Build infrastructures in Nigeria, not Niger Republic, HURIWA tells Buhari
Wants ex- service chiefs confirmed as ambassadors
HUMAN Rights Writers Association of Nigeria ( HURIWA) has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to be a patriot and statesman by building national strategic infrastructure such as railways, bridges, roads and other assets within Nigeria, rather than wasting Nigerian public funds on building railway lines to Maradi in Niger Republic.
The group faulted Buhari’s “futile effort to justify this illegal expenditure of over a billion United States dollars to build railway lines to Niger Republic when the entire South East of Nigeria and the major parts of Niger Delta regions have no functional railways.
“The President is committing illegality by deploying borrowed funds to set up infrastructure in another country but will force Nigeria to repay the loan from China which was never spent to the benefits of Nigeria,” it said.
On the need for National Assembly to confirm the newly appointed ambassadors, HURIWA said “since there is no extant law stopping the immediate past security chiefs from being posted out as envoys soon after their disengagement, there is no justification for the criticisms of their selection by President Buhari.
In a letter dated February 9, 2021, and endorsed by the National Coordinator Emmanuel Onwubiko and the National Media Affairs Director, Zainab Yusuf, the rights group said if the nominations were not confirmed, it would dampen the morale of servicemen who would believe that there is no need for them to be absolutely loyal to the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
THE increasing spate of rape cases in Bauchi State has become a source of worry to the Governor, Bala Mohammed, who described the act as a “monster” haunting the womenfolk.
While launching the 20212024 ‘ State Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security’ yesterday in Bauchi, the governor promised that the Violence Against Persons
Prohibition ( VAPP) Bill, which was recently passed by the House of Assembly, would soon be fully domesticated and implemented to tackle human rights violations.
He further explained that the state government recognised that a lot of violence was being unleashed on women and, as such, the government had been trying to involve them in governance.
“Women have always been a stabilising factor and I’ve always found them to be exceptionally reliable, dependable and trustworthy. Unfortunately, a lot of things are happening. Our women are in danger and we, the men, must summon the courage to tell ourselves the truth,” he said. Describing rape as a monster in the state, Mohammed said: “Yes! We have come up with the VAPP law. It has a lot of gaps and we are reviewing that law, so that it would be in tandem with our beliefs, tradition and culture.
“What we did initially was to take it because we were in a hurry to make sure that we provide a legal and legislative framework for this action plan, but we are fully domesticating it.”
The governor further revealed that the state government was expediting plans to ensure that the Child Rights Act was domesticated in the state.
AMALGAMATED Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service, Technical and Recreational Services Employees ( AUPCTRE), Public Services International ( PSI) and Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa ( CAPPA) have urged Nigerians to mobilise against the National Water Bill being planned for representation to the National Assembly.
The groups stated this, yesterday, at a one- day parley organised by Labour, CSO and Communities’ Consultation on the National
Water Bill 2020 in Lagos, insisting that the consultation was informed by the need for heightened engagement with critical stakeholders to again reaffirm opposition to the bill as the House of Representatives has perfected plans to represent it for consideration.
Executive Director of CAPPA, Akinbode Oluwafemi, who spoke in company of Programmes Director of CAPPA, Aderonke Ige; National President of AUPCTRE, Benjamin Anthony; Vice Chair of Joint Action Front ( JAF), Achike Chude; representative of PSI, Abi Badru, among others, noted that earlier opposition by groups and individuals led to Federal Government’s decision to step it down.
He said solidarity among Nigerians, played a major role in forcing government to step it down, which unfortunately, is being planned for representation, hence the need for groups to continue mobilising and engaging to ensure that the will of the people prevailed.
In his keynote address titled: The National Water Resources Bill In The Age Of Remunicipalisation And Democratic Control Of Water
Resources, Prof. Sofiri- Joab Peterside of the University of Port Harcourt, dwelt on how the Nigerian government continues to ignore the interest of Nigerians and instead always try to impose its will and false solutions on the people.
Following deliberations and contributions during panel sessions, participants observed that attempts to foist the Bill on Nigerians despite popular opposition was a reflection of government’s insensitivity to the needs of Nigerians in the water and other sectors of the economy.