Author: The Nation

Participants at the two-day discussions on how tackle the problems besetting the land rose on Tuesday supporting the establishment of community policing.

The conference was organised in Minna, the Niger State capital by the Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution.

They identified community policing as one of the ways to end insecurity in the country.

Their position was contained in the communique issued at the end of the two day roundtable meeting signed by the Director of the Abdulsalami Abubakar Institute for Peace and Sustainable Development Studies, Dr. Diamond Preye Nebechukwu.

The participants, numbering about 50 eminent Nigerians from different parts of the country, further recommended that the role of the military should be limited to defending Nigeria and “not doing police jobs as witnessed all over the country.”

The communique further said that police and related paramilitary organisations should be better trained and equipped in playing their traditional roles.

Read Also: Community policing is panacea for insecurity, says Osinbajo

It reads: “Nigeria need to accelerate the process of recruitment of additional security personnel especially the police. This calls for community policing.”

The participants further noted that poverty, arising from economic crisis, has been identified as one of the main causes of insecurity across the nation. They also said that the proliferation of small arms and light weapons have fueled the crises.

The communique further reads: “The Participants were in agreement that every part of Nigeria is today bedeviled by one form of extremist violence or the other and that these conflicts are increasingly having corrosive effect on the Nigeria State.

“The cause of the insecurity include, poverty rising from the economic crisis in the country and bellicious political activities, environmental scarcity in the far north and the rising perception of injustice by ethnic and religious groups.”

The communique further proffered that federal and state governments should ensure clear separation of religion and the state adding that there should be models for mediation set up by state and federal government.

“The Federal Government should establish a National mediation Council and state government should establish harmony and mediation centers to foster peaceful co-existence and inter-group harmony,” they said.

Among the participants were: former Foreign Affairs Minister Prof Bolaji Akinyemi; Northern Elders’ Forum (NEF) leader Prof Ango Abdullahi; PDP National Women Leader, Josephine Anenih, Ambassador Yahaya Gwande; Gen Alexander Ogomudia (rtd); Young Progressive Party’s (YPP’s) presidential candidate Prof Kingsley  Moghalu; Emir of Bida and Chairman Niger State Council Of Traditional Rulers, Yahaya Abubakar and Emir of Minna Umar Farouk Bahago, representatives of the Chief of Defence Staff, the National Security Adviser (NSA), among others.

Former Ogun State Governor Olusegun Osoba has directed Senator Femi Okurounmu to retract the defamatory and libelous materials allegedly committed against him and which were published in two national dailies.

Osoba claimed Okurounmu mischievously and maliciously maligned and defamed him, labelling him, among others, as “a double-faced politician” in the said publications.

Read Also: Okurounmu lied against me, says Osoba

Writing through his lawyer, Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN, the ex-governor also asked Okurounmu to pay N3 billion as damages for the said libelous publications as well as tender unreserved public apology and caused same to be published in seven national dailies with effect from July 29.

Osoba warned that should the Alliance for Democracy Senator (1999 – 2003) failed to comply within 14 days –  reading from July 23, he would begin legal proceedings in court against him to claim reliefs in terms of the said  demands in addition to aggravated and exemplary damages.

A 39-year old Warri-based taxi driver, Mr. Samuel Elohor Governor, who is in need of N12 million for kidney transplant, has cried out for help.

Governor, who has been receiving treatment, including dialysis thrice weekly, said his health challenge started in November 2018, when a diagnosed kidney failure resulted in diabetes and high blood pressure. He lamented the loss of all his property, including the taxi, to the expensive treatment.

The father of three, who pleaded for help from the public, thanked his church for sustaining him all along.

Narrating his ordeal, Governor said: “It is kidney problem that led to diabetes and high blood pressure, which cannot be regulated. They said the only way the high blood pressure can be regulated is when they do dialysis. We initially thought it was a simple thing when we started last year, but as the dialysis progressed, the high blood pressure refused to go down.

“The more dialysis I did, the more the high blood pressure worsened. As you can see, it has led to the swelling of my legs, I can’t walk, I need to be on wheelchair. My hands are swollen, my face is swollen, I can’t even see well with my eyes.

“I started from Central Hospital, and I was referred to the Teaching Hospital in Oghara. When the treated was getting out of hands, I sold my property, even the vehicle I had. When it got more serious, I was referred to this hospital where they finally said kidney transplant is the solution. I have spent more than a million naira on dialysis so far, each dialysis costs N45,000, including two pints of blood, and that happens three times a week.

Read Also: Abducted Aid Worker Cries for Help

“The MD of the hospital, who is conversant with the transplant, said it will cost N12 million, I think it will be done here. I really appreciate the church, they have tried for me. I am just a common taxi driver when this problem started; it was my wife who had a job, so I didn’t have kobo. I appreciate them, if not for them I don’t think I would still be alive.

“I appeal for help. For more than two months now I have not been home to see my children because I have to live close to the hospital so that I can easily come in for dialysis. This week alone, I have had two rounds of dialysis, this is the third one, and the more frequent the dialysis, the more it affects my body.”

Governor’s wife, Esther, said the pressure had already started taking its toll on her and the children, pleading that all who have what it takes to save her husband should come to their aid.

“My appeal is to the public to please help my husband; they should please save his life. He’s a young man and I don’t want anything to happen to him. We have three children, if it is just for the sake of the children. They always cry that they want to see their daddy.

“I am begging the public to please save my husband. He’s just 39 years. Now, we are the one bathing him and brushing his teeth, even feed him. He can’t do anything by himself. People should please help us, it is not easy on us,” she said.

Governor can be reached on 07033280078 and donations can be sent to his bank account – 6015167535 with Fidelity Bank Plc.