POLITICS
Kanu Arrest: Time to Arrest what Gives Rise to Agitations
By Jude Opara
In past few days, the biggest story that has been coming out of Nigeria is the arrest of the leader of the separatist Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu by Nigerian security agencies. In fact it was almost like a funfair watching the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami addressing the media to reveal the arrest.
Shortly after that the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed did not want to miss out of the euphoria as he also addressed the media.
Mohammed almost got personal while describing the life style Kanu was leaving, even the type of cloths he was wearing.Elsewhere all manner of conjectures from the absurd to the ridiculous were made as to where and how he was arrested.
The ever busy social media was awash with all kinds of reactions. While some segments of the society were in a sober mood over the arrest, others were in jubilant celebrations.The Arewa Youth Consultative Forum (AYCF) expectedly jumped into the matter by issuing a statement in celebration of the arrest. Understandably, this was after the same group and other numerous Northern groups jointly placed a N100 million Naira bounty on the head of Kanu.
However, beyond the feeling or reaction of some individuals or groups concerning the arrest of Kanu, the most important question to ask is after the re-arrest of Kanu, what next? Is it now Eldorado for Nigeria? Will the arrest of Kanu bring an end to the numerous challenges facing the country?
It must be stated here that while it is true that most of the people of the South-East are not in support with the style of Kanu and his IPOB, there are some salient realities that must not be ignored.
Number one is that Kanu has managed to attract a large followership of people especially the youths to himself. Today he has a cult figure among the adherents to his message and style.
Secondly, we must separate the fiction from the reality that beyond the propaganda and blackmail aimed at tarnishing the image of Kanu, we must accept the fact that his claim of marginalization of the people of the South East is staring us in the face every day.
Now what has given a fellow like Nnamdi Kanu who was barely known about seven years ago such an international image he has today was the apparent mishandling of the IPOB agitation by the federal government who decided to use the force of arms instead of the more profitable use of dialogue.
Whether we as a people accept it or not, there is an overwhelming belief in the South-East that successive governments have treated them with little or no regard. Over the years the area has been complaining of being marginalized.
The people will without blinking an eye reel out series of reasons why they believe they are being marginalized by the government. For instance, they will tell you that of the six regions in Nigeria, the South-East is the only one with only five states while others have six and North-West has seven. They will readily tell you that the zone has only 95 local government areas while one state elsewhere has 44 local government areas. They will easily point out to the fact their children are the ones that must score higher marks before they could get admission into colleges and universities.
For instance, currently at the University of Abuja there is a silent war going on with the systematic weeding of students from some part of the country. This writer knows the case of a boy from Imo State who wants to study International Studies/Political Science, he scored 276 in the UTME but so far he has not been offered admission while there are some with as low as 180 from other parts of the country who have been offered admission. In the school, it is widely said that the Vice Chancellor says he wants to ensure that more students from a particular religion and parts of the country were admitted. If this fails to get admission not because he did not do well but on the basis of his tribe and religion, does anybody need to tell him that he is not wanted in Nigeria?
In fact, most analysts have blamed the IPOB issue and its apparent mishandling on the same wave of marginalization because before IPOB, we have the killer herdsmen freely attacking and sacking communities across Nigerian and till date the Nigerian government has refused to classify them as terrorists, despite the fact that in the Global Terrorism Index (GTI), the Fulani herdsmen are the fourth most deadly terrorist organization in the world.
But the same government in their thinking thought that rushing to brand IPOB a terrorist organization was the best way to tackle the issue of the agitation for the restoration of the State of Biafra.
How far has successive Nigerian governments gone to really unite the country since after the civil war? Till date the average Igbo man rightly or wrongly believes that while the physical war of bullets and bombs may have ended, the cold war is still very much raging.
The arrest of Nnamdi Kanu will achieve little or nothing unless the government begins an earnest move to truly integrate the people of South-East into the Nigerian system. The usual talks of the zone also having cabinet ministers are hollow statements that only attempt without success to confuse the question.
Biafra is an ideology and the world over; ideologies are never defeated with the force of arms, only superior arguments can defeat ideologies. It is rather regrettable that instead of using dialogue and the suggestion of superior arguments to those who believe they should exit Nigeria, the federal government only knows how to threaten and attack.
The poser here is if after more than 50 years since the civil war ended and today millions of youths from the South-East are again clamouring for the restoration of Biafra, it means that certain things may not have been seen to have been done correctly. Therefore, the only reasonable thing the federal government ought o have done is to call those claiming to be marginalized was to have invited them to a dialogue and hear them out.
The truth is, even if the government eliminates or incarcerates Kanu forever but fails to address the issues that threw him up; it is only a matter of time before another person will emerge to continue with the agitation. The Nigerian government should rather show leadership by engaging the Igbo people to find out how they are truly marginalized. Waving them aside with the hope of clamping down on them cannot and will never solve the problem.
Those who are in charge of the affairs of the country today should know that power is transient; they should also know that they cannot continue to hold people down and expect them to remain quiet forever. The irrational impression that some Nigerians are more important than others just on the basis of their religion and ethnicity can never suffice because generations to come will surely ask questions that may not be palatable.
Since the arrest of Nnamdi Kanu, it has been observed how most of those making some comments to suggest that Kanu must be punished like a ‘terrorist’ are from Northern part of the country. Despite the fact the region is the hotbed of banditry and kidnapping, especially of little school children, most of these elements have not exhibited such interest in the arrest of Kanu in calling on the federal government to also arrest those terrorizing their region. In fact, some Northern governments have confessed to going to pay money to the bandits to stop harassing their people but till date everybody pretends not o know who after the bandits and where they could be located.
While it must be stated that Kanu while on his self-imposed exile made some incendiary comments that were capable of leading to the breakdown of law and order, it is not for people and even government officials from a particular section of the country to more or less take it personal. That will also suggest that he may not be accorded him fundamental human right which presumes him innocent until proven otherwise by a competent Court. In fact most of them have inadvertently condemned him and it is only imaginable what to expect from the Court.
The way out of this dangerous situation is for the President Muhammadu Buhari administration to sincerely begin the process of restructuring Nigeria so that most of the agitations would be taken care of. Refusing and insisting on the apparent lopsided structure will not do anybody any good.
So whatever happens, the problem will not just disappear because Nnamdi Kanu has been arrested. We must begin and out in place structures that will help the real growth of the country.
From Attah Ede, Makurdi
A total of eight political parties in Benue State are fielding candidates for forthcoming Local Government Council Elections in the State slated for Saturday 5.
Towards this end, the Benue State Independent Electoral Commission (BSIEC) has put adequate arrangements on ground for a hitch-free exercise.
The Chairman of the Commission, Richard Terlumum Tombowua, disclosed this on Thursday during a media briefing held at the Commission’s headquarters in Makurdi.
He listed the political parties participating in the elections to includes; African Action Congress, AAC, All Progressives Congress, APGA, Labor Party(LP), New Nigeria Peoples’ Party (NNPP), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Social Democratic Party (SDP) and Zenith Labor Party(ZLP).
He further disclosed that the Commission has already carried out verification of candidates for the election on September 12, adding that on Monday 16 September, political parties returned names of substituted candidates.
According to him, on Tuesday 17 September, 2024 the commission displayed the list of substituted candidates by the political parties, while the main elections have been fixed for October 5th, 2024.
Tombowua explained that no political party or a faction of any party is being favoured by the Commission as be speculated in some quarter, stressing that he received letter from the National Secretariat of the All Progressives Congress, APC to work with the caretaker committee led Benjamin Omale in dealing with the party.
He said a similar letter was received by the Commission from the national secretariat of the People’s Democratic Party PDP to also work with their caretaker committee in the State and assured that the Commission will conduct free, transparent and credible elections.
“On our part, we are ready to conduct free, fair and credible elections. Initially 14 political parties indicated interest to participate in the election but at the end, 8 parties were fielding candidates to contest in the election.
“The House of Assembly approved our budget of 6 billion naira and as for payment; we are getting it as it is coming. We have procured 21 vehicles and made provision for sensitive and non-sensitive materials to enable us to conduct the election.
“We have already started receiving most of the materials we are going to use in the election. We also have other activities which will commence from Saturday 21, 2024 to October 5, 2024. We have made arrangements for the training of staff and adhoc staff beginning from Thursday next week”.
“We have procured parts of sensitive and non-sensitive materials for the elections. We have taken delivery of 21 vans for area offices and are awaiting the remaining ones.
“There is nothing that will stop this election, aside from God because the latest amendment to the Electoral Law has prohibited Court interference from any activity leading to this our election
“So whether you go to court, whether you have an injunction or not it will not stop us from conducting this election going by the latest Benue State LG amended law”.
“However, we shall not be using Bimodal verification and accreditation machines (BVAN) because the new law did not make provision for that “.
Eight political parties Electorates in Benue State will elect new chairpersons and councillors for the 16 local governments in the state on Saturday, with only five of Nigeria’s 19 political parties fielding candidates for the elections”, he stated.
By Eze Okechukwu, Abuja
The President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio has said that the Senate will tinker with the constitution to allow the Supreme Court Judgement on local government autonomy to be implemented.
Akpabio stated this yesterday when he received members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Akwa Ibom State, who were loyal to the erstwhile Interim National Secretary of the party, Senator John James Akpanudoedehe, in Uyo.
According to Akpabio, “I thank President Bola Tinubu, for looking for a way to bring the all needed autonomy to the local governments through the intervention of the Supreme Court.
The Senate, under my leadership, will tinker with the constitution to ensure that the judgment is fully implemented without any loopholes for manipulation by the practitioners.”It would be recalled that the former APC scribe had defected to the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), after losing out in the leadership of the party.
Speaking further on the return of the party members Akpabio said, “The only thing that is permanent in life is change. Before my coming into the APC, the party never won even a councillor seat in the state and I came into the party in 2018, the then leaders of the party saw me as an enemy.
“During the 2019 elections, the APC worked against the APC. We had the best chance to have won the governorship and other elections in the state, but the then leaders refused to see it from that angle.
“I joined the APC so that we would be linked to the center and I thank God today that that dream finally came to pass in 2023. I am today the President of the Senate, through the grace of God Almighty, the support of President Bola Tinubu and my distinguished colleagues who elected me.
“God knew that I meant well for our people, so he elevated me to the position of the President of the Senate. When you raise people, your hands remain up and when you bring people down, your hands will also be down. So follow the person we know.”
“On behalf of the party leadership, I welcome you back. I am happy that you have all returned to the party where you belonged. Now that you are back, May God blesses you and grants the progressive desires of your hearts.”he prayed.
Speaking on behalf of the returnees, who said they never left the party, even though their leader left, Eteubong Alex Umoh, Obong Kufre Akpan and Mrs Roseline Eyang said,” we never left the APC. We never joined any other party, because we know you as the leader of the party in the state. We all recognize the President of the Senate as our leader in the state. We refused to be weapons of war in the hands of anybody against you and the party leadership.
“We are happy that we are all here today. There is no division in the APC because we are now one united family.”
From Joseph Amedu, Lokoja
Kogi state governor, Usman Ododo has given an assurance that he would leave no stone unturned in ensuring free, fair and credible local government council elections slated for October 19 in the state.
Ododo in his speech at the Flag-off Campaigns of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Lokoja on Thursday promised a level playing field for all the participating political parties and provision of adequate security.
He said his administration has laid the foundation for the victory of APC by touching the lives of the people positively
While commending president Bola Tinubu for making security top priority of his administration, Ododo said that the gesture accounted for the peace being enjoyed in Kogi, the governor assuring that the election would not only be l peaceful but free, fair and transparent
He appealed to the people to support the president in his drive to reposition the economy of the country, saying that the president meant well for the nation, assuring that the people will soon continue to see the dividends of his efforts, adding that the hardship being experienced now will soon be a thing of the past.
Speaking further he told APC members and support to come out on October 19 to cast their votes for APC, saying that the party meant well for the people and will continue to deliver dividends of democracy to them.
“The party cares about the welfare of the people of the state. I urged you therefore to work for the candidates that will utilize your resources to work for you and those are the candidates of our party the APC.
“The mandate given to me as Governor is to work for the benefits of the people and not about noise making. I and my team will continue to do that without making noise about it.
“We have been able to intervene in the provision of quality and adequate health for our people, improved infrastructure, investment in education, youth employment and women empowerment, which he said will form the basis of the APC campaign.”
He however urged the people of the state not to be intimidated by anyone, but to go out boldly to cast their votes for the candidates of the APC.
He thanked the people of the state for their support which he said was largely responsible for the successes recorded by his administration, saying that he will not disappoint them.
The chairman of APC in the state, Abdullahi Bello in his welcome address advised members of the party and supporters to engage in door to door campaigns to garner more support for the candidates of the party.
He assured that the party is going to win all the chairmanship positions, because the party has done well in the state.
The representatives of the three districts; Ibrahim Ahovi, Kogi Central; Matthew Kolawole, Kogi west and Comfort Egwuaba in their various speeches assured that the votes from their areas will be total, saying there was no opposition anywhere in the state again.
Egwuaba particularly noted that, the emergence of women as Vice chairmen for APC across the 21 LGAs along with five Councilorship positions, along with numerous women appointed in the governor’s cabinet has made the campaign easy for them.
Earlier, the Chairman of the APC local government campaign committee, Prof. Salisu Ogbo Usman noted that the governor has simplified their job by over 90% with his impressive performance in office as Governor.
Usman who scored the Governor high in Agriculture, infrastructural development, payment of salary to both State and LG workers, added that this is also another campaign point for the committee.
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