THIS DAY

The Repercussions of June 12

Pendulum By Dele Momodu, Email: delemomodu@thisdayonline.com, 08.02.2008

I  did not realize how very much alive the historic June 12, 1993, date is in Nigeria until I started my series on the drama of Abiola’s death, the fourth of which I concluded last week. The articles which would form part of my long-awaited book on Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola (aka MKO) also afforded me the opportunity of knowing how influential, and how widely read, the Thisday newspaper is. In those four weeks, I received hundreds of mails, and phone calls. I got stopped at airports on three continents, and got engaged in discussions by co-passengers on aircrafts. Even the energetic Editor of Thisday on Saturday had pleaded passionately that I should do a book on the Abiola saga, like many readers requested.

One of the calls I got last Saturday came from the publisher of Thisday himself, Nduka Obaigbena, who expressed his appreciation for the popularity of the Pendulum column, especially on a Saturday when most people would have thought no one reads newspapers. He also informed me that the former Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Chief Emeka Anyaoku would like to have a word with me urgently. I rang Chief Anyaoku, and he suggested we should share a drink at 4.00pm, at his Ikoyi home. I had wondered what made me qualify for such a treat, but accepted the privilege nevertheless.

At 4.00pm prompt, my efficient driver pulled up at his gate, and without much ado, the gate swung open, by the power of an elderly sentry. We drove in, to the right side of the building, and found my very distinguished host, and his ubiquitous wife, relaxing under what looked like a rotunda, seeping their afternoon tea, in a manner that meant they were a good bonding couple. It is a rare sight in most Nigerian homes these days. I was very impressed, and went towards them. We exchanged pleasantries as I prostrated in obeisance to the great couple, the way I was taught by my parents.

I was offered a seat, and was asked to choose from an assortment of drinks, and settled for water, and the good old home-made chin-chin snack, to keep my mouth busy while I listened with rapt attention to the master story-teller, Chief Anyaoku as he mesmerized me with accounts of his two encounters with Chief Abiola in detention. His delivery was very powerful, not unexpected of a man well-known for his oratorical skills. He praised the efforts put into writing my pieces, and told me he enjoyed the readable prose. However, he felt obliged to meet me in order to enrich my knowledge of some of the very intimate details I may not be aware of since I had mentioned his name in my articles. He was also concerned about the widely-held impression that he was one of those who had attempted to pressurize Abiola into relinquishing his mandate in exchange for his freedom.

My encounter with Chief Anyaoku was truly enriching. It added to my knowledge of how the Abacha junta punished Abiola in various detention camps in order to cling to power illegally. For example, Chief Anyaoku had approached General Sani Abacha within three weeks of detaining Abiola for an opportunity to meet the prisoner of conscience, and to explore the possibilities of a lasting solution. I will spare you the gory details of what Chief Anyapoku went through before he was eventually allowed to meet with Chief Abiola, who was made to stand up in a police van throughout a long and painful drive, in the dead of the night, to the location where he met with the Commonwealth Secretary-General. The first thing he complained of was his back that was aching so badly because of the way he had been flung hither and thither, by the dare-devil security driver. They held a lengthy meeting, and Chief Anyaoku said he left the meeting with a different impression of the business tycoon. “My earlier impression of him was that of a typical businessman who was a hustler along the corridor of power, and made so much money on the sweat of the people,” but “I met a thoroughly educated man who had his facts and figures at his finger-tips, and was convincingly concerned about moving Nigeria forward.”

Sadly, Chief Anyaoku never got the opportunity of meeting Abacha again to discuss the Abiola issue but he left a lengthy letter for the Head of State which was not delivered by his aides for a long time. And when Abacha eventually got it, the powerful ruler did not share in the sentiments expressed by Chief Anyaoku. Even a lecture later delivered in Nigeria by Chief Anyaoku was shunned by Abacha after the advance copy of its synopsis had reached the military rulers who felt assailed by the content. Chief Anyaoku would later get a warning from an unidentified security officer who advised him in his own interest to sneak out of the country with his family. For a man who spent every Christmas in his country home, Obosi, in Anambra State, he was forced to move immediately to Ghana where he was well treated by Flt. Lt. Jerry Rawlings, and he never visited Nigeria again until General Abacha died.

His last meeting with Chief Abiola was approved by the government of General Abdulsalami Abubakar. According to Anyaoku, Chief Abiola looked better, and fresher than the last time they met. He did not look like a man who was going to drop dead soon. They discussed the way forward and one of the things Abiola reportedly complained about was the fact that his businesses had been laid to ruins to which Anyaoku replied that Abiola would be able to put them back on track as a free man. Chief Anyaoku believes that that little piece of advice must have been what was misinterpreted as Anyaoku putting pressure on Abiola to forget his mandate. This he denies vigorously.

We discussed the shameful state of Nigeria 15 years after June 12. His modest home in Ikoyi was begging for electricity, and other amenities, that he must have taken for granted while he worked in the service of Her Majesty the Queen in England. As I left him and his gentle wife (we are in fact in-laws), I could feel their acute frustrations at the seeming helplessness of Nigerians, at rescuing our dear nation from the evil grip of political monsters who continue to hold all of us hostage, and are stealing us blind, thus leaving one of the richest countries on earth to hemorrhage to death.

I have since received calls from several active participants who are willing to meet with me to discuss what they witnessed. It is indeed a healthy development. It has been difficult writing any meaningful book on the tragedy of June 12, and the killings that took place for no just reasons, because of the dearth of information from those who should know the authentic stories. There are just too many fall-outs from the evil cancellation of what should have been our best election ever.

As at June 12, 1993, there was nothing called the Niger Delta militancy. Abiola was able to campaign freely everywhere. The death of June 12 increased the tempo of the agitation for the rights of the Ogoni people. The Ogonis who were led by Ken Saro-Wiwa merely demanded that those who plundered their oil, and destroyed their environment mercilessly, should compensate the people. They did not carry guns. Their main weapon was talk and talk, blow big grammar, and so on. Speaking their minds led to their being executed like goats. And if the government thought this was going to serve as deterrent to other would-be trouble-makers, it failed woefully. Rather, it has aggravated the issue beyond redemption. Today, the Niger-Delta crisis has snowballed into a major conflagration which has engulfed the whole world. It has pushed the prices of petroleum prices beyond limit.

Even the ruling party, PDP, has cried out that our fragile democracy is being seriously threatened. Since June 12, 1993, our nation has known no peace. Every attempt to sweep the historic date under carpet has only further exacerbated the unfortunate saga. Chief Ernest Shonekan was brought on board to douse the ember of June 12, but he never succeeded. Abacha chased him away from power, and employed brute force in order to whip us all in line, he also failed woefully to kill the stubborn date. Abdulsalami Abubakar was more humble in his disposition, but he lost the golden opportunity by dragging his feet until Abiola died in his hands, and no one has been able to explain what happened till this day.

Also, their senior colleague, and Abiola’s former schoolmate who was hurriedly packaged as a way of killing June 12 finally, only returned to haunt Nigeria with his lack of sensitivity to the issues at stake. From day one, he acted like a Roman emperor, and tried to hoodwink Nigerians with his holier-than-thou posturing. Under him, most of our infrastructure collapsed, despite the multiple trillions spent by him and his cronies. He never mentioned Abiola, or June 12, nor bothered to honour them. Yet, he was the greatest beneficiary of the tragedy that befell us. He was so arrogant and vengeful. Obasanjo even committed hara-kiri, when he attempted to steal a third term on us like his other greedy colleagues he was fond of abusing as sit-tight rulers. And the last election he conducted, which could have made him to remain a world-acclaimed statesman, collapsed like a house built with spittle. Over one year after, we are yet to get out of the jigsaw of the election puzzle.

The hypocrisy lingers, as our rulers continue to exchange the baton of corruption and incompetence. They know what to do but are too fickle and selfish to try the best option we have. Nigeria will never know peace until our leaders learn to purge themselves of the foolish arrogance that has characterized their attitude to power. The principles of June 12 are there to guide us. Babangida came close to making our country the best place on earth, but he and his cohorts killed their own baby. What is worse is that they are too stubborn and unrepentant. They find it impossible to own up and apologise for the incredible havoc they have wreaked on their fatherland. What a shame!