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Miyetti Allah Can’t Have Security Outfit In N’Delta -UNDEDSS …Nigeria’s Security Undermined By Quest For Personal Wealth, Says Senate
The cattle breeders’ umbrella body, Miyetti Allah, has been warned to perish any intentions of having a security outfit in the Niger Delta region.
They have also been cautioned to perish any idea of thinking that they can lord it over to people of the region in their domination agenda.
This warning is contained through a media statement released, yesterday, by the coalition of civil society organisations the United Niger Delta Energy Development Security Strategy (UNDEDSS), signed by its Secretary-General, Tony Uranta.
UNDEDSS was reacting to news that Miyetti Allah intends to launch a nationwide security outfit.
The statement reads, “UNDEDSS states, unequivocally, that Niger Deltans are determined to resist any intrusion into the region by any nationwide security outfits other than those constitutionally-recognised bodies of the Federal Government of Nigeria, such as the Nigeria Police, the Nigeria Military etc. It said any such intrusion will be seen as a security breach, and dealt with accordingly”.
According to the statement, “If uninvited intruders force their presence on your homestead, homeland etc., you have every right to protect yourself against them any way that you can and the law of the land backs you as per this absolute right.
“We want to believe that our Fulani herdsmen brethren have been misquoted or even are victims of fake news. But, we want every Nigerian to be very clear about one thing: which is that the Niger Delta will defend its territory against all invaders threatening the hard-earned relative peace and stability in the region.
“If it is true that Miyetti Allah did make such a threat, we the peoples of the Niger Delta see it as hate speech threatening national security, and are dissatisfied with the putative unconcern exhibited by the FGN concerning the security of non-Fulani citizens of Nigeria, especially in a period when we have virtually been told, falsely, that all Fulani worldwide belong to Nigeria.
“Other Nigerians may buy into the taqqiya narrative, but the peoples of the Niger Delta know that they are not an enslaved people, and remain part of Nigeria solely as equal partners in this union.”
UNDEDSS also demanded that the Federal Government clamps down hard on all hate speech proponents, whilst reminding President Muhammadu Buhari that he is the president of Nigeria, not the president of any one ethnic group or clan!
The group declared that it will seek very urgent audience with Buhari for reassurance, in very clear terms, that all Niger Deltans will not be subjected to any security threats from within or outside Nigeria.
“We are Nigerians, but we will remain so only if justice, equity and fair play are guaranteed all Nigerian citizens, and even then, only if we are reassured that Nigeria’s citizenship, like that of every other country, is not available to all and sundry,” the statement noted.
Meanwhile, the Senate says the quest for personal wealth has undermined institutional coherence and is responsible for interpersonal rivalries within Nigeria’s security services.
The Chairman of the Senate Ad-Hoc Committee on Security Challenges, Senator Yahaya Abdullahi, stated this while presenting a 74-page report on the findings of the committee during plenary, yesterday.
“There is a lot of internal incoherence and inter-personnel conflicts which have led to a lot of antagonism within the security organizations”, he said, adding that “the absence or inadequacies of effective corrective mechanisms within those institutions allowed inter-personnel disputes to fester thereby undermining the operational efficiency of the services”.
The Senate constituted the committee in January to engage the security agencies with a view to restructuring the country’s security architecture.
Abdullahi added that: “Most of the agencies are operating in isolation with very little, if any, coordination between them.
“This most unfortunate situation can be seen from the recent face-off between the office of the IGP and the Police Service Commission which degenerated into open litigation in the law courts”.
He also cited a leaked memo written by the National Security Adviser (NSA), Babagana Monguno, accusing the service chiefs of breaching protocol as another example of the problem.
“Most recently, the public release of letters from the NSA’s Office to the service chiefs discountenancing their engagement with the chief of staff to the president bordering on security matters is a loud testament of the level of disharmony and inter-personnel conflict and intrigues within the nation’s security and defence establishments.”
Abdullahi said inter-agency rivalry and endless battles of supremacy had undermined operational effectiveness.
“This has worked against cooperation, sharing of information and effectiveness of intelligence and operational platforms for coordinated internal security operations.”
He added that the security agencies tend to acquire modern technology and other force multipliers in isolation which resulted in the multiplication of incompatible platforms belonging to the different arms of services.
He said the alleged non-funding of the Office of the National Security Adviser since 2015 had undermined the effective performance of its coordinating function in the Security Architecture, and had led many agencies to question its authority and relevance in various fora, thereby adversely affecting inter-service cooperation and intelligence sharing.
Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminialayi Fubara, has dissolved the State Executive Council.
The governor announced the cabinet dissolution yesterday in a statement titled ‘Government Special Announcement’, signed by his new Chief Press Secretary, Onwuka Nzeshi.
Governor Fubara directed all Commissioners and Special Advisers to hand over to the Permanent Secretaries or the most Senior officers in their Ministries with immediate effect.
He thanked the outgoing members of the State Executive Council for their service and wished them the best in their future endeavours.
The three-paragraph special announcement read, “His Excellency, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, GSSRS, Governor of Rivers State, has dissolved the State Executive Council.
“His Excellency, the Governor, has therefore directed all Commissioners and Special Advisers to hand over to the Permanent Secretaries or the most Senior officers in their Ministries with immediate effect.
“His Excellency further expresses his deepest appreciation to the outgoing members of the Executive Council wishing them the best in their future endeavours.”
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday told the National Assembly that it requires N873.78bn to conduct the 2027 general elections, even as it seeks N171bn to fund its operations in the 2026 fiscal year.
INEC Chairman, Prof Joash Amupitan, made the disclosure while presenting the commission’s 2026 budget proposal and the projected cost for the 2027 general elections before the National Assembly Joint Committee on Electoral Matters in Abuja.
According to Amupitan, the N873.78bn election budget covers the full conduct of national polls in 2027.
An additional N171bn is needed to support INEC’s routine activities in 2026, including bye-elections and off-season elections, the commission stated.
The INEC boss said the proposed election budget does not include a fresh request from the National Youth Service Corps seeking increased allowances for corps members engaged as ad-hoc staff during elections.
He explained that, although the details of specific line items were not exhaustively presented, the almost N1tn election budget is structured across five major components.
“N379.75bn is for operational costs, N92.32bn for administrative costs, N209.21bn for technological costs, N154.91bn for election capital costs and N42.61bn for miscellaneous expenses,” Amupitan said.
The INEC chief noted that the budget was prepared “in line with Section 3(3) of the Electoral Act 2022, which mandates the Commission to prepare its election budget at least one year before the general election.”
On the 2026 fiscal year, Amupitan disclosed that the Ministry of Finance provided an envelope of N140bn, stressing, however, that “INEC is proposing a total expenditure of N171bn.”
The breakdown includes N109bn for personnel costs, N18.7bn for overheads, N42.63bn for election-related activities and N1.4bn for capital expenditure.
He argued that the envelope budgeting system is not suitable for the Commission’s operations, noting that INEC’s activities often require urgent and flexible funding.
Amupitan also identified the lack of a dedicated communications network as a major operational challenge, adding that if the commission develops its own network infrastructure, Nigerians would be in a better position to hold it accountable for any technical glitches.
Speaking at the session, Senator Adams Oshiomhole (APC, Edo North) said external agencies should not dictate the budgeting framework for INEC, given the unique and sensitive nature of its mandate.
He advocated that the envelope budgeting model should be set aside.
He urged the National Assembly to work with INEC’s financial proposal to avoid future instances of possible underfunding.
In the same vein, a member of the House of Representatives from Edo State, Billy Osawaru, called for INEC’s budget to be placed on first-line charge as provided in the Constitution, with funds released in full and on time to enable the Commission to plan early enough for the 2027 general election.
The Joint Committee approved a motion recommending the one-time release of the Commission’s annual budget.
The committee also said it would consider the NYSC’s request for about N32bn to increase allowances for corps members to N125,000 each when engaged for election duties.
The Chairman of the Senate Committee on INEC, Senator Simon Along, assured that the National Assembly would work closely with the Commission to ensure it receives the necessary support for the successful conduct of the 2027 general elections.
Similarly, the Chairman of the House Committee on Electoral Matters, Bayo Balogun, also pledged legislative support, warning INEC to be careful about promises it might be unable to keep.
He recalled that during the 2023 general election, INEC made strong assurances about uploading results to the INEC Result Viewing portal, creating the impression that results could be monitored in real time.
“iREV was not even in the Electoral Act; it was only in INEC regulations. So, be careful how you make promises,” Balogun warned.
The N873.78bn proposed by INEC for next year’s general election is a significant increase from the N313.4bn released to the Commission by the Federal Government for the conduct of the 2023 general election.
President Bola Tinubu yesterday expressed grief over the death of a former President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities and one of Africa’s foremost literary scholars, Professor Emeritus Biodun Jeyifo.
Jeyifo passed away on Wednesday, drawing tributes from across Nigeria and the global academic community.
In a condolence message to the family, friends, and associates of the late scholar, Tinubu in a statement by his spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, described Jeyifo as a towering intellectual whose contributions to African literature, postcolonial studies, and cultural theory left an enduring legacy.
He noted that the late professor would be sorely missed for his incisive criticism and masterful interpretations of the works of Nobel laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka.
The President also recalled Jeyifo’s leadership of ASUU, praising the temperance, foresight, and wisdom he brought to the union over the years.
Tinubu said Jeyifo played a key role in shaping negotiation frameworks with the government aimed at improving working conditions for university staff and enhancing the learning environment in Nigerian universities.
According to the President, Professor Jeyifo’s longstanding advocacy for academic freedom and social justice will continue to inspire generations.
He added that the late scholar’s influence extended beyond academia into political and cultural journalism, where he served as a mentor to numerous scholars, writers, and activists.
Tinubu condoled with ASUU, the Nigerian Academy of Letters, the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism, the University of Ibadan, Obafemi Awolowo University, Oberlin University, Cornell University, and Harvard University—institutions where Jeyifo studied, taught, or made significant scholarly contributions.
“Nigeria and the global academic community have lost a towering figure and outstanding global citizen,” the President said.
“Professor Biodun Jeyifo was an intellectual giant who dedicated his entire life to knowledge production and the promotion of human dignity. I share a strong personal relationship with him. His contributions to literary and cultural advancement and to society at large will be missed.”
Jeyifo was widely regarded as one of Africa’s most influential literary critics and public intellectuals. Among several honours, he received the prestigious W.E.B. Du Bois Medal in 2019.
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