Diaspora Nigerian scholars fault U.S report on corruption, insecurity

By Stanley Onyekwere

Some Nigerian scholars abroad, under the auspices of Association of Nigerian Scholars in Diaspora (ANDS), have faulted the recent report by the U.S Department of State on Corruption and Human Rights violation under the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government.
ANDS believes that the report was apparently aimed at legitimizing criminal activities of terrorists and extremists in Nigeria.
Recall that a report by the US Department of State entitled, “2018 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices,” accused the Nigerian government and the military of arbitrary and unlawful killings.
The association made this known in a communiqué issued at the end of a meeting to review the country reports on human rights practices for 2018.
President and Secretary General of the association, Prof Bitrus Gamwa and Pita Agbese, respectively who signed the communiqué on behalf of the Diaspora Nigeria scholars, out rightly rejected the report in its entirety.
They called on other professional bodies of Nigerian origin to do the same, while mandating the Federal Government to communicate the rejection of the report in writing to the United States through its embassy in Nigeria.
The communiqué reads: “The section of the report that pertained to Nigeria was filled with half-truths, misleading information and outright lies that are meant to subjugate Nigeria by way of bringing the country to heel in aligning with US geo-strategic interests even where they run contrary to Nigeria’s interests.
“It is most unfortunate that the US went ahead to publish the section meant to discredit Nigeria even when it is clearly does not meet the benchmark for a rigorous academic research to warrant being taken seriously by anyone anywhere in the world.
“The Association rejects the report in its entirety and invites other professional bodies of Nigerian origin to do the same, while mandating the Federal Government to communicate the rejection of the report in writing to the United States through its embassy in Nigeria.
“ The Association will withdraw recognition for any report to which the US government is connected or affiliated until it withdraws the questionable contents it has published against Nigeria.
“It urges all the government agencies that were maligned in the report to take advantage of the right of reply to set the records straight.
“ The Association urges the Federal Government to take all steps guaranteed under international conventions to demand that the United States correct the malicious lies being told against the country.”