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Seven Nigerians Elected As British MPs
Seven candidates of Nigerian heritage have been elected into the United Kingdom Parliament in the election held last Thursday.
Two are representing the Conservative Party and five the Labour Party.
The winners are: Chuka Umunna representing Streatham, Bim Afolami, Hitchin and Harpenden, Fiona Onasanya, Peterborough; Chi Onwurah, Newcastle, Kate Osamor, Edmonton, Kemi Badenoch, Saffron Walden and Helen Grant, Maidstone and The Weald.
Fiona Onasanya, a first timer, beat by 607 votes the Conservative candidate, Tory Stewart Jackson, who had been Peterborough’s MP for 12 years.
She credited her Bishop for inspiring her to go into politics. Ms Onasanya said: “I’m just so grateful. I agree with Jeremy Corbyn that politics has changed tonight. The people know there is a better way. I think I won because people saw that their vote matters.”
Umunna, Chi Onwurah, Kate Osamor and Helen Grant were all re-elected to represent their constituencies. Helen Grant like Umunna and Onwurah was first elected in 2010.
Osamor was elected in 2015 to represent Edmonton.
Kemi Badenoch and Bim Afolami are the new faces in parliament and were elected on the Conservative platform. The rest are members of the opposition Labour Party.
Badenoch, nee Adegoke, will represent Saffron Walden and has served as a London-wide member of the London Assembly since 16 September 2015 following the resignation of Victoria Borwick upon her election to the House of Commons in the 2015 general election.
She joined the Conservative Party in 2005 and since then has been active in Conservative politics.
In 2010 she stood in the Dulwich and West Norwood constituency against Tessa Jowell and came third behind the Liberal Democrats.
Two years later, Badenoch stood for the Conservatives in the London Assembly election where she was placed fifth on the London-wide list.
Bim Afolami, a corporate lawyer, will represent Hitchin and Harpenden constituency.
He had stood in the Lewisham Deptford constituency in the previous 2015 general election, but did not succeed.
Afolami comes from Crowthorne, Berkshire. His father is a Nigerian consultant doctor who works for the National Health Service.
He was educated at Bishopsgate School, Eton public school and Oxford University where he studied modern history.
He was also vice president of the Oxford Union Society.
He won by a majority of 12,000 votes.
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.