Free Nigeria!!!

 

Free Nigeria Movement


Page Index
Who we are
Our Mission Statement
Our Aims and Objectives
Our Goals
Our Position
Whom we work with
Become a member of the FNM
Our Campaigns
Boycott Nigeria or we boycott you campaign
Selective Purchasing/Divestment Campaign
Fast for a Free Nigeria (October 1st, 1998)
International Isolation for Nigeria Campaign


The Free Nigeria Movement (FNM) is a grassroots based global organization which has as its aim and objective the full and total restoration of freedom to Nigeria and its people. In the areas of not only democracy, but also human and environmental rights.


Our Mission Statement

(Return to Index)

* The Free Nigeria Movement (FNM) is a grassroots based global mass movement working for the full and total restoration of freedom to Nigeria and its people.

 

* Our mission is to build a non-violent global grassroots based mass movement inspired by, and modeled after the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa, and the Free Burma Coalition(FBC).

President Moshood K.O. Abiola -Winner of the annulled June 12, 1993 Presidential Election. (Detained in solitary confinement since June 1994 by the Illegal Nigerian Military Junta). Duly-elected and legitimate President and Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces.

 

* Our movement stands unconditionally behind Chief M.K.O. Abiola, the individual widely believed to be the duly-elected President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and all the other elected representatives of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), and the National Republican Convention (NRC), whom the Nigerian people have elected as the sole legitimate leaders of Nigeria, but who have been denied the right to exercise their constitutionally enshrined responsibilities by the Nigerian military under the leadership of soldier Sanni Abacha (November 17th, 1993 - June 8th, 1998), and soldier Abdulsalam Abubakar (June 9th,1998 - Present)



Our Aims and Objectives

(Return to Index)

  •  
  • To restore democracy to Nigeria based on the structures enshrined in the 1989 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria; and to restore the electoral mandates held as of November 1st, 1993 by all the duly elected legislative and executive office holders in the 3rd Republic.

     

  • To terminate the history of institutionalized exploitation of Nigeria's natural resources, and the continued devastation of Nigeria's environment by any entity.

     

  • To promote and propagate the human rights of any oppressed segments of Nigerian Society

 


Our Goals

(Return to Index)


  1. To weaken the grip of the Nigerian military, headed by soldier Abdulsalam Abubakar by cutting the substantial flow of foreign currency provided by multinational corporations such as Shell Oil, Total, Agip, Texaco, Unipetrol, Motorola, Coca Cola, Elf, Schlumberger , Mobil and Julius Berger among others; and

     

  2. To strengthen the position of the democratic forces within Nigeria by building up an international movement calling for the end of totalitarian rule under the Nigerian Military, and restoration of democracy as enshrined in the 1989 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria .


Our Position

(Return to Index)

In accordance with the principle that profit is never justified if it comes at the cost of great human suffering, and even death,

Recognizing, the fact that at present, the Nigerian State is under a totalitarian military dictatorship, which continually denies its own citizens the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness

Affirming, our right as human beings to determine the moral character of those we do business with,

The Free Nigeria Movement calls for the immediate and complete voluntary withdrawal of all foreign businesses from Nigeria, till democracy is restored as enshrined in the 1989 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and the people through their sovereign representatives shall have the right to determine the course of their own destiny, in all areas of commerce, trade and industry.


Whom we work with

(Return to Index)

The FNM is composed of concerned individuals all over the world. It calls on all Nigerians, friends of Nigeria, and basically anyone with a conscience and sense of social responsibility to join us in ridding Nigeria once and for all from the scourge of military tyranny, human rights abuses and environmental degradation.


Become a member of the Free Nigeria Movement

(Return to Index)

* We are interested in putting out at least monthly , an update on the progress of the international Free Nigeria campaigns. However, due to the shortage of manpower at our end, we require a volunteer(s) who shall coordinate this effort. If you are interested, please get in touch with us. e-mail

Also, even presently, if you want the news of your group activities included in our updates, please notify us, and we shall ensure they are posted on this forum.

 

* We are trying to establish Free Nigeria campaigns at university campuses all over the globe. If you are interested in spearheading such an effort at your university, please get in touch with us, and we shall send you all the relevant materials you need to get started.

These include extensive video footage of the Nigerian situation, a "Free Nigeria" starter kit, and other relevant materials. e-mail

 

*We are looking for individuals who have expertise in HTML, to volunteer in making our WWW site more aesthetically appealing :-) As you are aware, at present, we are for the most part a text based site, we would however like to evolve into a site that also makes extensive use of graphics.

In the same vein, we are looking for a "Free Nigeria Movement" logo, if you think you can come up with something, let your imagination be your limit, just make sure you contact us with the final result ;-)e-mail

 

*We are also working on building a pre-university level Free Nigeria network. So if you come across an interested high school or grade school student, please get him or her in touch with us. We shall follow up by providing videotapes, a "Free Nigeria" starter kit, and so on.e-mail

 

*If you would like to subscribe to the Free Nigeria Movement Listserv, which provides regular updates on the situation in Nigeria,as well as an avenue for activists to discuss strategy and generally share ideas, please send a message to Maiser@Listserv.butler.edu with SUBSCRIBE FREENIGERIA as the only text in the body of the message.

 

* If you would like a speaker from the Free Nigeria Movement to address your organization/body/school/etc., please write to us and we shall get you the nearest speaker to your vicinity.e-mail

 

*While we encourage physical participation in the movement, we also greatly appreciate any moral and material contributions made to our cause.


Our Campaigns

(Return to Index)


Boycott Nigeria or We Boycott You Campaign

(Return to Index)

We believe that the only reason the illegal and unconstitutional military regime in Nigeria has been able to survive for as long as it has, is because of the support it enjoys from multi-national corporations who keep on pumping money into its treasury, and giving it prestige through their continued presence in the country.

Therefore in line with the above, and since most MNCs have refused to heed our call for total divestment from Nigeria, we are boycotting them till they divest.

At present, we have chosen three MNCs which not only have a very visible presence in Nigeria, but are also notorious for their "Business as usual approach". These MNCs continue to invest in Nigeria even though they are fully aware that they are doing business with a regime that neither has any legitimate claim to power, nor any respect for the life, property and well being of its citizens.

The three companies whose products and services we are aiming the boycott campaign at are:

Coca-Cola Company

 
Coke Boycott Page

 

Motorola Inc.

 

Royal Dutch / Shell Petroleum

Choose the boycott(s) which shall be most effective for you to engage in (e.g. if you don't use a pager/cell phone in the first place, and don't intend to use either one, you can't boycott Motorola can you ?;-), and not only boycott their products and services, but also call and write them to let them know why you are boycotting , also let them know that you shall continue to do so till they completely and totally pull out of Nigeria.

Don't let them deceive you with the age old excuse that they only have a franchise in Nigeria, or that they don't get involved in politics. For inasmuch as their presence is in Nigeria, they influence the political dynamics of the nation.

Community-based Free Nigeria groups are invited to initiate strategies on the boycotts that shall best work in their locality. If you are interested in working on this campaign, please get in touch with us for more information. e-mail

Furthermore, a lot of us use the products and/or services of at least one of the aforementioned corporations on a daily basis, not only that, but our universities and community organizations do so too. Therefore, we should ask them to do the following:

  1.  
  2. Sell their shares in the corporations listed above, and inform the corporation in question why such action was taken.

     

  3. Embargo the purchase of products and services from the aforementioned MNCs for use in the conduct of university and community organization business.

This boycott has been effective in the context of South Africa's anti-aparthied campaign, it has been effective in the context of Burma's present anti military campaign, and it shall be effective in the Nigerian context too.


Selective Purchasing / Divestment Campaign

(Return to Index) The city of Oakland, in the state of California is the first city in the USA to pass a selective purchasing/divestment ordinance against Nigeria. Since then, the towns of Amherst and Cambridge in the State of Massachusetts, and the cities of Berkeley and North Richmond in California have also passed similar ordinances. Alameda County in California has also passed a selective purchasing/divestment ordinance against the illegal Nigerian military dictatorship.

The selective purchasing/divestment legislation usually encompasses the following:

 
* Bans the city council/state government from procuring goods and services from companies that do business with the public or private sector in Nigeria.

 

* Forbids the investment of city/state funds in private companies doing business in or with Nigeria.

 

* Prohibits contracts for professional services by firms which do business in Nigeria.

 

* Requires the withdrawal of all monies from banks, financial institutions or investment firms that do business with the public and private sector in Nigeria.

Currently, There are a number of cities and states where similar campaigns are under way or the measure is pending. These include cities and states in the East Coast, West Coast, and Midwestern United States.

If you are interested in launching a selective purchasing/divestment ordinance campaign in your town, city or state, please get in touch with us (e-mail).


Fast for a Free Nigeria

(October 1st, 1998)

(Return to Index)

October 1st, 1960, is the date Nigeria got her flag independence from the United Kingdom of Great Britain, since then, Nigeria has only enjoyed 10 years of democratic rule, and 27 years of military tyranny. With the latter being the order of the day since 1983.

38 years later, to mark Nigeria's independence, we are planning a fast for a Free Nigeria beginning at 6am October 1st, and ending at 6pm of the same day. The purposes for this are:

 
* To get our communities and schools NOT to use the products and services of corporations that do business in Nigeria, most notably Shell Oil, Coca-Cola Enterprises and Motorola Inc.;

 

* To increase awareness about the genocidal situation in Nigeria under the soldier Abdulsalam Abubakar led Nigerian military regime; and

 

* To pressure the government of the democratic state we live in to impose immediate economic sanctions against Nigeria, as well as to support the expulsion of Nigeria from the United Nations, FIFA, the Commonwealth, and other world bodies it belongs to.

We shall make available to each participating school or community group a standard press packet. There should be room for local groups to tailor their concerns and demands as they deem fit while maintaining the common goal, which is stated above.

We want as many individuals, civic groups and even institutions to participate in this as possible

If you are recent graduate from high school, or University, it might pay off to contact old teachers and classmates to see if they would want to join our campaign for a Free Nigeria, and specifically participate Fast.

Obviously, there are those who are committed to a Free Nigeria , but cannot join us in the fast due of health reasons and other prevailing circumstances.

To them, we also say thanks, for we believe that not only shall they help publicize the fast, but on that day, they shall also be with us in spirit. This is a sacrifice in itself.

Want to help with the fast?? As usual, please contact us. e-mail.


International Isolation For Nigeria Campaign

(Return to Index)

 

We believe that the fact Nigeria still has a very visible presence on the global stage contributes significantly to the continued stay in power of the illegal military regime.

Therefore in line with the above, and since most International organizations have refused to suspend or expel Nigeria's membership voluntarily, we are taking the initiative in making them take that course of action.

At present we have chosen to focus on FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association), the international Football (Soccer) coordinating body.

We have chosen FIFA because it provides the avenue for one of Nigeria´s most important, in fact, Nigeria´s MOST important international exposure.

Due to the success of Nigeria´s football teams on the global level, the illegal Nigerian military regime has a very convenient source of propaganda to give itself recognition and legitimacy on both the global and local levels.

Therefore, if Nigeria is expelled from FIFA, the illegal military regime would lose one of its most important sources of propaganda.

To find out more about the FIFA campaign, and become involved in it, click below:

The Expel Nigeria from FIFA Page

Don´t be dissuaded by the excuse that sports have nothing to do with politics. South Africa´s expulsion from international sporting bodies during the apartheid era, helped bring an end to apartheid. Today South Africa is Free.


We would like to express our most sincere gratitude to the following:


  •  

  • Zarni- of the Free Burma Coalition (FBC): "When spiders Unite they Can (Indeed) tie down a lion" Nigeria and Burma shall indeed be Free in our life time. Keep the Faith.

     

  • Ken Saro-Wiwa, (the Ogoni 9): Your judicial murder by Sanni Abacha's machinery of state was not only a wake up call, it was also a reality check on things that have not yet even taken place. We shall ensure you did not die in vain.

     

  • 1,000,000+ casualties of the Nigerian civil-war: Injustice no matter how prolonged, always comes to an end. Freedom for all is not a dream, it is a reality that shall be achieved.

     

  • Martyrs for the cause of freedom worldwide: Your dream lives on, one day, it shall be a dream no more.



Please Note That This Page is Still Under Construction


Free Nigeria Movement

FNM Secretariat- General

+1(317)216-4590 (phone/fax)

PO Box 441395,

Indianapolis, IN 46244,

USA

 

Return to the Free Nigeria Movement Contents Page