₦airaland Forum

helinues:
This new year, abeg make we no waste time arguing unnecessary with the wailers who might have vowed to whatever not to see the progress of Nigeria.

His Excellency policies and reforms are something visible, let's pepper them with those progressive and development news about Nigeria, something they detest to read or hear.

Under the leadership of his Excellency president Tinubu, Nigeria would witness the beginning of the new Nigeria they have been yarning for years

God bless Nigeria

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has urged President Bola Tinubu not to bother delivering a New Year address unless it provides immediate and concrete steps to reduce the price of fuel, address widespread hunger, and outline clear measures to guarantee the security of lives and property in the country.

In its message to welcome 2025, the main opposition party explained that this position stems from the fact that previous addresses by the president over the past 18 months have focused solely on “hopeless rhetoric, unsubstantiated statistics, false promises, conjured performance claims, and validation of flawed elections, without concrete mechanisms to address insecurity, resuscitate the economy, create jobs, ensure credible elections, and guarantee better living standards for Nigerians.”

The message, signed by Debo Ologunagba, the National Publicity Secretary, stated that President Tinubu must address issues of alleged unbridled corruption, deceit, budget padding, reckless and wasteful spending directed towards funding the luxurious lifestyles of APC leaders, insensitivity to citizens’ suffering, and a total disregard for the obligations of government, which have made life unbearable for Nigerians under his administration.


The PDP also challenged President Tinubu to use the address to account for the billions of naira officially reported to have accrued from the removal of the subsidy on petroleum products.

It added: “Furthermore, Mr. President should come clean on his public commitment to fight corruption by ordering an investigation and recovery of the over N25 trillion reportedly stolen by APC leaders and officials in government, who have turned government agencies into Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) to siphon funds for their benefit, while other Nigerians wallow in abject poverty, hunger, and starvation.


“Equally worrisome is the failure of the APC government to revisit and address the reported cases of alleged state-backed killings in various parts of the country, particularly the 2020 EndSARS killings and the inhuman denial of the massacre of promising Nigerian youths in that tragic and repulsive incident.

“The last 18 months have been the most excruciating period for Nigerians since the Civil War, with citizens now resorting to suicide and desperate attempts to migrate abroad due to the hopeless situation created by the anti-people policies of the suppressive, exploitative, and insensitive APC government, which continues to reject every appeal and suggestion for the review of such policies.

“More disheartening is that while Nigerians suffer from hunger and insecurity, APC leaders and government officials continue to flaunt their luxurious lifestyles in utter disdain for the plight of millions of impoverished citizens.”

The PDP cautioned the APC against carrying such attitudes into 2025, warning that doing so would further test the patience and sensibilities of Nigerians.

However, the party urged Nigerians not to lose hope in the nation but to remain law-abiding and approach 2025 with optimism for a new dawn. It encouraged citizens to defend the nation’s constitutional democracy, uphold the rule of law, and demand transparency and accountability in government while resisting suppression and pervasive violations by the APC.

“This, the PDP believes, is the surest step in the quest by our party and Nigerians to return our country to the path of stability and economic prosperity, which has eluded her since the calamitous emergence of the APC in 2015,” the PDP stated.

A new report by the Media Rights Agenda that documents a disturbing trend of violence and intimidation meted out to journalists by security agencies aptly demonstrates the consistent threat against press freedom in Nigeria. To counter this, Nigeria needs viable institutions that will uphold the tenets of democracy and enable media freedom.

According to the report titled, “Media Freedom Under Threat: The State of Media Freedom and Journalists’ Safety in Nigeria 2024,” which was released in late December, security agencies, including the police, military, and intelligence services, were responsible for 45 out of 69 attacks against journalists recorded between January 1 and October 31, 2024.

This represents 65 per cent of all attacks documented during this period. The report details various forms of attacks against journalists, including assault and battery, arbitrary arrests and detention, raids on homes and offices, threats to life, harassment, abductions, and kidnappings.

MRA’s programme officer, John Gbadamosi, noted that “the institutions tasked with upholding the rule of law and ensuring the safety and security of citizens, including journalists, have become the instruments of oppression against the media.” Undoubtedly, media freedom in Nigeria is in a precarious state.

Since 1999 when Nigeria transitioned from military rule to democracy, many journalists and media professionals have been subjected to all forms of violence for revealing inconvenient truths. They have been forced to go into exile, tortured, and assassinated by repressive “democratic” governments.

In 2024 alone, the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development’s Press Attack Tracker documented 23 cases of press freedom violations against journalists in Nigeria. For instance, on March 15, 2024, then Editor of FirstNews Newspaper, Segun Olatunji, was arrested by officers of the Defence Intelligence Agency.

He was forcibly taken from his Lagos home and held without communicating with his family or legal representation for two weeks. After sustained advocacy by civil society groups and media stakeholders, Olatunji was released in Abuja.

On May 1, another journalist from the Foundation for Investigative Journalism, Daniel Ojukwu, was abducted and held in custody for almost two weeks by the Intelligence Response Team of the Inspector-General of Police for an alleged violation of the 2015 Cybercrime Act.

In a similar twist of fate, on May 22, the publisher, and Editor-in-Chief of Global Upfront Newspapers, Madu Onuorah, was arrested by about 10 armed police officers at his home in Abuja and driven more than 200 miles away to a police station in Enugu State.

An international non-profit organisation, Reporters Without Borders, noted the alarming number of journalists who have been detained or abducted under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

The list includes journalists such as Kasarahchi Aniagolu from Whistler Newspaper, Achadu Gabriel from Daybreak Newspaper, Godwin Tsa from Sun Newspaper, Precious Eze, as well as Salihu Ayatullahi and Adisa-Jaji Azeez, the Editor-in-Chief and Managing Editor of Informant247, respectively.

A similar mode of media suppression and illegal incarceration targeted media professionals under the Muhammadu Buhari administration.

A report published by Global Rights in January revealed that 189 journalists were arrested during Buhari’s tenure (2015-2023). Some of them were Agba Jalingo, Omoyele Sowore, and Jones Abiri.

These consistent attacks on journalists are inexorably tied to the erosion of basic freedoms and pose a threat to the pillars of a free and democratic society. This should not be allowed to continue.


They do not reflect the words of Elif Safak: “Politicians and leaders who see the media as ‘the enemy within’ divide society into two clashing cultural camps. Populist demagogues benefit from binary oppositions.”

The country’s legal framework should be strengthened to protect journalistsand ensure that all attacks against journalists are thoroughly investigated and perpetrators prosecuted. Security operatives should be re-orientated to respect and uphold the laws of freedom of the press that undergird democracy.

Acekidc4:
The moment i saw the name of the Op of this Post, i knew it was total Rubbish. And Op is an ipob terrorist ooo who supports the killing of his People. Who takes all this fake propaganda from an ipob terrorist serious

Coldrux:
Bro. Abeg make God just bless u for me. I wish say I fit dash u something but God know say I no get now. I love you brov

Rivers State governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has presented Certificates of Recognition and Staff of Office to former Niger Delta militant leader, Alhaji Mujahid Dokubo-Asari, and three others as newly recognised traditional rulers in the state.

Dokubo-Asari was presented with a certificate and staff of office as the Amanyanabo of Torusarama Piri in Degema local government area of the state.

Others are HRM, Winston Odize Alamina Oputibeya XII, as the Amanyanabo of Koniju in Okrika local government area; HRM Eze Noble Friday Uwo as the Eze Igbu-Ehuda (Ahoada) IV in Ahoada-East local hovernment area and HRH Prince Ike Ehie as the Eze Igbu Orilukwoe in Ahoada-East local government area of the state.

Presenting the certificates and staff of office to the four new traditional rulers at Government House, Port Harcourt on Tuesday, Governor Fubara urged them not to see their new positions as tool for personal aggrandizement, rather they should see it as a call for service and responsibility to help government protect lives and property in their respective domains.

The governor said: “Let me first of all, on behalf of the government, congratulate the four of you. It has not been an easy journey to get to this point. I know a lot of you have been working very hard to ensure the success of this day. Your appointment in terms of this recognition is not for personal aggrandizement, but a call for service, a responsibility to help us protect lives and property in your domains.”

He stated that though government has the power to withdraw the recognition from any traditional ruler found wanting, Fubara quickly added that it was not his intention to exercise such authority, and warned them not to use the privileged positions to create problems in their domains, but join forces with government to ensure the success of the administration in it’s avowed commitment to deliver dividends of democracy to the people.


Fubara said, “I don’t want you to see this elevation as another platform to create problems in your locality. We have the power to still withdraw the recognition, but I don’t intend to do that. So, I want you to be partners with the government to ensure that we continue to succeed.

“I know that you are all men of integrity. Support the course of governance so that we can all succeed together. It is really a privileged position, and I am very sure that you are going to use it to the best of the interest of your people.”

In his opening remarks, the State’s Commissioner for Chieftaincy and Community Affairs, Engr. Charles Amadi, said the newly recognised traditional rulers include two royal majesties and two royal highnesses, and commended Fubara for adding into the number of Rivers State Council of Traditional Rulers.

LordBiden:
Make dss catch you first.

Free food in kuje prison dey hungry you ba?

Babangidapikin:
Continue degrading your own

Strictlygreen:
Bolekaja is still better than container economy

Alliswell248:
Oluwole like the one they got for Mmasoma, or what is her name.?
Remember, Obiano closed more than 450 miracle centres in 2014.

No miracle centre in SW

Elzazzi:
[/b]

A school that was established in 1974 but he graduated in 1970.

JagabanBorgu:
Are you talking about subsidy removal now or you are on the benefits of a functioning refinery?
Which one are you on about or you are just on politics?

Roboto11:
The success of these refineries is giving you nightmares .

yarimo:
Stand alone so that sycophant can milk him very well, Thank God Governor Abba refused to be fooled like FUBARA of rivers state, as it's now. The rivers state Governor has no party. Very unfortunate he allowed himself to be fooled by paper weight politicians in the state

phemray:
I guess a lot of aspirants will slow down not to waste Thier Money contesting against Tinubu in 2027. Going by the system of using excellent performance to secure his 2nd term as then governor with all the magomago of the then federal PDP, one can begin to see Tinubu in the race with no one to challenge him apart from the usual candidate from the 5% vote population. The north will finally calm down because they know how to play politics.

They said they will start direct allocation payment to LG account by next month. And u guess the state police matter will come on board as soon as Tax bill is settled. So tell me how a neutral person want to campaign that they will reverse all these policies and people will vote such a person? Especially to tell people at the grassroots that you will stop direct payment to LG account? We are waiting. Jagaban get legacy projects and policies. Twale!!!