The National Peace Committee (NPC) headed by a former head of state, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar, last week opened up on calls from some individuals and groups in the country for the cancellation of the 2023 presidential election.
The same week, gunmen suspected to be bandits abducted 20 medical students in Benue State.
These and three other stories we tracked dominated public discourse in the country last week.
1. Abdulsalami’s committee on 2023 presidential election
On August 16, Abdulsalami said the NPC was pushed to persuade the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to cancel the 2023 presidential election.
He stated this in Abuja during the presentation of the committee’s report on the elections.
The ex-military rule said the committee came under huge pressure from certain individuals and groups to influence the process.
The report read: “Both the Chairman of the Committee, Gen. Abdulsalami A. Abubakar, the Convener, Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah, and the Head of NPC Secretariat, Fr. Atta Barkindo, were inundated with calls, requests, and petitions demanding the intervention of the NPC.
“Some of the requests wanted the NPC to prevail on INEC to stop collating election results because there were gross violations and lack of compliance with the electoral act.”
Why it matters
The committee’s remark again highlights the resentments that trailed the last national election.
The incidents recorded during the polls brought to the fore the reluctance of the political class to wean themselves of the win-at-all syndrome that has been the hallmark of Nigeria’s democratic journey.
This act is the reason Nigeria has continued to struggle to conduct credible polls since 1999 when the military handed over the baton of leadership to the political class.
2. Gunmen abduct medical students in Benue
Gunmen suspected to be bandits on August 15 kidnapped more than 20 medical students along with a House Officer in Benue State.
The students, who were from the University of Maiduguri and the University of Jos, were heading to Enugu State for the annual convention of the Federation of Catholic Medical and Dental Students (FECAMDS) when they were ambushed by the criminals in the Otukpo area of Benue State.
The spokesperson for the state police command, Catherine Anene, confirmed the incident.
She said: “We received the report of kidnapping between 5:30 p.m. and 6:00 p.m., and we have launched an investigation into the matter.”
Why it matters
The abduction of the medical students illustrates the current perilous state of Nigeria where nobody is safe from the rage of the terrorists who have been emboldened by the government’s helplessness in the face of their atrocities against the state.
With this latest incident, it is sufficient to say that without a sustained effort to contain the criminals who are on the prowl, the country may well brace for total anarchy and rapid descent into a failed state.
3. Chinese firm’s seizure of Nigeria’s planes
A Chinese firm, Zhongshan Fucheng Industrial Investment Company Limited, on August 15 seized three Nigerian aircraft stationed in France.
The seizure of Dassault Falcon 7X, a Boeing 737-7N6/BBJ, and an Airbus A330-243 belonging to the Federal Government at Paris-Le Bourget and Basel-Mulhouse airports in France followed an order by the Paris judicial court on a contract dispute between the Ogun State government and the company.
READ ALSO:QuickRead: Anyaoku group renews push for new constitution. Four stories we tracked and why they matter
In a statement, the Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to the President, Bayo Onanuga, described the development as “fraudulent” and assured Nigerians that the government was working to protect national assets from “predators who masquerade as investors.”
He wrote: “The Presidency is aware of the various failed attempts by a Chinese company, Zhongshan Fucheng Industrial Investment Co. Limited, to take over offshore assets of the Federal Government of Nigeria through subterfuge.
“The Federal Government is not under any contractual obligation with the company. The case in which Zhongshan is trying to strip our offshore assets is between the company and the Ogun State Government.”
Why it matters
The seizure of the country’s planes in a foreign land again exposes the leadership failure at all levels in the country.
The latest attempt by a foreign entity to strip the country’s assets while the Nigerian authorities are still basking in the euphoria of the country’s victory over the Process and Industrial Development (P&ID) in the British Court a few months earlier called into question our attitude to contractual obligations and rule of law.
This time around, the federal government must get to the root of the matter and expose all, including Nigerians conniving with the Chinese company in the latest attempt to scam the country through an unorthodox approach.
4. Amnesty Int’l alleges over 1,000 #EndBadGovernance protesters in prisons
Amnesty International on August 16 alleged that more than 1,000 #EndBadGovernance protesters are being remanded in prisons across the country.
In a post via its X handle, the rights watchdog claimed that the Nigerian government has crackdown on peaceful protesters by arraigning over 1,000 protesters in courts across the country.
The post read: The Nigerian authorities are escalating crackdown on peaceful protesters against hunger and corruption.
“Over 1,000 people have been remanded nationwide. Today 441 people were arraigned in Kano, in what is set out to be an unfair trial based on trumped-up charges.”
Why it matters
If turned out to be true, the move shows that the government has become increasingly jittery as dissatisfaction grows over its poor handling of the country’s challenges.
It, therefore, means the government will do all it could to suppress dissenting voices even if the strategy is unpopular among Nigerians.
While the government gets jittery, it should be expected that the Nigerians will get more emboldened in their demand for good governance that will ultimately translate into a better life for all concerned.
5. Ozekhome urges Tinubu to drive constitutional reform
A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mike Ozekhome, on August 11 charged President Bola Tinubu to put in place a people-centered constitution for Nigeria.
The lawyer made the call when he featured in Channels Television’s Sunday Politics show.
He said: “He (Tinubu) should have the political will because these problems won’t disappear until we confront them head-on.
“A new constitution is the antidote to all the problems bedeviling Nigeria. The killings you are seeing, the poverty, the corruption, they are all symptoms of a larger problem which is the basis of what we are talking about. When you solve it, other things will be in place.”
Why it matters
The cravings for a new constitution illustrate the desperation of Nigerians to fix the problems besetting the country and put it on the path of sustainable progress.
The post QuickRead: Abdulsalami’s committee on 2023 presidential election. Four other stories we tracked and why they matter appeared first on Latest Nigeria News | Top Stories from Naomisophyblog.
