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A civil society group, Act for Positive Transformation, has faulted the reason given by the Niger Delta Development Commission on why it could not make payments to students on scholaship abroad.

President Muhammadu Buhari had last week following public outcry ordered the NDDC to immediately pay the fees and stipends of the students, who have been facing hardship abroad.

The commission was reported to have said that the students had not been paid because the agency could not make payments from its domiciliary account without an Executive Director Finance and Administration.

Minister of Niger Delta, Godswill Akpabio.

The group in a letter addressed to President Buhari and signed by its Head, Directorate of Research and Programme, Kolawole Johnson, said that it had taken time and resources to investigate happenings at the commission, uncovering several corrupt practices ranging from contracts scams, outright embezzlement and and extra-budgetary spending.

It said that while such discoveries have since been turned over to relevant government agencies with the public expecting actions from the President, recent public statement by the IMC claiming that it couldn’t pay scholarship sums to foreign scholars due to the death of the late executive director finance and account was not nothing but outright falsehood.

The group decribed the reason adduced as a lie to perpetuate illegal, fraudulent and corrupt Interim Management Committee of the commission.

It said, “While Nigerians await your action on the damning revelations against the management of the commission and Godswill Akpabio, the supervising minister, the commission released a statement yesterday on your directives for the prompt payment of scholars in foreign countries in the wake of protests in foreign embassies. The statement claimed the reason given to Your Excellency for the delay in payment of the scholars was the death of the late Executive Director, Finance and Administration (EDFA) and as such could not make payments. Your Excellency, this is an outright falsehood and the height of deception.

“The late EDFA died on May 28th, 2020, by July 28th 2020, exactly two months after, the management has squandered a total of N24.26bn. The commission has continued to make all manner of fraudulent payments without prioritizing the demand of the foreign scholars or recourse to due process. Under the guise of emergency payments, the management paid out over N3.5bn within this period. The fraudulent emergency payments include; AHR LTD (622,849,805.33 – June 10), REZIKANA NIG LTD (527,099,556.20 – June 19, 2020), Escobar Steel LTD (580,864,726.71 – June 19, 2020), Vintage Consolidated Ltd (441,709,717.62 – June 19, 2020), REZIKANA NIG LTD (396,747,278.69 – June 24, 2020), Julidata Enterprises (165,580,069.45 – July 03, 2020).

“After the death of the late EDFA, additional fraudulent payments have been made to companies that were actively involved in cases of contract scams investigated. For example, Julius Dinga, the engineering company that got the fraudulent media consultancy contract for covid-19 awareness, has received over N400m within same period the management refused to pay the scholars (216,388,449.44 – June 19 and 185,475,813.81 – July 09). Ditto to Osmoserve and AHR Global, they have received over 1.3 Billion in fraudulent payments despite the allegation of contract scam substantiated against them. RODNAP, the company that allegedly has links, with Sen Akpabio, also got payment (612,500,000.00) within the period in focus. Note sir, same person own RODNAP & AHR Global, the two companies have enjoyed unusual patronage from the present management."

The group further stressed that the present NDDC IMC is not only aversed to the development of the region and its people, it, in addition, disobeyed and deceived the President at will by flouting his instructions, “embarrass the nation, disregard laws and due process and above all, very corrupt”.

It added, “Your Excellency, the excuse given for embarrassing the nation before the international communities for non-payment of fees of the foreign scholars amounts to grand deception. From the details above, it is obvious the management has never stopped paying for what satisfies their greed, even without an EDFA and a budget. The scholars were not paid because it will be impossible to benefit directly from the payment since their earlier malfeasance in this regard was exposed to the public.”

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The English playwright William Shakespeare described three ways in which mortals become great. ‘Some are born great, others achieve greatness and the rest have it thrust upon them.’

Nigeria’s former President Chief Olusegun Obasanjo a.k.a Ebora Owu represents the third way in which mortals become great. His life’s trajectory is so surreal that it looks more like a story for a Hollywood movie.

Brigadier-General Benjamin Adekunle a.k.a the black scorpion did all the dirty work as the commander of the third marine division during the Nigerian civil war only for him to be unceremoniously removed and Obasanjo drafted to replace him and he was the one who accepted the surrender by Major-General Phillip Effiong after Emeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu escaped to Cote d’Ivoire to avoid being killed.

Obasanjo went on to be the Federal Commissioner for Works under General Yakubu Gowon and after the overthrow of the latter, became the nation’s number two man – Chief of Staff Supreme Headquarters to the then General Muritala Ramat Mohammed. The assassination of Mohammed paved the way for him to become the country’s Head of State. The funny thing was that Obasanjo went into hiding in the home of the Late Chief Sunday Awoniyi after his boss was murdered by Bukar Sukar Dimka. It was General Theophillus Yakubu Danjuma that held forte and ensured Dimka was caught and brought to justice. Danjuma could have taken over power if he wanted to but he respected military tradition and ensured that Obasanjo succeeded Mohammed.

It was under his watch as Head of State that 2.8 billion naira got missing from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) while the current President was his petroleum minister in 1978. Human rights violations were rife during his regime as the mother of Afrobeat maestro, Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti was thrown to her death from her son’s Fela’s building.

He angered the Yoruba nation when he said that the late presumed winner of the June 12 presidential election wasn’t the messiah that the country needed.

He was incarcerated under General Sani Abacha and was lucky to have escaped death by the whiskers. He then became the country’s President in 1999 as a compensation for Abiola’s loss. Under his Presidency, we witnessed the leveling of Odi and Zaki Biam in one of the nation’s most brutal genocides for which he ought to be hauled before the International Court of Justice for gross human rights violations. About $16 billion was sunk into the power sector but the nation has witnessed more darkness. Political assassinations were at its apogee as the likes of Bola Ige, Marshall Harry, Funsho Williams etc were crudely sent to their ancestors.

It is no news that he allegedly wanted to go for a third term before the then Senate President Ken Nnamani heroically truncated the sinister agenda.

Since his stepping down from office in 2007, he has practically lost relevance which culminated in his infamous tearing of his PDP card in 2014 and the writing of letters to President Muhammadu Buhari.

His latest gaffe was in his ‘tribute’ to the late Senator Buruji Kashamu. The condolence letter went thus: “Senator Esho Jinadu (Buruji Kashmu) in his lifetime used the maneuver of law and politics to escape from facing justice on alleged criminal offence in Nigeria and outside Nigeria,” the former president said.

“But no legal, political, cultural, social or even medical maneuver could stop the cold hands of death when the Creator of all of us decides that the time is up. May Allah forgive his sin and accept his soul into Aljanah, and may God grant his family and friends fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.”

His tongue-in-cheek letter was extremely petty and childish and didn’t speak well of the mien of an ‘elder statesman.’

Why go into the allegations of a dead man who can no longer speak for himself? It is un African to speak of the dead and so why did he go ahead to judge him? Did he hold a grudge against him that the deceased former senator displaced him as the leader of the PDP in his native Ogun state? If indeed Kashamu escaped justice he should leave him entirely to the inescapable judgement of the Almighty God but there was no need to have spewed all that venom as it was uncalled for.

The letter is rather unfortunate and he wrote as if he wouldn’t one day be committed to mother earth. What really are his legacies? How do you explain the fact that a man who was bankrupt in 1998 after his release from Abacha’s gulag suddenly became wealthy overnight to the extent of his former Aviation Minister Femi Fani-Kayode regaling the nation with tales that his Otta farm was raking in a whooping thirty million naira monthly asides the other eye popping investments and assets that he acquired during his eight year presidency. Why doesn’t the international community take him seriously anymore? He who comes to equity must come with clean hands.

Obasanjo has a penchant for not knowing what to say and is not known to be diplomatic with his choice of words. We recall the bomb blast in the Airforce base in Lagos in 2002. When he got there he didn’t commiserate with those who had become homeless overnight. Rather he told them that he wasn’t supposed to be there and that they should be grateful for his coming in the first place. We wouldn’t forget his reaction to the former residents of the 1004 flats when they were forced to leave the quarters after a privatization. When he visited the place, they groveled and went down on their knees in a bid to get him to give them more time but he smiled like one who had just come back home from a conquest and was condescending in his tone to them while he addressed them.

Journalists in the country also faced a raw deal in his hands. At a point he put up a notice in his country home which read ‘Dogs and Journalists’ not allowed. It shows his contempt for the fourth estate of the realm as he clearly is afraid of being held to account so as not to reveal his can of worms that stink to the high Heavens.

God has indeed been kind to him and he has been blessed abundantly by his creator. It is high time he reflected deeply as he is living on overtime having surpassed the Biblical three score and ten. It is never too late for him to learn to be more civil and less uncouth in his choice of diction. He is currently an embarrassment as he sometimes throws needless tantrums like a toddler.

An old cliché goes thus: ‘You can’t teach an old dog new tricks’ but that saying shouldn’t be taken literarily as the capacity for learning is high even in old age. If he could go to the Nation Open University and bad a degree in theology at well over 70, then he can learn to be more tactful in the use of his language despite the fact that he has long crossed the age of 80. It is never too late to learn new things.

It won’t be a bad idea if he can apologize for his caustic and insensitive remarks on a man who can no longer defend himself.

The time for him to act is now as Senegalese-American artiste Akon made a summary about life in one of his hit songs ‘Even the life that you have is borrowed as you are not promised tomorrow so live every day as if it is your last.’ Chinua Achebe also warned in his evergreen book ‘Things Fall Apart’ that ‘those whose palm kernels have been broken for them by a benevolent spirit should not forget to be humble.’

Obasanjo we are waiting!

Tony Ademiluyi edits www.africanbard.com and wrote from Lagos

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The Nigerian Medical Association has set up a three-man committee to unravel the cause of the violence that marred the Enugu State election of the association.

The election had on Thursday turned violent when thugs invaded Michael Okpara Square, venue of the exercise to unleash injuries on officials.

The association condemned the incident, describing it as a show of shame.

President of the NMAassociation, Prof Innocent Ujah, disclosed this during a press conference in Abuja on Sunday.

The association thereafter set up a three-man committee with the mandate to unravel the cause of the violence and submit a report within two weeks.

He said, "Electoral violence in any form does not represent what Nigerian doctors stand for and it is, therefore, at variance with our noble conducts and ideals.

"As members of the noble profession, the leadership of the association cannot afford to stand by and watch such ugly behaviour unbecoming of disgruntled members of our association.

“Using the relevant provisions of the association’s constitution, we shall ensure that discipline is restored not only in Enugu State NMA but also in all the branches of our association, so that our members will continue to exhibit the highest level of decorum expected of the medical practitioners in all our affairs, including, elections.”

He charged other branches where elections had not been conducted to ensure that it was peaceful.

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The Nigerian Medical Association has set up a three-man committee to unravel the cause of the violence that marred the Enugu State election of the association.

The election had on Thursday turned violent when thugs invaded Michael Okpara Square, venue of the exercise to unleash injuries on officials.

The association condemned the incident, describing it as a show of shame.

President of the NMAassociation, Prof Innocent Ujah, disclosed this during a press conference in Abuja on Sunday.

The association thereafter set up a three-man committee with the mandate to unravel the cause of the violence and submit a report within two weeks.

He said, "Electoral violence in any form does not represent what Nigerian doctors stand for and it is, therefore, at variance with our noble conducts and ideals.

"As members of the noble profession, the leadership of the association cannot afford to stand by and watch such ugly behaviour unbecoming of disgruntled members of our association.

“Using the relevant provisions of the association’s constitution, we shall ensure that discipline is restored not only in Enugu State NMA but also in all the branches of our association, so that our members will continue to exhibit the highest level of decorum expected of the medical practitioners in all our affairs, including, elections.”

He charged other branches where elections had not been conducted to ensure that it was peaceful.

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A priest of the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja, Rev. Fr John Chinenye Oluoma, has called on Nigerians to come together to organise a mass protest to occupy Aso Rock and National Assembly over corruption, poverty, insecurity and bad governance in the country.

He disclosed this in a video obtained by SaharaReporters in Abuja during a church service.

The priest called on Nigerians to remove the present crop of political office holders, who have constituted themselves into a stumbling block for good governance.

Rev. Fr John Chinenye Oluoma

He said, "Sometimes in Nigeria those who should be praying are the ones looking for stones to remove and those who should be removing stones are the ones praying. It does not work.

"I think time has come when Christian Association of Nigeria and the body in charge of all Muslims, pastors, priests, bishops and religious leaders in Nigeria to organise a crusade at the Eagle Square, National Assembly and Aso Rock.

"Occupy the place, bring the people out and let them go and stay there and senators and ministers, let them go nowhere until until they do certain things or else remove them.

"Poverty in Nigeria is caused by stones holding the people and those stones are in the Presidency, National Assembly and government.

"The Lord is telling us to remove them and stop praying about them. How do you remove them? Remove them through election. When it is time for election, remove the ones that are not performing.

"This is the mistake of religious people. We gather people all the time from January to December praying for job, prosperity and breakthrough meanwhile the people who are supposed to be out there removing the stones."

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A priest of the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja, Rev. Fr John Chinenye Oluoma, has called on Nigerians to come together to organise a mass protest to occupy Aso Rock and National Assembly over corruption, poverty, insecurity and bad governance in the country.

He disclosed this in a video obtained by SaharaReporters in Abuja during a church service.

The priest called on Nigerians to remove the present crop of political office holders, who have constituted themselves into a stumbling block for good governance.

Rev. Fr John Chinenye Oluoma

He said, "Sometimes in Nigeria those who should be praying are the ones looking for stones to remove and those who should be removing stones are the ones praying. It does not work.

"I think time has come when Christian Association of Nigeria and the body in charge of all Muslims, pastors, priests, bishops and religious leaders in Nigeria to organise a crusade at the Eagle Square, National Assembly and Aso Rock.

"Occupy the place, bring the people out and let them go and stay there and senators and ministers, let them go nowhere until until they do certain things or else remove them.

"Poverty in Nigeria is caused by stones holding the people and those stones are in the Presidency, National Assembly and government.

"The Lord is telling us to remove them and stop praying about them. How do you remove them? Remove them through election. When it is time for election, remove the ones that are not performing.

"This is the mistake of religious people. We gather people all the time from January to December praying for job, prosperity and breakthrough meanwhile the people who are supposed to be out there removing the stones."

Christianity Politics News AddThis :  Original Author :  SaharaReporters, New York Disable advertisements : 
https://ift.tt/31zeJrv

A priest of the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja, Rev. Fr John Chinenye Oluoma, has called on Nigerians to come together to organise a mass protest to occupy Aso Rock and National Assembly over corruption, poverty, insecurity and bad governance in the country.

He disclosed this in a video obtained by SaharaReporters in Abuja during a church service.

The priest called on Nigerians to remove the present crop of political office holders, who have constituted themselves into a stumbling block for good governance.

Rev. Fr John Chinenye Oluoma

He said, "Sometimes in Nigeria those who should be praying are the ones looking for stones to remove and those who should be removing stones are the ones praying. It does not work.

"I think time has come when Christian Association of Nigeria and the body in charge of all Muslims, pastors, priests, bishops and religious leaders in Nigeria to organise a crusade at the Eagle Square, National Assembly and Aso Rock.

"Occupy the place, bring the people out and let them go and stay there and senators and ministers, let them go nowhere until until they do certain things or else remove them.

"Poverty in Nigeria is caused by stones holding the people and those stones are in the Presidency, National Assembly and government.

"The Lord is telling us to remove them and stop praying about them. How do you remove them? Remove them through election. When it is time for election, remove the ones that are not performing.

"This is the mistake of religious people. We gather people all the time from January to December praying for job, prosperity and breakthrough meanwhile the people who are supposed to be out there removing the stones."

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The Nigerian Government has begun the regulation of social media usage by civil servants, saying their posts should be in support of the government.

Describing the act as 'improper participation', the government stated that the action was against public service rules.

"Government has noted with concern the improper participation of public Servants in various media platforms, most especially Facebook, Whatsapp and Twitter applications among others to the extent of disclosing sensitive official government information and correspondences.

"Consequent to the above, all public servants in the state are reminded that unauthorized disclosure of official information and false allegations against the government officials are acts of serious misconduct punishable under Public Service Rules (PSR) No. 030401. 

"In addition, the unethical participation of some serving public servants in the social media put to question their loyalty to the govemment, which is also a serious misconduct and it violates Public Service Rules (PSR) No.030403, as such public servants are to remain strictly guided on the way and manner to use the social media platforms, respecting the civil service pristine dictum of being reticent characters," the notice issued by Lawal Ado Dutsin-ma, Permanent Secretary (Administration), for Head of Civil Service, reads.

The government directed all permanent secretaries and chief executive officers of government ministries, departments, agencies and parastatals are directed to "inform all staff under them to remain vigilant on movement of sensitive government documents".

 

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The Nigerian Government has begun the regulation of social media usage by civil servants, saying their posts should be in support of the government.

Describing the act as 'improper participation', the government stated that the action was against public service rules.

"Government has noted with concern the improper participation of public Servants in various media platforms, most especially Facebook, Whatsapp and Twitter applications among others to the extent of disclosing sensitive official government information and correspondences.

"Consequent to the above, all public servants in the state are reminded that unauthorized disclosure of official information and false allegations against the government officials are acts of serious misconduct punishable under Public Service Rules (PSR) No. 030401. 

"In addition, the unethical participation of some serving public servants in the social media put to question their loyalty to the govemment, which is also a serious misconduct and it violates Public Service Rules (PSR) No.030403, as such public servants are to remain strictly guided on the way and manner to use the social media platforms, respecting the civil service pristine dictum of being reticent characters," the notice issued by Lawal Ado Dutsin-ma, Permanent Secretary (Administration), for Head of Civil Service, reads.

The government directed all permanent secretaries and chief executive officers of government ministries, departments, agencies and parastatals are directed to "inform all staff under them to remain vigilant on movement of sensitive government documents".

 

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Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to declare state of emergency over insecurity in Kaduna State.

Over the months, scores have been killed and many displaced by bandits in Southern Kaduna and other parts of the North-West.

RULAAC in a statement said the group was seriously disturbed about the total breakdown of law and order and the reign of terror, violence, destruction, arson, looting and impunity by the bandits in the area.

The statement reads, “The high level of insecurity in Kaduna State has hindered RULAAC monitors in Kaduna State from continuing to monitor police conduct in the context of  enforcement of Inspector-General of Police's COVID-19 directives and government ordered health and safety protocols. RULAAC has received reports from its monitors in Kaduna and from several other sources of unchallenged daily attacks on communities in Southern Kaduna resulting in high numbers of human casualties, kidnappings, rape, destruction and looting of homes and farms and dislocation of families.

“These attacks are happening almost on a daily basis in spite of the curfew imposed by the Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai since March 2020 and notwithstanding the high numbers of security agencies and establishments including the police, military and the state security service in the state. Despite the huge presence of security agencies in the state, there is no security response to these incessant attacks. Communities are left practically at the mercy of the rampaging bandits who operate without challenge, attacking, killing and injuring hundreds of defenceless residents in communities. Community representatives also report that their distress calls and outcry for help have been ignored by the state government and security agencies in the state.

“Despite this huge security presence in Kaduna State and the curfew in place, all these mass atrocities have continued unabated without any of the bandits arrested or the communities protected from their further onslaught. Instead, when citizens protest against attacks, they are arrested by the same security agencies that have failed to protect them from attacks.”

The group also called on the military, other security agencies to set up a transparent process for weeding out the bad eggs among them.

It added, “We pray that the governor and his security team to adopt more creative ways of securing the people with the fact that more people have died during these restrictions, which renders the curfew useless.”

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Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to declare state of emergency over insecurity in Kaduna State.

Over the months, scores have been killed and many displaced by bandits in Southern Kaduna and other parts of the North-West.

RULAAC in a statement said the group was seriously disturbed about the total breakdown of law and order and the reign of terror, violence, destruction, arson, looting and impunity by the bandits in the area.

The statement reads, “The high level of insecurity in Kaduna State has hindered RULAAC monitors in Kaduna State from continuing to monitor police conduct in the context of  enforcement of Inspector-General of Police's COVID-19 directives and government ordered health and safety protocols. RULAAC has received reports from its monitors in Kaduna and from several other sources of unchallenged daily attacks on communities in Southern Kaduna resulting in high numbers of human casualties, kidnappings, rape, destruction and looting of homes and farms and dislocation of families.

“These attacks are happening almost on a daily basis in spite of the curfew imposed by the Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai since March 2020 and notwithstanding the high numbers of security agencies and establishments including the police, military and the state security service in the state. Despite the huge presence of security agencies in the state, there is no security response to these incessant attacks. Communities are left practically at the mercy of the rampaging bandits who operate without challenge, attacking, killing and injuring hundreds of defenceless residents in communities. Community representatives also report that their distress calls and outcry for help have been ignored by the state government and security agencies in the state.

“Despite this huge security presence in Kaduna State and the curfew in place, all these mass atrocities have continued unabated without any of the bandits arrested or the communities protected from their further onslaught. Instead, when citizens protest against attacks, they are arrested by the same security agencies that have failed to protect them from attacks.”

The group also called on the military, other security agencies to set up a transparent process for weeding out the bad eggs among them.

It added, “We pray that the governor and his security team to adopt more creative ways of securing the people with the fact that more people have died during these restrictions, which renders the curfew useless.”

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Last Wednesday (August 5) was the remembrance day of the #RevolutionNow national demonstrations initiated by the charismatic Publisher of SaharaReporters, Comrade Omoyele Sowore. Last year August Sowore had returned from New York to lead the mass action demanding better governance from the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari. Upon his return from the US, however, and hours to the D-Day, the Department of State Services security operatives swooped on his hotel in Lagos arresting him and taking him away.

For months running Comrade Sowore languished in the DSS gulag as national and international campaign for his freedom built up. He was later reluctantly charged to court laughably accused of 'treason'! The judicial drama that followed (including the invasion of the court by the DSS operatives to re-arrest Sowore) demonstrated the creeping tyrany in our polity, in our hunger and terror-devastated land. 

Now Sowore is relatively 'free' though confined to Abuja where he had no 'right' to speak to the press or move out of the FCT as his stringent bail condition stipulated. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there is now the added politics to his appearances in court.

SOC Okenwa

Comrade Sowore stands today as a glorified hostage to an oppressive system masquerading as a democracy. If demanding for a better society is a crime for which one is liable for imprisonment then we are all guilty as charged! But let it be known that no one could lay any claim to patriotism more than those at the frontlines campaigning for change for the benefit of the majority. The fewer we are the greater the share of honour!

One year on 'Revolution' is back in our national political consciousness as concerned citizens organized yet another day of national rage over the failures in the socio-economic political systems Nigeriana. This time it was tagged: #RevolutionNow! #OccupyNaija!! Folks poured out on the streets to manifest their frustrations and anger over the prevailing discomforting situation in the country.

The voluble Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, had minimised the protest on Channels TV live programme describing the protesters as 'misguided' and dismissing same as a national "irritation". He said the issues the protesters were demonstrating about and against such as insecurity, corruption, poverty and human rights abuse were not peculiar to Nigeria!

SOC Okenwa

soco_abj_2006_rci@hotmail.fr

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A former Nigerian lawmaker, Buruji Kashamu, who died of Coronavirus complications on Saturday in Lagos, has been buried in Ijebu Igbo on Sunday.

The 62-year-old was said to have been in a coma at the First Cardiology Consultants in Ikoyi, Lagos, before he finally succumbed to the disease on Saturday.

A crowd of sympathisers and loyalists thronged his Ijebu Igbo home on Sunday morning to pay tribute to him.

He was loved by his people for his philanthropic gestures and contributions to the welfare of many.

During his lifetime, Kashamu was the subject of an extradition matter between Nigeria and the United States where he said to be a drug lord and wanted for several crimes.

 

See Also Drugs Buruji Kashamu: End Of Case No. 1:94-Cr-00172 In Chicago 0 Comments 9 Hours Ago

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A former Nigerian lawmaker, Buruji Kashamu, who died of Coronavirus complications on Saturday in Lagos, has been buried in Ijebu Igbo on Sunday.

The 62-year-old was said to have been in a coma at the First Cardiology Consultants in Ikoyi, Lagos, before he finally succumbed to the disease on Saturday.

A crowd of sympathisers and loyalists thronged his Ijebu Igbo home on Sunday morning to pay tribute to him.

He was loved by his people for his philanthropic gestures and contributions to the welfare of many.

During his lifetime, Kashamu was the subject of an extradition matter between Nigeria and the United States where he said to be a drug lord and wanted for several crimes.

 

See Also Drugs Buruji Kashamu: End Of Case No. 1:94-Cr-00172 In Chicago 0 Comments 9 Hours Ago

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The Niger Delta Rights Advocates has called for the arrest and prosecution of the 50 members making up the Niger Delta Development Commission Contracts Verification Committee over the revelation that they were forced to make payments to some contractors.

The group noted that the latest revelation by the Managing Director of the commission, Prof Kema Pondei, was a clear indication that the management of NDDC had breached the public service rules and regulations, which is tantamount to the criminal breach of trust.

In a statement by spokesperson of the group, Darlington Nwauju, the NDRA said that the latest revelation was one of the several disingenuous scripts aimed at diverting the attention of the public from the real issues plaguing the commission.

The statement reads, "Based on this latest expository of an obviously confused management team led by Prof Pondei, is it not abundantly clear that there is breach of public service rules and regulations and criminal breach of trust for the NDDC IMC to pay for jobs without verification even after publicly declaring that it had set-up such a committee?

"We therefore demand that the 50-member Contracts Verification Committee be immediately arrested for deceiving Niger Deltans and allowances paid them for the two weeks period be refunded immediately and the affected professional staff members who are members of this committee be relieved of their duties."

The statement also called for the sack of the Prof Pondei-led IMC for breach of public trust and conspiracy to continue to deprive the people of the region of meaningful development.

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The Niger Delta Rights Advocates has called for the arrest and prosecution of the 50 members making up the Niger Delta Development Commission Contracts Verification Committee over the revelation that they were forced to make payments to some contractors.

The group noted that the latest revelation by the Managing Director of the commission, Prof Kema Pondei, was a clear indication that the management of NDDC had breached the public service rules and regulations, which is tantamount to the criminal breach of trust.

In a statement by spokesperson of the group, Darlington Nwauju, the NDRA said that the latest revelation was one of the several disingenuous scripts aimed at diverting the attention of the public from the real issues plaguing the commission.

The statement reads, "Based on this latest expository of an obviously confused management team led by Prof Pondei, is it not abundantly clear that there is breach of public service rules and regulations and criminal breach of trust for the NDDC IMC to pay for jobs without verification even after publicly declaring that it had set-up such a committee?

"We therefore demand that the 50-member Contracts Verification Committee be immediately arrested for deceiving Niger Deltans and allowances paid them for the two weeks period be refunded immediately and the affected professional staff members who are members of this committee be relieved of their duties."

The statement also called for the sack of the Prof Pondei-led IMC for breach of public trust and conspiracy to continue to deprive the people of the region of meaningful development.

Niger Delta News AddThis :  Original Author :  SaharaReporters, New York Disable advertisements : 
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Last week Wednesday, August 5, 2020, Nigerian’s of all ages and social standing under the banner of #RevolutionNow Movement abandoned fear to take to the streets to voice out their frustration with the administration of President Muhammdu Buhari.

Like they echoed a year earlier, the people once again condemned rising insecurity, unemployment, corruption, human rights abuses among others under Buhari’s watch, calling on his administration to buckle down or quit.

#RevolutionNow Protest

In response, the retired military general had heavily-armed security agents pounce on the peaceful demonstrators.

The move attracted reactions from all corners of the globe with prominent individuals and groups raining hard knocks on the Buhari regime.

In a well-penned editorial on Sunday, PUNCH Newspaper captured in details how much the rights of Nigerians have been grossly violated under Buhari’s leadership of the country since taking over power in 2015.

---

 

The intolerant regime of Major-General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) bared its fangs yet again last week when security personnel violently broke up peaceful protests across the country. Television and social media footage of brutal attacks against unarmed citizens demonstrated vividly the martial disposition of the regime as it reacted to nationwide marches called by the #RevolutionNow movement to mark its first anniversary and to call for good governance.

Violence in protests is strategically counterproductive as it undermines the legitimate protest. But #RevolutionNow protests were said to be peaceful. What is left is for the citizens to send the message loudly to Buhari and his brutish enforcers that they will neither surrender their hard-earned freedoms nor relent in demanding responsible governance.

What happened last week in Lagos, Abuja, Osogbo and several other cities was a national disgrace. In commemoration of its first outing, the #RevolutionNow movement founded by an online publisher Omoyele Sowore, had called activists, youths and concerned Nigerians to peaceful marches across the country to protest the raging insecurity, poverty, corruption, poor infrastructure and social services as well as mass unemployment. They also demanded that Buhari resign as president since he had in their view, failed woefully to solve the problems. Reflexively, the government sent in police, State Security Service agents, soldiers and paramilitary storm troopers in force. Deploying tear gas and live bullets, they chased down demonstrators and violently arrested scores of protesters nationwide, injuring many. Mercifully, no deaths were recorded. As public anger grew, police in Lagos and Abuja hid under the cover of COVID-19 protocols to claim that suspects violated facemask and social distancing rules. No one was deceived.

The creeping autocracy of the regime was also being consummated as Lai Mohammed, the Minister for Information and Culture, caused the National Broadcasting Commission to raise the fine for “hate speech” by broadcasters. Several journalists and activists are being held by security forces, while court orders continue to be disobeyed. In Kaduna State, another violation of religious freedom was playing out as an atheist, Mubarak Bala, spent his 100th day in detention without trial for alleged religious “blasphemy.” The 1999 Constitution not only prohibits governments from directly establishing a religion, but also prohibits them from favouring one religion over another.

Constraining free speech, brutal dispersal and arrest of peaceful protesters and forcing any religion on any citizen have no place in a democracy; the rights to freedom of expression, freedom of assembly and of the press and the right to religious belief or none at all are enshrined in the Constitution and cannot be abridged. They are inalienable.

The right to protest is inseparable from democracy, the majority will have its way, but the minority have an inalienable right to have their say. FindLaw, an online resource, says, “A person’s right to air grievances without fear of retribution or censorship is fundamental to democracy.” So fundamental said the American civil rights legend, Martin Luther King Jr., that it is not only legitimate when peaceful and within the law, but also legitimate in defiance of repressive laws. Adds American historian, Howard Zimm, “Protest beyond the law is not a departure from democracy; it is absolutely essential to it.” The government advertises itself as lawless when it breaks up peaceful assembly since the Court of Appeal in a landmark ruling, had affirmed the right of Nigerians to assemble freely and struck down provisions of the Public Order Act that constrained this right as unconstitutional.

On Buhari’s watch, the threats to media freedom are real and concerning. What is the Buhari regime making out of the issues of fake news and hate speech? The Information Minister pushed the regime’s intolerance a notch higher with an increase in the fine for “hate speech” from N500,000 to N5 million. No doubt, the interplay of populism and technology has led to a steady rise in misinformation, ‘fake news’ and hate speech across the world, the regime’s sole objective however is to squelch criticism and scrutiny and force a culture of silence and fear on the citizens.

Under Buhari, freedom is ropey. The country ranked 115 out of 180 countries on the World Freedom Index 2020. Freedom House in 2019 listed the country as only “partly free” with a score of 47 out of 100 on its Global Freedom Score. The US State Department Human Rights Report 2019 returned a verdict of “significant human rights issues” such as arbitrary arrests, extrajudicial killings, disappearances, torture, arbitrary detention and “substantial interference with the rights of peaceful assembly and freedom of association.” Said Amnesty International in 2019; “The civic space continues to shrink. Nigerian authorities have carried out consistent attacks on journalists and media activists through verbal and physical assault, indiscriminate arrest, torture, detention and abuse of the Cybercrime and Terrorism laws.”

Surprisingly, while running for office, Buhari and his associates were tear-gassed during peaceful protests in Kano and Abuja, leading to widespread condemnation of the government of the day.

In a worrying display of ignorance, regime apologists are jittery over the word; revolution, and falsely equate it with subversion. But revolution does not automatically infer the violent overthrow of the existing order; as the organisers’ aims unambiguously outline, it is a peaceful movement seeking a radical change from corruption, incompetence, nepotism, insecurity, poverty, unemployment and economic ruin. King, Mahatma Gandhi, Corazon Aquino and Aung San Suu Kyi are universally acknowledged as revolutionaries and apostles of non-violent resistance to oppression. Scholars also distinguish between peaceful protests and civil disobedience; both can and often converge, the former can stand alone as the #RevolutionNow protests have done so far. Once upon a time, there was an agricultural revolution programme here in Nigeria.

Yet, in spite of this intimidation, the people are bound to triumph. The spirit of freedom and passion for good governance courageously displayed by the activists need to be emulated and sustained. Democracy is not delivering positive outcomes in Nigeria because the citizens have abandoned the space to politicians. But democracy does not end with voting or grumbling in private; it is a perpetual work-in-progress. The people must constantly exert pressure on public office holders to transparently render service, be responsive and accountable. Democracy thrives when an enlightened and active citizenry constantly exert lawful pressure on officials. 

Nigerians similarly heroically confronted the colonial authorities, successive military regimes and fought for democracy. They were unbowed by the brutal military dictatorship of Sani Abacha 1993-1998; they marched to protest against the junta that preceded it that had annulled the June 12, 1993 presidential election and they have repeatedly opposed oppressive hikes in petrol prices by successive governments.

Buhari cannot break this spirit. In the face of oppression, Nigerians should not be silent, there is a necessity to revive the invincible coalition of civil society, labour, activists, professional bodies, students and market associations to compel good governance and stoutly defend the rights of the people. If you see something, say something, is the price of freedom. As Gandhi said, “Silence becomes cowardice when occasion demands speaking out the whole truth and acting accordingly.”

SOURCE Citizens Must Defend Fundamental Rights - PUNCH NEWSPAER

Human Rights News PUNCH NEWSPAPER AddThis :  Original Author :  SaharaReporters, New York Disable advertisements : 
https://ift.tt/2DKKFRE

Last week Wednesday, August 5, 2020, Nigerian’s of all ages and social standing under the banner of #RevolutionNow Movement abandoned fear to take to the streets to voice out their frustration with the administration of President Muhammdu Buhari.

Like they echoed a year earlier, the people once again condemned rising insecurity, unemployment, corruption, human rights abuses among others under Buhari’s watch, calling on his administration to buckle down or quit.

#RevolutionNow Protest

In response, the retired military general had heavily-armed security agents pounce on the peaceful demonstrators.

The move attracted reactions from all corners of the globe with prominent individuals and groups raining hard knocks on the Buhari regime.

In a well-penned editorial on Sunday, PUNCH Newspaper captured in details how much the rights of Nigerians have been grossly violated under Buhari’s leadership of the country since taking over power in 2015.

---

 

The intolerant regime of Major-General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) bared its fangs yet again last week when security personnel violently broke up peaceful protests across the country. Television and social media footage of brutal attacks against unarmed citizens demonstrated vividly the martial disposition of the regime as it reacted to nationwide marches called by the #RevolutionNow movement to mark its first anniversary and to call for good governance.

Violence in protests is strategically counterproductive as it undermines the legitimate protest. But #RevolutionNow protests were said to be peaceful. What is left is for the citizens to send the message loudly to Buhari and his brutish enforcers that they will neither surrender their hard-earned freedoms nor relent in demanding responsible governance.

What happened last week in Lagos, Abuja, Osogbo and several other cities was a national disgrace. In commemoration of its first outing, the #RevolutionNow movement founded by an online publisher Omoyele Sowore, had called activists, youths and concerned Nigerians to peaceful marches across the country to protest the raging insecurity, poverty, corruption, poor infrastructure and social services as well as mass unemployment. They also demanded that Buhari resign as president since he had in their view, failed woefully to solve the problems. Reflexively, the government sent in police, State Security Service agents, soldiers and paramilitary storm troopers in force. Deploying tear gas and live bullets, they chased down demonstrators and violently arrested scores of protesters nationwide, injuring many. Mercifully, no deaths were recorded. As public anger grew, police in Lagos and Abuja hid under the cover of COVID-19 protocols to claim that suspects violated facemask and social distancing rules. No one was deceived.

The creeping autocracy of the regime was also being consummated as Lai Mohammed, the Minister for Information and Culture, caused the National Broadcasting Commission to raise the fine for “hate speech” by broadcasters. Several journalists and activists are being held by security forces, while court orders continue to be disobeyed. In Kaduna State, another violation of religious freedom was playing out as an atheist, Mubarak Bala, spent his 100th day in detention without trial for alleged religious “blasphemy.” The 1999 Constitution not only prohibits governments from directly establishing a religion, but also prohibits them from favouring one religion over another.

Constraining free speech, brutal dispersal and arrest of peaceful protesters and forcing any religion on any citizen have no place in a democracy; the rights to freedom of expression, freedom of assembly and of the press and the right to religious belief or none at all are enshrined in the Constitution and cannot be abridged. They are inalienable.

The right to protest is inseparable from democracy, the majority will have its way, but the minority have an inalienable right to have their say. FindLaw, an online resource, says, “A person’s right to air grievances without fear of retribution or censorship is fundamental to democracy.” So fundamental said the American civil rights legend, Martin Luther King Jr., that it is not only legitimate when peaceful and within the law, but also legitimate in defiance of repressive laws. Adds American historian, Howard Zimm, “Protest beyond the law is not a departure from democracy; it is absolutely essential to it.” The government advertises itself as lawless when it breaks up peaceful assembly since the Court of Appeal in a landmark ruling, had affirmed the right of Nigerians to assemble freely and struck down provisions of the Public Order Act that constrained this right as unconstitutional.

On Buhari’s watch, the threats to media freedom are real and concerning. What is the Buhari regime making out of the issues of fake news and hate speech? The Information Minister pushed the regime’s intolerance a notch higher with an increase in the fine for “hate speech” from N500,000 to N5 million. No doubt, the interplay of populism and technology has led to a steady rise in misinformation, ‘fake news’ and hate speech across the world, the regime’s sole objective however is to squelch criticism and scrutiny and force a culture of silence and fear on the citizens.

Under Buhari, freedom is ropey. The country ranked 115 out of 180 countries on the World Freedom Index 2020. Freedom House in 2019 listed the country as only “partly free” with a score of 47 out of 100 on its Global Freedom Score. The US State Department Human Rights Report 2019 returned a verdict of “significant human rights issues” such as arbitrary arrests, extrajudicial killings, disappearances, torture, arbitrary detention and “substantial interference with the rights of peaceful assembly and freedom of association.” Said Amnesty International in 2019; “The civic space continues to shrink. Nigerian authorities have carried out consistent attacks on journalists and media activists through verbal and physical assault, indiscriminate arrest, torture, detention and abuse of the Cybercrime and Terrorism laws.”

Surprisingly, while running for office, Buhari and his associates were tear-gassed during peaceful protests in Kano and Abuja, leading to widespread condemnation of the government of the day.

In a worrying display of ignorance, regime apologists are jittery over the word; revolution, and falsely equate it with subversion. But revolution does not automatically infer the violent overthrow of the existing order; as the organisers’ aims unambiguously outline, it is a peaceful movement seeking a radical change from corruption, incompetence, nepotism, insecurity, poverty, unemployment and economic ruin. King, Mahatma Gandhi, Corazon Aquino and Aung San Suu Kyi are universally acknowledged as revolutionaries and apostles of non-violent resistance to oppression. Scholars also distinguish between peaceful protests and civil disobedience; both can and often converge, the former can stand alone as the #RevolutionNow protests have done so far. Once upon a time, there was an agricultural revolution programme here in Nigeria.

Yet, in spite of this intimidation, the people are bound to triumph. The spirit of freedom and passion for good governance courageously displayed by the activists need to be emulated and sustained. Democracy is not delivering positive outcomes in Nigeria because the citizens have abandoned the space to politicians. But democracy does not end with voting or grumbling in private; it is a perpetual work-in-progress. The people must constantly exert pressure on public office holders to transparently render service, be responsive and accountable. Democracy thrives when an enlightened and active citizenry constantly exert lawful pressure on officials. 

Nigerians similarly heroically confronted the colonial authorities, successive military regimes and fought for democracy. They were unbowed by the brutal military dictatorship of Sani Abacha 1993-1998; they marched to protest against the junta that preceded it that had annulled the June 12, 1993 presidential election and they have repeatedly opposed oppressive hikes in petrol prices by successive governments.

Buhari cannot break this spirit. In the face of oppression, Nigerians should not be silent, there is a necessity to revive the invincible coalition of civil society, labour, activists, professional bodies, students and market associations to compel good governance and stoutly defend the rights of the people. If you see something, say something, is the price of freedom. As Gandhi said, “Silence becomes cowardice when occasion demands speaking out the whole truth and acting accordingly.”

SOURCE Citizens Must Defend Fundamental Rights - PUNCH NEWSPAER

Human Rights News PUNCH NEWSPAPER AddThis :  Original Author :  SaharaReporters, New York Disable advertisements : 
https://ift.tt/2DKKFRE