Nigeria's history, corruption and Buhari's garland
29 January 2015 By Abi Giwa

Nigeria became an independent nation on October 1, 1960. Less than six years after independence, the nation ran into a political logjam. Politicians began fighting over sharing of the office and which part of the country will rule at the center. On top of this was widespread of corruption among politicians, who gave little attention to public needs. One politician in the South of the country, Obafemi Awolowo, then a premier in the Western Region, had offered free primary education and he promised to do the same all over the country, if he could be given votes to become the country's number one citizen. He left his region to seek power at the center. He lost and returned and asked his deputy whom he temporarily gave power to return power. But his deputy said once given power, it is not returnable.
His deputy, Ladoke Akintola decidedly entered into alliance with a party in the north and there began carpet crossings among politicians. The result of course involved contracts and money spinning agreements. Consequently, the military guys came to stop what became political arson in the West between supporters of the two powerful politicians, one of them having the backing of the north. The soldiers killed two northern leaders, Ahmadu Bello - premier of the region and Tafawa Balewa - the country's prime minister. In the West, they got rid of Akintola, and Festus Okotie Eboh in the Mid-West. But the putsch was unsuccessful before the most senior Army officer, Aguiyi Ironsi - an easterner - took over government from the ten-percenters as the politicians were then called by coupists.
This report is much about the genesis of corruption and how corruption has grown in the country, but more about how power has been swinging like a pendulum between the North and the South and the danger this poses to the current political dispensation in the country. Aguiyi Ironsi spent less than six months in office when northern officers killed and replaced him with Yakubu Gowon. Gowon spent nine years in office. He assumed office a bachelor. He prosecuted a civil war against the easterners who sought secession over the murderous onslaught against their people in the north. He got married during the war. He was unseated in 1975 by his communication minister, Murtala Muhammed, over issues of corruption. Muhammed spent less than six months when himself was kicked with bullets by king corruption led by one Bukar Suka Dimka.
Muhammed was killed but the coup against his government failed. Then, Aremu Olusegun Obasanjo, who was second in command to Muhammed assumed power in 1976. In 1979, he gave the power back to Alhaji Shehu Shagari - a nimcompoop - against Awolowo, whom the entire country said was a better candidate. The rich and their northern collaborators had their way with Obasanjo as the engine for their purpose. Awolowo challenged Shagari in 1983. Shagari won again, despite outcries of non-performance. Shortly after, a coup happened and Muhammed Buhari assumed power. But the guy people knew who was the power that moved against corruption was Tunde Idiagbon, Buhari's second in command. King corruption rose again in 1985 and Muhammed was kicked into the garbage can. By now, corruption in the country has become like water or air, essential to human survival.
Ibrahim Babangida became the new king. So many happened under his watch that attested to the power of corruption in his time. A journalist was murdered with a letter bomb, and his name end country's coat of arms on the murder envelope. Rather than act to resolve the debacle about the journalist's source of trouble, his government confused the investigation into the murder. Next, his bosom friend and one of the political players that stood between Awolowo and election victory in favor of Shagari, approached Babangida he wanted to run for presidency. Babangida gave him a nod. Abiola put his money and power of generosity into play and won the election. Babangida annulled the election and his friend, and appointed one guy from the friend's state to be caretaker leader. Sanni Abacha kicked the caretaker aside and asummed office as head of state.
Abacha died. Abubakar Abdulsalam took over. And then all the retired generals put their heads together in search of a solution after Abiola's death in detention over a fight to claim his presidency. The generals felt it was right to right the wrong against the Yoruba tribe by getting a Yoruba man who needed to be imposed on the country. They got Obasanjo placed in jail by Abacha, for loud mouthedness. They imposed him on PDP and on the country as president. It is all democracy and corruption at work. In Nigeria, you cannot separate democracy and corruption, or else democracy will become incomplete. Obasanjo spent two terms in office. He wanted a third term. But public outcries stopped him. Nonetheless, he returned the baton to the north through Musa Yar'Dua, who died in office. He actually imposed Yar'Dua on the country. After Yar'Dua's death, he said he checked his health certificate and he thought the guy was healthy, but unaware the guy was sick. He became a New Democratic king maker.
Naturally, the man he had picked to be Yar'Dua's second in command, Goodluck Jonathan, succeeded Yar'Dua. By accident and for the first time, the Ijaw people produced a president against the plans of Nigerian king makers. It is democracy. Muhammed Buhari, former head of state has been running and he has been losing. But this time around, he has succeeded to belong to a coalition of parties fighting to wrest power from the incumbent. Jonathan is accused of inability to fight corruption. Boko Haram's insistence on having a government with Sharia as pre-condition has made governing worse for Jonathan. For reasons only known to Obasanjo, he masterminded the worst political carpet crossings against the incumbent president, worse that what happened in the West in the time of Awolowo and Akintola, with Akintola aided by the north, worsening an already bad situation for Jo.
Some Nigerians say Jo is incapable of leading the fight against Boko Haram. Buhari is an apostle of Sharia - a good radiance for Boko Haram. Along the line, a certificate issue bursts open - another issue of corruption. Buhari swore an affidavit that his certificates are with the military, but it has been established there is no single certificate with the military. Perjury? He has commandeered a document as a proof of his high school certificate. But the PDP, whose incumbent president he is challenging says the document presented by Buhari has marks of forgery. The media approached Cambridge Assesment, the body that oversees the high school certificate in 1961 to confirm if Buhari indeed has a certificate as he claimed in his affidavit. The Cambridge Assessment told the the media that only the candidate in an examination can ask it to produce the certificate.
But Buhari has remain adamant. He doesn't think it makes sense, common sense for him to ask Cambridge Assessment to do the needful. He wants power, he does not think there is moral in acceding to the request of the electorate for him to clear the issue of his certificate baggage. He thinks carrying a baggage of corruption is the best way to become a president to fight corruption. He has forgotten that he once in a fight against corruption a loser, and the world will see what magical wand he wants to use against corruption this time around, when himself has a garland of corruption on his neck. He is campaigning to come and stop corruption and Boko Haram and he has allegation of perjury hanging on his neck.
Fools will believe corruption can be stopped in Nigeria with the way of Buhari of 1983 that ended in his ouster. For Boko Haram, people say it is going to be whether the country is ready for Sharia or not, and they bet that Buhari will not denounce Sharia. And for that they say another struggle will begin with Sharia apostles breathing down the neck of anti-Sharia elements. It is the trouble that lies ahead. But let's wait and see what happens with the February 14 election to know what next will follow.
His deputy, Ladoke Akintola decidedly entered into alliance with a party in the north and there began carpet crossings among politicians. The result of course involved contracts and money spinning agreements. Consequently, the military guys came to stop what became political arson in the West between supporters of the two powerful politicians, one of them having the backing of the north. The soldiers killed two northern leaders, Ahmadu Bello - premier of the region and Tafawa Balewa - the country's prime minister. In the West, they got rid of Akintola, and Festus Okotie Eboh in the Mid-West. But the putsch was unsuccessful before the most senior Army officer, Aguiyi Ironsi - an easterner - took over government from the ten-percenters as the politicians were then called by coupists.
This report is much about the genesis of corruption and how corruption has grown in the country, but more about how power has been swinging like a pendulum between the North and the South and the danger this poses to the current political dispensation in the country. Aguiyi Ironsi spent less than six months in office when northern officers killed and replaced him with Yakubu Gowon. Gowon spent nine years in office. He assumed office a bachelor. He prosecuted a civil war against the easterners who sought secession over the murderous onslaught against their people in the north. He got married during the war. He was unseated in 1975 by his communication minister, Murtala Muhammed, over issues of corruption. Muhammed spent less than six months when himself was kicked with bullets by king corruption led by one Bukar Suka Dimka.
Muhammed was killed but the coup against his government failed. Then, Aremu Olusegun Obasanjo, who was second in command to Muhammed assumed power in 1976. In 1979, he gave the power back to Alhaji Shehu Shagari - a nimcompoop - against Awolowo, whom the entire country said was a better candidate. The rich and their northern collaborators had their way with Obasanjo as the engine for their purpose. Awolowo challenged Shagari in 1983. Shagari won again, despite outcries of non-performance. Shortly after, a coup happened and Muhammed Buhari assumed power. But the guy people knew who was the power that moved against corruption was Tunde Idiagbon, Buhari's second in command. King corruption rose again in 1985 and Muhammed was kicked into the garbage can. By now, corruption in the country has become like water or air, essential to human survival.
Ibrahim Babangida became the new king. So many happened under his watch that attested to the power of corruption in his time. A journalist was murdered with a letter bomb, and his name end country's coat of arms on the murder envelope. Rather than act to resolve the debacle about the journalist's source of trouble, his government confused the investigation into the murder. Next, his bosom friend and one of the political players that stood between Awolowo and election victory in favor of Shagari, approached Babangida he wanted to run for presidency. Babangida gave him a nod. Abiola put his money and power of generosity into play and won the election. Babangida annulled the election and his friend, and appointed one guy from the friend's state to be caretaker leader. Sanni Abacha kicked the caretaker aside and asummed office as head of state.
Abacha died. Abubakar Abdulsalam took over. And then all the retired generals put their heads together in search of a solution after Abiola's death in detention over a fight to claim his presidency. The generals felt it was right to right the wrong against the Yoruba tribe by getting a Yoruba man who needed to be imposed on the country. They got Obasanjo placed in jail by Abacha, for loud mouthedness. They imposed him on PDP and on the country as president. It is all democracy and corruption at work. In Nigeria, you cannot separate democracy and corruption, or else democracy will become incomplete. Obasanjo spent two terms in office. He wanted a third term. But public outcries stopped him. Nonetheless, he returned the baton to the north through Musa Yar'Dua, who died in office. He actually imposed Yar'Dua on the country. After Yar'Dua's death, he said he checked his health certificate and he thought the guy was healthy, but unaware the guy was sick. He became a New Democratic king maker.
Naturally, the man he had picked to be Yar'Dua's second in command, Goodluck Jonathan, succeeded Yar'Dua. By accident and for the first time, the Ijaw people produced a president against the plans of Nigerian king makers. It is democracy. Muhammed Buhari, former head of state has been running and he has been losing. But this time around, he has succeeded to belong to a coalition of parties fighting to wrest power from the incumbent. Jonathan is accused of inability to fight corruption. Boko Haram's insistence on having a government with Sharia as pre-condition has made governing worse for Jonathan. For reasons only known to Obasanjo, he masterminded the worst political carpet crossings against the incumbent president, worse that what happened in the West in the time of Awolowo and Akintola, with Akintola aided by the north, worsening an already bad situation for Jo.
Some Nigerians say Jo is incapable of leading the fight against Boko Haram. Buhari is an apostle of Sharia - a good radiance for Boko Haram. Along the line, a certificate issue bursts open - another issue of corruption. Buhari swore an affidavit that his certificates are with the military, but it has been established there is no single certificate with the military. Perjury? He has commandeered a document as a proof of his high school certificate. But the PDP, whose incumbent president he is challenging says the document presented by Buhari has marks of forgery. The media approached Cambridge Assesment, the body that oversees the high school certificate in 1961 to confirm if Buhari indeed has a certificate as he claimed in his affidavit. The Cambridge Assessment told the the media that only the candidate in an examination can ask it to produce the certificate.
But Buhari has remain adamant. He doesn't think it makes sense, common sense for him to ask Cambridge Assessment to do the needful. He wants power, he does not think there is moral in acceding to the request of the electorate for him to clear the issue of his certificate baggage. He thinks carrying a baggage of corruption is the best way to become a president to fight corruption. He has forgotten that he once in a fight against corruption a loser, and the world will see what magical wand he wants to use against corruption this time around, when himself has a garland of corruption on his neck. He is campaigning to come and stop corruption and Boko Haram and he has allegation of perjury hanging on his neck.
Fools will believe corruption can be stopped in Nigeria with the way of Buhari of 1983 that ended in his ouster. For Boko Haram, people say it is going to be whether the country is ready for Sharia or not, and they bet that Buhari will not denounce Sharia. And for that they say another struggle will begin with Sharia apostles breathing down the neck of anti-Sharia elements. It is the trouble that lies ahead. But let's wait and see what happens with the February 14 election to know what next will follow.