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The National Peace Committee (NPC) led by former head of state General Abdulsalami Abubakar last week opened itself to calls from some individuals and groups in the country to cancel the 2023 presidential election.
In the same week, armed men suspected of being bandits kidnapped 20 medical students in Benue State.
This story and three others we tracked dominated public discourse in the country last week.
1. Abdulsalami committee for the 2023 presidential election
On August 16, Abdulsalami said the NPC was being urged to persuade the National Electoral Commission (INEC) to cancel the 2023 presidential election.
He stated this in Abuja during the presentation of the election committee’s report.
The former military rule said the committee was under immense pressure from certain individuals and groups to influence the process.
The report reads: “Both the Chairman of the Committee, General Abdulsalami A. Abubakar, the Chairman of the Meeting, Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah, and the Head of the NPC Secretariat, Father Atta Barkindo, were inundated with calls, requests and petitions demanding NPC intervention.
“Some of these requests want the NPC to urge the KPU to stop counting the election results because there were serious violations and non-compliance with the election law.”
Why this is important
The committee’s statement again highlighted the hatred that has emerged since the last national election.
The events recorded during the polls revealed the reluctance of the political class to break away from the win-at-all-costs syndrome that has characterized Nigeria’s democratic journey.
This move is the reason Nigeria has continued to struggle to hold credible elections since 1999 when the military handed over the baton of leadership to the political class.
2. Gunmen kidnap medical students in Benue
Gunmen suspected to be bandits on August 15 kidnapped over 20 medical students along with a Hospital Officer in Benue State.
The students, who were from the University of Maiduguri and the University of Jos, were heading to Enugu State to attend the annual convention of the Federation of Catholic Medical and Dental Students (FECAMDS) when they were ambushed by hoodlums in the Otukpo area of Benue State.
State police spokesperson Catherine Anene confirmed the incident.
He said: “We received a report of kidnapping between 5.30pm and 6pm, and we have started an investigation into the matter.”
Why this is important
The kidnapping of the medical students illustrates the perilous state of Nigeria, where no one is safe from the fury of terrorists who are becoming bolder due to the government’s impotence in the face of their atrocities against the country.
With this latest incident, it is suffice to say that without continued efforts to curb the rampant criminals on the loose, the country may be heading for total anarchy and a rapid decline into a failed state.
3. Seizure of Nigerian plane by Chinese company
A Chinese company, Zhongshan Fucheng Industrial Investment Company Limited, on August 15 seized three Nigerian aircraft stationed in France.
The seizure of the Federal Government’s Dassault Falcon 7X, Boeing 737-7N6/BBJ and Airbus A330-243 at Paris-Le Bourget and Basel-Mulhouse airports in France follows a Paris court order over a contract dispute between the Ogun State government and the companies.
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In a statement, the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, described the development as “fraudulent” and assured Nigerians that the government was working to protect national assets from “predators masquerading as investors.”
He wrote: “The President is aware of the failed attempts by a Chinese company, Zhongshan Fucheng Industrial Investment Co. Limited, to take over offshore assets of the Federal Government of Nigeria through deception.
“The Federal Government is not contractually bound to the company. The case of Zhongshan trying to seize our offshore assets is a case between the company and the Ogun State Government.”
Why this is important
The seizure of a state aircraft in a foreign country has once again exposed the failure of leadership at all levels in this country.
The latest attempt by a foreign entity to drain state assets while Nigerian authorities are still rejoicing over the country’s victory over Process and Industrial Development (P&ID) in the English Courts a few months earlier, raises questions about our attitude to contractual obligations and the rule of law.
This time, the federal government must get to the root of the problem and expose all, including Nigerians colluding with Chinese companies in the latest attempt to defraud the country through unconventional approaches.
4. Amnesty Int’l alleges more than 1,000 #EndBadGovernance protesters are in prison
Amnesty International on August 16 alleged that more than 1,000 #EndBadGovernance protesters were being held in prisons across the country.
In a post via its X account, the human rights watchdog claimed that the Nigerian government had cracked down on peaceful protesters by filing charges against more than 1,000 protesters in courts across the country.
The caption reads: Nigerian authorities are escalating a crackdown on peaceful protesters against hunger and corruption.
“More than 1,000 people have been detained across the country. Today, 441 people have been charged in Kano, in what is considered an unfair trial based on trumped-up charges.”
Why this is important
If true, the move suggests the government is becoming increasingly nervous about growing dissatisfaction with its poor handling of the country’s challenges.
Therefore, this means that the government will do whatever it can to suppress dissenting voices even if the strategy is unpopular among Nigerians.
While the government is becoming restless, it is to be hoped that the Nigerian people will become bolder in demanding good governance that will ultimately result in a better life for all concerned.
5. Ozekhome urges Tinubu to push for constitutional reforms
A Senior Nigerian Advocate, Mike Ozekhome, on August 11 tasked President Bola Tinubu to implement a people-centric constitution for Nigeria.
The lawyer made the decision while appearing on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics show.
He said: “He (Tinubu) must have the political will because these problems will not go away until we face them head on.
“The new constitution is the antidote to all the problems that are plaguing Nigeria. The killings that you see, the poverty, the corruption, all of these are symptoms of the bigger problem that is the basis of what we are talking about. When you solve that, other things will fall into place.”
Why this is important
The desire for a new constitution reflects the desperation of the Nigerian people to fix the problems that beset the country and put it on the path of sustainable progress.
QuickRead post: Abdulsalami committee on 2023 presidential election. Four other stories we are tracking and why they matter first appeared on Latest Nigeria News | Top Stories from Ripples Nigeria.
