September 3, 2000
President Clinton has gone to Nigeria and returned. But one issue that
has so far stuck out like a sore thumb is his omission of MKO Abiola's
name despite the MYRIAD of Nigerian names that he paid tribute to.
It takes no convincing that it must have been a result of cold calculation
rather than an oversight.
Imagine mentioning SO MANY NAMES - including one or two dubious ones - and not mentioning MKO whose blood watered the ground of our present so-called "nascent democracy."!
To mention Yar'Adua and not MKO Abiola gave it all away.
President Clinton also did not mention Kudirat (a female martyr of the struggle) or
Ken Saro-Wiwa (bowing to oil sensibilities) or Chief Rewane. In fact, I had occasion to mention some of these omissions in a Lehrer TV programme that I was on last week.
By the way, President Clinton also did not mention Fela Anikulapo-Kuti - another bow to Obasanjo's sensitivities? How can you mention Sunny Ade with respect to music in Nigeria without mentioning Fela, a fellow saxophonist to Clinton? Inquiring minds want to know.
As Rueben Abati mentioned in his piece in the Guardian today, this is in line with President Obasanjo's never-ceasing attempt to get people and the nation to forget MKO, resulting in his inviting Mandela to grace YarAdua's memorial late last year, but no memorial to MKO; choosing May 29 as Democracy Day rather than June 12; and not having the name of his mid-50s Baptist Boys High School, Abeokuta classmate slip through his lips EVEN ONCE ever since he (Obasanjo) left prison. It is simply amazing, just inscrutably amazing and ungracious.
President Obasanjo's attempt to rubbish MKO's memory will fail, and he must be made to remember this omission. His born-again Christian conscience must be pricked continually until he repairs this wilful omission.
But whatever President Obasanjo does or President Clinton did not do, we, the People, must continue to remember Bashorun Moshood Kashimawo Olawole Abiola.
The Struggle Continues.
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