DESCENT INTO DARKNESS (1)

"Now who gave the orders? If it was done unilaterally by the military high command, they acted outside of their constitutional authority in a democracy and it may be a sign of restiveness in the military. If they did and it has no repercussions, it may as well be running a diarchy. If the president approved those actions, it would be a clear sign of desperation as we approach the 2015 elections. And using the military to achieve political ends is akin to riding the tiger!"

Governor Rotimi Amaechi at the Ondo-Ekiti border

At the risk of being branded a prophet of doom, I wish to warn President Goodluck Jonathan and those around him, including Christian leaders who have access to him that events in the month that’s about to end portend danger to our democracy and the corporate existence of our nation, Nigeria.

It began with an ill-explained clampdown on newspapers by the military authorities which began on June 6 in Abuja and continued for almost two weeks spreading to some other parts of the country.

The Guardian newspaper’s Editorial of June 20 captured the incidence in these words:

“…As early as 4.00 a.m. on Friday, June 6, 2014, heavily armed soldiers reportedly descended on newspapers operating from Abuja. They took position at strategic points where distributors, vendors and representatives gather to offload, load and coordinate the day’s sales and distribution. They clamped down on all newspaper distribution vans moving out of the city and detained drivers. The assault was so fierce that by the following day, all newspapers leaving Abuja were barred from circulation and confined to the vendor’s village in Area 1 of the Federal Capital Territory. A military official later said the action would continue until the Defence Headquarters was satisfied without stating what he meant or the reason behind the crackdown. Major General Chris Olukolade, the army spokesman, who confirmed the crackdown, said that soldiers were indeed given orders to ransack newspaper distribution vans for what he called ‘materials with grave security implications….’”  

If there has been any report of the presidency distancing itself from this unconstitutional attempt to intimidate the media, I am yet to hear about it. Take that as portent number one.

On Thursday, June 19, 48 hours to the governorship election in Ekiti state, at least two governors who wanted to attend the final campaign rally of the incumbent governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi were denied access into Ado-Ekiti, the state capital.

ThisDay newspaper reports it this way: “The federal government displayed its fangs Thursday when in a commando-style operation, soldiers and other security agencies of the federal government prevented Governors Adams Oshiomhole (Edo) and Chibuike Amaechi (Rivers) from travelling to Ekiti State. Amaechi, who had landed in Akure, the Ondo State capital, in a private airplane, had proceeded by road to Ado-Akiti, the capital of Ekiti State, but was stopped and prevented from entering the state at Iju, a border town in Ondo.  After waiting at the border town without being granted permission to enter Ekiti, Amaechi’s motorcade was compelled to depart Ondo State for Lagos yesterday by road, as his aircraft was prevented from flying out of Akure. In the case of Oshiomhole, his chartered helicopter was grounded at Benin Airport…”  

The Presidency’s take on this through spokesman Reuben Abati was evasive, at best: “…security agencies had a duty to stop those who might be able to compromise the process from achieving their aim…”

Then there was this widely reported incident involving Nigeria’s Number 4 citizen and military operatives. The National Mirror version of the report reads:

“The Speaker, House of Representatives, Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, was yesterday held hostage by soldiers said to be acting on orders from above to search his official car at the entrance to Hotel Seventeen, along Lafia Road, Kaduna…The speaker arrived at the venue at 9.16 am, ahead of other VIPs, and was stopped from gaining immediate access to the hotel premises by the soldiers, even when the seal of his office flag was on his car. The speaker’s security aides protested, but the soldiers rebuffed the move, insisting that they must search the car before being allowed into the premises. It was gathered that to avoid a bloody clash, Tambuwal angrily forced himself out of his car and walked into the hotel premises and into the conference hall, leaving behind his official car…”

In this case, the Presidency, through the National Security Adviser, Colonel Sambo Dasuki (rtd), is reported to have instituted an investigation into the incident and written a letter of apology to the Speaker.

The points to note in all three incidents are: all the actions violated constitutional rights of those involved; the military was involved; the military operatives who carried out the actions got their orders from somebody somewhere.

Now who gave the orders? If it was done unilaterally by the military high command, they acted outside of their constitutional authority in a democracy and it may be a sign of restiveness in the military. If they did and it has no repercussions, it may as well be running a diarchy. If the president approved those actions, it would be a clear sign of desperation as we approach the 2015 elections. And using the military to achieve political ends is akin to riding the tiger!

My conclusion: when the media is being intimidated; when governors’ right to free movement and association is circumscribed; when military operatives treat elected official with disdain; when impunity becomes the order of the day; when in the face of all that the prophets are silent; THAT IS DARKNESS VISIBLE. Let him that has ears hear.