BUHARI AND SELF-DETERMINATION: Dictatorship at home, democracy abroad
By Okonkwo Isaac Somto
For Family Writers
President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday assured that Nigeria will stand with the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, SADR, in line with several resolutions of the African Union, AU, on the right of the Sahrawi people to self-determination and independence.
“the issue first came up when I was in office as military head of state. After I left government, Nigeria remained steadfast on it.
“In my maiden outing at the UN General Assembly last September, the issue of Sahrawi was in my speech. You have no cause to doubt our commitment. We stand with our African Union colleagues on this issue.
“Nigeria will maintain focus till everything is finally resolved positively,”. “It paved the way for the UN to adopt several key resolutions on Western Sahara, elaborating a peace plan. “to accelerate matters”.
History is now repeating itself, as you are the President of Nigeria at a time the Sahrawi issue is being put on the front burner again.’’ "Nigeria will keep faith with Western Sahara’ self-determination bid "- Buhari
Buhari on the February 28 backed the Palestinians for the call for self-determination. President Muhammadu Buhari, who visited Qatar on February, restated his strong support for the self-determination of Palestinian State.
He said- "I want to assure you that we will stand side by side with you, until our brothers and sisters in Palestine achieve their desired objectives.”
“Our support for various Security Council resolutions restoring and respecting 1967 boundaries with Jerusalem as capital of Palestine is firm and unshaken.”.
President Buhari called for a lasting solution to the Israeli – Palestinian conflict, saying “we in Nigeria, like the State of Qatar, favour a ‘Two State’ solution, with the State of Palestine living side by side with
the State of Israel.”
The United Nations main documents say: “All peoples have the right to self-determination; by virtue of that right they freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic,
Social and cultural development”
And yet the issue of Biafra self-determination seems to be a different case entirely both for Buhari and the United nations. Why should Buhari continue to support foreign Muslims countries in their bid for self-determination but continually kill, torture, threaten and oppose Biafrans on their call for self-determination? It’s a similar solution right here in his country, Nigeria.
Why he would abandon dialogue and rather prefer that unarmed Biafra protesters be shot and killed on sight for daring to demand the Palestinian and western Sahara solution here in Nigeria? The Palestinian question, Western Sahara question and the Biafra question are one and the same; the issues are the right to self-determination of component nations of both States; the State of Israel and the State of Nigeria.
President Buhari since coming into power has ordered the killing of over 3000 Biafrans calling for self-determination, in less than a year in office. He said he does not recognize Biafrans call for self-determination but goes about supporting Palestinians and Western Sahara in both calls for self-determination.
Both states, Israel and Nigeria are signatories to the UN Charter and its relevant articles on referendum and self-determination. Both questions are also ethnic based; the Arab in Israel and the Igbo in Nigeria.
Therefore, the same principle ought to apply to both questions. To support the right of one to a solution by dialogue and self-determination as the President has so rightly enunciated for the Palestinian cause, while opposing the same solution for the other, is pure hypocrisy.
By Okonkwo Isaac Somto
For Family Writers
President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday assured that Nigeria will stand with the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, SADR, in line with several resolutions of the African Union, AU, on the right of the Sahrawi people to self-determination and independence.
“the issue first came up when I was in office as military head of state. After I left government, Nigeria remained steadfast on it.
“In my maiden outing at the UN General Assembly last September, the issue of Sahrawi was in my speech. You have no cause to doubt our commitment. We stand with our African Union colleagues on this issue.
“Nigeria will maintain focus till everything is finally resolved positively,”. “It paved the way for the UN to adopt several key resolutions on Western Sahara, elaborating a peace plan. “to accelerate matters”.
History is now repeating itself, as you are the President of Nigeria at a time the Sahrawi issue is being put on the front burner again.’’ "Nigeria will keep faith with Western Sahara’ self-determination bid "- Buhari
Buhari on the February 28 backed the Palestinians for the call for self-determination. President Muhammadu Buhari, who visited Qatar on February, restated his strong support for the self-determination of Palestinian State.
He said- "I want to assure you that we will stand side by side with you, until our brothers and sisters in Palestine achieve their desired objectives.”
“Our support for various Security Council resolutions restoring and respecting 1967 boundaries with Jerusalem as capital of Palestine is firm and unshaken.”.
President Buhari called for a lasting solution to the Israeli – Palestinian conflict, saying “we in Nigeria, like the State of Qatar, favour a ‘Two State’ solution, with the State of Palestine living side by side with
the State of Israel.”
The United Nations main documents say: “All peoples have the right to self-determination; by virtue of that right they freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic,
Social and cultural development”
And yet the issue of Biafra self-determination seems to be a different case entirely both for Buhari and the United nations. Why should Buhari continue to support foreign Muslims countries in their bid for self-determination but continually kill, torture, threaten and oppose Biafrans on their call for self-determination? It’s a similar solution right here in his country, Nigeria.
Why he would abandon dialogue and rather prefer that unarmed Biafra protesters be shot and killed on sight for daring to demand the Palestinian and western Sahara solution here in Nigeria? The Palestinian question, Western Sahara question and the Biafra question are one and the same; the issues are the right to self-determination of component nations of both States; the State of Israel and the State of Nigeria.
President Buhari since coming into power has ordered the killing of over 3000 Biafrans calling for self-determination, in less than a year in office. He said he does not recognize Biafrans call for self-determination but goes about supporting Palestinians and Western Sahara in both calls for self-determination.
Both states, Israel and Nigeria are signatories to the UN Charter and its relevant articles on referendum and self-determination. Both questions are also ethnic based; the Arab in Israel and the Igbo in Nigeria.
Therefore, the same principle ought to apply to both questions. To support the right of one to a solution by dialogue and self-determination as the President has so rightly enunciated for the Palestinian cause, while opposing the same solution for the other, is pure hypocrisy.
Gbam, kworeckt! What is good for the goose is also good for the gander or is it a case of supporting only the self determination of "my own" while that of the kafirs must be stiffled by all means? Kachifo!
ReplyDeleteGbam, kworeckt! What is good for the goose is also good for the gander or is it a case of supporting only the self determination of "my own" while that of the kafirs must be stiffled by all means? Kachifo!
ReplyDelete