We continue with our foray into the political dynamics of the war against Coro, our unseen unknown and vicious enemy and today, we berth at Kogi State, ruled by Yahaya Bello, one of the “small-boy” governors of this dispensation. In the political dynamics of Nigeria Coro management Kogi and Rivers states appear to have the same agenda: to “counter mote” the Federal Government but their strategies and tactics differ. While Wike is physically involved and fires on all cylinders against the FG, mostly by action, Bello stays a little bit off the war front and urges his boys on as they pour unprintable, uncouth venom, devoid of any officialese at the NCDC. Kogi’s political armament revolves around demarketing and impugning the individual and corporate integrity of NCDC, and in effect distracting the Federal Agency and its agents at the forefront of this war against coro.
My shock was unparalleled when I read a statement credited to Governor Bello that Coro in Nigeria “is political, full of lies and an avenue for political office holders and corrupt officials to embezzle and steal the nation’s resources”. That was on 25/3/20, when Nigeria had just 44 confirmed cases. However, while I was trying to tidy up this piece, I went on a QC Quality Control) exercise and found a belated rebuttal, which was issued on 16/4/20, about 3 whole weeks later, through his Chief Press Secretary Onogwu Mohammed. The Governor also denied ever “asking people to take hot water with garlic, ginger, lemon, lime as well as steaming themselves as a cure for coro.”
Two weeks later, (29/4/20), Kogi State told the NCDC that it could not “declare COVID-19 where none exists” and that was response to Ihekweazu’s statement “that states which are yet to record cases of COVID-19 are either negligent in testing and tracing or actively hiding the disease within their territories”. The state wondered why the NCDC did not commend the state’s Olympian efforts in coro-containment. The following week (5/5/20) the state raised an alarm that there were unholy efforts to declare ghost coro cases for the state.
Kingsley Fanwo, (State Information Commissioner) complained about the recent pressures and unholy conspiracy from some interesting quarters for Kogi State to find and declare cases of the disease. Few days later, when NCDC sent its Rapid Response Squad, the governor ordered that they be quarantined for 14 days in line with NCDC protocols and that was the end of their Kogi programme
On 27/5, NCDC declared that Kogi, which had frustrated all efforts of NCD to operate in the state, had 2 coronised patients and all hell was literally let loose. The government, through its State Commissioner for Health rejected the figures, insisting that we will not be a party to any fictitious COVID-19 claims and that any attempt to force us to announce a case of COVID-19 will be vehemently rejected. He further declared that “One needs not to dig deeper to see the handwriting clearly written on the wall at how desperate NCDC is to nail Kogi State with a COVID-19 case and there is no telling how low they are willing to stoop to do so! Chai! Government official, a medic talking to another government official, a medic, in the market square!
Ihe emebiwo! (Things are no longer what they used to be). Kingsley Fanwo, tried to outdo his health colleague, in foul language saying that “It’s a backdoor declaration laden with a lot of fraud and falsehood …a very bad script acted by bad actors.” He also accused NCDC of trying to democratise coro across Nigeria because of its agenda. He had explained that the patients were smuggled from Kogi to Abuja and that Kogi operatives were denied access to the patients. Of course, as per their earlier stand, officials from Kogi should be quarantined for 2 weeks before coming anywhere close to the hospital! The family patient confirmed that he died of coronavirus, holding that there is no need for the Kogi state government to deny the obvious.
Dino Melaye, the governor’s “friend” added that COVID-19 case in Kogi was real and authentic, that, “One of the cases is from Kabba and the victim is personally known to me. I cannot be part of those who will play politics with the lives of my people”. When NCDC announced the 3rd case, Kogi again denied ownership, saying “We are not aware of who the patient is, where and when the test was conducted. No sample sent from Kogi
“Whats gwan? What are they fighting for? Is there any personal war against Ihekweazu or corporate war against NCDC? Is this how to conduct official communication? I would have said that foul and area-boy language is in their character but Kogi state was civil and official when it was grovelling and begging for N10 billion from the FG in November 2019, a few days to the governorship elections”
The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) joined the fray, appealing to the FG to call the State Governor and his officials to order immediately and also issue an order granting unfettered access and protection to NCDC officials into Kogi State. It also stated that it was incredibly disturbed by the response of the Kogi State government through the State Commissioner of Information, who not only described the process of arriving at the diagnosis as fraudulent, but also went on to smear the frontline Health workers and the NCDC on live national television. Eventually and while insisting that Kogi is coro-free, the governors declared a total lockdown on Kabba and environ. To further, throw in more confusion into the complex equation he went on to reverse the same lock down two days later!
Whats gwan? What are they fighting for? Is there any personal war against Ihekweazu or corporate war against NCDC? Is this how to conduct official communication? I would have said that foul and area-boy language is in their character but Kogi state was civil and official when it was grovelling and begging for N10 billion from the FG in November 2019, a few days to the governorship elections. Why has the FG not intervened, if for nothing else, because the integrity of NCDC and its processes are being thrown to the dogs. Anyway, ‘na dem sabi wetin dem de fight for’! But as the fly is utterly confused when a fart comes from above, so am I in this Kogi matter!
Other matters: Between Rwandan Tutsis and the Nigerian Igbos
In 1994, a genocidal bloodletting lasted for 100 days which led to the death of 800000 Rwandans, mostly Tutsis. It started “like joke, like joke” on 16/4/94 when presidents Habyarimana and Ntaryamira of Rwanda and Brundi, both Hutus, perished after the plane carrying them was gunned down. The majority Hutus then turned on the Tutsi minority tribe eliminating about 70 percent of them plus some modest Hutus. Since then, the world, and particularly Rwanda remember this sad historical reality.
The UN established the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda in 1995 and Rwanda continues to celebrate the memories of its 800000 compatriots, declaring always: Never Again. It has a memorial arcade holding their names; established the National Commission for the Fight Against Genocide, and holds an annual weekly celebration from 7-13 April, involving Walk to Remember, a night vigil and remembrance ceremony the. The 26th edition was celebrated under this coro environment in April 2020 during which Mr & Mrs Kegame laid wreaths on graves at the Kigali Genocide Memorial. where the remains of more than 250,000 genocide victims were buried. The UN Gen-Sec remarked that “Since the genocide, Rwanda has demonstrated that it is possible to rise from the ashes, to heal and to rebuild a stronger and more sustainable society.” So, it is celebrated by Uganda, AU and the whole world. And just the other day, Kabuda, one of the masterminds of the genocide was arrested; 26 years after the event.
In 1966 almost 30 years before the Rwandan genocidal “madness”, the Nigerian northern establishment organised, sponsored and coordinated the gruesome butchery of Ndi-Igbo (including some Easterners and a few Southerners initially because everybody beyond Benue was an Igbo Man) in the most cruel and macabre manner ever seen. Undertaken by known soldiers and the usual highly inflammable Hausa mobs, the most conservative estimate of the dead was about 60,000.
The Igbos left for home but were not allowed to because a week-long police action was initiated to cow them, which dovetailed into a 3 yearlong Biafran war of Independence. This ended in January 1970, with 3m Biafrans slaughtered, more by Kwashiorkor than my arms and ammunition. I don’t want to go into the his-story of these issues since history is written by the victors, narratives are rarely objective and since we don’t value history as we don’t even teach it in our schools. That is why somebody said that Biafrans fired the first shot in 1967. Gen Gowon, who distorted and reneged on the willingly negotiated and signed Aburi accord declared ‘no victor, no vanquished’ and launched the 3Rs (Reconstruction, Reconciliation and Rehabilitation). But action speaks louder than words because this was followed by the 20 pounds-only policy, the abandoned property and indigenisation programme
How does Nigeria remember these epochal events in its history? Well, as Nigerians would say, No nothing! No government has EVER said anything about the 1966 massacres and the killings of 1967-1970. We kept on acting as if nothing had happened while some people were sharing and enjoying the spoils of war. The Bight of Biafra was decreed out of existence in 1975 and the FG refused to remember the victims of original sin (northern massacres) and victims of the war. Some officers were readmitted here and there into the Nigerian army and police as the spirit directed.
Even when Igbos decided to stay at home and mourn, they were threatened with fire and brimstone and in 2017, we were served a quit-notice from the north for daring to stay at home. At other times, we received the egwu-eke treatment. It was only in 2017 that the FG participated in a program on Biafra (Memory and Nation Building: Biafra, 50 years after) organised by the Shehu Musa Yaradua Centre. Well, Osinbajo was the one on the throne then (as Ag President) and he delivered the keynote address. And as Nigeria does not remember, how can the world remember? But the Igbos still remember.
The issue is that while Rwanda goes out of its way to remember the past and use that remembrance to rebuild the present and plan for the future, we live in denial, as if the truth ceases to exist because it is ignored. Meanwhile “…memory is a critical aspect of post-war peace building. From Cambodia and Kosovo to Rwanda and South Africa, attempts at reconstruction and reconciliation that ignore the role of memory have led to COLD peace in real and metaphorical terms… The Biafran episode demonstrates vividly the enduring impact of ignoring or denying individual or collective memories and how it affects(adversely) the prospects for reconciliation and peace building (Social Science Research Council: Working Papers: Memory, Peacebuilding and Reconciliation in Post-Civil War South East Nigeria: African PeaceBuilding Working papers: June, 2018). No be me talk am!
Meanwhile, Ndigbo marked the 53rd Biafran anniversary this year, including the activities by Centre for Memories, Enugu. In Igbo-Ukwu, my home town I am collaborating with Fr Emeka Nwosu on the “IgboUkwu War Memorial Project”, with the initial objective of identifying all those who died during the war and ultimately building a cenotaph for them. Surprisingly this year, the Nigerian Government also remembered… in a queer way. The National Assembly approved $22.7 billion foreign loans but the entire South East is excluded from the projects funded with the loans which all of us MUST repay.
The earlier loan for railways also excluded the South East. Do you remember the configuration of the Nigerian security architecture, where the meeting has a 98 percent probability of being conducted in Hausa? The Biafran War is still being fought by other means! Ouch; Indeed, I can’t breathe!
