The same message is echoing about the Nigerian Ship again

Yes, it is good news that we have survived; with this Fourth Republic for 25 years – counting from 1999, when General Olusegun Obasanjo, a one-time Military Head of State, took over from General Abdusalam Abubakar; the last of the Nigerian Military Junta, at a very elegant handing over after a democratically contested election.

But by events of this Administration – under President Bola Tinubu, there seems to be hiccup in the body of the Polity. Things, as they look, are no more at ease; with much respect to Chinua Achebe; our late literary Icon.

It must be purely for this reason that The Guru walked a memory back somewhere to the First Republic, to draw from his deep well of Historical Perspective.

What the man tries to do here is sounding a very strong warning to today’s leadership of the Fourth Republic to please learn from the past. This warning should be appropriately taken by our leadership because of what one of our own – another highly reverend Nigerian man of knowledge, called Cicero – James Ajibola Idowu Ige [September 13, 1930 – December 23, 2001]’s said.

He said that history has shown that people don’t learn from history hence history has a way of repeating itself. He, most unfortunately, did not learn from history enough, hence brutal history met with him in Ibadan on the evening of that December 23, 2001.

It is for this that The Guru is asking present Nigeria’s leadership to listen to the music that echoed during First Republic and compared it to the music that echoed in the Second Republic diligently and decide the similarities between those two echoes and the one that booming currently.

“A stich in a time saves nine”, the elders have always said.

The Nigerian First Parliamentarian General Election of December 30, 1964, left our country politically divided. The meaning of real political enmity came down from Hell – because it could not have arrived from Heaven, and all Nigerians, matured enough then, saw it. What most of those that were decoding the mathematical equation of that time, thought it was just a phase that would soon vanish with time

Alas, it refused to vanish away. And one of the many reason that made that “political disorder” not vanished, was the fact that those who won the election of that year started thinking and calling themselves Warrior, Victors and Conquer. That was in one hand.

While, on the other hand, those who lost in the election were becoming sadder on daily basis because those who won started calling those who lost as “bad losers” - the losers really were being tormented physically, spiritually, mentally and emotionally by the winners.

Even, in-between these two Group of winners and losers; as they so named themselves, anger, dichotomy, bitterness and all verses were geometrically growing, without any attempt of reconciliation from any quarter.

The dichotomy raised its ugly head more between the North and the South, with the East finding some silvered lining along the Coast of Safety. Of course, since a House divided against itself cannot stand – as the saying goes, the political enmity between Obafemi Awolowo and Samuel Ladoke Akintola, inside One House that the Western Region could have been, did not see solution appearing from any angle.

The atmosphere degenerated into “Operation Weti re” in the Western Region. Houses of suspected political enemies were being burnt. People were being sent to jail through the instrumentality of jaundiced judiciary.

The losers of that political election [1964] were at the loosing ends while the winners were enjoying the freedom of triumph or victory.

That was the situation until the 15th Meeting of the Heads of Governments and Heads of Commonwealth of Nations met in Lagos in January 1966. Practically speaking, our own esteemed Prime Minister of that era – the Golden Voice of Africa; as he was called, Sir Tafawa Balewa, hosted that conference while fire was burning on his roof.

The Conference was successfully hosted by Nigeria, so the so-called Winners of the 1964 General Election classified it.

Sir Tafawa Balewa, having done a good job of hosting the delegates, decided, with full enthusiasm, to see his Special Guests off to their different destinations, at the Nigerian only International Airport, at Ikeja, on that day of January 14, 1966. A journalist of the Tribune Newspaper asked the Prime Minister a deep question that day, at the Airport.

Sir, “how comfortable are you hosting the Commonwealth Conference while fire is burning in Western Nigeria?”, the man asked.

Do you want to know the “Wise” answer our “wisdom-packed” Prime Minister gave?

Is Ikeja not part of Western Region you mentioned? Where is the fire you are talking about? Can you show me the fire, please?

That was January 14, 1966. And 48 hours later, that joke of looking for the fire had become one big history – and so well written for future generations.

Then, another scene, like 1941 and 1966 re-echoed again, but this time, in 1982, around October or November of that year.

Obafemi Awolowo, in his usual custom, was going on his annual pilgrimage to Isreal, and at the airport in Ikeja, he addressed the Press. The Sage submitted, during the briefing, that the Ship of the Nigerian Nation would soon go aground because of the financial recklessness of Nigerian Political Leaders – he took time to give details of the Nigerian financial balance sheet. He submitted, with timely accuracy that it would only be matter of months, the Nigerian Nation-State Ship would be wrecked.

Of course, the then Nigerian Ruling Political Party did not welcome Chief Obafemi Awolowo with Cup of Tea. Neither were drums rolled out to dance for him. What he said then has since became One big history.

Here we are, in 2024, the music is sounding from somewhere, and many people are speaking, as some people spoke in the past. Who is listening?

The Gure shall be advising, tomorrow, at Lagos Talks 91.3 FM Studio, that if we will not listen to what Nigerians are saying, President Bola Tinubu’s Administration should, at least, listen to what General Abdulsalami Abubaker – a onetime Nigerian Military Head of State, has just said. And what did this Gentleman Officer is saying?

Wait and meet with The Guru tomorrow, by the grace of God.

Godwin Etakibuebu; a Veteran Journalist, wrote from Lagos.

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You can also listen to this author [Godwin Etakibuebu] every Monday; 9:30 - 11am on Lagos Talk 91.3 FM live, in a weekly review of topical issues, presented by The News Guru [TNG].

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