Ms. Fidelia Ifeyinwa Ezeiruaku, the National Youth Service Corps member, who was assaulted and dehumanised by an unruly female Army officer, Lt Chika Viola Anele, has been redeployed to Lagos State.
Before her redeployment, she was deployed to Calabar, Cross Rivers State, where she was serving her Primary assignment at the 13 Brigade, Nigerian Army, Calabar.
Her stay in Calabar went awry, and attracted national outrage, when Lt Anele asked her to kneel down, and proceeded to pour dirty water on her which she scooped several times from a container with a plastic bowl. She also hit Ezeiruaku with the plastic bowl a number of times, on her face with the bowl, as the helpless Corper moped in her complete humiliation.
Minister for Women Affairs, Mrs Pauline Tallen, disclosed Ezeiruaku’s redeployment to Lagos when she reacted to the scandal.
In a statement, Tallen said she, the Minister for Youths and Sports, and the Director General of the NYSC, would take up Ezeiruaku’s case till the end to ensure that she got the desired justice.
The Corper, she said, asked for a redeployment to Lagos.
Tallen: “I want to reassure all Nigerians that alongside my colleague, Honourable Minister of Youth and Sports, and the DG, NYSC, we are leaving no stone unturned to ensure that the Corp member gets the desired justice.
“I want to reassure all Nigerians that the Corp member will formally relocate to Lagos following her request to be deployed.”
The Nigerian Army has, already, taken immediate steps to institute an investigation into the shameful incident, and has taken a yet-to-be-made-public disciplinary action against Lt Anele pending the investigation.
In a strongly worded statement, Army Director of Public Relations, Brigadier-General Onyema Nwachukwu, described Lt. Anele’s action as deplorable, and embarrassing to the Army. While apologising to Ms Ezeiruaku, her family, NYSC and Nigerians, he said Anele’s action does not represent the Nigerian Army.
ADDRESS BY HIS EXCELLENCY, MUHAMMADU BUHARI, PRESIDENT OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA AT THE GENERAL DEBATE OF THE 76TH SESSION OF UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY Friday, 24TH SEPTEMBER, 2021 NEW YORK, USA
Protocols:
Mr. President,
Let me, on behalf of the government and people of Nigeria, congratulate you on your well-deserved election as President of the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly. I would like to assure you of the full support and cooperation of the Nigerian delegation throughout your tenure.
I would like to commend your predecessor, His Excellency, Mr. Volkan Boskir, for the many remarkable achievements recorded during his tenure, despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Permit me to congratulate the Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, on his re-election and commend his strong commitment to making the UN more alive to its responsibilities.
I also want to express my gratitude to him for re-appointing Ms. Amina Mohammed, as the Deputy Secretary General to assist him in discharging his heavy responsibilities.
Mr. President,
The theme of this year’s General Assembly – “Building resilience through hope – to recover from COVID-19, rebuild sustainably, respond to the needs of the planet, respect the rights of the people, and revitalise the United Nations, sums up our common desire to rescue our planet, recover our economies, and restore hope to all the peoples of the world.
In this regard, my delegation will continue to support the United Nations, as the indispensable forum for international cooperation and the cornerstone of the multilateral system, rooted in respect for international law, including international human rights law and predicated on a rules-based order.
Mr. President,
I want to thank the international community for the concerted response to COVID-19. The solidarity and drive to contain the first truly global health emergency of our time is a pointer to the many things we can achieve if we work together.
On our part, Nigeria has made strenuous efforts to contain the virus and halt its deadly onslaught on our people. Our efforts have been rewarded with moderate success.
At the outset, we recognised detection and contact tracing to be important tools in combating the virus. In this connection, from a mere four laboratories with testing and detection capacities, we ramped up the facilities to over 140 centres today.
Similarly, we built isolation centres and emergency hospitals wards in record time all over the country. We carry out genomic sequencing in designated laboratories across the country with a view to detecting variants in circulation.
In addition, over 40,000 health care workers have recently been trained on Infection, Prevention and Control measures with the support of various partners. Through the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control, we have established 16 infectious disease treatment centres located within our Teaching Hospitals and Federal Medical Centres.
Nigeria remains grateful for the assistance received from our partners and friends all over the world. Vaccination is the key to our safe emergence from the pandemic. We fully support the COVAX initiative from which we have benefitted. We also thank the United States of America, Turkey, India, China, European Union, and others for the vaccines provided.
Despite the acknowledgement however, I would like to reiterate my call for a fairer and more equitable distribution of vaccines to all countries so that, together, we can fight and contain the pandemic. The rising wave of newer and more contagious strains, makes this even more urgent. No country can afford the socio-economic implications of prolonged shutdown. It is imperative to underscore that no one is safe until everyone is safe.
Mr President,
Nigeria remains deeply concerned over the illicit trade, transfer, and circulation of small arms and light weapons. Their excessive accumulation and uncontrolled spread in many regions of the world are having devastating humanitarian and socio-economic consequences, especially on the continent of Africa.
It is on this note that my delegation calls for the world wide application of the Arms Trade Treaty to codify accountability in conventional arms trade, which is critical to the security of nations. This is in recognition of the need for a broad-based global partnership in the on-going battle against trans-border crimes, including terrorism and piracy.
Mr. President,
We must deal not only with the symptoms of conflict but also the immediate causes that fuel conflicts in the first place. These include poor and undemocratic governance, human rights abuses, poverty, ignorance, injustice and inequalities.
There are no easy solutions to these conditions. They require long term investments and more effective international cooperation. In this connection, my delegation underscores the importance of promoting peaceful, unfettered, and inclusive participation of states in global actions towards conflict prevention. This will facilitate the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the African Union Agenda 2063.
18 In West Africa especially, our democratic gains of the past decades are now being eroded. The recent trend of unconstitutional takeover of power, sometimes in reaction to unilateral changes of constitutions by some leaders, must not be tolerated by the international community. Nigeria fully supports the efforts by ECOWAS to address this growing challenge and appreciates the support of both the African Union and the United Nations. In this regard, I would like to reiterate that as leaders of our individual Member-States we need to adhere to the constitutional provisions of our countries, particularly on term limits. This is one area that generates crisis and political tension in our sub-region.
Mr President,
Nigeria is fully committed to nuclear non-proliferation and has always supported the view that it should involve all States.
Disarmament Conventions deserve the support of all states, small, large, nuclear or non-nuclear. Nuclear weapons remain the ultimate agents of mass destruction, and their total elimination should be the final objective of all disarmament processes within the broad spectrum of goals being pursued by the United Nations.
In this regard, Nigeria would participate actively in the forthcoming Review Conference of the Nuclear Prohibition Treaty and also the First Meeting of States Parties to the landmark Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, scheduled to take place within the first quarter of 2022.
Nigeria regards these upcoming events as important steps towards the realisation of a world free of nuclear weapons. We are, therefore, supportive of any diplomatic efforts in this direction. We hope that the upcoming NPT review conference would lead to a successful outcome that would facilitate the denuclearisation of the world. We would do our part to ensure such an outcome.
Mr. President,
Terrorism continues to dominate security discourse worldwide. In Nigeria, Boko Haram terrorists group, though fragmented by internal strife and weakened by our defence forces, is still active and preying on soft targets. Nigeria will continue to work closely with UN Counter-Terrorism bodies and entities with a view to bringing this scourge to an end.
Nigeria has spared no effort in addressing the challenges of terrorism posed by the activities of Boko Haram in North-East Nigeria and the Lake Chad region, as well as banditry in the North-West and North-Central Nigeria. The Nigerian Security Forces have recorded considerable success in the fight against terrorism. As a result of the renewed vigour of our military, many terrorist fighters are voluntarily surrendering to our security forces.
I and three other Nigerian Heads of State served actively as peace keepers and Nigeria continues to support peacekeeping efforts. We know the sacrifice involved, we also know how important peace keeping is for those in vulnerable situations. Nigeria will continue to play its part fully in supporting United Nations peacekeeping operations within Africa and beyond.
Mr. President,
The impact of climate change is already with us in Nigeria, manifesting in various ways: conflicts trigger; food insecurity, drying up of lakes; loss of livelihood, and youth migration, among others. The trend is the same in many other countries that are threatened by forest fires, rising sea levels, drought and desertification.
In the circumstances, we intend to build a climate-resilient economy that effectively aligns with the SDGs and that has great potentials to unlocking the full opportunities in different sectors of the economy, while protecting the resources for present and future generations. I know, in several ways, this is also a familiar story in many countries.
As leaders, we must create inclusive and gender-sensitive policies that address all issues connected to climate action, from mitigation to resilience.
Nigeria believes that protecting our planet and its biodiversity and climate are important to our collective survival. That is why, we are working on a transition to low carbon economy, consistent with achieving the Paris Climate Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals.
Mr. President,
Combating illicit financial flows and ensuring the recovery and return of illicitly acquired assets have the potential to provide resources in the immediate term for financing development in this era of the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.
Similarly, corruption across national borders has huge negative impact on the stability, peace, and economic prospects of millions, particularly in developing countries.
It deprives national Governments of resources needed to provide adequate and meaningful sources of livelihood for their citizens. The latter gives rise to more irregular migration patterns, with unwholesome consequences for inter-state and human relations.
I, therefore, call on all leaders to demonstrate the much-needed political will by supporting the recommendations for systemic reforms made by the FACTI Panel.
We support establishing modalities for a global coordination mechanism at the United Nations Economic and Social Council to systematically monitor illicit financial flows and strengthen financial integrity for sustainable development, with the participation of all relevant stakeholders.
Mr. President,
On the issue of debt, we have seen that developing countries have been faced with unsustainable debt burdens even before the pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the risk of new wave of deepening debt, where vital public financial resources are allocated to external debt servicing and repayments at the expense of domestic health and financing for critical developmental needs.
I must commend the current initiatives by the international financial institutions and the G20 aimed at significantly mitigating the economic situation of the indebted countries and urge for more efforts in this regard.
Therefore, there is an urgent need to consider expansion and extension of the Debt Service Suspension Initiative to include all Developing, Least Developed Countries and Small Island Developing States facing fiscal and liquidity challenges. In addition, a review of the eligibility criteria for debt suspension, including outright cancellation, is needed for countries facing the most severe challenges.
Mr. President,
Nigeria reaffirms that international trade is an engine for development and sustained economic growth, as well as the global eradication of poverty.
My delegation would like to reaffirm the critical role that a universal, rules-based, open, non-discriminatory and equitable multilateral trading system can play in stimulating economic growth and development.
Fair and equitable trade would eventually eliminate the need for aid. My country and indeed all African countries do not intend to stay indefinitely looking for aid. All we need is a fair and equitable system of international trade.
We, therefore, call for a reform agenda that will engender better recovery from this crisis, build resilience to future shocks and pursue transformative development strategies that can deliver the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.
Mr. President,
The global food system has, in recent times, been impacted by several factors such as population growth, availability and accessibility of arable land and water resources, climate change, and loss of biodiversity.
Increased competition for resources such as land, water, and energy, has affected food access and supply, particularly in developing countries. Climate change and unpredictable shocks, such as the current global pandemic, further exacerbate vulnerabilities in the global food system, requiring the UN’s urgent attention.
The Government of Nigeria remains determined to improve the productivity and incomes of small-scale farmers by promoting equal access to land, technology and markets, sustainable food production systems and resilient agricultural practices.
At the heart of Nigeria’s post-COVID-19 response is the Economic Sustainability Plan, which has a major component, called the Agriculture for Food and Jobs Programme where we seek to leverage suitable technologies to build a resilient food system for the country.
An integral part of our food systems’ transformation strategy is to create an enabling and supportive environment to implement these policies in a participatory manner.
Global efforts to mitigate and sustain food systems must involve key stakeholders, including Governments, farmers, investors, multilateral organizations, regional bodies, international financial institutions, private partners and civil society organizations.
Mr. President,
Nigeria has been steadfast in safeguarding human rights, including the advancement of women, the protection of children, the protection of the rights of people living with disabilities, the treatment of migrants, refugees, returnees and displaced persons as well as, the promotion of fundamental freedoms through all legitimate means. In this regard, my delegation commends the positive example of leaders like Prime Minister Jacinda Arden of New Zealand.
In this context Nigeria calls for collective global action through a Treaty to end all forms of violence against women and girls of all ages.
Nigeria remains unwavering in its commitment to ensuring the advancement of human rights within its shores and beyond. This is so even in the context of a vicious decade-long onslaught by terrorists against Nigerians, quite contrary to unwholesome reports by some who hardly verify what they state against us.
The recent rise in hate related crimes globally underscores the urgent need to continue our engagement about racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and other related intolerance. It is sad to note that the issue of racism remains alive globally.
We are beginning to forget our affirmation of the inherent dignity and the equal and inalienable rights of every individual as enshrined in the UN Charter. No society can claim to be free or just if it deprives anyone of these rights.
Nigeria has long been a principled fighter against racism and all forms of discrimination inspired by its African experience. In the past, racism oiled the machine of slavery and colonialism. Today, racism drives hate crimes and institutional discrimination. In all this, Africans and people of African descent are among the major victims.
Cognizant of these, I commend Member States for adopting by consensus the resolution on the Establishment of the Permanent Forum of People of African Descent on 2nd August 2021. I am confident that this forum will make significant impact in the quest to end race-related vices and injustices.
Mr. President,
No reform of the United Nations system is more urgent than that of the Security Council. Stakeholders around the world are asking how such power could be concentrated, with scant representation. The intergovernmental negotiations have taken too long, some 15 years. We must avoid going in cycles. Consensus has been achieved in some of the elements of this reform, especially that of the representation of Africa on the basis of the Elzuwini consensus and the Sirte Declaration. It is unreasonable to expect unanimity in this matter. The issue, indeed, is about justice, not unanimity. Without justice, the legitimacy (even efficacy) of our Organization is called to question. We can and must make substantial, irreversible progress on Security Council reform in the current session.
Mr. President,
Connected to this, is the question of justice, fairness, and equity in respect of the Palestinian people. The situation in the Middle East is long-standing and gives cause for concern. Nigeria encourages Israel and Palestine to re-engage in dialogue based on relevant UN resolutions and Initiatives. The two-state solution has the support of the international community and is widely acknowledged as the path to lasting peace.
Mr President,
Our organization is at the peak of the multilateral system. It is also the pre-eminent body for solving our current and emerging challenges, and for developing norms that are protective of us all. We need to re-commit to it, rejuvenate it to better serve us. Nigeria re-affirms its faith in the United Nations and is further resolved to continue to work with all Member-States for peace and security, development and the protection of human rights. In the current moment, hope for these, is dependent on how we assist each other to get COVID-19 out of all countries, regardless of their classification. We can and must do so.
In this regard, let me close my statement by paying special tribute to a great and humane internationalist, and an exemplary practitioner of multilateral cooperation. I am speaking of Chancellor Angela Merkel of the Federal Republic of Germany. As she exits the stage, we wish her well.
The practice of Students in Senior Secondary School 1 and 2 enrolling for the West African Examination Council, WAEC, National Examination Council, NECO and National Business and Technical Examinations Board, NABTEB, examinations externally has become history. The Federal Government has put a ban on it.
A circular distributed by the Federal Ministry of Education to Principals of Federal Unity Schools across the country, informing them of the new directives, stated that the Government will expel offenders from their schools with immediate effect.
The Director of Press and Public Relations of Federal Ministry of Education, Ben Bem Goong, on Friday September, 24th 2021, made this disclosure in the circular, stressing that this was necessary for maintenance of decorum and standards of education in schools.
The circular with no: FME/DBSE/US/DOC/III/16 was signed by the Ministry’s Director, Senior Secondary Education, Hajia Binta Abdulkadir reads:
“The Ministry’s ’s attention has been drawn to the flagrant disregard to its directive on (the) writing of external examinations such as NABTEB (NTC and NBC), WASSCE, NECO (SSCE) by SS1 and SS2 students.
“Students who are involved in the practice find it difficult to settle down on serious studies. They become unruly and distract other students from achieving their goals.
“Any student caught to have written any of the above examinations in SS1 or SS2 classes will be expelled from the college. All students must write these examinations after they have been duly registered for the examination by the college.
“All students of Federal Unity College should adhere strictly to the content of this circular. And Principals are advised to bring the content of this circular to the knowledge of all parents of the college”.
The ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, has described as “delusional” the call by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Governor, Godwin Emefiele, to resign.
The opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, had called for Emefiele’s resignation because of the free fall of the Naira against the Dollar.
In a statement issued Friday in Abuja by the National Secretary of its Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee CECPC, Sen. John James Akpanudoedehe, the party said PDP based its call on a deliberate distortion of a television interview Akpanudoedehe granted a national television where he accused the PDP of looting the apex bank in its hay days.
In the interview, he said: “You have in your archives these same people who borrowed over $400million for a CCTV project in Abuja. Where are the cameras today? Are you seeing cameras? Are you being monitored? The money was shared.
“We are talking about people who took a private plane to South Africa to buy arms and today you are not hearing about the outcome of it. Is it because the President is lenient?
“We are talking about people [PDP] who were sharing money, who were looting the Central Bank of Nigeria, sharing money among themselves. Those are the people who have the guts today to talk about a [APC] Government that is properly run”.
The press release read in part:
“Our attention has been drawn to the Peoples Democratic Party PDP delusional call for the resignation of Mr. Godwin Emefiele, Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria CBN over phantom allegations.
“PDP has based its call on a deliberate misrepresentation of a recent television program interview I granted.
“A look at the PDP statement shows that the writer, for apparently mischievous reasons, did not quote verbatim, the purported statement.
“The recordings of my recent television program reaction to the massive stealing perpetuated by previous PDP governments are publicly available. Nowhere was Mr. Godwin Emefiele, the CBN Governor accused of any wrongdoing as being mischievously misrepresented by the PDP.
“As stated in the television interview, the APC is not in the habit of joining issues with a sinking PDP which has lost its credibility.
“As a failed opposition party, PDP’s current delusions are a result of its leadership crisis, lost electoral value, and general failure in the eyes of Nigerians.
“Nigerians are still waiting for PDP’s honest apology to Nigerians for its mindless pillage of our national resources, abuse of public institutions, and the diversion of procured loans to fund its political activities and line the pockets of its cronies and family members”.
The Conference of Nigerian Political Parties has also attacked the PDP position, saying they should focus on putting their house in order to curb the current exodus to party members.
The Nation’s Female Basket team, D’Tigress, has scaled the quarter final hurdle of the FIBA Afrobasket 2021 championship taking place in Yaoundé, Cameroon, defeating perennial rival, Cote d’ Ivoire in a pulsating encounter.
The Ivorians trailed 20 points at the end of the Fourth Quarter, as it couldn’t matched the attacking prowess and experience of their West African rivals, losing 72-52 Points.
Coach Otis Hughley Jnr of the D’Tigress lamented that unfair and poor officiating could have robbed his ladies the victory in the quarter final encounter, but zeal, passion, determination and wealth of experience of the ladies prevailed, leading to the triumph.
Expressing his grievances over poor officiating after the game, Hughley Jr. said officiating at the tournament has been below expectations, stressing that foreign players at Club level who represented their countries would were disappointed and discouraged In participating in subsequent continental championships.
Hughley further added that the D’Tigress who are back to back Champions of the tournament triumphed because of the mental strength they possess, appealing to the organizers to put away politics out of the game and stop condoning rough play, bringing about quality officiating that the game is known for.
From the first quarter of the game played at he Palais Polyvalert des Sports, D’Tigress took a 14-0 lead, forcing the Ivorian Coach,
Igor Kovasevic to call for a time Out to slow down Nigeria’s rhythm, but it didn’t stop the Nigerians from recording a 24-8 lead at the end of the quarter.
The D’Tigress will face the Senegal Female National Team in the Semi Finals of the championship.
Senegal defeated Mozambique in the other quarter final match 74-46, to stage a repeat of the 2019 FIBA Afrobasket Championship Final against the D’Tigress in Dakar, Senegal, where Nigeria defeated Senegal to lift the coveted trophy at the expense of their host.
Hughley Jnr, have promised to bring the trophy back to Nigeria, stressing that his players are prepared, motivated and bent on defending the title it won two years ago.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has resorted to deducting Petroleum subsidy before sending the monthly allocations for disbursement.
This is to beat the fact that Fuel Subsidy is no longer captured in the Budget.
Last July, the Corporation said it had spent N175.32 billion on petrol subsidy which is expected to be deducted from its remittance to Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) in September.
According to the NNPC, an outstanding amount of N40 billion will be deducted also, making a total deductions of N215.32 billion from the FAAC account.
“Out of the value shortfall of N143.29 billion, the sum of N103.29 billion was tiptoe Gross Domestic receipts before arriving at the net receipt of N67.28 billion in order to make funds available for JV cost recovery to sustain the existing production level. The balance of N40 billion will be deducted in subsequent months”, said the report.
“The July, 2021 value shortfall ofN175.32 billion and outstanding balance of N40 million will be deductible from the August, 2021 proceeds due for sharing at the September, 2021 FAAC meeting”.
Despite measures put in place, petroleum products are still being smuggled from Nigeria to neighboring countries, resulting in rise in the price of local consumption
NNPC’s Group Managing Director, Mele Kyari, had in June claimed that daily petrol consumption had risen to 102 million litres per day, driven largely by smuggling of the product from Nigeria to neighboring countries.
Recently, the Group Managing Director, NNPC, had expressed fears that this smuggling will continue as long as fuel is cheaper in Nigeria than in deregulation countries.
Meanwhile, Marketers are not preventing pushing for the total deregulation of the downstream sector where Market forces will determine prices.
The Nigerian Army (NA) has apologised to a National Youth Service Corps Mrmber who was dehumanised by a Female Officer.
One Lt. Chika Viola Anele was videoed pouring dirty water on Corper Ezeiruaku Ifeyinwa Fidelia, hitting her at the same time, as Ezeiruaku knelt down, helplessly and humiliated.
The unbecoming incident took place at the 13 Brigade, Calabar where Ezeiruaku was posted for her Primary assignment, and Anele a junior officer.
In a statement by its Spokesman, Brigadier- General Onyema Nwachukwu, the Nigerian Army said the incident was
unprofessional and against established precepts of discipline in the NA.
Brigadier-General Nwachukwu: “NA has remained undoubtedly the pride of the nation, a symbol of national unity that has consistently being in the vanguard of respect for the fundamental human rights of the citizenry.
“It is against this premise that the NA condemns this unimaginable level of infraction by a personnel in its ranks.
“The NA therefore, condemns in strong terms, this act of gross misconduct. Undoubtedly, the officer’s actions has caused the NA monumental embarrassment and is highly regrettable.
“This unfortunate act of indiscipline does not in anyway represent the NA and will not be condoned in its entirety.
“For the records, the ugly incident happened in 13 Brigade, Calabar. The Brigade Commander immediately instituted an investigation and the officer involved has been identified and sanctioned on the interim and would be made to undergo regimental orders (trial) in line with the extant provisions of the Armed Forces Act.
“The submission that the Brigade attempted covering up was therefore misleading, as the NA remains a professional force that has zero tolerance for indiscipline amongst its personnel.
“The NA wishes to reiterate and assure the general public that such infractions would not be tolerated from its personnel.
“The NA also reassures that the rights of the citizenry is sacrosanct and must be respected by all personnel of the NA, as any form of infraction will be severely dealt with.
“Therefore, the general public is enjoined to continue to report such infractions, as Human Rights Desks in all formations of the NA are emplaced to deal decisively with such erring personnel.
“The NA further wishes to tender unreserved apology to the victim, her family members, friends, National Youth Service Corps and to Nigerians in general for the unwholesome treatment meted out to the Corps member.”
The video which has gone viral tells the story. It surfaced on Thursday, September 23. When I watched it, my stomach churned. And I was diminished as a human being.
It tells the story of abuse of power. It tells the story of wickedness. It tells the story of heartlessness. It tells the story of an army officer who is a sub-human being. It tells the story of an animal in Nigeria’s Army uniform, a uniform which should, ordinarily, be worn with national pride and utmost discipline. So, it tells the story of indiscipline of the worst order. And, finally, excuse this cliché, it tells the story of man’s inhumanity to man.
There, a grown woman, a National Youth Service Corp member, identified as Ezeiruaku Ifeyinwa Fidelia, was, forced to kneel down by her fellow young woman, just because the oppressor was in an Army uniform. Ms Ezeiruaku’s posture painted the picture of an innocent captive, waiting to be shot dead, or beheaded by ISIS terrorists. The difference: She was not wearing an orange prison uniform.
As she helplessly knelt down, in her full NYSC uniform, the young female Army officer, identified as Lt. Chika Viola Anele, put her through hell and back. She dehumanised her in every way possible.
She began by using a plastic bowl, vigorously rubbing it on the Corper’s head. Then she started scooping dirty water from a plastic container, using the plastic bowl, and pouring the water on Youth Corper Ezeiruaku. From head to toe. As she poured the water on her (a number of times), she also hit her, on the face, (a number of times), with the bowl.
This shameful, sad, incident took place at the 13 Brigade Calabar, Cross River State. Ms Ezeiruaku, a young graduate, was posted there for her Primary assignment, and Lt. Anele is a junior officer at the Brigade Headquarters.
Nobody knows what the problem was. A man’s problem? An ego problem? Or just brazen show of power? Whatever it was, Lt Anele has behaved in a most disgusting, reprehensible, manner. And, she should be made to pay the price for her behaviour. She should lose her commission. And her right to wear an Army uniform. Not even that of a Lance Corporal.
There are many reasons why she should pay this high price. It is, especially, for embarrassing the Army and, more especially, for disrespecting the Federal Government.
The uniform which she wore as she committed the shameful act, and derided Ms Ezeiruaku, belongs to the Federal Government, not to her. The (undeserved) respect she commands each time she wears that uniform is because of the uniform, not because of her as a person. Otherwise, who cares about her?
That uniform represents the Federal Government of Nigeria, not her. When people are told not to insult a uniformed personnel, that is why. By her uncivilised, raw behaviour, she has dragged the Federal Government in the mud. Nothing could be more unpatriotic than that.
Two, Ms Ezeiruaku, a Youth Corper, was, also, wearing her own uniform. That uniform, too, belongs to the Federal Government. By pouring dirty water on her and the uniform, she has committed an unforgivable, jailable offence. Lt Anele does not deserve to wear that uniform a minute more than necessary.
Three, this officer has displayed gross indiscipline, and disgraced the Army. When you are a commissioned officer, you are, in spite of your crude self, regarded and referred to as an officer and a gentleman. Lt Anele, by her crude behaviour, is undeserving of being referred to as an officer, or a gentleman. She represents everything that an officer should not represent. She does not represent the Nigerian Army, especially those laying their lives down to protect us.
Fourthly, talking about representation, Lt Anele represents everything a woman should not. Military or not, women usually have a softer side. Or, why does their breasts produce milk? But, not this Lt. She has, by her singular act of wickedness, shown the smelly side of her womanhood. She is one of those women who treat their househelps like animals. They humiliate them. They dehumanise them.They beat them mercilessly. They starve them. They dress them in rags. They deny them of sleep. And strips them of every (human) dignity. It would be nice to find out if Lt Anele lives with a househelp, even a relation, in order to confirm how she treats whoever.
As earlier stated, the beef Lt Anele had with Ms Ezeiruaku is not yet public. It needs to be made public. The story out there is that the authorities at the 13 Brigade Calabar are, allegedly, trying to cover-up this scandal. Even though that has been denied by Army Spokesman, Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu who, in a statement on Thursday, September 23, said an investigation was already on, I pray there should be no cover-up from any quarters.
Again, here is why.
The Army must separate the wheat from the chaff.
Ms Ezeiruaku was posted to them, and so, she is their responsibility. One of their responsibilities towards her is to protect her. They have already failed in that. They failed to protect her from Lt Anele. It will be a scandal if they, also, sweep any part of this scandal under the carpet. If they do, they should be told, in words and deed, that they are culpable or, in Military language, learnt during the regime of General Sani Abacha, “accessories after the fact.”
Years back when I did my Youth Service in Bauchi State, those of us privileged to serve with the Army were very proud of that. We walked like we had wings attached to us. It was one of the best times of my youth. Serving with them helped me in life. And, a number of the invaluable relationships I have today date back to those good years, when we roamed, freely, the whole of Bauchi, Jos, Kano, Gombe, without the fear of Bandits and Boko Haram and the lot. That I play squash till this day, is thanks to that period. Now, you can imagine if we had a Lt Anele to supervise us.
The authorities of the 13 Brigade Calabar should stand up for Ms Ezeiruaku. The authorities of the Nigerian Army should. They owe it to her. They owe it to themselves. And, they owe it to Nigeria and its people. They should do the right by her.
If Lt Anele is such a terror, they ought to know where to have sent her too. She should have been posted to the frontlines to meet with terrorists out there in parts of the North, terrorising innocent people.
Yet, in all these, where is the Leadership of the NYSC in Cross Rivers State? What is their response? Or have they not seen the viral video? What about the Leadership at the National level? Did they deploy Ms Ezeiruaku to 13 Brigade Headquarters Calabar to be dehumanised? Where are the Youth Corpers posted to Cross River State? Have they lodged a protest in writing? Why are they playing deaf and dumb?
I, also, call on the Human Rights Community and Women, especially, Igbo women, to move into this case. Isn’t it an irony that Lt Anele would humiliate a fellow Igbo woman as she did? Instead of protecting and guiding her, she becomes the one to give her the “deepest cut.” I can almost assure you that no Northern or Yoruba female officer could have done that. When they speak their dialect, it is “case closed.” Lt Anele’s type is the reason why people erroneously say the Igbo don’t like one another. Her’s is a clear case. When you speak Igbo to some of them in their “big-big” offices, it is even a crime. They either thumb their noses at you, or reply in English! The Igbo say they are not liked, they are being prosecuted, yet…! Isn’t that why, in the name of protesting the prosecution, the Igbo are killing themselves, destroying their Zone, and inflicting the worst form of punishment on themselves? Isn’t that why our Zone has been reduced to a war zone, and our people are afraid to visit home?
Finally, Ms Ezeiruaku should not leave her fate, absolutely, in the hands of others. She should sue Lt. Anele for everything she has got! What sort of country do we live in? Animal Kingdom?
*…SAYS EMEFIELE HAS NOT DONE ANYTHING TO WARRANT SUCH CALL
*… INSISTS PDP CHASING SHADOWS WHILE ITS HOUSE IS BURNING
*… CHIDES PDP NWC FOR REDUCING OPPOSITION POLITICS TO CHILD’S PLAY
The Conference of Nigerian Political Parties, CNPP, has disowned the call by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the resignation of the CBN Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele from office.
Reacting to the call in Abuja, the Secretary General of the CNPP, Chief Willy Ezeugwu noted that: “The CBN Governor had not done anything to warrant the call for his resignation hence PDP does not enjoy the support of other opposition political parties in this call.
“It should be more concerning to the PDP that its top and leading members are resigning in large numbers due to the unattractive nature of the party on the watch of the current National Working Committee of the Party rather it is chasing shadows when its house is consumed by an inferno.
“The Nigerian opposition parties are currently supposed to be undergoing internal healing and rebuilding so as to be well positioned to take over power in 2023 but the activities of the Uche Secondus led PDP has reduced the politics of opposition to child’s play and possibly being for hire to operators of BDCs who are fighting the Governor of CBN for the policy to stop sale of Forex to the BDC operators.
“PDP has become a shadow of itself and fast turning into a briefcase political party if the likes of Uche Secondus and Mr. Kola Ologbodion are left in the strategic offices they presently occupy in the party.
“They should be shown the way out and not join hirelings to make misguided calls the basis of which are laughable, baseless and cannot be substantiate”, the CNPP stated.
The PDP had, in a release signed by its Spokesman, Kola Ologbodiyan, asked Emefiele to resign from office over the allegation by the Secretary to the APC National Caretaker Committee, Dr John Akpanudoedehen, that Nigeria’s vault has been mismanaged under Emefiele’s watch.
Southern Governors will implement it with vigor – Akeredolu
Chairman of the Southern Governors Forum, Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State, has again clarified that the decision of his colleagues in the South to enact anti open grazing law was not meant to destroy the means of livelihood of anybody.
Governor Akeredoku, who spoke on Arise Television news @ 9 pm on Wednesday maintained that the Southern Governors are implementing the Anti-open grazing law with vigor. \
He declared that the State would make an example of any Herders in the State, who dared breach the anti-open grazing law, to show the level of implementation of the law.
Reacting to the comment made by the Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, who posited that the anti-open grazing law was not implementable and also accused the Southern Governors of “politicising” the herders/farmers crisis, Governor Akeredolu said his major interest is protecting the livelihood of his people.
The Governor maintained that the Meyetti-Allah in the Sunshine State are already cooperating with the Government.
He said the statement made by the Kaduna State Governor was capable of inciting Herders who were already cooperating with the Government on the alternative means of the animal husbandry.
“We have had one week workshop for Meyetti-Allah and others. Ranching is big. Individuals can have their herds in a particular place and feed them.
“Here, they are not waiting to be incited. Whoever goes against the law will face the consequences.”
Governor Akeredolu disclosed that his administration was working round the clock to involve private public organizations in ranching and provision of feedlot.
He vowed to continue to do what is right in the interest of the people of the state, adding that he was elected to protect and serve the people.
“My own interest is that the livelihood of my people in Ondo state is not destroyed. It is better to haul cattle and bring them here for people to come and buy. The way of life of bringing them here is anachronistic .
“I’m happy he (El-Rufai) is now setting up ranching. I am happy Kastina state is also setting up ranches. We don’t want to destroy the means of livelihood of our people. We are voted to protect the people.”
On the insistence of the Southern Governors that the South must produce the next President, Governor Akeredolu explained that the only way the country could remain united was to have fairness, equality and justice.
He stressed that since the North would be spending eight years, it is only fair that the power rotation must now come to the South for justice and equality.
“The only way we remain united is that there must be fairness, equality and justice. We are saying if the North has eight years, we must have it in the south.
“When we say south, those of us Governors in the south who met in Asaba are 17. We never mentioned which area in the south. We are not segmenting south. If it goes to the southeast, we will support them.
“We have a right of association. We are discussing matters that affect our interest. We have taken our decision and we have our strategies. Part of our strategies is consultation.”
On his description of the former Lagos State Governor and National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu as the “Capon” , Governor Akeredolu said what he meant was that Tinubu was ‘Boss of all Bosses’.
