Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, on Saturday said it was time to stop crying over the unabated attacks unleashed on people of the state by marauding herdsmen. Ortom stated this at the Banquet Hall of the Government House during a media parley to mark his second year in office in his second tenure. Hundreds of people have been killed in Benue State by suspected herdsmen in recent times. Ortom said it was now time for action to protect the people of the state. He said this propelled the activation of vigilante groups across the state, saying they should be allowed to carry arms to protect their communities. Ortom said, “A few weeks ago, Benue stakeholders met and gave this administration the mandate to activate and implement the Community Volunteer Guards Law enacted in 2000. “We have already commenced the process of recruiting responsible people of 50 years and below into the Volunteer Guards. Their duty is to support the conventional security agencies in defending their communities. We have cried enough. We will cry no more. Now is time for action.” Ortom said that the incessant herdsmen attacks on the state would not in any way force his administration to repeal the anti-open grazing law but would rather strengthen the law to stiffen the penalties. He said, “Let me remind those who think that sustained attacks on the Benue people will force us to repeal the Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law that they are making a mistake. “This law has come to stay and no amount of intimidation can make us repeal it. Instead, we will soon amend the law in order to increase the penalties against offenders.” The governor, who highlighted his achievements in the past six years, promised to continue to meet the yearnings of the people of the state as resources permit.

The Imo state governor, Hope Uzodimma, on Saturday said that the people of Imo state, deserved to know those behind the killings and insecurity in the state. Uzodimma spoke in Owerri on a phone in program on Imo Broadcasting Corporation, IBC, marking June 12 democracy day. He also said that to achieve this that he would set up a commission of inquiry to do their investigations. According to Uzodimma, “Imo people must know those behind the killings and insecurity in the state and in two weeks time we would have set up a Commission of Inquiry on the killings of innocent people in Imo state. “My administration had taken steps to visit and commiserate with the families of policemen who lost their lives in Imo and that through the Commissioner of Police, N5million was handed over to each of the families of the policemen who lost their lives. There is no compensation that can equate the life lost, but we owe it a duty to identify with the families of the deceased policemen as a responsible government. We are also looking forward to immortalising those who lost their lives during this period in Imo.” He continued: “It is significant to note here that it was at the peak of the celebration of our one year in office when some eminent Nigerians arrived here for the commissioning of some road projects that this issue of insecurity was escalated. This also came on the heels of the release of the government white paper on the judicial commission of inquiry on land use and related matters. I have often wondered whether those who triggered these satanic acts are averse to development. “Just a few days ago, the police announced that the security situation in Imo state has a political undertone. It is a confirmation of what we already know because those who vowed to make the state ungovernable for us have been unrelenting. But to the glory of God, they have been subdued.” “Let me reiterate here that we need peace for development. We should not be frittering our scarce resources in the management of security crises. You can bear me witness that the achievements we recorded in our first year in office would not have been possible under this kind of hostile and volatile atmosphere. We, therefore, need to move past this and take back our state. “I want to assure all our people that I remain resolute and committed to serving you to the best of my ability. I pledge to judiciously apply the resources of the state for the benefit of the people. All our ongoing projects including the dualization of the Owerri-Okigwe and Owerri- Orlu roads will continue. The government will continue to meet its obligations to workers. The government will continue to safeguard lives and property in the state. Above all, Government will continue to ensure that Imo people benefit from the fruits of this hard-won democracy,” Uzodimma said.

In the midst of the furore surrounding the ban on Twitter and other moves to regulate social media, President Muhammadu Buhari has declined to appoint Armstrong Idachaba as the substantive Director-General of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC). Mr Idachaba was appointed acting Director-General of the commission, replacing Modibbo Kawu, who was suspended for alleged financial impropriety in February 2020. However, on Friday, the ministry of information and culture announced the appointment of Balarabe Shehu Ilelah, a broadcaster, as the substantive Director-General of the NBC, contrary to the expectation by many that the President would confirm Mr Idachaba as the substantive head of the agency. The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, announced the appointment in a statement issued in Abuja on Friday. He said Mr Ilelah’s appointment is for a tenure of five years in the first instance. He was, however, silent on the reasons the president did not consider Mr Idachaba for the position in a substantive capacity. The announcement comes amid the moves by the regulatory body to censor social media and the reportage of broadcast media organisations. The government had earlier banned the operations of Twitter in the country and threatened to prosecute citizens who still use the social media platform despite the ban. The Nigerian government, through the NBC, ordered radio and television stations to deactivate their Twitter accounts. In a newspaper advertorial, the NBC asked all social media platforms and online broadcasting service providers in Nigeria to apply for the broadcast licence. The announcement was placed in the TheNation newspaper and signed by Mr Idachaba. Mr Idachaba said the application is in line with the provision of the National Broadcasting Act CAP N11, Laws of the Federation 2004, section 2(1)(b)). TEXEM “The Commission shall have responsibility of receiving, processing and considering applications for the establishment, ownership or operation of Radio & Television Stations including cable television services, Direct Satellite Broadcast (DSB), and ANY medium of Broadcasting. “The National Broadcasting Commission hereby directs every Online Broadcast Service provider and Social Media Platforms operating within the Nigerian State to apply and obtain broadcast Licence for their Service(s),” the official said. The Twitter suspension and the moves to censor social media have been criticised by many Nigerians, civil society organisations and the international community as stifling freedom of expression and shrinking the Nigerian civic space.

There are indications of an imminent clash between civil society organisations and the police as a mass protest is set to be held in various states across the country and in the diaspora on Saturday (today), in commemoration of Democracy Day. Several digital flyers, widely circulated on social media on Friday, publicised meeting points in Lagos, Gombe, Calabar (Cross River), Yola (Adamawa), Bauchi, Abeokuta (Ogun), Yenagoa (Bayelsa), Port Harcourt (Rivers), Ibadan (Oyo), Ilorin (Kwara), Enugu, Akure (Ondo), Yobe, and Zaria (Kaduna). One poster by #RevolutionNow read, “Join the June 12 protest. No more poverty, hunger and insecurity in Nigeria… Enough Is Enough! Nothing can stop an idea whose time has come.” Another poster for a protest in Kaiserslautern, Germany read, “Buhari must go! Let’s come together to say no to government funding terrorism: Boko Haram terrorism and banditry, one litre of petrol equals N165, bad roads, poor hospitals, kidnapping, economic recession, police brutality, disregard for the rule of law, poor health sector, poor education.” Similar flyers targeted at protesters in New York (US), Kaduna State and the Federal Capital Territory listed the same points but added, “N30,000 minimum wage, N13.5m senators’ salary, Nigeria is over N30tn in debt.” One poster for a protest tagged ‘Buhari Must Go Party’ was aimed at supporters in London, United Kingdom. Similar ‘Buhari must go’ posters also targeted protesters in Toronto (Canada), Austin (Texas, USA), Calabar, Kebbi, and Lagos. However, police commands in several states across the country, including Lagos, Bayelsa, Kogi, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Ekiti and Akwa Ibom, argued that they were unaware of any planned protest in their respective states. Some states, including Oyo and Kwara, embarked on a show of force on Friday. They also promised to uphold law and order in the state amid plans of demonstrations circulating on social media. But the Convener of #RevolutionNow, Omoyele Sowore, told Saturday PUNCH in a series of text messages that there was no legal backing for the security forces to deter protesters. He said, “The Nigeria Police has no right to tell Nigerians not to participate in protests. It is an inalienable right. Our group will go ahead regardless of the obstacles. If the police decide to use unreasonable force, let it be known that the officers involved will be held responsible even after they retire. “June 12 is about real democracy and free and fair elections; the Buhari regime reminds us all of the criminal annulment of democratic rule in 1993.” Asked why demonstrations were being organised simultaneously in foreign locations, he said, “It is a global protest to restore genuine democracy.” Sowore criticised the police statement warning groups who did not obtain permits ahead of the protests, saying, “No, we do not need a police permit to protest. Even under military rule, we did not need police permits to engage in protests; it is settled in law.” Similarly, the Convener, Concerned Nigerians, Deji Adeyanju, condemned the threats by the police, saying there was no basis to deny people their right to protest. He said, “They have no such powers. What is guiding us as a country is the constitution and there are several judicial pronouncements to the effect that protest is a fundamental human right and must be respected by the government. “How do you say people should not protest in a democracy? How does that even sound? Someone that wants to protect the sanctity of the constitution does not even know the law? It’s just so unbelievable! “These guys don’t even realise that we are in a democracy. And it is our duty as citizens to remind them by coming out tomorrow that this is still a democracy.” Asked if his group was prepared for the possibility of the police responding to the protests with the use of force, he said, “Absolutely! It is a normal strategy by the police, Department of State Services and Army. They have been using this since the ‘90s to demoralise people and ensure that they don’t turn up. “We are all witnesses to this. But it is within the right of every Nigerian to protest and people should be defiant and summon courage. If Kudirat Abiola, MKO Abiola, Afred Rewane, Pa Anthony Enahoro, Prof Wole Soyinka, Gani Fawehunmi, Femi Falana and others that sacrificed for democracy did not defy the military to lead protests, we would not have this democracy. “So, it behoves us to do the same or even do more. If not for the sacrifices of the June 12 heroes, would President Muhammadu Buhari even be able to sit in the Villa to be using new decrees and displaying tyranny? Would there be an IG threatening protesters if they could not go and threaten kidnappers?” Adeyanju noted that one of the reasons for the protest was the recent abductions of Nigerians, decrying that the Federal Government, which he said stood by as Sheik Ahmad Gumi negotiated with bandits, was “issuing threats and directives” to protesters. “We must do our part. It’s two-way traffic. Leaders have a responsibility to do the right thing, but citizens have a greater responsibility to make sure they do their part so that leaders do not get away with impunity and tyranny,” the activist added. In the same vein, Apapo Egbe Omo Yoruba announced that it would join the protest in the South-West. The group, in a statement on Friday, listed its convergence points to include Itele Junction, Benin-Ore Expressway (Ogun); Tollgate, Lagos-Ibadan Expressway (Lagos); Iwo Road (Oyo); Okefia, Oshogbo (Osun); Akure, Ado-Expressway (Ekiti); and Roadblock Oloko (Ondo). “Please, note that what we are having tomorrow is a protest not a rally, and the event will not take place in Kwara and Kogi states for now, due to some strategic reasons. Please, we implore all our Yoruba brothers and sisters to participate fully in tomorrow’s protest because our huge turnout is very important for our total liberation from the Fulani Republic of Nigeria. “Please, those of us that do not have the Yoruba Nation uniform are

Some gunmen Thursday attacked Nuhu Bamalli Polytechnic, Zaria, in Kaduna State, abducting some lecturers and their families. An official of Kaduna Sate Vigilance Service who spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) but did not want his name mentioned, said some students of the institution were also injured. The official, who did not give details, said the incident occurred on Thursday night between 10.30pm and 11pm. Contacted on the matter, Malam Abdullahi Shehu, Public Relations Officer of the institution, confirmed the incident, adding that management was trying to ascertain the exact number of people affected. Similarly, ASP. Mohammed Jalige, Police Public Relations Officer, Kaduna State Command, also confirmed the incident to NAN, but said he was still awaiting details on the matter. He promised to get in touch with newsmen as soon as such details were available. (NAN)

President Muhammadu Buhari says his administration has “not done very badly”, since it came in 2015. Buhari stated this during an interview with the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), on Friday. The president asked Nigerians to be fair to his administration in making judgement, adding that people should consider what was being produced in terms of crude before his administration came into power. “I want Nigerians to be fair to this administration. They should reflect seriously on the time we came in, especially in the north-east and south-south,” he said. “Where are we now in terms of resources? How much are we producing? The previous administration before we came was producing 2.1 million per day at 100 American dollars per barrel. “When we came in, militants in the south-south were unleashed on this administration and production went down to half a million barrels per day, and then in the market, oil price collapsed. “I will like Nigerians to reflect on these in terms of resources and time, and I believe that we have not done very badly.”

The Federal Government has justified its action of indefinite suspension of Twitter by giving insights into the several attempts by the microblogging and social networking site to destabilise the country. Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, gave the details on Friday when he featured on a live programme of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), `Good Morning Nigeria’. During the programme monitored by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja, the minister said that Twitter had become a platform of choice for separatists to carry out their agenda. Specifically, the minister said the platform was used consistently to promote activities that would lead to the collapse of the country. He said Independent People of Biafra (IPOB) leader, Nnamdi Kanu, who stays comfortably in Europe, had been using Twitter to direct people to attack the symbols of Nigeria’s sovereignty. The minister said Kanu used that platform to direct his supporters to attack policemen, military men, barracks, INEC offices, among others. “Before its suspension, we made several pleas to them to remove the tweets where Nigeria is described as a zoo where all of us are described as monkeys. “We also pleaded with Twitter to delete the tweet where he said that if a Nigerian soldier enters into Biafra, it is death,” he said. “Twitter, however, said that those tweets did not offend their own rules. “It gets out of hand when attacks on police and military formations, police and army officers became unabated and we said at this point, we will need to suspend their operations,” he said Mohammed added that the mission of Twitter and its founder, Jack Dorsey, was suspect as they sponsored the EndSARS protest which almost destabilised the country and led to the death of many, including destruction of public and private properties. He said when he asserted that Twitter funded the EndSARS protest, his position was corroborated by the fact checks made by an online media outfit, ‘The Cable’. “The online media concluded that on October 14, 2020, Dorsey actually retweeted some of the posts by some of the coalitions supporting the EndSARS protest. “On the same day, he launched a fundraising asking people to donate via Bitcoins. On October 16, 2020, Dorsey launched another Emoji to make the EndSARS protest visible on the microblogging site. “On October 20, 2020, he retweeted the tweets of some foreign and local supporters of EndSARS,” he said. The minister said his claims were proven rightly by the investigations of the Cable, including the fact that Twitter founder solicited donations to support EndSARS. “If you ask people to donate money via bitcoins for EndSARS protesters, then you are vicariously liable for whatever is the outcome of the protest. “We have forgotten that EndSARS led to the loss of lives, including 37 policemen, six soldiers, 57 civilians while property worth billions of naira were destroyed. “Over 164 police vehicles and 134 police stations were razed to the ground, 265 private corporate organisation were looted while 243 public property were looted. “Over 81 warehouses were looted and we are now saying we don’t have a reason to ban twitter,” he added. The minister said it was unfair to conclude that the operation of Twitter was suspended indefinitely because it deleted President Muhammadu Buhari’s tweet. He said the government was unambiguous that the action was taken because the platform was being used to promote the views of those who want the country to be divided. On the timing of the suspension, the minister said the government had the right to determine when and where to make pronouncement on policy and action affecting the corporate existence of the country.

As Nigeria marks 2021 Democracy Day on Saturday, All Progressives Congress (APC) National Leader, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has called on Nigerians to stand for democracy. Tinubu made the call in a congratulatory message to the nation on Friday. According to the APC leader, democratic good governance offers solutions to national challenges. He disclosed that in spite of the challenges Nigerians were going through, they must stand for democracy. “Democratic good governance offers the only reasonable solution to the challenges confronting Nigeria. Thus, we must stand for democracy today. We must stand for it, even more, tomorrow,” he said. The former governor of Lagos State also urged Nigerians to stand against whatever could hinder democracy. He urged them to stand against those engaging in insurrection and violence as well as those trading in bigotry and hatred. “We contend against those who would render the people ignorant and poor. We celebrate Democracy Day not only because we have come far, but to help give us the social fuel and encouragement to continue onward because we have farther to go and even greater things to achieve as one nation and one people,” Tinubu said The APC leader urged Nigerians to remember MKO Abiola whose victory in the June 12, 1993 Presidential Election was ‘stolen.’ He said: “Abiola remained steadfast and surrendered his own life so that we all might enjoy the democratic victory that was taken from him.” TInubu said that without Abiola’s historic efforts and sacrifices, June 12 would not have been declared the nation’s Democracy Day. He urged Nigerians to remember others who sacrificed so much to bring democracy to Nigeria. “We best honour these people not by reciting their names but by injecting the spirit and hope of democracy into our words and deeds. “In becoming better democrats, we also become better at being Nigerians. I wish all of you a meaningful and happy Democracy Day,” he said.