The Nation Newspaper

Tag: protest

  • ‘Why we didn’t join Land Use Charge protest’

    Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Ikorodu Branch Chairman Mr Levi Adikwaone has explained why other branches of the association in Lagos State did not join the Ikeja Branch-led protest against the Land Use Charge (LUC).

    Adikwaone said the Lagos, Ikorodu, Badagry and Epe branches opted for dialogue with the government.

    He spoke at a briefing to announce the Law Week of the NBA Ikorodu branch.

    Adikwaone said the branches  were opposed to the new tax regime introduced by the state.

    According to him, while NBA Ikeja chose to stage a walk to protest the new tax regime, other branches, because they are autonomous of each other, decided to tread  the path of dialogue.

    Adikwaone explained that on the day of the  protest, chairmen of  NBA branches met with the Attorney-General in the evening, with some senior lawyers including Femi Falana (SAN), Dele Adesina (SAN) and Olaleke Yussuf (SAN) among others and they all condemned the circumstances that brought the LUC and applauded the right of Ikeja NBA to protest.

    He said they agreed on the need to suspend the implementation of the LUC and suggested palliatives to cushion the effect of the harsh environment.

    The state government was also advised to key into recovery of looted funds in the state.

    Meanwhile, the yearly  Chief Babatunde Olusola Benson (SAN)  lecture will hold today  at the Ikorodu Town hall as part of the  legal education programme of the Bar and activities scheduled for the  Law Week of the NBA Ikorodu.

    According to Adikwaone, a Professor of Economics and lecturer at the Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOD), Ago Iwoye, Ogun State, Sheriffdeen Adewale Tella will deliver the main lecture while discussants will include Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Redbricks  Homes Limited and Amen Estate Ibeju-Lekki, Mr Babatunde Gbadamasi

    He said this year’s theme: “Law and economic development: Moving Nigeria from  recession to prosperity” was chosen because in spite of claims of the federal government that the country was out of recession, experiences have, however, revealed a contradiction in the matter.

    The grand finale of the one-week programme is the Annual Bar Dinner scheduled to hold on Thursday at Ikorodu Muscical Village,  Ikorodu.

    Despite the challenges, Adakwaone said the association made impact and improvements on the welfare of its members.

    He added that its pro bono and Human Rights Committee led by the Vice Chairman of the branch, Prince Adetayo Ladega, also prosecuted to conviction, three fake lawyers that were caught plying their trade, while the trial of two others is ongoing.

  • Protest: UI shuts College of Medicine indefinitely

    •As Downpour destroy buildings 

    Following protests by students of the College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, management of the institution yesterday shut the Alexander Brown Hall of the College.

    The management said the move was imperative in view of the security threat the students’ action may pose. Students of the college had during the week staged a protest following the upward review and introduction of the professional training fees to N100, 000.

    A statement by the UI registrar, Olujimi Olukoya, said the decision to close the hall was reached after a meeting of the board of the College of Medicine. The closure was with immediate effect until further notice with a promise to review the situation in two weeks.

    The students were also directed to vacate the hall immediately.

    “In view of the security threat that the students’ action may pose, the board, therefore, recommended an immediate closure of the Alexander Brown Hall until further notice with a review of the situation in two weeks,” he said.

    Following a heavy downpour that lasted for about four hours across Oyo State late Friday night, no fewer than seven buildings were recorded destroyed at the University of Ibadan. The affected properties included the Students’ Union (SU) Building, two halls of residence, Chemistry Laboratory of International School, University of Ibadan, and some others within the premises of the institution were seriously damaged. Other affected buildings were Tedder Hall, Bello Hall and some departments in the Faculty of Agriculture.

    The Deputy Vice Chancellor (Administration) of the institution, Professor Emilolorun Aiyelari, who addressed journalists, disclosed that an electricity transformer at the Student’s Union Building was also damaged during the rain. “We have recorded a lot of damages, unquantified for now; when we are through we will be able to know how much it will cost. We have three major roofs removed. One in Tedder Hall, two buildings in the department.

     

  • Youths protest alleged fraud at Ekiti varsity

    Youths, mainly students from Ekiti State, under the umbrella of Nigeria Youths Coalition (NYC), yesterday protested at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibadan regional head office.

    They alleged financial misappropriation at the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE), Ekiti State.

    The youth, led by Comrade Shina Awopeju (coordinator) and Comrade Tetteh Ebenezer (secretary), urged the EFCC to probe alleged financial misappropriation by the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Kayode Soremilekun.

    The protesters, in a five-page petition to the anti-graft agency, levelled five allegations against the vice chancellor.

    They are illegal purchase of Prado Sport Utility Vehicles at an inflated price of N25 million each, purchase of two Nigeria-used Toyota Camry car (2006 model) at N5.25 million and four Toyota Camry at N10.5 million.

    Others include payment of N40.1 million into a bank account belonging to Kodelac Nigeria Ltd in Ile-Ife, Osun State, without following procurement guidelines of payment.

    The youth alleged that N19.1 million was paid twice for a two-block laboratory at Ikole campus.

    The group alleged that N1.98 million was paid into an unknown account operated by the university in a commercial bank, for an unknown contract.

    The petition alleged that a fairly-used (Tokunbo) CRV car was bought at N23.9 million for the Governing Council chairman, which the chairman rejected.

    Addressing reporters, Awopeju said the group comprised students and youths from Ekiti State.

    He dismissed the insinuation that the body was being used to fight the vice chancellor, saying their action was to support the the Federal Government’s anti-corruption war.

    The Vice Chancellor, Prof. Kayode Soremilekun, dismissed the allegations yesterday, saying they were lies.

    He said: “It’s all lies. We are already under investigation by the EFCC and ICPC. If they have good intention, why go that far? It was the handiwork of a principal officer who was suspended. The petition has been flying around for some time now.”

  • Traders block road to protest market demolition

    Angry traders yesterday blocked the Umaru Musa Yar’Adua expressway to protest the demolition of Gosa market by the Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC).

    The traders made a bonfire on both sides of the road, thus preventing motorists  from using the highway.

    The development caused a heavy gridlock.

    Officials of AMMC last Saturday demolished structures in the market.

    The protesters brandished dangerous weapons like daggers, cutlass and planks.

    Eyewitnesses said the protesters stoned a governor’s convoy.

    One of the traders, Magdalene Ndoma, said: “This is where some of us earn our little money to take care of our family. You can see what the government did to us. Where will I start again?”

    A driver, Musa Abubakar, said he was going to pick his boss from the airport. “I’ve been here in the last two hours. You can’t move close to them or they will damage your vehicle.”

    AMMC Coordinator Comrade Shuaibu Umar said the council demolished the market to save lives, adding that the action became necessary because of the danger which illegal trading on the road buffers and shoulders portend to life and property.

    According to him, the market was located deep inside the community, off the express road buffer zone, but has since spilled beyond its bounds into the expressway.

    He said: “Travellers suffer untold hardship on their way to and from the airport, especially on Fridays. They endure gruelling traffic jams occasioned by traders blocking the road. This has resulted to missing of flights and time wastage.

    “What we did today was to remove the empty stalls. We did not even touch the containers which were locked because of the merchandise inside them. We, however, told the security men to inform the owners to come and move the containers and stalls to the required 500 meters off the express road as required by law.”

    Umar added that owners of the containers stationed illegally have been put on notice to move them inside as officials of the Development Control Department (DCD) would be coming back for final clearance.

    But Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Muhammad Bello, described the incident as “unfortunate and unacceptable”.

    At a news conference, Bello said the action became necessary because of the real danger which illegal trading on road buffers and shoulders portend to lives and property. According to him, the open market has expanded up to the point which poses danger to residents and other road users. Therefore, the need for the government to curtail the menace.

    He said the government would immediately relocate the market inside Gosa, at least 500 meters away from the road corridors, in accordance with the law.

  • Students protest non-release of results

    Students of Moshood Abiola Polytechnic (MAPOLY), Abeokuta, Ogun State, yesterday protested the non-release of results of final-year Higher National Diploma students.

    The students, who marched on the streets of Abeokuta, said the authority should release their results to enable them partake in next month’s mobilisation by the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).

    The protesters shut the school’s gate at Ojere, preventing academic and management workers from entering the campus.

    The Nation learnt that the academic workers have been at loggerheads with the government since the conversion of the polytechnic to Moshood Abiola University of Science and Technology.

    The lecturers refused to mark papers, collate and grade results two months after the students wrote their final exams.

    The students vowed to keep the gate shut until lecturers released their results.

    Anti-riot policemen and operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) dispersed the demonstrators.

    Policemen took over flashpoints, such as Ibara, Panseke, Onikolobo, Iyana-Oluwo and Oloke axis of the state capital to prevent students from regrouping.

    State Chairman of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) Olawale Balogun told reporters that the students were made to go through pains for no fault of theirs.

    He said: “It is just unfortunate that we’ve found ourselves in this mess. We are suffering for what is none of our business, as we have done our part by writing the exams.

    “I appeal to members of Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), MAPOLY branch, to be considerate. We are being maltreated because none of us is a child of the governor or commissioner. The government should also do the needful.”

    The Chairman of ASUP, Mr. Kola Abiola, declined comment when contacted.

    He said: “I have no reaction.”

  • Police vow to resist planned Land Use Charge protest

    The Lagos State Police Command has warned that any attempt to block the Third Mainland Bridge and other critical public infrastructure in protest against the Land Use Charge would be resisted.

    A statement by the command’s spokesman, Chike Oti, a Superintendent (SP), yesterday alleged that mischief makers masquerading as civil rights activists were planning to block the bridge and other critical assets.

    He said: “The command wishes to warn those concerned that attempt by any individual or group of persons to cause a breach of the peace or infringe on the rights of others to pursue their daily aspirations, would be met with stiff resistance.

    “As it stands, the Commissioner of Police has not received a single application from any group wishing to carry out protest in any part of the state.

    “It is therefore advised that these individuals wanting to protest government’s decision should consult with the police as was the case with the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) before they carried out their very peaceful protest for which the police provided the needed security and ensured it was not hijacked by hoodlums.

    “The command would not allow any group of protesters to compromise the peace in Lagos State in whatever guise. Any group of persons that feel strongly against any policy of the government should explore the judiciary option instead of endangering public peace.”

  • Protest in Ogun community over four-year blackout

    Residents of Emilajulo Okepata community in Ifo Local Government Area of Ogun State, on Thursday protested what they called four years of blackout in the community.

    The placard-carrying residents and members of the community development association expressed anger that they were served bills by officials of Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) every month, without finding solution to the blackout.

    A resident, Hannah Akintobi accused the electricity company of hiring thugs to carry out forcible disconnection of electricity supply in the community.

    She said one of the thugs had stabbed a man with a screw driver when the man prevented them from disconnecting power supply to his apartment.

    Speaking during the rally, the chairman of Emilajulo Okepata Community Development Committee, Elder Ibrahim Fasola urged the state government to intervene in their plight.

    ” We are staging this protest because we have been suffering in silence in the last four years. We have taken necessary steps to make the electricity company consider our plight to no avail.

    ”We hardly enjoy electricity for eight hours in one month. Before, we used to experience load shedding once in a week, but that has since stopped for years now.

    ” This is the reason why we invited officials of IBEDC to this meeting cum rally, in order to let them know what we are going through.”

    A representative of the electricity company, Mr Abdul Bayo Isola said the company was ready to look into the plight of the residents and find solution to the power outage within the next four weeks.

  • Ondo saw-millers protest natural resources privatisation

    After series of failed promises and alleged persecution which recently culminated in the arrest of some members of the Big Road branch of indigenous saw-millers’ association on Sagamu-Ore Expressway, leaders of the group have taken their protest to Akure, the state capital.

    They also met with the leadership of the House of Assembly.

    Their chairman, Chief Mayegun Oloruntobi, who was supported by other association members, told reporters that they were initially happy when Governor Rotimi Akeredolu introduced a privatisation policy through the Ministry of Natural Resources.

    The saw-millers said they were convinced that it would bring more social amenities, as the governor promised during the kick-off of the programme.

    Oloruntobi said the hope that the area would benefit from the privatisation policy, being indigenes and stakeholders in the sawmilling business to support the government, was soon dashed.

    The chairman recalled that trouble started when the core investor in the plank and forestry business, West Africa Plantation (WAP), increased the tariff paid to the government.

    He said this is because they are mostly APC members who contribute to the progress of the state.

    The saw-millers regretted that despite their cooperation, the core investors allegedly used “retrogressive and unbearable policies” the saw-millers complained about.

    Oloruntobi said: “WAP later ordered us off our business environment, but the state government, through their official, told us they had no hand in it. So, WAP’s director, Mr Umeh, who has been the intermediary, assured us of his company’s good intentions. But he has turned around to arrest our members and has since refused to meet us by unilaterally cancelling scheduled meetings.”

    Efforts to speak with Umeh were unsuccessful last night.

  • Ilorin traders protest levies

    Ilorin traders protest levies

    Scores of shop owners in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital yesterday protested imposition of new levies by the authorities of the Ilorin West local government area.

    The protestors who were mainly from Oja Tuntun in the metropolis accused the new council chairperson, Alhaja Romoke Omodara of planning to also impose new security level on the shop owners in the market.

    The irate protestors staged a peaceful protest from the market to the local government secretariat around mandate area.

    The placard-carry protesters denounced the chairperson for planning to convert the expanse of land used by the marketers as the parking lot, to a shopping complex.

    Some of the placards read: ‘This is democracy not military regime,’ ‘Omodara don’t misuse your opportunity,’ ‘Omodara you are elected to serve not to destroy,’ Saraki did not ask you to pull down our shops,’ ‘Our security should be your concern Madam chairperson,’ etc.

    Addressing reporters during the protest, Financial Secretary, Oja Tuntun Market Association, Ayelara Kehinde said: “We said we cannot allow her to build shops at the car park without provision of alternative place for our customers and us to park our vehicles, but she is insisting that she would convert the place to shops. Due to no enough parking spaces we have lost many of our customers to other markets. That is why we are opposing her latest move.

    “There is another place where aged women are selling tomatoes; the council also wants to evict the women. We are not opposed to building of shops, but we want the chairperson to provide alternative for thewomen that she is about to send packing.  Because of our opposition wesaid she had outlawed our executive.”

    “She does not have that power to abolish our excos as she did not elect us in the first place. The people elected us. We are not serving government, we are serving our people. We are not political appointees. We are fighting for our people’s right and whatever the people want is what we will do.

    “They are also saying they want to be charging us each N100 as environmental sanitation fee making N400 per month. We don’t want that as we have been collecting security levy from members and we use the leftover for the maintenance of the market.”

    Corroborating Mr. Kehinde, Secretary of the Igbo Traders Association, Ndu Obinna said that “there is peace in the market now because the current executives are carry members along. It is because they are doing well that all of us shut down our shops in compliance with the exco’s directive.

    “Since they came on board, many things that had been neglected in the past have been taken care of. The council claims that it is the landlord and we are not discountenancing that. But a landlord should ensure the safety and cleanliness of the environment.

    “We are urging them to allow the current exco control the market. They are there for us and we are here for them. Let us work together so that there will be peace.”

  • Protest in Ikorodu as bus crushes pupil

    There was pandemonium yesterday at Ogolonto in Ikorodu,  Lagos, when a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) vehicle crushed a schoolboy.

    The late Ezekiel Daniel, a primary six pupil of Cherubim and Seraphim (C&S) Primary School, was on his way to school.

    It was gathered that he wanted to cross the BRT lane when the bus ran him over.

    His death sparked a protest as  other road users vandalised two BRT buses but were dispersed by security operatives.

    Those who commented on the accident on social media , blamed the boy’s death on the absence of a pedestrian bridge around Idiroko/Ogolonto road.

    They said there were more than six primary schools in that neighbourhood, with pupils at risk of being knocked down while attempting to cross the road.

    According to a witness, pupils usually crossed the road with the assistance of a man, who stood there in the mornings to stop vehicles for them.

    “But the man was not there and the child tried to cross by himself. The BRT knocked him down and ran him over.

    “Authorities should swing into action as soon as possible.  Moreso, a lasting solution should be provided to curb incessant BRT killings in that area.

    “This can be done by erecting a bridge to save pupils who cross that road every morning to school,” said a witness, Asoro Olatunji.

    Another resident, Ifeanyi Edmund said: “The question is why would you have schools without pedestrian crossing? What would it cost to mark a zebra crossing there so that vehicles would always slow down for pedestrians? We are our own problems in this country.”

    Police Commissioner Imohimi Edgal said peace had been restored in the area.

    He said: “We went there and although people gathered, they were dispersed. Nothing was destroyed or burnt there. Normalcy has since been restored to the area.”