News
RSG Names Neighbourhood Safety Corps Agency Board …As Wike Gives Reasons for National Insecurity …Inaugurates Rivers Honours Advisory C’ttee
The Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike has approved the constitution of the Board of Directors of the Rivers State Neighbourhood Safety Corps Agency.
A statement by the Special Assistant to the Governor on Electronic Media, Simeon Nwakaudu, yesterday, indicated that the membership of the board included Brig-Gen Dick Ironabare as chairman and Uche Mike Chukwuma as director general.
Others members of the board are, Chief Casca Ogosu, Mr Dennis Amachree, Prof Emenike Wami, Anthony Uzo Ozurumba, and Mrs Victoria Chikeka.
The statement explained that Barrister Nma Omereji has been appointed as the Secretary/Legal Adviser of the Rivers State Neighbourhood Safety Corps Agency.
The statement also added that the board would be inaugurated on Monday, April 16, 2018 by the Rivers State Governor at the Executive Council Chambers of Government House, Port Harcourt.
Meanwhile, Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike has inaugurated the Rivers State Honours Advisory Committee with a charge to the committee to honour indigenes and non-indigenes who have contributed to the development of the state.
Inaugurating the committee at the Government House, Port Harcourt, yesterday, Wike said that the Rivers State honours event would henceforth hold annually after the successful ceremony during the state’s 50th Anniversary.
He said: “After Rivers at 50, we resolved that these honours should be bestowed on Rivers sons, daughters and non-indigenes on an annual basis. Those to be honoured are people who have made the state proud.
“You are to recommend those that you think have made worthy contributions to the development of the state. This will serve as an encouragement for them to make further contributions”.
He said that the state government appointed men and women of proven integrity into the committee, because the honours would be strictly on the premise of merit.
Wike thanked members of the committee for accepting to serve the state.
Responding, Chairman of the Rivers State Honours Advisory Committee, Chief Ferdinand Anabrabra said Rivers State has an abundance of talents in various fields of human endeavour.
He said the honours will be conferred on the people in line with their contributions and in recognition of their roles to develop the state.
Anabrabra said: “The significance of the honour is that it will spur people to the greater service of the state. It will encourage people to build on their successes.”
Other members of the committee include, Chief O.C.J. Okocha (SAN), Dr Ngozi Ordu, Dr Abiye P. Sekibo, Dr Peter Medee, Dr. Ikechi Nwogu, Dr. Mrs. Juliet Berewari while Sir Chidi Adele would serve as secretary.
Meanwhile, the Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike has stated that the nation’s security degenerated dangerously because the All Progressives Congress-led Federal Government chose to play politics with the security challenge in Rivers State.
The governor also called on professionals to show interest in political developments in the country, so as to ensure that the APC-led Federal Government returns to the right track.
Speaking during a courtesy visit by the Governing Council of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) at the Government House, Port Harcourt, yesterday, Wike said when Rivers State had the issues with kidnappings, instead of addressing the security challenge, the APC-led Federal Government and her agents plotted how to declare a state of emergency.
“The Federal Government politicised the issue of security in Rivers State at a time when her intervention was required. That is why the whole country has been engulfed by insecurity.
“Every day you hear people being killed like chickens. In Taraba, Plateau, Kogi, Benue, Zamfara, Kwara, Nasarawa,Kaduna, Yobe and Borno States. The case of Offa where 50 persons were killed is disheartening.
“After 50 persons were murdered in cold blood, the very next day, the authorities claimed that seven persons have been arrested. If the security agencies have the capacity to arrest almost immediately, why not stop the killings?”
He decried the situation where Nigeria answers Big Brother Africa, but remains unable to uphold the rule of law, conduct credible elections and institute basic governance process.
Wike said every profession has the responsibility to play a role in the development of the country, especially speaking out against the destruction of the tenets of the rule of law.
“If there is no rule of law, it negatively affects the professions. Professionals can no longer stand aloof while the country degenerates”, he said.
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.