Speaker of the Ogun State House of Assembly, Olakunle Oluomo, has been arrested by the anti-graft agency, the Economic Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), over allegations of offences bordering on financial crimes.
He was picked up this morning at the Murtala Mohammed Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, by operatives following a tip off.
At press time, he was undergoing further grilling in the custody of the agency.
A source at the EFCC said he had been invited several times but failed to honour the invitation
Suspected hoodlums on Wednesday pelted the presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, Dr Rabiu Kwankwaso, with sachets of water while on a visit to Kogi State.
Kwankwaso was in Lokoja, the state capital to inaugurate the party’s secretariat and his campaign offices.
On getting to a popular hotel where he was meant to address his supporters, suspected hoodlums invaded the venue and started throwing sachets of water at the candidate.
Kwankwaso had earlier visited Ogbonicha, the country home of late Abubakar Audu, where a similar scenario played out.
He was accused of trying to hide under the canopy of the late ex-governor to woo supporters of the All Progressives Congress.
A media aide of the presidential candidate, who identified himself as Musa Yunusa, described the action of the supporters as normal in politics, describing Kogi as home to Kwankwaso. Continue reading
Loyalists of the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, are reportedly applying pressure on him to call the bluff of Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State.
Naija News reports that both Atiku and Wike are at loggerheads over moves to oust the party’s National Chairman, Senator Iyorchia Ayu, and the aftermath of the PDP presidential primary.
Although the duo had agreed to desist from making inflammatory remarks, divisive comments are still being made to journalists.
While reconciliation has kicked off between both camps, Atiku’s men have faulted comments made by the governor, saying they appeared deliberately skewed to keep everyone guessing.
Atiku’s loyalists want the former vice president to cut his losses, “move on and concentrate on building the party ahead of the 2023 elections.”
Speaking to Vanguard, a party leader said: “It is heart-wrenching that this matter has dragged this long.
“It was agreed the last time that all parties desist from further making inflammatory remarks.
“It was borne out of this that Atiku caused a statement to be issued by his media team urging his supporters to bridle their tongues, but this act of goodwill is not being returned in kind. This is quite unfortunate.
“I must say at this point that Governor Wike has made up his mind about what he wants to do. Bending over backwards to accede to everything he has asked for will be shooting ourselves in the foot.
“Personally, I rather we cut our losses, move on, and concentrate on building the party ahead of the 2023 elections.
“We made significant inroads in Kano with the defection of former Governor Ibrahim Shekarau and his teeming supporters. These are the kinds of things we should be celebrating.”
Another party source said: “My reading of the situation is that there are other local issues in Rivers politics that are being elevated to the national.
“Comments being made by the governor, with due respect to him, appear deliberately skewed to keep everyone guessing. The truth is we cannot wait forever, something has to give.
“The truth is that whichever decision you take in politics, not everyone will be happy or accept it for one reason or another. Our presidential candidate has demonstrated good faith.
“However, it will be disastrous for anyone to contemplate a leadership change at this time, the issue of anyone removing Iyorchia Ayu as national chairman before the election does not arise.”
Another PDP stated that Governor Wike’s recent comments are putting the former vice president on edge, which is not going down well with the latter’s loyalists.
The source, a former member of the National Working Committee, NWC, said: “Wike is giving them (Atiku’s camp) signs that he will work against him. Wike is getting feelers that some interests around Atiku do not want the PDP presidential candidate to give in to his demands.
“Wike also has some people within Atiku’s camp, especially in the NWC. The anger with the Atiku camp is that Wike cannot be seen to be controlling the party. Also, Wike is expecting Atiku to give him an update on what was discussed at their London meeting but Atiku is yet to call him. That is why you hear Wike making those comments.”
Decades of incongruous beliefs amongst humanity have birthed different shades of subversive and counter militant forces across the globe. In some important respects, these anti human forces have formed lives of their own.
According to the Council on Foreign Relations’s Global Conflict Tracker, the world was groping with at Least 27 Live Conflicts as of the last count, precisely in April, 2022.
In each case, nuclear arsenals are swelling. Millions are displaced. International law is disregarded with impunity, as criminal and terrorist networks profit from the division and violence.
In Nigeria, for instance, a terrorist group, Boko Haram, spearheaded by Mohammed Yusuf began the group in the year 2002, with a view of opposing western education with his followers. Though Yusuf is dead, Boko Haram, one of the largest Islamist militant groups in Africa has, since 2011, conducted terrorist attacks on religious and political groups, local police, and the military, as well as indiscriminately attacking civilians in busy markets and villages.
In the process, when things appeared to be getting out of control, a Kanuri born Army General, Tukur Yusuf Buratai, with shy mien, mounted the Nigeria’s defence soap box as Chief of Army Staff in 2015 with unmistakable message to the terrorists to quit or get destroyed.
Within a short period, Buratai reclaimed all the territories hitherto occupied by the insurgents. Peace unfolded and investors’ confidence restored.
However, it is not yet Uhuru. Security challenges across the world are unprecedented. Fierce armed gangs of sundry identities have besieged the world from nearly every corner The Nigerian state has a fair share of this tottering institutional embrace of the dark hour.
Against this back drop, the former Army boss now Nigerian Ambassador to the Republic of Benin, last week, offered anecdotes on how to achieve peace.
His speech, which he personally delivered at a World Peace Symposium in Lagos, where he was honoured as the first title holder of Bearer of Security Torch, is reproduced below:
I want to sincerely appreciate the World Institute for Peace and the organizers of this symposium for identifying me to be its torch bearer. It is humbling on one hand, and gratifying on the other; truly it is an evidence that the efforts of our dear nation and it’s various actors to achieve peace in these tumultuous times have not gone unnoticed, and are appreciated by your esteemed organization. Particularly, being the past Chief of the Army Staff, Nigerian Army which has been at the vanguard of almost all physical efforts at ensuring peace, I am grateful to the institute for this recognition, it is by extension a recognition of the role of the officers and soldiers of our esteemed military in the development of our nation.
From the day the Institute contacted me, I have gone through a moment of reflection on my early days as a young military officer up until my time at the helm of the Army, this has led to several mixed emotions. On one hand, I feel nostalgic for the moments in our history uncharacterized by terrorism and insecurity; on the other, sadness for the victims of insecurity, comrades in arms lost in the battle against insecurity, and their dependents left bereft of their loved ones. However, I am not deterred as I believe peace will be achieved, and we will keep striving. We must always strive to contribute to peace in our societies in whatever capacity we find ourselves. You must contribute either as a medical doctor, a nurse, an engineer, a trader, a barber, a farmer, or a labourer etc.
Following the evergreen words of Robert McNamara which says; “Development means security and without security, there is no development”. This, means that peace is at the heart of national development and advancement, thus highlighting the importance of the core values of the World Institute for Peace and by extension, the relevance of this symposium. The efforts of this organization, and all other organizations that promote peace, are germane to global peace and security.
Peace is not a notion that can be defined in a single sentence. It signifies many things to different people and may be perceived through different lenses; yet, there is a common acceptance that peace denotes the absence of violent conflict. In my years of service as a military officer up until my position as the Chief of Army staff, I have had the privilege of being an genuine participant in the quest for peace in Africa and Nigeria- from insurgency, terrorism, farmer-herder clashes, militancy, riots, Angola civil war, and the Bakasi War… to mention but a few. The Nigerian constitution recognises the Police Force as the primary institution tasked with the responsibility of handling internal security. However, the rise of Boko Haram in 2009 signaled a shift in the nature of internal strife in Nigeria, necessitating a shift in strategy. As a result, the military, particularly the Army, was thrown into the spotlight, and this has progressively become the norm, with the military increasingly playing a role in internal security management. My contributions to the peace initiative stand as proof on their own, as an officer and in the many roles I performed in the Army. As a young Captain I was opportuned to participate in UN Peacekeeping/Observer Mission under the auspices of the United Nations Angola Verification Mission II (UNAVEM II) from 1993 – 1994. It was my first contribution to the global UN Peace initiative. As the commander of the newly reconstituted MNJTF, I worked hard to strategise and planned the fight against the Boko Haram Terrorists group that almost engulfed the Lake Chad Basin countries. The roles played by Nigeria, AU and Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC) were so strategic in bringing about the relative peace being enjoyed now. But during my tenure as Chief of Army Staff, one of my main objectives was to strengthen the interplay between the government’s kinetic and non-kinetic strategies in bringing about security and peace for our nation Nigeria.
The past years have also illuminated the importance of diplomacy, discourse, and the role of the community in achieving security. Religious leaders, traditional leaders, security personnel, political leaders, and the general citizenry have a part to play in achieving security in Nigeria and by extension the world.
I have also encountered another variable that is equally as important as the others highlighted above: ‘ Justice”. Justice according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary is the establishment or determination of rights according to the rules of law or equity. It is the conformity and the administration of what is right based on the law.
I believe that we can go a step further as a society. Our approach to handling these issues needs to be improved. Leaving it firmly in the hands of security agents is not completely working, we need to apply a structural functionalist approach to insecurity in Nigeria. All of us need to identify our parts in ensuring peace. Divisive elements have to be struck out, it is us against insecurity, therefore insecurity is the enemy. It is not a matter of Hausa, Igbo, or Yoruba. It is not a matter of Christian or Muslim, it is Nigeria against insecurity. Therefore, we have to be tolerant and alert. Irregularities in our neighborhoods have to be reported. The religious and traditional leaders have to preach tolerance and respect for others, and the political leaders need to make informed decisions. In this way, we can push down insecurity and achieve actual justice and eventual peace for our fallen heroes, brothers, sisters, fathers, uncles and husbands.
Following my exit from active service, I am fortunate, the leadership of His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari was gracious to appoint me as an Ambassador to positively portray the country’s image globally. This task I have set to carry it out judiciously since my appointment. I thank President Muhammad Buhari for giving me the privilege to serve as an ambassador of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Now a look at the global peace and security situations. According to UNICEF, from Ukraine to Yemen, conflict is taking a devastating toll. Nuclear arsenals are swelling. Conflict is on the rise. Millions are displaced. International law is disregarded with impunity, as criminal and terrorist networks profit from the division and violence. This is the situation the world finds itself in today.
10. The reasons for the outbreak of conflicts range from territorial disputes and regional tensions, to corruption and dwindling resources due to climate change. Conflicts disrupt access to basic services like food and water, and force people into extreme poverty, with the poorest and the most vulnerable paying the highest price. In addition to taking lives and devastating infrastructure in the short term, conflict and its consequences are profound and enduring, reversing progress towards achieving the Global Goals.
The current humanitarian crisis in Ukraine may be in the spotlight right now, but there are many conflicts occurring globally that deserve equal support and compassion. According to the Council on Foreign Relations’s Global Conflict Tracker, there are currently 27 ongoing conflicts worldwide. The tracker categorizes conflict into three groups: “worsening,” “unchanging,” and “improving.” Right now, there’s not a single conflict described as “improving.” Of those worsening are the conflict in Ukraine, the war in Afghanistan, political instability in Lebanon, the war in Yemen, the Rohingya crisis in Myanmar, and the conflict in Ethiopia. Other conflict areas and their impact include Sudan—Political tensions amid regional drought and conflict. Syria—Economic crisis compounds a decade of war. Somalia—Humanitarian access worsens as needs rise. Myanmar—Violent deadlock leaves millions in need. Democratic Republic of Congo—Conflict and disease compound crisis. South Sudan—Regional tensions raise risks. Nigeria—Growing insecurity across the country. Yemen—Cumulative impact of protracted conflict.
The UN has warned that peace is more under threat around the world than it has been since World War II. A quarter of the entire global population lives in conflict-affected areas. Some of the worst affected places are Ethiopia’s Tigray region, South Sudan, Syria, Yemen, and Afghanistan. According to the UN, last year, 84 million people were forcibly displaced because of conflict, violence, and human rights violations. This year, it is estimated that at least 274 million people will need humanitarian assistance.
Nearly 11 years after it started, the Syrian refugee crisis remains the largest displacement crisis worldwide (13.2 million, including 6.6 million refugees and more than 6 million internally displaced people). At least 2 million people are living in tented camps with limited access to basic services. The beginning of the war in Syria dates back to the Arab Spring — a series of anti-authoritarian protests, uprisings, and rebellions that spread across several Middle Eastern countries in the early 2010s.
Lasting more than 60 years, the conflict in Myanmar (previously called Burma) remains the longest ongoing civil war in the world. The country has been plagued by decades of repressive military rule and civil war with ethnic minority groups since 1948, the year the country gained independence from the UK. Nearly 880,000 Rohingya refugees have fled the country. The most vulnerable, including pregnant women, babies, children, and the elderly have been forced to travel for days to reach safety in Bangladesh. Today, they live in the world’s largest and most densely populated refugee camp, Kutupalong. Around half of those refugees are children.
According to the Institute for Economics & Peace the 10 most conflict-affected countries lose, on average, 41% of their GDP. The cost of war is almost unfathomable. In addition to the human suffering, social unrest and damage to infrastructure, the burden of war also impacts conflict-affected countries’ economies.
According to Franck Bousquet, the senior director of Fragility, Conflict and Violence (FCV) Group at the World Bank, wrote in an article for the New Humanitarian, that conflict drives 80% of humanitarian needs and in 2016, the cost of conflict globally stood at an astonishing $14 trillion. That’s enough to end world hunger 42 times over. Just imagine what the world could do with that money if conflicts were to end worldwide.
With all the above negative consequences of conflicts and crises around the world, peace is the ultimate solution. I shall use this opportunity to call on the members of the global community especially the UN and the Super Powers to end all conflicts around the world and bring lasting peace to humanity. Let there be peace, security and development in our world. Enough of the deaths, human sufferings and underdevelopment around the world.
In conclusion, I understand that with this Torch comes great responsibility. As a career soldier, I dedicated my life to the defense of my nation and its people and by extension the entrenchment of peace within Nigeria, West Africa, and of course Africa and the world. The responsibility with this conferment is not just to continue what has been my lifelong duty to restore peace, but also now ensure that I am a forerunner in championing causes and initiatives geared toward achieving national, regional and global peace.
Once again, I express my profound gratitude to the World Institute for Peace and the program’s organizers for choosing me to be a torch bearer. Even though I am a retired general, my active commitment to bringing about peace in Nigeria and the world does nothing but solidify my determination. I thank Ambassador Lamina, the Chairman CEO of the World Institute for Peace in putting this programme together in my honour. I appreciate all the special speakers who spoke via Zoom. I also thank and appreciate all our international and local participants who are physically here and those who join us via Zoom.
Lastly, in our collective pursuit of world peace, we must be conscious of the fact that “victory comes from God alone”.
I thank you all.
The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Tuesday denied the bail application by the suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari, in the alleged drug trafficking case instituted against him and two other defendants.
This is third bail application filed by Kyari before the Abuja court division. He and others are facing charges bordering on the possession of 21.35kg of cocaine.
Recall that in a fundamental human right suit filed by Kyari before Justice Inyang Ekwo, his lawyer sought for his bail on liberal terms, citing his diabetic medical condition.
But the NDLEA had tendered a detention order from another court mandating the agency to keep the police officer and others for 14 days for further investigation before subsequent arraignment in court.
Ekwo therefore denied him bail on the grounds of an existing detaining order by a coordinate court.
The NDLEA lawyer had argued that Kyari would jump bail because of the extradition request of the United States against him (relating to alleged money laundering with Hushppupi) as well as the allegations levelled against him in the country.
The court had at the time agreed with the NDLEA, thereby refusing Kyari bail.
Meanwhile, the extradition application against Kyari was on August 29 dismissed by Justice Inyang Ekwo for contravening the Extradition Act.
In the fresh bail, Kyari and two other suspended police officers urged the court to admit them to bail on fresh or new grounds or review the earlier bail application refused by the court.
They contended that their lives were threatened at the Kuje Correctional Centre due to attacks by terrorists.
They also argued that some Eastern Security Network members and other remanded terrorists and armed robbers who were arrested by the Kyari team are at Kuje jail, constitute a threat to their life.
Kyari’s lawyer further argued that all the charges against him are bailable within the eyes of the law and were in line with his fundamental human rights.
But the NDLEA asked the court to deny them bail, adding that the new facts raised by Kyari are unsubstantiated.
NDLEA further argued that if threats to their life were the defendants’ new argument, the court should transfer them to another detaining facility.
It alleged that Kyari has strong connection with some elements of the underworld.
In his ruling on Tuesday, Justice Emeka Nwite said if the court becomes aware of new circumstances regarding a defendant’s remand, he can exercise his jurisdictional powers for or against parties.
He held that the complainant failed to counter the new facts raised by Kyari and others.
“In view of the foregoing, the applicants have still not provided reasons for bail and my former order is sustained,” he said.
THE WHISTLER earlier reported that the sixth and seventh co-defendants to Kyari (Chibunna Patrick Umeibe and Emeka Alphonsus Ezenwanne) had on March 14 pleaded guilty to possession of illicit drugs while Kyari and others denied the charges.
Reports has it that all has gone sour between popular celestial prophet, Israel Oladele AKA Genesis and his spiritual mother, Rev Mother Esther Ajayi. This was evident in the recent outburst of the prophet during a live service at his church.
Prophet Genesis who didn’t directly mention Esther Ajayi’s name started by saying a woman he respects a lot abandoned him when he was in trouble despite the fact that he served her diligently.
He continued by saying the ‘woman’ gave deceased Yoruba actor, Baba Suwe the sum of N10 Million and supported young orange seller who did a cover of Tope Alabi’s song but never bothered to render help to him when he needed it.
It would be recalled that Rev Esther Ajayi went viral for giving Baba Suwe N10 million and for helping the young orange seller last year.
Genesis made it known that Esther Ajayi has shown that she isn’t a woman of God with the singular act of abandoning him. He also explained that she has removed his pictures from her church since the tribulations began.
While revealing some secrets, Prophet Israel Oladele Genesis mentioned that the same thing that happened to him happened to Esther Ajayi but he was the one who covered up for her and prevented her from suffering what he suffered.
Furthermore, he warned her not to reply him because he will expose more secrets about her.
‘’I will not say it secretly, she just showed that she is not a woman of God, she helped people but I that serve her, She couldn’t help me when I got into trouble.’’
‘’What happened to me happened to you but I covered up for you, I am not scared of death or anything, I don’t need any friend.’’
‘’You are a woman, you know my mother, I was not even surprised when you said you had a dream about me in the midst of herbalists, it simply means you are one of them too.’’
‘’You better don’t reply me, if you do, it will be very disastrous than Oba Solomon.’’
The wife of the Abia State Governor, Mrs. Nkechi Okezie Ikpeazu, has rescued one Mrs. Amarachi Okechi, who was accused of witchcraft, assaulted, and held hostage for several days in Umueghu Amaegbuato community of Nkpa in Bende Local Government Area of the state.
A video that went viral on social media at the weekend captured the moment Okechi, an alleged widow, was being flogged by youths in the community.
Mrs. Ikpeazu rescued the woman on Monday and arranged for her to be taken to a hospital for treatment, said her Chief Press Secretary, Chika Ojiegbe.
Ojiegbe said, “the First lady Mrs. Nkechi Ikpeazu is particularly thankful to the member representing Bende South, Emmanuel Ndubuisi, the Bende LGA Chairman and his wife Mrs Leticia Onwuchekwa, as well as the traditional ruler of the area, for the role in successfully extricating the woman from the volatile area”.
Okechi’s assault by the youths had attracted wide condemnation from the public.
Hon. Chijioke Chukwu, Minority Leader of Abia State House of Assembly, described the act as barbaric and wondered why the community should take laws into their hands.
He called on the Commissioner of Police in the state, CP Janet Agbede, to immediately arrest all those involved in the dastardly act.
The lawmaker also pledged to liaise with the DPO in Bende and Uzuakoli and officials of government from the area to ensure that all involved are identified, arrested, and punished according to the law.
The National Correctional Service (NCoS) on Monday, confirmed the death of an inmate in the Kuje medium security custodial centre.
The correctional service spokesperson, Chukwuedo Humphrey confirmed the development following unrest in the centre earlier in the day.
Humphrey disclosed that the deceased was earlier diagnosed with some chronic ailments upon a mandatory medical examination in 2019 when he was admitted into the centre.
“He was immediately placed on special medical management by a combined team of medical personnel in the facility as well as occasional referrals to the University of Abuja Teaching hospital, Gwagwalada, Abuja when necessary.
“Unfortunately, when the inmate’s health deteriorated over the weekend, all effort by the medical personnel to resuscitate him failed,” the statement read.
However, reports revealed that the inmate had recently fallen ill and was being treated by medical personnel before he was referred to the teaching hospital.
The inmate was reportedly scheduled for a medical appointment today when he had his last breath.
But the Controller of the Command, Ahmed Ahmed while expressing his condolences, reassured his commitment to upholding the health and general welfare of the inmates and staff of the facility.
“He further advised those on special medical attention to ensure strict adherence to expert instructions to overcome health challenges since drugs are available to them at no cost,” the statement said.
2023 Budget: We will Need to Borrow over N7trillion to Pay Petrol Subsidy – Minster of Finance
Finance Minister, Zainab Ahmed
The Federal government has proposed to borrow over N11 trillion to finance the proposed 2023 budget deficit, a development far above the stipulated threshold in the Fiscal Responsibility Act.
Zainab Ahmed, minister of finance, budget and national planning, said this on Monday while appearing before the house of representatives committee on finance to defend the 2023-2025 Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and Fiscal Strategy Paper (FSP).
She said the government’s budget deficit is expected to exceed N12.42 trillion if the federal government keep the petroleum subsidy for the entire 2023 fiscal cycle.
Reeling out numbers to the committee, Ahmed said the 2023 budget proposal is based on two options.
On the first option, the deficit is projected to be N12.41 trillion in 2023, up from N7.35 trillion budgeted in 2022, representing 196 percent of total revenue or 5.50 percent of the estimated GDP.
Based on this, Ahmed said the federal government would spend N6.72 trillion on subsidy payments.
On the second option, if the federal government keeps subsidy payments till June 2023, the budget deficit would amount to N11.30 trillion, which is N5.01 trillion of the estimated GDP. In this option, the PMS subsidy is projected to gulp N3.3 trillion.
The minister further said the first option is not likely to be achievable based on the current trend, while the second option would require tighter enforcement.
She said the new borrowings would come from local and international sources. Ahmed said N9.32 trillion in new borrowings, comprising N7.4 trillion from domestic sources and N1.8 trillion from foreign sources, adding that the government is expected to generate N206.1 billion from privatisation proceeds and N1.7 trillion in multilateral project-tied loans.
On the two proposals, Ahmed said they have budget deficits far above the stipulated threshold in the Fiscal Responsibility Act.
The fiscal responsibility law provides a limit of 3 percent threshold for sustainability but the president can “exceed the ceiling if there is a clear and present threat to national security or sovereignty of Nigeria”.
In 2020, the federal government exceeded the fiscal borrowing threshold, citing the COVID-19 pandemic.
2023 BUDGET BENCHMARK PROPOSALS
The minister said oil production for 2023 would be pegged at 1.69 million barrels per day. A real GDP growth rate of 3.7 percent and an inflation rate of 17.16 percent for the year. She added that the budget would be premised on $70 per barrel of crude oil and an exchange rate of N435.57 to the dollar.
REVENUE
Ahmed said the government was projecting revenue of N8.46 trillion for 2023 — N1.9 trillion of which would come from oil-related sources while the balance would come from non-oil sources.
ON SUBSIDY
Ahmed said the petrol subsidy regime would remain up to a mid-2023 sequel to the 18-month extension announced early in 2021.
She added that N3.36 trillion would be provided to pay the subsidy in 2023.
The minister also told the session that there would be tighter enforcement of the performance management framework for government-owned enterprises “which would significantly increase operating surplus/dividend remittances in 2023”.
DEBT SERVICING
She said there were no projections that Nigeria would default on her debt services in the nearest future.
While the amount currently used in debt servicing had overshot appropriation in the 2022 budget, she said systems are put in place to manage the situation.
“We planned that 60 percent of revenue would be spent on debt servicing, but in some months, the ratio went up to 90 percent,” she said.
“We have been able to, consistently without fail, service our debt, and we do not have any projections even in the near future that we will fail.
“We actually follow the Medium Term Debt Management Strategy very strictly; the debts are not taken haphazardly, and they are planned.
“They are appropriated, and then we borrow against appropriation.”
The minister acknowledged, however, that the government was under pressure to manage debt servicing following the drop in revenue generation.
Police Service Commission Shut As Workers Begin Indefinite Strike
On Monday, the Joint Union Congress of the Police Service Commission (PSC) Chapter commenced an indefinite strike to press home its demands.
The strike kicked off against the backdrop of a purported hijack of the police recruitment exercise by the Force and an allegation of PSC’s complicity with the police authorities to rid staff members of their constitutional duty to recruit prospective officers.
The President of the Union, Adoyi Adoyi, in an interview with THE WHISTLER on Monday, said the shift in mandate gradually falls short of its core reasons for its existence, contained in Part 1, the Third schedule of the 1999 Constitution.
The Union accused the Management of the PSC of nepotism while stating that the situation is stuttering the commission’s growth.
Adoyi said, “There is growing indolence. You know the idle man is the devils’ workshop. People go to work and return; they are not doing anything substantial. The commission is starved of funds; some staff are being owed entitlement as far back as 2012 and 2014, and many have not been paid.
“The commission is pending to a halt. We are suffering the brunt of it all. The condition of the commission staff is poor. Many staff do not have sitting space. No desk, no chair. There is an ongoing site of the commission which has not been completed for reasons that have been very difficult to understand.
“The commission is saddled with the responsibility of oversight function, recruitment, promotion, discipline, populating policies and those items are not capitalised. The commission, by nature, is supposed to be operating on a first-line charge,e but it lives on envelop budget which is hardly enough every month.
When asked how it affects the members of staff of the commission, he replied, “It is killing our morale, you cannot talk about a good experience on the job. We are desirous at making the place work for Nigerians first, then for ourselves, because we will become victims of the charge of the insecurity and all social ills you see when we do not carry out our functions. We will become an accomplice, meanwhile, we are all suffering the brunt of its all.”
Aside from the recruitment saga, which has remained the crux of the disagreement between both parties, Adoyi demanded that the PSC responds appropriately to the “provocative and insensitive” comments of the Police PRO, CSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi during a live broadcast.
Recall that the Police Spokesperson had asked that Nigerians disregarded the call of the PSC to apply through the commission’s portal for police constables.
The Police claimed that it could not train new intakes, and the commission had failed to carry the Force along in the process.
But, Adoyi reiterated his displeasure over the response of the PSC towards the Police comment, noting that the commission’s statement, “left us neither here nor there, interpreted by the media to mean that the commission has poured to IG’s pressure and capitulated”.
He added, “And it is coming against the backdrop that several other infractions are being committed which staff are aware. Staff have been complaining. There is a police recruitment exercise ongoing at the Police Academy in Kano.
“It is the process of recruiting Cadet officers at the level of ASP. As we speak, it is ongoing and the commission is not involved meanwhile there is a court judgment of the Appeal Court.”
Adoni noted that the long rift between the PSC and the Police is an ego war, and it was pertinent for the latter to understand that people manning guns, especially as a civil force needs to subject themselves to civil authority.
The civil authority, he noted, is exercised by the President through the Police Commission.
“The easy quest of the Police authorities to kick against that is nothing but a kick-off to anarchy,” Adoni said.
He added, “You see the police suffer a lot to maintain internal security, there is a shortage of manpower. People are supposed to be recruited regularly, the commission is also administrative support of the police and the same police wants to take away the attention from internal security and come into issues that are supposed to be purely administrative”.
The disagreement between the PSC and the Police backdates to 2019 following President Muhammadu Buhari’s call to recruit at least 10,000 Constables into the Police Force.
The mandate, which constitutionally falls on the PSC to execute, turned cold war when the police on the grounds of Section 21 of the Police Act, as appealed insisted they had the right to be involved in the recruitment process since they do not only determine the criteria for entry but train them into prospective officers.
However, legal practitioners have noted that any law that contradicts the 1999 constitution as amended is null and void.
