Sahara Reporters Latest News Today Tuesday 28th June 2022
Sahara Reporters Latest News Today and headlines on some of the happenings and news trend in the Country, today 28/06/22
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E2%80%98steal%E2%80%99-ex-petroleum-minister-ajumogobia%E2%80%99s-client-saying-olanipekun Lawyer Who Attempted To ‘Steal’ Ex-Petroleum Minister, Ajumogobia’s Client, Saying Olanipekun Is Close To Judges, Blames It On Ignorance
Adekunbi Ogunde, a partner in the law firm of Chief Wole Olanipekun, Olanipekun & Co., Chairman of the Body of Benchers, has admitted sending an email to SAIPEM Contracting Nigeria Ltd, soliciting a brief. She, however, blamed it on ignorance.
SaharaReporters earlier reported that Ogunde sent an email to Saipem SA and Saipem Nigeria Limited in an attempt to ‘steal’ a client from another law firm, Ajumogobia & Okeke, claiming his firm’s leading partner, Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN) is close to Supreme Court and Court of Appeal judges.Odein Ajumogobia, a former Minister of State for Petroleum, however, demanded an apology from Olanipekun & Co., describing the move to steal one of his clients as professional.Adekunbi had written a letter titled, “USD 130million claim in Nigeria – Rivers State Government vs Saipem SPA, Saipem Contracting Nigeria Limited and Ors,’ to Saipem Nigeria Limited’.In the letter addressed to Mr Francesco Caio of Saipem, Adekunmi attempted to take the Saipem case from the law firm of Ajumogobia & Okeke for his law firm Olanipekun & Co.Reacting to the issue in a statement made available to SaharaReporters, Ogunde whose responsibility is to secure business for the firm, admitted to sending the email “without the consent or knowledge of either the founding partner or the managing partner of the firm, Mr Bode Olanipekun SAN”.She said, “It was based on this commitment, and perhaps with great enthusiasm and exuberance, that I wrote an email to Saipem on 20th June, 2022, without the consent or knowledge of either the Founding Partner or the Managing Partner of the firm, Mr. Bode Olanipekun SAN. I found out about the Saipem matter through an online article, and I unilaterally reached out to Saipem about the said matter, which unknown to me, was no longer before the court. “My limited knowledge about the litigation space came to bare because had I consulted with other persons conversant with the recent happenings in the litigation circles, I would have been informed that the matter between Saipem and the Rivers State Government had been settled out of court about two (2) months prior to my email of 20th June, 2022. Therefore, as at the time of writing the said email, there was no such pending matter before the court.”Further, I made certain careless representations and inferences in my email of 20th June, 2022, that could have been easily interpreted to mean that the firm could help secure some advantage in the court for Saipem.” “I must therefore retract such representations and state categorically that, since joining the law firm in December 2021, I have never seen any person at the firm (including its Founding and Managing Partners), engage in any unwholesome or unethical practice, in the manner that will suggest that the firm can somehow ‘influence’ judicial outcomes by improper means,” she added. Olanipekun & Co. earlier apologised to Ajumogobia and Ajumogobia & Okeke firm, saying the letter was sent without the knowledge or consent of the management of the law firm.
The firm said it would take internal measures “to address and redress this very unfortunate situation”.
It had added, “Our Principal, without being immodest, has never been known to indulge himself in the type of practice portrayed in the letter under reference. He is a very sober and humble person, and we believe learned Silk, H. Odein Ajumogobia, SAN, OFR can attest to this. He stands for the best in the profession, in terms of ethics, honour, integrity, discipline, character and carriage.”
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E2%80%93-suspect Why We Killed Former President, Jonathan’s Political Adviser, Gulak – Suspect
Ahmed Gulak
The Imo State Police Command has paraded the suspected killers of Ahmed Gulak, the former Special Adviser on Politics to former President, Goodluck Jonathan.
Gulak was killed in May 2021 by unknown gunmen in Owerri, Imo State. The police subsequently announced the arrest of some suspects allegedly involved in the dastardly act.
Ahmed Gulak
One of the suspects on Monday, Anosike Chimobi, confessed to committing the crime during a parade at the Imo State Police headquarters.
The State Police boss, Mike Abattam, said Chimobi had been on the radar of the command since the killing of Gulak.
According to Abattam, the suspect had escaped during a gun duel between police personnel and the criminal gang at Aboh Mbaise shortly after they murdered Gulak.
However, he said five of the suspects were killed.
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Ex-President Jonathan’s Former Political Adviser, Ahmed Gulak Murdered In Imo
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Meanwhile, Chimobi, who claimed to be a commercial bus driver, denied being a part of the criminal gang.
According to him, Gulak’s killers approached him to convey them in his vehicle to a spot but he resisted. He, however, said he later succumbed as they threatened to kill him.
He admitted to driving the criminals to the spot and blocked Gulak’s vehicle which was on its way to the airport.
Chimaobi said the criminals shot at Gulak after the All Progressives Congress Chieftain resisted the demand by the gunmen to alight from the vehicle.
According to Chimobi, the hoodlums later ran into a team of security operatives who shot repeatedly at the other vehicle conveying them until it somersaulted and caught fire.
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E2%80%99s-advice-zamfara-residents-get-guns-self-defence-shows-nigerian Governor Matawalle’s Advice To Zamfara Residents To Get Guns For Self-Defence Shows Nigerian Government Has Collapsed – Middle Belt Forum
Governor Bello Matawalle of Zamfara-state
The Middle Belt Forum, MBF, has said the directive by the Zamfara State Government to the people of the state to get arms to defend themselves is an indication that the Nigerian government is useless.
The National President of MBF, Dr. Bitrus Pogu, said this on Monday in Makurdi, Benue State, Vanguard reports.
Governor Bello Matawalle of Zamfara-state
He said the directive was a precursor to what would happen in other parts of the country since Nigeria had fallen apart and the people were left with no other choice but to resort to self-help.
He said, “The directive by the Zamfara state government that the people should get arms and defend themselves simply means that we have totally lost it. The country is on autopilot, we do not have a government anymore; because we have all reached the state of self-help.
“Nobody depends on the security forces anymore to defend anybody. They know where the bandits, insurgents and terrorist are and they are not doing anything.
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Zamfara Government Directs Residents To Buy Guns, Defend Themselves Against Bandits, Orders Police Commissioner To Issue Licences
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“Of course, what else can a leader say? Let’s not even call him Governor, he is a leader, and as a leader, he has given up on governance. And the best thing is forget about the constitutional provisions for protection from government and let’s just defend ourselves.
“The country has fallen apart and it just indicates that we are on our own. So it has started in Zamfara, it means the same everywhere. The Zamfara situation is just a precursor to what is going to happen in the country, total anarchy, it’s unfortunate.”
SaharaReporters earlier reported that the Zamfara State Government advised the residents of the state to acquire guns to defend themselves against terrorists’ and bandits’ attacks.
The directive was contained in a special government announcement signed by the State Commissioner for Information, Hon Ibrahim Magaji Dosara.
In the special announcement SaharaReporters obtained on Sunday, the government said it had directed the State Commissioner of Police to issue licences to all those who were qualified and were wishing to obtain such guns to defend themselves.
It said that Zamfara State was ready to facilitate people, especially their farmers to secure basic weapons for defending themselves, adding that it would establish a centre for the collection of intelligence on the activities of informants.
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UPDATE: Nigerian Soldiers Begin Search For Divisional Police Officer Abducted By Terrorists In Kaduna
Troops of the Nigerian Army have launched a search-and-rescue mission for a Divisional Police Officer, Gyadi Gyadi, in Pambegua, Kubau Local Government Area of Kaduna State, who was abducted by terrorists.
SaharaReporters had reported that the Chief Superintendent of Police was kidnapped on Monday morning along Kaduna-Birnin Gwari Road.
He was said to have run into the gunmen in a community “called Korna Ruwa and was whisked away to an unknown location.”
Military sources on Monday night told SaharaReporters that soldiers were combing the area and would leave no stone unturned to rescue the senior police officer.
“Our guys are in the bush now looking to see maybe he can be rescued. We got a distress call that a man going to Birnin Gwari was abducted by gunmen, it was when we arrived at where his car was parked that we realised he is a senior police officer,” a top army officer told SaharaReporters.
Gyadi’s abduction comes a few days after the Divisional Police Officer in charge of Nasarawa Eggon Local Government of Nasarawa State, CSP Haruna Abdulmalik, was abducted by terrorists.
In recent months, Kaduna has witnessed a spate of violent attacks which has led to killings and abduction of residents.
On March 28, a Kaduna-bound train was attacked by gunmen, which led to the death of eight people and the abduction of several others.
Some of the abducted people are currently in the custody of the gunmen.
Days after the train attack, 11 soldiers were killed in an attack by gunmen on a military base in Birnin Gwari LGA of Kaduna State.
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E2%80%99-savings Sterling Bank Worker Allegedly Flees In Delta After Using Several Customers’ Savings For ‘Business’
The police in Delta State are investigating a staff of Sterling bank Effurun branch, identified as Mrs. Favour Fame-Eruagbere, who allegedly defrauded customers of the bank of the sum of N300million.
The female bank worker was said to have approached some account owners to grant her permission to be using their money for business, while she would be giving the customer a certain percentage every month.
It was discovered last week by one of the customers, that the woman stopped coming to work and an attempt to reach her on phone was not successful as her lines were switched off.
On getting to her house around Living Faith Church at water resources, Effurun, where she lived, it was alleged that she had also absconded.
One of the bank workers and Favour’s colleagues, who spoke with SaharaReporters, said the female banker did business with customers’ money with their consent.
“The whole thing backfired when many people she gave money to, refused to pay back. I think the lady didn’t run away with the money, but she is only being owed by those she gave the money to.
“She is nowhere to be find, nobody knows her whereabouts, whether she has travelled out, dead or still alive.
“In fact, the office is in crisis, as many people might be sanctioned because of the issue especially the operators who carried out the transactions for her,” the source said.
SaharaReporters learnt that the police operatives at the ‘A’ division in Warri were the ones investigating the matter, and the husband of the banker had been invited for questioning.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, in the State, DSP Bright Edafe confirmed the incident.
The Police spokesman said the suspect had not been declared wanted, because there was a process for declaring someone wanted.
“Investigation is ongoing,” he said.
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Fulani Herdsmen Kill Three Residents, Kidnap Two Others In Enugu Community After Police Commissioner, Army Chief Visited, Made ‘Empty Promises’
Displaced residents of Ogbete-Mgbuji Community in Eha-Amufu, Isi-Uzo Local Government Area of Enugu State have raised the alarm that Fulani militia continued to unleash terror on the community despite promises from the heads of security agencies in the state.The residents told SaharaReporters that barely 11 days after the Commissioner of Police, alongside other heads of security agencies visited the community, three more people were killed while two others were kidnapped for ransom.
Lamenting that the Fulani militias had made life miserable for them, the residents, noted that they had been denied access to their farms, even to harvest their cassava and other crops.
SaharaReporters had reported that Fulani herdsmen had been invading the community since late last year, killing people and kidnapping for ransom.Early this month, the bandits killed no fewer than eight residents in their houses, burnt hundreds of houses and sacked 14 farm settlements with over 3000 inhabitants who are now displaced.Following SaharaReporters’ stories, the heads of security agencies in the state had on Friday, June 17, 2022 visited the troubled community where they promised to provide adequate security for them having had firsthand information about the situation.However, 11 days after security was promised to the troubled community, herdsmen were still having a field day with their terror attacks.The spokesman of the community, Elder Kingly Ogenyi, told SaharaReporters on Monday that since the visit of the security Chiefs, three more people had been killed while two were kidnapped which the community paid millions to secure their release.Ogenyi said, “On Friday, the State Commissioner of Police, CP Abubakar Lawal, alongside the State Director, Department of State Services (DSS), H. M. Daluwa; the Commander, 82 Division Garrison Command of the Nigerian Army Enugu, Brig. Gen. M. K. Ibrahim; Commander, 553 Services Base Group of the Nigerian Air Force Enugu, Air Commodore I. A. Taiwo, and other Senior Police Officers visited our community.”While addressing our community the Police Commissioner, told our people that they (security agencies) now understood the situation and they were going to take action immediately. That the governor had given them a matching order to bring everything they have to make sure the killings stopped.”He promised that they are going to bring their men and equipment the following day being Saturday, 18th of June, 2022. That they are going to mount checkpoints in the settlements. That they are going to bring machines to monitor all the settlements to ensure that nothing happened again, that the end had come.”Regrettably, as I am talking to you nothing has happened. No single security personnel in our community. As I am talking to no single person living in the settlements, they have abandoned everything including food, no chance to harvest cassava; let alone cultivating new crops.””The security chiefs just came for show. About two days after their visit, they (Fulani militias) kidnapped people which we paid ransom before they were released. The worst is that nobody goes to the settlement again to farm or even harvest cassava. The displaced people are selling their clothes to eat. There was no form of assistance from anywhere. The situation of our people is terrible.”
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Nigerian Cadets Sent To Philippines For Training Write NIMASA, Lament Poor Accommodation, Financial Challenges Due To Rising Inflation In Asian Country
Some cadets of the Nigerian Seafarers Development Programme (NSDP) have written to the Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) to solicit financial assistance amid the economic challenges in the Philippines, where they have been mobilised for training.
In the letter obtained by SaharaReporters, the cadets under the memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the LERUS Maritime Academy Ukraine said they arrived in the Philippines in batches on April 11, 2022 and May 15, 2022, respectively for training and courses towards achieving the career’s licensed certificate of competence (COC).
They lamented the lack of proper accommodation noting that the rooms are congested with no study facility which makes it difficult to partake in online classes.
They further lamented challenges with regards to finance, procuring their visas and registration of more courses to be able to compete globally.
The letter addressed to the Director-General of NIMASA reads, “Greetings from the NIMASA-NSDP Cadets under the memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the LERUS Maritime Academy Ukraine, we arrived in two batches to the Philippines on 11th April 2022 and May 15th 2022 for our training and courses towards achieving the career’s licensed certificate of competence (COC) which will help us to properly navigate into the chosen professions as qualified international seafarers.
“We humbly wish to inform you that we arrived safely and have started our training and also bring to your notice, some pressing issues which ordinarily we as cadets, cannot afford in a highly inflated economy currently in the Philippines.
“Therefore, we urgently appeal to you to come to our aid as our sponsors and principal. Below are the respective issues we are currently facing:
“1. Accommodation: It is very important to be in a conducive environment where one can be able to concentrate and focus in whatsoever he wants to achieve especially when it’s academics, but our current condition and situation right now is a mere bed space.
“We neither study well nor focus where we are currently staying simply because it’s not suitable for studies especially, our keen interests to fly a green color in the coming examination.
“The rooms are overcrowded, packed tight and congested; our luggage cannot be arranged as there are no spaces, no wardrobe, no study facility like, chairs, table etc making online classes difficult, we cannot properly arrange things leading to unnecessary fatigue and mental stress which may further affect our upcoming COC license exams.
“Sir, with due regards, we don’t want to cause any misunderstanding between the LERUS or the dormitory managements or the NIMASA, but we plead that this place can serve as transition accommodation for one month as it is not convenient to stay here for the whole of six months as there are more affordable and more convenient dorms we can get if the same accommodation fund is given to us as in the first group of cadets lest we become affected mentally. Hence we are appealing to you as our sponsor to intervene.
“2. Finance: The Lerus management disbursed eight hundred and sixty four ($864) dollar to the first four cadets, and one thousand one hundred and four ($1,104) dollars to seventeen cadets each of this batch which he termed as feeding allowance to last us for 72 days for the first four cadets, and 90 days for the seventeen cadets respectively.
“Sir, we wish to inform you that we catered for all visa and travelling logistics such as visa fee, health insurance, PCR test, police character certificate, transportation and accommodation while processing our visa, transport from the airport to accommodation, quarantined expenses of the first four cadets upon our arrival to the Philippines, when we arrived in the Philippines, we had to hire buses that conveyed us to the dormitory.
“This took a lot from us that we had to even use part of the said feeding stipend, we tried to cut cost by cooking but have to eat outside the dormitory because we were asked to pay one thousand pesos each for a cooking ration before we could use the cooking facilities in the designated place of the dormitory, we transport to and from our training centers during some class days and practical, we have to subscribe at least five/six dollars($5/6) daily to the internet to enhance and access our online classes as the dormitory WiFi is unreliable, all these modalities are from the above feeding stipends from the Lerus management.
“3. Maritime Courses: the Lerus management only registered four courses which are; Basic safety training (mandatory courses), Advanced fire fighting ( AFF), Proficiency in Survival Craft and Rescue Boat (PSCRB) and Medical First Aid(MEFA) which may qualify us to participate in the forthcoming license examination.
“But we have learned that we still have mandatory courses and training which are the requirements to qualify us to be issued the Certificate of Competency (COC) such as the Global Maritime Distress and Safety Signals, (GMDSS/GOC) Engine-room Resource Management (ERM), Bridge Resource Management (BRM), Electronic Chart Display System(ECDIS), Dynamic position (DP) High voltage and Hydrogen sulfide (H2S).
“We also wish to arrange for ourselves other courses which will also help to propel us farther and be marketable in the competitive global profession,
“Visa: Another major factor is that of our visas, the duration of our courses and training towards achieving the COC is approximately five/six months, but currently, our visa reads fifty nine days.
“The visa of the first four cadets who arrived earlier will be expiring by June 9th 2022, and that of the second batch will be on or before the end of July 2022.
“We have to ensure we apply for visa extension before the period elapses and things become worse, which will cost us financial penalty if we fail to renew on time meanwhile, the Lerus management has refused to take up the responsibility for the renewal of the visas, which means we will have to do it by ourselves.
“With these, we hereby request that: 1) We will stay here for one month and then money for accommodation for other months be given to us to get convenient and affordable place.
“2) We suggest that, the Lerus Batch four cadets or subsequent batches should use this same dormitory as transition and familiarization center for one month until any upfront payment finishes if already paid for.
”3) We will unforgettably appreciate if NIMASA as our sponsor really considers these and helps with something tangible in addition to the already promised allowance for us.
“Upon estimation, we realised that it will cost between the sum of $6,000 to $6,500 to be able to actualise all these especially knowing that the maritime courses are cheaper in the Philippines than any other place in the world.
“We would humbly be grateful if our request can be kindly considered as we look forward to hearing a favorable response from you.”
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E2%80%93-enugu-house PDP Party Abandoned Me In Hospital After Assassins Shot, Made Me Bedridden – Enugu House Of Assembly Aspirant Laments
A former aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party in the May 24, 2022 House of Assembly primaries in Enugu State, Mr Akaolisa Ogbe, has narrated how he survived an assassination attempt on his life by suspected political rivals.
Ogbe, who battled for his life for 38 days in the hospital, had bought forms to contest the ticket of the party for the Enugu South Rural State Constituency but he didn’t participate in the exercise because of his situation.
He regretted that not even the party he sought its platform to represent his people cared or asked about him.
He told Signature TV that only the grace of God saved him from the assassin’s bullets and the experience would be permanently engraved in his life.
The aspirant from Amechi Awkunawnaw in Enugu South Local Government Area of the state, said that the incident occurred on April 16, 2022, during one of his routine ward visitations.According to him, he had completed the visitation of nine wards in his constituency and proceeded to purchase fuel in one of the petrol stations in the area.“I was attacked while buying fuel in Amechi. It was a calculated assassination attempt but to the glory of God, I escaped with gun wounds and gunshots pelted all over my car.“I was bleeding profusely but managed to drive to a military checkpoint. By the time I got there, I was already weak and had to stop.“The military men took me to Niger Foundation Hospital, Enugu, where I had the first surgery to stop the bleeding,” he said.While in the hospital, Ogbe said he underwent several surgeries due to the seriousness of the injuries he sustained from the gunshots.He, however, said that it was sad that in spite of the deadly attack on him, the leadership of the PDP in the state had not shown any form of concern over the incident.“My annoyance is that I spent more than 38 days in the hospital and the party did not care about me, their aspirant.“If the party could treat me like this, what more the common man? I could not participate in the primaries because I was on hospital admission,” he said.
Ogbe said that in spite of the disappointing treatment he got from the party, “I still remain a member of the PDP and will work for the success of the party in the 2023 general elections.”
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How High Costs Of Nomination Forms Exclude Women, People With Disabilities From Contesting Elections In Nigeria
Accountability Lab, a global trans-local network championing good governance in countries, has said the high costs of nomination forms by political parties have continued to discourage women and people with disabilities from participating in the electoral process in Nigeria.In a statement sent to SaharaReporters on Monday by Kibo Ngowi, its global marketing and communications officer, the group listed measures it is putting in place to protect the civic rights of people across several African countries including Nigeria.
According to the statement, “much remains to be done at the level of protecting civic space in Liberia, Nigeria, Guinea-Bissau, Mali and Niger and West Africa as a whole.”
The group said in Nigeria, it is fighting for greater electoral inclusion to encourage women and people with disabilities to participate more in governance.The group said Nigeria ranks among the worst countries on the 2021 World Economic Forum Global Gender Gap Report.The statement reads, “In January 2021, just 10.3% of ministerial positions were held by women in (three out of 29) and just 5.8% of parliamentary seats were held by women- thus ranking Nigeria 149th (out of 155 countries) on political empowerment on the 2021 World Economic Forum Global Gender Gap Report.”A lack of equal representation in decision-making structures is a common problem throughout West Africa and the global south for various reasons, but AL Nigeria has identified one crucial reason this status quo remains entrenched in Africa’s most populous country.”The high cost of obtaining party nomination forms keeps underrepresented groups such as women, youth and people with disabilities from contesting elections. The AL Nigeria team’s Gov-Her-Nance program is aimed at promoting women’s civic participation and inclusive gender-sensitive policy-making at both local and national levels.”As part of this programme, the team hosted a series of radio programmes where members of the public shared their perspectives on what can be done to achieve greater levels of inclusion.”One of the most interesting pieces of feedback from these engagements was the insight that many of the policies hindering the representation and participation of marginalised groups in the Nigerian governance structures have been instituted by political parties.”Recently, some political parties have set the price of their nomination forms for the upcoming 2023 elections at millions of naira, politically excluding thousands of Nigerian citizens.”In a similar vein, the Nigerian Senate approved an increase in election campaign spending across the board – up to 400% in some cases – allowing spending of up to 5 billion naira for presidential candidates and 1 billion naira for Governorship aspirants.”This systemically casts women, youths and PWDs, who are already at a financially disadvantaged position, further from representation and participation in decision-making processes. One of the solutions suggested was the formation of political pressure groups by marginalized citizens to make their voices heard.”Explaining how the group is trying to bridge the gap, Prince Chiramoke, AL Nigeria communications Officer, said, “From the communications end, we are developing content around the forthcoming elections for our social media platforms to inspire citizens to get their Permanent Voters Card, vote for a credible candidate, “vote not fight” and “don’t sell your vote” among other election themes.“Beyond this, we are working with Well-Versed to begin a monthly music challenge to get young music artists to develop music around election themes and support the winners to come into the studio to produce the selected song for the month. The produced songs will be shared online on music streaming platforms and with some of our radio partners.”Shiiwua Mnenga, AL Nigeria Project Officer, added, “We are currently running a project which focuses on inclusion and gender and we have been having sessions on access to public buildings by PWDs in line with the provisions of the Prohibition Against Persons with Disabilities Act in Nigeria. We have also been supporting the passage of the Gender and Equal Opportunities Bill before the National Assembly.”AL said other of its activities outside Nigeria include galvanising youth to advocate for peace in Liberia, advocating for the inclusion of women in decision-making processes in Guinea-Bissau, strengthening trust between citizens and local authorities in Mali, and using the courts to hold power holders to account in Niger Republic.
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Get Your PVC: Your Weapon Is Your Votes, By Matthew Ma
“If you do not vote, someone else will decide for you. Your vote is your power. And that power begins with collecting your PVC. With your PVC, you can either vote someone in or kick someone out.”
One of the most critical ways that people can influence decision-making is through voting. Voting is a formal expression of choosing a preferred candidate for an office. In a democracy, the right to vote is one of the ways citizens can influence the decisions about how political leaders govern their countries. Citizens exercise their right to vote when the government decides to hold elections. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted unanimously by the United Nations General Assembly in 1948, recognizes the integral role that transparent and open elections play in ensuring the fundamental right to participatory governance.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Article 21 states: Everybody has the right to participate in an election through direct or indirect voting. Everyone has the right to equal access to public service in his country. The will of the people shall be the basis of the election. It shall periodically express in genuine elections, which shall be by universal and equal suffrage. Hence, it shall take place by secret ballot or equivalent free voting procedures.
To vote is one of the political exercises bestowed on every citizen in a democracy. In a perfect democracy, the logistics of voting would be quick and easy for all citizens. Yet, unfortunately, this idea has never been the case in Nigeria. It has always been a demanding exercise, even more so today with the Permanent Voter Card (PVC). Now, more than ever, we face increased difficulties in voting presented by violence at voting centers, vote-buying, election fraud, rigging, prevalent insecurity, snatching of ballot boxes, ceaseless postponement of elections, poor planning, and clumsy voting process. The reality is overcoming these roadblocks can be a time-demanding process when parties are benching on ruling either by force or by deception. Besides, for many of our communities, the logistics and preparation leading to voting are made so impossible that people are not ready to sacrifice their time to exercise their rights as Nigerian citizens. For the elderly, the risk of voting is so high that going out to collect their PVC jeopardizes their safety despite being elderly and part of high-risk groups. This notion has always led to significant shortages of votes in every election.
An American human rights activist once said voting is not only our right but also our power. As evident as this idea may be, people across Nigeria seem to have given up on voting as a catalyst for a positive change. Nigeria has an estimated population of over 200 million, yet these numbers have not been an actual representation of the voting population. Since Nigeria became a democratic country in 1999, there has been an increase in voter apathy. In 2015, 15.3 % of the Nigerian population determined the result of the Presidential election. That is 42.4% of the registered voters. While in 2019, 18% of the population (about 35% of registered voters) voted in the Presidential election. This estimate means fewer than four people determined who won in 2019 for every ten eligible voters. The 2019 elections recorded the lowest election turnout Nigeria has recorded since independence for a presidential election. The big question is, what number will determine the upcoming 2023 general elections?
Inarguably, we must participate actively in the election process and change the narrative as we countdown to 2023. We must be proactive about the Nigeria of our dreams and constantly work at it. As citizens, it is our civic responsibility to collect your PVC. Remember, no one can vote in any election without your PVC. Luckily, technology has now made the process easier. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has made the registration for a Permanent Voter Card (PVC) easy through its online registration portal. So, make use of this advantage to collect your PVC. Also, apart from getting our PVCs, volunteerism is helping people worldwide get involved in the conversation around democracy and elections. And there is no doubt that it is continually helping to strengthen national democracy by contributing to the increasing awareness and education on pertinent issues on governance.
We are encouraged to use this enormous potential to mobilize and accelerate the electoral process. For example, we can develop and launch a #Go and Get Your PVC project. The project could aim at educating and empowering Nigerians to collect their PVCs to be ready to participate in the forthcoming general elections. We also call on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to simplify the entire electoral process and make the electoral process more responsive and usable to Nigerians by acting as an information point for different categories of voters.
We understand how important this election is in Nigeria today. Why we try to join parties to change the dynamics of the election in Nigeria, we appeal to the youth to go and get their PVC. For young people to be represented adequately in political institutions, processes, and decision-making (particularly in elections), they must get involved. The first critical step is to collect a voter’s card that enables them to become participants, decision-makers, and influencers. Criticizing from the sidelines or on social media would not make much difference. If you do not vote, someone else will decide for you. And once he decides, it may not be about your interest. This anomaly must change if we want to build a great country that will compete among the comity of nation-states in this 21st century. The real power is in your one vote. Your vote is your power, and that power begins with collecting your PVC. With your PVC, you can vote someone in or kick somebody out of the office.
Dear Nigerian youth, remember that every nation determines its election by the people who participate. It is time to get involved and use the power of numbers to sustain our democracy. So, get your PVC today!Rev. Ma, S.J, is a Jesuit priest and doctoral student in public and social policy at St. Louis University in the state of Missouri, USA.
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