Sahara Reporters Latest News Today Tuesday 14th June 2022
Sahara Reporters Latest News Today and headlines on some of the happenings and news trend in the Country, today 14/06/22
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E2%80%93-governor-umahi 2023 Elections: Ebonyi People Will Not Vote For Labour Party, Peter Obi – Governor Umahi
Governor David Umahi has declared that the people of Ebonyi State will not vote for Labour Party nor its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, in the forthcoming 2023 general elections.
Umahi said instead of voting for Peter Obi’s Labour Party, the people would rather vote for the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu.
The governor, who spoke after the State Executive Council meeting at the new Government House, however, threatened that he would sack political appointees whose local government areas record poor registration of voters.
SaharaReporters had reported that the governor who contested the presidential ticket of the ruling APC and lost to former Lagos State Governor, Tinubu, scored only 38 votes believed to have come from Ebonyi State delegates.
Umahi had accused political leaders and South-East delegates of selling out their votes.
He also accused the president general of Ohanaeze Ndigbo of not being sincere to the touted South-East presidency project, which he said was just, fair and desirable for peace in the country.
Umahi, who had vowed that his state would never join Biafra, noted that the only bargaining power was to ensure that Ebonyi people had their Permanent Voter Cards ready for the forthcoming general elections.
He said, “Ebonyi State can never support Labour Party and if anybody questions the rationale behind that, let him ask the person whether they supported the Igbo Presidential ambition during the APC Primaries.”
He added that his major focus now was the “Ebonyi agenda” and he had no business with Ohanaeze.
The governor also appointed a new Head of Service, Dr. Rita Mary Okoro, and five new Commissioners to fill the vacant positions created in the cabinet as a result of the resignations by those seeking elective positions in the 2023 general elections.
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The Daring Lion Of Our Time: Yele Sowore In The Eyes Of A Journalist, By Niyi Babade
It isn’t life that matters but the courage you put into life, neither is it the size that matters but the exemplary leadership traits displayed at all times. This is the story of Omoyele Sowore, a born activist, a social crusader and a great fighter for justice, equality and fairness for all.
My encounter with Sowore started in the June of 1993, as I flew to Lagos to cover the elections for Reuters News Agency.
The annulment of June 12 election made my path and that of this young lad to cross as he took the frontline and led from the front like great leaders in history. Part of his unprecedented feats was him singlehandedly holding the police and some hoodlums spellbound from hijacking the burial activities of MKO Abiola when he died in the Nigerian government’s detention on July 7 1998.
Hell was let loose upon the street of Lagos the evening the Nigerian Government announced to the bewilderedness of Nigerians that MKO Abiola passed on. This continued till the next day, with pockets of riots at every nook and cranny of the state. I was on my way to MKO Abiola’s house to await his body that the Government under General (Abubakar) Abdulsalami was sending to his house for burial according to Muslim injunction, when all of a sudden I met a mammoth crowd of students and hoodlums by Palm Groove bus stop in Lagos on their way to Abiola’s house, chanting various war songs in a situation that looked like the 1963 million-man march of Martin Luther King Jnr in America. I stopped as a photojournalist to take some shots and report the situation when the hoodlums attacked me and were going to confiscate my camera. It took the intervention of this young lad who was the one leading the students of the University of Lagos to Abiola’s house to stop the attack on me. But what baffled me most on that day was the hoodlums who despite not being part of the students of the university obeyed him and followed his commands then.
This singular act made me respect the young lad who happened to be Yele Sowore again. It goes to show that it is not the size or the height that matters but the God-given ability to command respect and be the leader of men.
Another intriguing scenario was at MKO Abiola’s house when policemen wanted to force their way to MKO’s street to confront the peaceful students who had come to mourn and pay their last respect to the late winner of the June 12 election. The young lad Sowore swung into action again and went straight to the police vehicle and stopped them from entering the street. Many of us at the scene had to stylishly move back when the police threatened to shoot Sowore, a threat that had no effect on the young man as he yelled back at the police “shoot me” before the Abiola’s family members came to talk to the police to obey Sowore and leave the scene, which they immediately did.
“Where did you get your boldness and determination from” a question I was forced to ask him when I later met with him.
“As long as you’re genuine in your actions and stand in defending your people at all times with everything you own, then rest assured their spirit will keep protecting you,” Sowore said.
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Diaspora Voting: Intrigues, Lies and Prospects, By Austin Aneke
Austin Aneke
Ok, let’s get busier. The primaries, especially the presidential primaries are now over, and party tickets have been purchased, allocated and/or consensually assigned. Some aspirants are now candidates.
We are now at the stage of ensuring that PVCs (Permanent Voter Card) are secured. Your PVC is the gun, your vote is the bullet. You need both to fully exercise your franchise. It is trite to say that if you don’t have PVC you will not be able to vote come 2023. Folks living in Nigeria who don’t have PVCs still have the chance to be registered for one, unlike folks living abroad. Yes, folks residing abroad are still not allowed to vote.
Austin Aneke
Diaspora voting is still outlawed in Nigeria, thanks to overzealous national lawmakers who are still calculating and recalculating- who would benefit more from it- Jews or Gentiles, North or South, Moslems or Christians. Diasporans shall remain disfranchised until these corrupt politicians complete their crooked thought process, and maybe eventually agree to amend the constitution.
Let’s discuss the sources and origins of disfranchisement.
Nigeria is an extremely corrupt and dysfunctional country, historically and currently led by unconscionable devote kleptocrats and bigoted tribalists. These attributes, reinforced by unbridled injustice, unfairness and dishonesty, constitute the push factors that mentally and physically propel a good chunk of her citizens out of the country, for perceived and real greener tuffs abroad.
These significant border crossers are generally known as people in the diaspora. Let’s put their initial torturous life in context. The average Nigerian immigrant battles three major initial obstacles in their host countries. First, the uncomfortable and very bad image of Nigeria abroad; second, the cultural shock of trying to fit into a sane and rule-led clime; and third, the immigration adjustments needed to facilitate legitimate economic exploits. These are the three shocks that greet their attempt at pastures new.
As they transcend these hurdles and begin to earn some sort of living, they begin to realise that they now have two countries and cultures to patronise i.e., comparatively dysfunctional Nigeria they escaped from, and their new hosts. The average Nigerian diasporan is interested in activities at home, and still wants to be valued and recognised at their origin. It is not an ego thing; it is a cultural thing, especially among southern Nigerians. Most times this sensibility doubles their level of input in their host countries for a richer output, to serve their interests in two countries. Put in another way, the average Nigerian living abroad wants to maintain his/her Nigerian citizenship and identity and all the accompaniments, including voting rights.
On Tuesday, March 1, 2022, the Nigerian National Assembly rejected any changes to the constitution that would have made it possible for citizens living abroad to vote. The outrageous vote (29 for, and 92 against) reinforced the continued disenfranchisement of millions of Nigerian citizens living abroad. This represents the hugest formal denial of the right to vote of citizens of any country in the world. It also represents a brutal deployment of injustice and unfairness against Nigerians living across borders, by corrupt politicians who created the structures and factors that forced the citizens out in the first place.
Nigerians in the diaspora remit billions of dollars to their unfriendly home turf, yearly. They remitted about $17.2 billion and $17.6 billion in 2020 and 2021 respectively and continue to be enticed with Diaspora funds and bank accounts that target their juicy wallets. Continuous diaspora remittances (even during COVID-19), diaspora funds and the likes, without diaspora voting rights, represent the worst form of citizenship abuse and contempt which unsurprisingly mirrors traits of dysfunctionality and injustice back home.
Nevertheless, some analysts have argued that it is not about economic power and remittances, but about meeting obligations of citizenship that should accord the right to vote. They argue that Nigerians living abroad are not living up to their citizenship obligations, so cannot be accorded voting rights. There is also a proposition that it would be difficult if not impossible for INEC to institute and arrange diaspora voting in foreign countries.
Let’s have an overview of these arguments. What are the factors that determine citizenship? What are the obligations of citizenship? Is it true that INEC would find it difficult if not impossible to institute diaspora voting arrangements?
First and for the avoidance of doubt, most Nigerians living abroad are still legally Nigerians. They are still Nigerian citizens by either birth, registration, descent, marriage, or naturalization. Their status has not changed and will not change simply because they live outside Nigeria. These are guaranteed under Chapters II and III of the Nigerian constitution. Even if these diasporans have assumed dual citizenship they are still protected under s. 28, Chapter II of the 1999 constitution as amended.
Having established that crossing the Nigerian border, even permanently does not erase citizenship, let’s advance the conversation to the realm of citizenship obligations and its relevance to voting rights. Some analysts have argued that because diasporans are still Nigerian citizens they automatically have the right to vote and be voted for, and that disenfranchising them because of their physical location is illegal, morally reprehensible, and a breach of their fundamental rights.
Most Nigerians living abroad still submit to Nigeria’s political order/constitution, remain ambassadors of their country, protect and care for their Nigerian siblings and children, and promote Nigerian battered image abroad. (Image extensively damaged by corrupt home politicians who are hell-bent on denying them voting rights). These are the nature of obligations expected of Nigerian citizens in the constitution. The duties as listed also point to “positive and useful contributions to the advancement, progress, wellbeing of the community”.
Nigerians in diaspora not only sustain their families abroad, but they also sustain a lot of Nigerian families back home via their powerful remittances. The truth is that if that is the only measure of the meeting of obligations, then those abroad have excelled better. But it is not the only measure. The truth is that no set of citizens (living at home or abroad) have the capacity to fulfil all the duties of Nigerian citizenship as listed in S.24 of Chapter II of the 1999 constitution. Nigerians in the diaspora have the capacity to adequately meet some of the duties, while those at home have a greater chance to fulfil others. It is therefore an unconscionable breach of fate to disenfranchise Nigerians living abroad simply because they are conceived as unable to meet some of these duties.
Some commentators have also considered voting in elections as both a citizenship right and an obligation under the Nigerian constitution. It is therefore illogical to argue that Nigerians living abroad do not perform their citizenship obligations or duties; so are not entitled to vote, when in fact, voting is one of those obligations of citizenship. Nigerians living abroad are performing a substantial aspect of expected citizenship obligations and want to perform their voting duties too. It is the regime back home that is a hindrance by not putting the right legal framework in place for that to happen.
The regime at home and its corrupt assembly are trying to eat its cake and still have it.
They have also re-enforced their lying position by arguing that it would be logistically difficult if not impossible for INEC to register and/collate diaspora votes. This is a blatant lie, and INEC does not even agree with this. The regime is currently registering, documenting and collating BVN, and NIN of Nigerians living abroad, and officially charge them between $40 to $50 for each of the exercises. The BVN or NIN registrations involve more complicated technological logistics than any framework for voting, and most countries abroad (where diasporans reside) are far more advanced, better organised and structured to facilitate any voter registration exercise. At least there would not be power cuts, broadband or network issues. Furthermore, their postal systems are highly developed, so the PVCs could easily be posted to all registrants, rather than the lousy ongoing system in Nigeria where registrants are expected to come back to pick up their PVCs.
The world has become a close-knit interactive village facilitated by digital technology and the internet. Nigerians in diaspora represent Nigeria’s exploited, politically abused, expropriated and roundly cheated non-voting bloc. Enfranchisement of the diaspora population will help to build political confidence among Nigerians abroad. Ghana and South Africa fully achieved this in 2006 and 2014 respectively.
INEC is not the problem, the national assembly, made up of selfish and dishonest politicians, is. INEC had since 2011 agreed to diaspora voting, but the national assembly has, and had scuttled all legislative attempts to make it real.
The lack of political will amongst the legislators to amend the necessary laws, to give legal backing to diaspora voting, stems from their inconclusive and ethnic calculations as to the ethnic alignment of potential diaspora voters/votes. Note that “lack of political will” means unwillingness to act. They are still checking, calculating and recalculating which section of Nigeria would benefit more from diaspora voting. Are diaspora votes possibly going to favour mostly Southern Judea/Christian bloc, or mostly Northern Moslem bloc? Who will be advantaged by diaspora votes, the East, West or North? These are the calculations that still impede diaspora voting. The highly nepotistic current regime has not helped matters.
Unfortunately, diasporans will continue to be disenfranchised until these unwholesome calculations are resolved one way or the other.
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E2%80%94-labour-party 2023: Peter Obi’s Running Mate Will Be From Northern Region — Labour Party
The Labour Party (LP) has disclosed that its presidential candidate, Peter Obi’s running mate will “most likely” come from the northern region of the country.
The party revealed this through its chairman, Julius Abure, while speaking in commemoration of the Democracy Day on Monday.
Abure noted that the principle of social-religious inclusion and the diversity of the Nigerian workforce and membership of the Labour Party would not be compromised in its choice.
He said, “While I want to say that it may be too premature for me to speak, and the constitution also gives the presidential candidate the right to nominate his vice presidential candidate, I feel it would be more proper for the presidential candidate to answer.
“However, I want to assure you that as a party that is reasonable; as a party that believes in equity and justice; as a party that believes in social justice and equal opportunity for all, a vice-presidential candidate that is widely accepted, with powerful credentials, is most likely going to come from the Northern region, there is no doubt about that.”
Recall that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, had fixed Friday June 17, 2022, as a deadline for political parties to send the names of their presidential candidates and running mates.
It also issued Friday, July 15, 2022 as a deadline for the parties to submit names of governorship candidates and their running mates.
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How Officials Of Electoral Body, INEC Refused To Register Voters In Lagos Community
Nigerians who went to the FESTAC office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Lagos State have cried out that officials of the election umpire refused to attend to them.
In a 1 minute, 51 seconds video clip seen by SaharaReporters, one of the registrants, who were stranded at the office, said the INEC told them that there was no machine with which the officials could register them.
But the people alleged that there were machines but the officials deliberately ignored them to miss the June 30 deadline given by the INEC for the Continuous Voters Registration.
The registrant who did not mention his name in the video said, “Fellow Nigerians, this is INEC office, FESTAC. This is the man in the INEC office. They have given a deadline, and yet we are all here and they are telling us that there is no machine; that they have sent their machine out.
“Look at the population. The people that left their work to come and get voters’ cards, but in INEC office, there is no machine. Look at the people sitting all over the place. Some carried their children but this man is telling us that there is no machine in the head office, FESTAC. Nigerians, see what is happening.”
Recall that following the surge in the number of Nigerians coming out for the CVR exercise, INEC on Saturday announced that it had deployed additional 209 registration machines to Lagos, Kano and the five South-East states to enable it register all the eligible Nigerians before the deadline.
The INEC National Electoral Commissioner for Information and Voter Education, Festus Okoye, had yet to respond to a message sent to him as of the time of filing this report.
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Senate President Lawan May Suffer Double Loss In One Week As Yobe North APC Senatorial Candidate Refuses To Step Down For Number 3 Citizen
Senate President Ahmad Lawan
The Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, is on the verge of suffering two losses within a week as the winner of the Yobe North All Progressives Congress senatorial primary, Bashir Machina, has refused to step down for him.
Lawan, who represents Yobe North in the Senate, contested and lost a bid to secure the APC presidential ticket at the party’s national convention held on June 8, where Bola Tinubu emerged the winner.
Senate President Ahmad Lawan
The president of the Senate was initially touted as the consensus candidate of the party, but 13 Northern governors kicked against the idea of retaining power in the North.
Daily Nigerian reports that since the winner of the senatorial primaries refused to step down, the Senate president is now mounting pressure on the presidency to get back his senatorial ticket.
All efforts by Lawan’s cronies to convince Machina to step down for the president of the Senate failed as the senatorial candidate insisted that he would not withdraw.
According to sources, Lawan was secretly given the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) form by the APC headquarters to fill for submission, although he didn’t submit himself for party screening and didn’t participate in the senatorial primary election which took place in Gashua town on May 28.
In the primaries, Mr Machina, who was the sole candidate, got 289 votes.
According to sources, Lawan, in concert with the APC National Vice Chairman, North East, Mustapha Salihu, is trying to ‘forcefully take over’ the ticket from Machina.
However, the APC National Vice Chairman, North East told Daily Nigerian that he never interfered in the decisions of the party in Yobe.
“I don’t interfere with local party arrangement in states. Yobe has its own unique way of primaries, which is a general consensus.
“All aspirants who obtained the party’s nomination forms nationwide have filled the withdrawal forms, which is a clear consent to withdraw in case of any superior interest, and with the consent of the party stakeholders in the state.
“I’m aware that it is a national party policy for aspirants who lost the presidential ticket to return to their seats in the Senate. You can see Godswill Akpabio has already reclaimed his senatorial ticket,” Salihu added.
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Nigerian Police Confirm Abduction of Anglican Bishop, Wife, Driver In Oyo State
The Nigeria Police Force has confirmed the kidnapping of an Anglican Bishop, his wife and driver by suspected kidnappers in Oyo State.
According to a statement in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, the Bishop, Rt. Reverend Oluwaseun Aderogba of the Jebba Diocese in Kwara State was in the company of his wife who is a technologist in the Department of Crop Protection at the University of Ilorin and their driver when they were kidnapped along the New Oyo-Ogbomoso Expressway.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Adewale Osifeso, said on Sunday, June 12, 2022, that “at about 2100hrs, one Reverend Adekunle Adeluwa reported to the command through an incident report at Atiba Divisional Police Headquarters, Oyo town that at about 2030hrs, one Bishop, Rt. Reverend Aderogba of Jebba Diocese in Kwara State in the company of his wife and driver was kidnapped.”
The statement further said “Preliminary investigations reveals that the victim’s vehicle developed what seemed a mechanical fault while travelling from Yewa, Ogun State to Jebba, Kwara State en route an isolated area along New Oyo-Ogbomoso Expressway.”
The statement signed on behalf of the state Commissioner of Police, Ngozi Onadeko, added that the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of Operations of the Command was in charge of the rescue operation that commenced since Sunday.
“All the tactical teams of the Command Anti-Kidnapping Squad, Ambush Squad, Puff Adder, Police Mobile Force, Counter-terrorism Unit and Conventional Police personnel along with local hunters and vigilantes are all involved in the rescue operations.
“Meanwhile, discreet investigation led by the State Criminal Investigation Department is simultaneously being vigorously embarked upon to ensure that the victims are rescued unhurt.”
Meanwhile, in Ilorin, the Kwara State Diocesan Bishop of the Anglican Communion, Bishop Sunday Adewole, who confirmed the development, said the victims were kidnapped on Sunday evening when they were attempting to fix their faulty vehicle along the highway adding that the abductors had contacted the church demanding the sum of N50million as ransom.
Bishop Adewole who described the incident as a total collapse of the security architecture of the country said the political class was not sincere in addressing the issue but on winning the 2023 elections.
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Survivors Of Gunmen Attack Aided By ‘Strange Helicopter’ In Kaduna State Narrate Bitter Ordeals
Southern Kaduna
A survivor of last Sunday’s attack on Southern Kaduna communities, Rev. Denis Sani of the First Evangelical Church Winning All, Maikori, has narrated his ordeal.
Reverend Sani alongside some other community members paid a Save-Our-Soul visit to the President of the Southern Kaduna Peoples Union (SOKAPU), Jonathan Asake at the National Secretariat of the Union to seek assistance for their starving communities and narrate the tragedy that befell their communities.
Southern Kaduna
In their account, armed herdsmen invaded Adara villages in Kajuru Local Government Area on Sunday, June 5, and while residents resisted the attackers, a white helicopter came from nowhere and aided the assailants against the natives.
Sani said, “It was around noon while we were in the church that we started getting information that armed Fulani herdsmen were attacking Dangoma and some nearby villages.
“We hastily rounded up our prayers and came out,” he went on.
“We then heard that they were in large numbers and that they were heading towards Maikori. We then called out for reinforcement and all the youths came out and we laid ambush waiting for them. We evacuated our women, children and old ones into hiding.
“In no time we saw them. They were in large numbers on scores of motorcycles each carrying three turban herdsmen who all had AK 47 rifles.”
According to Rev Sani, when the herdsmen were getting close to them, they tried defending their communities by firing dane guns at the invaders.
“Upon hearing our gunshots the leaders of the armed herdsmen raised his left hand and came to an abrupt halt. The rest also stopped,” he said.
He said that they dismounted from the bikes and started firing back, but the villagers got the upper hand and the assailants started retreating.
“From nowhere, we saw a helicopter coming over towards Maikori, and we were happy that help had come,” he said.
However, he said the villagers were shocked to discover that the helicopter started firing in their direction, even when the motorcycles of the assailants, their positions and mode of dressing, marked them out clearly.
“I saw my people running for dear lives and some were falling. I also ran. It was not possible to face the armed Fulani and the bullets from the helicopter, so we ran for our lives,” he said.
He narrated further that upon escaping, the herdsmen entered Maikori and started burning homes.
“As they were burning houses, the helicopter was hovering over the village to defend them from our returning. They took three good hours burning every structure in Maikori, except three or four houses that do not have any valuables.
“My church, 1st ECWA Church Maikori, was burnt to ashes. My house and everything I ever worked for went with the flames. I only came out with what I am now wearing.
“As of now, I cannot tell you exactly how many people were killed from that attack, because we are still picking corpses in the bushes. But 32 persons have been killed and buried. Other villages that were attacked earlier that day by the same killers are Sabon Gida, Unguwan Sarki and Dogon Noma.”
According to him, the ECWA church in Dogon Noma was also burnt with some other houses.
“The helicopter did not hide its intention that it came to kill us and to help the armed Fulani to achieve what they wanted to do. We are therefore here to beg for any form of assistance, especially food and clothing. And we want you to help us inform the world what has happened to us,” he said while presenting a bullet he claimed came from the gunshot from the helicopter.
Corroborating the Reverend’s claim, Johna Chris, the youth leader of Maikori village said, “When we started shooting at the bandits with our dane guns, they seemed to be taken by surprise that there was some form of resistance. Even when they were firing back at us, we noticed that they were going backwards. We were ready to defend our village with the last drop of our blood and we had the upper hand against those devils.
“Then this white painted helicopter came from the sky. Instead of attacking the criminals, it is us that it started shooting at. The bullets were coming from the bottom of the helicopter straight at us. At first, I thought it was a mistake, but it circled back, saw the position of the enemy, left them alone and started raining bullets at us and into our village. When I saw people running and falling, I also ran into the bush.
“The Fulani then came into the village and started burning houses and everything, especially foodstuff. The Helicopter was probably hired by the armed herdsmen because it assisted them to do what they wanted.”
He pointed at one Shedrack Joshua, who narrowly survived the attack.
Joshua is an 18-year-old farmer who had dropped out of secondary school.
“This boy is one lucky person who survived from the helicopter bullets,” he said, as Joshua dropped his trousers to reveal a wound he said was caused by the bullet from the helicopter that grazed passed just below his left knee.”
Also narrating her ordeal, a 20-year-old student of Government Day Secondary School, Jabi, Rifkatu James said she had come home on a short visit and was caught in the attack.
“We finished church service in a hurry because people were saying that Fulani were on their way to come and attack us in Maikori. We took the children, our mothers and old people into the bush to go and hide,” she said.
“Our men started to shoot at the Fulani who were coming on hundreds of motorcycles to attack us. And they also started shooting our people.
“I think we were winning because the Fulani were trying to run away. Then I saw a helicopter coming from behind us. It then started shooting our men. I saw them running, some were falling. I also ran very fast into the bush with others. The Fulani chased us and came into Maikori.
“They started burning houses. They burnt our village and were inside there for hours.
“The helicopter was on their side. I was very terrified.”
Reacting, the President of SOKAPU, Hon. Jonathan Asake said he was saddened by the development, especially by the denial of the Kaduna state government that the said helicopter actually came and dislodged the terrorists and never harmed the villagers.
“Our people have always said of a certain helicopter that brings in supplies for armed Fulani militia in their hiding places for many years. Nobody in the government bothers to find out if that was true or not.
“Today the helicopter has upgraded its services to killing for the bandits. Yet the Kaduna state government, without carrying out any investigation concluded that no such evil took place. The Nigeria Air Force must come clean of this.”
Asake said the same government admitted in May 2020 that an Air force helicopter bombed Assembly of God Church, and some homes in Kabrasha village in Chikun local government area in Southern Kaduna, claiming that it was chasing bandits.
“Though Governor Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna state promised that he was going to rebuild the church and homes, he not only failed to do that, not a single measure of grain was taken to the displaced community as assistance till date.
“Again, this same Dogon Noma that is among the communities attacked last Sunday, it was violently violated by the same armed Fulani militia in March 2019 and 77 persons, mostly women and children killed and the town razed.
“Government did nothing to assist. Now that same community had managed to rebuild and return, it has been put to ruins again and many killed and nothing is being done,” he lamented.
“As for us in SOKAPU, we can only shout out to the world for assistance as we are not a government. Fortunately, last month, Governor Nyesome Wike of Rivers state made donations for the IDPs in Kaduna state. We have made purchases which we have been sharing out to our IDPS across all the affected areas in Southern Kaduna. And that’s part of what we shall give you and your people today,” he said.
The Vice-President of SOKAPU said it was clear that both the Federal Government and Kaduna State government has abandoned Adara and other besieged Southern Kaduna communities to their fate.
“It is a shame that government cannot protect lives and properties of its citizens, but would lie against victims and give them zero support after such heinous crimes against them by pampered terrorists,” he charged.
He called on the international community and good-spirited individuals to assist Adara land and put pressure of the government to produce the crew of the helicopter that carried out the attack on June 5, 2022 in Adara land.
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London-Lagos Biker Receives Chieftain Title In Kwara State
The London-Lagos biker, Kunle Adeyanju, has been conferred the Are Aniyikaiye of Offa Land in his state of origin, Kwara State.Adeyanju announced the reception of the chieftaincy title conferred on him by the Olofa of Offa on his verified Twitter page on Monday.
The member of Rotary Club International wrote, “I was conferred the chieftaincy title of Are Aniyikaiye of Offa Land, by his majesty the Olofa of Offa. So when next you see me, please call me Chief Kunle.”Adeyanju, who embarked on a London-to-Lagos journey on a motorbike to raise money #EndPolio campaign, arrived in Nigeria on May 29 after 40 days.The heroic biker who has been recounting his experiences on his 12,000km journey has been applauded for his adventure locally and internally.I was conferred the chieftaincy title of Are Aniyikaiye of Offa Land, by his majesty the Olofa of Offa.So when next you see me, pls call me Chief Kunle! #EndPolio #LionHeart#ThinkAfrica#LondonToLagos pic.twitter.com/dD1fauxHNM— Kunle Adeyanju (@lionheart1759) June 12, 2022
Speaking on why he embarked on the journey and its outcome, Adeyanju said, “Doing this was basically to achieve two purposes of raising awareness of end polio message by seeing how we can see the level of vaccines acceptance. The second objective was to raise funds.“For me, the two had been accomplished because everybody is now aware of polio. Polio has got a renewed drive as we have the vaccines to end the virus.“I am very happy that the message has taken a global dimension.”
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Democracy Day: Ijaw Youths Council Raises Alarm Over Influx Of Herdsmen Into Niger Delta Communities
The umbrella body of the Ijaw Youths worldwide, Ijaw Youths Council (IYC) has raised an alarm over the strange movements of suspected herdsmen in some communities in the Niger Delta region.The IYC warned the indigenes of the Ijaw communities to be on red alert and avoid a repeat of the violent killings in Owo in Ondo State.
The Ijaw Youths Council worldwide, through its National Spokesman, Ebilade Ekerefe, made this known in Yenagoa in commemoration of the Democracy Day celebration.He stated that an intelligence report available to the council revealed that the movement of strange men under the guise of being Fulani herdsmen and non-indigenes was making indigenes of the communities in the region uncomfortable.Ekerefe said, “We have observed some strange movements and are not comfortable. We are also calling on security agencies to be on red alert and protect the lives of the people. We also call on non-indigenes residing in Ijaw Communities to be vigilant and not allow unlawful individuals to infiltrate their midst to perpetrate evil in Ijaw land.”He also condemned the last weekend’s church killings in Owo in Ondo State and called on President Muhammadu Buhari and Service Chiefs to rejig the security architecture of the country.He described the poor handling of rising killings and insecurity in the country as shameful and pathetic despite a series of meetings held between the President and security chiefs.The Ijaw Youths Council called on the Presidential standard-bearers of the various political parties to take note that the Ijaw nation, which forms the 4th largest ethnic nationality in the country, will only support a political party and its candidate with a sincere focus on true federalism, restructuring, review of Revenue Sharing formula and others.“It’s notable and worthy to say that the youths from the Niger Delta region and other five geo-political zones after due consultations know and recognise that the youths have the largest percentage ratio of the electorates and are most affected by the type of leadership produced. “We have written to leading political parties on the need to allow youthful personalities as Vice Presidential candidates. We have many youths in abundance including Dr. Ibrahim Bello Dauda from Borno State (APC). Chief Igho Charles Sanomi, a business Mongul from Agbor, Delta State, Mr Hebert Wigwe, a CEO of one of Nigeria’s leading banks from Rivers State, young qualified governors, and among many others in the country.”On the continued incarceration of an ex-militant leader, Fara Dagogo, the Ijaw Youths Council (IYC) restated its call on Governor Nyesom Wike to immediately order the release of Fara Dagogo and kick start a process of reconciliation with his kinsman and standard-bearer of the PDP in Rivers State.
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