Metro

Be patient, your hardship will end soon, Nigerian govt tells aggrieved citizens

Published

10 months ago

March 1, 2024

Once again, the Nigerian government, through the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, has pleaded with Nigerians to exercise more patience with the President Bola Tinubu administration as the present hardship and economic challenges facing them will soon end.

Idris, who made the fresh appeal on Thursday at the 50th anniversary lecture of PUNCH Nigeria Limited held in Lagos, assured aggrieved citizens that the narrative on the current hardships would be different within the next one year.

Idris who represented Tinubu at the lecture, reiterated that the President would definitely deliver on his campaign promises, only if Nigerians would be patient and give him their support.

“Of course, the challenges are going to be there; no one is pretending that they do not exist, but we see a situation where the story would be quite different in another one year,” the Minister said.

Outlining some of the steps being taken by the administration to get Nigeria out of the present predicament, the Minister said

“Only a few days ago, we invited captains of industries, Dangote, the BUA, the Elumelu, and ministers, among others, and we all locked ourselves in a room for about three and a half hours discussing how Nigeria is going to get better, and everyone in that room, from the private sector, from the central governments and the sub-nationals, believe that this country is going to get better.

“So, I urge you to see this in line with what Professor Wole Soyinka has said, around what time? Of course, you can criticise, you can offer suggestions, but the country has to exist. Let us, please talk about all those good things happening; it’s not bad stories all the time.”

The Minister stressed that economic challenges were not peculiar to Nigeria, citing the United Kingdom which he said recently slipped into a recession.

“Nigeria is going through hard times, as we see, but this is not new and peculiar to this country. All the issues we are discussing now are issues that are also being discussed around the world.

“Only a few weeks ago, we heard that the United Kingdom had gone into recession. I am glad that it did not happen here. Otherwise, the story would be ‘Oh, Nigeria is in recession’ as if it is going to be the end of the world for the country.”

According to Idris, the Tinubu administration started work on the first day in office, adding that the government believed that all the challenges plaguing the nation were for the country’s good.

“The government of President Ahmed Tinubu, as you know, took bold steps from inception, the first one being that upon the resumption of office on day one, the President took away fuel subsidy.

“Second, he also brought clarification to the foreign exchange regime. Now, these suggest that two major issues have been eating deep into the economy.

“As someone put it, the economy was a dead horse by the time the President came in, so whether the subsidy was removed or not, it would be very challenging. The President took it very boldly, ensuring that this subsidy goes away for the benefit of all, and he was prepared from day one that it was not going to be an easy thing.

“Of course, 10 months down the road, we are seeing the effects of some of these hard decisions, but I can tell you, the good story is that the government is taking bold, proactive decisions to ensure that Nigeria’s economy returns.

“Let me say this: The government believes that all these things are happening for the good of the country, and the economy is going to be good again.

“I want to tell you that very soon, you will hear a major policy shift within the petroleum industry that will enhance operations and increase investments in that sector.

“This is our country; we do not have any other country. If we run down businesses, and there is no other place for all of us to go to,” he added.

Related Topics:Economic Challenges Featured Hardship Nigeria

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Metro

Nigerian activist remanded in prison for threatening President’s son

Published

24 hours ago

December 21, 2024

Isaac Dachen

A Nigerian court has ordered a female activist, Olamide Thomas, to be remanded in prison custody for allegedly issuing a death threat to President Bola Tinubu’s son, Seyi Tinubu.

The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Friday delivered the ruling after Olamide was arraigned by the office of the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, before Justice Emeka Nwite on a three-count charge.

The police team of lawyers led by A.A. Egwu told the court that Olamide was arrested on allegations bordering on harassing and threatening Seyi Tinubu, IGP Egbetokun and the country’s Police force spokesman, ACP Muyiwa Adejobi, in a viral social media post back in October.

The police prosecutors told Justice Nwite that the activist had made a live video posted on Facebook in October, where she allegedly made threatening remarks cursing the President’s son, Egbetokun ahd Adejobi.

According to the police, she had live-streamed the video on the fourth year anniversary of the Lekki toll-gate massacre of Nigerian youths during the #EndSARS protest of 2020 where she said she and other protesters were brutalised by police officers during the memorial procession.

In the video, Thomas had reportedly accused police officers of harassment, claiming that they had been bullying and threatening her. She was also said to have rained curses on Tinubu and his family, Egbetokun and Adejobi, expressing deep grievances, invoking divine powers and issuing severe condemnations and predicting tragedy against them.

The police added that in the video, she stated that Seyi Tinubu would die this year, and misfortune and calamity would befall the Tinubu family, with intent to bully, threaten, harass the person of Mr Seyi Tinubu.

Reading out the charges, the police said that in count one, Olamide was alleged to have, “knowingly and intentionally transmitted communication in the form of video recording through computer system or network on her social media platforms wherein she made remarks in Yoruba Language.”

“In the video, she stated that Mr Seyi Tinubu would die this year, and misfortune and calamity had befallen the Tinubu family, with intent to bully, threaten, harass the person of Mr Seyi Tinubu.

“The communication placed Seyi in fear of death, violence or bodily harm. The offence is contrary to and punishable under Section 24 (2) (a) of Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) (Amendment) Act, 2024.

“In count two, the defendant intentionally transmitted communication in the form of video recording wherein she made remarks in Yoruba Language to bully, threaten, harass the person of Mr Egbetokun.

“The communication placed Egbetokun in fear of death violence or bodily harm. The offence is contrary to and punishable under Section 24 (2) (a) of Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) (Amendment) Act, 2024.

“In count three, Olamide intentionally transmitted or cause the transmission of communication in the form of video recording wherein she made remarks in Yoruba Language, stating that the children of Adejobi would all die before his eyes.

“She was quoted to have also said that he (Adejobi) will bury all his children in a single day, with intent to bully, threaten, harass the person of Mr. Muyiwa Adejobi. The communication placed Adejobi in fear of death of his loved ones.”

After the counts were read to the defendant, she pleaded not guilty to the charge while her defence lawyer, T J. Aondo, SAN, sought to move an oral application on his client’s behalf but the request was turned down.

Justice Nwite therefore directed Aondo to file a formal bail application and adjourned the matter until December 30 for commencement of trial.

He consequently ordered the activist to be remanded in Suleja Correctional Centre pending the hearing of her bail application.

Metro

Zambian law association kicks over suspension of two members

Published

2 days ago

December 20, 2024

Isaac Dachen

The Law Association of Zambia (LAZ) has kicked against the suspension of two of its council members, Arnold Kaluba, the LAZ Honorary Secretary and Junior Lawyers Committee Chair, along with Mulenga Sholomo, the House and Welfare Committee Chair.

The suspended lawyers have already approached the Lusaka High Court to seek a judicial review of their suspensions during the festive season.

In their filings, the two claim their suspension and referral to the Legal Practitioners Committee (LPC) for disciplinary action were illegal and procedurally flawed.

They further argued that the decision which was made without a fair hearing, has damaged their reputations as legal practitioners and threatens their livelihoods.

Zambia Monitor reports that the dispute that led to the suspension of the lawyers stemmed from a letter the duo sent to the LPC on behalf of 399 newly qualified lawyers, scheduled to be called to the Bar in December 2024.

These lawyers had repeatedly raised concerns about paying the full 2024 subscription fees, given they would only be practicing for a few weeks that year but in its response, the LPC offered a compromise which was a reduced fee of K3,025, half the usual K6,050 annual fee.

Dissatisfied with the lack of a council position on the matter, Kaluba and Sholomo independently appealed to the LPC, urging them to reconsider the fees and establish a clearer policy for future cases.

Their actions reportedly angered LAZ president Lungisani Zulu, who accused them of undermining the council and acting without authority which led to their suspension.

Following their letter, Zulu allegedly demanded their removal from the council’s WhatsApp group and issued an ultimatum to resign or face disciplinary action but when they refused to step down, letters of suspension were issued to them.

“The applicants claim this move violated the rules of natural justice, as they were not given an opportunity to defend themselves. Their repeated requests for a council meeting to discuss the matter were also ignored,” the medium reported.

“Kaluba and Sholomo are now asking the court to overturn their suspension and restore them to their positions. Among their demands are a declaration that their suspension was illegal and irrational, an order to reinstate them as council members, and an expedited judicial review of the decision.

“They also want the court to rule that LAZ failed to hear their side of the story, a move they argue was contrary to principles of fairness and transparency.

“The applicants maintain that their actions were driven by the welfare of LAZ members, particularly the newly qualified lawyers struggling to meet the financial demands of the profession.”