Just recently in Kaduna, the former Chief of Staff, Nigerian Army, General Victor Malu, rtd. while addressing delegates attending a conference of Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) remarked in his own words, ""l regretted not overthrowing President Olusegun Obasanjo's government while l was in service...may be l was loyal to Obasanjo, l would have done what l was supposed to do; but l believed in democracy. So l did not organize to overthrow him...go to Southwest zone of the country and see the economic empowerment of the region...besides the case of Plateau which is still going on, our children, sons of the North are being used to bring us down to our knees...l have not heard any opposition to that from the Northern leadership and l feel concerned...for the past six years we have Danbatta Mauza, Al-Mustapha, General Bamaiyi in prison for attempting to murder...l didn't know it was possible to keep someone in prison for attempting for murder."
These comments came from a man who at one time, entrusted to lead one of the African's finest military establishments and such utterances itself, requires the government to place him as a security risk, and cannot be trusted anymore. It is an irony that General Malu is losing sleep for only 6 years a Southerner is in power but he forgot completely that the Northerners had ruled and decimated the country for thirty-four years out of forty-five years of Nigerian existence.
General Malu cited in his speech, the economic empowerment going on in the Southwest but failed to mention all the Petro-Chemical and Oil Refineries built in the North during the domination rules of the Northern dictatorship.
The "intellectual" military strategist failed to cite that laying of oil pipe from the South to the North that was discribed as an abject waste of nation's resources especially to an area that does not produce a drop of crude oil.
My learned general referenced the State of Emergency in Plateau and chided the ACF for not taking action to stop President Obasanjo, but he failed to mention all the atrocities he perpetrated to Odi People of Rivers State when he invaded a city within the sovereignty of Nigeria. General Malu's comment clearly portrayed him as a hypocrite who talks about respecting and upholding democracy, and on the other hand, advocated and lamented for his failures to join his brothers in arms for not overthrowing the elected democratic government. What General Malu was telling the Nigerian Armed Forces indirectly was to attack President Obasanjo now and overthrow him without delay. General Malu must have thought about overthrowing OBJ but quickly realized that his chances of success was less than zero, hence, he aborted his sinister plot.
General Malu and other so-called Northern generals capitalized on the Biafran struggle to promote themselves to the ranks of generals whereas before the civil war, only few of them were lieutenants in the Nigerian Army. They capitalized on the Biafran struggle to dominate the armed forces and promoted themselves to General this and General that. They became military generals battling the ill-equipped Biafran Freedom Fighters who defended the Igbo nation for thirty months with virtually bare hands. The general lamented about 6 years of economic empowerment in the Southwest but failed to mention the thirty-four years of economic degradation of the South South and Southeast. He failed to compare Federal roads in the North and that of the Southeast zones. He failed to mention that under the leadership of his fellow Northerner, Sanni Abacha, who appointed twelve ministers of the Federal Republic of Nigeria from his own kindred. He failed to understand that attempted murder of a fellow citizen is a serious crime that requires more than 6 years imprisonment especially to men who were fingered to had taken part in the assassination of would be Nigerian First Lady, Mrs.
Kudarit Abiola.
General's speech showed the myopic belief of the North that Nigerian presidency is their birth right. lt baffles my imagination that a section of Nigeria that ruled for 34 good years cannot endure for other ethnic groups to rule the country. General Malu has shown his true colors that made posterity to send him to retirement. It was in their false beliefs that Aso Rock is their birth right that is pushing another general who ruled for 8 solid years to continue to stage for another come back. Of course, l am talking about Ibrahim Babanginga, who in their small minds, continue to believe that Nigerian presidency belongs to them alone. Babangida's rule brought Nigeria to its knees, and still, he wants to use his loot to bribe Nigerians, proclaiming he is the long awaited Messiah. Sadly, a good number of Nigerians are buying the syndrome of "Come and see the American wonder"
play in Nigerian High School Theaters and the concept of "chop make l cop".
l am glad to state that a good number of well meaning Nigerians, including my humble self, are waging educative struggle to stop his devilish ambition.
It is pertinent for OBJ to spearhead the creation of more states in the South in order to equate with the number of States in the North. The geographical size of the South should be ignored and critically take into consideration the population of the area. Despite the fraudulent Census result perpetrated on the country, the Southern cities are densely populated than in the North. President Obasanjo should reform the armed forces with equal number of troops from each State and develop a strategy for the equitable distribution equipments, services and personnel.
The government of OBJ should put General Malu on surveillance and investigate his activities closely because his speech was capable of arousing military mutiny and possible destabilization of the country. lt was such undignified speeches by the Northern intellectuals that had historically inflamed the Northerners to attack the businesses of the Southerners; of course, their soft targets being the Igbos, would be at the receiving ends. It was such inflammable speech that ignited the total annihilation of the Igbos in the North that aroused the curiosity of a 34- year-old Oxford University graduate, Dim Chukwuemeka Odimegwu Ojukwu, to resist the genocide of Hausa/Fulani on the Igbos. The Northern leaders should devote their time and strength to build more schools and encourage their children to attend and stop the madness of believing that Nigerian presidency is their birth right.
General Malu should be ashamed of himself for crying wolf when he opposed the pensions of Nigerian Soldiers who fought on Biafran side during the imposition of the civil war on Igbo Nation. If the general wants to stage a coup, he can do so and find out what a thinker does to a piece of bent pan.
Malu's comment is nothing but a sign of a drowning retired general.
