Birthday Greetings to IBB

Birthday Greetings to IBB

I am aware of your birthday; at 60 you do not expect to live another sixty. When ever the date of August 17 occurs since I came to this country, one thing comes to my mind. It was the twin event of August 17, 1993 at Abuja and Lagos almost simultaneously. I am referring to your birthday party which was not a party but a moment of sadness with visible signs of sobbing and reflection over what you said in the National Assembly virtually naked with out the Service Chiefs few hours before the birthday party in the Villa. I am referring to the "STEPPING ASIDE" address before the joint session of the National Assembly. You will not believe how many people were crying in the hall that day. Even my friend the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Chief MT Mbu who rode with me to the Villa for the party, kept asking, 'Omo what did you hear?' 'Is this man crazy?' 'What is going on?' Did you know about this and you did not tell me when we met last night? Of course, I could not tell that I knew about it.

I knew about it being the person who organized the address from many pieces of papers from you. A man used to protocol, MT MBU could not help but ask Omo do you observe one thing? Before I could answer, he snapped back, "Where are the Service Chiefs and the Chief of Defence Staff, General Sani Abacha". and he ended it the mother of question, "Is your friend in Charge" and he kept asking what is going on until we arrived the Villa. Of course when we got there the atmosphere was like a graveyard. Vice President Aikhomu tried to lighten the atmosphere by presiding over the birthday cake. This was my memory of the last birthday in the Villa involving IBB. The event at Abuja was one of the least troubling aspect of the memorable day.

As if that Abuja incident was not troubling enough, there was another food for thought when I learnt from you of the meeting that was taking place in Lagos of the military officers from Colonel and up presided over by General Sani Abacha in response to where were the Service Chiefs earlier posed to me by Chief MT Mbu. It is now part of the history of the crisis that your fate with that of the country was virtually settled in Lagos under General Abacha with General Diya as his Deputy only waiting for you to leave in one piece. As a friend, let me be frank with you as I used to be in the past that your 60th birthday should be a moment for you to come to terms with many aspects of your pasts.

This is an opportunity; I addressed this matter through an open letter before June 23 when I pleaded with you to apologize to the country for the harm you did to them in the past. You will recall that June 23 was the date in 1993 when you annulled the June 12 and June 23 was the date in 1994 when General Sani Abacha arrested Bashorun MKO Abiola and detained him unto death. My view then was that it was the proper date in the year when you should have gone to the Nigerian people and apologize to them for act of OMISSION and COMMISSION in the past.

It would have been an opportunity for you to lead the country to resolve that never again would Nigerians and Nigeria be subjected to this gross human rights violation and denied their rights to human dignity. Having missed the June 23 of this year, It is my passionate appeal to as a friend that AUGUST 17, 2001, your 60th Birthday should be another opportunity for you to do so; It could be through the Oputa Commission. Even the way you handled this matter is an evidence that you are not properly advised. Do you know the source of your problem today?

If annulment had not taken place, Bashorun MKO Abiola would have completed his one or two terms as the case maybe. Do you know what? You IBB would have been of the right age and maturity with all of us surrounding you selling you to the Nigerian people in a free, fair and credible election. You could have been the successor of President MKO Abiola through the interplay of democratic forces; Do you know something else? There would have been no Oputa Commission. If you think about this, you will also find that the political movement associated with you today is still part of bad advice, which you receiving from charlatans who are trying to make you run away from the issues in the annulment. I was sad that your deputy, your press secretary and your chief Law officer (Aikhomu, Onabule and Akpamgbo respective) who through no fault of theirs were not privy to the annulment should be parading themselves in a new political party associated with you as evidence that You IBB made a mistake sponsoring the current dispensation in 1998 headed by Chief Olusegun Obasanjo.

This is "double fault"; this is trying to avoid coming to terms with the pasts. As you go to the Saudi Arabia, I pray that you would use the opportunity to seek God's or Allah's Face and come back to Nigeria and ask for the forgiveness of your fellow countrymen.

Happy Birthday My Good Friend.

Professor Omo Omoruyi.