Some events are happening rapidly that threaten our nascent democracy:
- The recent call by Senator J. K. Waku that the "professional coupists" should take over the Government, which to us represents the views of his constituency (The Middle Belt Forum);
- The threat to life and property which has led to the threat to declare a State of Emergency in Lagos State by the President, Olusegun Obasanjo;
- The recent invasion of the International Press Centre (IPC) Ogba, Ikeja and the mandate take over/occupation/sacking of the Alliance for Democracy (AD) National Secretariat Abuja by the Nigerian police;
- The rape and brutalisation of Odi after the threat to declare a state of emergency in Bayelsa State;
- The uncanny silence that has greeted the agitation of the Sharia legal system by the appropriate institutions and utterances of State Governments, which tend to instil fear into the minds of non-Muslims;
- The violence unleashed on the peace loving people of the south-western States by the Odua People's Congress (OPC); 7. the threat and formation of Arewa People's Congress (APC) to counter the activities of OPC;
- The threat by the Igbo Community and the Middle Belt people to form the Igbo People's Congress (IPC) and the Middle Belt People's Congress (MBPC) respectively;
- The activities of the Ijaw Youths (Egbesu Boys) and other militant groups operating in the Niger-Delta Area;
- The current impasse between the executive and the legislative arm of the Federal Government which has led to threat by the legislative arm to impeach the president for violating certain provisions of the constitution. We hereby sound a cautionary note and call on all who share our vision of a great country, not to fold their hands and watch some opportunist pull back the wheel of progress which is in full spin. We were all directly involved in the struggle; you tasted the bitter pill, so you are aware of what it took us to get to where we are today.
The threat to declare a State of Emergency in Lagos State by the President, Olusegun Obasanjo is hasty, ridiculous and unproductive. When you juxtapose this with the senseless support that greeted the idea by some members of the National Assembly it becomes worrisome. A State of emergency will definitely create more problems than it is meant to solve. This looks like another attempt to re-militarise Nigeria by those who lost out in the democratic set up, through their cronies. It will not be in anybody‰s interest nor will it serve any useful purpose.
The recent call by Senator Joseph Kennedy Waku on the "professional coupists" to take over the reign of government is even more frightening. The call is wicked, pathetic, and ungodly, not after what Nigerians went through these past years in the hands of the military. Wait a minute, the TELL Magazine's headline is " WE WANT A COUP NOW". Who are the "WE", the Middle Belt Forum? The National Association of Seadogs calls for the immediate arrest and interrogation of J. K. Waku, while the Senate MUST commence moves to de-robe this irresponsible and dishonourable member. However, the military must hear this, that never again will they have a smooth ride to power in Nigeria. Democracy has come to stay, and must be allowed to survive no matter the circumstances. We call on all Civil Rights Movements, Trade Unions, Students, Religious bodies and market women to be on alert; we MUST all with one voice say NEVER AGAIN to the military. Waku and his ilk should be told that the worst civilian government is better than the best military dictatorship; we need the best for the Nigerian people and no less.
We deplore the current security situation in the country. Government must rise up to its responsibility to protect and safeguard the interests of all Nigerians wherever they may reside. We urge that all security agencies should brace up to their responsibility and check the rising crime wave. If it is true that money has been voted to equip and train the police, then government must ensure that the money is utilised for the right purpose because the transparency of this administration is suspect inspite of the anti-corruption bill pretence.
The experiences of the recent brutalisation of Odi in the Kolokumo/Opokuma Local Government Area of Bayelsa State by the military in exercise of executive high-handedness would remain a sore point in the history of our nascent democracy. This is executive aggression reminiscent of the brutal military dictatorship that has inflicted a deep wound on the psyche of the people. The National Association of Seadogs condemns this massive use of force and arrogance display of power by the government. We believe that dialogue is a better and more civilised mode of conflict resolution. The Odi expenditure should be the last as the harvest of destruction that followed is a sad commentary on the readiness of government to abide by the tenets of democracy.
In this vein, we wish to commiserate with the people of Bayelsa State in general and Odi town in particular over the wanton destruction visited upon them by the troops deployed by the Federal Government. We call on the Ijaw youths (Egbesu Boys), OPC, APC, the Religious Zealots and other groups to bring their grievances to the negotiating table. We must wear off the vestiges of the militarisation of the entire polity that has led to total neglect of the people for which violence is being used to send a message of last hope.
The mandate take over/occupation/sacking of the Alliance for Democracy (AD) National Secretariat Abuja and the recent invasion of the International Press Centre (IPC) Ogba, Ikeja by the police for whatever reasons show our level of madness. Have we forgotten so soon the role played by the press in enthronement of democracy and the emancipation of our people from the claws of military dictatorship? The Nigerian police must immediately render an unreserved apology to the brutalised journalists in particular and the Nigerian Press in general. We must not be reminded of the dark days of military repression.
In October last year, we called on President Obasanjo and the National Assembly to view the Sharia moves by the Zamfara State with all the seriousness that it deserves. We saw in it a desperate move to split Nigeria, which if allowed to go unchecked is not only a dangerous precedent, but has all the ingredients of precipitating a crisis from which Nigeria, as a Nation may never recover. Since then, we have watched the unfolding Sharia scenario with keen interest. The agitation is increasing and other States in the North has taken cue from the Zamfara‰s experiment. We recognise the right of every citizen or group of persons to association or religious belief as enshrined in the constitution and accordingly urge tolerance one for another even in the face of extreme provocation. However, the current agitation for the implementation of the Sharia legal system ranks of mischievous delinquency. The Sharia legal system has existed in most parts of the Northern Nigeria in the form of ëAlkali‰ courts and the Sharia court of appeal. One begins to sense a politically motivated agenda aimed at cresting to power on the back of ethno-religious bickering come 2003 elections. It is necessary to remind those State Government trumpeting the Sharia creed to exercise some restraint in their utterances, which tend to instil fear into the minds of non-Muslims.
The potency of the Sharia issue makes it impossible for the Federal Government to be passive. The proponents of Sharia have always insisted that their actions are in line with the constitution. Yet those against Sharia point at the same constitution as the basis of their opposition. Can our constitution be so double faced that both interpretations are correct? The National Association of Seadogs calls on the Federal Government to make a clarification on this vexed issue especially as it is currently sowing the seed of disaffection between the people of this country. This issue is capable of causing disintegration of the country via multiple pseudo-secession following the Zamfara example, especially as it has led to the burning of churches in some States. We do not pray for the Ruwanda, Burundi or Somalian experience, but we might wake up one day to find a religious war in our hands, when it would be too late. The Federal Government is pretending not to know that the country is pregnant with religious and ethnic discord. The Nation is gripped by forces that are not comfortable with the current dispensation and would do all within their powers to cause disaffection and chaos as a ruse to changing the status quo. For as long as the government refuses to carry out detailed investigations into the immediate and remote causes of the violent eruptions in different parts of the country, for so long would these elements continue to hold the nation to siege. What if it‰s fifth columnists at work, remember how they blamed-it-all-on-NADECO in those days when in reality they were the perpetrators. Government must use its machinery to identify these cowards for prosecution.
On the 29th of May 1999 when Olusegun Obasanjo assumed the reign of leadership as the president of this country, there were high hopes and expectations from Nigerians. The eight-month-old civilian administration is already bedevilled with signs of instability emanating from pent up frustrations bottled up during military regimes. These frustrations are given vent by the pervading freedom of a civilian and a democratic environment. The National Assembly and State Houses of Assembly are not helping matters by their satanic attempt to slow down the pace of governance. Laws are being made on the pages of newspapers. The Niger Delta bill, anti-corruption bill and even the year 2000 budget are all pending in the files of the National Assembly. They are now threatening to impeach the president for violating certain provisions of the constitution. For goodness sake is impeachment at this time the right solution to the problem? The question that begs for an answer is: Is it not an irony that the legislators who are supposed to be the propelling force for the advancement of the welfare of the masses are the same ones that are slowing down the wheel of progress? The patience of the Nigerian people is not infinitely elastic, as we have seen from recent happenings; it should not be stretched further as this could lead to protest that may be difficult to contain. We want to affirm as an Association that we are ready to be in the vanguard of the protests, if that is the only way to free this Nation from the grip of legislators, who delude themselves in the grandeur of the position they occupy courtesy of the Nigerian populace and forget the responsibility attached thereto. We have said this before and might not have another opportunity to do so, enough of the politick.
There is no doubt that Nigeria is enjoying honeymoon in International politics. So there seem to be wisdom in the various International trips in the quest for foreign investors. However, we advice that the president should reduce these trips and attend to urgent National issues begging for attention. The much expected investors will not come in where there is chaos and anarchy, where there is in-fighting between the executive and legislative arms of government, where there is ethnic and religious suspicion which could snow ball into a ball of fire at the slightest spark.
Finally, the Federal Government must accept today to urgently call the Nigerian people to a round table to debate the future of our country on how to restructure Nigeria in such a way that all nationalities, ethnic, tribe and citizens of the country will be treated fairly and equitably to pave way for a peaceful and cordial co-existence among the citizens as well as allow the country archive its true potentials as a blessed African Nation. The call for a conference of the various nationalities making up the polity to discuss the terms of our continued affiliation have been dismissed by people who claim to know better, but the multiplicity of ethnic armies and the frequent tribal clashes all over the country are enough evidence that all is not well with the relationship between the diverse people of this country. It is not enough to dismiss suggestions; the Government must at the same time come up with better options.
We use this opportunity to thank the Nigerian Press as partners in the struggle for the emancipation of our oppressed people, we must continue to educate, raise the awareness and consciousness of the society in order that they can identify and deal with issues which militate against the attainment of their potential."
Signed:
Tim Amola Akpareva
NAS Capone
National Association of Seadogs (NAS)
3rd February 2000
