Connect with us

National

Sylvester: MARF applauds Dowen founder, Board members for taking the path of honour 

Published

on

Share this story

***Urges House of Reps to commence Public Hearing on Keren-Happuch

Men Against Rape Foundation (MARF) has lauded the gesture of the founder and members of the management board of Dowen College, Lagos.for resigning their positions in the wake of the controversies surrounding the death of its student, 12 year old Sylvester Oromoni.

Speaking at a press conference in Abuja, Executive Director of the anti-rape foundation committed to curtailing all forms of Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) across Nigeria, Lemmy Ughegbe said the resignation of the founder and board members was a mark of honour.

Ughegbe advised that other schools enmeshed in alleged cases of sexual molestation of their students should emulate the example set by Dowen College instead of grandstanding and embarking on propaganda simply in a bid to preserve their business interest. 

The statement, in part reads: “We want to commend the steps taken by Dowen in the founder and board resigning. Although their resignation doesn’t automatically translate to guilt, they are honest enough to say their school needs to rework its administrative architecture in order to avert such situations in future as they have had with Sylvester case. “This is a Mark of honour especially given the fact that recent findings during the coroner inquest have absolved them of wrongdoing. 

“If the school in Keren’s case were as humane as Dowen, rather than resort to intimidating her mother and the Coalition, we would already have made more progress in cracking the case. They ought to emulate Dowen”

He also thanked the Speaker of the House of Representatives and members for resolving to conduct public hearing into the circumstances into the rape and eventual death of Keren-Happuch Aondodoo Akpagher, a student of Premiere Academy, Lugbe, Abuja.

He urged the speaker to expedite action to commence the investigative public hearing as the world was anxiously waiting for the culprit to be brought to justice.

“We shall be asking for the CCTV footages of 15th and 16th of June, 2021 which the police has asked them for on upon our request and they have failed to provide them since. These footages will answer the question as to what happened to Keren since intelligence report confirmed that she could not walk to class on the 16th of June 2021 and the matron of the school also confirmed that she did not show up at the clinic same day for her insulin medication, which she was dependent on.”

“How come the matron didn’t see a child who is dependent on her insulin and never bothered to look for her? This and many more questions shall be raised during the public hearing”, Ughegbe added.

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

National

Osita Chidoka describes Tinubu’s Certificate Saga as ‘National misadventure’

Published

on

By

Share this story

The Nigerian security agencies have come under serious bashing for being unable to track the genuineness of President Bola Tinubu’s certificate over time.
Former Aviation Minister, Osita Chidoka, came so hard on them on Sunday following the order by Justice Nancy Maldonado for the Chicago State University to release all of Tinubu’s academic records to Atiku.
According to him, it is a national embarrassment to take the matter of such gravity for proof in the United States even when Tinubu had been given a clean slate by Nigeria’s intelligence agencies and the Independent National Electoral Commission to run for president.

The former aviation minister made his opinion known in a statement on Sunday.

According to him, “That it took the courageous activism of Abubakar Atiku to force the discovery of information concerning the President of Nigeria is a disgrace to our national institutions.

“As a nation, we have a full retinue of staff at the Department of the State Security, the National Intelligence Agency, the Independent National Electoral Commission, the Embassy of Nigeria with the full complement of staff in Washington DC and the Nigerian Judiciary that have variously ruled on matters concerning President Tinubu’s academic qualifications.
“Yet, we cannot have a definitive conclusion about whether he has the academic qualifications he claimed he had or not. Disgraceful.

“That all the aforementioned institutions allowed a man to be sworn in without definitive statements about his qualifications is a national tragedy.

“For 23 years, the issue of President Tinubu has been a recurring decimal in our national equation. Under his reign, a current youth corps member is serving as Minister, and people under investigation by EFCC and made public are sitting in the Federal Executive Council. And they all passed through security screening.”

He described the office of President of Nigeria as “important both in its moral authority and its strategic importance to our national security and safety that nobody who has possible blind spots that can make him or her a potential asset for foreign intelligence or governments should be allowed a mile near that office.”

According to him, “This should be a primary burden on all our national institutions. Legal technicalities and silence by state institutions should be deemed high treason.”

He made a case for a constitutional amendment to finish all electoral cases before the assumption of office, adding that, “The current disgraceful proceedings against a Nigerian President in a foreign court under election petition matters are damaging to our collective moral and legal standing as a people.

“If it turns out tomorrow that our President presented a forged certificate to INEC, Nigerians will bow down their heads globally in shame. On the other hand, if it turns out that his certificate is genuine, again our reputation as a people is still in tatters because of the failure of national institutions to perform due diligence no matter who is involved.”

He stated that the image of Tinubu would be tarnished if it was found that he forged his certificate. Quoting him, “A forged certificate finding leaves President Tinubu in a vulnerable position morally and legally. As he did not present primary and secondary certificates to INEC, a forged CSU certificate makes him unqualified to stand for the office of President as he does not possess the minimum qualification S.131(D) of the 1999 Constitution as amended. Of course, the next issue is the case of perjury, the presentation of false documents under oath.”

Chidoka berated INEC, adding, “How INEC accepted a university degree without the qualifying certificates would continue to be a national mystery.

“The decision of the District Court and the whole proceedings is not a moment of triumphalism but a sober moment of introspection. It is a moment when as a nation we ask ourselves: what are our national values? Who or which institution should have ordered the full investigation of the questionable certificate?

“Considering that he did not present a primary or secondary certificate, should our courts be concerned with the technicality of the tendering process of the CSU certificate or the disgrace and global moral damage a forged certificate would wrought on Nigeria?”

Continue Reading

National

My husband is not a magician, Tinubu’s wife tells Nigerians

Published

on

By

Share this story

***Says, he is fixing the mess of many past administrations

The first Lady of the Federal Republic of Nigeria Senator Oluremi Tinubu has asked Nigerians to give her Husband President Bola Tinubu the benefit of doubt to fix Nigeria as he is not a magician.

She spoke on Sunday at the inter-denominational service as part of the celebration to mark the Nigeria’s 63rd Independence anniversaryheld at the National Christain Center, Abuja.
Tinubu has just returned from a two-week-long trip to attend the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York where in his first address at the Assembly, he championed the need for Africa to surmount foreign exploitation to attain prosperity through democratic ideals.
Continuing Mrs Tinubu said the President’s recent trip was full of success stories as the world awaits Nigeria with teeming investors trooping into the country.
“We came back with good news and all we inherited are things that happened many years ago. We are not here to apportion blame on any administration but to fix what is already damaged

“My husband is not a magican, he is going to work bit by bit and I believe and hope that you will have faith in this administration. The best is yet to come

Continue Reading

National

Southeast Insecurity: Obi challenges leaders of the region to think out of the box

Published

on

By

Share this story

*** ‘No Economic activity can flourish with insecurity’

The Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party, in the February 25th, 2033 general election Peter Obi has challenged the people and leaders of the South East region to look out for a possible permanent solution
The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Obiora Ifoh, in a statement quoted Obi to have indicated that security is key to any economic activities said all hands must on deck to stem the rising insecurity in the area.

In a message he sent to the South East Summit on Economy and Security in Owerri, Imo state capital, the former anambra governor noted that the Summit is coming at the auspicious time given the disturbing insecurity in the region which has far-reaching implications to the socio-economic and political development in the geopolitical zone.

Obi commended the Southeast Governors for being thoughtful in organizing the summit and apologized for his absence despite being duly invited due to an inevitable earlier scheduled engagement outside the country.

The LP standard bearer whose message was read to the summit, urged the leaders to come together and speak up on the way to end the embarrassing insecurity in the region.

“This summit which is focusing merely on security and its economic impact on the Southeast East has come at the most auspicious time. It’s very necessary that as a people we come together, and put our heads together to find a lasting solution to this problem of insecurity in our homeland.

“Our mainstay as a people is business, no business and indeed any other economic activity would thrive amid insecurity.

“If we put our minds to it and work in unity and mutual trust, we will find a way out of this problem that is alien to us.

“Let me therefore commend your excellencies, the Governors of the South East for initiating the idea of the summit and working together to make this a reality.

“Let me urge everyone at this summit and those of us who are unable to attend in person to speak up, contribute ideas, and be part of the initiatives or actions that would be agreed upon at this summit to bring an end to the problem of insecurity in our region.”

The former Anambra state Governor prayed for “God to guide the country, grant the people the wisdom, strength, and courage to take the necessary steps to end insecurity in the homeland.
Following that, he said the people can continue to work with their God-given talent and energy to restore peace, tranquility in the South East and indeed Nigeria at large.

Continue Reading

Trending