President of the Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN), Aminu Goronyo, has explained President Muhammadu Buhari efforts in the rice subsector.
He told Daily Trust on Monday that when this government took over, the country was achieving 1.5 to 2 metric ton per hectare, noting that today in the same place, the same farmer is getting between 5 to 8 metric tons per hectare.
“In 2015 precisely when the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme (APB) was launched on 17th November, what we cultivate per annum is between 2.5 to 3 million metric ton maximum, but today Nigeria is producing between 8 to 11 million metric tons so you can see that there are many achievements. I will continue to mention so many achievement that we have achieved from 2015 to date.
“Before 2015, everybody knew that rice was imported into the country, every 12 months, about N300 billion is being exported as forex to foreign countries for rice importation alone but from that time till date, Mr President has refused the issuance of that so-called forex, which we call exportation of employment and wealth creations to foreign countries,” Alhaji Aminu said.
The rice farmers national president stressed that about 80 to 90 percent of the rice we consume in Nigeria from 2015 is being grown locally, adding “so you can see there’s tremendous transformation”.
Flood is a blessing
Goronyo describes the recent flood that wreaked havoc on over 450,000 hectares of rice farms across the north as a blessing in disguise.
“First of all, we don’t call flood a “disaster” because there are so many blessings in the flooding. What we are even trying to do now is to maximize the advantage of the flood this year. Instead of having one cropping season in one dry season, we plan to have two circles of cropping season in one single dry season because of the flood. This is because there are areas that before now they couldn’t cultivate rice because water had not been reaching those kind of areas, but because of this flood, now we are even considering those areas that they can quickly key into the dry season programme. So, we can start in November to do the first circle of dry season around the flood areas and by latest February we harvest and then we also venture into the second cropping of the same dry season.
“The Central Bank of Nigeria Governor has mandated and directed us at RIFAN that we must achieve one million farmers with minimum of one million hectares in the dry season programme,” he said.
The RIFAN president described as “Fake News” the story of smuggled rice now flooding Lagos, pointing that no border is open for smuggled rice because many nations were struggling to feed their citizens because of the pandemic.’’
On next year’s target, he said: “Our plans for 2020/2021 season are already in the pipeline. God willing in 2020/2021 cropping season, we will be able to produce almost 16 million metric ton”.
SMUGGLERS are having a free ride along the Mile2/Seme Expressway, Lagos, transporting large quantities of imported rice, frozen poultry products, vegetable oil, fish and other banned imports into the country.
Vanguard Maritime Report gathered that as a result of the #EndSARS protest by Nigerian youths across the nation and the subsequent civil unrest, officers and men of the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, the Police, the Nigeria Immigration Service, NIS, and other security services have vacated the route.
Some persons of questionable characters and motives under the guise of the civil unrest, had attacked the security agents especially the Police.
A source told Vanguard Maritime Report that the crisis created room for free smuggling from Cotonou into the country violating government law on partial closure of the borders.
When Vanguard Maritime Report took a bus ride from Badagry to Agbara on Thursday and Friday last week, there was no single security personnel on the route.
Several buses were seen being loaded at Badagry for onward journey to other parts of the state.
A source also told Vanguard Maritime Report at Badagry that the situation was the same from Seme to Badagry.
The source said that people came as far as from Lekki, Ikorodu, Epe and even outside Lagos to take advantage of the absence of the security personnel to move large consignments of banned goods.
Meanwhile, protesters swamp on the Customs checkpoint at Agbara, looting smuggled items stored there before setting the offices ablaze.
The officers and men of the Service were said to have taken to their heels when they saw the protesters approaching.
An eyewitness said that the attack of the Customs checkpoint may not be unconnected with the seized items stored there.
The Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, has directed senior military personnel to declare their assets in compliance with the code of conduct for public officers.
He stated that personnel entrusted with leadership responsibility must understand the importance of assets declaration and code of conduct.
Declaring open, a two-day workshop on ‘Compliance with Assets Declaration and Code of Conduct for Officers and Soldiers,’ facilitated by Go-Getters Consulting Ltd., in Abuja on Tuesday, the COAS said the Nigerian Army would partner with the Code of Conduct Bureau to ensure public morality and accountability in the conduct of its activities.
Buratai noted that the workshop was important to the Army as it afforded the servicemen the opportunity to fulfil their obligations as public officers in line with the provision of the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).
He said, “The Nigerian Army under my leadership is desirous of maintaining the highest standard of accountability in the conduct of our activities, consistent with the requirements and behaviours of public officers which conform to the highest standard of probity, public morality, transparency and accountability.
“Accordingly, I have directed that the workshop be conducted in the six Army Divisions nationwide. My directive is premised on the belief that every Army personnel entrusted with leadership responsibility must understand the importance of Assets Declaration and Code of Conduct for public officers and comply with all the provisions and requirements.”
The Chairman, CCB, Isa Mohammed, noted that the challenges confronting the nation were the result of indiscipline in public life.
Mohammed, who was represented by Prof Samuel Ogundare, commended the Nigerian Army for organizing the workshop, which he said would afford the participants the opportunity to fully understand the workings of the Code of Conduct Bureau and the need for assets declaration.
In his welcome address, the Chief of Army Standards and Evaluation, Maj. Gen. H. Vintenaba, emphasised that the workshop would help military officers to understand the consequences of non-compliance with the provisions of the CCB on assets declaration.
He said, “This workshop is timely as it would offer officers and soldiers the opportunity to understand fully the requirements for code of conduct and assets declaration as well as consequences for non-compliance.”
The lawsuit instituted against All Progressives Congress chieftain, Bola Tinubu, and tax consultancy firm, Alpha Beta Consulting, by a former Managing Director of Alpha Beta, Dapo Apara, has suffered a setback due to the burning of the Lagos State High Court in Igbosere in the wake of the #EndSARS protests.
Apara’s lawyer, Mr. Tade Ipadeola, stated this during an interview with The PUNCH on Tuesday.
He said, “Everything in Igbosere High Court got burnt including the registrar’s copy of our application. In fact, the whole building was burnt to ashes. So, we will have to file again. The registry has been moved to Ikeja.
“We may have to file the case afresh at the Ikeja High Court but we have not yet been instructed to do so.”
Apara had sued the company, Tinubu and the current Managing Director of the firm, Akin Doherty.
In the writ of summons marked LD/7330GCMW/2020, Apara asked the respondents to appear within 42 days or judgment may be given in their absence.
Apara had in his statement of claim stated that Tinubu controlled the company which was receiving 10 per cent of the taxes collected on behalf of the state.
The former MD said as the head of the company, he began looking into its finances and he made many startling discoveries such as mysterious transfers of over N20bn to various companies.
He stated, “N550million payment to Ocean Trust Ltd vide payment instruction dated the 15/5/18 N850million payment to Ocean Trust Ltd vide payment instruction dated the 14/3/15.”
The claimant said N960 million was spent on purchasing HITV’s 300,000,000 shares.
Apara stated that Tinubu was furious that he was looking into the company’s finances and this led to his demotion and eventual exit.
However, Alpha Beta Tax consultancy firm, Alpha Beta LLP, denied allegations levelled against it by Apara, adding that he had diverted about $5m during his time as managing director by inflating a contract which was worth about $300,000 and then diverted a separate N6bn to personal use.
The firm said it had reported Apara’s alleged fraud to the appropriate authorities but he had refused to show up and rather remained in Dubai.
The firm said Apara’s allegations levelled against Tinubu were specious and diversionary.
Lagos State, which is the epicentre of the #EndSARS protests, witnessed wanton destruction following the shooting of unarmed protesters at the Lekki toll plaza by soldiers on October 20, 2020
On October 21, hoodlums took to the streets, burning over 10 police stations, two media houses, private business premises, courts and government facilities including the office of the Nigerian Ports Authority on Lagos Island.
Some Nigerians upon the recent discovery of undistributed relief materials have taken to carting them away, berating the governors for stealing items meant for the public.
Nigerian state governors under the aegis of the Nigeria Governors' Forum said the recent cache of palliatives discovered by citizens in warehouses across the country was kept in anticipation of a second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country.
Some Nigerians upon the recent discovery of undistributed relief materials have taken to carting them away, berating the governors for stealing items meant for the public.
Abdulrazaque Bello-Barkindo, the NGF’s Head, Media and Public Affairs, on behalf of the governors in a statement, said, “The NGF pleads with members of the public to desist from spreading rumours which further creates panic and stampede.
“For example, some of the properties stolen and vandalized, include palliatives set aside for vulnerable members of society.
“The NGF reemphasises and corrects the impression that palliatives found in warehouses that were broken into in Lagos and some other states were kept in storage for members of the society especially our vulnerable citizens.
“The erroneous impression in the public domain that these palliatives were hoarded is not just inaccurate, entirely erroneous and untrue but also mischievous, to say the least.
“For the avoidance of doubt, some of the palliatives had the CACOVID stamp embossed on them, meaning that their source is unambiguous.
“As we know, CACOVID operations are mainly domiciled in Lagos, being the headquarters of most of the public-spirited organisations, corporate bodies, and individuals that came together to form the Coalition Against COVID-19; CACOVID.
“Until mid-October, when the NGF had its last meeting, up to ten States had not participated in the flag-off ceremonies for the distribution of palliatives in their States. This was because the items meant for distribution in these states had not been completely received from CACOVID.
“Some other states that still had palliatives in their warehouses chose to keep a strategic reserve ahead of a projected second wave of COVID-19.
“Furthermore, as of a couple of weeks ago, some states were still receiving palliatives from the Federal Government through the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development.
“The NGF wishes to state categorically that no state has been involved in or has hoarded any palliatives.
“The NGF also assures all contributors to the palliatives that prior to the looting of these warehouses, states had kept full accounts of all the items received and distributed.
“NGF calls on members of the public to check their facts. While we all recognize the need for improved governance, we should be careful not to damage ourselves by pushing the wrong narrative.
“The state governors are doing their very best under the circumstances to ameliorate the needs of the teeming population.
“The Nigeria Governors’ Forum stands for justice, improved governance, and a progressive Nigeria.”
Deposit Money Banks (DMBs) in the country likely lost over a billion naira, last week, to the destruction of their facilities across the country by hoodlums hiding under the umbrella of the #End- SARS protests, findings by New Telegraph show.
The protests, which began on October 7 with calls to disband the Special Anti- Robbery Squad (SARS), an infamous Police unit that had long been accused of extortion, torture and extra-judicial killings, had been largely peaceful.
However, the situation changed dramatically, after armed soldiers, in a bid to dislodge a core group of the #EndSARS protesters at the Lekki Toll Gate in Nigeria’s financial hub, Lagos, opened fire, last Tuesday night at unarmed youths, killing and wounding a yet to be determined number and sparking a violent reaction from hoodlums, who seemed to have been waiting for the soldiers’ action as a signal to immediately unleash massive destruction on financial institutions and other businesses across the state, but especially around the Lekki Phase 1 axis.
Being an affluent area of Lagos, Lekki Phase I has well-appointed branches of almost all the major banks in Nigeria.
However, New Telegraph’s correspondent, who visited the locality last Wednesday, reported that virtually none of the lenders’ facilities was spared the destruction wrought by the hoodlums.
Apart from completely destroying all the machines in the lenders’ ATM galleries in their bid to steal cash, the thugs also attempted to set ablaze the branch of a Tier 1 lender in the vicinity. An authoritative industry source told New Telegraph that another Tier 1 lender lost 18 ATMs in the Lekki Phase I area alone to the vandals and about 50 nationwide.
The source said: “Even though the criminals may not have succeeded in stealing cash from all the ATMs they attacked, just by assessing only the destruction to the ATMs at Lekki alone, you can tell that the banks suffered significant losses as a result of this crisis.
“There are at least five or six ATMs in a gallery and the current price of an ATM cannot be less than N5 million. If one of the Tier I lenders is estimating it lost about 50 ATMs nationwide to the crisis, you can guess that the entire banking industry must have lost over 120 ATMs across the country in the last one week.
If you add the cost of damage to bank branches and other facilities, the losses will definitely exceed N1 billion.”
According to the source, another distressing aspect of the hoodlums’ rampage is that it would take the industry nothing less than six months to replace the damaged ATMs and get them working. The source explained: “It would take at least six months to replace the damaged ATMs.
This is because approvals have to be obtained first, before the orders to import the machines are placed. Then you have to wait for them to be shipped into the country, get them cleared at the ports, before you take delivery and then you start configuration of the ATMs and other processes.”
The source also warned that unless the situation in the country returns to normal in the next few days, ATMs may run dry in many cities and towns as banks are still wary of loading cash in their machines as the hoodlums still seem to be on the prowl. Indeed, in an email to its customers at the weekend, Zenith Bank said that it had closed its branches in Lagos and other states of the Federation where the State Governments had imposed 24-hour curfew, adding that its’ ATM and voice call services would also be temporarily unavailable during this period. New Telegraph’s correspondent reported long queues at the few ATMs that were still working in Lagos at the weekend.
Although, the Lagos State Government, last Friday, eased the 24-hour curfew which it had imposed on October 20, 2020, stating that movement of persons is now allowed from 6a.m. to 8p.m., analysts believe that with reports of lootthe ing spree still continuing across the nation as at yesterday, banks may not be in a hurry to resume normal services.
However, commenting on the impact of the crisis on banks in a chat with New Telegraph, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, BIC Consultancy Services, Dr. Boniface Chizea, said he expected lenders to quickly fix the damage to their facilities.
He said: “I expect banks to get some compensation from insurance companies; so the damage to their ATMs and other facilities is something they should quickly sort out. Also, many people have embraced electronic banking and no longer need to physically visit the banking hall for transactions.
But it was an unfortunate development when you consider that the hoodlums appear to have had a free rein vandalizing ATMs with little or no resistance from the security personnel.”
While millions of Nigerians have been wondering why hoodlums have been given a free reign to run riot over Lagos, Ilorin, Jos and many other cities without being checked by policemen, some senior serving officers have explained that most of them are reluctant to intervene following the widespread bashing from the same people they have been trying to protect in the past.
His revelation has shed light on the fact that despite the order of the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu for the deployment of Mobile Anti-riot units across the country – on the strength of the widespread destruction his order has largely been ignored.
However, clearly disturbed by the continued looting, Adamu yesterday gave fresh or- ders to the police hierarchy to reclaim the “public space’ and restore normalcy across the country.
However, one of the officers who will undoubtedly be one of those saddled with the responsibility of enforcing this latest directive and who spoke to Sunday Telegraph on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the matter, also said that the #EndSARS protest has introduced a new dimension to policing in Nigeria. He said: “It is clear that people do not like an average policeman.
The general condemnation is overwhelming and not encouraging. You attack his wife and children. Those who live outside the police facilities were traced to their houses and maimed.”
Explaining the main duty of the policeman and his role in the society, the officer said: “You are making peace for the people and not for yourself, you ask yourself what is at stake for you, when the people you are doing it for do not value your life. “It is total abandonment.
Your employer abandons you, the people you are supposed to be safe guarding abandons you when it matters most. “While everyone visits victims of the protests which turned violent, how many policemen who sustained injuries were visited?
“Policemen are the most vilified in the society, while we celebrate criminals who are now roaming the streets with guns. What have the police done to warrant such condemnation and revulsion?
“A mobile policeman was going to work he was hacked to death all due to hatred. It is only a madman that will fight for a man who does not value your life. Let everyone become a policeman and let them safeguard their community!”
Another source also explained that the IG’s admonition that the police officer should show restraint by not shooting indiscriminately further compounded things.
“The hoodlums were aware that they (police) had been instructed not to shoot anyhow and this emboldened them to do what they did.
“The honest truth is that considering the situation on ground it would have been hard for the policemen not to be trigger happy especially with threats to their lives.
“If the order hadn’t been given they would have shot which would have led to a lot of casualties so rather than be put in a situation where the person in question would have to start answering questions as to why he fired, they opted not to show up,” explained the source.
Kaduna residents residing in the Southern part of the Kaduna metropolis broke into a house allegedly owned by the Commissioner for Planning and Budget, Thomas Gyang, and carted away cartons of food items suspected to be Covid-19 palliatives.
Also, angry youths attempted to enter the famous Queen Amina College, Kaduna but they were resisted by the police.
The two attacks happened separately when women and youths attacked these two places in the afternoon.
One of the youths who carted away two mattresses at the top official’s residence, told Tribune Online that, “we were told that there is a warehouse here. So we mobilised and stormed the house.
“So on arrival, we discovered it was a very big store which had some many food items and mattresses.”
According to him, “people are hungry, there is poverty in the land and many of us have graduated and we have no work.”
He told Tribune Online that “Some of the items have palliative boldly written on them, which he said were meant to be shared to commoners. “Unfortunately, he decided to keep them in his house.”
More findings by Tribune Online indicated that Items looted included hundreds of bags of rice (5kg), cartons of spaghetti, macaroni, seasoning cubes, and so on.
Another eyewitness told Tribune Online that when the angry mob stormed the commissioner’s residence, the commissioner and members of his family had all run for safety.
As at the time of filing the report the commissioner could not be reached for confirmation.
A neighbour of the commissioner where Kaduna residents loot, who pleaded for anonymity remarked that news of the impending attack came to them before the mob stormed the building.
“I had to also evacuate my family before the attack,” he declared.
However, at the Queen Amina College, hundreds of residents wanted to gain entrance on the pretence that there is a warehouse. But a staff of the college who pleaded for anonymity remarked that what we have is a store.
Findings were that policemen who were drafted to the scene had a hectic time in containing the mob.
Meanwhile, Kaduna State government has imposed curfew in parts of Chikun and Kaduna South Local Government Areas of the state where Kaduna residents loot.
The was contained in a statement issued by the Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan on Saturday.
The statement maintained that “Kaduna State Government has declared 24-hour curfew in some communities in Kaduna South and Chikun Local Government areas, effective immediately.
“The areas are Barnawa, Kakuri, and Television in Kaduna South Local Government Area and Maraban Rido, Sabon Tasha, Narayi and Ungwan Romi of Chikun Local Government Area.
“Security agencies have been directed to arrest and prosecute any found violating the curfew and those responsible for the breakdown of law and order.
“Security agencies have further been directed to effect the arrest and prosecution of anyone found looting and destroying properties.
“Kaduna strongly condemns the concerted incitement being done on social media. The government appeals to all our communities to reject incitement and resist the attempt to create chaos and anarchy.”
Hoodlums on Sunday looted the house of a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, located near Jos University Teaching Hospital.
The PUNCH gathered that the hoodlums defied the ongoing curfew imposed by the state government to also invade other buildings in search of COVID-19 palliatives.
Dogara’s house was attacked about 9 am, an eyewitness told our correspondent.
Policemen and other security operatives enforcing the curfew shot to disperse the rampaging youths without success.
“They broke into the house of the former Speaker and attacked everyone, including Dogara’s brother, and (they) are currently moving anything they see. In the process, the invaders moved several items – tricycles, furniture, electronics, and other valuables – out of the house,” an eyewitness told The PUNCH.
Aisha Buhari Jets Out To Dubai For Delivery Of Daughter, Zahra, As Agitation Against Police Brutality Continues In Nigeria
This revelation is against widespread belief that Mrs Buhari was in Nigeria at the moment especially after she lent her voice to calls by young citizens for an end to police brutality earlier in the week.
Nigeria’s First Lady, Mrs Aisha Buhari, is currently in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, with her entourage ahead of the expected delivery of a baby by her daughter, Zahra.
This revelation is against widespread belief that Mrs Buhari was in Nigeria at the moment especially after she lent her voice to calls by young citizens for an end to police brutality earlier in the week.
On October 17, the First Lady posted a video on social media that had a photo of President Muhammadu Buhari in a meeting with service chiefs using the hashtag #AChechijamaa, meaning “rescue the people” in Hausa language.
The post had a song titled “Arewa na kuka” meaning “the North weeps” by Kannywood star, Adam Zango, playing at the background.
With that act from Mrs Buhari, many citizens had thought she was in Abuja, Nigeria’s seat of power, and in solidarity with the people.
But findings by SaharaReporters have revealed that the First Lady had been out of the country for several days now and is not likely to return until after her daughter is delivered of her baby.
Recall that in August, SaharaReporters revealed how Mrs Buhari flew out to Dubai under the guise of a health emergency in a jet belonging to billionaire Mohammed Indimi for the purpose of shopping for luxury items in preparation for the wedding of one of her daughters, Hanan.
The First Lady’s trip was packaged to look that way in order not to raise eyebrows for violating government’s restriction on international flights due to the Coronavirus outbreak at the time.
The Nigerian Government had on March 23, 2020 banned international commercial flights to curtail the spread of COVID-19 in the country.
But that protocol was broken to have the First Lady fulfill her wish.
Hanan’s marriage to Mohammed Turad, son of a former lawmaker, Alhaji Mahmud Sani Sha’aban, who represented Zaria in the House of Representatives from May 2003 to May 2007, took place on September 4, 2020, inside the Presidential Villa.
Zahra, who is, however, due for delivery any moment from now, is married to Ahmed, son of billionaire Indimi.
They tied the knot on December 16, 2016 in a lavish ceremony that had some of Nigeria’s most influential persons in attendance.
Nigerian Army Reduces Academic Requirement To Woo More Citizens Into Joining Military Unit
This is to allow more citizens join the army and make more soldiers available to execute the war against terrorism in the North-East region of the country, documents sighted by SaharaReporters have revealed.
The Nigerian Army has reduced the academic requirement needed to join the military unit.
This is to allow more citizens join the army and make more soldiers available to execute the war against terrorism in the North-East region of the country, documents sighted by SaharaReporters have revealed.
As part of the basic requirement for enlistment into the Nigerian Army, interested applicants must now possess “a minimum of four passes in not more than two sittings in WASSCE, GCE, NECO or NABTEB at O' Level including English Language”, the document said.
In the internal memo dated August 20 and signed by Lieutenant General L. O. Adeosun on behalf of the Chief of Army Staff, he lamented that soldiers were reluctant to dedicate themselves to the fight against insurgency and banditry in the country.
He said that soldiers preferred to take less risky jobs or further their education in order to avoid being enlisted into battle zones.
Adeosun therefore directed that the academic requirement for enlistment into the Nigerian Army be lowered to encourage more members of the public to join the army.
The memo reads, “It has however been observed that a sizeable number of enlisted men and women are reluctant to dedicate themselves to the ongoing Nigerian Army operations against insurgents and bandits.
“They prefer instead to pursue other less risky endeavours or further their education in view of possessing their requisite educational qualification to gain admission into tertiary institutions.
“This is all in a bid to avoid participating in Nigerian Army operations which ought to be a priority. This undesirable trend could be attributed to the emphasis placed on educational qualifications at the expense of passion and commitment to what a soldier stands for.
"Consequently, I am directed to convey that henceforth, the minimum educational qualification for enlistment into the Nigerian Army shall be the SSCE or its equivalent with minimum of passes including English Language.
“This review would ensure that more willing and committed young Nigerians are given the opportunity to serve in the Nigerian Army without laying emphasis on educational qualifications."
Last part the memo signed by Lieutenant General L. O. Adeosun
This reduction in academic qualification has now been put in place and effected by the Nigerian Army, according to checks by SaharaReporters.
Arsenal have sympathised with their fans in Nigeria over the crisis that followed the #EndSARS protests in the country.
The club tweeted on Saturday that it had seen “the footage” and could not imagine the pain.
Though the club did not state exactly which footage, hundreds of protesters were shot by soldiers in the country at the Lekki toll gate on Tuesday.
The footage of the soldiers firing live ammunition at the protesters has since gone viral and attracted condemnations globally.
While Amnesty International claimed that 10 persons allegedly died, an eyewitness, DJ Switch, said about 15 protesters died.
The club tweeted, “To our Nigerian fans. We see you. We hear you. We feel you. We have read our replies.
“We have seen the footage. We cannot imagine the pain. Our thoughts are with everyone in Nigeria
Stay strong. Stay safe.”
The tweet, however, attracted commendations from some Nigerians on Twitter.
@PrinxHD replying to @Arsenal said, “We’re currently healing from the October 20th event, this will go a long way to facilitate that. Please win tomorrow.”
@prettycachy added, “Thank you Arsenal for the moral support. The Nigerian government through the army (shot) innocent Nigerians who were singing the national anthem and waving the Flag of Nigeria at Lekki Toll Plaza on 20/10/20. We will never forget. #EndSARS”
The European Parliament has endorsed the candidacy of Nigeria’s Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala in her quest to lead the World Trade Organisation as Director-General.
The Parliament in a letter on Wednesday said it screened the two remaining candidates in the WTO DG race — Okonjo-Iweala and Yoo Myung-hee of South Korea — and was convinced that the Nigerian candidate has the ‘energy’ and is ‘well-equipped’ for the job.
In the letter signed by the Co-chairs of the Parliamentary Conference on the WTO Steering Group, Bernd Lange and Sven Simon, the EP said it was satisfied with Okonjo-Iweala’s level of requirements and skills.
It, therefore, urged the European Union to express support for the candidacy of the former World Bank director.
The letter titled, ‘EP Exchanges of Views with WTO Director-General candidates’, partly read, “On 19 October, the EP’s Steering Group of the Parliamentary Conference on the World Trade Organisation organised exchanges of views with the two remaining candidates for the role of Director-General of the WTO.
“On this occasion, both candidates gave us an extensive account of their plans for the future of the organisation and the approach they would choose in order to deal with the crises that are currently threatening the multilateral trading system.
“Both candidates are extremely experienced, well qualified and knowledgeable, and have their own clear visions for the WTO’s future and priorities, and the Director-General’s role in shaping it, as well concerning the important role for parliamentarians in that future.
“During the discussions, we appreciated, in particular, the vision that Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala presented for tackling the substantial challenges the organisation is facing.
“Her assessment of the existing problems of the organisation revealed a deep understanding of the fault lines dividing the WTO’s membership.
“The points she set out for her first steps after being appointed to the position reveal a clear-eyed agenda, tackling head-on key topics such as special and differential treatment, industrial subsidies and dispute settlement reform while recognising the need for positive momentum through the conclusion of agreements on issues such as fisheries, e-commerce, and health.
“We also appreciated the energy with which she is likely to approach her new role. It appears to us that her personal approach is what is needed now to resolve the key questions at the organisation.
“Dr Okonjo-Iweala appears to be well-equipped for being the fair broker who could bring key players together and help them find the compromises that will be needed to resolve the WTO‘s complex set of challenges and the deep disagreements between its members.
“We, therefore, very much hope that the EU will be able to support Dr Okonjo-Iweala’s candidacy during the last round,” the parliament noted.
The PUNCH had earlier reported that 79 out of the 164 states that comprise the WTO endorsed Nigeria’s first female finance and foreign minister for the job.
The global trade body is set to be led by a woman for the first time whichever of the two candidates is successful in their bid to follow Roberto Azevedo, who stepped down as WTO director-general in August a year ahead of schedule.
Okonjo-Iweala, 66, who has a 25-year career behind her as a development economist at the World Bank, said it would be good if WTO could also boast its first African leader.
The initial pool of eight candidates for the WTO’s top post, which has been whittled down over two rounds of consultations, had included three Africans, and the AU had until now refrained from offering an official endorsement.
The third and final round of consultations seeking to establish consensus around one candidate is due to begin next week and end on October 27, with the announcement due in early November.
Lagos Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has stated he hasn’t been able to speak with President Muhammadu Buhari since the shooting of protesters in Lekki on Tuesday night.
He said he made two attempts which were not successful to speak directly with the President over the incident.
According to him, the first time he called, the President was not in the office while he was said to be at the Federal Executive Council meeting the second time he called.
Many public facilities and businesses have been looted and razed since the shooting of #ENDSARS protesters by suspected security agents.
Speaking during an interview on Arise Television on Thursday morning, Sanwo-Olu said: “I made phone calls to the President. I made calls twice yesterday (Wednesday). The first time, he hadn’t come to the office and the second time, he was at the FEC meeting.
“So, indeed, I have not spoken to him directly. I actually did call to speak with him. But like I said, he was at the FEC meeting and probably had his briefings.
“He was the one that asked the Chief of Defence Staff to call me and I think it was when he got my message.
“He (CDS) said to me, that it was the President that asked him to call. I don’t have a report to say. We haven’t spoken.”
Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State has joined his colleagues in other states, as he declared a 48-hour curfew across the state.
The curfew would begin 6pm today, according to the governor who addressed Government House reporters on Thursday morning.
Apart from the curfew, the presentation of the 2021 budget estimates by Okowa to the House of Assembly, earlier for today has been postponed.
The decision to declare the curfew, our correspondent learnt, followed Wednesday’s night violence that erupted at Koka area of Benin-Asaba-Onitsha expressway.
Hoodlums had allegedly hijacked the #EndSARS protest to unleash mayhem in the busy area by razing the operational office of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and the multi-million naira beautification garden of the state government. Although an unidentified army officer was said to have also been burnt alive, our correspondent could not however confirmed it from official sources.
As at the time of filing this report, major roads in the metropolis were already by barricaded by protesters, while businesses that forcefully closed shop on Wednesday afternoon were yet to re-open.
Declaring the curfew, Okowa ordered the closure of all public and private primary and secondary schools till November 2, 2020.
It would be recalled that schools had resumed academic activities for first in the 2020/2021 session on October 12 after the COVID-19 induced holiday of over six months.
The scarcity of petroleum products is imminent in Nigeria as some depots have stopped loading-trucks, The Nation learnt on Wednesday.
The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN ) National Vice President, Alhaji Abubakar Maigandi, disclosed this to our Abuja correspondent on phone.
He added that the #EndSARS protests and the resultant crises have stopped the marketers from transiting their loaded trucks.
According to him, since petroleum products are highly inflammable, the drivers decided to park their trucks in safe places nationwide.
He explained that since consumers buy fuel on daily basis and there is no replacement, there is bound to be a scarcity of petroleum products.
Maigandi further said the marketers do not hoard products so there will be no reservoirs to turn to upon the exhaustion of available stock.
Asked whether there is any fear of scarcity, he said “definitely, because some of the depots are not loading due of insecurity.
“The ones that have already loaded parked their trucks in the yards so that protesters will not set them on fire. There is no way you can have sufficient fuels in the filling stations because we don’t do hoarding.”
The IPMAN National Vice President urged the protesters to dialogue with the Federal Government for the amicable resolution of the crises.
He asked them to embrace the olive branch because of the economic losses that emanate from the crisis.
His words: “The EndSARS issue is a Nigerian issue so the protesters and government should dialogue over it for a lasting solution. Nigerians (both government and the governed need to have attitudinal change. So, it is better to dialogue. “
The #EndSARS demonstrations playing out on the streets in state capitals up and down the country in the last two weeks can be described as the most significant civil action mounted by the youth in this country since the return to civil rule in 1999. It is the equivalent of the “o to gee” movement that toppled the Saraki political dynasty in Kwara State in 2019. The state had hitherto been an impenetrable fortress for the opposition, but the All Progressives Congress had other ideas.
The party mounted a spirited campaign to wrest power from the Saraki stranglehold, and it succeeded with the revolutionary swansong of “o to gee” (enough is enough). The same can-do spirit has now been deployed at a much wider (national) level to dispense with the most potent symbol of oppression and mayhem on Nigerian streets and neighbourhood: the disgraced, and disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad. This is a special unit in the Nigeria Police, which had been entrusted with an awesome array of lethal weapons ostensibly to curb crime, but which in recent years had been turned on innocent citizens with reckless abandon.
The personnel in the squad had been thought to be untouchable; they appeared at random on street corners, neighbourhoods and the highways, then, turned the environment into a war zone in a blink of an eye.
They felt so invincible that they would not even bother putting on their police uniform while on duty. Stomping the ground with arms akimbo, they were the latter day brigands protected by the long arm of the law. So, good riddance!
Be that as it may, however, that a nationwide protests of such magnitude would have captivated the cities with so much rage and anger, and the Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, would keep his counsel even up till now, is nothing short of mind-boggling.
It is scandalous, in fact. What kind of political leader are you, minister? Are you the person Soyinka referenced in his classic: ‘The man dies in him that keeps silent in the face of tyranny’? Do you not feel burdened by what has been going on? Are you totally ensconced in your Abuja bubble that you are no longer able to hear the children crying? Yes, the Vice President has issued a tepid ‘apology’ above your head, but there is still a legitimate expectation on you to answer the call of duty.
Police officers have also been seen on television screens trying to placate the public, and changing the label of the institutionalised symbol of oppression from SARS to SWAT. But, they are the same people responsible for the unbridled lawlessness in the first place. Besides, this is not just a police problem; it is a systemic rot in the law enforcement regime that needs rationalisation from political leaders. This is where a diligent minister earns his stripes.
It is difficult to accuse Aregbesola of cowardice given his antecedents; Lagos Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure (1999-2007); governor of Osun State (2010-2018), but patience with his lackadaisical attitude on this occasion is wearing thin.
It is noteworthy that the Nigerian Army has predictably stepped into the vacuum Aregbesola created by issuing a thinly veiled threat on the “subversive elements and troublemakers”. According to a social media posting on Thursday, October 15, 2020, by the army acting Director of Public Relations, Colonel Sagir Musa; “The Nigerian Army hereby warns all subversive elements and troublemakers to desist from such acts as it remains highly committed to defend the country and her democracy at all cost”, and offering to “…deal with any situation decisively”. Just wondering, did they obtain ministerial clearance for that release, as they should have?
You can see the irony in the statement. The army vowing to defend “democracy at all cost”. What democracy? Democratisation of violence, perhaps? The biggest defenders of democracy at play here are the gallant youths protesting wanton violence by men and women in uniform, including the army. People are protesting against violence and troublemakers in the ranks of the police, then, the army steps in, promising to visit even more violence on the protesters, who have been largely peaceful. Had there been ministerial leadership, there would not have been room for posturing by the army.
The military wants the last word on this, but it has absolutely no role in civil protests; none whatsoever. Not only that, in a genuine democracy, which they now profess to defend “at all cost”, the military has limited visibility in civil life besides protecting the territorial borders. Is this too difficult for the Nigerian army to accept? It is not the business of the military to determine the characters of the protesters. We have the regular police as well as intelligence officers to take care of that.
What this lays bare, once again, is the continued militarisation of Nigeria’s democratic space. If it was not so obvious before, it is now clear that this country is jointly run by civilian as well as military authorities. One is elected, the other self-appointed. Uniformed personnel continue to hog the headlines on Nigeria’s internal affairs while ministers stand idly by.
Ministers have turned spectators in this tragic political sitcom, instead of setting the tone for dialogue, and laying out the parameters for democratic accountability. In advanced democracies (to which, one hopes, we aspire), it is a rarity to turn on the television set and see a phalanx of uniformed officers lecturing the public on how to behave, and how they will face the wrath of the law, etc.
This is the domain reserved for political leaders. If there is a major altercation between, say, protesting citizens and uniformed officers, it is the political leaders that step forward to own the situation. Democratic leaders lay down the law for armed officers, not the other way around. The armed forces (the police and all) must be brought under civilian authority or, we lose all pretensions to democracy. Civil authorities, not police, should have been the first to announce the disbandment of the hated SARS to demonstrate grip. It is not the job of the police to set up reform of their own organisation’s shortcomings. That is a job for civilian authorities (albeit) with input from the force.
Having said all that, and in the final analysis, what can one recommend that has not been recommended before? Introduce an entrenched system of community policing? It has been suggested a gazillion times and rebuffed. Institute ‘Oputa-style’ commission of enquiry into all aspects of policing and make recommendations? That too, has been done to a lesser degree, but still to no avail. In this column’s view, the policing imbroglio speaks to a deeper crisis of governance in this country. We have an unrepresentative democracy, where 75% of the national budget is frittered away on revenue, and where a handful of privileged elites hold down the rest in a bone-crushing arm lock.
Very often, the police are let loose on the community hopelessly underpaid, demoralised, dehumanised, and hungry. They are then handed fully loaded guns to go and keep the peace. What do you expect would happen at the slightest provocation from a defenceless public? Compared that to the average, (barely literate) legislator whose take home pay in a single year exceeds anything a police officer (of any rank) could ever earn throughout a 35-year career. It is easy to vilify the police in the heat of the moment but, paradoxically, they are both perpetrators AND victims of the systemic rot threatening to eviscerate all in a sea of violence. Remember the enduring aphorism: as long as there is only one bone for three dogs, there can never be peace in the kernel.
A chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress Chieftain, Otunba Olusegun Agbalajobi has charged Nigerians youths to rise against humongous salaries being paid to political office leaders at the expense of the poor masses .
Agbalajobi , former governorship aspirant, in a statement titled: ‘Governors, Senators’ Humongous Salaries Killing Nigerians’, lamented that Nigeria’s politicians are being overpaid at the detriment of the masses are wallowing in abject poverty.
He said that governors and member of the National Assembly earn more than their contemporaries in other parts of the world, including advanced nations where per capita income is much higher than that of Nigeria.
The politician, therefore called for a drastic reduction in the cost of governance to fight the hydra-headed problems unemployment, poverty and infrastructural deficit.
Agbalajobi said Nigeria can reduce its spending by cutting down the prodigious salaries of the governors, members of the National Assembly and political appointees.
The APC chieftain stressed the need for urgent steps to be taken to reduce the cost of governance, saying the Nigeria does not has the money to sustain the kind of over-bloated government it runs.
He, however, called on the unemployed youths to wage war against politicians, demand that they cut their salaries and channel the excess to create jobs and develop infrastructures.
Agbalajobi decried that the prodigious salaries and allowances budgeted for political office holders was taking its toll on the nation’s economy, saying it was one of the potent reasons Nigeria growth had remain retarded.
Agbalajobi noted that humongous fund is being spent on recurrent expenditure as against capital projects which are needed to stimulate the economies and fasttrack sustainable socio-economic growth and development.
“It’s sad that Nigeria is still revolving the vicious cycle of underdevelopment despite 60 years of independence. The situation is self-inflicted because we are chewing more than what we can bite.
“Our problem is centered on leadership and systemic failure.Most of our political leaders are selfish in their approach to governance. They only care about their pockets rather than the welfare of the citizens.
“It’s an act of illogicality that the salary of our political office holder are far more than what their contemporaries in other parts of the world, even in first world nations where per capital income is much higher than that of Nigeria.
“Unless we change the ugly trend where our lawmakers budgeted more money for recurrent expenditure as against capital projects, Nigeria will continue to merry go round the vicious cycle of underdevelopment”, he said.
He called on the Federal Government to muster the political will to cut down the renumeration of the politicians, saying the excess if put in proper use could give hundreds of thousands of unemployed Nigerian youths useful employment.
Treasure Nduka, one of the #EndSARS protesters arrested in Lagos, says she was beaten by more than 10 police officers and forced to take off her bra in their presence.
Speaking with TheCable, she said the police officers at the Ojuelegba station where she was arrested and detained, shot at protesters and labelled her a criminal.
As the #EndSARS protests spread across the country, there have been reports of security operatives clamping down on youths expressing their displeasure over the growing rate of police brutality in the country.
“At first, it was empowering seeing that a couple of youths were able to make that much impact and at a point, those that were stuck in traffic joined us in the protest. They came down to sympathise with us. It was really peaceful at the beginning. We didn’t know it was going to the extent of police shooting at us,” Nduka said.
“When the shooting started, I refused to believe that they were shooting. It sounded like a knockout. We heard the first one from afar and we saw people running, but I insisted that we should take our stand. I was not doing anything wrong, so I didn’t feel the need to run. All of a sudden, I saw a bunch of policemen come out and then I realised that this is actually for real.
“I did not know who to reach out. The only people who were aware were brothers who had told me not to come out. I saw a policeman running towards me. He dragged me and I was calling out for people to do something. A bunch of other policemen assisted him in dragging me. I was helpless. It was me against 10 0f them. They kept hitting me. I only tried to cover my face so that I don’t get hit on the face. I could not place an identity on any of them because it was all of them present at that point.
“They said I should pull off my bra. Then, I took off my bra. Everything they did was so unconstitutional.”
Nduka and her colleagues were released after the intervention of Femi Gbajabiamila, speaker of the house of representatives.
Primero Transport Services Ltd., operator of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) in Lagos State, has announced a suspension of its operations on Ikorodu and TBS routes due to the EndSARS protests.
The firm’s Head of Corporate Communications, Mr. Mutiu Yekeen, made the announcement in a statement on Saturday in Lagos.
“Following the ongoing protests in Lagos State and other parts of the country, Primero Transport Services Limited has suspended operations on the Ikorodu to TBS corridor for this weekend- Saturday, Oct. 17 and Sunday 18.
“The protest which has impacted the operations of the company in the last week is on a three-day marathon stage this weekend.
“We will continue to monitor the situation and start operations as soon as the road is clear.
“We call on our esteemed commuters to bear with us during this period,” Yekeen said.
He said that the firm’s priority to convey commuters safely to their destinations every day, providing fast, affordable and convenient services to residents had been hindered by the protests.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the #ENDSARS protests over police brutality have continued to impact negatively on traffic as protesters hinder vehicular movements in major parts of the state.
Recall that the Lagos Bus Service Ltd. (LBSL), operator of Marcopolo high-capacity buses, also suspended operations on Thursday afternoon over a fear of attacks on buses, passengers, and staff members by the protesters.
The LBSL, however, resumed operations on Friday at 8:00 a.m.
Scepticism has greeted the assurance of the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr. Mohammed Adamu, that former operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) and those expected to be deployed to the new Special Weapons and Tactics Team (SWAT) would be compelled to undergo psychological examinations which is expected to cost N750 million.
A breakdown of the amount reveal that 30,000 policemen are expected to go through the examination tbe conducted on each policeman costing N25,000 in order to be justified as professionals in their dealings.
It was gathered from a Police source that: “Policemen, who will be drafted into the SWAT Team, are also expected to go through the same test. These policemen are close to 30,000 and the money involved in achieving what Adamu has tabled is enormous.” One of them said: “They said we should all report to Force Headquarters, Abuja, for psychological tests. We were made to understand that the cost of the test, for each policeman is N25, 000.
We don’t know who is expected to foot the bill. “All SARS personnel, Anti-kidnapping and Anticultism units and the new SWAT are all expected to take this test. “We’re expected to go to Abuja from different states of the federation, but no money has been made available and nobody is talking about where we will sleep. They take policemen to Abuja and just subject them to sufferings.”
However, the pronouncement that policemen attached to SARS units would be made to undergo psychological examination, was one of the moves hurriedly presented to Nigerians by Adamu as the #EndSARS protests gathered momentum, roller-coasting into other states in Nigeria.
The #EndSARS protest, which started on October 7, is against police brutality, extortion, extra judicial killings, harassment and other human rights violation issues meted out by the police against civilians.
The protesters, while calling for disbandment of SARS, also demanded for reformation. The protesters, however, said they didn’t believe the IGP was sincere in his promise to carry out reformation of the police.
They questioned his hasty creation of SWAT, seeing it as another unit, which would be peopled by former SARS personnel. Ironically, it is not only the protesters that are expressing doubt over the moves of the IGP to do his best. Some SARS Operatives are also expressing doubt, asking how the government was going to cough up millions of naira needed for their retraining, medical examinations, transportation to Abuja and accommodations.
According to them, their scepticism streamed from the ontinual abandonment of the Nigeria Police personnel in terms of funding. For years, the policemen had literally run their units alone, sourcing money through illegal means and most times at the detriment of complainants, suspects and other Nigerians. The SARS operatives disclosed that this week, they were all instructed to hand over their case files, suspects and court cases to the State Criminal Intelligence and Investigations Department (SCIID) in different states. They were also ordered to vacate their offices and be on standby.
Anonymous Nigeria has taken over the website of Nigeria’s National Industrial Court and also targeted the official website of Edo State Government.
Hackers had also hacked the Twitter account of the National Broadcasting Commission.
On the homepage of the court’s website, the hackers wrote the hastags #OpNigeria #EndSARSProtest #EndSARS #EndSarsNow and #EndPoliceBrutality
In the document seen by The Guardian on Friday, details of hundreds of contract approved by the Edo State Government were dumped on Pastebin by Anonymous on Thursday.
The document showed project ID, date of approval, the cost and category of some of the contracts in 2019 and 2020.
The names of companies to which some of the contracts were awarded were also included in the leaked documents. The hackers alleged that some contractors were paid for doing nothing.
In Nigeria, such a situation is rife.
“You got paid for these contracts but never delivered the job, received billions but spent nothing,” Anonymous said on Twitter.
But the Edo State government has denied the allegations, in fact, it said the documents were fake.
Crusoe Osagie, Edo State governor’s spokesman, in a phone chat with The Guardian on Friday said the documents on the state official websites are for public consumption but said the ones leaked by the hacktivists were “fake”.
“Our website in Edo State is not for hiding documents, it is for putting documents out there for the public. So you don’t need to hack our website to see things that were put there,” Osagie said.
“If you claim you hack our website to get documents that means whatever they are putting out there is fake because our website is not that one we hide documents in,” he added.
Although the Anonymous Wednesday night said it has hacked “multiple” Nigerian Government websites as protests against police brutality, the Edo State government is one of the first two government websites to be exposed.
It also shared a Pastebin document that seemed to contain confidential information on police personnel Wednesday.
The group created a dedicated Twitter for its Nigerian operations on October 12, telling the government to “expect us”. Another handle @AnonyNig is also active in the hacktivism.
Anger over abuses by the police’s notorious Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) erupted onto the streets earlier this month, forcing the government to announce they were scrapping the unit as part of wider police reforms.
The authorities pledged a raft of measures including the release of demonstrators from custody and the setting up, within a week, of an independent body to probe violations.
The government has also acted on a demand to provide psychological evaluation and training to disbanded SARS officials prior to their re-deployment.
But frustration is running high among Nigeria’s youth who face the brunt of abuses as well as a lack of opportunities, and many insist they will keep protesting.
Several hundred people were gathered in Abuja on Wednesday when witnesses said they were attacked.
“A group of boys, maybe 30 of them, 16 to 20 years old, clearly high on drugs, arrived and started destroying our cars,” 28-year-old Esther Jonathan told AFP.
Human rights activist Aisha Yusufu said paying thugs to crack down on protestors was a known tactic in Nigeria.
“This is something they did to us before,” Yusufu told AFP. “They attacked us in 2014 under the watchful eyes of the police, and that is what they have done again in 2020.”
In Ikeja, in Lagos state, several witnesses said that men with machetes and axes attempted to attack demonstrators, but were stopped and handed over to the police.
The creation of the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team as replacement for the scrapped Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) is hasty, governors said on Thursday.
They urged Inspector-General of Police Mohammed Adamu to “immediately convene a meeting of all stakeholders”.
The governors made their position known on the raging protests across the country against the brutality by operatives of the defunct SARS, in a communiqué released after the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) meeting. The meeting was held on Wednesday in Abuja.
The protesters have also rejected the creation of SWAT which they described as SARS incarnate.
But the Inspector-General of Police has assured that no SARS operative will be accommodated in SWAT.
The communiqué, signed by NGF chairman Dr. Kayode Fayemi, confirmed that the IG briefed the meeting on the steps being taken.
Nevertheless, they said: “Even though the creation of SWAT might be necessary and in good faith, the timing is inauspicious as the mood of the nation negates it and may understandably be misinterpreted as a surreptitious move to dress FSARS in another garb;
“Governors agreed that there was need for greater consultation with the public before any decision is taken;
“Governors advised the IGP to immediately convene a meeting of all stakeholders and agree on a format of engagement with all state officials in order to address concerns; and that state leadership should meet simultaneously nationwide, to address matters arising.
“Members also recommended that the IGP, the Police Service Commission and the Nigeria Police Council should immediately review the remuneration and emoluments of police officers and explore ways to fund this in order to incentivize and motivate police officers who have pledged themselves in service of the country;
“Governors emphasised that reforms must include the training and retraining of operatives on the rules of engagement with the general public; Policing in Nigeria must ensure freedom for all Nigerians to carry out their lawful and legitimate businesses anywhere in the country without fear of harassment, intimidation or molestation.
“Governors advised that throughout the reform process, the room for consultation may include sessions and direct feedback from the public, stressing that there is no single solution that applies to all the 36 States of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory.
The governors called for the prosecution of policemen found to have engaged in extra-judicial killings and other arbitrary conduct. They called for compensation for victims of police brutality.
“Governors were unequivocal that all police officers who participated in the abuse or actions that might have led to injury or the death of innocent citizens must be fished out and brought to book while other Nigerians who have been adversely affected by police brutality or other actions that were injurious to them or their loved ones, should be compensated;
“Each state is to set up a panel for compensation to all victims and see to it that the necessary compensation is made to those who deserve them.
“This must be systematically done to ensure that nobody who deserves to be compensated, is left out.
“The forum directed its secretariat to work with the police authority to develop a framework for setting up a panel of enquiry across all States to determine claims and compensation.
“Governors are aware that some states have already started engaging protesters and urged all States that have not commenced same to invite all stakeholders in the matter to resolve these issues.
The communiqué added: “Governors were unanimous in their support for the IGP and endorsed his plan to carry out far-reaching reforms geared towards greater effectiveness, accountability and transparency;
“Members called for increased regularity in the meetings of the Nigeria Police Council in order for it to effectively carry out its regulatory and supervisory roles as contained in the Nigerian Constitution.
“Governors enjoined the IGP to be ready to forge stronger partnerships with state governments and the civil society to improve civil relations between the Nigerian Police and the Nigerian Public.
“Members also agreed that the concerns of the public went beyond a need for Police/FSARS reforms and included a demand for better governance.
“They noted the need to engage, consult the public and take decisions that address the underpinning issues leading to the protests;
“Members noted that some states had already started the process of engaging protesters and urged all States to engage all stakeholders for a collectively agreed resolution;
“Members praised Mr. President who has acknowledged that the protests and demonstrations reflect genuine concerns of many Nigerians and urged for a speedy implementation of all the agreed points.”
Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, has ordered police officers to stop checking citizens’ phones.
For years, operatives had insisted on searching phones of Nigerians youths at checkpoints or any location.
During such encounters at roadblocks or patrols, policemen, in most cases, forcefully snatch phones belonging to innocent citizens.
They search through e-mails, text messages, as well as chats on WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
The victim is then “billed” an amount to secure the release of the gadget. Any claim of right or refusal to pay could lead to severe beating, seizure of the phone – or both.
A number of Nigerians have also complained of how police teams forced them to log into their bank accounts to view the balance.
But Adamu, at a press briefing on Wednesday, announced that such an era is gone.
“The issue of any Police unit going to look into people’s phones, which is supposed to be their private property, or looking at the type of vehicle they‘re using, or profiling them to see whether they‘re yahoo boys or not. That era is gone. It is not acceptable”, the IGP said.
The Peoples Democratic Party Governors’ Forum has called for a repeal of sections of the Police Act recently accented to by the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), citing constitutional breaches.
This was contained in a communique issued after a Zoom meeting held by the PDP governors.
The communique was signed by the Chairman of the forum, Aminu Tambuwal, who is also the governor of Sokoto State.
A copy of the communique was made available to reporters in Abuja, on Wednesday.
The governors among other things, implored the president and the National Assembly to repeal Section 4(1) of the Nigeria Police Trust Fund (Establishment) Act, 2019 which “purportedly authorises the President to deduct 0.5% of the total revenue accruing to the Federation Account for the benefit of the Nigeria Police Trust Fund.”
According to the governors, the said deduction is patently unconstitutional.
The communiqué read in part, “The meeting noted the signing of the New Nigeria Police Act, 2020 by Mr. President, Commander in Chief.
“While acknowledging the many important innovations in the new law, the Forum emphasised the need to make the Nigeria Police Council, which has Mr. President as Chairman and 36 state Governors as members, fully operational and the clearing house on all issues bordering on the organisation and administration of the Nigeria Police Force as enshrined in the 1999 Constitution.
“The Forum further observed the discrepancies in S.12(2) and S.12(4) of the Act on the appropriate authority with responsibility to deploy Police Commissioners to the respective States. Whereas S.12(2) gives the responsibility to the Police Service Commission, S. 12(4) gives either the Police Service Commission or Inspector-General of Police the same responsibility.
“This is even more regrettable as the Constitution gives this responsibility to the Police Service Commission (S. 215) (1)(b). We advise that the constitutional provision be upheld.
“Furthermore, the Forum canvassed for appropriate consultations with the Governors of various States on the deployment of Police Commissioners to the States since the Police is a common institution that executes the laws of both the Federal and State governments.
“The Forum implored Mr. President and the National Assembly to repeal Section 4(1) of the Nigeria Police Trust Fund (Establishment) Act, 2019 which purports to authorise the President to deduct 0.5 per cent of the total revenue accruing to the Federation Account for the benefit of the Nigeria Police Trust Fund, as it is patently unconstitutional.
“The beneficiaries of the Federation Account are the Federal, States and Local Governments only. More creative funding options should be explored.”
The PDP governors also expressed concerns over the controversy surrounding the Water Resources Bill, 2020.
“Towards this end, the governors called for greater consultations just as they referred the document to the body of Attorney Generals of PDP controlled states to study and advise accordingly,” it added.
Governors who attended the zoom meeting include: Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto), Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia), Udom Emmanue (Akwa Ibom), Senator Bala Muhammad (Bauchi); and Douye Diri (Bayelsa).
Others are: Ifeanyi Okowa (Delta); Dave Umahi (Ebonyi); Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu); Nyesom Wike (Rivers); Oluseyi Abiodun Makinde (Oyo) and Bello Muhammad Matawalle (Zamfara).
Ahead of the November 18 governorship election in Anambra State, the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) has handed its ticket to former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo.
But the party’s State Chairman Norbert Obi described the development as fake news
A chieftain of the party, who spoke in confidence with The Nation in Awka, the state capital, said APGA decided to hand the ticket to Soludo because the party believed he is the only person who can win the election for the party.
The source also said the obstacle Soludo was facing in the hands of one of most powerful persons in the state had been cleared and the person had given the nod for him to sail with the party.
Though, according to the source, the party had stopped all groups from campaigning for anyone as campaigns had not begun, he said some people were working underground for Soludo to carry the APGA flag.
But Obi said APGA was making sure that it followed the party’s guidelines.
Read Also: Ekwueme’s wife, others drum support for Soludo in Anambra The chairman said three persons had shown interest in the governorship ticket, including Soludo, adding that by January, things will become clearer.
Other aspirants, according to Obi, are Sir Damian Okolo, from Nnewi and Sullivan Nwankpo, from Okija
He said: “APGA has not chosen anybody; never mind the rumour-mongers. People have interest in representing the party, but we should exercise patience till early next year. I hope other names will still emerge.
“APGA is a solid party and a mass movement. Other political parties are just queuing behind it, as far as Anambra State is concerned. We don’t believe in noise-making. All I want to say is that we are ready for the election.”
An attempt by state governors and the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, to stop the #EndSARS protests met a brick wall on Monday as protesters insisted that they would continue.
Activist, Aisha Yesufu, said this in a series of tweets while responding to reports that she and other protesters met with the business community.
While admitting that she had a Zoom meeting with the business leaders, Yesufu said she told them that they should speak with the President instead.
Yesufu said she was lured into the meeting, adding that she would not have attended it in the first place if she knew the agenda.
The activist added, “A brother called me and said would I join a meeting on the #EndSARS issue? I just said yes expecting to enter a meeting with the protesters from different states only for me to see others. Really?
“I feel so angry that they dared to invite me into that foolish discussion in the first place. How can you – business leaders – only always think about yourselves? You want the protests to end? Then do the right thing that real business leaders do in other countries. Openly tell the President that he has failed the young protesters on the street.
“I told them it is the President and the police that are the problems and not the Nigerian young people fed up with selfish leaders. It is not the protesters that are perpetrators; it is the police and government that are perpetrators.”
Yesufu said the strategy adopted by the protesters such as not having a leader maintained the integrity of the movement.
The activist said God forbids that she meets with the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), to negotiate the #EndSARS protests.
The activist stated, “I said why they are speaking to us. They should go speak to the President. It is the police and government that have bad elements, not the protesters. God forbids I have a meeting with the President. For what?”
Yesufu, who is a Co-Convener of the Bring Back Our Girls group, also denied reports that Red Media Chief Executive, Adebola Williams, agreed to compromise the protests.
She added, “He together with the rest of us insisted the protest must go on. Even when Emefiele said he would arrange for us to meet with the President, Adebola Williams told him the President has lost credibility with young people.”
Youths in several parts of the country have been protesting against police brutality since last Thursday.
They called for the scrapping of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad of the Nigeria Police Force which had been accused of extrajudicial killings.
Despite the scrapping of the unit, however, the protests have continued.
The Inspector-General General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, says the training of a new police unit to replace the disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad will commence next week.
He promised to investigate all cases of brutality by SARS operatives and bring the perpetrators to book.
Adamu spoke when popular musician, David Adeleke aka Davido, visited him in office on Monday over the ongoing #EndSARS protests.
He said with SARS being disbanded, there was need to set up a new structure to carry out the duties of the defunct police unit which is fighting violent crimes.
He said the new outfit would be intelligence-driven, properly trained and only act on occasions that required their attention.
He said the unit would be made up of fresh personnel with a new orientation and not officers from the scrapped unit.
According to the police boss, opportunities would be created for members of the public to make inputs into the formation of the new unit.
Adamu called for calm, noting that Davido‘s visit to talk about the issue was the best way to deal with the current problem.
Adamu stated, “We just disbanded (SARS) yesterday (Sunday), so protesters should calm down and give us time to fix the problem. The general public will be part of the process of getting a new outfit.
“I’m talking to you so, I will keep talking to many others and get civil societies involved and get their input towards the new unit.”
He said the issue of compensation to the families of those wronged by SARS would be addressed when investigations were concluded.
“We want justice to be done and justice will be done,” he said.
He said officers of the disbanded unit would be retrained and given other responsibilities in the Force, but would not be reabsorbed into the new outfit.
“We admit the trust gap is wide but we will work to bridge that gap,” Adamu assured.
Davido demanded the immediate release of all arrested protesters and also called for justice and compensation for the victims of SARS brutality.
The Ooni of Ife, Adeyeye Ogunwusi, has endorsed the ongoing protest against brutality and extortion by Special Anti-Robbery Squad operatives.
Ogunwusi said on Twitter that his 25-year-old daughter once had a nasty experience with SARS operatives that almost cost her life.
The monarch, therefore, stated that he was happy that the youths of Nigeria were finally standing up for their rights.
Tweeting through his handle, @OoniAdimulaIfe, he said, “I understand your plight, my 25 year old daughter had a nasty experience with SARS, almost losing her life. On her way to the airport, she was stopped and terribly ransacked and surrounded by fully armed plain clothes policemen in a bus, detained for close to 30 minutes of thorough questioning.
“Imagine a young female for that matter; all her belongings completely searched all because she was with a laptop on an official assignment from her office in Lagos. I can only imagine the countless ones that have lost their lives from such ordeals, may their souls rest in peace.
“I assure you that this is the beginning of greater things to come in Nigeria. I implore you to demand for more, but plead with you to do so in a peaceful manner, as anything outside of that will cause unnecessary havoc for all.”
The monarch said he was aware that some protesters had been unjustly arrested by the police.
He said he would do everything to ensure that they are freed.
Ogunwusi advised the police to understand that the protests would also improve the welfare of men and women of the Force and asked them to see it as such.
The monarch stated, “I have been informed of many innocent souls that were arrested and currently being detained, be rest assured that I am pursuing the matter and they will be set free.
“To the men and women of the Nigerian police force, be assured that this movement is also for you, we know you are humans also and your reality is as a result of your environment.
“This movement demands better on your behalf, and is aimed at pushing the government to do better for you and elevate your standard of living. Do not persecute your advocates. God bless Nigerian youths and God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
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