22032021 - Govs, APC, PDP, othersrally against attack on Ortom

Vanguard, MONDAY, MARCH 22, 2021—41
<strong>Govs</strong>, <strong>APC</strong>, <strong>PDP</strong>,
others rail <strong>against</strong>
<strong>attack</strong> on Ortom
Continued from page 5
only to law.
“Nigeria is still a
democracy and a nation of
laws and not men. Nobody,
or group, however, highly
placed should take the laws
into their hands, even
though some highly placed
federal government
ministers seem to have
surrendered to the
nefarious activities of
miscreants and mischief
makers, bent on
destabilising the nation.
Self-help is an invitation to
anarchy and must be
nipped in the bud.
“The <strong>PDP</strong> governors are
solidly united and are
behind Governor Samuel
Ortom and will do the
utmost to defend the rights
and prerogatives of Benue
people who elected him.
“We expect the security
agencies and other
authorities of state to
investigate this matter
swiftly and thoroughly and
bring the perpetrators to
justice. Enough is clearly
enough.”
Benue people not
weak — Mark
Also reacting, former Sen
ate president, David Mark,
condemned the <strong>attack</strong> on
Samuel Ortom, saying this
might compel people to
defend themselves.
In a statement signed by
his media aide, Paul
Mumeh, Mark said if a
governor’s security could
not be guaranteed, citizens
might have to resort to selfhelp.
He said: “If a state
governor can be so brazenly
<strong>attack</strong>ed, what would they
not do to ordinary citizens?
“Let me state clearly that
Benue people are receptive
and accommodating. But
this should not be
misconstrued or mistaken
for weakness. Enough of
this malady.
“If our government and
security operatives can no
longer guarantee peoples’
safety in their homes, farms
or places of business, I am
worried that the situation
may compel citizens to
resort to self help.
“That is the situation, we
cannot contemplate and
must not be allowed to
happen because the
consequences would be
catastrophic.
“Therefore, the Federal
Government and all the
security agencies must of a
necessity come to terms
with the painful reality of
the unending insecurity in
the land and resolve to end
it.”
The senator, who also
hails from Benue, urged
Ortom not to be deterred by
the incident, noting that he
(governor) had lived up to
his oath of office to defend
and protect the lives and
property of Benue people
without compromise.
He also advised all
citizens to be security
conscious at all times and
provide information
regarding any suspected
activity to security
operatives.
Attack on Ortom:
<strong>APC</strong> warns <strong>against</strong>
politicizing crime
The ruling All
Progressives Congress
<strong>APC</strong> has condemned
Saturday’s <strong>attack</strong> on the
convoy of the Benue State
Governor, Samuel Ortom.
The party in a statement
by the National Secretary
of its Caretaker
Extraordinary Convention
Planning Committee
CECPC, Sen. John James
Akpanudoedehe, however,
cautioned Nigerians about
politicizing crime.
Part of the statement
reads: “We thank God for
his safety and praise the
dutiful security details for
repelling the <strong>attack</strong>.
“We are confident our
security services will do
everything to unravel the
criminals behind the <strong>attack</strong>
and bring them to book.
“The <strong>APC</strong> reiterates that
we must all collaborate to
end criminality in all forms.
A crime is a crime and
should not be politicised in
any way.”
IG orders full
investigation
Meanwhile, the
Inspector-General of Police,
IGP Mohammed Adamu,
has ordered full-scale
investigations into the
<strong>attack</strong> and reported
assassination attempt on
the life of the governor.
The IGP, who condemned
the incident, also directed
the Commissioner of Police,
Benue State command, to
take adequate measures
towards strengthening and
improving security in the
state, particularly around
the governor.
A statement by CP Frank
Mba, Force Public
Relations Officer, said: “The
IGP has also specifically
directed the CP to carry out
painstaking investigations
into the incident and
ensure the arrest and
prosecution of persons
indicted in the course of the
investigations.
“Meanwhile, in order to
ensure a speedy, thorough
and conclusive
investigations into the
matter, the IGP has ordered
the immediate deployment
of a team of specialized
investigators from the Force
Criminal Investigations
Department, FCID, Abuja
to Benue State to provide
additional investigative
support to Benue State
police command.
“While calling for calm,
the IGP has assured the
people of Benue State and
the country at large that the
Force will continue to do its
best in stabilizing the
security situation in the
country.
“The IGP further
reiterates that the Force will
continue to work with
relevant stakeholders to
advance the fight <strong>against</strong>
violent crimes and other
criminal activities across the
country.”
PDF Compressor Free Version
Buhari orders
thorough,
transparent
investigation
of Gov Ortom’s
<strong>attack</strong>
President Muhammadu
Buhari has condemned the
<strong>attack</strong> on Governor Samuel
Ortom of Benue State,
saying the string of brutal
<strong>attack</strong>s on individuals and
communities in the state,
with the latest one targeting
the governor, was
unacceptable.
This was contained in a
statement issued by the
Senior Special Assistant to
LAGOS — Chief
executive officers of
Nigerian banks and
financial experts have
enumerated measures
and policies that the
government should
implement in order to
achieve irreversible
recovery and inclusive
growth as the country
had a perfect ‘V shaped’
recession in 2020.
In a joint communiqué
issued at the recently
concluded one- day
Special Summit on the
economy hosted by
CBN/Bankers
Committee’s in
collaboration with
Vanguard Newspapers,
the participants agreed
that the country should
explore agriculture and
agro allied businesses as
a booster top economic
growth.
It was agreed that
Nigeria should manage
seasonality, minimise
food wastage and ensure
price stability by
investing in storage
facilities for agro
products, particularly for
export, explore shared
infrastructure of
processing facilities for
agro activities. The
commodity exchange
initiative should be
strengthened to link all
vital value chains of the
agro ecosystem and
stakeholders (e.g.
warehouse operators,
aggregators, processors,
testing and certification
institutions.)
In terms of funding the
2021 TECH, INNOVATION EXHIBITION —SCT&SCT1: The Minister of
Science and Technology, Chief Ogbonnaya Onu (Middle, front row) flanked
by the Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire (2nd R) and the Minister of
State for Science and Technology, Mohammed Hassan Abdullahi (3rd left)
with others at the closing ceremony of the 2021 Tech, Innovation Exhibition
at the Eagles Square, Abuja, weekend. Photo: Abayomi Adeshida.
the President on Media
and Publicity, Mallam
Garba Shehu in Abuja last
night.
Mallam Shehu in the
statement said that the
President welcomed the
dispatch of a high level team
of crack investigators to the
state from the Police
headquarters in Abuja,
urging the officers to
uncover who, or
whatsoever, was behind
the <strong>attack</strong>s and bring them
to justice.
According to the
statement, “In expressing
his sympathies, and that of
the government of the
federation to Governor
Ortom and all Benue
indigenes, President
Buhari said the unfortunate
incident must not be
politicized, reiterating that
an <strong>attack</strong> on one Nigerian
is an <strong>attack</strong> on all
Nigerians.
“The President directed
How to achieve irreversible recovery,
inclusive growth – Bank CEOs, experts
telecoms and oil and gas
sectors, participants
agreed that commercial
banks should provide
funding for training and
skills acquisition and
information and
communication
technology to promote
the digital economy and
increase returns to
investors.
In the communiqué it
was agreed that banks
should partner with
State Governments in
funding infrastructure
particularly in deploying
broadband access in
schools , commercial
centres and important
socio economic
institutions.
Other resolutions and
recommendations at the
Summit include
harnessing economic
potentials through
integrated rural
development; road to
s u s t a i n a b l e
infrastructure
development and the
empowering the people
through retail lending.
It was agreed that
government should
provide enabling, stable
operating environment
for banks to , adding that
it should also
i n t e n s i f y
implementation identity
management to deepen
retail lending and
reduce the cost of
operations for banks and
provide adequate
infrastructure to enable
more efficient retail
lending by banks.
Why looting persists in Nigeria —
ARCHBISHOP KAIGAMA
By Luminous
Jannamike
ABUJA — Catholic
Archbishop of Abuja, His
Grace Most Rev. Ignatius
Kaigama, said yesterday
that treasury looting in
Nigeria has persisted
because Nigerians are
not yet ready to clamour
for positive change.
He said in a society
such as Nigeria, where
leaders want others to
die for their political
ambitions, misuse of
public funds would
continue to thrive.
Delivering his homily
at St. Matthew’s
pastoral area in Paso
Abuja, Kaigama also said
the day politicians would
begin to see the wrong
in their deeds and stop
rationalising crime, the
actions that would follow
will engender good
governance.
He said: “We must all
pay attention to the voice
of God in our
consciences. The degree
of rot and blatant misuse
of public resources of
this great country is
because many have
allowed their conscience
to die. They see no
wrong in their bad or evil
actions and they
rationalize sin and
crime.
“Dying to self is the
only way a new Nigeria
will germinate and grow,
free from the dominion of
sin and criminality; to
produce patriotic
citizens who do nothing
from selfish ambition or
conceit, but in humility
regard others as better
than themselves; looking
not only for their
the Police to undertake a
thorough investigation into
the incident involving the
governor and into all such
incidents affecting
individuals and
communities in the state.”
“Let there be open and
transparent investigation
and whoever is linked to it
should be caught and be
made to face the law,” the
President directed.
interests, but the
interests of fellow
Nigerians.
“If Nigerians avoid
politics of pleasure and
the tendency of
leadership without
sacrifice, practise selfemptying;
uproot every
sinful habit and seek to
be renewed in mind,
spirit, soul and body, the
clamour for positive
change will be possible.
“Unfortunately, leaders
want others to die for
their political ambitions;
while they are
comfortable with their
families at home or their
children well protected
overseas.
“It is only by dying to
self that good
governance can be
entrenched and positive
legacies endure, just as
Jesus in dying became
the source of eternal life.”