Calling "ex-Biafran soldiers traitors is nonsensical, as it is inflammatory and unpatriotic" says Okadigbo
Special to USAfricaonline.com
USAfrica The Newspaper, Houston
NigeriaCentral.com
The
Black Business Journal
Dr. Chuba Okadigbo, political philosopher and former president of
the Senate of Nigeria, has addressed his views to two raging issues
in his country: the controversial electoral bill recently signed into
law by Nigeria's president retired Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo and
t
he
December 2001 debates concerning Biafra, Igbos and the mention of
secession. Obasanjo, Nigeria's Minister of State for defense, Dupe
Adelaja (said to be the daughter of Afenifere Yoruba leader former
Sen. Abraham Adesanya) and some of Obasanjo's kinsmen such as retired
Gen. Adeyinka Adebayo and a few journalists closely associated with
Obasanjo are actively involved in the Biafra debate, too.
Okadigbo who spoke during the celebration of his 60th birthday cautioned that the electoral act is endangering law and order and capable of destroying the fourth republic.
The following are key excerpts from Okadigbo's analysis of the issues as published by USAfricaonline.com, NigeriaCentral.com and USAfrica The Newspaper, Houston:
"A Senator of a republic has a minimum of three obligations: (a) to his electors and constituency, (b) to his colleagues and Chamber, and (c) to the nation at large. Therefore, a senator must make public and clear his positions on critical issues, especially when urgent.
Here, I must stress that Section 4 (2) of the Nigerian Constitution vests upon the National Assembly the power to "make laws for the peace, order and good government of the federation.
As an abiding democrat and senator, I do subject myself to majority decision, where such decision is proper. Also, I should comply with the Standing Rules of the Senate, which include the reality that any position that I express in any Executive Session of the Senate begins and ends there, subject to NO public exertions. Nevertheless, I sustain the imperative that the way and manner that National Assembly decisions conduce or otherwise to enlightened public interests are open to public debate, review, commendation, reprimand or sanction. Hence, this intervention.
Today, Nigeria and Nigerians are afflicted by a dangerous fever &emdash; the fever of the second term, effective 2003. The evolution of the Electoral Bill, its Amendments and the Electoral Act 2001 are manifestations of this fever. It has gripped the electors and the elected, LG chairmen and councillors, national and state legislators, President and Vice-President, governors and deputy governors. Before it converts itself into a terminal cancer of our fourth republic, this fever must be urgently arrested.
"I verily aver that the right or otherwise of the process of the evolution of the Electoral Bill into the Electoral Act 2001 is trite. However, it is noted that President Olusegun Obasanjo has pronounced that no law is perfect and that those opposed to the Electoral Act should go to court. It is equally notable that Senate President, Anyim Pius Anyim has indicated that any law can be revisited any time in the future. These are food for sober reflection and positive action. Consequently, a few remarks thereon are mandatory and urgent.
The Chairman of the PDP Board of Trustees, an architect and lawyer, who was Vice-President of Nigeria (1979-1983), Dr. Alex Ekwueme has pointed out that neither the National Assembly nor the governors have the power to elongate or to reduce &emdash; even by one minute &emdash; the tenure of the current local government chairmen and councillors. In taking this stand, he cited the provisions of Sections 7 and 8 plus Item 22 in Part 1 of the Exclusive List in the 1999 Nigerian Constitution.
This position is well supported by Item 11, Part II of the Concurrent Legislative List which empowers the National Assembly to "make laws for the federation with respect to the registration of voters and the procedure regulating elections to a local government council. In this connection, we must distinguish carefully between the words "procedure" on the one hand and "election" on the other, and take a sharper look at the caveat on retroactive legislation, as supported by Section 4 (9), Nigerian constitution 1999, be such legislation criminal, overtly or covertly.
The upshot of the foregoing are as follows:
The governors, civil rights' activists and other interest groups opposed to the Electoral act, in part or whole, should seek remedy through the courts, and the sooner, the better.
The National Assembly, noting that President Obasanjo did observe that the Electoral Act is imperfect, and that the Senate President also observed that any legislation is open to review any time, should re-visit the Electoral Act 2001, as a matter of urgency.
When aggrieved persons come for remedy or justice, the court must act, expeditiously and courageously, no matter whose ox is gored. After all, no Nigerian lord justice, state, high court or federal, is unaware of the issues at stake nor unconscious of the consequences of dilly-dallying, in the face of national legislative, executive, political or social emergency.
Therefore, all Nigerians, high or low, must place, national interest, national integration, justice and harmony above personal, group or ethnic interests.
All Nigerians are advised to put all hands on deck. In the process, we must all be cautious and patriotic in our utterances and actions.
On this score, I will briefly address the re-entry of Biafra as a talking drum in our recent polity. A minister of state (Mrs. Dupe Adelaja) had the recklessness to say that Biafran soldiers cannot enjoy retirement benefits, not minding, for instance, the reality that some of them were Nigerian soldiers before the emergence of Biafra and that pardon has been granted to all ex-Biafran soldiers.
By bringing the Biafran issue back on stream, this minister was rubbing salt on injury. All these without any defensible or logical cause and in defiance of years of our labour to establish and consolidate our handshake across the Niger! Now we know better why the leader of the Yoruba nation, Sen. Abraham Adesanya had cautioned against the appointment of the relevant minister in the Federal Government under the leadership of Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo.
Another disturbing phenomenon is the claim of Gen. Adeyinka Adebayo to the effect that ex-Biafran soldiers are traitors who deserve no compensation whatsoever but should rather have been punished. This renewed volteface, reminiscent of his utterances before, during and soon after the Nigerian civil war is as unprovoked and nonsensical, as it is inflammatory and unpatriotic.
In my studied opinion, some people enjoy their imaginary bravery by harping on an event that happened 34 years ago which I consider mischievous.
In my view, it is an attempt to boost up this anti-Igbo sentiment.
We want them to know that they have been detected and will be methodically dealt with by the Igbo nation. All those who want to promote Igboland into centre of national confusion wherever they may be, will be methodically detected and dealt with by the Igbo nation.
The Republic of Biafra which gave way in January 1970 is not an
abiding national issue and the promotion of it to the centre of
national discourse today is mischievous, manifestly mischievous and
deliberately concocted as a diversionary tactic, a deviation
from national debate on urgent national issues. ARINZE: Will he be
the FIRST
BLACK AFRICAN
POPE?
By Chido Nwangwu
These views were
stated during an interview CNN's anchor Bernard Shaw and
senior analyst Jeff Greenfield had with Mr. Nwangwu on
Saturday November 18, 2000 during a special edition of
'Inside Politics 2000.' USAfrica
The Newspaper voted the "Best Community
Newspaper"
in the 4th largest city in the U.S., Houston. It is in
the Best of Houston 2001 special as chosen by the editors
and readers of the Houston
Press,
reflecting their poll and annual rankings. (USAfrica's
founder Chido Nwangwu, left, with then U.S. Ambassador
Carrington at the U.S. embassy, Nigeria)
USAfricaonline
EXCLUSIVE
ODUMEGWU
EMEKA OJUKWU:
"It was simply a choice between Biafra and enslavement!
Biafra-Nigeria
war and
history to get fresh, critical look from a
survivor
'Biafra:
History has no Mercy' - a preliminary note
by Chido Nwangwu
"We're cripples like our
homeland...."Anger,
resentment simmer in Nigeria over plight of Biafra
Veterans. By Ian Stewart/AP/May 11,
1998
TRIBUTE
Chinua
Achebe:
The Voice of Ancient and Modern Africa.
Achebe, scholar, social conscience, cultural
historian and globally-acclaimed writer, has been a
significant and binding source for an engaging understanding
of African pre-colonial, colonial and post-colonial history
and realities. I believe that such insight has made him a
favorite of African-Americans, and other scholars and
regular folks in search of a better, realistic understanding
of Africa, at least, from Achebe's utilization of his rich
and dynamic Igbo ancestry, in south eastern Nigeria. I share
the same ancestry, and he's one of my mentors. By
Chido Nwangwu
A Tribute to
V.C.
Ike at 70. By
Prof. Chinua Achebe
Osama
bin-Laden's goons threaten Nigeria and Africa's
stability
What
has Africa
to do with September 11
terror?
Africans
reported
dead
in terrorist
attack at
WTC
September
11
terror and
the ghost of things to
come....
Will
religious conflicts be the time-bomb
for Nigeria's latest transition to civilian rule?
AFRICA
AND THE U.S. ELECTIONS
Beyond U.S.
electoral shenanigans, rewards and dynamics of a democratic
republic hold
lessons
for
African politics.
CONTINENTAL
AGENDA
Bush's position on
Africa
is "ill-advised."
The position
stated by Republican presidential aspirant and Governor of
Texas, George Bush where 
he
said that "Africa will not be an area of priority" in his
presidency has been questioned by
USAfricaonline.com Publisher Chido
Nwangwu. He added that Bush's "pre-election position was
neither validated by the economic exchanges nor
geo-strategic interests of our two continents."
Nwangwu,
adviser to the Mayor of Houston (the 4th largest city in the
U.S., and immigrant home to thousands of Africans) argued
further that "the issues of the heritage interests of 35
million African-Americans in Africa, the volume and value of
oil business between between the U.S and Nigeria and the
horrendous AIDS crisis in Africa do not lend any basis for
Governor Bush's ill-advised
position which
removes Africa from fair consideration" were he to be
elected president. By Al Johnson
LITERATURE
Since 1958, Achebe's "Things Fall Apart" set a
standard of artistic excellence,
and more. By Douglas Killam.
Johnnie Cochran
will soon learn that defending Abacha's
loot is not as simple as his O.J Simpson's case.
Steve
Jobs and Apple represent the future of digital
living
USAfrica
FORUM
IN THE HOUSE OF MANDELA:
A SILLY CRY FOR REPARATIONS
By Prof. Chimalum Nwankwo
Nelson
Mandela, Tribute to the
world's political superstar and Lion of
Africa
Winnie Madikizela-Mandela's
burden
mounts with murder charges, trials
Why Bush should focus on dangers facing
Nigeria's return to democracy and Obasanjo's
slippery slide
Acts of Cowardice.
By Jonathan Elendu,
contributing editor of
USAfricaonline.com.
USAfricaonline.com
is
listed
among the world's leading web sites by the international
newspaper, USAToday.
Recent
and continuing crises regarding Sharia in northern Nigeria
and security of lives in Nigeria highlight the other issue
whether the Obasanjo's government has failed to enforce
basic human rights of all Nigerians? See the
USAfrica
Special reports.
Sharia-related
killings and carnage in Kaduna reenact deadly prologue to
Nigeria-Biafra war
of 1967.
Is Obasanjo really up to
Nigeria's challenge and crises?
By USAfricaonline editorial
board member, Ken Okorie. His commentary appears
courtesy of our related web site, NigeriaCentral.com
Investigating
Marc
Rich and his deals
with Nigeria's Oil
DIPLOMACY
Walter
Carrington:
African-American
diplomat who put principles above self for Nigeria
DEMOCRACY'S
WARRIOR
Out of
Africa.
…The
cock that crows in the morning belongs to one household but
his voice is the property of the neighborhood. -- Chinua
Achebe, Anthills of the Savannah. An editor carries on
his crusade against public corruption and press
censorship
in his native Nigeria and other African countries. By
John Suval.
September
11
terror and the ghost of things to come....
Shred of all polite, fine talk, the terroristic
events of September 11, 2001, in New
York, Washington DC., and Boston raise many questions. Among
them: Are those wanton terror and wholesale visitation of
murder and mayhem the ghost of things to come into the U.S
as we glide into the so-called new world order? Whose order,
really, is it?... Are those the signatures of a world gone
awry, the continuing cannibalization
of our world, our so-called
civilization?
By Chido
Nwangwu, Founder
& Publisher. See DETAILS