Opportunists, rather than patriots, took over power after June 12 —Kokori

Chief Ovie Frank Kokori was a major voice and nightmare to former military Heads of State, Generals Ibrahim Babangida and Sani Abacha for annulling and refusing to validate the June 12, 1993 presidential election widely acclaimed to have been won by late Chief MKO Abiola. The septuagenarian, who led the civil society and the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) as Secretary General grounded oil and gas activities in the country to force the military junta to rescind its decision on the annulment. The labour leader recounts his experience and the current state of the nation with EBENEZER ADUROKIYA on the anniversary of June 12.

 

CAN you recount your experience during the June 12, 1993 democratic struggle?

I went into the struggle for my country because the military refused to leave Nigeria alone; they held us by the jugular; they continued procrastinating until, finally, they allowed elections to go through. Moshood Abiola stood for the Social Democratic  Party (SDP) and Bashir Tofa stood for the National Republican Convention (NRC) and Abiola won. But the military refused to hand over power to him. In the process, the Nigerian community protested against them and it was led by the civil society groups and Labour that has the power and instrument to actually hold them to ransom joined in Civil society alone without arms struggle cannot do much because they’ll only carry placards and move around. And placards are only taken seriously in serious democracies like America, Britain, France and Germany, not in Africa’s third world countries of military dictatorship.

In any case, the oil and gas union at that time, had me as the head and we mobilised to resist the military. We had to shut down all the oil platforms, oil rigs, refineries, transportation of fuel and everything about oil and that was how the military became tough for the country. Then, we had organisations like the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) and Afenifere which did their best and we had people like late Pa Anthony Enahoro, Wole Soyinka, Akinrinade, Bola Tinubu, late Gani Fawehinmi, late Beko Ransome-Kuti, Fredrick Fasheun, Femi Falana and a host of others who marshaled the agitations against the military. Some of us had to pay through blood and total deprivation; some were martyred, like Abiola, Kudirat, Pa Alfred Rilwane and some others. And at that time, the Nigerian press was very critical of the military. That is what I call the “militant press.” The News Magazine, Tell Magazine, Newswatch Magazine and newspapers like Nigerian Tribune, Punch, Guardian, Vanguard, and the rest, unlike these days when some of the press organisations have been bought over not to speak the truth. So, the press also made a lot of sacrifice.

Some of us were detained. I personally was detained in one of the worst prisons in the world for four years without any trial or appearance in the court; a lot of people suffered. The likes of Fawehinmi and Falana were going in and out of detention. And finally, we had our democracy. Nigerians of today should be grateful to those of us who led the struggles in that era.

 

Why do you think MKO was denied the presidency despite all the bloodshed and agitations for his enthronement?

Abacha and Babangida were paranoid to see power going to Abiola. He had a lot of experience, international connections, everything. They felt threatened that if he gets power, he would clip their wings in the military. Because Abiola had a lot of power and enjoyed a lot of international goodwill, they knew he would be independent-minded. They were thinking that Alhaji Tofa, who was a military apologist from Kano State, would win. To them, he should be more pliable than MKO who was rich, influential, and had gone far and wide. So, they were afraid of him. And I think at the end of the day, the man told Nigerians that he was up to the task and he eventually paid the supreme sacrifice for his mandate. Some of us were able to come out of it alive.

 

From the way things are going in the country, do you think that, so far, Nigerians have learned any lesson from the June 12 struggle?

June 12 gave us freedom of expression and constitutional government. Today, you can’t just lock somebody up for four years without trial. So, that is something. But, it’s unfortunate that great patriots did not take over power. People who took over power after that struggle, were opportunists. Olusegun Obasanjo was their symbol and he did not play the role we actually expected him to play. At the end of the day, he was self-centered; he was power drunk. He was so much in love with power that he forgot to do what he should have done. Like now, when people are talking of fiscal federalism and restructuring, he should have done all these. He had the support of all Nigerians, but he did not do it.

The corruption between 1999 and 2015 was alarming. It was one of the greatest pillage one has ever seen. We were happy when the APC came in. But now, we have some obstacles – Buhari’s health, the judiciary, half of the judiciary is not doing well with us; they are corrupt. We have the finest judiciary, but some are bad and corrupt. If you don’t convict people, it shows some sort of indictment on you. One of the problems in Nigeria is fighting corruption; fighting it to its logical conclusion.

 

Are you indirectly saying that as a nation, we have not really learned anything from the June 12 debacle?

No, we haven’t. I’ve been disillusioned for some time now. When I see what is happening in the country, I get so much disillusioned. Then, where I come from the South South- is the most corrupt part of the country. All the governors in power, apart from maybe one or two, swindled the people blind. They don’t even care about the people. No development. Nigeria needs a very strong, ruthless leader and we need it. We were thinking that Buhari would fit in, but he came late into power. He is already old and especially with his health challenges. If he was strong, that man was ready to rule and that was why some of us supported him to drive sense into the military and the entire country. We needed such a person, but unfortunately, his health challenges had retarded him and because of the mass wealth outside the government stolen by some Nigerians, they fight back using propaganda and others. Money is a god being worshipped now in Nigeria.

 

You mentioned the issue of fiscal federalism or restructuring. Are you in support of restructuring of the federation vis a vis the current Biafra agitation?

When we talk of real federalism or restructuring or whether you call it fiscal or whatever, those conferences held by Obasanjo and Jonathan had well-prepared documents in their recommendations. They should look into them. Not that we should restructure so that somebody could break out of Nigeria, no. It won’t pay us. We want to live together, but there should be justice and equity. That is what people are fighting for. And there’s too much nepotism which is the real issue the southern people are using against the Buhari administration. I do not succumb to that. But they are seeing that he’s only appointing people who are close to him or from his region. We just pray that he comes back with solid health to save Nigeria out of the woods. He’s the only man who can save Nigeria out of this mess at this period. If the looted monies taken out of the country are returned, and the culprits are tried and jailed, we will sit up and people will work.

 

What do you think Buhari should do to the increasing clamours in the country when he comes back? 

The agitation, that is the Biafra agitation, is being handled by people who do not even know what they want. I for one know that if you allow all the Igbo in this country to go into a free and fair referendum, they won’t vote that Biafra should leave Nigeria. Igbo will lose more. Their land is a landlocked zone, but they are the most successful commercial people across the country. Go to Abuja, Lagos, Kano, Port Harcourt, everywhere, they own most of the choice properties. Even here in Warri, they own properties. What can they do in their landlocked zone? You see, everybody feels marginalised, not only the Igbos. Because if you don’t have a good job, you don’t have food to eat, you don’t have medical facilities, you’re purely marginalised. Who are the most marginalised people, they are the northerners. They are so poor and a few of their elite loot everything from them. The average Igbo man and Yoruba man live better than the average northern Nigerian. Check it. You don’t see an Igbo man begging on the streets. Yoruba are very few begging on the streets. Every other person, except the rich, in the North begs. What we need do is to build a good country of justice and equity. We can’t keep talking of breaking up. Why did America fight their civil war? They won’t allow one state to break away. California and Texas are 10 times bigger and richer than Nigeria. They won’t allow them to break away. They give them some freedom and the wealth is being properly distributed. Look at the 13 per cent they give our people in the South-South, do they manage it well? They steal almost 80 per cent of the money. They don’t do anything with it. They deliberately leave the people in abject poverty, but the elite have fat bank accounts in Europe and elsewhere. That’s why I said some of us are disillusioned and depressed with what’s happening in the country. But we still have hope. We know what we’ve passed through in the past. June 12 is a historic day, a watershed in Nigeria’s history. We will continue to rever it more than that May 29 Democracy Day.

On June 12, Nigerians rose up without ethnic, religious and social considerations. It was a great struggle and we are happy that some of us played our roles. It’s unfortunate that Nigeria is still full of greedy people.

Those given power, immediately they get it, don’t remember where they are coming from. That’s the country we met and those of you still young should try and struggle to make it a better country.

 

Recently, Al-Mustapha, former Chief of Staff to late Sanni Abacha, said that he had a tape on how MKO was killed in Abuja. What’s your take?

I challenge him to play that tape. He has been romancing Nigerians with that tape. His activities led to the death of several Nigerians, especially Kudirat Abiola. People like that, I don’t take them seriously. They are murderers, opportunists and that’s the only thing I have against Fasheun. He is a hero of democracy. How can he fraternise with that type of person? Today, it still beats my imagination that Fasheun, a hero of democracy, fraternises with murderers. Al-Mustapha is grandstanding, wanting an attention. What’s in the tape? Let him play it and let’s hear it. Just look at Professor Humphrey Nwosu, who came out after some years and began to declare the winner of the June 12 election. Why now? He should have declared the winner of the election and damn the consequences.

 

There was a recent rumour that some military boys were planning coup in the country. Will you support any coup d’état at this time of our history?

How can I? When in small countries they stand up against coup plotters, how much more a big country like Nigeria? Everybody is now enlightened. It was in those olden days they do all those things. If they do it now, Nigerians should occupy the streets as they did in Turkey and send them back. What do they have to show? What we want is free and fair election. The electoral process should be further improved on electronically. True votes should be counted and true winners be declared. We want proper democracy and not military adventurers in 2017 and beyond. We’ve played our part. You younger generation should read and see what is happening in the world. Nobody should come out to deceive us that they’ll liberate Nigeria. Liberate Nigeria from where? Buhari is doing his best. At least, he has curtailed Boko Haram. I pray the poor man comes back and saves this country. He’s one of the few remaining genuine Nigerians. I’m also one of them. But I was born the wrong time. Nigerians should salute the heroes of democracy. They should honour them.