Shiites: You have no power legally to kill extra-legally:- HURIWA to President:

Vexed that president Muhammadu Buhari has pressed on with the draconian declaration of a religious body – Shiites Islamic Movement of Nigeria as a terrorist group through an ex parte order from a federal high court, Abuja, the prominent civil rights advocacy group – HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) has reminded the Nigerian president that no law allows his administration to kill civilian protesters under whatever guise.

The Rights group responded to the blanket statement by the president and the inspector general of police Mohammed Adamu that the members of the outlawed Islamic movement of Nigeria having been so declared a terrorist group, “can be dealt with anyhow the armed security forces so wishes”. 

HURIWA said the statement from the duo is irrational, animalistic and unconstitutional and warned the Federal government not to turn Nigeria into a banana republic.

In a media statement by the national coordinator comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko and the national media affairs director Miss. Zainab Yusuf, HURIWA said political leaders of Nigeria at all times and heads of  security forces are bound by international human right laws and must comply by the rules of engagement because extra-legal execution of totally unarmed civilian protesters amounts to grave crime against humanity for which perpetrators would sooner or later face global crimes court for these atrocities. 

HURIWA said that even the use and application of torture by security forces is absolutely prohibited under municipal and global human right laws just as the group insists that the Nigerian government has a duty to also ensure that right to human dignity is extended to all citizens including even those in conflict with the laws. Section 31(1) of the Nigerian Constitution guarantees right to life and only allows competent courts of law to determine offences that are under capital sanctions of the law and not brute force.

HURIWA which reiterated its absolute condemnation of the discriminatory ban of constitutionally guaranteed right to freedoms of movement association and peaceful assembly of those Nigerian citizens loyal to the Islamic cleric Sheikh Ibraheem El-Zaczacky over his prolonged illegal detention stated that it is a misconception for the president and the security chiefs to think they can hide under the excuse that Shiites Islamic movement is classified as a terror group to open fire with lethal weapons on protesting civilians who are unarmed. “Any violator of the right to life will pay for the crime”.

“May we caution president Buhari not to think that his friend who is the president of an international criminal court in The Hague, Netherlands can shield him from facing international justice should the widespread killings by police/soldiers of unarmed Shiites demonstrators continue. Both himself and all the security chiefs will sooner rather than later be made to face international justice”

HURIWA reminded government that under military laws the Nigerian Armed Forces when deployed for either internal or external operations are bound by the laws of war and international law in the conduct of the operations. 

HURIWA reminded government that the laws regulate and limit the conduct of operations by acting as checks against arbitrary use of force just as the human rights threshold demands that government must abide by the global best practices. 

"HURIWA wishes to remind government that from available legal body of knowledge these human right laws are intended to minimize unnecessary suffering by combatants and non-combatants during war. The laws of war and international law are therefore sources of military law in Nigeria and include the following: The four Geneva Conventions of 1949; the two Additional Protocols of 1977 to the Geneva Conventions of 1949.Multilateral and bilateral agreements to which Nigeria is a signatory and have bearing on military service or operations. The decisions of: ICC"

                                            

"The four Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949 for the protection of war victims are as follows:

a.    Geneva Convention for the Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded and Sick in Armed Forces in the Field.

b.   Geneva Convention for the Amelioration of the Wounded, Sick and Shipwrecked Members of Armed Forces at Sea.

c.    Geneva Convention Relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of war.

d.   Geneva Convention Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War.”

“The two Additional Protocols of 1977 to the Geneva Conventions of 1949 are to supplement the 1949 Geneva Conventions and modernize the laws of war. Protocol I deals with the laws of war in international armed conflicts while Protocol 2 addresses the laws of war applicable in internal armed conflicts.”

HURIWA reminded government that even military law scholars have voiced the law based opinion that it is noteworthy that the four Geneva Conventions and the two additional Protocols of 1977 have been formally given effect in Nigeria by the enactment of the Geneva Conventions Act Cap G3 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004. In sum, the Conventions and Protocols which are now an Act of the National Assembly, elaborately spell out the laws of armed conflicts on the use of force and the legal implication of disregarding rules regulating the means and methods of warfare, among other things. Specifically, section 3 of the Act provides for trial and punishment for breach of the Geneva Conventions as follows; a.    In case of grave breach involving willful killing of a person protected by the Convention, sentence of death. b.   In any other such grave breach, imprisonment for 14 years.

HURIWA disclosed that both local and international human rights groups are keenly watching and taking records of the ongoing military atrocities targeting civilian protesters including members of Shiites and the Indigenous people of Biafra (IPOB).

HURIWA condemns attacks of ‘dreadlocked’ boys in Aba by soldiers:

The prominent civil Rights advocacy group: - HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) has condemned the reported widespread violent attacks by armed soldiers of boys who wore dreadlocks in the commercial city of Aba in Abia state.

HURIWA calls the actions of these armed security forces as the clearest manifestations of criminal rascality and an elaborate attempts to draw a wedge between the military and civilians in an era whereby the nation's military is in need of winning the hearts and minds of civilians so as to build formidable data bank of actionable intelligence to check the unprecedented upsurge in violent crimes all over Nigeria.  

HURIWA has therefore asked the chief of Army staff lieutenant General Tukur Yusuf Buratai to immediately order the investigation and prosecution of the soldiers who embarked on these sorts of violence against the civil populace just as the Rights group expressed shock that these misconducts and criminality can still go on amongst soldiers even when the current hierarchy of the Nigerian Army has reportedly invested so much human and material resources to build the capacity of personnel manning the human rights desks of the Nigerian Army in the last couple of years. HURIWA reiterated her call that the Chief of Army staff should upgrade the Human Rights desks of the Army into a full-fledged department to be coordinated by a General just as the group calls for increased collaboration between the Army and credible and independent minded civil society organizations with track records of activities in the human rights industry.

In a statement by the national coordinator comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko and the national media affairs director Miss. Zainab Yusuf, HURIWA says the attacks violates several provisions of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria of 1999 (as amended).

HURIWA cited sections 38(1); 35(1) which states thus: “Every person shall be entitled to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, including freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom (either alone or in community with others, and in public or in private) to manifest and propagate his religion or belief in worship, teaching, practice and observance.” and “Every person shall be entitled to his personal liberty and no person shall be deprived of such liberty save in the following cases and in accordance with a procedure permitted by law”

HURIWA stated that “We have it on records that the commercial center of Abia State, was on Saturday thrown into panic as masked soldiers reportedly arrested, flogged and shaved off the hair of young men wearing dreadlocks and those with bushy and tinted hair. It was gathered that the soldiers also took the young men to an unknown destination."

Some residents, who witnessed the incident, said they were afraid that another season of Operation Python Dance might have commenced in the state, adding that the inhuman treatment meted out to the young men and innocent youths was uncalled for.

HURIWA said: "We have been informed by our members in Aba that the soldiers visited major streets in the city dehumanizing young men and taking them to an unknown destination without any explanation. We were told that the targets of these marauding and lawless armed soldiers were young men, who wore dreadlocks and those who tinted their hair. The masked soldiers flogged many of their victims and used scissors to cut off the hair and then threw the victims into their vehicles and zoomed off."

HURIWA said it was nonsensical that professional soldiers can be let loose to go about harassing the civil populace and misbehaving in these sorts of pathetic modes. Dreadlocks are the choice of some persons even as some religious minded persons keep dreadlocks for spiritual reasons. Nigerian constitution provides for Right to freedom of Religion. The Rights group then condemns the misconducts of the armed soldiers as primitive and unbecoming of a modern day professionally trained armed forces. This show of shame must stop and the inducted soldiers punished. 

Buhari’s shrinking of civic spaces dangerous, unconstitutional: - says HURIWA

The prominent civil rights advocacy group – HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) has warned that Nigeria risks falling into totalitarianism and a failed state should President Muhammadu Buhari be left alone to continuously shrink the civic spaces.

The group which submitted that the fundamentals of the practice of constitutional democracy are animated by the protection and promotion of the basic constitutional freedoms of speech and the opening of the civic spaces, has raised alarm that since coming to office, President Muhammadu Buhari has adopted anti-democratic postures that constitute grave threats to constitutional democracy.

In a media statement by the national coordinator comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko and the national media affairs Director Miss. Zainab Yusuf, the Rights group also disclosed that Nigeria faces the possibility of a slide into dictatorship if the trends of rapid surrender by the judiciary and legislative arms to the executive arm headed by a former strongman and military General are not effectively and speedily arrested clinically.

HURIWA expressed fears that both the legislature and the judiciary are now effectively in the hands of lackeys and bootlickers of the executive arm of government through some orchestrated machination and manipulation of the internal organs by the executive of those two key arms of government, just as HURIWA  argued that if the decline of autonomy by the judiciary and the legislature is not immediately addressed and restored by some progressives internally and externally, then Nigeria may lose all the gains of constitutional democracy that have been made since 1999 when the military dictators handed over to civilians after nearly four decades of military interregnum.

“It is an open secret that the judiciary though the national judicial council (NJC) was successfully bullied by the executive arm of government and arm-twisted to self-destruct by the use of a kangaroo trial of the code of conduct Tribunal headed by a chairman that is tainted with anti-graft allegations, to sack Justice Sylvester Onnoghen seen by president Buhari as independent minded, only for the weakest academic link in the supreme court Justice Tanko Muhammad to be rapidly railroaded into the office of chief justice of Nigeria even when his confirmation process in the national legislature turned out to be a show of shame”.

HURIWA also stated that although the election of Senator Ahmed Lawan to the position of senate president on the surface appeared to be free, fair and transparent, but there were underlying power plays and executive bullying using the slavishly loyal Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC),to precipitate the withdrawal of some of the leading opponents just to make way for the emergence of Ahmed Lawan who is the hard core loyalist of president Buhari since 2015. The Federal House of Representatives also saw the conduct of a manipulated poll which led to the predetermined outcome that has seen another lackey of the president and a man with series of allegations of fraud as far back as when he was in private law practice in the USA, emerging as the speaker. The judiciary and the legislature at the center are effectively taken over by the executive and the first sign of the looming threats to freedoms of speech and civic spaces is the ex parte order by the Federal High Court which permits president Buhari to classify the Islamic movement of Nigeria or Shiites as a terror group only because they have persistently demanded freedom for their illegally detained leader Sheikh Ibraheem Elzaczacky who had previously been granted bail by the same Federal High Court, Abuja division for which president Buhari failed to comply with”.

HURIWA has therefore called on the international community not to allow the imminent collapse of constitutional democracy to happen because the import of the vicious attacks by the federal government against fundamental freedoms of citizens and the shrinking of the civic spaces is the emergence of totalitarianism which may spiral into breakdown of law and order and anarchy.

“As a civil Rights body with total and patriotic commitments to the principles of rule of law and respect for human rights, we view the attacks by the government using the compromised judiciary to illegally outlaw Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) and Shiites Islamic movement of Nigeria (IMN) as terrorists groups whereas the killer Fulani herdsmen are allowed to continue with their mass murders, as a grave threats to the constitutional democracy that we fought so hard to attain”.

According to HURIWA : “it is an undeniable fact that civic space is the bedrock and the fundamental of any open and democratic government which is guaranteed under the chapter four of the Nigerian constitution of 1999 (as amended); all other global human rights conventions and laws do also support the fundamental freedoms as espoused in chapter 4 of the constitution. May we remind president Buhari that his attacks against those fundamental freedoms constitute grave threats to democracy because when civic space is open, citizenry and civic society platforms are then able to organize, participate and communicate without hindrance or impediments that the open threats to lives and freedoms of the practitioners have now become. This can only be the case if government is compelled to discharge her obligations to the citizenry. The freedoms of association; peaceful assembly and expression are no doubt the strategic elements of an open civic space. These critical elements are systematically put under attacks by the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration and un fortunately the free World is watching as constitutional democracy is about to collapse in Nigeria”. 

Inuwa Abdul-kadir: Call the officials to order: HURIWA tells president Buhari: .....*Accuses governor Ayade of persecuting APC's guber candidate:

The leading civil Rights advocacy group – HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) has urged president Muhammadu Buhari to stop the reign of impunity and arbitrariness within the national and Sokoto state’s hierarchies of All Progressives Congress (APC) with specific reference to the clear breach of both the Nigerian constitution and the APC constitution in the purported ‘expulsion’ of the national vice chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC) Alhaji Inuwa Abdul-Kadir (SAN).

Besides, the Rights group has called the attention of president Buhari to the ongoing vicious clampdown and political witch hunt of All Progressives Congress’ governorship candidate in the 2019 election in Cross Rivers state Senator John Owan-Enoh by the Cross Rivers state governor Mr. Ben Ayade. HURIWA said in spite of the fact that it had petitioned the National Human Rights commission on the subject matter, the Cross Rivers State government has escalated his attacks against the APC chieftain using the machinery of the state's justice ministry of justice to frame up a tenuous murder charge against his opponent who is challenging his re-election before the Governorship Tribunal. 

In a media statement issued by the national coordinator comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko and the national media affairs director Miss Zainab Yusuf, HURIWA accused the Sokoto state branch of APC and the national leadership of the party of gross illegality in the conspiracy to procure the removal of the national vice chairman of the party Alhaji Inuwa Abdul-Kadir (SAN) without following the due process of the law and by totally disrespecting a pending litigation on the same subject matter which is before the Sokoto state high court of justice. HURIWA accused the Sokoto state chapter of being manipulated to undertake these cocktails of illegality just as HURIWA wondered why the National Secretariat of the party has allowed itself to be railroaded into adopting a measure that offends section 6 and section 36(5) of the Constitution which are the judicial powers of the federation conferred on the courts of competent jurisdiction and also fair hearing for all citizens which is sacrosanct. 

The Rights group has also accused the Sokoto state branch of APC of seeking to stampede the national vice chairman of APC out of the party over some unsubstantiated and vague petitions arising from the conduct of the governorship and presidential election in Sokoto state.

The Rights group averred that the originating petition by the member of Magajin Gari ‘A’ ward of APC in Sokoto state one Alhaji Naibi Umar Abubakar alleging certain anti-party activities against the national vice chairman (north west) Alhaji Inuwa Abdul-Kadir (SAN) was never heard by an unbiased panel given that the panel set up to look into the petition was made up of the ward chairman and secretary both of whom are interested parties just as the Rights group stated that the hasty and desperate decision in the announcement of the purported 'expulsion' of the National Vice Chairman (North West) was done in defiance of a subsisting litigation. 

HURIWA recalled that the petition had alleged amongst others as follows: That since his election as the National Vice Chairman of the APC for North-West Inuwa Abdulkadir did not convene any zonal meeting of the APC in order to assess the fortunes of the party following defections to PDP of many party chieftains and members from the zone, Inuwa Abdulkadir did not attend or participate in the general stakeholders meeting of the State Chapter of APC where stakeholders discussed and considered the mode of Primary Elections to be adopted by State Chapter of APC during the concluded Primary Elections of the party; and Inuwa Abdulkadir despite being a delegate did not attend or participate in the Direct Presidential Primary election of the APC where President Muhammadu Buhari was elected as candidate of the APC for 2019 Presidential elections.

HURIWA recalled that fearing that the petition whose contents are totally false was meant to rope him in and push him out of the party, the national vice chairman – (Northwest) filed a suit against the party in the Sokoto state High court which was served on all the respondents including the All Progressives Congress just as it expressed shock that the party's acting national publicity secretary proceeded to announce the purported expulsion and later suspension of the National Vice Chairman of the All Progressives Congress Inuwa Abdul-Kadir in clear breach of a pending suit.

However, the Rights group has asked president Buhari to call the national secretariat of APC to order because it will be a great disservice to the principle of rule of law that arbitrariness is allowed to become the order of the day.

HURIWA argued that the Sokoto state branch of APC lacks the power to recommend the expulsion of a national officer elected at a national convention of the party just as the group condemned the national secretariat of the party for relying on a fictitious petition to reach a determination that is null and void at every material time.

Speaking about the Cross Rivers state governor’s witch hunt targeting the APC governorship candidate Senator John Owan-Enoh, the Rights group stated that it had earlier dragged governor Ayade to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) over allegations of playing politics over the recent case of the gruesome killings of five members of both the People’s Democratic party (PDP) and All Progressives Congress (APC) in the Bendeghe Ekiem community, Etung Local government Area Council of Cross Rivers State.  HURIWA disclosed that the National Human Rights commission informed it that the governor has been asked to defend the petition. 

HURIWA which condemns the killings of these citizens has also expressed shock and disappointment with the government of Cross Rivers State for selectively probing the remote and immediate cause of the dastardly killing of the two members of his political Party- the People’s Democratic party (PDP) but has maintained a shocking sense of insensitivity regarding the three other members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who also reportedly lost their precious lives during the unfortunate fracas that reportedly resulted in the fatalities including the ward leader of the People’s Democratic party (PDP) Mr. Ayuk Ogar. 

HURIWA said it told the Rights commission that it has watched with considerable shock and trepidation since over the last couple of months that this incident occurred to see how the state government will handle this and similar other clashes in Cross Rivers State but asserted that from all indications, it would seem that the Cross Rivers government has adopted a politically motivated approaches towards finding out the exact circumstances that occasioned the conflict just as the Rights group accused amorphous groups with links to the Governor for blackmailing the Governorship Candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2019 governorship polls Senator John Owan Enoh and for spreading unsubstantiated innuendos and libelous allegations against him even when he is not remotely connected to the parley in Bendeghe Ekiem Community which led to the slaughtering of members of both the PDP and his own All Progressives Congress(APC).

The Rights group alleged that the Cross Rivers state governor has even escalated the political witch hunt against the APC governorship candidate by charging him to Cross Rivers state High Court in a suit with number HC/48C/2019 in Calabar alleging that he has a case to answer in the death of the two PDP members even as the state government is silent on the killings of the three members of the All Progressives Congress. It noted that nobody was charged for the murder of the three APC members.

HURIWA praises U.S.A. over visa ban on politicians:........ *names El-rufai; Amaechi; Akpabio; Secondus as those to be banned:

The prominent civil Rights advocacy group – HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) has praised the disclosure by the STATE department of the United States of America banning certain categories of Nigerian politicians from travelling to the U.S.A for undermining democracy in the run up to the 2019 polls.

The Rights group said the decision represents a watershed in what is seen as a bold move by the world leader to save democracy from collapsing in Nigeria under the tyranny of president Muhammadu Buhari just as the Rights group stated that any visa restrictions that does not include the governor of Kaduna state Malam Nasir Elrufai and the ministerial nominee from Akwa Ibom state Mr. Godswill Akpabio who threatened violence in the run up to the 2019 polls, remains incomplete and should be reconsidered. The Rights group said the duo of Elrufai and Akpabio after making their grave threats against constitutional democracy were backed by the President just as the Rights group said it may be a phenomenal decision if the United States of America consider imposing traveling ban on the current President Muhammadu Buhari for his government's decision ordering shoot-at-sight to armed security forces targeting alleged snatchers of ballot boxes.

In a statement endorsed jointly by the national coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko and the media director Miss. Zainab Yusuf, HURIWA said that those threats may have precipitated the massive violence and large number of casualties that resulted from the election of 2019 which controversially returned the then incumbent president Muhammadu Buhari as the winner. HURIWA was quick to remind the USA that even the leading opposition Peoples Democratic party was culpable because its national chairman threatened war should the incumbent President went ahead to rig the Presidential polls. 

HURIWA listed other politicians who actively made open threats of violence before the polls to include the then minister of transportation Mr. Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi who staged a so called traditional war dance in Port Harcourt Rivers State and the national chairman of All Progressives Congress Adams Oshiomhole and that of People’s Democratic Party Mr. Uche Secondus.

HURIWA urged the United States government to also include the military commanders of the Nigerian Army in the oil rich Rivers state reportedly accused of causing considerable chaos and violence in Rivers state. The group said the commanders allegedly gave unlawful orders tgat resulted in fatalities. 

HURIWA recalled that on February 6^th 2019, governor Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna State threatened that foreign nationals who interfere in the forthcoming general elections would be given a “body bags treatment.”

HURIWA stated that a body bag is one used for carrying a corpse from a battlefield or the scene of an accident or crime to either a mortuary or place of burial.

The Rights group STATED THAT the governor’s threat came barely a week after the Federal Government accused foreign powers, including the United States (U.S.), United Kingdom (U.K.) and the European Union (E.U.) of actions that could be deemed as interference, and warned of consequences.

HURIWA in the statement recalled that the developed nations had condemned the suspension of the then Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Walter Onnoghen, over alleged non-declaration of assets, warning that the action taken by President Muhammadu Buhari could negatively affect the credibility of the forthcoming elections. The President went ahead to cajole the then Chief Justice into a hasty retirement. 

The Rights group SAID THAT Governor El-Rufai, who sought re-election under the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), spoke on a live programme on the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) anchored by Cyril Stober.

HURIWA reminded the American government to remember that whilst making the threats of violence against foreign election observers, the Kaduna state governor had argued that it is a basic principle of international law that no country should interfere in the internal affairs of another country.

HURIWA quoted him as stating thus: “You can comment, but when you make statements on the internal affairs of a country without facts, that is interference and is very irresponsible. Those that are calling for anyone to come and intervene in Nigeria, we are waiting for those that will come and intervene, they will go back in body bags,” the governor said.

HURIWA stated that El-Rufai arrogantly described Nigeria as an independent entity whose sovereignty would never be compromised in servitude to foreign powers and continued his pro-violence rhetoric thus: “We are trying to run our country as decently as possible. Foreign countries have also had their own share of the challenges before attaining their current development strides.”

Earlier on January 31^st 2019, Uche Secondus, National Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), threatened that there will be war in the country if the 2019 presidential election is rigged.

Speaking in Asaba, capital of Delta State, on at the party’s presidential campaign rally Secondus accused the Nigerian government of putting the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) under pressure to rig the election.

HURIWA recalled that Uche Secondus threatened thus: “Today, by your mandate, we warn INEC and we believe there are good people in INEC… we know that government is pressuring INEC to rig this election, but if they rig this election, they’re looking for war,” he said.

The Rights group recalled vividly that in pidgin, PDP chairman asked the people if this was true, to which they replied in the affirmative.

Continuing, he said: “If they need peace, they must not rig the election — because everybody is ready for this election.

HURIWA quoted Uche Secondus as also threatening violence as follows: “We want to also advise our security agencies — and we know there are good people there protecting lives and properties, which is their primary duty. We believe that they will obey the Constitution, not to break it like Mr. President is breaking our laws. They will obey the Constitution and be neutral, but if they don’t, if they join hands with INEC to rig this election, what are they looking for?"

“War,” the people chanted back.

Secondus then added: “Therefore, we advise all Nigerians, on that day on the 16th of February, let them come all out to vote and stand by their ballot boxes, and defend their votes — because the votes of all Nigerians must count. So that we can vote out a man who cannot interact, so that we can vote out a man that has brought disgrace to our nation.

On January 22^nd 2019, information minister then hinted wrongly that it was in possession of intelligence information indicating that plans have been hatched by opposition elements to truncate the general elections by instigating violence across the country.

On his part, the then Senator Godswill Akpabio who cross carpeted to APC from PDP threatened before the election that his party will invade Akwa Ibom state similar to how Hitler invaded Poland in 1945.

HURIWA stated that the USA's Visa ban will significantly help the advancement of Democracy but was quick to remind the USA that President Muhammadu Buhari HAD ORDERED VIOLENT CRACKDOWN ON MEMBERS OF THE PROTESTING SHIITES ISLAMIC MOVEMENT OF NIGERIA DEMANDING THE RELEASE OF THEIR DETAINED LEADER. 

Boris Johnson’s premiership and Africa

By Emmanuel Onwubiko

About noon today, Great Britain would have officially formalized modalities to have a fresh prime minister to take over from the immediate past leader and only the second ever woman premier after Mrs. Margret Thatcher in the person of Mrs. Theresa May.

Precisely around noon on July 23^rd 2019, Mr. Boris Johnson was announced as the winner of the two way contest between him and the foreign secretary Mr. Jeremy Hunt. Boris Johnson who was at a time the flamboyant mayor of London who would go on to become his nation’s foreign secretary under his predecessor, won the contest with what is statistically regarded as a convincing margin of 92, 153 votes to 46, 656 with 6690 of the vote. The media reported that there was 87.4% among 159, 320 party members.

In his acceptance speech which one media reporter described as being made in his’ characteristically flippant’, manner, Johnson who has a unique kind of hair similar to President Donald Trump if USA  averred that even amongst his ardent supporters who voted for him, he knew it from his heart that some would still be in shock over what they had just done which occasioned his emergence as the next leader of his conservative party which ipso facto would culminate in his coronation as the next occupant of number 10 Downing street with effect from Wednesday July 24^th 2019. No 10 Downing street London is the World's most prestigious residential address.  

Boris Johnson said that at a pivotal moment in history, his party must show its “historic ability to balance competing instincts – marrying the desire to maintain a close relationship with the EU, with the desire for democratic self-government in this country”.

He reminded his audience of ministers and party staff of his campaign mantra: “Deliver Brexit, unite the country and defeat Jeremy Corbyn.”

Pointing out that this spelled “dud”, he joked that the final e – “energize” – had been left out. “I say to all the doubters: dude, we are going to energize the country!’”

The result was reportedly announced by joint chair of the backbench 1922 Committee, Cheryl Gillam. Her colleague, Charles Walker, first urged MPs to be “kinder” to the new leader than they had been to Theresa May.

As captured by the British press, Brandon Lewis, the Conservative party chair, introduced the slick event at a conference centre in Westminster, saying the contest had shown that his party was fundamentally united.

Johnson will not take office formally until Wednesday afternoon. Theresa May will face her final prime minister’s questions in the House of Commons before tendering her resignation to the Queen as demanded by longstanding traditions.

Johnson will then go to Buckingham Palace himself for his appointment to be confirmed – before being driven to Downing Street to give a speech in front of the black door of No 10 as disclosed in a uniquely fantastic news story written for a well-established British press. Boris Johnson like this Writer is a Journalist. 

The media is also awash with the apprehension that Johnson takes charge at a perilous political moment. The Conservatives’ wafer-thin parliamentary working majority is expected to be eroded further next week – to just two – if the Liberal Democrats win the Brecon and Radnorshire byelection, the media wrote.

Johnson according media observations of the changing fortunes of politics of UK vis-a -vis the unfulfilled Brexit vote  has faced a furious internal revolt even before arriving in Downing Street, with several key cabinet ministers, including the chancellor, Philip Hammond, saying they will resign rather than serve under him.

They, said the media, have been alarmed by Johnson’s insistence that he is willing to countenance leaving the European Union without a deal on 31 October, rather than postpone Brexit once again – even if that meant proroguing parliament, says the media. It would be recalled that EU parliament with new legislators seem willing to extend the deadline for Brexit just so a no deal Brexit is avoided. 

Boris Johnson is no doubt a political child of circumstances given the scenarios that played out that forced his predecessor into an early resignation because she could not galvanize enough congressional votes to deliver the Brexit in accordance with the deal she secured from the European Union which most of her colleagues view as unfriendly to Britain.

However, he is one of the few privileged individuals to have emerged on the political scene well prepared for the job that he loves so much which he has already achieved as at the time of writing this opinion piece which basically sets out to highlight the urgency of the now for African leaders to work out better deals with Britain under his leadership.

Alexander Boris de preffel Johnson, known professionally as Boris Johnson was born on June 19^th 1964 at upper east Sid, New York, United states and had privileged education at Eton and Oxford whereby he read classics. He is a father of 6 children and in Africa he would be considered as a highly responsible father. 

His birth with a silver spoon is not the only privileges that he has won for himself. One key privilege that Boris Johnson has already won for himself is that the Queen of England has shifted her vacation for his sake just so that she could host him as tradition demands before he is sworn in as the prime minister of Great Britain.

Royal experts Katie Nicholl said the Queen has had to postpone her annual trip to Balmorals in light of the current political upheaval. Aside this shift in the Queen’s holiday, the new prime minister of Britain is also starting on a high notes with the United States of America whereby Donald Trump, the maverick leader of the free world has already described him as the Trump of Great Britain. If Britain leaves EU it would need every economic partnership it can gather with the USA. Theresa May had whistle stops diplomatic visits to Africa just before she announced her voluntary exit from office even though she would remain as a parliamentarian. 

Now, as an African watching all of these political developments in the United Kingdom from Nigeria, what should be of high consideration is exactly what Africa and Nigeria stands to gain during the periods that this freshly endorsed premier of Great Britain will be in office. GB is Nigeria's former colonial masters. 

In 2017, the Punch wrote that the negative growth of the economy and low crude oil output has weakened Nigeria’s international trade with most of its partners, particularly the United Kingdom. This reinforces my call for strategic engagements with the new PM of GB. 

Nigeria according to news reports recorded its first trade deficit with the United Kingdom since 2009, with merchandise imports from the former colonial master in 2016 exceeding shipments of Nigerian merchandise to it.

An analysis of international trade data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed that Nigeria imported N362.87bn worth of goods from the UK and exported N300.66bn to the European country last year, recording a negative trade balance or net export of N62.21bn.

The value of imports from the UK to Nigeria grew by 28 per cent year-on-year from N283.76bn, while export to the UK from Nigeria shrank by 28 per cent from N414.85bn in 2015.

Analysts said this was a reflection of the state of foreign trade in the country in 2016, in which imports out performed exports by N290.13bn as a result of the plunging revenue from crude oil exports. The country imported products worth N8.82tn and exported merchandise valued at N8.53tn.

“The terms of trade worsened in a way that the volume of exported products dropped significantly,” the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Cowry Assets Management Limited, Mr. Johnson Chukwu, said in an interview with the media.

Before 2016, the data showed that Nigeria had recorded trade surpluses with the United Kingdom for six consecutive years, with the highest positive balance of trade of N1.11tn in 2012. The next Finance and economics of Muhammadu Buhari is expected to work out how these tides can be overturned to at least balance our trade volumes with Great Britain under Boris Johnson. 

Britain under Boris is also needed to play bigger role in the most pressing security challenges confronting the continents in Libya and West Africa beginning with the threats posed by boko haram terrorists and other armed islamists in places like Mali, Chad and Cameroon and its epicentre being Nigeria. James Blake has this to say about terrorists in Mali in his piece of March 29^th 2019.

“On Saturday, 100 armed men dressed as ethnic Dogon hunters stormed the village of Ogossagou in central Mali. They killed more than 160 ethnic Fulani civilians, including children and pregnant women, and burned many homes to the ground. Reporting is scarce, but it seems that attackers also struck the neighboring town of Welingara, which is also Fulani-majority. The Mali government blamed a Dogon self-defense group called Dan Na Ambassagou for the incident. The group denies involvement.”

“The attack is not a one-off incident. Rather, it is the latest and most deadly episode in a campaign of systematic violence against Fulani herders, who are being forced to flee their land. On January 1, for example, assailants struck the village of Koulogon, killing 37 people from the Fulani community. The thousands of international troops in the country—including from the G5 Sahel counterterrorism force (comprising Chad, Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger), from France, and from the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilized Mission in Mali (MINUSMA)—need to act now to prevent further incidents of ethnic cleansing, retaliatory attacks, and the targeting of vulnerable communities.”

The researcher stated also that Central Mali is populated by, among others, the Fulani, the Dogon, and the Bambara. The Fulani are a primarily Muslim ethnic group of seminomadic herders, he notes and i add that Nigeria as i write is facing massive terrorism by armed Fulani herdsmen. 

But this international analyst stated that across West and Central Africa, as many as 38 million people belong to this group. The Dogon, a group of as many as 800,000 who practice a polytheistic religion (a small number practice Christianity and Islam), are largely based near the border with Burkina Faso and are mainly farmers. The Bambara, meanwhile, are the largest group in Mali. Most are primarily farmers as well and many practice Islam, although others follow traditional belief and worship ancestors.”

Other publications have stated that Islamist groups in Mali came to the fore after rebels of the Tuareg tribe—an ethnically Berber people concentrated in the Sahara—began an offensive against Malian government forces in January 2012. 

The reports say at the start of the Tuareg Rebellion, Islamic groups including al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), the Movement for Unity and Jihad in West Africa (MUJAO), and Ansar al-Dine (AAD), fought alongside the rebels against Malian security forces. 

The researcher noted that frustrated with the government’s inability to quash the Tuareg’s secession, the military staged a coup after three months of fighting. 

"In the political chaos that ensued, the rebels, spearheaded by the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA), established control in the north. Shortly after, AQIM, AAD, and MUJAO joined forces to expel the rebels from northern Mali", the reporter stated.

The reporter observed that the aforementioned coalition of fighters are armed with weapons stolen from the neighboring Libyan civil war, Islamists imposed sharia (Islamic law) on the local population. (Sources: Combating Terrorism Center, Stanford University, Spiegel)

Unable to regain control of the country’s north, the Malian government appealed to France—its former colonial ruler—and the broader international community for assistance. France has provided ongoing military support to Malian troops, the reports stated.

Boris Johnson needs to be convinced to step up military assistance to Nigeria and other West African countries waging war against terrorists and must put pressure on the Nigerian government to respect human rights and stop the ethnic cleansing by Fulani armed militia and also balance his security appointments. 

*Emmanuel Onwubiko heads HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) and blogs@www.emmanuelonwubiko.com,www.huriwa.blogspot.com,www.thenigerianinsidermews.com.