The
leading civil Rights advocacy group – HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF
NIGERIA (HURIWA) has demanded to know from president Muhammadu Buhari whether
his new order allowing all Africans to visit Nigeria without VISA from January
next year was what he meant when he told All Progressives Congress (APC)
recently that since this was his last tenure in office so he can afford to be
reckless.
HURIWA
said the interrogatory is anchored on the indubitable fact that throwing our
airports wide open to all Africans to visit without the necessary VISA
requirements will not only undermine national security but will mark the end of
the sovereignty of Nigeria. The Rights group reminded the Federal government
that what the Country should be doing is to strengthen border security rather
to to let in all manner of people from all over Africa just as the Rights group
wondered whether this was the attempt to introduce RUGA programme for the
benefits of Fulani’s from other parts of Africa. It has therefore asked the
Nigerian government to perish the idea since the greatest percentages of
Nigerians are opposed to it.
In a
statement by the National Coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko and the Media
Affairs Director Miss. Zainab Yusuf, HURIWA affirmed that the policy will
witness an avalanche all sorts of criminal elements and foreign mercenaries who
can easily be recruited by evil minded persons within the country to
destabilize Nigeria. "This is even a Country that for ten years has not
been able to defeat a ragtag armed Islamic terror group of Boko haram
terrorists. How can the government just
ask all Africans including the Good, the bad and the ugly to visit Nigeria
without VISA requirements when there is no strategy on hot to overcome the
security and health implications to Nigerians?"
“We
are afraid that this ill-conceived policy of terminating the sovereignty of
Nigeria at the altar of opportunism would allow for the coming of all sorts of
people into Nigeria who may even introduce strange health emergencies that
could wipe out some communities in Nigeria. The essence of sovereignty is for
the nation to be able to professionally determine how to accept visitors who
are useful to us or not. Allowing all Africans to visit without security checks
is a breach of section 14 of the constitution that states thus: “(1) The
Federal Republic of Nigeria shall be a State based on the principles of
democracy and social justice. (2) It is hereby, accordingly, declared that: (a)
sovereignty belongs to the people of Nigeria from whom government through this
Constitution derives all its powers and authority; (b) the security and welfare
of the people shall be the primary purpose of government: and (c) the participation
by the people in their government shall be ensured in accordance with the
provisions of this Constitution.”
HURIWA
recalled that the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) said the Federal Government
has approved that all Africans could come to Nigeria without visa from January
2020.
The
Comptroller General, NIS, Mr. Muhammad Babandede, disclosed this at the
inauguration of the Africa–Frontex Intelligence Community (AFIC) on Wednesday
in Abuja.
HURIWA
dismissed this plan as a danger signal to the security and stability of Nigeria
and must be nullified.
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