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An on-going debate that calls for the widest "margin of tolerance" (Chief Shonekan's words) is the one on the June 12 election results and the continued closure of selected media houses which were known to have vehemently opposed the annulment of the June 12 election.

Election results will continue to generate unnecessary controversy, anxiety and other distasteful forms of civil disobedience unless we all agree to abide by the same set of rules. Until then, it is not clear that losers will accept their defeat like good sportsmen. After all, the National Republican Convention, by refusing to accept defeat on June 12, ended up landing control of the prized oil industry through the appointment of one of its top functionaries as Petroleum Secretary; a sector that still accounts for over 90% of our export earnings. With a twisted reward profile such as this, shouldn't the next set of losers also demand to sit atop the nation's oil industry?

Those who understand the full significance of June 12 know that many detribalised Nigerians still feel deeply disappointed by the actions or inactions of sections of the Executive arm, the Legislature, the Judiciary and the Military. While a simplistic resolution to henceforth "write-off" these national institutions might be appealing to one or two disenchanted individuals, it is obvious that it is impractical for society as a whole to adopt this soft option, unless we want anarchy to prevail. As distasteful as the activities of sections of these four institutions might appear, it is obvious that rather than seeking to abandon these institutions, we have to work on improving them.

It is also obvious to me that the Elite must rise up and play a leading role in this effort to re-build our key institutions. The elite have to do it, because Nigeria's middle-class - who ordinarily, should constitute the conscience of the nation and the life-blood for positive change - have virtually been wiped out; thanks to a decade of near-total economic mismanagement. The remnants of a vastly impoverished middle-class cannot shoulder this responsibility alone, because the daily task of scratching together a decent living burns up virtually all their creative energies.

Unfortunately, a significant proportion of Nigeria's elite are not willing to concern themselves with any of the country's problems. If anything, they are pre-occupied with finding more imaginative methods of insulating themselves from the nation's problems. This section of the elite constitutes Nigeria's equivalent of those whom Newsweek magazine recently described as constituting Haiti's Morally Repugnant Elite (MRE). Before and after the June 12th elections, several members of our own MRE took pride in the fact that they had successfully spirited their families to safety overseas.

Fortunately, not all of Nigeria's elite belong to the MRE. Another group is readily identifiable. They are small relative to the size of the MREs and even smaller relative to the entire population, but this group wields enormous influence because people can identify with their actions and utterances. This group are comparable to those whom Charles Murray described in the U.S. as constituting the INTELLIGENTSIA. As in the case of the U.S., Nigeria's intelligentsia includes a few individuals in the upper echelons of the academia (e.g. Wole Soyinka), the diplomatic service (Emeka Anyaoku, Jolly Tanko), community leaders (Ken Saro-Wiwa), the military (e.g. General Obasanjo), lawyers (Gani Fawehinmi), doctors (Beko Ransome-Kuti), politicians (Chief Anthony Enahoro, Alhaji Balabare Musa, etc). A few members of the Judiciary can also belong to the Intelligentsia. Thus, Lord Denning was a prominent member of the U.K.'s Intelligentsia for several years. Conceivably, highly principled traditional rulers can also belong to the Intelligentsia, so too can serving professional military officers who still enjoy the respect of their colleagues and subordinates.

According to Charles Murray, "... the salient feature of the intelligentsia is not that it holds power - though many of its members occupy powerful positions - but that at any given moment, it is the custodian of the received wisdom. It originates most of the ideas in the dialogue about policy, writes about them, publishes them, puts them on television and in magazines and in memoranda ... Most of all, it confers respectability on ideas ..." Murray also explained that businessmen, publishers, bankers, etc can also belong to the Intelligentsia.

It is important to emphasise that the classification of the elite between the MRE, on the one hand and the Intelligentsia, on the other, is not related to size of wealth, respectability of one's business or trade, etc. The distinction is made purely on the ability and preparedness of the individual to address his mind to the nation's problems and to become a reservoir of ideas and to be an architect of change.

The Intelligentsia also serve as role-models for the youth. The Interim National Government (ING) must be terrified by the prospect of having to re-open the Universities. Students have a natural instinct for identifying with the actions of the Intelligentsia and so they might take to the streets and confront the ING over the latter's embarrassing illegitimacy. Unlike the Unions, the student leadership is innocent and pure and so, it cannot be bought.

The Military also have an uncanny knack for identifying with their own Intelligentsia. True, Admiral Aikhomu implicated them by declaring that the June 12 election was cancelled because Bashorun M.K.O. Abiola (the winner) was not acceptable to the Military. The unapologetic Admiral never clarified whether he was referring to the wider Military that voted for Abiola or to a cabal. He has, therefore, inadvertently sprinkled mud on every serving military officer, unless they are allowed to drop their traditional veil of silence to disassociate themselves from a diabolical decision to annul an election result that many of them knew nothing about. To be made to suffer for one's sins is bad enough, but to become a subject of international ridicule on account of something which you only heard about on television must be a sickening experience.

My heart bleeds for some of our fine military officers who were plucked hurriedly from overseas courses and despatched home on account of sanctions imposed by Western countries with regard to a perverted decision to annul a free and fair election. I have little sympathy for the judiciary, the legislature and the executive because they are allowed to speak out for themselves. But who will speak for the innocent within the military? They stand accused of refusing to accept the results of a free and fair election because "the military" did not like the winner. Against this background, how can we even conduct another election? Next time around, might not some other megalomaniac in "the military" refuse to accept the winner after we have squandered tax payers' funds yet again? Then what? A Transitional Interim Council headed by Shonekan?

The fact is that Nigeria's Intelligentsia have sensed that the decision to annul the June 12 election result was a pre-meditated act; but then the Military still stands accused. Recent statements credited to our flippant Information Secretary, Comrade Uche Chukwumerije and our "learned" Attorney-General, Clement Akpamgbo, simply confirm that these two gentlemen do not fully appreciate the significance of June 12. They obviously believe that they can single-handedly bury the ghost of June 12; but we know that they are inexperienced "exorcists". Chief Shonekan's inaugural address (as Head of the ING) which sought to hurriedly bury the ghost of June 12 shows that he might have been influenced unduly by these two budding exorcists or others who hide in the background away from public view.

If Chief Shonekan understood the full significance of June 12, he would not have declared his intention to relegate June 12 to "posterity". Can you visualise a 1960's U.S. President making a speech at Martin Luther King's funeral in which he pleads with black Americans to forget about the civil rights movement because Martin Luther King was already lying in a coffin, having been shot dead by a white assassin?

The Intelligentsia will never allow that! Those of its members who supported the ING idea only did so out of expediency, to ease out an equivocatory military dictatorship. Having achieved that objective, their focus is now back on June 12; and rightly so!

The Intelligentsia also know that many ING members are incapable of discussing June 12 dispassionately; they will rather seek to justify their continued stay in office under whatever guise. Personal ambition and glory seeking will get in the way of the national interest and principles of natural justice. If you give a drowning man a straw, he will cling to it, even though he realises that a straw cannot keep him afloat. The ING, as presently constituted, is a government of special interests by special interests and for special interests.

If I were Chief Shonekan, I would do the honourable thing. I would invite Bashorun M.K.O. Abiola to come home to his fatherland and I would be at the airport to receive him. That is the real "personal sacrifice"!