Unsettling Dust
Sarki Abdulkadir
Netters,
Unfortunately for some, it appears that "the dusts" are not willing to
settle yet. Nor, it appears, are these irritating "dusts" willing to
be swept under the carpet. These "dusts" and others still on their way
will not vanish until someone decides to clear the air with the fan of
truth. For just as a house built of cards will fail to stand a gusty
wind, so will the so-called "prodemocracy" movement wilt under the intense
scrutiny of impartial eyes.
No matter what some will say, this long-running saga of the young Turks who
split from the "prodemocrats" is not as much a story of betrayed trusts
as it is a story of a movement that tries to pass itself off as something that
it
isn't. What we have, tragically, in the "prodemocracy" movement is
nothing more than a group with an agenda but no vision; ambition but
no courage, and above all a severely misplaced sense of self-righteousness.
Consider this. These "erstwhile comrades" of theirs in the struggle
broke away, and after doing so tabled some of their grievances for all
to see. They charged that the prodemocracy leadership is hypocritical as
shown by their silent acceptance of Senator Bola Tinubu's proprietorship
of a Shell gas station in DC. This despite the fact that Tinubu is a
leader of an association that vociferously attacks Shell, and which calls on
the public to boycott the company. This charge turned out to be true;
Bola Tinubu owns a Shell gas station. But more ominously, the
prodemocrats failed to come up with either a cogent explanation for this
duplicitous behavior, or with any measures to correct the blunder. We are
still awaiting the fidnings of an in-house, probably one-member "Truth
Commission" on the matter.
The "young Turks" also charged that the prodemocracy leadership is
corrupt, as evidenced by the attempts of Anthony Enahoro to divert
substantial sums of money from foreign donors into his private account. That
there is something to this story was apparently confirmed by reports in various
dailies and magazines of a tussle among the prodemocrats over a couple of
million dollar grant from the Canadian government. All this will not be
terribly surprising to those who know the past associations of some of
these people.
And now we have the most damning (in my estimation) piece of information
yet. The "young Turks" charge the prodemocracy leadership with laying the
groundwork for waging a war of terror on Nigeria. That this accusation is
likely to be true can be inferred from the violent response it has
elicited from the accused. We hear cries about betrayal of trust, and subtle
and not-so-subtle threats, but no convincing denials. No one stood up to take
credit for these bombings either. Ambition, without courage.
All this is interesting only because it paints for us an ugly
picture of those who anointed themselves as the saviors of our nation.
Those who want to take our destiny into their hands.
Those whom, it appears, are willing to use violent means to achieve their
goals. It has been pointed out several times before and I point it out
again: The success of this group will fling Nigeria into deeper trouble
than she is presently in. Why? Simply because a sizable number of
Nigerians does not support this group. And an even greater number abhors
their methods. The path to return Nigeria to "constitutionality" is not
one they want to tread.
Naturally then the question presents itself: On whose behalf, and to what
end does this group strive? And good-sounding slogans about democracy aside,
which vision have they articulated that is not centered on a threat to balkanize
(confederate) Nigeria or that is not centered on the ascendancy of a particular
ethnic group (the so-called "Leadership Denied" complex)?
With the balance of power as it is (and I see no evidence it's going to
change soon) in present day Nigeria, the only sane and
reasonable way for moving Nigeria forward is a negotiated exit of the
military, coupled with a conscious and sustained effort on polticians to
cultivate a lasting democracy. Turning Nigeria into a Liberia, a Somalia
or a Rwanda as some threaten ain't gonna do it. We will all be losers
then. The way forward is to debate, not detonate.
Sarki A. Abdulkadir
On Mon, 23 Dec 1996, Olushola A Adeyeye wrote:
> It is possible for some to be disconcerted by the persistent dusts being
> raised by a few of our erstwhile "comrades" in this struggle. Let me
> say right away that there is need for some concern. But there is
> ABSOLUTELY no need to be disconcerted. Not too long ago, I wrote on
> naijanet that the dusts will soon settle. I must admit that I was too
> optimistic. The dusts will definitely not settle soon. Indeed, they
> may persist for as long as this struggle lasts. Even so, there is no
> need to be disconcerted. Such dusts are commonplace in a struggle of
> this nature. We should simply accept that our nostrils will be
> afflicted by some foulsome odors in the near and distant future.
>
> With one mouth, a duo labels Wole Soyinka as a Yoruba Chieftain. With
> another mouth, the same duo turns around and proclaims that they
> belonged to the Inner Circle that enjoyed Soyinka's trust while the
> Yorubas who are quite visible in this struggle did/do not. Because such
> patent contradiction is often allowed to pass, I had been disheartened
> by the gullibility of supposedly educated Nigerians. Upon further
> reflection, one appreciates that the duo have actually been embraced
> principally by those who, for good or bad reasons, would never have
> embraced this struggle. Moreover, the duo simply reveal their own moral
> hollowness and profligate perfidy. For if one were really a trusted
> ally, what on earth would make sacred trust to be so wantonly betrayed?
>
> In any case, so much lies have been peddled by one of this duo for so
> long that I am personally convinced that only a special dispensation of
> God's grace can salvage him. Here was a guy who called me boasting of
> access to a five million-dollar grant to wage this struggle. I guess he
> had expected me to salivate just like he did when the O.S.I.R.I.S. bait
> was thrown in the waters by our then illustrious Alex Dan'Iyan. The
> five-million dollar man would later boast of a training facility in
> Houston, Texas. Today, it is quite tempting for me to call Professor
> Soyinka and pointedly say: "I told you so!"
>
> Yes, I did. I alerted Soyinka of the OSIRIS past of the self-proclaimed
> "Chief Intelligence Officer." I warned him that this guy was either a
> pathological liar or a CIA agent. Either way, I advised Soyinka to be
> very cautious. Currently, I have four Federal grants. I was recently
> notified that I have been recommended for another. I am very conversant
> with the extremely competitive nature of grants. Since when has a U.S.
> government agency or private foundation begun to award a multi-million
> dollar grant to a foreign undergraduate student? It was quite
> laughable. But now, one can only cry.
>
> Did I say the dusts will soon settle? May be not. Those who are
> serious about this struggle must not get side-tracked by these dusts.
> Keep your heads, folks. God bless you all.
>
> We shall overcome.
>
> Sola Adeyeye
>