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Author: Yaro Dangari
Posted to the web: 5/3/2010 8:22:57 AM

 

As a Nigerian and a writer, with interest in some of thepolitical intrigues going on in the country since the return of democracy morethan ten years ago. I must confessed that I am  grateful to God  and thank my stars  to be alive today to hear, see and witnessed some of the bombardment of words against  one of Nigerian popular  power broker General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangidasince the old Nigerian military fox announced his interest to contest for the juiciest political office inthe country as president elect come 2011, and true to his standing as one ofthe most controversial Nigerian ex military  Head of State still alive after long yearsof  khakirule in Africa most populous rich nation, I am so thrilled to read and see someof the reactions from almost all the sentimental  demarcated walls of this great enduringnation call Nigeria, a demarcation the charismatic general has promised tobreak down  through the abolition of the retrogressiveFederal Character System if elected President in 2011. Much as some of theattacks could be view as right expressions and opinions from concernedNigerians, others to me are mere loud noises with no clear cut direction orunderstanding, which has turned into a circle of personal aggravations lacedwith sentimental and sectionalized colorization, which in actual sense wouldnot lead us anywhere, because the fact remains: Babangida take it or leave itis still a  relevant power broker inNigeria political arena, whose input on who becomes the next President of thiscountry can never be over look, no matter which side of the coin is tossed. Agood political analyst will quickly deduced that the hilltop general no matterhis crux still has a high stake in the Nigeria project, especially in thecurrent political dispensation. And only a naïve political analyst or playerwould think the retired, but not tired general could be kick to the sideline asa mere spectator in the controversial and uncertain mucky water of Nigeriapolitics and allowed himself to be swallowed by strong tides he could controland swim over, after all the years and experience in the corridors of power.Come to think of it are we   all not daily swimming against various forcesof life in our existence as human beings in this transitional life we all cameto found ourselves without our request. So as expected we must expect differentreactions from different sources around us, especially among those whosometimes see us as super human beings who are not bound or born to makemistake or commit sin.

The Babangidaâ's counter reactions so far to me have come toproved that Nigerians are now more enlightened and political conscious on whatgoes on around them. The sudden announcement of General Babangida to takeanother shot as the popular electedtenant of Aso Rock come 2011, hasnot only heated the Nigerian political terrain , it has  also brought out the long accumulatedfrustrations and opinions of various Nigerians across the globe, on the  right of this fellow Nigerian to contest asPresident in the forth coming general election without doubt as a distinguishedNigerian citizen  that providence hasmade him to be, something we must have to accept  either as critic or supporter alike, which inactual sense is the pivotal reason to this write up.

So many critics have come out openly with strong patrioticand nationalist views on why the gap tooted general should and must not beallowed to contest for this revered position as the powerful tenant of Aso Rock, which in my view hasdemonstrated the civility and democratic freedom we now enjoyed as a people,but we should also not forget and hold on to the fact that power relatively inwhatever circumstances really comes from NOBODY but GOD , the creator and owner of everything. While I don’t want toproclaim Babangida  as a saint which hehis not, it is also important to remind us that we are all sinners withindividual mistakes and failure as mortals who must all leave all the glitters,power and fame behind in this vanity world and return naked the way we came.

I think the daily criticisms of Babangida ambition no doubthas revealed to him that “Nigeria indeed has come of age” and as a human being withconscious and a free flow of blood in his vain he must have learnt or beginningto learn from his past mistakes and ready to amend his short comings, which heeither do if providence would be kind to push this elusive power into his handsagain, a transition that could happen, if what would be will be.

 But as expected dueto some of the facts and fictions attributed to his regime his interest tocorrect his mistakes and probably contribute more effectively to the economic,social and political development of his country is being challenged, a challengedthe general must learn to face and ready to accept as penalty for sometimeplaying over the collective intelligence of group of people, who you can always fool sometime, but can neverreally fool all the time.

 I think It shouldthen be our responsibility as an enlightened people to educate and correct themistakes of this mortal as teachers and observant who mostly were on thesideline when God trusted  him with thepower to lead us to economy and political freedom which he failed to achieve inhis eight years in office due to reasons that without doubt are best known tohim and his creator, bloopers I believe he now want to rectify if  Nigerians would be humanly enough to forgiveand forget his short coming as a human being who truly is never above mistakeand  should never be expected to beperfect in his policies and political ideas. Though the fact is no amount of propagandaor sycophancies can actually changed the truth that Babangida had his shortcoming as the former number citizen of the country, a position I believed hefound himself by the providence of God who made his coup successfully. So whathappens if the owner of all decides in His lone wisdom to return the  Minna General as the occupant of Aso Rock come 2011,the way it happenedmysteriously in 1999, when He dusted out Chief Aremu Obasanjo from the gallowsand matched him triumphantly into Aso  Villa , where he remained as tenant foreight  years, a feat so many politicalanalysts  have attributed to Babangidaand some other human mortals among us, deluding from the natural laws of natureand the equivocal fact that power in actual sense is in thehands of God the almighty and the giver. So I believe the notion that a Babangidabrought in Obasanjo to power or an Obasanjo gave power to Yar’adua is purefallacy and away from the common sense of power and position.

So part of the salient questions we should put to ourselvesare: what if itâ's Babangida again come 2011? Who among us can actually stop themystical metrics of power from taking place?  Should we shelve aside the negative mistakesof this fellow citizen and see what we can gain from his positive side? Are wereally looking inward with a wise comprehension that as the silent sound of2011 ticks by none among us really know what would befalls anyone of us beforethen, if only our panic and confused politicians, including the exitedpropelled electorates would learn from the current Yar’aduaâ's debacle , a signthat  has again proved to us  that no mortal really has a say over whatbefalls him or her at any given time and in actual sense what can anyone of usreally do if it is Babangida once again that is chosen as temporary occupant ofAso Villa come May 2011?, unless ofcourse there is anyone out there who feels he or she  can stop themetrics of power in its mystical  strides,which I doubt  and like  many other prudent thinkers out there, still subscribed to the  fact that power comes from nobody among us ,but from God the creator and ownerof everything under the sun.