Nigeria Content Online

Last
week the imperial emperor of Zimbabwe, Robert Gabriel Mugabe, hosted
his Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahmadinajad. It is not surprising that
the two presidents are friends. They are perhaps brought together by
necessity and the need to search for friends. The world is created in
such a way that no human being is entirely detestable as not to have a
friend.

This, to my mind,
is the case with Mugabe and Ahmadinajad. These are two men whose
mention of their names stirs different emotions in people. Mugabe to
some is a hero and a saviour, same for his Iranian counterpart. To
others the two are odious fellows who deserve to burn in the hottest
part of hell. There is no way they would not evoke such diverse
reactions. The two of them see themselves as the underdogs who are
being demonised by the West because of their ‘‘principled’’ stance.

Both said this much
in their speeches during the visit. Mugabe fired the first shot when he
told the world that his country is in support of Iran over its plan to
build a nuclear power plant. This has not gone down well with the West,
especially America which views this as entrusting a cat with a piece of
meat for safekeeping! Mugabe who has been something like an outlaw in
the West described the stance of Iran as a ‘‘just cause’’ and is in
full support of its plan. He believes that the two countries and their
leaders have been “unjustly vilified and punished by Western
countries”. It is therefore his idea that the two countries should band
together to fight the West.

On his part
Ahmadinajad is accusing the West of trying ‘‘to seize the markets of
the countries [Iran and Zimbabwe] and destroy their economies. The only
sin… we have committed is the cancelling of the concessions that the
West had in our country. The United Nations’ organ of the Security
Council is being used to serve the powerful countries to put pressure
on the smaller countries like Iran and Zimbabwe.” We have heard this
before and will continue to hear such arguments because those who see
themselves as tin gods in power will always cling to any straw or
sentiment to justify their stance. Mugabe and Ahamdinajad can continue
till thy kingdom come to pontificate about the intention and plan of
the West to ‘‘muzzle’’ their voices because of their so called
opposition to the subjugation of their countries by the West. However,
ordinary Iranians and Zimbabweans know who is muzzling them and
trampling on their humanity. The poor Zimbabwean farmer or worker who
cannot get food to eat or get paid knows that the cause of his plight
is not so much the action of the so called West but the
stiff-neckedness of the local tin gods like Mugabe.

Is it the West that
is responsible for his being in power for three decades and presiding
over an economy that has long cascaded from the zenith of the hill to
its rock bottom? Please, choirmaster sing me another song. Or as the
inimitable Fela Anikulapo-Kuti would sing ‘teacher don’t teach me
nonsense.’ The two band together just to rub the nose of the West in
the mud but who cares? They are living a deceitful life. We cannot be
conned.