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Tag: State of Emergency

  • #EndSARS: Govt may declare state of emergency-Lawmaker cautions

    #EndSARS: Govt may declare state of emergency-Lawmaker cautions

    Temitope Adewale, a member of the Lagos State House of Assembly has urged young Nigerians to end the #EndSARS protests, warning that the government may be forced to declare a state of emergency or a lockdown if things continue to worsen.

    Adewale, who represents the Ifako-Ijaye state constituency, made this known on Instagram on Wednesday.

    The lawmaker asked the protesters, who are mainly youths, to appreciate the efforts of the government to meet their demands.

    He noted that if the protests continue, there may be counter-protesters by business owners and sponsored elements and this could lead to crisis, robbery and anarchy.

    Adewale wrote, “My dearest and greatest youths let’s take a break from the protest, back down for now and wait to see the promise of reforms they have made to us. If we don’t, I foresee counter-protests by youths, business owners, front liners and more will start whether sponsored or not, robbery, molestation and harassment will ensue and anarchy looms.

    “The government would deploy its security and anti-riot forces to end the crisis they would say was caused by we youths and impose lockdown and or state of emergency in the land then the police reform we want to see would not happen as they will focus on you and I.

    “Part of the constitution that favours the government will be evoked to protect lives and properties as the primary responsibility of the government. Please let’s consolidate on our win by organising ourselves to participate in the reform process and end this protest.

    “More than anything I am a youth and my name is Hon. Temitope Adewale, Member, Lagos State House of Assembly. God Bless us all.”

     

  • Political tension in Edo may lead to state of emergency, INEC warns

    Political tension in Edo may lead to state of emergency, INEC warns

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has warned that the fierce political tension brewing in Edo State ahead governorship poll may lead to a declaration of a state of emergency in the state.

    INEC National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Mr Festus Okoye, gave the warning in interaction with heads of media organisations in Benin.

    Okoye said the commission was ready for the Edo election but pleaded with leaderships of the political parties and their supporters to sheath their swords and maintain the peace for a hitch-free poll.

    He warned the political gladiators to conduct their campaigns within the ambit of the law.

    According to him, the ravaging COVID-19 pandemic has created an unusual electoral atmosphere never experienced before.

    “We are aware that INEC has never conducted elections under a pandemic situation.

    “Therefore, this pandemic will make us evolve new strategies for electoral officials, Adhoc staff, security agencies, voters and stakeholders. We don’t want anybody to jeopardise their health during the exercise and the commission will continue to fine-tune the electoral process within the ambit of the Constitution.

    “We have advised political parties not to play with end-of-tenure elections because anything that disturbs election from being conducted and concluded on or before November 10 will create a constitutional crisis that may lead to a state of emergency,” Okoye said.

    He said that should INEC be confronted with such a scenario, it could only be remedied in accordance with either Section 180, 191 or 305.

    “This will warrant the incumbent governor to seek President Muhammadu Buhari’s permission to declare a state of emergency in the state.

    “My advice to all the political gladiators is that they should play by the rules of the game to avoid constitutional crisis arising from the election,” Okoye said.

  • APC making desperate moves to postpone election, declare state of emergency in Edo – Obaseki

    APC making desperate moves to postpone election, declare state of emergency in Edo – Obaseki

    Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State, has accused the All Progressives Congress (APC), of working towards the postponement of the September 19 gubernatorial election in the state.

    He made the allegation on Sunday at an interactive session with journalists.

    Obaseki who is candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the election, alleged that the opposition party in the state did this by putting fear in the minds of the electorate, to prevent them from exercising their franchise.

    He further accused them of perpetrating “violence and create the impression that Edo State is not safe, such that the federal government could declare a state-of-emergency and postpone the election.”

    According to him, “When they [opposition party] come out, they behave so lawlessly as if there is no law.

    “The opposition party today understands how difficult it is for them to win election. Rather than trying to persuade people, they engage in all kinds of vicious propaganda.

    “They want to cause violence and anarchy so that the election will be postponed. We appeal to opposition party to allow peace reign in the land.

    “We are in government. If they want to come in, they should do what the people want,” he said.

    The governor, however, said that he “will continue to appeal to the federal government,” adding “we do not have the police and army.”

  • Omotola advocates state of emergency, revolution to fix Nigeria

    Nollywood star, Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde, has lamented the level of insecurity in the country and called for a state of emergency in troubled zones.

    She also said she believes Nigeria needs some kind of ‘revolution’ to get better.

    The 41-year-old actress said this while fielding questions from her fans in a tweet chat, #Osexyfriday, on Friday.

    “I am appealing to the government to immediately see to the rising rate of depression, suicide, police brutality, ritual killings and general lack of safety in the Country. It’s at an all-time high now, there should be a state of emergency declared,” Omotola said while tackling some pertinent questions.

    Asked why she did not openly support any presidential candidate in the last election, the actress gave her reasons.

    She said while she spoke in favour of non-establishment candidates, they started their campaigns late.

    “They all started late, I knew their chances were very slim. However, I did advice choosing from the new pool of presidential hopefuls,” Omotola said.

    The actress, who is also actively involved in activism and charity, also added that she did not think her support for any candidate could have made any difference.

    The mother-of-four also advocated for concerted efforts towards nation building.

    “I totally understand, however, Excuses won’t move us forward. We must be Angry enough and divert our Anger towards looking for real change. We need to know the use of political offices, ask questions and engage the leaders.

    “I hope soon we birth a Jerry Rawlins or something of that kind. We do need a revolution. Nigeria is too big and important for it to implode. However, there are still honest people. Don’t be discouraged,” she said.

    Away from national issues, the actress-cum-singer also cautioned against compromising career for a life partner.

    “A lot lies on your “choice” of a spouse. Are they understanding, mature minded and supportive?

    “Your spouse needs to be your career partner, knowing it’s both of you against the world. If not, it’s a rocky ride ahead. However, don’t compromise your career, it’s your sanity.”

    Asked what her biggest advice to a young person who has just come of age, she said, “I’ll say, don’t become a stranger. You’re becoming independent not escaping incarceration. Be realistic. Have a budget and still keep in touch with the big P. They love you.”

  • Zamfara killings: Yari back calls for state of emergency

    Governor Abdulaziz Yari of Zamfara State on Thursday threw his weights behind the call on President Muhammadu Buhari to declare a state of emergency on the state.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Yari, declared his support for emergency while addressing journalists in Gusau, the state capital.

    The governor returned to Zamfara on Thursday from Saudi Arabia where he was performing the lesser hajj when the latest spate of killing took place.

    The killings prompted protest by hundred of youth in Tsafe town in Tsafe Local Government Area of the state.

    The police said on Monday that it arrested 23 persons suspected to be involved in the protest.

    “I am also in support of the declaration of state of emergency if it will save the lives of people of the state,” Mr Yar said.

    He warned politicians against politicising the disturbing security situation in the state.

    “We are talking about the lives of our people and this needs the coming together of all, so that the crisis can end.

    “If the provisions of my office had allowed me to carry arms against the bandits, l would have done so.

    “But, if I am not around, there are capable hands that collaborate with the security team in the fight against the bandits.

    “The security men are doing their best.

    “But, it is sad to know that some of the people involved in the kidnappings are close relatives or associates of the victims, which is part of the reasons the problem is persisting.

    “We must all come together and expose anyone or group that is part of these hoodlums, and we should also pray for Allah’s intervention,” Mr Yari, Chairman of Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF), said.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that bandits had continued to elude security measures put in place by both the state and federal governments.

     

  • 2019 Budget: FG declares ’state of emergency’ on revenue collection

    The federal government on Tuesday declared a state of emergency on revenue generation in the country.

    The Director-General, Budget Office of the Federation, Ben Akabueze, disclosed this during his town hall meeting with Chief Executive Officer (CEOs) of government-owned enterprises (GOEs) in Abuja.

    Akabueze said the government has no option than to compel revenue generation agencies to do more on remittances of their operating surpluses to the national coffers, while ensuring stronger enforcement action against tax defaulters.

    According to Akabueze, after investing over N40trillion cumulatively in various GOEs, the returns to government coffers in terms of dividends or surpluses at the end of each operating years has been most dismal and insignificant.

    From records, the DG noted, most of the GOEs record less than one per cent return on actual performance, while a few others declare surpluses.

    “In effect, the Nigerian taxpayers/general public have not benefited much from these investments in the agencies,” he said.

    Out of the total projected N807.57billion independent revenues in 2017, he said only N216.66 billion, or about 26.8 percent performance, was remitted by GOEs and revenue generating MDAs.

    Besides, he said the federal government was not happy that many GOEs were owing the federation accounts trillions of naira in unremitted operating surpluses.

    Although remittances and collections by GOEs should contribute more significantly to government’s revenue, Mr Akabueze said records show few actually declare surpluses in 2017, with no prospects of having a better performance before 2018 ends.

    To reverse the ugly trend, he said President Muhammadu Buhari has mandated that urgent corrective measures be adopted to drive better performances from the GOEs, especially along the line of Execute Order 2 (EO2) of 2017.

    The Executive Order deals mainly with budget and process for GEOs and other government agencies as well as the Secretary to the Government of the Federation circular on the subject of the performance management framework for the GOEs.

    The DG said the town hall meeting was convened to let the agencies know the concerns of government and new strategies improve the situation.

    The meeting was attended by the Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Comptroller General of Nigeria Customs Service, the Group General Manager of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Ministry of Mines and Steel Development, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Department of Petroleum Resources.

    As part of the new measures to curb unauthorized management of government revenues, the DG said henceforth only the President has the power to transmit the budget of the GOEs to the National Assembly for appropriation.

    Besides, he said revenue generating agencies’ budgets may soon be captured in the national budget, to stop them from going to the National Assembly to defend their budgets as is the current practice.

    The new arrangement is captured under the EO2 and the 2019 medium-term expenditure framework (MTEF) of the nine revenue generating agencies.

    He, however, explained that capturing these agencies’ budgets in the national budget would not stop them from honouring invitations by the National Assembly to defend and clarify issues as may become necessary.

    “The current practice of sending separate budgets to the National Assembly by government agencies is an aberration”, he noted.

    Other initiatives adopted by the government to redress the revenue challenge include deployment of new/improved technology to boost revenue collection; upward review of tariffs and tax rates, and tighter performance management framework for GOEs.

    As part of the state of emergency to be declared on revenue generation, Mr Akabueze said henceforth it would be mandatory for all GOEs to use the Treasury Single Account (TSA) for all financial transactions as well as submission of quarterly remittance of interim operating surplus to replace the annual remittances.

    Also, all cumulative remittances by GOEs at the end of the year must be reconciled to amount due after an audit, with the accounts of GOEs to be audited within four months after the end of each financial year.

    In addition, the computation of the operating surplus of GOEs shall be reviewed to allow the deduction from the agency’s revenues of only operational expenses incurred in their operations; mandatory submission of annual budget for review at the Budget Office of the Federation to be submitted to the National Assembly by the President along with national budgets.

    Other reforms coming with the declaration of a state of emergency on revenue generation include institutionalized oversight mechanism through an inter-ministerial team, similar in operation to the Federation Accounts and Allocation Committee (FAAC), to periodically review and make public their findings on the operations and financial statements of all GOEs.

    Again, a revenue department in GOEs to be manned by Professional Treasury Officers from the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF) is to be established, while appropriate sanctions are to be institutionalized for utilization of internally generated revenues without approval or waiver from the Budget office.

     

  • Buhari declares state of emergency on water, sanitation sector

    Buhari declares state of emergency on water, sanitation sector

    President Muhammadu Buhari has declared a state of emergency on Nigeria’s water supply, sanitation and hygiene sector.

    Buhari made the declaration at the inauguration of the National Action Plan for Revitalisation of Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Sector at State House Conference Centre on Thursday in Abuja.

    He directed governments at all levels to intensify efforts and work towards meeting the nation’s water supply and sanitation needs.

    Buhari warned that henceforth Federal Government’s support to state governments would be based on their commitment to implementing the National WASH Action Plan in their respective states and to end open defecation by 2025.

    The president said the declaration had become critical to reduce the high-prevalence of water-borne diseases in different parts of the country, which has caused preventable deaths.

    He described statistics on open defecation, access to piped water services and sanitation in the country as ”disturbing”.

    “Access to piped water services which was 32 per cent in 1990 has declined to seven per cent in 2015; access to improved sanitation has also decreased from 38 per cent in 1990 to 29 per cent in 2015.

    “Our country now ranks number two in the global rating on Open Defecation as about 25 per cent of our population are practicing open defecation.

    “WASH services at the rural areas are unsustainable as 46 per cent of all water schemes are non-functional, and the share of our spending on WASH sector has been declining from 0.70 per cent of the GDP in 1990 to about 0.27 per cent in 2015, which is far below the 0.70 per cent at the West African regional level,” Buhari said.

    The president restated that the provision of potable water supply, adequate sanitation and hygiene were primarily the responsibilities of State and Local Governments.

    According to him, water supply and sanitation are not being given the required attention judging from the high prevalence of water-borne diseases that are being reported in different parts of the country.

    He said that the stakeholders could not and would not continue to allow the preventable occurrences to decimate Nigeria’s population.

    Buhari said that he was aware that Nigeria did not meet the MDG targets for Water Supply and Sanitation that ended in 2015.

    “The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) targets (6.1 and 6.2) for WASH are even more demanding as they require WASH services to be provided in adequate quantity and quality on premises at affordable prices.

    “This cannot be achieved if we continue with ‘a business as usual’ approach.

    “It is on this premise that I fully endorse the decision taken at the meeting of the Federal Executive Council in April this year to declare a State of Emergency on our WASH Sector.

    “I call on all state governments to complement this effort by according the sector similar recognition to enable us work together to achieve the SDG targets for WASH by 2030.’’

    At the federal level, Buhari pledged that his administration would continue to place priority on infrastructure development including those of water supply, sanitation and hygiene services towards ensuring a better life for Nigerians.

    According to him, the commitment is being demonstrated through faithful implementation of the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) – which is the present administration’s blueprint for infrastructure and economic development.

    “From the inception of this administration, we have demonstrated serious commitment to the development of the Water Sector by preserving the Ministry of Water Resources and subsequently approving the 15-year roadmap developed for the sector.

    “The transformation being witnessed in the sector since then is highly commendable.

    “I have no doubt that the on-going initiatives including the implementation of the Partnership for Expanded Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (PEWASH) in the Ministry will take the water sector to improved performance and supply, thereby meeting the national aspirations as well as the SDGs,” he said.

    The event was attended by representatives of state governments and development partners.

  • Buhari to declare state of emergency on water, sanitation November 8

    Suleiman Adamu, the Minister of Water Resources on Thursday said President Muhammadu Buhari would declare a state of emergency on water and sanitation come November 8.
    Mr Adamu made the disclosure during the Special Town Hall Meeting of the Federal Government held at Emeritus Prof. Theophilus Ogunlesi Hall of University College Hospital (UCH) in Ibadan.
    The town hall meeting was aimed at briefing the people on the achievements of the Buhari-led administration in infrastructure development.
    “I wish to inform you that for the first time in Africa, President Buhari is going to declare state of emergency on water and sanitation, precisely on November 8.
    The minister lamented about several abandoned water projects across the federation under the past administrations and said that sum of N3 billion would be provided annually to states with workable water master plans.
    “The existing master plan on water resources in the country was abandoned and contracts were awarded without recourse to the needs of the country.
    “To realise adequate water supply, we would increase our intervention to support state governments to N3 billion annually. This would be for states that have proper water master plan,” he said.
    He said government would also return the monthly environmental sanitation to address issue of open defecation and other sanitation issues.
    He said the federal government was working round the clock to provide adequate water supply to communities and cities across Nigeria.
    The minister said the present administration had inaugurated many water projects, among which he said were to cater for power supply, irrigation dams and domestic water supply.
    He said, “It is a shame that today, there is no single city in this country that can boast of pipe-borne water supply and 100 per cent coverage to all the citizens.
    “This is why the president has decided to take up the responsibility of supporting water infrastructure in Nigeria.’’
    The minister also said that the federal government was working on Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the World Bank to assist 6 cities in country on urban water supply.
    He added that government would also sign a partnership arrangement to improve on the Ikere Gorge Dam in Iseyin to harness its full potential.
     

  • Governors set to declare state of emergency in education sector

    Towards reviving the educational sector across the country, the National Economic Council (NEC) is putting finishing touches to declare state of emergency in education in all the states of the federation.
    The NEC, which comprises of the 36 state governors, will take a final decision on the proposed state of emergency in its next meeting.
    Briefing State House correspondents at the end of the NEC meeting chaired by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Edo State Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu, said that the Council received interim report from its Ad-hoc committee on the revival of education in Nigeria.
    According to him, the committee recommended that all state governors should declare a state of emergency on education.
    The areas to be focused on, he said, included technical education, basic education, promoting adult literacy,and out of school children.
    He said “It will be implemented so that we have a systematic growth in the education sector.
    “It is not going to be one of those documents that will be kept aside. It will be implemented to the letter.
    “The state of emergency should go beyond lip service.” he added

  • Declare state of emergency in health sector, Senate urges FG

    The Senate on Tuesday urged the Federal Government to declare a state-of-emergency in the country’s public health sector over decay of infrastructure.

    The Senate also urged the Federal Government to provide special funding for the overhaul of at least one public medical facility in each geo-political zone in the country.

    The resolutions were sequel to the unanimous adoption of a motion by Sen. Suleiman Hunkuyi (Kaduna-APC).

    Moving the motion, Hunkuyi expressed worry over increasing decay of infrastructure in the country’s healthcare institutions.

    He said that the “sorry state of affairs’’ in government hospitals and other healthcare facilities had rendered their services ineffective, resulting in dire consequences for the citizenry.

    According to him, the decayed infrastructure occasioned by epileptic power and inadequate water supply further increased the risk of hospital-transmitted infections.

    Hunkuyi added that critical diagnostic equipment essential for providing efficient diagnosis was either non-functional or not available.

    He pointed out that the situation had led to failure by the system to attract the required calibre of health professionals and skilled manpower to the public health institutions.

    “The situation in our public health institutions has resulted in increased medical tourism by Nigerians, with doctors and other healthcare professionals leaving for greener pastures to private medical facilities or even abroad.

    “This is with attendant outflow of foreign currency to the tune of several millions of dollars spent on medical care annually in Europe, America, Asia and some African countries to the detriment of our health institutions.

    “Recently, UNICEF in its latest statistics on child mortality ranked Nigeria second highest in the world with losses of about 2, 300 under-five years olds and 145 women of child-bearing age daily,’’ Hunkuyi said.

    Contributing, Sen. Abdullahi Sabi restated that the state of facilities in the country’s public health sector called for worry.

    According to him, over the years we talk about medical tourism and Nigeria has continued to witness capital flight.

    “You will agree with me that Nigerians are doing well outside and the question that rises is why are they not coming back?

    “If we provide solutions to reasons why they are not coming back, then we can attract them.

    “There is need to promote primary healthcare because something that can be tackled with right personnel and equipment eventually turns out to be chronic,’’ Sabi said.

    In his remark, President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki, stated that there was need for Federal Government to ensure compliance with the provision of the National Health Act.

    Saraki also said that the Senate, while working on the 2018 Appropriation Bill, would ensure adequate funding for primary healthcare services in the country.