(IPI/IFEX) – The following is an open letter to Nigeria’s new head of state, General Abdulsalam Abubakar, from the International Press Institute (IPI). In the letter, IPI calls for the release of Chief Moshood K.O. Abiola, presumed winner of the annulled 1993 presidential election and an IPI Board Member, as well as all other political […]
(IPI/IFEX) – The following is an open letter to Nigeria’s new head of state,
General
Abdulsalam Abubakar, from the International Press Institute (IPI). In the
letter, IPI calls for the release of Chief Moshood K.O. Abiola, presumed
winner of the annulled 1993 presidential election and an IPI Board Member,
as well as all other political prisoners in Nigeria.
General Abdulsalam Abubakar
Head of State & Commander-in-Chief
of the Armed Forces of Nigeria
Abuja
Nigeria
Vienna, 2 July 1998
Your Excellency,
The International Press Institute (IPI), the global network of editors and
media executives, welcomes your intention to facilitate “the process of
reconstruction, reconciliation and the conclusion of the transition period”
in Nigeria.
In this connection, we are encouraged by the recent release of political
prisoners, including former head of state Olusegun Obasanjo and Christine
Anyanwu, publisher and editor-in-chief of “The Sunday Magazine.”
Anyanwu was freed unconditionally on health grounds, but other journalists,
including Kunle Ajibade, George Mbah, and Ben-Charles Obi, who were
sentenced in 1995 to 15 years in jail for “concealing information” and
“involvement to vary degrees in the failed coup d’état”, remain imprisoned,
as does Chief Moshood K.O. Abiola, presumed winner of the annulled 1993
presidential election and – in his capacity as chairman and chief executive
of the Concord Press – a member of the IPI Executive Board.
The release of selected political prisoners is the first concrete indication
that you are prepared to break with the repressive policies of your
predecessor. By releasing Chief Abiola and all other political prisoners,
you would show that Nigeria respects world opinion, that you are sincere in
making a call for national reconciliation and that your
government is genuinely committed to establishing democracy in Nigeria.
Yours sincerely,
Johann P. Fritz
Director
