FEATURE ARTICLE

Monday, July 30, 2018
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Arizona, USA
OBASANJO'S FOLLOWERS AND THE BURDEN OF HISTORY

"Nigerians are in support of Kwankwaso as the next President." -Olusegun Obasanjo
t is high time the political fans of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo recalibrated their minds to see the futility of a man. A man who among other co-conspirators has sentenced the generation of these youthful supporters to needless agony and future penury. MKO Abiola, our late quintessential Gani Fawehinmi, Chief Obafemi Awolowo and the late Cicero of Esa-Oke will be turning in their deferential graves now to see the continuation of political machinations they fought to stop during their lifetimes.

Coincidentally, these revered individuals are not oblivious of Baba Iyabo's political antics. He is a known tortoise in the Nigerian political space. An opportunistic man who is being dunked into the dustbin of Nigerian history. Obasanjo is now a drowning man in the politics of Nigeria. He is holding every available string to stay afloat after his political shenanigans have been exposed to all and sundry. His voice is being dwarfed and sinking fast into political oblivion! While the international community has finally evolved on Baba Iyabo's con-art, the local community are waking up from their age-long slumber to deconstruct the mythology of Ebora of Owu. The tortoise's sleep is daily being altered and murdered by the inevitable consequences and consciousness of guilt in him. He will sleep no more in the evolving realm of relevance of Nigerian polity if he continues his divide and rule; and "do or die affair" politics.

ALSO SEE: VIDEO: Obasanjo 'drills' ceremonial parade at church crusade

In this 21st century civilization, Obasanjo's supporters premise their support on the nomenclature of tribal and ethnocentricism, their defining moment for sentimental value of "he's our own" is their greatest encumberance. Objists should realize one fundamental thing now: the world is fast shrinking into small village where dummies and voids cannot be sold selfishly discerning minds anymore. The awareness of "caveat emptor" is sacrosanct to how we live our daily political lives. Conscious minds are discerning and deconstructing the deceitful and irresponsible behavior of their community, national and international leaders. Discerning minds are getting informed every moment by the cynicism and shenanigans of those who pretend to care, love and impassioned by their wellbeing. The cards of deceit are being dismantled before our very discerning eyes.

The basic questions that prod and agitate our minds every time are: "Why do leaders lie? And why do followers believe them? It's imperative for followers of Obasanjo to deconstruct these two questions constructively without bringing subjective political views into it. They should jettison ethnic sentiment and see his political behavior through the prism of national integration and development.

In the meantime, until the remnants and shrinking Obasanjo's supporters in the country or in the diaspora understand the underpinnings of Obasanjo's motives; see the grotesque political opportunism and chronic narcissism in him, they will continue to ignorantly wander in the Nigerian political wilderness. You don't promote narcissistic behavior in a man at all times, and expect different results from his conceit and self-absorption. The contradictory nature of our politics in Nigeria gives people like Obasanjo to thrive heedlessly and unhindered in some subconscious minds.

Sadly, the Nigerian society is dotted with the youths whose lives have been mortgaged by the long period of bad governance in Nigeria. The youths are used to handouts from the hangouts of their sociopath leaders. How do you explain to your contemporaries in the civilized world that you're being governed by leaders whose stock-in-trade in politics is to steal and amass illegal wealth/money they cannot finish enjoy in their lifetime. People with the propensity and preponderance of wanting more and more money? Politicians with no modern ideology but penchant for hedonism and wealth accumulation.

How do you conjure a man whose source of wealth is politically questionable to be 'rankadede' or hailed by the same youths? Nigerian youths are used to hiding under one-canopy hand. They get subsumed in dressing up elegantly in a borrowed room. In the moral school of thought, it is called self-deception! My contemporary Nigerian youths lack priority, and without priorities, setting priorities will be practically impossible.

The nuances of Nigerian youths' problems now are morphing into a state of being responsible for their actions to tolerate the irresponsible behavior of their leaders. The irresponsible leadership is facilitated and enabled by the action and inaction of the enablers-the youth. Enablers are these youths who have abdicated their responsibilities by celebrating mediocrity in their leaders instead of celebrating meritocracy amongst themselves.

Unfortunately, most of the responses I get for my articles in my emails come from responsible Nigerian adults who understand the con-art of Baba Iyabo and his coterie. Our youths seem lost to Obasanjo's tireless and selfish interests! Some Nigerian youths with deliberate indifference continue to get swayed by Mr. Tortoise's political abracadabra.

I work in the penitentiary institution, I have a moderate and humble knowledge on how the minds of criminals work. Most of our politicians are sociopaths. They care less about our wellbeing and lives. Just like criminals, they're motivated by want of immediacy and instant gratification. Inside them is void for feelings and absence of empathy to see and feel the state of squalor of their ignorant followers. They are nauseatingly fixated to accumulation of national wealth for themselves, and to better their children's futile lives.

Mindless politicians care less about who becomes a victim in the process of getting their illegal wealth. In most cases, their potent weapons are the ignorant youths. They use Machiavellian tactics to rule them. The youths are weaponized with the crumbs from politicians' political arsenals to divide the youths. On the long, like cults, they unite with their political coterie and pseudo-enemies at the expense of the youths. The ignorant youths as usual, on their own part ignorantly hail and dance to the celebration of their own defeat!

Fortunately, this is another opportune moment for collective self-reform and reflection in our conscious political lives. 'We the youth' must quickly re-order our values; form a meaningful coalition, recognize those leaders who are only interested in their selfish interests. We should expend more energy on identifying these corrupt individuals who are only motivated to promoting and protecting their illegal wealth at the expense of our collective cohesion, progress and development. Nigerian youth remains the magnificent and collective representation of the progress of Nigeria.


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