By Dons Eze, PhD
I am not necessarily a fan of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), but sometimes, the man can talk sense, he can be truthful, we can make out something meaningful in his utterances.
Recently, Nnamdi Kanu released a list of 62 prominent Nigerians, who he alleged, were responsible for bringing President Muhammadu Buhari to power in 2015, and who, he said, should be blamed for the current woes bedeviling Nigeria.
The IPOB leader said these Nigerians should take full responsibility of what the country has turned into today, owing to the roles they played in kicking out former President Goodluck Jonathan and installing President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015.
Nnamdi Kanu told Nigerians whose villages, cities, or towns, were currently under siege by Fulani herdsmen to hold these 62 Nigerians responsible.
“These people went to school, [they claim they are educated], many if not all of them, are professors. Some claimed to have direct access to God. Some are gifted with ‘prophesies.’
“They read history. They understood international relations. They understood how societies work, or so we thought. They were more than 20 years old in 1983 when Buhari shot himself to power. They saw Buhari destroy the economy in 1983. They saw the role Buhari played in Abacha’s government.
“They read all the threats of violence by Buhari against the nation. They saw Buhari harass Lam Adesina, the Oyo State Governor, due to Fulani herdsmen conflicts with locals in Oyo State.
“They saw Buhari lead the sharia protest that claimed the lives of innocent Nigerians in 2001. They saw Buhari and his minions open the gate of hell on innocent Nigerians, when he lost the presidential election in 2011.
“If Buhari was not speaking and defending his Fulani heritage, he would be fighting to defend his religious heritage. Never for once did he defend Nigeria or gave interview on how to rebuild the economy, education, power, health, etc.
“They saw everything this man did. They knew him too well to miss the little details of his violent life. But they were united in hatred. Hatred for Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, one among the few Nigerian leaders that actually wanted Nigeria to work. Hatred became a unifying force to push forward a false narrative. They exploited his humility. They exploited his kindness.They exploited his humanity.
“They danced and made merry in Ojota. They ate, drank and danced away the destiny of a nation. Saints Tinubu, Amaechi, Fashola, etc., led the chorus against ‘corrupt’ Goodluck Jonathan. Tinubu, a private jet owner and owner of Lagos, Amaechi, a private jet owner and funder of Buhari campaign, Atiku, a University owner paid with his civil service allowance, etc., wanted ‘corrupt’ Goodluck Jonathan out.
“But the people did not see the moral paradox, because you see – hate is a unifying factor. They mobilised thugs to stone a sitting President. They harassed his family wherever they went. Because they are from the hated minority who must NOT be king. For Kings must come from the Fulani lineage. Jonathan is Ijaw. Ijaws should not be Kings. Jonathan must not loot also. For looters must come from enablers of evil.
“These are intellectuals. Amongst whom are Pastors and Prophets. Wisdom failed. Prophesies failed.
“WAEC issued a fake WAEC attestation to Buhari. It is possible many Nigerian ‘intellectuals’ are working with fake certificates.”
That was vintage Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, fearless, audacious, saying things as he saw them, no hold bars. He does not pretend, nor look anybody in the face.
I was amazed the other day, watching Professor Wole Soyinka, in a video clip, accusing President Muhammadu Buhari of being an accomplice in the Fulani herdsmen's attacks in various parts of the country, and warned that this could lead to another civil war.
Soyinka said that Buhari’s continued silence is like endorsing the activities of the criminal herdsmen, warning that "if he does not speak out, it means the President is complicit in their activities".
“If we continue to wait for the resolution to be centrally handled, we are all going to become, if not already, slaves in our land. We are here not just to live, but live in dignity. Right now our dignity is being rubbished”, he added.
Wole Soyinka was among the vocal voices that supported Buhari in 2015. He forgot his bitter experiences when Buhari was military Head of State, and his fruitless efforts to talk sense into the man's ear, due to his fragrant abuse of human rights. In desperation, Soyinka checked out of the country, lamenting that he was "tired of dialogue with the deaf".
But in 2015, Buhari became a changed man. He became a saint, and Wole Soyinka began to sing his praises. So, also, were the vocal "Lagos-Ibadan axis of Nigerian press", and the bloosoming social media. They all saw Jonathan as a devil and began to chorus that he is "incompetent, clueless, and corrupt".
They told us to vote Jonathan out and to bring in Muhammadu Buhari, because he had become changed man, "a repentant democrat". We agreed and voted in Buhari.
Now, the same people who brought Buhari in 2015 are complaining, that they were having it rough under him. It is either that they had short memories, or that they were short-sighted, hoodwinked, hypnotized, selfish, greed, and could not remember what happened between 1983 and 1985, when Buhari was military head of state, when life in Nigeria was qnasty, short and brutish, or that they had believed that a leopard could easily change its spots.
Today, not only that Buhari has woefully failed to deliver on his key promises of ending corruption in the country, rebuilding the economy, and securing the lives and properties of Nigerians, he has equally released his Fulani tribesmen who have continued to harass us, kill us, rape our women, burn down our houses and farmlands, and are planning to take over our land.
Such, now, has been our predicament, and we are not having it funny.
