By Henry Umoru
ABUJA – COALITION of forty-six pro- democratic Organisations under the aegis, United Action for Democracy, UAD, Thursday called for a holistic probe into alleged hiring, training of snipers and other armed personnel secretly and clandestinely by President Goodluck Jonathan as raised by former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Wednesday.

According to UAD, the alleged placing of over 1000 Nigerians on political watch list by Jonathan government  must also be investigated against the backdrop that it centres on credibility and tendency of taking Nigeria back to the dark days of late former Head of State, General Sani Abacha.

Addressing Journalists Thursday on a topic titled, “A period of deepening Turmoil” in Abuja,  National Convener of UAD, Comrade Baba Aye also lampooned the Speaker, Federal House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal over recent statements credited to him where he accused President Jonathan of promoting corruption,  saying that Tambuwal was hypocritical, alleging that the National  Assembly was itself a haven of corruption like virtually all the institutions of elite governance.

Flanked by the General Secretary, Comrade Zulu Ofoelue and National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Steve Obodoekwe, the National Convener who noted that Nigeria was drifting towards what might very well be a precipice in a period of global crisis, said however that former President Obasanjo cannot be exonerated from the country’s problems, adding, “What needs to be added is that the pursuit of “selfish personal and political interests”, which is brewing a crisis of gargantuan proportions, is not limited to President Jonathan and his own clique, but is a general nature of the band of brigands that are the country’s leaders, and the neoliberal capitalist system which they run.

” The UAD decries the worsening security situation in Nigeria. We are appalled by the continued wasting of lives and livelihoods as criminal and insurgent activities increase throughout the country. Hunger, illiteracy, disillusionment and anger are at the roots of the heightening insecurity.

The strong arm tactics which the government is pursuing such as the state of emergency in three of the North Eastern states have obviously failed. Indeed, they have aggravated the spate of killings, as several reports show that soldiers as much as insurgents have killed hundreds if not thousands of innocent civilians over the last eight months, in this region.

“It is particularly worrisome that there is surreptitious sharpening of the teeth of state terrorism going on, which could take us back to the dark ages of the Abacha dictatorship. Information to this extent has been provided by a former President, Chief Obasanjo, in his recent letter where he stated that the president has placed over 1000 Nigerians on political watch list and is “training snipers and other armed personnel secretly and clandestinely”.

“The UAD regards these allegations with utmost seriousness, and demand an urgent verifiable response from the presidency. We make bold to say that nothing can stop an idea whose time has come. The poor masses and other patriotic citizens in Nigeria rose against General Abacha and his military regime despite its arms and ammunitions and triumphed. We will defend the democratic rights we have won, and not be cowed by cowardly militaristic machinations of the Nigerian state, supposedly in a civilian garb.”

On Corruption, Aye said, ” The UAD notes that corruption has remained institutionalized in Nigeria as a patronage mechanism of the ruling elite to foster their control over the economy and polity. With the recent rating of Nigeria as the 33rd most corrupt country in the world by Transparency International, the brazen faces of corruption continue to disrupt national development.

UAD views the recent statement credited to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mallam Aminu Tambuwal in which he accused President Goodluck Jonathan of promoting corruption as a case of the kettle calling the pot black. The UAD views Mallam Tambuwal’s statement as being hypocritical since the National Assembly is itself a haven of corruption like virtually all the institutions of elite governance.

We recall that the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria a few years ago pointed out that the National Assembly gulps 25% of all the national budgets’ recurrent expenditures. Nothing can be more corrupt than that in addition to the various cases of corruption involving members of the Assembly, which have never been conclusively treated or prosecuted in courts of law.

UAD insists that corruption permeates every facet of social life in the country because it is in-built into the economic and political system of governance. System change is thus required to eradicate it.”

On the proposed National Conference by President Jonathan, the Civil Society Organisations noted that the outcome of the dialogue must at the end of the day be subjected to a final assent by the people of Nigeria through a referendum, adding, ” the  Federal Government’s drive towards a “national dialogue” can be best understood, only within the context of the deepening crisis of the country. National Conferences are summoned as part of, or as a means to curtail broiling mass discontent with the status quo.

The pro-democracy movement’s agitation for a Sovereign National Conference was for a platform of popular power to wrest democracy from military tyranny. The National Conferences summoned in 1994 and 2005 respectively were however aimed at curtailing the poor masses’ anger at their continued impoverishment while the elites grew wealthier.

UAD considers the commitment of the Federal Government to a National Conference that will impact positively on the working masses lives as questionable. We stand for a National Conference that is based on the social-economic groupings of Nigerians, and not on ethnic and regional categories, which the elite manipulate to serve their interests.

“The National Conference must consist of delegates elected from constituencies of workers, poor farmers, organisations of informal economy operators, and the business community, with proportions based on the proportions of these classes in the country’s population. These delegates must equally report back to their constituencies, renewing their mandates on contentious issues, throughout the duration of the Conference.

And it is of the utmost importance that the final resolutions of the Conference will be presented for final assent to we, the entire people of Nigeria in whom sovereignty lies, through a referendum.”

On strike by members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, Aye said, “The UAD expresses solidarity with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) in its struggle to rescue Nigerian education from its current chaotic and miserable state. We insist that the Federal and State governments in Nigeria uphold the UNESCO position of committing 26% of budgetary provisions to promote quality and affordable education that would foster national development for Nigeria.

The UAD thus calls on all Nigerians to stand firm in supporting ASUU’s efforts and struggle which are in the interest of poor Nigerians who cannot afford to send their children and wards to elite schools in and outside the country.”

On minimum Wage for Nigerian Workers, it said, ” UAD has observed that many states and private enterprises have refused to implement the paltry eighteen thousand naira (N18, 000) minimum wage agreed upon with labour, and passed into law in 2011. UAD regards this as inhuman and wicked given rising cost of living.

UAD therefore calls on such states and private firms to immediately implement the National Minimum Wage Act 2011 fully, while demanding an urgent upward review of this meagre amount which is grossly inadequate for the upkeep of any worker and her/his family.

“The UAD also takes note of the plan by the National Assembly to delete the minimum wage provision from the exclusive legislative list so as to allow each state determine what minimum wage it will pay. Considering the current stance of many states despite the national standard of wage-fixing, it is quite clear that such an action would lead to the worst case of income insecurity imaginable for the working class.

UAD thus stands by NLC and TUC in demanding that the powers to fix minimum wages be retained in the exclusive legislative list, and will campaign vigorously against further efforts to undermine this.

Kicking against the proposed privatisation of NNPC, the group said, “The UAD observes that despite the continued failure of neoliberal policies such as privatization in Nigeria and globally, the Nigerian state remains committed to this anti-poor policy thrust which has not brought about its much celebrated “efficiency”.

Particular reference at this point in time is the handing over of power distribution to private monopolies owned largely by elites who have fed fat from our collective patrimony. From all indications, this privatization has collapsed on arrival with the failure of the new companies in distributing power since their take over in October. It is observable that the electricity situation in Nigeria has even worsened since then, while tariffs have increased for services not rendered.

“We remain opposed to all neo-liberal policies developed and imposed on poor Nigerians by the IMF, World Bank and other forces of imperialism for the promotion of capitalism and impoverishment of the working masses. We condemn the planned sale of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and other state-owned enterprises..  UAD maintains that the failure of public corporations in Nigeria is a result of the institutionalization of corrupt practices by the political and economic elite, and not the inability of ordinary Nigerians to manage their destiny.

We therefore insist that the government of Nigeria must stop all programmes of privatization, deregulation and sale of public properties in any guise. These pro-rich people policies have failed the masses. We call for the democratic management and control of publicly-owned firms by the workers whose toil create the wealth generated, and who have the primary motivation to make these firms work for the immense majority of Nigerians.”

Calling for a thorough probe into the cause of the death of former President of ASUU,   Professor Festus Iyayi, Aye said, “UAD mourns the death of former ASUU President, Professor Festus Iyayi. We call for a thorough investigation into the cause of his death. Certain observations make it suspect that he was actually assassinated and the attendant accident was a cover up for this dastardly act. It was noted by medical officers that a deep hole in his heart which is abnormal to occur from an accident appears more like the entry of a bullet. We suspect that Prof Iyayi was murdered by agents of the Federal Government because of his hard stance on the ASUU strike.

“The allegation recently made by former President Obasanjo that President Goodluck Jonathan has been training killer squads of snipers gives credence to our suspicion.  UAD therefore calls for an independent panel of enquiry, driven by civil society, to investigate into the remote and immediate causes of Comrade Iyayi’s death and ensure that justice is done.”