Soyinka Accuses IGP Suleiman Abba Of Displaying Brutish Power
Nobel laureate, Wole Soyinka, has accused the Nigeria’s Inspector General of Police (IGP), Suleiman Abba of displaying what he called ‘brutish power.’
“The recent choice of a new leader for the guard was clearly no accident, and this hitherto unknown enforcer, one Suleiman Abba, has wasted no time in inaugurating a season of brutish power.
Soyinka who spoke to newsmen in Lagos today also blamed President Goodluck Jonathan for allowing what he called a reign of impunity, the latest being police siege on the National Assembly.
Soyinka said the latest action of the Inspector General of Police, against members of the House of Representatives was an “unambiguous” declaration of war against the people.
He said that the battle line had been drawn and Nigerians must decide whether to submit or resist to the current democratic dispensation.
“I shall not insist that the biblical figure of Nebuchadnezzar is uniquely apt for the pivotal figure of the ‘democratic’ history in the making at this moment,” said Mr. Soyinka. “For one thing, Nebu was a nation builder and a warrior. One could argue even more convincingly for the figure of Balthazar, his successor, or indeed Emperor Nero as reference point – you all remember him – the emperor who took to fiddling while Rome was burning.
“However you should easily recall why I opted for King Nebu – the figure that currently sits on the top of our political pile himself evoked it, albeit in a context that virtuously disclaimed any similarities, even tendencies. Perhaps he meant it at the time when he claimed: ‘I am no Nebuchadnezzar.’ Perhaps not. One judges leaders on acts however, not pronouncements, which are often as reliable as electoral promises.”
Soyinka said that it is left for Nigerians to decide to revert to the ‘Abacharian status of glorified slaves,” adding: “the praetorian guards have been let loose – to teach the rabble their place.”
The Noble Laureate said that President Jonathan had continued to surprise Nigerians in ways “few could have conjectured.
“Peaking at his own personalised example where he set the law of arithmetic on its head – I refer to the split in the Governors’ Forum, and his ‘formal’ recognition of the minority will in a straightforward, peer election – democracy has been rendered meaningless where it should be most fervently exemplified.
“Nothing is more unworthy of leadership than to degrade a system by which one attains fulfilment, and this is what the nation has witnessed time and time again in various parts of the nation, the recent affront against the legislative chamber being only the most blatant and unconscionable…
“It is a warning. His choices for the occupancy of crucial public positions – such as the protective arm of the nation – constitutes an even more immediate and constant public alert. The signals are ominous – for and beyond 2015.” [myad]
Issues Thrown Up By The Conduct Of Ebonyi PDP Primaries, By Maxwell Eze
The November 29th 2014 primaries for the House of Assembly aspirants under the umbrella of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ebonyi State are now eye openers to the politicians and observers of the new political game in the state.
A few hours to the primaries, the state governor, Chief Martin Elechi suddenly announced that the primaries, scheduled to hold across the country on 29th had been cancelled.
This was even as the Acting State chairman of the party, Chief Onwe Joseph Onwe announced on the federal government owned Unity FM, that the primaries would hold and urged members to participate in the exercise.
The governor used the monthly clean-up exercise in the state as an excuse for suspending the exercise. The governor threatened that any person or persons caught outside before 10.00 am would be dealt with. At about 85 people, most of them suspected to have gone out to participate in the PDP primaries were so arrested.
At 10.00am, the Ebonyi PDP supporters, moved en mass to the party secretariat, located along the Abakaliki/ Enugu expressway, only to find the place barricaded. Imported thugs were fully on guard.
The party supporters were however redirected to another venue: Pinnacle Hotels, a few poles from the PDP secretariat where the five-man team sent by the National Working Committee (NWC) were seated with the materials for the election.
The team was led by Senator Ben Collin Ndu as Chairman, Hajia Yela, member, Rt. Hon. Simon Dogari, San Mohammed Aminu, Alh. Aliyu Bindawa, member/secretary.
The sight of the panel was greeted with jubilation by those who had waited to have the election conducted even as those who were believed to have preferred to have it cancelled on the account that they would lose should they go ahead with the primaries had frustration written all over their faces.
The people in this camp rather staged a boycott of the exercise which they saw as more honourable than to participate in the election and fail.
The turnout at the venue was unprecedented in the history of political gathering in the state. Thousands of party men and women participated in the exercise.
Elections were conducted across the state without hitches as was attested to by the observers and news newsmen who monitored the
exercise.
Surprisingly, the governor, Chief Elechi is said to be agitating that the peacefully conducted November 1st and 8th congresses which gave rise to the last Saturday’s exercise should be set aside. This brings to clear question as to where the governor wants to lead the state to.
It is unfortunate that simply because Ebonyi people no longer want to be led by the nose, the governor is becoming jittery.
It was also out of the governor’s high handedness that wife of a governorship aspirant, Senator Ofia Nwali and 27 other council officers were sacked because they said no to imposition of candidates by the governor.
Already, new Coordinators have been appointed and sworn in by the governor without having them screened by the state house of assembly.
The governor is now charging at those he considered political enemies, including the elected Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Chukwuma
Nwazunku, whose sin is that he insisted that the governor should duly account for the N16.5 billion Bond he borrowed from the Nigerian Stock Exchange before seeking for another N15 billion Bond at the twilight of his administration.
The governor now prefers to recognise Mr. Blaise Orji as the Speaker of the Assembly
The Ebonyi people are by the day becoming more disappointed with these turn of events, more so as even executive council members are being forced to sign documents for the purpose of giving teeth to impunity, a development that is worsened by many unfinished projects.
Indeed, one is at a loss as to how the Ofurekpe water scheme embarked upon by the Governor Elechi-led administration at its inception in 2007 rose from the estimated cost of one billion naira to N7.8b. Agreed that there could be cases of variations, but how could it be that even with such differentials, there is no hope of getting water from the scheme till the end of this administration as nothing again is being done on the project to justify such expenditure? The Governor had on the floor of the 24-member Ebonyi State House of Assembly, apologized for his failed promise that our people would drink water from the scheme last year. Is he
taking his people for a ride?
There is a multi-million naira rice parboiling machine meant for the none-functional billion naira rice mills that is still missing without any admissible account.
And for what reason was the Abakaliki/Enugu expressway, which the federal government project, be awarded to the renowned SETRACO construction firm?
Now the project has been abandoned. Is he anybody playing games?
There is also the NIGERCEM at Nkalagu, the foremost cement manufacturing firm in the south East geo-political zone of Nigeria which was operational during the previous administration Dr. Sam Ominyin Egwu but which went moribund shortly after Chief Elechi took over as the governor of the state. Those who laboured to rehabilitate the firm have been frustrated and traditional rulers who welcomed them have been dethroned by the incumbent administration. What could have been the reasons for all these other than economic and political interests of the government whose allies and siblings are believed to be the
Directors and benefactors of the death of the NIGERCEM?
Also, there is the case of M & J Construction firm that had handled about half of the contracts awarded to local contractors since the inception of this administration. A revelation of those who own the company would explain why shoddy jobs are being celebrated and earned certificates of completion and the poor tax payers’ money released to them.
Worst still is the demand of N15 billion from the Nigerian Stock Exchange by the Elechi-led administration which has thrown the state into financial confusion. [myad]