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Buhari Advocates Community Level Intelligence To Check Insecurity
President Muhammadu Buhari has urged law abiding citizens to always provide community level Intelligence to relevant authorities to check the activities of insurgents, bandits and other criminals across the country.
The president made the call in a broadcast to commemorate the 60th Independence anniversary of the nation on Thursday in Abuja.
He reiterated that his administration would remain committed to its constitutional duty of safeguarding lives and property of innocent Nigerians.
”As a government, we remain committed to our constitutional duty of securing the lives and property of the citizenry.
”I, however, call on the citizenry to also support government by providing the necessary community level intelligence in addressing these challenges,” he said.
The president also expressed the commitment of his administration to continue to strengthen the nation’s economy to provide sustainable means of livelihood for as many Nigerians as possible to eradicate abject poverty.
He said: ”I want to re-emphasize my dedication and commitment, a dedication and commitment that propelled my public service career and informed my quest to continually seek for an opportunity to improve the lives of Nigerians, set the country on the path of prosperity and lead the country to a better future.
”This administration has been focused on rebuilding and laying the foundations for a sustainable Nigeria.
”Of course, we have met and are still meeting the challenges inherent in any rebuilding initiative – more so that of a nation like Nigeria that has undergone avoidable levels of deprivation – but can be surmounted if we all work together.
”I wish to reiterate that our people and our spirit of excellence remains our most important asset.
”In this wise, the need to return to our age-old ethical and high moral values would be necessary and this informed my launching of the National Ethics and Integrity Policy on Sept. 28, 2020.
”The policy would not implement itself and the first contact of the visibility of its implementation is the Public Service whose ongoing reforms would be expected to be sustainable and give a radical re-direction in providing services to all Nigerians.”
On the economy, the president lamented that the nation had suffered a significant drop in its foreign exchange earnings and internal generated revenue as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
”Fellow Nigerians, in addition to public health challenges of working to contain the spread of the Coronavirus, we have suffered a significant drop in our foreign exchange earnings and internal revenues due to 40 per cent drop in oil prices and steep drop in economic activities, leading to a 60 per cent drop in government revenue.”
According to him, the federal government is grappling with the dual challenge of saving lives and livelihoods in face of drastically reduced resources.
He said that this situation led to the recent deregulation of the nation’s Petroleum sector as sustaining the level of petroleum prices was no longer possible.
”In this regard, sustaining the level of petroleum prices is no longer possible. The government, since coming into office has recognised the economic argument for adjusting the price of petroleum.
”But the social argument about the knock-on effect of any adjustment weighed heavily with the government.
”Accordingly, in the last three years, we have introduced unprecedented measures in support of the economy and to the weakest members of our society in the shape of:
- Tradermoni
- Farmermoni
- School Feeding Programme
- Job creation efforts
- Agricultural intervention programmes
”No government in the past did what we are doing with such scarce resources.”
He stated that his administration had managed to keep things going in spite of the disproportionate spending on security.
”Those in the previous Governments from 1999 – 2015 who presided over the near destruction of the country have now the impudence to attempt to criticize our efforts.
”In the circumstances, a responsible government must face realities and take tough decisions,” he said.
On the recent adjustment in the petroleum prices in Nigeria, the president noted that the decision was necessary to safeguard the economy.
He further justified the decision of the government by comparing the current prices of litre of petrol in other oil producing countries with that of Nigeria.
He said: ”We sell now at N161 per litre. A comparison with our neighbours will illustrate the point: a. Chad which is an oil producing country charges N362 per litre b. Niger, also an oil producing country sells 1 litre at N346. c. In Ghana, another oil producing country, petroleum pump price is N326 per litre.
”Further afield, Egypt charges N211 per litre. Saudi Arabia charges N168 per litre. It makes no sense for oil to be cheaper in Nigeria than in Saudi Arabia.
”Fellow Nigerians, to achieve the great country we desire, we need to solidify our strength, increase our commitment and encourage ourselves to do that which is right and proper even when no one is watching.”
The president pledged that his administration would continue to focus on rebuilding and laying the foundation for a sustainable Nigeria.
”Of course, we have made and still meeting the challenges inherent in any initiatives, more so, that of a nation like Nigeria that had undergone avoidable levels of deprivations but can be surmounted if we all work together.”
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.