The Africa Fund
New York, New York, United States
July 1998
4 pages
There is new but fragile hope that the long nightmare of military rule in oil-rich Nigeria, Africa’s largest nation, could soon be over. The sudden death of dictator Sani Abacha on June 8 and the release of some political prisoners by the new general in charge, Abdulsalami Abubkar, has created an opportunity for a peaceful end to military rule for Nigeria’s 110 million people. But major obstacles remain. Thousands of prisoners remail in Nigeria’s military gulag, including the winner of the free and fair 1993 Presidential election, Moshood Abiola, and twenty rights activists of the minority Ogoni people. Repressive decrees remain in force, civil and human rights suspended,...
There is new but fragile hope that the long nightmare of military rule in oil-rich Nigeria, Africa’s largest nation, could soon be over. The sudden death of dictator Sani Abacha on June 8 and the release of some political prisoners by the new general in charge, Abdulsalami Abubkar, has created an opportunity for a peaceful end to military rule for Nigeria’s 110 million people. But major obstacles remain. Thousands of prisoners remail in Nigeria’s military gulag, including the winner of the free and fair 1993 Presidential election, Moshood Abiola, and twenty rights activists of the minority Ogoni people. Repressive decrees remain in force, civil and human rights suspended, and thousands of people remain in exile. The key to peace is President-elect Abiola, whose release and instillation at the head of an interim government of national unity to conduct new elections is the core demand of the democracy movement. The United States, which purchased some $6 billion worth of Nigerian oil last year, can bring great economic pressure to bear on the military to restore genuine democracy. But the Clinton Administration refuses to support the democracy movement, pursuing instead a “constructive engagement” accommodation with Nigeria’s military rulers. This immoral policy, supported by Shell, Mobil, Chevron and other oil companies in business with the generals, undermines hope for democracy and could plunge Nigeria into a new nightmare of violence and repression. The NAACP has been in the lead of efforts by the African-American community to restore morality and respect for human rights to U.S. policy toward Nigeria. The newsletter includes a copy of a letter to President William Jefferson Clinton signed by Julian Bond, NAACO; Ambassador Walter Carrington, WEB DuBois Institute; Carolyn Kilpatrick, Member of Congress; Tilden LeMelle, The Africa Fund; Bill Lucy, Coalition of Black Trade Unionists; Gay McDougall, The International Human Rights Law Group; Cynthia McKiney, Member of Congress; Kweisi Mfume, NAACP; Donald Payne, Member of Congress; Randall Robinson, TransAfrica; Wyatt Tee Walker, American Committee on Africa; and Maxine Waters, Member of Congress. The newsletter includes ‘Africa Fund Statement on the Release of Nigerian Political Prisoners “Keep The Pressure On” For Freedom’. The newsletter reprints a newspaper article “Jailed Abiola remains a force Nigerian leaders can’t ignore”.
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Used by permission of Africa Action (successor to The Africa Fund).
