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Government deploys police as groups mobilise for protests at Lekki Tollgate

Confidence Okwuchi
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Ahead of Saturday’s planned protest tagged #OccupyLekkiProtest  at the Lekki tollgate in Lagos State, the Nigerian Government has deployed policemen and over 150 men of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps to maintain law and order.

This is as some people under the aegis of #DefendLagos have also vowed to organise a counter-march against the #OccupyLekkiProtest demonstrators.

The Nigerian Government and the police had earlier warned youths who planned to protest at the Lekki tollgate on Saturday February 13, 2021 to have a rethink and shelve the protests.

But the young Nigerians, under the aegis of #EndSARS Season 2, vowed to defy the government’s order.

They said their action was informed by the decision of the Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry allowing the Lekki Concession Company, LCC to reopen the Lekki tollgate.

The #EndSARS protests had spread across the country in October 2020 to register the youths’ grievances against the alleged atrocities of the disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad of the Nigeria Police Force.

The protest, which gained massive international attention, came to a halt on October 20, 2020, when heavily armed soldiers allegedly shot protesters at the Lekki tollgate.

After about four months of investigating the Lekki shootings, the Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry decided to allow the LCC to resume toll collection at the tollgate, a development that has generated a flurry of reactions among youths.

The NSCDC spokesperson in Lagos, Seun Abolurin, said the corps commandant in the state, Aiyeni Kolawole, had deployed intelligence and surveillance officers at the Lekki tollgate, that about 120 armed men of the corps had been placed on red alert.

He said, “We have enough men on the ground. We have our men on standby, although the protest has been cancelled. If we get any signal, our men are on the ground to move. About 50 of our intelligence and surveillance officers have already been deployed since Friday morning. About 120 armed personnel are on standby in case there is an emergency.”

On whether the protesters would be arrested if the demonstration holds, he said the command could not predict but would uphold fundamental human rights.

Also, the Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO in Lagos State, CSP Muyiwa Adejobi, said that the police and the state government had made their stance against the protest known, insisting that the demonstration would be stopped.

He hinged the stance on the aftermath of the violence that stemmed from the #EndSARS protests, saying that the affected people were still groaning in pains.

“The panel of enquiry set up by the government to look into this is on and the governor has approved a certain amount of money for compensation. The basis upon which the so-called organisers want to arrange protests again is not known. They misinterpreted the pronouncement of the panel and they have been enlightened. The panel asked LCC to go and assess the Lekki tollgate plaza. It is not to commence operations,” he said.

Adejobi acknowledged that people had the fundamental right to protest, but said no right was absolute, claiming that intelligence gathered by the police indicated that the protest would be hijacked.

He said, “We have gathered intelligence and done threat analysis on the proposed protest. We got information that the protest will still be hijacked and cause more mayhem than the previous one. The command is not afraid of anything but we should be able to assess and see beyond our noses. We would not fold arms this time round and allow violence to happen. Every sector was affected during the last violent #EndSARS protests.

 “Also, the Presidential Task Force on Covid-19 has declared that the virus in Nigeria has variants which makes it more deadly. How can they gather and still maintain Covid-19 protocols? It is not possible. We have told those who want to listen that the so-called protest is uncalled for and the command has made it known that nobody will be allowed to hold any protest.

“We have warned parents and guardians not to allow anybody to mobilise their children. We are going to resist any violent protest in the state within the ambit of the law. We will be duly professional about our rules of engagement tomorrow (today).”

The PPRO stated that policemen had been mobilised to the tollgate and other parts of the state, noting that “the command will deploy our available resources to make sure there is no breakdown of law and order in Lagos State.”

NP/Confidence Okwuchi

Anger over arrests in Myanmar at anti-coup protests

Oluwasola Akintonde
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Opponents of Myanmar’s military coup sustained mass protests for an eighth straight day on Saturday as continuing arrests of junta critics added to anger over the detention of elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Thousands assembled in the business hub, Yangon, while protesters took to the streets of the capital Naypyitaw, the second city Mandalay and other towns a day after the biggest protests so far in the Southeast Asian country.

“Stop kidnapping at night,” was among the signs held up by protesters in Yangon in response to arrest raids in recent days.

The United Nations human rights office said on Friday more than 350 people, including officials, activists and monks, have been arrested in Myanmar since the Feb. 1 coup, including some who face criminal charges on “dubious grounds”.

Anger in Myanmar has been fuelled by videos showing more arrests of government critics including a doctor who was part of the civil disobedience movement. Some arrests have taken place during the hours of darkness.

Internet memes captioned “Our nights aren’t safe anymore” and “Myanmar military is kidnapping people at night” have circulated widely on social media.

The government did not respond to requests for comment on the arrests.

The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, a watchdog group for political prisoners, voiced concern.

“Family members are left with no knowledge of the charges, location, or condition of their loved ones. These are not isolated incidents, and nighttime raids are targeting dissenting voices. It is happening across the country,” it said in a statement.

The army said it had seized power because of alleged fraud in a November election that Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy party had won in a landslide. The army’s complaints were dismissed by Myanmar’s electoral commission.

Transition halted

The coup halted a tentative transition to democracy that began in 2011 after nearly half a century of isolation and stagnation under military juntas.

Suu Kyi, for decades the standard bearer of the fight for democracy in Myanmar, faces charges of illegally importing and using six walkie-talkie radios found in a search of her house.

The 47-member U.N. Human Rights Council adopted a resolution on Friday calling on Myanmar to release Suu Kyi and other officials from detention and refrain from using violence on protesters.

Thomas Andrews, the U.N. rights investigator for Myanmar, said at a special session of the rights council in Geneva that the U.N. Security Council should consider imposing sanctions and arms embargoes.

Myint Thu, Myanmar’s ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, told the session that Myanmar did not want “to stall the nascent democratic transition in the country,” and would continue international cooperation.

The United States this week began imposing sanctions on the ruling generals and some businesses linked to them.

Airline staff, health workers, engineers and school teachers were among groups that joined the protest marches on Saturday and which have rallied to a civil disobedience campaign that has shut down a swath of government business.

“We are preschool teachers, Every child our future, We don’t want dictatorship,” said one banner.

Reports said thousands of people had joined pro-military demonstrations in parts of Myanmar on Friday.

The junta remitted the sentences of more than 23,000 prisoners on Friday, saying the move was consistent with “establishing a new democratic state with peace, development and discipline” and would “please the public”.

 

Olusola Akintonde/Reuters

Kano Governor tasks new Local Government Chairmen on Security

Confidence Okwuchi
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By Jack Acheme, Kano

The 44 newly elected Local Government Chairmen in Kano State have been sworn- in to the mantle of leadership in all the council areas.

The entire 44 local government Chairmanship position and 484 Councillorships in the state were won by the rulling All progressive Congress, APC

The State Governor, Dr. Umar Ganduje at the swearing-in ceremony held at the Pillars’ Stadium Kano, urged the elected persons to harp on projects that would have direct impact on the grassroots especially in the areas of security, education,  agriculture among other areas.

Prioritise Community Policing
He called on the Chairmen to prioritise community policing and enhancement of the ongoing free education policy of the state government among options as they assume office.

” You just have to work closely with the security agencies at your various communities. This is absolutely necessary.

“As you are all aware that, education in Kano is free and compulsory from basic to secondary schools, it is pertinent for all of you to see that you also support this free and compulsory education policy of the state government,” urged the Governor .

The Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Secretary to the State Government, Head of Service,  Chief of Staff to the Governor, all Commissioners and other members of the State Executive Council, Party leaders and elders, the outgoing Chairmen with their Councillors, newly Sworn-In Chairmen, among other stakeholders were all at the event.

Supporters also graced the occasion from across all the 44 local governments.

The Chairman, Caretaker committee of the APC in Kano, Abbas urged the newly elected Chairmen to ensure that the grassroots enjoy the dividend of the democracy through the resources that will be allocated to the council areas.

He urged APC party supporters in the state to resist any attempt to rig the 2023 general election by guiding all the process of the election jealously.

The 44 LGA Chairmen were sworn in by the Commissioner for justice and Attorney General with all of them pledging allegiance to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

The election that ushered the Chairmen in was held on 16th January, 2021.

 

Confidence Okwuchi

Trump lawyers call impeachment trial ‘political vengeance’

Bilkisu Halilu Pai
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Donald Trump’s lawyers on Friday began laying out their case for why the former president should be acquitted of inciting last month’s deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol, arguing the impeachment trial was an act of “political vengeance” by Democrats.

The defense is expected to take three to four hours to argue that Trump was not responsible for inciting the Jan. 6 riot, which sent lawmakers scrambling for safety and resulted in the deaths of five people, including a police officer.

Trump’s lawyers have said his rhetoric was protected by the U.S. Constitution’s free speech guarantee and that prosecutors had not directly connected the actions of the rioters to Trump.

“The article of impeachment before the Senate is an unjust and blatantly unconstitutional act of political vengeance,” Trump lawyer Michael van der Veen said in his opening argument, adding that it was a “politically-motivated witch hunt” by Democrats.

Democratic prosecutors wrapped up their case on Thursday, arguing that Trump knew what would happen when he exhorted supporters on Jan. 6 to march on the Capitol and “fight like hell” as Congress gathered to certify Democrat Joe Biden’s victory in the Nov. 3 election, and that the Republican former president should be held accountable.

Trump has claimed that Biden’s victory in November was the result of widespread fraud.

Van der Veen said the entire premise of Trump’s remarks to his supporters was that the democratic process would and should play out according to the letter of the law.

The Democratic-controlled House of Representatives charged Trump on Jan. 13 with inciting the insurrection, but Democrats are unlikely to get a conviction in the evenly-divided Senate or to bar Trump from running for office again.

Conviction requires a two-thirds majority in the 100-member Senate, which means at least 17 Republicans would have to defy Trump despite his continued popularity among Republican voters.

“I’m anxious to see what my Republican friends do,” Biden told reporters at the White House on Friday.

If Trump is acquitted, the Senate could decide to censure him or even vote to bar him from holding public office again.

On Tuesday, the Senate voted largely along party lines that the impeachment trial was constitutional and even though Trump’s term ended on Jan. 20, Six Republican senators sided with Democrats.

In their arguments, the Democratic prosecutors provided numerous examples of Trump’s actions prior to the rampage to illustrate what he intended when he told his supporters to go to the Capitol on Jan. 6.

Neither side has so far announced an intention to call witnesses, leaving senators on track for final arguments and a vote as soon as Saturday.

Trump is the first U.S. president to be impeached twice and the first to face trial after leaving office. His first impeachment trial, which stemmed from his efforts to pressure Ukraine to investigate Biden, ended in an acquittal a year ago in what was then a Republican-controlled Senate.

Reuters

INEC commends the media for promoting democracy

Aisha John-Mark
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Media practitioners in Nigeria have been commended for their contributions for the improvement of democracy in the country.

The chairman of the Independent National Electoral commission INEC, Professor Mahmood Yakubu declared this in Abuja at a consultative meeting with the media practitioners towards the expansion of voter access to polling units.

 

Professor Yakubu informed that in any democratic nation, media plays an important role in electoral processes.

He said that the media in Nigeria has been a good partner in the successful conduct of elections making references to the recently concluded elections in the country.

The INEC chairman disclosed that the country is facing the challenges of election polling units which the commission was trying to resolve and enjoined Nigerians to support the commission in its efforts the to improve the country’s electoral processes.

Valentine’s Day: FCTA cautions residents against violation of COVID-19 guidelines 

Ime Njoku
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The ministerial Taskforce team on COVID -19 in the Nation’s capital, Abuja has warned residents, especially fun seekers  against violation of COVID 19 guidelines during the Valentine’s Day celebration.

The Head Publicity, Enlightenment and Advocacy of the FCT Ministerial Enforcement Taskforce on covid-19, Mr Kharo Attah, said that the hydra-headed pandemic was still ravaging and calls for caution.

He therefore, urged  residents to  celebrate with their loved ones at  homes and also avoid activitieK that could put them and others in jeopardy.

Attah noted that the Enforcement team would be fully out to ensure that the necessary protocols were followed,  and violators would be arrested and prosecuted.

Attah warned that , ” those who violate the COVID 19 protocols and guidelines would be arrested and charged to court while the properties where the violations are allowed to take place would be sealed up.”

According to him, “we know that some residents who could not enjoy valentine’s day last year due to the covid-19 pandemic’s first wave may likely go overboard this year. We are watching strategic areas  closely.”

He added that overcrowded  public places and unnecessary parties should be avoided, so as to save the government the pains of emergency.

He further disclosed that Mobile Courts would be sitting to try violators of COVID 19 on Valentine’s Day.

“We implore residents to avoid crowded places, put on their face-masks,  keep physical distancing and sanitize their hands frequently during the valentine season.”

 “Wild parties and overcrowded gatherings would not be tolerated as they super spreaders of the virus. The FCT ministerial enforcement taskforce would be out in full operation”

” The mobile court would be sitting on valentine’s day to try arrested violators“, he added.

 

Ime N

 

Government’s support for innovations will leverage small businesses—VP Osinbajo

Ime Njoku
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Nigeria’s Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, said on Friday that government will not relent in its support for innovative ideas and interventions that would help Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) thrive.

Prof. Osinbajo stated this while speaking virtually at the launch of the 2021 Bank of Industry (BOI) SME Academy, in conjunction with Procter & Gamble (P&G).

He said this would grow the economy and create more employment opportunities for young Nigerians.

The vice president said “the Federal Government believes wholeheartedly that SMEs – or rather, MSMEs – Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises – are the bedrock of our economy.
 
“This administration is determined to support small businesses, because we know that this is the way of growth and prosperity for our people, and that support is now even more necessary in the wake of the economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“And it is exciting to see private sector partners who are just as committed to doing the same.”

While emphasising Government’s continued support for innovation and enterprise in the MSMEs sector, Osinbajo commended the private sector for supporting the growth of small businesses through such initiative as the SME Academy.

“Thinking beyond just this event, as a government and as policymakers, we must take factors such as this into account, if we are convinced that MSMEs truly are the engines of growth in our economy,” he stated.

Highlighting the importance of MSMEs to economic growth, while referencing data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), VP Osinbajo noted that MSMEs “contribute 48% of national GDP, account for 96% of all businesses and 84% of employment. Also, there are about 17.4 million MSMEs in the country, accounting for 50% of our industrial jobs and nearly 90% of the jobs in our manufacturing sector.

“It is essential for us to acknowledge how important MSMEs are for the economy. But in order for us to effectively target our efforts in their growth – in order for Micro businesses to become Small, for small businesses to become Medium – we must approach this data with nuance.”

Prof. Osinbajo stated that the vital role MSMEs play in driving economic growth is one reason why the Buhari administration decided to support vulnerable ones that have been affected by the COVID-19 global pandemic.

According to the vice president, government’s support for MSMEs is in tandem with its focus to also create more opportunities for young Nigerian entrepreneurs, and why it developed the Economic Sustainability Plan (ESP) to cushion the socio-economic effects of the pandemic on Nigerians.

“Entrepreneurs with the lowest turnovers are the most vulnerable to economic shocks like those that the pandemic has engendered and we must support them.

“One way we have begun implementing this is through the Survival Fund; offering payroll support to small businesses in order to safeguard at least 1.3 million jobs and offering interest-free credit for daily-paid and self-employed artisans.”

The MSME Survival Fund scheme, under the ESP, is designed to support vulnerable Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in meeting their payroll obligations and safeguard jobs in the MSMEs sector.

Tracks under the Survival Fund include the Payroll support, Artisan and Transport support grants, Formalization Support (free CAC business names’ registration), Guaranteed Offtake Stimulus Scheme and the General MSME Grants.

Highlighting the impact of the Survival Fund on vulnerable small businesses nationwide, Prof. Osinbajo stated that, “almost 50% of micro businesses are owned by young people – Nigerians under the age of 35 – so it is encouraging to note that young Nigerians made up 82% of Payroll Support scheme recipients and have reported that for the first time in a long time, Nigerian MSMEs are satisfied with the transparent and seamless implementation of a Federal Government scheme.”

He buttressed his point on acceptance of the Scheme by Nigerians, noting that when the registration portal first opened for six weeks, fewer Nigerians applied online compared to those that did when the portal reopened for about a week recently.

“The portal opened for six weeks and we received 463,000 applications. But once the implementation of the Scheme began and the portal reopened within one week, we received 892,000 applications,” he said.

The vice president explained that the whole purpose of the Survival Fund was to ease some of the effects of the pandemic on our economy’s most vulnerable businesses, disclosing that an impressive number of testimonials have been received from beneficiaries.

Prof. Osinbajo urged business owners and participants to “not only maximise the learning opportunities that came with this programme, but to find accessible ways to share what you learn with those who weren’t able to be here.”

Other dignitaries at the event included the Industry, Trade and Investment Minister, Otunba Niyi Adebayo; Managing Director/CEO of the Bank of Industry, Mr. Olukayode Pitan; the Managing Director, P&G Nigeria, Mr. Adil Farhat; Senior Vice Chairman for Africa, Standard Chartered Bank, Mrs. Bola Adesola; and CEO, House of Tara, Mrs. Tara Fela-Durotoye.

 

Ime N

 

Veteran Actor Endorses Son for 2023 Presidential Election

FELA OLAGUNJU
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Veteran Nollywood actor Pete Edochie has publicly endorsed his son, Yul Edochie, for the 2023 Nigerian presidential election.

Yul Edochie, 39, who is also a Nollywood star, shared a video on his social media pages on Thursday night with the caption: “My Father Chief Pete Edochie endorses my 2023 Presidential ambition. God Almighty, take absolute control.”

In the video, Pete Edochie first admitted that although he is not the type to involve himself in politics, he, however, was supporting his son’s political ambition after constant pleadings from young people to publicly endorse Yul.

“My values are very strong. I have my own children and they are very strong in that regard too and I am not one to be involved in politics. But you see, not all your children are bound to follow you, one of my sons, who incidentally is an actor, has decided that he wants to be a politician.”

He continued: “Most of the youngsters have been bugging my phone, asking me to endorse my son that they want him as president and l get amused. But they keep insisting daddy, we want Yul to be the president of this country, we like him.’”

The septuagenarian also expressed confidence and belief that his son possesses the right values and drive to steer the country forward.

“He is disciplined, sympathetic, he believes a lot in people. They have bothered me so much that today, I hereby present him to you. He has my blessing and endorsement, any day he decides to veer off from the discipline under which he was raised, l will withdraw my support him. It shall be well with you, son,” he prayed for him.

 

In 2017, Yul contested for the governorship election in Anambra on the platform of Democratic Peoples Congress (DPC). He was later appointed Senior Special Assistant (SSA) on Creative & Entertainment Media to the Anambra State Governor, Willie Obiano, in July 2018.

The actor, however, resigned a few months later and defected from APGA to join the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Yul Edochie began his sojourn into Nollywood in 2005 when he starred in a movie titled, ‘The Exquirers’, alongside late veteran actors, Justus Esiri and Enebeli Elebuwa. He made his hit in 2007 after featuring alongside Genevieve Nnaji and Desmond Elliot in the movie ‘Wind of Glory’.

APC to extend membership registration

Aisha John-Mark
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Nigeria’s governing party, the All Progressives Congress, APC says it may extend its ongoing membership registration and revalidation exercise in order to ensure that nobody is left behind.

The Governor of Niger State and Chairman of the Membership Revalidation and Registration Committee, Mr. Abubakar Sani Bello, stated this while addressing journalists at the APC National Secretariat in Abuja, after a closed-door meeting with aggrieved party chieftains from Delta State over the ongoing registration exercise.

The registration and validation of the party membership drive which started on February 9, is expected to be carried out in two weeks.

Governor Bello said the registration is now likely to be extended following complaints of insufficient registration materials across the state.

“Well, overall, the registration is going on well. I was in Ogun, I have been receiving reports from other zones and the major complaint is that the number of materials which is about 100 per unit is too small. But I have made complaints to the National Headquarters and more materials will be provided for those local governments or units that need more materials.

“So, basically nobody will be left behind, there is no need for any squabble or any problem. We will do it even after two weeks if we don’t finish, we will continue,” he said.

The meeting was attended by the Minister of State, Labour and Productivity, Mr. Festus Keyamo; the former Governorship candidate of the party, Chief Great Ogboru; former governorship aspirant, Chief Otega Emethor; former House of Representatives member, Hon. Halim Agoda and the State Chairman of the party, Prophet Jones Erue.

Mr. Keyamo had in a letter to the party leadership on Wednesday warned the state chairman, Mr. Jones Erue, against influencing the exercise.

He asked the committee chairman to ensure fairness and equity in the nomination of coordinators across the factions in the party so as to enable a smooth process.

The state chapter of the APC has been embroiled in a leadership crisis with different factions arising from the camps of the Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege, Festus Keyamo and Great Ogboru.

 

Youth Empowerment: Stakeholders advocate mentorship, value reorientation 

Zainab Sa'id
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A cross-section of stakeholders drawn from various fields of endeavour has advocated for youth mentorship and value reorientation as crucial factors to effect positive changes in the nation’s socio-economic and political lives.

Rising from a Youth Empowerment Programme sponsored by an industrialist, Mr Stanley Uzochukwu of the Stanel Conglomerate titled “Master Class, Access More with Stanel” in Awka, they stressed the need for hard work, integrity and character to achieve results.

Various Speakers including, Chief Anyim Pius Anyim, former Senate President, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, Dr Nkem Okeke, Deputy Governor of Anambra State, Chief Cosmos Maduka of the Coscharis Group, Chief Chidi Anyaegbu of Chisco Group, Chief Allen Onyema of the Air Peace called on youths shun all forms of social vices and focus on ventures that could add value to their lives.

The organiser of the event, Stanley Uzochukwu, told the audience that the second edition of the youth coaching programme was staged to bring successful people together to impact the lives of young people.

Former Senate President, Chief Anyim Pius Anyim, urged youths to be focus-driven and lay their faith in God to enable them to succeed, citing a personal experience, he added that though from a poor family background he worked hard after graduation to secure a job which was a stepping stone for his political exploits.

Senate Chief Whip, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, said he was averse to any form of youth restiveness geared towards the destruction of public property, but added that rather they should channel their energies in productive ventures and entrepreneurship that could change their lives.

 

Zainab Sa’id

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