IRAQ: ‘Fall of Saddam’ Splits Nigeria

By Toye Olori Reprint | | Print |

Toye Olori

LAGOS, Apr 11 2003 (IPS) - Nigerians on Thursday greeted the ‘fall of Saddam Hussein’ from power in Baghdad with mixed feelings.

While some see Wednesday’s defeat of Saddam as the end of dictatorship in Iraq, comparing it with the death in 1998 of the Nigerian dictator Gen Sani Abacha, others described it as ‘an inglorious victory’.

Chuks Obina, a businessperson in Lagos, believes the jubilation by Iraqis on the streets of Baghdad was not a stage-managed celebration. ”We jubilated when Abacha was taken away by God, so the jubilation by Iraqi people, is like they have been freed from years of bondage under a dictator,” he told IPS on Thursday.

”America should go ahead and put a good civilian government in place in Iraq. Iraqis are not bad people but their rulers are. Therefore, (the Iraqi people) should be shown the way out by whatever means possible. That will also teach other dictators, especially in Africa, a lesson that they cannot oppress their people indefinitely,” he said.

Some Nigerians, like Harrison Craig, a lawyer in Lagos, warned the international community to be on the lookout as the end of the war in Iraq could spark another wave of terror attacks.

”This war might be over but it might come up in the form of terrorism whereby nations which are not even involved in the Gulf war may become a target of terrorists, similar to the Sep 11 attacks on the United States. (Osama) Bin Laden is alive, the Iraqi dictator is at large and should the two team up, they can cause havoc around the world,” Craig said.

Lateef Adegbite, Secretary General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, described the victory by the U.S.-led coalition as ‘an inglorious victory’.

”In fact, the United States has won an inglorious victory because it was an unjust war. U.S. may rejoice, people who are oppressed in Iraq by the Saddam Hussein regime may rejoice, but it is a dark day for humanity. The whole world was opposed to the war, which was not sanctioned by the United Nations, so there is nothing to rejoice about,” Adegbite told IPS.

The U.S.-led war on Iraq, he said, has set a dangerous precedent. ”The United States has started a rule of force rather than the rule of law which may, I’m afraid, become the accepted norm, internationally,” he said.

Adigbite regrets that the United States is already threatening Iran and Syria. ”Before we know it, the United States would have seized the whole of Middle East,” he said.

Biola Lawal, a Muslim cleric and former war correspondent for the News Agency of Nigeria, said ”The United States is already so carried away by the victory in Iraq that they are already threatening Iran and Syria”.

”There is no doubt that Saddam Hussein is a dictator just like we had Sani Abacha in Nigeria. In any society there will be people who detest you or like you. As far as I’m concerned, the issue in Iraq is not Saddam but the sovereignty of a country. When Abacha died in Nigeria, people rejoiced but you still find those who were genuinely sad across the country. So the jubilation in Iraq will come from those opposed to his regime,” Lawal told IPS on Thursday.

He accused the United States of double standard when dealing with weapons of mass destruction. ”Israel is known to have the greatest number of such weapons and the United States has not deemed it fit to call them to order. Israel has disregarded all UN resolutions on Palestine and yet the United States pampers her. So America cannot be a good arbiter in the region,” said Lawal.

The bitterness against America would increase in the Middle East, he warned. ”In a war that has no purpose such as was fought in Iraq, those wounded and those who lost their relations, will definitely fight back one way or the other and this can lead to an increase in terrorist activities worldwide,” he added.

Lawal urged the United States to return to the ideals of the United Nations. ”The concept of the United Nations gave hope to people and we cannot go back to the dark days of animal kingdom where the most powerful can do and undo. The more I look at the attack on Iraq, the more I see problems for the future of the UN. This is a calamity for the community of nations, because it shows that any time the UN does things not pleasing to America, Washington will just say to hell with you. It is a bad omen for the UN,” said Lawal.

Nigeria, with a population of 120 million, is split 50/50 between Muslims and Christians.