News

Resign Now, HURIWA Tells Buhari

Published

7 years ago

July 14, 2017

Ailing President Muhammadu Buhari has been asked to consider resigning honourably now that the ovation is loud to allow for a fast track of governance to salvage the rudderless ship that Nigeria has become.
Making this call is the pro-democracy and non-governmental organisation, Human Rights Writers Association Of Nigeria (HURIWA), which also lamented that the ballooning poverty situation afflicting over 100 million Nigerians due to lack of good governance and political stability shows that Nigeria can ill-afford the extremely high costs of medical tourism for the Number One Citizen on an unceasing period of time.
Besides, HURIWA said the health challenges of the president and the secrecy surrounding his exact condition has thrown a spanner in the wheel of the seamless enforcement of the Freedom of Information Act.
“We acknowledge the undeniable fact that the failure of the Presidency to respect the principle of full disclosure and accountability in terms of how much of the public fund is spent paying the medical costs of keeping Mr. President in London has undermined the very essence of government’s focal programme of anti-corruption crusade.
“Public fund, when spent as in this case for over 100 days in a foreign jurisdiction must be properly accounted for, and the good people of Nigeria deserve the right to be fully informed,” HURIWA added.
“How can a government that professes her commitment to vigorously wage war against corruption and economic crimes now turn back to flagrantly violate the clear provisions of all the relevant anti-graft laws and the Freedom of Information Act? This is absurd”.
The rights group stated that Buhari as a consummate statesman must consider resigning now on health grounds or the appropriate constitutional and lawful procedures be activated in line with section 144(1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria of 1999 (as amended).
“The “Nigeria’s economic and political state is parlous, perilous and toxic due to power play by divergent centripetal and centrifugal forces embedded within the presidency due to the frequent absence of the substantive president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” the group said.
According to HURIWA, “There is the urgency of now for Mr. President to tender his resignation so the country can be more effectively governed without the hangover of threats of the so called presidential cabal made up essentially of largely unelected but close family members of Mr. President as is being speculated in the popular media of mass communication. Nigeria should be bigger than any regional political intrigues if we must save this political entity from imminent collapse”.
HURIWA recalled that Section 144(1) of the Constitution states thus: “(1) The President or Vice-President shall cease to hold office, if(a) By a resolution passed by two-thirds majority of all the members of the executive council of the Federation it is declared that the president or vice-president is incapable of discharging the functions of his office; and (b) The declaration is verified, after such medical examination as may be necessary, by a medical panel established under subsection (4) of this section in its report to the president of the senate and the speaker of the House of Representatives.
It added that section 144 (2) stressed that, “Where the medical panel certifies in the report that in its opinion the president or vice-president is suffering from such infirmity of body or mind renders him permanently incapable of discharging the functions of his office, a notice thereof signed by the president of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives shall be published in the official Gazette of the Government of the Federation.”
HURIWA also lamented the widening spectre of organized violence, the resurgence of ferocious attacks by armed Boko Haram terrorists and the total breakdown of national infrastructure due largely to the existence of a broken Presidency created by the continuous absence of the inaugurated substantive president.

News

Nigeria’s Rail Transport Generated N1.69bn In Q2 -NBS report

Published

20 hours ago

September 20, 2024

The Tide

The Nigerian rail system generated N1.69billionn in revenue from passengers in the second quarter of 2024, reflecting a 53.14 per cent increase compared to the N1.10billion recorded in the same period of 2023.
This data was disclosed by the National Bureau of Statistics in its report released yesterday.
According to the report, a total of 689,263 passengers travelled by rail in Q2, representing a growth rate of 45.38 per cent compared to 474,117 passengers in the corresponding quarter of 2023.
The volume of goods transported via rail also saw a significant increase, with 143,759 tons moved in Q2 2024, up from 56,936 tons in Q2 2023. Additionally, the Nigerian Railway Corporation reported a volume of 5,940 tons of goods transported through pipelines in Q2 2024, an increase from the 2,856 tons recorded in the same period of the previous year.
Revenue from goods conveyed via rail stood at N537.36m in Q2 2024, a remarkable increase of 206.68 per cent compared to N175.22m in Q2 2023. The movement of goods through pipelines also contributed to revenue generation, with N42.08m collected in Q2 2024, compared to N12.81million in Q2 2023.
Other revenue receipts amounted to N994.68million in Q2 2024, representing a staggering increase of 5,206.68 per cent from the N18.74m recorded in the corresponding period of last year.
In the first quarter, of 2024, The Tide source reported that Nigeria spent more on servicing the debt incurred for building its railways than the revenue generated by its railway system. The country spent 2,470 per cent more on railway debt servicing than it made from revenue from rail services in the first quarter of 2024.

News

NDDC Unveils Initiative To Enhance Food Security In N’Delta

Published

20 hours ago

September 20, 2024

The Tide

The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) says it is committed to advancing projects and programmes that enhance food security and sustainable growth in the region.
Chief Monday Igbuya, the Delta State representative on the NDDC Board, made this pledge in a statement issued in Port Harcourt, yesterday by the NDDC’s Director of Corporate Affairs, Mrs Seledi Thompson-Wakama.
Igbuya spoke at the inauguration of a training and empowerment programme for women and youths in livestock and agro processing in Amukpe, Sapele area of Delta.
He stated that the NDDC was prioritising livestock training in line with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
“NDDC is focussed on implementing programmes to ensure food security and agricultural growth in multi sectors, aiming to improve living standards.
“It is our belief that for socio-economic development to take place, there is need to develop manpower in the agricultural sector,” he said.
Igbuya expressed confidence that training farmers would enhance livestock production, create jobs, and alleviate poverty in the Niger Delta.
Mrs Winifred Madume, NDDC Director of Agriculture and Fisheries, said that training farmers and entrepreneurs was essential for improving productivity and market access.
“The commission has been promoting research and development through various institutions and providing farming techniques to beneficiaries,” she said.
The Project Consultant, Dr Simon Akhaine, said that 200 women and youths had registered for the livestock and agro-business skill acquisition programme.
According to him, the programme aims to equip them with the essential knowledge and skills for self-sufficiency in livestock farming, thereby boosting regional food security.

News

Tinubu Shelves UNGA79 Trip To Address National Challenges

Published

20 hours ago

September 20, 2024

The Tide

President Bola Tinubu will not attend the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York this year.
In his stead, Vice President Kashim Shettima will lead Nigeria’s delegation to the annual summit.
Tinubu “wants to focus on domestic issues and address some of the country’s challenges, especially after the recent devastating flooding,” a statement from the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, revealed yesterday.
The statement is titled ‘Vice President Shettima to Lead Nigeria’s Delegation to the 79th United Nations General Assembly.’
It reads, “President Bola Tinubu will not attend the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York this year.
“Therefore, the President has directed Vice President Kashim Shettima to lead Nigeria’s delegation.”
Tinubu, who returned to the country last Sunday after his trips to China and the United Kingdom, “wants to focus on domestic issues and address some of the country’s challenges, especially after the recent devastating flooding,” said Onanuga.
At UNGA 79, Vice President Shettima will deliver Nigeria’s national statement to the General Assembly, attend important sideline events, and hold bilateral meetings.
The high-level General Debate, with the theme “Leaving No One Behind: Acting Together for the Advancement of Peace, Sustainable Development, and Human Dignity for Present and Future Generations,” will run from Tuesday, September 24, through Saturday, September 28, 2024.