News From Nigeria
UNEASY NEIGHBOURS AND THE BIAFRA DIALOGUES BY DR AUSTIN ORETTE
Lately, there have been eruption of kings and kingdoms of the Igbo people all over Nigeria and other parts of the world. If these occurrences were not being normalized, they will be easy to ignore.
Some months ago, I wrote that the two tribes militating against Nigeria progress are the Fulani and the Igbo. From the surface, they look different but their core ideology is the same.
I wrote a five part essay on how the Fulani people achieved their dominance of Nigeria. They used Religion. They are colonizers and they only want to be Nigerians if they are in charge.
The Igbo people only want to be in Nigeria if they are in charge. The South-East people want to achieve the same thing by using commerce and psychological warfare. Where the Fulani people are quiet, the Igbo people are haughty. You can hear their steps many miles away. The Fulani people are austere while the Igbo people are opposite. They tell you they are the best and without them Nigeria cannot move on. They will engage in de-marketing campaigns to prove their point.
Nnamdi Kanu started by declaring Nigeria a zoo. His acolytes took his campaign against Nigeria to a higher level where they will make fictitious gory films about Nigeria. They pumped negative news about Nigeria into the blogosphere. Most of the negative stories against Nigeria overseas are a well oil propaganda machine by the Biafrans. Nigeria is bad because the Igbo people are not in charge. While the Fulani will plot a comeback, the Igbo would settle for blackmail that they are being marginalized. They will not make any effort to collaborate with others to contest for power. They think power will be surrendered to them by blackmail and harassment of their irregular forces under the control of Nnamdi Kanu.
The recent proliferation of kingship in Igbo land, Nigerian and overseas is part of this agenda. They will cry victim and the world will come to their support. This behavior has confirmed the fact that the Igbo people have no respect for the rights of their hosts.
From Dallas to Lagos and China to Pakistan, they want to set up a kingdom and undermine their host. If this were not a threat to innocent Nigerians, it would not be a thing. This behavior has made many folks to distant themselves from Nigerians as they cannot tell who is who. These kingdoms have been associated with a high level of predation. This elephant in the room is too big to ignore. All politics, they say ends at the water’s edge. This means that whatever division we have at home should stay at home as we cross the seas as Nigerians to foreign lands. In this way, we subsume our local identity for the national identity. Igbo people have refused to do since the end of the civil war. Igbo nationalism became the norm after the civil war. Nigerians have been reluctant to push back because we don’t want anything to remind us of the bitter past. This lack of push back is a mistake that has led the proponents of Biafra to preach the rightness of their cause. Any attempt to tell the real history of the conflict is met with revisionist history where every Nigerian becomes a villain and cannot muster any argument to challenge the aggressiveness and unwarranted provocation of the Igbo. They have managed to spread lies and innuendo to obfuscate the reasons for our present discontent. The generation of Igbo people who were alive during Biafra handed lies to their children who now look at Nigeria with anger and bitterness. Their most popular lie is that all Igbo people were stripped of their wealth, genocide was committed against them and they were given twenty pounds at the end of the civil war. With that twenty pounds in their pocket, they used the Igbo ingenuity to create massive wealth in a Nigeria that hates and discriminates against them.
This HORATIO Algiers story is something only children will believe. This is the story the Igbo people believe. Since these children grew up, there was no counter narrative of the Nigerian civil war. Nigerian children consumed this history and they also became uninformed and they have been unwittingly made villains in this macabre dance. This is the history that made people like Nnamdi Kanu. This revisionist history is what they use as propaganda against the Nigerian state. This is the source of their righteous indignation against the Nigerian state. They started preaching Biafra with the authority of ignorance. Due to this ignorance, a lot of Nigerians did not know how to react to these new proponents of Biafra who have gradually adopted psychological warfare tactics. Any attempt to correct any lies by these groups is labeled Igbophobia. In order not to be cast with this label, a lot of opinion leaders ceded the discussion to this uninformed Nnamdi generation of Igbo people who started running wild in Igbo land. By the time the authorities knew what was happening, Nnamdi Kanu had a full-fledged army and a Biafran passport for his followers. He started declaring holidays and punishing anyone in Igbo land who opened their shops or violated their criminal directives.
This was the failure of the government of Nigeria to secure the peace at the end of the Nigerian civil war. If the leaders of the Biafran rebellion had been punished, a matter of reason will not be toyed with by anyone who knew of the damage that war did to Nigeria.
Nnamdi Kanu was placed under house arrest but he escaped back to London where he resumed his position as the Commander in Chief of the Biafran Army. He gave orders and they were carried out in Igboland. His activities became far reaching that those elected to govern became his subordinates in Igbo land. This is why you don’t see any prominent Igbo person who can vociferously challenge Nnamdi Kanu’s rebellion. The naive and uninformed Igbo people have made him their messiah and they have been donating generously to set up this Biafran state.
He was arrested for the second time in Kenya and brought to Nigeria for trial. Unfortunately for our nation, we don’t know how to compartmentalize crimes. The trial of Nnamdi Kanu should have been a criminal trial that should not take so much time or attention of Mr. President.
This is Nigeria where a criminal was made a martyr due to unnecessary political intervention. Instead of being tried and sentenced, we now cede decisions to the political arena. This is wrong. An unrepentant criminal will repeat his crime. His deputy was arrested and convicted in Finland within six months. The Finish people care about justice, they did not care about being labeled Igbophobia. Justice was dispensed. From the court proceedings, the criminality involved in these Biafran activities could not be denied. Sam Ekpa was convicted.
Where are the Igbo people who are opposed to this criminality? Why are they so quiet? They cannot talk because Nnamdi Kanu controls the foot soldiers that dispense justice without mercy in Igboland. Nnamdi is the product of Nigerians lackadaisical attitudes towards nationhood. This is what happens when a Nation refuses to punish those who try to dismember it. Surreptitiously groups like that of Nnamdi Kanu have been undermining Nigeria. They have used psychological tactics of labeling any opposition as Igbophobia. Well-meaning Nigerians have succumbed to this emotional blackmail. This has led to the paralysis of analysis of the struggles of the average Igboman in Igboland. The insecurity that the Biafrans created is what has led to the emptying of Igboland as people are fleeing from the South-East geo-political zone due to insecurity.
The more people flee, the more they aggregate in some locales. It is okay to settle in new places. That is the story of man. What I find disturbing about these new Igbo settlers is their propensity to set up the Igbo kingdom anywhere they go. We have never seen this kind of Igbo nationalism at this level. What is happening in Igboland? There was no monarchy or central governing system in Igbo history. Why the rush to become kings in other peoples land? Why do Igbo people think it is okay for them to set up their kingdom in another man’s kingdom? An action like this is considered an act of war in some climes. To be a king, you have to conquer the territory. Two kings cannot rule one domain? These actions have not been challenged in Nigeria and a lot of Igbo people think they can take this behavior overseas. It is obvious they were not prepared for the fireworks that come with such proclamation. This confirms that the Igbo people had no monarchy in their history? If they did, they would understand that there is a lot of bloodletting on the way to royalty.
In the past, I said Igbo complained most about tribalism. My observation is that Igbo are the most tribalistic people in Nigeria. It is this tribal propensity that makes them want to set up a tribal hegemony anywhere they find themselves.
Why is it necessary to tell an Isoko man that his ancestors are Igbo when all the historical facts are contrary? Why is it necessary to tell an Ikwere man that he is denying his Igbo ancestry? It is rude for an Igboman to tell an Isoko or Itsekiri that their lineage is from Igboland. This is a direct assault on the history of these people. The claims by Igbo are becoming so absurd that they stress credulity.
Recently an Igbo man on YouTube said they were in Ile Ife before the Yoruba people arrived. How can you expect Yoruba people to take you seriously with these kinds of outlandish proclamations? So many unsubstantiated and outlandish remarks have been made by Igbo scholars that we don’t know what to believe anymore. The Igbo people claim they are the lost tribe of Israel. There is no DNA evidence in this regard. The farthest East their DNA went is the Bantu tribes of the Congo. The people in the Horn of Africa have direct lineage to Palestine. They don’t use that as a bragging right.
From the above, I am beginning to see that the Igbo people are still in the tribal stage of development where tribal identity is paramount for survival. Most of the other tribes in Nigeria came from empires and have shed the tribal cocoon that is necessary to form a nation. So it is easier for them to adapt to their new realities.
The Igbo people are still at a stage where they are trying to form a nation from their disparate tribes. This process was interrupted by the colonialists. It is possible the Benin Empire could have conquered and annexed Igbo land if the British did not invade the empire. Forming a country is a union of Nations. The Benin Empire, the Oyo Empire and the Kanem Bornu Empire, Mali Empire and others were the nations within the Nigerian space. The Igbo people were just a group of disparate tribes that have not become a nation at the arrival of the colonialists. The present struggles are the attempts by people to hold on to an identity in a changing world. This is the atavism we see today. If the Igbo people succeed in having their Biafra, they will still negotiate these intricacies in order to form a united Biafra. These painful negotiations require patience and diplomacy. These are the kind of experiences they need instead of using bellicosity as a tool of diplomacy.
DR AUSTIN ORETTE WRITES FROM HOUSTON, TEXAS
STATE HOUSE PRESS RELEASE
In honour of President Bola Tinubu’s determined global push to aggressively attract foreign direct investment into Nigeria, the world’s second largest stock exchange, the National Association of Securities Dealers Automatic Quotation System (NASDAQ), on Wednesday in the world’s financial capital, invited President Tinubu to ring the closing bell, making him the first Nigerian President to ever receive the honour.
The President, surrounded by Nigerian business leaders and officials of the Nigerian Stock Exchange, in trademark fashion, did not fail to seize the opportunity presented by the historic moment to boldly advance his foreign investment push as he stood, live, in front of financial markets at the famous stock exchange.
“It’s a great honour for me to be here. I am happy to bring Nigeria to your doorsteps and I am honoured that we are here today with a bubbling Nigerian stock market that will evolve in the West African sub-region. The greatest economy in Africa is Nigeria, there is an immense opportunity in Nigeria where you can invest your money without fear,” the President said.
The President noted that his government continues to address longstanding problems and impediments, such as his work to restore and unify the foreign exchange rate market to a stable and trustworthy level, allowing new investors to seamlessly bring their money into the country, free of worries about whether or not they can take their money out at any point in time.
“You’re free to take in your money and bring out your money. I count on you to invest in Nigeria,” the President exclaimed under the lights.
At the Nigeria-U.S. Executive Business Roundtable held just after the closing bell, President Tinubu assured prospective investors that while he recognizes that investment capital is cowardly in nature, he intentionally brought successful Nigerian industrialists and public officials to share their experiences and operational plans respectively, in addition to all that he has already done to boost the confidence of the global investment community in Nigeria’s presently reforming fiscal, monetary, regulatory and tax policy environment.
“Nigeria is an opportunity that is impossible to replicate or find elsewhere in any part of the world. We have brilliant young people who both innovate and consume at a large scale. Our entrepreneurial spirit is a major part of what makes our market totally unique, aside from demography. Nigerians build businesses and Nigerian businesses partner with other businesses to conduct larger business. There is enough value to spread around. Be careful of what you hear about Nigeria. You may be dissuaded out of a major opportunity that others will take up. We are here for you. We will give you all the support you need to succeed and succeed abundantly,” the President assured the roundtable as he pointed out cabinet officials.
On behalf of the U.S. Government, U.S. Deputy Treasury Secretary, Wally Adeyemo, told U.S. business leaders that he was just a few hours removed from arriving in New York from Lagos, Nigeria, where he was on an official visit that later became a fact-finding mission.
“In Lagos, I saw first hand some of the major reforms you implemented as the Governor of Lagos and the transformative effect it has had on Nigeria’s commercial capital. People have attested to the fact that the reforms you have put in place as President are quickly enhancing confidence. American business is paying attention to that and from what we have seen for ourselves, Nigeria is proving to be a new frontier for investment. We will encourage our companies from our end as those reforms continue to deepen,” Mr. Adeyemo said.
The American Business Council President, Mr. Sops Ideriah, said that the extensive turnout at the roundtable by American Business Chief Executives served as a testament to the degree to which confidence is rising in response to the actions and words of President Bola Tinubu’s administration with respect to ease of business, investment promotion, and his willingness to personally intervene where required to ease the historical concerns of American business people about doing business in Nigeria.
“Having all the stakeholders in the room, His Excellency the President of Nigeria being here, from government actors at the federal and state level to ministers and tax authorities present, as well as private sector industrialists in Nigeria. We are very positive about the potential of Nigeria and we are just reinforcing to our colleagues the message about the economic opportunities that exist there,” Mr. Ideriah said.
Acting Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Mr. Zacch Adedeji, assured the American Captains of Industry that under the leadership of President Bola Tinubu, the nation’s apex tax authority will be focusing its efforts not on taxing the seed, but only on the proportionate taxation of the fruit of fully formed industry, through efficient policy synergy with Nigeria’s sub-national authorities.
“The President is a business enabler, not a handicapper. Everything we do will be geared toward making your tax assessment and payment processes as digitally efficient and transparent as possible. We are not after the seed, but the fruit and we will keep to this commitment,” Nigeria’s new tax boss affirmed.
Chief Ajuri Ngelale
Special Adviser to the President
(Media & Publicity)
September 21, 2023
Probe missing $15bn, N200bn of oil revenues, SERAP tells Tinubu
Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged President Bola Tinubu to “set up a presidential panel of enquiry to promptly probe the grim allegations that over US$15 billion of oil revenues, and N200 billion budgeted to repair the refineries are missing and unaccounted for between 2020 and 2021, as documented by the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI).”
SERAP urged him to “name and shame anyone suspected to be responsible for the missing and unaccounted for public funds and to ensure their effective prosecution as well as the full recovery of any proceeds of crime.”
SERAP also urged him “to fully implement all the recommendations by NEITI in its 2021 report, and to use any recovered proceeds of crime.”
In the letter dated 23 September 2023 and signed by SERAP deputy director Kolawole Oluwadare, the organisation said: “There is a legitimate public interest in ensuring justice and accountability for these serious allegations. Taking these important measures would end the impunity of perpetrators.”
SERAP said, “As President and Minister of Petroleum Resources, your office ought to be concerned about these damning revelations, by getting to the bottom of the allegations and ensuring that suspected perpetrators are promptly brought to justice, and any missing public funds fully recovered.”
The letter, read in part: “Any failure to investigate these grave allegations, bring suspected perpetrators to justice and recover any missing public funds would have serious resource allocation and exacerbate the country’s debt burden.”
“It would also create cynicism, suspicion, and eventually citizens’ distrust about the ability of your government to combat high-level official corruption, as well as deter foreign investment and limit growth and development.”
“We would therefore be grateful if the recommended measures are taken within seven days of the receipt and/or publication of this letter. If we have not heard from you by then, SERAP shall consider appropriate legal actions to compel your government to comply with our request in the public interest.”
“The findings by NEITI suggest a grave violation of the public trust and the provisions of the Nigerian Constitution 1999 [as amended], national anticorruption laws, and the country’s obligations under the UN Convention against Corruption.”
“The allegations of corruption documented by NEITI undermine economic development of the country, trap the majority of Nigerians in poverty and deprive them of opportunities.”
“Your government has a constitutional duty to ensure transparency and accountability in the spending of the country’s wealth and resources.”
“According to the 2021 report by the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), government agencies including the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NNPC) and the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NPDC) failed to remit $13.591 million and $8.251 billion to the public treasury.”
“The NNPC and NPDC failed to remit over 70% of these public funds. NEITI wants both the NNPC and NPDC to be investigated, and for the missing public funds to be fully recovered.”
“The report also shows that in 2021, the State Owned Enterprises (SOE) and its subsidiaries (the NNPC Group) reportedly spent US$6.931billion on behalf of the Federal Government but without appropriation by the National Assembly. The money may be missing.”
“The NNPC also reportedly obtained a loan of $3 billion in 2012 purportedly to settle subsidy payments due to petroleum product marketers but there is no disclosure of the details of the loan, subsidy and the beneficiaries of the payments.”
“The report also shows that N9.73 billion was paid to the NNPC as pipeline transportation revenue earned from Joint Venture operations but the money was neither remitted to the Federation nor properly accounted for. The NPDC in 2021 also failed to remit $7.61 million realized from the sale of crude oil.”
“The report documents that about N200 billion was spent on ‘refineries rehabilitation’ between 2020 and 2021 but “none of the refineries was operational in 2021 despite the spending.’ NEITI wants the spending to be investigated, as the money may be missing.”
“Section 13 of the Nigerian Constitution 1999 [as amended] imposes clear responsibility on your government to conform to, observe and apply the provisions of Chapter 2 of the constitution. Section 15(5) imposes the responsibility on your government to ‘abolish all corrupt practices and abuse of power’ in the country.”
“Under Section 16(1) of the Constitution, your government has a responsibility to ‘secure the maximum welfare, freedom and happiness of every citizen on the basis of social justice and equality of status and opportunity.’”
“Section 16(2) further provides that, ‘the material resources of the nation are harnessed and distributed as best as possible to serve the common good.’”
“Similarly, articles 5 and 9 of the UN Convention against Corruption also impose legal obligations on your government to ensure proper management of public affairs and public funds, and to promote sound and transparent administration of public affairs.”
“The UN Convention against Corruption and the African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption to which Nigeria is a state party obligate your government to effectively prevent and investigate the plundering of the country’s wealth and natural resources and hold public officials and non-state actors to account for any violations.”
“Specifically, article 26 of the UN convention requires your government to ensure ‘effective, proportionate and dissuasive sanctions’ including criminal and non-criminal sanctions, in cases of grand corruption.”
“Article 26 complements the more general requirement of article 30, paragraph 1, that sanctions must take into account the gravity of the corruption allegations.”
“Nigeria is also a participating state of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), which aims to foster greater governmental accountability for the use of natural resource wealth through the creation of a set of international norms on revenue transparency.”
“EITI also aims to tackle corruption, poverty and conflict associated with natural resource wealth. Nigeria has the obligations to implement the EITI Standard, which sets out the transparency norms with which participating States including Nigeria must comply.”
Kolawole Oluwadare
SERAP Deputy Director
24/9/2023
Lagos, Nigeria
Emails: info@serap-nigeria.org; news@serap-nigeria.org
Twitter: @SERAPNigeria
Website: www.serap-nigeria.org
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