President Muhammadu Buhari has sacked retired Brigadier-General Paul Boroh as Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme for former Niger Delta militants and ordered that his tenure should be probed.
A statement by the special adviser to the President on media and publicity, Femi Adesina today, Tuesday, said that the President had directed the National Security Adviser (NSA) to carry out a full investigation into the activities of the Amnesty Programme from 2015 to date.
Buhari wanted the NSA to pay particular attention to allegations of financial impropriety and other acts that are allegedly detrimental to the objectives of the Programme.
Meanwhile, the President approved the appointment of the Director of Research and Studies at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, Professor Charles Quaker Dokubo to replace the sacked Coordinator.
Professor Dokubo, according to the statement, he holds a PhD in Strategic Studies from the University of Bradford, United Kingdom, and hails from Abonema, Akuku-Toru Local Government of Rivers State. [myad]
Chairman of Savannah Centre, Professor Ibrahim Gambari has called on the Federal Government to reactivate the Nigerian Press Council (NPC) and review its Code of Conduct to enable it discharge its duties effectively as enshrined in the Constitution.
Professor Gambari, who delivered the Inaugural PSN Confab lecture on the topic: “Towards 2019 Elections: Hate Speech and Implications For Ethnic Relations,” said that Savanna Centre attaches great importance to the issue of Hate Speech, which he insisted is not the same as Free Speech.
Prof Gambari is the a former Nigeria’s permanent representative to the United Nations, and was represented at the Confab which was themed: “Hate Speech Vs Free Speech.” It was organized by the Peace and Security Network (PSN), in collaboration with the Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD).
The Guest Speaker lamented that the level of hate and inflammatory speeches seen in recent times were the worst since the return to democratic rule in 1999.
“Freedom of Speech cannot be absolute, freedom of speech as its limit,” adding that there was an urgent need for National Law to “redress hate speech now not later.”
On the road to 2019 general elections, Savannah Centre enjoined media managers to demonstrate absolute patriotism by not promoting any individual or group above the nation.
While stressing the important roles that the media and civil society organisations must play in curbing hate speech, Prof Gambari, warned that “a major dislocation of Nigeria is a dislocation of the African continent.”
He therefore, called on the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission and the Nigerian Press Council to work together to deal with hate speech ahead of 2019 elections while CSOs must redouble their advocacy.
Contributing, President of the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), Mrs. Funke Egbemode, who was a panelist, expressed concern about promulgating new law to deal with hate speech when there are existing laws that have not been enforced.
Mrs. Egbemode posited that rather than making new law, government should be more interested in getting to the root cause of hate speech so as to guide against it.
She said many people are unhappy and would always find a way of expressing their feelings, insisting that “the laws won’t fix it.”
Another panelist, President of the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP), Mr. Dotun Oladipo, said making new laws to regulate the social media gives the impression that the federal government “is out to gag the media.”
Oladipo, noted that enlightened and well-informed people are not that active on the social media especially on Twitter.
He therefore, enjoined media managers in Ministries, Agencies and Departments, MDAs, to be more proactive by ensuring timely release of genuine information to the public via the Twitter.
Also speaking, the President of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Mr. Waheed Odusile, said the issue of hate speech must be looked at holistically.
He said politicians must be mindful of their utterances ahead of elections, adding that media has a responsibility not to report hate speech.
Professor Bolade Eyinla, who represented the INEC chairman, said the citizens must recognise the importance of respecting the rights of others.
According to him, social media platforms have become instruments for propagating hate speech, saying that all conscious citizens must condemn inciting the population through hate speech.
The Executive Director CITAD, Mr Y.Z Yau, also lamented that hate speech is increasing as we approach 2019 elections, calling on all hands to be on deck.
According to him, there should be clear understanding about what is hate speech and free speech, stressing “it is important that we amplify that.”
Earlier, the Manager of Peace and Security Network Nigeria, PSN, Mr. Adeolu Adewumi, said the Network was established in 2013, to support better coordination of conflict prevention, response and resolution in Nigeria.
He said the PSN Confab series gathers policy makers, government officials, community leaders, experts and development partners for the purpose of discussing and reinforcing a common narrative around mitigating Hate Speeches towards 2019 and ensuring the continued presence of peace and stability. [myad]
The government of Lagos state seems to be currently in the eye of the storm over its introduction of a law, a property tax as it were, known as the Land Use Charge Act of 2018, which repeals a similar law of 2001, and consolidates ground rent, tenement rate, and neigbourhood development levy. The Land Use Charge is payable in respect of all real estate in the state. But it is probably the most controversial move that has been made by the Akinwunmi Ambode administration in Lagos state, an administration that has so far enjoyed tremendous goodwill on account of its huge investment in infrastructure and human capital development in the last three years.
Stakeholders have complained about the rate of increase (up to about 400%), lack of adequate consultation and communication, and the impropriety of increasing taxation at a time of unmitigated economic hardship, even in the presence of multiple taxes, including the taxation of boreholes and alcoholic drinks. Real estate valuers and surveyors as well as other stakeholders including landlords and tenants are asking the government to take another look at the law. Sooner or later, every government faces a baptism of fire. But where taxation is involved, the key issues are governance, trust, transparency and accountability, communication and more importantly, strategy. These are the key areas for consideration with respect to the current controversy over the review of Land Use Charge in Lagos.
Ordinarily, however, nobody likes to pay taxes, and there is a historical and cultural context to this. The taxman is not often a popular member of the community. Wars and revolutions have been fought on account of resistance to taxation. Many of the wars in the Southern part of Nigeria, particularly Yorubaland in the 18th and 19th centuries were fought as a result of objections to what was known as “isakole” (ground rent to the sovereign), or owo asingba (service to chiefs and kings as a form of tribute), which were symbols of dominance over political authority and/or economic activities, creating a slave/master relationship among dominant/dominated groups.
The famous Aba women’s riot of 1929, was a protest against the draconian warrant chiefs introduced by the colonial administration but it was even more significantly, a rebellion against the direct taxation of market women. In the late 1940s, the Abeokuta Women’s Union (AWU) led by Mrs Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti also objected to the taxation of women in the Egba Division. For six months, over 10, 000 Egba women challenged both the colonial authorities and the Alake of Egbaland, and insisted that they would not pay tax. In the end, the tax policy was suspended, the Alake had to abdicate the throne and the women got up to four positions in the decision-making Native Authority.
Nor is Lagos new to anti-tax agitations. When the colonial authorities introduced electricity in Lagos in 1897, there was an attempt to ensure that this was paid for through indirect taxation, which was stoutly opposed by the people. Later, in 1907, the colonialists also proposed to provide a pipe borne water system for Lagos; the plan was to place a tax on houses to cover the cost. The African members of the Legislative council of the Lagos colony and Southern Protectorate, the traditional rulers and chiefs of Lagos and the people in general kicked against this proposed tax. They insisted they would rather drink water from rainfall or wells, rather than pay any tax.
When in 1908, the colonial authorities introduced a House Assessment Ordinance, the people of Lagos shut down all markets and marched on Government House. Women in Central Lagos also organized protests against the water rate. The battle was soon taken over by the educated elite who formed a group called the Lagos People’s Union (1908), led by John K. Randle, an Edinburgh-trained medical doctor.
Taxation tends to bring out the best and the worst in both people and governments. Of J.K. Randle as he was known, the deputy Governor of the colony at the time wrote that he was an “agitator pure and simple…political disturbance was his main hobby in life.” The struggle over water rate in Lagos went on for more than 17 years and was responsible for the eventual collapse of the Lagos People’s Union and the deposition of Eleko Eshugbayi in 1925. Herbert Macaulay came on to the scene, and he championed the reinstatement of the king in 1931. The white cap chiefs of Lagos still insisted, all the same, that paying for water was against “the tradition of the people of Lagos.” The colonial authorities were unyielding. They cracked down on the people and soon introduced direct taxation, resulting in riots across the country.
In post-colonial Nigeria, the pattern of revulsion to taxation has not been different. Between 1968 and 1969, there was in the defunct Western region, a peasant farmers’ revolt, popularly known as the Agbekoya. This particular revolt, like all revolts may have been politically motivated, and it may have been a class revolt, but the trigger was the peasant farmers’ rejection of higher taxation. However, since independence in 1960, there have been attempts to review the taxation system in Nigeria beginning with the Raisman Commission, and the enactment of the Tax Management Act, 1961, and the Companies Income Tax Act No 22 of 1961.
During the Second Republic (1979 -1983), the Shagari administration established a Task Force on tax administration. In 1991, there was the Emmanuel Edozien study group on tax, in 1992, Sylvester Ugoh led another study group on indirect taxation, in 2002, yet another group was led by Professor Dotun Phillips, and in 2004 yet another one was led by Seyi Bickersteth of KPMG and in 2012, the Federal Government had another study group led by Mckinsey, an international consulting firm. In 2017, the Buhari administration introduced VAIDS, a Voluntary Assets and Income Declaration taxation programme, and a new National Tax Policy (NTP). Many Nigerians consider the VAIDS, a joke.
Indeed, the objection to the new Land Use Charge in Lagos thus fits into a natural response pattern. But it is important to go beyond sentiments and understand the issues. To enjoy development, the people must be prepared to pay tax, the leaders must also be transparent and accountable, provide value and inspire trust. To ensure voluntary compliance, the people must not be made to see taxation as a form of punishment. At face value, the justifications provided by the Lagos State Government, on paper and at a recent Town Hall Meeting with the Governor seem convincing enough. To keep up with the current pace of economic development, population growth and volatile oil revenue, state governments in Nigeria are under pressure to look for additional sources of revenue beyond Federal Government’s monthly allocation. This in itself is a good development.
Lagos, the 5th largest economy in Africa, with a population that would be far in excess of 35 million by 2030, faces special challenges. Infrastructure deficit in the state is currently estimated to be about $50 billion (N14.47 trillion). The state’s current revenue profile is therefore unsustainable. Oil revenue in general has proved unsustainable in Nigeria in real terms. The country’s tax ratio to GDP is also relatively one of the lowest in Africa. Tax compliance is similarly low, and the extant tax codes are at best outdated. The alternative in Lagos would be for the state to borrow, but with current interest rates, that would amount to mortgaging the financial future of the state. What the Ambode administration is proposing in essence is a far more efficient taxation system which brings more people into the tax net and which requires the people to make sacrifice in the overall interest of public good. I don’t have a problem with that.
But where the problem lies is in the twin areas of strategy and communication. Whereas many Lagos residents have not actually seen a copy of the proposed law, their objection is based largely on the report that the law expressly imposes a 400% increase on land use charge, and the worst hit may probably be the organized private sector and owners of commercial buildings. In 1999, the Bola Tinubu administration in Lagos state had sought to reform the tax process in the state through the introduction of electronic payments. Internally Generated Revenue in Lagos state subsequently increased from 600 million in 1999, to 22 billion in 2015, and N341 billion in 2017.
Communication is important in tax administration. While it is natural for people to oppose any form of taxation, a tax system must be seen to be fair, just and equitable. The current resistance to taxation in Lagos and other parts of Nigeria – FCT, Anambra, Benue, Edo, Cross River- in part raises governance issues. Widespread reports about corruption, the lavish lifestyle of public officials, the high-handedness of tax officials and the reality of multiple taxation make Nigerians even in the face of rational arguments about the need to generate non-oil revenue, suspicious of any form of tax. In Lagos, the State House of Assembly held public hearings, but the story out there is that government has sneaked the law, with increased charges on the public, without adequate notice or communication. But how much interest did Lagosians themselves show? Do they even know who their representatives are? Do the representatives brief the people on developments of this nature? Landlords are saying when the effect of this indirect taxation is considered in absolute terms, they would be turned into tenants living in their own homes.
Tenants are protesting that the new charge will be passed on to them by landlords, and with inflation already at 15%, and the country’s macroeconomics in a fix, greater pressure and hardship will be invariably imposed on people and businesses. As presented however, the Lagos state government seems to have anticipated these concerns and created opportunities for negotiation and voluntary compliance, but how many people are aware of this? In addition, the Land Use Charge is a progressive tax, not a flat tax, with in-built disaggregation to provide reliefs for aged owner-occupiers, pensioners, old buildings of 25 years and above, owners with proof of long occupation, non-profit organisations, places of religious worship/education, the physically challenged and registered educational institutions. Besides, more than 70% of the properties are valued under N10 million, equivalent to a land use charge of N5, 000 annually.
Nonetheless, there are persons and landlords associations in Lagos already threatening to either go to court or organize street protests. The more incensed stakeholders are threatening to use their voters’ cards to remind Governor Ambode that he would need the people in the coming 2019 elections. In other words, the Land Use Charge could become the main decider of whether he gets a second term or not. When it comes to taxation, the electorate can indeed be vicious. Margaret Thatcher lost her position as Prime Minister, within her own party in the UK, 1989-1990, partly due to the crisis over a Community Charge, better known as poll tax, which made the Conservatives unpopular.
Governor Ambode is on that score, quite a courageous man. He must be looking at the future of Lagos, and not the next election. But he needs not sacrifice his own political future. Whatever may have been done in Lagos since 1999, there is a lot more that can be done to improve the standard of living in the state. Nigerians like to protest but it is also important to realise that the days of dependence on oil revenue may soon be completely over. When the people pay tax, and they understand the justification for it, they are probably in a much better position to hold their leaders accountable.
I believe there are steps to be taken to improve the communication process on this issue and that may mean putting the implementation of the charge on hold for a while until various stakeholders have been conscientized to take ownership of the core messages about standardization, efficiency and the need to prevent the culture of whimsical assessments by state tax officials. Landlords have to be assured that the proposed percentages are not absolute.
Government should also consider the possibility of a downward review of the percentages, allow instalmental or graduated payment, and reconsider the threatened penalty of up to 200% for defaulters. Tenants of commercial buildings also need to be protected from Shylock landlords who may hide under the law, to increase rent. The objection to multiple taxation should also be addressed; if the Land Use Charge is a consolidation of three other taxes, perhaps there are other taxes in the state that should be similarly reviewed to reduce the burden on the citizenry. The relevant revenue institutions in Lagos must also be strengthened and opportunities provided for seeking redress against rogue tax administration officials. There must also be guarantees for transparency in the preparation of a necessary data-base for the ownership of properties in the state.
With all the best intentions, any form of politicisation of the tax administration process is bound to be counter-productive. This must be avoided by all means. [myad]
Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State has outlawed no fewer than cult groups in the state with his signing into force, the Cultism and other Violent Behaviour Prohibition Order 2018 with effect from March 12, 2018.
Governor Emmanuel said that the security issues reported recently in Etim Ekpo, Ukanfun and Ikot Ekpene local government areas had actually necessitated such security re-enforcements.
Speaking during the brief signing ceremony at Government House in Uyo, the governor said that the Cultism and other Violent Behaviour Prohibition Order 2018, is aimed at reenergizing the already existing criminal code law, Cap 38 Laws of Akwa Ibom State dated 2000.
The Governor, who drew his powers from Section 70 of the Criminal Code Law,Cap 38 Volume 2 lawa of Akwa Ibom (2000), said that although only three local government areas have security flash points , the law was binding and would be effected in all the 31 local government areas of the state.
“Let me also implore other local government areas that have actually embraced peace to continue to show that in their conduct and everything that they do, because we want peace in every part of this state.”
The proscribed groups are Vikings,Black Axe, KKK; Buccaneers, Mafia, Luttox (Junior Black Axe),Debam; Dewell, Icelanders, Red Skins, Pirates, Amoc, Akwa Marines; and Utoto Groups (419)
Others which are found in secondary and Primary Schools are, the Luttox, The Red Skins, St. Stephens, Dewell, Sept 11 Group, Secret Sons of Satan, King Cobra, J.V (Junior Vikings), Bats, Predators, Black Ladies, Black Cross, Scavengers, Skylolo , Sons of Nights, Blood Brotherhood, Junior Buccaneers, White Angels; and Musket.
Earlier, the State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Barr Uwemedimo Nwoko lamented that the problem of cultism and other unlawful societies in the state has become a major source of concern to His Excellency the Governor and the hood people of the state.
This he said is why the Governor made the order to prohibit and ban the operations and recognition or activities of all the listed cult group as they are henceforth banned and prohibited in Akwa Ibom.
Nwoko said that the Secret Cult Prohibition Law provides a maximum penalty of 7 years imprisonment for the culprit.
He said that having reviewed the law, they have “come to terms with the fact that these penalties are not adequate as of today to serve as a deterrent to people who are found guilty of this law and so His Excellency is very soon going to propose to the House of Assembly an amendment to this law to raise the level of penalty and sanctions that will follow contravention of the laws.”
Nwoko decried the growing number of groups in the society, in secondary schools and even at other strata of the society
“Just like any other law, it will serve no useful purpose if the members of the society do not rise up to support the law because even security agencies will need the cooperation and information from various communities, from various schools, from principals, from everywhere to identify the operations of this groups.”
“Some of them are operating in very secret manners and it is the responsibility of every Akwa Ibomite and every resident of Akwa Ibom who identifies or knows where they operate and the name under which they operate to bring to the knowledge of the security agencies and the government for effective action.” [myad]
The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has smashed notorious armed robbery gangs that specialize in invading their victims’ homes and robbing them of cash and other valuables at gunpoint. A statement by the Command’s spokesman, DSP Anjuguri Manzah, said that on March 10, following a distress call that some armed robbers were robbing some residents of Sauka Federal Housing, Lugbe Extension of cash and other valuables, the Police operatives from Lugbe Division immediately mobilized to the scene, “but were engaged in a fierce gun confrontation by the armed robbers who opened fire on sighting the team. “The hoodlums were however repelled by the gallant Policemen whose courage and superior gun power resulted in the death of two of the suspects while others escaped the scene with bullet wounds.” The statement said that having successfully foiled the robbers, the police operatives while combing the area and the nearby bushes recovered the death bodies of two of the hoodlums, two locally made pistols, nine flat screen Television sets, two Laptops, two cutlasses, one knife, one touch light, one phone, wrist watches, jewelleries, shoes, etc. It said that some victims have shown up at Lugbe Police Division to identify their property from the recovered items. That was even as the FCT Police Commissioner, Sadiq Abubakar Bello commended the gallantry displayed by the police operatives during their confrontation with notorious armed robbery gang, assuring FCT residents that the Command will remain resolute in its fight against crime in the Territory.
He called on hospitals workers and members of the public to alert the nearest police station once anybody is sighted with bullet wounds. [myad]
President Muhammadu Buhari has said that nobody can question God who put different ethnic and tribal groups together to make up a country called Nigeria even as he called on leaders of various groups in Benue State teach their people the joy of living together in peace and togetherness.
The President, who visited Makurdi, capital of Benue State today, Monday, to commiserate with victims of the herdsmen/local farmers clashes that have resulted into several deaths, said: “the governor (Samuel Ortom) and I, and others here know that we will leave one day, but the relationship between farmers and herders will continue. I urge you to keep in touch with them and advise them to live peacefully. Nigeria has over 250 ethnic groups with different cultures and nobody can question God for putting us together.”
Buhari, who addressed various stakeholders at a Town Hall meeting in Government House, Makurdi, advised leaders at all levels, as well as the people in the state to show restraint and allow the security agencies to handle the untenable situation.
President Buhari said that he is not in the habit of publicly rebuking his appointees as many would desire, and that he preferred to quietly “read the riot act” as he did to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) when the Benue attacks began.
The President disclosed that he even shared the IGP’s security report on the Benue crisis with Senators George Akume and Barnabas Gemade from the state.
Recalling his Civil War era memories with military officers from Benue State, he said that his nostalgic experience with such persons would never allow him to do harm to the state.
Governor Samuel Ortom had thanked President Buhari for visiting and listening patiently to the representatives of socio-cultural groups, farmers, herdsmen, national and state legislators, former leaders and elder statesmen, among others, described him as “a father known for his integrity and fight for justice.”
The governor said that attacks by armed herdsmen predated the current administration, adding that the recent attacks had displaced 170,000 people with children of school age constituting 60 per cent.
He called for support for ranching, compensation for victims of the attacks and rebuilding of destroyed houses and farms, as well as the upgrading of the current military exercise to a “military operation.”
Governor Ortom also appealed to the Federal Government to fix some major roads in the state and take over the state polytechnic and college of education among other demands. [myad]
No fewer than 150 inmates in the prison have completed the memorization of the Holy Quran and were so acknowledged and rewarded today, Monday, by the leadership of Muslims.
The inmates displayed their knowledge in a Qur’anic recitation competition, organized by the Muslims chaplaincy unit of Gombe prison in conjunction with supreme council of Islamic affairs, Gombe state chapter.
A statement from the Gombe State Prison Service, said that the inmates were given various prizes, donated by individuals and Islamic groups.
The statement said that the inmates expressed gratitude to the prisons authority and the Muslim chaplaincy unit for changing their mind sets for better and promised to use the knowledge acquired both in and outside the prison wall. The occasion was graced by the Governor of Gombe State, Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo, who commended the Nigerian Prisons Service and the organizers of the event.
The governor called on the inmates to use the knowledge acquired as a reformatory drive to become useful members of the society. The State Controller of Prisons, Ahmadu Adamu called on the wider society to appreciate the new look of the Nigerian Prisons Service as a reformatory body. He used the occasion to commend the effort of the Controller General of Prisons Service, Ja’afaru Ahmed for the recent distribution of aftercare materials to ex-prisoners who have acquired various skills during their stay in prisons as a mark of actualization of the service mandate towards reformation, rehabilitation and subsequent re-integration of the ex~convicts into the society as useful members. The Controller called on the Christmas chaplaincy body of the prison to make a similar move in the nearest future. [myad]
President Muhammadu Buhari has said that he would not engage in promising anything during his current condolence and sympathy visits to states that have been affected by the herdsmen/local farmers’ clashes in which many people lost their lives and others displaced.
The President, who was reacting to plethora of requests by the people of Benue State at a Town Hall meeting with stakeholders today, Monday, when he visited the State, said that he would not make any promises during this trip.
“When coming back on campaign, if coming back on campaign, I may promise.”
He however expressed gratitude to God for the good rains this season, the successful efforts of the minister of Agriculture, Audu Ogbeh, an indigene of Benue State, whom he described as “a great asset in my government,” in his efforts to ensure quantum food production for the populace.
He said that his administration would continue to empower farmers with loans by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), even as he expressed happiness that the agricultural policy of his administration has led to 90 per cent reduction in rice importation.
President Buhari did not fail to commend Ebonyi, Lagos, Kebbi, Jigawa and Benue States for “doing extremely well.” [myad]
Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode has thrown his weight behind the 25 years jail term for rapist and perpetrators of all forms of domestic violence, saying that the time has come to take aggressive steps to put a stop to the menace. Governor Ambode, who led a symbolic walk against Domestic and Sexual Violence in Alausa, Ikeja, with top government functionaries, including the Deputy Governor, Dr. Oluranti Adebule, Chief Judge of the State, Justice Olufunmilayo Oke, wife of the Governor, Mrs. Bolanle Ambode, said that it is time to walk the talk and ensure that all hands are on deck towards safeguarding the rights of every citizen and the most vulnerable in the society. Governor said that it is time to take the fight one step further by amending the Protection against Domestic Violence Law, 2007 and also come up with strict punitive measures that would serve as a deterrent to perpetrators of such act. “Rape should not be met with light sentencing; the minimum sentence of 25 years is highly recommended. We need new laws, which will respond adequately to the nature and occurrences of this era. Domestic Violence is a crime, and should be treated as such. The Protection Against Domestic Violence Law, 2007, should therefore be amended accordingly.”
Governor Ambode said that in the last two and half years, the State has made a lot of progress in the war against the oppression of the female gender, and that the State’s Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Team has executed interventions and initiatives including easy access to reporting incidents, speedy rescue and access to justice, medical and psycho-social support for survivors, sensitization and policy advocacy and the establishment of the lagos state domestic and sexual violence trust fund to ensure survivors are financially independent. The Governor said however that his administration would not rest on its oars until the menace is totally eradicated. “A lot of progress has been made in the steps taken to protect the rights of women and the girl child and in the war against the oppression of the female gender. However, there is still so much to be done. We need to ask ourselves the hard question: for this cause we honour today, how can we truly ensure we are walking the talk? “What we are tackling today is an almost innate culture which relegates women to the background and forces them to suffer in silence. In Lagos, we are waging a war against this culture and we will do everything within our power to transform ours to a culture of equality, respect and dignity for all. It is a journey of radical transformation, and our government is wholly committed to seeing it through. “We are not just reactive in helping survivors but also taking aggressive steps to prevent future occurrences. Our aim is to build a system of trust and accountability, where survivors are encouraged to speak out and potential perpetrators are discouraged to commit future acts.” The Governor commended the Lagos State Judiciary for heeding the call to establish a Sexual Offences Court, just as he also lauded the State House of Assembly for enacting the Protection against Domestic Violence Law, 2007, the Child’s Right Law of Lagos State, 2015 and the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015, noting that all efforts was geared towards providing a solid platform for waging the war against Sexual and gender based Violence. Governor Ambode advised the Nigeria Police Force to strive to be more professional and ensure proper investigation of reported cases by grooming specialist officers, since they were mostly the first point of call for victims of sexual and domestic violence. “As the saying goes, the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, the next best time is now. We firmly believe that the actions we take today will be the seeds sown for a brighter future for our women and indeed, our children. We believe our State can continue to pioneer in this agenda and become a benchmark not just in Nigeria, but globally.” In her remarks, the Chief Judge commended Governor Ambode for leading the symbolic walk, saying the development as well as other efforts geared towards combating the menace eloquently confirmed the commitment of the State Government to reduce the menace to the bearest minimum, just as she urged victims to come out and seek justice. [myad]
The American Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, has assured President Muhammadu Buhari that his country will continue to support the challenges he is facing in administering the country.
Rex Tillerson, who was on a day official visit to Nigeria today, Monday, commended President Buhari on his strides in the anti-corruption war.
The US Scribe said that Nigeria is a very important country to his country, adding: “you have our support in your challenges. We will also support opportunities to expand the economy, commercial investments, and peaceful polls in 2019.”
President Buhari gave reasons why his government embarked on negotiation with Boko Haram insurgents for the release of abducted schoolgirls from Chibok and Dapchi, adding that one of the reasons is to ensure that the girls come back alive.
President Buhari said that Nigeria is working in concert with international organizations and negotiators, to ensure that the girls are released unharmed by their captors, saying: “we are trying to be careful. It is better to get our daughters back alive.”
The President thanked America for assistance rendered in the fight against insurgency, adding that Nigerian forces are good, “but need assistance in the areas of training and equipment.”
President Buhari promised that his administration would continue to do its best to secure the country, adding that he would be in Yobe State, from where Dapchi schoolgirls were abducted, later this week “as part of my condolence and sympathy visits to areas where we have had unfortunate events.”
The President pledged free and fair polls in 2019, recalling that the then American Secretary of State, John Kerry, had visited before the 2015 polls, “and he told the party in government then, and those of us in opposition, to behave ourselves, and we did.” [myad]
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Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode has thrown his weight behind the 25 years jail term for rapist and perpetrators of all forms of domestic violence, saying that the time has come to take aggressive steps to put a stop to the menace.
