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President Tinubu Calls For Dialogue To Resolve Issues, Warns Those With Political Agenda

August 4, 2024

By Ayodele Oni

President Bola Tinubu has warned that his administration will not sit back and watch those with clear political agenda to divide Nigeria.

In a nationwide broadcast Sunday, the president commiserate with families of those that have lost their lives in the ongoing nationwide Protests.

He also stated that government is ready for dialogue to resolve issues which led to the protest.

“As President of this country, I must ensure public order. In line with my constitutional oath to protect the lives and property of every citizen, our government will not stand idly by and allow a few with a clear political agenda to tear this nation apart.

“Under the circumstances, I hereby enjoin protesters and the organisers to suspend any further protest and create room for dialogue, which I have always acceded to at the slightest opportunity.

“Nigeria requires all hands on deck and needs us all – regardless of age, party, tribe, religion or other divides, to work together in reshaping our destiny as a nation.

“To those who have taken undue advantage of this situation to threaten any section of this country, be warned: The law will catch up with you. There is no place for ethnic bigotry or such threats in the Nigeria we seek to build.

“Our democracy progresses when the constitutional rights of every Nigerian are respected and protected.

“Our law enforcement agencies should continue to ensure the full protection of lives and properties of innocent citizens in a responsible manner.

My dear Nigerians, especially our youth, I have heard you loud and clear. I understand the pain and frustration that drive these protests, and I want to assure you that our government is committed to listening and addressing the concerns of our citizens.

But we must not let violence and destruction tear our nation apart. We must work together to build a brighter future, where every Nigerian can live with dignity and prosperity.

“The task before us is a collective one, and I am leading the charge as your President. A lot of work has gone into stabilising our economy and I must stay focused on ensuring that the benefits reach every single Nigerian as promised.

“My administration is working very hard to improve and expand our national infrastructure and create more opportunities for our young people.

“Let nobody misinform and miseducate you about your country or tell you that your government does not care about you.

“Although there have been many dashed hopes in the past, we are in a new era of Renewed Hope. We are working hard for you, and the results will soon be visible and concrete for everyone to see, feel, and enjoy.”

The President enumerated various programmes and actions so far taken by the administration to stabilize the economy and make Nigeria’s happy.

Nationwide Broadcast: Tinubu Commends 1.6mbpd Crude Prod., Says Nigeria’s Oil & Gas Ind. On Resurgence

Tosin Olatokunbo

August 4, 2024

Nigerian President, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on Sunday, commended the increase in crude oil production, which has risen to 1.6 million barrels per day (mbpd) in response to recent emergency measures introduced by the Nigerian National Petroleum Conpany Limited (NNPCL) to address gaps in priduction volume.

Tinubu, who gave the commendation in a nationwide broadcast in response to the ongoing protests against economic hardship and high living costs, stated that Nigeria’s gas assets are now receiving the attention they deserve after a seeming under utilization.

While noting that the new development would attract more investors into the country, he said the government has already secured two Foreign Direct Investments and signed off over half a billion dollars since then.

He said: “Our once-declining oil and gas industry is experiencing a resurgence on the back of the reforms I announced in May 2024 to address the gaps in the Petroleum Industry Act. Last month, we increased our oil production to 1.61 million barrels per day, and our gas assets are receiving the attention they deserve.

“Investors are coming back, and we have already seen two Foreign Direct Investments signed of over half a billion dollars since then.

Speaking further, Tinubu spoke of how blessed the nation is with oil and gas resources but lamented the neglect of gas resources to power the economy.

He said, as a result, his government immediately launched Compressed Natural Gas Initiative (CNG) to power our transportation economy and bring costs down.

According to the President, the CNG would save over two trillion Naira on a monthly basis, being used to import PMS and AGO and free up national resources for more investment in healthcare and education.

“Fellow Nigerians, we are a country blessed with both oil and gas resources, but we met a country that had been dependent solely on oil-based petrol, neglecting its gas resources to power the economy. We were also using our hard-earned foreign exchange to pay for, and subsidise its use.

“To address this, we immediately launched our Compressed Natural Gas Initiative (CNG) to power our transportation economy and bring costs down. This will save over two trillion Naira a month, being used to import PMS and AGO and free up our resources for more investment in healthcare and education.

“To this end, we will be distributing a million kits of extremely low or no cost to commercial vehicles that transport people and goods and who currently consume 80% of the imported PMS and AGO.

“We have started the distribution of conversion kits and setting up of conversion centres across the country in conjunction with the private sector. We believe that this CNG initiative will reduce transportation costs by approximately 60 per cent and help to curb inflation, the President stated.

Protest: ‘Forward Ever”, No Going Back On Fuel Subsidy Removal, Others- Tinubu

James Orji

August 4, 2024

FULL TEXT OF PRESIDENT BOLA AHMED TINUBU’S BROADCAST TO NIGERIANS ON THE ONGOING NATIONWIDE HUNGER PROTEST

My fellow Nigerians,

I speak to you today with a heavy heart and a sense of responsibility, aware of the turmoil and violent protests unleashed in some of our states.

Notably among the protesters were young Nigerians who desired a better and more progressive country where their dreams, hopes, and personal aspirations would be fulfilled.

I am especially pained by the loss of lives in Borno, Jigawa, Kano, Kaduna and other states, the destruction of public facilities in some states, and the wanton looting of supermarkets and shops, contrary to the promise of protest organisers that the protest would be peaceful across the country. The destruction of properties sets us back as a nation, as scarce resources will be again used to restore them.

I commiserate with the families and relations of those who have died in the protests. We must stop further bloodshed, violence and destruction.
As President of this country, I must ensure public order. In line with my constitutional oath to protect the lives and property of every citizen, our government will not stand idly by and allow a few with a clear political agenda to tear this nation apart.
Under the circumstances, I hereby enjoin protesters and the organisers to suspend any further protest and create room for dialogue, which I have always acceded to at the slightest opportunity. Nigeria requires all hands on deck and needs us all – regardless of age, party, tribe, religion or other divides, to work together in reshaping our destiny as a nation. To those who have taken undue advantage of this situation to threaten any section of this country, be warned: The law will catch up with you. There is no place for ethnic bigotry or such threats in the Nigeria we seek to build.
Our democracy progresses when the constitutional rights of every Nigerian are respected and protected. Our law enforcement agencies should continue to ensure the full protection of lives and properties of innocent citizens in a responsible manner.
My vision for our country is one of a just and prosperous nation where each person may enjoy the peace, freedom, and meaningful livelihood that only democratic good governance can provide – one that is open, transparent and accountable to the Nigerian people.
For decades, our economy has remained anemic and taken a dip because of many misalignments that have stunted our growth. Just over a year ago, our dear country, Nigeria, reached a point where we couldn’t afford to continue the use oftemporary solutions to solve long-term problems for the sake of now and our unborn generations. I therefore took the painful yet necessary decision to remove fuel subsidies and abolish multiple foreign exchange systems which had constituted a noose around the economic jugular of our Nation and impeded our economic development and progress.
These actions blocked the greed and the profits that smugglers and rent-seekers made. They also blocked the undue subsidies we had extended to our neighbouring countries to the detriment of our people, rendering our economy prostrate. These decisions I made were necessary if we must reverse the decades of economic mismanagement that didn’t serve us well. Yes, I agree, the buck stops on my table. But I can assure you that I am fully focused on delivering good governance to the people.

In the past 14 months, our government has made significant strides in rebuilding the foundation of our economy to carry us into a future of plenty and abundance. On the fiscal side, aggregate government revenues have more than doubled, hitting over 9.1 trillion Naira in the first half of 2024 compared to the first half of 2023, due to our efforts at blocking leakages, introducing automation, and mobilising funding creatively without additional burden on the people. Productivity is gradually increasing in the non-oil sector, reaching new levels and taking advantage of the opportunities in the current economic ambience.

My dear brothers and sisters, we have come this far. Coming from a place where our country spent 97% of all our revenue on debt service; we have been able to reduce that to 68% in the last 13 months. We have also cleared legitimate outstanding foreign exchange obligations of about $5billion without any adverse impact on our programmes.

This has given us more financial freedom and the room to spend more money on you, our citizens, to fund essential social services like education and healthcare. It has also led to our state and Local Governments receiving the highest allocations ever in our country’s history from the Federation Account.

We have also embarked on major infrastructure projects across the country. We are working to complete inherited projects critical to our economic prosperity, including roads, bridges, railways, power, and oil and gas developments. Notably, the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and Sokoto-Badagry Highway projects will open up 16 connecting states, creating thousands of jobs and boosting economic output through trade, tourism and cultural integration.

Our once-declining oil and gas industry is experiencing a resurgence on the back of the reforms I announced in May 2024 to address the gaps in the Petroleum Industry Act. Last month, we increased our oil production to 1.61million barrels per day, and our gas assets are receiving the attention they deserve. Investors are coming back, and we have already seen two Foreign Direct Investments signed of over half a billion dollars since then.

Fellow Nigerians, we are a country blessed with both oil and gas resources, but we met a country that had been dependent solely on oil-based petrol, neglecting its gas resources to power the economy. We were also using our hard-earned foreign exchange to pay for, and subsidise its use. To address this, we immediately launched our Compressed Natural Gas Initiative (CNG) to power our transportation economy and bring costs down. This will save over two trillion Naira a month, being used to import PMS and AGO and free up our resources for more investment in healthcare and education.

To this end, we will be distributing a million kits of extremely low or no cost to commercial vehicles that transport people and goods and who currently consume 80% of the imported PMS and AGO.

We have started the distribution of conversion kits and setting up of conversion centres across the country in conjunction with the private sector. We believe that this CNG initiative will reduce transportation costs by approximately 60 percent and help to curb inflation.

Our administration has shown its commitment to the youth by setting up the student loan scheme. To date, 45.6billion Naira has already been processed for payment to students and their respective institutions

I encourage more of our vibrant youth population to take advantage of this opportunity. We established the Consumer Credit Corporation with over N200billion to help Nigerians to acquire essential products without the need for immediate cash payments, making life easier for millions of households. This will consequently reduce corruption and eliminate cash and opaque transactions. This week, I ordered the release of an additional N50billion Naira each for NELFUND – the student loan, and Credit Corporation from the proceeds of crime recovered by the EFCC.

Additionally, we have secured $620million under the Digital and Creative Enterprises (IDiCE) – a programme to empower our young people, creating millions of IT and technical jobs that will make them globally competitive. These programmes include the 3Million Technical Talents scheme. Unfortunately, one of the digital centres was vandalised during the protests in Kano. What a shame!

In addition, we have introduced the Skill-Up Artisans Programme (SUPA); the Nigerian Youth Academy (NIYA); and the National Youth Talent Export Programme (NATEP).

Also, more than N570 billion has been released to the 36 states to expand livelihood support to their citizens, while 600,000 nano-businesses have benefitted from our nano-grants. An additional 400,000 more nano-businesses are expected to benefit.

Furthermore, 75,000 beneficiaries have been processed to receive our N1million million micro and small-business single-digit interest loans, starting this month. We have also built 10 MSME hubs within the past year, created 240,000 jobs through them and 5 more hubs are in progress, which will be ready by October this year.

Payments of N1 billion each are also being made to large manufacturers under our single-digit loans to boost manufacturing output and stimulate growth.

I signed the National Minimum Wage into law last week, and the lowest-earning workers will now earn at least N70,000 a month.

Six months ago in Karsana, Abuja, I inaugurated the first phase of our ambitious housing initiative, the Renewed Hope City and Estate. This project is the first of six we have planned across the nation’s geopolitical zones. Each of these cities will include a minimum of 1,000 housing units, with Karsana itself set to deliver 3,212 units

In addition to these city projects, we are also launching the Renewed Hope Estates in every state, each comprising 500 housing units. Our goal is to complete a total of 100,000 housing units over the next three years. This initiative is not only about providing homes but also about creating thousands of jobs across the nation as well as stimulating economic growth.

We are providing incentives to farmers to increase food production at affordable prices. I have directed that tariffs and other import duties should be removed on rice, wheat, maize, sorghum, drugs, and other pharmaceutical and medical supplies for the next 6 months, in the first instance, to help drive down the prices.

I have been meeting with our Governors and key Ministers to accelerate food production. We have distributed fertilisers. Our target is to cultivate more than 10 million hectares of land to grow what we eat. The Federal Government will provide all necessary incentives for this initiative, whilst the states provide the land, which will put millions of our people to work and further increase food production. In the past few months, we have also ordered mechanized farming equipment such as tractors and planters, worth billions of Naira from the United States, Belarus, and Brazil. I can confirm to you that the equipment is on the way.

But we must not let violence and destruction tear our nation apart. We must work together to build a brighter future, where every Nigerian can live with dignity and prosperity.

The task before us is a collective one, and I am leading the charge as your president. A lot of work has gone into stabilising our economy and I must stay focused on ensuring that the benefits reach every single Nigerian as promised.

My administration is working very hard to improve and expand our national infrastructure and create more opportunities for our young people.

Let nobody misinform and mis-educate you about your country or tell you that your government does not care about you. Although there have been many dashed hopes in the past, we are in a new era of Renewed Hope. We are working hard for you, and the results will soon be visible and concrete for everyone to see, feel, and enjoy.

Let us work together to build a brighter future for ourselves and for generations to come. Let us choose hope over fear, unity over division, and progress over stagnation. The economy is recovering; Please, don’t shut out its oxygen. Now that we have been enjoying democratic governance for 25 years, do not let the enemies of democracy use you to promote an unconstitutional agenda that will set us back on our democratic journey. FORWARD EVER, BACKWARD NEVER!

In conclusion, security operatives should continue to maintain peace, law, and order in our country by following the necessary conventions on human rights, to which Nigeria is a signatory. The safety and security of all Nigerians are paramount.

Thank God — and Thank you for your attention, and may God continue to bless our great Nation. Thank you very much

National Protest: “Stop This Massacre” – Joe Ajaero

The Source

August 3, 2024

With unconfirmed reports putting casualties at 40+ in in two days of managing the the EndHunger protest across the country, we have sufficient reasons (backed up by reports and video clips) to call to question the professionalism of our security personnel as this represents nothing but MASSACRE of citizens.

Had the security personnel deployed the same thoughtless brutal precision against bandits or other criminals, our country would have been an Eldorado.

As the lead-agency in internal security management, the police bear the burden of this massacre.

Kaduna State police command under the watch of Compol Audu Ali Dabigi represents the worst case scenario in which one of the fleeing protesters was heard on camera desperately appealing to deployed police personnel to not shoot until his voice was drowned by a hail of bullets with the resultant death of a protester on the spot and several injured.

In the same breadth, Edo State Police Command under the personal command of COMPOL Funsho Adegboroye represents the best in crowd management as he could be heard interacting and cajoling the protesters and almost effortlessly bringing them under control.

It might be convenient to argue that the two states do have different socio-cultural millieux, however, an incontestable truth common to both, and indeed, all the states is that human life is sacred and should NEVER be taken.

We are deeply saddened by this wanton taking of life by trigger-happy police personnel.

In Asokoro, Abuja under the command of Compol Bennett Igweh, protesters were heard querying why the police were shelling or tear-gassing them as they were marching solemnly without breaking a twig.

One noticeable pattern was that once police personnel introduced violence, all hell broke loose in fulfilment of the credo that violence begets violence.

We pause to ask, what happened to all the years of training or experience? No lessons learnt or was this a case of loss of human values on an industrial scale? Don’t our police personnel watch their colleagues in other parts of the world manage equally challenging (if not worse) situations?

For a start, we demand that the cops with blood stains on their hands be fished out for appropriate disciplinary action. Ditto their commanders.

Secondly, adequate compensations should be paid to the families of casualties while government should be responsible for the treatment and rehabilitation of the injured.

Thirdly, all those arrested should be released immediately and unconditionally.

We commend NBA national leadership for directing its human rights committees across the cities to be vigilant. We urge them to see it to it that no one is held against their will in connection with the protest.

On no account again should the police use live ammunition in managing protests no matter how difficult they get.

In the days ahead, we look forward to a better crowd control mechanism even as the new directive from the IGP would sound to some of the personnel as a license to kill without reason.

We would be monitoring closely as the situation unfolds. The police as the lead-agency vested with power and authority on issues of internal security should not only lead by (a good) example but an inspiration to other services.

However, if the police in self-righteousness consider this advice as meddlesomeness and persist in their slaughter, they will be unwittingly creating a situation they were supposed to help avert in the first place. And we as members of organised labour will be left with no choice than the moral burden to act in protection of ordinary citizens.

Finally, we do believe the ultimate solution lies with government, the decisions it takes, the compromises it is willing to make in the face of the genuine demands by the protesters.

As we had stated in our statements of July 22nd and 23rd, the clearest path to a lasting solution is for government to sit down with leaders of the protest and negotiate in good faith. Time is of essence as no one is impressed by the sophistry of government officials/hirelings or threats by the police or the military. We are all Nigerians, after all.

Comrade Ajaero is the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC

Deji Adeyanju: “I Miss Former President Buhari”

Akinwale Kasali

August 3, 2024

By Akinwale Kasali

Deji Adeyanju, Activist and one of the leaders of the ongoing nationwide protest against “bad governance and hunger” has lambasted the President Bola Tinubu-led Federal Government for making Nigerians go through hardship and sufferings.

Adeyanju said the failures of President Bola Tinubu’s administration are making him miss former President Muhammadu Buhari’s regime.

The human rights activist stated this in the teaser of the upcoming episode of ‘The Honest Bunch’ podcast co-hosted by actor Chinedu Ani Emmanuel, aka Nedu, Husband Material and Toun Cole.

“Tinubu is making me miss Buhari as bad as Buhari is. Because Buhari cannot recognise even the country he destroyed,” Adeyanju said.

“Tinubu took nepotism to another level. They will make an announcement of 13 appointments and 11 are Yoruba.

“His core supporters said, ‘Ah! Don’t worry, he is a master strategist, he built Lagos, he’s coming to build Nigeria.’

“How can the master strategist take dollar [exchange rate] from about N700 to N1,600? This master strategist took a crate of eggs from around N1,500 to N5,500. The master strategist took a cartoon of noodles from about N4,600 to over N10,000.”

Nationwide Protest: President Tinubu To Address Nigerians

Ayodele Oni

August 3, 2024

By Ayodele Oni

Amidst calls for reaction from the presidency to the ongoing nationwide Protests, President Bola Tinubu will address the nation in a broadcast on Sunday.

A statement from Ajuri Ngalele, presidential spokesman, confirmed this on Saturday.

He stated that Television, radio, and other electronic media outlets are enjoined to plug into the network services of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) and the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) for the broadcast.

“The broadcast will be repeated on the network services of the NTA and the FRCN at 3:00 pm and 7:00 pm on the same day.”

Among those that have called on the president to speak on the ongoing protest are former vice president Atiku Abubakar, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and other prominent Nigerians.

The nationwide protest, which entered third day on Saturday has recorded casualties with some public assets set ablaze in the northern part of the country.

Protests: “I’ve Delivered Your Message To President Tinubu”, Speaker Abbas Tells Nigerian Youths

Ayodele Oni

August 3, 2024

By Ayodele Oni

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas Tajudeen has urged Nigerians to suspend the ongoing nationwide protests, saying top officials of the government are currently discussing issues which led to it.

Abbas said he has since reported the grievances and demands made by the youth to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, after his engagement with them at a town hall meeting on Wednesday.

According to his spokesman, Musa Abdullahi Krishi, the Speaker spoke in an interview with the BBC Hausa Service, following the ongoing protests by Nigerians, especially the youths, which began on Thursday.

The Speaker recalled how he led the House to engage with leaders and representatives of various youth organisations at the National Assembly, noting that he had fruitful deliberations with over 25 youth groups.

He stated that after listening to their complaints and demands, he communicated same to President Tinubu with a view to finding solutions.

“We have already started reporting what we discussed with the youths to the President. He was okay with our discussion, and he was equally happy with what we did.

“He also assured that he would do his best to see that all the issues raised are well addressed one after the other.

“We’ll continue to engage with the President on every issue that we know will affect the lives of Nigerians so that necessary measures can be taken.

“I, therefore, call on all Nigerians, young and old, men and women, to be cautious. We shouldn’t allow the protests to cause destruction in our country.”

Abas stated that Nigerians have the right to peaceful protest, but history has shown that in most cases, even in advanced countries, unpatriotic elements hijack protests and cause destruction of lives and property.

He further noted that the House is aware of the state of the nation, and that the Tinubu administration is working hard to address insecurity, inflation, and unemployment in the country, adding that Nigerians will soon start seeing positive changes.

He revealed that some ministers from key sectors were part of the engagement, where they offered explanations to the youth on what the government was doing to address their plight.

PDP Accuses Gov Aiyedatiwa Of Bribing Youths, Clergymen In Ondo Not To Take Part In Nationwide Protest

Ayodele Oni

August 3, 2024

By Ayodele Oni

The people’s Democratic party (PDP) in Ondo state has accused Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of buying over the youths and clergy men in the state in order not to take part in the nationwide protest.

The PDP pointed out that this is despite the hardship the people are facing as a result of the harsh economic policies.

In a statement on Saturday by the publicity secretary of the party, Peretei Ikandu stated that “The End Bad Governance protests that broke out across the country on Thursday, 1st August, 2024 have left further misery, anguish and death in many cities.

“The Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP), Ondo State Chapter, asserts that, these protests would have been averted if the President Bola Tinubu led All Progressives Congress (APC) government had been sensitive to the yearning and suffering of the people.

“He should therefore be held responsible for the casualties, calamity and the attendant trauma occasioned by these protests.

“It is indeed a sad reality that Governor of Ondo State, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, had to personally dish out cash inducements to some youths, Clergy men and others from the State Treasury in order to forestall protest at the State capital, Akure.

“He was later reported to have thanked the people of the State for not joining the protest. What a pity?

“There is no part of the country that needs the protest more than Ondo State in the face of an administration that has practically grounded the State in every ramification.

“Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa is yet to account for the N5 billion that the Federal Government released to all the States as palliatives in the wake of the uproar from Nigerians after the withdrawal of fuel subsidy.

“The monthly allocation from the Federation Account that averages N10 billion every month since December, 2023 have no impact on the State. Infact, the allocation for last month was N11 billion.

“The only visible project in the State is the renovation of the Government House, especially the perimeter fence which is reported to cost a whooping N1 billion.

“Are these not enough reasons for the citizens to protest till Aiyedatiwa tells us where he has warehoused the people’s money?

“But Ondo State with her very sophisticated citizenry will not allow themselves to engage in a violent protest that will set the State backward and therefore decided to stay peacefully at home to protest the bad Governance they have experienced in the last nine years.

“Is it the Sit-at-home protest that Aiyedatiwa is celebrating as ‘not participating’ in the protest? He should stop sunning himself in the vain glory to have thwarted a protest in Ondo State through his street credibility.

“Aiyedatiwa should stop playing to the gallery and use his remaining few months to touch lives of the citizens who are truly hungry and angry but based on their past and recent experiences preferred to remain at home as a kind of protest.”

“How My Executive Director Violated (Rap×d) Me” – ARM Pension Staff

Adesina Soyooye

August 3, 2024

By Adesina Soyooye

A scandal of unbelievable proportion is rocking ARM Pension, an otherwise reputable firm. One of its female staff has publicly accused one of their Executive Directors of abducting her from a party, dumped her in a hotel, and violated her without her consent.

Her problem started when at the party held by the Company, she left her food, drink and personal belongings on the table to help see to it that everybody was being well taken care of. When she came back to her seat, she took her drink, and that was when she began to lose awareness of her environment. It was so bad that she was advised not to drive herself back home.

A good Samaritan, or so she thought, was detailed by her colleagues to take her home after the Party since they live around same place. That good Samaritan was the Company’s Executive Director. But instead of taking her home, he took her to a hotel, booked a room and violated her for over an hour.

She said she woke up at about 3.00am and found herself naked, alone, and in a strange environment – hotel.

She began to ask questions and concluded that not only was her drink “spiked”, her Executive Director who was detailed to drop her in her house, had taken advantage of her situation.

The single mother of two children is crying blue mother. She said she has been forced to lose her self esteem, mentally tortured and violated. She wants justice. She has petitioned her Company. And the Police is on the case.

The Executive Director has been arrested by the Lagos State Command and was already in detention as at the time of filing this story.

The Management of ARM Pension has acknowledged the petition but pointed out that the sordid incident did not take place in its premises. It has also placed the Executive Director on suspension and, professionally, giving support and helping the violated staff to regain her self esteem.

In a no-hold-back petition, the staff told the story of her ordeal which follows below. Even though she made her name and phone number public in the petition, as well as that of her alleged violator and his phone number, we chose here to withhold them, just as we also chose not to publish the photograph of the Executive Director.

Her stort then:

“Dear Opeyemi,

“My name is (Withheld by us) . I am 36 years of age and I work at ARM Pension as an HR Business Partner. I would like to officially report that I was se#ually assaulted i.e. I was abducted and ra#ed by (nane withheld by us), ED technical at ARM Pension on the night of July 18, 2024 when we had the an office party. (Withheld by us) of ARM Pension, No 5 Mekuwen road, off Oyinkan Abayomi drive, Ikoyi had penetrative se#ual intercourse with me, without my consent.

“The assault was done at a certain hotel I woke up to find myself at called Limeridge hotel at Chevron drive, Lagos.

“On the evening of the office party, just like every other staff member at the party I had food and drinks. I had mixed a small amount of Jameson whiskey and coke. This whiskey bottle was opened by Francisca Azie on the table I was seated at with other colleagues. However, being part of the planning committee I had to stand up from my table at intervals to coordinate the serving of food and at such times left my drink, food and other personal effects in the care of Damilola Oluyori (07085757685) who is a colleague and one I am very friendly with.

“My last memory of the party was at about 7.30,8ish. However, Dami claimed that I mentioned to her that I was tipsy and could not drive. So she offered to find a way for me to go home and then approached (withheld by us) to drop me off since he lived around the same axis as me. I live at Femi Okunnu Phase 4 estate Jakande lekki. Along with the Jameson whiskey which was like ¼ of a plastic cup, I had one cocktail from the bar that is the last I remembered. I lost total memory of every conversation and activity as my last memory of the night was from 7.30pm. My entire memory was wiped out which was very unusual even for someone who might have drunk excessively which I didn’t and have quite a good alcohol tolerance from precedent. Next thing I know I wake up and realize I am in a room fully undressed. I look around and I realize it was a hotel. I find my clothes in a pile and my wig, my phone and my handbag. I checked the time it was around 3am and my private parts were sore and felt like someone had invaded me. I walked out of the room, looked around for a clue of the name of the hotel to even have a sense of where I was, I saw the name Limeridge hotel, I googled it and I found that it’s on chevron drive. I ask the receptionist and security man to help me get a taxi so I can go home. I further checked my whatsapp messages and I saw that the perpetrator had sent me a message that he was with my laptop bag and ID Card. Damilola had sent me a couple of messages that sounded frantic wanting to know if I was okay and if (withheld by us)dropped me at home. I sent her a message to tell her that I do not understand why my memory is wiped out and it’s unusual.

“When it was morning, I tried to call (withheld) twice and he didn’t pick up. I messaged him that I’d like to talk to him and shortly after he called me. When he called I asked him how I ended up in a hotel since I was in his car as my colleagues said and he was to drop me at home. He said he asked me for my address and I was incoherent and so he took me to that hotel. I further asked why I was naked when I woke up and he said he didn’t know, that he just dropped me and left. I later spoke to my colleagues Damilola and Odera because I needed to find my car and I was told that my car was safe in the office. Damilola further mentioned that she sent videos of me and her dancing at the party to ( withheld) as he requested her to. I have no recollection of her making any video except for some pictures we had earlier taken at the start of the party and an 11 seconds video. However, she shared videos with me this morning of me and her dancing and another colleague was in the video. Again my memory is blanked out on this. I messaged (withheld) later on Friday morning to ask how I could get my laptop bag and ID card and he said he had given the security guards in the office to put it in my car.

“I went back to the hotel that Friday morning after I dropped off my kids at school and I asked to see the CCTV footage to ascertain when he brought me there and if he really just left after dropping me. The receptionist first confirmed that he paid for the hotel room at 22.05, showed me evidence and then went ahead to show me the footage, I was seen leaning on him and he was holding my shoes and a hand on my back guiding me into the hotel and hotel room at about 15.52 and was seen leaving at 17.36. Now, this time I am quoting is because the CCTV time in the hotel was not West African time, WAT, but the time interval was about 1 hour 45 minutes he was in the hotel room with me.

“I called my family and informed them of this. I have had a ra#e kit test done at Island maternity on Friday. I made a formal report at the Ikoyi Police station on Saturday morning. My private part was bruised and I have been in pain. I have also formally reported to the Head of HR, who is my boss with the MD and another Executive Director in copy. My life has been disrupted badly. I am a single mother with two kids and my mental and physical state has been impacted by this incident and I need to take care and show up for my kids in all of this.

“I sent him another message that Friday morning asking why he didn’t ask Dami or any of my other colleagues for my address if truly he had the intention to drop me at my house which he had no response to. I did not remotely have any conversation with (withheld) or give any consent to be involved with him in any remotely personal way. He asked me at the party to come sit with him and I refused and sat with my colleagues who I was comfortable with.

“He took me against my will, most likely put-spiked my drink with the help of someone or by himself and took me to a destination I didn’t know or want to be and ra#ed me. It is beyond sad that I could not be safe at an office function and instead my whole world has been overturned.

“I am on some very strong medication given to me at Island maternity, antibiotics and HIV Post exposure prophylaxis and have requested some time from work to recuperate. I believe he is a serial ra#ist and I might not be the first person he would have done this too.

“I am requesting that Lagos state take this case up fully and this predator who has tried to ruin my life and cause me this trauma be persecuted to the full extent of the law, he and whoever aided him.

“Thank you for taking time to read this.”

EndBadGovernance Protest: No Recorded Death In Katsina – Police

Suleiman Anyalewechi

August 3, 2024

By Suleiman Anyalewechi

The Police in Katsina State has debunked the news that one of its personnel was shot dead by a colleague during the ongoing nationwide protest.

A video showing a Police Officer, lying down motionless, allegedly shot dead mistakingly by a colleague, has been in circulation.

But in a statement on Saturday August 3, 2024, Abubakar Sadiq-Aliyu, ASP, Spokesperson for the Katsina State Police Command, urged members of the public to disregard the news item.

He pointed out that no person, protesters or Security Personnel, has so far been killed contrary to the news being circulated.

“The Command wishes to address a misleading viral video circulating on social media platforms of a security agent lying motionless on the ground alleged to have been shot dead by a police officer while trying to disperse protesters

“The video is manipulated and taken out of context as there was no such shooting incident through out the Command during the protest.

“The fact is that the security agent shown in the video is an officer of the Nigeria Security And Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, who fell from a patrol vehicle due to an accident involving the vehicle at the scene of the protest.

He was immediately rushed to the Federal Teaching Hospital (formally Federal Medical Centre ) Katsina, where he was treated and discharged”, the statement noted.

The Command, while urging the public to disregard the misleading information, also assured of its readiness, in concert with other sister security agencies to ensure adequate protection of lives and properties.

The Source reports that Katsina is one of the State’s in the North West region of the country where the protest against hunger and bad governance which commenced on August 1, assumed a violent dimension.

Other States which have been visited with orgies of looting, arson, vandalization and general violence by protesters are Kaduna, Kano, Borno Yobe, and Niger.

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