December 2003 Bulletin. HOW THE COMMONWEALTH FAILED TO ADDRESS ITSELF ON FREEDOM, RIGHT & JUSTICE IN NIGERIA.
The COMMONWEALTH comprises some of the most advanced, civilised, powerful and oldest nations in the world; but a good number of its members include the modern nations of Africa created by the European colonial system in the 19th century and granted independence only a few decades ago. Nigeria is in the group. And it has more problems than any other country in the Commonwealth. ''It is never easy to govern a country like Nigeria- It is somewhat artificially created - divided between Muslim North and Christian and Pagan South''. Wrote Lady M. Thatcher in The Downing Street Years. The country comprises more than 200 disparate tribe that did not know one another when they were forcibly merged as colonial conquests, and given the name Nigeria in 1914. That was during the dark ages when no one sermonised on ''Freedon, Right and Justice'' ~ only brutal force. The tribes that were merged together include those of the Niger Delta on the Atlantic coast that were recently converted to Christianity by European Christian Missionaries at the end of the slave trade. They also include those Islamic tribes thousands of miles away, on the fringes of the Sahara Desert, that were slave raiders for Arabic slave dealers. In between these two groups are several other tribes of varying degree of backwardness. We were all lumped together and ruled under one single administration by European colonial officers for only 46 years. Then, in the aftermath of Hitler's war, as the colonial powers that fought the war, scrambled in a haste, to quit Africa, Nigeria was granted independence ''On a platter of gold''. But many around the world expect our peoples to rule ourselves peacefully, observing democracy ~ in the same way as countries in which all the communities are, ''like minded peoples'' that enjoy one common basic religion, and very few disparate communities, like in Europe, America, Asia and the Middle East. Many foreigners pretend that they cannot see how the abnormal ethnic and religious composition could impede Nigeria's development. Very few can accept that because we are very backward, we need less differences in order to develop.
Anyway, soon after indepedence, every tribe began to strive for a secure place in the ''new circumstances''. Then as it is normal, followed inter-tribal suspicion, jealousy, intrigue, and other social evils that lead to the never ending bloody conflicts aggravated by religion. This is characterised by gruesome genocide, bloody coups, military regimes, arbitrary detentions, umpteen executions, civil war, brutal repression and other traumatic conditions. During some of this times, mullah Obasanjo, as a military ruler, played an active role. And his regime killed several humans, particularly in the South as he laboured in the service of the Islamic North. In 1999 the Islamic Northern military decided to introduce a civilian regime. They introduced a constitution tha limited the number of candidates. Then they sponsored Obasanjo, their usual candidate; and he won. Many, including the BBC, thought that, this time he would be a changed man. But he didn't. Even on the eve of the New Millennium, mullah Obasanjo, having just been made president by the grace of the I slamic North, sent his wild troops to the Nger Delta, and they bombed the area all night. They killed thousands humans and destroyed thousands of other God's creatures. Then he stations his wild troops in the area. After that he travelled to Ogoniland and told them that if it is independence they want then, they should go to the queen of England because she was the one that merged them with other unfriendly tribes. Before this in 1995, his predecessor Sanni Abacha as head of state, had in the same Niger Delta, wiped out the whole of Ogoni elite by what the British Prime Minister called '' Judicial murder''. Like Abacha's, the purpose for killing our people, ~ is to silence us, so that our God given resources will continue to be savagely exploited to service the corruption based economy. They called this ''Revenue Allocation''. Also some call it ''national cake''. They suck us like dangerous parasites. They prevent us even from exercising the right of ownership over our land, and our God given resources. While the North is hostile to foreighn investors in their own part of the country, they rob the revenue from the South; particularly, the Niger Delta.
Then they bring religion into the issue. They say, they are determined to ''deep The Holy Koran into the sea''. This we understand to mean that they want to convert us forcibly. Our people are dead frightened; particularly as they often threaten us with their jihad. Each time there are some problems between European or American nations and the Arab world, the Islamic fundamentalist in the North import the problems into Nigeria and pounce upon our people killing us and destroying our homes and Churches in the North as they chant their ''jihad'' all over the place. American attack on Afghanistan following the terrorism of September 11th 2001, is still being revenged upon our people in Nigeria. So too, is the occupation of Iraq. Our people are always on the receiving end. Yet mullah Obasanjo, the president does nothing. Everyone in the Commonwealth knows these facts; yet they ignored them; and instead, discussed Zimbabwe, a much calmer country in comparism. Nothing was done to condemn the killings of our people and others by Obasanjo's civilian regime. No one mentioned Obasanjo's slavish silence over the killings of our people and burning of Churches in the Sharia North. No one condemned the Islamic declaration of the notoriuos Fatwa on the poor journalist whom they seek to assassinate. This happened only last year during the Miss World episode. They could not accept her apology. Some foreign press advised that it is not safe to mention her name and her hiding place with a Godly family in the U.S.A.
The silence over condemnation of Obasanjo's killings make many Africans to believe erroneously that the Commonwealth was hard on Mugabe only because his victims include white people, while mullah Obasanjo kills only poor black people mainly in the Niger Delta. Both men are equally accused by the oppositions in their respective countries for rigging elections. It has been difficult to convince people that there is no racism in the plot against Mugabe. Granted that many of us Africans always import racism into circumstances that we can't easily explain, the accusation does not seem weak. The Commonwealth must be seen at least to warn Obasanjo of the killings and his policy in the Niger Delta. They must now understand his pretences. He always tries to wear a human face in the presence of foreign dignitaries that he uses to frighten the people of submissive Nigeria.
Although the faint weeping voices of our oppressed people of the Niger Delta are seldom heard abroad, the BBC and the Human Rights organisations based in London always do their best in reporting several of these killings by Obasanjo's troops since he bagan his presidency in 1999. Obasanjo's hands are still dripping with blood of thousands of innocent people from the non Islamic areas of Nigeria. It is strange; and it is painful that the British Government allows the most gracious and loveable Queen to be the guest of a notorious and hateful killer of human beings like mullah Obasanjo. We think that the British Government ought to know what Obasanjo is, and also, what he was before Abacha jailed him to the joy of everyone in Southern Nigeria. On that occasion when Abach jailed him, the Ibadan based Nigerian Tribune newspaper commented ''God is punishing him''. Today millions are praying that ''God, our heavenly father, will punish him again''. When the Commonwealth flirt with such a hateful person like Obasanjo, so openly, how does it expect ordinary folks in Nigeria to understand or appreciate its stand on Freedom, Rights and Justice? We hate Obasanjo only because of his killings and oppression of our people.
Millions of our people have sought emigration as the solution. It is estimated that during the past ten years, more than six million Nigerians have emigrated to Europe, America and Southern Africa. Of these numbers, more than 95 per cent are Southerners. But emigration cannot be the answer. Of course it helps us in the struggle, in that, it makes our people feel that Nigerian authorities cannot get us very easily for liquidation. Our compatriots are frightened to death for openly canvassing separation. Theycan be liquidated quite easily. Long period of submissiveness during the slave trade, and the foreign colonialism, and now internal colonialism have broken their bones. Their cries are not loud enough like those in Zimbabwe. The press and the media, especially, those not owned by the government, are starved of patronage amidst general poverty. Many run after government for business. Also, in Nigeria every transaction in property, however small, including leases and sale of houses, required government written consent. It is difficult for a newspaper editor with an eye for the purchase or sale of property for a home to be seen as 'unfriendly' with the government. But still some liberal organisations like Human Rights bodies pick up stories from Nigeria now and again. Albeit we are all gradually picking up courage.
The 20th century was totally lost to us in conflicts. We want to be settled in order to work hard and develop ourselves so that we can catch up with the rest of the world in this age of breathtaking technology. We are not fighting an enemy; but a csuse. And we pray for the support of the Commonwealth and the liberal world. Separation from Islamic Nigeria is our only hope.
If Aluko wants ********************1.com linked from BNW, Aluko should link BNW at ********************1.com Posts: 66 | From: Kalamazoo, Michigan | Registered: Nov 2001
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