News
As Anambra Prepares For Election…
On November 6, 2021, the people and residents of Anambra State in South Eastern Nigeria will file out to cast their votes in an off-season election expected to bring about the next governor of the state upon the cessation of the incumbent governor’s tenure, Willie Obiano. Hence, it is a national imperative for the poll to be effectively safeguarded.
Preparations for this election have attained a fever pitch. Essentially, politicians including the contestants for the coveted position, are in brilliant political manoeuvres, transcending one another in their endeavour to sway the electorate to their respective sides. Obviously, the people seem to be excited about this.
But the inhabitants of the state, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), politicians and even the Nigerian government have a disconcerting problem of insecurity. Among many citizens of this buzzing state, adjudged to be the commercial nerve centre of the South-East, the apprehension is not much about who wins the election, it is about who will be alive to do the voting.
The prevailing situation is that the tension preceded by the November 6 governorship election now perseverates across the state. The questions are: will the election hold out? If it is finally conducted, will it repercuss what the public and others choose?
These are pertinent questions currently disrupting politics and politicking in the state. The Anambra electorate need an answer to assure them that the election will indeed be held seamlessly. This is because what should normally pass as a peaceful exercise is rapidly weakening the state, severely exposing the underbelly of state security. Anambra has become a hunting ground with gratuitous destruction of state institutions and assets.
The state has grasped a glimpse of insecurity in its purest form, as many well-known citizens have been kidnapped or assassinated by unidentified armed men, inseminating fear in all and sundry. The abduction of the governorship candidate of the Labour Party, ObioraAgbasimalo, and the murder of the deceased husband of late Dora Akunyili, ChikeAkunyili, are two illustrations. Other imprudent killings have raised doubts about the November 6 poll.
Last April, the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Prof Charles Soludo, escaped death by the whiskers when gunmen charged at him during a political meeting he convened at the Civic Centre in his hometown of Isuofia, Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State. But while he escaped unhurt, three police officers attached to him were killed.
There have been several other killings in recent weeks. Specifically, the Nnewi office of the Directorate of State Services (DSS) and the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) building were demolished. Unidentified gunmen persist in striking terror into the political class with gun attacks, and numerous innocent passers-by are also obliterated. The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has been spasmodically named in connection with the sprouting violence, particularly because of its professed undertaking to make certain that November 6, 2021 Anambra election does not hold.
IPOB’s sempiternal and economically enervating “sit-at-home” directives, which are brought to bear in a cataclysmic manner, fudge together a perdurable part of the pang in this area of the country. It has overwrought the people’s economic, educational, and political rights. This is certainly not acceptable.
INEC had expressed concerns over the November 6 governorship election in Anambra and warned against constitutional crisis that might engulf the state if the situation persisted. Its chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, conveyed the fears during an emergency meeting of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) in Abuja recently. Recall that in May 2021, the INEC office in Awka was attacked and all the non-sensitive materials and vehicles assembled for the governorship election destroyed.
Despite the anxieties, this state of affairs is allowed to advance to a certain amplitude, and the South-East, which was predominantly one of the most non-belligerent areas of the country, is now a locality to circumvent due to insecurity. The run-of-the-mill inhabitants are flustered and solicitous over their future, owing to the ventures of some gunmen, who slink the nooks and crannies of the state, looking for targets.
According to sources, these armed men not only execute relentless onslaughts against politicians, but equally against chaste, irreproachable and defenceless citizens as well as policemen, and set fire to assets. In all those intrusions which today discommode the entire state and jeopardise the 2021 governorship election, no breakthrough has been chronicled by way of arrests.
Anambra people and Nigerians deserve peace and a sanctioning environment that will make the forthcoming gubernatorial election not only feasible but a huge success. We urge the federal and the state governments to ensure that the people are safe and ensconced and that the November 6 election comes about as scheduled.
If the proposed security workouts of the Nigerian Army will cover the three Southern regions and parts of the North Central as earlier presumed, it should be organised in a way to gain the full underpinning of the law-abiding citizens in the affected regions. The people must feel that the armed forces are there to protect them, not to exacerbate their situation.
Agitators in the South-East should commit themselves to the peaceful pursuit of their lawful aspirations. Recourse to violence will only result in superfluous death and destruction, notably for law-abiding citizens. IPOB should discontinue the threat of undermining the Anambra election. It is against the interests of the people to forcefully prevent them from freely electing their leaders. Any group that tinkers with the people’s educational, economic, and political rights cannot claim to be their emancipator.
Nigerians were among more than 140 residents injured after Iran launched multiple ballistic missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles at the United Arab Emirates, at the weekend.
This raised fresh fears for thousands of Nigerians living and working in the Gulf nation.
The UAE Ministry of Defence disclosed last Saturday that its air defence systems intercepted several missiles and drones fired from Iran, describing the attack as a major escalation in the ongoing regional tensions.
In a statement posted on its official X handle, the ministry said its air defence units engaged nine ballistic missiles and 33 drones during the latest assault on March 14.
It added that the attacks left six people dead and 141 others injured, including foreign nationals.
“The UAE air defence systems on March 14 engaged nine ballistic missiles and 33 UAVs launched from Iran,” the ministry stated.
“Since the onset of this blatant Iranian aggression, UAE air defences have engaged 294 ballistic missiles, 15 cruise missiles, and 1,600 UAVs launched from Iran,” UAE added.
According to the ministry, those killed in the attacks included citizens of the UAE as well as foreign nationals from Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh.
“Although the authorities did not specify the exact locations where the casualties occurred, the ministry said the injured victims were from several countries, including Nigeria.
Others affected include residents from Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, the Philippines, Pakistan, Iran, India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
The list also included Azerbaijan, Yemen, Uganda, Eritrea, Lebanon, Afghanistan, Bahrain, Comoros, Türkiye, Iraq, Nepal, Oman, Jordan, Palestine, Ghana, Indonesia and Sweden.
The Tide reports that this development has sparked concern among Nigerian communities in the UAE, where thousands of citizens live and work in sectors such as construction, hospitality, logistics and trade.
Data from Nigeria’s diaspora commission shows that the UAE remains one of the largest destinations for Nigerian migrants in the Middle East, particularly in the emirates of Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah.
The Nigerian government had in recent years raised concerns over the safety and welfare of its citizens in the country following diplomatic tensions and visa restrictions affecting Nigerians.
Saturday’s attacks have now heightened anxieties within the diaspora community, especially as the Gulf region faces growing military confrontations.
In its statement, the UAE Ministry of Defence said the country remained fully prepared to confront any threats to its security.
“The Ministry of Defence remains fully prepared and ready to deal with any threats and will firmly confront any attempts to undermine state security in a manner that ensures the protection of its sovereignty, security and stability, and safeguards its national interests and capabilities,” the ministry said.
In a separate update, the ministry noted that its defence systems were still actively intercepting missiles and drones.
“UAE air defences are dealing with Iranian ballistic and cruise missiles and drones,” it said.
Regional media reports indicate that the attacks form part of a wider escalation of hostilities between Iran and Western-backed forces in the Middle East.
According to Al Jazeera, Iran has continued sustained missile and drone strikes across the Gulf despite protests from neighbouring states.
The strikes were said to be in retaliation for military operations launched by the United States and Israel against Iranian positions in the region.
Tehran targeted several Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE, late on Friday and into Saturday.
The attacks also caused infrastructural damage in parts of the UAE.
Meanwhile, Iran’s elite military wing, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, warned that US interests in the UAE would remain legitimate targets.
Iranian state media reported that the group issued the warning after US forces attacked Iranian-controlled islands.
The IRGC specifically mentioned ports, docks and military installations linked to the United States as potential targets.
It also urged residents in the UAE to evacuate areas around ports and military facilities to avoid civilian casualties.
Security analysts say the growing exchange of threats and strike across the Gulf could destabilise the region’s economic and aviation activities if the conflict escalates further.
Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has yet to issue an official statement on the incident as of the time of filing this report.
Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has charged the five new commissioners sworn-in last Wednesday to put in their best for the development of the State.
Fubara gave the charge during the swearing-in of the commissioners at the Executive Council Chambers of the Government House, Port Harcourt, last Wednesday.
This followed the successful screening of the five commissioners by the Rivers State House of Assembly, last Tuesday.
The five commissioners are Tonye Bellgam, Prof. Temple Nwofor, Dr. Peters Nwagor, Mr. Lekue Kenneth, and Sir Amairigha Edward Hart.
The Tide reports that the governor had sent nine commissioner-nominees to the Assembly for screening, but the Assembly confirmed only five nominees and rejected the nomination of four over various allegations.
Those rejected by the Assembly are Prof. Dantonye Alasia, Mrs. Charity Demua, Mr. Tamuno Williams, and Otonye Amachree.
The governor congratulated the new commissioners on their appointment, noting that their thorough screening by the Rivers State House of Assembly was a proof of their capabilities.
He urged them to deploy their wealth of experience in various fields and put the State on a fast lane of development.
“Ordinarily, I am supposed to charge you on your responsibilities and how to operate. But that has been taken care of by the screening at the Assembly.
“I believe that going through one of the most rigorous screenings, it is enough to say that for those of you who succeeded, you are fit and ready to deliver to our dear State.
“So there is no further charge. The screening was the charge, so I wish you the best as I don’t expect anything less than the best from you,” Fubara said.
The Nigerian Navy has intensified its crackdown on crude oil theft and illegal bunkering, destroying a reactivated illegal refinery site in Rivers State and intercepting suspected stolen petroleum products in Calabar, Cross River State.
The Director of Naval Information, Capt Abiodun Folorunsho, disclosed this in a statement released in Abuja, yesterday.
Folorunsho said personnel of the Nigerian Navy Ship SOROH, operating under Operation DELTA SENTINEL, destroyed a reactivated illegal refinery site at Okolomade Community in Abua-Odual Local Government Area of Rivers State.
He said the action followed credible intelligence that a previously dismantled illegal refining site had resumed operations.
According to him, an Anti–Crude Oil Theft team deployed to the location discovered that the dismantled refining oven had been reconstructed.
“Further exploitation of the area led to the discovery of additional refining equipment and storage facilities containing about 3,000 litres of product suspected to be illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil (AGO),” he said.
Folorunsho added that the illegal refining infrastructure, including ovens, storage tanks, hoses, connected pipes and newly acquired metal components used for illegal refining, was destroyed in line with operational procedures.
He said personnel of the Nigerian Navy Ship Victory, in another operation, intercepted about 3,950 litres of suspected stolen petroleum products at the Nigerian Ports Authority area in Calabar, Cross River State.
He said the interception was based on credible intelligence on suspected siphoning of petroleum products from vessels berthed at the port.
The naval patrol team, according to him, swiftly deployed to the area and traced the illegally siphoned products to a trailer park within the port facility.
“On sighting the naval patrol team, the suspected perpetrators fled the scene, after which the area was cordoned off and the illegally siphoned products secured,” he said.
Folorunsho said further inspection led to the recovery of about 3,950 litres of Automotive Gas Oil stored in drums and jerrycans, which had been evacuated to the naval base for further necessary action in line with extant regulations.
He noted that the successes aligned with the directive of the Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Adm. Idi Abbas, to intensify operations against crude oil theft and other maritime crimes across Nigeria’s maritime domain.
Folorunsho reiterated the Navy’s commitment to sustaining the operational tempo of Operation DELTA SENTINEL through intensified surveillance, patrols and intelligence-driven operations aimed at combating crude oil theft, illegal bunkering and other forms of economic sabotage.
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