Nigeria and Iran have come to have one thing in common and that is, both countries have held controversial presidential election on the same date June 12. Am sure a closer examination of these two countries will bring out more similarities. An example is that both countries have Moslems in large numbers etc. For the purpose of this article I will look into the two presidential elections held on the particular date of the month of June (June 12). Coincidentally there are many common factors in these two elections and many lessons to be learnt from them.
Starting with Nigeria, her best presidential elections since independence was held on June 12 1993. It was the freest and fairest presidential elections in Nigeria. There was no single case of rigging, violence, or any form of electoral malpractices. Both local and international observers acknowledged that it was free and fair. It was different from the previous ones. Late Chief MKO Abiola contested under the Social Democratic Party (SDP) with Bashir Tofa who contested under the National Republican Convention (NRC). Late MKO Abiola won the presidential election but the military president of that time (General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida) annulled it.
Iran held their presidential election on June 12 2009. Like in Nigeria (June 12 1993), the two main contestants in the Iranian election were Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Hossein Mousavi. The authorities in Iran declared Mahmoud Ahmadinejad the winner with a land slide margin. Let’s remember that the election that brought Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to power in 2005 was marred with controversy. This time the electorate and the opposition leader suspected electoral malpractices, and this sparked off serious public demonstrations and riots. The police were called in and they used live bullets. As at the time of writing this article, more then ten people have been reported dead in Iran. The Iranian authorities moved with increased force to clamp down the protest.
Similar incident happened when the June 12 1993 presidential election was cancelled in Nigeria. Many people protested the cancellation by demonstrating on the streets, but the military president (IBB) ordered the solders to shoot innocent people on the street. The death toll was too high. The country was plunged into a deep political crisis never witnessed in Nigeria. The truth is that Nigeria is yet to recover fully from the cancelled June 12 1993 presidential election. It changed Nigeria and was largely responsible for the end of General Babangida’s regime. June 12 2009 will change Iran. The Islamic Republic of Iran has never witnessed a demonstration of this type since the 1979 revolution. The government of Iran is facing serious crisis of authority never seen in ages. Nigeria’s economy almost collapsed as a result of the political crisis caused by the cancellation of June 12 1993 presidential election. The Iranian economy will obviously suffer from this crisis.
The annulled June 12 1993 election generated massive tension in Nigeria. The June 12 2009 election in Iran is generating too much tension and will continue to do so in future. The writer is a strong advocate for the re-establishment of the electoral methods (Option A4) that made June 12 1993 election a possibility in Nigeria.
Iranian authorities imposed strict press censorship during this period. Western media operating from Iran were barred from reporting news. Getting information out of Iran became a big problem. Iranian authorities expelled some western journalists. However the Iranian government did not succeed in restricting information due to information technology, for example people used mobile phones which have camera and video capabilities to send out messages. Internet facilities helped as well. In the Nigerian case, Babangida clamped down on various media houses before the June 12 1993 elections. It was his habit to clamp down on perceived opposition press. Nigerian state security services were always arresting and harassing journalists. One thing various dictatorships all over the world hate so much is free press. Free press is always where dictators meet their waterloo (downfall).
Iran has accused the western countries of interference in her internal politics, specifically calling Britain her enemy. Iranian President (Mahmoud Ahmedinejad) said “western states, particularly the US and Britain must change their policies of intervening in Iran’s domestic affairs”. The British foreign secretary denied Britain or other foreign countries were manipulating events in Iran, but criticized the violent repression of protesters and killing of people in Tehran. Iran also accused Israeli media of being responsible for the disturbances. The Israeli president (Shimon Peres) praised the Iranian demonstrators. He called on them to raise their voices of freedom. Saudi Arabia was also accused by Iran as partly responsible for the protesters in Tehran
As a follow up to the accusation on the British government, the Iranian authorities expelled two British diplomats. Britain retaliated by expelling two Iranian diplomats as well. Tension is rising between these two countries. The American President, Barack Obama condemned the violent suppression of the protesters in Iran. The western countries did condemn the then Nigerian military president when he annulled the June 12 1993 presidential election.
A lot of lessons can be learnt from the experiences of both countries. These lessons will be beneficial to most developing countries and Nigeria in particular. First lesson is the need to have transparent elections. In the absence of 1992/1993 elections in Nigeria were Option A4 method was used, I doubt if there has been any free and fair elections in the country. It has caused Nigeria so much pain. Unfortunately Nigerian leaders appear not to learn from the past. Electoral troubles have killed so many innocent Nigerians in the past. We are very lucky in Nigeria because elections not properly conducted can lead to war. An example is Algeria, Kenya, etc.
The Nigerian leaders should conduct free and fair elections come 2011 and save Nigeria any trouble. Option A4 will prevent rigging and hence ensure transparency. Option A4 methods will bring credibility to our electoral system. Another lesson to learn from Iran is the need to respect people’s right to demonstrate. Government needs to be sensitive and also listen to the masses. It is also more applicable to the Nigerian authorities. The opinions of the opposition parties must always be respected. Repression must be resisted by government officials. Repression of people is never a part of democracy.
Governments need to be sincere in their dealings with people. Am sure that Iranian authorities knew very well that all was not proper with the elections. There is no smoke without fire. People cannot be protesting when there is no rigging. Nigerian leaders need to learn a big lesson here especially with 2011 elections around the corner. Nigeria has had enough electoral troubles. We need transparent elections everywhere. May God bless Nigeria.
Chinedu Vincent Akuta
An activist and leader of “Support Option A4 Group” Leicester-UK
akutachinedu@yahoo.com
http://briefsfromakuta.blogspot.com/
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Freedom is Expensive.
“The history of liberty is a history of resistance”(Thomas Woodrow, 1812).
Freedom of any kind (political, economical, health and freedom from all kinds of oppression) is an expensive project. It does not come easy. There is always a price to pay for freedom. During the Second World War, the allies incurred a heavy cost to defeat Adolf Hitler’s third Reich. A country like Russia lost over 27 million people. This is both the military and civilians. In a single attack (Pearl Harbor) American lost over 3684 solders. United Kingdom lost over 400,000 people. In total, the allied forces lost over 60 million people (both military and civilians). The financial cost of this war cannot be quantified. This was the price paid to free Europe and the rest of the world.
During the colonial era, Nigerian nationalist incurred a cost to achieve independence for Nigeria. Starting from Herbert Macauley, Nnamdi Azikiwe, Obafemi Awolowo, Enahoro, Tafawa Belewa, Okotie Eboh, Aminu Kano, etc made both personal and financial sacrifices to liberate Nigeria from the British colonial rule. In South Africa, Nelson Mandela spent 27 years in jail in order for South Africans to be free from apartheid. So many South Africans died in the struggle against apartheid. In Zimbabwe, people like Mugabe and Joshua Nkomo had to wage guerrilla warfare before the British colonial masters were able to grant them independence.
During the military era in Nigeria, many people paid a costly price for speaking against military dictatorship. Gani Fawehinmi was arrested, detained, and sent to jail several times for criticism of military dictatorship. He was beaten several times by the government agents. His international passport was seized on many occasions. Dele Giwa was killed through a letter bomb. Femi Falana was sent to jail for voicing against tyrannical rule. Olisa Agbakoba was interrogated several times by the police. Late Dr Beko Ransome Kuti, late Ken Saro Wiwa, Chief Frank Ovie Kokori, Chima Ubani, Mr Abdul Oroh, Tunji Abayomi, Sylvester Odion-Akhaine, Mallam Shehu Sani, Prof Wole Soyinka, Omoyele Sowore etc had at one time or the other paid a price for speaking out against military dictatorship in Nigeria.
During the struggle to actualize the victory of June 12 1993 presidential election, many Nigerians died in the riots that ensured. Kudirat Abiola was assassinated on June 4 1996, by the government agents. Abiola himself died in detention. The country was plunged into a political crisis, the magnitude of which was unprecedented. NADECO opposed the Abacha regime and other oppressive governments. They suffered loses both financial, material and brutal torture in some cases. G 34(group of 34 eminent Nigerians) added their voices for Abacha to hand over power to civilians. But the truth is that, without the prices paid by these heroes and heroines, Nigeria would have been worst than it is today. Therefore their efforts yielded positive results.
When Obasanjo was campaigning for both his first and second terms in office, many Nigerians donated money to his campaign machinery. Former governor of Abia State claimed publicly to have given Obasanjo $1 million dollars before the 1999 elections that brought Obasanjo back to power. Dangote also donated money to Obasanjo campaign organization. People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has organized fund raising events several times. Even though the use their money to subvert the will of the people. They use their money to rig elections. It’s also a price paid by some people but on a negative way.
The whole idea of this article is to highlight to patriotic Nigerians that there would more prices to pay to get Nigeria on the right track. I am also aware that so many Nigerians want change. Change is possible in Nigeria but we have to work hard to get that change. There is no democracy yet in Nigeria which means that, there is no political freedom as well. This makes it imperative for us to gear up and pay whatever price it requires to get us to the promise land. It also means that we should resist all forms of bad governance and speak out against such. I will like to remind fellow Nigerians that no one will save our country except us. Quoting John Maxwell, “the only person that can stop you from becoming what God intends for your life is you”. There are a lot Nigerians can do to help our great country bounce back to the right track. The Nigerian people have got so much power individually. These our political oppressors do not want us to realize.
I wish to suggest few ways Nigerians can take their destinies by their hands. Please look for a genuine civil society group, or form your own group and the join the campaign clamoring for political changes. Form alliances with existing political groups/civil societies groups. Identify yourself or your group with honest Nigerians. Support credible Nigerians to acquire political power. Ask the civil society groups or any sincere political group to assign you role to undertake. Be an active participant. Make token donations to these civil society groups. If our political oppressors can donate millions of naira to the PDP in order to capture power through undemocratic means. We the other ordinary Nigerians should be able to donate our token to the civil societies, NGO’s, political groups, etc to use in checking the political oppressors. Justice can be expensive to obtain especially within the Nigerian system.
No amount will be too small to donate to genuine political groups in order for them to continue the struggle to better Nigeria. When President Obama was campaigning for elections, his campaign organization accepted even $1 dollar donation from people. Some groups in Nigeria headed by Mrs. Ndi Okereke (DG Nigerian Stock Exchange) raised money for Obama campaign, but it was declined. In addition to this, about 30% of Obama campaign team was Nigerians. If Nigerians can do this for Obama, then they can do more for their motherland. Before the 1991 Gulf war, all the Palestinians working in Saudi Arabia had their taxes sent to the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) headquarters for their liberation struggle.
There will be no gain without a pain. There will be no political freedom without a political struggle. The Nigeria’s political environment requires more positive sacrifices from us. There will be no full democratic governance in Nigeria without complete resistance to corrupt and inefficient system that we have in Nigeria. Our sacrifices will enhance the demand for our rights (good governance) and not to beg for them. We need to fight for our rights (democracy, good governance, etc) and not plead for them. May God bless Nigeria.
Chinedu Vincent Akuta
An activist and leader of “Support Option A4 Group” Leicester-UK
akutachinedu@yahoo.com
http://briefsfromakuta.blogspot.com/
Freedom of any kind (political, economical, health and freedom from all kinds of oppression) is an expensive project. It does not come easy. There is always a price to pay for freedom. During the Second World War, the allies incurred a heavy cost to defeat Adolf Hitler’s third Reich. A country like Russia lost over 27 million people. This is both the military and civilians. In a single attack (Pearl Harbor) American lost over 3684 solders. United Kingdom lost over 400,000 people. In total, the allied forces lost over 60 million people (both military and civilians). The financial cost of this war cannot be quantified. This was the price paid to free Europe and the rest of the world.
During the colonial era, Nigerian nationalist incurred a cost to achieve independence for Nigeria. Starting from Herbert Macauley, Nnamdi Azikiwe, Obafemi Awolowo, Enahoro, Tafawa Belewa, Okotie Eboh, Aminu Kano, etc made both personal and financial sacrifices to liberate Nigeria from the British colonial rule. In South Africa, Nelson Mandela spent 27 years in jail in order for South Africans to be free from apartheid. So many South Africans died in the struggle against apartheid. In Zimbabwe, people like Mugabe and Joshua Nkomo had to wage guerrilla warfare before the British colonial masters were able to grant them independence.
During the military era in Nigeria, many people paid a costly price for speaking against military dictatorship. Gani Fawehinmi was arrested, detained, and sent to jail several times for criticism of military dictatorship. He was beaten several times by the government agents. His international passport was seized on many occasions. Dele Giwa was killed through a letter bomb. Femi Falana was sent to jail for voicing against tyrannical rule. Olisa Agbakoba was interrogated several times by the police. Late Dr Beko Ransome Kuti, late Ken Saro Wiwa, Chief Frank Ovie Kokori, Chima Ubani, Mr Abdul Oroh, Tunji Abayomi, Sylvester Odion-Akhaine, Mallam Shehu Sani, Prof Wole Soyinka, Omoyele Sowore etc had at one time or the other paid a price for speaking out against military dictatorship in Nigeria.
During the struggle to actualize the victory of June 12 1993 presidential election, many Nigerians died in the riots that ensured. Kudirat Abiola was assassinated on June 4 1996, by the government agents. Abiola himself died in detention. The country was plunged into a political crisis, the magnitude of which was unprecedented. NADECO opposed the Abacha regime and other oppressive governments. They suffered loses both financial, material and brutal torture in some cases. G 34(group of 34 eminent Nigerians) added their voices for Abacha to hand over power to civilians. But the truth is that, without the prices paid by these heroes and heroines, Nigeria would have been worst than it is today. Therefore their efforts yielded positive results.
When Obasanjo was campaigning for both his first and second terms in office, many Nigerians donated money to his campaign machinery. Former governor of Abia State claimed publicly to have given Obasanjo $1 million dollars before the 1999 elections that brought Obasanjo back to power. Dangote also donated money to Obasanjo campaign organization. People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has organized fund raising events several times. Even though the use their money to subvert the will of the people. They use their money to rig elections. It’s also a price paid by some people but on a negative way.
The whole idea of this article is to highlight to patriotic Nigerians that there would more prices to pay to get Nigeria on the right track. I am also aware that so many Nigerians want change. Change is possible in Nigeria but we have to work hard to get that change. There is no democracy yet in Nigeria which means that, there is no political freedom as well. This makes it imperative for us to gear up and pay whatever price it requires to get us to the promise land. It also means that we should resist all forms of bad governance and speak out against such. I will like to remind fellow Nigerians that no one will save our country except us. Quoting John Maxwell, “the only person that can stop you from becoming what God intends for your life is you”. There are a lot Nigerians can do to help our great country bounce back to the right track. The Nigerian people have got so much power individually. These our political oppressors do not want us to realize.
I wish to suggest few ways Nigerians can take their destinies by their hands. Please look for a genuine civil society group, or form your own group and the join the campaign clamoring for political changes. Form alliances with existing political groups/civil societies groups. Identify yourself or your group with honest Nigerians. Support credible Nigerians to acquire political power. Ask the civil society groups or any sincere political group to assign you role to undertake. Be an active participant. Make token donations to these civil society groups. If our political oppressors can donate millions of naira to the PDP in order to capture power through undemocratic means. We the other ordinary Nigerians should be able to donate our token to the civil societies, NGO’s, political groups, etc to use in checking the political oppressors. Justice can be expensive to obtain especially within the Nigerian system.
No amount will be too small to donate to genuine political groups in order for them to continue the struggle to better Nigeria. When President Obama was campaigning for elections, his campaign organization accepted even $1 dollar donation from people. Some groups in Nigeria headed by Mrs. Ndi Okereke (DG Nigerian Stock Exchange) raised money for Obama campaign, but it was declined. In addition to this, about 30% of Obama campaign team was Nigerians. If Nigerians can do this for Obama, then they can do more for their motherland. Before the 1991 Gulf war, all the Palestinians working in Saudi Arabia had their taxes sent to the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) headquarters for their liberation struggle.
There will be no gain without a pain. There will be no political freedom without a political struggle. The Nigeria’s political environment requires more positive sacrifices from us. There will be no full democratic governance in Nigeria without complete resistance to corrupt and inefficient system that we have in Nigeria. Our sacrifices will enhance the demand for our rights (good governance) and not to beg for them. We need to fight for our rights (democracy, good governance, etc) and not plead for them. May God bless Nigeria.
Chinedu Vincent Akuta
An activist and leader of “Support Option A4 Group” Leicester-UK
akutachinedu@yahoo.com
http://briefsfromakuta.blogspot.com/
Sunday, June 14, 2009
An Appeal to Leaders of Faith Organizations in Nigeria.
“Change comes not from the top down, but from the ground up, and few are closer to the people than our churches, synagogues, temples and mosques” (Barack Obama, US President). This article is the second of its kind. The first was titled; Religious Organizations as Catalyst for Change, published on my blog http://briefsfromakuta.blogspot.com and other Nigerian dailies. The whole essence of this article is to highlight the importance and roles our Nigerian leaders of faith can play to get Nigerians out of our present political situation. Examples below indicate how influential, leaders of faith can be. I want Nigerian leaders of faith groups and organizations to draw inspiration and strength from what their colleagues have done else where around the world. I pray they replicate same in Nigeria or even more.
Leaders of faith organizations (men and women) have risen to defend the masses at times of great political turmoil. I will start with the late Pope John Paul II. The late Pope John Paul II engaged himself in an undercover resistance against the German occupation of Poland. He and a former archbishop of Krakow (late Cardinal Sapieha) ran a secret organization that helped the Jews escape from the Nazis. Later when he became the Pope, he spoke against contraception, abortion, and scientific intervention in the process of human reproduction. He stood against homosexuality and same sex marriages while being a strong critic of divorce. He spoke against capitalism and Marxism and called for a new economic order. His actions helped to undermine communism in the former Soviet Republics. Late Pope John Paul II exercised so much influence around the globe and world leaders listened to him. He always campaigned for the release of political prisoners. He did in Cuba and Fidel Castro released many. He influenced policies around the world and met almost all the world leaders while he was alive. The current Pope Benedict XVI called for a two state solution the moment he arrived Israel on 11th May 2009.
In 1953 when Fidel Castro failed in his first attempt to start his revolution, he was declared wanted dead or alive by the General Batista regime. Infact he was to be shot, except that Catholic Archbishop Perez Serantes prevailed on the authorities to save his live and that of his remaining colleagues (fidelistas) who were still alive. Again in 1956 when Fidel Castro was making his second attempt to start his revolution, his rebel army was almost completely annihilated. It was a Seventh Day Adventist preacher named Argelio Rosabal that gathered his fellow Adventists and told them that Fidel and his group must be saved. He provided support with which Fidel Castro and his group survived.
Dalai Lama: The spiritual head and leader of the Tibet has been deeply involved in the political struggle for the liberation of Tibet from Chinese occupation. The present Dalai Lama has taken the case of Tibet to all over the world. He has literally put Tibet on world spot light, campaigning for independence of Tibet. Presently he is involved with Prince Charles (Princes of Wales) on a recent film/video release to highlight the plight of the rainforests
In May 2006, the Archbishop of Canterbury (Dr Rowan Williams), Catholic Archbishop of Westminster (Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor) and the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth, Dr Jonathan Sacks protested against the proposed legislation to allow assisted dying for the terminally ill people in the United Kingdom. At another point the Archbishop of Canterbury caused uproar by calling for the introduction of some elements of sharia law in the UK. The Anglican Bishop of York in the UK (Dr John Sentamu) publicly called for the overthrow of President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe. He made the call on 8th December 2008. Both Archbishop of Canterbury (Dr Rowan Williams) and Anglican Bishop of York (Dr John Sentamu) asked the British public not to vote for the British National Party (BNP) on the 4th June 2009 election.
Still in the United Kingdom, the Christian Party and Christian Peoples Alliance were campaigning seriously for votes for the European Parliamentary elections. Their campaign message was that political parties need not run only a political campaign, but a spiritual and moral one. The leader of the Christian party in the UK is Revd George Hargreaves.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu played active roles during the South African struggle against apartheid. When Mandela was in prison he spoke against the oppressive regimes. He won a Nobel peace prize in 1984 for all his efforts. When Mandela was president of South Africa, he was chosen to chair the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission to investigate crimes committed by both sides during the apartheid era. He was also called to chair a similar truth and reconciliation commission in North Ireland. Bishop Tutu advocated the use of force to remove President Mugabe of Zimbabwe.
Reverend Father Aristide Jean-Bertrand spoke out against human rights abuses in Haiti. He survived several assassination attempts and entered politics as the leader of National Front for Change and Democracy. On 16th December 1990 he won a presidential election and was sworn in as President on 7th February 1991.
Rev Martin Luther King was a Baptist priest who became a major figure in the US Civil Rights Movement. His speech (I have a dream) was credited with prompting the 1964 Civil Rights Act in America. He won a Nobel Peace Prize on 14th October 1964.
The late Mother Teresa was a Roman Catholic nun. She worked all her life to save the poor and dying of Calcutta in India. She won a Nobel peace prize in 1979. By the time she died, her organization and affiliated groups had more than 200 different operations in over 25 counties around the world. She influenced policies to favour the poor people of India.
In Nigeria the Christian Association of Nigeria urged Christians to go out and vote en masse during the 1993 presidential elections. Nigerian leaders of faith organizations have tried in the past. Its worth commending that the following clerics have made a mark in Nigerian politics, Olubunmi Cardinal Okogie, Most Revd Peter Jasper Akinola, Archbishop John Onaiyekan, Bishop Gbonigi, Rev. Adebiyi of NADECO, the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria, Mathew Hassan Kukah, Fr George Ehusani, Rev Chris Okotie (ex presidential candidate) etc. Thisday newspapers (online version) of Sunday 7th June 2009, reported that Pastor Kumuyi (Founder of Deeper Life Christian Ministry) urged the federal government to adopt a new approach in solving the Niger Delta Crisis. This article is an appeal, a call, an invitation and a save our soul (S.O.S.) Message for more leaders of faith to get more involved with the politics of Nigeria. They are in an advantaged position to mobilize Nigerians for political changes.
The situation requires their active intervention as it has been done by their colleagues in some parts of the world. They need to speak out loud and possibly shout since our leaders appear to be deaf. The deplorable political situation matters a lot to Nigerians. Not speaking out is dangerous. Quoting Martin Luther King “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter”.
During my last visit to Nigeria (January 2009), I realized that most people have lost hope in our political system. Most of the people I spoke with have handed over every thing to God. Being a Christian, I believe that God will do to Nigerians what he did to the Israelites when they were under Egyptian rule. God will certainly raise a Moses amongst us. But if our political system is dirty, let every one join in the cleaning process. We need righteous leaders, because “righteousness exalts a nation” (Proverbs 14:34)
Religious organizations are closer to the people more than the government. They are more in touch with people who have been inflicted with pains and misery of bad governance. They will provide tremendous support base if they join the struggle for the Nigerian political reform process. Politics and governance are too serious a business to be left in the hands of politicians, let alone the Nigerian politicians. Am sure many Nigerians will share my views. A vacuum exists in the Nigerian political arena to be filled by the leaders of faith organization. Alternatively they should join voices and actions with other groups to agitate for political reforms or let them raise righteous leaders for our country.
There is nothing wrong if our faith organizations should provide spiritual and political support to Nigerians. The costs of bad policies or bad leadership will be borne by all including the faith leaders. Therefore your efforts are highly needed in the match to reform the Nigerian political process. May God bless Nigeria.
Chinedu Vincent Akuta
An activist and leader of “Support Option A4 Group” Leicester-UK
akutachinedu@yahoo.com
http://briefsfromakuta.blogspot.com/
Leaders of faith organizations (men and women) have risen to defend the masses at times of great political turmoil. I will start with the late Pope John Paul II. The late Pope John Paul II engaged himself in an undercover resistance against the German occupation of Poland. He and a former archbishop of Krakow (late Cardinal Sapieha) ran a secret organization that helped the Jews escape from the Nazis. Later when he became the Pope, he spoke against contraception, abortion, and scientific intervention in the process of human reproduction. He stood against homosexuality and same sex marriages while being a strong critic of divorce. He spoke against capitalism and Marxism and called for a new economic order. His actions helped to undermine communism in the former Soviet Republics. Late Pope John Paul II exercised so much influence around the globe and world leaders listened to him. He always campaigned for the release of political prisoners. He did in Cuba and Fidel Castro released many. He influenced policies around the world and met almost all the world leaders while he was alive. The current Pope Benedict XVI called for a two state solution the moment he arrived Israel on 11th May 2009.
In 1953 when Fidel Castro failed in his first attempt to start his revolution, he was declared wanted dead or alive by the General Batista regime. Infact he was to be shot, except that Catholic Archbishop Perez Serantes prevailed on the authorities to save his live and that of his remaining colleagues (fidelistas) who were still alive. Again in 1956 when Fidel Castro was making his second attempt to start his revolution, his rebel army was almost completely annihilated. It was a Seventh Day Adventist preacher named Argelio Rosabal that gathered his fellow Adventists and told them that Fidel and his group must be saved. He provided support with which Fidel Castro and his group survived.
Dalai Lama: The spiritual head and leader of the Tibet has been deeply involved in the political struggle for the liberation of Tibet from Chinese occupation. The present Dalai Lama has taken the case of Tibet to all over the world. He has literally put Tibet on world spot light, campaigning for independence of Tibet. Presently he is involved with Prince Charles (Princes of Wales) on a recent film/video release to highlight the plight of the rainforests
In May 2006, the Archbishop of Canterbury (Dr Rowan Williams), Catholic Archbishop of Westminster (Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor) and the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth, Dr Jonathan Sacks protested against the proposed legislation to allow assisted dying for the terminally ill people in the United Kingdom. At another point the Archbishop of Canterbury caused uproar by calling for the introduction of some elements of sharia law in the UK. The Anglican Bishop of York in the UK (Dr John Sentamu) publicly called for the overthrow of President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe. He made the call on 8th December 2008. Both Archbishop of Canterbury (Dr Rowan Williams) and Anglican Bishop of York (Dr John Sentamu) asked the British public not to vote for the British National Party (BNP) on the 4th June 2009 election.
Still in the United Kingdom, the Christian Party and Christian Peoples Alliance were campaigning seriously for votes for the European Parliamentary elections. Their campaign message was that political parties need not run only a political campaign, but a spiritual and moral one. The leader of the Christian party in the UK is Revd George Hargreaves.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu played active roles during the South African struggle against apartheid. When Mandela was in prison he spoke against the oppressive regimes. He won a Nobel peace prize in 1984 for all his efforts. When Mandela was president of South Africa, he was chosen to chair the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission to investigate crimes committed by both sides during the apartheid era. He was also called to chair a similar truth and reconciliation commission in North Ireland. Bishop Tutu advocated the use of force to remove President Mugabe of Zimbabwe.
Reverend Father Aristide Jean-Bertrand spoke out against human rights abuses in Haiti. He survived several assassination attempts and entered politics as the leader of National Front for Change and Democracy. On 16th December 1990 he won a presidential election and was sworn in as President on 7th February 1991.
Rev Martin Luther King was a Baptist priest who became a major figure in the US Civil Rights Movement. His speech (I have a dream) was credited with prompting the 1964 Civil Rights Act in America. He won a Nobel Peace Prize on 14th October 1964.
The late Mother Teresa was a Roman Catholic nun. She worked all her life to save the poor and dying of Calcutta in India. She won a Nobel peace prize in 1979. By the time she died, her organization and affiliated groups had more than 200 different operations in over 25 counties around the world. She influenced policies to favour the poor people of India.
In Nigeria the Christian Association of Nigeria urged Christians to go out and vote en masse during the 1993 presidential elections. Nigerian leaders of faith organizations have tried in the past. Its worth commending that the following clerics have made a mark in Nigerian politics, Olubunmi Cardinal Okogie, Most Revd Peter Jasper Akinola, Archbishop John Onaiyekan, Bishop Gbonigi, Rev. Adebiyi of NADECO, the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria, Mathew Hassan Kukah, Fr George Ehusani, Rev Chris Okotie (ex presidential candidate) etc. Thisday newspapers (online version) of Sunday 7th June 2009, reported that Pastor Kumuyi (Founder of Deeper Life Christian Ministry) urged the federal government to adopt a new approach in solving the Niger Delta Crisis. This article is an appeal, a call, an invitation and a save our soul (S.O.S.) Message for more leaders of faith to get more involved with the politics of Nigeria. They are in an advantaged position to mobilize Nigerians for political changes.
The situation requires their active intervention as it has been done by their colleagues in some parts of the world. They need to speak out loud and possibly shout since our leaders appear to be deaf. The deplorable political situation matters a lot to Nigerians. Not speaking out is dangerous. Quoting Martin Luther King “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter”.
During my last visit to Nigeria (January 2009), I realized that most people have lost hope in our political system. Most of the people I spoke with have handed over every thing to God. Being a Christian, I believe that God will do to Nigerians what he did to the Israelites when they were under Egyptian rule. God will certainly raise a Moses amongst us. But if our political system is dirty, let every one join in the cleaning process. We need righteous leaders, because “righteousness exalts a nation” (Proverbs 14:34)
Religious organizations are closer to the people more than the government. They are more in touch with people who have been inflicted with pains and misery of bad governance. They will provide tremendous support base if they join the struggle for the Nigerian political reform process. Politics and governance are too serious a business to be left in the hands of politicians, let alone the Nigerian politicians. Am sure many Nigerians will share my views. A vacuum exists in the Nigerian political arena to be filled by the leaders of faith organization. Alternatively they should join voices and actions with other groups to agitate for political reforms or let them raise righteous leaders for our country.
There is nothing wrong if our faith organizations should provide spiritual and political support to Nigerians. The costs of bad policies or bad leadership will be borne by all including the faith leaders. Therefore your efforts are highly needed in the match to reform the Nigerian political process. May God bless Nigeria.
Chinedu Vincent Akuta
An activist and leader of “Support Option A4 Group” Leicester-UK
akutachinedu@yahoo.com
http://briefsfromakuta.blogspot.com/
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Corruption Has Won The Battle Against Corruption.
“The United Nations (UN) says Nigerian kleptocrats have milked the nation to the tune of about $100 billion dollars thorough various acts of grand corruption, the cost of which it lamented by far exceeded the damage caused by any other single crime”(Daily Sun, Wednesday, December 3, 2008 page 9).
“The greatest incitement to crime is the hope of escaping punishment”(Marcus Cicero).
As far as Nigeria is concerned, we should think not what we can do to corruption but think of what corruption can do to Nigeria and Nigerians. I have made the above statement because of the level of corruption and the sequential reports of corrupt practises in Nigeria. On the average there are new cases of corruption reported weekly on the Nigerian dailies. The rates are very alarming. I am also 99% sure that many cases of corruption do not make headlines mainly because the go unnoticed by the press or the law enforcement agents. For the purposes of space and time, I will examine few cases of corruption in last 12 months to buttress my point. I will start with the power probe.
The National Assembly revelled that $16 billion dollars was invested in power sector without anything to show for it. This investment was made without any single megawatt being added to the national grid. To make matters worse was that some contractors didn’t even know the sites. Talk less of doing any job. Where is this money? Am sure $1 billion out of this amount can build about 3 new refineries. $1 billion should be enough to do a second Niger bridge across River Niger. $1 billion can build a low cost housing estate in Lagos or else where in the country. $1 billion can build a well equipped hospital in Nigeria thereby stopping our government officials from flying abroad all the time for medical attention. $1 billion can be used to create jobs for at lease 10,000 Nigerians. $1 billion can provide maximum security prisons where corrupt people can be sent to. The list of what the money can do is endless.
Towards the end of March 2009, the Nigerian dailies reported that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arrested 2 comptrollers of Customs over an alleged complicity in a 3 billion naira customs duty scam, involving the controversial Vaswani brothers. The Vaswani brothers are the owners of Stallion Group. Their head office is in Victoria Island Lagos.
Then came the Halliburton $150 million dollars bribe money traced to Zurich. The total amount was $180 million dollars, which means that $30 million dollars is yet to be traced or found. This bribe was paid to facilitate the award of $6 billion dollars LNG contracts. My argument is that the $6 billion which was the quoted contract sum would be about 20 times the initial costs of the project. The federal government should conduct more enquiries and ascertain how much the original cost of the contracts should have been. This is with the view to knowing how much was actually stolen.
At the heat of the Halliburton bribe money discovery, President Yar’Adua promised the nation that once he has a response, he will make public the names of the culprits and take appropriate action. As part of taking his action, he inaugurated the Okiro Panel. The committee has eight weeks to submit its report. We are waiting and watching how it will go. To be fair and to achieve a balance, the president should name every person involved in corruption henceforth. A good starting point will be to name those behind $16 billion dollar unaccounted resources invested in the power sector. Until he does this, many Nigerians will tend to believe the accusations made by Mallam Nasir el-Rufai that the federal government is insincere in the fight against corruption.
Guardian newspapers of Wednesday, 22nd April 2009 online version reported about the African Petroleum (AP) Plc’s share price manipulation scam that made AP to suffer over N240 billion losses. The culprit in this case was named as Mr Eugene Anenih, the managing director of Nova Finance and Securities Limited.
As if there was a competition, the following day being Thursday, 23rd April 2009, Thisday newspapers online version reported that the suspended chairman of the National Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) with six other commissioners were being charged for fraud of N1.5 billion naira.
Thisday newspapers of 7th May 2009 online version reported that 3 house members including a serving senator of the country are on the run over a N6 billion naira rural electrification contract scam. The same paper reported about officials of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) arrested over N1.7 billion naira contract scam. Thisday newspaper of 8th May 2009 online version reported the story of N250 million bribe scandal given over the Ekiti re-run elections.
Guardian newspapers of Wednesday 13th May 2009 online version reported an allegation made by the special adviser on petroleum to President, (Dr Emmanuel Egbogah). He alleged that some members of the national assembly have taken bribes from some oil firms to truncate the federal government’s reforms in the petroleum sector. The amount was not mentioned.
Just recently, Nigerian dailies reported about the arrest of one Mr. Ejike Onwosugbolu who was carrying N250 million naira cash on three suit cases. On interrogation, he confessed that the money belonged to the present Anambra State governor (Peter Obi). Nigerians are waiting for what the EFCC will do about this case.
“The greatest incitement to crime is the hope of escaping punishment”(Marcus Cicero). Corruption has prospered in Nigeria mainly because corrupt government/private officials have a way of escaping punishment. It also shows the mindset of these evil people. Quoting former Justice Oputa, “Nothing will happen in our nation, in our society which did not first happen in our minds. If wrong is rampant, if indiscipline is rife, if corruption is the order of the day, we have to search our individual minds for that is where it all starts”.
Prevention is better than cure. My simple advice to the authorities in Nigeria should be to fashion out a preventive strategy against corruption. Secondly the authorities should consider making corruption a capital offence. We can borrow a leaf from China on the best way to fight corruption. The political parties were the indicted national assembly members are from, should take disciplinary actions against them. But before then let them refund their loot to the people of Nigeria.
Corruption is every where in the world, but the difference is how various countries approach it. When the expenses scandal involving British MP’s became open in the United Kingdom, the Tory leader (David Cameron) ordered senior conservatives to pay back thousands of pounds to the tax payers. The Tory leader humiliated several members of the shadow cabinet by naming them one by one on the national television. He ordered all the people involved to return the total amount claimed. He apologised to the nation for the actions of his party members. In same way, the Nigerian parties were the corrupt national assembly members are from should apologize to Nigerians.
America is also another to place to look out for how to deal with corrupt people. A good example should be Madoff who master minded one of the biggest fraud in history. He was sentenced to 150 years in prison. Nigerian authorities can do same at home if the federal government is true to its fight against corruption. If no tough measures are taken, corruption will continue to win the battle against corruption. May God bless Nigeria.
Chinedu Vincent Akuta
An activist and leader of “Support Option A4 Group” Leicester-UK
akutachinedu@yahoo.com
http://briefsfromakuta.blogspot.com/
“The greatest incitement to crime is the hope of escaping punishment”(Marcus Cicero).
As far as Nigeria is concerned, we should think not what we can do to corruption but think of what corruption can do to Nigeria and Nigerians. I have made the above statement because of the level of corruption and the sequential reports of corrupt practises in Nigeria. On the average there are new cases of corruption reported weekly on the Nigerian dailies. The rates are very alarming. I am also 99% sure that many cases of corruption do not make headlines mainly because the go unnoticed by the press or the law enforcement agents. For the purposes of space and time, I will examine few cases of corruption in last 12 months to buttress my point. I will start with the power probe.
The National Assembly revelled that $16 billion dollars was invested in power sector without anything to show for it. This investment was made without any single megawatt being added to the national grid. To make matters worse was that some contractors didn’t even know the sites. Talk less of doing any job. Where is this money? Am sure $1 billion out of this amount can build about 3 new refineries. $1 billion should be enough to do a second Niger bridge across River Niger. $1 billion can build a low cost housing estate in Lagos or else where in the country. $1 billion can build a well equipped hospital in Nigeria thereby stopping our government officials from flying abroad all the time for medical attention. $1 billion can be used to create jobs for at lease 10,000 Nigerians. $1 billion can provide maximum security prisons where corrupt people can be sent to. The list of what the money can do is endless.
Towards the end of March 2009, the Nigerian dailies reported that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arrested 2 comptrollers of Customs over an alleged complicity in a 3 billion naira customs duty scam, involving the controversial Vaswani brothers. The Vaswani brothers are the owners of Stallion Group. Their head office is in Victoria Island Lagos.
Then came the Halliburton $150 million dollars bribe money traced to Zurich. The total amount was $180 million dollars, which means that $30 million dollars is yet to be traced or found. This bribe was paid to facilitate the award of $6 billion dollars LNG contracts. My argument is that the $6 billion which was the quoted contract sum would be about 20 times the initial costs of the project. The federal government should conduct more enquiries and ascertain how much the original cost of the contracts should have been. This is with the view to knowing how much was actually stolen.
At the heat of the Halliburton bribe money discovery, President Yar’Adua promised the nation that once he has a response, he will make public the names of the culprits and take appropriate action. As part of taking his action, he inaugurated the Okiro Panel. The committee has eight weeks to submit its report. We are waiting and watching how it will go. To be fair and to achieve a balance, the president should name every person involved in corruption henceforth. A good starting point will be to name those behind $16 billion dollar unaccounted resources invested in the power sector. Until he does this, many Nigerians will tend to believe the accusations made by Mallam Nasir el-Rufai that the federal government is insincere in the fight against corruption.
Guardian newspapers of Wednesday, 22nd April 2009 online version reported about the African Petroleum (AP) Plc’s share price manipulation scam that made AP to suffer over N240 billion losses. The culprit in this case was named as Mr Eugene Anenih, the managing director of Nova Finance and Securities Limited.
As if there was a competition, the following day being Thursday, 23rd April 2009, Thisday newspapers online version reported that the suspended chairman of the National Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) with six other commissioners were being charged for fraud of N1.5 billion naira.
Thisday newspapers of 7th May 2009 online version reported that 3 house members including a serving senator of the country are on the run over a N6 billion naira rural electrification contract scam. The same paper reported about officials of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) arrested over N1.7 billion naira contract scam. Thisday newspaper of 8th May 2009 online version reported the story of N250 million bribe scandal given over the Ekiti re-run elections.
Guardian newspapers of Wednesday 13th May 2009 online version reported an allegation made by the special adviser on petroleum to President, (Dr Emmanuel Egbogah). He alleged that some members of the national assembly have taken bribes from some oil firms to truncate the federal government’s reforms in the petroleum sector. The amount was not mentioned.
Just recently, Nigerian dailies reported about the arrest of one Mr. Ejike Onwosugbolu who was carrying N250 million naira cash on three suit cases. On interrogation, he confessed that the money belonged to the present Anambra State governor (Peter Obi). Nigerians are waiting for what the EFCC will do about this case.
“The greatest incitement to crime is the hope of escaping punishment”(Marcus Cicero). Corruption has prospered in Nigeria mainly because corrupt government/private officials have a way of escaping punishment. It also shows the mindset of these evil people. Quoting former Justice Oputa, “Nothing will happen in our nation, in our society which did not first happen in our minds. If wrong is rampant, if indiscipline is rife, if corruption is the order of the day, we have to search our individual minds for that is where it all starts”.
Prevention is better than cure. My simple advice to the authorities in Nigeria should be to fashion out a preventive strategy against corruption. Secondly the authorities should consider making corruption a capital offence. We can borrow a leaf from China on the best way to fight corruption. The political parties were the indicted national assembly members are from, should take disciplinary actions against them. But before then let them refund their loot to the people of Nigeria.
Corruption is every where in the world, but the difference is how various countries approach it. When the expenses scandal involving British MP’s became open in the United Kingdom, the Tory leader (David Cameron) ordered senior conservatives to pay back thousands of pounds to the tax payers. The Tory leader humiliated several members of the shadow cabinet by naming them one by one on the national television. He ordered all the people involved to return the total amount claimed. He apologised to the nation for the actions of his party members. In same way, the Nigerian parties were the corrupt national assembly members are from should apologize to Nigerians.
America is also another to place to look out for how to deal with corrupt people. A good example should be Madoff who master minded one of the biggest fraud in history. He was sentenced to 150 years in prison. Nigerian authorities can do same at home if the federal government is true to its fight against corruption. If no tough measures are taken, corruption will continue to win the battle against corruption. May God bless Nigeria.
Chinedu Vincent Akuta
An activist and leader of “Support Option A4 Group” Leicester-UK
akutachinedu@yahoo.com
http://briefsfromakuta.blogspot.com/
Sunday, May 31, 2009
An “Oputa Panel” for the Niger Delta Crisis.
“Where you have injustice, you will have rebellion”(Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, former Chairman EFCC, 29th May 2009.)
My sympathies go to the relations, families, friends and well wishers of those who have lost their lives in the Niger Delta crisis. These include both the solders and the indigenes of the Niger Delta area. The writer has once lost someone close to this crisis. My heart is bleeding as am writing this article. My heart bleeds because of the senseless killing of Nigerians by fellow Nigerians over an issue that can be settled using an honest approach and dialogue. War has never solved any problem in the world. Dialogue is the only solution.
I totally disagree with the backing given by the House of Representatives for continuation of military operation in the Niger Delta. Besides the president needs the approval of the National Assembly before deploying solders. The House of Representatives should draw lessons from what happened in Odi and Zaki Ibiam where the Nigerian military reduced the entire community to mere rubble. About 2000 people died. Many more were displaced. Thousands are yet to recover from the military attacks. “War never leaves a nation where it found it, the same goes for the individual” Edmund Burke. The Niger Delta crisis is equivalent to a war. Like in all wars, you only know how the crisis will start but definitely not the course it will assume or how it would end. Therefore there should be immediate ceasefire on both sides and let genuine dialogue begin.
I want to join voices with other Nigerians who have called for an end to hostilities. As a way forward towards making peace. I want the federal government to immediately set up a truth and reconciliation commission for the Niger Delta crisis. The purpose will be for the federal government, Niger Delta state governments, Local government councils, communities, traditional rulers, village heads, all the youth groups in the Niger Delta, and various stake holders in the oil industry to come out and tell Nigerians how much they have committed towards improving the development of these regions. Nigerians deserve to know what has really happened in terms of previous government development plans in the region. Nigerians deserve to know who is to be blamed. Am sure this crisis is not far from the environmental degradation suffered by this region which various stake holders claim to be addressing. Therefore the world wants to know the truth.
Nigeria has lost so much from this crisis. Many Nigerians are directly and indirectly affected by this crisis. This is a threat to our national security. This crisis has an impact on the international oil market prices. Whenever there is a crisis in the region, the price of crude oil goes up. Nigerians will then pay higher for their petroleum products since the federal government imports its refined petroleum products from abroad. The entire world is watching how Nigeria will solve this problem. So setting up a truth and reconciliation commission might be the answer. This is in addition to the amnesty which the federal government claims she has offered.
The terms of reference of the proposed truth and reconciliation commission should be to investigate the Niger Delta crisis, to find what happened to various royalties paid by the oil companies, to find out the causes of oil company-community conflicts, to find out the role of the oil companies in the crisis, to find out what happened to federal government agencies like the Oil Mineral Producing Area Development Commission (OMPADEC), Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), to find out means of achieving lasting peace, to find out what the Niger Delta ministry will do, to find out the militarization of the region and the emergence of small arms etc.
Am sure the Niger Delta crisis claims about 1000 fatalities/casualties yearly. If this crisis continues, there might be total break down in our oil production. Nigeria depends on this oil as her major source of foreign exchange. A total break down will almost be like a disaster to Nigeria. A truth and reconciliation commission should be able to reveal the truth about the whole crisis. As would be expected there has been the criminal elements in this crisis. The criminal elements of this crisis are also because the government has not addressed the crisis properly. But an honesty approach by the federal government to address the issues of the Niger Delta will tackle the criminal elements.
The financial costs of this crisis to both the federal government and Nigerians should run into billions of dollars. Nigerians and the Nigeria government can no longer afford to continue loosing this kind of money. This is made worst was by the present global financial meltdown. Already Nigerian oil production has fallen from a capacity of more than 2.7 million barrels per day to about 1.6 million(less than Angola)
This truth and reconciliation commission should revisit the issue of resource control. Am aware that this conflict cannot be resolved without revisiting the resource control issue. The Oputa panel was very useful to Nigerians. It helped to reveal what transpired in Nigeria. In South Africa truth and reconciliation was used to reveal the human rights abuses that happened during the apartheid era. It was also a means of healing the wounds of the past with a view to reconciling every one for future developments. In Northern Ireland, truth and reconciliation was used to know the truths in order to heal their violent past. In Chile, truth and reconciliation commission has also been used to establish the human right abuses with a view to reconciling Chileans.
A truth and reconciliation commission solely designed for Niger Delta crisis will be a necessary exercise to enable the people of Niger Delta, Nigerians and entire world to come to terms with the causes and solution to this crisis. It will form a morally accepted basis to advance the cause of reconciliation. It’s also needed at this point in time especially because a court in New York has decided to hear a case against Shell. Shell Oil Company has been accused of collaborating with Nigerian authorities to execute Ken Saro Wiwa and eight other Ogoni people. The case has started in New York. Truth and reconciliation is needed to make peace in the Niger Delta.
Finally, if the federal government hesitates or declines to constitute this commission, the civil society groups, non governmental organizations (NGO’s), human right groups, etc should set up this commission and invite various stake holders. This is in consonance with the views of Professor Wole Soyinka when he outlined the powers of the civil society groups, and individuals at a public symposium in London on the state of the Nigerian Nation. This symposium was held on 29th May 2009, at the London Metropolitan University. We need peace and reconciliation. May God bless Nigeria.
Chinedu Vincent Akuta
An activist and leader of “Support Option A4 Group” Leicester-UK
akutachinedu@yahoo.com
http://briefsfromakuta.blogspot.com/
.
My sympathies go to the relations, families, friends and well wishers of those who have lost their lives in the Niger Delta crisis. These include both the solders and the indigenes of the Niger Delta area. The writer has once lost someone close to this crisis. My heart is bleeding as am writing this article. My heart bleeds because of the senseless killing of Nigerians by fellow Nigerians over an issue that can be settled using an honest approach and dialogue. War has never solved any problem in the world. Dialogue is the only solution.
I totally disagree with the backing given by the House of Representatives for continuation of military operation in the Niger Delta. Besides the president needs the approval of the National Assembly before deploying solders. The House of Representatives should draw lessons from what happened in Odi and Zaki Ibiam where the Nigerian military reduced the entire community to mere rubble. About 2000 people died. Many more were displaced. Thousands are yet to recover from the military attacks. “War never leaves a nation where it found it, the same goes for the individual” Edmund Burke. The Niger Delta crisis is equivalent to a war. Like in all wars, you only know how the crisis will start but definitely not the course it will assume or how it would end. Therefore there should be immediate ceasefire on both sides and let genuine dialogue begin.
I want to join voices with other Nigerians who have called for an end to hostilities. As a way forward towards making peace. I want the federal government to immediately set up a truth and reconciliation commission for the Niger Delta crisis. The purpose will be for the federal government, Niger Delta state governments, Local government councils, communities, traditional rulers, village heads, all the youth groups in the Niger Delta, and various stake holders in the oil industry to come out and tell Nigerians how much they have committed towards improving the development of these regions. Nigerians deserve to know what has really happened in terms of previous government development plans in the region. Nigerians deserve to know who is to be blamed. Am sure this crisis is not far from the environmental degradation suffered by this region which various stake holders claim to be addressing. Therefore the world wants to know the truth.
Nigeria has lost so much from this crisis. Many Nigerians are directly and indirectly affected by this crisis. This is a threat to our national security. This crisis has an impact on the international oil market prices. Whenever there is a crisis in the region, the price of crude oil goes up. Nigerians will then pay higher for their petroleum products since the federal government imports its refined petroleum products from abroad. The entire world is watching how Nigeria will solve this problem. So setting up a truth and reconciliation commission might be the answer. This is in addition to the amnesty which the federal government claims she has offered.
The terms of reference of the proposed truth and reconciliation commission should be to investigate the Niger Delta crisis, to find what happened to various royalties paid by the oil companies, to find out the causes of oil company-community conflicts, to find out the role of the oil companies in the crisis, to find out what happened to federal government agencies like the Oil Mineral Producing Area Development Commission (OMPADEC), Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), to find out means of achieving lasting peace, to find out what the Niger Delta ministry will do, to find out the militarization of the region and the emergence of small arms etc.
Am sure the Niger Delta crisis claims about 1000 fatalities/casualties yearly. If this crisis continues, there might be total break down in our oil production. Nigeria depends on this oil as her major source of foreign exchange. A total break down will almost be like a disaster to Nigeria. A truth and reconciliation commission should be able to reveal the truth about the whole crisis. As would be expected there has been the criminal elements in this crisis. The criminal elements of this crisis are also because the government has not addressed the crisis properly. But an honesty approach by the federal government to address the issues of the Niger Delta will tackle the criminal elements.
The financial costs of this crisis to both the federal government and Nigerians should run into billions of dollars. Nigerians and the Nigeria government can no longer afford to continue loosing this kind of money. This is made worst was by the present global financial meltdown. Already Nigerian oil production has fallen from a capacity of more than 2.7 million barrels per day to about 1.6 million(less than Angola)
This truth and reconciliation commission should revisit the issue of resource control. Am aware that this conflict cannot be resolved without revisiting the resource control issue. The Oputa panel was very useful to Nigerians. It helped to reveal what transpired in Nigeria. In South Africa truth and reconciliation was used to reveal the human rights abuses that happened during the apartheid era. It was also a means of healing the wounds of the past with a view to reconciling every one for future developments. In Northern Ireland, truth and reconciliation was used to know the truths in order to heal their violent past. In Chile, truth and reconciliation commission has also been used to establish the human right abuses with a view to reconciling Chileans.
A truth and reconciliation commission solely designed for Niger Delta crisis will be a necessary exercise to enable the people of Niger Delta, Nigerians and entire world to come to terms with the causes and solution to this crisis. It will form a morally accepted basis to advance the cause of reconciliation. It’s also needed at this point in time especially because a court in New York has decided to hear a case against Shell. Shell Oil Company has been accused of collaborating with Nigerian authorities to execute Ken Saro Wiwa and eight other Ogoni people. The case has started in New York. Truth and reconciliation is needed to make peace in the Niger Delta.
Finally, if the federal government hesitates or declines to constitute this commission, the civil society groups, non governmental organizations (NGO’s), human right groups, etc should set up this commission and invite various stake holders. This is in consonance with the views of Professor Wole Soyinka when he outlined the powers of the civil society groups, and individuals at a public symposium in London on the state of the Nigerian Nation. This symposium was held on 29th May 2009, at the London Metropolitan University. We need peace and reconciliation. May God bless Nigeria.
Chinedu Vincent Akuta
An activist and leader of “Support Option A4 Group” Leicester-UK
akutachinedu@yahoo.com
http://briefsfromakuta.blogspot.com/
.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Our Democracy: Our Gains and Our Pains after 10 Years.
Sincerely speaking, the only gain we have got in the past 10 years of democracy in Nigeria is simply that we have had a civilian regime. Besides it has not been truly civilian in the true sense of it. 8 years out of the last 10 years (Obasanjo’s administration) was a quasi military government because Obasanjo ruled Nigeria like a military head of state. The true civilian rule started since Yar’Adua took over as the president of Nigeria. Whatever positive changes that have taken place since 1999 like improvement in communications, banking reforms, NAFDAC war against fake drugs etc are worthy to be commended. However, I don’t like praising any administration past or present for any positive policy. This is because governance is all about improving people’s welfare. Therefore when government do their work I don’t praise them.
However the mistakes, maladministration and corruption of government officials have always overshadowed whatever good policy they introduce. This has always provoked massive public outcry. The first casualty in the last 10 years has been democracy itself. That is the will of the people has suffered most. Whenever the people speak the government do not listen, rather they impose their will on the people. From 1999 till date, the government has never respected the will of the people. Examples are many. Starting from Anambra state, where Ngige was imposed on the people by his god father with active connivance of the powers that be in Abuja. We all knew what happened. Similar incidents repeated itself in Ondo, Ekiti, Edo, Kogi etc.
The Obasanjo’s government conducted the worse elections in the history of Nigeria. Even the president (Yar’Adua) was a product of that election and he has come out publicly to acknowledge the anomalies associated with the elections. The voter turnout has deteriorated since 1999. In 1999 the turn out was over 70% registered voters. In 2003 it reduced to about 35% and by 2007 it went down further.
President Yar’Adua has promised electoral reforms. But events in and around him is suggesting otherwise. First is the attempt to doctor some of the recommendations of the electoral reform committee. Secondly the conduct of Ekiti re-run elections spoke volumes about the electoral reforms the president has promised Nigerians. The Ekiti crisis gave Nigerians an idea of what future elections might look like. Ex vice president Atiku Abubakar, former head of state Muhamadu Buhari and many other Nigerians have expressed their concerns about the inability of the present PDP leadership to introduce electoral reforms. The latest revelation came from former president Obasanjo who is also the chairman of PDP board of trustees. He said that he was not aware of any electoral reforms being carried out by the Yar’Adua administration. This explains it all.
The last 10 years of democracy in Nigeria has recorded the highest number of high profile politically motivated murders. Starting with the late Bola Ige (former Attorney General and Minister of Justice), Harry Marshall (former National Vice Chairman of ANPP South South), Funsho Williams (former Lagos state gubernatorial candidate), Chief Anamosokari Albert Dikibo, Sunday Ugwu, elder brother of Nwabueze Ugwu a former legislator that represented Nkanu East LGA in Enugu state, Alhaji Ahmed Pategi, (Kwara State former PDP Chairman), Victor Nwankwo, younger brother of Arthur Nwankwo, founder Eastern Mandate Union, Odunayo Olagbaju (former member Osun State House of Assembly), Barnabas Igwe, former chairman, Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Onitsha Branch, and his wife Abigail Igwe, Chimere Ikoku (former Vice Chancellor of UNN), Chief Ogbonnaya Uche (former ANPP senatorial candidate from Imo State) etc. The list is endless and the police are yet to catch the killers.
The last 10 years of our democracy witnessed human rights abuses in large scale. The Odi and Zaki Ibiam massacre, the state using her apparatus killed more than 3000 of its citizens. Cases of this nature deserve probing. In both cases the solders reduced the town to mere rubbles. Yet the country was supposedly under democratic dispensation. At a point the federal government under Obasanjo’s administration withheld the Lagos State local government share of the federal allocation. There were several cases where the previous government never obeyed any court orders/judgements. Yar’Adua’s government has been respecting court judgements. The judiciary under Yar’Adua has performed credibly well. Without them our democracy would have been threatened. The Nigerian press has done very well, the deserve praises.
Law making in the last 10 years have not been fantastic. The National Assembly has not lived to our expectations. Passing the yearly budgets has not been easy over the years. Some bills have spent so much time at the national assembly that one starts to wonder what our law makers are doing. An example is the freedom of information bill. One would have thought that this bill will have express passage but the reverse has been the case. The Senate has requested from the presidency the original version of the electoral committee recommendations. The presidency has granted them their request. Nigerians are watching and waiting what will be the outcome.
The economy has not fared better over the last 10 years. Unemployment is still very high. Government has not done any thing meaningful to reduce unemployment. The power sector which would have helped to boost economic growth was mismanaged by our corrupt leaders. High level official corruption has risen. Crime rates have risen tremendously. Kidnappings are on the rise daily. The Niger/Delta crisis still persists with no solution in sight. There is an on going military operation in the Niger Delta by the Nigerian military as I am writing this article. There is too much tension in the Niger Delta region.
The mood of the nation is low about the Yar’Adua government. People have made several negative comments about his administration. The former chairman of Nigerian Bar Association, Chief Thompson Okpoko desribed Nigeria as a sick nation. Lamenting that the nation’s present leaders have lost focus on how to cure the myriads of diseases plaguing the country. His comment was reported by Daily Sun newspapers of Wednesday, December 3 2008, page 10. Campaign for Democracy took stock of 2008 and concluded that “No serious governance actually took place” then it warned that a situation where the country is virtually on auto pilot without serious governance is not healthy” (Daily Independent, Wednesday December 31, 2008 page 1).
Finally there is hope for Nigeria. Nigerians do not have any choice but to make Nigeria rise again. Many Nigerians are tired of the present status quo and are determined to push for political changes. Change is possible in Nigeria. But more Nigerians need to get involved with the political process in Nigeria. With active participation of all Nigerians, political changes will be possible. Changes cannot happen except we work for it. There has to be sacrifices to make for Nigeria. No sacrifice will be too small. Nigerians will have to persevere, like Fidel Castro said, “Perseverance will give us victory” May God bless Nigeria.
Chinedu Vincent Akuta
An activist and leader of “Support Option A4 Group” Leicester-UK
akutachinedu@yahoo.com
http://briefsfromakuta.blogspot.com/
However the mistakes, maladministration and corruption of government officials have always overshadowed whatever good policy they introduce. This has always provoked massive public outcry. The first casualty in the last 10 years has been democracy itself. That is the will of the people has suffered most. Whenever the people speak the government do not listen, rather they impose their will on the people. From 1999 till date, the government has never respected the will of the people. Examples are many. Starting from Anambra state, where Ngige was imposed on the people by his god father with active connivance of the powers that be in Abuja. We all knew what happened. Similar incidents repeated itself in Ondo, Ekiti, Edo, Kogi etc.
The Obasanjo’s government conducted the worse elections in the history of Nigeria. Even the president (Yar’Adua) was a product of that election and he has come out publicly to acknowledge the anomalies associated with the elections. The voter turnout has deteriorated since 1999. In 1999 the turn out was over 70% registered voters. In 2003 it reduced to about 35% and by 2007 it went down further.
President Yar’Adua has promised electoral reforms. But events in and around him is suggesting otherwise. First is the attempt to doctor some of the recommendations of the electoral reform committee. Secondly the conduct of Ekiti re-run elections spoke volumes about the electoral reforms the president has promised Nigerians. The Ekiti crisis gave Nigerians an idea of what future elections might look like. Ex vice president Atiku Abubakar, former head of state Muhamadu Buhari and many other Nigerians have expressed their concerns about the inability of the present PDP leadership to introduce electoral reforms. The latest revelation came from former president Obasanjo who is also the chairman of PDP board of trustees. He said that he was not aware of any electoral reforms being carried out by the Yar’Adua administration. This explains it all.
The last 10 years of democracy in Nigeria has recorded the highest number of high profile politically motivated murders. Starting with the late Bola Ige (former Attorney General and Minister of Justice), Harry Marshall (former National Vice Chairman of ANPP South South), Funsho Williams (former Lagos state gubernatorial candidate), Chief Anamosokari Albert Dikibo, Sunday Ugwu, elder brother of Nwabueze Ugwu a former legislator that represented Nkanu East LGA in Enugu state, Alhaji Ahmed Pategi, (Kwara State former PDP Chairman), Victor Nwankwo, younger brother of Arthur Nwankwo, founder Eastern Mandate Union, Odunayo Olagbaju (former member Osun State House of Assembly), Barnabas Igwe, former chairman, Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Onitsha Branch, and his wife Abigail Igwe, Chimere Ikoku (former Vice Chancellor of UNN), Chief Ogbonnaya Uche (former ANPP senatorial candidate from Imo State) etc. The list is endless and the police are yet to catch the killers.
The last 10 years of our democracy witnessed human rights abuses in large scale. The Odi and Zaki Ibiam massacre, the state using her apparatus killed more than 3000 of its citizens. Cases of this nature deserve probing. In both cases the solders reduced the town to mere rubbles. Yet the country was supposedly under democratic dispensation. At a point the federal government under Obasanjo’s administration withheld the Lagos State local government share of the federal allocation. There were several cases where the previous government never obeyed any court orders/judgements. Yar’Adua’s government has been respecting court judgements. The judiciary under Yar’Adua has performed credibly well. Without them our democracy would have been threatened. The Nigerian press has done very well, the deserve praises.
Law making in the last 10 years have not been fantastic. The National Assembly has not lived to our expectations. Passing the yearly budgets has not been easy over the years. Some bills have spent so much time at the national assembly that one starts to wonder what our law makers are doing. An example is the freedom of information bill. One would have thought that this bill will have express passage but the reverse has been the case. The Senate has requested from the presidency the original version of the electoral committee recommendations. The presidency has granted them their request. Nigerians are watching and waiting what will be the outcome.
The economy has not fared better over the last 10 years. Unemployment is still very high. Government has not done any thing meaningful to reduce unemployment. The power sector which would have helped to boost economic growth was mismanaged by our corrupt leaders. High level official corruption has risen. Crime rates have risen tremendously. Kidnappings are on the rise daily. The Niger/Delta crisis still persists with no solution in sight. There is an on going military operation in the Niger Delta by the Nigerian military as I am writing this article. There is too much tension in the Niger Delta region.
The mood of the nation is low about the Yar’Adua government. People have made several negative comments about his administration. The former chairman of Nigerian Bar Association, Chief Thompson Okpoko desribed Nigeria as a sick nation. Lamenting that the nation’s present leaders have lost focus on how to cure the myriads of diseases plaguing the country. His comment was reported by Daily Sun newspapers of Wednesday, December 3 2008, page 10. Campaign for Democracy took stock of 2008 and concluded that “No serious governance actually took place” then it warned that a situation where the country is virtually on auto pilot without serious governance is not healthy” (Daily Independent, Wednesday December 31, 2008 page 1).
Finally there is hope for Nigeria. Nigerians do not have any choice but to make Nigeria rise again. Many Nigerians are tired of the present status quo and are determined to push for political changes. Change is possible in Nigeria. But more Nigerians need to get involved with the political process in Nigeria. With active participation of all Nigerians, political changes will be possible. Changes cannot happen except we work for it. There has to be sacrifices to make for Nigeria. No sacrifice will be too small. Nigerians will have to persevere, like Fidel Castro said, “Perseverance will give us victory” May God bless Nigeria.
Chinedu Vincent Akuta
An activist and leader of “Support Option A4 Group” Leicester-UK
akutachinedu@yahoo.com
http://briefsfromakuta.blogspot.com/
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Abolish Quota System or Quota System will Abolish Nigeria.
The Federal Character principle which gave rise to quota system in Nigeria was established to solve the problems of inequality and marginalization as expressed by certain parts of Nigeria. Among other reasons for introducing the quota system was because of differences in the socio-economic development of different parts of Nigeria. Secondly there were disparities in the levels of educational developments in different parts of the country. Some sections of the country (North) were alleged to be educationally disadvantaged, while some regions (South) of the country were acclaimed to be educationally advantaged. Therefore the past leadership of Nigeria thought it wise to introduce quota system so as to bridge the gap.
The federal character principle was adopted during the 1977 Constitutional Drafting Committee. It became part of 1979 constitution of Nigeria. From this point in our nation’s history, the questions of merit or competitiveness among Nigerians were set aside in place of quota system. This system has hindered development and it defiles all logic. How can a nation make progress when their best cannot occupy their due positions because we are practising quota? We cannot move forward as a nation by putting round pegs in square holes.
From the time of incorporating the quota system into the Nigerian law books till date, the federal government has used it as a policy instrument in recruiting people to all federal government establishments like the armed forces, police, ministries, federal government owned universities etc. Because it’s in our statute book, the various state governments and all local governments’ use the quota system in their various appointments etc. Merit, experience and hard work do not matter if quota system is in use especially when it comes to appointments. Its contrary to what Max Weber (1864-1920) said, that employees should be hired and promoted based on merit and expertise. We choose mediocre in place of merit. The use of quota system has brought about intense lobbying each time there is vacancy to be filled.
Thisday newspapers of 25th April 2009 online version reported that President Yar’Adua has become “sick and tired” of high level lobbying from all corners for the replacement of Inspector General of Police who is due for retirement soon. This is the result of quota system, were merit can be set aside in filling a vacant position.
Quota system means injustice as far as am concerned. Apologies to its beneficiaries. The mere existence of this charter in our law books means that the country has been established on the paths of injustice. This concept of quota system will certainly prevent the best from emerging in all circumstances. America was established on freedom, equality, human rights and democracy. They live by it and they also export it to the whole world. Quoting the former President of United States, late John F. Kennedy, “Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and success of liberty”. Because America is a free a society, the emergence of Barack Obama as the United States President became possible.
In the United Kingdom, there is the equal opportunities act. Based on this act, United Kingdom employers makes appointment on merit by a fair and open process. Employers treat applicants equally regardless of your ethnic background, origin, religious belief, gender, sexual orientation, disability etc. Since Nigeria started the federal character/quota system the country has retrogressed.
I want to be proven wrong, but I believe that the spirit of federal character/quota system gave rise to the zoning formula adopted by most political parties, example PDP. This same zoning formula contributed immensely to the emergence of the former president Obasanjo. I will leave Nigerians to make their judgement on the administration of Obasanjo. My own assessment on them is that they performed very poor especially with conducting elections, power supply, road maintenance, health system, fighting corruption etc. The same zoning formula which is a brain child of federal character/quota system gave rise to the emergence of President Musa Yar'Adua.
It will be better for Nigeria to have credible leaders who will discharge their duties effectively from one section of the country, than what we are having today. Nigerians will benefit more if leaders who will deliver on dividends of democracy emerge from a particular state or region. Choosing leadership based on zoning is completely wrong. This concept of quota system has done more harm than good. Therefore this is the time to abolish quota system or quota system will abolish Nigeria.
Quota system laid down the quest for the scramble and looting of our nations resources. People, groups, politicians, contractors etc lobby for positions all because quota system has replaced merit. When people, politicians, regions or states do not get positions they start shouting of marginalization. When they succeed, they loot because they feel it’s their turn. Patriotism and national interest do no longer exits in Nigeria due to this policy. Quota system encourages tribalism and division. This twin evil makes peace and love to be difficult in a country like Nigeria
Just recently, it was on the headlines that Nigerian Senate was boiling over the distribution of 60 billion naira voted for constituency projects. Aggrieved Senators accused the Senate appropriation committee leadership of being discriminatory in the sharing of projects among the senatorial districts. This accusation of being discriminatory in sharing projects can also be attributed to quota system or federal character. This is despite the personal interest of our senators.
Quota system is like an evil which was left unchecked. This evil (quota) was tolerated and encouraged by the Nigerian leadership. Quoting Late Jawaharlal Nehru, first Prime Minister of India, “Evil unchecked grows; evil tolerated poisons the whole system”. Quota system has poisoned the entire Nigerian system.
The aim of introducing quota system should have been achieved by now which is well over 30 years. Therefore I strongly advocate for its abolition. I use this medium to call on the President to start the process of abolishing this system. It has done more harm than good. Since we are clamoring for constitutional review, let’s remind ourselves on the need to remove this from the books. Greater part of our problems can be traced to this system. Hoping that the Nigerian authorities have taken note. May God bless Nigeria.
Chinedu Vincent Akuta
An activist and leader of “Support Option A4 Group” Leicester-UK
akutachinedu@yahoo.com
http://briefsfromakuta.blogspot.com/
The federal character principle was adopted during the 1977 Constitutional Drafting Committee. It became part of 1979 constitution of Nigeria. From this point in our nation’s history, the questions of merit or competitiveness among Nigerians were set aside in place of quota system. This system has hindered development and it defiles all logic. How can a nation make progress when their best cannot occupy their due positions because we are practising quota? We cannot move forward as a nation by putting round pegs in square holes.
From the time of incorporating the quota system into the Nigerian law books till date, the federal government has used it as a policy instrument in recruiting people to all federal government establishments like the armed forces, police, ministries, federal government owned universities etc. Because it’s in our statute book, the various state governments and all local governments’ use the quota system in their various appointments etc. Merit, experience and hard work do not matter if quota system is in use especially when it comes to appointments. Its contrary to what Max Weber (1864-1920) said, that employees should be hired and promoted based on merit and expertise. We choose mediocre in place of merit. The use of quota system has brought about intense lobbying each time there is vacancy to be filled.
Thisday newspapers of 25th April 2009 online version reported that President Yar’Adua has become “sick and tired” of high level lobbying from all corners for the replacement of Inspector General of Police who is due for retirement soon. This is the result of quota system, were merit can be set aside in filling a vacant position.
Quota system means injustice as far as am concerned. Apologies to its beneficiaries. The mere existence of this charter in our law books means that the country has been established on the paths of injustice. This concept of quota system will certainly prevent the best from emerging in all circumstances. America was established on freedom, equality, human rights and democracy. They live by it and they also export it to the whole world. Quoting the former President of United States, late John F. Kennedy, “Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and success of liberty”. Because America is a free a society, the emergence of Barack Obama as the United States President became possible.
In the United Kingdom, there is the equal opportunities act. Based on this act, United Kingdom employers makes appointment on merit by a fair and open process. Employers treat applicants equally regardless of your ethnic background, origin, religious belief, gender, sexual orientation, disability etc. Since Nigeria started the federal character/quota system the country has retrogressed.
I want to be proven wrong, but I believe that the spirit of federal character/quota system gave rise to the zoning formula adopted by most political parties, example PDP. This same zoning formula contributed immensely to the emergence of the former president Obasanjo. I will leave Nigerians to make their judgement on the administration of Obasanjo. My own assessment on them is that they performed very poor especially with conducting elections, power supply, road maintenance, health system, fighting corruption etc. The same zoning formula which is a brain child of federal character/quota system gave rise to the emergence of President Musa Yar'Adua.
It will be better for Nigeria to have credible leaders who will discharge their duties effectively from one section of the country, than what we are having today. Nigerians will benefit more if leaders who will deliver on dividends of democracy emerge from a particular state or region. Choosing leadership based on zoning is completely wrong. This concept of quota system has done more harm than good. Therefore this is the time to abolish quota system or quota system will abolish Nigeria.
Quota system laid down the quest for the scramble and looting of our nations resources. People, groups, politicians, contractors etc lobby for positions all because quota system has replaced merit. When people, politicians, regions or states do not get positions they start shouting of marginalization. When they succeed, they loot because they feel it’s their turn. Patriotism and national interest do no longer exits in Nigeria due to this policy. Quota system encourages tribalism and division. This twin evil makes peace and love to be difficult in a country like Nigeria
Just recently, it was on the headlines that Nigerian Senate was boiling over the distribution of 60 billion naira voted for constituency projects. Aggrieved Senators accused the Senate appropriation committee leadership of being discriminatory in the sharing of projects among the senatorial districts. This accusation of being discriminatory in sharing projects can also be attributed to quota system or federal character. This is despite the personal interest of our senators.
Quota system is like an evil which was left unchecked. This evil (quota) was tolerated and encouraged by the Nigerian leadership. Quoting Late Jawaharlal Nehru, first Prime Minister of India, “Evil unchecked grows; evil tolerated poisons the whole system”. Quota system has poisoned the entire Nigerian system.
The aim of introducing quota system should have been achieved by now which is well over 30 years. Therefore I strongly advocate for its abolition. I use this medium to call on the President to start the process of abolishing this system. It has done more harm than good. Since we are clamoring for constitutional review, let’s remind ourselves on the need to remove this from the books. Greater part of our problems can be traced to this system. Hoping that the Nigerian authorities have taken note. May God bless Nigeria.
Chinedu Vincent Akuta
An activist and leader of “Support Option A4 Group” Leicester-UK
akutachinedu@yahoo.com
http://briefsfromakuta.blogspot.com/
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