Against domestic imperialism

On Tuesday, January 06, this new year of our Lord a raging mob, at the instigation of the former United States President, Mr. Donald Trump, visited the Capitol Building where the legislative branch of the US Federal government is located. Mr. Trump, who was defeated by the new United States President, Mr. Joe Biden would not, in fact, really did not, accept the glaring fact of his defeat in the November 03, 2020 presidential election. And when he gave the word and the nod his supporters who turned themselves into raging combatants took battle to Capitol Hill to stop Congress from endorsing Biden’s presidential electoral victory.

Their mission was ostensibly a brutal one. The more than tens of thousands of combatants who with ease swept their way to the federal legislative building did so with murderous single-mindedness. In the words of Trump’s infamous lawyer Rudy Giulani, they were fully ready for “trial by combat” which was to end with the hanging of the firmly forthright Mr. Mike Pence and Trump’s Vice-President as at then who disobeyed and disagreed with his presidential boss who wanted him to do the incomprehensible and the unconstitutional in American democracy: To give his inelegant boss electoral victory after the presidential electoral certification in all the legally recognized institutions, including the Supreme Court, the foremost United States’ court that rejected every of Trump’s prayers.

Trump’s foot soldiers were equally ready to grab Mrs. Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic Speaker, who utterly devoted herself to the duty of doing the democratically right political engagement for herself, her party and on behalf of America. Trump’s warriors saw and regarded her as a big opposition enemy that must be held captive and guillotined. Mike Pence and Nancy Pelosi and all Senators and Reps had to run and hide from the rioters of morbid thoughts. The scale of violence was manifestly incomprehensible. But the lawmakers never really retreated from the confrontation that was well orchestrated and programmed to debar them from doing their rightful constitutional duty. When the security professionals eventually restored order, the Senators and Reps did what they needed to do. They, including many of the partisans among them, condemned without mincing words what they rightly described as “domestic terrorism.” And “domestic terrorism,” in my view, is worse than international terrorism. As we say here, who know man, na him dey kill am. Kai!

If citizens who are expected to work for the progress of their country and help to restore public liberty, do the opposite and resort to establishing a dynastic system of governance to torment the people, they obviously will be creating a government of domestic imperialists. No domestic imperialism anywhere in the world will receive the assent of the mass of the citizens. Our experience here in our country has confirmed this.

Right from our political independence from Britain, the mass of our citizens have refused to accept, willingly or unwillingly, to conform their actions to the supreme authority of those who want to lord it over them. Ours, as we all know, is a new country of just more than sixty years comprising of diverse ethnic groups numbering above three hundred. The Hausa-Fulani, Yoruba and Igbo constitute the three largest groups, who have been battling for prolonged and ceaseless supremacy. This supremacy battle has unleashed on the land perpetual fear of disorders and actual disorders, but the consequential desire of the big three has led rightly to a balance of terror in our country. The Igbo, full of industry and of strength, which resulted from their republican labour of philosophy which astonished even their rivals who led or, better, misled many of us to describe them as domestic imperialists. The civil war we fought from 1967 to 1970 was essayed on this feeling. The Yoruba are full of wisdom. And because having probably “been born in the breasts of storms,” as their history shows, they have learnt to exalt themselves over the years and have organized themselves calmly and prosperously without deliberately going out of their way to impose a dynastic order of imperialism on other ethnic groups – even though they possess the resources to do so. They are clever enough to create for themselves the “sole bond of union against external enemies.” Importantly, they have wisely used their great education to espouse their special interests. They are good, I mean excellent, forgers of alliances despite their seeming phenomena of open dissensions every now and then. They cherish freedom for themselves and for others. They detest irresponsible power and all forms of terrorism and imperialism – local, national and international.

The Fulani are also a clever group. They appear to be the newest ethnic species in our country. They are a lucky lot, but what stands them tall today is their art of enchanting the unwary with their show and vow of sincere friendship which usually amounts to nothing when the chips are down. They outwitted the indigenous Hausa with their assuring friendship of insincerity. They also employed this art in Yoruba Ilorin and almost everywhere in the central region and the middle belt of our country. They imbibe imperious thoughts and sensibilities that have led them to exhibit time after time airs of imperiousness – now their greatest undoing in present day Nigeria. Everywhere in our country today, no ethnic nationality trusts them. They are seen as the enemy group embarking on wars “undertaken for pretensions and rights of succession.” But activists such as the Sunday Igbohos, Nnamdi Kanus and tough governors such as the Rotimi Akeredolus and Nyesom Wikes and others, firm and courageous nationalists and patriots who possess real masculine virtues and peculiar bravery and heroism, are halting them and diminishing their pranks as Obafemi Awolowo famously did in his glorious days and years of progressive politics. My readers should note this absolutely: 1967 to 1970 will not happen again. That error has vanished. No ethnic nationality in our country will damage their psyches again and go back to those inglorious years. Surprisingly, but not really so, those who think they can import and invite external combatants to replenish their fading assaults and values are not seeing that what seemingly were are no more and never will be again. There is a new hill and mountain to climb, but which will not and can never be climbed. Everybody is buying time or playing for time.

Thus everything that has been said up to here in this column today repudiates domestic imperialism. Mercenaries and strangers from elsewhere within and outside our country cannot again establish permanent and irresponsible power in our public interest. This republic henceforth must enjoy the pride of republicanism. We must reply hence-forwards as never before the lie that the British left power in the hands of a foreign minority. My own research, to be revealed at the appointed time, has annulled the lie. Rejoice, compatriots. Love above all.
Afejuku can be reached via 08055213059.