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Buhari, Cause Of Hardship, Division In Nigeria -Sule Lamido …As Ezekwesili Blasts President Over Police Protest …Buhari’s Media Aides Now Miyetti Allah’s Mouthpiece -HURIWA
Former Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lamido, yesterday highlighted why Nigeria was experiencing so much hardship, division, and hatred under the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government.
The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, presidential aspirant alleged that Buhari’s lack of compassion for the country was responsible for the hatred, hardship, and division.
Addressing journalists in Sokoto, Lamido insisted that Buhari had failed as a leader due to his lack of compassion for the people.
The former governor stressed that the living conditions of the people had worsened in the last three years because of poor governance.
He said, “Buhari is a leader that lacks compassion for Nigerians and that is why there is so much hardship, division, and hatred among Nigerians. We cannot achieve progress and development when leaders lack compassion for their fellow human beings.
“Every nation takes the character of its leader. If a leader is humane and compassionate, the masses will tow that path but if the leader lacks compassion, there will be hatred and violence among the people.”
He, however, pledged to rescue Nigeria from the present state of insecurity and violence.
“The first thing I will do if I become the president is to unite this country because at the moment, we are highly divided as a people. There is so much hatred, fighting and killing in the polity.
“I will restore our human essence and ensure stability of the country because, without peace, there could be no development,” he added.
Oby Ezekwesili, former Education Minister, has reacted to the alleged protest by some men of the Nigeria Police Force in Maiduguri, Borno State.
Recall that the police personnel barricaded the Command headquarters located on Maiduguri-Kano expressway, causing gridlock yesterday.
But a statement by the Force spokesman, Jimoh Moshood insisted that the police officers and men in the state did not protest.
Reacting to the protest, the co-convener of BringBackOurGirls, BBOG, advocacy group berated the Federal Government over its inability to meet up with its promise to reform the security sector in the country.
In a series of tweets, Ezekwesili wrote: “A greater embarrassment to the .@PoliceNG was the BRAZEN LIES told by its Spokesperson that the protesting policemen in Maiduguri, “simply visited the Borno State Police Command headquarters on enquiry over the delay of their allowance.”
Now you know why Citizens Distrust police.
“This Government promised Security Sector Reforms that could address these personnel issues.
“Those who know where the reforms are should please educate the rest of us.
“To see those policemen in Maiduguri in riotous act was the saddest image of institutional decay. Fit it.
“We cannot continue to have their officers feed fat on opaquely spent security resources while the ‘foot-soldiers’ wallow in near abject poverty.
“There are no bad police and soldiers. Only bad officers.
In responses, the Presidency last Monday summoned the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, over the reported protest embarked on by police personnel in Maiduguri, Borno State, last Monday.
The policemen were said to have protested over non-payment of their monthly salaries and allowances.
Our correspondent reports that the IGP was seen heading towards the office of the Chief of Staff to the President, Malam Abba Kyari, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
A source at the Presidential Villa, who preferred to remain anonymous told newsmen that the IGP was in the villa to brief the Presidency on the police protest.
Also, the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), has come hard on the President Muhammadu Buhari presidency for “converting” the presidential media department to “the propaganda wing” of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Owners Association, stressing that the “ignominious role” of the presidential media office was “disheartening and amounts to a grave threat to national security.”
This was contained in a statement issued, yesterday, by the National Coordinator of HURIWA, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, who accused the office of the Presidential Media Adviser of “coordinating the purported denial of the original interview granted to the Jos-based Correspondent of The Tide by the North-Central leader of Miyetti Allah Cattle Owners Association, Alhaji Danladi Ciroma, in which he admitted that the recent attacks in Barkin Ladi was a retaliatory strike for the purported theft of 300 cows by the local communities that witnessed the unleashing of bloody violence by armed Fulani herdsmen.
“This is a direct confrontation to the constitutional oath of office sworn to by the President not to allow his ethno-religious interests becloud the implementation of policies that promote and protect national interests.”
It called for “the immediate sack of the entire Presidential media crew of the Presidency for converting a public office to a private media machinery of suspected perpetrators of terror attacks against farming communities that are mostly Christians in the North-Central region of Nigeria”.
On the recent bail granted by the Federal High Court in Abuja to the immediate-past National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd), from the custody of the Department of State Service (DSS), HURIWA warned against serial disobedience of court bails granted Dasuki as committed by the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration, stressing that the unconstitutional tendencies are breeding anarchy and impunity on a larger scale.
The rights group called on, “the international community to demand that the Nigerian President abides by his constitutional obligations and order the release of this Nigerian citizen given that section 36(5) of the Constitution states that a suspect before the competent court of law is innocent in the eyes of the law until a contrary determination is reached by a competent court of law”.
Rivers State Head of Service, Dr (Mrs) Inyingi Brown, has called on rural communities in the State to embrace the Rural Access and Agricultural marketing project (RAAMP) with a view to improving their living conditions.
This follows the ongoing sensitization campaign by the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) visits to Degema, Abonnema, Afam headquarters of Degema, Akuku Toru and Oyigbo Etche and Omuma local government areas respectively.
Dr Brown who was represented by the Deputy Director, Special Duties in her office, Mrs Dein Akpanah, said RAAMP was initiated by the Federal Government and World Bank to economically empower rural dwellers.s
She said the World Bank understands the plights of rural farmers and traders in the State, and therefore came up with the programme to address them.
According to her, RAAMP will improve the conditions of farmers, traders and fishermen, and therefore, behoves on every rural communities in the State to embrace the programme.
The Head of Service also said the programme would support the youths to be gainfully employed while bridges and roads will be built to link farms and fishing settlements.
Also speaking, the State project coordinator, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the programme has the potential of creating millionaires among farmers and fishermen in the State.
Kpakol who was represented by Engr. Sam Tombari, said RAAMP would help farmers and fishermen to preserve their produce.
According to him, the project will build cold rooms and Silos for preservation of crops and fishes while access roads will also be created to link farmers and fishermen to the market.
He, however, warned them against any act that will lead to the suspension of the projects by the World Bank.
Kpakol particularly warned against acts such as kidnapping, marching ground, gender based violence and child labour, adding that such acts if they occur may lead to the cancellation of the project by the World Bank.
During the visit to Oyigbo local government area, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the team was there to let them know how they will benefit from the Raamp.
The coordinator who was personally at Oyigbo said the World Bank introduced the project to check food insecurity in the State.
He said already 19 states in Nigeria are already benefitting from the project and called on them to embrace the project.
Meanwhile, stakeholders in the three local government areas have commended the World Bank for including their areas in the project.
They, however, complained over the incessant attacks by pirates on their waterways.
At Degema, King Agolia of Ke kingdom said land was a major problem in the kingdom.
King Agolia represented by High Chief Alpheus Damiebi said many indigenes of the kingdom are willing to go into farming but are handicapped by lack of land.
Also at Degema, the representative of the Omu Onyam Ekeim of Usokun Degema kingdom, Osoabo Isaac, said Degema has embraced the programme but needed more information on the implementation of the programme.
Similarly, while High Chief Precious Abadi advised that the project should not be narrowed to only crop farming, a community women leader, Mrs Orikinge Eremabo Otto, called for the construction of cold rooms in all fishing settlements in the area.
At Abonnema, Mr Diamond Kio linked the problem of the area to incessant piracy along waterways.
He also expressed fears over the possibility of the project being hijacked by politicians.
Also at Abonnema, a stakeholder, Ikiriko Kelvin, called on the World Bank to design an agricultural project that will suit the riverine environment, while at Oyigbo, HRH Eze Boniface Akawo expressed satisfaction with the project.
John Bibor
The political mudslinging between the Senate leadership and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan continued yesterday as the Senate named Senator Aniekan Bassey as the new Chairman of the Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisations.
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced the appointment during yesterday’s plenary, confirming Bassey’s replacement of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who is currently on suspension.
Akpoti-Uduaghan was reassigned to the Diaspora and NGOs Committee in February after she was removed as Chair of the Senate Committee on Local Content during a minor reshuffle.
Bassey is the senator representing Akwa Ibom North-East Senatorial District.
Although no reason was given for her removal yesterday, the change is believed to be connected to her unresolved suspension.
In May, Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court ordered her reinstatement and directed her to tender an apology to the Senate.
However, the Senate has insisted it has not received a certified true copy of the court judgment.
Akpoti-Uduaghan who represents Kogi Central, has yet to resume her legislative duties despite a recent court ruling that voided her suspension.
In a televised interview on Tuesday, Akpoti-Uduaghan said she was awaiting the Certified True Copy of the judgment before officially returning to plenary, citing legal advice and respect for institutional process.
Although the Federal High Court described her suspension as “excessive and unconstitutional”, a legal opinion dated July 5 and attributed to the Senate’s counsel, Paul Daudu (SAN), argued that the ruling lacked any binding directive to enforce her reinstatement.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, one of only three female senators in the current assembly, said the continued delay in allowing her return was not only a denial of her mandate but also a blow to democratic representation.
“By keeping me out of the chambers, the Senate is not just silencing Kogi Central, it’s denying Nigerian women and children representation. We are only three female senators now, down from eight,” she said.