Sometime between 1968 and 1969 I did not witness itas I was not born then but it is recorded in history that there was a revolt against the military Government at the time by the Agbekoya called the “Agbekoya Parapo Revolt” The Agbekoya were peasant farmers in the south west Nigeria and revolted against unpopular government policies. The government employed the use of force to quell the uprising which led to the arrest of some of the leaders of the group but this did not work. However farmers took to violent reprisals on government structures and as a result many officials were killed. That era consumed the western Nigerian political landscape at the same time that the nation was pursuing civil war against Eastern Nigeria in the Biafran war. At a point during this period the Late Chief Obafemi Awolowo who was in prison was released. Rather than be bitter and support the Agbekoya against the government one of his first assignments on return from prison was to go into direct negotiations with his kinsmen and leaders of the Agbekoya a move which quelled all the riots and brought peace back to western Nigeria. On June 28 2007, Vice President Goodluck Jonathan placed his life on the line, by travelling to Okerenko, visiting the notorious Camp five, where he held a seven hours meeting with all the leaders of the militant camps in the Niger Delta. He made the trip without a single security detail. For seven hours he was incommunicado. He emerged from the creeks later, shaken but resolute. He came out of those creeks with a commitment from the militants and the Niger Delta disarmament program was borne. Normalcy returned in the region. The bloodletting ceased. Oil production tripled and the government could breath again. In 2012, the leadership of Jama’atul Ahlis Sunnah Lidda’awati Wal Jihad aka Boko Haram named General Buhari as the number one mediator they will listen to for peace to reign in the north east. The spokesman of the group, Abu Mohammed Ibn Abdulazeez, who doubles as the Second-in-Command (Amir) to their leader, Imam Abubakar Shekau, made the group’s intention known in a tele-conference with journalists in Maiduguri. General Buhari declined the offer. If Buhari truly loves this country, he would have taken that offer. But NO. That would have been a victory for the Jonathan government . So he declined the offer, rather promising to end the insurgency when he becomes President. I can only wish the good people of Nigeria GOODLUCK should they in their wisdom decide to elect him in the next elections
Posted on: Mon, 15 Dec 2014 12:59:31 +0000
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