“We
fought a war to remain united, indivisible nation… because we believed
and still believe that what binds us together is far greater than what
divides us.” – General Yakubu Gowon.
Up till date, this very odd view is fanatically attested to by the Nigerian Status Quo/ Autocrats,
after their long years of disservice to the over 170 million Citizens
of this country. It is very absurd and illogical in the first place that
two factions with great binds and minor differences, have to go to war
to either foster their enormous binds or iron out their minor
differences, as one cannot be fighting for what is readily at his or her
disposal, while minor differences are the easiest thing to sort out on
the dialogue table.
This Autocratic view was recently
repeated, in an unrefined tone, by the present serving president of
Nigeria, who himself played active role in the Nigerian civil war, when
he said that the Igbos should remember what happened to them during the
civil war of 1967-1970.
But if one should take Gowon on his
personal conviction on what binds us together seriously, I would want to
draw his attention to the very personal bind that he, as the then head
of state of Nigeria, had with Edith Ike-Okongwu which gave rise to the
birth of Musa Gowon.
As the then head of state of Nigeria, in
relationship with a woman of Biafran extraction, and this relationship
was blessed with a son, Musa, General Gowon reportedly denied paternity
of Musa. Only through a conclusive DNA test conducted recently, was Gowon convinced of his paternity of Musa, which he confirmed with the following press statement:
“Musa Gowon
Following years of doubts and
speculation, a DNA test was recently conducted to ascertain the
paternity of Musa Gowon who recently returned to the country.
The results of the tests were conclusive and they confirm his paternity.
We, the family, are working to assist in his rehabilitation following a very difficult period in his life.
As we look forward to the future with faith in God, we request that our privacy be respected.
Thank you.
General Dr. Yakubu Gowon GCFR”
Of course, relationships could end for
whatever reasons, but the product of such relationship should naturally
be presumed to remain binding. One is therefore forced to ask:
Should this young man, Musa Gowon, not have been the symbol of one Nigeria which Gowon advocates?
Should it not have been General Gowon
himself, in the name and spirit of One Nigeria he advocates, and the
numerous binds among us, who as a matter of self-assurance would have
proven to the world earlier that he fathered Musa, rather than the other
way round?
This if I may say, compares to a situation of the congregation convincing the priest of the existence of God.
In one of my previous articles, I have enumerated the emergence of the Nigerian Status Quo,
who metamorphosed from the autocrats of the Nigerian civil war, that
saw no reason in dialogue as they had deemed military force and
subjugation the only credible means of achieving their goal, purportedly
One Nigeria at all cost.
In answering Reuben Abati´s question, as posed in his article, in The Trent, a Nigerian Internet newspaper, So, Who really governs Nigeria today?,
I would plead to add a little modification to this question by asking:
Who has taken Nigeria hostage?, as the Nigerian citizens had never been
governed over the last 50 years, but have been held under perpetual
hostage by the Status Quo Autocrats and their associates, as they could never be held accountable by the citizens.
They have, since their emergence,
suffocated all other aspects of human endeavor and governance including
the Judiciary, the trade, labor and student´s unions etc., emasculated
the media, academicians and professional bodies and blocked outrightly
the emergence of true elitism as they, have permanently tagged
themselves the elites of the Nation, resulting that Nigeria can
chronically boast of stagnant elites of majorly mediocre and
illiterates. They and their associates have allocated to themselves,
without any due process, the lands of the Niger Delta, in form of oil
wells, and also through the indigenization policy, taken over the
private sector, while their military influence fosters the unworkable
union called one Nigeria. All these combined, created not only the
mono-economy they are bitterly complaining of today, but also
mono-ideology. It is due to this act of hostage taking that the people
in the corridors of power in Nigeria speak a different language as the
Citizens, as they bear no allegiance to anybody.
Kemi Adeosun, Nigeria’s current finance
minister, recently revealed that 363,000 companies operating in Nigeria
have never paid any tax before, naturally resulting in the loss of
billions in tax revenue to the Nation. Inasmuch as she did not enlist
those companies and their owners, I can say with all certainty that
those companies do not belong to the market women in Tejuosho market or
the bus drivers, or commercial motor cycle riders in Ibadan, Kano or
Enugu etc,, and definitely not the exploited herdsmen, roaming the
country with the cattle of their masters, but to the Nigerian Status Quo and their associates.
The Panama Papers that generated uproar
in different parts of the world with resultant resignation of some high
ranking government officials in some countries, was just a mere news in
Nigeria, because the Status Quo and their investments, never paid taxes
to the national coffer in the first place, so very few could really
decipher what is meant by tax heavens.
This act of hostage taking of the
Nigerian citizens is better illustrated by the status quo denying the
over 170 million citizens of Nigeria the basic right of a referendum in
the Constitution, at least in certain serious issues affecting their
existence, as Nigerian constitution never has any provision for such.
While at the same time using section
44(3) of the Nigerian constitution, the status quo and autocrats ensure
themselves the total control of the country´s natural resources; this
was also observed by the minority leader of the house of
representatives, Leo Ogor, who in June, 2016 was quoted to have said:
“I draw you to
the provision of section 44 (3) of the Constitution where the resources
of the whole country was placed in the hands of the Federal Government,
and that is an abnormality.
“The only reason
why it was so is because of the sole dependence on oil, but that has
been the major setback we have today as a nation”.
This does not only amount to major
setbacks as observed by Rep. Ogor above, but the addition of the section
44(3) of the constitution to the non-provision of the possibility of a
referendum by the same constitution, simply amount to a perfected
hostage taking of the citizenry. Simply interpreted to mean, that the
Status Quo/Autocrats have through section 44(3), taken full control of
the resources of the Citizens, while at the same time denying them of
any say whatsoever. This is a calculated attempt at keeping themselves
(the Status Quo/Autocrats) perpetually relevant, as he who controls
one’s stomach literally controls his or her actions and thoughts. And
till date even the worst constitutional violators, such as the
government of the day, adheres strictly to this provision of the
constitution, as they are irritated that the people of the Niger Delta
are laying claims to ownership of the oil in their region.
It is this fundamental problem of not
taking the citizens into cognizance, at least in certain serious issue
affecting them, which generate all the tensions across the African
continent in general and in Nigeria in particular. Nobody in whatever
position of governance can feel the burden in any situation better than
the citizens directly affected.
But the greatest mistake the Nigerian Status Quo Autocrats
have made in recent times, Infact the mass grave that they have dug for
themselves, is the sudden discovery, after 50 years of wanton
mismanagement of the Nation´s resources, that there is corruption.
Beautifully crafted statements suddenly
surfaced as the one from the president himself, stating that if we don’t
kill corruption, corruption will kill us. Gowon added to it by saying
that “nobody could claim to love his country and engage in corruption,
which l believe that the current leadership will tackle“. Not to talk of
Obasanjo, who had identified Nigeria’s problems as leadership and
corruption, saying that the administration of former President Goodluck
Jonathan was corrupt!
To be continued…
Dr. Benneth Onoh writes from Germany. He can be reached by email HERE.
The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author.
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