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We  Need Shettimas, Not Zulums – By Bello Galadi

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My definition of Zulum is competence, dedication, patriotism, sacrifice, selflessness, honesty, humility, fear of God, incorruptibility, conscience, vision and zeal to serve. He is simply a reliable politician, who dutifully adheres to his oath of office, in the 7th Schedule to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (1999 as amended).
Kashim Shatima is the Immediate- past Governor of Borno State. He is arguably the brain behind the emergence of Zulum as the Governor of Borno State. He jettisoned his political interest for the good of his people.
I picked special interest in Zulum last year when he celebrated his 1st anniversary with over 300 projects to his credit, when some State Governors could not commission a single project. Last week, President Muhammadu Buhari was in the state to commission more projects. At the moment, he has over 500 projects to his credit in just two (2) years. He achieved this fiat in spite of the security challenges bedeviling the state.
Nigeria is blessed with so many Zulums. They are everywhere, except that they are reserved. Most of them are not politicians. What we are lacking are Shatimas. They are very scarce. The political circle is dominated by the selfish, irresponsible, greedy, insincere, unpatriotic, incompetent, Godless, conscienceless, corrupt and unreliable people.
In due course, I am going to mobilize some like mind to push for the amendment of Section 176 of the Constitution, to provide for the swapping of Governors, so that, if your governor is confused and not performing, you can simply borrow from another state.
I dedicate this piece to all the Zulums and Shatimas wherever they are in this planet earth. It is meant to revive our hope, that in a matter of time, the political space in Nigeria will be dominated by the Zulums and Shatimas, by the Special Grace of Almighty Allah.
Have a blissful break.

Galadi is a former Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association, Gusau Branch (covering Zamfara State) & President of Bello Galadi Foundation.
He can be reached on:
muhammadbel_law@yahoo.com & muhammadbellaw80@gmail.com

26th December, 2021

EndSARS Protests Aftermath, Mere Punctuation Mark Of Struggle For Better Society — Bishop Kukah Warns

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By Joseph Edegbo :

The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah has noted that the Northern region could soon become ‘Arewanistan’ (coined from Afghanistan) in view of the persistent killings going on in the region unabated.

In his Christmas message delivered on Saturday, titled, ‘A nation still in search of Truth and vindication,’ Kukah said, “In their sleep, on their farmlands, in their markets, or even on the highway, innocent citizens have been mowed down and turned into burnt offerings to gods of evil.

“Communities have been turned into gulags of misery, death, pain and perfidy. We must move quickly before Arewa, our beloved Arewa, descends into Arewanistan.”

Kukah lamented how that he was heavily slammed in parts of the north when he first criticised the Federal Government’s handling of the security situation in that part of the country last year.

“At about this time last year when I raised the alarm about the perilous state of affairs in northern Nigeria, all kinds of accusations were levelled against me, especially by my northern brethren.

“When the Catholic Bishops protested openly against the killings of our people in March 2020, we were accused of acting against the government with religious motives being imputed to our noble intentions. Now, we are fully in the grip of evil.

“Today, a feeling of vindication only saddens me as I have watched the north break into a cacophony of quarrelsome blame games over our tragic situation.”

According to him, “Tales and promises about planned rescues have since deteriorated into mere whispers. Nothing expresses the powerlessness of the families like the silence of the state at the federal level.

“Today, after over seven years, our over 100 Chibok girls are still marooned in the ocean of uncertainty.

“Over three years after, Leah Sharibu is still unaccounted for. Students of the Federal Government College, Yauri, and children from Islamiyya School, Katsina are still in captivity. This does not include hundreds of other children whose captures were less dramatic.

“We also have lost count of hundreds of individuals and families who have been kidnapped and live below the radar of publicity. We have before us a government totally oblivious to the cherished values of the sacredness of life.

“The silence of the Federal Government only feeds the ugly beast of complicity in the deeds of these evil people who have suspended the future of entire generations of our children.

“Every day, we hear of failure of intelligence, yet, those experts who provide intelligence claim that they have always done their duty diligently and efficiently.

“Does the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria not believe that he owes parents and citizens answers as to where our children are and when they are coming home?

“Does the President of Nigeria not owe us an explanation and answers as to when the abductions, kidnappings, brutality, senseless, and endless massacres of our citizens will end? When will our refugees from Cameroon, Chad or Niger return home? We need urgent answers to these questions.

“While I commend the efforts of our security men and women, I call on the President, in collaboration with the governors who are doing their best to preserve and protect their people to develop a more honest, open and robust strategy for ending the humiliation of our people and restoring social order to our people. We have borne enough humiliation as communities and a country.”

He then paid tribute to several northern Christians who, he said, have either been killed or kidnapped for their faith.

“When Michael Nnadi, our teenage Seminarian from Sokoto Diocese, stared down the nozzle of the guns of terrorists and called them to repentance, he knew he was signing his signature with the blood of martyrdom.

“When Mrs Bolanle Ataga, a Kaduna-based housewife of a medical doctor, defied the evil hands of the head of her captors who sought to violate her honour in exchange for freedom, she knew she was signing her signature with the blood of martyrdom.

“When Lawan Andimi, leader of the Christian community in Michika, Adamawa State stretched out his neck and was slaughtered by his abductors because of his faith, he knew that his blood would flow into the ocean of those martyrs who have gone before him.

“When our dear Leah Sharibu raised her voice against the advice of her young Muslim friends who loved her dearly and wanted her to deny being a Christian, she, like Jesus, acted in defiance but she knew what awaits her in a new Jerusalem, the capital of martyrdom.

“Their heroic witnesses re-echo the defiance of the Apostles who said: We must obey God rather than men.”

He also tasked religious leaders to stand firm in the face of what he called the injustice in the country, saying: “When the politicians embark on outright favouritism or nepotism, we must not be carried away by the belief that our religion is being favoured.

“Religious leaders must stand together and condemn lack of fairness to any group because the powerful and the powerless all need to be saved.”

On  the Electoral Amendment Bill which President Buhari recently declined to sign into law, Kukah asked the National Assembly to “quickly take notice of the observations made by the President on the issues of Direct or Indirect Primaries and return the Bill to the President for assent.

“I believe that the President’s heart is still in the right place and we should focus on the serious issues,” he said.

He told the youths to “seize the moment by coming out to register and be ready to vote.

“EndStar protests and the aftermath should be a mere punctuation mark in the sentences and chapters of our struggle for a better society.

“There is a lot to live for in this country. There is a lot for our Youth to dream about.

“The spirit of Christmas should be seen as a spirit of renewal. Be courageous, because we shall turn the corner together

 

Africa’s Continental Student Body, AASU Elects New Executive Members

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AASU's New Executive Members

By Iliya Kure

Pan African Student body, All-Africa Students Union (AASU), has elected new executives to lead the Union over the next four years.

The election which held between 20th – 22nd December, 2021 at the 13th Elective Congress of the union was held at Kibi, republic of Ghana.

A statement by AASU’s Head of Research and Communications, Elorm Mawuli Kwawu, made available to AFRICA PRIME NEWS, says 38 countries participated in the congress – 19 attended physically, the rest virtually.

According to the statement, the election was organized by the Electoral Commission of AASU in strict compliance with AASU’s constitutional provisions.

“The elections were observed and supervised by representatives from the Electoral Commission of Ghana and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Ghana,” it said.

The statement added that, “the newly elected executives reiterated their commitment to enhance the cause of students on the continent”.

Those elected were:

  1. President – Varney Alieu Jarsey – Liberia
  2. Secretary General – Peter Kwasi Kodjie – Ghana
  3. Deputy Secretary-General – Juliet Tsepang Khumalo- Lesotho
  4. Secretary for Gender and International Relations – Angel Mbuthia – Kenya
  5. Secretary for Education and Students Rights-Emad Ahmed Nasir Abu Isnyna – Libya
  6. Secretary for Finance and Administration Eustache Ndayisaba- Rwanda
  7. Secretary for Press and Information- Ajavon Kokoe Vanéssa Augustine – Togo

Regional Vice Presidents;

  1. El Hadj Hussein Tapily – Cote D’ Ivoire – Vice President for West Africa
  2. Esther Ndeme Assiene – Cameroon – Vice President for Central Africa
  3. Misheck Kakonde – ZAMBIA – Vice President for Southern Africa
  4. Mohamedali Abbobaker Mohamed Elsafi – Sudan – Vice President for East Africa
  5. Moustapha Sidi – Mauritania – Vice President for North Africa.

Other Executive Committee Members;

  1. Ericson Ocanté Ié – Guinea-Bissau- West Africa Executive Committee Member
  2. Mpaki Sah Phalek Schadrak – Gabon – Central Africa
  3. Tlotlo Madisa – Bostwana – Southern Africa Executive Committee Member
  4. Gerard Musabanganji – Burundi – East Africa Executive Committee Member.

AASU, the umbrella organization for all students in Africa, with presence in 54 African Countries is headquartered in Ghana. It was formed in 1972 to among others, organise all students on the continent – from the basic level to Institutions of higher learning.

The seven strategic priorities of AASU are Education & Students Rights, Capacity Building, Gender Advocacy, Environment & Climate Action, Pan-Africanism & African Culture, Migration & Mobility, Democracy & Good Governance.

International Community Reacts To Archbishop Tutu’s Passing

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By Joseph Edegbo :

The international community has expressed their condolences following the passing of Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu.

Tutu who celebrated his 90th birthday on 7 October, passed away on Sunday.

In a tweet, the United States of America Embassy in South Africa conveyed its condolences

“On behalf of the U.S. Mission to South Africa, we extend our deepest condolences to Mrs Nomalizo Leah Tutu and the family of Archbishop Desmond Tutu on his passing. We join South Africa and the global community in honoring a man who spent his life fearlessly speaking truth to power.

From his work against apartheid in South Africa, to his championing of democracy, freedom and human rights, and advocacy for those still living under the scourge of homophobia, racism or xenophobia, Archbishop Tutu was the conscience of his generation. He will be greatly missed,” said the embassy.

The Embassy of France in South Africa said it learnt with deep sadness of the Archbishop’s passing. It described the country’s last surviving laureate of the Nobel Peace Prize as a “ a man of peace who led the way for modern South Africa.”

Meanwhile, the Elders –an international grouping of inspirational leaders which has done human rights work in countries around the world– described Tutu as a “dear friend and colleague.”

“Arch, as he liked to be called, was the first Chair of The Elders from 2007-2013. He played a vital role in shaping the organisation, its values and its work. Like The Elders’ founder, Nelson Mandela, Arch was an implacable and tenacious opponent of apartheid. His years of struggle in South Africa made him a fierce defender of equality and human rights worldwide,” it said in a statement.

Chair of the Elders, Mary Robinson, said the group is devastated by the news.

“The Elders would not be who they are today without his passion, commitment and keen moral compass. He inspired me to be a ‘prisoner of hope’, in his inimitable phrase. Arch was respected around the world for his dedication to justice, equality and freedom. Today we mourn his death but affirm our determination to keep his beliefs alive.”

Former President of the Republic of Liberia, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, said the African continent has lost an icon with the passing of Tutu.

“…Africa has lost an icon, a father to us all who fought injustice and oppression in all its forms and inspired a generation to strive for a more equal society. May he rest in everlasting peace,” she said.

In a tweet, India’s President  Shri Ram Nath Kovind expressed his condolences.

“Deeply saddened by Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s demise. Influenced by Gandhiji, he brought spiritual values to the anti-apartheid struggle and upheld noblest ideals of humanity. His life will inspire generations. Condolences to his followers in South Africa and across the globe,” he said.

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson described Tutu as a critical figure in the fight against apartheid and in the struggle to create a new South Africa.

He said Tutu will be remembered “for his spiritual leadership and irrepressible good humour.”

In his condolences earlier, President Cyril Ramaphosa said Tutu was a patriot.

“Desmond Tutu was a patriot without equal; a leader of principle and pragmatism who gave meaning to the biblical insight that faith without works is dead.

 

Desmond Tutu’s Nobel Lecture in 1984

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Nobel Lecture*, December 11, 1984

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Before I left South Africa, a land I love passionately, we had an emergency meeting of the Executive Committee of the South African Council of Churches with the leaders of our member churches. We called the meeting because of the deepening crisis in our land, which has claimed nearly 200 lives this year alone. We visited some of the trouble-spots on the Witwatersrand. I went with others to the East Rand. We visited the home of an old lady. She told us that she looked after her grandson and the children of neighbors while their parents were at work. One day the police chased some pupils who had been boycotting classes, but they disappeared between the township houses. The police drove down the old lady’s street. She was sitting at the back of the house in her kitchen, whilst her charges were playing in the front of the house in the yard. Her daughter rushed into the house, calling out to her to come quickly. The old lady dashed out of the kitchen into the living room. Her grandson had fallen just inside the door, dead. He had been shot in the back by the police. He was 6 years old. A few weeks later, a white mother, trying to register her black servant for work, drove through a black township. Black rioters stoned her car and killed her baby of a few months old, the first white casualty of the current unrest in South Africa. Such deaths are two too many. These are part of the high cost of apartheid.

Everyday in a squatter camp near Cape Town, called K.T.C., the authorities have been demolishing flimsy plastic shelters which black mothers have erected because they were taking their marriage vows seriously. They have been reduced to sitting on soaking mattresses, with their household effects strewn round their feet, and whimpering babies on their laps, in the cold Cape winter rain. Everyday the authorities have carried out these callous demolitions. What heinous crime have these women committed, to be hounded like criminals in this manner? All they have wanted is to be with their husbands, the fathers of their children. Everywhere else in the world they would be highly commended, but in South Africa, a land which claims to be Christian, and which boasts a public holiday called Family Day, these gallant women are treated so inhumanely, and yet all they want is to have a decent and stable family life. Unfortunately, in the land of their birth, it is a criminal offence for them to live happily with their husbands and the fathers of their children. Black family life is thus being undermined, not accidentally, but by deliberate Government policy. It is part of the price human beings, God’s children, are called to pay for apartheid. An unacceptable price.

I come from a beautiful land, richly endowed by God with wonderful natural resources, wide expanses, rolling mountains, singing birds, bright shining stars out of blue skies, with radiant sunshine, golden sunshine. There is enough of the good things that come from God’s bounty, there is enough for everyone, but apartheid has confirmed some in their selfishness, causing them to grasp greedily a disproportionate share, the lion’s share, because of their power. They have taken 87 of the land, though being only about 20 of our population. The rest have had to make do with the remaining 13. Apartheid has decreed the politics of exclusion. 73 of the population is excluded from any meaningful participation in the political decision-making processes of the land of their birth. The new constitution, making provision of three chambers, for whites, coloreds, and Indians, mentions blacks only once, and thereafter ignores them completely. Thus this new constitution, lauded in parts of the West as a step in the right direction, entrenches racism and ethnicity. The constitutional committees are composed in the ratio of 4 whites to 2 coloreds and 1 Indian. 0 black. 2 + 1 can never equal, let alone be more than, 4. Hence this constitution perpetuates by law and entrenches white minority rule. Blacks are expected to exercise their political ambitions in unviable, poverty-stricken, arid, bantustan homelands, ghettoes of misery, inexhaustible reservoirs of cheap black labor, bantustans into which South Africa is being balkanized. Blacks are systematically being stripped of their South African citizenship and being turned into aliens in the land of their birth. This is apartheid’s final solution, just as Nazism had its final solution for the Jews in Hitler’s Aryan madness. The South African Government is smart. Aliens can claim but very few rights, least of all political rights.

In pursuance of apartheid’s ideological racist dream, over 3.000.000 of God’s children have been uprooted from their homes, which have been demolished, whilst they have then been dumped in the bantustan homeland resettlement camps. I say dumped advisedly: only things or rubbish is dumped, not human beings. Apartheid has, however, ensured that God’s children, just because they are black, should be treated as if they were things, and not as of infinite value as being created in the image of God. These dumping grounds are far from where work and food can be procured easily. Children starve, suffer from the often irreversible consequences of malnutrition – this happens to them not accidentally, but by deliberate Government policy. They starve in a land that could be the bread basket of Africa, a land that normally is a net exporter of food.

The father leaves his family in the bantustan homeland, there eking out a miserable existence, whilst he, if he is lucky, goes to the so-called white man’s town as a migrant, to live an unnatural life in a single sex hostel for 11 months of the year, being prey there to prostitution, drunkenness, and worse. This migratory labor policy is declared Government policy, and has been condemned, even by the white Dutch Reformed Church,1 not noted for being quick to criticize the Government, as a cancer in our society. This cancer, eating away at the vitals of black family life, is deliberate Government policy. It is part of the cost of apartheid, exorbitant in terms of human suffering.

Apartheid has spawned discriminatory education, such as Bantu Education, education for serfdom, ensuring that the Government spends only about one tenth on one black child per annum for education what it spends on a white child. It is education that is decidedly separate and unequal. It is to be wantonly wasteful of human resources, because so many of God’s children are prevented, by deliberate Government policy, from attaining to their fullest potential. South Africa is paying a heavy price already for this iniquitous policy because there is a desperate shortage of skilled manpower, a direct result of the short-sighted schemes of the racist regime. It is a moral universe that we inhabit, and good and right equity matter in the universe of the God we worship. And so, in this matter, the South African Government and its supporters are being properly hoisted with their own petard.

Apartheid is upheld by a phalanx of iniquitous laws, such as the Population Registration Act, which decrees that all South Africans must be classified ethnically, and duly registered according to these race categories. Many times, in the same family one child has been classified white whilst another, with a slightly darker hue, has been classified colored, with all the horrible consequences for the latter of being shut out from membership of a greatly privileged caste. There have, as a result, been several child suicides. This is too high a price to pay for racial purity, for it is doubtful whether any end, however desirable, can justify such a means. There are laws, such as the Prohibition of Mixed Marriages Act, which regard marriages between a white and a person of another race as illegal. Race becomes an impediment to a valid marriage. Two persons who have fallen in love are prevented by race from consummating their love in the marriage bond. Something beautiful is made to be sordid and ugly. The Immorality Act decrees that fornication and adultery are illegal if they happen between a white and one of another race. The police are reduced to the level of peeping Toms to catch couples red-handed. Many whites have committed suicide rather than face the disastrous consequences that follow in the train of even just being charged under this law. The cost is too great and intolerable.

Such an evil system, totally indefensible by normally acceptable methods, relies on a whole phalanx of draconian laws such as the security legislation which is almost peculiar to South Africa. There are the laws which permit the indefinite detention of persons whom the Minister of Law and Order has decided are a threat to the security of the State. They are detained at his pleasure, in solitary confinement, without access to their family, their own doctor, or a lawyer. That is severe punishment when the evidence apparently available to the Minister has not been tested in an open court – perhaps it could stand up to such rigorous scrutiny, perhaps not; we are never to know. It is a far too convenient device for a repressive regime, and the minister would have to be extra special not to succumb to the temptation to circumvent the awkward process of testing his evidence in an open court, and thus he lets his power under the law to be open to the abuse where he is both judge and prosecutor. Many, too many, have died mysteriously in detention. All this is too costly in terms of human lives. The minister is able, too, to place people under banning orders without being subjected to the annoyance of the checks and balances of due process. A banned person for 3 or 5 years becomes a non-person, who cannot be quoted during the period of her banning order. She cannot attend a gathering, which means more than one other person. Two persons together talking to a banned person are a gathering! She cannot attend the wedding or funeral of even her own child without special permission. She must be at home from 6:00 PM of one day to 6:00 AM of the next and on all public holidays, and from 6:00 PM on Fridays until 6:00 AM on Mondays for 3 years. She cannot go on holiday outside the magisterial area to which she has been confined. She cannot go to the cinema, nor to a picnic. That is severe punishment, inflicted without the evidence allegedly justifying it being made available to the banned person, nor having it scrutinized in a court of law. It is a serious erosion and violation of basic human rights, of which blacks have precious few in the land of their birth. They do not enjoy the rights of freedom of movement and association. They do not enjoy freedom of security of tenure, the right to participate in the making of decisions that affect their lives. In short, this land, richly endowed in so many ways, is sadly lacking in justice.

Once a Zambian and a South African, it is said, were talking. The Zambian then boasted about their Minister of Naval Affairs. The South African asked, “But you have no navy, no access to the sea. How then can you have a Minister of Naval Affairs?” The Zambian retorted, “Well, in South Africa you have a Minister of Justice, don’t you?”

It is against this system that our people have sought to protest peacefully since 1912 at least, with the founding of the African National Congress. They have used the conventional methods of peaceful protest – petitions, demonstrations, deputations, and even a passive resistance campaign. A tribute to our people’s commitment to peaceful change is the fact that the only South Africans to win the Nobel Peace Prize are both black. Our people are peace-loving to a fault. The response of the authorities has been an escalating intransigence and violence, the violence of police dogs, tear gas, detention without trial, exile, and even death. Our people protested peacefully against the Pass Laws in 1960, and 69 of them were killed on March 21, 1960, at Sharpeville, many shot in the back running away. Our children protested against inferior education, singing songs and displaying placards and marching peacefully. Many in 1976, on June 16th and subsequent times, were killed or imprisoned. Over 500 people died in that uprising. Many children went into exile. The whereabouts of many are unknown to their parents. At present, to protest that self-same discriminatory education, and the exclusion of blacks from the new constitutional dispensation, the sham local black government, rising unemployment, increased rents and General Sales Tax, our people have boycotted and demonstrated. They have staged a successful two-day stay away. Over 150 people have been killed. It is far too high a price to pay. There has been little revulsion or outrage at this wanton destruction of human life in the West. In parenthesis, can somebody please explain to me something that has puzzled me. When a priest goes missing and is subsequently found dead, the media in the West carry his story in very extensive coverage.2 I am glad that the death of one person can cause so much concern. But in the self-same week when this priest is found dead, the South African Police kill 24 blacks who had been participating in the protest, and 6.000 blacks are sacked for being similarly involved, and you are lucky to get that much coverage. Are we being told something I do not want to believe, that we blacks are expendable and that blood is thicker than water, that when it comes to the crunch, you cannot trust whites, that they will club together against us? I don’t want to believe that is the message being conveyed to us.

Be that as it may, we see before us a land bereft of much justice, and therefore without peace and security. Unrest is endemic, and will remain an unchanging feature of the South African scene until apartheid, the root cause of it all, is finally dismantled. At this time, the Army is being quartered on the civilian population. There is a civil war being waged. South Africans are on either side. When the African National Congress and the Pan-Africanist Congress3 were banned in 1960, they declared that they had no option but to carry out the armed struggle. We in the South African Council of Church have said we are opposed to all forms of violence – that of a repressive and unjust system, and that of those who seek to overthrow that system. However, we have added that we understand those who say they have had to adopt what is a last resort for them. Violence is not being introduced into the South African situation de novo from outside by those who are called terrorists or freedom fighters, depending on whether you are oppressed or an oppressor. The South African situation is violent already, and the primary violence is that of apartheid, the violence of forced population removals, of inferior education, of detention without trial, of the migratory labor system, etc.

There is war on the border of our country. South African faces fellow South African. South African soldiers are fighting against Namibians who oppose the illegal occupation of their country by South Africa, which has sought to extend its repressive system of apartheid, unjust and exploitative.

There is no peace in Southern Africa. There is no peace because there is no justice. There can be no real peace and security until there be first justice enjoyed by all the inhabitants of that beautiful land. The Bible knows nothing about peace without justice, for that would be crying “peace, peace, where there is no peace”. God’s Shalom, peace, involves inevitably righteousness, justice, wholeness, fullness of life, participation in decision-making, goodness, laughter, joy, compassion, sharing and reconciliation.

I have spoken extensively about South Africa, first because it is the land I know best, but because it is also a microcosm of the world and an example of what is to be found in other lands in differing degree – when there is injustice, invariably peace becomes a casualty. In El Salvador, in Nicaragua, and elsewhere in Latin America, there have been repressive regimes which have aroused opposition in those countries. Fellow citizens are pitted against one another, sometimes attracting the unhelpful attention and interest of outside powers, who want to extend their spheres of influence. We see this in the Middle East, in Korea, in the Philippines, in Kampuchea, in Vietnam, in Ulster, in Afghanistan, in Mozambique, in Angola, in Zimbabwe, behind the Iron Curtain.

Because there is global insecurity, nations are engaged in a mad arms race, spending billions of dollars wastefully on instruments of destruction, when millions are starving. And yet, just a fraction of what is expended so obscenely on defense budgets would make the difference in enabling God’s children to fill their stomachs, be educated, and given the chance to lead fulfilled and happy lives. We have the capacity to feed ourselves several times over, but we are daily haunted by the spectacle of the gaunt dregs of humanity shuffling along in endless queues, with bowls to collect what the charity of the world has provided, too little too late. When will we learn, when will the people of the world get up and say, Enough is enough. God created us for fellowship. God created us so that we should form the human family, existing together because we were made for one another. We are not made for an exclusive self-sufficiency but for interdependence, and we break the law of our being at our peril. When will we learn that an escalated arms race merely escalates global insecurity? We are now much closer to a nuclear holocaust than when our technology and our spending were less.

Unless we work assiduously so that all of God’s children, our brothers and sisters, members of our one human family, all will enjoy basic human rights, the right to a fulfilled life, the right of movement, of work, the freedom to be fully human, with a humanity measured by nothing less than the humanity of Jesus Christ Himself, then we are on the road inexorably to self-destruction, we are not far from global suicide; and yet it could be so different.

When will we learn that human beings are of infinite value because they have been created in the image of God, and that it is a blasphemy to treat them as if they were less than this and to do so ultimately recoils on those who do this? In dehumanizing others, they are themselves dehumanized. Perhaps oppression dehumanizes the oppressor as much as, if not more than, the oppressed. They need each other to become truly free, to become human. We can be human only in fellowship, in community, in koinonia, in peace.

Let us work to be peacemakers, those given a wonderful share in Our Lord’s ministry of reconciliation. If we want peace, so we have been told, let us work for justice. Let us beat our swords into ploughshares.

God calls us to be fellow workers with Him, so that we can extend His Kingdom of Shalom, of justice, of goodness, of compassion, of caring, of sharing, of laughter, joy and reconciliation, so that the kingdoms of this world will become the Kingdom of our God and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever. Amen. Then there will be a fulfillment of the wonderful vision in the Revelation of St. John the Divine (Rev. 6:9ff):

9. After this I beheld, and lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations and kindreds and people and tongues, stood before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands,

10. And cried with a loud voice saying, “Salvation to our God, who sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb”.

11. And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God

12. saying, “Amen; Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might, be unto our God forever and ever. Amen”.

1. The white Dutch Reformed Church was the principal church of the Afrikaner ruling minority.

2. Tutu refers to a recent event in Poland, when Father Jerzy Popieluszko was murdered by the Secret Police in October 1984.

3. The African National Congress (ANC), established in 1912, of which the Nobel laureate Albert Lutuli had been President-General, wanted a racially just South Africa of blacks and whites. The “Africanists” split off to establish the Pan-Africanist Congress (PAC), which wanted government “of the African, by the African, for the African”.

Brief History of Late Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa

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Late Archbishop Tutu died on Sunday 26th December, 2021. News of his passing away can be read here.

Desmond Mpilo Tutu OMSG CH (7 October 1931 – 26 December 2021) was a South African Anglican bishop and theologian, known for his work as an anti-apartheid and human rights activist. He was the Bishop of Johannesburg from 1985 to 1986 and then the Archbishop of Cape Town from 1986 to 1996, in both cases being the first black African to hold the position. Theologically, he sought to fuse ideas from black theology with African theology.

Desmond Mpilo Tutu was born of mixed Xhosa and Motswana heritage to a poor family in Klerksdorp, South Africa. Entering adulthood, he trained as a teacher and married Nomalizo Leah Tutu, with whom he had several children. In 1960, he was ordained as an Anglican priest and in 1962 moved to the United Kingdom to study theology at King’s College London. In 1966 he returned to southern Africa, teaching at the Federal Theological Seminary and then the University of Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland. In 1972, he became the Theological Education Fund’s director for Africa, a position based in London but necessitating regular tours of the African continent. Back in southern Africa in 1975, he served first as dean of St Mary’s Cathedral in Johannesburg and then as Bishop of Lesotho; from 1978 to 1985 he was general-secretary of the South African Council of Churches. He emerged as one of the most prominent opponents of South Africa’s apartheid system of racial segregation and white minority rule. Although warning the National Party government that anger at apartheid would lead to racial violence, as an activist he stressed non-violent protest and foreign economic pressure to bring about universal suffrage.

In 1985, Tutu became Bishop of Johannesburg and in 1986 the Archbishop of Cape Town, the most senior position in southern Africa’s Anglican hierarchy. In this position he emphasised a consensus-building model of leadership and oversaw the introduction of female priests. Also in 1986, he became president of the All Africa Conference of Churches, resulting in further tours of the continent. After President F. W. de Klerk released the anti-apartheid activist Nelson Mandela from prison in 1990 and the pair led negotiations to end apartheid and introduce multi-racial democracy, Tutu assisted as a mediator between rival black factions. After the 1994 general election resulted in a coalition government headed by Mandela, the latter selected Tutu to chair the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to investigate past human rights abuses committed by both pro and anti-apartheid groups. Following apartheid’s fall, Tutu campaigned for gay rights and spoke out on a wide range of subjects, among them the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, his opposition to the Iraq War, and his criticism of South African presidents Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma. In 2010, he retired from public life.

Tutu polarised opinion as he rose to notability in the 1970s. White conservatives who supported apartheid despised him, while many white liberals regarded him as too radical; many black radicals accused him of being too moderate and focused on cultivating white goodwill, while Marxist–Leninists criticised his anti-communist stance. He was widely popular among South Africa’s black majority, and was internationally praised for his anti-apartheid activism, receiving a range of awards, including the Nobel Peace Prize. He also compiled several books of his speeches and sermons.

Credit: Wikipedia

South Africa: Archbishop Desmond Tutu Dies at 90

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Africaprimenews
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Desmond Tutu
Arc Bishop Desmond Tutu (Photo: Tutu Foundation)

By Iliya Kure

Renown South Africa’s Archbishop, Desmond Tutu, who contributed to end apartheid in the country has died Sunday morning in Cape Town at the age of 90 years.

Tutu was anti-apartheid fighter in the likes of Nelson Mandela, and will be remembered as one of the people that brought an end to the policy of racial discrimination used by apartheid government against black majority in the country between 1948 and 1991.

His death comes few weeks after that of South Africa’s last apartheid-era president, FW de Clerk, who died at the age of 85.

In a statement President Cyril Ramaphosa said, “The passing of Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu is another chapter of bereavement in our nation’s farewell to a generation of outstanding South Africans who have bequeathed us a liberated SA.

“Desmond Tutu was a patriot without equal; a leader of principle and pragmatism who gave meaning to the biblical insight that faith without works is dead.

“A man of extraordinary intellect, integrity and invincibility against the forces of apartheid, he was also tender and vulnerable in his compassion for those who had suffered oppression, injustice and violence under apartheid, and oppressed and downtrodden people around the world.”

He was awarded Nobel prize in 1984, “for his role as a unifying leader figure in the non-violent campaign to resolve the problem of apartheid in South Africa,” according to the awarding organisation.

Electoral Bill: Nigerians Blast National Assembly.. Say They ‘re Rubber Stamp

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News Editor
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The excuse President Muhammadu Buhari adduced in 2018 for refusing to sign the Electoral Amendment Bill into law was that it was too close to the 2019 general election. It therefore remained unsigned for two years until the lawmakers had another opportunity to tinker with it.

Against groundswell of expectations from Nigerians who had called for electronic transmission of election results to be included in the Electoral Bill, the National Assembly rejected it until public outcry forced the legislators to rescind its decision.

On Tuesday 9th November, 2021, the National Assembly passed the much anticipated Electoral Act Amendment Bill 2021 which contains the provision for direct primaries for selection of party candidates.

The Presiding officers of the National Assembly had exuded confidence that President Buhari would sign the Bill into law as he was himself a product of direct primaries and even visited the president on his return from his foreign trip to prepare the ground for his assent.

The Bill was therefore transmitted to the president on November 19 2021 in accordance with Section 58 (4) of the 1999 Constitution. It was therefore a shock for everybody when the president withheld his assent to the Bill.

In his letter dated December 13, 2021, the president explained that his decision to withhold assent to the electoral bill was informed by advice from relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies of Government after a thorough review.

He said signing the bill into law would have serious adverse legal, financial, economic and security consequences on the country, particularly in view of Nigeria’s peculiarities adding that it would also impact negatively on the rights of citizens to participate in the government as constitutionally ensured.

According to Buhari, with Direct primaries, there will be plethora of litigation from party members and stakeholders, just as he said that allowing the process would fuel corruption.

A showdown was therefore expected between the Executive and the Legislature with the public looking forward to the lawmakers using their veto power to override the president’s action.

On Tuesday December 21 2021 when the President’s letter was read on the floor of the Senate, the Senators had even gathered 70 signatures of those who were ready to veto the president.

However, rising from a closed door session to deliberate on President Buhari’s letter and take a position on his refusal to sign the 2021 Electoral Act Amendment bill, President of the Senate, Senator Ahmad Lawan announced that the Senators had agreed at the meeting to consult with members of the House of Representatives when they resume in January because the lawmakers in the lower chamber had already gone on break.

Lawan said, Senators will also consult with their constituents who are major stakeholders in the decisions taken at the National Assembly.

Nigerians have been reacting to the failure of the National Assembly to use its veto power immediately but rather decided to wait till January before it decides on what to do.

While many said the lawmakers had always failed to act in the interest of the people that voted them into office, some however agreed with the reasons proffered by the president for withholding his assent.

Dr Jezie Ekejiuba, Human Rights lawyer and President, Voters Rights International, said, “What we are practicing here is not democracy, but dictatorship. If we are practicing democracy, the national assembly would be on the side of the people because direct primaries is all about democracy.

“Direct primaries is where members of the political parties participate in the selection of their candidates the same way they do during the general elections.

“What members of the National Assembly have done is against the people they represent, which is why after collecting signatures, they chickened out. By January they won’t do anything again and there is nothing the people can do.

“The President rejected the bill because of direct primaries when most people want it. Indirect primaries is when they pay money to some members of the party leadership to decide the candidates, which is not the practice of true democracy.

“No matter what it costs to practice democracy, we should do it since we have adopted the system.”

Elder statesman and immediate past Secretary General of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Anthony N Z Sani, argued that, “the rejection by President to sign the Electoral Amendment Bill has surprised many Nigerians for two reasons: It was President Buhari who insisted on direct primary by his party in 2019 and subjected himself to the direct primary while state governors under APC refused and conducted their own party primaries using indirect primary.

“As a result, many legislators under APC and some of us thought he was for direct primary and mobilized for its support. For the president to now turn against direct primary has stunned many Nigerians, especially his supporters.

“The second surprise is the fact that the president’s rejection has created the impression that the government is at war with itself as APC, the ruling party controls both the Executive and the National Assembly.

“The president’s letter to the National Assembly has also ignored the important advantages of direct primary which includes improvement of internal democracy by doing away with power and abuse of incumbency by governors and money bags who deploy their powers and hijack delegates during indirect primary.

“Rather, the president’s letter dwelt so much on fear. For example, the security challenges have been around for quite sometime in Nigeria and have been reducing under this regime by the day, yet there have been general elections in this country.

“When the letter talks of high cost of direct primary, it feigns ignorance of the fact that direct primary takes place either at polling unit or ward level by only registered party members who are far fewer than registered voters.

“The direct party primary could not possibly be more than the general elections. What is more, INEC has said it needs N305b for elections against the N500b being bandied about to frighten the government away from direct primary.

“If smaller parties do not have the wherewithal to compete under our nascent multiparty democracy, they are at liberty to merge with the big political parties. And the high nomination fees charged by progressive party like APC has been designed to reduce the number of aspirants to manageable level.

Violation of citizens right must be seen in proper context, individual right is never absolute. The issue of likely litigation does not hold water because if any law by political party conflicts with that of the nation like Electoral Act, the federal law would prevail. Consultations with stake holders is good for the health of democracy.

Yet, it is not good for our democracy for the president to give any impression that other vested interests have usurped the constitutional functions of the National Assembly. I am not in support of the notion that NASS should over ride the president.

“I would rather prefer both the executive and the majority of APC legislators to go back to the drawing board and sort out their differences with a view to coming out with a common position.”

Eric Omare, a legal practitioner and immediate past president, Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) worldwide, in his view however said: “I agree with the reasons advanced by President Buhari for the rejection of the Electoral Bill but not with his approach.

“I feel that he should have communicated his decision earlier than now and if possible maintain a more cordial communication with members of the National Assembly. As far as I am concerned the President’s reasons for rejecting the bill resonate with the thinking of a lot of Nigerians including myself.

“As for the position of members of the National Assembly, I think the issue has to do with national interest and not ego fight between the Executive and the Legislature. They should carefully look at the issues raised by the President and act in the national interest.

“I do not see the sense in contemplating the option of veto to pass the bill into law. There is no basis for that option. I advise that they should take a second look at the bill and remove the controversial direct primaries and send it back to the President for assent.”

According to Prince Nyekwere is Chairman, Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), Port Harcourt Branch, “the National Assembly (NASS) members are representatives of Nigerians from the various Federal Constituencies and Senatorial Districts. It is assumed that the Electoral Bill as passed by the NASS represent the feelings and aspirations of majority of the Nigerian people.

“The reasons adduced by the President for refusing to assent to the Electoral Bill are not well received by majority of Nigerian people who truly believe in democracy. In the circumstance, the NASS members ought to override the President.

“However, from experience, I am afraid the current NASS will not have the courage to override the President’s veto as their loyalty is more to their political parties and politics rather than national interest and our common good.”

OC Higher King, lawyer and rights activist, said, “It is very unfortunate. I don’t think those advising the President are doing so properly and the President depends on advice. For the lawmakers to chicken out because of political leaning is quite unfortunate.

Initially they refused to put some of these clauses in the Amended Electoral Act and some of us shouted and suddenly they came back and put them in and we praised them.

“But now some persons are advising the President not to sign, I don’t understand. I don’t know why they are not working in synergy. The President has been talking of genuine democracy, fairness and repositioning INEC.

“I don’t know why, when the opportunity comes, they are not taking it. Is it that those in authority don’t want to do something to better the lives of Nigerians?”

For Darling Nwauju, Spokesman, Niger Delta Rights Advivates, ”what the President has done is to withhold assent pending reworking of the contentious section 58 of the Electoral Act. In my own opinion, the President did not veto the Bill.

“So, it’s left for the National Assembly to choose to either rephrase that section or go ahead to override Mr President. It is also too early in the day to accuse any set of lawmakers of chickening out.

“On resumption of plenary in the new year, action will return to the two Chambers of the National Assembly.”

Senator Victor Umeh who represented Anambra Central Senatorial district in the eighth Senate, said that the real reason President Muhamnadu Buhari refused to sign the new Electoral Bill into law was because his party was not comfortable with the inclusion of the electronic transmission of election results, and the use of Bi- Modial Voter Accreditation System, BVAS.

According to the former National Chairman of the All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA, “Buhari’s citing of direct primaries as reason for declining assent to the Act was a diversionary tactic to deceive gullible and less politically literate Nigerians.

“Buhari and APC are just trying to use indirect kick to kill the new Electoral Act. Remember that in the eighth Senate we passed the bill three times and the President rejected it. He wants to run away from electronic transmission of election results and the use of BVAS which are two important contents of the new Electoral Act.

“The real reason the APC-dominated National Assembly included direct primaries was to give the President an excuse to withhold assent from the bill, and that’s what he has done.

“It is regrettable that the current members of the National Assembly lack the will power and determination to upturn the President’s veto. I have been there and I know them.

None of them can oppose the President. They have not shown they can stand on their own to oppose Mr. President even though the Constitution gives them power to do so.

“It will be foolhardy for anyone to expect that when they come back in January that they can upturn the President.

“I, however, urge the National Assembly, for the sake of our democracy, to quickly rework the rejected Bill and amend the clause on direct primaries, making it optional based on party’s choice and return same to the President for his assent.

“If NASS wants to help the cause of democracy, they should immediately amend the clause on direct primaries and make it direct/indirect primaries and allow parties to make their choice.

“Another thing is to strengthen INEC and give it more powers to monitor party primaries and where there is no free, fair and credible primaries, INEC report will make the outcome of such exercise invalid and the affected party will not to be included in the main election.

“There is no much difference between direct and indirect primaries, what actually matters is the process.

“Party leaders and administrators who determine the outcome of each one are the real problem in the system. Direct or indirect primaries is not the problem, the problem is the party leaders that control the system and determine the process”.

A former member representing Oron Federal constituency in the House of Representatives, Mr. Peter Linus Umoh submitted that the Senate did not chicken out from overriding President Muhammadu Buhari’s veto.

Umoh, a lawyer and former Speaker, Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly said, “the lawmakers did not chicken out. The National Assembly is made up of two chambers, the Senate and House of Representatives.

“The Senate president said they will consult with their constituents and with the lower chamber.

Nigerians should wait and dialogue with their representatives during this Christmas holidays so that by the time they resume from the recess they will be better equipped with knowledge of what to do.

A chieftain of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Prince Richard Ozobu, described President Muhammadu Buhari’s veto on the Electoral Amendment Bill as an action done in national interest.

Ozobu explained that Buhari, who gave reasons for his veto, had studied the amendment bill and consulted widely before declining assent.

He said; “The President acted in national interest.We have elected leaders who determine on our behalf what constitutes national interest. So, the leader has considered the national interest to withhold his assent.

“You can observe that most of the political parties are even decided on the issue of direct and indirect primaries. The President has acted in a way he thinks is in national interest. For the President’s veto to be overridden, it is not a simple thing.

“This is about the third or fourth time the bill is rejected by the President. This is what happens in a presidential system of government.

“Members of the National Assembly who voted against it must change their votes. The National Assembly needs 2/3 majority vote to override the President’s veto, but they did well to decide to go on recess and consult more with their constituents on the president’s decision. This is democracy in action.”

Convener, Joint Action Committee of Northern Youth Association, Murtala Abubakar, said “the rejection of the new electoral bill by the President is not surprising to me because President Buhari has never opposed any position taken by the Nigeria Governors forum.

“What is surprising however, was the lack of sufficient political will by the National Assembly to veto the President given that the intent of the Bill in the first place was to give Senator Ahmed Bola Tinibu an edge during the primaries over the governors who have constituted themselves into a big political monster.”

Former Provost Marshal of the Nigerian Army, Brigadier Idada Ikponmwen (rtd) said the President was wrong in not assenting to the bill and wants the National Assembly to override the president.

He said “I am optimistic that this National Assembly that has the courage to pass this bill will also have the same courage to override the president. The decision of the president ought to be overridden because it is ill advised.

“It is a wrong view that direct primary is not the way to go, government is an issue that is much more fundamental. You cannot place party constitution against the constitution of the country.

“The Constitution in Section 14 already talks about sovereignty residing on the people of Nigeria. It says that sovereignty flows from the people of Nigeria.

“It is the people that are sovereign and the power of government flows from the people so people are cardinal to our democratic system as evidenced in Section 14. If that is so, everything within the system must reflect the importance of the people.”

On his part, Dr Washington Osifo, a lawyer and lawmaker-elect into the Edo State House of Assembly, advised against overriding the president’s decision.

He said: “No matter what, the president has done the right thing in line with my thinking. I am on the side of those who think that the president should not assent to it.

“On the issue of direct primaries, I think that the proper thing to do is what the president has done because when you look at the provisions of our constitution, the right to make a choice is fundamental and that right was almost taken away by members of the National Assembly when they brought that amendment to reflect that parties must align to one choice made for them and it must be direct primary.

For me that is not what democracy is all about, democracy is about freedom. What makes the contest thick is that party A may choose an option different from party B and at the end of the day they are driving a process that makes democracy dynamic.

“In the constitution of my party APC, it is there that you can make your choice out of the three options which include consensus, indirect primary and direct primary.

“But on the argument that it would be expensive, Direct Primary is the most cost effective of the three and the one that is least manipulative. The indirect can easily be manipulated and it encourages corruption.”

Chairman, Ilana Omo Oodua, Prof Banji Akintoye, through his Communication Manager, Maxwell Adeleye said, “that’s a confirmation of our agitation.

“Nigeria is now a commercial enterprise that has already expired and the major financier is no longer interested in restructuring.

“Majority of the Yoruba people have made up our mind that we are no longer interested in Nigeria, what we want is an independent Yoruba nation. When we get to our own nation, the spirit of nationhood will guide us.

“There can never be a perfect nation, but the spirit of nationhood, one culture, one language, one spirit will guide us. There is no way a country like Nigeria will develop because there is no loyalty to the nation from the people.

“Buhari is only loyal to his ethnic group. And for the Senate, it’s only a Senator who doesn’t want another term that will not be loyal to the governor of his state.

Only such a Senator can stand and say no but a Senator that knows his seat is not safe will not talk. They are not safe, EFCC may pick them up. The solution is that, there is nothing to reform in Nigeria. Nigeria is long dead and we want our own nation.

‘Direct primaries problematic’
According to Hon John Mafo, a lawyer, and former information commissioner in Ondo state, “by withholding his assent, the President, surprisingly, but pleasantly listened to the voice of reason which has brought a great relief to Nigerians.

“Talking of possible move by the National Assembly to override the President’s veto, that would be a bad joke taken too far!

“The gamble or was it a gimmick to use the popular desire of Nigerians for electoral reforms that would enhance transparency, to smuggle in the clause on the controversial, highly provoking and vexatious direct primary, was a trap that failed to produce the expected result as Nigerians read between the lines!

“Some people in the National Assembly, for selfish reasons, wanted to impose the expensive idea of direct primary on political parties, thinking that Nigerians in the euphoria expected to follow the announcement of electronic transmissions of results would fail to look at the accompanying evil of direct primaries and the dangers associated with it, which by far outweighs the problems identified with delegate elections.

“But Nigerians spotted the booby trap and the President called the bluff of the lawmakers! All the talks of overriding the President’s veto are just empty boasts that will fade at the point of reality.

“The only party that has direct primary as one of three options in its constitution is the APC; yet a cross-section of APC governors openly lobbied against the inclusion of the system in the Electoral Act.

National Organising Secretary of Afenifere, Apagun Kole Omololu, argued that, “President Buhari does what he likes and with his cohorts are intentionally programming us for dark ages practices. They know they can not win free and fair election, hence the suppression of the people’s will.

“Many legislators stole the people’s votes to get to the National Assembly, so they have no mandate and no responsibility to the people. Our legislators are wolves in sheep’s clothing.

“This is the period they should have used to redeem themselves. Since we can not get to Aso Villa, let the wolves be rest assured that we are waiting for them at home.”

For Ambassador Yemi Farounbi, ”Perhaps, it is too early to say that the senate has failed to override the president because what the senate said was to act in conjunction with the House of Representatives, so let’s wait till January whether they will able to muster the courage to do the needful and stand by what they believed in.

“The pathetic thing really is that it wasn’t about whether it is compulsory for direct primary within the party, it is contest within the elites, a contest between those in the legislative arm that want to have a second term because experience has shown that sometimes,the results of direct primary don’t have effect on the result of the election.

“We saw how Andy Uba won APC primary and did not win the election.
What we want to see is whether this senate is just trying to be apron of the presidency or they have enough courage to stand by what they believed.

“If they are unable to stand by what they believe,they will lose every respect they can ever get from the populace.
So it is a test of their integrity, a test of their political independence,iit is a test whether they are just a rubber stamp or a political counter balancing.
We will see that when they come in January.

Chief Akin Osuntokun,former Special Adviser on Political Affairs to President Olusegun Obasanjo,said,“it shows how powerless the National Assembly is to challenge the presidency when the need arises.
And probably such act showed that the National Assembly lacks relevance.

“I understand that the president had reservation for some items in the bill, but he ought to have called the attention of the lawmakers to the area rather than withholding assent on the entire bill.
It is not all about direct or indirect primary but how our election is to be conducted transparently.

“So,I did not expect the National Assembly to confront the presidency.
The senate,through majority of APC members of northern extraction, had initially rejected electronic transmission of result, So,if you look at the situation we are in presently,the lawmakers have shown that they are an appendage of the “Executive Arm”.

The Legal Department of the National Assembly is fully aware that the Supreme Court has declared that a political party is a voluntary association and the National Assembly does not have the liberty to regulate the internal workings of political associations,like other associations.

“The National Assembly cannot be setting rules of engagement for various associations.

“Proponents of direct and indirect primaries know that both have their challenges,likewise a consensus arrangement is also not without challenges.

“On the question of the National Assembly overriding the President,unfortunately,we have a “Yes Men” National Assembly that can not veto the bill and meet the expectations of Nigerians.

“As far as I am concerned,going by the the activities of the Lawan and Gbajabiamila leadership in the last 30 months,it’s obvious that there exist an unholy alliance between the legislature and the executive which has done more damage than good for the country.

“This bunch of 9th National Assembly for instance does not subject
President Buhari’s requests to serious scrutiny,rather they are always in a hurry to do the bidding of the presidency to the detriment of Nigerians.

“As a confirmation that the 9th National Assembly leadership is a rubber stamp,this is the fourth time the bill would suffer setback from the Executive and they failed to override it.

“As a National Political figure and stakeholder in the Nigeria Project,
I pass vote of no confidence in the leadership of both the Red and Green Chambers.
In conclusion the 9th National Assembly leadership is the worst in Nigeria history.

Mr Alaowei Cleric,a lawyer and Chairman Board of Trustees,Centre for Human Rights and Anti-Corruption Crusade, CHURAC however hailed the decision of President Muhammadu Buhari.

He said:“I am in support of President Buhari.
The President just did the noble thing to rescue the country from a renewed electoral malpractice awaiting to explode.

“Direct primary will surely take us back to the era of electoral brigandage.
Our political system is not matured yet to have only direct primary.

“In a multi party democracy such as ours, compelling political parties to have only one mode of conducting party elections is not only undemocratic but also unconstitutional.

“It is also too costly to conduct a direct primary, especially by the smaller political parties.
Looking at the pros and cons of the clause,I am in total agreement with President Buhari.

“I can safely say that,allowing direct primary in the Electoral Act will pose a threat to our democracy.
Mr. President must be commended.

On a second thought,I think that inimical direct primary clause imported into the Bill is an APC gimmick,ostensibly to frustrate the innovations in the entire Bill.
I’m sure they never wanted the Bill with the introduction of electronic transfer of election results.

“They have to surreptitiously introduce this direct primary clause in order to have an excuse of avoiding assent to the Bill.

“The National Assembly should immediately include indirect primary to that clause and send it back to the President for assent. The lawmakers still have time to do it before the next cycle of elections in the Country”.

Adetunji Olagboyega, NANS coordinator, Southwest (Zone D) Adetunji Olagboyega: ”It is rather confusing that the Presidency that would come out to claim we have enough manpower and capable hands handling the security of the nation in the face of banditry,terrorism,kidnapping,terrorism etc will now suddenly say the same man power is no longer sufficient and capable of ensuring a hitch-free intra party electoral process.

“We shall not subscribe to the fallacious argument that it is a reason for which direct primary is not possible. Intra party elections are not wars and we condemn any deliberate action to heat up the polity just because the President is not ready to assent the bills.

“All other excuses given by the Presidency in the letter addressed to the National Assembly are not tenable and are considered inconsequential.

“We will mobilise our members to ensure that what is supposed to be an enduring legacy of this administration is not truncated based on the interest of very few shenanigans.

“In essence,we are of the position that direct primary election as the process of selecting political parties’ flag bearers is the best policy so as to further guarantee the freedom and right of the Nigerian people to determine who appears on the ballot paper during the general election”.

Hon Danjuma Sarki,PDP chieftain in Kaduna state, said “it is rather unfortunate and appalling for Buhari to decline to sign the long-awaited electoral bill.

“He has once again lost a good opportunity to deepen our democracy and give the electorate a more participatory room for electing credible and popular leaders of their choice.

“The President has missed the opportunity to write his name in gold in the annals of the history of strengthening our democracy.
As for the lawmakers,it is no longer news that they are rubber stamps.

“They lack the courage and the principle to do the right thing or what the generality of Nigerians want.
They are so shamefully answerable to the whims and caprices of the executive.

“It is embarrassing that despite the long period of time they spent deliberating on the bill and the accompanying drama in both chambers of the National Assembly they just chickened out like kids.

What it implies is that they can not stand to defend the yearnings and aspirations of their constituents whenever the need arises”.

Executive Director,Resource Centre for Human Rights and Civic Education,CHRICED,IIbrahim Zikirullahi said “It is just so unfortunate that President Muhammadu Buhari with the little opportunity he has to write his name in gold,has again jettisoned it. I sympathize with him because he has allowed those who never had the interest of Nigeria at heart to control and destroy all he has ever laboured for in his life which was to have a good name.

“That name is not only so battered now but also tattered.
He only wants to hear from his aides who can never tell him what he doesn’t want to hear.

“The electoral act is not saying anything apart from giving the citizens a sense of belonging.
And what that means is that if you truly say you are running a political party that is built on the collective of the people,then the people henceforth should be deciding who gets what within the political parties.

“Of course,we have seen how they are running political parties like a private entity where few godfathers and moneybags take charge and decide who gets what and who will never get anything.

“This Electoral Act would have changed that trend because you will now know that for you to get a mandate, you must reach out to the people.
For me,it is a huge joke when you want to distance the political party from the people.

“And few of you can just sit down and appoint who will be governor, and who will be senator.
It’s not done anywhere in the world.
And despite all the challenges we are going through,this is an opportunity for Buhari to again show to the world that he meant well for Nigeria.

“He allowed the so called Progressive Governors and the rest to direct him and destroy his name”.

Chairman,Conference of Northern States Civil Society Networks,Comrade Ibrahim Waiya,said,“We see this decline by the President to assent the Electoral Bill as a denial of the rights of the citizens to be involved in the Nigerian democratic system because this is an opportunity for the citizens to participate in the electoral process to produce their party’s candidates for elections.

“We are trying to improve on the system but this decline by the President is taking us back.
We are now waiting to see what the NASS will do when they resume in January.

“We want them to use their veto power to pass the Bill into law”.

Vanguard News.

 

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Alleged Defamation: Dangote Threatens Kaduna Businessman, Kailani With N100bn Suit

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President of Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote has given...

U.S., Nigeria Announce $5.1 Billion Health Cooperation Agreement

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The United States and the Federal Republic of Nigeria...

How The Arrest Of Seven Kenyans In South Africa Escalated Into A Diplomatic Dispute

Diplomacy 1
By Vyona Adhiambo, Nairobi On Wednesday, South Africa announced that...

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