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Author: Oloniruha Emmanuel

  • Tenure of FCT area council chairmen, councillors expires June 2026, says INEC

    Tenure of FCT area council chairmen, councillors expires June 2026, says INEC

     

    Tenure

    By Emmanuel Oloniruha

    Abuja, June 28, 2022 (NAN) The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Friday said that the tenure of the incumbent chairmen and councillors of the six area councils of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) will expire in June 2026.

    INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood  Yakubu made the clarification in Abuja at a meeting of the commission with the leaders of  Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) FCT chapter, led by the council’s National Chairman, Yusuf Dantalle.

    The delegation was at INEC with the sole purpose of seeking the commission’s clarification on the tenure of the current officers of the six area councils as well as the 62 councillors in the FCT.

    He said that based on the provisions of the Electoral Act 2022 (as amended), the current elected executives of FCT area councils have a four-year tenure.

    Yakubu said that INEC had earlier received inquiries from some law firms, an individual, a political party and one FCT Chairmanship Aspirants’ Forum regarding the tenure of FCT area councils and demands for the Commission to release timetable for the elections.

    He said that the inquiries were based on the provisions of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended) which was the subsisting law at the time the area council elections were held on Feb. 12 2022.

    “The Electoral Act 2010 (as amended) provides for a three-year tenure for Chairmen and Councillors which, in their opinion, expires 2025.

    “However, Nigerians are aware that the National Assembly has since repealed and re-enacted the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended) as the Electoral Act 2022.

    “In particular, in the exercise of its powers as the law-making body for the FCT, the National Assembly extended the tenure of the Area Councils from three to four years, thereby aligning it with executive and legislative elections nationwide.

    “This is one of the important provisions of the Electoral Act 2022. The Act came into force on Friday Feb. 25 2022, two weeks after the last Area Council elections in the FCT.

    “By the time the elected Chairmen and Councillors were sworn-in four months later on June 14, 2022, they took their oath of allegiance and oath of office on the basis of the new electoral Act (i.e. the Electoral Act 2022) which provides for a four-year tenure.

    “Consequently, their tenure therefore expires in June 2026,’’ Yakubu said.

    The INEC chairman said tenure was not defined by the date of election but the date of the oath of office for executive elections or the date of inauguration for legislative houses.

    Yakubu said that an officer-elect (president/vice, governor, senator, house member, chairman or councillor) cannot exercise the powers of office and draw from the remunerations attached to it until such a person is sworn-in or the legislative house is inaugurated.

    “The Constitution empowers INEC to hold elections not earlier than 150 days and not later than 30 days before the end of tenure of incumbent officers.

    “In the case of the FCT, Section 108(1) of the Electoral Act 2022 under which the current Chairmen and Councillors were sworn-in on 14th June 2022 is clear and therefore unambiguous:

    “(1) An Area Council shall stand dissolved at the expiration of 4 years commencing from the date –

    (a)          When the Chairman took the oath of office; or (b) when the legislative arm of the Council was inaugurated whichever is earlier”.

    Yakubu added that there were several judicial authorities; including the judgement of the Supreme Court that tenure begins from the date of oath of office and not the date of election.

    “The Law Firms that have written INEC on behalf of their clients ought to have drawn their attention to both the law and judicial pronouncements on the matter.

    “You may also wish to note that when the Electoral Act 2022 was signed into law two weeks after the commission conducted the last area council elections in the FCT, the incumbent holders (chairmen and councillors) challenged us;

    “That we conducted the election too early, claiming that the new Electoral Act extended their tenure from three to four years.

    “We reminded them that they took their oath of office under the old law before the coming into force of the new Electoral Act. Therefore, their tenure will expire in June 2022,’’ Yakubu said.

    He reassured IPAC that INEC was aware of its responsibilities under the law, hence would release the timetable and schedule of activities for the election at appropriate time.

    He said that the FCT area council election conducted by INEC remained a model for local government elections in the country.

    He pledged that INEC would continue to uphold the sanctity of tenure and improve the credibility of those elections.

    Yakubu appealed to all persons with ambition to contest for the positions of chairmen and councillors in the FCT to be guided by the provisions of the law and judicial pronouncements on the issue of tenure.

    He also appealed to political parties to enlighten their members accordingly

    Speaking earlier, Dantalle they were at INEC for the commission to clarify the tenure of the FCT area council.

    “ There have been issues about if they are meant to spend three or four years in office.

    “I recall that in the previous meeting, the national leadership of political parties have with the commission, this issue has been clarified.

    “But I feel it will be necessary to invite IPAC general assembly of the FCT to come with me to the commission for first-hand information about the status of the tenor of the elected officers in FCT,’’ Dantalle said.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
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    edited by Sadiya Hamza

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  • It’ll be difficult for APC to win Edo, Ondo — PDP

    It’ll be difficult for APC to win Edo, Ondo — PDP

     

    PDP

     

    Abuja, June 27, 2024 (NAN) The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) says it will be  difficult for the All Progressives Congress (APC) to win the forthcoming governorship elections in Edo and Ondo states.

     

    The party’s Acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum, said this while inaugurating the PDP National Campaign Councils for Edo and Ondo governorship elections, on Thursday in Abuja.

     

    Damagum said that the manner in which the candidates emerged in the two states was an indication that the party would be victorious in the elections.

     

    He expressed the party’s confidence to win Edo and Ondo elections, saying it would not allow itself to be robbed of victory in any of the states.

     

    Damagum said that Gov. Godwin Obaseki of Edo State had already laid a foundation for the success of the party in the state election.

     

    “We will not sit down and allow anybody to search, grab, and steal. We will be battle ready for any thief that rears his head to steal our fortune.

     

    “We have done so well in Edo State. We thank the governor. We are very proud of him. Our records in that state speak volumes.

     

    “So, to those that think they will take Edo, I want to tell them that it is going to be very difficult for them because we are in a democratic dispensation,” he said.

     

    Damagum said that Ondo was already for PDP to win, and advised the people of the state to see the forthcoming election as another opportunity for them to change things to work for them.

     

    “I know it is our high handedness that made us to miss that state. But I am sure most of you people from Ondo have seen the situation on ground.

     

    “You are now more committed and resolved. You have a brand new candidate, who is so much endowed with wisdom. If I can say, his emergence has a hand of God in it,” he said.

     

    Damagum tasked the two campaign councils to face the daunting challenge ahead, be fearless and work for the victory of the party.

     

    “You have to open your eyes, shine your eyes. They will come with all sorts of antics, but this time around, we are ready for them. We will match them,” he said.

     

    Damagum pledged that the party would give them the needed support to carry out their assignments in the two states.

     

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Edo council, with 148 members, is chaired by Gov. Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa, with Governors Sherrif Oborevwori of Delta and Kefas Agbu of Taraba as deputy chairmen.

     

    Also, the Ondo Campaign Council with 177 members is chaired by Gov. Ademola Adeleke of Osun, with his counterparts – Dauda Lawal of Zamfara and Caleb Muftwang of Plateau as deputy chairmen.

     

    Speaking on behalf of the campaign councils, Gov. Fintiri assured PDP of the members’ commitment to the assignment.

     

    He said that the PDP had brighter chances in both states.

     

    “We are ready for Edo. We will not leave anything to chance. We will leverage on Obaseki’s performance.

    “We have low hanging political fruits in the two states. We should go with all seriousness.

     

    “PDP has bright chances in the two states. Edo has registered over 2,000 since new registration started,” Fintiri said.

     

    PDP Chieftain in Edo, Chief Tom Ikimi, also expressed confidence that PDP would win Edo, following the performance of Obaseki.

     

    Ikimi said that Obaseki had distinguished himself as one of the best governors in the country.

     

    “He is the first governor to be bold enough to step forward to make a basic salary of N70,000 to every worker,” he said.

     

    Ikimi added that PDP candidate in Edo, Asue Ighodalo, had the capacity to turn the state around.

     

    On his part, former National Chairman, South-West of PDP, Dr Eddy Olafeso,  expressed confidence that the story from Ondo would be that of success and victory.

    Olafeso said that the party leaders and stakeholders were united behind the PDP candidate in the state, Agboola Ajayi.

     

    He said all that was needed at the moment was the total support of the party leaders and elective members. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

    OBE/FON/SOA

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    Edited by Florence Onuegbu/Oluwole Sogunle

  • PDP disowns unauthorised X handle

  • NGF assures workers of better minimum wage

    NGF assures workers of better minimum wage

    Meeting

    By Emmanuel Oloniruha

    Abuja, June 27, 2024(NAN) The Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) has assured workers of a better new minimum wage from the ongoing negotiations between the government, private sector and organised labour.

    The governors gave the assurance in a communiqué signed by Gov.  AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara, chairman of the forum after a meeting in Abuja on Wednesday.

    The forum promised continued engagement with key stakeholders to reach a mutually agreeable solution.

    “We remain dedicated to the process and assure that better wages will result from the ongoing negotiations,” the forum said.

    It expressed its willingness to continue to provide the much-needed support to the World Bank to ensure programme effectiveness across the country.

    This, according to the forum, followed a presentation received from the acting Country Director of the World Bank, Mr Taimur Samad and his team.

    The presentation has to do with the bank’s programmes currently being implemented in states across Nigeria.

    The forum listed the projects to include Nigeria human capital opportunities for prosperity and equality, food and nutrition security, and Nigeria For Women Project Scale Up (NFWP-SU).

    Others included Nigeria Community Action (for) Resilience and Economic Stimulus Program (NG-CAREs), State Action on Business Enabling Reforms Program (SABER), and Sustainable Power and Irrigation for Nigeria Project (SPIN).

    It said that the governors also received a briefing from Mr Taiwo Oyedele, Chairman, Presidential Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms Committee, highlighting the progress made regarding the ongoing Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms.

    The forum quoted Oyedele as seeking the input and support of the governors on a number of proposals that would directly impact the sub-national level of government.

    “Members pledged their support for the committee to ensure the successful implementation of these reforms and to collaborate closely in addressing challenges that may arise.

    “The forum received a presentation from the Minister of Women Affairs on the World Bank–Nigeria for Women Project Scale-Up, along with other activities of the ministry.

    “Members noted the importance of the project and emphasised the need to implement it at the state level as initially conceived, as the states are the primary obligors of the project.

    “The governors acknowledged the work and contributions of the Ministry of Women Affairs in promoting gender equality, empowering women, and advancing social development across Nigeria,” it said.

    Earlier in an interview with newsmen, Gov. Dauda Lawal of Zamfara, said that  governors would continue the discussion on minimum wage and local government autonomy.

    On, Lawal said that his administration had put in place strategies to ensure that lives and property in the state were safe and secured

    He also said that his administration had put in place measures to promote investment in agriculture in Zamfara.

    “Generally, northern Nigeria is an agrarian economy. All the governors are making conscious efforts to make sure there are changes in agriculture.

    “One of which is making adequate provisions for fertilisers, seedlings as well as new technologies in agriculture, rather than the subsistence farming that we are used to,” he said.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

    OBE/KOO/JPE

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    Edited by Kevin Okunzuwa/Joseph Edeh

  • Governors in closed-door meeting over minimum wage, LG autonomy

     

     

    Governors

    By Emmanuel Oloniruha

    Abuja, June 26, 2024 (NAN) Governors on the platform of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) are currently in a closed-door meeting in Abuja to discuss the proposed new national minimum wage and other national issues.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that other matters on the meeting agenda, chaired by the forum’s Chairman, Gov. AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara State, included the issue of local government autonomy.

    The Supreme Court on June 13 reserved its judgement on the suit filed by the Federal Government, to secure full autonomy for the 774 Local Governments in the country.

    Also on the meeting agenda were the representatives of the Nigeria COVID-19 Action Recovery and Economic Stimulus (NG CARES), Petroleum Profits Tax (PPT), the Excess Crude Account (ECA) and Royalties Accounts Reconciliation/Debt Net-off.

    Already in the meeting were Governors of Oyo, Zamfara, Anambra, Gombe, Ebonyi, Kebbi, Kogi, Nasarawa, Kwara, Niger, Imo, Kaduna, Katsina, Ondo, Ogun, and Kano.

    Also in attendance were the Deputy Governors of Akwa-Ibom, Delta and Borno States. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

    OBE/FON/MNA

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    Edited by Florence Onuegbu/Maureen Atuonwu

  • Council urges NWC to address crisis rocking PDP Katsina State chapter

    Council urges NWC to address crisis rocking PDP Katsina State chapter

    PDP
    By Emmanuel Oloniruha
    Abuja, June 26, 2024(NAN) The Katsina State Peoples Democratic Party Advisory Council has called for the intervention of the party National Working Committee (NWC) in addressing crisis rocking the state chapter of the party.

    Mr Ibrahim Tafashiya, member, Katsina State PDP Caretaker Committee, made the appeal at a news conference on the affairs of the party in the state, on Wednesday in Abuja.

    Tafashiya also urged the party leaders to intervene in alleged denial of party members’ access to purchase nomination forms for the upcoming PDP congress in the state.

    He said that a delegation of  some aspirants from Katsina, Dutsinma, Malumfashi, Funtua, Mashi, Kankia and Katsina LGAs were at the state party secretariat to purchase form, but no party official to attend to them.

    This according to Tafashiya made the aspirants accuse the committee of plan to hijack the forms to favor one single individual and to evade selling same to other aspirants.

    “We have collated about 7,101 members willing to purchase the forms, so as to participate in the upcoming congresses but have been deprived access to purchase the forms.

    “We are here at the national headquarters only to be informed that the forms are with the caretaker committee chairman about three weeks ago.

    “We are therefore appealing for the intervention of the NWC to resolve the matter for the progress, development and success of the PDP,’’ he said.

    He said while there were in Abuja at PDP national secretariat to purchase the forms but could not meet anybody hence the need to call for appropriate proper action on the matter.

    Tafashiya also alleged that there was a disconnect between some members of the caretaker committee and the Chairman, Alhaji Musa Karim.

    He said that the state chapter of the party was in jeopardy as a result of the maladministration of its affairs by the caretaker committee leadership.

    He said since the release of timetable and guidelines for the 2024 ward, local government and state congresses certain proactive procedural measures should have been put in place for the exercise to be successful but nothing has been done.

    “Since the period preceding the 2023 general election there has been division among the ranks of leadership and followership of the party in Katsina State.

    “More especially almost all the 2023 Campaign Management Council that work tirelessly during campaign exercise were at the receiving end of such maltreatment,’’ he said.

    He said that the caretaker committee chairman did nothing to reconcile the divisions within the PDP in Katsina State.

    He said that the first activity preceding congress to elect party officials was always membership drive and update of membership register before the sales of forms.

    This according to him was not done “even as at this time.

    “Specifically, these issues relate to the 361 wards, 34 Local Governments and 39 State Exco aspirants for Katsina State,’’ he said.

    Tafashiya therefore urged the NWC of the PDP to take immediate drastic measure in resolving the crises/complaints.

    He also urged the party national leaders to ensure that due process was adhered to in the sale of the forms.

    “Also in the general conduct of the upcoming congresses and general running of the affairs of the party for unity, peace, progress and success of the party.

    “While thanking the NWC in discharging their duties diligently in order for the PDP to proposer. All we are asking for is a level playing ground,’’ he said.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
    OBE/EAL
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    Edited by Ekemini Ladejobi

  • Atiku urges governors to respect traditional institutions

    Respect

    By Emmanuel Oloniruha

    Abuja, June 25, 2024(NAN) A former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has called on state governors to respect traditional institutions in the country.

    Abubakar, in a statement issued on Tuesday, also called for a constitutional reform that would recognise traditional institutions and also define the responsibilities of their offices.

    He said that recent developments in the country had seen a growing tendency of state governments to exert influence in distorting the modalities of enthroning traditional stools.

    The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 general elections described the trend as a reality that stared Nigerians in the face from every corner of the country.

    He said it was understandable that the institutions of traditional rulers were in the exclusive purview of the state government through the local government authorities.

    Abubakar, however, said it must be established that traditional institutions constituted a component of the country’s governance structure.

    “Traditional institutions must be protected from the arbitrariness of state governments that threatens their stability.

    “When the structure of ascension of traditional rulers is unstable, it will become equally difficult to maintain peace and orderliness in communities.

    “Although our constitution, in its current format, does not ascribe any recognition to traditional institutions, our experiences show clearly that they perform enormous roles in the economic life of their domains, as well as maintenance of peace and security in communities,” he said

    Abubakar noted that the traditional institutions formed the governance structures before the advent of the colonialists.

    “They governed well; the institutions must be protected, preserved and not be destroyed.

    “It is, therefore, on this basis that I lean toward the advocacy that calls for constitutional reform that will not just recognise traditional institutions in our body of laws, but also define the responsibilities of their offices.

    “This reform is even more important given the collective drive to stem the ugly tide of terrorism and sundry security challenges at the local levels.

    “I must also appeal to state governors to accord the necessary respect to the offices of traditional institutions.

    “The customs that our traditional rulers represent is the totality of our heritage as a people,” Abubakar said. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

     

    OBE/KTO/CJ/

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    Edited by Kamal Tayo Oropo and Chijioke Okoronkwo

     

  • Nigeria, others yet to harness opportunities in organic agriculture –experts

    Nigeria, others yet to harness opportunities in organic agriculture –experts

    Opportunity
    By Emmanuel Oloniruha
    Abuja, June 22, 2024 (NAN)Experts in organic agriculture have called for more concerted efforts by stakeholders for Nigeria and other West Africa countries to access enormous opportunities in organic agricultural produce and products.

    They made the call in Abuja, at a two-day conference with the theme: “Development of a Harmonized Participatory Guarantee System (PGS) standard for West Africa.”

    Jude Obi, President of the Association of Organic Agriculture Practitioners of Nigeria, said the West Africa region must access its quotas from the inestimable amount of money available for organic agriculture globally.

    Obi said that development of organic agriculture could comfortably address the challenge of food security and increase foreign exchange earnings, stifling the economy in the region.

    He expressed concern that the African continent and West Africa were yet to scratch the surface of their own quota in organic agriculture trade.

    “Now, the West Africa organic agriculture landscape is evolving, clearly evolving, but the opportunity is massive.

    “The amount of money available for organic agriculture in the world is inestimable. And for us in Africa and West Africa, we are not even scratching it.

    “So, this is an effort to expand the horizon, make trade easy, make people interested in organic agriculture, increase production which is very important and earn the much needed foreign exchange.

    “Which is one of the things that are stifling the economy of West Africa and by extension Africa.

    “It is clear that both the African continent and West Africa; they are not scratching the surface. They are not scratching the surface of their own quota in organic agriculture trade,” he said.

    Obi said the essence of the conference was to ensure that organic agriculture get rooted in the region to address the challenge of food security and earn more foreign exchange in the region.

    “We are gathered here importantly because organic agriculture is gaining traction in West Africa, Africa and the world. And it is not organic if it does not have guidance, if it does not have traceability.

    “So, traceability is very important in organic agriculture. We are here to establish protocol for traceability in organic agriculture in West Africa.

    “If we are able to achieve this, then there will be easy trade within the sub-region.

    “This traceability we are talking about, we call it participatory guarantee scheme. It is the lower level of traceability simply because we have two levels of traceability.

    “The first one is a third party. The second one is the participatory guarantee scheme. This participatory guarantee scheme is designed for farmers.

    “Third party is expensive and organic agriculture prepares itself to bring in everybody.

    “So, participatory guarantee scheme is a process through which a small farmer that doesn’t have a large quantity of money to go through a third party can still establish their traceability, have standard, have certification and be able to trade just like every other person.

    `And most importantly, have premium prices because the target is premium price. So, we have gathered here to establish a protocol for a participatory guarantee scheme for the West African region,” he said.

    Oyewole Gbadamosi, Coordinator of the Ecological Organic Agriculture Initiative in West Africa, in his submission said that organic agriculture would enhance global trade, promotion of exports, and exportation of material among others in the region.

    According to him, the conference was planned to facilitate the development of a regional standard for organic agriculture in the West African states.

    “It is aimed to create a short supply chain for product movements across the member states and we are gathered here to do exactly that,” he said.

    He said that the conference would among others address the issue of verification in terms of the quality of things that are produced organically.

    “We have had many products labeled organic and which are not. I have also had different regulations which have not been followed particularly in some West African states, where we do have regulations on organic agriculture.

    “So this particular workshop is to provide the working documents for certification and reference label for organic products and to serve as a value addition for the organic product and to increase the credibility of the products while moving across the region.

    “We are expecting that this can be a giant stride for the development of organic agriculture in the region, while working hard to see that we are able to even leverage on some of the other important things that this particular initiative brings.”

    Dr. Kofi Emanuel, Programme Officer of Rural Development and Land Government at the ECOWAS Commission, Department of Economic Affairs and Agriculture, said development of organic agriculture would address the challenge of food security in the region.

    Emmanuel, who is also the Chairman of the Ecological Organic Agriculture Initiative, Secretariat in West Africa, stressed the need for harmonisation of standards across member states.

    “I cannot say that there is no standard. There are standards in the member states. People are producing organic products but for free trade across our member states.

    “We need to harmonize these standards. That is why we are doing this now. We are working.

    “You know, our agriculture, if you compare our practice to other countries as in other continents, we can say that we are seeing the area of Ecological Organic Agriculture because we use less of our fertilizers.

    “The chemical fertilizers are very less. We are about 18 to 24 kilograms per hectare. Even compared to those of Asia who are 300 kilograms, more than 320 kilograms per hectare.

    “Our agriculture is still ecological and organic. It feeds its population. So we need to have the label, we need the standard for it,” he said.

    He equally harped on the need for access to technology, sharing of information, research and develop capacity of our farmers for the development of the sector.

    “So, the capacity building issue is very important for our farmers and our organization. We need certification. It’s very important.

    “If you go to the market, your products are not certified. If you didn’t have a label on your products, it cannot make visibility of that. So it’s very important to do all these processes,” he said.

    He agreed that organic agriculture might not be able to feed the entire population in the region but can contribute significantly in feeding them.

    “Organic agriculture can contribute to feed this population; can contribute to produce and taking into account our soil health.

    “But we cannot feed all our population through only organic agriculture. We need to manage, taking into account the necessity to preserve the fertility of our soil and to tackle all the challenges we have to face,” he said.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
    OBE/IAA
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    Edited by Isaac Aregbesola

  • Campaigns: INEC charges political parties on regulatory compliance

     

    Campaigns
    By Emmanuel Oloniruha
    Abuja, June 21, 2024 (NAN) The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has urged political parties to adhere to the law in their campaigns for the governorship elections in Edo and Ondo States.

    This is contained in a statement issued by Sam Olumekun, INEC’s National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee in Abuja on Friday.

    Olumekun said that the advice became imperative following publication of the final list of candidates for the governorship elections and as campaigns had begun.

    “Over the years, a recurring problem in Nigeria’s electioneering process has been the use of power of incumbency to deny opposition parties and candidates’ access to public facilities for rallies and other campaign activities.

    “These include public buildings such as stadiums, open spaces in public places, total denial or restricted access to state-owned media (specifically radio and television stations);

    “The imposition of excessive levies and fees for outdoor and media advertising, and even the removal or vandalism of billboards and posters.

    “These actions often result in violent clashes among party supporters and a breach of public peace.

    “For the avoidance of doubt, the Commission wishes to reiterate that Section 95 (2) of the Electoral Act 2022 prohibits the use of State apparatus to ‘the advantage or disadvantage of any political party or candidate at any election,” Olumekun said.

    He also advised the media to comply with the provisions of the law during the campaigns.

    According to him, under Section 95 (3), (4) and (5), it is obligatory for public media houses to allot equal coverage and visibility to all parties and candidates.

    “Section 95 (6) provides sanctions against heads of public media organisations, their principal officers, and other officials for contravention,” he said.

    He said that the publication containing the commission’s guidelines for the conduct of political rallies, processions and campaigns had been uploaded to the Commission’s website (www.inecnigeria.org).

    According to him, the same document has also been uploaded to INEC social media platforms.

    “Consequently, the attention of all concerned is drawn to the provisions of the law and the guidelines for strict compliance,” he said. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)
    OBE/AOM/EEE
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    Edited by Abdullahi Mohammed/Ese E. Eniola Williams

     

     

  • Group calls for proactive measures to tackle terrorism in W/Africa

    Terrorism

    By Emmanuel Oloniruha

    Abuja, June 20, 2024 (NAN) A Non-Governmental Organisation, The Abuja School of Social and Political Thought (TASSPT), has called for proactive measures to tackle terrorism in the West African sub-region.

    Its Director, Dr Sam Amadi, made the call during a policy dialogue organised by the school in Abuja on Thursday.

    The theme of the dialogue was, “Appraising the success of counter-terrorism measures in the defence of democracy in West Africa”.

    Amadi noted that although several counter-terrorism efforts were in place at different levels, terrorism activities seem to be spreading across the sub-region.

    He stressed the need to pay more attention to insecurity due to its impact on livelihood and democracy.

    “There are a lot of counter-terrorism measures at the level of states, national, regional and continental levels. The Africa Union (AU) and the United Nations (UN) are equally involved, yet they have not been very effective,’’ he said.

    According to him, there is the need for the government to be proactive, engage stakeholders and develop capacity for persuasion and augmentation.

    This, he said, would help rebuild the confidence of citizens in the state project.

    “Government needs to develop a working state that has the capacity to aggregate ideas and commit citizens to a pursuit of the public good,’’ he said.

    Amadi also emphasised the need for the Nigerian government to pay attention to aggrieved groups within the country so that they would not be recruited by terrorists within the region.

    He called on the government to look beyond the use of force and apply the use of non- kinetic measures to tackle the menace of insecurity, terrorism and other agitations.

    “If we can develop more capability to reinforce kinetic force with the capacity of the state to be more persuasive and efficient, terrorism and insecurity crisis in Africa will reduce

    “Government needs to do more, not just to police, but to be analytic and get the experts to sit together from time to time to examine, review, develop and deploy more effective strategies to address the problem of insecurity,” he said.

    During the discussions, the convener, Geo-politics Series, Mr Senator Iroegbu, advised the authorities within West Africa to look beyond deployment of military to tackle insecurity.

    Iroegbu also advised governments at all levels to prioritise good governance, credible electoral process, inclusivity and ease of doing business in addressing insecurity.

    This, according to him, is due to the strong link among security, democracy and development.

    “When there is high crime in any society and people are available to be recruited by criminal elements, by terrorist organisations, then it becomes more difficult for states to deal with such problems.

    “This is what is happening in the Sahel region, which now has turned into the headquarters of terrorism,’’ he said.

    On his part, Mr Ayolande Fagbemi, former Director, Centre for Peace Building and Socio-Economic Resources Development (CePSER), said that the sustenance of democracy in West Africa was being increasingly threatened due to rising insecurity.

    Fagbemi explained that democracy was threatened with intra-class contestation for state capture assuming burning dimensions and abusive use of primordial considerations.

    He called for the strengthening of protective law enforcement, security arrangements, and criminal justice systems that did not favour criminals and perpetrators of criminal acts. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

    OBE/FEO/FDY

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    Edited by Francis Onyeukwu and Philip Yatai