In Nigeria, anything can happen, Ibrahim Babangida’s effrontery to pick the nomination form of the ruling PDP is the peak of bizarre that dot the nation’s psyche. With Obasanjo’s blistered relationships with most of the governors, who accidentally happen to have the delegates in their pockets and giving the pedigree of IBB as the game master of corruption, the evil genius is on his way to clinching the PDP ticket. Most PDP governors will rather choose to queue behind Babangida in a secret balloting than behind Obasanjo, whom most of them see as their compulsive nightmare.
It is also not out of place to see the emerging scene as part of the President’s game plan considering the secrecy in which everything in PDP is shrouded. With Atiku clearly removed off the ’garrissioners’ way, IBB is a devil to watch. Prof Wole Soyinka in his latest sensation ‘You Must Set Forth At Dawn’ gave an apt description of the character called IBB in a chapter of PART IV (THE EVIL GENIUS) of the book as “suave, calculating, a persuasive listener, conciliator,- but with sheathed claws; nettled by a seemingly consensual and persistent view in the media that he was evil at heart and in intent, he finally retorted that if he was indeed evil, he was at least an evil genius.” Do Nigerians deserve this affliction again, NO must be the resounding and rebounding response of anyone that desires progress for this country.
Perhaps as a result of pauperized senses of history, Nigerians allow IBB again, the obvious is that their final doom is clearly spelt. To clear their remaining doubts about IBB, Nigerians need to visit the Web Minster Encyclopedia to see what the man represents in the meaning of Nigeria. This is not the first literary material that will showcase IBB as corruption personified, but the interesting part of this is that IBB is included in the meaning of Nigeria as a corrupt nation, what a shame. It is known all over the world that Nigeria parades the highest number of stupendously wealthy military generals without credible sources other than their unwholesome ability to hold their people hostages through coups and counter coups which enables them greedily sit over their prosperity and well being. IBB is the leader of this pack. If properly investigated, all the resources that would have been used to turn things around for the people of Niger Delta in particular and Nigerians in general are in the safe custody of these generals. When will these daylight robbers be brought to book is a question that keeps recurring, with his selective tact, Obasanjo lacks the will to do this, perhaps, his own shadows may as well be hunting him.
With the setting up of Oputa Panel, Nigerians had thought that some past rulers would use the opportunity to remove the swords of Damocles hanging over them on their past misdeeds, IBB was the prime among past rulers that Nigerians expected at the panel, but he resorted to legal gymnastics to scuttle his appearance, Nigerian roared, but IBB and a few past rulers were bigger than all Nigerians including Obasanjo who himself threw his presidency garb aside to appear before the panel twice. So IBB missed that golden choice to re-write his name in the nation’s history, but now he want to rule the same people that he scorned and shunned. Habba! We are no fools.
IBB’s sins against the country and its people are legion but the only one easily remembered is the annulment of the 1993 presidential election that was adjudged the freest and fairest in the history of our national life, if he had not done this and handed over to the winner of that election, Nigerians would have forgiven him because that would have atoned for his sins which included but not restricted to: the contentious murder of Dele Giwa, the outright stealing of 12 billion USD Gulf oil windfall, the Ejigbo cannibalization of promising military officers, the destruction of our educational and health systems, the institutionalization of corruption in governance and government, the brazen muzzling of the media and media practitioners, the badly battered judiciary, the wicked throwing up of few millionaires at the expense of the hapless and the helpless citizenry, the badly implemented structural adjustment programme that rendered the nation’s economy comatose and our currency valueless; this list is endless.
For Nigerians to allow IBB again to rule them will showcase the ability of a people that lack sense of history, a people that are averse to decency and good reasoning. There are no doubts that the world will poke a good fun at us if we allow IBB to become president in 2007.
While spirited efforts are being made to ensure that 2007 is a reality, we must not loose sight of another looming danger if Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida returns as the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. It is the same measure of resistance that Nigerians showed the tenure elongation project that must be visited on IBB presidency come 2007. We have no time left, because the forces we are facing are fierce and swift; the time to commence the war is NOW.
Sunday Odeleke
Port-Harcourt.
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