Nigerian Newspapers
Madalla…yet to recover from Xmas Day bombing
From all indications, Madalla, a town in Niger State, has yet to recover fully from the December 25, 2011 bombing at St. Theresa Catholic Church, in which about 43 persons were killed.
The ever-busy Madalla Market is now a ghost of its former self, with several stalls empty, while the few traders there often complain of low sales.
Apparently, the traders are now always on edge, wary of a possible attack by members of the Boko Haram sect who perpetrated the Christmas Day bombing.
Although security has been beefed up in the area, most residents still live and move about in fear, while many people have relocated from the neighbourhood.
Miss Medinat Yakubu, an electronics dealer, says that Madalla was very conducive for business before the Dec. 25 terrorist act.
“Doing business in Madalla had been profitable until the bomb explosion which scared many people away from the town; resulting in the relocation of many residents and even businesses to safer settlements.
“Before the explosion, our daily sales were in the region of N1.3 million but shortly after the explosion, there was a lull in the market. Nowadays, we hardly record more than N150, 000 daily,’’ she adds.
Mrs Chinedum Igwe, a fish seller who has been living in Madalla for over 10 years, complains that “even when we are at the market, we are always afraid because we have been attacked there before.
“In fact, there was a time when some people came to the market and started shooting sporadically; so, once it is 5 p.m., traders start packing their wares, unlike before when we often stayed in the market for longer periods.
“Even when it rains in the evening, people leave immediately after the rains because we don’t know what may happen after the rains,’’ she says.
Besides, Rev. Fr. Linsmary Daniel, an assistant priest at St Theresa Catholic Church, says that the population of worshippers at church has decreased by about 60 per cent after the Dec.25, 2011 episode.
“Many of our parishioners left; in fact, there was someone who was running a printing press here but he left because of Boko Haram.
“His workers are now jobless; one of them, who incidentally is my friend, has gone back to his village to begin from the scratch.
“I know of someone else who relocated to Abuja for fear of losing his business to the Boko Haram insurgents. So, you can imagine if the economy of Madalla is slowly dwindling, what will happen in a place like Maiduguri that happens to be the hub of the Boko Haram insurgency,’’ he asks.
Buttressing Daniel’s viewpoint, Mr Nelson Nwosu, an economic and political analyst, says the current security challenges facing Nigeria have had grave socio-economic, political and geographical impact on the nation.
He says that geographically, the problem has led to a sustained migration of the people which, in turn, brings about overcrowding of some areas.
“People tend to leave the places of conflict to go to places where there is relative peace; this leads to overcrowding because people will desert a particular area and move to places where they feel there is relative peace.
“And one of the effects of overcrowding is that there will be a rise in vices such as prostitution, drug abuse, armed robbery, among others, in the overcrowded places,’’ he says.
Besides, Nwosu stresses that politically, the government would not be able to focus its attention on some development areas, as appreciable resources would be deployed to solving the country’s security problems.
Economically, he says that productivity will be low in areas facing serious security challenges.
“Unemployment in places like Yobe is rife because banks have to wind up and many workers in such places are now jobless. Apart from that, lives and property that have been destroyed in these places are not quantifiable,’’ he adds.
Nwosu explains that the crisis has even taken its toll on the existing infrastructure, adding that putting up new structures later may not be feasible.
“Banks, police stations, schools, markets and telecommunication masts have been burnt down,’’ he notes.
He laments that most of the infrastructure in use today were provided over 10 years ago, stressing that it would be extremely difficult to replace the ones that have been destroyed.
Nwosu moans that the current security challenges in the northern part of the country and the wanton destruction of property there will further impoverish the region.
He argues that while the South would be striving to forge ahead, the North would be busy rebuilding the destroyed infrastructure.
Dr Dominic Ogbeche, a psychiatrist at the National Hospital, Abuja, says that incidents like the Dec. 25, 2011 Madalla bombing could induce psychological trauma, otherwise known as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), among the people.
He expatiates that PTSD is a traumatic condition that can crop up after a person has undergone a harrowing experience caused by physical, sexual or psychological injury or death.
“People respond to such stressful situations differently; some respond to the situations with symptoms of depression and anxiety, including fear, worry, irritability, poor concentration and poor sleep.
“After that, such people try to avoid thoughts, feelings, conversations, activities, places or people that remind them of the trauma,’’ Ogbeche says.
Concerned citizens have repeatedly expressed concern that the economic activities of many towns in the northern part of the country have been crippled due to the Boko Haram insurgency.
However, the Federal Government has been making designed efforts to tackle the crisis by setting up a committee to dialogue with members of the Boko Haram sect.
Observers, nonetheless, insist that the committee needs the support of every Nigerian for it to succeed in its assignment.
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Posted in Nigerian Newspapers. A DisNaija.Com network.
Source: The Nation Newspaper
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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
•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
Kamaru Usman has raked in a mammoth £1.1million, about N584.2 million after his impressive knockout victory over Jorge Masvidal on Saturday night, Sportivation.com.ng reports.
The Nigerian Nightmare has been handsomely rewarded for his stunning performance and he was the best-paid fighter on the card which was witnessed by 15, 000 fans in Florida.
According to Daily Mail, Usman earned £538,000 to show up, £459,000 pay-per-view bonus, a £43,000 sponsorship bonus and a well deserved £35,000 Performance of the Night bonus.
Jorge Masvidal also earned £358,000 to show, £186,000 in pay-per-view money and a £28,000 sponsorship bonus.
This is the biggest payday of Usman’s career so far and the Welterweight champion also benefited from the fact that Masvidal is also a top draw for the fans.
Kamaru Usman is a Nigerian-American professional mixed martial artist, former freestyle wrestler and graduated folkstyle wrestler.
Sourced From: Latest Nigeria News, Nigerian Newspapers, Politics
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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