FEMI ADEOTI COLUMN, Daily Sun, Thursday, August 17, 2023.
Egypt led the pack, even if unconsciously. It was the first to strike. It set the ball rolling. It was a precedent never imagined. Egypt did it in grand style.
And several other African countries saw sense in it. They hurriedly bought into it. At one time or the other. Some brutally bloody. Others mild and near bloodless. Yet, some others abortive.
Egypt it was! It lived up to its biblical billing. It made the first coup d’état in Africa happen. They proudly tagged themselves Free Officers Movement. A revolution of sorts!
They never feigned pretence. Mohammed Naguib and Gamal Abdel Nasser led the officers to insurrection. It was a class struggle. And they toppled King Farouk on the night of July 23, 1952.
It was interesting to behold in all departments. The new leader, Naguib, couldn’t assume power until five days after, on July 28, 1952. Yes, it was that tough and turbulent.
The revolt almost hit the rocks. It nearly came to nought, but for “divine intervention.” The officers had wanted to strike on August 2-3, 1952. But it was never to be. Why?
Their official leader, Naguib, “gained knowledge on July 19 (1952) that King Farouk had acquired a list of the dissenting officers and was set to arrest them.” So claimed a report.
The narrative changed. The officers moved faster. They borrowed themselves some good sense. They “decided to launch a pre-emptive strike and, after finalising their plans, they began their coup on the night of July 22, 1952.”
The toppling itself was hectic. The army had to occupy Alexandria, where King Farouk had his Montaza Palace. He was pushed into exile on July 26, 1952. He set sail at exactly 6 O’clock in the evening. His destination was Italy.
That effectively marked the birth of modern Egyptian governance. Naguib himself became the first President of Egypt.
The Free Officers Movement did not go unsung. Neither were they ignored or unnoticed. They were appreciably appreciated. The anniversary of the revolution the officers carried out is commemorated on Revolution Day. July 23 has become an annual public holiday in Egypt.
Sub-Saharan Africa waited for 11 whole years to have a taste of the Egyptian experience. And Togo stood up to be ably counted on January 13, 1963. It was bloody and vicious in all ramifications.
Togo’s first President, Sylvanus Olympio, was killed. Right outside the US Embassy in Lomé. He was fleeing from the angry soldiers. They were led by Emmanuel Bodjolle and Étienne Eyadéma.
Olympio carried a rare honour with him to the grave. He remained the first African president to be assassinated in a military coup.
Three years after Togo’s, it happened to us. Like it was in Togo, it was in Nigeria, in the early hours of January 15, 1966! Major Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu led the mutiny. They sunk the First Republic.
Blood flowed ceaselessly and carelessly. The land was overwhelmed with casualties. The list was endless. It included but not limited to: Prime Minister Tafawa Balewa; Samuel Ladoke Akintola, premier, Western Region; Ahmadu Bello, premier, Northern Region; and military officers.
Nzeogwu and his co-Majors couldn’t sustain the rebellion. When the dust settled, Major-General Johnson Umunnakwe Aguyi-Ironsi emerged Head of State. We unwittingly yielded to military rule.
Since then, we have had varying experiences of military rule. We have been through thick and thin. There is nothing we have not seen since January 15, 1966.
Africa has been bedevilled with misrule and mismanagement. The usual reason for military incursion. Our politicians are our cross and albatross. They are the big spanners in the works.
They just choose not to learn. They elect not to do the needful. Yet, they detest coups like a pandemic. They are grossly insensitive and callous. They care less if our ox is gored or bruised.
This comes quite handy at this critical juncture. I stumbled on it recently on social media. It is a weird definition of politics: “Politics is a racket to steal money from the poor.” How apt! How true! It was attributed to Williams Smith. He was an American film and television actor.
In honesty and fairness, it’s universal. It is not peculiar to any race or country. They are all of the same shame. It is only of assorted degrees, from clime to clime.
Politics is a racket. The politicians are the unrepentant racketeers. The practitioners are the scammers. They are the necessary evil we elect to live with.
In Nigeria, they are more than devilish. As they swindle us brazenly. We hail them to high heavens. Nigerian politicians are an eerie species. Always rewarded for failure. In one form or the other.
You cannot hold them to their word. They never walk their talk. These politicians? They are stranger than fiction. They would abandone malarial. And joyfully opt for cancer in the evening. All for a pot of hot porridge.
This Nigeria that was once ours has been turned over. It’s now a huge crime scene. The reason the country is fast going down the drain. In fact, it’s overdue for demolition.
These politicians we breed are high-tech swindlers. A disturbing exemplar of racketeers at work. And they are working optimally:
“Ex-governor Ibori’s daughter will head House (of Representatives) Committee on NDDC. Ex-governor Nasir El-Rufai’s son will head House Committee on Banking Regulation. Ex-governor Alao-Akala’s son will head House Committee on Youths in Parliament.”
This is how they arrange to reign, rein and ruin over us forever. Wicked souls all! The anonymous writer won’t be deterred. He refuses to be cajoled.
With great pity, he switched over to lamentation: “But it’s the son of a nobody that will snatch ballot boxes and rig elections.”
He posed: “When will our ‘mumu’ end? When are you going to stop carrying guns and dangerous weapons against your fellow men because of politicians? When are you going to stop keeping enmity against your friends because of APC/PDP/LP?”
Sad. Nobody dares answer him. None is bold enough, for now. And perhaps, not in the farthest future. We have these rogues in bountiful abundance. Another classical sampler.
Talk about President Bola Tinubu’s cabinet. It is strictly a clear case of political recruitment. Nothing more. The reason the characters are scheming for 2027, 2031. Even now! Can you imagine? Honest, I can’t!
Someone was meticulous enough. He brought out vividly its racketeering tendency. It will shock you:
“Thirty-six states, 48 ministers. Forty-one of the 48 ministers have corruption cases. Nine of 11 governors who lost elections are now ministers.
“Forty-eight ministers (to have) 192 brand new cars, four per minister. Seven hundred and twenty aides, 15 per minister. Two hundred and forty security personnel, five per minister.”
The unidentified messenger asked into the thin air: “And we want to reduce cost of governance?” Great doubt!
How true are these? The concerned authority has not found guts. They are not man enough. They couldn’t dispute the figures flaunted here. The message has gone viral, occupying every available space. It’s spreading and making waves.
Thank God, our politicians would soon be an endangered species. We would be glad if they did.
Are you still in doubt? This country needs to be deconstructed, reconstructed and restructured. Let’s pray for divine intervention. It’s beyond us. We the ordinary.
LAST LINES
Africa in perpetual slavery
Listen to this patriot. He is Modiu Olaguro. He captures it all:
“I used to wonder how it was possible for white people to dare take us as slaves until I started seeing how poor Nigerians accord reverence to their politicians, modern day slave merchants.
“It is a miracle that slavery ended. I think the white people found it less fashionable having found a subtle but more powerful replacement in colonialism and neo-colonialism.
“How will a people be subjected to this chronic form of indignity and still not rebel against their tormentors, choosing instead to roll red carpet for them?”
Me too, I wonder aloud.