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Letter to Wole Soyinka: Ayo Sogunro replies Sadiq Abacha



Following the Open Letter written by Sadiq Abacha which lashed Professor Wole Soyinka over his remarks on why he boycotted the Centenary celebrations which he called an insult to “share an award with Abacha”, writer and critique Ayo Sogunro has come to the defense of the Noble Laurette in an open letter to Sadiq Abacha.



Dear Sadiq Abacha,

I do not know you personally, but I admire your filial bravery—however misguided—in defending the honour of your father, the late General Sani Abacha. This in itself is not a problem; it is an obligation—in this cultural construct of ours—for children to rise to the defence of their parents, no matter what infamy or perfidy the said parent might have dabbled in.

The problem I have with your letter, however, arises from two issues: (i) your disparaging of Wole Soyinka, who—despite your referral to an anecdotal opinion that calls him as “a common writer”—is a great father figure, and a source of inspiration, to a fair number of us young Nigerians; and (ii) your attempt to revise Nigerian history and substitute our national experience with your personal opinions.

Therefore, it is necessary that we who are either Wole Soyinka’s “socio-political” children, or who are ordinary Nigerians who experienced life under your father’s reign speak out urgently against your amnesiac article, lest some future historian stumble across the misguided missive, and confuse the self-aggrandized opinions of your family for the perceptions of Nigerians in general.

Your letter started with logical principles, which is a splendid common ground for us. So let us go with the facts: General Sani Abacha was a dictator. He came into power and wielded it for 5 years in a manner hitherto unprecedented in Nigerian history. Facts: uncomfortable for your family, but true all the same.

Now, for my personal interpretations: between 1993 and 1998 inclusive, when your dada was in power, I was a boy of 9 to 14 years and quite capable of making observations about my political and cultural environment. Those years have been the worst years of my material life as a Nigerian citizen. Here are a few recollections: I recollect waking up several mornings to scrape sawdust from carpentry mills, lugging the bags a long distance home, just to fuel our “Abacha stoves” because kerosene was not affordable—under your father.

I recollect cowering under the cover of darkness, with family and neighbours, listening to radio stations—banned by your father. I recollect my government teacher apologetically and fearfully explaining constitutional government to us—because free speech was a crime under your father’s government. Most of all, I remember how the news of your father’s death drove me—and my colleagues at school—to a wild excitement, and we burst into the street in delirious celebration. Nobody prompted us, but even as 13 and 14 year olds, we understood the link between the death of Abacha and the hope of freedom for the ordinary man.

These are all sorry tales, of course. Such interpretations would not have occured to the wealthy and the privileged under your father’s government, but they were a part of the everyday life of a common teenager under that government. The economics were bad, but the politics were worse. And I am not referring to Alfred Rewane, Kudirat Abiola and the scores killed…

Political killings are almost a part of every political system, and most of those were just newspaper stories to us. In fact, I didn’t get to read most of the atrocities until long after your father died. So, these stories did not inform the dread I personally felt under your father’s regime. And this was true for my entire family and our neighbours.

Instead, the worry over our own existence was a more pressing issue. Your father, Sani Abacha was in Aso Rock, but his brutality was felt right in our sitting room. We were not into politics and we didn’t vocally oppose Abacha, yet we just knew we were not safe from him. You see, unlike any dictatorship before or after it—your father’s government personally and directly threatened the life and freedoms of the average Nigerian. Your father threatened me. And if your father had not died, I am confident that I would not be alive or free today.

Think of that for a while.

Now, let’s come to Wole Soyinka. First: you can never eradicate the infamy of your father’s legacy by trying to point out the failings of another Nigerian. Remember what you said: A is A. Abacha is Abacha. And no length of finger pointing will wash away the odious feeling the name of Abacha strikes up in the mind of the average Nigerian. Second: Don’t—as they musician said—get it twisted: Wole Soyinka did not antagonize your father just because he was a military man—Wole Soyinka was against your father’s inhumanity.

Your father was intolerant of criticism beyond belief. Your father made military men look bad. Your father’s behaviour was so bad it went back in time and soiled the reputation of every military man before him. Your father, finally, made Nigerians swear never—ever—to tolerate the military again. Soyinka may have worked with the military before—but your father ensured that he will never work with the military again. Do you see? Three: Evil comes in many forms: there is no qualification by degree.

There is no “good” evil thing. Sani Abacha, Boko Haram, Hitler, slavery—they all fit into the same category of misfortunes. Soyinka is right: Abacha was just as bad as Boko Haram is—deal with it. Four: Soyinka has been kind enough to limit his criticism to the unenviable awards this inept government has given your father. But, you see, in a saner political system, we wouldn’t just ignore your father, we would have gone one step further and expunged the Abacha name from all public records. Wiped without a trace. Abacha would forever be a cautionary tale against the excesses of political power. In a saner political system.

Abacha was brutal—and Soyinka was one of those individuals who gave us inspiration in those dark days. He was part of the team that founded the underground radio station to counter your father’s activities. Let me rephrase in pop culture language: Wole Soyinka was the James Bond to your father’s KGB. Most of the influential people either kept quiet or sang the praises of your father to stave his wrath. But a few like Soyinka spoke, wrote and even went militant against Abacha. But at the end, even Soyinka who never ran from a fight had to run from your father. That was how terrible things were. And now you want Soyinka to join the praise singers of your father? I’m not certain Soyinka has grown old enough to forget how he escaped your father,slipping across the border in disguise. You will have to wait awhile to get that praise from him.

Now, back to you. You have a deluded sense of your father’s role in the progress of Nigeria’s history. Nigeria has managed to be where it is today, not because of leaders like your father—but in spite of leaders like your father. This is a testament to the Nigerian spirit of resilience, and our unwavering optimism in a better future. You owe every Nigerian an apology for daring to attribute this to the leadership of Abacha. Those “achievements” you believe were accomplished under your father were simply all the things he had to do to keep milking the economy, and thereby perpetuate himself in power—they benefited Nigeria only if, by Nigeria, you meant your family and your cronies.

Your tone is that of a white master who justifies his oppression because he clothed and fed his black slaves. That is what your father did. The fact that we choose not to regurgitate, and reflect on that socially traumatic period doesn’t mean we accept it as your entitlement. We have not forgotten, and we will never forget. Sani Abacha raped Nigeria. Your father raped us. Your father raped us and then pressed some change into our hands. And he then tried to marry us forcefully, too. You may think all this is well and good—but then you’ve never been raped before.

But we now live under a democracy—the kind your father denied us—and so you are free to talk. And so you are free to insult the people who ensured that your father had sleepless nights. Had the revolution your father rightly deserved happened, you—and the rest of your family—would have been lined against a wall, before you could pen one article, and shot.

And we would probably have cheered.

But we live under a democracy now—a system of government where even the scions of former oppressors can talk, and write freely, about the benefits of dictatorship. That’s a democracy. A concept your father wouldn’t have understood.

Regards,
Ayo Sogunro

 Ayo Sogunro is a seasoned commercial lawyer, social critic and philosopher with keen interest in creative writing
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46 comments

  1. Whao!! Uve said it all Abacha my foot, that's is our hitler in this part of the world, his friends were scared of him to the extent that they had to poison hiM, the children should pls hide somewhere for now don't make us rembrs what ur father did, u guys had been quiet underground somehow so don't start rearing ur ugly heads cz we might cut it o, ur father scars is still fresh in our hearts.

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    1. Ah! Ayo! Tnx for yur write up. Ah can imagine Sadiq's face wen he'll be reading dis letter...... Shame will nearly kill him and I pray it even kills him. I was never dere during abacha's regime but tins av heard sef?????? Abeg the man no try. Jus frm ∂ comments alone, one can tell that dis man ; Abacha did nt reach heaven oh

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  2. Dont blame this poor little Abacha rat. Blame GEJ for honouring him. Like Abacha like GEJ

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  3. Thanks so much Ayo and more ink to your pen, really can you blame the Abacha children in the first instance? GEJ gave them the impetus to start vomiting trash. In a normal society all his children would have been languishing in jail for all the atrocity commited by the despot called Sanni Abacha. Well, we know their place in the book of history!. They are all still living on the looted Nigeria treasure!

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  4. @ Ayo Sogunro: I don't know you but from the depth of my heart I say God Bless You. Thanks so very much for letting this Abacha boy know that he is just enjoying grace. But since he thinks he earned it, I will suggest that he be tried for his father's sin because, I am sure for him coming out to defend his father, he is definitely among the cronies the USA refered to yesterday to still be enjoying from the $458 million in assets stolen by Nigerian dictator Sani Abacha and his accomplices". Thank God the assets are now frozen. The next thing to do is to try all the signatories to this assets which Abacha boy must be one of them. I wish we can have radical lawyers to take up this challenge in Nigeria and Internationally. This way, these nonsense will soon stop. Before I leave, I will like to appreciate GEJ for throwing the bait at the Abacha family. Now they are in the spotlight and this is the time the children till the 3rd generation will pay for their father's sin.

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  5. @ Ayo Sogunro: I don't know you but from the depth of my heart I say God Bless You. Thanks so very much for letting this Abacha boy know that he is just enjoying grace. But since he thinks he earned it, I will suggest that he be tried for his father's sin because, I am sure for him coming out to defend his father, he is definitely among the cronies the USA refered to yesterday to still be enjoying from the $458 million in assets stolen by Nigerian dictator Sani Abacha and his accomplices". Thank God the assets are now frozen. The next thing to do is to try all the signatories to this assets which Abacha boy must be one of them. I wish we can have radical lawyers to take up this challenge in Nigeria and Internationally. This way, these nonsense will soon stop. Before I leave, I will like to appreciate GEJ for throwing the bait at the Abacha family. Now they are in the spotlight and this is the time the children till the 3rd generation will pay for their father's sin.

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  6. @ Ayo Sogunro: I don't know you but from the depth of my heart I say God Bless You. Thanks so very much for letting this Abacha boy know that he is just enjoying grace. But since he thinks he earned it, I will suggest that he be tried for his father's sin because, I am sure for him coming out to defend his father, he is definitely among the cronies the USA referred to yesterday to still be enjoying from the $458 million in assets stolen by Nigerian dictator Sani Abacha and his accomplices". Thank God the assets are now frozen. The next thing to do is to try all the signatories to these assets which Gumsu Abacha must be one of them. I wish we can have radical lawyers to take up this challenge in Nigeria and Internationally. This way, this nonsense will soon stop. Before I leave, I will like to appreciate GEJ for throwing the bait at the Abacha family; they took it hook, line and will sink with it. Now they are in the spotlight and this is the time the children till the 3rd generation will pay for their father's sin.

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  7. Ha! I still remember the day Abacha died, I believe that there was more celebration than the day Nigeria got her independence from Britain. Sadiq should go and bury his head in shame for being abacha's son.

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  8. Great mind! There is hope for this nation.

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  9. Thank you Mr.Ayo Sogunro. I am an Hausa man. This Sadiq is just a bastard son of a common theif. Another of his illiterate dead father's loot has just been frozen by the American govt. What does him and our mumu presidend have to say about that? How can a criminal be he made life unbearable for Nigerians be honoured?

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  10. Who is dis guy?I love dis guy wow.inshort u ave said it all.an ordinary man can even no wat nigerian went tro during Abacha regime.am waitin for Abacha's son reply.thank u for dis write up.

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  11. Nigeria is a country where rogues and looters reign while decent people are vilified. Abacha's son for that matter...

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  12. Abacha was a plague

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  13. Yes, all of the same feather

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  14. Ayo you really made me to remember Abacha period, it was terrible I must confess as a common man,
    Abacha family should have buried there head in shame quietly, we are giving last warning next time you talk, we are ready to stone you to death............ wait a minute even last week news, we read about how your fathers loot recovery was spent, this week your fathers stolen property was seize by US government ... since 1998 amazing professional Robber, we have not recovered half of what your father stole..........shame on all ABACHA'S family. there is noting you can do about it A na A so also Thief na Thief LAST WARNING DO NOT MAKE ANY SPEECH IN PUBLIC ABACHA OLEEEEEEEE

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  15. Chinua Achebe wrote," Those whose palm kernels where cracked for them by a benevolent spirit should not forget to be humble.As Ayo said,this is democracy and he is free to talk.
    Nigerians may pretend to forgive Abacha,but we can never forget.

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  16. Chinua Achebe said" Those whose palm kernels were cracked for them by benevolent spirits should not forget to be humble.Like Ayo rightly said,this is democracy and he is free to talk.A concept that his late father wouldn't have understood.
    Nigerians may pretend to forgive,but we can never forget.

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  17. @Ayo Sogunro, my mind exactly. You said it as is.

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  18. Ay, God bless you, you said it all, i guess that little boy was not even in Nigeria when his father was ruling.

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  19. On this platform i want to believe that this is the first article dat will generate a single line of thought. Cos even on GEJ matters opinions are divided but on abacha (starting wt a small letter a intentionally cos even his name does not desrve to start like a proper noun) it is all eggs in one basket, that shows how brutal he was, and this bastard of a thief is talking..........smh for you next time na stone we go stone u.

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  20. GEJ, you are stepping into lion mouth. Niger delta are not in support of your stupidity. There are alot credible people who have achieved one way or the other NOT Abacha. The day he died was the turning point of the opportunity you had toady. Learn how to take concrete decision, preside over meeting and not to allow bujuas decide for you..

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  21. Soyinka, a these bush IMP require the effort of an interpreter to understand your speech, writing and language

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  22. AY you are too deep.

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  23. I've never been so proud of Nigerians as I am reading dis reply and the comments

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  24. Hi Ayo, reading this and knowing it came from a "Nigerian mind" is a huge plus for me. I believe there is hope for this nation if we all share our thoughts like this. As you said, but for democracy will this boy have the gut to talk. I have vivid recollection of the Abacha regime and all the ills. It was such a terrible time. I remember the way we danced and celebrated his demise because as you said it meant hope for us. It is a similar feeling of hope I have today after reading your piece. I want to encourage that you write more often and if you presently do, let us know how and where to access your write - ups. Well done sir.

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  25. Well written. The part I love is "Abacha stove" and that he was sitting at Abuja and we all (Nigerians) can feel the heat from our living room

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  26. Ayo shogunro, ori e a kan ke (meaning u will excel), u know when a family is peaceful just know that the bastard in that family is not yet grown - talking about Sadiq Abacha. Nigerians am sure this little Abacha brat "wants to smell his body" , he want to be remaineded of all the deads of his father. God will keep the likes of Wole Shoyinka for us in Nigeria. Mumzil

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  27. That rat called Abacha's son even has the guts to speak out in public?. idiot!!! We blame all these trash on GEJ. You pple are supposed to face what the Gadaffis are facing in Libya. just close ur dirty mouth, son of a bitch and a jezebel. Nigerians will always hate u even if they are not telling you now so as 2 collect some part of the stolen monies u r enjoying now. Ole!, Barawo!!

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  28. AY kudos to you. I believe this stupid boy will read this letter and comments of poeple. I believe the blood of his father is runing in his body. Idiot

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  29. @Ayo, bros! Thanks! The children of Mamman Ghaddafi had just been extradited back to Libya to answer to the crimes of their family!

    Here we have this rat son of a killer talking to a man who's Height of achievement nobody in his lineage will ever attain!

    To Sadiq I say 'ride on' its not your fault at all but mind you boy, someday there could be a different Nigeria where people like you will be visited with the evils of their father!

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  30. US seizes $458m Sani Abacha loot. And Mythili Raman, acting assistant attorney general of US said inter alia "General Abacha was one of the most notorious kleptocrats in memory, who embezzled billions from the people of Nigeria, while millions lived in poverty" Since our memory fails us quickly, we can afford to roll out red carpet and ask his wife and children to walk over it for an award. They are still keeping billions and his children can afford to insult everybody in Nigeria since they have two and bigger heads.

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  31. I had never been more proud than i was when i read dis memoir from a mind as brilliant as Ayo's, very articulate and sound. I wish he could also do Nigerians d great favour of writting a book on the 'many atrocities of sani abacha'. Generations yet unborn need to read about him & his wickedness, but then on a 2nd thought, i feel he dosen't deserve such an honour, for that on it's own will only immortalise his name. He's not worthy of that fame at all. Ayo you have by your response to this insult on our bright minds, reinstated my hope for this nation. If we still have people like you here, then Nigeria will someday get better. I await that day of reckoning for the wicked and the atrocious!!! Sadiq!!! a word is enough for the wise they say.

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  32. Well written! Its just unfortunate we live in a country where common criminals are celebrated. I still wonder what justified Abacha's nomination for a national honour. GEJ must explain because it beats my imagination.

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  33. Why are all the YORUBAS excited about dis senseless and unintelligent article. I believe u all reason the same way.

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    1. You know, you are a little smart to be able to deduce that all these comments are coming from Yorubas. I guess its because all the coments are written in good and well articulated English. But you are too stupid to see any sense in the article and the comments. I guess its because you are from that tribe of illiterate traffic hawker. Non of there comments appeared here, we would have known from their terrible English.

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    2. Is this guy an idot or did he get lost commenting in the wrong room...
      This comments are from Nigeria not tribe fool...
      I'm not Yoruba but I guess ur not too, it would b a shame if we find out ur from our tribe..

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  34. Ayo...Nice one. Thanks for the write up. Sadiq, Abacha as a name has become an evil name to be beared by any one in this country due to the atrocities, act of violence, massacre, killing, outrage, brutality, barbarism, evil, murder, crime of your father. Pen and paper will never forgive to write against Gen.Sani Abacha and his family including you and sisters. I'm coming back soon...let me quickly repair my Abacha stove.

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  35. Ayo...Nice one. Thanks for the write up. Sadiq, Abacha as a name has become an evil name to be beared by any one in this country due to the atrocities, act of violence, massacre, killing, outrage, brutality, barbarism, evil, murder, crime of your father. Pen and paper will never forgive to write against Gen.Sani Abacha and his family including you and your sisters. I'm coming back soon...let me quickly repair my Abacha stove.

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  36. Yes yorubas reason the same way because the use their brains. Where did ur tribe put theirs?

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  37. This article did not in anyway refute the facts written by the junior Abatcha. That Abatcha's government recorded unprecedented economic growth hence the award. That all this is happening because Abatcha is dead. That Soyinka remains a noise maker that has not make any physical contribution to Nigeria's development- his stint at FRSC was characterized by corruption, mismanagement and tribalism. That's why the FRSC is still in the full grasp of his ethnic group. That his brief reign in that outfit shows that he is like everyone that he ever criticized- or even worse. How many people are the Yoruba accusing Abatcha of killing anyway? Kudirat Abiola? Why haven't they been able to convict any Abatcha boys despite the over a decade long kangaroo trial that we all witnessed? If any presdent in power is to be blamed for political assassinations under his watch then a Yoruba man- Obasanjo- has broken a global record. That Soyinka cannot change history as he is obviously loosing his memory. What money is stolen under Abatcha that hasn't been stolen before him or that is not being stolen today? Whole Soyinka remains a pessimist who doesn't see anything good in anybody. He was just an ant that tried to pull down a lion king- he is very lucky that the lion never crushed him. Let Soyinka offer himself for election so he can perform his pen wonders to better the lives of Nigerians. Otherwise he should shut up as majority of Nigerians don't even know what a Nobel laureate means.
    Most of the above commentators have not even read what the young Abatcha wrote. He was only calling on Nigerians to join hands and forge ahead rather than chasing ghosts.

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    1. You are a stupid man...

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    2. Very big stupid man...
      So because others also are stealing that justifies ur lion king? Ur not just stupid ur a fool

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  38. Everfrank,I think u should visit a psychiatrist.Only a mad man will stand in defence of SANI ABACHA who bashed Nigerian during his reign of terror.In short he was a BOKO HARAM Kingpin.

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  39. Ayo,Kindly have mercy on the poor Lad

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  40. Abacha evil is of different dimension, if those who are negatively affected during his regime see his supporter and set eye on them for just a second their blood would dry off. anyway people like him are still exist but God would give them opportunity to be our ruler.

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  41. The country is still passing through the pains and the hatched plan of Sani Abacha and his ally Gadaffi.
    Their unholy romance brought untold hardship and the idea to rule Nigeria forever.We recall that Gadaffi once sugested that Nigeria should divide along religious line,before he met his fate durring the arab spring. After the fall of Gadaffi,the weapons used durring the revolution were not properly moped. This negligence on the parts of authorities concerned gave rise to foot soldiers in Mali,Central African Republic and the BH in Nigeria. Today the US prediction that Nigeria will split in 2015 into five state is becoming ovious amongst nigerian patriots particularly as the 2015 ellection draws nearer.
    First BH before the emmergency rule hoist an islamic flags in some part of the North East(recall Gideon Okar),then the call by south west government for regional integration(Awonism) and on saturday by the MASSOB group(Biafra) attaching Enugu government House and hoisting it's flags barely few days to the National Conference.Think about this.
    However,Sadiq has the right to defend his family name but cannot win the media war he is about to ochastrate

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