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Tag: condemn

  • Jonathan, Mark, Tambuwal condemn attack

    Jonathan, Mark, Tambuwal condemn attack

    President Goodluck Jonathan, Senate President David Mark and House of Representatives Speaker Aminu Tambuwal yesterday condemned the suicide bomb attack on the Catholic Church in Kaduna.

    The President in a statement by his media adviser Reuben Abati described the suicide attack as “barbaric, cruel and uncalled for”.

    Dr. Jonathan noted that the apparent objective of the criminal and unpatriotic elements and forces behind the attack is to set back the progress the Administration has made in the fight against terrorism. “It is obvious that these people do not mean well for Nigeria and its unity and development,” he said.

    The President expressed confidence that the war against terrorism would become more unrelenting as the nation would never give in to the forces of terror and retardation. He added that the persistence of messengers of evil will not prevail over the will of the government and the people to secure peace and safety.

    “Our efforts to deal with all acts of terror and violence would only be redoubled even as the security agencies continue to receive all the support they need from government to reverse this unfortunate and unacceptable trend that threatens the peace and stability of our nation,” President Jonathan said.

    The President commiserated with the Catholic Church, family and friends of the victims of the bombing, assuring them that the government’s resolve to deal with terrorism remains strong.

    Mark yesterday said that the bomb attack is “disheartening, embarrassing and totally condemnable”.

    Mark noted, in statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Paul Mumeh, that Nigerians do not deserve to die the way they were killed in the blast.

    He said government must find a way to stop the continued wonton destruction of lives and property.

    His word: “This is inhuman and alien to us. We must put our differences aside and join hands together with government and security operatives to halt this senseless killing.

    “We have enough channels to iron out any differences. Nigerians should learn to give peace a chance.”

    Tambuwal described the attack as “outrageous and senseless”.

    His Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs Malam Imam Imam, in a statement, said an attack on innocent worshippers and other bystanders is both callous and senseless.

    He urged Nigerians to remain resolute and not to despair, saying it is gladdening that security agents have made commendable strides in efforts to handle the menace of terrorism in recent months.

    He urged them to do more to destroy the ability of the terrorists to unleash mayhem on innocent, peaceful and law-abiding Nigerians.

    Tambuwal condoled with the families of the victims of the attack, saying the House of Representatives would continue to support all efforts aimed at securing lives and property of all persons in all parts of the country.

  • Catholics condemn promiscuity; insist on sanctity of human life

    Catholic faithful have been admonished to always pray against abortion and for the removal of the veil of deceit which Satan has placed over people’s hearts which then portrays promiscuity as a freedom.

    In a sermon at a special vigil on Reparation For Abortion organised by the Marriage, Family And Human Life Unit (MFHLU) of the Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos in collaboration with the Order of the Knights of Saint Mulumba Lagos Metropolitan Council at the Archdiocesan Marian Shrine, Maryland, Lagos, Mr. Egbert Imomoh, Deputy Metropolitan Grand Knight of the Order of the Knights of Saint Mulumba, Lagos Metropolitan Council, enjoined Catholics to help “place over the world a renewed respect for life at the moment of conception.”

    He condemned the practice of procuring abortion in its entirety, insisting on the sanctity of human life since human life is sacred. He further urged Catholic faithful and all people of goodwill to “raise the awareness of the men and women of our country about the fact that killing the defenceless unborn child is a sin against God and against humanity”.

    Imomoh said more than 60 million unborn babies are killed each year by surgical abortion in hospitals, clinics and private homes which ,according to him, is the equivalent of one-third the population of Nigeria or four times the population of Lagos.

     

     

     

  • •President’s aide, Akwa Ibom NUJ condemn killing

    The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Youth, Comrade Jude Imagwe, yesterday blamed loss of values among youths for the killings of the four students of the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT).

    Speaking at the National Youth Conference on Constitution Review in Abuja, he decried the situation where youths watched the killing of other youths.

    Imagwe said: “I came back from Port Harcourt yesterday and I saw what happened to the ALUU Four. The question is: Were young people involvedin these actions and inactions that were carried out by these Nigerians ?

    “Where was the conscience of the onlookers? Where is the unity among young people? Where is the togetherness and at what time did we decide to lose our conscience?”

    Also yesterday, the Akwa Ibom State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) condemned the killing.

    In a statement by its Chairman, Mr. Joe Effiong, the union said the murder was another sad reality of how human life has been undervalued in Nigeria.

    It urged security operatives to bring the culprits to book.

    The statement reads: “It is the opinion of the NUJ, Akwa Ibom State Council, that nobody has the right to take anybody’s life unless such has been expressly sanctioned by the appropriate laws, which apart from giving time for adequate investigations, also provides the accused with the possibility of appeals.

    “We condemn this act of cannibalism perpetrated by people who are not only exposed to the statutory, but also the cannon and other laws and injunctions which forbid extra-judicial killing.

    “We sympathise with the families of the slain students, who have been forced to watch the horrific massacre of their children in the films callously appropriated and broadcasted by the cannibals of Aluu.

    “Our hearts also go to the authorities and students of UNIPORT, who have been thrown into quandary by this unfortunate but avoidable incident.”

  • Reps condemn Excess Crude Account management

    Reps condemn Excess Crude Account management

    The House of Representatives yesterday expressed concern over the management of the Excess Crude Account (ECA) and the non-inclusion of the Gas revenue in the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) sent to the House by President Goodluck Jonathan.

    Speaker Aminu Tambuwal said there were two critical omissions in the 2013-2015 MTEF namely: “That the Revenue from Gas, running into billions of dollars, is not reflected, and External borrowing is similarly not reflected.”

    The House also flayed the high budget deficit in the 2013 budget, saying the reduction of the deficit and domestic borrowing was its reason for increasing the benchmark for crude oil to $80 from the $75 proposed by the Executive.

    The deficit in the 2013 proposed budget is N1.037 trillion.

    Tambuwal was delivering a vote of thanks after the presentation of the 2013 budget by President Goodluck Jonathan to a joint session of the National Assembly yesterday.

    Tambuwal spoke of the Legislature’s concern for the management of the excess crude revenues. He said: “Since 2010, the Appropriation Act has legislated that the excess crude component of the Federation Account be operated under separate records for purpose of transparency and accountability. Besides, Section 30 of the Fiscal Responsibility Act makes it mandatory for the Budget Office to submit budget implementation Assessment reports to the National Assembly and the Fiscal Responsibility Commission on a quarterly basis and to publish same on the Ministry of Finance Website.

    “The President may be unaware that the National Assembly is neither availed evidence of implementation of this policy along with the records of Federal Government’s portion of the excess crude funds nor the quarterly implementation reports, as required under the two Acts. Mr. President may wish to give appropriate directives to ensure full and speedy compliance by relevant agencies.”

    He expressed displeasure at the level of implementation of the 2012 budget, saying: “As I speak, interim field oversight reports from House Committees on the 2012 budget implementation are clearly unimpressive both in terms of releases as well as utilisation and this is a great challenge to all of us. “

    The Speaker charged the President on the composition of the Council for Public Procurement, saying it is very critical for budget implementation.

    “The Composition of the Public Procurement Council provided under the Public Procurement Act is very critical to budget implementation. The sanctity of extant legislations and respect for the rule of law are critical hallmarks of true democracy, we therefore once more call on Mr. President to expeditiously constitute this council so as to free the Federal Executive Council from the burden of contract administration, so they can concentrate on the more sublime issues of their constitutional roles and responsibilities.

    “Incidentally, the present Constitution of the Bureau of Public Procurement has been identified as one of the bottlenecks to effective capital budget implementation.”

    On the huge deficit in the 2013-2015 MTEF he said: “It will be recalled that the 2012 budget contained a deficit and the main source of funding this deficit was domestic borrowing. Figures emanating from the Debt Management Office regarding domestic borrowing are however worrisome.

    “At a whopping $33.6 billion government appears to be monopolizing domestic borrowing to the unhealthy exclusion of the private sector. This is certainly a matter of grave concern because global statistics on sustainable debt-GDP ratio percentages can not continue to be used as guide for an economy that is not keeping pace with global trends.

    “In our effort to address this concern, only yesterday (Tuesday), in passing the 2013-2015 Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF), which is the basis for annual Budgets, the House resolved to raise the oil price benchmark from 75 US Dollars per barrel to 80 US Dollars per barrel with the objective that the difference of 5 US Dollars per barrel be channeled exclusively towards reducing the deficit in the budget and consequently reducing domestic borrowing for same purpose by 66 per cent.

    “The trend of Nigeria’s foreign reserves has taken an upward trajectory in recent months, on the back of steady production levels and robust oil prices. The latest figure for the country’s foreign reserve, as of 04 October 2012, stands at 41.48Billion US Dollars, a 26-month high.

    “Concerns are however being expressed regarding the management and accounting reportage of our foreign reserve stock as to whether the figures reported are cumulative accruing inflows only or are inclusive of interests accruing from the management process or attributed to other sources of accretion. This matter becomes urgent especially when accruing management fees thereof is not reflected in the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF).

    “There must be transparency, accountability and probity in the management of our resources generally, given recent developments that indicate our exposure to unforeseen natural disasters. We certainly, for instance, cannot take the protection of our environment for granted.

    The Speaker said there would continue to be friction between the Executive and Legislature if the president keeps shunning resolutions of the National Assembly.

    He said: “I am compelled however to state that the National Assembly is becoming increasingly concerned about the disregard for its resolutions and public comments by certain functionaries of the Executive on same. I cite the Senate Resolution on the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), the House Resolution on the state of insecurity of the nation, requesting Mr. President to visit and brief the House, the House of Representatives Resolution on the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC), the concurrent Resolution of the two Chambers on Bakassi among others.

    “This does not promote cordial relationship between the Executive and Legislature and consequently stability in the polity.

    “We must therefore, continue to work together to redeem this nation from the clutches of poverty and disease. The vaunted growth in the nation’s GDP must be reflected in the lives of everyone, not just a few people privileged to hold public office or those enjoying unfair public patronage.”

  • Activists condemn jungle justice

    Activists condemn jungle justice

    The Human Rights Writers’ Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) yesterday expressed dismay over what it called lynch mob justice and arbitrary killings of crime suspects by mobs across the country.

    HURIWA called on the River State Government to produce “without further delay” the members of Umuokiri Community, Aluu Obi/Akpor Local Government Area near Port Harcourt, River State who were captured in the video participating in the bestial killing the University of Port Harcourt students accused of allegedly pilfering mobile phones and laptop computers.

    “The video of the dastardly criminal act of lynch mob killing of these four Nigerian youths and students of the University of Port Harcourt were captured and uploaded on the internet by some of the eye witnesses who saw the mob action take place,” the statement added.

    HURIWA said the incident must be comprehensively probed by the Federal and River State Governments “so that all those who actually participated in this crime against humanity are arrested and prosecuted in the competent court of law for mass murder to serve as deterrent to other would-be mass murderers”.

    Also yesterday, the Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law (IHRHL) condemned the barbaric display and jungle justice meted out to the students.

    It noted that the four students were inhumanly treated, tortured, finally ringed with car tyres and set ablaze to burn beyond recognition.

    IHRHL, through its Executive Director, Anyakwee Nsirimovu, in Port Harcourt called on the police to urgently apprehend the perpetrators of the heinous act, with a view to ensuring thorough investigation, arraignment and allowing due judicial process take its full course.

    The group said: “IHRHL wishes to state, and very strongly too, that what transpired in this instance must be seen as symptomatic of the little or no confidence or trust that exists between citizens and their official local law enforcement authorities.

  • Tambuwal, HURIWA condemn bombing

    Tambuwal, HURIWA condemn bombing

    House of Representatives Speaker Aminu Tambuwal and pro-democracy Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) yesterday condemned the suicide bombing at the St. John’s Catholic Church in Bauchi.

    Tambuwal described the attack as ignoble, wicked and horrendus.

    In a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs, Malam Imam Imam, Tambuwal urged security agencies to ensure that the perpetrators of the violent act are brought to justice.

    He said the gains recorded by the security agencies in their battle against terror in the country in recent weeks should be built upon in order to protect the citizens at all times.

    While condoling with the victims of the blast, Tambuwal urged Nigerians to be more prayerful and to provide useful information that would lead to the arrest of the perpetrators and their sponsors.

    HURIWA urged President Goodluck Jonathan to declare a state of emergency in Borno, Yobe, Bauchi, Adamawa and Kano State for six months to enable the government take far-reaching emergency measures to combat the rising spate of targeted bomb attacks and to bring the perpetrators of the dastardly crimes to justice.

    The Rights Group also chided the Federal Government for doing nothing to improve border security to prevent illegal arms from flooding into Nigeria through the borders.

    In a statement signed jointly by the National Co-ordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko and the National Media Officer Miss. Zainab Yusuf, the rights group urged the government to stop the sensational media celebration of the capture of suspected kingpins of the insurgents in the North, but to concentrate effort towards the building of formidable intelligence of the security operatives to effectively deter the continuous bomb attacks and targeted killings of high profile government officials and innocent worshippers.

    HURIWA urged the Federal Government to probe the widely held allegation that the suspected bombers arrested and detained without proper documentation and speedy prosecution may have bribed their way out of detention.

    HURIWA also blamed the governors of the affected states in the North for, according to it, failing to play their constitutional roles.

    The Rights group said: “Bauchi State Governor Isa Yuguda has come under intense criticism from a cross segment of the people, especially from the ethnic and religious minority tribes from Tafawa Balewa area for allegedly failing to protect their constitutional rights by surreptitiously undermining their representation at the House of Assembly through the suspension on nebulous grounds of the female member representing the constituency in the Bauchi State House of Assembly.”

    The group condemned the Bauchi Catholic Church bomb attack as an unprovoked attack on innocent persons for the mere fact that they have chosen to worship their God in accordance with their faith.