–Blank NEWS Online (NIGERIA) –Ogbeide Osas KENNEDY:

We lost Awo, yet we proclaimed he was the president that Nigeria never had.
Achebe wrote in his book, There was a country, a book meant to tarnish the image of Pa Awo, but unfortunately, the Biafra warlord himself proclaimed; Awo was the best that never happen to us as a nation.
Awo was betrayed by his close associates – Akintola, Fani Power in the early days and of course pave way for the Northern hegemony, in his later days he was betrayed again by Baba Kekere, the rest is now history. We lost a great man and today we have not recovered. Nigeria wept.

We lost MKO, a MAN described as the symbol of democracy.
His election was declared Nigeria’s freest and fairest presidential election by national and international observers, with Abiola even winning in his Northern opponent’s home state of Kano. Abiola won at the national capital, Abuja, the military polling stations, and over two-thirds of Nigerian states. Men of Northern descent had largely dominated Nigeria’s political landscape since independence; Moshood Abiola, a Western Muslim, was able to secure a national mandate freely and fairly, unprecedented in Nigeria’s history. However, the election was annulled by Ibrahim Babangida, causing a political crisis which led to General Sani Abacha seizing power later that year. We eventually lost him to the cold hands of death while still under the custody of the then military junta which eventually pave way for the 4th republic in 1999, he is today better known as the Symbol of Democracy. We lost an opportunity.
MKO, was betrayed by the people he loved most, the military Junta’s, the Yoruba man, you & I, couldn’t fight for him, we watched him incarcerated and we only paid lip’s service to his release, this will not happen to any Northern Nigeria, else there would have been a Jihadist.
Nigeria bleeds, MKO is gone, the consequences is upon us, the blood of several innocent Nigerian’s heroes and heroine call out to us as they watch the nation BLEED.

Fast forward to 2020, Betrayers smells from afar, from near, from amongst us. Shall we watch again our dear nations lose another opportunity?
There is bickering within the power that be, there is disharmony within the CHESS master and a few people are toying with the life of Nigeria.

“Men at some time are masters of their fates. The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves, that we are underlings.”
― William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar

It is time to spread the news home and abroad that the wine we drank was poison, we drank in fear, though we feared to drink. Those we trusted, those for whom under the scorching sun, we had to run their errands, empty vessels of no consequence have they proved to be. They that in the morning saintly appear are in the evening monstrous and villainous. Is all but a paradox…. What a master…what a slave…. who will free the prisoners……the jailers or sympathizer………?

BAT – The MAN,
As a popular saying goes; ” Some are born great, some achieve greatness, some love greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them”, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu seems to belong to both categories of the idiomatic expression. In the history of contemporary politics of Nigeria today, one name which easily has made itself well pronounced is Bola Ahmed Tinubu, a political strategist, reformer of political structures, generalissimo, Awolowo of our time, a man of a calibre which no other people can contend with; a former Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, a firm nationalist of undisputable patristic enthusiasm, a diplomat of no mean feat and a former Executive Governor of Lagos state. As an inspiring leader and handler of men, a loving husband and father, a charming and tactful friend, if his contribution for the welfare of his own followers brought him the reward of victories, his mercy and courtesy towards his oppositions are the gratuitous expressions of the men’s own character. A man who grew up in Lagos but rose through the ranks as a focused disciplined and Jagaban of Borgu, never left anyone in doubt that he is created to positively influence the lives of many people in virtually all areas of human experience; politics, careers, professions, leadership and self-development. A political stalwart, Tinubu insisted from youth that he is that light which must shine bright in the lives of men and charge their fortunes for good.
During the period of Nigeria’s history when Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was the strongest and biggest party in Africa, Action Congress grew from a tiny settlement to form a mighty party, All Progressives Congress (APC), only once was the mighty and destiny of the most powerful party in Africa PDP seriously threatened, and that threat was conveyed by the patriotism, courage and genius of the former Lagos State Governor. He alone braved the strongest party and outwitted them by his cunning, he put down, stamped out all who opposed him and APC snatched the mantle of leadership from the PDP government with the watchword, “Change”.
Will we BETRAY him again?
AWO, betrayed, MKO, betrayed?
JAGABAN- Nigeria will resist, Nigeria is a GOAL.

• Ogbeide Osas KENNEDY writes from Lagos.