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Tag: Task Force

  • Covid-19: Rescind decision to establish a parallel task force in Rivers State, NASS caucus tells IGP

    Covid-19: Rescind decision to establish a parallel task force in Rivers State, NASS caucus tells IGP

    …says it’s invitation to anarchy

    By Emman Ovuakporie

    The Rivers State National Assembly caucus on Tuesday condemned the establishment of a parallel task force in the state as this will lead to an invitation to anarchy.

    The Rivers NASS caucus in a briefing jointly addressed by the leaders of the caucus, Senator George Sekibo and Rep Kingsley Chinda declared that the action of the police was becoming and unbecoming in Rivers state.

    This development is sour and highly confrontational not only to the authorities of the Rivers State Government but to her citizens and residents. It is essentially, antithetical to and a reversal of the aims and purposes of the Covid-19 inter-state lockdown and measures to curb the pandemic thereto. It is in this regard, that we join the Rivers State Council of Traditional Rulers to request the Inspector-General of Police to reconsider this line of action. We run a Federal system of government and cannot afford to have two Chief Executives in Rivers State at the same time; that’s clearly an invitation to anarchy.

    Read full text of briefing:

    “This press interaction is necessitated by what has been reported in the media – print and electronic – wherein the Commissioner of Police for Rivers State, Mr. John Mukam acting under the instructions of the Inspector-General of Police, set up a parallel Task Force in the guise of a Technical Committee to ensure movement of agricultural products and other essential items into Rivers State; a committee saddled with the determination of who comes into Rivers State during this period of lockdown.

    ” In the last 48 hours that this disturbing action of the Police has been trending, we had expected the Inspector -General of Police to deny the report, but since he has not, it is well to hold that the action was actually his effort and intendment and hence this press interaction.
    “This development is sour and highly confrontational not only to the authorities of the Rivers State Government but to her citizens and residents. It is essentially, antithetical to and a reversal of the aims and purposes of the Covid-19 inter-state lockdown and measures to curb the pandemic thereto. It is in this regard, that we join the Rivers State Council of Traditional Rulers to request the Inspector-General of Police to reconsider this line of action. We run a Federal system of government and cannot afford to have two Chief Executives in Rivers State at the same time; that’s clearly an invitation to anarchy.

    For the avoidance of any ambiguity, we urge the Inspector General of Police to do first things first, which is, enforcing the ban on inter-state movement as ordered by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. It is the complete failure of the police in this regard that has worsened the Covid-19 pandemic, not only in Rivers, but nationwide.
    “The case of Rivers State now and indeed most Southern States is, every day, trucks ostensibly carrying food items come into Rivers State with 30-40 young men mischaracterized as “Almajaris”. These are able bodied young men leaving their to Rivers State under the eyes and watch of the Nigerian Police and utterly against the lockdown order of the State and Federal Governments. In this instance, the Rivers State Government reserves the right to stop such violation and punish the violators.

    ” While we cannot stop them between Kano and Abia States where the Nigeria Police freely allow them passage, we can stop them at our borders and within our territory. The whole idea of temporary ban on inter-state movement of passengers is to check new infestations and spread of Covid-19.
    “We join the Rivers State Council of Traditional Rulers to appeal to President Muhammadu Buhari to call the Inspector-General of Police and by extension the Rivers State Commissioner of Police to order, by restraining the Police from establishing a parallel government in Rivers State.
    We further call on Mr. President to order immediate investigation into why the ban on inter-state movement of passengers at this time has recorded near Zero compliance, despite the presence of the Nigeria police on our roads.

    In the face of inertia by the Police in enforcing inter-state ban on movement of passengers while young men from a particular part of the country are freely transported to Rivers State at this Covid-19 period, widening the powers of the Police in competition with the Rivers State Government singularly, will be interpreted by Rivers people as engaging the powers and apparatus of the federal government to enforce ethnic supremacy against the Rivers people, which every Rivers man or woman will not view lightly.
    “Let us for the up tent time reiterate in consonance with the Rivers State Council of Traditional Rulers that even if the action of the Inspector-General of Police is the current national policy, why must Rivers State be singled out to commence the policy? Why is it not of general application in other States of the Federation? We feel worried and sad that the entire drama playing out in Rivers State has a semblance of a premeditated ill-will against the good people of Rivers State.

    “We vehemently believe that it is not the intendment of Mr. President to establish a parallel government authority in Rivers State using the instrumentality of the Nigeria Police, and so do hereby appeal to Mr. President to nip this ugly development in the bud by restraining the Inspector-General of Police from establishing a parallel government in Rivers State by whatever name called.

  • Lockdown: Task Force says, we’ll be civil to civillians but… (VIDEO)

    Lockdown: Task Force says, we’ll be civil to civillians but… (VIDEO)

    Abuja finally lockdown as joint task force commander ask his team to be civil to those that are extremely civil but violators who want to spread coronavirus will be dealt with.

    Speaking in a trending video, the commander who was breaking his team into different formations cautioned his men but insisted they must be firm.

    Watch Video below:

     

    No vehicular object is allowed to move and people moving around are asked to properly identify themselves.

    Bikers who violated the no movement directive got their bikes seized by the task force.

  • Presidency gives task force two more weeks to clear Apapa gridlock

    Presidency gives task force two more weeks to clear Apapa gridlock

    The Federal Government has extended by two weeks, the time given to the Presidential Taskforce on the Apapa Traffic Gridlock to resolve the matter following a request for extension by members of the taskforce and other stakeholders.

    Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, approved the extension at a meeting of the Presidential Taskforce with stakeholders held at the Presidential Villa, earlier in the week.

    The taskforce, according to a statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Laolu Akande, commenced its assignment on May 24 and had up to June 7 to complete the assignment.

    He said that the panel is now expected to present a formal report at the end of its extended mandate on June 24.

    He said: “The presidential directive was issued for the clearing up of the Apapa gridlock and the restoration of law and order to Apapa and its environs within 2 weeks.“The directive followed an emergency meeting convened by President Muhammadu Buhari and chaired by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, on the 25th of April, 2019.

    “While the Vice President chairs the task force, its daily operations are supervised by an Executive Vice Chairman, Comrade Kayode Opeifa.”

    Membership of the team is drawn from the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC), Nigerian Ports Authority and the Nigerian Shippers Council.

    Other members include a special unit of the Nigeria Police Force led by a Commissioner of Police, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), representatives of the Truck Transport Union, the Lagos State Government through the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), and other relevant MDAs.

    Speaking on steps to be taken to find lasting solutions to the problem, Prof. Osinbajo added that “it will take both medium and long term solutions to ultimately enable us present to the users an efficient port environment for the economy and businesses to thrive.”

    He warned that “we will not allow any interests to undermine our nation’s economy”.

    The Vice President directed the NPA and other stakeholders to expedite action on the opening of additional truck parks and parking bays around Lagos as well as the commencement of the electronic call-up system at the Port.

    In his presentation at the meeting, Opeifa, the Executive Vice Chairman of the taskforce, summarised the progress made so far by the team.

    He said despite challenges experienced in the course of the assignment, it was able to record a significant compliance level of the presidential directive on the clearance of the Apapa gridlock.

    According to him, efforts are ongoing to open new parking bays for trucks around the port area and in other parts of Lagos, preparatory to the commencement of the electronic call-up system at the port– one of the measures proposed to ameliorate the hardship at the port area.