Fascism as a political
system that was adopted in Italy, Germany, Spain, Portugal particularly in the
interwar years took the Second World War and the loss of millions of lives to
destroy and to which the world always say “never again.” Fascism is one of the
most obnoxious political terms that no self-respecting political figure want to
be associated with on account of the enormous losses and suffering it visited
on humankind. The American Political prisoner George Jackson of Soledad
Brothers gave it a most appropriate definition by which characterizing it
political criminality, militarism, racism and demagogy. Fascism in Europe
emerged largely through democratic elections (as Mussolini in Italy, Hitler in
Germany attests) and was driven by desperate sections of the bourgeoisie to
save their rule from collapse and disillusioned middle class elements. The term
was used in Nigeria during the decolonization era to characterize some
political parties and was not used again until recently when Alhaji Balarabe Musa
characterized General Muhammadu Buhari twenty months dictatorial rule of
Nigeria from 1984-5 as fascist.
In spite of the bitter
experiences, purposelessness and failures of Buhari’s regime, some frustrated
power mongers are exploiting the present democratic dispensation to attempt a
repeat of that dark episode in Nigerian history. They are supported by some
elements of the middle class with nostalgia for that regime which Femi Falana
at public talk in ABU in 1985 described as a malevolent dictatorship. Some of
the younger members of that middle class bereft of knowledge of that era just
parrot the lie that was the grandeur of Buhari’s iron fist rule to deceive the
masses into supporting a man who snatched the little welfare the masses had
from previous governments. Buhari’s rule was never care for the masses, but
about an excluded section of the bourgeoisie from NPN rule. A government that
really cared about the masses would not have destroyed the kiosk and “counters”
of the small petty traders (remember APC’s Oshiomole’s GO AND DIE insult to the
widowed petty trader), re-instated Jangali /Haraji and poll taxes on peasants,
reintroduced school fees in primary and secondary schools and removed subsidies
from higher education, closed down thousands of rural schools, retrenched over
two million workers and proscribed trade unions and professional associations
and detained people who dared to ask for a democratic transition
programme.
The deceitful proponents
of Buhari’s messianism hinge their campaign on President Jonathan’s alleged
“cluelessness”, failure to curb corruption and Boko haram, insurgency. But the
underlying force behind their campaign is ethnicity, religion and power hunger
particularly in the far north and a section of the Southwest bourgeoisie who
believe that they can ride on Buhari’s popularity in the far Muslim North to
smuggle themselves into power.
What these Southerners
behind Buhari do not realize is that they cannot control Buhari once he obtains
power. The Nigerian Presidency is an executive one, which allows monopoly
control of power once it is captured. Obasanjo did it by ditching those who
brought him to power and produced an imperial presidency. Buhari as a military
man who has once tasted power and conscious of his past mistakes will
definitely not behave differently from Obasanjo. His unrelenting quest for
power in the past twelve years is not without a purpose and ulterior motive.
The whole niceties of patriotism and nationalism are suspect as Buhari
obviously have a mission that is driving him to contesting every election since
2003. Now in 2014/15, he gives the impression that he is being literally begged
to come and rescue Nigeria from the precipice which fifteen years of PDP rule
have pushed Nigeria to. He is being portrayed as the long awaited and
indispensable messiah of Nigeria with the midas touch that will take Nigeria to
the promised land.
Given the presentation
of Buhari as the needed indispensable leader and the blind and fanatically
violent followership in both the Muslim North and South west, backed by a
political cabal that have perfected the exploitation of lumpen area boys and
almajiris to enforce their will, political criminality is the modus operandi of
pursuing and achieving both the hidden and open political agenda of the party
in the forthcoming elections and the government, if Buhari wins. Already
Buhari’s fanatical followers have not only started threatening his opponents in
the North but have actually embarked on violent destruction of PDP properties
in the Hausa-Fulani Muslim dominated Bauchi Road area of Jos where PDP campaign
vehicles have been torched and Muslim dominated Tudun Wada area of Kaduna where
violence has been unleashed on people pasting posters of PDP candidates.
Another pointer to the
ascendancy of political criminality is Buhari continued stand-off with INEC
over the presentation of his educational credentials. His disdain for civilized
law is becoming legendary with his disobedience of Oputa Panel summons and
support for the full implementation of sharia law over and above the Nigerian
constitution. The only law that Buhari is known to honor is the law he
instituted himself. When it suited him during his regime, he violated sharia
and the nation’s constitution with retroactive laws. This is attested by his
grouse with the late Sheikh Abubakar Gumi who opposed his use of retroactive
laws (which has no basis in Islamic law) to execute drug traffickers.
Buhari’s nationalism and
patriotism are only skin deep with his racism (read sectionalism and bigotry)
taking precedent over and above all other interests. The sectionalism goes back
to his regime days in the 1980s. It was his regime that started the
implementation of Federal Character and Quota system to the letter to shut out
Southerners from the Federal Civil Service and saw to the complete erosion of
merit. Anything that was overtly beneficial to Southern Nigeria was immediately
shot down (cancellation of Lagos Metroline, Private Universities in Eastern
Nigeria etc for no justifiable reasons) while anything that promoted Northern
Nigeria and Islam were uplifted (he started importation of rams for Sallah and
no similar importation of Turkeys for Christmas). He even boasted and
threatened to deal with the Southern press, which criticized and exposed his
sectional policies. Another anti-Southern Nigeria policy was not only the
reduction of the Shagari Presidential Task Force 5% derivation funds allocation
to the oil producing states of the Niger Delta to 1.5% but refusal to pay the
money to the states. He is not known to have reduced or stopped any special
funds to the North such as Arid Zone Afforestation program that was enjoyed
exclusively by Northern Nigeria.
He is the only Nigerian
leader who built a Presidential lodge in his Daura hometown, which is not the
capital of any state in violation of existing law. His overlordship of PTF
provided the much needed opportunity for implementing his racist policies of skewing
all allocations in favour of the North particularly his Northwest Zone and
outrightly denying funding of health and educational development to the South
West as punishment for opposing Abacha’s fascism, which he was a major
beneficiary. (Mrs Abacha financially sponsored his foray into politics since
2003 and so it was right for Buhari to deny that Abacha’s looting of Nigerian
treasury).
Since his removal from
office, he has continuously expressed outwardly his support for Fulani herdsmen
depredations against farmers (by complaining to Oyo State Governor-Your people
(Yoruba) are killing my people (Fulani herdsmen). He is not known to have ever
condemned the murderous rampaging of the Fulani herdsmen among many Nigerian
farming communities. Similar support was shown towards Boko Haram terrorists
when he condemned the destruction of their mosques and homes and complained
that the Niger Delta militants with treated differently in spite of the
destruction of Niger Delta communities like Odi, Kaima, Ogoniland Emuchem etc
from Babangida through Abacha to Obasanjo.
His militarist approach
to solving of problems is best illustrated by his use of the military tribunals
to jail alleged corrupt politicians many of whom were not properly investigated
and to terrorize the citizenry. The War against indiscipline empowered military
boys to break into stores and warehouses to sell off the goods at their own
price, destroy market stores and houses, regiment people into queuing and
engaging in environmental sanitation as well as arbitrary retrenchment of over
two million workers. He has boasted again to send anyone who steals Nigeria’s
money to Kirikiri without telling us how he is going to accomplish it. His
incarceration of politicians was not only selective, but also included the
unjustifiable detention of politicians and individuals who were never tried
(Balarabe Musa, Rufai Ibrahim) or held no political offices like former
Biafran rebel Odumegwu Ojukwu, Tai Solarin etc.
With executive
power and a cowed money hungry legislature dominated by his fanatical
supporters particularly Northerners, we will witness the reenactment of his
1980s fascist governance. We can only expect a reenactment since he is not
known to be a deep thinker. His last thirty years out of power has
no published paper or address to his name to acquaint us with his thinking or
his reform. He has never shown any remorse for his past dehumanization and rape
of Nigerians. His comments, interviews and addresses at events are largely
demagogic stirring of religious fundamentalists against the nation and
denouncing corruption. The anti-corruption of Buhari’s campaign will be the
battle cry to use in hounding and destroying any opposition. This is not
unexpected given that falsehood and lies are being employed in gargantuan
proportions to sell his electability. What stops his handlers from employing
such methods in silencing and destroying all opposition and facilitate the
enthronement of full-blown fascism. Resist Buharists deceptions and lies,
because electing Buhari means a forward march to fascism characterized by
sectionalism, violent dictatorship, deprivation, and loss of democratic
freedoms.
Ewaen Edoghimioya
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