BY EMEKA MAMAH
KADUNA-Textile workers in the country have expressed alarm over the warning issued by the American government to its citizens in Nigeria to avoid luxury hotels in Abuja, pointing out that there was a sinister motive for the warning.
In a statement by its Secretary General, Mr. Issa Aremu, in Kaduna, Wednesday, they said America was not showing enough sympathy to Nigeria as the world showed to her (America), during the September 11,2001 attack on the World Trade Centre in the country.
The workers argued that there was an attempt by USA to justify its false prediction in 2005 that Nigeria would disintergrate in 2015. The union said: ‘’The reported warning by the United States Mission in the country about impending attacks in three luxury hotels in Abuja , Transcorp Hilton, Nicon and Sheraton, ostensibly for its citizens is completely unhelpful, scary and unacceptable to all Nigerians.”
’’With series of bomb blasts on country’s independence celebration on October 1, 2010 and other series of bomb blasts in North eastern part of the country notably Maiduguri, the police headquarters, Abuja, UN Headquarters among others to a larger extent we are indeed under siege.
‘’Any further scare about Nigeria’s security challenge is one scare too unhelpful. What will be refreshingly new and healing for Nigerians (and particularly from the friends of Nigeria including America) are creative constructive suggestions and ideas on how to put an end to the security challenges.
‘’The America’s warning is certainly not refreshing to Nigerians; on the contrary, it complicates the security challenges for a country striving to cope with the challenges of development.
’’In an attempt to selfishly safeguard her own citizens, America’s scary statement creates unnecessary tension for 150 million citizens of Nigeria.
’’Given the record of America in destabilization projects of developing countries (from splitting of Sudan to the recent NATO-led bombing of Libya), the Federal Government must be on duty to protect her citizens.
‘’In 2005 a dubious intelligence report from Washington predicted the collapse of Nigerian project in 2015. We hope USA is not working to prove an acid test.
All countries in the world face one form of security challenge or the other including America. America enjoyed instant global sympathy and solidarity of the world after the criminal Sept. 11 2001 attack.
’’America should constructively extend same solidarity and sympathy to other countries under terror attack and this cannot be done through red-herring that demobilizes the nation and its 150 million people.
‘’Nigeria is 51 years old. The promise of independence is that the sovereignty and independence of the country must be respected. The meddlesomeness of America in the affairs of Nigeria is increasingly too open and brazen.
’’The solution is good governance and Nigeria’s leaders at all levels must be on duty to provide good governance. Nigeria was once a security/investment destination in the 70s and 80s. Certainly with development and good governance truly independent Nigeria can be re-invented.
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/11/textile-workers-decry-us-warning-to-citizens/