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Tag: violence

  • Activists, others seek end to violence in Niger Delta

    Activists, others seek end to violence in Niger Delta

    Militants, especially of the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA), are giving top officials of oil companies and the Federal Government sleepless nights. The environment  is also being polluted and devastated through bombing of oil pipelines and other facilities of the multinationals.

    Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, and his counterpart of Bayelsa State, Seriake Dickson, are the worst hit by the activities of members of NDA, who decided to concentrate their activities in the two strategic states.

    Okowa, Dickson and other governors of states in the Niger Delta, among other stakeholders, had on many occasions of recent, pleaded with the NDA members and other militants in the Niger Delta to sheathe their swords and embrace peace, thereby agreeing to dialogue with the Federal Government.

    Incessant bombing of pipelines conveying oil and gas is greatly affecting crude oil exploration and exploitation, in a country that mainly depends of revenue from petroleum, especially the sale of crude oil and gas, for survival.

    The activities of the NDA are taking toll on electricity supply in the country, since gas from the Niger Delta is needed to power the turbines, with citizens nationwide now experiencing epileptic electricity supply.

    The oil companies are also evacuating their workers from the creeks, particularly at the flow stations and other facilities, in order not to endanger their lives, while most of the bombed pipes are yet to be repaired, thereby creating tension in the region.

    In order to ensure cessation of hostilities and violence in the Niger Delta, some stakeholders came together at a summit in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, with ensuring peace as their main target, so as to pave way for the much-desired development.

    The stakeholders, comprising top government officials, other eminent personalities, security chiefs, human rights activists, members of civil society organisations and representatives of the private sector, declared that end must now come to militancy in the hitherto neglected Niger Delta region.

    The summit on towards achieving peace and sustainable development in the Niger Delta, with the theme: “Promoting Peace, Democracy and Stability in Nigeria through the Media, Socio-Cultural Institutions and Youth Driven Community Based Groups,” was organised by the Journalists for Democratic Rights (JODER), with the support of the Ford Foundation (West Africa Regional Office).

    Emphasis at the timely summit was placed on capacity building, conflict prevention and management, as well as peace building.

    The Executive Director of JODER, Mr. Adewale Adeoye, who is also a foremost journalist, stated that the summit was to strengthen a people-driven process for conflict prevention, conflict management and peace-building in the Niger Delta.

    Adeoye noted that the programme, which was earlier held in Lagos and Enugu, would later hold in Kaduna and Abuja, among other Nigerian cities, in order for the stakeholders to continue to stand for peace and not violence.

    Niger Delta is home to indigenous ethnic groups that have lived in their territories for thousands of years, while the region is a great ancestral homeland of many forest-dependent people, with a rich heritage of amazing culture and civilisation.

    The region is by far the second largest mangrove forest in the world, rich in natural resources, including but not limited to land and sea animals, the fauna, and hundreds of plant species, which add value to the diverse tributaries and estuaries linked to the vast ocean and the great Rivers Nun and Niger.

    Niger Delta has no fewer than 16 distinct ethnic nationalities, with history of shared heritage and cultural identities, including social and trade relations, long before the advent of colonial rule.

    As with any other natural setting, there were history of conflicts and strives among the nationalities, but the Niger Delta, however, remains one of the most critical nerve centres of the Nigerian economy, owing to its rich natural endowments and resourcefulness of the people.

    The social and economic activities of the nationalities that make up the Niger Delta are linked to the environment, which supports the survival of the people, who depend on livelihoods generated by land and forests resources.

    For half a century, the people of the Niger Delta have been facing various challenges to their survival, due to various adverse factors, including disruptive oil exploration, lack of opportunities, national malaise of corruption, forest devastation, depletion of sea and land resources, gas flaring and environmental pollution.

    The Niger Delta produces the mainstay of Nigeria’s economy, which is crude oil and gas, but without equitable sharing/allocation of the resources, which remains a major source of conflict in the country.

    The executive director of JODER, in his welcome address at the summit, stated that the forest reserve of the Niger Delta had remained largely depleted and at present to an all-time low, with land utterly polluted, natural streams almost extinct and means of living under sever attacks, thereby posing a serious threat to generations unborn.

    Adeoye said: “Previous efforts of governments at various levels to address the situation have not led to appreciable results, in spite of the huge resources committed to the process.

    “Such efforts include the introduction of the 13 per cent revenue derivation, the setting up of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), the establishment of the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs and the recent adoption of the United Nations Environment Programme, (UNEP) report on Ogoniland’s environmental assessment, which the Nigerian Federal Government has promised to implement, leading to the recent kick-off of the Ogoni clean-up.

    “Regrettably, the Niger Delta narrative has been consistent stories of violence, desperation and various vices associated with legitimate agitations of the people;

    “Irrespective of the various efforts of the governments, the Niger Delta remains fundamentally poor and vulnerable, with limited opportunities for the people to transform their lives in their own way, through self actualisation.”

    JODER’s executive director also stated that notwithstanding the challenges facing the peace-loving people of the Niger Delta, they had the infinite ability to aspire to a greater future, founded on justice, liberty and respect for the dignity of the human person.

    According to Adeoye, conflict, which is part of human life, is a major impediment to growth and can lead to hate, misunderstanding, wars and stereotyping, stressing that with conflict, everybody stands to lose, while calling for discipline and unity, with emphasis to be placed on good ideas, which rule the world.

    The resource person at the summit, Mr. Francis Abayomi, stated that people should always promote peaceful co-existence, in order to move forward.

    The Special Assistant to Rivers Governor on Social Media, Oraye St. Franklyn, said: “Let us make our democracy to work. Conflict can only be resolved through dialogue, but before the resolution, there is need for justice, which will lead to peace. Without justice, there can be no peace.”

    A prominent Ijaw leader, Sgt. Werinipre Digifa, stated that with conflicts everywhere in Nigeria, preaching peace, respect for one another and dialogue must always be emphasised.

    Patterson Ogon of the Ijaw Council for Human Rights (ICHR), who was accompanied by a senior official of ICHR, Toinpre Alabo, described the summit as key, stressing that with trust and confidence in one another, Nigeria would move forward.

    An ex-Bayelsa State Commissioner for Culture and Ijaw National Affairs, Dr. Felix Tuodolo, described conflict as inevitable, calling for continuous education and enlightenment.

    Rivers Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Mrs. Helen Amakiri, who was represented by the command’s Spokesman, Akin Oguntuase, a Chief Superintendent of Corps, called for continuous synergy among security agencies to ensure peace and progress.

    The Commissioner for Information and Communications in Rivers state, Dr. Austin Tam-George, who was represented by a Director in the ministry, Mr. Paulinus Nsirim, stated that the summit was very important and timely.

    Tam-George said: “Justice, equity and fair-play are critical to ensuring an egalitarian society. Nigerians must see themselves as one united entity. I dream of Nigeria where conflicts will be minimised.”

    In a nine-point communique, signed by the executive director of JODER, it was stated that the summit strengthened a people-driven process for conflict prevention, conflict management and peace-building in the Niger Delta.

    The programme also targeted primary and secondary beneficiaries, cutting across faith-based groups, community-based organisations, women groups, civil society organisations, security agencies, youth groups, organised labour and the informal sector, as well as representatives of various ethnic groups, including Ijaw, Isoko, Ikwerre, Ndoni, Ogoni, Urhobo, Efik, Ibibio, Itsekiri and non-indigenes in the Niger Delta, among others.

    The communique reads: “Participants demand deliberate urgent attention and actions in addressing the growing poverty rate, growing drop out of children in schools, due largely to poverty and economic misery, disruption of oil pipelines and the emergence of various groups making one agitation or another.

    “Participants demand immediate cessation to all forms of violence in the Niger Delta and that critical stakeholders must embrace peaceful resolution of all the lingering crises in the region, through advocacy and necessary follow-up action.

    “Participants noted that there is the urgent need to resolve the crises in the Niger Delta region in a honest, transparent and open manner, with the view to addressing the fears of the communities, the authorities, the multinationals and business community, as well as the agitators themselves.

    “Participants condemn the invasion of indigenous Ijaw and other Niger Delta communities by armed security agents and frown against the gross human rights violations against the people by the military and other security agencies.”

     

  • UNN shuts Enugu campus over violence

    The Enugu campus of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) has been shut, following a students’ protest against blackout in their hostels. JAMES OJO (300-Level Mass Communication) and PEACE ONUBULEZE (200-Level Law) report.

    It all started as a peaceful demonstration before it ended in violence. Students at the Enugu campus of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) went wild during a protest against epileptic power supply on the campus. The protest became violent and  some school properties were destroyed.

    The protest was led by the Students’ Union Government (SUG) leadership. The students earlier held a congress during which representatives of each arm of the union and Council of Hall Governors, faculty presidents, and class representatives met to discuss the challenge.

    The students were angry about the blackout on the campus, saying the situation prevented them from carrying out their academic assignment. There were also complaints about lack of basic services, such as water supply and Internet. After the congress, the students’ grievances were forwarded to management in a letter titled: “Enugu Campus Students’ Demands”.

    The letter listed the students’ key demands  and served management a seven-day warning strike notice.

    The students’ union declared “sit-in-the-hostel” strike, which paralysed activities on the campus. To ensure compliance, the union locked all lecture halls and barred commercial bus plying the campus from operating from 8am to noon.

    The students vowed not to go for lectures until their conditions were met. Their  action came at the time the school was preparing for examination.

    The union president, Chukwuebuka Nwankwo, said there was need for the management to address the situation with a sense of urgency. Chukwuebuka, a 300-Level Accountancy student, said the strike was to prevent  “extreme response” from students.

    After four days into the strike, the union leaders met with the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Smart Uchegbu, who promised “prompt action”. The students also held another meeting with representatives of the Vice-Chancellor (VC), Prof Benjamin Ozumba.

    The union leaders held another congress to intimate their colleagues with the outcome of their meeting with the management. At the congress, students wanted the strike to continue until their grievances were addressed.

    On Monday, students held another demonstration, blocking the school gate. They carried placards with the following inscriptions: “Let there be light” and “Doctor’s cannot save lives without light”, among others. The protesters were restricted to the school entrance by security operatives.

    As the demonstration was going on, the union leaders were holding a meeting with the representatives of the school management led by the Director of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Okeke Olisa.

    The school, again, promised to do its best to restore electricity in the students’ hostel. The management ordered the union to open the locked classrooms for lectures to start. Olisa said the school would also procure 1,500 KVa generator to complement and increase electricity supply to the hostel to two hours 30 minutes. A decision the union leaders rejected.

    CAMPUSLIFE gathered that electricity was restored at night as promised by the management but the boys’ hostels were excluded. This led to another demonstration as the angry boys made bonfire in the school, before they went wild. They destroyed properties belonging to the school, including louvers of the Main Hall and ICT centre, streetlights, and statute of Eudoral Ibiam.

    The students also smashed louvers in female hostels.

    The violence led to the closure of the school, with the  VC ordering  all students to vacate the campus, while also announcing the proscription of unionism indefinitely.

    None of the students’ leaders were available for comment, but female students criticised their colleagues for the destruction of the school property.

  • Niger Delta governors not supporting violence, says Dickson

    Niger Delta governors not supporting violence, says Dickson

    ayelsa State Governor Seriake Dickson has said Southsouth governors are not supporting violence and members of Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) for attacking oil and gas installations.

    Dickson said stakeholders in Niger Delta, including political leaders, traditional rulers, interest groups and security agencies, were collaborating to ensure lasting peace in the region.

    The governor spoke at the weekend after he was conferred with a honorary doctorate degree in Public Administration at the Ekiti State University (EKSU) in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, during its 21st convocation ceremonies.

    Lawyer and businessman, Gbenga Oyebode, as well as the new Chancellor of the university, who is also the Alara of Aramoko Ekiti, Oba Adegoke Adeyemi, were awarded honorary doctorate degrees.

    Dickson said dialogue remained the best option to resolve grievances among warring parties.

    The governor urged the Federal Government and the militants to desist from using violence to settle their differences.

    Dickson said Niger Delta leaders were concerned about the upsurge of violence, adding that no reasonable person would support attacks on oil and gas facilities as well as other national assets sustaining the economy.

    The governor advised all parties to work together and put the situation under control.

    He said: “We are all concerned about the developments. All the leaders there are concerned about the recent upsurge in insurgency. We are collaborating on the way forward.

    “Those of us who are governors are working hard with traditional leaders, opinion leaders and security agencies as well as collaborating with other private and corporate bodies to ensure that we put it under control.

    “The way forward is not war, war. It is jaw-jaw. The way forward is peace and dialogue; it is consensus building. That is quite what some of us support. We don’t support violence; we are not in support of brigandage. We are not in support of destruction of strategic national assets and killings.

    “We know there is an issue and this issue can only be addressed when all stakeholders work together for unity, peace, prosperity and stability and progress for our country.”

    On the honorary degree given him, Dickson said: “It is a great privilege to have been invited here and decorated with this beautiful academic robe. On behalf of our people in Bayelsa, I bring warm felicitations to the people of Ekiti and my brother Governor Ayo Fayose, who is a visitor to this wonderful university and who has been doing a great job in the state, despite the distractions.

    “As you all know, Bayelsa and Ekiti have a lot in common. We are twin states established on the same day. So, we are keenly interested in what goes on in Ekiti. Every Bayelsa man and woman is a friend and brother of Ekiti, and you are good people.

    “The Ekiti State University has become a model for other institutions. Just two days ago, I sent a team from our state university to come here and interact with your management with a view to finding out how you are managing to pay salaries without receiving subventions from your governor.”

    Fayose hailed the university’s management for good performance and self-sustenance, despite not receiving subvention from the government.

    He said: “I want to appreciate the Governing Council of the university for its efforts and outstanding performance at a time like this, when financing government has become a huge challenge in the face of the dwindling federal allocations. Your performance for the six months has been commendable.”

  • Violence mars LAUTECH Students’ Union election

    Violence mars LAUTECH Students’ Union election

    Students of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) in Ogbomoso, Oyo State, have protested the outcome of their union’s election, accusing the electoral body of manipulating the process to favour ‘management’s candidates’. OLAMIPOSI ALAO reports.

    IT was an election that the students had waited for; but in the end, it turned out to be a no-event. It ended in violence.

    At the time of this report on Monday, the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) in Ogbomoso, Oyo State, was still in turmoil over the election. Also affected by the crisis is Osogbo campus. Students marched on both campuses, demanding the cancellation of the election results. The protesters went wild, destroying school properties and making huge bonfires on the road.

    Among the properties destroyed were the Students’ Union Government (SUG) building, the union’s Hiace bus, furniture, editorial boards and lecturers’ vehicles.

    Members of the staff and visitors were harassed by the protesters wielding sticks, rods and other dangerous materials. Movement in and out of the campus was hectic.

    The election was conducted by e-voting to curb irregularities. But, students said the process was riddled with fraud and malpractice.

    They said the election outcome reflected management’s wishes. They accused management of manipulating the process in favour of its candidates. Many complained of disenfranchisement, accusing Independent LAUTECH Electoral Commission (ILEC) of deliberately leaving them out of the process after succumbing to “management’s pressure”.

    There was tension on the campus when the election was shifted to last Friday from June 1. Students became suspicious, alleging that the electoral body was preparing the ground for the “management’s candidates” to win.

    The election into the union’s parliament was, however, held last Thursday to douse the tension. The following day, election was held for executive positions. Students were required to go for accreditation at Information and Communication Technology (ICT) centres on the campuses and wait to vote.

    There was massive turnout at the ICT centres, but the accreditation was delayed because of computing challenges. Cadets of some paramilitary organisations were strategically stationed to keep the peace.

    But, few hours into voting, the ILEC chairman, Musbau Lawal, announced that voting would end at 4pm. Many students, who were yet to be accredited, pleaded for extension of the voting time, but the commission’s chairman allegedly declined. The chairman, it was learnt, declared the election results at 4pm and announced the winners.

    This did not go down well with disenfranchised students, who accused ILEC of acting a script.

    The students demanded the cancellation of the election as they marched on the Kudirat Abiola Students’ Union Building. They attacked some of their colleagues, who defended ILEC’s decision. They also attacked electoral officers with fetish objects and other weapons.

    The protesters blocked the Ogbomoso-Ilorin Expressway, leaving motorists stranded for hours.

    At 6am last Monday, the students staged another protest, barricading the school entrance. The masked protesters were peaceful but they stopped vehicles from entering the campus.

    Reacting, management, following an emergency meeting last Monday, suspended Students’ Union activities indefinitely and condemned the violence that trailed the  election.

    In a statement by the Registrar, J.A. Agboola, management said: “At the emergency meeting of the expanded management committee, held on Monday, a decision was taken to the effect that all Students’ Union activities be suspended with immediate effect and until further notice. Management has set up an investigation panel to probe the union election.”

    A former students’ union leader, Damilola Abodunrin, said the election was not credible despite being conducted electronically. He said: “The credibility of the election on a scale of 100 is 10. There has been suspicion that the electoral body was under pressure to skew the process against some candidates. The fraud in the process was visible to the blind.”

    For peace to return, Damilola said the election must be conducted again without  management’s interference.

    Chairman of the SUG Petition Tribunal Mahmud Abdulsalam said the aggrieved students should have approached the tribunal for redress, rather than resorting to violence. He condemned the students’ action, saying violence does not solve problems.

    He said: “From what we witnessed, there is no cause for alarm. We don’t have any official result yet, so students should have taken the path of peace. We will ensure that all petitions that will be sent to the tribunal are treated accordingly and a verdict will be sent to the electoral commission and the management.”

    A student of the Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, Israel Fawole, said there was no need for violence when the union constitution allowed aggrieved candidates to seek legal redress.

    “Aggrieved persons need to embrace peace. The Students’ Union constitution has spelt out ways to settle any discrepancy in the election. Resorting to violence is against the spirit of the constitution. So, I will implore all concerned parties to seek peace.”

    A student, who spoke to CAMPUSLIFE under the condition of anonymity, said: “One of the reasons why students will not agree with the outcome of the election is the fact that, we discovered some people in the ICT centres used our matric numbers to vote on the portal before we even went in to cast the ballot. This was when we raised the alarm and the electoral committee chairman hurriedly announced the end of voting.”

    The ILEC chairman, Lawal, denied that the election was manipulated to favour a group of candidates. Speaking to our correspondent on telephone, Lawal said: “The election was free and fair as far as I am concerned. There is no iota of truth in the allegation that the process was manipulated in favour of some candidates.

    “The election was supposed to end at 4pm, but I added additional 40 minutes. The results of the election were ready immediately after the election, since it was conducted electronically. I announced the results I saw on the computer after voting time. But, the truth is that, you can’t satisfy everybody.”

  • Ikpeazu seeks spiritual intervention to tackle violence

    Ikpeazu seeks spiritual intervention to tackle violence

    •Babcock University graduates 1,616

    Abia06 State Governor Okezie Ikpeazu has urged Nigerians to ponder on the crises plaguing the nation and look heavenward for solutions.

    He spoke while delivering the keynote address at Babcock University’s 14th undergraduate and fifth postgraduate convocation yesterday.

    Ikpeazu said: “Nigeria is looking for solutions to various problems: insurgency, Fulani herdsmen, among others. We must ponder on what time we are in history and look heavenward for solution.”

    He urged the graduands to be apostles of the ministry, who will provide those solutions, while the rest of the world follows their lead.

    “The apostles of these solutions are graduands of Babcock University. Therefore, the world is looking upon you to show us the way so that the rest of us will follow… Depend totally on God and be yourselves. Be the change agents of the world, rather than allow the world change you. Every effort you make without looking first upon God will come to naught.”

    Delivering the commencement address, President of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) Mr. Aigboje Imoukhuede told the graduands to exploit every opportunity and shun phobia of starting up their own business.

    He noted that the Africa Initiative of Governors (AIG), an NGO he founded, has signed a bill, over the weekend, to grant scholarships to Nigerian and Ghanaian students to have their masters in public policy at Oxford University, United Kingdom (UK).

    The former Access bank boss said: “The AIG was founded to teach governors how to improve governance and transform the public sector. The initiative was just signed by Kofi Annan last Friday. But all the recipients must commit to come back to Nigeria to practice for at least five years.”

    The university graduated 1,616 undergraduates and 220 postgraduate students.

    Among them, 66 made first class honours, of which Comfort Inyang of the Department of Computer Science emerged overall best with cumulative grade point average of 4.96.

    The university’s vice chancellor, Prof Ademola Tayo, in his advice to the graduands, said: “You have been trained to solve real world problems… That makes you entrepreneurial job-ready graduates. You must continue to function to lead and influence the thinking on best strategy to align infrastructure, education and skills to growth and productivity. As you move into the world, the new challenges and opportunities that come your way would demand fresh thinking and a different way of working to make positive impact.”

  • Addressing political violence (For Kudirat Abiola)

    Addressing political violence (For Kudirat Abiola)

    This Saturday marks the 20th anniversary of the martyrdom of Alhaja Kudirat Abiola. She did not volunteer her life to be ended by the assassin’s bullet. Rather they killed her because they believed that she was in their way. What she stood for was antithetical to their belief. She stood for democracy and respect for the voice of the people freely expressed. They stood for dictatorship and the muzzling of the voice of the people with the gun. The only way they knew to deal with that situation of opposing views on the best form of government or approach to governance was by violently silencing her.

    Kudirat Abiola was not the first to suffer that fate. In the first and second republics, intolerance of opposing political views and positions claimed the lives of many innocent citizens. And when we include the mother of all political violence-the insane fratricidal war- it is beyond doubt that we are in a special league of irrational politics in which reason plays a subsidiary role to emotion.

    Alhaja Abiola has not been the last either. Since the beginning of the Fourth Republic, we have seen an escalation of political assassination across the board of political party platforms. From ANPP Chieftain Marshall Harry to Attorney-General Bola Ige and Engineer Funsho Williams, political assassination has been the norm in the so-called new dispensation.

    How do we make sense of this irrationality? Let me admit that it begs the question to suggest that it is irrational to engage in political violence. For we have to first understand what is irrational in the behavior or practice. For those politicians who deem violence the most efficient and effective means to the end they desire, it may be the height of rationality if in fact it is truly efficient and effective. This cannot be determined in the abstract. Therefore, for them, we cannot pronounce the irrationality of political violence a priori.

    On the other hand, if you believe, as I do, that certain conducts are irrational no matter the contribution they make to the realization of a desired end, then, you might be persuaded to agree that political violence is irrational. To make sense of this claim, we need only to ask ourselves the question posed by the Golden Rule: how would I like it if I was the recipient? What if it happened to me? And if we are not willing to be the recipient, but we choose to inflict violence on others, to that extent we are irrational because we are not consistent in what we will for others and what we will for self. Inconsistency and irrationality are identical twins.

    Political violence is irrational to the extent that none of its perpetrators will it for themselves. So the obvious question is “why inflict it on others?

    There are several answers to this question. There are two categories of agents of political violence. First there are state agents, those who wield state power, claim the protection of the state and claim to act in the interest of the state. And while the law or the constitution does not offer them any protection, they claim it anyway, with the connivance of other agents of state, especially the judiciary. In the darks days of military dictatorship, separation of power was a myth as the maximum ruler held sway over all levers of power. Therefore, what the constitution doesn’t permit is doneanyway, or the constitution itself is suspended.

    It was, therefore, easy for the dictator and his agents to commit evil against whoever was perceived to stand in their way. They had the raw power and no one can ask questions. It was state terrorism. It was the kind of power that even traditional rulers in our monarchical past did not possess because, at least in Yorubaland, these rulers had to contend with a number of checks and balances.

    Beside the state agents, there are those who aspire to become state agents. In a democratic system, the ballot box is the tool for the choice of rulers. This means that prospective rulers have to canvass the support of the electorates. Where freedoms of choice and association are respected values, and the humanity of everyone is recognized, this practice offers itself as the best. But not everyone respects the humanity of others, and certainly there are free citizens who are only too willing to deny the freedom of others. For them, placing their policy platforms before the electorate to compete with those of their opponents is just too much when they can sponsor violent attacks against them and their supporters.

    We all probably understand even if we do not endorse the motivations of these two sponsors of political violence—state agents and prospective state agents. There is a third category, namely the human tools and instruments that they use. Abacha didn’t go out himself to fire the shot that took the life of Alhaja Abiola. And those that pumped bullets into the body of Chief Ige and waited to see him breath his last, were different from those who really wanted him dead and sponsored his murder.

    These instruments and tools in the hands of the big bosses are the wretched of our earth. They entertain no qualm to kill for money. They make themselves available for the highest bidder. But who gets into this kind of “kill for money” business? The answer is not far-fetched. They are the ones created by the policies and practices of state agents who ride into power with the help of willing tools who inflict violence on the innocent. And as long as these state agents get their way, they will always willingly and deliberately produce willing tools to do their dirty jobs.

    Beside the state agents, aspiring state agents and their murderous willing tools, however, there are the enablers who encourage the actors either by their staying silent in the face of evil or by actively rewarding evil with their votes. Enablers are as morally culpable as the perpetrators of violence and together they account for the untimely deaths of thousands of innocent human beings in the last twenty-three years, excluding the first and second republics.

    Unfortunately, we cannot wish away political violence as long as the conditions for its existence in our body politics subsist. These include, first, mass unemployment of youths and young adults who willing tools simply because the big men they work for have the means to hire them.

    Second is the promising prospect of easy money in national politics. As governors, senators,representatives, and local government chairmen are seen as super-rich and their lifestyle confirms the narrative, many more citizens will be attracted to politics, and to ensure that they have a good shot at positions, they will recruit “boys” to “work” for them.

    Third isthe absence of strong institutions to enforce the laws against political violence. Many victims of political violence either suffer in silence or take to self-help because institutions of law enforcement have been deliberately weakened to the point that they are not capable of performing their constitutional duties. The police tragically take side with any government in power against the dictates of fairness. For politicians of an opposition party to rely on police protection from harm is seen by many of them as the height of folly, if not self-abnegation.

    Can we reverse our culture of political violence? To the extent that it is not an innate tendency of our humanity,and certainly not of our Africanness, one cannot foreclose its reversal. But there has to be a deliberate and sustained effort to humanize our systems and strengthen our institutions. How is this to be done and who is to take charge?

    Politicians have proved ill-equipped because the majority of them benefit from the chaos despite their constitutional obligation. Therefore, morally conscious citizens muststand up and call them out. Alhaja Abiola and other victims of mindless political violence deserve nothing less. For their sake we must address and reverse the culture of political violence. Their martyrdom must not be in vain.

  • Towards ending violence against children in Cross River

    Seeking for means to end violence perpetuated against children has been on the agenda of the Cross River State government. This desire, which has also been driven by the support of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), has continued to gather momentum to check the rising spate of the menace.
    Over the past few months, they have worked with various stakeholders as faith-based organizations, security agencies, civil society organizations, and the media among others in the state to ensure awareness is created about the issue so it can be addressed. They rue that the issue if violence against children is endemic, yet people are not talking about it.
    To this end, among several workshops and other activities organized by the government and UNICEF, is a launch of the campaign on Violence Against Children (VAC) slated for June 16, 2016 and a technical working group (TWG) inaugurated drive the cause. The launch would make Cross River, the second state to do so after Lagos State. It had also been launched by the President Muhammadu Buhari led Federal Government in September 2015.
    Some statistic provided by Child Protection Specialist UNICEF Nigeria, Enugu Field Office Mrs Nkiru Maduechesi, who in the past months, has been working with the state government through the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, indicated that 24.8 per cent of girls are sexually abused while 10.8 per cent of boys are abused sexually.
    According to her, among victims of sexual abuse prior to 18 years of age, 70.5 % females and 69.2% males reported multiple incidents.
    She also pointed out that 49.7 per cent of girls are physically abused, while 52.3 per cent of boys suffer same. She noted that such abuses occur in the home of the perpetrator or victim and also in school. The perpetrators, she said mostly include neighbours, relatives and teachers.
    Maduechesi said, “Of those children who experience of sexual abuse in the last 12 months, only 15.6% of girls and 26.1% of boys knew where to seek help, but only 5.2% girls/3.4% boys sought help, and only 4.2% girls, 3.4% of boys received help. Less than half tell anyone at all.”
    She stressed the need for all stakeholders to work together to end the scourge of violence against children in the society.
    At the various workshops held with various stakeholders in the state, she said were aimed at sharing lessons learnt from the Federal and Lagos State launch of End Violence Against Children Campaign; share key National VAC survey findings and consider their implication for programming in Cross River; review the developed multi-sectorial response for preventing and responding to VAC and adapt it to the Cross River context; as well as plan for the Cross River launch including identifying and inaugurating members of the planning committee for the launch of the state response plan.
    Another Child Protection Specialist with UNICEF, Mr Tatenda Makoni, who decried the spate of violence against children in the country, classified them into physical, sexual and emotional violence.
    These he said have far reaching consequences on the children and the society at large.
    Speaking at press briefing to launch the campaign to end VAC organized by the UNICEF with the state government, Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Mrs Stella Odey, said they were leaving no stone unturned in making sure the malaise is wiped from the state.
    The Commissioner said the state, which already has a Child Rights Act in place, has zero tolerance to any kind of abuse against children.
    Odey said the launch by the President, which contributes to the attainment of the goals of the National Priority Agenda for Vulnerable Children in Nigeria (2013-2020), is a clear indication that the commitment to end violence against children reaches the highest political level.
    “We are proud to respond to the call of the President for every State in Nigeria to launch its own campaign and priority actions, during the Year of Action, to more effectively prevent and respond to all forms of violence against children,” she said.
    Odey said the State Priority Actions set out the short-term and long-term strategies for the state to more effectively prevent and respond to violence against children.
    She said the Priority Actions not only define the role of each stakeholder in ending violence against children, but also acknowledge that no one entity can end VAC alone.
    “I take this opportunity to call upon State and Local Government level actors, civil society, religious and traditional leaders, faith based organizations, community based organizations, the private sector, the media, families and local communities to join the Cross River State ‘End Violence Against Children Campaign’ to ensure all of our children are able to grow up free from violence. I am filled with hope that together we can eradicate violence against our children in Cross River State,” the Commissioner appealed.

  • Gombe police fight gender violence

    Gombe police fight gender violence

    The Gombe State police command is leading the campaign against gender-based violence, urging people in criminal justice administration to be guided by their conscience and ensure victims get justice.

    The command said the application of relevant laws to protect the vulnerable group has been hampered by weakened legal institutions, including inadequate skilled officers to vigorously take cases to a logical conclusion.

    The State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Austin Iwar spoke in Gombe while declaring open a one-day workshop on ‘Human rights and gender-based violence’ organised by the command for police officers in the state.

    He said the interactive session was meant to “equip and empower officers to have basic skills in managing issues that have to do with gender-based violence because victims mostly lack the capacity to defend themselves, react ot fight for their rights.”

    He said, “It is despicable, it is disheartening that young kids as young as seven, four years and even less are defiled by grown-up men that are old enough to be their fathers, grandfathers or great grandfathers, hence we are working round the clock to see that we confront the situation.

    “This workshop is part of what we are doing to confront the situation and make sure that we reduce this social problem to a manageable level and possibly even eliminate it from our system.

    “Part of confronting the situation will involve working with stakeholders because these are crimes that are confined.

    “Eventually it will require a lot of education and awareness creating for parents, especially and other stakeholders alike. But we have to start from ourselves.

    “Therefore, there will be series of workshops that will be conducted with the efforts of cascading the message down the rank and file.”

    The CP nevertheless called on officers involved in the administration of justice to be guided by their consciences in ensuring that victims get suspects treated fairly.

    The resource person, Barbara Maigari described the event as a knowledge-sharing section would promote human rights, adherence to human rights standards, respect for gender matters and will also try to see how gender-based violence could be prevented.

  • Violence: Edo North monarchs apologise to Odubu

    Violence: Edo North monarchs apologise to Odubu

    The Otaru of Auchi kingdom, Alhaji Aliru Momoh Ikelebe III, has led other prominent traditional rulers in Edo North to apologise to Edo State Deputy Governor Pius Odubu for the attack on him in Auchi. He called for reconciliation between Governor Adams Oshiomhole and Odubu.

    The monarch extolled the cordial relationship between Oshiomhole and Odubu in the past seven and a half years. He said that at a time like this, the friendship should not turn sour.

    He said that the development of the state is tied to the oneness of purpose. The monarch prayed Almighty Allah that nothing should separate the governor and his deputy.

    The traditional ruler urged the deputy governor not to be distracted by mischief makers, who want to trivialise the attack across ethnic and senatorial divides. He assured the aspirant that the traditional institution recognised his ambition.

    Otaru thanked the Almighty Allah that no lives were lost during the unfortunate incident and prayed for quick recovery of those presently receiving treatment.

    The traditional rulers in the senatorial district had earlier resolved to investigate the matter, even as the Otaru said youths in his kingdom where the incident happened are not known to own guns.

    Oturu promised that the royal fathers will mediate in the dispute  and the rancour in the House of Assembly.

    The relationship between Oshiomhole and Odubu was strain when the later declared his intention to contest the governorship election.

    The Otaru said: “We want to see the governor and hear from him what is happening.”

    He said the issues are germane and as traditional rulers they have resolved to look for a way to addressing them, adding that this informed their decision to go into the matter and try to settle them.

    “I can assure you that we have disciplined youth in this community and they don’t have the gun to go and be shooting at people and we don’t have guns in Auchi. It is a case of internal political conflicts and those conflicts are exclusive to them. I am not aware that any Auchi youth has taken part in that crisis. The incident that happened in Auchi was one that nobody expected to happen and we as a community are very sympathetic with the deputy governor, but we are investigating who and who would have been responsible.”

    The traditional rulers also visited the governor, and heir apparent to the Benin throne Crown Prince, Eheneden Erediauwa, to commiserate with him over the death of his father Oba Erediauwa.

    Odubu escaped death in Auchi as gunmen shot at him inside the APC Secretariat, Auchi as he was being received by the delegates of Etsako West Local Government Area, the governor’s hometown.

  • Govt will not tolerate violence against child , says deputy governor Adebule

    Govt will not tolerate violence against child , says deputy governor Adebule

    Lagos State is spending N113.3billion of its N662billion budget on education this year, Deputy Governor Dr Idiat Adebule has said.

    She said the education vote was a third of the Federal Government’s N369billion for the sector.

    Speaking at the Children’s Day at the Police College Parade Ground in Ikeja on Friday, Mrs Adebule, said the budget reflected the priority his administration places on education.

    She said the priority would also reflect on how people who abuse children would be treated, noting that the government is in the forefront of “Stopping violence against children”, which is the theme of this year’s Children’s Day celebration.

    She said: “Recent findings from Violence Against Children (VAC) survey have disclosed that six out of every 10 (60 per cent) children under age 18 are being abused in the society, especially by the people they refer to as family members.

    “My beloved children, let me assure you all of our determination and commitment towards ensuring that anyone who engages in any form of abuse and violence against any child shall be appropriately dealt with under the law.”

    The state, he said, would no longer tolerate child abuse, domestic violence, child trafficking or violation of any law on the development of children.

    Anyone caught violating the Child Rights law either through child abuse, trafficking or domestic violence, he said, would be dealt with in accordance with the law.

    She warned perpetrators of these acts to desist, lamenting that they are becoming the norm today rather than an aberration.

    Mrs Adebule said the One –meal- a- day for pupils would soon begin, adding that the distribution of special tablets containing their academic curriculum is also receiving attention to enhance effective teaching/learning possible through the use of Information Communication Technology (ICT).

    At a Children’s Day celebration organised by Lagos Television (LTV), Mrs Adebule called on parents to always be available for their children.

    She said: “We need to know that our roles as parents does not end at just providing them books and uniforms but we should also be prepared to listen to them always. If we don’t make ourselves accessible to our children, they would not be able to talk with us.”

    The deputy governor urged the children to be security conscious as child trafficking and abuse are on the rise.

    Lagos State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation Mrs Lola Akande at another event, said violence against children comes in different forms, adding that the act causes physical and emotional harm to the growth of the child.

    Mrs Akande enjoined parents to teach their children the virtues of honesty, dedication and love, saying no duty is more important to parents than to ensure that their children are cared for and protected.

    The governor’s wife, Mrs Bolanle Ambode, represented by Prof Ibiyemi Bello, described children as priceless gifts from God and fountains of joy to parents.

    She described Children’s Day as a day set aside to celebrate children and draw government’s attention to their challenges.

    Speaking on behalf of the children, Lagos State Children Parliament Speaker Tobi Daniel thanked government and the Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation for hosting the children to a grand celebration to mark the 2016 Children’s Day.

    At the Academic Conference for the Primary and Secondary School pupils organised by the Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria, Odi-Olowo/Ojuwoye Area Council, Mushin, Lagos to commemorate the Children’s Day in Ilupeju, the President, Mallam AbdulJeleel Gbadamosi urged parents to monitor the television programmes their children watch.

    “Parents are meant to play an essential role in the upbringing of the child’s in order to be useful to the society.  Most of the children  both in primary and secondary schools are being exposed to social media site such as Facebook, Whatsapp, Instagram and so on which most of their contents are non-educative. This, in turn corrupt the minds of these young folks and affect their academic performance,” he said.