Republican Congressman Tom Marino, has written a letter to John Kerry, US<\/p>\n
secretary of state, urging his country to withhold the assistance rendered
\nto Nigeria based on the \u201cautocratic tendencies\u201d of President Muhammadu
\nBuhari.<\/p>\n
In the letter, which THISDAY said it exclusively obtained, Marino claimed
\nthat there were a number of warning signs emerging in the current
\nadministration.<\/p>\n
He also expressed concern over Nigeria\u2019s anti-corruption war, saying \u201cof
\nadditional concern is President Buhari\u2019s selective anti-corruption drive,
\nwhich has focused almost exclusively on members of the opposition party,
\nover-looking corruption amongst some of Buhari\u2019s closest advisors.
\nPoliticising his anti-corruption efforts has only reinforced hostility
\namong southerners\u201d.<\/p>\n
He asked the state department to refrain from selling warplanes and other
\nmilitary equipment to Nigeria until Buhari establishes a track record of
\nworking towards inclusion.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am encouraged by the personal interest you have taken in aiding Nigeria
\nand its administration as it takes on endemic corruption, multiple
\ninsurgent movements, and a faltering economy. However, I believe there are
\na number of warning signs emerging in the Buhari administration that
\nsignal \u2018the man who once led Nigeria as a military dictator might be
\nsliding towards former autocratic tendencies,\u201d the letter read.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would urge the US to withhold its security assistance to the nation
\nuntil President Buhari demonstrates a commitment to inclusive government
\nand the most basic tenets of democracy: freedom to assemble and freedom of
\nspeech. A logical start towards this commitment is for the Nigerian
\ngovernment to hold accountable those members of the Nigerian Police Force
\nand the Nigerian military complicit in extra-judicial killings and war
\ncrimes.<\/p>\n
\u201cHuman rights groups like Amnesty International have widely documented
\ntorture, inhumane treatment, and extra-judicial killings of defenseless
\nNigerians since President Buhari took office.\u201d<\/p>\n
Quoting Amnesty International Report, he wrote, \u201cin the last six months,
\nNigeria\u2019s military has unlawfully killed at least 350 people and allowed
\nmore than 168 people, including babies and children, to die in military
\ndetention.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Secretary to the Government of Kaduna State even admitted to burying
\n347 of those killed in a mass grave. And while President Buhari promised
\nswift condemnation, his words rang empty. Instead of swift reforms, Buhari
\nchose to reinstate Major General Ahmadu Mohammed, who Amnesty
\nInternational revealed was in charge of the Nigerian military unit that
\nexecuted more than 640 unarmed, former detainees.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlso, in separate incidents concerning the Indigenous People of Biafra
\n(IPOB), the Nigerian Army has killed at least 36 \u2013 the real number is
\nlikely higher \u2013 people since December 2015 in an attempt to silence
\nopposition and quell attempts by the group to gather publicly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Describing Buhari as a former military dictator whose reign (as military
\nhead of state) was cut short by a coup, he said the president has
\ncontinually shunned inclusivity in favour of surrounding himself with
\nadvisors and ministers from the north of the country and the region he
\nconsiders home.<\/p>\n
\u201cOf President Buhari\u2019s 122 appointees, 77 are from the north and control
\nmany of the key ministries and positions of power. Distrust is already
\nhigh in Nigeria and favouring Northerners for key appointments has only
\nantagonized the issue,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese appointments are also primarily Muslim in the north and Christian
\nin the south.<\/p>\n
\u201cOf additional concern is President Buhari\u2019s selective anti-corruption
\ndrive, which has focused almost exclusively on members of the opposition
\nparty, over-looking corruption amongst some of Buhari\u2019s closest advisors.
\nPoliticising his anti-corruption efforts has only reinforced hostility
\namong southerners.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said the Obama administration would advance justice by urging the
\nNigerian government to act decisively to hold accountable members of the
\npolice and military.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe State Department should urge President Buhari to form a government
\nthat represents the diversity of its citizens and allows dissenting voices
\nto be heard. Democracy can thrive only if people are free to assemble, to
\nexpress their beliefs, and voice their concerns,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Republican Congressman Tom Marino, has written a letter to John Kerry, US secretary of state, urging his country to withhold the assistance rendered to Nigeria based on the \u201cautocratic tendencies\u201d…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":52854,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-52853","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exclusive"],"yoast_head":"\n