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NASS Mourns Member, Adjourns Plenary
The National Assembly, yesterday, cut short plenary sessions of both chambers in honour of one of its vibrant members, Hon Ossy Chinedu Prestige, who passed on over the weekend.
As the senators returned to the chambers for the first time since their recess, last year, President of the Senate, Dr Ahmad Lawan, expressed shock and sadness over the death of the member.
The Minority Leader of the Senate, Enyinnaya Abaribe, who expressed grief over the loss, lamented that the zone has lost one of its finest lawmakers, saying that Prestige was, “a major stakeholder, a political leader of repute and one personality that is beholden to all irrespective of differences in political party affiliation”
Prestige, until his death, represented Aba North/South Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives for two terms, having been first elected in 2015 and re-elected in 2019.
President of the Senate, Dr Ahmad Lawan, in a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Media, Ola Awoniyi, attested that Prestige was a good representative of his constituency in the National Assembly, and that he touched many lives through his business engagements and charity outreach such as the Prestige Ossy Foundation, and The Favoured Initiatives.
Lawan commiserated with his family, friends and political associates over their irreparable loss.
He also condoled with the Government and people of Abia State, and prayed that God Almighty would grant them the fortitude to bear the loss.
The Minority Leader of the Senate, Enyinnaya Abaribe, yesterday, declared that “Ossy’s death was a personal loss to him, being a bosom friend, brother and ally.
“I have lost a friend, brother, ally, a committed patriot, and a good natured Abian. I had wished in my heart and prayed that Ossy recovers to continue with his work in the House. We spoke severally while he was on sick bed, and he kept assuring me that he will be okay, and here we are with this sad reality. He will be sorely missed”, Abaribe said.
The minority leader, however, condoled with the family, the people of Aba North/South Federal Constituency, the government and people of Abia State on this huge loss.
Similarly, the House of Representatives adjourned plenary, yesterday, minutes after it resumed from its 2020 Christmas and New Year holidays.
The adjournment was to honour a fallen member, Hon. Ossy Prestige, whose death occurred on Sunday, February 7, 2021.
He was said to have been sick since the summer of 2020 and was flown to London for treatment.
The Speaker of the House, Hon Femi Gbajabiamila, while announcing the development to the House, expressed shock and regrets.
He said that though there were many announcements, including a letter from President Muhammadu Buhari informing the House about the appointment of the new service chiefs, the parliament would still not be sitting.
The speaker, however, gave hints of new Covid-19 safety measures to be announced, today.
He described Prestige as a friend and active member of the 8th and 9th House.
Gbajabiamila also gave brief details of his journey to London to visit the late lawmaker in a hospital.
The speaker said that at the appropriate time, the House would pay formal tributes and accord him the last respect.
He said, “You are well back from the recess. It’s good to see you back. We will be announcing tomorrow new Covid-19 protocols just to keep us safe. We need to take the necessary action.
“On a very sad note, we will not be doing any business, today. I have some announcements including a letter from Mr President on the new service chiefs. I am pushing all that for tomorrow.
“I want to announce the death of our colleague, Hon. Ossy Prestige.
“He’s been sick for a while since the summer of last year. I saw him in October of last year. We chatted and I announced to members to continue to pray for him. I think the minority leader also went to see him. Shortly, we lost communications until the family notified me a couple of days ago of his passage.
“When I went to see him in a UK hospital, he narrated to me how he travelled.
“He was a member of a powerful bloc in 8th assembly. He was a great guy.
“He shared something with me before he travelled to London. He kept telling me he had a dream and I will share that dream with you in good time.
“Our prayer is that God will comfort his family and also accept his soul. We will do a formal valedictory at the right time. We will do a minute silence for now.”
With the comments, the Speaker called the Majority Leader, Hon Ado Doguwa, to move the motion for adjournment.
Seconded by the Minority Leader, Hon Ndudi Elumelu, the House observed one-minute silence, and adjourned plenary to today.
By: Nneka Amaechi-Nnadi, Abuja
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.