USING THE PAST TO WIN TODAY: KINGSLEY WALI

         “The International Human
           Rights Commission (IHRC)
           says Nigerian Army exhibited
          “acceptable restraint and
           discipline” in the face of
           provocation by politicians
           during the general elections."-
           Semeka Setuk(IHRC).





If ever you go for a visa interview at the Iranian embassy and you’re asked to define SELFLESS SERVICE, please do yourself the great favour of responding, "The Nigerian Army." If they ask you, as a higher test, to give an example of a THANKLESS JOB, respond "A Job in the Nigerian Army." Now, if the interviewer feels he needs to task your brain further by asking you to name a Serviceman, your passport will be stamped as soon as your answer is: "Nigerian soldier." For dash & in gratitude for issuing you a visa, tell The Revolutionary Officer that Nigerian soldiers have made 'harakiri' look like love making. They are not trained, equipped or encouraged to fight for their Motherland. Rather, they are equipped to die or better put, prepared to be slaughtered by an ungrateful nation & her people.

Hailed, revered & worshipped outside for their bravery, but scorned, mocked & derided at home. From Burma to Congo, Liberia to Sierra Leone and Sudan to Somalia, mention the word "Nigeria," and you will be regaled with the heroics of Nigerian servicemen. Even Olopa sef.

When you hear Nigerians insult our Military, you will be left to conclude that the uniformed men who are murdered daily in the North East are from Afghanistan. In the Nigeria of today, the life of a soldier is worth absolutely nothing.
And there is no better way of illustrating the disdain of the Nigerian people for the military than the current narrative in the Niger Delta in general and Rivers State in particular. The Military have become the whipping boys of desperate politicians and their stooges who parade themselves as observers & concerned citizens. I’m struggling hard not to call them fools. People now speak as if there never was a year '2015.' Even those who remember are saying that we should allow people who raped us to enjoy their laurels. In fact, for daring to remember that 2015 happened, you’re demonized as the "culprit" & the culprits are rather the victims. I will leave them to the judgement of history & nothing more.

I listened to Mayor Akinpelu’s narration of how the Military invaded collation centers & disrupted the entire process. I was not sure who to feel sorry for: Mr Akinpelu and his type or me and Rivers people. I was speedily comforted by the publication of a Premium Times article written by Uguji Egbujo. And I can’t forget the picture he painted in prose, of elections in Rivers State without the Military. According to him, “In 2015, no election held in Rivers State. The Military and militants were used to scare away the then opposition. International observers fled. Some persons benefited from the armed robbery. And that reinforced that culture of theft until today.

The opposition party, at the Federal level was prevented by militants and cultists from campaigning in the home of the then First Lady. The Police swore to protect them. They trusted the Police and tried again. Twice, they were battered and shot at; thrice they ran away. They were chased away by hooligans in broad daylight. Children watched and shook their heads. Everyone knows those who perpetrated those atrocities. Rather than reap retribution, they reaped handsome electoral dividends........ We always pretend not to know. Without the Military, Rivers State would have long become a Gangland. A Throne for Gangsterism. A Crowning Stool for people who once paid ransoms to conduct funerals in some parts of the State. The Military was all the people had left... Today, the Military has been smeared as "the biggest challenge to credible electoral process." Satan get power sha. In all these, we must acknowledge the foresight of the Nyerisi in knowing where his problems will come from & his assiduous work to voraciously take them out, one after the other.

In 2015, Nyerisi rubbished all political calculations by kicking asses & forcing his way into the Brick House. He cared less about finesse & created a process for himself rather than allowing due process to become a burdensome albatross. He understood the doctrine of "POWER IS POWER" & used it to the fullest. NOTHING was spared in his March to Power. He suffered some hiccups from the Judiciary and ensured that it never happened again. He understood the importance & role of the Military in the political process of the region and decided that if he couldn’t get them to do a repeat for him, then it will not be used against him. To be sure and to avoid "DO YOU KNOW WE," he designed and commissioned "OPERATION SAND SAND." The idea is to pour sand into everyone’s eyes. He spent three years putting the media together to see & do things his way. And he turned dollars into sand & poured so much into the eyes of the media & the managers of the Temple of Justice. While his opponents had a token relationship with the media, Nyerisi took them out for dinner and they landed in his bed. Indeed, it was a threesome with the Judiciary in the room too. Stark naked & probably sex drunk. And una know say when small girl don see your ehian, nothing like small girl inside again. She go dey even call you baby and you go dey gladly answer.

Then morning comes. The Judiciary is given the much simpler task of ensuring that no serious candidate was allowed to see the ballot paper, talk less of being on the ballot. All kinds of subterfuge & sabotage were employed to ensure this. With Military-like precision, the All Progressives' Congress (APC) became a guinea pig. In fact, he used them to play Russian roulette. Funny enough, the main pawn began to see himself as a butterfly worthy of attending meeting with the eagles. Right now, he calls himself an eagle that remains in full flight. To Nyerisi, he is what he is: a beautiful butterfly and a useful tool who overrated his own intelligence while doing the bidding of men he considers "less intelligent." His time is ephemeral in the mystery called life. If Lion dey pick pin, cob go be toy naaaa - ACCORDingly. Nyerisi looked at the third distraction & thought he didn’t need to waste his PRECIOUS time gazing at someone when it looked like the lion, while picking pin, was multi-tasking. Indeed, he had picked Awarawa Tomato from an African farm. Nyerisi underestimated the anger of the Lion, his coalition & pride towards the man of many colors. At this point, he activated the media network to pour mud into the eyes of Nigerians. They must demonize the Military or they all perish with his drowning PRINCIPALITY. That’s how the Military became interlopers.

In the eyes of many Nigerians the binoculars of the Nigerian media, the military has turned Rivers state into a killing field. Ofcourse we have a record of two soldiers and an innocent young lady who died on the eve of the presidential election. That said, it will be nice to have the Nigerian media unearth the identity of others who also were cut down by the rampaging military. This shouldn’t take forever. To add, the media can also put out the still & video pictures of soldiers invading collation centers. And where there is no pictures, then the media should apologize to Nigerians for the lies they have been parading.

Are they doing a damn good job? Anyone reading the Newspapers, listening to the Radio stations or watching the TV stations will come to the conclusion that the Military actually stopped all the voters in Rivers state from voting & took the election materials to Bori camp before returning candidates in the bed room of Chibuike Amaechi. Sadly, even educated people are equally falling for this scam.

For me, the big lesson is that the All Progressives' Congress must begin to pay attention to how it is perceived. To think that a tokenist relationship with the media is sufficient is to keep nourishing a terminal ailment. APC has to engage media hands that have a record and not contractors or middlemen with claims to internship with the social side of the media. My point is that a media plan has to be consciously developed & not archaic forms of press statement-based media management. I will not end this without recognizing the Yeoman's job done by the talented supporters of Progressivism in the New Media. They remained passionate despite an acute lack of leadership, support & encouragement.

LEST I FORGET.............
The opposition has been wailing about the death of democracy and the high handedness of the President Buhari led federal government. Well, as at the last count, the high handedness has led to the loss of Bauchi, Sokoto, Benue, Adamawa, Oyo, Osun & Imo states, as well as the stalemating of elections in Rivers state.
Also, I pray that the disaster that Adams Oshiomhole & his sponsors brought to APC is now clear to President Muhammadu Buhari & his advisers. Even if their ultimate plot failed, they - Adams & co, still represent the worst form of evil in politics. Until they destroy what they cannot have, they will not let go.

Ra’isul Saura LIVE ©️2019.

MAN DEY GROW, MAN DEY SENSE🧠