Each time we mouth the cliche
“our heroes past”, I wonder if we dig enough into the enormity of sacrifices
made and how some of those heroes moved against established norms of debauchery
for which they paid dearly, the supreme price.
Each time I introspect on the
events of the 70s, I shudder at the brutal murder of General Murtala Ramat
Mohammed.
Dr. Yusuf Bala Usman, a historian
of repute in his seminal 1979 book ‘For The Liberation of Nigeria’’ had this to
say: “Muritala was casual about his security”. “He distanced himself from
imperial grandeur and did not move into the official residence of the Head of
State in Dodan Barracks”.
But the one that piqued me most
is premised on my discovery that Murtala “came to understand the essential
features of Nigerian society especially the public institutions, and acted on this
understanding to change them and make them serve the common people”.
Muritala thus constructed a model
of contemporary Nigeria and mustered the courage to attempt to change it.
General Mohammed established a link between accumulation of wealth and public
service. He was murdered while attempting to break that linkage having realized
that “abuse of public office was central to the chaos, indiscipline, confusion
and whole underdevelopment of Nigeria”.
Simply put, AN ATTEMPT TO FIGHT
CORRUPTION KILLED MURTALA MOHAMMED.
Muritala won’t be perfect. He had
his issues, ranging from hot temper to risk taking in a bizarrely daring
manner. He was tough and described as erratic. But seriously, it is only a
positively crazy man that can rule Nigeria. For this I’m at home with these
weaknesses, and they cannot blight my admiration of him as a genuine Hero.
Fast forward to our era. I can’t
help being bemused each time I hear Goodluck Jonathan say no Nigerian President
can match his achievements. Then I’ll check what time of the day it is and
wonder if it’s a weed smoking time. What achievements? Achievement of soiled
hands? Achievement of looking the other way while the treasury was being
looted? Achievement of alleged exploitation of Nigeria’s dire security situation
to “clean out” arms deal Budget? There’s no other definition for blood money!
Jonathan is one peculiarly
fortunate individual who sprang from obscurity and poverty and leapt into the
rare ascendancy of a most coveted office. Despite being a minority, he beat the
odds and became President. (whatever “minority” means in a supposed state with
equality)
One would therefore expect him to
practically “kill” himself in pursuit of a well-designed ambitious growth
agenda, raise the quality of life of the people and confront corruption and
etch his name in gold. I dare say, he would have won his reelection without
rigor. Instead, today, he has not just been sent out office, he’s struggling in
defence of a very dark impression that he allegedly helped himself to some of
Nigeria’s cookie jar.
Worse still, it’s obvious he fell
for the sidekick tricks of his “domestic appendage”, a civil servant who today
is shamefully laying claim to multi million dollars without answering the
germane question of what manner of business brought such “blessings”.
So why is this man always
throwing himself into space to defend such an administration full of heaving
and sighing.
If you’re good, you’re good and
your work will speak for you. The only thing speaking for past administration
is eye popping tales of unprecedented sleaze. Changing this narrative is a tall
order.
Because of the circumstances
surrounding our ethnic sensibilities, GEJ is already “granted immunity”. He
therefore ought to maintain a stoic silence to earn some respect, not throwing
himself every time in the ring in advertising continuum of sheer chicanery.
GEJ put Nigeria in quandary. And
when the various chapters of the story of “our heroes past” are being written,
to deserve a place at all, he will require unheard-of historical benevolence.
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The worst president Nigeria ever had.
ReplyDeleteHe better remain quiet forever about his achievements which had been far eroded the level of corruption in his Government.
ReplyDelete