Metamorphosis
By Kehinde Dawodu
The lexicon defines metamorphosis as transformation or a marked change of character, appearance and conditions. Peter Gray, is a renowned American professor of biology and he describes this phenomenon as change of shape, particularly applied to changes from one larva form to another larva form. Also, the United States Commission on Life Science said in the book "Opportunities in Biology" that metamorphosis is a developmental process that continues throughout life and including death. Given the political trends in Nigeria, metamorphosis can be summarized simply as "No condition is permanent." This popular slogan is clearly written everywhere, including billboards, tractor-trailers, and mammy wagons that ply the rickety roads of Bornu State in Nigeria. Abacha, today is the leader of a military junta in Nigeria and in the midst of anarchy, tyranny and despotism can transform into a de-facto president of Nigeria tomorrow. This man, day after tomorrow can as well be on his way to the gallows or firing squad for his misdeeds while in the office. No condition is permanent in this world.
Dear readers, please bear with me. The following is the synopsis of the developmental process of a schemer that has unfortunately dominated the lives of all Nigerians home and abroad since 1994. Once upon a time, there was this Kanuri boy, born into a fairly affluent family, somewhere in Bornu State. While the boy was growing up, his parent moved out of Bornu State desperately in search of the Golden Fleece. They eventually found a place in Kano where the family became a prominent baker, and named their bakery "Canteen Abacha." The boy lived most of his life with his parent and was the apparent heir to the throne of his father’s bakery empire. His father was determined to invest on this boy, he sent him to a grade school. He was hoping that his son would fill the literacy gap for the family and take over his lucrative bread bakery business. Except for his truancy, there was nothing spectacular or anything at all to write home about his scholarship while in grade school. Nevertheless, the boy hung in by the thread and amazingly found his way into that reputable Government College Kano, now known as Rumfa College. The story behind his admission into Government college Kano is still a subject of hot debate.
The next stage in the metamorphosis is this brief sojourn in High school. This time in question, the boy was completely overwhelmed and seriously devastated by the academic rigors in high school. It is not clear whether this boy ever graduated from high school. The Kanuri boy was apparently doomed but for the timely arrival of the then Sardauna of Sokoto and his "Northernization of the Nigeria Army" crusade. The crusade was championed by Sardauna and unknown to the rest of the nation, has rescued several rejects like this boy from perdition. The several boys like him who would have fallen through the crack became enlisted in the Nigerian Army.
Sardauna’s political counterparts in the South, particularly the premier politicians were busy making overture, and political concession to their northern politicians with the quid-pro-quo to remain in the federation. These Southern leaders were obsessed with the thinking that the size of the nation is synonymous to its might. Meanwhile, Sardauna’s crusade was proliferating in the Northern Region. Whether this crusade was providential and political foresight, or whether it was myopia, power hungry or mere intoxication with jaundiced opinion of limiting Nigeria power base in the North is an issue for political analysts.
Again, in his continued life transformation, the Kanuri boy was enlisted in the Nigerian Army. Obviously, he was enlisted in the army, based on his brawn, and for being a native born of the Northern Region. His academic achievement was never in the consideration, because he did not need to have one. These criteria were the main attributes of our boy and others in his phylum who had populated largely the rank and file of the Nigerian Army. During this developmental stage in the army, the boy attended several training programs at home and even went to India for some short courses. He never attended Sandhurst, an exclusive reserve for the highly intelligent minds. Even those who knew the Kanuri boy in the army, particularly, his friend, Olusegun Obasanjo who later became his enemy, described him off-the-record as a man of low IQ, a brute. He said this boy was not expected to rise beyond the rank of a warrant officer and was expendable. But here we are today, the boy is like the proverbial stone that was rejected by the bricklayer that later became the corner stone of the house. The Kanuri boy is the commander-in-chief, wielding power daily over millions or more innocent Nigerians. Today, the son of an ex-baker is the accuser, the judge and executioner, the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end in Nigeria. We are witnessing the repercussion of the dangerous and eccentric mind of the Sardauna of Sokoto. The "Northernization of the Nigeria Army" has succeeded in creating a forum for low achievers to infest the ranks of the Nigerian Army. To the extent that these Lilliputians whose thinking faculty is infinitesimal are controlling the destiny of people of intellectual consequence, the generality of the citizenry and the nation’s posterity. His crusade turned out to be the empowerment of caricatures of men in uniform, birds of identical plumage, conglomerating in the nearest proximity and that proximity, that save heaven is the Nigerian Army. For under military rule in Nigeria, these boys in uniform have metamorphosed or transformed into the quintessence of our body politic. Ho! What a shame. Sardauna of Sokoto created monsters that are about to swallow the entire nation, including his own people.
Below are the enviable achievements of the Kanuri boy and his sycophants since he usurped power in 1994. His achievements include but not necessarily limited to the following:
2. Massive killing, maiming and incarceration of labor union leaders and their members including suspension of the labor union.
3. He was behind the senseless war against the Ogonis people that resulted in death of over 100,000 natives of Ogoni Land.
4. He later ordered the execution of nine Ogoni activists including Ken Saro-Wiwa against the will of many civilized nations of the world.
5. He stage-managed a coup-de-tat and incarcerated many of his adversaries including the former head of state, General Olusegun Obasanjo and his chief of staff Major-General Shehu Yara-dua.
6. He arrested without charge, and jailed several pro-democracy activists including Gani Fawehinmi and Dr. Beko Ransome-Kuti.
7. He orchestrated violence against many innocent citizens that led to the death of Alhaja Kudirat Abiola execution style. Kudirat was the senior wife of Chief M.K.O Abiola, the president-elect currently in jail.
8. His henchmen eliminated daylight, in execution-style, pro-democracy activists like Alhaja Suleiat Adedeji and 80 years old Grandma Bisoye Tejuosho.
9. During his watch, his boys harassed journalists, closed down newspaper houses, incarcerated many and killed one prominent member of the press : Pa. Rewane.
10. His handwriting is everywhere in the death of Rear Admiral Elegbede, and the attempt on the life of Chief Ibru. Chief Ibru was seriously injured in the senseless attack.
11. He clamped down on university students and closed down the institutions at least 6 months in an academic year and proscribed the National Union of the Nigerian Students. (NUNS). He fired sizable number of university professors and many of them fled the country for fear of prosecution after which the Academic Staff Union of the Universities (ASUU).
12. He proscribed the Nigerian Bar Association, (NBA), created splinter groups out of the association, incinerated recalcitrant members and attempted the life of Abraham Adesanya.
13. He infiltrated the ranks of the Yoruba Council of Obas. Divided and divided the council.
14. He spent millions of dollars for his image laundry all over the world. His continued aggression on scholarship has resulted in serious intellectual hemorrhage. He charged rare personality like Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka, and 15 others for treason.
15. He also charged Chief Anthony E. Enahoro, for treason. The man who motioned for the independence of Nigeria, the country whose massive wealth is now under the personal control of this Kanuri boy and the entire nation, his private property.
16. According to the U.S., the Kanuri boy has the worse human rights record in the world. Also the retired U.S Chairman of Joint Chief of Staff Collin Powell, said the boy has the worst CIA record.
The above are just a few of the litany of atrocities our boy has perpetrated against the nation in general, and in particular against the Yoruba, Ogoni tribe and other minority nations inside Nigeria, When he took over power, he did not reverse the decision of his predecessor to annul the most democratic election in the history of the country. He promised after a prolonged pressure, strike and minor civil disobedience from the southern part of the country to relinquish power and hand over to a democratically elected civilian government in 1998. Following the pattern of his predecessors, particularly, the immediate past and partner-in-crime, Ibrahim Babangida, he engaged in all kinds of games and political shenanigan. On one hand he disbanded all political parties and registered parties loyal to his perpetual stay in Office. On the other hand, he founded five political parties that are graphically described by Chief Bola Ige as "the five fingers of the same hand". Each of the five parties is seriously making overtures to him as the flag bearer for 1998. He sponsored the globe trotting of the chairmen of the parties so as to give that cosmetic impression of a transition program. As expected, his last local government election of March 15, 1997 was a complete failure. One of his political party chairmen, Don Etiebet, could not but express his disappointment openly to the press. Chief Etiebet is presently languishing in jail for making such a statement to the press. The chief has gone out of the line by the standard of the administration and he must pay for embarrassing the Kanuri boy. There is virtually no political opponent of this military-politicians who is not safely under his lock and keys in different places of the country, including dungeon and bunkers. It turns out that all these actions are premeditated; it is clearly now that he is entering the last phase of his metamorphosis before his final demise in the gallows, his final place of honor.
The Kanuri boy loves power, he waited anxiously to wrestle the power, and now the boy is tenaciously holding on to power and will do anything necessary to maintain the status quo. The Yoruba have been witnessing the political developmental process of the Hausa-Fulani hegemony for decades, in particular, the metamorphosis of individuals such as Abubakar Tafa Balewa, Yakubu Gowon, Murtala Muhammed, Shehu Shagari, (the reluctant president) Buhari, Babagida and Sani Abacha. It appears nothing can be done to remove their cankerworm in the nation fabric. The vicious cycle continues like the perpetual machine. Yoruba are the most solid nation, full of industry, intelligence, natural resources and purpose in the federation. Despite all that, the tribe is only lucky sometimes to play the second fiddle in the nation’s affair. They never ever occupy the political throne except for the brief moment of Obasanjo and Sonekan, a moment that itself was an aberration in the history of Nigeria. The Yoruba do not need the federation, it is the federation that needs the Yoruba. Our continued association with the rest of Nigeria is a waste of our life as a nation, and posterity will blame the present generation. Why should we allow an imbecile like the Kanuri boy, I mean Sani Abacha to control our destiny when we have a choice.
The Yoruba are a progressive people and until we capture a space, this matter is unfinished.
Kehinde Dawodu is an Engineer and the Vice President of Egbe Isokan Yoruba.
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