Category: Politics

Reps call for rescue of trapped miners in Niger

Miners

By Femi Ogunshola

Abuja, June 6, 2024 (NAN) The House of Representatives has called for urgent rescue of miners trapped in the deep mining pit at Galadiman Kogo mining site in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger.

The resolution followed the adoption of a motion moved by Rep. Ismail Modibo (APC-Niger) during plenary in Abuja on Thursday.

Presenting his motion, Modibo said that on June 3 over a hundred miners working with Africa Mineral and Logistics Company Ltd. were trapped within a rocky mining pit.

He also said that all efforts to rescue the victims have so far proved in vain, necessitating immediate intervention by the federal and state distress response.

He expressed concern over the report of the death of many miners during the rescue operations, adding that there was need for the deployment of more Special Rescue Experts to the site

This, according to him, is to prevent the victims from further loss of life, adding that the lack of adequate safety measures and emergency equipment by the mining companies led to the unfortunate situation.

Adopting the motion, the House called on the Ministry of Solid Minerals to deploy more Emergency Response Specialists to the mining site without delay, for effective and successful rescue operations.

The House urged its Committee on Solid Minerals to investigate the operational eligibility of Africa Minerals and Logistics Company Ltd.

The House also called investigation into the the underlying causes of the accident and a review of the current mining safety regulations. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

ODF/OIF/KUA

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Edited by Ifeyinwa Okonkwo/Uche Anunne

2027: INEC must set minimum standards on party membership -IPAC

Membership

By Adeyemi Adeleye

Lagos, June 6, 2024 (NAN) The Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to set minimum standards for party membership and regulate same to prevent fabrications capable of undermining nation’s democracy.

The Lagos State Public Affairs Officer of IPAC, Mr George Ashiru, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Lagos.

Ashiru was reacting to the  statement reportedly made by the National Secretary of the ruling All Progressives Congress, Sen. Ajibola Basiru, that the party’s claim of having 45 million members  in the build up to the 2023 general elections was  a mere fabrication.

The APC ‘s scribe, who made the revelation at the opening session of the e-membership registration and ‘Train-the-Trainer’ workshop in Abuja on Wednesday, said that the party deployed the figure to fight  causes unknown to the present leadership of the party.

He disclosed that the  2023 election where the APC presidential candidate, Sen. Bola Tinubu (now president), struggled to get less than 10 million votes exposed the fact that the claim was bogus.

While quoting the doctrine of  the late Guinean nationalist, Amilcar Cabral, Basiru, emphasised that weaponisation of any political party register could only lead to corruption.

Reacting, Ashiru, the Lagos State Chairman of African Democratic Congress (ADC), who described such fabrication as unacceptable, said that INEC must do everything possible to guard against anything that could undermine democracy .

“So, it is not proper; it is not acceptable and no political party should get away with such  falsehood.

“Going forward, INEC should state minimum requirements for membership. When a party states it has a particular number of members, what does it means?

“Ahead of 2027, INEC should set proper criteria so that people don’t come up with frivolous figures on membership to bamboozle voters and the nation.

“This is an opportunity to solve this  once and for all, so that we really know the true level of our democracy and how many people are participating in party affairs,” Ashiru said.

He said that authentic party register remained one of the very important ingredients of democracy.

Stating that fabrication of party register and membership had been employed by  big political parties, Ashiru noted that the former ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), had also claimed to be the biggest political party in Africa without any measurable evidence.

According to him ,the implication is  that membership registers some political parties  submit to INEC are  fake.

He said the practice should not be allowed to continue in the interest of  democracy.

“That will be unfair to other political parties if there is no proper way of regulation and confirming those who truly are members of the party.

“This is an opportunity for INEC to set minimum standards on membership of political parties.

“What are they required, is it NIN? Is it BVN? All these are important to entrench democracy  “ he added.

He said parties’ membership registers would determine how they were expected to raise  funds for elections and how many people would vote for them. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

AYO/BHB

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Edited by Buhari Bolaji

Death

By Kingsley Okoye

Abuja, June 6, 2024(NAN) The Senate has mandated the Committee on Solid Minerals to investigate the cause of a rockslide in Farin Doki community, Shiroro Local Government of Niger.

The rockslide buried 30 informal miners alive in a gold mining site.

This followed the adoption of a motion at plenary on Thursday in Abuja on an “urgent need to address incident of the rockslide.”

The motion was sponsored by Sen. Mohammed Sani (APC-Niger East).

Sani said that on June 3, a catastrophic rockslide occurred at an open pit gold mine, resulting in 30 local informal miners being buried alive in the Farin Doki Community.

He said that the site was near Erena in Shiroro Local Government, Niger East Senatorial District.

Sani said the miners, in their quests for gold and lithium minerals, met their untimely death as the avalanche caved in; burying them under tons of rubbles.

He said the tragic incident underscored the urgent need for a holistic action to be taken to address the dangers faced and posed by local mining activities across the country.

Sani said it was imperative to secure the mining sites to forestall future occurrence and avoid further loss of life.

“This will go a long way to ensure that mining activities are conducted safely and legally to prevent future tragedies and improve the overall well- being of miners across the country,” he said.

He expressed worry that bodies of the deceased had yet to be recovered for proper burial by their respective families.

According to Sani, conscious efforts should be made by relevant agencies of government for the recovery of the bodies for burial.

He said given that Nigeria was desirous of diversifying its economy, adding that the mining sub-sector was lucrative enough and should be adequately exploited for the socio-economic development of the country.

“As such, the appropriate authorities should as a matter of urgency and necessity, initiate thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident so as to identify any existing lapses.

“As part of remedies to bring sanity to the system, strict regulations should be introduced in order to protect the lives of those who depend on this industry for their livelihood.

“It is also apt for relevant committees of the National Assembly to step up their oversight of mining activities across the country for the purpose of harnessing the benefits that abound in the sector,’’ he said.

The Senate, after observing a minute silence in honour of the victims, commended the Minister of Solid Minerals, Mr Dele Alake, for his swift response in monitoring the situation.

The Senate also urged the Federal Government to come out with strict safety measures and regulation on mining activities in Nigeria in line with international best practices.

The Senate also called for deployment of adequate security apparatus to the mining communities to maintain vigilance around mining areas to prevent further incursions and intrusion by informal miners.

It urged the National Emergency Management Agency and other relevant agencies of government to expedite actions on the recovery of the remains of the deceased in the catastrophe.

According to the upper chamber, such recovery will ensure that the bereaved families have final closure on their loved ones.

The Senate also urged the committee to accelerate the passage of the Mine Ranger Bill currently before the Senate. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

KC/DE/CJ/

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Edited by Dorcas Jonah and Chijioke Okoronkwo

Reps move to suspend Ugochinyere over alleged politicisation of oversight functions

Privilege
By Femi Ogunshola
Abuja, June 6, 2024(NAN) The House of Representatives is set to suspend Rep. Ikenga Ugochinyere, the Chairman House Committee on Petroleum DownStream over politicisation of oversight function in Rivers State.

Rep. Yusuf Gagdi (APC-Plateau), while moving a motion of personal explanation at the plenary in Abuja on Thursday told the House that his privilege as a member of the house had been bridged.

He said that some media publication reported that about 50 members of the House paid a solidarity visit to Gov. Similaye Fubara of Rivers during their visit to the state.

He added that such a statement issued by Ugochinyere was in a bad taste and made the House look like it was taking a position in political matters.

He said that the report presented the story as though the members visited the governor on behalf of the House whereas, they were in Rivers for oversight function and decided to greet the governor.

Gagdi said that after the visit, Ugochinyere issued a statement which was published in the media, adding that this made their visit look like they were a delegation of the House to visit the governor.

Rep. Mark Essien (PDP-Akwa-Ibom) however, said that the matter was irrelevant and should not be entertained as there were more matters of national importance to be addressed.

In his ruling, the Deputy Speaker, Rep. Benjamin Kalu, who presided over the plenary said that the leadership of the House would look into the report.

He added that if found necessary, the matter would be referred to the Privilege and Ethics Committee for further investigation.

Some dissatisfied members indicated to speak to the issue but Kalu denied them the opportunity saying that matters of personal explanation were not opened to debate.(NAN)www.nannews.ng
ODF/SH
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edited by Sadiya Hamza

South-East erosion control commission bill passes 1st reading

Commission

By Femi Ogunshola

Abuja, June 6, 2024 (NAN) A bill for an Act to establish the South-East Erosion Control Commission on Thursday passed first reading in the House of Representatives.

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Emeka Chinedu (PDP-Imo) is meant to address the critical issue of erosion affecting the South-East geo-political zone of Nigeria.

Chinedu said that the commission, when established would develop and implement comprehensive strategies to combat the severe erosion problems devastating farmlands, homes, and infrastructure in the area.

According to him, the proposed commission is designed to provide an institutional framework to effectively manage and mitigate erosion, ensuring the protection of the environment and the livelihoods of the affected communities.

He said that the introduction of the bill reflected the commitment to address pressing environmental challenges and improved the quality of life for the residents in the area.

With the first passage of the bill, it has now moved to the subsequent stages for more legislative processes, where further readings, debates, and considerations would take place.(NAN)www.nannews.ng

ODF/FEO/

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Edited by Abiemwense Moru

Investigation

By EricJames Ochigbo

Abuja, June 6, 2024 (NAN) The House of Representatives has resolved to investigate all allocations of land in the Minister of the FCT from May 29, 2023 to Aug. 21, 2023.

The resolution was sequel to the adoption of a motion by Rep. Jonathan Gbefwi (APC-Nasarawa) on Thursday in Abuja.

Moving the motion, Gbefwi explained that by virtue of Section 297 of the Constitution, the ownership of all lands in the FCT, is vested in the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

He said that section 302 of the Constitution provides that the President may appoint a Minister who shall exercise powers and perform such functions as may be delegated to him.

“Aware that President Bola Tinubu was sworn on Monday, May 29 2023 and the current Minister of FCT, Mr Nyesom Wike assumed office as the FCT Minister on the August 21, 2023.

“Observed that in the period  May 29, 2023 to Aug. 21, 2023, several title documents on land in the FCT were issued to some real estate developers in a highly suspicious manner.

“I wonder if the Director of Lands or any official of Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) issued Right of Ownership (R of O) purportedly in the name of the FCT Minister at the period when the office of the Minister was vacant,” he said.

The lawmaker said that some of the lands affected were subject to litigations which were yet to be resolved.

According to him, some of the beneficiaries of these alleged fraudulent allocations are already using them to forcibly grab disputed land which is a recipe for conflicts.

He said that if the title document of any land is fraudulently issued or procured should not stand in the interest of the public:

The house recommended that all such lands which are subject to litigation or multiple allocations, should be identified and their allocation withdrawn by the Minister pending the resolution of the matter.

In his ruling, the Deputy Speaker, Rep. Benjamin Kalu, mandated the relevant committees to investigate and report back to the house within four weeks. (NAN)

EOO/SH

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edited by Sadiya Hamza

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Insecurity: Group calls for enhanced civil, military relationship

Security

By Diana Omueza

Abuja, June 6, 2024(NAN) Cleen Foundation, a public safety and security non-governmental organisation has called on security agencies to enhance transparency and accountability in their operations to boost public trust in communities.

Mr Gad Peter, Executive Director of the foundation made the call on Thursday in Abuja at a public presentation of a research findings on security dynamics, solutions and civil-military relations in the country.

Peter said that there was the need for clearer reporting of the activities of security agencies especially the military in communities, adding that cases of abuses and violations of rights should be properly captured.

“There is a need for enhanced transparency and accountability within security agencies, and this entails ensuring that mechanisms are in place to investigate and address abuses promptly and effectively.

“Community engagement should take the centre stage in improving civil-military relations and building trust between security agencies and the communities.

“Transparency and accurate dissemination of information, helps to dispel misconceptions and mitigates tensions that can arise due to poor communication,’’ he said.

According to him, continuous dialogue and effective communication among security agencies, policymakers, civil society organisations and the public is paramount to a peaceful society.

Peter commended the efforts of security agencies in significantly degrading the capacity of the extremists groups in the North-West and North-East part of the country.

He said, though the military operations has positively contributed to enhanced security in crisis prone areas, the safety and protection of civilians should remain paramount during operations.

“The military and the vigilance groups have supported the fight against insurgence, but there abound issues on how they relates with members of the host communities.

“These issues are linked to the kinetic approach initially adopted by the military and other dysfunctional approaches adopted by the security agencies.

“These created a vacuum in cordial civil-military relations in the affected areas.

“Adopting a non-kinetic approach by the military and paramilitary security forces in the fight against insurgency is an urgent necessity to improve civil/military relations,” he said.

Mr Paul Nyulaku, Country Director of International Alert, commended Cleen Foundation for the security research to underscore the ways security agencies performs with the aim to improve civil/military relations.

Nyulaku called for community engagement programmes to facilitate open dialogue between security agencies and the civilian population.

He  harped on the need to developing a gender-sensitive training programme for security personnel to address issues such as sexual violence and harassment, with a focus on respecting the rights and dignity of women and girls.

Nyulakus said that the organisation remains committed to supporting public safety and security initiatives that would foster development in the country.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

DOM/FEO/JPE

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Edited by Francis Onyeukwu/Joseph Edeh

2024 FCT Supplementary Budget scales 2nd reading in Senate

Budget

By Kingsley Okoye

Abuja, June 6, 2024 (NAN) The Senate has passed for second reading the 2024 Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Supplementary Budget of N98.5 billion.

This followed the presentation of the budget estimates by the Deputy leader of the Senate, Sen. Lola Ashiru (APC-Kwara)at plenary on Thursday in Abuja.

The Senate had on June 5 stood down the consideration of the budget for lack of details on the document presented to the lawmakers.

Deputy President of the Senate Barau Jibrin (APC-Kano), urged his colleagues to allow the passage of the bill to second reading, following the presentation of the details of the budget.

Jibrin said that the lawmakers had previously debated on the budget before it was stood down.

Following Barau’s submission, the budget was consequently read for the second time.

President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, thereafter referred the budget to the Committee on FCT for further legislative inputs and to report back in two weeks to plenary.(NAN)www.nannews.ng

KC/FEO/JPE

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Edited by Francis Onyeukwu/Joseph Edeh

Obi

By Monday Ajogun

Awka, (Anambra) June 6, 2024 (NAN) Mr Peter Obi, Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 election, has said that the Obidient Movement is not domiciled in one political party.

Obi said this in a statement by his spokesperson, Dr Yunusa Tanko, on Thursday in Awka.

He said that membership of the movement cut across political party, tribe, religion or geopolitical region.

“I like to categorically state that the Obidient movement is not a directorate in any particular political party.

“Any individual or individuals claiming to be leaders of this non-existent directorate are simply not members of the broader Obidient Movement.

“There may be a youth mobilization directorate in political parties but the Obidient movement is far beyond a particular political party.

“The Obidient Movement is a diverse and inclusive collective that transcends traditional political, religious, and ethnic affiliations.

“It is not domiciled within any particular party or headquartered in any particular part of the country, its membership spans across Africa and the globe, comprising individuals from various backgrounds,” he said.

Obi further said that the movement was propelled by a shared vision guided by the principles of adaptive and transformative change, progress, discipline, and democratic values.

He said that loyalists of the movement were seeking to foster positive change through a commitment to integrity, honesty and accountability by rejecting deceitful behaviours.

“I want this to serve as a clarification that the Obidient Movement operates independently, and that its membership is not limited to any particular party. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

AJOM/CHOM/AZU

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Edited by Chioma Ugboma and Azubuike Okeh