The Nation Newspaper

Tag: requiem

  • Requiem for ‘man of peace’ Penny K

    At the Archbishop Vining Memorial Church in GRA Ikeja, Lagos State, family members and associates gathered to pay their last respects to the late Prince Kehinde Adedeji Adeniyi (aka Penny K) who died at 72. OLATUNDE ODEBIYI was at the funeral service of the industrialist and music enthusiast, one of the pioneers of the fast food business in Lagos.

    IT was a solemn gathering. Yet, it was colourful and classy at the Archbishop Vining Memorial Church, GRA, Ikeja, Lagos State where many paid their last respects to the late Prince Kehinde Adedeji Adeniyi (aka Penny K) whose remains were buried at Ikoyi Vaults and Gardens, after the funeral service. He was 72.

    Those who cried when he died did not only do so because they lost a great personality but also because they lost a man whose lifestyle was a source of inspiration to youths.

    They spoke about his compassion, his large heart and the goodwill he showed to others – without discrimination.

    At the funeral service, the Dean of the Cathedral, Venerable Goke Agara, said the late Adeniyi was hard working and friendly. He touched many lives.

    Ven. Agara urged the congregation to live a righteous life so that they will not go to hell when they die but meet their Creator. He also urged them to shun a crummy lifestyle and give people, especially the youth, the right counsel.

    “Engage in mentorship and be role models for the young ones. You must do the will of God so that when it is your time to meet your Creator, you will experience a happy death. Give the right counsel to others; don’t let your counsel make people do the wrong thing, because giving wrong counsel can lead others to destruction.

    “You are still alive; you have the opportunity to make amends so that you can die the death of the righteous and not that of the wicked. One day you will die and it will be too late to make amends. Are you living a righteous life? If you die today, will God accept you? Will He say you lived a good life? Death is an appointment; it will come whenever it will come, and no one can escape from it.

    “Trust in the Lord and do good. If you know the end of the wicked, you will not live a wicked life. We are giving Baba a farewell. One day, people will gather for you in a church service or at the grave side. When God comes into your life, it will be a new beginning,” he said.

    Many shook their heads as the man of God spoke.

    He urged the congregants to accept Christ and start living a new life so that God will make them what He wants them to be.

    In a tribute, the first wife of the late Prince Adeniyi’s, Dolapo, described him as “the best”.

    “We were young and had many beautiful dreams. Our wedding was beautiful and the envy of all. We had nothing but each other and in no time God blessed us evidently. Our lives were a living proof. I look back now and I am even more confident that alive I was your wife, and even now in death, I remain your wife. You are the husband of my youth,” she said.

    His second wife, Atinuke, described him as a man with a large heart.

    “You affected so many lives positively; you loved your family and friends, you were very hardworking and never wanted to slow down. The fateful Sunday morning I took you to the hospital, I never knew you will not go back home with me. Good night, my dear husband,” she said.

    The first son of the late Prince Adeniyi, Mobolaji, said his father molded him to become who he is.

    “I had varied relationships with my father; he was a father, my good friend and boss. He was self-driven, positive, giver, hard worker and a man that loved life.

    “He was my hero; he proved to me that tough love works, that a winning spirit and a generous heart are important. He taught me to look at the bigger picture, he was a successful businessman. He always looked at the societal benefit of every project and how to improve the lives of others. He was a pioneer, he was a game changer, he was different and he saw opportunity in every situation. Daddy, I miss you and I love you forever,” he said.

    Another of his son, Segun, described him as resourceful, great, a shield, a cool man and a man that had a real presence in his life.

    “I will never forget you and I am going to miss your smile more than anything else. You never seemed worried, you always had things under control; you lived a great life and I love you always,” he said.

    The late Adeniyi fought during the civil war in Asaba and Onitsha. He studied printing in Brooklyn in the United States of America (USA). He was married to Dolapo and Atinuke.

    He founded More Time Supermarket, Pennyk Fast Food, More Time CO2 and More Time Information Technology.

     

  • Requiem for the vote robber

    President Muhammadu Buhari’s blunt order, that electoral robbers trying their luck next Saturday, could stake their lives, has turned the polity to a tizzy, especially in the opposition camp.

    The reason is rather not clear: why should that order, conditional on brazen electoral robbery, worry anyone? Or are they putative vote robbers?

    To be sure, the emotive hyperbole (orchestrated hysteria over dire consequences) and euphemism (no less orchestrated down-playing of the crime) has been rather sweet, in the protesting camp.

    Hyperbole: Why would the president order fellow citizens to be “shot”, in a democracy?

    Well, a vote robber is no “fellow”, law abiding citizen; and no could could have ordered anyone “shot” in a democracy, except that citizen constitutes himself into a danger to all, who must be stopped before he stops everyone else.  That is what a vote robber is — an armed brigand. He would kill: first, to steal the vote; and then rob the people of their will.  The state would be damned to helplessly stand by and watch such brazen crime happen.

    Euphemism:  Should a citizen “die” for “electoral infraction”?

    A smart tone-down.  But no one is deceived.  Brigandage isn’t part of the electoral process.  It’s a high crime against the electorate.  In any case, the lawful and decent citizenry eschews such crimes.  If you don’t stray into that dangerous zone, that warning is null and void.

    Besides, it’s such brazen vote robbery that has brought Nigeria to its present woes.  Fiddled votes enthrone irresponsible leaders, who account to no one.  The result is there for everyone to see: government turned into personal bazaars and the resultant mass poverty.  That is the present sorry pass.

    In 2007, sitting President Olusegun Obasanjo boasted the election would be “do or die”.  He got his way: the result was the worst election in Nigerian history.  But that was only the beginning.  The ultimate result was the meltdown under President Goodluck Jonathan by 2015.  By then, almost every facet of good governance had vanished.  The looters, enthroned by electoral robbers, were too busy looting the treasury to care.

    It’s amazing — isn’t it? — that the same Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), under whose tenure these robbers and looters held sway, appear championing the democratic right to steal the vote, with their hysterical reaction to the presidential warning.  In their cant, they posture to love democracy.  But really, what their taste buds crave is carrion of democracy — snuff out the people’s will to gain illicit power..

    On the run-up to Saturday, let everyone behave themselves.  Follow the law, vote whoever you like and let the vote count.  But whoever wants to crookedly tweak the process can’t claim greater right to citizenship than other law abiding citizens.

    To be fore-warned, is to be fore-armed.

  • Ban on PTA levy: Requiem mass for Unity colleges

    SIR: The trend of policy reversals and summersault in the education sector has assumed a worrisome dimension to proselytes and indeed well-wishers for the nations’ turn around.

    It is not strange that when new administrations come to power, they tend to bring meaningful innovations into the administration and also engrave their signatures and prove they are not “follow-follow”.  This has been the trend over the years.  Oftentimes, several policies are made and not implemented leading to stunted growth.  The Nigerian child obviously becomes the victim.

    Looking back over the years, the only Minister of Education that deviated from this worrisome trend was Dr. Sam Egwu.  He gathered together egg heads and technocrats and dusted all the past policies before the Ministry developed a roadmap for the education sector.  The roadmap has been and remains the only living “Bible” for the education sector.  However, the recent pronouncements and policy reversals by the current leadership in the Federal Ministry of Education has assumed a very worrisome dimension that if not checked, the conflagration might consume the entire sector which serves as a fulcrum around which other sectors gravitate.

    First, it was the cancellation of POST-UTME, then lopsided appointments and treatment of vice chancellors and parastatals as office assistants to be hired and fired at will.  The latest policy pronouncement was the one that affects the Federal Unity Colleges. These colleges remain the earliest contacts and models of excellence in public education for the citizenry.  Bedeviled by gross underfunding and neglect, the 104 Colleges have been gasping for breath and relevance.  Apologists of the private colleges, who they compete with, had worn so many stories and made several attempts to smear the colleges as mere aberration hence the call for selling them off. However, good reasons prevailed with the help of parents who resisted this unique national experiment and pride.

    My experience in King’s College Lagos where I served as Principal for six years is worthy of mention here.  The success of my administration, apart from self-determination and positive vision and focus, could be attributed to the unqualified support I got from stakeholders especially Parents and the Alumnus, King’s College Old Boys Association (KCOBA).  The level of funding of our Colleges does not support quality education.  For instance, with the support of the parents, we had to recruit 50 graduate teachers most of who taught the core subjects like English, Mathematics, Civic Education and the Sciences.  Since the Obasanjo days, government outsourced municipal services, hence the cooks, stewards, drivers and cleaners were not in the government wage bill.  The Parents Teacher Association picked the bill of contracted out cleaning services and also supported in providing security staff, wardens and the cooks.  This was apart from the capital project like the construction of the five-storey building for hostel accommodation at a whopping cost of over N300 million.

    The recent legislation and pronouncement from the Federal Ministry of Education on school fees, cancellation or ban on development levies for new entrants by the PTA and the unification of PTA termly levy to N5,000 is therefore a killer punch that if not reversed would serve as a death knell for the total annihilation  of our Federal Unity Colleges. In an era of declining revenue from the federal source, parents are the most important alternative source of funding.  We have often said that all stakeholders including the government, developmental partners, parents, the community, the Alumni’s and all other people of goodwill must contribute to the funding of public education.  Education for all is the responsibility of all.

    We therefore appeal to the Federal Ministry of Education to quickly reverse its present directives and quickly call an emergency meeting of stakeholders to agree on the appropriate fund sourcing for our Federal Unity Colleges.  If not, then the requiem mass for the obsequies of the 104 Federal Unity Colleges which this recent pronouncement stands for is being celebrated under the chaplaincy of Adamu Adamu, the Minister of Education and Professor Anthony Onwuka the Minister of State for Education.

     

    • Otunba Dele Olapeju, MNIM, FCIDA

    Ex-Director/Principal, King’s College, Lagos.

  • Requiem for a media titan

    Requiem for a media titan

    ERIJIYAN-Ekiti, Ekiti State, hosted great personalities, as a former traditional ruler of the town and veteran journalist, Samuel Oluremi Adebule, was laid to rest. By 3: 00 p.m. that fateful Thursday, guests from all over the country had already arrived at the family compound where the wake keep was billed to take place. It was an evening of celebration, as well as that of sombre reflection.

    The late Adebule, 78, was a man of many parts. He could be called a media titan, because he was at different times actively involved in both the print and broadcast media. The Prince from one of the ruling houses in Erijiyan may not have died on the throne, but he did reign as the traditional ruler or Oba of the town for over a year, before he was asked to abdicate the throne. This is because, according to the ruling of the Morgan Chieftaincy Review Commission, it was not the turn of the Ogbegun ruling house to which he belonged to ascend the throne. As a law-abiding citizen, he left the throne quietly and returned to his house in Lagos to forestall any situation of chaos and anarchy in his home town.

    Adebule was held in high esteem in the town. As a result, he was given a burial worthy of royalty. Tributes flowed freely; a number of friends, associates and family members were eager to speak and they were able to find the right words to honour the departed Adetule.

    A writer, Mr. Babatunde Ayo-Vaughan, said he had known Adetule who was his father’s colleague at the defunct Western Nigeria Broadcasting Service/Television (WNBS-WNTV) since his boyhood days. He said: “The late Olu Adetule could be credited as a pioneer in the development of the broadcast media in Nigeria. He became part of that broadcasting house as a pioneer member of its news department under my father, the late Samuel Folahan Ayo-Vaughan, who was the over-all head of that department.

    “Adetule’s relationship with my family – the Ayo-Vaughan family — never broke till his death and as a result of this I remained close to him and it was through this relationship I got to know that long before he made a foray into the broadcast industry he had actually served in the print media just like my father who worked in the print media before he moved into the broadcast industry.”

    Ayo-Vaughan noted that the late Adetule was very close to the late nationalist, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, who was the first premier of Western Nigeria, in the period before independence. His words: “He was like his private chronicler and they traveled together even as far as the Northern Nigeria. What he had to tell me about those days was so very interesting that I was almost on my knees begging him to put it into book form because it will help the knowledge of the posterity of Nigeria. He promised to do that but unfortunately he never got round to do it. This is very sad for me because I know that an encyclopedia on the pre-independence politics of Nigeria has gone with his knowledge. I pray that those like him who are still around and reading this should not make that mistake for the sake of Nigeria.

    “However, one is consoled by the fact that when he moved into the Drums Publication, the foremost magazine of his time as its Editorial Director, he had the opportunity to do much thought-provoking writings for public consumption. It is my great hope that if the copies of that magazine over the years are properly preserved, then it could be said that Olu Adetule still left something behind for posterity. It must be mentioned that at one time during the Federal Military Government of General Yakubu Gowon, he was appointed as the first press officer to that government.”

    The late Adetule’s first daughter, Princess Fadeke Adekanye, described her father as a special breed and a role model who taught his children to love, to care and to live well in a world full of mystery. She said: “The vacuum you left can never be replaced; you are the best dad anybody could ever wish to have; I am going to miss you. Your spirit lives on; sleep well my first love and confidant.”

    He was born on August 4, 1937 to the late Pa. Okunola Emmanuel Adetule and Janet Aina Adetule (nee Ajimoko). They are from Erijiyan-Ekiti and Oye-Ekiti respectively and died on the 11th of October 2015.

    A cosmopolitan man in his life, he was a member of the London Institute of Directors, a member of the Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN), as well as the Nigerian Guild of Editors.

    Adetule was the first press officer to the Federal Military Government of General Yakubu Gowon. Thereafter, he worked with Drums Publication Nigeria Ltd, the foremost African news magazine, as its editorial director.

    A product of the famous Ilesha Grammar School, he was one of those who struggled for the creation of Ekiti State. He is survived by his wives, children, grandchildren and great grandchildren, including Prince Kayode Adetule, a media practitioner and Princess Adekanye, a business woman.

     

  • Requiem for hospitality icon

    Requiem for hospitality icon

    Finally, Hill Station Hotel, Jos, once the pride of its owners, Plateau, Benue and Nasarawa states, has collapsed under the weight of woeful management, debts and neglect. YUSUFU AMINU IDEGU reports

    Everyone loved Hill Station. It offered guests and sightseers much to savour: a solid architectural piece located on a rocky hill in an enticingly wooded part of Jos, the Plateau State capital. It was a meeting point for politicians and government functionaries, and a second home to tourists, many of whom foreigners who relished the temperate weather of the scenic city.

    Not anymore. Hill Station is in the past now, its tangible assets carted off to be auctioned in the hopes that they would help to offset retirees’ salary arrears and other benefits. What about the staff who held on till the hotel last breath? Well, the best they can do is to probably hope for the best.

    Located in the mountainous part of the city, the hotel once summed up the city’s tourist potential, its beauty and the people’s hospitality. Those days are over. The once glamorous and architectural masterpiece that was the pride of all has become part of history. Blame mismanagement and neglect by its owners, Plateau, Benue and Nasarawa states, which once made up the old Benue Plateau State. Unable to show commitment towards sustaining the fortunes of the hotel, the three states allowed Hill Station to go into oblivion.

    Members of staff of the hotel were owed huge sums of money in salary arrears and other allowances. Its assets have been confiscated and probably sold off by retirees of the hotel at the instance of the National Industrial Arbitration Court where the retirees took their case to.

    Everybody in the state knew that the hotel had been experiencing serious managerial and financial challenges for over a decade, a situation lodgers and members of staff attributed to poor management and governments’ indebtedness which runs into several millions of naira. It is also alleged that the management of the hotel has been insensitive to the welfare of staff, even as they accused the management of corruption.

    General Manager of the hotel, Mrs. Mildred Best attributed the mess which the hotel is thrown into as emanating from the prolonged crises in the state which the hotel management has had to grapple with in recent years.

    She claimed that the communal crises which have affected the tourist potential of the state made it impossible for guests to lodge in the hotel. She also identified stiff competition from better-managed private hotels that sprang up almost every day has also affected the fortunes of the hotel. For 15 years or more, the hotel has experienced several problems that have made it impossible to cater for the welfare of its staff and pensioners.

    The hotel owed its staff for several years, and was once picketed several times by organised Labour; many of members of staff resigned due to the inability of the hotel to pay their emolument. Some members of staff stayed back, hoping the situation would improve as the management kept promising.

    Things got worse. Those who left because they could not bear the situation were not paid their entitlements. The existing staff union keeps picketing the hotel and those who had retired believed that they had no option than to drag the management to court.

    One of the members of staff of the hotel, Abel Madugu claimed that the hotel owes them salaries for 20 months while those who retired since 2006 have also not received their benefits. The retirees claimed the hotel owes them between N2 million and N7 million; depending on how long each retiree served the company.

    In 2011, the retirees dragged the hotel to court and obtained judgment against the management. Without waiting for the execution of the judgment, some other retirees headed for the National Industrial Court and, in December last year, the court gave another judgment against the management of the hotel.

    In the judgment, the two courts ordered the immediate payment of the benefits of the workers, failure of which its property are to be auctioned to the public to raise funds for the payment of the retirees. The total sum the company owes its retirees amounted to about N100 million.

    The company failed to honour the judgment of the two courts and did not appeal any of them. This forced the retirees to return to court to seek an order for the execution of the judgment and the Industrial Court did not hesitate in granting the order.

    Subsequent to the order of execution, the retirees came to the hotel in company of their counsel and the police to enforce the order. With the help of a truck, the court evacuated every property belonging to the hotel they could lay their hands on.

    However, when the court and the retirees came to execute the order, a mild drama ensued as the General Manager put up a weak resistance against the execution of the court order.

    First, she refused to receive the order of the court from the court Bailiff as she directed the staff to lock up the hotel and go home so as to prevent the court from having access to any part of the hotel. She fled the premises as soon as she gave that directive. Though members of staff succeeded in locking up the hotel rooms, they did not succeed in locking the bar and the conference hall.

    So, the evacuation of the property began from the reception, the bar and the conference hall. Realising that her first option did not work, the General Manager came back and ordered the security men to lock the gates to prevent any vehicle from coming in or going out.

    In reaction, the team went for police re-enforcement and when that was done, the General Manager discovered that the game was up and began to appeal for amicable resolution. But that apparently came too late as the truck conveying the properties had made several trips. By the end of the exercise, everything the hotel owned was evacuated, including beds in all the rooms.

    Counsel to the retirees, Linus Shingshak said if all the movable properties are not enough to settle the N100 million debt owed the retirees, some buildings belonging to the hotel  may also be put up for sale to recover the entire money to pay off the retirees.

    Some of the retirees who came to witness the enforcement of the court order could not hide their feelings over the way and manner the company they served with the whole of their heart has treated them.

    Abdulahi Mukhtar said: “I served the company for 20 years before I retired voluntarily. I deserved my retirement benefits, but since 2011 when I retired, the hotel has refused to settle the N4.1 million it owes me.”

    Another retiree, Okoh Godwin Obotu said: “I retired in 2010 after putting in 21 years in the service of the hotel. I have not been paid my claims till date. I am among those who went to court.”

    Among the retiree is a 75-year-old man, John Davou, who said he served the hotel for 37 years and retired in 2010. He said he and his family have been ravaged by poverty while he has N5.7 million to claim from his former employer.

    He said: “I’m suffering. I’m no longer employable and my entitlement that should sustain me has not been paid to me in the past six years. I have been begging to feed and pay my rent.”

    The General Manager, who was visibly angry with the action of the court, expressed surprise at the development, saying: “I am surprised at this development; I know the company is indebted to the retirees. They took us to court and I pleaded for payment by installments of the amount involved. I have even paid the first installment of N500, 000 a month. But all of a sudden, the court gave this order. I never expected this.”

    On why the company failed to offset its liability to its former workers, the General Manager said: “The hotel has not been doing well because the crises in the state took their toll on the hotel. Up till now, business is yet to pick up in the hotel. I have been appealing for patience but they refused to listen to my appeal.”

    People around the hotel were in shock while watching helplessly the forcible evacuation of belongings of the hotel. It was a scene hard to imagine.

    While some of them argued that the hotel has just become a victim of mismanagement, others believed that the state governments that co-owned the hotel had brought about its misfortune.

    Joshua Bala, one of those who witnessed the evacuation exercise said: “Our governments are bad managers. This hotel was expected to be modernized in accordance to current trend in the hospitality industry. But they refused to fund this hotel and they also refused to privatise it. Now, the hotel is gone.

    “It is alleged that the Plateau State Government alone may have owed the hotel over N100 million. If it had paid its dues accordingly, the hotel would have been able to offset its bills. Now this has become a huge disaster and a slap on the governments that own the hotel. I can’t imagine that three governors will jointly own a hotel and the hotel is under-funded; this is shameful.”

    Hill Station Hotel Limited was incorporated in 1954 and began business before Nigeria’s independence in 1960. It used to be one of the leading hotels in the Northern region.

    It was initially managed by the Colonial Masters but was later handed over to the Northern Nigeria Development Company (NNDC).

    As a limited liability company, the NNDC controlled 54 per cent of its shares. The remaining 45 per cent was shared among Plateau, Nasarawa and Benue state governments as co-owners.

    However, the investors could not manage the hotel profitably. At the same time the three states could not lease it out to private individuals to maximise profit. With the prolonged conflict in Jos, the hotel lost patronage. It could also not compete with new emerging hospitality businesses in the city of Jos.

  • There was a country: Blockade, starvation and a requiem for Biafra

    There was a country: Blockade, starvation and a requiem for Biafra

    “ Until now efforts to relieve the Biafran have been thwarted by  the desire of the central government of Nigeria to pursue total and unconditional victory and by fear of the Ibo people that surrender means wholesale atrocities and genocide. But genocide is what is taking place right now – and starvation is the grim reaper. This is not the time to stand on ceremony, or go through channels, or to observe the diplomatic niceties. The destruction of an entire people is an immoral objective even in the most moral of wars. It can never be justified; it can never be condoned.” U.S. President Richard Nixon’s campaign speech on September 10, 1968

    The Nigeria-Biafra war which was (under) estimated by Gowon and his top officers to last not more than three months, had lasted more than two years by July 1969. By an inexplicably suicidal instinct, Biafra had held on to the frustration of the Nigerian side. All the brutalities of an overwhelming force and the air bombardments overtly aided by British fire power had still not totally subdued the ‘rebels’. The economic blockade of the ‘rebels’ was thus reinforced and the noose tightened. All the seaports to Biafra had been closed at the beginning of hostilities with the creation of Mid-West, Rivers and South Eastern states which isolated the Biafra state of East Central State. Biafra had also been isolated from the major oil wells by this singular action.

    Further economic and food blockades had been devised as state policy and were being strictly implemented. No agreement could be reached between the two warring parties as to the modus of shipping essential supplies to the ‘rebel’ enclave. Ojukwu insisted on air routes, fearing food poisoning if supplies come through Nigeria moderated channels but the Nigerian government would not hear of it, worried that arms may be smuggled in via that method. In his writing for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees’ series, New Issues, Professor Nathaniel H Goetz of Pepperdine University thus captures the complexity of the standoff: “Politically, the possibility of a land corridor seemed impossible. One of the many disagreements between the warring parties was simple, yet it illustrates both the mistrust and complexity of what was occurring: Ojukwu forbade the necessary food to reach the country through the neutral corridor for fear Nigerian troops would poison it… on June 5 (1968), an ICRC DC-7 aircraft was shot down by the Federal air force over Biafra, killing the three aid workers on board. Because of this incident, serious disputes over the conduct of relief operations arose and the airlift was again suspended.”

    While the diplomatic face-off went on, the scourges of hunger, diseases and deaths raged on in war-ravaged Biafra eliciting uproar across the world. Dan Jacobs, author of the book, “The Brutality of Nations” wrote about the lamentations of Pope Paul VI over this situation: “The war seems to be reaching its conclusion, with the terror of possible reprisals and massacre against defenseless people worn out by deprivations, by hunger and by the loss of all they possess… there are those who actually fear a kind of genocide.”

    Jacobs also quoted the editorial of the Washington Post of July 2, 1969: “One word now describes the policy of the Nigerian military government towards secessionist Biafra: genocide. It is ugly and extreme but it is the only word which fits Nigeria’s decision to stop the International Committee of the Red Cross(ICRC), and other relief agencies from flying food to Biafra.”

    The International Committee in the Investigation of Crimes of Genocide led by a Ghanaian, Dr. Mensah after its investigation of the conflict, reported thus: “I am of the opinion that in many of the cases cited to me, hatred of the Biafrans (mainly Igbos) and a wish to exterminate them was a foremost motivational factor.”

    Let us take a final quote on the international outcry against the Federal Government’s handling of Biafra from no less a personage than Arthur Schlesinger, American historian and scholar of note: “The terrible tragedy of the people of Biafra has now assumed catastrophic dimensions. Starvation is daily claiming the lives of estimated 6,000 Igbo tribesmen, most of them children. If adequate food is not delivered to the people in the immediate future, hundreds of thousands of human beings will die of hunger.”

    It is from the foregoing, from the gloomy umbra of this genocidal turn of events that Achebe concludes that the highly respected Yoruba leader, Chief Obafemi Awolowo could not be watching this gory Biafran drama happen, not to talk of being part of it and worse, being the master mind. “All is fair in war, and starvation is one of the weapons of war. I don’t see why we should feed our enemies fat in order for them to fight harder.” This is the alleged refrain from Chief Awolowo and reechoed by people like Chief Allison Ayida, says Achebe. This pogrom by hunger was steadfastly reinforced with such grim policies as state creation, secret currency change, the 20 pounds punishment, the ban on importation of certain commodities and the Indigenisation Act. All this orchestrated war of attrition to what end than to asphyxiate Ndigbo?

    How, when and why did Igbo brothers and sisters suddenly become mortal ‘enemies’ to be strafed, starved to death and exterminated so that the rest of Nigeria would have peace? Why was the reprisal coup not stopped at killing Aguiyi-Ironsi and Igbo officers; why did over 30,000 defenceless civilians have to be slaughtered with no questions asked? What manner of leader would fold his hands and watch while his people are killed like rats in a senseless pogrom without putting up a fight no matter how feeble?

    Achebe is saying that Chief Awolowo providing the intellectual prowess behind these sinister policies means that we still did not know at which point the rain started to beat us. He is saying that Igbo is not the problem of Nigeria. Achebe is asking: who jailed Awolowo on trumped up charges; who killed Adekunle Fajuyi, then governor of Western Region in cold blood, for no reason; who chased away the most senior military officer (Brigadier Ogundipe) and installed a stooge as head of state; who made sure Awo never became president of Nigeria; who killed Ken Saro-Wiwa, who made sure M.K.O. Abiola never became president and eventually killed him, his wife and damaged his businesses; who jailed Obasanjo; who always insists that he always must rule or determine who rules?

    Achebe expected Chief Awolowo, as the Yoruba leader of that era, who had just been freed from an unjust imprisonment to stand up against the injustice of the pogrom against Igbo in the north; he expected him to speak up against the raging genocide unleashed on Ndigbo the way others like Wole Soyinka, Victor Banjo and a few other Yoruba spoke against it, instead of aiding and abetting it.

    EPILOGUE: REQUIEM FOR BIAFRA; QUO VADIS NIGERIA? On January 15, 1970, the Biafran delegation, which was led by Major-General Philip Effiong and included Sir Louis Mbanefo, M.T. Mbu, Col. David Ogunewe and other Biafran military officers, formally surrendered at Dodan Barracks to the troops of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

    Forty-two years ago, the rest of Nigeria teamed up seeking to exterminate the Igbo race in Nigeria, putting down more than two million and leaving the rest deprived, wretched and psychologically traumatised for no just cause. Forty two years after, all the rehabilitation and reconstruction promised was never to be. A trip through Igbo land today is enough proof of an ongoing ‘war’ by other means. Today, Igbo that was a pillar of the land, one of the majority tribes has been deliberately reduced to sub- minority. The people now are the least in population! It has the least number of states, local government areas and consequently, the least share of the federal revenue allocation. All these wars of attrition notwithstanding, the current attitude is: we dare you to talk about it. But Achebe insists: “My aim is not to provide all the answers but to raise questions, and perhaps to cause a few headaches in the process.”

    Sadly, Igbo land, the wretched remains of Biafra still bears the ugly marks of that near-annihilation, both physically and in the mind. For over four decades, Igbo still cannot dare to produce the President of Nigeria. For forty years, it remains tattered, disheveled and unkempt like an old hag. And because we have backed up the wrong tree, Nigeria generally has not fared much better either. The contorted creature sits pitiably today at a precipice staring down her deep, dark doom. Quo Vadis Nigeria?