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Home |   About Us |   Contact Us |   Members |   Search |   Subscribe |   Disclaimer |   THE GUARDIAN CONSCIENCE, NURTURED BY TRUTH LAGOS, NIGERIA.     Monday, August 02 2004   news   editorial/opinion   policy & politics   business   metro   sports   homes/properties   media   capital market   arts     Guardian Chat Click to join the chatroom Reparation moves to the legislature, gets strong support From Emmanuel Onwubiko, Abuja LATE last month, the African Renaissance Party (ARP) sent what was seen as an unusual bill titled: "African Reparation Bill" to the National Assembly. According to the ARP, the bill is to acknowledge in Nigeria on behalf of Africans, the historical injustice wrought by the Atlantic slave trade, as to its cruelty and inhumanity visited upon the African continent. The bill will bring fresh attention to bear on the unfinished business of making the western nations pay reparations for the social dislocation, looting of treasures and artefacts, destruction and desecration of cities. This move, according to ARP, was a follow up on the crusade started more than 15 years ago by the late Chief MKO Abiola. The draft copy of the bill endorsed by the national chairman of the political party, Alhaji Yahaya Ndu and made exclusively available to The Guardian, also canvassed the creation of a government agency responsible for waging a campaign for the payment of reparations to Nigeria. The party chairman stated that the party was inspired by the first world conference on reparation sponsored by Abiola in December 1990 at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA) Lagos. Ndu noted that appropriate "judicial action backed by political means is the appropriate next step in the New World order of the 21st century to bring the age-long struggle to a just logical conclusion." The national government agency, which the bill calls for will: delve into the archives to research specific cases of atrocities, illegalities and injustices committed against Africa and Africans for appropriate litigation in Western, International and African Courts of Law; create a legal platform for the programme's actualisation of the goals of the reparations struggle; provide further information for actualising the goals of the Reparation struggle undertake a comparative analysis of successful reparation claims vis-�-vis that of Africa; establish a Reparation Judicial Action Fund to cater for the legal and other attendant costs of the necessary judicial actions; demonstrate to Nigerians and the international community that reparations due to African nations are several times the value of the odious foreign debts presently crippling African economies; engage patriotic lawyers who can competently and effectively proceed to appropriate courts of law in Nigeria and around the world to institute actions for reparations and vigorously pursue them as appropriate and involve scholars, professionals, artists and entertainers and others of special talent in activities and projects as may be necessary to advance the reparation struggle. The ARP "solemnly and patriotically" beseeched the National Assembly to consider the economic situation of the nation and pass the proposed African Reparation Bill into law. Certain aspects of the bill noted that the proposed bill would refocus the attention of Nigerians and Africans and world to the issue of payment to Africa. The reparations would cover the "social dislocation, forcible enslavement, looting of treasures and artefacts, destruction and desecration of cities, empires and civilisations, colonisation and centuries of rapacious economic exploitation of our people." The proposed bill noted: whereas: The poverty inhibiting Black and African economies are traceable to the atrocities visited on them by the processes of colonisation and imperialism and in acknowledgement of the fact that if no extra and considerable funds are injected into these economies, such counties shall remain impoverished and beggarly for the foreseeable future. It is therefore, imperative that a practical and pragmatic initiative such as the present be pursued for just resolution in response to the historically bestowed legacy of structural impoverishment Whereas: African Leaders of distinction have worked towards the realisation of Reparations for Africa. Outstanding in the campaign was the late Abiola. The present initiative of the African Renaissance party is the building on laudable foundations that had already been laid by eminent Africans and descendants in the Diaspora. The international conference, which was convened by Abiola, featured prominent people from different parts of the world. After the discussions on the issue of Reparation, the communiquZ established an International Committee for Reparation (ICR), with Abiola as its chairman. Subsequently, the case was taken to the continental level and to then the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) which recognised, and identified with the campaign and reparation became a prominent subject of discussion within the organisation. The 27th Summit of heads of state and government as well as the 55th Council of Ministers, which met in June 1991 in Abuja, Nigeria, passed resolutions recognising the injustices to Africa. The resolution affirmed the right to Reparation and suggested a Group of Eminent Persons (GEP), drawn from Africa and the Diaspora, to further take action on the Reparation. The GEP was later empanelled formally in June 1992, at the 28th Summit of the OAU Heads of State and Government held in Dakar, Senegal. The group has as members, men and women of proven integrity. Some of its members are Prof. Ade Ajayi (Nigerian), Mariam Makeba (South Africa) Prof. Ali Mazuri (Kenya), Dr. Amadan Mahtar M'bow - Co-chairman (Senegal), Sackey (Ghana), Grace Machel (Mozambique), Dudley Thompson (Jamaica), Roland Dellums (U.S.) and Prof. Rex Nettleford (Jamaica). The proposed bill also observed that to advance the struggle for Reparation, the OAU GEP convened the first Pan-African Conference on Reparation in April 1993 at Abuja. The event drew participants from Africa, America, Asia and Europe. It also issued a communiquZ aimed at redressing the injustice of slavery, colonialism and imperialism in general in African, a decision, which if implemented, would substantially contribute to alleviating Africa's sufferings. The ARP noted strongly that, although the slave trade ended over 500 years ago, Africans in the main retain the moral and legal justification to demand compensation from the West. Slavery, which cost Africa several millions of able - bodied men and women, it said remain the very foundation of the backwardness of Africa. The physical and psychological brutality, socio-cultural dislocations and economic dysfunction, which the trade imposed on Africans and the Black race in general, is beyond comparison. "It was from these traumatic experiences of Africa that the West achieved her present development, and the argument is that the West must pay compensation to us for the brain, sweat and blood of our forefathers," Ndu said." He added that the last major event on this reparation cause was the 1993 conference in Abuja over 10 years ago and that the ARP is persuaded that it is appropriate time for the reparation claim to be renewed. Highlighting further reasons for the Bill, the sponsors said that the ARP supports not merely national, but international co-operation for justice, in its quest for measures that will move Nigeria from the strangle hold of underdevelopment. The western world they said, does not have a solution for Nigerian's development and the empowerment of its people, for the very debt said to be owed western banks by way of loans structurally, impoverish Nigerian people. "The welfare of Nigerians has to be pursued by the representatives of the Nigerian people, and debt in perpetuity is not a way to national or personal empowerment," the ARP stated. Saying that the passage of the bill will benefit Nigeria, African and humanity, the ARP called on the National Assembly to acknowledge the interests of the people and the nation. The party stated that Nigeria is looked upon as the leader of African as far as the issue of reparations is concerned and that the time has come to give expression to this leadership role through appropriate legislation. The Federal Government should set the example for the rest of Africa in demanding reparations through political and legal means. According to the sponsors of the Bill, the National Assembly and the legislative houses of other African nations, working through the legislative Houses of western nations and international organisations, should further the cause of the people. The National Assembly was told that "the use of a legislative approach instead of a legal cause of action for reparations has precedent in the United States. On August 10, 1988, President Roland Reagan signed H.R.442 that authorised the payment of reparations to Japanese Americans who ere illegally imprisoned in American concentration camps during World War II." Specifically in the world of Courtney Barnett, an Attorney-at-law "A campaign in support of reparations can ultimately assist developmental programmes. Why It is precisely the commitment of 60 per cent, 70 per cent and mounting proportions of national budgets committed to repayments of international debts from third world countries, which direct monetary resources from developmental assistance programmes into debt repayment". The scholar continued: "What if there were co-relation of debt relief to support of organisations which build people based community development projects Would such organisation not receive necessary funding for direct assistance to people, while at the same time be assisting sustainable community based developmental opportunities. "Following colonialism and not being left with development money, the only recourse for former British colonies was to borrow, The international debt have now mounted to unsustainable levels that deprive populations of basic necessities and leave no real hope for future sustainable development. With due regard for Britain's position in the World bank, the IMF and on lending agencies for Africa, do we continue to follow this path of institutionalised viable alternative merit consideration " he canvassed. African Renaissance Party argued further: "In 1988, the U.S. Congress apologised to Japanese Americans interned in camps during the Second World War and authorised payments of $20,000 each to roughly 60,000 survivors. Canada followed with its own apology and a $230 million reparations package to Japanese Canadians. Also the German government has paid $60 billion to settle claims from victims of Nazi persecution. Various groups of Eskimos, native Americans and survivors of a 1923 massacre in a predominantly black Florida town have also received restitution. In Australia, the government has apologised for it treatment of Aborigines after an official inquiry called it genocide and compensation is being negotiated. On how the modern reparation movement for Africans at home and abroad began, the ARP noted that: "Bishop Henry M. Turner was the first African-American leader to call for reparations. He did so near the end of the reconstruction era. The nation of Islam has since its inception, called for reparations and the Republic of New Africa (RNA), organised by Obadele and his Malcolm X society associates in 1968. They demanded payment of U.S.$40 billion in 'Slavery damages.' However, the modern movement for reparations did not take organisational form until 1988, when Imari Obadele and his associates formed the national Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America (NCOBRA0). It is expected that the Bill on Reparations has the potential and prospect of serving as a fundamental unifying factor in our nation already divided by ethnic, religious and political cleavages. The pursuit for Reparations is sure to be endorsed by a cross-section of the country since even a renowned Northern politician, Alhaji Tanko Yakasai, wrote in his autobiography that enslavement continued in Nigeria even during the second World War. In his book: "Tanko Yakassai; the story of a humble life", which was launched in Abuja late last month, the politician who played active part in the politics of the post independence era and the second Republic wrote, "during the Second World War, most of the people in Hausa land were reluctant to join the army. At first, the colonial officers started to recruit people by giving directives to native authorities to conscript people by force. But those conscripted would end up running away either after they were trained or when they are on their way out of the country. The British then decided to offer money to whoever agreed to join the force. It soon became a lucrative business as traders started to go to the countryside to buy people and took them to the cities and offered them to the British who, in turn, would pay a higher price for each person. Traders would purchase a person at the cost of one pound ten shillings, in the village for example, transport them to the recruitment centre in Kano City, and sell at the cost of five pounds per person. One pound sterling was later equivalent to two Naira. The present concession of a pound to Naira is a far cry from that. "The business of purchasing recruits into the army became the pre-occupation of many traders. A trader would go to the village and purchase a lorry load of people, and convey them to the city. Most cattle dealers abandoned their business and became dealers in mercenaries overnight. Human ranches were hurriedly established all over the place. Every morning, agents of the British would visit such ranches to buy mercenaries. They would examine them in the same manner as cattle and sheep were examined and those considered fit would be selected. Traders soon devised their own way of handling the case of those rejected. As most of the rejection was based on physical fitness, the traders would collect the rejected ones and keep them in a centre for reconditioning. The rejects were fed well on gari, groundnut cake, and other local food items and subjected to some physical exercises, and within a few days they would look fit enough for the British to accept them." Writing further on the trend of voluntary enslavement, Yakassai said: "By 1943, the business of mercenary trading had reached its peak when people running away from hunger would offer themselves for sale at the paltry sum of five shillings. That was the year of famine known in Hausa land as Yar-Guwai. Most of those mercenaries never returned to their homes. Out of shame, they would never tell the truth concerning their real identity by the time they were being recruited. They resorted to contracting illicit marriages with free women to benefit from special allowances given to wives of serving military personnel. When they returned home on leave, they would not go to their villages; instead they would spend their leave with those women. A lot of such people never re-united with their families again. Many died without their relations knowing their whereabouts. That was the reason why Hausa people did not accord much respect to the military profession during the colonial era." But the question is whether the National Assembly will be willing to pass the Bill since they have not shown a high propensity to pass bills sent by individuals. They have dealt with bills mainly sent to them by President Olusegun Obasanjo. However, Ndu told The Guardian that he was optimistic that both the National Assembly and Obasanjo ought to facilitate the emergence of the Reparation Bill as a national law as a way of immortalising the Abiola. But it is felt that it would be difficult for the bill to sail through because of the influence of the political leaders in the Western World who may not want to whittle down their insistence that African nations must service their foreign debts. � 2003 - 2004 @ Guardian Newspapers Limited (All Rights Reserved).  Powered by dnetsystems.net dnet�

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