The Nigerian Aberration Continues: Mortgaging a Secular State to Islamic Financial Institutions.

by Eze Eluchie,

The fact that the Alhaji Muhammadu Buhari-led regime, in constitutionally secular Nigeria, intends to raise Sukuk (Islamic) Bonds from the Islamic Development Bank to finance the huge deficit in its 2016 Budget, and that some Muslim Governors of some of the component States of the Nigerian federation will be embarking on a mission to source for financial assistance and monetary facilities from the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, further brings to the fore the problems the continuing non-Restructuring and non-Renegotiation of the Nigerian contraption will pose to not only the peoples of Nigeria, but also the international community, in the very near future.

Will the Nigerian Federation and other States in Nigeria, particularly those with majority Christian and or non-Muslim populations, be in any way held responsible for the farce being perpetuated by the efforts of the Federal Government (currently led by a Muslim of recorded extremist positions) and some Muslim Governors to borrow money from the Islamic Development Bank in Saudi Arabia and other strictly Islamic institutions?

Considering that some part of the aggregated revenue of the Federation which all States (including the States whose Governors are now sourcing for Shari’a complaints loans preside over) derive some of their incomes, is comprised of Value Added Tax (VAT) receipts collected from the manufacture and sales of alcoholic brew, pork products and other ventures considered forbidden (haram) under Islam, and that it will be distasteful to some non-adherents of the Islamic faith to in a sense be contributing to the financial fortunes of the IDB, how do we intend to ever extricate ourselves and our finances from the confusion of recourse to Islamic, or any religious, institutions funds?

As the delegation of Muslims led by the Governor of Bornu  State, Kashim Shettima, and comprised of the following Governors, Nasiru El-Rufai (Kaduna), Tanko Almakura (Nassarawa) and Mohammed Abubakar (Jigawa) and several other Muslims, who have just traveled out to negotiate financial facilities based on the Shari’s principles begin to discuss terms of loans with Islamic financial experts in Saudi Arabia, would it be right to require other Nigerians who neither subscribe to the Shari’a code and who probably engage in ventures which are at cross-purposes with Islamic doctrines, to be part of servicing such financial obligation whensoever they arise?.

Going by the extent of fraud, stealing and misappropriation which have befallen other loans (external and internal) sourced by these State Governors, one can state without equivocation, that whatsoever these characters are doing in Saudi Arabia, is clearly personal and probably religious, and that their States or the populations of those States cannot be held liable for such misdeeds.

The need for a restructuring and renegotiation of the Nigerian contraption is now transcending political and becoming a socio-economic imperative. The earlier we do this the better not only for our peoples, but also for foreign entities who may be tempted to continue to engage in long-term financial commitments with Nigeria.

Picture: Various denominations of the Nigerian currency (the Naira) and the Islamic Development Bank's logo.

Nigeria: Descending Down The Abyss?

by Eze Eluchie

In view of the horrific, systematic and continuing carnage against the civil society and protesters/demonstrators by elements of the Nigerian military under its watch (particularly the murder of several Shiite {Shi’a} sect members in Zaria and the killings of several supporters of restructuring and renegotiation of the Nigerian polity under the aegis of the Biafra movement), whatever pretense the Buhari-junta is making towards ‘investigating’ human rights abuses by the Nigeria military during the tenure of the immediate past President, Goodluck Jonathan, can be outrightly dismissed as mere cosmetic witch-hunt after-thoughts aimed at creating a semblance of propriety for a regime steeped in the blood of its own citizens which it has wasted.

In less than 8 months of the existence of this junta, more Nigerians exercising a constitutionally guaranteed right to protest and assemble, have been killed and maimed by a military funded by Nigerian tax-payers funds, than were killed in over 40 years since the end of the Nigeria Civil War.

Most ironically, within the same period, whilst extremist Islamist insurgency and terrorism perpetuated by Boko Haram has continued with deadly consequences for the polity, the junta has deemed it fit to release hundreds of Boko Haram detainees under a most suspect ‘adherence to human rights’ program.

Are we witnessing a gradual descent into an abyss?

Link on more reports on security agents killing demonstrators in Nigeria: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/01/biafra-8-ipob-members-killed-30-wounded-26-arrested/

Pictures: A pro-Biafra demonstrator felled by bullets from security personnel in Aba (18^th January 2016) and Soldiers take position before attacks on the Shiites in Zaria which left dozens dead (22^nd December 2015)

Buhari: A President of Northern Nigeria?

by Eze Eluchie

In the 8 months since his inauguration as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, ‘saint’ ‘Dr’. Muhammadu Buhari, in keeping with his resolve to maltreat States which gave him ‘5% votes’ during the last Presidential elections, despite several Presidential Visits to States in Nigeria's Northern region and a notorious penchant to frolic on wasteful foreign trips, has not deemed it worth his time to visit any of the States in the South Eastern zone and has only paid a fleeting 5-hour visit to only one State in the South South zone, Cross River State, to inspect a transnational highway project - clearly, we have a Northern President for Northern Nigeria.

When the foregoing is juxtaposed with lopsided Presidential appointments, targeted vindictive 'fraud' investigation and prosecutions and a contemptuous mien on issues concerning people from the so-called '5% vote States', sufficient cause for concern is created .

For how long will this anomaly continue?

In keeping with other near simultaneous reactions from the Presidency to posts on this Blog and my FB Page, I will not be surprised if within the coming week a hasty cosmetic visit is arranged to one of the ‘5% vote States’.

Let’s restructure and renegotiate the Nigerian contraption whilst there is yet time.

Buhari's '5% unequal treatment' statement:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QquR6J_UJU

Picture: The President, ‘saint’ Buhari, in one of his numerous visits to States in Nigeria’s Northern Region - on one of his visits to Kaduna State.

EFCC: The Corrupt Fighting Corruption!

by Eze Eluchie

Only in Nigeria.

Whilst the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has failed, despite repeated requests under the Freedom of Information Act and several summons to the National Assembly, to account for monies it ‘recovered’ and or seized from suspects in its execution of its statutory ‘anti-corruption’ mandate, the leadership of the agency continues to pretend to be tackling corruption by embarking on witch-hunting of perceived political opponents of the incumbent President or members of the opposition political party in Nigeria.

Why is the interim Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, making mockery of himself and his office by pretending to be investigating ‘arms deals’ under the immediate past administration when he has chosen to play ostrich over the fraud perpetuated by his predecessor in office, Ibrahim Lamurde, who has since escaped from Nigeria under the pretext of going for ‘medical treatment’?

The shamelessness inherent in the much publicized zeal with which the EFCC under Mr. Magu’s interim leadership is probing into transactions of the Goodluck Jonathan administration, deliberately blinding itself to its own rot, monumental frauds that had already been prosecuted on by foreign authorities (such as the multi-million Dollar Halliburton scandal) and hideous graft by members of ruling junta in Nigeria, is troubling. Such lack of scruples, in the much touted ‘war against corruption’ of the Buhari junta, can only mean that a blind eye will be turned to monumental fleecing of the national treasury.

In addition to my earlier stance that the EFCC be scrapped, it is important for the sake of posterity that the various characters who have manned this outfit be exhaustively probed and if found wanting, prosecuted and punished in a spectacular fashion. Corruption has diminished Nigeria and Nigerians. Those charged with responsibility for national anti-graft efforts who have manipulated the process to their selfish ends and or deepened the corruption monster in Nigeria should be made to account for the pains they have inflicted and or increased.

Mr. Ibrahim Magu, resolve the ‘mystery’ surrounding the over One Trillion Naira (over US$ 5 Billion) in recovered monies and properties recovered by the Economic and Financial Crimes which has yet remained unaccounted for, before any pretense at ‘tackling corruption’.

Picture: Logo of Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and its present acting Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Ibrahim Magu (center) and the former CEO who has absconded from Nigeria, Ibrahim Lamurde.