GEN BUHARI: PROMETHEUS UNFETTERED IS PROMETHEUS UNBOUND Here comes the General of the Peoples Army, walking up the aisles to presidential power in a managerial ambience of an outstanding achiever. General Muhammadu Buhari‘s arrest on August 25, 1985 terminated his reign as Nigeria’s seventh political leader. He was flown to Benin City, and placed in solitary confinement. No reason was given for his incarceration. A trial was not countenanced, nor questions asked. His, remains the only regime in Nigerian history, whose successor did not and could not justify its ouster on grounds of incompetence, corruption or unpatriotic disposition. Rather, his unwavering will and indefatigable commitment to stirring national spirit along directions that were viewed as revolutionary by certain domestic and external interest groups. In a matter of weeks, his regime had demonstrated its ability and willingness to compel a paradigm shift in the attitude and mentality of Nigerians. The people were prepared for a novel era in which the ship of state would be driven toward bounds never contemplated. Events that marked his era as Head of State and those that followed his ouster left not a few people convinced that the conspiracy that ousted General Buhari extinguished the flame he had inspired in the hearts of men and stifled the voice of a generation. General Buhari did not just tell Nigerians that they can be a great people. In more than mere words and within a time frame of twenty months, he convincingly demonstrated how Nigeria can be a proud and great nation. Yet, in the twentieth month of his reign, he was deposed, arrested and jailed. How did it happen? Why did we let it happen? Dismissed from the Army, why was the deposed military Head of State detained without trial for over three years? The plan was to erase him from the collective consciousness of a nation, to rub away twenty months experience of General Buharis rule, from the hearts and soul of Nigeria...to erase a legend from the memory of a people...To put a genie into a bottle, cock it and throw it into the deep trope of history. Ask any sincere and courageous man who lived the age to speak his mind. The answer can almost be predicted. Something in the heart died on the 27th day of August, 1985. That day, the lie that has continued to keep Nigeria down was born and daylight was swallowed by darkness. A burning light was extinguished by a gale from hell, marking the triumph of evil over good. It was the day a serpentine creature slithered into the groove that held the Eagles nest and swallowed a fledgling bird. Memories of the bird’s devotion to a people’s desire to be great, remains as perennial as grassland that laps living water. The serpentine creature took over the nest, and nested millions of its kind...gobbling up much of everything. Dreams became nightmare… vanity, national order. Conscience were bought and sold, and oaths sworn for a lie to be lived fully. At the threshold of atrophy, with the ship of state adrift in uncharted waters, surfaces a bottle, with the message that our Eagle is alive. From wilderness, he swoops, back to lead. The Eagle is back, stronger, spoiling for the final confrontation. Is the party of serpentine creatures drawing to a close? Will they slither out the way they came? Can a divided nation unify,energize itself and find the strength to violently smash an almost two decade old reign of serpents? Will the Falcon hear the Falconers cry for it to soar, high through the eye of the storm and higher still? What kind of idea is General Buhari? Is it one which ninety nine out of every hundred times is doomed to failure, but the one time it scores its mark, changes the destiny of a people forever? If it attains its mark, what must General Buhari do to the enemies? These questions cannot be left hanging in the air. The point has never been so clear. How helpless and hopeless a lot of people felt, with General Buharis over 40 months incarceration (house arrest)...How sad I, and a lot of my friends felt, each time we walked past that house with armed soldiers standing guard, situated along Aiguobasinmi Avenue, GRA Benin-City. That was where the great General was confined...the strategy was to have him shut away from the collective consciousness of a nation, to obliterate the experience of 20 months of General Buharis rule, from the hearts and soul of Nigeria...to erase a legend from the collective memory of a people...To put a genie into a bottle, cock it up and throw it into the deepest depth of the mighty Atlantic. Something in me died that day General Buhari was overthrown. A burning light was put out by a gale from the depth of hades. The triumph of evil over good, darkness over light, the day a cobra slithered into the groove that held the Eagles nest and swallowed up a fledging bird on whose wings a nation believed it would fly higher, towards the sun...The cobra took over the nest, laid eggs that contained its kind...ate everything else...our dreams and hopes, and collective dreams...its era witnessed the sowing of a thousand...many magic and make beliefs conceived to deceive...For 18 years, the cobras kind have ruled, have plundered, have deceived, have killed... The bottle has resurfaced, with its message intact. Not the mighty Atlantic could swallow the truth...not a gale from hades could shut out softly spoken truths...the cobra may have eaten its eggs and built its fortress in the Eagles Lair... the Eagle did not die, neither did our consciousness of it...the Eagle is back from the wilderness, stronger, more determined and resolute. There is commotion in the rank of the brood of serpents that have ruled supreme for 17 years. The party of serpents is drawing to an end...The question is, will this evil party of serpents end quietly, or must it be violently smashed and ripped apart by the collective force of a re-energized people, a nation that has found its voice, rediscovered its will...? General Buhari must find a voice to answer, and answer strongly, the question those not born when the cobra entered the lair are asking. They ask of you General Buhari, what kind of idea are you? Are you one that 99 times out of a 100 is shattered at the threshold of what should be its victory by the craft of devils, but if, and when it scores its mark, is destined to change the face of history forever? If you are, and they are convinced you indeed are, even the grass will rise up to fight for you. Men of my generation know the kind of idea you are. The youths also ask this of you - what will you do with the corrupt marauders? You must answer all these questions, clearly, not leave them hanging in the air. We, the large swat of forlorn Nigerians know or can decipher what your answers to these questions will be. But we cannot speak for you. The people want to hear from you. Our voices are not strong enough. We, gray bearded people have been trampled upon, the yoke of the serpents that have ruled the lair weigh us down and stifle our voice. Our voice is weak, or passion burnt ...you must speak to the youth, the flower of the nation...you must speak to them in the language they understand...you must soar high, your voice must be strong, your vision clear...it is not enough to be a good man in these evil days...you must fight...harder than you ever fought. Justice is on the side of the strong...not just the good. A lot of lies have been told, a lot of tricks played, what is, is no more what should be. What will be is not anymore what should be. Like many like me, in my heart and soul, I know you are not just a good man, but a good man equipped, prepared and determined to do what is good. But what are all these if you lose? The salt of earth has lost its taste already...You challenge the devil to a duel, on the basis of bravery. The umpire is the devils protégé. The game, we know will not be fair. We, your knights will fight for you, until the last drop of blood. Will that do? You need more than us. Speak to the youths. Oh brave General in whose presence theres no guile , the mammoth crowd of Nigerian youths are with you to help us Change the narrative arc of history in our favour.
Posted on: Fri, 28 Nov 2014 20:57:48 +0000
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