I have been thinking around two issues recently – the great Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, who started life as Ransome-Kuti being one of those.
When in 1966, soldiers-Major Nzeogwu, Ifeajuna and others, decided to carry out a revolution against Nigeria’s constitution and their commander, Major General Aguiyi Ironsi instead of re-instating constitutional order, decided to snatch power for himself launching Nigeria into a long period of military rule, who would you have expected to lead public protest against the absurdity and aberration that military rule was? Lawyers by their (our) profession and calling to defend the law and the constitution might be expected to be in the forefront? Political scientists and other social scientists by the nature of their specialization might be expected to predict the likely negative impact on society of monopolization of power by soldiers? Academics because of their training and education might be expected to resist rule based only on might and force? May be professionals-doctors, engineers, pharmacists and others would lead such a noble cause? Or could the media, the so-called “fourth estate of the realm” being major stakeholders in freedom, democracy and constitutionalism rise to the occasion and launch a campaign to reverse the incongruity of an institution set up to protect the state, turning round simply because of their possession of guns bought for them by the state to overthrow and dominate the same state?
Or if all else fails, might the clergy of the Christian and Muslim variety be expected to counsel against this unnatural and illegal order?
What actually happened in 1966 was that lawyers, including professors of law helped the military draft decrees that precluded the authority of the courts and placed the dictates of the ruling military juntas over the Nigerian constitution! Once the rule of force over laws and reason was duly established with the help of eminent “lawyers”, other professionals quickly submitted their CVs as a scramble to secure appointments as federal and state commissioners in the new military governments ensued! The media proclaimed the soldiers-first Nzeogwu and his fellow coupists; then soldierman Ironsi; and then Gowon and co. who executed the July 1966 counter-coup-as heroes and saviours! Even the politicians who had just been illegally overthrown by less-educated soldiers all quickly joined military cabinets. Of course the business class quickly embraced the new masters of the till. There is little or no evidence of any significant voices within Nigeria’s elite, on the left or right, protesting against military rule. Indeed it appears that during that first military dispensation, the real opposition to the perpetuation of military rule in Nigeria came from within the military itself (not for altruistic reasons, but to undermine intra-military rivals as politics shifted to the barracks!); from the international community; and from Fela!!!
When Fela sang “Zombie”, it was a strident and ringing rejection of the new military order! In that song, Fela sought to undermine and ridicule the logic of soldiers whose training and indoctrination was simply to obey orders, ruling over a nation. “Zombie no go talk unless you tell am to talk…zombie…zombie no go chop unless you tell am to chop…zombie…turn right, turn left, salute, open your heart….jorojarajoro” What “lawyers”, “professors” of law, “professionals”, “the fourth estate of the realm”, clergymen etc. failed to do, Fela, a musician that many in the hypocritical Nigerian elite regarded as a miscreant, did!!! Of course it was easy for the military to isolate Fela and deal mercilessly with him, being alone in that confrontation with soldiers. It is an accurate reading of the sequence of events to note that the soldiers’ attack on Fela’s “Kalakuta Republic” and its destruction in the “unknown soldiers” episode was the military’s revenge for “zombie”.
While Fela’s punishment was direct and brutal, all the other cowardly elite groups in due course got their just desserts from military rule-the universities were deliberately undermined and destroyed, as lecturers were serially humiliated (including in one abject incident in which Gowon ordered their eviction from their comfortable university staff quarters; Babangida eventually actually appointed a military general to administer the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria; the humiliations of the academia under the military were unending and severe!); the legal profession was almost brought to its knees; all major professional groups-NBA, NMA, ASUU were tamed and subverted; and the political party system was turned into a joke!!! Babangida indeed developed so much contempt for the political class that he banned and unbanned them, formed parties for them, which they were instructed to join, took them on a protracted transition and eventually annulled the resulting election!!! As for the media, the fates of Daily Times and Alhaji Babatunde Jose, the assassination of Dele Giwa, Decree 4 and the jailing of journalists and the several closures of media houses remind us of the price they also paid!
There are several other causes that Fela undertook through his music that one may have expected others to be more qualified to pursue-his campaign against skin “bleaching” which is now an ignored epidemic is one doctors might have embarked upon; when Fela sang “Authority Stealing”, the Nigerian elite did not yet have a problem with corruption; Fela sang “Beast of No Nation” to protest against the insinuation by the military through their “War Against Indiscipline” that “my people are useless, my people are senseless, my people are indisciplined” Fela sang stridently “I never hear am before o…make a leader dey talk, my people are useless, my people are senseless, my people are indisciplined…which kind talk be that o…na craze talk be that…na animal talk be that…” Apart from Fela, not one prominent Nigerian of any hue is recorded to have wondered how a military institution that disobeyed its country’s constitution could accuse anyone of indiscipline!!! Fela railed against the abuse of democracy under the visionless and drifting second republic (…democrazy….crazy demonstration…demonstration of craze…” and against imperialism and neo-colonialism (colo-mentality…they don release you, but you never release yourself!).
Fela identified and campaigned against all these issues before their worst manifestations, but the Nigerian elite had to wait for Babangida and Abacha before we tired of military rule; corruption had to become a cancer before we realized it would destroy Nigeria. The other issue I’ve been thinking about was the story of the king who had been fooled into buying a very expensive “garment” which could only be seen by persons without blemish. Indeed there was no garment and since the king and his nobles were reluctant to admit their numerous blemishes, he one day walked stark naked through the city centre until one innocent little boy proclaimed the king’s nakedness! Fela was that innocent young boy who always reminded us that our kings were naked!!!
Opeyemi Agbaje
