PDP STAGED A PEACE PROCESSION IN PORT HARCOURT

Heavy traffic gridlock on Aba road in Port Harcourt as members of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP embark on what it dubbed Peace procession.

Chairman of the party in the state, Mr Felix Obuah had in a press statement signed by his media aide, Mr Jerry Needam on Thursday said the procession which will terminate at the School of Arts and Science, Rumuola is to promote values of peace in the state.


The protesters are decked in white attire which the party said symbolised peace. This procession is on the heels of the one organised by the All Progressive Congress. APC in the state on Monday, code named Rivers Black day.

The governorship candidate of the APC, Dr Dakuku Peterside had said the procession was to remember members of the party allegedly murdered during the period of the last general polls.

LESS THAN 24 HOURS TO KOGI ELECTION, INEC OFFICE RAZED

Barely 24hours to Saturday’s governorship supplementary election in some polling units in Kogi state, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) office in Dekina, Dekina local government area of the state has been razed by unknown persons.

Eyewitnesses claimed that some thugs invaded the office at about 5am and set it on fire in anger, The Nation reports. “The thugs came in a bus, shot sporadically and razed down the office,” one of the eyewitnesses said.

The office was burnt with materials to be used for Saturday’s supplementary governorship election in the area. Confirming the incident, Malam Halilu Pai, the resident electoral commisioner in Kogi said: “We will not succumb to the undemocratic antics of some few, replacement of the election materials are already on the way; the election will go on as scheduled.”

He added that INEC had relocated to a temporary office in the area. Some are of the opinion that the incident was aimed at frustrating the supplementary election, while others believe it was as a result of indiscriminate bush burning by some youths on hunting expedition. However, security operatives are said to be looking for clues to the reason behind the fire and the people responsible.

Out of the 91 polling units, where the supplementary election is supposed to take place, 29 units are in Dekina. Meanwhile, Capt. Idris Ichala Wada, the state governor urged the people of the state to remain calm and not take the law into their hands.

Speaking in a statewide broadcast, the governor said the death of Abubakar Audu, the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress and the declaration of the election as inconclusive by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has thrown the state into deep uncertainties.

He stated that the people must not lose track of the fact that they were all brothers and sisters, hence, the need to preserve the peace in the state. Wada said: “My administration believes in the rule of law and the ability of the judiciary to do justice. I have therefore approached the Federal High Court, Abuja, for the resolution of the present stalemate.

Judgment is expected to be delivered by the Court on Friday, 4th December, 2015. “I therefore urge you all, to remain calm, orderly and law abiding as we await the decision of the Court. All our people across party lines and Senatorial Zones must remain peaceful. Nobody should contemplate taking the laws into their hands.

“The Security Agencies will not hesitate to deal with anyone or group who may attempt any actions that may breach the peace and security of our state.” It would be recalled that protests rocked the the Eastern part of the state over the death of Prince Abubakar Audu and the decision of the of the leading party in the election, APC to replace the late Audu with Alhaji Yahaya Bello from Kogi Central.

BOKO HARAM: ARMY RAIDS SAMBISA TUNNEL

The Nigerian army has gained another victory over the dreaded Boko Haram sect, as troops raided Sambisa tunnel in their advance towards the sect’s main camp.

According to Daily Post, the troops in their encounter freed many hostages and dislodged some Boko Haram insurgents.

Sources from the army said the Boko Haram fighters cannot escape into towns as there are many check points at all Sambisa exits and entry routes.

The sources disclose that the Sambisa tunnel which was discovered is a hideout for the jihadists during military air strikes. Boko Haram flags, motorcycles, among other properties were destroyed in the raid and some hostages were allegedly freed. Below are images from the raid as obtained on Thursday, December 3.

FG TO DRIVE ECONOMY, DEVELOPMENT THROUGH TECHNOLOGY

Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo yesterday stated that the government of President Mohammadu Buhari was poised drive the economy and achieve growth through the use of technology. To realize the objective, the federal government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Global Good Fund co-founded by Bill Gates.

Signing the MoU on behalf of the federal government, the Vice President said the administration “is interested in the idea of using technology because it is the way forward for those interested in rapid growth in the next decade”. According to him, the world has moved on from the dark ages to a technologically driven society.


This, he said, was evident in both agriculture and Health sectors. “I am interested in this whole idea of using technology to address some of our challenges”. Flanked by the Minister of Agriculture, Mr. Audu Ogbeh, Minister of Health, Professor Isaac Adewole and the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Mr. Udoma Udo Udoma at the signing the Vice President emphasized the importance of technology as a means of adding value and improving the lives of millions of people.

 He said “we are at a point where technology is important for making a difference in the lives of the people”. To him, critical areas where technological solutions can be applied to help low level subsistence farmers, small, micro and medium. The Vice President however noted that “the challenge is how to ensure that these initiatives and innovations will benefit the majority of the people”.

 While commending the initiative to engage with the Global Good in the effort, the Vice President charged the partners to ensure that measurable targets are set in order that tangible results can be achieved. “I think we should be able to set targets, to have useful interaction in terms of how much we are able to achieve; this target should be on a scale, for instance, in the next one or two years.

 It should be based on measurable targets to keep our focus”, Prof. Osinbajo explained stressing that “at the end of the day, it will mean we’ve impacted so many millions of people”. Speaking earlier, Mr. David Keogh, the Director of Global Good Fund, who signed the MoU on behalf of his organisation and led the Fund’s delegation, said the Fund is on a social mission to deploy technology in the area of agriculture and healthcare that will impact many people in Nigeria.


 He stated that the company was working in collaboration with other multi-lateral agencies, non-profit organisations and governments,to identify challenges in different value chains and provide technological solutions to them.

Buhari leaves for S-Africa today

President Muhammadu Buhari will leave Abuja for South Africa today to participate in the Forum on China/Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in Johannesburg where he will ask China’s President Xi Jinping to fund rail and power projects urgently needed to diversify an economy hit hard by a plunge in oil prices.

The meeting would be a continuation of his interaction with Jinping which began in New York during the last General Assembly of the United Nations, UN. The President would be accompanied by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyema; Minister of Transportation, Chubuike Amaechi; and the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Okechukwu Enelamah to the forum which would commence on December 4 and end on December 5.

A statement by the presidential spokesman, Mr. Femi Adesina, stated that during the meeting in New York, President Buhari had indicated to Xi Jinping that “he wanted China to re-commence stalled rail projects under new terms that would see China providing nearly all the financing required.

” The statement added that “of particular interest is the coastal railway project stretching for 1402 kilometres linking Lagos in the West with Calabar in the East; a project that is expected to be financed with 12 billion U.S Dollars Chinese loan and which will create about 200,000 jobs.” Another rail project that will be up for renegotiation is the $8.3bn Lagos-Kano standard gauge modernization project, of which only a segment, Kaduna-Abuja has reached completion stage. 

Outside from railways, President Buhari is also expected to discuss ways of kick-starting the 3,050 MW Mambila Power Station, considered to be a strategic project initiated in 1982 but has not taken off. Adesina revealed that the Chinese President expressed the willingness of his country to finance the whole project through a special loan agreement. The president is expected back to Nigeria on December 5

TRANSLATING 1999 CONSTITUTION TO NIGERIAN LANGUAGES: MATTERS ARISING

Mr Ayanbode Oje, a member of the Change Movement Nigeria, recently translated the 1999 Constitution to Yoruba language. He also decided to make the document available free to empower the perceived disenfranchised, oppressed and the voiceless due to their inability to read and understand English language. According to him, reading and understanding in one’s language will encourage participatory democracy.

 “We are calling for volunteers to help translate the 1999 Constitution to other indigenous languages in Nigeria while we work on an audio version of the constitution,’’ he said in an interview. In spite of Oje’s initiative, observers note that it is worrisome that most Yoruba speaking Nigerians don’t make use of the translated version of the constitution. They note that some of the targeted Nigerians in the translation are not even aware of Oje’s effort, which they say can undermine the purpose of the translation.


 For instance, Mr Shola Adeboye, a teacher, said that although the motive behind the translation was to bring the constitution closer and make appealing to the targeted ethnic group, the response of the public to the initiative was not encouraging. But Mr Chinedu Okechukwu, said that he and other Nigerians from his ethnic group, would utilise the advantage of a translated constitution to his language (Igbo) to know more about human rights.

 The National Orientation Agency (NOA), therefore, said it would soon circulate indigenous language translations of the constitution to promote understanding of human rights among Nigerians. Mr Mike Omeri, Director-General of the agency, noted that the translation of the constitution was to motivate Nigerians to be conscious of their rights by reading and understanding it.

 He said the agency was working with National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to promote human rights in Nigeria, adding that the agency was training its staff in that regard. Lending credence to the decision of the agency to promote more translation of the constitution to more Nigerian languages, Mr Samuel Akanbi, a political scientist, noted that the constitution ought to be in various languages in Nigeria. According to him, since Nigeria has more than 250 ethnic groups, no effort should be spared to produce the constitution in local languages. “This will make some people that cannot read in English to have a little knowledge of knowing what the constitution of Nigeria says.

 “The constitution contains many civil, political and human rights for the citizens and there are many things that are being done wrongly on daily basis. “Due to lack of awareness of such fundamental human rights, many human rights are infringed upon. “Imagine a citizen of this country not knowing he has the right to express his opinion and walk freely.

 “That is the reason many policemen arrest the ignorant, torture and collect money to bail a suspect even when it is written that bail is free,’’ he said. He noted that many Nigerians were not aware of their political rights and that they could even recall their representatives in various state houses of assembly or National Assembly.

 He said that most Nigerians exhibited gross ignorance about their civil right, adding that “they do not know that citizens should be treated like kings by the government because they voted the government into power. “The governments are supposed to provide social amenities such as good road, electricity and water supply, among others, to the people. “Translating the constitution to various Nigerian languages will liberate the citizens from the complete ignorance.’’

However, Prof. Ben Angwe, the Executive Secretary of NHRC, noted that the commission had a target of achieving 80 per cent human rights awareness in the country by the end of 2015. He urged NOA to speed up the translation of not only the constitution but the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights to Nigerian languages.

 Angwe assured Nigerians that NOA and NHRC would spare no effort in promoting the rights of Nigerians and improving respect for their rights. Corroborating this viewpoint, observers note that every citizen ought to understand the provisions of the constitution. They insist that the understanding of the constitution will empower the citizenry to demanding for their rights within the ambit of the constitution.


 Expressing different opinion, Mr Innocent Lagi, a lawyer, said the clamour for translation of the constitution might not achieve the intended goal. “Most Nigerians do not read and the high level of illiteracy in the country will impede the objective. “NOA should rather intensify teaching of the contents of the constitution and sensitise the citizenry on their right as embedded in the constitution. “It needs to teach the people what section of the constitution is relevant to their need and the benefit that will accrue to them in knowing such sections.

 “The problem is not about the language but how to read and understand its contents and values,’’ he said. According to him, the teaching of the constitution in public places such as church, mosques and schools, will enable the citizenry to understand its importance.

SENATE PROPOSES 2-YEAR JAIL FOR OFFENDERS OF ABUSIVE STATEMENTS ON SOCIAL MEDIA

A bill seeking a two-year jail term for any person who makes allegation or publishes any statement or petition in the newspaper, radio or medium of whatever description against another person, institutions of government or any public office holder, passed second reading in the Senate, yesterday.

 The bill also prescribed that anybody or group of persons who send any false text message or post false message on the social media against another person shall be jailed for two years upon conviction by the law court. The bill, tagged: “A Bill for an Act to Prohibit Frivolous Petitions and other Matters Connected therewith”, sponsored by Senator Ibn Na’Allah, APC, Kebbi South, compels petitioners to accompany their petitions with sworn court affidavit, failure of which attracts a six- month imprisonment upon conviction.

 But the bill provides for an option of N4 million for persons convicted of false newspaper, radio and television statements and N2 million for offenders of false phone text messages or messages on Facebook, twitter, Instagram, or WhatsApp. “Where any person in order to circumvent this law makes any allegation and or publish any statement, petition in any paper, radio, or any medium of whatever description, with malicious intent to discredit or set the public against any person or group of persons, institutions of government, he shall be guilty of an offence and upon conviction, shall be liable to an imprisonment term of two years or a fine of N4,000,000.00”,the bill specified.

 On the social media, the bill read: “Where any person through text message, tweets, WhatsApp or through any social media post any abusive statement knowing same to be false with intent to set the public against any person and group of persons, an institution of government or such other bodies established by law shall be guilty of an offence and upon conviction, shall be liable to an imprisonment for two years or a fine of N2,000,000.00 or both fine and imprisonment.”

 The bill said it shall be an offence for any petition to be submitted without a sworn affidavit from the law court. “Not withstanding anything contained in any law, it shall be an unlawful to submit any petition, statement intended to report the conduct of any person for the purpose of an investigation, inquiry and or inquest without a duly sworn affidavit in the High Court of a state or the Federal High Court confirming the content to be true and correct and in accordance with the Oaths Act.

 “Any petition and or complains not accompanied by a sworn affidavit shall be incompetent and shall not be used by any government institution, agency or bodies established by any law for the time being enforced in Nigeria. “Any person who unlawfully uses, publish or cause to be published any petition, complaint not supported by a dully sworn affidavit shall be deemed to have committed an offence and upon conviction, shall be liable to an imprisonment for six months without an option of fine.

 “Any person who acts, uses, or cause to be used any petition or complaints not accompanied by dully sworn affidavit shall be deemed to have committed an offence and upon conviction, shall be liable to an imprisonment for a term of two years or a fine of N200,000.00 or both, “the petition read. Senator Na’Allah, in his lead debate, during the plenary, where he sought support for accelerated consideration of the bill, said: “Our past has portrayed us as a society where by mere expedience of writing a frivolous petition against public officials, you can have their right abused by taking certain measures that practically took away their right of presumptions of innocence only to be found later that the petition, as strong as it appears, on the paper actually lacks merit.”


 “This sometimes, lead to a lot of innocent and most times honest civil servants being taken away from the public service only to be replaced by the dishonest ones, which invariably lead to the draining of the public service of civil servants with the desired integrity to move this country forward simply on grounds of principles. “As a nation with strong desire to move forward, this negative trend must be reversed, if only the desired objectives of the country,” he stressed. He added: “the bill which appears ‘sunset’ in its nature consists of four sections which in clear terms spelt out the punishment for frivolous petition, and what constitutes frivolous petition.

 “The bill seeks to provide punishment for frivolous petitions by making sure that only credible and. Verifiable petitions are presented for public use. “The utility of the bill is to equally save the time for good governance and resources that go into investigating frivolus petitions.The bill would equally assist in shaping our negative thinking by elevating hard work over and above sychophancy and indolence,”he further explained.

 “The question to ask is, whether having passed the Freedom of Information Act which gives unfettered access by the public information from government offices they would be right for this government to continue to waste valuable time and resources in investigating frivolous petitions from the same public and I am sure you would find no difficulty in saying no to the ugly situation,”he stressed, while soliciting support for its consideration.