The war of words
between the leader of the Oodua Peoples Congress, Dr. Frederick Fasehun, and
the National Publicity Secretary of the Action Congress of Nigeria, Alhaji Lai
Mohammed, was taken further on Wednesday when Fasehun said Mohammed has stirred
the hornet nests with his remarks.
Fasehun, taking from the lyrics of afro beat legend, the late Fela
Anikulapo-Kuti, said what Mohammed did amounted to: “Trouble dey sleep, yanga
go wake am.”
He vowed to return Mohammed’s attack “fire for fire.”
Addressing newsmen at the resuscitation of the Unity Party of Nigeria in Okota,
Lagos State, Fasehun said the party was brought back to execute the ideals of
its founder, the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo.
He said the resuscitation of the UPN already has the backing of the wife of
Awolowo, Mama HID Awolowo.
Fasehun said: “My attention has once more been drawn to a statement made
yesterday by the public secretary of the Action Congress of Nigeria, Alhaji Lai
Mohammed.
“Lai is not only being clever by half, Alhaji Lai is a liar.
“He lied against me and the OPC by misinforming the public that I had secured a
N2.4 billion contract to guard pipelines.
“Trouble dey sleep, yanga go wake am.
“Let us reemphasize that we shall not go out of our way to look for trouble,
but if trouble comes knocking, we shall return fire for fire.
“Nothing calls for violence more than a lie.
“We want people in the leadership of this country to be role models.
“But there’s no way leaders will tell us lies and expect us to go to sleep.
“It’s true OPC applied for that contract since November 2010 and for two years,
NNPC (Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation) did not respond.
“”They responded last year.
“They called us for a meeting and were impressed with our proposal but they
insisted that we are not a registered organization.
“And I know that there’s no way government will register us.
“But we’re Nigerians and we don’t want to destroy Nigeria.
“Our oil industry has no protection.
“It’s exposed.
“That’s why OPC is offering our services.
“NNPC has not awarded us that contract.
“We wonder where Lai Mohammed found his figure.
“We appeal to him and his cohorts, if they have intercepted our letter from
NNPC, let them return it to us.
“OPC has a right to apply for any contract in this country.
“We’re citizens of this country.”
Fasehun said UPN was coming back because a lot of Nigerians are not pleased
with the present leadership and services that political parties had been giving
Nigerians.
He lamented that many go into politics and later turn Nigeria politics to
winners take all.
He said: “One reason for our collective disappointment is that unlike many
democracies of the world, government in Nigeria has failed to make the citizens
the centerpiece of governance.
“Worldwide, democracy is seen as the government of the people, by the people,
for the people.
“But the Nigeria situation is rather paradoxical.
“Various groupings have had to form political platforms, most of which are
non-ideological and this is why although Nigerians have aspired to democracy,
they have today achieved a situation far from democracy.
“What we have today at best is self-government and certainly not democracy.
“There is real danger for the country and we cannot continue to fold our arms
and watch politicians run the country aground through profligacy and
corruption.
From all indications, Nigeria will not survive beyond 2014 as a country, unless
Nigerians rise up to evolve good political platforms and traditions.”
