Dr. Abejide B. Olusegun
I am sorry, General Maradona, but you can’t cause chaos that led to someone’s death, his wife’s death, the collapse of one of the biggest business empires in Africa, the deaths of thousands, the collapse of the western region, and the collapse of democracy, and now be rewarded with N17 billion and be celebrated by some of the people you tried to maim and kill. That’s Haram money in the highest order.
Some call him Maradona, perhaps because he dribbles like a cunning footballer, slipping past every attempt at justice and emerging unscathed from the worst of scandals. Others describe him as an evil genius, capable of manipulating reality like a skilled illusionist, creating fables, transforming the mundane into the profound, and evading the laws of retribution. But karma never forgets. It may take years, even decades, but it always comes calling. Abacha is gone, his crimes sealed in history, his body now mere dust. And for anyone foolish enough to be deceived by IBB’s latest charade, the betrayal is entirely their own.
The day God was distributing shame, IBB must have been absent. What other explanation could there be for the gall, the audacity, and the blatant shamelessness of a man who oversaw Nigeria’s most heinous betrayals and now stands proudly among his peers? You were the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, the supreme leader of your country, yet you allowed Abacha to lead an “inside force” against you. You did nothing. You could not eliminate him or neutralize his influence. You simply watched, helpless and weak. What kind of cowardice is this? The Yoruba have a saying: “You are made the king of the eagles, yet you lack the power to snatch a chick.” What nonsense. What a disgrace.
coordinator of all military services. Were you insane? Were you under some hypnotic spell? Or were you just incredibly foolish? Despite knowing his ambition to rule, you left him in service, positioning him as the most senior military officer while handing power to a civilian interim government. Was this stupidity? Was this senility? Was this some grand illusion of yours that ended in utter failure?
Under your watch, while you held absolute power as the nation’s leader and military chief, an election—adjudged to be the fairest and freest in Nigeria’s history—was annulled. And now you want us to believe that the annulment was not your decision? That Abacha, your subordinate, carried it out without your approval? In what army, in what country, does a junior officer make such a monumental decision without the explicit directive of his superior? Are we children? Are we fools? If you blame Abacha for June 12, then you must credit him for whatever meager achievements you claim today. You are now painting yourself as a mere puppet while pinning all your shameful acts on a dead man who can no longer defend himself. What a disgrace.
If Abacha was so powerful, should we now assume that he was the one who ordered the execution of your childhood friend, Mamman Vatsa? You sentenced your friend to death over an alleged coup that never even materialized. A man who danced at your wedding, whose wife was a friend of your own, whose children played with yours—you had him killed. Was this also Abacha’s doing? Or was this just another example of your treachery?
Loyalty is a word missing from your dictionary. You were not loyal to your boss, Buhari, whom you betrayed and overthrew in a coup. You were not loyal to your friend, Vatsa, whom you condemned to death without mercy. You were not loyal to your other friend, Moshood Abiola, whose election victory you annulled. You were not loyal to Nigeria, the country you led into ruin, only to leave it in the hands of a tyrant far worse than yourself. You also bear responsibility for the blood of every innocent soul that Abacha later slaughtered. You also bear responsibility for the billions he looted, as you laid the foundation for his ascent to absolute power.
And now, in your old age, after years of silence, you are not even loyal to Abacha himself. You blame him for all your wrongdoings, making him the scapegoat for your numerous sins.
James Hadley Chase wrote the epic novel “The Dead Stay Dumb.” Today, IBB presents Nigerians with a stark reminder of this epic in his book on the June 12 election annulment.
Abiola is dead, Abacha is dead, Arthur Nzeribe is dead, Clement Akpamgbo is dead, Justice Bassey Ikpeme is dead, Justice Dahiru Saleh is dead, and Abimbola Davis (ABN Director of Operations) is dead. Prof. Omo Omoruyi is dead, Prof. Humphrey Nwosu is dead, and Vice Admiral Aikhomu (whose press secretary announced the annulment, purportedly without Babangida’s imprimatur) is dead. All these deceased individuals serve as witnesses to Babangida.
James Hadley Chase wasn’t finished. He wrote another epic to characterize this kind of Balablu Bulaba absurdity: “Believe this and you’ll believe anything.” I wish Nigeria and Nigerians well with their Asparagus.
of destruction. They bow in prayer, chanting God’s name, yet rise as architects of suffering, betrayers of their people.
IBB is evil, but those who followed him are even greater devils. By the way, why waste Nigerians’ hard-earned billions of naira, contributed by your stooge, on the launched book for your upcoming library in a society where “Boko is Haram?” This is just another way of squandering Nigeria’s money, much like the Obasanjo Library, which is as empty as a burial sepulcher with no readers to patronize it. Investing such funds in agriculture would have been far more beneficial, providing support to the struggling and impoverished millions of Nigerians.
May Nigeria one day wake up from this nightmare. But until then, let the fools continue their celebrations, let the criminals continue their deception, and let the blind continue to cheer for their oppressors. As for the rest of us, we will watch. And we will remember
Source: Thegavel
