My earliest memories of democracy as a little boy growing up in Nigeria were not happy memories. We were not allowed to go out to play during elections because of my father’s position in the community. One of my uncles went out one evening and was brought back home on a makeshift stretcher. Opposite party thugs had broken his leg with an iron bar.
Those were the days of the NCNC and Action Group. The thugs were vicious and showed no compassion when they cornered an opposite party member. Today, they remain as vicious as ever, but now they have also moved into cyber space and turned social media into anti social media.
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Bandits have ruled the world since time immemorial. Alexander the great, what was he great for? He was a great bandit. Genghis Khan, Julius Caesar, the list is endless. Even when a government is elected by popular vote, you find that it is the same group of people that get elected. The same crooked, greedy, money grabbing lootocrats and heartless bunch always find a way to the top.
2015 is a new low for Nigerian politics. There was no tangible content about policy which is supposed to be the basis of any political campaign. It was mostly name calling and character assassination. There was even a jibe about old men and nappies. How low can you go?
Nobody mentioned the environmental devastation in the Niger Delta. Even Goodluck Jonathan, a son of the Delta, had long given up on any plan to start cleaning up his blighted home land. If as I hear, it would take 30 years, to clean the mess, is that not good enough reason to start early?
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The elections are over but the vitriolic continues. The latest victim is senator-elect, Buruji Kashamu who the US authorities are pursuing on allegations of involvement in drug trade with US citizens. Nobody is talking about allegations anymore. It has become a case of “drug baron”, “convicted drug trafficker”, “wanted drug kingpin” and so on.
They ask, “Why does he not go to America to clear his name?” “America has the best justice system in the world” Is it possible that these cyber thugs don’t know that a suspect get thrown into jail in the U S of A while the wheels of justice grind slowly?
If you land in America as a suspect awaiting further investigation, you don’t get a five star hotel. You are thrown into jail like a convicted prisoner and your assets are frozen with a view to confiscate whatever is left over by the lawyers.
Miscarriages of justice are common in America and Britain. A black man in the state of Alabama, Anthony Ray Hinton was recently freed from death row after 30 years for something he did not do. There are many others like him and many more who have not been able to overturn their unsafe convictions.
It is common knowledge that the CIA deal in drugs, and control the drug trade. Banks love drug money, lawyers love drug money, and politicians love drug money. The global economy is awash with drug money.
Journalists from the British sun newspaper found traces of drugs throughout the palace of Westminster in July 2013. There were traces of drugs at 9 locations, including platforms in toilets. Politicians, lawyers, doctors, soldiers, Musicians, movie stars and all sorts of professionals around the world dabble in illicit drugs. Countless rich and famous people have snorted so much coke that they had to have their noses reconstructed due to cocaine damage. Kashamu did not supply them.
They say senator Kashamu bought his way into power. How else do you get into power under the western system of democracy which we have adopted? If we are using Western system of government to elect the wrong people to high office, maybe we should blame the system and dump it. Kashamu did not invent money bag politics. It is the same in the west. America is worst on the planet for money bag politics.
The Ukrainian boxer, Vitali Klitschko wanted to run for the presidency of his country because he got money bags from sport. Manny Pacquiao another boxer is a member of the Philippine House of Representatives, and George Wear is now a successful politician in Liberia because he had money to burn.
It is alleged that Sarkozy took money from Ghadafi to fund political campaign and had him killed before he could confirm it and now they want his son. Western democracy is money bags democracy and politicians are not always too scrupulous about the source of their campaign funds.
I campaigned in the streets of London to restore the late MKO Abiola’s mandate even though I never met the man. I was in the march from the Imperial war museum to Trafalgar square with John Odigie Oyegun, former governor of Edo State and one of Abiola’s daughters and a multitude of other Nigerians. I had a mega phone in my hand ranting and raving about in the rain for the actualisation of the will of the people on June 12, 1993. In the same way, I would support general Buhari if anyone tries to hijack his mandate.
I know that the White man does not forgive. He is persistent and will hunt his prey to the end of the earth, but this time we must stand firm and defend our son. America does not give its children to anyone, including the International Criminal Court. Why should they ask us to give them ours, especially those who have never entered their country?
The Nigerian state has a duty of care to ensure the personal safety of senator-elect Buruji Kashamu and provide personal body guards for him at all times. He must be protected from abduction by foreign agents just like the British protected the late Umaru Dikko. A friend once pointed out a super yacht to me at the Lagos marina which looked like a cruise ship. It was called Fatima and it was owned by Umaru Dikko. Those have looted our treasury for decades continue to flaunt their loot and manipulate the affairs of the nation. They are the people we should be chasing.
The Americans want Kashamu’s money. We must tell them politely that they cannot have it. We need it more. We should be asking the white man to repatriate our looted money. They know where every penny is hidden, that is why they can seize asserts whenever they want.
Why is anybody complaining about Kashamu giving bags of rice away? The voters in Ogun state are lucky to get a bit of rice. Nigerians have been queuing in the baking sun for years and never even got a glass of clean water for their efforts. There was running water in the streets of my home town in Esan, Edo state, in the fifties, but now there is none. There is no water in my home town!
America should be devoting resources finding out why Americans have such voracious appetite for addictive drugs. They say New York is the greatest city in the world; so, why do they love drugs so much. Why are there so many junkies and gun totting gangsters in America? People take illegal drugs to relieve emotional pain. Why are people so unhappy and emotionally distressed in the land of opportunities? These are the questions America should be asking itself.
The English taught the Americans everything they know about Jurisprudence; so, if the courts of England were satisfied that there was insufficient evidence against Mr Kashamu to order his extradition to America, that should be the end of the whole matter. The Senator must now be allowed to fulfil his mandate without hindrance. The people have spoken.
President Buhari must not let Nigeria be bullied by America. American lawyers are queuing up for Kashamu’s money. Why should they have it? The man has spent five years in a British jail without any criminal conviction. that is bad enough. He should now be allowed to develop his political career.
The concept of a platform for exposing corruption through self reporting is laudable, but it must not be allowed to become a medium for irresponsible character assassination and reckless journalism. Sahara Reporters must ensure that it does not allow its platform to be used as a tool for peddling garbage. Describing an elected Nigerian senator, who has not been convicted on a drug charge or any criminal offence for that matter as a drug kingpin, is a despicable affront to Nigeria as a nation.
We must assert and defend the sovereignty of our nation.
Thomas Danian
All Rights Reserved
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