Will, or shall we say, can,
Obasanjo place Lagos under a state of emergency?
Special to NigeriaCentral.com
and USAfricaonline.com
It will be equally important to note that Obasanjo's party, the
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was massively routed by Tinubu's
Alliance for Democracy in Lagos, and in Obasanjo's local council
area, count/district and the entire state of Ogun. Therefore, it will
not be far-fetched to hear from many cynics the usual claims of
partisan motives and sub-ethnic interpretations (although Tinubu and
Obasanjo are both Yorubas) since both issues are recurring factors in
Nigeria's geopolitical power plays. I believe Obasanjo's concerns are
very well-founded and must be commended. Yet the question remains
whether Obasanjo and the federal police should allow cynical claims
to restrain their response to the sensitive situation in the former
capital city of Nigeria? Or was President Obasanjo merely blustering
when he insinuated in his letter the possibility of declaring a state
of emergency in Lagos? More critical, will Obasanjo fit the image of
some of his critics who have said that the retired General cannot
decisively "deal" with some of his own Yoruba folks (particularly
those of the OPC) who seem to gradually undermine his increasingly
popular government? His heavy-handed and massive response which
demolished parts of Odi town has continued to raise questions, too,
about the lack of will as regards the OPC and their patrons. Or will
he work, in tandem, with Tinubu to put into effect such necessary
decisive moves as to halt the killings and hooliganism in and around
Lagos, particulalrly as spearheaded by the Ganiyu Adams-led OPC?
Bola Tinubu , governor of Lagos state, has said that he was
appalled and angered by the criticism from Nigeria's President
Olusegun Obasanjo that Tinubu was losing control of law and order in
the state. Obasanjo has implied that the situation which has been
made rather difficult by the actions of the Odua Peoples Congress, a
militant Yoruba group, could force him to impose a state of
emergency. 
His January 13 letter to Tinubu, among other things, stated: I
need not remind you of the Oath of Office to which you swore in May
1999 as the Executive Governor of Lagos State. As Chief Executive
Officer of the State, the onus of the protection of the lives and
property of the citizens of your state rests squarely on your
shoulders. Indeed, the raison detre of your office is the maintenance
of law and order in Lagos State and the provision of good quality of
life for people living in the state." Obasanjo made a direct personal
reference to Tinubu, specifically refering to "your seemingly
unguarded utterances in support of the dastardly acts of brigandage
and banditry of the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC)." The OPC has also
been charged for attacks on police stations.
The embattled Lagos governor who has been facing serious and
viable charges regarding his claims to have acquired degrees from U.S
and Canadian colleges, took the volley back to Obasanjo by stating
vehemently that "I am appalled, on the other hand, that you have
offhandedly accused me of unguarded utterances in support of the
dastardly acts of brigandage and banditry of the Oodua Peoples
Congress (OPC). And this without the slightest iota of evidence to
prove such a grave allegation coming from an office as exalted as
that which you occupy."
He criticised Obasanjo whom he said "referred vaguely to a
newspaper which allegedly reported these fictional utterances falsely
and maliciously ascribed to me but surprisingly failed to name the
publication in question. When, I must ask, has it become consistent
with the tenets of democracy for an individual to be adjudged guilty,
in this arbitrary way on the basis of unspecified, obviously
imaginary utterances made in unidentified publications?"
On the alleged failings of the Lagos governor to fulfil his duty,
he stated that "...no one took that solemn and sacred oath on my
behalf on May 29, 1999. As Governor, I am the Chief Security Officer
of the state responsible for safety of lives and property under my
jurisdiction. And it is as a result of this consciousness that I have
consistently led the way in condemning the dangerous constitutional
lacuna which confers on a state governor the empty status of chief
security officer but effectively denies him the wherewithal to
function as such. I am glad that many of my colleagues in various
states have followed my example by calling for either state or
regional police formations."
Tinubu did not mince words in claiming that Obasanjo "has
unfortunately maintained a baffling silence on this all important
constitutional matter that borders so crucially on the sanctity of
lives and property."
The issues of law and order have served as reasons in the past for
the military to intervene and kick the civilians out of office.
Hence, many Nigerians, according to NigeriaCentral.com and USAfrica
The Newspaper reporters and consultants in different parts of
Nigeria, seem to support the demand, even if belated, by President
Obasanjo that Tinubu and federal police act more decisively to halt
the dangers and problems which the Odua Peoples Congress (OPC) has
caused, and the attendant problems of ethnic conflicts between the
northern Hausas and Yorubas in different
parts of Yorubaland. Also, Afolabi Amao, a Lagos Divisional Police
Officer (DPO) in the Bariga area was allegedly thrown into the Lagos
lagoon by members of the OPC. Divers are searching for his body.
It will be equally important to note that Obasanjo's party, the
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was massively routed by Tinubu's
Alliance for Democracy in Lagos, and in Obasanjo's local council
area, count/district and the entire state of Ogun. Therefore, it will
not be far-fetched to hear from many cynics the usual claims of
partisan motives and sub-ethnic interpretations (although Tinubu and
Obasanjo are both Yorubas) since both issues are recurring factors in
Nigeria's geopolitical power plays. I believe Obasanjo's concerns are
very well-founded and must be commended. Yet the question remains
whether Obasanjo and the federal police should allow cynical claims
to restrain their response to the sensitive situation in the former
capital city of Nigeria? Or was President Obasanjo merely blustering
when he insinuated in his letter the possibility of declaring a state
of emergency in Lagos? More critical, will Obasanjo fit the image of
some of his critics who have said that the retired General cannot
decisively "deal" with some of his own Yoruba folks (particularly
those of the OPC) who seem to gradually undermine his increasingly
popular government? His heavy-handed and massive response which
demolished parts of Odi town has continued to raise questions, too,
about the lack of will as regards the OPC and their patrons. Or will
he work, in tandem, with Tinubu to put into effect such necessary
decisive moves as to halt the killings and hooliganism in and around
Lagos, particulalrly as spearheaded by the Ganiyu Adams-led OPC?
As the days and times of the nearly one year-old democratic
governments in Nigeria deal with the challenges, most of those issues
will be increasingly tested on the canvas of time and realities of
Eko (Lagos) and the wider context of Nigeria's geopolitics.
Nwangwu, recipient of the Journalism Excellence Award, HABJ
1997, is the Founder & Publisher of USAfrica The Newspaper,
USAfricaonline.com
(first African-owned U.S-based professional newspaper to be published
on the internet), The Black
Business Journal,www.BBJonline.com and NigeriaCentral.com.
He covered U.S president Bill Clinton's visit to parts of Africa,
March-April 2, 1998. He is writing a book on the experiences of
recent African immigrants in the U.S. 
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