacity
to diminish the moral credibility of the Presidency. The Presidency is not
an individual. It is an institution. It is an institution that symbolises
the strength and dignity of the Nigerian people. We cannot allow this
institution to be degraded and demystified ….
As the elected representatives of the people, it is our
historical duty to save the Presidency from further embarrassment. The
Presidency is a national institution that we must protect irrespective of
our view about the present occupants of the office. In order to protect
the Presidency, we must clear it of cobwebs of mistrust, mischief and
scandal. With truth, justice and fairness, we can save the Presidency and
save our democracy…In constituting this special committee, the Senate
acted in the best traditions of statesmanship. We carry the burden of
history to ensure that we reposition the Presidency in the eyes of
Nigerians…” .
Encouraging words indeed! It is hoped that the National
Assembly will confound the sceptics amongst us and truly rise to the
occasion by making the quest to cleanse the presidency and save Nigerian
democracy a holistic venture. That is to say, a coherent enterprise that
is neither episodic nor cosmetic in nature, but one that is systematic,
thorough and above all, predicated on the National Assembly’s oversight
function of legislation for the nation. The intervention of the National
Assembly on the side of the people will help reduce the risk of citizens
having to resort to “self-help” measures in order to deal with adversity
in their midst.
The 2007 elections are around the corner. The pre-election
period is being unnecessarily polluted by the violent and lawless antics
of a debauched tyrant and his associates. Anambra state is once more on
fire with reports that the governor’s official residence in Onitsha has
been burned down! Meanwhile, in Plateau, the macabre show of shame
continues… Citizens should exercise extra vigilance against these malefic
forces of mischief and disunity. The tortoise must never be allowed to
dance at our expense.
Aonduna Tondu
New York
E-Mail: tondua@yahoo.com
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