The Nation Newspaper

Category: Dele Agekameh

  • Daniel, the ‘Hollywood’ boy

    Daniel, the ‘Hollywood’ boy

    There are adventures and there are adventures. It all depends on the mindset and conception. Perhaps, for Daniel Ricky Ohikhena, who was recently arrested at the Lagos Airport after flying in the tyre hole of an Arik plane from Benin to Lagos, it was a risky, costly and suicidal adventure. The initial report of the incident said the boy told his interrogators that he was being maltreated and tried to escape from his parents. He thought the plane was on its way to the United States of America. He was wrong. Instead, the plane landed in Lagos and he was promptly handed over to security agents for investigation.

    Since then, the blame game had been on full throttle. Yakubu Dati, the General Manager, Corporate Communications, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, said the aviation security personnel of the agency had no option than to hand over the young voyager to the men of the State Security Service, SSS, for extensive investigation. Dati said the nature and circumstances surrounding the crime informed the agency’s decision, adding that the agency had, “in the meantime, adopted risk amelioration processes to safeguard flight operations and ensure that a similar incident does not occur.”

    However, FAAN has continued to trade blame with Arik Air over the incident. Dati said FAAN was “unfairly indicted” while the airline took no responsibility whatsoever for such a “serious security breach.” Giving the accounts of its preliminary findings, FAAN said, “Our investigations reveal that a passenger on board the flight called the attention of the cabin crew while the aircraft was waiting to take off at the threshold of the runway to the effect that they had seen a young boy walk under the aircraft and had not seen him re-appear on the other side. The cabin crew in turn informed the pilots in the cockpit about this. The pilots called the control tower and asked it to request FAAN to do a sweep of the area after their departure, opting to carry on with their flight despite the report. Upon the arrival of the aircraft in Lagos, we were informed that there had been a stowaway found alive alighting from the wheel well of the aircraft.

    In its own reaction, Arik blamed FAAN for the huge breach in security, noting that the incessant cases of security breaches at the nation’s airport had become a major source of concern to the airline. The airline wondered how the teenager beat the aviation security personnel at the Benin Airport to get to the runway. It said its pilot had reported to the control tower the presence of a strange boy in the bush about 200 – 300 metres at the end of the runway before leaving the airport. The captain was said to have been informed that the situation was under control and that he had been cleared for take-off.

    While the controversy raged, Evelyn, the mother of the boy, appeared on the scene. She said her son was a nice boy who never displayed any tendency for such a dangerous venture. The embattled mother said Daniel was a nice boy who did not mingle with bad friends. She said she was on a visit to her elder sister who had just put to bed when the incident happened. It was when she got home the following day that she could not find the boy. The only answer she got upon her enquiries on his whereabouts was that the daughter told her that they quarrelled in the night because Daniel woke up at midnight to watch movies. Daniel eventually slept in the sitting room. One of his younger brothers also said he saw Daniel remove all his school books from his bag. Her neighbours then told her that, at around 5 to 6 am of the fateful day, they heard sounds that somebody was opening the gate but never thought it was Daniel. The mother maintained that Daniel doesn’t go out. “What I know is that he is always watching films in the house but he doesn’t have friends. He is always at home; I have never seen anybody come to look for him and he doesn’t have friends.”

    Now let us look at the whole tragic-comedy this way. In these days of insurgency and bomb blasts all over the place, if that boy was carrying a bomb, it means he would have succeeded in blowing up the plane and all the passengers on board, including himself. Or if he had carefully dropped the lethal ware in the tyre hole and walked away, he would have caused an explosion of a catastrophic proportion. The question now is: how can somebody be in an aircraft without being detected? This shows that we have a serious security problem.

    For a teenager like Daniel, gaining access to the airport at all from a bush path was a fait accompli. Although he thought that the plane was headed for the US, he ‘boarded’ effortlessly and came out of it successfully, unscarred. Others before him were not so lucky. In 2010, Emeka Okechukwu Okeke, a desperate young Nigerian, who tried to smuggle himself to the United States, died in the tyre compartment of a Delta Airlines aircraft. His corpse was discovered on arrival in New York. Okeke sneaked into the place at Lagos airport. That was not all. In 2012, the dead body of a young, male Nigerian was also discovered in the wheel well, the undercarriage compartment of a domestic airline, after it returned from South Africa.

    It is needless for both Arik and FAAN to continue to trade blames over the incident. What about the plethora of other security agents at that airport? I mean the SSS, the Police, the Air Force and the rest of them. Where were their personnel during the boy’s daring stroll into a tyre hole?

    One disturbing thing is that, watching all manners of movies has become a major pastime of youths today. The other is playing games on television. The other day, I had a running battle with my son, a Senior Secondary School 3 student who was completely engrossed in playing some Nintendo games even at the heat of his final exams. Thank God that he came out well in the exams but it shows the depth of distraction that parents nowadays have to cope with in order to bring their children into line.

    Daniel may have been good at watching Hollywood movies. Hollywood is where you come across that type of derring-do. There is no doubt that Daniel is a talented young lad. But his adventure may be predicated on the discomfort which abject poverty has thrown the family into. It is doubtful if in that environment, he could realise his dreams. The young boy wants to go to America where he believes everything flows. Yes, there are opportunities in America. But as a black man, although Barack Obama rose to become the President of the most powerful nation in the world, how many black presidents will come after him? How and when? If you are hard-working, America provides you with all you need to reach the top. But many are there too who are barely existing on credit cards and other government largess. So, the likes of Daniel should not think that to make it in life, all you need is to package yourself in a tyre hole and dash to America. There is more to the Eldorado in America. You pay dearly for it.

    I will suggest that the relevant government agencies, and public-spirited organisations and individuals should see to the plight of Daniel and his family. He took the risk for a better tomorrow. That tomorrow should be made possible for him. The mother said she was so passionate about her children’s education. Now we have not heard any word from the father. I guess he is away in ‘Siberia’, ‘missing in action’, or marooned somewhere. The bottom line is that Daniel needs help. So also is the family, while the security agents on duty in Benin that day should face the music. It is one security breach too many!

  • Abubakar Shekau’s fate

    A pall of confusion may have descended on security circles in Abuja following the reported killing of Abubakar Shekau, the leader of the rampaging Boko Haram sect, by the operatives of the Joint Task Force, JTF, in Borno State. Last Monday, Sagir Musa, a lieutenant-colonel and spokesman of JTF, dropped the bombshell in a statement which alluded to the fact that Shekau might have died of wounds he allegedly sustained in a gun battle with operatives of the JTF at the Sambisa Forest in Maiduguri. Sambisa had all along been the fortified headquarters of the sect. Musa said that the Boko Haram leader was seriously wounded on June 30, by the Special Forces and was taken to Amitchide, a border community in the nation’s border with Cameroun, for treatment. He said Shekau did not recover from the gunshot wounds.

    The statement said, “Shekau was mortally wounded in the encounter and was sneaked into Amitchide – a border community in Cameroun for treatment.”  Musa added that a video released purportedly by the Boko Haram leader on August 13, was a deceit by a member of the sect to convince members to continue with the insurgency. He added that the video was “dramatised by an impostor to hoodwink the sect members to continue with terrorism and to deceive undiscerning minds”.

    Ordinarily, one would have thought that the killing or the eventual death of such a most wanted and notorious terrorist would have been a matter to be celebrated with photographs and banters in security circles, but this has not been the case. Instead, we are witnessing a preponderance of silence from official and security circles, a situation that seems to have confused almost everybody, except those who are in the know of the true situation of things as regards the fate of this high-priced criminal.

    It would be recalled that at the height of his madness, a $7m bounty was placed on Shekau’s head, which makes him the most priced criminal in this part of the world till date. Nobody has seen any recent photograph of Shekau, even if taken in death, like it happened some years ago in Angola, when Jonas Savimbi, leader of the UNITA (National Union for the Total Independence of Angola), a group that had destabilised the country for decades, was put forward for public view when he met his violent death. That singular event put paid to all the speculations about Savimbi’s possessions of a senseless, invincible ‘magic’ that had made him to appear and disappear at will for several years before he was eventually cut down by hot pellets.

    The same thing happened to the two sons of Saddam Hussein – Uday and Qusay – who were both killed after the US-led invasion forces cornered them at a luxury apartment which served as their hideout in the northern Iraqi town of Mosul on July 22, 2003. The death of the duo represented the biggest coup for the coalition forces after the fall of Baghdad, more than three months before then. That singular opportunity offered Washington a genuine hope of a turning point in the bloody guerrilla war and laid the grounds for the eventual capture of Saddam Hussein. While briefing the public at a late night press conference on the day of the incident, an elated General Ricardo Sanchez, the Commander of the ground forces in Iraq, said, “We are certain that Uday and Qusay were killed today. We have used multiple sources to identify the individuals.” Photos of the faces of the two fallen brothers were then taken and sent to Baghdad, where they were identified by Saddam’s private secretary, among others.

    All these were proofs of what the invasion army was able to accomplish in their campaign in Iraq, even before Saddam was himself captured in a hole some months after, specifically, on December 13, 2003. So, it is quite unfortunate that rather than provide proofs of Shekau’s death, the public is being treated to mere propaganda, half-truths and, perhaps, a tinge of fallacy. Otherwise, why should the JTF spokesman say something and nobody, not even at the Army headquarters or the government itself, has come out to corroborate, confirm or put speculations to rest by telling the people the whole truth and nothing but the truth?

    However, it was gathered that the military High Command in the country was jittery about the release of the statement on Shekau’s purported death because of the growing lack of evidence around it. Top security goons in Abuja are said to be wallowing in a pool of disbelief, especially with the assumption that the statement could have been a product of sabotage and an unnecessary contest for glory by the JTF, which is prosecuting the war against terrorism. Furthermore, the release of the news of the killing of Shekau to coincide with the date a new division of the Nigerian Army was taking over from the JTF, was also being viewed with suspicion. The army recently established a counter-terrorism division in Borno State. The division, which is expected to come under the command of a major-general, was established to deal with terrorists and terrorism that have gained currency in that part of the country.

    From all indications, the death of Shekau need not have thrown up any controversy, except that some people may be fighting for attention and glory. In the first instance, Shekau is a fugitive, who is wanted dead or alive. Therefore, if the JTF says he has been killed in an encounter with security forces, the onus is on the JTF, the military High Command or the federal government who declared a state of emergency on some parts of the North and ordered military action, to come forward with convincing evidence. This, they should do as quickly as possible to erase the doubts the news may have left in people’s minds.

    After all, we are all witnesses to the recent killing of Osama Bin Laden, the leader of Al-Qaeda terrorist group at Abbottabad, in Pakistan, after about 10 years of being hunted by American forces. As a guide against public outrage, particularly in order to avoid turning his corpse or burial place into a Mecca of sort, where his sympathizers will now pay annual pilgrimage to, the Americans simply claimed to have lowered his body into the deep sea never to be seen again. This generated a lot of confusion until video clips and actual photographs of the bloody encounter started flying all over the place. As they say, seeing is believing – the videos and photographs were used largely to convince the doubting Thomases that, indeed, Osama Bin Laden will never walk on the streets of the planet earth anymore.

    Personally, I am not too sure that Osama’s body was buried in the deep sea. What my intuition tells me is that his body was ferried to the US to be used for forensic analysis in a laboratory. Perhaps, it could be to decode his senses and get to the inner workings of the brain of a mass murderer, a suicide bomber, an assassin, or maybe, a religious fanatic on the precipice of mental malady. As for Shekau, we all know he is a drug addict, a rapist, a terror-personified and a merciless man hunter, whose greatest interest is to cause the suffering of his fellow men. So, if this sort of man like Shekau has been killed or he is dead, either by gunshot wounds or rat poison, he deserves an inglorious end.

    The only thing now is that, if need be, his body should be exhumed, videoed and photographed for all to see that nemesis has finally caught up with the serial killer. In that case, this regime of denial, half-truths, conspiracy of silence and all that will give room for wild jubilation among the people and banters among the security forces. With Shekau and his deputy, Momodu Bama, conveniently out of the way, the war on terrorism is half won, except that there may be other lesser evils lurking around, waiting to inflict pains on innocent people. Time will certainly take care of those ones!

     

  • Still on the Child-bride

    The debate following the decision of the Nigerian Senate’s vote to keep the controversial clause in Section 29 of the 1999 Constitution has been rather interesting to follow. The thorny Section 29 (4) (a)(b) of the Constitution stipulates (in paraphrase) that a married female of any age at all shall be considered to be “full of age,” meaning that it is valid to get married to a female-minor. This further presupposes that a girl-child automatically assumes the status of an adult irrespective of the age at which she becomes married.

    Of course, the exercise started as an innocuous vote to determine the age at which a Nigerian female could be regarded as being old enough to repudiate her citizenship if she wishes. It became such a prominent vexed issue mostly because of the histrionics of Senator Ahmed Sani Yerima, who began to act as though calling for any sort of debate on any subject remotely connected to religion is equivalent to cutting off his oxygen supply. With or without Yerima’s antics, the opprobrium that has trailed the decision of the Senate not to yank off that clause has been right all the same. This is because, somehow, the vote ended up strengthening the position of the likes of Yerima, who has unsurprisingly been at the head of the vanguard for the retention of the vexing Section 29. It has simply given them a good platform to continue to exploit minors under the guise of marriage.

    Having abstained from writing about this issue all along, what really got me ticking this time around were the comments recently credited to a respected Islamic scholar, Professor Ishaq Akintola. Akintola is the Director of the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC). In his contribution to the raging debate, Akintola said: “The conditions of marriage in Islam are four, namely: proposal and acceptance, approval by both parents, payment of dowry by the groom and the presence of at least two male witnesses at the ceremony. Age is, therefore, not part of the conditions which must be met before marriage can be solemnised in Islam. He added: “Where the bride is a minor, Islam prescribes protective solemnisation of marriage without consummation. This means that the girl, who is deemed to be of tender age, is left untouched by the man until she attains puberty. Another condition for child marriage is that the girl herself has the right to repudiate the marriage, when she attains maturity if she does not like her spouse.”

    Now, one needs to ask: Why would a religion in which Allah Himself is said to detest divorce more than anything else in a marriage, a religion in which the Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAW) is said to have admonished couples to strive with every ability within their means to keep a marriage together, turn around and encourage such a flimsy marital environment, knowing that there is a high risk of the ‘bride’ deciding to exercise her “right (to) repudiate the marriage when she attains maturity?” If truly, even by Akintola’s own admission, it is stated in Islam that a minor, upon coming of age, can opt out of an arranged marriage, then, surely, we can agree that this means that either these proponents of child marriage are reading from a different scripture or, as it is now more apparent, are merely twisting the tenets of Islam to suit their personal cravings and those of their co-conspirators.

    From what I know about this issue from across the globe, more than 80 per cent of Muslim countries are firmly opposed to child marriage. Even in Saudi Arabia, the guardian home of the Islamic faith, child-marriage is not a state-sanctioned practice. Hence, there have been heated debates on the subject for decades now. One of the more prominent ongoing critics on the issue in Saudi Arabia is Sheik Abdullah al-Manie, a member of the Council of Senior Ulamma. In a widely circulated criticism of the practice as published in the Saudi Gazzette as well as the Okaz newspaper in Saudi Arabia, Sheik al-Manie argues that even though child marriage was condoned in the time of Prophet Muhammad, the circumstances today are grossly different from what obtained then. The Sheik said further: “It is a grave error to burden a child with responsibilities beyond her years. Marriage should be put off until the wife is of mentally and physically mature age and can care for both herself and her family.”

    I happen to also understand from some of my friends who are Muslims that, in the Sunnah (sayings and practices of Prophet Muhammad, SAW), it was reported that a young girl once ran to the prophet complaining that her parents were on the verge of forcing her to marry a man she did not want to marry. The prophet was said to have admonished the parents not to force any marriage on her. This evidently further puts a lie to the claims by the likes of Yerima and Akintola, who have drummed the religious beat all along.

    But aside from being made to come across as a touchy Islam versus Western civilization subject (which it is not), the issue at hand is one that poses all-too-real socio-economic challenges to the society today and into the long-term future. The truth here is that by bending for this sort of practice, we plant poverty and diseases even more firmly in our society. And heaven knows that the North especially already suffers too much poverty and disease without having to face even grimmer prospects by legitimizing the child-marriage. So, to borrow words from Sheik al-Manie, it would be “a grave error” if the Senate does not retrace its steps and do the right thing as far as this issue is concerned. A grave error it will be indeed if we have to continue to keep northern Nigeria as the home of the highest cases of Vesico-Vagina Fistula in the world. This is a health condition that directly results from under-age sex (or pregnancy), which is, in turn, almost always a direct result of under-age marriage. Are we really supposed to continue to close our eyes and watch more and more girls, mainly from the North, lose their right to education whilst we continue to spread poverty by so doing? The truth is that a girl who gets married off at a tender age does not have a chance to compete mentally and intellectually with her peers.

    I shiver to imagine what sort of wife material my under-13-year-old daughter could really make to anyone at her age. Imagine how grievously her mother and I would have injured her dreams if we suddenly decide to hand her over in marriage at this age. Here is a girl who is constantly reminding everyone who cares to listen of her dream to become a doctor or an engineer in the future. How barbaric it would be for me to be party to taking that future away from her!

    Amidst all of the debate, we are also inadvertently making even more apparent a point that we all know already about our political reality in this country, namely: that the Nigerian politician, nay parliamentarian, does not actually represent the interest of the general populace. Rather, the Nigerian parliamentarian is merely self-serving. How else do you explain the disdain with which the likes of Yerima have continued to treat the millions of voices that have been rising against their decision? As so-called representatives of the people, one would have expected them to begin to come around given the sheer din of voices against their action, especially voices from Yerima’s own North and even the Islamic community. But no, they can’t be bothered at all because democratic representation, as far as the Nigerian politician is concerned, places the representative as an all-wise master over the people. To these senators, therefore, even this most salient of touchy issues of broad social, economic, political and moral ramification for the wider population and generations to come must suitably cater to the perks of the lawmakers first and above all else, even to the mortal detriment of everyone else.

  • Drumbeats of war

    To say that the security situation in the country is both tense and precarious, at the moment, is to beg the question. In recent times, there have been discoveries and interception of arms and ammunition in many parts of the country. This has raised fears and alarm in security and political circles over the real intention of the arms merchants.

    While such incidents of arms smuggling is not limited to a particular geo-political zone, the preponderance of opinion is that the frequency of such discoveries all over the country, in recent times, has been on a geometric ascendancy. As a result of this, the level of intelligence shadowing and surveillance in the whole country by security agents has been on the increase. As insurgency remains a major toothache in the north-eastern part of the country, where a state of emergency still subsists, the growing cases of arms stockpile in the north-west states are said to be giving security analysts sleepless nights, especially as they look for clues about the motives of the masterminds of this arms stockpile.

    In order to unravel the sudden surge in the trafficking menace across our numerous porous borders, security agencies in the country are said to be focusing on both local and external sources.  In the first instance, the importation of arms may likely be traceable to trans-national Islamist terrorists arming local jihadists as well as using Nigeria as a transit route in the Sahel arms and related smuggling trade. This line of thought dominated the minds of the top-shots of the country’s security agencies for some time until in the last few months when political motivation began to filter in. Although security agents are yet to find direct linkage between the arms stockpile and political gladiators, fears are rife that the ugly trend of politicking across the country could in fact snowball into obvious threats from key leaders who are increasingly getting desperate.

    It will be recalled that the arms cache found in Kano is still a mystery despite the ongoing prosecution of the Lebanese allegedly involved in the whole saga. The security agencies are also said to be at a loss over the alleged connection between alleged Hezbollah Shiite agents and the Sunni-led Boko Haramists. Boko Haram is said to belong to the Sunni school of Islam, and therefore, finding a synergy between them and the Lebanese under trial over the arms cache is said to be proving very difficult. What the security agencies are believed to be zeroing on is the possibility that the Shiite group could have its own separate agenda for the country.

    Consequently, the Kano arms discovery has thrown up many theories. One of them is the possibility of a non-religious involvement, with political undertone being the chief reason. This theory was said to have given added fillip after the Zamfara State government recently got its hands burnt in an arms importation imbroglio. Abdulaziz Yari, the state governor, had claimed that it wanted to arm vigilance groups in the state in view of recent rising incidence of violent robberies. However, the way and manner the state government imported the arms allegedly without police approval has since become a subject of investigation in Abuja. And understandably, this investigation is already attracting attention of people within the nation’s security circles.

    Though the Zamfara State government has since justified its action on the need to combat criminal gangs operating freely in the state, keen watchers of the 2015 drama pointed out that arming vigilantes in the countdown to 2015 sent mixed signals. The belief is that, once Zamfara succeeds in this matter, other state governments will follow suit, leading to proliferation of arms in the country ahead of a potentially explosive electoral year in 2015.

    However, while the controversy over Zamfara arms importation is yet to abate, a tanker filled with assorted arms and ammunition, whose source of importation is still unknown, was recently impounded between Kebbi-Zamfara axis. With hundreds of such tankers streaming into the country through remote border areas, fears are mounting that there may be a deliberate agenda by some unknown elements in the country to warehouse arms ahead of 2015 elections.

    This is more worrisome because a few days after the arms-bearing tanker was impounded, another arms cache was discovered in the sleepy state of Jigawa, which led to an exchange of fire between security agencies and those described as Boko Haram insurgents. This assertion is astonishing, to say the least, because Jigawa has never once witnessed any Boko Haram attack since the insurgency reared its head in the northern part of the country many years ago. At any rate, the exchange of fire cannot stand in as explanation for the owners of the arms or those who masterminded their importation.

    One thing is that, each time there is a security breach in some parts of the country, especially in the North, it has become convenient for security agents to heap the blame on Boko Haram. This situation is scary. We cannot say for sure that all these arms are imported by Islamists. We cannot prove that. We can also not prove that politicians are behind the menace for electoral purposes. All that is apparent is that there is an arms build-up across the country.

    While the real motive behind this dangerous development is still baffling to security agencies who are probing deeper, Mike Oghiadohme, the Chief of Staff to the President, recently warned leaders and elders in the country against precipitating a civil war in the country through their actions and utterances. He warned such leaders and elders against plunging the nation into avoidable catastrophe, in furtherance of their individual or collective agenda. Analysts argue that Oghiadohme’s warning is a signal that the Presidency already has more facts over security situation, especially arms build-ups in the country, than it is willing to tell the public.

    Arms build-up in the country has become a constant issue for discussion within the Nigerian military arena, which is battling insurgency in the North-East. Though the military has not ruled out any trace of political opportunism, suspicions are strong that the Islamists could be behind the development. The wider intelligence community, however, thinks differently. They feel political forces are neck-deep in the menace.

    In a recent statement, Sagir Musa, a lieutenant-colonel and spokesman of the Joint Task Force in Borno, while confirming the rising incidence of arms proliferation, gave greater insight into the problem facing the North and the country as a whole.  Said he: “Nigeria’s borders are massive with hundreds of footpaths crisscrossing to neighbouring countries of Chad, Niger and Cameroun with links to Mali, Libya and Sudan.”  According to him, “from conservative estimate by locals, there are well over 250 footpaths from Damaturu/Maiduguri axis that link or lead directly to Cameroun, Chad or Niger. These paths, which are mostly unknown to security agencies, are unmanned, unprotected and have continued to serve as conveyor belts for arms and ammunition trafficking into Nigeria. It is disheartening and unfortunate that the merchants of death have since devised methods to beat security agencies at the borders, chief among them, through the footpaths.”

    Musa explained that “the Libyan and Malian rebels are desperate to exchange arms for money to Boko Haram terrorists, their financiers and collaborators as the sect has since been affiliated to Al-Qaeda in the Maghreb.” This, according to him, “has added to the overwhelming challenge of the influx of illegal aliens, arms, ammunition and sophisticated IED materials into the country and an efficient and effective fight against terrorism.”

    Whatever the case is, I believe the security agents still need to critically explore the political angle to all these discoveries. If need be, investigation could be extended to foreign soil. As the arms influx continues, the questions are: Is Nigeria fast becoming a Somalia? Who is preparing for war? Could the current flexing of muscles by political gladiators be a subtle declaration of war ahead of 2015? Perhaps, a thorough investigation by the security agencies would provide answers to these probing questions. Time will tell!

     

  • An ominous sign

    Recently, a new report titled Nigerian Unity in the Balance, which was authored for the United States Army War College, warned Nigerian leaders to beware of another civil war or an outright break-up following what it called on-going divisive trends in the country. The report was written by two former American servicemen – Gerald McLaughlin and Clarence J. Bouchat and released by the Strategic Studies Institute of War College.

    The report observed that divisive forces were becoming far stronger than uniting forces in Nigeria. It then warned that unless this debilitating trend was reversed, Nigeria’s existence could be jeopardised. According to the report, “Parochial interests created by religious, cultural, ethnic, economic, regional, and political secessionist tendencies are endemic in Nigeria.” The report warned that, “under such stresses, Nigerian unity may fail.” The report stressed further: “Should Nigeria’s leaders mismanage the political economy and reinforce centrifugal forces in Nigeria, the breaks to create autonomous regions or independent countries would likely occur along its previously identified fault lines.” The report observed that, “having already experienced one brutal civil war, Nigeria is at risk for a recurrence of conflict or dissolution, especially since some of the underpinning motivations of the war remain unresolved.”

    While detailing many fault lines speeding up disintegrative tendencies in the country, the report said: “Indeed, East Timor, Eritrea, Croatia and Somaliland indicate that the weakest point of failing states is along colonial borders. Of more interest for Nigerian unity is that this may also occur between regions separately administered by a common colonial power, as occurred between Malaysia and Singapore, and North and South Sudan, where differences proved irreconcilable after the departure of British administration”. The report projected that “at least, some of the resulting regions and states of a possible Nigerian devolution may divide along such internal lines.”

    While conceding that Nigeria’s fate is primarily in the hands of Nigerians, the report noted that such could be positively affected by actions of the US, adding that “Nigeria’s future is hanging precariously on the balance and the United States should help tip the scales.” Furthermore, the report particularly warned that religious differences were taking the centre stage in the emerging conflict situation in the country, disputing repeated reports that economic reasons were to blame for the insurgency and other conflicts in the country.

    There is every reason why Nigeria cannot afford to dump this report in the trashcan. SSI is part of USAWC and is the strategic-level study agent for issues related to national security and military strategy with emphasis on geo-strategic analysis. It would be recalled that a former US ambassador to Nigeria had, last year, warned of a possible break-up of the country, if the growing trend of disaffection is not curtailed. The government’s reaction to this advice was in the least shocking and disappointing. Rather than view the opinion with the seriousness it deserved, the government merely threw unprintable expletives at the ambassador. Since then, everything has been done to disparage the report.

    However, going through the SSI report, one could perceive its genuineness in view of recent happenings and events. Our so-called politicians, whose patriotism is ever in doubt because they look more like fortune seekers, have largely been toying with the security and stability of the country. It is as if they have zoned the entire country to themselves as things are done within them at their whims. To them, the people are secondary whenever issues bordering on the unity and stability of the country come up for discussion.

    The country was almost stripped bare at the demise of former President Umaru Yar’Adua. Throughout his sick period, various pranks, I mean, ‘official pranks’, came to play. At a time, a cleverly conceived dummy was sold to the public; at another time, the greatest hoax was foisted on the people. That was the time many of us really sat back to think whether the country belonged to Nigerians or only the politicians who were ever so meticulous with their lies and fairy tales.

    When eventually the former President gave up the ghost, attempts were made from many quarters to ‘rewrite’ the Constitution. We all know what it took the nation to arrive at the “doctrine of necessity” before an acting President emerged. We can also remember, too, the various schemes and shenanigans brought to the fore to make sure that the new President, when he inevitably emerged, could not function.

    By and large, like some Nigerians are wont to say “we are individually successful but collectively a failure”. What this means is that Nigerians, as a people, are very dynamic, industrious, except that selfishness rules them most, if not, all the time. While we all crave for individual, family, tribe and clannish excellence, we are the least patriotic when it comes to the issue of national question. Take for instance, the build-up to the 2015 elections, which has started in earnest. Everybody, every section of the country, is angling for the coveted number one seat: the Presidency. It is no longer what the Constitution says but the unwritten doctrine of “turn-by-turn”. In this new craze, brothers have become enemies overnight in the mad race to undo one another.

    Now, let us take the issue of Rivers State. Today, that once peaceful state is in turmoil. And many people believe the problem with Rivers has many things to do with 2015. The sitting governor, Rotimi Amaechi is believed to have incurred the wrath of Abuja because he is suspected to be nursing an ambition to become the Vice-President of the country under the rulership of a candidate presented by the North. Many permutations have come up to the effect that Amaechi might pair up with Sule Lamido, his counterpart in the north-west state of Jigawa, to wrestle power from President Goodluck Jonathan.

    At a point, the posters of a Lamido-Amaechi presidential ticket flooded Abuja, the nation’s capital. It is strongly believed it was the handiwork of fifth columnists bent on wrecking that ticket if at all it exists. The next thing was that the war was taken to the Nigeria Governor’s Forum whose election was truncated after the votes were counted. Amaechi is believed to have emerged as the winner of that keenly contested election, but the powers that be are not favourably disposed to that. The belief is that the number one spot at the forum for Amaechi will give him an undue advantage over the incumbent president.

    To stop this, the Presidency threw up a puppet in the name of Jonah Jang, the confused governor of Plateau State. Since then, logic has been made to stand on its head. Or what do you call a situation where 16 could be adjudged to be greater than 19? Amaechi scored 19 votes out of 35, while Jang scored 16 votes. Today, Jang enjoys the undue privilege of getting the President’s ears as he has been officially recognised as the chairman of the Governors’ Forum to the chagrin of the Amaechi camp and many right-thinking Nigerians. And where do we go from here?

    The other day, the floor of the Rivers State House of Assembly became a battle zone when elected parliamentarians and leaders of the various communities in the state, who were elected to serve the people, turned the whole place upside down. Again, there was a mathematical infraction in which five was adjudged to be greater than 23. In a melodramatic move, five members of the House met and purportedly impeached the Speaker. The bedlam that followed speaks volumes of how much we cherish the unity and stability of the country.

    As it stands, the issue of Rivers State is largely unresolved because certain egos have refused to be massaged. And from what several commentators have said, this protracted issue that has been allowed to fester for too long might as well be the beginning of the end for the country’s fledgling democracy or even the country itself. The ominous signs are there for all to see!

     

  • ‘Harry, the Soldier Prince’

    Almost all the major international network news stations are still engrossed in the celebration of the new royal baby, George Alexander Louis. He is to be known as His Royal Highness, Prince George of Cambridge. The frenzy and wide coverage of his birth reminded me of a mini-documentary sometime ago on the charming Prince Harry Williams, the proud father of the baby who is now third in line to the British throne. The documentary, which was aired on Cable News Network, CNN, was titled: “Royal Watchers; Harry, the Soldier Prince”.
    The documentary was on Prince Harry and his numerous engagements. Starting from when he was a baby, the documentary ran through the death of Diana (his mother), his sojourn in the British Army, his diplomatic engagements within Britain and other places, his deployment to Afghanistan for military duties and all that.
    Throughout the period the stuff lasted, I stayed glued to the TV set, watching the moving and captivating scenes. During the burial of his mother, Harry exuded the confidence unexpected of a lad at his age. He was composed, calm and devoid of any trace of emotional distraction, as he followed the hearse bearing the body of his mother in an ornamental casket adorned with a bouquet of flowers.
    As a cadet in the elite Sandhurst Military Academy, Harry was a beautiful sight to behold in his trimmed and well-fitted military uniform. His squad mates who were intermittently interviewed described him as a young officer who responded well to training and military discipline. He was said to mix freely and devoid of the opulence of royalty. Every now and then, he was seen in the video clips either marching side by side with his mates or engaged in one military exercise or another.
    When he was deployed to the battle front in Afghanistan, he was seen flying a combat helicopter along with some of his colleagues. Again, he was shown on foot patrol in full combat gear. The scene then changed from Southern Afghanistan to the northern part of the country, where he went on patrol with the armoured unit stationed there.
    The highlight of that patrol was when his team spotted an IED (Improvised Explosive Device) on their route. The tank came to a halt as Harry got in touch with the bomb disposal unit which mobilised and promptly arrived at the scene in a Tomahawk helicopter. On the approach of the helicopter, Harry had thrown out a fire cracker from the tank, ostensibly to pinpoint the area where the device was buried. This was to prevent the helicopter from landing right on top of the IED, which could spell doom. In a few minutes, the device was detonated and Harry and his team continued their patrol.
    The scenes of his diplomatic shuttles include when he represented his maternal grandmother, the Queen, in Jamaica, Haiti, Canada and the rest. Here, he exhibited the statesman in him to the delight of his numerous hosts and the Queen. Everywhere, he went, he distinguished himself as someone who had the passion to mix freely with children and the downtrodden, shaking their hands, hugging them when necessary and sharing chocolates and drinks with them.
    Of course, his wedding that shook Britain was also well advertised. From Harry, the considerate lover who became a teacher and role model for his wife, Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, to Kate herself who, within a few months, rose to become Britain’s fashion ambassador. In one of the clips, some of the dresses and shoes she wore on some of her engagements became widely sought after as scores of people invaded the shops and emptied them from the shelves as soon as they saw her wear them.
    On a visit to Hollywood in California, Harry and Kate were the cynosure of the crowd that lined the routes they took. Not even the well-known actors and actresses that graced the event received the sort of attention and loud ovation that Harry and his heartthrob were bestowed on by the ecstatic crowd. The crowd also carried several placards, one of which read: “Harry and Kate: All we want is a wave”. That underscores the degree of excitement and warmth displayed by the crowd towards Harry and Kate.
    But by far, the most compelling part of the episode which sent cold shivers down my spines was the visit by Harry to Lesotho, a tiny country located on the southern fringes of Africa where he spent two months in an African jungle among the blacks. What was really astonishing in this part of the entire documentary was that he spent the whole two months attending to and caring for AIDS sufferers who form a large proportion of the population. In a brief interview, he expressed optimism that the problems bedevilling the population would be tackled. But he said it was not something that could be done in two or three years. This means that it was going to be a long distance race, especially when he was told that the greatest danger was the primitive belief among the people that “once an AIDS sufferer goes to bed with a minor, the disease could be cured instantly”.
    In his parting remarks there, Harry promised to get back to the country at least twice in a year, “if his military duties would allow him.” That statement underscores his commitment to assist the poor, a deep sense of empathy with their plight as well as discipline as a military officer who does not want his royal background to interfere with his normal life. It would be recalled that the late Diana, Harry’s mother, was involved in many shuttles to the neglected parts of Africa, Asia and other Third World countries where she offered succour and compassion for the poor during her eventful life time.
    As I watched the documentary from start to finish, something struck me. Here was Harry born with the proverbial silver spoon, raised in royalty yet had passion, compassion and empathy for the dregs of the earth. I remember a time in the past when he was shown in some British newspapers sleeping on the bare floor, in chilling winter cold with a Nigerian youth, his companion. At that time, all he wanted was to experience the life of the homeless tramps in the society who have nowhere to rest their heads.
    The irony of it all is that such display of commonality, as exhibited by Harry, is, to say the least, alien to us in this clime and perhaps, in Africa in general. Those who call themselves royal bloods in this part of the world only have passion to acquire wealth, exhibit outlandish lifestyles, acquire expensive wardrobes, show off crazy limousines and all the rest.
    If you look around, when such spoilt children take over their families’ businesses, they easily run them aground. They are lawless, disrespectful, arrogant and lazy. In most cases, they grow up without any good idea of life except to keep on partying, frolicking in night clubs, drug addiction and all other despicable engagements. By and large, Harry’s documentary is a study in humility, the type that is rarely seen in this part of the universe.
    Now that he is a father. It is expected that Harry will devote more time to his family, wife and the new baby. The British Royal Household has an enduring legacy of good upbringing, care and affection. And they are revered all over the place.
    The other day at an Entrepreneurs’ Organisation, EO, Forum in London, we had the privilege of having dinner right at the British Royal Museum. It was a delightful sight to behold, with various royal ornaments dating back to centuries on display. The highlight of the night was the ceremonial locking of the Queen’s gate at Buckingham Palace. It was such a treasured memory that will linger in the participants’ sub-consciousness for a long time to come. Such is the royalty and regality associated with the British monarchy which Harry and George, his son, third in line to the British throne, are expected to preserve!

  • Poor Riliwan!

    There is no doubt that the meteoric rise in crime and criminal conducts in the country is as a result of a breakdown in societal values, norms and morals. And of course, Nigeria may not be alone in this loathsome path. This is because the economic downturn in recent times has really led to family dislocations everywhere as many young couples now seek divorce soon after walking down the aisles. Not only this. The lack of economic power has led to avoidable squabbles in many a matrimonial home. In most cases, these quarrels have resulted regretfully in both parties going their separate ways at the slightest jolt. This way, many couples have been torn apart.

    When two elephants lock horns, it is the grass beneath them that absorbs the pain and anguish. Major cities in Nigeria are today brimming with children who cannot readily point at their family homes. Some have lost touch since they were toddlers. They probably were born without anybody standing in as a father. In many instances, the women, who are usually at the receiving end of unplanned and unwanted pregnancies, have fallen victims of abandonment and neglect from the men they thought were their lovers. These women are abandoned right during the pregnancies or shortly after putting to bed either because of poor financial power of the men or some other irreconcilable differences. And the society has no clear-cut way to address these issues or ameliorate the unfortunate situations.

    Today, the rise in juvenile delinquency, drug addiction, criminality and other dangerous vices that are inimical to law and order in the society is due to the fact that many youths who roam the streets have no guardians or parents to call their own. They simply find their ways to bus-stops, vehicles’ loading points, depots, den of criminals and other innocuous dungeons as they search for the elusive daily bread.

    Take the case of one Riliwan, whose plight was recently brought to the fore by a national newspaper. Seventeen-year-old Riliwan was said to have run away from his father’s house in Abuja to Lagos because he (his father) threatened to kill him. Riliwan narrated his story to a reporter who encountered him in a bus en route Abuja to Lagos. He said that he ran away from home at Tungamade, Abuja, without the knowledge of his father, who he described as a disciplinarian. Riliwan was described as ‘looking scared and tired’ when the reporter met him. The reporter said, though Riliwan claimed to be going to  Church Street in Idumota, Lagos Island, to meet his mother, his description did not show that he knew his destination. According to Riliwan himself, he decided “to run away from home due to maltreatment and death threats from his father.” Hear him:  “I left home without the knowledge of my father. He has always maltreated me. He is always threatening to kill me. Each time I needed something from him, he would turn me down. I am not feeling the fatherly love and I am not happy to be with him any longer. That is why I decided to run away to meet my mother in Lagos. I was told that my parents divorced since I was three years old. I had to abandon my education at Junior Secondary School One (JSS1) because my father refused to pay my school fees. Each time I came home to tell him that his attention was needed in my school, he would not go.”

    In Riliwan’s estimation, he was vulnerable to abuses and disdainful treatment in his father’s hands because his mother had left him many years ago. He rightly or wrongly believes that all will be well with him by the time he sets his eyes on his mother. “I believe that things will turn out for the better in Lagos when I see my mother, although she is not also aware that I am coming,” he said.

    Riliwan added that he learnt that his mother was married to another person. Unknown to this poor soul, that could also be another source of trouble for him if the mother’s new lover is the intolerant type. Riliwan also said that before he left his father, he worked as an assistant in a bakery to survive. He said: “I feed myself because nobody cares. Anytime my step-mum gave me food, we had to sneak into the house because my father must not know. So the bakery became my life. I earlier tried to apply as an apprentice with an engineer but he requested to see any of my parents. When I informed my father, he ignored me.”

    When the reporter later visited Church Street, Idumota, a few days after the encounter, he could not locate Riliwan. Residents of the house where his mother supposedly lives could not confirm Riliwan’s arrival in the house or the area. What this means is that, Riliwan, possibly did not arrive at his initial destination safely or he might have changed his mind to go elsewhere on a second thought. The implication is that Riliwan could now be a potential area boy, armed robber or drug peddler prowling the streets of Lagos anytime soon.

    The pathetic case of Riliwan is symptomatic of the appalling situation many youths of today are confronted with. Riliwan, like other children in his shoes, out of lack of care from their parents, simply abandoned school and their families. As soon as they bolt out of their parents’ abode, they are embraced by the waiting arms of hardened criminals, drug addicts, drug peddlers and other social misfits who employ their services to ply their ‘lethal’ ware or commit crimes of unimaginable proportion against innocent and law-abiding citizens. The issue of abandoned youths, therefore, becomes a good preying ground for criminals who are perennially looking for new recruits to their nefarious ways of life.

    Let us look at the rise and spread of Boko Haram in the northern part of the country. Most of the converts to Boko Haram’s stupid and destructive doctrine are easily children and youths who have no parental or guardian control. The havoc they have wreaked on the economic and social fabric of the society, especially in the North-East of the country reverberates all over the globe. Today, Nigeria features prominently in terrorists’ map everywhere. No thanks to these misguided and abandoned youths who are hypnotised and brainwashed into taking arms against their fellow men.

    Though the governments at both the federal and state levels are now trying hard to curtail the excesses of these bad elements in the society, the havoc has been done. Now it is a sort of stick-and-carrot approach to end the regime of bombs and deaths. The federal government has since May this year imposed emergency rule on three most volatile states in the North-East. They are Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states. The military are prowling every nooks and cranny in these states, smoking out insurgents from their various hideouts.

    In this month of Ramadan, Kashim Shettima, the governor of Borno State, has gone a step further. Just last week, Government House, Maiduguri hosted some unusual visitors. The visitors, numbering 50, were made orphans through the satanic activities of the Boko Haram sect. They were guests of the governor who invited them for the traditional iftah (breaking of fast). In addition to the cosy meals they had with their host and other dignitaries in attendance, they all bagged scholarships to pursue their education. The scholarships are designed to cut across orphans from both Muslim and Christian homes, as the government has promised to also host orphans from Christian homes during Christmas. The governor then impressed it on government officials, wealthy residents and charity organisations to assist the orphans in their midst.

    Like Shettima said, it is now the duty of other arms of government, charity organisations and wealthy Nigerians to take a cue from this gesture. We must understand that, without lending a helping hand to the needy, especially the downtrodden in the society, we can never attain the much-sought-after peaceful co-existence. Even in the Scriptures, it is clearly written: “Be your brother’s keeper”.

     

  • Zamfara as scapegoat

    A  few weeks ago, the issue of arming the vigilante group in Zamfara State became a subject of high-wired politics at the hollow chambers of the National Assembly. It almost deteriorated into fisticuffs when two senators engaged each other over the debate. Since then, the issue has become a subject of intense debates all over the country, more especially in security parlance.

    Now the arms have arrived in the country. This has opened a new page in the roiling controversy. Pronto: the federal government has seized a total number of 1,500 double-barrelled guns imported by the Zamfara State government for distribution to its vigilance group. Reports say Muhammed Dahiru Abubakar, the Inspector-General of Police, personally ordered the seizure of the arms said to have been imported from Ukraine based on the alleged contravention of firearms laws of the land.

    This is certainly not a good time for Abdulaziz Yari, the Zamfara State governor. Yari is claiming that the state needs the lethal weapon so badly in order to curb the incessant armed robbery attacks in the state. The attack, he claims, has become too worrisome due to the terror, pains and death which the men of the underworld usually unleash on innocent citizens of the state whenever they struck. The governor was said to have felt betrayed by the police hierarchy, which was said to have earlier granted a silent approval to the state to import the arms.

    The issue of arms importation came about when the state was facing serious challenge of armed robbery in 2012. Yari was said to have reached an agreement with the state police commissioner on the need to set up a vigilance group.  The meeting agreed that the vigilance group should be armed. The governor then decided to import double-barrelled guns which he hoped would be licenced by the police through a dealer in Kano.

    It was learnt that the importation tactically bypassed the Presidency because of the belief that individuals could buy double-barrelled guns and apply for licence thereafter.  The state government must also have thought that the Inspector-General of Police would give approval for the arms because he is an indigene of the state and he is also aware of the security challenges facing the state.

    Sha’aba Lafiagi, a senator and vice-chairman of the Senate Committee on National Security and Intelligence, had, on the floor of the Senate, alleged that the Zamfara State governor had purchased guns and ammunition to arm vigilance groups in his state. Lafiagi alleged that the governor had approached the IG for a permit after he bought the guns.

    When the news broke out, the Nigeria Police Force denied issuing gun permit to the Zamfara State government to be used by vigilance group in the state. In a statement, the police had insisted that it was an offence for a person to have in his possession or under his control any prohibited firearms without a licence granted by the President of the country or the IG. “While vigilance groups and other sincere community efforts towards safety and security are encouraged to work in partnership with local police authorities, the conduct and practice of such groups must be in total conformity with the law of the land.”

    Making justification for the purchase of the arms, Ibrahim Birnin Magaji, Zamfara State Information Commissioner who spoke on the issue in a recent interview aired on the Hausa Service of BBC, said the number of policemen in the state were not enough to protect the lives and property of the citizens. The arms, according to him, would be distributed to members of the vigilante group living in the areas and who know every nook and cranny of the state. The idea, he said, “is to enhance the security in the state and help the security personnel in carrying out their duties by taking them round the state.”

    Just as Zamfara arms were being confiscated, Peter Obi, the governor of Anambra State was distributing about 300 fully fitted security vehicles to 177 communities in the state. He also handed over N230.1 million to the communities to be shared among them at the rate of N1.3 million per community. This money is for the payment of salary of 10 members of each community’s vigilante group. Before this latest gesture, the state had, sometimes ago, put together a form of vigilante outfit which was then known as Bakassi boys, to bring sanity to the appalling security situation in the state.

    Now, Zamfara is being made a scapegoat for deciding to take the bull by its horns, as far as security is concerned in the state. That sounds unfair. Perhaps, Yari, the governor of the troubled state needs to talk to his brother governors in the Niger Delta to find out the means by which they have been fighting oil pipeline vandals and other miscreants without raising eyebrows from any quarters. Any of the militant leaders can also give him a pep talk on how to import firearms without really stepping on toes.

    Whichever way this issue is viewed, I personally think that Yari is just unlucky as many states have established and are still establishing vigilante groups to fight off hoodlums from their states. If we take the issue of the entire North, it may be apt to believe that the insurgency in the North-east, which necessitated the emergency rule slammed on Adamawa, Yobe and Borno states, may have a spiral or collateral effect on a contiguous state as Zamfara. Those who are terrorizing the indigenes of Zamfara could as well be some remnants or renegades of Boko Haram who are out to fill their pockets and stomachs. And we all know that this new generation of crooks have always beaten our lethargic security system to the game.

    As for the Police and other security agencies operating in the state, it is true that they may lack enough manpower or even firepower to withstand the volcanic onslaught of the bandits. But adequate operational strategy could be employed to beat the hoodlums to their games. In the past, a number of security agents have been found either wanting or of complicity with criminals, the very criminals they are employed to track down. This, they do, for pecuniary gains in a rat-eat-rat society such as ours.

    Recently, the military claimed that they were part of internal security arrangements in 28 out of the 36 states of the country, including the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. This is alarming. What this means is that we have almost lost the whole country to hoodlums who have overrun everywhere. Had it not been for the presence of the military in strategic locations in some volatile areas of the country, probably the story could have been different by now.

    But beyond throwing tight security cordons everywhere, we must urgently find a way to put able-bodied men and women back to work as well as put food on people’s tables. This way, I believe that once we find solution to poverty and hunger in the society, the likes of Yari will not need to import large quantity of arms and ammunition to protect the citizens. On the other hand, the security agencies, especially the Police, should rise up to the occasion in view of the tongue-lashing they get every day on the sickening security situation in the country. They need to demonstrate that they are equal to the task.

    Security is one of the most important statutory requirements that a governor needs to accomplish in order to be able to govern the people. Be this as it may, one can clearly understand the predicament of the Zamfara governor at the moment. That is why we should not condemn Yari for the importation of the lethal weapons. Rather, we should blame a system that is not working, a system that has pauperized everybody, a system that cannot provide jobs for school leavers and food for the teeming hungry mouths all over the place. It is a pity. A great pity indeed!

  • Egypt: Thumbs down for Morsi

    Egypt: Thumbs down for Morsi

    The security situation in Egypt has continued to deteriorate following last week’s ouster of Mohammed Morsi, the country’s first freely elected civilian President. Morsi was overthrown by the Egyptian military following weeks of widespread protests over his style of governance, which many described as “high-handed, autocratic and uncompromising”. For some time, the country has been plagued by a crumbling economy resulting in shortfall in fuel supplies and electricity, among other unbearable hardships foisted on the Egyptian people for quite some time now.

    On July 1, the Egyptian army delivered a 48-hour ultimatum that required Morsi to find a quick resolution to the political impasse. He could not. At the expiration of the deadline, the military high command, led by Abdul Fatah Saeed Hussein Al-Sisi, more commonly known as General Sisi, took over Egypt and installed Adly Mansour, Chief Justice of the Supreme Constitutional Court and a foe of Morsi, as interim President. After the change of government, the army suspended the constitution and has been carrying out massive crackdown on members of the Muslim Brotherhood on charges ranging from “inciting violence to disturbing the general security and peace” of the country. With this, the country seems to be hooked on a cliff-hanger as the Muslim Brotherhood are largely displeased about the turn of events.

    Prior to the ouster of Hosni Mubarak from office in 2011, the Muslim Brotherhood has been engaged in sporadic violence for the control of political power. The exit of Mubarak opened a vista of opportunity for the organisation who wrestled power from the hands of the politicians. It is, therefore, expected that Egypt could relapse into a regime of violence if the present situation is not properly managed. For now, fighting has erupted across the country between supporters of Morsi and his opponents, leaving several people dead and many more injured. The violence erupted as Morsi’s supporters held massive protests across the country, calling for his reinstatement.

    Morsi became the nation’s President barely a year ago, but failed to fix the nation’s ailing economy or improve its crime statistics, among other accusations. Human Rights Watch said he had continued abusive practices established by ousted Mubarak, who ruled Egypt for three decades with iron-fist. Numerous journalists, political activists and others were prosecuted on charges of ‘insulting’ officials or institutions and spreading false information.

    Surprisingly, the United States, U.S’ reaction to the unfolding political scenario has, at best, been tepid and measured. The Barack Obama administration is turning to top officials of his government to tout democracy, political transparency and peaceful protest for Egypt, a message that has taken on a hollow tone. This is just as everybody seems to be eagerly awaiting a quick and responsible return of full authority to a democratically elected civilian government as soon as possible in the country. But behind the scenes, the U.S. was signalling to Egypt and its allies that it accepts the military’s decision to depose Morsi, and was hoping that what fills the vacuum of power would be more favourable to U.S. interests and values than Morsi’s Islamist government.

    However, those hopes were tempered by very real concerns that a newly emboldened military would deal violently with the Muslim Brotherhood thereby sending Egyptian society further into chaos and making reconciliation more difficult. The Obama administration’s stance, which carefully avoided the legal implications of calling the military’s intervention a coup, won something of a bipartisan endorsement last Friday from Republican Representative, Ed Royce of California, and Democrat Eliot Engel of New York, who issued a joint statement that criticised Morsi for not embracing “inclusiveness, compromise, respect for human and minority rights, and a commitment to the rule of law.”

    Indeed, the Obama administration is facing difficult choices. If it denounced the ouster of Morsi, it could be accused of propping up a ruler who had lost public support. Yet, if it supported the military’s action, the administration could be accused of fomenting dissent or could lose credibility on its commitment to the democratic process. This is probably why the administration is acting as if it accepts what happened in Egypt – and actually believes it could turn out for the best with the Islamist Morsi no longer in charge. At the same time, officials are attempting to keep their distance, laying down signposts for what they want to see in the long term while challenging the military to make sure that happens.

    The concern being expressed all over the place is that, in the short term, the situation could spiral out of control, with the military using the clamour in the streets as an excuse to confront the Muslim Brotherhood with excessive force. By laying emphasis on U.S. aid in conversations with Egyptians without cutting it off, the U.S. leaves room for the escalation of the situation if need be, but it is also ready to work with Egypt’s new government if it moves in the right direction. The military leaders have assured the Obama administration that they were not interested in long-term rule following the overthrow of Morsi. The swearing-in of Adly Mansour, the head of the Supreme Constitutional Court as the country’s interim President, illustrates the military’s desire to be seen as committed to quickly returning the nation to civilian control.

    Whichever way the present political configuration is viewed, there is a threat of imminent chaos looming over the country. Since more than 22 million signatories drew the line on the sand for Morsi, everybody knew that the days of the regime were numbered. By far, this 22 million outnumbered those who had voted for him barely a year ago because he was not elected with a landslide but a slim victory, which arose from the coalition of several interests.

    No sooner had he stepped into office than Morsi started baring his fangs. He collided with the courts in 2012 and gradually alienated the people. He toyed with power and, by so doing, he inadvertently wrote his own obituary. Morsi was a complete disaster. As an engineer in power, he would have demonstrated what it takes to sustain his regime but failed woefully due to his complacency and obduracy. Morsi’s government was a regime because even though he emerged through the ballot box, Egypt has never been a full democracy. Morsi would have been a transitional regime to real democracy in the country, but he bungled the great opportunity to write his name in gold. He just did not demonstrate or develop sufficient understanding of what to do. That was why the military stepped in to stop the drift.

    It is hoped that being the epicentre of Arab civilisation, Egypt will quickly get itself together. But people are still divided over what to call what happened last week. Many say it was a coup. Many others disagree, preferring to call it a popular revolution. Those who call it a people’s revolt or revolution may be right after all. However, in Jurisprudence, when a drastic change has been brought about outside the constitution, it amounts to a coup. Nevertheless, when you have an obdurate regime, a self-seeking, self-centred government, the military will always step in.

    Therefore, the exit of Mohammed Morsi signals the collapse of religious politics in Egypt. This is because the Muslim Brotherhood politicised religion and stifled opposition. According to the Egyptian constitution, political parties are allowed to exist but religious political parties are not as they would not respect the principle of non-interference of religion in politics and that religion has to remain in private sphere so as to respect all beliefs. The Muslim Brotherhood failed to take any cognisance of this.

    Though the African Union has a non-obligatory clause not to recognise unconstitutional governments, but as the situation stands today, this may not hold much water in Egypt where a successful revolution has just taken place. While Egyptians are happy for the change, many African countries are mortified. I believe the other African States should only be wary of the military if the leaders are not accountable, if they are reckless or condoning corruption. These are sure recipes for military take-over!

  • This British ‘pay as you go’

    This British ‘pay as you go’

    The news was like a bolt from the blue. It was shocking, surprising and amusing as well. I mean the proposed £3,000 deposit by immigrants intending to enter Britain as from November this year. Immigrants of five countries – Nigeria, Ghana, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh – have been singled out for this unfriendly treatment. Yet, these are members of the so-called Commonwealth countries that the British is so proud to sing about.

    In history, we learnt that the Commonwealth was an empire where the sun never set, a figurative expression to describe an empire that was adjudged to be the biggest in the universe, stretching North, East, West and South of the pole. Today, though the spirit of the Commonwealth is still very much alive, the principles behind it have been tinkered with again and again to the point that it has almost completely been obliterated.

    Now, it will cost a new immigrant from Nigeria a fortune, at least, more than a million naira to venture to England. I remember in the ’70s when Nigeria’s currency was at par with the dollar, it cost just a few naira to get on board an aircraft and jet to England and back. If I am not mistaken, it was about N180. With your Basic Travelling Allowance, BTA, and others, you might only need less than N1000 to get to UK and back for holidays. Today, the story is different. You probably need to sell your child into slavery before you can raise the required money to undertake a trip to either Britain or the United States, the preferred destinations for most Nigerians.

    This is why one is not amazed at the flurry of criticism and resentment that has greeted this proposal. Olugbenga Ashiru, Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs Minister, has been at the forefront of this groundswell of opposition to a policy considered discriminatory and obnoxious. Ashiru, who has proved to be a round peg in a round hole ever since he came on board a few years ago, has been doing everything to convey the message of the Nigerian government and the Nigerian people to the British government. He has been prompt and decisive.

    The other day, Ashiru summoned Andrew Pocock, the British High Commissioner in the country, to acquaint him with the government’s indignation and exasperation against a policy which is considered highly inimical to the interest of Nigeria. While this was going on, notable leaders of the National Assembly have been spitting fire and brimstone to the effect that Nigeria will reciprocate in a similar gesture if the British should go ahead to implement the unfriendly policy. That, in itself, will be a recourse to the Mosaic law, which says “a tooth for a tooth” or tit for tat, whichever is appropriate.

    On the day the news made headlines in the Nigerian Press, a group of well-meaning Nigerians were almost cut off in the hullabaloo that followed. The Entrepreneurs’ Organisation, EO, Chapter in Nigeria, was to have a three-day training programme for both the old and new members who were recently successful in the interview conducted for them about a fortnight ago in Lagos. The three-day training was for the new intakes who would undergo what is called Forum Training, which is a cardinal operational part of the EO. As a new member, you are expected to belong to a “Forum”, which is the core of EO. That training took place at Protea Hotel, GRA, Lagos, on Thursday, June 27, from 8:00am till 5:00pm. The following day was Moderator Training, which is meant for those who intend to be moderators at various forums. While the third day, Saturday, June 29, was reserved for Strategy Training for the Board members. All with the same time duration, that is, 8a.m till 5p.m on each day.

    Julia Lankraehr, a globally-certified trainer by EO Global, was to fly in from London on Wednesday, June 26, to undertake the series of training. When she applied for entry visa, she put business as her reason for travelling to Nigeria. Then the Nigerian High Commission requested her to get a work permit to enable it to grant her a visa even though she was going to be in the country for only five days. It took a sleepless night on Monday, June 24, with officials in Nigeria making frantic calls to the High Commission in London before the matter was resolved on Tuesday, June 25. Who knows what would have happened if this crude policy had been in operation?

    The EO is a global organization that has its headquarters in Virginia, United States of America. It was founded in 1987 by some group of entrepreneurs who thought they needed a common ground and platform to discuss intimate issues concerning their businesses, family lives and other personal issues that could keep individuals endlessly awake at night. Today, the EO parades well over 9,300 members scattered all over 146 chapters in 46 countries of the world. They are everywhere. The Nigeria chapter was inaugurated in Lagos on October 4, 2012.

    Last year, the Nigeria Chapter of the EO was to attend an event hosted by EO, Cape Town, but all the delegates were denied visas in spite of the fact that all their papers, including hotel bookings, were intact. It was at the height of the diplomatic row between South Africa and Nigeria early last year. The humiliation suffered at the embassy was so much and time-wasting that I vowed never to submit any application for South African visa anymore in my life. Though I had several multiple entry visas to many countries on my passport, I paraded the place with others for more than three months before our empty passports were grudgingly returned to us without any convincing explanation. The most annoying thing there was that one could see some people whose means of livelihood or reason for travelling to South Africa could not be easily ascertained coming in and taking the visa. It was a terrible experience that I don’t find funny to relate to anyone. Even if you go to the embassy, you could be kept there for hours before you are asked to return another day. All for nothing in the end.

    I am sure if the proposal of £3,000 was still being debated in Britain, by now, David Cameron and his people should know that dire consequences await them if they go ahead with this discriminatory policy which is capable of destroying the umbilical cord of the Commonwealth family. I am not saying that Britain should throw its doors open to every Dick and Harry, but then imposing such a draconian policy will only paint the country in a bad light as far as civilisation, decency and decorum are concerned. It is the inalienable right of man that all individuals should be treated with some modicum of dignity, the colour pigmentation notwithstanding.

    It is apparent that the Britons alone cannot live in Britain. Other races must come and go. Forget that some citizens of other countries come into Britain and do menial jobs, if and when available. Britons also go to other countries to do jobs that the indigenous people could have done. After all, why do other citizens travel to other countries? Even the five countries mentioned in the new policy, you have Britons there. Why do they go there to do business rather than stay back in their country and get rotten? I have been to practically all the affected countries and there is no one where there are no Britons in their large numbers in spite of some of the atrocities these colonialists committed against the people in the past.

    The world has become a global village where all impediments to free movement should be done away with. Certainly, erecting new barriers to free movement is certainly out of the issue for now. Therefore, I will suggest that Britain should find a better and decent way to deal with her perceived immigration problems rather than stir up a hornets’ nest.