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Proscription of Bandits: FG has succumbed to blackmail – Gumi

Published

2 years ago

November 27, 2021

Sheik Ahmad Gumi

Sheik Ahmad Gumi has alleged that the Federal Government has succumbed to the blackmail against bandits.

The respected scholar said this while reacting to the report of the court proscription of armed men terrorising the country.

Daily Trust had reported how Justice Taiwo Taiwo of a Federal High Court in Abuja proclaimed the activities of bandits as terrorism.

The judge ruled based on an ex parte motion filed by the Federal Government.

Mohammed Abubakar, the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), who filed the motion, had said President Muhammadu Buhari gave approval for the proscription of terrorist groups in the country.

But Gumi said designating bandits as terrorists will result in more violence.

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He also said it cannot solve insecurity, alleging that the action was taken for political expediency.

In a statement Malam Tukur Mamu, his Media Consultant, issued on his behalf, Gumi said, “I think the federal government has succumbed to media blackmail by a section of the country. It will not have any practical value because even before the declaration, they are being fought and treated as terrorists.”

“So it’s just a nomenclature which I believe will not change the dynamics on the ground.

“If you can remember IPOB (Indigenous People of Biafra) was also declared a terrorist organization, the declaration was even backed by the order of the Court but as you can see even the international community did not recognise FG’s declaration of IPOB. So it has failed to be effective or to achieve the desired results.

“They have not been banned from travelling to other countries while their citizenship remains intact, it has not been denounced. So what type of declaration is that?

“I sincerely hope that Nigerians will not take the herdsmen as terrorists but should regard the criminality of the few among them against innocent people as acts of terrorism just as we see IPOB and their attacks on security agencies and other northern citizens as acts of terrorism. Very few herdsmen are bandits if you go through their population.

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“I hope this declaration will not give the license to people to be profiling herdsmen in general as terrorists and taking the law into their hands against them.

“It will cause more mayhem. The declaration will not change anything, it will not change the dynamics. Already the military is engaging them. It didn’t stop them from kidnappings and killings. The declaration will not end their aggression against the society.

“The Fulani banditry is a socio-economic problem. We have seen it, we interacted widely with them. We told the federal government the way out.

“It can only be won through engagement, dialogue and justice. That is why today there is relative peace in the Niger Delta because government has accepted the painful reality of rehabilitating and empowering them.

“There has to be equitable distribution of wealth in Nigeria and justice for everyone. People don’t want to accept it, before the issue of banditry that now affects all of us, the Fulanis have suffered so much.

”They have lost their legitimate means of livelihood, I mean their cows through cattle rustling and extortion by security agencies. That has to be addressed as a means of genuine reconciliation and integration. They should have a sense of belonging.”

Daily Trust

Related Topics:Bandits blackmail Featured FG Gumi Proscription succumbed

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Canadian mayor praises Lagos under Tinubu at event honouring Peter Obi

Published

7 hours ago

May 6, 2024

Trends Admin

Canadian mayor praises Lagos under Tinubu at event honouring Peter Obi

The Mayor of Brampton, Patrick Brown, has expressed his admiration for Lagos State during an event organised to honour Peter Obi, the Labour Party flag-bearer in the 2023 presidential election.

Brampton is a city in the Canadian province of Ontario, with a high population of Nigerian immigrants.

While speaking at a recent town hall meeting hosted by the Coalition of Nigerian Canadian Interest Groups based in Canada to honour Obi, Brown recounted how he fell in love with Lagos when he visited in 2007.

The period of his visit coincided with the time President Bola Tinubu was in office as the governor of the South-West State.

Brown was seen in a video shared on Saturday, May 4, 2024, by Wale Adedayo, a user tweeting as @Mario9jaa, addressed the cheering audience.

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Brown was blown away during his visit to Lagos

“I went to Nigeria in 2007. I went to Lagos and I fell in love with the country. Two years ago, I went back and once again, I toured the country. Anytime you visit Nigeria, you’re saying to yourself, ‘When can I go back?” the impressed mayor said.

He also mentioned that he was “blown away” by the strides of the nation’s movie industry, popularly referred to as Nollywood.

“There’s a lot of love for Nigeria in my city,” he added.

Similarly, a member of the Provincial Parliament in Brampton North, Graham McGregor, also disclosed in a tweet on Sunday that “In Brampton, we’ve got one of the fastest growing Nigerian-Canadian communities. I’ve spoken with a few people here that are from Brampton and we’ve got a lot of exciting things going on.”

McGregor stressed the importance of creating an “open, inclusive, welcoming economy for everybody. And to the connections we’re building here with the Nigerian-Canadian community, we want to make sure Nigerians are part of it.”

Canadian mayor praises Lagos under Tinubu at event honouring Peter Obi

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Fubara: I have moved on with governance despite political pressure

Published

8 hours ago

May 6, 2024

Trends Admin

Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara

Fubara: I have moved on with governance despite political pressure

Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State has asserted that despite the political turmoil in the state, his administration remains steadfast in providing focused leadership and governance.

During a recent meeting with members of the House of Representatives Committee on Public Petitions, led by Chairman Hon. Mike Etaba, at the government house in Port Harcourt, Fubara emphasized that, as far as his administration and the people of Rivers State are concerned, there are no significant political issues to address.

Reflecting on the challenges posed by the political crisis, Fubara drew inspiration from a movie he watched, “Devil’s Advocate,” where he cited a quote by Al Pacino.

He said, “As far as we are concerned, there are no political issues. I saw a movie many years ago, entitled, ‘Devil’s Advocate.’ I believe some of you must have seen that movie too.

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“One of the starring characters, Al Pacino, said that pressure makes some people retreat or fail, and to others, it makes them focus on succeeding. We have chosen to be focused under this pressure.

“That is why we are moving ahead, making a positive impact on the lives of our people. Governance is about the people, not about self.

“Governance is about touching the core needs of those we are leading, and by the special grace of God, we are doing it.”

“Yesterday, by the special grace of God, we observed the credit line of over 3,066 persons empowered. You can imagine what that will do for the economy of the masses and the state. That is touching the lives of our people. It does not support them for selfish reasons. It does not give a contract because I want somebody to fight somebody in my community. No. This is empowering the economy of the masses and the state.

“Our focus is that, no matter what anybody is doing anywhere, we will not lose focus. We want to leave here better than we met it. And we want to also leave here without fear of anything.”

Fubara: I have moved on with governance despite political pressure

News

FG begins disbursement of N50bn grant to small business owners

Published

8 hours ago

May 6, 2024

Trends Admin

Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Doris Uzoka-Anite

FG begins disbursement of N50bn grant to small business owners

The Federal Government, FG, says it has started disbursement of N50,000 grants to nano business entrepreneurs.

Dr Doris Uzoka-Anite, Minister for Industry, Trade, and Investment, verified this over the weekend, stating that no fewer than 200,000 small business owners have received the payment.

According to her, 800,000 others will receive their incentives before the program ends on May 31.

This will raise the total number of beneficiaries to 1,000,000 Nigerians, split across 774 local government areas.

She explained that about 3.6 million applications were received out of which the beneficiaries were selected randomly from among those who met the conditions.

The minister said N50 billion is available in the 2024 budget for disbursement.

The programme is one of the palliative measures announced by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in a broadcast on July 31, last year to cushion the pains of petrol subsidy removal.

The President, in the broadcast, said: “Our administration recognises the importance of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises and the informal sector as drivers of growth. We are going to energise this very important sector.”

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In the broadcast, the President also announced that 75 manufacturing firms will be given N1 billion single-digit interest loans each to reflate their businesses.

Dr. Uzoka-Anite, in response to enquiries by our reporter, said: “The application portal was closed at midnight on April 17. The portal had to be closed due to an overwhelming number of applications totalling over 3.6 million.

“The Bank of Industry is ensuring transparency and accountability in the N50 billion disbursement using NIN, BVN and bank account details for verification to prevent duplication.

“They will also perform physical enumeration to re-verify information, including taking photographs of beneficiaries.

“The time frame for disbursement is the end of May 2024. The requirement for determining the beneficiaries is not based on particular criteria. The goal is to reach 1,290 beneficiaries per local government area across the country totalling one million people.”

On why many of the beneficiaries have not been reached, she explained: “We acknowledge that some of the beneficiaries are getting alert while others are not.

“The disbursement is subject to verification of NIN, which became mandatory after the initial application phase which required only BVN.

“The selection is random and without human intervention from those who have passed their NIN and BVN verification.