Tag: destruction
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Photo: Destruction of illegal crude oil refineries
DESTRUCTION OF ILLEGAL CRUDE OIL REFINERIES IN BUGAMA, ASARI TORU LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF RIVERS BY THE NIGERIAN NAVY SHIP PATHFINDER PORT HARCOURT ON SUNDAY -
Of ambition and destruction: Truncating the “change” we desire
On June 9, Bukola Saraki and his co-travellers, including his former friends in the PDP, executed their plan to acquire the Senate presidency and the Speakership of the House of Representatives. In an apparently well choreographed move, Saraki along with some APC mutineers joined the PDP senators and elected Saraki as the Senate President and Ike Ekweremadu of the PDP as Deputy Senate President contrary to the APC’s well-publicized preference for Ahmed Lawan and George Akume. Once the Senate coup was executed, the House of Representatives followed; it elected another PDP turncoat called Yakubu Dogara as the Speaker of the House of Representatives also against the party’s preference for Femi Gbajabiamila and Tahir Monguno.
In yet another big slap on the face of his party, Bukola Saraki in a letter dated June 25 to the chairman of APC relied on some arcane recently conjured Senate standing rules to justify his continued defiance of the party’s preference. He said his “hands were tied” by Senate standing rules, which prevented him from acting on APC’s preferred candidates for the senate principal offices. He then went on to pledge loyalty to President Buhari etc.
This letter was yet another example of a self-serving attempt by Saraki to defy the same party that gave him a ticket to run. Again Yakubu Dogara and his supporters took cue and engineered the disruption of the sitting of the House of Representatives thereby truncating the adoption of the APC’s preferred candidates for the principal offices in the House of Representatives.
The APC Constitution anticipated this level of treachery and disloyalty and made copious provisions. Article 21 (A)(i,ii,iii,vii), (B)(i&ii), D(i,f,g,h & ii) of the APC constitution comes readily to mind here:
Article 21 lists the offences against the Party as including the following:
i. A breach of any provision of this Constitution;
ii. Anti-Party activities or any conduct, which is likely to embarrass or have adverse effect on the party or bring the party into hatred, contempt, ridicule or disrepute;
iii. Disobedience or negligence in carrying out lawful directives of the Party;
vii. Flouting the rules, regulations and decisions of the Party; engaging in dishonest practices, thuggery, continuously being absent from meetings to which he/she is invited without reasonable cause; carrying out anti-Party or other activities which tend to disrupt the peaceful, lawful and efficient organization of the Party or which are inconsistent with the Aims and Objectives of the Party;
In the same manner, Article 21 B (i and ii) establishes the disciplinary procedure:
i. A complaint by any Member of the Party against a Public Office holder, elected or appointed, or another member or against a Party organ or officer of the Party shall be submitted to the Executive Committee of that Party at all levels concerned which shall NOT LATER THAN 7 days of the receipt of the complaint, appoint a fact-finding or Disciplinary Committee to examine the matter.
ii. The Executive Committee concerned shall not debate or discuss the complaint or allegation before sending it to the Disciplinary Committee or fact-finding
Committee which shall hear, determine and cause its decision to be transmitted to the relevant Executive Committees of the Party concerned.
Section D spells out the PUNISHMENT for ERRING MEMBERS thus:
i. The Party shall have power to impose the following sanctions on members in accordance with the nature and gravity of their offence:
Reprimand;
b) Censure;
c) Fine;
d) Debarment from holding Party Office;
e) Removal from Party Office;
f) Suspension from the Party;
g) Expulsion from the Party;
h) Debarment from contesting Office on the Party platform.
ii. Where it is proposed to expel a member of the Executive Committee, political office holder, or a member of a Legislative House from membership of the Party, such a proposal shall be submitted to the National Executive Committee, which after deliberations on the matter may confirm or reject the proposal;
iii. A decision to expel a Member of the Party taken or confirmed by the National Executive Committee shall be submitted to the Board of Trustees for ratification;
iv. The National Executive Committee shall on receipt of the report of the fact- finding committee make a decision on the matter within fourteen (14) days;
v. Any member who files an action in court of law against the party or any of its officers on any matter or matters relating to the discharge of the duties of the party without first exhausting the avenues for redress provided for in this Constitution shall automatically stand expelled from the Party on filing such action and no appeal against expulsion as stipulated in this Clause shall be entertained until the withdrawal of the action from Court by the Member;
vi. Each organ of the Party shall have power to remove a Party officer or officers as the case may be from office at that level for failing to discharge his/her responsibilities, neglect and dereliction of duty or misconduct during his tenure of office through a vote of no confidence passed against such officer/officers by a two-thirds majority of the members of the appropriate organ and voting subject to such officer’s right to fair hearing.
It is clear from the above provisions that Bukola Saraki, Yakubu Dogara and their co-travellers have crossed the “red line” and need to be sanctioned very quickly to prevent the dissolution of the APC. The mutineers are clearly caught by the provisions of Article 21 (a) i, ii & iii); the disciplinary procedures leading to expulsion from the party must be immediately followed to bring sanity and discipline to the party.
What happens when the culprits are expelled from the party? The renegades will have the option of defecting to another party and invoking section 68 of the 1999 constitution to prevent their seats from being declared vacant claiming that the party is in crisis.
Will the PDP accept them in order to swell their ranks and claim majority in the Senate and House of Representatives? If they do will they allow them to retain their Presidency and Speakership or will David Mark and other carpetbaggers re-emerge to truncate the change we desired? Will Saraki, Dogara and their shadowy sponsors and co-travelers float another party to split the APC for the benefit of the PDP? Will they go to court to stall their expulsion and create a “Chinese standoff”?
Will Saraki’s sins be resurrected in order to whip him in line? Will the APC close ranks and vote Ekweremadu out as Deputy Senate President? Will Buhari change his principle of non-interference? Will a new crisis be resurrected in the PDP? Will APC receive new defectors from the resurrected PDP crisis in order to checkmate Saraki and others? Will Saraki and others prevail; defy the party and cause John Oyegun’s removal?
Is Saraki’s real aim the takeover of the party machinery at the national level? Is Buhari’s anti-corruption stance the real target of Saraki and his co-travelers?
These questions and many more need to be answered very quickly or we shall be looking at the complete disintegration of the party known as APC. What then becomes of the dreams of patriots like Ogbonaya Onu, Bisi Akande, Muhammadu Buhari, Nasir El Rufai, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Rochas Okorocha, Kayode Fayemi, Audu Ogbeh, Aminu Masari , John Oyegun Chris Ngige and several others who fought for change on the platform of the APC ?
In this unfolding sad movie Bukola Saraki and Yakubu Dogara are the villains and no amount of whitewash can turn them into heroes in the eyes of the APC faithful. They betrayed the party and are well on their way to truncating the change we desire.
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Unionism is not for destruction
The Students’ Union Government (SUG) of the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) has held the third youth leadership summit in honour of Mr Afolabi Obembe, the Executive Director, World View International. The event, with the theme: Students unionism and activism, featured presentation of the union journal.
In his address, the union president, Ahmed Ishawo, said the theme was to discuss whether students’ Union activities should be about demonstration against the school authorities.
The Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research Technology and Innovation, Prof Gabriel Olatunji, said unionism would be a platform for academic excellence with good leadership and not by protest. He said there was need for higher institutions to train students in leadership values for the country to have responsible youths.
Prof Olatunji, who represented Vice-Chancellor, Prof Abdulganiyu Ambali, said he was not surprised by the theme of the summit, given the decadence among students. He stressed that the institution would continue train students in good leadership values and character.
Obembe said any union that makes protest its potent tool is destructive, cautioning members of the audience against destroying school properties in the name of protest. He said: “Students’ unionism is about what the students’ leader can achieve in the interest of students and how they can express their grievances without violence. Leaders are individuals who help create options and opportunities. They help identify choices and solve problems. Leaders build coalitions for progress and not destruction.”
He said students’ union leadership should be dynamic in the 21st Century and be a partner in progress. He advised the SUG leaders to maintain good relationship with the school authorities.
The highpoint of the event was the presentation of awards to the honouree and the unveiling of the SUG journal. Obembe thanked the students for the honour.
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Repent or face destruction, cleric warns politicians, church leaders
The founder of Glorious Fountain of Rest Ministries, Prophet Kingsley Durojaiye, has warned politicians and church leaders to shun corrupt practices or be prepared for divine wrath.
Durojaiye stated that a feast of death awaits recalcitrant political and religious leaders within the space of nine months from now.
Speaking with journalists in Lagos, Durojaiye, who is based in United States of America, USA, said: “God has told me that Nigeria is not in a good condition. However, it is time our leaders desist from misleading and punishing the innocent souls or otherwise, be ready to encounter the wrath of God in no time.
“He (God) said I should inform every corrupt leader, both present and past, to have a change of heart or be ready to face God’s wrath because they are making Him unhappy.
“He has made plans to end the lives of any corrupt political or church leader with mysterious death. He said they would smell and decay till death.’’
Durojaiye was also angry that some church leaders have been using their members as a bait to acquire wealth while their members continue to experience untold poverty.
He said: “They are not teaching their members about the kingdom of God but posterity. They would build universities that their congregants cannot afford to send their children to because of the exorbitant fees.
“Many of them boast that they have never been broke in their life while their congregants languish in abject poverty to the displeasure of God.
“It is high time church leaders changed their misguided conduct or face the wrath of God.”
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Otti decries billboards’ destruction in Aba
The governorship candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Dr. Alex Otti, has condemned the destruction of his billboards in Aba, the commercial hub of Abia State, by suspected hoodlums.
Otti, who spoke to reporters through the Director-General of his campaign organisation, Chief Ahamdi Nweke, after a tour of the city to assess the damage, described the action as criminal and counterproductive.
Nweke, who described Otti as the man the indigenes were expecting to develop the state, alleged that the attack was carried out by those afraid of his acceptance.
He said: “The Alex Otti Campaign Organisation erected billboards everywhere in the town, but as you can see, the opposition have destroyed them.
“They do this because the state wants a change. Because Aba people have through their actions made it clear that they want a change. They believe they can stop the change by destroying the billboards of the man, who is going to bring about the change.”
The director-general, berating the perpetrators, said: “What we expect from those who destroyed the billboards is to campaign as Otti is doing, rather than engage in barbarism and vandalism.
“What we expect the opposition to do is to campaign as we are doing. We are going door to door, market to market, shop to shop, speaking to people on the change we must have in Abia. We have been in this mess for years and people think we must have a credible leader like Dr. Otti, the governorship candidate of APGA.
“It is shameful and unfortunate that people have resorted to vandalism and thuggery.
“A huge amount was spent on the billboards. But they have been destroyed by people who ought to have erected their own.”
Nweke accused the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of carrying out the act “because the party’s billboards were not touched.”
He alleged: “It is not difficult to know where these destructions came from, because the few billboards PDP has in the town were not touched. Although what it has in most places are banners.
“We will not attack PDP because it is not in existence in the state. You will remember that before the state congresses, Abia PDP was dissolved, the local government executives were dissolved, the ward executives were dissolved. So, there is no PDP in the state. This is why APGA has taken the centre stage and everyone is supporting the party.”
The director-general urged APGA’s supporters to remain calm, saying Otti was a decent man, who would not be involved in violence.
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Farmers laments destruction of crops by herdsmen
The All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Kwara Chapter, has called on the state government to address the problem of incessant destruction of farmlands by herdsmen.
Its Chairman, Mr Daniel Ajiboye, who spoke on behalf of the chapter in an interview in Omu-Aran, said the menace, if left unchecked, could affect the realisation of the objectives of the government’s agriculture transformation initiatives, especially at the grassroots.
“The menace of herdsmen and their animals is becoming worrisome as it is now a recurring decimal every season. This has resulted in poor harvest.
“Farmlands in communities are being frequently invaded by the herdsmen who destroyour crops and threaten our lives.
“The menace has assumed a dangerous dimension as it has become difficult for any affected farmer to challenge them because they are often armed with guns and cutlasses,” Ajiboye said.
He called for the regulation of the activities of the herdsmen by government, to save the lives of farmers and their produce.
The chairman said that the herdsmen need to be properly informed and educated on the implication of releasing their animals to graze indiscriminately on farmlands.
He said AFAN had written letters to the law enforcement agencies, notifying them about the problem.
Chairman of Cattle Breeders Association in Kwara, Malam Usman Adamu, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the association had embarked on sensitisation of herdsmen to live in peace with farmers.
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‘We’re still weeping over destruction of property’
STILL writhing in pains on their hospital beds, some victims of Wednesday’s fireworks explosion at Jankara market, Lagos Island yesterday called for the help of the government.
They said the bills are too high for them to shoulder alone.
At the Island General Hospital, to where no fewer than 30 injured persons were referred for medical attention, some of the victims were yet to get attention.
One of them, who identified himself as Jimoh Ahmed, was allegedly discharged with an uncompleted Plaster of Paris (POP) on his injured legs.
It was alleged that Ahmed was hurriedly discharged because of his inability to foot his hospital bill.
Ahmed, who is a children’s bicycle trader, told The Nation he was brought to the hospital at about 3pm on Wednesday but he was not attentded to untill about 10pm.
He said: “When I was brought in, the nurses said doctors were not around and it was about 10pm that they finally attended to me and put POP on one of my legs.
“Along the line, they said they don’t have enough materials to complete the PoP and that I still need to do another x-ray.
“Since, I did not have the money, they asked me to go and come back in two weeks time or when I have the money.
“I am still here because I am waiting for my family to look for the money for me to complete the x-rays.”
A relative to one of the victims, who gave his name as Munsodiq, said they were disappointed at the treatment they were subjected to by the authorities.
He said: “They treated us as though we were not Nigerians.
“Look at my brother, we are still weeping over the destruction of our property, as if that is not enough, the hospital officials refused to attend to him, if we did not pay for his treatment.
“Did we plan for this disaster to befall us? Is it not the responsibility of the government, both federal and state, to provide healthcare for the citizens?
“Was it not the same government that allowed the importers of these firecrackers that has caused us so much pain in this festive period?
“All they did was to rush him to the hospital and abandon us here, not even considering whether we have money or not.
“See the number of people here. Everybody is running up and down to pay hospital bills for their loved ones else they will be thrown out of the hospital as though they’re less humans.”
There were restrictions on the movement of people into the casualty and emergency wards of the hospital, even as the hospital personnel declined to comment on the reason why the doors were shut.
Traders, who lost goods to the inferno, counted their losses yesterday. They insisted there was more to the cause of the explosion than knockouts.
Those who spoke, urged the state government to carry out thorough investigation even as they alleged that some of the explosives had two wires inside.
Obinna Okoro, whose shop was partially affected, led The Nation to a spot at Oroyinyin Street, about 50 metres away from the scene of explosion to buttress his point that there was more to the explosion.
He said: “Look at the impact of that explosion; see this pillar; it is about 100kg; it came from that building, you can see the distance and it created this hole here.
“Before the pillar dug the hole, it damaged the windscreen of the bus (pointing at the bus). Another of such pillar fell on the next street.
“So, you people should not be deceived that these were just firecrackers. Knockouts cannot create this kind of impact and from some of the particles we have seen, some of those explosives have two wires inside.
“The government knows what to do, they should not wait to be told their job. A thorough investigation should be carried out. And those responsible should be arrested and prosecuted.
“I am lucky that my goods were not burnt, otherswise, I woulldn’t be here saying all these things. It is a very shocking experience and honestly, it is time we started doing things right in this country.”
Another trader, simply identified as Ugo and as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Godswill International, lamented the loss of five of his shops to the disaster.
Ugo was overheard brooding on telephone in Igbo dialect as he narrated his frustration.
He said: “I don’t know where to start. Five of my shops are all gone. Not even a pin was recovered from anyone of them. I had to run back to Lagos when I heard of the incident. In fact, I am speechless.”
When approached for comments, Ugo said: “Please, I don’t want to talk about this issue. I will go mad if I recount the way I feel right now. “I am grieved and will like to do so quietly. We do not have a government that cares about the welfare of its citizens. So, I don’t think there is anything they will do to help my situation. Let me just grieve in silence.”
The owner of 41, Ojogiwa Street, Alhaji Monsuru Mohammed, said he built the house three years ago. The building, razed by the Boxing Day fire, was pulled down yesterday.
Alhaji Monsuru said: “The building was built about three years and four months ago, it’s worth more than N10 million.
“We are not aware that such explosives are stored in there. Since this incident happened, I’ve been trying to meet the importer of the explosive materials it because this is not the first time his wares would wreak havoc.
“About eight years ago, a similar incident happened at Idumagbo Avenue, caused by firecrackers imported by this same man.
“He has his main office on Oroyinyin Street. But this particular one is strange. It is not a firecracker; it is a bomb device – dynamite.
“According to the man, the device is meant for quarry purposes. He has been importing it for years. Anytime he is bringing the goods, he comes with mobile police. So, who will challenge them?
“I am not sure the government will pay any compensation. I am not expecting it but if it comes, then fine. But I insured my building, anyway.”
Commissioner for Home Affairs and Culture Mr. Oyinlomo Danmole, who visited the scene early yesterday, said the state government was working hard to avert future occurrence.
According to him, the government recently established a safety commission to guard against such disaster even as he noted that individuals also have roles to play in combating such incidence.
He said the safety commission will ensure that after building approvals have been secured, the integrity of the materials used would be tested.
Danmole urged residents and traders to install fire extinguishers in their homes and shops.
He said: “Efforts are being made to repair water hydrants all over the state and in areas where it is non-existent such as this area. Efforts are being made to provide them.”
Officials of the National Emergency Response Agency (NEMA) maintained that only one person died.
The agency’s information officer, Mr. Ibrahim Farinloye said about 1500 shops have been shut down since the incident occured.
Farinloye said: “Although 12 buildings were affected by the inferno, the state government has been advised to carryout integrity test on about 20 other adjoining buildings to ascertain their status.
“About 1500 shops have been shut down since the fire outbreak. “We are begging Nigerians not to be scared of NEMA because we are not here to arrest anyone.
“All we are concerned about is the humanitarian aspect and to ensure that people are safe in disaster situations. The questions we ask are guides to help us serve the people better.
“We are not investigating because investigation into the cause of the disaster is the duty of the security agencies.”
The Chairman, Lagos Island Local Government, Mr. Wasiu Eshinlokun visited the area. He was accompanied by Some White Cap chiefs.