By Kenny Folowosele, Abuja
An Islamic Group, the ‘Shiites’ has levelled an allegation against Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State and the state’s Commissioner of Police, Mr. Ali Audu Dabigi for the killings of their brothers.
Consequently, they have petitioned the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu; and the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, and the Chairman of the Police Service Commission (PSC), Mr Solomon Arase, were also petitioned by the Islamic group.
The Shiites, under the aegis of the Resource Forum of Islamic Movement, made the allegations in a petition dated April 23, 2024, and signed by the forum’s Chairman, Prof Abdullahi Danladi.
The letters, titled, “Petition against Mr Uba Sani, the Governor of Kaduna State and the Commissioner of Police, Kaduna for arbitrary extra-judicial killing of seven and wounding over 30 peaceful protesters on 5th of April, 2024 in Kaduna and Zaria,” had the acknowledgment copies dated April 30, 2024, and made available to newsmen yesterday in Abuja.
A copy of the petition, written to the Senate President made available to ThisNigeria reads: “The above-captioned matter refers. We write to your office to inform you of the conduct of the Kaduna State Governor and the Commissioner of Police Kaduna State upon whose instruction; the Nigerian Police opened fire with live ammunition on peaceful Pro-Palestinian protesters in Kaduna and Zaria on April 5, 2024.
“The conflict in the Middle East between Palestine and Israel is a worldwide event that dominates the world and takes over the United Nations activities since October 2023. This event gave rise to worldwide protests against the killings of innocent civilians in the Gaza Strip by the Israel Defence Forces.
“Protests have been going on nonstop in the USA, UK, France, Germany and other European Nations, including Israel itself. In Nigeria, such protests have been going on in several states, including Kaduna, Kano, Lagos, Rivers, and the FCT Abuja.
“The last Friday of the month of Ramadan was designated as International Quds Day and it is observed the world over.
“The event had been conducted in Nigeria for the past 40 years. This year’s International Quds Day was observed world over on 5th April 2024, including Nigeria where it was observed in more than 30 cities, including Kaduna and Zaria.
“All the processions in all the states were carried out without any event, it was peaceful throughout including in Lagos, Rivers, and Abuja. Unfortunately, the Kaduna State Commissioner of Police decided to use his force and attacked the peaceful procession.
“Thus, he ordered the policemen to open fire with live bullets in broad daylight on unarmed peaceful protesters. This led to the killing of seven persons. We see the actions of Kaduna State Governor and the Commissioner of Police Kaduna State as arbitrary, unconstitutional, and in breach of the ethics of the Nigerian Police.
“The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has provided for and protects the rights of every Nigerian citizen, which includes rights to life, and rights to peaceful demonstrations, among others. If the actions of the duo are left unchecked, the image of Nigeria will be tarnished in the eyes of the citizens and the international community.
“It is consequent to these that we forward this petition to you to take the necessary action on the Kaduna State Governor and the Commissioner of Police, Mr Ali Audu Dabigi for the breach of citizens’ constitutional rights. We look forward to your prompt response.”
Opt for mortgage housing to avoid ‘stagflation’, Okechukwu urges labour
By Seyi Odewale
A former Director-General of Voice of Nigeria, Osita Okechukwu has urged labour unions in the country to opt for housing mortgages to avoid what he called ‘stagflation’ as their demand for a minimum wage of N615,000.00, was unrealistic.
Okechukwu, while responding to labour unions’ N615,000 minimum wage demand, appealed to them to go for mortgage housing- one of Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, to avoid stagflation which will wipe out social welfare policies.
He added that the amount was unrealistic, especially when some states had blatantly refused to pay the current N30,000 and the Nigerian Governor’s Forum had frowned at the 25 percent and 35 percent increase recently approved by the Federal Government.
“Whereas one agrees with the working people that the neoliberal policies like fuel subsidy removal are no doubt taking its toll on our living conditions; however unrealistic minimum wage is not a better deal than mortgage housing for all, one of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs as the core take away from fuel subsidy removal quagmire,” Okechukwu said.
According to him, to avoid the dire economic consequences of the stagflation, which N615,000 minimum wage could trigger, central to labour’s collective bargaining should be mortgage housing for all, affordable health and education facilities, and channelling of funds to the mass transport infrastructure of CNG and electric vehicles, not unrealistic minimum wage difficult to implement under stagnated economy already at the lowest ebb of growth.
He said experience and meaningful economic indicators gazette showed that N615,000 minimum wage would further debilitate the living conditions of workers, escalate gross unemployment, and reduce purchasing power parity of the same vulnerable working class, making nonsense of the labours’ proposal.
It will be recalled that the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) issued a press statement on May 2, 2024, endorsed by the President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, where he stated how labour took painstaking efforts and wide consultations to arrive at the N615,000 minimum wage family monthly upkeep as proposed inter-alia: Housing – N40,000; Electricity – N20,000; Water – N10,000; Kerosene/Gas – N35,000; Food – N270,000; Medical – N50,000; Clotting – N20,000; Education – N50,000; Sanitation – N10,000; and Transportation – N110.
Okechukwu agreed that the basket tabulation of monthly family upkeep proposed by the NLC was appetising; but urged the unions to rejig their collective bargaining strategy to fire up and compel President Bola Tinubu to retool his mortgage housing programme, which would better soften the prevailing economic hardship.
