FNM Call to action (9/24/97)

[Free Nigeria Movement <FNM@ix.netcom.com>]

  Free Nigeria Movement
  P.O. Box 441395
  Indianapolis, IN 46244
  Phone/Fax +1 (317)216-4590
  
  Email:  PR@FreeNigeria.org
  Website: http://www.FreeNigeria.org
  
  Listserv: Maiser@listserv.butler.edu, text of message "SUBSCRIBE
  FREENIGERIA"
  
  Radio Station:  Voice of Free Nigeria (VoFN) 11.680 kHz, every Saturday
  at 1900Hrs GMT (8:OOpm Nigerian Time)
  
  Nigeria; Nazi Germany of the 90s
                  - Ibrahim H. Muhammed
  
  For Immediate Release
  (Please distribute widely)
  
  Support needed for Alameda County Selective Purchasing/Divestment
  Ordinance...
  
  Contact: Nasiru Ikharo  at (317)216-4590 or PR@FreeNigeria.org
  
  Tuesday, September 23, 1997
  
  
          The Free Nigeria Movement (FNM) has been able to get Alameda
  County in the State of California, USA,  to consider passing a selective
  
  purchasing/divestment ordinance on the goods and services of companies
  doing business with or in Nigeria.
  
          Yesterday, Monday, September 22nd, 1997, the proposed resolution
  
  passed unanimously through the Committee Level, and shall be brought up
  for the
  first reading before the entire county Board of Supervisors' on Tuesday,
  
  September 30th, 1997.
  
          If the ordinance passes, it would prohibit the use of Alameda
  County funds on the goods and services of companies that do business in
  or with Nigeria, including among others, Shell Oil, Chevron, Coca-Cola,
  Motorola and the Bank of America.
  
         We urge you to show your support (you don't have to live in
  California or Alameda County) for this ordinance by calling or faxing
  the  Alameda County Board of Supervisors', and asking them to vote "Yes"
  
  for
  the Nigeria ordinance.
  
          The names and phone/fax numbers of the Board of Supervisors'
  members are given below (the area code for all is (510):
  
  Keith Carson (President of the Board of Supervisors)- Phone 272-6695,
  Fax 271-5151
  
  Supervisor (SP) Mary King- Phone 272-6694,  Fax 465-7628
  
  SP Wilma Chan-    Phone 272-6693, Fax 268-8004
  
  SP Gail Steele-   Phone 272-6692, Fax 271-5115
  
  SP Scott Hagerty- Phone 272-6691, Fax 208-3910
  
  
          Selective Purchasing/Divestment was instrumental in bringing
  about
  an end to the apartheid system in South Africa, and it shall also be
  instrumental in bringing about an end to the continued dictatorship of
  the Nigerian military, a military that has been in power for over 27
  years of the Nigeria's 37 years of independence.
  
          In March 1996, the leadership of the Free Nigeria Movement was
  instrumental in helping to pass the first ever selective
  purchasing/divestment ordinance against Nigeria worldwide, when it
  helped
  influence the City of Oakland, California, to pass such an ordinance in
  March,
   1996. The FNM has also been able to directly influence the passing of a
  
  similar ordinance in the City of Berkeley in July, 1997.
  The Towns of Amherst and Cambridge in the State of Massachusetts have
  also
  passed similar ordinances in the past six months.
    If the Alameda County Ordinance passes, it shall be the first of its
  kind worldwide, for it would be the first time a tier of government as
  high as a county would adopt such an ordinance (a county is the highest
  local governement body).
  
          Alameda County has under its jurisdiction the cities of Alameda,
  
  Albany, Berkeley, Dublin, Emeryville, Fremont, Hayward, Livermore,
  Newark,
  Oakland, Piedmont, Pleasanton, San Leandro and Union City. Alameda
  County
  also has an annual budget of over 1.25 billion dollars, of which by some
  
  (unconfirmed) estimates close to 200 million dollars goes on business
  interests which are in, or do business with Nigeria. If this ordinance
  passes, it would also be the single most important legislation passed
  against the Sanni Abacha regime to date, for the reason that it would be
  
  the biggest financial blow struck against his regime and its supporters
  to
  date.
  
  Brief History of the Nigerian Crisis:
  
      The Nigerian military regime, in which General Sanni Abacha held the
  
  portfolio of Minister of Defense, held a series of democratic elections
  for the Local, State and National tiers of government between 1990 and
  June 12, 1993, [when the Presidential election was held]. After it
  became
  apparently clear to those monitoring it (both domestic and international
  
  observers) that the Presidential election was free and fair, and the
  popular candidate, Chief Moshood K. O. Abiola had emerged the winner,
  the
  military regime, led at the time by General Ibrahim Babangida declared
  on
  June 23, 1993 that the election had been annulled. By August 26th, 1993,
  
  Babangida resigned as dictator of Nigeria and  handed over to a puppet
  regime called the "Interim National Government" (ING), in which he
  allowed
  his assistant, General Sanni Abacha to retain the portfolio of Minister
  of
  Defense. By this time, General Abacha had personally supervised the
  daylight murder by Nigerian military troops of hundreds of activists who
  
  were protesting the annulment of the Presidential election, and had
  proven beyond reasonable doubt his true regard for the Nigerian people.
  
      By November 17th, 1993, Abacha decided that he had had enough of
  playing the role of Minister of Defense in  the illegal "Interim
  National
  Government", instead, he chose to make himself the new dictator of
  Nigeria. He therefore, with the backing of equally unpatriotic criminals
  
  in the Nigerian military, not only dissolved the illegal ING, but also
  all
  the democratic structures in Nigeria, from the local government  level
  to
  the National Assembly (House and Senate) level, he also upheld the
  annulment of the Presidential election.
  
      Within less than one year of forcing himself on the Nigerian people,
  
  he declared President Moshood Abiola wanted for declaring himself the
  legitimate President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, placed a
  $50,000
  bounty on his head, arrested him, and has kept him detained in solitary
  confinement at an unknown site till today. Within this time, he has also
  
  dissolved all the major trade unions opposed to his regime, and thrown
  their duly-elected leaders into detention, where most of them
  are up till today. As if that was not enough, he also had the leading
  Nigerian environmental activist, Kenule Saro-Wiwa arrested on trumped up
  
  charges, brought before a military tribunal set up by his equally
  illegal
  regime, tried without any regard for the rule of law, condemned and
  finally executed along with eight other "conspirators" by hanging.
  
          At present, General Abacha, using the greed and lust for power
  of
  certain opportunists in the Nigerian civilian populace has created five
  political parties for Nigeria and claims to be working to restore the
  country to democratic rule, even though he has no moral or legal right
  to
  do this whatsoever, since the Nigerian people have already
  democratically
  elected their leaders, some of whom, including President Abiola are in
  jail.
  
          We count on your support in helping this ordinance pass, and in
  helping Nigeria regain its freedom.
  
  Long live Freedom, Long live Justice, Long live Liberty.
  
  On behalf of the Free Nigeria Movement:
  
  Sincerely,
  
  Nasiru Ikharo,
  National Information Secretary