Senator Olowoporuku`s 2004 Letter to the Senate: ` State Terrorism - Military and Police Armed Assault on Nigeria Democracy from Ekiti State
May 10, 2007 | posted by Mobolaji Aluko (Archives)
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STATE TERRORISM:
LESSON FROM NIGERIA DEMOCRACY
MILTARY AND POLICE ARMED ASSAULT
ON NIGERIA DEMOCRACY FROM
EKITI STATE
A LETTER TO THE SENATE
BY
SENATOR DR. BODE OLOWOPOROKU (Ph.D. Econ. Manchester)
FORMER FEDERAL MINISTER OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
AND NOW CHAIRMAN SENATE COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTIJRE.
APRIL, 2004.
STATE TERRORISM:
LESSON FROM NIGERIA DEMOCRACY
Introduction:
THE CONFIDENCE IN THE BALLOT BOX IN NIGERIA IS
BREAKING DOWN FAST NOW
‘The difference between military rule and civilian rule is the ballot box. It
was the loss of the confidence in the ballot box engendered by the federal
might that brought down the 1st Civilian Republic; It was the loss of
confidence in the ballot box that brought down the second republic. Now
this is the third civilian republic, the loss of confidence in the ballot box is
now with us again. A small dose of the repetition of what happened
throughout Ekiti State and elsewhere during the last local government
election may lead to popular uprising that may be the end of 2007.
Democracy has been accepted globally as the only civilized model of
human governance. But once this 3rd Civilian Republic breaks down in
Nigeria (the largest black African country) it means that our children and
great grand children may forever be looking at the twilight of Democracy
from the civilized regions of the world because it may be concluded that
except the white cultured South Africa, Democracy is too fine and too
sophisticated for the primitive black race of Africa.
Warning:- “A breakdown of this 3rd Civilian Republic may not be as
simple as the breakdown of the 1st and 2nd Republics because ethnic militia
and agitation for Sovereign National Conference are becoming more
ferocious and more formidable, therefore a breakdown of the ballot box in
2007 may lead to a dissolution of what is now Nigeria and that will be a
permanent irreparable damage to the psychic of the black race hence
those who are riding on the back of the Tiger now enjoying absolute power
like Mr. Fayose of Ekiti State must watch it lest this Tiger consumes
everyone. Hence we must all join hands together to amend the 1999
Constitution as enshrined in this small pamphlet and in several other fora
so as to take care of glorified thugs, murderers, power-drunk and reckless
monsters who may suddenly emerge as the Chief Executive of any other
state or even Nigeria as a Nation, so that this Democracy may endure? We
must sacrifice our personal comforts if need be to preserve this
Democracy as a collective legacy to our children. The time to be seriously
warned as a nation is now!”
21st April, 2004
Distinguished Senators,
MILITARY AND POLICE ARMED ASSAULT ON
NIGERIA DEMOCRARY FROM EKITI STATE.
Something unusual in the electioneering process in Nigeria has
been introduced to the Southwest of Nigeria. The army with the
connivance of Fayose has taken away the priced democracy from the
people of Ekiti.
On 3rd April, 2004 the Local Government election day in Ekiti South West
Local Government, the army on the invitation of Fayose invaded Ekiti
with guns and bayonets, and like hoodlums hijacked ballot boxes, thumb
printed ballot papers, and in all took away all the ballot boxes. Democracy
has died in Ekiti State. All of this was done under the supervision and
command of his excellency the governor and chief security officer of Ekiti
State, Mr. Ayo Fayose. There was nothing the soldiers didn’t do on the said
day to rubbish our democracy. Bullets were rained into the air. Several
houses were destroyed and many innocent Ekiti people were shot in the
legs and are awaiting amputation in the hospitals.
The army and Fayose sang the death knell of democracy in Ekiti
State and it will take a lot of efforts for our people to be convinced that they
are still living in a democratic environment. Another election is
impossible in that State under the present circumstances unless the Senate
and House of Representatives step in. Something must urgently be done to
rescue this Democracy; if not, Ekiti experiment may be a signal of
something much more sinister that will happen in this country come year
2007. If the National Assembly refuses to be the conscience of this nation
at this stage and take over the responsibility to salvage our fast dying
Democracy, our children may be bequeathed violence in the name of
democracy and not democracy as we know it and as practiced in other
civilised parts of the world.
Distinguished Senators, Governor Ayo Fayose on 26th March,
2004 suddenly postponed the Local Government election in my Local
Government and three other Local Governments in the state. This was
just 12 hours to the election of 27th March, 2004. Reason was because he
knew that my wife Chief Mrs. Anike Olowoporoku would win and so he
needed to postpone the election by one week to enable him mobilize a
combined force of soldiers and “kill and go” mobile police to unleash
terror on the people ofEkiti Southwest Local Government.
By the midnight of 2nd April, 2004 we heard that soldiers had invaded
Iyin Ekiti, the home of ex-Go~Q’emor Adeniyi Adebayo and had put
Governor Bola Tinubu of Lagos State and Ex-Governors Osoba of Ogun
State and Niyi Adebayo of Ekiti State under arrest of no movement in and
out of the compound in a state of in-communicado. Within hours of the
soldiers arrival at Lyin Ekiti, we heard that soldiers had barricaded all
roads leading to my Local Government and that luxurious buses full of
soldiers had arrived at our town. What we knew was that our people were
preparing for Local government elections and not war.
By about 9.00 a.m people were ready to go and cast their ballots
despite the war songs of the armed forces all over the town throughout the
night. Their resolve was to go and vote in spite of the reported heavy
presence of soldiers and mobile policemen in the town. Several people
were on the queue to vote by 10.30am when Mr. Ayo Fayose suddenly
emerged in sleeveless shirt and knickers with a terrifying sword and also
in convoy of about 80 vehicles. His eyes were red like a monster who has
just finished drinking blood. Soldiers and “kill and go” (mobile
policemen) in hundreds staffed shooting into the air, asking everybody to
run for their dear lives. People ran away, any presiding officers or agents
whether of PDP or AD or ANPP or NCP who attempted to protect the
ballot boxes were beaten to state of coma or in a number of extreme cases
they were shot in the legs.
Stage II - In a rage and something more than madness, the
governor Mr. Ayo Fayose was overheard shouting “where is Bode
Olowoporoku, I want to kill him, I have immunity for eight years as
Governor of Ekiti State. And this will be till year 2011. All evidences
must have been erased before 2011”.
The soldiers then went wild, breaking the doors of houses
adjacent to the polling booths in search of cameras that may be recording
their nefarious actions. Having been satisfied that there was no
Olowoporoku around and having satisfied themselves that there was no
video camera hidden somewhere around, then stage III began.
Stage 151: Ayo Fayose and his invading forces then
commenced the operation of opening the ballot boxes, poured down the
ballot papers genuinely cast by the voters, burnt them there and then
brought out black polythene bags filled with already thumb-printed ballot
papers. These ballot papers were then stuffed into the ballot boxes. This
operation was repeated in all polling booths one after the other. On finding
out that 90% of Ike votes cast were for my wife, Gov. Fayose became
ferocious and annoyed cursing all the people of my town and ordered
severe beating of anyone who crossed his war path or attempt to resist this
rape of the people. When this stage Ill was taking them too long, they no
longer opened the ballot boxes; they simply carried the ballot boxes to
unknown destination. This was the pattern all through the local
governmentareas. Mr AyoFayose exclaimed, “let them meet me in court,
we will tell them that the court is ours, court judgement in Nigeria is 90%
money and 10% reaI justice. We have the power and the money.” Truly, for
all the killings, brutality and destruction of the properties of opponents or
perceived enemies of Mr. Ayo Fayose by his thugs including the murder of
12 students of the College of Education, Ikere-Ekiti, nothing has
happened to the thugs who are equally covered by the immunity of the
imperial Governor of Ekiti State.
At one stage, my wile decided to go and confront Ayo Fayose face
to face. She has passed through wards 2 & 7 and a few metres to meet him
at ward 6 for open confrontation when men and women rushed out to
prevent my wife, that the man Ayo Fayose, having taken his drugs is no
more a human being but a beast and monster who could waste any life as
he was going about uncontrollably. My wife was persuaded to turn back.
The ranting of Ayo Fayose the commander, all through this operation was
“Where is Bode Olowoporoku, kill him, I have immunity for eight years".
As soon as this command was sounded by him, the soldiers and
“kill and go” (mobile policemen) went crazy, rampaging and destroying
polling booths and shooting everywhere. People ran helter-skelter out of
the town into various hidings in the bushes. I understand that as soldiers
invaded our Local Government so also were other Local Governments
where elections took place in Ekiti State on 3rd April, 2004.
Several known thugs of Mr. Ayo Fayose who were in fake Mobile Police
uniforms were sighted among the thousands of armed policemen who
invaded my town, Ilawe-Ekiti on that day.
The soldiers and “kill and go” Police laid siege on my town for over a
week. On their departure day, the soldiers knew that popular uprising
would occur, therefore they warned the residents that if they reacted they
would come back to destroy the whole town. While the soldiers had left,
“kill and go” Policemen were still there.
Those for whom they rigged elections are living in fear of the people who
supposedly voted them into power. Today at least two mobile policemen
of Governor Ayo Fayose are assigned to each of the councilors rigged in
by Ayo Fayose while the Chairman does not sleep in the Local
Government but moves in and out with a lorry load of mobile policemen.
The candidates who have been rigged out are being arrested one after the
other and detained to forestall violent reactions against the wicked and
brutal acts against the people.
Distinguished Senators, the people of my town llawe-Ekiti saw
hell. Their experience on the election day and a week after is reminiscent
of a real battle front. The defenseless civiliaim cried, wept and gnashed
their teeth. Before their very eyes, my people sw Democracy collapsed
completely like a pack of cards and would pray that there should never be
any democracy in which they will again be asked to come and vote. The
nightmare of what happened on 3rd April, 2004 will live with the people
for a long time to come. This type of primitive show of force is to me very
strange and must be very rare in any civilised country particularly at this
age and time. Our Democracy is now the rule of force by forrce against the
people. I am saddened that I have to live to witness this type of primitive
show of power in our land. This cannot but impact negatively on our
youths.
Regardless of whichever political divide we find ourselves, men of
conscience with the foresight to see that this type of thing is a signal to the
eventual death of our Democracy will condemn the dastardly act which
took place in Ekiti State on 3rd April, 2004. Today the perpetrators of this
joke may feel happy that they are riding on the back of a tiger to injure
others in an unfair brutal system but tomorrow they may be consumed by
the tiger hence it is better to join hands all together to preserve the beauty
of Democracy no matter on which political divide one finds
oneself. Certainly in a situation of political confusion signaling a journey
of a nation to the precipice, statesmen who rise above partisan politics
must come to the rescue hence Distinguished Senators have a historic
duty now to perform.
SOLUTION
So that we may be counted amongst the builders of Nigerian
Democracy, my suggestions are as follows:
(1) That a committee be constituted to investigate the use of armed
mobile police and soldiers to mass thumb-print and rig elections
especially in the last Local Government elections in Ekiti State. This is an
unprecedented phenomenon never witnessed in Nigeria before. In fact,
there is no governnient in Ekiti State now, what we have there is tyranny.
Long established politicians and businessmen now run away from Ekiti
for fear of being attacked by the numerous thugs of Ayo Fayose in fake
mobile police uniform: Ekiti never had it so bad even under the worst
military regime in this country.
(2) That the Electoral Law be amended such that the 1NEC can be
truly Independent as in other civilized nations of the World. In a game
where the referees are chosen by only one of the competing teams in the
game, the competition cannot be fair and will end up is chaos. It has now
become clear that the chief Executives of governments whether at state or
federal level appoints into various INEC’s their partisan people who will
help them rig elections. Such a system cannot endure. It will collapse.
Therefore the appointment of people into the various INEC’s cannot be
left to any government; either it is given to Chief Justice of the federation
(i.e Judiciary, the only non-partisan arm of government) or all political
parties must be equally represented in the people appointed into NEC
federal or state levels.
(3) That when INEC had been made truly INDEPENDENT, it should
be given absolute responsibility, to conduct, supervise and oversee
election and ban the use of soldiers and mobile policemen on the day of
election. The mobile policemen have been bastardized and are now being
used as political thugs. Their duty is to quell riots and not for election.
The Governor of Ekiti increases his own contingents with fake mobile
police by just putting mobile police uniforms on his several thugs.
(4) That the Inspector-General of police be put under the
responsibility of the Chief Justice of the Federation a week to the day of
Election. During any General Election all the Chief Executives whether
of the nation or of each state is a political party leader and are prone to
deploy the Instrument of force and coercion to rig elections thus leading to
lack of credibility for the electoral process. Now that it has been seen that
the police is the major instrument of rigging election in Nigeria, the
appointment and removal of the Inspector-General of Police must be
transferred to the Chief Justice of the federation and the Police Service
Commission.
(5) That a clause that on no circumstance must the soldiers be called
out for election should be inserted. It is more expedient to postpone
elections than to call soldiers to assist in rigging elections for a political
party. The Chief of Army Staff must be given a Code of Conduct on this.
(6) That the State INEC must be cancelled forthwith. This is a great
trap that can destroy this Democracy. This nation cannot stand a repeat of
the ugliness of this last Local Government Election to the extent that the
Executive of each state rigged Elections in their States 100% culminating
finally in the unprecedented calling of soldiers out to rig elections in Ekiti
State. This is an embarrassment which the international community will
not lose sight of.
(7) The insertion of immunity in our Constitution is the beginning of
corruption and lawlessness. It should be roundly condemned that a class
of Nigerians is above the law. The law did not envisage that a street boy or
a rascal or a drug addict can emerge as the Chief Executive of a State as it is
in some states today or may even emerge as the President or Vice President
of this nation. He then becomes a murderer with impunity courtesy of
immunity. The Governor of Ekiti State is now called Mr. Immunity. Mr.
Immunity can resort to assassination if he feels that all his tactics of
suppressing every Ekiti man by force because of 2007 has failed.
What about extreme corruption since those who are given immunity are
the very people who preside over budgets and therefore steal public
money on a large scale; for whom therefore is the Anti-Corruption
Commission?
(8) The Governor of Ekiti State is blocking the access of people to
court for criminal prosecution. His thugs in fake mobile police uniform
maim and destroy the properties of perceived opponents whether within
PDP or of other political parties. An example of the several brutal cases
was the case of one Sikiru Babalola, a US. trained criminologist and aPDP
gubernatorial aspirant in 2003. He was perceived to be having a growing
profile. Ayo Fayose believing that the man may want to stand against him
in 2007 therefore, ordered his thugs to go and kiU him. The man was
traced to CMCM Church, Ado-Ekiti on a Sunday morning during Service.
Governor Ayo Fayose’s thugs entered the church, sacked the whole
church while service was going on. Pastors and church worshipers ran out
of windows and doors as the thugs shot in all directions. They got hold of
Mr. Sikiru Babalola, beat him, dragged him out of church, stripped him
completely naked, and after he was adjudged dead he was thrown into a
gutter. His jeep packed in front of the church was completely wrecked
and destroyed and it is still in front of the Police Headquarters at Ado Ekiti
till today.
By a stroke of luck, he was revived in a hospital where he was in a
terrible state for several days. The man took photographs, his church also
did, and reports had gone up to Inspector-General of Police several times,
but the Attorney-General of Ekiti State simply wrote on the case file to the
police “No case to answer” and that is the end. This is an abuse of section
36 of the 1999 Constitution about right to prosecution and fair hearing.
This attitude of blocking access to court and consequently to justice is a
daily occurrence in Ekiti State under Governor Ayo Fayose’s oppressive
regime. The man sings it loud and clear that he is not only in government
but he is in absolute power.
What Mr. Sikiru Babalola (M.Sc. Criminology) did not know by
the time he decided to be intimate with Mr. Ayo Fayose is that because of
the man’s low level of education (if any), Mr. Ayo Fayose is never
comfortable with any well-read person. Because of this, he gathers round
himself mainly drop-outs and illiterates to represent Ekiti whether at State
or Yoruba Zonal levels of PDP or governmental institutions. Mr. Ayo
Fayose has desecrated all the Ekiti legacies of educational excellence,
integrity and intellectualism. And because of his inferiority complex he
has become extremely repressive, oppressive, lawless and brutal so as to
compensate for his educational deformities. The mottos of Ekiti State
which are Educational Excellence and Fountain of Knowledge is now
ridiculed everywhere in Nigeria and abroad because a man reminiscent of
Emperor Nero, the illiterate and drunkard who destroyed the Roman
Empire and all its excellences has similarly become the ruler and destroyer
of Ekiti fountain of knowledge. Ekiti State is certainly in serious trouble.
When once late last year, the members of Ekiti State House of
Assembly decided to change their Speaker and Mr. Ayo Fayose got wind
of it, he quickly mobilised the mobile policemen and his thugs in mobile
police uniform to the State House of Assembly. The perceived leaders of
the group that wanted to remove the Speaker were beaten to state of coma
and were only revived in the Hospitals. Several of the Honourable
members sustained serious injuries and the State House of Assembly was
closed down indefinitely for several weeks.
The Honourable members of the State House of Assembly were
pursued to their respective wards and towns with the aim of eliminating
their perceived ring leaders. The thugs of Mr. Ayo Fayose wanted to
assassinate one of the honourable members of Ikere-Ekiti in broad day
light but the gunshot missed him and killed somebody else standing close
to him. So also the honourable member of Ado-Ekiti narrowly escaped
assassination just about five days after that. All the Honourable members
who led the attempted removal of the Speaker were to be assassinated and
they escaped in various hidings until they went to pledge that they would
behave and will never attempt to remove their Speaker. Since then the
Honourable members of the State House of Assembly have been living in
fear and watching ther utterances not to, say anything that would be
misconstrued to mean opposing Mr. Ayo Fayose, the errant terrible.
Such is the power of the Federal might that Mr. Ayo Fayose said
he is using, that on the day of a Federal House of Representatives bye-
election, Mr. Ayo Fayose’s thugs put the Federal candidate of a political
party for the election in the boot of their car from the beginning of the
election until the close of the election on that day. Whatever the thugs of
Mr. Ayo Fayose do in his name there can be no arrest because of Federal
might and immunity. Evaybody is living in fear under State terrorism in
Ekiti State. It is very shocking that Chief Bode George can continue to
protect Mr. Ayo Fayose in his horrible acts.
Mr. Ayo Fayose and his thugs bastardised Democracy, turned
elections to jokes, killed about 12 Students in the College of Education
lkere, maimed and brutalised members of State of House Assembly
vandalised houses and, properties of Ekiti people in all Local
Governments of Ekiti State, disgraced Traditional Rulers and Chiefs
across all the Local Government areas of Ekiti State. All his thugs hold
guns and shoot about in all villages to terrorise defenceless people in the
towns and the villages. He trained thugs to act as commandos who will
storm gatherings or attack anybody perceived to be acting against the
2007 interest of Mr. Ayo Fayose. His terrorism and madness cuts across
political parties and it is no respecter of age, status in the society or
traditional position. The situation now is Ayo Fayose and his thugs versus
the well meaning Ekiti people at home or in diaspora.
At one time about December 2003 the Police intercepted a pick up
lorry at Aramoko Ekiti full of guns. The vehicle and the people so involved
were arrested and brought to Ado-Ekiti. But within one hour, the secretary
to Ekiti State Government went to the Police Headquarters at Ado Ekiti
and got them released. So it is one set of laws for Ayo Fayose and his thugs
and another set of laws for the rest of Ekiti people. His thugs in fake
mobile police uniforms have destroyed petrol stations of perceived
opponents, maimed several people and destroyed the houses of many. It
will be right to say that anarchy reigns in Ekiti today. The Inspector-
General of Police has been inundated with these acts of lawlessness but
nothing has been done. The present Commissioner of police is more or
less his orderly, all the brutal acts and nefarious activities of Mr. Fayose
and his thugs were carried out in his presence. Judges are afraid of their
lives praying that cases involving Fayose’s thugs or having anything to do
with him and his people may never come their way. We have no
government in Ekiti State, we have anarchy. Everybody in Ekiti lives
under fear. We therefore appeal that the law giving the attorney-general to
enter into, nolle-proseque must be abolished in the Constitution. Let all
criminal cases be prosecuted; let them succeed or fail in court.
(9) That the Commissioner of police of each State must be held
responsible for allowing the Governor of a State to use his men to commit
illegality and brutalisation of the people of the State. Therefore, the
relevant Committees of the Senate and House of Representatives
responsible for such matter must be empowered to look into this. Because
where the Governor of a State puts his State under siege and state
terrorism, there must be a way of putting such extreme behaviour under
check before the country is engulfed with anarchy.
Distinguished Senators, what was given to us in 1999 by the
Soldiers is not a constitution but a hypothesis. Any speculative
formulation not yet subjected to empirical or field test is an hypothesis.
This hypothesis given to us has undergone empirical and field-tests since
1999. We are now in a position to fashion out a Constitution for the
Federal Republic of Nigeria and we as law makers must be alive to this
historical task no matter whose ox is gored. Our duty to Nigerians living
and yet unborn is to guarantee the existenceof an enduring Democracy so
that our children may not live most of their lives under Military Rule as
happened to us. The Constitution must undergo radical review to lift
Nigeria out of primitivity hence urgent amendment must be effected. The
case of Ekiti State has shown that a lot of Amendments must be done
to the Constitution if we are not ready for another military intervention.
The time is now to preserve this Democracy.
Distinguished Senators, the beauty of Democracy can be seen in
India as captured at the end of their General elections in May 2004 thus
“India Prime Minister concedes Defeat”. (Their Prime Minister is the
equivalent of our President). If it were this country as the trend is, Soldiers
and “Kill and go” mobile policemen would be used to destroy opposition
and ballot boxes only to announce fictitious figures so as to maintain the
status quo: whither Democracy in Nigeria?
It is only in Nigerian Democracy that a governor like Fayose could
boast that “nobody can snatch power from me (Fayose) the way I snatched
it from my predecessor (Otunba Niyi Adebayo)” having discovered the
power of mobile police men to rig elections.
Recently, Mr. Ayo Fayose called the Ekiti farmers that he
learnt that my name is associated with on agrochemical and therefore
instructed them not to buy it anymore. The Ekiti farmers opposed him that
he cannot dictate to them the chemicals to use on their farms. This is a
chemical being manufactured by a French Company in France and in use
all over Nigeria and other African countries. What effect would stopping
the chemical ip Ekiti have on a chemical that has world wide network sales
outlet. Ekiti farmers and Ekiti Agriculture would be the losers for it.
a
In fact, people like me or other perceived opponerns of Mr. Fayose
dare not bring investments to Ekiti now. One day, such investments will
just be set on fire and his government fire vehicles would be rolled out in
pretext and camouflage of trying to extinguish the fire deliberately and
clandestinely set on fire.
Distinguished Senators, we must all join hands to rescue our nation,
now slipping fast into the precipice. We must act like statesmen and rise
above narrow political party partisanship. We must rescue this nation now
otherwise it will be concluded that except the white cultured South Africa,
Democracy is too advanced, too fine and too sophisticated for the
indisciplined primitive black race ofAfrica.
Distinguished Senators, we cannot fold our arms and pretend that
everything is well with our Democracy because we are in power today
enjoying from the primitivity of Nigeria democracy. Our acquiescence of
today with gross injustice and rape of democracy will be a tragedy of this
nation tomorrow. The Ekiti case is a national calamity that cannot be
brushed aside otherwise the fall of this Republic can start from there. We
have the responsibility to carry along the Honourable Members of the
House of Representatives to salvage this wobbling Democracy before it
collapses again.
Highest Regards.
SENATOR DR. BODE OLOWOPOROKU,
EKITI SOUTH SENATORIAL DISTRICT.
ADDENDUM
TO THE
LETTER TO THE SENATE
THE ULTIMATE SOLUTION TO NIGERIA’S ILLNESS
NATIONAL CONFERENCE AND PARLIAMENTARY SYSTEM
This country is in trouble unless we can join hands to change to
parliamentary system. Nigeria progressed rapidly under parliamentary
system between 1960- 1966 such that Nigeria compared more favourably
with Indonesia, Brazil, Malasia etc. The groundnut pyramid of the North
the Cocoa of the West and the Palm produce of the East among others wen
harnessed for the rapid economic development of Nigeria. The per capiti
income of Nigerians then was BP1,500. (One thousand five hundred
pounds). Today the per capita income of Nigerians is $315 (Three
hundred and fifteen dollars) per capita which is less than one fifth of our
per capitta income 40 years ago. We now rank into one of the 21 poorest
countries of the world and this country is reputed to be the most corrupt
country in the world today. We have sunk from being one of the leading
middle-income countries to one of the lowest-income countries of
world despite the huge sales of crude oil the scarce gold which mo
countries of the world developing rapidly do not have. The rate
unemployment in Nigeria is one of the highest in the world. Nigerians
the country side are dying slowly, daily.
Of about one million Nigerians who graduate from Universities
and Polythechnics in and outside Nigeria annually, only about 200,000
graduates secure employment in this Nigeria annually. About another
300,000 graduates secure employment in Western Europe and Amen
thanks to the Western capitalism which reserves the meanest and &
jobs of their systems to citizens of very poor countries like Nigeria.
MAJOR REASON FOR THE DECAY:
The major reason for the total decay and decadence in
economy is the absolute corrupt presidential system we have adopted
which has no check and balances rather it breeds monsters in power.
In a parliamentary system the Prime Minister is only first among
equals, he can be removed without hazzles or agony to a nation. It is as
easy as when the Speaker of the House of Representatives or Senate
President is removed and replaced whenever the occupant of the post no
longer commands respect nor acting in the interest of the nation. Under the
presidential system, removal called impeaChment is made impossible.
Also, in parliamentary system, only the best brains have the
chances of leading in states and the nation because the election of the
leader is done at parliamentary level amongst equals. So crooks with
money or fraudsters have no place in that system. If by any mistake, a
crook and certificate forger emerges, he can easily be brought down
within the parliamentary system. But in this’presidential system, glorified
thugs as the subject of this pamphlet have very huge opportunities to
emerge as chief executives of states and such characters can even emerge
as the chief executive of Nigeria. President Obasanjo was quoted on the
frontpage of Tribune of Monday 3lst May 2004 that “Some Governors
are crooks.” Must we continue to operate a system that gives chances to
crooks to rule this nation? Nigerians are richer in billiions of Dollars
outside, hence debt forgiveness is, unlikely for a nation whose citizens
have fat accounts and palaces all over Europe , America and Asia. They
are owned by the corrupt superstructures foisted on us by the presidential
system.
In a parliamentary system, only experienced seasoned
personalities with track records of achievements and who want to protect
their good names can emerge as chief Executives of Local Governments,
States and of the Nation. Today, like it has happened in States, any person
without any known public or private anticedents, crooks, fraudsters who
have money can pack his bag and baggages from anywhere in the world
and jet down to Nigeria to emerge as chief Executive of any State and even
of Nigeria. What kind of system are we running?
In a Parliamentary Democracy, a 419 par excellence has no
chance to become the Premier of a State. For illustration, Mr. Ayo Fayose
announced to the whole world (including Newspapers) that be would use
helicopter for his gubernatorial campaigns. By the evening of 12/4/2003
when I had won my election with a sweeping victory across my Senatorial
area. Mr. Ayo Fayose ran to my house to congratulate me as a Senator
Elect, he then begged me to use the miracle that I have used to win so
overwhelmingly to assist him to win his own governorship election whivh
was 8 days ahead then.
Therefore at his instance, a meeting of over 300 leaders of PDP all
over Ekiti State was convened in my house on Sunday, 13/41200
to fashion out the gubernatorial campaign rally for Mr. Ayo Fayose.
In this meeting, ltold them how did my own Senatorial carnpai~
rally spanning 14 days, lining up 40-45 vehicles at a time, purchasing fuel
from black markets, feeding about 500 people who accompanied me to the
rallies daily, payiag for canopies, chairs, drummers etc. thereby gulpi~
N7 million. Therefore I told Mr. Ayo Fayose that we would need
N6 million at N2 million per SenMorial District.
Mr. Ayor Fayose started weeping and prostrating that he did
have more than N200,000.00. He swore to God that he had no more. His
Deputy Governorship Candidate said he could only contribute N 100,000.
So all leaders started contributing andt little less than one million naira
all was contributed. People started murmuring that this Mr. Ayo Fayose is
a 4l9 man, that this is a man who announced that he would use helicopters
to campaign only to be made and now discover that he was
herebyusing4l9 tactics.
I printed 52,000 laeflets on my own which were used to boost his
gubernatorial campaigns, I led the campaign rally and addressed groups at
42 points.
As soon as Mr. Fayose became Governor, he did not even sa
thank you, he immediately from Day onw saw me and some few others as
the obstacles to his 2007 political re-election ambition and so planned to
eliminate me physicilly or politically. He has since turned the
Government of Ekiti State into his personal property treating the people of
Ekiti and Nigeria as a whole into false propaganda of false achievements
propping up and sponsoring individuals, fake Ekiti progressive unions
land buying up media houses to eulogise him for false achievements. It is a
tragedy that the corrupt presidential system has foisted on the genuine
straightforward, honest and innocent people of Ekiti noted international
for intellectualism and educational excellence fake character.
The presidential system which allows this kind of character to rule
is certainly not the best for Nigeria hence the parliamentary system must
be adopted now that the presidential system has sunk Nigeria into a state
ofsocio-economic embarrassment, trap and quagmire.
Certainly, there is ‘no hope in the horizon for Nigeria to attain the
rate of economic development expected of this giant of Afiica - Nigeria
unless we jettison the presidential system now and adopt parliamentary
system. Only the bests have chance of emerging to rule in a parliamentary
system which has built-in checks as against absolute corruption and fraud
of the presidential system. With this corrupt presidential system it will
take Nigeria a very long painful agonising period of waste of time and
resources before this country can develop.
The best experienced scholars and seasoned politicians with track
records of achievements emerged as the Prime Minister, Governor-
General and Premiers and Regional Governors of Nigeria between 1960 -
1966; hence corruption was non-existent and economic development
was most rapid with a rate comparing most favourably with any other
country of the world.
But since the adoption of the presidential system, Nigerian
political system and economic atmosphere had entered into deep
darkness. The Chief Executives who preside over budgets at various
levels go there to steal public money and since the constitution gives them
so much power including the power of immunity to steal and intimidate
people, Nigeria’s hope of development is being dashed at that level.
Nigeria may not be able to cope with other countries in our macro-
economic development unless we jettison this corrupt presidential
system.
Another beauty of parliamentary system is that the person who is
the Chief Executive is not the Commander of the Armed Forces. So the
instrument of co-ersion to rig elections are not concentrated in the hands
of any politician; therefore the chances of calling armed policemen and
armed soldiers to go and rig elections as it happened in Ekiti State in
March and April 2004 is eliminated.
Therefore, the proposed National Conference is the only hope of
Nigeria to change from this corrupt presidential system that is inimical to
socio-economic development to Parliamentary System. So a National
Conference should not just focus on nationalities and regionalism alone,
but a system that will give us the best that will redeem the economic anf
political malaise in which we find ourselves today.
SENATOR DR. BODE OLOWOPOROKU
EKITI SOUTH SENATORIAL DISTRICT
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