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APC Restructuring C’ttee’s Report, Fraud – PDP Youth
The youth wing of the Peoples Democratic Party PDP, known as the Peoples Democratic Party Youth Frontier has said that the Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai Restructuring Committee is a mere campaign strategy for Buhari’s second term and that the recommendations of the committee are a fraud.
In a statement issued yesterday in Abuja, by its National Coordinator, Usman Okai Austin, the PDPNYF, said it was amazing how the same man who openly campaigned against restructuring; describing those championing it as mere political opportunists can now make a u-turn with his clueless committee to endorse an agenda he initially kicked against.
PDPNYF further said “We wonder what has changed the same El-Rufai who described calls for the restructuring of Nigeria as political opportunism and irresponsibility while speaking on Channels TV’s Sunrise Daily? Could this volte face be an indicator that his party is fast loosing ground?
PDP National Youth Frontier described the purported document submitted by Kaduna state government as only fit for a trash can and should as a matter of national importance be shredded and discarded accordingly because it is mischievous, self serving and riddled with so much inconsistencies.
More so the group described the APC Government as a disaster, and insisting that President Mohammed Buhari has nothing to offer as it urged him to prepare his exit as Nigerians are ready to kick him out through ballot boxes.
Meanwhile, former Governor of Ondo State, Olusegun Mimiko, yesterday in Ibadan expressed doubts about the report of the All Progressives Congress committee on restructuring, which recommended some of the agitations presented by those clamouring for restructuring of the country.
He expressed doubts about the ruling party’s promise to restructure the country, saying that APC had promised what it never intends to do.
Mimiko spoke during the 2018 Yoruba Youth Assembly Lecture themed, ‘National development, restructuring and Yoruba.’
The former governor held that although the report seemed to endorse resource control principle, it has brought back the sensitive and controversial onshore/offshore dichotomy issue.
He also hinged his doubt on what he described as “the inconsistency” between President Muhammadu Buhari’s speech which did not support restructuring and the committee recommendations which he noted was barely made to respond to public outcry against the current system.
He said, “Rather than waste useful time tinkering with the process, the appropriate thing to do is a wholesale review of the nature of the structure, such that it is reconfigured to be able to deliver on APC mandate.
“President’s political party, APC, came out very quickly to attempt a reformulation of the President’s proposition. [This] is needless, as it is doubtful if the party is in a position to veto the president of the nation.
“That President Buhari made his statement in spite of the bold and unequivocal commitment of the APC manifesto to restructuring is also indicative of the questionable pattern in which the party swept its way into office some three years ago.
“APC can, in the circumstances, safely be accused of promising what it never intended to do.
“With its control of the legislative house at the federal and state levels, the APC has capacity to actualise its restructuring agenda before the next election in 2019. Then and only then, to my mind, can the nation believe that the born again restructuring mantra is not another vote-catching gimmick.”
The former governor called on the ruling APC to align its position, instead of making what he called “disjointed statements” that only “expressed different positions,” stressing that he has no confidence in the party’s commitment to restructuring.
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.