The South West Youth Alliance has called on the Inspector General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun, to ignore a baseless call by a group asking for the delisting of Dorcas Adeyinka from the wanted List
Mail Express Online
Tuesday, 20 May 2025
Dorcas Adeyinka Has Cases To Answer; She Can't Be Delisted From Wanted List, Says Youth Alliance
Saturday, 3 May 2025
Engr. Dikko's Tenure As PHRC MD Was Transparent And Accountable - Alliance
The Integrity Youth Alliance has said that the listing of Engr. Ahmed Dikko in a report by Punch Newspaper is mischievous and an attempt to tarnish his transparent and meritorious service at the Port Harcourt Refining Company (PHRC).
Reacting to the report in Punch Newspaper titled "$3bn refinery fraud: N80bn found in sacked MD’s bank accounts," the National Coordinator of the Alliance, Kelvin Adegbenga, said that it was on record that Engr. Ahmed Dikko operated the Port Harcourt Refining Company (PHRC) under the Transparency, Accountability, and Performance Excellence Agenda.
"It would be recalled that the Federal Government, under former President Muhammadu Buhari, had in March 2021 secured a 1.5 billion dollar loan to rehabilitate the facility. The contract was awarded to an Italian firm, Tecnimont S.P.A., a subsidiary of Maire Tecnimont Group.
"Engr. Ahmed Dikko, as Managing Director of the Port Harcourt Refining Company (PHRC), has little to do with the contract award, as the Federal Government awarded the rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt Refinery, and it covers the Engineering, Procurement, Construction, Installation, and Commissioning (EPCIC) of the refinery.
"He had pushed the rehabilitation to over 65% completion before he was further given the responsibility to advise the Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of NNPC Limited on refinery rehabilitation.
"It is on record that Dikko's greatest goal and accomplishment was bringing back the nation’s refineries to life as soon as possible.
"One of Dikko's achievements is the completion and commissioning of the 60,000-barrel-old refinery in November last year, after over 25 years of non-operation. The refinery is still operational. Work on the new 150,000-barrel refinery is well advanced and nearly complete. The loan for the project was $1billion from Afrixem Bank
"His transparency and accountability as the Managing Director of the Port Harcourt Refining Company (PHRC) earned him commendations, recognitions and awards.
"We therefore condemned listing his names among the officials the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission is investigating for abuse of office and misappropriation of funds, Adegbenga said.
Tuesday, 1 April 2025
Youth Alliance Educates One-Man, Onwubiko’s HURIWA, On IGP’s Tenure
The Integrity Youth Alliance, an organisation that has been monitoring development trends in the Nigerian Police Force for over 15 years, schooled the one-man NGO Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) on the tenure of the Inspector General of Police.
Reacting to a publication titled “NIS: Tenure extensions on Tinubu’s watch favour only Yoruba; HURIWA alleges,” the publicity director of the Alliance, Danjuma Lamido, said it is unfortunate that ignorants like Emmanuel Onwubiko could refer to the tenured office of the Inspector General of Police as an extension.
“Despite his ignorance, he still says, “President Bola Tinubu pushed the Police Act (Amendment) Bill 2024 to the NASS to amend the Police Act of 2020. This was to enable Egbetokun to complete a full term of four years.”
“The same HURIWA said that the Public Service Rule 020810 declares a compulsory retirement age for all grades in the service to be 60 years or 35 years of pensionable service, whichever is earlier, but forgot that the position of the Inspector General of Police is an appointment as stipulated in the 1999 Constitution (as amended): “There shall be— (a) an Inspector-General of Police who the President shall appoint subject to section 216(2) of this Constitution”.
“We wish to state that Egbetokun’s constitutional tenure did not create any internal schism. Also, there was nothing like a massive purge of many “so-called ambitious and activist senior police officers” by the hierarchy of the Nigeria police favoured by President Tinubu, as made believe by the one-man NGO, HURIWA.
“We recall that the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), has declared that the amendment of the Police Act by the National Assembly in 2024 was in order and no individual or organisation has gone to court to challenge that to date; not even the one-man NGO, HURIWA.
“On a final note, we wish to say that IGP Kayode Egbetokun got his appointment on merits, competences and patriotism against the malicious statement by one man NGO, HURIWA, that his tenured office was based on friendship and ethnic affiliation, the statement concluded.
SWYA Carpets Sahara Reporters Story As An Example Of Irresponsible Journalism
The South West Youth Alliance has lambasted the publisher of the serial blackmail, Sahara Reporters, and failed former presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore over his reckless and dubious statement on the person of IGP Kayode Egbetokun.
Responding to a publication by Sahara Reporters titled “Sowore Lambasts Tinubu For Extending Kemi Nandap’s Tenure As Nigerian Immigration Boss, Says It’s Reward For Incompetence Just Like IGP Egbetokun,” the coordinator of the alliance, Taiwo Adegbenga, said that Sowore is out to tarnish the reputation of IGP Egbetokun by saying that “Kayode Egbetokun, as IGP of Nigeria Police Force, was murdering protesters and charging minors for treason.”
“We challenge the failed former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, to show Nigerians the protesters “murdered by Kayode Egbetokun as IGP” or face legal action for this reckless and mischievous statement.
“Ensuring accurate and factual reporting is part of the code of ethics guiding the journalism profession anywhere in the world. But it’s quite unfortunate that Sahara Reporters do not regard this ethical standard, and this explains why the medium is filled with a myriad of unverified and baseless reports and fabrications.
“Laziness and irresponsibility of media organisations like Sahara Reporters will continue to murder the journalism profession in Nigeria. It is pathetic that a media outfit like Sahara Reporters could publish this kind of unverified” story—“Kayode Egbetokun, as IGP of the Nigeria Police Force, was murdering protesters and charging minors for treason.” This is irresponsible journalism at its peak.
“We therefore call on Omoyele Sowore and Sahara Reporters to desist from dishing out baseless, unverified reports as well as stop misinforming and misleading the public, which are fast becoming their trademark.
Thursday, 13 March 2025
Youth Alliance Criticises Sahara Reporters; Claims IGP Kayode Egbetokun Is Not Panicking
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Tuesday, 30 July 2024
Security Agencies, Shine Your Eyes On, Take It Back Movement
By Chukwudi Amaefule
I laughed after reading a letter from the Take It Back
Movement telling the FCT Minister Wike to release Eagle Square for the planned
demonstration.
In a letter signed by Damilare Adenola, Director of Mobilization
for the Take It Back Movement (TIB) in Abuja, the protesters demanded
unrestricted access to the venue 24/7 throughout the protest
and possibly even after it concludes.
The letter read, “I write you as the Director of Mobilization,
Take It Back Movement (TIB) to your office to grant us access to the Eagles
Square between August 1st and 10th, 2024, for our #DaysOfRage,
#EndBadGovernance protest.
“This request entails using this national asset day and night for the duration of the historic protest.
“Also, note that the protest may be prolonged beyond ten days
as we embark on the protracted crisis occasioned by the ruling party.
“Further, your office must also ensure the provision of a
24-hour power supply, toilet facilities, water, and security for the
convenience of Nigerian citizens who will be camped out at Eagle Square.
“In short, we ask that the protesters are accorded the
courtesy accorded to foreign and local official dignitaries who have frequently
used the space.
“In addition, we request that the outer wire mesh barrier
facing the Aso Rock Villa be removed in the meantime, as protesters may decide
to visit the Presidential Villa during the protest.
“It is our sincere hope that this request will be granted
expeditiously.”
My biggest shock came when I also read the letter from a
human rights activist, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa (SAN), notifying security agencies,
requesting protection over planned public meetings, rallies, and processions by
a non-governmental body, the Take It Back Movement, its members, some patriotic
Nigerians, and groups.
In the letter dated Friday, July 26, 2024, the senior
advocate writing as solicitor to the Take It Back Movement notified the
Inspector General of Police (IGP) and the Director of the Department of State
Services (DSS) that the planned rallies would commence from August 1 to 10,
2024, or any time thereafter.
He said the rallies would be held at the Eagle Square in
Abuja and other public spaces in the capital cities of the 36 states and the
headquarters of the 774 local government councils.
Adegboruwa, while reiterating the role of the security
agencies during such rallies and protests, urged the leadership of the security
agencies to make available the details of any of their officers or teams that
will be assigned to cover the said meetings, rallies, or processes to harmonise
plans and strategies for the same.
My thinking after reading from the Movement and its sponsor
about the planned protest was that the security agencies, especially the DSS
and the Nigeria Police, would investigate those behind the Take It Back
Movement, especially after Bayo Onanuga, special adviser on information and
strategy to President Bola Tinubu, has alleged that supporters of Peter Obi are
behind the proposed nationwide protest.
On 17th September 2022, the Take-It-Back Movement knocked the
Nigeria Police Force over the shameful invasion of the supporters of the Labour
Party who had gathered in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital, to rally in
support of their presidential candidate, Peter Obi.
The Take-It-Back Movement, in a release on Saturday by its
Director of Media and Communications, Dr Chidi Nwanyanwu, described the action
of the police as “criminal, lawless, and a flagrant disregard for rights to
peaceful assembly.”
The statement reads, “The Take It Back Movement strongly
condemns the violent repression of supporters of the Labour Party who had
gathered in Abakaliki to rally in support of their candidate." We describe
the action of the police as criminal, lawless, and a flagrant disregard for the right to peaceful assembly.
“We worry that while insurgents and all sorts of armed
criminals have made the entire country unsafe, especially with the recent
deadly attack on Ifeanyi Ubah's convoy, the police has chosen unsurprisingly to
concern itself with indulging in criminal repression of peaceful gatherings and
offering itself to be used by the ruling party, APC, to repress oppositions.
“We wish to remind the police that as an institution funded
by the Nigerian people, it is duty bound to protect our rights to peaceful
assembly and ensure the maximum protection of Nigerians whether they are in
political rallies, protests, meetings, and all other activities within the
confines of their constitutional rights.
“While we call on well-meaning Nigerians to rise against the
fascism of the APC and its attempt to make the electoral processes violent and
non-credible, we also call for the immediate arrest and prosecution of all
officers involved in the lawlessness that happened today in Abakaliki.
“Meanwhile we call on all Nigerians to understand that ā real
political change can only come through a revolutionary alternative like Omoyele
Sowore and the African Action Congress (AAC). Instead of negotiating with
fascist rulers like David Umahi, like Peter Obi is doing, what is needed is to
call the bluff of these rogue elements once and for all.
“This takes real and tested courage, and we urge all
Nigerians who want to build another country away from want and war to ignore
all sentiments and join the revolutionary train. For it is such a principled
and ever-ready train that can defend the votes of Nigerians come the 2023
elections.”
Also, on 14th March 2023, the headline "This Nigerian
Voter Created A National Movement for Peter Obi" was the major news online
via
(https://www.zikoko.com/citizen/this-nigerian-voter-created-a-national-movement-for-peter-obi/)
The news reads, "Today’s Nigerian voter focuses on
@Jack_ng01, the founder of the Take Back Naija movement, a political movement
that was campaigning for Peter Obi. He tells us his motivations for the
movements, their achievements, and his reaction when Obi lost the 2023 presidential
elections.
“The Nigerian Voter” is Blessing, an IT professional in his
early thirties. He also convenes the Take Back Naija movement, mobilising
youths nationwide towards garnering support for Labour Party presidential
candidate Peter Obi. Citizen spoke with him about his political journey and
inspiration for birthing the group. He also shared how he felt about Obi not
being declared the winner for the 2023 elections and his future goals with the
movement towards the gubernatorial elections.
What made you interested in politics?
My interest in politics started in 2006 when I lived with my
uncle. Then he was a councillor in his local government, and I often listened
to him having political conversations about the Anambra and Enugu state
governments in the parlour. We also listened to news stations on the radio and
television frequently, as well as in newspapers. I also noticed that my uncle
was calm, quiet, and a good person all around, yet he was in politics. This
gave me the mindset that not all politicians were bad people. You could also
find good ones too.
However, I started to get involved in politics in 2010 in the
Anambra State elections. I was the deputy ward secretary of Nanka Ward 1, and
my mum was the woman leader at the time. Since then, I either voted (from the
2011-2023 election cycles) or made sure I could sensitise people towards
political awareness. I didn’t do all of this on a grand scale until 2021.
From 2011-2023, who did you vote for, and why did you vote
for them?
I voted for Goodluck Jonathan in 2011. I can’t exactly say
that it was a conscious decision. He was the preferred choice for most people
in the South. This was despite the fact that I wasn’t a People’s Democratic
Party (PDP) member then but a card-carrying member of the Action Congress of
Nigeria (ACN). The ACN candidate then was Nuhu Ribadu, but most didn’t think he
stood a chance.
In 2015, I displayed my interest in Goodluck Jonathan again
in the elections via social media. However, I couldn’t vote because I had just
relocated from Anambra to Abuja, and I didn’t have the chance to transfer my
Permanent Voter’s Card (PVC).
In 2019, I travelled to Anambra to vote for Atiku Abubakar of
the PDP, and of course, I voted for Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP) in 2023.
Which election year would you say you had your craziest
election experience?
The 2023 election was my craziest because I played a major
role in the elections.
What was this major role?
I was a convener for the Take Back Naija political movement
in 2022. It was basically youths coming together to influence a change for good
governance from federal to local government. The politics we played in Nigeria
over the years had not really worked for Nigeria. Thus, we must shift from what
we are used to doing something different.
How did your movement influence this change?
We did this by making sure we scrutinised each potential
presidential candidate and their antecedents. It was then decided that whoever
we saw as our preferred candidate would be given enormous support. We would
mobilise for his campaign, raise funds, advertise, arrange conferences, etc. It
then became our duty or mandate to help these candidates with their campaigns
when they align with the people’s values.
After much deliberation, we concluded that Obi’s antecedents
and his plans for Nigeria aligned with our values and represented the future
kind of politics we wanted. Even the name for the movement came from one of his
speeches where he said, “Take back your country; it is your future they are
toying with.” The campaign for Obi officially started in January 2022.
What did Take Back Naija do for Peter Obi?
As of January 2022, Peter Obi was still a member of the PDP
with presidential ambitions. We then met with PDP delegates in Abuja in the
form of a peaceful protest to convince them to elect Peter Obi for president.
This was coupled with a social hashtag, #GiveUsPeterObi. We also organised the
first nationwide one million man march for Peter Obi in May 2022 and erected
billboards in major cities in Nigeria such as Port Harcourt, Lagos, Abuja, and
even some Northern cities such as Kaduna and Sokoto. We had radio jingles for
him at the early stage of the campaign and many more.
Shortly after, Obi and his team resigned from the PDP to the
Labour Party before the PDP primaries. We examined his previous speeches and
broadcast critical soundbites on his plans for Nigerian citizens. There was
also created a website for Obi and a Telegram community for Obi supporters in
various locations across Nigeria. A press release was distributed while Obi was
still a member of the PDP. In the press release, we told PDP delegates that
we’d give at least ten million votes if they gave us Peter Obi (if he won at
the PDP primaries).
Getting people to support the movement even after he left was
easy because the man had a way of inspiring voters.
Is it your team that inspired the Obidient movement?
No one can fully lay claim to the “Obidient” movement, as it
just happened organically. However, if there is anyone to be responsible for
it, it should be Obi. Without him, the movement would not exist.
What was your reaction when Obi wasn’t declared winner of the
2023 presidential elections?
Personally, I didn’t feel bad because I knew that Obi was the
true winner of the election. I also didn’t feel bad because I believed that we
did all the things that we should do as young people towards the elections. We
only overtrusted INEC in believing that they were going to do the right thing
by not rigging.
How hopeful are you about Obi’s victory in court?
I don’t trust the court system, to be honest. Even if a
ruling is given, executives don’t even obey. I don’t have faith in the judicial
system, but somehow I believe that we can reclaim our mandate. This is because
I know Obi to be a fighter and that God has ordained his path. Let the will of
God be done. However, whatever happens outside now, I am at peace that we wrote
our names on the right side of history.
Amazing. Are you voting for anyone in the gubernatorial
elections on March 18?
Sadly, I won’t be voting on March 18 because Abuja doesn’t
hold governorship elections. The president can only appoint a Federal Capital
Territory (FCT) minister. However, this doesn’t mean the Take Back Naija team
rests on our oars. We’d be campaigning for Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour of the Labour
Party because he is smart, honest, and transparent. I like certain things he
discusses in his manifesto, such as transparency in Lagos and free medical
insurance. For me, this serves as a breath of fresh air.
From the above information, it will be disastrous for the Federal Government to grant the group any right to carry out its planned protest as it will amount to a complete coup d'état.
A stitch in time saves nine.
Chukwudi Amaefule writes from Anambra State and can be reached via https://web.facebook.com/chukwudi.amaefule.52
Sunday, 28 July 2024
Obidient Is An Igbo Political Organisation
By Olutayo Ayodele
Today's Punch publication
unarguably reveals the fundamental flaw in the superstructure of the Obidient
Movement. All the 53 amorphous subgroups which make up the spatial
structure of the movement are headed by persons who are Igbos.
It becomes crystal clear that
Peter Obi heads a political movement whose sole purpose is to force an Igbo
ethnic agenda on Nigeria under the presence of establishing a new political
order.
I recalled that the Chairman, of
the 9th Senate Committee on Cooperation and Integration in Africa/NEPAD,
Senator Chimaroke Nnamani, Enugu East, once took a swipe at the presidential
candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, alleging that he introduced religious
and ethnic politics in Nigeria.
The former Enugu State Governor
said that reviewing the activities of last year's elections, he concluded that
“Peter Obi deflowered the virgin innocence of political patriotism and
nationalism in Nigeria.
“For his ethnic war, he spread
across Igbo-domiciled areas across Nigeria, specifically markets and shopping
malls. He picked out Christian minority areas for his campaigns in Northern and
Central Nigeria. His dual opium of tribalism and religious bigotry has made
National Landing depart no more.”
The Labour Party, with the
support of the Obidient, won and has a subnational government in place in Abia
State. What is new in Abia today?
During the campaign, the DG, Akin
Osuntokun who happened to be from the South West, was just like a figurehead as
Obi's SSG, who is from the East, for 8 years, was technically in charge of the
campaign committee from day one to the dissolution of the campaign committee.
After the elections, I had
anticipated that the Obidient movement would give up on its punishing mission
and transform into an ideological pressure group—a respectable opposition.
However, the movement remains far from being civil and ideological. It has
grown more feral, nastier, desperate, and brutal. The Obidient movement is
beginning to resemble a gang of rebels.
The Obidient movement comprised
mainly of political neophytes and tribal bigots is characteristically
misguided, and uncultured holding on fanatically to an erroneous belief that
Obi won the 2023 Presidential elections despite his obvious lack of support
from the North West and South West. These two zones make up about 50% of total
votes at every national election since the 1st Republic.
All Nigerians' security is at
risk from any movement that is not motivated by the country's interests. The
Obidient movement doesn't seem to care that its tactics harm both national
security and the collective consciousness. I worry that a few individuals from
the banned organisation, IPOB, might be in positions of authority inside the
movement.
The use of violent threats, lies,
and acts against people who disagree portends a more dire future. Individuals
fighting Nigeria through other channels may be using the Obidient movement as a
political forum.
The already deteriorated
relations between Nigerians from different ethnic backgrounds are being made
worse by the movement's tactics. This is the origin of interethnic conflict.
Contrary to popular belief, it is not the case that the Yoruba and Igbo are at
odds with one another. The remainder of Nigeria is up against the
"Obidients."
I see Nigeria as a symbol of hope
and promise for a better present and future, of fortitude and bravery to rise
from nothing and dust, of purpose amid chaos, of brotherhood amid differences,
and of love even in perilous circumstances.
Olutayo Ayodele is a freelance
writer based in Lagos State.