Abacha is not dead
by
WHEN the hard-hearted regime of Abacha eventually came to a halt, following the horrible demise of the dictator himself, we all thought it was the end of dictatorship in Nigeria. Sad enough, it was a dream not to be realized in Edo State.
Like any other state in Nigeria, the people of Edo State took delight over the re-inauguration of civil rule on 29th May 1999. To so many people, it was a dawn of a new day abound with freedom and justice. To others, it was the end of man inhumanity to his fellow man. The sad story is that barely 20 months after democracy was re-installed, the people of Edo State still live in utter fear of insecurity. We have completely lost confidence in the government under the leadership of Chief Lucky Igbinedion as he rules with so much autocracy and brutality. I am forced to believe that Abacha has re-incarnated in Lucky Igbinedion. Of course, my understanding of the word "re-incarnation" is not just the facial resemblance but the presence of some characteristic features of a late man in a living man. This is how it applies to Abacha (Dead Abacha) and Igbinedion (Living Abacha). If you recalled, the government of Abacha was replete with injustice and corruption. The regime terrorised those who dared speak against her evil policy. Now and again, freedom advocates disappeared mysteriously. The army was the special organ used to assuage the General’s thirst. We are not alien to these facts. Was it not out of fear and anger we called on the Almighty God to intervene?
Indeed, God intervene and brought the agonising night of fear and terror to an end. The shameful end of the late dictator only goes to affirmed the saying that the voice of men is the voice of God.
The whole situation in Edo State right now is a replay of Abacha’s scenario. The only difference is that the present players now wear a different jersey and the team now bears a new name. Whereas Abacha’s regime was a military dictatorship, Igbinedion’s regime is a civilian dictatorship. Out of the two, you will agree with me that the latter is even more perilous than the former. Military regime is known to rule with decrees and Edicts and as such a dictator could crop up and have his way. But in a civilian regime, the case is supposed to be different as the principle of check and balance is supposed to be operational. In the light of this, I see the civilian dictatorship under Chief Lucky Nosakhare Igbinedion as more dangerous, especially that he seems to be having his way in every savagely cruel move he makes.
Edo State which purports to be the 'heart beat of the nation' has suffered one form of persecution and oppression or the other. Igbinedion has succeeded in making the principle of democracy a mere illusion which seems to only have the capacity of existence in one’s imagination. It shall continue to beat my imagination that Edo State which was once looked upon as the pedestal of the nation is now but a dead, gradually going down the drain.
Within this short space of time that Igbinedion assumed office, he has committed so much heinous wickedness ranging from torture and wrongful incarceration to outright assault and assassination. Right from the impetuous beginning when he was pronounced the winner of the gubernatorial election, I like most Edolites, knew it was doom for us. Albeit declared winner, we are not unaware that it was some fraudulent manipulations that saw him into the status he is currently occupying. His first assignment was to drop the commissioners and permanent secretaries. This may seem typical and proper of a new regime. I do not dispute that fact. But my contention is the criteria employed in appointing new commissioners and the calibre of people appointed to fill these positions. The truth of the matter is that he simply appointed those who will always dance to his tune at any given point in time. Still on his dubious plans, he invited leaders of various unions and promised them great fortunes if they heed to his callous and indistinct dictates. That completely explains why strike actions in Edo State have now been reduced to nothingness. Imagine a situation where some striking teachers were rounded up by the police and kept under lock for more than two weeks without the intervention of NUT. This was because they had earlier sold their right by compromising. Igbinedion did not just stop there; he needed to be able to manipulate the state legislature. Apprehensive of a possible hitch in his bizarre plans if Hon. Okosun the vibrant erstwhile Speaker of the State House of Assembly remained as the speaker, he collaborated with his likes (political mercenary in the state) and carefully planned an impeachment of Okosun which saw to his removal as the Speaker. With this last success recorded, Igbinedion was sure of an uninterrupted execution of his dubious and barbaric plans. In fact, my heart bleeds whenever I recalled the enormous injustice and pains Igbinedion has inflicted on Edo citizenry.
Igbinedion rules with so much air of authority such that anybody who dares oppose him, he gets rid of the best way he could. He could employ his special trained army, tout otherwise known as Agbero.
Igbinedion, like Abacha, wants everything to go his way not minding what the entire populace feel about such policy. He suggests a plan and what he requires of his advisers is how such plans would be actualised and not what they or the people feel about the plans. He would not listen or endorse any project that would not be of financial value to him. Was this not exactly the case with the military rule?
The other day, Igbinedion announced the retirement of some categories of civil servants without pre-notification, thereby rendering well-over 30% government workers jobless. This singular act of injustice is unpardonable and I think it is the highest level of human right violation that has and will ever happen in a democratic society. You would recall that these set of retirees never enjoyed the fruit of their labour considering the poor condition they were subjected to during the past military era. It was only now they were to smile following the recent salary structure only to be sent out of the service by the living Abacha (Igbinedion). If Igbinedion has blood flowing in his veins, he would have that workers’ mind are prepared toward retirement to enable them plan ahead of time. The most frustrating aspect is that the government did not even pay them the three months salary in lieu of notice. Imagine how families would survive with their only source of livelihood truncated in a most horrible fashion.
Igbinedion did not just stop at looting and siphoning public fund, he has also embarked on converting government owned parastatals and paraphernalia belonging to government owned establishment to his personal property. He has made virtually all government owned parastatals into living corpses by practically withdrawing all sophisticated paraphernalia from government establishment to his father’s businesses. Take for instance, the state owned broadcasting service (EBS) which used to be very viable in the past is now in shambles and at a collapsing stage, while "Igbinedion" broadcasting service (ITV) is booming by the day and gradually claiming the lost glory of EBS.
The same applies to all government owned hospitals and schools. This is so because Igbinedion now pay more attention to his personal business. He has basically crumbled government parastatals by frustrating the efforts of the staff and turning his back on them in terms of finance so that his father’s businesses to which he is the apparent heir, may grow vigorously. If not, how would he explain why he retires government workers of outstanding potentials only to re-employed them in his father’s companies?
One of his efforts to bring down government owned establishment, he hurled an attack on Ambrose Alli University (A.A.U.) Ekpoma. His first innate propensity was to retrench and retire all the professors and doctors in the institution. What a funny way of exposing one’s level of cowardice and irrationality.
Where are the patriotic nation builders, positive thinkers and nationalist of old? Is Edo State no longer the seat of the nation’s builder? They have sold their birth-cum-human right for a pot of porridge. It appears the military mentality has not left us completely. We still see any action of the government as infallible and unquestionable. This whole idea is wrong. It is high time we woke up to our responsibility as a free man. If the individual is handicapped, what about the Judiciary, the Legislature and the Press? It is again sad to note that these bodies are more or less lackadaisical over the ugly menaces being perpetuated by the governor in the state. They seem to be more interested in securing their position than upholding their integrity. I am particularly disappointed in the Legislative arm of government who have failed in her responsibility to checkmate the excesses of the executive. I see the Legislature as more of a programmed robot waiting to be manipulated by the programmer.
If you recalled the days of the late dictator, Sani Abacha, how he used the nation’s fund to finance series of rallies in other to blindfold foreign countries and make them think he was well loved by his people, that is the picture in Edo State right now.
Mr. Abhulimen is of Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma.