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June 12: 25years after, we’re failing Nigerians but democracy is far better than autocracy-Minority leader, Chinda

Published

5 months ago

June 12, 2024

Naijablitz

..if you doubt try autocracy

…says we’ve to be extremely careful as signs of failed state are already showing here

Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Rep Kingsley Chinda has said despite so many failures recorded on the last unbroken 25years of democracy, it still remains the best form of government as autocracy as an option is suicidal.

Chinda who represents Obio/Akpor Federal Constituency of Rivers State, made this disclosure while chatting with journalists on Tuesday in Abuja stating that:

“Well I would have clearly been in that class of persons that would say, look there is nothing at all to talk about democracy in Nigeria.

“But I belong to the groups of persons that stood firmly against military rule in Nigeria. At least I’ve gone through detention while in school to say no to military rule.

“For anybody who thinks that democracy is not good, try autocracy. You will see the difference.

“And so I believe that the worst democratic government is better than the best autocratic government.

“We are seated here today talking to ourselves, speaking freely, because we have a democracy. There are days that you cannot sit with me in this room to hold this interview, even whilst I am the leader of opposition in the country.

“We need to hide in a conclave somewhere for us to discuss like this. And as we are discussing, we are watching our back.

“So democracy comes with its own advantages. And I can tell you that men generally seek democracy, so that we have had it for 25 years. It’s a thing of joy.

“But then the question is, 25 years of democracy, how well have we fared? Are we succeeding? Are we doing the right thing? Are we truly making maximal use of the democracy that we have? The answer is no. We are not faring very well.

“We are abusing the opportunity we have much more than using it to further our society. One clear example which I have always said, what is the primary purpose of government? Security of the citizens and their welfare, so, are we succeeding?

“If we talk about security in Nigeria today, it’s worse than it was 25 years back. 25 years back, you can travel from Port Harcourt to Sokoto, even at night.

” In school, I used to ply night bus from Port Harcourt to Lagos. Good morning Lagos, good night Port Harcourt. Finish the business of the day. At night, you go back to the bus station and then you’re back to Port Harcourt the following morning.

“But you can’t do that now, even in the afternoon today, to move from Port Harcourt to Abuja, because of the strike recently, I wanted to drive from Port Harcourt to Abuja. And everybody was screaming, why would you want to take such a risk?

“So, that primary purpose of government, providing security, we have not succeeded.

“Now you go to welfare, which is the second purpose of government, why we have all agreed that we elect a few persons to act in our stead, so that they will take care of our welfare.

“How well has government succeeded? The same answer is, government has failed. The welfare of Nigerians are not getting better. Our welfare 25 years back is better than what we have today.

“But there ought to have been improvements. 25 years back, public taps were flowing, public schools were doing well. We all attended public schools. Public health facilities were running.

“But today, Nigerians provide for themselves. You provide your security because you must get a security man in your house and you pay for it. You provide power for yourself. Most people are going for solar today because the public system has failed. You send your children to private schools because public schools have failed. That is, you also provide education for yourself.

“So, what do you actually owe the government and what does the government owe you? You owe obedience, compliance with laws and all that and that’s why you see most people, out of anger, will kick against the government of the day.

“So, whilst we celebrate democracy, yes, 25 years, but we must also take stock and remind ourselves that we are failing.

“And I would dare say that if we continue without taking a proper course, we are bound to disintegrate as a country because the signs of a failed state are there. Government is just struggling to hold back. At a point, the centre might no longer hold. So, we need to be careful as Nigerians.

On what opposition is doing to help rewrite the situation in Nigeria, Chinda said: “Very well. As opposition members of the parliament, we have taken some steps.

“Most recently, on the issue of security, you will recall after our meeting that we asked the government that in three months, which will expire in July, I think July 16th, that if there is no improvement in the area of security, that we might be compelled to take steps to call on Nigerians to begin to do things that the government might not be comfortable with.

“Now aside that, things like welfare, most recently, we talked about the cyber security issue and implementation of that law, which led to a lot of brouhaha in the society.

“We intervened quickly to say no. The Central Bank circular, which intended to impose fees on Nigerians, was not correct, and it should be withdrawn. Fortunately, the president reacted and responded to it and withdrew that circular.

“So we think that these are some of the roles that we should be playing to check some of the excesses of government and draw attention of Nigerians to this and also call on government to take steps to correct them in the interest of Nigerians.

“Well, like I said earlier, that through legislative intervention, we should strive towards accomplishing the main purpose of government.
“A major example is the Local Content Act that we have today is limited to the oil and gas sector. And because of that Local Content Act, you can agree with me that more Nigerians are becoming big players in the oil and gas sector. Knowledge is being developed.

“Yes, the general economy in the country is also hitting that sector. And so that’s why you see some of these oil, big oil giants, Shell, Elf, Mobil, and all that, talking about either downsizing or selling off their interest and all that.

“But who are those that are buying off those interests? Most of them are Nigerians. So this is the advantage of the Local Content Act in the oil and gas sector.

“And we felt that it would not be proper to limit it to that sector. It should also dovetail into all other aspects and facets of our economy, into construction, into medical, into ICT, and all that.

“So it will develop local capacity. It will give opportunity for our people to be big-time players in all these other fields. And then it will also give minimum requirements for local content in those areas.

“Now, an example, again, it’s the issues of unemployment. What it means is that for every locality where you go to establish these firms or these operations, those from that locality must produce at least the lower cadre of the staff of such firms. And there is provision of training in it.

“They are compelled by law to continue to do training for these persons and then also be prepared to hand over even the expatriates to the locals within a particular number of years.

News

Banditry! Police Officer feared K!lled As Gunmen Attack Lawmaker’s Convoy in Abia State

Published

1 minute ago

November 18, 2024

Kayode Sanni-Arewa

By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

A policeman attached to the member representing Isialangwa North and South Federal Constituency of Abia State, Hon. Ginger Onwusibe has been feared dead.

The incident happened around 9pm at Ubakala Umuahia South.

According to a police source, gunmen dressed in black and wearing police-style armor jackets had blocked the convoy of the House of Representatives member with a Toyota Corolla.

The lawmaker was not in the vehicle when the incident happened but at least two police officers and a driver were in the vehicle.

The gunmen opened fire on the escorts after they identified themselves as police officers.

In the process, a police officer was killed, while another officer was injured. The attackers fled the scene, and the police station at Ubakala responded with gunfire.

Attempts to contact the Abia State Police Command’s Public Relations Officer (PPRO) was unsuccessful. Police sources said officers of the command are on the trail of the suspects it believes are kidnappers.

News

Kwankwaso cries out, says there are plots to colonise north

Published

3 minutes ago

November 18, 2024

Kayode Sanni-Arewa

By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

The presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) in the 2023 election and leader of the Kwankwasiyya Movement, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has alleged plans from Lagos to colonise the northern region.

Kwankwaso, who made the allegation while delivering a speech during the convocation ceremony of Skyline University, Kano, also claimed that Lagos has been on the way to the issue of emirates tussle in Kano State.

Kwankwaso, a former governor of Kano State, also lamented the avalanche of challenges bedeviling the North, including economic crisis, insecurity, poverty, hunger and different kinds of diseases, saying the situation is not good for the country.

Kwankwaso said, “Let me note our situation here in Kano and indeed northern Nigeria. The emir is just being a stooge at this very difficult time, especially in this part of the country (northern Nigeria).

“Today, we can see very clearly that there is a lot of efforts from the Lagos axis to colonize this part of the country. Today, Lagos wouldn’t allow us to choose an emir, Lagos has to come to the centre of Kano to put their own emir.”

Kwankwaso also spoke on tax collection, saying, “Today, we are aware that the Lagos young men are working so hard to impose taxes and take away our taxes from Kano and this part of the country to Lagos.

“Today, as we have seen, even the telephones that we make or register here in Kano, efforts are there to take all the taxes to Lagos.

“Even our sons and daughters who have brought factories many of them here in Kano and northern Nigeria and even banks, somehow, they are forced to take their headquarters to Lagos because taxes will now have to go to Lagos.”

The former Kano governor also spoke on the disparity between the rich and the poor saying, “We have seen the efforts of some people to make the poor poorer and the rich richer and I believe this is more dangerous.”

Kwankwaso therefore called on the lawmakers from the northern part of the country to wake up and make sure the region is not cheated in any way.

“At this moment, I would like to call all our National Assembly members to keep their eyes open so that they don’t do anything that would cheat the people of northern Nigeria, especially here, Kano.

“We are witnesses to what happened during the first term, 1999 to 2000, where our members of the National Assembly were bribed, were treated into collecting huge sums of money to support offshore in this country. That law put a huge blow into our economy not only here in northern Nigeria but all other states.”

News

SAD! Ex-DG NIA, Amb Zakari, dies at 81

Published

5 minutes ago

November 18, 2024

Kayode Sanni-Arewa

By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

Ex-Director General of the Nigerian Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ambassador Zakari Ibrahim, has died at the age of 81.

A statement issued by the family of the deceased said he died in Abuja after a brief illness.

The late Talban Katsina was buried at Dantakun Cemetery, Katsina, after a funeral prayer held at the Katsina Emir’s palace at 4:45 pm.

Governor Dikko Radda, his chief of staff, Jabiru Tsauri and other government officials attended the funeral prayer.

Also in attendance was the emir of Katsina, Dr Abdulmumini Kabir Usman, his district heads and other title holders, amongst whom was the immediate past DG NIA, Sardaunan Katsina, Ambassador Abubakar Ahmed.

Radda, has expressed profound grief over the passing of the late diplomat, describing him as an illustrious son of Katsina who served Nigeria with distinction in various capacities, including as Director General of NIA, Deputy National Security Adviser, and Minister of State for Foreign Affairs.

“The passing of Ambassador Zakari Ibrahim represents an irreparable loss not only to Katsina State but to Nigeria as a whole,” Governor Radda stated in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Ibrahim Kaula Mohammed.

“His remarkable contributions to national security and diplomacy have left an indelible mark on our nation’s history.”

The Governor highlighted the deceased’s dedication to public service and his role in elevating Katsina State’s standing in national affairs.

“As Talban Katsina, Ambassador Ibrahim exemplified the noble values of our traditional institution and served as a bridge between tradition and modern governance.”

Governor Radda extends heartfelt condolences to the family of the deceased, the Katsina Emirate Council, and the entire people of Katsina State.

He prayed for Allah (SWT) to grant the departed soul Al-jannatul Fridaus and give the family the fortitude to bear this monumental loss.

‘He was a gem of inestimable value’ – Dujiman Katsina

The Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Interior, Hon. Abdullahi Aliyu Ahmed, Dujiman Katsina, expressed deep sorrow over the demise of Talban Katsina.

Ahmed, who represents Musawa/Matazu Federal Constituency, said the late Talban Katsina has contributed tremendously to the development of the nation’s security architecture during his lifetime as the Director-General NIA and National Counter-terrorism Coordinator.

According to a statement issued by his Special Assistant on Media, Sardauna Francis, the lawmaker received the news of the passing of Ambassador Zakari Ibrahim, Talban Katsina, with profound sadness and grief, saying he was a gem of inestimable value who contributed to peace-building in Nigeria.

He described the late ambassador as a gem of inestimable value and formidable pillar whose contributions to peace and tranquility of the country remains.

Dujiman Katsina extend his heartfelt condolences to the Katsina Emirate Council, particularly the Emir, Dr. Abdulmumini Kabir Usman over the colossal loss.

According to the fifth Wazirin Katsina Prof. Abubakar Sani Lugga, in his books, the great province and Dikko Dynasty, as extracted by Alhaji Musa Gambo Kofar soro, late Ambassador Zakari was born in Katsina on 15th March, 1943 into the family of the famous warrior Iyan Katsina ZAKARI ( his grand father)

His father was a famous Middle School Head Master and later Iyan Katsina and Talban Katsina Alhaji Ibrahim Mashi.

He had his secondary Education at Provincial Secondary School Katsina (1957-62) and got his Bachelor’s degree at Bayero University Kano (1969-72). He obtained a Diploma in Education Administration from the University of Birmingham (1973-74) and a Masters degree from the University of Sheffield (1974-1975).

Following the foot steps of his late father, he rose to become a principal in several Secondary Schools in former Kaduna State, before joining the Civil Service in 1980.

He was a one-time Nigerian Ambassador to Niger Republic from 1987 to 1990. He was appointed the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and National Coordinator of the Annual Holy Pilgrimage to Mecca in 1990.

He was the Deputy National Security Advisor and later Head of the National Intelligence Agency up to 1999 when he retired from the Civil Service. He succeeded his late father Alhaji Ibrahim, as The Talban Katsina.

He was a recipient of several national and International honours and awards including a Doctorate Degree from the Usmanu Danfodio University Sokoto, and a Medal of the Commander of the order of the Niger (CON). He was a silent philanthropist who assisted persons and communities,. He was a founding member and Grand Patron of the Katsina Islamic Foundation, promoters of the Katsina Islamic University Project.