Nigeria
seeks to chart her own course
Named after the River Niger, the country of
Nigeria came into existence in 1914 under a colonial British
government. Independence came in 1960. The western African nation
is not only rich with natural resources but it is also home to the
continent�s largest population: 123 million people. It is twice
the size of California and shares borders with four nations:
Benin, Cameroon, Niger and Chad.
President Olusegun Obasanjo was elected
president on May 29, 1999. He is a member of the Peoples
Democratic Party. Muslims constitute 50 percent of the population,
Christians 40 percent, and those who practice indigenous religions
10 percent.
Nigeria is made up of 36 states. There is a
three-tier system of government, which is federal, state and local
authority. Oil exports account for 95 percent of the economy,
cocoa and rubber account for the remainder. The country has been a
subject in the western papers the past few weeks. News stories
have focused on the public flogging of 17-year-old Barrie Abraham
Magus, who was given 100 lashes on January 19, 2001 as punishment
under Islamic law for becoming pregnant outside of marriage.
Ms. Magus has claimed that she was raped. Human
Rights Watch reports that the authorities in the state of Sanford
did not believe her rape story. Sanford is a predominantly Muslim
state and the constitution of Nigeria, since 1979, allows that
Sharia (Islamic Law) be practiced where the Muslim residents of a
state demand it. According to the head of the Department of
Religious Studies at Lagos State University, the sharia only
applies to Muslims.
Nigeria has also been mentioned in articles
about future U.S. foreign policy options. The reports suggest
President George W. Bush�s administration will depend on Nigeria
and South Africa for peacekeeping roles in Africa. The reports say
the new administration�s Africa policy will be focused on
nations considered important economically to the United States.
 North
America is expected to soon import 25 percent of its oil from West
Africa, up from 16 percent. Nigeria is a major oil producer. Final
Call staff writer Saeed Shabazz recently visited the Permanent
Mission of Nigeria to the United Nations to talk with Chief Arthur
Mbanefo, Nigeria�s ambassador and permanent representative.
Final Call News (FCN): Your Excellency,
what is your government�s reaction to the recent analysis in
American papers of the Bush administration�s policy towards
Africa, in particular, the role Nigeria may play?
Chief Arthur Mbanefo (CM): I think it is
difficult to expect a government like Nigeria to begin to react to
newspaper articles that make suggestions of another country�s
possible interests. In the last 40 years between the U.S. and
Nigeria there have been loving times, low times and even maybe
hate times. Right now it is loving times.
FCN: What does Nigeria want from the United States?
CM: To now look at Nigeria as a serious
political force. We have proven, at least in our region of West
Africa, that we really do have some muscle. We also have some
ideas on things that can be useful. And we have demonstrated in
the biblical sense, that we are our neighbor�s keeper. We have
also tried to be a stabilizing force in the region; and with a
population of over 120 million people, we make a good market
place. We can make a very good partner with anybody, in particular
America.
FCN: The Nigerian government is being condemned for not doing
more to prevent the flogging of 17-year-old Barrie Abraham Magus.
What exactly is your government�s position on the sharia?
CM: Nigeria as a nation has a Constitution,
which is not based on religion. But we do recognize that over 40
percent of our citizens are Muslims, almost 40 percent are
Christians and the balance is made up of many persuasions. The
Muslim states have the sharia. We have always recognized in the
South, more than in the North, the diversity of our nation.
In the South, you will find families where the
mother is Christian, the father is Muslim, the children could be
both. Much of this is due to the educational system in the region.
However, in the North the western style of educational system is
just taking hold. Most of the North depended on Muslim schools.
Now there is a sharing of religious functions�if an imam opens a
function with prayer, a bishop will close with prayer, other ideas
of inclusion are taking hold, and it takes time.
People forget that Nigeria is complex and not
much different from the situation you have in the U.S., where, in
fact, you have a confederation, but you say you have a federation.
An example is the mess that came up in the last presidential
election, where in Florida the law is different from the laws in
California, Michigan and New York state on national offices.
In our 36 states, each state has its own
Congress where they make their own laws, which the federal
government has no control over. It is true that Nigeria has signed
onto the Convention Against Cruelty to Children. But, oftentimes
these conventions have language that does not take in to
consideration the culture of a society. That is also the problem
with this globalization concept. Too often it is believed that we
should all do things the same way. It is not the policy of the
Nigerian government to flog anyone. It is also not the policy to
interfere as a government in the affairs of our states.
FCN: Do you know if the baby�s father was punished?
CM: To tell you the truth this issue first
came to us through the Canadians. I know what you know. People are
taking this case and using it to condemn Nigeria. But, the same
issues are surfacing in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. There was no
condemnation by others of the United States government, when one
of their soldiers allegedly raped a Japanese girl. Why? What is
bad is bad, but people must take into consideration many things
not being reported in the press. Again it is not the Nigerian
government, but the individual state. We must respect that.
FCN: Nigeria is a dominant force in the West
African grouping known as the Economic Community of West African
States (ECOWAS). What, sir, is Nigeria�s position on a United
States of Africa?
CM: Let me say first that President
Olusegun Obasanjo is an Africanist. We attended the Lome (Capital
of Togo) meeting last July, and after ratification by our various
government representatives, we signed on as a member of the
African Union (AU). The AU is to be compared to the European
Union, only as an example for people to understand its purpose.
The African Union is an idea that has come quite far. I think that
we have gone farther than the international media cares to give
Africa credit for.
FCN: What is ahead for Nigeria? What is the
vision of Nigerians through the new millennium?
CM: Everyone hopes for the best for his
family�for his society. The vision one has for Nigeria is that
it is a country where there is love, where there is truth, where
there is progress and every Nigerian shares in the prosperity of
his country. We want that every child can fulfill his life�s
ambitions. We want to do away with the two extremes of rich and
poor. We believe that the goodness of life should be equally
shared by all.
FCN: Thank you. |
