Conscience And Reconciliation
By
With the recent revelations made at the human rights violation investigation commission, it is obvious that the situation Nigeria found itself in the days of military rule was a combination of circumstances of the day and intrigues championed by mostly civilians who encouraged the military to stay in power. From the disclosures made by Al-Mustapha, the Chief Security Officer to late Gen. Sani Abacha and many others, it is clear that only very few people who have been in the corridors of power can be exonerated from the misdeeds of our past.
It is really gladdening that the distorted facts of our history are being addressed. Today, the disclosures emanating from the Oputa led panel has changed the perception of a lot of people about what happened in the past. In as much as Al-Mustapha and his co travelers cannot extricate themselves from all the alleged crimes of our past, the picture that has so far been availed by the Oputa panel has shown that the main actors who allegedly master minded the massive human rights abuses that took place in the past have refused to turn up to defend themselves.
The absence of narratives of the complex roles played by the likes of MKO Abiola, Generals Obasanjo, Babangida, Abacha, Abubakar and Yar'adua in the redefination of Nigeria will leave Nigeria history incomplete. Until some of these men who have refused to appear before the Oputa panel are made to speak on certain occurrences in their regimes, the disclosures by the likes of Al Mustapha will remain relevant.
The position of this writer is that the few men already incarcerated for alleged human rights abuses of our past like Al Mustapha and Mohammed Abacha may just be the scapegoat of a nation that is desirous of sacrificial lambs. But then, in the spirit of reconciliation, does Nigeria really need such actions to forge ahead? The answer certainly lies in our conscience.
November 2001