CITIZEN RIGHTS AND BENEFITS FROM GOVERNMENT, WHAT ARE THEY?

Greatest rights and benefits a citizen of any country can get from the government of his country is protection from both internal and external invasions. This protection is what makes legitimate one's claim of being a citizen of a country. It is usually timely especially when and where there is fire on the mountain as was seen in Egypt and currently in Libya.

As political crisis sweeps across North African countries, most nations would swiftly react to the needs of their nationals by either fully securing them in their embassies and high commissions or airlifting them back to their countries home from the trouble spot. Whichever way, time is of much essence as delay in that respect is more than dangerous.

At the heat of the crisis in Egypt, President Goodluck Jonathan ordered the evacuation of about 1,069 of Nigerians after days of protests against the rule of Hosni Mubarak. Prior to the evacuation, many Nigerians were stranded at the Cairo Airport. Those airlifted included the elderly and infirm, as well as seven infants from the crisis where 300 people died since the crisis started.

It baffles one's imagination what the Federal Government is doing about the Libya issue when states like; United States, France and Egypt have evacuated their nationals because of the deteriorating crisis in Libya. It will be unfortunate if the Federal Government does nothing to evacuate Nigerians and they are trapped in the repression of protesters that is going on in Libya. This denial amounts to denial of citizen rights and benefits as a citizen.

In the case of Libya, the crisis is taking a different dimension as both parties are not only sticking to their guns, they are using all arsenals within their disposal to push the crisis into war situation with no one bulging. The way the crisis have degenerated makes it timely for the federal government to rise to the occasion of giving protection to Nigerian citizens stranded in Libya before it becomes late. Initially, communication to Libya was not going through for the past three days but yesterday, the coast seems cleared as contacts could be established to Libya.

The situation is more worrisome now considering the report that security forces in Libya have resorted to the use of air strikes to suppress the demonstrations against Colonel Muammar Gadhafi. With the crisis taking this dimension, no Nigerian resident in Libya ought to remain as anybody, whether a demonstrator or not, could be hit in air strikes. Even if they are not hit in the air strikes, Libyans have never been known to have good relationship with Nigerians. The opportunity of the crisis in Libya could be used by unscrupulous people to attack Nigerians. This is more reason why the federal government should act fast while peace means are being explored.

One of the Nigerians stranded in Libya, Mr. Michael Obodoechina, through a phone chat said that they protesters prepared well ahead of the crisis. He said that they bought and stockpiled foodstuffs knowing fully well that it would not be an easy jump. Unfortunately, none indigenes had no prior knowledge of the buildup let alone making adequate preparation for either escape or storing food.

According to Mr. Obodoechina, Gadhafi is talking tough and this is giving indication that the end to the crisis is far from being near. But whether the crisis is ending or not the rights and benefits of Nigerians there is that they should be airlifted safely back home and allow those handling the matter (African Union, United Nations) to come out with lasting solution.

This fire brigade approach to issues of urgent attention takes negative toll on Nigeria more so as other countries did not waste time to evacuate their nationals.

With thousands of protesters flooding the streets of Tripoli trying to maintain order in the face of pro-democracy demonstrations, huge swathes of the country to the east of the capital was said to have fallen to protesters, with Benghazi already declared a free city.

In the ensuing pandemonium, Nuhu Ribadu, presidential candidate of Action Congress of Nigeria (CAN) through his Campaign Organisation and Abike Dabiri-Erewa, chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Diaspora, variously called on the Federal Government to immediately evacuate Nigerians from the North African country. Federal Government should not let themselves be reminded of their cardinal obligation to the citizen.

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