The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Activists

  • Activists: be wary of the opposition

    Activists: be wary of the opposition

    A pan-Nigerian social advocacy group, US4US Movement, has appealed to President Bola Tinubu to be wary of fifth columnists and enemies of his administrationt.

    The group said there was a self-serving agenda by those it termed political hyenas and jackals to boot out some individuals conceived as threat to the plundering and mindless looting of the country.

    It said those targeted were the best hands in Tinubu’s cabinet.

    National Publicity Secretary, Umezulike Desmond-Cruz, in a statement, said there was a plot to kick out performing ministers.

    Umezulike named suspended minister, Betta Edu, Minister of FCT, Nyesom Wike and Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo as those targeted for blackmail.

    Read Also: Ibadan blast: Tighten laws, implement probe report, say activists

    “It is safe to say that Betta Edu is a victim of political horse-trading by some power brokers against the interest of Mr. President and a vendetta by the opposition threatened by her passion and drive…

    “These merchants of absurdity are bent on holding our nation to ransom… First, it was Wike and their “Wike Must Go” crusade, then to Edu… and Tunji-ojo.

    “While the investigation into the ministry is commendable, Mr. President must remain resolute and more circumspect in this matter, not to fall into the pit dug by enemies of his administration.

    “Mr President must count the cost carefully, not to crucify the best of his soldiers, on trumped-up allegations. Today, it is about the likes of Wike, Edu and Tunji-Ojo, who are incidentally from South,’’ it said.

  • Activists push SA pension funds on climate change

    Shareholder activists Just Share and environmental law organisation ClientEarth have written to more than 50 funds in South Africa about their duty to savers.

    According to Bloomberg, the local industry oversees about R4.2trn in retirement investments, according to the two groups.

    Legal opinion commissioned by the campaigners shows that failing to meet the requirement on climate change “would likely amount to a breach of duty by the board of a pension fund,” they said in a joint statement.

    Oil companies and Norway’s sovereign wealth fund are responding to climate change through steps ranging from planting forests to divesting from fossil fuels. South Africa is dependent on coal for almost all of its power generation and unemployment of about 27 per cent complicates the debate around reducing this reliance, should it lead to closing mines and job losses.

    The ultimate effects of climate change and the cost of transitioning to a low-carbon economy should form part of money managers’ investment strategies, Tracey Davies, executive director for Just Share, said by phone. “The primary reason is the fiduciary responsibility for the funds to invest in the long term.’’

    South Africa’s 2030 energy plan sees coal-generated power dropping to less than 50 pension of the total, as investment increases in renewables such as wind and solar.

    But, South African companies have been highlighting some of the potential costs. Anglo American Platinum, the world’s biggest producer of the metal, said April 9 that a planned carbon tax in the country will add cost pressures for marginal and loss-making operations.

    Reaction from funds that responded to the campaigners’ questions ranged from interest in discussing the issue to asking whether they were being accused of doing something wrong, Davies said. The initial purpose of the letters was to raise awareness. “You’ve got to understand how exposed your portfolio is to climate policy.”

     

  • Activists hail Kokori’s replacement on NSITF board

    Activists, under the aegis of Citizens Watch Advocacy Movement, have said the replacement of a former General Secretary of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers Union (NUPENG), Frank Kokori, with a renowned chartered accountant, insurance and taxation expert, Mr. Austin Enajemo-Isire, as the chairman of the board of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) is an impeccable choice.

    They said it showed a resounding vote for merit at a time competence was in shackles.

    A statement in Abuja, the nation’s capital, by its National President, Mohammed Ibn Yunusa and Secretary, Mark Ekine, urged the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) President Ayuba Wabba to stop annexing the platform and essence of labour unionism for narrow, personal gains.

    The statement reads: “It is high time selfish interests gave way to the interest of the nation. NSITF is a specialised agency which must be managed in line with the agenda of the Muhammadu Buhari administration.

    “The current administration, from our investigation, inherited an NSITF with bastardised procurement process, an NSITF in which N62 billion was eaten by locusts. It was an agency in which N5 billion disappeared on a single a day without vouchers; an agency that could not pay the salaries and allowances of its workers, an agency some of whose regional and branch offices, such as the ones in Rivers, Imo and Jigawa states, were shut down for non-remittance of taxes. It was an NSITF whose workers stagnated for six years without promotion that Buhari inherited.

    “In that respect, we wish to state that with non-professionals currently serving as the Managing Director and executive directors of the NSITF, the appointment of a thoroughbred professional as the chairman of the board must be applauded by all Nigerians except those who are enemies of the nation.

    “Kokori is no doubt a foremost labour leader and activist, a patriotic Nigerian whose contributions to the cause of democracy cannot be written off. But we are talking of the NSITF whose fortunes slid so badly that it needs professional repositioning by a board chairman with sound pedigree in allied professions. The choice of Isere is by this fact unimpeachable.

    “A time is here, therefore, for Nigerians to urge NLC President Ayuba Wabba to cease annexing the vehicle and essence of labour unionism for selfish pursuits. One wonders why Wabba lost his voice when N62 billion developed wings under the last NSITF board in which NLC was fully represented. In that period, when the ship of the NSITF floundered on the rock of incompetence and squander-mania, where was Wabba?”

    “What muted Wabba’s voice as he came on board as the NLC President and saw the scandalous pillage at the NSITF? Does that ominous silence confirm whispers in some circles that oozing filth from the fund conduced to the sponsorship of his election against Ajero in the then NLC?

    “Indeed, the fact that the NLC President is fighting the Minister of Labour and Employment for recommending the appointment of Kokori as the Chairman of Michael Imodu Institute of Labour Studies, a diploma-awarding institution, where his mine of knowledge in labour activism will be made available for the present and future generations of labour enthusiasts, clearly exposes an ulterior motive.

    “Importantly, it’s opportune that Wabba be educated that the NSITF fund is not ‘workers’ money’, as he has ignorantly been selling to the public. The fund does not subsist on workers’ salaries. It is rather an equivalent of insurance premium, contributed by employers in the private and public sectors for the benefit of the workers and the employers. Any worker who suffers injury or death in the course of work, as well as his employer, has equal right to seek indemnity from the fund.”

    “We hence invite Wabba to properly read the provisions of the Employee Compensation Act 2010 setting up the agency to avoid misleading Nigerian workers or misinform the public at large. One bane of leadership in our dear nation is the dying culture of readership. Most of our leaders neither read nor employ competent people to read for them.”

    The activists hailed the Delta State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for being dispassionate and staying on the side of the truth on this matter.

    “After all, both Kokori and Isere are Delta indigenes,” they said, adding: Did Senator Ngige nominate an Igbo to replace Kokori? No.

    “We finally wish to point out, for the records, that neither the chief executive nor the chairman of the board of the three corporations under the Ministry of Labour, namely NSITF, the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) and the National Productivity Centre (NPC), is   Igbo, contrary to what obtains in most of the agencies.

    “Yet, Ngige has raised no hoot as a patriotic Nigerian. This is the way to lead.”

  • Activists lament prison congestion, inhuman conditions

    Worried by the state of prisons in the country, some activists under the aegis of the Citizens United for the Rehabilitation of Errants (CURE, Nigeria), have held a walk in Abuja to enlist stakeholders’ support for the much-needed reforms in the criminal justice and prison systems. ERIC IKHILAE reports.

    Latest statistics have it that the Nigerian Prisons Service (NPS) currently holds about 75,544 (male and female) inmates in 244 detention facilities nationwide.

    Most of the facilities are made to hold between three to five times their actual capacities, thereby creating an environment of perpetual congestion, subjecting inmates to the burden of contending with other attendant consequences.

    Incidentally, majority of the inmates are individuals whose guilt is yet to be established, but subjected to prolonged incarceration. A recent report by the NPS indicates that awaiting trial inmates account for about 68 percent (51,384) of the prison population.

    This troubling state of affair informed a walk organised in Abuja on March 13 this year by some rights activists, under the aegis of Citizens United for the Rehabilitation of Errants, (CURE, Nigeria), who said they seek to compel the relevant agencies of government to act.

    Led by CURE-Nigeria’s Executive Director, Sylvester Uhaa, members of the group, who bore placards, with different messages, walked from the Unity Fountain, first, to the national headquarters of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Aguiyi Ironsi Street.

    They later went to the Federal Ministry of Justice on Shehu Shagari Way, where they sought audience with the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami.

    The group noted that congestion in prisons is a direct consequence of the ineffectiveness of key elements within the country’s criminal justice system.

    It stressed that the failure of the courts and the police to promptly process suspects, results in the high number of inmates awaiting trial, who are in most cases, held in custody longer than they would have stayed in prison if they were timeously tried and convicted.

    CURE Nigeria argued that the nation’s criminal justice system remains one of the least friendly amongst democratic nations of the world, particularly for the average citizen.

    Citing recent media reports, where President Muhammadu Buhari was quoted as saying, “prison congestion is a national scandal and embarrassment,” and the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo quoted as saying, “our prisons turn human beings into animals,” the group argued that it was no longer time for lamentation, but for urgent action.

    According to the group, the criminal justice system is skewed in a way that ensures justice continues to be the preserve of the wealthy and influential members of the society, who can afford the services of legal practitioners or can bribe their way out of the system.

    “Agents of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), an entity adjudged, in the recent past, to be the most corrupt institution in Nigeria, could just pick up persons from the streets and lock them up on trumped-up allegations, and a victim of such arrest could almost only regain freedom after paying money.

    “Those who are unable to pay and lack the political connection to gain freedom, end up in prison or police cell for years without trial.

    “In light of the above, we ask concerned Nigerians to lend a voice by demanding reforms in the criminal justice system, including the police, prisons and the Judiciary, so that the rule of law can prevail at all times and in every situation.

    “We firmly believe that a justice system that is overly punitive and fails to rehabilitate, doesn’t make us safer. The best way to fight crime is to prevent crime by addressing the root causes of crime such as poverty, unemployment, etc.

    “Prison congestion poses serious constraints to effective prison administration/management and poses security, health and social threats to society. Alternative incarceration is the way forward, Uhaa said as he addressed the crowd.

    Their placards bore messages like: “Stop sending lunatics to prisons, stop sending children to adult prisons, remove children from adult prisons now, stop building prisons, build schools, hospitals, and road; stop sending pregnant women to prisons, stop sending nursing mothers to prisons,” among others, which were also contained in the flyers they distributed as they walked.

    At the Federal Ministry of Justice, they met with the Permanent Secretary and Solicitor General of the Federation (SGF), Dayo Apata, who received them on behalf of the AGF. Apata commended them for their efforts.

    Apata assured the activists of Federal Government’s commitment to continuous reforms in the prison and criminal justice sectors in view of its commitment to the preservation of human rights and fight against corruption and insecurity

    He highlighted steps taken so far by the Federal Government to ensure the effectiveness of the criminal justice system and improvement in prison facilities.

    Other issues suggested by CURE Nigeria include the needed to reform the borstal instructions, abolish death penalty and arbitrary arrest and detention; rejection of prolonged pre-trial detention and criminalising the torture of inmates by security agents.The group also wants an arrangement where states are made to pay for the upkeep of some inmates. It asked the government to fight corruption in the prison system, raise the cost of feeding inmates, and demand that the police, military, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and other agencies, with the power to detain citizens, to “declare the number of detainees in their custody.”

  • Activists go to court over digital rights bill

    Rights groups, the Digital Rights Lawyers Initiative and Laws and Rights Awareness Initiative, have sued President Muhammadu Buhari at the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja for not signing the Digital Rights and Freedom Bill 2018 or withholding his assent.

    The plaintiffs, along with Olasunkanmi Bello, said the National Assembly transmitted the bill to the President on February 4.

    They are seeking a declaration that, by virtue of Section 58(4) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), the defendant lacks power “to remain silent and/or inactive” on the bill after 30 days of its transmission.

    They are praying the court to declare that the President’s silence on the bill after 30 days of its transmission constitutes a violation of Section 58(4) of the 1999 Constitution.

    The groups are urging the court to hold that by the President’s inactivity on the bill, it is deemed to have been assented to and thus become an Act of the National Assembly.

    The plaintiffs, through their lawyers Solomon Okedara and Olumide Babalola, are seeking a perpetual injunction restraining the President from withholding assent to the bill “same having been deemed assented to by the defendant”.

    In a supporting affidavit deposed to by Olivia Aisha, the plaintiffs said sometime in 2017, the two chambers of the National Assembly passed the bill into law.

    They said when the National Assembly refused to transmit it to the President for his assent, the second plaintiff filed a suit last September against the Clerk of the National Assembly.

    While the suit was pending, the Clerk transmitted the bill to the President on February 4.

    “I know as a fact that by virtue of the defendant’s position and constitutional provisions, he only has 30 days to either assent to the bill or withhold his assent.

    “I know as a fact that, since the bill was transmitted to the defendant on the 4th day of February 2019, a period of 34 days have lapsed and the defendant has neither signified that he assented nor withheld his assent to the said bill.

    “I know that a lot of pressure groups and non-governmental organisations have urged the defendant to assent to the bill but to no avail.

    “The defendant has in the past expressly withheld assent to some bills e.g the Electoral Act amendment bill but has remained silent on Digital Rights and Freedom Bill,” the deponent said.

    Sponsored by House Committee on Telecommunications Deputy Chairman Chukwuemeka Ujam, the bill proposes the protection of human rights online.

    It is designed to protect internet users in Nigeria from infringement of their fundamental freedom and also to guarantee application of human rights for users of digital platforms.

    It is in response to the need for a law on internet freedom which is consistent with international human rights standards.

    Proponents of the bill say some of the existing legislations criminalise some internet activities, thereby limiting freedom of expression online, right to information online and freedom of peaceful assembly and association.

    With no data protection law, the personal data of citizens are put at risk and the institutions or entities that collect this data are under no legal obligation to protect them, which experts say explains unsolicited messages and similar undue date exposures.

    The bill’s objectives are:

    • To guarantee the application of human rights which apply offline within the digital space and online.
    • To provide safeguards against abuse and provide opportunities for redress where infringement occurs.
    • To ensure data privacy and safeguard sensitive citizens’ data held by government and privacy institutions.
    • To equip the judiciary with the necessary framework to protect human rights online.
    • To safeguard the digital liberty of Nigerians now and in the future.
    • To seek the guarantee of inviolability of communications, except by order of court obtained in accordance to due process of law.

    An activist, Mbanan Mku, in an article, believes the bill will counter-balance the Cyber Crime Act 2016 and safeguard the rights of bloggers, data owners, and internet service providers.

    “It will also ensure that citizens are not sentenced to death by ‘hanging’ for constructive political criticism and political expression in the form of blogs, commentary, cartoons or memes,” he writes.

  • Activists petition commission on alleged killing

    The Human Rights Advancement, Development and Advocacy Centre (HURIDAC) and Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA) Resource Centre have petitioned the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on the recent extra-judicial Killing of an unarmed citizen by an officer of the Nigerian Customs Service (CS).

    In the petition delivered to NHRC head office in Abuja on Tuesday, HURIDAC and HEDA are demanding justice for the deceased, who was shot dead in the fracas that occurred on Saami/Ijebu-Ode Road, on Sunday.

    The petition was signed by HURIDAC Executive Director Mr. Ayodele Ameen and the Executive Director of HEDA, Mr. Olanrewaju Suraj.

    They said the incident is not just against Nigeria Criminal law, but also International Law.

    The two organisations claimed that their attention was drawn to a case of indiscriminate killing by a Customs officer, through a video that went viral on the social media.

    They said the story was corroborated by a statement published by the Nigerian Customs Service confirming the incident, but claiming it was an “accidental discharge”.

    The bodies said: “The video showed that the man was shot dead by a Customs officer after a fracas that ensued when some Customs officers, obviously on illegal checkpoint along the highway, insisted on checking belongings and bags of commuters of the affected commercial vehicle or the payment of N5,000 bribe as clearance for their release by the Customs officers. This was clearly heard from the video.

    Read also: Nigeria loses billions of dollars to prolonged bid rounds

    “The Nigerian Customs Service also affirmed in their statement that the killing was carried out by one of its officers on duty in that location at the time and is due to “accidental discharge”, identifying the victim as a friend of the officers, who assisted them in providing supplies.

    “We, however, wonder what the role of a civilian is in meddling in the official duties of a Customs officer to be shot in a friendly ‘accidental discharge’.”

    In the petition, HURIDAC and HEDA said Article 2 of the UN Resolution 34/169 of December 17, 1979, of the Code of Conduct for Law Enforcement Officials, stated: “In the performance of their duty, law enforcement officials shall respect and protect human dignity and maintain and uphold the human rights of all persons.”

    The petition also referenced the United Nations’ Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials, which also stipulates that “law enforcement officials, in carrying out their duty, shall, as far as possible, apply non-violent means before resorting to the use of force and firearms’.

  • Extend IGP’s tenure, activists urge Buhari

    A coalition of Civil Society Organisations in Kano State have urged President Muhammadu Buhari to extend the tenure of Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris till after 2019 general elections. The appeal came few days after President Buhari said he will in due course act on the retirement of the IGP. Kano State chairman of Eminent Persons Forum, Mallam Mukhtar Gashash,who led the group, appealed to the Nigeria Police Service Commission and the National Assembly to approve the elongation of the service term of the Inspector General in view of his track record.

    He said the Inspector General has succeeded in instilling discipline, zero tolerance to corruption and promoting rule of law among police officers. “He has to his credit establishment of this forum at national, state and local government levels with a view to consolidate members of the communities into policing matters. He has also contributed in conducting successful governorship and re-run elections in Edo, Ondo, Anambra, Rivers and Kogi States, Gashan said.

    Similarly, Kano State chairman of Police Community Relations Committee, Sale Jili said the IG has demonstrated good leadership skills in managing the security of the country through the creation of police rapid response unit which enable citizens to report crimes through phones and social media platforms. He added that the IG has established anti-kidnapping unit to handle kidnapping cases and X-squad to check corrupt practices and excesses of police officers across the country.

    He recalled that former presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Umaru ‘Yaradua have extended the tenure of former Inspector Generals Mike Okiro and Sunday Ehindero. He therefore appealed for the extension of Inspector General’s tenure till after 2019 elections. The Regional Coordinator of West African Institute for Legal Aid,  Ma’aruf Yakasai ,said there is no law that prevents the president from extending the tenure of the IGP.

  • Activists, council boss demand equality, justice, human dignity

    On December 10, the world marked the 70th Human Rights Day as declared by the United Nations. ADEBISI ONANUGA and DIVINE OKOLI report that the Crime Victims Foundation of Nigeria (CRIVIFON), in collaboration with the Somolu Local Government, of Lagos State, marked the day with the graduation of new human rights activists.

    Human Rights Day is observed on December 10 yearly. It was the day the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948.This year  marks the 70th anniversary of the declaration.

    The theme for this year’s celebration  is: “Let’s stand up for equality, justice and human dignity”.

    ANon-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), Crime Victims Foundation of Nigeria (CRIVIFON)  celebrated the day at the Somolu Local Council Development Area (LCDA) secretariat, Lagos.

    The event attracted other human rights organisations, Police officers.  Awards were presented to some people for their contribution to the protection of rights.

    Somolu Local Government Chairman Mr Abdul Hammed Salawu and CRIVIFON Executive Director Mrs Gloria Egbuji said a  society which abandoned equality, justice, human dignity and rights were at risk.

    They,therefore, urged every citizen to stand up for their rights and that of others when they were trampled upon.

    The event attracted many human rights activists and organisations, including Friends of Kind Hearts Foundation.

    Salawu, who was represented by his Personal Assistant, Babajide Maraiyesa, charged human rights activists to be alive to their duties.

    He stressed that as activists, they were epected to protect the dignity of those whose rights were trampled upon by either individuals and law enforcement agents.

    “Most times our rights are being trampled upon because we do not know the extension of human rights. We need to brace up to our responsibilities because there is nothing to be compared to perfect equality, justice and human dignity,” Salawu said.

    “We need to frequently ask questions about human rights, consult human right activists and lawyers all the time to become conversant with the constitution on what constitute our rights,” he said.

    Mrs Egbuji, who is the founder of  CRIVIFON, regretted that one major problem people face is being ignorant of their rights.

    Mrs Egbuji, who was represented by the Director of Legal Services and Projects, Mr Evaristus Aloke, stressed the need for everybody to stand up to his  rights and that of others.

    She urged the people to stand up for equality, justice and human dignity.

    “The UN human rights declaration sets out universal values and a common standard of achievement for all peoples and nations. It establishes equal dignity of every person.

    “The dignity of millions have been uplifted and the foundation for a more just world has been laid,” she said.

    Noting that the provision in the Universal Declaration were yet to be realised, she said: “The very fact that it has stood the test of time is a testimony to the enduring universality of its perennial values of equality, justice and human dignity. The universal declaration of human rights empowers us all. The principles enshrined therein are as relevant as they were in1948.”

    Mrs Egbuji remarked that the UN Declaration of Human Rights  remained a milestone document, which everyone is entitled regardless of race, colour, religion, sex, language, or political.

    “We can take action in our own  lives to uphold the rights that protect us all and thereby promote the very importance of all human beings,” she stated.

    She disclosed plans by the foundation to set up a skill acquisition centre for victims of human rights abuses, domestic violence, widows and unemployed youths to get empowerment.

    She called on well-meaning Nigerians to assist the NGO to raise about  N5million for the centre.

    She claimed that CRIVIFON was the first organisation to set up human rights desk in all police divisions in Lagos Command and in others and also train Police men and women on human rights.

    So far, she said, the organisation has trained over 3,000 victims of rape and domestic violence, murder, human rights violation, fraud victims and victims of disaster and catastrophe, among others.

    Mrs Egbuji said the foundation also collaborates with Nigerian Prisons to release those wrongfully detained because they had nobody to assist them, lamenting that most prison inmates are those who were unable pay fines ranging from N10,000 to N20,000.

    The organisation, she further stated, has trained over 20,000 policemen and military personnel, traditional rulers on the effectiveness of mediation and youths on peace building, among others.

    National Coordinator CRIVIFON, Titus Ofurum, said  the organisation was formed to tackle those human rights violators.

    Ofurum said the organisation was behind a bill signed into law, which ensured that victims of gun shots receive medical treatment with or without police reports.

    He commended Mrs Egbuji for ensuring that the vision of the NGO was attained.

    He urged religious organisations and individuals to partner  CRIVIFON to release innocent victims who were awaiting trial.

    He appealed for sponsors for the printing of one million copies of the “know Your Right Information Booklet” to help educate people about their rights.

    The coincided with the graduation of 15 human rights. Iyida Ejiofor, the class governor of Course 15, said the 1999 Constitution,  the  Universal Declaration and African Declaration on Human Rights demanded  that the dignity and rights of individuals be respected.

    Ejiofor regretted the rising rate of crime and that the society is ignorant of the laws and their rights, particularly the offenders who do not know they also have rights.

    “There are rules guiding arrests which must be respected and observed by the police in the performance of their duties,” he said.

    The graduands included  Iyida Ejiofor, Aiyegbusi Abiodun, Maduagwu Gobril, Njoku Ken, Augustine Madu, Amusa Michael, Mrs Anyawun Tochukwu, Adebare Alani and Daudu Olugbenga.

    Awards were presented to some people for promoting human rights.

    Mrs Egbuji and  Mr Ofurum received awards.

    Other awardees were the Baale of Ishen-Olu, Ogun State, Chief Abdul-Rahman Adekunle Disu, Eze Ndigbo of Mushin, Eze Peter C. Umeh, Ezechimere 1, Mrs Rosaline Shaibu.

    Others were the organisation’s Legal Advisor in Ogun State, Obikoya Ezekiel; Administrator-General Hospital Shomolu, Mrs Ajao Adebukola; Crime Officer Alade Division, Shomolu ASP Funmilayo Olaleye.

  • El-Zakyzaky: Shiites protesters not peaceful, say activists

    The Save Humanity Advocacy Centre (SHAC) has written the United States following activities of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), otherwise known as Shi’ites.

    The centre frowned at the recent protests by the group, which led to loss of lives and crippled commercial activities in Abuja.

    In the letter signed by its Executive Director, Dr. Grace Akatu, SHAC called on the United States to speak up on the side of truth by urging an end to the terrorist activities of IMN.

    The letter reads: “The natural reaction from any patriotic Nigerian with knowledge of the IMN violence would be to condemn many of these statements as meddling in Nigeria’s affairs without the benefit of facts; but we appreciate that countries that took time to urge caution have facts at their disposal, which means their statements must have strayed off-mark owing to a subjective appreciation of the facts on ground.

    “Far from being “harmless protesters” IMN members that invaded Abuja have only one intent, which is to unleash terror on the law abiding residents of the city. The IMN leader, Mr. Ibraheem El-Zakyzaky, is not being held by Abuja residents but by law enforcement agencies that have arraigned him before a court of competent jurisdiction. It is therefore the height of mischief for IMN extremists to occupy the streets of Abuja, cripple businesses and destroy private property without law enforcement stepping in to protect Nigerians. If the police and army did not stepped in to defend Nigerians and prevent the sect from overrunning the city they would have failed in their duty.

    “The intervention of the police, which was overwhelmed thereby necessitating the involvement of the army, is a necessity owing to the status of IMN as an outlawed group. This places IMN a mere one level below being declared a terror group even though its actions in the recent weeks have automatically bestowed this status on its members. They are terrorists with links to a state sponsor of terrorism, the Islamic Republic of Iran.”

  • Activists: travel ban’ll deal corruption fatal blow

    The issuance of Executive Order 6 and placing of 50 politically-exposed persons (PEPs) on travel ban will deal corruption a fatal blow, according to the Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership (CACOL) and a human rights activist Dele Igbinedion.

    While CACOL praised President Muhammadu Buhari for signing the Executive Order 6, Igbinedion said those who have no skeletons in their cupboards have nothing to worry about.

    CACOL, in a statement by its Executive Chairman, Mr. Debo Adeniran, said tackling corruption required drastic measures.

    “When we view the precarious situation corruption has thrown this nation and its people, we would better appreciate why drastic and precarious situation calls for a measure of drastic steps/ actions,” it said.

    The group faulted those criticising the Federal Government for the order, saying that most democratic countries of the world have such provisions in their statute books.

    CACOL said pending when all the laws needed to fight corruption are enacted and institutions strengthened, the President should be encouraged to deploy his powers such as the Executive Order 6.

    “We commend the leadership of Muhammadu Buhari for taking advantage of such provisions and enjoin him to judiciously and expeditiously utilise same in a manner that is completely devoid of witch-hunting or any form of undue flagellations, while, constantly, holding our public office holders to account, irrespective of whose ox is gored,” CACOL said.

    Igbinedion said the President’s action was “courageous, commendable and salutary”.

    To him, the President has dealt a fatal blow to corruption, corrupt people, corrupt tendencies and corrupt enrichment from political office.

    “It has been suggested that the Order 06 is unconstitutional, restrictive of human liberty and ultimately illegal. But all that posturing and postulation has been wiped away, broken-hearted, by the recent decision of the Federal High Court in Abuja.

    “It is now accepted, subject to any contrary decision of a higher court, that the Presidential Executive Order 06 is valid, constitutional, legal and applaudable. It is also enforceable pronto, and enforce it, the President has ordered. Amen.

    “Some have also claimed that the Order is targeted at political opponents. But those traducers of the mindless position fail to explain how their argument stands up in the presence of apolitical persons and even members of the President’s political party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) on the list.

    “But whatever the argument for or against, the Presidential Executive Order does not and cannot affect ordinary, hardworking Nigerians. So, fear not, my friends. For too long have corrupt people and their corruption held Nigeria and Nigerians by the jugular. It is now uhuru!

    “Only corrupt former and present political office holders need to tremble in fear over Order 06. Anyone who is not corrupt should walk tall, happy and rejoice. Indeed, a Daniel is come to judgment,” Igbinedion said.