by Ena Ofugara
Sir, they said you are not dead. That you and Tupac are still alive. Amen!
They said also that it was fear of arrest that made them prefer for you to die than fly you abroad.
Sir, these people have not seen the Oyibo big man prison. They see Ibori still looking fresh and running things from oyibo “krench” annd yet they believe that your people would rather see you die than get medical help abroad.
Sir, they do not understand that heart attack is no respecter of person. I wanted to ask them if our hero Ewherido was also afraid to go abroad when he died here before the plane could take him or all those Senators who have slumped and died on the floor of the house were also afraid of arrest.
They have never hear of BID or DOA or that for every living thing, there is ‘welcome’ and ‘goodbye’.
Goodbye? At a time the Niger Delta is most in need of her most ferocious voices and leaders, you take a bow?
Haba, bros.
Yes, haba, bros!
Because these people do not know the role you have played for them to continue to have food on their table by ensuring peace in the Niger Delta, especially with James Ibori away.
These Niger Deltans enjoy their 13 percent derivation and see the development and moneys in Rivers and Delta and Bayelsa and get their salaries and their business flourish in relation to other regions and they do not know the role played by you or Ibori or Odili.
They think Nigeria just woke up and gave Niger Delta 13 percent derivation. They do not know that NOTHING IS EVER GIVEN. Do we tell the people you and Ibori’s role? Do we tell Niger Deltans including Ondo and everywhere that produces oil? NO.
Let them keep enjoying the relative wealth of their states. The child never knows what the father went through to put food on the table.
What the father went through? HA!
These children think Obasanjo fought you and Ibori because of corruption. They are children. Forgive them. They do not know that you and Ibori began the fight for 50 percent derivation. They do not know that is really their cross you hear, as Obasanjo is more corrupt than rotten egg dipped in excreter that has worm.
They do not know. Do we ask Obasanjo how he became rich again since 1999 when a bank once refused to give him one million naira loan?
Should we talk of Nasir El Rufai who got N5 billion as consultation fee to build a civic center for Central Bank when the Emir of Kano was governor of the bank? What type of consultation is that? With angels of God? Angel of God?
Yes, we are angry because indeed you and Ibori and Odili and even Attah could have done more for Niger Deltans. Angel, you are not.
But, since you are no angel, did you serve penance for your sins? I will enumerate how you did not owe society a penny. You left having fully paid your debt.
1. You went to jail. You served your time. That is COMPLETE payment for any crime.
2. You gave back stolen properties. That is restitution, which is all a society can ask for.
3. You lost your governorship. You had worked hard and the people had honoured you with it. Yet, you lost it by impeachment. From how they fight for ordinary minister, think of the pain of losing governorship. Oga DSP, we empathize at this point.
4. And you became officially an ex-convict, stripped of so many rights.
5. It is still your children who impressed it on the late President Musa Yar’Adua to grant you a pardon as a condition for peace in the Niger Delta. Only he died, before he could fulfill the agreement. Goodluck Jonathan went on to fulfill the agreement and they came after him for it.
6. The continued to smear your good name even when you decided to serve your people again, at the Senate.
6. And yet YOU DSP MADE THE PEACE IN THE NIGER DELTA that is making everybody in Nigeria collect salary and feed. YES. Without you who brokered the peace, would we not still be fighting a war against militants? Can this our WEAK army have stopped militancy in unmapped creeks and exposed pipelines and easy access to guns via Bight of Benin? But Nigerians do not know the deaths on both sides from such a war. do we tell them? NO. Let them continue to not know. Let the blind lead the blind.
Sir, I wrote an article then on Facebook then when they were attacking Goodluck for granting you a pardon, it was titled, If Anyone Is Deserving of A Pardon, It is Alamieseigha. Yes, I did then. That proves that I am not saying these things because you are now an ancestor. I honoured you even in life.
You are no more. Goodbye sir. Your debts are fully paid. May you receive a more important pardon from Jehovah at his gates.
Oh how I wish the enemies and wizards are right and that you are Machiavelli and alive.
Goodnight sir.
Ena Ofugara is a political analyst and social commentator. He can be reached on Facebook.
The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author.
