News

Economic Hardship: CSO Gives FG Ultimatum, Threatens Nationwide Protest

Published

1 year ago

February 10, 2024

Edo Civil Society Organisations (EDOCSO), has given the President Bola Tinubu-led Federal Government to urgently end the suffering in Nigeria with two weeks, threatening that failure to do so will lead to mass protest.

The civil society organisations gave the ultimatum in Benin City, the Edo State capital, during its General Assembly on Saturday.

Reading a statement jointly signed by Comrade Austine Enabulele,
Interim Technical Committee Chairman, and Comrade Grace Okike, Interim Technical Committee Secretary, EDOCSO, the organisations lamented that the economic hardship in the land is becoming unbearable.

“We want to state clearly that failure for the federal government to swing into emergency action to end this HUNGER and economic suffering in Nigeria within the next two week the President and his Vice should resign so we can elect a better leader, or we at Edo Civil Society Organisations (EDOCSO) will have no option than to mobilize other citizens all over the country on a Tinubu/Shetima must go protest, and we shall ensure a change in the leadership of Nigeria government to prove that indeed section 14 subsection 2a can be activated by any person elected into place of leadership.

“We shall ensure a better tomorrow for Nigerians and not this present better yesterday than we are currently experiencing. Let’s not be discouraged by the show of ineptitude of our leaders but focus on taking back our country from the hands of greedy politicians,” they added.

According to the civil society organisations, since the first day President Tinubu took over the leadership of Nigeria, “the country has known no peace in terms of our daily living.”

The EDOCSO added: “Beginning from the increase in fuel price till date, continuous rising of dollar that has affected everything in Nigeria including farm produce that comes from the local farms to our markets today, this has made the saying that whatever goes up must surely come down an irony, considering Dollar-naira exchange rate and suffering in Nigeria.”

They continued: “With dismay, pain and agony we have watched Nigerians groan in pains even when we try to assist as individuals from our own personal struggles is still never enough, and this has led to the continuous rising of suicide being committed by Nigerians everyday because they can no longer bear the hunger and sufferings, women are turning to widows and men widowers, children becoming fatherless or motherless all because, parents can no longer bear the pains of watching their children suffering, as a result of not being able to provide a meal for their children.”

According to EDOCSO, “Is it the crime that has increased all over the 36 states including the FCT, everyday we hear and experience kidnapping, armed robbery all over the country, that even the common local farmer, petty trader and mechanics are now being kidnapped in Nigeria in exchange for whatever the kidnappers can scoop for themselves from innocent citizens as ransom.

“The Federal Government has suddenly become somewhat deaf and dumb that they have refused to act or do anything about it, the almighty giant of Africa has suddenly become handicapped.

“Today in our markets, we can not even buy products manufactured locally, even the foods we bring from our local farms, all because the prices of food and all other things are going up every blessed day and the government supposedly has agencies that control market prices, while these agencies watch in their slumber with their hands folded doing nothing to correct these anomalies in the system and yet we say we have a government in Nigeria?

“Citizens get sick in Nigeria today and can’t afford money to buy common paracetamol, there are no health centers or government hospitals to go to by citizens to be attended to with little or no money.

“In some cases, you go to the very limited hospitals and you are not well attended to by professionals because of its shortage, you can’t get drugs from these few hospitals that are available and yet the wife of the president could donate 100,000 dollars to Sierra Leone to build a hospital when we have needs for it here in Nigeria.”

EDOCSO stated that, “We also wants to state here that we are most disappointed in the National House Of Assemblies who have become a puppet in the hand of the executive not knowing the power the constitution gave them to serve the people, unfortunately we have slumbering representatives who originally don’t know why they were sent to the National House of Assemblies.

“They feel it’s their time to enrich themselves at the expense of Nigerians and we think to the extent of their uselessness, they should all go home, so Nigerians can now conveniently know they have a country without legislators.

“Flowing from the above, it is clear of the general sufferings that Nigerians have been plunged into by the federal government since the day of taking over, due to the removal of fuel subsidy without proper plans on ground to ensure the welfare of Nigerians, and of course the further devalue of our Naira till date.

“We say to the Federal Government and president Bola Ahmed Tinubu that he has failed in his responsibilities and agreement reached with Nigerians, in Section 14 subsection 2b and Section 16 subsection 1b of the 1999 Constitution of the federal republic of Nigeriand as such have made the following demands.”

The civil society organisations therefore urged the Federal Government to urgently “put in place all machineries to ensure proper market price regulations to end the current economic hardship in the country,” and also put “all economic processes to give value to our currency be put in place.”

The organisations also demanded that “a proper fair and citizens friendly policies be put in place to ensure economic stability in the country,” and “all security measures to end insecurity be activated immediately.”

News

Hope Rises As Ijaw Nation Wades Into Okomu Crisis

Published

12 hours ago

June 13, 2025

Editor

Photo: File copy

There seems to be solution at sight to the crisis bedeviling Okomu community in Ovia South West Local Government Area of Edo State following the setting up of Peace and Conflict Resolution Committee by prominent Ijaw monarchs drawn from Edo, Ondo, Delta and Bayelsa states.

The setting up of the Peace and Conflict Resolution Committee by the Ijaw kings followed a request by His Royal Majesty, Pius Yanbor, the Pere (king) of Okomu Kingdom to his Ijaw brothers peres (king), appealing to them to intervene in the crisis that had led to the burning of houses and loss of lives.

Worried by the crisis and the consequent appeal by HRM Pius Yanbor, the Ijaw peres (kings), namely, HRM, Oboro Gbaraun II, the Pere of Gbaramatu Kingdom, Delta State; HRM, Zacheus Egbunu, the Agadagba of Arogbo Kingdom, Ondo State; HRM, Capt. Frank Okiakpe, the Pere of Gbaraun Kingdom, Bayelsa State; HRM, Joel Ibane, the Pere of Iduwini Kingdom, Delta State; HRM, Godwin Ogunoyibo, the Pere of Olodiama Kingdom, Edo State; HRM, Eseimokumor Ogonikara I, the Pere of Tubutoru Kingdom, Ondo State; HRM, Roman Bohan, the Pere of Furupagha Kingdom, Edo State, and HRM Stephen Ebikeme, the Pere of Oporomor Kingdom, Bayelsa State, in an acceptance memo of the Okomu king’s request which was made available to INFO DAILY stated: “We, the undersigned traditional rulers of Ijaw extraction, have unanimously aligned in agreement to take a deep dive into the crisis that has been rocking and bedeviling Okomu Kingdom for the past three years, with a view to providing respite and bringing lasting peace to the aforementioned kingdom.”

They continued: “This alignment however, is a fallout of a series of robust engagement amongst well-meaning and revered monarchs of Ijaw extraction, whose primary role in their various Kingdoms is to foster peace and unity.”

The Ijaw monarchs, thereafter, appointed Chief Sunday as the Chairman of the Peace and Conflict Resolution Committee, High Chief Pascal Akpofagha as the General Secretary and 16 other notable Ijaw sons from various kingdoms as members.

The 18-member committee is saddled with the responsibility of interfacing with the warring parties in the kingdom with a view to restoring lasting peace to the kingdom.

The revered Ijaw monarchs further expressed their commitment to providing the necessary support and work with the committee within the ambit of the law in order to ensure peace and harmony return to Okomu Kingdom.

News

UN Flags 138 Million Kids In Global Child Labour Crisis

Published

15 hours ago

June 12, 2025

Editor

Ahead of World Day Against Child Labour, a report released on Wednesday by the International Labour Organisation and the United Nations Children’s Fund has shown that nearly 138 million children were engaged in child labour in 2024.

The figure included 54 million engaged in hazardous work that endangered their health, safety, and development.

“Today, nearly 138 million children are in child labour worldwide, down from 160 million four years ago.

“There are over 100 million fewer children in child labour today than in 2000, even as the child population increased by 230 million over the same period,” the report stated

World Day Against Child Labour is marked on June 12 every year and International Day of Play is marked on June 11.

The report revealed that while child labour had declined by more than 20 million since 2020, the world had missed its target of ending child labour by 2025.

It noted that since 2000, child labour had almost halved, yet current rates remained too slow.

To end child labour within the next five years, the report said the current rates of progress would need to be 11 times faster.

“While the elimination of child labour remains an unfinished task, there is some welcome news.

“After a concerning rise in child labour captured by the global estimates for 2020, a feared further deterioration in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic has not materialised, and the world has succeeded in returning to a path of progress.

“This success can be attributed to some well-known policy imperatives that, if sustained and scaled-up, could bring about an end to child labour,” the report stated.

It highlighted that the policies included ensuring free and high-quality schooling to provide a worthwhile alternative to child labour and help ensure successful transitions from school to decent work.

Others were equipping education systems to support the school-to-work transition, particularly for older adolescents who face heightened occupational safety and health risks in the labour market; strengthening legal protections against child labour, aligned with international standards to lay the groundwork for effective prevention and enforcement, among others.

The report also said targeted policies to end child labour must go hand in hand with broader development strategies.

“And to be fully effective, child labour concerns must be systematically mainstreamed into economic and social policy planning – from macroeconomic frameworks to labour market reforms and sectoral strategies.

“The latest estimates underscore the magnitude of the challenge of ending child labour. They also point to progress, and in doing so, affirm the possibilities.

“We have the blueprint for success – the right policies, adequate resources and unwavering commitment. Now is the time to act to free future generations from child labour,” it added.

News

Journalists’ Cooperative Society Announces Formal Take-off

Published

15 hours ago

June 12, 2025

Editor

The Innovative Media Partners Cooperative Multipurpose Society has announced its formal take-off.

The President of IMPCMS and Publisher of The Eagle Online, Dotun Oladipo, made the announcement in a statement issued on Wednesday.

According to Oladipo, the formal commencement of activities followed the completion of all registration formalities and opening of a bank account.

The statement added that this also followed the approval of the Executive Committee of the IMPCMS, which now has the full compliments of members.

Apart from Oladipo, other members of the Executive Committee include Ugomma Cookey, a member of the Board of the Media Career Development Network, as Vice President; Nkanu Egbe, Publisher of Lagos Metropolitan, as General Secretary; Ijeoma Popoola, Editor with the News Agency of Nigeria, Financial Secretary; and Dolapo Otegbayi, a prominent media and marketing consultant, as Treasurer.

The Ex-Officio Members are media trainer, Taiwo Obe; and Founder and Chief Executive Officer of WVL Development Advisers Limited and former Acting Managing Director/CEO of Bank of Industry, Dr. Waheed Olagunju.

To join the cooperative society, which is for practicing journalists and media professionals, would-be members are expected to fill a form, which can be obtained at the secretariat at 1, James Robertson Street, Surulere, Lagos.

For the electronic version of the form, the statement said a WhatsApp message can be sent to: 08023204836, or email to: nkanu.egbe@gmail.com.

The cost of membership was put at N10,000, which is payable into the cooperative society’s account with the United Bank for Africa: Innovative Media Partner Surulere Multipurpose Cooperative Society, with account number 1028258688.

Among the early financial members of the society are the President of the Nigerian Guild of Editors and Editor of Vanguard Newspaper, Eze Anaba; seasoned broadcaster, Anike-ade Funke Treasure; eminent journalist, Dr. Hope Orivri; Publishers of Oriental News, Chika Izuora and Yemisi Izuora; and Dayo Ojo.

All members of the Executive Committee of the IMPCMS have also become financial members.

The society was formed as a fallout of the Second Nigerian Media Leaders’ Summit held in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, in 2024, and organised by The Journalism Clinic, founded by Obe.