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Nigeria watch as Kenya burns
Related to country: Kenya

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Eugene Duru Monday, February 4, 2008
eduru@tiscali.it
Italy

WHILE KENYA BURNS, NIGERIANS WATCH WITH AWE
igerians are watching, from a distance, in disbelieve, the current crises in Kenya, which broke out as a result of the flawed electoral process in that country. It's like playing to them what could have become of their country or better still, the likely scene that was avoided after the 2007 electoral outcome, had other political parties not taken things the way they did -- let peace reign and also to avoid the thousands of lives and properties that could have been wasted.
What the ruling party under Kibaki did in Kenya is exactly a replica of what PDP under Obasanjo did in Nigeria in that 2007 election that was widely described as no-election by both local and international observers. Not perturbed by these condemnations, Obasanjo went further to corruptly produce the current president and governors who are almost all from his party (the PDP) which held power during the said period.

Two-third of Nigerians were unhappy with the out come of that election and they pointed accusing fingers at Prof. Maurice Iwu who headed the commission that organised the election, they are angry with Obasanjo the then president who wanted his anointed son to win at all cost, and of course, they are angry that Yar adua was foisted onto them against protests from different quarters of broad-day-light irregularities that characterised the process. In fact, one still wonders why the African union still allows Yar adua to attend its meetings even when article 30 of its charter speaks against such process. That article declares that “governments which shall come to power through unconstitutional means shall not be allowed to participate in the activities of the Union”, yet no sanction was pronounced against Yar adua.

Anyway, I hope Obasanjo is watching the struggle that is going on presently in America. Since the campaign started, President Bush has not been seen talking about it nor presenting a candidate he would want to come and shield him when he must have been gone. He can not do that because he knows that democracy is all about people choosing whom their choice is and not for one person to decree who he wants to put in positions of authority. Obasanjo should be taken to secondary school and be thought a good lesson about democracy and its process. He needs a good teacher that will teach him that democracy simply means government by the people, of the people and for the people and not government according to Obasanjo.

During 2007 election campaign in Nigeria, while people were yet asking who Yar adua was, as many had never heard of him, Obasanjo didn’t only endorsed him as his successor, he further made it clear that if any one kicked against Yar adua’s candidature because of his ill-health as was much rumoured in the media, that let the person come and rule. For that he declared that election a do-or-die thing which direction must be directed by him and that he did.

Today, Nigerians are asking him and his cohorts mentioned above to see the kind of catastrophe that was narrowly avoided in Nigeria had other parties not played it cool. At the same time, they are warning them particularly the electoral body to be very careful in its future organisation of elections so as not to plug the country into a situation of 1963 that evidently produced much death and also led to wanton destruction of properties and social infrastructure across the country. Nigerians are asking them to look at Kenya and what Kabaki’s greed for power has caused the entire nation.

Imagine what this upheaval is causing Kenya today, a country that have always enjoyed peaceful coexitence. A country where you rarely hear anything ugly coming from, and certainly the reason why it has always enjoyed much revenue from tourism just like many European countries.

But today, with what is happening in Kenya, how many foreign nationals do you think are still planning for a visit or holiday to that country after watching aggrieved youths on CNN chasing and killing each other with machetes. In fact, only the Kenya ministry of finance will be in good position to quantify in monetary value how much in foreign currency the crisis have caused their nation.

Observers say that the out-play is not only a big loss for Kenyans, rather, it should be seen as a big lesson for all seat-tight presidents in Africa. It is a lesson they should know that rulership is not a do- or-die affair like Obasannjo once proclaimed. Leadership is a continuous process that has to pass from one person to another, or from one political party to another or could even remain with the party that ruled during the period when elections were held as long as the electoral process were free, fair and open and also in accordance with the rule of law. A country’s leadership position is no body’s or group of persons’ farm yard where they farm perpetually.

Having made this point, it will be pertinent to re-emphasised that this problem that is currently tearing Kenya apart shouldn’t be seen by African leaders as Kenya’s problem, because, as the problem progresses, so many people are displaced and where do the displaced people look for refuge under such situations?, of cause within the neighbouring countries and that is why it shouldn’t be seen as a Kenyan problem alone but one that is threatening the peace of the region and if not global.

If I may ask, does the African Union not have a unit that respond to such emergency in the continent? I suppose that this is one of the purposes for which such a regional organisation was formed to address. To have the capacity to respond to such sudden shocks which if allowed unattended to, could within the shortest space of time, affect the peace and security of the whole region. And if on the other hand there is a machinery in place within the AU structure, why then wait for lives to be wasted before an appropriate action is taken.

Instituted authorities like the AU should be able to tell erring leaders within their regions straight in their faces that enough is enough, after all, the unity of Africa is one of the purposes that led to the formation of the AU. Article 3 (f) of the charter of the union specifies that one of the objectives for which the union was formed was to “promote peace, security, and stability on the continent “.

They should be able to settle disputes like the one being witnessed in Kenya presently before it degenerates to a real civil war. Article 9 (g) talked about “the management of conflicts, war and other emergency situations and the restoration of peace”. In other words, the AU charter 9(g) gave the union the mandate to intervene in situation like we have in Kenya, and if so, why wait for the UN or other organisation before action could be taken to tackle African problems.

Africa has always been looked down on, by other regions as a region that can not fend for itself and this is time to act to change that perspective if we want others to respect us. In fact, we do not need the kind of waste that is going on right now in Kenya, not in the current economic mess most African countries are in, and more so, not with an authoritative regional institution like the AU in place to quench such social, economic and political disorder before more harm is caused.



February 7, 2008 | 9:39 AM Comments  0 comments

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