“Since this spill started, we can no longer farm or fish,” a resident of the Ogoni community said.
The post SPECIAL REPORT: Oil spills from abandoned wells ravage Ogoniland amidst plans to resume production appeared first on Premium Times Nigeria.
A bill seeking the establishment of the Benue State Security Trust Fund and for other matters connected therewith has passed a second reading at the Benue State House of Assembly.
The bill was read for the second time during a plenary presided over by the Speaker, Rt Hon. Alfred Emberger.
Leading the debate on the second reading of the bill, the Majority Leader of the House, Hon. Sir Thomas Dugeri, stated that the main aim of the bill is to create a pool of funds for the acquisition and deployment of security equipment, as well as such human and material resources as may be deemed necessary for the effective functioning of all federal, state, local government and other security agencies operating in the state.
He further stated that part of the fund shall be reserved for the training and retraining of security personnel to enable them to contend with the current security needs of the state.
Members who contributed said the bill could not have come at a better time, as Benue people are currently faced with insecurity and existential threats from different angles.
They highlighted the need to invest reasonable resources in the security sector in order to be proactive and prepare for the future, and unanimously approved the bill to be read for the second time.
The Speaker of the House, Rt Hon. Aondoaver Alfred Emberga, referred the bill to the House Standing Committees on Local Government, Security and Chieftaincy Affairs for further legislative action.
Also during plenary, the House received a petition from one Okoh Regina Ada titled, “Petition Against Victimization, Unlawful Removal From Office, And Abuse Of Power By Officials Of The Local Government Service Commission And Others In Respect Of My Appointment As Treasurer, Obi Local Government Council”.
According to a statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the Speaker, Zape Upaa, the petition was formally presented on the floor of the House by Rt Hon. Anthony Agom, representing Okpokwu State Constituency.
Benue State Security Trust Fund Establishment Bill passes second reading at Assembly
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The Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, has identified poverty as the major cause of insecurity in Nigeria.
Obasa, who spoke on Sunday, also noted that the security of lives and properties in the country is not the duty of the police alone, but the responsibility of everyone.
He made these declarations in his keynote address at the 31st Pre-Ramadan lecture organised by the University of Lagos Muslim Alumni.
The event was attended by the Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Professor Is’haq Oloyede; the association’s President, Dr. Abdulmumini Alao; Chief Imam of Lekki Central Mosque, Dr. Ridwan Jamiu; and the Governor of Borno State, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum, who was represented by his Deputy, Alhaji Umar Usman Kadafur.
Obasa, in a statement made available to DAILY POST at the end of the lecture, noted that poverty is the primary factor responsible for insecurity in the country.
He further described security not merely as physical safety, but as the alleviation of poverty, which he identified as the root cause of insecurity.
He then used the opportunity to appeal to political officeholders to uphold transparency, fairness, and service to humanity.
He also urged political officeholders and well-to-do Nigerians to support the needy with whatever resources they have, adding that such efforts would make life more meaningful for all.
Obasa said, “There must be an input. What we have to do to get to heaven is no different from what we have to do for the security of our society. Insecurity is a function of poverty.
“Security is not about the police alone; it is about all of us. It is a collective spiritual duty. Every time you see people gathered on your street, don’t just drive past; make inquiries as to who they are.
“In governance, we must uphold transparency, fairness, and service to humanity. In the community and in the family, we must be agents of compassion, supporting the weak, feeding the hungry, and uplifting the oppressed.”
