I remember a song by Bob Marley. But just don’t ask me which. For all I care, a part of the wordings says: “…where did it all begin? / Where will it end? / Well, it seems like / a total destruction, / the only solution! / They ain’t no use, / no one can stop them now!”

Where it all began in Nigeria is near-impossible to identify. Where it will end is a more dismal tale to tell. One thing is certain though. No one wants a total destruction as the only solution. If nothing else helps however, this will be a formidable option in the spirit of masochism.

I will dare opine against all odds, that the alleged clandestine deal of zoning the Presidency to the north at the end of the tenure of the present government plays one major role in the present development that is gyrating out of human control in a frenzy of multiple lordships.

One reason that was speculatively identified by analysts in the aftermath of the President’s failed bid for constitutional amendment to facilitate tenure elongation was reluctance to return the presidency to the north so soon. As a speculation hanging in the balance, the viability of this information can never be validated as it bears no substance of factual verifiability. Fortunately however, it is an open secret that the bitter feud between erstwhile inseparable bedfellows in the persons of the President and the Vice President was largely fueled by the latter’s suspicion of reluctance on the part of the President to cede power as ‘privately agreed’. Being a northerner, the Vice President is in no doubt whatsoever that he would perfectly fit into the shoes of a successor if that clandestine deal was anything to go by.

The collateral impact of this obnoxious deal has today however, resulted in the glaring absence of qualified personalities on the list of candidates for the Presidency. They are either southerners or have no political Godfathers in positions that matter. The third-term agenda and the resultant massive loss of respect and reputation by the President, the coercion of several candidates of the ruling party (justifiably or not) into paving way for a little known and allegedly reluctant candidate (qualified amongst others, by virtue of being a northerner), the imposition of a presidential candidate (whose only unbeatable qualification was merely being the Vice President and a northerner) upon many other credible aspirants in the opposition party, are by now, all history. Unfortunately, the consequences are not. It is the consequences that are now threatening to plunge the country into the unknown alas, undesired bottomless pit of immeasurable depth.

Enemies of the President did not only come out stronger and more vocal from the political blunders of seeking tenure elongation, many neutral observers seeking to strengthen the fabrics of democracy in Nigeria also acceded to the enemy’s camp in rejection of the President’s single and decisive catastrophe. Role models have ever since, been sought and in some cases, even found in the most dubious of characters, whose only good and credible qualification are as ever, opposition to the President. So deeply has the hatred for this President penetrated all levels of social and political life in Nigeria today that many struggling and professionally helpless Nigerians in Diaspora, who cannot return home for fear of facing a bleak personal future finally found some engagement in the Internet. Writing. Some form of amateur but obviously representative game of political analysis in practice. Even the one-sidedness embodied in the venom-spitting messages of these largely self-styled and wannabe political commentators seem to be by and large, reflective of the real situation in present day’s political establishment.

The judiciary has been reflecting a tendency that can be arguably interpreted as seeking to humiliate the serving President. Controversial rulings have been made in recent times. Some of them are seemingly in open defiance of common sense and rational contemplation. What is less arguable however is the plain fact that recent judgments coming out of the judiciary have been largely one-sided in tendency and are not all legally justified or justifiable. The human factor will at least, bear testimony to the inevitability thereof.

The legislature that was widely commended for defeating the third-term agenda is now locked in political in-fighting without the necessary majority to sway its strength in any likely direction. Disappointed supporters of the President who were bullied out of re-election bids are now in the camp of bitter opponents. There are claims that some are even involved in financing and nursing armed insurgency to make their impact felt. This is even badly exemplified in the current PTDF scandal. An ad-hoc committee submits a report indicting one party for obvious malicious circumvention of the law for private benefits. It lifts a warning finger at the other for circumventing the law in good faith and for national benefit. Comically though, not this report is analytically dissected. No. It is the minority report of just one committee member that is given center stage. In the end, no one likes the majority report because it fails to indict the public enemy No. 1 and the report is simply set aside with the active contribution of the President of the Senate. A review panel is created to produce a report that is more likable and acceptable. Much like re-conducting a general election until the desired candidate is declared winner.

Now the senate President proclaims himself the potential messiah promising to rescue the President out of benevolence, if the senate goes too far. A transparent ploy, obviously aimed at shifting the limelight away from his possible ambition of interim Presidency. Everyone is watching this circus, in which the wrong clowns are thrilling the audience. The crowd is applauding just for one reason. Hatred of the President.

No one speaks out against this unprecedented practice in the parliament of a democratic experiment. No one speaks out at least, against the disturbing moral implication of this modus operandi. The press as the fourth estate of democratic institutions is the worst player in the Nigerian democratic equation. Playing the conscience of the folks is seen in extreme one-sided reflections. The poor achievements of the present administration in areas affecting the common man are now taken up as the single benchmark for credible journalistic reporting and commentary. When the press refuses to touch on anything well done, positive achievements become a non-starter as if they were never there. Whereas no one seeks to highlight the present government as the best thing that has ever happened to Nigeria, it is disturbingly questionable if it would do anyone any harm to expose occasionally, where this government has done well alongside criticizing it in all vehemence where it has failed its electorates. Today though, hatred of the President or perhaps bribery and partisan sympathy has so badly taken over all senses of perception that the only picture portrayed on the screen is simply that of the demon beyond redemption. Whoever dares to move any step in the direction of fairness is defamed and desecrated in the pattern of the fifteenth century inquisition.

In fact, all estates of government are obviously converging on one simple objective: “Kill Bill”.

If Bill is Obasanjo the President, then the battle promises a bloodbath that will only smear the surroundings. The President is a strategist with several weapons at his disposal. Weapons to make or break.

Suddenly, the grip of foreign forces on Nigeria is growing tighter by the day. Not only was the repayment of foreign debts facilitated on the negotiating table, the strings attached are not known to all Nigerians till the present moment. As if that was yet a child’s play, Nigerian politicians are traveling around the world to report their country’s leaders to their perceived Big Brothers. A different pattern of neo-colonialism is being deliberately perpetrated against the spirit of Kwame Nkrumah’s Pan-Africanism and Sedar Senghor’s Anti-Assimilation drive.

The press is watching and no one cares to speak out. While negative information on the President is gladly disseminated with all pleasure, negative information on his adversaries is quietly swept beneath the rug. All for the simple reason of killing Bill. A secret British white paper was recently leaked, which characterized Nigeria’s Vice President as corrupt to the bone. This was reported in unnoticeable comments. While High Court judges are loudly applauded as courageous defenders of democracy for passing politically-motivated one-sided judgments, the findings of a senate committee in favor of the President is quietly reported without much ado while Nigeria’s “objective” commentators are watching the resultant drama unfolding. The Vice President’s own Attorney openly betrayed his own duties and failed to see constitutional legitimation for his client’s conduct. No one praised him for courage or criticized him for his cold calculation of financial interests. All quietly swept beneath the rug.

Some even say that the Vice President as an erstwhile PDP-insider and himself an election rigger-in-chief is bound to give the ruling party a good fight in the Presidential elections and should therefore be allowed to contest the elections in the interest of advancing Nigeria’s democracy. Here the singer Diana King may shout “O Lord have mercy, mercy…”. What a qualification to run for President! Integrity doesn’t seem to matter. Records do not seem to matter! Just hatred of the ruling elite. Anyone will do who gives them a good fight!

Now, am American institution is said to have conducted pubic opinion polls on the forthcoming elections and sees a particular candidate ahead of the others. Meanwhile, ‘well-trained’ Nigerian journalists were conducting their own exit-polls for polls that have never been held. Self-styled fighters for democracy who seek nothing but to kill Bill sooner than later rejoice at the news of the American pollsters. They however fail to ask how much credibility an opinion poll should have that was sampled by a foreign establishment who knows only little about the peculiar characters of the Nigerian political society. An establishment who probably knows absolutely nothing about the unwritten laws of “Ghana-must-go”! An establishment who probably knows absolutely nothing about the “Black Axes”, the “Pirates”, the “Ogbonis”, the “Adedibus” and many facets of political activism in Nigeria. What a Goddamn poll!

The Niger Delta crew has long been on the rampage. Writing and re-writing its own scenarios for the ultimate shooting of a potential Oscar-winning movie. American observers say the Nigerian Army is no match for the desperate rebels. Roads remain bad. Electricity supply is at its worst in the history of Nigeria. Voters registration has long been decried as fraudulent. About 50 million voters are said to have been registered. A population of about 140 million has been officially reported. In the equation, about 90 million Nigerians should be below voting age. What a miracle. A wonderful dream for economic productivity. Killings are gathering momentum. Politicians are trading defamation. A retired military General says that coup d’etats are no longer fashionable. Candidates are disqualified. Some are threatening mayhem and disintegration. Courts of law have become major political actors. Yet the general elections are just a few weeks away.

Now I hear someone say that the senate has failed in its responsibilities for going on recess to attend to re-election campaign. They are failing to make perfect of the ongoing chaos. Failing to impeach the President and the Vice President and further deepening the crisis. Who cares if a state of emergency is eventually declared in the emerging anarchy? Who cares if an obsolete act suddenly becomes fashionable once again? After all no one made Thailand a pariah state for rejuvenating the unfashionable.

Chinua Achebe once quoted a passage in his novel “Things fall apart”. But don’t ask me where he got it from. For all I care, the passage says: “Turning and turning in the widening gyre / The falcon cannot bear the falconer / Things fall apart, the center cannot hold / Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world”.

Robot  Villager

# 1 I remember a song by Bob Marley. But just don’t ask me which. For all I care, a part of the ...Read the full article. Posted by Robot| 27.03.2007 14:41

planet1899  Villager

# 2 There is no anarchy looming anywhere...why are all of you being alarmist? The only anarchy I see is with the cyber Nigerians and the false alarm they love to raise. There is no anarchy, please, the country is holding elections and all you guys could talk about is anarchy. How many countries with looming anarchy hold elections? Posted by planet1899| 27.03.2007 15:29

STTOPP  Villager

# 3 STTOPP:This is just my take on these cry babies on NVS. They cry so much about what has been taken from them, now let me tell you something, in today's nigeria nobody is going to give you something on a silver plater, you have to get involve maybe get your nose bloody in the process hopefully at the end you would have achieve something. Please stop crying about who took your lunch. Posted by STTOPP| 27.03.2007 16:05

Abraxas  Villager

# 4 =STTOPP;164051>STTOPP:This is just my take on these cry babies on NVS. They cry so much about what has been taken from them, now let me tell you something, in today's nigeria nobody is going to give you something on a silver plater, you have to get involve maybe get your nose bloody in the process hopefully at the end you would have achieve something. Please stop crying about who took your lunch. Hi, STTOPP (JJC)! Please proceed immediately to the 97th floor of the Village Twin Towers, and book an appointment with the Senior Special Assistant to the Adviser General on JJC Admission Matters, to enable you go through the due process of introduction to our Village of origin. Kindly submit details of your biometric data to the Director General of the Village Security Service (VSS) at the 69th floor. Please ensure full compliance with the admission protocol, before bothering to "blow advanced 'tory" any further with the Senior Girls and Big Boys of this our very beloved Village of origin Muchas gracias, mis amigos. Don Juan Carlos ABRAXAS (III) (Welcomer-in-Chief of all JJCs in the known universe) Posted by Abraxas| 27.03.2007 16:17

MistaMan  JJC

# 5 I also remember a song by sonny okosun...which way nigeria?which way to go?so many years after our independence,we still dont know where to start.....that is the simple summation of our present day nigeria... Posted by MistaMan| 27.03.2007 17:30

Tunde meee  Villager

# 6 Whatever your submission, it is quite obvious which side of the divide you are. For you to have referred to all those landmark judgements as "politically motivated" your cover is blown and for now I comment my reserve.:wink: :wink: :wink: Posted by Tunde meee| 28.03.2007 08:50

abidde  Villager

# 7 William Butler Yeats - The Second Coming Turning and turning in the widening gyre The falcon cannot hear the falconer; Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world, The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere The ceremony of innocence is drowned; The best lack all conviction, while the worst Are full of passionate intensity. Surely some revelation is at hand; Surely the Second Coming is at hand. The Second Coming! Hardly are those words out When a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi Troubles my sight: somewhere in sands of the desert A shape with lion body and the head of a man, A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun, Is moving its slow thighs, while all about it Reel shadows of the indignant desert birds. The darkness drops again; but now I know That twenty centuries of stony sleep Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle, And what rough beast, its hour come round at last, Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born? Posted by abidde| 28.03.2007 18:48

STTOPP  Villager

# 8 DJ C A3 Thanks for the invite , but no to Slave mentality, Snr. prefect, gate keepers, certificate gawkers, validation seekers. Pls. look elsewhere bro, not buying into that. Unshakle yourselves, a new day has dawn in Naija inspite of all NVS nay sayers, fear and rumor mongers. It's a fact of life that nothing excellent has ever been achieved without struggle. So let roll up our sleeves and put firewood for "Adogan" and cook something great for change. Posted by STTOPP| 28.03.2007 19:02