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Tales of the unexpected... by
It seems like the hope of getting to the promise land is being slowly and deliberately delayed by no other than the commander-in-chief, alpha and omega of presidential arrogance and the self-acclaimed messiah - President Olusegun Obasanjo. A man I would describe in all entirety as lucky and ungrateful. A leader who has exhibited so much native and unrefined intelligence in the place of humility and benevolence in leadership. A jungle warrior and outcast (in Western Nigeria) before his second term ranting utterances, which are a replica of that of a sadist and opportunist. Yesterday it was one thing; today it is something else and tomorrow there will be another blunder! blunder!! blunder!!! I cannot say for sure whether Obasanjo sleeps and wakes up on the wrong side of his bed. I cannot comprehend the man's shortcomings. I cannot analyze his uncharismatic and mortified characteristics, which symbolizes imprudence and idiocy. Yet again, the man claims to be a born-again Christian even though the aura of ignorance, arrogance and dubious complicity is so palpable for all to see. Agreed, IBB was a dictator while Abacha was a military despot and tyrant but these men cannot be remembered for their fiery temper and flippancy, which in most cases is viewed as masculine weakness and tactlessness. Buhari, Shagari and Murtala Muhammed never exhibited such too. IBB would rather prefer to dribble and smile and where necessary buy the prerogative and vocal power of the individual or people in question. Abacha would rather keep quiet and take a permanent stand from day one without trepidation or question. The rest of our leaders have never openly insulted a tribe or minority settlement overtly like the manner Obasanjo has been naively going about. Just last week, after what was suppose to be an emotional visit to Odi by the “heavenly ordained” President, an NTA news panelists simply asked him whether he had any regrets about his visit or his earlier autocratic military/police actions against the helpless people and destitute of Odi. In his usual unguarded fashion, he replied and I quote "Apologize for what? Apologize if I've offended when anything happen which should not happen you should regret it. I've no apology to make. What do you expect me ... Everybody is saying that one of our problems is security. There is difference between doing what is wrong and doing what you have to do. This man honestly has forgotten the promises he made to the people of Niger Delta during his electioneering campaigns in 1999. Really, this man has literally dusted the fact that these people voted for him in exchange for faith, hope, revisiting and emancipation. Old habits truly die-hard. He is simply re-writing history that never was. Injustice got him into jail while justice brought him out but amazingly he is now perpetrating bias, disproportion and deviation without the slightest of remorse. His people rejected him while others sympathized with him and subsequently gave him prominence and another chance by making a discarded stone the head of the house. Today, he is thrusting aside the very elected... Uncle Sege has blasphemed and digressed so much that this is my third piece on his endless gaffes, the first two being "Ordering his steps" and "Times and Seasons", I am now forced to lists them as follows: 1. Telling a fellow Nigerian in the US during a visit to go to hell. 2. Walking out of the joint Senate and House of representative assembly. 3. Flogging over-zealous security personnel in public. 4. Give a shoot at sight order during the OPC rampage in Lagos. 5. Bluntly stating his inhuman and insensitive feelings towards the oppressed and dehydrated people of Odi. Etc. I am beginning to wonder whether this self-acclaimed saint can be forgiven for all these boo boos??? Shouldn't his second coming give us the joy we need and clamour for??? If he were a native from Odi would he make those remarks of nuisance??? I have always said that one person I will not forgive is Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida. Somebody also told me not to forgive Oladipo Diya because of his recent comments on the killing of Ken Saro-Wiwa but in the words of his former military henchman (IBB) which clearly typifies that - If Diya plans a coup d'etat he will go to sleep but in my own case, I will go drinking to get drunk because I know he is nothing but an empty barrel whose cowardly might cannot even scare a wall gecko. Mr. President has a lot to answer as it concerns the recent fuel price increase, continuous lack of pipe borne water, epileptic power supplies, ethnic marginalisation and an alarming rate of unemployment. He is apparently failing in his tasks as our custodian of stewardship. I cannot just wait for 2003 so as to breathe a fresh wave of political air and pray it runs faster than normal. The man has even failed himself and if possible should please vacate the throne before time. A sad tale for democracy indeed… Uwem Inyang London
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