The petition to Nigerian President by a coalition of 127 CSOs under the Joint Action Civil Society Coalition/Nigeria Mourns Secretariat to, as a matter of urgency, stop the escalating insecurity in Nigeria is one of the trending stories in Nigerian newspapers on Monday.
The Guardian reports that after what appears a lull in Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) activism in the country, a coalition of 127 CSOs under the Joint Action Civil Society Coalition/Nigeria Mourns Secretariat, yesterday, petitioned President Muhammadu Buhari to, as a matter of urgency, stop the escalating insecurity in the country.
They further raised the alarm that the first quarter of 2021 has witnessed all-time high fatalities and atrocious incidences across the country.
The petition titled ‘State of the Nation: Stop the bleeding, end carnage now, called for the resignation of the President while urging all Nigerians to register their displeasure with the state of affairs across the country by participating in a series of mass actions from May 26, to commemorate the 4th National Day of Mourning and Remembrance of Victims of Mass Atrocities on May 28 and further boycott all Democracy Day activities on May 29, in protest of the deplorable state of insecurity in the country.
The statement reads in part: “Following a sharp increase of 43 per cent in mass atrocities, Nigeria has continued to experience a decline in security across the nation. In the first quarter of 2021 (January to March), we recorded an all-time quarterly high of almost 2,000 fatalities from mass atrocities incidents across the country. Last week, across the six geopolitical zones, there were escalated combustions of violence resulting in even more deaths.
“In our last joint statement issued in February 2021, we had catalogued the assortment of mass atrocities plaguing the country.
“We had also demanded that where the President fails to fulfil his constitutional duties, that he steps aside, or, that the National Assembly initiates impeachment proceedings against him on grounds of gross misconduct as provided for in Section 143 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
The newspaper says Nigeria has been advised to tackle its security challenges internally, as they were ‘mere family affairs.’
The Ambassador of South Korea to Nigeria, Kim Young-Chae, who gave the advice in Abuja, held that the insecurity facing the most populous nation was akin to a family disagreement that does not require the intervention of the international community, but regional cooperation.
His words: “Security is a very sensitive issue. I know everyone is concerned about the insecurity in Nigeria but it is Nigeria’s internal issue. It should be discussed among Nigerians. If another country engages Nigeria, that is another issue entirely and that would be considered an international issue. To solve the problem, Nigeria needs international cooperation mainly with its neighbouring countries to enhance its internal security. Nigeria must cooperate with Chad, Niger and other neighbouring countries to ensure cooperation.”
The envoy, who stressed the need for the military to be professionalised, described the Army as the centre that holds the society together. He went on: “In South Korea, we have a very strong defence which is rated number six in the world. The military is very dedicated and there is little or no corruption in the system. The military is the centre that holds the country together. If the military is corrupt, there is a high possibility that the whole country will be corrupt. Discipline and dedication are key in building a stable and efficient military.”
The diplomat said both nations were on the verge of sealing a defence an intelligence-sharing pact.
He explained that the Asian country had established the office of a defence attaché in its embassy to strengthen cooperation between the two nations.
The Vanguard reports that the Catholic Bishops of Owerri Ecclesiastical Province at the weekend, rose from an emergency meeting in Owerri, expressing deep worry that every part of the country is bleeding, as the level of insecurity escalates.
The Bishops spoke on a day one police personnel was shot and wounded in the leg as gunmen attacked Mike Okiro police station, near Ubani Ibeku Main Market, Umuahia.
This came as many communities in Awka North Local Government Area of Anambra State have alleged increasing attacks by suspected herdsmen operating in their forests and farmlands.
This is even as Onitsha residents are currently in fear, as a truck fully loaded with cartons of live bullets fell into a ditch and spilled its content all around the street, in the commercial city.
Also, 13 travelers kidnapped along the Benin by-pass by Ahor village on Thursday and rescued on Saturday by a joint team of policemen and vigilante group are currently receiving medical attention at a Police clinic in Benin City, Edo State, where they have recounted their ordeals in the hands of their abductors.
The Catholic Bishops in a six-point pastoral statement, titled “Nigeria on the brink of collapse: Groping for reliable security”, signed by the Chairman and Secretary, Most Rev. Anthony J. V. Obinna, and Most Rev. Austin Echema, respectively, said: “Large numbers of Nigerians are slaughtered daily in different parts of our nation.
|
|
|
The Punch says that the value of the trade between Nigeria and South Korea has declined from $2.6bn in 2017 to $1.2bn in 2020 as a result of the fall in global oil prices.
Disclosing this at an interactive session with journalists in Abuja on Friday, the Korean Ambassador of Republic of Korea to Nigeria, Mr. Kim Chae, said his country was seeking to ramp up economic cooperation with Nigeria.
Responding to a question on the economic partnership between Nigeria and South Korea, the envoy said, “The trade between South Korea and Nigeria is $1.2bn, which is a sharp decline from the $2.6bn transactions in 2017.
“The slide in the trade volume was due to the fall in the global price of oil and gas, and this has negatively affected the two nations’ bilateral trade volume.”
Chae observed that Nigeria was a global player, citing the various positions being held by Nigerian professionals at the United Nations, World Trade Organisation, African Development Bank and other organisations across the world.
The Sun reports that the Federal Government has disclosed that the manufacturing sector has demonstrated over the years that it is the backbone of the country’s employment sector, as it currently employs over seven million Nigerians.
Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Niyi Adebayo, made the remark during the virtual cake cutting event to mark the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) 50 years celebration at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja, at the weekend.
Adebayo noted that the role the sector plays in nation building cannot be over emphasised, as it has contributed over $40 billion to the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the last 20 years in terms of total output growth.
Congratulating MAN on its anniversary, the minister explained that the productive sector of the Nigerian economy is the engine room of Nigeria’s GDP currently because of its significant contribution as the live wire of the economy.
“I bring greetings from the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment (FMITI) and I wholeheartedly congratulate MAN on its 50th anniversary. Nigerian manufacturing sector has come a long way since the establishment MAN.
|
|
|
|
GIK/APA
