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South-West Nigeria under Fulani herdsmen’s siege, opposition party cries out
BY: Justice Godfry
The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has raised the alarm that the South-West geo-political zone of the Nigeria is under the siege, alleging that the Fulani herdsmen now terrorise the people of the six states of the zone without any aid from the Federal Government.
To this end, the party appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari, the security chiefs and the governors of the six states of the region to take measure to save the people from terrorists’ attack.
The National Vice Chairman (South-West) of the party, Dr. Eddy Olafeso, said the last four years of the Buhari’s government was unfavourable.
He added that “Nigerians are full of fear and trepidation as insecurity across the length and breadth of the nation continues to grow in alarming proportion and with no sign that the President is in any manner ready, equipped and prepared to bail the nation out of the violence, war, destruction and needless deaths.”
Olafeso said: “It is unfortunate to state that the South West is today under the siege of Fulani terrorists or herdsmen who perpetrate criminal actions daily in the most unfettered manner.
“In our region, kidnapping, assault and rape by these marauders remain unchecked; this lethargy has even emboldened them to even attack a traditional ruler in his palace, without repercussions, thus egregiously making a bold statement that we the Yoruba have become their captives. This we condemn out rightly as a direct assault, insult and desecration of our corporate heritage as Yoruba people.
“Much as we know that we cannot use the activities of these criminals to judge the entire Fulani people, many of whom are accomplished and responsible leaders in our party and nation, we however restate that the average Yoruba man is now compelled to believe that plans remain afoot to conquer and subdue us in our fatherland.
“This belief is further reinforced by the fact that government’s security agencies directly under the control of President has so far done almost nothing to challenge and outrightly put a stop to these insidiously dangerous actions of the so-called herdsmen.
“President Buhari must as a matter of fact, know that Yoruba people have confidence in his ability to make peace reign in our nation which continues to sink every day. And there is the danger that resort to self help may soon become the order of the day, except he takes concrete security actions in the South West immediately.
“It is important that we put on record that when we contemplate the horrors of Rwanda in the 1990s and the possibility of same in our nation today, our hearts sink; we must begin to put in place, actions to safeguard our nation and particularly our God-given fatherland.
“In view of the foregoing, we demand that President Buhari should immediately order the security agencies to flush these criminals out of the South West. If he does, we the Yoruba will heave a sigh of relieve and discard our suspicion that ethnic cleansing is about to be prosecuted in our nation. We will sincerely appreciate him for it.
“However, taking due cognisance of the President’s lethargy and pussyfooting, we may not expect this to happen soon; our conclusion in this direction is reinforced by the fact that he only recently gave a directive concerning the Apapa road debacle after years of crisis and suffering it posed to the people and national economy.
“We also disagree with the governors of the South West states, particularly those of Ekiti, Osun, Ondo and Oyo for not doing enough to safeguard their people.
“Roads across these states have become the theatres of operation of these hoodlums and they seem to stand by helplessly and watching thereby making us query what indeed they spend the humongous sum they take as security vote on.
“When we recall that this same Ekiti that is the Fulani terrorists/herdsmen main operational theatre was bereft of developments of this nature under ex-Governor Ayo Fayose, it calls to question the commitment of all our governors to keep our region safe. It is in Ondo State that an Oba’s palace was violently invaded by herdsmen and all the governor did was an appeasement of the hoodlums; this is disappointing.
“It is now becoming a common occurrence for these hoodlums to enter houses and pluck people like oranges. The governors must compulsorily know that we are essentially Yoruba firstly, irrespective of partisan political affiliations, thus must assiduously protect our people and land through the instrumentalities of their offices.
“Their failure so far, which we suspect is dictated by the ephemeral need to be seen as being loyal to Mr President, and remain in his good books without briefing him adequately on the challenges of our region is absolutely sycophantic and condemnable. It is absurd and inexcusable for us to be under siege in our own nation,” he added.
Source: The Sun
The Enugu State government has inaugurated a steering committee to eliminate Gender-Based Violence, GBV, in the state, declaring zero tolerance for the social malaise.
The inauguration took place at the Government House Enugu.
The panel, which is chaired by the Commissioner for Children, Gender Affairs and Social Development, Mrs. Ngozi Enih, draws its membership from the Nigeria Police Force, Ministry of Agriculture and Agro Industrialisation, Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Chieftaincy Affairs, Ministry of Human Development and Poverty Reduction, Ministry of Trade, Investment and Industry, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education as well as the Civil Society.
Inaugurating the panel known as the Steering Committee for Strengthening Institutional and Community Responses to End Gender-Based Violence/Domestication of Enugu State Gender Policy using the Oputa Panel approach, Governor Peter Mbah restated his administration’s commitment to not bringing perpetrators of GBV to book, but also putting in place proactive measures – activities, infrastructure, and systems in place to prevent them.
Mbah, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, said, “We take gender-based violence seriously. We have zero tolerance for it, and in Enugu State, we are ready to go the extra mile to deal with it.
“If you notice, the government has selected people that are very committed to this goal. This is not an activity where we just want to check-off the list. We will track this. We will monitor this, and we will have quarterly engagements on the successes that this particular committee has achieved in terms of reference that we are going to send.
“We will tighten those terms of reference indicators, so that we monitor what we are doing both in terms of cost input and the value added. It’s very important to us. Many people will be involved – civil society, the police and various ministries.”
He however, said that the effort was to protect everyone, men and women alike, as GBV was not restricted to any gender.
“The whole idea is to hold people responsible that are involved in matters relating to gender violence and deter people that by culture or by association get involved in that, protect women, protect our children, and in the case of violence against men, protect our men because most times we misconstrue gender violence to mean women, but it can also be men too.
“We encourage our men to speak out and to make sure they understand that the policy that Enugu State is soon going to domesticate is for everyone, and not only for the female gender,” he stated.
In her remark, Mrs. Enih, explained that the Oputa Panel approach was inspired by the need to cover all local peculiarities in domesticating the policy on GBV, restarting government’s confidence in the members of the panel.
“The approach we are going to use is the Oputa Panel approach, and in the Oputa Panel approach, we are going to tour the 17 Local Government Areas to get firsthand information about what our people are going through because policy is meant for the people, and a policy should suit the people.
“Again, every community has its peculiar problems, so that’s why the government decided that if we have to domesticate the gender policy, we have to hear from the people who own the policy and know the changes that they desire to see. That is the reason we are using this approach.
“The committee members are to also serve as judges. As we gather this information from our people, we will come back to tailor it in a way to suit the people of Enugu State, and then our policy is ready.
“We want the people to know that there is a gender policy for them. I can assure you that when the people are aware that there is such a policy, they will seek for the enforcement of that policy. So, this is not going to be one of those policies that will just lie on the shelf,” she said.
Digital solutions provider, Globacom, has congratulated Christians in Nigeria on this year’s Easter celebration, and urged them to emulate the noble qualities of Jesus Christ.
The company, in a goodwill message to the Christian faithful in the country, lauded their perseverance through the Lenten period which preceded Easter. It enjoined them to always promote the ideals of selflessness, love and peace among all as a way of demonstrating the virtues of the exemplary life of Jesus Christ.
“Peace, love and sacrifice are the central message of Easter. Christ offered himself in atonement for the sins of the world and he lived a life which made Him an eternal symbol of peace and goodwill for mankind”, Globacom added.
The company enjoined all Nigerians to share in the lessons of promoting selflessness, a necessary ingredient in the growth and development of every society. It also enjoined all Nigerians to join hands to make Nigeria a better place for all.
Easter is celebrated yearly at the end of the Lenten season of fasting and prayer considered as a ritual of purification for the Christian faithful. It also precedes the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ on Good Friday and His eventual resurrection on Easter Sunday.
The company assured its customers of seamless voice, data and Short Messaging Service (SMS) during and after the Easter celebrations, while urging them to avail themselves of the various data and voice offerings on the network.
The Guild of Private Broadcast Managers has extended its heartfelt congratulations to the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) as it celebrates its 70th Anniversary.
In a congratulatory message signed by the Guild’s National President, Ambassador Patrick Uzoyi-Peters, JP MNGRM, the guild described the milestone as a testament to the NUJ’s unwavering commitment to upholding press freedom, journalistic integrity, and the advancement of democracy in Nigeria.
“For seven decades, the NUJ has played a pivotal role in shaping the media landscape, advocating for the rights and welfare of journalists, and ensuring that the voice of the people remains strong and unyielding. Your resilience, professionalism, and dedication to ethical journalism have been instrumental in fostering transparency, accountability, and national development”.
Celebrating this historic achievement, the Guild’s President, Uzoyi-Peters recognized the sacrifices and contributions of journalists across the nation who work tirelessly to inform, educate, and empower society.
The Guild reiterated it commitment towards collaborating with the NUJ in promoting responsible journalism and strengthening the media industry for the greater good.
While wishing the NUJ continued success, growth, and greater impact in the years ahead, President Uzoyi-Peters prayed that the anniversary serve as a renewed call to uphold the principles of truth, fairness, and press freedom in our collective pursuit of a more informed and just society.
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