Nigerian Newspapers
Alamieyeseigha: Let those without sin cast the first stone
I must say that I admire President Goodluck Jonathan’s courage. It’s not everyday that a country’s president and one who is fighting many political battles, as Jonathan, would seek the nod of the Council of States to grant clemency to some people, among who are those convicted of corruption.
It’s not everyday that a nation’s president and indeed, one who is going into a crucial election in the next two years, would look everybody straight in the eye and set his brother free. It puts a lie to the insinuation that Jonathan is weak.
I am sure that Jonathan knew what would happened before he chose to grant amnesty to former Bayelsa State Governor, Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha; Alhaji Shettima Bulama; the late General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua; General Oladipo Diya; Alhaji Mohammed Lima Biu; General Abdulkareem Adisa; Major Segun Fadipe and Major Bello Magaji. Indeed, it would have been shocking if he did not know that some Nigerians would rise up against his action.
He would have known that the opposition would pounce on it and, therefore, take his government to the cleaners. He would have known that some countries would condemn the action. He would have known these and, perhaps, was prepared for the criticism, at best and the backlash, at most.
As expected, Nigerians are shouting. The United States of America has cried blue murder. And some members of the opposition political parties are having a field day, condemning the action. For me, I do not know why some people are bothering themselves about the clemency Jonathan granted those he chose to. Why should people crucify him for granting Alamieyeseigha, most especially, or anybody, for that matter, amnesty?
I say this because the President, in granting the affected people amnesty, was exercising his prerogative of mercy. It’s his constitutional right to so do.
By the constitutional provisions, Jonathan could grant clemency to anybody whatsoever, whether such person was convicted of murder, armed robbery, corruption, felony or whatever. If, therefore, he chose to grant Alamieyeseigha, his kinsman and former boss clemency, he’s acting within the law. It’s Alamieyeseigha’s luck that someone who sits at the apex of government at this point in time could extend such gesture to him. Nobody should begrudge him.
It’s interesting reading the sole point some of those criticising the granting of pardon to Alamieyeseigha have made. They have said that granting the former governor amnesty is a death knell on the anti-corruption war in the country. My question is: Does it follow that because Jonathan granted state pardon to a man, who was convicted of corruption, his government would not press forward with the anti-graft programme?
I do not think so. Even if Alamieyeseigha were not freed, if the anti-corruption war, as being supervised by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), is bound to die, it would. This is because, apart from the support of the executive arm of government, the judiciary plays a key role in the matter. At present, many cases of alleged corruption are in court, but they cannot be concluded because it’s either the judicial process is slow or that the EFCC did not do a thorough job of investigating the cases.
These are some of the things that could slow down the anti-corruption war. If the executive gives everything needed in the anti-corruption war and the judiciary fumbles, would anybody blame Jonathan? In any case, what is wrong in granting Alamieyeseigha state pardon? He is not the first person to be so granted clemency.
The late Chief Obafemi Awolowo was in jail, in the First Republic, but General Yakubu Gowon, as Head of State, not only freed him but also made him Minister of Finance. Awolowo was not just a minister, but also in the kitchen cabinet of Gowon, as it were, to the extent that his advice was relied upon for the successful prosecution of the civil war. General Abdulsalami Abubakar, as military Head of State, brought ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo, who General Sani Abacha had convicted for treason, out of jail.
By so doing, he freed him of the wrong and prepared ground for him to pick the presidential ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Obasanjo went ahead to emerge as elected president in 1999, less than one year after he was freed. The late Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, leader of the failed Republic of Biafra, went into exile during the war. He was considered to have levied war against Nigeria and therefore, was deemed to be guilty of an offence. President Shehu Shagari granted him amnesty and paved the way for him to return to Nigeria.
In Awolowo, Obasanjo and Ojukwu’s cases, the governments at the time they got into trouble saw them as guilty, but the governments that granted them clemency felt they should be freed. I do not see the difference between what happened to these Nigerians and what has happened to Alamieyeseigha.
The former governor, like others who got presidential pardon, only enjoyed the grace of God. Alamieyeseigha may have been convicted of corruption, but does it hold that he should be guilty of this crime for the rest of his life? Indeed, at what point would a man be said to have received enough punishment for his wrongdoing? Pardon is necessary for any living soul, no matter what he may have done.
If God, in His infinite mercy, made way for repentance and forgiveness, I don’t know why mortal should insist otherwise. My question for some of those pouring invectives on Jonathan for granting clemency to Alamieyeseigha is: Would they say, for sure, that they have not done one wrong or another at any point in their lives? If I were Jonathan, I would do what Jesus Christ did when a woman caught committing adultery was brought to Him for trial.
As recorded in John 8, when the Scribes and Pharisees brought the woman to Jesus Christ and declared that the law of Moses demanded that she should be stoned to death, the Saviour did something. In John 8: 7, the Bible said: “So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.”
If this happens in the Alamieyseigha’s case, I am sure that those crying wolf today about his state pardon would do what the woman’s accusers did, for when they heard this, according to the Bible, and “being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the eldest, even unto the last and Jesus was left alone and the woman standing in the midst.”
Jesus Christ had asked the woman, after her accusers had left, “hath no man condemned thee,” in which the woman said they had gone.
The Saviour had declared: “Neither do I condemn thee; go and sin no more.” What more would I say? If Jesus Christ, who had the power to judge, could not condemn a woman caught committing adultery, why won’t Jonathan pardon a man who has been humiliated, removed from office as governor, convicted and jailed for corruption?
The pretender saints should continue to shout, but any of them without sin should cast the first stone. It must be noted that by saying this, I am not supporting corruption. I cannot and will never.
The Sun News
•Deploy more personnel as army chief vows to wipe out terror group
•Security beefed up at N’Assembly
Deji Elumoye and Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja
Abuja, Nigeria’s seat of power, is under a massive security cordon following threats of attacks by insurgents and the increasing wave of banditry in the contiguous states of Kaduna, Kogi, Nasarawa and Niger States, THISDAY’s investigation has revealed.
There has been a wave of kidnappings in the outskirts of the federal capital, notably Pegi, Tuganmaje and Kuje among others, which the police have battled in recent times.
The security situation in and around the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) was heightened by the pronouncement of the Niger State Governor, Mr. Sani Bello, that Boko Haram fighters who he said sacked 50 villages in the state and hoisted the terror group’s flag, were about two hours drive away from the FCT.
Security has also been beefed up at the National Assembly as operatives, yesterday, thoroughly screened every vehicle approaching the National Assembly complex in Abuja.
The deteriorating security situation nationwide prompted the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus, to warn that the 2023 general election may not hold, demanding the declaration of a state of emergency as well as the convocation of a national conference.
However, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, yesterday restated the Nigerian Army’s determination to annihilate Boko Haram.
But the Governor of Katsina State, Hon. Bello Masari, cautioned against declaring a state of emergency, saying doing so isn’t the solution to combat the security challenges facing the country.
The security of the nation’s airports was also in focus yesterday as the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) said there was no threat to them.
THISDAY’s investigations showed increased presence of troops, police, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) personnel and intelligence operatives at the three strategic entrances to the city notably, Keffi, Zuba and Gwagwalada.
More checkpoints were also mounted around Gwagwalada and Keffi.
THISDAY also observed increased intelligence deployment at the entrance and the borders of FCT with contiguous states.
Beyond the borders, there were more deployments and police patrols inside the city and increased intelligence deployments as well.
Security sources told THISDAY: “There are deployments here and there but they are routine. Alertness is key to a secure environment.”
It was also learnt that security agencies were involved in frenzied meetings throughout yesterday.
The meetings, coordinated by the office of the Chief of Defence Staff under the new joint operational strategy of the armed forces, were aimed at coordinating a joint response to possible threats of attack to the FCT.
“I understand the security teams have been meeting for some days now and if you look around you, you will notice that there are increasing patrols and numbers of security personnel. The threats are not been taken lightly,” a source said.
National Assembly workers, lawmakers and visitors also had a harrowing experience accessing the legislative complex due to heightened security in the area.
Security operatives thoroughly screened every vehicle approaching the National Assembly complex in Abuja, impeding both human and vehicular traffic.
The Sergeant-at-arm of the National Assembly and other security agencies supervised the operations, leading to huge traffic build-up inside the complex.
Legislative staff, visitors and lawmakers were seen patiently waiting for their cars to be searched so that they could go ahead with the business of the day.
Some staff and visitors at some point got tired of waiting and were seen alighting from their cars to trek from the gate to the complex.
Meanwhile, the ONSA has said there is no threat to the nation’s airports.
A statement by the Head of Strategic Communication, Mr. Zachari Usman, said the reports of threats to the airports were an internal correspondence of security threat assessment misconstrued as security threat to the airports.
PDP Demands State of Emergency
In a related development, the PDP National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, yesterday demanded the declaration of a state of emergency, warning that the 2023 general election might not hold if the federal government failed to tackle insecurity.
He called on the federal government to summon a national conference to address the spike in insecurity.
Secondus added that the national caucus of the party will meet today to discuss the state of the nation.
Addressing members of the National Executive Committee (NEC) in Abuja, Secondus said: “We are worried Abuja is not even safe. It is no longer politics. We got alert of plots to bomb and burn down our airports.
“We urge the federal government to declare a national state of emergency in security. There is the need to call a national conference to discuss the insecurity in the country.
“There may not be any election in 2023 in Nigeria due to insecurity. This government must listen to the people. The Buhari government should call a national confab to discuss security and state of the nation. It is no longer politics. This time we are not playing politics. Let’s keep politics aside and move the nation forward.”
He said the country had been grounded, regretting that there had been no matching response from the federal government.
Secondus said in the past, terrorism in the North was confined to the North-east, but with the report of Boko Haram occupying villages in Niger State, terrorism had spread to the North-central
“Herdsmen are also menacing in the West; gunmen causing havoc in the East; and the militants in the South; all killing, looting, raping, maiming and burning down homes. The situation is bad; Nigerians all over are living in fear,” he said.
The Senate Minority Leader, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, said the problem of Nigeria was outside of the PDP headquarters, while pledging the support of the Senate to the declaration of state of emergency in security.
Abaribe said he deliberately decided not to speak on the floor of the Senate but to allow the APC senators to speak so as to avoid being accused of giving a partisan colouration to the issue of insecurity.
He stated that only electoral reforms would give victory to the opposition party in the 2023 general election and ensure a democratic defeat of the APC-led federal government.
Also, the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Hon. Ndudi Elumelu, commended the NEC and the PDP leadership for their collective efforts at resolving the House leadership crisis.
The NEC meeting adopted the position of Secondus, calling on the federal government to convoke a national conference to discuss the state of insecurity in the country, according to a communiqué read by the National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan.
Army Chief Vows to Wipe Out Boko Haram
The army yesterday reiterated its commitment to wipe out Boko Haram.
Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, told reporters in Maiduguri, Borno State that Boko Haram had been defeated in many encounters and would continue to be defeated until it’s annihilated from Nigeria.
“We will take on Boko Haram decisively, and we are committed to the focus of the operations, which is the total annihilation of Boko Haram from Nigeria,” he said.
The COAS, who was visiting the headquarters of Operation Lafiya Dole in Maiduguri for the fifth time since his appointment four months ago, said the visit was to boost the morale of the troops, reassure them and listen to any issues affecting them.
Earlier, the Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, Maj. Gen. Farouq Yahaya, lauded the visit, which he said had continued to boost the morale of the troops.
“We are honoured, we are grateful, we are encouraged by those visits. You provided us guidance, logistics and other things we required. We are most grateful for those visits,” Yahaya said.
State of Emergency Won’t Solve Security Challenges, Says Masari
Katsina State Governor, Hon. Aminu Masari, has, however, said declaration of a state of emergency won’t solve the security challenges facing the nation.
Masari, who spoke yesterday with journalists after meeting with the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari at the State House, Abuja stated that he was against the recent call by the House of Representatives for the declaration of a state of emergency in the security sector as it would not solve the problem.
According to him, declaring a state of emergency will not achieve the desired effect as the security structure and personnel to be used to execute the emergency are already overstretched in a bid to safeguard lives and property.
Sourced From: THISDAYLIVE
Tribune Online
Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has recorded 62 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 165,110. The NCDC disclosed this on its official Twitter handle on Friday. “55 new cases of #COVID19Nigeria; Lagos-21, Yobe-19, Ogun-6, Akwa Ibom-3, Kaduna-2, Plateau-2, FCT-1, Rivers-1.” YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE COVID-19: Nigeria Recorded […]
Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
Tribune Online
Sourced From: Tribune Online
By Olasunkanmi Akoni
The people of the South East region have been urged to explore the power of negotiation and mutual settlement in the face of ongoing killings and security challenges in the zone because the east can not afford another war at present.
Stakeholders from the South-East geo-political zone made the remark on Thursday, at the unveiling of the book, “Igbo, 50 years after Biafra,” written by Special Adviser to Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Drainage Services, Joe Igbokwe, held at Ikeja G.R.A.
Speaking at the unveiling of the book, the chairman of the occasion, Mr. Cutis Adigba,
urged the people of the South-East to learn to build bridges across the country, so that they can realise their ambition of producing the next president of Nigeria.
Adigba urged leaders from the zone to discourage the move and agitation by some youths in the South East to go to war and secede out of Nigeria.
Also read: Banditry: Disregard viral video, Niger State gov’t urges residents
He said that Igbo have always found it difficult to rule Nigeria because they refused to build bridges across the six geo-political zones that made up Nigeria.
While describing the agitation as uncalled for, Adigba noted that after two decades that Nigeria returned to civil rule, the Igbo has predominantly identified with only one political party.
He maintained that remaining in one party can not advance the cause of the people of South East and cannot make them realise their objective of producing an Igbo man as president.
He maintained that the publisher of the book, Igbokwe played politics outside his state, so that the Igbo race can be integrated with one another race.
Adigba said the failure of the Igbo to reintegrate with other ethnic nationalities politically was responsible for the retrogression of the race in Nigerian politics.
Igbokwe, also addressing guests on the occasion, maintained that the Igbo are not advancing politically because they refused to be integrated into National politics, lamenting that, despite their success in business, they are not successful in playing politics at the national level.
Corroborating Dimgba, Igbokwe noted that there was the need for the Igbo people to stand up and build bridges so that their objective of producing the next president of Nigeria could be realised.
According to him: “I have decided to raise my voice, I hope my people will hear me while trying to quell the effect of the war, our people are spoiling for another war, mayhem is being unleashed in Igbo land, and there is palpable fear.
“Those who could speak have lost their voice, mindful of the consequences of their actions, I am calling on all Igbo leaders to speak up because all actions carry consequences, consequences of the silence will be too dastardly to sustain.
“Those silently supporting the wild wind should be careful or else they hand over to their children,” he said.
Igbokwe urged those spoiling for war to jettison their plan and embrace dialogue, urging them to learn from the South West region that despite the challenges faced after the annulment of the June 12, 1993, election, they did not go to war, and the region had the opportunity of producing two of her sons for presidential position in 1999.
“You have to build bridges to become president of Nigeria, but it is unfortunate the Igbo are burning bridges.”
Speaking at the event, Chief Uche Dimgba who is the coordinator of Igbo in All Progressives Congress, APC in Lagos, described Igbokwe as “a Frank, fearless and reliable leader, who based his views on issues and stand by his opinions, and we the Igbo have confidence in him and believe he can lead us aright.”
“He is a leader we Igbo believe in and we will follow him. If he can serve all the governors produced in Lagos State since 1999, he is a better man to follow because he possesses all the experience that can be of benefit to Igbo both at home and in the diaspora.”
The post Attacks on S’East: We must explore all options of negotiation — Stakeholders urge Igbo appeared first on Vanguard News.
Sourced From: Vanguard News
The government said that no worker should stay back beyond 6:00 p.m. within premises of buildings undergoing construction.
The post Insecurity: Lagos bans occupation of abandoned buildings appeared first on Premium Times Nigeria.
Sourced From: Premium Times Nigeria
Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
Military, Police Ring Abuja to Forestall Boko Haram Attack
UFC: Usman gets N584m after beating Masvidal
Insecurity: Lagos bans occupation of abandoned buildings
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