PROBE: - OBASANJO IS NOT THE ONLY CULPRIT!

Commendably the National Houses of Senate and Representatives through their various committees are presently looking into the crass recklessness that characterized the past “regime” of the medicine man of Otta, Babalawo Aremu Olusegun Obasanjo. While Icheoku applauds this unique effort by Nigerians to once hold her ex-government accountable for her stewardship, the peoples’ mandate holders must also take a step further and extend their inquiry to other failed governments of Yakubu Gowon, Shehu Shagari, Muhammadu Buhari, Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida as well as Sani Abacha. It will not be fair just to concentrate the probe on Olusgeun Obasanjo’s past government without extending the searchlight on these other "destitute" past governments. Otherwise the current effort might be wrongly interpreted as a vendetta by the Hausa/Fulani Oligarchs on Obasanjo, for not following through with an undertaking to be tele-guided by them while in office. These feudal lords are equally still groaning for being out of power, the only job they "know how to do", and just for mere eight years. These past governments have a lot to be ashamed of and the sooner some of their skeletons are unearthed the better for the body psyche of Nigerians.
YAKUBU GOWON: - This Northerner from Plateau State presided over Nigeria from July 1966 through the unholy jihad-civil war against the Easterners till 1975. During his tenure in 1972 Nigeria accrued unprecedented revenue as a result of then energy crisis where global energy shortage was recorded. Admitted he did some work constructing some roads, overpasses aka flyovers, and a few other infrastructures in Nigeria; but he once declare that there was too much money and he did not know what to do with it. For not knowing how to properly invest the excessive revenue in infrastructure and sundry developments and also for his atrocious genocidal war against the people of Biafra which claimed several millions of lives, this also-disgraced ex-military junta from Plateau State should be probed. The asinine and venomous manner with which he waged the war against a people defending themselves from a total extermination entitles him to be taken in chains to the war crimes tribunal at The Hague for offences against humanity and human rights violations. As a potential war criminal. Yakubu Gowon should be made to become a cell-mate to Liberia’s enfant-terrible, Charles Taylor.
SHEHU SHAGARI: - This Northern weakling from Sokoto State presided over Nigeria, by proxy of Umaru Dikko, from 1979 to 1983; as President under the banners of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN). Although he informed the nation on arrival that he met an empty treasury, but the profligacy of his henchmen Umaru Dikko, Adisa Akinloye and Ibrahim Tahir was of such a Byzantine magnitude that he should be made to answer for their misdeeds. The politics of the Ajaokuta Steel Industry, the Metallurgical Institute and his government’s indiscriminate location of infrastructures, just out of partisanship, such as where they built big post offices in a rural agricultural communities that don’t even write letters. It was evidence of a government without a real man at the helm of affairs which resulted in its minions running wild everywhere.

MUHAMMED BUHARI:- This army general from Northern State of Katsina would have done well but he was a zealot! He headed the military junta in Nigeria from 1983 to 1985. The War Against Indiscpline with Babatunde Idiagbon was the hallmark achievement of his regime. Be that as it may, he showed traits of corruption when he "permitted" Major Jokolo to bring in fifty three suitcases without the necessary Customs check into Murtala Mohammed Airport Lagos during the currency change of 1983. The appearance of impropriety when Buhari was waging a ferociuos war against indiscipline and asociated corrupt practices was mind-boggling. Also Buhari retroactively sentenced and executed Barthlomew Owoh and Crew for a drug complicity which they were involved in long before the decree of death was promulgated. This Buhari also perverted democracy by overthrowing an elected government of Shehu Shagari in a military coup de tat. So for his anti democracy activities, for crimes against humanity of retroactive capital punishment and for apparent corruption, this also disgraced ex-leader of Nigeria shoul dbe investigated.
IBRAHIM BADAMOSI BABANGIDA: - This self acclaimed evil genius military junta held Nigerians against their will from 1985 to 1993. If there is any other Nigeria “leader” that deserves to be x-rayed, that person’s name is Ibrahim Badamosi Babaginda aka IBB His dare-devil obsession for power made him overthrow a government wherein he was serving as a defense minister – what a tragedy of disloyalty. He also forcibly retired his confidant defense minister Domkat Bali without according him any courtesy while the said Domkat was vacationing in his home State of Plateau; this was after using him to execute Mamman Vasta. So much of sympathy for these military marauders! He trumped a coup and implicated his best man at his wedding, Mamman Vasta, a poet and executed him immediately and informed the nation after the fact. The mother of all state murders and killings under this munchkin’s regime was the parcel bomb execution of a trail-blazing investigative journalist, Dele Giwa of the Newswatch magazine. It was thought that this journalist was investigating alleged drug involvement of this army general when his life was brutally cut short by TNT explosive sent to him from the seat of government headed by IBB. All attempts by Gani Fawehinmi to force an investigation into this dastard murder have been continuously frustrated by the powers that be because they are afraid the inquest might incriminate Ibrahim Badmosi Babangida. There was also a plane load of ebullient army officers including an acquaintance Captain Mba that was forcibly brought down at Ejigbo near Lagos on the watch of Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida; wiping out a new generation of young army officers because allegedly, IBB was afraid of their possible putsch. On financial crime, the first gulf war brought into Nigeria coffers, more that then $12billion dollars USD and Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida is yet to tell Nigerians how that money was spent or the private bank account number in Zurich Switzerland housing the money. Politically, IBB committed genocide with his annulment of the first freest and squarely won democratic election of the century which saw Bashorun Moshood Kamowole Abiola as the elected President of Nigeria. He brazenly annulled it and damned the consequence. Legally, IBB challenged the superiority of a legally constituted investigative judicial body led by Justice Chukwudiufu Oputa, somewhat similar to South Africa’s Truth Commission. The tribunal had requested testimony from IBB but were scorned and advised to travel to Minna Niger State, his home turf for whatever they may want from him. What a denigrate obsufucator of the law, Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida is. For all these crimes and other numerous atrocities supervised by IBB, he should be handcuffed to a tribunal which should send him away forever, at least to show how not to rule a people. That he slaughtered the Gideon Orkar group is equally a credible ground for his investigation, trial and eventual conviction.

SANI ABACHA: - Although long dead and now in HELL, this short-man devil could be posthumously investigated for his atrocious regime in Nigeria between 1993 to 1998. Several billion dollars belonging to Nigeria was looted away under his regime. The death of Alhaja Kudirat Abiola and Pa Rewane, etc are enough criminal acts of and by the state under Abacha for which he should be made responsible. Human rights activist Poet Ken Saro Wiwa was charged, tried and executed for "treason" all within 24hours under the watchful supervision of Sani Abacha and the world learnt about it several hours after the fact of the state murder. The then Minister for external affairs, Tom Ikimi was embarrassed to learn about it from a foreign news correspondent in far away Asia when the reporter asked him why his government was in such a rush to execute Ken Saro Wiwa? A man of credible character in Tom Ikimi's shoes would have resigned on the grounds of this shut out by the government he was serving, but instead he stuck in there like atypical Nigerian shameless steward who is just happy to be tolerated around the corridors of power. He can be posthumously convicted even if for a symbolical purposes only and for the records. He equally had his fair share of periodically alleging phantom coups and killing and locking up people in the process. Luckily some of his henchmen like Jeremiah Useni, Oladipo Diya etc are still around to answer for the sins of this midget from Kano State of Northern Nigeria.
In conclusion therefore, while I do not carry water for Aremu Olusegun Obasanjo, justice should be served fairly. Obasanjo was not the only thief or vampire to have ever held Nigeria hostage. What is good for the gander is also good for the goose and the arrogance of the Arewa Consultative Forum notwithstanding; the probe of past governments SHOULD extend to all the past inept governments which suffered Nigeria greatly. This is the only thing that makes sense and Babalawo Aremu Olusegun Obasanjo should not be singled out, just because a Mallam so desired. This is the time for the South to finally call the bluff of these feudalistic overlords in the North, who parade themselves like the lords of manor of Nigeria. Regrettably Obasanjo failed to fully mobilize the South for this moment when they would have risen in unison in his defence and against the Northern Oligarchs once and for all; but by Obasanjo not developing the South during his infamous eight years in power, there is no basis both in law and in fact for the South to rally around him. If Olusegun Obasanjo has a critic who loathes him dearly, this blogger is one of them; extending to 1999 when I campaigned vigorously against his second adventure into the Nigeria presidency - being an ex-military man whose first coming in 1976 was less than desirable. But should the South sit out this moment when the North rallies around even their most despicable leader such as Abacha in times of need? I don’t think so; and like the former secretary of FCA Omotola said during the investigative panel hearing the corruption charges in Abuja recently, the country belongs to us all.

On a final note, the one good thing to come out of this attempt by the National Assembly is that a once in a lifetime opportunity knocks on the door for Nigerians to rise up and take their country back from these few despicable "leaders" who have hijacked the country from them since independence. Hold them accountable and ban them from holding any public office for life as a deterrent for future would be thieves of the treasury. The people of the country should support their elected representatives and encourage them to go the full nine yards in investigating these corrupt charges and where credible basis exists for trying the culprits, should comence such process and if convicted, they all should be sentenced accordingly and made to pay restitution to Nigeria as may be adjudged fair and reasonable wherever the circumstance so dictates.