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Another Oil Problem in the Making? OPECâs Nigeria in state of emergency.
Several leading Nigerians have reacted nervously to President Olusegun Obasanjoâs declaration of a state of emergency in Plateau State. They fear the impact that the decree will have on democracy in the country. But some have welcomed the decision, feeling it is the only way to restore peace to the region. In a televised address, the president said serious action was needed to deal with a situation which he described as bordering on "mutual genocide". Hundreds of Muslims were killed by Christian militants in the town of Yelwa earlier this month. In February, 49 Christians were killed in a church. Christians have reacted angrily to the presidentâs statement. Speaking for the Christian Association of Nigeria, the head of the Anglican church, the Most Reverend Peter Akinola, demanded a state of emergency also be imposed on Kano State in which Christians had recently been killed. "Kano ...has pursued with fervour the plan to exterminate non-Muslims at the slightest opportunity," he said in a statement. "We believe that what is good for the goose is equally good for the gander." At the National Assembly in the capital Abuja, Senator Tokunbo Afikuyomi of Lagos State, also criticised the decision. He told reporters: "This is a sad day for democracy. Itâs a day we should hang our heads, not celebrate." This sentiment was echoed by leading Nigerian human rights lawyer and long-standing critic of President Obasanjo, Femi Falana. "Nigeria has gone to the dogs," he told the BBCâs Focus on Africa programme. "Democracy has been assaulted. Dictatorship has been restored." Mr Falana also described the presidentâs suspension of state governor Joshua Dariye as "unacceptable" and "illegal". Muslim groups in Plateau State had accused Mr Dariye of telling "non-indigenes" - which correspondents say means Muslims - to leave the state. Mr Dariye, who is from Mr Obasanjoâs Peopleâs Democratic Party, will be replaced by retired General Chris Ali for at least six months. But the member of Nigeriaâs House of Representatives for Wase - a town in Plateau State - welcomed the move. "I feel on top of the world," Ibrahim Bello Yero told the BBCâs Jamillah Tangaza in Abuja. "My people will now have peace," he said. An Islamic group, the Supreme Council for Sharia in Nigeria, complained that the decision had come too late for the Muslim massacre victims, but nevertheless also praised the move. "For the first time there has been an attempt to do the right thing about sectarian violence in this country," the bodyâs Secretary general, Nafiâu Baba Ahmed, told AFP news agency. On 2 May, militants from the Christian Tarok ethnic group attacked the Muslim town of Yelwa, leaving hundreds dead. Tarok farmers and Muslim Hausa-Fulani cattle-herders have frequently clashed over access to land and thousands have fled their homes. In March, 20 people were killed in clashes between the two groups on the eve of local elections. Muslim youths attacked Christians in the northern city of Kano last week, after Muslim groups held a march there to urge the government to take action in Plateau State. Mr Obasanjo visited Plateau State last week and was involved in angry exchanges with religious leaders, who accused him of not doing enough to stop the violence. He called one Christian leader a "total idiot". Posted by: Mark Espinola 2004-05-19 |
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