PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, JUNE 27, 2014
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Comment What Fashola should know about Ekiti election By Bunmi Olusona
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read what your response was to the huge defeat suffered by your Ekiti counterpart, Gov. Kayode Fayemi. He is truly a gentleman and a democrat who did his best for Ekiti people. Governor Raji Fasola (SAN), you were quoted as having lamented that the Ekiti people voted for Fayose as a result of money, while ignoring the achievements of incumbent Governor Kayode Fayemi in the state. I strongly disagree with you and I want to open your eyes and those of the other leaders of APC to the following: Your party, APC, is undemocratic; imposition is your stock in trade. Your platform is notorious for this and the destinies of young and old people have been truncated as a result of this. Anyone not in your favour is doomed, no matter his/her relationship with the grassroots. Virtually all the ethnic nationalities in Nigeria today clamoured for a sovereign national conference to address
the myriad problems confronting this nation; yes we got less than a sovereign conference but half bread they say is better than none. Your party not only assumed to know more than everybody by rejecting it but refused to participate. You robbed the South-West and other states under your authority of official participation. We can’t
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quantify their loss. Your party is openly against what most Nigerians today want; that is, local government autonomy. We all know why you will never support such. Your party, APC, is openly sympathetic to Boko Haram activities. You opposed sending the military to the affected areas; you openly expressed your rejection of
curfew and imposition of state of emergency in those areas. You openly condemn the Nigerian Army, who are in active combat operations and in great peril. Many of them have paid the supreme sacrifice to secure all of us; rather than appreciate them, you actually wanted Army leaders tried for genocide. Nigerians understand your
Nigerians understand your body language – a desire to bring this government down. On this fifth point your party got it all wrong. You, its leaders, painted yourselves as saints who have embarked on a mission to save Nigeria, But you were quick to expose your real identities by luring the brazenly corrupt elements failed Governors and their thieving godfathers and friends into your platform.
body language – a desire to bring this government down. On this fifth point, your party got it all wrong. You, its leaders, painted yourselves as saints who have embarked on a mission to save Nigeria, But you were quick to expose your real identities by luring the brazenly corrupt elements failed Governors and their thieving godfathers and friends into your platform. You tried desperately to rebrand robbers as progressives? This move of yours revealed your true identity as opportunists who just want to win at all cost. No standard, no integrity, no ideology nor principles; just the states and the money therein! Nigerians now know your mission. You want to create religious conflict in Nigeria, where brothers and sisters will no longer see themselves as such but in religious coloration. These issues are very serious and germain to the continued existence of this country. APC has been decoded. Rev. Bunmi Olusona wrote in from Ilorin, Kwara state
What next for Chibok girls? By Levi Obijiofor
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fter a few weeks of vigorous and emotional international and national protests over the abduction of more than 230 female students from Chibok, Borno state, everyone seems to have forgotten about the unfortunate students. How could we forget so soon? The international community and civil society groups seem to have eased their pressure on the government and the security agencies to find and free the girls from their kidnappers. Rescuing the Chibok school girls was always going to be difficult as it took the government nearly three weeks after the event to acknowledge that some female secondary school students had indeed been kidnapped in Borno State by Boko Haram terrorists. The longer it took the government and security forces to respond, the more entrenched the abductors became. The moment the girls were taken and dispersed in the notorious Sambisa forest and Gwoza mountains, the parents knew it would take a very long time before they could be united with their children, if ever that would happen. The lull that followed two weeks of active campaigns for the release of the girls suggests that the nation and the international community have abandoned the girls to their worst fate. The frequency of the protests and the number of people who participate in the campaigns have gone down significantly. This has prompted the question: Where next from here? Weeks of vigorous placard waving and yelling in the streets have not achieved the goals outlined by the campaign organisers. Offers of assistance from world leaders such as President Barack Obama of the United States, David Cameron of Britain, Israeli and Chinese leaders, not to forget a coterie of African leaders initially seemed to signal the beginning of the end for
Boko Haram terrorists. So far, nothing has happened. Despite the military and technological superiority of the countries that have offered assistance to President Goodluck Jonathan, including their intelligence gathering capability, the abducted girls remain in the custody of their kidnappers. Jonathan’s determination to rescue the school girls is now under scrutiny. Last month, he said he would not sleep until the girls have been found and returned safely to their parents. How many times since that statement has Jonathan forfeited his sleep? Jonathan’s critics have pointed to his haphazard response to the abduction of the schoolgirls. Since the girls were kidnapped, Jonathan has made many statements that are in conflict with one another. We must acknowledge that Boko Haram poses a major security challenge. However, Jonathan has been criticised many times also because of his failure to provide unambiguous leadership and his failure to show courage. After Boko Haram terrorists attacked the students in Chibok, Borno state, and took away more than 230 girls on 14 April 2014, Jonathan did not respond as forcefully as you would expect a political leader. Rather than go after Boko Haram kidnappers,
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the government kept quiet for more than two weeks. Owing to that inaction, the kidnappers took all the time to move the school girls into different locations, making it difficult for soldiers to find and rescue the students without bloodshed. Some activists have queried why the government kept quiet and refused to respond nearly three weeks since the girls were forcefully taken from their school. As the nation watched in disbelief at government’s apathy, the international community and civil society groups at home began to coalesce in the quest to find the girls. The campaign also received further impetus from social media. There is no doubt that social media helped to draw national and international attention to the abduction of the school girls. Some world leaders such as Barack Obama of the United States and David Cameron of Britain were at the vanguard of global pressure to find and free the abducted school girls. There were also other media and movie stars who added to the international profile of the campaign. In the early days of the formation of the “Bring back our girls” movement, Abuja was turned into a carnival ground of sorts by women activists, as well as political and human rights
campaigners who displayed placards on which were written catchphrases such as “Bring back our girls”, “Bring our daughters home”, and “Free our girls”. This is as much a query to the federal government as it is a question directed to civil society. Where is the campaign headed to after more than 70 days during which the school girls have been in captivity? Why has government failed to furnish the nation with regular updates in regard to the condition of the girls, the efforts to secure their freedom, and the progress made by security forces to overwhelm Boko Haram militants and their leaders? Is the international community still committed to helping the government to find and free the abducted girls? What level of support has the government received from friendly foreign governments? Everyone, the government and civil society, has an obligation to assist in the battle to free the girls. It should not be a case of out of sight, out of mind. This is a national scandal. The idea that a group of school girls could be seized from their school premises and taken as prisoners by a terrorist organisation for more than two months defies our sense of decency. The government has not shown that it has an obligation to protect the life and property
Everyone, the government and civil society, has an obligation to assist in the battle to free the girls. It should not be a case of out of sight, out of mind. This is a national scandal. The idea that a group of school girls could be seized from their school premises and taken as prisoners by a terrorist organisation for more than two months defies our sense of decency.
of every Nigerian citizen. More than 230 Nigerian schoolgirls are languishing in detention within the territory of Nigeria. Yet, the combined force of Nigerian soldiers and intelligence community has not been able to locate or free the girls. Can anyone still refer to Nigeria as the giant of Africa, in any sense whatsoever? Things we never contemplated are happening in the country. A terrorist organisation has defied the philosophy of national unity to mock the government and the people of Nigeria. In a united Nigeria, people should be free to live and do business in any part of the country without being targeted, hunted and killed like animals merely because of their religious beliefs, their ethnic origins and their political philosophy. Boko Haram is doing everything possible to divide Nigeria by force. Politicians who are close to Boko Haram, including religious and traditional rulers who hail from the northern part of the country, continue to condemn Boko Haram activities but the terror organisation continues to treat everyone with contempt, except, of course, all those traitors who provide financial support and intelligence to the violent organisation. Let’s get this point clear. The Chibok girls did not commit any crime to justify their abduction. Nothing will ever justify the brazen abduction of teenage schoolgirls. The students were taken away forcibly, against their free will. Whatever happens, whether or not the Chibok girls gain their freedom sooner or later, it is the obligation of civil society to keep the fire of the campaign raging. The outrage expressed by the international community and world leaders against the abduction of the Chibok school girls must be seen as anger directed also at our society. Levi Obijiofor teaches journalist at The University of Queensland, Australia.