COLUMNISTS
Obasanjo, the Statesman of Letter
By Macmillan Anikulapo
As the new trend to politics unfolds, we now see letter writing as a genre for instigating fear to the government. It is now, a literary tool, for writing against the government or to radicalize it achievements. Therefore, we have now found truth in letters from Obasanjo. And if a clergyman writes a letter we disagree— since Maximilien Robespierre saying is in a country like Nigeria when ‘’ pity is treason’’
Obj, is nothing but a statesman who does everything perfect. He speaks with acerbic so as to get the governance right than anybody else. His letters are nothing but a threat to the government. And the so called letters come in an election period, and though, I never dispute that Obj is not a leader. But his parody is always bucolic.
However, his famous letters are devilry to the Nigeria antics at the moment of debris. I do not say he should not write letter but his letter should not bring hatred to the government. He should not write letter that would be of an epistolary war in a society that is trying to get thing right without infidels. He is old and he supposes to understand his action at certain time because of the consequence. Thus, politics is still up-and-coming and we need to believe in the theory of respect to the populace. Not that we write letter because of our own interest like Obj often does.
But it is certainly clear to Nigerians that Obj has his way in eight years. But it was unfortunate that all his ideas were corrosive glories; still haunting us to this dispensation. His signature permeates the life of the country men and women but we all know he fails. He failed in his democracy from 1999-2007 and now the Owu chief claims saint. Or have we forgotten Obasanjo established and he destroyed the agencies before he left office? He even started big time corruption in the legislature and Judiciary. And this is the man that writes letter now
Was it not Obasanjo that endorsed Buhari in 2015 when the APC chieftains visited him in Abeokuta? Or was it not Obj that wrote letter to Jonathan that his government was culpable to the economy. And that letter caused war. But it was similar to what American poet, Jean Garrigue had written in his poem ‘’ my dear, do you remember the country/of abandoned stone houses with their roofs toppled in/ eyes of their windows blank sockets’’
Yet, Obj has said something wrong in Buhari again. It is indeed in this politics that I have learnt a lot when it comes to governance since someone like Obj doesn’t know he is fooling himself with the derogatory statements in his letter: The Points for Concern and Action. No matter the altercation, Obj wrote the letter as a stalwart politician who is supporting a candidate. So, we should ask Obj, what of the third force?
Is third force, now a parlance in our democracy? Since we don’t have politicians with good philosophies— but, it is a shame that Obj speaks in a condescending tone. This is what Prof. Soyinka writes in his prison memoir: The Man Died ‘’ and they lack any sort of conviction. Or commitment. Except of course playing games in the corridors power’’ Obj, with no doubt, is the man Soyinka describes in this poem: Civilian and Soldier.
The soldiery heart of Obasanjo is brave, to the extent that he doesn’t find fear than to critique government. Or has he forgotten Chief Egunjobi’s Estate scam levelled against him. Or is it the political mastermind, so as to lobby himself for third term? What of the economy during his tenure? Although, he is still the same Obj that went to Hong Kong to start canvassing for someone he had already graced to be corrupt. Is corruption now a peculiar theory in our government when someone like Obj can’t be probed?
Meanwhile, in his letter, Obj has shown his identity as a real PDP man, and not an apolitical anymore. Though, this is the political shame Owu chief has brought to our politics. He and his cohorts have turned the democracy to Mafia whereby they can choose who is going to rule. So, he is the only soothsayer who knows about the economy than anybody.
If he could say that Buhari’s government is planning self-succession project, what would we now call his third term agenda. Or is it that he has forgotten about Madam Ayoka, in the past INEC saga in Ekiti election? In the intrigues of politics, we need to know that Obasanjo is like Mussolini who preferred corporatism than fascism. Obasanjo does not have anything to say than to speak about the wounds he has left behind from 1979.
Everything is echoing back in our politics, with the politicians whom Obasanjo has trained to be thieves. They are still the ones defining our politics. Maybe this view makes Sam Omatseye to speak, on his TVC show: the platform, ‘’ politics is not about idealism but it is about practical’’
If Obasanjo means true democracy he wouldn’t have said: ‘’ Today, another Abacha Era is here’’ these words are inflammatory. These words are not supposed to be used, at this time when we all know our nation is in the precipice. It is a reference to what, Kenyan poet, has called the oppressor ‘’ the apparition of squelch/both in the time of larceny/ where sorrow keeps the fortress/ to people’s existence’’
Yet, we see Obasanjo has god. And we have often forgotten that he is human. He can’t act as saint since his own bruise is on our bodies. So, we should not take him serious. Or has he forgotten that he too is sick because how on earth would you start saying someone you call evil is now the messiah? Meanwhile, in this corrosive letter, Obj has addressed Buhari has inactive but the truth is that Buhari has integrity than Obj.
As the political era of new politicians unfold, let Obj be careful of disgrace because a hypocrite like him will be peevish one day. And Nigerians need to understand who Obasanjo is because he doesn’t have anything to offer than to influx his own selfish interest.
Perhaps, we need to know how to tell Obasanjo to shut up when it comes to national issue because this particular letter is nothing but an act of canvassing vote for his beloved candidate as American novelist, Toni Morrison has described in her novel. Obj, has told us he is supporting Atiku literarily with this letter.
For this, it is now time for us to use our discretion as Nigerians. To know who we want to vote for because this politics is becoming absurd. It is becoming a mien to purloin our votes to different purlieus. We need to find our voice and to vote for our conscience as a Nigerian poet has written in his sartorial poem: ‘’ we are slaves before/ Let us free our ego/and move ahead to the future’’ these lines are just warning to Nigerians. That our future is not in the hand of Obasanjo and Buhari, we need to know that they are military men in guise of civilians.
Our problem is to solve these political demagogues and to move a brighter Nigeria. Nothing comes easy as Maxim Gorky noted, ‘’ the only people who deserve freedom are those who are ready to fight for it every day’’ Obj doesn’t deserve this honour anymore.
@Babatunde_Mac
The Movement for the Advancement of National Transformation, MANTRA, has called on the federal government to set Mazi Nnamdi Kanu free as a major step towards addressing the agitations in the southeast.
The group made the call as a fallout of the release of Mr Sunday Adeyemo also known as Sunday Igboho, a Yoruba nation activist, by the Beninese government.
Recall the DSS reported that Sunday Igboho and his lieutenants engaged officers of the secret police in a fierce gun battle on July 1, 2021 at his residence in Soka, Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State after which he was arrested in Benin Republic while attempting to flee to Germany and had since remained in detention until Monday when he was set free.
In a statement signed by the Convener of MANTRA, Chief Jude Ndukwe and made available to the media on Wednesday in Abuja, the group described the release of Sunday Igboho as a welcome development and an indication that the Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu Presidency is not that of vendetta or vindictiveness and is not interested in persecuting its citizens.
“It is based on this that we urge President Tinubu to ensure the immediate and unconditional release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu from the custody of the DSS and free him to return home to his loved ones.
“Anything short of this will strengthen the suspicion of Nigerians that this is a sectional government with a sectional agenda.
“What is sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander. We believe very strongly that there was no way Sunday Igboho would have been released without any intervention from the Nigerian government. We hereby request strongly that the same principles applied to Mr Sunday Igboho be applied to Mazi Nnamdi Kanu whose release will no doubt assuage the frayed nerves of youths of the southeast and help restore peace and security in the region.
“May we remind President Bola Tinubu that he shares a similar sociopolitical trajectory with Mazi Nnamdi Kanu as an agitator.
“As a one-time activist, agitator and a leader of NADECO that was once proscribed by the federal government, Tinubu went on exile with several other NADECO members and were not only persecuted but also brutally hounded by the State over trumped up charges.
“Today, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is being made to unjustly pass through the same horrendous process the only difference being that Tinubu and his NADECO comrades passed through that tortuous road under a military regime while Kanu is experiencing his not just under a civilian administration but under an administration led by a veteran of agitation and activism.
“No other person in government today understands the experiences of Nnamdi Kanu better than the president himself who has passed through that route before. He knows better and we believe that he will do the right thing.
“We therefore reiterate our urgent call for Nnamdi Kanu to be released now,” the statement concluded.
In the vibrant city of Lagos, Olaleye Ademola Surajudeen leads a seemingly ordinary life, but beneath his warm smile and compassionate nature lies a hidden truth. He grapples with the fear of persecution due to his sexual orientation in a country where same-sex relationships are criminalized.
Ademola’s life takes an unexpected turn when he crosses paths with Rafael, a supportive friend who encourages him to embrace his authentic self. With Rafael’s unwavering support, Ademola summons the courage to come out to his family and close friends.
However, this courageous decision comes at a cost. Ademola faces discrimination and prejudice from some members of his community, while others stand by his side.
As Ademola navigates the turbulent waters of being open about his identity, the story zooms out to explore the broader issue of LGBTQ+ rights and acceptance in Nigeria. It underscores the importance of empathy and understanding in a society where acceptance remains an uphill battle.
The ordeals of fear and understanding his rejections, embodies bravery and hope as Ademola, alongside those who support him, confronts their own biases and learns to celebrate diversity and love in all its forms.
Ademola coming out as gay in Nigeria, a country where same-sex relationships can lead to 14 years of imprisonment, exposes him to significant risks. News of his revelation spreads throughout his community, yielding a mixed bag of reactions.
While Rafael and a handful of close friends steadfastly support him, others distance themselves, and some openly express disapproval. Ademola grapples with the stark realities of stigmatization and discrimination that accompany his newfound honesty.
One fateful evening, Ademola faces a confrontation with a group of hostile individuals who subject him to verbal abuse and threats. Within a memoir of his escapade was when he narrowly escaped police raids during a gay community marriage in Delta state, the encounter leaves him deeply shaken and fearful for his safety.
However, despite the daunting challenges and the looming shadow of Nigeria’s severe laws, Ademola stands unwavering in his commitment to live authentically.
As Ademola journey unfolds, he forges unexpected alliances with dedicated activists tirelessly working to challenge the discriminatory laws.
Nevertheless, the path to change remains laden with obstacles. Some political leaders and conservative religious groups staunchly oppose any reforms. Ademola faces renewed threats and hostility, but he remains steadfast, recognizing that his journey has transcended personal struggle and has become a beacon of hope for many. As the story concludes, Nigeria’s legal landscape for LGBTQ+ individuals remains challenging.
By Femi Fani-Kayode
I am on record as saying that if Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali or ANY OTHER country, attacks Nigeria, violates our territorial integrity or attempts to take one inch of our nation we must & will fight them to the last man.
I have also said that Nigeria’s defence budget is FAR higher than all the other 14 countries in West Africa PUT TOGETHER & that there is no nation in our sub-region that can defeat us in a military conflict despite our many challenges.
I stand by these words.
I am however constrained to add the following as a word of caution to those who seek to “cry havoc & unleash the dogs of war” & as a piece of unsolicited advice to the advocates of military invasion.
It would be imprudent & unwise for Nigeria to attempt to clean up France’s mess in Niger Republic.
The French are the most rappacious, greedy, vicious, pervasive, destructive & unrelenting neo-colonial foreign power on the African continent.
They have done nothing for Africa other than pillage, rape, undermine, plunder & take advantage of her.
To deploy our military, go to war & allow Nigerian blood to be spilled just to help her to continue to gang rape the Nigeriens & subject them to slavery would be unjust, wicked, short-sighted, stupid & counter-productive.
Worse still it would have implications for the stability of our nation, our entire sub-region & our increasingly fruitful relationship with President Putin & the Russian Federation who are slowly emerging as Africa’s best friend &, together with the Chinese, appear to be the only foreign power that truly seeks to assist & support the growth & development of African countries.
To those who believe that Nigeria ought to continue to be the poodle, local enforcer & hatchet man of the French, the Europeans, the British & the Americans in our sub-region, I ask the following: who do they think is behind Boko Haram & ISWAP and why did these so-called Western allies refuse to sell us arms to fight those two terrorist organisations until Trump came along? And of course since Trump left we have been given nothing.
Not one of them truly cares for Nigeria in the way the Chinese or Russians do & to them we are nothing but a source of mineral resources and a local sheriff.
They want us to go & fight a war against our African brothers just to further and protect their own economic & regional interests and they want us to throw the West African sub region into a theater for a horrific, brutal & never-ending proxy war between them & Russia which would result in turning the whole of the West & North African sub region into a cauldron of fire.
Worst still they want Northern Nigeria particularly & the entire African Sahel region & all the countries in it to be burnt to ashes & go the way of Ukraine, Iraq, Syria, Libya & Afghanistan whilst they sell their arms, test their weapons, pillage our resources, turn our people into homeless destitutes & penniless refugees, destroy our collective future & serve our flesh & blood, on a dark satanic alter to the sinister forces & the blood-lustng vultures & demons that they work for & serve.
We must never allow this to happen & if the truth be told the biggest mistake that ECOWAS made in the first place was to threaten Niger with military action if the coupists refused to step down & restore President Bazoum to power.
I say this because once a threat is issued & it is not followed up with action you look weak, ineffectual & pathetic.
That is the quandry we are now in & the wisest thing to do at this point is to step back from the brink and rhetoric of war and engage in diplomacy.
Deploying our troops into our neigbours country in an attempt to effect regime-change on behalf of a bunch of butt-f*cking, cunt-struck, power-obsessed feral psychopaths like the French whose primary dream and fantasy has always been the dismemberment, destabilisation and destruction of Nigeria is asinine and unacceptable.
(CONTINUED👇👇👇)
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