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After the oppressors celebrated their democracy day last May 29 (when in 1999 the military bastards handed over power to one of their own Olusegun Obasanjo) today marks our own Democracy Day. On June 12 1993 an electoral wonder happened back home as millions of Nigerians went to the polls to elect an SDP muslim/muslim ticket of late Chief MKO Abiola and Babagana Kingibe in a presidential election Ibrahim Babangida, then military President, had programmed to fail. He annulled its outcome inexplicably and fifteen odd years on June 12 remains evergreen in our collective memories.
Last Sunday, June 8 marked the tenth year anniversary of the martial undertaker of June 12, General Sani Abacha, who expired suddenly in lewd circumstances. As if in perfect accord with the position of the Abacha matriach, Maryam, who insisted that her husband was not a big thief as widely viewed with facts to back up our position that the goggled one was a unique looter, former Heads of State Generals Buhari, Babangida and Abubakar went to Kano to honour Abacha's memory a decade after.
The three former military rulers were curiously united in giving a clean bill of health to General Abacha declaring controversially that the deceased dictator served Nigeria well to the best of his abilities and never stole a dime! This apparent poor revisionism and crude attempt to re-write history has since attracted wide condemnation from many informed Nigerians. We are wiser and more emancipated than they ever thought.
Abacha may have tried his best indeed to re-position Nigeria but the truth remains self-evident that he was a big thief, a sadist and a murderer. Generals Babangida, Buhari and Abubakar may not present a better stewardship than that of the dead ruler but none of them inflicted on us the kind of gangsterism Abacha's reign was associated with.
As we mark our Democracy Day against their own democracy day celebrated in loud silence last May 29 Prof. Humphrey Nwosu, the ex-head of NEC that organized the famous June 12 poll would be speaking and launching his book on the controversial annulment subject. Whatever he chooses to reveal or conceal will not make any difference. It shall make any difference if only he could tell us how Babangida and his gang terrorized him into silence for 15 years; how Abiola was killed in prison (or beaten to death?); why he kept silent for this long.
As we mark our Democracy Day reports had it last weekend the General Oladipo Diya would be releasing his own memoirs in few months time. Gen. Diya was the one who helped Abacha as the second-in-command 'kill' June 12 by reaching out to his Yoruba people and pacifying them to join the junta. Some notable pro-democracy advocates in Yorubaland took heed of Diya's appeals and served Abacha. Diya was later caught in a coup plotting web and the video of him prostrating and crying like a baby before Abacha made the rounds.
General Diya, Arthur Nzeribe and Prof Nwosu are among the villains of June 12. The betrayal of the popular will had them as collaborators! Many cowards in Yorubaland abandoned Abiola and democracy and embraced political expediency. High-ranking traditional rulers in the West led by the Ooni Sijuwade gave Babangida tacit support that emboldened him to succeed in his crime against the people's choice of a leader.
Today as we mark June 12 we 'celebrate' the demise of one of the greatest threats to democracy in the land Lamidi Ariyibi Adedibu. Happy we are that one of the military apologists of our time had kicked the bucket! And joyful the situation in the ancient city of Ibadan in particular and Oyo State in general! Merciful to God that the 81-year-old has gone to join his ancestors!!
An outlaw whose unorthodox approach to politics was legendary Adedibu bestrode the Nigerian political landscape like the proverbial colossus. An unrepentant believer in the politics of no scruples no ideology Adedibu's treacherous role in the pro-June 12 movement, and later his inglorious campaign for the transmutation of Abacha into a civilian Head of State showed his undemocratic credentials.
Popularly known as "Alaafin Molete", and described by Ahmadu Ali, erstwhile Chairman of the ruling party, the PDP, as the "Garrison Commander" of Oyo political fortress Adedibu was once accused by the NAFDAC boss, Mrs Dora Akinyuli, of obstructing her agents in Ibadan from carrying out their lawful duties.
Barely educated but supremely haughty Adedibu easily cut the image of a wild lion in the big jungle that is Nigeria. He went about with an air of invincibility, a surely powerful untouchable animalistic mien beyond the taming of a compromised system existing in our land of birth. Adedibu wined and dined with fellow greedy lawless rascals up against history of decency and good morals.
He courted the downtrodden with a mission to use them as instruments of power acquisition. He daily fed them, listened in to their problems, solved some of them and helped out financially but with the sole goal of achieving political ends with their support. Adedibu was a master strategist in political thuggery and violence having cut his political teeth early enough in life as a youth. His unconventional style of political dominion in Oyo state found explanation in his perfect understanding of the usefulness of thuggery and rigging in Nigeria's democratic evolution.
Adedibu represented the very worst political breed in Nigeria, a Nigeria raped silly by political monkeys and clowns. Surely he will be missed! Missed mainly by thousands that thronged his Molete 'kingdom' to be fed the local delicacy of 'Amala' and 'Gbegiri' soup daily. He will definitely be missed by those who saw him as a 'super cop' whose army of thugs were more powerful than the conventional policemen and his Molete residence as both police station and the 'supreme court'.
Adedibu will be mourned by many political criminal elements whose numbers are swelling by the day as well. The chief mourners include the PDP one family, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo who described him as the 'father of PDP', Adebayo Alao-Akala whom he rigged into office as Governor of Oyo state. Others include his Senator son Kamorudeen Adedibu, Patricia Etteh, and many other beneficiaries of his 'Amala' politics.
To Lamidi Adedibu, the demon of Molete, as he lies breathlessly with his blood frozen and bones stiffen, all physically and physiologically mortally subdued, the normal thing to say is: 'may your soul rest in peace' but in this case, happy my mood, I can only say may your evil soul never rest in peace but rather rot in pieces!
By your graveside, 'Baba' Adedibu, the fitting epitaph should read thus: Here lies the political monster whose political exploits had blood, sorrow, tears and fear woven around them; here lies an old political beast who mastered the art of political mischief and state terrorism. Here lies the glorified godfather of thugs who dominated his environment with the aid of thugs, occultism and sadism.
Adieu Adedibu, the demon of Molete! So in the end we are mortals after all? Thank you Lord for the spirit of mortality You Omnipotently made our portion! Glory be to He who, indisciminately, decides, at His convenience and whims, our terminal fate with unquestionable domineering authority. Be Thou exalted above all nations!
SOC Okenwa
soco_abj_2006_rci@hotmail.fr
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Posted by Robot| 12.06.2008 13:55