General Theophilus Yakubu Danjuma, former Chief of Army Staff, former Defence Minister, multi billionaire oil magnet and business man, is never known to be a coward. He is a soldier’s soldier. You cannot write the history of Nigerian Army, or even the history of Nigerian politics in general, without mentioning Theophilus Danjuma’s name.
Theophilus Danjuma said he had a secret, which if he revealed it to us, we would no longer sleep. Speaking at a book launch in Ibadan a few days ago, the retired Army General said, “if I reveal what is happening in the country, Nigerians will no longer sleep”.
He accused the people of the South West of being indifferent to what is happening in the country. According to him: “In Yorubaland, everybody seems to have lost their voice, scared. And the people appear not to care about what is happening. If I tell you what I know is happening in Nigeria today, you will no longer sleep.
“So, Chief Ayo Adebanjo’s warning and advice are very timely. If you want details, I will give it to you privately. We are in a big hole as a nation. And people who put us in this hole have continued today. So, we’ve to wake up. Only we can save ourselves.
“The fifth columnists’ activities going on among your people are not helping matters. May Almighty God continue to bless this country, but only we can save ourselves from ourselves.”
Earlier, Adebanjo, an Afenifere leader, had raised the alarm that Yorubaland was in danger, saying “We’ve been submerged.” He said only few governors in the southwest “are responsible for us. They’ve shut down. They cannot face the Head of State because of their own shortcomings.
“Buhari is not ruling the country. He wants to dominate us. I don’t mince words about it. There’s tyranny in the country. There’s anarchy. When the Head of State said there’s no respect for the rule of law, where are the lawyers? The moment there’s no respect for the rule of law, there’s no government again, there’s anarchy,” he said.
Now, we ask: what is that “secret” that TY Danjuma, as he is popularly known, is hiding from us? Let him reveal it and let us not go to sleep. We know TY Danjuma to be a brave and courageous soldier. He was never a coward. So he should not be afraid of anybody to reveal whatever secret he has.
We hope that TY Danjuma is not trying to exonerate himself from the current problem militating Nigeria, for which he is central to. TY Danjuma was the aide camp to the first Nigerian Military Head of State, General JTU Aguiyi-Ironsi, but he played a Judas Iscariot, and had his master assassinated on July 29, 1966, at Ibadan, along with his host, Colonel Francis Adekunle Fajuyi, first Military Governor of Western Nigeria. It was this that precipitated series of crises from which the country has not recovered till today, including the unfortunate Nigerian civil war that took a lot of resources in men and materials.
Theophilus Danjuma also played a major role in the overthrow of the regime of General Yakubu Gowon on July 29, 1975, which saw the ascension to power of General Murtala Mohammed. He then became the Chief of Army Staff.
When Murtala Mohammed was assassinated six months later, on February 13, 1976, TY Danjuma, helped to stabilize the system. But he preferred to remain at the background, to head the Army, while General Olusegun Obasanjo and the newly promoted Major General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua held forte at the political front. The regime handed over to a democratically elected government in 1979.
Danjuma retired from the Army and went into oil business. Four years later, the Army came back, and for more than 15 long years, ruled the country with iron hands. Throughout that long years, Danjuma kept mute. He never said anything, because he was benefiting from the system.
When the military said they were returning power to the people through an electoral process and the battle was between a core civilian politician and a militarized civilian politician, Danjuma came from his hiding place to campaign for one of their own. He said he would “go to exile if Retired General Olusegun Obasanjo did not win the 1999 election”. Eventually, Obasanjo won and Danjuma was made Defence Minister.
Danjuma did not feature in the Umaru Yar’Adua government and in the first term of Goodluck Jonathan administration. But when Jonathan decided to seek a second term, and the battle was between him and Retired Major General Muhammadu Buhari, Danjuma came out again. He was everywhere campaigning for Buhari to be elected President.
Now, Buhari is in the saddle. He has been elected President, courtesy of Danjuma and other “patriotic” Nigerians, including Omoyele Sowore, Emir of Kano, Sanusi Ahmed Sanusi, etc., but because Buhari ignored him, and did not give him any position, he begins to complain.
The other day Danjuma talked about “ethnic cleansing” of his Taraba kinsmen, simply because some Fulani herdsmen passed through their area with their cattle to graze. Now, he has gone to Yorubaland to tell the people that they were not talking, and that he had a secret which he would not reveal, because it would make us to lose our sleep.
Perhaps, TY Danjuma is conscious, or has become afraid of the “hate speech” bill. That’s why he would not reveal his secret to us, not that it would ever make us not go to sleep. In any case, we implore TY Danjuma to please reveal that secret, since even now we have not been sleeping!
