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Anambra: Why Nkem Okeke Should Resign As Deputy Governor

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The Source
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Comfort Obi

By Comfort Obi

Dr Nkem Okeke, the academic-turned politician, and Deputy Governor of Anambra State, has dumped the party which brought him into office. He did so on Thursday, October 14, 2021. Until then, he was of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA. He has divorced from the Party.

He was doing his second term in office with the flamboyant Governor of the State, Chief Willie Obiano, when he decided he has had enough. In doing so, he followed a long line of Obiano’s Aides and Political Associates who, in recent times, gave the Governor a wide berth. They want to associate with him no more.

I don’t know what the plans of the urbane Deputy Governor is. All that is known is that he, in Aso Rock, he defected to the All Progressives Congress, APC. There he stood, looking, suddenly, like a rock star, flanked by no less a person than President  Muhammadu Buhari, and the Governor of Imo State, Senator Hope Uzodimma – the man who between him and the Governorship candidate of the APC, Andy Uba, is bent on emptying as many APGA faithfuls as are possible into the APC. There must be something, or somebody, repelling APGA faithfuls from the ruling party in the State.

Since his defection, Okeke has clamped up. He has not said a word. Or, perhaps, I missed it. He has not said anything about his official status. Is  he  still in Abuja? Or back to Awka, the State capital?  And, does he go to office or not? More important, he has not announced whether he has, also,  quit his office as Deputy Governor or not. If not, does he still see himself as the Deputy Governor? If so, I have an unsolicited advice for Deputy Governor Okeke.

He should do the Honourable thing and quit the office of the Deputy Governor. He should drop everything APGA-related. And face his new party. And work towards his new party’s victory in the November 6, 2021, Governorship election. It’s just around the corner. The office of the Deputy Governor has become a distraction to him.

I have read a number of reactions to his defection to APC. From the Government House Awka, it is like: “no scratch.”

They say he will not be missed. They say he has no electoral value. And you wonder when they found that out. And, if so, why run with him for a second term in office? Or, was all that talk “bad belle.?”

From his home base, Enugwu- Ukwu, a few  APGA politicians have been trying to distance themselves from their kinsman. They have been reassuring Obiano that with, or without, their former leader, Okeke, the area is APGA’s. They claim they were not aware he was on his way out. They claim he  neither said a word to them nor consulted them. They claim they only saw his photograph with the President, and the others, holding the APC flag, as published. These guys didn’t have their ears to the ground.

Another Government source claimed Okeke defected because he was not given the APGA Governorship ticket to succeed Obiano.

True? How come I don’t believe any of the tales?

Andy Uba Welcomes Deputy Governor, Okeke To APC
Dr Nkem Okeke, being presented to President Muhammadu Buhari.

If Okeke did not tell his constituency, he must be a bad politician with no eyes on the future. If he defected because he was not given the APGA ticket, then, I seem to have given him more (political) intelligence than he deserves.

How many Deputy Governors succeed their Governors in office? It never happens. I can remember only Kano State Governor, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, who  succeeded  his Governor, Dr Rabiu Kwankwaso. Even then, it was neither easy, nor  smooth. And, the two of them have gone on to become sworn enemies. At a point, Kwankwaso was barred from entering Kano State. That’s how much powers Governors exercise!

Most Governors simply tolerate their Deputies. Deputy Governors are, to the Governors, a piece of furniture which could either be made use of, or ignored. They are mainly ignored. Most of them remain anonymous till the end of their tenure. They are there in name.

A number of Commissioners are more important, and more influential, than the Deputy Governors. The DGs don’t like it. But what do they do? Any little “gra-gra” or perceived threat, or gossip from one mischievous quarter, impeachment beckons. Ask the DGs who worked with former Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha. Anything could be fabricated to get rid of them by a usually rubber-stamp House of Assembly.

In the case of Okeke, the story is that it was all the above, and more. He, allegedly, had no clout in the Government which number two he is. He never got consulted on most things. He was also not involved in most things. No perks of office. Perhaps no monetary allocation to his office. Perhaps, allowances too.

The story out there is that he really is not the Deputy Governor. That honour, it is alleged, belongs to the Governor’s very flamboyant wife, Ebele.

This other day, the State APC claimed, in a statement, that Mrs Obiano gets the sum of N250m as Security votes every month. Neither the APGA as a party, nor  Anambra State Government, denied that serious allegation. But it would be nice to know how much goes to the office of the Deputy Governor, who it is also claimed, has no spare vehicle, and has had to allegedly, at times, stand along the road, waiting for his official vehicle to be repaired whenever it broke down. A bit of exaggeration, perhaps, but that tells the story of Okeke’s sorry situation.

Questions, then,  are: If Dr Okeke was this badly treated, what is he still doing in office? Why did he stick around with  Obiano for this long – seven years plus, out of an eight year tenure? Or, are the stories not true? Is it just a question of giving a dog a bad name in order to hang it? Or, is Dr Okeke, with all the defections that have hit APGA, recently, seeing the hand writing on the wall? Does he think APGA  has become a sinking ship, and wanted out before it finally sinks?

Whatever, Deputy Governor Okeke should do the honourable needful. He should quit his  office. He is no longer useful in that Government – either in deed or words. He is no longer worthy of the office. It is like a wife divorcing her husband, and still lives in the same house with him. It is an aberration.

His sticking around, perhaps  insisting that both of them were elected together, that the Governor couldn’t have been elected without him, is begging the issue. It is a Nigerian thing.

Most Nigerian political office holders don’t quit their offices no matter how incompetent they are, or how much failure they have become, or how much humiliation their bosses have put them through.

If Okeke was an outsider before, he has even become more of an outsider now. If he was being humiliated before now, the humiliation will be complete now. What if one Special Adviser, or even a Councillor, deliberately asks him to shut-up, or quarks him in public? Some politicians are that raw. What if he gets to office one day, and sees his office locked, ostensibly, for repairs – and, without his knowledge? What if the vehicles attached to his office are withdrawn for servicing without his knowledge. Governors are that powerful, or why do you think their subordinates address them as Executive Governors, even though being Governors mean they have executive powers?

The above aside, DG Okeke needs to resign for his self esteem. For his honour. He needs to do that for his credibility. Nobody deliberately sleeps with an enemy. As far as Governor Obiano and his Government are concerned, Okeke has  become an enemy, a spy. Okeke will be lucky if he is allowed into the Executive Council Chambers for the weekly Council meetings. If he enters where  something important is being discussed, they will clamp up. One security personnel could ask him out.

If Okeke insists on staying in office, I won’t envy him. His final months could be the most disgraceful in his life. If in doubt, he should ask the immediate past Ondo State Deputy Governor, Agboola Ajayi. His was messy. He quit the APC, and joined the PDP, and later, ZLP, to challenge his Governor at the polls, without quitting office as DG. By the time the Government finished with him, he realised that harmattan is, indeed, cold.

His official vehicles were stopped at the Government House gate for searching. He lost his Local Government at the polls. After some “gra-gra” from him, he was threatened by the Police and forced to return all Government vehicles attached to him.

But that is the right thing to do. You resign from your party, you quit the office. Holding onto that office becomes fraudulent. But we must blame our very faulty Constitution. That is why Governors Dave Umahi, Ben Ayade and Bello Matawalle of Ebonyi, Cross River and Zamfara States would shamelessly remain in office as Governors after they dumped the political party that brought them to office. It is an aberration. It is fraudulent. It happens only in our clime. And the Judiciary seems helpless.

The only way Okeke will not to go through what Ajayi went through is if APGA loses at the Governorship polls. That is when he will have a sweet laugh at,  and revenge against, Obiano.

As for Obiano, many vultures are hovering around. His last months in office as Governor, and Leader of APGA, have been rough and tough. Too many unpleasantness. Faced with an unprecedented state of insecurity in the State since his tenure, the hemorrhage in his cabinet, and party, under his watch has not helped. For him it is a horrible winter.

In the past few weeks, aside from Deputy Governor Okeke, APGA has witnessed an unprecedented loss of membership. House of Representatives members. House of Assembly members. Commissioners and Special Advisers and Assistants. A BOT member. Former House of Representatives members. Former Speaker of the House of Assembly as well as former members. Even those still with him and the Party, he should not quite trust. The story out there is that a number of them cannot wait to vote  against him and APGA on November 6.

One of the faces of the Party, Iyom Bianca Emeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, widow of the still very revered late Ikemba Nnewi, and Leader of APGA, has since given APGA a wide berth. She is indifferent to their activities. She said Governor Obiano insulted the memory of the Ikemba; that he dared  declare Ikemba irrelevant.

Before all these, the most high profile exit from APGA was former two-time Governor, Peter Obi. The allegation is that Obi was pushed out of APGA. He was asked to leave or play very low profile. It was like: “You are a former Governor, you need to remain so. Don’t try to shine, or outshine anybody anywhere. You’ve had your time.” Obi chose to leave.

Questions are: What is it in Anambra APGA, incidentally, the only State the party controls, that repels its members? Why are members of a ruling party in a State abandoning the party, in droves, a couple of weeks to a very crucial election – the Governorship election? It is late, almost, but the APGA leadership needs to quickly look inwards.

But, back to Deputy Governor Okeke. He should make haste and resign. There is honour in doing so. Make a difference. Show example. Tell them you are an academic first, before being a politician. Academics are a proud people, with plenty of self-esteem. Prove it. Don’t wait to be humiliated out – in case APGA wins the November 6, 2021 Governorship election. If that happens, impeachment will be on the cards. Don’t count on politicians. Those who dumped APGA could make a u-turn to do the dirty job. That is the way of politicians. For them, it is normal.

Obi is the Editor-in-Chief/CEO of The Source (Magazine), https://thesourceng.com. Email: [email protected], [email protected]

Buhari Congratulates NUJ, Isiguzo, On Success Of Delegates Conference

By
Ayodele Oni
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Mr Chris Isiguzo

By Ayodele Oni

President Muhammadu Buhari has congratulated the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) on the outcome of its Seventh Triennial Delegates’ Conference which saw the re-election of Chris Isiguzo for a second term in office as President.

This was contained in a statement on Friday by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media, Malam Garba Shehu

The statement read “From the outset of this Administration, President Buhari has made clear that ‘‘press freedom is an irreducible minimum in a democracy that would flourish’’, however, such freedom must be used responsibly.

“Considering the formidable role the media play in shaping and influencing the course of events in any society, the President reminds the NUJ leadership that the country will continue to look up to their members for fair, balanced and objective journalism.

“President Buhari urges the media to forge greater unity in the union, engage in productive dialogue to resolve any issue inimical to the progress of the association.

“The President assures the newly elected executives that this administration will uphold and unrelentingly safeguard the watchdog role provided for the media in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

Clamour For Mental Health Bill By NASS Over Suicide Option

By
Akinwale Kasali
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By Akinwale Kasali

Days ago, the Media was awash with the death of Kenneth Nnabuchi, an undergraduate student of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, COOU, Uli, Anambra State, who  committed suicide.

The 100-Level Student of Psychology was said to have taken his own life at the Kosi lodge of the institution by setting himself ablaze at the back of the hostel building.

Investigations revealed that prior to the incident, the deceased had, allegedly, told his cousin that he wanted to give up the ghost the previous day due to stress, and was said to have borrowed N200 from the said cousin that day to purchase petrol used in setting himself ablaze.

He was rushed to Ihiala General Hospital but was rejected due to the degree of burns. He died at another  hospital in Nnewi.

Akanu Ibiam Federal Polytechnic, Unwana, Ebonyi State, was also in the news recently, as its Higher National Diploma student, Olivia James, committed suicide. Reason for this dastardly act was because her boyfriend broke up with her.

The late Olivia celebrated her birthday a week earlier, on Wednesday, October 6 2021, had a misunderstanding with her boyfriend identified as Henry, and went ahead to consume a poisonous substance.

She was said to have been found unconscious in her apartment during the weekend by her friends who rushed her to the hospital. She was confirmed dead on arrival.

Godswill Chinecherem Okoro, the Students Union Government’s Director of Information and Publicity confirmed the demise of Olivia, saying: “She ended her life after her boyfriend ended their relationship. During the course of their misunderstanding, Henry stopped taking her calls; rather an unknown female was the one answering the calls.

“Unable to live with the realisation that the man she spent all her savings on was likely cheating and acting uninterested in their relationship, Olivia took the move of ending her life.

“She left a Whatsapp message for one of her friends about taking her life”.

Also, 21-year old Christabell Omoremime Buoro, a 300-level student of the department of Medical Laboratory Science, University of Benin, UNIBEN, was said to have committed suicide. Her lifeless body was discovered in her hostel at Plot 4 Uwaifo lane, Newton street, Ekosodin area, behind the university fence.

The late Christabell was said to have allegedly taken some deadly substance to end her life. It was gathered that the undergraduate linked her suicide to her breakup with her boyfriend.

In taking her life,  Christabell was said to have mixed the deadly insecticide, popularly called Sniper with Sprite and reportedly left a suicide note where she stated that she was about taking her life because the guy she loved didn’t love her in return.

Kenneth, Olivia and Christabell are just few out of numerous youths who have taken suicide as an option when they are emotionally, mentally and psychologically stressed, thus making suicide a new fad among youths, most undergraduate students.

According to the World Health Organisation, WHO, suicide is the fourth leading cause of death in people aged 15 to 19 years (male and female). More than 700,000 people die due to suicide every year, and 77 per cent of global suicides occur in low- and middle-income countries like Nigeria.

The methods of committing this suicide are; Ingestion of pesticide, hanging and firearms.

The increase in suicide in Nigeria has over the years escalated, which is being attributed to serious public health problem; that is believed to be preventable with timely, evidence-based and often low-cost interventions.

The Mental Health Bill which is saddled with the protection of right of persons with mental disorders, ensure equal access to treatment and care, discourages stigmatization and discrimination and set standards for psychiatric practice in Nigeria

was first presented to the National Assembly of Nigeria in 2003 but was withdrawn in 2009 after no considerable progress. The bill was reintroduced again in 2013 but yet to be enacted.

In 2003, a bill for the establishment of Mental Health Act was introduced by Sen. Ibiabuye Martyns-Yellowe and Sen. Dalhatu Tafida but was later withdrawn in April 2009.

Four years down the line, on March 20, 2013, the bill was re-introduced to the National Assembly by Hon. Samuel Babatunde Adejare and Hon. Solomon Olamilekan Adeola but yet again was brushed aside.

The bill makes provisions for access to mental healthcare and services, Voluntary and involuntary treatment, Accreditation of professional and facilities, Law enforcements and other judicial issues for people with mental illness, Mechanisms to oversee involuntary admission and mechanism to implement the provision of Mental health Legislations.

Over 13 years since the bill was introduced to the National Assembly, it is yet to be passed into law.

In an interview with Daily Trust Newspaper, Dr Taiwo Lateef Sheikh, a Consultant Psychiatrist at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, addressing the issue of increase in suicide among youths in Nigeria, said it is worrisome that youth suicide is on the rise both locally and internationally, but especially for a country like Nigeria that has  a relatively youthful population, that make up a sizeable number and are the major productive age group is quite disturbing.

“To lose them to suicide has grave consequences for economic growth, and this is due to lack of effective national suicide prevention strategies and non-passage of the mental health bill”.

Sheikh added that a comprehensive suicide prevention policy is a whole document that includes measures such as addressing social, psychological, mental health and infrastructural determinants which involve improvement in mental healthcare services.

Others, he said, are changing of laws, making psychological counselling accessible to those at risk, especially youths, and making suicide methods unavailable or difficult like improving the design of our bridges, roads and rail lines.

He also included restricting access to chemical agents used to commit suicide and firearms, changing the ways the media report suicide and making it not only patients’ friendly but use reporting of suicide to educate the public, among others.

The psychiatrist noted that the passage of the mental health bill on its part, will promote mental well-being, prevent mental illness and guarantee universal access to effective, affordable and culturally acceptable mental health care services for the country.

Buhari Is The Greatest Of All Times, Says Adesina

By
Uche Mbah
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0

By Uche Mbah

Presidential image-maker, Femi Adesina, has said President Muhammadu Buhari is the greatest president to have ever ruled Nigeria, sparking outrage from social media platforms.

In an article Thursday entitled,‘The Essential Buhari: VP Osinbajo got it!’, Adesina quoted Vice President Yomi Odinbajo as saying that “the most popular Nigerian politician that we ever had in this generation” is President Buhari.

“Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo is an honest man. Whatever he tells you, please take it seriously,” he said.

“When he said Buhari was possibly Nigeria’s most popular politician that we have had in generations, I believe it, not just by the hearing of the ear, but because my eyes have seen it.

“I am old enough to have seen our colorful and even swashbuckling politicians in action. I have seen the great Obafemi Awolowo. The charismatic Nnamdi Azikiwe (Zik of Africa). Shehu Shagari. Aminu Kano. M.K.O Abiola. Bashir Tofa, and many others in action.

“But I have not seen anyone with the kind of attraction, magnetic pull, that Muhammadu Buhari has. And that is round the country, north, and south. People swarm around him as bees do to honey.

“I have been around the country with the President. I have also been to several countries of the world with him. I have not seen any other Nigerian leader, past or present, with his kind of allure, pull, fascination, magnetism…”

“The virulent opposition we see in the land can only be self-serving, an odious attempt to grab power for power’s sake. I’ll rather follow an honest man, for the sake of our country…

“One more thing. The VP also told his London audience that we are better off as one people, one country.

“One hopes those beating the drums of discord, evil speech, and dismemberment are listening. Nigeria is stronger, better off as one united entity.

“Issues we have can always be resolved, without breaking into splinters. That is the only way the labor of our heroes past shall never be in vain.”

Most commentators on Social Media platforms vehemently disagree with Osinbajo and Adesina.

EndSARS Memorial Protest: Group To Defend Lagos; Police Promise Clampdown

By
Akinwale Kasali
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Lagos EndSARS Protesters

By Akinwale Kasali

It would be exactly one year on October 20, 2021, that the #EndSARS protest against Police brutality, extra judicial killings and abuse of fundamental Human Rights by the defunct Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS, of Nigeria Police took place, leading to the alleged killings of protesters at the Lekki Toll Gate by suspected Military Men. It also led to several deaths across the country, and the destruction of Government and private properties worth trillions of Naira.

Plans for the commemoration of that day is in top gear. There are plans for a massive protest to mark the “One year remembrance of the day.”

However, a Group, Coalition of Concerned Civil Society Groups, under the aegis of Defend Lagos Coalition, has vowed to frustrate attempts “to set Lagos on fire again” through protests to commemorate the one year anniversary of #EndSARS.

The Group said that it is important to situate the occurrences that triggered the 2020 #EndSARS protests, in proper prospective to prevent a reoccurrence of the mayhem that arose from it.

Comrade Nelson Ekujimi, Spokesman of the Coalition, said there was a need for a rethink, considering the losses incurred by Nigerians in 2020 when a similar protest was hijacked by hoodlums.

Also, Hakeem Odumosu, the Lagos State Police Commissioner, has vowed to quell any protest to commemorate the #EndSARS, saying the security agencies would not allow the State to be plunged into crisis it witnessed last year, leading to the wanton destruction of Government and private properties worth trillions of Naira.

Ekujimi, lending his voice on behalf of the Group and on the stance of the Police said that that the #EndSARS anniversary should be a moment of sober reflection and not for protest.

“As some group of persons and interests contemplate commemorating the anniversary of the #EndSARS protests with another protest, it is our conviction that such an anniversary ought to be a moment for sober reflection on the whole essence of the 2020 protest.

“While we recognise the inalienable rights of citizens to ventilate their grievances, we must admonish that it must be exercised with recognition of the fact that other persons’ right must not be infringed upon in the process.

“In the #EndSARS protests of October 2020 that blew across the country, though an agitation against impunity and lack of accountability in public office encapsulated in the activities of the disbanded Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS), at the end of the day, it left a sour taste and sorrow in our hearts.

“The needless killings, looting, destruction of public and private assets that trailed it, most particularly in Lagos state which was the hardest hit, is an experience we will not wish to have again,” he said.

He stressed that the aftermath of the destruction during the protest, left behind psychological trauma, inflicted on the people of Lagos state, as the State is yet to recover from the loss it inquired at that period.

“We look backwards with pain and anguish over the unwarranted destruction of lives and property.”

“Our major concern is the lives and property of Nigerians. We are aware that the uncoordinated EndSARS protest led to anarchy.

“Assumed leaders of the protest lost their grip on the protesters which led to lawlessness.

”We will never again allow anyone or group of persons to destroy the Lagos state heritage,” he said.

Biafra:My Interrogators Wanted to Interact With A Celebrity – Chiwetalu Agu

By
Uche Mbah
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Chinwetalu Agu

By Uche Mbah

Veteran Nollywood comic actor, Chinwetalu Agu, said the operatives of the Nigerian Army and the Department of State Services (DSS) “wanted to be involved in the case so that they can have the opportunity to interact with Chiwetalu Agu.”

Recall that Agu was arrested at Upper Iweka, Onitsha, Anambra State on October 7, by soldiers. They claimed he was inciting people, and seeking support for the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra, IPOB.

He was, however, putting on an outfit with “, Biafran” colors, which may have made the Army believe he was a member of Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB.

He was later released but was rearrested by the DSS, which later took him to Abuja.

But Agu insisted he was treated respectfully by both arms of security. There were palpable fears he may have been manhandled.

The Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN) effected his release from the Army before the DSS took over.

But during a welcome party organized by the AGN, Agu said he was only buying bread and distributing to the poor when he was arrested.

“It didn’t start well, but God took control. I was only buying bread for the poor. Soldiers came in and started scattering things”, he said.

“They said they were calling me in the office but they did not tell me my offense. Because they did not tell me my offense, I refused to follow them.

“That drama that took place was important so that they will know that Igbo are here. That moment of Upper Iweka till the time we got to the army barracks close to Zik Mausoleum, to 82 Division of the Nigerian Army and DSS office in Abuja, nobody touched me. They treated me with respect.

“Every officer wanted to be involved in the case so that they can have the opportunity to interact with Chiwetalu Agu.”

OPINION: How I Remember #ENDSARS One Year After

By
The Source
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0
Azu Ishiekwene

By Azu Ishiekwene

On October 3, 2020, I watched a video of a policeman attached to the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) shooting a young man in front of Wetland Hotel, Ughelli, Delta State. Initial reports after the young man was shot said the shooter and other policemen in his company drove off in a car belonging to the victim, leaving him in a pool of his own blood.

Another version of the story emerged later that the young man was not dead, but was injured after he jumped out of a moving police van operated by the Delta State local security network.

Two days later, there was another incident of a deadly SARS shooting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. A young man, Daniel Chibuike, 20, fondly called “Sleek”, and his friends, were sitting outside a hotel when policemen attached to SARS pulled up menacingly.

He panicked and fled. The policemen chased Sleek, shouting, “thief! thief!!” He ran for his life shouting his innocence. But it was too late. They shot him, dumped him on the floor of the police van and drove him around the city until he died.

For years, we have seen horrific scenes like these up and down the country – lives taken so brutally, so casually, and with impunity by those supposed to protect them. The perpetrators boasted that nothing will happen. And they have been right. The case of a SARS police officer in Anambra, CSP James Nwafor, who in spite of serious charges of brutality still got official protection, sums up the state of affairs.

The cop, who allegedly killed scores of young men in Enugu and Anambra States and dumped their dead bodies in Ezu River, has to date, defiantly refused to answer, even when he was summoned by a judicial panel.

It was hard to tell that that October morning one year ago would be the day of reckoning. It was unexpected. In the middle of a global pandemic that had laid bare the frailties of Nigeria’s healthcare and social welfare system, who could have expected that a mass protest movement would evolve so dramatically? The movement managed to transcend the online conversation form that it had been before, and transformed into direct action.

On the global stage, the storm had been gathering. From the resurgence of the #BlackLivesMatter movement in the United States, to the anti-Maduro protests in Venezuela and the Sudanese democracy protests, the expectation that a global pandemic and the accompanying lockdowns would hamper such events proved to be false.

In fact, according to the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, the pandemic itself was a driver for protests. Citizens, disillusioned with political and economic systems that seemed to be creating greater inequality, poured into the streets across the world.

In Nigeria, the month before the #ENDSARS protest saw the country’s largest union suspend a nationwide strike against electricity tariffs proposed by the government. The decision to raise tariffs under an administration that had not only led the country into two recessions, but been unable to redeem its promises on the power sector, was as unpopular as organised labour’s indecisive response.

Social media was a rallying force. The hashtag, #ENDSARS, was launched in 2016 and had been deployed at different times in the past. But it was not until last October that matters came to a head.

In Lagos, the epicentre of the movement, a group of young Nigerians (less than a dozen) protested first at the Lagos State police command then moved on to Alausa, at one of the entrances of the complex housing both the State House of Assembly and the Governor’s office. The group sought an audience with Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to discuss their concerns.

Less than 24 hours later, citizens in other states began to mobilise and voice their displeasure at their various elected representatives. Some groups protested at the palaces of traditional rulers. One of such protests resulted in the death of Jimoh Isiaq, the first victim of the protests felled by police bullets. His mother later got to know about her son’s killing in a viral video.

Protesters in Abuja marched on the police command, where they were treated with contempt and dispersed with tear-gas and water cannons.

If there’s a recurring theme in Nigeria’s history, it is that untreated tensions are never successfully quelled by bullets. They may be suppressed momentarily but they linger on and fester only to resurface in unexpected ways, with greater force. #ENDSARS was the first in a long time an action, focused, directed and powered by young people nationally, and targeted at people in power to get a reaction. It was an action started by ordinary citizens, most of whom were disproportionately affected by the rogue police unit’s actions, seeking to bring them to account.

It was also a movement to bring elected representatives to account, and a wake up call for citizens who have become so accustomed to injustice that they make excuses for their victimisers.

A common narrative was that the protesters did not know what they wanted. That is a ludicrous claim. The group not only repeated its demands for an end to police brutality, justice for victims and for greater accountability, these demands were acknowledged by some state governors who seemed only interested in deflecting responsibility.

Some said protests are futile and unsuccessful. This claim is an indictment not only of our political elite, but also the rank-and-file that has participated in numerous strikes against fuel hikes and protests to restore the country’s democratic mandate.

Another common criticism was that the protesters should go and vote instead. To deploy this argument when these individuals were exercising their democratic right is disingenuous. In a sense, what this claim does is to lay solely at the feet of the young people the task of rescuing a broken system. F.K. Abudu, in her interview on Arise TV, provided a strong counter argument, with her response on why voting isn’t the focus when she asked who elected the Inspector General of Police responsible for the rogue unit of the police.

#ENDSARS has fundamentally challenged our democracy. While we might have celebrated with much fanfare the transfer of power between two competing parties for the first time in the country’s history in 2015, we’re still a long way from honouring citizens’ democratic rights, including the right to protest.

The government has pushed back, claiming that it allowed peaceful protest, disbanded SARS and set up judicial panels of enquiry in a number of states.

But it has been a farce, quite frankly. For example, the Nigerian Army, a willing tool in the mayhem at the Lekki Toll Gate, the epicentre of the protests in Lagos, has been playing fast and loose with just how far it is prepared to come clean over its role in the shootings at the Toll Plaza.

And the Lagos State Government which declared three days of mourning at the beginning and made a song and dance of setting up a judicial panel has ended up dancing on the graves of the dead. At the same tribunal that it set up, the government not only suppressed evidence, it described the grief and traumatic experiences of victims as a “Nollywood movie!”

It is ironic that while governments at different levels sought to portray the protests as political, claiming they were funded by subversive elements, the same governments had no shame using thugs to infiltrate the protest in a number of places and stoking violence. It showed that our political elite who claim to have fought against military rule have imbibed their worst qualities and have themselves become a threat to the country’s stability.

#ENDSARS was not perfect. It couldn’t have been. But the fact that it happened at all means that one day, there would be recompense for the memory of those whose brutal murders at the Lekki Toll Gate and elsewhere still cry for justice.

Ishiekwene is Editor-In-Chief of LEADERSHIP

Stock Exchange: Onyema Resigns After Pressure

By
Bayo Bernard
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0

By Tosin Olatokunbo

Oscar Onyema, the group Managing Director/ Chief Executive officer of the Nigeria Exchange Group, NGX has resigned his position as a non-executive director of The Exchange. His resignation comes on the backdrop of a petition by a human rights group, Nigeria for All Nigerians, NAN for him to resign from NGX as a director to avoid conflict of interest.
His resignation was announced on Thursday by the Chairman, NGX, Abubakar Mahmoud who said Onyema’s resignation was in the best interest of The Exchange and all stakeholders in the market.
“On behalf of the Board and Management of The Exchange, I extend our heartfelt gratitude to Mr. Onyema for his selfless service to The Exchange. As he transitions into this new phase as the GMD/CEO of a listed company, we reiterate our commitment to act in the best interest of all Issuers to the benefit of all stakeholders in the capital market,” Mahmoud said.
NAN had called on Onyema to step aside as NGX director arguing that his continued stay in that postion and CEO of the quoted NGX Group breached extant rules and international best practices.
The group, in a statement by Dele Ajanaku, its Secretary General said, “the impending listing by introduction of the shares of NGX Group on the main Board of NGX ltd with effect from October 13, 2021 vis-a-vis Mr. Onyema’ s portfolio in the two companies will be a violation of Rule 184(2)(a) on the status of Mr. Oscar Onyema as the CEO of NGX Group while also serving as a Non-Executive Director of NGX Limited.
“Rule 184 (2) states that a securities exchange shall have a code of conduct for its council members or Board which shall be approved by the Commission and shall contain provisions that the council members or Board shall not be staff of a quoted company and its subsidiaries.
Ajanaku stated further that, “the purpose of this provision is to forestall a situation where a Council or Board member of an Exchange would be in a position to extend special privileges or exercise undue influence towards a listed company which he/she works for.”
“In the scenario under review, by virtue of his position as CEO of NGX Group, Mr. Onyema is a staff/employee of the company. Given that he also serves a non-executive on the NGX Ltd, the Exchange on which NGX Group is set to be listed, Mr. Onyema would (if permitted to hold both portfolios), be in contravention of Rule 184(2).
““it is recommended that the Commission should request Mr. Onyema to relinquish one of the portfolios he is currently occupying so as to comply with Rule 184(2),” NAN said.
Onyema who served as chief executive of the Nigerian Stock Exchange, NSE took up the role of GMD/CEO of the NGX Group after the demutualization of the NSE. He had completed his mandatory 10-year term as NSE boss.

After Al-Barnawi, Shekau’s Death, Military Intensifies War Against Insurgency

By
Bayo Bernard
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0

By James Orji

Vicious leader of the Islamic State West Africa Province, ISWAP, Abu Musab al-Barnawi, is dead, according to Lucky Irabor, Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff, CDS.

His demise comes few months after the leader of Boko Haram, Abubakar Shekau was killed in gun battle with ISWAP rivals.

“I can authoritatively confirm to you that al-Barnawi is dead. As simple as that. He is dead and remains dead,” Irabor told journalist in Abuja on Thursday.

The death of al-Barnawi, the son of Boko Haram founder, Yusuf Mohammed marked the brutal rivalry between the two Islamic groups, even though ISWAP has yet to confirm the death of their leader.

The development also comes amidst the surrender of more than 13,000 boko Haram members, within two weeks, to the armed forces fighting insurgency in the North east part of Nigeria. The returning Islamists consist of former Boko Haram commanders, their wives and children, Director of Defence Media Operations, Benard Onyeuko, said on Wednesday.

General Lucky Irabor- CDS
Irabor: al-Barnawi is Dead

Some of the repentant terrorists said they were forced to surrender following the death of Shekau which somehow left his camp scattered, bereft of any leadership. Others said they were forced to join the group, that the killing of Shekau presented them the opportunity to escape.

The Military spokesman said “cumulatively, within the period a total of 29 terrorists were neutralised and 13 terrorists, including their informants/collaborators and logistics suppliers, were arrested in the course of the operations,” he said.

“Additionally, a total of 38 assorted weapons and 968 rounds of assorted ammunition as well as 48 rustled livestock among several other items were recovered. So far, a total of 13,243 terrorists and their families comprising 3,243 adult males, 3,868 adult females and 6,234 children, have surrendered to our troops at different locations in the North-East.”

He added that no fewer than 29 terrorists were killed while 13 terrorists and their collaborators were arrested during the period.

Boko Haram has killed thousands and displaced more than two million people since it took up arms against the federal government in 2009, following the killing of its leader by the Nigerian Police.

Meanwhile, the CDS said on Thursday that there is no time line yet to ending the war against insurgency. He said there is still more to be done to totally vanquished the terrorists.

Gov Fayemi Targets One Billion Naira Internal Revenue For Ekiti

By
Ayodele Oni
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0

By Ayodele Oni

Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi, on Thursday, highlighted various measures by the administration to shore up Internally Generated Revenue, IGR, of the state.

Speaking at an economic summit organized by the Government in Ado Ekiti, the Governor stated that the administration has created enabling environment for investors and development partners to operate.

According to him, the present administration’s massive investment in infrastructure and security would shore up the revenue of the state to not less than one billion naira monthly next year.

The Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, who had earlier commissioned a multi million naira civic center commended Governor Fayemi for setting the stage for future economic development.

The Vice President advised the State to invest in ventures which have comparative economic advantage, as the country enters the age of science.

Prof Osinbajo pointed out that with technology, indigenes  could settle down in the state and work to earn their living.

The ceremony, which was graced by Governors of Lagos, Kaduna, Edo as well as the deputy governor of Ondo state was part of activities marking the third anniversary of the present administration.

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