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Terrorism: Obasanjo Calls For Foreign Support, Says FG Can’t Protect Citizens
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has backed the call for international intervention in Nigeria to halt the spate of killings and insecurity, saying the government is unable to protect the citizens.
Obasanjo spoke on Friday at the Plateau Unity Christmas and Praise Festival, which held at the 10 Commandments Prayer Altar in Dwei-Du, Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau State.
According to him, with the high level of technology and satellite, those perpetrating the killings can be spotted, located, and taken out.
“In this country, one problem we have is the problem of insecurity, and it has been with us. It didn’t begin with this administration and not even the administration before it. The first responsibility of any government is the protection our security of its citizens.”
“We are part of the world community, and if our government cannot protect us, we have right to call on the international community to do for us what our government cannot do for us. And for anybody to say because those who are being killed belong to this region, religion or tribe, and others too are being killed cannot be an acceptable excuse. Is that an explanation? I believe that is nonsensical.
“We Nigerians are being killed, no matter the religion you belong to, no matter where you come from and no matter the profession. We Nigerians are being killed, and our government seem to be incapable of protecting us.
“If we are being killed, it is the responsibility of the government to do something about it. Government should stop the killings of Nigerians no matter the religion they belong to, no matter the part of the world they belong to or tribe they belong to. We are being killed and the killing of Nigerians should be stopped.
“So we have the right as Nigerians to appeal to the international community to help us be a government cannot help us, and we should have no apologies for that. Those apologists who are saying they are killing this type of people and that type of people, that is not acceptable and nobody should accept that. We will be irresponsible to be saying that. For me, every Nigerian life that is lost to those criminals, no matter the reasons they give for it, it is a shame for Nigeria. And we should make sure that Nigeria gets out of that,” he said.
Obasanjo continued by saying, “And in this day of technology and satellite, there should be nobody to hide anywhere after the commit such crime, and cannot be detected.
“Before I left government, I know we had capacity to pick up anybody in Nigeria who commit crime anywhere. And now we have much capacity to pick criminals up either by land or by air. With drones, you can see them all and you can take them out. But why are we not doing that? Why are we apologizing, and why are we negotiating?”
“And after government has paid this criminals, the government denies doing so, and then it continues. But it has to stop. We should appeal to our government to do what needs to be done to stop Nigerians being killed. We are being killed and we are tired of being killed, whether there are Christians or Muslims or pagans, they are Nigerians and the life of every Nigerian matters. The killings must stop, and it should stop.”
The former President pointed out however that this is not a task for only one group of people to handle, saying it is a task that should have all hands on deck; people of goodwill, both locally and outside Nigeria are required to help.
He said as the people continue to pray, but when they pray they should also watch, adding that the people should do what we have to do and should also ask the government and the leaders to do what they have to do at all levels and in all works of life because they have to preserve lives in this country.
In his remarks, Governor Caleb Mutfwang called for unity among the people, pointing out that they are not united as they should in order to move forward and that is why they are not achieving much.
Mutfwang then called on all Plateau citizens to drop things that divide them and focus on things that unite them.
The Nigerian Citizens Association South Africa (NICASA) has alleged the killing of a 58-year-old Nigerian cleric, Bishop Taiwo Michael Fakunle, in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Fakunle, an indigene of Iye, Ilejemeje Local Government Area of Ekiti State, was allegedly killed on at his residence in Kensington, Johannesburg.
National President of NICASA, Rev. Frank Onyekwelu, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday, saying the circumstances surrounding the cleric’s death had left his family, friends and members of the Nigerian community devastated.
According to him, two suspects allegedly gained access to Fakunle’s residence and opened fire on him, reportedly shooting him more than seven times.
Onyekwelu described the incident as a “horrific and senseless act of violence” and condemned the killing, expressing concern over the continued loss of Nigerian lives to violent crime in South Africa.
He said, “This was not merely an ordinary loss of life; it was a horrific and senseless act of violence that has robbed a family of a loved one and the Nigerian community of another precious life.”
Onyekwelu said NICASA had reported the incident to the Consulate General of Nigeria in Johannesburg, adding that a murder case had been opened at Jeppe Police Station.
He called on the South African Police Service (SAPS) and other relevant authorities to conduct a thorough and transparent investigation to establish the circumstances surrounding the killing.
“We demand a thorough and credible investigation that will establish exactly what happened, identify all those responsible, apprehend the perpetrators and ensure that they are brought before the courts to face the full might of the law,” he said.
NICASA also urged Nigerian diplomatic authorities in South Africa to continue engaging with relevant South African authorities and monitor the progress of the investigation until justice is served.
NELFUND has rejected allegations that the Federal Government’s student loan scheme is being used to favour supporters or children of members of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, Akintunde Sawyerr, dismissed the claim as “completely ridiculous.”
Moreover, he said the structure of the application system does not allow political affiliation to determine who receives the loans.
Sawyerr spoke during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics programme.
He explained that the loan scheme is operated through an electronic application process.
Applicants are required to provide personal and academic information, including their names and matriculation numbers.
According to him, the system is designed to establish whether an applicant meets the requirements for the programme.
It does not collect information that would enable NELFUND to determine whether a student belongs to the APC or supports another political party.
“I have not heard this allegation, but I can tell you that it’s a completely ridiculous idea that the administration of Bola Tinubu is focused on trying to fund people who support the party. We are talking about students; many of them are yet to vote, some of them are going to be voting for the first time, [and] many of them are not party members.
“How, in any event, do we determine who is a party member and who isn’t? Even if you are running a manual process, how do you do that? You can’t. It’s unlikely to yield you any result.
“It is a process you have to apply for this loan electronically. If you don’t have a name, you can’t apply for this loan. You provide your matriculation number; you have to be in a public institution,” he said.
The NELFUND boss said the allegation also failed to take into account the nature of the beneficiaries targeted by the programme.
He noted that many students accessing the loans are young people who have not yet participated in an election. Some are also not members of any political party.Executive Branch
Sawyerr therefore maintained that using political affiliation as a basis for deciding beneficiaries would be impractical under the existing system.
He said NELFUND’s focus is on Nigerian students who meet the conditions for the loan and are enrolled in eligible public tertiary institutions.
Sawyerr described the demand for the scheme as “overwhelming”, saying many students and their families were struggling to meet the financial demands of tertiary education.
“The demand has been overwhelming, because clearly a lot of people have struggled to get into these institutions,” he said. “They are hanging on by the skin of their teeth to stay in the institution, and this programme came as a rescue for them.”
He disclosed that NELFUND had so far disbursed about N162 billion in upkeep allowances to students.
The fund is also examining application and disbursement figures as demand increases, with the agency seeking to understand the financial requirements needed to sustain the programme.
The student loan initiative was introduced by the Federal Government as part of efforts to reduce financial barriers to higher education.
President Bola Tinubu signed the Student Loans Act into law in April 2024, paving the way for the current NELFUND structure. The scheme provides interest-free financial support to eligible Nigerian students in public tertiary institutions.
It covers approved institutional charges and upkeep support for qualified beneficiaries.
The programme was designed to give students access to funding without requiring them to depend entirely on their parents or guardians to remain in school.
NELFUND has repeatedly stressed the importance of an electronic process in managing applications and disbursements.
The system allows applicants to submit their information for verification before their applications are processed.
Sawyerr further insisted that the system does not discriminate based on religion, ethnicity or gender.
“We have a system that is focused on people who are Nigerians and meet the standard. The system doesn’t recognise your gender. There is no bias in the system at the front end or the back end.
“This is a system that doesn’t care whether you are of one tribe or the other. This system does not have a view or an opinion on whether you are a Christian, a Muslim, or an African traditional religionist; it doesn’t want to know.”
The NELFUND chief also spoke about the impact of the scheme on student retention.
He said available figures indicated that the programme had contributed to a reduction in the number of students dropping out of tertiary institutions, with the reduction put at about 20 per cent.
Sawyerr also addressed concerns surrounding repayment of the loans.
He maintained that beneficiaries would not be subjected to an unreasonable repayment burden, noting that repayment would be tied to their ability to pay after completing their studies.
Under the current structure, repayment is expected to commence two years after beneficiaries complete the National Youth Service Corps programme.
The NELFUND boss also disclosed that funds President Tinubu announced would be recovered by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and channelled into the student loan scheme had not yet been received by the fund.
The UK Government has appointed Alastair Long as His Majesty’s Trade Commissioner (HMTC) for Africa, with a mandate to deepen economic ties and expand commercial partnerships between Britain and the continent.
The UK Department for Business and Trade welcomed Long to the position, according to a statement issued on Monday by the British Deputy High Commission.
The mission said Long would work with African governments, investors, businesses and institutions to strengthen economic relations between the UK and African countries.
It added that his responsibilities would include expanding commercial partnerships, supporting UK and African businesses, attracting investment and helping to build sustainable, resilient and productive economies across the continent.
“Long returns to a region he knows well, having previously served as Deputy Trade Commissioner and then HMTC for Africa between 2019 and 2022.
“Before taking up his current position, he served as His Majesty’s Ambassador to the Kingdom of Bahrain from August 2023,” the mission said.
Long said he was thrilled to resume his work in Africa.
He described Africa as the future, saying he had witnessed the continent’s “boundless energy and ambition” during his previous assignments.
“The UK is committed to being a partner that supports African and British growth by listening to African priorities and bringing the very best the UK has to offer.
“I look forward to engaging across the continent, with the UK business community, and with the UK Government team, to realise as many mutual opportunities as possible.”
Long succeeds John Humphrey, who had served as the UK Trade Commissioner for Africa since June 2022.
The British Deputy High Commission said Long inherited strong UK momentum in Africa and would bring extensive trade expertise to the role, as well as the focus and energy required to deepen partnerships and unlock further opportunities for mutual benefit.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the HMTC leads the UK’s overseas efforts to promote trade, investment, export opportunities and trade policy objectives.
The Commissioner works closely with the wider diplomatic network and other government officials to coordinate Britain’s overseas efforts to promote UK trade and prosperity.
The office also has responsibility for the Department for Business and Trade’s work in Africa, including growing the overall trade and investment relationship, improving market access for British companies, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises, and developing trade policy.
Long joined the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office in 2002 and has held previous postings in the Middle East and North Africa.
He was educated at Clare College, Cambridge University, and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London.
NAN
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