INSIDE AFRICA ... first, Abacha should keep house in order, leave Sierra Leone by Princess Ngozi Ude Summary of Viewpoint: The issue here remains that if the Nigerian government under the leadership of the current president Sani Abacha should respond quickly to the cry of Kabbah then why did Abacha find it difficult to respond to the cry of his own nation under his dictatorship? Many are deprived of their rights as citizens of Nigeria, some have been tortured by hunger and denied freedom of speech. I think Abacha intervened so rapidly in order to gain more international recognition while his government is claiming to be seeking democracy in Sierra Leone. Nigeria's intervention in Sierra Leone in opposition to the forceful succession to the presidential throne by the military has attracted different reactions. It is not unusual that a 33- year-old army major (Johnny Paul Koromah) toppled a civilian (Ahmad Tejan Kabbah). Kabbah who was elected 14 months ago was removed on May 25. The other big question is: Why did Nigeria intervene as peace makers since Nigeria does not have peace. Why should a successful coup be something that is questionable by the Nigerian government? Nigeria has been facing political instability for many years with the economy deteriorating; so, why should they waste money and time trying to give peace to another country by sending troops? Personally, I do not support the idea of coups or the way Kabbah was overthrown but it is not an unusual act in Africa. It should be noted that Kabbah asked Nigeria and other regional African countries to help him. Gen. Abacha was not elected into office by the citizens of Nigeria. As a military leader, he should have known that the small number of troops he sent to fight the rebels will not be a match for the Sierra Leonians. Nigerian soldiers and other west African forces should not be wounded and killed in the name of Kabbah. Ousting Major Koromah from Sierra Leone's presidency will not radically change their methods of governance. According to The Journal of Modern African Studies (March 1994 issue), the widespread corruption in Sierra Leone grew under the regime of the All People Congress between 1968 and 1992. It has not changed. So why should Abacha send troops to fight a nation that is as corrupt as his own Nigeria? Second, he did not seek the opinion of Nigerians before sending troops to Sierra Leone. He should have shown some kind of concern, sought public opinion and support as the United States of America (a democratic nation) did before sending troops to help reverse the killings in Rwanda. The only losers in this entire process will be the citizens of west Africa. Kabbah is not losing anything except that some soldiers just played the dirty game of seizing state power through the barrel of the gun. I believe there can be a better way to bring peace to the citizens of Sierra Leone. The outcome of the attack by the Nigerian troops at this time will make issues more devastating and complicating. If only Abacha will start planning and acting for the sake of his people the way he did for Kabbah, I believe the Nigerian economy will be revived and all of us at home and abroad will be given the respect and honor we deserve. Of all said and done, Nigeria and Sierra Leone despite election is not fully democratic. *Ude, a senior at the Communications Department, is USAfrica's special correspondent on community affairs © June 1997. OTHER VIEWS: Abdullahi SULE, vice president of Zumunta USA argues the following position on the issue: "I support democracy. Whoever supports democracy I support that person. So if Nigeria is against the military coup in Sierra Leone with the aim to restore the democratically elected leader, I support Gen. Abacha's intervention. Nigeria's intervention with other countries in west African should be seen for being an excercise to promote democracy. The situation in Sierra Leone is not a simple one. It is complicated but the interests of achieveing democracy should prevail and come first." Abdoulaye Abe SECK, vice president of Houston's African chamber of Commerce insists: In Sierra Leone, we need stability and order . The main focus for Africaat this time should be development. It cannot be achieved through anarchy and coups and conflicts. Although the fight for democracy is a wonderful one,t it must be done in an orderly, peaceful way. We have to stabilize Sierra Leone and the rest of Africa to be on that road to development. Sierra Leone has been robbed that chance. If the intervenion seriously seeks to achieve lasting peace and development for our people in the Sierra Leone, then I'll support it. Meanwhile, I'm watching the events carefully." Back to: Inside Africa Index or, USAfrica Homepage