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Nigeria: Recent Documents
Nigeria: Recent Documents
Date distributed (ymd): 970528
Document reposted by APIC
This posting contains (1) a press release by the Africa Fund on city
sanctions against Nigeria, (2) a press release by the Free Nigeria Movement
on ethnic conflict in the Delta, and (3) an article from Post Express Wired,
currently the most detailed and up-to-date news on-line from Nigeria.
AFRICA FUND WELCOMES CITY SANCTIONS AGAINST NIGERIA
May 22, 1997
Founded in 1966 by the American Committee on Africa, The Africa Fund
works for a constructive U.S. policy toward Africa and supports African
human rights, democracy and sustainable development. For more information
on the Nigeria campaign contact Michael Fleshman at The Africa Fund, 17
John Street, New York, NY 10038. Phone: 212-962-1210. E-mail: [email protected].
Note: The Africa Fund has announced a job opening for a Director of
Field Organizing/Projects Director, to expand their network of state and
municipal elected officials, religious, community and labor groups promoting
a constructive U.S. policy toward Africa. For more information contact
the Africa Fund directly or see the announcement on the Africa News web
site (http://www.africanews.org/usafrica/).
Africa Fund Welcomes New City Sanctions Against Nigerian Dictatorship
Jennifer Davis, Executive Director of The Africa Fund, welcomed the
adoption of city sanctions against Nigeria by Amherst and Cambridge. The
sanctions restrict city business with companies that do business in Nigeria.
The two Massachusetts cities join a growing number of cities across the
U.S. that have adopted ordinances and resolutions in support of democracy
in Nigeria including New Orleans, New York, Oakland and St. Louis.
"The movement in the United States in support of democracy and
human rights in Nigeria is growing in cities across the country.,"
said Davis. "The United States can have significant impact on the
Nigerian government because the U.S. annually purchases nearly half of
the oil exports on which the regime depends for economic survival."
Nigeria, Africa's largest country with a population of more than 100
million, has suffered under a military dictatorship since 1993 when the
military annulled presidential elections. The State Department has found
that the Nigerian regime commits serious human rights abuses, denying free
speech and the right of assembly and routinely detaining and torturing
pro-democracy activists. An estimated 7,000 opponents of the military regime
are in jail including the winner of the 1993 Presidential election, Moshood
Abiola. In 1995 the Nigerian regime executed nine environmental activists
from the Ogoni region, including renowned writer Ken Saro-Wiwa, and another
19 environmental activists now face the same charges and could suffer the
same fate.
The Africa Fund has launched a campaign to help the Nigerian people
win human rights and freedom. "City sanctions against apartheid helped
bring freedom to South Africa," said Jennifer Davis. "Now city
sanctions can support the Nigerian people in their struggle for democracy."
Free Nigeria Movement
P.O. Box 441395,
Indianapolis, IN 46244
Phone/Fax (317)216-4590
Email: [email protected]
Listserv: [email protected]
"SUBSCRIBE FREENIGERIA"
On the Ethnic Conflict between the Ijaw, Itshekiri and Urhobo people
of Delta State
Contact: Mukhtar Dan'Iyan at (317)216-4590 or [email protected]
Monday, May 05, 1997
Over the past few days the Free Nigeria Movement's Commission on Justice
initiated a dialogue among the leaders of the Ijaw, Itshekiri, and Urhobo
ethnic groups of Delta State (the FNM does not recognize the six States
or the Local Government changes instituted by the Abacha dictatorship)
about the ongoing massacre of the members of the ethnic groups. Among other
things, the following consensus emerged:
* The ethnic crises was orchestrated by subterranean elements working
for the Abacha regime in order to create discord and panic among the people
in the region; thereby giving legitimacy to Abacha's attempt to perpetuate
his rule under the pretext of maintaining law and order.
* By creating a false sense of division among the ethnic groups in question,
and providing sophisticated arms and ammunition, as well as financial compensation
to previously unarmed factions to use in slaughtering each other, the Abacha
regime is only creating further justification to turn yet another oil producing
area into a militarized zone for the unhampered flow of Nigeria's oil through
Multi National Corporations (MNCs) such as Shell Oil, Texaco, and Chevron
among others.
* The tactic used is similar to that employed in an attempt to divide
another set of people on the Niger Delta; the Ogoni and the Andoni. A division
that was not allowed to take place as a direct result of the leadership
of the martyred Ken Saro-Wiwa.
Based on the above points, the leadership of the three ethnic groups
in question, through the auspices of the Free Nigeria Movement hereby calls
on all those involved in the conflict to:
* Cease fire immediately and lay down the weapons of destruction.
* Support the FNM's initiative for grassroots based emergency dialogue
immediately.
* To unite with the Free Nigeria Movement in its condemnation of the
Machiavelli inspired divide and conquer tactics employed by the illegal
regime of Sanni Abacha.
The FNM would once again like to call on all well meaning and patriotic
Nigerians to join our effort to peacefully bring about an end to 27 years
of military tyranny in our great country by restoring all the electoral
mandates held by the democratically elected representatives of the Nigerian
people as of November 1st, 1993.
Long live Freedom, Long live the Free Nigeria Movement, Long live the
Federal Republic of Nigeria
On behalf of the Free Nigeria Movement:
Sincerely,
Tunde Okorodudu, President, FNM
Mukhtar Dan'Iyan, Secretary-General, FNM
http://www.postexpresswired.com
Category: News
Date of Article: 05/20/97
Topic: Pro-Democracy Groups Merge to Fight Abacha
Author: Josiah Emerole, Senior Reporter
Full Text of Article:
A GRAND alliance of pro-democracy groups has emerged with the objective
of frustrating the alleged plan by the Head of State, General Sani Abacha,
to succeed himself.
The alliance, known as the United Action for Democracy (UAD), is an
agglomeration of 22 existing pro-democracy outfits, comprising the well-known
and the obscure in the pack.
Some of them are the Campaign for Democracy (CD), the Civil Liberties
Organisation (CLO), the Constitutional Rights Project (CRP), the Democratic
Alternative (DA), the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS)
and the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP). Others are
the Association for Democratic Citizens (ADC), Journalists for Democratic
Rights (JODER), United Democratic Alliance (UDA), Media Rights Agenda (MRS)
and the People's Labour Movement (PLM). The Community Action for Popular
Participation (CAPP), Campaign for Independent Unionism (CIU), Human Rights
Monitor, (HRM), Kano Democratic League (KDL), Abuja Coalition (AC), Jos
Democratic Movement (JOM), Rivers Coalition and the Senior Staff Consultative
Assembly of Nigeria (SESCAN) also featured in the alliance.
The rest are the Kaduna Alliance for Democracy, (KAD), the United Workers'
Action Group (UWAG) and the African Redemption Monitor (ARM). The groups,
which met in Lagos at the weekend, said they would use all democratic avenues
at their disposal to halt any attempt by Abacha to succeed himself. They
also agreed to sustain a campaign against the on-going transition programme
as well as the Vision 2010 project. In a communique issued at the end of
their inaugural meeting, the groups observed that the nation had been under
a deplorable state characterised by military dictatorship, economic hardship,
violence, ethnic acrimonies and wars, breakdown of social services and
infrastructure and a host of others, adding that to avert an outbreak of
armed conflict in the country, there was an urgent need for a concerted
and sustained mobilisation of the people. The new umbrella body said it
is committed to bringing an end to military rule. It wants the enthronement
of a people-oriented democracy, political education of the people to empower
them to defend their fundamental rights and basic freedoms, and the unconditional
release of all political prisoners in the country.
The organisations, in the communique, signed by 22 of their representatives,
committed themselves to a programme of mass democratic action around the
following nine-point demands:
- the immediate and unconditional release of political prisoners in the
country;
- the release of Chief Moshood Abiola, the presumed winner of the June
12, 1993 presidential elections to enable him participate in the democratic
process in the country;
- immediate end to military rule and a transfer of power to a transitional
government of national unity;
- the convening of a sovereign national conference to seek popular solutions
to the political, economic, socio-cultural and other historical problems
confronting the country;
- a popular democratic transition programme;
- abolition of all anti-people economic politics, including the Structural
Adjustment Programme (SAP), and in the place, an improved, better and abundant
socio-economic life for the masses;
- provision of the Nigerian environment against all forms of degradation
and violations by all companies and agencies operating in Nigeria;
- the entrenchment and defence of the rule of law; and
- an end to all forms of nationality domination and oppression as a condition
for the emergence of a truly united and democratic multi-ethnic Nigeria
nation.
They called on all Nigerians, home and abroad, to embrace their demands
and struggle for their realisation in order to achieve freedom.
About the Post Express
The Post Express is an independent newspaper. It has no affiliation
with any political, cultural, religious, ideological or ethnic group. Its
coverage of the news is accurate and fair; its comments reasoned, informed
but firm. it is principally concerned with promoting the prospects of justice
in the nation's life. And its primary appeal is to all those, whether in
government, the church, the mosque, the school, the workplace or the stock
exchange, who have not abandoned the fairth that human affairs are best
administered in the spirit of reason, and in a climate of true democracy.
...
The Post Express is a high quality newspaper published in Lagos, but
printed simultaneously at three locations in Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt.
...
The Post Express team is led by Stanley Macebuh as chief executive and
editor-in-chief, and Chidi Amuta as chairman of the editorial board.
This material is being reposted for wider distribution by the Africa
Policy Information Center (APIC), the educational affiliate of the Washington
Office on Africa. APIC's primary objective is to widen the policy debate
in the United States around African issues and the U.S. role in Africa,
by concentrating on providing accessible policy-relevant information and
analysis usable by a wide range of groups and individuals.
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