A lot of Nairalanders, on this site, are busy wishing for coup. Apparently the coup in Mali has awakened the desire of Nigerians to have a coup because, in the words of some Nairalanders, this government is corrupt, our vote does not count, and we must have the army come and take over....

One book I loved so much growing up was a book called Pilgrim's Progress. In the book the titular Pilgrim is on his way to Heaven, when he comes across a meadow, called ByPath Meadow. He thinks it is a nicer way to Heaven, not knowing that in that meadow is a big giant called Giant Despair who takes him and his travelling companion hostage...and torments them well well (thankfully they escaped).

In 1966, a group of Majors were angry with the corruption in the Nigerian government. So they organised a coup, which was supposed to remove the corrupt order, and replace it with a revolutionary government. Indeed, that was the dream (one of the plotters wrote about the dream in detail...read why we struck by Ademoyegba). In the book 'Sunset in Biafra' by the late Elechi Amadi, he recalled that in the run up to 1966, people were asking him and his millitary buddies...why don't you guys organise a coup. (Even Chinua Achebe got caught up...in his book 'A man of the People...there is a coup at the end...and the corrupt main politicain who is a main character..is caught and jailed).

The idea many people had was that the Army would come and clean house, and make things 'better'. Well...we know what happened. The events of January 15 1966 unleashed a perfect storm, whose effects we are still dealing with today. And when the dust settled...the Amry governments were still very very corrupt. (Witness the scandals under the Gowon regime, for example).

Fast forward to 1983. Nigeria was a mess. The politicans were very corrupt. (Achebe again wrote a book 'The trobule with Nigeria' where he lambasted the poltical class well well as a bunch of corrupt people...except the late Mallam Aminu Kano)..and people begged the Army to take over. Well, we got 1) Bubu millitary who detained people for 'publishing stuff the government did not want to publish' under a law that did not exist when the people were arrested. And corruption too 2).IBB who was very opressive, and who made corruption a national institution 3) Abacha, who was even more opressive, and whose corruption was even worse...we are still recovering his loot up till now...and I doubt we know the extent of the thing

Now here we are, some 21 years into our democratic rule...and again the politicans are corrupt. Again Bypath meadow calls to us. We look at Mali and we think that if we had the same thing in Nigeria it would change things. But...Mali has had several coups as well in its past. This is not the first time. And every time, today's revolutionary is tomorrow's corrupt and greedy ruler.

Zimbabwe had Robert Mugabe. Took over on a promise of equlaity...yet within 3-4 years was proving to be a tribalist., and then a racist.

We are angry with our politicians. We want change. But it won't come from the Army. The Nigerian Army is a reflection of the people. Expecting the Army to produce a just and good government is like expecting an orange tree to produce bananas. It's not possible.

The truth is, democratic rule is hard work. If we want change, we have to work for change. That means working within the democratic system. And that means fighting for a long time. Once upon a time in Senegal, there was a guy by the name of Abdoulaye Wade. In 1970, he ran against the incumbent leader Senghor. Senghor jailed him for his impertience. Yet, he kept on running , and running, against Sneghor and his succesor. He did not call for a coup. And eventually he won the election in 2002....after 22 years of trying..and ran the country for two terms.

If you want change, work for it. Don';t call for the Army. We have been there before, expecting a Sankara or a Lee Kwam Yeu to rule us, and instead we get a Mobutu or worse Idi Amin.

Wait till then ... if politicians do not respect the constitution and right of citizens to chose their leaders, what do you expect?

Edo elections will show if military is still relevant in nigeria political space. I am not a prophet of doom, but I foresee ... people/politicians running into exile.

Not in my country.

Toosure70:
Not in my country.

Do you have a country?

Validated:
Wait till then ... if politicians do not respect the constitution and right of citizens to chose their leaders, what do you expect?

Edo elections will show if military is still relevant in nigeria political space. I am not a prophet of doom, but I foresee ... people/politicians running into exile.

Edo State Election is pregnant

kikero:
A lot of Nairalanders, on this site, are busy wishing for coup. Apparently the coup in Mali has awakened the desire of Nigerians to have a coup because, in the words of some Nairalanders, this government is corrupt, our vote does not count, and we must have the army come and take over....

One book I loved so much growing up was a book called Pilgrim's Progress. In the book the titular Pilgrim is on his way to Heaven, when he comes across a meadow, called ByPath Meadow. He thinks it is a nicer way to Heaven, not knowing that in that meadow is a big giant called Giant Despair who takes him and his travelling companion hostage...and torments them well well (thankfully they escaped).

In 1966, a group of Majors were angry with the corruption in the Nigerian government. So they organised a coup, which was supposed to remove the corrupt order, and replace it with a revolutionary government. Indeed, that was the dream (one of the plotters wrote about the dream in detail...read why we struck by Ademoyegba). In the book 'Sunset in Biafra' by the late Elechi Amadi, he recalled that in the run up to 1966, people were asking him and his millitary buddies...why don't you guys organise a coup. (Even Chinua Achebe got caught up...in his book 'A man of the People...there is a coup at the end...and the corrupt main politicain who is a main character..is caught and jailed).

The idea many people had was that the Army would come and clean house, and make things 'better'. Well...we know what happened. The events of January 15 1966 unleashed a perfect storm, whose effects we are still dealing with today. And when the dust settled...the Amry governments were still very very corrupt. (Witness the scandals under the Gowon regime, for example).

Fast forward to 1983. Nigeria was a mess. The politicans were very corrupt. (Achebe again wrote a book 'The trobule with Nigeria' where he lambasted the poltical class well well as a bunch of corrupt people...except the late Mallam Aminu Kano)..and people begged the Army to take over. Well, we got 1) Bubu millitary who detained people for 'publishing stuff the government did not want to publish' under a law that did not exist when the people were arrested. And corruption too 2).IBB who was very opressive, and who made corruption a national institution 3) Abacha, who was even more opressive, and whose corruption was even worse...we are still recovering his loot up till now...and I doubt we know the extent of the thing

Now here we are, some 21 years into our democratic rule...and again the politicans are corrupt. Again Bypath meadow calls to us. We look at Mali and we think that if we had the same thing in Nigeria it would change things. But...Mali has had several coups as well in its past. This is not the first time. And every time, today's revolutionary is tomorrow's corrupt and greedy ruler.

Zimbabwe had Robert Mugabe. Took over on a promise of equlaity...yet within 3-4 years was proving to be a tribalist., and then a racist.

We are angry with our politicians. We want change. But it won't come from the Army. The Nigerian Army is a reflection of the people. Expecting the Army to produce a just and good government is like expecting an orange tree to produce bananas. It's not possible.

The truth is, democratic rule is hard work. If we want change, we have to work for change. That means working within the democratic system. And that means fighting for a long time. Once upon a time in Senegal, there was a guy by the name of Abdoulaye Wade. In 1970, he ran against the incumbent leader Senghor. Senghor jailed him for his impertience. Yet, he kept on running , and running, against Sneghor and his succesor. He did not call for a coup. And eventually he won the election in 2002....after 22 years of trying..and ran the country for two terms.

If you want change, work for it. Don';t call for the Army. We have been there before, expecting a Sankara or a Lee Kwam Yeu to rule us, and instead we get a Mobutu or worse Idi Amin.

Story story. I didn't read this nonsense

Surprisingly it only worked in Ghana via Jerry Rawlings.

But the fact is civilian rule should be the ultimate when it is streamlined and everything working. Unfortunately Nigerian civilian leaders are unbelievably disappointing. Nevertheless I will not subscribe to military intervention though, but civilian intervention via protest and strikes.

EagleNest:
Surprisingly it only worked in Ghana via Jerry Rawlings.

But the fact is civilian rule should be the ultimate when it is streamlined and everything working. Unfortunately Nigerian civilian leaders are unbelievably disappointing. Nevertheless I will not subscribe to military intervention though, but civilian intervention via protest and strikes.

Protest and strikes led by oshiomole types?

weyreypey:


Story story. I didn't read this nonsense

Just know under Army rule, you won't have the right to type what you like.

Validated:
Wait till then ... if politicians do not respect the constitution and right of citizens to chose their leaders, what do you expect?

Edo elections will show if military is still relevant in nigeria political space. I am not a prophet of doom, but I foresee ... people/politicians running into exile.

Either way, democracy is still better than civilian rule.

All these comments you are making...people said the same back in the 1960's and the early 1980's. The Army heard, took over, and it always ended in tears.

kikero:


Just know under Army rule, you won't have the right to type what you like.

Says who?

kikero:


Either way, democracy is still better than civilian rule.

All these comments you are making...people said the same back in the 1960's and the early 1980's. The Army heard, took over, and it always ended in tears.

Same nonsense Bola Ige said that costed him his life

weyreypey:

Same nonsense Bola Ige said that costed him his life

Even then, I still stand by my point.

Back in January 1966, people came and were dancing on the streets when Nzeogwu overthrew the corrupt first republic. Four years later, millions were dead, and we had just gone through a brutal civil war.

In 1983, the same thing. We got several years of millitary rule, mostly harsh.

Plus, the soldiers too turned out to be just as corrupt as the polticans.

You want the Amry to take over because you don't know how it was like. IT WAS BAD. very bad.

If you want your democracy to work, do the hard work of making it work.

weyreypey:

Says who?

Back under Army rule, we did not have the internet. But if you wrote or said things against the government then, you could get arrested and held incommunicado.Nothing like 'I need my lawyers'.

Especially under Abacha's rule. And Buhari millitary.

Rest assured, under an autocratic millitary rule, your rights would be curbed. I've been there. You can choose to disbelive me.

weyreypey:

Protest and strikes led by oshiomole types?

Oshiomole is past. What are the youths of today's Nigerian living for? Is it to remain in perpetual poverty and be begging for change? They have to rise and force change.

kikero:


Even then, I still stand by my point.

Back in January 1966, people came and were dancing on the streets when Nzeogwu overthrew the corrupt first republic. Four years later, millions were dead, and we had just gone through a brutal civil war.

In 1983, the same thing. We got several years of millitary rule, mostly harsh.

Plus, the soldiers too turned out to be just as corrupt as the polticans.

You want the Amry to take over because you don't know how it was like. IT WAS BAD. very bad.

If you want your democracy to work, do the hard work of making it work.

There is no perfect system of government being in operation anywhere in the world.

EagleNest:


Oshiomole is past. What are the youths of today's Nigerian living for? Is it to remain in perpetual poverty and be begging for change? They have to rise and force change.

Go to BBN thread and see

kikero:




Back under Army rule, we did not have the internet. But if you wrote or said things against the government then, you could get arrested and held incommunicado.Nothing like 'I need my lawyers'.

Especially under Abacha's rule. And Buhari millitary.

Rest assured, under an autocratic millitary rule, your rights would be curbed. I've been there. You can choose to disbelive me.

I prefer abacha rule to this...it was more responsive

A military coup isn't funny I agree but our situation in this country is like being in a frying pan so hot that fire becomes desirable!

weyreypey:

I prefer abacha rule to this...it was more responsive

LOL.....you don't remember Abacha's rule.

The same Abacha that jailed people indefinetly.

The same Abacha whose loots we are still recovering up till now.

And the economy was still bad then.

Abacha was a bad leader. Don't wish for bad things on your life.

joyandfaith:


There is no perfect system of government being in operation anywhere in the world.

Yes, and democracy is still better than Amry rule.

There are things that Buhari and Obasanjo could not do under democracy that they could do under Army rule.

Plus, inasmuch as I absolutely don't like how our democracy has turned out, at least, I have more freedom than I did under Army rule.

Yes our democracy is not working because we think it is all about voting. It is much more than that.

kikero:


LOL.....you don't remember Abacha's rule.

The same Abacha that jailed people indefinetly.

The same Abacha whose loots we are still recovering up till now.

And the economy was still bad then.

Abacha was a bad leader. Don't wish for bad things on your life.

Economy was better under abacha...we weren't borrowing recklessly from chiiiina

Buhari is a military general.

weyreypey:

Economy was better under abacha...we weren't borrowing recklessly from chiiiina

We were running a deficit budget then, and we still borrowed then. We also spent a lot of our budget on debt servicing.

The economy was bad because of the long term fall in oil prices from the 1980's.

(We have been borrowing because we are an oil dependent economy....and so long as the price of oil is below a set point, the breakeven oil price, we have to borrow. )

kikero:


We were running a deficit budget then, and we still borrowed then. We also spent a lot of our budget on debt servicing.

The economy was bad because of the long term fall in oil prices from the 1980's.

(We have been borrowing because we are an oil dependent economy....and so long as the price of oil is below a set point, the breakeven oil price, we have to borrow. )

Argue with your keyboard or Sam Aluko...or look for this person on twitter

weyreypey:

Economy was better under abacha...we weren't borrowing recklessly from chiiiina

Nigeria need to borrow hundreds of billions of dollars to build the country.

weyreypey:

Go to BBN thread and see

Truth! They follow frivolities and joke a lot. Meanwhile their tormentors are having a field day looting for generations unborn.

Nigerian generals are thieves that think only about stealing billion of dollars.

Any greedy military that try nonsense with nigerian democracy, we will chase them to bush prosecute them and sent them to death sentence for treason.

Nigerian generals -- oleeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.

juman:


Nigeria need to borrow hundreds of billions of dollars to build the country.

Nope. We need people who are interested in tapping into our potentials both human and natural resources to raise much needed capital and also provide a platform for people to trade with other countries and attract investment to the country.

weyreypey:

Argue with your keyboard or Sam Aluko.

Enjoy your millitary rule then.

Don't come begging me when you find out how harsh it is five years down the road.

Or you can do it the easy way.....go and join a poltical party, or form one, and work within the system for change.

We have tried millitary rule. And it was just as bad as civillian rule.

Nigerians need change, not quick change, not Buhari change...change.

Good am to you.

Democracy is better than other forms of government because it allows us to correct its own mistakes