[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 73 (Tuesday, June 9, 1998)]
[House]
[Page H4300]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                               ON NIGERIA

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, none of us should take comfort 
or have joy when someone loses their life. So I do not stand today on 
the floor of the House to celebrate the death of the despotic leader of 
Nigeria, Sani Abacha, for a human life has been lost.
  Immediately upon his death, however, a military major general was 
appointed. I do think it is important that we look upon this 
opportunity for all of us who believe in human rights and human dignity 
and the full promise of a country like Nigeria with 115 million 
citizens, the largest nation on the continent of Africa. I do believe 
this is a time that we stand up and ask for democratic free elections, 
the respect of human rights and human dignity, and the assessing of the 
needs of the people of Nigeria and their needs being the highest 
priority over the greed of despotic leaders.
  As I watch the news unfold, tragic that someone has lost their life, 
but it gives us an opportunity to speak up and stand up and be counted. 
Otherwise we all can turn our backs and our heads and we can say, well, 
there has been a nonviolent transition of government. Of course, it 
has. Military leaders selected another military leader.
  The question is, will there be free elections in Nigeria? Will there 
be the opportunity for the people of Nigeria to have jobs, for the oil-
rich Nigeria to translate some of those dollars into the education of 
their children, the health care, the opportunities for employment, or 
will business be as usual?
  I for one think it is important that Nigerians around the world, 
people of goodwill who want their country to be restored to its natural 
promise of leadership on the continent of Africa and in the world, the 
place where it has been in the past and the place where it has been in 
recent years, when it helped America in the Persian Gulf War, even 
Africa today looks to Nigeria to be a leader.
  How tragic it was that the President of the United States in his 
visit to the continent could not include on his list the largest 
African nation to be part of that historic journey because it had not 
accepted the principles, the basic tenets of human dignity and human 
respect.
  So Nigerians across the world, and particularly those in this great 
Nation, and to my good friends in Houston, Texas, it is time now for 
your voices to be raised and demand the transition that will transition 
the Nigerian Government into democracy, free elections into the fall. 
The major general who has now been despotically appointed by dictators 
themselves must commit himself to free elections. Our corporate friends 
who enjoy the largess of a country with respect to the businesses that 
are done there, their voices, too, must be raised.
  I do know that overall sanctions at the drop of a hat do not 
necessarily work, but I think it is now high time for Nigeria to 
unshackle itself from despotic leadership, punitive measures towards 
its constituency base, the mass killings of writers, poets, activists 
and adversaries of the government, and stand up and be counted for the 
democracy of which its promise can fulfill. Nigeria can be a leader on 
the African continent and in the world. We should be ashamed to allow 
the despotic leadership to continue.
  Those of us who care about the continent in Nigeria, someone who has 
studied, as myself, in Nigeria, traveled in Nigeria, appreciate and 
love the people of Nigeria, have strong constituents who are in fact 
citizens or past citizens of Nigeria, I would simply say that now is 
the time for all voices to be heard. No one's head should be turned. No 
one should say, I am afraid that my name can be counted because the 
despot in Nigeria may haul me over from the United States or they may 
harm my family. What kind of country is that?
  So it is so extremely important that we call upon this newly 
appointed new leader, self-appointed, if you will, not democratically 
elected, to bring about democracy to his people, freedom to his people, 
free elections to his people, human dignity to his people. And we in 
the United States of America must be in the front of the line demanding 
that kind of justice for the Nigerian people.
  My friends who are Nigerians in this country, your voices must be the 
loudest, and you must join us in ensuring that there is, yes, a good 
atmosphere for doing business, but good opportunity for living a better 
quality of life in a democratic society. Nigeria deserves nothing less. 
This country should call upon it to do what is right.

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