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Understanding African Rebellion: Fani Kayode Explores Root Causes
In a compelling post, Fani Kayode, a renowned Nigerian political commentator and writer, delved into the concerning surge of military coups unfolding across the African continent.
He disclosed this in a series of tweet titled “WHEN REBELLION IS A VIRTUE (PART 1)” via his X account on Sunday morning.
Fani Kayode expressed deep concern over the alarming trend of seven successful military coups in as many African nations within the past three years.
He highlighted the critical questions surrounding the legitimacy of these coups and the mandates of the leaders they unseated.
The post reads in part “Unfolding events in Africa continue to intrigue the world & the fact that no less than seven military coups have been successfully effected in no less than seven African countries in the last 3 years gives cause for concern.
“What is the cause of these violent acts of mutiny & rebellion and can there be any justification for such behaviour?
“How legitimate were the mandates of those that have been toppled & are the soldiers that have carried out these ostensibly illegal acts of insurrection, revolution & treason & taken power by the barrel of a gun criminals & rebels that should be shot at the stake or God-sent & divinely-inspired heroes, liberators & deliverers of their respective countries & people?
“Can their actions be justified in some cases or are they appropriate for all & can such a course of action ever be deemed appropriate for our country Nigeria? When is rebellion a virtue & when is it a curse? When is mutiny, revolution & a call to arms appropriate & when is it not?
“What does one do with civilian dictators & sit-tight Presidents who have sold and mortgaged the future & destiny of their nation to the Western imperialists & neo-colonial powers & who torment their people & refuse to leave office.
“These are just some of the questions that yours truly seeks to answer in this contribution. Enjoy the ride! On the 13th March 1962, in his address on the first anniversary of the Alliance For Progress, President John F. Kennedy of the United States of America, said the following:
“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable”.
“In the history of humanity few have enunciated such a profound yet obvious home truth as President Kennedy has done with these famous words.
“Sadly even fewer have learnt anything from them. Those that doubt this have much to learn. Consider the following.
“Pres. Paul Kagame of Rwanda & Pres. Paul Biya of Cameroon have ruled their African countries for 23 & 42 years respectively.
“Approximately 1 week ago they were both constrained to sack, retire, redeploy & replace much of their Military High Command, senior Army commanders & thousands of commissioned & non-commissioned officers in the light of the wave of military coups that have swept West & Central Africa & just one day after the one that took place in Gabon.
“This was clearly a panic measure on both their parts. They did it out of rabid fear & in a desperate attempt to thwart, pre-empt & prevent a military coup & stave off an anticipated mutiny in their respective Armed Forces.
“Unfortunately for them such peripheral & ineffectual remedies & desperate attempts to ward off all opposition & dissent in an attempt to hold on to power forever will not work because their so-called “mandates” lack legitimacy & they do not have the backing of the people.
“Worse still they are both oblivious of & totally blind to the rationale & ethos of mutiny & armed rebellion & are clearly ignorant of the essence & motivation for military coups.
“Simply put, no matter who your senior military commanders are, whether the old or the new & no matter how many times you sack, retire, redeploy or change them, when you are an illegitimate, depraved & evil leader who crushes, murders, persecutes & incarcerates members of the opposition & who rigs elections, refuses to leave power, torments the people & imposes a corrupt, bloodthirsty & blood-lusting dictatorship & dynasty of barbarism & tyranny on his nation, coups, mutiny, rebellion, revolution & insurrection become inevitable: it is only a question of time.”
“Is it any wonder that sit tight rulers and life-long dictators like Kagame, Biya and others are scared of their own shadow, are shivering under their beds and enjoy no peace?
“If you do not stand up, resist, fight back and “breed unnatural troubles” when confronted with wickedness, injustice and tyranny, you cannot expect to ever enjoy your God-given right of freedom and neither will you ever witness emancipation from subjugation and oppression.
How else would you remove and replace power-obsessed dictators like Ali ‘Make Some Noise’ Bongo of Gabon, Field Marshall Idi Amin Dada of Uganda, Papa Doc and his son Baby Doc Duvalier of Haiti and the mentally-ill Jean Bedie Bokassa of the Central African Republic (who declared himself the Black Napoleon and Emperor for life and who kept the freshly decapitated heads of his enemies in his fridge)?
“To move against such monsters and topple them by ANY means possible is surely a divine duty and obligation and one which every single one of the Holy Books not only encourages but also insists on. Can we be expected to do anything less?
“Is it not the injustice and tyranny that the French, the Russian, the American, the English, the Chinese and many others were subjected to hundreds of years ago that pushed them to the wall and inspired and provoked them to take up arms and unleash some of the most violent and bloodthirsty rebellions and revolutions in the history of humanity?
“Was this not the right and proper thing for them to do and had it not been for their resistance to such barbarous oppression and subjugation from their erstwhile oppressors and slave masters would they be the free, civilised, great and powerful nations that they are today?
“Had it not been for Flt. Lieutenant Jerry Rawlings’ revolution and coup d’etat in 1979 and 1983 respectively would Ghana be the great and stable nation and flourishing democracy that she is today?
Panic broke out in Kubwa, Abuja, on Sunday after a vehicle crashed into a gas dispensary outlet at Liberty Junction on Arab Road, triggering a fire.
According to eyewitness accounts, the vehicle was travelling from Arab Road towards Liberty Junction when it reportedly lost control following a brake failure.
The vehicle subsequently skidded off its lane, crossed the road and plunged into the gas station, resulting in a fire outbreak.
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The fire was quickly brought under control following a coordinated response by operatives of the Federal Fire Service, FCT Fire Service and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).
The occupants of the vehicle were rescued unhurt by passers-by and witnesses who responded to the incident.
However, several makeshift shops adjoining the gas outlet were destroyed in the fire.
The prompt intervention of the emergency responders helped to curtail the spread of the fire and prevent further damage.
Financial expert Nnaemeka Onyeka Obiaraeri has defended former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi against comparisons with former Akwa Ibom State Governor Godswill Akpabio, citing what he described as differences in the financial records of the two states during their respective tenures.
Obiaraeri made the remarks in a post on X on Sunday while responding to comparisons involving the two former governors.
According to him, Akwa Ibom State, under Akpabio between 2007 and 2015, received an estimated ₦2.06 trillion, which he said was equivalent to about $15.5 billion at the time.
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He further claimed that the amount would be worth more than ₦21.7 trillion in today’s naira value.
Obiaraeri wrote: “AKWA IBOM STATE, UNDER GODSWILL AKPABIO, 2007 TO 2015…..
“Between 2007 and 2015, during the administration of Governor Godswill Akpabio, the Akwa Ibom State Government received an estimated total revenue of approximately ₦2.06 trillion/$15.5billion…..
“In today’s naira value, Akwa Ibom under Akpabio received over N21.7trillion.”
He also claimed that Akpabio left loan obligations of $334 million, which he put at about ₦467 billion.
Obiaraeri further alleged that there were multiple EFCC files concerning Akpabio, claiming that they documented financial misconduct during his tenure.
Turning to Anambra, Obiaraeri said the state received approximately $4.06 billion, or ₦525 billion, during Peter Obi’s tenure as governor from March 14, 2006, to March 14, 2014.
He wrote: “ANAMBRA STATE UNDER PETER OBI MARCH 14, 2006 TO MARCH 14, 2014
“Total funds and revenues received by Anambra state under Peter Obi was $4.06billion/N525billion.
“In today’s naira term is N5.4trillion.”
According to Obiaraeri, Peter Obi left behind $156 million in savings invested in an investment that generated more than $43 million, bringing the total to $199.8 million.
He added that the figure amounted to approximately ₦279 billion in today’s naira value.
Obiaraeri also claimed that more than ₦36 billion, which he equated to about $240 million, was held in Treasury Bills and other short-term naira investments.
He wrote: “However, Peter Obi left behind a total savings of $156million in an investment that yielded over $43m totaling $199.8m/N279billion in today’s naira money and over N36bn/$240m in treasury bills and other short term naira investments.”
Defending the former Anambra governor against allegations of corruption, Obiaraeri stated: “Peter Obi did not loot a kobo of Anambra monies. HE HAS NO EFCC OR FBI FILES OF CRIMINALITY ON HIM….”
He also compared Obi with other governors who served around the same period, “The Only Governor in the league of PO during his time was Raji Fashola …… Anyway, I am not surprised at some of you, who do this baseless comparison…The difference between LIGHT and Darkness is so clear to DECENT men, who love LIGHT….
“THOSE WHO ARE ROGUES, AND ASPIRING ROGUES, USUALLY LOVE DARKNESS….THEIR HEART IS DARKENED AND MIGRATE TOWARDS DARKNESS ALWAYS.”
He said ‘This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil’.”
He then directly addressed those comparing the two former governors, stating: “I PUT IT TO YOU, who is mischievously comparing Apostle Peter to YOUR BARABASSES, that you are EVIL…QED.”
Former Anambra State Governor and presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has questioned President Bola Tinubu’s continued absence from the United Nations General Assembly, contrasting it with Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama’s participation in the 81st UNGA.
Obi raised the question in a post on X on Sunday, while reacting to Mahama’s address at the global gathering.
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The former presidential candidate wrote: “The dynamic President of Ghana, John Dramani Mahama, delivered a remarkable address at the 81st United Nations General Assembly. The international community has commended his leadership and the substance of his address.
“It is a reminder of what leadership can produce when competence, capacity, compassion, commitment and character come together in the service of a nation.”
Obi then drew attention to Nigeria’s absence at the presidential level, asking why Tinubu had not attended the global gathering.
He wrote:
“Against this background, many are asking: Where is the President of Africa’s most populous nation, a country of more than 200 million people – more than Ghana – whose leader has been absent from the global stage for three consecutive UNGAs?
“Nigeria’s President, who ought to be representing the country and providing leadership for Africa at the international level, has not attended any of these three global gatherings. Where is he, particularly at a time when the country faces significant challenges, both domestically and internationally?”
Obi acknowledged that Vice President Kashim Shettima was present at the UNGA but maintained that questions remained over the President’s absence.
He stated: “Although our Vice President, Kashim Shettima, was present, the question remains: Where is the President?
“Let us continue to pray for his return and for his leadership in addressing the many challenges confronting the nation.”
Obi ended the post with his familiar political message:
Tinubu did not attend the 81st UNGA, with Shettima representing Nigeria at the gathering.
The President’s absence marks his third consecutive non-attendance at the UN General Assembly after he also did not personally attend the 79th and 80th sessions.
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