A Must Read For Nigerians: Shocking Chants Of The Bold Masquerade (A review of Debo Basorun’s ‘Honour for Sale (An Insider Account of the Murder of Dele Giwa) -- Folorunsho Moshood Abolore

THIS night market of unequalled stalls built by the whites has witnessed many behind-the-scene masquerades chanting about the possible causes of the murder of one of the brilliant investigative journalists that the market has ever produced.

 

It happened in 1986, around the period that the market was being taken over by the vultures. We marketers of different tongues only heard their cacophonic voices of possible truth – no appearances. But with ‘Honour for Sale’, we now have a masquerade, who had professionally mingled with the emerging vultures of that period, appearing bold in his costume and giving us shocking chants of truth about the murder of the celebrated journalist.

 

The author, as the masquerade, sees the floating lies about the murder of Dele Giwa, innocently seeks the submerged truth while the vultures wrongly attack him. He falls but doesn’t get to the ground. The masquerade remains elusive and walks from dusk to dawn into oblivion. Even in oblivion, the vultures persist in sending him to his ancestors. But the masquerade now reappears making the truth to rise to the top again while the vultures still lurk around.

 

Written mainly in first person narrative, the 360 page book is divided into 27 distinct but interwoven chapters. To fully understand the masquerade, all the chapters must be read sequentially. With the first 10 chapters reading like an autobiography of Basorun, especially his childhood struggles, exploit in the Nigerian civil war that prepared him for the future battles of life and exciting career that made him to mingle with the devils; then the shocking chants of truth explode across the rest of the chapters like hurricane wind.

 

Not only does the book separate fact from speculation, it also authenticates some of the mysterious speculations of the period 1983 to 1993.

 The masquerade confirms his boldness in confronting the vultures on page 231 where he writes: ‘It is quite possible that I am the only person alive today that could substantiate the Babangida administration’s dubious actions, certainly worth investigation, in relation to the assassination of Dele Giwa. And in a determined effort to stop me from divulging what I know, a strategy was put in place apparently to ensure that the secret goes with me into the grave”.

 

His boldness even pushes him to advance two reasons for Dele Giwa’s assassination. He unknowingly helped the administration clear some drug traffickers at the Muritala Muhammed International Airport. He was also a member of Alhaji Gambo led ‘Detainees Review Board’ that acted strictly to the dictate of the paymaster by setting free suspected drug traffickers.

 

The book also reveals the controversial circumstance leading to the killing of the poet-general, Mamman Vatsa. It is believed that Dele Giwa was aware of the two cases and wanted to use either or both to nail the regime.

 

But the author separates fact from speculation by establishing his own reason Dele Giwa was murdered. It was his delicate work of exposing the corrupt practices and human right abuses of the Babangida regime, especially his “attempt to mobilise an articulate citizenry in the fight to eradicate corruption and enshrine the inviolability of the people’s rights” that cost him his life”.

 

The reader will not see the motive for this book until page 232 where the author writes: “Though unaware of its implications that day, it was a decision that would lead to a chain of reactions, including attempts on my life and the writing of this book”.

 

What is that decision? Two years after Dele Giwa was assassinated, his deputy, Ray Ekpu who later replaced him as the editor-in-chief of Newswatch magazine was awarded “International Journalist of the Year”. But this recognition was ignored by the Babangida regime, hence the decision of the author, as the regime’s spokesperson, to bring Ray Ekpu’s honour up at a presidential staff meeting with the intention of making the regime buy into using the award as public relation tool against the backdrop of the accusation of murdering Dele Giwa.

 

In a ‘maradonic’ manner and after hot debates on the issue, the president made the author have his way and a presidential congratulatory message was sent to Ray Ekpu.But Basorun did not know that a snare had been set for him, which later turned to a price tag on his head.

 Apart from the main chant, there are other chants that expose the religious and tribal based idiosyncrasies of the powerful men in uniform who have ruled this country like their private estates.

 

Who are the dramatis personae of this power game? What role did the author play in the palace coup of August 27, 1985? How many times did the author escape the assassin’s snares and bullets both in Nigeria and in exile? Find the answers to these and many more in Basorun’s ‘Honour For Sale’, and the account of the murder of Dele Giwa.

 

 It is a must read for Nigerians, especially those who will not allow this truth to get drowned in the murky water of lies.

 

 

TRIBUNE