Article: Our Participatory Democracy

By Livy-Elcon Emereonye

 

The fact that we are all alike but not the same confers a lot of differential peculiarities on us and the things we do. This can be an asset or liability, depending on what we are looking at or doing but from which perspective and view. Intention often determines approach; motif affects methodology; relationship can easily affect positions. Result matters; giving room for acceptance or rejection, justification or tolerance for the sake of common goal or otherwise.

 

Our differences can be used to justify or condemn something - and when we are involved, emotions often run amok, putting reasons to test, sometimes sedating it! The vices we see and condemn in others might suddenly become virtues because we are somehow involved or affected. The position we take on a neutral issue might change if someone we know is an interested party. Our reasoning is subject to our degree of partisanship.

Special Report: The Evolution Of The Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) Registered Current BOT(Board Of Trustees)Of ANLCA

By Adumaza Joe Sanni  

The last known BOT of ANLCA certificate of registration in the CAC file was in 2001.  

It was established that during the process of regularizing the registration of the BOT, it was surprisingly discovered that between 2001 and when the certified certificate was reissued on the 16th of January 2020, no activity like annual returns and other financial transactions was conducted on the file.

Any other seen certificate of registration between 2001 and January 2020 are subjects of forgery.

Special Report: ANLCA Latest Crisis And The Violence-Prone Trampling On ANLCA’s Constitutional Provisions And Judicial Pronouncements

By Adumaza Joe Sanni 

The darkest day of the over sixty-six years of ANLCA’s history, was enacted on Wednesday, 16th of December 2020 in Owerri-Imo state when, with brazen impunity and the effrontery of deceiving Governor of Imo State – Chief Hope Uzodinma to attend a meeting that clearly flaunts all sections of the Supreme Constitution of ANLCA 2008 (as amended) and the Subsisting/unvacated Federal High Courts judgments/orders of FHC/L/CS/599/2020 & FHC/L/CS/921/2020. As a living witness and active participant in the festering and unfortunate crisis in ANLCA, the undersigned will proceed to lay out some of the related cases so far instituted within this tenure of the now judicially-restrained National Executive Committee (NECOM) from parading themselves as national officers of ANLCA, which is between 2018 and 2022, until the hearing and determination of the motion on Notice, adjourned to the 9th of February 2021.

News Release: #ChibokGirls 2014, #Dapchi 2018 And Kankara 2020: No Lessons Learned

The #BringBackOurGirls movement received with predictable dread the news of the abduction of the unconfirmed figure of 333 schoolboys from the Government Science Secondary School in Katsina State around 11: 00 p.m. on Friday the 11th of December 2020 by Boko Haram terrorists.

Characteristic of the federal government of Nigeria, the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari has yet again failed the #KankaraBoys. The continuation of the seemingly endless nightmare of the string of school-children abductions including, the 112 #ChibokGirls, and #LeahSharibu still unaccounted for is unacceptable while the Buhari-led government continues to play the role of an ostrich with the security and lives of citizens. Has President Buhari not learned anything about securing our children in the theater of war? His indifference to the plight of citizens is the trademark of the failed leadership of his administration.

U-Report: James Ibori Says Late Nigerian Newspaper Publisher, Sam Nda-Isaiah Had Strong Convictions

 Sam Nda-Isaiah

Report by: Tony Eluemunor 

Chief James Onanefe Ibori has described the late Sam Nda-Isaiah, who died Friday night, as a man with strong convictions and who expressed them passionately.

In a press statement signed by Ibori's Media Assistant, Tony Eluemunor, Ibori said that Nigeria will remember Nda-Isaiah as a man of many parts. He was not just a Leadership newspaper publisher but an influential columnist who maintained a weekly newspaper column for decades. Nda-Isaiah the businessman and writer was also a politician who grew to the stature of contesting seriously for the presidential ticket at the national primaries of the All Progressives Congress.  

Article: Between Fake News And Propaganda In Modern Journalism

By Abdulrazaq Hamzat

Cable News Network also known as CNN is today regarded as the poster medium for the propagation of fake news in the world. This claim was made popular by the US president, Donald Trump who has been alleging CNN of being propagator of fake news since 2016, but more recently, by the Nigerian Government, which accused the international news medium of reporting fake and unsubstantiated figures of alleged casualty in the Lekki incident during EndSars protest against police brutality in Nigeria.

The position CNN found itself became compounded, after it attempted to retract a bogus casualty figure it had earlier reported about the Lekki incident, a development that made the Nigerian Government stance more legitimized. 

Additionally, the claim that CNN refused to report the killings and massacre of over 38 police officers and the burning of over 256 police stations equally raised more questions about the intention and credibility of the medium.

However, before the emergence of President Trump in 2016, many African Countries had long maintained that CNN is a purveyor of negative propaganda against the African Continent, a claim recently amplified by Nigeria’s Minister of Information, Lai Muhammed.

In a lengthy petition addressed to Vice President, Communication of CNN, Mr Jonathan Hawkins, Nigeria’s Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Muhammed accused CNN of not only being a fake news propagator, he also claimed that CNN report fall short of any known journalistic standard. 

News Release: On The Aborted Attempt To Set Up The Electoral Committee For The 2021 Ohaneze Elections

On  the 6th of December, a meeting was convened at the Nike Lake Resort by the outgoing Ohanaeze Executive. As it turned out, the main item on the Agenda of the meeting was the forthcoming January 2021 Election of a new Ohanaeze Executive.

Although I came a bit late to the meeting, however I asked and throughout the duration of the meeting, there was no reference to the genocide going on in Oyigbo (Obigbo) in Rivers State where hundreds of our kits-and-kin are being gruesomely slaughtered with reckless abandon.

Special Report: After #ENDSARS Protests: The Pragmatic Way Forward

(Being the text of news briefing by Police, NIPOST Security Initiative Advocacy Group (PONSIAG) on Wednesday, December 2, 2020.)

Protocols

 

It is my singular honour and pleasure to welcome you members of the Press to this briefing.

 

Our hearts go out to the families of Nigerian youths and policemen who lost their precious lives during and after the #EndSARS protests across the country. To Nigerian youths who protested peacefully, for an end to Police brutality and extra-judicial killings, your struggle was not in vain! Your voices have been heard loud and clear by Federal government. To this end, calculated steps are being taken by government towards reforming the Nigeria Police. Government promise to implement the Five (5) point demand from Nigerian youths is a huge victory. We also commend the genuine effort of State governments in ensuring justice for the families of those who died, and those who suffered in the hand of now disbanded SARS, with the setting up of judicial panels. We hope that in the end, justice will be served.

News Release: "Killing Of 110 Borno Famers & IDPs Is A War Crime"-Intersociety

Killing by Boko Haram Terror Jihadists of UN estimated 110 civilians (Zabamari Massacre), comprising rice farmers and IDPs in Zarbamari and environs, located in Jere Local Government Area of Borno State is not only strongly condemned but also a clear case of War Crime demanding ICC intervention and int’l justice accountability. In the massacre, too, which took place on Sat, 28th Nov 2020, scores, particularly women, were reported to have been seriously injured and others went missing. The Nigerian Government must also sit up and contain the ferocious insurgency attacks on defenseless and vulnerable civilians in the country.

Article: The Water Resources Bill: A Distortion Of Nigeria's Federalism

By Anthony George-Ikoli, SAN

When I was invited to provide a Keynote Address to this eminent gathering on a subject that has in recent times become very topical and in some ways, seems to be trudging along under its own steam of a multiplicity of opinion ranging from the rational to the absurd; I wondered to myself what more in terms of valuable intervention could be added to deepen and enrich the current discourse.

Subsequently, it dawned on me that engagements that elicit such widespread contributions as these have been a missing ingredient in the lawmaking, albeit the rebuilding process of a country that has seemingly lost its way. If this is what it will take for a national rebirth, then I pray we have many more attempts at distortions to our system of Federalism.

Taking a critical look into the much-heralded National Water Resources Bill, 2020, that is currently making its way across our national legislature and national consciousness, I am at once compelled to align myself with more eminent speakers who in recent times have come to the difficult conclusion that such a bill can only be the product of a yet undisclosed, I fear ultimately deleterious agenda.

News Release: "Slap Serial Liars With Forensic Statistics Of Lekky Massacre"-Intersociety

( …names at least five dead victims of the Lekki Tollgate Army massacre that have been buried by their families).

Although lies told by the present Government of Nigeria and the country’s serving and former security chiefs since mid 2015 have damagingly ruined the country’s local and international image and reputation and will take decades to redeem, but the best way to handle serial liars in the country’s corridors of power is to consistently slap them with forensic statistics. ‘Forensic statistics’ are the researched or investigated and documented statistics gathered through natural and scientific methods following state actor or non state actor, or state backed non state actor grisly or ‘industrial scale’ human rights abuses and violations perpetrated in Nigeria or any part thereof. 

U-Report: "Ingressive For Good" Upskills 5000+ African Youth In Technology In Partnership With "Coursera"

Report by Blessing Abeng 

"Ingressive for Good" has partnered with "Coursera" to offer scholarships to 5000+ African youth in tech as part of its commitment to upskill and increase the earning power of youth in tech. The partnership is part of Coursera’s global roll-out of the Workforce Recovery Initiative, where any state and country can provide citizens with free access to online learning. 

This builds solidly on I4G’s goal to train 1 million African youth in tech for free and bridge the tech skills and opportunities gap in Africa. In line with this, Ingressive For Good teamed up with Coursera,  the world’s leading online learning platform. The program aims to develop high-demand skills in areas like personal development, technology, and career development. It includes access to highly sought after professional certificates like the Google IT Support Professional Certificate, designed to train people with no tech background for IT jobs. 

News Release: Anti-Corruption Award 2020 Short List Announced By Transparency International

Transparency International is proud to announce the shortlisted candidates for the 2020 Anti-Corruption Award. The award recipients will be announced on Wednesday 2 December in a ceremony at the 19th International Anti-Corruption Conference (IACC).

The four shortlisted candidates were selected from 228 nominated individuals and institutions. More than 400 nominations were received, mostly from members of the public.

“The four nominees shortlisted for the 2020 Anti-Corruption Award have all worked tirelessly to expose, challenge and end corruption. Their stories also highlight the very serious risks and dangers involved by doing so,” said Samuel Kimeu, Chair of the Anti-Corruption Award Committee. "These nominations are a reflection not just of their successes in the struggle against corruption, but the inspirational determination and courage they have shown in their work."

News Release: "Over 60 (30 Identified) Now killed & 90-100 (50 Identified) Injured In Obigbo Army Massacre"-Intersociety

The Int’l Society for Civil Liberties & Rule of Law is deeply sad, worried and dismayed over the continuation of Army massacre operations in Obigbo and global silence trailing same. With our latest updates, the number of slain defenseless Igbo citizens of Obigbo residency and environs in Rivers State has now risen to at least 60 with between 90 and 100 others shot and deadly injured. Dozens have also been permanently disappeared and 200-300 others militarily abducted and held in custodies only known to the Nigerian Army. The Nigeria Police Force, Rivers State Command is also strongly believed to be holding not less than 100 persons. All the surviving victims being held alive by the Army and the Police are strongly believed to be undergoing torture and other harsh detention conditions. There are also no credible pieces of evidence showing that the sick and the injured detainees are receiving adequate medical treatments, raising serious fears of some dying in Army or Police custody or both.

Special Report: Improving The Prospects For Free, Fair And Credible Elections In Nigeria Through Constitutional Alteration

By Otive Igbuzor, PhD

(Founding Executive Director, African Centre for Leadership, Strategy & Development (Centre LSD) and Chief of Staff to the Deputy President of the Senate.)

E-mail: otiveigbuzor@yahoo.co.uk

Website: www.otiveigbuzor.com 

(PRESENTATION AT A SYMPOSIUM ORGANISED BY NILDS ON 10TH NOVEMBER, 2020)

Introduction:

It has been recognized all over the world that democracy is the best form of government. Democracy is so important in the world today that it has become the driving force of development making many scholars to draw a nexus between  democracy and development. Although different people put emphasis on different issues which they consider to be crucial to democracy, majority of people agree that liberal democracy contains some basic principles which include citizen participation; equality; political tolerance; accountability; transparency; regular, free and fair elections, economic freedom; control of the abuse of power; bill of rights; accepting the result of elections; human rights; multi-party system and the rule of law. However, it has been recognized that liberal democracy is facing a crisis of legitimacy and declining confidence in political leaders and institutions necessitating the need for democratic renewal through increasing citizen participation.

 There is no doubt that elections play a vital role in a system of representative democracy.  They are the primary mechanism with which to implement the principle of popular sovereignty.  Ultimate authority rests with the people and the people delegate this authority to their elected representatives through the electoral process.  It is through the exercise of franchise or the right to vote that citizens can perform this role. Unfortunately, from the history of elections in Nigeria from the colonial era till date, there are challenges for free, fair and credible elections and citizens are losing the right to vote or the vote counting towards the final electoral outcome. In many instances, candidates were declared winners without voting through judicialization of the electoral process. In other cases, people who did not stand for elections were declared winners. In the particular case of the 2007 elections in Nigeria, the loss of franchise by citizens was very widespread leading to what has been termed “Direct capture of the peoples’ mandate.” 

In this paper, we examine the prospects for free, fair and credible elections in Nigeria through constitutional alteration. But first, we look at the concepts of constitution,  constitutionalism and constitution making. 

Special Report: "We All Stand Before History"-Ken Saro-Wiwa

Saro-Wiwa (standing), with others on trial 

“My lord,

We all stand before history. I am a man of peace, of ideas. Appalled by the denigrating poverty of my people who live on a richly endowed land, distressed by their political marginalization and economic strangulation, angered by the devastation of their land, their ultimate heritage, anxious to preserve their right to life and to a decent living, and determined to usher to this country as a whole a fair and just democratic system which protects everyone and every ethnic group and gives us all a valid claim to human civilization, I have devoted my intellectual and material resources, my very life, to a cause in which I have total belief and from which I cannot be blackmailed or intimidated. I have no doubt at all about the ultimate success of my cause, no matter the trials and tribulations which I and those who believe with me may encounter on our journey. Neither imprisonment nor death can stop our ultimate victory.

News Release: 25th Memorial Of Ogoni Martyrs

Twenty-five years ago,on this day, the Nigerian Military Dictatorship under the late General Sani Abacha illegally executed Ken Saro-Wiwa and 8 Ogoni activists in the Port Harcourt Prison and buried them in unmarked graves in a Port Harcourt cemetery.

The nine Ogoni men were sentenced to death by a Tribunal led by Justice Ibrahim Auta after a flawed trial lacking basic legal standards. The United Nations Special Rapporteur investigated the judgement, and the execution,and found the killingsto be illegal. John Major, the British Prime Minister at the time, described the hanging as judicial murder.

Ken Saro-Wiwa, John Kpuinen, BarinemKiobel, Felix Nuate, Saturday Dobee, Nordu Eawo, Paul Levura, Daniel Gbokoo, and BariborBera were executed 25 years ago this day. They were denied the opportunity to exercise their right of appeal, an essential element in any system of justice,even though it was enshrinedin the militarydecree setting up the Kangaroo Tribunal.

Videonews: Nigeria Police Chief Advising Personnel To Defend Themselves With Their Firearms

 

News Release: "Nigeria Police Force High Command & Personnel Are Unchangeable & ‘Untrainable'’'-Intersociety

IGP Adamu 

By the written signals and circulars issued yesterday, Sat, 7th Nov 2020 by Inspector General of the Nigeria Police Force, Alhaji Adamu Abubakar, to the Force’s principal officers, ordering them and their subordinates to use ‘lawful force’, henceforth, against Nigerians, “in defense of themselves, their personnel and properties”; it is now clear and unarguable that the present High Command and Officers of the Nigeria Police Force are unchangeable and ‘untrainable’. In other words, they are not only chronically uninformed in modern policing but also “experts” only when it comes to corking, shooting, killing and maiming defenseless citizens. The order also practically indicates the end of the so called “police reforms” in Nigeria.  

Article: Study Notes On Nigeria's Youth Revolt

Madunagu 

By Edwin Madunagu

What actually happened in Nigeria, from October 8, 2020 to the last week of that month? Did we see a protest, a revolt, an uprising, a rebellion, a nihilist  anarchist self-expression, an insurrection or a revolution? But why have I decided to put revolution last? Is it because it is the greatest on the list or because it has elements of each of the acts listed before it, but has something which others do not possess or possess in degrees that are not decisive?

To this loaded question I reproduce an explanatory note which I gave to three younger Nigerians  all female  during the event we desire to give a name. It was an explanatory note which, though not useless, begged the direct question that I have asked. I told them, individually: Revolution—as we know it today, in fact, every actual revolution—has brought out the best and the worst of human instincts . However, a revolution not only says No, which other listed acts also say, but goes on to say Yes in a self-conscious and self-confident way.

Article: A Case For 2020 Electoral Act

By Uche Ugboajah

The last time an amendment was made to the laws governing elections in Nigeria was in the year 2010. That is clearly ten years ago, when the Electoral Act was amended. From that period up until now, several issues and problems arising from the conduct of elections make an amendment of the subsisting law even more imperative. From Imo State where the majority of the people feel that the Supreme Court imposed on them a governor they never elected, to Zamfara and Bayelsa, where candidates who were actually defeated on election day now preside as governors, there are genuine reasons for the renewed agitations and calls for the amendment of the Electoral Act to make outcomes of elections reflect more, the will of the electorate. 

Special Report: "50 Killed, 80 Injured, Scores Disappeared & Hundreds Held In Secrecy"-Intersociety

Governor Wike of Rivers State 

(…in all, 110 killed & 200 injured by Army and Police in Rivers, Anambra, Imo, Abia, Ebonyi & Enugu via EndSARS)

The Int’l Society for Civil Liberties & Rule of Law can circumstantially, verifiably and statistically state that the EndSARS protests in the Igbo States of Rivers (largely Igbo), Anambra, Enugu, Ebonyi, Abia and Imo were turned into shooting and killing spree by ethno-religiously imbalanced armed soldiers of the Nigerian Army and personnel of the Nigeria Police Force, leading to close range shooting to death of at least 110 unarmed citizens and terminal injuring of at least 200 others. 

Photonews: Governor Of Rivers State, Nigeria Meets With Representatives Of Ethnic Groups Resident In The State

 

News Release: "Why We Support Yoo Myung For WTO DG"-U.S.A

The United States supports the selection of Korean Trade MinisterYoo Myung-hee as the next WTO Director-General.  

Minister Yoo is a bona fide trade expert who has distinguished herself during a 25-year career as a successful trade negotiator and trade policy maker.  She has all the skills necessary to be an effective leader of the organization.

News Report: U. S. A Special Forces Conduct Rescue Operation In Northern Nigeria

Courtesy: Army Times

American troops on Saturday morning rescued an American citizen taken hostage last week in Niger, according to a statement from the Pentagon.

“U.S. forces conducted a hostage rescue operation during the early hours of 31 October in Northern Nigeria to recover an American citizen held hostage by a group of armed men,” said Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman in a media release. “This American citizen is safe and is now in the care of the U.S. Department of State. No U.S military personnel were injured during the operation".

Report: Corruption In The Extractive Industries

Corruption risks exist across all business sectors, but some are more prone to corruption than others. The extractive industries are among the highest risk areas of business, accounting for one in five cases of transnational bribery according to the OECD.

Click here to read report

News Release: "200 EndSARS Protesters Killed By Security Personnel & Pro Government Hoodlums"-Intersociety

From general information obtained across the country, Intersociety is estimating credibly that no fewer than 200 defenseless EndSARS protesters were killed by soldiers and police personnel and pro Government hoodlums. The killings took place between 7th Oct when the protests started in Lagos and Friday, 23rd Oct 2020. Military terror is still being reported in Abia, Ebonyi and Rivers States and with the latest ‘use maximum force’ order issued by IGP, Abubakar Adamu, death tolls are expected to rise further across the country particularly in South-South and Southeast in coming weeks. While soldiers and police personnel used deadly and excessive force on protesters in different parts of the country, Islamist hoodlums allied with the present Government of Nigeria targeted and attacked the protesters in some parts of Northern Nigeria including Abuja, FCT, Kano and Plateau. They also targeted and unleashed violence against properties belonging to protesters and those owned by Christian traders resident in the named areas.

Photonews: Napoli's Victor Osimhen Helps To Internationlionalize Police Brutality Protest In Nigeria

Photo Credit: goal.com

Special Report: Open/Public Interest Letter To Nigeria's Police Chief

Adamu: I.G of Police 

Inspector General of Police

The Nigeria Police Force Headquarters

Louis Edet House, Shehu Shagari Way

Central Area, Abuja, FCT, Nigeria

Communication Mode:

Email & WhatsApp per DCP Frank Mba/IGP Adamu Abubakar

 

Dear IGP,

 

Re: Ref No. CZ.5300/FPRD/FHQ/ABJ/VOL.3/30: IGP Dissolves The Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS)

 

 Scrapping SARS is Nothing Short Of Bottling Old Wine With New Bottle:  How Best To Reform NPF & Its Units

The Int’l Society for Civil Liberties & Rule of Law is writing to totally reject the scrapping, yesterday, Sunday, 11^th October, 2020 of the notorious and butchery Special Anti Robbery Squad of the Nigeria Police Force and planned absorbing of its killer personnel into various units or departments of the Force. As organization with individual and corporate expertise in modern policing and legal matters, Intersociety sees the announcement by your public office as nothing short of ‘bottling old wine with new bottle’. There must be thorough plus ICT and mentally driven or sharpened reformation of the Nigeria Police Force and its relevant units or departments.

 

Speech: Resource Curse, Enlightened Leadership And Pressure From Below

  

(Being Keynote Address By Dr. Otive Igbuzor, Founding Executive Director Of African Centre For Leadership, Strategy & Development (Centre LSD) And Chief Of Staff To The Deputy President Of The Senate Of The Federal Republic Of Nigeria  At The Launch Of Two Books On Impact Of Mining On Communities And Management Of 13 Percent Derivation By NEITI On 6th October, 2020)

Protocols:

Introduction:

Let me begin by thanking NEITI for the innovation it has brought to its work in the last few years by engaging in research and policy analysis to address wider issues in the extractive sector. 

It is well known that the rise and fall of Nigeria is tied to the extractives sector. Good management of earnings from the extractive sector has the potential to put Nigeria on the path of growth and development. At the same time, poor management of the extractives sector has the potential to destroy Nigeria through corruption, poverty, conflict and underdevelopment in what Social Scientists call the resource curse. It is against this background that we can situate the emergence of these two books. 

Special Report: President Buhari's Address To The Nation On The Occasion Of Nigeria's 60th Independence Anniversary

President Buhari 

Fellow Nigerians,

I speak to you today as your President and fellow citizen on this epoch occasion of our country’s 60th independence Anniversary.

As President, I wish to renew my appreciation to Nigerians for entrusting me with your hopes and aspirations for a better and greater Nigeria.

Today, it is my unique privilege to re-commit myself to the service of this great country of great people with profound diversities and opportunities. We are bound by destiny to be the largest and greatest black nation on earth.

At this stage in our nationhood it is important that we reflect how we got here to enable us work TOGETHER to get to where we aspire to be as a strong indivisible nation, united in hope and equal in opportunity.

On October 1st 1960 when Prime Minister Alhaji Abubakar Tafawa Balewa received the constitutional instruments symbolizing Nigeria’s independence, he expressed his wish that having acquired our rightful status as an independent sovereign nation, history would record that the building of our nation proceeded at the wisest pace.

News Release: News Release: AFRICMIL And Partners To Publish Book On Nigeria At 60

The African Centre for Media & Information Literacy (AFRICMIL) and partners—Government of Ekiti State, Premium Times Books, Yiaga Africa, Sahara Reporters, Oak TV, CDD, Enough is Enough, Nigeria, and TechHe will publish a book of essays to mark Nigeria’s diamond jubilee.

The book, Remaking Nigeria: Sixty Years, Sixty Voices, with a foreword on “Federalism in Nigeria,” by Dr Kayode Fayemi, Governor of Ekiti State, is edited by Dr Chido Onumah, Coordinator of AFRICMIL.

Photonews: Google Celebrates With Nigeria At 60

 

Article: Study Notes On Revolution And “National Unity"

Madunagu 

By Edwin Madunagu

The importance and urgency of this subject to the Nigerian Left, at this time, demand that I begin the discussion with a series of clear propositions. And that is what I intend to do here. None of the propositions, in its essence, will be new to the movement or in the movement. What may be new will be the way they are articulated and brought together here. The over-flogged and yet not too-illuminated subject, the national question, may enter this particular discussion because of its connection with the question of national unity. The first two propositions will establish the link I am making between revolution and national unity in Nigeria.

Article: Watch Out: Wike Is Coming!

Wike 

By Uche Ugboajah

I first heard of the name Ezenwo Nyesom Wike sometime in 1999. Then, he was the dashing chairman of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State. He had contested the local government election as the candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and had to reclaim his mandate through the court. A staunch believer in the rule of law and the efficacy of the judicial process, Wike has a rich history of engagements in this critical arena that undergirds society and anchors democracy. And he is a consummate lawyer to boot. Beyond the realm of law, it is noteworthy that Wike has remained faithful to the PDP since its formation. Unlike many fair-weather politicians in the country, he has not been swayed by the vicissitudes of partisan politics and its changing fortunes to leave the PDP. This uncommon trait speaks to consistency, principle, and loyalty to his political party. 

News Release: Fitch Affirms Afreximbank’s BBB-Credit Rating

(Credit ratings agency highlights strong solvency and liquidity, bolstered by ongoing and expected capital increases)

The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank)announces that Fitch Ratings has affirmed the Bank’s long-term Issuer Default Ratings (IDR) at ‘BBB-‘ with a stable outlook. The agency also affirmed the Bank's Short-Term IDR at 'F3' and senior unsecured debt at 'BBB-'.

Special Report: World Development Report

The World Bank’s World Development Report, published annually since 1978, is an invaluable guide to the economic, social, and environmental state of the world today. Each report provides in-depth analysis and policy recommendations on a specific and important aspect of development—from agriculture, the role of the state, transition economies, and labor to infrastructure, health, the environment, and poverty. Through the quality and timeliness of the information it provides, the report has become a highly influential publication that is used by many multilateral and bilateral international organizations, national governments, scholars, civil society networks and groups, and other global thought leaders to support their decision-making processes. This corporate flagship undergoes extensive internal and external review and is one of the key outputs of the World Bank's Development Economics unit..........

Click here to read report

News Release: "Credible Outcome Of Edo Governorship Poll: Handiwork Of US, UK Visa Ban Or Threat Of Same Targeted At ‘Doyens Of Poll Rigging’ In Nigeria"--Intersociety

The popular and credible outcome of the just conducted and concluded Governorship Election in Edo State, South-South Nigeria ‘is not as a result of change of heart or repentance’ by the country’s ‘doyens of election rigging’ but the international entry visa denial or threat of same by the Governments of the United States and United Kingdom and their allies; targeting the country’s malevolent political leaders and actors.

But for the announcement and enforcement of same and its targeted persons, the ‘Nigeria’s doyens of election rigging’ would have declared the Edo Governorship Poll “inconclusive” on “account of violence or canceled results that sufficiently affected the validated results and number of registered voters in some polling booths or electoral wards”. This would have further been followed by militarized fresh polls in “the affected areas” with predetermined outcome in favor of their preferred candidate.

Special Report: "FinCEN Files"(An ICIJ Investigation)

An ICIJ investigation reveals the role of global banks in industrial scale money laundering and the bloodshed and suffering that flow in its wake.

Click here to read report

Photonews: West Africa Container Terminal Flooded Container Examination Ground At Onne, Rivers State, Nigeria

 

Article: Between ‘Dividers-In-Chief’ And ‘Divider-In-Law’

Soyinka 

By Wole Soyinka

Culled From PM News 

I am notoriously no fan of Olusegun Obasanjo, General, twice former president and co-architect with other past leaders of the crumbling edifice that is still generously called Nigeria. I have no reasons to change my stance on his record.  Nonetheless, I embrace the responsibility of calling attention to any accurate reading of this nation from whatever source, as a contraption teetering on the very edge of total collapse. We are close to extinction as a viable comity of peoples, supposedly bound together under an equitable set of protocols of co-habitation, capable of producing its own means of existence, and devoid of a culture of sectarian privilege and will to dominate. On Africa Day, May 2019, organized  by the Union Bank of Africa, I similarly seized an opening to direct the attention of this government to warnings by the Otta farmer over the self-destruct turn that the nation had taken, urged  the wisdom of heeding the message, even while remaining chary of the messenger.  That advice appears to have fallen on deaf ears. In place of reasoned response and openness to some serious dialogue, what this nation has been obliged to endure has been insolent distractions from garrulous and coarsened functionaires, apologists and sectarian opportunists.

Special Report: "Emene Massacre Perpetrated By Personnel Of Nigerian Army (82 Div), Enugu State Police Command & Enugu State Directorate Of State Security Service"--Intersociety

About Intersociety:

International Society for Civil Liberties & the Rule of Law is a leading research and investigative human rights organization in Nigeria registered and formed in 2008, to promote and advance civil liberties & rule of law, democracy and governance accountability and public security and safety.Intersociety is led by professionals and grassroots activists including criminologists, security studies and peace and conflict resolution experts, lawyers, journalists, etc. See our website for more details at www.intersociety-ng.org.

General Background

The Emene Community High School is located in Emene, along Enugu-Abakiliki Road and situated between Catholic owned St Paul International Institute and St Joseph Girls’ College (formerly Emene Girls’ High School). Immediately after the Emene Community High School and St Joseph Girls’ College are situated Construction Primary School and St Joseph Catholic Church Parish. Opposite the Emene Community High School is age-long St Patrick Secondary School. In other words, the area is sacredly a ‘Mission and School Environment’, dominated by several lawful religious, schooling, sports and other social activities. Historically, St Patrick Secondary School is an ancient mission school that has produced eminent persons of Igbo and non Igbo extraction including one of Nigeria’s renowned physicists, Prof Justin Akujieze of Ekwenche Igbo Research Institute in Chicago, the United States; a pioneer student of the School.

The Community High School, Emene, in particular and the area, in general, has for decades, played host to a litany of lawful social gatherings (peaceful assemblies) and activities. These include Sunday Church services by Catholics and Pentecostals. On Saturdays, similar religious services by Jewish and African religionists are hosted by the area including the Emene Community High School, which also plays host to other social gatherings such as pre or post church service meetings and night vigils. Beyond the referenced litany of religious activities, the Emene Community High School is also famously known for decades, for playing host to leisure and mental rehearsal activists and various sporting activities such as football, athletics, physical fitness and martial arts exercises.

Owing to these, the School’s Premises or Field also attracts food vendors and energy/soft drinks and sachet water sellers, etc. The area, therefore, is usually jam-packed with several weekend lawful social activities. These are contrary to “security and intelligence reports” by the Enugu Directorate of State Security Service and the Enugu State Police Command that “the area particularly the Emene Community High School’s Field is a ground where terrorists are receiving arms training” and “training grounds and hideouts for armed hoodlums”.

U-Report: Niger Delta Leaders, ICPC Set For Showdown Over NDDC Staff Report

Report By  Ebiereri Henry Ovie 

The Niger Delta leaders and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) may be heading for showdown over the interrogation of senior management staff of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

Notable leaders in the region, under the aegis of the Niger Delta Leaders Forum (NDLF) on Friday described the action of ICPC as a distraction.

Article: Resistance: Understanding The Issues And Taking Responsibility

By Jaye Gaskia

In the midst of the current unfolding crisis of hardship inducing, poverty enabling, and life-threatening maladministration and bad governance, a lot of citizens have been left submerged and almost drowning in anger and confusion, or confused anger.

And this is quite understandable. There are those who have quickly gone back to the archives, and in this internet age, everyone who has ever been active online leaves a digital trail, an almost indelible digital footprint.

News Release: Abduction of the Students and Teacher of Prince Academy Kaduna: Why the Morbid Silence? Or is there No Rescue Plan?

It is now two weeks (14 days) since the news broke that gunmen attacked yet another school in the country – Prince Academy in Damba-Kasaya village in Chikun Local Government in Kaduna State. It was reported that the terrorists killed one-person and abducted Junior Secondary School students as well as a teacher who had been asked to resume school by both the Federal and State governments.

Article: Lend Your Voice

By Otive Igbuzor, PhD

Introduction:

The theme of this conference and the book is Violence against Women. Violence against women and girls is a huge challenge and an obstacle to development across the world. It has been recognized as an obstacle to the achievement of the objectives of equality, development and peace. In recent years, there is an increased reportage or incidence of violence against women and girls across the world. There is no doubt that accelerated development which is greatly needed across the world cannot take place without addressing the challenges of violence against women and girls. 

News Release: Extra-Judicial Killing Of Unarmed IPOB Members: A Crime Against Humanity And Assault On Democracy

We the Igbo Ekunie Initiative, IEI, comprising individuals in Nigeria and the Diaspora; unequivocally condemn the extrajudicial killing of unarmed youths holding peaceful meetings in Emene Enugu state by Nigerian security services.  

In light of this egregious violation of human rights and assault on the very essence of democracy; we wish to state as follows:   

News Release: "FFK's Attack On Daily Trust Reporter, Totally Reprehensible"-NUJ

The Nigeria Union of Journalists- NUJ condemns the gangster-like outburst by Chief Femi Fani Kayode against the Cross River State Correspondent of the Daily Trust Newspaper, Eyo Charles who asked him a simple question which he felt was embarrassing.