I think we have lost the import of this thread and instead went on commenting on the saintliness of Awolowo. Why did he choose to write in this manner to milootocrat Ibrahim Babangida's request?
That seems to be Awo's way of saying ' I wont be fooled twice.' The clues are in the words 'dialectics' and 'twenty years'.
Awo invited Babangida on a short historical trajectory of how he got to power in questionable circumstances by short changing the dialectics that would have resulted in he, Awolowo being in power because the NPN had failed to deliver, in which case Babangida would be a soldier serving under him at his pleasure it the contrived situation in which Awo will be serving under his dictatorship all because the Northern Oligarchy did not want to let ho of power and would rather send in its military wing ensconced in the Nigerian army led by Ibrahim Babangida. This was what Awo referred to euphemistically as the evil in men heart ( the situation was to be re- played again with Aare Abiola who was supposed to be closer to the Oligarchy. Only then did it dawn on the Aare that the only thing close to the Oligarchy's heart is the perpetual monopoly of power, at which point he made his apologies to the then widow of Awo - HID)
Babangida and his cronies after first using Buharis credibility and sanitusation drive to seize power sought to contrive the situation 20 years earlier when Awo served under Gowon to prevent the country from disintegration in a civil war, when in fact there was no similarity because all the Northern Oligarchy was fighting in the 80s after a massively rigged election was loss of power to an opposition led by Awo and the UPN and Awo's letter was to let Babangida know he could see through the smokescreen.
OAA
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy smartphone.
-------- Original message --------
From: Mobolaji Aluko <alukome@gmail.com>
Date: 26/12/2019 05:37 (GMT+00:00)
To: USAAfrica Dialogue <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Awo's reply declining membership ofthe 1986 Political Bureau
This message is eligible for Automatic Cleanup! (alukome@gmail.com) Salimonu Kadiri:
This is why I have stayed on Ibrahim Abdullahi, to see whether he is a pepper-soup rumor-monger, or a serious commentator on this Coker Commission caper.
Awo - in his book "Adventures in Power Book Ii: The Travails of Democracy and the Rule of Law" spent a whole Chapter on this Coker Commission Report, and excerpted detailed analysis of the report by three intellectuals of that day: Prof.. S.A. Aluko (my father), Prof.. Hezekiah Oluwasanmi and Prof.. Akin Mabogunje.
1. What Disgusts Me Most in the Coker Report - by Aluko
2. A Most Infamous Rationalization - by Oluwasanmi
3. It is a Travesty of Justice - by Mabogunje
Bolaji Aluko
On Wed, Dec 25, 2019 at 8:36 PM Salimonu Kadiri <ogunlakaiye@hotmail.com> wrote:
--Mallam Ibrahim Abdullah,ÈGÀN KÒ PÉ K'OYIN MÁ DÙN, derision cannot cause honey not to be sweet. Every sane Nigerian knows that the Coker Commission of enquiry was inaugurated by the Federal coalition government of NPC and NCNC after overthrowing the Action Group controlled Western Government. The sole purpose of the Coker Commission of enquiry in June 1962, was to rubbish the image of Awolowo who had left the Premiership of Western Region to contest the 1959 Federal Election. If Coker had discovered stealing and misappropriation of Western Region by Awolowo, there would not have been treasonable felony trial against Awolowo who would have been prosecuted, instead, for embezzlement, fraud, corruption etc. Coker Commission discovered that Awolowo spent cocoa money on free primary education for all. Initially, it was intended to be compulsory but when his any campaigned that he wanted to deprive parents helping hands of their children in the farm, he changed it to voluntary. The first Television Station in Africa, WNTV, was established by Awolowo's government, the flood-light Liberty Stadium was built with Cocoa money, major towns in Western Region had access to pipe-borne water, farm settlements producing dairy products were established throughout Western Region, Cocoa House (a Skyscraper) was built in Ibadan and a large area of Land was turned into industrial estate in Ikeja which belonged to Western Region then. I challenge you to quote directly from the report of Coker Commission of enquiry into the finances of Western Region Government up to 1959 where it was stated that Awolowo corruptly enriched himself by stealing public funds and what amount of money was it.
As all human beings, Awolowo had his shortcomings but among his political peers he was the best. Saying that has nothing to do with my ethnic origin, since in some aspects I also admire the political ideologies of Samuel Gomsu Ikoku, Anthony Enahoro, Aminu Kano, Mokwugo Okoye, to mention few.S. Kadiri
Från: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com> för Ibrahim Abdullah <ibdullah@gmail.com>
Skickat: den 25 december 2019 00:06
Till: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com>
Ämne: Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Awo's reply declining membership of the 1986 Political BureauO ko owo je like all the others and used Sonibare to play the game. Awo chopped cocoa profit well well. You cannot cover your beloved Papa. Only blind AGroupers will want to whitewash Coker Commission and deify the proclaimed Sage!
So funny---covering up for Awo.--
Sent from my iPhone
On 24 Dec 2019, at 10:19 PM, Mobolaji Aluko <alukome@gmail.com> wrote:
--
Ibrahim Abdullah:
What do you know about the Coker Commission report? If that was what makes you declare Awo a non-saint, then he was indeed a saint. The Coker Commision was a cooked-up concordance..no pun intended.
No - Awo was not a saint simply because he was human. But he stands almost paradigmatically alone in the pantheon of Nigeria's original leaders.
Season's greetings!
Bolaji Aluko
On Tue, Dec 24, 2019, 14:46 Ibrahim Abdullah <ibdullah@gmail.com> wrote:
Awo was no saint. Coker Commission report is there for all to see.
Sent from my iPad
> On Dec 24, 2019, at 10:35 AM, Tunji Olaopa <tolaopa2003@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Reading Papa Awo's letter declining to serve on IBB's Political Bureau in 1986 again, and with the clear declining fortune of the Nigeria Project, I woke up this morning wondering, did the sage saw something about the future that we are in that we were perhaps too blinded to see?
>
> RESTORING GOVERNMENTAL AND SOCIAL ORDER - CHIEF OBAFEMI AWOLOWO
>
> In 1986, former President Ibrahim Babangida had asked Pa Awolowo to provide input into charting a New Social Order for Nigeria via a National Debate. A couple of my bosom friends have over the last few days reminded me of the force and depth of Pa Awolowo reply:
>
> "Dear Sir, I received your letter of February 28, 1986, and sincerely thank you for doing me the honour of inviting me to contribute to the National Political Debate. The purpose of the debate is to clarify our thoughts in our search for a new social order. It is, therefore, meet and proper that all those who have something to contribute should do so. I do fervently and will continue fervently to pray that I may be proved wrong. For something within me tells me, loud and clear, that we have embarked on a fruitless search. At the end of the day, when we imagine that the new order is here, we would be terribly disappointed. In other words, at the threshold of our New Social Order, we would see for ourselves that, as long as Nigerians remain what they are, nothing clean, principled, ethical, and idealistic can work with them. And Nigerians will remain what they are, unless the evils which now dominate their hearts, at all levels and in all sectors of our political, business and governmental activities are exorcised. But I venture to assert that they will not be exorcised, and indeed they will be firmly entrenched, unless God Himself imbues a vast majority of us with a revolutionary change of attitude to life and politics or, unless the dialectic processes which have been at work for some twenty years now, perforce, make us perceive the abominable filth that abounds in our society, to the end that an inexorable abhorrence of it will be quickened in our hearts and impel us to make drastic changes for the better. There is, of course, an alternative option open to us. To succumb to permanent social instability and chaos. On the premises, I beg to decline your invitation. I am yours truly, Obafemi Awolowo."
>
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