Yesterday, I wrote an account of history, which was disputed by Nigeria’s former Foreign Minister, and my esteemed elders Alhaji Sule Lamido. However, when I provided indisputable data based evidence to back up my accounts, the highly esteemed Alhaji Lamido, a former Governor of Jigawa, publicly admitted that my recollection of the events were accurate.
Thereafter, I received multiple calls from the dramatis personae, asking me to expand on the history class, and expose more detail of the event hidden from the Nigerian public.
The recent breach of protocol by the Burkinabe President, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, whereby he approached and met the newly sworn in Ghanaian President, John Mahama, with a weapon, once again demonstrates the difference between Nigeria and Ghana and vindicates Nigeria’s position as the regional superpower. Such a thing can never happen in Nigeria.
No less a person than Muammar Gaddafi tried that in Nigeria. Twice during the Obasanjo administration. And on both occasions, he was stopped and cut to size.
The first time was during the African Heads of Government Summit on Roll Back Malaria, which held on Tuesday, April 25, 2000.
Colonel Gaddafi’s female bodyguards tried to enter the International Conference Center, Abuja, with their weapons, but where stopped by President Obasanjo’s CSO, who had an argument with them and disarmed them at gunpoint before they were allowed into the venue with Colonel Gaddafi to join other African leaders.
The second incident was more dramatic. And was actually a set up. It was during the Africa-South America Summit which held in November of 2006 in Abuja.
Colonel Gaddafi had arrived on Tuesday, 28 November 2006, with about five huge planes which offloaded a total of fifty cars or thereabouts. The problem is that these cars were loaded with weapons.
Nigerian officials at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport told Mr. Gaddafi and his over 200 guards that they could not leave the airport either their weapons and would have put them back on their planes under the supervision of the Nigerian Army.
Colonel Gaddafi was incensed. He said since he was not being allowed to leave the airport with his cars filled with weapons, he would walk into Abuja.
Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, who was detailed by President Obasanjo to receive Colonel Gaddafi was concerned and called the President who told him to tell Gaddafi he was on his way to the airport.
When President Obasanjo arrived, he played with Gaddafi and told him he was on his way to Lagos, but that the incident would be resolved by his personal representative, Minister Fani-Kayode.
The President then took Mr. Fani-Kayode aside and whispered into his ear in Lukumi Yoruba to the effect that ‘You are in charge. Play with him. Be polite and diplomatic. But those weapons are not entering Abuja’.
President Obasanjo then went on his merry way to Lagos, leaving chief Fani-Kayode to argue back and fourth with Colonel Gaddafi, who threatened to return to Libya, to which Chief Fani-Kayode said, ‘We would rather have you stay, but if you choose to go, we understand.’
And when Gaddafi saw how resolute Chief Fani-Kayode was, he had to blink and fold and they returned ALL their weapons to their planes under the supervision of the Nigerian Army.
That is how you show that you are a sovereign nation. Not by having a thirty six year old unelected junta leader of Burkina Faso, who has turned his country into a client state of Russia, do to you in your own country what he would never in a million years do to Russia’s Vladimir Putin.
By the way, when Colonel Gaddafi was allowed into Abuja, he was escorted to the guest house arranged for him by Nigeria. The first thing his guards did was to slaughter a ram and spill the blood in front of the door. Once that happened, Colonel Gaddafi stepped over the blood into the house (Defence House) and would not allow anyone else enter after him.
Editor’s’ Note: Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar al-Gaddafi was a Libyan revolutionary, politician and political theorist who ruled Libya from 1969 until he was killed in October 20, 2011 by rebel forces in Sirte after an uprising against him.
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