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Tag: NICreL

  • NGO commend Army boss over FOI request

    The New Initiative for Credible Leadership (NICreL) has saluted the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. General Tukur Buratai for entrenching transparency in the military following his prompt response to the the Freedom of Information request made to the Nigerian Army by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), Enough is Enough (EiE), and BudgIT
    NICreL said it was pleased with the COAS for releasing the requested information without hesitation.
    Rev. Samson Onwu, Executive Director of the group in a statement on Sunday, warned SERAP, EiE and BudgIT against jeopardizing national security with the information made available to them.
    He said, “NICreL recognizes that the COAS and the Nigerian Army broke away from the traditional consideration for national security to comply with the request of the three groups. This is commendable on the part of General Buratai even though Nigerians will be watching to see the use to which these organizations put the information they have acquired. Such outcomes will influence the reaction of citizens in the future when organizations or individuals come under the Freedom of Information Act to request information that impact national security.
    “The culture of transparency, for which General Buratai is known, institutionalized and is now entrenching through the release of the information, is commendable. With due respect, we, however, have the strong belief in his discretion to have released the information only after it is duly certified that there is nothing sensitive contained in the document to jeopardize national interest and security.
    “This concern on our part is informed by the recent experiences, in which an international organization was exposed by the Nigerian Army for passing information it obtained in the course of its work to Boko Haram terrorists in addition to using its activities in the northeast as cover to train and equip the insurgents. The country is equally yet in the throes of the publication of classified military information about an impending operation against Boko Haram by Daily Trust newspaper.
    “This nasty experience with Daily Trust is still fresh in the minds of Nigerians even as NICreL and other CSOs await an apology from the newspaper following a seven-day ultimatum for it to tender it.
    “We therefore hope that some NGOs have no been contracted to make bogus requests to jeopardize national security. This raises suspicion that it is a matter of time before the entire military is buried in an avalanche of Freedom of Information request that will soon extend to proxies asking for details to expose operational strategies of the war against terrorism.

    Read Also:NGOs petition Buhari over insecurity, violence in Ogun

    “Much as SERAP enjoys a remarkable level of public trust as a civil society organization (CSO), not much can be said about other non-governmental organizations (NGOs) especially given their association with foreign NGOs like Amnesty International that is  practically at war with the Nigerian Army. These international NGOs have never been fully absolved of being non-complicit in obstructing the military for the benefit of insurgents and separatists.
    “Our understanding is that there is a limit to the obligation of military and security agencies when it comes to releasing information under the FOI Act. This has to be especially considered in view of the glaring danger of information being legally obtained for the sole goal of passing same to terrorists. We therefore appeal to General Buratai as the COAS and the Nigerian Army as an institution, with the entire military, to be mindful of the limit of information that is passed to such group for the sake of the integrity of the country and national security.
    “We use this opportunity to put SERAP, EiE and BudgIT on notice that they now shoulder the burden of responsibly using the information the Nigerian Army has reeleased to them. This will extend to taking considerable caution against the publication of details that could compromise national security. They should also commit to not transferring these details to any  foreign partners, Boko Haram or any other questionable entity since that was not the intent of the Act. Where they elect to breach the sacred trust anticipated by the Freedom of Information Act, to deploy the information they have acquired for evil use, they can count on Nigerians coming after them with all the actions permissible under the law. NICreL is prepared to lead the charge should the situation arise.”

  • Peter Nwaoboshi: NICreL cries out over persecution of Delta Senator

    The New Initiative for Credible Leadership, NICreL, has warned against what it termed a campaign of calumny against Peter Nwaoboshi, a senator representing Delta North in the National Assembly.

    The group said it was unfortunate that some persons have sworn with their blood that they must drag the hard-earned name and reputation of the senator into political pit latrine.

    Recall that a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos had in April ordered the remand of Nwaoboshi in Ikoyi Prison following the arraignment of the senator by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over allegations of fraud.

    However, Nwaoboshi, had while reacting, disclosed that his persecution by the anti-graft agency was because of his position and stand at the National Assembly.

    Speaking on the development, NICreL in a statement by its Executive Director, Rev Steven Onwu, opined that there is a need to thoroughly scrutinize the ongoing trail initiated by the EFCC against the senator.

    According to him, the case does not only speak of mischief, but it also smacks of a mockery of the supposed anti-corruption campaign of the current government at the center.

    The group noted that after a careful and detailed scrutiny of the accusations levelled against Senator Nwaoboshi, it realized a hand of Jacob and the voice of Esau in the entire saga.

    Onwu alleged that the ordeal of Senator Nwaoboshi was a clear case of witch-hunt and part of a more massive ploy to silence members of the opposition into submission to their whims and caprices

    His statement reads below.

    “The NICL in unequivocal terms frowns at the desperation of these faceless groups to drag Senator Peter Nwaoboshi into a latrine pit filled with faeces by concocting stories that are best described as tales by moonlight all in a bid to cause a distraction to the people of Delta North Senatorial District and by extension the people of Delta State.

    “One area that needs to be thoroughly scrutinized is the ongoing trail initiated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The case does not only speak of mischief, but it also smacks of a mockery of the supposed anti-corruption campaign of the government at the center.

    “It is indeed a clear case of witch-hunt and part of a more massive ploy to cow members of the opposition into submission to their whims and caprices. The NICL is averse to this, hence this press conference to alert the unsuspecting public and people of Delta North Senatorial District of this unholy character assassination plot against Senator Peter Nwaoboshi.

    “The sustained media trial by the EFCC indeed leaves many questioned answered and raise a red flag on the motive behind the trail. The NICL is indeed concerned about setting dangerous precedence in an already fragile polity. The EFCC is supposed to be a neutral body, and as such it behooves on it to ensure justice and fairness at all times.

    “The NICL also observed with disdain the political undertone to the whole scenario and the desperation by some perceived opponents that are afraid of the political heights Senator Peter Nwaoboshi has attained since his sojourn into politics as a former commissioner, former chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Delta State and now Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. To say this is a massive distraction to Senator Peter Nwaoboshi is an understatement. It also smacks of mockery.

    “It is also sufficient to state that a critical analysis of his activities at the Senate in the past three was filled with quality representation. He sponsored more than five bills in which most have been passed into law. He also moved a sensitive motion of which was the one on the amendment of the NDDC Act 2000, which has been passed into law.

    “Senator Peter Nwaoboshi has built three skill acquisition centers and attracted over 16 completed road construction projects across Delta North Senatorial District. He has so far invested hundreds of millions on educational empowerments for indigent students\youths empowerment through the Obi Francis Nwaoboshi Foundation. He also ensured the inclusion of Ndokwa Nation, the largest ethnic nationality in his district and second largest in Delta State, into the presidential amnesty programme. And much more too numerous to mention.

    “Those trying to distract Senator Peter Nwaoboshi should desist from such game plan as it would be resisted using the constitutionally recognized means.
    16. Nigerians are also urged to reject in its totality the ongoing campaign of calumny against Senator Peter Nwaoboshi. The truth no matter how hard they try to hide shall come to the open in the fullness of time. A word is enough for the wise!”

  • Human Rights Abuses: Amnesty International has exposed itself as a liar, says NGO.

    The New Initiative for Credible Leadership, NICREL has described the Amnesty International as a blatant liar following its various responses on issues that involves human rights abuses in the country.

    NICreL Executive Director, Steven Onwu who spoke with newsmen today Abuja said as a group, it will continue to applaud the efforts of the Nigerian military aimed at placing the interests of humanity above other considerations.

    Onwu said the group has been following proceedings of the Presidential Investigation Panel to Review Compliance of The Armed Forces with Human Rights Obligations and Rules of Engagement given the crucial role that the exercise would play in deepening full observance and compliance with human rights requirement.

    He said, “the dedication with which we have followed the proceedings was informed by our understanding and acknowledgement that the issue of human rights in conflict situations is multifaceted.

    “The trend prior to the sitting of this panel has been for the focus to be on the rights of the aggressors who despite (possibly) committing heinous crimes have international organizations and their domestic branches canvassing the rights of groups and persons that engage in acts of terror, kidnapping, intimidation, extortion and other forms of harm to the civilian population and attacks on military and security personnel deployed to counter them.

    “Nowhere in the rendering are the rights of the victims – local populations and the security operatives that are killed – get mentioned.

    “NICreL has had course in the past to question the intentions of these fifth columnists pretending to be human rights monitoring organizations.

    “Our concerns at those times stemmed from the impact that their lies have on international support for counter-terrorism war in Nigeria and the negative pull the have on morale of soldiers that are sacrificing even their lives to keep the rest of the citizens safe.

    “A front liner among these fifth columnists is Amnesty International (AI), which most recently centered its existence on Nigeria. It ran a campaign of attrition against the Nigerian military and even took the unprecedented step of awarding media contracts to defend its reports, which have been found out to be nothing but a pack of orchestrated lies aimed at damaging the fighting capacity of Nigerian soldiers.

    “While NICreL had always been confident that its summations on AI captured the exact state of, the sitting of the Presidential Investigation Panel to Review Compliance of The Armed Forces with Human Rights Obligations and Rules of Engagement has finally exposed the international organization for what it is, a massive scam that was contrived to undermine countries like Nigeria. This is despite the fact that AI had always boasted about sending soldiers and their commanding officers to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for crimes against humanity.

    “It was therefore surreal that the same Amnesty International had its fifteen minutes of fame before the Presidential Panel but fortunately left no one in doubts that all it had ever done in the past was misleading the entire world. AI’s representatives before the panel had expect the usual practice where they are able to get away with lying with Power Point presentations that are produced from doctored pictures and videos; but the panel in this instance expressed the need for concrete evidence. This was evidence that Amnesty International is short of as it could not even point to the physical locations of the mass graves for which it had earlier claimed to have coordinates and satellite imaging.

    “Amnesty International’s poor performance at the panel where, it agreed to appear for the first time, to defend its numerous allegations against the Nigerian military is condemnable and completely irresponsible. It is one thing to have insistently aver that AI was lying but it is totally gutting as there is no justification for an organization that claims international pedigree to lie without remorse on this scale.
    NICrel can confidently, on the strength of the presentations made before the panel, which it monitored, declare that Amnesty International lied against the Nigerian authorities in all its previous reports and statements as the military have continued to monitor and discipline their own officers and personnel where the leadership gets any report of infractions.

    “We believe the military leadership under the current dispensation should be rather applauded by Amnesty International on the strength of the information at their disposal which is at sharp variance with the misleading reports they have repeatedly published but are now unable to prove before the panel. If AI is truly doing the right thing and fully appreciate the precarious situation that the country has been faced with in recent times, it will toe the path of honor and acknowledge the role played by the military from the proper perspective.

    “As a group that monitored the proceedings at the Presidential Investigation Panel to Review Compliance of The Armed Forces with Human Rights Obligations and Rules of Engagement, from one location to the other, NICreL is confident that Nigerians will see reasons to further appreciate the military leadership and their efforts when the panel eventually makes its report known to members of the public and submitted to President Muhammadu Buhari for action.

    “We salute the sustained evolution of the military as an institution that has continually placed the interest of humanity above every other consideration and its successes in the last two years, which we appeal should be sustained.

    “Finally, we call on patriotic Nigerians to institute legal actions against Amnesty International at the ICC to account for several Nigerians whose existence were cut short as a result of AI’s perverted intervention in Nigeria. Its client that it always defend have snuffed life out of too many innocent citizens for Nigerians to remain indiferent”he said

  • No cabal working against Kachikwu in the villa – NICreL

    No cabal working against Kachikwu in the villa – NICreL

    Contrary to the story making the rounds on social media that the Minister Of State For Petroleum, Ibe Kachikwu has been prevented by a cabal in the presidential villa from discharging his functions, the New Initiative for Credible Leadership [NICreL) has rubbished the report, describing it as untrue and baseless.

    NICreL said the story emanated from some jealous individuals in the oil sector, who were hell bent on creating animosity between the minister and his principal .

    The group noted that the Minister has been working with the Acting President on their common understanding of issues in the sector in making sure that the oil industry continues to blossom in the absence of President Muhammadu Buahri.

    Steven Onwu, the Executive Secretary of the group in a terse statement issued on Thursday, called on the general public to disregard the media hearsay in entirety as it has no iota of truth.

    Onwu described the minister as thoroughbred professional in the sector, who remains committed to engineering various reforms that would see to the growth of the industry in line with the administration’s commitment in that key sector of the nation’s economy.

    He said, “Stories making the round that Kachikwu is being prevented from discharging his functions by a certain cabal in the presidency is an attempt by mischief makers to create unnecessary friction between the Honorable Minister of Petroleum and the rest of the cabinet that have been working very hard in the absence of President Buhari to pilot the affairs of the nation where all concerned parties have been making meaningful impacts to the amazement of all Nigerians.

    “The story was the creation of demonic elements within the oil and gas sector, which have access to the media and are out to paint the Honourble Minister black before his principal and members of the public.

    “They should desist from creating such unnecessary false and malicious alarm especially at a time that the Minister is busy improving on the level of peace and tranquility in the Niger Delta region which has in turn ushered in considerable improvements in the nation’s revenue and general economic outlook .”

    The group added that Kachikwu, since his appointment has remained dedicated to his duties like every hardworking member of the Federal Executive Council and has neither complained to anyone about his designation rather helped to ensure that the administration delivers on all it’s set objectives and promises to the overwhelming majority of Nigerians.

    It further called on those who are still pained within the oil industry about the transparent leadership of Kachikwu to seek engagement elsewhere as there will be no room for them to carry out their evil plans.