The political choice southwest Nigeria must make

My American Mother, Rosemary Curcio, could be as stiff-necked as my biological mother, Babayemi Okugbesabi Abioje. I told that woman (Rosemary) to book for me a simple lodging around University of Leipzig, Germany, such as students’ hostel or something of that nature.

Contrary to my request, she booked Vivaldi Hotel. When you get out of the hotel, turn right and walk down. When you take the bend to the left, that was where I encountered a German chap who turned me back and we headed rightward.

Look at the distance to the university! We trekked nothing less than three miles to get there. That was the heroism of the anonymous German chap. We are both anonymous because we did not ask each other’s name. My own heroism was how I traced my way back to the hotel trekking in the night under drizzle. I should not be too harsh on Rosemary, either. What is a mother who cannot care for her child? The Vivaldi Hotel afforded me a little heaven on earth, in the midst of a lean purse.

The breakfast that was packaged into it was: Eat as you want. The conference in the university provided snacks around midday. And then the gala rolls that I packed in Lagos took care of the night.

Euro swallowed my dollars more than I envisaged, but I went with all the dollars that I had anyway.

Nigeria entered the age of brute force under the presidency of Umaru Musa Yar’Adua who abused his presidential powers to attack the Boko Haram Muslim community of men, women, and children that did not attack anybody until attacked, in 2009.

Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan took undue advantage of the death of Yar’Adua to truncate rotational presidency against the north and compounded the Boko Haram crisis. Yar’Adua acted as an agent of Islamic imperialism.

Jonathan completed the circle by allying himself with the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN). After perpetuating corruption, carnage and economic destruction of Nigeria for four years, 2011-2015, Nigerians voted for General Muhammadu Buhari (GMB), who rather than quench the destructive raging fire, poured petrol on it, and even expanded it by protecting the Fulani herdsmen terrorists, 2015 till date.

Now we are hearing that one of two positions is available to the southwest: Speaker of the House of Representatives or Deputy Senate President.

Will the southwest prefer to be substantive by choosing the Speaker position, or to be subservient by choosing the deputy senate president position? Well, anything is possible, since Nigeria is in the age of brute force.

The immediate past governor of Osun State, Rauf Aregbesola, is quoted as saying that it is a rude joke for a court to rule that the avoidable election rerun is upturn and that the winner of the original status quo is the winner.

Aregbesola ruined the economy of Osun State in eight years, hiding behind Islamic sentimentalism. But the poverty and the debts that he left behind are not discriminating among various religious adherents.

As we are waiting to know whether the southwest will choose to be the speaker or deputy Senate president, well-meaning Nigerians must continue to pray God Almighty to help the nation to overcome Christian and Islamic imperialisms and the brute force syndrome that has turned Nigeria into a shadow of herself.

Atiku Abubakar must pursue the presidential election results’ probe to its transparent conclusion. Nothing can save the integrity of GMB and the Independent National Electoral Commission than to cooperate with the probe. Or?

Prof. Oyeniran Abioje wrote from University of Ilorin.