Nigerian News Du Jour - Wednesday 17 December 1997
Mobolaji E. Aluko
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Nigerian News Du Jour - Wednesday 17 December 1997
A Selection of Public and Private News on Nigeria
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In Today's Nigerian News Du Jour (NNDJ) ------ 8 Items
ECOWAS HEADS MEET IN TOGO ON SECURITY
EXTRA SECURITY INTRODUCED AT MURTALA MUHAMMED AIRPORT
TWO HOSTAGES RELEASED IN HOUSEBOAT SAGA
NEW U.S. AMBASSADOR RESUMES DUTY IN NIGERIA
EIGHTH-DAY PRAYER/VIGIL/DEMONSTRATION IN HONOUR YAR'ADUA IN THE U.S.
COURT ORDERS RELEASE OF DETAINED JOURNALIST
FORMER CBN GOVERNOR, SECRETARY TO GOVERNMENT, BOTH PASS ON
IN BRIEF
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ECOWAS HEADS MEET IN TOGO ON SECURITY
West African heads of state under the auspices of Economic Community of
West African States (ECOWAS) are expected to endorse plans for a permanent
peacekeeping mechanism for the sub-region at a one-day summit in Togo
today. Diplomatic sources are of the opinion that Nigeria is sponsoring the
initiative so that it could keep 7,000 of its ECOMOG soldiers out of its
shores to avoid possible insurgency by the battlehardened soldiers. General
Sani Abacha, who will preside over the extraordinary summit as ECOWAS
chairman, wants ECOMOG to become a permanent peacekeeping force in the
region. Regional superpower Nigeria is the backbone of ECOMOG, the
10,000-strong multinational force first deployed in Liberia shortly after
the start of the civil war there in 1989. The extraordinary nature of
today's summit, called by Abacha, suggests it could be bogged down by
ECOMOG operations in Liberia and Sierra Leone, even though officials
insisted these would not be on the agenda. Liberian President Charles
Taylor, has been openly at loggerheads with ECOMOG commander General Victor
Malu of Nigeria in recent months. Malu objects to Taylor's plans to form a
security force, whereas ECOWAS peace accords that ended the civil war give
ECOMOG the exclusive mandate to restructure and retrain a new army and
police for Liberia. At the height of the wrangle last month, Taylor
threatened to expel ECOMOG from Liberia. Malu in turn declared that his
force would pull out within a month if it was no longer needed. Taylor met
Abacha in Abuja a week ago and Malu also held consultations with Abacha.
Diplomats expect today's summit to at least clarify ECOMOG's mandate and
timetable in Liberia, given Taylor's insistence on exercising his sovereign
powers on defence.
Reports from Togo indicates that all but two of 13 presidents who confirmed
they were coming had arrived Lome yesterday. A conference spokeswoman said
foreign ministers who prepared the summit agreed yesterday to launch such a
body next year. ``The ministers focused on the mechanism for preventing
conflicts which will be put in place, along with a system of maintaining
and enforcing peace,'' she said. ``Experts -- that is to say ministers of
defence, interior and foreign affairs -- have agreed to meet in 1998 to put
this mechanism in place,'' she added. Nigerian Foreign Minister Chief Tom
Ikimi said the initiative reflected realisation in Africa that rich Western
nations could not be relied upon to police the continent's conflicts.
``What some of us have found out is that those countries are no longer
willing to send their own nationals to die in Africa,'' Ikimi told BBC
radio yesterday. Arguing that conflict resolution was really a matter for
the U.N. Security Council, Ikimi said he hoped developed countries would at
least back the regional initiative. ``In terms of equipment and logistics
support, this should naturally come from the United Nations who should
appeal to the big powers,'' Ikimi said adding ``We want to establish a
framework to ensure that we do not reach the level of full-blown crisis
before we attend to it.'' Togo's Foreign Minister Koffi Panou said ECOWAS
was looking for a security mechanism that went beyond its ad hoc
peacekeeping missions in Liberia and Sierra Leone.``At the end of the Lome
meeting, a clear mandate will be conferred on foreign and defence ministers
on the setting up, operation and financing of a structure for maintaining
peace,'' Panou said after a ministerial session on Monday. Ikimi suggested
ECOMOG would have a role in whatever structure is eventually adopted. ``I
think ECOMOG is a very viable mechanism. I'm sure whatever would emerge in
the long run will not ignore ECOMOG as a framework,'' he said. Both the
United States and France who have initiated training schemes for African
peacekeepers are sending observers to the summit, as is the United Nations
secretary-general.
EXTRA SECURITY INTRODUCED AT MURTALA MUHAMMED AIRPORT
Extra security measures have been introduced at Murtala Muhammed
International Airport (MMA) Ikeja to forestall a resurgence of terrorist
activities at the nation's gateway. All visitors to the Presidential
Lounge of the airport are being subjected to thorough screening by
security men. These measures have been introduced following the explosion
which destroyed a substantial part of Abuja airport last weekend.
TWO HOSTAGES RELEASED IN HOUSEBOAT SAGA
Two hostages, a foreigner and a Nigerian, have been released from the
houseboat where they were being held with seven colleagues by angry
Nigerian workers. Oil service company Western Atlas said two of its
employees had been released yesterday and that three foreigners and four
senior Nigerian staff now remained on the boat. The nationality of the
foreign hostage released was not given but prior to the latest release, two
Britons, an American and an Australian were being held on board the boat,
175 km (110 miles) southeast of Lagos. ``In an effort to gain pay-offs,
some of the labourers and local villagers began a periodic detention of
Western personnel aboard the staff houseboat,'' the statement said.
``Western Atlas and Nigerian officials are currently negotiating with the
locals to resolve the situation.'' A Briton and a New Zealander were freed
from the boat earlier in the week after being held over the weekend. The
company has not given the number of either foreigners or Nigerian staff who
were on board the boat when the situation developed. Hostage-taking of
expatriate workers is not unusual in Nigeria's volatile oil-producing Niger
Delta region. It often coincides with the end of a contract and demands
from local workers for substantial pay-offs. Western Atlas, is working
under contract for independent Nigerian oil company Consolidated Oil owned
by Chief Mike Adenuga.
NEW U.S. AMBASSADOR RESUMES DUTY IN NIGERIA
The new United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr William H Twadell, has
resumed duty. Twadell has a rich experience in the foreign office, the
last 17 years of which have been mostly on African affairs. In his
testimony before the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Twadell said
his country was committed to retaining sanctions against Nigeria until
there was significant improvement on the ground in Nigeria to justify a
change.
EIGHTH-DAY PRAYER/VIGIL/DEMONSTRATION IN HONOUR YAR'ADUA IN THE U.S.
To mark the eighth day following the untimely death of General Shehu Musa
Yar'Adua in Abakiliki prison on December 8, 1997, eulogies of both a
religious and political nature were paid to his memory in an event in
Washington, DC yesterday. It was attended by dozens of placard-carrying
members of various pro-democracy organisations and held in front of the
Nigerian Embassy in the American capital. Organisations represented
included National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), the United Democratic
Front of Nigeria (UDFN), The Egbe Omo Yoruba, the Movement for the
Survival of Ogoni People (MOSOP), the International Roundtable on Nigeria
(IRTON) and the Nigerian Democratic Movement (NDM). The event was
followed by a handing-over of a collection of petitions to the State
Department in Washington DC, demanding an inquest into the circumstances
surrounding the death of Yar'Adua as well as the health of all the
political prisoners, the immediate release of all political detainees.
They also demanded that the US impose sanctions on the Nigerian junta for
its violations of human and civil rights and insistence on a sham
transition program.
COURT ORDERS RELEASE OF DETAINED JOURNALIST
A federal High Court Judge in Lagos yesterday ordered the government to
release the editor of the African Concord, Soji Omotunde who was arrested
by the SSS in October. The court declared Omotunde's detention illegal and
ordered the government to pay 100,000 as damages. Justice Abudu in his
ruling said Omotunde's arrest was not based on any reasonable suspicion
that the journalist had committed any criminal offence.
FORMER CBN GOVERNOR, SECRETARY TO GOVERNMENT, BOTH PASS ON
Former Central Bank of Nigeria governor Alhaji Abdulkadir Ahmed has died
in Germany at the age of 67, from a brain related illness. Ahmed was among
those indicted by the Pius Okigbo report on the central bank in the famous
$12.4 billion Gulf War oil revenue windfall. It is believed that Gen.
Babangida's recent trip abroad was to enable him say farewell to Ahmed.
Also, the former secretory to the government during the Babangida regime,
Alhaji Aliyu Mohammed has died from injuries sustained from a motor
accident in Benue state on Monday. Also killed were his two year old
daughter, wife and chauffeur.
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IN BRIEF
Ninety percent of Lagosians are poor according to a new survey by
Arbitrage Consulting Group. The report which was handed over to Lagos
state military administrator Col Mohammed Marma yesterday showed that only
9 percent of the urban population earn above 8,000 naira per month, 5 out
of every ten persons earn below 5,000 per month and more than three in
every household earn below 2,900 naira per month.
Lagos state imposes malaria tax of 1 percent on all government contracts in
the state. Tax to be used to complete the Sani Abacha Centre for Malaria
to be established in teaching hospital at the state College of Medicine.
Malaria kills about 300,000 children yearly.
Federal ministers begin discussions on the 1998 budget next Monday. The
budget is due out on December 31. Ministers to take oath of office
tomorrow.
NEPA says it needs $240 million to rehabilitate the nation's first
hydroelectric power plant at Kainji in northern Niger state. To save
costs, NEPA now employs local engineers to repair faulty facilities
instead of foreigners.
Production starts next month at the $300 million Ofon oil field in
southeastern Akwa Ibom state. It is a joint venture of state-owned Nigerian
National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and French company Elf.
Nigerian unit of Shell plans to invest 3.85 billion naira ($500 million) in
alternative sources of energy, says deputy managing director Egbert Imomoh.
Government needs to inject three billion naira into the steel mill at
Aladja, Delta state, if the pioneer steel company is to be viable.
Army to reshuffle officers following the appointment of some officers in
the federal cabinet.
Port reforms carried out this year have failed to reduce problems
associated with goods clearance, industry officials say.
A decision to merge the Government Inspectorate of Shipping and the
Nigerian Maritime Authority is to remove duplication in their functions,
says Olu Akinsoji, administrator of Maritime Academy of Nigeria.
Local industrialists have urged government to promote small businesses by
using their products. They say some of their goods compare well with
preferred foreign competition.
Four man delegation of the governments Human Rights Commission led by its
chairman Justice Paul Nwokedi in the USA. The delegation will hold talks
with UN officials and the Nigerian community in the U.S.
Nadeco yesterday called for stiffer sanctions on the regime as a means of
getting the military government to release all political prisoners in
Nigeria. The group also called for an independent enquiry to investigate
the circumstances of Yar'Adua's death.
Six persons die in Akwa Ibom Prisons including a convicted coup plotter
who took part in the Gideon Orka coup of 1990. No names given.
Solidarity Movement of the Southern Minorities of Nigeria chides regime for
Yar'Adua's death. Says Nigerian prisons are death camps similar to what
existed in Germany under the Nazis.
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Gbadebo Oladosu
Is musa jokolo "seeing." And to think Lagos is perhaps the richest state of
the nation.
Debo