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Nigeria Sliding Into Bankruptcy, Secondus Alerts
The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus, has said Nigeria under the watch of President Muhammadu Buhari was going bankrupt, saying in almost six years in the saddle, the President has demonstrated gross inability to steer the wheel of the state.
Secondus, who stated this at the 90th National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting, yesterday, in Abuja, also berated government’s handling of security in the land, adding that the helplessness of the President has become too glaring for the world to see.
The PDP boss also came hard on the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led government for incessant borrowings even as he warned the Federal Government against mortgaging the future of the country.
“This country is sliding into bankruptcy but the government is instead embarking in endless borrowing with no accountability on the already borrowed ones.
“Federal Government themselves just reported last week that 428 agencies would not be able to pay salaries this November because of underfunding.
“At the last count, Nigeria debt profile is showing over N31trillion, a lot of it misappropriated.
“While borrowing in economics is not bad, it depends on what the borrowed resources is being channelled for. With the unprecedented corruption in the system under APC watch, it would be difficult to see this borrowed funds properly deployed,” he said.
According to Secondus, “President Muhammadu Buhari- led APC government, under whose watch the situation got worsened and complicated has remained clearly helpless and incapable of providing the needed leadership.
“The consequences of all these came to the fore when the youths, last month poured out their anger on the country through a nationwide protest.
“Even though the protest was triggered off by accumulated police brutality, particularly by the defunct Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), it developed into a wider rebellion against injustice and poor leadership in the country.”
He urged the Federal Government to address the fundamental issues raised by the youths, rather than “the counterproductive strategy of seeking to hound and intimidate perceived leaders of the peaceful protest by seizing their travel documents, freezing their accounts and arrests.
“We have refused to join issues with him in any way but we cannot bow to any blackmail. What I can report to NEC is that the strength of our party in Ebonyi State and South-East is intact and the NWC has taken necessary steps to protect and guard it. The real season that informed this decision will soon be exposed,” he added.
“May I declare to you that the party is also being futuristic, drawing experience from the past. We know as a fact that transparent election under the watch of APC is not feasible with the current Electoral Act.
“We are liaising with our very reliable members in the National Assembly to ensure that a fraud-free law is put in place ahead of 2023. Within our family also, we are putting all hands on deck to ensure we enter the next election stronger as one united and harmonious family, and to achieve this, I solicit the full and undiluted cooperation of NEC.
Similarly, the governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, yesterday, reiterated their loyalty and commitment to strengthening the party.
The Chairman of the PDP Governors Forum, Hon Aminu Tambuwal, spoke on behalf of his colleagues at the ongoing 90th NEC meeting of the party holding at the party’s National Secretariat, Wadata House, Abuja.
He said, “All 15 of us are here present. We are individually committed to good governance in our various states in order to make our party strong.
“This is a clear statement that we are united and working towards strengthening our party for the future.”
Also, the Chairman of the PDP Board of Trustees, Senator Walid Jibrin, told the gathering that the PDP remains strong in Ebonyi State despite the exit of Governor David Umahi.
He faulted reasons adduced by Umahi for leaving for the All Progressives Congress but said it was a thing of joy that the PDP structure in the state remains intact.
Jibrin expressed delight that the party’s National Working Committee took proactive steps to ensure that Umahi did not take undue advantage of the PDP structure in the state.
Also, speaking on behalf of the PDP caucus in the National Assembly, the Senate Minority Leader, Senator Eyinnaya Abaribe, assured the party leadership that the caucus was prepared to fight against anti-media legislation “with every drop of our blood.”
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.