"Abacha's Internet Warriors": The Truth According to
Shehu Othman
Netters,
(This article is long; you may like to download it first)
(Post to other networks, please)
(Delete parts not relevant to your reply)
Prof Femi Ojo recently posted a mail drawing attention to a story
in The News magazine of 4 November 1996 in which some active Naijanetters
were mentioned as being among "All the General's men". Femi speculated, I
think, that someone must have been shopping the Village Square to the
magazine. Maybe, maybe not.
Below are the relevant material. A vigorous debate is welcomed
about the issues raised by the publications. Let the debate go far and
wide, within and outside the cyberspace. And let the papers concerned come
clean, if they may, here and in their subsequent editions.
I can confirm the origin of the story. Neither the original story
nor its progeny in The News is the result of any investigative journalism,
serious or lousy, or of dispassionate, accurate and perceptive analysis.
The stories were part fact, part fiction, part mischief, and part
propaganda or, to put it briefly, a farrago of malicious tosh.
The origin of the story in The News re some netters is to be found
in an article in Nigeria Now (NN), a desktop publication of the New
Nigerian Forum based in London. The article was titled "Abacha's Parallel
Diplomacy", a lead feature in the edition of July/August 1996, pp 4-5, 10
and 23. I shall reproduce below the WHOLE sections re the netters in
question, followed by the ones in The News and then my comments.
The NN article, whose title, "Abacha's Parallel Diplomacy", is a
trifle vacuous, is about the so-called "image launderers" allegedly
`engaged' by the Abacha regime "to promote its agenda".
"The twin objectives are:
1. to persuade Nigerians to accept Abacha's now on, now off
transition as real and therefore bury the albatross of June 12.
2. to counter the pro-sanctions lobby that is gathering momentum in
Europe and America."
After discussing Abacha regime's early attitude to PR (calling
Abacha a "diminutive idiot" - and this coming from a so-called
`progressive' journal!), the article took on the "Old progressive actors"
who, like the next lot, the "Political has-beens", came in for much
name-calling rather than any refreshing revelations or analysis. Among the
political has-beens, "Ojukwu is the most prominent and probably the most
articulate of this group. His opportunism rests on a seemingly pragmatic
realism: ..."
("Pragmatic realism" indeed! Banji, please tell your intellectual
and political oga in London to go look for an Oxford Learner's Dictionary.
Later, perhaps, Machiavelli, The Prince, could be recommended.)
Next in line for the bashing are:
"... self-appointed leaders of Nigerian commuities in the UK, USA and
elsewhere. These are a cabal of long-term resident Nigerians whose
patriotism consists of visiting the High commission (sic) in
Northumberland Avenue, London, or Nigeria House in New York befriending
whoever happens to be the high commissioner, permanent representive or
ambassador, securing `special invitation' for independence anniversary
fetes and keeping faithful tabs on the arrival and departure of various
minions who call themselves Nigeria's leaders." ...
US Senator Carol Moseley Brown, Louis Farrakhan, Professor Alaba
Ogunsanwo, S G Ikoku, Lamidi Adedibu, Justice Mamman Nasir, Dr Victor
Olunloyo, Prof Tam David-West, the Ooni of Ife, the Emir of Kano, and Prof
Ibrahim Gambari all got a generous dose of NN's vile. Prof Gambari, for
instance, is attacked as a careerist, out for his "personal gain"; and is
among "what we derisively refer to as Any Government In Power, AGIP".
Truth is the epithet AGIP has long been in use; I, for one, knew it some
16 years ago. For NN to appropriate it to itself is a trifle naughty.
Now the real story you've been waiting for, verbatim (p.5):
"New Actors
"There is a younger, more sophisticated and active wing of
opportunist "patriots" like Conservative Councillor Lola Ayorinde, London
solicitor Ned Nwoko and US Public relations man, Yinka Adeyemi. The regime
promoters all think that patriotism means `the government of the day has
to be supported.' My country right or wrong! or as Yinka Adeyemi once put
it to his cyberspace audience (more on them, later), their motto remains
that of the defunct Thisweek magazine, `Nigeria, Nigeria, Nigeria'. At the
London end, they travel from conference to conference and organise
meet-the-people tours (courtesy of the largesse from the High Commission)
across England spewing hastily prepared government briefs to denounce the
opposition. They quarell (sic) over the pittance from the High Commission
regularly. They have been particularly active in the anti-sanction (sic)
lobby but they were originally formed to counter the June 12 mandate.
That is why the former High Commissioner, Alhaji Abubakar Alhaji made sure
that Yorubas were especially prominent in them. For many Yoruba
opportunists it was also an opportunity to get a First class passage to
the High Commission and access to the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
"The new actors are not just limited to the exhibitionist wing
described above. There is a more pernicious wing which we choose to
describe as Abacha's internet warriors. Predominantly based in the United
States, and largely operating in cyberspace, they constitute a strong
caucus in this parallel diplomacy. Prominent in this group are Ganiyu
Jaiyeola, Kasirim Nwuke, Shehu Othman, Sarki Abdulkadir and Yinka Adeyemi
(who also dons an intenet face apart from his public relations face) for
the junta (sic). Their style and tactics are the same employed by the
political wing of the campaign: Don't defend Abacha or the military
stridently, just attack the opposition and their perceived motives and
question the credibility of their leaders. Also, proffer to love Nigeria
more than yourself. Then engage in intellectual gyrations laced with
value-neutrality. Fortunately, all of them have high sounding letters
after thier name (sic), which give them the necessary intellectual
credibility. Stripped bare of their value-neutral pretensions though,
their explanations of the Nigerian conundrum always converge on one spot:
support for the status quo meant to serve the existing social and
political order.
(Banji, please tell your oga again oh to get to grips with simple logic
and concepts. What's this "support for the status quo meant to serve the
existing social and political order"? Abi, your oga na recent recruit to
the language of radical discourse? Now, ride on.)
"No matter how they try, their veil of objectivity merely obscures the
unavoidable connection between their interests and their knowledge (not
again). Their sometimes well argued, usually disingenuous analyses without
context deny any explicit emancipatory commitments, the absence of which
leaves one to query the social relevance of their `spoiler' role, and the
role of other intellectuals like them, in the perpetuation of the existing
order.
"In essence, the Abacha Naijanet warriors' intellectual claims mask
reactionary ideology and a conservative agenda and since many of the
naijanet consumers (at least those who engage them) lack a basic grounding
in their trade, this inability to match their cyber-pyrotechnics only give
the Adeyemis more fillip to wax lyrical. Save when they are matched by the
likes of Nathaniel Cole, Bolaji Aluko, radical scholar Julius Ihonvbere
and new entrant, Bunmi-Fatoye-Matory (and my good friend Qansy Salako?)
among others who confront them with well arguead (sic) facts, rather than
trade abuses, any indiscriminate recipient of the tonnes of verbiage
coming from Naijanet can only be overwhelmed by the confusion they create.
But that seems to be the precise point. Their role is similar to that of
their African American counterparts., (sic) To quote Ron Nixon, (see box
story) it is to divide and confuse and help Abacha consolidate his hold on
a hapless citizenry.
"But how successful can this cyber-confusion be? Not a lot, if we
go by the number of people invloved in the debates. At the best of times
fifty people, and perhaps a few hundreds who subscribe to the newsgroup.
But that is the whole point. The people who go out of their way to defend
and promote the military in Nigeria always constitute a minority - a vocal
minority but they have amplified their views to represent that of other
Nigerians - often taking silence on the part of others to mean
acquiescence to military rule. Their tactics have taken a leap forward
since November 1995 (to what?). Yet even if they can't be stopped (and why
do you want to stop them since we live in democracies or don't you believe
in democracy?), indiscriminate recipients must know who they are, and what
their agenda is. And their divisive agenda can be explained and their half
truths clarified (none of which you did). ..."
==========================================================================
Hassan Abubakar, "All the General's Men", The News (Lagos),
4 Nov 1996, 12-18.
==========================================================================
This was the lead story in the edition, with the cover title as
follows: "TEAM 2010 - The Men Behind Abacha". The preface to cover on p.12
was supposedly written by one DAN AMOR (remember the name), while Hassan
Abubakar, an "Assistant Editor" authored the story. The one only other
Assistant Editor was penned down as Kamal Mustapha (again, let's remember
the name; very good Federal character indeed!). The Editor-in-chief is
Seye Kehinde, who is well-known, while the Editor is penned down as
Jenkins Alumona (does anyone know this creature? No one seems to know who
he is or what his antecedents are).
The story is essentially about the men of power (yes, no woman was
mentioned) in the Abacha Government. They all hold public positions, which
helps us to measure their influence. A few other men outside government
are cited, men like Gowon, Shagari, Buhari, Shonekan, Ojukwu, Iwuanyawu,
Adedibu, Arisekola, Ogundokun, Tam David-West, Olunloyo, Ikoku, Justice
Nasir (rtd), Alex Akinyele, Peter Enahoro, Uche Chukwumerije, Akin
Omoboriowo, the Ooni of Ife, the Emir of Kano, and the Shehu of Borno,
among others. These and other persons mentioned by NN also feature in the
report. It's all tittle-tattle stuff which an average newspaper reader or
radio/tv listerner/watcher could make up. Perhaps, about the only thing
new is about the so-called Abacha internet warriors who The News did not -
curiously - dub as such.
Now, the WHOLE relevant part of the story in The News (pp 15-16)
as it concerns the "Abacha Internet Warriors", thanks to Nigeria Now (NN).
"Besides (Wada) Nas, the other highly visible Abacha-minister in
the cabinet is the Foreign Affairs Minister, Chief Tom Ikimi, the bulky
Edo-born millionaire architect and ex-chairman of the defunct National
Republican Convention who Abacha exhumed from the cemetary of irrelevance
and planted at the head of the government's club of cheer leaders. Ikimi,
now the wonder-kid of Abacha's diplomatic schemes first hitched on the
junta's train as political affairs adviser to the head of state but got
promoted to the rank of a full cabinet minister in March 1995 when he was
named foreign affairs minister, as a replacement for Kingibe. And since
stepping in as the foreign affairs minister, he has become the arrow-head
of the regime's powerful image laundering (NN phrase) campaigns abroad. At
regular intervals, he has junketed round the world, attacking the Nigerian
opposition and pleading international understanding for the Nigerian
military government. (Para created)
"Through his frequent image laundering forays into continental
Europe and America, Ikimi has raised a powerful (NN phrase) pro-Abacha
lobby in Europe and America.The lobby group comprises both Nigerians and
foreigners. Ikimi has employed these lobbyists as bridges to reach out to
all manners of social and political forces abroad. (Para created)
"Nigerian members of these lobby groups include UK-based
conservative councillor, Lola Ayorinde and London solicitor, Ned Nwoko, as
well as the US-based public relations points man, Mr Yinka Adeyemi.
Adeyemi believes "the government of the day has to be supported (quote
from NN)." Adeyemi's parallel diplomacy (the vacuous NN phrase assumes a
new meaning) for the junta is aided in the US by such supposedly patriotic
Nigerians as Ganiyu Jaiyeola, Kasirim Nwuke, Shehu Othman and Sarki
Abdulkadir. They have at every opportunity taken pot shots at the exiled
Nigerian opposition while justifying Abacha's continued stay in Aso Rock.
(Para created)
"A few of these Nigerians have equally been useful to Ikimi in
getting influential black Americans, for instance, to visit Nigeria and
sing the phrases of Abacha. Through the assistance of Adeyemi, Ikimi was
able to recruit a group of American clergymen, Louis Farrakhan and most
recently, Senator Carol Moseley Braun to visit Abacha at Aso Rock.
(Senator Braun herself said she is a long-standing friend of the Abachas.
So, how did Adeyemi figure here?). ..."
Chikena finish!
==========================================================================
Now My Response:
RE: THE NEWS
Perhaps, I should deal with the piece in The News (TN) first.
Netters can immediately see that the piece in TN was either stolen from NN
or planted in TN by NN people and/or their associates. Either way, TN is
guilty of presenting material that would seem to be its own whereas
they're not. The News certainly did not talk to me before making a
libelous charge against my person.
Sometimes ago in this forum, Bolaji Aluko (President of the
Nigerian Democratic Movement, USA) had, following the rumpus over the
publication in the Nigerian press of the stolen notes of Professor Tam
David-West, admitted that the Nigerian opposition regularly feeds some
Nigerian media with propaganda material. This would seem to be an
instance. I recognize their right to do so. The more we know about our
circumstances, the more we're able to exercise control over our lives.
What I object to is the supply of false, distorted or stolen material.
Furthermore, TN acted maliciously and dishonestly in suppressing
the fact that the so-called Abacha Naijanet warriors are ordinary
Nigerians involved in cyber-exchange of views over Nigerian and global
affairs. TN also maliciously and and dishonestly referred to me as a
lobbyist when I am not. TN further acted maliciously and dishonestly by
claiming that I was employed by Chief Tom Ikimi, the Nigerian Foreign
Minister, to aid Yinka Adeyemi although that is not in the NN story and TN
itself did not show any other source. These, I believe, also apply to the
other three alleged warriors.
I don't know and have never met or spoken to Yinka Adeyemi save on
cyberspace, and have therefore never "aided" his alleged, if meaningless,
"parallel diplomacy for the junta". I also do not know Lola Ayorinde or
Ned Nwoko. I myself belong to no lobby group of any description whatsoever
and have thus never lobbied for the Nigerian Government. Unless he had
once been on Naijanet, I joined the network for almost two years before
Yinka came on the scene. My other alleged co-Abacha warriors were for long
on the network before me. I have not known the views or philosophy of any
of us to have changed since Yinka came on stream. We could not, therefore,
have been employed to aid him, as The News claims.
The News falsely conveyed the impression that I reside in the US.
I don't. Moreover, I have never met any of the persons supposedly in
league with me in the service of the Government. In no writing of mine on
cyberspace or elsewhere have I ever justified "Abacha's continued stay in
Aso Rock". If TN or anyone else has the evidence, let them present it.
I don't know and have never met or spoken to, or been in contact
with, Chief Tom Ikimi. He has, therefore, never employed me to supply any
service to his Government, himself, or his agents. I know his Special
Assistant from our days at Oxford, but we have not been in contact for
over 10 years. Should I, however, be approached by Ikimi to work for the
Nigerian Government, I shall consider the matter on its merit.
Now, what sort of magazine is The News? It's anti-Abacha regime.
It operates and is produced clandestinely. Although they claim to be based
at 26 Ijaiye Road, Ogba Ikeja, they are never found at the address. Should
you wish to sue them for defamation or breach of contract, you can not
trace them. Not surprisingly, they've no phone or fax number. It has even
been alleged that the magazine is printed by the US Embassy. Dapo
Olorunyomi, one of TN's moving spirit, now in the US on self-exile and a
buddy of Professor Bolaji Aluko of the US Nigerian opposition party, can
tell us who their printers are if the preceding claim is wrong.
Equally worryingly, many of the staff claimed by TN to be working
for it are fictitious. Hassan Abubakar who allegedly authored the article
in question is a fake. Go to any Press club, Nigerian Union of Journalists
(NUJ) chapter or any media outfit, and you'd not find the name. Here,
again, Dapo may want to clarify matters: Where does Hassan come from?
Which university or journalism school did he attend? And when? When did
Hassan start working for TN and what are his professional antecedents, if
any? Could Dapo also answer the same questions re the other fictitious
Assistant Editor, Kamal Mustapha? (Bolaji, since Dapo is not on Naijanet,
your help here would be greatly generously done.)
Curiously, Dan Amor, the person who allegedly wrote the preface to
the story (p.12) is not listed as a staff on TN even though non-resident
Contributing Editors, proof readers and Illustrator are all listed on p.9,
as is the standard practice. Lastly, Ebenezer Obadare, who also allegedly
wrote a commentary titled "Willing Executioners" (p.19) after the story is
also fake; he is not listed among the staff. In all this, it would have
been more ethical to simply write `By Our Reporter/Correspondent'.
Where on earth does any responsible magazine operate like this?
What have they got to hide since there are other mags like Newswatch which
are very critical of the regime, but which still operate in the open? Put
simply, what all this means is that TN cannot be relied upon for truthful
and objective reporting and comment. Put bluntly, though, The News, like
Nigeria Now, are a venture in rogue journalism.
If either of them thinks this disagreeable, then the cyberspace -
the one medium to which access can't be denied or rigged - is there for
them to join issues. Or they can sue to defend their wonderful
reputations. Legal fees? The Canadians can help, as they always have. We
have seen the evidence in the press, and we also have Bolaji Aluko's word
on it. As for me, they can trust the junta to foot the bill, including
their damages. On this, we have their word. Better still, NN and TH can
make matters better all round - simply change from their bad ways.
Those who choose to waste their money to be mis- or disinformed by
The News are however entitled to please themselves. Dapo, too, can revel
in one journalistic prize or another from well-meaning but misguided
Western NGOs. They have neither done him nor journalism a favour. In time,
readers will realise they have been badly short-changed by The News and
its prize-givers. And they will deliver their own judgment. Which really
is what ultimately matters.
RE: NIGERIA NOW
The first excerpts are what Nigeria Now (NN) had to say about the
so-called Abacha Naijanet warriors. Curiously, the article was unsigned.
What was the writer afraid of? What did he - yes, he - have to hide. As a
journalist myself, I accept it is entirely proper to use pen name. But
that is when you're airing opinion, not supposedly reporting facts. Of
course, anything goes in cowboy journalism.
So, who runs NN? It's run by an "Editorial Committee" comprising
Tajudeen Abdul-Raheem, Kayode Fayemi, Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi (Kayode's wife),
Ike Okonta, Ola Soyinka and Danbala Danju. In fact, though, the newsletter
is usually put together by one or two people; two of the members live out
of London - one of them in Kampala, Uganda. Kayode is the anchorman. I
think only Danbala is on Naijanet; Kayode is, I suspect, subscribed to
Society.Culture.Nigeria usenet.
With one exception, all of them are members of NADECO or NALICON,
and (bar one or two) contribute to Radio Kudirat, while Ike Okonta writes
for a similarly inclined Nigerian magazine (Tell). So, their political
complexion and political project is clear. I know three of them, one of
them very well; he joined me at Oxford in the 1980s, was my neighbour, is
a very good friend and knows better than to write the article in question.
What is striking but not surprising about the whole article is how
it was generously woven around insults, idle speculations and distortions
rather than systematic analysis or facts. But, then, you do not expect
evidence where petty-bourgeois adventurism is confused with social and
political radicalism. Especially, when the writer is a recent convert to
radical discourse. That seems to me to be the real tragedy of the writer
in question; so unsure of himself that he could not own up to the article.
Now, let me dispel many of the inaccuracies, innuendoes and
contradictions peddled by this cowardly self-professed radical.
The twin objectives of hiring the so-called image launderers are
simply laughable. Why does anyone need to persuade Nigerians to accept
Abacha's transition schedule when even Michael Ajasin was busy sponsoring
candidates in the recent local government elections? As for sanctions, the
US, which has by far been more hostile and hurtful to Abacha's regime,
firmly dismissed some two years ago any further sanctions beyond the
existing limited gestures of hostility.
I may be long-resident in the UK, but I don't go to Nigeria House
seeking to befriend any envoy, or for `special invitation' to Independence
anniversary fetes, or keep tabs on which big noise comes and goes from
Nigeria. I have never attended an Independence anniversary event in London
or any other social event at the High Commission for that matter. I have
one friend at the High Commission, and visited the place about 5 times in
the past 3 years - 2 of which were to renew by passport in August 1996.
Since 1993, I only attended two Nigerian public functions in
London: the launching of the Nigerian Democratic Movement, from which I
expected much but which turned out to be a farce; and a meeting addressed
by some Nigerian big noise supportive of Abacha's regime, which I also
hoped would be a vigorous encounter but was disrupted by NADECO and allied
elements. The one other Nigerian event I attended this year was at
Cambridge, which was billed as an academic gathering but turned out, in
typical Nigerian fashion, as a political one. My trip was paid for from a
research grant.
NN claims that the regime's agents in London "quarell (sic) over
the pittance from the High Commission regularly. What they did not tell
us, however, is that NADECO bosses too squabble over pittance from the
Canadian Government, among other donors, documentary details of which are
now in the Nigerian press. I say this not in glee, but in sorrow. It's one
thing to fight the iniquities in your country out of conviction. But it's
quite another to join forces with outsiders to subvert it. You do not
rehabilitate your father/mother who is a drunk by asking or joining family
neighbours to rough them up; you help them to give up their bad ways.
Some people on NN are the busybodies who are reportedly at every
Nigerian or related scenes, pressing themselves either on Abiola himself
when he was last in the UK, or on the British Foreign Office which soon
got tired of even listening to them, or simply courting attention for the
most trivial of excuses in places like Parliament. One of them, I 'm told,
was once spotted in the Nigeria High Commssion (London) in the company of
Beko Ransome-Kuti on a mission to retrieve some goods, details of which it
would be interesting to know. When I go to British Foreign Office, I go
there on invitation to discuss policy, not as a partisan desperate for a
slice of what the unfolding revolution promises.
NN says the "Abacha internet warriors ... constitute a strong
caucus in this parallel diplomacy". Which presupposes an official
connection with Abacha's diplomacy. Yet, not a shred of evidence was
marshalled in support other than that we express our views, like everyone
else does, on Naijanet. No attempt was even made to show that we act in
concert. Or that we put out the same or similar views. In fact, the writer
does not even claim that we support Abacha's regime positively; we merely
attack his opponents.
We are Abacha's agents simply because we do not espouse views
which the writer approves. It must be a very wretched view which says you
must be against me if you're not with me. Or that if you attack my enemy,
then you must be my friend. It must also be a sad and dreadful job to do
if all that one sees and wishes for one's country is another Bosnia,
Burundi, Rwanda or Liberia just because of one's parochial grudge.
Funnily enough, our critics on NN do not see themselves as the
agents of anyone. Not even when they have had to press themselves hard on
Abiola to be even taken seriously. Not even when we all know some are
living off monies from Western governments and agencies. They like to
pretend to be honest, upright, responsible, the real custodians of the
national interest, the keepers of the light and, above all, the spearhead
of the coming revolution. But you only have to subject their rhetorics to
casual scrutiny, or scratch the surface of their skins, to find out the
sad truth.
Maybe Abacha's regime is paying me well. But whether it does so or
not, I like to invite these newsletter revolutionaries to come join me in
showing what we are worth. At least, certain things cannot be hidden
however hard one tries. We know each other reasonably well. Let's confess
where the monies come from, how much taxes we each pay, how we came by
subsidised public housing which ordinarily we are not entitled to, what
cars we own and how we came by them, how many plots of land we're
developing in our villages/towns and, if we're all honest enough, show
what our bank balances are.
Talking about pay, I get this uncanny feeling about the
self-righteous attitude of our critics. It's wrong, they tell us, to take
money from the Abacha regime and work for your country. But it's glorious
to accept money from foreign governments and agencies to destabilize your
country just because you disagree with the regime in power. The end
justifies the means and vice-versa.
But they never ask themselves, why do their sponsors never do the
same when it concerns their countries even though they very well disagree
with much of their political situation? Try becoming a citizen of any
Western democracy, and accept money for services that are inimical to the
government of the day, and see whether any constitutionally enshrined
right under the sun will save you from the clink and worse.
We are "a strong caucus in this parallel diplomacy", yet the same
writer dismisses our supposed impact as marginal; the audience as
miniscule; and our purpose being to confuse and divide the tiny audience.
Incidentally, it is also the same writer who occasionally pops in via the
backdoor to announce one opposition event or another. And if all or much
of what the network churns out are "tonnes of verbiage", why do we or the
network merit his attention. And to suppose that someone can have such
contempt for our network and still use it when it suits him, is testimony
to how little his idealism or conviction converges with self-interest.
We attack the opposition and question the credibility of their
leaders, observed the writer. This presupposes that opposition leaders,
the bearers of the light, are beyond reproach. In their version of
democracy, only Abacha and his supposedly evil junta are the fit object
for scrutiny, ridicule and abuse. Everyone's attitude towards the
opposition must be one of unquestioning loyalty in the interest of the
great cause. What they seek to foster is a political sub-culture which
disdains reasoned criticisms of themselves, or even of their political
opponents. They would welcome neither open nor fearless analysis because
it would combat their mystifications, obscurantism, hypocrisy, alarmism
and opportunism.
Recent happenings in the United Democratic Front of Nigeria
(UDFN), where the absence of internal democracy and ethnic manoeuvrings
threaten to split the front within few months of formation, come as no
surprise. Democracy is not a known virtue of NALICON, the moving spirit of
the front. NALICON's leader, Wole Soyinka, was elected by no one but
himself; he owns the group and the offices within it are his gift to
dispense and withdraw.
Little wonder, then, that NALICON's US rep, Maureen Idehen, who
was recently pronounced fired by Kayode Fayemi on Naijanet, retorted that
only the owner-leader could issue the ukase since Kayode was a mere foot
soldier like herself. Maureen was making a more serious point than it
might at first sight appear: that even despotisms ought to follow some
nominally correct norms of conduct. Gusty woman.
But Soyinka has no time for even the minimal irritations which
democracy engenders. The African Democratic League, of which he is
owner-leader, existed only in Nigeria. After Soyinka orchestrated his
forced exile, itself a mere pretext to enable him seek international
relevance, the League too followed him in tow. Like any of his other
democratic groups, one never hears of leadership elections let alone of
meetings and debate by its supposed members.
Within the wider UDFN also, in which Soyinka is a key figure, the
recent dissolution and recomposition of its NEC was not a matter for
democratic determination. Nomination was the nearest that was tolerated
and, then, only after a protest. What is rather surprising is to see
otherwise genuine people go along with the charade.
The so-called Abacha warriors are also accused of "intellectual
gyrations laced with value-neutrality." They're also accused of displaying
"high-sounding letters after their name (sic)" in order to look
intellectually credible. Re-read the NN article and you would find it an
excellent example of pseudo-intellectual gyrations liberally spiced with
overbearing pomposity, silliness, and self-indulgent nonsense.
Here is someone with a PhD from the social sciences who not only
does not understand the concept of value-free social science, but boldly
advocates that the subjective should substitute for the objective view of
social reality. How are we to stamp out false ideas in history,
economics, politics and social sciences in general if we scorn the very
notions of truth and falsity?
The predictable result is the sort of blatant falsehood about the
academic titles that the warriors are said to spot. In my entire period on
the Naijanet, I have never claimed any academic qualifications. So much so
that some think I am a student, others a research student, and others
still, a research assistant. (One extreme view mistook my Queen Elizabeth
House e-mail address to posit that I resided at Buckingham Palace because
I'm a northern Nigerian aristocrat!) Some have made discreet inquiries
without apparent success, the most recent being by a netter at the
Congress of Free Nigerians at Washington DC in September.
I also know that Yinka Adeyemi has never made any academic claims,
while Kasirim Nwuke has never claimed to be anything grand. When, in spite
of convincing evidence of his intellectual prowess, some nosey netters
insisted on knowing his academic degrees, he claimed to be a First School
Leaving Certifficate (FSLC) holder. This may have partly led NN to make
its false assertion. Ganiyu Jaiyeola does not also spot his academic
titles. Other than after he passed his PhD viva voce, he never mentions
his titles although some people occasionally do so.
Sarki Abdulkadir, too, spots no letters after his name. The only
exception was when a physician tried to bamboozle him with his chains of
qualifications. Sarki, who coincidentally had the same qualifications,
nicely responded likewise after making his point, to the person's pleasant
surprise who remarked: "So, we are professional colleagues." Only then,
after a number of years, did netters generally know that he is a senior
physician. (Since then, many began to treat him with greater reverence.) I
myself had until then taken him for a social scientist.
In a display of arrogant hypocrisy, the NN writer accused us of
lacking "any explicit emancipatory commitments", and of pursuing "a
conservative agenda" backed by a "reactionary ideology". By the same
token, the writer sees himself as an emancipator, committed to radical
social and political renewal.
I find it truly amazing and tragic that someone who has probably
not read the text Marx For Beginners, let alone been involved in any
serious socio-political campaign beyond running a scurrilous newsletter,
can have the hutzpah to make such astonishing claims. All the more so as
he belongs mostly to groups that are violently cliquish, undemocratic and
tribal, and in one of which he is an unelected leader. `June 12' was his
eye-opener, for that was when he discovered democracy some three years
ago. Democracy for him starts and ends with `June 12'. And rightly so.
So, he finds pleasure in imaginary skirmishes in which the Abacha
warriors are routed by June 12 advocates. And lo and behold, the political
emancipator sniggers patronisingly at Naijanetters as well:
"... since many of the naijanet consumers (at least those who engage them)
lack a basic grounding in their trade, this inability to match their
cyber-pyrotechnics only give the Adeyemis more fillip to wax lyrical.
Save when they are matched by the likes of Nathaniel Cole, Bolaji Aluko,
radical scholar Julius Ihonvbere and new entrant, Bunmi-Fatoye-Matory
among others who confront them with well arguead (sic) facts, rather than
trade abuses, any indiscriminate recipient of the tonnes of verbiage
coming from Nijanet can only be overwhelmed by the confusion they create.
But that seems to be the precise point. Their role is similar to that of
their African American counterpart ... it is to divide and confuse and
help Abacha consolidate his hold on a hapless citizenry."
This assessment is part false, part superficial, and part wishful
thinking. Besides, the writer himself has evidently not learnt from his
models of reasoned discourse, not to hurl insults at others. Which is only
a minor example of the loutish hypocrisy that so much pervades the NN
article. Anyhow, I do not think any Naijanet veteran seriously reckons
with either Cole or Matory. Ihonvbere for his part rarely writes, and I
cannot recall him been in any vigorous debate; he broadly falls into the
category of "silent netters".
Prof Bolaji Aluko is a different kettle of fish. He is the
President of the Nigerian Democratic Movement (NDM) in the US of A. He is
into anything and will join anyone that would give Abacha a kick in the
teeth. On "June 12" he stands. On June 12 he sits. On June 12 he sleeps.
On June 12 he wakes up. And on June 12 he possibly also eats.
Bolaji manages, with astonishing ease, to support the notion of a
Nigerian nation and also to belong to an irrendentist group like the Egbe
Omo Yoruba. I met him on the Naijanet scene, or the Village Square as it
is otherwise called. I admire his boundless energy, drive and tenacity of
purpose. I respect his intellect and his obsession with details. I enjoy
his prose and sense of humour. But I distrust his political judgement as I
do his tactics no less than his ethics and conspiratorial mind.
In the time since I joined Naijanet, I have seen his stocks fallen
drastically; with many rent-a-cheer netters now glad to leave him well
alone to his own devices. He is distrusted by friends and foes alike. Some
fellow UDFN activists even accused him of being an Abacha mole. Recently,
his NDM, which viciously attacks Shell and claims to support the Ogoni
cause, came out strongly in defence of the ownership of a Washington DC
Shell gas station by Bola Tinubu of NADECO ABROAD, which also is critical
of Shell's Nigerian activities. Segun Ogunbode, the station's manager, is
NDM's Vice-President and the Sec-Gen of Egbe Omo Yoruba. At least on two
occasions, I have seen Bolaji been comprehensively exposed for his
hypocrisy: writes one thing in private but is then found to do/say the
opposite in public. He is also notorious for violating confidentiality.
More than all other voices put together, Bolaji and his acolytes
in the June 12 or nothing suicide squad have made for dispassionate debate
well-nigh impossible. They feel they have a monopoly of virtues. They also
feel that only they have grudges deserving of remedy. And only in their
pair of hands could Nigeria be delivered from its morass. They alone have
a vested interest in division, confusion and chaos which, in the event of
a social breakdown, they can then say: "But we told you so. That is why we
asked for sanctions to prevent it ..." Our NN guru could be right about
the disruptive role of the Abacha warriors only if he now repudiates the
very purposes for which he said they were engaged to secure.
Naijanet will be the poorer without the likes of Bolaji, though.
But it will be poorer still without the Abacha warriors. For it would
ultimately be reduced to a cyber-commune of smug dreamers, steeped in the
conviction about the justice of their cause, cheered by their motley crowd
of die-hards, and driven into the silly assumption that with their
keyboards and some chicaneries here and there they can dislodge Abacha and
usher a glorious democratic dawn. And more.
But their vision of democracy, like that of their NN cousins, and
the method by which to attain it, are not something that I recognize. They
seek not to persuade but to connive, harrass and intimidate their way into
political relevance. Yes, no one elected General Abacha into power. But
the NN writer and his associates were the same creatures that naively
thought they were smart enough to suborn Abacha for their purposes. For
this shameless opportunism, the Nigerian people should have stoned them
back into the dark ages.
Yet, here they're, elected by no one but themselves, beckoning us
all to the cry of liberation from Abacha's heavy-handed rule simply
because they have lost the gamble. Not quite long ago, it suited the
Enahoros, the Dan Suleimans, the Akinyemis, the Oyeguns and the Soyinkas
of this world to work under military autocracies which not only jailed but
executed scores of their opponents in greater numbers than, and under no
different legal frameworks from, those under Abacha. Now, however, it
becomes a cardinal sin to work for the Abacha regime simply because they
are no longer part of the show. Let it be repeated for the avoidance of
doubt. I will not be ashamed to work for the good of my country if and
when I deem it fit. But I will be a damned to work against the interests
of our people and our country.
Only some months ago, at an Oxford seminar on the Nigerian
dilemma, I listened with utter disbelief to a starry-eyed NN activist
loudly masturbate himself on how the Nigerian democratic struggle requires
the involvement of "retired pro-democracy military officers" - the same
officers who had once subverted democracy or blocked its renewal. His
theory, if it may be so called and which at any rate is second-hand, was
seductively simple - morally and politically. You need a thief to catch a
thief. Oh boy, you got to give it to these dudes. Together, they make for
an unbeatable combination of brazen insolence, rank opportunism and
infantilist arrogance.
Sometime last year, I and another academic wrote a long paper on
Politics, Power and Democracy on Nigeria, to be published shortly. We
essentially tried to answer one major question: "If Nigerians are so keen
on democracy, why do they fail to achieve or to sustain a democratic
political order?" This was our argument:
"The short answer is that Nigeria's political class, like their
supporters, may like democracy; but they like power and office and their
spoils even more. They prefer constitutional arrangements which enable
them to compete for office and allocate positions and their rewards
amongst themselves and their associates rather than military governments
which render them into dependent clients of soldiers. Their primary
concern is to position themselves strtegically for the successive rounds
of the changing political game. There is little or no percentage for
politicians, and for their clients, in their staying out of office.
"Democratic elections are valued as a means of gaining access to, or
maintaining control of, positions of power. Politicians show little
respect for the rules and conventions of democratic politics in their own
right. `Politics', under civilian and military governments, is largely a
matter of `who gets what, when, how?' For the public, government by
politicians (Yoruba: ijoba oselu) succeeded government by whites (ijoba
oyinbo) and alternates with government by soldiers (ijoba ologun).
Government by the people doesn't enter into it."
In our paper, we tried to be very balanced. We were clear and firm
in our minds that only by being truthful in our analysis can the Nigerian
democratic conumdrum be properly understood and ways to deal with it
fashioned out. We were not out to judge or to condemn. The reader could
reach their own judgments from the facts we presented.
We didn't knowingly suppress any facts which we knew would be
unpleasant to any interest. Our analysis of the Abacha regime dealt with
its strengths and weaknesses, and how best to understand it. We observed
that even by the end of its first year in power, it was becoming apparent
that it had consolidated its grip on power; and should not be underrated
as its opponents naively tended to do. We did not think the opposition,
inside and outside civil rights groups, to be a credible alternative
largely because of their failure to transcend narrow interests.
Our analysis was met with dismay and muffled hostility from some
on NN. We had not said, as they expected us, that the regime was making a
Rwanda, Burundi or Liberia of Nigeria. In short, we had not recognised
their political song-sheet and set off their usual alarm about imminent
chaos. But, then, they dared not make too much fuss. They knew us. We knew
them. Over one and half years since we wrote the paper, and three years
since Abacha seized power, our analysis and projections still hold true.
The Economist (London, 9 November, 1996, p.82), which all along has been
an unwavering critic of Abacha, is good enough testimony. Go read it.
But this is not the sort of things the writers on NN and The News
would like to hear. It suits them to pretend that their much-vaunted
democratic revolution is round the corner, and could finally burst forth
with few more American and Canadian and Euro-dollars. Were it to occur, it
would be a wretched revolution inspired not by the resources and creative
imagination of our people, but by the ego-driven pretensions of toddler
despots and the cynical manipulations of their imperialist handlers.
It suits them also to distance themselves from their reckless
opportunism, and place the blame squarely on others no less culpable than
themselves. As NN wrote: "What the Rimis, Kingibes, Jakandes and Unongos
did was to offer a propaganda bonanza to the regime by dividing the June
12 consensus. In spite of their noise and self-importance they are
probably the most useless lot in Abacha's parallel diplomacy of deceit and
subterfuge. They have diversionary value but they are so compromised they
have no significant national backing".
But if truth be told, the collapse of June 12 consensus was the
work not of a few scapegoats but also of those who now verbalize their
opposition to Abacha with ritual obscenity. At the core of the betrayal,
were Social Democratic Party chiefs and their allies in the civil rights
movement, the media and other fringe tendencies. Chief MKO Abiola himself
was instrumental in this tragic comedy of betrayal. He wined and dined
with the very person that toppled his electoral mandate, while protesters
confronted his host's troops on the streets. Some had been cynically sent
out to their deaths for paltry cents!
Abiola then not only fled the country because "life has no
duplicate", but together with his associates later conspired to instal the
armed forces back into power. He sealed the betrayal by getting some SDP
figures into Abacha's first Cabinet. Yet, we are supposed to be grateful
to NN for educating us on who the real traitors are. "Abacha's parallel
diplomacy of deceit and subterfuge" is not without precedence indeed.
"Our task", concludes Nigeria Now, "is to confront [Abacha's
regime] and its agents with truth on all fronts until it is (sic) smashed
to smithereens". One of that truths, we're now privileged to know to
Nigeria Now's eternal shame, is their discovery of Abacha's troops on the
most unlikely terrain - the cyberspace. To this advancing awkward squad of
paper-tiger revolutionaries and your misguided co-merchants of deceit on
The News, I have a simple message. Your conduct gives hope to every
scoundrel while it instils despair in every decent person. But as pledged
by one British Labourite figure of yore: I shall fight, fight, and fight
again!
=========================================================================
Copyright: Shehu Othman
=========================================================================
Mobolaji E. Aluko
Netters:
Uh-oh ! The Shehu-Kasirim-Yinka S-K-Y Trio surfaces !
Were we supposed to read this train of "confidential" coordination below,
or is it another Freudian slip or "Cybernetic Devil's Ink", courtesy Yinka
Adeyemi, as in the "Yinka's Revenge" ? It appears that the Man Upstairs
has really been showing us all on the Net some hidden stuff lately.
To Shehu Othman:
Nice tome you wrote. I kept reading on and on until I had to go to bed,
to continue later today. Rather long, and full of holes. But for an oil
analyst (not a declared political analyst), nice piece. Highly readable.
It is publishable, with some abbreviations, it shall be published with
your permission, but possibly without ?
Thanks for the nice things (and not so nice) things that you said about
me. We are asked in the Bible in all things to give thanks. God has not
finished with me yet. I ain't what I used to be, and ain't what I hope He
will still make me become.
My time-out with you returns to full force.
To Kasirimobi Nwuke:
I really like your credo: "Speak for yourself, Shehu, because you don't
know what the others are doing under the table. As for me and my
household, this is what we don't do..." You are believable. You earn
some of my respect thereby, although I am sure that you would say that you
could not care less.
It appears that you cannot completely vouch for Yinka Adeyemi, hence this
"Revenge." But please note the "Shehu Distinction": a consultant is not
necessarily an agent. Sure ! Maybe we should have been using the word
"consultant" all along, like in "Rising Consultant."
But what is this 12 million dollars business with Adeyemi that he is
talking about ? Adeyemi does not know that jokes on Naijanet can be
suicidal and die hard ?
My time-out with you returns to full force.
To Yinka Adeyemi:
Again note the "Shehu Distinction" between a consultant and an agent as
you continue to run your Ossining Laundromat - laundering the image of the
Nigerian government, on "World Citizen" and www.nigeriatoday.com, here on
Naijanet and other forums.
But what is this 12 million dollars deal with Kasirim ? Ayinkuze, you
know that jokes (or is it ?) on Naijanet can be suicidal and die hard,
particularly if there is a perception of long-standing proclivities.
My hatchet with you returns to the burial ground.
Best wishes all. I hope that like me you have all enjoyed Shehu's Tome
and Yinka's Revenge.
Bolaji Aluko
On Tue, 26 Nov 1996, yinka adeyemi wrote:
> >Date: Mon, 25 Nov 1996 11:43:19
> >To: "o. kasirim nwuke" <knw...@hsphsun2.harvard.edu>
> >From: yinka adeyemi <yi...@worldnet.att.net>
> >Subject: Re: "Abacha's Internet Warriors": The Truth According to
> NN/NALICON/NADECO and The News
> >
> >Kasirim:
> >So you don't work with me now, eh? How about the five million dollars
> Abacha asked me to pay you in cash? How about the other $7 million we were
> supposed to use to lobby Peter Hitler, Adolf's grandson?
> >
> >Does that mean I should expect a refund?
> >
> >In cash, please. All $12 million.
> >
> >Yinka
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >At 04:29 AM 11/25/96 +0000, you wrote:
> >>Dear Shehu:
> >>
> >>Thanks for your response. As I noted earlier your response is very
> >>good. That theNews article is a derivative of the NN article is obvious
> >>for all to see. We also know the person on the net who has very often
> >>branded some of us agents of the junta.
> >>
> >>My question apropos whether anyone of us is indeed working for the FGN
> >>was designed to ensure that you do not box yourself into a corner. To me
> >>what is of concern is the libel that I am working WITH Yinka at the
> >>behest of Ikimi. I suppose that is what worries you and others. What
> >>Yinka does and who his clents are are issues outside my province.
> >>
> >>May I vail to you for a very good piece. I look forward to reading the
> >>revised version on the net.
> >>
> >>okn
> >>-----
> >>
> >> On Mon, 25 Nov 1996, Shehu Othman wrote:
> >>
> >>>
> >>> okn,
> >>>
> >>> Thanks for yours. I believe others have noted your comments.
> >>> Yinka alone, I think, MAY have been a consultant to the Government. But
> >>> that is not something that would be a nasty little secret. He is a PR man,
> >>> NOT an agent of the regime, the latter being the point they all refer us
> >>> as. I shall remove the reference to your e-mail address as requested.
> >>> Thanks very much for taking the trouble to read the piece and offer your
> >>> comments.
> >>>
> >>> Shehu
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> On Sun, 24 Nov 1996, o. kasirim nwuke wrote:
> >>>
> >>> > Shehu:
> >>> >
> >>> > Thanks for sharing with me. Just a few comments. There are some typos.
> >>> > You may wish to read through again.
> >>> >
> >>> > b. Try to confirm from all of us that noone is working for the
> >>> > Government. I know I am not. If you do not get this affirmation from
> >>> > all of us, then I suggest that you personalize your rebuttal a bit more.
> >>> > "We" for example should be replaced with the impersonal "The Internet
> >>> > Warriors" or so.
> >>> >
> >>> > c. Remove the reference to my internet address.
> >>> >
> >>> > On the whole, I think that your rebuttal is very good. I shall be
> >>> > responding to that trashy charge soon and urge all to do so.
> >>> >
> >>> >
> >>> >
> >>> > okn
> >>> > ---------
> >>> >
> >>> > On Sun, 24 Nov 1996, Shehu Othman wrote:
> >>> >
> >>> > >
> >>> > > Hi folks,
> >>> > >
> >>> > > Below is what I intend to post to the net. Has any of you got
any
> >>> > > comments before I do so? Only the relevant sections, please. It can
> go out
> >>> > > the next day. Should I send it to other Nigerian networks? If so which
> >>> > > ones and what are the addresses? Thanks.
> >>> > >
> >>> > > Shehu
> >>> > >
> >>> > >
> >>> > >
========================================================================
> >>>
> >>
> >
>
kasirim nwuke
Netters:
There is no trio of Shehu-kasirim-Yinka. That troika does not exist.
Shehu was concerned about the "malicious tosh as all whose names were
mentioned in your friend's (Kayode Fayemi) 'piece'. Shehu is aware of
the honesty of the position of most of us. He sat down and wrote a well
argued rebuttal of the mindless article. I vail to him for a very good
response. And I thank him for his kind words.
Prior to posting his response, he shared his draft with me. And Yinka. In
good faith. And I conveyed to him in good faith what I thought. I was not
unaware of the possibility that the private exchange could find its way
to the NET.
There was nothing factually wrong about Yinka in the article. Yinka has
told us here several times that he is a PR Consultant, that some of his
friends are in important positions of power, and that he has been able
to influence policy outcomes through informal interactions with these
people. What Shehu and I and I believe the others mentioned in Kayode
Fayemi's and Dapo Olorunyomi's defamation is the assertion that we are
in the bunkers with Yinka, at the behest of Tom Ikimi, to promote a positive
image of the Junta. That is utter nonsense.
Nettters should note that the names mentioned in the "TheNews" are the
same ones the venerable Prof. at Howard has always labeled "Abacha
agents", the same ones he labeled "red monkeys" in his
Akinyemi_Miscellaneous_Random_thoughts. Netters should also note the
similarity in the choice of words used to describe the "Abacha's
Internet Warriors" in "Abacha's Parallel Diplomacy" and those used by
Mobolaji Emmanuel Aluko in his typology of "Abacha Agents" (during the
Bolaji-is-a-mole debate). Bolaji, were you a consultant on that piece?
Enquiring minds "wants" to know.
And by the roads, Bolaji wasn't the ".....Parallel Diplomacy" article in
the same issue of Nigeria Now from whence you culled Attahiru Jega's
essay on "ASUU"? Bolaji, did you not read "Abacha's Parallel
Diplomacy"? Bolaji, didn't the Bible say nothing is secret under
the sun? I may be an agnostic but I have read the Bible too.
As I have written elsewhere, Shehu has done an excellent job of
rebutting the trashy nonsense. Let Dapo Olorunyomi, Kayode Fayemi, (the
Ph.D. holder in War Studies), Danbala Alhaji Danju - the fellow whose
presence we felt when he came roaring against Bolaji for refusing to
serve on the NMAF Committee, he-he-he - and Bolaji (yes) come clean on the
issues raised in Shehu's thoughtful piece. The challenge is in your
court.
To facilitate disussion, I have forwarded to your attention the
'stories' in question in their entirety lest some of us begin to
speculate that that there must be something more damaging that was
deliberately left out in the excerpts; or that Shehu wittingly left
out in his rebuttal. As you can see, his rebuttal is based on facts.
He left nothing damaging out. Now that you have the full gist, let
those who asked for the 'articles', those who were willing to pay
worthless naira (perhaps a metaphor for the worthlessness of the
'story') for it and those who were 'longa-throat' :-) for the 'tosh'
satisfy themselves. The net looks forward to their enlightening
perspectives on this matter.
o. kasirim nwuke
----------------
"One of the General's Men - waiting to be settled... Yinka, where is my
US$12 million?" (Curious why you settled on USD12 million).
---------------------------- end of reply --------------------------------
Nathaniel Cole
At 01:54 AM 11/26/96 +0000, Shehu Othman wrote:
-------------------------Stuff deleted-------------------------
>Anyhow, I do not think any Naijanet veteran seriously reckons
>with either Cole or Matory. Ihonvbere for his part rarely writes, and I
Shehu:
I think IMO you soiled a very good piece by bringing my name into the above
comments. It was very UNNECESSARY. If you think it has any basis, please be
kind enough to define what you mean by "naijanet veteran" and give your
reason(s) for making such a comment.
I trust I will then be able to show you how wrong and biased those comments
are and succintly draw a parallel to some acute Nigerian problems IMHO.
I can also reasonably infer from your resposne that Yinka must be a
"naijanet veteran"?. Thank goodness! we all know when he came on the net and
all the attendant allegations that followed him?. At least, I was already on
the net before he came on. Please, note that your purpose will be better
served by leaving people like me out of your discourse despite the fact that
NN inadvertently used my name. That is part of the price I have to pay once
I got involved in cyber discussions. However, if you insist, I will be ready
to tango for the scholarly sake of the discourse for all it is worth, if
any. I do not want to rain on anyone's parade, but I have the right to
respond to any frivolous talk directed at my person.
Shalom!
Nat Cole
Ojo
Erudition combined with articulate presentation "masterpiece" is neither
an evidence (or lack of evidence!) of sincerity of purpose and, nor is it
a characterisation for geinuiness of intention. The effective sun-light of
such "masterpiece" may not radiate beyond the hole it creates, and the
heat intensity generated may not even evaporate a droplet of water in the
"honest ocean of eternal truth". The good always overcome the evil in the
long run no matter the ravages of the demonic intrusions.
Thanks.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
===========================================================================
A. A. Ojo, Ph.D.
a...@chml.ubc.ca
"The salvation of the black race can only come from re-establishing,
re-embracing and re-invigorating the SOUL essence, a fundamental balance
between the mind of imagination and the physical world of Mercury(been
the god of deceit,chaos,unpredictability,insincerity,even humour!,pull-down
syndrome,selfishness,greediness and all other vices of the "underworld").
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
=============================================================================
On Wed, 27 Nov 1996, Abba wrote:
> Dear Shehu,
>
> I write to congratulate you for sparing your time to
> come up with such a masterpiece. It was a delight to read!
> I hope ALL naijanet postings will be of similar
> (or even higher) standard. That can only be great news for
> the progress of our country....
>
> Regards from Malaysia!
>
> Abba
>
Abba
Shehu Othman
On Tue, 26 Nov 1996, PC5 wrote:
> Dear Shehu,
>
> A scholarly response!
>
>
> Uzo.
>
> ----------
Many thanks, Uzo.
Shehu
Shehu Othman
Nat,
Please, do not take my commments personally. I have absolutely
nothing against you. I was only trying to challenge a comment by NN that I
felt to be mistaken or at best glib. My use of the word veteran is used in
its modified form to refer to someone who has seen considerable action in say
war or something, ie, seasoned or accomplished, like a veteran debater or
politician. In the context that I wrote, a Naijanet veteran would reckon with
you and seriously so in the case of Bolaji. A distinction, I felt, needed to
be drawn however fine. Cheers.
Shehu
Shehu Othman
Heh, heh, heh!
Oga Tochi, di kwin of yonda. Where you dey all dis time? Sebi,
Tony don become jealous, him no wan mek we see una? Can I tempt both una
to my buka? Heineken, boku; goat meat, boku; pepper soup, boku; pounded
yam and egusi soup, boku; bush meat, boku; suya, boku; fura da nono sef,
boku lailai! And wetin again you wan?
Shehu
On Wed, 27 Nov 1996, Tochi Omenukor wrote:
> On Wed, 27 Nov 1996, Nathaniel Cole wrote:
>
> > It is this same attitude I carry to my discourse on the net. Be forthright,
> > and be a man of principle. Hence, it is easy for me to resist any cover ups
> >
> > Nat Cole
>
> dear nat:
>
> an interesting excerpt from the penultimate paragraph in your otherwise
> good writeup. more to the point, are you exhorting ALL naijanetters to be
> A man of principle like you, or MEN of principle or to be damned?
>
> like the nigerian queen would say, curious minds want to know....
>
> oga tochi
>
Tochi Omenukor
Yaya Abubakar Abdullahi
Abba,
I concur.
Yaya Abubakar
Ojo
Dear Malam Shehu Othman,
Thank you for giving me the priviledge to explain the "factotum"(apology
to OKN!) of my humble wisdom. You must know that education is been able to
read the fine details at the end of the text while experience is
understanding the text without reading the fine details at the end.
To answer your pleasant request, I will like you and others to go and
understudy the man of erudition and articulation of the old wild wild wild
West. His name is (Late) Chief Akintola of blessed memory. When he was in
Ekiti Province during those old days of "real political campaigning", he
"pleased" the Ekiti people by saying that "they should not mind the Igbos
who are only now appreciating books (IWE), by naming their children after
books as in Azi-ki-IWE, Nba-di-IWE, Osa-ka-IWE etc. Whereas here in the good
old Ekitiland, the Ekitis had already "eating and digested" all the IWE(BOOKS).
And while on his other campaign trip to the East, Chief Akintola "pleased his
audience again!" by saying to the good old Igbo people that, the Igbos
should not mind those bookhead Ekitis since they have been hypnotised
senselessly to the point of thinking that they can fly like a bird after
reading all the books by calling themselves bird's name as in Professor
ALUKO(a bird, apology to Profs. Aluko!), Professor Agbe(another bird) and
Professor Odidere(another bird), just to name a few.
In this story of this great orator and politician of old and of blessed
memory, you will see that there will always be two kinds of "appreciation"
of these "masterpieces" based on the "factotum"(apology to OKN again!).
The educated appreciation and the experienced appreciation.
Please, allow me the humble room to ask that you are free to make your own
inference on any of my hyperbole and metaphor contained therein, in the
piece of which you requested my explanation (in whatsoeverway as it
relates to your masterpiece as claimed by your net fans).
I salute.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
===========================================================================
A. A. Ojo, Ph.D.
a...@chml.ubc.ca
"The salvation of the black race can only come from re-establishing,
re-embracing and re-invigorating the SOUL essence, a fundamental balance
between the mind of imagination and the physical world of Mercury(been
the god of deceit,chaos,unpredictability,insincerity,even humour!,pull-down
syndrome,selfishness,greediness and all other vices of the "underworld").
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
=============================================================================
On Thu, 28 Nov 1996, Shehu Othman wrote:
>
> Dr Ojo,
>
> I must confess, I have some difficulty understanding what you
> mean. Can you please express your thoughts in plain language? Perhaps, you
> could also show where the "holes" are for netters to see. You see, not
> everyone in the Village Square has a Pee-hesh-Dee, o jare. Ese gbom.
>
> Shehu
>
> =====================================================================
>
> On Tue, 26 Nov 1996, Ojo wrote:
>
> > Erudition combined with articulate presentation "masterpiece" is neither
> > an evidence (or lack of evidence!) of sincerity of purpose and, nor is it
> > a characterisation for geinuiness of intention. The effective sun-light of
> > such "masterpiece" may not radiate beyond the hole it creates, and the
> > heat intensity generated may not even evaporate a droplet of water in the
> > "honest ocean of eternal truth". The good always overcome the evil in the
> > long run no matter the ravages of the demonic intrusions.
> >
> > Thanks.
> >
> > ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
> > ===========================================================================
> > A. A. Ojo, Ph.D.
> > a...@chml.ubc.ca
> > "The salvation of the black race can only come from re-establishing,
> > re-embracing and re-invigorating the SOUL essence, a fundamental balance
> > between the mind of imagination and the physical world of Mercury(been
> > the god of deceit,chaos,unpredictability,insincerity,even humour!,pull-down
> > syndrome,selfishness,greediness and all other vices of the "underworld").
> >
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
=============================================================================
> >
Shehu Othman
kasirim nwuke
> On your article
> ===============
>
> Sorry, I am still reading the article. I have to read it bit by bit,
> otherwise my eye-balls will fall out. I have got a few comments,
> though. First, it was rather funny to see the "you are a spy" saga come
> full circle. Bolaji and a few others previously dropped insinuations
> here and there that so-and-so is a spy and works for Abacha. Then, it
> was Bolaji's turn to take a dose of his medicine when his accusers
> turned on him in the Bolaji-is-a-mole (okn's term) series. And now okn,
> Shehu, Yinka, and the eternal "spy" Ganiyu get clobbered with the same
> allegations. I just siddon dey look and laugh.
Tony, I think your facts are wrong here. Bolaji was the one who started
to characterize persons whose views were at variance with his as Abacha
agents. You should go back to his "Akinyemi and Miscellaneous Random
Thoughts" written shortly after he met you in Birmingham. In case you
have forgotten, you should revist his "typology" of Abacha agents.
Let me put it this way, the "shock effect" of the nonsense to me and
perhaps to many netters is zero. The allegations have been made before.
They will be made in the future. It is the last gasp of a movement that
has refused to see the internal origins of her failure. They can skewer
mu character as much as they want. It only tells me that my arguments
perhaps resonate with more people than I thought. I will continue to
make them.
And one final point. Were I working for the junta or its agents, I will
make no secret of it. I will be brazen, upfront and direct about it. I
will not try to make a distinction between my corporate self and my
private self. I shall owe apologies to none for working for the junta
had I elected to do so.
Let anyone who likes go to wherever with the 'story'. I am not in the
least concerned. I do not consider myself 'indicted' by anybody. I do
not consider myself as standing before any court. I do not care whether
some believe me innocent of the allegations or guilty as accused. I
just do not give a hoot. To those who wish to use the malicious tosh
(Shehu, I like this word) to give vent to their delusions of grandeur,
or to their 'exceptionalism', my best wishes.
o. kasirim nwuke.
-----------------
> The obvious answer as I have said before is that none of you is a spy.
> As in the Bolaji case, just throwing accusations at people without
> presenting any evidence is silly, to put it mildly. Enough of all that
> for now.
>
> My other issue with you is on your general take on the question of
> patriotism, govt criticism, dealing with foreign govts, etc. You
> seemed to give the impression in your article that people who refused
> to speak out loud and clearly against the military junta (masquerading
> as a govt) we have in our country are in any way more patriotic than
> those who do. My dear Shehu, patriotism should not be synonymous with
> accepting injustice, oppression and gross denial of peoples' rights.
> Loving one's country should not mean a refusal to point out the ills
> and directionlessness of the PRESENT junta (there is no point waiting
> for them to go before writing beautiful critiques). I am fed up with
> the complete waste of our country's human and material resources and I
> wish God will give me the power to do something quick about it. Oh, and
> please we should stop this nonsense of comparing Nigeria with the US,
> UK or Canada. How ridiculous can we get.
>
> Apologies if I have misrepresented your opinions, since I am still
> reading your article. There is no live soccer today on the telly, so I
> will finish it off. Shikena!
>
>
> Cheers,
> Tony Kakhu.
> ----------
> " ... the man who hails from a village 20 mins drive from Alex
> Mukhtar's village and 2hrs from Mazi Sheila towncrier's village, and
> since they are both northerners, I am also a northerner now..."
>
Tochi Omenukor
shehu dan othman dan uthman dan fodio!
de cattle rearer who colonialises others' groundnut patches!
dis wan wey yu jes dey ofa me all dis tings....kontri no good o! kontry
no good! na wetin i do yu nah? no be nat wey i say mek i jes follow small
small? why yu kari prez tony name put inside? mek tomorrow, mek im come
tok say im kari 2 inches tall pass me? ehn, mazi shehu?
later o! na me o!
oga tochi
On Wed, 27 Nov 1996, Shehu Othman wrote:
>
> Heh, heh, heh!
>
> Oga Tochi, di kwin of yonda. Where you dey all dis time? Sebi,
> Tony don become jealous, him no wan mek we see una? Can I tempt both una
> to my buka? Heineken, boku; goat meat, boku; pepper soup, boku; pounded
> yam and egusi soup, boku; bush meat, boku; suya, boku; fura da nono sef,
> boku lailai! And wetin again you wan?
>
> Shehu
>
>
>
Rasheed Oniyangi
I too wondered what Dr. Ojo was talking about. All that stuff about good
overcoming evil; as if that is a new thing. But it does need re-emphasizing,
which is why I did not "fire" back to ask him about absolute truths. Can
anyone please help me out by elaborating further on the philosophy of the
hedgehog? I will be most appreciative.
----------
From: Nigerian Information network on behalf of Ojo
Sent: Wednesday, November 27, 1996 8:17 PM
To: Multiple recipients of list NAIJANET
Subject: Re: "Abacha's Internet Warriors": The Truth According to
NN/NALICON/NADECO and The News
Dear Malam Shehu Othman,
I salute.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
===========================================================================
A. A. Ojo, Ph.D.
a...@chml.ubc.ca
"The salvation of the black race can only come from re-establishing,
re-embracing and re-invigorating the SOUL essence, a fundamental balance
between the mind of imagination and the physical world of Mercury(been
the god of deceit,chaos,unpredictability,insincerity,even humour!,pull-down
syndrome,selfishness,greediness and all other vices of the "underworld").
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
=============================================================================
Hakeem Johnson
Fellow Netters:
First, I would like to commend Shehu Othman for an excellent rejoinder to The
News article on "All the Generals Men". Although I do not like his choice of
words in parts of the rejoinder, overall, I must say the piece is simply
EXCELLENT.
Having said that, I think the increasing spate of allegations and counter
allegations on this NET is becoming rather boring. To start with, unless
someone comes out publicly to say he/she is an Abacha or CIA or any other
country/politician's agent , it is almost impossible to
prove the fact on this electronic medium.
Apart from the feeling of self-righteousness some of us may derive from this
allegations bussiness, I do not think it benefits the Nigerian people in any
way. It neither contributes to increasing mutual understanding nor does it
facilitate any useful discussion on the future for Nigeria.
Why do some of us seem to be pre-occupied with looking for moles/agents in our
midst . I can speculate three possible reasons. These are:
1. They do not want these people to read Naijanet discussions
2. They do not want these people to influence opinion on Naijanet through their
contributions.
3. They do not want these people to create ethnic/religious/or other types of
discord on the NET.
Of the three reasons above, the only one we can control is No. 3. This we can
and should control with Naijanet's rules (net ettiquette ?), which should apply
to ALL Naijanetters. In fact, I believe that we do not control No. 3 enough on
this NET. Here in the Nigerian community in Denmark, we have a byelaw that goes
as follows:
"It is a punishable offence for ANYONE to degrade/insult any of Nigeria's
national groups (be it Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa, Ijaw, Itsekiri, Edo, Ogoni, etc...)
at any of the Union's forum.
A first offender shall apologize to the whole house. If the same offence is
committed by the same person within a period of three months, the person shall
apologize to the whole house AND apologize in writing to the Union through the
General secretary. Anyone committing the same offence the third time within a
six month period shall be summarily dismissed from the Union"
Since the promulgation of this byelaw in 1995, we have not experienced any of
the ethnic bashings that frequently comes up on Naijanet (sometimes through
fictitious names). It is not for lack of ethnic diversity, we are ethnically
diverse. It is my belief that if we can adopt this byelaw or a similar type on
Naijanet, it should take care of point No. 3 above.
As for Nos 1 and 2, we should not waste our time. Regarding No. 1, ANYONE with
access to the internet can read Naijanet discussions on soc.culture.nigeria, and
this includes whoever is maintaining the embassy's homepage on the internet or
the CIA and other interested groups. As for No. 2, there are all kinds of
people on the internet using pen-names. I doubt if there is any Naijanetter who
actually knows the identity of up to 100 people on Naijanet. It is IMO a waste
of time and energy to be engaged in this allegations bussiness.
Fellow netters, the future of our country is in our hands. It would be a sad
commentary on this distinguished forum if we do not spend more time to address
the issues facing our people and our country. This we need to do, not in the
spirit of "Na me only sabi the answers", but in the spirit of trying to learn
and share ideas with each other in a cordial and respectful manner. No one
knows it all.
Peace to all,
Hakeem K. Johnson
Anthony Kakhu
>
> Heh, heh, heh!
>
> Oga Tochi, di kwin of yonda. Where you dey all dis time? Sebi,
>Tony don become jealous, him no wan mek we see una? Can I tempt both una
>to my buka? Heineken, boku; goat meat, boku; pepper soup, boku; pounded
>yam and egusi soup, boku; bush meat, boku; suya, boku; fura da nono sef,
>boku lailai! And wetin again you wan?
>
> Shehu
>
Oga Shehu, "The Colonel's Man" ,
Wai you dey disturb me and trisexual Adamazi Tochi, now? Okay, we go
come your house togeder soon. Make you reddy. So you dey get Heineken
for ya house? Shuoooo!! A whole mallam like you!! Anyway, keep all de
Heineken for Adamazi Tochi (at least 12 cans); as for me na fura da
nono and the prince of meats (suya) wey I like. As for all the pepper
soup, keep them for Joseph Dahip ... na im need them for him naijanet
analysis, afterall him be CPA (Certified Peppersoup Analyst).
On your article
===============
Sorry, I am still reading the article. I have to read it bit by bit,
otherwise my eye-balls will fall out. I have got a few comments,
though. First, it was rather funny to see the "you are a spy" saga come
full circle. Bolaji and a few others previously dropped insinuations
here and there that so-and-so is a spy and works for Abacha. Then, it
was Bolaji's turn to take a dose of his medicine when his accusers
turned on him in the Bolaji-is-a-mole (okn's term) series. And now okn,
Shehu, Yinka, and the eternal "spy" Ganiyu get clobbered with the same
allegations. I just siddon dey look and laugh.
The obvious answer as I have said before is that none of you is a spy.
Yinka Adeyemi
Shehu:
Bravo! I am sure Bolaji, Fayemi and the other cowards in their stable will
think twice before messing with you in the future. You have sufficiently
destroyed their fundamental ruse: that there is this group of four people
who were hired and paid to assist Yinka's PR work. (No, it doesn't matter
that Yinka has never met any of these people; it doesn't matter that Yinka
has flamed and been flamed in the past by one of the people who should be
working with me).
A few years ago, you wouldn't even have had to rebutt such senseless lies;
you would know that right-thinking people would dismiss them outright. But
these are different times. Those who know Bolaji and co. to be liers are
afraid to tell them so, lest they be maligned, too. See, not everyone can
take this kind of heat and keep bouncing to glory.
I sincerely congratulate you for the classy way you disposed off the band of
dimwits who must attack you and the rest of us in their serach for social
relevance.
Now, let me finish off your briliant start, and further expose them. I know
why these people must tell a lie. It is now my job, pro bono, to make sure
they do not profit in any manner, by their lies.
Yinka.
At 01:54 AM 11/26/96 +0000, you wrote:
>Netters,
>
>
> (This article is long; you may like to download it first)
>
> (Post to other networks, please)
>
> (Delete parts not relevant to your reply)
>
>
>
> Prof Femi Ojo recently posted a mail drawing attention to a story
>in The News magazine of 4 November 1996 in which some active Naijanetters
>were mentioned as being among "All the General's men". Femi speculated, I
>think, that someone must have been shopping the Village Square to the
>magazine. Maybe, maybe not.
>
> Below are the relevant material. A vigorous debate is welcomed
>about the issues raised by the publications. Let the debate go far and
>wide, within and outside the cyberspace. And let the papers concerned come
>
>
>WARNING: The remainder of this message has not been transferred. Click on
the server retrieve icon above and check mail again to get the whole thing.
If the server retrieve icon is not showing, then this message is no longer
on your mail server.
>The estimated size of this message is 48477 bytes.
>
Anthony Kakhu
>
>> On your article
>> ===============
>>
>> Sorry, I am still reading the article. I have to read it bit by bit,
>> otherwise my eye-balls will fall out. I have got a few comments,
>> though. First, it was rather funny to see the "you are a spy" saga come
>> full circle. Bolaji and a few others previously dropped insinuations
>> here and there that so-and-so is a spy and works for Abacha. Then, it
>> was Bolaji's turn to take a dose of his medicine when his accusers
>> turned on him in the Bolaji-is-a-mole (okn's term) series. And now okn,
>> Shehu, Yinka, and the eternal "spy" Ganiyu get clobbered with the same
>> allegations. I just siddon dey look and laugh.
>
>to characterize persons whose views were at variance with his as Abacha
>agents. You should go back to his "Akinyemi and Miscellaneous Random
>Thoughts" written shortly after he met you in Birmingham. In case you
>have forgotten, you should revist his "typology" of Abacha agents.
>
>
>
>
>o. kasirim nwuke.
>-----------------
>
okn,
I thought my paragraph (preceding yours above) was clear enough on who
started the accusations. Re-read it. It is unlike you to make mistakes :-)
I am sorry I cannot go back to articles written over a year ago since I
do not have a HARD DISK. Or rather, my HARD DISK is used for other
purposes.
Cheers,
tk
(Too Know).
kasirim nwuke
tk
I read you quite alright. In your piece, you create the impression,
perhaps unwittingly, that the persons accused in the TheNews and the
persons whom Bolaji and his indefatigable minstrels have accused in the
past are different persons. No they are not. You went on to write "and
now okn, shehu, Yinka, and the eternal "spy" get clobbered with the same
allegations". This misrepresents the chain of events. These persons
have always been "clobbered" as Abacha agents by Bolaji and his card
carrying colleague.
I must applaud you though for acknowledging openly that Prof. Mobolaji
Emmanuel Aluko started the chain of allegations. His acolytes, perhaps
with some encouragement from him, have taken it one step further.
Anyroads, more of this will definitely earn you my vote for the Presidency.
Cheers to you too.
okn - The Dimwit.
-----
Shehu Othman
Yinka,
How very kind of you to say what you said. The court of public
opinion is there, and it will judge them very harshly. In the meantime,
let them continue to think they can take the world for a ride by threat,
blackmail, name-calling, intimidation or even violence.
Lest I forget, let them continue to propagate that you arranged
for some senior clerics to visit Nigeria. Let them say you did the same
for Senator Carol Brown and Louis Farrakhan. Let them come forward with
bigger inventions. And more. They'd only be raising your job profile and
thereby avail you opportunities to exploit if you can. God has His ways
of making your enemies your friends, but only they know not. Ciao.
Shehu