Rise and fall of self-acclaimed king of kings: Col. Muammar Abu Minyar al-Qaddafi

In beginning this article, I have to quote the people of the oil city of Warri in Delta State parable, that is, “ playplay, play play turn to eat and go”. In other words, al-Qaddafi’s administration of forty-two years recentlycame to an end as rebels seized his fortified compound in Tripoli, capital ofLibya.  

In 1997, Qaddafi initiated a plan for aSahelian-Saharan economic treaty with at least nine (9) African nations.  However, many in the West, view Libya’sinfluence in Africa with concern, many poorer African nations welcomed theoil-rich country’s largesse being managed by a man of integrity, whoseadministration has certainly displayed wisdom, maturity, tactics, and concernfor the welfare and development of Libyans. Libyan, a large North Africa country is bordered by Tunisia, Algeria,Niger, Chad, Sudan, Egypt and the Mediterranean Sea.

Also in 1997, the then South AfricanPresident, Nelson Mandela visited Libya and praised its leader, Col. Al-Qaddafifor his unceasing support during South African’s struggle againstapartheid.  Often considered part of theArab, Libya is in fact one of Africa’s largest and wealthiest nations and forcenturies, its people have cultivated relations both across North Africa andSouth of the Sahara.  It is on recordthat since coming to power in 1969 al-Qaddafi has provided both verbal andmaterial support to a variety of African national movements as well as togovernments ranging from Idi Amin’s dictatorship in Uganda to Thomas Sankara’spopulist socialist state in Burkina Faso. 

In spite of the above and in the wake of asuccessful uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt, the people of Libya on February 16,2011 decided to overthrow the 42-year old dictatorship or the self-acclaimedking of kings, Col. Qaddafi who seized power in a military coup in 1969 when heoverthrew King Idris I and declared Libya an Arab republic.  Based on the successful coup, he began toscheme and consolidate his power. Consequently, he built his rule on a cult of personality and a networkof family and tribal alliances.  Havingseen himself as an intellectual, he wrote the Green Book.  In this book, he espoused an incoherentvision of a socialist Libya.  In view ofthe substantial oil revenue, he quickly called off the bluff of the westernworld. 

Since there was no opposition, his sons andfriends benefited very immensely from Libya’s oil largesse.  It was clear that 60% of Libyans remain poorand subsist on less than $2 a day.  In abid to remain in office indefinitely, Qaddafi resolved to kill the people ofLibya whom he saw as rats and cockroaches. He was ready to burn Libya than surrender.  He muzzled opposition, killed democracy anddesecrated the constitution.  Qaddafidenied his people the God-given right to choose who should rule them.  The self-acclaimed king of kings made himselfleader for life, he rejected intoto to democratize and allow Libyans to choosetheir leaders.  Eventually, the peoplerose against him as Professor Tam David West will say “enough is more thanenough”. 

However, Qaddafi is known for sponsoringterrorism in the 70s, 80s, and 90s.  Hewas implicated in the horrific Lockerbie plane disaster and the serioussectarian violence in Ireland.  It isabundantly clear that in many wars in Africa, he participated activelyincluding that of Sierra Leone, Liberia, Chad, etc.  He once called for Nigeria to be divided intoMoslem North and Christian South contrary to the views of Dr. Benjamin NnamdiAzikiwe (of blessed memory) popularly referred to as Great Zik of Africa whosometime openly said that “the unity of Nigeria was not negotiable”, His bestfriend in Africa is Robert Mugabe, an advanced octogenarian who has remained inpower for thirty-one years and who hopes to continue.  Qaddafi was flabbergasted on why he should beasked to relinquish his office when the Queen of England has been in office forfifty-seven years and the king of Thailand for 68 years. 

Libyans standard of living, includinghousing, education, social services, and health care, were among the highest inAfrica during the 1980s and 1990s . Qaddafi sponsored large infrastructure projects such as railways and theGreat Man-Made River project, a $30 billion effort to transport subterraneanwater in the southern desert to the heavily populated Mediterranean coast. Inthe late 1990s, Qaddafi experimented liberalization but also arrested 1500businessmen on charges of corruption. Despite five unsuccessful coup attempts and considerable internationalanimosity, he remains firmly in place as leader of Libya.

Whatever the case may be, Qaddafi startedwell, and initially did well for his people but he should have embraced thewisdom to end well by stepping down not stepping aside as demanded by thecitizenry of Libya.  Now that the self-acclaimed“king of kings” has fallen, a true democracy should be put in place in order tomove Libya forward in the right direction. Furthermore, the crisis in Libya, before the fall of Col. Muammar AbuMinyar al-Qaddafi is an eye-opener for the sit-tight leaders in Africa whoalways resist change.  He made effortsfor African countries to be called United States of Africa, that is,U.S.A, 

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