OUR own Dr Goodluck Jonathan, who became one of the responsible African statesmen for the call he made to hand over to General Muhammadu Buhari five years ago when he had all the reasons to put Nigeria through all the stress, led trips to Mali but could not reverse the course of history. A coup took place in Mali eventually against the notion that military interventions are no longer popular.
On the morning of 18 August, 2020, soldiers began firing bullets into the air at a military base in Kati, a town 15 kilometres (9.3 miles) away from Bamao, the capital of Mali. After moving into the capital, the mutineers arrested Minister of Finance Abdoulaye Daffe, the Chief of Staff of the National Guard, Mahamane Touré Moussa Timbiné, speaker of the National Assembly.
The Prime Minister, Boubou Cissé, appealed for dialogue with the mutineers, acknowledging they held “legitimate frustrations”. A mutiny leader later claimed that Keïta and Cissé had been arrested at the former’s residence in Bamako; African Union Commission chairman Moussa Faki confirmed that Keïta, Cissé, and other officials had been arrested. The spokesman for the soldiers said they had acted to prevent the country falling further into chaos. President Keïta resigned on Tuesday night saying he did not want “blood to be spilled to keep me in power”.
The UN Security Council condemned the “mutiny”, urging the immediate release of the president and his officials. All troops should “return to their barracks without delay,” it said.
The African Union (AU) voted to suspend Mali. Its 15-member security council called for the “restoration of constitutional order” and the release of the president and other government officials Mali, a vast country stretching into the Sahara Desert is among the poorest countries in the world and has experienced several military takeovers. It is currently battling to contain a wave of jihadist attacks and ethnic violence.
The soldiers, calling themselves the National Committee for the Salvation of the People, said they did not want to stay in power.
“We are keen on the stability of the country, which will allow us to organise general elections to allow Mali to equip itself with strong institutions within the reasonable time limit,” said the group’s spokesman, Col Ismael Wagué, the air force deputy chief of staff.
In a televised statement, flanked by soldiers, he urged Mali’s civil and political groups to help create a “political transition leading to credible general elections for the exercise of democracy through a roadmap that will lay the foundations for a new Mali.”
He also announced the closure of all air and land borders and a curfew from 21:00 to 05:00.
“Our country is sinking into chaos, anarchy and insecurity mostly due to the fault of the people who are in charge of its destiny,” he said.
The chairman of ECOWAS, General Muhammadu Buhari, who leads a country whose internal affairs are not really impressive or better than things in Mali, has only been happy about the release from detention of irresponsible political leaders of Mali.
With the suspension of Mali from ECOWAS (whatever that means in real terms), he has moved to negotiating a year transition with the junta as against the three years the solders promised.
The irresponsible conduct that has led to the turn of events in Maki is a real danger for Africa as President Buhari rightly observed, as it may signal another season of adventurers in power staging their games in the zone that has no serious trajectory in democracy and good governance.
The only solution for Africa is to work internally for stable and democratic order as against increasing its irresponsible big men farting all over the place. The people of Africa should become more assertive like Malians with much clearer political direction in the period ahead.
Ode to a fool
BUT for the labour of love of my good brother, Mogaji Gboyega Adejuwon, the bombastic fool would never have received a response from me. I am sure he would have been waiting for one for over three months now. As a lousy job-seeking mercenary, he took a direct umbrage at me even when I had no issue with him. My last relationship with him was when he was a reporter at Sketch coming to look for news when we led the students in Ife in the late 80s. I have seen him grow into a bombastic insult traders with reckless abandon and watched him only from a distance. My closest encounter with him was some years ago, when a group I belonged was going to make a presentation of a book on Yoruba history. He showed up a day before the presentation at the home of Dr Kayode Fayemi in Ibadan on behalf of the author whom he had so many unkind things to say about. Yet he still struggled for the microphone with Professor Wale Adebanwi, a worthier fellow to read the author’s address.
Shortly before his recent attack on me, he came briefing my colleagues on the shortcomings of the man he was fighting me for. The old man cannot in good conscience fight me the way the fool did, because good is all I have done to him and his house.
I never set out to fight him but I had a duty to stop our young people from being put in harm’s way unnecessarily. The same task Professor Bolaji Akinyemi performed brilliantly.
The bombastic fool then thought I would jump into the mud fighting him so they would not distinguish between us. I have not read him up till now as God has given us the grace to be above the fray of his types,
I only learnt of the indignation Mogaji expressed against his folly three days ago and I thank a worthy brother and I plead with him that such a nuisance is not worth our time.
Re: El-Rufai and the wages of sin
Dear Yinka,
I commend you on this piece and salute your courage in revealing the intimate details of your encounters with the subject of your piece. You have professionally dealt with the issue, stating what you have learnt on this matter without the usual Nigerian system of abuse and derogatory remarks, something which I don’t believe the subject of this piece will spare you if he proffers a remark.
Finally, I wish all our elite, some whom you’ve mentioned in this piece, and others who know the subject and his antecedents will speak up now to save innocent Nigerians and Nigeria itself in future from doom and bloodshed. God bless you.
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