It
is a known and indisputable fact that Americans and visitors to America are all
very familiar with the physical feature that makes the seat of the world`s most
powerful man, the President of America, The White House. This figure also
includes Nigerians and other peoples of the world who have not even got the
privilege to be a guest of Uncle Sam. The same story goes for the power houses
of the Prime Minister of Britain, 10 Downing Street, London; the President of
Russia, The Kremlin, and a host of other nation`s state houses. But when it
comes to Nigeria it could be correctly imputed that apart from a less than
0.02% highly privileged Nigerians that have had to visit the seat of power in
Abuja, the capital of Nigeria, 98% do not know how the Aso Rock or the Presidential Villa looks
like.
Then
comes the questions, Where is the Aso Rock? And why must it be inaccessible to
the generality of Nigerians where in foreign clime toddlers and even the blinds
can paint a picture of the State Houses of their respective countries?
For
those who do not know, the Villa or State House as it could also be called was
built in 1991 when former military president Ibrahim Babaginda was
unceremoniously forced out of Lagos, the then Federal capital, by some of his
estranged officers who were reported to be on the pay-roll of Delta State born
businessman, Great Ogboru. Since then it has housed the likes of Sanni Abacha,
Abdulsalam Abubakar, Olusegun Obasanjo, Umaru Musa Yar`Dua and the current
president, Goodluck Jonathan. However both Abacha and Yar`dua were unfortunate
to die inside the rock!
In
most foreign films, producers are allowed to re-enact the White House, the
Kremlin and 10 Downing Street for their movie shoots. For the British seat of
power, there are neighbours sharing the street with the Prime Minister and the
place though a tourist center has no noticeable perimeter fence. This is a spot
where ordinary Britons go to, either when they are happy or sad, or even to
protest actions of their government without been harassed by State Officials in
the name of National Security. This may not be far from what the White House
and the Kremlin are to their citizens.
But
for Nigerians the Aso Rock is an illusion. Moreover if you were so lucky to
have seen it in your dreams or the internet and you really want to have a feel
of its walls, then the graveyard or heaven or hell may be a better destination
for that “Stupid man.
Anyway,
the picture of the Aso Rock that the tiny fraction of Nigerians that have seen
it online may not actually be the true image. This is despite the fact that the
pictures were only posted online three years ago. This could be compared to
that of the White House which has been available for hundreds of years now.
With
this in mind, it is very imperative that those living or staying in or around
the Aso Rock be kind enough to let those they govern get a better glimpse of
what the Presidential State House looks like. Otherwise they may go on
wondering as they have always done what kind of people lives in there. None the
less, this may give vent to the saying that a lot of the Nation`s woes emanates
from the Rock, Aso or not and that is why like the Shrine of the village Priest
it must be kept from the ordinary eyes. And as they say, history has it that
nothing good is expected from a cave, mountain or rock except the Bible story
where ravens are said to have helped preserve the life of God`s prophet,
Elijah. if not that, most persons think the only product of the cave, mountain or rocks are mad men; that was the place Jesus met and cured a mad man,
If
the President`s Boys will dispute this, then what is the matter with the Aso
Rock?
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