The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Activists

  • Activists protest governor’s policies

    A coalition of civil society organisations (CSOs), under the aegis of the Joint Action Force (JAF), has staged a peaceful protest against what they called the harsh policies of Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole.

    The protesters said Oshiomhole’s policies were insensitive to the economic plight of Edo residents. They described such policies as anti-people.

    Their spokesman Kola Edokpayi said they wanted the governor to revamp ailing industries and reverse some of his administration’s policies.

    The spokesman noted that governance would be meaningless, if its policies were detrimental to the people.

    He said the CSOs opposed recent increase in the tuition fees of the state-owned Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ekpoma and the “deplorable” state of roads. They called for the resuscitation of the Edo Line Transport Company.

    Their other demands are: revamping the Edo State Pharmaceutical Company, Bendel Brewery, Ethiope Publishing Company, Ehor Fruit Juice Factory, Uromi Cassavita, among others.

    House of Assembly’s Speaker Victor Edoror, who was represented by Chris Okaeben, the Chairman of the House Committee on Information and Sports, Chris Okaeben, assured the protesters that their demands would be addressed.

  • Activists: Kogi workers ‘must’ support Audu

    Activists: Kogi workers ‘must’ support Audu

    A Kogi group, the Movement for Democracy and Good Governance, has urged workers and civil servants to ensure that true change comes to the state.

    It advised them to vote for Prince Abubakar Audu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on November 21.

    The body enjoined workers to take their destinies in their hands, by voting out the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP’s) candidate, Governor Idris Wada, because he failed to perform.

    The group, in a statement by Jibril O. Yusuf and Habuh-Rajan Suleiman, chairman and secretary, said it was not unaware of the huge liability incurred by the PDP government.

    It vowed that it would join others in monitoring the disbursement of the bailout fund granted to the state to ensure that not a kobo was misappropriated.

    The body said: “A great change has taken place in the politics of our country, which dislodged the PDP government at the federal level and in many states.

    “The role of workers in the realisation of this feat is immeasurable. This movement will not fail to recognise your gallant efforts in this process and therefore wish to hail workers and civil servants in Kogi State.

    “In many states of the federation, this change has occurred, with many of them now being governed by the APC. Five of the six states in the Northcentral are being ruled by the APC. Only our dear state, Kogi, is still being ruled by the decadent PDP.

    “It is our hope that on November 21, the state will join the league of progressives states to enable the workers and other people enjoy the dividends of democracy, which President Muhammadu Buhari promised the masses.

    “To achieve this, federal, state civil servants and other workers have a role to play, because you always bear the burden of governance; good or bad. Vote for Audu on November 21.”

     

  • Activists fault NJC’s new petition guidelines

    Activists fault NJC’s new petition guidelines

    A rights group, the Access to Justice (A2J), has faulted the revised Judicial Discipline Regulations of the National Judicial Council (NJC).

    According to A2J, the rules will hamper the fight against corruption in the judiciary.

    The revised rules are aimed at curtailing frivolous petitions against judges and also ensure that they are not distracted by vexatious and baseless allegations.

    The group, in a statement by its Director Joseph Otteh, said though it welcomes reforms to strengthen the judiciary and protect its independence, the rules will do more harm than good.

    On the contrary, the rules will hurt the fight against corruption and other misconduct in the administration of justice, A2J said.

    It urged the NJC to revisit the rules and remove provisions which fetter citizens ability to make bona fide representations to the Council.

    On the six-month time limit for petitions, the group said: “In many instances, cases of misconduct, particularly those concerning corruption occurring in the course of a judicial adjudication are only known after the fact, and there is usually no timeline for coming to this knowledge.

    “In most cases, the corrupt conduct of a judicial officer may only become public knowledge following a careless slip or from the irrepressible work of investigative reporters. Whenever the facts become known, let due process follow! There should be no statute of limitations applicable to judicial corruption or misconduct.  Our fight against corruption in the administration of justice ought to run a free course.”

    On requirement of a verifying affidavit, A2J said: “A verifying affidavit, in our opinion, stretches the responsibility for credibility a little too far and technicalises what ought to be simple, accessible and straightforward procedure or action for two major reasons: first, many otherwise valid complaints may be made by people who lack information of the technical requirements now being imposed by the Council.

    “If aggrieved people make credible complaints against judges and these complaints are peremptorily discountenanced because they have not complied with a stated procedure or because they lack some formality, the judiciary deprives itself of fair and early warning that a person of questionable integrity  may be in its midst.

    “This will not do justice to the complainant, to the cause of justice, nor, too, to the Judiciary and society. Insisting that whistle-blowers or informants must verify the ‘truth of the facts alleged’ can act as a strong disincentive to whistle-blowers or informants (who already run risks for leaking relevant information) to come forward with that disclosure. Effective complaint systems encourage, and not stifle feedbacks or complaints even when offered anonymously.”

    The statement added: “In fairness, the NJC must concede that the rule is also possible to misconstrue even by people with reasonable literacy levels. In any event, it should be said that the duty to investigate, verify and substantiate a complaint in relation to a crime is the responsibility of the police, in the same way it is the responsibility of a disciplinary body like the NJC and not the complainant to investigate and substantiate a complaint. There is no legal justification for pushing that duty to the complainant.

    “We understand that the NJC, by these guidelines, wants to safeguard against unnecessary petitions but that objective can be achieved without encumbering the accessibility of the NJC’s complaint process with unnecessary legalisms.

    “While A2Justice will support efforts to reduce inordinate pressures on time and concentration of judges, we urge that judicial integrity should not be sacrificed for technicalities of form and time. The primary concern should be seeking ways to eradicate corruption within the judiciary and not limiting the channels of exposing it.”

     

  • Activists advise Lagos on water policy

    Two rights activists, Akinbode Oluwafemi of the Environmental Rights Action and Shayda E Naficy of the Corporate Accountability International, have advised the Lagos State government not to privatise water.

    The duo, in a an article published on brettonwoodsproject.com,  said: “Today in Lagos, 90 per cent of the city’s 21 million residents lack daily access to safe water. Millions rely on costly or unsafe water sources, such as poorly regulated wells and boreholes. For many Lagosians, water arrives not through pipes to their homes, but through shared standpipes – or worse, or in jerry cans or cellophane bags from sources unknown to them, at a mark-up charged by those few who have access. For many, this presents an impossible choice between paying for clean water or paying for food, transportation, school fees, or clothing costs.

    “The World Bank holds much of the blame for the current state of affairs. For almost three decades it has promoted the privatisation of water systems in Nigeria, strong-arming water policy and impeding the development of adequate public systems.

    “The World Bank Group must abandon its harmful corporatisation and privatisation policies in favour of funding for the development of robust, accountable, and well-functioning public water systems

    “In 1988 and 1999, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the World Bank’s private sector arm, advised the Lagos state government to “reform” the water sector and privatise Lagos State Water Corporation, the body charged with providing water to Lagos’s residents. Likewise, the Bank’s first National Urban Water Sector Reform project, instigated in 2002, drove privatisation which it misleadingly called “public private partnership” (PPP). The Bank’s plan failed miserably: it crowded out any effort to build a functioning public water system; profit-oriented water corporations had no interest in building the infrastructure we need. After the Bank’s plans fell through, its central recommendations were nevertheless folded into a 2004 law. Pushed through in secrecy despite opposition, the legislation corporatised Lagos’s water utility, paving the way to privatisation by prioritising bill collection, metering and profitability rather than universal access.”

    They added that: ” Newly elected Lagos state governor Akinwunmi Ambode has promised to work for safe and affordable water, rekindling hopes for a new official policy that will promote public water systems that work. We look forward to collaborating with him in the coming years to stop the failed World Bank policies and fulfil the human right to water. Together we can develop a water system that is democratically accountable, publicly managed, and delivers to all Lagosians the clean, affordable water we need to live.”

  • Activists, clerics petition council over not-for-profit code

    Activists, Pastors and workers of some Pentecostal churches have petitioned the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria over its plan to promote the “Not for Profit Code 2015” against the religious organizations.

    The code seeks to nullify theocracy in the church which is ascendancy of rulership and headship of the church by spiritual means. It sought to impose democracy as preferred means of assumption to the structures of the church leadership in the area of appointment, tenure and succession.

    Some of the aggrieved churches are Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG); Living Faith International also known as Winners’ Chapel and Foursquare Gospel Church. They alleged that the promotion of the code was being mooted with active connivance of the Federal Ministry of Trade and Investment.

    Addressing a news conference in Lagos last week, their counsels led by Bamidele Ogundele said “governance in the church is a spiritual affair and that any attempt to separate spiritual affair leadership from administrative leadership would bring dichotomy, create crisis within the churches of God and create multidimensional contradictions”.

    Ogundele argued that the Sections 1.1, 8-40 of the code which impose General Assembly and tampered with the structures in the church “ is anti-Christ, satanic agenda, illegal and a breach and an infringement of the fundamental rights of their clients to freedom of thought, conscience and religion under Section 38(1) of the 1999 Constitution as amended and Article 8 of the African Charter of Human and Peoples Right (Enforcement And Ratification Act), Law of the federation 2004.

    He said that the council has over stepped its powers and functions under Sections 7 and 8 of the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria as well as duplicating the functions of the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) under Companies and Allied Matters Decree, Law of the Federation 2004 which is saddled with the responsibility of registration and monitoring Churches and charitable organiSations.

    He said their clients are committed to the defence of rule of law and constitutionalism in Nigeria and have therefore decided to challenge the new development in court in order to prevent crisis in the church and to enforce their fundamental human rights at the Federal High Court, Lagos.

    The applicants in the suit number FHC/L/C5/974/15 are Bamidele Ogundele, Busola Ogunyode for themselves and the registered Trustees of the Centre for Rule of Law; Pastor Ayodele Oladeji, Babatunde Adefila, Isaac Opayinka and Bunmi Olawunmi.

    Respondents in the suit are the Attorney General of the Federation, Ministry of Trade and Investment and the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria.

    The applicants among others sought six reliefs from the court including  a declaration of the court that the purported Not-for-Profit Sections Codes 2015 muted and being promoted by the second and third respondents is illegal and unconstitutional because it amounts to duplication of the functions of the CAC saddled with the responsibility of registration and monitoring of compliance of charitable organizations/groups.

    They also prayed the court for an order of injunction restraining the respondents, their agents and privies from adopting and given of effect of law to Not-for-Profit sector Codes, 2015 based on their infringement on the right of the applicants to religion under section 38(1) of the 1999 Constitution and Article 8 of the African Charter of Human and Peoples Right (Enforcement And Ratification Act), Law of the federation 2004 and its inconsistence with section 7 and 8 of the enabling law establishing the body i.e. Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria Act Cap f42, Law of Federation, 2011.

    Media Consultant to the Council, Mark Ogbamosa said it was a misunderstanding  that the churches see the Code as been targeted at them.

    “A committee was set up to work on a corporate governance for different sector of Nigeria. There is Corporate Governance already in Nigeria. In fact, we have six of them. For instance, there is one for CBN and banks and another  for the NGO’s and Churches and Mosques fall under this group because they are more or less public organizations. . The truth is that when you have Corporate Governance in churches and mosques, it is not for them to pay taxes. That is wrong because it is not about taxation,” he said adding that the council is also not going to look into the accounts of the churches. That is for Internal Revenue board to do.

    He however explained that corporate governance has  to do about tenure and succession.

    “It is saying that you cannot be in one position for too long. When you stay too long in one position, you become a dictator. You must give room for other people to cue in because you  are committing people’s money. So if it takes one person to stay there for too long, it means there could be dictatorship, there could be mismanagement”.

    Ogbamosa said the code has to do with universally accepted system of  church administration than of spiritual.

    He said the council is aware that the pastors have sued the agency and that they already have the papers.

  • Activists to meet Buhari over Chibok girls

    Members of the #BringBackOurGirls (#BBOG) advocacy are set to meet President Muhammadu Buhari over the missin schoolgirls abducted by the Boko Haram sect 420 days ago.

    The group also said it was saddened by the continuous death and suffering in the Northeast.

    It urged Buhari to address the country on the moves he is making to ending insurgency and bring back the Chibok girls.

    A member of the group, Aisha Yusufu, who spoke on other members’ behalf,  said Nigerians gave the President their mandate because they believed in him.

    She said: “The Chibok girls have been in captivity for 419 days and they do not have the liberty to decide to stop living the life of captivity that they have been caused to live. Our daughters have been living in the forest for the past 419 days and still we have not heard anything about them.

    “Now the new President has been sworn in and we in the #BBOG decided to give him one week in power before writing a letter demanding to meet with him. We will send our letter to him next week and we will not be begging to be seen but we will demand to be addressed as citizens of this country.

    “We are impatient and are tired of being afraid. We are tired of wondering who will be next; we expect that by now, President Buhari would have addressed the country and told us what he has been doing so far. We are tired of being kept in the dark. Nigerians need to know of the steps being taken to end this scourge of insurgency because our Chibok girls are tired of waiting.”

  • Activists, others seek re-classification of youths

    Activists and stakeholders in youth development have called for the review of the 1999 Constitution to legally  re-classified  youths as persons between the ages of 18-45 years and accommodate them within the constitutional age requirements for elective positions.

    The demand was made at one-day summit of the Nigerian Arise/Nigerian Youth Think-Tank Group Summit, Western Region Summit, themed: “Generation Change and Transformation in Government: Nigerian Youths and Young Professionals Arise: re-write your history, take your destiny in your hands, looking beyond 2015”, held at the Sheraton Hotels, Ikeja.

    The Nigerian 2009 National Youth Policy defines youth in Nigeria to include all members of the Federal Republic of Nigeria aged 18–35.

    Activist and Lead Advocate, Constitutional Rights and Peoples Development Advocacy Initiative (CRAI), Ikechukwu Ikeji, in his paper titled: “An Analysis of  Youths and  Young Professionals Involvement in Governace from the first republic: The prospects in 2015 and beyond”, called for an immediate review of the Nigerian National Youth Policy of 2009 to reflect changes taking place around the world and the setting up of a National Youth Commission to serve as the regulatory organ for Youth Affirmative Action.

    Ikeji advocated for a Youth Affirmative Action in political and elective positions for at least 35 per cent representation of youth in all structures, positions, committees and congresses of political parties, and that which would ensure that at least 35 per cent quota is reserved for young people in all elective and non elective positions as well as reserving the position of national youth leader in all political parties for young persons within the age bracket of 20-45 years.

    Drawing from experiences from European countries, Ikeji argued for more involvement of youths less than 50 years of age in the governance of the country and cited various studies to buttress the fact that productivity in the elderly persons declines by the time they attained 55 years.                                                                                                                                                             According to him “a  study on  “Age and individual productivity: a literature survey”, by Vegard Skirbekk, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, 2003 found that people’s numerical and reasoning abilities are at their best in their 20s and early 30s; that a study for America’s Department of Labour showed job performance peaking at 35, and then declining while another study by Fredrik Nerbrand of HSBC, a bank, shows that  worker’s productivity peaks somewhere between the ages of 30 and 50, and declines more quickly after the age of 55″.

    To buttress his argument, he cited Dutch Prime Minister, Mark Rutte, who assumed office at 43 years of age; British Prime Minister, David Cameron who was 43 years when he became Prime Minister 5 years ago; American President, Barack Obama became President at 46 and Prime Minister of Italy, Matteo Renzi assumed office at age 39, among others.

    He lamented that the nation’s laws, including the Constitution completely excluded the youths from participating in the governance of the country.

  • Activists advise Kogi youths to eschew election violence

    Youths have been urged to eschew violence and allow peace to reign during the elections.
    The advice came from Activista, a youth organisation, which held a peace walk at the Kogi State University (KSU) in Anyigba.
    The Programme Manager, ActionAid Nigeria, Victor Adejoh, who led students in the walk, said the initiative was designed to discourage youths from being used by politicians to foment violence after the polls.
    He said the body observed that the youth had been used to foment trouble by those he described as enemies of the country. He added that the walk would raise awareness and enlighten the youth on why they must participate peacefully in the political process.
    Describing the state as one of the crucial places where peace must be maintained, Adejoh urged the people to reject anyone that causes violence.
    He added: “Kogi State is a strategic state in the geography of the nation. No one goes to any part of this country from one part without passing through the state. Therefore, the need for the state to remain peaceful is not negotiable.”
    Activista Coordinator Miss Damilola Ogunsakin said the body held a walk to raise awareness on the role of youths in the political process.
    The body, she said, would mentor the young to act positively. She urged government at all levels to formulate youth-friendly policies.
    The walk took participants round the campus and some parts of Anyigba community where they held talks with some youth.

  • Activists warn Jonathan against tenure extension

    Activists warn Jonathan against tenure extension

    President: Interim Govt is treasonable

    Day of action Feb 28

    Activists warned yesterday against another shift of the general elections.

    They will stage a nationwide protest should the elections be postponed.

    The elections fixed for March 28 and April 11 must hold, Nigerians United for Democracy (NUD) said.

    The group’s leader, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN), spoke at a news conference in Lagos.

    With him were Malachy Ugwumadu, Olarenwaju Suraj and Mr. Debo Adeniran, among others.

    They listed attempts by President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration to derail the elections, saying there would be a national day of action on February 28, where Nigerians would stand hand-in-hand to send a strong message to the government that the citizenry will not tolerate any attempt to interfere with the elections.

    The group called on the National Assembly to compel the Service Chiefs to extract an undertaking that the elections would not be shifted.

    President Jonathan promised yesterday the dates would not be changed. Besides, he dismissed the rumour of an interim government — an idea he described as treasonable.

    Falana said Nigerians were worried about the statement of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, that the new election dates were not sacrosanct.  The elections were originally fixed for February 14 and 28.

    “We are compelled to call on the National Assembly to extract a form of undertaking from the National Security Adviser (NSA) and the security chiefs that the general elections would not further be postponed or disrupted,” Falana said, adding:

    “The undertaking ought to be made publicly by the service chiefs, in view of the categorical statement of the Court of Appeal that the Armed Forces have no role to play in the electoral process.”

    Saying there was need to prevent a slide into anarchy, Falana said: “We need to take our destiny into our hands. We need to ensure that darkness does not once again descend on our country and we are insisting that nothing must change the new dates of March 28 and April 11.”

    He added that the postponement of the elections at the instance of the Service chiefs could not be justified in law.

    “It was a plot to undermine the democratic process and prevent Nigerians from exercising their rights of franchise.

    “Having fought the war on terror for six years, there is no indication that the Boko Haram sect would be wiped out in six weeks.

    “Since the operations was limited to 14 local governments, there is no basis for not holding elections in the remaining 760 local government areas in the federation and the six area councils in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT),” he said.

    Falana noted that more than two decades ago, the citizenry, led by the progressives extraction of the civil society, protested the manipulation of political transition from military dictatorship to democratic rule.

    He said anti-democratic forces had always been defeated, noting that in this case, it would not be an exception.

    “Nigerians will stand hand-in-hand to speak with one voice against electoral terrorism, against any further polls’ shift, against the introduction of an Interim Government, against any military incursion in politics, against corruption and against the devaluation of the national currency.

    “We call on Nigerians to come out in large numbers to assert and take control of their destiny,” he stressed.

  • GMO controversy: Adesina lambasts activists

    GMO controversy: Adesina lambasts activists

    Furore has continued over what some activists say is the sneaking in of Genetically Modified (GMO) foods into the country by the federal government.

    Recently, officials of Monsanto, a leader in the GMO foods industry visited the ministry of agriculture seeking inroad into the country.

    But some activists have kicked against this, saying the ministry of agriculture must not allow GMO crops to be introduced into the country.

    One of the activists, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, referring to a news report titled ‘Monsanto to introduce 40 new seed varieties’ questioned Monsanto’s presence in the country.

    In the report, Monsanto’s vice President Michael Frank said Monsanto would focus on maize, soybean, cotton, and oil-grape seed production in Nigeria.

    “There is nothing conventional or natural about Monsanto Transgenic modifications neither is there anything natural about inserting DNA from bacteria into cowpea,” said Rhodes-Vivour.

    Monsanto, on its blog blasted Vivour-Rhodes, saying his accusations are rants which “lack any credible substantiation.”

    However, reacting to the activists, the minister of agriculture, Dr Akinwumi Adesina, had said the activists wanted to misinform the population andGMO crops were not planted in the country.

    “What we have in Nigeria is biotechnologically improved crops to raise yields for farmers and not genetically modified crops as being speculated,” the minister said.

    According to Adesina: “Through conventional breeding and biotechnology we have safe nutrient enriched crops such as pro-vitamin A cassava, orange-flesh sweet potato, drought resistant maize, flood resistant rice and bananas resistant to virulent black sigatoka disease that can wipe out all of Nigeria’s and Africa’s bananas, and cassava varieties resistant to cassava bacterial blight that can wipe out Africa’s largest source of food. Does he (Rhodes-Vivour) expect us to fold our hands and do nothing and watch poor farmers go into such devastation?”

    Over the years, countries like Japan, France, Germany, and Russia have frowned against GMO products entering their country. And while Rhodes-Vivour agrees with Adesina’s assertion that Africa embraces modern technologies, he poses some questions for the minister.