Don’t politicise e-waste mamnagement, crisis’ll soon be over –Ochonogor
Lawyers to Ekweremadu: Coup not an option
Labour vows to resist military intervention
Nigerians: Coup, no longer fashionableAfenifere, Ohanaeze, ACF speak
The organised labour, yesterday, vowed to ensure that Nigeria’s democracy is not short lived by any form of military intervention. This is as a cross section of Nigerians also rejected the idea of military takeover, saying it is not only unconstitutional but no longer fashionable.
They were reacting to Wednesday’s warning by the Senate Deputy President, Dr. Ike Ekweremadu, that Nigeria risks military intervention if the ugly trend of incessant political violence, intimidation and killings were not tackled by the present administration. Labour under the aegis of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC), in their separate reactions, said they will resist any incursion into the polity by the military. The General Secretary of the NLC, Dr. Peter Ozo-Eson, told one of our correspondents in Abuja that under no circumstance will Nigerian workers support military rule in the country. According to him, the era of military junta in the country is a thing of the past and no longer welcome to resurface in the nation’s polity.
His words: “For the NLC, We believe the era of military intervention in our politics is over and we must give a chance for democratic culture to grow and deepen. Under no circumstance will we support any military intervention. We will resist any attempt by the military to truncate democracy in Nigeria,” he said.
TUC president, Comrade Bobboi Kaigama, on his part, said Nigerians will not allow the military to destroy the hard work put in place in ensuring a democratic process in the country. “Democracy has come a long way and no military junta can play on the intelligence of Nigerians.
It is unacceptable and Nigerians will march out and say no to them. Our democracy has come to stay,” he said. The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), which also condemned in strong terms the idea of coup in the country, said military takeover, can never be an alternative to a people-oriented government.
ASUU president, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi, in an exclusive interview with New Telegraph, said what Nigeria is experiencing is an intra-class crisis among the ruling class, but warned that the series of violence may drive the country towards anarchy. He, however, said: “Military can never be an alternative to a people-oriented government.
We have experienced their incursions in the past, but what was the result? What we are experiencing is an intra-class struggle among the ruling elite and the violence is a reaction from the people, the impoverished as a result of their primitive accumulation of wealth.
“To address this challenge, we must have a people-oriented government which will afford Nigerians the opportunity to run their government themselves rather than the World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF) and other imperialist institutions dictating the control of the economy.”
The Joint Action Front (JAF), a coalition of labour unions and rights group, in its reaction suggested that rather than allowing the return of military in Nigeria, the people should organise themselves and enthrone a people-oriented government. Secretary of JAF, Comrade Abiodun Aremu, said he could not fathom any reason why someone would ever imagine military take-over in Nigeria.
“All I will say is that the people should organise and take over their own government,” he said. Chairman of Oyo State chapter of the NLC, Comrade Waheed Olojede, who also spoke on the issue said” “It is out of place for people to be talking of military take-over now, when the entire world is tending towards democracy.
Nigeria has been practicing democratic governance for many years, but we must know that in spite of the shortcomings in the system, the worst democracy is better than the best military rule. I don’t subscribe to such statement because all over the world, military rule is no longer popular.
“But for such a statement to have come from a person of such status as Senate deputy president, it means that the government should look inwards. It is high time they took cautionary steps to avert such possibility. In view of the present situation, where Nigerians are expressing disenchantment with the activities of their leaders, the government should wake up to address the demands of the populace. Afenifere chieftain, Senator Femi Okurounmu, who spoke with our correspondent in Abeokuta, argued that it was the military that ruined Nigeria and brought the country to its knees and so any intervention by soldiers would not be welcomed.
He said: “Nigerians don’t want any military takeover again. In fact, I will say Nigerians don’t ever want any more military rule in the country. Number one, military rule is out of fashion all over the world. It is anti-democracy and democracy is the government of the people. Military rule is autocratic; it is a kind of dictatorship. “Secondly, military rule is what has brought Nigeria to its knees the way it is today. It is the military that ruined Nigeria mostly.
They were the ones who departed from our federal constitution and imposed a unitary constitution upon which a section of the country has been ruling the country almost the way it wants. Therefore, to say that the military is to take over, we shall just be jumping from frying pan to fire. “Thirdly, in Nigeria, military rule favours the northerners. Military rule never favours us in the south because the Nigeria Army is almost a Northern Army.
The Southerners there are just there as more or less as onlookers, as passengers. A military takeover will mean that another Fulani man will take over and rule us the way he wants arbitrarily. For these three reasons, we don’t want military rule. The people must fight for their own freedom. We must fight for our own liberation.
There is no alternative to freedom.” Also speaking, First Republic Aviation Minister, Chief Mbazulike Amaechi, said any military takeover of government will lead to the disintegration of the country. Though the elder statesman acknowledged that events in the country suggest that all is not well, he ruled out military option, describing it as outdated.
“What is happening in government now is capable of leading to military takeover, but in Africa and world over military coup is no longer a popular enterprise, so it should not to be contemplated. But those in government should be careful because any military takeover will lead to disintegration of Nigeria.” Former Minister of Mines and Steel Development and All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain, Sarafa Ishola, said the country will come out worse under military rule. His words:”Military rule will not solve our democratic problems for us. Democracy is evolution. After every military intervention, we come up worse than where we picked from.
If you look at the pattern from First Republic, Second Republic and Third Republic, it’s usually the same. Democracy is an evolution; we would have our problem, we would learn from it and we would progress. We should all work together and make sure that we don’t truncate this hard won democracy.”
National Publicity Secretary of Afenifere, Yinka Odumakin, in his reaction said: “It is fearful and frightening when a Senate deputy president begins to raise fear about coup. I think for those of us who fought and lost our freedom to have this democracy established, it is a sad development. It is also a statement on the performance of the APC.
“They are shutting down the freedom of speech, people are being killed all over the place and the President is not doing anything about. I think it’s time for the APC to start behaving in line with the constitution and stop all these impunity acts. They should know that we are in a democracy.”
But, a former governor of old Kaduna State, Alhaji Balarabe Musa, who said a coup is still possible in Nigeria, stated that worsening living conditions will make it feasible. He said: “A coup is still possible in Nigeria because of the hunger and suffering in the land. There is still class exploitation and oppression and infighting among the perpetrators at the moment. We can’t prevent a coup as long as injustice and oppression of the people continues. Those controlling the political system at the moment are there for their selfish interest; that of the nation is secondary. “This explains the negative state of the nation, particularly the suffering of the people.
The Nigerian ruling class believes that they will continue to enslave the people and get away with it, but the question is: What makes Nigeria different from countries where coups have taken place. The only way to stop a coup in Nigeria is freeing the people from slavery.” Pan Yoruba social-cultural group, Afenifere, in its reaction agreed with the Senate deputy president that the nation’s democracy is under threat. Secretary of the group, Bashorun Seinde Arogbofa, who spoke in Akure, Ondo State capital, said the threat is as a result of insecurity that pervades the country, deliberate disobedience to rule of law and the use of security agents to harass opposition politicians. His words: “Where is democracy when there is no security of lives and property? Where is democracy when you can kill your neighbour without any consequences? Where is democracy when some people are roaming around the town with AK47 rifles, killing farmers as security personnel look the other side?” The Afenifere scribe added that unemployment, collapse of the economy and breach of fundamental rights of citizens are issues that can lead to truncating of Nigeria’s democracy.
But, Secretary of Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Anthony Sani, who disagreed with Ekweremadu’s view, said the military knows that it would be rejected if it embarks on a coup. His words: “I do not share the opinion of the Senate deputy president, Senator Ike Ekwremadu, that coup is possible in Nigeria. This is because soldiers themselves know that coup is no more in fashion, considering how international platforms do not take kindly to coups at this time.
“As to the submission that our democracy is under threat, it is important to know that our democracy is work in progress. This is because democracy, premised on triple foundation of justice, liberty and common decency is not a natural order of things, but attained through ceaseless hard work by both the leaders and the led.” Apex Igbo body, Ohanaeze Ndigbo on its part, said Ekweremadu was right in his statement that the nation’s democracy is under threat and that he was even mild about it.
National Publicity Secretary of the group, Prince Uche Achi- Okpagha, in an interview with our correspondent, noted that the country has never been divided more than ever since the inception of the Muhammadu Buhari administration. “The Senate deputy president did not even describe Nigeria’s democracy situation very well because the situation is even more than he talked about. May be, because he is at the top echelon of the National Assembly, he was mild about it. Nigeria is divided more than ever since the inception of this administration. There is sectionalism in appointments, where virtually every key position went to the North and as we were crying of that, more and more appointments were made and they all went to the North.
The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), however, came hard on Ekweremadu for saying that coup is possible in Nigeria. The pan northern group said the situation in the country did not warrant the comment attributed to the Senate deputy president, as what he was reacting to concerns a few individuals. Speaking through its National Chairman and former Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Coomasie, ACF said the situation in the country can still be dealt with by the judiciary. He added that soldiers know that coup is no longer fashionable.
“What are the indicators that made him to say that? Some of these things are just by few individuals and cannot be used to judge the whole democracy and I believe that whatever it is can be handled by the judiciary. It is not enough for somebody of the status of the Senate deputy president to say that democracy is under threat and coup is possible in Nigeria; no I don’t think so.” An APC stalwartin Kaduna State, Alhaji Salisu Tanko Wusono, called for Ekweremadu’s arrest, noted that intra party wrangling within some states is not enough to say coup is possible.
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