Mandela and Nigeria

Mandela and Nigeria

During the apartheid days in South Africa, Nigerians were at
the forefront of the fierce fight against this evil system. Many
of us were in fact ready to die for the black majority who were
the real victims of apartheid. Apartheid, once strongly supported
by the Western world out of economic interests, is today no more.

The new South Africa and Nigeria, the two strongest African
nations, became so close, so sisterly, so brotherly, this
proximity produced new hope for a better Africa.

After some time, the South African President found himself at
loggerheads with all Nigerians for two reasons. First, the issue
of writer Ken Sarowiwa and other Ogoni leaders who were hanged by
Nigerian authorities for murder in 1995. This happened despite
Mandela's appeal for clemency.

Nigerian leaders do not see Mandela as anything other than a
friend but he was heavily flattered by overseas Nigerian
opposition groups as "the only moral voice on the continent" who
could sway the Nigerian authorities. At the time, President
Mandela unfortunately had so little knowledge of these Nigerian
opposition groups.

A bunch of frustrated academics are one opposition group. They
are from one ethnic group who blindly believe in paper
qualifications like a religion. They even believe only
western academic degrees should be the main leadership criterion
in Nigeria. Therefore they should be the leaders, not anyone
else.

Luckily Mandela realized this eventually and so disassociated
himself from them. Now, they have a new strategy through which
they want to use Mandela again for their political ends.

For example, The Jakarta Post of Aug. 1 reported a similar
misunderstanding between Mandela and Nigerian officials. In the
article, a Nigerian Minister was alleged to have said "... a
white country with a black head (of state)."

This statement was unproven and instead, the controversy was
blamed on the same Nigerian opposition politicians overseas who
intentionally misconstrued the Nigerian minister's original
statements.

Walter Ofonagoro, the Nigerian Information Minister said
"opposition politicians ... were determined to prevent the
creation of good relations between South Africa and Nigeria."

I am afraid some powerful foreign countries may not be good
friends of Nigeria, so they use opposition groups to achieve
their selfish ends. Incredibly, these opposition Nigerians are
supplied with lethal explosives which from time to time they
detonate in their own country. The result is that many innocent
lives are lost.

The second reason Mandela and the Nigerians were at
loggerheads was because he was calling for very destructive
international sanctions against Nigeria for alleged human rights
violations. His call was warmly welcomed by the West.

I personally respect Mr. Mandela as a true African
nationalist, an elder statesman and an internationally accepted
freedom fighter. I cannot help but quote the last paragraph of
the back page of the Aug. 1 Post that "Mandela subsequently
spearheaded calls for economic sanctions, including an oil
embargo against Nigeria but backtracked after he found no
international support and was slapped down by the Organization of
African Unity."

BUHARI ABDU

Jakarta