I do not know what to make of the whole resignation saga. In an atmosphere of contradictory reports such as this, it is much safer to be inclined to the thought that the truth lies somewhere in between. Parochial leaning has been imputed into the motives of the defense Minister, as is usually the case in this deeply ethnically, religiously and regionally polarized Nation of ours. It is much safer to assume that this sort of hideous provincialism should be far-off an individual on account of a certain level of competence and deep knowledge of a particular field; and General Gusau is as good as they come. He is a major part of the core of what should be referred to as the crème-de-la-crème of the Intelligence community. It is not for nothing that reputable international security analysts and agencies are of the consensus that he is among the top four Defense and Security experts on the African Continent. If the report of gross insubordination and disrespect shown to the office of the new Minister of Defense, when he summoned the Service Chiefs is true (reports that the Minister of State for Defense, Mr. Musliu Obanikoro was dismissed as “a small boy” by the Chief of Defense Staff!), then we must all be concerned. Has fatigue borne out of failure in dislodging Boko Haram led to deep misgivings and a crisis of confidence in this Administration? And we all know what logically follows when there is a crisis of confidence by the military on their civilian supervisors in these parts. We must then credit the outgoing supervising Minister of Defense, Mr. Labaran Maku for his much lampooned comments warning some Military Adventurers of the dangers of even contemplating a Military Coup. Such a statement was not mere rabble-rousing, but the enlightened comments of a highly discerning individual who was starting to see the ill-omened handwriting on the wall Whatever the problems this country is facing at the moment does not give anyone the green light to even contemplate a military option. Economic and Social progress in the last fifteen years or so has been painfully slow; but that is what you get once you have chosen the democratic path of real incremental social and economic reforms and not the revolutionary one of abrupt illusory changes. Anyone still contemplating the “Rawlings solution” is just not in tune with the great changes in the mathematical model of international politics and relations that has produced a single irreversible accord-Liberal Economics and the Free Market! You either follow this path or you die. This is not the time for hazardous messianic diversions, but the time for manifesting the courage in going the full distance after half the journey has been made. One only needs to look across the Sahara to see the deep gorge in which the Egyptian people are immersing themselves into on account of the yawning, increasingly unbridgeable division in the political Establishment that has brought back the much criticized Military as the pilots of the political process (If only Mohammed Morsi had been a little more intelligent). You are only being mischievous or deficient in thinking if you think that Nigeria would have become the greatest destination for direct foreign investment if the Military were still in power. Besides, we cannot predict what would be the ethnic and regional fall-out of an overthrow of the President, especially from our fellow countrymen in the creeks who passionately hold on to the view that “na our time be this”. General Gusau might have been too spontaneous and a little imprudent in reacting to this reported show of crass insolence by members of the Military High Command, a highly condemnable deed, which is a shameful negation of the taciturnity and gentlemanly conduct expected of officers, especially of the senior ranks. But it is the statement made by the action of the highly respected General, who should know more than most of us about these things, and not the action itself that should worry us at this point in time. It doesn’t take the thinking of a genius to surmise that it wouldn’t be too apprehensive of some to believe that there are those people who would soon like to swing their bodies to the tunes of Marshal Music Perhaps this is what the General saw; he saw the coming tempest not far-off from the shoreline. Mr. President should take heed and swiftly put his Security and Defense house in order: A DREADFUL FRIGHTENING WINTER MIGHT TRULY BE COMING!
Posted on: Thu, 13 Mar 2014 15:24:48 +0000
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