Whispering Drums With Maigani
by Musa Ibrahim
The rulers of Borno state
The former civilian governor of Borno State is in a most unenviable position. Well, I suppose that is something of an understatement considering the fact that he is one of those who has been held in prison since the coup of December 31. 1983. Nobody will expect that his present position will be one to be envied.All the same, his appears to be an even more precarious position than that of his former colleagues in jail with him.
It is being said that right at the beginning of the coup when the politicians were herded into Kirikiri prison and were given assets declaration forms to fill in anticipation of their trials, the former Governor insisted on getting two sets of the forms.
The authorities thought that the former Governor, Alhaji Mohammed Goni was only exhibiting some of the effects that prison has on some people, so they decided to humour him and gave him two sets of forms.
Alhaji Goni then proceeded to fill in his forms and another one for his predecessor as Governor of Borno State.
All very well, one might think, except that the person who was Alhaji Goni's predecessor happens to be Maj- Gen. Tunde Idiagbon, Chief of Staff and current strongman of the Buhari administration.
It doesn't stop there, for Borno State is an interesting place - Tunde Idiagbon also succeeded as governor of Borno, a gentleman called Maj-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari who left his position as governor of Borno to become the Petroleum minister.
Alhaji Goni is said to reckon that if there is anything wrong with Borno State, all three former governors - Buhari, Idiagbon and Goni - must share the blame and the most recent incumbent currently resident in Kirikiri prison reckons that he knows a thing or two about the performance and activities of his two eminent predecessors.
The received wisdom among those who are tuned into the Kirikiri wavelength is that ex-governor Goni is saying that for every charge that can be laid against him, he knows of two or three reasons why he should share the dock with his eminent predecessors.
Nemesis?
One of the very envious assets of an African is the bond of relationship that binds him to another fellow African, however distant. An African in Zimbabwe, Senegal, Uganda, regards that African in Ghana, Mali, Nigeria and wherever as his next of kin and are each other's keepers. The Africa's sense of hospitality and magnanimity is legendary and to some people, the only thing that makes one an African. Unlike in other parts of the world, wealthy Africans spread their largesse widely, continuously and generously. Most especially politicians.Like it happened in Nigeria a few years back. There is no single sector of the Nigerian society that did not benefit from the largesse of those politicians now branded "corrupt". Coming to think of it, the military was, in fact, the greatest beneficiary. The Buharis, the Idiagbons, the Babangidas and the rest of the bunch all have skeletons in their cupboards - skeletons that they acquired from the politicians and before their handing-over charade in 1979. So when they staged their midnight coup and decided to hold the of alleged financial mismanagement in camera or in the dark, it was a smart move that was intended to stop those being tried from trying to spread what has been called "destabilising statements from the dock" on the very people trying them.
But try as they could, there is an African adage which says that however rich and powerful a man is, he can never buy back his past, and truth has to be out some day. This is apposite to what is happening to Nigeria's present military leaders. It started with the Abubakar Rimis and the Sabo Bakin Zuwo's defying the tribunals, maintaining their innocence and calling their trials kangaroo trials. Then there were others who charged the military leaders not to throw stones because they too were living in glass houses.
And now the Gonis are demanding the Idiagbons and the Bubaris subpoenaed to appear before the tribunals to help trace "some missing millions". Yes, I can see the embarrassment on the faces of daredevils which is sufficient evidence that nemesis is already subjecting them to self-flagellation and sell annihilation.
Wedding of the year
One of the fashionable collector’s items currently in Nigeria is said to the invitation cards to the recent wedding of Alhaji Umaru Ali Shinkal the ex-Commissioner of Police and Director-General of the Nigerian Security Organisation (NSO) during the Shagari administration to Hajiya Lubabatu, daughter of the late Sardauna of Sokoto, Sir Ahmad Bello.My sources indicate that everybody who is anybody at all in Nigeria today was at the wedding in Sokoto and the invitation cards in particular are so spectacular that they are still in great demand even after the wedding. Those who have it are displaying them conspicuously in their living rooms for two reasons - the card is an expensive masterpiece and a decorative piece and it is also a status symbol. Thus even if you were not at the wedding it is still useful to get one just to be able to say that you have one of the cards.
The wedding is sure to be the talking point in the country for a long time and had no indication of the austerity atmosphere. Two 747 jumbo jets were said to have been specially chartered to carry friends and guests from Lagos to Sokoto for the big do.
The groom, Alhaji Shinkafi is, according to all reports, still very much among the powers that be in Nigeria today. Which fact is puzzling to many considering that he was Shagari's Director of NSO, an organisation that was said to be one of the unattractive aspects of the Shagari administration.
He obviously was not very upset with Maj-Gen. Buhari and his friends for staging the coup which to the untutored would seem to mean that the NSO Director had failed in his duties. Some other people who know say that Alhaji Shinkafi was a most competent NSO Director and it was not possible for anything touching on security to have occurred in Nigeria without his knowing.
The big wedding is said to have provided an opportunity for some high level political discussions among some heavy weights, and it is likely that we shall be seeing some of the effects very soon.
