Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke has called on members of the Civil Society Organisations, as well as other stakeholders planning to take part in the nationwide protests to eschew any act capable of undermining the peace and security of the state.
He said this during a meeting with the stakeholders.
The advice by the governor, which comes ahead of the planned nationwide protests scheduled to commence on August 1 through 10, 2024, is contained in a statement by Kolapo Alimi, the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment.
Represented by the Deputy Governor, Lola Adewusi, Governor Adeleke acknowledged that the protesters have the inalienable right as enshrined in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to embark on a protest.
He frowned at any act that has the tendency of mortgaging the peace and tranquility of Osun State and its people.
According to the Governor, “the peace and harmony of Osun state should be of paramount interest to us during the planned protests.
“My administration’s commitments at all times at making Osun a reference point for other states in Nigeria remains germane.
“I therefore implore you to be law abiding before ,during and after the coming nationwide protests, as no act of violence of any kind would be entertained by my administration in Osun State while carrying out your protests.
“In Osun, we are known to be good and peaceful and we should allow that to remain our pride as a state that is always ahead of others in all things that are good and developmental.”
At the meeting were representatives of civil societies organisations, the Osun State Commissioner of Police, Mohammed Umar Abba, Commander, Engineering Construction Command, Ede, Brigadier General Abdul Kareem Aliyu.
Others were the heads of the Director, Department of State Services, Comptrollers of Immigration, Correctional Service, Civil Defence, Air Force and Federal Road Safety Commission.
Nationwide protest: Gov Adeleke warns against violence
Nationwide protest: Gov Adeleke warns against violence
Nasarawa: Bill to improve welfare package for NAYEA passes second reading
A bill aimed at enhancing the welfare package for personnel of the Nasarawa Youth Empowerment Agency (NAYEA) and boosting revenue generation has passed its second reading at the Nasarawa State House of Assembly (NSHA).
The bill, sponsored by Mr. Solomon Akwashiki (SDP, Lafia), was discussed during Monday’s plenary session, with Speaker Danladi Jatau announcing its progression.
Jatau pointed out the bill’s potential to empower youth through various skills acquisition programs once it becomes law.
He praised Akwashiki and other lawmakers for their constructive contributions, stating the bill’s importance for the state’s development.
“I commit this bill to the House standing committee on Youth and Sports to work on it and report back to the House on August 21, 2024.
“The committee is to consider various contributions and inputs by members while writing their report, and I expect a thorough job,” he stated.
In presenting the bill, Mr. Solomon Akwashiki outlined its goals, including the provision of adult education and vocational skills for youths and other residents of the state.
Akwashiki stressed that the bill would create job opportunities and enhance revenue for the state government.
While urging his colleagues to support the bill’s passage, he said, “This bill will include adult education and the creation of vocational skills for youths, among others.
“It will create job opportunities and generate revenue for the state’s coffers.”
The bill received unanimous support from lawmakers, including Ibrahim Abdullahi Sa’ad, Suleiman Azara, Daniel Ogazi, Musa Ibrahim Musa Saidu Gude, and Mohammed Garba Isimbabi.
They agreed that the proposed legislation would alleviate challenges faced by the youth in Nasarawa State.
They also called for improved welfare packages for NAYEA personnel to ensure effective service delivery.
Nasarawa: Bill to improve welfare package for NAYEA passes second reading
Resident doctors demand safe return of colleague held captive for seven months
The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors has intensified calls for the safe return of Dr Ganiyat Popoola, a resident doctor at the National Eye Centre in Kaduna, who has been held in captivity for almost seven months.
Popoola was kidnapped on 27 December 2023, alongside her husband and nephew.
While her husband was released after a ransom was paid, Popoola and her nephew remain in the hands of their captors.
In a series of social media posts on Monday and Tuesday, NARD expressed concern within the medical community, making appeals for their immediate release.
The association’s campaign is marked by the hashtag #BringBackDrGaniyat.
One of the posts read, “7 months, not 7 minutes, a mother, sister, aunt, wife, helpmaid has been in captivity. Bring Back Dr Ganiyat, please.”
Another post read, “Our beloved friend and colleague, Dr Ganiyat Popoola, was brutally kidnapped on 27 December 2023, alongside her husband and nephew. While her husband has been released after a ransom was paid, Dr Ganiyat and her nephew have been held captive for over six months.
“We desperately need your help to bring her home safely.”
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Police search for missing six-year-old girl in UK
The Metropolitan Police has launched an urgent appeal for a six-year-old girl who went missing in Greenwich, south-east London, on Monday.
According to BBC News, the force said Eudine was reported missing from the Thamesmead Estate at 22:40 BST.
The Met said she was seen alone on CCTV at about midday, and has asked people in the Thamesmead area to check gardens, sheds and CCTV and doorbell footage.
It is believed the girl is between 3ft 6in and 4ft (1.09m to 1.21m) tall and she is thought to be wearing light pink pyjamas. She also had a white shoulder bag with a daisy design with her.
“We are extremely concerned for her welfare and officers are carrying out urgent enquiries to find her,” the force said in a statement.
Anyone with any information on where Eudine may be is asked to call 999.
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Reconsider planned protest – Taraba ALGON tells Jalingo residents
Taraba State chapter of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria, ALGON, has urged residents of the state to reconsider the forthcoming protest in the light of the substantial and commendable efforts of the state governor, Dr. Agbu Kefas.
In a statement made available to journalists on Tuesday by the state ALGON chairman, Dr. Aminu Jauro Hassan, he passionately appealed to all youths, women, clubs and associations within Jalingo to distance themselves from the proposed nationwide protest scheduled for August 1, 2024.
Hassan urged the people to consider the development projects the current governor of the state has embarked on and disregard the call for protest.
“I urge you to reconsider this protest in light of the substantial and commendable efforts our Governor, His Excellency, Dr. Agbu Kefas has undertaken for the betterment of Taraba State,” he said.
Citing the introduction of minimum wage, promotion of free education, settlement of gratuities,
humanitarian aid, support for agriculture, etc, among the significant achievements of the incumbent governor, he said embarking on the protest would only drag the hands of the clock backwards.
“The proposed protest might undermine these ongoing efforts and paint a picture of disunity at a time when solidarity and support are crucial.
“I urge the youths, women, clubs, and associations within Jalingo local government to acknowledge and support the positive strides of his excellency the Executive Governor by refraining from participating in the scheduled protest,” he pleaded.
Reconsider planned protest – Taraba ALGON tells Jalingo residents
Olympics men’s triathlon postponed over River Seine pollution
The Olympic men’s triathlon was postponed just hours before it was due to get under way on Tuesday after last-ditch water quality tests in the River Seine revealed unhealthy pollution levels, organisers said.
In a blow to Olympic officials who have repeatedly vowed that the Seine would be safe for athletes to swim in, organisers said the men’s event would be delayed by 24 hours and take place immediately after the women’s race on Wednesday.
A joint statement from Paris 2024 and World Triathlon blamed the excessive pollution on the heavy rain that deluged the French capital on Friday and Saturday.
“Paris 2024 and World Triathlon reiterate that their priority is the health of the athletes,” the statement said after a meeting held at 3:30am local time (0130 GMT).
“The tests carried out in the Seine today revealed water quality levels that did not provide sufficient guarantees to allow the event to be held.
“Unfortunately, meteorological events beyond our control … can alter water quality and compel us to reschedule the event for health reasons.”
Organisers had already cancelled training sessions in the Seine scheduled for Sunday and Monday because of unsafe pollution levels caused by last week’s rain.
But they had expressed confidence that the pollution would drop in time for Tuesday’s race given the bright, sunny conditions in Paris this week which helps keep bacteria levels down.
French authorities have invested 1.4 billion euros ($1.5 billion) over the last decade to clean up the Seine, including in major new water treatment and storage facilities in and around Paris.
But heavy downpours still overwhelm the city’s underground drains and sewage system, leading to untreated effluent being released into the waterway.
After an exceptionally wet spring and start to summer, the Seine had been consistently failing water tests until the beginning of July, causing a major headache for Paris 2024 organisers.
Levels of the E.Coli bacteria — an indicator of faecal matter
— were sometimes 10 times higher than authorised limits.
The triathlon is the first Olympic event scheduled to take place in the river, before marathon swimming in the second week of the Games.
AFP
Nasarawa lawmakers return home to persuade constituents against protest
The Nasarawa State House of Assembly (NSHA) has suspended its plenary for the week, allowing members to return to their constituencies to dissuade residents from participating in the planned 10-day nationwide protest starting August 1.
This decision, aimed at maintaining peace and promoting national development, was announced by the Speaker, Danladi Jatau following a motion sponsored by Mohammed Garba Isimbabi, the member representing Gadabuke/Toto Constituency, during Monday’s plenary in Lafia, the state capital.
Jatau stated the importance of dialogue and peaceful resolution to address the nation’s challenges.
“Protest is not the solution to the challenges facing the nation. There is a need for dialogue and peaceful resolution on the challenges facing the country,” he stated.
The Speaker urged his colleagues to engage with their constituents to discourage them from joining the protest, pointing out the necessity of peace for the development of Nasarawa State and Nigeria as a whole.
He also appealed to the organizers of the protest to reconsider their plans for the sake of national peace and development.
Jatau praised the contributions of his fellow members and commended President Bola Tinubu and Governor Abdullahi Sule for their efforts in mitigating the impacts of the fuel subsidy removal on Nigerians.
Various lawmakers, including Peter Akwe, Onarigu Kana, Musa Abubakar Ibrahim, Solomon Akwashiki, Larry Ven-Bawa, Esson Mairiga, Hudu A Hudu, John Ovey, Daniel Ogah Ogazi, Ajegana Kudu, and Luka Zhekaba, expressed unanimous support for the initiative.
They stressed that the protest could cause more harm than good and called on the government to create jobs and empower citizens to foster societal development.
Mohammed Garba Isimbabi, while presenting the motion, urged the people of Nasarawa State to abstain from the nationwide protest against bad governance.
Isimbabi pointed out that although the constitution permits peaceful protest, there was the potential for such actions to be hijacked by hoodlums.
“Mr. Speaker and Honourable Members, I brought this issue of concern to the nation, to the state, and to our various constituencies, that is the planned nationwide August 1 protest.
“As we are all aware, in the past, protests were always hijacked by hoodlums and sponsored by those who did not wish the government well,” he explained.
He called on stakeholders, political and religious leaders to dissuade their communities from participating in the protest.
He noted that Governor Sule has been in discussions with major stakeholders in the state concerning the protest, stating the need for the legislature, as an institution close to the people, to engage with their constituents on the matter.
Nasarawa lawmakers return home to persuade constituents against protest
Traffickers taking advantage of poverty, Japa trend -NAPTIP
The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons has said traffickers are weaponising Nigerians’ desperation for greener pastures abroad to recruit many victims into modern-day slavery.
It said only aggressive sensitisation campaigns would help stem the tide.
NAPTIP’s Director-General, Prof. Fatima Waziri-Azi, made this observation when she spoke at a town hall dialogue with community stakeholders in Abuja on Monday.
The meeting was part of events lined up to commemorate the 2024 World Day Against Trafficking in Persons.
Waziri-Azi said, “When people talk about japa and we laugh, it’s not funny. Traffickers have really taken advantage of this. When we talk about human trafficking, as long as we do not deal with the causes in a very strategic way, we keep going around in circles. What are those causes? Socioeconomic and sociopolitical factors, poverty, lack of jobs.
“When I interact with community stakeholders, I tell them that poverty is not a reason to throw caution into to the wind. When somebody comes to sell you a dream that will never be, ask questions.
“But we must continue to give people the right information. So whether NAPTIP, other sister law enforcement agencies, NACTAL, NGOs or CSOs, we have to keep churning out the right information.
“There’s a lot of misinformation and disinformation out there. It’s ridiculous. Somebody comes to you and tells you, ‘come and sell your kidney for X amount of money, your kidney will grow back.’ And people actually believe that? We are privileged to know that those are all lies. But not everyone knows.”
She said NAPTIP received support such as operational vehicles from its partners such as the German, Canadian and British Governments as well as the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the Federal Capital Territory and the International and Ibero-American Foundation for Administration and Public Policies.
In his welcome address, NAPTIP’s Director of Intelligence, Mr. Josiah Emerole, said the theme of this year’s World Day Against Human Trafficking, ‘Leave No Child Behind in the Fight Against Trafficking in Persons,’ underscores the urgency and importance of its mission.
“However, our work is far from over, and as we stand united today, let us in one accord sustain this fight so that, together we can achieve our shared goal of a world where no child is subjected to the horrors of trafficking,” he said
Placate Nigerians with persuasions not threat, inducement – Ex-SGF, Lawal tells Tinubu
A former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Dr Babachir Lawal has challenged President Bola Tinubu to address the nation immediately with persuasive arguments to placate the angry and hungry citizens instead of issuing threats against the planned hunger protests.
The renowned technocrat warned that under the current climate, Nigerians can no longer be intimidated by the government ‘or scared by macho tough talk’.
In the suggested address to the nation, Babachir Lawal asked the President to enumerate concrete and believable policies of government intended to address current.challenges on an immediate, medium and long term basis.
In a press statement released on Tuesday in Abuja, the ex-SGF suggested that the immediate term plans must be believable and actionable and designed to solve the immediate hunger needs of the people, while the medium and long term plans should be ones that address the challenges of the economy and security across all sections of the nation.
Apparently reacting to the build-up to the nationwide protests, he said that immediate plans must be achievable and believable so they can engender trust and secure the cooperation of the people in the implementation.
He wrote: “If I had the ears of Alhaji Bola Tinubu and I know he used to have listening ears, I would advise him thus: President must reshuffle the cabinet, replace dead woods and include more politicians in the cabinet. Cabinet in times like this requires a mix of technocrats and politicians.
“Politicians are more adept at communicating with the people and have more stake in the successes or failures of a government.
“The Lagos technocrats that now fill the MDAs lack knowledge of the workings of Nigeria.
“Majority of them are rude, inaccessible, clannish, and mostly kleptocratic and kleptomaniac (apologies to Ndume).
“Purposefully address the excessive nepotism in this government. The South West dominates this government excessively and obnoxiously.
“More than eighty percent of the revenue generation and spending MDAs are held by indigenes of the South West. The same occurs in the National Assembly where the most important committees are chaired by indigenes of the South West.
“These people behave like conquerors and are treating the rest of us Nigerians as prisoners of war.
“The Senate leadership operates a dictatorship in which no dissent is tolerated. This is insidiously building an imperceptible revolt that might soon explode.
“For example, Senator Ndume was sincerely speaking truth to power when he said the President is unreachable. Ndume is a very brilliant senior politician and legislator who has been in the National Assembly since 2003.
“Aside being Chair of many critical committees in both Houses of the National Assembly, he has been a Minority Leader, a Chief Whip and a Majority Leader.
“He has much more experience in legislative and political leadership than the charlatans that you have installed in leadership positions just so they can do your bidding slavishly as they are now wont to do.
“A slavish legislature is neither good for your long term interests nor that of the country at large.
“People are taking exceptions to these ways of handling contrary opinions in the polity. In the north we have taken great exception to the manner in which you or people acting on your behalf maltreated, Nasiru, Ningi, Ndume and lately Dangote.
“Your very close associates are also busy meddling in the affairs of Senior traditional institutions in the North West which we believe has the intended purpose of dismembering northern political and social harmony and hegemony.
“In the South East, your fixation on Peter Obi and the unfair treatment of Igbo businesses in Lagos is unsettling. There is also no denying the fact that political crises in Rivers State would have been long settled had the President shown inclination to resolve it.
“It is instructive that no individual or institution in the South West has suffered such unjust treatments.
“These kinds of situations are some of the triggers of the current discontent across the nation because they generate dispersed pockets of frustration and malcontents that eventually aggregate into a large whole resulting in bad blood against the person of the President and the government.
“Per adventure these actions are carried out by the President’s surrogates, probably without his knowledge or consent, it is very necessary that he avails himself to people who could bring such matters to his notice.
“But as it were, it appears like the hand is that of Esau but the voice is that of Jacob.
“I wish all Nigerians a very joyous and peaceful hunger protest. It will make my day if I were to see the President and his immediate predecessor among the Abuja segment of the protesters as they used to do during the Goodluck Jonathan era.”
Placate Nigerians with persuasions not threat, inducement – Ex-SGF, Lawal tells Tinubu
William Calley, Vietnam-era US war criminal, dies at 80
William Calley, a former US Army lieutenant convicted of war crimes in a Vietnam-era tragedy called the My Lai massacre, has died at age 80, a US newspaper reported Monday.
The Washington Post said Calley died on April 28 in Gainesville, Florida, but his death had not been publicized until a recent public records search.
In 1971, Calley became the only member of the US Army found guilty of war crimes over the My Lai massacre, one of the darkest chapters in US military history.
It occurred on March 16, 1968, when Calley’s brigade entered the village of My Lai based on faulty intelligence that enemy Viet Cong soldiers were disguised among the civilians there.
Calley, age 24 at the time, ordered soldiers to kill villagers even though they had found no evidence of enemy combatants.
The massacre involved the torture, rape and slaughter of hundreds of innocent Vietnamese.
The US Army covered up the events at My Lai for more than a year afterward.
The death toll of the massacre remains disputed, but US estimates place the number of dead between 347 and 504 unarmed civilians, most of whom were women, children or elderly men.
Pham Thanh Cong, a survivor of the massacre, expressed regret that Calley never returned to Vietnam before his death.
“Many other Americans returned to Son My,” the 67-year-old told AFP, using the Vietnamese term for the village.
“They came to pray, to ask for forgiveness from the souls of the dead, but Calley… he never came back.”
Cong was just 11 when his family was killed in front of him by American troops.
He was huddled with his mother, brother and sister in a bunker in his home when soldiers lobbed grenades at the family and shot at them with M-16s.
“He caused the death of many civilians, including my family,” said Cong, who ran a war memorial for the dead until his retirement.
“I regret that he did not return to Son My, witness its revival and the development of its people.”
– Convicted of murder –
Calley was later the subject of a high-profile court martial, during which he said he had been following the orders of his superiors.
Although 12 other military officers were charged with crimes related to the massacre — including the subsequent cover-up — all were eventually acquitted of criminal charges.
Calley was ultimately convicted of murdering 22 noncombatants and was sentenced to hard labour for life. But his sentence was commuted days later by then-President Richard Nixon and he was eventually released after serving three years of house arrest.
After his release, Calley settled in Columbus, Georgia, where he remained in obscurity for most of his life.
In 2009, a local newspaper reported on a speech Calley gave at the Kiwanis Club of Greater Columbus, during which he apologised for his role in the massacre.
“There is not a day that goes by that I do not feel remorse for what happened that day in My Lai,” Calley said.
“I feel remorse for the Vietnamese who were killed, for their families, for the American soldiers involved and their families. I am very sorry.”
AFP