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Polarized Country:

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Nigeria Unity
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Due to the docility of the federal government in tackling the security challenges, many states especially in the South have resorted to putting up mechanisms to protect their people. One such state is Ondo State where the governor, Rotimi Akeredolu issued a quit order to unregistered herders living in the state’s forest reserves.

That incident caused a lot of uproar as many voices from the North including the presidency rose to condemn and challenge his powers to have done so.
   

Garba Shehu, presidential spokesman was the first to tackle Akeredolu and while that was about to die down, Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi state joined the fray when he declared that the herders who are mainly of the Fulani ethnicity do not need the permission of the governor to occupy Ondo forests.

In all of these, they quickly quoted Section 43 of the Nigeria Constitution which empowers every Nigerian to live and own property in any part of the country of his choice. But those who are in support of quit order to herders also questioned whether the same Constitution gave the settlers the right to kidnap, kill and rape the people in their host communities.

As the security situation worsens, Kadaria Ahmed, a Nigerian journalist decided to heap all the blame of the rising insecurity on the media. Ahmed wrote; “What exactly will we (media) gain if Nigeria descends into war? How does it advance us, if our fellow citizens turn on each other and begin large scale ethnic killings, against each other? Let me even assume that a few of us don’t believe in Nigeria anymore and want to see it broken into its constituent parts. How does enabling ethnic strife help achieve this objective in a way that guarantees the outcome you want?”

Kadaria for whatever reason decided to heap the blame on what is happening in Nigeria on her constituency, the media. By so doing she also tactically exonerated herself even if the media were to be adjudged to be complicit. But how on earth should anybody blame the media for simply reporting what is happening in the country? One would have expected Kadaria to reach out to the present government to change their ways.

When Buhari made his unnecessary 97%and 5% comparison, one did not hear Kadaria as an Amazon of peace and truth speak truth to power to tell the President it was not the way to go. Probably, she may have endorsed it because those that have been consigned to 5% attention by the federal government may not matter to her after all.

Since the government has been giving the bandits a slap on the wrist despite the heinous atrocities they have been committing, and at the same time rolling out tanks to crush the members of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) who only asked for self-determination, Kadaria has not raised a voice against it. Her alibi will be that IPOB want to divide the country but one makes bold to ask is what manner of peace are we having today? The country has been so polarized along ethnic and religious lines, is this how we will continue?  

So it is not surprising when you hear the likes of Bala Mohammed saying Fulani herdsmen are free to carry AK47 rifles to defend themselves, Governor Bello Matawalle of Zamfara state said not all bandits are criminals and Sheik Abubakar Gumi canvassing for amnesty for the bandits who are taking innocent Nigerians including school children hostage for ransom. All these point to the fact that they believe they should not use the force of arms on them because they consider them to be of the same stock with them, if not why do we try to deodorize crime?

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POLITICS

Assembly Passes Edo N675bn 2025 Budget for Assent 

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The Edo House of Assembly on Monday passed the state 2025 budget of N675 billion for assent.

The passage followed the adoption of the report of the House Committee on Budget and Project Monitoring at plenary in Benin.

Presenting the report, the chairman of the committee, Sunday Fada, (PDP Esan Central) said the budget was made up of N225 billion recurrent expenditure and N451 billion capital expenditure.

Fada noted that the committee came up with the increase in the budgetary allocation to enable the governor carry out his five points agenda in the state.

The House at the committee of Supply, considered the budget clause by clause and subsequently, approved the increase from N605.

7 billion to N675 billion.

The Speaker, Blessing Agbebaku, thereafter directed Mr Yahaya Omogbai, the clerk of the house to forward clean copies of the budget to the governor for his assent. (NAN)

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POLITICS

Poverty, Behind Deadly Stampedes Across Nigeria, says Falana

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Missing N500bn: Probe CBN, Falana, Others Tell PMB
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By Mike Odiakose, Abuja

Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, SAN, on Sunday attributed the deadly stampede that claimedmore than 105 lives in stampedes during food and cash distribution events to “poverty-induced neoliberal economic policies” and “criminal negligence.

In a statement released on Sunday, Falana, who chairs the Alliance on Surviving COVID-19 and Beyond ASCAB, demanded justice for victims of the tragic events, saying, “These tragic events are a national shame, the victims were not just statistics but human beings driven to desperation by systemic poverty and the gross incompetence of those entrusted with their safety.

On December 21, 12 people died and 32 others were injured in Okija, Anambra State, during a scramble for rice distributed by a philanthropist.

On the same day, a stampede at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Maitama, Abuja, resulted in the deaths of 10 individuals, including children, as over 3,000 people jostled for palliatives.

Just two days prior, on December 19, 35 children lost their lives in a stampede at a Christmas funfair at an Islamic High School, Basorun. in Ibadan, Oyo State.

“The loss of these innocent lives is heart-wrenching,” Falana lamented.

“It underscores the indignity that poverty imposes on our people.”

Falana also criticized the elite for their treatment of the poor during such events, stating, “No member of the elite invites others to lunch by throwing the food,” and condemned what he termed “class prejudice” in the distribution of humanitarian aid.

He also announced plans to mobilize lawyers to pursue civil suits against the organizers of these events.

“We will ensure survivors and families of the deceased are adequately compensated,” Falana affirmed. “Those responsible for these avoidable tragedies must be held accountable.”

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POLITICS

2025 budget: LP Chieftain Lauds Tinubu for Diving Priority to Security, Others

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Dr Ayo Olorunfemi, National Deputy Chairman of the Labour Party (LP) ,has commended  President Bola Tinubu for giving  priority to security and other key sectors in the 2025 Appropriation Bill .

Olorunfemi gave the commendation while speaking with newsmeon Thursday in Lagos.

NAN reports that the President had on Wednesday  presented  the N47.

9 trillion 2025 Appropriation Bill , christened “Budget of Restoration, Securing Peace and Rebuilding Prosperity” , to a joint session of the National Assembly .

The President listed highlights of the 2025 budget allocations to include: defense and security: N4.91 trillion; infrastructure: N4.06 trillion; Health: N2.

48 trillion and Education: N3.52 trillion.

Reacting , Olorunfemi  described security as an enabler of development.

He called on the President to ensure proper implementation ,saying budgets had always been well-crafted but usually lacked monitoring and implementation.

“There is nothing that can happen if there is no security. This is good if the budget is properly utilised for the purpose.

“Our problem is not about policies and budgets, it is about monitoring and implementation.

“There is nothing wrong in bringing a budget proposal forward in terms of expectation, what we want to do, how we want to do it, and how much we want to spend.

“Now, the most important thing is the implementation,, budgets in Nigeria have always been properly crafted,” the LP boss said.

Olorunfemi called on the President to build strong institutions to prevent sabotaging of his policies.

“If this government wants to do anything, it must wake up to the responsibility of monitoring policies and ensure  severe penalty for anyone who attempts to sabotage such policies.

“We need institutions that no one will be able to interfere with. We must allow these institutions to work, that is what we expect.

“Once we have strong institutions, most of our problems are solved,” he said.

He  also called on the President to take steps to address  the problems experienced by Nigerians in the banking sector.

Olorunfemi  decried the inability of many Nigerians to get cash at  bank’s Automated Teller Machines and the high charges paid  to get cash from Point of Sales (POS) operators.

The LP boss also urged the President to devise ways of  ending multiple taxations and high fuel price, describing them as major causes  of  hardship .

Recalled that the President said that the budget was a demonstration of government’s commitment to stabilising the economy, improving lives and repositioning the country for greater performance.

He also said the budget sought to consolidate the key policies instituted to restructure the economy, boost human capital development, increase the volume of trade and investments and bolster oil and gas production. (NAN)

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