Category: Sunday magazine

FURTHER pressure has been piled on Egyptian authorities to release detained Al Jazeera journalist, Abdullah Elshamy, who has now been imprisoned for 253 days. The prosecutor for the case is expected to reach a decision today on whether to release the 93 day hunger striker or renew his detention.

Speaking midweek, Elshamy Nusehy Elshamy and Thuraya Elshamy said their son, Abdullah Elshamy, is fighting not for himself but for a free media.

Elshamy Nusehy Elshamy told Al Jazeera that despite concerns about the health of Abdullah, his family are right behind him in his hunger strike: “My son is now 253 days without being taken to court, his hunger strike is now more than 90 days. Abdullah is not on the hunger strike for himself, he is doing it to protect free journalism across the world. I call on the Egyptian authorities to free my son and Peter Greste, Mohammed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed.”

He also went on to say: “My son is my new teacher, he sets a great example of how self-belief can make anyone stronger, I pray that he goes and wins this battle.”

Abdullah’s mother Thuraya, she said she supports her son’s fight for freedom. “I urge Abdullah to continue his hunger strike, because now it is not for himself, it is for the freedom and for all his colleagues. My son is innocent and his loves his country of Egypt, he has always reported the truth, his motivation has always been humanitarian and professional causes.”

Both of his parents say they support their son’s hunger strike: “Our son has lost a lot of weight, but his strength is boosted everyday by the solidarity of his colleagues from all over the world.”

Abdullah works as a correspondent for Al Jazeera Arabic is one of four Al Jazeera journalists who have been detained in Egypt. Since December 2013 Al Jazeera English correspondent Peter Greste and producers Mohammed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed have been detained.

Calls for their release have been made from the White House, the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the European Union. Similarly public calls of support for the #FreeAJStaff campaign have been made from prominent media personalities with over 50,000 people supporting the #FreeAJStaff campaign which has had over 1.1 billion impressions on twitter. Various media freedom and human rights groups have also issued statements ranging from the Committee to Protect Journalist, the International Press Institute, Amnesty International and Foreign Correspondents’ Association of East Africa.

In this interview  with journalists in Abuja, Chief Sola Ebiseni, National Conference delegate and three times commissioner in Ondo State, posits the need for the conference to come out with a new constitution. Excepts

TO the surprise of many at the National Conference, you claimed that oil was first discovered in Ondo State, can you substantiate that assertion with facts?

I wasn’t saying a new thing but making a statement of fact that oil was first discovered in Nigeria at Araromi in the present Ilaje Local Government Area in 1908 by a German company which pioneer achievement was truncated by the world wars, Nigeria being a protectorate of Britain to which Germany and its interests were enemy. The discovery however encouraged further exploration east of the Niger Delta after the wars culminating in the further discovery and exploitation in commercial quantity at Olobiri in present day Bayelsa State in 1956/1957. The first law regulating oil and gas activities in Nigeria was the Nigerian Oil Minerals Ordinance of 1914. It stands to reason that that law could not have been made to regulate Olobiri of 1956. The reason we have to emphasize this point is that the Ilaje and the Ijaws of Apoi and Arogbo and Ondo State in general have been subjected to environmental degradation as a result of oil and gas activities perhaps for a longer period than any other part of Nigeria.

You also belonged to the school of thought that the country needs a new construction, what drives your belief?

Let me reiterate the point I made on the floor that the National Conference could not have come at a better time than this and that everything about this country as evident even in the historic speech of Mr. President, is in issue here. As we say in law and is commonsensical too, you cannot put something on nothing and expect it to stand. If the foundation of the nation as presented by its ground norm be destroyed, even the most righteous of its administrators or leaders will be faced with destructive but avoidable challenge. Apart from claiming legitimacy by falsely, pretending in its preamble to be given by the people, it also claims to enact a federal system when its products, for all intents and purposes, is regimental unitarism, it frustrates healthy national competition necessary for growth and encourages beggarly and dependent economy, it arbitrarily creates institutions and allocates benefits with impunity. It treats equals unequally and makes itself a crude and cruel source of oppression and engenders national discord as natural by-products.

Don’t you think those responsible for implementing the letters of the constitutions should be held responsible?

For obvious reasons the document itself is fraught with flaws. In the first place, this constitution is not the constitution of the Nigerian people because it was a product of Decree 24 of 1999. Secondly, there are too many contradictions, ambiguities, illogicalities, unfairness and injustice in the current constitution. Thirdly, the amendment that is being done by the National Assembly is to make the current constitution more acceptable based on our experience from 1999 so far. Little wonder that between 2007 and 2011, this constitution has been amended about three times. On a lighter note to have been able to amend a written constitution within that period runs contrary to what we were taught in the elementary school that a written constitution is rigid and difficult to amend. But so far, this our constitution is so easy to amend, why, because the fundamentals are not being touched. We should from this conference come out with one federal legislative list that would source its powers derived from the states. We should rise from this conference with a constitution that is called the Nigerian people’s conference.

A committee of the conference has agreed that true federalism, with states as federating units should be adopted for the country, would that meet your agitation?

Yes, and that was why I said all issues should be put on the table for discussion. In a true federal state, local governments have no business being listed in the national constitution. Local governments are local and residual matters for the federating units. Let each state create as many as its resources could take. While in the First Republic the North operated the Emirate Council System, in the West it was the District Council.

Then don’t you think the call for local government autonomy is in jeopardy with this arrangement?

When, why and how did the question of local government autonomy arise. There is a great deal of misconception and confusion created by unitarists in a supposed federal state. By autonomy, it is meant that state governments should not interfere in the administration of local governments but sincerely, the problems of local governments are caused by the constitution and the federal government.

But members of the National Assembly are elected…(cuts in)

Wrong impression should not be given of any rivalry between the national legislature and the national conference. Their roles are different but potentially complimentary. The roles and functions of the National Assembly are explicit to make laws for the nation in accordance with the constitution. The National Conference is an extra-constitutional Assembly of the Nigerian people to review our union and all its institutions without constraints. In the Confab, there is no fear of party discipline or sanction, no fear of loss of party ticket if you fail to toe its line in a constitution interpreted by the supreme court that it is not the particular office holder that was voted for but its party.

The Nigerian polity is evidently at the crossroads almost on the precipice. The national security is greatly challenged, crisis bothering on senseless killings and mutual destruction has seized a large part of the country, the educated, intelligent but jobless youths are almost on edge that a people revolution is virtually staring at us. Mr. President has been humble enough to see what perhaps Mubarak did not see or was not ready to admit which brought Egypt to where it is today. The critical sectors of our nation have been assembled ethnic nationalities Afenifere original and renewal, Arewa Consultative Forum, Ohaneze Ndigbo, Kanuri, Ijaw National Congress, Urhobo, Middle Belt Forum, Itsekiri, retired military rulers and officers, police, other security agencies, state governments, former local government chairmen, women groups, the press, labour, professional organisations, civil society groups are all fully represented. Mr. President has charged us to develop a new document of our national political relationship that is all inclusive towards re-launching a nation where no man is oppressed. Tell me, which sector or group in Nigeria is not being qualitatively represented in this extra constitutional Assembly meant to rescue our nation? Whatever be the outcome of this conference, history would have scored Jonathan high in having the rare combination of the virtues of humility and courage to face the challenges of his nation as a leader.

In the final analysis, what do we make of the report of this conference?

That will be determined between the National Conference and the Nigerian people. I have at plenary advocated a new constitution to be ratified in a referendum. Nigerians are intelligent and know what is good for them. The acceptability or legitimacy of the decision of the conference will be determined by its conformity with the people’s expectation. The most acceptable decision of even the 1995 Abacha conference is the creation of six geo-political zones. Even when it was not enshrined in the General Abdulsalami 1999 Constitution, it remains the most acceptable platform of our national relationship or engagement. I propose a new constitution re-enacting a Federal Republic in deed with powers and institutions devolved to the constituent federating units for the benefits of the people. A situation where our states, which are bigger and have more resources than several countries sitting as sovereign states in the UN, are rendered prostrate by over concentration of powers at the center is unacceptable.

Some people were of the opinion that the conference is overreaching itself and should have confined itself to matter of political restructuring of the country rather than venturing into other areas of technicalities like power, environment and others. Do you share that thought?

This is a national conference of the Nigerian people and my expectation is that a constitution of the people will emerge from it. Therefore, I am of the opinion that the conference should face squarely issues of the politics and structure while others which are policy issues should be ways of recommendation to advise government. This is because I believe that the constitution, as we presently have, is beyond amendment due to the inherent flaws in it.

As you can see, all aspects of our political structure are being addressed here, from form of government, to resource control, even to the kind of governance most suitable to the grassroots. At this conference, we are weighing all options without undue pressure from any quarters. Pros and cons of presidential and parliamentary systems of government are being critically examined in line with our own peculiarities, and that is an area we should be concerned about. How these systems of government can be domesticated to suit our purposes of providing good governance to our people.

When you go into the National Assembly, you contest on the platform of political parties, when the British came to Nigeria; they entered into treaties with our traditional rulers, chiefs and grassroots people. The composition of this conference can be likened to that with the youths, civil society groups, traditional institutions, those that were privileged to rule this country at one put or the other, military or civilian, market women, everybody in an atmosphere devoid of party politics. Legislators at the Assemblies would have the pressure and influence of their parties to contend with on some issues but here at the conference, delegates have no pressure to worry about and so, can discuss and present their views with open mind.