Paying Back Evil For Good

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AS an ardent reader of a column  written by a former Southeast governor published every Saturday in a national newspaper allegedly owned by the former governor, the first thing I do Saturday morning is  log on and read the column.

What is my interest in the column? Apart from being a Nigerian living abroad from Abia State, I am not only interested about events in Nigeria, particularly from my state but was about this columnist former governor.

One of the articles recently published in the column on Saturday January 21 titled “Paying Back Evil For Good” makes interesting read.  At a first reading, one could know that the details in the copy were not factual but a mere fabrication, shocking and revealed the lamentations and confession of a man who had every opportunity for eight years to write his name in gold as leader of the people, but failed to do so, only to now become more philosophical and moralistic than the Pope, looking for whom to blame for his self-inflicted political woes.

The article which was full of innuendos, parables and teachings on betrayals of life was amusing and brought out the agony of man who is out of power, but instead of lying low, decided to expose the intrigues of the game he was a guru in. It is a crying shame that this governor columnist  before now did not know that the only thing that is constant in life is change. Though, there were no name calling, but insinuations were made against those he believed had betrayed him after helping them. And the question is who betrayed who and why? That is if is any betrayal.

For eight good years, he was in-charge in a State as number one citizen, but instead of using the opportunity to better the lot of the people, the period and public resources was used to build a family political dynasty and the people were betrayed and impoverished.

Political propaganda, blackmail and gangsterism were the order of the day in the state. It was war of words everyday with the central authority while the state bled. Crisis within was overwhelming. Brothers could not see each other, how much more sit down to discuss or proffer solutions on how to move the state forward. Those in government were like rubber stamps without clear roles or functions.

Today however, this is not the case because the story is different. Comparing today and yesterday in the state is like comparing light and darkness. Apart from the massive infrastructure projects that have been completed and ongoing across the state which I saw during my visit at Christmas, there is peace and stability in my state now.

Our brothers and sisters are coming home more often unlike in the past and they are now sitting down to brainstorm on the way forward for the state. Who thought such was possible given the pervading environment at the time?  All these were not possible in the past, because the state treasury and paraphernalia of power were in the hands of the family dynasty built and led by the now conquered mother Excellency ably assisted by the son.

So, who betrayed who? It is obvious now that our dear governor columnist has realised his mistakes, but instead of asking for forgiveness from God and those he betrayed, he took it to the village square. His is like the case of Okon who went around telling everyone what the villagers had done to him but refused to tell his listeners what he did to the villagers.  He spoke about an agreement that was reached and breached?  What agreement was this? Did it have a legal backing? Was it in the public good? He is the columnist.

If he is courageous enough, let him tell the public the nature of the agreement. Which confrontational approach is being referred to in the article? It is obvious to the people that confrontational approach has been tried against the present government in the state by forces against the people, but it failed because the government was able to match force with force.

For now, there is no hiding place for those who betrayed the people and the state for eight years and still have the guts to shamelessly shout on the roof  top about betrayal. But for the leniency and humility of the present government in the state, a probe would have been made into the affairs of the state in the past administration and many would have been cooling off  in jail now.

The possibility of one walking freely on the streets of the state now was made possible by the present government.  It was not possible for the past government to provide such opportunity for their perceived enemies then who were chased out of the state for long till the present government extended an olive branch which they crabbed with both hands. One should ask why majority of those chased out of the state in the past by that government see reasons to identify with the present government in the state? This is enough evidence that there was a cog in the wheel of progress in the state which has been identified and taken care of for the good of the majority.

It is not betrayal, rather it is a right decision supported and applauded by the people, because government is nobody’s private or family empire as was the case. The people have the freedom and right to ask questions now without fear of state power being unleash on them like before now. So when one betrays oneself, one should carry the burden alone and avoid looking for whom to go down with, as the Holy book says, salvation is a personal race; or as one makes his bed, so he lies on it. 

ONE NATION,CONFLICTING INTERESTS

OLUSOLA FABIYI writes that the nationwide strike that followed the Federal Government’s removal of petroleum subsidy might have exposed Nigeria as a country of divergent opinions

Second Republic is dead, but the memories of some actions of the politicians and political parties that played active roles during the ill-fated democracy would not be forgotten in a hurry. The slogan of the ruling party then, the National Party of Nigeria was: One Nation, One Destiny.”

However, the last strike and protests called by the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress, which was supported by the civil society groups, may have shown that Nigerians, though in one nation, have their different destinies. Agreeably, majority of the people would have thought that the protests, which were occasioned by the removal of subsidy on petrol, would be resisted by people from the six-geo political zones of the country. Such thought, according to Emeka Kalu, an engineer, was further fueled with the fact that Nigerians, no matter their status, region or tribe, patronise the same market to purchase  goods. “After all, a musician waxed a record, in which he said this,” Kalu further explained.

It was probably based on such hypothesis that protesters trooped out in large number during the protests in some zones, while in others, sympathisers of government at the centre either stayed indoors or even organised their own protests to show support for the government.

Thus, in the whole of the South-West and the entire four zones in the northern part of the country, including the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, the strike was described as total. Economic and social activities were paralyzed. Rallies were also held to denounce the government’s action. In Lagos, the rallies and the protests assumed a carnival-like dimension as musicians, actors and actresses mounted the stage to add colour to the demonstrations. The entertainers, who hitherto saw President Goodluck Jonathan as the messiah derided him by calling him unprintable names. The convener of Save Nigeria Group, who was also a vice-presidential candidate for the Congress for Progressive Change during the last presidential election, Pastor Tunde Bakare, was visible at the event. His overbearing presence at the rallies made the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta Affairs, Mr. Kingsley Kuku, to say that the protesters were members of Bakare’s Latter Rain Assembly Church.

Kuku and those who had such impression must have been stunned  when the Muslims leaders led their members to Ojota, venue of the rallies for their jumat prayers. After listening to the sermon, the Muslims, who were supported by their Christian brothers and sisters, then went on their knees, for prayers. In Gombe, Kano, Ilorin, Lokoja, Yola, the situation was almost the same: protesters trooped out in large number to register their displeasure over the government’s action.

But the residents of Bayelsa, the home State of the President, shunned civil society groups’ protest. The civil society groups under the aegis of Civil Liberties Organisation in the state had called for public protest and had even gone ahead to sensitise the public not to sit on the fence but to come out en masse to protest against the Federal Government’s policy, which they considered as “anti Nigerian people.”

While the leaders of the civil society groups in the state blamed the failure of the street protest to hold on the refusal of the police to grant them permit for the rally, a senior police source dismissed the claim as untrue, saying the command even deployed policemen to provide the civil society groups protection, which informed the presence of security operatives at take off point of the rally and other strategic locations in the state capital so as to prevent miscreants from hijacking the process. It was, however, learnt that the President’s men succeeded in infiltrating the rank of the anti subsidy removal camp and the result was the failure of residents to turn out for the rally.

It was not only in Bayelsa State, where ethnicity reason prevailed. The President’s fellow Ijaw man and a former militant, Asari Dokubo, who is from Rivers State, led a peaceful rally of a small crowd, threatening to defend the position of President Jonathan. He said if PENGASSAN carried out its threat to shut oil production, he would rally former militants to take over and ensure that PENGASSAN did not return. In the estimation of the former militant, the move by many Nigerians against the FG was meant to discriminate against the leadership of a helpless minority of Ijaw decent. He ((Dokubo) threatened to personally spearhead the region’s mass protest to defend their son from the arrogant northern majority whom he claimed wanted to make the country ungovernable.

Also, a coalition that called itself Deltans Occupy Niger Delta Resources, in a communiqué, said it would take its resources back, by all legal means available to it. The release signed by Ankios Briggs, President Agape Birthrights and convener of NDONDR reads, “Niger Delta and oil resources found in the Niger Delta belong to Niger Delta people. All resources found in any other region of Nigeria belong to the people of such region. We call on all our Niger Delta people, for the sake of our future to look to our nearest neighbours, the Igbo for immediate and strong alliance, to enable the Niger Delta nations and the Igbo nation to face the obvious change that will come to Nigeria, in strength, justice, brotherhood and truth. If Jonathan, a Niger Delta son, is not good enough to govern Nigeria, the oil in his Niger Delta is not good enough for Nigeria. If the Niger Delta people are not good enough to be part of good governance in Nigeria then our oil and gas of the Niger Delta peoples is not good enough for Nigeria.”

Some ex-militants, who were known to fight on the side of the people before carrots began to drop from the government table, also stormed Yenagoa and protested along the Major Chief Melford Okilo way in total support of the FG’s action.

Before then, some prominent people from the South-South also took sides with government on the matter and even alleged a plot to assassinate the President and some eminent persons in his administration. The Ijaw leaders, under the aegis of South-South Leaders’ Forum, led by Chief Edwin Clark, met with a resolve to queue behind Jonathan on the removal of fuel subsidy while they accused anti-subsidy promoters from other regions of the country of plotting the downfall of their kinsman.

It was however gathered that the people of the South-East were persuaded to stay-off the streets during the protests with the hope that Jonathan would hand over to an indigene of the zone in 2015.

A former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Prof. Tam David-West and the Action Congress of Nigeria however expressed their worry over the ethnicisation of the protests. David-West particularly said that it was wrong for some Ijaw leaders and persons from the Niger Delta to conclude that resistance against fuel subsidy removal was aimed at frustrating and possibly ousting President Jonathan. David-West, who described the fuel subsidy issue as a national one, reminded those who ascribed ethnic meaning to the strike, to recall that the President did not win the April 2011 election with only the votes from the Niger-Delta and the Ijaw. He said, “What they are doing is not good for the image of the President. Those protesting on the basis of ethnicity are merely interested in the money they can make from the president and also seeking relevance.  Jonathan is the president of Nigeria and not the Ijaw. Jonathan only got 24 per cent of his votes from the South-South. He is able to occupy Aso Rock because of the votes from other parts of Nigeria. There is a serious need for people to be circumspect at this critical moment.”

The Action Congress of Nigeria, in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, decried those reading ethnic meanings into the protests. The party said it was unfortunate that the President “that was purportedly given a pan-Nigeria mandate only a few months back is now being made to look more and more like a South-South President, who must be ‘protected’ by his ‘supporters and kinsmen’ against failed politicians from the other regions, forgetting that the same President won the last election because of the support of the other regions that are now been demonised.”

Bakare was particularly criticised for leading the protest in Lagos, and it was alleged that the protests he led were sponsored by some individuals. But the non-conformist cleric described the allegation as a misplaced propaganda, adding that it was not the first time that SNG would lead protests against unjust acts in the nation. He reminded Nigerians about the rallies the group staged to protest the denial of Jonathan the opportunity to act as President in 2010, when his late boss then, Alhaji Umaru Yar’Adua was terminally sick. But the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Prof. Rufai Alkali, said Bakare should no longer be looked at from the angle of being a pastor. “In the past, he belonged to SNG. Today as you know him in the political circle, he has ceased from being the Pastor he was because he was a vice- presidential candidate of CPC, that was defeated in the last general election by the PDP. He is a voice of CPC.” He said the PDP would not sit by and allow failed politicians misinforming innocent Nigerians.    SOURCE>> PUNCHNEWSONLINE

MASSOB THREATING TO RETALIATE

Boko Haram: MASSOB threatens to retaliate if…

MOVEMENT for the Actualization of Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB, yesterday, threatened to retaliate against Boko Haram, which has negatively affected the security situation of the country. The group added that it would not hesitate to clampdown on the activities of the sect, if necessary steps were not taken by the Federal Government and other security agencies to checkmate the operations and excesses of the sect.

Director of Information of MASSOB, Mr. Uchenna Madu, warned that should harassment and attacks of its members by the Islamic sect continued uncontrollably, it might be pushed into violent acts, describing the Boko Haram’s attacks in the country as a child’s play compared to what it would do if no action was taken against the sect by security agencies. Madu, who is also the Leader Ebonyi South Region 1, expressed dismay over the alleged killing of Ndigbo by Boko Haram, warning that it would no longer fold its arms and watch its indigenes brutally killed by the Boko Haram members.

He warned: “South East is very peaceful now but the Nigeria Military personnel are trying to provoke us. We know what the Boko Haram members are doing in the North and there is supposed to be a reprisal attacks here in the South East but we have kept silent not because we don’t know what to do but simply because we don’t want to shade blood. “We believe in non-violent approach to issues but they are pushing us to the wall; they are provoking MASSOB to become violent and if we decide to resort to violent this time around, even the Nigeria military cannot contain our attacks. “The Boko Haram issue is a child’s play compared to what we can do if we are provoked into violence. I tell you the entire Nigeria would be on fire.

“We don’t expect the military to accept that they killed our members, last Sunday at Onitsha; they swoop on our men while they were holding their meetings in preparation for Chief Ojukwu’s burial. They went at their different meeting venue and arrested our members but at a particular venue, the members resisted the arrest and the military personnel opened fire on them”.

“What they are trying to do by denying that they killed our members is simply aimed at covering their shameful act. The Military Commander at Enugu is not in Onitsha, so he based his comment on what the officer in Onitsha told him but we have all the facts. They did not just kill them; they killed them and took away their corpse”.

“Very soon, we are going to come out with the whole fact, to tell the world the truth of the whole matter. There is no way we will just allege that the military killed our men when they didn’t. They admitted that, they arrested our men”.

”We still maintain that they killed some of our men. As am speaking with you, some of the wounded once are still at the hospital. They should please release the dead body of our members to us, so that we can give them a befitting burial.”

Boko Haram leader rules out negotiation with government

 

An audio message allegedly posted to the Internet by the leader of a radical Islamist sect in Nigeria threatened President Goodluck Jonathan and denied its members killed Muslim civilians in an attack last week that left at least 185 people dead.

The Associated Press reports that the video posted to YouTube, shows a still image of Imam Abubakar Shekau sitting on a beige sofa, a Kalashnikov rifle at his back.
Speaking at times in Arabic, English and the Hausa language of Nigeria's Muslim north, Shekau said negotiations suggested by President Goodluck Jonathan between the sect and the government will not happen.
"He's lying. He cannot do it," Shekau said. "If Jonathan does not repent as a Muslim, even if I die myself, Jonathan's going to see. He's looking at me like I'm nobody, but he'll see."
In the message, Shekau acknowledged that Boko Haram carried out the January 20 attacks in Kano, Nigeria's second-largest city that killed at least 185 people.
Gunmen from the sect armed with explosives and assault rifles, some wearing army and police uniforms, others suicide car bombers, attacked police stations, immigration offices and the local headquarters of Nigeria' secret police.
However, Shekau denied killing civilians in the attack, claiming the sect's gunmen tried to protect the more than nine million people who live in the important city in Nigeria's north.
"We're killing police officers, we're killing soldiers and other government people who are fighting Allah and Christians who are killing Muslims and talking badly about our Islamic religion," Shekau said. "I am not against anyone, but if Allah asks me to kill someone, I will kill him and I will enjoy killing him like I am killing a chicken," he said.