Femi Fani-Kayode: I am Very Proud of My Father

Femi Fani-Kayode

Femi, whose father, late Remi Fani-Kayode was the deputy premier of the defunct Western Region talks to YEMI ADEBOWALE about the life and times of the late nationalist and the impact on his own political career

How do you feel being the son of a great nationalist? 
It is an honour and a privilege. I am very proud of my father and his monumental achievements just as I am proud of all the other great nationalists that fought for our independence and gave their all for Nigeria. 

What does being the son of Fani-power mean to you? 
It means everything to me and it defines who I am. I was born on the 16th of October and that is just a couple of weeks after we gained our independence. I am therefore a proud son of independence. I remember everything that happened from the age of six when soldiers came to our house to take my father on the night of the coup – January 15th, 1966. By providence, divine orchestration and the grace of God he was the only one out of all the great leaders that were arrested and abducted from their homes that night (other than Sir Kashim Ibrahim, the Governor of the old Northern Region) that survived it. Sadly all the others were murdered in cold blood, some in front of their families, and in some cases some of their family members were killed as well. This was a terrible slaughter. Those men and women that were killed that night were some of those that had fought for our independence and they were the brightest and the best that Nigeria ever had. May their souls rest in peace. There was a divine purpose that ensured that my father survived that night and from that time on, and at a very early age, I know that I would one day follow his footsteps and go into politics. I knew that I had to dedicate my life to trying to make a difference in our country and at try to make it a better place.

Has your father’s life in any way shaped your career and politics?
It has shaped my ideas and politics considerably. I learnt everything that I know from my father and I gained a lot from his experiences. He taught me the value of never writing anyone off and seeing the best in others. He also taught me that out of all the virtues courage and loyalty are the most noble. My father was a great believer in Nigeria. He served Nigeria in one capacity or the other from 1953 to 1995 when he finally passed on. His contributions and works inspired me enormously and the challenges that he faced in his career emboldened me. So, most of what you see and know about me were shaped by his experiences and counsel.

Why did you take after him in politics?
I took after him in politics because that is the path that God chose for me and that is what I had been prepared, groomed and trained to do from a very young age. My grandfather, Justice Adedapo Adetokunboh Kayode, had dabbled in the politics of Lagos Colony as well, though he later became a judge. So, I guess politics is something of a tradition for the Fani-Kayodes. My original intention was to join the military but my father refused to allow it. From that point, I knew that I would be a lawyer and then eventually end up in politics. I have been in it since 1989 when a few of my colleagues and I, under the distinguished leadership and guidance of the late Dr. Hammed Kusamotu and Alhaji Umaru Shinkafi (Marafan Sokoto), set up the famous September Club. I must say that politics involves a lot of sacrifice in terms of time and that it is is difficult and challenging. However, it is also a worthwhile and noble vocation. I thank God for making me what I am today and I have no regrets about choosing this path. To serve one’s country and to try to make a difference and make it a better place is the right and proper thing to do.

You spoke about the first Nigerian coup on the night of Jan.15th 1966. Who were those that were killed that night that you described as heroes?
I will not just describe them as heroes but I will also describe them as true and courageous martyrs. Sadly, they have been largely unsung, unappreciated and uncelebrated by the Nigerian people because most of those in the younger generation don’t even know the history or who they were and what they did. When we sing about the ‘’labour of our heroes past’’ in our National Anthem, it is men like these that we are referring to. Many have run them down and said the most uncharitable and untrue things about them since they were killed. Others have even hailed those that murdered them forgetting that death eventually comes to us all and that virtually every single person that took part in the bloodletting and murders that night met a horrible, bloody, violent and untimely end themselves within a few months and years. I am sorry but I always get a little emotional when I remember these names and their families because it really was a waste of life and talent (he was at this point wiping off tears from both cheeks). It was a tragedy of monumental proportions. The politicians that were amongst them were great and illustrious leaders that had made their contributions to our body politic through the late 1940’s and 1950’s. They had fought for our nation’s independence and all of a sudden they were just cut short by some young and trigger happy rebels who had lost control of themselves and who had no sense of self-restraint. Chief Akintola was murdered in the sanctity of his home right in front of his family after he returned fire and wounded two of the mutineers. Sir Ahmadu Bello was killed in the sanctity of his home and so were two of his wives (who tried to shield his body from the bullets with theirs). His exceptionally brave bodyguard (who attacked the armed soldiers with just an ornamental sword) was also killed. Sir Tafawa Balewa and Chief Festus Okotie-Eboh were both arrested in their homes, abducted and later taken to a bush and shot just outside Lagos. What a way for them to end their lives. Those of them that were killed that night (from the military) were amongst the brightest and the best that the army ever had. For me and my family, these names will never die. Even if the rest of Nigeria forgets and misrepresents them, we will not because we know the history and we know what they stood for. Worse still, my father almost died with them on the same night and by the hands of the same bloodthirsty murderers. So, I seem to have cultivated something of an emotional bond with those names. I honour them every year both on Oct 1st and on Jan.15th with my family members by saying a prayer for their souls and for their families. They died that we might live.

The coupists also arrested and abducted my father Chief R.A. Fani-Kayode (Deputy Premier of the Western Region) and I witnessed the whole thing. Though I was only six years old I remember it vividly. He was taken from our home in Ibadan to Lagos. Thankfully he was rescued and liberated the following morning after a heavy gun battle between the mutineers and loyalist federal forces at Dodan Barracks under the command of Lt. Col. Gowon and Captain Takoda. Sir Kashim Imam (the Premier of the Northern Region) was also arrested and abducted by the mutineers in Kaduna but he also managed to cheat death. The coupists had targeted and intended to arrest, abduct and kill Chief Michael Okpara (Premier of the Mid-Western Region) as well but when they got to his official residence to execute their plan, they found the Prime Minister of Cyprus, Archbishop Makarios, staying there with him so they did not enter the premises. Finally they went to the home of Makaman Bida (Minister of Finance for the Northern Region of Nigeria) to arrest, abduct and murder him too but they did not meet him there because he had travelled out of town.

This Day

OGBEMUDIA AT 80: THE TITAN TUGS ON

By Godwin Erhahon, Benin City
Our Legend,
Dr Samuel Osaigbovo Ogbemudia appears to me as a man who died twice and
resurrected twice before our very eyes and therefore, a living ancestor. When,
in July 1975, his government was overthrown by the Murtala Mohammed coup that
sacked the General Yakubu Gowon-led Military Government under which then
Brigadier Ogbemudia was Military Governor of Midwestern Region (later Bendel
State), many saw him as dead, socially and politically. Ogbemudia the hero and
super-genius was vilified by many, jeered at by some and worst of all, betrayed
by many of his friends and beneficiaries.

But Dr Samuel Ogbemudia, a man of great faith, sagacity and strategy held on to the
rope of life and never let go. He tugged on.
When the Military handed over government to elected civilians in 1979, Dr Ogbemudia was out of
reckoning in the politics of the time, having been banned from public office
and dismissed with ignominy from the Military Service. Those were the judgments
of men, not of God! Bendel, his home state which he laboured to develop to the
envy of others was won by the leading opposition Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN)
with Professor Ambrose Folorunsho Ali of blessed memory as Governor.  UPN administration became so popular by its excellent performance that the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) which was then in
control of the federal government became afraid to face it in the 1983 governorship
election in Bendel State with its then existing membership.

Like the biblical Joseph who was released from prison by King Pharaoh of Egypt to become
prime minister, Ogbemudia was granted presidential pardon, enlisted into the
membership of NPN with fanfare and finally nominated as the governorship
candidate of NPN to challenge gentleman Professor Ambrose Ali. Dr Ogbemudia was
declared winner and sworn in as Governor of Bendel State on October 1, 1983.
UPN did not give up; they dragged the new Governor, its party, NPN and then
Federal Electoral Commission (FEDECO) to election petition tribunal. As fate
would have it, the military overthrew the civilian rule on the eve of New Year
Day, January 1, 1984 while the petition was still pending. Thus, Dr Ogbemudia became
the first Nigerian to govern a state twice in different regimes and also first
to be twice overthrown as Governor, that I know.
This to many, was the second death of Dr Ogbemudia within eight years! For every governor
overthrown on each occasion was seen as being on death throes. Only a few
survived it.

The Buhari/Idiagbon military regime which took over from NPN-controlled Federal
Government never saw anything good in NPN and as such did not appoint any NPN
leader into government. But successive military administration needed the
popularity, strategy and clout of Dr Ogbemudia and a few other celebrities to
enhance their legitimacy and consolidate their supremacy. Hence Ogbemudia
became labour minister, chairman, Nigerian Railways Corporation, etc, after his
second overthrow as Governor.
How many great men are able to so sustain their relevance in public life? Only few men
who are able to excel in service to mankind early enough in life do become so
dependable and indispensable at all times so much that whenever hope seems lost
society resort to them as spring of hope.
Yet it is surprising to see how humble this legend is!

As a journalist, I encountered Dr Ogbemudia in the ‘80s and ‘90s but not on a very
familiar note. But since 2008, political events have connected us some how. In
the past four years that I have become close to him, I can attest to parts of
the content of his character as a father and leader that have impressed me most.
His ability to read peoples’ mind through their utterances, countenances and actions is
unique. His love of and rapport with his grand children, sons/daughters in-law
is a challenge to many grand parents. Once Dr Ogbemudia trusts you, he can
admit you to his family folds, even to the inner-most part of his mansion.
He writes so well that whoever is saddled with the task of writing for him must strive hard
in logic, facts, grammar and style otherwise he will have his write-up
re-written by Dr Ogbemudia in the process of vetting.

A patriot and father- of-all that he is, Dr Ogbemudia is not blinded by partisan politics.
In the build-up to the last July 14 governorship election in Edo State, Dr
Ogbemudia could not disown PDP, his party. But realistically, he asked quite often: “how can I convince my people not to vote for a man who has constructed their roads so well, even my own road, Iheya,
which I could not do before we were overthrown? It is difficult for me to tell people
not to vote for Adams Oshomhole who has performed so great”. That is Ogbemudia, the realist!
I have heard some critics say though Dr Ogbemudia is truly a successful public administrator
he is not a good business manager. But how do we expect a leader who spends most of his time and energy solving public problem to have time enough for the selfishness demanded of business management which has to drive for profit all the time, even against noble ethics? Rather, he has to look for profit more
from his investment in public welfare and less from his private business. In return, a good society owes him a duty to care for his family even after he may have passed on.
One sure way to encourage good character and discourage bad ones in a decent society is by
rewarding good and punishing evil.

The celebration of Dr Ogbemudia’s eightieth birthday across Edo and Delta States, both states being a split of the defunct Bendel State whose foundation for both development and unity he built, is an honour well deserved.
Our celebrant has every reason to rejoice not just at his longevity but most importantly, in my opinion, for the grace of God by which he has outlived his man-made trauma, witnessed the obituaries of those who at different times wished him dead and remain more relevant in public life than those who have attempted to relegate him into oblivion.
From the life of Dr Ogbemudia, mankind has much lesson to learn. May God continue to uphold
his family!

Kidnapped 9 months old Toniloba found

Toniloba Obafemi, the 9 nine months old baby that was kidnapped on Sunday, September 23, 2012 by a church member at RCCG Parish, in Abuja (if you missed it, read it HERE) has been found in good health.

Toniloba and his kidnapper, Comfort Amos, were found in Benin after maximum investigations and tracking by family and friends with help from the police. Comfort's accomplice (both had jointly asked for well over N10million for the child) was caught in Auchi, Edo State and he led the police to Comfort who was with the child in Benin. God be praised. 

lindaikeji.blogspot.com

 

IG berates predecessors over policemen’s welfare

 by Adelani Adepegba

Inspector-General of Police, Muhammed Abubakar

Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, has criticised his predecessors for not caring about the welfare of policemen on peace-keeping missions.

Abubakar said this while inaugurating the renovated Peacekeeping Hall at the Force Headquarters in Abuja on Friday.

He said members of the Nigeria Police Force were the least paid in the world.

According to him, the fact that policemen on peacekeeping missions performed well, but were not praised at home means that the difference is because of lack of equipment.

He said, “What we met here was not palatable. The former IGs sent officers for peacekeeping without taking care of their welfare.

“But now, it is a different thing. Even when the mission was not ready to pay, I pay pending when the mission will pay; their welfare is a concern to us.”

The IG bemoaned the poor remuneration of policemen, saying they were the least paid security personnel in the world.

“This is the only country in the world that policemen are least paid; this is the only country in the world that police welfare is least considered.

“Our officers and men have made Nigeria proud at all times and at all places they served and are serving. If we were able to do it outside, why are we failing here? We are not able to do it here because of the lack of equipment.”

According to the IG, the renovation of the peacekeeping centre cost the force N1.6m.

In a related development, the police compensated the families of the victims of the police helicopter crash that happened in Plateau State early this year.

A total of N38,633,500 was disbursed to the eight bereaved families.

Among those that were compensated was the wife of the late Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Haruna John.

Mrs. Olayinka Haruna, who was absent at the Force Headquarters, was to receive N9.6m.

Families of three other officers received cheques, while four families that their properties were destroyed by the crash were not left out.

Abubakar, who presented the cheques, said, “It is not what we give that matters, but that we remember their services to the nation.”

The Punch

Is Poverty Bane Of Nigeria’s Opposition?

STANLEY NKWOCHA

The keynote address delivered by Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State has elicited considerable interest and generated comments across the polity. STANLEY NKWOCHA reviews the governor’s position and contrasts it with the situation in the larger polity.
The conference theme was, “Is The Opposition A Serious Alternative In Nigeria?” and the event host was LEAERSHIP Newspapers Group. While Governor Shettima delivered the keynote address, Prof Pat Utomi delivered the lead paper. For the nation’s opposition, it must be stated that since the return of democracy in 1999, their dwindling fortunes has made most opposition political parties court extinction or regression.
Take for instance, the All Peoples Party, which merged with the United Nigeria Peoples Party, UNPP, to give rise to the All Nigeria Peoples Party, ANPP, has seen a total loss of about 6 states out of the nine it accumulated through the period in review.
For parties like the Progressive Peoples Alliance, PPA, their tale can best be described as sad. Whilst it took the two states of Imo and Abia by storm in 2007 general elections, enthroning governors in the two states, the speed with which it rose and shook the polity equally seems the speed with which it experienced internal crisis largely engineered by the PDP. PPA is today sadly missing on the nation’s political turf.
But from LEADERSHIP WEEKEND’s checks the party under its founding arrowhead Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu is regrouping and rebounding. And as it is for the PPA so it is for other political parties that are far below the party in terms of prominence.
Except for the Action Congress of Nigeria,ACN, which has been on a steady rise since 2007, jumping from having two states to a whooping six, no party can clearly say it is the face of opposition in the country as at today! But for the gentle, humble and unassuming Governor Shettima, a former banker, lecturer and a thorough-bred intellectual, it was an opportunity to show a side many didn’t know of the governor of the troubled Borno State. He did it in and in style too, damning the consequences and shooting straightfrom the hip.
Delivering his keynote address through his SSG, Ambassador Ahmed Baba Jidda, on the topic “Is The Opposition A Serious Alternative In Nigeria?”, Shettima threw all manner of punches before agreeing to finally focus on corruption as the bane of opposition in Nigeria. He identified poverty as the major challenge hindering the advancement of opposition parties in Nigeria and that it was the number one threat to any opposition becoming a serious challenger because it replaces ideologies with cash.
The governor said the situation has made votes become objects for the highest bidders, forcing some otherwise patriotic election umpires to act against their conscience to enthrone leaderships at different levels of government whether at the local, state or federal strata. Shettima, who further identified lack of internal democracy as another reason why political parties have continued to face challenges in Nigeria.According to him, this has only resulted in discontentment amongst members thereby brewing crisis and failures as signified by loss of members and factionalisation of parties.
“In the build up to the 2007 and 2011 elections, virtually all the key political parties were guilty of failures on internal democracy.
My party, the ANPP was accused of either imposing or wrongly substituting candidates with the result being a long pre-election and post-election litigation on the governorship tickets of Yobe, Kaduna, Kano etcetera; the CPC which is about 2 or 3 years old was accused of wrongly substituting governorship candidates in Kano, Katsina, Bauchi and Taraba; the ACN was also accused of imposing candidates especially in the southwestern states and the PDP as the biggest party, was accused of committing the most crime against party internal democracy by allegedly imposing or wrongly substituting governorship candidates in Rivers, Taraba, Bauchi, Anambra and a host of others.
“These crimes were known because they involved governorship seats on which those affected ran to the media, one can therefore imagine those that may have been silenced not by persuasion and political negotiation but by the instrumentality of power.
“Though all the parties seem to be guilty at different degrees, most of the feeling of discontent brewing in the country have largely and rightly, I must say, been directed at the ruling PDP at the centre, largely because of the size of the party; the number of seats it controls in parliament as well as the number of states under its control.For the obvious reasons that there is lethal hunger, brutal insecurity, fatal unemployment, crippled education, substandard healthcare and what have you.The list is long and successive leaders share the blame,” Shettima said.
Cautioning on the ‘winner-takes-all system’the governor said the situation has indeed contributed to the depth of frustration in the country since from 1999 the nation’s democratic process has largely been a tale of unfulfilled hopes and the increasing exasperation of the majority of the Nigerian people, adding that this has led to societal ills such as have been seen in Borno, Yobe, Kano, Kogi, Kaduna, with the Boko Haram insurgency. He correctly restated that this is one of the most tragic examples of disconnect between the political elites and the younger generation.
He bemoaned the loss of ideologies amongst political parties attributing it to ‘a very long period of military dictatorship’ as the hurry in the formulation of political parties did not help the polity in this regard.
‘’And as the crises situation has built up, some of these parties bred factions; while newer parties have also emerged. What marks these parties is the incredible similarity not only in their programs, but the manner in which members move through a revolving door from one to the other.
“There are no ideological issues held dear by them; inner party democracy hardly exists; the parties are generally just vehicles of access to power. And because they do not have very grand visions, they have not been able to galvanize the Nigerian people in a grand narrative of development and patriotic exertion. The fact that members of the political elite seemed to have regularly behaved in the same manner, especially in their excesses, meant that there was often little to choose between the political parties,” Shettima said.
Despite the challenges, however, the Borno governor said it is still possible for the opposition to become serious alternative in Nigeria as no matter how rocky and huge the challenges were, they were still surmountable.
“Nigerian electorates are becoming more politically conscious but like I had talked about, we must collectively fight that thick, black, stinky snake called poverty so that no one sells a vote for a meal ticket and this we can achieve through justice, fairness, and equity in our style of governance as opposition public office holders and our internal democraccies as parties so that credible candidates with rooted connection with the ordinary Nigerian are not prevented from carrying our flags to defeat a system Nigerians unanimously desire to replace,” Governor Shettima submitted.
As if to buttress the governor’s assertion, secretary general of the Conference of Nigeria Political Parties, CNPP, Chief Willy Ezeugwu says he agrees in totality with the position of Governor Kashim, saying it was the point blank truth.
“Politicians can continue to deny it, but the truth remains that in this country, politicians are not principled and lack ideology. It is this total lack of ideology that has made them porous and easily gullible as they continue to be patronised by the government in power.
“Again is the winner take-all syndrome of the politics we play in this country. The government at the center takes it all, controlling every facet and instrument of power, thereby reducing opposition members to helpless bunch without capacity to sustain their oppositional bids”, Chief Ezeugwu stated.
As if tagging along with Shettima and Ezeugwu, Labour Party national chairman, Chief Dan Nwanyanwu threw the fire-works in the air, not minding whose ox was gored and announced to a bewildered nation that the PDP owned, controlled and financed 30 out of the 62 parties in place.
Of these, Nwanyanwu said only nine have functional offices in Abuja as stipulated by the electoral laws. While delivering a lecture titled ‘Transformation of Nigeria Politics: The Labour Party Perspective’ at the Institute of the Security Studies in Abuja last weekend, the LP chairman called on the National Assembly to make laws that will punish public officers who deliberately misadvise the government as well as laws that will make electoral fraud impracticable.
Said Nwanyanwu: “Out of the existing 62 political parties in Nigeria, 30 of them are owned by the PDP out of which just nine have functional office in Abuja while the rest of the parties have their offices in their briefcases.
“The best political system for Nigeria is a two party system. Such arrangement will make it difficult for rigging because it is just two parties, there will be no need for anybody to carry ballot boxes because there won’t be such opportunity. Touts will not have jobs and the electoral tribunal will be useless because a clear winner will emerge just as was the case in 1992 general election between the SDP and NRC. The issue of merger or alliance will not arise because it is just two of them and they have different ideologies.”
Leadership

Corrupt Judiciary, Threat to Democracy, Says Ewherido

Senator Pius Akpor Ewherido

Senator Pius Akpor Ewherido represents Delta Central senatorial district in the upper chamber of the National Assembly. In this interview with Anayo Okolie, he speaks on the way forward for Nigeria at 52. Excerpts:

In less than a week from now, Nigeria will be 52 years since independence. How has the country fared?
So many things still need to be put right. For industrialisation, we still need to get the energy sector right because once you provide stable electricity, businesses will pick up; production will be at lower rate because there is difference between when you produce with generator and when produce with electricity. Many benefits come with that. Thank God that government is putting a lot of effort into the power sector; my prayer is that we get it right this time so that we will have stable electricity in Nigeria because it will help in terms of industrialisation. Second, we still need to get the steel thing right; we built steel industries that are not working today despite the money we had invested in them. It is difficult for any country to grow without steel industry that functions well. Again, the twin problem of unemployment and poverty, we need to eradicate it. If there are jobs for people to do or if industries strive, of course there will be job for people to do and that way poverty will be wiped out because so many people are unemployed.

Looking at the current day problem, we need to get security right because the security situation in this country has reached a point that it requires an urgent attention because all that I have talked about, from getting power right, the steel industry and others cannot work in an unsecure environment. Nothing can work without a peaceful place. So, peace is security and pre-conditions for a stable working environment. These are some of the most important ones that I believe we need to get right before we can actually say that we are developing.

How about the beliefs that corruption is the bane of Nigeria’s development?
Corruption is a serious problem in this country but we cannot wait to solve the problem of corruption before solving other minor problems because you will wait forever. Corruption is as old as the human race. It’s just that the magnitude in Nigeria is unbelievable. I believe that to tackle corruption more sincerely, we need to strengthen the agencies that handle corruption matters- the ICPC and the EFCC. We need to come down from that level where we prosecute only people who have no connections because that is what is going on. People who have been prosecuted are not the most corrupt Nigerians. There are people who have been found more corrupt than most of those people who have been prosecuted but they are free.

So, we need to also have a reorientation, a new attitude toward the whole idea of corruption, and we also need to work on our judiciary because the way the judiciary handles corruption cases is such that you can just afford to commit corruption related crimes and go to court. Nigeria is one of the few places on in the world where every thief can go to court get an injunction and get away with it. The judiciary has a role to play. Thank God the Chief Justice of the Federation has promised to sanitise the judiciary and a lot of us are waiting for that cleansing because a corrupt judiciary is more dangerous than the other arms. So, we expect that cleansing in the judiciary will help our democracy grow. So, that those who won the election get elected by the people are returned. So, the judiciary has a major role to play because unless we have a corruption free nation at least free to an extent that people will have the conscience to know that if you continue to embezzle all the money we will not be able to develop. 

Are you worried about the unity and stability of this country? 
Since independence, I don’t think there has been another time that the unity of this nation has been as threatened as in the last one and half year due to the new type of insurgence. Many factors have arisen and different kinds of crimes in terms of militancy and the Boko Haram issue. Alongside the Boko Haram problem, so much has been happening in the South, most especially kidnapping issue. Today, if you go to those areas that used to have a lot of foreign presence in terms of industries, you will see that many of them had gone and with some of their investments too. Even the Nigerian investors are afraid of their own areas.

Nigerians are afraid in terms of living in some parts of the country, like Borno State, Yobe State and the other states where the activities of Boko Haram is prominent and you’ll hear people give a lot of interpretation to what is going on. Some people say it is a Christian and Muslim fight just to distabilise the country and these is not good for us and the unity of our country. So, all hands must be on deck if we must tackle this. The security in Nigeria today must not be left in the hands of the security agencies alone, we must involve the local people. That is why I disagree with those who are against state policing because I even support the idea of a local policing. It is easier for the local people within their area to nab criminals than when you come from outside. We must develop different forms of security involving our local people. I am very convinced as I sit here that if we had state police, the governor of Borno State has his own police; it would have been easier for him using the local police to tackle the insurgence of Boko Haram. But people read different wrong meanings to it that it will be abused by governors. Even the federal police can be abused. 

How would you assess the President’s performance in the Niger Delta?
The question of development of the Niger Delta region is not just an issue for Mr. President alone. Yes I believe that Mr. President should do more, but I also believe that our various state governments from the 13 per cent derivation they get should do a lot to complement efforts of the Federal Government. I am not too sure, because when people from the North question our governors about it, some of them say oh, we are not responsible to you. But those of us who come from the area that they are responsible to, I am not sure that we are convinced that all of them are doing enough for the region.

Do you support the idea of making local governments autonomous?
The question of local government in Nigeria is a knotty one and let me tell you, do not believe that this constitution amendment is exclusive in terms of the fact that only contributions from the National Assembly will be accepted. But specifically on the local governments, because of the worry of many people including a lot of Senators, it is an area I believe should be amended. And if Nigeria really wants proper grassroots development, we must amend the provisions on local governments. The local government in the constitution as it is today are just tied to the apron strings of the state governments; they have no independent recognition and all that is normal in a federal constitution is that local governments are normally not granted the kind of autonomy that we are talking about. But we are in a peculiar situation.

In our democracy, there is that peculiarity in the operations of local governments and our experience tells us, if we continue to tie local government to the apron strings of state governments, we will never know genuine grassroots development because we now know that governors pilfer the funds of local governments and which shouldn’t be so. Even the local government chairmen have complained. ALGON as a body has complained that what all governors do is to pilfer their funds. Some say they want to use it to do some other developments. Money allocated to local government is expected to be used for the development of that local government so you cannot appropriate local government money for them.
  

This Day

Bakassi people rally as controversy trails Elias, Wachuku positions

By HUGO ODIOGOR
Displaced indigenes of Bakassi Peninsula will hold rallies in different parts of the world today to highlight the injustice that has been visited on them by the ceding of their homeland by the Federal Government without their consent.
With less than 10 days for the Jonathan led administration to take a second look at the October 1  2002 ,International Court of Justice judgment that ceded the Peninsula to Cameroon where there is apprehension as the Central African country tightens its grip.
Saturday Vanguard was reliably informed that the indigenous Bakassi population would hold rallies in Lagos, Abuja, Calabar, London, Germany, France, The Hague among others.
They said that the foundation for the ceding of Bakassi by the Federal Government  was laid by a clause in an advise given to the government by the former Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Chief Taslim Oluwole Elias, during the Yakubu Gowon’s regime, that Nigeria should allow Cameroon take over the peninsula because of the country’s assistance to it during the Nigeria- Biafran civil war, wondering why some indigenous communities would be donated to another country based on such flimsy excuses.

Bakassi protesters Photo by Johnbosco Agbakwuru

Elias, had in his advise entitled ‘’Nigeria/ Cameroun Boundary Demarcation,” dated September 3, 1970 stated, ’The principle of good faith in international relations demands that Nigeria should not disavow her word of honour,” adding that ‘’every effort should be exerted on our side to ensure that Nigeria does not show ingratitude to a sister country that stood by us during the civil war.
Accordingly, I strongly urge that these recommendations of the Nigerian – Cameroun’s Joint Boundary Commission dated August 14, 1970 should be implemented expeditiously…”
The Jonathan administration seem not prepared to comply with Article 61 of the ICJ Charter by approaching the court to review the judgment obtained by concealment of vital facts from the world jurists by both Nigeria and Cameroon.
This is even as Cameroon is alleged to be massing troops in the borders just as the movement of indigenes of Bakassi into Nigeria is heavily monitored.
According to sources, Bakassi people are also cut off from streams of information while efforts have been intensified by Cameroon to force thousands of the natives to change their names and language to French and to leave the peninsula in violation of the Green Tree Agreement, GTA.
Mr. Ani Esin, a former local government Chairman for Bakassi Local Government told Saturday Vanguard that since the uproar in Nigeria, following the publications by the Vanguard Newspaper, the Cameroonian government has been emboldened by the reluctance of the Federal government to demand for a revisit of the ICJ rulings to send troops into the peninsula to expel the indigenous population; force them out of their territory and occupy their property.
He said “The people of Bakassi who had hoped that the Jonathan administration will revisit to issue have become dejected as it appears that those who gave away Bakassi would not want to be exposed for the injustice committed against us. This is why the Pirate confraternity has been mobilising the public for a mass rally while we explore the option of forming a government in exile to continue the struggle after October 10, 2012”.
It was learnt that in Yaounde, the Cameroonian authorities are in panic following revelations that ICJ was misled into believing that the moribund 1913 Anglo-German treaty and the unsigned 1975 Maroua declarations were the only legal documents that set the Land and Maritime boundaries between Nigeria and the Cameroun.
The Legal Opinion of Justice T.O. Elias
Meanwhile, the last may not have been heard of the administrative and legal tardiness that were employed to mislead the ICJ to concede Bakassi Peninsula to Cameroon.
Specifically, the legal opinion provided by Chief Elias and the Diplomatic Note written by Mr. Aja Wachuku as the External Affairs Minister have come up for scrutiny.
Some members of Nigerian defence team have continued to cite those documents as evidences that Bakassi Peninsula was part of Cameroon based on the 1913 Anglo German Treaty, which some claimed that Nigeria was obliged to uphold on attainment of independence on October 1,1960.
Prince Bola Ajibola SAN, who wrote a minority judgement at the Hague told Saturday Vanguard the Nigeria’s case was weakened ‘’because of what happened in the 1913 in the Anglo-German Agreement,” pointing out that, ‘’it was since then that we have this uphill task because it was Britain that ceded the whole of that Bakassi area, well described in Article 21 and 22 of that agreement, specifically to Germany.”
However, it has been discovered the agreement dated March 11, 1913 was not signed until Germany was defeated during the First World War, hence it was deprived of the Bakassi Peninsula as Bakassi was ceded to France, which thereafter, gave independence to Cameroun that now got involved in the boundary dispute.
Both Senator Ewah Bassey- Henshaw and Prof. Walter Ofonagoro told Saturday Vanguard that the documents cited by the Nigerian defence team were ‘’mischievously used to mislead those who are not familiar with the issues especially to achieve a predetermined goal.”
Senator Henshaw said that until recently, most Nigerian government officials have regarded the 1913 Anglo-German Treaty as a living document but it was fundamentally flawed by the fact that it was not signed before the outbreak of the First World War after which Germany was stripped of all its colonial territories, making the treaty useless.
It was of no effect because all German territories were transferred to the League of Nations. Hensahaw further said,  “those who have been citing the Aja Wachuku Diplomatic note and Dr. T.O Elias legal opinion have substantially relied on the belief that the Anglo- Nigeria Treaty was a living document, but this is not true.”
Also, Nella Andem Rabana SAN who was part of Nigeria’s team to the Hague said nations do not concede territories on exchange of diplomatic note or on legal opinion that are outside the stipulations of the parliament, which was one of the key institutions on Nigeria’s attainment of independence in 1960. Bakassi Peninsula was recognised as part of the Nigerian territory in the 1963 Constitution and in the Cairo 1964 OUA summit, it was resolved that all colonial boundaries inherited at independence should be inviolated.
Furthermore, Prof. Ofonagoro said Nigeria and Cameroon decided to bind themselves with a document that was dead and had no force of law. He said “It is evident that Dr. Elias placed extra-ordinary weight on the work of the Nigeria/Cameroon Joint Commission which met at Yaoundé from August 12 to 14, 1970.
He said, ‘’The major decisions taken at that meeting, after considerable discussion”, was that the Joint Commission agreed to use the 1913 Anglo-German Treaty” as the basis for demarcating the boundary. It is obvious that this decision was made without seeking guidance from either the Attorney General, or the Honorable Minister of Transport through the office of the Head of State, otherwise, Dr. Elias would not be referring to decisions reached at the Yaoundé meeting of August 12-14, 1970.
The vital decision had been taken at that meeting of the Joint Commission, at which the most senior Nigerian official present was the Federal Director of Surveys. Once that decision had been taken, there was no escaping the implications of Article 20 of the Anglo-German Treaty of March 11, 1913, which stipulated that;
“Should the lower course of the Akwa Yafe so change its mouth as to transfer it to the Rio Del Rey, it is agreed that the area now known as the Bakassi peninsula shall remain German territory. In the said Legal Opinion, Dr. Elias further drew attention to “the exchange of notes between Nigeria and the United Kingdom on October 1, 1960 which binds Nigeria to honour obligations entered into on our behalf by the United Kingdom.
The implication of this statement is that the External Affairs Ministry considered the 1913 Agreement as one of the pre-independence treaties entered into by Britain on Nigeria’s behalf. The diplomatic Note which was cited as evidence that the Bakassi peninsula was based on the above assumption. Dr. Elias did not, however, make any pronouncement on the legal validity of that treaty.
He only referred to decisions already taken by the Yaoundé meeting of the Nigerian-Cameroon border commission to adopt the 1913 Treaty as the basis for their boundary demarcation negotiations.
The commitment had already been made in August 12-14, of 1971 and he was of the opinion that Nigeria was bound by it.In fact, the Nigerian legal team at the ICJ had this to say about the legal validity of the Anglo-German Agreement of March 11, 1913:
In relation to the Treaty of Versailles, Nigeria points out that Article 289 thereof provided for “the revival of pre-war bi-lateral treaties concluded by Germany on notification to Germany by the other party.” It contends that since Great Britain had taken no steps under Article 289 to revive the Agreement of March 11, 1913, it was accordingly abrogated.

‘’Former President Shehu Shagari was advised that the treaty was voidable by a Task Force that he appointed in 1981, to study the controversial 1913 Anglo-German Treaty. The committee concluded that the 1913 Agreement was voidable.
This was also the position reached by Professor Bassey Atte in a study of this subject saying that the 1913 Anglo-German Agreement “which purported to alter the status quo to Nigeria’s disadvantage, is subject to great controversy as to its legality.”
Prof. Ofonanagoro argued further that
the opinion of Elias on the matter was limited by the fact that he was not at the Yaoundé Summit of the two Heads of State, on April 4, 1971, and that the famous Ngo/Coker, was first drawn to a 3-mile limit from the Akwa Yafe River, westwards to the channel of the Cross and Calabar Rivers, placing Bakassi on the Cameroonian side of this new boundary.”
“If Dr. Elias knew about this boundary by September 3, 1970, eight months before Yaoundé Summit, where the Ngo/Coker line was agreed , then it means that at the highest level of the Nigerian Government, the level of the Attorney General, and presumably, his boss, the Head of State, the decision had already been taken at that time, to ignore the provision of Article 21 of the Anglo-German Treaty of March 11, 1913, and draw the boundary to the west of the Akwa Yafe River.
”In practice, the navigable channel of the Akwa Yafe was invariably forced to flow to the Bakassi north shore, and East to the Rio del Rey, and the British stated this fact in Article 20: which stated that, “Should the lower course of the Akwa Yafe so change its mouth as to transfer it to the Rio Del Rey, it is agreed that the area now known as Bakassi peninsula shall still remain German territory. Even by Article 20 of this Treaty, Bakassi is not ceded to German Cameroon; the article simply says that Bakassi shall still remain German territory.
This means that it was already “German territory” before the date of the drafting of Article 20 of that treaty. That being the case, Cameroon still has to produce the documentary basis of Bakassi becoming “German territory” in the first place.
There must be some documentary basis of Bakassi becoming German territory between April 14, 1893 and March 13, 1913, since the language of the Treaty says that Bakassi shall still remain German territory, even when by the flow of the boundary, following Akwa Yafe to Rio del Rey, it finds itself on the British side of the boundary. This is most strange to treaty law.
”In 1907, when the British and Germans had agreed that the Boundary should progress inland from the Thalweg of the Akwa Yafe, the Germans had requested for the frontier to be continued out to sea after reaching the mouth of the Akwa Yafe, all the way to the middle of the channel of the mouth of the old Calabar River.
However,  according to minutes recorded by Mr. Strachey of the Foreign Office, Britain refused this request and told the Germans the “line should follow the shore of the Bakassi peninsula along the thalweg of the Akwa Yafe when the actual mouth of the river was reached.
It is therefore clear that as far back as 1907, it was generally known by both powers, that the navigable channel of the Akwa Yafe could never put Bakassi on the Cameroonian side of the border, since that channel must lie to the east of the Calabar and Cross River channels.
The heavier flow of these two bigger rivers would always force the Akwa Yafe east to Bakassi shore and the Rio Del Rey. Most often, the channel disappeared altogether, and was extremely difficult to find.

Vanguard