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FG, Lagos prohibit #OccupyLekkiTollGate protest
…Organisers adamant
By Ayo Fadimu
The Federal Government as well as Lagos State government have prohibited the #OccupyLekkiTollGate protest scheduled for Saturday over intelligence report that it will be hijacked and used to destabilise the country.
In separate media briefing on Thursday in Abuja and Lagos, both the Federal and the state governments insisted that the protest should not hold as there is enough report that some hoodlums will hijack the protest and unleash mayhem in Lagos.
In Abuja, the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, at a media briefing to address issues on the proposed protest said based on intelligence at the disposal of the Federal government, some Nigerian activists have linked up with others outside Nigeria, including subversive elements, with a view to destabilising the country.
While admitting that peaceful protests are the constitutional rights of Nigerians, the minister said violent protests will not be allowed.
“At this time, the chances that any peaceful protest will be hijacked are very high.
“Based on the intelligence at the disposal of the Federal Government, some Nigerian activists have linked up with others outside Nigeria, including subversive elements, with a view to destabilising the country.
“We cannot and must not allow this to happen.
“Never again will the Federal Government allow the kind of violence that was perpetrated across the country under the guise of the EndSARS last October.
“Never again will anyone or group be allowed to destroy cities or to kill and maim innocent citizens, including security agents, under any guise,’’ he cautioned.
The minister warned those planning to re-occupy Lekki Toll Gate on Saturday to desist, stressing that any further resort to violence in the name of EndSARS will not be tolerated.
“The security agents are ready for any eventuality.
“A situation in which six soldiers and 37 policemen were murdered in cold blood by hoodlums will not repeat itself.
“The attack, looting and razing of 269 private and public property will not happen again and the killing of 57 civilians will not be re-enacted,’’ he said.
The minister said many of those who have been loudest on social media in advertising the plan to reconvene in Lagos on Saturday were not in Nigeria.
He said they were elsewhere around the world fanning the embers of violence and inciting gullible people back home.
Mohammed admonished Nigerians not to fall for their antics, adding that government will not allow a repeat of the kind of destruction, killing and maiming wrought by the hijackers of EndSars protests.
The minister said the federal government is also keenly watching the role being played by the various social media platforms in the renewed clamour for violence in the country.
He recalled that the social media platforms were used to fuel the destructions during the EndSARS protest.
He therefore called on Nigerians to learn from the lesson of the past and not allow people to use the platforms to destroy the country.
For those using justice as an alibi for the protest, the minister said they should file their complaints at the Judicial Panels of Inquiry set up by Lagos State Government.
“Like we have said many times, anyone who has any information on the alleged shooting or purported massacre at the Lekki Toll Gate, including the names and addresses of those who were purportedly killed, should head to the Panel to give it such information.
“This is how to enhance the search for justice, not by rabble rousing or engaging in media shows,’’ he said.
He stressed that while the government believed in the constitutionally-guaranteed right of citizens to engage in peaceful protests, it would not fold its arms and watch the country destroyed.
Similarly in Lagos, the state government during a joint press conference held at Ikeja by the Commissioner for Justice/Attorney General of Lagos, Mr Moyosore Onigbanjo, SAN, Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, and Commissioner of Police, Mr Hakeem Odumosu.warned both the organizers of the protest and counter protest to desist as police will not allow any action to take place.
Odumosu said that the security intelligence gathered by the police command indicated that the “#OccupyLekkiTollGate” protest and planned counter rallies would degenerate into a breakdown of law and order.
According to him, the police will not allow any group to carry out the action.
He said that adequate arrangements on the deployment of security forces had been put in place to stop any violent protest, gathering and procession in any part of Lagos.
Odumosu said that the police command would rise in protection of law-abiding residents from any form of the violence.
“The police command has gathered credible intelligence that some hidden agents of destruction and shadow parties that orchestrated the last EndSARS violence have concluded plans to cause another mayhem in Lagos and spread the same to other parts of the country, tactically and spontaneously, like the recent violence.
“Premised on the available intelligence and due threat analyses carried out on the planned protest, the Police Command perceives such proposed protest as a calculated attempt to cause pandemonium and massive destruction of lives and property under whatever guise; such will not be allowed to hold in Lagos.
“The decision of the command in this regard is in the interest of all and sundry in Lagos and to ensure that the statutory responsibilities of the Nigeria Police Force are not compromised.
“I, therefore, appeal to the general public, particularly parents and guardians, to discourage and warn their children and wards to ignore any unreasonable call or mobilisation for protest or gathering which runs against the existing peace and security situation of the state,” he said.
The commissioner for justice, in his remark, said that the government acknowledged the rights of the citizens to a lawful assembly and freedom to express their feelings as guaranteed by Section 39 and 40 of the Constitution.
Onigbanjo, however, said that the rights did not give any citizen the freedom to block highways and prevent other citizens from moving freely within the state.
He said that the government would not allow any group to push the state, once again, to the edge of carnage, hence, those organising the “Occupy Lekki Toll Gate” and “Defend Lagos” protests should desist from the planned action.
According to him, the state government’s respect for the citizens’ rights to protest should not be seen as a licence to break the laws.
He warned that any individual or corporate organisation that incites an action leading to the destruction of public and private property would be prosecuted and be made to pay damages.
The Attorney General also said that the public health crisis occasioned by the spread of deadly variants of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) should discourage anyone attempting to assemble people for the planned protests.
He urged all groups to consider COVID-19 protocols that limit public gathering not to be more than 50 persons.
Onigbanjo, therefore, directed the state’s Police Command to stop opposing groups from holding rallies in Lekki and any other parts of Lagos.
The Commissioner for Information and Strategy said that the steps taken by the state government on the planned protest was not to take away the fundamental rights of the citizens, but to prevent re-enactment of the event that led to destruction of public and private assets in October 2020.
Omotoso sued for peace, urging the organisers of the planned protests and rallies to allow the Lagos Judicial Panel of Inquiry conclude its investigation on what transpired between the military and EndSARS protesters.
“We believe this kind of tension and anxiety being brought forward by the planned protest will not allow the panel to do a thorough job.
“If the authorities allow the protest and counter rallies to go on, there would be a breakdown of order and Lagos is not ripe for such action.
“It is on this premise that the state government is appealing to all parties to thread with caution. Both sides have the right to express their feelings, but the time is wrong,” he said.
In the meantime, organisers of the planned protest at the Lekki tollgate have said the ban on cryptocurrency accounts among other reasons triggered their action.
They gave the reasons in a press statement made available to our correspondent titled, ‘EndSARS Season 2; Why we will #OccupyLekkiTollGate on Saturday – Campaigners’, on Thursday.
According to the statement, the cause of the planned protest is beyond the ruling of the Lagos State Judicial Panel probing alleged killings of #EndSARS protesters at the Lekki toll gate on October 20, 2020.
The organisers explained that they are undaunted by threats by security operatives and counter-protesters under the aegis of #DefendLagos.
The statement read, “After commiting genocide by killing scores of people who were peacefully protesting at Lekki Tollgate and other parts of Lagos, Governor Sanwo-Olu and other oppressors wants to spit on the dead and dance on the blood of the innocent by reopening the yahoo gate to be collecting their blood money as again.
“We say NO! We are undaunted! We will be occupying Lekki Tollgate again starting from Saturday February 13. We urge all well-meaning Nigerians to storm back all the barricades as our rulers have shown that they can never change. Since the #EndSARS, they are yet to effect any of the promises. Police brutality is still raging and SARS is still operating.
“Despite overwhelming and highly compelling evidence showing how several protesters were shot by the military, no single military personnel has been brought to book.
“Deaths have been established and many victims of the Lekki shootings have surfaced, yet neither the victims nor families of our deceased colleagues have got justice.
“After close to five months of sitting, the judicial panel meant to inquire into the Lekki massacre has refused to deliver justice to victims of the massacre most of whom have either lost their limbs due to gun wounds or have become deceased.
“Government has refused to provide employment for young people, yet they went ahead to ban the most promising source of income of young people; cryptocurrency.
“Nigerians are extremely poor and yet the cost of food is on the high side with increased cost of electricity that only produces darkness. Petrol price is being increased as marketers want it at #190 per litre.
“Nigerians are no longer secured in any part of the country; when they are not being harassed or extrajudicially murdered by police, they are being kidnapped, mimed and killed by bandits.
“Today, the life of cows have become more valuable than those of Nigerians even as our streets and communities have fallen to the rule of kidnappers and bandits.
“The Nigerian government now negotiates and enriches terrorists and bandits while chasing after, arresting, shooting and killing protesters.
“It is to this end that we call on you all to come out enmasse to demand not just justice for victims and fallen heroes of the October 20 killings but that all involved in this heinous criminality be brought to book. Come out to demand the right to life and to exist in a country that respects our rights as citizens, abhors police brutality/extrajudicial killings, provides us with security, decent jobs with good wages and other such socio-economic rights that come with being a citizen.”
By Matthew Denis
In a bid to enhance economic growth, President Ahmed Tinubu has promised to inject a whopping sum of N2trillions into the economy.
The President stated this while inaugurating a 31-man Presidential Economic Coordination Council (PECC), drawn from different sectors of society and the economy
The inauguration comes three months after the President established the committee on March 27, 2024.
After inaugurating the council, President Tinubu presented the outcomes of his review of the accelerated stabilization and advancement plan, which seeks to inject a total of N2 trillion into the economy in the next six months.
The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, who led selected members of the council to brief journalists after the briefing, gave a breakdown of the areas to benefit from the emergency funding including Health, Agriculture, Energy/Power and other areas.
“The president has just inaugurated the Presidential Economic Coordination Council and that is a body that is made up of the President’s Economic Management Team, the Legislature, represented by the leaders of the National Assembly; the Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, as well as very importantly, the sub-nationals, represented by the chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum, and, of course, the elite of the private sector.
“They were presented with the outcomes of Mr. President’s review of the accelerated stabilization and advancement plan and that was an emergency plan to cover the next six months, which Mr. President had directed that a combination of his own Economic Management Team and the sub nationals, the governor’s level, and the private sector put together for his consideration.
The sum of that very important exercise is that a N2 trillion package involving N350 billion funding for Health and Social Welfare; N500 billion funding for Agriculture and Food Security; N500 billion for the Energy and Power sector and general business support of about N650 billion.
“In addition to a range of policy measures and tax measures, there is a range of executive orders which Mr. President has signed and which are being gazetted to ease the cost of doing business at this particular time”, he said.
President Tinubu announced the constitution of the Council, which he personally chairs, in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, of March 27, 2024.
Other members of the PECC are Vice President Kashim Shettima, Vice-Chairman; President of the Nigerian Senate; Chairman, Nigeria Governors’ Forum; Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance; Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria; Ministers of Agriculture and Food Security; Aviation and Aerospace Development and Budget and Economic Planning.
The song of that very important exercise is that a N2 trillion package involving N350 billion funding for Health and Social Welfare; N500 billion funding for Agriculture and Food Security; N500 billion for the Energy and Power sector and general business support of about N650 billion.
“In addition to a range of policy measures and tax measures, there is a range of executive orders which Mr. President has signed and which are being gazetted to ease the cost of doing business at this particular time”, he said.
Recall that Tinubu had announced the constitution of the Council, which he personally chairs, in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, of March 27, 2024.
Top members of the PECC are Vice President Kashim Shettima, Vice-Chairman; President of the Nigerian Senate; Godswill Akpabio, Chairman of Nigeria Governors’ Forum; Abdulrahkan Abdulrasaq , Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance; Wale Edun , Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria; Yemi Cardoso, Ministers of Agriculture and Food Security; Aviation and Aerospace Development and Budget and Economic Planning.
The council also comprises 13 persons drawn from the organised private sector including the Chairman of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote; UBA Chairman, Mr. Tony Elumelu; BUA Founder, Abdulsamad Rabiu, among others.
The members of the organised private sector would serve on the council for a one-year tenure.
They include Ms. Amina Maina, Mr. Begun Ajayi-Kadir, Mrs. Funke Okpeke and Dr. Doyin Salami, Mr. Patrick Okigbo, Mr. Kola Adesina, Mr. Segun Agbaje, Mr. Chidi Ajaere, Mr. Abdulkadir Aliu and Mr. Rasheed Sarumi.
The move is “in furtherance of his administration’s efforts at re-engineering the nation’s economic governance framework,” the Presidency said in a statement signed by Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, in late March.
The statement is titled ‘President Tinubu establishes comprehensive economic coordination and planning system for Nigeria.’
It came weeks after the President created an economic advisory committee comprising the federal government, sub-nationals, and the private sector, on February 25.
Top Story
#BigSamBigImpact: Old students to inaugurate, name library after NewsDirect Founding Publisher, Samuel Ibiyemi
…Ex-Ogun NUJ chairman calls for annual program to honour late NewsDirect publisher
By Omobolaji Adekunle
The Olode Grammar School Old Students Association has announced plans to rename the school library after Late Dr Samuel Folorunsho Ibiyemi, a renowned journalist and founding publisher of Nigerian NewsDirect in recognition of his contributions to the school and the community.
Ibiyemi who was a past president of the Rotary Club of Ota has donated over 200,000 books to the school library, which has been a valuable resource for students and teachers.
This was disclosed on Thursday by the National President of the Olode Grammar School Old Students Association, Dr. Salau Dauda Folaranmi, during the first year remembrance of the late publisher at his residence.
According to the National President, “We will renovate the library and dedicate it to his memory. He loved people, assisted people, and donated 200,000 books to the school, which has been beneficial to teachers and students.”
Also, Engr. Niyi Adegoke, a Rotarian of the Rotary Club of Ota, suggested the idea of renaming the library after Ibiyemi, saying, “Late Samuel Ibiyemi was a very active member of the club, and he lived his life for humanity. He was a philanthropist, and we will support the initiative to ensure that the project comes to reality.”
In the same vein, Former Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Ogun State Chapter and current Senior Special Assistant to the National President of the NUJ, Wole Shokunbi, has paid a heartfelt tribute to the late Samuel Ibiyemi, a renowned journalist and publisher.
Shokunbi, who described Ibiyemi as a mentor and brother, recalled their close relationship, which spanned over two decades.
He praised Ibiyemi’s commitment to developing people and bringing joy to others, even at his own detriment.
Shokunbi called for Ibiyemi’s immortalisation, suggesting that the NUJ and the Guild of Editors come together to organise an annual program in his memory.
He also promised to take action to support the family, saying, “We will get back to the family soon.”
…Governor launches special health insurance scheme for all Lagos retirees
By Esther Agbo
Lagos State announced that it has achieved a significant milestone in pension administration by clearing a longstanding backlog, disbursing a total of N4,461,659,536.82 to 2,000 retirees.
This accomplishment follows a previous payment of N3.1 billion to 1,013 retirees earlier this year, marking a commitment fulfilled.
Employees of Lagos State Government who retire from the civil service will now get their full pension benefits and gratuity immediately after retirement.
This unprecedented record has just been set by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who fulfilled his promise to settle all arrears and current pension liabilities in the State’s public service.
Sanwo-Olu, on Thursday, presented pension bond certificates totaling N4.5 billion to 2,000 retirees at the 105th Retirement Benefit Bond Certificate Presentation Ceremony hosted by Lagos State Pension Commission (LASPEC) in Oregun.
The clearing of the accrued pension liability essentially implies that the State Government owes no outstanding pension benefits and any form of entitlement to any individual who retired from its public service.
By implication, fresh retirees will no longer wait endlessly after service before being paid their retirement benefits. Settlement of the State’s pension backlog has transitioned Lagos pension administration from servicing a liability to an era of pay-as-you-go.
Besides, Sanwo-Olu launched a special health insurance scheme for all living retirees, who served the State.
The Governor said the development marked a milestone in the State’s pension administration, stressing that the new template of “Pay-As You-Go” had prioritised quick payment of accrued rights in order to ensure retirees in the State enjoy dignity and financial stability after their retirement.
He said, “Today, we mark the 105th Retirement Bond Certificate presentation and I am pleased to present bond certificates worth a total of N4,461,659,536.82 to 2,000 retirees from our civil service.
“This development marks a historic milestone as our dear State transitions into a new era of Pension Administration known as ‘Pay-As You-Go.’ From now on, all retirees of the State Government will be paid as they retire, provided all procedures and approvals have been completed before retirement.
”We have strategically prioritised clearing all backlogs of Accrued Rights payments to ensure our retirees enjoy dignity and financial stability after retirement. This commitment extends to the welfare of both current and former members of our workforce, recognising their unblemished careers in the State’s public service.
“These funds, along with their monthly contributions, have already been remitted into their respective Retirement Savings Accounts with the Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs).”
Sanwo-Olu said Lagos was the first State in the country to embrace the Contributory Pension Scheme when it commenced in 2004, pointing out that the State Government had paid N141.2 billion to 35,191 retirees till date.
Under his administration, the Governor disclosed that the State had paid N59.7 billion to 17,039 retirees over the last five years, making Lagos a top performer in pension payments.
Sanwo-Olu said the newly introduced health insurance scheme for the retirees was to further appreciate the service of the senior citizens in addition to payment of their financial entitlements.
He said, “We have also launched a Health Insurance Scheme tailored specifically for our retirees. This scheme will provide access to a wide range of medical services, from routine check-ups to specialised treatments.
“This initiative underscores our commitment to the well-being of our retirees, while ensuring that they receive not only what is due statutorily but also additional support and assistance to enhance your lives in retirement.”
LASPEC Director-General, Mr. Babalola Obilana, said the settlement of all backlogs of accrued rights demonstrated a significant achievement in public service, adding that the development reflected the Governor’s dedication to addressing the challenges faced by our retirees.
He said the Pay-As-You-Go template would help secure comfortable and dignified retirement for the retirees.
Head of Service, Mr. Olabode Agoro, observed that the Sanwo-Olu administration had been steadfast in recognising invaluable service of the State’s workforce, which made the Governor push all efforts to clear all backlogs of Accrued Rights Payments.
Agoro, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary in the Public Service Office, Mrs. Sunkanmi Oyegbola, said, “The State Government recognises and appreciates the remarkable contributions made by our esteemed retirees. Your commitment, dedication, and sacrifices have been instrumental in the achievements of our Public Service, which in turn have significantly contributed to the progress of our great State.”
Commissioner for Establishment and Training, Mr. Afolabi Ayantayo, said the transition to Pay-As-You-Go template had set a precedent for establishing a sustainable and dependable pension system, which would serve as a model in the country.
Ayantayo, represented by Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Establishments and Training, Mrs Olubukola Abidakun, noted that the ministry had worked collaboratively with LASPEC and PFAs to ensure the disbursement processes were efficient and transparent.
“This gesture will undoubtedly impact the lives of our retirees positively, rebuild trust in the State’s pension system, boost employee morale, enhance productivity and ensure that public servants can anticipate a secure retirement,” the Commissioner said.
The retirees, in appreciation of the Governor’s gesture, held a special prayer session for Sanwo-Olu and his Deputy, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat. The senior citizens also trooped out to dance with the Governor.
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