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Amaechi, Others Liability To APC Govt -Presidency
L– R: Principal , Lead Forte Gate College, Lekki, Lagos, Kayode Oni, SNEPCo’s Social Performance and Social Investment Manager, Gloria Udoh, traditional ruler of Awoyaya in Lekki, Chief Isiaka Babatunde Eletu and SNEPCo’s General Manager, Exploration, Dayo Adewuyi, at the NNPC/SNEPCo National Cradle-to-Career Scholarship Award ceremony in Lagos, last Tuesday.
Former members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) have become liabilities to the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration, Personal Assistant, Social Media to the President, Ms. Lauretta Onochie, has said.
She spoke at the 2nd Annual International Conference of the Progressive Solidarity Forum (PSF) in Abuja.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, Transportation Minister, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, Senator Rabiu Kwamkwaso and Senator George Akume had led a long list of PDP members to the APC towards the 2015 general elections.
Onochie said the defectors constituted over 50 per cent of key players in the present administration, and could be found in almost every sector.
According to her, these defectors were a bad influence to youth in the country, whom she said, had been turned into organs of transmitting hate speech and raining abusive words and insults on the policies of government to discredit its work against corruption.
“People would ask: How do I cope with all the abuses, curses and excitement of the social media? Many of our youth do not understand what they are doing, they have never known freedom; so, we raise young people who are ignorant, who are timid and afraid of challenges, and when their rights are trampled on, they are afraid of challenging it.
“That brings me to those in this government who are here to serve themselves, those that the Comptroller-General of Customs, Col Hameed Ali (rtd) called PDP. He said that there are about 50 per cent of them in this government, but I say no, they are more than 50 per cent.
“They are everywhere; they are in the Presidency, they are in the National Assembly, you can find them in the Judiciary, they are in the law enforcement agencies, they serve their personal interests, they encourage our unsuspecting youth to be their foot soldiers on the social media to abuse and curse people while their own children are sipping tea in America, England or elsewhere. They are a bad example to our youngsters on social media,” Onochie said.
She also urged Nigerians to join hands with Buhari to win the war against corruption and indiscipline.
“Laws are meant to follow the smell of crime; if crimes are being committed, and these laws are not following them, then it means that some people are not doing their jobs. Those who are in charge of enforcing the laws, many of them are not doing their jobs.
“The Inspector General of Police is just one man, just as Buhari is just one man. The onus lies on each and every one of us to come together to challenge corruption where we find it. We need to say no to corruption and indiscipline.
“Corruption is everywhere, it stinks, and unless we all begin to fight it and join the president to fight it, corruption will kill this nation,” she added.
In his opening remarks, the Grand Patron of PSF, Dr. Ibrahim Emokpaire, said the essence of the conference was to ensure that the institutions saddled with the responsibility of sustaining the anti-corruption crusade lived beyond the existence of the Buhari-led government.
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.