BY Jemilat Nasiru
The Coalition of Civil Society for Good Governance and Change Initiative, an umbrella body of over 100 civil society groups in Nigeria, has accused some international non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and individuals of undermining the sovereignty of Nigeria.
Okpokwu Ogenyi, president of the group, said this at a one-day conference on accountability in governance to evaluate the 100 days of President Muhammadu Buhari’s second term.
Ogenyi hailed Buhari for an “incredible start” to his second tenure as well as a groundbreaking victory at the tribunal – a testament of the judiciary’s independence in the last four years.
According to him, these groups are directly funding the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and others whose mission is to undermine the president’s progress.
He called on Nigerians to unite in “flushing out” these organisations out of the country.
Read the full statement below:
This conference should have held on the exact day that President Muhammadu Buhari attained the first 100 days of his second term in office. We apologise that this did not happen as we had to shift the event even though all the necessary logistics have been put in place for the epochal moment. This preferred venue, the International Conference Centre was not available so we have to work with the date that this venue is available. The unavailability of the venue turned out not to be a bad thing because we subsequently realized that the conference would be more expressive by allowing the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal to have delivered its ruling, the positive assessment that some participants will inevitably make here could have been construed as interfering to influence the proceedings in a way that it may amount to subjudice. With the tribunal having given its ruling and upholding the re-election of President Buhari so the conference is going ahead today without anyone having to exercise fears about their public acknowledgement of Mr. President’s giant strides. Permit me to use this opportunity to congratulate President Buhari on the confirmation of his victory by the Tribunal.
The verdict testified to the intelligence of Nigerians who voted for a leader that is unwavering in his commitment to change the country as opposed to returning treasury looters to office to rob the country dry. It is instructive to note that these same looters had promised mayhem and hell-on-earth for Nigerians if they dared vote President Buhari. Their rejection of corruption even in the face of mortal threats is the reason we are able to gather here today because President Buhari has demonstrated that the trust the people have in him is not misplaced. We are aware that these bitter losers did all in their power to ensure that killings continued in the country coupled with degenerating security situation. However, in 100 days of Mr. President being sworn in for another term of four years, it is apparent that politically masterminded killings across the country might have gathered momentum and increased in frequency but there is a decline in such evil activities as we speak today.
This rolling back of the forces of evil is all thanks to our security agencies, who being inspired by the Commander-in-Chief have continually evolved strategies to counter the many iterations of the security breaches being rolled out by disgruntled politicians and their foot soldiers. As this conference testifies to the effectiveness of our security agencies, we are equally mindful of the enviable role being played by Civil Society Organizations, CSOs, that have equipped themselves to now serve as the guardians of the governance system that is based on our constitution and sovereignty. They have been proactive by regularly having periodic reviews, engagement with intellectuals and sharing ideas with one another. Unfortunately, this reassuring role is negatively mirrored by the activities of foreign CSOs and NGOs that deploy disreputable local entities to fuel and support activities directed at precipitating the disintegration of the country. There is need for this conference to take a stand on the popular demand by Nigerians that foreign CSOs and NGOs that undermine Nigeria’s sovereignty must leave the country.
Some fearless Nigerians that are unhappy with the subversive activities recently occupied the Offices of Amnesty International in Nigeria with a demand that the NGO ends its deep state operation in Nigeria and leave the country. We thank all those that participated in the 10 days non-stop protest at Amnesty International’s office. Such people have in their own way contributed immensely towards eradicating groups that are working against the interest of Nigeria with the objective of again enslaving us. If eternal vigilance is truly the price for freedom then we must perpetually be on the lookout for the various mutations that Amnesty International is using to continue its nefarious activities all in the hope of undermining the interest of Nigeria. Our vigilance in this regard has exposed a new entity like the Human Rights Watch, which is making efforts to continue where its partner was halted by patriotic Nigerians. These are groups that have done much to undermine the gains that the Buhari Presidency has made in securing Nigeria from the dangerous clients of these questionable groups.
The Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, is one of the clients supported by these NGOs that brand them as “harmless agitators” even the law of Nigeria is clear that it is a terrorist organization. Even if the law had not proscribed IPOB as a terrorist group, its coordinated and organized attacks and attempted attacks on senior Nigerian politicians is a confirmation of that group’s ideology of being reliant on violence to get things done. This approach to treating fellow Nigerians shabbily because they occupy national office is irresponsible and must be condemned by all right thinking persons. In the space of the first 100 days of his second term, President Buhari’s government has also exposed the lie and sham that is the leadership of Islamic Movement in Nigeria, IMN, Sheik Ibraheem el-Zakzaky, who in compliance with a court ruling was allowed to travel to India for medical tourism. It was that trip that finally exposed him as a fraud that was seeking an escape route to Iran in a bid to internationalize the activities of his proscribed IMN terrorist group.
Nigerians are now enjoying respite since el-Zakzaky bungled his own medical treatment to expose that he was as smart as he had made the country to believe.We must thank the government for this proactive approach that has curtailed aspiring terrorists before they become full blown. This fix on security is beginning to make positive impact on other sectors and we believe that if this much can be attained in such a short time then Nigeria is on the path of a rebirth. We are confident that by telling Mr President what he did right in these 100 days he will know how to deliver qualitative leadership that will surpass his first term. I however call on participants at this conference to make contributions without fear or favour so that deliberations at the end of the conference can be articulated and presented to authorities at the highest level for further actions. I thank our various speakers who will be making presentations on various topics. We are honoured to have their presence and intellectual inputs at this event. I can only ask participants to remain attentive so that they will gain maximally from this conference. It is on this note that I welcome you all to the conference as I wish you happy deliberations.
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