Chairman of Northern Elders Council (NEC), Tanko Yakassai, has spoken about the speculation that some retired Generals are plotting to prevent President Muhammadu Buhari from going for a second term in office.
Yakassai said, despite the fact that ex-military Generals, especially former President Olusegun Obasanjo could not take the country to the promise land, they nevertheless control the destiny of most Nigerians, and have played key roles in determining who governed the nation.
I acknowledge that Obasanjo spoke the mind of many Nigerians in his special statement urging Buhari not to seek re-election, Yakassai vowed to stand by it.
He told New Telegraph newspaper: “When elections are around the corner, all sorts of things would be happening. This is democracy, people have the rights to get together and offer their views one way or the other. You cannot quarrel with people doing that, this is the freedom that democracy offers. Freedom of speech, freedom of expression, all these sorts of things are inherent in a democracy.
“For Obasanjo’s letter, I said before that he spoke the mind of many Nigerians and I still stand by it.
“I am a lone voice in Nigeria against the insistence of the military to continue to rule Nigeria either in uniform or in mufti, because they have done their own and the people have seen how far the military has taken the country.
“The military did not take this country to the Promise Land throughout the time they ruled the country with uniform or in civilian cloth. So let them know that.
“But the issue is that the political parties are tools in the hands of the military and it started with Obasanjo who took over the control of the party and appointed himself as the leader and the governors as leaders in their states, since then 37 of them have been deciding the fate of Nigeria.
“Somebody recently said that all the people that were elected by Nigerians in all the political parties were imposed on the people, they were not the choice of the people.
“Immediately after Obasanjo, he nominated the late Umaru Musa Yar’adua, he later joined others to nominate Goodluck Jonathan, he left Jonathan and later joined others to bring Buhari to power. So they are now in control of the destiny of Nigerians.
“Actually, the military got the opportunity to lord it over the people when Obasanjo appointed himself the leader of the party, and remove the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party and in the process appointed governors as leaders of the party in their respective states, eventually nobody becomes a member of the State Working Committee of the party without the consent of the governor, even if he was already elected, he would be removed and somebody else will replace him. That is why the entire NWC of the PDP were removed not only once, twice but three times by Obasanjo and replaced with people who will do his bidding.”
My friend, Ekwueme was not the brightest. Possessing a PhD certificate in architecture did not make him the brightest in political governance. This was proved by GEJ who claimed to have received PhD certificate in fisheries from UNIPORT but was clueless and displayed crass naivety in governance. You claim to “respect” Tanko Yakasai who is well know as bread -and- butter- politician because that is the type of politics Igbos play whereupon, tickets to contest for a political office ( president, governor, senator, etc) are always auctioned and sold to the highest bidder.
I am sad and uncomfortable to see people like Obasanjo or Babangida still planning and formulating the political shape Nigeria should take to get to the promised land nowadays, knowing that these entities represent the index for our backwardness in all the aspects of life. They sowed the seeds of corruption, grew it and still harvesting the fruits. Nigerians must realise that in or out of the Khaki uniform, once a soldier, always a soldier. Politics should never be the territory for these people to test and practice their profession. To keep Nigeria one is to embrace the spirit of restructuring the country that would encourage individual and group development. Anythig short or such idea is to start singing our nuncdimitis in the near future.
There are fewer Nigerians I respect more than Tanko Yakassai, one of them late Aminu Kano. When they speak I listen. Though when the five majors struck in 1966, Nigerians hailed them but the military governments that came about since then never gave Nigerians any sense to trust the military again in our political affairs. About retired generals controlling the political system started with Obasanjo being elected to the presidency in 1999. He had to curry favor with his former colleagues so as to save his position. Shehu Yar’Adua died in detention under Abacha and to show his empathy he got his brother elected and hand picked Goodluck Jonathan as VP to Yar’Adua. In 1999 the brightest civilian to run for office was Dr. Alex Ekwueme who had put his life at stake to oppose Abacha but foolish Igbo politicians frustrated Ekwueme that was how Babangida with other generals lobbied Obasanjo to run as a pay back for the death of MKO Abiola. Since then Obasanjo had played game with the office of president. As bad as things stand for Nigerians who would wish the army to come back from their barracks. Never. They are crooks and criminals and Obasanjo is also credited for removing the power hungry among them to keep the rest as military professionals not aspiring politicians in military uniforms. This is the reason politicians have grown wings and are licking even their own urine dry and nothing left for the workers to cheer up . Workers union is dead and its remnant worse than the politicians so Nigeria is now sinking fast past redemption. We had tried parliamentary democracy with little success, military autocracy with serious dents on our back, presidential democracy has completely failed. The only solution is RESTRUCTURE the country so the completion at the center stands down for progress at the local level and people know and see who to hold responsible. Secession has failed and will not succeed for any reason. Those urging for Biafra are not thinking right for the Igbo man or any part of Nigeria. Those people should return to Nigeria from the comfort of their foreign base. Let them come home and join hands in rebuilding a Restructured Nigeria. Nze CA