A group of #EndSARS protesters continued demonstrations against police brutality in Abuja on Sunday.
The protesters numbering about 20 visited the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport and the Nigeria Police Force headquarters to press home their demands.
They were seen chanting songs and calling on the relevant authorities to end police brutality and bad governance.
They also painted the road opposite the police headquarters with an “End SARS” inscription.
In a post on Twitter, one of the protesters named Adebayo Raphael said we “don’t want audio reforms,” referring to the promise by the government that the police will be reformed.
In a video he posted, youth were heard chanting: “What are we demanding? End SWAT now. What are we demanding? End bad governance now. What are we saying? End bad government. IGP… end SWAT now.”
We visited the IGP’s office at Force Headquarters in Abuja too.
The demonstration continued as part of a nationwide protest against the now-dissolved special anti-robbery squad (SARS), but metamorphosed into calls for improved governance.
The youth-driven movement gradually died down after various states imposed curfew to curb the violence that trailed the demonstration.
In June, TheCable published a data story detailing how police officers allegedly killed 92 Nigerians within one year, with families of victims still crying for justice.
The All Progressive Congress (APC) has reacted to the calls by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) seeking Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s resignation.
The APC Publicity Secretary in Lagos State, Seye Oladejo, on Sunday said Sanwo-Olu would not be distracted from his duties, adding that the unfortunate event in the State in the past two weeks remained regrettable and should not be used by parties to play politics.
Part of the statement read: “The call for resignation remains the wish of a frustrated opposition battling its permanent implosion.”
According to Oladejo, the dream of PDP to govern Lagos State through the back door after persistent rejection at the polls remained a nightmare.
He, therefore, described thr call for Sanwo’s resignation as an invitation to anarchy.
“The PDP in Lagos state that suddenly came to life in the past week owes the innocent members of the public detailed explanation about its ignominious and condemnable role in the mayhem.
“The intermittent falsehood about governance in the state fed to the unsuspecting public fanned the ember of the unprecedented violence which has left in its wake sorrow, tears and blood,” the statement added.
He said that “The destruction of several police stations across the state has no doubt taken its toll on our security architecture in the state but the government is working hard to provide temporary accommodation to forestall the breakdown of law and order.”
Oladejo stressed that Sanwo-Olu would revamp losses in the State in no time and would continue to prioritize security of lives and property.
Some angry youths have set ablaze a truckload of rice after 16 people were killed and many injured in a fatal accident that occurred at the Ibaka area of Akungba Akoko, Akoko West Local Government Area of Ondo State on Saturday.
According to the Federal Road Safety Corps, the truck, which was fully loaded with bags of rice, rammed into a market in the area and killed 16 persons.
The accident was said to have occurred when the truck had a brake failure, and in the process, crushed a Toyota Camry and a Toyota Corolla, as well as three motorcycles.
On Sunday, it was learnt that some youths in the town, who were furious about the accident, set ablaze hundreds of bags of rice in the truck.
Attempts to burn down the trailer were frustrated by men of the Nigeria Army who reportedly rushed to the scene to prevent breakdown of law and order.
PUNCH Metro gathered that the protesting youths, who sang solidarity songs, blocked the Ikare Akoko-Owo Expressway, halting vehicular movements on the road for hours.
The Corps Marshal of the FRSC, Dr Boboye Oyeyemi, urged local governments in the country to relocate markets from highways.
Lamenting the loss of lives and damage to property occasioned by the incident, Oyeyemi, in a statement titled, ‘Akungba crash claims 16 lives, FRSC advises LG authorities to relocate markets,’ explained that “the crash occurred around 6.30pm on Saturday, October 31, 2020, when a DAF truck loaded with bags of rice rammed into the stalls in the market and crashed into a Toyota Camry saloon car, a Toyota Corolla car and three other motorcycles.
“The fatal crash involved a total of 23 people, comprising 11 male adults, three male children, seven female adult and two female children. Out of the 23 people involved, a total of seven people, comprising three male adults, three female adults and one male child, were rescued with different degrees of injury and taken to the hospital.
“Sixteen people got killed, comprising eight male adults, two male children, four female adults and two female children. The dead bodies were deposited at the Specialist Hospital’s mortuary in Ikare and the General Hospital’s mortuary in Iwaro Oka by FRSC emergency rescue teams.”
Meanwhile, the Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, on Sunday, visited the scene of the accident and promised to assist the injured victims.
During the visit, Akeredolu, who expressed displeasure at the incident, commiserated with the families of those who lost their lives.
He attributed many road accidents to recklessness on the part of drivers and faulty vehicles.
“I want to appeal to our people to calm down despite the huge losses. Insurance will cover many of the expenses. We must get the owner of the trailer and get their insurance company to pay,” he added.
The traditional ruler of Akungba, Oba Sunday Ajimo, while thanking the governor for the visit, appealed for the construction of a dual carriage road in the community, or creation of an alternative road for heavy-duty vehicles passing through the town.
The Federal Government is to spend between N269.38bn and N497.13bn on the provision of six million free meters to various unmetered power users across the country.
Also, findings from separate quarterly reports of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission on the power sector showed that the number of unmetered customers in Nigeria has reduced by 210,359.
It was also gathered that about 245,916 unmetered power consumers would not benefit from the six million free meters, as Nigeria currently has about 6,245,916.
On Thursday, a presidency source told reporters in Abuja that the government would commence its free meter distribution scheme the following day with Kano, Kaduna, Eko and Ikeja electricity distribution companies’ franchise areas.
The PUNCH reported on Friday that the presidency official, who pleaded not to be named as he was not authorised to speak on the matter, explained that the exercise would be carried out under the National Mass Metering Programme.
“The NMMP is to roll out six million meters for all connection points on grid without meters over the next 18 to 24 months, estimated to impact 30 million consumers nationwide,” the official stated.
It was also gathered that the mass metering scheme took effect after a recent directive by the President Muhammadu Buhari to the Central Bank of Nigeria.
Based on the directive, the CBN approved guidelines for funding the programme, which entailed that all meters under the scheme would be locally sourced in order to create more jobs.
Our correspondent gathered from the NERC that most meters used by power consumers in Nigeria come in single phases and three phases.
The power sector regulator in June approved a hike in the prices of both meters.
The commission increased the price for a three-phase meter from N67,055.85 to N82,855.19, while the cost of a single-phase meter was raised from N36,991.50 to N44,896.17.
Going by the hike in prices, findings showed that for three-phase meters, a total of N497.13bn would be required to provide the six million meters planned for free distribution nationwide.
On the other hand, for the single phase meter, a total of N269.38bn would be required to provide free six million meters.
It therefore shows that the government would need to spend a minimum of N269.38bn to freely provide the six million meters planned for nationwide distribution.
However, data in the most recent quarterly report of NERC showed that the number of unmetered customers in Nigeria was more than six million.
Unmetered customers in Nigeria, according to analysis of the first quarter 2020 industry report that was recently released by the commission, was 6,245,916.
This indicates that a total of 245,916 power users may not benefit from the free six million meters that are planned for distribution by the government.
Findings from separate NERC quarterly reports showed that while the number of unmetered customers in Nigeria in the fourth quarter of 2019 was 6,456,275, the figure dropped by 210,359 to 6,245,916 in the first quarter of this year.
The commission said in its recent report, “Although there was a slight improvement during the quarter, the huge metering gap for end-use customers remains a key challenge in the industry.
“The records of the commission indicate that of the 10,477,856 registered electricity customers as at the end of the first quarter of 2020, only 4,231,940 (40.39 per cent) have been metered.
“Thus, 59.61 per cent of the registered electricity customers are still on estimated billing which has contributed to customer apathy towards payment of electricity bills.”
In comparison to the fourth quarter of 2019, the commission stated that registered and metered customers increased by one per cent and eight per cent respectively.
It explained that the increase in registered customer population was due to the ongoing customer enumeration exercise by power distribution companies.
The NERC stated that through this means, unregistered consumers of electricity were brought unto the Discos’ billing platform.
“Similarly, the increase in metered customers was attributed to the roll out of meters under the Meter Asset Provider scheme,” it added.
A review of the customer population data in the report indicated that all the Discos recorded progress in the metering of their customers as of March 31, 2020 compared with December 31, 2019.
Further findings showed that Abuja, Benin and Eko Discos had metered more than 50 per cent of their registered electricity customers as of March 31, 2020.
To ensure speedy metering of electricity customers in line with the target of closing the metering gap in the Nigeria Electricity Supply Industry by December 31, 2021, the commission said it had continued its monitoring of Discos.
It said the monitoring exercise was to ensure that the Discos implemented and complied with the provisions of the MAP Regulations to fast-track meter roll out.
The commission stated that during the quarter, it approved more preferred MAPs for Discos that had finalised their MAPs procurement process, increasing the total number of approved MAPs to 29 as of the end of the quarter.
The Deputy President, Nigeria Labour Congress, Joe Ajaero, told our correspondent that part of the recent power sector discussion between organised labour and the Federal Government also bordered on the provision of meters to unmetered customers
Ajaero, who doubles as General Secretary, National Union of Electricity Employees, said it was important for power users to have meters in order to accurately pay for what they consumed.
On his part, the Secretary-General, Nigerian Electricity Consumers Advocacy Network, Uket Obonga, said power distributors must work with their respective Meter Asset Providers to close the metering gap in Nigeria.
Ubonga welcomed the six million free meter scheme of the Federal Government. He noted that the exercise would considerably reduce the metering gap if adequately implemented.
Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare, says the Federal Government had the option of shutting down the social media space during the #EndSARS protests but chose not to tread the path.
Dare, who spoke on Monday while featuring on Channels Television’s programme Sunrise Daily, said the government did that to allow freedom of expression.
He said other countries had taken certain measures to exercise some level of restraint over the cyberspace but Nigeria has not done so.
The minister, however, said the internet and the social media have tremendous benefits but “as a country, we must start to think of how to curtail fake news. There must be some level of responsibility and some level of punishment to those that create chaos out of mischief in our country.”
He said the fact that the Nigerian youths used the social media to drive the recent #EndSARS protests against police brutality is laudable, insisting that the cyberspace must be regulated.
Dare said, “The fact that our youths used it to mobilise is commendable. But the talk about the regulation of the social media has been around for a while. We’ve seen other countries taking practical steps in that direction, this country has not done that.
“Even during the #EndSARS protests, the country had an option (but) the country never went for that final option.
“There was no time the cyberspace was shut down, people were still able to connect themselves through the various social media platforms. And that shows a government that is committed to the rights of freedom and association of every citizen of this country.”
Dare said the social media was used to circulate fake news which angered some persons to go violent.
“The protests brought home the dangers of fake news,” he noted, adding that the National Assembly will do justice to the proposed regulation of the social media to guard against the spread of fake news.
“The talk around regulation, of course, we have a National Assembly, it will have to go through the normal process. We have a constitution, we have to make sure it does not violate certain provisions of the constitution that has to do with freedom of expression.
“Where you have fake news destroying lives, the government has a responsibility to make sure that there is a level of control. It is not censorship but some level of control,” the minister stated.
The Federal Road Safety Corps has urged local governments in the country to relocate markets from highways.
FRSC Marshal, Dr Boboye Oyeyemi, made the call in a statement on Sunday by the Public Education Officer of the corps, Bisi Kazeem.
The Corps Marshal decried the road traffic crash at the Ibaka area of Akungba Akoko, Akoko South-West Local Government Area of Ondo State on Saturday evening.
The statement confirmed that no fewer than 16 people died in the accident.
The statement read, “In a sustained efforts towards making the highways safer and eradicating all incidences of road traffic crashes and its attendant fatalities, Oyeyemi has urged Administrators of Local Governments in the country to relocate markets from the highways.
“This will help the existing operational efforts of the FRSC towards enhancing the safety of the entire motoring population.”
Lamenting the huge loss of lives and damage to properties, Oyeyemi said, “The fatal crash involved a total of 23 people comprising of 11 male adults, three male children, seven female adult and two female children.
“Out of the 23 people involved, a total of seven people comprising of three male adults, three female adult and one male child were rescued with different degrees of injuries and taking to the hospital.
“While 16 people got killed comprising of eight male adults, two male children, four female adult and two female children and the dead bodies have been deposited at Specialist Hospital Ikare and General Hospital Iwaro Oka mortuaries respectively by FRSC emergency rescue teams.”
Oyeyemi stated that the relocation of the markets is urgent, adding that “the Corps is concerned with the rising statistics of innocent citizens who have lost their lives as a result of building markets close to the highways and has since initiated impact oriented operational strategies to curb the menace.
He however lamented that the strategies no matter how good will not yield desired results if the government at the grassroots did not rise to the responsibility of relocating those markets.
Commiserating with the families of the victims, the Corps Marshal advised road users to be more disciplined, maintain their vehicles regularly and maintain prescribed speed limits at all times especially crowded places like markets.
Arsenal won away at Manchester United in the Premier League for the first time in 14 years as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s penalty earned a thoroughly deserved 1-0 win for the Gunners on Sunday.
United’s run without a home win in the league stretches to six games as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men sink to 15th in the table.
Starved of the chance to counter-attack by the visitors’ disciplined set-up, United were far from the threat that thrashed RB Leipzig 5-0 in the Champions League in midweek.
Arsenal have struggled for goals of late, but were gifted the chance to win the game by Paul Pogba’s mis-timed lunge on Hector Bellerin and Aubameyang’s first league goal since the opening day of the season moved Mikel Arteta’s men up to eighth.
Victory also ended a run of 29 games without a win away from home for Arsenal against their ‘big six’ rivals stretching back to January 2015.
The day started in sombre fashion for United as they remembered former great Nobby Stiles, who died at 78 this week, and confirmed the news that another legend of the club Bobby Charlton is suffering from dementia.
On the field, there was precious little to lift the mood at Old Trafford as United again failed to shine on their own patch.
In his 100th game as United manager, Solskjaer stuck with the 4-4-2 system that demolished Leipzig in such stunning fashion.
However, Arsenal were not so easily opened up on the counter-attack as Arteta’s side again just lacked a cutting edge up front to turn a disciplined performance into a more convincing win.
Aubameyang had not scored a Premier League goal since signing a new three-year contract six weeks ago and prior to his penalty endured another frustrating day in front of goal as he could not stretch far enough to turn home Bellerin’s dangerous low cross at the back post early on.
Mason Greenwood fired low into the feet of Bernd Leno from Marcus Rashford’s pass in a rare sighting of United’s front two in the first half.
But Solskjaer would have been content just to get to half-time on level terms as Willian struck the bar for the visitors after a well-worked one-two with Aubameyang before Bukayo Saka headed the best chance of the half over the bar.
Arsenal continued to pose the greater threat after the break as Aubameyang curled wide the sort of half-chance he has made his speciality from the edge of the box before the outstanding Thomas Partey stung the palms of David de Gea.
Solskjaer’s change of shape has been seen as a way of getting Pogba back into the team alongside Bruno Fernandes.
But a moment of ill discipline from Pogba finally gave Arsenal the breakthrough 21 minutes from time as the Frenchman needlessly dived in to clip Bellerin inside the box.
Aubameyang kept his cool to break his scoring drought by sending De Gea the wrong way and score Arsenal’s first goal in the Premier League for 277 minutes.
The visitors then held out doggedly with the closest United coming to an equaliser when Mohamed Elneny and Leno combined to turn Donny van de Beek’s cross onto their own post.
President Muhammadu Buhari has condoled with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey and the Prime Minister of the Hellenic Republic (Greece), Kyriakos Mitsotakis, over the reported earthquakes in their two countries in which many people died.
The Nigerian leader’s condolence message was contained in a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, in Abuja on Sunday.
Buhari commiserated with the bereaved families in Turkey’s city of Izmir and Greece’s island of Samos.
He condoled with the two countries as they strive to recover from the earthquakes.
“The government and people of Nigeria stand in solidarity with Turkey and Greece in this trying period, as they deal with the unmitigated fallouts of the natural disaster,’’ the president added.
He prayed for the repose of the souls of the dead and wished the injured quick recovery.
Thousands of royalists thronged to Bangkok’s Grand Palace Sunday for a glimpse of the Thai king, a massive show of support after months of protests calling for an overhaul of the government and reform of the monarchy.
King Maha Vajiralongkorn sits at the apex of Thai power, his influence permeating every aspect of society.
But the once-unassailable institution faces unprecedented challenges from a growing pro-democracy movement, some of whose leaders call for reforms including an end to draconian royal defamation laws.
On Sunday, royal devotion was on display as thousands wearing yellow shirts the royal colour waited near the Grand Palace clutching portraits of King Vajiralongkorn and Queen Suthida.
“We will live loyally, die faithfully,” chanted the crowd as he emerged from the palace to greet them. “Long live the King!”
Zigzagging through the crowd, the inscrutable monarch received flowers from his supporters, at one point saying “thank you” and signing his portrait, according to footage from local media.
The king — who spends long periods of time in Germany — has been in the kingdom in recent weeks to mark a Buddhist holiday and the anniversary of his father’s death.
The visit has coincided with non-stop demonstrations from mostly young activists, who have staged guerilla rallies drawing thousands to Bangkok’s most traffic-clogged intersections as a show of defiance.
While the movement is leaderless, they are united in their demand for the removal of Premier Prayut Chan-O-Cha, a former military chief who came to power after staging a coup in 2014.
But calls for reform of the monarchy have drawn a backlash from Thailand’s conservative bloc, rousing royalist groups to stage their own rallies.
“We came here to show our loyalty to the king,” said Bin Bunleurit, a Thai former actor who decried the students’ demands.
Controversially, the students have also called for a clear accounting of the palace’s finances — which the extremely wealthy king took control of in 2018 — and for the monarch to “stay out” of politics.
“It is not reform, it is about overthrowing the monarchy,” Bin insisted to reporters outside the palace.
So far, pro-democracy protests have remained peaceful, but scores of students and activists have been arrested and charged — some with the serious crime of sedition.
Over the weekend three high-profile student leaders were released on bail, only to be swiftly accosted as authorities attempted to re-arrest them on another charge.
A scuffle with plainclothes police landed them in hospital.
On Sunday night one of the trio, Parit “Penguin” Chiwarak, pledged in a Facebook post that they would keep pushing for their goals.
“If the people do not step back, we will not step back,” he wrote.
Mr Issa Aremu, Vice President of IndustriALL Global Union, has said that the textile industries alone can generate over 2.5 million jobs in Nigeria if rejuvenated.
To President Muhammadu Buhari, Aremu said the current government could create 100 million jobs over the next 10 years with the resuscitation of the textile industries.
Aremu made the call on Saturday in Lokoja at a one-day interactive session on the 5-year policy Trust of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) – (2019-2024). The session was organized by the CBN, in collaboration with Organised Labour and other stakeholders.
He said that through the CBN intervention in cotton production, the narratives have changed from cotton shortages to cotton abundance and the country should no longer import cotton from Benin Republic.
Aremu, who is also the General Secretary, National Union of Textile, Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria (NVTGTWN), said, “Now, the challenge is that many gineries have come back and are ginning the cotton seeds. They will then move to milling, weaving, spinning and the final product.
“You won’t believe it, uniforms for the Nigeria Customs Services, Police and the Army are produced in Bangladesh and India.
“Consider the security implications among other things. You know what, the few textile industries remaining have the capacity to produce them (the uniforms).
“We can even use it to kick-start new factories and you can imagine if we all agree that uniforms of primary and secondary school children should be produced locally, many of the garment factories will come back and this will get youths gainfully employed,” he said.
Aremu suggested that other sectors like construction and pharmaceuticals, should be rejuvenates for optimal performance.
For instance, he said “We like to drive exotic cars in Nigeria but we do not have factories where these cars can be manufactured. When properly rejuvenated, the factories for Volkswagen, Peugeot, Fiat, trucks in Kano, Styer in Bauchi can create decent jobs in these areas.”
