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Imo: Convoke A Pro-friendly Security Summit, Elders Tell Uzodimma

By
The Source
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Hope Uzodimma

To deal with the insecurity in the State Elders from Ohaji/Egbema, Oguta and Oru East, have urged Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma  to convoke a pro-friendly security summit. They also urged him to create an Information Centre as an avenue for sharing information with the people

The Elders made these suggestions when they rose from a critical meeting in Owerri where they passed a vote of confidence on the Governor whose efforts, at bringing lasting peace to Imo State, they commended.

Operating under a Socio-Cultural Organization tagged ‘Council of Ohaji/Egbema, Oguta, Oru East Supreme Elders Council, the Elders who described Governor Uzodimma as their son,  also lauded his achievements at ensuring there is lasting peace in their Federal Constituency devoid of youths restiveness.

The group in a communique signed by Hon. Uzoka Chukwuemeka and Hon. Justus Ojika, National Secretary and National Organising Secretary respectively, thanked the Governor for his support to ISOPADEC headed by another of their sons as Managing Director, Chief Charles Orie, who they said has built a synergy between the State Government, the Commission and the Oil Bearing Communities.

The group outrightly condemned the level of insecurity in Imo State in particular, and  Nigeria in general. They requested that urgent solution be proffered to tackle the situation.

They called on all,  especially those who claim to have been offended, to sheath their swords and embrace peace in the interest of Imo State in particular and the Nation at large.

They appealed to Governor Uzodimma  to create a Public Information Centre as a way of sharing information with the people of the State, “whereby he can be easily reached.”

The Elders, also, appealed to the Governor to “convoke a pro-friendly security summit as a measure towards creating bridges between the security agencies, government and the people as a way of tackling insecurity.”

On the Imo State Oil Producing Area Development Commission (ISOPADEC), the elders appealed to the Governor to continue in his funding of the Commission through the creation of more people-oriented projects that can engage the youths meaningfully.

They seized the opportunity of their meeting to request Governor Uzodimma to draw the attention of the Minister for Niger Delta Affairs,  Senator Godswill Akpabio, to the “visible marginalization of Imo State in the mainstream of empowerment, employment and projects allocation programmes in NDDC.”

Regardless, the Elders appealed to the youths to embrace peace and shun violence by allowing dialogue and non-violent approaches in resolving issues.

“Imo is not known for killing, shedding of human blood or destruction of lives and properties but are rather known for hard work, industrialization and hospitality,” they recalled about Imo.

They, therefore, further called on all Imolites to let peace reign by working with the administration of Governor Uzodimma in his efforts to return peace to our dear State as well as to also support the Federal Government’s laudable programmes under President Mohammadu Buhari.

 

2023: Group Urges INEC Not To Disenfranchise Diasporans

By
Akinwale Kasali
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INEC Logo
INEC Logo

By Akinwale Kasali

As the 2023 General Elections draw near, an advocacy and support group, One Nation, One Destiny Advocacy and Awareness Initiative has called on the Prof. Mahmood Yakubu led Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to give Nigerians in the Diaspora equal opportunity of voting come 2023.

The Group said this will support relevant Government agencies saddled with the responsibility of sensitising Nigerian citizens towards a national rebirth.

At its inaugural meeting via zoom, the Group issued a statement duly signed and made available to the media by the National Coordinator, Hajia Khalima Kabir Lamisila.

Lasmisila said that:

“Technology has made things simpler and there is no excuse not to enfranchise Nigerians in Diaspora in the coming general elections”.

The statement further reads,

“Since 2012, six Members of Nigeria’s Federal House of Representatives led by Abike Dabiri-Erewa, House Committee Chair on Nigerians in the Diaspora sponsored a Legislative Bill that sought to amend Nigeria’s Electoral Act 2010 in order to grant Nigerians in the Diaspora the right to vote during general elections in Nigeria.

It, however, called on relevant stakeholders in Government and private organisations as well as development partners at home and abroad to join hands with the group in expediting action in good time to factor Nigerians in Diaspora in Nigeria’s electoral system.

The Group with the focus of building a new nation equally advocates for a change of attitude by its citizens, calling on well-meaning Nigerians to join in the task of using the instruments of love and unity as yardsticks for establishing oneness and togetherness in Nigeria.

The highlights of the meeting include: having royal fathers as peace ambassadors as  a way to reach their subjects.

The group also resolved in supporting relevant government agencies saddled with the responsibility of sensitising the people towards national rebirth.

The need to use electronic, print media and social media to reach larger percentage of the Nigerian populace as a way of proffering solutions to the Nation’s problems  by making the people aware of the government’s efforts in attending to their needs.

The meeting was attended by the other national officers of the group namely Engr. Jeleel Haleem Project Coordinator, Mr. Abdulrahman Aliagan, Director Media ICT & Research and Mr. Olatunbosun Awe Director Policy, Strategy, Advocacy & Networking.

One Nation, One Destiny Movement is a socio-political Movement that is out to project and promote democracy and credible leaders that will serve as a lasting solution and answer to leadership question in Nigeria. The Movement is a borrowed leaf from a Philosophy that changed the narrative in the United States of America till date for the better, “The Manifest Destiny”, though with a sharp difference in approach and ideology.

It identifies the roles of leaders in any given organized society as vital for the development and sustenance. The group is also aware that corruptions, self-serving policies, nepotism, weak institutions, constitutional abuse among others are the major problems affecting leadership in Nigeria.

The movement identifies the wide gap in the issue of leadership Thrust; it sees the need and is taking the lead at ensuring that Nationalist and Patriotic leaders are taking charge of the see country’s affairs through awareness, education and advocacy programme.

Insecurity: Don’t Profile Us And Kidnap Political Positions – Ekweremadu

By
Ayodele Oni
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By Ayodele Oni

Leader, South-east caucus in the National Assembly, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, has again called on Ohanaeze and the South-east Governors Forum to immediately convene a meeting of the Zone’s leaders to genuinely dialogue and find solutions to the increasing level of insecurity in the South East and also offer solutions to the security situation nationwide.

He emphasised, in a write-up on the current security situation nationwide, that “it is imperative to underscore the fact that the rising insecurity and agitations in the South East are not peculiar to the region.

“It, sadly, has become a national new normal. From the North West to North Central, North East, South West, South East, and South South, there is a conflagration of insecurity, crises, and all forms of restiveness and separatist agitations.

“Therefore, for emphasis, I reiterate that it is extreme and dangerous to play national or regional politics with serious matters such as we have on our hands today rather than solving the challenges before it is too late.

“Pragmatic leadership and patriotism are needed at this time.  We need to rally Nigerians, and come together as leaders to provide solutions and not trade blames or seek to make political capital out of what is clearly capable of consuming the entire nation, including even any political ambitions by anyone.”

The Former Deputy President of the Senate described as dangerous a situation whereby some people are shifting blame and playing politics with the present insecurity.

“It is unfortunate that some people prefer to blame everyone else, except themselves, believing that their brothers and sisters on opposing political divides will be profiled and taken out for them by federal might ahead of 2023 to make it easier for them to kidnap political positions in the South East. This is extreme and dangerous politics.

“It is on record that the South East leaders have at various times individually and collectively stated their positions on the challenges in the region, the concerns and demands of the South East people of Nigeria.

“They have also reiterated their opposition to the use of violence to resolve problems.

“I believed initially that those were genuine concerns about the security situation in the South East.  However, I have come to the realisation that those making and inducing the statements are only playing politics with a very serious matter.

“The objective is to lay the foundation for the harassment and possible destruction of the opposition in the South East ahead of the 2023 General Elections.

“Importantly, I have consistently advocated that justice, equity, better management of our diversity, and decentralised policing, including state police of which I sponsored a Bill to that effect in the 8th and current Senate, are the sure paths to peace and security in Nigeria. But these have largely been ignored.

“In any case, it is sheer blackmail and out of place to say that South East leaders, myself inclusive, have been quiet on recent events in the region.

“Most recently, on Sunday, May 30, 2021 to be specific, the leaders of the South East Caucus of the National Assembly, of which I am one, as well as a Member of the Senate and House of Representatives from each State of the South East region issued a joint press statement wherein we unequivocally condemned the killings and attacks on public assets in our region and called on the security agencies to immediately unveil persons behind the crisis, especially the so-called unknown gunmen, and bring them to book.

“I have equally been in personal touch with Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide on the issues in the South East region. I have personally spoken with the governors of the South East, impressing on them the need to call meetings of all stakeholders in their states and engage everyone, irrespective of their political persuasions, to find solutions to the security challenges in their respective states in particular and the South East in general.

“I have personally spoken with Governor Hope Uzodinma on the need for a meeting of political stakeholders and leaders in Imo State to collectively proffer solutions to the turbulence in that state.”

If Nigeria Is Divided To Piecemeal, How Do We Share The Things That Unite Us? -Buhari; Commends South-south

By
Adesina Soyooye
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By Adesina Soyooye

President Muhammadu Buhari, on Thursday, said Nigeria is better united as one big country than divided  to piecemeal.

A couple of ethnic groups in Nigeria, protesting what they see as marginalisation and ill-treatment, especially, since the Buhari Government, say they want to secede from Nigeria.

Such ethnic groups have organisations, leading from the front, proclaiming freedom now or never.

There is the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra, IPOB, led by Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. The Group wants the South-east out of Nigeria.

There is, also, the Oduduwa Republic Group led by Chief Sunday Igboho which is championing an independent Yoruba Republic – Oduduwa Republic.

While chiding those who want Nigeria balkanised, Buhari singled out the South-south Zone, for thinking straight and keeping their heads high.

Both Governors Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, and  Duoye Diri of Bayelsa State, had warned IPOB that their States were not part of the Biafra Republic, and asked the Group to keep off. Other South-south States seem to be on the same page with them.

Praising them, Buhari said during a live interview on ARISE Television that:

“I am, particularly, impressed with the South-south Leaders regarding their stand about Nigeria. Both their elders and Youths, none told me what they said.  I listened to them myself. And their message was clear. God bless them all”

The President was of the opinion that it is neither tidy, nor a smart idea to divide Nigeria into small-small Republics. Saying it was a wrong signal to investors, the President asked: ” How do we share what united us?”

His words:

“Dividing Nigeria to piecemeal is not any solution. It’s a wrong signal to all investors.

“So each Republic will become a paradise? How do we share what united us? What we have done together within such a record time?”

Rebuking Nigeria’s elite for condoning those who ask for the division of Nigeria the President said:

“I’m surprised Nigerian elites watch these uniformed lots make criminal statements everyday. We are all better off as Nigerians”

Shoot At Sight Order Of Armed Criminals Still In Force – President Buhari

By
Ayodele Oni
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President Buhari in Lagos

By Ayodele Oni

President Muhammadu Buhari, Thursday, in Lagos reiterated that his directive to security agencies, to shoot persons found illegally wielding AK-47s and other assault weapons, remains in place.

In a statement, his Special Adviser, Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina stated that President Buhari also vowed that his administration will act firmly and decisively ‘‘against all persons fomenting or carrying out attacks on our Police Force and other security personnel.’’

The President spoke at the handing over of security equipment by the Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu  to the Lagos State Police Command during his one-day official visit to the State.

President Buhari warned that: ‘‘A Nation that turns its Police personnel and infrastructure into targets of violence and destruction is a Nation on the path of self-destruction.

‘‘As Commander-in-chief, my primary responsibility remains the security of the country and the safety of all citizens.

“Despite the many challenges we are facing, I want Nigerians to be rest assured that we will secure this country.

 

‘‘We will secure our infrastructure, our highways, our communities, and our forests, and we will secure the lives of our people.”

The President told members of the Nigeria Police that as the Government strives to improve their welfare and capacity, the citizens equally had expectations from them.

‘‘First let me commend the Inspector-General of Police and the entire Force for the recent efforts to restore peace to troubled parts of the country.

‘‘I have charged the Inspector-General to leave no stone unturned in rebuilding the morale of his officers and men, especially in the aftermath of the mindless violence associated with the EndSARS protests, as well as the recent spate of attacks on Police Stations in some parts of the country.”

Commending the Lagos Governor on the newly-acquired security equipment and assets, the President noted that it would go a long way in boosting the morale of the Police, and further enhance their capacity to fight crime and combat criminality.

‘‘This is even more touching in the light of the unwarranted violence that ensued in the wake of the ENDSARS protests last October, which saw the security architecture in Lagos State being severely damaged.”

The President added that it was commendable that Lagos State, the Centre of Excellence, has shown a truly resilient spirit, in the face of the massive destruction it suffered last October.

‘‘You did not allow yourselves to be deterred by the severe setback; instead you have bounced back and are now boldly rebuilding the confidence of residents and investors in the State.

‘‘I acknowledge the initiative taken to kick-start the rebuilding process, through the establishment of the Lagos State Rebuild Trust Fund, and through this very laudable effort by the Lagos State Security Trust Fund.

“I enjoin other State Governments to emulate your bold, proactive and resourceful initiative.”

The President also used the occasion to reiterate that the ‘‘Federal Government takes very seriously our constitutional oath to secure the lives and properties of the Nigerians, adding that his administration was conscious of the fact that lasting security is a necessary foundation for business, investment and true prosperity.

President Buhari declared that no Federal Government since 1999 has been as committed as his administration in reforming and repositioning the Nigeria Police Force and national policing architecture.

‘‘In 2019, I signed into law the Act establishing the Nigeria Police Trust Fund, the first in the history of the Force, to provide guaranteed funding to support Police welfare, logistics and equipment.

‘‘In September 2020, I assented to the Bill amending the Nigeria Police Act, which was originally enacted in 1943.

‘‘This new Act, a vast improvement over the old one, among other things spells out the modalities for the implementation of a National Community Policing Scheme in Nigeria.

‘‘This new scheme will build confidence within our local communities and make them active stakeholders in the safety and security of their environs.

‘‘We are currently recruiting 10,000 new Police officers to reinforce our personnel capacity across the country.

“In addition to this, I have directed the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission to carry out an upward review of Police salaries and benefits.”

IPOB, Is Like A Dot In A Circle, Has No Exit Access – Buhari

By
Uche Mbah
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0

By Uche Mbah

In his first live interview with a Media House in the country since his second term in office, President Muhammadu Buhari, dismissed the threat posed to Nigeria by the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra, IPOB.

He described the organisation, led by Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, as “a dot in a circle which has no access to exit.”

IPOB has been agitating for an independent Republic of Biafra out of Nigeria, citing the marginalisation of the South-east in the scheme of things in Nigeria. The organisation is, therefore, asking for a referendum for the people to decide their fate.

But the Federal Government thinks otherwise. The Government says that IPOB is a Terrorists organisation,  and proscribed it in 2017. It also charged its leader with Treason. He escaped while on bail, the day the Nigerian Military invaded his father’s Palace. A British citizen, he is in London, pursuing the cause, he says, of an independent Biafra.

Speaking Thursday on ARISE Television, the President said that IPOB members were not thinking about the spread of the Igbo all over Nigeria, nor are they thinking of their businesses.

He said:”IPOB is like a dot in  a circle. If they want to exit, they will have no access to anywhere. And the way they (Igbo) are spread all over the country, having businesses and property, I think IPOB doesn’t know what they are taking about.

“My statement about speaking Language is very simple. It is meant for all criminals in Nigeria. What it means for the IPOB is that I will go after them through the military and police and rid them of their criminal tendencies. I have no regret whatsoever.

“Anyway, we’ve said we’ll talk to them in the language they will understand. We’ll organise the Police and Military to pursue them. That is what we can do, and we’ll do it”

It was the same posted threat for which Twitter took down the President’s post and, for which the Federal Government banned Twitter from Nigeria.

On that statement for which both Twitter and Facebook took down his posts, the President said:

“My statement about speaking Language is very simple. It is meant for all criminals in Nigeria. What it means for the IPOB is that I will go after them through the military and police and rid them of their criminal tendencies. I have no regret whatsoever.”

Many are of the opinion that Buhari’s stand on IPOB during the ARISE interview is likely to infuriate the Group, and worsen the Security situation in the South-east.

They suggest dialogue or, at worst, a carrot and stick approach.

Service Chiefs: Buhari Scolds Ndigbo, Says Northerners Are More Competent

By
Bayo Bernard
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0

By Tosin Olatokunbo

President Buhari has disclosed that there are more competent northerners in the military and that the region got top appointments because they are more in the armed forces. He said he appoints top military commanders based on their competence.

The Service Chiefs are Major-General Lucky E.O Irabor, Chief of Defence Staff; Major-General Ibrahim Attahiru, Chief of Army Staff; Rear Admiral Awwal Zubairu Gambo, Chief of Naval Staff; Air-Vice Marshal Ishiaka Oladayo Amao, Chief of Air Staff.

The president spoke on Arise television on Thursday while fielding question on the state of the nation.

Buhari has  been serially criticized for appointing northerners to top positions in the military which many say contradict the federal character law, which says government positions should be equitably distributed.

Buhari said “You’re saying someone who had gone through military and police training all his life should not be appointed to lead the military or police department he works with just because we must balance appointments? What are you saying?

The president said the other zones should encourage their people to join the military if they want to be appointed to sensitive positions., noting that he will not bow to pressure to look beyond the North to appoint top military heads.

According to him “the system didn’t restrict anyone from joining the military or the police, and if you decided not to join, we will not force you but you too will not force us to bring someone who is not qualified in training and experience when it comes to leadership of these institutions just because we want to balance some appointments……..”

The appointment of Service Chiefs has been done by the president without the South East in mind, analysts say, noting that this has been partly responsible for the spate of insecurity in the region because the Igbo feel marginalized in the country.

Following the death of former Chief of Army Staff, COAS Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru in a plane crash in Kaduna last month, some well-meaning Nigerians and groups such as Ohanaeze Ndigbo had urged the president to appoint his successor from the South East to douse tension in the region.

The Igbo social-political group appealed to Buhari to use the opportunity of the death of the former COAS to appoint a south-easterner as the new Army boss to correct the imbalance in the appointment of service chiefs.

The group said “We are not lobbying for a South-East officer as a replacement for the late COAS, but we are drawing the attention of President Buhari to evaluate the privileges of being unpredictable and reversing the wrong suspicions that he is biased against southern Nigeria leading the army.

“Every geopolitical zone should be represented in the security council to boost national integration and restoration of confidence among other Nigerians that the President belongs to nobody but everyone.”

“We are convinced that only a south-easterner will swish the magic wand to disassemble all the unpatriotic coalitions reaping from the budgetary allocation mapped out for security purposes by recycling insurgency.

“We are unmistakable that the northern cartel is the major beneficiaries of the insecurity and rebellion. If Buhari is determined to end the security challenges confronting the nation, he should break the spell and terrify those immoral elements pressurising him to undermine the south and re-appoint another northerner as COAS. Definitely, the promising direction to re-assert himself as the people’s President is for him to ordain a southern COAS,” Ohanaeze said.

In spite of the appeal, President Buhari appointed General Farouk Yahaya as the Chief of Army Staff. He is from Sokoto state.

Ondo: PDP Says New Govt House, Wasteful; Govt – It’s Being Funded Through Bond

By
Ayodele Oni
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Rotimi Akeredolu - Ondo Communal Clash

By Ayodele Oni

The People’s Democratic Party, (PDP), Ondo State, on Thursday flayed the motive behind the construction of a N2 billion Government House by Governor Rotimi Akeredolu’s administration, which the Party pointed out, has found it difficult to pay workers salaries.

Speaking during a press conference in Akure, the State Chairman of the Party, Mr  Fatai Adams, stated that: “While the present administration of Akeredolu has a backlog of un-paid salaries of workers, it is proposing to build a 2-billion naira new Government House in Akure.

“This is not only ridiculous, but the surest evidence that the Governor has completely lost direction. Dr Olusegun Mimiko, Akeredeolu’s predessesor, built a very befitting Government House, in 2013, a few years before Akeredolu assumed the reins of government.

“To spend two billion Naira of taxpayers money on another Government House, at this time, is the height of callousness and wastefulness.

“Considering the terrible economic situation and hunger in the land, is it proper or reasonable for a government to embark on a 2-billion Naira project that will only serve very few individuals, when millions of people are languishing in despicable penury and dying without basic healthcare service delivery?”

Mr Adams also condemned the mass exodus of Medical Personnel from the state due to Government’s inability to meet their salary obligations.

“Here in Ondo State, we are seriously alarmed by the unfortunate resignation of over 105 Medical Doctors from the Ondo State Public Service over the inability of the Government to pay the medical personnel their due salaries and hazard allowances as, and when due.

“Apart from the failure of Government to pay, Governor Akeredolu, unapologetically, told the Doctors in a widely televised program that the services of the Doctors were not indispensable.

“I’m sure you’ll all recall that Ondo State was the destination for Medical Tourism in the South West because of the first class service delivery found here under  the PDP Administration.

“According to the Nigerian Medical Association’s records, no Medical House Officer has been employed by the Ondo State Government since 2019, a situation that is responsible for the poor services rendered in the hospitals.

“The available few hands are already overwhelmed and overstretched by the high number of patients coming for medical attention. This is very pathetic. Our people are dying unattended to! This portends grave danger especially in a period when all manners of epidemic rear their ugly heads.”

In its reaction to the criticisms by the opposition PDP, the State Government, through the Commissioner for Information, Mr Donald Ojogo, stated that: “It is a conceded fact that an opposition party is at liberty to criticise any Government including of course, the indiscretional display of ignorance on issues of governance.

“The misplaced allusion to the Governor’s Lodge, as well as the weak nexus between same and the issue of salaries betrays an unpardonable amnesia on the part of a politcal party.

“It becomes immeasurably uncanny if such party had left the stage with the most uncharitable legacy of ‘unpaid seven months salaries ‘.

“Perhaps, PDP deserves to know that the envisioned Governor’s Lodge is among the plethora of iconic projects targeted with the yet-to-be-fully accessed BOND.

“Suggesting, therefore, that Government should ‘shelve’ the project for salaries clearly shows a gross lack of knowledge of how Bonds work. They are, a Special Purpose means of funding developmental initiatives, inconvertible to cash, hence undrawable by anyone.

“Rather than abandon the welfare of workers for months without remorse under any guise, the Ondo State Government led by Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Odunayo Akeredolu, SAN, shall, at all times, evolve ingenious means to address the issue of salaries in the face of excruciating global economic challenges.”

The Governor had said that Governor’s Lodge, built by Mimiko had structural defects, while the one before that was full of termites. It is not yet known if the Mimiko Lodge will be pulled down, meaning a waste of billions of Naira, or be converted into another use.

We Will Deal With Those Killing Policemen, Soldiers Buhari Warns

By
Bayo Bernard
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0
Policemen stand near damaged vehicles in Sabon Gari, Kano
Policemen stand near damaged vehicles in Sabon Gari, Kano May 19, 2014. A suicide car bomber killed five people on a street of popular bars and restaurants in the northern Nigerian city of Kano on Sunday evening, in an area mostly inhabited by southern Christians, police said. REUTERS/Stringer (NIGERIA - Tags: CIVIL UNREST)

By James Orji

President Muhammadu Buhari has condemned the killings of policemen and soldiers across the country, saying his government will do all in its power to protect them.

Over 200 policemen and soldiers have been killed since the beginning of the year, the government said earlier in the week.

This must not be allowed to continue, the president said in Lagos on Thursday at the commissioning of vehicles and equipment donated to the Nigerian Police Force, NPF by the state government.

Buhari, according to a statement by Femi Adesina, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, restated his order to security agents to shoot any non-state actors wielding AK-47 riffles.

He said his administration will act firmly and decisively ‘‘against any and all persons fomenting or carrying out attacks on our Police Force and other security personnel” warning that ‘‘a nation that turns its Police personnel and infrastructure into targets of violence and destruction is a nation on the path of self-destruction.’’

‘‘As Commander-in-chief, my primary responsibility remains the security of the country and the safety of all citizens. Despite the many challenges we are facing, I want Nigerians to rest assured that we will secure this country.

‘‘We will secure our infrastructure, our highways, our communities, and our forests, and we will secure the lives of our people,’’ he said.

The President told members of the Nigeria Police that as the government strives to improve their welfare and capacity, the citizens equally had expectations from them.

‘‘First let me commend the Inspector-General of Police and the entire Force for the recent efforts to restore peace to troubled parts of the country.

‘‘I have charged the Inspector-General to leave no stone unturned in rebuilding the morale of his officers and men, especially in the aftermath of the mindless violence associated with the EndSARS protests, as well as the recent spate of attacks on Police Stations in some parts of the country,” he said.

The president commended the Lagos Governor on the newly-acquired security equipment and assets, the President noted that it would go a long way in boosting the morale of the Police, and further enhance their capacity to fight crime and combat criminality.

‘‘This is even more touching in the light of the unwarranted violence that ensued in the wake of the ENDSARS protests last October, which saw the security architecture in Lagos State being severely damaged,’’ he said.

OPINION: What Twitter Ban Teaches The World About Nigeria

By
The Source
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0
Azu Ishiekwene

Azu Ishiekwene

The Nigerian government thinks Twitter is the greatest source of its misery. After straining at the leash for months, it couldn’t resist swatting the microblogging platform with a ban last week.

But what does the ban mean, really?

It means that about 40 million users in Nigeria who are mostly young people would be unable to access the service through local service providers.

This figure is more than the total number that voted for President Muhammadu Buhari in the last two elections combined, over half the total number of those who voted in the general elections of 2019, and nearly three times the number that voted him back in office for his second term in the presidential poll.

The ban means Buhari’s government is afraid of listening to its own citizens, especially the young ones. According to NOI Polls in November 2019, “Twitter users in Nigeria said that it is most effective in gaining attention for an issue or trending topic.”

This was followed by those who said the service is used to “communicate grievances or dissatisfaction”, and then, those who said they use it for “activism and advocacy.”

The ban means more. It means that a government which is currently battling unemployment at 33 percent, doesn’t really bother what happens to nearly 300,000 of its citizens who, by its own statistics, earn a living from ICT. Buhari’s government has been a compulsive job loss-maker and yet, it has no qualms making things worse. That is what the ban means.

Banning Twitter in an already impoverished country is hardly in keeping with the President’s promise to lift 100 million people out of poverty. At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic last year, the government advertised the 15 percent contribution of ICT to the GDP as proof of its seriousness to modernise and diversify the economy.

And just a few months down the line an irritation by one nuisance called Nnamdi Kanu throws the government into a tantrum that is currently costing it $250,600 every hour. The Twitter ban tell us that the government is so confused it’s even prepared and happy to pay for its own mockery.

The ban also means that the government does not know its own history, or does not care. One of the major criticisms against Buhari when he was running for president was his poor record on press freedom and human rights.

He responded, quite reasonably, that the draconian laws on his watch as military head of state reflected the very nature of military regimes. He added, however, that he had since become a “reformed democrat.” If he could ban Twitter for deleting his tweet, and he is a reformed democrat, what would he have done if he was not reformed?

His action also means he doesn’t quite understand Nigeria’s struggle against tyranny, or he doesn’t care. No leader, military or civilian, who has ruled with an iron hand has ended well. Before Twitter, Nigerians used plays, drama, songs and other art forms, apart from a vibrant press, to express themselves in spite of government. Banning Twitter only instigates their creative genius.

Nigerians are voted the world’s happiest bunch because they have a big mouth and they’re not shy to use it. It was this gift that was generously deployed against then President Goodluck Jonathan by Lai Mohammed, the opposition party spokesman, and members of the All Progressives Congress (APC), making Jonathan one of the world’s most abused presidents. Yet, he took it in his stride.

The Twitter ban means, more tellingly, that Buhari’s government is still in the mode described by Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai in 2010, when he said Buhari, then the presidential candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), did not know the difference between a Blackberry phone and the blackberry fruit.

Buhari’s government is apparently lost between Twitter the microblogging site and twitter the bird. Twitter is not a spirit or a committee that decides whose tweet to delete and whose to leave. There is a system for handling complaints.

A report on its action site, for example, showed that between January and June 2020, 93 countries filed 12,657 requests for information from accounts, presumably for matters related to perceived violations.

Complaints may be filed under the company’s emergency or routine action rules. Under the former, requests for disclosure of information about accounts are provided if information is given to support good faith belief of imminent threat; and in the latter case, or routine non-emergency, requests are treated when they are backed by legal demands issued by subpoenas, courts, warrants, and so on.

In the report, requests for the two types of reports increased by 44 percent over the previous reporting period and compliance was 36.7 percent against 40.4 percent previously. Three countries – US, India and France – topped the request list.

While the report for the last six months is still being awaited, Buhari’s government did not cite a single instance of government request for information about any one or group. Nor did it file any complaint for redress after the President’s tweet was deleted. Jack Dorsey does not have to like or dislike Buhari to delete his tweet. The President or his followers only need to file a request with reasons or basis for action.

But the government says it’s not about money, jobs or any infringement on personal liberties. It also says it’s not true that Buhari has conscripted Nigeria into this Twitter war to save the President’s personal ego bruised by a deleted message.

It says the ban is about national security and accuses Twitter of aiding and abetting the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), the banned separatist group determined to dismember the country’s South-east.

There’s a bit of history to the government’s Twitter tantrum.

During the #ENDSARS protests last year when hundreds of young people marched to demand an end to police brutality among others, Jack Dorsey backed them, making the government mad.

The scar had barely healed when Twitter snubbed Nigeria and, instead, opened its first Africa office in neighbouring Ghana, with a backhanded comment about “free speech, online freedom and open internet”, aimed at Nigeria.

The message was not lost on the Nigerian government. Mohammed blamed the lack of patriotism among Nigerian journalists and the country’s negative portrayal in the media as the reasons why foreign businesses were looking elsewhere and once again, dredged up memories of Twitter and #ENDSARS.

Complaints against tech giants are not new, and not altogether unfounded. The cookies and bots these companies deploy prey on our vulnerabilities and map our lives relentlessly while algorithms keep us addicted to the very thing killing us.

After the allegations of Russia hacking in the 2016 US presidential elections and the scandalous role of Cambridge Analytica in that election and in Brexit, tech giants have been forced to take greater responsibility. And with the increasing influence they exert on mindshare worldwide, the pressure on them to act responsibly will not – and should not – recede.

But the platforms also have a responsibility to protect their users from powerful arbitrary forces wherever they may raise their ugly heads. The Buhari Twitter saga, just like former US President Donald Trump’s rascality,highlights just how important and compelling is the need for user vigilance and protection.

Twitter is not Nigeria’s problem and Buhari does not need the futile mission of waylaying citizens on social media. Nigeria’s problem is that Buhari’s government has lost its way. There’s only a narrow track left that leads to lip-service and self-aggrandisement by a handful.

The government is failing on every major promise it made six years ago and is failing terribly where it matters most: security. Yet, every day it promises a different result while stubbornly determined to do things the same old way.

It’s not Twitter, Buhari; it’s your government. While Twitter tantrum may boost the testosterone levels of some people in the government, we’ll soon wake up to find that like all aphrodisiacs, the effect would wear off, but the problem remains.

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