Abimbola Akosile (republished unedited from the original)(Tom Marino: ... writes US Secretary of State John Kerry on Muhammadu Buhari, 1 September 2016)
A MEMBER of the United States
Congress, Tom Marino, has written a letter to Secretary of State, John Kerry,
asking the US government to withhold security assistance to Nigeria until
President Muhammadu Buhari demonstrates a “commitment to inclusive government
and the most basic tenets of democracy: freedom to assemble and freedom of
speech”.
He also asked the State Department
to refrain from selling warplanes and other military equipment to Nigeria until
President Buhari establishes a track record of working towards inclusion.
In a
two-page letter dated September 1, 2016 and addressed to Kerry, a copy of which
was exclusively obtained by THISDAY yesterday, Marino, a Republican from
Pennsylvania who assumed office on January 3, 2011, said there were a number of
warning signs emerging in the Buhari administration that signal “the man who
once led Nigeria as a military dictator might be sliding towards former
autocratic tendencies”.
The Congressman, who is a member of
the Committees on the Judiciary, Homeland Security and Foreign Affairs, and the
Chairman, Sub-committee on Regulatory Reform, Commercial and Antitrust Law,
said Nigerian government must “hold accountable those members of the Nigerian
Police Force and the Nigerian Military complicit in extra-judicial killings and
war crimes”.
In the six-paragraph letter to
Kerry, Marino also expressed concern over Nigeria’s anti-corruption war, saying
“of additional concern is President Buhari’s selective anti-corruption drive,
which has focused almost exclusively on members of the opposition party,
over-looking corruption amongst some of Buhari’s closest advisors. Politicizing
his anti-corruption efforts has only reinforced hostility among southerners”.
His letter to Kerry reads: “Dear
Secretary Kerry, I am encouraged by the personal interest you have taken in
aiding Nigeria and its administration as it takes on endemic corruption,
multiple insurgent movements, and a faltering economy. However, I believe there
are a number of warning signs emerging in the Buhari administration that signal
“the man who once led Nigeria as a military dictator might be sliding towards
former autocratic tendencies.”
“I would urge the U.S. to withhold
its security assistance to the nation until President Buhari demonstrates a
commitment to inclusive government and the most basic tenets of democracy:
freedom to assemble and freedom of speech. A logical start towards this
commitment is for the Nigerian government to hold accountable those members of
the Nigerian Police Force and the Nigerian Military complicit in extra-judicial
killings and war crimes”.
“Human rights groups like Amnesty
International have widely documented torture, inhumane treatment, and
extra-judicial killings of defenseless Nigerians since President Buhari took
office.”
Quoting
Amnesty International Report, he wrote, “in the last six months, Nigeria’s
military has unlawfully killed at least 350 people and allowed more than 168
people, including babies and children, to die in military detention.”
He further
wrote: “The Secretary to the Government of Kaduna State even admitted to
burying 347 of those killed in a mass grave. And while President Buhari
promised swift condemnation, his words rang empty. Instead of swift reforms,
Buhari chose to reinstate Major General Ahmadu Mohammed, who Amnesty International
revealed was in charge of the Nigerian military unit that executed more than
640 unarmed, former detainees.
“Also, in
separate incidents concerning the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), the
Nigerian Army has killed at least 36 – the real number is likely higher –
people since December 2015 in an attempt to silence opposition and quell
attempts by the group to gather publicly.”
Describing President Buhari as a former military dictator whose reign (as military head of state) was cut short by a coup, he stated that the President has continually shunned inclusivity in favour of surrounding himself with advisors and ministers from the north of the country and the region he considers home.
“Of
President Buhari’s 122 appointees, 77 are from the north and control many of
the key ministries and positions of power. Distrust is already high in Nigeria
and favouring Northerners for key appointments has only antagonized the issue.
These appointments are also primarily Muslim in the north and Christian in the
south, adding a religious aspect to long-held regional biases.
“Of
additional concern is President Buhari’s selective anti-corruption drive, which
has focused almost exclusively on members of the opposition party, over-looking
corruption amongst some of Buhari’s closest advisors. Politicizing his
anti-corruption efforts has only reinforced hostility among southerners,” he
claimed in the letter.
He said the
Obama Administration would advance justice by urging the Buhari Administration
to act decisively to hold accountable members of the police and military.
The
congressman said, “This is a logical first step in making a demonstrable,
sustained commitment to inclusive democracy, with distributed power in Nigeria.
Until President Buhari establishes a track record of working towards inclusion,
we ask the State Department to refrain from selling warplanes and other
military equipment to the country.
“The State
Department should urge President Buhari to form a government that represents
the diversity of its citizens and allows dissenting voices to be heard.
Democracy can thrive only if people are free to assemble, to express their
beliefs, and voice their concerns.”
Twitter@HerbertEkweEkwe
THIS LETTER IS QUITE EXPLICIT .THE FOREIGN SECRETARY John Kerry WILL NOT PAY DEAF REARS TO THIS WARNING LETTER,
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