OBJ & THE 40 THIEVES: Their only good President is a dead MKO

By Farouk Martins Aresa…

Do not cry for Obasanjo as the only head of State to be tried and condemned to death which he luckily escaped. MKO Abiola, a member of the same gang, was killed without a trial. They now honored him in his grave. It could have been preferable to honor him alive but Their Only Good President Is A Dead MKO. If it is true that OBJ might be tried again, dare you try him with Babangida, Jonathan and Danjunma as members of the 40 Thieves.

OBJ once jailed, should have known better that their only good President was a dead one! M.K.O Abiola that won the freest election ever in Nigeria, was prevented from honoring a mandate he earned, in flesh and blood, out of hatred from the same gang he trusted. If that is not the height of hypocrisy, bare face power corruption of the rule of law in order to loot the treasury in disguise as Abacha did, nothing else is. Who does honoring him epp?

So why would Buhari try OBJ alone without Jonathan, Babangida and Danjuma? It is because he could. They all wrote a letter or spoke out against Buhari, IBB even locked him up. Buhari bragged that he was the only one that could topple an elected civilian Government, of Shehu Shagari. He kept Shagari under home arrest but jailed his Vice President, Alex Ekuweme. Military and civilian looters are the same. Imagine all of their gang in a Trial dock. This would be cause for a celebration. Every dog has its day sha.

Some of the other 40 Thieves have actually come out and confessed that they steal because we do not stone them. Not to be outdone, another claimed corruption is just “Iberiberism”. Ebele had proclaimed that stealing is not corruption. Even one of our head of State, IBB that overthrew Buhari, once wondered how Nigeria was still standing despite all the money stolen. Most of these politicians throw the ball back into our court asking if we would be happy if we visited them and left their houses empty handed.

Professor Abimbola, if you remember who he is. The babalawo that was made Vice- Chancellor at the University of Ife. This man really believed that he could come back to his constituency poor and be a loved honest Senator! Sometimes, you have to wonder if it is because he is highly educated or it’s the babalawo title he was bestowed. He refused to steal and distribute.

Comfortable in public transport, folks poured abuses on him as a failure. Kai!
It must be noted for the record that Obasanjo was not the only one that went broke as “militrician” President. Gowon did but was able to sustain himself and his family in London by the goodwill of well-wishers after he was overthrown. He considered himself poor then, but certainly not by Nigerian or African standard. He was able to send his children to school in England. Actually, Nigerians felt insulted when he was seen serving himself food in London.

These members of the gang of OBJ and the Forty Thieves may have wrecked their own Country forever. They have laid examples for the youths to follow. The reason these youths are lazy is because they see their friends and colleagues showered with luxuries they did not work for by their moneybag parents. They can only wish and pray that their own time and day would come; by any means except working hard as we used to.

Anyone that criticized those parents spoiling their children with free luxurious houses, cars and sumptuous weddings is slammed as suffering from poverty mentality. Free gifts have become a right, not an incentive to be responsible and to work hard. This is what creates entitlement culture where youth that should be thinking of how to liberate themselves from a gang of vultures turn into their praise singers.

If Buhari and his gang want to help Nigeria, all members of their gang must be put on trial so that the youths can learn a different culture than the one they wish for right now. It does not matter in whose reign vultures are tried and convicted. What matters is that as anyone gets elected, he should renounce corruption like Murtala Muhammed and throw the rest of his gang in jail. If Buhari decided to try them now, another President would try Buhari later.

Their code of silence and comradeship are the factors that is killing Nigeria.
Priorities and youths’ sense of diligence have changed since the days Igbo were known for hard work. Most people in Lagos in those days knew that you have to employ Igbo in your business if you did not want a leak or drain. If it was a choice between Yoruba and Igbo, Yoruba would trust an Igbo man for the job. Ask anyone old enough.

The Hausa were the most honest of all Nigerians. Leave your goods and houses to them. If anyone ever tried to mess or steal from you, they would dagger him. It is only recently that Nigerians do not fear Hausa and their dagger anymore. They now have guns, AK47! Some of us were surprised that Hausa were putting a great deal of cash in the booth of the car when forex became a business. Nobody would dare try to steal from them in those days.

The Yoruba were the most accommodating of all Nigerians. They were very good mixers with other Nigerians. Many of us still remember what we were told in those days in Lagos: when a stranger entered Lagos in the morning; before dusk, he would be fed, clothed and given a place to sleep. The Yoruba always follow an adage that the way a free child is born, that is exactly how a slave is born.

Read Also: Abiola And The Politics Of Remembrance

The real majority and stakeholders in Nigeria that were not Igbo, Hausa or Yoruba were good folks that shared many of these virtues. They actually made and kept Nigeria standing where everyone was comfortable. Many spoke more than a couple of languages or dialects marrying into the behemoth ethnic groups, reminding us of our commonality.

It is important to remind us of who and what we were and to wonder how we got to this stage. We were contented people that saw ourselves as our brothers’ keepers. Other Africans knew that once they stepped into Nigeria, they were good to go. They were comfortable and felt at home in Nigeria during Apartheid, change of government or misfortune in their countries. Nigeria was it!

Dr.Nnamdi Azikiwe cried out the day Nigerian politicians decided to throw the children of Nkrumah out. After all, some claimed Kofi Busia did the same to Nigerians at some point in the past. Only Gods knows what has gotten into Africans these days that we are no longer afraid to be greedy, selfish and indifferent to the sanctity of African lives.

In those days, the biggest risk an African would take was to leave the comfort of his own village, town or city to go to the next cities to take his chances, not knowing if he would succeed or fail. Today, out of greed and indifference of OBJ And Da Forty Thieves, our children leave the place where they were most comfortable. Since it has become hostile to their success. They are starving while the greedy are celebrating birthdays, wedding of their spoilt children and remembrance of their dead. They watch wishing it was them.

How did we get here again? Look at where our youths are heading!

 

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