What The Papers Say
National Concord, Nigeria
Finding lasting solution to the queues
The order, announced by the General Officer Commanding the 2nd Mechanized Division of the Nigerian Army, Brigadier Sanni Abacha barring soldiers from queuing with civilians to purchase essential commodities brings to question, once again, the predicament we are facing as to how to equitably distribute the very limited commodities that we produce or import.There are two main problems in this respect. One is the continuing shortages of the goods and the other is how to sell the stock in a satisfactory manner without recourse to exploitative middle channels. So far, we do not appear to be making any discernible progress either way.
Though licences for the importation of essential goods are being given out routinely to supposedly genuine importers, the prices of commodities, essential and the not-so-essential, have been rising steadily. The queues, too, are becoming lengthier and disorderly such that only the strongest of men or endlessly patient women can stand them. To add to such queues, therefore, a battalion or so of soldiers, probably in uniform, scrambling with civilians for bags of rice or tins of milk could indeed be maddening and unhealthy. Moreso, of course, that arrangements are known to be made regularly for members of the armed forces to purchase similar commodities.
The government should endeavour to extend welfare to all citizens. The solution to the present problem is to reform the middle distribution stream of the economy because it cannot be eliminated in a capitalist system of production like ours. And a situation where 80 million people flock into sales depots to make direct purchase of goods could be intoler- able. The middle stream, it has to be noted, became critical only as a result of persistent shortages and because the government itself had become incapable or unwilling to maximally check the activities of unscrupulous hoarders.
The Federal Military Government should, while it speeds up the resuscitating of industries and agriculture, start to think of reforming the distribution network. This would not be difficult a task to accomplish given the nature of our system where the private sector is wholly dependent on the state for direction and sustenance.
Unless this is done, and urgently too, the queues in our cities may become yet lengthier no matter the amount of essential goods we may produce or import.
National Concord, Nigeria
Mobutu's sit-tight charade
The recent re-election of Mobutu Sese Seko to a second seven-year spell at the Zairean helm has gone down as one of those now familiar charades by which the democratic system in many an African country has been reduced to a pathetic travesty of the ideal.This is so because the entire electoral exercise was a non-contest. Mobutu's MPR (Mouvement Populaire de la Revolution), the only legally-recognised party in the country since 1970, was the only platform from which pre- determined 'winners' rose to the seats of government. Mobutu himself, was the only candidate for the presidential chair. The only possible outcome of such a glaringly fraudulent arrangement could have been anyone's guess from the onset. But the bottom-line is that the Zairean people, once again, have been robbed of that non-negotiable right of choice between alternative electoral options which lie at the very core of any meaningful election.
Had Mobutu's past years in office held out even the faintest prospects for a brighter tomorrow, Zaireans and the watching world would probably have turned a blind eye to the charade. But over the past 15 years, during which the Zairean people have slaved and sweated under Mobutu's reign, the common man's experience in that country has been one of an existence progressively devaluated. Misguided by the tipsy-turvy policies engendered by this tin- god's Mobutisme ideology, the Zairean economy has so much degenerated that it is now easily identified as Africa's foremost basket-case. And the bulk of aid donated by foreign agencies towards the resuscitation of this prostrate economy over the past six years or so has been siphoned down the insatiable depths of his own pocket.
Pained as much by their country's economic stagnation as by their leader's progressive corruption, the Zairean people have been calling out loud and clear, expressing popular desires for a change. But rather than re-think his wrong headed policies and curb his excessive appetite, Mobutu has only tended to label all criticism and dissension as subversive, and subsequently violated with awful impunity, the fundamental human rights of those whom he has identified as enemies. Today, Mobutu's human rights scoresheet probably ranks only a close second in notoriety, to that of the racist regime in South Africa.
The Zairean leader, along with such other African leaders as Somalia's Siad Barre, Sudan's Jafaar Nimieri, and more recently Liberia's Samuel Doe constitute a fraternity of generals-turned-presidents who have cast a dim shadow over the credibility of military interventionists. For on their advent to national leadership, each of these men had sworn to lay down the mantle of governance and retreat to professional soldiering as soon as their redemptive missions were accomplished. But with time, each has betrayed that solemn vow made both to himself and to his subjects and now clings to power with such frantic desperation as could only have been expected of drowning men.
Beyond eroding the credibility of present and future military interventionists, Mobutu and his ilk of sit-tight leaders, through such electoral shams as the one recently witnessed in Zaire also lend credence to the unfortunate view that Africa is yet unripe for democracy. And this is among the many arguments by which South Africa's racist authorities have enslaved our black brothers and sisters for so very long.
Adisadel Old Boys Meeting
The second general meeting of the above-named group, a follow-up to the inaugural meeting held recently at No. 3 Collingham Gardens, came on Saturday August 25, 1984 at the same venue. The Association will discuss very important issues relating to its welfare and particularly, the affairs of the alma mater back in Ghana.A newsletter already circulated to members has stated one of the major events that the Association intends to deal with at the meeting - the 75th anniversary of the founding of the school. Towards that end it is reliably learnt that the Ghana branch of the Association has launched a C2 million appeal fund to rehabilitate the school. The London branch will also explore avenues for raising funds.
It is hoped that as many old boys as possible would make the day open and attend.
