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Protest: Professor Olurode recommends creative, scientific approaches (Updated)
Protest: Professor Olurode recommends creative, scientific approaches (Updated)
A retired professor of political sociology at the University of Lagos, Lai Olurode, has called on promoters of the planned nationwide protests to be creative in expressing their grievances rather than taking to rallies or public demonstrations that can turn violent or hijacked by criminals.
The professor, who is also a former National Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission, made the suggestion in a statement against the fears of street protests becoming uncontrollably violent.
He recalled that civil protests became popular in the US in the early 1960s to register dissatisfaction with social discrimination against the minorities particularly the black and people of colour and women as well.
Protests, he added, had since then largely become a positive force in righting the prevalent social wrongs.
In the most civilised and democratic countries of the world, Olurode contended that ‘civil protests are rarely outlawed.
“Even, under dictatorships, protests, where they are forbidden, get smuggled into modes of registering dissatisfaction and social discontent with harsh government social policies. “Without street protests and marches, the military would have probably remained in power in most of the African countries.”
Olurode also said, “The most common form of civil protest in Nigeria is street protest or march.
“But Nigerians can be more creative by considering alternatives to street marches as forms of civil disobedience. If we go by previous experiences about the consequences and backlash of civil protests, the outcomes have not been salutary.
“The question then is why employ the same mode of behaviour that hadn’t produced any substantive outcome in the past?”
Olurode appealed for more creativity and reliance on science to decide on whether this pending protest should hold or not.
“I hereby advocate that those who have subscribed to the protest option to register their protest against hunger in the land through petitions or even boycott of government services in place of street protests.
“Without any doubt in the mind of many, the 2020 EndSars bloody protest left sour taste in the mouth. The scale of private and public destruction was massive.
“Though the protests led to the erasure of EndSars inscriptions on police vehicles, the protests by no means eliminated police ‘tollgates’ and the associated sharp practices. These gains got flattened in the midst of the losses of lives and property which followed the imbroglio.
“In the light of this, I appeal for caution on the resort to open protests. Let’s deploy more creative thoughts and scientific simplicity to feed our decisions.
“A desirable outcome is an improvement in Nigeria’s citizenship project which is achievable through alternatives to street protests or marches.
“Never must we allow opportunists whose narrow concern is to promote ethnic rather than class politics to take advantage of our innocent expressions of social discontent.”
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Gunmen kill two soldiers in Abia checkpoint attack
Gunmen kill two soldiers in Abia checkpoint attack
Early Wednesday morning, gunmen attacked an army checkpoint in Ekenobizi, a border community between Abia and Imo states, located in Umuopara, Umuahia South Local Government Area.
The assailants reportedly arrived around 6:18 a.m. in a white Lexus SUV (model 350/400) and launched an assault that resulted in the deaths of two soldiers.
A military source, who wished to remain anonymous, provided details of the incident but could not confirm the exact number of attackers involved.
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Confirming the incident in a press release on Wednesday, Lieutenant Colonel Jonah Unuakhalu of the Joint Task Force South East Operation UDO KA said: “In the early hours of today, 13 November 2024, troops of the Joint Task Force South East Operation UDO KA, deployed at a checkpoint along the Umuahia – Owerri Road in Umuahia South Local Government Area of Abia State, came under attack by the irredentist group Indigenous People of Biafra and its armed affiliate, the Eastern Security Network.
“During the attack, the gallant troops were able to repel the assault, forcing the attackers to retreat in disarray with gunshot wounds, abandoning one Sienna and one Lexus Jeep used in the attack. However, in the ensuing firefight, two soldiers paid the supreme price.”
The Joint Task Force appealed to residents of the South East, particularly those in Abia State, for credible information to help track down the fleeing attackers and combat criminal elements in the region.
The force reiterated its commitment to protecting lives and property in line with global best practices and the rules of engagement.
Gunmen kill two soldiers in Abia checkpoint attack
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94 arrested as task force raids Lagos rail corridor squatters
94 arrested as task force raids Lagos rail corridor squatters
At least 94 illegal occupants and squatters along the railway corridor from Pen Cinema to Fagba were arrested by the Lagos State Taskforce in an early morning sting operation on Wednesday.
During the raid, substances suspected to be hard drugs—such as Indian hemp, colorado, and other harmful drugs—were seized, along with various weapons.
It was gathered that those arrested attempted to resist the task force’s actions.
In a statement, Director of Public Affairs, Gbadeyan Abdulraheem, confirmed that those arrested will face prosecution.
He added that the agency dismantled shanties and makeshift structures along the railway corridor, clearing a distance of some kilometers.
The Taskforce Chairman Adetayo Akerele explained that the eviction aimed to provide relief for residents around the Fagba, Agege, and Pen Cinema railway routes, following numerous complaints from the public about criminal activities in the area.
He noted that the squatting had violated environmental and sanitary regulations.
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Akerele also highlighted the health and safety risks posed by the presence of squatters along the rail corridor.
He warned the evicted individuals not to return and assured residents and train passengers that regular patrols and surveillance would be conducted to prevent the re-establishment of shanties in the area.
“The rail tracks are not meant for habitation or the sale of narcotics. Anyone caught converting this place into a den of criminals or an area of residence will face severe consequences according to the law,” Akerele was quoted as saying.
Speaking on the raid, Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, disclosed that a locally fabricated short gun was recovered.
“94 suspects were arrested during the midnight operation; a locally fabricated short gun and several wraps of illicit substance suspected to be indian hemp, charm and a jack knife were recovered.
“The suspects will be charged to court accordingly,” Wahab stated in a post on X.
94 arrested as task force raids Lagos rail corridor squatters
metro
Okpebholo sacks all political appointees, Board executives in Edo
Okpebholo sacks all political appointees, Board executives in Edo
Governor Monday Okpebholo of Edo State has swept out all Board, Parastatal, and Agency appointees from his predecessor, Godwin Obaseki, in a decisive move to overhaul the state’s public service.
A statement released on Wednesday by the Governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Fred Itua, confirmed the immediate dismissal of all political appointees and Permanent Secretaries brought in from outside the state Civil Service.
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The statement reads:
“For the information of the general public, His Excellency, Senator Monday Okpebholo, Governor of Edo State, has approved the dissolution of Executives of all Boards, Agencies, and Parastatals in the Edo State Public Service with immediate effect.
“In addition, all Permanent Secretaries appointed from outside the State Public/Civil Service and all Political Appointees are hereby relieved of their appointments.”
Affected individuals have been directed to return all government property in their possession to the senior Public Officers in their respective Ministries, Departments, and Agencies.
Okpebholo sacks all political appointees, Board executives in Edo
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