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News Release: “Emulate Mandela, Stop Crocodile Tears"--Afenifere

Late Mandela

Emulate Mandela,Stop The Crocodile Tears-Afenifere Tells Political Class

Afenifere is not impressed in any way with the hypocritical tears of the bad and ugly of Nigeria's politics over the transition of the noblest African statesman of all seasons,Dr Nelson Mandela who passed on to immortality on Thursday at the age of 95.

Like the proverbial array of knives that surface the day the elephant falls,all manners of crooked politicians in Nigeria have churned out effusive praises and eulogies mostly crafted from hired pens on the life and times of the irrepressible spirit and worthy example to humanity who now  resides among the ancestors.

Without knowing it these fellows have turned the "celebration" of Mandela to an open trial and self-conviction as all they throw up about the great Madiba  are what they lack and the very reason why Nigeria lies prostrate at the intensive care unit of failed countries of the world .

We have seen how those who attempted to manipulate the constitution of the country to perpetuate their stay  in office and those who annulled the freest and fairest election in the history of the country are celebrating Mandela as the great democratic spirit who refused to seek a second term in office which he was constitutionally entitled to do.

Those who require extra lives to serve jail terms for their economic crimes against the people if justice flows in Nigeria now laud Mandela for spending 27 years of his life in gaol for the only "crime" of seeking freedom for his people.

We are being reminded of the many sacrifices Mandela made to give humanity to the oppressed blacks of South Africa by power merchants whose preoccupation is making life miserable for their own people and selling them cheap to all manners of interests worse than apartheid .

We are being aroused to celebrate the man who set post-apartheid South Africa on a democratic lane by vote thieves and anti-democratic forces who have turned the electoral process to a "do-or-die" affair.

There is no gainsaying the fact that the Nigerian political class(crass!) are fouling Mandela funerals with their odiferous emissions as the world reflect on the passage of this great son of Africa.

Rather than intruding into the assembly of bonafide mourners ,our politicians should bury their heads in shame for lacking the character and conviction of Mandela to serve the people with selflessness ,their lack of integrity and moral force to effect change and  their hedonist pursuits at the expense of the greatest good of the greatest majority which was the hallmark of Mandela's public life .

They should close their eyes and imagine their own funerals and imagine how many genuine mourners would show up who were no contractors or political hangers-on.

Adieu the great Madiba, may your tribe increase forever !

Yinka Odumakin,
National Publicity Secretary,
Afenifere.