Monday, 12 August 2013
centre for Rights and Grassroots Initiatives: RESETTLEMENT OF DESTITUTES, NATIONAL QUESTION AND ...
centre for Rights and Grassroots Initiatives: RESETTLEMENT OF DESTITUTES, NATIONAL QUESTION AND ...: 12/08/2013 RESETTLEMENT OF DESTITUTES, NATIONAL QUESTION AND FASHOLA'S ADMINISTRATION IN THE EYES OF HISTORY Nigeria, ...
RESETTLEMENT OF DESTITUTES, NATIONAL QUESTION AND FASHOLA'S ADMINISTRATION IN THE EYES OF HISTORY
12/08/2013
RESETTLEMENT OF DESTITUTES, NATIONAL QUESTION AND FASHOLA'S ADMINISTRATION IN THE EYES OF HISTORY
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| Nigeria, Sovereign National Conference now (SNC)! |
Ever since the news broke in
the media of the resettlement of destitutes to Anambra state by the
Lagos state government, there have been allegations and counter
allegations from various quarters. However a dangerous dimension to the
whole saga was the attempt to ethnicize and politicize it which was very
unfortunate and stands condemned. That the Lagos state government and
its people have no equal among the 36 states and the federal capital
territory authority in Nigeria in terms of promoting peaceful
coexistence between persons and nationalities whether doing business or
residing in the state is stating the obvious and we are very proud of
it.
Also when the politicization
and propanganda machinery of the Anambra state government ran into a cul
de sac as a result of the information supplied by the Lagos state
government that the destitutes in question were 14 and not 70 or 72 as
errorneously churned out just to confuse and draw unneccessary sympathy
from a bewilrded public, it quickly resorted to mouthing the
misinformation that the destitutes were dumped at the upper Niger bridge
in an unhealthy state at a particular time of the day. The reality is
that the Anambra state government shirked its responsibility to its
people on this matter and is only interested in playing politics with
the vulnerable situation of these poor people which is unfortunate.
The truth of the matter is that
Anambra state government has made a mess of the whole show by
attempting to pull wool over our eyes just because of political
expediency and whatever information they give out on this matter is
subject to doubt because they have displayed insincerity which is not
the hallmark of a responsible government. As they say, birds of the same
feather, flock together, therefore, one is not surprised that the Akwa
Ibom state government which like its Anambra state counterpart has demonstrated its ignorance of figures by being accomplices in the 16 is
greater than 19 NGF saga can shamelessly come out to publicly refute the
position of the Lagos state government despite the fact that there was
an exchange of two destitutes of Lagos origin between them and the
correspondences was done officially.
One also notes with amusement that some expired politicians,
persons and groups have cashed in on this issue just to announce to the
whole world, that they are still alive. To resort to hurling abusive
languages and name calling just because someone else holds a differing
position on an issue speaks volume of the integrity of some of these
characters because there is a Yoruba proverb which says, "Gbogbo wa ko
le sun, ki a ko ri si ibi kan" "We all cannot view the same issue same
way because like they say, variety is the spice of life.These persons
and groups just want to be counted among those who have spoken on this
issue without recourse to facts and the reality of the type of
federalism that we are practicing.
To resort to name calling
against an administration that is trying its best within its limits to
bequeath a better legacy to generations unborn is uncharitable. In as
much as one wouldnt want to posture as the mouthpiece of this
government, the truth is that good things cannot hide or as they say,
gold fish has no hiding place. We are all living witness(es) to the
massive infrastructural development in Lagos state since the advent of
the Fashola administration which we owe to posterity to project and
correct the errorneous picture that some misguided and disgruntled
elements are trying to convey to the outside world. The Fashola
administration has touched the lives of Lagosians positively in all
spheres. The massive ongoing construction and rehabilitation of roads in
the 20 LG and 37 LCDA's in the state by the Fashola administration is
unparralled and has won it accolades both locally and internationally.
Its massive construction of drainage
channels across the state to prevent flooding and protect lives,
properties and the environment is quite commendable. In the area of
education, it has given infrastructures in public schools a facelift and
even computerized them to world standards. Yearly, the state government
underwrites the WAEC fees of students of public secondary schools as
well as awarding scholarships and bursaries to deserving students in
tertiary institutions. In the areas of health, it has upgraded health
institutions in the state to a level whereby citizens can access health
services in their locality unlike what obtanied in the past where people
travel thousands of kilometers in search of such public facilities. The
high quality and cost of accessing medical services in these general
hospitals scattered all over the state is a big relief to its teeming
citizens. In the area of sports and recreration, the government has
built and commissioned world standard sporting facilities
all over the state like the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere, Agege
Stadium, Campos Playing ground, Ajele, Lagos Island, Badagry, Epe, etc
that have been hosting local and international sporting events and are
being accessed by our youths in order to keep their minds away from
social vices. In the area of security, the Fashola administration set up
the Lagos state security trust fund to bolster up the security
situation of the state because of its cosmopolitan status. In the area
of environment, we are all living witness a to greener Lagos. In the
area of transportation, the state's ministry of transportation is
working tirelessly to ensure that Lagos has a transportation system
befitting of her status as a mega city. The Lagos state government also
established job creation centres across the state to train its teeming
youths in vocational skills so that they can become responsible adults
and contribute meaningfully to societal development.One can go on
and on, but these little will suffice because to whom much is given,
much is expected.
It is also ridiculous and
ironical when one hears of some persons and groups accusing the
government for being sensitive to its constitutional and societal
obligations of ensuring the welfare of its citizens by legislating
against suicide and security breach through means of transportation that
dehumanizes us in the comity of civilized people. Some of these
elements also cites the constitutional provisions that guarantees
Nigerians the right to live in any part of the the country, but fail to
cite which section of the same constitution gives Nigerians the right to
constitute societal and economic nuisance. Today, they are talking
about citizens of Nigerians as though they are unaware that what we have
and which is palying out is the issue of identity crisis. Maybe they are ignorant of the fact that the constitutional provisions are
being flagrantly violated because of the faulty federation we are
running? Or are we all going to pretend that
we are unaware that states in Nigeria employ discriminatory school fees
between indigenes and non indigenes in public schools? What about the
discriminatory cut off marks for admission into public schools? Whether
we like it or not, it is to our collective shame that a very large percentage
of our people have become destitutes today and our country a failed
state as a consequence of the unitarist system of government in
operation in which nobody is accountable to anybody because the modus
operandi is the blame game like we are all doing in this matter.
The truth of the matter is that
there are whole lots of issues bedeviling the Nigerian state and which
are a time bomb for its corporate existence since it is a conglomeration of
nations without an input into how they came into a forced marriage that
has and will never work. The only way out of these self inflicted
quagmire that we have boxed ourselves is to join the advocacy and insist
on the convocation of a Sovereign National Conference (SNC) to discuss
the basis of our unity now.
Tuesday, 6 August 2013
centre for Rights and Grassroots Initiatives: HEARTFELT CONDOLENCE TO NIGERIA MEDIA ON THE DEATH...
centre for Rights and Grassroots Initiatives: HEARTFELT CONDOLENCE TO NIGERIA MEDIA ON THE DEATH...: CENTRE FOR RIGHTS AND GRASSROOTS INITIATIVE (CRGI) 1a Fadeyi Street, Ikej...
HEARTFELT CONDOLENCE TO NIGERIA MEDIA ON THE DEATH OF THREE MEMBERS AND INJURIES TO OTHERS
CENTRE FOR RIGHTS AND
GRASSROOTS INITIATIVE (CRGI)
1a Fadeyi Street, Ikeja, Lagos.
Email: centreforrightsgi@gmail.com
Telephone:
08078012999, 07033853232
06/08/2013
PRESS STATEMENT
HEARTFELT CONDOLENCE TO NIGERIA MEDIA ON THE DEATH OF
THREE MEMBERS AND INJURIES TO OTHERS IN A GHASTLY AUTOMOBILE ACCIDENT
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| An accident vehicle |
The
Centre for Rights and Grassroots Initiative (CRGI) wish to use this medium to
express our heartfelt condolences to the Nigeria media in general and the
families of its members in particular who lost their loved ones as well as
those who sustained injuries in the ghastly motor accident on Ife Ilesha express
road on their way back from official assignment in Abuja.
We are
saddened by the fact that these patriots died in the prime of their lives in the
course of national duty. However, we take consolation in the fact that God
gives and takes, in which case no one can question his authority.
It is
our fervent prayer that God in his infinite mercy will grant the dead eternal
rest, console their families and grant them the fortitude to bear the
irreparable loss and as well grant the injured speedy recovery.
We also
want to use this medium to enjoin the indefatigable Nigeria Media not to allow
this unfortunate incident to dampen their resolve in our collective march to
building a Nigeria of our dreams.
Thursday, 25 July 2013
centre for Rights and Grassroots Initiatives: IMPERATIVE NEED FOR THE LAGOS STATE GOVERNMENT TO ...
centre for Rights and Grassroots Initiatives: IMPERATIVE NEED FOR THE LAGOS STATE GOVERNMENT TO ...: CENTRE FOR RIGHTS AND GRASSROOTS INITIATIVE (CRGI) 1a Fadeyi Street, Ikej...
IMPERATIVE NEED FOR THE LAGOS STATE GOVERNMENT TO APPEAL THE COURT OF APPEAL JUDGEMENT ON AL MUSTAPHA & SHOFOLAHAN IN THE KUDIRAT ABIOLA MURDER CASE FOR THE SAKE OF JUSTICE
CENTRE FOR RIGHTS AND
GRASSROOTS INITIATIVE (CRGI)
1a Fadeyi Street, Ikeja, Lagos.
Email: centreforrightsgi@gmail.com
Telephone:
08078012999, 07033853232
25/07/2013.
The Honourable Chairman,
House Committee on Public Petition,
Lagos State House of Assembly,
Assembly Complex,
Alausa, Ikeja.
Lagos.
Dear Sir,
PUBLIC PETITION
IMPERATIVE NEED FOR THE LAGOS STATE GOVERNMENT
TO APPEAL THE COURT OF APPEAL JUDGEMENT ON AL MUSTAPHA & SHOFOLAHAN IN THE
KUDIRAT ABIOLA MURDER CASE FOR THE SAKE OF JUSTICE
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| Lagos State House of Assembly |
With humility and authority of the governing
board and entire members of the Centre for Rights and Grassroots Initiative
(CRGI), we wish to bring to your attention and members of the Lagos State House
of Assembly, the shock, embarrassment and disappointment of Lagosians in
particular and Nigerians in general with the Court of Appeal judgement of
Friday 9th July 2013 which discharged and acquitted Major Hamza Al
Mustapha and Lateef Shofolahan of complicity in the murder of Alhaja Kudirat
Abiola, wife of the acclaimed President Elect of the Federal Republic of
Nigeria, late Bashorun MKO Abiola.
It is an indisputable fact that late Alhaja
Kudirat Abiola was murdered for being resolute in queuing behind her husband
like millions of Nigerians to demand the revalidation of the peoples vote of
over 14 million freely and democratically exercised on June 12 1993 but which
was treasonably annulled by the military junta of Ibrahim Babangida and
consolidated upon by the Sani Abacha gang.
It was in response to this murder and the
agitations of Nigerians and the international community that Major Al Mustapha
and his co conspirators were arraigned for which they employed every means
possible to prolong the trial for about 14 years just to frustrate the judicial
process and escape justice. The result as it stands today is the judgement of
the Court of Appeal with which we are in complete disagreement and are
demanding justice for the sake of our society.
Late Alhaja Kudirat Abiola was murdered on June
4th 1996 within the jurisdiction of Lagos state over which you have
constitutional authority to legislate. As a responsible and constitutional arm
of government charged with the constitutional authority to make laws for the
good of the citizenry, it behooves on any responsible government, institutions
and individuals to take every legitimate action towards engendering a peaceful,
progressive and orderly society at all times.
Therefore, we want to use this medium to implore
the Lagos State House of Assembly as the bastion of democracy to immediately
pass a resolution calling on the Lagos State government to urgently obtain
copies of the Appeal court judgement and reinvigorate its legal team to file an
appeal against the discharge and acquittal of Al Mustapha and Shofolahan of
murder charges not only to the memory of our democracy martyrs but for the sake
of justice and peace.
We are equally calling on Mr. President, Dr.
Goodluck Ebele Jonathan to immediately direct the Attorney General of the
Federation and Minister of Justice in obeisance to the constitution and his oath
of office to legally collaborate with the Lagos State Government in order to ensure
that justice is served the Nigerian people in this matter at the Supreme
Court.
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