Metro

Nigeria’s Defence Minister orders intel agency to go after coup mongers

Published

9 months ago

March 8, 2024

Nigeria’s Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, has asked the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) not to treat ongoing rumours of a coup in the country with levity.

Matawalle, who gave the directive in a statement on Thursday, charged the intelligence agency and other security forces in the country to “go after those calling for truncation of constitutional government in the country” as they were “criminals and enemies of democracy who should be brought to justice.”

In the statement signed by the Director of Press and Information in the ministry, Henshaw Ogubike, Matawalle, a former state governor, said those calling for an undemocratic change of government as agents of darkness and warned that anyone caught would not be treated lightly.

“Some mischief makers posted viral videos and inciting statement on the media depicting a false situation and impression and encouraging the military to truncate the constitution, which will never happen because Nigerians have aligned with a democratic culture, which makes coup no longer fashionable,” the statement reads.

“The call for violent change of government by the military is absurd, preposterous and naive as the military has come to reality with a democratic government in Nigeria and is focused on their constitutional duty of defending the constitution.

“The propagators calling for the truncation of the constitutional government should desist from it and face the democratic reality on the ground.

“Just because criminal elements attacked a warehouse and a haulage vehicle carrying food items to other parts of the country is not enough reason for unpatriotic individuals to resort to calling for military intervention which has no place in modern realities.

“The military is highly professionalised with a good civilian-military relationship, and they are exhibiting the highest standard of professionalism with the defence of our constitution as the top priority.”

Matawalle’s call followed a similar plea by the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, who dismissed fears of a possible coup in the country following rumours that a section of disgruntled soldiers were planning a coup due to the escalating hardship and insecurity in the country.

The Army chief who spoke at a seminar organised for Nigerian Army officers in Abuja, stated that the military was dedicated to upholding the constitution just as the personnel had accepted the democratic system of government in place in the country and had no plan to truncate it.

“Permit me to seize this opportunity to reiterate that the Armed Forces of Nigeria, particularly the Nigerian Army, has come to terms with the country’s choice of democracy as the preferred system of governance. We are, therefore, agents of democracy and have no desire to truncate it.

“The Nigerian Army will continue to defend our constitution and not suspend it for whatever reason. It is the duty of our elected leaders to lead while the military does its job as enshrined in our constitution. Nigerian Army personnel must therefore remain professional and be above board as they discharge their constitutional duties,” Lagbaja said.

In the same vein, Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa, had also debunked the coup rumours, and vowed that those calling for it were enemies of Nigeria.

“Whoever is making the call for a coup does not love Nigeria. We want to make it very clear that the Armed Forces of Nigeria are here to protect democracy.

“We all want democracy and we do better under democracy. And so we will continue to support democracy. And any of those that are calling for anything other than democracy are evil people and I think they don’t mean well for Nigeria.

“They should be very careful because the law will come after them. We can see that with democracy, a lot of things are happening in Nigeria. Yes, we are going through trying periods, I mean in life, nothing is hundred per cent,” Musa had reiterated.

Click to comment

Metro

65% of Nigerian households lack money for healthy food—Survey

Published

4 hours ago

November 22, 2024

Isaac Dachen

A survey conducted by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has revealed that around 65% of Nigerian households, which is about two-thirds of the population, lack the financial means to eat healthy food.

According to the survey by the agency, the decline is a reflection of the multidimensional poverty in the country and the impact of continuous reduction in the purchasing power of Nigerians due to rising prices of goods and services.

And as a result, two-thirds of households in the country lack money to eat healthy, nutritious food, the NBS said.

Titled “Nigeria General Household Survey – Panel (GHS-Panel) Wave 5 (2023/2024),” the survey examined demographics, education, and health trends in Nigeria, comparing data from Wave 4 (2018/19) and Wave 5 (2023/24).

On food insecurity, the survey stated:

“Approximately two out of three households indicated being unable to eat healthy, nutritious or preferred foods because of lack of money in the last 30 days.

“Similarly, 63.8 per cent of households ate only a few kinds of food due to lack of money, 62.4 percent were worried about not having enough food to eat, and 60.5 percent ate less than they thought they should.”

It added that between Waves 4 and 5, the proportion of households that reported being worried about not having enough food to eat because of lack of money increased significantly, from 36.9 percent to 62.4 percent.

On access to energy, the survey revealed said:

“82.2 percent of urban households have electricity, compared to 40.4 per cent in rural areas. Nigerian households face an average of 6.7 power blackouts weekly.

“Cooking typically involves traditional three-stone stoves (65.0 percent), primarily using wood as fuel (70.2 per cent), but with use of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) rising significantly.

“Many households lack toilet facilities and rely on tube wells or boreholes for drinking water. Waste disposal is mostly informal, with 45.6 percent of households using bushes or streets,” it added.

Metro

Zambia: APP leader lampoons PF over pledge to reverse forfeited properties

Published

21 hours ago

November 21, 2024

Isaac Dachen

Leader of one of Zambia’s opposition parties, Advocates for People’s Prosperity (APP), Mwenye Musenge, has criticised the Patriotic Front (PF) over its promise to reverse forfeited properties if the party won the 2026 presidential election.

Musenge, who was reacting to a statement credited to the PF Member of Parliament (MP) for Lukashya Province, George Chisanga, described the PF’s promise as a betrayal, saying the declaration had exposed the party’s disregard for accountability and justice.

The APP leader, who spoke to Zambia Monitor in a telephone interview from Kitwe, expressed shock that Chisanga, a former Law Association of Zambia president, would endorse what he termed a “regressive agenda,” accusing the PF of prioritising the protection of corrupt individuals over the welfare of citizens.

“This declaration reveals the PF’s true intentions, returning to power not to serve Zambians, but to shield their corrupt network and restore stolen assets,” Musenge said.

He alleged that former President Edgar Lungu’s consistent calls to protect his family, who he claimed cannot explain their amassed wealth, further demonstrate the party’s self-serving mission.

Musenge further described the PF as “a political carcass animated by greed and nostalgia for its days of unchecked looting,” and accused its leaders of leaving Zambia impoverished while enriching themselves.

“Allowing them near power again would be akin to handing a butcher’s knife to a thief already drenched in the blood of the nation’s resources.

“The PF represents everything wrong with Zambian politics—a relic of the past clinging to survival through recycled lies and corrupt agendas,” he added.

Musenge went on to call for the party to be permanently eradicated, saying it had no vision, morality, or credibility to serve Zambians.