Citizen is a column that explains how the government’s policies fucks citizens and how we can unfuck ourselves.
The Ondo election will be happening this Saturday, October 10, 2020. A total of 28 Governorship and Deputy Governorship candidates have been approved to contest in the election.
Rotimi Akeredolu of the APC, who is the incumbent Governor of the state, and Eyitayo Jegede of PDP are considered the most popular candidates in the election.
Akeredolu, popularly known as “Aketi” is running for a second term in office, while Eyitayo Jegede is seeking to displace the incumbent governor by tackling insecurity and improving the economy of the state.
What is INEC and the security operatives doing?
INEC has promised that this election will be better than the recently held Edo elections. The Chairman of the Commission stated that it identified 16 areas for improvement from the Edo elections and that logistics, prompt response to smart card hitches, vote-buying challenges and compliance with Covid-19 protocols are issues that will seriously be addressed and improved upon in this election.
The police, through the Inspector General of Police Mohammed Adamu, say that they have sent over 33,000 police officers to the state to secure the election.
What should we expect from the election?
Given this number, we expect that the election turns out to be a peaceful one, at least to a large extent.
Citizen is a column that explains how the government’s policies fucks citizens and how we can unfuck ourselves.
This weekend, Nigerians had a lot to say about the Special Anti-robbery Squad, and they expressed their frustration in clear terms.
Donald trump is not your business! Old man! Police/Sarz still killing Nigerian youth on a daily! Do something! Nothing concern u for America! Face your country !! https://t.co/thxmoYb7VE
The Commissioner of Police (Mohammed Adamu) stated that F-SARS and other “tactical units” in the Police were subsequently banned from routine patrols and “conventional low-risk duties” like stop and search activities, checkpoints, mounting of roadblocks, etc.
They must also appear in their police uniform or tactical gear anytime they wanted to go out on a tactical assignment and that they were “warned” against the unauthorized search of phones, laptops and smart devices.
The Presidency also issued similar guidelines:
All FSARS, STS, IRT & other Tactical @PoliceNG Squads operating at Federal, Zonal & Command levels are hereby BANNED from carrying out routine patrols & other conventional low-risk duties – stop & search duties, checkpoints, roadblocks, traffic checks, etc – WITH IMMEDIATE EFFECT pic.twitter.com/9xWQJhTDOP
SARS was created to handle “special” robbery crimes in Nigeria, and they are controlled at state and regional levels in Nigeria by the Commissioners of Police in charge of state commands and the Zonal Assistant Inspector Generals of Police.
No doubt, these new instructions will go a long way in reducing the menace caused by SARS. If they can’t be found on the streets, can’t check phones and must dress officially, I believe that the SARS menace will be drastically reduced.
But, SARS has not been banned, and the IGP maintains they remain a “critical component” of the police force in handling crime.
The IGP notes that the FSARS and other Police Tactical Squads remain a critical component of the Force in confronting prevailing and emerging violent crimes in the country. He however condemns every act of unprofessionalism, abuse of human rights and high-handedness
And that, right there, is the catch. SARS isn’t leaving anytime soon. After all, the Acting President Yemi Osinnbao made similar calls that SARS be restructured in 2018, and yet here we are.
Following persistent complaints and reports on the activities of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) that border on allegations of human rights violations, I have directed the Inspector General of Police to, with immediate effect, overhaul the management and activities of SARS. pic.twitter.com/xliQS1CRBN
Citizen is a column that explains how the government’s policies fucks citizens and how we can unfuck ourselves.
Nothing symbolises how dysfunctional Nigeria has become like the terrorism that is carried out daily by faceless officers of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS). See, I know we still don’t have 24-hour electricity 60 years after Independence. I know our roads are shite and our hospitals are crappy. But how can some criminals keep terrorising Nigerians because they’re an “Anti-Robbery Squad”? Worse, the government just keeps dancing around the issue without doing something symbolic to solve the problem.
The safety of our residents is my number one duty as the CSO of Lagos. So, reading reports of seemingly unlawful exploitation by the people charged to protect is very worrying & needs to be addressed immediately. Be assured that appropriate actions will be taken, & speedily too.
In this article, I will write about the history of SARS itself, and why it was nothing more than a makeshift squad to solve robbery crimes when the police ran away from the streets of Lagos because soldiers were chasing them.
(Wait, what?)
The Killing of Colonel Rimdan
On the night of September 6 September 1992, Ezra Rimdan, a colonel in the Nigerian Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC), Minna, was returning from a visit to an army general in Ikoyi, Lagos. On getting to Herbert Macaulay Road, Yaba, he met a police checkpoint and his driver was ordered to halt, after which he was ordered out of the car.
Soon, in another notorious case of extra-judicial killings by members of the Nigerian Police Force, he was shot dead by the officers on duty. However, unknown to the police, they had just killed an army officer, and they took to their heels when they realised this.
Of course, soldiers were furious, and a full-blown war began between Nigerian soldiers and the Nigerian police. Police officers all across Lagos withdrew from checkpoints and literally hid in their barracks, for fear of being killed by soldiers in reprisal attacks.
It took two weeks of talks led by Brigadier Fred Chijuka, the Director of Defence Information at that time, and other influential soldiers to settle the discord. The three policemen involved in that killing were also sentenced for murder.
The Invention of SARS
You must be wondering, “So how does this killing have anything to do with SARS?”. Just hold on (we’re going home).
Remember that the police were inactive for two weeks because they were afraid? Well, robbers exploited this opportunity to do what they do best. Notorious armed robbers like “Shina Rambo” took control of the streets of Lagos, looting and maiming with reckless abandon.
It was in a bid to solve this crisis that SARS came into the picture. Simeon Danladi Midenda, who was in charge of the Anti-Robbery Unit at the State Criminal Investigation Department in Benin was drafted in by the then Inspector-General of Police, Alhaji Aliyu Attah, to combat the spate of robbery in Lagos that had quadrupled after the Lagos police fled their job.
Because Assistant Commissioner of Police Simeon Midenda had done a great job at bringing robbers to their knees in Benin, there was confidence that he could handle the robbers in Lagos.
When ACP Midenda got to Lagos, he met three senior police officers: the Commissioner of Police in Lagos, James Danbaba. Mike Okiro, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Lagos) Operations, and Abdulyekini Adeoye, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Lagos) Administration. All three told him to set up an anti-robbery team capable of chasing out armed robbers from Lagos. According to Midenda: “To start with, fifteen fully armed men and two plain coloured Peugeot station wagons were given to me.”
Note that there were already anti-robbery squads at the time. In Lagos alone, there were three. One at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Alagbon, one attached to the Zone two command, and a third one at the Panti Criminal Investigation Department (CID). So, to differentiate his own anti-robbery squad, Mindenda added “Special” to the squad and called his new team “Special Anti-Robbery Squad” (SARS). They wore plain clothes, drove plain vehicles and could not be identified as government officers.
And that was how SARS was born.
SARS On The Beat (And On The Kill)
To be honest, SARS was very effective in its earliest days. Because they wore plain clothes and carried themselves like “ordinary Nigerians”, it was hard for armed robbers to identify or escape them.
What SARS would do was wait for traditional policemen to chase robbers, after which they would spring up on the robbers at designated points. The robbers would feed them with information about other robberies, and they would use this intelligence to solve other previous and forthcoming robberies.
But this bread and butter situation changed when ACP Midenda was moved from Lagos to the Criminal Investigation Department, Umuahia, in 2002. Many state police commands started their own SARS department, oftentimes without giving them proper orientation, and the original SARS vision was lost.
Today, SARS has become a menace to every Ikechukwu, Sleek and Kolade Johnson, stealing and looting from the same Nigerians they are supposed to protect.
What Can We Learn From This Story?
In December 2017, IGP Ibrahim Idris, concerned about the dastardly acts being perpetrated by SARS, directed that the outfit be re-organised under the office of a Commissioner of Police, who would be the overall head of the Federal Anti-Robbery Squad nationwide under the Department of Operations, Force Headquarters, Abuja. This was after a call to action by then Acting President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo.
Following persistent complaints and reports on the activities of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) that border on allegations of human rights violations, I have directed the Inspector General of Police to, with immediate effect, overhaul the management and activities of SARS. pic.twitter.com/xliQS1CRBN
Remember that states police commands started having their own SARS commands after the success of Midenda’s SARS squad in Lagos. This decision, made by IGP Idris in 2017, was to put an end to the rot that happened in the system after SARS got decentralised in states. He hoped that the ungodly activities of SARS could be reduced if they were all brought under one command, thus the reason for the F-SARS (Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad).
In recent years, it is clear that this move has not worked. It is clear that reorganisation is not the solution to the SARS menace and SARS will do bad things under whatever command.
The way I see it, a state of emergency needs to be declared on the Nigerian Police. All of them, including SARS. Our police are not well paid, are poorly trained and are easily the worst people in the Nigerian society. The World Internal Security and Police Index International even rated our police the worst in the world. The worst in the actual world!
So, you can see that we are in a crisis. It’s not just SARS, it’s the entire police. It stinks and needs reforms. Serious ones. Until then, nobody is safe.
Check back every weekday for more Zikoko Citizen stories.
Citizen is a column that explains how the government’s policies fucks citizens and how we can unfuck ourselves.
On Thursday, October 1st 2020, which was Nigeria’s 60th Independence Day, some Nigerians took to the streets to express their anger about poor governance in the country.
Nigerians under “The Coalition for Revolution”, mobilising with the #RevolutionNow, protested in many cities in Nigeria, including Lagos, while calling on the government to reduce the fuel pump price, electricity price, end nepotism and put an end to the water way bill.
They stated that they were tired of the Muhammadu Buhari government, and they told it to end insecurity in the country and allow free press, while also implementing many economic policies that will reduce the effect the Covid-19 pandemic on Nigerians.
However, just shortly after the protests began, PUNCH reported that over 30 of the protesters had already been arrested in Lagos, alone. In fact, not long after, PUNCH again tweeted that the head of one of its photojournalists had been “broken” by police officers while he was covering the protests.
This culture of beating up and arresting protesters now makes one wonder: are protests illegal in Nigeria? If not, why are protesters always harrassed by the Nigerian police?
“They think it is illegal”
When I spoke to Dunnex Samuel, a student activist in the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, who had been on many protests and has been harrassed by the police on many of those occasions, he said:
“They (the police) think it is illegal. They do not see protests as anything legal. Also, the police are more loyal to the government than to the people. They should be serving the people, but they are actually serving the government.”
Section 40 of Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution states that every Nigerian shall be entitled to assemble freely and associate with other persons. Every Nigerian is also entitled to freedom of thought and conscience, as well as freedom of speech and expression, as stated in Section 38 and 39 of the constitution.
Meanwhile, every Nigerian is entitled to respect and dignity of their person, and they must not be subjected to torture or inhuman treatment, according to Section 34 of the constitution.
The only exception to these rights are in the interest of: defence, public safety, public order, public morality, or public health. (Section 45, 1999 Constitution).
Are protests against public safety and order?
Well, some protests can be. But many are not. How I see it, most people just want to express their anger about an issue, and they will not resort to violence except if the police incites the violence.
People usually move to a side of the road to protest, so it’s hard to see how this assembly can violate public order or safety.
In fact, by tear-gassing and beating people up, the Nigerian police are the ones usually disrupting public order and safety in this case. And if the police have intelligence about a protest that will affect public safety, they can as well do that without violating human rights.
In all, the solution to this concerning issue is that officers of the Nigerian police force are properly educated on protests and what to do about them – including when to leave people to peacefully protest and when to step in to avert a crisis.
Check back every weekday by 10am for more Zikoko Citizen stories.
Citizen is a column that explains how the government’s policies fucks citizens and how we can unfuck ourselves.
Today, Nigeria turns 60 as an independent nation. But how has the journey really been, especially for people who have been there from the start? We decided to ask a few older people to take us through Nigerian at inception and Nigeria now.
1. Funke, 60/Female
I was born in 1960, in Igbara-Oke, present-day Ondo state. Things were easy back then. Everything went smoothly, and there were no thieves. You could travel from Lagos to Abuja and nobody would waylay you. We didn’t have electricity then, but it didn’t matter.
There were few private schools, and the government fed students. On Independence Day, students would line up and they would be given many souvenirs like pencils, rulers and bottles. If you were resuming school, all you had to take along was your house wear and your pail for fetching water. The rest would be provided by the government. Once you graduated from school, you were guaranteed to get a job.
During the days of Gowon, the economy was going well. If you bought rice for one kobo, you wouldn’t be able to finish it. However, as the population increased, things got harder. Now, how much is rice?
2. Akin, 60/Male
When I was in primary school around 1970, things were not bad like this. There was not much proliferation of private schools and most schools were public and well funded.
On Independence Day like this, all the schools were given free food, rulers, notebooks and many other things that students would take home.
The economy was strong. Our leaders focused on agriculture. The healthcare system was also well funded, especially under the era of the Unity Party of Nigeria headed by Chief Obafemi Awolowo.
On this Independence Day, I just want to tell Nigeria to go back to the regional system. If we go back to the regional system of government, there would be competition among the regions to be better.
3. Emeka, 60/Male
As kids, 2 kobo was enough to feed us. However, things have drastically changed.
With regards to the transport sector, there were the usual danfos, taxis and molue in Lagos state. And the transport fare was like 20 kobo or 50 kobo.
During the days of Muritala Muhammed, if you bought something for ₦20, you couldn’t finish it. However, by the time it got to Abacha’s tenure, things were changing. Still, you cannot compare those days to now. The price of fuel has increased, and it has really changed things. The price of things has become more expensive.
The inter-state journey was much safer back then, too. If you had a fault with your car on the way, you could fix it on the road. However, these days, you cannot travel at night.
Right now, my prayer is that God changes the heart of Nigerian leaders.
4. Elizabeth, 60/Female
When I was born, Nigeria was peaceful. Healthcare was better. You could walk into a government hospital and get a stress-free consultation. The hospital staff did not intimidate patients. They were friendly.
You could rent a house for as low as ₦5. However, nowadays, if you don’t have more than ₦100,000, you cannot get a decent place to live. Transport, food and housing have become very expensive.
My opinion is that Nigeria has not gotten better in 60 years. I want to tell our leaders to have the fear of God and grow genuine love for the people. If they can imbibe these qualities, I think the country will get better.
5. Dele, 60/Male
Growing up, it was on one of Nigeria’s Independence Days that I drank Coke. It was so big I couldn’t finish it. That day was such a happy day for me and my friends.
However, things have drastically changed. In Divisional Teacher’s College, Oye-Ekiti where I attended, we were paid ₦80 naira, even as students. School fees were ₦50, and it was subsidised. We had good meals because there was adequate feeding for students.
On this occasion of Nigeria’s independence, my advice for the government is that they allow themselves to feel embarrassed. They should look at how things were before and how things are running in other countries and do the needful. The government must try to make Nigeria better.
Check back every weekday by 10am for more Zikoko Citizen stories.
It’s a thing a lot of people don’t notice but there are 5 drinks that kickstarted every alcohol-drinking Nigerian’s journey down the rabbit hole of alcoholism. Let’s talk about them.
1) Smirnoff Ice
This is the drink that people who can’t stomach the taste of strong alcohol take when they go to a bar with friends and don’t want to get laughed at for ordering malt.
2) Calypso
This one is a fraudulent drink. Because it tastes so sweet, you keep downing glass after glass. Next thing you know, you’re waking up 10 hours later under the bed in an empty Airbnb.
3) Don Simon Sangria
There was no old enough Nigerian in the early to mid 2000s who didn’t drink this.
4) Don Simon Vinto Tinto
After the much sweeter sangria came this. This was the next level for alcohol beginners.
5) Magic Moments
Especially the chocolate-flavoured one, which is every beginner’s go-to. I find this funny because it just tastes like really hot chocolate milk.
Citizen is a column that explains how the government’s policies fucks citizens and how we can unfuck ourselves.
The Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) is one of the most important bills that hasn’t been passed in Nigeria. If it is passed, there will be a clear separation of roles in Nigeria’s oil sector. Corporations like the NNPC will also become profit-oriented companies, and “host” communities in the Niger Delta will get better deals from oil operations.
Yesterday, The Punchreported that President Muhammadu Buhari has submitted new proposals about the Petroleum Industry Bill to the National Assembly.
What is the Petroleum Industry Bill?
As you should know, crude oil makes up over 60% of Nigeria’s total earnings, and about 90% our foreign exchange.
Since the Obasanjo administration, there have been efforts to reform Nigeria’s oil and gas industry, therefore, the Oil and Gas Sector Reform Implementation Committee, and then the Petroleum Industry Bill.
Three presidents later, the bill hasn’t been signed into law. Under Yar’adua, there were disagreements over how oil profits should be shared between International Oil Companies (IOCs), host communities and the federal government. Under Jonathan, only the House of Representatives passed the bill.
PIB under Buhari
Bukola Saraki’s 8th Senate split the PIB into 4 other bills: the Petroleum Industry Governance Bill (PIGB), Petroleum Host Community Bill (PHCB), Petroleum Industry Fiscal Bill (PIFB) and the Petroleum Industry Administration Bill (PIAB). However, Buhari did not sign that bill into law when it was passed by both houses of assembly in 2018 because of a provision that allowed the Petroleum Regulatory Commission to retain up to 10% of total oil earnings.
These are five things you need to know about the PIB:
It seems the PIB is finally making progress under the 9th National Assembly. Some of the most important sections in the new bill include:
The creation of a new Nigerian National Petroleum Company called NNPC Limited — Section 53
The government will own all shares in this new “NNPC”
The Minister of Finance and Petroleum will determine assets of the former NNPC (NNPC Corporation) that must be transferred to the new NNPC (NNPC Limited) — Section 54
The Nigerian Upstream Regulatory Commission will regulate operations in the upstream sector of oil industry — Section 4
The Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority will regulate activities in downstream sector of oil industry — Section 29
Check back every weekday by 10am for more Zikoko Citizen stories.
The average Nigerian youth identifies more with Halloween than any Nigerian festival. Now, this breaks my heart because we have incredible festivals and celebrations in Nigeria that are arguably more than these ‘foreign things’.
I lie? Check this Nigerian festivals out. They are proper:
1. Kagoro Afan Festival
The Kagoro Afan festival is celebrated by the Kagoro people of the southern part of Kaduna State. ‘Afan’ means mountain or hill, and the Afan festival usually marks the end of the annual harvest of grains and the beginning of hunting and other activities.
Dear, find attached a video for your viewing pleasure. K’e ni nice day.
2. Ojude Oba Festival
Ojude Oba is an annual festival held in Ijebu Ode, a town in Ogun State, Nigeria. It is usually held annually after the third day of every Eid-el Kabir.
During this festival, different age grades of the Ijebu kingdom gather in front of the Oba’s palace to celebrate his majesty. It usually holds on the “Ileya day”.
3. Ofala Festival
Ofala festival is annual festival celebrated by indigenes of Onitsha, Umueri, Umuoji and other nearby communities such as Nnewi, Aguleri, etc.
The festival is celebration of the Obi (King), and it must be celebrated almost every year without fail.
4. Eyo Festival
The Eyo Festival is one of the most popular festivals in Nigeria.
The Adamu Orisha, or Eyo, play is particular to Lagos State. It is a play that begins from Lagos Island and is only carried out for the celebration of the death or passage of an important person in Lagos society.
The Nupe Day Festival is always celebrated on the 26th of June by all, you guessed right, Nupe people in Nigeria and abroad.
Citizen is a column that explains how the government’s policies fucks citizens and how we can unfuck ourselves.
On Wednesday, 23 September 2020, Nigeria’s Federal Executive Council approved $1.96 billion for the award of contract for the development of the proposed Kano-Jigawa-Katsina-Jibia to Maradi rail line in the Niger Republic.
The rail track will cover 248 kilometres, and will pass through seven cities in Nigeria: Kano, Dambatta, Kazaure, Daura, Mashi, Katsina, Jibia and then terminate in Maradi, Niger.
Why are we building a rail line to Niger?
In March 2018, Nigeria signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Niger Republic, for the construction of hydrocarbon pipeline and a refinery in the border town between Nigeria and Niger.
The idea is that crude oil from Niger can be transported to the refinery so that both countries can reduce petrol importation and refine crude oil to petroleum for local consumption.
But does this arrangement make sense?
To be honest, there are more pressing things to do than investing $2 billion in a rail line from Kano to the Niger Republic.
In fact, let’s look at three infrastructure projects this money could have been proposed on:
Nigerian ports
Goods worth more than 5 trillion Naira are still stranded at the Apapa port.
If we spend $2 billion on reducing congestion fixing infrastructure at the Apapa, Tin Can, Warri, Onne and Port-Harcourt ports, I’m sure we’ll get better value from it than the Niger Rail line.
Lagos to Ibadan, Abuja to Jos, Abuja to Lokoja, Port-harcourt to Warri, Onitsha to Aba, these are the rail lines we should be speeding up action on. It makes no sense if rail transport within Nigeria is left undeveloped at the expense of rail transport with another country.
If the argument is that this rail line is for trade in crude oil, Niger produces only 10,000 barrels of crude oil per day, far less than the 1.9 million barrels of oil Nigeria turns out daily. So how exactly is Niger a significant oil producing country?
Check back every weekday by 10am for more Zikoko Citizen stories.
One year ago, we left Nigeria for an 80-day adventure across West Africa. Something is coming. Unshared stories. New perspectives. Limited series. 10 episodes. Check out: Jollofroad.com
They say that it is an agenda by the government to seize people’s water resources for Fulani herdsmen.
They also say the government’s plan to control all waters, both underground and everywhere else, is a denial of people’s right to ownership and access to water.
Nigerians did not speak up. They tested the waters and it was calm.
Lai Mohammed has said there is no going back on water resources bill. Nigerians still don't understand the implications
The previous water resources laws are being brought together under one law in line with international best practices in Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM).
The bill has no hidden agenda. It is for the good of the country.
The bill provides for professional and efficient management of all surface and groundwater for the use of the people.
What is in the bill?
Section 2 of the bill states that waters that affect more than one state are vested in the Federal Government of Nigeria. It is this section of the bill that many people are angry about.
Section 119 of the bill also provides that: No person or corporate body shall commence or carry any kind of borehole drilling business in Nigeria without a Water Well Driller’s License issued by the Nigeria Water Resources Regulatory Commission.
The government has claimed that there is nothing new in this bill, and that its content is exactly the same as in the previous Water Resources Act in 2004.
But people are still paranoid about the effects of the bill. Therefore, the best solution is for the government to find a meeting ground with people and put their fears to rest.
Public trust is key when making laws.
Check back every weekday by 10 a.m. for more Zikoko Citizen stories.
One year ago, we left Nigeria for an 80-day adventure across West Africa. Something is coming. Unshared stories. New perspectives. Limited series. 10 episodes. Check out: Jollofroad.com
