16022021 - Nigeria’s security architecture being re-jigged — SERVICE CHIEFS

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4 — Vanguard, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2021 :Vanguard News :@vanguardnews :@vanguardnews NEWS HOTLINES: 08052867023, 08052867058 Nigeria’s security architecture being re-organised, say service chiefs •We'll change the tide, CDS assures VISIT: From left: Director-General, National BiotechnologyDevelopment Agency (NABDA), Prof. Abdullahi Mustapha; Perm Sec, Federal Min. of Science and Technology, Mr Edet Akpan; Minister of State for Science and Technology, Alhaji Mohammed Abdullahi; Minister of Science and Technology, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu; Ambassador of the Republic of Cuba, Amb. Clara Pulido-Escandell; Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of the Republic of Cuba, Pavel Bauza Fuste, during the visit of the Ambassador to the Minister’s Office in Abuja yesterday. How Nigeria'll completely eliminate gas flaring by 2025 — MINISTERS, NNPC BOSS •Govt losing $750m •9th House ready to change narratives about gas flaring — Gbajabiamila •As host communities insist on 10 per cent equity By Levinus Nwabughiogu A BUJA—NIGERIA has elected to join the global community in achieving complete elimination of gas flaring in 2025. The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Silva gave the commitment at a public hearing on “Need to End Gas Flaring in Nigeria and Harness Associated Gas” in Nigeria, organized by the House of Representatives Joint Committee on Gas Resources, Environment and Climate Change in Abuja yesterday. Gas flaring is the combustion of associated gas generated during various processes, including oil and gas recovery. Speaking at the hearing, Sylva noted that gas flaring had been reduced to eight per cent. In the country at present, adding that by 2025, it would be completely eliminated. He said: “The issue of gas flaring is something that the Ministry takes very seriously. There is a global consensus on the elimination of gas flaring by 2025. Today, we have reduced the issue of gas flaring to a minimum eight per cent. “We believe, with all the programmes lined up, we are on course to achieve complete elimination of gas flaring by 2025. We take the issue of gas flaring in the ministry very seriously.” In his remarks, the Group Managing Director, GMD, of the Nigerian National Cooperation, NNPC, Mele Kyari, said the corporation was building major trunk lines infrastructure that will receive flared gas. According to him, no amount of penalty imposed on the oil companies for flaring gas will stop the unhealthy practice. He said: “Two things must happen - one is to put the enabling infrastructure which we are doing immensely. We are building major trunklines that will receive the flared gas that you are seeing today. ‘’We are connecting most parts of this country to the gas network so that people can convert this gas to power Industries and they are all within sight. “Just to put it in perspective, by the end of March, we have what we will call the quarry cluster for flared gas. It makes about 200 million cups of gas. By the end of March, this will vanish because once we end connecting all the lines, automatically, it goes away. A number of projects are being executed to make sure that we take the flare completely out. “No matter how much penalty you put, if the cost of penalty is cheaper, people will continue to flare and pay the penalty. You can raise the penalty to any number and what it does is that it will completely make the people not to invest in anything. ‘’Therefore, increasing the flaring penalty is not the solution. It is to create the commercial tanks that will enable companies invest in this flare so that we can convert them into money. The effort is to commercialize this gas to bring on board the infrastructure we need to have in place. In his intervention, Minister of Environment, Mohammed Abubakar, who was represented by a Director in the Ministry, Mr. Abbas Suleiman, regretted the environmental challenges of gas flaring, pledging to help the petroleum ministry end it. He said: “Gas flaring is an environmental challenge. So much has been said about the challenges that accompany this issue. Gas flaring leads to global warming and the fear that the earth may snowball into green house effect. “The Ministry of Environment has been giving support in this regard. We promise that we will continue to give all the necessary supports by enforcing all the environmental laws to this effect.” Earlier in his welcome address, the Chairman joint committee of the House on Gas Resources, Environment and Climate Change Committees, Mutu Nicholas, disclosed that Nigeria was losing over $750 million annually from flared gas. He said: ‘Gas flare is a malady that we must work together to eliminate at the shortest time possible; because of its all round adverse effects on the environment and socio-economic well-being of the people of Niger Delta. ‘’ At current estimates by Price waterhouse Coopers, PwC, Nigeria loses over $750 million in annual revenue from flared gas. ‘’Zero-Flare Gas deadlines have routinely shifted to future dates. We thus commend government for the 2018 gas flare regulation which imposes the penalty of $2.00 per million standard cubic feet of gas flared.'' Court nullifies impeachment of ex-Imo deputy gov, 8 years after OWERRI—AN Imo State High Court sitting in Owerri has voided the impeachment of Jude Agbaso as deputy governor of Imo State. Agbaso, who was deputy to Rochas Okorocha, former Imo State governor, was US senators kick against inhuman treatment in Turkey THE U.S. Senate has accused Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan of abuse of human rights of its citizens by detaining people and civil servants, shutting down of media outlets and jailing of lawmakers in the country. They also urged the president of the United States, Joe Biden to emphasize to Erdogan and his impeached by the state House of Assembly on March 28, 2013, over allegations that he collected N458 milion and Red Label scotch whiskey as bribes from J-Pro, a construction firm. Aggrieved, the ex-deputy administration to end every form of inhuman treatment metted to Turkey citizens. Fifty-four senators of the US signed the letter, accusing Erdogan of marginalizing, domestic opposition, silencing critical media, jailing journalists and purging independent judges. “We urge you to emphasize to President Erdogan and his administration that they should immediately end their crackdown governor had contested his impeachment in court. Ruling on the matter, yesterday, Justice I.S Opara, gave the consent judgment after parties in the suit opted to settle out of court. Chijioke Emeka, counsel to Agbaso, had informed the court on dissent at home and abroad, release political prisoners and prisoners of conscience, and reverse their authoritarian course,” the letter read. Since a failed coup in 2016, Erdogan’s administration has detained nearly 300,000 people and has suspended or dismissed more than 150,000 civil servants. Hundreds of media outlets have been shut and dozens of opposition lawmakers have been imprisoned as such. that parties in the suit including his client, the state governor, the state House of Assembly and the Chief Judge of the state had on February 1, 2021, drafted terms of settlements which were filed before the court on February 2, 2021. In his judgment, Justice Opara said the terms of settlements had become a consent judgment of the court. Reacting to the judgment, Agbaso said he felt delighted to be “vindicated” of fraud allegations after eight years. He accused Okorocha of intentionally framing him up “just to get me out of the way. “It has been a torturous eight years but I thank the good people of Imo State. I thank the government of Senator Hope Uzodinma for its bold stand, which hastened the resolution,” he said. By Ibrahim Hassan K newly ADUNA—THE appointed service chiefs said yesterday that the nation’s security architecture was currently being re-organised. The Chief of Defence Staff, Major General Lucky Irabor, who disclosed this at the townhall meeting held with stakeholders, on behalf of the service chiefs in Kaduna yesterday, assured that the security chiefs were determined to reverse the insecurity probem in the country. The meeting organised by Office of the National Security Adviser, ONSA, had in attendance governors of states in the North West, traditional rulers, religious leaders and other influencers in the region. Irabor said the new security architecture would assist the security chiefs to effectively deal with banditry and other forms of criminality in the country. According to him ,the meeting was to let Nigerians, especially governors and people of the Northwest, know that the situation in the region was of great concern to the President. “Your concerns have remained deep in our hearts. We assure you that we’ve not rested on our oars,” he said. He explained that the Kaduna meeting was to feel the people’s pulse, stressing that the National Security Adviser, NSA, service chiefs, the Inspector General of Police, IGP, and other security organizations were now working together. According to him, data are being collated to enable the security heads change the tide. The CDS, however, said that coming together as a group with the governors and other stakeholders would enable them make progress in the fight against insecurity in the region. Nigeria on alert as Ebola breaks out in Guinea — NCDC By Sola Ogundipe & Chioma Obinna BARELY 24 hours after Guinea declared Ebola outbreak in the country as an epidemic, Port Health Services of the Federal Ministry of Health in Nigeria has been directed to scale up screening at the port of entry. Guinea had on Sunday declared a new outbreak of Ebola six years after the last Ebola episode in the country. Confirming this development in a chat with Vanguard, the Director-General of the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, said the centre was aware of the outbreak and was currently monitoring the situation closely. According to him, the cases have been detected in a region that is in close proximity to Liberia and Cote D’Ivoire, which may be associated with the measures taken by the Liberian government. He said: “We are to scale up screening at points of entry. We are also carrying out a risk assessment and will use findings from these to introduce additional preparedness activities. We will issue a public health advisory to In his remarks, the National Security Adviser, Major General Babagana Monguno, retd, explained that President Buhari was deeply concerned about the security situation in the region, saying the essence of the meeting which would be replicated in the other zones, was to address very important security concerns. He said although it was true that security was the primary concern of government, nobody was running away from that but stressed it was important to now have a multifaceted approach in dealing with insecurity. “Government is only one leg in the tripod... that is why government is engaging the public. With the new service chiefs, there is a new direction. All we require is your patience, “ he said. Chairman of Northern Governors’ Forum and governor of Plateau State, Simon Bako Lalong, emphasized the need for unity among Nigerians, and prayed that the new service chiefs would soon see the end of insecurity in Nigeria. In his remarks, Governor Aminu Masari of Katsina State recalled that the situation in his state was not as bad as it was 10 years ago, but lamented that banditry, cattle rustling, killings and rape are now bedevilling his state. Similarly, Governor Nasir Ahmad El-Rufa’i of Kaduna State expressed confidence in the ability of the new service chiefs, based on their past records, saying the presence of such high level delegation underscored the importance Buhari’s administration attached to security in the region. The governor hoped that the service chiefs would map out a new security architecture that will end banditry and other forms of crime in the North West. Nigerians and State Ministries of Health.” Explaining further, Ihekweazu noted that the one major difference between the 2014 Ebola outbreak and now was the fact that there is a licensed Ebola vaccine. “A vaccine stockpile has been established by groups coordinated by WHO, so that the vaccine can be accessed by countries experiencing outbreaks. “The vaccine played a critical role during the DRC outbreak last year, and is an important mechanism for outbreak control now available to countries,” he added. The NCDC boss said the centre was also in touch with the World Health Organisation, WHO, Africa Centre for Disease Control, CDC, and West African Health Organisation, WAHO, that are supporting the country and coordinating response activities across the region. Also, Sierra Leone has launched an emergency response against the Ebola virus, following reports about the outbreak in neighbouring Guinea. There are currently no reported Ebola cases in Sierra Leone.
vanguardnews @vanguardnews Vanguard, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2021— 5 NEWS HOTLINES POCKET CARTOON 018773962, @vanguardnews 08052867058 SECURITY TOWN HALL MEETING—From left: Governor Nasiru Elrufai of Kaduna State, Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau State, the Minister of Defence, Major- Gen. Babagana Mungunu, retd. Chief of Defence Major- Gen. Lucky Iraboh and the Chief of Army Staff, Major-General Ibrahim Attahiru at the Town Hall meeting of the Security Chiefs and Major stakeholders in the North-West at Arewa House, Kaduna, yesterday: Photo: Olu Ajayi. Produce evidence of criminal herdsmen's trial — NEF, PANDEF, MBF, AFENIFERE By Kingsley Omonobi, Evelyn Usman, Peter Duru, Luminous Jannamike, Davies Iheamnachor, Henry Ojelu, Olayinka Ajayi & Ibrahim Hassan ABUJA Following criticisms that President Muhammadu Buhari was taking a soft approach to the farmers/herders’ crisis in the country, the Presidency said, yesterday, that many criminal herdsmen were being tried and convicted across the country. It also challenged Force Headquarters to publish names of herders being prosecuted and those convicted for Nigerians to be convinced of its efforts at dealing with the problems posed by the herders. However, the Presidency’s claim drew the ire of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, the Pan- Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, the Pan-Niger Delta Forum, PANDEF, who both dismissed it. While the Northern Elders Forum, NEF, said it was not aware of trial of criminal herdsmen anywhere in the country, the Middle Belt Belt Forum, MBF, and Benue tribal leaders asked the Presidency to start with the trial of Miyetti Allah leadership to convince Nigerians it was serious about dealing with the criminal herdsmen. But speaking on Channels Television’s breakfast programme, Sunrise Daily, yesterday, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, said: “I hope the police will take responsibility and publish the full list of Fulani herders who are undergoing trial in various states, particularly in Benue State. “Trials are going on, convictions are being made and the President cannot be complicit in the kind of things that are being said of him.” ‘President aware of security situation’ He also said the President is fully aware of the country’s security situation and is working to ensure the safety of lives and properties. “The President is more than concerned about the ongoing situation, and he is fully conscious of the fact that it is the responsibility of his government to work with all Nigerians to secure lives and stop the ongoing crises, whether they are kidnapping or ethnic hatred and violence. He condemns it. “It is for community leaders – local, traditional, and elected – to work with the President. The country’s military, as we speak, is over-stretched because they are active in at least 34 of the 36 states of the federation, including the FCT. “The Air Force, the police are recruiting, day and night; people are being trained in special operations and are being sent to the forest.” Shehu also disagreed that the President has not condemned the herdsmen’s violence. In the country, saying “when Femi Adesina or myself speak for the President, people should accept that it is the President that is speaking. “For this President, it is the actions that should speak for him. He is not a showman. He doesn’t have to be there. And let’s be understood, we are not trying to personalise anything. Senator Abaribe dwelt a lot, attacking President Muhammadu Buhari, saying that he has not, even at a rhetorical level, spoken against this kind of violence. “That is most uncharitable. This country has problems. It requires the involvement of everyone. All hands must be on deck.” ‘Criminal herdsmen being treated with kid gloves’ Earlier on the same programme, Senate Minority Leader, Enyinnaya Abaribe, had accused the President of treating criminal herdsmen with kid gloves. Abaribe had said: “The President needs to come out and say I do not support these types of actions, these criminal elements. He has to come out and everybody sees that he is owning this problem. “But we have never heard it. Where did the President ever say that these criminal herdsmen will never be tolerated in this country? What we’ve heard from 2016 all the way down is live in peace with your neighbour and ‘try to accommodate your countrymen’ and stuff of that nature. “That now emboldens those who are committing these crimes, that there is no punishment. When you see eruptions here and there, targetted at a particular segment of people, you should be very worried. Why you should be worried is: What is it that gives these people the impetus to continue to commit these crimes?” NBA reaction But reacting yesterday, the National Publicity Secretary, NBA, Dr Rapulu Nduka, said: “We live in a nation without veritable statistics. Government officials reel out figures in the course of an argument, figures that are not from verifiable sources. But the government should be clear that the menace has reached an alarming height. “The posture of the government gives the impression that it is complicit in the whole issue. The criminal herders have become more brazen, and we merely pray, wishing it doesn’t come close. Until the government tackles insecurity, no one is sure of the next victim. Government officials should stop playing with words and get serious.” Where are they being tried? ACF asks Reacting, Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF, National Publicity Secretary, Emmanuel Yawe, said “Where are they being tried that we don’t hear of it? The government must be more honest with us.” Publish names of herders on trial anywhere in Nigeria – Afenifere Also reacting, the Pan- Yoruba Socio-political organization, Afenifere Continues on Page 27 On arrest of Lekki Tollgate protesters by Police (2) By Providence Adeyinka LCC is a private business registered by the Lagos State Govt it is to collect toll fee for a specific number of years and so no one has a right to prevent the company from engaging in businesses. At the same time, citizens have the right to protest peacefully as stipulated by the constitution. So the protesters can take their protests to places like the Legislative house, open field or Gani Fawehinmi Park. —Onaolapo Olatunji, Political Analyst Why are peaceful protesters at the Lekki Tollgate being arrested by the Police? This is a mark of dictatorship and lawlessness on the part of the APC Federal Government led by P r e s i d e n t Muhammadu Buhari. —Julie Gabriel, Entrepreneur There were strict warnings before Saturday, and so you will agree with me that there was nothing dehumanizing about the treatment the protesters received. Blocking the tollgate is uncalled for. The Federal Government has disbanded SARS as requested by the protesters. —Smith Nmecha, Surveyor Peaceful protest is human rights. EndSARS protesters are being arrested again just for demanding justice for their colleagues killed during the protest at Lekki Tollgate on October 20, 2020. I regret being a Nigerian. When I was in school, our teachers told us that we are the leaders of tomorrow yet, the bad leaders continue to kill us. —Boiti Atayese, Haulage expert The best two phrases to be used should be ‘totally unacceptable’. It simply shows the complacency and unpatriotic nature of PMB and the Nigeria Police Force. In saner climes, the officers who acted out of their job dictates should have been sanctioned appropriately by now. But never in my country! —Akinwunmi Ibrahim, Photojournalist It is unfortunate that we find ourselves in this military-democracy. The youth don’t trust the govt. No result from the panel they set up. Is reopening of the tollgate the next thing for this govt? We are in a democracy and we have constitution, you can’t stop people from protesting. The police is meant to protect and guide protesters. This is not democracy. —Prince Saviour Iche, Entrepreneur
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