By Bisi Lawrence

Earlier in the week, the United States of America made another mark in their record of what some people have described, and accepted, as the trait of their “exceptionality”—that, is their attribute of being exceptional, or of being like no other, in their ways.

*Obama

One of the first executive actions of the Obama administration was to put an end to the routine torture of those captured by the Central Intelligence Agency, CIA, in connection with the horrible aggression of “9/11”. It is only natural that any American would tend to over react at the horror of that day when the triple-headed attack, replete with all the elements of surprise, was visited on civilians far away from the theatre of war. The operations of the CIA under the Bush administration in that regard, however, exceeded what was acceptable within the standards set by America for the decent nation she aspires to be; and so President Barack Obama ordered that the activities of the CIA be “re-calibrated” (to use one of the President’s own expressions).

But the CIA, distinguished for hardly recognizing any other direction but its own, stuck to its path. As it was later revealed by an enquiry, the security body had even hidden most of its activities from the Bush government, the immediate preceding government, which had unwittingly endorsed its horrible tortures that, howbeit, even largely fell short of profitable ends.

The report ran over six thousand pages of countless atrocities which portrayed the dispensation of American justice and respect for human dignity in a repulsive light. It presents a negation of much of what America has always upheld as its national philosophy, a document of travesty in relation with not only what the nation has stood for, but of how she strives to make the rest of the world also believe; in short, a record of self-recrimination. It therefore recommends itself at once for the innermost shelf of classified materials, never to see the light of day.But here comes the   amazing part of it all. “Publish it,” orders Obama. Just like that.

That must indeed be amazing to those who hold themselves, or situations in which they are involved, higher than anointed standards—and that approximates an immense proportion of the world. Among them are those in whom the man dies at the sight of what is patently wrong—betrayal of standards; corruption and dishonesty; tyranny.

Wole Soyinka was in the midst of the mix when Nigeria began to totter towards what could be seen as the certain deterioration of values and, being alive, he spoke out. For his pains, he was put into solitary confinement for several months. And while manifest injustice reigned and disintegration reared its head, Wole Soyinka was released into an environment of tyranny which attempted to thrive under the insincerity of the slogan: “To Keep Nigeria One Is A Task That Must Be Done.” Unrepentant, Soyinka had a ready riposte even on his way from prison: “To keep Nigeria one, justice must be must be done”.

That was some 45 years ago. Some of his would-be critics who were only knee-high to a grasshopper then, only give a sad imitation of the child who would teach his grandmother how to suck eggs. They would now discern as anarchy what he has been doing all along in the face of injustice.

He has never been one to condone it, and that is why, not minding bootlickers, I, in the company of highly respectable organizations and personalities within this country and the outside world, have always seen him as a divine gift to Nigeria. Prestigious as winning the Nobel Prize for Literature is, his stand for what is right and noble was mentioned even at the presentation of the award in Oslo. A high point of the rounds of applause which the citation drew was where he was described as “a writer and a fighter”. That hall, packed full of the cream of the very genteel, reacted like a winning soccer crowd.

The Nigerians among them led by the late Chief M.K.Abiola were, of course, the loudest at that point. Kogi has always had quite a number of “cohorts”, most of whom have recently joined him in expressing their disapproval of what the police did by locking the members of the House of Representatives out of their chambers.

It was an action that will always deserve to be condemned. It is not in keeping with the standards that we have always espoused as Nigerians. And it is a well—conceived notion that the legislators who scaled the fence to claim their right should be lauded for their statesmanship. They were the ones called upon to confront anarchy in its true form — that is, disorder—and they responded like men in whom the man has not died..We ought to keep talking about the ugliness of that incident until we are sure its type will no longer be repeated. Condemning it over and over again may indeed contribute to its removal from our nation. That, in fact, was one of the reasons which President Obama cited for publishing the report mentioned earlier. When we address our shortcomings as we should to their face, they are sure to be eradicated.

Some have attempted to exclude any direct connection of President Goodluck Jonathan with what befell the legislators, since they were, as a matter of fact, going to convene the aborted meeting at the President’s own bidding. How could he first invite them and later frustrate them from honouring his invitation? Of course, he could— to prove a point. And the point that needed be proved would be the rejection of Muhammadu Tambuwal as the Speaker of the House, stemming from his resignation from the Peoples’ Democratic Party — the President’s party.

As an ardent party man, and against the background of his earlier set-to with governors of the opposition party, it is absolutely admissible as a suggestion verging on an assumption, that the President would be displeased at the loss his party would thereby sustain in several ways. But even then, would the IGP act so boldly on his own? Would he feel comfortable to assume the powers that rightly belong to a court of law, as to whether the resignation of the Speaker from his former political party automatically removed him from office? That is most unlikely.Presidents come and go, but some of their achievements in various directions linger.

We, the people and the progeny that issues from us are what remain. That brings in the regime of General Sani Abacha during which our treasuries were pillaged by this man, and our rights were assailed with a will. Even if we would admit that our Chief Executive rulers at state and national levels had indeed felt free always to rob us whether we chose them or they forced themselves on us, the level of Abacha’s depravity was simply fabulous. But he did not stop there. He was brutal. He did away with the liberty and lives of his countrymen.

Several nationalists fled in fear of losing their lives. It is sad, very sad, that there are people today who, to promote support for their hero, or patron, could denigrate that desperate act for survival as mere escapes through the bush, or forest, like fugitives from the pursuit of society’s vengeance. On the contrary, flight from the flaming hand of tyranny demands the sacrifice and courage that compound the sinews of true heroism.

People who could make their minds function that way truly deserve our sympathy.       In the United States, men and women of good will are spontaneous in their support of what is decent and in keeping with the standards that not only prosper the fortunes of a nation, but also ennoble a people. However, the wheeler-dealers and men who disdain scruples deny the obvious truth, and complain about the “timing”of the release the of the report on the CIA misdeeds. Here in Nigeria, we too have seen that decency and the love of what is right and proper have become ingrained in our character, though there are also still nooks from where issues out a stench of unwholesome comment.

Those who come face-to-face with tyranny and injustice and cannot endure the flare of a burning conscience, and so speak with a tongue on fire, must all the same bear the anger and snigger of those in whom the man has indeed died.

Time out.