First,
let me quickly give a rough definition of the term “elite”: it is a
word used to refer to those selected group of people the society
considers special and superior to others probably because they possess
more wealth, more knowledge, more connection, more influence, and
others. Examples of elite are Wole Soyinka, Femi Falana, Reverend Father
Ejike Mbaka, and others.
Now, let’s proceed,
If there is one ‘positive’ thing the
emergence of the Daura-born ex-soldier; Muhammadu Buhari as the
president of the 21st century Nigeria has taught us as a people, it is
that the Nigerian elites – the so-called intellectuals, the so-called
human right activists, the so-called men of God (not all) are nothing
but a bunch of over-indulged morally bankrupt pseudo-intellectuals full
of education but devoid of commonsense and with no empathy to the course
of the common man.
This government has really exposed the so-called elites for the counterfeit that they really are.
Please note, my views here got nothing
to do with one’s choice of a political candidate during an election. I
fully acknowledge the right of every man to support any candidate of
their choosing in an election. It is called ‘franchise’. But when a man
who strongly frowned at bloodshed during the days of President Jonathan
suddenly started feigning indifference to bloodshed under President
Buhari, then it’s high time the hypocrisy of the moral code of such a
man was called out.
During Jonathan era, whenever a Boko
Haram bomb went off in any part of the country, these elites would argue
(and rightly so) that a president who is incapable of protecting the
lives and properties of his people had lost both the moral and legal
right to continue drawing salaries as president.
Today, under General Buhari, a well
equipped, well funded group more daring and deadly than Boko Haram, the
Fulani herdsmen militia, now kill, maim and rape and sack Nigerians from
their homes with state-sponsored impunity and active connivance of the
security agencies. And these so called elites are suddenly deaf, dumb,
and blind!
Why?
Let me reiterate one thing which we all know but are probably too scared to publicly admit:
The murderous land-grabbing campaign by
the Fulani herdsmen is state-sponsored and it has the blessings of
almost all the Hausa/Fulani headed security agencies in the country.
President Buhari is complicit in these killings. His security chiefs
who are mostly of the same tribe and religion with these Fulani
criminals are all complicit in these. It is not a case of negligence, it
is not a case of incompetence. It is a clear case of criminal
complicity!
Before you accuse Charles Ogbu of making
wild allegations, ask yourself the significance of President Buhari
donning a military fatigue for the very first time in 3 decades to
inaugurate a high powered military taskforce to protect Fulanis and
their cows from thieves less than 48-hours after these same Fulanis
killed over 81 people in Benue State?
Ask yourself, why did all the security
chiefs in Enugu State allow the April 25 massacre of the people of
Uzor-Uwani despite having foreknowledge of the attack and receiving all
the necessary logistics from governor Ugwuanyi to stop the attack? These
are all verifiable information. A quick Google search will help you
determine the truth
Ask yourself, how many Fulanis have been
arrested and prosecuted despite all their heinous crime and the fact
that they once went with one Senator Dagiri Alkali to the Defence
headquarters on May 4, 2016 to admit to and justify these murders?
Take me before a court presided over by
Buhari himself and watch me convince him that himself and his
Hausa/Fulani security chiefs are complicit in the mindless bloodletting
by the world 4th deadliest terror group; the Fulani herdsmen a.k.a ‘Butchers From The North‘ (apologies to Chief Femi Fani Kayode).
Femi Falana was quick to write to the
ICC that Ngozi Okonjo Iweala should be investigated for allegedly
releasing arms fund to politicians but this same Femi Falana has not
deemed it necessary to write to ICC about the role of the President
Buhari and his security chiefs in these killings. As a human right
activist, what other right could be more important than the right to
life which these Fulani beasts and their enablers have taken from us?
The likes of Emeka Ngige, Femi Falana,
Festus Keyamo, and other should stop subjecting the tag “human right
activist” to ridicule because they are no right activists! They don’t
even understand the meaning of that clause!
Where were they when over 1,000 thousand
citizens of this country (the Shiite muslims) were massacred in Kaduna
by a common army chief; Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai (not even the
C-in-C) for blocking his convoy in a country where immediate past
President Jonathan was once pelted with stones in Bauchi with no case of
his security details shooting anyone? Since December, the Shiites
leader; Ibrahim El Zakzaky is still being detained without being taken
to court… in a democracy?
Where was the so-called human right
activists when security agency invaded homes and churches, killing
hundreds of Igbo sons and daughters on May 29 and 30 of this year in an
act described as hate-induced murder by Amnesty International? The full
report of this was carried by an online media; Premium Times with a full testimony of a DSS official who took part in the operation. Please, Google it to confirm for yourselves.
On December 17, 2015, justice Adeniyi
Ademola granted bail to the leader of the Indigenous People Of Biafra;
Nnamdi Kanu unconditionally. The DSS defied that order and Buhari went
on national television during a presidential media chat and said that he
wilfully disobeyed a court order because it was “against his personal
belief”. Where was the so-called right activists then?
In law, even if a judge makes a
pronouncements under the influence of cocaine, the only way to set it
aside is by filing an appeal against that judgment. But the DSS never
appealed that particular judgment, they only went to another high court
with the same case. This is also verifiable.
A Femi Falana who led 23 lawyers in an
attempt to convince a judge that President Buhari has a WAEC result
instead of prevailing on the president to fulfill the provisions of the
Electoral Act by presenting his ‘O’ level result. I find it criminally
offensive that the name of such a man is being mentioned as a right
activist. How can you fight for my right when you are in bed with the
worst violators of this same right of mine?
However, we look at this, the truth
remains that these corrupt activists, bankrupt intellectuals, and
opinion moulders are in bed with our oppressors and they take up most of
the cases they handle solely for financial gains and not for any
altruistic considerations.
That our badly trained, badly motivated
security agencies could get away with all the proven cases of
extrajudicial killing is because we don’t have human right activists in
this country.
Even against the provisions of the Criminal Code, soldiers are still being deployed against unarmed defenceless protesters.
Speaking on television doesn’t make one a
human right activist. You have to go further than that. You have to
initiate cases in court to challenge government impunity. When
government refused to properly probe Buratai and his London property
case, as a right activist, you initiate a court case to force them to do
the needful. That is what a human right activist does. That is what the
late Senior Advocate Of The Masses; Chief Gani Fawehinmi would have
done!
Oh, Chief Gani, if only you were here!
If you can hear me, I want you to know that the people you left behind
are at the mercy of a very powerful tyrant and all the “boys” you
trained and left for us have since chosen the side of our oppressors.
They cower in fear and regale us with trash about the sham that is the
anti-graft war while we are all being killed by both the state and
non-state actors.
Where are all the civil society and NLC
organized protest and strikes that characterized the past government?
Where is Obasanjo the letter writer? Where are those who cried blood and
called for Jonathan’s head (and rightly so) at every Boko Haram attack?
They have all gone deaf and dumb.
The silly excuse of blaming Jonathan has
since died a natural death. In their ostrich attempt to shield Buhari
from criticism, they now blame some fictitious nonsense known as “the
cabal”. Fuel scarcity was seen as a sign of ineptitude during the
Goodluck Jonathan era, but, today, it is the fault of the cabal, not the
president. Boko Haram killings was blamed on Goodluck Jonathan, but,
today, the state-sponsored fulani bloodletting is now the fault of the
president or a governor.
What a bunch of morally bankrupt integrity-challenged men!!
I am not a religious man but I must pray for the country right about now. Please bow your heads in prayer:
Dear God, I know I have strayed just
like the biblical prodigal son. I have equally sinned. But please, dear
Lord, forgive my sins and intervene in this our ugly situation.
Send us brave, fearless and courageous
men who will look this Pharaoh called Buhari in the face and tell him,
“you are a wicked man, call your Fulani militants to order!”. And
please, God, we don’t want pigeon priest like Father Ejike Mbaka who
would not even speak out against the killing of his own people by Fulani
militants just so he won’t jeopardize his friendship with the Fulani
president.
Don’t give us pastor Tunde Bakare who
would criticize this Pharaoh today only to visit him tomorrow and start
preaching patience. (Patience while we are being killed on daily bases
right there in our own villages) Don’t give us shameless old men like
the Otta farmer; Matthew Aremu Obasanjo who would mock us by declaring
that it was him and four others who made Buhari president.
Father please, we reject cowards like my
governor; Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State who would only cry and
declare fasting when we are killed only to go smiling from ear to
ear with the grand master of our killers few minutes later. We don’t
want inconsistent men like Soyinka who would say one thing today and do
another thing tomorrow.
Faithful God, give us a people’s
governor like Ayodele Fayose who would do anything to protect his
people. Give us fearless brave men like Femi Fani-Kayode who would look
the bitter leaf plant in the face and say: “my friend, you are bitter!”.
Give us clergymen like Bishops Matthew Kukah, John Onayakain, Anthony
Okogie and a few others. We don’t need ‘toys’ like Osinbajo (the vice
president) and the other pastorpreneuers who would be too scared to
speak out even when their fellow Christians have since become endangered
species.
Omnipotent God, only you knew how you
handled Abacha’s case when he started thinking he was you and began
imitating you. Now, Buhari is imitating you by thinking he and his
Fulani militants can determine who lives and who dies. Ancient of days,
do your job! Fix this! God.
Buhari and his militants may be stronger
than the southern christians, middle-belters, Southern Kaduna people
and other minority groups they’ve been killing in the North but one
thing is certain, they are not stronger than you. Prove this to him once
again, please dear God.
In Jesus mighty name, we have prayed.
Amen!
Charles Ogbu is a social media activist. Connect with him on Facebook.
The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author.
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