Knocks, kudos as Nigerians react to President’s broadcast

By Bertram Nwannekanma, Godwin Dunia, Daniel Anazia (Lagos) and Njadvara Musa (Maiduguri) |   22 August 2017   |   4:37 am  

Lagos-based human rights lawyer, Ebun Adegboruwa, said he was disappointed over the content of the broadcast, saying it fell short of expectations.

• It’s a disappointment, buck passing, says Adegboruwa
• ‘Speech to boost terrorism fight in N’East’
• Why national integration dominates president’s address, by APC
As always, Nigerians have reacted to yesterday’s address to Nigerians by President Muhammadu Buhari in different ways. While some knocked the president for the broadcast, describing it as a disappointment and buck passing, others have hailed it as a timely intervention, especially in the country’s fight against terrorism and the need for national integration.
Lagos-based human rights lawyer, Ebun Adegboruwa, said he was disappointed over the content of the broadcast, saying it fell short of expectations.
He noted that “notwithstanding that the president took Nigerians for granted, he was not impeached, but rather Nigerians were offering prayers for his recovery, daily, only for him to return with a language of combat and insult, describing his own citizens as “irresponsible elements”!

This, he said, should not have been the appropriate language of a president that has benefited from the goodwill and magnanimity of his people, as this could not be the message of gratitude.

Adegboruwa, who thanked God that the President is back and praying that God will perfect his health, said reading through the presidential broadcast however, he was utterly disappointed.
“This is a president who virtually sneaked out of Nigeria, who breached his own self-declaration of transparency, by keeping Nigerians in the dark for over 100 days and in the process slowed down the country’s progress.
“There must just be something about the All Progressives Congress (APC) government that detests truth and consistency. While the president was away, his Vice President translated our freedom of expression into hate speeches and terrorism.
“But here is the president, few days thereafter, piling up hatred and animosity upon Nigerians, who are simply demanding restructuring, true federalism and dialogue, asking the president and his party, to fulfill their campaign promises,” he said.
However, Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima, has said that President Buhari’s return and his broadcast to Nigerians would boost the fight against Boko Haram terrorism in the Northeast region of the country.
He said this in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Isa Umar Gusau, which was made available to journalists yesterday in Maiduguri. “I congratulate the people of the North-East on the return of our President from medical vacation in London.
“The people of the Northeast should be congratulated as the major beneficiaries of Buhari’s return because of his ‘open love, empathy and keen interest’ in addressing the security challenges not only Borno State but the entire Northeast zone,” he added.
Meanwhile, the APC has charged Nigerians to identify with President Buhari’s quest for national integration.
Expressing satisfaction over the president’s emphasis on the unity of the country, deputy national chairman of APC (North), Lawal Shuaibu, told journalists that the most important function of government was security.
“Any action that is capable of threatening the security of lives and property should be the primary concern of any responsible government,” he said.

Discovered

Yesterday, what witnesses called human body parts were discovered at a ritual killers’ den at Ile Zik Bus Stop on the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway at Dopemu area of the Lagos metropolis. This came 48 hours after the discovery of ritual killers’ den in a tunnel at the Obadeyi Bus Stop at Ijaiye area of Lagos State. The human parts discovered at Ile Zik included intestine and kidneys in some bags found in a tunnel in the area.

But the state Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni, said it was the destitute living inside the tunnel, not a ritual killers’ den. He said: “We have to stop this culture of jungle justice and allow the law to take its course.

This matter is a pure case of the destitute and not ritualists.” However, some of the items found in one of the bags are two receipts of Lagos State Teaching Hospital, (LASUTH), Ikeja and drug prescriptions belonging to five-year-old Modupe Ola with registration number 062181.

The two drug descriptions were dated June 28 and July 3, 2017 with N4,800 and N9,600 written on the two receipts. Some the human parts recovered from those arrested were set ablaze. In one of the small nylon bags that contained human kidney and intestines, N11,500 was boldly written on a paper. It was placed on top of the nylon which contained the human parts. Policemen, who stormed the den, rescued five suspected ritual killers from angry mob.

The mob claimed that the five suspects were ritual killers, pretending to be mad people. A woman was said to be part of the supposed mad people arrested. A policeman was injured while trying to prevent one of the suspects from being lynched.

A witness said: “The five persons were arrested in different spots within the area during a search. Items recovered are human parts, a machete, clothes, female undies and shoes. Some tunnels were also discovered within the area.

When people entered the tunnel, traces of people passing through the tunnel were noticed.” Another witness said that the people residing in the area raised the alarm which led to the arrest of the suspects.

The witness said: “We saw three people, dressed like mad people. They were roaming about the area. They were at different spots. We accosted them, and while trying to question them, someone said there was a particular place within the area where they covered something with big nylon. We went there; when we opened the nylon, we saw many empty plastic bottles packed inside. We were still searching the bag when we saw another mad person close to the area.

He was trying to run away; some people ran after him. They caught him. “We were still trying to question him, when policemen came and took them. We opened the nylon with the empty plastic bottle, we discovered something wrapped inside.

When we busted it, we saw human kidney and intestines packed inside the nylon. We later set them on fire.” A member of the community claimed that a woman, who was arrested among the suspects, was a regular face in the area. The man said: “The woman, who is regarded as Iya Ibadan, has been patrolling the area for long without anybody suspecting her.

It was due to the incident that happened at Ajala on Tuesday, that people here challenged her. The people discovered a lot of fresh items belonging to people in one of the bags. She covered the bags with tyres. The woman, who disguised as a mad person, had been in this area for long.

They are two mad people; Iya Ibadan and a man. They used to sit around the area. The woman usually cooks in two different spots within the Ile-Zik area with three stones. We have also seen her on many occasions, washing clothes on the road.

“Today (Thursday), we moved closer to her to ask her some questions, and while trying to talk to her, she ran into an iron cage in the middle of the road and tried to lock the cage from inside. We dragged her out of the cage and discovered that some tyres were used to cover some tied nylons bags. We brought out the nylons, and when we poured out the contents, we saw new and old female items like pants, bras, toothbrush, lip sticks, bags, small Bible, comb, cosmetics, sachet tomato, bunch of keys, pairs of shoes, cigarette, glass cup, disposable cups, drinks, bucket of water and other items. As people were about to pounce on her, police arrived at the scene and whisked her away.”

The five arrested people were taken to Isokoko Police Station in Agege, which is the closest police station to the area. Efforts to speak with the arrested people at the police station did not yield result. Street urchins selling Indian helm in the area said the area was a notorious place.

They said that corpses had been discovered there on several occasions. One of them noted: “Police should begin to arrest mad people. Some of them are used in carrying out crimes.” Another witness said that nobody would have known anything was going on around the area, if not that a lady, selling groundnut, lost her purse. While attempting to locate the purse, they decided to question the suspected mad woman. The man said: “Getting there, we saw a man and woman together.

Before anyone could ask questions, the man quickly ran into a cage that was there and locked himself. The people held the woman because the groundnut lady was pointing at them. She said they chased her last night, which was how she lost her purse.

“People held the woman, who confessed that she was not a mad woman. In the process, the mob scattered the place only to see blood stained shoes.” He said that the man used to come around wherever they were smoking, to join them in discussion. “We thought he is a security guard, working in the abandoned milk factory,” said the man.

“I noticed something about the man; his face and hands had cut marks. The man refused to come out from the cage until arrival of policemen. People were just about to leave when they discovered women and men shoes and clothes.”

Inside 9ja

1. 
   The Presidency on Thursday dismissed the ‘Resume or Resign’ protest as a ploy by ill-motivated supporters of the old corrupt order to scuttle the Buhari administration’s corruption fight, while emphasizing that the government would not be distracted by it.

The government’s position was disclosed by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, while addressing members of the Center for Civil Society and Justice (CCSJ), a civil society coalition that staged a rally in support of President Muhammadu Buhari at the precincts of the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja.Shehu dismissed the “Resume or Resign” sit-in as an illegal assembly with the ulterior motive of sabotaging the war against corruption, while also praising Nigerians for standing up against the protesters.

Read also: #ResumeOrResign Day 4: Pro Buhari group storms Abuja to counter Charly Boy & co
In a statement he issued, Shehu said: “It might be taken for granted that the beneficiaries of the old order are fighting back. We have been warned that corruption will fight back.“In a country where just one woman for having the opportunity to serve as minister has N47.2 billion and $487.5 million of public resources in cash and property traced to her by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), you don’t expect the beneficiaries of that order to allow the Buhari administration some peace.

“They want to distract us. But what the Acting President wants to assure patriotic citizens is that the government will not bend.
“As far as the President is concerned, he has done the needful by handing the reins of authority to the Vice President. Since the law of the country does not give a time limit for the President’s return, it cannot be imposed by a saber-rattling group or individual.”

He also went on to commend CCSJ for being orderly in their rally, and urged them to shun all provocations by opponents of government.

He said, “By divine intervention, Muhammadu Buhari unexpectedly got elected with the ostensible mandate of reversing national decline and securing its future. He got into the Villa through democratic victory at election.
“Anybody desiring to replace him, whether you are wrestler, a hairdresser or a musician, you should go through that process. In a democracy, threats don’t work.”Speaking on behalf of the group, the convener, Comrade Prince Goodluck Obi, said they had “absolute faith and trust in President Buhari’s administration and not machinations of corruption and destabilization”.

Obi added, “We are saying from today, 10th August 2017, we will be holding a rally/protest march here at Unity Fountain for the next one month and beyond in order to send clear and unambiguous message to agents of chaos and unity, that Nigerians are solidly behind President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration based on our democratic mandate entrusted to him on 28th March 2015.” 

One of Nigeria’s leading stand-up comedians and United Nations World Habitat Ambassador, Francis Agoda, known popularly as I Go Dye, has sent out a word of caution to Nigerian politicians and government officials to desist from wasting the tax payers’ money to visit President Muhammadu Buhari who’s recuperating in a London hospital. Osinbajo and I Go Dye The humour merchant, made the statement in the wake of reports that the National Assembly members plan to visit the President after some top APC members and some governors have already visited the number one citizen, saying, it is utterly unnecessary, when there are so many national issues begging their attention. “I kindly make this passionate appeal to Nigerians, that president Buhari should be left to rest. Nobody can question or decide who should get ill. This is a divine manifestation,that only God can answer. Since he has willingly handed over power to the Vice President as stipulated by the constitution,I recommend that the National Assembly should as a matter of urgency be delegating the various House Committees to address and pass legislation that will make it mandatory for all states to provide standard world class hospitals to meet international standard and provide quality services to the ordinary Nigerians. I strongly advise that Nigerian top government officials should stop visiting the president in London,since he is certified to be alive,” he said in a phone conversation with Vanguard. “The report that National Assembly members want to visit him is totally irrelevant. They should visit our federal roads that have taken many lives. The Benin-Abuja road, eastern roads, Benin-Ore road and many others, most importantly, visit the stranded children and families in the north east, our public hospitals without dialysis equipment and non functioning emergency and accident units,” he added. Speaking further he decried the state of infrastructures in the country, begging the National Assembly, both Upper and Lower Houses, to pay urgent attention to resuscitating them rather than playing to the gallery with ostentatious visit to the President in London. “Our child mortality rate is among the highest in the world today and even our higher institutions are rated sub-standard. Those and many more should be their primary concern; passing legislation to create social welfare for youths, with a view to curbing kidnapping, terrorism and militancy. This should be a time for sober reflection as a nation and not glamourising an unfortunate situation. Many Nigerians are faced with health issues in the public hospitals and they can’t afford medical trips abroad. Providing an environment where each and every Nigerian can have easy access to quality healthcare should be their priority. I kindly request that president Buhari should be allowed to rest, health issues are not for jamborees let alone to be used to score cheap political points. Nobody knows who is next. May God protect Mr president and bless our nation Nigeria,” he quipped.

Leave President Buhari alone, health issues not for political jamboree, I Go Dye chides Nigerian politicians

Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/07/leave-president-buhari-alone-health-issues-not-political-jamboree-go-dye-chides-nigerian-politicians/

Leave President Buhari alone, health issues not for political jamboree, I Go Dye chides Nigerian politicians

Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/07/leave-president-buhari-alone-health-issues-not-political-jamboree-go-dye-chides-nigerian-politicians/

Information Policies and Government Guidance in Nigeria

The current development crisis in Nigeria is not the result of inadequate resources but is a product of "mismanagement." Nigeria's lack of an information policy has led to a chaotic information environment. Four development plans from 1962-1985 have dealt with various facets of information policy but did not develop clearly stated and coherent policies. National information policies in Nigeria should focus on identifying information needs, information resource development, coordination and resource sharing, training and education for the information work force, the role of professional associations, promoting effective use, and rural development planning. Since the rural populace constitutes the largest segment of the country's population, providing information to rural areas is of special importance.

Lagos

Despite The Law, Here Are 11 Reasons Nigerians Are Jumping Into Lagos Lagoon

The city of Lagos, known for its aquatic beauty, is sadly turning out ugly stories. The once beautiful water fronts and creeks now appear to hold a major attraction for desperate Nigerians who want to end their lives tragically.

Such has been the tale in the last few weeks. Before then, there had been isolated cases of frustrated citizens choosing suicide as quick escape route to the many, and everyday challenges, of survival .

The incidents of the past few days have raised immediate concerns having occurred in quick succession.

Sunday, March 19, a lady known as Emerald, plunged into the Mile 2 creeks at Mazamaza on a suicide bid but was rescued by some good Samaritans. Later same day, the state witnessed the more celebrated story of Dr. Allwell Orji who stopped his car in the middle of the popular Third Mainland bridge, and took a dive into the lagoon. His mutilated body was fished out three days after.

On Friday, another two suicide attempts were recorded. The more famous of the two is the case of the aged woman, Abigail Ogunyinka, from Ketu who jumped into the lagoon at Ebute Ero, but was rescued by vigilante fishermen. The police authorities in Lagos, led by Fatai Owoseni, named one Taiwo Titilayo as the second lady who made another suicide bid off Third Mainland Bridge on Friday.

An interesting dimension to the ugly incidents is that most Nigerians are not even aware that the act of attempting a suicide is frowned at by the Nigerian constitution. Indeed, it is considered a criminal offense punishable with a year’s imprisonment!

By virtue of Section 327 of the Criminal Code “Any person who attempts to kill himself is guilty of a misdemeanor, and is liable to imprisonment for one year”. The penal code (Nigeria Penal Code, Chapter 27, Section 327) isn’t shy of making provisions, “Any person who attempts to kill himself is guilty of a misdemeanor, and is liable to imprisonment for one year.”

The law, as it stands, exists to penalise the hapless ones who fail to complete their mission, while the successful ones, with greater liability, who are now beyond the reach of the same law, are exempted from punishment.

Although attempted suicide is a crime in Nigeria, actual prosecutions against those who attempt it appear to be rare. However, a significant number of those who make an attempt to terminate their lives may have a wide range of psychological, economic, personality and social pathologies that push them to the cliff of mental disequilibrium, such that they resort to such a seeming absurdity.


The big question is, why are Nigerians jumping to their deaths, using the Lagos lagoon as a safe haven for a quick trip to the world beyond? Here are 11 reasons citizens may be expressing absolute disgust with their lives and choosing suicide as get-away from all the challenges of life:

1. Depression: According to Dr. Raphael Ogbolu, a Consultant Psychiatrist with the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, LUTH, hopelessness is more likely, the strongest indication that will warrant someone to kill him or herself.  “A medical condition like depression alters the way one thinks and makes you ‘truly’ believe that there is no hope”. The case of Dr. Orji cannot be far-fetched as it was reported that he had failed a major exam. To him, all hope was lost, and then the essence of living is lost. This is traceable to virtually all cases of suicide in the country.

2. Economic Hardship: The economic recession and inflation has had its toll on Nigerians, particularly ‘the common man’ who is either struggling to keep his/her business afloat or feeding from hand to mouth. So is the case of Abigael Ogunyinka, the aged woman who had borrowed money from a Micro Finance bank to run her ‘amala business’ and had defaulted to the tune of N150,000.00. Mama decided to end her life because of her inability to pay her debt and the embarrassment she’s likely to face. With interest rates remaining at double digits, what are the possibilities that many more loan defaulters won’t reason the way mama Abigael did?. Bala Zakka, an economist could not agree less about the effect of the economic hardship on people. He said, “the country has failed to think towards that direction, people are suffering economically, companies are gearing towards closing up and it is having a ripple effect on workers, it is very psychological and the holding limits is fast being exceeded”.

3. Drug Abuse: In Nigeria, a higher percentage of youths and middle-aged have had a taste of banned intoxicating substances; Indian hemp, marijuana, codeine, cocaine, alcohol, to Name a few.. Many have blamed their addiction on lack of job, peer pressure, motivation and so on. These substances are abused as the mind craves for more to take the worry away. The trend is fast becoming a norm as youths no longer hide while abusing these substances. Although, no recent reported incidence has been traced to drugs, it has had its fair share in suicide cases.

4. Mistakes: The decision to commit suicide due to mistake or negligence as the case may be is narrowed down to how the victim pre-empts the reaction of people when they find out their reasons for committing suicide. Again, Mama Abigael probably had started to blame herself in the first place for collecting the loan for her amala business that is looking impossible to pay back. Mama’s example to intending loan collectors is; “do not collect loan if you are not sure of how to pay back, and if you do, Lagos lagoon is just a bus ride away”.

5. Unemployment/Financial problem:With a poor economy, many people lose their jobs and look for new ones, but since the competition is fierce, landing a new job, and a good one at that, can be difficult. In many cases being unemployed not only makes people feel as if they have no purpose in life, it can lead to depression over lack of an income as well. Employment provides most people with a sense of purpose and belonging to a specific group or company. The financial stress can take a major toll on a person’s mental health. People who are struggling financially sometimes see no end in sight to their debt and bills. In Nigeria’s difficult economy, most people are living on the edge because of unemployment or underemployment.

6. Relationship problems: Some people have difficulties making friends and maintaining a close group for socialization. Others struggle with staying in abusive relationships just so that they can avoid feeling isolated and lonely, not feeling appreciated, or going through break-ups. As far as romantic relationships are concerned, the act of a break-up can trigger intense feelings of depression, anxiety, guilt and panic leading a person to deal with a lot of emotional pain. Often times most people commit suicide as a result of break-up.

7.  Terminal illness/chronic pains:Many people with terminal illnesses that have no hope of improving their situation based on current science and medicine may become depressed. The case of Dr. Allwell Orji who is alleged to be a sickle cell patient probably felt powerless about his condition. People with terminal illnesses or people with chronic pains might just feel justified to end their pains and that of their loved ones by taking their life.

8. Trauma/Stress (Post Traumatis Stress Disorder, PTSD): People who have been through traumatic experiences like wars, sexual assault, losing a loved one or any terrifying ordeal may develop Post Traumatic Stress disorder. They feel tensed and are easily startled which can make them angry and irritable all the time. It wounds a person’s sense of self, their value, their worth and they no longer feel secure in this world and thus they are driven to the idea of suicide to end it all. A case recalled is that of a middle aged woman in Lagos who lost her only child and husband; she resulted to committing suicide, but was rescued by her mother.

9.  Mental illness: For those who have killed themselves from bipolar disorder or other forms of mental illness. Driving across major highways in Lagos, you will witness a good number of mentally unbalanced people who are exposed to the dangers of being hit by a vehicle, a case that comes to mind is a recent incident along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway, where a mentally unbalanced man was hit while walking in the centre of the expressway. His mental state can be the cause for such suicidal act.

10.  Bullying: Bullying can have a profound effect on the way people think and how they feel. Most people that are bullied end up feeling extremely depressed, worthless, and hopeless to change their situation. In many cases, bullying goes completely unrecognized until the victim can’t take it anymore and sees suicide as the only way to escape the pain that they are experiencing. Although, most reported cases of bullying in the country have been met with strict penalties, but the concern is, how many victims speak out? Bullying can take the shape of verbal and non-verbal (Physical) and sometimes emotional.

11. Lack of adequate specialists: Most hospitals in the country, especially public health institutions lack specialist psychiatrists or psychologists to handle cases that could eventually lead to suicidal thoughts. These professionals are few in-between, and mostly available to the rich, with the common man left to his fate.

Nearly everyone has experienced suicidal thoughts at one point or another throughout their existence. Everyone deals with tough times, but some people have been dealt a tougher hand when it comes to life circumstances, post trauma, mental and/or physical illness, social standing and ability to cope with depressive emotions. How such cases are handled is what makes the difference

Senate, Customs Feud Deepens

Senate, Customs Feud Deepens

The seeming face-off between the the upper chamber of the National Assembly, the Senate and the Nigeria Customs Service has been taken a notch further.

The Senate Committee on Customs, Excise and Tariff, has revealed its plans to commence investigations into how over N4 trillion was lost due to revenue leakage in the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS).

The committee Chairman, Senator Hope Uzodinma,who disclosed this to newsmen in Abuja, said the committee would stop at nothing in recovering the money, which was lost due to lapses and various infractions.

On the retrospective policy on payment of customs duties on old vehicles, the lawmaker expressed dissatisfaction that the service was over stepping its bounds by making policies rather than implementing them.

According to him, the power to make policies for the service was vested in the Ministry of Finance, adding that “having gone through the legislations and books available to my office as it has to do with the administration of the customs service, it only implements policies made by the Ministry of Finance.

“It sounds very strange to hear that Customs gets up and says they are making a policy. That is what I am yet to understand and there is no way to fathom that before the law.

“The referral is already before us. I was waiting for him to appear before the senate before we commence a full blown investigation into some of those issues that have been referred to us.

“Concerning the suspended policy on payment of customs duties on old vehicles, the committee will continue to interface with the service to ensure that the policy is cancelled not suspended.

“The whole idea is about governance and governance is about the people and nobody is licensed or entitled to talk about the people more than the elected representatives. In my view there is no hullabaloo. We will discuss with them and wise reasoning will prevail,’’ he said.

Uzodinma disclosed that the period under review will cover between 2006 and 2016. Former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and Goodluck Jonathan’s tenures will be probed. President Muhammadu Buhari’s brief stay in office will be probed too.

The committee has however, condemned the inability of the technical committee on the implementation of comprehensive import supervision scheme to ensure that the provisions of the Act are followed to the latter.

According to him, preliminary investigations by the committee, revealed that the N4 trillion leakage was as a result of various forms of infractions, including abuse and non implementation of Foreign Exchange Forms‎.

He added that other factors responsible for the leakage were wrong classification of cargo under Harmonised System Codes, non screening of cargoes coming into Nigeria and lack of adequate ICT infrastructure for revenue collection, stressing that cancellation of pre-arrival assessment reports, abandonment of single goods declaration were equally responsible for the leakage.

Uzodinma said: “The committee frowns at the quantum of revenue losses and it will stop at nothing in ensuring that those involved in this ugly act would return all recoverable monies with them.

“The committee also frowns at the level of collusion and corruption within the Customs Service. At the end of our current investigation, all these will become a thing of the past and customs revenue will be enhanced and non oil revenue will be improved upon.

“What we are investigating is not money spent. It is the leakages. For instance, I am supposed to pay XYZ amount of duty, I will abandon the documentation, go get fake documents, collude with customs, pay maybe a fraction of it and carry my goods. With that, the true import circle is not closed.

“Another instance is that assessment is abandoned or I fill the form M for example with a pro forma invoice, apply for foreign exchange in Central Bank, XYZ amount of money is allocated to me, money moves in but no goods shipped. I will then go get fake documents, collude with customs and then retire the allocation.”

The lawmaker decried that the sharp practice, which include round tripping and false declarations, had over time led to increase in the exchange rate.

He stressed that in most cases, the amount of money spent was not commensurate with the number of goods being imported, adding that the committee had started investigating activities of companies and banks indicted in the matter.

“We will not mention the companies involved because we are also very careful of the integrity and public perception of some of these companies, being that some of them are in the Stock Market. We will be diplomatic in carrying out this investigation.

“This is to the extent that little or no damage will be done to the integrity and image of such companies provided that government revenues in their hands will be recovered,” he said.

ripples Nigeria ….without borders, without fears