Politics - NEWS AGENCY OF NIGERIA

Philip Daniel Yatai
Apr, Wed, 2025

Stop politicising security challenges – Group tells Nigerians

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By Sumaila Ogbaje

Peace, Security and Development Initiatives (PSDI), a Civil Society Organisations, has urged Nigerians to stop politicising the prevailing security challenges bedeviling the country.

The Publicity Secretary of PSDI, Amechi Oyema, made the call while briefing newsmen on the State of the nation with the theme “Unholy Attempt to Politicise Security Challenges”, on Tuesday in Abuja.

Oyema said that President Bola Tinubu had continued to provide the needed support to the Armed forces of Nigeria and other security agencies to be able to deliver on their mandates.

He alleged that some politicians had decided to politicise the security challenges, adding that they would want the crisis to persist and go out of hand.

“Just recently, when 16 Kano-bound hunters were lynched in Uromi, a prominent politician condemned the killings, and demanded probe.

“Fast-forward to the massacre of 60 Plateau villagers, the same politician immediately faulted Tinubu’s security architecture, as if Uromi had a specially designed security architecture.

“Another attempt to politicise the security challenges is the recent divine intervention that led to the rescue of the former Director-General of the National Youths Service Corps (NYSC), retired Brig.-Gen. Maharazu Tsiga.

“Rather than appreciating God and the Armed Forces of Nigeria for the rescue, some have decided to give a different narrative aimed at portraying the government and the Armed Forces of Nigeria as a failure.

“This set of politicians have refused to see anything good in the present administration, hence they will turn their face from the several laudable efforts of the Armed Forces of Nigeria,” he said.

Oyema urged politicians to stop demoralising the troops who are making sacrifices to keep the country safe.

According to him, some of them would rather see the country in flames so they can have an avenue to attack the administration.

He called on politicians to show statesmanship in their approach and support the armed forces to defeat the enemies of the country.

According to him, terrorists, bandits and other criminals are surrendering in droves while some stubborn ones are being killed.

“We use this opportunity to advise especially our youths to shun all negative vices and this set of politicians who have their children abroad but would always want to use innocent youths at home to foment trouble.

“Be aware that the military is equal to the task and you won’t go scot free if you allow desperate politicians to use you.

“We want to quote Brig.-Gen. Tsiga who said, “we should not sit down and believe that the government can do it alone. We must do it ourselves,” Oyema added. (NAN)

Edited by Yakubu Uba

Tosin Kolade
Mar, Tue, 2025

General News

Tinubu declares state of emergency in Rivers

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By Salif Atojoko

President Bola Tinubu has declared a state of emergency in Rivers following the lingering political crisis in the state.

The President made the declaration in a national broadcast on Tuesday.

He said it had become compelling for him to invoke the provision of section 305 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as amended, to declare a state of emergency in Rivers with effect from March 18.

“By this declaration, the Governor of Rivers, Mr Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Mrs Ngozi Odu and all elected members of the House of Assembly of Rivers are hereby suspended for an initial period of six months.

“In the meantime, I hereby nominate Vice Admiral Ibokette Ibas (Rtd.) as Administrator to take charge of the affairs of the state in the interest of the good people of Rivers State,” Tinubu said.

He, however, said that for the avoidance of doubt, the declaration did not affect the judicial arm of the state, which shall continue to function in accordance with their constitutional mandate.

“The Administrator will not make any new laws.

‘He will, however, be free to formulate regulations as may be found necessary to do his job, but such regulations will need to be considered and approved by the Federal Executive Council and promulgated by the President for the state.

“This declaration has been published in the Federal Gazette, a copy of which has been forwarded to the National Assembly in accordance with the Constitution.

“It is my fervent hope that this inevitable intervention will help to restore peace and order in Rivers State .

“It will awaken all the contenders to the constitutional imperatives binding on all political players in Rivers State in particular and Nigeria as a whole,” he said. (NAN)

Edited by Rotimi Ijikanmi

Tosin Kolade
Jan, Sun, 2025

Politics

Plateau APC has learnt from its mistakes —Rep. Dafaan

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By Mark Longyen

Rep. John Dafaan, Member, House of Representatives (APC-Plateau; Mikang, Shendam, Quaan-Pan Constituency), says the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Plateau has learnt from the mistakes that led to its defeat in 2023.

Dafaan, a former Chief of Staff to the immediate past Governor of Plateau and Senator representing Plateau South, Simon Lalong, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.

He said that the lessons learnt would help the party to bounce back in 2027.

According to him, it is the scorecards of APC members from Plateau, who are currently holding political offices at various levels, that will determine the party’s chances of dislodging the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

“In retrospect, I think we have learnt our lessons from the errors and the mistakes that culminated in the APC’s defeat to PDP in 2023 in Plateau.

“Our scorecards should be able to speak for us in 2027, depending on how we deliver from now to 2027, we will make the difference and bounce back.

“Let the PDP lay its scorecard. We will also lay our own scorecards. And that is what will speak for us,” he said.

He, however, said that leaders of the APC were in the arena of governance and busy delivering dividends of democracy to the people, hence, 2027 should not be viewed as the ultimate goal.

Dafaan, who was declared the winner of the 2023 constituency election after the Court of Appeal sacked its erstwhile PDP occupant, said that he won in the eyes of the Law and by God’s grace.

He urged his opponents and those aggrieved by the outcome of the contest to accept it in good faith and join hands with him to deliver the dividends of democracy to the electorate.

“So, people should live with it and accept the fact that this is God’s will. And, once you accept it, you will live in peace. I am a man of faith.

“The law has spoken. I do not have any argument about that. All I know is that this is my time!

“At the high court and at the tribunal, when the judgement was against me, I just went to appeal. And the grace of God spoke for me.

“God has destined that I will lose six months and collect the rest,” he said.

Dafaan described his experience in the last one and a half years in the National Assembly as exciting, challenging and tedious, adding that the job is “not a walk in the park”

“The most exciting thing about being in the National Assembly is that it gives you a broader perspective of how your people can be better empowered.

“The challenge is that, despite the fact that there are opportunities for our people to be better, the constraints in governance make it difficult to translate these basic things to fruition.

“This is because we only legislate and lobby as legislators. The real action is done by the executive. But the role of the legislature is now assumed to be an executive role,” he said.

The lawmaker said that, in spite of the challenges he faced, he had been able to “weather the storm” and is delivering dividends of democracy to his constituents.

He said that he had been able to provide potable water to his people by drilling about 18 boreholes across the three local government areas that make up the constituency.

Dafaan said that because his constituents are basically agrarian by tradition, he distributed two trailers of chemical fertiliser across the entire constituency in 2024.

He said that he also built, equipped and electrified the Community Secondary School in Baap(Quaan-Pan LG); would soon complete an inherited one in Demshin(Shendam LG); and also trained some youths on ICT.

He said that he had lit up most of the constituency’s communities with solar panels, while efforts are underway to link Mikang and Quaan-Pan LGs to the national grid.

“I intend that we should be able to put the two LGAs on the national grid, but for the time being, we are trying to give them solar light.

“We have also empowered some people, who have now opened business centres within the three LGAs.

“We are also working on having an ICT centre that will be like the training hall for all those interested,” he said.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Kadiri Abdulrahman