"......... however difficult the moment, however frustrating the hour, it will not be long, because truth pressed to earth will rise again. How long? Not long, because no lie can live forever. How long? Not long, because you will reap what you sow. How long ? Not long, because the arm of the moral universe ....... bends towards justice." Behind tomorrow's curtain"

Martin Luther King Jr. March 25, 1965

his quote is from the speech OUR GOD IS MARCHING ON delivered by Martin Luther King Junior (MLK) in the front of the Alabama State capitol in Montgomery, to celebrate the triumph of the four-day grueling march from Selma's bloody Edmund Pettus Bridge. In the celebrated speech, MLK invited those who vowed that the civil rights protesters would never get to the steps of the capitol and those who swore that it would only happen over their dead bodies to come and attest to the victory of the burning desire for freedom over that of bondage. He was ecstatic about the triumph and he reveled in it.

In the case of Nigerians, particularly Southerners and other minority groups in the North, in respect of their being relegated to second rate citizens in their country, the mission is crystal clear. But the will to organise for change to bring about fairness, justice and equity in the Nigerian nation is seriously lacking or hindered by lack of political unity. As a result of this, most have become passive in the face of tyranny of a tiny Hausa/Fulani oligarchy that glamourises mediocrity at the expense of merit.

It was Wole Soyinka who wrote in "The Man Died," that the man dies in him, who keeps silent in the face of tyranny. But the man died not only in him who kept silent in the face of tyranny, but also in those who remained passive in its presence and subservient to its subterfuge. This is why President Olusegun Obasanjo must, without further delay, intervene for the sake of justice, fairness and equity on behalf of Gabriel Mbamalu Okeke of the Administration Department, of the Federal Capital Territory Area Council Service Commission (ACSC).

On May 15,2002, Mr. Okeke who was the Head of Administration of the ACSC was appointed as its Acting Secretary. The acting appointment took effect on May 28. He was supposed to be confirmed after six months as the substantive Secretary. Rather than being confirmed, he was returned to the old position where he has served meritoriously for ten years. During that ten years, one of the officers he supervised was Mr. Hassan Ahmed who was an Assistant Director (Administration) in the Kwali Area Council of the FCT.

Mr. Okeke has not only supervised Mr. Ahmed for the previous ten years, at least three times he (Okeke) has been on the panel that interviewed and promoted Mr. Ahmed. Mr. Okeke has a University degree. Mr. Ahmed has HND, which according to the Civil Service Rules could not go, beyond Grade Level 14. Now he (Ahmed) has been promoted over and above his boss (Okeke) of more than ten years as the substantive secretary of the ACSC without even the benefit of the Acting capacity that Mr. Okeke had.

To add insult to the injury, this was the same Hassan Ahmed that the expired General Sani Abacha, of all people, terminated for "financial mismanagement." If of all the despicable corrupt dictators that have ruled Nigeria, Sani Abacha could still deem someone else guilty of "financial mismanagement," then such a person like Hassan Ahmed should command the attention of all Nigerians. This is more so when such person, initially dismissed from the service, was not only reinstated, but was also promoted over and above those who have served meritoriously and have never been disciplined for whatever reason.

If Mr. Ahmed, because of his blue blood, was lucky enough to escape prison like Mohammed Abacha and not required to refund some of the money he mismanaged, he should be in his mosque all day everyday for the rest of his life thanking Allah (SAW) for the mercy he (Mr. Ahmed) has received. It was bad enough that Mr. Ahmed escaped prison and kept his loot. To turn around and impose him over other Nigerians that have respected and obeyed the laws and served their fatherland dedicatedly and meritoriously is, to say the least, heinously gratuitous.

To really comprehend the level of humiliation that Mr. Okeke has been subjected for being a second rate Nigerian who is a capable and dedicated civil servant, could be difficult unless one has been in this kind of shoes before. Imagine having received open and public congratulatory messages from all and sundry in, around and outside of Abuja only to be yanked off. When one serves his country diligently and dedicatedly, the least one could expect is to be appreciated and be given his due. This has not been the case with Mr. Okeke. Rather than being given his due he was disgraced and humiliated. This is not fair. It is the major reason why the political control of Nigeria must be liberated from its present bondage.

A look at the chart below shows there are fourteen parastatals and agencies under the Ministry of Federal Capital Territory. The North fills ten of these. The Southwest has two. South South has two. None from Southeast. Mr. Okeke's deserved appointment would have given the Southeast at least one spot, which is not even good enough.

S/NO ZONE	PARASTATAL	POST	OCCUPANT'S ZONE
1	FC DEVT. AUTH.	Board Chairman	South-West
2	FCT Water Board	Director	South-South
3	FCTA for Mass Educ.	Director	South-South
4	Aso Savings & Loans	Chief Executive(MD)	South-West
5	Council for Arts & Culture	Director	North Central
6	Environmental Prot. Board	Director	North Central
7	FCT Service Commission	Director	North Central
		Secretary	North Central
8	Pry. Educ. Board	Director	North Central
9	FCT Chris. Pilg. Welfare Bd.	Executive Secretary	North Central
10	Investment Co. Ltd.	MD	North East
11	Staff Pension Board	Secretary	North Central
12	Urban Mass Trans. Co.	Chief Executive	North West
13	FCT Musl. Pilg. Welfare Bd.	Executive Secretary	North Central
14	FCT. Sports Council	Director	North West

One of the Obasanjo administration's mantra is to give to every Nigerian according to his due. This is an opportunity to prove this. This is an opportunity to show that all was just not emissions. This is an opportunity to give Mr. Okeke and all that might be reading this that Nigeria might still have a chance and a promise. This is an opportunity to renew hope in that hope promised by President Obasanjo's campaign. This is an opportunity to allow the long arm of justice to wipe away the tears engendered by oppression, insensitivity and cold-blooded selfishness.

A nation that swims in the sea of injustice could expect to encounter the debilitating tide of social and political upheaval. A nation that glamourises vice and belittles virtue certainly is on a quicksand and could expect to sink. A nation that elevates mediocrity to a pulsating pedestal and disdainfully drives merit down the drain could expect to be flushed down the drain of existence. Justice is a prerequisite for peace. Peace is only a corollary to justice. Without justice there could never be peace and without peace there could never be progress. And without progress, the fate of any nation could be nothing but perilous.