Tuesday 1 November 2011

Abia non-indigenes sack: Ebonyi waits for official confirmation

GOVERNOR Martin Elechi is yet to make
any official statement with regards to
the sack of non-indigenes by Abia State
Government.
Speculation has it that the Governor still
sees the expulsion of non-indigenes
from Abia State as a rumour and has so
far refused to take any official stand on
the matter, pending when Abia State
Governor would communicate him
officially and or the state executive
council decides unanimously on the
matter.
Although, some sacked Ebonyi State
indigenes from Abia State Civil Service
have staged a protest in Abakaliki, the
state government appears to be waiting
for an appropriate time to react on the
matter.
However, major stakeholders in the state
are not happy with the development,
stressing that such actions were capable
of disintegrating the unity, collective
responsibility and cultural affinity of the
Ndigbo both in the country and in the
Diaspora. While others are of the view
that the Ndigbo Presidency, 2015, would
remain a mirage if the issue of sacked
non-indigenes was not carefully
addressed.
It is also feared in some quarters, that
some South-East governors may sack
non-indigenes in their states, a
development that may completely erode
Ndigbo unity.
In an exclusive chat with Vanguard, the
Commissioner for Information, Hon.
Chike Onwe noted that the state
government was yet to be
communicated officially on such
proposition, adding that it would at this
stage be considered as a mere rumour
except proven otherwise in due course.
He however noted that if implemented
that it would threaten the corporate
existence of Ndigbo and also the well
being of Nigerians.
“Disengaging people from service on
account of place of origin is backward
thinking. But as I said, it is still on the
plane of rumour and we don’t react to
rumours but to substance. For now it is
not true, when it is true the issue will be
addressed. I think the Ndigbo is a united
people and we shall not allow anything
to disintegrate this unity. I think it will
be unfortunate if such a thing happens.”
He stressed that the state government
would not be part of any process that
would cause disaffection among citizens
because of indigenization. He added that
non-indigenes in the state were
gainfully occupying sensitive positions,
even in the state executive council.
His words:“Since we talking about true
federalism, we cannot achieve much by
being sectional or calling some
‘indigenes’ and some others ‘non
indigenes.’ So, for us to achieve true
federalism, we must get people to feel at
home wherever they are. We looking at
a situation where an individual from
Kaduna comes to Ebonyi State and
stands for any election and the man
from Ebonyi goes to Lagos, stands for
an election and gets elected and serves
his term.
“The position of Abia State government
is yet to be made available to the Ebonyi
State Government but as I said it is still a
rumour. But if that turns out to be true,
the matter will be looked at collectively
by the state executive council and a
position will be taken. In the interim, it is
still a rumour and we shall treat it as
such. But I want to inform that there are
Abians and people who are from other
states that work in Ebonyi unhindered
and unmarginalized, not witch hunted
and we see ourselves as brothers and
sisters.”

Despite Gaddafi’s fate, Africa’s despotstrudge on

Sulaimon
Olanrewaju
reports
that
despite
the
dethronement
and
death
of
Muammar
Gaddafi,
former
Libyan
ruler,
which has further decimated the rank of
Africa's despots, the continent's remaining
dictators show no sign of relinquishing
power even after being in the saddle for
decades.
AT the initial stage of his 42-year reign in
Libya, Colonel Muammar Gaddafi was the
common man's hero as he pandered to the
whims of the people. He brought visible
changes to the country and made life
meaningful to the average citizens. He was
said to have provided electricity, housing,
education, infrastructure, health care,
employment, executed world's largest
irrigation project, shared part of the oil
receipts with the people and more. But he
ran into problem with his people because
he denied them their fundamental right; the
right to choose their own leaders.
Throughout his 42-year reign, he
successfully reined in opposition. He
brooked no contrary opinion; everyone
who voiced a converse concern was treated
as an enemy because dissent was
pronounced illegal in 1973 and those found
guilty of the law either ended up six feet
below the ground level or hundreds of
miles away in foreign lands. In 1974, the
former Libyan ruler also declared that
anyone found guilty of forming a political
party would be executed. Thus, Gaddafi
steadily depleted opposition groups until he
came to see himself as Lord over Libya. By
then, he had reached the peak as Libya's
maximum ruler, but that also was the
beginning of his decline.
As more people who Gaddafi perceived as
enemies escaped from Libya, the exiles
began to gather outside their homeland to
form a force against Gaddafi. The exiles,
working in concert with dissatisfied Libyans
within the country, formed an interim
government known as the National
Transition Council (NTC), which capitalised
on the delay in the delivery of housing
units promised by the government to cause
unrest by staging series of protests in
January this year. The government
promptly reacted to this by floating a
20billion euro investment fund to provide
housing and development.
Though the government's gesture scaled
down the level of protest, it did not last as
there were fresh outbreaks of violence in
February. Aided by the North Atlantic Treaty
Organisation (NATO) forces, the Libyan crisis
escalated daily until it became a civil war.
Initially, Gaddafi discountenanced the
protesters, but with the fall of Benghazi in
February, followed by Tobruk, Misrata,
Bayda and other cities, the heat became
very fierce on the maximum ruler. But there
was no respite until he eventually lost
Tripoli to the rebels and was later captured
in his home town of Sirte before being
killed.
Gaddafi was the hero of many African
despots because he was seen to be firmly in
control of his country and had enough
resources to ward off unwanted foreign
meddling even as he helped many
dissidents to power in other countries.
Therefore, his conquer should have sent a
signal to other dictators that they cannot
have their way perpetually. However, this
has not been the case as many of them
believe they are invincible and stubbornly
hold on to power despite rebellion in their
homesteads.
Teodore Obiang Mbasogo
The Equatorial Guinea strongman became
the country's president in 1979 after
staging a coup that ousted Francisco Macia
Nguema. With the coming of a new
constitution in 1982, he was elected in an
election where he was the sole candidate as
president for a term of seven years and
was re-elected in 1989 also as a sole
candidate. Even after other political parties
were allowed to participate in the election,
he was re-elected in 1996, 2002 and 2009.
One of the rationales for the coup that
brought Mbasogo to power was that his
predecessor was brutal and had embarked
on genocide. Though, initially Mbasogo was
seen to be moderate, in order to have
absolute control on the state, he is also said
to have embarked on “unlawful killings
using security forces, government-
sanctioned kidnappings, systematic torture
of prisoners and detainees by security
forces, life threatening conditions in prisons
and detention facilities, impunity, arbitrary
arrest, detention, and incommunicado
detention.”