HOME | POLITICS | SPORTS | LIFE | SCI/TECH | OPEDS | HELPFUL TIPS
|
Mar. 7, 2007 Pharaoh was the Egyptian perculiar dark-age king whose exploits were chronicled in the Bible. During his time (when mankind was still in the dark) kingdom and kingship were associated with absolutism and absolute submission by subjects. Pharaoh could only be compared to ancient domineering Kings and figures like Saul, Ceaser and Herod. These overbearing stone-age despots had a running battle of power and supremacy with God and in the end the occupant of heaven one way or the other prevailed over the wickedness and ruthlessness of these men who ruled their respective peoples with iron fist and uncompromising subservience. They had their times and succumbed to inevitable mortality leaving the earth to it's Creator whose glorious immortality distinguished Him from the rest. Even the Kingdom of Heaven had had it's own fair share of power tussle between the Supreme Commander and His less-powerful angels. The first coup d'etat ever was mounted in heaven by Lucifer, a beautiful angel we are taught by the Good Book who saw the need to alter the natural course of things by dethroning the Head of the celestial congregation up there in heaven with whom he was working as a torch-bearer. Like today's coup plotters in Africa and elsewhere Lucifer thought it wise to eliminate the owner of the crown believing that it suited him better than the original bearer. Like in every plot aimed at toppling the status quo envy, ambition and betrayal were the provoking motivating elements. Alas he failed in his mission and was consequently thrown out of paradise with his rebelling angels unto the earth where they are still causing grief and terrorising those of us who still owe allegiance to the only true God. In spite of his diabolical schemes and spiritual manipulations to sway people's worship and adoration of the Lord satan and his cohorts are finding it difficult fooling all the people all the time or confusing the children of the High Onnipotent Master. His kingdom of darkness constantly suffers aggression by determined men and women of God who refuse to be tamed by his crafty anti-God antics. The God of Abraham, Jacob, David and Moses are still in supreme command and no question about that! In today's world there (were) are a lot of Pharoahs especially here in Africa supervising the affairs of their respective nationals. In the larger world one could cite names like German Adolphus Hitler, Italian Mussolini, Balkan Slobo Miloshevic, Iraqi Saddam Hussein, Saudi Osama Bin Ladin, Chilean Pinochet and Pol Pot. And closer home one could cite Ugandan Idi Amin Dada, Congolese Mobutu Sese-Seko, Togolese Eyadema, South African Pietha Botha, Zimbabwean Mugabe, Nigerian Ibrahim Babangida and Sani Abacha and Libyan Muamar Ghadafi. Needless to point out the existence or passages in global stage of lesser Pharoah-rebels like Nigerian Odumegwu Ojukwu, Liberian Charles Taylor, Ugandan Joseph Koin, Angolan Jonas Savimbi, Sierra Leonean Foday Sankoh and the arabic islamic jihadists in Algera, Lebanon and Palestine. Presently in Nigeria President Olusegun Obasanjo has become a modern-day Pharoah with Nigeria as his hostage. His transformation from a democratically-elected or selected President to a dark-age despot was made possible by the presidential system of government whose fake version we are practising as a nation. With awesome powers at his disposal (some constitutional and others unconstitutional) OBJ has become a Lord of the Manor to whom everybody must owe allegiance. Playing God withingly or otherwise Obasanjo has suddenly become desperate as the imminent end of his 8-year tenure dawns on him. The Ota farmer having tried and failed in his third-term bid has suddenly realised that April 29 is getting closer than ever. The fear of the unknown after April has got him thinking giving him sleepless nights. Having corruptly enriched himself and committed monumental atrocities the Owu Chief is afraid of life after power. Left with lesser good friends having dealt with those who had helped him climb to power OBJ is running from pillar to post in search of 'immunity' after April. Obasanjo's arrogance, obduracy and corruption is a study which history must examine passionately and objectively. History must reconcile how a subdued man freshly released from the Abacha gulag with only 19,000 Naira (in a bankrupt state) some eight odd years ago should now be reputed as one of the richest Nigerians with stupendous resources cornered in a space of 8 years. His flouriching Ota Farm which was moribund in 1998 ought to be scrutinized. OBJ's diabolical plots against the interest of Nigeria and Nigerians go against every grain of patriotism or statesmanship. His many enemies like Audu Ogbeh, Solomon Lar, Theophilus Danjuma, Abubakar Rimi, Tunji Braithwaite and a host of others in the ANPP and the AC have in their possession serious dossiers bordering on national dispossession. Braithwaite remarkably has been calling for an organized revolution as a way out of this present political limbo into which Nigeria has sunk. But by far his greatest political foe, the VP Atiku Abubakar has become his Archilles hill. His persecution of his deputy has reverberated across the world raising questions over OBJ's flawed claims to integrity and perfection. The strings of triumphs in the law courts against him and his PDP by Atiku go a long way to paint the Nigerian judiciary in a good image internationally. Abubakar Atiku is a political animal that knows the terrain, where he's coming from and where he's going. He once described OBJ as a 'hard man' who believes he knows all and therefore sees no need taking anybody's advice. Just few months ago OBJ relinquished the petroleum resources ministry when criticisms over the scarcity and shortage of energy were becoming deafening. By surrendering the portfolio he confiscated on assuming his mandate just few weeks to the end of his 8-year eventful tenure OBJ was playing both smart and safe. But that does not preclude the in-coming administration from probing his stewardship in that regard. Obasanjo's so-called reforms which he vaunts at every fora have so far failed to translate into democracy dividends or good lives for majority of Nigerians. His insistence therefore on handing over power to only those who will continue with the so-called reforms smacks of presidential arrogance, gaffe and criminal bravado. There's no way he can impose his reforms on the next president when the reforms are judged or deemed to be anti-people or anti-progress. It can only take a Pharoah in Obasanjo to defend the fact that the Ibadan political wild lion Lamidi Adedibu is not being shielded from prosecution from many atrocities he has masterminded or committed in Ibadan and Oyo State in general. Lamidi Adedibu is enjoying presidential immunity and every discerning mind knows and holds that to be true. So OBJ should not insult our collective sensibilities by saying anything otherwise. Against judicial pronouncement of the highest order the Pharaoh in Obasanjo has refused to release the Lagos State local council funds he is sitting on. Under normal circumstances Obasanjo should have been impeached ever since by the National Assembly for flouting the orders of the apex court. Under a democratic system of government (which Nigeria claims to operate) the majesty of the rule of law and due process cannot be compromised or sacrificed on the alter of political expediency. 'Babacracy' must not be the law unto itself! In the Niger Delta the Pharoah in him has bared it's fangs dangling both carrot and the big military stick at the same time. But he has met his match in the Niger Delta determined militants who continue to sieze hostages and sabotage the free flow of oil from their polluted lands. The detained NDPVF leader Asari Dokubo once described Obasanjo as a Paroah arguing however that for every Pharoah God creates He creates a Moses to outwit or counter him. Dokubo claimed that in the underground SSS cell he has been held incommunicado a lot of Nigerians are dying piecemeal forgotten by all and sundry; he even named names to back his point. The SSS has become Obasanjo's private army that's above the laws of the land killing and torturing people at will without recourse to justice. It is hightime the National Assembly examined the status of the SSS and seek the mafia-like security organizations's reform. Chief Gani Fawehinmi said it all when he questioned Obasanjo's worrying attitude to the emergence of the next president and his utterances of late. In a fierce attack against OBJ reported in a Nigerian daily Gani was in his best characteristic element drawing conclusions that no one could ever afford to question. According to the radical Lagos-based legal luminary: "How can Obasanjo’s economic agenda, which has failed to meet the energy needs of the Nigerian people, be tied like an albatross on his successor?" The National founder of the NCP who accused Obasanjo of treason continued: "He has failed dismally to draw the line between official presidential duties and the electoral campaign for a presidential candidate of his party, the Peoples Democratic Party. He has virtually put Governor Umar Musa Yar’Adua in his pouch like an Australian kangaroo, using presidential jets, presidential security, presidential financial vote and all other paraphernalia of presidential authority just as he did in 2003 when he was the official presidential candidate. In 2007, the president is more desperate and more daring. He talks, acts and struts as if he is the presidential candidate, spewing out threats, blackmail and defamation against opponents." The Senior Advocate of Nigeria reasoned conclusively that "Obasanjo’s misbehaviour is tasking the patience of men and women of integrity and moral values across the land. His campaign tactics and provocative utterances when he is not a candidate are capable of undermining the fairness of the election and the constitutional stability of the polity". Need one say more? Over to you dear reader. ------------ About the author: Sunny Chris Okenwa is a new U-K contributor based in Abidjan Cote d'Ivoire. Email: soco_abj_2006_rci@hotmail.fr Comment on this article here! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com. Please link to this article rather than copying and pasting it onto your site (which would be unauthorized and illegal). |
||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
