By Dele Sobowale
“Hereditary bondsmen, know ye not that who would be free must strike the first blow—Lord Byron, 1788-1824. (VANGUARD BOOK OF QUOTATION, VBQ, p 67.

The 2019 elections are starting early in Kaduna State and the first slogan of the campaign for those elections is El-RUFIA MUST GO – at least that should be expected from some quarters in the light of the disaster that is Southern Kaduna.  He can go and run for President since he is rumoured to be interested in presiding in Aso Rock.

Gov. Nasir-El-Rufai

His actions and utterances since becoming the Governor of Kaduna State had tended to suggest that he may not be in consonance with what it actually takes to be the governor of all the diverse ethnic, religious and cultural groups co-existing in the state. He has been accused, rightly or wrongly, as an individual who appears to care only for the inhuman terrorists, the murderers, arsonists and pyromaniacs he unilaterally dresses up in the human gab of “Fulani herdsmen”. As everybody who had lived with the Fulani knows very well, real Fulani herdsmen are not terrorist, murderers or pyromaniacs.

Those invading Southern Kaduna are world class sadists who shed human blood without remorse. That is why others more honest had labeled them the fourth deadliest terrorist group in the world.

It is obvious that the first step towards getting rid of the menace of these heartless killers is to engage a reset in Government House Kaduna. That is easier than most people realize.

“Nobody can make you feel inferior without your consent.” Eleanor Roosevelt, 1884-1962. When the late first lady of the United States made that remark, she must have had a situation like the current one in Kaduna in mind. Together with Lord Byron, she had pointed the way to out. The Governor is entitled to his prejudices, and we should even encourage him to hold unto them. But, he must understand that others are also entitled to theirs. He can have his friends, but he cannot have his friends and the rest of Kaduna at the same time.

The Fulani constitute a distinct minority in the state which is home to over one hundred Nigerian ethnic groups, as well as many religions – not just two. Those who complain alleg that he appears to be attempting to elevate his own group to the status of first class citizens and others to lower classes, he had challenged all the Christians, all the Shi’ites, all the Katafs and other indigenous ethnic groups in Kaduna State, all the Yorubas, Igbos, Tivis, Ijaws, Urhobos, Ibibios, Binis, Kanuris, Beroms, Hausas, etc, living in Kaduna and voting in elections to prove to him that they reject his consignment of them to second class citizenship. He can have all the votes of his friends; but, every effort will henceforth go towards ensuring that he receives no votes from others. Let us see how far their votes will get him in 2019.

The task before the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, and others, including the Peoples’ Democratic Party, PDP, or any other political parties that may emerge, is to start the campaign immediately and to continue relentlessly to ensure there will be no leakages of votes when the time comes to decide on who should govern them. In every church and community, leaders of all the other groups must understand that “nobody can make you feel inferior without your consent”. The rest of us outside Kaduna State also must assist in getting this project prosecuted to a successful conclusion. I don’t have money, but there are strategic insights to impart to the people on the spot.

The All Progressives Congress, APC, and President Buhari have a choice to make when the time comes. This is not a fight against all Fulanis, the vast majority of who are neither violent nor herdsmen. It is a struggle.

OBASANJO’S WORST ENEMY

“Like most men, I know that I am my own best friend. But, unlike most men, I am also aware that I am my own worst enemy.” Henry Miller, American writer.

Since coming across those words which were inadvertently dropped by the typist of VANGUARD BOOK OF QUOTATIONS, VBQ, my life had changed. Seldom do I go in search of others to blame for anything that goes wrong with me. I also accept that I am my own worst enemy. From time to time, I would tell myself, “Dele you damn fool, you have messed things up again!!!”

If Obasanjo wants to know who his worst enemy is, Baba Iyabo should look into a mirror and he will see the face of the man who is responsible for all his travails and his frequent disputes with virtually everybody.

In January 2017, former President Obasanjo is involved in a bitter dispute with Awujale of Ijebu Ode. Given our experience in the past, you can bet all the money you have at Betway, NaijaBet, or any other gambling establishment of your choice that the former President will be involved in another acrimonious confrontation with someone else by Easter.

Nigeria’s living former Heads of State, or Presidents, are Gowon, Shagari, Babangida, Shonekan, Abubakar, Obasanjo and Jonathan. Yet, every year, Obasanjo gets involved in more controversies spiced with maledictions and insults than all the others put together. Certainly, they don’t always agree with the policies of the current leader. But, the rest of them must have chosen to register their reservations in private. None had been spared criticism for the sins of his administration each time Nigerians recall our wasted opportunities since 1960. IBB had become synonymous with SAP without human face. But, it will be difficult to beat the maturity demonstrated by Chief Ernest Shonekan about five years after he had been toppled from office by General Abacha.

Invited to chair a function in Lagos, the former Head of Interim National Government, could not have expected what happened during the time for questions and answers. Suddenly, a popular Yoruba activist (name withheld) stood up, walked to the High Table, and planted himself in front of Shonekan. Then he released a volley of curses, insults and expletives on Shonekan – all the while calling him a Judas to the Yoruba race. To his everlasting glory, Shonekan sat just as solidly as an Olumo Rock. There was no change of expression; no word was uttered in response until the Master of Ceremony and others regained control and led the assailant out of City Hall, Lagos. Till today, I have not heard or read that Shonekan replied word for word. Indeed, he had never said anything about the matter. That, to me is what post-office leadership should be all about. Accept gracefully criticisms you cannot otherwise prevent.

By contrast, Obasanjo reminds me of a cantankerous old man living in one of the short alleys in Lagos Island. The man’s typical day would not start and end without exchanging maledictions and curses with at least half a dozen people. So well known was he for his proclivity for malevolence that whenever two people are heard talking about Baba buruku yen (Yoruba), meaning “that nasty old man”, nobody needed to ask: which old man? It was almost always the same old man.

Obasanjo also reminds me of my old friend Joe Kowalski. With Joe I crawled the sleazy bars of Combat Zone in Boston USA. Joe was an evangelist and would have been a good diplomat. His motto: “There is no dispute that a punch in the nose cannot fix” meant that he was always ready to fight every time a disagreement occurs – which was quite often in the Red Lights districts of Boston. It would, according to him, solve most of the world’s problems.

While, the old man and Joe could indulge themselves with their demonstrated lack of tolerance and self-restraint, former national leaders cannot. There are hundreds of former Presidents all over the world. Next week, the USA will add Obama to Clinton and Bush and Carter. They seldom criticize their successors in public and hardly ever reply to personal insults or abuses by others. That has become standard operating procedure which Obasanjo has stubbornly refused to learn. Despite my feelings of disappointment with Jonathan, I was even more dismayed by the open attack he received from OBJ. It was in bad taste.

There is only one way to stop OBJ from hurting himself more than he hurts others each time he opens his mouth to talk. The ideal prophylactic for this sort of malady is to plead with the current Mrs Obasanjo to get a Lip padlock……