As tension is brewing in Ondo state over possible takeover of motor parks by members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, (NURTW), the State Government has warned against planned breach of public peace by the union whose operations have been suspended in the State.
Ondo state had banned the activities of the NURTW at motor parks following unending crisis and arbitrary increase in fares and set up a management committee, still under the chairman of NURTW.
Special Adviser to the Governor on Security and Commander, Amotekun Corps, Akogun Tunji Adeleye said anyone caught fomenting trouble in any park within the State will be picked and treated like a common criminal.
Akogun Adeleye noted that the position of Government on Park Management is resolute, adding that there is no going back.
“The Parks Management Committee was set up to oversee the activities of NURTW in view of the perennial crises occasioned by some of their activities which have become a threat to public peace and safety.
“It is shocking to note that some of the self-acclaimed Committee Members of the State NURTW forcefully opened the Igoba branch Office where any activity, to all intents and purposes, remain part of the operations suspended by Government.
“While arrests are yet to be made, Government cannot allow such brigandage to continue unchecked.
“It is thus in line with the avowed commitment of the current Administration under the able leadership of Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN, CON, to ensure protection of lives and property that proactive steps would be taken to forestall any further breakdown of law and order.
“In view of this, security agencies have been put on the alert to arrest anyone parading himself as NURTW member in Motor Parks across the State.
“While we urge our people to go about their daily activities as usual, we will resist any attempt by any group, under any guise, to disrupt the fragile peace that we currently enjoy in the State. We shall do this with all vigor.”
The National Population Commission, (NPC), has called for an urgent commencement of the process of conducting the 2023 population and Housing Census to enable the country fit into the global data and benchmark.
The exercise, which was fixed to have been conducted last month before the terminal date of the immediate administration, was shifted to yet to be determined state.
The Federal Commissioner, NPC, Diran Iyantan made the call at a parley with Media Executives in Ondo State on the 2023 population and Housing Census in Akure, the Ondo state capital at the weekend.
Iyantan said the sensitivity of the exercise is to move with the train of the time, which heightens the fact that Nigeria is at risk of missing out.
“Not conducting a census soon means that Nigeria, which is the most populous country in Africa, risks being out of scene with the international community census scheme potentially affecting our ability to compare with the global benchmark.”
According to him, the immediate past President, Muhammadu Buhari said he had discussed with President Bola Tinubu on the need to as a matter of urgency, continue the process of completing of the exercise.
Iyantan, who explained that the census had multidimensional purpose for the development of the country, appealed to the media family to make sure that the process is not delayed.
The purpose of the parley, he stated, was to update the media on the status of operation of the census, pointing that the commission has taken up to 30 different activities it had done for a successful census.
Iyantan, who reeled out several preparatory activities that had been carried out towards the census among many others to include; the Enumeration Area Demarcation, conduct of pre-tests and trial census, recruitment and training of census field staff, procurement and configuration of personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), establishment of ICT infrastructures across the country and logistics support and advocate and publicity activities.
In his goodwill message, the Ondo state Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists NUJ, Leke Adegbite who was represented by the Union’s state Treasurer, Fatima Muraina, who said the media have been helping the NPC in the mobilization of citizenry on the census before it was postponed, assured of the media continuous support whenever the NPC is ready to carry out the exercise.
Adegbite said members of the union are always ready to enlighten the people and the public through their media platforms on the need to be part of the exercise.
He urged the commission to also continue to work with the media so that the right and accurate activities of NPC would be reported to the public.
A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, (APC) in Edo state, John Mayaki, has queried the rationale behind last minute approval by the House of Assembly of N3.5B loan for cars, other luxuries to Governor Godwin Obaseki.
Mayaki, pointed out that despite controversial session rocked by illegitimacy claim, the legislative arm as a final act, still went ahead to grant such request.
He claimed that the former Speaker, Marcus Onobun, who presided over a divided House in which duly elected members were denied representation, led the approval process, after agreeing with the governor that the state needs to incur a debt of such magnitude to fund fresh cars for incoming legislators and other government functionaries.
“A staggering N2 billion was also earmarked for the procurement of hospital equipment for the Stella Obasanjo Hospital.
“There was no breakdown presented detailing the planned expenses and how the state governor, who requested approval for the loan, arrived at the sum.”
Mayaki, in a statement, denounced the process as a “disgraceful sham that underscores the complicity of the outgoing Assembly in the tragic plunge of the state into debt, unconstitutionality and non-transparency.
“The outgoing Assembly, which will forever carry an asterisk due to its composition deformity, has given its final slap in the face to the Edo people with this outrageous move.”
“Instead of demanding answers from the governor on why the state, under his watch, has slid into general dysfunction and decay despite a rapidly growing debt profile; the Onobun-led Assembly has given a nod to the governor to, in fact, acquire more loans and mortgage the future of the state.”
“More troubling is the fact that the approval was swiftly granted without even a pretension at accountability.
“How did the governor arrive at the N3.5b sum? Should the state government be incurring billions in loans to purchase jeeps for incoming legislators at the time people are struggling to eat three square meals?
“Was the public, whose interest the lawmakers are meant to protect, allowed to determine whether they want an additional debt burden of over 3 billion naira?
“These are important questions of governance the Assembly ought to answer before granting an approval.
“Unfortunately, either due to its complicity or incompetence, no sign exists that any of this was done before Governor Godwin Obaseki was given the imprimatur to continue his loan spree.
“Many have in fact insinuated that loan is merely a send-forth package Obaseki and his merry men have awarded themselves, at the expense of the public.
“The allegation is fueled by the observation that this Assembly has functioned effectively as an extension of the governor’s office, as illustrated by its staging of plenary sessions in an office in the Executive Wing where the governor holds sway.
“What is the implication of this for the future? What kind of Edo State will we bequeath our children? One where the independence of the legislature is a forgotten ideal and elected lawmakers bow at the feet of the governor whom they ought to hold to account?
“A state neck-deep in debts to fund the expensive taste of a few while the majority wallows in poverty? I hope these questions plague the conscience of these men, provided they still have one.”
Senator Polycarp Nwite Foundation for Democratic Accountability, SPNFDA, has said that Nigeria would not make any realistic progress in her democratic journey, should systemic failures that enable divisiveness, nepotism and avarice be allowed to continue without decisive action by the Nigerian leadership.
It also congratulated President Bola Tinubu, on his emergence as the 16th president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. As the Chief Celebrant of this year’s June 12 Democracy Day celebration, The President is reminded of the spirit of togetheness and oneness of purpose that brought Nigerians of different backgrounds and leanings together in the Pro-Democracy movement of the 90s which helped to actualise the present democratic dispensation. The Unity of Nigeria, prosperity and welfare of its peoples is the single most important task of the President Tinubu government The foundation named after the late 3rd Republic Senator Polycarp Nwite, Democracy advocate and former Senior Presidential aide who, like President Tinubu was incarcerated by the military junta, during the June 12, 1993 political crisis, made these assertions in a statement in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State signed by its executive director, Mr. Michael Nwite, to mark Democracy Day.
The June 12, 1993 presidential election, which was won by late MKO Abiola, but annulled by the military administration of General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida (IBB), was adjudged to be the most transparent election in the history of Nigeria. Since then, Elections in Nigeria have been fraught with ethnic and religious tensions accompanied by increasing mistrust in our democratic institutions.
According to the statement, “Democracy in its purest form only exists to serve the best interest of the people, in an equitable, just, transparent and unifying manner, that enables trust and engenders patriotism and pride in nationhood; and belief in democratic practice and leadership.”
Mr Nwite said further in the statement: “We are absolutely convinced and confident that President Tinubu, being one of the courageous fighters for the enthronement of Democracy in Nigeria, as the current man in the driving seat of Nigeria’s democratic leadership, is not only conversant with the democratic principles, norms and nuances, but is also willing and courageous enough to lead Nigeria to the future that would abhor divisiveness, fight nepotism, ethnic and religious bigotry, government indefference and insensitivity to the plight of the people and glaring injustice of unequal distribution of opportunities and common wealth of the nation.
“We are most glad, and I believe that our late father, Senator Nwite would’ve shared the same sentiments, were he to be alive, that President Tinubu, who he foundly called ‘Bola’,, now has the opportunity to fix Nigeria for the good of the people, in a democratic setting, like they had dreamt about, both in the tranches and in detention camp at Alagbon Close, Lagos state, where they were next-door cell mates in the dark days of military dictatorship.
“The tough decisions President Tinubu has made right from his first day are indicative of a President who will lead from the front and make tough calls for the overall good of the people.
“Nigeria deserves a leader that will be bold and decisive in policy formulation, implementation and declarations that guarantee democratic dividends and accountability to the Nigerian people.
“Today, as we remember and celebrate our Heroes of Democracy, both dead and alive, we urge President Tinubu to urgently take decisive steps to fight corruption, criminality and the intractable insecurity challenges across the nation, because we are of the opinion that no system of government, would make any meaningful progress in a situation characterised by multidimensional insecurity, fear and despondency, as we have in the nation at the moment.”
The Foundation implored the President to also take decisive action in education, health and electricity power generation/distribution to essentially curb unproductivity, youth unemployment, current mass migration to foreign lands, in search of better livelihood.
Senator Nwite, was Former Nigeria Ambassador to Botswana, a Senior Special Assistant to President Yar’Adua and also a frontline member of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), a broad coalition of Nigerians, formed in May 1994 to fight for the enthronement of civil rule in Nigeria.
The People’s Democratic Party, (PDP) has alleged that there are plots to arrest notable leaders of the party ahead of the inauguration of the 10th National Assembly on Tuesday.
PDP claimed that this is part of the plot to enable the ruling All Progressives Congress, (APC) actualize the zoning arrangement in the leadership of the national assembly.
PDP spokesman, Debo Ologunagba, told Journalists on Saturday, in Abuja that lawmakers-elect, who are opposed to the preferred candidates of the APC in the race for presiding offices of the Assembly are target of the planned arrest.
Ologunagba, who accused some elements within the APC of being behind the plot, said the move was aimed at intimidating and harassing lawmakers-elect to choose the party’s annointed candidates.
“The PDP notes that the independence of the legislature is a prerequisite for a virile democracy and therefore insists that the members-elect in both houses must be allowed to elect their leadership.”
He noted the provisions of the subsisting Standing Rules of both chambers of the National Assembly, which emphasize the need for the legislators to elect their leadership among themselves on the floor.
“This is the critical ingredient of constitutional democracy, independence of the legislature and principle of Separation of Powers.
“The national assembly is the symbol of the sovereignty of the people in a participatory Democracy.
“The people exercise such sovereignty through the choices made by their elected representatives on the floor of the National Assembly.
“Fundamental to this sovereignty is the choice of the presiding officers of the National Assembly which must not be appropriated by any group of individuals.
“Such will amount to a dethronement of the sovereignty of the people.
“The PDP charges the lawmaker-elect to remain steadfast in their resolve and continue to keep in mind that Nigerians expect them to assert their independence in the election of the Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives.”
For a man used to luxury, used to power, who had, for years, been in the corridors of power, mingled with raw power, exercised raw power, risen to the highest pinnacle in his country’s financial system, seen raw cash, the manner in which Godwin Emefiele, until the evening of Friday, June 9, 2023, the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, was arrested, was humiliating.
Emefiele, suspended, not yet sacked, by President Bola Tinubu was arrested on Saturday, June 10, 2023, while he was in Lagos. With that, the long planned and expected wish to arrest him was finally fulfilled.
On arrest, he was put in handcuffs and driven to the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, local wing, in a very ordinary looking hilux van.
Before he was appointed the CBN Governor in June, 2014, Emefiele was the Group Managing Director of Zenith Bank PlC, one of Nigeria’s biggest financial in the Country.
He was sandwiched in between Security Agents.
His handcuffs were obviously removed when they arrived the tarmac where a private jet waited to whisk him to Abuja.
But what was the need?
Godwin Emefiele.
The young Security agent made sure the world saw the handcuffs. He dangled it, perhaps, unconsciously.
A couple of people who watched from afar were in tears at the humiliation. Others were in shock. And others looked on with mouth agape. Life and its irony.
Emefiele looked lost. And weary. And defeated And drained, as he climbed down from the hilux. The colour of his caftan, dull, matched his mood. As he climbed into the aircraft, the swaga was gone.
The questions many asked were: Was the public humiliation necessary? Was the handcuff necessary? Did he resist arrest? Did he commit murder? Is he not adjudged innocent until proved guilty? Why strip him of his dignity?
Here is a man who, on May 27, 2023, was honoured with the third highest National Award in Nigeria- Commander of the Federal Republic, CFR, by the immediate past President, Muhammadu Buhari. Was the former President unaware of Emefiele’s alleged crimes when he honoured him?
For the records, not a few people think Emefiele was long overdue for sack. In the history of Nigeria, no CBN Governor was publicly and brazenly involved in politics more than Emefiele. Not even his predecessor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi.
He was so carried away that he actually picked the form to run for the office of the President while he was still CBN Governor. He was, it turned out, a card carrying member of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.
When outrage greeted his aspiration, he went to Court to defend his right to run for President. Emefiele was like a man possessed. Who swore for him? What was he looking for? That was when he ought to have been sacked for desecrating that office. But he was allowed to stay on. Or was it deliberate to make him face this public humiliation?
When he “bloomed” with raw power, he challenged those against him to a fight. “Come and fight me”, he said. That was in the middle of the suffering of the people over the Naira new design. No money no food. Nothing.
Emefiele took it personal. There was no compassion. It was not his fault, of course. Somebody was beating the drum he was dancing to for him. It was the former President.
Independent (?) as the CBN is, somebody hires and fires the Board members, including the CBN Governor. Emefiele couldn’t have redesigned the Naira without President Buhari’s endorsement. But Emefiele was so smitten with, and by ego that he was unable to communicate his situation properly, to let the public know the truth. Even when the powers- that-be in APC described him as evil and called him other unprintable names, he played deaf and dumb.
President Tinubu, at that time, a Presidential Candidate, said he was the target of the Naira redesign. Yet, Emefiele kept quiet. It was like: Who will touch me?
Now, where are all those who pushed Emefiele into aspiring to the office of the President? Where are those who asked him to redesign the Naira a couple of months to a General Election? Where is Buhari? Who will save Emefiele? Who will speak for him?
What I don’t want to hear is “Eh, it is because he is Igbo.” Not true. He was not discrete, let me not say he was lacking in wisdom, or worse.
However, this treatment should not stop with Emefiele. I don’t know the exact crimes he, allegedly, committed. There are too many speculations. Whatever, there are many others worse than him.
Let the hands of the law be upon them, and let the same treatment given to Emefiele be extended to them. No less.
In a twist, the Department of State Services, (DSS) has confirmed that the suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, is now in its custody.
This was made known in a statement in a tweet on the Agency’s Twitter handle, Saturday, after it first denied knowledge of Emefiele’s whereabout.
The statement reads, “The Department of State Services (DSS) hereby confirms that Mr Godwin Emefiele, the suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria is now in its custody for some investigative reasons.
“The public, particularly the Media, is enjoined to apply utmost caution in the reportage and narratives concerning this.”
President Bola Tinubu suspended Emefiele from office with immediate effect Friday night, June 9, 2023.
Following his suspension, Emefiele was directed to immediately hand over the affairs of his office to the Deputy Governor (Operations Directorate), Adebisi Shonubi who will act as the CBN governor pending the conclusion of the investigation and the reforms.
Unconfirmed reports emerged late on Friday that operatives of the Department of State Services had arrested the suspended CBN governor within an hour of his suspension from office.
But, the spokesman for the DSS, Dr. Peter Afunaya, has now confirmed that the suspended CBN governor is now in its custody.
I read Chief Dr. Uche Nworah’s social media post some days ago, titled ‘The Mindless Monday Sit-at-Home Orders In The South-East. Here I lift a portion of that public service piece that fertilizes my thought. Uche Nworah wrote that “It has become a criminal enterprise in the South-East run by different criminal organizations who dwell in camps in the forests from where they launch their attacks. If governments in the South-East are not deploying technology to fight crime as part of their plans, they have not started. It is with drones and other technologies that they can penetrate inside the ungoverned spaces where these criminals hide.”
Uche Nworah is damn correct! Technology to contain crime has advanced faster than crime, yet crime is boldly masquerading all over the South-East. May I itemize some relevant memories:
1. In the mid 90s, I participated in a working tour of the Earth Station of the European Space Agency in Esrange in Kiruna Northern Sweden. Every two hours, reels of imageries would be unrolled from photos taken from the satellites as they orbited the earth. The images were zoomed for us, the Nigerian team when the satellites came round Nigeria. The image resolution then was 10 metres. We could see road side bush burnings clearly. I heard that today, the resolution can pick a person’s face in the street recognisably, any where on earth, with an ultra-sound technology component that picks heartbeats if you are hidden deep in the forest.
2. At the twilight of Willie Obiano’s government in Anambra State, I heard that a team went to Boston Massachusetts on tour of security camera manufacturers. This was the Governor’s next steps in incorporating the camera technology in his then water-tight state security architecture. The architecture as conceived was a three or four-layer scheme beginning from local communities, let’s say Enugwu-Ukwu, where bespoke security cameras would be mounted; let’s say 10 re-locatable cameras that revolve 360 degrees picking sharp motion images day and night from as far as 5 football fields radius and sending the images to receiving stations manned and interpreted by the community vigilantes. The community data would be fed to the municipal network. And the municipal network would feed the State’s. The Anambra airport project, itself also a critical asset, probably contended with this scheme.
3. Criminals of any grade – pickpockets, armed robbers or kidnappers in the forests – operate because they regale in anonymity. States in the South-East individually and collectively should consider dusting up this 3-level community security camera coverage scheme as a matter of emergency and undertake a shared subscription to ESA satellite motion images. The satellite images can be downloaded real-time at the occurrence of any flashpoint crime events. And this will precisely guide ground kinetic responses. Methinks that a combination of these schemes – aerial satellite and camera – will strip the forests, cities and towns of the environment of anonymity. When everyone in town, in the farm or in the forest knows that he is known and is seen, 90% of potential crime will instantly be dissuaded.
4. The response to crime as is currently being done is a bloody, unintelligent dissipation of energy. Crime is having a good run while counter-crime efforts are trudging behind, gasping for breath.
With less than a week to the 2024 African Cup of Nations, AFCON, qualifiers, Super Eagles Portuguese tactician, Jose Peseiro has released a 23-Man Team that would face the Leone Stars of Sierra Leone.
Peseiro sprung up a surprise in his invitation list, by dropping Omonia Nicosia Football Club of Cyprus safe hands, Francis Uzoho for Israeli Based Goalkeeper, Adebayo Adeleye who in on the books of Hapoel Jerusalem, also giving call ups to two Home Based Goalkeepers; Victor Sochima (Rivers United) and Olorunleke Ojo (Enyimba FC).
He also invited Bendel Insurance Football Club of Benin Midfielder, Divine Nwachukwu, who has been exceptional.
As expected, Victor of Osimhen, whose 31 goals in all competitions for SSC Napoli this season helped the Italian giants to the semi finals of the UEFA Champions League and to their first Italian Serie A title in 33 years, tops the strikers’ list.
Osimhen who was given a National Honour, Member of the Federal Republic, MFR, by former President Muhammadu Buhari administration, also, has received a special ball and jersey from world football-ruling body, FIFA for his magnificent season.
Others invitees are; Defenders, William Ekong, Kenneth Omeruo, Zaidu Sanusi, Calvin Bassey, Oluwasemilogo Ajayi and Bright Osayi-Samuel are in, with midfielders Wilfred Ndidi and Frank Onyeka, and forwards Samuel Chukwueze, Taiwo Awoniyi and Kelechi Iheanacho also in the 23-man roster.
The Super Eagles are top of their qualification group with nine points out of four matches, followed by Guinea Bissau’s Wild Dogs who have seven points.
Leone Stars, who gave the Eagles a tough run in Abuja on Day 1 of the qualification series before succumbing 2-1, are on five points. Sao Tome and Principe, who play the Super Eagles on the final day of the series in September, are bottom with only one point.
Nigeria and Sierra Leone clash at the Samuel Kanyon Doe Stadium in Monrovia on Sunday, 18 June, as Sierra Leone do not have any stadium in their country approved for international matches.
A win for the Super Eagles will secure them a place at the AFCON tournament scheduled for January 2024.
Below are the list of invited players;
Goalkeepers: Adebayo Adeleye (Hapoel Jerusalem, Israel); Victor Sochima (Rivers United); Olorunleke Ojo (Enyimba FC)
Midfielders: Joseph Ayodele-Aribo (Southampton FC, England); Alex Iwobi (Everton FC, England); Divine Nwachukwu (Bendel Insurance); Wilfred Ndidi (Leicester City, England); Frank Onyeka (Brentford FC, England)
Forwards: Moses Simon (Nantes FC, France); Samuel Chukwueze (Villarreal FC, Spain); Ademola Lookman (Atalanta FC, Italy); Victor Osimhen (SSC Napoli, Italy); Taiwo Awoniyi (Nottingham Forest, England); Kelechi Iheanacho (Leicester City, England); Ahmed Musa (Sivasspor K, Turkey).
Though some Football enthusiasts and fans have queries the invitation of Joe Aribo into the team.
Aribo has been frozen out of the first team of the already relegated, Southampton Football Club of England, and hasn’t played any competitive game for the Saints as they are called in the past two months.
So inviting him for the AFCON Qualifiers has generated mixed feelings, but Coach Peseiro has continually said that the invited players merited their places in the team.
It seems the whereabout of the suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, (CBN) Godwin Emefiele, is still shrouded in secret as the Department of State Services, (DSS) disclosed that he is not with them.
Emefiele’s suspension was announced Friday night by the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, in a statement in Abuja.
DSS made the clarification via the agency’s Twitter handle on Saturday, June 10, 2023.
The post read, “Currently, Emefiele is not with the DSS.”
President Bola Tinubu suspended Emefiele from office with immediate effect on Friday night.
Following his suspension, Emefiele was directed to immediately hand over the affairs of his office to the Deputy Governor (Operations Directorate), who will act as the CBN governor pending the conclusion of the investigation and the reforms.
Unconfirmed reports emerged late on Friday that operatives of the Department of State Services had arrested the suspended CBN governor.
However, spokesman for the DSS, Dr. Peter Afunaya, insisted that he could not confirm the arrest.
