Inside Bashar al-Assad’s brutal regime

By HUGO oDiOGOR with agency report
ARAB leaders are  generally known to be despotic and brutal, with a high sense of insecurity. Syria's President, Bashar  Al Assad is no different from the likes of Saddam Hussein, Muammar Gaddafi, Hosni Mubarak, Ben Ali Omar Al Bashar and others  that build their security round their inner circles of family members and cronies.

Bashar al-Assad, who inherited Syria’s presidency in 2000 after his father’s death, has surrounded himself with people who are either related to him or are members of his minority Alawite community.

Maher al-Assad, Republican Guard chief

Maher Al Assad is the youngest brother of the president but the second most powerful man in Syria. He commands the elite Republican Guard, whose six brigades protect the regime from domestic threats, and commands the fourth armoured division, considered one of the army’s best-equipped and highly-trained. Maher who was born in 1967, studied at the University of Damascus and joined the military with his older brother Basil who died in 1994.He later followed his into the military.

[caption id="attachment_411913" align="alignright" width="175"] Bashar al-Assad[/caption]

On the death of his father Hafiz many people thought he was to be the successor but he was too young this paved way for Bashar to be chosen. In 2000, shortly after Bashar became president, Maher became a member of Baath Party’s second highest body, the Central Committee. Before his promotion to general, Maher commanded a Republican Guard brigade. This provided him with valuable military experience that allowed him to establish personal ties with many officers.

He has a reputation for being excessively violent and emotionally unstable, and allegedly shot and wounded his brother-in-law, Asef Shawkat. In 2000, Maher is reported to have helped persuade Bashar to put an end to the political openness seen during the first few months of his rule - the short-lived “Damascus Spring”. In 2005, Maher and Shawkat were both mentioned in a preliminary report by UN investigators as one of the people who might have planned the assassination of the former Lebanese Prime Minister, Rafik Hariri.

Rami Makhlouf

A first cousin of Mr Rami Makhlouf is the first cousin of Bashar al-Assad and unarguably the most powerful economic figure in Syria. Born in 1969, Mr Makhlouf took over the businesses built up by his father, Mohammed, the brother of Hafez al-Assad’s wife, Anisa Makhlouf. After Bashar became president in 2000, Mr Makhlouf’s financial empire expanded. He has been accused severally of corruption and cronyism in Syria.

Ali Mamluk, director of the National Security Bureau (NSB)

Lt Gen Mamluk who was born in 1946, is the director of the Baath Party Regional Command’s National Security Bureau (NSB), which co-ordinates the work of Syria’s intelligence agencies and formulates recommendations for the president. In practice, however, the agencies operate with a high degree of autonomy, answerable mainly to the president.

Between 2005 and 2012, he was head of the General Security Directorate (State Security), where he was involved in some of the most sensitive issues concerning Syria. His agency had repressed internal dissent, monitored individual citizens, and had been “involved in the Syrian regime’s actions in Deraa, where protesters were killed by Syrian security services”, it alleged. President Assad asked Gen Mamluk to lead the National Security Bureau after its director, Gen Hisham Ikhtiar, died after a bomb attack on its headquarters on 18 July 2012.

The blast also killed Mr Assad’s brother-in-law, Deputy Defence Minister Gen Assef Shawkat, Defence Minister Gen Daoud Rajiha, and former Defence Minister Hassan Turkomani, who was in charge of the security forces’ crisis management office.

Abdul Fatah Qudsiya, deputy director of the National Security Bureau

Gen Qudsiya - an Alawite born in 1953 - served as head of the Republican Guard’s security office, and as personal secretary to the president. Gen Qudsiya who became deputy director of the National Security Bureau (NSB) in July 2012. Was formerly the head of Military Intelligence, the paramount security agency in Syria.

He replaced the president’s late brother-in-law, Assef Shawkat, as military intelligence chief he was head of Air Force Intelligence. In 2008, Gen Qudsiya was appointed to lead the security committee investigating the assassination of Hezbollah military commander Imad Mughniyeh in Damascus.

Gen Qusiya was appointed Gen Ali Mamluk’s deputy at the National Security Bureau following the bomb attack on its headquarters in Damascus on 18 July, Syrian officials and Lebanese media reported.

Rafiq Shahada, head of Military Intelligence

Major General Rafiq Shahada is the head of Military Intelligence, the paramount security agency in Syria, which has a reputation for ruthless efficiency and whose leaders have wielded considerable influence over presidents. Gen Shahada was promoted to chief of Military Intelligence in July 2012 after his predecessor, Abdul Fatah Qudsiya, became deputy head of the National Security Bureau.

Jamil Hassan, head of Air Force Intelligence

Major General Jamil Hassan replaced Abdul Fatah Qudsiya as head of Air Force Intelligence in 2009.  Though smaller than Military Intelligence, AFI is seen by some as the elite agency of Syria’s intelligence empire.

Eastern governorate

The agency owes its power to Hafez al-Assad, who was air force chief before coming to power in a coup.  Gen Hassan, an Alawite, previously served as a security official in the eastern governorate of Deir al-Zour.

Mohammed Dib Zaitoun, head of the General Security Directorate

Maj Gen Zaitoun, a Sunni born in 1951, is reportedly the new head of the General Security Directorate (GSD), which is the most powerful civilian intelligence agency and plays an important role in quelling internal dissent.

Tasked primarily with safeguarding against and preventing domestic subversion and organised crime, the GSD is organised into three branches - internal security, external security and Palestinian affairs. It controls the civilian police and the border guards, and has primary responsibility for surveillance of the Baath Party, the state bureaucracy and the general population.

Gen Zaitoun was previously head of the Political Security Directorate (PSD) between 2009 and 2012, and before then deputy head of the GSD.

Gen Zaitoun became head of the GSD in July 2012 following the bomb attack on the National Security Bureau in Damascus which killed four senior security chiefs.

Rustum Ghazali, head of the Political Security Directorate

Gen Ghazali is the head of the Political Security Directorate, a civilian agency that is responsible for monitoring organised political activity, including surveillance of registered parties and political publications. It also has a regional surveillance brief, covering Arab, Palestinian and Israeli affairs.

Born in 1953, he is a former chief of Syrian Military Intelligence in Lebanon, and was in the post when Rafik Hariri was assassinated. Gen Ghazali assumed command in 2002, and was the “implementing agent of Syrian policies in Lebanon” until the Syrian withdrawal in 2005.

In July 2012, Gen Ghazali was appointed head of the PSD following the bomb attack on the National Security Bureau in Damascus.

Hafez Makhlouf, head of the General Security Directorate.

Col Makhlouf is head of the Damascus branch of the General Security Directorate, the overarching civilian intelligence service in Syria.

Childhood friend

Born in 1971, he is a maternal cousin and childhood friend of President Bashar al-Assad, and the brother of Rami Makhlouf.

Col Makhlouf is perhaps best known for being one of the two survivors of the high-speed car crash in 1994 that killed the president’s elder brother, Basil, who was being groomed to succeed their father, Hafez.

In 2007, the US treasury department designated him an individual “furthering the Syrian regime’s efforts to undermine Lebanese democracy” and froze his assets. It alleged that he had “supported the reassertion of Syrian control or otherwise contributed to Syrian interference in Lebanon”. Syrian troops withdrew from Lebanon in April 2005 after a 29-year military presence.

In May 2011, the EU imposed sanctions on Col Makhlouf, saying he was “close to Maher al-Assad” had been “involved in violence against demonstrators” as head of the GSD’s Damascus branch.

The US treasury department announced new sanctions against him later that month, saying he had been “given a leading role in responding to protests in Syria, and was heavily involved in the Syrian regime’s actions in Deraa, where protesters were killed”.

Opposition activists have said Col Makhlouf enjoys greater influence over the president than the head of the GSD, Ali Mamluk.

Mohammed Nasif Kheirbek, deputy vice-president for security affairs

Gen Kheirbek is a member of the Alawite Kalabiya tribe, to which Bashar al-Assad belongs. Their families are also connected by marriage - a relative is married to one of Rifaat al-Assad’s daughters.

The general, who was born in 1937 and is reported to have medical problems, has long served the Syrian regime and remains an influential adviser to the president. He was a very close adviser to the late Hafez al-Assad before being appointed deputy director of the General Security Directorate (GSD) in 1999.

He served in the position until 2006, when he was named deputy vice-president for security affairs. The next year, the US froze his assets for “contributing to the government of Syria’s problematic behaviour”, which it said included support of international terrorism, the pursuit of weapons of mass destruction, and the undermining of efforts in Iraq.

A leaked US diplomatic cable described Gen Kheirbek as Syria’s “point-man for its relationship with Iran”. It said designating him could “heighten Syrian and regional concerns about the [government’s] willingness to accommodate an expansionary Iranian agenda”.

In May 2011, the EU imposed sanctions on Gen Kheirbek, saying he had been “involved in violence against the civilian population”.

Dhu al-Himma Shalish, head of Presidential Security

Gen Shalish is Bashar’s first cousin and head of Presidential Security, an elite force. In June 2011, the EU imposed sanctions of him, saying he had been “involved in violence against demonstrators”.

He once owned SES International, which the US government alleged in 2005 was a “vehicle to put military goods into the hands” of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein and his regime.

He and his brother, Assef, who managed SES, acted as a “false end user” for Iraq, helping to procure defence-related goods for the Iraqi military before the US-led invasion, it added. SES allegedly provided exporters with end-user certificates indicating Syria was the final destination, and then shipped them illegally to Iraq. He was said to have provided close personal assistance to Saddam’s oldest son, Uday.

Gen Shalish’s influence within the president’s inner circle is believed to have increased since the beginning of the uprising. Joshua Landis of the University of Oklahoma told the New York Times in July 2012 that he was now a key financier and organiser of feared pro-Assad militiamen known as “shabiha”, who activists say have been used by the government to intensify the crackdown on protesters and commit atrocities on its behalf.

Gen Shalish and his immediate family were “looked at as lowlife no-goodniks a year ago, but today they have been catapulted into the ranks of the inner circle because they are willing to do the dirty work for the regime,” Mr Landis said. “There are only so many family members.”

Zuhair Hamad, deputy head of the General Security Directorate

Maj Gen Hamad is deputy to Mohammed Dib Zaitoun, the head of the powerful General Security Directorate.

He previously led its Special Intelligence Unit, he was responsible for monitoring newspapers, television channels and websites covering Syria, and writing daily reports for high-ranking officials. Opposition sources said he often summoned journalists for “clarification” on their stories, and accused him of often resorting to blackmailing them to limit criticism of the regime.

Human rights activists say Gen Hamad played a major role in the campaign of arrests against opposition and independent figures which intensified in the months leading up to the recent anti-government unrest.

In November 2011, the EU accused Gen Hamad of responsibility “for the use of violence across Syria and for intimidation and torture of protesters” and imposed sanctions on him.

All the signals from Washington and London suggest that military action against Syria is now a strong possibility. Contingency plans are being drawn up, potential target lists are being reviewed and various military assets are being moved into position.

The US Navy is re-positioning several vessels, including four cruise missile-carrying destroyers in the eastern Mediterranean and probably a missile-firing submarine.

Mokola flyover: Ajimobi’s spin doctors exposed

THE much trampled people of Oyo  State woke up on a certain morning to the saddening report that some disgruntled members of the opposition in the state had connived the night before to destroy the precious and (in) famous Mokola flyover.

Naturally, for a city that has been a political capital of the most sophisticated south west of Nigeria for close to a century now, but which was only provided such an architectural feat a few months ago, there was a sense of outrage.

Unfortunately as usual, the government of Alhaji Abiola Ajimobi, once again, seized the opportunity of an unfortunate incident to score cheap political point as well as cover up a shame that will accompany top hierarchy of the regime long after they would have been ignobly kicked out of office.

On that innocent morning, Special Assistant to Governor Ajimobii on Media, Festus Adedayo, through a press statement entitled: “Ibadan Flyover barrier demolished” accused the opposition of having made real, an earlier threat to pull down the barrier. He added that government was in receipt of security report that some political thugs were being commissioned by the opposition to demolish the flyover.

[caption id="attachment_411940" align="alignnone" width="412"] The N3bn Mokola flyover at Ibadan.[/caption]

Coming on the heels of frantic demands by some patriotic citizens of the state for the administration to come clean on the apparently over bloated amount being bandied as cost of the flyover, it was easy to decipher where the insinuations were directed at.

Of course, for an administration desperately seeking sympathy as a diversionary strategy for its frivolity, lack of accountability and flagrant disregard for due process and value for money, it was an opportunity to heap the blame for a badly executed job on some phantom opposition members. Since it would be a shame to admit that something slightly bigger than a tricycle (a Tata minibus) was responsible for the shattering of a project that cost a whooping N3 billion, the Alaparutu Peoples’ Convergence (APC) must see the absent finger of its opponents in the destruction, otherwise, tax payers would be outraged.

Well, Adedayo, quoting a certain Kayode Adepoju, Special Adviser on Infrastructure had told the world that the administration was in procession of some security reports, which blamed the opposition for damaging the barrier on the flyover before the minibus hit it.

The question to ask these spin doctors is: who prepared the security reports? Spokesperson of the state command of the Nigeria Police, DSP Bisi Ilobanafor, shortly after, issued a comprehensive report on the damage. According to her, “the barrier over the Mokola, Ibadan Flyover Bridge has been pulled down by a Mini-Tata vehicle which hit the barrier today (Tuesday).

A tricycle branded with NESCAFE advert forced its way while entering the bridge from Adamasingba area but on its way out heading towards Sango area, the height of the barrier was too low, so the driver immediately turned and headed back forcing its way out when the barricade fell on the highway.”

Ilobanafor continued that the Mini-Tata vehicle driver, Olakunle Akanji, had been arrested and detained at Mokola Police Station while further investigation was ongoing. And to prevent other vehicles from being trapped as a result of the damage, the mini-Tata vehicle had been used to barricade the other end of the bridge so that, oncoming vehicle will not collide with the barricade and that the construction firm had also been contacted to ensure that the barricade was immediately replaced.

Diametrically opposed information

Since the police have a diametrically opposing information on the incident to that of the state government, it will be of great interest to discerning members of the public if operatives of the government would disclose the source of their “security reports”. These spin doctors that pretended to be the people’s saviour when they were canvassing for votes in 2007 but have now been exposed for what they are, had insinuated that the barrier was damaged the previous night only for the mini-Tata truck to complete the knocking down in broad day light.

As the man at the saddle, Governor Abiola Ajimobi has the responsibility to steer the ship of the state together with his team. However, the electorate should remain the masters and deserve to be treated with dignity and decorum. It is most unfair for operatives of the government to act as if the citizenry is daft and unable to differentiate between wrong and right. Before Ajimobi emerged as governor of the state, he never spared his predecessor.

At the national level, the APC has been quite strident in its criticism of President Goodluck Jonathan. So, it should normally be expected that such a party will be tolerant of critical appraisal of its activities. Incidentally, this is not the case as the administration is completely paranoid of criticism and intolerant of opposition.

Responding to issues raised by the anchor of Splash FM personality interview programme, former Governor Rasidi Ladoja, had deployed his acumen as an engineer to point at perceived irregularities in the contracting details of the purported N3 billion flyover. A responsible, responsive and transparent administration should have become sobered by the fact that it was caught in the act and not embark on a propaganda trip to try to evade the real issues.

A simple question begging answer that will forever put agitations over the N3 billion flyover contract sum is: why did the 470 metres Mokola Flyover cost N3 billion while 1,056 metre Flyover in Abeokuta in addition to another 2.4 kilometre road cost only N1.5 billion? Why did it become so burdensome for a democratic government to explain the rationale behind the award of any contract?

The State commissioner for Information, Pastor Taiwo Otegbeye, was also a guest of Splash FM where he said compensation was paid to those whose houses were demolished to pave way for the flyover.

Well, the construction was only a recent development and it is also known that no single house was demolished save for the wall fence of the WEMA Bank. In Abeokuta, houses, shops/stalls were pulled down and the cost of compensation was still embedded in the stated contract sum with victims duly relocated. How much did the Oyo State Government pay to WEMA Bank for the fence that will justify this astronomical difference in the two scenarios?

The confusion of Oyo citizens being made hapless by their decision to vote APC was further compounded few weeks after the interview when , Commissioner for Lands, Housing and Survey, Bimbo Kolade declared that compensation was yet to be paid to any displaced person as those affected refused to present their claims. So, how do one now reconcile all the conflicting statements emanating from operatives of the same government?

As law abiding, legitimate and bona fide citizens of Oyo State, we challenge Oyo state government to come out with comprehensive list of those compensated because their properties were destroyed in the process of constructing the Mokola Flyover.

‘LANRE OGUNDIPE is former National

Prologue: Between Suntai and his sponsors: A puppet and his puppeteers

By Jide Ajani

There is a decidedly fatal embrace in the air. In this instance, however, Danbaba Suntai would not be the first.

Before Suntai, there was Umaru Musa Yar’Adua. But before Umaru, there had been, in other climes, Mad King Ludwig of Bavaria, Woodrow Wilson, Adolf Hitler, Idi Amin, Deng Xiao-peng, Ferdinand Marcos, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and Menachem Begin – all these individuals had had one form of infirmity or the other, some bordering on mental disability, while in office.

The lesson to draw from their situations, as explained in a book, WHEN ILLNESS STRIKES THE LEADER: THE DILEMMA OF THE CAPTIVE KING, by Dr. Jerrold M. Post and Robert S. Robins, is that these individuals as puppets and those shielding members of the public from the true position of their health as the puppeteers, are locked in an egregious and fatal embrace, “each dependent upon the other for survival - a captive king and his captive court” - while exploring what was described as the impact of physical and mental illness on political leadership.

[caption id="attachment_411727" align="alignnone" width="412"] Taraba National Assembly Caucus support Acting Governor: From left, Hon. Dr. Aminu Ibrahim Malle, Senator Abubakar Umar Tutura from Taraba Central, Chief Whip House of Representatives, Isaka Bawa and Hon Ibrahim El-sudi addressing press men, calling on Taraba Acting Governor to continue taking responsibility of the Taraba State Governance at National Assembly Abuja. Photo by Gbemiga Olamikan[/caption]

Suntai is the puppet and the puppeteers are the likes of his wife, Jerry Gana and John Dara who told Nigerians last Sunday that Suntai was hale, fit and hearty to rule Taraba State.

Alas, and without prejudice to Suntai’s very personable personality before the air crash which forms the bane of his present situation, the Suntai Nigerians have been privileged to see cannot be subjected to the rigours and demands of governance of a state. Simple!

Therefore, the lessons from the book are simple and straight forward.

It must be acknowledged: “The illness or disability of a leader can change the course of history. When Lenin became too infirm to remove Stalin from a position of power, when the Shah of Iran’s terminal cancer was kept secret from fellow Iranians and foreign supporters until Ayatollah Khomeini’s Islamic revolution had succeeded, the political consequences were monumental.

“In this absorbing book, two experts in political psychology reveal how the infirmities of leaders have affected their own societies and the broader course of world events”.

In this society of clashing interests that Taraba State is, religion and ethnicity are being brought in.

Firstly, Suntai is a Christian.  The logic in some quarters there is that once he’s out, a Muslim would take over as governor.  Cheap talk!  Those Christians who are expressing this fear should be considered as pagans or Christians of little minds.  When in 1999 Ahmed Mohammed Makarfi chose a Christian as his deputy, the talk in Kaduna was that the governor turned senator may not last and a Christian would take over as Kaduna State governor.  Behold, Makarfi’s deputy died even before the tenure was completed.

Then came Governor Patrick Yakowa who succeeded Namadi Sambo when the Office of the Vice President was offered to the latter.  Some people went to town insisting that they would have to endure over eight years of a Christian governor in Kaduna.  By a twist of faith per cruelty, Yakowa lost his life in a plane crash.  There was Yar’Adua who also passed on before the expiration of his tenure paving the way for Goodluck Jonathan.  Whereas no one should celebrate at the demise of another, human beings are very fond of playing god by removing God from the equation.

Those who seek to enthrone this needless silliness on the polity in Taraba were part of those who complained when a cabal hijacked the Presidency to the embarrassing exclusion of a sitting Vice President Jonathan.  They are all members and leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

Were Taraba State to be under the control of the All Progressive Congress, APC, what vibes would have been emanating from the PDP headquarters?

Were Suntai to be a Muslim, what would some masquerading Christian leaders be saying about that?

From the look of things, Taraba State itself might become incapacitated.  Alhaji Garba Umar, the Acting Governor, has been instructed by the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Haruna Tsokwa, to continue his job and disregard any shenanigans oozing forth from Suntai’s end.

The issues to look at are so simple and straight forward in this unfolding disgraceful show:

What does the Constitution say?

Has the law been breached?

How was it breached?

What constitutes incapacitation?

All indices of gauging the situation and responding to these posers suggest that Suntai and his handlers cannot score anything good or convince anyone that they are right.

Therefore, the fatal embrace, the delusion of which suggests to the puppet and the puppeteers that they are in good stead, is no more than a delusion of grandeur which would, in the final analysis, spell doom as was the case with the respected and respectable but the late Umaru Musa Yar’Adua whose handlers subjected Jonathan to ridicule.  Therefore, Mr. President, as leader of the PDP, should do that which is right and stop this show of shame.

Starved of funds, our diplomats abroad did odd jobs to survive - Ambassador Suleiman

By Victoria Ojeme and Faith Gora

Ambassador Dahiru Suleiman is a retired diplomat. In this interview, he takes us through the world of diplomacy as it applies to Nigeria, mentioning where the country is getting it wrong and how the lapses can be corrected.

What is Nigeria’s foreign policy currently like?

Nigerian foreign policy has seen some modifications here and there.   During colonization and the fight against apartheid in South Africa, the foreign policy was based on the liberation of the continent of Africa from colonialism and the obnoxious apartheid policy, two, to defend the interest of the black race anywhere they are found in the world and, three, to protect and project a positive image of Nigeria and also to protect the interest of Nigerians wherever they may be in the world.

After the colonization era and the collapse of apartheid, the foreign policy focus shifted to economic diplomacy and the idea was to attract foreign direct investment into Nigeria. Up till now, the economic diplomacy has not subsided, but there was a time 22 years ago they were talking about citizen diplomacy.

When you talk about citizen diplomacy, you are still talking about the protection of the interest of Nigerians wherever they are, so you are not saying anything new.

Strictly speaking, the foreign policy goals of any country, once they are set, you may have variations depending on the government in power. For example, in the Unites States of America, the foreign policy goals hardly changes whether the Republican Party or the Democratic Party is in power.

There may be slight variations here and there. For instance, there may be more emphasis when the Democrats are in power on seeing to the establishment of democracy in all parts of the world and protection of human rights; then you have one of the cardinal principles of the United States foreign policy that has undiluted support for Israel; so whatever Israel does, America will not condemn.

The Emeka Anyaoku Committee raised to review Nigeria’s policy is yet to conclude its assignment. What do you feel should be its focus?

I know they submitted an interim report and i participated in the seminar that took place in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs where suggestions were made and papers presented by stakeholders but we have to look inwards now and ask ourselves, what is it that Nigeria wants to achieve on its foreign policy?

[caption id="attachment_411697" align="alignnone" width="360"] *Ambassador Suleiman[/caption]

One, we need to put our house in order. If our house is in order, then our foreign policy agenda will be better pursued. If you have a disorganized home, you cannot have an effective foreign policy because domestic issues affect foreign policy like the economic diplomacy we are talking about or attracting foreign direct investment.

If the house is not in order, nobody will come to invest; if we want to attract foreign direct investment, we have to put our house in order, and, if our house is in order, we are in a strong position to pursue our foreign policy goals like the defence of the interest of Nigerians, the protection of the interest of the black race and the rest of it.

So the Anyaoku Panel, I don’t expect them to make any recommendation outside putting our house in order first before embarking on the foreign policy of government. Of course we want to be friendly with all nations of the world; we want to be a major player in world affairs.

I expect that the Anyaoku Panel will make a strong recommendation to government to put its house in order  and to also reinforce the foreign ministry; in a situation where the ministry is not properly funded, you cannot expect the officers to do their job the way it should.

I also expect the committee to make a strong recommendation for language training. It is not good to have a diplomat who can only communicate in English. Anywhere you go in the world, foreign diplomats speak foreign languages in addition to English; it may be French, it may be Arabic, it may be Portuguese, it may be Spanish.

In the years gone by, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs placed emphasis on language training. For example, I went to a university in Portugal where I studied Portuguese for one year; then i was posted to Brazil where I spent five years; from there, I was posted to Angola. The training allowed me to polish my Portuguese and now I can describe, I can write, I can translate in Portuguese language. Where you have a diplomat who doesn’t understand any other language apart from English, he is handicapped in the performance of his job. Sometimes you find that people are more comfortable with you when they know that they can discuss in their own language, but where they find that you speak only English, maybe certain things they may want to discuss with you, they will not because you don’t share much in common.

During your tour of duty as an ambassador, do you think Nigeria’s foreign policy focus is on that same pedestal today?

It is emphasis here and there, but the goal has not changed; it is just that government has not helped matters.   They say we should defend the interest of Nigerians wherever they are, but government that said it did not fund the missions; so Nigerians that find themselves in trouble in foreign countries run to the various embassies for help, but the missions were in no financial position to help.

Where you needed to hire a lawyer, the money was not there. Where you needed to bail out the Nigerian, the money was not there. But these Nigerians will not understand, because they have been told that the embassy should take care of them. So the government says I should take care of you but I don’t have the resources to carry out the mandate. The same government that says I should take care of you has not empowered me to take care of you; so how do I go about it?

On economic diplomacy issue, it is good to attract foreign direct investment into Nigeria, but you need to re-orientate the officers in the diplomatic missions. If the officer is just trained in political issues and you now want to go into economic issues, you have to re-orientate him. Yes, they are educated, but they have not been given the type of re-orientation or the type of briefing to make them effective in what they are doing.

We have to make sure that when we say this is the policy, we need to summon the ambassadors and brief them properly and let them return to their missions and then properly address their own officers so that the officers know the exact thinking of the government. But if the government just makes an announcement without any briefing whatsoever, then it becomes difficult for the officers and missions abroad to effectively carry out the mission of the government. All this boils down to what I have been talking about putting our house in order.

Funding of missions abroad has always been an issue. How was the situation during your time?

The problem of funding has always been with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Missions will send their estimate or budget to Ministry of Foreign Affairs and these are collated and sent to the Ministry of Finance or to the Budget Office. Invariably, what missions abroad will get will be about half of what they requested. So where you have to pay for the houses that you rented for officers, how will the rent be paid? If you reduce the allocation for payment of utilities, electricity, water, garbage disposal, how will the mission take care of those expenses when you have children in school and you did not allocate the exact amount for the payment of school fees?

Under-funding has been going on for long and unless it is taken care of, the Foreign Affairs Ministry will be handicapped in discharging its obligations. I remember when I was in Abidjan, between1990-1992, there was a time we spent six months without being paid our allowances because there was no money. So this kind of thing will result in an untoward situation; when you have an officer who has a family and you have not paid him for six months, such an officer could be easily compromised.

I learnt that the funding has improved, but I don’t know if it has improved to the level that missions are now adequately funded or it is just slightly better than when I was in service. But I can say for a fact that when I was in service, funding was very poor and that affected the performance of the missions. When I say the officers get compromised, it was all encompassing so that whoever reads it will say compromise in what? They go out of their diplomatic duties to do things they should not do

At the moment, Nigeria has an estimated 98 diplomatic posts. Would you say there has been value in so many of such posts given the realities on ground?

I think the missions are more than 98. If you are talking about embassies, you are talking about high commissions, you are talking about consulates, may be more than 98. I think by the sheer size of Nigeria and the fact that we want to be known throughout the world, you may find that a country like South Africa may have more than what we have.

So if we are thinking of one day becoming a member of the United Nations Security Council, we have to reckon with certain countries, so that by the time we need them, they will not say ‘oh, you never reckoned with us, that is why you never established your presence in country’.   But where you have a mission that normally consists of five people, you have 10-12 people; I will not support that. Let us have manageable missions; instead of big size missions, if we have manageable missions, then the resources can be applied better.


Nigeria seems to always sacrifice in terms of human and material resources to bring political stability into troubled African countries. Do you think we have benefited from some of these commitments?

I happen to be one of those who were against the “Father Christmas” role of Nigeria. Yes we helped in the decolonization effort in Africa and the collapse of apartheid in South Africa. Whether those people appreciated what we did or not, that is immaterial. They are out of bondage. We went to Liberia, got them out of the problem they had, Sierra Leone, we got them out of the problem they had.

Whether they appreciated what Nigeria did or not, that is a different thing; but what I feel Nigeria should do is to try to extract certain conceptions. They say in America there is no free lunch; if America is the most powerful country literally and economically and there is no free lunch with them, why should there be free lunch in Nigeria?

I give you an example; we did a lot for Angola, but Nigeria never benefited anything from Angola; even when Nigeria wanted to sign a fishing right with Angola, they didn’t agree, but they signed a fishing right agreement with Ibru organization. When I was in Angola, Ibru fishing trolleys were fishing in Angolan territorial water, but for the Nigerian government to sign an agreement with them, they didn’t.

So perhaps it is our own way of making our own foreign policy at that time just to make sure that everybody was out of the woods, but we never thought of, after we come out of the woods, what will be our reward? Liberia, the same thing happened; Sierra-Leone,  the same thing also happened. Senate President David Mark said something, he went to watch the final of the African Cup of Nation (AFCON) between Nigeria and Cote d‘Ivoire.

When he came back, he said that African countries don’t like us because of the comments he heard. I have said it many times that we are not liked in Africa, we are only tolerated. All these African countries, they tell you something when you are around, but behind you, they say a different thing. Nigeria has never had territorial ambition but despite the fact that we have never had territorial ambition and we have been Father Christmas to everybody, they still resent her and that is nothing but envy. They envy Nigeria because of what God has blessed Nigeria with. So, we have not received commensurate appreciation for what we did.

But it does not mean that Nigeria should not continue to do what is right since it is part of our foreign policy goal to defend the interest of the black race wherever they are.

It has been argued in some quarters that the practice of appointing politicians as ambassadors does more harm to Nigerian interest than good. What is your opinion?

I was a professional. I spent all my adult life in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Will I be happy if you bring someone from nowhere and make him ambassador over and above me? No. I don’t think what Nigeria is doing is right. You can do your research work; you will not find any country that appoints so many politicians as ambassadors. I have said it and I will continue to say it.

Every country in the world is professionalizing but in Nigeria instead of professionalizing, we are politicizing and we should de-emphasize that. Professional work should be left to the professionals.   It is a constitutional provision that the President can appoint only three non-career ambassadors. Only three and all the rest must be career, but in Nigeria you get 40%, 50%, 60% of ambassadors who are politicians.

There is no way the country can derive maximum benefit from it. I don’t mind, they want to go to high flying missions, let them go but please don’t appoint too many of them. When they go there, they don’t even know from where to start. You get somebody who was a local government chairman who doesn’t even know what is happening in Abuja, and then you are now sending him abroad to represent the whole of Nigeria.

In fact when I was heading the Establishment Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, I frustrated every effort to bring in outsiders to join the ministry as officers. If you want to be a career diplomat, start from the scratch and rise through the ranks but not for you to come at the middle. I can tell you that most of those who transferred to the ministry from the middle on a higher level or on a higher level ended up as disasters.

If you are to advice, what percentage do you think should be given to political appointees?

To be honest with you, I wouldn’t recommend more than 10% maximum. If you will not bring someone from outside and make him a colonel, brigadier or assistant commissioner of police, commissioner of police, controller general of Customs or controller of Immigration, why should you bring to foreign affairs?

This is not to say that there are not some non- career ambassadors who have not performed well. I can tell you some like Professor Jubril Aminu performed creditably; I can tell you that Professor Joy Ogu in New York is performing creditably, but we should stop seeing the diplomatic service as a dumping ground for politicians who could not realize their ambition of becoming senators, House of Representatives members or ministers.

What do you think about increasing the retirement age of Nigerian career diplomats given the loss of experience that results in such retirements?

They say when you reach the age of 60 you retire or when you serve for 35years, this is the regulation. But, with good health, do you retire someone at the age of 60 who is performing optimally? Left to me, the diplomatic service in particular where you have invested so much to train and re-train officers, the retirement age should not be less than 65.

I do attend our meeting of retired career ambassadors. When you hear retired ambassador contributing to issues, discussing issues, you know that these are people who have a lot to offer the country and most of them are young. Okay look at me, I am retired but I know I am strong physically, mentally but I retired five or six years ago. So you have specific jobs requiring specific skills like it was done for university professors and judges.

Career diplomats should retire at the age of 65 not 60. If you go to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, you see everybody looking agile and young but maybe in one or two years you are asking them to go with all the skills they have been able to fashion out; so I think we are wasting too much manpower by asking people because of 35years of service or 60 years of age to go; I think something should be done about it.

America, Syria and the rest of us

By Femi Fani-Kayode

I am proud of the decision that the British Parliament has taken not to join in the attack on Syria. Prime Minister David Cameron has been badly humiliated and this is a great triumph for Ed Milliband, the Leader of the Opposition. Kudos to my friend, Mr. George Galloway,  MP, for his brilliant and stirring speech on the floor of the House of Commons on this issue.

I must confess that the only speech that has moved me as much as Galloway’s in recent times was the riveting and spell-binding speech delivered by the Irish MP,  Mrs.Clare Daly, on the floor of the Irish Parliament where she described President Barack Obama as a ‘’war criminal’’ and a ‘’murderer of children’’. People like Galloway and Daly are amongst those that I would describe as today’s ‘’servants of truth’’ and history and posterity will be very kind to them regardless of the contempt, anger, insults and ridicule that they have been subjected to by the retrograde forces of conservatism that presently control the world.

The resolution of the British Parliament not to go to war in Syria gives us hope that sanity may eventually prevail in a world that has proved to be increasingly insane. Yet sadly it appears that France and America are as eager to go as ever. As the assault on Syria is about to start and the carnage is about to begin, please take note of the following words- the biggest mistake that President Barack Obama will make in his distinguished political career and in his Presidency is to strike Syria on the false and contrived premise that President Bashir Al Assad has used chemical weapons against his own people.

What we are witnessing today is the laying of the foundation and the planting of the seeds for what will eventually be World War 3. I am not suggesting that the military strike on Syria will witness the beginning of World War 3. What I am saying is that it will lay the foundation for it. I believe that the war itself will come at a much later stage and probably long after both Obama and Russia’s President Vladimer Putin have both left office.

However the military action that America is about to embark on in Syria will be the first step on the road to that terrible final conflict. After they have struck Syria,  nothing will be the same again and we shall finally be on that long-awaited conflict-ridden slippery slope to Armageddon. And after that war has been fought and won, historians will have cause to say that the brutal, unjustifiable, indefensible and illegal attack by Obama’s America and her allies on Syria is where and when the die was finally cast. They will say that that is when the Americans finally crossed the line of no return, of no fear and of no shame. They will say that that is when the Americans should have been stopped.

The West and Muslim world

Nothing describes the frightful situation that we are faced with today in the Middle East better than the words of Mr. Dmitry Rogozin, the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister, when he said, just a few days ago, that ‘’the West handles the Muslim world like a monkey handles a grenade’’. The events and bloody carnage that we are about to witness being unleashed by America and her allies on Syria, a relatively small country of 22 million people, will be so brazen, so vicious, so chilling and so ruthless that, for the first time in world history, Russia, Iran and China will come together, finally pick up the gauntlet and muster the courage to say ‘’no more’’ to American lawlessness, manipulation, deceit, double standards and butchery.

At that point, there will be no going back and, slowly but surely, one thing will lead to another in the Middle East and the conflict will spread until the final conflagration comes. The truth is that just as Shakespeare wrote in his famous play, “Julius Caesar”, over 400 years ago, in the world today, “Caeser has crossed the Rubicorn, war is inevitable”.

Yet many have bought into and wholeheartedly accepted the American propaganda that Al Assad has used chemical weapons against his own people. It is in the same way that they bought into the propaganda that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction and chemical weapons that he was about to use against his own people and the rest of the world.

They bought into that propaganda just as they bought into the propaganda that 911 was carried out by Osama bin Laden, just as they bought into the propaganda that Muammar Ghaddafi was a monster that was about to kill all his people, just as they bought into the propaganda that Obama was the Messiah who wanted to spread democracy in the Middle East, just as they bought into the propaganda that Hosni Mubarak had to be removed to bring stability to Egypt, just as they bought into the propaganda that Tunisia would be better off with an Islamist President, just as they bought into the propaganda that Iran is evil, just as they bought into the propaganda that the Saudis are angels, just as they bought into the propaganda that Israel can do no wrong, just as they bought into the propaganda that there was no coup in Egypt, just as they bought into the propaganda that Hamas must not be recognised, just as they bought into the propaganda that Hezbollah are terrorists and just as they bought into the propaganda that Lebanon did not deserve to be stable and must be nothing more than a weak and crisis-ridden buffer-state which exists at their pleasure.

Ousting of seven M-East leaders

I suggest that those that have bought into all this absolutely ridiculous and nonsensical propaganda take the time out to listen to what the distinguished and respected American General Wesley Clark (the man who had the distinct privilage and honour of leading the NATO forces in Europe during the attack on Slobodan Milosovitch’s forces in Serbia and Belgrade in the 90s) said in 2007 about America’s intentions in the Middle East and about how those plans had been hatched as far back as 2001.

He claimed that just two weeks after 911,  America had taken the decision to remove the leaders of no less than seven  Middle Eastern countries by any means necessary in order to fully secure  the Middle East. He actually listed those countries, Today, and for the past  five years, we are bearing witness to everything that he said would happen and those things are unfolding before our very eyes. It is only the dull, the shallow and the naive that can possibly deny this. Clarks’s tape can be found on youtube for those that doubt what I have said.

Bad precedent

Finally, let me make two two points. First, there is absolutely NO evidence to suggest that it was Al Asssad’s forces that  used the chemical weapons that were unleashed on the civilian population in Syria the other day and it could well have been the rebels that did it. The fact that Assad’s troops were also affected by those weapons tells me a lot.

No sane leader poisons his own soldiers with sarin gas. And he certainly does not do so on his own doorstep, on the day that international weapons inspectors arrive in his country and in the middle of a war which he is on the verge of winning. Secondly the fact that America and her allies have decided not to go through the U.N. Security Council on this matter makes whatever action they take against Al Assad and Syria manifestly illegal. It violates every rule of international law and it creates yet another bad precedent.

Evil agenda

The resolve by America not to go through the UN Security Council before doing anything creates the greatest problem of all.  Who appointed America as the policeman of the world and who annointed her as the spokesman for the international community? The Security Council was established to stop and prevent precisely the type of cruel, illegal and arbitary use of power that the American government is about to indulge in and unleash on Syria.

No country should be allowed to play God and when they choose to do so, they must be told clearly and categorically that they are operating outside the law. The truth is that America has gone beserk and the power it wields today has caused many that are in positions of authority over there to be reckless, arrogant and delusional.

There is an evil agenda that is unfolding before our very eyes which many people that are not discerning, bright or knowledgeable enough can possibly recognise or appreciate. Many have argued that the rebels could not have launched the chemical attack because they did not have the heavy weapons, the know-how or the capabilities to do so. This is hogwash. The Syrian rebels can do anything and muster or use any kind of heavy weapons as long as their American, French, Saudi and Turkish friends are ready to help them. That is the bitter and ugly truth.


Cannibas

The fact that the rebels are led by brutal cannibals and Al Qaeda Islamists and that the American government is in an unholy alliance with such beasts tells me everything that I need to know. The American government is ready to get into bed with even the devil and do just about anything to get rid of or discredit Al Assad, including turning a blind eye to the use of chemical weapons against Syrian civilians by those rebels and then blaming it on the Assad regime. I do not believe for one minute that Al Assad used chemicals weapons.

The fact that the Syrian rebels are killing Christians and secularist Muslims in droves and that they wish to establish an Islamic fundamentalist state on the borders of Israel also tells me that those that support such people are misguided individuals that do not care for Muslims, Christians or Jews. The Americans are effecting the agenda of Satan, pure and simple.

They should go ahead and use their power. We know that nothing and no-one will stop them. They should satisfy their blood-lust and kill as many people as they like in Syria. They should remove as many governments and conquer as many nations as they choose in the Middle East and elsewhere. They should take as much oil as they like. They should do as they please and establish their ‘’new world order’’.

One day God will rise up and avenge the weaker nations of the world whom they have manipulated, discredited, cheated and destroyed. They should revel in the moment and enjoy the killings and carnage that they are about to unleash. However the one thing that they shall not do is to compel those of us that are discerning enough to see through their lies, their greed and their wickedness to clap for them and sit back silently as they slaughter the world and impose their values. All we can do is create awareness about their evil agenda to those that care to listen. And we shall continue to do so whether they like it or not.

Deceived by their own govt

One day the good people of American themselves will understand that they have been deceived by their own governments. American governments and American Presidents are simply puppets and middle-ranking representatives of a much greater force that seeks to destroy mankind and control the entire world. All you need to do is to be a student of eschatology to appreciate this. The assumptions that many have made about what is true and what is not true in Syria and elsewhere are simply wrong.

Yes, chemical weapons were used and many people, including innocent women and children, were killed but the question is who by, who gave the order and what was the motive and purpose for such a heartless act? In the May 6 edition of the Washington Times newspaper, it was reported that Mrs.Carla Del Ponte, the former International Court For Criminal Justice prosecutor and a respected member of the United Nations Independant International Commission Of Inquiry On Syria,  told Swiss TV that ‘’there were strong concrete suspicions that Syrian rebels that were seeking to oust Al Assad had used the nerve agent sarin”. This honest Canadian lady certainly seems to know what is really going on but who is listening to her?

One day, the American people will open their eyes to the evil and manifest injustice that their governments, particularly Obama’s government, have inflicted on the people of the Middle East, Pakistan, Afghanistan and north Africa. Until then we shall sit back and watch American forces kill perhaps as many Syrians as they did in the first few days of the bombing of Baghdad when they snuffed out 150,0000 innocent Iraqi souls, including women and children. I hope that they can sleep well at night when this happens. The blood of those innocent souls is as much on the hands of those hapless cheerleaders that believe everything that they are told by the international television networks and that defend or seek to justify this abominable action as it is on those who actually ordered and executed it.

Genetic liars

Permit me to end this essay with an interesting contribution from a deeply courageous and insightful Englishman by the name of Mr. David Icke. He said:

‘Tthese genetic liars are so desperate to bomb the Assad regime into history. This is because the global plan to subvert and conquer the Middle and Near East has had its time-table scuppered by the Syrian government’s refusal to fall in the wake of a civil war. That civil war was orchestrated through psychopathic mercenaries by the hidden forces behind NATO.

Those forces are now planning to bomb Syria via their political puppets who dare not refuse to take orders - not that this lot need much encouragement. They are planning to kill and maim even more people with brown faces on their way to controlling the whole of the vast region known as Eurasia. The plan was for them to have invaded Lebanon and Iran by now so they are seeking to bomb away the blockage and stalemate in Syria where the NATO armed-and-funded ‘rebels’ have been losing ground to the Assad military.

To do so, they are claiming, with no evidence, that Assad ordered a chemical attack on his own people. They have tried this before without success when it became clear that the alleged ‘Assad’ chemical attacks were instigated by the very ‘rebels’ that NATO controls to manufacture an excuse for NATO to invade.

Now, in pathetic desperation, they are doing the same thing again and this time refusing to take no for an answer or produce any credible evidence (they can’t) because their masters’ time-table demands that Assad be removed now – just as it did with Gaddafi in Libya. And the global corporate media is playing its usual part in repeating the lies as fact. By doing so,  the blood will be on their hands as well, just as it has always been throughout corporate media history. They are so stupid, so uninformed, so moronic, that they can’t see that they and their families are going to be subjected to the same Orwellian fascist society that they are providing the daily propaganda to justify’’.

These are powerful and instructive words from Icke. As Sir Winston Churchill once said, ‘’the truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it, but, in the end, there it is”. May God bless and protect the good people Syria.

CRUDE OIL THEFT (2) The conspiracy that robs Nigeria of billions of dollars

By Emma Amaize, Regional Editor, South-South,Sam Oyadongha, Yenagoa & Jimitota Onoyume, Port Harcourt

How barons, military personnel, govt officials, IOC’s bleed the nation

The fear over 2013 revenue target

This is the concluding part of the investigative story on how members of a powerful cabal continue to conspire, robbing in the process, Nigerians of billions of dollars. It is very revealing but also represents a narrative on how mis-governance inspired by greed makes a mockery of the nation.

Production projections

NNPC said after repair works on the Nembe Creek Trunk Line, which has a daily capacity of 150,000 bpd, “daily average crude oil production is expected to increase to 2.50 m/bpd which will exceed the national daily target of 2.48 m/bpd.”

It added, “Our expectation is to increase production from the 2.48 to 2.55 m/bpd (both crude and condensate) for the rest of the year. We have the capacity and potential to maintain production above 2.55 m/bpd in the country.

“All that is required is to continue the fight against pipeline vandalism and crude oil theft to achieve this target. This will increase our 2013 average production to about 2.34 m/bpd if the current fight against pipeline vandalism and crude oil theft is sustained.”

But who is winning the war?

Tackling pipeline vandalism is really the important aspect, but the truth is that there is nothing on ground now to show that the country is winning the war against oil thieves, especially the cartel. Except for the exploits of soldiers of the Joint Taskforce, JTF, who are doing their best in the difficult terrain, where they battle regularly with armed vandals, the oil pipelines are still at the mercy of thieves and their big-time sponsors.

Speaking on whether the nation was winning the battle against oil theft, Kuku, the PAP boss, said though the Federal Government had made tremendous progress, it still needed the cooperation of the international community to win the war.

His words “I want to say that the Federal Government has taken very great steps in dealing with the issues of oil theft. It’s not going to be won in a single day. It is a very specialised and mechanised crime issue. It’s not a crime committed ordinarily by poor people; it’s a crime committed by an organised people, but it is a matter of demand and supply. It’s an international crime and government is taking steps, like I said, even to the U.K, to South Africa and the U.S., and has urged them to participate in dealing with it as an international crime.” He explained that without international buyers, there would be no local suppliers and this would consequently lead to a decline in oil theft because the business will no longer be lucrative.

Bayelsa as theater of war

In Bayelsa State, which is a theater of war between oil thieves and soldiers, the level of oil theft is alarming and of grave concern to stakeholders – mind you, that is the state of President Goodluck Jonathan and the Petroleum Resources Minister, Deziani Allison-Madueke.

[caption id="attachment_411706" align="alignnone" width="412"] *Oil Vandals[/caption]

Investigations showed that in spite of the clamp down on illegal refineries in the vast mangrove swamp of the state by special security forces, codenamed Operation Pulo Shield,  the perpetrators of the illicit trade are not relenting. The situation on ground in the creeks of the state is very different from the respite many had anticipated when the Federal Government granted amnesty to Niger Delta militants, who were outraged against the Nigerian state over what they described as the glaring marginalisation of the region and environmental injustice.

At the peak of the campaign that almost crippled crude oil production, the Federal Government was forced to extend olive branch to the creek ‘Generals’ with a view to creating unfettered flow of crude oil. The creek ‘Generals’ were also awarded juicy surveillance contracts to secure crude oil pipelines. One of the ex-militant leaders, Ebikabowei Victor Ben, alias Boyloaf, said to be in-charge of the Bayelsa axis, could not be reached by Sunday Vanguard for comments on the situation of things in his area.

However, during a trip to Southern Ijaw area, which is the den of oil thieves in Bayelsa, Sunday Vanguard discovered that the JTF had destroyed thousands of illegal refineries and impounded hundreds of vessels and equipment used in siphoning crude from oil facilities that crisscross the region. The Brass-Akassa corridor on the Atlantic fringe of the state is regarded as the black spot for illegal bunkering in the central Delta.  Alarmingly though, the ease with which more camps spring up and the manner oil thieves tap into the pipelines in the deep mangrove swamp to get raw crude for their illicit business, has left many puzzled.

Surprisingly, the natives, who, at a time, were outraged against the oil majors over alleged environmental injustice and neglect, are the ones now decimating their already fragile ecosystem with impunity.

Both the young and old are involved in this business. Without the active connivance of the natives, a source said, the oil barons would not have gotten easy access to the communities.

Sadly, even children have abandoned school to join their parents in refining stolen crude, oblivious of the danger to their health and future.

A source told Sunday Vanguard that there was an abandoned oil well on the Brass Island on the Atlantic fringe, where barges illegally load crude oil and transfer to a mother vessel waiting on the high sea. Ironically, the very river most of these communities depend on for drinking water is what the illegal refinery operators pollute. Some of them were seen pumping the excess of their consignment into the river in broad daylight.

Only about 30 per cent of the refined oil, according to experts, is recovered, while the remaining 70 per cent is discarded into the environment.

“This, to a large extent, is responsible for the repulsive stench on the river and thick smoke in the air reducing visibility in the snaky creek and exposing boat drivers to the danger of collision,” a community leader asserted.

“The fact that electricity supply from the national grid to the communities is not reliable has made diesel and petrol-powered generators the main form of power supply across the Delta.

“It has also made illegal refining a lucrative business for the unemployed youths, who are not aware of the long term effect on the environment and the health of their people”.

Field day in Rivers

In Rivers State, where the leader of the Niger-Delta People Volunteer Force, NDPVF, Alhaji Mujahid Dokubo-Asari, Ateke Tom, Farah Dagogoh and Ebripapa are in charge, oil thieves are also having a field day.

Sunday Vanguard joined the JTF on a ground trotting exercise, weeks ago, on the waterways of the state. The impact of oil spill from oil theft was mind-boggling.

There were traces of crude on the river, in spite of the efforts to fix some of the points ruptured by oil thieves on the Nembe Truck Line, between San Barth Manifold and Krakrama on the waterways. About seven boats conveying soldiers, journalists, Shell staff, surveillance contractors and the technical team went for the verification exercise.

Spokesperson of Shell, Mr. Joseph Obari, explained that his firm had to engage some locals as surveillance contractors to alert on ruptured points on its pipelines. The company would later send its maintenance team to work on the points.

Journalists, soldiers escape death

Just when the team was minutes close to the Krakrama manifold, which was the last point to verify the work done by the maintenance team of Shell, the boat conveying some journalists and soldiers suddenly capsized. They were rescued.

In a chat later, Commanding Officer, 130 Battalion, Lt Col Banshe, told the journalists on the team that security agencies would not relent in their war against illegal bunkering in the state.

He said those into this illicit trade were in the creeks, stressing that security agencies had started smoking them out. He pointed at a flyboat on the jetty in Abonnema seized by his men during a patrol.

The Commanding Officer said the repair works carried out by Shell on the ruptured pipeline would boost their patrol of the waterways.

No retreat, no surrender in Delta

In Delta State, Sunday Vanguard gathered that OFSL, chaired by Tompolo, gave oil thieves the battle of their lives for the one year the contract to the company to police oil pipelines in the state lasted.

Tompolo is supported by the chair of Delta Waterways Security Committee and Itsekiri youth leader, Chief Ayiri Emami; a former chair of Warri North Local Government Area, Mr. Michael Diden, Chief Dennis Otuaro, and Barrister P.K. Seimode, both members of DWSC; who are all board members of the company.

However, since February 2012 when the contract to the company expired, the NNPC has not renewed it, leaving the monitoring of oil pipelines in the state strictly in the hands of JTF and navy.  Oil thieves are said to be very much in the business despite the forays made by security agents.

A concerned stakeholder, however, told Sunday Vanguard, “Security agents have illegal oil refinery operators working for them. They are in the business together. I am aware that even some Cotonou boats and boats seized from oil thieves by OFSL operatives were handed over to their owners by some unscrupulous security officials.

“The biggest problem in Nigeria is not using a metering process to monitor what is produced like it is done in other oil-producing countries. The oil stolen by illegal oil refiners is nothing compared to what is stolen by the cartel of government officials, security agents and oil companies.

“If crude thieves operating illegal oil refineries steal crude oil filled in a Cotonou boat for instance, it will take them three to four months to refine it and, after production, they will start selling it. Now, what is what they are stealing compared to the eight vessels that get missing out of the 10 that is loaded in the terminal?”


‘JTF on top of situation’

Media Coordinator of JTF in the Niger Delta, Lt. Col. Onyeama Nwachukwu, was, however, categorical that the security outfit was winning the war against oil thieves. He said over 608 suspected oil thieves were seized in 594 raids carried out between January and June.According to him, oil theft was on the decline in the region. His words, “So far, we have carried out 594 illegal oil bunkering patrols, and several arrests have been made. In the two quarters we are talking about, we have scuttled about 748 illegal refineries within the region and we have impounded 24 sea-going vessels; we equally arrested 133 barges involved in oil theft. And 861 giant open wooden boats, popularly referred to as Cotonou boats, have been scuttled over this period.

“About 910 large surface tanks, which oil thieves engaged in illegal refineries used to reserve the crude have been scuttled. We have taken into custody about 608 suspects who are involved in oil theft and oil theft related cases.”

On the rate of oil theft, which reportedly led to a combined shut-in of 190,000 barrels per day production in Bayelsa, Nwachukwu said that the JTF was making a positive impact.The spokesman said: “Of course, we stepped up our operational activities and I can assure you that oil theft now is going down”.

A hoax

While many people agree that JTF has performed, the general allegation is that oil companies are raising the alarm to defraud Nigerians.


Coordinator of the Ijaw People Development Initiative, Ozobo, stated, “Oil companies are not sincere about their reports on the actual degree of loss of the country’s oil revenue. They are over- blowing the whole situation to make more profits and pay lesser tax and returns to the Federal Government.

‘’It is also true that the oil companies are running illegal oil wells and under-estimating the  number of barrels produced per-day,  which the government does  not know about. This is sad and barbaric.

‘’The attitude of the oil companies is worse than the known oil thieves we are shouting about. Only a few of the oil wells and oil barrels produced per day by the oil companies are reported. I tell you, there are many oil wells and barrels produced that are not known by the Federal Government.”



Way out

Noticeably panicky, the Federal Government recently beseeched the international community not to buy stolen crude from the country. But ex-militant leader, Tompolo, who spoke through the Secretary of Tompolo Foundation, Mr. Paul Bebenimibo, said, “That is not the solution. Government can effectively check illegal crude oil activities by renewing the surveillance oil facilities contracts in Delta, Bayelsa and Rivers States, as well as expanding the job to other oil bearing states. Performance could be measured by regular meetings with stakeholders and the Department of Petroleum Resources, DPR, must wake up and live up to expectation.”

IPDI coordinator, Ozobo suggested, “The Federal Government should launch a probe into the internally computed fraudulent reports of the oil multinational companies to ascertain actual loss of oil revenue in the country.”

He added that government should also investigate daily activities of oil companies and number of oil wells under their operations because they are always armed with misleading audited reports.

“Clearly, we have to develop a modern technology to always check the activities of the oil companies”, he said

Many people think the task of policing the pipelines should not be a matter for the security forces alone, since they do not have the workforce to place men at every kilometer.

They advised the oil majors to improve on their surveillance technology so that any breach on their facility would trigger an alarm to deter vandals and alert the security forces.

Some people contended that the crusade against crude oil theft and illegal refining cannot be achieved by the use of brute force, and stressed the need for government to address the obvious contradiction of people in the oil producing communities lacking in the midst of plenty.  Community leaders said the people should be carried along in the campaign to stamp out the menace, while some youths groups counseled that dialogue should not be a one-sided affair of placating the ex- militant leaders by way of pipeline surveillance job.

Some activists, who spoke to Sunday Vanguard, said government should legalize illegal refineries, adding that they should be made to pay tax to government at the end of the day.

“We should be allowed to use our God-given wealth which is oil and our God-given talent, which is ability to refine crude for the benefit of our country. We should be made to pay tax at the end of the day”, one of the former agitators stated.

A top security source who also spoke anonymously said government should set up a special court to try those arrested for crude oil theft. He said conventional courts were slowing the effort of security operatives in the region.

The security source said lawyers file motions of different sorts at conventional courts to secure freedom for those arrested for oil theft.

Trouble in Taraba: The theatre of the absurd over Suntai

By Soni Daniel, Regional Editor, North

The return, last Sunday, of Governor Danbaba Suntai, a pharmacist and politician, to Jalingo, the capital of Taraba State, which he has been governing since year 2007, has thrown the state into turmoil, and broken the cord that once bound politicians in the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, into camps - those for and against the governor and his Deputy, Garba Umar, who has been acting since his boss  was involved in an  air crash on  October 25, 2012. While Suntai’s supporters insist he is hale and hearty and capable of resuming work, his opponents have resisted the governor’s  resumption of office, arguing that he is not fit enough to rule over them. This report presents the details.

The stage appears set for a prolonged personality clash in Taraba State going by the political drama that is unfolding in the state. Not many are surprised though. As Governor Danbaba Suntai was being supported out of the aircraft that conveyed him from the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja to Jalingo that bright Sunday afternoon, it was all too clear to those who had assembled to receive him back to a state he had missed for over ten months, that he was a man of sorrow, writhing in deep pains and gnashing his teeth.

All the same, hordes of the governor’s supporters, friends, family and political associates erupted in unbound excitement, pouring over themselves and spilling over every available space at the tarmac of the medium-sized landing field and routes leading to and from the airport. In their bliss, the supporters failed to take cognisance of the simple fact that a man said to have fully recovered from the severity of the injury sustained in the air crash barely managed to ease out of the plane.

The jubilation also robbed the Suntai men from noticing the pain and tears in his eyes, as the band that went to bring him out of the jet tried to lift him from the back. As the aides carried him, the sharp pains apparently intensified and he screamed, twisting his face momentarily and his carriers halted the lifting for a while apparently to mitigate the twinge.

Although the message on the true state of health of the governor was lost as a result of the elaborate celebration that attended his return, it was not long that the reality began to unfold. The traditional greeting that dignitaries normally extended to those waiting to receive them on arrival, was denied Suntai’s  supporters at the airport.

Since then, he did not address the people of  Taraba either in person or by proxy. And, while the natives were beginning to understand what was going on around the governor, his political advisers began to play dirty, churning out irksome claims that he had resumed work in accordance with the provisions of the law.

[caption id="attachment_410937" align="alignnone" width="412"] *Suntai back in Nigeria: The ailing Governor of Taraba State, Dambaba Suntai arriving Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport Abuja on Sunday. Photo by Gbemiga Olamikan.[/caption]

It was clear on Monday morning that the script of the theatre of the absurd that was about to be staged for the people of Taraba and Nigeria had been carefully written and the plots and their actors outlined before the arrival of the governor. That Monday morning, Adamawa State Governor Murtala Nyako made history as the first person to visit Suntai since his return to the state. But the history that the Adamawa  governor came to make was nearly ruined when he broke down and cried on seeing his host. On arrival at the Government House, it was the wife of the Taraba governor, Hauwa, who received Nyako and led him to a conference room where he met with her husband. Neither the acting governor, nor any senior government official was in attendance at the courtesy call.

The Nyako visit

Confronted with the reality of Suntai’s health, Nyako simply offered a word of prayer and left Jalingo before midday. He came face to face with the veracity that his Taraba counterpart that he knew before the crash near Yola airport last October was not the same man that he saw ten months after. As Nyako found out, the accident had taken a toll on the man, who was before now not only very active but also at home with all who came his way. He managed to control the tears rolling down his cheeks as a man who had fought many battles, and left.

As the Adamawa governor departed Jalingo, those who have taken it upon themselves to manage Suntai and his future were confused over what to tell the people of Taraba and the nation about the visit. Anxious journalists, who had wanted to use the opportunity of  Nyako’s visit to hear how Suntai would speak, were utterly disappointed when they were kept out of the meeting. Instead, the organisers allowed two television cameramen- one from Adamawa and one from Taraba Television, to record the event. The footage was later shown to journalists but none of them got what they wanted most: the voice of Suntai.

Rather than dispel the growing claim that the Taraba governor could neither speak nor recognise anyone around him, preventing him from meeting his commissioners, the acting governor, other top government officials and journalists since his return from the U.S, exacerbated the story and made those who had believed that he was well to doubt the claim.

Those minding the governor, who have now been labeled a ‘cabal’, must have shot themselves on the foot by taking the decision to shield him from even vital officials of the government, including the state police commissioner and the Director of State Security Service.

While the people were still wondering whether it was wise in the first place for Suntai to return home, his handlers pushed harder to get him to assert his powers on all fronts in the state power machinery. Barely 24 four hours after his return, the cabal bared its fangs. It claimed that Suntai had transmitted a letter to the Taraba House of Assembly to inform of his resumption as stipulated in Section 190 of the 1999 Constitution.

The section states: “Whenever the governor transmits to the Speaker of the House of Assembly a written declaration that he is proceeding on vacation or that he is otherwise unable to discharge the functions of his office, until he transmits to the Speaker of the House of Assembly a written declaration to the contrary, such functions shall be discharged by the Deputy Governor as Acting Governor”.

Suntai’s supporters led by the Majority Leader of the state House of Assembly, Mr. Mr. Joseph Albasu Kunini, were quick to declare that he had already complied with the Constitution by transmitting a letter of intent to resume work to the House of Assembly. Kunini, who did not seek the consent of the leadership of the House, said that it was not required of the governor to address the members or for the members to debate the contents of the said letter.

“There is no room in the Nigerian Constitution for the House to deliberate on the letter once it has been transmitted to the House by the governor,” Kunini told journalists.

“To us the governor has complied with the provision of the law by sending the letter to us through his Special Adviser on Legal Matters. The letter from Suntai was received by the Clerk of the Taraba Assembly and promptly handed over to the Speaker and that completed the required action.

“The Taraba State House of Assembly does not need anything other than the hard copy with the governor’s authentic signature and there is no need to discuss it at the plenary,” the House Leader explained.

But to show the depth of division Suntai’s ill-health had caused, Kunini had hardly ended his statement  when the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Mr. HarunaTsokwa, a man said to be loyal to the acting governor, Umar, thundered.

Tsokwa, who addressed journalists in his office, insisted that the deputy governor, Umar, remained the acting governor until Suntai addresses them on his state of health.

Although Tsokwa acknowledged the letter from Suntai, he nonetheless made it clear that it must first be deliberated upon by members at plenary before the governor could resume.

Tsokwa said: “Governor Suntai should come and address the House of Assembly before we decide on his resumption. The letter is with us and it has to be debated at plenary”.

While pleading with the people to remain calm and law-abiding, the Speaker assured of the readiness of the House of Assembly to work for the interest of the state at all times.

Confusion

While the different groups had thought that they had reached the climax of their plots, the main event that jolted the key contenders was unfolded in   quick sequences on Wednesday thus adding to the confusion that has now become the order of the day in the agrarian state.

First, it was the Taraba Attorney General, Timothy Gibon Kataps, who briefed journalists in the morning, restating the position canvassed by Kunini that Suntai had indeed resumed work as far back as Monday, August 26, 2013 by sending the controversial letter to the lawmakers.

Kataps said he had to cut short his trip for the NBA meeting in Calabar  to return to Jalingo to clear the air on the raging controversy surrounding the resumption of Suntai and warned the faction led by the Speaker not to confuse the people of the state with his insistence that the governor must speak to them as a condition for resuming.

Just as he rounded off his speech, Kataps position changed dramatically and the fortunes of many other contenders in the crisis, tumbled. A terse statement by Sylvanus Giwa media aide to Suntai, named Kataps as the new Secretary to the State Government, SSG, while one Alhaji Aminu Jika was appointed as the new Chief of Staff to the governor. Giwa also announced the dissolution of the Taraba Executive Council.

[caption id="attachment_411573" align="alignnone" width="412"] Governor Danbaba Suntai and Acting Governor, Alhaji Garba Umar[/caption]

All commissioners were ordered  to hand over government property in their possession to their permanent secretaries with immediate effect. Rather than raise the hope of even those appointed, more tensions reigned in the state, as no one heard directly from the governor. But later in the day, a video footage of what was said to be the first broadcast by Suntai to the people of the state surfaced and added to the calls for him to return to hospital for treatment than heed the call to return to work.

The footage, failed to convince doubting Thomases that the man had finally spoken. The man’s speech, as seen from the footage streamed by a private television station on Thursday afternoon, generated more concerns for even the governor’s media men and handlers than those his traducers. It was clear that  many people doubted the authenticity of the speech while others wondered what the production meant to achieve.

Controversial speech

The speech of controversy and the dissolution of the Taraba Exco, were to raise the bar for more confrontations between Suntai and his supporters on one side and the acting governor on the other.

On that Wednesday, members of the Assembly met behind closed doors for several hours to take a common position on the state of the governor. After that meeting, which stretched into the night, the members decided to meet with Suntai apparently to gauge his true state of health, even though most of them were already convinced that the man was not fit to resume work. After many hours of staying at the Government House, the Speaker sent one of his aides to inform waiting journalists that he would meet with them after meeting Suntai, a meeting that went late into the night.

It was therefore good news for most of the journalists on Thursday morning when the Speaker released a statement to the effect that Suntai should not resume because he was not fit to rule the state for now.

The Speaker pointed out that after their meeting with the governor on Wednesday night they came to the conclusion that  he could not have signed the letter to resume work.

Tsokwa along with 15 other lawmakers said that the acting governor, Umar, must therefore continue to act until Suntai was fit to take over.

In the letter dated August 29, 2013, and jointly signed by the Speaker and 15 other lawmakers, they noted that Suntai could not have written the resumption of work letter, given his failing health.

Part of the letter read: “It is no longer news that the governor of Taraba State Pharmacist Danbaba Danfulani Suntai was involved in plane crash on the 25th of October, 2012, whereof, he was flown to Germany for treatment in a condition that made him incapable of transmitting a letter to the Taraba State House of Assembly

informing it of his absence in office.

“The House invoked the provisions of section 190(2) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) and transmitted power to his deputy to act the office of the governor of Taraba State. We are all living witnesses to the way and manner the Governor was brought into the state on Sunday, 25th August, 2013.

“The leadership of the Taraba State House of Assembly made several efforts to see him since his arrival, until yesterday the 28th August, 2013 when they were allowed access to the ailing governor and their visit revealed that he spoke in the manner that brought more doubt to his authorship of the letter purportedly transmitted to the Speaker of the State House of Assembly.

“In view of the above, we are convinced that Suntai could not have authored the purported letter transmitted to the Speaker of the State House of Assembly.

“Be that as it may, we the undersigned members of the State House of Assembly have unanimously resolved in our meeting that the deputy governor upon

whom power was earlier transmitted to by the state House of Assembly still remains the acting governor of Taraba State and he will continue to act in that

regards until such a time the governor is capable of administering the state”.

The acting governor, Umar,  later, on Wednesday, confronted Suntai by asking the people of Taraba to ignore the dissolution of the state Executive Council the previous day, describing it as being masterminded by a cabal bent on hijacking the state for their selfish interest.

Umar also warned banks not to honour any instrument not signed by him or Suntai with immediate effect.

The statement, signed by the acting govenor’s press secretary, Sule Kefas, said, “Members of the public are advised to disregard yesterday’s announcement of the purported dissolution of the State Executive Council and the appointment of a new SSG as well as the Chief of Staff.

“The announcement is a mere attempt by a cabal to hijack the machinery of governance in the State and not a directive that was given by the Executive Governor, his Excellency Danbaba Suntai.

“To this end, the bankers of the Taraba State Govt are reminded to note that all financial instruments relating to  the State Government’s accounts should be honoured only if they are in tandem with the provisions of the law, in which case, must contain: Verifiable signature of the Executive Governor of Taraba State, his Excellency Governor Danbaba Suntai, or verifiable signature of the Acting Governor of Taraba State, his Excellency Alhaji Garba Umar, Acting for the Executive Governor.

“Acting governor of Taraba State Garba Umar is reassuring the good people of Taraba State that substantial progress has been made in the ongoing discussions to resolve the misunderstandings of the past few days, since the return of our leader, his Excellency, Gov Danbaba Suntai from the United States.

“His excellency the acting governor is happy to note the high sense of patriotism and the brotherly manner with which Tarabans have been viewing and handling the developments, urging us all to sustain this in the coming days and weeks.

“His excellency, the acting governor, however, wishes to remind all Tarabans that a moment like this calls for greater restraint and vigilance”.

Now, the Taraba case is one of the big masquerades inside the ‘bush’ dictating the tunes for the political gladiators to dance naked in the market square while the godfathers smile away in Abuja. The difference between what happened to President Goodluck Jonathan in 2010 and what is happening to Umar, the acting governor of Taraba is that one is a Christian and the other a Muslim.

From the look of things the forces in Jalingo and Abuja, who are also close to Jonathan, do not want a Muslim to step into the shoes of Suntai in 2015, whereas Umar wants to use his current position to launch himself into political reckoning in the next elections and set a new record in the political annals of the 22-year-old state.

That is why the struggle may be turbulent if allowed to fester. The danger in it all is that the 16 pro-Umar lawmakers may consolidate their position and edge out ailing Susntai through impeachment or a medical board, as stipulated by law.   But they need to know their onions and stick to it because if they are united by pecuniary reason, the offer of a filthy lucre from the other side could persuade them to jettison their course and throw the acting governor overboard.

The stage is not only dicey but perilous for both Suntai and Umar. Either way, one of them must give way in the game that has all the trappings of catch 22: you either win or lose, head or tail.

UNDERAGE MARRIAGE: Playing games with child’s rights

By Funmi Ajumobi
The endorsement of child marriage by the Senate through constitutional amendment is generating ripples. Sunday Vanguard learnt that Senate considered Section 29, which deals with renunciation of citizenship for amendment.

Section 29(1) provides that any citizen of Nigeria of full age who wishes to renounce his Nigerian citizenship shall make a declaration in the prescribed manner for the renunciation.’ Section 29(4) (a) and (b) provides, ‘For the purposes of subsection (1) of this section: (a) “full age” means the age of eighteen years and above; (b) any woman who is married shall be deemed to be of full age.’ The Senate voted to remove the latter, that is, Section 29(4)(b).

Then, Senator Yerima, a former governor of Zamfara State - who had married a 13 year-old Egyptian girl -raised an objection on the grounds that the removal of the provision was ‘un-Islamic,’ citing Second Schedule, Part 1, Item 61 of the constitution entitled, ‘The formation, annulment and dissolution of marriages other than marriages under Islamic law and Customary law including matrimonial causes relating thereto.’

[caption id="attachment_406021" align="alignnone" width="412"] Senator Ahmed Yerima[/caption]

The senator mobilized his colleagues and got the amendment put to vote again and those who earlier supported the removal could not muster the two-thirds majority votes required to seal the removal. By not being able to get two-thirds majority votes, Section 29(4)(b) remains in the constitution.

Meanwhile, Nigerians, through social and conventional media, have continued to express their opinions on the issue. Some of them are reproduced hereunder:

The world is watching us – Dr. Princess Olufemi-Kayode

Ashoka FELLOW & Executive DirectorMedia Concern Initiative - for Women & Children

It is sad and disgraceful that at this time in the 21st century, we are voting for marriageable age for the girl-child in our Senate during a constitutional review.. It is shameful and does not portray our governance system as a serious one. We continually make a mockery of democracy - the government of the people, by the people and for the people. It is obvious that this is all about a one-man riot squad: Yerima.

He married a 13-year-old and nothing happened. If I recollect, the Senate called it a personal issue. We need to know that the world is watching us.

A life of diminished opportunities, by Maryam Uwais

[caption id="attachment_406255" align="alignright" width="156"] Uwais...Speaking out against child marriage[/caption]

It is certainly not mandatory in Islam that girls must be married off as minors; so to keep insisting that this practice must remain sacrosanct, given the background of the needs in northern Nigeria, is incongruous, even under Shari’a. Where a practice is determined to be merely permissible and not mandatory, it is considered practicable and entirely feasible within Islamic jurisprudence to discourage or prohibit it, where it is found to be so harmful to individuals and to the community.

Countries such as Yemen, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Somalia and Bangladesh, with majority or high Muslim populations, have set a minimum age for marriage as 18, in the acknowledgment that there are serious social, physical and mental health risks associated with child marriages. This progressive step became necessary, given that these indisputable facts placed a heavy burden on the accountable and God-fearing leadership in majority Muslim countries, to protect the vulnerable in their midst.

Shariah objectives

It is, therefore, not unreasonable to expect that educated elite and public figures, such as Senator Yerima, being conscious of their grave responsibilities to prohibit harm and to enjoin good in our own context, should actually discourage this devaluing and belittling practice of early marriage, in the public good, for the protection of the vulnerable and the realization of social benefits. To enable our girls attain their fullest possible potential is definitely a target that Senator Yerima should also be working passionately towards, along with the rest of Nigerians who yearn for a better future.

Indeed, the overriding objectives of the Sharia include the promotion of human dignity, justice, compassion, the removal of hardship, the prevention of harm, the realization of the lawful benefits of the people, and the education of the individual by inculcating in him a sense of self discipline and restraint, which aims are by no means exclusive.

All else may be adapted to achieve these ends, which measures may encompass matters of concern not only to law but also to economic development, administration and politics. For those that reflect, the hardship that these little girls experience, where married off and divorced soon after, so wantonly, is certainly unacceptable within the faith.

It is important to commend the thinking behind the decision to delete the constitutional clause that seeks to lumber even an ‘intellectually immature’ girl, where married, with the grave responsibility of the power to renounce her citizenship, thereby elevating the subject of citizenship to the level whereby both men and women have similar responsibilities, without discrimination.

It is hoped that ultimately, members of the Senate would reflect deeply on the implications of their recent action and revisit their decision to retain the contentious clause, if only to ensure that every Nigerian citizen of full age, without distinction, is subjected to similar standards and responsibilities under the provisions of our Constitution”.

Best interests of the child

As a Muslim woman (without pretensions of scholarship) forever striving for knowledge, research into these matters has revealed that in matters of social interaction (mu’amalat), there is a lot of latitude in what is permitted, unless it is expressly prohibited by a clear text.

The rules are certainly not so definitive. What is also evident is that the ‘best interests of the child’ is a paramount consideration within Islam, along with the principle of public good (maslaha or istislah). The operational rules are not defined (probably deliberately, in my humble view) and the determination of such issues is best left to the experience, custom and context of the particular society. The Qur’an provides that the predominant consideration in matters relating to children would depend on the point at which they can be said to not be ‘sufaha’ (mentally immature) anymore, in the context of that particular community.

Facts are that nearly half of all the children under five years of age are malnourished in the North-east zone, with women and children in the nutrition ‘high-burden’ states of Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Jigawa, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto, Yobe andZamfara suffering the most from malnutrition, wasting and stunting. This singular factor remains the underlying cause for 53% of under-five deaths.

If the child is stunted in its first 1,000 days, that condition is irreversible, so the future of these children, and the larger population, is permanently shortchanged. The health and nutritional needs of mothers, new-borns and children are closely linked, with young mothers accounting for a majority of severely malnourished children.

Multiple health risks

Multiple health risks arising from child marriage include the sexual exploitation (including forced sexual relations) that she is subjected to, as well as limited access to reproductive health services, despite the real and present danger of contracting diseases such as HIV/AIDS, STIs (sexually transmitted diseases) and the debilitating ailment of VVF/RVF (VVF-a tear in the flesh between the vagina and the urinary passage, usually due to prolonged labour, resulting in uncontrolled urine or feces in the case of recto-vaginal fistulae-RVF), including the abandonment that comes with such ailments. Nigeria, with 2% of the world’s population, has 10% of VVF patients. Three-quarters of those with VVF/RVF are young girls who are not yet physically mature but have suffered trauma in their first pregnancy.

Statistics show that stillbirths and deaths are 50% more likely in babies born to mothers younger than 18, as against babies born to mothers above that age. Each day, 144 women die in childbirth in Nigeria, with the North East alone having 5 times the global rate of maternal mortality.

The lack of information and access to support ultimately results in psycho-social and emotional consequences, domestic violence, abandoned (street) children, with the attendant deprivations of their rights and freedoms, whose wellbeing is severely compromised.

The prevalence of the abuse of the right to the exercise of divorce by Muslim men has only compounded the situation, leading to so many negative social deviations such as substance abuse (that has become so rampant), commercial sex work and the complete loss of values in the entire family set up.

Community loses  out

Many of these adolescents are married off to men much older than they, and because of the associated power differentials, this singular factor impedes communication between them, with the girl having no negotiation skills in crucial decision-making that may affect her life.

Having lost out on these critical life opportunities, these married adolescents can never aspire to living as meaningful and productive members of society. Not being able to participate actively in the community translates to their losing out completely on benefitting from economic activity and earning a decentincome.

Many of these girls remain excluded from community life, having been separated from peers and family members by marriage. Depression sets in. A life of diminished opportunities. The community loses out completely; the economy cannot improve where half its population is stuck in this rut.

Child marriage, from available statistics, ultimately hampers the efforts of these young adolescents from acquiring an education, as sooner than later, they find it difficult to combine the onerous responsibilities of being a wife and mother, with schooling.

They drop out, if they have not been removed for the purpose of marriage, in the first place. Consequently, 70.8% of young women aged 20-29 in the North West zone are unable to read or write. Due to the fact that these girls are deprived so early of an education (including the access to information and knowledge) they remain bereft of the purchasing power necessary for an adequate diet, healthcare,skills, or even recourse to support in emergencies, all of which would enable them rise above the circumstances of abject poverty.

It is paradoxical that Muslims like Senator Yerima would rather their wives and daughters be treated by female medical personnel if they fall ill, and yet they are, by continuously advocating for child marriage, deliberately closing the avenues for girls to aspire to such professions.

Deprivations of formal and non-formal education translate, at such an early age, into restrictions on mobility, domestic burdens, the denial of sundry freedoms in respect of survival, development and participation, as well as the loss of adolescent years. Indeed, children of young, uneducated mothers are also less likely to attain high levels of education, perpetuating cycles of low literacy and limited livelihood opportunities.

Child marriage, therefore, ultimately deprives societies of the intellectual and financial/livelihood contributions of girls, and of their offspring. It is no wonder then that the North continues to portray such poor ratings in almost all aspects of human endeavour.

The imperatives of child’s rights –  Taiwo Akinlami,

Consultant to UNICEF on Child Protection and the Implementation of the Child’s Rights Act, 2003

The Senate does not have final power when it comes to the amendment of the constitution. Section 9(2) of the Constitution provides, ‘An Act of the National Assembly for the alteration of this Constitution... shall not be passed

[caption id="attachment_406256" align="alignright" width="199"] Taiwo Akinlami[/caption]

in either House of the National Assembly unless the proposal is supported by the votes of not less than two-thirds majority of all the members of that House and approved by resolution of the Houses of Assembly of not less than two-thirds of all the states.’

My submissions:

*That the issue before the Senate was not child’s rights or child marriageable age of the Nigerian child.

*That Section 29(4)(b) has always been part and parcel of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic and the Senate has not passed a new law legalizing child marriage as it is being widely circulated.

*That in furtherance to the immediate paragraph, the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has never legalized child marriage.

*That in furtherance to the foregoing, that the Child’s Rights Act, which was passed into law in July 2003, which by virtue of Section 12 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is the domestication of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, 1989 is the foundational law today, recognized by the constitution, relating to Child’s Rights in Nigeria and the Act has criminalized Child Marriage in Nigeria.

*That in all matters relating to children in Nigeria, the provisions of the Child’s Rights Act, 2003 supersedes the provisions of all other enactments on children and other matters by virtue of Section 274 of the Child’s Rights Act, 2003.

*That by the express provision of Section 277 of the Child’s Rights Act, 2003, which defines a child as anyone below 18 years of age and Sections 21 and 22 of same Act, child marriage and betrothal is not only outlawed but criminalized in Nigeria.

Domestication

*That for the Child’s Rights Act to be enforced in the 36 states of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Houses of Assembly of each state must pass (domesticate) it into law, considering the fact that most of the matters relating to children are under concurrent legislative list and that as at today 24 states of the Federal Republic of Nigeria have passed the Act into state Laws.

The 12 states that are yet to pass the Act into Law are: Enugu, Kaduna, Kano, Sokoto, Kebbi, Borno, Yobe, Gombe, Adamawa, Bauchi, Katsina, and Zamfara.

*That as it is today, the states, which have not passed the Child’s Rights Act into state laws, are core northern states and one of the major issues is their disposition towards child marriage and related matters.

*That by virtue of Second Schedule, Part 1, Item 61 of the constitution, known as ‘Exclusive Legislative List,’ which states  the areas the National Assembly can make laws on to include, ‘the formation, annulment and dissolution of marriages other than marriages under Islamic law and Customary law including matrimonial causes relating thereto,’ the best option of stakeholders in the life of the child is to put pressure on the states governments of the northern states, which have not passed the Child’s Rights Act into the state laws to do so.

As it is, it appears the National Assembly does not have power to legislate on the issues relating to the formation, annulment and dissolution of marriages contracted under Islamic Law and Customary Law.

Alternative

That in the alternative, stakeholders should agitate for the amendment of Second Schedule, Part 1, Item 61 of the constitution, known as ‘Exclusive Legislative List,’ to read ‘the formation, annulment and dissolution of marriages.’

*That, though the Child’s Rights Act, 2003 is not a perfect piece of legislation, it has gone a long way in providing a formidable legal and social frameworks for the protection of the rights of the Nigerian child in the spirit of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, 1989 and African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child.

There are spacious rooms for improvement but the Child’s Rights Act, 2003 is supreme in all matters relating to children except in relation to express provision of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which is the supreme law of the land, from which every other law receives their validity.

*That Section 29(4)(b), which provides, ‘any woman who is married shall be deemed to be of full age’ is in relation to renunciation of citizenship and taking a keener look at the minds of the drafter of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, I believe Section 29(4)(b), creates a leeway for a child either born in Nigeria or become a Nigerian by marriage to renounce her citizenship of Nigeria before she is eighteen years old and either seek asylum in another country or return to her country of birth.

Please note that in reaching my queer conclusion on Section 29(4)(b), I have decided to take my liberty in considering the Mischief Rule of interpretation of statute, which tries to consider the mischief the drafter of a particular law may be trying to correct.

Means to an end

Enlightenment is not an end in itself. It is a means to an end. The goal of enlightenment is Child Protection Social Policing™. Child Protection Social Policing™ happens where every primary and secondary custodian within the four (4) institutions (Family, Community, State and International Community) responsible for the protection of the child are equipped with Knowledge (what to do), Skills (how to do it) and Attitude (wisdom and inner strength) to professionally and effectively protect, preserve and defend the rights of the child, even at the cost of personal discomfort.

The United Nations recently supported the position that is Superior to Enforcement™ as it submits, ‘to child abuse cases is four times expensive as child protection and protecting children against violence and abuse...’

I hereby rest my case here, calling all of us, who are genuinely interested in matters relating to the well-being of our children to redirect our struggle in the direction of meaningful social engagement, aimed at achieving the best interest of the child through a well articulated agenda”.

Senate action unacceptable – Child Protection Network (CPN), a coalition of NGOs, CBOs, FBOs, and government agencies in 31 states and FCT working in the area of Child Protection in Nigeria.

CPN decries in very strong terms the removal of Section 29(4) (a) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the retention of Section 29(4) (b) of the same on Wednesday 17th July, 2103 by the members of the National Assembly.

This action is a complete violation of Article 21(2) of the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child which prohibits Child marriage as well as Article 6(b) of the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights which provides that the maximum age of marriage for women is 18 years.

[caption id="attachment_406253" align="alignnone" width="412"] UNDERAGE MARRIAGE: SENATORS WHO VOTED YES[/caption]

This act of the Senate also contravenes Section 21, 22 and 23 of the Child Rights Act which states that no person under the age of 18 is capable of contracting a valid marriage and accordingly a marriage so contracted is null and void and of no effect what so ever. It is also an aberration to all the International Human Rights legislations for children which Nigeria is a signatory to, had ratified and domesticated.

This action is generally unacceptable and not in the best interest of the Nigerian girl-child. We urged all right thinking Nigerians to strongly condemn this action and urged members of the house to revert this despicable and shameful action.

Early Marriage Will Retard Nigeria’s Development  – Dr Uche Bialonwu

Having reviewed all the write-ups by various newspapers making a case against EARLY MARRIAGE, realizing that the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria deliberately chose to ignore all existing laws on the issue of early marriage and went ahead to endorse it against both national and international laws, acts and conventions, i.e.,

The Convention on the Rights of the Child, CRC, The Nigerian Child Rights Act, 2003, The African Charter on the Rights of the Child, the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women sealed up (to which Nigeria is signatory)etc., I wish to propose as follows:

That the Senate cannot impose Islamic laws, practices and tenets on millions of Nigerians who are not Muslims. That the Senate cannot over-rule the wishes of 24 states out of 36 which have domesticated and passed the Child Rights Act, 2003!

That Nigeria is a secular state and cannot pander to religious sentiments. That the Nigerian Constitution is a Federal, national document and cannot pander to any sectional interests: the amendment, repel of the Age of Marriage legislation should be expunged from the constitution, with immediate effect!  Each state should thereafter legislate on that issue at their own level since the country as a whole cannot agree on a common framework.

The amended constitution should be subjected to a nation-wide referendum, an Egypt! AlhajiYerima and his supporters should learn a lesson from the fate of the Muslim Brotherhood manipulated constitution that has bitten the dust in Egypt.

The people of Nigeria, those who do not want their girls to indulge in early marriage should rise up and refuse this latestincursion into the abuse of children’s rights. Early marriage is a denial of children’s rights, abuse of their privileges and an exposure of children especially girls to physical, psychological, health, danger and backwardness which does not augur well for our national development. Nigeria should resist this negative backward looking legislation with all their power.