Nigeria Content Online

July 20 2010,
Concord House, London: The inauguration of the Save Nigeria Group
(SNG), UK Chapter. In attendance was Tunde Bakare of the Latter Rain
Assembly; Yinka Odumakin; Nasir El Rufai; pastors from the Gain Group
and other activists that formed the SNG, UK chapter. I was representing
the Transform Nigeria Movement. I listened carefully as these gentlemen
enunciated their vision and mission to cleanse the atmosphere of
Nigeria politics so that – quoting Mr Odumakin – “a Mr Elombah can come
back to Nigeria one day and contest for the House of Representatives
and be assured that the votes of the people in his constituency will
count.”

It was a moving
occasion, as Mr Bakare – who has this extraordinary ability to speak
with such force and emotion that turn your eyes misty – narrated how
Nigeria has been held in the jugular by thugs that have captured our
nation, allowed by a seemingly docile populace whose “social mobility”
has quenched. What I heard that day seems to hold out hope that, at
last, some people are determined to bring forth the change we all
desire. At the end of the launch, I attended another meeting with a
journalist from Nigeria, where I confirmed what Donald Duke, former
governor of Cross River State, said at another gathering of the SNG –
that Nigerian politicians look at activists as “wooly-eyed dreamers”.
This journalist (I will call him Mr J) said if we are hoping for a
Nigeria where the people will freely elect their leaders in a free and
peaceful election, we still have a very long way to go. Some of the
things Mr J narrated cannot simply be published. Suffice it to say he
pointed out that “Nigeria is not a country, but an organized criminal
outpost for crooks whose interest is personal aggrandisement and not
the business of taking care of its citizens”.

Mr J further told
me that whatever I read is merely a tip of the iceberg and that if I
get to know the actual amount of looting that goes for governance, or
the debauched life lived by some of the people I admire in government,
I won’t sleep at night.

Recently, Speaker
of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole, and governor of Ogun
State, Gbenga Daniel, publicly engaged in fisticuffs over a dispute of
who should cut the ribbon announcing the opening of a simple bridge in
Sango-Ota, in Ogun State. How did thugs get to capture governance in
Nigeria? Mr Bakare said at the inauguration that he will never
encourage any sane human to go into Nigerian politics in this polluted
environment. But he added that members of the SNG might go into
politics, “after the atmosphere has been cleansed”.

The RSVP process

I think what we are
seeing is a civilian version of the military in power. Or the
militarised version of the civilians in power. Who killed Bayo Ohu and
Godwin Agbroko? IBB felt challenged by Mamman Vatsa and charged him
with coup plotting and killed him…now tell me who felt uncomfortable
with former Attorney General, Bola Ige and had him murdered? Who killed
Harry Marshall, Dikibo, Odunayo Olagbaju? Who killed Ahmed Pategi and
his police orderly? Who killed Victor Nwankwo, the younger brother of
Arthur Nwankwo? Who killed Kudirat Abiola, John Nunu, Funsho Williams,
Chimere Ikoku, Ayodeji Daramola, Dele Arojo and Isyaku Muhammad? With
the passing of each year, the list grows longer and longer.

Mr Bakare believes no good Nigerian can succeed as a peoples’
politician and serve the people within the polluted waters of Nigerian
politics because the others will change him into one of their kind. Mr
Bakare also believes that only when the people exercise their rights
and take powers back into their hands, by selecting their candidates
and ensuring free, credible and peaceful elections, will such a
cleansing begin. He called this cleansing process RSVP: R-Register to
vote, S- Select your candidates, V-Vote, P-Protect your votes.