Article published in The Nation Newspaper
19/05/2010
The Nigerian lexicon was negatively enriched under Babangida by words/ phrases which familiar for their painful infamy like the murder of Dele Giwa, the first parcel bomb in NIgeria, Maradonna, evil genious, settlement, the ‘dissappeared’ 1st Gulf War Oil Windfall, expulsion of the Financial Times correspondent, were words that conjured up the arrogant incompetent military. If only Babangida had given Nigeria just 1,000Mw annually we would be 8,000Mw richer and leading a much cheaper and painless life. But the most painfull legacy was that Babangida and others bequethed us even worse leaders to guarantee and perpetuate our suffering. That Babangida’s lack of political and military leadership inflicted Abacha on us is his worst offence. Babangida must have known Abacha but refused to contain the coming darkness resulting in what the historians will describe, including the terror of Buhari, as the Buhari-Babangida-Abacha Dark Ages or ‘BAD Ages’. And first Buhari and now Babangida want to ‘come back’. For what? No beta people around, abi?
Shame. It is the work of their military hands which has resulted in the 10+ millions strong ‘Diaspora Generation’ at the peak of their ability to contribute and lost to Nigerai for eighteen+ years. The army of diaspora Nigerians can blame the ‘BAD Ages’. East West home is best.
An entire generation of youth abroad must not again be disenfranchised in the 2011 election. Nigerian citizens in the diaspora especially where Nigeria has an embassy must vote. It is a duty of embassies. The move by ‘old INEC’ to select only four ‘sample or experimental’ Nigeria’s embassies and countries for ‘Diaspora Voting’ is irresponsible and must be reviewed. How dare the ‘INEC Few’ disenfranchise millions because of INEC mental incapacity? Nigeria’s embassy staff worldwide are intelligent and can easily cope and they too deserve their right to vote.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs must be ordered to organise and conduct physical/postal elections in embassies around the world. Other West African diaspora citizens can vote. Nigeria’s diaspora in West Africa is huge.
GL-J should instruct INEC to ‘Enfranchise All Nigerians Worldwide’ for 2011. That will enhance his reputation as a democrat and be a welcome first for a regenerated ‘New INEC’. The details are not nuclear physics for any competent administrator. It should be budgeted in the election budget under the heading ‘Worldwide Diaspora Voting’. All it costs is less than one hour’s oil money earnings for sending ballot papers to the embassies and receiving the responses as a results sheet and posting the ballot papers home for review. Or perhaps, as many abroad are IT competent we should have online voting. Ask how the French do it where election participation is compulsory worldwide and the Americans whose soldiers vote from Afganisatan. The new INEC team should also empower itself to register ‘All Who Will Be 18 by Election Day’ and not 18 by voters registration day. We have no right to disenfranchise our estimated 2 million of youth who will mature to 18 during the registration day- election day interval.
HOMEWORK: For those of you who do not believe the massive negative responses in the media to Babangida’s media re-invention and re-writing history including preposterous claim that he is a ‘Victim of June 12’, I beg them to seek more information from outsiders with dispassionate interest in which petty party or tribe will win and why. I recommend to you, as I was also recommended to, the following books. ‘The State of Africa: A History Of Fifty Years Of Independence’ by Martin Meredith and ‘Africa: Altered States, Ordinary Miracles by Richard Dowden. If you do not believe the myriad Nigerian writers, these are additional reference books for your library, school libraries, university libraries and anywhere where Babangida rears his head to appear to use ethnic arguments to debunk ethical transgressions of monumentally destructive proportions. I have never supported Obasanjo, Buhari or Babangida’s elections or the infiltraton of the political class by the military. The military left office and donned babanriga, a burning unfulfilled desire of Babangida. The time for this generation of destructive generals, retired or recylced, should be over even if the ‘pure’ politicians are equally disgraced. With 100+m Fellow Nigerians traumatised by the generals and the father-to-son-and-daughter political dynasties in constant power leading nowhere, it is sad that we are battling Babangida and even the spawn of that dispicable ruler Abacha under whose dreadful rule terror and death were institutionalsied and graves were filled. Even if they have money, have they no shame? Was all that a joke! Are there no New Fellow Nigerians, the Next Generation untained by the infamy of their family?
Congratulations to David Cameron, the new UK Prime Minister who is 43 years old, Nick Clegg is younger. By Nigerian standards Obama, Cameron and Clegg would still be serving groundnuts at the Party Political Executive Meeting and saying ‘Yes, Chief –No Chief’. We must make sure the under 50s take over the politics. ‘Experience’ is irrelevant and a negative point. Experience of what? Looting? Passion, ideas and honesty are the new key. In Nigeria by stupid law, the INEC Chairman must be 50+ to devalue our younger people. In Africa ‘experience’ tells us that ‘Greedy Old Men Do Not Make Great New Nations’ and Nigeria is a Great New Nation nearly stillborn and needing serious work. Say No To Babangida et al’. CountdowNigeria@50-127 demands Diaspora Voting in 2011.