Dons EzeUNCERTAINTY AS NORTH SPLIT OVER PLANNED PROTEST
UNCERTAINTY AS NORTH SPLIT OVER PLANNED PROTEST Going by the schedule released in various online platforms, the EndBadGovernance protest is expected to kick off nationwide on August 1. With only five days to the commencement of the planned action, there are no indications, despite concerted efforts mainly by the government to ensure the protest does not hold, that those pushing for it have recanted. Rather, posters, in support of the mass action, ostensibly from the organisers, whose identities are still unknown, have been flying on various social media platforms. Our reporter observed that due to the early notice served about the plan to mobilise citizens nationwide, the issue has generated mixed reactions across the country with some in support of the idea and others moving against it. While the clamour for protest against mainly the economic policies of the current administration and the security situation in the country started from the Southern part of the country, the idea now commonly referred to as “zanga zanga” has come to resonate more in the North. As early as February, when the current administration was yet to clock a year in office, protests erupted in some southern states of Nigeria like Lagos, Osun, Oyo and Edo, but cascaded down to the North with major towns like Ilorin, Kano and Yola joining the demonstrations. Civil society groups, including Take It Back Movement! Education Rights Campaign; Coalition for Revolution and the Socialist Workers League took the matter further by protesting on June 12. As the pushed for the planned August protest gained momentum youths from the North appear to be excited about it and began to warm up to the mass action, leading to fears that it might disrupt social and economic activities in the region. A prominent tiktoker, Junaidu Abusalma Abdullahi, was said to be one of those instrumental to promoting the idea among northern youth through the social media. Only last week, another youth in Kano, Bashir Abubakar was accused of producing #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria T-shirts. Other than that not much is known about the organisers of the planned protest. Even the government seems uncertain about where the idea is coming from as its organs point at different directions. While presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga accuses opposition elements, the National Orientation Agency (NOA) says it is the work of some fifth columnists in the Diaspora. The Directorate of State Service (DSS) said in a statement that it knows the organisers, but did not provide details. The reaction in the North has led to the involvement of clerics in the issue. But rather than douse tension, their involvement has served to divide opinions on the proposed action. While prominent clerics like Sheikh Kabiru Gombe, Sheikh Sani Yahaya Jingir and Sheikh Aliyu Sokoto and Sheikh Aminu Ibrahim Daurawa, among others are rallying against the planned protest, the likes of Sheikh Ahmad Gumi and Ibrahim Khalil Danshagamu, insist there is nothing wrong with it if done in a peaceful manner. Sheikh Gumi supports the idea of a peaceful protest as he views it as a means of conveying the grievances of the citizenry to the government. Sheikh Jingir, on the other hand, is against it, saying the idea is conceived to make the Muslim-Muslim ticket of President Tinubu look bad. “Just because there is hunger now in Nigeria, Christians against a Muslim-Muslim ticket, and Shiites and hypocrites who don’t like the Muslim-Muslim ticket are now calling for you to come out and protest. May Allah undermine all planned protests,” he said. Danshagamu said he is in support of the protest because it is an opportunity for people to claim their rights from the government due to the hunger and insecurity in the land. Leader of Hisbah in Kano, Sheikh Daurawa said he…
PROTEST ORGANISERS DEMAND PROBE OF PAST AND PRESENT POLITICIANS
PROTEST ORGANIZERS DEMAND PROBE OF PAST AND PRESENT NIGERIAN POLITICIANS Some prominent politicians across Nigerians could find themselves in trouble as Nigerian youths revealed their demands ahead of the nationwide protest to end bad governance in the country. It could be recalled that the media headlines were dominated by the planned nationwide protest tagged #EndBadGovernance. While many Nigerians, particularly members of the ruling All Progress Congress, APC, urged the youths to suspend the protest and give President Bola Tinubu more time, it appears that the protest will hold regardless of their pleading. According to the report, Omoyele Sowore, the convener of #RevolutionNow, revealed the demands of the youths which include an immediate probe of the former political office holders across the country. The demand states that the former leaders must be investigated and made to answer for their corrupt practices. It added that President Tinubu need to recover all the stolen funds belonging to Nigerians from the last leaders. Also, the youths demand the probing of the present politicians and deposit the money recovered from them in a special account to fund education, healthcare, and infrastructure in the country. ” Probe past and present Nigerian leaders who have looted the treasury, recover their loot, and deposit it in a special account to fund education, healthcare, and infrastructure, ” one of the 14 demands by the youths stated.Meanwhile, it should be noted that corruption has been described as one of the major problems in Nigeria’ s political space. Both the past and present political leaders have been accused of stealing public funds on different occasions
POLITICIANS BUY SUVS FOR JUDGES BECAUSE ONLY THEIR VOTES COUNT – ODINKALU
POLITICIANS BUY SUVS FOR JUDGES BECAUSE ONLY THEIR VOTES COUNT – ODINKALU A former Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission, Chidi Odinkalu, has alleged that judges are being used by politicians to destroy Nigeria’s democratic system. He regretted how governors in the country continue to accord priority to donating vehicles to their cronies while being less concerned to the plights of the people that elected them into office. Speaking on Channels TV’s Inside Source on Friday, Odinkalu said politicians have resorted to donating Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs) to judges to establish some rapport with them in order to clinch victory at polls, having realised that the votes of the masses don’t count now. According to the law professor, politicians now tell their opponents to take their grievances to court after a disputed elections as the former is assured of victory. He said, “In this economy, you buy a V6 or a V8? It’s beyond idiotic and it is aggravating. They (governors) have bought four-wheel drive for senators and members of the House of Representatives. State governors have bought four-wheel drive for their state legislators. They are donating four-wheel drive to the judiciary all over the country. “We have this outbreak of acquisitive-ness, an epidemic of crass acquisitiveness that is ridiculous. Why do they do all of these? It’s procurement. When they do that, they take more money into their pockets than they actually give away. It’s an excuse to acquire. “There are no hospitals, there are no schools, there are no roads. And so we have to buy private healthcare overseas. We have to send our children to private schools overseas. We have private helipads and now we have private jets and private airstrips. We have private security also. That is the problem,” he said. Further speaking, the human rights activist explained that to get out of the present predicament, democratic reforms must start with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the judiciary and anti-corruption agencies like the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC). He said, “This is why I have settled for INEC and the judiciary. That is where it begins,” he said. “They have sworn in new judges of the high courts and new justices of the Appeal Court. Did you see the number of state governors who were there? The number of senior politicians who were there? “Politicians hosting receptions for judges and the judges going because the politicians know that our votes don’t count; what counts is the votes of judges and they are deliberating courting the judges. “This judicial walkaround on processes of legitimacy has essentially destroyed democratic legitimacy and popular legitimacy in the people as a foundation of democracy. People are wondering why we are not getting the dividends of democracy when our votes don’t matter.“There are institutions we cannot afford to go bad. And I count three among those. In no particular order, INEC, the judiciary, and anti-corruption agencies. And that’s why I go hard on them in my private and public intellectual life. I go hard on them because these are the sentinels on the door of the people who will inflict destitution on the country or secure the country. And if we don’t make these institutions work, it is going to be impossible to save the country.”
JUDGES LEAD BRIBE TAKERS IN NIGERIA – NBS REPORT
JUDGES LEAD BRIBE TAKERS IN NIGERIA – NBS REPORT A recent report published on the National Bureau of Statistics website indicates that a staggering sum of N721 billion ($1.26 billion) was disbursed as cash bribes to public officials in 2023. The report, derived from a survey jointly conducted by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes (UNODC) and the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) under the title “Corruption in Nigeria: Patterns and Trends”, highlights the pervasive issue of corruption within the country. The average cash bribe documented in this report stood at N8,284, a notable increase from the previous nominal amount recorded in 2019 at N5,754. The comprehensive survey estimated a total of $1.26 billion exchanged hands as bribes to public officials in the same year. Breaking down the data by recipient, judges emerged as the recipients of the highest average bribe amount, receiving N31,000 per bribe. Following closely were the Nigeria Customs and Immigration Service officials at N17,800, members of the armed forces at N16,600, land registry officials at N11,700, and police officials at N10,400. These figures underscore the deep-rooted nature of corruption across various sectors and the pressing need for stringent anti-corruption measures to curb this pervasive phenomenon. Additionally, the report noted that 46 percent of public officials employed by the government resorted to offering bribes for employment opportunities or to expedite their recruitment processes. This figure represents a considerable increase—1.5 times higher than that revealed in a previous survey conducted in 2019. Moreover, the report revealed that six out of every ten individuals who secured positions in the public sector confessed to leveraging nepotism, bribery, or a combination of both to enhance their prospects of being recruited. This data underscores the prevalence of corrupt practices in the public sector recruitment process and highlights the imperative for systemic reforms to promote transparency and meritocracy in hiring practices. The prevalence of bribe-taking is disturbing in itself, but the disheartening reality of judges ranking at the forefront of bribe recipients is profoundly distressing. The revelation that Nigerian judges stand as the primary recipients of bribes raises fundamental doubts about the integrity and efficacy of the Nigerian judiciary. Judges, as the custodians of justice, are expected to embody impartiality and maintain a demeanour of dignified neutrality to adjudicate matters fairly. However, when judges are not just linked to bribery and corruption but are identified as the foremost recipients of bribes, the foundational values of the judiciary are compromised. This unsettling trend should be a cause for alarm for every Nigerian citizen. The judiciary ought not to be implicated in such misconduct. The fact that the judiciary now leads the tally reflects a systemic breakdown in the administration of justice. How can the courts serve as the ultimate refuge for the ordinary citizen when judges are renowned for their involvement in bribery? The revelation that judges rank highest among bribe recipients in Nigeria raises profound concerns about the integrity of the judiciary, the rule of law, and the overall quality of governance. This unsettling revelation has far-reaching implications for the judicial system, public trust, and the sanctity of legal processes in the country. Judges as leading recipients of bribes undermines the credibility and impartiality of the judicial system. When those entrusted with upholding justice and interpreting the law are embroiled in corrupt practices, the integrity of court decisions and the fairness of legal proceedings are eroded. The perception of judicial corruption tarnishes the legitimacy of judgments, weakens the rule of law, and perpetuates a culture of impunity. Judges engaging in corrupt acts not only compromise their judicial independence but also subvert the principles of justice and equality before the law. Bribery distorts the legal process, skews outcomes in favour of the highest bidder, and…
TINUBU SIGNS MINIMUM WAGE BILL NEXT WEEK
TINUBU SIGNS MINIMUM WAGE BILL NEXT WEEK President Bola Tinubu is expected to sign the Minimum Wage Bill into law next week, following its passage by the National Assembly. The bill was finalized on Wednesday and transmitted to the President on Thursday, after its swift passage by both chambers during Tuesday’s plenary. According to multiple sources within the National Assembly, the President is expected to give expeditious assent to the bill. The Senior Special Assistant on National Assembly Matters, Senator Abdullahi Gumel, confirmed the development, stating, “The bill will be transmitted today (Thursday).” The National Minimum Wage Act 2019 (Amendment Bill) was approved separately by the Senate and the House of Representatives on Tuesday, following a unanimous vote after a clause-by-clause consideration. The bill aims to increase the minimum wage from N30,000 to N70,000, replacing the expired minimum wage that was effective until April 18, 2024. The President had transmitted an executive bill to the National Assembly, requesting prompt consideration to reflect the new minimum wage and reduce the periodic review period from five years to three years. This followed an agreement reached with labour leaders on the new minimum wage benchmark. The Tripartite Committee on the New National Minimum Wage had submitted separate figures, with the government team and organised private sector proposing N62,000, while Organised Labour demanded N250,000.The President held meetings with stakeholders to harmonise the figures before transmitting the executive bill to the National Assembly.
4,200 POLICEMEN DEPLOYED IN ABUJA AHEAD OF HUNGER PROTEST
4,200 POLICEMEN DEPLOYED IN ABUJA AHEAD OF HUNGER PROTEST Ahead of the proposed nationwide protest, the Federal Capital Territory police command has deployed a total of 4,200 policemen across the nooks and crannies of the nation’s capital. The command also announced the deployment of explosive ordinance device experts at various strategic locations. The command in a statement on Friday by its spokesperson, Josephine Adeh, said the deployment was to ensure public safety, protection of protesters and to prevent the protests from being hijacked by non-state actors. She added that there would be raids on identified black spots, uncompleted buildings/shanties, and stop and search operations among others in collaboration with sister security agencies. She said, “The FCT Police Command, in anticipation of the planned nationwide protest by some human rights activists and Nigerian youths to publicly express their displeasure over hunger and hardship, has proactively deployed material and human resources across the nooks and crannies of the nation’s capital. “The proactive deployment, which is aimed at ensuring public safety, protecting protesters, and preventing protests from being hijacked by non-state actors, is characterised by visibility policing, the deployment of explosive ordnance device experts and personnel at various strategic locations, raids on identified black spots, uncompleted buildings/shanties, stop-and-search operations, vehicular and foot patrols, and synergy with sister security agencies.” Adeh noted that the FCT Commissioner of Police, Benneth Igweh, warned that the destruction of public and private properties would not be tolerated during the protest. She said, “The Commissioner of Police FCT, while acknowledging the right of residents to protest, advises that it should be peaceful. “The CP vows to resist all forms of violent protest and lawlessness, as the police will not be stampeded into allowing the destruction of public and private properties or loss of lives.”Adeh urged residents to be vigilant and take advantage of the police emergency lines to report suspicious activities.The nationwide protest is scheduled to be held from August 1 to 10, 2024.The protest is over the hardship experienced by citizens in the country.
YOUTH MOBILISES KANO RESIDENTS FOR #ENDBADGOVERNANCEINNIGERIA PROTEST AT POPULAR MARKET IN KANO
YOUTH MOBILISES KANO RESIDENTS FOR #ENDBADGOVERNANCEINNIGERIA PROTEST AT POPULAR MARKET The mobilisation of Nigerians for the forthcoming nationwide protest, dubbed ‘EndBadGovernance’ has continued to reach more people in the grassroots in Kano State. In a video, a concerned youth was seen using a sound amplifier to enlighten people and traders inside the popular Gaya market in Kano State on the need for them to massively join the planned nationwide protest. He told Kano residents that it is the best opportunity for them to stand against agelong bad governance in Nigeria, urging them not to be intimidated by what the ruling class may have said about the protest. He said, “This is your opportunity. It is remaining four days until the day of protest; come out and protest. Men and women, children and adults, boys and girls come out and protest. This is your opportunity. “Where are the people they kidnapped or killed their relatives? This is your opportunity to protest. Come out and protest in order to remove bad governance. Come out and protest.” Thousands of Nigerians have begun mobilising for a nationwide public protest, dubbed ‘EndBadGovernance’, to demand change. The protest is aimed to express displeasure over the hardship under President Bola Tinubu’s administration. Also, organisers of the planned nationwide protest had written to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, seeking that Eagle Square be made available for the peaceful demonstration between August 1 and 10, 2024. In a letter signed by Damilare Adenola, Director of Mobilisation for the Take It Back Movement (TIB) in Abuja, the protesters demanded unrestricted access to the venue 24/7 throughout the protest, and possibly even after it concludes.Meanwhile, the Nigerian Defence Headquarters had claimed that some miscreants were plotting to attack religious houses, shops and business centres during the planned nationwide protests.
TINUBU REBUKES PROTEST SPONSORS, SAYS THEY DON’T LOVE NIGERIA
TINUBU REBUKES PROTEST SPONSORS, SAYS THEY DON’T LOVE NIGERIA In a strong rebuke of planned nationwide protests, President Bola Tinubu has accused the organizers of harboring ill intent towards the country. Speaking to a delegation of Islamic leaders on Thursday, Tinubu claimed the sponsors of the demonstrations do not truly love Nigeria and instead have their sights set beyond the country’s borders. According to reports from Channels TV, the President went on to allege that these protest backers are holding virtual meetings across the world, suggesting their loyalties may lie elsewhere. Tinubu’s comments come as Nigeria braces for a wave of nationwide protests over the state of the economy. The President sought to frame the planned demonstrations as driven by “politics of hate, and anger” rather than legitimate grievances. He cautioned such protests could “degenerate into violence and set the country backward.” In an attempt to get ahead of accusations of cronyism, Tinubu also used the meeting to forcefully rebut claims that he has a “cabal” or external sponsors.He maintained that his victorious presidential campaign was self-funded, stating: “The money I spent on the elections was my personal fortune.”
AGF WARNS LOCAL GOVT CHAIRMEN: TAMPER WITH FAAC ALLOCATIONS AND GO TO JAIL
AGF WARNS LG CHAIRMEN, TAMPER WITH LOCAL FAAC ALLOCATIONS AND GO TO JAIL Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), has vowed to prosecute local government chairmen and councillors who tamper with FAAC allocations meant for their jurisdictions. Fagbemi emphasizes the Supreme Court’s recent ruling on local government autonomy, aiming to ensure funds allocated to local governments are directly received and utilized by them, not state governments. He highlights the absence of immunity for local government officials and warns of jail term for those found misappropriating funds, urging them to prioritize local development and governance. The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), has vowed to ensure the conviction and imprisonment of any serving local government chairmen or councillors tampering with the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC) allocations to the LGs. He disclosed this on Thursday at the 17th-anniversary annual lecture event of the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) in Abuja, attended by Nairametrics. His latest reaction comes a few days after he instituted an LG autonomy suit at the Supreme Court and defeated the state governors’ legal team who unanimously opposed it at the apex court. Why FG Opted for Supreme Court Instead of NASS Fagbemi narrated to the audience that for over two decades, governance in most of the 774 local governments, the third tier and closest level of government to the grassroots, has been almost crippled, and all efforts by previous administrations to solve this problem had been frustrated. He said the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, being conscious of the linkage of governance with security and human rights, took the bold decision to approach the Supreme Court of Nigeria on the issue of LG autonomy. He stated that the singular judgment of the apex court would not only improve governance at the local government level but would also significantly enhance security and access to human rights. He explained that prior to the Supreme Court judgment, it was expected that authorities at the state level would allow the local government to function as described by the 1999 Constitution, but that failed to happen. He said the option of going to the Supreme Court was due to the roadblocks associated with the Constitution amendment in the National Assembly. He said, “The money meant for the local government was not given to the local government, and if we had gone via amendment of the Constitution, whoever that Speaker was, who attempted to allow an amendment of the Constitution to give serious autonomy to the local government if he survived that term, he is not coming back. That one is sure. “We now thought, this money is still coming from the federation, and in a way, the money is meant for the local government; the federation now says, states be our agents, hold this money for onward transmission to the local government. “There are two issues: the states were the agents of the federation; when the money got to the states, they became trustees of the local government so either way, they are to do their utmost to ensure that the funds were not tampered with. “But what do we have? If you go to some local government today, some have grown with weeds. “At that stage, we felt it is no longer possible to persuade the states to follow the Constitution except there is an order.” Jail threat for serving LG Chairmen Fagbemi continued that while credit must be given to the Supreme Court for providing a resounding judgment in favour of local government funds immediately going directly to the local government, there are still some issues. He observed that local government chairmen may want to divert the funds amid state pressure. But…
AUGUST 1 PROTEST: MANY POLITICIANS HAVE BOOKED THEIR FLIGHTS TO LEAVE NIGERIA – ACTIVIST
AUGUST 1 PROTEST: MANY POLITICIANS HAVE BOOKED THEIR FLIGHTS TO LEAVE NIGERIA – ACTIVIST Popular Nigerian activist, Comrade Israel Joe, has alleged that many politicians have made plans to leave the country ahead of the planned nationwide protest slated for August 1. He stated that the leaders are the cause of the problems in Nigeria but would be taught a lesson by the hungry masses. According to him, there would be anger in the nation until hunger is addressed. “All the politicians in Nigeria are scared of protest. National Assembly have taken a break. Majority of the politicians have booked their flight out of the country all before 1st of August,” he wrote in a Facebook post on Thursday. “The leaders are the cause of the problems they are running away from. A lot of youth leaders have come out to denounce and distanced themselves from the protest but they can’t even get close to the venue of any protest ground. “The hungry Nigerians would teach them a lesson. They can only be in their houses observing from afar because make who get mind come stop the anger in the youths.”Until hunger is addressed, anger is inevitable in Nigeria. The leaders are not aware that Nigerians have gotten to the biblical point of “If I perish I perish”