AN OPEN LETTER TO PRESIDENT GOODLUCK EBELE JONATHAN (GCFR) ON THE STATE OF THE NATION BY ‘YEMI SAKA

December 18, 2013

His Excellency,
The President, Commander-in-Chief,
Federal Republic of Nigeria, Abuja.

RE: STATE OF THE NATION

Few days ago, the media went frenzy and our nation’s polity was heated up due to an 18 paged letter written to you by former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo. This was not borne out of the sheer length of the letter, but some grave allegations levelled against your person and office.

I am not unmindful of the mixed reactions that greeted the letter, it was the somewhat validation of such allegations that was kafkaesque. I will not castigate you for the improved political fortunes of some opposition parties at elections as former President Obasanjo did, as a Patriot, I consider it a good democratic value of yours which will only deepen our democracy.

You are not a People Democratic Party’s President, but the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and you swore to protect the Constitution and abide by it. Your action(s) is not only constitutional, but selfless as a true leader.

I will not also blame you for the crisis rocking the PDP, I will not add to the pressure or the call for the removal of the Chairman of your party. I am not a member of the PDP and I can not ask you to do what is fundamentally wrong. Bamanga Tukur was duly elected in compliance to party guidelines and rules, no President or Governor has such right to remove him, it will only amount to gross abuse of office.

I do not believe you influenced the release of Major Hamza Al-Mustapha, or the quashing of the conviction verdict of Chief Bode George, these were pure judicial flip flops; legal milieu.

We all witnessed the era of “Garrison Politics” imposed on the PDP by Chief Olusegun Obasanjo through Sen. Ahmadu Alli, this gives credence to why many insist Chief Obasanjo lacks the moral standing to accuse you of any wrong doing.

Mr. President, before you reply the former President, I will like to state affirmatively that the former President has been vindicated. The reactions to the letter exposed how polarized we have become as a nation under your watch.

As a concerned citizen, and irrespective of my political affiliation and ideology, I must accept the fact that you can exercise your constitutional right by seeking for re-election, but I will like to highlight some issues that if are not clarified, Sir, you are undeserving to hold any public office in the land, no matter how little.

Mr. President, I will like to bring to fore three (3) issues that if not addressed and future occurrence guard against, you should not only forget about re-election, but should be ready to bear the burden of responsibility of compromising the sanctity of our nation’s sovereignty.

1. BREACH OF PROTOCOL:
Taking a cursory look at your administration, I say with utmost conviction that no one has demonstrated brazen disregard and breach of protocol like your Excellency and your wife, the First Lady.

The first of such was your kneeling down in front of Pastor E.A Adeboye of The Redeemed Christian Church of God at the Redemption Camp on December 31, 2010. Another instance is June 30 2012, you were snubbed by the Oba of Benin at his palace in what was described as a desperate move by you to improve the fortunes of your party at the gubernatorial polls of the state. It was believed that you felt the visit would signify endorsement of your party’s flag bearer by the Oba of Benin. I hope you are aware that as the Commander-in-Chief, you do not have to wait on people, people wait for you and ought to be seated before you make your entry at any event.

The last demeaning breach of protocol by you was on July 9, 2013 when on a state visit to China, you were received by Assistant Foreign Minister Le Yucheng. Mr. President, in strict compliance to protocol, as the Commander-in-Chief, you are to be received by the President of any country you visit. Concession can be given for a Vice-President to receive you if the non availibity of the President is made known to you and adequately explained, not a junior Minister.

The list of breach and brazen disregard to protocol by the First Lady were;

- On August 25, 2010, the First Lady at a state function in Rivers State charged at the Governor and grabbed the microphone from him while he was addressing a crowd.

This could be classified as an assault on Governor Rotimi Ameachi of Rivers State.

- On January 23 2012 , she was at it again as she stepped out of the plane before you did and was acknowledging protocol at the JFK airport when you went for a United Nations summit.

2. STATE SPONSORED TERRORISM:
We have had what I can classify as a “sustained state of national insecurity” but there has been an astronomical progression under you watch.

In his letter to you, former President Olusegun Obasanjo boldly asserted that you are sponsoring the training of snipers in Korea to neutralize 1000 opposition figures; a killer squad.

This only validates an unconfirmed reports that, towards the build-up to the PDP primaries of 2011, there were arms build-up and stockpiling in the South East and South-South; Abia and Akwa Ibom were the states speculated. It was further speculated that all they were waiting for was if you would not be given or won’t get the ticket, they were to strike and push for a breakaway.

It was further alleged that you were a major financier of this agenda and had the backing of two great nations..

Also as part of the agenda, militants that have not been rehabilitated were sent to training in South Korea under the guise that they will be used as ‘Coast Guards’, this was never made official because of their sinister agenda.

This claim can be said to have been validated with Tompolo being awarded the contract to secure our nation’s waterways.

I am of the opinion that the huge budgetary spending on National Security, rather than curb or drastically reduce the state of insecurity, has only fueled it.

Sir, according to unconfirmed source, an average “other rank” is paid N5,000 daily as “out station” allowance on paper, but are paid a meager N500 daily, those making the profit as windfall from such shortfall will never want the insurgency to end anytime soon.

Sir, I remember how you hastily exonerated MEND (Movement for Emancipation of Niger-Delta) over the October 1, 2010 Independence day bombing.

Henry Okah made some grievous allegations which he claimed Mr. Orubebe and Deziani Allison Maduekwe had a fore knowledge of the event.

The SSS (State Security Service) was quick to announce at a World Press Conference that Chief Raymond Dokpesi was arrested in connection to the bombing due to having connection with suspects already in SSS custody. A claim the Director of Publicity of the SSS denied at another press conference 10 days later.

As we speak, Henry Okah is serving time in a South African jail for a crime you had exonerated his group and by extension, exonerated him.

It became the modus operandi of the SSS to pick up anyone who is either critical of you, your style of governance, and the sloppiness of the SSS. Classical examples are Sen. Ali Ndume who was picked up and charged to court just few days after moving a motion for a passage of “vote of no confidence” on you on the floor of the Senate. The other is Dr. Nazeef of Kogi State University.

I will not like to go into declarations by the SSS over Boko Haram. There was a declaration that a Former Mauritanian President was the “mastermind” and financier of the sect. There was another one that it was a former Head of State, and an idiotic one that it was started by some student of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa in Bauchi.

While these are going on, Asari Dokubo keeps threatening our national security and sovereignty, and at my last check, he has not been invited for questioning.

On November 25, 2012, the most important Military formation and institution in the country witnessed a serious security breach which bears it all; instrument of the state is being employed to terrorise the Nigerian state.

On December 2, 2013, a similar attack was carried out on an Airforce in Maiduguri.

Sir, it is laughable, stupid, and scandalous how the “insurgents” beat all the security checks and on gaining access to the hanger, all “they” could destroy were decommissioned crafts.

Lastly, your Excellency, during your last media chat, you were asked by a Nigeria from Social Media if Shekau was dead?

Your response was so unpresidential and depicts huge knowledge gap. In your words you said “I can’t tell you for sure if Shekau is dead. Anyone that tells you Shekau is dead doesn’t know what he is saying. I don’t know how these operations are carried out so that is why I can’t tell you if Shekau is dead or not”.

Sir, as the Commander-in-Chief, your Service Chiefs are to update you with what is called National Intelligence Daily Briefing, National Intelligence Estimates, Special National Intelligence Estimates.

Sir, I say with utmost conviction that you play politics with our national security, and any nation that plays politics with her national security could as well kiss her sovereignty ‘goodbye” it is just a function of time.

3. WHOLESOME CORRUPTION:
I must acknowledge the fact that you did not bring corruption into Nigeria, as a matter of fact, a lot of administrations have been accused or either promoting corruption to an utopic state.

Sir, I must also state here that if you leave office, that will not put an end to corruption, Corruption is endemic in Nigeria, but one achievement that can not be taken away from your administration is the making of corruption being perceived as a standpoint of your administration and it be given an official cover.

I said “wholesome corruption” because both moral corruption and graft are being shielded by your administration.

Moral corruption because I can not rationalize how you can grant pardon to Major Bulama that was sentenced to life imprisonment by the late Gen. Sani Abacha’s administration for sexually molesting boys under his watch as a Commandant of Command Secondary School Ojo. He was found wanting of forceful pederasty. Something that all religious and societal values consider as sin and immoral.

Also I found it ridiculous that you can grant the former governor of Bayelsa state Chief Deprieye Alameisgha pardon. I am fully aware that the prerogative of mercy is vested in you as the President, but on the ground that “he has suffered enough” is so insensitive, and morally bankrupt.

That you can personally intervene in the matter of Asari Dokubo to secure his release from the authorities of Benin Republic while being held on charges of gun running is appalling.

In the third quarter of 2012, Dr Olusegun Aganga, minister of trade and investment, wrote a letter to you over some missing $1.6 billion crude oil export.

The Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi recently just raises an alarm that the NNPC failed to remit the sum of $49.6b, a whopping 76% of accrual oil revenue, and as we speak, no arrest has been made. No one has been sent on terminal leave. No one has lost his portfolio.

The EFCC is inactive. The EFCC is not even chasing perceived opponents. It so inactive that it merely exist on the pages of newspapers.

With the recent revelation that the agency is cash-strapped, it can be misconstrued as a deliberate effort by your administration to effect the strangulation of the agency so that corruption can go unchecked.

Mr. President, all the issues I have raised in this letter have not only unleashed untold economic hardship on Nigerians, it has rubbished our foreign policy and threatened our nation’s continuous existence as a sovereign state.

RECOMMENDATIONS:
Mr. President, in a total departure from the norm whereby you are only castigated, I will be coming up with recommendations on how things can be rectified, how our nation can be repaired.

1. I recommend the immediate removal of the Chief of Army Staff, the Director-General of the SSS/DSS, and the Director Publicity of the SSS.

2. A huge cut in the budgetary allocation to national security and combating terrorism.

3. An immediate disbanding of the Joint Task Force.

4. An inquiry into the allegation of the shortchange in the welfare package of the personnel of the JTF.

5. An investigation into the possible involvement of Mr. Orubube and Mrs. Deziani Allison Maduekwe.

6. An immediate arrest for questioning of Asari Dokubo in a bid to ascertain the level of threat he is to this country.

7. A total overhauling or change of your protocol team.

8. A presidential fiat to the EFCC to probe the NNPC saga.

9. A proposed bill should be sent to the National Assembly to move the supervision and control of the SSS/DSS to the office of the Attorney General of the Federation, this will guarantee independence and eliminate executive interference.

Mr. President, if and when the recommendations or a semblance of it is adopted by you, you are not only rebuilding the confidence of Nigerians in you and your administration, you will be starting the repair of our country and have secured my vote and services to get you re-elected.

Sir, I do not await a response or demand a response to this, a positive disposition, and assertive actions is all I need.

Good Bless Nigeria.

Long Live Federal of Nigeria.

Yours faithfully,
‘Yemi Saka.

Cc: Gen. Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida(Rtd)
Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo(Rtd)
Gen. Abdulsalam Abubakar(Rtd).
Lt. Gen. Aliyu Gusua (Rtd)
Col. Abubakar Umar (Rtd)
Bishop Mathew Hassan Kukah
Pastor ‘Tunde Bakare
Mallam Nasir El-Rufai
IG Wala
Amina Faruk
Victoria Ibezim Ohaeri
Abba Gidado
Seyi Odetola

via:- Nasril el'Rufai's fb