Mohammed Shosanya

Prof. Chris Mustapha Nwaokobia Jnr., Convener of CountryFirst Movement,has urged President Bola Tinubu should now allow for peaceful protests against his own administration.

He said the planned August 1 hunger protest is long overdue.

In a statement,Nwaokobia expressed the urgency of the protest, citing the failings of the APC government over the past nine years. “Yes, for 9 years the All Progressive Congress APC has lied to the people, they have blamed everyone but themselves for the failure of State. They met an economy that was working, they destroyed it,” he said.

He punctured the government for worsening insecurity and deepening national divisions. “They met insecurity largely in the North East and scantily in the North West and Abuja, they democratized it, and made it a national malaise. They destroyed the Naira, they returned Nigeria to her fault lines in deeper and more dangerous dimensions,” he added.

Nwaokobia lamented, “Hunger, inflation, price hike, food scarcity and suicidal pain, anger and angst has become the tapestry of a nation endowed by God with amazing resources and riches ineffable.”

He accused the APC government of escalating corruption and criticized the National Assembly for being subservient to the executive.

“Corruption has risen from a high under the PDP to monstrous propensities under the APC. The National Assembly from taking orders from Aso Rock has collapsed completely as Akpabio’s Senate has become Aso Rock’s Rubber Stamp,” he said.

He also condemned the government’s extravagant spending while ordinary Nigerians suffer.

“They spent over 15 Billion on the VP’s Residence, spent over 100 million Dollars on a New Presidential Aircraft. They spend Billions sufficient to pay 10000 workers on only 469 members of the National Assembly,” he stated.

Nwaokobia argued that the right to protest is fundamental and should be respected. “When we thronged Ojota, Lagos in January 2012 against the Jonathan administration for removing fuel subsidy, we were supported materially and morally by Mr President who was one of the leaders of the opposition then,” he said.

He urged the government to implement necessary reforms and to allow the protests to proceed peacefully. “Now that the day and the moment is upon us, I expect Government to quickly proceed with fundamental Reforms and Reset rather than wasting resources on the Cashtivists and pseudo progressives presently cashing out pretending to have solutions to the Looming Protest,” he stated.

Nwaokobia added that by emphasizing the importance of peaceful protests and the role of security agencies in ensuring order.

He said:”Since the military and the Police have admitted that the right to protest for rights is sacrosanct and constitutional, we expect them to deescalate the threats and proceed with plans and programmatic to ensure that the Protests are peaceful and orderly,” he said. “May Nigeria be great.”

Mohammed Shosanya

The Federal Ministry of Education, has issued a circular to all Vice Chancellors of Nigerian Universities mandating them to guarantee the protection of staff, students and public infrastructures in their respective domains in view of the hardship national protest billed for August 1,this year.

The circular,issued through the National Universities Commission NUC, and signed by the Acting Executive Secretary, Dr Chris Maiyaki on Monday, morning acknowledged the right for citizens to protest but expressed fears about the potentials for violence.

The circular titled: “Urgent Arrangements for the Security and Safety of University Staff, Students and Property During the Proposed Nationwide Protests”, emanated following the directive of the Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman.

It reads, ” the Minister of Education has directed that the attention of Vice- Chancellors of all Nigerian Universities be formally drawn to the plan by unknown groups to embark on nationwide protests. The Federal Government is not unaware of the right of any Nigerian to peaceful protest, but is concerned about the safety of staff, students and university property should there be any protest action.

“Consequently, the Honourable Minister has directed that Vice-Chancellors of all Nigerian Universities should take pro-active steps to ensure the security and safety of the university community, including staff and students.

“In addition,Vice- Chancellors are to please issue specific statements to assure staff and students of their safety. It is also advisable that students remain on campus to focus on their academic pursuits so as to avoid exposure to any potential danger during the planned protests”.

Mohammed Shosanya

Human rights activist,Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa,SAN,has raised alarm over disconnection of some subscribers by telecommunications companies in Nigeria under questionable circumstances.

Adegboruwa,in a statement alleged that the underlying target of the telecom companies is to limit the reach of their customers in order to restrict access and thus frustrate the protests.

According to him,the contract between a telecom company and its subscribers is sacrosanct and should not be tampered with arbitrarily.

He added:”Sufficient information and opportunity should be given for subscribers to remedy any alleged breach or error.

“So many telephone users deploy their numbers for their businesses and other lawful engagements, not to talk those who may have medical and health related emergencies.

“The NCC is urged to look into this and come to the rescue of the subscribers”.

Mohammed Shosanya

The proposed nationwide protests could inflict an estimated daily loss of N400 billion, if not properly managed,the Chief Executive Officer ofCwntrw for The Promotion of Private Enterprise,CPPE,Dr. Muda Yusssuf has said.

He said in a statement on Sunday,that the consequences of such a huge loss for the country and the citizens would be very severe.

According to him,there is a high risk of shut downs and disruptions in major sectors of the economy,including trade and commerce, manufacturing,entertainment, transportation, logistics, financial services,hospitality industry, agriculture, aviation, ICT, and construction sectors.

He added:”This is in addition to risks to lives and properties of innocent citizens and corporate bodies. Safety of government assets are also at risk”.

He commended the Inspector General of the police,Kayode Egbetokun, for acknowledging the rights of the citizens to protest and offering to protect the genuine protesters.

He implored the organizers of the protests to cooperate with the police to make the planned protests peaceful and orderly.

He said:”It is in the overall interest of all for this to happen. Peacefulness of a protest does not detract from the potency of its messaging.

“The protest organizers should not offer a platform for elements in the country who have criminal intents and whose agenda is to inflict pains on innocent citizens and corporate organizations and destruction of public assets.

We cannot fix a problem by promoting such negative tendencies”.

He advised that the duration of the protests should be one day,adding that experience has shown that the chances of protests degenerating into chaos and anarchy increases with the duration of the protests.

Prolonged protests,he said, create opportunities for hoodlums, miscreants and other criminal elements in the society to build momentum to unleash mayhem and destruction on the country.

He said:”Meanwhile, we urge the administration to expeditiously implement its economic stabilization plan to ease production costs and ultimately reduce inflationary pressures.

“Trade costs are still prohibitive and needs to be drastically reduced across board in a manner that would not undermine domestic production.

“High cargo clearing cost is a major factor driving inflation which needs to fixed urgently. Revenue drive should be managed in a manner that does not impose additional pressures on citizens and corporate bodies.

“There is also an urgent need to prioritize fiscal frugality and transparency in public sector in all tiers and across all levels of government coupled with appropriate signaling and messaging that reflect current economic conditions. These are essential to earn the confidence of the generality of the people”.

Mohammed Shosanya

President Bola Tinubu,and the Senate President,Godswill Akpabio,have condoled the family of the late Senator Ifeanyi Ubah over the latter’s death on Saturday.

The deceased was the Senator representing Anambra South Senatorial District at the National Assembly.

Tinubu, in a statement on Saturday said he commiserates with the friends and colleagues of the late Senator, the National Assembly, and the government and people of Anambra State over this sad loss.

He also prayed for the repose of the soul of the departed lawmaker, as well as for strength and comfort to his family.

Godswill Akpabio,described Senator Ifeanyi Ubah as “one of the shining lights of our democracy and a young democrat with vibrant and resourceful ideas.”

A statement by the Special Adviser, Media and Publicity to the Senate President, Eseme Eyiboh, read, “He was a hardworking and dependable legislator, who believed in equity, fairness and justice and was committed to serving his constituents and the nation at large.

Distinguished Senator Ifeanyi Ubah will be deeply missed by the Senate and the nation. His passing leaves a void in our midst.

The statement added that Akpabio who was shocked over the sudden death of Senator Ubah who doubled as the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Petroleum (Downstream), regretted that the deceased “has left a void in the National Assembly.”

The deceased lawmaker reportedly died in a hotel room in London, United Kingdom.

Ubah was until his death, the Senator representing Anambra South in the Upper Chamber.

“On behalf of the Senate and the entire National Assembly, I extend my heartfelt condolences to his wife, family, loved ones, and constituents over this untimely death.

“May his legacy and contributions to our nation be a source of comfort and inspiration to the family, his constituents, political associates and the people of Anambra state during this difficult time. And may the God Almighty rest his gentle soul rest in peace,” Eseme stated.