Behold the world’s largest Slave Republic – Nigeria

Behold the world’s largest Slave Republic
– Nigeria
on november 24, 2013 at 12:45 am in frankly
speaking
By Dele Sobowale
“A democratic republic; if you can keep it”, James
Madison, 1751-1836.
James Madison, one of the founding fathers of the
United States, who along with Thomas Jefferson,
1743-1826, laid out in the famous book, The
Federalist Papers, the outlines of the American
constitution, which was later adopted on September
7, 1787 gave that reply to a reporter who had asked
him: “What form of government have you given to
the American people”? Madison knew from
historical experience that freedom and democracy
don’t exist simply because a constitution had been
written.  Madison and the founding fathers of
America and their descendants, till today, knew too
well that “eternal vigilance is the price of freedom”.
By contrast, when Nigeria became a republic in
1963, neither the Prime Minister, Alhaji Tafawa
Balewa, nor anybody else, warned Nigerians in the
same vein. It was just assumed that a democratic
republic, once pronounced and a constitution written
would guarantee and perpetuate liberty.
Unfortunately, for our founding fathers (Ahmadu
Bello, Awolowo and Azikiwe included), they were
the first victims of their collective folly. The
democratic republic they pronounced in 1963 was
demolished by a small band of armed adventurers;
who promptly sent democracy in Nigeria to the
dustbin of history. It has remained there till today.
In fact, what we are practicing today is a of
combination banana and slave republic. You ask
how? Then, let me count some of the ways we have
become the largest slave colony on earth. And why
any National Conference, Sovereign or not, will fail.
No government, at any level, national, regional or
state, calling itself democratic, treats its citizens
with such disdain as Nigerians are treated. I am
writing this article on Saturday, November 16, 2013,
while the election for Governor of Anambra State is
underway. It is known world wide as a bye election
– an election taking place outside the normal cycle
of national elections. It happens all the time in the
United States, whose constitution we borrowed,
without caring to learn the collective attitudes that
would make the constitution work. I challenge
anyone to tell Nigerians when the President of the
United States, the Federal Bureau of Investigations,
FBI, which is the national law enforcement agency
in America and the Electoral Commission had
closed the borders of any state holding a bye-
election. Yet, the day before the Anambra election,
the Nigeria Police, hopefully with the consent of the
President of Nigeria, staged a constitutional coup by
taking away one of our fundamental rights – The
Right to Free Movement.
River Niger Bridge, major gateway to the South-East
and South-South…
Nigerians were told that we could not travel through
Anambra State for two days for security reasons. I
will bet anyone any amount of money that no Police
officer and no President of the United States can
issue such an order and have it obeyed. The
Americans would just ignore “the nut”, as he would
be called, and those wanting to go to that state will
go anyway. Why? Because America is the “land of
the free and home of the brave”. Here we are a
nation of slaves and cowards and our leaders know
us. Even the National Assembly, which should see
the coup against the people, for what it is, kept
silent. David Mark, I can forgive, he never went to
law school. But, the Speaker of the House of
Representatives is a lawyer. Why their collective
silence is pregnant with danger will be revealed at
the end of this article.
At state level, the same disregard for citizens is
patently manifest as examples, drawn from two
political parties will illustrate. Let me start with
Ogun State, APC, where massive demolition is
underway. The last time the Southwest experienced
such inhuman demolition was when Colonel Raji
Rasaki (rtd) descended like a Typhoon on the
people of Maroko in Victoria Island and now Lekki
and mindlessly rendered hundreds of thousands
homeless without compensations or alternative
means of abode. We shook our heads in disbelief
and shrugged it off. What do you expect of Mad
dogs (as late Chief MKO Abiola had called the
military officers who invaded his house) anyway.
But, this Governor Bulldozer, and called
“progressive”, only in 2011 was begging the people
for their votes. How many would have voted for
him, if they knew that by 2013 they would be
rendered homeless and asked to come and collect
compensations unilaterally determined by
government afterwards? Is this democracy in
practice? And where is the State House of
Assembly in all these?
When the mind turns to Governor Wada of Kogi
State, it immediately thinks Convoy Terrorism. His
convoy’s collision with Iyayi’s vehicle, killing the
Professor and halting FG-ASUU talks, was the third
involving the Governor since December 28, 2013.
So, it has been one crash every four months and
the year is not over yet. I can testify that Wada’s
Convoy Terrorism has become legendary in Kogi
State. In February this year, on my way from Enugu,
heading for Abuja, I encountered the menace near
the Confluence Hotel in Lokoja. The road was
terrible; but that did not deter Wada’s convoy from
speeding like demons. Even when vehicles moved
off the road for them, some of the policemen in the
convoy will still kick out or hit with the butt of their
guns, vehicles which failed to drive into the ditch
fast enough so that Kogi’s Lord and master can
move as fast as the Devil will drive his convoy.
Several deaths have occurred on account of a man
whose first duty is the safety of the citizens. And,
where is the State Assembly? Where are the people
in Kogi saying enough to a governor who apparently
cannot control his delirium of power?
In my ten years in the US, I found myself stopped at
traffic lights, in Boston, four times with two
Governors of Massachusetts. None violated the red
light stopping every citizen. But, I forgot. Those
governors were human beings leading other human
beings not the political monsters we have created to
rule over slaves.
Since the Police can order us to stay away from
Anambra for three days “for security reasons”,
what stops the Army from closing the borders to
Abuja for a week or month for the same reasons if
they choose? The black man is backward because
he, alone among races, cannot think deeply until the
precedents they allow come to haunt them.
These are only examples.
LAST LINE: Despite the coup against the people, the
election will still be disputed. So what was the use
of violating our constitutional rights?
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