As South Africa demands an apology for the Nigerian foreign minister’s statement that Mandela is the black head of a white country, Guinness Ohazuruike urges action against the military dictatorship in Lagos
THE hydra-headed problem of Nigeria will again arise when Commonwealth heads of states meet at their annual summit in Edinburgh in October. The Commonwealth suspended Nigeria from membership two years ago and its Ministerial Action Group is now due to submit recommendations on what to do.
To a watchful public there is nothing to suggest that Nigeria’s military cabal has done anything positive to pacify the hard feelings and outrage generated at the last summit by its atrocities.
To make matters worse, the much-touted, but discredited democratisation programme hastily put in place by President Sani Abacha suffered yet another gross abuse when the dictator recently announced that the remaining set of elections – no, selections – have been indefinitely postponed to next year for no clear reasons. Reasons are hardly ever given for acrobatic displays of absolute power.
Those who invested any atom of belief or suspended disbelief in Abacha’s “Military-Assisted-Democracy” or “Mutual-Assured-Destruction” must now hide in shame: for as much as they are willing to give “MAD” the benefit of the doubt, so much is Abacha determined to disappoint them.
The doubting-Thomases are once more vindicated. Abacha is determined to succeed himself, or to make room for another set of miscreants in national costume.
This makes the coming Commonwealth summit a critical test for all friends of Nigeria. Whatever approach the summit adopts will ultimately demonstrate to the people of Nigeria and the wider world what assistance to expect in their struggle against a ruthless and rudderless cabal.
The mild punitive measures adopted at the last summit have proved ineffective. The suspension of Nigeria and the visa restrictions imposed on military personnel and their civilian cohorts have failed to achieve the desired result: the military chaps are still in the corridors of power.
Well-meaning Nigerians believe that nothing short of outright expulsion of the country from the Commonwealth will suffice this time round. It should be coupled with sanctions, especially the freezing of the foreign bank accounts of military officers.
Further measures like an international embargo on Nigerian oil should also be considered. There is no denying that whatever touches oil will diminish, if not eradicate, the military’s hold on power.
Those who argue otherwise miss the point by exaggerating the hardship that will befall the common man whose position, one dares say, cannot be worsened. He that is down need not fear fall. If sanctions worked in South Africa, they will do as well in Nigeria.
However, let no one be surprised if the junta voluntarily withdraws Nigeria from the Commonwealth to avoid the humiliation of expulsion. Nor should one rule out astute diplomatic manoeuvring to hoodwink the summit.
The summit must be wary of government-sponsored demonstrations, soon to blossom across the major cities of Nigeria, urging Commonwealth leaders to show understanding or perhaps relax the suspension. No doubt some civilians have been bribed, co-opted, harassed and humiliated to support the charade organised by the military to ridicule democracy.
If the summit loses courage, it might become party to grand plans to abort people’s aspirations, because how credible or independent are the five permitted political parties, when each, in a language similar to the other, urge Abacha to succeed himself?
Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka has aptly described the parties as “five fingers of a leprous hand”.
If Abacha succeeds himself or succeeds in installing his civilian cronies, it will make nonsense of all democratic principles and certainly commence a round of anarchy and bloodbath never seen before in Africa, with a resultant refugee problem, a human flood, across the continent.
Nigeria is degenerating into another shame of Africa. It behoves the Commonwealth and the entire world to halt this drift and rescue the vast nation from the atrocities of a few.
Among the leading participants at the Commonwealth summit, President Nelson Mandela should see himself as the ambassador of all Nigerians, representing their hopes and aspirations, aware of the grave consequences of his failing to promote their cause.
Mandela cannot recuse himself from the exalted position of Africa’s number one hero. But his struggles cannot be said to have finished or succeeded if Africans in Nigeria remain in bondage.
Nigerians look to him for freedom and smiles, and the Commonwealth summit is the best forum to launch the needed diplomatic onslaught on the military dictatorship.
Guinness Ohazuruike is a Nigerian seeking refuge in South Africa