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‘It’s An Assault On Democracy ‘ – CSO Knocks Tinubu, Rejects Rivers Emergency Rule

Published

6 months ago

March 20, 2025

By Joseph Ebi Kanjo

Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) has condemned in strong terms the emergency rule declared by President Bola Tinubu in Rivers State, describing it as “an assault on democracy.”

The civil society organization added that the declaration is not just “an assault on democracy,” but “also signifies a grave
rupturing of democratic principles, the rule of law, and the expressed
will of the people.”

The Executive Director, HOMEF, Dr Nnimmo Bassey, in a statement made available to INFO DAILY by Kome Odhomor, Media/Communication Lead of the organization, noted that apart from the fact that the president’s statement was “disturbing, one-sided, and unconvincing,” his action “portends new levels of socioecological challenges not only to Rivers State but to the entire Niger Delta.”

Bassey, who acknowledged the fact that the actions that led to the emergency rule in Rivers have been national embarrassment, however, noted that declaring a State of Emergency
worsens the scenario.

He added: “A return of military rule in any part of the Niger Delta is an egregious assault on the psyche of traumatised people. Any action that awakes the nightmarish memories of 1990 must be condemned in
the strongest terms.”

He continued: “We will not forget that the region was, and has remained, militarised at the pleasure of multinational oil companies. Communities were
levelled, and blood flowed across the land and creeks.

“In recent months, egoistic barriers have been raised to block dialogue and civility, and militarisation is now hoisted as a panacea to the rotten situation.

“Will military rule allow the good people of Rivers State to breathe? Is it a ploy to further militarise the region, deepen impunity, and reopen closed wells for barrels of oil under the protection of barrels of guns? There are many questions to ask and many rivers to cross in Rivers State.”

Bassey also described as “unacceptable, the premise that the State of Emergency became necessary because oil pipelines were being threatened,” arguing that governors are not the Commander in Chief of the armed forces.

The ED further argued: “Governors
of the states are not the Commander in Chief of the armed forces.
Moreover, decrepit oil facilities have been blowing up on their own
accord, without third party interferences, suggesting that incidents in the oil fields are acts of sabotage without due investigation is
specious.”

He added: “HOMEF objects to any attempts, through means such as militarisation, to
expand oil drilling operations in the Niger Delta using military force or cover. Such attempts will be ill-advised considering the ecological
harms in the region that have reduced lives to a mere whisper.”

The Executive Director, therefore, called for the “immediate restoration of democratic governance in Rivers
State and respect for the rule of law,” insisting that “nowhere in the Nigerian Constitution that gives the
President the power to replace democratic institutions with military
rule.”

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JUST IN: Ooni Visits Olubadan-designate Ladoja In Ibadan

Published

7 hours ago

September 21, 2025

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The Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi, on Sunday, paid a visit to the Olubadan designate, Rashidi Ladoja, at his Bodija private residence in Ibadan, Oyo State.

The PUNCH reports that Oba Ladoja will be installed as the 44th Olubadan on Friday, September 26, 2025, following the demise of the 43rd Olubadan, Oba Owolabi Olakulehin, who joined his ancestors on Monday, July 7, 2025, at the age of 90 years.

The two paramount rulers are currently exchanging pleasantries.

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JUST IN: FG Revokes 1,263 Mineral Licenses Over Unpaid Fees

Published

7 hours ago

September 21, 2025

Editor

The Federal Government through the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development has announced a fresh revocation of not less than 1,263 mineral licenses.

These licenses, which will now be deleted from the Electronic Mining Cadastral System portal of the Nigerian Mining Cadastral Office, include 584 exploration licenses, 65 mining leases, 144 quarry licenses, and 470 small-scale mining leases.

The minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, gave the revocation announcement in a statement issued by his special assistant on Media, Segun Tomori, on Sunday in Abuja.

The minister explained that the directive was issued due to the companies’ failure to comply with the requirement of paying their annual service fees.

The latest revocation brings the total mineral titles revoked under the current administration to 3, 794 including,619 mineral titles revoked for defaulting in paying annual service fees and 912 for dormancy last year.

By opening up the areas formerly covered by these licenses, the revocation is expected to spur fresh applications by investors looking for fresh opportunities.

The statement read, “Not less than 1,263 mineral licenses will be deleted from the portal of the Electronic Mining Cadastral system of the Nigerian Mining Cadastral Office, MCO, following their revocation by the Federal Government.

“These include 584 exploration licenses, 65 mining leases, 144 quarry licenses, and 470 small-scale mining leases.”

Approving the revocation following the recommendation of the MCO, the Minister said applying the law to keep speculators and unserious investors away from the mining sector would make way for diligent investors and grow the sector.

“The era of obtaining licences and keeping them in drawers for the highest bidder, while financially capable and industrious businessmen are complaining of access to good sites, is over.

“The annual service fee is the minimum evidence that you are interested in mining. You don’t have to wait for us to revoke the license because the law allows you to return the license if you change your mind,” the minister said.

He warned that the revocation does not mean the Federal Government has pardoned the annual service debt owed by licensees, adding that the list will be forwarded to the Economic & Financial Crimes Commission to ensure that debtors pay or face the wrath of the law.

“This is to encourage due diligence and emphasise the consequences of inundating the license application processes with speculative activities.”

In the recommendation to the minister, the Director-General of the MCO, Simon Nkom, disclosed that there were 1,957 initial defaulters when the MCO published the intention to revoke licences in the Federal Government Gazette on June 19, 2025.

He informed the minister that the gazette was distributed to MCO offices nationwide to sensitise licencees and encourage them to comply within 30 days in compliance with the Minerals and Mining Act 2007 and relevant regulations.

He observed that the delay in the final recommendation was due to complaints of several licensees who claimed to have paid to the Federal Government through Remita and had to be reconciled.

Earlier this month, the DG MCO had hinted that more mining licences would be revoked as part of ongoing efforts to sanitise the solid minerals sector and protect investors from fraudsters.

According to Nkom, the clean-up exercise, which covers expired, speculative, and inactive titles, is necessary to make room for genuine investors and ensure compliance with the law.

This is part of ongoing efforts at sanitising the sector since the inception of the Tinubu administration, and the salutary effects of the reforms are massive and manifest despite the attempts to push back by defaulters and their agents.