News
Amaechi Rescues Abandoned Boy With N4m Tasks NUJ On Quacks
The Rivers State Governor, Rt Hon Chibuike Amaechi, yesterday came to the aid of Master Taiwo Amina, when he presented a cheque of N4million to the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH) for his treatment in India.
Master Taiwo Amina was brought four years ago to the Special Care Baby Unit of the hospital for not being able to pass faeces, but was later abandoned by his parents.
Rt Hon Chibuike Amaechi was however informed of the boy’s ordeal during a Wazobia/Cool FM interview programme where he promised to assist in the treatment of the boy.
Presenting the cheque on behalf of the Government of Rivers State to the UPTH management in her office, the Rivers State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Mrs Ibim Semenitari said that the gesture represents a fraction of the humanitarian services which the governor has been doing across the state.
Mrs Semenitari also said that Master Amina’s case further lends credence to the move by the state government to build a specialist hospital in the state.
She said that the Karibi Whyte Specialists Hospital would be completed before the end of the present administration as it would act as a centre of excellence and tourism in the country.
The commissioner who regretted that companies in the Niger Delta had abandoned their responsibilities of assisting institutions such as the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH) to go into medical research, also said that, it behoves the press to hold these companies accountable for this act.
Mrs Semenitari also commended the management of Wazobia/Cool FM for keeping to the tenets of social responsibility which she described as usual among broadcast media organisations in the state and also the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital for saving the life of the four years old boy.
Speaking, the representative of the management of UPTH, Dr Christie Mato who is also the chairman of the Medical Advisory Council thanked the state governor for the gesture and the management of Wazobia/Cool FM for ensuring that the public was aware of the issue.
Meanwhile, the state Governor, Rt Hon Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, has tasked the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) on the need to sanitise the journalism profession by ridding it of quacks.
Governor Amaechi gave the charge when the National Executive Council (NEC) and National Working Committee of the NUJ paid him a courtesy visit in Government House, Port Harcourt.
Governor Amaechi averred that the exercise had become necessary considering the sensitive role journalists play in informing and educating the society but regretted that over the years, the profession had been inundated with quacks.
The Rivers State Chief Executive, who decried the sudden decline in standards and ethics of the profession, further urged the NUJ national council to push for a law through the National Assembly which when enacted would help standardize journalism practice.
Speaking earlier, President of the NUJ, Malam Mohammed Garba informed the governor that the body was in Port Harcourt for its NEC meeting.
He said the forum would afford the union an opportunity to address professional and national issues and tinker on how well to inject efficiency into the profession.
Malam Garba, who also lauded Governor Amaechi for emerging the Chairman of Governors’ Forum commended him for the new life he had injected into the state media organization and appointing one of its members as a commissioner in the state.
Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, has called on Nigerians to reject silence in the face of extrajudicial killings and other abuses of human rights.
Soyinka stressed that accountability and civic courage remain essential to rebuilding public confidence in the nation’s institutions.
He made the call during the 28th Wole Soyinka Lecture held in Port Harcourt, last Friday as part of activities marking his 92nd birthday.
The lecture, themed “Reclaiming the Nigerian State through Accountability, Justice and Civic Courage,” drew participants from different sectors of society.
The renowned playwright and human rights advocate said the country’s greatest tragedy was not only the unlawful killings carried out by state and non-state actors, but also the silence that often follows such incidents, allowing perpetrators to evade justice.
According to him, indifference by citizens to abuses of power and violations of fundamental human rights has contributed to the persistence of extrajudicial killings and other forms of injustice across the country.
Soyinka said he dedicated this year’s lecture to victims of unlawful killings, noting that the event was intended to honour individuals who had lost their lives as a result of failures within the justice system and society’s inability to protect the sanctity of human life.
He stressed that the lecture was dedicated to what he described as the basic unit of every society – the human being, and urged Nigerians to place greater value on human dignity irrespective of ethnicity, religion or social status.
The Nobel Laureate recalled several incidents of violence, including the fatal shooting and killing of a young man in Ugheli in Delta State by a police officer, and the mob killing of Deborah Yakubu in Sokoto State sometime ago, lamenting that many of those responsible are yet to face justice.
He expressed concern that some perpetrators of violent crimes had openly admitted their actions without fear of prosecution, describing such situations as evidence of serious failures within the nation’s justice system.
Soyinka maintained that when justice is delayed or denied, public confidence in state institutions continues to erode, thereby encouraging further violations of human rights.
Responding to critics who accuse him of promoting religious or ethnic divisions whenever he spoke on such issues, Soyinka dismissed the allegations and pointed out that his advocacy has always centred on the protection of human life and the rule of law.
He urged Nigerians to remain vigilant and continue demanding justice in cases of alleged extrajudicial killings, including the recent shooting of a young man by a police officer, stressing that every life deserves equal protection under the law.
The literary icon also recalled an earlier pledge by a past incoming president to make public the files relating to unresolved assassinations and extrajudicial killings, questioning the status of the promised investigations.
He challenged citizens to continue asking questions about unresolved cases, insisting that justice, accountability and respect for human dignity are indispensable to building a peaceful, democratic and inclusive Nigerian society.
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has clarified that there was no fire at Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, contrary to its earlier advisory.
Earlier yesterday, FAAN had announced that a fire incident had occurred at Terminal 2 of the nation’s busiest airport, and assured that its Aerodrome Rescue and Firefighting Service had been deployed to contain the situation.
There were also reports that activities were briefly disrupted at the airport yesterday after smoke was seen inside parts of the terminal.
Videos circulating online showed passengers kept standing outside the terminal while firefighters responded to the incident.
However, in an update issued less than two hours later by the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Henry Agbebire, and posted on FAAN’s official X handle, the authority said preliminary findings showed that the smoke seen at the terminal was caused by the discharge of the facility’s FM-200 fire suppression system.
“Further to our earlier advisory regarding the incident at Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) wishes to provide the following update,” the statement read.
“Preliminary findings indicate that there was no fire at the terminal. The smoke observed within the affected area resulted from the discharge of the terminal’s FM-200 fire suppression system. The reason for the activation of the fire suppression system is currently being investigated,” FAAN stated.
The authority said normal operations had resumed at the terminal while investigations were ongoing to determine the cause of the incident.
“Normal operations have since resumed at the terminal, while detailed investigations are ongoing to determine the exact cause of the incident,” the statement added.
The authority thanked passengers, airlines, airport users and other stakeholders for their understanding and cooperation.
FAAN appreciated the understanding and cooperation of passengers, airlines, airport users and all stakeholders, and reiterated its commitment to the safety and security of all airport operations.