Evils of Past Nigerian Leaders and their Associates, An Eye Witness Account (Part one)
This revelations which I have personally titled The Evils of past Nigerian Leaders and their associates is the product of an
interview
which Dr MOSHOOD FALAWIYO granted to POINTBLANKNEWS in 2010. Dr.
Moshood Ademola Fayemiwo needs no much introduction to the literary
world. He was a former Publisher/
Executive
Editor of the fiery Razor magazine (now defunct) in Nigeria in the
pro-democracy years of the 1990s. He was one of those who put their
lives on the line in those days to rescue Nigeria from the stranglehold
of the big military thugs misgoverning Nigeria. No other journalist in
Nigeria would challenge his impressive fearless reportorial style with
which he took on the military for a deceptive transition agenda in 1993
Nigeria. The 1988
graduate of
Education and Political Science from the
University of Lagos, Nigeria threw himself into the thick of the effort to dislodge the military from power.
He used the power of words to expose the stealing and plundering
military politicians. He was always publishing their secret and coded
foreign accounts containing money stolen from Nigeria.
The military caught him and kidnapped him from exile in neighboring
Benin Republic in 1997. He did not see the light of day light until
after Abacha’s death. Abacha would not release him even after Pope John
Paul II came to Nigeria and entered a plea on his behalf.
Dr Folawiyo left Nigeria in 1999, re-located to the United States where hes now a US citizen. Although he said he may never
step
his foot into his home country, Dr Folawiyo In the fall of 2010, after
more than 12 years in self-exile returned to Nigeria to gather maetrials
on a book he co-authored on the biography of Alhaji Aliko Dangote –
the richest Black man in the world after which he returned back to the
United States.
In the interview with POINTBLANKNEWS
Managing
Editor, OLADIMEJI ABITOGUN, Dr Folawiyo spoke on how IBB killed Abiola,
Abacha, Idiagbon, Ige and Elewi, how Abiola funded 1985 Coup with $10
million and the intricacies og Chief Olusegun Obasanjo in the affairs of
the nation. He also spoke on other very important issues, including the
possible break up of Nigeria in the nearest future.
Here are excerpts of the interview.
You got into student union politics very early. How did that happen?
I was interested in politics immediately I entered the University of
Lagos. University of Lagos, as you know, was very unique and strategic
in Nigeria, not because of anything, but because of its location
close to the government, because Lagos was where the seat of government was then.
So very early during my undergraduate years I was involved in
students’ union politics. In 1983, one of my friends, actually I was his campaign
manager, Lateef Gbadamosi, became the president of University of Lagos Students’ Union. If you could remember, his secretary-general was late Chris Imodibe who eventually died in Liberia while
working at the Guardian as Foreign Correspondent.
Mr. Imodibe was part of our group and it was the first time I met
Chief Abiola. It was Gbadamosi who invited him to our campus. He was
with us at the Students’ Union Building. From there we went with him to
Eni Njoku Buttery he ate with us and addressed us. That was my first
time of meeting Chief M.K.O. Abiola in real life. Gbadamosi later
graduated and left the University of Lagos. I participated in politics
and became the president before I was eventually removed.
What led to your removal and how were you removed?
Well, we had problems. When Abiola learnt that I was preparing to
play politics in UNILAG in 1984, he sent for me. But I ran into problems
with the
administration of the
then Vice Chancellor, Prof. Akin Adesola as a result of my principled
opposition to some of the policies. I was banned from contesting the
presidency of the Students’ Union. I had problems at the University. I almost became a permanent
student. It was hot (laughs). So I took a year off. And I went to Abiola’s house and explained my situation.
Were you on suspension or you acted on personal volition?
I was not on suspension. I acted on my own because I was also having
some academic problems. Let me just say that I was not in a hurry to
graduate. That is why I said it was fun. Well I had an interesting
meeting with Chief Abiola who, having listened to me, gave me a letter
to the then Deputy Editor of National Concord, Mr. Ismaila Mohammed.
That was in 1984. That was how I knew and witnessed the Babangida coup
of 1985. You want us to continue from there?
What kind of personality did Chief Abiola project when you first met him?
There were many students. We all surrounded him at the Buttery.
Gbadamosi brought him. So many people hated Gbadamosi because there was
the erroneous impression that the students’ union was being sold to the
government of National Party of Nigeria (NPN) led by Shehu Shagari.
Lateef Gbadamosi had gone to congratulate Alhaji Shagari for being re-
elected in 1983 shortly before he was removed by the military.
Abiola was a very simple person. He ate with us. He waited in line.
Everybody saw him in queue, he was served. He projected a populist
personality. He made people laugh. People liked him. That was my first
time in his company. He took and shook my hand after I was introduced to
him by Lateef Gbadamosi. And that was it.
Nigerians often complain about falling standard of education. I
feel it has always been that way. How were things during your time?
I was president of UNILAG Students’ Union from 1985 to 1986. To me, I think Nigerian students
can hold their own anywhere in the world. Pointedly, it was General
Babangida who spoiled the Nigerian educational heritage. His
pathological hatred for any organized opposition made him to move
against the educational system. That was why he targeted students’ unionism.
Student union association was not voluntary during our time. So long a student was duly admitted, such a student was made to pay the union fee alongside the university tuition. Students cannot aspire to full
leadership training without a rallying point like the union. The cults mushroomed because Babangida sacrificed the union.
Administrators, professors and every other component of university system are in place because students came to school. When students
are denied their rights to associate, when the platform for such
association, the union is destroyed, something so important for students to agitate for their interests, students become cultists. You are here in the United States; you see how Nigerian students
excel. But the Babangida regime was very silly. The man systematically
destroyed our schools and he destroyed our heritage as well.
But the man had his argument. He said some professors were
“extremists” who were teaching what they were not paid to teach. He felt
that unionism was being democratized when students had options of joining or not joining but strictly listen, learn and graduate…
He was only trying to run Nigeria like a military barrack. He could
not expect to arrive at a consensus on behalf of 120 million Nigerians.
He also could not assume that Nigerians, 120 million, would have
consensus on an issue. That is what society is about. What is a
university? The university is supposed to mould its products to have
questioning minds. That is what the university system is supposed to
teach, to develop minds to such a degree where they can question things.
There is no way you proffer solution to the multifarious problems of modern societies if university students
do not have questioning minds. So it is mere bunkum. Universities are
not supposed to be military academy where ideas have to be regimented
and you have to regurgitate what your professors are teaching you. That
has been the tradition. All over the world that has been the tradition
of the university. Babangida and his cohorts, all these people they
never attended a traditional university, so what do you expect?
They wielded out radicals like Patrick Wilmot and Festus Iyayi from what should be a natural environment.
Who should decide what university students are supposed to be taught?
You had met Abiola. You later became the president of the students’
union government of UNILAG. You have not explained what actually led to
your removal from office.
There was a contemporary called Panaf (shortened form of Pan
Africanism). His real name was Olajide Olakanmi. He was the president of
ULSU (University of Lagos Students’ Union) in 1981. Unbeknownst to most
students of University of Lagos, he was, and I think till today was an
informant for the State Security Service, SSS. He was given some money;
most students would not know this that is why I am disclosing this,
after almost twenty years. He was parading himself at UNILAG as a
radical but he was actually working for the SSS. He first brought some
money when I was contesting for the presidency to assist me in order to
become, purportedly, the president of the students’ union. They claimed
they embezzled some union funds but my budget had not even been passed
by the Student Union Senate but every right-thinking person at Unilag at
that time knew they orchestrated my removal because Akin Adesola, the
VC knew I was too tough for him. That was the whole
truth.
How much?
At that time, it was two thousand naira. Meanwhile, my friend, Lateef
Gbadamosi, had warned me about the foggy moves of Panaf. Elsewhere, in
some of the places we used to go, we had tips that Panaf had collected
money from the SSS. He had assured them that he could influence
political events at UNILAG. Things were usually super-charged in those
days and the security service were always interested in who should
become the leaders in those days. And actually, I was approached after I
became president, if I was interested in becoming an operative or
informant. And since I was not interested, they demanded to have a
nominee from me. I gave them the name of one guy we used to call Tonee.
He was my campaign manager.
Was this another payment apart from what Panaf was to pay your campaign?
Panaf had already graduated and he was actually working with UNILAG
then. He read integrated social science. He served as president and
graduated. Then he went back to the university as a worker. As a matter
of fact, Olu Shodimu, the present Registrar of the University of Lagos,
was actually a student leader, later worker for the SSS. The point is,
at the University of Lagos, if you become a student union leader, the
SSS would approach and try to recruit you. So there are many student
leaders who the Nigerian masses often take for radicals, even activists
out there. They are mostly phonies (laughs). So, Panaf Olajide Olakanmi
got the money and used the money to buy himself a Citroën car. Anthony
Kayode, whom I had nominated for the SSS job did not get the job because
at that point, there were serious disagreements and we were sacked.
How much was involved sir?
Well, I would not know. But Panaf brought to me two thousand naira.
And Alozie Ogugbuaja, the then Police Public Relations Officer told
Lateef Gbadamosi and I that we used to visit Ogugbuaja, the man who
accused the military of always idly drinking pepper soup and had the
time to stale cups. He was removed. But because I had the information
and I travelled to Bayero University Kano for NANS convention and before
I came back, Panaf Olu Sodimu and the students’ union authorities
colluded and removed me before I came back from Kano. This was in
February 1985. That is exactly what happened.
Would you say if ULSU was an exception or was it the standard practice
all over Nigeria for the SSS to aggressively recruit students’ leaders?
Hmn, I think throughout the 80’s down to the time Babangida came
after Ahmadu Bello University, ABU crisis of 1986, when students were
killed in Kaduna and Babangida set up a panel led by Segun Okeowo and
some leaders, up till the time that the Justice Akanbi panel recommended
voluntary unionism, I think they felt the need was no longer strong to
compromise student leaders. Uptill my time, it was standard practice
like I explained UNILAG being the cynosure of all eyes, due to its
strategic location, I think that they did that in other universities,
Ibadan in particular.
They say NANS president now has escort cars with sirens. Was it also like that in your time?
No. I am sure they are doing that because of politics. That was not
the practice. Students’ union officials may be important to them now
because of politics. And of course some of these so-called student
leaders, there are other things they do now, take university girls and
go and give them in Abuja. Things do not happen in Lagos anymore. It is
now Abuja. And I read many heart breaking things from Nigerian news
papers. But my conclusion, before I left Nigeria ten years ago was that,
students’ union is dead in Nigeria.
How did you come to know so much about the August 1985, Babangida coup d’etat?
I had left university of Lagos for one year like I said. I lived in a
military barrack, the Ikeja cantonment. I lived there with an uncle and
that was when I started working with the Concord. I actually had three
people in Ikeja cantonment at that time. I do not want to mention their
names because one of them is still in active military service. One is
here now in the United States, came originally as a political assylee.
The other one has retired. I would not like to mention their names. But I
was living with them. The Babangida coup was planned around Ikeja
cantonment. I have to tell you this General Muhammadu Buhari, the then
Head of State is still alive, he knew it two weeks before the coupists
struck. And for the first time, Nigerians should be able to know why
Babangida staged the coup, because we have heard so many stories. There
have been several guesses all over the place. Of course I am not a coup
plotter, but we heard the real truth because we
lived in the barracks.
My senior colleague, Dr. Taiwo Ogunade of City University of New York
has been able to also disclose some of these information. Basically,
what I want to say is that Chief Abiola was the one who sponsored the
Babangida coup in 1985. And the reason Babangida struck was because he
had been marked down by Buhari and Idiagbon for drug running. For
posterity reasons, all these things should be disclosed to Nigerians.
Brigadier Aliyu Mohammed, you have heard of his name. He later became a
Lieutenant–General. He was brought back by Babangida to become National
Security Adviser, NSA to Obasanjo. This man and Babangida were actually
involved in drug running when Babangida was chief of Army Staff to
Buhari regime.
Babangida has been amply rewarded as one of the arrowheads of the coup that toppled Alhaji Shehu Shagari.
The other key players in that coup were Late Tunde Idiagbon, Mamman
Vatsa and late Brigadier – General Ibrahim Bako. Buhari was brought in
as the head of that government as a compromise leader after Bako had
been killed in the coup at the presidential palace in Abuja while
attempting to arrest Shagari. Idiagbon became Chief of Staff, Supreme
Headquarters for ethnic balancing. Remember? He was a Yoruba from Kwara
state. The coup plotters ran into serious problems. Major Jokolo, who
became the Emir of Gwandu, was one of them. He threatened them that none
of them would leave Dodan Barracks alive after the takeover. Idiagbon
had made a broadcast to the nation. That was 31 st of December, 1983.
Buhari was then the General Officer commanding in Jos, Plateau State.
They were deliberating on who would step into Bako’s shoes. Jokolo
insisted…
Point of observation, sir, General Babangida, in an interview with
Point Blank News/people’s magazine, said that Brigadier General Bako
was never in consideration for the exalted office of Head of State.
Then who were they considering for that position? As usual, the
deceptive general said Buhari was the first choice Buhari was never part
of the original plotters of the coup.
He said Buhari had always been the first choice. No question. Number
two, you said there was an ethnic balancing, but that was not obvious.
Buhari/Idiagbon was a moslem/moslem and North/North ticket. Ilorin was
in the North.
Remember I was not in the military, I am a civilian. I did not take
part in their coup. But you know Ilorin people. When things are robust
they claim south. When things ¬twist otherwise, they claim north. The
name Tunde Idiagbon, is a Yoruba name, the man wasa moslem. They put him
there to look like geo-political balancing. The point is that Buhari
was not one of the ring leaders of that coup.
He came in as a compromise candidate. The composition of that
government was changed because Bako died at the presidential palace. I
was twenty three or twenty four at that time. It wasn’t as if I knew
much.
The one I knew very well the coup that Babangida himself planned. The
coup was neither motivated by altruistic motive nor by patriotic
motive. It was a self survival coup d’etat. That is the point I want to
stress. There are different ways coups take place in third world
countries. It could be to reject oppression, change a bad direction for a
country or to serve patriotic purpose on how a nation should be
governed. None of these reasons motivated Babangida to organize his
coup.
His career was on the line. He had his back to the wall, because of
his activities as a former GOC and as the Chief of Army Staff under
Buhari regime.
You should also know that Obasanjo knew and subscribed to the coup
that toppled Buhari. Like Babangida, Aliyu Mohammed was also a drug
baron that was well known to Buhari and Idiagbon. Aliyu Mohammed was
slated for retirement as well. Babangida and Mohammed were both marked
down for retirement and possible trial.
Ambassador Mohammed Rafindadi was in charge of the then National
Security Organization, NSO, now known as State Security Service, SSS.
He, Rafindadi was an uncle to Buhari. When they came into office, a lot
of things were going on and they discovered Idiagbon insisted on death
penalty for drug pushers. And most of the drug peddlers and
international couriers were Babangida’s boys. As a matter of fact,
Babangida’s clique introduced drug-running into Nigeria. When Buhari
regime uncovered the elaborate entrenched Babangida drug-running network
and the rumor of his wife, Maryam’s involvement as well, they penciled
him down for retirement. We shall talk about the Gloria Okon connection
later.
The Babangida’s removal announcement had been scheduled for October
1, 1985. Babangida knew and staged the coup to pre-empt the calamity of
October. They had the coup plans. They wanted to strike in October, but
with Babangida’s pending retirement, they quickly brought the date back
to August.
After they had agreed, the boys, Abubakar Umar, Abdul Aminu, Lawan
Gwadabe and Anthony Ukpo went to Otta to inform Obasanjo that they
wanted to remove the Buhari/Idiagbon regime. Any military coup also
needed Obasanjo’s clearance. There is no coup in Nigeria, either
successful or abortive that Obasanjo does not know of. You know he had
this phony organization called African Leadership Forum. It was all a
ruse He used that organization for anything but leadership training. He
came here to the Council of Foreign Relations to collect the initial
money to set up that clandestine organization. Anyway, that was the body
they used to plan anti-people policies at Ota including coup planning.
Nzeogu’s coup as well?
I am talking of anything that happened after he became Head of State
in 1976. He was even in the know about the coup that killed General
Muritala Mohammed.
You mean he knew about the Dimka’s plot?
Yes of course. That was why he left for Abeokuta that day. The CIA has documents in the United States here about this.
But he maintained the face of the avenger of his boss’s death to all of us. Are you accusing Obasanjo of hypocrisy?
Yes. He became the Head of State and checkmated the other plotters.
He knew of the 1976 coup. That is why I said he always knows about every
coup plot including that of Abacha.
Well maybe because he would have access to intelligence estimates as a former leader of the nation.
We shall talk more about that. So the boys went to him in Otta. They
gave him a note to know if he had a candidate in office. He did not want
any obvious association, but he gave them the name of his cousin,
Onaolapo Soleye who was a lecturer at the Department of Economics at the
University of Ibadan to become Buhari’s Minister of Finance. Buhari
drifted and his economic policies were harsh. Obasanjo tried to advice
him then, they snubbed him. He was annoyed and that was why he said he
would never talk to a “deaf regime”. He had a pre-existing axe to grind
with the Buhari regime.
So when the IBB boys came to tell him that they wanted to remove
Buhari, he asked to know who they had as Buhari’s substitute. They said
Babangida. He said o.k.
He said that? Would he not have had intelligence that IBB was a drug baron?
He said o.k. I don’t know what he knew or what he did not know. He
gave them his blessings. They told him they had a problem. What was the
problem, he asked? They said with Buhari, it would be very easy to
topple the government, but with Idiagbon, they did not want to kill
anybody. How would they get Idiagbon out of the way? They want Obasanjo
to call Idiagbon to lure him to go out of the country to go to Saudi
Arabia on Umrah, the lesser Hajj. Obasanjo invited Tunde Idiagbon. Tunde
Idiagbon came to Obasanjo’s farm at Otta. It was the first time
Idiagbon smiled to journalists. He was always frowning, but he laughed
for the first time in Obasanjo’s farm. Obasanjo gave him the bogey
advice that it was time for Nigeria to court the economic co-operation
of the Saudis and the Middle East, so that the economy of the country
could be revived. It was a dummy idea of the Babangida boys to get Tunde
Idiagbon out of the way. And when Tunde Idiagbon was going, they were
also afraid of Vatsa, he was in charge of the Federal Capital Territory,
FCT. Vatsa was asked to go with him on Holy pilgrimage to Mecca. During
the Sallah celebration, they took over power. The coup was staged on a
Friday. It was at Ikeja cantonment.
The private jet that conveyed Babangida from Lagos to Minna where he
went for the Sallah holiday was an Abiola personal aircraft. Abiola had
travelled out of Nigeria a week before the coup which took place on 27
th of August, 1985. Abiola had walked into our newsroom at Concord to
address all of us in the newsroom and that was where he told us “we
should forget about this government”.
Most people did not know what was happening. I was working at Concord
and was in the news room when he said it. He said that the government
was gone. A week later, the coup was staged and Babangida became the
Head of State.
The point I want to make was that the coup was that of a self-
survival. It was not patriotically motivated. It had nothing to do with
nationalistic agenda. It was selfish and that is why Babangida exhibited
the kind of evil reign that we witnessed for eight years. That is the
point I want to make. Buhari-Idiagbon came to rescue Nigeria from the
destruction of Shehu Shagari. 22 months later, Babangida came not for
any reason but for his own survival because he was about to be tried for
drug-running.
It is not so obvious to the general public that IBB was a drug
dealer. We heard of his wife and Gloria Okon, Dele Giwa’s connection. We
do not have any fact of IBB’s direct involvement. How is it hidden from
us?
No. It is not hidden. I don’t know why in Nigeria. The press is
there, the newspapers are there. It is not hidden at all. All the top
journalists are there and nobody is talking now because IBB is still
alive. You will see them talking immediately the man is dead. He has
interests in virtually all the newspapers. You know what I mean?
Let all these people talk. Segun Osoba, Farouk Mohammed, Yemi
Ogunbiyi, Ajibola Ogunsola, Sam Pemu Amuka, Stanley Macebuh, Patrick
Dele-Cole, Imeh Umanah, Alex Akinyele, Tony Momoh, Doyin Abiola, Felix
Adenaike, Banji Kuroloja, Dan Agbese, Yakubu Mohammed, Soji Akinrinnade,
Raymond Ekpu. Let all of these people open up. And they all know why
Mr. Dele Giwa was killed.
Infact, the story you are talking about that Dele Giwa was killed
over, these people, top journalists they have it in Nigeria. If I could
have it then, I was the first person to go public with the story in
September 1993 before my senior colleague; Dr. Taiwo Ogunade of CUNY now
came out to corroborate it. I was the only person through Razor, who
came out to stick my neck then.
Sir, that was the story?
It was Babangida who planned the death of Dele Giwa. It was Babangida
that killed him. It is very obvious. Senator Florence Ita – Giwa, Dele
Giwa’s former wife knew. The one they now call Mama Bakkassi was a girl
friend to Aliyu Mohammed, the one I just told you was to be retired with
IBB, although he later changed his name to Mohammed Gusau just to
deceive Nigerians.
You sure he is the same person?
Oh sure. He is the same person because immediately Babangida became
Head of State, Babangida brought him back. Gusau Mohammed was about to
be gazetted by the Buhari regime. I just told you why they struck.
Babangida left him with Abacha, and Gusau later became a Lt-General. He
was the person whom Babangida brought back to become National Security
Adviser to Obasanjo. That is why Obasanjo was governing but did not rule
and Nigerians did not know for eight years. Every step that Obasanjo
wanted to take Aliyu Mohammed Gusau was always there. I mean your
national security adviser is your life. Don’t you know? That is why IBB
foisted the guy on Obasanjo. There are a lot of things in Nigeria, that
Nigerians cannot hear about now until when IBB is dead. That was why he
spread his tentacles all over the newspapers. And those whose names I
have mentioned are alive…
What is the deal that IBB made with those notable journalists?
Immediately Babangida came into power, he knew that any journalist
who was about town had the story. The first thing he did was to make
Aliyu Mohammed (Gusau) the Directorate of Military Intelligence man. He
surreptitiously was Babangida’s National Security Adviser, NSA. They had
to cover their past dirty stuff. The man called all the top journalists
in Nigeria, all these names that I have just given you, they assembled
at the DMI, there was no DMI before IBB took over. He set up the
Directorate of Military Intelligence at Apapa where they took me to
under Abacha (Lagos).
So he now called them and said gentlemen, we want to cultivate the
friendship of the press. If there is any story that is incriminating, we
want to be sharing ideas, let us know. You understand now? You know
they have their press briefing, media chat. Exactly. I have told you
that there are always two stories in Nigeria: the official story, which
they want the people to hear and the unofficial underlying real story
that they do not want you and I to know.
Are you saying, sir, that the media is guilty of mediocrity in all of this?
No. I have told you of the institutional problem of media operations
and ownership. The guys who are stealing the money are the ones rich
enough to set up newspapers in Nigeria. And who will pay the piper would
dictate the tune. Look at all the newspapers in Nigeria. Tell me which
one is not being bank-rolled by these bad guys. That was why when I set
up the Razor, it became a phenomenon in Nigeria, besides being modest.
If I had one of the Generals as my chairman, do you think I would be
able to publish all those stories? This is the problem in Nigeria.
Nigerian newspapers are owned by the same set of people who are causing
the problems; they have control over all the newspapers. Tell me which
paper, tell me in which paper does Babangida not have shares in Nigeria,
by proxy?
After killing Dele Giwa, he told one of his guys, Mike Adenuga, to go
acquire shares in Newswatch. Babangida has shares today in Newswatch.
Let Ray Ekpu, Soji Akirinnade, Dan Agbese and Yakubu Mohammed come out
and tell Nigerians. That is why those guys can’t do anything.
Is it Vanguard you want to tell me about? He has shares. Let Amuka
come out and deny it. How much did he have when he left Olu Aboderin’s
The Punch? VANGUARD was about to die. Are you listening to me? VANGUARD
was about to die when Babangida came and injected funds into the place.
O.K. Is it Tony Momoh? IBB knew that Tony Momoh knew about the death of
Dele Giwa, he made him Minister of Information. Is it Alex Akinyele?
Akinyele was a Director on the Newswatch’s board. He also made Akinyele
Minister of Information.That was why IBB said “Oh, I know Nigerians very
well”.
What of Guardian? Do you know that the Dasuki family in Sokoto has
shares in Guardian? I am telling you that they sit on the board. And you
know the closeness of the Dasukis and the Babangidas. How would
Guardian write anything? You know the owners, the Ibrus collected
contracts from the Babangidas too.
Is it Ajibola Ogunsola of The Punch that would go against Babangida?
There is only one news organization in Nigeria that can rattle the
government, perhaps, maybe The News.
All of them. Is it The Sun? It just came out through Orji Uzor Kalu.
Kalu was also a Babangida boy. The Daily Independent is owned by Ibori.
James Ibori was an Abacha goon. He has not spoken up on his connection
with the death of Chief Alfred Rewane. Which other one? The Nation owned
by Tinubu?
Sir, Tinubu was a democracy crusader…
He said he was (laughs) He was.
You were part of the movement, how sincere was he?
There was no movement really. We were fractured. We shall get to that
later. It was a loose coalition of like minds. There was no platform
that we really had. Even NADECO (National Democratic Coalition) itself
was a contraption. We all just felt there must be a way for us to resist
the Abacha INSULT, the dictatorship. We were so disjointed. Everybody
had different agenda. There was not concerted effort.
Let us go back a little bit on your allegation that prominent
journalists benefitted over the death of Dele Giwa. Investigative
journalists like us find it difficult to connect the dots.
What dots?
Yes, it was not so obvious that the letter bomb came from IBB. Gani
Fawehinmi and many other theorists said it did come from “C-In-C”,
Halilu Akilu, Col. Togun are not talking.
Let me clear that one for you. Buhari wanted to make Dele Giwa
Minister of Information. Buhari actually granted his maiden interview to
Dele Giwa, Ray Ekpu and Yakubu Mohammed for the Concord in February,
1984. In the interview, Buhari said “I would tamper with the press”.
That was how Decree No. 4 was promulgated.
After the interview, Buhari made overtures to make Dele Giwa the
Minister of Information. Buhari called M.K.O. Abiola and said “I want to
make your editor the Minister of Information”, because Dele Giwa was
editing Sunday Concord then. M.K.O. Abiola said Dele Giwa would not be
interested. That was one of the reasons Dele Giwa left Concord. He was
not consulted before Abiola determined his fate.
His fate was determined just like that?
Exactly. Meanwhile Dele Giwa was married to Florence Ita – Giwa. The
one who later became a Senator. Ita – Giwa was annoyed that Abiola could
not own Dele Giwa’s life even if he was working for him. She wanted him
to leave and set up his own. Don’t forget the two, Dele Giwa and
Florence Ita had met shortly after Dele returned to Nigeria. They met in
Surulere. There was the lady called Ani Okpaku that Dele had separated
with. They were in good company with Vera Ifudu. Her other sister was
Dora Ifudu at the then NTA. It was Vera who had a birthday celebration
party. She invited all the big guys. The late Chris Okolie was there,
Sam Amuka – Pemu was there. Florence attended. She had just had a
problem, frustration with her former guy here in the U.S. There at the
birthday gig she met Dele Giwa and they went home and became so close
and that was how they later married.
Dele Giwa only knew of what Abiola did through Florence. Florence was
going out with Aliyu Mohammed. Mohammed was the one who told her that
Buhari planned to make her husband Minister of Information. Florence was
still a lady in town. Several of the top military brass were having a
good time with her. She was generous with her endowment around then.
Thank you very much, and would then get her contracts. This was one of
the reasons Dele Giwa divorced her. They both could be intimate and in
the heat of that moment one General or the other would be on the phone
with her. Her Husband could be hearing the voice of a General
underground. Dele was annoyed. But he bargained for it. They met at a
party and went from there into marriage. She would tell Dele to “shut
up, I have known these people before I knew you”.
When the parcel bomb that killed Dele was to be delivered, they did
not know Dele Giwa’s house. Dele had moved to a new place in Opebi area
in the same Ikeja. Abiola had told him to leave after he left Sunday
Concord. He had a Mercedes Benz given to him by Abiola. He moved because
they now believed so much in their new project, Newswatch. They did not
know his new house.
Aliyu Mohammed was the one who volunteered the information that he
knew his former wife, Florence. He sent for Florence and when she came,
he asked for Dele Giwa’s new residential address. He knew they still saw
from time to time though they were no longer married.
She described the new address to them. She pointed her former
husband’s address. She did not know that they were after his life, that
they wanted to kill him.
She said oh, she normally goes there but that he had moved from
Adolphus Davis and that he now lived at Opebi. They said they needed to
know the place that was how the babe volunteered the address at Opebi.
The lady knew a lot. That was why Aliyu Mohammed (Gusau) brought her
into the strategic position of Presidential Liaison Officer in the
National Assembly during Obasanjo’s regime. They were the ones who gave
her money to go and contest in Akwa Ibom. Florence Ita – Giwa should
speak up. Why has she kept quiet for almost twenty three years?
So this is a challenge for her to speak up?
Yes. I am throwing her that challenge. If the incident I have just
narrated is a lie, let her come out and say so. But you see it is the
truth. Nigerians must know. She should be able to tell us what happened
to her former husband like that. Do you know, she has not granted any
interview to anybody?
But she is media savvy. I am surprised she has never spoken about this, if it did happen?
Yes. The press in Nigeria will not ask her such questions (laughs).
This is the tragedy of the Nigerian press. They would not ask her. They
would be shouting “Mama Bakkassi” with those inconsequential questions.
They should be able to ask her “what do you know about the death of your
former husband”? “Why, all of a sudden, was she so close to Aliyu
Mohammed? She lived far away from her home base. How did she work it and
become a Senator? How did she do it and hold the position for eight
years? She was in Aso Rock. Obasanjo’s Presidential Liaison Officer,
National Security Matters. I have just told you how she got there. It is
just to shut her mouth up.
You said that the pro-democracy movement was not organized as such, that
it was a loose coalition. Could you please explain what you are talking
about?
How do I mean?
I need to be educated further, because what Nigerians saw was organized onslaught against the military.
It was an ad-hoc movement. It was an emergency set up. The arrow head
was the late Papa Ajasin (Adekunle) Ajasin, who felt the stupidity of
the military must be stopped. As a young Nigerian then, that was the
only Nigerian that I had seen that had Nigeria’s genuine interest. He
loved Nigeria as a nation. That old man was very committed. Very very
incorruptible. If there was any Nigerian who lived what they preached,
it was that man. He was transparently honest. There are only very few
Nigerian politicians who will be placing phone call on the Inland
Revenue to demand when his next pension would come. Only very few people
would be chairman of a Local Government Area in Nigeria or Governor in a
state without a private generating set. He did not have a generator.
NEPA would take light and that was it. Baba would call for the candle to
be lit. This is not what I read or because we were from the same
hometown, I studied him at close range. Several times he
would be sleeping, Abacha would call. He would say that they should tell
him he was sleeping. They could not wake him up. That is Baba for you.
Remember that he was older than Awolowo.
Yes, he was born in 1908 and Awolowo was born in 1909.
It was Baba and Abraham Adesanya who championed the cause of NADECO.
When I met Pa Adesanya in Obalende in 1994, before I left Nigeria, I
told him once Abacha got one or two of you guys, that would have been
the end. The people who were really committed were Ajasin, Adesanya, Dan
Suleiman. The other guys who we are praising today, I don’t know where
they belong because I would disclose to you today that Lt. Gen. Alani
Akinrinade they are talking about, some of them I don’t know how
committed they are. My picture that was taken and sent from prison to
Alani Akinrinade in London eventually landed on Abacha’s desk. How that
happened, how the photograph got back to Abacha, he never knew.
So you think there was a mole in the house?
That’s right. There were some photographs I took in detention
insideAlagbon Prison with Major Kosoko, we were planning to send them to
CNN or BBC and I sent them to Mrs. Alice Ukoko-Ugono, a Nigerian-Briton
attorney in London, under diplomatic cover. Mrs. Sugono, you would
recall was the founder of Women In Nigeria International, WIN, Women
International of Nigeria, WIN, in London. That woman really played a
great role that was heroic. There were lots of people who championed
this June 12 struggle in Nigeria and we never hear of them. They were
outside the country and they fought brilliantly.
She braved all odds and came to Nigeria. The pictures were smuggled
to her. And she took the pictures to Lt. Gen Alani Akinrinnade. I was
shocked when they showed me the photographs when I was eventually
captured and kidnapped. How did the photograph that was sent to London
under diplomatic cover get to Abacha and his agents? The woman told me
that the only one who had custody of the pictures was Alani Akinrinnade.
He was the only one they said asked to just see the picture. Well if
Akinrinnade is reading this, because I am sure he must be back in
Nigeria…
He was at Alausa Democracy fiesta.
That is why I am saying this. Most of these people… By the time I got
to Ghana and I called Tokunbo Afikuyomi in Radio Kudirat. He was my
colleague at UNILAG. I called him and I asked him what was happening,
his excuse was incoherent. That is why I am saying openly now, everybody
was just fighting here and there. The only movement that was solid was
NALICON that was set up by Prof. Wole Soyinka.
Was that one formidable?
Oh yes, it was. The movement added fillip and energy to our struggle
back home, otherwise Abacha wanted to crush all of us. It was a
coalition of disparaged ideological minds.
But the story was that Senator Tinubu, who later became governor
of Lagos State, did make limitless funds available for the struggle. How
true is that?
Yes. Bola Tinubu was an individual. You asked me for a movement.
There were more other individuals too like Prof. Banjo who used their
resources. But was there any movement? There was no movement. Tinubu
made some financial contributions. Other people also did. He was close
to Abiola. He accompanied Abiola to Abacha’s office where they discussed
that Abacha should stay for six months. And when Abacha reneged, that
was how Tinubu ran away from Nigeria.
Was that deal not like a dinner with the devil?
But Abacha told them. He gave them the impression that he would stabilize the place and bring up Abiola. It was a charade.
Was Abiola naïve or he was acting in the best interest of the country?
Not an issue of naiveté. Abiola was trusting. He was an unorganized
and indisciplined person, because of money. I mean for someone to live
that kind of life. Can you compare between Abiola and Awolowo for
instance? Abiola wasn’t organized. He wasn’t a disciplined man. But he
was very trusting. We are talking of politics and power.
Do you think he was ever transformed by the betrayals of June 12?
We never knew and we would never know if he had Survived his incarceration. Prison has a way of bringing one’s real character.
How about his tenacity?
Tenacity has nothing to do with discipline. One becomes disciplined while alive.
You had your reservations about his life and you still had your weight and skills behind him?
It was a systemic change. If Obama’s election was annulled because he
was black, that would have been the end of America. It is not about
personality. A lot of presidential candidates came and were banned
before him, nobody fought for them because there was no general
election.
I want to know what the holding cell looked like.
It was a gulag. Rodents co-habit with humans. Once you entered the
place, you can’t know your way out. It was a real dungeon. An
underground tunnel. I was there by myself. When I got here, to the U.S.,
I was still having flashbacks and nightmares. It was a harrowing
experience. I’m o.k. now. It was not a pleasant experience. (Voice
increasingly became pensive) I was there for two years. I was
quarantined. I did not have any contact with any human being. I was
thinking that they did not want to shoot me but knew a civilian would
not survive the place because that was the same place they kept late
Gen. Mamman Vatsa.They just wanted me to die somehow and that my body
would be collected and that would be it.
Understand that one of my cousins was one of those who interrogated
me. They did not know. He is still in the system. He pretended that he
did not know me. That was the cousin with whom I lived when Babangida
took over power. He did not torture me. He pretended that he did not
know me.
So you did actually drive Professor Banjo to Ghana?
I did not drive him. I ordered a cab for them. I took them to a
hotel. It was a non-descript hotel. Nobody knew that they were there.
The UNHCR guy wanted me to take them out at night. I made up my mind
that I would take them out in broad day light.
The Nigerian Security people didn’t know that they could come out in
the afternoon. Bad things happen at night. They were waiting for them at
night. We got to Benin Togo border at 11 a.m. The Nigerian goons were
there from 12 midnight to 6 a.m. I hired the taxi like any other
passenger. I did it through my United Nations Card.
They stopped us at the border, I flashed my card and I said I was
taking U.N. Official to Ghana, they waved us on. And then I returned.
Were you indeed suspended, hanged downwards to roast gradually on a burning stove while at DMI dungeon? Was it that bad?
(Laugh) It borders on exaggeration. You know I said it in my column. It was exaggerated.
You mean that never happened?
Well, I wasn’t tortured to that level. All that fire thing, no, no.
You were only released after Abacha died?
Remember there was a fight at DMI. They were not coordinated. Sabo
was the second in command to… There was a lady military officer that
used to come to me at night. We were exchanging information. She could
not have access to my place. She was the one who went to Bamaiyi to tell
him about my case.
Remember Alima Asuku from Kogi state, a girlfriend of Abacha’s was
there. She had four children for Abacha. The lady was from Okene. She
was detained with us. She was very nice. She was nice to me.
Ishaya Bamaiyi was the only military officer who visited me in the
underground tunnel after my case had been presented to him by the lady
military officer. We spoke. Bamaiyi thought that if Abacha died, he
would step into Abacha’s shoes. God had shown me that Abacha would die.
Did you tell him that?
Yes. The message was open. I told the lady as well. Omenka and all of
them heard me when I said that Abacha was going to die. I started
saying it in 1997. Almost a year before Abacha died. It was an open
thing.
And it was not as if you had any clandestine plan with anybody?
No. Just a vision from God.
When you said that to the military intelligence people, did they accuse you of treasonable felony?
They thought I was crazy. They asked if it was going to be through a
coup. I said I don’t know but that the man was going to die. And it
happened like that. And I made up my mind. From there, we knew they were
going to bring… Up till today, Nigerians do not know how Abacha and
Abiola died and how they arranged for Obasanjo to become the President. I
shall now place that information and the dots to connect it all at your
disposal. It was Babangida and the northern oligarchy that planned it
all. Obasanjo is just an Uncle Tom. The slave in the house. He is not in
the inner caucus of anything. He is a cannon fodder.
You don’t see the names of those Hausa Fulanis who rule Nigeria on the
pages of Nigerian newspapers. They do not speak Hausa. They speak
Fulfulde. They speak the language of the Fulani. They traced their
lineage to Othman (or Usman) Dan Fodio. They are sworn to rule Nigeria
from the North until they deep their Koran inside the (ocean) and make
all Nigerians to become Moslems. They are still active inside Nigeria
today.
Most Yorubas, Urhobo, Edo, Ibos, Deltas, Ijaws, Efik, Ibibio and
Nothern Minorities do not know what is happening. There is internal
colonialism going on in Nigeria. All the talk of Adamawa, Sokoto, Bauchi
is rubbish. There is only one Hausa-Fulani oligarchy.
That is why people much resist the attempt at making our children
second class citizens in that country. Awolowo saw it very early in the
life of the Republic. Abiola saw it too. When you have your own money,
you will have a voice. The only person that they have even been able to
buy over is Obasanjo. He is their errand boy.
But Obasanjo would argue to the contrary, sir.
It doesn’t matter. It is like saying there is no God. It does not
remove the fact. You wake up in the morning; you see His creation, the
sun and daylight…
Nigerians in my generation think we should stay inside one nation and engineer a good political culture.
For eight years that Obasanjo governed, he could not do anything. All
these things you are hearing from me, if we were in Nigeria, no
newspapers would carry it. This idea of Babangida’s past was what Bola
Ige had when he became Attorney-General and Minister of Justice. He had
all the papers on Babangida and his gang. He was coming to the U.S. to
expose him and they had to kill him. Did you know that?
Not exactly. So you are saying that was why he was assassinated?
Yes. Obasanjo knows this fact. Let him speak up. He said it himself
that Bola Ige did not know his left from his right. These are some of
the dirty things that they needed to perpetuate. That was why Babangida
brought Aliyu Mohammed (Gusau) back. The story could not come out now in
Nigerian papers. It is when the man dies that Nigerian journalists
would be pretending to be investigating.
Are you saying that Nigerian journalists are lazy?
The so-called Nigerian mainstream media has always been like that.
That is why Babangida always says “I know Nigerians”. He has spread his
tentacles and has bought into all of them.
We know credible Nigerians like Professor Wole Soyinka and even leaders from the North are talking about these things.
Why are they not saying it openly? Prof Soyinka, I respect. He has
international clout, but he had one or two things to do with Babangida.
Although his intentions were pure, Babangida granted him some favors in
order to later arm string him and shut him up.
Do you know what those one or two things are sir?
Dr Yemi Ogunbiyi was one of Wole Soyinka’s lieutenants. Ogunbiyi’s
job was on the line at the Guardian. I worked in the Guardian then. His
appointment was terminated. He approached Alex Ibru that Ogunbiyi should
be retained and nothing was done. He was annoyed. So Soyinka approached
Babangida. And that was how Dr. Ogunbiyi became the Managing Director
of Daily Times. Ogunbiyi eventually gave me a job at the Daily Times. I
am confessing that. Ogunbiyi went to Daily Times and made his money.
Babangida knows how to apply rude squeeze. Soyinka does not owe him
anything. At least he did not collect anything directly from Babangida. I
know that alright. But like I said when you do me a favor, you could
expect something in return.
Even in the death of Dele Giwa, Prof. Soyinka and Dr. Ogunbiyi would
have known. Remember that Ogunbiyi was the Master of Ceremony at the
funeral of Dele Giwa. And he was the Director of Publicity at the
Guardian.
Sully Abu, Stanley Macebuh, Andy Akporugo, Ogunbiyi were all close to
Dele Giwa. They knew why IBB killed their friend. Nobody wants to talk.
They are all still alive. That’s why I am talking from the U.S. now.
This is a challenge to them.
Andy Akporugo is dead. Segun Osoba is still alive. They should come
out and tell Nigerians what they know. They know why Babangida killed
Dele Giwa. They all had the story that Dele Giwa had. But they can’t
publish it. And I was the only one who published it. That is the truth.
