Nation
Why We Want Buhari Out, Galadima, Others Explain …Widespread Killings Show Leadership Failure -Tambuwal
The chieftains of the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) have continued to advance reasons for coming together to fight “a common enemy” in the 2019 general elections.
Last Monday, a coalition of 39 political parties converged in Abuja to sign a memorandum of understanding that would see them field a joint Presidential Candidate in 2019 to confront the All Progressives Congress (APC) likely candidate, President Muhammadu Buhari.
For National Chairman of the Reformed All Progressives Congress (R-APC), Alhaji Buba Galadima, Buhari’s inability to make a positive difference in the lives of Nigerians three years after taking over the reins of government, informed the decision of his group to join the CUPP in its bid to form a government of national unity.
Galadima, a long-time associate of the President is not only worried by what he called the lack of vision for a nation struggling to catch up with the rest of the world but also by what he personally “knows” about the retired Army General.
According to Galadima, he has access to what perhaps not many Nigerians know about their President.
All these, according to him, make the re-election of Buhari and the continuation of the APC administration a disservice to the nation beyond 2019.
He said, “He (Buhari) is a military general, but we know him and you know that I know him. If I were him and if I were his advisers, I would advise him not to attempt to contest. I have my reasons. If what I know, if what I have access to and I know; I assure you that General Buhari not only will lose the election but will lose his deposit.”
“The R-APC boss is equally not happy that a government that got elected on the strength of its anti-corruption credentials would in his words, be thinking of offering carrots to willing pawns ahead of the polls, in a bid to brighten its chances”, he said.
“They are thinking of setting aside public money which they accused others of using during elections for this purpose, warning that alternatively they might use the big stick because you know a desperate person can do anything.”
He can kill if he has power, he can arrest and detain but whichever one they choose, we are prepared to lay down our lives to save our nation.”
On his part, Barrister Godson Okoye of the United Democratic Party (UDP), the need to secure freedom for Nigerians is the sole reason to align forces with other parties to rescue Nigerians from the grip of the APC-led government of President Buhari.
“Rescue Nigeria is a task that must be done. We are in a serious project and the project is to guarantee freedom of choice,” said Okoye, who added that “until the rights of the people are guaranteed, there will be no end to the crises and bloodletting in the country.”
Taking a slightly different position was Chief Peter Ameh, national chairman of the Progressive People’s Alliance (PPA).
Ameh said in all development indices, the nation has never witnessed more perilous times like in the past three years, stating that the only thing left for good-spirited Nigerians to do, was to speak up and ‘dare the lion in his den.’
Meanwhile, the Sokoto State Governor, Dr. Aminu Tambuwal has attributed the recurring killings in most parts of the country to the failure of leadership, lamenting that the harvests of deaths were not what Nigerians voted form in 2015.
Canvassing a comprehensive overhaul of the nation’s security architecture, which he said was not working, Tambuwal noted that “the growing spate of mindless shedding of innocent blood, especially of policemen and other security personnel on their lawful duty posts, has brought a new dimension to the reprehensible state of insecurity in the country”.
He commiserated with families of citizens, who lost their lives in the killings.
In a statement, the governor said with the killing of security agents on their duty posts, “the question from every law-abiding citizen today is: ‘Who will protect us, when even those constitutionally charged with the responsibility of protecting our lives and property have, themselves, become vulnerable targets of criminals’? Where shall we run to for protection, when the institutions of state put in place to protect us are being progressively dismantled by opportunistic criminality and the trained personnel are also on the run?”
His words: “Last May, three policemen were shot dead in Sokoto State by kidnappers, who abducted a Syrian national they were escorting. A few days later, four police officers were ambushed and killed in Benue State.
“Last week seven policemen were reportedly gunned down in cold blood in Abuja, and their arms and ammunition were taken, by unknown persons. This is happening amidst repeatedly reported cases of attacks on police stations and other security facilities in various parts of the country…
“It bears repeating for me to state here that Nigeria’s security architecture and the strategies currently adopted and deployed for national security, if any, need a comprehensive overhaul. It is not working. The needless waste of life everywhere, both those of trained security personnel and ordinary citizens, is a drain on the nation’s resources and an unacceptable diminution of our valuable human capital.
“Every policeman or military personnel is someone’s father, mother, brother, sister, uncle, aunt or friend. The number and frequency of deaths are undermining our humanity, making us less sensitive to the gravity of the situation we are in today and also creating a new generation of Nigerians, who may get accustomed to inhuman acts as the norm.
“The worst part of all this is that these deaths are avoidable and the killings preventable. It boils down, at the end of the day, to the failure of leadership. Nigeria cannot progress and be part of a 21st Century forward-looking world by creating new batches of mourners every other day. This is not the way to go. That is not what Nigerians voted for in 2015. That is not what will build a virile, united, united, politically stable and economically prosperous African Giant.”
Strategic regulators and other stakeholders have expressed satisfaction with the pace, quality and magnitude of work carried out by the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) in Ogoniland, in line with the recommendations of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
In their separate speeches at the 2025 4th quarter key regulators / asset owners meeting held in Port Harcourt, the strategic stakeholders commended HYPREP for the significant milestones achieved with excellent efficiency and transparency, demonstrating capacity and commitment to sustaining collaboration with development partners for the overall success of the Project.
The regulators particularly lauded HYPREP for the landmark success in the implementation of the land and shoreline remediation, mangrove restoration, provision of reticulated potable water, the various sustainable livelihood programmes, donation of ambulances to health facilities in Ogoni, the construction of Centre of Excellence for Environmental Restoration, as well as the ongoing Ogoni Power Project, adding that their independent field reports have shown proofs of HYPREP driving even beyond its mandates.
The goodwill messages were made by representatives of the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), Centre for Environment and Human Rights Development (CEHRD), Society for Women and Youths Affairs (SWAYA), Stakeholders Democracy Network (SDN), Nigerian Pipelines and Storage Company (NPSC), and Federal Ministry of Environment. Others are the Rivers State Ministry of Environment, the Rivers State Ministry of Health, the National Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), the Rivers State Ministry of Power, the Rivers State University, the Rivers State Ministry of Water and Rural Development, and Renaissance Africa Energy Company Limited.
Following the Monitoring and Evaluation Unit’s presentation on the status of HYPREP projects, participants offered feedback on areas of concern. They reassured HYPREP and the people of Ogoni of their continued support for the Project’s success. They also suggested that the quarterly review meeting be sustained as it enables them to report, evaluate and proffer solutions to areas of concern.
Participants also commended HYPREP for improved community and stakeholder engagement and for adding to what they saw the previous time. “We commend HYPREP for the quality work done at sites. The progress is phenomenal, because HYPREP is scoring good grades, above average,” Prof. Iyenemi Kakulu from Rivers State University said.
In his speech at the event, the Project Coordinator of HYPREP, Prof Nenibarini Zabbey, who was represented by Prof Damian-Paul Aguiyi, Director of Technical Services, commended the regulators and asset owners for their cooperation with the Project, and for making themselves available for fieldwork and the regular review meetings.
Prof Zabbey reiterated HYPREP’s commitment to best practice in waste management, particularly waste generation and disposal, calling on the Regulators for adequate logistics support, saying HYPREP’s priority is to focus on the core recommendations by UNEP, especially, remediation(soil, shoreline) mangrove restoration, provision of potable water, interventions in public health care services and sustainable livelihood for the people.
The Project Coordinator further highlighted the status of the Project, the successes achieved across all thematic areas, and assured that HYPREP will soon complete most of the ongoing projects and roll out others. He explained that the purpose of the meeting was to review the progress of the Ogoni cleanup, ensure quality control, and foster effective collaboration.
Consequently, the quarterly key regulators/asset owners meeting is HYPREP’s strategic stakeholder management model, further underscoring the Project’s commitment to transparency, partnership for development, and accountability, all of which are harbingers of effective project delivery.
Speaking to newsmen, HYPREP Project Support Lead and representative of Renaissance Africa Energy Company Limited, Engr Ehioze Igbinomwanhia, described his involvement with HYPREPas an encouraging and insightful experience, saying, the Project is implementing a wide range of projects across Ogoniland, spanning immediate remediation works as well as livelihood support initiatives aimed at improving the welfare of affected communities.
Engr Igbinomwanhia emphasised that Renaissance Africa Energy remains fully committed to supporting the objectives of the Ogoni cleanup project, noting that the company has a long history of collaboration with HYPREP.
He added that the partnership has been characterised by continuous learning, adaptation and a willingness to respond to observations and recommendations aimed at improving outcomes.
He further emphasised the importance of safety in all project operations, particularly given the challenging terrain and operating conditions in Ogoniland.
He noted that safety is treated as a critical priority and that contractors are continually reminded to maintain high safety standards, stressing that lessons learnt from previous operational challenges like the collapse of the water tank in Gwara Community are being applied to strengthen safety practices and overall performance.
The Rivers state Government has identified six local government areas with the highest burden of maternal and Neonatal mortality in the state.
State Commissioner for Health Dr Adaeze Chidinma Oreh said this in an interview with newsmen at the Maternal and Neonatal Reduction innovation initiative ( Mamii)Rivers state activation workshop and state engagement meeting in Port Harcourt.
The event was organized by The Federal Ministry of Health in conjunction with its Rivers state counterpart in Port Harcourt.
Dr Oreh also restated the preparedness of the state government to support current efforts by the federal government towards the reduction of maternal and infant mortalities in the country.
She mentioned the affected Local Government Areas to include, Andoni,Akuku Toru and Ahoada West
The rest according to the Commissioner are, Bonny, Etche and Emohua Local Government Areas.
She said the workshop will enable the team from the federal ministry of health and social welfare to brainstorm with the view to finding solution to the problem.
The Commissioner also gave reasons why the Mamii initiative was the best as far as finding solution to maternal mortality was concerned.
“The uniqueness of the Mamii initiative driven by the federal ministry of health and social welfare was that we used evidence to elicit the reasons for this deaths, so that the solutions will be context specific and tailored to the particular environment where those deaths are occuring
“For us in Rivers state we have six Mamii LGAs , nationally we we have 172 local government areas “the Commissioner said.
Earlier in her opening remarks,Dr Oreh said the state government is prepared to work with the federal ministry of health and social welfare to check the rate of maternal mortality in the state.
She commended The Minister of Health and Social welfare Professor Ali Muhammad Pategi for driving the Mamii initiative across the country and expressed optimism that the programm will see to the end of maternal mortality in the country.
Also speaking the National Coordinator Nigeria health sector Renewal Initiative Dr Adam Ahmed said Rivers state is the last state among Mamii states in the country to host the team.
He said the team will visit the affected Local Government Areas with the view to interacting with the people on how to check the trend.
He expressed the hope that with continuous efforts, maternal mortality will be checked.
Also speaking the permanent secretary Rivers state Ministry of Health Professor Justinah Jumbo said the government is not leaving any stone unturned towards reduction in maternal deaths.
The permanent secretary said Governor Siminalaye Fubara is a health friendly Governor who is desirous in improving the quality of health of Rivers people.
John Bibor
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