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| MKO Abiola; The Enigma |
Reparations.
This was the most complicated cause that Moshood ever believed in. He wanted
blacks everywhere in the world to receive reparations for slavery. But many had
advised him against sponsoring this cause for several reasons. It would be
impossible to agree on a sharing formula. After all, some parts and people of Africa were more affected by slavery
than others. Some even said that only blacks in the United States and the Caribbean
were entitled to reparations because they were the ones who were transported
out of Africa. Moshood ignored such
statements and maintained that all blacks deserved reparations. Furthermore he
remained adamant on this matter, as he always was whenever he had made up his
mind to do something.
This was the most complicated cause that Moshood ever believed in. He wanted
blacks everywhere in the world to receive reparations for slavery. But many had
advised him against sponsoring this cause for several reasons. It would be
impossible to agree on a sharing formula. After all, some parts and people of Africa were more affected by slavery
than others. Some even said that only blacks in the United States and the Caribbean
were entitled to reparations because they were the ones who were transported
out of Africa. Moshood ignored such
statements and maintained that all blacks deserved reparations. Furthermore he
remained adamant on this matter, as he always was whenever he had made up his
mind to do something.
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| The Book of MKO’s Life and Times on Earth. |
He wanted
reparations at all costs and he spent a fortune pursuing that initiative over a
span of several years. He advocated the cause both publicly and privately,
describing blacks as victims of a common tragic past that had put them at a
disadvantage. He demanded compensation from the “party at fault” to enable blacks to mend the broken pieces from
their past. He made reference to western countries in general, which he
described as the beneficiaries of slavery.
reparations at all costs and he spent a fortune pursuing that initiative over a
span of several years. He advocated the cause both publicly and privately,
describing blacks as victims of a common tragic past that had put them at a
disadvantage. He demanded compensation from the “party at fault” to enable blacks to mend the broken pieces from
their past. He made reference to western countries in general, which he
described as the beneficiaries of slavery.
“He likened the oppression of Blacks, during and
after slavery, to the genocide of Jews in the Second World War. But he lamented that Jews, unlike blacks, were
receiving reparations through the state of
Israel. “What did blacks get in return from the West after slavery, other
than un-payable loans and a damaged self-esteem?”
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| Jamiu Abiola with the GDA during the launch of ‘The President Who Never Ruled’ |
But deep down Moshood
knew that this initiative was a tough one. There were so many legal issues that
made it impossible to implement. Sensing the challenges that lay ahead for his
cherished cause, Moshood stated that unless all blacks united to attain
reparations, the initiative would never succeed.
knew that this initiative was a tough one. There were so many legal issues that
made it impossible to implement. Sensing the challenges that lay ahead for his
cherished cause, Moshood stated that unless all blacks united to attain
reparations, the initiative would never succeed.
At one point Moshood
acknowledged that reparations would not solve all the problems of the black
man, but he saw it as a vital token through which the West could say “Sorry, we won’t do it again, here is a
little something to reduce your suffering, to right the symbolic imbalance”
To him, no sum of money could make up for a loss of a single life but “there was a need for wounds to be healed
and a formal apology to be tendered, coupled with financial aid”
acknowledged that reparations would not solve all the problems of the black
man, but he saw it as a vital token through which the West could say “Sorry, we won’t do it again, here is a
little something to reduce your suffering, to right the symbolic imbalance”
To him, no sum of money could make up for a loss of a single life but “there was a need for wounds to be healed
and a formal apology to be tendered, coupled with financial aid”
He likened the
oppression of Blacks, during and after slavery, to the genocide of Jews in the Second World War. But he
lamented that Jews, unlike blacks,
were receiving reparations through the state of Israel. “What did blacks get in return from the West
after slavery, other than un-payable loans and a damaged self-esteem? While the
German genocide against the Jews lasted five years, the genocide of Europe
against the African people lasted five hundred years, and still continues
through apartheid, debt burden, and unequal exchange.”
oppression of Blacks, during and after slavery, to the genocide of Jews in the Second World War. But he
lamented that Jews, unlike blacks,
were receiving reparations through the state of Israel. “What did blacks get in return from the West
after slavery, other than un-payable loans and a damaged self-esteem? While the
German genocide against the Jews lasted five years, the genocide of Europe
against the African people lasted five hundred years, and still continues
through apartheid, debt burden, and unequal exchange.”
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| Jamiu Abiola with the GDA |
He knew that he
needed facts to strengthen his drive for reparations. One of those facts was a
statement he credited to Samir Amin, an Egyptian expert in
statistics, who once declared that some areas in Africa had less population in
the 1980s than they had centuries ago. Moshood used this piece of
information, along with other facts, to claim that the productivity and output
of the most active part of Africa’s population, forced away by slavery, was
used to develop Europe and America.
needed facts to strengthen his drive for reparations. One of those facts was a
statement he credited to Samir Amin, an Egyptian expert in
statistics, who once declared that some areas in Africa had less population in
the 1980s than they had centuries ago. Moshood used this piece of
information, along with other facts, to claim that the productivity and output
of the most active part of Africa’s population, forced away by slavery, was
used to develop Europe and America.
Moshood also stated
that this tragedy was not yet over. It was still visible in the lives of black
Americans in the eighties, who although they had become free from slavery, were
still earning incomes 60 percent lower than what their Caucasian counterparts
earned. One day, during a speech, he asked, “Why
are black Americans the last to be hired and first to be fired? And why are
there so many of them among the homeless, poor, unemployed, illiterate, and
‘imprisoned?” He answered his own questions. “The solution to these problems has to be dynamic. It has to be
through ten Marshall Plans that would rebuild Africa through massive
investments in infrastructure and debt relief in addition to rehabilitating American
slums where blacks live”.
that this tragedy was not yet over. It was still visible in the lives of black
Americans in the eighties, who although they had become free from slavery, were
still earning incomes 60 percent lower than what their Caucasian counterparts
earned. One day, during a speech, he asked, “Why
are black Americans the last to be hired and first to be fired? And why are
there so many of them among the homeless, poor, unemployed, illiterate, and
‘imprisoned?” He answered his own questions. “The solution to these problems has to be dynamic. It has to be
through ten Marshall Plans that would rebuild Africa through massive
investments in infrastructure and debt relief in addition to rehabilitating American
slums where blacks live”.
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| MKO Abiola; The Star Boy from Abeokuta |
Over time Moshood
came to feel alienated in his efforts. Many of the elites, whose support he had
sought, considered slavery a thing of the past. But Moshood never gave up and
continued to finance the initiative with increasing passion. The whole effort,
however, came to a complete standstill once he got involved in politics. Nobody
else took it up and after his death the entire initiative fizzled away.
came to feel alienated in his efforts. Many of the elites, whose support he had
sought, considered slavery a thing of the past. But Moshood never gave up and
continued to finance the initiative with increasing passion. The whole effort,
however, came to a complete standstill once he got involved in politics. Nobody
else took it up and after his death the entire initiative fizzled away.
But one good
thing that came out of the reparation initiative was the elimination of
widespread insinuations that he was a CIA agent. Many who had previously
believed this rumor came to the conclusion that it could never have been true
because no CIA agent would have led such a campaign against the West. For a
long time, Moshood chose to ignore the accusation, which had become a
thorn in his flesh, but he once defended himself vehemently against it. “To be specific, on the issue of Central
Intelligence Agency allegations, there are some groups in Nigeria that have
continuously spoken or written about it. But I see it as part of the colonial
mentality of some of our people to imagine that someone of my position and in
business as a whole, could still be talked about as an agent for anybody or a
group of bodies”.
thing that came out of the reparation initiative was the elimination of
widespread insinuations that he was a CIA agent. Many who had previously
believed this rumor came to the conclusion that it could never have been true
because no CIA agent would have led such a campaign against the West. For a
long time, Moshood chose to ignore the accusation, which had become a
thorn in his flesh, but he once defended himself vehemently against it. “To be specific, on the issue of Central
Intelligence Agency allegations, there are some groups in Nigeria that have
continuously spoken or written about it. But I see it as part of the colonial
mentality of some of our people to imagine that someone of my position and in
business as a whole, could still be talked about as an agent for anybody or a
group of bodies”.
(Excerpts from
the book, The President Who Never Ruled by Jamiu Abiola; get copies
in any book shop across the world or write Jamiu Abiola through jamiulinguist@yahoo.com. Read IBB, MKO, Abacha & the Power Game of
June 12 in
our next post on this blog)
the book, The President Who Never Ruled by Jamiu Abiola; get copies
in any book shop across the world or write Jamiu Abiola through jamiulinguist@yahoo.com. Read IBB, MKO, Abacha & the Power Game of
June 12 in
our next post on this blog)
