A former House of Representatives member and anti-corruption crusader, Dino Melaye alongside his comrades yesterday floated a new civil rights group and immediately issued a 14-day ultimatum to the Federal Government to set up an independent probe into an allegation that a former Borno State Governor, Modu Sheriff, was sponsoring the Boko Haram sect and on the arms deal involving $9.3million.
This is in response to the allegation leveled by an Australian negotiator in the Boko Haram crisis, Stephen Davis, who also implicated the immediate past chief of army staff, Azubuike Ihejierika.
Melaye’s new group called: Citizens Arise Movement of Nigeria, CAMON, equally tasked the federal government to “come out clearly on the question of the $9.3 million impounded by the South African authorities since the laws of both South Africa and Nigeria have been expressly violated.”
The group argued that it was necessary to do this so that those involved in the alleged criminal act would be prosecuted and jailed for breaking “our laws and the laws of a foreign country and bringing so much disrepute to our image as a nation.”
CAMON also demanded the prosecution of the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, her counterpart in the Labour and Productivity Ministry, Emeka Wogu, a former Head of the Civil Service, Steve Oronsaye, a former Niger Delta Affairs Minister, Godsday Orubebe, a former Aviation Minister, Stella Odua and others heads of government agencies, who had allegedly been accused of corrupt practices.
Speaking with newsmen, the new civil society group gave their other demands to include:
· -The Nigerian Government should show capacity to contain and defeat the Boko Haram insurgents;
· -The President as the Commander-in-Chief should address the nation on the actual threat posed by the insurgents and the conviction of the Government to urgently defeat them;
· -The federal government and military authorities should ensure adequate care and compensation for the families of soldiers and men of other security agencies who have lost their lives in the course of defending the security, unity and integrity of Nigeria;
· -The names of the “fallen heroes” be published and their identities revealed so that the entire nation can honour them and show respect to their gallantry;
· -The Federal Government should ensure that the death sentence passed on the 12 soldiers accused of mutiny was immediately reverted since the case of official corruption, perceived insensitivity and neglect has been established against the former Brigade Commander;
· -The Federal Government immediately order the Attorney-general of the Federation and Ministry of Justice to resume immediate prosecution in the mega corruption cases (Halliburton, Malabu and Siemens) and make the culprits face the full wrath of the law;
· – President Goodluck Jonathan should immediately reverse the clemency granted to the former Governor of Bayelsa state, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, who has an international warrant of arrest on him;
· – The federal government must visibly and adequately equip, mobilise and encourage the military to go full blast against insurgency and recapture every inch of Nigerian territory occupied by insurgents;
· – The federal government should deploy arsenal to bring back all missing persons subsuming the abducted Chibok school girls;
· – The government must demonstrate total commitment to free, fair and credible electoral processes leading to the 2015 elections;
· – The federal government must declare the production and sales capacity of Nigeria’s crude oil per day; and
· -There should be transparency in the production and sale of crude oil in Nigeria per day and wage total war on illegal oil bunkering and illegal refineries.
Speaking on what would be their action if the federal government failed to respond appropriately to their demands at the expiration of the 14-day ultimatum, the group said, “We shall commence and inspire nationwide protests which shall continue until our demands are met.”
CAMON went on to express faith in the unity and indivisibility of Nigeria noting that it was in solidarity with all the suffering masses of the country and pledged its continued struggle for its betterment.
According to it, “We call on all citizens to unite in a spirit of oneness, regardless of our tribal, ethnic, religious, sectional and political differences, so that together we will fight this struggle for a better nation. We also commiserate with victims of the insurgency and the general rot that has bedevilled our nation. We stand in solidarity with the families of our soldiers and personnel of other security agencies, civilian public officials as well as members of the traditional institution, who have lost their lives in the battle to defend our dear country. We re-emphasise our demand for adequate care and compensation for the families of these fallen heroes of our beloved nation.”
The group recalled when Jonathan came into power both as an acting president and an elected president about six years ago; it was with great enthusiasm, expectations and co-operation that the Nigerian people welcomed him. This is as it informed that civil society organizations led by the Save Nigerian Group and others rose in defense and support of him.
“However, six years down the lane, the confession from the mouth of every truthful Nigerian is that the Nigerian nation has never had it so bad,” the group said.
CAMON further submitted that, “There is visibly lack of capacity, gross carelessness, ineptitude, incompetence, unholy romance with corruption and unwholesome disgrace of Nigeria’s sovereignty before the international community by the cheap acts of lies and cover-ups as exemplified by the case where the federal government flaunted the laws of both Nigeria and South Africa, through the act of money laundering and arms black market racketeering.”
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