Headlines
Bauchi Gov, Mohammed Defends Fulani Herdsmen Use of AK-47
The Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, has said Fulani herders carry AK-47 for self-defence because they are being attacked by cattle rustlers.
He slammed his counterpart in Benue State, Samuel Ortom, over his handling of the farmer-herder clashes which had led to loss of lives.
Mohammed spoke at the closing ceremony of the 2021 Press Week of the Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Bauchi State Council on Thursday at the Command Guest House.
The governor in his keynote address on the theme, ‘The Role of the Media in Promoting Peace in Nigeria,’ commended journalists in the state for their accurate and balanced reporting and for promoting peace in Nigeria.
He faulted the notice to quit given to Fulani herders in some southern states, particularly Ondo, pointing out that the moves of the “southern governors are wrong.”
Mohammed said, “On the herders-farmers clashes, you have seen what our colleagues in the South-West are doing and some of them in South-East. Some of us told them with all modesty and humility – you are wrong.
“But the person that is most wrong is the Governor of Benue State, my brother and my colleague, Governor (Samuel) Ortom; he started all these. If you don’t accommodate other tribes we are also accommodating your people in Bauchi and other places.
“We have so many Tiv people working and farming in Alkaleri, farming in Tafawa Balewa, farming in Bogoro Local Government Area of Bauchi; has anyone asked them to go? We have not, because it is their constitutional rights to be there.
“We have Yoruba people in Bauchi for over 150 years, even before the birth of Nigeria. Nobody has told them to go; some of them have risen to become permanent secretaries in Bauchi, Gombe and Borno.
“And now, the Fulani man is practicing the tradition of trans-human, pastoralism, he has been exposed to the dangers of the forests, the animals, and now, the cattle rustlers, who carry guns, kill him and take away his commonwealth, his cows, he had no option than to carry Ak-47 and defend himself because the society and the government are not protecting him.
“It is not his fault, it is the fault of the government and the people; you don’t criminalise all of them because in every tribe there are criminals. You should be very sensitive.”
The Punch
Like the House of Representatives, the Senate has approved President Bola Tinubu’s proclamation of a state of emergency in Rivers State, invoking its constitutional powers under the amended 1999 Constitution.
The approval grants President Tinubu the authority to enforce emergency measures while mandating a review of the situation at any time, but no later than six months.
Per the Constitution, the National Assembly has also imposed a joint committee of both chambers to oversee the administration of affairs in Rivers State during the emergency period.
Additionally, the Senate has resolved to establish a mediation committee consisting of eminent Nigerians to help resolve the state’s political crisis.
Just like the Senate, the House of Representatives had earlier approved Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers.
In a voice vote, the lawmakers backed Tinubu’s decision, two days after President Tinubu made the move.
Two hundred and forty House of Representative members attended the preliminary which was presided over by Speaker Tajudeen Abbas.
While deliberating on the decision, the House made some amendments including that a committee of eminent Nigerians will set up to mediate on the matter.
They also noted that the National Assembly is empowered to make law for a state where its house of assembly is unable to perform its functions as against the Federal Government’s plan for the Federal Executive Council to take up that duty.
President Bola Tinubu during the swearing-in of Vice Admiral Ibokette Ibas (rtd) as sole administrator for Rivers State in Abuja on March 19, 2025
On Tuesday, President Tinubu wielded the big hammer in Rivers State, declaring a state of emergency in the state. He also suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara; his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and members of the Rivers State House of Assembly for six months and appointed a sole administrator to take charge of the state in a move that has triggered a wave of criticisms.
Legal experts, governors, and prominent Nigerians like Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi to name a few have condemned the proclamation, demanding a reversal.
However, the Federal Government has doubled down on Tinubu’s decision and argued that it was needed to bring peace to the oil-rich state.
Headlines
Reps Overwhelmingly Endorse Tinubu’s Declaration of Emergency Rule in Rivers with Voice Vote
The House of Representatives has voted in support of the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State.
In a move that has split Nigerians and has continued to attract severe criticism, President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday declared a state of emergency in Rivers and suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy Ngozi Odu, and members of the Rivers State House of Assembly for six months following the political crisis that had rocked the state.
But two days after Tinubu’s declaration, the House of Representatives in a voice vote backed the President, giving a seal of approval to his decision. Their support came following a letter from the president.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives Tajudeen Abbas, 240 lawmakers attended the session on Thursday in Abuja.
Headlines
‘National Assembly Plans Use of Voice Vote to Validate Tinubu’s Emergency Declaration in Rivers
The National Assembly comprising the Senate and the House of Representatives, have plans to employ voice vote of ‘yea’ and ‘nay’ to validate or otherwise the emergency rule declaration on Rivers State by President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday, March 18, 2025.
Quoting an undisclosed source during a live discussion on The Morning Show on Arise News Television, one of the presenters, Rufai Oseni, said that the National Assembly has decided to use voice vote where voters will not be known contrary to the provision of the constitution of the country, which stipulates two-third of votes before the President’s emergency declaration can have the backing of the law.
Analyzing the numbers, the presenters comprising Reuben Abati, Ayo Mairo-Ese and Rufai Oseni, noted that while the the House of Representatives requires at least 270 Affirmative votes for the motion, the Senate needs at least 73 affi4mative votes.
They further reasoned that the ruling All Progressives Congress does not have the number, and would require the help of the opposition to achieve the validation.
However, Abati called on the opposition to defend the Nigerian constitution by rejecting the President’s pronouncement.
Recall that following political crises that have rocked Rivers State in the last 18 months, Tinubu, after taking instructions from the Attorney General, Mr. Lateef Fagbemi, declared a state of emergency, sacking the governor, Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and other elected officers of the state. The move has raised condemnation from well meaning Nigerians as individuals and corporate entities.
The National Assembly is expected to debate the matter this Thursday as the 48 hours window provided by the constitution elapses today, just Nigerians demand a live broadcast of the proceedings so that every citizen will be carried along.
Source: The Boss Newspaper
