04
Mar
2010
DANJUMA REPUTATION AS THE BLACK KNIGHT
Farouk Martins Aresa
Many Nigerians are still apprehensive of the Army’s return. If a few of them decide to take over the government as in Dimka coup or the recent “welcome” of Yar’Adua from the Abuja Airport, they still can, regardless of the consequences. The only stabilizing force, whether we like it or not, are their colleagues in and out of the Army. There are many of them but only one of them stands out. Live with or without our Frankenstein.
Unfortunately, Nigerians are still paying a price for our colonial past and each of those who have been part of all the coups in Nigeria demands their pound of flesh. If it is not Danjuma, it is going to be someone else. As long as we have not been able to retire all of them into their cages as Abacha retired Babangida, we must live with them. Those who think otherwise do have a point but it is not pragmatic because old soldiers never die.
Nigerians are fed up with recycled military leaders and rightly so. While Danjuma’s face dominates Jonathan Advisory council, we disregard innocent members that were neither political prostitutes nor militaricians. When Yar’Adua claimed the mantle, some of us also gave the same excuse that the alternatives were worse, that half a loaf is better than nothing and Yar’Adua was the least of all the evils. It has become recurring excuses to justify lack of radical ideas to move Nigeria forward.
If anyone wants to radicalize a nation such as Nigeria, the people have to be ready for revolt en mass. Those of us calling for Rawlings panacea in Ghana ignore the price of war we paid for Nzeogwu’s coup. It is not enough to mean well, consequences of our actions must be so justified. We are yet to agree on a few solutions not to talk of a single one in Nigeria. Ask any Nigerian what part of the country they want to take with them if we separate and each goes his own way. We can hardly get a resolute answer.
On a delicate political balance, Danjuma may not be too much of a price to pay for the stability of government and for Ebele’s life. No matter whom he chose, demands would be made. It is exactly what people are against. Nigeria cannot be reduced to sharing blocks while the rest of us suffer. The way we are going, with the dwindling amount of oil left, our kids will not have enough economic bargaining power in their future.
Call him the white, black or Robin Hood Knight: Danjuma sees himself as the rescuer of justice or injustice depending on whose side he is. If he is on your side of the fence, you praise him as a Christian; neither Hausa nor Yoruba but took side with the Muslims, Hausa and Yoruba who were selectively killed in a coup. On the other side of the fence, he is nothing more than a criminal that killed his Christians Igbo and Yoruba superiors in a revenge that led to a pogrom in the Country plunging us into civil war.
However, during the repressive regime of Abacha, the black knight came to the rescue of NADECO made up of mostly Yoruba and Igbo, funding a campaign against one of the worst dictators perpetrated on all Nigerians, North or South. Some people claimed he was the last person to see Abacha alive. Unfortunately, the beneficiary of the death of Abacha and Abiola was a man Danjuma backed at the risk of exile, if Obasanjo lost the election. The same man is called on again to rescue Ebele from the Dead Cat Bounce.
Whether we like it or not, that is the pragmatic position we are and the only one we can deal with. There are those that wished the British can come back and rule us because those were the best days they ever witness, and some even call for the return of the Army since a benevolent military rule is better than the worst civil rule. Hidden between those wishes is a resignation to our sorry state or loss of confidence in our ability to rise.
Danjuma does not easily fit into any category. It is a fact that he is a Northern, but he is one of convenience, because he is from the Middle Belt or the North-central. His base and strength come from the Army that is not limited to the officers alone like the other Nigerians or the Northerners, but also amongst the Jomo or the infantry. If you think you come from the same area and can compete with him; Babangida ask Gen. Malu.
Like most Nigerians in privilege position, he has become filthy rich from other people’s backyard of oil blocks and concessions. So much so that he fell out with his booty buddy OBJ and allocated oil block was taken away from him. Since Ebele is from the oil rich area of the Country, people suspicion that Danjuma will demand his pound of flesh is justified and should be expected. A son of the soil may have pressing right to give oil blocks than any other Nigerian. But Danjuma needs mental health more, at this stage.
For these reasons, the role of Danjuma as a black knight must shift to the rescue of the South-south from which he has enormously benefited. If he actually believes in his soul that he acted when injustice is perpetrated, he must act to support not only the Acting President but the people of South-south that have never had a fair shake in Nigeria. Their cause should be his cause and their cry must be listened to by showing results on the ground not through governors that feather their own personal nests.
Danjuma legacy will always be faulted until he rises to the occasion and make amends with the Igbo people of the South-east. Never mind those who have tried before, failed and apology rejected. It is more important to come out and demonstrate either remorse or understanding of a whole group of people wronged by the war on both sides. He has never done so but this position may be his last opportunity to try and reach out.
Danjuma has more money than he knows what to do with it, but not everything. What Danjuma needs more than money and oil blocks, is a peace of mind and spirit. Ordinary soldiers develop post-war mental trauma after so much spilled blood, so are leaders of coups that traumatized the whole Country. There are many of them hunted by mental guilt no matter their brave face. Danjuma is just as human as anyone of them.
Your CommentsPlease make The Square an enjoyable experience for everyone by refraining from gratuitous ad-hominem contributions, defamatory comments and off-topic posting. Such posts will be removed. http://www.nigeriavillagesquare.com/forum/images/greenleaf/helpIconDiscuss.gif Have your say-->
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You may report objectionable posts by using the report button (). See this link for more details.-->
Robot # 1 03.03.2010 22:21
...Read the full article.
-->
Counsel # 2 04.03.2010 10:11
Full Text of Danjuma’s Speech THE SPEECH OF GEN. T.Y. DANJUMA (RTD), GCON, CHAIRMAN OF THE PRESIDENTIAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE DELIVERED ON THE OCCASION OF THE INAUGURATION OF THE COMMITTEE ON THURSDAY, THE 4TH DAY OF MARCH 2010. On behalf of the members of the Presidential Advisory Council, I congratulate you on your assumption of office as Acting President of our great nation. Some of us may already have congratulated you individually and privately. We now do so collectively and publicly. We do so without any reservations whatsoever, confidant that the great hopes which we have invested in you by the nation, indeed the entire world shall not be disappointed. On behalf of myself and the members of the Presidential Advisory Council, I thank you for this unique opportunity given to us to serve the nation. The persons you have appointed into this Advisory Council are hardworking and patriotic men and women of rank and position who are all distinguished by their length of service and experience and who can be trusted to advise you honestly and fearlessly. By appointing this calibre of men and women from all over the country and from all walks of life you have demonstrated your own commitment to excellence and your determination to succeed. On our part we take this assignment to heart and look forward to all that we can do to make your administration a great success. Thank you for this unique opportunity given to us to be of service to the nation. This is a decisive moment in our history. At such moments God always ensures that a nation possesses significant personalities who are to act as his agents for change. You, Mr. Acting President, are the significant personality that God has chosen at this time to take your place at the front in the struggle to save our country. Because the time arte extra-ordinary, the measures that need to be taken are not only urgent but also extra-ordinary. Unless you take those measures quickly the goodwill which you now enjoy may be lost. Fortunately you have the require courage and vision. What you did not have in the past was the authority. Now that you have been invested with the authority the nation expects you to proceed quickly to effect the needed transformation. This is the right time for you to act- now when you can act quickly and aggressively-now when society can be trusted to be so generous as to credit you with your successes and to excuse your errors. Having said this, I must take account of the fact that this administration has barely 12 months to serve out its tenure. This is not an awfully long time to do effectively with all the problems set out in our terms of reference. But then one day is along time in politics. Mr. Acting President you have sufficient time to make a difference. We salute President Musa Yar’Adua for his effective use of sticks and carrots in the solution of the long-standing Niger Delta problem. His grant of general amnesty to the militants leading to the solution of lingering Niger Delta problem is most commendable. We now fervently urge you to implement all the measures that have been agreed upon in order to reconcile the people of that area to the nation. The absence of peace in the Niger Delta is a threat to peace in the nation as a whole. We commend the efforts of government in its fight against corruption but urge that it should be made pro-active rather than reactive because prevention is better than cure. There is a general feeling that the fight against corruption has slowed down and we urge that something be done to restore the momentum. Side by side with the fight against corruption is the need to ensure that our elections are fair and transparent. The need for electoral reforms has already been acknowledged by your government and we commend the efforts made so far in that regard. We appeal to you to pursue that effort to its logical conclusion with all speed, determination and sincerity. If all you do, as acting president is to ensure that our elections are transparent, it shall be sufficient to endear you to the nation and you shall go down in history as one of our greatest leaders. Over the years nothing has undermined government’s efforts at attaining self-reliance more than our lack of constant and reliable power supply. This is one factor discouraging foreign investment and local enterprise. We urge a comprehensive solution using not only the best experts of our country but also of other nations. No attention paid to this sector will be too great. Once more we thank you for this opportunity given to us to serve the nation and we assure you of all our support. May God Almighty continue to bless our country Nigeria and to guide you at this trying moment?
Mar
2010
DANJUMA REPUTATION AS THE BLACK KNIGHT
Farouk Martins Aresa
Many Nigerians are still apprehensive of the Army’s return. If a few of them decide to take over the government as in Dimka coup or the recent “welcome” of Yar’Adua from the Abuja Airport, they still can, regardless of the consequences. The only stabilizing force, whether we like it or not, are their colleagues in and out of the Army. There are many of them but only one of them stands out. Live with or without our Frankenstein.
Unfortunately, Nigerians are still paying a price for our colonial past and each of those who have been part of all the coups in Nigeria demands their pound of flesh. If it is not Danjuma, it is going to be someone else. As long as we have not been able to retire all of them into their cages as Abacha retired Babangida, we must live with them. Those who think otherwise do have a point but it is not pragmatic because old soldiers never die.
Nigerians are fed up with recycled military leaders and rightly so. While Danjuma’s face dominates Jonathan Advisory council, we disregard innocent members that were neither political prostitutes nor militaricians. When Yar’Adua claimed the mantle, some of us also gave the same excuse that the alternatives were worse, that half a loaf is better than nothing and Yar’Adua was the least of all the evils. It has become recurring excuses to justify lack of radical ideas to move Nigeria forward.
If anyone wants to radicalize a nation such as Nigeria, the people have to be ready for revolt en mass. Those of us calling for Rawlings panacea in Ghana ignore the price of war we paid for Nzeogwu’s coup. It is not enough to mean well, consequences of our actions must be so justified. We are yet to agree on a few solutions not to talk of a single one in Nigeria. Ask any Nigerian what part of the country they want to take with them if we separate and each goes his own way. We can hardly get a resolute answer.
On a delicate political balance, Danjuma may not be too much of a price to pay for the stability of government and for Ebele’s life. No matter whom he chose, demands would be made. It is exactly what people are against. Nigeria cannot be reduced to sharing blocks while the rest of us suffer. The way we are going, with the dwindling amount of oil left, our kids will not have enough economic bargaining power in their future.
Call him the white, black or Robin Hood Knight: Danjuma sees himself as the rescuer of justice or injustice depending on whose side he is. If he is on your side of the fence, you praise him as a Christian; neither Hausa nor Yoruba but took side with the Muslims, Hausa and Yoruba who were selectively killed in a coup. On the other side of the fence, he is nothing more than a criminal that killed his Christians Igbo and Yoruba superiors in a revenge that led to a pogrom in the Country plunging us into civil war.
However, during the repressive regime of Abacha, the black knight came to the rescue of NADECO made up of mostly Yoruba and Igbo, funding a campaign against one of the worst dictators perpetrated on all Nigerians, North or South. Some people claimed he was the last person to see Abacha alive. Unfortunately, the beneficiary of the death of Abacha and Abiola was a man Danjuma backed at the risk of exile, if Obasanjo lost the election. The same man is called on again to rescue Ebele from the Dead Cat Bounce.
Whether we like it or not, that is the pragmatic position we are and the only one we can deal with. There are those that wished the British can come back and rule us because those were the best days they ever witness, and some even call for the return of the Army since a benevolent military rule is better than the worst civil rule. Hidden between those wishes is a resignation to our sorry state or loss of confidence in our ability to rise.
Danjuma does not easily fit into any category. It is a fact that he is a Northern, but he is one of convenience, because he is from the Middle Belt or the North-central. His base and strength come from the Army that is not limited to the officers alone like the other Nigerians or the Northerners, but also amongst the Jomo or the infantry. If you think you come from the same area and can compete with him; Babangida ask Gen. Malu.
Like most Nigerians in privilege position, he has become filthy rich from other people’s backyard of oil blocks and concessions. So much so that he fell out with his booty buddy OBJ and allocated oil block was taken away from him. Since Ebele is from the oil rich area of the Country, people suspicion that Danjuma will demand his pound of flesh is justified and should be expected. A son of the soil may have pressing right to give oil blocks than any other Nigerian. But Danjuma needs mental health more, at this stage.
For these reasons, the role of Danjuma as a black knight must shift to the rescue of the South-south from which he has enormously benefited. If he actually believes in his soul that he acted when injustice is perpetrated, he must act to support not only the Acting President but the people of South-south that have never had a fair shake in Nigeria. Their cause should be his cause and their cry must be listened to by showing results on the ground not through governors that feather their own personal nests.
Danjuma legacy will always be faulted until he rises to the occasion and make amends with the Igbo people of the South-east. Never mind those who have tried before, failed and apology rejected. It is more important to come out and demonstrate either remorse or understanding of a whole group of people wronged by the war on both sides. He has never done so but this position may be his last opportunity to try and reach out.
Danjuma has more money than he knows what to do with it, but not everything. What Danjuma needs more than money and oil blocks, is a peace of mind and spirit. Ordinary soldiers develop post-war mental trauma after so much spilled blood, so are leaders of coups that traumatized the whole Country. There are many of them hunted by mental guilt no matter their brave face. Danjuma is just as human as anyone of them.
Your CommentsPlease make The Square an enjoyable experience for everyone by refraining from gratuitous ad-hominem contributions, defamatory comments and off-topic posting. Such posts will be removed. http://www.nigeriavillagesquare.com/forum/images/greenleaf/helpIconDiscuss.gif Have your say-->
The Square an enjoyable experience for everyone by refraining from gratuitous ad-hominem contributions, defamatory comments and off-topic posting. Such posts will be removed.
You may report objectionable posts by using the report button (). See this link for more details.-->
Robot # 1 03.03.2010 22:21
...Read the full article.
-->
Counsel # 2 04.03.2010 10:11
Full Text of Danjuma’s Speech THE SPEECH OF GEN. T.Y. DANJUMA (RTD), GCON, CHAIRMAN OF THE PRESIDENTIAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE DELIVERED ON THE OCCASION OF THE INAUGURATION OF THE COMMITTEE ON THURSDAY, THE 4TH DAY OF MARCH 2010. On behalf of the members of the Presidential Advisory Council, I congratulate you on your assumption of office as Acting President of our great nation. Some of us may already have congratulated you individually and privately. We now do so collectively and publicly. We do so without any reservations whatsoever, confidant that the great hopes which we have invested in you by the nation, indeed the entire world shall not be disappointed. On behalf of myself and the members of the Presidential Advisory Council, I thank you for this unique opportunity given to us to serve the nation. The persons you have appointed into this Advisory Council are hardworking and patriotic men and women of rank and position who are all distinguished by their length of service and experience and who can be trusted to advise you honestly and fearlessly. By appointing this calibre of men and women from all over the country and from all walks of life you have demonstrated your own commitment to excellence and your determination to succeed. On our part we take this assignment to heart and look forward to all that we can do to make your administration a great success. Thank you for this unique opportunity given to us to be of service to the nation. This is a decisive moment in our history. At such moments God always ensures that a nation possesses significant personalities who are to act as his agents for change. You, Mr. Acting President, are the significant personality that God has chosen at this time to take your place at the front in the struggle to save our country. Because the time arte extra-ordinary, the measures that need to be taken are not only urgent but also extra-ordinary. Unless you take those measures quickly the goodwill which you now enjoy may be lost. Fortunately you have the require courage and vision. What you did not have in the past was the authority. Now that you have been invested with the authority the nation expects you to proceed quickly to effect the needed transformation. This is the right time for you to act- now when you can act quickly and aggressively-now when society can be trusted to be so generous as to credit you with your successes and to excuse your errors. Having said this, I must take account of the fact that this administration has barely 12 months to serve out its tenure. This is not an awfully long time to do effectively with all the problems set out in our terms of reference. But then one day is along time in politics. Mr. Acting President you have sufficient time to make a difference. We salute President Musa Yar’Adua for his effective use of sticks and carrots in the solution of the long-standing Niger Delta problem. His grant of general amnesty to the militants leading to the solution of lingering Niger Delta problem is most commendable. We now fervently urge you to implement all the measures that have been agreed upon in order to reconcile the people of that area to the nation. The absence of peace in the Niger Delta is a threat to peace in the nation as a whole. We commend the efforts of government in its fight against corruption but urge that it should be made pro-active rather than reactive because prevention is better than cure. There is a general feeling that the fight against corruption has slowed down and we urge that something be done to restore the momentum. Side by side with the fight against corruption is the need to ensure that our elections are fair and transparent. The need for electoral reforms has already been acknowledged by your government and we commend the efforts made so far in that regard. We appeal to you to pursue that effort to its logical conclusion with all speed, determination and sincerity. If all you do, as acting president is to ensure that our elections are transparent, it shall be sufficient to endear you to the nation and you shall go down in history as one of our greatest leaders. Over the years nothing has undermined government’s efforts at attaining self-reliance more than our lack of constant and reliable power supply. This is one factor discouraging foreign investment and local enterprise. We urge a comprehensive solution using not only the best experts of our country but also of other nations. No attention paid to this sector will be too great. Once more we thank you for this opportunity given to us to serve the nation and we assure you of all our support. May God Almighty continue to bless our country Nigeria and to guide you at this trying moment?
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