The Nation Newspaper

Tag: GOVT

  • Onu seeks support for govt

    Onu seeks support for govt

    Former Abia State governor and All Progressives Party’s (APC’s) chieftain Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu has said the challenges facing the nation are worse than it was envisaged.

    He asked the citizenry to be patient with the Buhari government in his quest to find solution to the country’s problems.

    Addressing a delegation of APC Igbo leaders in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), when they visited him, Onu said in spite of the numerous problems in the country, the Buhari government is trying to make sure that his government takes off smoothly and avoid the mistakes of the past.

    To do this, he said, required effective planning, noting that Buhari will deliver on his electoral promises and will help to make Nigeria great again by solving the problems that are bedevilling the country for a long time.

    He added that unknown to the citizens, Buhari discovered that the problems confronting the country were more than what they had anticipated while eliciting the support of the citizens during the campaigns for the general elections.

    “We all know that when you want to build a house, you have to build a house that can withstand all seasons, such building must have a strong foundation so that it can withstand a strong wind from blowing it off.”

    Assuring that President Buhari would live up to expectations, he thanked the entourage over the role they played in wooing supporters to the APC in the 19 states of the North and the FCT.

    The leader of the delegation, Mrs. Evelyn Chukwu, praised the APC chieftain for his commitment and dedication to the course of democracy in the country.

    They noted that the history of the APC will not complete without mention if the contribution of Dr. Onu.

  • Govt can borrow, says ex-NACCIMA chair

    • New president to emerge at AGM

    Opponents of  borrowing by the government may have lost a supporter as a former Chairman, Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), Chief John Odeyemi,  said the government could borrow for development.

    He said the United States (US), which is the highest debtor-nation in the world, is also the most developed, adding that owing is not illegal.

    He spoke at the Building construction and mining mart in Lagos organised by NILE in Lagos,

    Citing the Lagos State Government that was  accused of owing so much, Odeyemi defended the state as having competitive infrastructure and improving the lives of the citizens compared to other states.

    He said as long as what one is doing is viable, acceptable and beneficial to the people, debts accumulation was not  a problem.

    Odeyemi urged the incoming government to focus on the non-oil sector, such as mining and construction.

    The former NACCIMA chair warned of the imminent collapse of the economy with the lingering fuel and electricity crisis that has brought manufacturers to their feet.

    ”We need to take hard and realistic decisions today and next week, the out-going administration should pay the fuel marketers while the incoming government should work on deregulating the petroleum sector and let those who can import do so without government having anything to do with it,” he said.

    Odeyemi said two of the companies he is involved in had a down time of between two and three weeks where staff were asked to stay at home. He advised that if it is left to linger thousands of jobs would be lost.

    On high interest rate, he said it frustrates people from setting up businesses. “Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) can’t cope with high interest rates because they contend with a lot of other factors. Security is also an issue when the economy is down, you can’t manage security when there is no electricity, and things go wrong in dark places,” he lamented.

    According to him, people who otherwise would have been engaged are left unattended to and they will have no choice but to engage in crimes. “If people cultivate their crops and can’t store them because of poor storage and electricity they will be discouraged. Steady electricity supply and good storage facility are ways to check security and poverty,” he added.

    He called for greater private sector participation in all sectors, insisting that the government has no business in business.

    His words: “Until Dangote Cement came into the sector, the cement sub-sector was distraught with government’s cement companies in comatose and moribund. Dangote came, bought over the moribund companies, and turned them around. Now, the company is producing over 30 million metric tonnes, as he brought in technology and expertise into the business against his major competitors that has been here over 50 years and refused to make impact in the sector.”

    Meanwhile, NACCIMA will on next Wednesday hold its Annual General Meeting (AGM) to elect a new president and national officers who will run the affairs of the association in the next two years.

    The 55th AGM has as its theme: Policy consistency in the agricultural value chain: A key to socio-economic development.”It is billed to hold at the Transcorp Hotel, Calabar, Cross River State.

    Highlights of the ceremony would be the investiture of Chief Bassey Edem as the 18th National President. He takes over from Alhaji Abubakar Badaru Mohammed, the new governor of Jigawa State.

  • Govt: we’ve paid their entitlements

    The Ekiti State government has said it has paid the entitlements of the All Progressives Congress (APC) lawmakers.

    The government, in a statement yesterday by the Commissioner for Finance, Toyin Ojo, said the lawmakers duly acknowledged receipt of cheques for the payments last  Wednesday.

    The statement reads: “We would have remained silent in deference to the agreement reached at the last Monday meeting in Akure, the Ondo State capital, that all parties should be silent on the outcome of the meeting.

    “This was especially so because the lawmakers said they do not want their leaders to know the outcome of the meeting.

    ”However, since the lawmakers have chosen not to abide by this agreement by first issuing a statement to deny and reveal what was discussed at the meeting, and now going to the press to say that they have not received any payment, the government does not have any other option than to tell the public the truth and set the records straight.

    “The government is by this statement putting the records straight since the money paid to the lawmakers belong to Ekiti people.

    “They were isssued cheques because the lawmakers pleaded that their accounts should not be credited directly so as to prevent the banks from making deductions for loans taken.

    “Saying that they have not been paid is quite unfortunate and unbecoming of honourable members of the House of Assembly and this is sad.

    “We will want to keep our fingers crossed and we wish to caution the lawmakers to adhere strictly to the spirit of the agreements.

    “Governor Fayose’s good gesture aimed at ensuring peace in the state should not be abused.”

  • Govt activities paralysed in Osun, Oyo

    Govt activities paralysed in Osun, Oyo

    Government activities were paralysed yesterday in Osun and Oyo states as workers began indefinite strike over non-payment of their salary arrears.

    In Osogbo, the Osun State capital, the gate of the state secretariat, local government offices and public schools were locked.

    The state chairman, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Jacob Adekomi, on Monday, said the strike came at the end of a 14-day ultimatum given to the government to pay the salary arrears.

    A civil servant, Taofik Eleshinla, said workers would not resume, until the arrears are paid.

    He criticised the government for denying them their entitlements.

    A guard at the secretariat of Olorunda Local Government said workers complied with the call.

    He said none of the workers came to work, except for some liason officers who came to attend to youth corps members.

    Some pupils were seen playing in front of some secondary schools in Osogbo.

    At Ataoja High School, some pupils said they were not allowed to enter the premises.

    “We were not allowed to enter the school by the guard, a pupil, Mariam Alade, said.

    At The Polytechnic, Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, students returned to their hostels after waiting  in vain  for their lecturers.

    The gates of some local government headquarters in Ibadan were also closed.

    New corps members who were posted to the secretariat were lucky as there were few workers at the Ministry of Youths and Sports to attend to them.

    The Head of Service (HoS), Soji Eniade, urged the workers to resume work and allow for further negotiations  between labour and government.

    Eniade said it was on record that since the inception of the Abiola Ajimobi-led administration, payment of salaries had been effected latest by the 25th of every month.

    He added that this feat had been maintained until recently when allocation to states from the Federal Government started nose-diving.

    The HoS maintained that the paucity of funds had been discussed with the representatives of the labour unions on the need to fashion out ways of addressing the development.

    Eniade said the situation in which the state had found itself called for synergy between government and workers, particularly on ways of improving the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).

    “I like to personally plead with workers to resume work as it is our joint responsibility to ensure a complete transformation of our state to a very buoyant and self sustaining economy,’’ he said.

  • Govt clamps down on erring filling stations in Abuja, Ogun

    There seemed to be no end in sight to the lingering nationwide fuel scarcity yesterday.
    But the hammer fell on some filling stations in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and Ogun State, where attendants sold products above the N87 pump price. The stations were shut.
    In Abuja, queues of vehicles that kept vigil at filling stations in anticipation of getting fuel in the wee hour, created traffic jams on major streets and highways.
    The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Super Mega Station which dispensed fuel, had two queues stretching beyond five kilometres away from the selling point.  They blocked the service lane of the Kubwa Expressway.
    Another NNPC Mega Station, on Olusegun Obasanjo Way, had a queue that crippled traffic on the dual carriage way.
    Those who hawk fuel in plastic containers sold 10 litres for between N2, 000 and N2, 200 to desperate motorists.
    Others patronised filling stations on the outskirts of the city including Masaka, in Nasarawa State and Kaduna road, where the product was sold for as high as N140 per litre.
    Some commuters, who were stranded for hours at bus stops, returned home as commercial vehicles deserted the roads.
    In Ogun, the government sealed a privately-run filling station in Olomoore, Abeokuta, the state capital, for selling adulterated fuel.
    The state had discovered through its Ministry of Commerce & Industry that the station was selling adulterated product to unsuspecting custormers.
    It also clamped down on filling stations selling above the official N87 lump price.
    The ministry’s Task Force on Enforcement and Compliance unit stormed the filling station following complaints by a victim who bought adulterated product. The victim alleged that the product damaged the engine of his truck.
    The station manager was arrested by the police attached to the task force for further interrogation.
    Others stations that were forced to bring the pump price for between N140 and N150 to the approved pump price, reverted to the illegal price  immediately the task force team left.

     

  • Compensation: Ijaw community gives three-day ultimatum to govt

    Compensation: Ijaw community gives three-day ultimatum to govt

    The Ijaw of Lotiebiri in Warri South Local Government of Delta State have threatened to attack their Itsekiri neighbours in Ugbori community should the government fail to compensate them over the December 2012 invasion of their community.

    In a statement by its leader, Chief Ebi Ikoro, the Ijaw community gave the government a 72-hour ultimatum to do justice to its people.

    The statement said the Ijaw lost property worth millions of naira in the invasion of its territory by some people suspected to be Itsekiri and led by a man simply identified as Jeffrey.

    The community warned that its members, on the expiration of the ultimatum, would go after the Itsekiri plying the deep Warri waters, especially the Escravos River.

    The two communities of Lotiebiri and Ugbori resumed hostilities over the alleged invasion earlier this year.

    The Ijaw demanded N500 million compensation but the Itsekiri said the demand was unjustifiable.

    The Ijaw had said Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan, at a security meeting on the resurgence of the Lotiebiri/Ugbori disagreement last February, told the participants that his administration had paid the compensation for the invasion.

    The statement said: “Have you seen a situation where a community was forcefully invaded, houses and property demolished, then after 27 months of long suffering of the displaced people, when the petition was read, then Governor Uduaghan admitted that he had settled those people long ago, without consulting the heads and affected persons in the community?

    “Let this serve as the warning to all Itsekiri plying the Warri-Escravos River to desist from it, pending when our money will be paid.”

  • Have mercy on us, UCH patients beg govt, doctors

    It was a pitiable sight at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, yesterday with many of the patients and their relatives loitering around in agony and pain.

    At the entrance of the hospital, some patients sat on the floor with their relatives; others were on the corridors with no doctors to attend to them.

    They appealed to the Federal Ministry of Health to wade into the feud between the management and resident doctors.

    The striking doctors are demanding for the payment of skipping allowance owed by the hospital management.

    But the Chief Medical Director, Prof Temitope Alonge, insisted that the said allowance was not included in the 2014 budget, adding that only the National Salary and Wages Commission can provide answer to the demands.

    A patient, Aderogba Akiolu, appealed to the Ministry of Health and the management to end the strike action for the sake of the masses.

    “I’m a cardiac patient and I have been coming here daily to see if they have ended the strike. I cannot afford to go to a specialist hospital. The only place that I can receive treatment is here at the UCH where they have qualified hands.

    “Tomorrow, I will still check if God says I will be alive. The government and the management of the hospital should have mercy on us.

    “They should know that it is human lives involved. Why should the government watch doctors’ strike to go on for ten days without finding a solution to it?” Akiolu said.

    An aged woman, who was lying on the floor without any relative, called on the government to wade into the crisis.

    The woman, who gave her name as Mrs. Adunola, said she came to the hospital to receive treatment for cancer.

    The President, Association of Resident Doctors, Dr Lukman Ogunjimi, faulted Prof Alonge’s claims and insisted that the unpaid allowances must be paid.

  • How govt can help us, by students

    How govt can help us, by students

    Students of Abia State in higher institutions met with Governor Theodore Orji to discuss how the government can help them. EMMANUEL AHANONU (Corps member, NYSC Enugu) reports.

    Leaders of the National Association of Abia State Students (NAASS) in higher institutions have met with Governor Theodore Orji on their challenges.

    More than 50 NAASS chapter presidents attended the meeting at the Government House Umuahia, the state capital, penultimate Friday. Declaring the session open, the chapter presidents’ leader, Christian Nkumah, said it was to enable them share their problems with the governor. He urged his colleagues to be decorous in their approach.

    The governor was represented   by Mr Nkwachukwu Agomuo, a Permanent Secretary in the Government House. He was led into the meeting by the National President, Ihedigbo Uchenna, and his predecessor, Jude Ezeibe.

    President of Abia students in Alvan Ikoku College of Education,  S. O. Daniel, told the governor that all was not well with NAASS members in his school. He identified their challenges to include lack of vehicle to ease movement. He relived how members were involved in an accident on their way back to school after a meeting. He explained that the association resorted to begging to save victims’ lives.

    The governor seems to have forgotten Abia State students studying at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) and University of Lagos (UNILAG), their representative, Veronica Kalu told his representative.

    Veronica said: “We know the government has many things to take care of, but let students who are away from home feel the impact of the governor.”

    Miracle Chukwu, NAASS Vice President at the Abia State University, Uturu (ABSU), said members were grateful to the governor for payment of N50,000 bursary and recent 20 per cent slash in school fee. She said students expected the governor to fulfil his promise of paying the bursary yearly.

    But Chimobi Okorafor from the Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK) in Awka, Anambra State, said the bursary payment was lopsided. He said chapters’ presidents were having a tough time with their members on non-payment of bursary despite announcement by the government that it had released the money.

    Chimobi urged the governor to build a secretariat for NAASS in Umuahia to relieve them of the burden of paying rent for office.

    Drama ensued when Kalu Chukwuemeka drew the attention of the audience to gifts national executive of the association were offered by some political parties before the general election. He said the NAASS leadership rejected the gifts in order not to compromise its non-partisanship.

    However, Emeka Obasi from University of Calabar (UNICAL) called the attention of the governor’s representative to what he called impersonation by a student he identified as Kalu. He advised the government not to recognise the impersonator, saying his aim was to polarise NAASS leadership.

    Responding, Agomuo said all the issues arose from communication gap, assuring the students that the governor would respond to their grievances.

    Agomuo also promised to foot the medical bill of the accidents victims, promising that government would look into all issues raised.

    His words: “We are not feeling good that we have these complaints from our students. I will table all issues before the governor. We will work towards providing at least a vehicle for the NAASS leadership.” On bursary, Agomuo said the fall in oil prices affected the government’s expenditure, including the bursary which was intended to be paid yearly. He assured that the promise would be kept by the incoming administration in the state.

    He told the students to look for office in Umuahia and promised that government would take care of the rent.

  • Govt must restructure aviation, say experts

    Govt must restructure aviation, say experts

    Experts believe there is urgent need to restructure aviation  to enable it contribute ‘significantly’ to national development, Correspondent KELVIN OSA OKUNBOR reports.

    EXPERTS are not happy with aviation’s contribution to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The sector can do more, if it is restructured, they argued.

    Under  the current GDP of N80.3 trillion or $509.9 billion,  aviation  contributes  $0.7 billion, which  is about 0.4 per cent; other countries are leveraging the aviation sector to develop their economies.

    Comparatively,  aviation contributes about 27 per  cent to  the  GDP of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and about 2.1 per cent to South African economy.

    President, National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers  (NAAPE),  Isaac Balami, said the in-coming  government must take urgent steps to restructure the sector.

    He listed the challenges of the sector to include lack of effective strategies for policy implementation and creation of requisite structures and environment for sustained growth .

    On his part, former general secretary of National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), Comrade Abdulrasaq Saidu called for scrapping of the Ministry of Aviation.

    Aviation sector, he said, should be merged with the Ministry of Transport  as it’s done in other parts of the world. Saidu said if the in-coming administration wants to retain the Ministry of Aviation, it  should appoint a professional with aviation knowledge rather than bring in politicians who are not experienced in running air transportation.

    Balami said the government must give attention to the state of domestic carriers, which he said ought to be the fulcrum of activities in the sector.

    He said: ’The Nigerian aviation industry has endured numerous setbacks. The current situation is far from perfect. Challenges in the aviation sector are not limited to negligence, lack of financial availability or incompetent management.

    “This is  mainly due to the lack of effective strategies for policy implementation and the creation of requisite structures and environment for sustained growth.”

     

    State of airlines

     

    He said government should put in place appropriate policies that would stimulate the growth of domestic carriers.

    Such policies Balami said should promote the good health of domestic airlines.

    He said: ”There’s no gainsaying that airlines are the basis of aviation and should, therefore, be its fulcrum. Ideally, all policies, programmes and actions of industry stakeholders,in  particular should be such that will promote the good health of airlines. This has not been the case in Nigeria.

    “As a result, the Nigerian aviation landscape is littered with corpses of airlines bearing various epitaphs. The airlines have died due to many factors not limited to poor regulation, funding,  management, uncertain policy environment, undue interference in management, unfair competition and excessive taxation.”

    Balami said the situation has become worrisome such that it has become difficult to find a viable airline in Nigeria if international aviation benchmarks are strictly complied with.

    Regrettably, he said it is becoming difficult to find a domestic airline that has declared dividends in Nigeria in the last five years.

    “(The aviation industry is ubdergoing) suffocating operational environment evident in the skyrocketing cost of aviation fuel, cost of maintenance, cost of aircraft and spares in the face of worsening exchange rate, excessive charges, multiple taxation, ageing fleet and uncompetitive fares.

    “Inadequate managerial capacity and a dysfunctional management structures due to ownership behaviour;

    “Absence of long term strategic planning and the will power  on the part of owners and managers;

    “Absence of specialised banking/favourable financial environment;

    “Unfair competition and unnecessary monopoly with foreign mega carriers, worsened by Government’s uncaring attitude exemplified by multiple designations granted to foreign mega carriers which prevented local carriers from the market;

    “Absence of clear government policy on airline business rehabilitation, revamping or revitalisation; and shortfall in enforcement of technical and economic regulation on the part of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA),“ he said.

     

    Merger and acqusition

     

    If the industry must grow, Balami said the  Federal Ministry of Aviation should foster an arrangement through incentives that will bring about merger of airlines, culminating in the emergence of one or two mega-carriers.

    He said: ”The government could achieve this  through Bank of Industry (BoI), which should adopt a carrot and rod method.

    The carrot could be  by offering soft loans to merger carriers that achieve a certain level of capitalisation while the rod would  be the withdrawal  or suspension of the Air Operator Certificate (AOC) of airlines that fail to meet prescribed capitalisation after a given time.

    The other option is to restrict them to certain routes.

     

    Multiple taxation regimes

     

    The experts said the industry could be on the part of growth if steps are taken to eliminate multiple taxation, charges and levies.

    Balami said: “The Federal Government should review the multiple taxation regimes presently in place. To start with, government should stop charging Value Added Tax (VAT) on air transportation, especially because air transport is the only transport service being charged VAT.”

    Road, rail and water transportation services are currently exempted from paying value added tax . Doing this is to ensure the principle of equity.

    The Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Bi-Courtney Aviation, NCAA and other government agencies should immediately review downwards their landing, parking and other charges.

    The charges are rather arbitrary and on the high side, especially considering that services are not commensurate with the charges when compared to other economic climates.

     

    Operators’ position

     

    Some airline operators have expressed reservations over government’s proposals to restructure some aspects  of the sector as it affects their operations.

    Chairman, Air Peace, Mr Allen Onyema said those canvassing               merger of airlines should have a rethink.

    He argued that operators could cooperate on many areas without forcing them to merge.

    He said he is favourably disposed to code sharing among domestic carriers  rather than  merging airlines.

    Onyema said: “We can go into code-sharing with any airline that wants to do business with us. We will prefer code sharing to merger. We have invested so much into our operation that it will be difficult to merge with another airline that is not ready to pursue our goal in setting up of Air Peace; we want to employ more Nigerians; we are out to provide jobs for Nigerians.

    “There are many areas the government should consider other than merger of airlines .There is no doubt that the environment is extremely, overwhelmingly harsh. There are a lot of things you have to take into consideration; the airline operators are reeling under  inconducive business environment.

    “Take for instance, you cannot compare this country with America or Europe. In America, if anything goes bad on the plane, you can go to the next aircraft parts market and get it fixed. In Nigeria, if you don’t have it in your warehouse, that plane is grounded. You are losing time, you are losing money. So the cost of operating commercial airline in Nigeria is high. Government should be mindful of the fact that these airlines are already disadvantaged right from the day they got their AOC. Nigerian airlines are already disadvantaged right from the day they are licensed to fly. So, government should also be thinking about how to alleviate their problems,” he said.

    Managing Director of  Medview Airlines, Alhaji Muneer Bankole said the in-coming government should consider how to set up a national carrier.

    Such carrier, Bankole said, would redeem the sovereign image of Nigeria.

    He said: ”First and foremost, from what I have heard from the president-elect, he is  so  dissatisfied with the situation that a country as big as Nigeria has no national airline. And we all here witnessed the death of Nigeria Airways. We witnessed the death of National Shipping Line, so all those things he has said he needs to bring them back because he knows them and he asked why and where and what went wrong.

    “A country such as Nigeria with the population we have, we need to have an airline that will carry our image beyond the shores of this country. You have seen Ethiopian Airline, Egypt Air, South Africa Airways even Air Maroc, they have many aircraft in their fleet.

    “So, we too could do something better to improve this industry and let Nigerians feel proud. This is why I am saying that the president elect has said it many times that he promised to do something for all of us.”

    The Medview chief suggested that government may take aircraft in the fleet of existing airlines to establish a stronger carrier.

    He said: “The government might say we are taking three, four, five  aircraft to bring everybody together and let’s start from this team and see how you can grow. First and foremost we need commitment from individual carriers to show sincerity of purpose for whatever we want to deliver for this government.”

     

    Local content initiative

     

    Experts say if the industry must address its many lapses , the  Ministry of Aviation should immediately establish a Local Content Desk/Office.

    Setting up the desk, they say will enable the mobilisation of relevant stakeholders  to take advantage of the intention of the National Assembly to institute an Aviation Local Content Act.

    In a position paper, the stakeholder are unanimous that the  present issue in relation to anti-labour practices and abuse of expatriate quota in the aviation industry, which is before the Minister of Labour should form the basis for immediate action.

    According to them, the issue of abuse of expatriate quota is indeed, a serious menace in the sector and it is of extreme importance that the Ministry works with the unions to eliminate this for the growth and development of the industry.

     

    Aviation master

    plan/road map

     

    The experts say part of the restructuring to be done  in the sector  should include the implementation of an industry master plan and roadmap. This road map, according to their position paper, should  create a template for assessment, review  and determination of the present state of affairs.

    They recommended that concerted effort  must be directed towards the development of Lagos as a hub given its existing infrastructure and market development.

    They futher said the government should review the issue of multiple destinations indiscriminately granted foreign carriers at the detriment of local carriers and the economic development of the Nigerian aviation sector.

    “The government should urgently bring into fruition the plan to re-establish a national carrier.

    “Government should hasten the completion of at least, one aircraft maintenance hangar in the country, such as the Uyo facility that is already at advanced stage, but now abandoned due to high costs.

    “ Government should hasten  the certification process of at least the major airports. This will go along with the development of one or two hubs in the country, particularly the Lagos hub; develop the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria into an international institution and should implement the aerotropolis project,” they said in their position paper.

     

  • EU, Soyinka, Reps, others to govt: bring back the girls

    EU, Soyinka, Reps, others to govt: bring back the girls

    Nobel Laureate Prof. Wole Soyinka led hundreds of Nigerians yesterday to demand the release of the missing Chibok schoolgirls.

    The European Union (EU), in a statement yesterday, also called for the girls’ release.

    Soyinka spoke at a forum organised by Dr Joe Okei-Odumakin, the President of Women Arise, one year after the girls were taken away.

    Actionaid Nigeria yesterday marched for the girls. It marched with 219 youths, to represent the girls still in captivity.

    The EU statement reads: “A year has passed since 287 school girls from Chibok, in north-eastern Nigeria, were abducted by Boko Haram. Though some girls escaped, others have since been taken and more than 300 girls are still missing. We express our solidarity with the plight of the families and with the ‘Bring Back Our Girls’ campaign.

    “All efforts must continue to be made to rescue and reunite the girls with their families, and bring the perpetrators of this terrible act to account. The EU remains ready to assist the Government of Nigeria, including the newly elected President and local authorities, as well as others in the region in their fight against Boko Haram and all forms of terrorism and criminality.”

    To Soyinka, Nigerians must join hands with the government to ensure that the children were found.

    “We must make sure that such assault on our humanity doesn’t happen again.

    “The survival of humanity and of the nation must remain paramount,” he said.

    According to him, terrorism is not a Nigerian phenomenon alone and may not be going away soon.

    “However, we must not get used to it. Our children are being dehumanised. I believe that our responsibility is to assist by becoming vigilant.

    “We must become policemen/women; vigilante of our communities. We must encourage others to be protective members of their community,” Soyinka said.

    Former presidential candidate Prof. Pat Utomi   also called for the girls’ freedom. He said humanity, the world over, was a shared one and anything that diminished any human and did not touch others was bad.

    “Terror is not something we should tolerate. We must confront terror and not sit in our homes complaining.

    “We must stand up to enforce what we demand. The measure of the progress of any civilisation is how they hold the dignity of the human person.

    “It’s not just about rescuing the girls alone but about staying together and fighting for what is right.

    “It is however important to recognise that nothing gets done without a strategy,” he said.

    Utomi suggested that plans must be put in place that would help rehabilitate the girls when they eventually return.

    “Their psyche must have been so tampered with. The nation must ensure that they are re-oriented,” he said.

    On the just concluded elections, Utomi said: “We can hope that we have started moving forward.

    “We used to be a people that assumed nothing will change but we are beginning to realise that things can change, so, it is a new dawn for our country,” he said.

    Speaking at the forum, a member of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mrs Funmi Tejuosho, expressed concern over what the missing girls could be passing through.

    “These children are lost and we don’t know what is happening to them. We must never relent until they are found,” she said.

    Dr Okei-Odumakin, who is also the President of Campaign for Democracy (CD), said more should be done to enhance security of lives and property in Nigeria.

    “The whole world stood in unison to call for the return of our girls since they were taken from the Chibok secondary school.

    “We will continue to raise awareness and to insist that our military gets better welfare to boost their morale,” Dr Okei-Odumakin said.

    Also yesterday, the House of Representatives urged President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration to do everything possible to re-unite the remaining  219 Chibok girls kidnapped over a year ago in Borno state to their parents, before handing over to the new administration on May 29.

    The resolution of the House was sequel to a motion sponsored by Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, APC, Lagos under matters of urgent national importance.

    Mrs Dabiri-Erewa, moving the motion, said it is one year since Boko Haram stormed the school in Borno and abducted over 200 girls.

    “It is exactly one year since Boko Haram terrorists stormed the premises of GSS Chibok in Borno State and took away almost 300 students who were preparing to write their school certificate final examination.

    “It is unfortunate that the innocent girls were captured virtually unchallenged and government was unresponsive for over two weeks and one year on, it deeply hurts that no concrete information is available as to the whereabouts of our missing girls from Chibok.”

    Members who spoke in support of the motion include Friday Itulah, Nnena Elendu- Ukeje, Jumoke Okoya- Thomas, Nkoyo Toyo, Nkiruka Onyejeocha, Ife Arowosoge, Stella Odogwu.

    Friday Itulah noted that the issue of the Chibok Girls “is a sore thorn in the flesh of this administration. The Jonathan administration should ensure that before the 29 of May we are celebrating the return of the girls.”

    Hon. Stella Odogwu said the issues surrounding the missing girls is a mystery.

    “It is a criminal act that should not be condoned.”

    Hon. Jumoke Okoya-Thomas urged prayers for the girls. “We should not forget the girls in prayers. It is easy to forget. It is the duty of the government to protect the citizens. We hope Nigerian will never see this kind of situation again.They said 50 were found. If this is true then the others can come back.”

    Hon. Nkiruka Onyejeocha expressed surprise that “they are not back” and admonished that the girls should not be forgotten. Her colleague, Ife Arowosoge, wanted definite answers over the issue.

    “Are you sure they are in Nigeria and are alive? The chief of Army Staff must tell us,” he insisted.

    Tambuwal in his ruling noted that the motion is an important one and that “it is dear to our hearts”. He further said “I wish to add that as a nation we must do everything humanly possible to bring the girls back.

    “We pray that God in his infinite wisdom and mercy should guide our security agents on the recovery of the girls.”

    He said it is sad that the girls have been missing for a whole year. “Even the claim by the Military that they know where the girls are have turned out not to be correct. I think we have to be serious about it.”

    When he called for a vote on the motion, it was overwhelmingly supported by all members.

    Members of the #BringBackOurGirls advocacy yesterday said they appreciated President-elect Muhammadu Buhari for “his kind and soothing words” on the occasion of the one year commemoration.

    The group demanded that the safe return of the girls be made top agenda of the transition between the present and the incoming government.

    In a statement by Dr Oby Ezekwesilli and Hadiza Bala-Usman , they stated: “Today, 14  April, 2015 is that dreadful day we never imagined will come without having  back our missing precious 219 Chibok schoolgirls, abducted exactly one year ago today.

    “We thank Nigeria’s president-elect for his kind and soothing words on the occasion of this one-year commemoration; wherein he promises among other things to do everything he can to #BringBackOurGirls when he becomes the president, if they are still alive. However, this does not address our concerns. We demand that the safe return of our girls be the top agenda of the transition between the present and the incoming one.

    “We have just concluded a march by #ChibokGirlsAmbassadors (part of the global schoolgirl march). We express our immense gratitude to our #ChibokGirlsAmbassadors for being the right voices to carry the message of their generational peers on a day like this.”

    They urged the United Nations to “deploy relevant instruments in ensuring the prompt rescue of our Chibok girls and other abductees, as well as improve the security situation in the country”.

    The Chibok girls ambassadors and members of the #BBOG advocacy staged a peaceful protest to the Ministry of Education to demand for the release of the girls and demand to know what the ministry was doing to assist with the rescue efforts.

    Although the ministry locked them out for almost an hour without allowing the children into the premises,  its Director, Human Resources Management, Mohammed Umar, later met with them and the girls gave him an ultimatum of May 29 for the Chibok girls’ rescue.