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Friday, September 10, 2021

“What we need now is a nation of great people who live to positively impact others and build enduring legacies.” - Tara Fela-Durotoye(Nigerian beauty entrepreneur and lawyer)

Dear Active Citizen,

We Will Not Be Silent!

Sunday, September 12, makes it 100 days since the federal government banned microblogging platform, Twitter. So far, there is no definite plan by the government to lift the ban.

But we cannot be silent. We cannot sit back and watch them snuff the life out of our fragile democracy.EiE, Paradigm Initiative (PIN) & Media Rights Agenda (MRA) have filed a lawsuit against MTN, Airtel, Globacom and 9Mobile for the court to declare the blockage of Twitter access as unlawful, unconstitutional and against the rights to freedom of expression. We also seek an injunction restraining the telecommunication companies from blocking or interfering with Twitter and any other social media platform. There are also 5 other lawsuits in Nigeria and ECOWAS courts.Active citizens, you also need to play your part. Keep speaking up against the infringement on your right to freedom of speech and information!

From Peace To Pieces

At least

7,414 people

have been killed between

January-August 2021,

owing to the increasing insecurity levels in Nigeria. What is a life worth in Nigeria? Where is the unity in diversity that once made us a great nation? We used to be a peace-loving people. 

Kidnapping in Nigeria is now a thriving business and bandits are becoming emboldened to demand humongous amounts of money.  

On

September 5, Dr. Mahmud Ahmed

was abducted from his palace in Borgu LGA of Niger State. On

September 6,

 a retired NBC director was abducted in his residence in Katsina State, alongside his 15-year-old daughter and three others

(Alhaji Bello Aminu Bakori, Shamsuddeen Aminu, and Habibu Rabe). 

On the same day, the wife and two children of Katsina lawmaker,

Dr. Ibrahim Kurami,

were abducted in Bakori Local Council, Katsina State.

On

September 9,

18 passengers

travelling along Ifira-Akoko/Idoani road in Ondo State were abducted.

Active citizens, the journey to fixing Nigeria is a marathon! We must stay demanding on the federal government to #SecureOurLives now.

20 Years Of Bloodshed

We will never forget the bloodshed of

September 7 - 13, 2001, in Jos, Plateau State.

They were people who had dreams, breadwinners of families, and even little children. Oh, what an atrocity! Our hearts are with the families, and may God continue to rest their souls.

On

September 7, 2021,

20 years after the Jos crisis, citizens and

Civil Society Organisations (CSOs)

planned a memorial procession to remember the victims of that gruesome event, however, the Plateau State Government issued a press statement to stop the planned procession. The irony! Shouldn’t the Plateau State government itself be marking this historic day and assuring citizens of peace, harmony, and mutual co-existence in the state?

Citizens have a fundamental right to freedom of assembly, yet we continuously see these rights being violated by the government. The #EndSARS protest experience is still fresh in our minds. They cannot silence our voices!

We condemn in strong terms the violation and suppression of the freedom of assembly of citizens by the Plateau State government.

There Is A Disease In Town

If you have not been paying attention to your environment and general hygiene, this is a wake-up call!The cholera outbreak is silently spreading across the country. According to the Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC), there have been 2035 deaths between January - August 2021. This is worrisome as the country is still battling the increase in cases of the COVID-19 virus.Cholera is an acute diarrhoeal infection resulting from poor hygiene, contaminated food, and water. Take responsibility by keeping your environment clean. Remember, nobody is safe until everyone is safe!

Have a great weekend!The EiE Nigeria Team