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Very soon, the economically marginalized might decide to take over the streets. Much as I would hate to add my voice to the incongruous outbursts that is issuing forth from left to right, south and north. Certain questions needs to be raised before it is too late. How would the Eboes react when the children of Oduduwa step off their altar of prudent moderation and the Fulbes finally see all sides of the question through the eyes of the Habes?

The country continues inexorably to accelerate into negative political abyss. Everyone seem to have an answer where no one is willing to voice out a question. Fraudulent thoughts, fraudulent deeds and fraudulent people basking in the understanding that after a frightening deed, familiarity might breed contentment. Self styled messiahs fiddling with our collective angst. Inchoate ex-kings and kingmakers refusing their political pleonasm. Uttering sententious epiphanies to disturb our political symbolism. Jousting prevaricators dabbling into portentous deliberations and issuing forth gallimaufrous declarations ……Chineke! Take a deep breathe.

Now that Danjuma has spoken, could we stop listening and start thinking. There was a time not too long ago, The Israelis took Idi Amin apart, Danjuma was asked his take on that operation. His reply sounded like: Well, Amin should have known he was dealing with a ruthless enemy and should have been prepared. I went to bed knowing Nigeria was safe. Recently, when he was asked why he said nothing during Abacha’s regime? He answered in this vein: That he was not the kind of person who makes noise when he did not have enough muscle to back it up! I chuckled. My favorite general wants the Egbesu, Bakassi, APC and OPC members arrested. Whose responsibility is it to arrest these people? Mine or his? If it is his, why is he telling us? General, lets get one thing straight. You are not a politician, so don’t even go there. As a soldier and one used to deploying the powers of the State, your thinking pattern has veered towards acceptable losses. Tell us, how many Nigerians are you willing to write off to keep the country one? 250, 000? Sleep easy every one. Nigeria is not breaking up. Danjuma has the country effectively garrisoned. After all, it is the rich who stands to lose more, than the rest of us.

Lets go back to politics. Question. Is there a threat to national security? Yes. Who or what constitutes that threat? Rule out the Egbesus. They are expendable and could easily be dealt with aka Odi. Most importantly those of us from the Niger Delta are beginning to come to terms with our poverty and mortality. In as much as, the arbitrary and extra judicial deprivation of life and resources continue to take its toll on the minorities edging them dangerously towards an involuntary conversion to the concept of self defense….it takes time.

Bakassi Boys? Find my article ‘Endorsement of criminality’  The Bakassi Boys are definable and they are not making a play for the center. The are re-active somebody has to make a move first which they would react to. The Eboes understand only one word in Nigerian politics….mba! but they lead with their chin and are yet to imbibe the deceptive double shuffle of the Nigerian political game. They are not the threat.

The APC is relatively dormant. Much as they have been more riots and victims in the north. There is no quasi organized set up triggering it off. The danger with the APC is that their surrogates are more easily mobilized. You could produce a list of Bakassi Boys, and OPC members, but apart from one or two people you would not get the APC to knuckle. The good thing about them, is that they could easily be called off, if and when, the need arises.

The OPC. For a people who have lived for over a hundred years with each other we don’t seem to understand one another. It is bad politics for Obasanjo to collect his reviewed constitution and then wave a red flag at the Yorubas by insisting – no SNC. We understand the concept of legitimacy in government and the procedures of changing laws through your representatives. But, politics is like a religion to the Yorubas. They, including Obasanjo are in love with the word iro ni o. In the military, you can say no and stop there. In politics, even though it is no, giving a definitive answer is asking for trouble. What in heavens name is the President keeping A.B.C. Nwosu, Stanley Macebuh and Dele Cole in the Presidency for? Use them as your foil.

Now that the eminent jurist, Adewale Thompson went to London and had a dream where Chief Awolowo attended a meeting of the Yoruba Council of Elders. Obasanjo has two choices. Tell the Yorubas, go get ready for the conference but send in your agenda so that the other groups would be routinely informed and get their positions ready, and they would do same to you. That, I promise you, would take five years to sort out. The other option is, use a man well versed in societal engineering! The only man Nigeria needs today, is the Prince of the Niger, the Colossus of the Nigerian political game. Step forward General, Nigeria needs you. You, and only you can make the meeting of hearts and mind take place. As for you Nigerians beware: Ka ga ni, Dan hakin da ka rana, shi kan tsone maka ido’ Yes, Mr. President, make that call and make Ibrahim Babangida, the Chairman of the Sovereign National Conference. Make that call, Mr. President.

Why do I have to trust my future to a Muslem Fulani who was blessed by the Pope! and who is in bed with the Yorubas? Yusuf Maman strikes me as the sort of man who would attempt to play squash with a lawn tennis racquet! Listen up, it is written in the Bible; 1 Kings 13:27., ‘And he spoke to his sons, saying, saddle me the ass. And they saddled him.’ So, the chairman of the AD, ex-television announcer at NTA Kaduna, ex-press assistant to Aikhomu, ex-ambassador to the Vatican, and ex-disposer of ships who completed his post graduate studies at the Abacha College of Political Science and came out with PAID [ Post Abacha Induced Dementia], has completed the constitution reviewing assignment given to him by a political rival, the successful presidential candidate of the ruling party[?] and they are all patting each other on the back for ‘nobody’ stated they wanted to leave Nigeria.

Enter my favorite Yoruba patriot., the Kongi himself, okurin meta abo! Hear him on the 1999 Constitution: ‘For any state to embark on a process that is contrary to this acceptance means, quite simply, that such a state has unilaterally re-written the constitution, which means of course that the old constitution is dissolved and thus, logically, the nation entity on which that earlier constitution was based, has ceased to exist.’

It follows therefore, that I am being held against my will within the Nigerian State. Help!…..Let me make it abundantly clear, I know that bad things happen to people who oppose the president, but my name is not ‘nobody’, and if the president insists on ramming a cosmetically reconstructed 1999 constitution down my throat, I say… ina!

If the above write up is clear then I guess you have probably misunderstood what I meant.

Orok Edem