Author: Our Correspondent

By Emmanuel Onwubiko.

On paper, the federal republic of Nigeria is rated globally as one place whereby virtually it’s entire populace engage in one religion or the other with about the clear majority of the nearly 200m population identifying themselves as either Christians, Moslems or adherents of African traditional religions. 

Of all these religious divides , there is however a nexus which links them together and this is the common belief in a common creator known as God and of course, these religions have ideologically ruled dishonesty as a fundamental vice that their members are asked to shun as a matter of practice. 

 Readers may be imagining the rationale for advancing religious arguments primarily in a piece that is set out to reflect on one of the most impactful physical infrastructures of the nation Nigeria in the 21th century especially because this singular project has lasted nearly 20yrs since inception but yet there is no end in sight for its completion.- the 2nd River Niger bridge. 

The reason of course is that the writer is bewildered and astounded  that a country that is known as one place whereby the clear majority of the human beings populating the geographical space are worshippers of God belonging to one theistic group  or the other, it is expected that these persons must at all times elevate honesty as cardinal principle of politics. 

This is because, the same people who identify themselves as adherents of the organised religions are the same persons holding political offices. But appearance is far different from reality when politicians of the Nigerian species are involved.  The politicians tend to distance themselves from the centrality of honesty as ideologically brainwashed by their distinctive religions, but adopts the attitude of telling lies as a modus operandi and modus vivendi in politics. 

 A mystery amongst international scholars is the empirical evidence showing  that Nigerians being some of the most well known religious adherents, are also some of the most depraved and unprincipled minds when politics is involved. Nigerian politicians tell lies to their commoners effortlessly even when Uthman Danfodio one of the most respected fathers of one of the dominant religions stated rightly that: ” Conscience is an open wound which only truth can heal”.   Reverend Father George Ehusanmi, a former Secretary General of the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria once stated that: “As a nation, we are abundantly blessed by the Creator in both human and material terms. Yet, despite our blessings, the truth is that we so shamefully and sekf consciously crippled in development because we will not face up to the realities on the ground. The truth of Nigeria is that we have been going around in circles in the cesspit of greed and selfish interests, in our tribal and clannish cocoons, and in fiery allegiance to our ethnic Cleavages”. This self evident truth is exactly why the South East of Nigeria that has consistently being politically marginalised and has necer produced an executive President since 1960, is also marginalised in the distribution of national infrastructures and economic assets by the Federal government.  

 Coming down to the nitty gritty of the fundamental basis of the aforementioned facts, the history of the yet to be completed second Niger bridge which would cross many states in the South of Nigeria, is a good example of when persons parading about as adherents of one religion or the other , have made dishonesty their central political ideological character. The truth also is that, the more lies that are uttered by politicians in Abuja about the second Niger Bridge, the more it would seem that religion means nothing to the Political rulers of contemporary Nigerian society. Even some persons who are not seriously into religions, have started saying that religions are to be blamed for the widening chasm between the few affluent Nigerians and the millions of people are are absolutely poor.  

The times of London reportedly wrote an editorial on the relationship between religion and wealth in which the United Kingdom’s based medium tend to argue that the unprecedented rise in religiosity amongst Nigerians, signposted the rise in poverty amongst a clear majority of the people. 

In the case of the second Niger bridge, it would seem that those who make policies in Abuja, often discard the notion of honesty and have embraced ‘political voodooism’ of anything but the truth as their ideology  in seeking to circulate incoherent communications on issues about why the second Niger bridge has not being completed and why there is no end to the lies by politicians about it. 

Beginning from the political eras of chief Olusegun Obasanjo, Umaru Musa Yaradua , Good luck Jonathan and now Muhammadu Buhari, it has being  from one smooth lie to the other about the completion date of the second Niger bridge described by even the Government as one of the pressing needs of the people of southern Nigeria in the 21th century. 

This is how one of the construction firms working for Nigerian Government described the second Niger bridge. 

The writer of the brief history says that construction of the Second Niger Bridge project in Nigeria on track. The governor of Anambra state as would be seen in this piece is of a contrary opinion saying that the equipment to construct the second Niger Bridge are held up in Germany.  

However, the official propagation is that construction of the Second Niger Bridge project in south-eastern Nigeria, is on track and progressing well. 

The Federal Ministry of works in charge of Anambra state Engineer Adeyemo Ajani revealed the reports and said that the project is likely to be completed before the approved date.

The official said: “The Second Niger Bridge project was initiated by the former President Goodluck Jonathan, and the vision has been sustained by the present government of President Muhammadu Buhari.

The bridge is being constructed across Nigeria’s  Niger River and is intended to ease traffic congestion and will span from Asaba to Ozubulu and Ogbaru areas. The project is undertaken on behalf of the Nigerian federal government by the Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing jointly with the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority.

The Second Niger Bridge construction is a Nigerian federal government project that is 1.6 km-long and furnished with other ancillary infrastructure including a 10.3 km highway and a toll station.

The project is being developed through a Public Private Partnership involving Julius Berger –NSIA Consortium as a Design, Finance, Build, Operate and Transfer (DFBOT) model to cost US $653m with the Federal Government contributing US $150m while the consortium will raise the rest of the funds.

To be sure, the construction of the Second Niger Bridge well-survives the delay in the approval of the Nigerian 2019 national budget, the government established a fund ‘ Presidential Infrastructure Development Fund (PIDF)’ from where it finances the project.

Work capacity of the project has employed between 1000 and 1300 workers optimally engaged. According to Engineer Adeyemo Ajani, the project is currently is 23% complete. The new Niger Bridge upon completion will also facilitate vibrant commercial exchanges especially in the host South-East region of the country, Nigeria.” We will read up another propaganda by another official of government heading the Sovereign wealth fund office who gave a contradictory statements on this same bridge and asserted another exaggerated statistical data on the bridge. 

However, an official literature gives us a bird’s eye view on the project thus: “The Second Niger Bridge is a key national infrastructure, with immense socio-economic benefits for the contiguous states and indeed the entire nation.

Upon completion, the bridge will ease traffic flow, improve road safety, and create greater opportunities for local residents by advancing the commercial viability of the immediate area and regenerating economic life.

The scope of works include the construction of 1.6 km long bridge, 10.3 km Highway, Owerri interchange and a toll station.”

Now here is another lying angle from the same government which had only few months back stated that the bridge was 23% completed in which another government official exaggerated the statistics regarding where the bridge is at the moment.  

The Managing Director of the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA), Mr. Uche Orji recently disclosed that the ongoing construction of the Second Niger Bridge has achieved a completion rate of 47 per cent a clear contradiction from the position of the Federal director in charge of the ministry of works in the South East of Nigeria. 

However, speaking during an interview at the weekend, he expressed optimism that the project would be completed in 2022.

“Work is going on at the second Niger Bridge and it is over 47 per cent completed. It is a public-private partnership. The Ministry of Works awarded that contract, but the full concession agreement would be signed very soon that would hand it over to the NSIA,” he explained.

According to him, the NSIA would also be fully involved in the proposed InfraCo by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), which also would involve the Africa Finance Corporation.

Orji said the proposed infrastructure company which has been approved by the President, would be a vehicle to support the development of infrastructure in the country.

And then emerged a totally different angle to the stories about the second Niger Bridge with the revelation by the Anambra state governor that the equipment needed for the construction of the 2nd River Niger bridge are held up in Germany. He spoke about roads also and this reminds us of another lie told by the government that it has constructed 600 roads within five years. 

Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra State only Yesterday told President Muhammadu Buhari that construction work at the Onitsha-Enugu federal highway has slowed down to almost zero level.

The governor also begged the President to intervene in ensuring that the equipment purchased for the ongoing work at the Second Niger Bridge which are still in Germany are brought to Nigeria for the speedy completion of the project on record time.

Speaking with State House Correspondents after meeting behind closed-door with the President, Governor Obiano, who is the only governor on the platform of the All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA, said   he sought the assistance of the federal government for the settlement of about 5,000 displaced people from his state.

On the reason for the visit, he said: ”I come once in awhile to brief Mr. President on the developments we are having in Anambra State and we do have a lot of beautiful developments. We also have some that bothered me to come right now, which is the flood.

”Four of my local governments, that is four out of 21 are under water now as we speak because of this flood and it affected a lot of things, properties which include farm produce and what have you.

”So, I called on Mr. President to assist us at this very crucial time being a COVID-19 time and now, the flood we are experiencing this time around is like the one of 2012 which is terrible. So, he promised to do something immediately.

”I did also told him about the progress  so far made on the 2nd Niger Bridge. If you watch from their side, you will see that almost half of that bridge has been done.

”But because the water level is very high, the contractor working in that bridge requires some equipment which they’ve already purchased long ago sitting in Germany and requires some support from Central Bank to be able to be brought in. I did mention that  to him and the President noted that and said he will do something about that.

“We did discuss some other roads, federal roads that are in very bad shape, about six of them and I requested Mr. President to see if they can go into their budget as they prepare for the budget of next year.” 

As December is fast approaching meaning that over 40 million Nigerians that will travel to the South East of Nigeria will still confront the nightmares associated with poor federal roads infrastructures in that part of Nigeria and the only major bridge across the River Niger built since 1965 will be subjected to horrendous over use by these huge numbers of commuters who would travel to the South East of Nigeria and other Southern States such as Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Cross Rivers, and Bayelsa from across the Country. They  may have to ply this rapidly collapsing first Niger bridge since the central government has been unable to deliver the second Niger Bridge since over a decade when the first construction work started and the people have been fed continuously with propaganda and political lies regarding the completion date for this critically important national asset East of the Niger.  

Millions of road users in the East are already asking the critical question of when this jinx of the unending second Niger Bridge would be demystified. 

*EMMANUEL ONWUBIKO is head of the HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) and blogs @www. huriwanigeria. com, www.thenigerianimsidernews.com. 

 
By Emmanuel Onwubiko. 
 
Aside terrorism, Nigeria has obviously snowballed into a huge killing field whereby armed marauders seem to be passing the message that Nigeria lacks a government. 

Government as it were, ought to be like the SUPERMAN who should watch over the affairs of all mortals and regulate their conducts to conform with established societal norms and laws that will ensure that there is social equilibrium, sanity, stability and security. 

But contrary to these basic necessities that characterise organised civil society, these brazen attacks against Nigerians by divergent armed criminals and terrorists have gradually began to delegitimize the government of Nigeria.  
 
 Yes!  what this deadly violent killings of citizens by all kinds  of lawless people show is that the citizens may as well begin to have broad-based conversations on the apparent failures of security infrastructures to combat the terrorism of these many outlaws who are apparently operating as if they are bigger than the SUPERSTRUCTURE OF GOVERNANCE. 
 
 By the way, for the umpteenth time, we must restate the factual account that the government is set up primarily to provide security of lives and property and to effectively enforce  the laws to create a prosperous, law-based, rights-based and peaceful community of humanity who would inevitably live in harmony with nature in view of the consequences of climate change. 
 
However the activities of terrorists, armed bandits and significantly, kidnappers, have signposted the eventual collapse of architectures of governance. 

This reality must never be lost on those in charge of the different levers of government.  

The National Assembly has on many occasions expressed  this same sentiment but that was it and no concrete plans and actionable programmes are put in place to check the rise in armed kidnapping which has made living in Nigeria as a grave danger. Surviving in Nigeria is as dangerous as living side by side with untamed wild animals in the dungeons.  

These dangers facing Nigerians are definitely heightened by the terrorism of armed kidnappers who are certainly enjoying some support and patronage of some powerful persons in government and in the armed security forces because it is inconceivable that Nigerians are violently kidnapped and for weeks, these kidnappers continue to negotiate with the families of the victims and in many instances, these kidnapped citizens are set free as soon as the demanded ransom payments are made. 

Also there are notable flashpoints of operations by the  kidnappers but the relevant governmental bodies and agencies are not activated to carry out surgical operations to arrest and prosecute these kidnappers. 

Victims of kidnapping cut across all segments of the society including soldiers, police, Federal Road Safety officials, Civil Defense officials and Nigerians of varying stratification. 

That the governments at every levels are incapable of tackling these challenges of law enforcement created by the violent spectacle of armed kidnapping shows that the government may be tolerating armed kidnapping for no specified reason. 
 
The growing tolerance of the government to crimes, violence and criminality boils down to the lack of the political will to end the episodes of governmental impunity of all kinds. 

The police in Nigeria are the worst culprits on the issue of compromises with armed kidnapping because many of these kidnappers are arrested by the police and paraded but the Federal Attorney General and minister of justice Abubakar Malami is unwilling to lead the process of effectively prosecuting these criminals apparently because of the suspicions that many of these armed marauders and Fulani herdsmen arrested for kidnapping are mainly from the Fulani Ethnicity which is the Ethnicity of the President, the Attorney General and minister of justice Abubakar Malami SAN and almost all heads of the internal security Architectures and the minister of defence. Buhari-led administration is that which gives preferences to appointing only Moslem Hausa/FULANI  into top internal security forces. What baffles me is the clear inaction of Nigerians to ask the relevant questions.   

Why are most Nigerians not demanding actions and accountability from the Federal and State governments on the rising incidence of armed kidnapping which has returned Nigeria back to the dark ages of slavery? 
 
A notable exception of a citizen who is asking the right question is a catholic priest Dr. George Ehusani. 

He Perhaps best captures our contemporary scenarios of the rise of the armed non state actors who unleash bloody violence in his year 2001 book , he aptly titled “Nigeria: years eaten by the locust”.  
 
He began by stating that one of the National dailies recently carried cartoon that captures effectively the fear of death that now hunts everyone in the land. The cartoonist says in part; “ I retire to bed these days and sleep with an eye open. Reason; I’m not sure if my domestic staff are would be assassin ! … when I’m being driven to and from work, my eyes keep darting from left to right. Reason; the driver of the car next to mine might be an assassin! … I can no longer confidently check in at a five star hotel . Reason; a bomb might have been planted somewhere!…  Hmmm. Finally I decided to go to church and pray about all these – I had to pray with an eye open. Reason; one can never be too sure these days … The woman standing next to me might want crack my head with a bottle!”
 
He wrote further: “Nigerians are today perpetrators, victims and witnesses of multiple violence. We are recording each day a number of casualties of street thuggery , armed robbery, hired assassination , arson, police brutality, stray bullets , prison torture, judicial murder , plane hijack and “bomb explosion” . Those who have succumbed  to the reign of terror in the last one year(as at the tear 2001)  or so run into thousands. They include Gideon Akaluka of Kano, whose head is to these day still unaccounted for , Air Vice Marshal Tunde Elegbede , captain Ashafa , Bishop oluputaife , professor Bandipo and 79 years old chief Alfred Rewane . Families have been callously thrown into mourning, children have been violently separated from their parents, spousal relationships have been summarily terminated and large extended families have been brutally robbed  of their sole breadwinners.  It is a regime of agitation, tension, fear , and general insecurity of lives and properties. The state security agencies like the rest of Nigerians appear helpless in the face of eruption of violence.” 
 
The truth is that Reverend Father George Ehusanmi’s reflections in the book he published many years ago, represents the contemporary scenarios except that now more than ever before, government and security officials operate like compromised institutions because there is a calculated attempt to do nothing whilst all these attacks take place and what the police does is to engage in media propaganda and there is zero prosecution of the few amongst the many kidnappers arrested.  

As stated earlier, nobody in Nigeria is safe except those in top Federal and state government positions that enjoy the best protections paid by tax payers, virtually all of us are not safe. 

One of those to have been lucky to have come out alive from the den of these armed marauders is the respected Senior Advocate of Nigeria and a top human rights campaigner Chief Mike Ozekhome.  

He spoke few months back when a top Appeal court’s jurist was kidnapped just before she was freed after the kidnappers were reportedly settled generously and they are never arrested nor have they like many other kidnappers being prosecuted. 
 
Chief. Mike Ozekhome, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, had then pleaded with the kidnappers of Justice Chioma Iheme-Nwosu to release her unhurt.
 
Recall that some suspected gunmen who killed Iheme-Nwosu’s policeman also abducted her along the Benin-Agbor Road, Edo State.
 
Ozekhome while speaking on the incident stated that the abduction of the judge in broad daylight in Benin City is the saddest incident.
 
The Senior Advocate of Nigeria described the judge as a noblewoman of high virtue, a fecund mind and one of the finest jurists of great erudition, currently dispensing justice in the Court of Appeal.
 
He said, “It is heart-rending that Nigeria has been turned into a gruesome and crimson theatre of blood, with absolutely no government protection insight.”
 
“I beg you, captors or kidnappers of Justice Chioma, in the name of Almighty God to please release her unhurt. See her as your mother that you would never do anything to hurt no matter the circumstances. I beg you also in the name of humanity and of womanhood, as you read this, to set free, unharmed, unmolested and unhurt, this judicial amazon. Please, please, please. I beg you.”
 
He stated that while Nigerians are experiencing challenges in the country, politicians are busy politicking, instead of spreading democracy dividends.
 
Ozekhome noted that it is surprising that politicians are already planning towards the 2023 election as the ink on the 2019 elections is yet to dry.
 
He claimed that the country has become overheated and over politicised enslave, with no space for genuine governance.
 
According to him, the masses are unfortunate and are the victims of societal degeneracy and misplaced values.
 
He added that the judicial officers are not provided with the right environment for their safety. And for the effective performance of their duties.
 
“The Judiciary, the weakest and whipping child of the three arms of government is mostly at the receiving end.”
 
“A minister or Senator (both of the Executive and Legislative arms of government, respectively), can afford to travel in convoys of fully armed security operatives. A Judge is mercifully left with just one policeman, usually armed with obsolete firearms. He is plucked down and dismembered like a chicken.”
 
“Yet, the judge, especially Justices of the Court of Appeal, must traverse the nation, handling never-ending sensitive appeals from election petition tribunals, in jurisdictions other than their ordinarily accustomed places of abode or sitting.”
 
“They are thus compelled by the cause and course of duty to travel by road, the very bad roads that are unmanned by security personnel. They thus fall easy prey to marauders.”
 
Fast forward to today, a young lawyer in Port Harcourt Rivers State was kidnapped by armed marauders and for hours now her whereabouts are unknown prompting the Nigerian Bar Association to set up a mediation team to search and rescue her apparently after raising and paying the ransom that would be demanded by these terrorists roaming freely now in Nigeria with indiscriminate regularity.  
 
The President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mr. Olumide Akpata, set up a task force to secure the release of a 25-year-old lawyer, Abisola ‘Paulette’ Ajayi, who was abducted on Sunday night.
 
Akpata, who made the disclosure in a series of tweets on his handle, said he had also spoken to Rivers Governor Mr. Nyesom Wike; the Attorney-General of Rivers State as well as the state Police Command to request their assistance for Ajayi’s safe return.
 
Ajayi, a Masters student of the University of Science and Technology (UST) in Rivers State, was abducted on October 4, 2020 in front of her home in Rumukurushi, Port Harcourt, by men dressed in combat fatigues and dark T-shirts.
 
Her mother, Ngozi Ajayi, was punched when she attempted to save her daughter.
 
Akpata said: “Last night, I received reports that Paulette Bisola Ajayi, a lawyer and daughter of Ngozi Ajayi (also a lawyer) was abducted by at least four gunmen dressed in combat fatigues and dark t-shirts in front of her home in Rumukurushi PH, as she was waiting for her gate to be opened.
 
“Her mother and others who tried to prevent her from being taken away were brutalised and shot at by these men who eventually dragged Bisola out of her car and took her away in their own car…a white Toyota Venza.
 
“The increasing spate of such incidents is indeed disheartening. I have spoken to Bisola’s mother to assure her of our support and assistance towards the rescue of her daughter.
 
“I have also spoken to the Governor of Rivers State, the Attorney-General of Rivers State and the Rivers State Police Command to request their assistance in ensuring the safe return of our colleague.
 
“I have also set up a Task Force to collaborate with the relevant authorities and do all that is possible to see to Bisola’s speedy release. She will also remain in our prayers.”
 
The task force is headed by NBA 1st Vice-President, John Aikpokpo-Martins.
 
Its other members are: Kunle Edun (Welfare Secretary); Prince Nyekwere (Chairman NBA PH); Victor Frank-Briggs; Irene Pepple; Anthonia Osademe (Vice-Chairman NBA, Port Harcourt) and Mrs. Ngozi Ajayi.
 
The NBA urged the public that any useful information on the matter be made available to the NBA Welfare Secretary or the Vice Chairman of the Port Harcourt Branch.
 
In Southern Kaduna, hundreds of citizens are kidnapped and killed by armed Fulani herdsmen and terrorists but the GOVERNMENT operates like the architecture of government is kidnapped. 

There is therefore the need to charge the government to implement and enforce the law against terrorism, kidnappings and other criminality because the reason these activities have doubled up is because of official impunity on the side of government.  

The Nigerian government must be tasked by the citizens to be accountable and to concretely wage war against kidnappers and inflict the harshest judicial sanctions against these killers by way of making kidnapping a federal capital crime punishable by death penalty. Kidnappers are obviously in League with terrorists and need to be dealth with in line with the extant anti terrorism laws of Nigeria.  Nigerians must wake up and demand accountability from the Federal and state governments now. 

*Emmanuel Onwubiko is the Head of HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) and blogs @www. huriwanigeria. com; www.huriwa@blogspot.com; www.thenigerianinsidernews.com.