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2023: We’re Captured, Held In Serfdom, Lagos Stakeholders Lament
A group known as Omo Eko Pataki, yesterday, expressed worry that Lagos State has been ensnared, captured and held in unbelievable serfdom insisting that it is time to reclaim the state in 2023.
In a statement titled: ‘Lagos: Time for a new Order’, the group urged true Lagosians to close ranks ahead of the 2023 general election, saying “a lot is wrong with the governance of our state.”
The statement, signed by Chairman of ÌmÍ Eko Pataki, Chief Olabode George; Maj-Gen. Tajudeen Olanrewaju (rtd), Mr Gbadebo Dallass and Prince Uthman Shodipe-Dosunmu, reads: “This is perhaps the most critical year in the chequered history of the Nigerian union. As 2023 draws nearer, we move closer to the great unknown.
“The horizon is hardly defined with clarity. The partisan space appears confounding and conflicting as the old and the new protagonists jumped into the fray for another quadrennial ritual. There is that feverish hurry everywhere to snatch the greatest spoil.
“But surely we can’t continue like this. We must make a new turn for the greater good of our nation.
“We must change our narrow vision for a more embracing national accommodation. We must swing towards a more progressive, sincere, genuine democratic union. Nigeria can be a better place. So is our Lagos.
“The enduring aphorism holds that all politics is local. It is a truism that has always been valid since the Athenians first set up the Agora around 508 BC. It is what is closer to us that naturally takes priority.
“This is why we are back again as ÌmÍ Eko Pataki to dwell on the troubled history of our state. Lagos State is indeed ensnared, captured, held in unbelievable serfdom for 21 years by the caprice of one man. It is a shame and at once a blighting tragedy.
“Taxes are rising and our people are getting poorer. Billions of income are made and yet our infrastructures are decaying. Lagos is an oil producing state but where is the derivative revenue? Why is the oil income not reflected in the state budget? Puzzling!
“The very state of excellence which once determined the Nigerian fortune, excelling everyone else in the fields of commerce, in the groves of academia, in the bastion of entrepreneurship, in the expanses of medicine, in the toils of industry, in virtually all fields of human endeavours – has now been reduced to another backwater debtor state owing well over N3.28trillion in domestic debts alone despite generating N665billion every year in internally generated revenue.
“Definitely a lot is wrong with the governance of our state. It is primitive, downright medieval when a very small clique of rampaging acquisitive characters brazenly seize the coffers of our commonwealth and appropriate it as an extension of their personal fortunes.
“When Lagosians are reduced to paupers while a nepotistic few continue to corner all the lucrative emblems of power, seizing state properties, sharing our commonwealth with prodigal glee, cruising around in obscene convoys – practically living on the hog as everyone else is reduced to helpless onlookers – there is a need to change the festering unfairness on the ground.
“When an avaricious few denuded billions from the toll gates revenue and are still scheming to restore the same toll gates where innocent young men and women were killed and maimed, we are all being taken for fools.
“The present Lagosian tragedy does not necessarily reside in the rampant greed, the crazed expropriation of public properties, the massive gutting of the people’s treasury. No. It is in the blind indifference to decency, it is in the crass folly of the deluded who having seized the levers of democracy itself like a goon squad, somehow believe they are in a never ending Roman holiday.
“Well, all beginnings must have an end. The crude, riotous Roman holiday is nearing an end. Opinions are now coalescing. People of diverse ideological tendencies are increasingly coming together to remove the arrogant bullion van politics from the Lagosian space.
“The year 2023 is the Lagosian inflection point. It is our defining moment to turn the fortunes of our state around and restore a new equitable order.
“But it cannot be done alone. Together, men and women of goodwill must come to the barricades and speak out loud and clear in total rejection of the tyrannical man of straw who would play God with our ancestral holdings.
“We must all work selflessly with steadfast and brave hearts, defiant of the oppressor’s insolence, sworn to vote out those who have held us in thraldom for 21 years. Lagos must start on a new slate.
“The politics of jaundiced nepotism is over. The depraved refuge in the caprice of one man who decides who becomes councillor, who becomes local government chairman, who becomes the market woman leader and up to the occupant of the gubernatorial seat is over.
“And the withering, muddled usurper is not even stopping at controlling the levers of politics. He has intruded on the sacred sphere of traditional authorities, imposing motor park touts, urchins, idlers, ramblers, loafers and layabouts as emergency monarchs.
“Lagosians must collectively seize their own fortunes in their hands. They must decide the way forward towards peace, harmony and genuine democracy. This is now a contention beyond partisan affiliation. It is a coalitional fight for our freedom and for the emancipation of generations yet unborn.
“There is no other way. The battle is now afoot. The struggle is beyond the limiting confines of partisan slugfest. Everyone must be part of the fray. It is a battle where no one can straddle the fence save cowards and collaborationists. There is no room for neutrality here. We are all part of the titanic barricades.
“The historic mobilization has begun. The challenges ahead may be tough. The grapple with those who presently wield nauseating privileges will be tense, taut and fierce. But we dare not fail nor falter. It is, indeed, a struggle between light and darkness, between the forces of malignity and the forces of good. We must choose whether to remain in this cesspool of avarice and corruption or reject this hideous, reckless bullion van politics holding us back.
“It is said that power is not easily yielded up by the oppressor. It must be demanded by the oppressed.
“The noose will not remove itself. It must be cut off with passion and defiance.
“But this much is clear. The good Lord is on our side. Justice is our strength. Truth is our abiding grace. Together, we will sweep the odious pretenders of today into the dust bin of history. It is the cyclical pattern of life. It is an unfailing trajectory of fate.
“Again, we repeat, all beginnings must have an end. That long awaited end has now come. But we must give it a push and even a shove.
“Lagosians, let us heed the call of liberation. Let us march forward in our millions to jettison the yoke that is holding us back and crushing our humanity. Let us strike ahead into the new horizon with the vision of a progressive renewal and a fair, equitable new beginning.
“Lagosians, let us heed the call of Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th President of the United States: “No man is above the law and no man is below it…
“In this wise, those who have despoiled our commonwealth with aggravated greed and unbelievable crudity must face requisite justice.
“It is only when restitution is paid and the guilty are committed to prison that the state itself can be redeemed and renewed in a new equitable and fair order. May the good Lord heal the savaging wounds inflicted on our dear state.”
The Rivers State Chief judge, Justice Simeon Chibuzor Amadi has granted pardon to six inmates standing awaiting trial at the Port Harcourt maximum correctional center.
The six lucky inmates granted pardon on Tuesday by the state Chief Judge included Nwekeala Chizoba, Samuel Emmanuel, Aniete Kelvin, Ebube Fubara and Goddey Okpara who were on awaiting trial as murder suspects and have all spent between 10 years to seven years in the custody without a proper information filed against them in the court.
Justice Amadi during a special gaol delivery exercise last Tuesday at the Port Harcourt Maximum Correctional Centre opined that the special gaol delivery was part of activities lined up to commomerate the 2024/2025 legal year in the State and restated the commitment of the state judiciary in decongesting the correctional centre and ensuring that those inmates who are not supposed to be there are removed from the custody.
The state chief judge stressed the need for all stakeholders to work together to build a society that supports rehabilitation and gives a second chance to anyone or group of people who have fallen short of the expectation of the law and have been punished accordingly.
He stressed that the National Judicial Council(NJC) encourages judges to pay more attention to criminal matters to enable them to decongests the correctional facilities, noting that since his assumption into office, his administration has been able to reduce the number of inmates in Nigerian Correctional Centres and the Port Harcourt Correctional Centre in particular, to less than 2,000 as against the over 4,000 inmates previously in the faculty.
According to him, “as they release the deserving inmates, they affirm their commitment to justice, compassion and rule of law but that they must not forget the fundamental principles of justice delivery system which is truth and fairness, integrity and equality before the law.”
I encourage you all the released inmates to return to your families and become better citizens. You must not engage in action that will return you all back to prison. Let me say that while the judges show empathy to you all, it does not absolved individuals from being held accountable for actions against individuals, corporate organisations and state which the law frowns at, ”he stated
The Chief Judge thereafter stood down the exercise to enable the DPP to intervene to case files following the fact that majority of the persons listed to benefit from the exercise are facing murder charges and adjourned to a date that will come before December.
Earlier in his goodwill message, the outgoing state Comptroller of Nigerian Correctional Centre, Port Harcourt, Felix Lawrence, who was recently promoted to the rank of Assistant Controller General, commended the state judiciary led by Chief Judge, Justice Simeon Chibuzor Amadi for their continuous effort aimed at ensuring justice and decongesting the facilities.
Other activities lined up for the event included special church service at St Paul’s Cathedral , Anglican Communion, Rebisi Port Harcourt, inspection of guard of honour by the state Chief Judge mounted by officers of the Nigerian police and a special court session held at the ceremonial court hall.
By: AkujobiAmadi
The Director General of Rivers State Bureau on Public Procurement (RBoPP), Dr. Ine Briggs, has explained that the Sir Siminalayi Fubara administration plans to enforce transparency in governance through public procurement.
Speaking at a one-day Public Procurement Enlightenment workshop organised in collaboration with the State Local Government Service Commission for newly elected chairmen, vice chairmen, secretaries and leaders of legislative assemblies, Dr. Briggs said it is key for grassroot development.
She stated that the Sir. Fubara administration plans to reduce wastage and at same time infuse efficiency in public expenditure.
The RSoPP DG said the local government political office holders remain key drivers in the new vision hence the workshop is to arm them with knowledge on how to execute projects in tandem with needs of the people.
“ Your role in the prudent management of public resources is, therefore, not just administrative it’s the cornerstone of delivering the dividends of democracy. Every procurement decision you make must reflect a commitment to fairness, transparency and accountability” Dr. Briggs submitted.
One of the key goals of the administration she further reminded the participants was to use their offices to foster economic growth through public procurement.
She warned that the law establishing the agency empowers it to penalise defaulters, but that what is more important is voluntary compliance to the laws.
In addition to that, she said urged the local government council leaders that champion the practice and implementation of public procurement law.
On his part, Acting Chairman of Local Government Service Commission, Pastor GoodLife Ben Iduoku averred that the aim of the workshop is to arm key stakeholders in the local government system to generate new ideas, innovation and strategies in tandem with government policies and programmes.
The workshop dealt on various topics on procurement planning, methods, Understanding Bid Process, including types of Construction Contracts and law.
Some participants were awarded excellence and meritorious awards as part of the programme.
By: Kevin Nengia
The 19th anniversary of the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS), Rivers State Chapter, recently ended in Port Harcourt in grand style, with participants from various schools including proprietors, the academia, civil society groups and top government functionaries charting the way forward for educational improvement.
The 19th NAPPS anniversary christened, ‘Innovation and Adaptation: Transforming Challenges Into Opportunities’ was held at Casoni Hotels, Port Harcourt.
In his remarks, the Chairman of the Rivers State Chapter of the association, Dr. Jaja Adafe Sunday expressed gratitude to the members and executives for their untiring efforts towards the achievements of the body.
He sought the intervention of government on the lingering crisis on the economy as it is affecting the running of schools.
He decried high cost of things including fuel and raw materials which has adversely affected the running of schools and payment of teachers.
Dr. Sunday hinted that the current economic situation in the nation is biting hard on the operations of schools, saying inflation, removal of fuel subsidy, fuel scarcity, poor electricity supply, tariffs and lack of government grants are some of the challenges faced by schools, and urged the members to brace up to the challenges, as it is the panacea to building a brighter future.
Guest speakers from the health sector and the academia thrilled the gathering on the essence of basic education which they said is the key to national development.
Former Dean of the Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, Professor Azuru and the Chief Medical Director of Meridian Hospitals, Dr. Odo Iyke were some notable guest speakers who delivered lectures at the occasion.
Some distinguished proprietors also got special recognitions and awards.
The 19th anniversary cake was cut by the Rivers State NAPPS Chairman with representatives of the state government assisting.