Scottish Independence Referendum: Call for International Observer and Monitoring Team.

by Eze Eluchie

The right to self-determination is one of the cardinal rights which define our humanity. A people’s quality of life is inversely proportional to the quantum of this right they enjoy. The quest to actualize the right to self-determination has led various peoples to countless battles, wars and agitations for self determination. As peoples of sub-Saharan Africa and others who suffered for centuries under the yoke, of first, decimation by slave trade and then subjugation under colonization can readily testify, when a people do not have an effective voice over how their lives are governed, they are at a sub-human level and would give all to regain their humanity.

Often times, efforts at asserting the right to self-determination comes into direct conflict with the desire of others entities entwined in the union from which freedom is sought, who may either be benefiting from the existing union or view those seeking self-determination as possessions over whom a some historical right to subjugate or dominate exists. 

The ability of any people, anywhere, to eventually arrive at a point/situation when they have an opportunity to assert their right to self-determination, and decide for themselves whether to continue with an existing union or become independent, ought rightly thus be a cause for universal celebration, as it strengthens the commonality of our humanity.

It is in the light of the foregoing that the people of Scotland must be congratulated, irrespective of the eventual outcome of their Independence Referendum scheduled for the 18^th of September 2014, for finally arriving at this unique opportunity to choose.  As the Scotts march out in their millions to exercise the inalienable right to self-determination, the rest of the world will rise in unison to applaud this present effort at self-determination by a sovereign people.

Unsavory events in the weeks leading up to the Independence Referendum has however heightened fears that desperate measures might be adopted to scuttle the desires of the Scottish people to freely decide for themselves how they want to be ruled. From explicit threats by the oil majors to frustrate access of an Independent Scotland to the vast mineral resources embedded in the North sea’s; to scaremongering tactics adopted by sundry financial institutions particularly the Bank of England and Royal Bank of Scotland forecasting economic doom for any efforts by the Scottish people to opt for independence; to threats by the subsisting British government to deny an independent Scotland access to membership of the European Union, NATO and other multi-national organizations; the throwing up of poll and survey ‘reports’ showing diametrically conflicting projected results for the referendum; crowned by the last minute visits of the highest ranking members of the British Government, inclusive of Prime Minister Cameron, to influence voting in the referendum, provide sufficient cause for greater international independent observation and monitoring of the Scottish Independence Referendum to ensure that the results of the Referendum are not manipulated to favor any particular sides and that it reflects the true wishes and desires of the Scottish people.

It is in light of the foregoing that the various international organizations which usually participate in monitoring and observing elections across the world, such as United Nations Organization, the African Union and European Union amongst others,  should as a matter of urgency, em-panel high powered teams of eminent personalities and experts to monitor and observe the Scottish Referendum. In the spirit of reciprocity of actions, a cardinal principle of international relations, the various countries in Africa and across the world where the British Government has routinely sent Observation and Monitoring teams to gauge domestic elections should also raise delegations to serve as Monitors and Observers to the Scottish Referendum. It sure will be interesting to know what the findings of Referendum-Observer Missions from Zimbabwe, Syria or China would come up with – I would have added my own country to this list, but the rulers in Nigeria simply lack the courage to do the needful.

May the real desires of the Scottish people manifest and be upheld via the Referendum.

Picture: British and Scottish flags.

Corruption in our Defense Sector: Recall the Millionaire Generals!

by Eze Eluchie

Corruption is a debilitating disease which when it manifests in any entity serves to demoralize, de-motivate and deviate from purpose. When this societal scourge overwhelms sacred institutions of State, it ultimately serves to destroy.

For decades, the Nigerian state has ostensibly devoted a substantial part of its national budgets on the Defense sector. Despite the fact that the country has not been involved in any wars for over 40 years, series of military dictators, and some ‘democratically elected’ ones, who ruled the country, lavishly helped themselves to the national purse under the guise of expending incredulous sums to equip and procure ‘state-of-the-art’ military hardware for the armed forces and keep our soldiers ready to defend the country’s ‘territorial integrity’. In some years, an astonishing one quarter of the nation’s budget was devoted to the Defense sector!  

Nigerians were led to believe, by their (mostly Military) rulers, that the country, on account of its ‘military might’ and ‘concocted population figures’ was the ‘giant of Africa’. This phrase was often, embarrassingly, repeated even when reality was pointing in the other direction.  The robust engagement of our soldiers in several multi-national peacekeeping missions served to create the illusion amongst some Nigerians that in deed their military was as purported. Most had not realized that the core equipment requirements, save for personnel, were usually provided for such peacekeeping operations by multinational institutions such as the United Nations Organizations and some countries who benevolently offered to provide such equipments.

Present efforts at confronting and curtailing the extremist Islamist terror elements in our northeast region, primarily a domestic concern, has thus proved to be the first real opportunity Nigerians, and indeed the international community, have had to assess the capabilities of our armed forces. Thus far, the outcome has been disgracefully shocking. Rather than having the best equipped fighting force in the sub-region, we have situations where our soldiers have to repeatedly make ‘tactical withdrawals’ into neighboring Cameroun, in their efforts to flee from rag-tag band of terrorists; Rather than use air power to decimate terrorists at their camps, our compatriots in the northeast regions are forced to scammer into forests to avoid long convoys of marauding terrorists who operate for endless hours, raping, killing and looting at will; Rather than pursue terrorists out of Nigeria, we have the pathetic scenario in which the armies of our neighboring countries pursue terrorists back into Nigeria with no one to available or willing to do the needful.

As a result of our gigantean military and defense budgets and the high level of corruption in our defense sector (a scourge which permeates our polity), Nigeria has ended up having some of the richest retired soldiers in the world! Some of our ex-Generals are Billionaires whose spuriously sourced wealth can only be compared to that of drug barons. Upon retirement, several of these ex-soldiers, buoyed by the wealth they amassed in office, quickly buy their way into elective public offices.

Military Dictators and their soldier-cronies who reaped bountifully from their misrule of the Nigerian contraption have consistently regaled us with their willingness to get back into uniform to fight for the preservation and continued existence of the Nigerian contraption. Some of these characters include, but is by no means restricted to the following - Ex-Heads of State: Olusegun Obasanjo, Mohammadu Buhari, Ibrahim Babangida, Abdulsalam Abubakar, former Minister of Defense, Theophilus Danjuma and the current President of the Senate of the Federal Republic, David Mark and several others in their mold. With reports of territorial gains by Islamist militants who have declared the carving out of an Islamist Caliphate out of Northeastern Nigeria, these ‘gentlemen’ should be encouraged to, as a matter of urgency, get back into uniform and proceed to our northeastern flank to defend the proverbial ‘territorial integrity of Nigeria’?

The President and Commander in Chief of the Nigeria Armed Forces should immediately set in motion protocols to compel the recall of all living past Dictators and Military personnel who had held political offices during the reign of military juntas in Nigeria. When such retirees are assembled, they must be deployed to the battle front to confront the Islamist militants – at the very least they should be stationed in Maidugri, the besieged capital city of Bornu State. To avoid ‘family issues’ serving to distract these ‘worthy heroes’ from their lofty tasks, the immediate families of the so identified and recalled military officers should be compelled to relocate to the same cities as where their spouses are ‘serving’.  It was the mismanagement of resources, particularly Defense Ministry budgets, presided over by these characters that has placed our fighting forces in the pitiable situation where they are constantly been routed by bands of ill-trained religious zealots.

Resulting from the corrupt antics and malfeasance of some of these past top-brass, hundreds of our youths who willingly volunteered to serve their country's armed forces, have been unnecessary dispatched to their early graves in the hands of demented terrorists – There should be some accountability for the losses and deaths suffered so far in Nigeria’s war against terror! I am very sure that these militants will, upon sighting the likes of the ‘gentlemen’ I listed above, retreat in full speed to the sands of the Sahara from where they emanated from. Well, if the Islamists don’t retreat, we would have at least afforded our ‘gallant ex-Generals' an opportunity to put their carcasses where their collective greed has placed Nigeria.

We declined to heed the persistent call for a holistic restructuring and renegotiation of our contraption and now we have to live the consequences thereof.

NB: In writing, I am not unaware of the reach and vice of those who have profited from corruption; the evident harm they have occasioned and continue to inflict on not only Nigeria, but the entire African continent, overrides considerations for what the corrupt will do.

Picture: three of Nigeria’s multimillionaire ex- military dictators: Ibrahim Babangida, Olusegun Obasanjo and Mohammadu Buhari

The ‘Saint’ Plots The Ultimate Coup

by Eze Eluchie

Illegal and unconstitutional acts may tarry for awhile, but eventually their consequences will come to haunt all who partake therein or acquiesce thereto.

Muhammed Attahiru Jega, the ‘Saint’, who presides over the Independent National Electoral Commission, seems to have, with his skewed and devious allocation of Polling Booths to be used for the 2015 General Elections, perfected the ultimate coup against the Nigerian contraption.

With the following Zonal allocation of Polling Booths amongst Nigeria's 6 geopolitical zones, the fraud reinforced by the several fraudulent population data of the Nigerian contraption has been taken to new harrowing and despicable heights:
North West -7, 906
North East – 5, 291
North Central – 6,318

FCT - 1,120

South West – 4,160
South South – 3,087
South East - 1,167

By the Saints estimation, there will be more voters in the infamous terrorist-infested Sambissa Forest than there are in some of the States in the South East region.

The ‘Saint’, most incredulously, allotted nearly the same number of Polling Units to Abuja, the sparsely populated Federal Capital Territory (FCT) as he gave the entire 5 States of the Nigeria’s South East geopolitical zone (Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo States)!

I had warned, and even proceeded to litigate over the propriety and constitutionality of having this character preside over our contraptions electoral body; but the system had declined to act as appropriate.

There is yet time to renegotiate and restructure our contraption before ‘the Saint’ lights the fuse that will eventually set off a chain reaction of unimaginable horrific consequences.

(earlier piece on the 'saint')
http://ezeluchie.blogspot.com/2013/03/impunity-saints-rules-at-inec.html




Picture: The ‘Saint’, Muhammed Attahiru Jega