The Europeans led by the British, who simultaneously almost wiped out the Red Indians in order to create a new country called ‘the United States of America, devised a very simple but effective method of controlling African resources after they must have got their ‘artificial independence.’ They found incompetent, corrupt, visionless and morally bankrupt Africans, who were more than willing to dance to their tunes, and handed power to them. These Africans agreed to be stooges to the British, French and Portuguese in order to accomplish their own selfish political ambitions at the expense of their respective countries and citizens. After some time, some African leaders; who were worried by their conscience, changed their mind and refused to co-operate further as regards to selling the interests of their countries and citizens to the yellow people for peanuts were either assassinated or rigged out of power and replaced by new puppets.
Thus, the mere fact that a country is bestowed with abundance of resources does not automatically tantamount to economic development and good life for the citizens. A case in point is Nigeria. It is not enough for a country to have abundance of mineral and human resources in order to ensure economic development and good life for its citizens. A country must also be able not only to protect its resources from being taken over by other nations/countries who are desperate to take control over them through any hook and crook method and use them for their own development, but must as well be able to use these resources optimally for its own development. Any country that is not capable of achieving the above 2 goals will not be able to develop and provide the best for its citizens – even if the leadership is competent, uncorrupt, hardworking. As has earlier been mentioned, a good case in point is Nigeria bestowed with some of the largest deposit of mineral resources in the world and a population of 150 million , yet an overwhelming majority of its citizens live in abject poverty, lack basic amenities/infrastructure, one of the lowest life expectancy in the world and has virtually turned into a failed state and the biggest banana republic in the world within just 50 years.
Thus, in order for a country to develop, be strong and be relevant in global politics and decision making processes, it is paramount that a country be able to protect and control its resources so that they could continue to serve her in the best way that give the maximum benefits to the country and its citizens.
Unfortunately, the awareness of the strategic importance that sovereignty: political and economic, and economic security play in development and their survival in Nigeria and practically other African countries are underestimated.
First a good understanding of sovereignty and economic security is paramount in our discussion. In the course of this article, we will show that these two concepts are interwoven. They are like a coin with two sides. And the reader himself will come to the conclusion that the two not only complement each other but one is impossible to have or be guaranteed without the other. For example, it is impossible for a country to safeguard its economic security or defend its economic interests if it lacks political sovereignty.
So what is Sovereignty? Before we define this concept, let us start by first clarifying whar sovereignty is not about. Sovereignty is not about a country having its own national anthem, flag, currency and embassies in other countries. Sovereignty is not about a country hosting or having the embassies of other countries in its capital. Sovereignty is not about a country being members of different international organizations like the United Nations, World Trade Organisations, UNICEF, e.t.c. Sovereignty is not even about the president of a country having the privilege to give speeches at the U.N. Summits. It is not about the president of a country being invited to take part in G8 and G20 meetings. It is not also about the president of a country mingling with world leaders and financial gurus at yearly Economic Summit in Davos. It’s not about a country having its own army and sending them on peace keeping missions abroad.
Sovereignty is not even about a country taking part in the Olympics or/and the World Cup Sovereignty is not about the resident of a country squandering millions of dollars of the country’s money to entertain presidents and ambassadors of other countries at its yearly independence bash – with nothing tangible to show as achievements in office.
So what then is Sovereignty about?
Sovereignty is the ability of a country to take decisions that best meet its economic, political, military, social, cultural interests independently without any internal, external pressure, intervention or influence of any form.
In particular, sovereignty is:
1. The ability of the citizens of a country to make an informed decision themselves while electing their leaders without any external pressure, intervention or influence;
2. Ability of a country and/or its leadership to take decisions that best meet their economic, political, military, social and cultural interests without any external pressure, influence or intervention of any form;
3. Ability of a country to resolve all its internal conflicts amicably and in the best way that meet /satisfy the interests of all sides without any internal and/or external pressure, influence or intervention whatsoever;
4. Ability of a country to enact laws that best meet its economic, political, military, social and cultural interests without any external pressure, influence and/or influence;
5. Ability of a country to sign agreements that best its economic, political, military, social and cultural interests without any external pressure, influence and/or intervention;
6. Ability of the law enforcement of a country to execute enacted laws without any prejudice, internal and/or external pressure, intervention and influence;
7. Ability of the judiciary of a country to pass fair judgement based on enacted laws and available evidence without any partiality, internal and/or external pressure, intervention and influence;
8. The exclusive right of a country to decide which companies and/or countries to partner with in exploring its mineral resources without any internal and/or external pressure, intervention or influence;
9. The right of a country to unilaterally reject proposals that do not meet its economic, political, military, social and cultural interests without any internal and/or external pressure, influence and intervention.
Unfortunately, if we are going to be honest with ourselves, all the above have been elusive to Nigeria and other African countries since independence.
In order to have a better understanding of what sovereignty is, try to imagine a stranger deciding for you the following issues:
1. How many wives you are supposed to have;
2. How many children each one of them is supposed to have for you;
3. Which schools must your children attend;
4. How much or the limit that you are allowed to spend on their education;
5. What kind of books they are supposed to read;
6. What kind of food your family is supposed to eat in your house;
7. How many and what kind of cars you are supposed to have in your family;
8. How many and in what kind of houses you and your family are supposed to live in;
9. What kind of dresses is your family supposed to wear;
10. When, how and where you and your family should spend your holiday;
11. When you and your family must go to sleep and wake up.
In a nutshell, try to imagine that somebody else receives your monthly salary and decides for you how it should be spent. This is exactly what happens to a country that looses its sovereignty. Another country and/or countries decide(s) or dictate(s) to, or decide(s) f
or your country: the president or leadership, how he/they is/are supposed to administer the economic, political, social, military and cultural affairs of your country; how the budget should be spent, which companies will explore its mineral resources and at what terms, which companies to award major contracts to and at what terms, e.t.c.
The easiest and most effective way to achieve this is when a foreign country has direct control or influence over the president of your country. And the easiest and most effctive way for a country to have control over your president is by hijacking or interferring in the democratization process of electing your president: giving different form of support; financial, information, logistics, fraudulent public relations promotions to deceive the electorates in order to unfairly boost his popularity, justifying and supporting rigging, e.t.c. that will enable their candidate(their stooge) to have an undeserved and unfair advantage over candidates that are not only much better qualified but are as well uncorrupt, with vision and integrity and are ready in the interests of your country if elected. Working in the interests of your country, as we have said earlier, mean taking decisions that best meet the economic, social, political, military and cultural interests of your county without any internal or external pressure, influence and intervention.
This is what the Americans and British have been doing in Nigeria and Africa in general since we got our independence. They have hijacked the democratic and electoral process in African countries so that they could always influence decision making process in their own selfish interests but to the detriment of African countries.
After the death of Tuwo Yaradua, the unusual super activeness of the Americans within the last 4 months are evidence again that they want to choose another puppet and traitor as president for Nigerians so that they could continue to exploit us, pollute our land, take our oil and other mineral resources for free, dominate strategic sectors of our economy and control all economic, political, military and social processes.
The Americans and British want to choose another weak president for Nigeria: a traitor who will turn a blind eye at their economic and political crimes, and atrocities in Nigeria. Luckily for them, they did not have to search for long again. They have already found a man of their dream who is more than willing to resell Nigeria to them again for peanuts in order to achieve his own selfish political ambition at any cost but to the detriments of Nigeria and Nigerians. We all know this man. His name is Goodluck Ebele Jonathan.
Final preparations have been made by the Americans to get him to Aso rock through any hook and crook means – even if it the election has to be rigged in his favour. The planned visit of Jonathan to Nigeria is part of the plans to boost the popularity of Badluck Jonathan and hoodwink Nigerians. Obama must be met with stones, and not flowers immediately his plane lands in Nigeria. His visit is not about love for Nigeria, Nigerians or boosting democracy. Just like his visit to Ghana, it’s not about strengthening democratic institutions. It’s about our oil and gas! No more no less unless we are deceiving ourselves. We must not let the Americans deceive us and make them understand that we know the game they are playing and what they are up to in Nigeria.
TO BE CONTINUED…
