Consolidating True Peoples Democracy in the African Union Part 1

               

As we arrive at the midpoint of the year 2011, it will be an understatement for all humanity not to realize that the epicenter of international news and world affairs in the last six months has been resident in the African continent and the Middle East. The only other two global newsworthy incidents that have overshadowed the developments in Africa this year, are the tsunami and nuclear disaster in Japan and  the precision strike force execution of Mr. Osama bin Laden in Pakistan. The magnitude of how Africa is affecting recent world events began in Cote D’Ivoire in 2010 with the first round of the presidential elections that took place on October 31st 2010 before the second round elections on November 28th 2010. In 2011, the first continent and the origin of mankind took center stage when Southern Sudanese in a quest for True Peoples Democracy (TPD), partook in a plebiscite exercise from January 9-15th 2011.

However, these human longing for change, self actualization, and collective efficacy did not resonate in the strategic and tactical designs of the so-called African leaders and their supporters from within and without. Instead they became more resolute in their decisions to maintain the Neo-colonization/Recolonization of the African people, raw materials, land, and environment. Thus from Tunisia to Cameroun, from Burkina Faso to Egypt, and from Libya to Djibouti, African rulers and governments schemed on how to continue their hegemony on power and corruption to the detriment of their people. They planned on remaining in political/dictatorial powers by all necessary means and teamed up to support each other in the name of “Pan Africanism.” Through these pathological distortions they channel themselves and their administrations as vessels of the marginalized African people who perennially suffer tragic impunity, unaccountability, corruption, insecurities, and lack of basic amenities.  

Consequently, these rulers were bound to repeat the same mistakes after the gathering in Addis Ababa Ethiopia for the 16th African Union Summit from the 24th -31st of January 2011, in which they largely ignored the situations in Cote D’Ivoire, Tunisia, and Egypt. In a show of shame our pathetic class of rulers convened in Kampala Uganda to witness the coronation of Emperor Dictator Yoweri Museveni on May 12th 2011 after 25years in power. Incredibly this was days after Museveni declared his supreme powers over who uses the streets of his East African country. His proclamations led to the broad day light assault on opposition presidential candidate Dr. Kizza Besigye. The Kampala gathering also occurred just days after approximately 600 African migrants perished near the Libyan coast in rough sea waters while attempting to escape from the horrendous manmade disasters in the continent.

            Encouragingly, it took the government of the tiny African nation of The Gambia to stand up for the African people in the struggle of True Peoples’ Democracy. They refused to recognize the new government of President Alassane Ouattara in Cote D’Ivoire due to principles. The Gambia government came out against the involvement of the colonial French military in Abidjan who operated independently of the United Nations sanctioned troops in Cote D’Ivoire. Although, Dictator Laurent Gbagbo had manipulated the constitution for 10years to disenfranchise Ivorians’ who had one foreign parent, trying to shut out his archrival presidential candidate Mr. Ouattara. The Gambian government was angered by the inability and/or reluctance of the African nations to proffer progressive solutions to the conflicts.

            Interestingly, this small coastal but mainly Muslim country did not pander to the Islamic Ummah (community of nations) in their quest to support True Peoples’ Democracy in Africa. Note to the separatist, anarchist, extremist, and devious practitioners of Islam in Nigeria for example Boko Haram, the Gambian people and government transcended religion in their articulated decision not to support President Alassane Ouattara who is a Muslim. Instead they advocated for a true and tested deliberative, consensus, ostracization, enforcement, and reintegration process that originated from the African continent. Though, we have conveniently sold our birthrights because of greed and colonial mentality (mental slavery) in order to embrace tyranny and the desire to be like others. Many African communities still practice these time tested systems of governance. The Igbo nation in Nigeria refer to it as the Aladinma process and the some in the Ijaw nation call it Polo-Ama both of which take a village to implement and actually means for the “Good of the Land/Community.”             

Nnamdi F. Akwada MSW, BA is a Social Justice Activist

Affiliations

http://www.usafricanculturalfestival.com/

www.nigerianmillionmarch.com

Is Dimeji Bankole the Only Magician or the Solo Scapegoat?

In one of his introspective club banging songs titled “Press” the African International superstar Mr. Timaya repeatedly complained and lamented about the scrutiny of the Nigeria press in his affairs. I am sure that in retrospect Mr. Dimeji Bankole, the former Speaker of the Nigerian House of Assembly (House of Representatives) and fourth official inline to the Presidency, is asking the same questions. The same song is apropos and compelling because there is a reference to Dimeji Bankole for facilitating the first encounter of our musical genius with President Barack Obama of the United States.  The fortunes of the youthful ex-speaker has certainly changed during the month of June 2011, as he finds himself under indictment by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) while President Goodluck Jonathan visits with President Obama in Washington DC.

            However, the billion-dollar question (wordplay on the allegations of stolen monies against Mr. Bankole) for those of us in the youth wing of international, African, and Nigerian progressive communities; is if we are experiencing turnarounds within the annals of the EFCC. Whilst refusing to shed tears for the ex-Speaker, we want to make sure that he is not a sacrificial lamb that is meant to pacify the larger country and especially some of us involved in social justice activism. Indeed Mr. Bankole should have spent more time caring for the other “plantain boys and girls” (euphemism for hawkers of various items who lack basic amenities and/or education) in the society after his legitimate political palace coup, instead of joining the rankings of perennial African treasury looters.

            What happens next after Mr. Bankole is prosecuted and presumably convicted for what amounts to treason against the regular folks in the United Nations of Nigeria, whose present and future are stolen due to callous insatiable greed? Is the EFCC willing to continue more trials of current cases and dusting of those files that have been languishing because of political and judicial cover-ups/malfeasance? When are charges going to be brought against the current Nigerian Senate President Mr. Colonel, Senator David Mark whose reelection in April was marred by attempted murder of opposition candidates and party members, and election rigging? Surely the EFCC is aware of these allegations and other contentions of monetary improprieties by Senator Mark.

            Hopefully, the trial of Mr. Dimeji Bankole will embolden the Nigerian investigative and judicial authorities to bring forth charges against other known national criminals. These individuals have been shielded by the government and certain segments of our population to the detriments of the collective civil society. Some examples that stick out like sore tombs include the members of the Northern Military Industry Complex NMIC and their co-conspirators from all nationalities within the United Nations of Nigeria. While countries like Argentina and Chile are busy arresting and arraigning their former rogue rulers, the likes of Dictator Olusegun Obasanjo, Dictator Muhammadu Buhari, and Dictator Ibrahim Babangida are presented with red carpet treatments and allowed to go unscathed in Nigeria. There is a failure to comprehend that Mr. Bankole’s crimes were catalyzed by the realities of the listed precedents of impunity.                

            Moreover, it is indeed disconcerting that foreign judiciaries are more eager to prosecute our corrupt politicians and military heads who have gained international notoriety. Whereas some members of the federal executive and state executive branches of government are busy undermining the judicial branch of government by effectively under-funding/de-funding them and forcing them to go on strikes; cities like London, Geneva, and Paris are shredding there histories of money laundering through prosecutions and restitutions. Hopefully, the tidings from these international hubs of financial abracadabra will motivate our EFCC and judiciary officials to pursue lowlife politicians who have now resorted to handing over the reigns of government before schedule, so that they can abscond with their loot and escape the rule of law.

References

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UW6jSsGv_7I

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGSQH51bN-Y&feature=related

http://www.usafricanculturalfestival.com/

      

Nnamdi F. Akwada MSW, BA is a Social Justice Activist