Minister of Works David Umahi has lambasted Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in 2023, saying he is not the mouthpiece for Igbos.
Umahi added that Obi should refrain from allegedly inciting the youth of the South-East against the administration of President Bola Tinubu ahead of the planned August 1 protest.
Umahi spoke on Wednesday during the Ebonyi State Youth and Stakeholders Summit held at the Christian Ecumenical Centre in Abakaliki.
“Let me make this clear: His Excellency, Mr. Peter Obi, does not speak for Ndigbo. Our governors, Ohaneze Ndigbo, and our traditional rulers are our leaders; they speak for us. Let the enemies of Ndigbo hear this loud and clear: our governors and Ohaneze Ndigbo are the mouthpieces of Ndigbo.
“Let no one take the comments of one individual and use them to malign us. We are a very peaceful people. We will continue to support Mr. President. My advice to our brother is to reconsider his stance to avoid inciting some uninformed youths against the rule of law and endangering the peace of the nation.
“Whenever there is a protest, the economy of that nation suffers. The EndSARS protest did not yield anything constructive; instead, people gathered to engage with the government, and the issues raised were addressed.
“Protests do not produce results. It is when you make your grievances known in a constructive manner that they will be addressed. Let me emphasise that President Bola Tinubu is addressing all the grievances of the youths and the people,” Umahi stated.
Addressing the youths and stakeholders present, Ebonyi State governor Francis Nwifuru urged the youth of the state not to participate in the planned nationwide protests against hardship, assuring them that his administration is working diligently to address issues that will improve the lives of every Ebonyi citizen.
Governor Nwifuru pledged that his administration would always listen to the concerns of the state’s youth, ensuring that their demands, requests, and aspirations are met.
“Let me be clear: those who were the primary beneficiaries of the fuel subsidy are the ones resisting the interests of Nigerian youths. However, with our support, President Bola Tinubu will undoubtedly overcome all those who oppose his administration,” the governor stated.
Other leaders of Ebonyi State who spoke out against the planned protest included former Senate President Anyim Pius Anyim, former governor of the state, Chief Martin Elechi, the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and the Trade Union Congress, TUC, traditional rulers, and representatives from the student union bodies in the state.
August 1 protests: You don’t speak for Igbo – Umahi lambasts Peter Obi
August 1 protests: You don’t speak for Igbo – Umahi lambasts Peter Obi
NBA offers free legal services for #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protesters
The Nigerian Bar Association has set up free legal support services for anyone whose fundamental human rights may be violated as a result of the ongoing hunger protest.
The association’s President, Yakubu Maikyau, in a statement on Thursday, through the NBA National Publicity Secretary, Akorede Lawal, disclosed that directives have been sent out to all chairpersons of the 130 branches of the association to take up any case(s) of breach of fundamental human rights of persons involved in the protest.
He, however, advised participants to go about the protest peacefully while he urged law enforcement agents to be professional and respect the human rights of others in the discharge of their duty.
He also noted that a situation monitoring committee has been set up to monitor activities between law enforcement agents and protesters.
The statement read in part, “The President of the Nigerian Bar Association Mr. Yakubu Maikyau, has yesterday, July 31, 2024, directed all the Chairmen/Chairpersons of the 130 Branches of the NBA to ensure that their respective Human Rights Committees take up observed or reported cases of breach of fundamental right (s) of any citizen, harassment, intimidation or torture perpetrated by law enforcement agents, the protesters or other identified members of the public in the course of the protest.
“Chairmen/chairpersons of NBA nranches have also been directed to set up Situation Monitoring Committees to monitor and report activities and interactions between law enforcement agents and protesters. To this end, an online monitoring form has been provided, and it can be accessed from the link
“Members of the SMC and other members of the NBA engaged in the monitoring exercise are encouraged to complete the form and submit same for NBA’s record and further action where necessary.”
It added, “To ensure effective coordination of this endeavor, the NBA has established Legal Support Services Teams across the country headed by the first Vice President of the NBA, Mrs. Linda Rose Bala; the Chairman NBA-SPIDEL, Sir Steve Adehi, (SAN); and the Chairman, NBA Human Rights Institute; Mr. Chinonye Obiagwu, (SAN). The NBA President has also written to the Inspector General of Police to collaborate with the NBA in this regard.
“As the protest commences today, August 1, 2024, the NBA wishes to encourage citizens, including members of the NBA who are joining the protest to exercise their right peacefully and within the bounds of the law. The security agencies are also urged to be professional and observe human rights in their duty to enforce the law”.
The hunger protest is scheduled to be held in all 36 states of the country and the FCT is to start today, August 1, and last till August 10.
The protest is geared towards bringing the government’s attention to the economic hardship currently being faced by its citizens.
Protest: Tension as Ondo residents fear repeat of EndSARS saga
Residents of Ondo State have expressed apprehension over the nationwide protest slated for today, August 1.
Also, some traders have resolved that they will not open their shops for business in order not to be caught up in any unforeseen circumstance.
While monitoring the situation in Akure, the Ondo State capital, TVN reports that there is slight movement of people.
According to a civil servant who gave her name as Funmbi Oladiran, “I don’t think that I’ll be going to the office.
“I don’t want the situation of the EndSARS protest to repeat itself. I was in town when the violence started, and I was stranded because I couldn’t get home.
“I thank God that the children are now on holiday, and I can’t leave my children at home because nobody knows what will happen.”
Also, a trader at Arakale Road, Charles Ebuka, disclosed that a meeting had been held by traders to prevent the destruction of any of their goods.
“We will hang around our shops and observe the situation before anyone is allowed to open the shops.
“The protests are okay, but the problem is that some people with another motive will want to use them to attack other people’s businesses,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police in the state, Abayomi Oladipo, has assured residents of the state, as well as genuine protesters that adequate security will be provided to forestall any move by hoodlums to perpetrate breakdown of law and order.
“We are to ensure the EndSARS and Kenya experiences are not reenacted in this country. We will not allow the situation to descend into chaos. We will not allow public infrastructure to be destroyed.
“We are prepared to protect property and lives. If you have information about the activities of the fifth columnists, pass the information along so that we can respond to such a situation.
“There has not been any group or person who has indicated interest in participating in the protest in line with the virtual meeting with the IGP for them to state their route.
“Nigerians are advised to go about their normal business. We will not allow people to go and loot shops and business premises,” he warned.
Protest: Tension as Ondo residents fear repeat of EndSARS saga
Middle Belt group wants restructuring before 2027
The Coalition of Indigenous Middle Belt Organisations is mobilising stakeholders to demand for the participation of the Middle Belt indigenous ethnic nationalities as equal partners in the Nigerian federation.
Its Chairman, Mr Timothy Gandu, stated this in a statement in Abuja on Wednesday, to announce the organisation’s National Delegates Conference scheduled for Aug. 9 to 10, 2024 in Kaduna.
“We shall, through peaceful, but in diligent and persistent manner, ensure that the goals set out by us are achieved.
“We shall meet with other indigenous ethnic nationalities in the country to put forward the demand to restructure Nigeria before 2027.
“The goal is to give room for the participation of the Middle Belt indigenous ethnic nationalities as equal partners in the Nigerian federation,” he said.
He explained that the conference with the theme, “Restructuring and Enactment of the Peoples Constitution, Panacea to Peace and Good Growth of the Nation” would discuss and consolidate their demands for participation.
He said that CIMBO was established in 2023 following a call by the Coalition of Indigenous Ethnic Nationalities in Nigeria for indigenous ethnic nationalities across the country to come up with their positions on restructuring.
“CIMBO is of the strong view that Nigeria has a constitution that has not given recognition to the minorities in consonance with the United Nation declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious, and Linguistic Minorities in 1992, and the United Nation Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, 2007.
“This includes the people of the Middle Belt of Nigeria, with over 400 ethnic groups and a population estimated at more than 44 million people as at 2016,” he said.
Gandu added that the 2014 National Conference Report recommended the creation of more states and eight geopolitical zones in Nigeria.
The chairman stressed that based on the report, the middle belt was supposed to have three zones – Middle Belt East, Middle Belt Central and Middle Belt West given its land size and population.
He said: “The non-actualisation of the 2014 Confab recommendations and the promulgation of laws and policies detrimental to the people of the middle belt has necessitated the call for all indigenous ethnic organisations to meet and reinforce their stand as a bloc in Nigeria.
“The meeting is attracting over 100 delegates, representative of the over 400 indigenous ethnic nationalities of the Middle Belt.
“Principal amongst the issues to be discussed at the conference are the need to maintain our identity and have control of our ethnic lands, heritage and resources.
“Other issues are the removal of our ethnic groups from internal oppression, suppression and colonialism; to be part of the Nigerian federation and to benefit equally and equitably like all other groups in the nation.
“We also want to support and reinforce all positive actions of Middle Belt organisations, like the Middle Belt Forum, Conference of Autochthonous Ethnic Nationalities Community Development Associations, and Kwararafa People’s Assembly among others.”
NAN.
#EndBadGovernaceProtest will either make or break Nigeria —Sani
Former lawmaker who represented Kaduna Central senatorial district in the National Assembly, Shehu Sani, believes the nationwide #EndBadGovernance protests will either make or break Nigeria.
The former lawmaker who bared his mind on the protests by aggrieved Nigerians over the hardship and hunger in the country, said there is no need to panic as the protests could turn out to be a blessing in disguise or could be the end of the country one way or the other.
In a post on his Facebook page on Wednesday night, Sani said if the protests turn out peaceful, it will strengthen the country’s democracy, and if otherwise, the nation shall learn from it.
“Tomorrow (Thursday) is the cheduled day of the protest. It will come and go. There is no need to panic. If it turns out peaceful, it will strengthen our democracy; if otherwise, the nation shall learn from it,” Sani wrote.
READ ALSO:Shehu Sani tells Fayose to withdraw comment about northern region, apologise
“Rights and freedoms can only be guaranteed in an atmosphere of peace. The security forces should provide security for those who want to protest and for those who don’t want to.
“In all that we want and we don’t want, we must have a country first. Any thug or terrorist who wants to exploit or capitalise on the exercise of rights and freedom of the citizens to instigate mayhem and chaos, must be fished out and be handed over to authorities.
“All the measures taken by the Government of Kaduna State to protect the rights of the citizens and secure the state is commendable in view of our history and experiences. God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
The post #EndBadGovernaceProtest will either make or break Nigeria —Sani appeared first on Latest Nigeria News | Top Stories from TVN.
PICTORIAL: Police deployed heavily in Lagos ahead of Protest
Men of the Lagos State Police Command’s Rapid Response Squad have taken control of the Ojota area in Lagos, as of Thursday morning. Although protesters are yet to arrive at the scene, a significant police presence is already visible, indicating preparedness for any eventuality.
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No going back, Take-It-Back Movement debunks claim of withdrawing from #EndBadGovernance protests
As the #EndBadGovernance protests takes off across Nigeria today, August 1st, one of the prominent groups behind the action, the Take-It-Back Movement, has denied a statement circulating online that it has withdrawn from the protests.
A letter which bears the movement’s logo and which was widely shared across various social media on Wednesday night, had claimed that the #EndBadGovernance protest had been rescheduled to October 1, 2024, citing security concerns as the reason for the postponement.
The letter read:
“Due to prevailing security threat conditions, we, the organisers of the #EndBadGovernance and hunger protest, can no longer guarantee the security of lives of Nigerians who will come out tomorrow.
“In light of this, we have made the difficult decision to postpone the #EndBadGovernance Protest to October 1.
“The safety of our citizens is paramount, and we cannot compromise on that.
READ ALSO:PRP urges Nigerian govt to initiate peace moves with #EndBadGovernance protesters
“We will continue to monitor the situation and work towa ds a peaceful and secure protest on the new date.”
However, the convener of the Take-It-Back Movement, Omoleye Sowore who dismissed the purported withdrawal of the group from the protests, called on Nigerians to disregard the message which he said was fake and did not emanate from the group.
Sowore who posted the denial on his X handle, said the letter is not authentic and that the protest will proceed as originally planned for August 1-10.
“PLEASE, A FAKE STATEMENT IN CIRCULATION CLAIMING TO BE FROM “DAMILARE ADENOLA” WAS ISSUED BY THE @officialABAT REGIME OFFICIALS AND DESPICABLE SECURITY AGENCIES IN ABUJA IN A DESPERATE ATTEMPT TO DEMOBILIZE NIGERIANS.
“PLEASE NOTE, THE HISTORIC #EndBadGovernace #DaysOfRage REVOLT WILL COMMENCE TOMORROW AUGUST 1ST 2024.
“PLEASE IGNORE THE DESPERATE FAKE ANNOUNCEMENT IN CIRCULATION THAT #EndBadGovernance REVOLT HAS BEEN POSTPONED. IT IS FALSE! #nogoingback #DaysOfRage #RevolutionNow.”
PLEASE A FAKE STATEMENT IN CIRCULATION CLAIMING TO BE FROM “DAMILARE ADENOLA” WAS ISSUED BY THE @officialABAT REGIME OFFICIALS AND DESPICABLE SECURITY AGENCIES IN ABUJA IN A DESPERATE ATTEMPT TO DEMOBILIZE NIGERIANS. PLEASE NOTE, THE HISTORIC #EndBadGovernace #DaysOfRage REVOLT… pic.twitter.com/PaniZJF78p
— Omoyele Sowore (@YeleSowore) July 31, 2024
The post No going back, Take-It-Back Movement debunks claim of withdrawing from #EndBadGovernance protests appeared first on Latest Nigeria News | Top Stories from TVN.
Salah scores as Liverpool beat Arsenal 2-1 while Chelsea, Man Utd win
Mo Salah and Fabio Carvalho scored first-half goals to give Liverpool a 2-1 victory over Arsenal on Wednesday while Chelsea cruised and Manchester United edged Real Betis 3-2 in pre-season matches.
Kai Havertz scored Arsenal’s goal in front of a crowd of 69,879 at the home stadium of the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles.
In other friendly action in the United States, Chelsea swept past Mexico’s Club America 3-0, AC Milan beat Real Madrid 1-0 and Manchester United edged Real Betis 3-2.
Egyptian Salah opened the scoring for Liverpool in the 13th minute, outpacing the defenders to latch onto Harvey Elliott’s defence-splitting pass.
The striker shrugged off the attentions of Arsenal centre-back Gabriel and fired a low left-footed shot past Arsenal goalkeeper Karl Hein.
Carvalho doubled Liverpool’s lead in the 34th minute, with Elliott again the provider.
The 21-year-old Portuguese winger ran onto a perfectly lofted Elliott pass into the box and fired home a crisp right-foot volley through Hein’s legs.
Arsenal reduced the deficit in the 40th minute when Havertz scored past
Liverpool goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher from point-blank range after Martin Odegaard found him in the six-yard box.
A goalless second half secured the triumph for Liverpool’s new Dutch manager Arne Slot, who has replaced Jurgen Klopp.
Arsenal’s newly signed 22-year-old Italian defender Riccardo Calafiori was not in the Gunners’ lineup.
At San Diego, Real Betis grabbed an early advantage thanks to Iker Losada’s strike in the 15th minute.
The lead lasted only three minutes as Romain Perraud fouled Manchester United’s Amad Diallo in the box and Marcus Rashford blasted home from the spot.
Diallo gave the Old Trafford club the lead in the 24th minute and Casemiro added a left-footed blast off a pass from Rashford in the 31st for a 3-1 half-time lead.
Diego Llorente’s 61st-minute header pulled one back for Betis.
In Atlanta, Chelsea’s French striker Christopher Nkunku converted a penalty in the third minute to set them on their way against their Mexican club opponents.
Spanish 18-year-old Marc Guiu scored the second with a 21st-minute header.
Winger Noni Madueke scored Arsenal’s second penalty of the game in the 79th minute to seal the 3-0 win.
In Chicago, Nigerian international Samuel Chukwueze’s 55th-minute goal gave AC Milan a 1-0 victory over Real Madrid.
AFP
Harris unchallenged as Democrats vote for White House nominee
Kamala Harris will be confirmed as the Democratic US presidential nominee in an electronic vote starting Thursday that replaces the fanfare of in-person balloting that usually kicks off the party’s national convention.
Less than two weeks after Joe Biden ended his reelection bid, his 52-year-old vice president is in full control of the party, having emerged as the only Democrat in the running to challenge Republican Donald Trump in November.
Just under 4,000 delegates, the grassroots activists and politicians allocated during the primary process, sent in signatures backing Harris to be on the ballot for the five-day electronic vote.
No other Democrats have stepped forward to challenge her elevation to the top of the ticket, making her confirmation as the first Black and South Asian woman ever to secure a major party’s nomination a formality.
She won the support of 99 percent of the delegates who signed petitions, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) said in a statement, while no one else met the qualifying threshold of 300 signatures.
“Our delegates have an important responsibility — and opportunity — in the days ahead to cast their history-making ballots for Vice President Harris, ensuring that she will be on the ballot in every state this November,” said DNC chair Jaime Harrison.
“Our party has met this unprecedented moment with a transparent, democratic and orderly process to unite behind a nominee with a proven record who will lead us in the fight ahead.”
As well as the “pledged” delegates there are around 700 so-called “superdelegates” who get to vote because they hold elected office — such as state governors or members of the US Congress — or are party officials.
The roll call launches at 9:00 am (1300 GMT) Thursday and delegates have until 6:00 pm (2000 GMT) on Monday to return their votes via an online platform run by the DNC.
– ‘The American story’ –
The announcement could come late Monday, as she hits the campaign trail for a swing across seven crucial battleground states with her newly minted running mate, who has not yet been announced.
US media reported that she would kick off the tour in Pennsylvania on Tuesday, although the DNC did not immediately respond to a request for confirmation.
The 2024 nominating system is largely as it was in 2020, when the Covid-19 pandemic prevented a large in-person convention, but it is still unusual.
The DNC swapped to a virtual process because of Ohio’s deadline — Wednesday next week — for major parties to submit the names of their certified candidates for the November election.
Much remains unclear about the announcement of the results, however.
The DNC has not revealed if the vote will be livestreamed or if a rolling tally will be available to the public, and has not disclosed whether it would make the results public before the end of the voting period if they were available.
The virtual roll-call marks the official beginning of the 2024 convention, although in practice the festivities get going when thousands of the party’s grassroots activists descend on Chicago on August 19.
There will be ceremonial votes for Harris and her running mate in Illinois, in what is expected to be a raucous celebration of her rise from state politics to the top of the ticket.
“Think about this: her dad is of Jamaican descent, her mother’s of South Asian descent and then she went to the great Howard University, worked in California, worked in the United States Senate,” Georgia Senator Raphael Warnock told a raucous, 10,000-strong crowd at Harris’s rally in Atlanta on Tuesday.
“That is the American story. She brings all of those strands together. She sees us because in a real sense she is all of us.”
AFP.
Hardship protest: Security operatives take over strategic locations in Delta
Security operatives in the early hours of Thursday, August 1, took over the city of Warri, Effurun, Sapele, Ughelli and other communities in Delta State as the protest against bad governance is set to begin.
They took over the town as early as 6 am, TVN reports.
There is a heavy presence of security operatives at Enerhen junction, Effurun roundabout, Airport junction, Ajogodo in Sapele and Otowovdo junction in Ughelli.
Transporters and owners of businesses were seen going about their routines freely.
Hardship protest: Security operatives take over strategic locations in Delta