Why Nigerians Should Forget Clamor For National Conference or SNC

What Are The Functions Of Nigeria’s National Assembly? Why Do Many Nigerians Believe Sovereign National Conference Is A Panacea? Does The Nigerian Constitution Provide For National Conference Or SNC? Are Some Nigerians Averse To Due Process And The Rule Of Law? Perhaps Nigerians Should Make Constitutional Amendment A Campaign Issue In 2007? Is The Economy Really Not The Source of ALL our tensions?
The above questions are some that I have been asking compatriots and myself repeatedly, these questions must be answered by advocates of NC or the ultimate, SNC, regarding this willful ignorance displayed by so many intelligent people, who are adamant in their fallacious belief that a National Conference or Sovereign National Conference, hereinafter NC and SNC, are the cure-all and be-all for every challenges facing Nigeria.


Clearly, there are inequalities, imbalances and even injustices in the past and current political arrangements in Nigeria, there is an urgent need to address these inequalities, imbalances and injustices, but, the way forward, is not NC or SNC, it is constitutional amendments, through our elected representatives, elections are unfairly rigged, yes, I know, let us reform the electoral law and process, Nigerians should not accept bags of rice or bags of money next time there are elections, they should instead, report anyone who does accept bribes to affect election outcomes, so we have pristine election, we then have elected representatives that truly reflect our wishes? Then we demand constitutional amendment! Perhaps Nigerians should make constitutional amendments a campaign issue in 2007! Nigerians should trust democracy to deliver dividends, we should make our elected representatives accountable, make them pursue law reforms, that enhances the system of government and better life for all citizens.


If it is true, that Nigerians have wholeheartedly accepted democracy, why then, are too many Nigerians averse to rules and tenets of democracy? Why are some unwilling to let the process work and fine-tune progressively? I have written in the past, that constitutional amendments are much better and preferable to NC or SNC, and, I am compelled to repeat this basic idea again.

If the function of the national assembly is to make laws, including authority amend the Nigerian constitution, why are so many people clamoring for NC or SNC? Why wouldn’t these persons, lobby or cajole their National Assembly member, to sponsor constitutional amendment bills? All these Nigerians, well-meaning and all, should learn the very basic or elementary rule of democracy, for democracy to succeed in Nigeria, we must all learn these very rudimentary rules of electing the finest amongst ourselves, no bags of salt or bags of money as substitute, and then, put the fine men and women that we elect to work, by lobbying them or letting them know, that they will not be re-elected, when and if they fail to make constitutional amendment a reality or if and when the fail election agenda.

I myself have concerns about how focused our current governments at all levels, formed by the various political parties, are. But I think it is beyond questions, whether Nigerians are willing to live together, the cause of the present crises are purely the end-result of the comatose state of the Nigerian economy; We have always been willing to live together, and my prediction is that, as soon as our country’s shattered economy recovers from the doldrums, these present crises, that appear intractable, will dissipate and fizzle out naturally. It is my position, that petty age-old disagreements, have become exacerbate and pronounced, only because of joblessness and hunger in our land, which have affected the majority of our citizens adversely for several decades.

I would have been in favor of a national conference or the more portent legalese Sovereign National Conference, if it was about how to make the different strata and levels of government in Nigeria more responsive to the yearnings and aspirations of all Nigerian citizens, in efforts to achieve the general welfare and greater god of all. The current federal government of Nigeria has a program, called NEEDS, as one of its efforts at poverty eradication and the alleviation of mass sufferings and hardships of our citizens, but we have heard all these before, so, I can understand that most of our citizens seems to think and say to themselves, well, we have heard all these before…. And there is these justified skepticisms and even cynicisms, coming from our weather-beaten citizens, who are at this time, battle-wary and worn-out, by scorching poverty and hardships.

But perhaps we ought not to, judge every government in Nigeria or anywhere, with our pre-conceived notions of low expectations of policy formulations and implementations? And perhaps Nigerians ought not, to pre-judge NEEDS? We need to summon the courage to imbibe the ideals and tenets of democracy, and this requires some elements of trust, but with a caveat, of a sort of enlightened suspicions of our governments, suspicions that would not stifle governments’ efforts from its conceptions or cradle.

The Nigerian National Assembly members, are the representatives of all ethnic groups from all facets and works of life in Nigeria’s nooks and crannies, they therefore, represent, the best and perhaps, the worst amongst us Nigerian citizens? And it will essentially be the same samplings, of the good, the bad and the ugly of Nigerians, I bet, if the National or Sovereign National Conference nominees and or attendees,(just like previous Constitution Drafting Committees/Constituent Assemblies in the past) were to be selected, nothing would be different, we will be Nigerians. Or are we selecting the participants from the moon or mars? Who are the apparently pristine persons that would attend the NC or SNC? What will be the nominating or selection processes that would markedly different, from the current process for nominations to elective offices? The current processes that is presumably irredeemably flawed and imperfect?


Nigerians need to emphasize selfless service and stop perceiving public service as an opportunity for self-enrichments and self-aggrandizements.

The truth must be told, that we have had excellent body of laws in the past, Nigeria had good constitutions at various times in the past, what we have lacked, and perhaps still lack, have been rigorous and vigorous enforcements of the laws that we already have. We have lacked effective implementations of our previous constitutions, our laws, statutes and rules or regulations that Nigeria already have in the books! Unless, Nigerians believe that the reasons for some our filthy streets, are because, there are no laws in Nigeria regulating public hygiene and hygienic living, and in that case, we must be reminded, of how, the War Against Indiscipline, at least, the Environmental Sanitation aspects, compelled Nigerians to suddenly clean their neighborhoods!

I did not like the compulsion, but we like the clean! There has always been laws against corruption in Nigeria for example, but, just like the laws stipulating public hygiene standard have been observed in the breach, the law against corruption and greed, have not been aggressively enforced.

Senator Kuta endeared himself to me, when he made anti corruption comments during the Senate investigation of the late Senator Okadigbo and others, who at the time were facing a probe, and since then, I have watched Senator Kuta with admiration. He is certainly, a man of courage who speaks his mind undeterred by the political expediencies of the current dispensation, expediencies that tend to inhibit actions on the part of Nigeria’s political class. Senator Kuta has logic and incredibly good sense.

In a recent interview with The Guardian’s Abiodun Beckley in Jos, he clearly stated the argument against national conference and or the now notorious clamor for Sovereign national conference. He restated the correctly, Nigeria is not a failed state/country!
The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Austin Opara, spoke in the same vein, against the clamor for NC and SNC, Nigerians will do well to listen to these persons

National Conference or Sovereign National Conference is not authorized or provided for in the Constitution of Nigeria, the activities for which some Nigeria advocate these conferences by whatever names, are the exact functions of the national assembly, which is already empanelled in Abuja since May 29, 1999.

Nigerians deserving law reforms, including constitutional amendments, must therefore channel their demands and proposals through their Senators and House of Representatives members…. I am the first to concede that, Nigeria does have a need for all manners of law reform, prison reforms, land law reform, agricultural law reform, police law reform, environmental law reform, military law reforms… etc and all these are the duties/functions of the Nigerian national assembly! Shall we have national conferences for police reform, agric reform and pollutions curbing laws?

Some Nigerians must first decide whether they prefer democracy to dictatorship (I thought that was without question, resolved already!) But with these agitations and propaganda, some Nigerians are seemingly asking for military-style conduct of policies by fiat of the executive, instead of procedural due process of the law making-type of national assemblies! If we have all accepted democracy (as I now wonder whether we all have?) Why would some Nigerians want to operate outside of the Nigerian Constitution?

Well again, I will be the first to concede that our current constitution is not perfect, after all, the current constitution was drafted by those nominated or selected by a military regime and worse, their final product and draft constitution was said to have been amended by the then military ruling council… but even at that, it our constitution! It is our duty to curb its imperfections, we can radically alter our present constitution or just fine-tune it as we go along the democratic process and all of these are within the ambit and purview of Nigeria’s national assembly.

If some Nigerians have argued that the present constitution was imposed on us by a military and undemocratic leaders, and therefore necessarily devoid of inputs from the electorate, then further argue that the recent elections in April 2003 were flawed, all these lead me to wonder, what the difference really will be with a national conference or opiate laden one, SNC! First, NC or SNC is unconstitutional… even by currently adjudged imperfect Nigerian constitution standard;

Further and more, were we to agree, to actually have an NC or an SNC, who would qualify in my hometown and your hometown? What will be the parameter for nominations, selections or elections and who and how do we decides these? Who further decides whether these processes will be fair or flawed? Again, would nominations be by the local government, state or federal governments? Would it be by the various political parties? If the April 2003 were flawed for whatever reasons, what has changed since then? The present Constitution of Nigeria? The present Electoral Law? The Political Parties or the attitude of the citizens or governments at all levels? Nothing has changed! Where then is the guarantee that elections, selections or nominations to NC and SNC would be flawless and incorruptible?

Which of the so-called ethnic nationalities trust any of the current political parties completely? What political party represents the Niger Delta or the Tiv or the Urhobos, what political party ensures that the marginalized minorities or the Middle Belt are now well looked after…at the end of the NC or SNC? Have many written that Nigeria is now more or less a one party state run by the PDP dominatrix?

Amazingly, some very smart and intelligent Nigerians continue to advocate and agitate, these empty propaganda laden NC and SNC as panacea for all Nigeria’s ills! Most of these agitators seem not to bother to contend with ground rules for the conferences for which they are drum so loudly! What are the modalities for selecting conference attendees or representatives? Who represents me at the conferences? And what will be the apparatus for implementing the resulting cumulative deliberations? The present Nigerian government and her machineries at all levels that were arguably derived from a flawed process; And the prevailing logic is, how can the government be trusted with anything else after the imperfect elections? Hence the agitators do not trust the local, state, and federal government and national assembly to be in any position to undertake constitutional and law reforms, and so, the reason the prefer NC or SNC, but why will they at some point, trust the current elected office holders (elected from flawed/tainted elections, untrustworthy hence?) to implement NC and SNC recommendations or outcome? Since those who distrust the current government believe that, the part always reliably represent the whole, and a government derived from a flawed election, will lie about anything and will never do anything right! What an endless process?

In order to arrive at true democracy, we must view democracy as we would cooking a meal with firewood, we must stoke the fire and constantly manipulate the woods for the best embers or the food will be undercook if the fire fizzles for lack of attention and care on our part, democracy like good fire, requires attention and care and patience too.

Some Nigerians are currently behaving like persons cooking with firewood fire, but seeking and expecting the results of microwave speed-cooking! Or put differently, those agitating for NC or SNC are unwittingly seeking the arbitrariness of the erstwhile military regimes, where one man appoint everybody, and the ruling council rubber stamps such appointments, regimes that executed public policies by personal fiat on the helmsman and his henchmen. Nigerians who overwhelmingly accepted democracy when it re-arrived or was re-ordained five years ago, now appears journey-wary already?

Democracy may be too slow for some, law reform through lobbying and presentations of paper positions may to complicated for some, and constitutional amendments are probably too much debate and arduous work for some, but, these are the tenets and ideals of democracy, a perfect constitution, if there ever was one, is like a house, it is constructed, brick-by-brick. If Nigerian yearns for a good/perfect constitution, we must construct/create one, brick-by-brick or amendment-by-amendment, we must put the era of ad hoc public policy modes behind us, we must initiate procedures and processes that endures the test of time… as good as most Nigerians think American Constitution to be, it still is, for Americans, a work in progress, good but not perfect.

Paul Adujie Writings

Paul Adujie Writings

NATO, No Fly Zone for Syria, Yemen, Bahrain?

NATO, No Fly Zone for Syria, Yemen, Bahrain?
Written by Paul I. Adujie


500 peaceful protesters have been murdered by forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Syria is using tanks and heavy weapons to crackdown on peaceful protester and this is egregious and should be condemned by all lovers of democracy and freedoms.

This murderous and brutal political repression in Syria have been widely reported. And yet, NATO and France, Britain, America and their Arab enablers are pretending to be completely oblivious of the sameness and the identical nature of the humanitarian crises in Syria, Yemen as in Libya.

France led Britain, the US and NATO to invade Libya and engage in the overthrow of Libya’s longtime dictator and tyrant, Col. Moammar Gaddaffi with whom they need to settle scores. Western nations are at the onset of a process which they hope, culminates in the departure of Gaddaffi in a Regime Change plan.

Meanwhile, despite these regime change plans, weapons supplies to the rebels and all, by France, Britain, the US and NATO, these nations have ostentatiously and laboriously argued and insisted that their direct intervention in Libya was predicated upon the probability of humanitarian catastrophe which was ensuing or about to unfold

It is the case now, and it has been the case, that Syrian forces are mowing down Syrian citizens like flies. Syrian forces are using armored vehicles and other heavy military weapons, including tanks and assortments of personnel carriers.

In March, we point that France, Britain, the US and NATO are engaged in selfish and self-serving intervention in Libya.

Libya; Why Not Yemen, Tunisia, Egypt, Bahrain, Jordan, Syria, Saudi Arabia etc
http://adujie-writings.blogspot.com/2011/03/libya-why-not-yemen-tunisia-egypt.html

We argued that the intervention were hypocritical and a double standard, given the fact that similar uprisings were unfolding in several North African and Middle Eastern nations. These other protests or political upheaval have been peaceful and without violence splinters in the coalitions of opposition to dictatorships in Tunisia, then Egypt, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia etc

Libyan opposition, or Libyan rebels, quite unlike the others in North Africa and the Middle East, were armed in their confrontation with Col. Gaddaffi and his paramilitary led by his sons

Col. Gaddaffi is reported to have over $40 billion investments in Italy. Gaddaffi also entered a multilateral agreement with Italy and other European nations, to act as a gatekeeper and bulwark against African migrants using North Africa as gateway to Europe. Gaddaffi’s favors to Europeans also included elaborate oil contracts. Gaddaffi in effect, enjoyed cozy relationships with Europeans and the Americans, a short while before the political uprising and unfolding civil war in Libya

Col. Gaddaffi is reported to also have over $33billion dollars cash money in America. All this, despite the fact that Gaddaffi has for decades been persona non grata in Europe and America, where he was labeled a madman and a terrorist. Gaddaffi was hated and derided, by western nations, perhaps deservedly so.

But how does anyone explain the oil contract deals with Libya by western nations? How does anyone explain the presence of billions of dollars of Libyan money, looted by Gaddaffi and his clan, accepted by these same western nations, with knowledge that Libyan citizens are being deprived of their money for national development?

How does anyone explain the fleeting, fluid and ever-shifting western nations’ policy on Gaddaffi-Libya?
Why should anyone now believe these same western nations, which have for decades lampooned Gaddaffi as a deranged buffoon, dictator, tyrant-totalitarian, while the same western nations have been acting as his bankers and partners in huge oil contract deals, including, oil contract deals in which Britain bargained away a Libyan jailed for terrorism rightly or wrongly, all in order to secure oil deals for British Petroleum.

And the United States similarly bargained and released a Libyan who was hitherto detained in Guantanamo on allegation of terrorism? France, Britain, the United States, Italy, western nations have been contradictory and duplicitous in their pronouncements and actions regarding Gaddaffi and Libya

The more we look, the clearer it clearly becomes, that the predicate for the intervention in Libya is not some starry-eyed altruistic and benevolence by France, Britain, the US through NATO.

Otherwise, there would have been the same or similar response to Syria, as Syria has openly engaged and embarked on deadly crackdown against unarmed peaceful protesters in Deraa, Homs and elsewhere in Syria and these deadly crackdown are similarly occurring in Yemen and Bahrain etc

There are additional proofs beyond doubt, to the effect that the intervention in Libya by NATO members was not, is not, motivated or predicated on humanitarianism.

Anyone who may have accepted this boldface propaganda and hypocrisy by western nations and their NATO, must do a rethink.

This is so because, at the present time, France, Italy and other European nations are now loudly and intensely resisting any attempts by refugees from Tunisia, Libya etc into their nations, ostensibly to prevent these refugees from disrupting the constipated order and settled lives inside Europe.

But wait! France, Britain and NATO were just arguing that their direct intervention in Libya was motivated and predicated upon preventing humanitarian catastrophes in Libya, by was of deaths, dislocations, brutalities visited on Libyans as a result of the contests for political power between Gaddaffi and the rebels?

The entire world, particularly those who may have swallowed the propaganda and disinformation messaging by western nations, should now be asking France, Italy and other European nations, why on earth, they are rejecting refugees from Libya?

Refugees or dislocations are part of the humanitarian crises are an outgrowth of the violent revolution going on in Libyan with ringing endorsement by France, Britain, the US, hence the NATO bombing intervention!

Furthermore, it is arguably more cost efficient, and cost effective, to care for, and look after refugees than to squander billions of dollars by way of NATO air bombardments in countless sorties! Bombardments which kills and maims, degrading structures and social amenities for Libyan lives.

Europeans are now barring refugees from Libya from entering France, Italy and other European nations, these Libyan refugees, are the same Libyan civilians, with propaganda value, Libyan civilians who are supposed to have been the rationale and formed the fulcrum of military intervention by NATO in Libya!

This singular act of barring the refugees from entries into Europe are clear indicators of the real motivation and foundation of intervention in Libya by western nations through NATO, it is not about the people of Libya, whether in Benghazi or in Tripoli and in-between! It is a hoax! France and Italy etc have the inalienable right to determine their immigration policies and with particular reference to these refugees from North Africa, but, why spend so much money to bomb structures in Libya to oblivion, and neglect the urgent care for the refugees?

The care for or neglect of these refugees are real litmus test for these western nations and their intervention in Libya, the published neglect of the refugees is putting a lie to the propaganda and claims of humanitarianism as the very foundation and predicate for NATO intervention in Libya!

It is now abundantly clear why France, Britain, the United States, the Arab League, the Gulf Council, through NATO, have not felt the need to intervene in Syria despite the fact that President Assad have used heavy military weapons, including armored cars, to murder peaceful protesters indiscriminately and most brutally!

Intervention in Libya by western nations through NATO, is clearly for their own purpose. The intervention in Libya is quite clearly selective. Otherwise, there are plenty reasons with implications for extreme and dire humanitarian catastrophes which have existed and persists in Somalia, Darfur Sudan, Congo and more recently, in Yemen, Syria, Bahrain etc

The intervention in Libya by western nations through their military organ, NATO, is clearly determined by what western nations often refer to as their vital national and strategic interests. And this so called vital interests, are often measured in metric tons of hydrocarbons and geo-strategic locations and the impacts as such, on geopolitical order of things and world order so-called!

Somalia has had and retained her failed nation-state for about twenty years, with attendant deaths and dislocations in the millions, but Somalia has no crude oil or gold and diamond, there are no spoils to be had upon intervention and thereafter, and the Cold War has since ended, and as such, Somalia is seen by western nation as having no geo-strategic importance currently.

In Darfur Sudan, President George W. Bush called the conflict, death and dislocations there, what it was, genocide, but, heck, President Bashir of Sudan had crude oil to dangle and that singular possession of prized hydrocarbon absolves dictator Bashir of Sudan of responsibility for genocide and ethnic cleansing and so, there were no NATO No-Fly-Zone for Sudan

It is not difficult to decipher the real reason for intervention in Libya by western nations’ NATO, even as these western nations continue to squabble amongst themselves for the spoils of their war of choice, the spoils of a would be post Gaddaffi Libya.

It is now public knowledge that many Central Intelligence Agency or CIA operatives are now the eyes and ears on the ground in Libya for the US and NATO; it is now also public knowledge, that President Nicholas Sarkozy of France have been hobnobbing with Libyan rebels.

Britain’s Prime Minister, David Cameron is similarly romancing with the rebels in Libya, who are seeking the ouster of Gaddaffi and his clan. And, a good number of western nations have already heightened the profile for the Libyan rebels in both political, diplomatic and commercial sense… oil contract deals are already being signed through Qatar as proxy for Libya and interested parties western nations!

And suddenly, Qatar is the epitome of democracy, freedom and liberty, with an agile national Air Force partnering with western nations’ NATO intervention in Libya? Qatar will be the proxy, the conduit and the nation which will be the funnel, in and out, oil from Libya and weapons, arms and ammunitions from western nations into Libya.

NATO’s intervention in Libya already looks like a deadlock, a stalemate and a deadly impasse wrapped in internecine intractable civil war. Col. Gaddaffi is surprisingly correct in his forecast or prediction, that a civil war would unfold in Libya, it is indeed unfolding!

Western nations are in the slippery slope of what in all probabilities would be a debacle and quagmire in Libya for them. As a matter of fact, discordant and cacophonous voices are already coalescing, calling the intervention in Libya mission creep or endless spiral to the bottom. The military intervention in Libya may turn out to be another lesson for western nations and their permanent double standards, hypocrisies and shortsightedness which prefers expediency over well thought out, reasoned and robust long term policy towards Africa and the Middle East.

Propaganda, plain and simple! It is propaganda and obfuscation and camouflage for western nations and NATO to pretend that the invading and intervening in Libya was warranted by their feigned concerns for humanitarian conditions brought about by Gaddaffi’s scotched earth policy of extermination which he had pronounced against armed rebellion by rebels against him.

Clearly, were concerns for humanitarian catastrophes or disasters were the determinant or deciding factor for intervention in Libya by France, Britain, the US and their military coalition apparatus NATO, it follows that, a No-Fly-Zone and direct intervention would have since taken place in Somalia, Darfur Sudan, the Congo, Palestine etc.

Israel killed 1400 Palestinians in January 2009 and The Goldstone Report makes this abundantly clear! The Goldstone Report and Amnesty International, and Human Rights Watch, actually went as far as accusing Israel of War Crimes in the war in Gaza!

Why does the world look the other way in the view of these glaring, exceedingly glaring double standards, hypocrisies and selective interventions, say, in Libya and Ivory Coast?

A No-Fly-Zone and direct military intervention is now overdue, particularly in the face of hundred of Syrians murdered a few days ago by President Assad’s forces, ditto President Saleh murderous parades in Yemen, and similar direct intervention would have taken place against the tyrants in Bahrain.

There is clearly no difference in the state-sponsored heinous murders being perpetrated against innocent, unarmed civilians in Syria and Yemen etc, merely because these peaceful protesters demand democracy, political and economic reforms and freedoms to which we all aspire

The world should and must stand in defense, in support and protection for all those who seek democracy, due process, the rule of law worldwide.

Libya; Why Not Yemen, Tunisia, Egypt, Bahrain, Jordan, Syria, Saudi Arabia etc

Libya; Why Not Yemen, Tunisia, Egypt, Bahrain, Jordan, Syria, Saudi Arabia etc
Written by Paul I. Adujie




Today, France, Britain and the United States began a process which will culminate in the overthrow of Moamar Gadaffi, the dictator and tyrant who has dominated Libya’s political stage for far too long!

In attacking Libya, western nations led by France, have argued that Moamar Gadaffi already has or is at the verge of massacring “his-own-people” as he repelled or took counter measures against legitimate uprising, rebellion and revolution against his more than 40 years dictatorships, tyranny and repression against the people of Libya.

The truth is, the world is witnessing the onset of the invasion and occupation of Libya for her sweet crude oil. This is Iraq all over again, in which Weapons of Mass Destruction or WMD was used as smokescreen or camouflage and cotton-wool over the eyes of the gullible, in the lead up to the invasion and occupation of Iraq. Libya is being attacked, Libya will be invaded and occupied with a regime change, under the guise of protecting Libyan people. It is false pretense. A dangerous and terrible precedent is being set, a slippery slope will ensue.

Libya is at cusp of experiencing a regime change, engineered by western nations under some banal pretexts. Western nations have hated and loathed Moamar Gaddaffi forever, as a real and phantom or imagined enemy. Gaddaffi’s preachment and stance as anti colonialist, anti imperialist and anti apartheid endeared him to me in my youth and college days.

Gaddaffi’s contradictions and inconsistencies were revealed to me, through an anti African migrant agreement which he entered with Italy and other European nations, in which Libya would be paid, to act as the gatekeeper for Europe against African citizens desperate to migrate to Europe through Libya, and other nations of North Africa.

Secondly, Gaddaffi’s virulent anti African stance was proven to me beyond doubt, when he publicly suggested that Nigeria should be split into several component parts as separate nations, and along regional, ethnic or cultural and linguistic lines! All believers in the unity in diversity and indivisible plural one Nigeria, as I am were irked by Gaddaffi’s petulance and impertinence.

Let it be known therefore, that my opinion is not anchored on defending Gaddaffi and his sons, as they are clearly indefensible, in equal measure as they are brutal, violent, repressive! Gaddaffi epitomized the worst form of dictatorship and tyranny in the world today.

There is staggering hypocrisy and screeching-loud double standards in the actions of these western nations, particularly in the face of the massacre of more than 40 peaceful protesters in Yemen yesterday by the government of Yemen and it’s paramilitary or militia.

Hypocrisies by western nations is legendary and even brazen now, in view of the fact that the were scores of deaths in Tunisia, Egypt, Bahrain, Jordan, Syria, Saudi Arabia etc, all of which have witnesses protests and demonstrations and violence to varying degrees in these North African, Arabian and Middle Eastern nations since onset of these political upheaval in January

On the African continent, we witnessed and are still witnessing instances of rebellions and reprisals against rebels. Somalia is the worst example. Somalia is an anarchic nation state, a disintegrated and failed nation state which have not had a steady government since 1991. And yet, western nations have not intervened to save the lives of innocent civilians. If only Somalia had crude oil!?

Somalia has since 1991 garnered the attention of western nations intermittently, only when pirates on Somalis waters, the Somali flank of the India Ocean, interferes briefly, with western commerce and merchandizing with ocean going vessels, have we noticed ad hoc reactions or seeming recognition of the existence of human life in Somalia. Western nations have had this episodic reactions to the humanitarian crises in Somalia which is the root cause of the Somali pirate phenomenon

In 1994, there were massacres in Rwanda of almost a million persons, a monumental disaster which was later adjudged to have been motivated by hatred and ethnic cleansing, and therefore, genocidal horrors, which arose in schism and chasm between Hutu and Tutsi. Western nations folded their hands, despite the presence of the United Nations troops!

Since then, there have other genocidal horrors in Darfur Sudan, in which millions of Darfurians Sudanese met their untimely death, based primarily on their religion, race and southern origins in the Sudan. President Bashir’s government in Khartoum received criticisms, but there were not interventions, and Sudanese oil flowed even while the International Criminal Court indicted Bashir and Khartoum government. Libya is being attacked and invaded and Gaddaffi slated for overthrow and regime change, but Bashir is not!

There have been frequent reports from the Congo, reports which suggests that civilians noncombatants have been massacred, raped and abused, with resultant dislocations and no interventions has been suggested.

Liberia and Sierra Leone had their own shares of conflicts, gratuitous violence and dislocations visited upon innocent civilians, but for ECOWAS led by Nigeria, during which Nigeria spent billions of dollars on peace keeping and stability, there were not murmur or hints of intervention on humanitarian grounds, to secure, protect and preserve innocent civilians in Liberia and Sierra Leone, perhaps because Liberia, and Sierra Leone, quite unlike Iraq and Libya, do not have hydrocarbon or fossil fuel oils?

In recent times, France has corralled efforts and world opinion against Laurent Gbagbo, the incumbent President of Ivory Coast; Ivory Coast suffered an election impasse or deadlock. President Gbago petitioned the highest court of that nation, which resolved the petition upon adjudication in his favor.

But the candidate preferred by France and other western nations, Alsance Qoutarra is being promoted as the winner of the November 28, 2010 elections. There are plans hatched outside Africa, to invade the Ivory Coast in order to install Alsance Qoutarra as stooge, this invasion would use Africans as tools, Nigeria being the arrow head or the apex of such military intervention in Ivory Coast.

As oppose to the extreme measure which is what military intervention-invasion is, how about a recount of the ballots? Alternatively, why wasn't a repeat and a redo of the elections in Ivory Coast considered? Why the haste and what are the reasons for foreclosing these options in favor of the extreme measure of military invasion over election stalemate?

How about the humanitarian crises and refugees and destabilization of the entire West African sub-region which will probably result from the planned military invasion? A repeat election is more cost effective and better for all parties concerned. Military invasion comes with unintended consequences, even when such invasion had any justification... there are the known and unknowable of wars!

Libya, Iraq before it, and perhaps Ivory Coast is next, are supposed to be politically independent, sovereign nations with territorial integrity, inviolate and sacrosanct. And only extraordinary circumstances ought to trigger external intervention and interference in the internal affairs of a particular nation by another or by several other nations. This affront and breach of international law, conventions and protocols are particularly offensive in view of the fact that it is deployed and used selectively.

Even most egregious examples and apt illustration of western nations’ staggering and jaw dropping hypocrisy and double standards is the fact that the attack against Libya and the Gaddaffi clan, is predicated, ostensibly, on the protection of “innocent-civilians” as Gaddaffi and his sons, the undeclared royal family and unconstitutional monarchy of Libya, have during the past several weeks engaged in violence and massacres directed at Kaddafi’s “own-people”

The glaring contradictions and inconsistencies by western governments in these matters are legendary! Yemen’s political leadership have through it’s militia and paramilitary massacred peaceful protesters and their “own-people” even as recent as yesterday, when over 40 Yemeni citizens were murdered by agents of the government of Yemen. But no planned intervention, invasion, and occupation of Yemen by western nations.

After all, WikiLeaks and Julian Assange enlightened us as to how the American government compelled the government of Yemen to deceive it’s own people, by being the fall guy for American military operations inside Yemen, which have led to scores of deaths in Yemen. All this, not in pursuit of Yemen’s national or strategic interests. Yemen is a client nation state, eager to serve interests of western nations, so, no intervention in Yemen, no invasion and occupation or regime change for Yemen.

In Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Syria, Algeria and Tunisia and Egypt before that, there were peaceful public demonstrations, and protests, in these nations, which have been stereotyped populaces, culture and region with blood-lusts, where folks are liable to and prone to engage in mindless violence without logic or reason.

Meanwhile, peacefulness have been the key word, and catchphrase in these protests which began in Tunisia, then Egypt, Jordan, Bahrain, Yemen, etc. Peacefulness have been exemplified in the tidal wave of revolutions, political upheaval and demands for individual rights, freedoms and a further demand for democracy, the rule of law and an end to political repressions. Mindless murderers and Political Islam which is dreaded by western nations never capitalized on these peaceful protest. And those who are supposed to be mindless murderers for pleasure in the in Islamic-Arab World, and North Africa, were nowhere to be found!

Peacefulness or no peacefulness, it is the case that citizens who have engaged in legitimate demand for economic, political and constitutional reforms in the aforementioned North African, Middle Eastern-Arab and Persian nations, have subjected to brutal attack, extremely draconian and murderous attacks by the various dictatorships and tyrannies in Tunisia, Egypt, Jordan, Bahrain, and more particularly so, in Yemen.

Western nations’ military armada are now engaged in direct intervention, invasion and occupation of Libya, predicated on the propaganda, neatly packaged, which insists that Moamar Gaddaffi and his sons are engaging in massacres of “their-own-people” innocent civilians and all! But, it must be pointed out, and these pretentious western nations should be reminded that the innocent civilians in Libya, those engaged in uprising and revolution or rebellion in Libya are not different in the plights, predicaments and fates when compared to equally beleaguered peaceful protesters and demonstrators in other North African Arab and Middle Eastern nations already mentioned above. What exactly is the criteria for selecting Libya? And how can western nations sustain reasonable argument which would convince anyone as to the difference between Libya, and most of the North African and Middle Eastern nations with similar uprisings? Why cherry pick Libya, as opposed to Yemen etc?

Why is it that western nations are splendidly disinterested in economic and political reforms, or the establishment and promotion-advancement of democracy in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Dubai, Bahrain, Yemen, Syria, Egypt, etc? These are nations where single individuals and or families have dominated and colonized political space for decades, with winks and nods and active encouragements by and from western nations which are only interested in free flow of oil and the protections and preservation of their parochial and myopic interests.

Western nations have historically and perennially mouthed so-called western ideals a la democracy, due process, the rule of law and human rights etc, and yet, when the chips are down, and when it is time for these same western nations to put their monies where their mouths are, they have always preferred to undermine, subvert and rather truncate democracy and good governance in the hot pursuit of their national and strategic interests, based on expediencies and exigent and ad hoc worldview. This repeated concave and shortsightedness have often backfired historically. Think Cuba, Chile, Iran, Afghanistan etc

This shortsightedness, this myopia, this parochial worldview, measured only by fleeting and fluid western interest is root causes of all the troubles in the world. This invasion, occupation and regime change in Libya is again motivated by land grab and the new scramble for resources, particularly oil in the Middle East, Arabia, Persia, and in the case of Libya, you could say, North Africa, perhaps it is time to raise our collective alert to the fact that there is a new scramble for Africa and her resources, and Libya is the first step, and the first salvo was fired today, led by the French, Britain and America, albeit, with tacit and arguably feeble support from the Arab League and the African Union.
It is extremely shameful to see how often expedient western interests trumps and trounces so-called ideals


All things considered and particularly in view of the situations in the various North African and Middle Eastern nations which are already referenced and outlined above, many are curious to know, why there are no plans to similarly intervene directly, invade, occupy and do regime changes in all the nations which are currently undergoing tidal waves of political upheaval by way of peaceful demonstrations and protests. Especially, as in Yemen where peaceful protesters have been murdered and massacred in large numbers!

The question which should be on everyone’s lips, therefore, is, why Libya? If Libya, why not Somalia, Sudan, Bahrain, Yemen, Syria, Saudi Arabia etc? I hold all dictators and tyrants in equal contempt and disdain, and it is irrelevant whether such dictatorships or tyrannies are theocratic, monarchical or military

Libya possesses the highly valued crude oil, a particularly less sulfuric version, known as the sweet crude, a West Texas Intermediate sibling or equivalent.

And only a fool and a communist would believe that crude oil in Libya has anything to do with western nations’ attacks, intervention, and planned invasion, occupation and regime change in Libya.

Only a floozy conspiracy theorist, would as fathom the silly idea, that Libya’s resources and strategic geographic location, makes Libya a launching pad for the new scramble for resource on the African continent and Middle East region by western nations!

Igbo, Marginalized, Relegated & Bashed Endlessly!

Igbo, Marginalized, Relegated & Bashed Endlessly!
Written Paul I. Adujie


Nigeria is actively undergoing electioneering campaigns for a general elections schedule for April 2011
This general election season has turned out to be an open season of attack, bigotries, prejudices and hatreds directed at Igbo by too many Nigerians.

Igbos are repeatedly attacked and denigrated, even when such attacks and denigrations are clearly unwarranted. These increased spate of vitriol directed at Igbos should make any reasonable person to ask questions.

Why is it, that so many Nigerians, too many Nigerians in fact, are so comfortable in talking down, patronizingly and condescendingly to, and about Igbos?

Why is it, that a majority of those commenting on national issues, with references to Igbos, are always denigrating fellow Nigerians, just because these Nigerians of Igbo extraction?

It is the case that most commentaries about Igbos are so insensitive, and so reckless and extremely inflammatory and careless. These caustic, corrosive and sour attitudes towards Igbos, clearly illustrate persisting ill will towards Igbos. These negative attitudes towards Igbos, are emblematic of bigotries, prejudices and hatreds which have been visited upon Igbos historically and unfortunately, the frequency of these anti Igbo pronouncements in Nigeria is on the upsurge. Too many recent comments against and about Igbos, are just shockingly disgusting!

Nigerians of earlier and older generations have poor excuses for exhibiting clannish attitudes towards other Nigerians of different ethnic or linguistic groups, religious and regional groups in our multicultural and very diverse nation. But how does anyone explain recent barrages of attacks, unwarranted attacks and badgering against Igos? How does anyone explain the fact that very educated, extensively traveled and worldly wise Nigerians continue to exhibit extremely negative and primordial attitude against Igbos?

It is recognized and conceded, that plural society are rather competitive. Competition for resources which are not limitless. Competition for economic and political control, including the competition for the control and or allocation of resources.

What is unacceptable, and what should be condemned by all Nigerians, and reasonable persons everywhere, is the frequency and regularity of occurrence of Igbo bashing and unwarranted attacks against Igbos by fellow Nigerians.

This is the first week of March 2011. Nigeria is in the throes of extreme politicking. It is public knowledge that a momentous general election in Nigeria is upon Nigeria, scheduled for April 2011.

Nigerians at home and in the Diaspora should or ought to be actively engaged in debates of our national issues and challenges. Nigerians ought to eliciting and engendering debates between political candidates and the various political parties regarding their stances and positions on public policies and programs

Nigerians across the spectrum ought to focus on how the current crop of political candidates and their parties may create or bring about better life for all Nigerians all over Nigeria. But instead, too many Nigerians are focused how to keep Igbos marginalized, relegated, even as Igbos are bashed ceaselessly and endlessly.

Igbos are continually blamed for every and all of Nigeria’s afflictions, including political, constitutional and economic underdevelopment. A cursory examination of Nigeria’s past clearly indicates Igbos as victims of sundry circumstances in Nigeria. But revisionists in Nigeria are constantly engaging in extremely offensive revisionism in which Igbos are blamed for the marginalization, relegation and bashing to which Igbo have been subjected for decades.

A case in point is the unwarranted vitriolic attacks from many commentators at a Nigeria related website known as www.Nigeriavillagesquare.com; There was news that the Lagos state branch of Ohaneze, an Igbo sociocultural organization, had issued a public statement, demanding political inclusion and adequate reflection in Lagos state affairs. Too many Nigerians are too often engaged in selective memory and blissful amnesia.

A majority of those commenting or responding to the news, commented as though they felt compelled to excoriate and demean Igbos. The comments against Igbos were so outrageous and outlandish, you would think the word Igbo refers to a foreign nation outside of Nigeria with which Nigerians and Nigeria understandably directed hostilities and venom!

On ground in Nigeria, the sour attitude directed at Igbo is not much better. Many high profile political figures in Nigeria, have recently engaged in uncouth, insensitive and inflammatory pronouncements directed at Igbo citizens of Nigeria.

It is quite ironical and even oxymoronic, that many Nigerians who celebrated and went agog, (perhaps rightfully and proudly so), over President Obama’s appointment of a Nigerian physician, cancer expert, Dr. Olufunmilayo Falusi Olopade, Member, National Cancer Advisory Board of the United States; are the same Nigerians who are now, after or within a few days, surprisingly-shockingly disgustingly expressing offense, over possible appointments of Igbos by Lagos state government.

Dr. Olopade is Nigerian who received her medical degree from the great University of Ibadan, Nigeria and a Chicago “transplant“, by way of Nigeria, even with her stellar academic and professional overachiever,with so many accomplishments under her lab-coat and medical overall, would an undeserving non-indigene, “foreigner” and usurper “settler” in the warped-twisted logic of some Nigerians!

Some Nigerians, too many Nigerians across the world, it seems, appear to think Dr. Olopade were she an Igo lady in Lagos or Kano should not aspire or be appointed, despite her pedigrees? It bears restating here for the record, that this ethnic, regional and religious chauvinism, bigotries and prejudices borne of hatreds or mutual suspicions, are not special or unique to particular ethnic groups or regions in Nigeria. Inequality, discrimination and devaluation of citizenship is an equal opportunity offenses of which too many Nigerians are guilty.

I am not advocating that a blind Igbo person should be hired by Lagos state government to drive school buses, in the name of diversity or representation of Igbos in employment by Lagos state government. But Igbos who make Lagos home, like other fellow Nigerians, with qualifications, requisite experience and antecedents and pedigrees should have equal opportunities and representation in the scheme of things in Lagos.

My argument is identical for ALL Nigerians of other ethnic groups, regional and religious affiliations.

Non-Igbo Nigerians in this current electioneering campaign in the lead up to the general elections in April 2011, have arrogantly and adamantly announced to Igbos where Igbos belong and what political turn Igbos may expect. These offensive pronouncements about and against Igbos are frequently made with consultation and reference to Igbos. And what is worse, these pronouncements are made by non-Igbos about Igbos and without regard to the feelings and aspirations of Igbos.

Loud pronouncements about the place of Igbos in Nigeria’s political future have been made by some high profile Nigerians in recent times. These pronouncements have bordered around and encompassed unrestrained arrogant vituperation of Igbos. No adult should tell another adult what to do or what the future holds, but, unfortunately, some Nigerians are arrogant and pigheaded in the extreme, when they presumptuously announce the future for over 40 million Igbos in Nigeria!


Some Nigerians are so insensitive to the feelings of Igbo Nigerians or perhaps it is that some Nigerians take perverse joy in dehumanizing and degrading Igbo Nigerians? Our national security and national strategic interests are better in foreign hands than in the hands of Igbos?

The truth is governments in Nigeria currently employ Americans, Europeans, Indians, Chinese etc. Why the fear and loathing for the prospects of Igbos in employment within the same circles of governments in Nigeria?

A few days ago, I read the opinion of the Special Adviser to the President on National Assembly Matters, Senator Mohammed Abba-Aji which contained yet, another gloomy, if impossible political forecasts of the future for Igbos in 2015. Professor Omo Omoruyi engaged in similar forecasts several days before, both men, with iron clad view of Igbo Nigerian as occupying the presidency of Nigeria in 2015. Both men were an inch close to and hair-thin short of, predicting that Aso Rock door will remain shut against Igbo man or woman in 2015.

Ibrahim Badmass Babangida it was who, loudly announced to Igbos to await the future, perhaps 2015 and to forget 2011. Babangida made this announcement while supporting and participating in the Adamu Ciroma so-called consensus candidature for the presidency of Nigeria, an effort, which insisted on zoning and rotational presidency by PDP, which is supposed to favor geographic northern Nigeria in 2011 elections.

Everyone often talk down to and about Igbos. Everyone makes matter-of-fact pronouncements about Igbo’s political prospects in Nigeria, and Igbos are supposed to and expected to take all of these and as fait accompli and smile? Igbos like other Nigerians have a stake in Nigeria’s outcome. Igbos should feel at home throughout Nigeria, even despite checkered and painful historical experiences of violence against Igbos across Nigeria. Non-Igbos are keenly aware of Igbos industriousness, superb intellect and business acumen and enterprise. These attributes and qualities are appreciated across Nigeria with Igbo’s industry and presence is felt in the nooks and crannies of Nigeria, bar none!

Some states in Nigeria, including Lagos, in recognition and appreciation, have appointed Nigerians, Igbos, to prominent public state offices, even though such Nigerians are from ethnic groups, other than the catchments area dominant ethnic group.

As when Lagos appoints an Igbo person to public office because such persons are Nigerians and are qualified, and further, to give the appearance of representing and reflecting the demographic components of such states, in this instance, Lagos state.

All Nigerians and lovers of democracy should advocate and promote this practice, in which our government at various levels, accurately reflects our local, state and national population of Nigerian citizens. Lagos and its surrounding or neighboring states are comprised ethnic Yoruba Nigerians. Igbos are the second largest Nigerian ethnic group apart from

Yoruba. It is therefore not extraordinary for Lagos to aspire to reflect this in elective and appointive public offices. Ohaneze is reportedly articulating and advocating inclusion into the political scheme of things in Lagos and Ohaneze have been accused of impoliteness or worse, threatening, usurping and blackmailing Lagos state. Ohaneze is an umbrella Igbo organization and it is duty bound to advocate Igbo’s cause. But Ohaneze is being accused of being bad “guests” for making legitimate demands.

In the United States, immigrants and their children are sometimes elected or appointed to political offices. President Obama is the son of Kenyan immigrant, President Obama is an American by birth, he is nonetheless a first generation American. But Nigerians motivated by bigotry, hatred and prejudice against the “otherness” in fellow Nigerians, in this instance, Igbos, would argue that a third or fourth generation Igbo person in Lagos should not be elected or appointed to political offices in Lagos, on the ground, solely, that such person is of Igbo great grand parents and in effect, of Igbo heritage, even if such person is as versed and as comfortable in Yoruba culture as Abiola or Komolafe or even Omoluabi

President Obama’s father came to the United States less than 50 years ago and his son is president. And yet, too many Nigerians insist adamantly, that children and grandchildren of fellow Nigerians who “migrated” from various parts of Nigeria to different parts of same Nigeria, should remain as “illegal-immigrants” in our country Nigeria? Going by the present illogic in Nigeria, President Obama could not be employed outside of state of Hawaii, never mind becoming a US senator from Illinois or US president.
Mrs. Hilary Rodham Clinton , the Secretary of State for United States is originally from the state of Illinois, married President Bill Clinton from the state of Arkansas, before becoming Secretary of State, she was the elected US senator from New York State.

And how about the storied astronomical rise of former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger of the state of California, the fifth largest economy in the world, and the most populous state in the United States with a population of over 35 million Californians, he was born in Austria, lived in New York City as a body builder, then a film star, and voila, governor of California! Why, in view of all these, are Nigerian focused on devaluing Nigerian citizenship of fellow Nigerians within Nigeria, just because the some Nigerians have exercised fundamental rights such as freedom of movement and right to travel or relocate and live in any locality within Nigeria?

Nigeria is replete and Nigeria in fact is being consumed by this singular illogicality. The settler-indigene dichotomies or fleeting and fluid distinctions which are inflicted on Nigerian citizens, devalues our citizenship as full fledged citizens of Nigeria with equal rights, duties and obligations. Nigerians in Jos, Kano, Kaduna, Maiduguri and Lagos etc are deathly afraid of domination by Igbos, instead of abject poverty and squalor and the absence of steady electricity and clean water?

Again, in the United States, particularly here in New York City, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and mayors before him, have always recognized the immense contributions made by immigrants to the development of New York City. Immigrants currently constitute 36% of the population of New York City, while contributing 37% to New York City’s economic development.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg in recognition of this, created and appointed a woman of Palestinian descent as New York City Commissioner for Immigrant Affairs! Imagine the irony of the presence of a Nigerian immigrant being more respected and appreciated in New York City, compared with the devaluation and degrading treatment such Nigerian may receive in various parts of Nigeria where she-he was born, just because she-he has a heritage with origins, other than, her-his chosen state of residence in Nigeria.

So that an Hausa Nigerian, Igbo Nigerian, Yoruba Nigerian, Esan or Ijaw Nigerian have their beloved Nigerian citizenship degraded and devalued because they chose a particular part of Nigeria to make their home and life? What a shame indeed! Why should it be the case that, just because my great grand parents were born in Maiduguri, and even though I have chosen Nnewi as my preferred part of Nigeria to create health, wealth and happiness, fellow Nigerians would not let me be? Whereas, Mayor Bloomberg says I am OK in New York City, so long as I am all about creating health, wealth and multiplying human happiness?

This writer is on record as a fervently passionate about one Nigeria forever, about the benefits of Nigeria’s unity in diversity and the perils of disintegration. This writer is on record as chastising those of my brethren who continue to espouse beliefs and aspirations in Biafra or any national aspirations outside Nigeria as presently constituted. Nevertheless, it cannot be the case and it is not logical, for any Nigerian to think it acceptable, a national arrangement, where a particular group is historically and persistently marginalized, relegated to the background and frequently bashed as Igbos are in Nigeria.

But who wants to be marginalized, relegated and bashed so often and persistently? Nigeria’ greatest challenge is the allocation and management of resources with which to tackle and eliminate poverty from Nigeria. Undermining a large segment of our population is similar to deploying two thirds of our resources whilst neglecting the deployment of a sizable chunk, as large as one thirds.

Same way some nations neglect to develop their national human capital, by neglecting gender equality for women who are in fact a majority of national populations worldwide. No normal pilot flies large jet airplanes with one engine, ordinarily.

Igbos’ genuine desires and aspirations as full citizens of Nigeria, have been neglected and ignored for far too long. It is gross and extreme injustice for any reasonable person to expect Igbos to remain happy campers in stagnation for so long. All fair minded Nigerians only need to put themselves in the unacceptable position and circumstances which have been imposed on fellow Nigerians of Igbo heritage.

All Nigerians need to and must vigorously discuss Nigeria and the events which led to the ignominious Nigerian Civil War. All Nigerians need to similarly discuss the economic and political developments and occurrences in the aftermath of the Nigeria-Biafra War.

Nigeria need truth, sincere reconciliation and national healing. Constantly blaming Igbos, who are arguably the recipients of the roughest end of the Civil War stick, is a national disservice and disgrace! It takes two sides to fight any war. Blaming one side to a thirty month long war is unreasonable, particularly so, after these 40 long years after the war.

Democracy in Nigeria and across the world is messy and in fact, quite imperfect, this is even more so, in relatively younger democracies such as our in Nigeria. This messes and imperfection become even more complex in multicultural, plural, and secular nations such as ours. Democracies, even in plural societies in which the most qualified persons with passion, commitment and dedication to best public policies for national common good are certainly preferred.

Nigeria’s young democracy, nascent, so-called, is still susceptible to negative common denominators of ethnic, regional, religious differences big and small, real and imagined. And so, the concerns and fears of marginalization and relegation are tenaciously held deeply felt. All Nigerians should recognize these basic facts and therefore do unto Igbos as the rest of Nigerians outside Igboland would expect unto themselves!

All things considered, Igbo Nigerians have be patient and levelheaded even in the face egregious provocations imbued in offensively laced pronouncements regarding Igbos genuine desires and aspirations within the nation of Nigeria. All Nigerians should become more conversant with the fact that the sun also rises in Igboland.

There are millions of competent women and men, who are eminently qualified to occupy the highest political office in the land, and to assume and exercise presidential powers and duties in Nigeria.


Google Search:

1. 2007 Presidential Elections In Nigeria And Ndigbo's Genuine Aspirations. circa 2005

2. What Do Ndiigbo Want? From Biafra To MASSOB. circa 2004

3. Biafra Is Dead, Buried & No More! circa 2005

Emilia George & The Value of Nigerian Citizenship

Emilia George & The Value of Nigerian Citizenship
Written by Paul I. Adujie




I have just read about the desperately sad, and extremely dire plights and predicaments of a fellow Nigerian citizen; Her name is Emilia George and she was featured in a story on the online pages of The Guardian Newspapers of Nigeria. In an article written by one Ms. Alemma-Ozioruva Aliu, it recounted how Emilia George became a victim of tragedy at multiple levels.

First she was involved in a collision between a motorcycle and vehicle, a tipper truck. While unconscious, she became a patient of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital or UBTH, and then, she soon became a pawn in the hands of many.

Emilia George’s tales of woes are reminders to all of us, of our socially stratified society with such pungent stench and decadence at seemingly all levels. Emilia George’s suffering, hardship and extreme desperation is revelatory of the wanton neglect by the leaderships of our political and economic systems, the extreme neglect to which a majority of our citizens are unfortunately subjected, as fact of life.

The extent and quality of human refinement in Nigeria must be measured by how we treat the poor and the underprivileged amongst us. Emilia George's Nigerian citizenship and her fundamental rights are being subjected to a "means-test" Her detention over her inability to pay her medical bills, is an affront and it is tantamount to an abridgment and a wrongful devaluing of her Nigerian citizenship.

I did not know that it was legal and proper for any hospital in Nigeria or anywhere in the world, to hold patients against the patience’s will, as a result of the patient’s inability to pay bills arising from medical treatment and care. I did not know.

Even so, the hospital within which Emilia George is being held, is a hospital owned, funded and operated with taxpayers’ money. Anyone would think, reasonably, that a hospital owned and operated by the government would not do such.

A local, state and in this case, a federal government, hospital would not compel a Nigerian citizen to remain in hospitalized involuntarily, due to her inability to pay for medical care which was already provided. Even if, this egregious behavior was a common or rampant practice by private hospitals in the locality.

Emilia George’s case clearly illustrates, or exemplifies the extreme extent and magnitude of failures of basic structures in our society and nation. It is not uncommon in Nigeria to learn of how medical doctors, nurses and others in the healthcare system refusing or neglecting to provide even urgent medical care until cash payment is received.

Nigerian health workers are known to argue that their salaries have been unpaid and as a consequence, the sick become the pawn and the chip in the ping pong games or fights between ineffective uncaring political leaders and beleaguered healthcare workers whose lives are rendered unbearably hard through unpaid salaries and miserable working conditions

Ineptitude on the parts of various levels of government leadership now feeds off of the angst and disenchantment of workers of the health sub-sector.

All this makes anyone want to ask, whether democracy, due process and the rule of law means anything to anyone in Nigeria. How else does a Nigerian citizen get detained in a hospital as a prisoner? This is so, without police, law enforcement and judicial intervention, as a matter of process and procedure. How can our nation be so brutish and arbitrary?

Emilia George represents and encapsulates the story of every Nigerian. She rode a motorcycle as her mode of transportation in the absence of public policy on mass transit or any solid substitute form of public transportation. She is injured as a result of human errors on the part of either the motor cycle operator or the driver of the tipper truck or both motorists, and traffic police failed Emilia George.

Absence of a vehicular insurance policy which would have served as a buffer or cushion against calamities, ensured that Emilia George had no recourse.

Nigeria failed Emilia George at every level. What is the function of our government at every level? What is the use and purpose of our government, at least from the perspectives of Emilia George? No public transportation or mass transit. She then relies on what was available.

Upon being injured, the motorcyclist who was hired by Emilia George and the driver of the tipper involved in the tragic accident were not held accountable? Were the vehicular actors insured? Were government agencies and mechanisms for dealing roads and vehicular accidents activated? What were the actions of the various government agencies charge with the responsibilities of tackling issues such as have arisen.

Emilia George was involved in a vehicular accident on a public street or highway, were there any reports to the police? What were the outcomes of police investigations and actions? Nigeria operates mandatory insurance policy law for all motorists, were the insurance carriers of the motorists in question notified? What was the outcomes or responses by the insurance companies? Are insurance companies allowed to collect premiums from insured or policy holders, but never held responsible when insured events occurs?

Emilia George is a Nigerian citizen who deserves and should expect the protection and service from the government of Nigeria. This include the provision of good roads. Public transportation. Rules of the road including insurance and post vehicular accident policies which guides and protects all parties to vehicular accidents. Are Nigerians not entitled to the very basic functions from our government?

Emilia George did nothing wrong. She exercised her freedom of movement and right to travel, now she is amputated, she is traumatized and her ordeal is being exacerbated and prolonged, as she is detained by a major hospital which is owned and operated by Emilia George’s government

She was injured and there was no compensation and there were no consequences for those responsible for her injuries which led to the amputation of her hand. And, she is now being detained and further traumatized by a hospital, which is owned and operated by our federal government!

How can this be logical, or fair? There are so many things happening in Nigeria these days which I thought were unfathomable. But it Emilia George’s plights and predicaments are extremes. Nigeria is not Afghanistan, Iraq or Somalia, the infamous poster boys for failed nation states.

But why is it possible for Emilia George’s tragedy to be part of our national narratives?

What is exactly is the purpose of government?

There are 150 million tales by citizens of Nigeria who are confronted with devalued Naira and its consequences the multiplier effects on everything Nigerians use and we import virtually everything

Nigerians are confronted with the absence of clean water, steady electricity, absence of decent roads and bridges. Nigerians are confronted with abandoned, neglected and decayed public infrastructure across all sectors, including health, agriculture, education etc. And in the face of all these, candidates for the general elections are colluding and conniving and merely coasting toward the scheduled general elections in April!

Iraq, even after over 20 years internal and external violence and crises, still manage to generate and transmit more electricity than what obtains in Nigeria. How can Nigeria be worse than Iraq with reference to electricity and water? Nigeria as a matter of urgency, must allocated and manage resources in new and better ways. Ineptitude, selfishness and unbridled and unmitigated greed has created needless abject poverty in Nigeria.


These are the conditions and circumstances which makes this Emilia George type shameful stories possible in Nigeria. There is no reason why there should be such terrible poverty and desperation which is propelled by such poverty and squalor in Nigeria. How could this Emilia George’s national embarrassment and shame have arisen in Nigeria? This national shame and embarrassment is not unique to her and that makes it even more painful to contemplate and fathom!

Please help this fellow Nigerian citizen... she has suffered enough. Her story is truly sad and her circumstances remain dire. I am left to wonder about her sense of what is left of her person, Emilia George most probably feels devalued beyond redemption. If Emilia George or any other Nigerian was subjected to these injustices by another nation, I would have recommended repercussions against such nation!

But unfortunately, Emilia George’s situations were created by persisting circumstances in Nigeria. Her excruciating experiences have brought about by the human condition in Nigeria. She is entitled to ask, and rightly so, what is the value of her citizenship? How could human dignity mean anything to her after her ordeal? How can any society devalue her humanity so egregiously? Where is the outrage against these sorts of depravities?

http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=39959%3Afree-emilia-cant-leave-hospital&catid=3%3Ametro&Itemid=558

http://nigeriavillagesquare.com/forum/main-square/61319-free-emilia-can-t-leave-hospital.html


I am a Nigerian. I am proud of my citizenship. I am simultaneously embarrassed and thoroughly ashamed of what has happened to our fellow citizen Emilia George.

I do not understand how this could happen in Nigeria, my homeland. Nigeria is brimming with women and men with superb intellects. Nigeria is a nation filled with bountiful human and material resources.

Nigeria is a nation of abundance. But how can I convince Emilia George of the value of her citizenship? Emilia George is young, but she has seen the abyss. What can we, all Nigerians at home and abroad do to restore her faith in the value of her citizenship?

Emilia George has endured extreme agonies, prolonged sufferings and hardships, all, through no fault of hers. How can all this possibly be any reasonable person’s sense of justice?

Nigerians, friends of Nigeria and all reasonable persons should help secure freedom for Emilia George.

Revolution? Nigeria Is Ripe & Ready You Can Say That Again!

Revolution? Nigeria Is Ripe & Ready You Can Say That Again!
Written by Paul I. Adujie


Democracy does not begin and end on election day. Democracy is not periodic-episodic actions. Democracy and elections have consequences. Democracy in Nigeria must not mean motions without movement.

Democracy must have bearing upon and must have positive impact on public policies. Due Process and The Rule of Law are key elements which forms the essential core democracies. Democratic process must promote and advance, due process and the rule of law

Nigeria in the 51st year post political independence operates a parlous national economy, in which steady electricity is still a promise, a dream and a fantasy. Nigeria after 50 years of flag independence from Britain is still in fits and starts. Nigeria is still a nation in which the majority cannot enjoy clean water supply. Too many Nigerians still die from avoidable, preventable and curable diseases, including malaria

Nigeria remains a nation in which public officials, private sector operators and sundry members of the richest one percent, must travel abroad for basic medical care, even as Nigerian hospitals and health-care systems are under-staffed, under equipped and under-funded. Resources are misallocated and mismanaged

Nigeria, after 50 of cessation of colonial rule by Britain, Nigeria remains unwilling to ensure the safety and security of persons and properties within our borders Democracy in Nigeria should confer meaningful benefits or rewards to our citizens. Political apathy arises when a plurality of citizens believe that they have been taken for granted and that improvements would not come, regardless of citizens’ efforts and actions

Nigeria’s judiciary, which ought to be the last hope of the average citizen is mired in scandals. The Nigerian Judiciary, the third most important arm of our democratic government, is currently bedeviled by allegations and counter accusations of perversions of justice. These allegations are being traded by and between the highest echelons of the Nigerian Judiciary.

It is now an open secret that Justice Isa Ayo Salami, the President of Nigeria Court of Appeals have pointedly accused Justice Aloysicious Katsina Alu, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, of inappropriate, unethical and illegal contact with the former, with a view to affecting the outcome of a gubernatorial or governorship petition from Sokoto state which was pending before Justice Salami’s Court of Appeals

The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Alu and Justice Salami have since then engaged in public spat, including a law suit filed and then withdrawn, as well as a series of administrative queries emanating from and originated by, the Chief Justice of Nigeria and directed at the President of the Court of Appeal. All these run counter and are inconsistent with the standard of utmost integrity, good faith, trust and decorum, for which the legal profession is known, particularly at such apex levels of the CJN and PCA respectively.

Smack in the middle of this house, Nigeria, so divided against herself, or put alternatively, Nigeria, our home is metaphorically, figuratively and literally on fire, while the presidential candidates and their political parties prefer to engage in window-dressing, and electioneering farce, in which the candidates and their various political parties appear to have zoned various offices to themselves and their political parties. And as a consequence, there are no Issues Driven Debates.

There no electioneering campaigns in the true sense of the term. The candidates, the aspirants, the flag bearers and their various political parties are merely talking over the heads of the Nigerian electorate, the Nigerian public and press. The political actors remain splendidly uninterested in debate of public policies and sundry national challenges, whereby various candidates and their political parties may stake their position on national issues ranging from the economy, national science and technology policy and innovation, including the fate of our national currency which have been over devalued since 1986

It is public knowledge and even trite, to restate the obvious regarding the neglected and decrepit state of our health-care system which is exemplified by the fact that our former president, the late Umaru YarAdua was hospitalized in Saudi Arabia for 93 days for medical treatment. Why did this monumental embarrassment occur? The laughable idea that our president, the symbol of our nation, national security and all, have to seek surgery and dialysis outside Nigeria? Many a Nigerian politician, private sector operator and or public figure, now as matter of course, resort to seeking medical treatment or care outside the shores of Nigeria as Chief Odumegu Ojukwu is currently doing in Britain

Oba of Benin admonished the Federal Government of Nigeria as reported by Nigerian newspapers on Saturday February 26, 2011. The Oba was angered and expressed his displeasure of the abandonment, neglect and unwarranted delays to a major highway, expressway which links Lagos to Benin, South -South and South East. The Oba who was visited by the Works Minister of State, expressed public displeasure at failure by the federal government regarding the Lagos-Benin-Ore highway. This major roadway and artery, has since become a national burden and a drain. A burden on all travelers for commerce or pleasure. The ineffectiveness, the inefficiency and ineptitude regarding Lagos-Benin-Ore highway, certainly cannot be a demonstration of problem -solving acumen on the part of the current central government.

Nigerians know that Nigeria is no longer under a totalitarian and despotic military dictatorship or tyranny
Nigerians at home and abroad are keenly aware that peaceful transfer of civilian to civilian political power have transpired in Nigeria relatively peacefully during the preceding several years, particularly, since 2007. The world knows therefore, that Nigeria is not identical to or with the one man dictatorships in Tunisia or Egypt or Libya which have existed for decades, two, three and four decades respectively. Even so, the point must be made that true democracy is a yet to take roots in Nigeria. Due Process and The Rule of Law are yet to be second-nature to political and private sector operator. Democratic structures are taking roots, but we cannot as yet, with a straight face, say that there is true and institutionalized democracy in Nigeria. We do have democracy, which remains extremely imperfect, and a work in progress.

There is high rate of unemployment in Nigeria, including high rate of unemployment among the college educated segment of our population, including some with advanced university degrees! There is heightening state of insecurity, including kidnapping and sundry antisocial behaviors traceable and correlative with the Nigerian national economy comatose state for far too long now.

Nigeria continue to fund the education and agriculture sectors most inadequately. There are glaring and repeated cases of misallocation and mismanagement of national resources. A majority of Nigerian citizens continue to wallow in abject poverty and in most squalid of human conditions. Why should Nigerians endure terrible suffering, hardship and desperation in the face Nigeria’s abundance in human and material resources? And yet, the current political class are unable to articulate public policy position, policies and programs which they will bring about to address and redress our national issues, national concerns and sundry national challenges?

This is after all an election season, why then are the presidential candidates not marketing themselves, canvassing or begging convincingly for votes and asking the electorate in forthright requests for support from voters? Why are the absence or paucity of manifestos and ideology and Issued Driven Debates

Why are the opposition political parties not variously comparing and contrasting themselves, individually and separately, with the current political party which controls the central or federal government, issue by issue, policy by policy and letting the press and public, the electorate know their public policy stance in comparison with the current federal government? Such contradistinctions, by the various candidates and their political parties, well articulated, will provide the predicate for a free and fair, credible elections outcome, free of rancor, irregularities or frauds which usually elicit violent resistance from political opponents.

It is sadly the case, that the current crop of Nigeria’s political leadership, are not deploying essential machinery and tools of democracy through meaningful interactions with the press, public and particularly the Nigerian electorate. There currently no vibrant and vigorous electioneering campaigns which are motivated by Nigerian National Issues. The various political parties and their numerous candidates are merely coasting toward the general elections in April 2011. Nigerians and Nigeria are therefore, in essence, sleepwalking towards an election impasse, and election stalemate and an election deadlock. We must wake up. We must cease and desist from sleepwalking towards the precipice of disaster and fulfilling prophecies of anarchy and disintegration foretold

Retired General Muhamadu Buhari believes that the continuing abject poverty which have been endured for too long by a plurality of Nigerians and the egregious neglect by the current crop of Nigeria political elite to even pretend to address these dire circumstances could be where fertilizer meet fertile ground in what would be Nigeria’s version of political revolution, revolt and upheaval similar to what the world is witnessing, including the political situation which began in Tunisia, then rolled through Egypt and it is now lingering in Bahrain, Jordan, Yemen and probably Saudi Arabia the bastion of theocracy and impervious to economic and political changes and reforms

The Governor Sanusi Lamido Sanusi of the Central Bank of Nigeria, along with many others, are right in their accurate assessment of the human condition which currently permeates and pervades Nigeria. Governor Sanusi and others are right in adding and raising their voices to address dire and precarious situation in Nigeria, situations which afflict the majority of Nigerian citizens. A responsive government and or a political system would measure the public pulse respond or seek to create ameliorative responses.

The Nigerian political class in power and the opposition parties and their candidates are identical in their lack of ideology. They are identical in ways in which they are arrogantly taking the public and the electorate for granted. The candidates and their political parties have created an art form out of their notorious contempt, utter contempt for the voter. The voters are contemptuously discounted from the process!

The candidates and their various political parties seem to so presumptuously ready to discuss self-assured predictable elections outcomes without suasion of the voting public. There are plenty talks which matter-of-fact conclusive outcomes for election which are yet to be had in April. The Nigerian political class are now behaving as if they outcomes are forgone conclusions, so for them, there is no need to haggle with the voters about ideology and social contract? No need to canvass duty, obligation, responsibility? No need for call and response or push and pull of true democratic process?

Nigeria is a democracy, a pseudo and imperfect democracy perhaps. Nigeria is certainly not a military dictatorship in the modes of Egypt pre, during and post Hosni Mubarak. Nigeria is not Libya in which Moammar Kaddafi a military dictator has held sway for four decades, but, the abject poverty, the suffering and desperation in the midst of bountiful abundance and plenty; the fact of thirst in the midst of the ocean of plentiful; it is in these realms in which Nigeria is same, similar, identical and worse than Tunisia, Egypt and Libya put together.

There are steady generation and transmission of electricity in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya compared to Nigeria. There are social safety nets in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya quite unlike Nigeria. And currently, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Bahrain etc, have peremptorily, increased allowances palliatives and extended social safety nets to their citizens in efforts to placate and mollify. Nigerians have no such luck emanating from our self-absorbed, self-interested, constipated and complacent inept crass political class

Too many in the present Nigerian political class are too distant and too oblivious of the hassles, the sufferings, the hardships which have induced and inflicted extreme desperation Nigerians across the spectrum and nationwide. Nigeria is ripe and ready for a revolution. In view of loots, pillage, plunder and impunity which have occurred in past several years and the failure to tackle these public scourges, it is utter provocation in the most wanton of ways, for many, within the current Nigerian political class, to continue to arrogantly insist that Nigeria is not amenable to citizens’ revolts.

The preconditions for revolution is have been met and the conditions are actually worsening as none of the candidates and their parties are addressing citizens’ legitimate and reasonable concerns, such as safety and security, unemployment, Naira value, state of public infrastructure, national unity in diversity without relegation and marginalization of individuals and groups etc

The human condition in Nigeria is dire, terrible and desperate and the political leadership live in a fool’s paradise, with their heads buried in the sands, so much so, that they won’t even know what hit them as they are consumed by a probable revolution, an uprising, or a revolt by the long-suffering citizens of Nigeria.