Anambra: As Election Ground Becomes a Killing Field

By Eddy Odivwri

Ever since the snake got pregnant, did we know that its baby would be a long creature.

About six months ago, on a quiet Sunday morning, it was people going to church that discovered that a truck which fell and spilled its content was actually carrying loads of live ammunition. That was on May 10, 2021. The driver of the truck was arrested by the Police while its assistant fled at the sigh of the police. As many things go in Nigeria, we did not hear anything again concerning that incident.

But the unanswered questions were the identity of the owner of the lethal goods, what they were meant for, where were they to be used? Was/is the owner licensed to import ammunition etc.? It is also befuddling that even the Police have kept mute over their so-called investigations on the matter. Why did they fail to feed Nigerians with their findings. Why was the matter literally swept under the carpet?

Without responding to those questions, we are inadvertently finding answers to them as the governorship election in Anambra State draws near. The avalanche of killings and general disquiet in the state is a clear indication of a long term plan by desperate men to cause mayhem and tension in the state.

The blood-letting spree got to its height with the recent killing of Dr Chike Akunyili, a surgeon and husband of late former NAFDAC DG, Dora Akunyili Dr Akunyili was not a politician. Reports say Dr Akunyili was returning from a meeting of his Alumni.

Two days after he was shot, the convoy of a House of Representatives member, Hon Chris Azubogu was attacked on his way back from Awka where he had gone to declare for membership of the All Progressives Congress (APC). His driver was shot dead in the attack.

Before then and even after, several police stations have been attacked, burnt and even killed some policemen. Many other individuals have been killed in gruesome manners. The scale of danger and unrest is remarkably high.

The killing spree is coming after the litigation phase where almost all the political parties had gone to court to challenge the emergence of one candidate or the other in the primaries. The courts have reversed themselves several times on account of who will be the standard bearer of some of the political parties. The confusion was huge.

It thus looks like the resort to killing is akin to saying what the courts could not settle, the bullets have to settle. And the bullets are really flying here and there. There is so much scare right now. Already, many Anambra sons and daughters—within and outside Nigeria—are expressing concern over the safety of coming home, as they usually do, during the coming Yuletide season. The feeling of danger and unsafety is thick and strong.

In fact, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has raised the alarm that if the killing spree continues, it could affect the conduct of the November 6 election, barely a month away.

Rather than intensify political campaigns, to win more and more support, there is a festering orgy of violence rocking the state.

It is a state where money, more than ideas, make sense. And many are they with deep vaults in the state. But should the governorship seat be merely for the highest bidder?

It is ironically sad that a state that produced the Great Zik of Africa, Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe (first President of Nigeria), the doyen of Democracy, and even celebrated politicians like late Dr Alex Ekwueme (former Vice President of the country), late Dr Chuba Okadigbo, (former Senate President), late Professor Chinua Achebe, and a host of other egg-heads, is struggling with the basic ethos of democracy. There is an ungodly desperation to become the governor, not through the ballot, but through the bullet and even through other metaphysical means.

Back to the murder of Akunyili: why was he killed? He was not a politician. Was he seen to be supporting any of the candidates? Even if that was the case, did he not have such right? Was it a carry-over of the failed attacks on his late wife, Dora, while she served as the Director General of NAFDAC? Was the killing as a result of a business deal gone awry? Was he a victim of random killing? Just why was he killed? The Police have vowed to find the killers. The police themselves are terrified. Many of them have been killed and burnt. There’s tension in the Anambra air. Governor Willie Obiano has placed a N 20 million bounty on the killers of Dr Akunyili. Will that amount be enough to unearth the killers? In a state where money is the greatest measure of means and capacity, will N20million break the ice? We are waiting.

The chaos and trauma caused by the activities of Independent People of Biafra (IPOB) was already bad enough. Coming to further complicate it with the bloody fog of politics just worsens the political landscape in the state.

In the months preceding the killing of Dr Akunyili, there have been several cases of attacks on police stations as well as INEC offices across the state, and even beyond. Many of the attacks had been carried out by people suspected to be advocates of the IPOB agenda.

Perhaps beyond the immediate task of finding the killers of Akunyili and the purveyors of violence in the state, will be the greater concern of blocking the source of illegal arms in the state. Few years ago, the Nigeria Customs had intercepted container loads of arms and ammunition (packaged as doors from Turkey and other parts of Europe) from the Apapa/Tincan ports. As usual, we never got to know what happened to those seizures. Were they later released? Who were indeed the importers? Where are they—in jail or they settled themselves out of the noose?

Is it that the importers of guns have become smarter, hence there have been no more discoveries and seizures in recent years by men of the Nigeria Customs? Have the Nigeria Customs officials lowered their guards and spectre of vigilance?

In all, the blockage of the source of the tons of illegal arms in Anambra and indeed the entire country, will be the ultimate panacea in dealing with the menace of marauding killers on the streets of our towns and cities. We cannot afford to descend to the age of the Mafia in Sicily, Italy. No, we cannot! Save Anambra, save Nigeria!

Canticles…

When Our Yesterday Looks Better than Today

By Eddy Odivwri

Did you listen to the 61stIndependence Anniversary nationwide address of our dear President, Muhammadu Buhari last Friday?

Why do I have to waste my time doing that? Isn’t there a better thing to do with my time? In any case, there was no electricity and my generators have been bad.

Why can’t you fix the generators?

Why can’t the Federal Government fix stable electricity supply? Do you know the cost of running my generators every week? Are you not in this country? You think it is easy?

But Mr President raised the hope of Nigerians that things are not only getting better, that they will indeed be a lot better in no distant time.

Did you believe him? Do you think he means those things merely said to impress the klieg light. Those speech writers of Mr President just cobbled together some verbiages that will pretenciously appear nice to the ears. And that’s where it ends.

No, the President highlighted some of the achievements of his administration, and truly, many of the things he talked about are infallible. You can’t fault them. It is true that he’s invested huge on infrastructure. If you doubt, call and ask Mr Babatunde Fashola, the Minister of Works. If you don’t believe Fashola, ask Hon Rotimi Amaechi. And the magnitude of the works done to connect various parts of the country on Rail transportation will amaze you. You cannot also deny the fact that we are gradually achieving food sufficiency. If you doubt it, ask Indonesia, how many Rice factories they have shut down, because Nigeria no longer imports rice from them. Even in energy sector, there is a tremendous improvement in the…

(cuts in) There is tremendous what? Electricity supply has improved? Where? In your own house? Did I not just tell you that I couldn’t have even listened to the Independence Broadcast because there was no light in my entire neighbourhood? So, which light has improved tremendously? Why are you playing the role of Lai Mohammed?

Look, we are all in darkness most of the day and night. What has improved is the megawatts of darkness beamed every night. Is that not why the demand for diesel and even petrol keeps rising? Do you know that the price of a litre of diesel now sells for N300, almost?

Don’t blame that on President Buhari. Blame it on the exchange rate, which is largely governed by market forces. Therefore…

(cuts in again)… Therefore what? Who is in charge of market forces? Did you say we should not blame President Buhari for the high cost of diesel? Pray, who is controlling the exchange rate? Is it the National association of carpenters or is it NUT members? What else is the major role of the Central Bank of Nigeria? Is the CBN not a government-owned organisation? Does the CBN no longer control the forex market? Or who is it that appointed the CBN governor? Do you know how Nigerians are suffering in the hands of Dollars or Pounds? Do you know how the price of things are going up everyday? Do you know how families are groaning? Cost of things are going up everyday, but salary figures remain the same? Imagine those who don’t even have a job! Why is the government of Buhari making yesterday we complained about look like a new heaven? Was yesterday not largely better than today? Just tell me one thing that appears better today, apart from this communication thing. Even then, the sitting government cannot take the credit for it.

But you will agree with me that there is far more money in circulation than before. There are many more millionaires in today’s Nigeria than ever before. Can’t you see the quality of cars on our roads these days?

Raw rubbish!. More millionaires? You mean these miserable millionaires? Do you not know that the more money we are having, the poorer and even more dejected we turn out to be? Imagine Nigeria proposing an annual budget of N16.4 trillion. Just where are we going? And you talk about quality of cars on the Nigerian streets. How short-brained you are! You take glory in theseTokunboand refurbished cars? Have you realized that many of these so called Tokunbocars were damaged cars? Can’t you see how we are excited at the arrival of such battered cars? Do you not know that Nigerians once reveled in driving brand new cars? Did we not call them tear-rubber cars? Today we drive damaged and oversea-rejected cars and we are feeling giddy. Is it not true that yesterday was better? At 61, we are largely a Tokunbo -oriented country. We are retrogressing: wearing second hand clothes (including bras and pants), reading second-hand books, driving second-hand cars (including even bicycles), sleeping on second -hand mattresses, using second hand pots and kitchen utensils etc… what is all that!

Calm down! That is why we are described as a developing country. You should learn to be grateful for little mercies. Can you thank God enough for the Nigerian weather? Can you thank God enough that we are saved from earthquakes and earth tremors? After all, we have been delivered from the blight or military rule. Unlike some West African countries like Mali, Guinea, Chad etc.

Yes, we must thank God but we must also beseech God to deliver us from the hands of Boko Haram, Bandits, Kidnappers, IPOB Killers etc. True, we are a developing country.

God Have Mercy!