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Nigeria: Letter to Obasanjo
Nigeria: Letter to Obasanjo
Date distributed (ymd): 990419
Document reposted by APIC
+++++++++++++++++++++Document Profile+++++++++++++++++++++
Region: West Africa
Issue Areas: +political/rights+ +economy/development+
+US policy focus+
Summary Contents:
This posting contains a letter to Nigerian President-elect
Olusegun Obasanjo from the New York-based Africa Fund,
concerning the need for continued dialogue with pro-democracy
and human rights groups on democratization in Nigeria. It
also contains selected links to other recent documents on the
transition to democracy in Nigeria. The next posting contains
excerpts from the April 12 speech in Lagos by U.S. Under
Secretary of State Stuart Eizenstat.
+++++++++++++++++end profile++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Africa Fund
50 Broad Street, Suite 711, New York, NY 10004
Telephone: (212) 785-1024 Fax: (212) 785-1078
Email: africafund@igc.org
Web: http://www.prairienet.org/acas/afund.html
Tilden J. Lemelle, Chairman,
Jennifer Davis, Executive Director
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Africa Fund Writes Nigerian President Elect Olusegun Obasanjo
Urging Demilitarization, Respect for Human Rights and Caution
Towards U.S.
April 12, 1999
Contact: Michael D. Fleshman (212) 785-1024
The New York-based Africa Fund today released a letter to
Nigerian President-elect Olusegun Obasanjo pledging support
for the restoration of democracy after 15 years of military
rule and urging him to reach out to Nigeria's pro-democracy
and human rights movements. The letter follows a meeting
between General Obasanjo and The Africa Fund in New York on
March 29 that focused on Nigeria's transition from
dictatorship to elected civilian government and on the role of
both U.S. governmental and non-governmental organizations in
supporting democratization and respect for human rights.
The letter urged General Obasanjo to work with Nigerian human
rights leaders who led the opposition to the brutal repression
of former dictator Sani Abacha and be responsive to the
pro-democracy movement's call for a national conference to
resolve longstanding ethnic divisions and revitalize the
country's political and social institutions.
Executive Director Jennifer Davis underscored growing U.S.
concern over the escalating crisis in the Niger Delta oil
fields, the source of virtually all foreign exchange and
government revenue, by calling for the withdrawal of troops
from the region and the opening of negotiations between the
government, the affected communities and the major oil
companies, including Shell, Mobil and Chevron, whose
operations have been targeted for protests over endemic
pollution, poverty and human rights abuses.
Noting the extent of military control of the transition
process and widespread voter apathy and fraud, Davis
encouraged General Obasanjo to move quickly to civilianize
government and build public confidence in his independence
from his military backers. She urged him to maintain contact
with the U.S. human rights, civil rights and environmental
movements who mobilized American public opinion against the
Abacha dictatorship and to be cautious about U.S. support for
democracy, arguing that "the United States values American oil
interests in Nigeria far more than it does democracy or human
rights."
The letter is part of an effort by The Africa Fund, a leading
U.S. voice for African independence, human rights and
development, to open a dialogue with the incoming government
on human rights and democracy, and to strengthen American
support for political, economic and social justice in Nigeria.
ends
Olusegun Obasanjo
President-Elect, Republic of Nigeria
April 12, 1999
Dear General Obasanjo,
On behalf of the staff and Board of Directors of The Africa
Fund please accept my sincere thanks for meeting with us in
New York on March 29. The task of restoring and revitalizing
a culture of democracy, accountability and respect for human
rights in Nigeria after 15 brutal and ruinous years of
military rule is a monumental one. Be assured of our support
for this vital effort as you prepare for your inauguration on
May 29.
With this letter I hope to continue our dialogue and share
with you some thoughts that arise from our previous exchange.
We were particularly struck by your comments on the role of
the Nigerian human rights and pro-democracy movements. We do
not share your view that the recently concluded electoral
exercise has in itself restored democracy in Nigeria and that
the human rights movement is longer relevant. On the contrary,
we believe that democracy is a dynamic and ongoing process of
engagement between citizens and government, and that the
human rights community, as part of a vibrant and independent
civil society, is central to democratization as an advocate of
civil liberties and a watchdog against official misconduct.
Human and civil rights organizations perform that vital
function even in such established democracies as the United
States, and we urge you to work closely with them in the
challenging task of entrenching a culture of respect for human
rights and democracy and rebuilding the institutions of
constitutional civil government.
It is precisely the need for institutional rehabilitation that
informs the pro-democracy movement's call for an inclusive and
representative sovereign national conference. We find great
merit in the arguments of such outstanding Nigerian patriots
as Chief Anthony Enahoro and Wole Soyinka about the need for
such a conference to re-order the relationship between Federal
state and local governments, entrench civil liberties and the
independence and authority of the judiciary and to enshrine
the new dispensation in a constitutional process that is
transparent and open to the public and amenable to discussion
and debate.
Chief Enahoro once told me that military rule was not the
problem in Nigeria but merely the tragic symptom of deep
divisions between Nigerian communities that time and again
have created opportunities for ambitious generals to seize
power. It is his view that only such a conference, broadly
inclusive, endowed with effective political authority and free
of military domination can forge the consensus needed to end
the army's threat to democracy, restore a sense of national
purpose and return Nigeria to the path of economic, social and
human development.
Similarly, the need to find an effective solution to the
continuing turmoil in the Niger Delta oil fields remains a
major concern. Your handling of this complex and difficult
challenge seems certain to be seen internationally as an early
test of your government's commitment to social justice and
respect for human rights. We share your view that poverty and
neglect are at the heart of the crisis, and welcome your
commitment to direct development funds to the region. But
after 15 unbroken years of repression, pollution and economic
decline the various groups in the Delta are in near-open
revolt against the military government and the Western oil
companies.
We believe that the danger of generalized political violence
is high, and could even become a pretext for a coup against
your government. There is therefore an urgent need to
demilitarize the crisis by withdrawing the thousands of troops
deployed in Bayelsa and Rivers states and to demobilize units
like the Mobile Police and Operation Clean Sweep that have
become notorious for human rights abuses. We were gratified to
learn that you have begun to consult with the affected parties
and urge you to engage and incorporate the oil producing
communities, particularly organizations like the Movement for
the Survival of the Ogoni People and the Ijaw National
Congress, in your effort to redress communal grievances.
Experience elsewhere in Africa suggests that only an inclusive
and transparent process that encompasses all of the
stakeholders in the Delta -- the communities, the government
and the oil companies -- can produce a result that is both
durable and just.
Your government's ability to move forward on all these
matters, however, clearly depends on its ability to govern
without fear of military intervention. We are keenly aware of
the danger that the Nigerian military poses to the survival of
your government and to the democratization project as a whole.
We applaud your stated determination to govern in the best
interest of the Nigerian people and not to succumb to the
demands of the generals.
Yet a key criticism of the election that brought you the
Presidency was that it was devised and conducted under strict
military control and that the outcome was shaped by the army's
very significant and highly visible support for your party and
your candidacy. This blatant interference in the electoral
process, your own military background and the widespread voter
fraud and apathy reported by both domestic and foreign
monitors has raised valid questions about the legitimacy of
the vote and of the role of the military in your government.
It will be important for your government to distance itself
from the military and, to the greatest extent possible,
civilianize and democratize government and the civil service
at every level.
I wish I could assure you of strong U.S. government support
for democracy, as the United States wields significant
economic influence over the military and could be an effective
deterrent to future coup plotters. But Washington's
abandonment of the June 12 1993 election and Moshood Abiola's
presidency, and its shameful effort to curry favor with the
dictator Abacha, demonstrates that the United States values
American oil interests in Nigeria far more than it does
democracy or human rights.
You will find more reliable allies in the American people.
During the bitter years of the Abacha terror The Africa Fund
was honored to work with leaders like NAACP leaders Kweisi
Mfume and Julian Bond, Congressional Representatives Maxine
Waters, Donald Payne and Benjamin Gilman, religious leaders
Rev. Joan Campbell and Rabbi David Saperstein, and trade
unionists John Sweeney, Stephen Yokich and William Lucy to
build public awareness of the oppression in Nigeria and
mobilize public support for a U.S. policy that puts democracy
and human rights at the center of our national interest.
This mobilized base remains a resource for Nigeria in this
country and for the difficult task of national renovation and
reconciliation. We look forward to deepening our dialogue
with you in the months and years ahead in pursuit of the
common objective of a prosperous, united and democratic
Nigeria.
Sincerely,
Jennifer Davis
Executive Director
Other Recent Documents
Interim Report by Transition Monitoring Group on the February
27 Presidential Elections in Nigeria
http://lists.essential.org/shell-nigeria-action/msg00168.html
Obasanjo as a Bridge to True Democracy
Column in The Black World Today by Deborah M. Robinson
http://lists.essential.org/shell-nigeria-action/msg00169.html
Election results by state
http://members.xoom.com/NDmessenger/electsp3.htm
For additional background and links for current news see:
the Africa Policy Nigeria action page
http://www.africapolicy.org/action/nigeria.htm
the Africa Policy West Africa regional page
http://www.africapolicy.org/featdocs/west.htm
This material is being reposted for wider distribution by the
Africa Policy Information Center (APIC). APIC's primary
objective is to widen the policy debate in the United States
around African issues and the U.S. role in Africa, by
concentrating on providing accessible policy-relevant
information and analysis usable by a wide range of groups and
individuals.
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