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Tag: Northern elders

  • Presidency: Northern elders move against Obasanjo

    Presidency: Northern elders move against Obasanjo

    • Convene pan-Arewa summit for decisive decisions on polls
    • Won’t allow another ‘imposition’ of candidate by non-northerners

    Key northern stakeholders yesterday floated a new group- Northern Political Leaders Forum (NPLF) – aimed at enabling the region to take its destiny in its hand ahead of next year’s elections, especially the presidential poll.

    The group emerged at a meeting of Northern Elders and Stakeholders Conversation co-convened by a former national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Bello Mohammed; former Deputy Senate President Ibrahim Mantu; and Second Republic Senator  Paul Wampana.

    The Nation gathered last night that it was the north’s direct response to the Olusegun Obasanjo-inspired Coalition for Nigeria Movement (CNM) and its main goal is to have a big say in who rules Nigeria from May 2019.

    Mohammed, speaking at the opening session yesterday said the forum was convened “after due consideration of the current political situation in the country”

    He said: “From what is apparent in the political arena today, it is clear that the major political operators have agreed that in the forthcoming 2019 General Elections, it is the turn of the North to produce the president.

    “And what we can see in the political arena is that most political operators have agreed that the political leadership of our country should be zoned to the North according to our Constitution with regards to zoning and rotation. But from what we have seen earlier, it has always been zoned to the North but the decision on what to do and who to be has never been a Northern decision.

    “What we observed is that the same trend is starting now. We have seen all kinds of movements coming up. If you look at what is happening now and remember what happened when it was the time of the North to produce president, President Umaru Yar’Adua of blessed memory was produced but was he really a Northern choice? At the end of the day, Yar’Adua had mishap and lost his life in the process and somebody else was also chosen, his Vice President.

    “We knew the struggle that went on when it was decided that the presidency should leave the North. It wasn’t the northerners who decided that the Presidency should leave the North. We had to follow the bandwagon.

    “The same thing happened in 2015, the North voted for the northern candidate but the decision on who should be the candidate wasn’t a northern decision. What we want is that this time around; let us have the opportunity to come together so that whatever is decided for the North, it is the Northern leaders who decide it and then we get support from other regions.

    “If we are able to do that, then we should be able to produce a leadership for this country that would be just, equitable and lead us to nation’s development which is eluding us. That is the reason why we are here. “

    The meeting appointed Dr. Umar Ardo as NPLF’s Secretary and Commodore Isaac M Mankilik (rtd ) as Deputy Secretary.

    It also raised five committees: 2019 Election Sub-Committee, Security Sub-Committee, Political Sub-Committee, Northern Unity Sub-Committee and a Restructuring of Nigeria Sub-Committee.

    In a communiqué, the group agreed to hold a Northern Political Summit on 15th March 2018.

    It said yesterday’s meeting was to:

    • Review the general security situation in the North and proffer viable solution;
    • Appraise the current state of politics in the North in relation to the unfolding national political dynamics with a view to creating a common Northern position for alliance with our fellow citizen in the southern zones;
    • Examine the causes of conflict among Northerners and suggest practical ways and means of attaining functional unity;
    • Discuss and suggest the best mode of maximizing Northern advantages in the 2019 general elections;
    • Impress upon our people to register and have their PVCs; and
    • Discuss and formulate the stand of the North on the various issues raised.
    • Discuss any other business that could further embellish the main aim of the conversation,” they stated in the communiqué.

    The stakeholders said the governors have become too powerful and extremely self-alienated from Arewa interests as espoused by late Sardauna Ahmadu Bello, the Arewa leaders reeled out major problems caused by northern governors’ peculiar disposition.

    It said: “Governors were seriously indicted for inability to maintain fairness, equity and social cohesion in business of governance especially on government appointments and empowerment.

    “Most appointees were being married to nepotism as a new phenomenon rearing its ugly heads in the region.

    “The Governors were challenged to change their disposition and borrow a lead from Sardauna and his key officers for change for the better in larger interest of the North.

    “The Governors were also reminded of their detrimental approach to issues of Northern unity; employing series examples like giving support to third term or tenure elongation of Obasanjo and their open disregard to (Arewa ) unity of purposes.”

    At yesterday’s meeting were Alhaji Tanko Yakasai; former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ghali Umar N’Abba; former FCT Minister, Jeremiah Useni; former governor of Adamawa, Boni Haruna; former governor of Sokoto State, Attahiru Bafarawa; former governor of Kogi State, Idris Wada; former Vice Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Ango Abdullahi; Prof Auwal Yadudu; former ministers, Mukhtar Shehu Shagari and Solomon Ewuga

     

  • Act fast on herdsmen menace, ACF, Northern Elders, Okogie, others tell FG

    Act fast on herdsmen menace, ACF, Northern Elders, Okogie, others tell FG

    Concerned about the killings credited to Fulani herdsmen around the country, the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) and retired Lagos State Catholic Archbishop, Anthony Olubunmi Okogie, yesterday asked the Fedral Government to act fast in finding a solution to the problem.

    While the ACF charged those vested with power to secure lives and properties to act before the crisis graduates to unmanageable level, the NEF asked the Federal Government to be proactive in handling the issue.

    On his part, Okogie, who spoke in an interview with one of our correspondents yesterday, warned that the challenge could spell doom for the country if the President fails to take proactive measures to address it.

    The Secretary-General of ACF, Mr. Anthony Sani, said that recent attacks by herdsmen on some communities across the country demand urgent attention from those vested with power to secure lives and properties before the crisis graduates to unmanageable level.

    He said Nigeria does not need a tsunami or hurricane to know that the country has serious security challenges at hand.

    The ACF Scribe however said that, the situation was not beyond redemption, once the measures that can be taken to bring about peaceful resolution of the crises are urgently considered.

    He said: “The recent attacks by herdsmen on some communities across the country have drawn the attention of the nation to security challenges which demand urgent attention from those vested with power and authority to secure the lives and properties of the citizens lest such challenges reach unmanageable level.

    “My advice is not only to the federal government and its agencies but also to the state governments as well as to all political, religious and traditional leaders, that they should all come together and think out the best way of overcoming the security challenges for larger interest.

    “I want to believe there are short term, medium term and long term measures that can be taken to bring about peaceful resolution of the crises at hand that are acceptable to all the parties concerned.

    “This is very necessary because peace is a precondition for any meaningful socio-economic development of any nation.

    “We do not need a tsunami or hurricane in order to know that Nigeria has serious security challenges which make the governments at all levels to need the support of all Nigerians as the nation grapples with them.

    “The situation is not beyond redemption.”

    Archbishop Okogie said it behoves the President to find a solution to the menace of herdsmen, adding that the ball was in the President’s court.

    He said: “The ball is in his court. He is the father of the nation, but have you heard him talk? If the President does nothing to solve the problem, your guess is as good as mine. You can feel it in the air.

    “I am not in support of giving lands to herdsmen. Let everybody keep to his zone.  This is why the Senate is against what is happening, since the President does not want to talk. His silence means consent.

    “The very first man that talked about herdsmen disturbing him in his farm was Chief Olu Falae, but they swept the thing off just like that.

    “Another case came up here in the West when a few people, looking like ruffians and pretended to be herdsmen with AK 47, were arrested. It was published in the newspapers, but nothing was done.

    “I wrote two articles on these things and nothing was done.

    “Look at what happened in Ilorin recently when small boys and girls went to churches and started damaging things. Up till today, nothing is done.

    “Let it be Christians that is doing that and you would see what will happen.”

    On his part, Prof. Abdullahi, who is the spokesman of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), called on federal and state governments to be more proactive in protecting of lives and property of citizens across the country.

    Abdullahi said there was need for the authorities to take more decisive steps to ensure the security of lives and property of citizens, especially those that were currently involved in herdsmen/farmer clashes in Benue, Taraba, Adamawa, Kaduna, Zamfara and other parts of the country.

    He also advised the federal security agencies to step up their statutory responsibility of protecting the nation’s integrity.

    While he commiserated with all families and communities that have lost members and property, the Northern Elder urged the citizens themselves to be more vigilant.

    He said: “Our forum recently met to review critical national developments, particularly as they relate to tension around national security punctuated by killings in many parts of the country, and we condemned it and called for seriousness on the part of the security agencies in tackling the matter.

    “We condole all the families and communities that have lost members and assets, and we demand the federal and state authorities to take more decisive steps to restore the security of lives and property of citizens.

    “Also, all leaders must observe restraint and responsibility in the manner they exercise their powers to shape opinion and determine the responses of the citizens.

    “All communities must maintain vigilance over their relations with each other, and seek solutions that do not involve conflicts which in the end leave all of us as losers.

    “We at the Northern Elders Forum will continue to seek all opportunities and avenues to engage leaders, governments and all stakeholders in the search for peace and security in the North and Nigeria.”

    Kano-based politician, Alhaji Faruk Umar, opined a change in the Constitution so that that every Nigerian can become a citizen in the state that he or she resides.

    This way, he said, an indigene of any state would treat others in the state like his brother or sister, and would do away with ethnic or religious dichotomy.

    Aba based Civil Rights activist, Prof. Charles Chinekezi, called for the establishment of state vigilance groups to check attacks by herdsmen.

    Recruits into such vigilance groups, according to him, must be “very well trained personnel who are chosen based on the background of decency and fairness.”

    He said the wave of killings in the country “has to be quickly addressed.”

    He wondered how herdsmen who “have been grazing their cattle in the past 2000 years suddenly became tools in the hands of dangerous politicians.”

    He kicked against the planned cattle colonies, saying: “They know it is criminal and intended to fuel dispassionate and tribal fireworks which some people want to push.”

    Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, has doubts about the ability of the Yemi Osinbajo-led committee set up by the National Economic Council to resolve the herdsmen crisis to  achieve anything.

    “Committee to do what? To find out how many people have been killed? To establish that we have been this problem for more than five years and nobody is addressing this problem?” he asked.

    He advised the state governments to take advantage of the current situation by establishing ranches to provide the beef needs of their people.

    He said: “In 1951, we had the first ranch in Nigeria, in Calabar, Obudu cattle ranch. Now, it’s been converted to Obudu holiday resort.

    “The late Ahmadu Bello regime established the Mokwa ranch, the Obafemi Awolowo regime in the West, in the 50s, established the Akunnu ranch, now in Ondo State.

    “The late Governor Adekunle Ajasin of the old Ondo state established a dairy farm in Iko Ekiti. “What do you expect the government to do? Revive the dairy farm.

    “A pregnant woman was killed in Ekiti two days ago, it is a height of primitivity to kill a pregnant woman anywhere in the world. But you can be sure nobody will be brought to book. The point I’m trying to make is, it is not our culture, for people taking cattle round the country, it’s a recent phenomenon.

    “In the Southwest here, the late Obafemi Awolowo brought a specie of cattle from Argentina. They were locally bred and people had these animals.

    “Nobody destroyed anybody’s farm until recently. And if you are taking a cow from Sokoto to Benin or Enugu, the rearer has to be armed because of cattle rustlers. The animal has to feed on somebody’s farm and rape has to be committed since the rearer hasn’t seen his wife for two or three months. Nobody does this again anywhere in the world. African countries have solved these problems by establishing ranches.” Second Republic Senator, Chief Ayo Fasanmi advised the security operatives to be more vigilant and pro-active with a view to assuring Nigerians that they are capable of securing their lives and property.

    The Afenifere leader, who expressed dissatisfaction with creation of colonies for animals, maintained that establishing such is neo-colonialism, adding that cows are not human beings to enjoy an independent portion of territory within Nigeria. ”We must stand firm against what is not right. We are one nation with a common destiny. Nothing should be allowed to divide us. How could people not feel safe on their farms and land.” Fasanmi said he was confident that President Mohammadu Buhari would be able to stand up to the challenge posed by the menace, saying as “an outstanding retired military officer he must have seen as worst as this situation before.”

  • Call for break-up: Northern elders, ACF, Arewa youths, disown Ango Abdullahi

    Call for break-up: Northern elders, ACF, Arewa youths, disown Ango Abdullahi

    The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), leader of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), Dr. Paul Unongo,  and the Arewa  Youths Consultative Forum  are not on the same page with Northern Elders Forum  (NEF) chieftain,Professor Ango Abdullahi, on his position that Nigerians should “go our separate ways.”

    The former vice chancellor of the Ahmadu Bello University,Zaria,has also came under attack from the youth wing of Igbo socio-cultural group, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, which called his view “very, very unfortunate and unexpected from a man of his caliber.”

    Abdullahi, speaking on Wednesday at a public debate in Kaduna had said  the best option for the country was a return to 1914 or 1960 or  what he called “let us go our separate ways.”

    “If on the other hand we give credit to the British and our founding fathers (and they deserve credit), and we cannot contain restructuring based on what existed in 1914, we should go back to 1960 when the country operated regions. The north is not afraid of getting our north back,” he said  at the forum “The North and the Future of Nigerian Federation”, organized by the Arewa Research and Development Project, in collaboration with Sir Ahmadu Bello Foundation; the Northern Elders Forum; Arewa Consultative Forum; Code Group; Northern Delegates Forum; Arewa Reawakening; Jamiyar Matan Arewa and Forum for Northern Youths Organizations.

    Asked yesterday to respond to Abdullahi’s  view,the ACF Secretary General Mr. Anthony Sani said Abdullahi was on his own on.

    He said: “Prof Ango Abdullahi has the right to air his view, but he is on his own on this matter of public importance.

    “As far as we are concerned, the certain benefits of a big and united one Nigeria are more than the uncertain gains of split.

    “It is therefore defeatist to allow our temporary challenges to redefine our cherished common destiny and set our collective agenda.

    “Nigerians must know that in mechanism of community living, victory and defeat are never final. Our current challenges are not beyond redemption.”

    Dr. Unongo who heads  the NEF of which Abdullahi is a prominent member,said that the 1914 amalgamation of Nigeria by Lord Frederick Lugard was not a mistake.

     

    The Second Republic Minister of Steel Development said by phone that though  he supports devolution of power to the states, he is totally against any move to break  up Nigeria.

    His words: “Professor Ango Abdullahi has spoken for himself and he has a right to do so. But, going our separate ways is not the best for this country.

    “That we have challenges does not mean that we have not done well in so many other areas.

    “Nigeria has done very well as a nation state. The amalgamation of Nigeria by Lord Lugard is not a mistake, because we have come this far as a united country. But, the agitation by the youths and other groups is that  we ought to have done better, which the truth.

    “Mind you, this situation is like the car we use.There are times we need to change worn-out nuts and others like that. So, the most sensible way of addressing this situation is to address our challenges as a nation.

    “So, we should not split this country. Yes, I support devolution of certain power to the states. Let them be given power and resources to develop the states and same to the local governments.

    “What I will not support is allowing state police. States should not be allowed to form their own army, because states will go to war against each other.”

    The  national president of the AYCF, Comrade Shettimma Yerima, said the disintegration of the country would do no good to Nigerians and would amount to suicide.

    He said: “We respect Professor Ango Abdullahi and he might have his reasons for saying this.

    “That is his own opinion and that how he sees it.

    “ He saw yesterday but for us who are for today, we really don’t want to reflect on the past because it nothing to write home about. We are looking for how we can build a nation, how we can work together to make Nigeria stronger.

    “I don’t agree with him that Nigeria should disintegrate. We have more to lose now if the country disintegrates.

    “I am of the view that whatever the grudges are, we must know that all hope is not lost.  The  present generation (of Northerners) strongly believe that we can work together with our brothers from other parts of the country to build a nation where there will be no suspicion, where there will be equity and fairness to all.

    “That is what we are looking up to.  We are working towards building a nation where all of us will begin to see ourselves as Nigerians.

    “This is why the Arewa youths, the Ohanaeze youths and others across the country and working together to make sure peace reigns and that we have a virile nation. Disintegration will amount to total suicide.”

    The youth wing of Igbo socio-cultural group, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, also does not share Abdullahi’s view.

    In a chat with our correspondent, the President of the OYC, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro, said the statement by Abdullahi was unfortunate.

    He said:”As a youth group, we have been working with the Arewa youths and other youth groups in the country to promote peace and cordial relationship among our people.

    “Why should  Professor Abdullahi now be making such statement that is capable of heating up the polity again and causing needless confusion. We stand for a united Nigeria where equity, fairness and justice shall reign.”

    Niger Delta leaders who were also contacted  insisted on a fair, just and equitable country as opposed to the  break-up canvassed by Prof Abdullahi.

    The National Coordinator, Pan Niger Delta Peoples Congress (PNDPC), Chief Mike Loyibo, said though the Southsouth was  not afraid of a breakup, the people  had unanimously agreed that Nigeria would be better as one entity.

    He said the zone  would continue to advocate a restructured Nigeria where states would be allowed to control their resources and pay certain amount of taxes to the Federal Government.

    He said they were tired of the current lopsided arrangement where the region which feeds the country, remained marginalized in key security and oil and gas positions.

    He said: “Our problem is that of injustice. The constitution itself is defective and we have been long marginalized.

    “What we are simply saying is give us  true federalism where all the regions are  allowed to develop at their own pace. Allow us to control and manage our resources and we pay certain taxes to the government.

    “Nobody is afraid of breakup, after all Nigeria is a forced marriage.

    “ Our position as Niger Delta leaders is that there should be restructuring. We want a structure that will address the injustice we have.

    “ I don’t support breakup but I support one Nigeria where there will be justice, equity and every side will be allowed to develop at their own pace.

    “ Ango Abdullahi is entitled to his opinion. The other day he said it was not resource control but resource management”

    Also speaking,a former President of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide, Mr. Udens Eradiri, said Nigeria would be stronger as a united country.

    He said the country urgently needed restructuring to ensure equity and justice adding that devolution of power will  enable states develop at their pace.

    He said: “I think Nigeria is stronger as one nation where equity and justice will prevail. It is not difficult to get justice and equity. It is just that leadership is not serious.

    “Somebody said  something that the mineral resources offshore should belong to the Federal Government while the ones onshore should belong to the state. That could also be the starting point. But the important point is that equity and justice demand that the state must get what belongs to it.

    “In any case, Nigeria is failing. States can no longer pay salaries. The federal government is taking 87 per cent of the resources after giving 13 per cent to states, but cannot sustain infrastructures. Roads are nothing to write home about even in APC states.

    “It is not about supporting an administration, it is about a system that has failed and that cannot be sustained. It is only common sense that when you are doing something for many years and it is not working, you ought  to do it differently.

    “ The most important part is that there is failure of leadership. If we have had clear-headed leadership, we won’t be where we are today.

    “Even when we will be restructuring and devolving power, the people must take control of the electoral process. That is the only way you can guarantee responsible leadership. As we are today, it is not working.”

  • Northern elders to Osinbajo: beware of mischief makers

    Northern elders to Osinbajo: beware of mischief makers

    The Northern Elders Forum (NEF) has called on Acting President Prof. Yemi Osinbajo to be wary of mischievous elements plotting to overheat the polity by taking advantage of the absence of President Muhammadu Buhari to achieve dubious political goals.

    A communiqué issued after its two-day emergency meeting in Kano warned those seeking “undeserved political advantage” to desist, saying the North is conscious of its obligations and rights, and will discharge and defend them without reservations.

    The communique, signed by NEF spokesman, Prof. Ango Abdullahi, and Deputy Leader Chief Wantaregh Paul Unongo, said: “We know there are attempts to exploit the absence of President Buhari to achieve dubious political goals.

    “NEF, however, advises Acting President Osinbajo to exercise responsibilities, as he did in the past, with commitment, sensitivity, and respect for the constitution. We urge him to ignore mischief makers, who seek to pitch him against the president and Nigerians.

    “The task of governing the country will continue uninterrupted until the return of President Buhari. We, therefore, appeal to all persons with responsibility to cooperate fully to sustain a united, focused and committed administration.”

    On the clamour for restructuring, NEF said the North is not afraid of restructuring the country but warned that the call comes with sentiments “which tend to create tension around our coexistence as a country that is diverse and united.

    “For the record, the forum wishes to state that the North welcomes honest and sincere discussions on all aspects of our existence, and remains available to engage any group to discuss and advance the nature of our union.”

  • Confab: Ijaw, northern elders may clash over resource control

    Confab: Ijaw, northern elders may clash over resource control

    There were indications on Wednesday that Ijaw elders may clash with their counterparts from northern Nigeria at the proposed National Conference over issues bordering on resource control.

    Ijaw delegates for the conference were said to be warming up to flex muscles with representatives of the north on resource control.

    While Ijaw delegates were said to be heading for the conference with resource control in their minds, northern delegates and elders were said to be ready to scuttle such demand.

    Already, the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), Worldwide, has raised the alarm over ongoing moves by some northern leaders to galvanise consensus against resource control at the conference.

    The youth body accused a northern leader and former National Secretary of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Alhaji Usman Bugaje, of canvassing support against resource control.

    Speaking in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, through its Spokesman, Mr. Eric Omare, IYC derided Bugaje over his comments against clamour by the Niger Delta region for resource control.

    It quoted Bugaje as saying that “it is wrong for any state in Nigeria to claim that it is oil producing because 72 per cent of the total land mass in the country belonged to the North and by the United Nation’s Law, it is only the North that actually has the right to claim ownership.”

    According to the group, Bugaje further said investment in the oil and gas industry “came from the Nigerian state and that the territory belongs to the Nigeria State”.

    IYC said Bugaje made the statement at the meeting of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) on the National Conference held in Kano on March 11.

    The Ijaw youths said: “Dr. Bugaje’s statement is a deliberate ploy to mislead his northern brothers to prepare the ground to oppose the legitimate demand of the Niger Delta people to control their resources at the forthcoming National Conference.

    “The IYC is very much aware of the game plan of the Northern Elders Forum. The IYC is watching and ready for the challenge.”

    Describing Bugaje’s statement as reckless, provocative, baseless and misleading, the group accused him of displaying “the highest level of ignorance.”

    The group said there was no charter of the United Nations which based determination of maritime boundary of a country on land mass.

    “For the records, there is nowhere in Articles 3, 5, 57 and 76 of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) where it is stated that the landmass of a coastal state determines its mileage into the sea or its maritime boundary.

    “The United Nations Law of the Sea which is the primary law which determines the maritime boundary of coastal states defines the Exclusive Economic Zone and the Continental Shelf to be up to 200 nautical lines measured from its baseline which is the low water mark along the coast”, it said.

    Contrary to Bugaje’s position, the Ijaw youths said northern Nigerian and other states in the country were not part of the investment in the oil and gas sector.

    “It was the multinationals who came to explore for oil during the colonial and post-colonial era that did the initial investment and subsequent investment of government in the oil industry is from the proceeds of the Niger Delta oil.

    “Furthermore, the groundnut and economic resources produced from the North were never used to develop the Niger Delta and the oil and gas industry.

    “Northern leaders and especially elites like Dr. Usman Bugae are advised to bury their frivolous claim to Niger Delta oil and think of creative means to harness the resources found in the North.

    “The IYC wish to state clearly that the Niger Delta oil belongs to the communities and people of the Niger Delta and by extension the states where the oil is found and produced.

    “Niger Delta oil does not belong to Northern Nigeria and the Nigeria State. The IYC is capable and ever ready and willing to defend, protect and assert the Niger Delta communities and people ownership of its oil and gas resources both onshore and off shore.”

  • Northern elders vs. Ihejirika

    RAGING furore over the plan by Northern Elders to prosecute at the International Criminal Court ICC, former Chief of Army Staff, Lt-Gen Azubuike Ihejirika for alleged human rights abuses in Baga, Borno State should not come as a surprise. The idea is not only viewed as insensitive and controversial but equally fraught with contradictions that may force the touted aim of its sponsors pale into insignificance.

    According to the spokesman of the forum Prof. Ango Abdullahi, their decision to go to the ICC is because of the failure of the Nigerian justice system to guarantee justice in glaring cases of human rights abuses. The forum would want Ihejirika to account for the alleged killings in Baga where the military is prosecuting the war against the dreaded Boko Haram terrorists to serve as a deterrent to others.

    Ordinarily, issues of human rights abuse especially where they have been proven beyond reasonable doubt, should be deprecated by all fair-minded people. This is more so in our clime where over time, governments have been pilloried for their scant regard for human rights. The several cases of such abuses we have had to content with as a nation bear this out.

    But in the instant case, it would appear there is more to the interest of northern elders than genuine concerns for human rights abuses.

    Expectedly, there have been vehement reactions from sections of the Nigerian public to the plan. Those who spoke do not by any dint of the imagination endorse human rights abuses either in Baga or elsewhere. But they have issues with the propriety in selective picking of Ihejirika and the Baga incident as a test case for alleged human rights abuse for ICC adjudication. They contend that our political landscape is littered with a plethora of proven and worst cases of such human rights abuses that have been swept under the carpet and wondered why the forum shut its eyes to these instances if it was moved by wholesome ideals. For this category of people, there is more to the new interest of the forum on human rights issues than ordinarily meets the eyes. At best, the concerns are not only sectional but limited in time and scope and therefore circumscribed by these flaws. Yet, this fact does not in any way encumber the forum from challenging human rights abuses if it has woken up from slumber.

    But there are moral contradictions that have been thrown up by the way these later day human rights converts are going about their current crusade.

    They have issue with the basis for handpicking Ihejirika for prosecution when in reality the war against terrorism is a joint military operation under the command of the Chief of Defence Staff. So on what plank was Ihejirika picked for prosecution? That is the question the northern elders must provide urgent answer to. It is also on account of this incongruity that Igbo elders have alleged ethnic bias and they are within their rights to so insinuate.

    Primordial bias as the leitmotif for the northern elders’ action is further reinforced in the face of their glaring silence in proven cases of human rights abuses in the past. Before now, there were the cases of Odi, Zaki Biam and Katsina Ala. Nothing was heard from the forum then. It could well be that the northerners have been so agitated by events since the prosecution of the war on terrorism that they have now woken up from slumber That could be conceded to them.

    But there are other serious issues that have been thrown up by their decision to challenge the military when serious fighting is still raging between the soldiers and the foreign-backed insurgents.

    There is the issue of the impact of the litigation on the current but difficult war of stamping out terrorism within these shores. There is also the issue of the residue of the sympathy of northern elders in the current war. The impression which their current posture is fast conveying is that they care little on what needed to be done to terminate these senseless and ill-conceived acts of terrorism.

    That ought to be the priority of the forum since the war still rages with prospects of more loss of lives and destruction of properties. Their litigation can also dampen the morale of the military and prolong the war to the detriment of peace, stability and progress in this county. These are some of the drawbacks.

    Ihejirika made references to this contradiction when while reacting to the forum’s threat he said they ought to be grateful to the military for rescuing the region from the stranglehold of Boko Haram. This goes without saying. He also painted a sordid picture of the war when he said there is no senatorial zone in the country that has not lost soldiers in the battle against terrorism.

    When this is juxtaposed against thousands of people that have been killed and maimed in their places of worship or while pursuing their daily living, the mortal danger posed by Boko Haram stares us on the face. It is therefore premature and patently insensitive for a forum of elders to be talking of prosecuting Ihejirika or any other person when we are yet to get a final handle to the Boko Haram menace. It is not in the character of elders to create conditions for situations to exacerbate.

    Their plan has inadvertently resonated sectional and religious sentiments that may pose some impediments to the overall fight against terrorism. This is not the first time Ihejirika is being harassed, blackmailed and intimidated since he became the Chief of Army Staff. Sometime last year, he was harangued by moles in the army and elsewhere opposed to the reforms he had initiated. They had bandied questionable statistics from a single recruitment exercise in the army to simulate a plan to ‘Igbonize’ the army. He had also been accused by fifth columnists apparently from the same north of pursuing a plan to avenge the killing of the Igbo during the civil war. That was at the heat of the Boko Haram crisis that saw the bombing of the nation’s highest military training institution at Jaji, Kaduna State. Curiously also, the tirade from northern elders came few days after Ihejirika was retired from the army. So if ethnic bias is read into the inexplicable posturing of northern elders, it stands on very strong foundation and cannot be wished away.

    Beyond this, the war against terrorism is a very difficult one that should call for utmost caution in actions and utterances. By the modus operandi of the terrorists, it is very difficult to say who a Boko Haram member really is. President Jonathan captured this dilemma succinctly when he said sometime ago that there were members of Boko Haram in his cabinet. They live with the people and have severally used this advantage as a decoy to attack both the military and civilians.

    Some of the purported excesses of the military were largely due to inability to differentiate between the insurgents and the ordinary people. That was the genesis of what has come to be known in that part of the country as a civilian Joint Task Force.

    Dissatisfied with the hide and seek strategy of the terrorists and the risks it posed to their lives, civilians had to form vigilante groups to fish out the insurgents in their midst. Such is the delicate nature of the fight. Such a situation calls for caution, maturity and understanding rather than the brash manner the elders have now chosen to respond to the festering monster. But then, whose brief is the forum holding: that of Boko Haram or civilians caught in the cross fire?

  • Igbos dare Northern elders on Ihejirika

    Igbos dare Northern elders on Ihejirika

    Igbo elders on Wednesday dared Northern elders to carry through their threat to drag former Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika, to The Hague over alleged human rights abuses in the fight against terrorism in the country.

    The South East elders also asked President Goodluck Jonathan to redress the omission of “Ndigbo in the council of security chiefs of the country.

    The Chairman, Senate Committee on Education, Senator Uche Chukwumerije, spoke on behalf of Igbo elders at a news conference in Abuja.

    Chukwumerije said the threat of Northern Elders Forum to drag the immediate past COAS and six others to the International Criminal Court of Justice (ICC) in The Hague is capable of unleashing a national ill-wind that will do no one any good in the country.

    He noted that the approach of the Northern Elder Forum to a national problem is “selective, patently biased, apparently in search of preconceived culprits, pointedly indifferent to the demands of national unity, and highly provocative to the sensibilities of all who genuinely desire the unity and stability of this country.”

    Though he emphasized that senseless sacrifice of a human life is indefensible, the lawmaker noted that violations of human rights have remained the bane of Africa.

    He said, “A society that has no respect for human life is nearer the status of a community of animals. But the situation in the universally acknowledged difficult terrain of a borderless war such as terrorism, counter terrorism and guerilla-like conflicts offers a unique challenge.”

    Chukwumerije, who spoke at the National Assembly added: “The motives of Prof. Ango Abdullahi and co are obviously beyond concerns about violations of human rights. This is so because the incident of Bama (Baga) has been investigated and put to rest long ago.

    “For instance, the Senate sent a strong team to the area in June 2013 after the incident. After a thorough on-the-spot investigation which extended to interviews with all concerned officials (Director of SSS, State Governor, Commander of the Multi-National Joint Task Force, and stakeholders of the community) and visit to the grave yard, the Senate Committee concluded as follows: ‘the death toll of 185 was exaggerated but there may be more than 37 deaths.”

    Chukwumerije, who said the Senate endorsed the report noted that “definitely, there were no massacres to the scale that demanded the judicial sanctions of The Hague.

    He posed three questions: “Why the blatantly selective search for responsibility in Bama (Baga) and why so personal?

    “Every citizen (including Prof. Ango Abdullahi) knows that the anti-terrorism campaign in the North is a joint-military operation under the command of the Chief of Defence Staff.

    “In singling out Lt. General Ihejirika, the then Army boss, the likes of Prof. Ango Abdullahi are merely betraying old prejudices and embarking on new hazardous search for bad names to hang hated dogs.

    “Besides, the fact that Prof. Ango Abdullahi and co sprung into action immediately Lt. General Ihejirika and ‘six others’ left their commands has revealed the depth of long-smoldering resentment of the campaign against Boko Haram by the self-proclaimed leaders of the North.

    The position of the Northern Elders Forum, he said, “raises a question about where their sympathy lies in this battle” against Boko Haram.

    Chukwumerije further asked, “Why single out Bama (Baga) incident for Hague’s adjudication?”

     

  • Northern elders want amnesty for Boko Haram members

    Northern elders want amnesty for Boko Haram members

    Northern elders have called on the Federal Government to grant amnesty to members of the Boko Haram sect, just as they identified widespread insecurity, breakdown of the educational system, massive illiteracy and leadership failure as part of the problems bedeviling the region.

    They urged President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan to seek dialogue with the sect and grant them amnesty just as it was done to the Niger-Delta militants.

    To them, Jonathan, Vice-President Namadi Sambo and northern governors have failed to show sympathy for most states ravaged by the Boko Haram insurgence.

    In a communiqué raised by the Northern Elders after a three-day summit organized by Northern Development Focus Initiative (NDFI), held in Kano Government House at the weekend, they also advocated death penalty or life imprisonment for indicted corrupt officials in both public and private sectors.

    It is also in their view that all stolen assets be forfeited to government while indicted public officials are suspended from office, pending outcome of investigation.

    The communiqué signed by Alhaji Usman Farouk, former governor of North-western state and Dr. Sadiq Umar Abubakar, chairman and secretary of NDFI respectively, reads in part, “education has collapsed to the extent that over 70 per cent of children of school-going age are not attending school,” while regretting lack of avenues for gainful employment for teeming youths.

    The communiqué further noted the concerns and fears of northern youths for the survival of the region and Nigeria and the impacts of the present decline on their collective wellbeing.

    It added that government’s failure to address the problem of insecurity is responsible for inter-religious and ethnic crises.