Politics

Group Chides Lai Mohammed Over Security Assessment

Published

3 weeks ago

September 9, 2022

Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has described as highly irresponsible, irrational and vacuous, the claim credited to the Information and Culture Minister Alhaji Lai Mohammed to the effect that the nation’s insecurity challenge is no longer severe.
Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, the National Coordinator of the human right body, who challenged the statement credited to the Minister, argued that the Minister must be living outside this planet to have conjured such fake news.
He urged the minister to take a round trip to “Zamfara to Katsina, Borno and then back to Abuja through the Lokoja/Kwali Abuja dreaded Federal Highway after stopping over at the Okene highway near Ajaokuta in Kogi State. If the minister is able to embark on this journey which should be televised live on NTA, Trust television and AIT, then maybe his statement about improved security may be listened to by right thinking human beings that are rational.”
Continuing he said: “We find it completely ludicrous but insensitive, reckless and unacceptable that in the face of the heightened security challenges confronting Nigerians including the 28 bus passengers in Ondo that were just kidnapped into the Ondo forests by suspected armed Fulani herdsmen, the holder of the office of information minister will continue to assault our sensibilities and spread fake news.”
Also, HURIWA recalled that few days ago, elders of rural communities in Katsina State lamented that men in their villages now work as slaves on farms ‘owned’ by bandits, even as the hoodlums have developed a taste for constantly raping married women and teenage girls.
Quoting a BBC Hausa Service report, Onwubiko said the elders described the series of invasions and atrocities committed by the bandits as mind-boggling. The elders under the aegis of the Movement to Secure Katsina Citizens called on all “patriotic citizens” to contribute to the efforts to tackle the security problems in the state.
Speaking on behalf of the others in the interview with BBC Hausa Service, one of the elders, Dr Bashir Kurfi, noted that apart from the senseless killing of innocent people and cattle theft, raping of women and teenage girls by the bandits was now rampant in the communities.
Kurfi said: “It is not hearsay; quite often, we come across victims of rape, women who were raped and even mutilated by these bandits.
“Even more worrisome, these bandits will knock at the doors of villagers and ask the men to bring out their wives and daughters. These hapless men have no option but to obey or they will face the music.
“The wife or daughter will go with the bandits for one or two weeks and returned to their homes after being sexually abused or raped. This is the calamity that has befallen most of our communities.
“I recall one day when we took nine women to the hospital after being gang-raped by 40 bandits. The hospital we took them to advised us to take some of the women to VVF centres for proper care.”
He expressed his dismay at the way the bandits were inflicting pains on the people “as if we don’t have a government.”
He said: “We all know these bandits move around with motorcycles. Where are they getting the bikes? They move around with AK-47 rifles. How did they get them? Where are they getting the drugs they are taking? What is really happening? Why is the government aloof? These are pertinent questions that are waiting for answers.”
The elders also condemned the position of some state governments who are signing peace deals with bandits without results.
Besides HURIWA narrated that a newly posted Divisional Police Officer (DPO) to Birnin Gwari local government area of Kaduna State, was kidnapped and for weeks has been in chains.

Politics

Obi: You Can’t Speak For Afenifere, Tinubu Campaign Slams Adebanjo

Published

2 days ago

September 26, 2022

The Tide

The All Progressives Congress APC Presidential Campaign Council has slammed Afenifere leader, Pa Ayo Adebanjo for attempting to turn the pan-Yoruba sociocultural association into his personal estate and using same to canvass support for the Labour Party LP presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi.
Director, Media and Publicity of the council, Mr Bayo Onanuga in a statement on Saturday titled “Our Reaction to Baba Ayo Adebanjo and his new Ohanifere Venture”, said “Papa Adebanjo does not speak for Afenifere”.
According to the council, Pa Adebanjo is free as an individual to support anyone he likes, in furtherance of his democratic rights.
“We know for a fact that Baba has turned Afenifere into his personal estate as Acting Leader. We are also certain that there was nowhere Afenifere, as we know it, met and took a decision to adopt Mr. Peter Obi as a candidate for 2023 presidential election.
“We respect the age of Baba Adebanjo but he can not turn Afenifere into his personal franchise for any political alliance.
“We are very much aware that Baba Reuben Fasoranti, the real leader of Afenifere had stated clearly that Pa Adebanjo has always been speaking for himself on many national issues using the name of the group.
“It is our well considered position that Pa Adebanjo cannot appropriate Afenifere. Baba is just an individual who is free to support any politician of his choice. As an individual, he cannot equate himself with the socio-cultural and socio-political organisation”, the council stated.

Politics

2023 Polls: IPC Begins Training Of Media Monitors

Published

2 days ago

September 26, 2022

The Tide

The International Press Council (IPC), last Friday began the training of 12 Media monitors in Lagos to prepare them for the monitoring of the coverage and reportage of the electoral processes and the 2023 elections by the print and online media.
The essence of the 18-month monitoring that will commence on October 1, 2023, is to assess the level of compliance with professional and ethical standards by newspapers, including online ones, being selected for the exercise.
Among others, the monitoring will be done within the context of the expectation of the Nigerian Media Code of Election Coverage, which spells out the responsibilities expected of journalists and other media professionals at elections.
The Media Election Code was endorsed by umbrella media professional bodies and associations, and close to 300 individual media outlets in 2018.
It enumerates what journalists and media management should do to ensure social responsibility and integrity; equitable access for parties and candidates; media access for disadvantaged groups including women, persons with disability and youths; conflict sensitivity and the avoidance of hate speech.
The training of the monitors is one of the activities under component 4 (Support to media) of the European Union Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria-Phase 2 (EUSDGN II) project, being implemented by IPC, along with its partner, the Institute for Media and Society.
The overall goal of the media component is to “Support the consolidation of democracy in Nigeria with the media (broadcast, print and online media) helping to facilitate the key ingredient of credible elections through engagement and professionalism in coverage and reportage of the electoral processes.”
The specific objective is to ensure that, “The Media, including New and Social Media, provides fair, accurate, ethical and inclusive coverage of the Electoral Process.”
The two-day training , the first day of which was facilitated by Mr. Edetaen Ojo, Executive Director of Media Rights Agenda (MRA) and Mr. Sanmi Falobi, Project Manager of IPC, aimed to build the skill of the monitors on the processes and methodologies of media monitoring.
“Against the background of the prevalence of misinformation and disinformation especially by political actors, all we are seeking to achieve is for the Nigerian media to contribute to the credibility of electoral information before, during and after the 2023 elections”, said the Executive Director of IPC, Mr. Lanre Arogundade.

Politics

2023: ‘Same-Faith Ticket, Blunder Laced With Hidden Agenda’

Published

2 days ago

September 26, 2022

The Tide

The Christian Awareness Initiative of Nigeria, CAIN, last Saturday night, said no amount of blackmail would stop a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara, and an erstwhile Secretary to Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, from publicly condemning the decision of the All Progressives Congress, APC, for fielding a same-faith presidential ticket.
The Spokesman of CAIN, Yusuf Kanhu, who said this in a statement he personally signed accused supporters of the APC of hiring mercenaries to tarnish the image of the duo.
Kanhu in the statement made available to journalists in Abuja described the Muslim-Muslim ticket of the APC as a “blunder”laced with “hidden agenda”
He explained: “The decision by Nigerian Christians through the umbrella Association to reject the same faith ticket was not against any particular party but advice to all political parties. Sadly the presidential candidate of APC ignored the advice and picked his vice from the same faith.
“The Christian Umbrella body came out in the first place to reject the idea and challenge Christians in APC to tell their party and Candidate to do what is right and good for the unity of the country.
“Hon Yakubu Dogara and Babachir Lawal respected the call of their leaders and proved that they are not going to betray the position of CAN just to satisfy their belle.
“Interestingly, the APC candidate and some of his supporters instead of making an honest effort to convince Christians and especially those Christians in their party about the reason for their action have chosen to recruit faceless people and are creating unknown groups with funny names to castigate the Christian body and the courageous Christians from their party that are telling them the danger and implication of their ill advised decision.
“We wish to inform the APC candidate that blackmail will not stop Dogara, Babachir, and others from telling them the truth.
“Nigerian Christians know the difference between fake Christian groups from genuine groups such as Northern Christians Youth Initiative with her faceless coordinator Hon. Mike Msuaan Msuaan.
“We can go on to name many hungry people who have not attended any church service in the last 10 years but are cashing on the desperation of the APC candidate to show that he has Christians’ support to start none existing Christian groups to enable them to get their share of the cake in circulation.
“The church in Nigeria and especially in the North knows the voices and names of their genuine leaders fighting for justice which is different from the newly born and newly introduced names that are only speaking to get money from their sponsors.
“Sponsoring fake people and groups to insult others will not correct your big blunder and will only make more Christians accept the fact that the decision has a hidden agenda.”