Dismissing
as hypocritical and cosmetic, the idea of the imminent convocation of a
dialogue session by government amongst ethnic nationalities as a way of
promoting national harmony, a Rights group – HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION
OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) has tasked government at the center to remove the log of
wood in its own eye before making a move for the speck from the ethno-religious
groups.
The
civil Rights Advocacy group – HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA
(HURIWA) was reacting to the security blueprint published by the office of the
national security adviser in which government is considering engaging in
dialogue with those it called ‘sectional and factional groups’ in the country
as part of measures aimed at tackling the nation’s security challenges.
However,
the Rights group wondered why and how a federal government headed by president
Muhammadu Buhari that is so heavily sectional in terms of appointments and
promotes the impunity of failure to prosecute armed Fulani herdsmen over the willful
killings of thousands of farmers due to the ethno-religious affiliations of the
suspected mass murderers to the current president, can successfully midwife and
drive the process of actualizing national peace and security. "How can a
President under whose watch all the multibillion Dollars national
strategic public works and projects by
strategic ministries and agencies including armed forces are localised and set
up majorly in his community of birth Daura Katsina State whereas most parts of
Southern Nigeria including crude oil bearing communities are criminally
neglected and marginalised be seen attempting to drive a national process of
dialogue for peace and national security if not that it will end up as the
dialogues of the deaf? A government that allows the security forces and armed
thugs to manipulate elections in favour of its own All Progressives Congress
all over the Country even at the risks of setting ablaze a Woman in Kogi State
so as to rig the governorship poll can't possibly be talking about national
peace when the same government is the engine room of organised anarchy,
disunity and politically motivated killings.
Dismissing
the document on security published by the office of the national security
adviser to the President as diversionary and cosmetic, the Rights group said
the greatest threats to national security is the lopsided appointments of
persons from the Moslem, Hausa/Fulani section of the North of the country to
head all vital national security institutions, all financial and economic
institutions including all Revenue generating agencies such as the federal
inland revenue service, the customs, the immigration, the Aviation industry and
top national security positions headed by Northern MOSLEMS is indeed a
government that has balkanized Nigeria alongside Ethno-religious divides and
unless these distortions are dismantled and all the injustices unleashed must
be resolved and balanced to reflect federal character principles if president
Muhammadu Buhari ever plans to bequeath the legacies of national harmony and
security to Nigeria. "A government that leaves out over 50 million Igbo
Speaking populations out of all strategic senior Policing and Military
Commanding heights can't possibly be talking about national harmony when these
discriminatory policies remain the greatest threats to national security".
HURIWA
also told the federal government that the frequent disobedience of the orders
of the competent courts of law including the illegal detention of political
prisoners, invasion of court rooms and houses of judges in the DSS and the
illegal unseating of the former CJN based on his Christian background so as to
railroad a Moslem judge as CJN through an ex parte order obtained in the night
from a kangaroo tribunal headed by a morally challenged Chairman are threats to
national security and must dismantle all these threats before thinking of
bringing about the diverse ethno religious multitudes in Nigeria to a
meaningful and constructive national dialogue table. Anything short of this is simply
what we can call 'FOOD IS READY SO COME AND CHOP POLITICAL MEETING' and nothing
more.
HURIWA Cited constitutional provisions breached by
President Muhammadu Buhari in his policy of appointments to include: 14(3)
which states thus: “The composition of the Government of the Federation or any
of its agencies and the conduct of its affairs shall be carried out in such a
manner as to reflect the federal character of Nigeria and the need to promote
national unity, and also to command national loyalty, thereby ensuring that
there shall be no predominance of persons from a few State or from a few ethnic
or other sectional groups in that Government or in any of its agencies.”
Also,
the President for failing to appoint s representative of the South East of Nigeria
in the National Defence Council has breached flagrantly Section 42 which
states: “(1) A citizen of Nigeria of a particular community, ethnic group,
place of origin, sex, religion or political opinion shall not, by reason only
that he is such a person:- (a) be subjected either expressly by, or in the
practical application of, any law in force in Nigeria or any executive or
administrative action of the government, to disabilities or restrictions to
which citizens of Nigeria of other communities, ethnic groups, places of
origin, sex, religions or political opinions are not made subject; or (b) be
accorded either expressly by, or in the practical application of, any law in
force in Nigeria or any such executive or administrative action, any privilege
or advantage that is not accorded to citizens of Nigeria of other communities,
ethnic groups, places of origin, sex, religions or political opinions. (2) No
citizen of Nigeria shall be subjected to any disability or deprivation merely
by reason of the circumstances of his birth. (3) Nothing in subsection (1) of
this section shall invalidate any law by reason only that the law imposes
restrictions with respect to the appointment of any person to any office under
the State or as a member of the armed forces of the Federation or member of the
Nigeria Police Forces or to an office in the service of a body, corporate
established directly by any law in force in Nigeria.”
HURIWA
told President Muhammadu Buhari that his disrespect for the Principle of Rule
of law is a threat to national security and a total violation of the SUPREME
LAW OF NIGERIA in section 6 which states: “(1) The judicial powers of the
Federation shall be vested in the courts to which this section relates, being
courts established for the Federation. (2) The judicial powers of a State shall
be vested in the courts to which this section relates, being courts
established, subject as provided by this Constitution, for a State. (3) The
courts to which this section relates, established by this Constitution for the
Federation and for the States, specified in subsection (5) (a) to (1) of this
section, shall be the only superior courts of record in Nigeria; and save as
otherwise prescribed by the National Assembly or by the House of Assembly of a
State, each court shall have all the powers of a superior court of record. (4)
Nothing in the foregoing provisions of this section shall be construed as
precluding:- (a) the National Assembly or any House of Assembly from
establishing courts, other than those to which this section relates, with
subordinate jurisdiction to that of a High Court; (b) the National Assembly or
any House of Assembly, which does not require it, from abolishing any court
which it has power to establish or which it has brought into being. (5) This
section relates to:- (a) the Supreme Court of Nigeria; (b) the Court of Appeal;
(c) the Federal High Court; (d) the High Court of the Federal Capital
Territory, Abuja; (e) a High Court of a State (f) the Sharia Court of Appeal of
the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja; (g) a Sharia Court of Appeal of a State;
(h) the Customary Court of Appeal of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja; (i)
a Customary Court of Appeal of a State; (j) such other courts as may be authorized
by law to exercise jurisdiction on matters with respect to which the National
Assembly may make laws; and (k) such other court as may be authorised by law to
exercise jurisdiction at first instance or on appeal on matters with respect to
which a House of Assembly may make laws. (6) The judicial powers vested in
accordance with the foregoing provisions of this section - (a) shall extend,
notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this constitution, to all inherent
powers and sanctions of a court of law (b) shall extend, to all matters between
persons, or between government or authority and to any persons in Nigeria, and
to all actions and proceedings relating thereto, for the determination of any
question as to the civil rights and obligations of that person; (c) shall not
except as otherwise provided by this Constitution, extend to any issue or
question as to whether any act of omission by any authority or person or as to
whether any law or any judicial decision is in conformity with the Fundamental
Objectives and Directive Principles of State Policy set out in Chapter II of
this Constitution; (d) shall not, as from the date when this section comes into
force, extend to any action or proceedings relating to any existing law made on
or after 15th January, 1966 for determining any issue or question as to the
competence of any authority or person to make any such law.”
HURIWA
recalled that the security blueprint/document was prepared by the Office of the
National Security Adviser just as according to the document; the government is
willing to do everything possible to achieve political security, economic
security, energy security, food security, labour security, health security,
education security, environmental security and social security among others.
HURIWA
noted that the security blueprint of President Muhammadu Buhari recently
launched also noted that the nexus between political stability and economic
prosperity called for appropriate measures to be taken to ensure the political
security of Nigeria.
The
Rights group said the document read as follows: “Our political security
measures will encompass the following multi-sectoral responses: promote unity
and national cohesion by fostering a culture of civility and inclusive public
discourse; and ensure political stability based on multi-party democracy,
grassroots political participation, political inclusiveness, strong democratic
and political institutions and a free, fair and credible election process
devoid of all kinds of violence.
“We
will enhance good governance based on development, accountability, zero
tolerance for corruption at all levels, sound regulatory mechanisms, due
process, rule of law and human rights.
“We
will promote non-discrimination among all Nigerians irrespective of gender,
religion or ethnic origin; we will ensure sound fiscal federalism as a
deliberate socio-economic strategy; we will also promote a mixed economy that
encourages creativity, entrepreneurship and innovation in wealth generation
while ensuring equity in resource distribution.
“We will ensure freedom of information,
national orientation, de-radicalisation and political education of the populace
as a political strategy to facilitate citizens’ commitment to our national
security goals.
“We
will strengthen law enforcement institutions and uphold the independence of the
judiciary to check political impunity and related crimes in order to further
entrench democracy.”
HURIWA
dismissed the document as a product of falsehood and hypocrisy which will never
achieve nor is it even meant to achieve national harmony and national security
amidst grave breaches of the Nigerian Constitution by the Federal government
that arbitrarily proscribed as terror
groups the Indigenous peoples of BIAFRA that peacefully seeks self-determination
in line with international law and the Islamic Movement of Nigeria for
protesting the illegal clampdown of the religious group and the clamping into
prolonged detention against binding court orders to release their leader Sheikh
Ibraheem Elzaczacky even when the armed Fulani herdsmen which has killed over
6,000 innocent Nigerians and dispossess farmers of their ancestral lands are
placated, protected, pampered and celebrated by the current federal
government. HURIWA has therefore tasked
President to immediately depriscribe IPOB and IMN because these are peaceful
agitators whose members have suffered state sponsored killings and repression
from the current administration.
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