Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Nigerian Government Accepts US Proposal on Security

Govt accepts U.S. proposal on security

Wednesday, 18 January 2012 00:00 From Laolu Akande (New York) and Joke Akanmu (Abuja)
Nigerian Guardian

Bishop of Canterbury worries over Boko Haram

AS part of its resolve to confront Boko Haram terrorism and security challenges in the country and the West African region, the Federal Government has accepted a proposal by the United States (U.S.) to create a new focus on security as a different agenda under the U.S.-Nigeria Bi-National Commission (BNC), initiated just less than two year ago.

And under the new security focus, top military chiefs from the U.S. will join the resumption of the BNC talks between the U.S. and Nigeria starting next week in Abuja.

This disclosure was made yesterday by the Nigerian Ambassador to the United States, Prof. Adebowale Adefuye, during a meeting with U.S. business investors and private sector executives under the platform of the influential Corporate Council on Africa (CCA), in Washington DC on recent developments in Nigeria, especially Boko Haram attacks and the petrol subsidy crisis.

Said he: “The United States government has proposed that the Niger-Delta and Regional Security component of the Commission be split into separate entities and the first meeting on Regional Security should hold immediately on 23rd and 24th of January. We have agreed to this proposal.”

When Nigeria and the U.S. signed the BNC agreement in April 6, 2010, four areas of focus were agreed including governance and transparency, Niger Delta - where security featured partly, energy reforms and agriculture. The fifth dimension now is security.

Adefuye added that while Nigeria is open to international assistance on the issue of Boko Haram because of its international dimension and the global condemnation of terrorism, “we are receiving adequate support and assistance from our international friends without compromising our independence and freedom of action.”

He said it was the U.S. government, which offered to make the issue of security a distinct focus of the BNC instead of being just a part of the Niger Delta focus of the commission.

Explaining that with Nigeria’s consent on that U.S. government proposal, top military chiefs from the U.S. would be joining in a BNC meeting next week in Abuja, which will be the Commission’s first meeting on regional security, adding: “I will be travelling to Nigeria tomorrow to take part in the first annual review of the U.S.-Nigeria Bi-National Commission.”

Last week, Adefuye met with the workers of the U.S. State Department Bureau on African Affairs to explain the petrol subsidy crisis and the Boko Haram attacks, reviewing Federal Government’s response. Similarly last week, he also met with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington DC on the same subject as Nigeria made global news, raising concerns and questions on the state of the nation because of the petrol crisis and Boko Haram.

His meeting yesterday with U.S. business leaders and investors who have interests in Nigeria was also called to reassure the American private sector that Nigeria is very much safe for investors.

Addressing the Corporate Council on Africa yesterday, Adefuye said: “I want to assure you that our security services are very well equipped and are of sufficient competence to deal and contain the dangers posed by Boko Haram.”

In a related development, the Arch Bishop of Canterbury and Head of the Anglican Church Worldwide, the Very Rev. Rowan Williams, has expressed worry over incessant killings, especially of Christians, by members of the Boko Haram group. He urged Christian faithful in the country to renew their faith in Christ.

Williams, who spoke while presenting a letter of condolence to the Primate Church of Nigerian (Anglican Communion), the Most Revd Nicholas Okoh in Abuja, pledged to table the issue before the British authorities for necessary assistance, and condemned in totality, the recent attack on Christians by the sect.

The letter, which was delivered by a member of the British House of Lords and Bishop of Durman, Rt. Rev. Justin Webly, who is in Nigeria to condole with Christians, read thus: “The news of the ongoing attacks by Boko Haram continue to be very disturbing. We have heard from the Bishop of Damaturu via the Bishop of Herefold how many Christians have fled the city in fear of their lives.

“We are continuing to raise these issues with the government here in the UK and support the position of those who are living in fear of the ongoing violence,” he said.

Welcoming the Archbishop of Canterbury’s emissary, the Primate of the Anglican Communion, Most Rev. Nicholas Okoh, stressed that Nigerians are not ready for any strife on religious lines. “Christians and Muslims are very ready to live together,” he said.

1 comment:

finnerty said...

How quickly the snakes slither...

As Occupy Nigeria rose to refute the Fuel "Subsidy" removal in the first days of January 2012, I was paying close attention. I had already been studying the web for months, trying to learn as much as I could about Nigeria... reading academic papers by Nigerians in the Diaspora, economic and law enforcement sources, U.N. studies... all in an effort to understand the complex dynamic that has led Nigeria to be known with such notoriety in the world, with the 419 scams, the drug trade, etc.

So when the "subsidy" was suddenly removed, it came onto my daily study "radar" immediately.

I watched as an enormous head of water came rolling down, becoming a vast flood of public indignation and protest. I watched as Organized Labor seemed for once in the world recently to live up to its promise and provide real leadership to the people. I watched as the mass of people demonstrated over and over that they knew how to guarantee their own security thorough celebrating a sense of unity and common purpose... no need for violence. As the days passed this angry, determined and purposeful nonviolent unity exposed the truth that those who use violence are the true enemies of the people. It became clear that "security" is always a codeword for "oppression" and "fear" used by the powerful few to dominate the honest and hard-working many.

So when Labor abruptly reneged on its militant original stand not to negotiate with the corrupt pretenders in power, I saw what was coming. When the "government" continued to emphasize the "threat" of "terrorism" instead of facing the issues raised by the majority -- corruption, greed and selling out of the nation to international predators -- well, I could see that the next phase would be an ugly introduction of iron-fisted violent repression in some form or another.

The thought occurred to me... "with Nigeria providing one fifth of the oil consumed by the oil-addicted United States, do you really think that the Pentagon is going to sit idly by and watch as a multitude of simple people with no money OR guns deludes itself into thinking that they will actually disrupt that supply and displace the ORDER of things as we like them?"

What I believe occurred behind closed doors on Saturday and Sunday January 14 & 15 was that the "Government" passed on a message that they had received from the shadows: I believe that they informed the Labor "leaders" that if the strike did not end, and if the price of PMS was not hiked, there was going to be blood in the streets on a massive scale. Also I believe they were blackmailed... because no "leader" in this day and age is clear from the stench of corruption and favoritism...

The CIA, or whatever you want to call them... they are in Lagos, in Abuja, in Kano... whispering and poisoning... Now we see that they are coming out into the open a little with this news of a "Security" authority to be "advised" by the Pentagon. How typical. Have we not seen this exact same drama a thousand times already, from the earliest days of U.S. history... this is their "Modus Operendi" after all... Coopt, corrupt, coerce and... collect.