“Comrades, am through with police. God bless you for your prayers and wonderful support at this critical point in our political history. We shall overcome – Joe Ajaero”
With the above quote, a relaxed and calm President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Comrade Joe Ajaero, informed his colleagues and concerned and worried and anxious Nigerians that his ordeal, Thursday, in the hands of the Police “is over.”
That message he put out through Whatsaap, calmed nerves. Not a few people heaved a sigh of relief. And Nigerian workers, waiting to hear that their President has been arrested and/or detained by the Police, dropped “their arms”, and thus, a nationwide strike which could have shut down the economy, indefinitely, was aborted.
Ajaero, at about 12.00 noon walked out from the Police IRT office in Abuja, free, and headed back to his office where anxious and ready-to-hit-the-
street workers waited for news.
The Police, in an August 19 letter, had invited Ajaero to its IRT office to answer to charges which ranged from treasonable felony, terrorism, terrorism financing, subversion, cybercrime, criminal conspiracy and more. They asked him to report on August 20, 24 hours after the letter was delivered to Ajaero.
Nigerians were in shock, and wondered where such serious allegations came from and the evidence Police had.
But Ajaero, through his Lawyer, Femi Falana, SAN, rejected the date, informed the Police Ajaero was already committed to another appointment on that day, and informed Ajaero would appear before them on August 29.
Incensed NLC and its affiliates gave notice that if the Police arrests or detains Ajaero, they would immediately embark on a Nationwide strike and shut the economy.
On Thursday, August 29, Ajaero, accompanied by Falana, who had promised he would be back with Ajaero, and prevailed on Workers to abort a planned procession in Abuja today (Thursday),arrived IRT office at about 10.20am. The discussion seems not to have been as long as the serious allegations as Ajaero came out within two hours.
Details of what transpired inside are not public yet, but wisdom seems to have prevailed given Ajaero’s message to his fellow Comrades and anxious Nigerians.
The Abia State Governor, Dr Alex Otti, has urged the Federal Government to speedily reimburse the State when construction works are completed on the 41 km Ohafia- Arochukwu road .
This is even as he underscored the importance of the reconstruction of the long neglected and abandoned Federal road network to the economic growth and development of not just Abia State, but also the entire country.
Governor Otti, who spoke at the flag off of the reconstruction efforts in Ebem Ohafia Local Council on Wednesday, August 28, noted that the idea being muted by the Federal Government to toll the road, will be unfair to the about 60 communities which have endured untold difficulties and deprivation owing to the impassable state of the all important road for many years.
“I will again plead with the Federal Government to consider making the necessary financial provisions to eventually reimburse the state since we have taken the bull by the horn by doing what a responsible Government should do for the citizens.
“This appeal is very important considering that this very project will unleash new layers of opportunities that will have significant economic impacts, especially, for Federal revenue.” he stated.
Governor Otti noted that the decision to intervene in the reconstruction of the road, though a Federal road, was informed by the need for the people to take their destinies in their own hands .
After obtaining all the necessary approvals needed for the state to embark on the reconstruction, Governor Otti expressed the optimism that the Federal authorities will do the needful in the long term interest of the people of Abia State.
“We have sincerely taken this bold initiative in order to save the Federal Government the embarrassment this road has brought it before international visitors and tourists .
“Our intention is to give Nigerians who are residents in this part of the country or traveling through this road for business and social engagements, a sense of belonging because no nation should watch its citizens pass through nightmares our people have endured for years .” Otti stated.
Emphasising the significance of the road to the people, Governor Otti, said that apart from serving over 60 communities and clans, it also created windows of economic opportunities for neighbouring States of Akwa-Ibom and Cross River.
Residents of the two states, he noted, regularly make use of the road for trading activities with their Abia counterparts,.
The road also plays important roles in facilitating agricultural and ancillary services and learning in various academic institutions in the state , particularly, the state owned College of Education Technical in Arochukwu.
“On account of the fact that the road provided smooth passage to communities outside our boundaries, our kith and kin were also able to pursue their dreams to wherever the environment was promising.
“There were practically no limits to our ambition ,and drive for success ,thanks to the vision of the Sir Michael Okpara-led Eastern Regional Government .
“It is for this purpose that we are taking this road to our border with Akwa-Ibom state . Luckily ,Akwa-Ibom had, several years ago, constructed its own portion of the road” he stated.
Governor Otti regretted that the road conceived with great vision and constructed by M I Okpara in the 1960s was neglected and at a point abandoned.
He noted that a bold attempt to bring life to the road during the military era through the instrumentality of the defunct Petroleum Trust Fund ,PTF ,was frustrated by the death of former Head of state General Sani Abacha..
The Governor expressed the hope that the project with a timeline of 18 months will be completed on schedule.
” I have been given a firm assurance that the project will be completed on schedule which makes today’s flag off imperative” he noted
However, the contract sum and contracting firm were not stated
“I shot him as he stepped down from the car. He did not do anything to me. I killed him (my boss’s son) to steal his car”
Dogs love bones. And it is a popular saying that a dog does not eat a bone hung on its head. When it does, which is extremely rare, it is regarded as an aberration, a sacrilege, almost.
But this happened in Abuja, Nigeria. And this dog, in form of a human being, is not ashamed of this abominable deed.
This human dog is a Naval Personnel.
His name is Abdul Rasheed Muhammad. He is a seaman, attached to the residence of a former Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ishaya I. Ibrahim, rtd.
His job was to protect his boss and his family. But he turned around to kill his boss’ son.
Why? Nothing, just to steal the young man’s car.
According to Beneth Igwe, Commissioner of Police, Federal Capital Territory, FCT, while parading the suspect, the Naval Chief’s son, Aminu, was killed in the high brow Maitama area, Abuja, two weeks ago, in a most atrocious manner. The two, Aminu and his executioner, were together when the later pulled out his service rifle and shot the former, close range, stole his car, and drove off, and left the body of the young man there.
CP Igwe: “About two weeks ago, Aminu Ibrahim, the son of Vice Admiral I.I.Ibrahim (retd), a former Chief of Naval Staff, was robbed and killed in the Maitama Area of Abuja, and his Prado SUV was taken. I want to inform you that Abdul Rasheed Muhammad, a serving Navy personnel, committed the murder. He has confessed to the crime, and we have recovered the Prado Jeep.”
Revealing how he killed the young Aminu, Muhammad narrated: “I work at the house. He wanted to go out at night, around 11.30. He said he needed security. So, I followed him with my gun. Along the way, he stopped to check his ATM as if he was going to buy something.
“I thought, may be, I was going to escort him to a market somewhere.
“Then, when I came out through the other door, I shot him, took the car, and left.
“I’m a guard and a seaman in the Navy.
“He did nothing to me. I killed him to steal his car and sell it.”
The Police Service Commission, PSC, and Force Headquarters have been thrown into mourning following the death of Commissioner of Police, Akwa Ibom State Command, Waheed Ayilara.
Ayilara was pronounced dead by medical experts at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, LASUTH, Ikeja, where he underwent a surgery.
His death Thursday morning came barely six months after his redeployment to Akwa Ibom Command to boost security in the State.
A close family source disclosed that he will be buried according to Islamic rites on Thursday (Today).
The source said “We are very sad to inform you that our friend, brother and family, the Commissioner of Police for Akwa Ibom State, Waheed Ayilara is dead.”
Ayilara was deployed to Akwa Ibom in February 2024. He took over from Olatoye Durosinmi who was elevated to AIG Zone 2, Lagos.
He enlisted into the Force as Cadet Assistant Superintendent of Police on May 18, 1992, and served in various capacities, including Assistant Commissioner of Police, Police Mobile Force Office – FHQ Abuja.
He took over as the 32nd CP in Akwa Ibom.
He served as Deputy Commissioner of Police Operations, Oyo State Command, Deputy Commissioner of Police, State Criminal and Investigations Department, Panti, Lagos, amongst others.
Before his present appointment, he was acting Commissioner of Police, Lagos State.
He held a law degree (LL.B.) (Hons) from the University of Ibadan, a BL from the Nigeria Law School, Lagos, and a Master of Law (LLM) from the University of Lagos.
The Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) has commended the Federal Government for its decision to engage an external auditor to verify the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited’s (NNPC Limited) petrol subsidy claim. This move is seen as a vindication of the CNPP’s long-standing call for an independent forensic audit of NNPC Limited.
According to a statement signed by its Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Comrade James Ezema, CNPP said that the reduction of NNPC Limited’s subsidy claims from N6 trillion to N2.7 trillion after an initial audit by KPMG highlights the need for a comprehensive probe. “Since the Goodluck Jonathan administration, the CNPP has consistently demanded an independent forensic audit of NNPC Limited, now a government-owned company,” the statement read.
The CNPP has expressed concerns over the allegations of corruption, mismanagement, and lack of transparency that have peaked under the leadership of Engr. Mele Kyari, the Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of NNPC Limited. “We commend the Federal Government for attempting to probe NNPC Limited, but insist that management suspension is crucial for an effective audit. Anything less would allow perpetrators to continue their nefarious activities,” the statement added.
The CNPP has described NNPC Limited as a hub of corruption, with its leadership embroiled in deceit and mismanagement. “We demand a comprehensive, independent, and transparent probe, including management suspension, to ensure justice and reveal the truth. This is not about individuals but about saving the Nigerian economy from collapse,” the statement concluded.
The CNPP’s call for a comprehensive probe and management suspension has sparked hopes that the truth behind NNPC Limited’s subsidy claims will finally be revealed, and those responsible held accountable.
So, let me start this with a brief story. It happened on Saturday, 27 July, 2024, at Philadelphia, United States of America. Venue was the Crown Plaza Hotel. And the occasion was the Annual Convention of the World Owerri Peoples Congress, WOPC.
The Convention is usually a big do, a congregation of some of the best brains from Owerri who live in the United States of America. It, also, attracts a number of highly placed Owerri people from home. And, whoever is the Governor of Imo State usually gets invited even though they hardly attend. Non attendance robs them of a good opportunity to interact with their “State Capital Landlords” who live in the USA, many of whom can help in a number of sectors to move the State forward.
The Convention provides an opportunity to discuss the status of the Owerri man, the development and progress of Owerri, the youths, their education, unemployment, insecurity at home, the state of Imo State, even the state of Nigeria. But most important, it is an opportunity to raise money for the scores of underprivileged pupils and students back home- Primary, Secondary Schools, tertiary institutions – who they offer scholarships annually. And inspite of the, most times, exaggerated negative stories they hear of, and from home, they remain patriotic. They think home. They long for home. And they are a pillar to home, sending millions of hard earned Dollars annually to an increasing number of dependants many of whom think they pick dollars from the streets of America. If only they know the number of grueling working hours their relations endure, holding down, often, two jobs, a number of them, barely getting a sleep.
So, in the 2024 edition of WOPC Convention which held between July 25 and 27, Ajaero was one of their treasured guests. It gave them joy to stay with, and celebrate their brother who gradually, but steadily rose to the high profile position of the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC. No mean feat.
Comrade Joe Ajaero, NLC President.
As expected in an Owerri event, there was a lot of Owerri music. As most people, including Ajaero, proudly hit the dance floor and swayed and wriggled their waists to the seductive music, the Disc Jockey pulled what Ajaero described as an insult to Nigeria.
From nowhere, this DJ began to play Idris Abdulkareem’s “Nigeria jaga jaga, everything scatter- scatter.” Sure these our people in the Diaspora love Nigeria, but they are also aware of how things stand in our beloved country. So, some of them also danced to Abdulkareem’s uncomplimentary song.
But not Ajaero.
He stopped dancing. There he was, the President of the NLC, listening to a D.J. playing a derogatory song about his country, in a foreign land? He would have none of it.
So, Ajaero walked down to him, and taught him some few lessons in patriotism. He asked how he dared play a song derogatory of Nigeria in a foreign land, and before a Nigerian community. He asked for the music to be stopped. And walked back to his seat thereafter.
One can now imagine how all those who witnessed Ajaero’s open show of patriotism in a foreign land, his stiff defence of his country’s integrity in a foreign land, would feel about Ajaero’s ordeal today which began a few days after his return to his country, Nigeria.
Depending on when you read this, Comrade Joe Ajaero will either be in his house or a Police facility.
If he is in his house, he must either be going through files, arranging his papers, preparatory to what could turn out to be long hours of ordeal. Or, he is already
at a Police Facilty in Abuja, answering questions like: did you, or did you not?
Ajaero’s current ordeal which many have described as the biggest battle of his life began, as they say, “like play, like play”.
Of course he, from his early days as the NLC President, had problems with Governments over Workers’ welfare. In fact, his home State, Imo, was the first to face his wrath. In response, a couple of weeks later, he was given a bitter pill to swallow. On a “working” visit to the State, Ajaero was given the beating of his life. He ended up in about three hospitals, and was blinded, almost.
Since then, Ajaero has had a couple of brushes with the Federal Government. He had threatened Workers’ strike actions against the Federal Government. He had called out Workers on strike which fizzled out after a 48 hours. The longest, and most successful, was the one which earned Workers a N70,000 minimum wage – up from N35,000, which most States have still been unable to pay. That was a big leap for Workers, a leap for which workers will remain grateful to his leadership.
Ironically, Ajaero’s current wahala did not start because he led Workers to a strike. It is an offshoot of a protest neither he as a person, nor NLC was involved in.
A number of Groups had come together to organize what they tagged #EndBadGovernance. It was, specifically, a protest against hunger, and suffering they said. It lasted for 10 days – August 1 to August 10.
As the day approached, the NLC issued a statement and distanced the Congress from the protest. Meaning that the NLC was not involved in the violent protest which threatened, particularly, in the North, the foundation of Nigeria.
For the first time, foreign flags- Russia’s- were carried in their thousands. They called for Russia to come and take over Nigeria. They openly invited the Military to throw out the President Bola Tinubu-led Government. People died on both sides – Security Agencies and Protesters. Billions of Naira worth of private and public properties were destroyed. Some were torched. Serious efforts were made to put an end to it. And it seemed the protests were fizzling out, Ajaero was dragged in.
On August 8, two days before the end of the nationwide protest, Police Operatives invaded/raided the NLC National Headquarters Abuja. They carted away all kinds of things, including books. While shocked Nigerians wondered how and why, the Police denied its operatives carried out any operations at the NLC Headquarters. But later, the Police swallowed its vomit. It admitted its Operatives raided the NLC Headquarters, but pointed out that neither the NLC nor its Leadership was the target. A foreign terrorist, its statement said, was the target. Till date, the foreigner has remained nameless, anonymous.
While the NLC demanded an apology from the NPF, and a return of the things carted away, the NPF raised the ante.
On 19 August, the Police extended a letter of invitation to Ajaero where he was accused of crimes unbelievable. Terrorism. Funding terrorism. Treasonable felony. Criminal conspiracy Cybercrime. And more. He was asked to report the next day, August 20, for interrogation, failing he would have a bench warrant on his head.
Reactions to the invitation came like claps of thunder. First, Femi Falana, Ajaero and NLC’s Lawyer, sent a letter to the Inspector General of Police, and said it was not possible for Ajaero to honour the invitation on the day requested. Ajaero, he informed, had an already committed appointment. He informed that Ajaero would appear on August 29. And, he requested that Ajaero be given details of the allegations/charges leveled against him.
The reaction from the NLC was swift and sharp. It gave notice that all its affiliates will embark on a nationwide strike if Ajaero is arrested or detained.
The Police, apparently, avoided a national uproar, a shut down of the country by not arresting Ajaero before the 29th he requested to appear.
But 29th is here. And the Police will have Ajaero before them. To accompany him are his Lawyers and tge Leadership of the NLC. The scene at the IRT Complex, venue of the interrogation will be interesting.
And most Nigerians will be focused on that. All eyes will be on the Police and Ajaero. Not a few people are anxious to know the details of the allegations against Ajaero.
Not a few people are anxious to see the strong evidence(s) the Police has against Ajaero. Not a few people are anxious to see the Police prove them. Not a few people are anxious to know if Ajaero will be stupid enough to engage in such atrocious acts. Why would Ajaero who protested against a song derogatory of his country, a couple of weeks ago, turn round to sponsor terrorism against his same country? Not a few people think the allegations are part of an orchestrated plan to ease Ajaero out of office as NLC President. They think this whole stuff is just a way of giving a dog a bad name to hang it. And not a few people – nationally and internationally- are interested in this case. The international community is also interested. A testy case. A testy situation. Yet, the Police must be allowed to do their job.
Nigerians can’t wait. And the questions are tumbling. Will Ajaero indulge in terrorism? Will he be caught indulging in treasonable felony?
Is Ajaero stubborn? Sure he is. Most Labour Leaders are. Check out Senator Adams Oshiomhole. Ajaero is mild compared to Oshiomhole as NLC President.
Does Ajaero interrogate Government policies and actions? Sure. Does he keep Government on its toes? Sure. That’s his job.
Not only was he a Journalist, he is a Lawyer and a Labour Leader. Good combination for an interrogation of everything.The combination also holds a number of things in suspicion.
Nervous as many people are over the outcome of this inexplicable situation, my advice is: reduce the tension in the Country. It is so high, so dense that a knife could find it difficult to cut through. Truth is, not a few people are tired. And frustrated. There is hunger. There is anger. All we need to do is: take a deep breath and calm down.
The Ajaero case could be a starting point.
If the Police has no proof, and cannot prove the allegations against Ajaero beyond reasonable doubt, he should be left alone. And apologies could follow later – over drinks and back slaps.
Despite protestations by the Barrister Julius Abure-led National Working Committee, NWC, of the Labour Party, LP , Abia State Governor, Dr Alex Otti has gone ahead to summon a stakeholders meeting.
Otti, who is the only Governor elected on the platform of the LP, during the 2023 General Elections, had earlier signaled his intention to call for the meeting to calm frayed nerves.
The Party that took the political atmosphere by storm during the General Elections due to the presence of Peter Obi, its Presidential Candidate, has been swimming in troubled waters since after its controversial National Convention in Nnewi early in the year.
The Convention itself was preceded by a plethora of dissenting voices who complained about being sidelined in the run up to the event .
But despite strident opposition, including from Obi himself, National Assembly caucus of the party, and other major stakeholders, Abure still went ahead to hold the event where he was returned to office as the National Chairman.
Julius Abure
However, events afterwards ,have proven the decision of Abure to go ahead with the convention a huge political miscalculation .
Post Nnewi convention, most of the known voices that kicked against the event have continued to shun all activities relating to the party.
The development has deepened the disagreements within the party, and even threatening its continued survival as a potentially viable political platform for future elections.
It is against this fast depreciating value of the party in the face of the continued crisis of confidence and legitimacy deficits of the Abure-led NWC that goaded Governor to wade in .
But on Tuesday, August 27 ,2024 the Abure-led NWC flatly rejected Governor Otti’s trouble shooting efforts, and insisted instead on the legitimacy and constitutionality of the Nnewi Convention that brought them to the saddle.
However, in a circular issued on Wednesday August 28, 2024, the Abia State Governor announced September 4, 2024 as the scheduled date for the reconciliatory stakeholders meeting.
According to the circular, Obi ,his running mate in the last Presidential Election, Datti Ahmed ,the National Assembly caucus ,and other major stakeholders will be in attendance at the meeting which will hold at Abia State Government House Umuahia.
“Three representatives of the Nigeria Labour Congress NLC, who are members of the National Executive Council of the party ,three Representatives of the Trade Union Congress TUC who are members of the National Executive Council of Labour Party, Vice-Presidential candidate in the 2023 elections will be attending.
“Also invited are Abia state Deputy Governor, all serving and former Senators who are members of the party, all serving and former members of the House of Representatives serving members of the House of Assembly of States, five members of the Abure-led National Working Committee- National Chairman, Deputy National Chairman, National Secretary, Woman Leader, and Youth Leader, Gubernatorial Candidates of Edo and Ondo States.
“The following former governorship candidates representing the six geo-political zones will attend – Ken Pela Delta state ,Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour Lagos state ,Chijioke Edoga Enugu state ,Jonathan Asake Kaduna state , Patrick Dakum Plateau state and Keftin Amuga Gombe state” part of the circular reads .
Abure has promised a strong disciplinary action against Otti if he (Otti) does not back out.
In a move which signposts a direct confrontation with the powers-that-be in Rivers State, former Chairman of the State Council of Traditional Rulers, His Majesty, Sergeant Ohna Awuse, has declared his Palace ,a no-go-area for all perceived and known supporters of Governor Simnalayi Fubara.
Awuse, a former political gladiator and known sympathizer of the Peoples Democratic Party PDP, in a video recording, also said that his Palace will only be accessible to those behind the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Minister Nyesom Wike.
Awuse, since exiting active partisan politics ,has been the Paramount Traditional Ruler of Emohua Kingdom in Rivers State.
A known and unrepentant ally and loyalist of Nyesom Wike, the former Governor of the state, Awuse was a few months ago, removed as the Chairman of the Rivers State Council of Traditional Rulers by Governor Siminalayi Fubara for alleged insubordination and disrespect to constituted authorities .
The Governor had cited the printing of the 2024 Calendar of the Traditional Rulers Council in which Awuse deliberately omitted his pictures and that of his deputy as the height of disrespect.
Governor Fubara and Wike, until they parted ways a fews months after he, Fubara, became Governor with Wike’s help, were known formidable political soulmates.
Their political differences, however, have since polarized the political landscape of the Oil rich State, including the state legislative body.
About 27 State Lawmakers led by factional Speaker Martins Amaewfule, have also resigned their memberships of the PDP, the platform that enthroned them are backing Wike.
Speaker Victor Oko-Jumbo leads other members of the House of Assembly loyal to Governor Fubara .
The video was said to have been recorded at the Palace of the Traditional Ruler during his address to followers of Wike who paid him a visit.
But supporters of Governor Fubara have described the declaration by Awuse as unfortunate, a bad development and a recipe for disaster for the, otherwise, revered traditional institution.
A statement issued by Prince Charles Beke, leader of SIMplified Movement in Emuoha, condemned the Monarch’s action, and labelled him a ” partisan Monarch”.
The group regretted that a Traditional Ruler that is supposed to serve as a rallying point for all his subjects, irrespective of political affiliations, has condescended to a new low whereby he is now threatening his own people due to his loyalty to Wike .
However, the group has vowed never to be intimidated by anybody no matter how highly placed, nor succumb to empty threats.
“We are able to distinguish between our political loyalty, and our obligations to the Traditional Stool of Emohua. We will never merge both nor allow any one to use the stool to dictate our political conduct.
“Members of the SIMplified Movement in Emohua will neither be intimidated, nor blackmailed into abandoning the righteous cause of supporting the Governor that all of us took the pain to vote for just a year ago.
“His Majesty, Sir Ohna Sergeant Awuse, is at liberty to descend into the political arena and take sides if he so wishes. But he cannot dictate to the people where their loyalty should be.
“For us, we have utmost respect for the Traditional Stool of Emohua Kingdom and we will not denigrate the institution by smearing it with politics” the group stated.
The Human Rights Writers Association,(HURIWA) has accused the Federal Government of complicit in the political crisis in Rivers state.
The association also raised concerns about the possibility of the Federal Government involvement in the externally-induced attacks in the State.
It questioned whether the President might be instructing the Inspector General of Police, (IGP) to direct the Rivers State Police Command to show loyalty to someone other than the Governor or the Constitution.
This was contained in a statement on Wednesday by the HURIWA signed by Emmanuel Onwubiko, National Coordinator.
HURIWA expressed concern over the Federal Executive’s apparent support for actions that undermine democracy in Rivers State, citing instances where the Police, under Federal control, have acted unconstitutionally.
One notable example, according to HURIWA, was the Police takeover of Local Government Secretariats, preventing, even appointed officials, from governing.
This action, the association frowned upon, was taken before the Supreme Court’s judgment, even though Governor Fubara’s appointments were within his constitutional powers.
HURIWA condemned the role of the Police in this scenario, and urged the Inspector General of Police to ensure that the Rivers State Police Command remains loyal to the Constitution and the properly constituted authority, which is currently Governor Fubara.
“HURIWA firmly believes that once a governor is democratically elected, they should be allowed to govern without interference, regardless of who facilitated their emergence.”
The association highlighted that Governor Fubara won the election and must be allowed to lead and develop Rivers State stably, as he has been doing.
HURIWA called on all stakeholders to support the Governor and ensure that Rivers State is not thrown into chaos, as any destabilization of the State would have serious repercussions for the entire South-South region.
“Rivers State, being one of the wealthiest States in the region plays a crucial role in the economic stability of the South-South, and any attempt to disrupt its governance would be tantamount to destabilizing the entire region.”
HURIWA reminded all parties involved that the Police are supposed to be loyal to the Constitution and the duly elected governor, who in this case is Governor Fubara. The Supreme Court has confirmed Fubara’s electoral victory, and stressed that all forms of externally induced attacks against him must cease.
The association urged those with political ambitions in Rivers State to exercise patience and wait until the next election cycle in 2027 to pursue their goals.
“In the meantime, Governor Fubara should be allowed to govern the state without unnecessary distractions, just as the immediate past governor, Nyesom Wike, was allowed to complete his tenure and make significant contributions to the state’s infrastructure.
“The mandate given to Governor Fubara by the people of Rivers State is sacred and should be respected.”
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has described as outdated, absurd and stone- age idea, the new policy imposing age limits for entry into tertiary institutions.
The Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, recently announced on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics that individuals under 18 will no longer be permitted to take the National Examinations Council (NECO) and West African Examinations Council (WAEC) examinations.
Atiku, who, in his X account on Wednesday condemned the policy, questioned how such a regressive measure could be a solution to the numerous challenges facing Nigeria’s education system.
The statement reads: “Tinubu’s policy on age limit for tertiary education admission belongs in the Stone Ages.
“The recent policy of the Federal Ministry of Education pegging age limits for entry to tertiary institutions is an absurdity and a disincentive to scholarship.
“The policy runs foul of the notion of delineation of responsibilities in a federal system of government such as we are practising, and gives a graphic impression of how the Tinubu government behaves like a lost sailor on a high sea.
“Otherwise, how is such anti-scholarship regulation the next logical step in the myriad of issues besetting our educational system?
“To be clear, the Nigerian constitution puts education in the concurrent list of schedules, in which the sub-national government enjoys more roles above the federal government.
“Therefore, it is extra-constitutional for the federal government to legislate on education in a manner similar to a decree.
“The best global standard for such regulation is to allow the sub-national governments to make respective laws or rules on education.
“It is discouraging that even while announcing this obnoxious policy, the government inadvertently said it had no plan to cater for specially gifted pupils.
“That statement is an embarrassment to the body of intellectuals in the country because it portrays Nigeria as a country where gifted students are not appreciated.
“The irony here is that should the federal government play any role in education, it is to set up mechanisms that will identify and grant scholarships to gifted students not minding their ages before applying for admission into tertiary institutions.
“This controversial policy belongs in the Stone Ages and should be roundly condemned by everyone who believes in intellectual freedom and accessibility.”
