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CSOs Kick As NASS Rejects Creation Of Office Of FCT Mayor

Published

4 years ago

March 4, 2022

A coalition of over 10 civil society organisations on Thursday protested against the rejection by the National Assembly of the proposal to create the office of a Mayor for the Federal Capital Territory.

The CSOs advocating the political, economic, and cultural rights of the original inhabitants of Abuja, also lamented the vote by NASS against the nomination of a Minister from the FCT to the Federal Executive Council, and the allocation of a specific number of seats in the National Assembly to women during the plenary sessions on the 68 proposed amendments to the 1999 constitution.

The CSOs include the Resource Centre for Human Rights and Civic Education, Abuja Original Inhabitants Youth Empowerment Organization, Association of FCT Traditional Rulers Wives, Mairo Women Foundation and Helpline Foundation for the Needy.

Others were Abiodun Essiet Initiative for Girls, Centre for Environmental Sustainability and Development Awareness, Socio-Economic Research and Development Centre, Centre for Transparency Advocacy, and HipCity Innovation Centre.

The Executive Director of CHRICED, Dr Ibrahim Zikirullahi, who spoke on behalf of the CSOs, regretted that the failure of the proposed constitutional amendments which sought to advance the rights of the original inhabitants of the FCT implied that the hardships, political marginalisation, and economic deprivation experienced by them and women across the country would continue.

He said, “The constitution review process represented a golden opportunity for fundamental reforms in the nation’s constitution. Citizens pleaded for changes that would address pressing issues while also putting the country on a path to stability and social justice.

“If issues strongly advocated by people at the grassroots are unable to see the light of day in the constitution review process, what is the point of junketing and wasting scarce resources across the country in the name of constitution review hearings? We believe that the people are being used in this way to legitimize the political class’s preconceived agenda.

“Despite these discouraging results, we urge original inhabitants in the FCT not to give up hope. The failure of these proposals to gain traction opens the door to much more comprehensive engagements that would address key issues such as statelessness and the lack of a robust sub-national framework for democratic governance.”

PUNCH.

Headline

12 Die, 30 Missing In Peru Landslide

Published

4 hours ago

December 1, 2025

Editor

At least 12 people, including three children, died in a landslide at a river port in central Peru on Monday, and 30 were reported missing, officials said.

The landslide submerged a boat with about 50 passengers on board, and another with none, as they were docked at the port of Iparia in the Amazon jungle region of Ucayali, according to a police report cited by the Andina news agency.

Six people were injured, it added, and a search and rescue operation was underway at the start of the Peruvian rainy season.

Without giving a toll, Peru’s COEN national emergency operations centre said on X that tragedy struck at dawn due to “erosion” of the bank of the Ucayali river.

It said the navy has been called in to help.

AFP

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Nigeria Grants Asylum To Guinea-Bissau Opposition Candidate

Published

5 hours ago

December 1, 2025

Editor

The Nigerian embassy in Guinea-Bissau has granted asylum to Fernando Dias da Costa, the country’s opposition presidential candidate, following alleged threats to his life after last week’s military coup, The Cable Reports.

The coup was announced by military officers on Wednesday, just days after Guinea-Bissau’s presidential election in which both incumbent President Umaro Embaló and his main challenger, da Costa, claimed victory before official results were released.

Nigeria condemned the takeover and urged an immediate return to constitutional order.

In a letter to the President of the Economic Community of West African States Commission, Omar Touray, dated November 30, the Foreign Affairs Minister, Yusuf Tuggar, said President Bola Tinubu had approved asylum and protection for da Costa inside the Nigerian embassy in Bissau.

Tuggar wrote that the decision was made “in response to threats made against da Costa’s life.”

“In this regard, it would be appreciated if you would kindly mandate the ECOWAS Stabilisation Support Mission in Guinea-Bissau to provide him protection and security while in the premises of the Nigerian embassy,” the letter stated.

The foreign affairs minister’s Special Assistant on Media and Communications Strategy, Alkasim Abdulkadir, confirmed the letter’s authenticity to The Cable on Monday.

He said, “The decision of the Federal Government of Nigeria to grant asylum and provide protection to Fernando Dia Da Costa falls squarely within Nigeria’s sovereign responsibility and longstanding commitment to regional peace, stability, and democratic governance.”

He added that Nigeria acted “in the broader interest of de-escalation,” saying the government had exercised its discretion “to prevent further deterioration of tensions and to promote social cohesion in Guinea-Bissau and the wider West African sub-region.”

According to Abdulkadir, the intervention aligns with ECOWAS principles and reflects Nigeria’s role as a stabilising force in West Africa.

Following the coup, ECOWAS held an emergency virtual summit of heads of state and subsequently suspended Guinea-Bissau from the regional bloc until constitutional order is restored.

Headline

Trump To Attend FIFA World Cup Finals Draw On Friday

Published

5 hours ago

December 1, 2025

Editor

The White House on Monday confirmed US President Donald Trump would attend the draw for the FIFA World Cup finals in Washington later this week.

The United States will co-host the 2026 tournament alongside Canada and Mexico.

“On Friday, President Trump will attend the FIFA World Cup final draw at the Kennedy Centre,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters.

Trump has made the World Cup a centrepiece event of both his second presidency and the 250th anniversary of US independence next year.

But the giant sporting extravaganza has not escaped the political turmoil caused by Trump’s hardline stance on a host of issues.

Trump, a Republican, has raised the possibility of moving games from some US host cities amid a crackdown on what he says is crime and illegal migration in some Democratic-run areas.

AFP