Home Blog Page 958

Iwuanyanwu: PANDEF Pays Condolence Visit To Family, Promises To Participate Fully Burial

September 10, 2024

By Emma Ogbuehi

The Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) led by elder statesman, Chief Edwin Kiagbodo Clark, on Sunday, promised to fully participate in the burial of the late President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu.

Iwuanyanwu’s burial has been slated for November 1, 2024.

PANDEF made the promise when a delegation led by Ambassador Godknows Igali, former Nigerian ambassador to the Scandinavian countries – Sweden, Denmark and Norway – and Federal Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Water Resources, paid a condolence visit to the Iwuananwu family in Abuja.

The second son of Chief Iwuanyanwu, Chinedu, and his widow, Chinonyerem, were on hand to receive the delegation.

Ambassador Igali who represented Chief E.K. Clark said Iwuanyanwu was not only Igbo leader but also an acknowledged leader in the South-South geopolitical zone.

Going down memory lane, Ambassador Igali, who harped on the rich culture and tradition that have always been shared by the peoples of the Niger Delta and Ndigbo, said: “We have come to pay our condolences to the Iwuanyanwu family, in particular to the wife and children and the people of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, in general over the loss of a spectacular and great Nigerian, Chief Engineer Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu.

“The loss is shared by the people of the Niger Delta, people of the South South, because he was a leader of not just the Igbo people, but our own zone of the country.

“He saw us as one and we did things in the South East because of him, particularly he shared a good relationship with our father and leader, Chief Edwin Clark.

“We want to say today that Chief Iwuanyanwu considered himself a Nigerian, who believed that this country should be strong and great on truth, justice and fairness on the principles of hard work.

“It is for this reason that we in the region will participate fully in the burial. Already we are in the committee. Already, we are mobilizing our kings, chiefs, women and men to participate in the funeral.”

The group extolled the virtues of Chief Iwuanyanwu and called on the Federal Government to immortalize his name.

“We hope that at the right time, the Federal Government will properly immortalise him because he deserves it.”

Also speaking, Chief Mike Ozekhome, SAN, a member of the PANDEF delegation, said: “I believe that he can be honoured in many ways. A big institution should be named after him, as a pan-Nigerian. Of course, we already have some roads named after him. But I believe a big institution should be named after him.”

Receiving the PANDEF delegation on behalf of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide were a former chairman of Police Service Commission (PSC), Simeon Okeke, Senator Ben Obi, and Ambassador Okey Emuchay, Secretary General of the pan-Igbo socio-cultural organisation.

The Ohanaeze chieftains thanked Chief EK Clark for sending such a powerful delegation that included his first son.

In his own remarks, Senator Obi agreed with the PANDEF chieftains on the need by the President Bola Tinubu administration to honour Chief Iwuanynwu.

“The government knows how to immortalise him. We do not want to say they should do this or that. The government knows that Chief Iwuanyanwu needs to be immortalised. I am sure they will do so,” he said.

On his part, Chief Okeke implored the FG to pay heed to the wish of not only Chief Iwuanyanwu but all Igbos and release the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.

Senator Obi, who is a member of the burial committee, said the elder statesman will be buried on November 1.

The burial programme will start in Lagos State with a day of tributes on Wednesday, October 16 and move to Abuja on October 18.

There will be another day of tributes in Enugu on Saturday, October 26, and a service of songs in his country home, Umuohii Atta in Ikeduru Local Government Area of Imo State, on October 29.

Why Ajaero Was Arrested

Adesina Soyooye

September 10, 2024

By Adesina Soyooye

As outrage continues to trail the arrest, Monday, of the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Joe Ajaero, snippets are emerging on why he was arrested.

Ajaero was arrested at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport by operatives of the Department of State Services, DSS, on his way to board a flight to the United Kingdom for an official assignment. It was later alleged that he had been handed over to the National Intelligence Agency, NIA. That report sparked speculations that, perhaps, he was arrested over the allegations of treasonable felony made against him earlier by the Police.

However, from what his Lawyer, Femi Falana, SAN, said, Ajaero’s arrest on Monday had nothing to do with his previous appointments/cases with the Police.

Snippets from the DSS tend to support Falana’s position. According to the snippets, Ajaero was arrested by the DSS for shunning the Service’s invitation to him.

They allege that Ajaero was invited by the DSS last week through a phone call. According to the DSS, Ajaero was invited by the DSS based on a petition written against Ajaero by his colleagues at the NLC. The DSS made the point that its new Director General inherited the petition, and decided to investigate it. The Service alleged that Ajaero was being expected at DSS, but that it was surprised to hear that Ajaero was at the Airport on his way out of the Country.

Ajaero’s arrest sparked an ultimatum by the NLC to the DSS after an emergency meeting the NLC. The Congress professed Ajaero’s innocence, and asked that Ajaero be released before 12 midnight or workers would embark on strike.

As demanded by the NLC, Ajaero was released just before the 12 midnight deadline.

His trip to the UK has, however, been completely aborted as his international passport was seized by the DSS.

At the time of this report, the DSS has not made public the contents of the petition against Ajaero, or the names of his colleagues who wrote the petition against him.

Sterling Bank Has Destroyed Our Businesses, Customers Lament Failure To Withdraw, Receive Money For 2Wks

The Source

September 10, 2024

The Abaubakar Suleiman-led commercial bank’s system upgrade which started on August 30, has left many of its customers stranded, as they could neither withdraw nor send money from the various electronic platforms.

According to the details obtained from the bank’s website, there are over 3 million customers on its online platforms whose funds have now become trapped in the current melee of system failure.

Some customers who have registered their anger on the various social media platforms, such as Facebook, Google, X among others said they have never been frustrated.

Techcabal, says the problem started following the decision of the bank to migrate to SEABaas, a new custom-built core banking application recently built for the commercial bank by a local Nigerian firm.

The lender had previously been using Temenos T24, the software used by the Central bank of Nigeria, CBN, and other commercial banks but decided to switch to the new system.

The decision to onboard SEABaas, analysts claimed is not unconnected with the bank’s effort to minimise cost, thereby resulting in a situation where hapless customers are now being made to pay a steep price.

“I can’t even begin to talk about the damage sterling bank has caused my business this week alone and it’s even crazier that I just migrated to the bank after having enough of Unity bank’s madness. Unity bank with all their excesses, never went this far,”Okeoghene@yo_twist wrote on the bank X handle.

“Your network is down in a very costly way,”Tolulope ajayi @teemman14 said.

“You are not serving anyone,” Huey T.H.C @elprodigy22 said in his response to the system failure, adding that Sterling Bank has “fucked up a lot of business transaction since Monday.”

Opeyemi Akinrimisi Amosu said “Just upgrade my account that was affected by your so called upgrade and let me mover my money, I am done with your bank!”

The angry customers said the bank did not provide specifics while sending out notification of the possible operation disruptions due to the system migration.

“A core banking application is a critical tool for all financial institutions, so an upgrade of this nature is a big deal,” said a software expert at a Nigerian bank who asked not to be named.

SEABaaS, a product by Bazara Tech Inc., a Nigerian software company, sources said, was built to Sterling Bank’s specification, and is meant to provide a seamless banking experience for its teeming customers.

“SEABaaS is a future-proof, platform-agnostic core banking SaaS solution designed to elevate user experience for enterprise customers. Its architecture features microservices, APIs, hybrid cloud, and multi-cloud. It also spans a unified 360-degree customer view, AI and machine Learning capabilities, and intuitive user interfaces,” the tech firm said on its website.

Ajaero Arrest: Tinubu Trying To Silent Opposition

Tosin Olatokunbo

September 10, 2024

Global rights body Amnesty International has condemned the Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration for trying to stifle the opposition in the country.

The righst group made the allegation on Monday in reaction to the arrest of Joe Ajaero, President of the Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC by security services.

The magazine reported that the NLC President was arrest yesterday at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, by the DSS on his was to attend a Labour programme in the United Kingdom, UK.

Ajaero has since been handed over to the National Intelligence Agency, NIA, The Source Magazine also reported, amidst global criticism of the government’s action.

Reacting to the arrest AI in a statement signed by its country Director, Isa Sanusi, said the administration is setting a bad precedence, nothing that the Tinubu’s administration has a sad trajectory of intimidating dissenting voices in the country.

The rights body demands the immediate and unconditional release of the Labour leader, saying the crack down on those opposing the government has increased since this government came on board last year.

Warning that the administration is treading a dangrous path, AI said it “has observed, in the last one year, the increasing crackdown by the Nigerian authorities on the labour union and civic space.”

AI said, “Amnesty International strongly condemns the unlawful arrest of the President of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Joe Ajaero by the Department of State Services (DSS) today. The labour union leader must be immediately and unconditionally released.

“The arbitrary arrest of Joe Ajaero shows an escalating crackdown on human rights and restrictions on civic space by the government of President Bola Tinubu.

“President Bola Tinubu’s government persistently attacks and undermines the operations of the NLC, through fabricated allegations, raids on NLC headquarters and other forms of harassment and intimidation. This growing culture of impunity and disdain for workers’ rights to organize and seek better welfare must stop.

“President Tinubu is setting a new record of utter disregard for the rule of law.

“Amnesty International has observed, in the last one year, the increasing crackdown by the Nigerian authorities on the labour union and civic space. The authorities continue to weaponize the police and SSS to repress the human rights of Nigerians.

“Nigeria is a party to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which guarantee the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, and association, including trade union membership and activities. The country is also a member of the International Labour Organization, whose fundamental principles include the right to organize, are binding on all members.”

“Under international human rights law workers cannot be targeted for participating in trade union activities. The Nigerian authorities have an obligation not only to respect the rights of workers but also to protect these rights from abuse.

“Joe Ajaero is arrested solely for the peaceful exercise of his human rights and must be immediately and unconditionally released,” the statement added.

Meanwhile, the NLC is bracing up for a showdown with the government following its directive to its members to embark on an indefinite strike if Ajaero is not immediately released.

Lagos 2027: How Sanwo-Olu’s Successor Will Emerge, Three Top Contenders Attract President’s Interest

The Source

September 9, 2024

By Akinjide Aina, Abuja Bureau Chief

The godfather of Lagos politics and former Governor of the State, now President of Nigeria, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has, since leaving office as Governor in 2007, effortlessly decided who rules the State.

However, 2027 may be a bit tricky for the President as far as making a choice of who succeeds the incumbent, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu is concerned.

This magazine can authoritatively reveal that though the next governorship election in Lagos is three years away, a titanic battle albeit clandestinely to succeed Governor Sanwolu has begun in earnest and at the centre of it are three men dear to the heart of the President Tinubu- his son, Seyi Tinubu, his Chief of Staff and immediate past Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon.Femi Gbajabiamila and the Speaker of Lagos state House of Assembly, Mudashiru Ajayi Obasa.

Bola Ahmed Tinubu = President — President Tinubu: Who will he anoint to succeed Sanwo-Olu?

A source who is conversant with the unfolding intense battle for Alausa seat of Lagos state government but pleaded for his name to be withheld “because it will not be politically right to openly comment on the issue at the moment as none of us knows where the pendulum will eventually swing” told the magazine that deep down his heart, the President is appreciative of the unflinching, unwavering loyalty of Gbajabiamila and Obasa all these years- from the AD years to AC, then ACN and now APC- and would love to reward them with the governorship of Lagos state.

His words: “However, Mr President also wants to make history in Nigeria as the first politician who was governor and whose son also later become governor too, something akin to the Bush scenario in the United States where the Senior Bush, George H W Bush was Vice President and President respectively, and later his son, George W Bush became the Governor of Texas and President of America respectively.

Further giving insight into what may likely play out at the end, the source said: “Had it been that there is a provision for “co-governorship” in the constitution, the trio of Gbajabiamila, Obasa and Seyi would have definitely emerged one in 2027.

“But I believe there will eventually be something politically hefty for the trio in 2027”

The magazine was informed that in the worst case scenario, Gbajabiamila or Obasa may pair with Seyi ( Seyi as running mate) or a neutral candidate will be chosen and Seyi made his Deputy while Obasa and Femi are compensated with Senatorial seats.

“No, You Cannot Be Nigerian President, You Are Too Self-Centred, Authoritarian – NNPP Chieftain Tells Kwankwaso

Suleiman Anyalewechi

September 9, 2024

By Suleiman Anyalewechi

Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, the Presidential Candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, in the 2023 General Elections, has been told by his party that he does not possess the prerequisite qualifications to be the Country’s President.

In Katsina last Saturday, September 7, for the inauguration of the renovated NNPP office, the former Kano State Governor had asserted that he will not only contest the 2027 Presidential election, but remains the candidate to beat.

Similarly, he had lampooned the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, as a dead party ,which he and his supporters deserted long ago.

The PDP has since dismissed him as a self-centered and insensitive political actor without much value.

In a statement on Sunday, September 8, Debo Ologunagba, PDP spokesperson said the PDP would not want to join issues with Kwankwaso, because frontally he has proven not to be a leader.

” He ( Kwankwaso ) is very inconsequential in the Nigerian national politics today judging from the fact that he is struggling to lead a party called NNPP which is struggling to control only one State.

“It is unfathomable to imagine that a failed and inconsequential politician with only one state would claim that a party that has 13 Governors ,many Senators, many House of Representatives members, several States Assembly ,and strong presence in all the Local Government Areas and Wards across the country dead” PDP stated .

A Chieftain of the NNPP in the South West, Adebisi Adeyemi Olopoeyan, in a statement on Monday September 9, further noted that Senator. Kwankwaso is too greedy and selfish to lead the country.

According to him, Kwankwaso’s authoritarian disposition, and self-centredness will rather make him a huge electoral liability for any party that parades him as its presidential hopeful.

The NNPP stalwart accused the former Kano State Governor of destabilizing the party through the instrumentalities of his Kwankwasiyya political movement.

Olopoeyan, therefore, wondered if it is the same NNPP which he, Kwankwaso, has fractured in many States, and at the National level, that he is still nursing the ambition to use as a platform for his 2027 dream of becoming Nigeria’s President.

The NNPP top shot insisted that Senator Kwankwaso is grossly lacking in character and leadership qualities germane to preside over the affairs of a country with different tribes, culture, religion, and language .

“A self-centered and domineering politician cannot be Nigerian President. Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso needs to understand this.

“You can wish to rule a country of over 218 million people, but not be ready to accommodate people and give all sense of belonging to whoever comes your way.

“Senator Kwankwaso is still aiming to use NNPP to drive his Presidential ambition in 2027, yet he is disorganizing the party. He has forgotten that his Kwankwasiyya group is only rooted in Kano, but not in existence in other states especially in the South.

“Moreover, the fact that he was the only Presidential candidate in NNPP for the 2023 else election doesn’t guarantee that the party will not have other aspirants in 2027. The ticket needs to be open and competitive in 2027.

” Senator Kwankwaso needs to stop doing everything by himself. He needs to learn from Tinubu, Atiku Obasanjo, Jonathan, and others.

These are real political leaders. They build and empower their followers, also trust them with power ,. But Kwankwaso has assumed that his Kano group, Kwankwasiyya is bigger than NNPP”, Olopoeyan stated .

“If People Like Wike Are The Main Characters In Tinubu’s Administration, There Is No Hope For A Better Nigeria” – IYC

Suleiman Anyalewechi

September 9, 2024

By Suleiman Anyalewechi

The rank of agitators for the arrest and prosecution of Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Minister, Nyesom Wike, on Monday, September 9, 2024, further swelled.

The Umbrella body of Ijaws Youths, the Ijaw Youths Council of Nigeria, has expressed its support for the call earlier on made by its patriarch, Edwin Clark, for the Inspector General of Police, IGP, Kayode Egbedokun, to arrest and prosecute Wike, over his incendiary and inflammatory statement on the ongoing crisis within the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, fold in Rivers State.

Penultimate weekend, Wike, the immediate past Governor of the Oil rich State had l,at a rally at the Port-Harcourt State headquarters of the PDP? threatened to make ungovernable, PDP States in the country, which Governors are supportive of Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s efforts at eroding his political structure in the State.

A few days ago, Chief Clark, a prominent scion of the Ijaw ethnic nationality and elder Statesman, urged the police not to wave Wike’s threat aside, but to deal with it as a serious threat to national security.

According to the one time Federal Commissioner for Information, Wike’s threat has the potentials of inflaming passion and igniting national crisis.

In a statement issued by Binebia Princewell, the IYC said its open support for the call to arrest and prosecute Wike, stem from the recent attacks launched on Chief Clark by some unpatriotic and pliable elements over his call for Wike’s arrest.

The IYC insisted that calling for the arrest and prosecution of Wike, remains the only option available to all well meaning Nigerians going by the serious implications of his unguarded and provocative statements.

According to the IYC, Wike’s inciting utterances are tantamount to invitation to chaos and anarchy in a country where tempers are already at a boiling point owing to the biting economic challenges faced by the people.

” lGovernment anywhere in the world loses legitimacy when it becomes docile on issues that matter concerning its citizens.

“If people like Wike are the main characters in the Tinubu’s Government ,it shows that there is no hope for a better Nigeria.

“It has further put a serious question mark on the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Nigeria is already at the crossroads”, the group noted.

Further speaking, the IYC warned that, it will not condone any insult on its National Leader, Pa Clark from any misguided elements, and insisted that the elder statesman has paid his rightful dues in the Nigerian project.

“Those blabbing today won’t be blabbing if the likes of Pa Clark had not paved the way for the things we are enjoying in Nigeria and Niger Delta. People must learn to respect elders .

“Let it be known that Pa, Clark is not alone in calling for the arrest of Wike. The Ijaw Youth Council has thrown its weight behind this call.

“The Federal Government of Nigeria should know that Wike should be held responsible if Nigeria boils in this regard Nigeria belongs to all of us. No one has the monopoly of violence.

“The statement credited to the FCT Minister, Wike, is too weighty for the Inspector General of Police and other Agencies to ignore .

“The level of unbridled impunity and audacity with which Wike speaks, undermining the security of this country, has truly reached a boiling point, “the IYC noted.

It also insisted that the FCT Minister should allow his successor in office, Governor Fubara, to serve the people, without distraction.”

According to it, Wike, should face the stark reality that he is bound to be the ultimate loser in his ill-conceived fight with Governor Fubara.

Edo Guber: PDP Raises Alarm Over Alleged Inclusion Of Names Of Suspected Thugs As Election Officials

Ayodele Oni

September 9, 2024

By Ayodele Oni

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has alleged that some names in the list of Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC) as officials are thugs reportedly recruited by the All Progressives Congress (APC) from neighbouring states to disrupt the governorship election later this month.

PDP however sounded a note of warning that the APC should be ready to face the full impact of the wrath of the people of Edo State if it continues in its violent attacks and harassment of innocent citizens of the State.

In a statement on Monday in Abuja, PDP spokesman, Debo Ologunagba stated that “the PDP already has information of how the APC and its candidate are importing thugs from Imo State, some of who curiously appear in the INEC list to serve as SPOs for the election.

“These APC thugs from Imo State should know that the people of Edo are already aware of their sinister plan and it will be in their interest to steer clear of Edo State.

“The APC must note that nobody has the monopoly of violence and that nobody is above the law.

“APC and its candidate are practically pushing the people of Edo State to the wall; they should know that there is a limit to what a people can stomach in the face of aggression and be ready the face the consequences if they fails to desist from these dastardly acts.

“The people of Edo State have had enough from the APC and will use every legitimate means allowed in a democracy to defend themselves by directly and physically confronting and resisting the APC in its desperate plot to derail the September 21, 2024 governorship election in Edo State.

“The PDP as a law-abiding and applying Party that stands for the interest of the people will not fold its hands and watch the APC harass the people of Edo State.”

According to Ologunagba, “This warning is on the backdrop of continuing attacks, harassment and illegal arrest of innocent citizens of Edo State by APC leaders in connivance with certain compromised police operatives, as part of APC’s desperate bid to scare the people from coming out to vote and seize the opportunity to rig the September 21, 2024 Governorship election.

“Since it became clear that the PDP Candidate, Dr. Asue Ighodalo is coasting to a landslide victory with the overwhelming support of over 68% of the expected votes, the APC and its candidate, Monday Okpebholo have been desperate to use violence and harassment to break the Will of the people of Edo State.

“The PDP again calls on the Inspector General of Police to wade in and halt the activities of the APC which is now pitching the people of Edo State against the Police.

“The IGP should ensure the immediate and unconditional release of every Edo citizen being detained by the APC.

“The IGP owes a duty to the people of Edo State and the Nation, in the perseveration of peace and sustenance of democracy, to address this issue before it escalates.

“This is the only way to douse the tension in Edo State and reassure the people of a free, fair, transparent and credible election.”

Appointment Of Interim LP National Leadership: “We Have Been Betrayed” – Abure

Suleiman Anyalewechi

September 9, 2024

By Suleiman Anyalewechi

The ousted Barrister Julius Abure Labour Party-led National Working Committee, NWC, on Monday September, 9, 2024, called on the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to halt forthwith, its subtle and overt support for Governor Alex Otti’s efforts at undermining the party.

This is even as it announced the withdrawal of the offer of “Choice of First Refusal ” earlier extended to Peter Obi and Governor Otti at the controversial Nnewi Convention earlier in the year.

The Source reports that the Abure-led LP leadership had, during the Convention, ruled to reserve its 2027 Presidential candidate slot for Obi and the Abia State Gubernatorial slot for Dr Otti, both of whom along side other major stakeholders shunned the Nnewi Convention.

Rising from its emergency meeting on Monday, the first and direct consequence of its ouster in Umuahia on Wednesday September 4, the Abure-NWC described the Governor Otti-led efforts as illegal,null and void.

In a Communique read by its Deputy National Secretary, Innocent Okeke, the Abure-led NWC urged the Professor Mahmoud Yakubu led INEC to stop “aiding and abetting Governor Otti,against the party”.

The Source further reports that at the extended Umuahia National Executive Council/Stakeholders meeting which also featured Obi and his running mate, Datti Ahmed, and members of the LP National Assembly caucus, Former Finance Minister, Nenadi Usman, from Kaduna State was appointed at the head of a-29 man Interim Committee to midwife an all- inclusive National Convention for the party within the next three months.

The Monday Communique blamed the Electoral body for the events that culminated in the convocation of the Umuahia meeting and the subsequent outer of the Abure NWC.

The Abure-led team insisted that Governor Otti’s position on the tenure of its NWC was predicated on the INEC Chairman’s insistence that it has fully served its mandated period.

The Communique stated that a disciplinary committee has been set up to further consider cases of anti-party activities, just as a reconciliatory body has been established to woo back aggrieved members .

Further addressing the media at the party’s National Secretariat, embattled Abure reaffirmed the constitutionality of the Nnewi Convention, as well as its out come.

He insisted that he remains the authentic leader of the party, regardless of efforts to undermine both his leadership and the party.

He vowed to remain steadfast and committed to the task of moving the party to greater heights.

“I stand before you today with a heavy heart, but with an unshakable resolve to defend the party. I stand not just as your National Chairman, but as a guardian of the principles that hold our great party together- Principles of unity, justice and integrity.

“We are at a critical moment in the life of our party. Recent events have shown that those who should stand with us in the fight for a better, restructured, organized and united party,have chosen a different path.

“A path not of unity, but of division I speak ,of course, on the illegal gathering that took place in Abia State, an attempt to create a rift within our party, led by none other than their Excellencies, Peter Obi and Governor Alex Otti.

“This meeting held without the authority and/or consent of the National Executive Council, sought to install a so-called new leadership l.

“Let me be clear: this action was not just illegal, it was a betrayal of everything the Labour Party stands for. A reward for loyalty with ingratitude ,a reward for support with insubordination.

“The Labour party has always been a beacon of hope for the oppressed, the marginalized, and the voiceless in Nigeria. Our mandate is to unite this country, not divide it.

“Yet, here we are, faced with a situation where individuals who have benefited from the trust and support of this great party now work to destabilize it from within. This is why I say the beautiful ones are not yet born in Nigeria.

“For those who have chosen to align themselves with this illegal action, I urge them to reconsider. The action of creating division is not just a political manoeuvering, it is a dangerous game – a game that if allowed to continue, will dig a hole too deep for us to climb out from, for, division within the Labour Party is a division within Nigeria”, Abure stated.

SERAP Urges President Tinubu To Call DSS To Order Over Attack On Rights Group

Ayodele Oni

September 9, 2024

By Akinwale Kasali

Following series of attacks on its organization, Rights Group, Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, has urged President Bola Tinubu to, with immediate effect, order the Department of State Services, DSS, to end the intimidation and harassment and attack against it and withdraw the threat of arrest against its Directors.

The DSS on Wednesday, invaded SERAP’s Abuja office.

SERAP said: “A tall, large, dark-skinned woman entered our office, accompanied by a slim, dark-skinned man and other officers. They were sighted in two unmarked vehicles stationed outside its office.

SERAP said the officers interrogated its officials and requested to see the Organization’s Directors.

The invasion of SERAP’s office, it posited, followed its call on Mr Tinubu and his Government to direct the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) to immediately reverse “the apparently illegal and unconstitutional increase in the pump price of petrol and to ensure the prompt and thorough investigation of alleged corruption and mismanagement in the NNPC.”

In a statement Monday by SERAP’s deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, the organisation said: “We condemn the invasion of our Abuja office today by Nigeria’s Department of State Services (DSS). The Tinubu administration must immediately direct the DSS to end the intimidation and harassment of SERAP and our staff members.”

Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, said: “We condemn the invasion of SERAP’s office. The Tinubu Government must urgently fish out the officers who carried out the invasion of SERAP’s office in the name of the Government. Anyone found to be responsible for the invasion must be prosecuted. The Government must allow Human Rights defenders to freely carry out their work, consistent with the Nigerian Constitution.”

SERAP’s statement, reads in part: “The invasion of SERAP’s office by the DSS and the harassment and intimidation of our staff members is a brutal assault on the entire human rights community in the country.

“The escalating crackdown on human rights, and harassment and intimidation of NGOs and human rights defenders that have shown astonishing courage in their human rights work hurt those most in need, undermine access of Nigerian victims of human rights violations and abuses to justice, and contribute to a culture of impunity of perpetrators.

“This Government has an obligation to support and protect civil society groups and human rights defenders. We are seriously concerned about the growing restrictions on civic space and the brutal crackdown on the human rights of Nigerians.

“President Tinubu must urgently instruct appropriate authorities to promptly and thoroughly investigate the invasion of our offices and to bring to justice those involved.

“Nigerian authorities must allow SERAP to freely carry out our mandates as recognized under the Nigerian Constitution 1999 [as amended], the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights to which Nigeria is a state party.

“Nigerian authorities must end the harassment and intimidation attacks against SERAP and ensure the safety and security of our staff.

“If the Tinubu Government does not take all necessary measures to immediately end the intimidation and harassment of SERAP or any other civil society group for that matter, SERAP will to take appropriate legal action nationally and internationally to challenge the brutal crackdown and hold the authorities to account for their constitutional and international human rights obligations.

“SERAP will continue to work to challenge any attempt to restrict, silence or eliminate the voices of credible civil society in the country. We urge the presidency to speak out strongly against intimidation and harassment of SERAP and our staff.

“Under the Constitution of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) and international human rights law, everyone whose rights are violated is entitled to a right to an effective remedy. Exposing human rights violations and seeking redress for them is largely dependent on the degree of security enjoyed by civil society groups and human rights defenders.

“While some may not like to hear some of the things SERAP has said, this in no way justifies the invasion of our office and harassment and intimidation of our staff members. The authorities should show commitment to protecting the right to freedom of expression and guarantee conditions for civil society to flourish.”

1...957958959...2,942 Page 958 of 2,942