Reuben Abati misleads himself in his Understanding of ECOWAS Protocol on Freedom of Movement

Ipemndoh dan Iyan

Protocol A/P 1/5/79 of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on Freedom of Movement of Citizens grants a general Right only© Ipemndoh dan Iyan

I never expected that I would be protecting the Interest of the Nigerian State that I could seemingly be in Defense of the Civilian Government of, Rtd Army Major General, President Muhammadu Buhari. I am not a Buhari Apologist. However, Dr Reuben Abati (PhD) with his co-Anchors and their Guests are always so afoul of the normal that I need to comment as I do. I am not sure if Abati believes himself when he said here in https://youtu.be/7JYLxuMw2SQ that “as Journalists … we would not take sides, we would be completely neutral ... as professionals.” All I see most of the Time when I watch this News Team is its Majority Members "tak[ing] sides" with anyone or anything against the Buhari Government with or without Merit. Ms Tundun Abiola strikes me many times as unbiased, driven only by her Convictions, even when I have not agreed with her Takes on Things. Dr Abati has recently on Occasion, but reluctantly tried to be impartial. I started to notice this after I had sent some of my Blogs to his Team severally, and collectively. 

When I first came across the 'Trending with Ojy' Broadcast Team it was Mr Rufai Oseni who caught my Attention until I realized his tunnel-vision View of Matters, quite teleological, and I became discomforted by his Perspectives, and his always referring to Occidental ('white') Writer this, Occidental Writer that. I just had to wonder whether the Man has ever cared to read any African1 Writer. Even Occidental Folks mention African Writers, and Visionaries, that is, educated Occidental Folks.  Interestingly on this Broadcast Oseni tried to restrain his usually partial Self, Kudos to him, and it was Abati who went errant. Abati should read some of my other Works to understand what not "tak[ing] sides'' means. I have criticized Donald J. Trump Sr when he was President of the United States of America (US/USA) as I have complimented him when I saw Reason in what he had said or done albeit the Man is an incorrigible Liar. I have done the same with Boris Johnson, the political Opportunist, before he became Prime Minister (PM) of the United Kingdom (UK), and as PM. I have also approached Muhammadu Buhari similarly, as Military Federal Commissioner of Petroleum and Natural Resources/Chair of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC),2 and when he began to contest for civilian Presidency, and eventually as President.  My Concern has never been about the Person, but about the Subject (Matter).

To say “as Journalists … we would not take sides, we would be completely neutral ... as professionals” Reuben Abati ordinarily places Journalism on a lofty Pedestal it does not deserve. Any Observer of Journalists would know they "take sides" on the whole. However, their Target Audiences either do not notice this or do not care because generally these Target Audiences are "Birds of the same Feathers" with the Journalists they follow and the News Media they are attracted to. Journalism is not a Profession, as such, with Codes which if breached would attract Opprobrium. It is a Career Path. A Profession comprises a Body of Practitioners who are certificated academically or vocationally to work in particularized Fields such as Accountancy, Engineering,  Finance, Insurance, Law, Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Political Science in the US, Psychology, et cetera, and the standard recognizable vocational Qualifications in the Trades, i.e., Brickwork, Carpentry, Plastering and so on. These Professions, and Vocations are accountable to disciplinary Censures which might actually cost them their Jobs.  Admittedly, Journalism can be partly professional for those who possess acknowledged Certification in it, but not those who strayed into it with extraneous Qualifications, Universities Degrees included. Remember my 1 Year Correspondence Diploma in Journalism that was no more than Waste of my Money and Time? Yeah, I learnt the Rudiments but hey, how useful was the Learning when Education Authorities, and Employers in Nigeria where I was living at the Time did not accept it as such? Some Journalists do not even have Education to speak of. Come to the UK and be a Witness.  

Abati challenges as bizarre the Republic of Benin’s Charge that Mr Sunday Adeyemo, aka Sunday Igboho, entered that Country “improperly” as to all Intents and Purposes, ECOWAS3 Protocol awards Adeyemo Benin Citizenship, de jure, as it does for all Citizens of the ECOWAS Community. “Freedom of movement” is what Abati calls it. Abati is very correct as to the Value of the Protocol for all Citizens of the ECOWAS Community. Abati seemed incognizant, however, of the Nuance of the Language the Beninoise used. They did not say, Adeyemo entered illegally. It would be apparently absurd - but not necessarily legally so - to lay such an Indictment, and Abati could be right or wrong depending on how Igboho entered the Republic of Benin and why he entered, but Abati has simply mistaken entered "improperly” for entered “unlawfully." The two Expressions do not mean the same thing, legally, philosophically or practically. It is clear that Abati, although he read Law, is either not familiar with ECOWAS Protocol A/P 1/5/79 on Freedom of Movement or does not understand the Text. No, no, no. Abati’s PhD is not in Law, and as far as I know, not in Governance Studies, i.e., Government, Politics, Public Administration, et cetera. Notwithstanding, I expect the ‘Poo-poo’ Reuben Abati made on this Broadcast to come from Bachelor’s Degree Holders, which is the Extent of the Education of most Nigerian Lawyers in Addition to their 1 Year Law School, but not from a PhD Holder whatever the Discipline. The Research Degree, MPhil/PhM or DPhil/PhD, trains the Mind not to opine unless the Opinion is based on Fact. That is 'no' to unsustainable Assumptions. You might assume when you present your Research Proposal, but along the Line your Assumptions would be educated. Certainly, mine was. I started with the Assumption that the US insisted on the “concurrent (Veto) votes” of the 5 Permanent Members of the United Nations Security Council when creating the United Nations only to find that the US did not give a Toss about having this Edge. It was the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) that desired this Advantage and insisted upon it. What I am saying in Effect is that Research Degrees restrains our Minds from opening our Yaps until we are damn sure of Facts. Our Minds are equipped not to give Opinions on what we know Zilch or almost-Zilch about. When a Research Degree Holder talks or writes, other Research Degree Holders get to know how they passed their Research Degrees in the Breadth of their Abilities to interpret Phenomena they come across – Acted, Spoken or Text – when they no longer have their Supervisors to hold their Hands (and who probably wrote their Theses for them incognito). Law Studies tell us there is no Room for Speculations, but in Practice and Common Conversations you find some Lawyers doing it. It is not just a Nigerian or African Thing. It is a World Thing. 

What does ECOWAS Protocol A/P 1/5/79 say?

Article 1: “A valid travel document” means a passport or any other valid travel document establishing the identity of the holder with his photograph, issued by or behalf of the Member State of which he is a citizen and on which endorsement by immigration and emigration authorities may be made. ...

Article 2 (1): The Community [ECOWAS] citizens have the right to enter, reside and establish in the territory of Member States.

Article 3 (1): Any citizen of the Community [ECOWAS] who wishes to enter the territory of any other Member State shall be required to possess valid travel document and international health certificate

Article 3 (2): A citizen of the Community [ECOWAS] visiting any Member State for a period not exceeding ninety (90) days shall enter the territory of that Member State through the official entry point free of visa requirements. ...

Article 4: Notwithstanding the provisions of Article 3 above, Member States shall reserve the right to refuse admission into their Territory … any [ECOWAS] Citizen who comes within the category of inadmissible immigrants under its laws.

Article 5: In order to facilitate the movement of persons transported in private or commercial vehicles the following provisions shall apply: - 1. Private Vehicles ... (i) Valid driving licence, (ii) Matriculation Certificate (Ownership Card) or log Book, (iii) Insurance Policy recognised by Member States, (iv) International customs carnet recognised within the Community [ECOWAS]. 2. Commercial Vehicles: - [similar Conditions as for “Private Vehicles”]

Article 6: Each Member State shall deposit at the Executive Secretariat specimen of travel documents defined in Article 1 in the present Protocol with a view of communicating them to all Member States.

Considering the Circumstances of Mr Sunday Adeyemo’s Flight to the Republic of Benin in the Wake of Nigerian Security Services’ Raid on his Home, and against the Background of the ECOWAS Protocol A/P 1/5/79 on Free Movement in the ECOWAS Community, it is "not rocket science" to understand how aka Sunday Igboho could have “improperly" entered Benin Republic, and forfeited ipso facto his general Right under the Protocol. There really should be a Mechanism in Nigeria’s Jurisprudence to sanction Lawyers who are not faithful to their primary Duty as Officers of the Court. I have heard some calling themselves “Human Rights” this or that, but are really Yoruba nationalist Demagogues hiding under the Masquerade of their legal Profession. Remember Rudy Giuliani? He was Lawyer to Donald J. Trump Sr, the 45th President of the US. Giuliani together with Trump Sr peddled Lies that the 2020 presidential Election was stolen from Trump Sr. I was calling Attention to Giuliani's Demagoguery and Incompetence long before he was barred from practicing Law.

Endnotes

1I deploy the Description 'African' to include all of recent African Origin, i.e., African per se, African-American, Asian-African, British-African, Latin-African, Oriental-African, et cetera. By 'recent African Origin' I earmark those of current African Appearance and associated Appearances from the Rest of the World's Populations (Races), as All of the World's Populations were originally African.

2I was Features Editor for the Daily Express when Dapo Daramola (Dap Dorman) was Chief Executive/Managing Editor and Daily Express and sibling Sunday Express were gasping for Breath on their last Legs. I did not get employed as dan Iyan or with my Father's preferred 'Daniyan' nor did I write under either Name. I was so upset with my Father around the Time that I invented a Surname for myself. I actually invented two Surnames. I still have the Court Document for One of them, some over 40 Years gone. 

2Economic Community of West African States. 

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29 July