12 Jun 2008 |
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| This June will mark the first anniversary of my arrival at the Nigeria Village Square-NVS. Again, it was through Sonala Olumhense’s article in the Guardian that I found myself in the village square. He had discussed about Osamuyia who was brutally eliminated by the poorly trained yeye Spanish Police.
I love the NVS no doubt. Having spent 365 days of my life at the same village, it means that there must be something special about it. When I did my youth service in one of Adedibu’s villages in Ibadan in 1995/96, I was always on the move at the end of each month. What can I do without my city life in Lagos? In this village square, I have been taken to war on at least 3 different occasions. See me marching down with my tiny, skinny legs on the streets of Stockholm with a police escort along the road and a police helicopter guarding me from above. My crew and I confronted the Spanish ambassador to Sweden and we scored a positive point for Africans living in Spain. On their behalf, we advocated for fair treatment and justice. This same battle was fought in other countries were volunteers made themselves available. NVS na you biko ! When baby Andrew was ill, rather than turning to Baba-go-slow, the NVS took us back into the trenches in another dimension. We fought a war by breaking into our precious savings. Praises be to all the anonymous givers. Clumsy Baba-go-slow flew to Germany to pick up his prescriptions and to admire the buildings. The shame of a nation! What a tragedy? As if that was not enough, the NVS came calling again when 135 speechless Nigerians were humiliated by the British Police. They said noise making is not allowed on British Aircraft. They said that human rights cannot be defended on a British Airways Flight. Only one man was banished for life (officially for 6 months) on BA Flights but 136 were sent home like canned sardines. I guess the silent instruction to them was: on your way back to the UK, please fly Nigerian Airways! Those who did not get the message must be stupid. NVS Please o, I’m begging you. No more war for me-at least not the war that is out of my control. I don’t know what has happened in Ukraine but I stumbled on AIT ‘News Brief’ that Nigerians who died in Ukraine will not be compensated. Whatever the story is about! Most of my years at UNILAG were spent in and out of battle fields and at home due to ASUU’s strikes. First it was Maiyegun vs Notorious Babangida. The crazy monster quickly rushed to Abuja when the heat was too much in Lagos. Kudos to Yaba Tech and Unilag Students of those days! Then Sowore came, the same story. We risked our lives for all those Aluta continua, Victoria acerta abi na how them dey spell am? Sowore kept dying and resurrecting with every battle and rumours that followed or flew around. Poor boy! It was easy those days to see the reasons for the struggles and the need to join. One was involved and felt the necessity to participate. Big face and big mouth Aikhomu told Nigerian students not to start a war that they cannot finish. One of those useless people anyway. Unfortunately, the reasons for those battles have extended and multiplied yet no more battles are fought on the streets. The common people and students have been worn out by series of wicked governments. I pity those people that I saw the last time I stood on Oshodi bridge. See human heads and bodies toiling! Yee paa ri paa ! The lesson that I have learnt from the battles of the NVS is that you can be anywhere on planet earth, plan a war or struggle and execute it successfully with your network of volunteers and co-planners. Unless Kanu Ahaoma decides to join me here with his winter jacket (which he will also use in the summer), he remains the Grand Commander of the NVS Unarmed Forces in Nigeria. Thank goodness that Abati and Uche N. are also on ground! Even we can enrol Utomi (to take Gani’s place) if his feelings for the masses are genuine. It shouldn’t be a luxury to be rated as Nigeria’s Obama. Abi na garri ? So what is my “Code Red” to NVS? The only battles that I am ready to fight and die for are the ones that will put me in necessary confrontations with the Nigerian leadership. The useless Nigerian leadership, soaked in one of the greatest corrupt practices in human history, is the genesis of the other “appendage battles” that we are fighting. The elders can help me here: why should we leave leprosy and be treating ringworm? Is that not the question abi na proverb? I am challenging the NVS that our further battles on behalf of this village and Nigerians should be directed to the Nigerian government at home and all the Nigerian foreign missions abroad. As for me, I am ready to visit the Nigerian Embassy in my region whenever NVS gives the go ahead. Once you blow your Joshua’s trumpet I will mobilise myself and do the best I can. Enough banners and placards! Paper cheap here no be small. I hope the result of the opinion poll conducted recently by the NVS will serve as a prerequisite for the order of our battles. If I could decide though, our first battle will be to force people like IBB, Abdulsalami, Buhari, Obasanjo, Abacha’s wife and the other key looters to face justice. Other identified looters will follow. I would also recommend the second battle of enthroning, as early as 2008/9, a democratically elected president in an election similar to that conducted in 1993-the best election in our history that was annulled by a lunatic cabal. How can we confront the wildly foolish cabal indicted by Humphrey Nwosu as the mastermind behind the annulment of the June 12 1993 elections? The same cabal is there today running the country from beneath. This and other fundamental issues that bother on our basic rights, social justice, equality and transparency in government are the reasons why our external battles are almost worthless. Our Nigerian home is not in order and we want the outside world to put it in order for us. There is a limit to what we can achieve under those circumstances but there is no limit to what we can change if we direct our efforts inwards. Charity begins at home. There is something called Ethiopian Airline. I heard there is another thing called Kenya Airline. Even there is one associated with South Africa. None of them sound like a Virgin. Where is the pride of Nigeria? May all the enemies of Nigeria be buried on June 12 and televised on AIT! aderounmu@gmail.com
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