Opinion

That Bombing Of UN Building

Published

14 years ago

September 9, 2011

The United Nations Organization (UNO) is an international organization created in 1945 after the Second World War (1939-1945) to maintain world peace and security, as well as promote economic, social and cultural cooperation among nations. Its charter was signed by 50 nations, and there are now more than 180 members of the organization.

The UN has a General Assembly, comprising the members, states, which meets annually. Problems of world peace are discussed by members of the Security Council, which has five permanent members. The permanent members are China, Russia, Britain, France and the United States of America. The UN’s main judicial organ is the International Court of Justice (ICJ). It has a lot of specialized agencies that study the problems of the world and proffer solutions.

The agencies include Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), among others. The UN has branch offices in some countries of the world, including Nigeria. These branch offices promote world peace, economic progress and human development. It is, therefore, most shocking to note the devastation and loss of lives caused to the UN building in Abuja on Friday, August 26, 2011.

According to reports, the building came under massive bomb attack when a suicide bomber rammed into the building with his car, and killed not less than 23 persons, and injured, at least, 40 others. Security officers at the entrance, who tried to stop the suicide bomber, were all killed by the massive explosion. Corpses of those who died were taken to the mortuaries of the National Hospital and Garki Hospital, Abuja.

The suicide bomber reportedly drove the Honda salon car in which he carried out the attack at top speed with head light fully on. The impact of the explosion caused the ground floor, first floor and second floor of the United Nations building to cave in with several members of staff on second floor blown into pieces while parts of the building collapsed on one another. The body of the bomber was later recovered in three parts.

In fact, this is most inhuman, satanic and barbaric. It is chilling to think that some Nigerians can sit down and consider blowing up a building where people from all parts of the world are working for world peace, economic progress and human development. Decent, well-meaning Nigerians, and indeed, members of the world community are shocked to their marrow to witness and observe such an event occurring in Abuja, Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory.

This should be thoroughly condemned by all well-meaning people of this country and the world. We cannot lie down supine while criminals in our midst continue to cause havoc and devastation in the country. All those found guilty of this very satanic act should be rounded up and taught a lesson they will never forget for the rest of their lives. The lesson should also serve as a deterrent to others who may likely follow in their footsteps. Nigeria cannot be a haven for criminals and delinquent individuals.

However, in his reaction, the President, Dr Goodluck Jonathan utterly condemned the barbaric, senseless and cowardly assault on the international community. He stressed that the attack was most despicable assault on the United Nations objectives of global peace and security, and the sanctity of human life to which Nigeria wholly subscribes. The president extended his sincere condolences to the Secretary General of the United Nations, Mr Ban Ki-moon and members of the UN family who lost their loved ones in the heinous attack.

President Jonathan reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to combat the incursion of all forms of terrorism into Nigeria. He reassured Nigerians and the international community that his administration would spare no effort to bring the perpetrators to justice.

Also reacting to the suicide bombing, the UN Secretary General, Mr Ban Ki-moon described it as an “assault on those who devote their lives to helping others”. The United States President, Mr Barack Obama condemned the horrific and cowardly attack on the UN headquarters in Nigeria, and offered America’s condolences to the victims and their families. He said, the UN had been working in partnership with the people of Nigeria for more than five decades, adding that, an attack on Nigeria and international public servants demonstrated the bankruptcy of the ideology that led to the heinous action.

Meanwhile, the Islamic extremist group, Boko Haram, which claimed responsibility for the UN building bombing in Abuja said its men executed the attack through the wisdom of Allah, and with absolute precision. The spokesman of the group, who gave his name as Abu Darda said, the attack was carefully scripted and executed, stressing that they had said it several times that the UN was one of their prime targets.

It would be recalled that no fewer than 15 persons were killed and 44 others injured in a similar attack when a powerful bomb went off at a car park of the Nigeria Police Force Headquarters, Abuja. The event happened on Thursday, June 16, 2011. The police described the bomb blast as a suicide attack. Apart from the lives lost, 77 vehicles in the car park were destroyed.

It should be noted that the Police Headquarters is a minute’s drive from the gate of the Presidential Villa and three minutes’ drive from the National Assembly. Again, the Boko Haram claimed responsibility for that heinous suicide attack.

At this stage, I want to call on the Federal Government to sit up and face the Boko Haram group squarely before they become very dangerous for Nigeria and the international community. The Federal Government should stop handling this Islamic sect with kid gloves. Its members should be fished out wherever they may be, to face justice.

As we have already said, we cannot lie helpless while this terrorist group continues to kill and destroy wantonly. The Federal Government must secure the lives and properties of Nigerians and foreigners. No section of Nigeria can be more powerful than the Federal Government. The Federal Government must, therefore, rise to the challenges of general insecurity and the threat posed by Boko Haram. Nigerians deserve a more secured life.

Dr. Tolofari, a distinguished fellow, Institute of Corporate Administration of Nigeria, writes from Port Harcourt.

Mann Tolofari

Opinion

Trans-Kalabari Road: Work In Progress

Published

3 hours ago

January 12, 2026

The Tide

Quote:”This Dream project is one of the best things that have happened to the people and residents of Degema, Asari Toru and Akuku Toru Local Government Areas in recent times.”

This is the concluding part of this story featured in our last edition.

Good road network helps farmers to convey their agro-allied products to commercial hubs where buyers and sellers meet periodically to transact business. Road network engineers and motivates people resident in unfriendly geographical terrains, like riverine areas, to own property and shuttle home with ease. Some people will prefer living in their own houses in a more serene and nature-blessed communities to living in the city that is fraught with pollution, and other environmental, social and economic hazards. Prior to the cult epidemic that ravaged parts of Rivers State, the Emohuas, Elemes, Ogonis, and Etches were known for rural dwelling. Most public servants from these areas do their official and private transactions from their villages. For them it was comparatively easier to live in the village and engage in a diversified economic endeavours through farming, fishing or other lucrative business without outrageous charges and embarrassment associated with doing business in Port Harcourt, where land is as scarce as the traditional needle.

That is why the decision to construct the Trans-Kalabari Road by the administration of Dr. Peter Odili was one of the best decisions that administration took. When Dr. Odili vacated office as the Rivers State Governor, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi took over and awarded contracts for continuation of the road project which in my considered view is the felt need of the people of Degema, Asari Toru and Akuku Toru Local Government Areas. Unfortunately, Rt. Hon. Amaechi’s efforts to drive the project was sabotaged by some contractors some of whom are Kalabari people. The main Trans-Kalabari Road is one project that is dear to the people and residents of Degema, Asari Toru and Akuku Toru Local Government Areas of Rivers State. This is because through the road commuters can easily access several communities in the three local government areas. For instance, the road when completed will enable access to eight of the ten communities in Degema Local Government Area, namely: Bukuma, Tombia, Bakana, Oguruama, Obuama, Usokun, Degema town and the Degema Consulate. It will also link 15 of the 16 communities in Asari Toru Local Government Area. The communities are: Buguma, the local government headquarters, Ido, Abalama, Tema, Sama, Okpo, Ilelema, Ifoko, Tema, Sangama, Krakrama, Omekwe-Ama, Angulama. The road will also connect 14 of 17 wards in Akuku Toru Local Government Area, and other settlements. It is interesting to note that It is faster, and far more convenient and economical for the catchment Communities on the Trans-Kalabari Road network to go to the State Capital than the East West Road. The people of the three local government areas will prefer to work or do their transactions in Port Harcourt from their respective communities to staying in Port Harcourt where the house rent and the general cost of living is astronomically high.

Consequently, development will seamlessly spread to the 28 out of 34 communities of Degema, Asari Toru and Akuku Toru Local Government Areas. The only Communities that are not linked by the road project are Oporoama in Asari Toru, the Ke and Bille Communities in Degema Local Government Area and the “Oceania” communities of Abissa, Kula, Soku, Idama, Elem Sangama of Akuku Toru Local Government Area. But because of the economic value of the unlinked Communities to Nigeria, (they produce substantial oil and gas in the area), the Federal, State Governments and the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), can extend the road network to those areas just as Bonny is linked to Port Harcourt and the Lagos Mainland Bridge is connecting several towns in Lagos and neighbouring States.Kudos to previous administrations who had constructed the Central Group axis.

However, what is said to be the First Phase of the Trans-Kalabari Road project is actually a linkage of the “Central Group” Communities which consists of Krakrama, Angulama, Omekwe. Ama, Omekwe Tari Ama, Ifoko, Tema, Sangama. It is the peripheral of the Trans-Kalabari Road. The completion of the Main Trans Kalabari project will free Port Harcourt and Obio/Akpor areas from congestion. It will motivate residents and people of the three local areas to contribute to the development of their Communities. If the Ogonis, Etches, Emohuas, Oyigbos, Okrikas, Elemes can feel comfortable doing business in Port Harcourt from home, residents and people whose communities are linked to Port Harcourt through the Trans-Kalabari Road will no doubt, do likewise. The vast arable virgin land of the Bukuma people can be open for development and sustainable agricultural ventures by Local, State and Federal Government.

It is necessary to recall that the Bukuma community was host to the Federal Government’s Graduate Farmers’ Scheme and the Rivers State Government moribund School-to-Land Scheme under Governor Fidelis Oyakhilome. Bukuma was the only community in Degema, Asari Toru and Akuku Toru Local Government Areas that has the capacity to carry those agricultural programmes. However the lack of road to transport farm produce to Port Harcourt and facilitate the movement of the beneficiaries of the scheme who lived in the community which is several miles away from the farms, hampered the sustainability of the programme. The main Trans-Kalabari Road remains the best gift to the people of Degema, Asari Toru, and Akuku-Toru Local Government Areas. Kudos to Sir Siminilayi Fubara.

By: Igbiki Benibo

Opinion

That U.S. Capture of Maduro

Published

3 hours ago

January 12, 2026

The Tide

Quote:”Strategic convenience does not nullify sovereignty. Political frustration does not authorise military abduction.”

The first part of this story was published in our last edition.

In Africa and the Middle East, regime change—whether by invasion, proxy warfare, or sanctions—has often left behind fractured states, weakened institutions, and prolonged instability. Washington’s motivations in Venezuela are widely understood: vast oil reserves, alliances with U.S. rivals, and symbolic defiance of American influence in the Western Hemisphere. But none of these reasons confer legal or moral legitimacy. Strategic convenience does not nullify sovereignty. Political frustration does not authorise military abduction. If every powerful nation acted on its grievances in this manner, global chaos would inevitably follow. International law provides mechanisms for accountability. Under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC), individuals accused of crimes against humanity or other grave offences are subject to investigation and prosecution through judicial processes.

Likewise, extradition treaties, mutual legal assistance agreements, and Interpol mechanisms exist to ensure accountability while respecting due process. These frameworks were designed precisely to prevent unilateral enforcement of “justice” by military force. The most profound consequence of America’s action may not be in Caracas, but in the precedent it sets. If the world accepts that a superpower can unilaterally depose another country’s president, then the foundation of the international system is weakened. Sovereignty becomes conditional—no longer a right, but a privilege tolerated at the discretion of the powerful. Going forward, if another country invades its neighbour, will the United States retain the moral authority to impose sanctions or demand restraint? Some analysts already warn that parallels between Russia’s actions in Ukraine and America’s conduct in Venezuela risk further eroding global norms. Selective adherence to international law breeds cynicism and accelerates the drift toward a world governed by force rather than rules.

Power—military, economic, or political—should serve human progress and collective well-being, not domination and destruction. For African nations, many of which emerged from colonial rule through bitter struggle, this precedent is especially alarming. Sovereignty is not an abstract legal concept; it is a hard-won shield against external domination. Any erosion of that principle anywhere weakens it everywhere. Africa’s painful history of foreign interference makes this lesson especially urgent. For me, the real issue is not whether Nicolás Maduro is a good or bad leader. That judgment belongs, first and foremost, to the Venezuelan people. The larger issue is whether the international system still operates on law—or has quietly reverted to hierarchy. If America insists it is defending global order, it must ask itself a difficult question: can an order survive when its most powerful guardian feels entitled to violate it? Until that question is answered honestly, the capture of a foreign president will remain not a triumph of justice, but a troubling symbol of a world drifting from law toward force.

If the United States felt so strongly about the allegations of terrorism, drug trafficking against Maduro, were there no other lawful options? Judicial accountability, diplomacy, regional mediation, and multilateral pressure may be slow and imperfect, but they reflect respect for international law and sovereign equality. Military seizure is a blunt instrument. It humiliates institutions, radicalizes populations, and hardens resistance. It may remove a leader, but it rarely resolves the underlying crisis. History teaches that military interventions seldom result in stable democratic outcomes. More often, they breed resentment, resistance, and long-term instability. For the sake of global order and the rule of law, the United States should reconsider this path and recommit to diplomacy, legal cooperation, and respect for the sovereign equality of states. Former U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris reportedly described the invasion of Venezuela as “unlawful and unwise,” warning that such actions “do not make America safer, stronger, or more affordable.” Her words reflect a growing recognition, even within the United States, that force without legitimacy undermines both moral authority and global stability.

Should what happened in Venezuela serve as a wake-up call for corrupt African leaders who undermine the people’s right to choose their leaders? The answer is yes. The capture of Maduro should alarm African leaders who manipulate elections, weaken institutions, suppress opposition, undermine citizens’ rights, or cling to power at all costs. Venezuela faced widespread criticism over disputed elections and repression long before this episode, and that context shaped how the world reacted. This does not justify foreign military intervention, but it highlights an uncomfortable truth: prolonged democratic decay isolates nations and invites external pressure—from sanctions to diplomatic censure. Global opinion matters, and legitimacy at home strengthens sovereignty abroad. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and several African leaders have rightly condemned the events in Venezuela, invoking the principles of sovereignty and non-interference enshrined in international and regional law.

Beyond condemnation, however, African leaders must look inward. The continent’s future cannot be built on repression, constitutional manipulation, and personal greed. Leadership must reflect the will of the people, not desperation for power. Two days ago, a social commentator on a radio station argued that Trump’s action—though condemnable—demonstrates how far a leader can go for his country’s interest. According to this view, he did not intervene in Venezuela for personal enrichment, but to strengthen his nation. In stark contrast, many African leaders plunder their own countries. They siphon public resources, impose crushing taxes and harmful policies, and leave their citizens poorer—all for selfish gain. That contradiction is the deeper lesson Africa must confront.True sovereignty is protected not only by international law, but by accountable leadership at home.

By: Calista Ezeaku

Opinion

Kudos Gov Fubara

Published

1 week ago

January 2, 2026

The Tide

Please permit me to use this medium to appreciate our able governor, Siminalayi Fubara for the inauguration of the 14.2-kilometre Obodhi–Ozochi Road in Ahoada-East Local Government Area. This inauguration marks a significant milestone in the history of our communities and deserves commendation. We, the people of Ozochi, are particularly happy because this project has brought long-awaited relief after years of isolation and hardship.

The expression of our traditional ruler, His Royal Highness, Eze Prince Ike Ehie, JP, during the inauguration captured the joy of our people. He said, “our isolation is over.” That reflects the profound impact of this road on daily life, economic activities, and social integration of the people of Ozochi and other neighbouring communities. The road will no doubt ease transportation, improve access to markets and healthcare, and strengthen links between Ahoada, Omoku, and other parts of Rivers State.

The people of Ahoada, Omoku, and indeed Rivers State as a whole are grateful to our dear governor for this laudable achievement and wish him many more successful years in office. We pray that God endows him with more wisdom and strength to continue to pilot the affairs of the state for the benefit of all. As citizens, we should rally behind the governor and support his development agenda. Our politicians and stakeholders should embrace peace and cooperation, as no meaningful progress can be achieved in an atmosphere of conflict. Sustainable development in the state can only thrive where peace prevails.

Samuel Ebiye