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Soyinka faults Tinubu’s address as police take over Lagos protest venue
Soyinka faults Tinubu’s address as police take over Lagos protest venue
Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, on Sunday faulted President Bola Tinubu’s national broadcast.
He said the speech did not address the violent crackdown by security forces on #EndBadGovernance protesters.
He gave the position in a statement issued on Sunday just as police took over the Gani Fawehinmi Freedom Park at Ojota, the Lagos venue of the mass protest by the aggrieved youth.
The action of the police came after a clash by the protesters and hoodlums who came to chase away a group of protesting youths that gathered at the place.
Soyinka expressed concern over the President’s omission of the critical issue of violent attack of peaceful protesters by the police.
He said, “I set my alarm clock for this morning to ensure that I did not miss President Bola Tinubu’s impatiently awaited address to the nation on the current unrest across the nation.
“His outline of government’s remedial action since inception, aimed at warding off just such an outbreak, will undoubtedly receive expert and sustained attention both for effectiveness and in content analysis. My primary concern, quite predictably, is the continuing deterioration of the state’s seizure of protest management, an area in which the presidential address fell conspicuously short.
“Such short-changing of civic deserving, regrettably, goes to arm the security forces in the exercise of impunity and condemns the nation to a seemingly unbreakable cycle of resentment and reprisals.
“Live bullets as state response to civic protest – that becomes the core issue. Even tear gas remains questionable in most circumstances, certainly an abuse in situations of clearly peaceful protest.
“Hunger marches constitute a universal S.O.S, not peculiar to the Nigerian nation. They belong indeed in a class of their own, never mind the collateral claims emblazoned on posters.
“They serve as summons to governance that a breaking point has been reached and thus, a testing ground for governance awareness of public desperation.
“The tragic response to the ongoing hunger marches in parts of the nation, and for which notice was served, constitutes a retrogression that takes the nation even further back than the deadly culmination of the watershed ENDSARS protests.
“It evokes pre-independence – that is, colonial – acts of disdain, a passage that induced the late stage pioneer Hubert Ogunde’s folk opera BREAD AND BULLETS, earning that nationalist serial persecution and proscription by the colonial government.
“The nation’s security agencies cannot pretend unawareness of alternative models for emulation, civilized advances in security intervention.
“Need we recall the nationwide 2022/23 editions of what is generally known as the YELLOW VEST movement in France?
“Perhaps it is time to make such scenarios compulsory viewing in policing curriculum.
“In all of the coverage that I watched, I did not catch one single instance of a gun leveled at protesters, much less fired at them even during direct physical confrontations.
“The serving of bullets where bread is pleaded is ominous retrogression, and we know what that eventually proves – a prelude to far more desperate upheavals, not excluding revolutions.
“The time is long overdue, surely, to abandon, permanently, the anachronistic resort to lethal means by the security agencies of governance. “No nation is so under-developed, materially impoverished, or simply internally insecure as to lack the will to set an example.
Police take over after Lagos protesters, hoodlums clash
Meanwhile, hoodlums on Sunday disrupted the fourth day of a peaceful protest at Gani Fawehinmi Park in Ojota, Lagos State.
According to an account by Vanguard, the demonstration, which began without incident, saw a significant escalation around 10:30 a.m.
The situation became tense when a lawyer identified only as JP urged protesters to leave the site, citing President Bola Tinubu’s recent national address.
However, a faction led by 70-year-old Adegboyega Adeniji of Peace Action Transformation insisted on continuing the protest.
The police intervened, attempting to persuade the remaining protesters to disperse.
Moments later, a group of individuals, whom the protesters alleged were hired to disrupt the event, emerged from across the street and began chasing them away.
By 11:30am, the situation had deteriorated as the group of hoodlums returned and forced all protesters out of the area.
The police later stormed the place and took over the park.
News
Recruitment of next phase of federal fire service personnel begins
Recruitment of next phase of federal fire service personnel begins
The Civil Defence Correctional Fire and Immigration Services Board (CDCFIB) has announced the commencement of the next phase of ITs 2023/2024 recruitment into the Federal Fire Service (FFS).
The Secretary to the Board, Ja’afaru Ahmed, disclosed this in a statement made available to the media on Saturday.
“The Civil Defence Correctional Fire and Immigration Services Board (CDCFIB) wishes to inform the general public that the next phase of the Federal Fire Service (FFS) Recruitment Exercise will commence on the 15th of September, 2024 as shortlisted candidates will be sent invitation letters detailing where they are to appear for physical screening, certificate verification as well as aptitude test through the phone numbers and email addresses they provided during the process of registration.
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“The Board wishes to state that every process of this exercise does not attract any form of payment,” the statement said.
The Board had earlier promised to conclude the recruitment process before the end of September 2024.
Daily Trust gathered that around 2500 personnel would be recruited after the completion of the recruitment process.
Recruitment of next phase of federal fire service personnel begins
News
Dangote fuel supply forces Scotland refinery to announce shutdown date
Dangote fuel supply forces Scotland refinery to announce shutdown date
Grangemouth, Scotland’s only oil refinery, is to close in 2025 with the loss of 400 jobs, operator Petroineos has said, according to Reuters, as part of plans to turn the 100-year-old plant into a fuels import terminal.
Petroineos said last November it was preparing to shut down Grangemouth, Britain’s oldest refinery. Production will cease in the second quarter of next year, subject to an employee consultation, a company spokesperson said.
The decision was criticised by trade unions and politicians.
“It is deeply disappointing that Petroineos have confirmed their previous decision to close Grangemouth oil refinery,” UK Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said.
The site will become an import and distribution terminal for finished fuels, which will cut the number of employees at the site from 475 to around 75 over the next two years.
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Petroineos is a joint venture between PetroChina International London (PCIL) and INEOS Group, a British chemicals firm founded by billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
The company cited economic difficulties as the reason for the closure, stating that the company had invested $1.2 billion since 2011, and returned losses in excess of $775 million over the same period.
“Grangemouth is increasingly unable to compete with bigger, more modern and efficient sites in the Middle East, Asia and Africa” where Dangote Refinery just opened.
Due to its size and configuration, Grangemouth incurs high levels of capital expenditure each year just to maintain its licence to operate,” the company said.
It said the plant is currently losing around $500,000 per day, and expects to see a $200 million loss for 2024.
Petroineos’s plans for Grangemouth had been opposed by trade unions and local politicians and there were campaigns to extend production until a low-carbon alternative for its long-term future could be secured.
Dangote fuel supply forces Scotland refinery to announce shutdown date
News
JUST IN: Tinubu returns to Abuja today after China, UK trips
JUST IN: Tinubu returns to Abuja today after China, UK trips
President Bola Tinubu is set to return to Abuja on Sunday after concluding his official trip to China and a brief stopover in the United Kingdom.
Tinubu departed Abuja for Beijing on August 29. His visit commenced on September 2 with a meeting at the Great Hall of the People, where he was warmly received by President Xi Jinping.
A 21-gun salute and an honor guard marked his arrival in China, highlighting the significance of the visit.
According to a statement released by Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Tinubu engaged in a series of bilateral talks with President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang. During these discussions, both countries signed five Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs).
These agreements covered various areas, including a cooperation plan to further the Belt and Road Initiative, peaceful applications of nuclear energy, and development initiatives related to human resources.
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One of the MoUs emphasized media exchange and cooperation between China’s media outlets and the Nigerian Television Authority. Another key agreement was signed with the China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) for the construction of the Lagos Green Rail Line, a 68-kilometer project that will connect the Lekki Free Zone to Marina, interfacing with the existing Blue Line.
Additionally, an agreement for a $1 billion iron ore-to-steel project in Kogi State was reached between Nigeria’s Chart and Capstone Integrated Limited and China’s Sinomach-He.
During his stay in China, President Tinubu also visited prominent companies, including Huawei and CHEC, before attending the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) Summit. At the summit, representing the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) as chairman, he delivered a speech emphasizing the importance of multilateralism and global cooperation for peace.
In his final engagement in China, Tinubu met with representatives of the Nigerians in Diaspora Organization (China chapter) to discuss the ongoing reforms in Nigeria. He expressed hope that these changes would pave the way for improved infrastructure, consistent power supply, and enhanced education, akin to what is seen in China.
After leaving Beijing, President Tinubu headed to London for a brief visit. There, he met with King Charles III to discuss pressing issues, including climate change.
President Tinubu’s return to Abuja is eagerly anticipated as he concludes this important diplomatic mission.
JUST IN: Tinubu returns to Abuja today after China, UK trips
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