14042021 -6 Northern govs link up to fight banditry, terrorism

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34 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 14, 2021 Kidnapping and closure of schools: Surest bomb for the destruction of Nigeria (3) IN the previous editions, I identified the incidence of incessant kidnappings in Nigeria and the consequent closure of schools. I have equally made copious references to the comments of some stakeholders as well as media reports on the spate of kidnappings in Nigeria which, unfortunately, has caught the attention of the world. As I had previously noted, the collapse of education is one sure way of destroying a nation. A South African university posted the following remarkable writeup at its entrance: “Destroying any nation does not require the use of atomic bombs or the use of longrange missiles. It only requires lowering the quality of education and allowing cheating in the examinations. Patients die at the hands of such doctors. Buildings collapse at the hands of such engineers. Money is lost at the hands of such economists and accountants. Humanity dies at the hands of such religious scholars. Justice is lost at the hands of such judges. The collapse of education is the collapse of the nation.” No doubt, the foregoing succinctly captures the importance of education to any nation and the effect of its collapse which will occasion catastrophic effects on every sector of the nation. Sadly, the attack on the education system, particularly in Northern Nigeria, by the incidences of incessant kidnap of students and teachers is gearing the nation towards this unfortunate course. Origin of the problem Nigeria is made up of many amalgamated nations by the colonialists. Knowing that Nigeria contains more than 250 ethnic nationalities with different cultures, languages, religions and customs, Nigeria’s founding fathers, after sitting together in Lancaster House in London for almost 10 years, fashioned out a constitution that united the different ethnic nationalities. This was one of the main reasons why both the 1960 Independence Constitution and 1963 Republican Constitution worked well before the military made a forceful incursion in governance following the military coup of January 15, 1966. The byproduct of military intervention in Nigeria is the 1999 Constitution. Although the Constitution was called a federal constitution, it has fathered all the problems we have in the country today including failed leadership and the emergence of politics as the only lucrative business in the country. The current structural arrangement on which Nigeria is built and administered have both political and economic deformities. Politically, Nigeria’s federal system is more unitary than federal; it is unbalanced and unsustainable. Power is overconcentrated at the centre at the expense of the other two levels of government (state and local government). As I earlier noted, the 1999 Constitution upon which the country is presently running is basically a military, unitary and imperfect constitution which does not have much bearing to the will or wish of the people. Also, there is a lack of social justice or the rule of law; while the tussle for power is not motivated by service, rather by self-accumulation of wealth and greed by the elite. In economic terms, production is what drives conventional capitalism. In the case of Nigeria, politics, corruption, political patronage and unproductive consumption are the driving forces of our economic system. As summarily noted by Nsongurua Udombana, LL.D: “The 1999 Constitution has the imprint of authoritarianism written all over it, with no consideration to the genuine desires of the Nigerian people. There was not even the civility of a Constituent Assembly, let alone a referendum, thereby making the 'We the people' in the preamble a lie and fraud. It is an illegitimate document and will remain so notwithstanding the number of amendments, though it may make for a good POL 101 Course on ‘The Making of an Undemocratic Constitution'”. Certainly, no amendment to the present Constitution can cure its inherent defects. There is an urgent While I advocate a return to the 1963 Constitution, however, I recommend we introduce six regions, as against four, to operate a regional parliamentary government, not presidential government need for restructuring through the platform of the Sovereign National Conference as any election under 1999 Constitution will end up with recycling of the failed leaders. This will create an avenue to effectively discuss and resolve paramount issues of resource distribution, insecurity, effective political representation, among other contentious matters. It is also paramount that the Conference considers the inefficiency of the 1999 Constitution in addressing the ethnocultural and socio-political diversities in Nigeria. No doubt, the only Constitution that will endure is the one that is truly expressive of the supreme will of the people. There is a need to revisit the structural foundation upon which Nigeria’s political future, ethnocultural unity, and economic sustenance are premised. Nigerians must have a voice in the Constitution which governs them, otherwise, the propensity to fall into more chaos is more withinreach than ever. The Way Forward By and large, a return to the 1963 Constitution with necessary amendments is the light at the end of the tunnel for Nigeria. Under the 1963 Constitution, sovereignty was non-centralised and was shared between the F e d e r a l Government and the regional levels which, in essence, enabled the regional units have authority on some matters including economy and social security. In my article,‘Nigeria in Search of a Nation’, I succinctly captured the decentralised and people-oriented nature of the 1963 Constitution thus: “Our forefathers spent over 10 years deliberating on a people’s constitution that would accommodate the nation’s diversity. They came up with 1960 Constitution which was later substituted with 1963 Constitution. But would this Constitutional framework accord significant respect to the derivative principle? The areas which produce the bulk of the nation’s resources have the right to a significant proportion of the revenues extracted from the region. Under the 1963 Constitution, the Federal Government was entitled to pay to each region a sum equal to fifty percent of the proceeds of mining rents and royalty in respect of minerals derived from each region. The Federal Government was obliged to credit to the Distributable Pool Account 30 per cent of the proceeds of the royalty and mining rent received by the Federal Government after it had given 50 per cent to the producing state. The Federal Government was only entitled to keep for itself 20 per cent.” Under the 1963 Constitution, power was shared between the federal and the four regional governments being the East, North, West and Mid-West. In reality, the four regions were constitutionally more powerful than the central government that was limited to less and specific exclusive legislative powers. Undoubtedly, Nigeria witnessed her greatest and fastest economic, political, social and educational development under the regional system of government. Each of the regions were largely autonomous and could legislate over a number of items which have, today, been taken over by the Federal Government. It was during this period that each region began its own regional developmental efforts and the period occasioned mutual, healthy rivalries to compete for development. While I advocate a return to the 1963 Constitution, however, I recommend we introduce six regions, as against four, to operate a regional parliamentary government, not presidential government. The proposed six regions are North Central, Northwest, Northeast, South South, South West and South East. Without a doubt, a return to the 1963 Constitution, which better factored the diversities in religion, language and ethnicity, will engender far greater developments in Nigeria, including curbing insecurity and restoring the education system of the nation to its former glory. Lekki Toll Plaza episode and the US report By SAMUEL OMOJOYE WITH the United States (U.S.) Department of States report stating that there is no verifiable evidence on the reported killings of #EndSARS protesters at the Lekki tollgate on October 20, last year, many questions arise on the actions that followed what was unjustifiably described as a massacre. In its “2020 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Nigeria”, the State Department stated that accurate information on fatalities resulting from the shooting was not available. According to the report, the #EndSARS protesters were allowed to proceed unimpeded in most places. Those charged with “conduct likely to cause a breach of public peace” were released within days of their arrest. Though a few human rights activists, as usual, have come out to condemn the said report, claiming it did not represent what actually transpired during the Lekki protest, they have failed to give any evidence to support their wild assertion of a massacre. Was the massacre claim made to ensure the destruction of Lagos, with its prime assets as targets? What were the purveyors of the fake news targeting? Who are their sponsors and enablers? Why would they want to destroy the unity that Lagosians so much cherish? Hatched by enemies government This writer has always been of the view that the so-called Lekki ‘massacre’ was carefully hatched by enemies of the government just to give it a bad name and unduly overheat the polity. A massacre? Could there have been a massacre without blood and bodies? Would morgues not have been filled with bodies? Would parents and relations of supposedly massacred victims not come have out to give their identities? Now that the United States, which can be considered as an impartial actor in the episode, has come out with a report refuting any claim of a massacre, one would have expected those with contrary views to actually come out with empirical facts to buttress their claim. Sadly, in their characteristic fashion, they have failed to apologize publicly for their indiscretion or deliberate mischief. If the United States’ report had come out with findings that endorse their unproven claim, they would have termed it as credible. But now that it disagrees with their spurious stance, it is nothing but a concoction. Such has always been the stock-in-trade of our so-called human rights activists, many of who are mere creations of the media. Every contrary view to theirs is always wrong because they erroneously believe that they have the monopoly of knowledge. Besides, playing to the gallery is part of their tactics. The role of misinformation in the Lekki Toll plaza incident cannot be over-emphasized. After the incident, in the dead of the night, Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, visited some medical facilities around the area to see things for himself. Earlier, the army had tweeted “fake news” when the social media was awash with videos of soldiers in an armoured tank, shooting sporadically in a direction and scores of videos of bodies with body parts littering the ground had been spread as victims of the fake “massacre.” A certain DJ Switch released several videos, on LIVE, in which she claimed that soldiers were killing protesters and that many people had died and they were trying to remove a bullet from a victim’s leg. She was relaying these events, but not showing any footage of the most important videos (of dead bodies), soldiers shooting at people, blood on the ground, the process/procedure when the bullet was removed and when soldiers were carrying the bodies among others. Her second video showed her talking to a friend and, all of a sudden, she started running and asking imaginary people to bend down and hold their flags. Her friend then said “daaaamn”, after which he covered his face as if he had just witnessed something gruesome. That, no doubt, was mere acting and a bad one at that. DJ Switch gave an impression that the army or police were still shooting protesters at Lekki even in the morning. Then she did another video where she apologized for not being online for some time. She then proceeded to reminisce about the night and, at that point, she started to address the issue of numbers. It was then the death toll of over 80 suddenly reduced to 12. She also claimed that the DJ Switch account which posted over 80 deaths was a fake account and not hers. Experts have analysed that her behaviour was not commensurate with that of a victim of trauma and her description of how she carried and deposited bodies at the feet of soldiers defies logic. Soldiers opening fire and you taking bodies to them seem a drama taken too far; it is highly unlikely. Pictures that were touted as victims of the Lekki massacre turned out to be those of people who had died in separate circumstances - one from a bike accident and the other a stab wound victim. Those found in the hospitals who got injured from Lekki were as a result of stampede, and the injuries ranged from broken bones, cuts, bruises and slash wounds. No record of death as a result of gunshot wounds, but the social media was awash with people in hospital, who claimed that they were shot by soldiers at the toll plaza. The judicial panel of inquiry instituted by the Lagos State Government to investigate the episode has continued to encourage those with concrete evidence on the Lekki incident to come up with such. Among all such judicial inquiries put in place by state governments across the federation over the #EndSARS protest, the Lagos panel, in particular, had proved promising. In all honesty, the set-up inspires confidence and proceedings have never lacked transparency. In fact, the sittings are televised live. Bent on polluting the polity As for those bent on spreading lies to further pollute the polity, they must realize that our nation has just endured As for those bent on spreading lies to further pollute the polity, they must realize that our nation has just endured a very tough 2020 a very tough 2020; one whose uncertainties still cloud our socio-economic structure. The strain and heavy burden that the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the avoidable destruction that climaxed the #ENDSARS protest have inflicted on our society will take years to lighten. For instance, in Lagos alone, analysts put the estimated economic loss during the 12 days dissent at N700 billion, connoting a loss of N58 billion daily. This loss was also accompanied by looting, vandalism and arson at several shopping malls, public facilities, police stations and private facilities As Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley wrote, “No man consciously chooses evil because it is evil; he only mistakes it for the happiness that he seeks’’. Such temptation to devour the society and interrupt the process of healing is destructive. We will only be spinning on a wheel that just goes around and around, eventually leading to the same problems over and over again. Let it be acknowledged that there is no magic formula that will resolve our grievances. But to tame the storm of our reality and reduce the intensity of conflict, a social contract must be forged between citizens and the government. It is to recognize that there are no differences that cannot be solved through dialogue, negotiation and conflict resolution or that are worth the damage created by the assumption of injustice. It is to engage in open, honest, collaborative effort and elicit heartfelt communications that invite truth and reconciliation. *Omojoye wrote in from Palmgrove, Lagos.
Continues from Page 5 by law to give it legal teeth in its operations. Governor Ikpeazu, who spoke in an interview on Arise Television yesterday, said some state Houses of Assembly in the South-East had already done the needful with regards to giving the new security outfit the required legal backing, adding that those that had not done so are in the process of doing same. "This is the right time to do the needful to protect our people. We won’t allow non-state actors to continue to terrorise the people. The security of the people is the priority of South-East governors. Therefore, no effort will be spared to protect them, and also to make the South-East safe for investment," the governor said. Governor Ikpeazu, who refused to be drawn into how much his government is investing in the security project, said it is a security matter that shouldn’t be for public consumption. On the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, he noted that there is no denying the fact that there is much injustice in the country, which the group is reacting to, but disagreed with the method it had adopted to respond to it. He urged the Federal Government to urgently address the injustices driving IPOB's secessionist’s agitation. "I do not subscribe to the strategy of IPOB because I’m yet to see the tunnel from where I am standing," the governor said. It will also be recalled that the South East governors were accused of embarking on mere talk shop at the meeting to announce formation of the outfit, saying the new outfit had no legal backing. Uwazuruike backs EbubeAgu Similarly, Chief Ralph Uwazuruike, founder of the Movement for the Naira depreciates to N411/ $ in I&E window By Elizabeth Adegbesan The naira yesterday depreciated to N411 per dollar in the Investors and Exporters (I&E) window. Data from FMDQ showed that the indicative exchange rate for the naira rose to N411 from N409.75 kobo per dollar on Monday, translating to N1.25 kobo depreciation for the naira. The volume of dollars (turnover) traded in the window yesterday rose by 18 percent to $53.53 million from $ 45.35 million on Monday. vanguardnews @vanguardnews @vanguardnews S-East govs, IPOB on collision course over Ebube Agu Actualisation of Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB, also yesterday, threw his weights behind EbubeAgu, saying the Eastern Security Network, ESN, launched by the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, remains a “social media network” that does not have any form of recognition. Speaking when he featured on ‘Your View’, a programme on Television Continental, TVC, Uwazuruike said only South-East governors have powers to establish a security outfit for the region. The MASSOB leader said ESN is an internet outfit that has no legal backing for its establishment, adding that no individual has the right to establish a security outfit for the region. He said: "There is nothing like Eastern Security Network. Nobody believes in ESN; that was just an internet affair — social media network. They did that on the social media. Nobody recognises ESN. I do not recognise ESN, personally; because nobody has the right to provide security for me when it is not legal; when it is not with the force of the law.” “You do not have more security than Ralph Uwazuruike as an individual in the South- East. I’m willing to donate 5,000 men and women to the South-East governors to work with them without interference.” Uwazuruike said EbubeAgu is the recognised security outfit for the region because it was established by the South-East governors. "No individual, no matter what you are, without consultation should establish a security outfit for the South-East region. It doesn’t happen. It is only EbubeAgu, established by the South- East governors that is recognised as a security outfit for the region. It is only the South-East governors that have the authority to establish a security outfit for the South-East. No individual has the right to establish any security outfit for the region," he said. CSOs back regional security outfits Meanwhile, Civil Society Organisations, CSOs, yesterday backed the establishment of regional security networks across Nigeria to provide cover for defenseless Nigerians. They,however, cautioned governors not to use regional security corps to oppress perceived enemies and gag voice of citizens that will lead to abuse in operations, but should allow them operate within the scope of the Act establishing them for professionalism and effective service to the people. The Founder of One Love Foundation, OLF, and social crusader, Patriot Patrick Eholor, said what is happening in the country in terms of security is failure of the Federal Government to holistically tackle insecurity and politicization of the machinery and architecture of the military. He said: “Of course, you were in this country when a retired general and minister of defence told the world on National TV that a certain tribe is playing god and has politicized the military. “The creation of these outfits is as a result of this failure and loss of trust and confidence at the centre. It is unfortunate that we have found ourselves in this state of helplessness and division. Security is local. The people can easily defend their territory when fully supported and trained." Also, Convener, Coalition in Defence of Nigerian Democracy and Constitution, CDNDC, Ariyo-Dare Atoye, said though the South-East was coming a bit late into the era of regional security outfits, it was better late than never. “I hope the South-East governors have learned some bitter lessons that you do not do political correctness with the security and welfare of the people, which is the primary duty of government.” Also yesterday, convener, Concerned Nigerians, CN, Comrade Deji Adeyanju, said the creation of the South-West and South-East security networks is an indictment on the Federal Government because Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 14, 2021 — 35 NEWS HOTLINES 018773962, 08052867058 NAF, ITF SIGN MoU —Representative of the Chief of the Air Staff, AVM Olusegun Philip (R), exchanging signed Memorandum of Understanding between NAF and Industrial Training Fund with Director General ITF, Sir Joseph Are (L) in Abuja, yesterday. With them are: Director, Research and Development, Nigerian Air Force (NAF), Air Commodore Abubakar Suleh (2nd L) and ITF Corporate Office Manager, Aminu Mohammed (2nd R). Nigeria runs a federal system, comprising the government at the centre and federating units. He said: "So, there has been debate for true federalism over the years with the centre refusing or resisting these calls, and we can see that the centre is failing, and it is run in such a way that there is Boko Haram operating in the North-East, banditry in the North-West, terrorist gangs operating in North-Central and there are fringes of insecurity all over the southern zones. ‘’The government at the centre is overwhelmed and that is why the states that are federating units are beginning to tactically restructure themselves.” In his submission, Executive Director, Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre, CISLAC, Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, said rising insecurity in the country is worrisome, adding this necessitated the proliferation of non-state security actors to fill the gaps in security delivery where the state has not provided (security) or operated with low strength. “For Nigeria, it is mostly driven by the weak state syndrome and governance failure. The failure continues to affect the performance and management of state security institutions. “The continuous growth of ungoverned spaces, mostly rural areas and township slums, has led state governments, street associations, local and rural communities, individuals, and others to establish and fund their own security," he said. Doctors’ strike: Reps summon Finance Minister, as Gbajabiamila visits hospitals By Tordue Salem, Abuja ABUJA — The leadership of the House of Representatives will next week invite the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, over the industrial action by resident doctors. Speaker of the House, Femi Gbajabiamila, who announced this yesterday, said the meeting would be over how to ensure execution of the Memorandum of Action, MoA, entered into between the government and National Association of Resident Doctors, NARD. According to a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity Mr. Lanre Lasisi, the speaker, while meeting with the executives of NARD, led by the President, Uyilawa Okhuaihesuyi, at the association’s secretariat in Abuja, assured that the House will reach an amicable and acceptable resolution of the contentious hazard allowance issue as well as other pressing issues. Recall that the resident doctors suspended the industrial action that began on April 1, 2021, after 10 days of its commencement. The speaker noted that though it was impossible to accommodate the hazard allowance in the 2021 national budget, the House will work to ensure it was included in the supplementary budget. While commending the doctors for suspending the strike at the request of the House, the speaker said: "Even the constitution talks about essential services, but there’s nothing as essential a service than that which seeks to save and protect lives.” Noting that the House believed that “the labourer must earn his wages,” Gbajabiamila said: “We’ll monitor issues being processed, the IPPIS, training fund, hazard allowances which the House championed at the peak of the COVID-19 crisis. “All the issues will be addressed. We’re looking to come to a reasonable and acceptable hazard allowance as well as the training fund, which when the supplementary budget is introduced, we hope and expect to justify why this should be accommodated “We will do everything we need to do to see how we can capture that. We are inviting the Finance Minister next week so that we can talk and see how, as best as we can, accommodate all these issues and cement the Memorandum of Action.’’ On why the leadership of the House had to visit the NARD secretariat for the meeting, the speaker said it was to appreciate the respect and understanding the association had shown him and the House to suspend the strike to allow for the resolution of the issues. He said: “The decision to visit you is a clear message that we are with you because the role of doctors cannot be understated and to thank you for calling off the strike because of what we have done. “We are here to encourage and thank you for calling off the strike and give you assurances that the House will be there with you, talking with the executive on what needs to be done”.
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14042021 -6 Northern govs link up to fight banditry, terrorism

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