Tag: Nigeria newspaper

The Founder of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD), Aare Afe Babalola (SAN), has said Ekiti had been neglected by the Federal Government in the provision of critical infrastructure for the socio-economic development of the state.

He said the sorry state of infrastructure had impacted negatively on the socio-economic landscape of the state, adding that it had made the state unattractive to investors.

The legal icon said the event leading to the collapse of the bridge linking Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, with his university and the Federal Polytechnic in the town was a testimony that the state had been grossly overwhelmed by infrastructure deficits.

Babalola, who described Ekiti as the most neglected state in the country, expressed concern over the collapse of the bridge after a downpour which claimed one live.

The Ureje Bridge on Ado-ABUAD-Ikare road was flooded last Monday and collapsed.

A man who attempted to navigate the water got drowned in the deluge.

Several commuters entering and leaving Ado-Ekiti were stranded for several hours between 7 p.m on Monday till noon on Tuesday, following the collapse of the bridge.

Addressing reporters yesterday in Ado-Ekiti, Babalola attributed the collapse to the negligence of the government.

The legal icon said his efforts to make the Federal and state governments rebuild the bridge on Ureje River did not yield results.

He said: “For the past nine years, I have been maintaining that road. But this year, after series of letters, the Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) wrote to me that they had awarded the road to a contractor, and I have been following the contractor day and night.

“What I know, which is true, is that the contactor has done more damage to the road than helping us. I wrote about the bridge to all those concerned: the Federal Ministry of Works and copy the President. I also wrote letters to Governor Kayode Fayemi because I knew that road was neglected by the contractor and the Federal Government.

“Indeed, Ekiti is the most neglected state in this country. Look at the road between Ilesha and Ado-Ekiti; it was made over 20 years ago. This road – from Ado-Ekiti to Ijan to Ode to Ikare to Lokoja – was built over 100 years ago, before I was born.

“That bridge, which you saw, was also built over 100 years ago; that narrow bridge. When I was in school, we used to trek from that place to Ogbese Tiver to cut what we called prank cane to make chairs and wooden ceilings on that route.

“Nothing has been done to improve the bridge. I have been writing, phoning, sending text messages about that the bridge would collapse anytime. I warned all of them, including the governor, that it would collapse and that something should be done.

“When it happened two days ago, I sent text messages to Fayemi that what I told you should not happen has happened. I also got in touch with the Minister of Works, who eventually phoned me that they were going to do something about the bridge.

“I sent messages to monarchs and others. In the afternoon, I got a text from Fayemi that some people would come the following day to work on it. Fashola told me they were moving there immediately. I went to the bridge and I saw them working there.

“My team of engineers had been there early in the morning. No heavy truck or vehicle should pass that place; otherwise, it will go down.

“What we need is a new bridge and a dual carriage road from Ado-Ekiti to the university, which is only 15 kilometres. I don’t know why the road has not been repaired. I hope now that with what has happened, things will change.

“I went through Afao to Igbemo to Iluomoba to the university. It took me about one and a half hours to get to the university on Tuesday, instead of the normal 15 minutes.”

“Like I said, Ekiti is the most neglected state in this part of the world. Secondly, I protested in my usual way. Former President Olusegun Obasanjo did little work on the road and you can see it has not been completed.

“Again, I was lawyer to the Federal Government. Obasanjo again worked on it from Itawure to Ado-Ekiti, a dual carriage, but since he left, it is all forest.”

Buttressing his claim on the alleged neglect of the state, Babalola said the road from Ado-Ekiti to Akure, the Ondo State capital, was among the worst in the country.

“What I will continue to do now is to put pressure on those responsible and in authority for us to have good infrastructures. This is because without good infrastructure, nobody can come to the university. You know we are suffering here,” he said.

Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, says the national crime profile of the country has continued to decline in relation to the previous quarters.

Adamu said in Abuja that this trend is indicative of the effectiveness of policing strategies which are based on community partnership practices, application of cutting-edge policing technologies and crime management solutions, the engagement and integration of intelligence-led policing standards to their functions at all operational and investigative levels, and an enhanced inter-agency collaboration orientation.

Speaking during a conference with senior police officers at the IGP Conference Hall at the Force Headquarters on Thursday, Adamu said in furtherance of this, the trust gap between the citizens and the Police have been significantly narrowed and the bond to fight and reclaim communities from criminals who are our common enemies has been strengthened.

The IGP said in addition, the commitment and capacity of the Nigeria Police to re-dominate the public space and deny criminals the liberty to manifest their heinous crimes has been appreciably boosted.

“In consequence, between August 2019 to date, a total of one thousand, one hundred and fifty-one (1,151) high profile suspects have been arrested nationwide. This includes four hundred and seventy (470) armed robbery suspects; two hundred and sixteen (216) kidnap suspects; three hundred and thirty-five (335) suspected cultists, and one hundred and thirty (130) murder suspects.

“Furthermore, two hundred and twenty-eight (228) firearms of various descriptions and calibre were recovered in various police operations across the country within the same period. Aside this, two hundred and thirty-one (231) kidnapped victims have been safely rescued and reunited with their families while seventy-five (75) stolen vehicles were also recovered from criminal elements,” he said.

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The monthly Conference had strategic police managers drawn from the 12 Zonal Police Commands, the 36 States of the Federation and the FCT.

Adamu said the constant engagement of senior police officers occupying strategic administrative and operational portfolios across the country has been one of his management traditions.

“It is my firm belief that, in doing this, we shall be able to jointly re-evaluate the internal security outline of the country with a view to assessing which strategies have produced desired outcomes and those that need to be tinkered with to meet national policing requirements.

“We are challenged by these achievements to sustain our tempo. This calls for constant re-evaluation of the dynamics of crime and the re-alignment of our strategies accordingly. In so doing, I am to note that there are still some security challenges which currently require our professional attention and which will constitute part of our discourse during this Conference. In this context, I encourage you all not to relent, but to roll up your sleeves with renewed vigour in the fight against crimes in the country.

“The Nigeria Police under our watch, will not only continually emplace strategies that are potent enough to deal with the emerging trends of crime, we are determined to attain this mandate within the dictates of rule of law, uncompromising respect for human rights, and best global policing practices. In this regard, it will be recalled that I have at various fora confirmed our determination to adopt less-lethal approaches and equipment in our policing duties. This is with the intention of ensuring that the sacred lives of the citizens whom we swore to serve and protect are not endangered in the line of our duties.

“It is in furtherance to this that I initiated actions towards the acquisition and deployment of electro-muscular disruption technology-based weaponry which is commonly known as Taser or Stun Guns for low-risk police operations. This is with the intention of addressing public concerns on misuse of firearms by the Police with its attendant consequences on lives and effect on the attainment of our community policing vision.

“In addition, special training are being organised for the Special Units of the Police including the Police Mobile Force, Special Forces, Counter-Terrorism Unit, Anti-Robbery detachments, Anti-Kidnapping Squads and the Criminal Investigation Operatives. This is with the intention of equipping them with the right orientation for policing in the 21st Century and to align their operations within the expectations of the law and the citizens.

“In order to situate our vision in this regard to the standards of democratic policing, which is hinged on the protection of fundamental human rights, it is considered expedient that Force Order 237 which defines our Rules of Engagement (RoE) be reviewed, standardised and simplified.

“I am delighted to announce that with the support of our local and internal partners, we have successfully completed the process of reviewing the document and today, we shall be formally launching the Revised Force Order 237 (RFO) which is not only comprehensive and modernised but simplified for ease of comprehension by all members of the Force. The launch of the first two thousand (2,000) copies of the document will be undertaken in the course of this meeting.

“We are immensely grateful to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the Swiss Government, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and AIG Austin Iwar (rtd) among others who collaborated with the Nigeria Police towards achieving this feat,” he said.

Augustine Ehikioya, Abuja

President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday in Pretoria, South Africa, called for more tolerance, vigilance and heightened security in countries to ensure safety of citizens, noting that competition heralded by globalization, especially with ease in migration, will only get more intense for businesses.

He was responding to questions during a press conference at the Union Building, alongside his host, President Cyril Ramaphosa.

In a statement by Senior Special Assistant on Media and publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, the President said authorities should be more pro-active in detecting early signals of violence between competitors, while migrants and companies should adhere to the local laws of countries.

“Police must be on alert not to allow violence to escalate,’’ he said.

President Buhari said the business world had turned out more dynamic over the years, with foreigners competing with locals in businesses that were initially considered low.

He said the panacea would only be for security agencies to show more interest in market operations, players and likely areas of tensions.

The President likened the situation of Nigerians in South Africa to Ghana where competition at low levels of the economy breeds intense competition, noting that it will keep growing with population explosion.

He told Nigerians living in various parts of the world, especially in South Africa, to adhere with the laws of the country they reside, and ensure compliance with market laws.

“Like it is said, ‘when you are in Rome behave like the Romans’. Always be law abiding,’’ he said.

Earlier in his remark, the President condemned attacks on Nigerians and the burning of their properties in South Africa, describing it as “unacceptable’’, while assuring the South African government that their citizens and businesses in Nigeria will always be protected from harm. He also condemned the reprisal attacks in Nigeria.

“In my discussions with President Ramaphosa and the Bi-National Commission meeting, we reviewed wide range of issues at national, regional, continental and global levels,’’ he added.

He said some of the issues were on trade, investment, mining, security, police affairs and environment. “Our two countries have also agreed to unequivocally address the challenges in our relations including the recent people to people challenges that saw attacks against foreign nationals, including Nigerians, and their properties, which we strongly condemned.’’

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In his remarks, President Ramaphosa said the attacks on foreigners in South Africa, including Nigerians, were regrettable, assuring that his government will work hard to see an end to such attacks.

He also condemned reprisal attacks in Nigeria.

He said President Buhari is the first president to embark on a state visit in South Africa since they came into power.

“We will work together to promote cohesion and best values. What happened did not reflect our values. We both condemn the attacks and the reprisal in strongest terms. We will set up mechanisms for early signals,’’ he said.
President Ramaphosa said his country will also create a more enabling environment for Nigerian businesses to thrive in South Africa, acknowledging that more South African companies operate in Nigeria, while Nigerians were mostly in Small and Medium Scale sectors in his country.

“We have large corporations operating in Nigeria while you have small and medium enterprises from Nigeria here in South Africa.” He promised to deepen the reforms in his country to open the space for more Nigerian business to “address the imbalance”.

“The rule of law must be obeyed by all citizens. Nigerians in South Africa must obey the rule of law, while South Africans in Nigeria must obey the rule of law,’’ he said.

Nigerian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama and South African Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Dr Naledi Pandor, signed agreements on the minutes of the 9th session of Bi-National Commission.

Mike Odiegwu, Yenagoa

The Department of State Security (DSS) has summoned and quizzed a lawyer and activist, Aluzu Augustine, following the crisis rocking the state House of Assembly.

Aluzu, who is the founder of the Patriotism Advancement and Community Orientation Network (PACON) confirmed the development and said he went to the Yenagoa office of DSS accompanied by some lawyers and officials of PACON.

He said he was invited by one Mr. Patrick Etang and quizzed by the Assistant Director of Security, Mr. Ojong Ojong, who said the invitation was based on a security report that he was planning to lead a protest against the impeachment the Speaker of Bayelsa State House of Assembly, Tonye Isenah.

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“But I told them that there was no time he contemplated leading a protest against the impeachment of the speaker because what transpired in the House remained the business of the House. I also told them that even if I want to lead a peaceful protest, it is within his right as a citizen of the country.

“There is no cause for alarm because they only asked me questions. I also informed that I have resigned my position in my NGO temporarily to enable me concentrate on some political issues. Even if I wanted to lead a protest I wouldn’t have done it using my NGO. They did not mishandle me and after answering their questions, they let me go”.