I have been reading a lot of comments about this man (Ghadafi). He came, He Saw, He (was) conquered For a lot of guys here on Nairaland there has been this controversy whether the man is an hero or a villain. Read this piece and think about it again, 

written by Oyeniyi Bukola Adeyemi

Damn Gadhafi,
damn his Will!

Prior to the
Arab Spring, Greenwood Publishing Company of USA commissioned, as it always
does, a book on Customs and Culture of Libya to a US-based Nigerian History Professor
(names withheld for security reasons)  who
decided to incorporate two other people, one his graduate student, an American,
and my humble self, a Nigerian University lecturer, to write this book. Perhaps,
my inclusion in the project originated from the fact that I have always been involved
in field activities, so my experience becomes necessary to writing the book. I was
in Libya before the crisis and had plenty of time to comb everywhere for data
for the book. This field activities and the quality of data obtained are what
formed the bedrock of what the book will present to the world next March when
the book will go on sale globally.


The field
activities, secondary literature, and practicalities on ground in Libya would
not forgive Gadhafi, no matter how catchy or strongly-worded his Will may be. Permit
me to say that, there is nothing like a benevolent dictator and no matter what
we say or think; dictatorship would always end badly. Granted that Gadhafi,
perhaps in modern Africa, would remain a shining light on achievements, but I
must inform you that underlining his achievements were Libyan bloods!


For the records,
Gadhafi started out as a young, people-driven leader. He sacked the monarchy of
Ali, the man who, with others, assiduously fought and got independence for
Libya. He was accused of being a stooge of the West. As an historian, I will
suggest caution here. Libya was without oil then and it was difficult for it to
survive without aid! It was under the care of the UN after the Second World War
and everyone was apprehensive how it will survive as an independent nation
without aid! Thank God for CRUDE OIL!


However,
following Gadhafi's take-over, he instituted policies that drove not just
Americans and British away, but also indigenous Berbers, Tuaregs, Jews, etc. British
and Americans, as part of post-World War II geopolitics, maintained military
bases in Libya to check Soviet’s ambition in North Africa; indigenous Berbers,
Tuaregs, Jews, etc. were native Libyans, who stood against Roman, Greek, Ottoman,
Spanish and Italian occupations at different times. They fought and defeated ‘almighty’
America too! The Jews, most of whom were Israelis, had settled for hundreds of
years in different parts of Libya and most of the architectural masterpieces you
find today in Libya were the handiworks of these Jews, the various invaders
that made Libya their colonies at one time or the other. Many have erroneously
believed that they were built by Gadhafi. If not for Gadhafi, Libya (and
Africa) would have remained the home of indigenous and, perhaps, the oldest
Jewish community on earth. He not only sent them away, but also nationalized
all their assets, some of which were shared by the Revolutionary Council that
Gadhafi led.


He banned
literature, arts, music, media, English and French (languages), novels, prose,
poems, etc. and pronounced Libya an Islamic state. The only Radio and TV
stations in Libya under Gadhafi were state-owned! Same applied to publishing
house! They were controlled by his children! Professors, poets, dramatists,
etc. who must publish, must publish with him and their works had to be vetted
for subversive elements! Their writings must eulogize the Gadhafi-led
government! If Nigeria were to be under Gadhafi, would there have been people like
Wole Soyinka, Achebe Chinua, Hammed Yerima, Kole Omotosho, Ade-Ajayi, Jide
Oshuntokun, Chimamanda Adiche, etc.? Would any of them have written anything worth
the salt? I bet it with you; many were the talents that Gadhafi sent to their
early graves. Yes, there are Libyan writers, but they all cut their teeth in
the Diasporas, where they were/are tolerated, but not accepted! Until the Libyan
book is out, I would not be able to mention names, but I know many would be
shocked to know what sort of bestiality went on in Libya under Gadhafi. Gadhafi
was killing people at home, sponsoring terrorism abroad! Thousands of professors,
radicals, journalists, teachers, musicians, actors and actresses - people that
we love and many emulate here in Nigeria, were either executed, disappeared, or
forced into exile in Gadhafi’s Libya. Those who fled were hunted to death.


As bad as
Babangida and Abacha were in Nigeria’s military history, Obesere Omo Rapala,
the doyen of Asakasa, was never prohibited from singing! As wicked and mindless
as Obasanjo is, St. Janet, Gordons, Ali Baba, etc. still lampooned him and
sleep at home, not in the coffins! Banning literature, as we all know, is
banning creativity.


Gadhafi went
further than that: Libya started out in 1951/2, as a secular state, although it
still proclaimed itself as an Islamic Republic; Gadhafi made into a Sharia
state. He initially laid the foundation of his new Libya based on the Sharia
laws, but later detoured and wrote his own master-sheet upon which he ran the
affairs of the country. The 3-volume book, The Green Book, became the
unofficial constitution of Libya under Gadhafi. The Ulamas were disbanded and,
in nationally-televised state broadcast, he denounced the Quran, Imams and
Ulamas; saying that you do not need the Imams and Ulamas to understand and
interpret the Quran. This step was the harbinger of his Green Book.


The atrocious
acts were too many; I can go on and on and on. Perhaps I should not end this
section without talking about his reforms in the banking sector. He commanded
all Libyans to deposit all their monies in the national bank, claiming that a
new currency was to be introduced. After the deadlines, he announced that no
one in Libya would have private accounts again and that the state would be
responsible for their upkeeps. That was the end of the reform. No money (old or
new) was returned to anybody, everything was confiscated by government!
Savings, from that moment, were banned! I repeat; all Libyans' monies were
taking away from them by official/government subterfuge! What a reform!!!!


Yes, he
constructed modern Libya along socialist lines; what he called Arab Socialism,
which brought landmark achievements in Arabic/Islamic education,
infrastructural development, housing and urban development to Libya. He
constructed aqueducts that transport water from under the deserts to the
cities. He, until 1994, employed all educated Libyans, but never allowed them
to use their ingenuity on anything other than state-controlled things!


Permit me to add
that his description of Libyans at the outset of the revolution as rats, dogs,
and cockroaches adequately summarized what he reduced them to. He masked all
his atrocities in our eyes with public service and infrastructure. These were
all what we know/see that gave us the erroneous impression that he was a
benevolent dictator who did well for his country. More than a million souls
were ordered killed by this man. For me and many Libyans who helped in my study
for the book, Gadhafi was worse than Adolf Hitler! Perhaps, the political
trajectories are different, therefore, we cannot compare Gadhafi with Abacha,
but I still think Abacha was a child’s play. I am sure that more of his acts
would come to light now that he is gone. Damn Gadhafi, damn his Will!


http://www.thenationonlineng.net/2011/index.php/news/23916-gaddafi%E2%80%99s-last-will.html

Im confused. Anyway, Idk, so many people seemed to be happy under Ghaddafi. I never got to go to libya to experience it.

Next the man will say Ghaddafi was not anti imperialist?