Segun Atanda/
Following the death of close to 2000 people within six months this year, a group of Nigerian scholars abroad have urged the Federal Government to bring the perpetrators to justice.
Rising from a meeting in Waterloo, Iowa, USA, yesterday, members of the Association of Nigerian Scholars in the Diaspora (ANSD) presented a Communique stating their position on the ongoing genocide and trial of corrupt officials in the country.
The Communique signed by the Interim Executive Coordinator, Prof. Pita O. Agbese and the Secretary-General, Prof. Bitrus Gwamna, says: “Concerned about the recent spate of killings and destruction of property in Nigeria, the Association of Nigerian Scholars in the Diaspora (ANSD) held an emergency meeting in Waterloo, Iowa, USA, on June 29th, 2018.
“ANSD deliberated extensively on the state of the Nigerian nation and at the end of its deliberations, issued the following communique:
1. ANSD notes with sadness the current wave of violence that has gripped some states of the federation, in particular, Benue, Kebbi, Kaduna and Plateau states and calls on the federal government to take pro-active measures to put an end to the killings and to fish out the perpetrators and bring them to justice.
2. ANSD acknowledges the huge sacrifice that the Nigerian military and other security forces are making to curb the violence and urges them to develop actionable intelligence to pre-empt the dastardly acts of the perpetrators. ANSD applauds the commitment of the Nigerian armed forces in their determination to end the Boko Haram terrorism and other forms of threat to lives and properties in Nigeria. ANSD appreciates the sacrifice that members of the armed forces have made or are making to defend the country against internal and external foes, even at the cost of the lives of members of the armed forces.
3. ANSD laments the fact that as the political season of the 2019 general elections has dawned, some unscrupulous politicians are becoming desperate to acquire power at all costs leading to inciting rhetorics and intemperate utterances calculated to divide our people along ethnic, religious and other sectarian lines, inflame passions, create mutual suspicions and instigate violence. ANSD recognizes the fundamental right of Nigerians to freedom of speech but urges that the nation should collectively reject attempts to use this freedom to imperil the nation’s security and stability.
4. ANSD recognizes the toll that economic hardships have inflicted on many Nigerians and implores President Buhari to continue to accord the social welfare of Nigerians the greatest priority. ANSD abhors the deliberate infliction of pain and misery on Nigerians through the cruel and illegal refusal of some state governors to pay civil servants their salaries as at when due. ANSD implores President Buhari to compel the state governors to render public account on how they expended the several bailout funds generously granted to the states by the federal government at the inception of the Buhari administration and urges the EFCC to thoroughly investigate the misuse of these funds and to prosecute all those who have misappropriated the funds.
5. ANSD recognizes the difficulties in reducing corruption in Nigeria but acknowledges the laudable efforts that have been made by President Buhari to recover ill-gotten gains and to vigorously prosecute those who have corruptly amassed stupendous wealth at the expense of the nation. ANSD urges the Buhari administration to ensure the prosecution of all those who have engaged in illegal enrichment no matter the status or importance of the person. ANSD demands that no stone should be left unturned in the quest to rid Nigeria of corruption as the corruption menace lies at the root of many of the socio-economic and political problems of the nation.”
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