News

COVID-19 Palliatives: CDHR Gives Govs 7-Day Ultimatum

Published

5 years ago

October 27, 2020

By Joseph Kanjo, Benin

National President,
Committee for the Defence of Human Rights, (CDHR), Dr. Osagie Obayuwana, yesterday, gave the Nigerian governors across the 36 states seven days ultimatum to explain why they should not be sanctioned for allegedly hoarding COVID19 palliatives meant to cushion the effect of the pandemic on Nigerians.

He gave the ultimatum while expressing his views on the recent looting of warehouses hoarding COVID19 palliatives by hoodlums across the country.

“At the first level, since public office holders cannot deny the fact that they are servants of the people in whom sovereignty lies, the CDHR on behalf of the people hereby issues a query to all the Governors of all the States, to explain within seven (7) days why disciplinary action should not be taken against them by way of removal from office through popular mass action for abuse of office, breach of public trust, deliberate perpetuation of hunger, appropriation of public resources and mindless dereliction of duty all necessitating a vote of no confidence enforceable through civil disobedience”, he said.

Dr. Obayuwana said the time has come for Nigerians to take their destiny in their hands since the political leaders have failed to deliver the dividends of democracy to the electorate.

“More fundamentally, we call on the mass of the Nigerian people that the time has come for all hands to truly be on deck in the management of public affairs in our country.

“We recognize that continuing to leave our affairs in the hands of politicians and their collaborators is at our own peril, given that they have shown themselves to have outlived their usefulness and are now standing in the path of genuine progress in our country, as it is clear that they can never and will never change.

“Had professional groups, trade unions and civil society and groups of artisans, religious bodies and all organized groups in rural and urban Nigeria been involved in the management and distribution of the COVID-19 palliatives, certainly a situation of inhuman hoarding of the palliatives and recklessly allowing some to expire and go to waste in the face of unmet needs would not have occurred”, he said.

Obayuwana said the military should also join hands with other citizens of the country to bring about a better Nigeria

“The imperative of mass popular participation is now to be strictly enforced, as this relates to the efficient and equitable application of the wealth produced in Nigeria to meet the basic needs of the most needy of the Nigerian people.

“Events have confirmed that the vast majority of policemen and soldiers in Nigeria fall within this category of poor Nigerians.

“Since they are the ultimate force being used to uphold the unjust status quo in Nigeria, the CDHR calls on them at this time to join the ranks of all the victims, and refuse to be used as obstacles to the attainment of the new Nigeria in the process of being born, wherein all Nigerians will enjoy the fundamental human right to a fair share of the wealth of our country, by which hunger, homelessness, ill-health, unemployment and illiteracy would be a thing of the past”, he said.

News

JUST IN: Court Orders IGP To Arrest Mahmood Yakubu, Ex-INEC Chairman

Published

3 hours ago

October 8, 2025

Editor

Despite his exit as the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, the Federal High Court sitting in Osogbo, the Osun State capital, has again ordered the Inspector General of Police, Mr Kayode Egbetokun, to arrest the former INEC chairman, Prof Mahmoud Yakubu, for an offence relating to contempt of court.

The Court order came a few hours after Yakubu left office as the INEC chairman.

The Action Alliance, AA, had instituted a case before the court challenging INEC and its former chairman, Prof Yakubu, over their non-compliance with the judgment of the Court delivered by Justice Funmilola Demi-Ajayi in suit number FHC/OS/CS/194/2024.

In the said judgment, the court ordered INEC to put the names of the National Chairman of the Action Alliance, Adekunle Rufai Omoaje, and other members of the party’s National Executive Committee, NEC, on the INEC portal.

The Court also held that the names of all the state chairmen of the party be uploaded on the INEC portal.

The court held that the elective convention of the party held on the 7th of October, 2023 which produced Omoaje as the national chairman of the party and other NEC members of the party was authentic as it was properly monitored and supervised by officials of INEC in accordance with the party’s constitution and the electoral acts.

However, INEC claimed to have complied with the court judgment, but the party disagreed with the commission, as the name of Omoaje was yet to be uploaded on the commission’s website despite the orders of the Court.

Although the names of the state chairmen of the party under the leadership of Omoaje and those of the NEC members are already on the INEC portal, Omoaje’s name is yet to be uploaded as of press time, a development that the court frowned at.

The court order obtained by our correspondent dated 7th October, 2025, and signed by Mr O.M. Kilani on behalf of the Court Registrar reads in part, “it is hereby ordered that the Inspector General of Police shall cause the arrest and shall charge the defendant/judgment debtors for contempt and committal proceedings within seven days of this ruling.”

The court also awarded a cost of #100,000 against the judgment creditors.

News

Lagos Closes Adeniji Adele–CMS Lane For Six Weeks Of Repairs

Published

4 hours ago

October 8, 2025

Editor

The Lagos State Government has announced a partial closure of the Adeniji Adele Interchange Junction to CMS for six weeks to allow for rehabilitation works by the Federal Government.

According to a statement issued on Wednesday by the Commissioner for Transportation, Oluwaseun Osiyemi, the repair works will run daily between 11:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m., starting Sunday, October 12, and ending Sunday, November 23, 2025.

Osiyemi explained that only one lane of the road will be closed during the period, while the remaining lanes will remain open to traffic to minimize disruptions.

He assured motorists that traffic management officers will be stationed along the corridor to ensure smooth vehicular movement and reduce inconvenience during the rehabilitation.

“Motorists are implored to be patient, as the lane diversion is part of the traffic management plan for the rehabilitation of the road by the Federal Ministry of Works,” the commissioner said.

He also urged drivers to comply with the directives of traffic officials on duty to ensure safety and efficient traffic flow throughout the repair period.

News

JUST IN: Tinted Permit Enforcement Placed On Hold Due To Court Order – Police

Published

5 hours ago

October 8, 2025

Editor

The Nigeria Police Force said on Wednesday that the enforcement of the vehicle tinted glass permit has been suspended following a court order halting the exercise.

Spokesperson for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command, SP Josephine Adeh, disclosed this during an interview on Africa Independent Television, AIT.

She said the decision to halt the enforcement came after the police officially received the court order.

Adeh said, “Information reaching me from the office of the PRO is that the order has been received and the enforcement of the tinted permit is now on hold pending the court’s verdict”.

Disclosing that the directive to suspend enforcement would remain in place pending the outcome of the ongoing legal process, Adeh said, “We are waiting for the verdict. We are not against the courts, and we will continue to wait until we get a verdict”.

Speaking on public concerns about the purpose of the tinted glass regulation, Adeh explained that it was introduced for security reasons, noting that some criminal activities had been carried out using vehicles with darkened windows.

“The law was not made by us. We are enforcers. The policy was purely security-driven. Some criminals were using tinted vehicles to commit offences, making it difficult for law enforcement to identify suspects,” she said.

She dismissed claims that the policy was designed for financial gain, noting that all payments related to tinted permits are made directly into the Federal Government’s Treasury Single Account (TSA), not to the police.