Connect with us

Latest News

Clark Vows To Reject Tinubu’s Peace Deal On Wike, Fubara

Published

on

Wike and Fubara

An elder statesmen and Ijaw leader Chief Edwin Clark has condemned the terms of truce brokered between Rivers State Governor Similianayi Fubara and his predecessor Nyesom Wike by President Bola Tinubu on Monday.

At a press conference by Clark in Abuja on what he dubbed on ” the imposed settlement of President Bola Tinubu on the Rivers crisis”, Clark said that the deal brokered by Tinubu was skewed against Governor Fubara.

While Clark commended Tinubu for his intervention, he listed some grounds while it was unacceptable.

Below is Clark’s statement ”

“Firstly, I wish to commend President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for heeding the various calls, including our own, to mediate in the on-going crisis rocking Rivers State by calling Barr. Nyesome Wike to order so as to restore peace and tranquillity in the State and avert any problem similar to that which occurred in 2013, when Barr. Wike was Minister of State Education.
However, the terms of settlement as contained in the Communique issued at the end of the reconciliatory meeting is what is baffling, appalling and unacceptable to the people, especially, the Ijaw ethnic nationality. From the terms of settlement, it is obvious that President Tinubu sees his role as a mediator, to once again, show gratitude to the current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), for “delivering” Rivers State to him during the past Presidential elections, having first of gratified him by making him the Minister of FCT.

“First Observation:
The composition of the attendees of the meeting was one sided in favour of Nyesome Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), because while Martins Amaewhule, a former Speaker, (because he has automatically lost his seat the very moment he decamped to another political party), was present at the meeting, it would have only been equitable and expedient, for Edison Ehie, the Speaker as affirmed by constitutional provisions and by the granting of the court, to be in the meeting, if there were sincerity of purpose.
The 8 resolutions reached, are the most unconstitutional, absurd and obnoxious resolutions at settling feuding parties that I have ever witnessed in my life. As a matter of fact, some medias captured it very well when they described it as Directives. And for the fact that such thing was done at the Villa, the seat of the Federal Government of Nigeria, is sacrilegious, because any place housing or is a custodian of symbol of authority, ought to be sacred.

“It is obvious that Governor Siminialayi Fubara was ambushed and intimidated into submission. President Tinubu should know that with all the powers he possesses, he cannot override the Constitution. From all that transpired at the meeting, the laws of the land have not been obeyed. President Tinubu simply sat over a meeting where the Constitution, which is the fulcrum of his office as President and which he swore to uphold and abide by, was truncated and desecrated.

“27 or so members (because the figure is not certain), of the Rivers State House of Assembly left the political party on which platform they were elected. The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is very clear on that. Section 109 is quite clear on that and it says:
A member of a House of Assembly shall vacate his seat in the House if
Being a person whose election to the House of Assembly was sponsored by a political party, he becomes a member of another political party before the expiration of the period for which that House was elected: Provided that his membership of the later political party is not as a result of a division in the political party of which he was previously a member or of a merger of two or more political parties or factions by one of which he was previously sponsored;
The Speaker of the House of Assembly shall give effect to subsection (1) of this section, so however that the Speaker or a member shall first present evidence satisfactory to the House that any of the provisions of that subsection has become applicable in respect of the member.

“Nyesom Wike is quite abreast of these constitutional provisions. He shouted his voice hoarse calling for the removal of persons like David Umahi as Governor of Ebonyi State, Ben Ayade as Governor of Cross River State and Bello Matawalle as Governor of Zamafara State, when they decamped from the PDP on which platform they were elected into office, to the APC, citing the above constitutional provisions. What has changed?
A Court of competent jurisdiction has pronounced Edison Ehie as the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly. That Ruling has not been vacated, and based on that he exercised the duties conferred on him by Section 109 (2) as quoted above, when the 27 or so members openly defected to APC, waving the flags of the party and singing President Tinubu’s campaign songs, from the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP). As at today and going by the Constitution, the Rivers State House of Assembly has four members who are recognised by the laws of the land Therefore, on what premise is Mr. President saying that the 27 decamped members should go back to the House? Under what political party, the PDP or the APC. The directives of Mr. President is absurd and cannot hold water. Mr. President should be aware that Siminialayi Fubara, today, is the elected Governor of Rivers State in the same manner Bola Ahmed Tinubu is the elected President of the country. And as a Governor, Mr. Fubara possesses all the powers as conferred on him by the Constitution.

“2. Re-Submission of the names of Commissioners who have resigned their Appointments:
Another “directive” of Mr. President that the names of the Commissioners who were nominated by Nyesom Wike and who resigned on their own volition, and who have lost their trust in Governor Fubara, should be represented to the Rivers State House of Assembly for clearance to become Commissioners again, is ridiculous. Who is nominating them to become Commissioners again? Is it Mr. President? Was Mr. President thinking that he was mediating in a matter between Nyesom Wike and employees in Nyesom Wike’s private company? Is it what Nyesom Wike means when he talks about “structure”, referring to Rivers State as his personal holdings or enterprise?

“3. Re-Presentation of a Budget already signed and passed into Law:
Another unthinkable “directive” of Mr. President is that a Budget which has been passed into Law, should be represented. It is absolutely ridiculous and unconstitutional.

“By President Tinubu’s actions and directives, he has overruled the Constitution of the country; he has shaken the foundation of the country’s democracy. People lost their lives fighting for democracy in this country. Today, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has made of no effect the blood of the freedom fighters shed to salvage this country. He has thrown the country’s democracy fifty years backwards; this is unacceptable. Rather than building a strong system and society, we are building strong, invidious characters, with our national patrimony through corruption and avarice.

“By the actions of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, he has really shown his dislike and disdain for the Ijaw people. and confirms his hatred for them. And as the leader of the Ijaws, we will resist it.

“Nyesom Wike is not an emperor. For the eight years he was in power as Governor of the Rivers State, he ruled with an iron fist. As Governor, he will not accept such treatment from anyone, as he is spear heading to be meted out to the current Governor of the State, Siminialayi Fubara. Barr. Wike destroyed his opponent’s houses and even threatened to kill them as cried out by Senator Lee Maiba from Ogoni, and Dr. Abiye Sekibo from Okrika
It is still fresh in our memory, how Nyesom Wike, as Minister of State, Education, used federal might to fight the then Governor of Rivers State, Chibuike Amaechi that almost led to the grinding to a halt of governance in Rivers State when the Judiciary was closed down and the House of Assembly was shut down by the then Governor, Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi. President Jonathan did not interfere in his action because if he did, he will definitely be breaching Section 5(2) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal republic of Nigeria, which President Tinubu has deliberately breached, despite his oath of office to uphold and promote the Constitution. Nyesom Wike is Minister now, and again, he is using the federal government to truncate the wishes of the people of Rivers State. The rule of law in the country is completely truncated by President Tinubu. While it will be noted that presently, the National Assembly is discussing on the Bill of Local Government Autonomy, President Bola Tinubu is directing Governor Fubara to put into effect, a Bill passed by people who are no longer law makers.

“4. The members of the House of Assembly choosing where they will sit to carry out their legislative duties:

“It is the duty of the executive to provide legislative accommodation for the Houses of Assembly including the National Assembly, and not the members of the House of Assembly to choose a place to meet. It is in this vein that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in presenting his Budget to the National Assembly, recognised the FCT Minister, Nyesome Nwike, as the land lord, because he is of the executive arm of government. It is the FCT that owns the National Assembly complex and maintains it. It is, therefore, ridiculous and unconstitutional for President Tinubu to direct, in his settlement, that the members of the Rivers State House of Assembly, should meet wherever they want to meet.

“We will resist such draconic, arbitrary and unconstitutional action by Mr. President and his customer Nyesom Wike. We will go to court to challenge this so-called one-sided and oppressive action of Mr. President.

“On his part, the Executive Governor of Rivers State, Siminialayi Fubara, who has the mandate of the people of Rivers State to govern them for the next four years, has shown feebleness of character, by agreeing and appending his signature on a document containing such absurdity. He has betrayed the people who elected him as Governor and those who stood behind him in this cause. Mr Fubara has shown naivety in his actions; by signing that document, he has signed his death warrant, believing that the President will show him some sort of favours. Mr. Fubara’s mandate is Constitutional and so, he cannot surrender it in the face of intimidation from any quarter. And it is quite unfortunate. Did he go to that meeting to speak and justify his actions, or he went there to take directives from an equally elected President. As Governor of a State and as the Chief Security Officer of the State, he has shown tremendous lack of courage and competence. It will be in his best interest to resign if he cannot govern the State as constitutionally provided, or he may as well decamp and join APC, and be taking directives from Nyesom Wike and President Tinubu on the governance and leadership of the State.

“Like I stated earlier, these obnoxious directives will not stand. The people of Rivers State, particularly, the Ijaws, who are in the majority and who have about 11 (eleven) Local Government Areas, out of the 23 Local Government Areas in the State, will resist it. Because by it, President Tinubu has delivered Rivers State to Nyesom Wike as a reward for “delivering” the State to him. I call on the people of Rivers State and indeed all well-meaning Nigerians, to stand up against it, using all Constitutional and legal means, because we do not know the next State in the country that will be affected or pawned to another political customer by President Tinubu, as political patronage. It is absurd, it is draconian. It is transactional. It is a rape of our democracy. The people of Rivers State should remember that it was the same lopsided solution/directive that President Tinubu gave to the people of Ondo State but they resisted and rejected it. Today, the needful has been done in that State.

“Bola Ahmed Tinubu would not allow himself to be treated the way he oversaw Mr. Fubara being treated. We all can recall what happened when he governed Lagos State for eight years, and when he successfully resisted President Olusegun Obasanjo’s dictatorial tendencies when he tried to prevent him from creating more Local Government Areas in Lagos State. Nigerians hailed Bola Ahmed Tinubu for standing up to the occasion. That made him to be the undisputed leader of Lagos State. But today, he is overseeing such draconian and authoritarian action as President of the country, giving directives to a Governor to take action on things obviously not in tandem with the nation’s Constitution.

“I, Senator Edwin Kiagbodo Clark, as leader of the Ijaw nation, and as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Ijaw National Congress (INC), decided to hold this emergency Press Conference with the full authority of my people. We are prepared to face any consequences that may result in the political crisis in Rivers State. We will resist any attempt subtle, subterranean, convert, overt, to make an elected Ijaw son, Siminialayi Fubara, the Governor of Rivers State, a servant, a stooge to Nyesome Wike, who had boasted that any attempt by the Governor to touch his so-called ‘Wike’s structure’, with the connivance and support of President Bola Tinubu, will be resisted by us.
Like I said, we will go to go court to resist this oppressive action using all available constitutional and legal means. It is on this note I wish to appeal to the youths who are aggrieved, to remain calm, as we will use legal means to dethrone this hydra headed monster, called oppression.

“Enough is Enough.”

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Latest News

Tinubu, Abiodun, Sanwo-Olu, Others Celebrate Bakare At 70

Published

on

L-R: Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun; the celebrant and founder of Citadel Global Community Church, Pastor Tunde Bakare; his wife, Mrs Olayide Bakare; Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu; former Governor of Ogun State, Aremo Olusegun Osoba and former Ekiti State Governor, Mr. Kayode Fayemi, during the 70th birthday and the launch of the autobiography of Pastor Bakare titled 'The Last. But Definitely Not The Least,' at the Citadel Global Community Church, Oregun, Lagos on Monday.

President Bola Tinubu has described the founder of Citadel Global Community Church, Pastor Tunde Bakare, as a man of God whose contributions to nation-building could not be quantified.

President Tinubu stated this on Monday at the 70th birthday Thanksgiving Service held at The Citadel Global Community Church (CGCC), Kudirat Abiola Way, Oregun, Lagos.

The President, who was represented by the Secretary to the Federal Government (SGF), Sen. George Akume said the celebrant has over the years worked towards the unity and progress of Nigeria and Nigerians at all times.

According to the President, Pastor Bakare is an embodiment of integrity and a symbol of hope to the hopeless, who has dedicated his life to serving God and humanity.

Tinubu acknowledged the hardship Nigerians are facing but assured that the government is addressing the problems, as drastic action is needed to solve complex matters.

In his remarks, Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun emphasized that the esteemed man of God is one of the distinguished ambassadors of the state who has contributed to national development.

“Pastor Bakare is an accomplished man. He stands as a trailblazer in Nigeria. He is among the distinguished ambassadors of Ogun State. His influence is beyond Nigeria,” he said.

Pastor Bakare, the governor noted, is a voice of truth to engender change, maintaining that the celebrant has also spoken of his desire to see a prosperous Nigeria.

Also speaking, Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu stated that Pastor Bakare has constantly been on the side of the truth, adding that he is a child of God and a special vessel being used by God at this time.

In a sermon, Pastor Sarah Omakwu of the Family Worship Centre noted that Pastor Bakare has dedicated his life to the service of God since childhood and has served in various capacities in churches in and outside the country.

Pastor Bakare, according to Pastor Omakwu, is a giver, a lover of widows and orphans, and a mentor whose teachings and life have impacted generations.

While urging the celebrant to activate his succession plan to ensure the continuity of his legacies, Pastor Omakwu called on Nigerians to always involve their children in whatever business they do for sustainability.

The celebrant, in his remarks, attributed his success in life to the sound tutelage he received from eminent personalities early in life, both in academics and in the ministry.

Bakare noted that Nigeria is yet to reach the promised land as there is a lot to be done, admonishing Nigerians to show concern for the country by thinking of what they could do to make the nation great.

Eminent personalities at the event included former governors, past and serving members of the state and national assemblies, traditional rulers, captains of industry, religious leaders, friends, and well-wishers.

A highlight of the event was the launching of a book titled “The Last. Definitely Not The Least,” an autobiography of the preacher.

Continue Reading

Latest News

Falola To Receive Honorary Doctor Of Laws From University Of Calgary

Published

on

Prof. Toyin Falola

The University of Calgary is set to honour Prof. Toyin Falola with an Honorary Doctor of Laws (Hon. LLD).

This was disclosed by Chancellor Jon Cornish and President Ed McCauley while announcing the Honorary Doctor of Laws (Hon. LLD) and Order of the University of Calgary recipients for the fall 2024 convocation ceremony.

The honorary degree is UCalgary’s highest academic honour, acknowledging individuals whose outstanding achievements and contributions to the community deserve special recognition. The recipients will address the graduating class, sharing insights and lessons from their distinguished careers and leadership experiences.

The Order of the University of Calgary is awarded to individuals with a significant history of service to the university. Recipients may include current or former members of the UCalgary community.

Prof Falola, a renowned Nigerian historian and professor, is internationally recognized for his work in African history, diaspora studies and cultural analysis, challenging Western perspectives on Africa.

He has authored more than 100 books and articles and lectured in more than 65 countries, his work making a significant impact on UCalgary through collaborative publications and major lectures.

Falola is an advocate, mentor, author, poet, leader and visionary. He has served on numerous editorial boards, led academic conferences and workshops, and engaged with UNESCO’s International Scientific Committee. Falola even inspired the Toyin Falola Annual Conference on Africa and the African Diaspora (TOFAC).

His contributions have earned him several prestigious awards, including the Distinguished Africanist Award, the Canadian African Studies Association’s Lifetime Career Award and several additional accolades from the University of Texas, where he teaches. Falola also holds African chieftaincy titles such as the Bobapitan of Ibadanland and the Bobapitan of Ondo Kingdom.

Continue Reading

Latest News

Olaopa Decries Policy Research, Govt Disconnect

Published

on

Prof. Tunji Olaopa (left ) with the AAPSCOMMS EXCO members and core conference facilitators in Nairobi, Kenya from 6 to 8 November, 2024.

The Chairman of the Federal Civil Service Commission, Prof. Tunji Olaopa, has decried what he identified as a palpable poor state of policy research with a virtual disconnect between the objectives of the research industry and the concerns of policy makers in government.

The seasoned public administrator spoke during the 6th General Assembly and Conference of the Association of African Public Service Commissions (AAPSCOMS) held in Nairobi, Kenya, from 6 to 8 November.

Olaopa spoke on the topic “Defining Issues in Research And Policy Linkages In Country-level Development Management in Africa.” During the event, Olaopa emerged as the Vice President of AAPSCOMS for West Africa.

According to Olaopa, the disconnect is evident in the incredibly low level of research spend in Africa when compared to global total contributions. He added that the evidence that validates this is the fact that the bulk of usable development and administrative statistics generated in Africa are funded by foreign development agencies.

“This reality explains why African states cannot design their development agenda on their own terms. It also validates the reigning theory that African policy-makers do not as yet understand what development is all about”, he said.

In his recommendation, he said “Africa needs a corps of scholars-practitioners evangelists who will push for a significant shift from common sense praxis to a more rigorous scientific approaches to development management in Africa.”

Olaopa referenced President Bola Tinubu’s desire to institute a government of national competence as a policy framework capable of galvanizing a shift from the pervasive “know-who” nepotism to “know-how”. He enjoined political parties to emulate practices in advanced democracies where for example the Democratic Party in the USA is technically backstopped by the Brooking Institution and the Republican by the American Enterprise Institute. He went further to advocate the professionalisation of planning and policy analysis departments, investment in future research and scenario planning and creation of special cadre in public service into which experts from other sectors of the economy and from the diaspora can be desk officers on renewable performance contracts outside of career paths in the public administration system

He lamented that African states still focus on the hardware of development namely, how many roads, schools, hospitals, mass housing, etc. are built, in utter disregard for intangible assets that enable sustainable development such as the quality of country’s human capital and education; the strength of institutions, rule of law and constitutional order; the value of social capital of communities, efficient judicial system, property rights, timely and reliable statistics, reformed public service, R&D, data security and privacy, intellectual property, patents, copyright, culture of innovation, knowledge creation, to name just a few. Most African states have indeed not confronted a critical indicator of underdevelopment around the question regarding why talented African professionals or experts in Canada, Germany or Japan are ten times more productive than their counterparts who choose to remain in Africa. The answer is that once they walk into those development enabled places, they step into a capacity context provided by an intangible per capital wealth worth on average over $500,000 compared to those in Africa contending with a paltry of $2,748 per capital.

He referenced Prof. Wolgang Stolper, hired by the World Bank in 1962 as Technical Adviser to the Nigerian government in the design and implementation of the country’s First NDP (1962-68), who “delivered a prescient judgement that goes to the heart of African development problematic in a seminal reflection published in 1966.

“Prof, Stolper had published an article titled ‘Planning without Fact’ as an account of his experience working in Nigeria. His basic thesis was that Nigeria is a country that plans and manages her development programmes without the benefit of evidence-based practices, by merely shooting in the dark, in unscientific manner.”

To Olaopa, “this suggests that policy management practices in Africa are ridden in several countries, contexts and over time, with essential lack of statistical parameters by which implementable and sustainable development policies ought to be crafted. In other words, there is an unabating lack of a data culture and associated scientific parameters which makes it difficult to design and implement cogent policies that address strategically, poverty, unemployment, the youth bulge, climate change, induced flooding and all, terrorism and associated insecurities, and in managing critical macroeconomic challenges that the continent faces, within game-changing dynamic”.

For Olaopa, policy-engaged research is at a crossroads as research centres in African states are increasingly torn between their original calling to conduct research and publish, and pressure to justify and sustain their existence .

The research agenda of these centres and those of local experts are generally dominated by themes and topics of concern of external partners and the major funders of policy research.

Thus for him, although public policy researchers complain against their works not being used by government, research institutions and think-tanks in Africa need to be strengthened so that they could mobilise resources from external partners, the private sector and civil society organisation without losing their autonomy in formulating their research programmes as such capacity would determine their effectiveness .

 

Continue Reading

Top Stories