Author: Chief Editor

The United States has again urged the government of Nigeria to abide by its commitment to hold to account under the law those responsible for the use of excessive force on #EndSARS protesters at Lekki Toll Gate in Lagos on Tuesday night. US Counselor, Mr. Ulrich Brechbühl, stated this Thursday when he met with Vice President Yemi Osinbajo in Abuja, as part of a previously scheduled delegation, which included Assistant Secretary Robert Destro and Assistant Secretary Denise Natali. In a statement issued Thursday by the Department of State Spokesperson, Morgan Ortagus, the US expressed concerns about ongoing violence in Nigeria,…

•Tells youths: ‘I have heard you loud and clear’ •We’re probing incident, says NSA President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday finally spoke on angry youths’ protest of police brutality, urging them to end the demonstrations, which went violent after Tuesday’s crackdown by the army at Lekki Tollgate, Lagos. Incidentally, the president was spectacularly silent on the tollgate shooting incident that brought his government worldwide condemnation. He had come under severe criticism for his silence on the #EndSARS protests, which had raged for 14 days, spreading from Lagos State to over a dozen others with attendant disruption of essential economic activities. But Buhari…

President Muhammadu Buhari will take a major action on the #EndSARS protest across the nation in a few hours, according to Babagana Monguno, national security adviser. Monguno broke the news at the end of the fourth national security council meeting, on Thursday. Addressing state house correspondents after the meeting, which lasted three hours, Monguno said issues around the current security situation were discussed. “This situation, we all know is very very grave situation, giving a lot of concern to everyone most especially Mr. President,” he said. “Mr. President has directed that government should do whatever is necessary in order to…

The groundswell of agitation for true federalism and restructuring should now warrant more than a passing interest of the Buhari administration. As usual, his apple-polishers are showing zero common sense, either dismissing voices of reason or denying existential threats to Nigeria’s unity. But there is no reasonable denial at the moment Nigeria is on the precipice. Should it roll over and break-up, only Buhari and his handlers should be held responsible for dereliction of responsibility. There are certain voices of exceptional influence that would ordinarily not dabble into political affairs, except when it is no longer safe to be indifferent…

Thirty-seven new Coronavirus infections have been reported across Nigeria with no COVID-19-related deaths in eight states and the Federal Capital Territory. The Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC) made this known on its official website on Wednesday. The NCDC, however, said that 183 patients were discharged after testing negative to the virus across the country. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that with the new update, the tally of infected people in the country rose to 61,667. According to data obtained from its website, eight of the new cases were recorded in the FCT, seven in Lagos, five cases…

Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has said the 24-hour curfew imposed on the state to curb arson and widespread violence in the state may be relaxed on Friday. “Once we see the streets are cleared up and all the agitation and high nerves have gone down, we might slow down the curfew by tomorrow (Friday) or next tomorrow (Saturday) at the latest,” Sanwo-Olu said in an interview with Arise TV. The governor said the easing of the curfew as soon as possible would be necessary for Lagos residents to restock food supplies and other essential commodities. Sanwo-Olu on Tuesday imposed…

Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu said he had not spoken to President Muhammadu Buhari since violent crisis erupted in Lagos following the shooting of peaceful young protesters by soldiers at the Lekki Tollgate on Tuesday night. Responding to a question Thursday on The Morning Show of Arise TV, the broadcast arm of THISDAY, Governor Sanwo-Olu said his efforts to reach President Buhari on phone on Wednesday were unsuccessful. “I made phone calls to the President, I made calls to want to speak to the President twice yesterday. First time, he hadn’t come to the office, and the second time he…

Nseobong Okon-Ekong dialogues with Dr. James Akanbi, an Accountant and Harvard-trained strategist on what lessons the federal and state governments should pick from the EndSARS campaigns SARS was disbanded after three days of the EnSARS campaigns, but the protests endured into the second week, do you the youths overreacted themselves? I would not think that way. I think the major problem with their insistence to remain on the street is about suspicion. The Nigerian people have not been able to trust the government. They view whatever promise the government is making with some cynicism. They think the government has not…

President of the Pan-Yoruba pressure group, Oodua Peoples Congress, Prince Osibote tells Nseobong Okon-Ekong the EndSARS campaign is warning signal to corrupt politicians Having worked closely police authorities, did you see the EndSARS campaign coming? EndSARS is not the issue for the fact that the issue is the entire system that runs the Nigerian state. We can’t isolate SARS and then go home to jubilate. SARS is just another department in the Nigeria Police Force. In any country, we must have a tactical team that can combat certain crime. What we should be looking for is an overhauled system. There…

•Guterres, Clinton, Biden, Akufo-Addo, others call for restraint •Presidency urges calm •DHQ mum, speaks today Eminent personalities, including former President Olusegun Obasanjo; former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, and Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, yesterday faulted Tuesday’s military crackdown on unarmed protesters at the Lekki Tollgate, Lagos, describing it as premature. The incident also elicited reactions from the United Nations Secretary-General, Mr. António Guterres; a former United States President, Mr. Bill Clinton; former US Vice President, Mr. Joe Biden; United Kingdom’s Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, Mr. Dominic Raab; President Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana; the Archbishop of…