The
truth is that the unconscionable oppressors that constitute the
Nigerian ruling elite and political class and those at the top never see
things clearly until the explosion comes.
More
often or not they are intoxicated by the opium of power, they become
deluded, they lose touch with reality and they are blinded by the
awesome power that they wield.
And
when there is a reaction to their tyranny, arrogance and oppression and
the call for resistance and self-determination begins to gather
momentum, history proves that instead of reaching out with compassion,
love and understanding, they treat their vassals and victims with
insensitivity, brutality, savagery and contempt.
Yet
despite all one thing is clear: regardless of their relentless
opppsition and repression, when the time comes, when the song of
liberation beckons and when the freedom bell tolls not even one million
misguided and bellicose Nigerian army commanders can resist the
restructuring or break up of our country once it is clearly established
that that is what our people want.
The truth is simple and clear: you cannot force people to remain together forever!
And
if you really want them to stay together you cannot treat them like
animals. You cannot break their hearts, wound their souls, bind their
spirits, shatter their dreams, abort their vision and constantly make
them shed tears.
You
cannot abuse, threaten, kill, maim, incarcerate, intimidate, insult,
rob, humiliate, demean or cheat them but instead you must show them
love, compassion and kindness and treat them well.
The Nigerian state has been callous, insensitive, cruel, brutal, unjust and unfair to most of its ethnic nationalities.
Throughout
our beleagured history and over the last 56 years of our existence as
an independent sovereign state, genocide, ethnic cleansing, crimes
against humanity and indeed all manner of injustice have been gladly
adopted and employed by the state as a lawful, legitimate and, I dare
say, acceptable means to keep our people in check and hold them down.
Millions have been killed in the name of "keeping Nigeria one" and many more have suffered.
This
is especially so in the case of the Igbo, the Niger Deltans, the Middle
Belters, the northern Christians, the Shiite Muslims and, to a lesser
degree, the Yoruba.
As
long as this remains the case, if the country is not restructured and
if equity, justice and fair play is not properly and adequately
enthroned, eventually the roof will cave in and Nigeria will crumble
into a number of pieces like a pack of cards.
And
when that occures no man born of woman will be able to stop it and
neither will an army of one billion hard-line and hard core ultra-
conservative dinosaurs who erroneously believe that it is their
God-given right and duty to keep Nigeria together by hook or by crook
regardless of the heartfelt desires and freely-expressed will of the
people.
It is a new
dawn and today we are witnessing the last kick of a dying Nigerian
horse. Soon we will be free and the tyranny, madnesss, sadness, tears
and shattered dreams that are the hallmarks of Empire Nigeria will be
gone forever. God wills it and so it shall be.
Permit
me to conclude this contribution by offering a small explanation for my
earlier assertion that the Yoruba suffered in the hands of Nigeria to a
lesser degree than others.
I
do not wish to in any way offend anyone or play down the pure hell that
the Yoruba have been through in Nigeria for the last 56 years.
There
are indeed many instances and examples of injustice, indignity, shame,
pain, suffering and wickedness that we the Yoruba people have been
subjected to by those that believe that they own and will always control
Nigeria over the years.
However,
as bad is it may have been, I believe that there is a big difference
between what we have been through and what others have seen.
We
suffered immeasurably as well but we had the strength and wherewithal
to fight back and survive it rather well. We also flourished over the
years compared to others because we didn't need the Federal Government
or the Nigerian state for anything in order to excel and to survive.
They
murdered our leader Chief MKO Abiola, his wife, the beautiful Kudirat
and many others. They killed Chief SL Akintola in the sanctity of his
home and in front of his family. They killed Brigadier Ademulegun and
his eight month pregnant wife. They killed Colonel Francis Fajuyi
because he opted to stand by his leader and friend, the Head of State,
General Aguiyi-Ironsi. They jailed Chief Obafemi Awolowo whose oldest
son Segun was killed in a car accident whilst he was in jail. They
jailed President Olusegun Obasanjo and quite a few others. They detained
and tormented Senator Abraham Adesanya, Chief Ayo Adebanjo and hundreds
of others. They drove Professor Wole Soyinka, Professor Adebayo
Williams and many others into exile. They destroyed the lives and
persecuted many but they never slaughtered us in millions as they did to
the Igbo.
They never
killed over 100,000 of our people in three months with cudgels and
cutlasses as they did to the Igbo all over the north during the pogroms
of 1966.
They never
killed over 300 of our army officers as they did to the Igbo on the
night of the "northern officers revenge coup" ofJuly 29th 1966.
They
never denied us our right to life and to self-determination and
slaughter over 2 million of our people during the civil war as they did
to the Igbo.
They
never starved one million of our young children to death or confiscated
our properties and left us with only twenty pounds each after the civil
war as they did to the Igbo.
They
never subjected us to ethnic and religious cleansing or enslaved us and
took our history, culture, language, dignity and faith away from us as
they did to the Middle Belters and to the northern Christians and
minorities.
They never
burnt down our homes, desecrated our burial grounds, blew up our places
of worship, wiped out our communities and buried our dead in mass
graves as they did the Shiite Muslims.
They
never took our mineral resources, plundered our land, destroyed our
environment, polluted our rivers, stole our money, humiliated our
leaders, dehumanised our men, raped our women, bombed our towns and
committed genocide against our people as they did to the Niger Deltans.
Yes
we the Yoruba suffered too: we lost Ilorin, we suffered
remote-controlled carnage and fratricidal butchery in the politics of
the early '60's and the early '80's, we lost many good men and women
during the June 12th struggle, we were relegated to the status of
second-class citizens over the years and so much more but we managed to
weather our travails with dignity and even a shrug and a smile.
We
were big, strong, resilient and poweful enough to take whatever evil
that was meted out to us and, more often than not, we fought back and
survived it with our heads held up high.
In
any case our collective oppressors were always a little more careful
with us when compared to others because they were wary of the very real
danger of arousing the lion within us and kindling a raging and
uncontrollable fire in the Yoruba nation that could well have burnt down
the entire country.
Others
ethnic nationalities were not so lucky: they had their souls and the
very essence of their being sucked out of them. They suffered beyond
measure and some have been so scarred and broken over the last 56 years
that they may never recover.
These groups must NEVER forget what Nigeria has done to them and neither must we.
The
suffering of the Middle Belters, the Niger Delta people and the Igbo
particularly should be the fuel for our collective quest for liberation.
The suffering of my
Yoruba people through the ages, though less when compared to that of the
Niger Deltans, the Igbo and the Middle Belters, acts as a source of
strength for me to stand up, to fight on and to fight back.
I
chose my words carefully and I meant them. The suffering was relative
and those of us that suffered less than others ought to be able to
acknowledge the trauma, pain and wickedness that others were put through
by our internal colonial masters and their allies.
We
acknowledge this not to mock them or subject them to ridicule but to
honor them and to learn from their horrific experiences. None of us must
ever forget and all of us must ask God for forgiveness for the role we
played in assisting and supporting the butchers in the past.
Where we find blood on our hands we must acknowledge that we did wrong and ensure that it will never happen again.
The
recollection of history is important. That is why we must always set
the record straight and make all the fine points and distinctions.
We
must never forget and, like the sons and daughters of the proud Jewish
State of Israel said after the horrific genocide of the Nazi holocaust,
we must always say, "NEVER AGAIN".
May
the Lord of Hosts forgive Nigeria for what she has done to so many of
her ethnic nationalities and her own sons and daughters.
May
the Ancient of Days deliver us all from the self-appointed guardians
and enforcers of Empire Nigeria and may He effect His purpose and will
in our nation. Shalom. (CONCLUDED).
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