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Publish Dasuki’s Statement, My Account …Fayose Dares EFCC
The Ekiti State Governor, Mr Peter Ayodele Fayose, has faulted the refusal of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to make public the statement it has extracted from the former National Security Adviser (NSA), Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd), in its on-going probe of money meant for the purchase of arms and the funding of the last general elections in the country.
Fayose, who also asked the anti-graft agency to publish his personal accounts it has frozen to let the whole world know what are contained therein, said by publishing Dasuki’s statement, it would, at least, show whether the ex-NSA gave money to former Minister of State for Defence, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro or anybody to give him (Fayose).
The governor threw the challenge, yesterday, while featuring on an interview programme on a radio station, Fresh FM.
In a statement, yesterday, by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Idowu Adelusi, the governor opined that “what I am facing in Ekiti is a war of the elite, and incidentally, it is the masses that vote people into office. We know some failed Ekiti politicians who now resume daily in EFCC office to concoct stories and give same to their commissioned newspapers to publish.
“It is only one or two newspapers that always have their so-called exclusive stories, and they follow the same pattern,” he said, adding that “the EFCC is only engaged i n mind game. They think they can wear me out, that is not possible as God is on my side because I stand for the truth.
“EFCC has not told Nigerians how money was wired to me. They must be responsible to do investigation that would not be a media issue. What the EFCC and their APC collaborators are trying to do is to set the people of the state against me, and they have failed,” Fayose stressed.
According to him, “in my two accounts that they have frozen, I have N300 million in the fixed deposit, and N82 million in the other. Both accounts and my properties were duly declared in my Asset Declaration Form.
“They are treading the same 2006 path and they will fail woefully by the grace of God. What they did in 2006, the Supreme Court declared it illegal, and I came back to office exactly eight years after. It means one of us lied and was mischievous,” he said.
Fayose also challenged the APC and its leaders to also tell the people how their own elections were funded, noting that a defector from the PDP to the APC should not suddenly become an angel or a saint.
“We cannot all be in the APC, if we are, then, we are no longer practising democracy. There must be opposition and that is to keep those in government on their toes, but if you now make silencing the opposition as your main programme, then, you are short-changing the people.
“The people are hungry, they are ravaged by poverty, and what you think is the best step to take is to kill the voice of the opposition. If the situation was this bad, the PDP would have been removed from office long time ago,” he added.
On the June 21, 2014 governorship election that brought him to office, Fayose said Dr Kayode Fayemi and APC leaders conceded defeat and that both local and international observers described the poll as free and fair.
“After the APC leaders failed to stop my inauguration, get me impeached, they know that they will still lose again in 2018. What they are trying to do is to create a wedge between me and the people of the state who love me. As far as I am concerned, their project is dead on arrival. The voice of the people is the voice of God,” he stated.
On claims by the APC-led Federal Government that massive fraud during the Goodluck Jonathan administration was responsible for its poor performance, Fayose said it was only a lazy worker that would complain about his tools.
“President Barack Obama, despite what he inherited from the George Bush’s Republican administration, still made the difference. The problem we have is not about the vehicle, but the driver. Let them give account of what they have realised as revenue, as recovered funds and the billions of dollars found in people’s houses all over the world. We want to know what has become of the funds,” he stated.
The governor urged Nigerians to always carefully dissect every information churned out by the party in power, saying that th e APC was leading the country as if it was still seeking the votes of the people.
This, the governor noted, “is why the government is more involved in propaganda than really informing the people about what is actually happening.”
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.