TheNewsGuru

Tag: Recommendations

  • #EndSARS judicial panel members react to Sanwo-Olu’s White Paper, responses to recommendations

    #EndSARS judicial panel members react to Sanwo-Olu’s White Paper, responses to recommendations

    A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa has promised a “no-holds-barred” response -at the appropriate time – to the White Papers released by the Lagos State Government on the Reports of the #EndSARS Judicial Panel of Inquiry (JPI).

    Adegboruwa, a member of the panel, said no member of the panel was informed of the release of the White Papers by the government neither were they given copies of the documents.

    In a statement titled “#EndSARS panel report: the siege is over”, he accused the government of creating the wrong impression of financial impropriety against panel members to distract the public.

    Adegboruwa said: “Since November 15, 2021, when the Reports of the #EndSARS Judicial Panel were submitted to the Lagos State Government, a good number of my colleagues, friends and admirers prevailed on me to refrain from further public pronouncements on the activities and reports of the Panel since the government was studying the said reports.

    “Upon the submission of the said reports, lawyers on the payroll of the government and other employees of the government took turns to denigrate the reports, on national television, in paid adverts in newspapers and on the social media.

    “Ministers in the Cabinet of the Federal Government have also commented on the said reports, in some cases calling members of the Panel unprintable names and even comparing victims of brutality and human rights abuses to goats and taunting their already traumatized families and friends.

    “On November 30, 2021, the government released two separate White Papers, to the general public. The Panel was not informed of this action and it was not availed copies of the said White Papers, till this moment.

    “The Committee that reviewed the Reports of the Panel and which produced the White Papers was headed by the Honourable Attorney-General of Lagos State.

    “On December 1, 2021, the Honourable Attorney-General of Lagos State was a guest on Arise Television, where he took time to discuss the Reports of the Panel and the contents of the White Papers that his Committee produced. The impression was also created that the Panel mismanaged funds released to it.

    “It has become necessary therefore for me and all other Members of the Panel to study the White Papers and make appropriate responses thereto. There will be no-holds-barred, since the government itself has opened the doors for public scrutiny of the report and the white papers.

    “For the records, the Panel relied upon the evidence of witnesses, documents tendered before it and the goodwill of the people of Nigeria, throughout its assignment.

    “It is painful for me and the Panel that the government is creating the wrong impression of financial impropriety as a tool of distraction when the Panel had a Secretariat that managed all its funds, through the Ministry of Justice.

    “Although I served on the Panel free of charge without collecting a dime, I know as a fact that other members served sacrificially, giving up their time, families and careers for a whole year.

    “At the appropriate time, we will respond to all the inaccuracies, the coverups and the inconsistencies contained in the White Papers released by the government.

    “Assuredly, nothing can ever cover the truth. What happened at the Lekki Toll Gate on October 20, 2020, was already in the public domain, those who received the bullets knew what happened and the doctors that treated them knew what happened. The Panel reports only confirmed what most Nigerians already knew.”

  • #EndSARS: Lagos releases two-part White Paper; accepts 11 of 32 recommendations, modifies six, rejects one, to forward others to FG [Documents Attached]

    #EndSARS: Lagos releases two-part White Paper; accepts 11 of 32 recommendations, modifies six, rejects one, to forward others to FG [Documents Attached]

    The Lagos State Government on Tuesday night released the White Paper on the #EndSARS Panel of Inquiry report.

    According to the government, 11 out of the 32 recommendations made by the panel, have been accepted, six others were accepted but with modifications, while one was rejected.

    The document also says 14 of the recommendations fall outside the powers of the state and will consequently be forwarded to the Federal Government for consideration.

    A leaked version of the report had indicted the Nigerian Army and the Lagos State Government in the killing of unarmed protesters and a subsequent cover-up of the incident at the Lekki Toll Gate on October 20, 2020.

    But after the panel submitted its findings to Governor Sanwo-Olu, he set up a four-member committee led by the Lagos State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Moyosore Onigbanjo (SAN), giving them two weeks to raise the White Paper on the reports submitted by the panel.

    At a press briefing on Tuesday, the Governor said the leakage was “regrettable”.

    “While I commend the panel for undertaking its task to the best of its abilities, it is however regrettable that the panel’s work and the leakage of an unauthorized version of the report have generated much tension. Sadly, a deep wound has been reopened,” he added.

    The governor, however, assured Lagosians that his administration remains committed to justice and truth.

    Speaking further, he announced that he had initiated a peace walk as part of efforts to ensure harmony in the state.

    “To quicken recovery and engender a better understanding, I will lead ‘A Walk for Peace’ in December to herald the healing of the land.

    “I have extended an open invitation to the youths, members of the diplomatic corps, civil society groups, students and the media, as well as other stakeholders to join me in this peace walk,” Sanwo-Olu said.

    Below is a copy of the 22-page White Paper on the report of the incident at the Lekki Toll Gate on October 20, 2020, and a second report on general incidents of police brutality in Lagos State.

     

     

    White Paper 2 on the report of general police brutality in Lagos State.

  • [FULL LIST] Senate adopts 20 recommendations to improve security

    In a bid to improve security and curb killings across the country, the Senate on Thursday received and adopted the report from its Security Summit.

    The summit which held from February 8 to 12 in Abuja was organised by the National Assembly with the aim to proffer solutions to the growing rate of insecurity in the country.

    The Senate Leader, Ahmed Lawan (APC, Yobe North) presented the report to the upper chamber after over four months.

    The report, which has 20 recommendations, called on the federal government to make more recruitments in to the various security agencies in the country as the current personnel are overstretched.

    In the report, the Senate also called for low-interest rate loans for herders to develop ranching businesses in the country as well as integrate the Almajiri system with the formal educational system.

    Read the full recommendations below:

    20 Recommendations from the Report of the Nigerian Senate’s Security Summit Nigerian Senate’s Security Summit

    1. The nation’s basic security infrastructure must be comprehensively reviewed and strengthened. The Nigerian political structure must be a major factor in the review of the nation’s security apparatus.
    2. The security challenges of the nation must be isolated from political partisanship, and ethno-religious sentiments. Political activities must not fuel the further deterioration of the nation’s national security.
    3. The national security structure of the nation must be revised by the Presidency to address the gaps in coordination, collaboration and synergy. Additionally, clear lines of authority and responsibility for national security issues must be identified and adopted.
    4. In order to increase the capacity of the Nigerian police, military and other para-military agencies (who are currently overstretched) to respond to national security issues, the federal government must ensure that there is further recruitment in these organisations.
    5. Ensure that the collaboration between federal security and law and order agencies must be reviewed in order to reduce the exposure of citizens to extra-legal influences.
    6. Investments by the federal government must be made in order to incorporate technology into the core of Nigeria’s national security architecture and management.
    7. Nigeria must reduce its dependence on importing its basic security equipment and must immediately develop its internal research and development capacities in order to meet our basic national security needs.
    8. The Nigerian judiciary must operate with the highest standards of justice in order to ensure that citizens have confidence in our judicial system’s ability to freely and fairly dispense of justice.
    9. The nation must examine options other than the use of force in its response to national security issues. The nation must develop strategies to improve the chances of resolving conflicts without resorting to the use of force.
    10. The nation must immediately develop a strategy to limit the proliferation of firearms and other light weapons amongst the citizens.
    11. Nigeria must assert its sovereignty amongst its neighbours, particular in the areas of arms control, drugs, terrorism, transhumance and economic sabotage. Additionally, all international commitment that impact our domestic national security must be reviewed.
    12. The international commute has demonstrated its willingness to support Nigeria in the fight against violent groups. In this regard, the nation must improve in areas that inhibit its support from the international community — particularly in the areas of human rights, accountability and transparency.
    13. The presence of millions of IDPs in the North-East and millions of other who have had no education or strong social links presents a potent threat the present and future security of the nation. The nation must immediately develop careful policies and initiatives that are aimed at addressing the reconstruction, rehabilitation, and development of the North-East and the development of the uneducated members of our society.
    14. The national growing population may become a major threat to its future, unless substantial and sustained investments are made in the areas of human capital development, particularly education and health. In this regard, a visionary strategy must be developed for the national economy that is aimed at providing quality education, skills development and employment for our nation’s young people.
    15. Corruption and waster are threats to our national security. In this regard, a strong political will, effective policies and improvements must be made to ensure the efficiency of institutions.
    16. The entire focus of governments across all levels must target poverty reduction, as poverty is a threat to national security. All current policies must be re-evaluated to ensure that they are effective.
    17. The nation must develop its knowledge and skills in managing its extensive forest reserves in order to turn them into assets. This is because the nation’s demographic indices indicate shifts in our population size, composition, land use and impact of the environment on human economic activities.
    18. There is a need to generate the strong political will to improve the policy, legislation, regulatory and enforcement capacities to reduce the damage of the production, importation and consumption of illicit drugs in the nation — which represent a major threat to national security.
    19. The Federal and State governments should work out a strategy to integrate the Almajiri system with the formal western educational system.
    20. The Federal Government should provide low-interest rate loans for herders to develop ranching businesses in the country.

  • Killings, communal crisis persistent in North because govt failed to implement our recommendations – Sultan

    The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Abubakar Sa’ad III, has attributed incessant killings and other crisis particularly in the Northeast, to government’s failure at both the local, state and federal levels to implement several recommendations of the traditional rulers.

    The monarch, who spoke on Monday in Kaduna State, at a meeting of the Northern Traditional Rulers’ Council, said issues affecting the people, good governance and justice to all would be discussed.

    He said: “I am the leader of Fulani in this country, and in the West African sub-region. I live with so many people and I know their problems, and I will never call on any Fulani to pick up arms to kill anybody.

    “I have said it severally, those killing are criminals, and whoever you are, whether Igbo, Hausa, Yoruba or Fulani, you have no right to take up arms and kill anybody.

    “If you see such things happening, then there must be a failure of government, but if the government wakes up to its responsibility, some of these things will not happen.

    “As usual, we will discuss issues affecting the country, and at the end of the meeting, a communiqué will be issued and sent to our political leaders to see if they will implement any of our recommendations.

    “We don’t have the power to force anybody to implement anything. As royal fathers and religious leaders, we can only recommend certain things and advise because leadership is not a monopoly of one individual, group or society; it’s a responsibility for all, both the lead and the leader. And people must listen to those leading so that we all can be on the same page as we struggle to build our Nigeria where no man is oppressed.

    “I want our brothers from the South to tell us things they are not comfortable with, which are being done here, because all of you here are representatives of your various communities living with us.

    “Tell us what you think we should do to make life better for everybody, and we will tell you too what to do to make life better for our people living with you, because we are a great family and we will continue to extend that hand of love to everybody, irrespective of tribe or religion or political lineage”

    “We keep on calling on everyone to maintain peace and allow the constituted authority take up this issues. We will continue to pressurise them, untill they find solution to this dastardly act.

    “We will talk about issues affecting our women and youth – drug abuse – it has been there and getting out of hand, we will discuss this during the meeting to see how we can assist the authorities on how to bring this to the minimum level.

    “Drug abuse by women and youth is a very serious issue, we will discuss that and other insecurity issues affecting this country.

    “We will also discuss issue concerning the IDPs, because I was told there is about 50,000 orphans in each camp. If we allow those children to grow up in IDP camps, without knowing their parents, then we have a big problem in our hands.

    “We will know how we can take some of them as our own children. We have started doing that, we have taken 150 children, and we will educate them to highest level.”

     

  • Implement recommendations of Jonathan’s 2014 confab report, Senate tells FG

    As a way of finding long lasting solutions to Nigeria’s myriads of challenges especially as it relates to the recent agitation for secession by some tribes, the Senate on Wednesday at plenary advised the President Muhammadu Buhari led Federal Government to consider the report of the National Conference held in 2014.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that former President Goodluck Jonathan convened the National Conference in 2014 to proffer inclusive solutions to Nigeria’s ethic, economic and security challenges.

    Members of the Senate made the resolution at a plenary on Wednesday after debating a motion sponsored by 107 lawmakers titled, “The Need for National Unity and Peaceful Co-existence in Nigeria.”

    The lawmakers took turns to highlight the socio-political and economic challenges facing the country, which most of them agreed were the causes of the regional unrests in the country.

    While some senators called for the restructuring of the country’s federal system, others called for the application of law against persons and groups making inflammatory statements which they believed could worsen the unrests in the country.

    The Senate, however, spoke clearly against secession or breakage of the country, stating that the unity of the nation was not negotiable.

    The lawmakers unanimously granted the prayers of the motion, which included ‘conveying the commitment of all Nigerians that we live together in unity and harmony as one indivisible, indissoluble sovereign nation under God’.

    They also urged all Nigerians to desist from actions and utterances capable of jeopardising the corporate existence of the nation.

    The first lawmaker to call for the submission of the confab report to the legislature was Senator Adamu Aliero (Kebbi-Central).

    He stated that it was the best way to resolve the issues affecting the country.

    The lawmaker noted that Nigerians had come from a long way since the amalgamation of the Northern Protectorate and Southern Protectorate in 1914.

    Aliero said, “We have to live together and the corporate existence of this country cannot be negotiated. Nigeria must remain one indivisible and indissoluble entity. I agree that there are problems; there are challenges and those challenges should be addressed. And that was why in 2014 the then president, Goodluck Jonathan, decided to convoke what was called a National Conference and it was a conference where all the ethnic nationalities, states and geopolitical zones were represented.”

    “All the issues affecting the unity and stability of this country were thoroughly discussed under the leadership of Justice Idris Kutigi (retd.) and co-chaired by Prof Bolaji Akinyemi. A lot of recommendations were made to address these challenges.

    “I will recommend that the Senate should ask for those recommendations to be tabled before the National Assembly because a lot of recommendations on all the agitations in all the geopolitical zones were addressed. I don’t know why we are not asking for those recommendations to be brought to us. They should be implemented where necessary.”

    Senator Jonah Jang (Plateau-North) said he supported Aliero on the call for the 2014 confab report. The lawmaker recalled that he was one of those who fought the Civil War to keep Nigeria united. He warned that no nation had fought two civil wars and survived, and Nigeria would not be a different case.

    In his remarks, Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, explained that the report was sent to the 7th National Assembly towards the close of the legislature, the reason why it was dropped.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports their has been calls from different quarters for the implementation of the Confab report by the incumbent administration.