The National Universities Commission (NUC) on Monday announced the suspension of all part-time programmes run by universities in the country.
The Executive Secretary of the commission, Julius Okojie, also announced the results of accreditation of courses run by the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN).
Prof Okojie said the commission wanted to streamline part-time programmes such that it would accommodate not more than 20 per cent of the students in universities and stop the establishment of satellite campuses.\\The commission announced that 30 NOUN programmes have been granted accreditation.
Prof Okojie said four programmes- Cooperative Management, Entrepreneurship and Business Management, Agric Extension and Management and Hotel & Catering Management were granted full accreditation, 29 programmes were granted interim accreditation while Nursing Science was denied accreditation for failing to meet requirements.
It is becoming a pattern for the Nigerian National Petroleum corporation and her sister corporation, the Department of Petroleum Resources to start up a nationwide recruitment that is duly published in the national dailies for qualified Nigerians in different fields of studies, and later abandon the process unattended. This unacceptable trend has elicited so much condemnation among the Nigerian populace as it poses a threat of serious malfunction in the public service system.
There is no doubt that, the NNPC has one of the best recruitment process in Nigeria owing to the standard applicants go through during recruitment process stages. This best recruitment process will have no difference with a waste in the bin if after spending tax payers money to hire one of the best recruitment consultants through which qualified Nigerians for the job are selected, it then ends it with a perpetual silence as was the case of NNPC, 2008 nationwide recruitment.
In March, 2010 the Department of Petroleum Resources called on qualified Nigeria graduates (University and Polytechnics) for various positions in the establishment through the national dailies through Eraproserve, a consulting firm. Qualified graduates applied and were invited for aptitude test across the nation. Those who made the aptitude test were subsequently invited for oral interview; but to our greatest dismay nothing has been heard from the DPR concerning the release of appointment letters to the successful candidates even after the list of the short-listed candidates has sailed through Federal Character Commission(FCC).
Also, in the last quarter of 2010, the hope of many graduate Nigerians was heightened with the release of the recruitment campaign by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC in November. This was a period when political campaigns were at the centre stage for 2011 elections. The job advert was made public with a large number of applications in four categories namely: Graduate Trainee, Trainee Operators, Experience Hire and Contractors; as applications were made till the advert expired December 31, 2010.
The corporation in conjunction with Phillips consulting limited invited thousands of pre-qualified candidates to an aptitude/skills test which was held on Saturday, March 26, 2011 at various centres across the country. Many of these graduates took the risk with the hope of contributing their worth to the national development and took part in the aptitude test.
Subsequent to the release of the result for the aptitude test, candidates were invited for oral interview as usual at the NNPC towers, Abuja between July and August, 2011 to end the interview process of over four thousand persons that made it to the interview stage. However, till this moment, the NNPC and DPR have not published the names of the successful candidates according to the Federal Character commission act. Neither have they reimbursed these candidates who threw caution to the winds to make the interview at the period when the security situation was very sensitive.
The Nigerian 2010/2011 NNPC/DPR recruitment online Movement reminds his Excellency, president Jonathan of his promise to fully implement the job creation committee’s recommendations. According to the president at the first ever presidential summit on job creation, he said and I quote “This government will seize the opportunities that abound in the agricultural and downstream petroleum sectors of the economy to engage the country’s youths productively so they don’t become prey for mischievous elements”.
Nigerian will be as productive as the government under which they support. In February 2012, many organisations and MDA’s came defending their 2012 annual budget of which the Minister of petroleum resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison Madueke also came highlighting the cause of high cost of 2012 budget comprising N51,324,227,840.00 for recurrent expenditure while N8,340,300.00 is for completion of ongoing capital projects. She could be right to say that, the intending recruitment was responsible for it; hence it is amazing to know that this NNPC/ DPR recruitment has spanned for twenty seven months and nineteen months respectively. Thus, this memo is hinged on the disheartening situation of the 2008 recruitment which did not see the light of the day after undergoing the same recruitment processes, even to medical level.
All relevant bodies ARE CALLED UPON, agencies and government; the National Assembly, the Federal Characters Commission, NNPC and DPR board , National Human Rights Commission, the Nigeria Labour Congress and the presidency to inquire into this ugly pattern being set by the NNPC and DPR in this recruitment saga, to urgently come to the aid of these Nigerian youths who holds the peace & unity, growth & development of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to a very high esteem and have made it on the final list on merit, in view to resolving the perpetual delay of the recruitment exercise ,as well as to eschew any potential protest by concerned Nigeria youths which may misconstrue the highly rated Good luck Jonathan’s Administration as not adhering and supportive of programs geared towards the empowerment of the Nigerian youth.
Expelled ANCYL President also denies being bankrolled by Zanu-PF linked businessmen
This weekend the Zanu-PF supporting Sunday Mail (Zimbabwe) published extensive reports on an interview between Assistant Editor Munyaradzi Huni and expelled ANC Youth League President Julius Malema. Malema was quoted as saying that he did not think that South African President Jacob Zuma was “a neutral facilitator in the Zimbabwean problems. He has very strong views about President Mugabe and Zanu-PF.” This “hatred” he put down to Mugabe’s perceived past support for former President Thabo Mbeki.
Malema also denied allegations that he had been bankrolled by elements in Zanu-PF stating: “I don’t have any business in Zimbabwe and I don’t get any funding from Zimbabwe. I wish Zimbabweans can make an offer which we can declare in public because I am now unemployed. I will never be shy to do business with my fellow Africans…if I had anything to do with Zimbabwe, I would declare it. I am under investigations by South African authorities. We all know that they are chasing me so they have access to my bank accounts, access to my cellphone…Tyson (Minister Saviour Kasukuwere) is my only friend in Zimbabwe and if I was involved in any deals with him, they should have picked it up.”
He said that his earlier visit to Zimbabwe had sharpened his pre-existing radicalism. “The reason why I was welcomed properly in Zimbabwe is because of my radical stance, but I must say I even got more inspired in Zimbabwe . I learnt that people can take charge of what rightly belongs to them. Not cowards. Zimbabweans are not cowards. They are not scared to take a risk. That’s why even those who leave Zimbabwe illegally to cross into South Africa, they cross through rivers that have crocodiles.”
Malema also commented on white South Africans, Jacob Zuma, Kgalema Motlanthe and other matters. Key extracts follow below.
On white control of the South African economy:
“They [whites] control everything. They hold 80 percent of the economy. They have got huge influence in the judiciary, they have got huge influence in the media and even in politics. Some of them have even co-opted some of our leaders into their neo-liberal agenda of undermining a progressive change. So you should not undermine their influence and actually they have noticed that because there is some lack of unity amongst the freedom fighters, that represents an opportunity for them to infiltrate us and to regroup and still perpetuate the apartheid laws and an attitude by manipulating the democratic laws. So they use our own laws, they use our own state to actually continue with their agendas of making the black majority South Africans suffer. And they do that unashamedly, some of our leaders are part of that now. There are some amongst us who have just sold out and are not prepared to continue with the struggle.”
On the need for whites to surrender their land:
“They need to just change the conditions and they need to be prepared to share with the rest of the country, including surrendering the land they stole through committing black genocide when they engaged in the wars of dispossession. They need to begin surrendering some of those things because our people are running out of patience. We are now going into almost 20 years into democracy and our people have got very little to show for this democracy, and this cannot be correct. So the sooner they surrender, especially the economic power, which is what our people need today, the better in order to guarantee their security.”
On his views of Jacob Zuma:
“I think I have made a point that we actually misled ourselves because, like artists, we decided to throw our own imaginations which were not real. We used to say President Zuma knows everything about the economy, he is an economist . . . but the reality is that, he didn’t know anything about the economy. We said he was a unifier, but the reality is that he is a divider. The ANC is more divided today than it was before and his style of leadership is that of being intolerant to those who have got a different view.”
On who will be elected ANC President in December:
“I don’t want to predict that because there are many names that the comrades are throwing around, but it’s definitely not President Zuma. I don’t see him coming back. He should face reality and start packing his bags. As a way to show that he has no confidence, he has suppressed anybody from speaking about that because he is scared of rejection.”
On Kgalema Motlanthe:
“The ANC has contributed a lot to what we are today and the ANC continues to play that role. I wouldn’t single out one individual because we are close to many leaders of the ANC, but I know that Cde Kgalema Motlanthe made a huge contribution, especially when he became a national leader when I was president of COSAS we would make radical statements and he would make time to sit down with us . . . he would sit down with us and engage us on the statements we would have made, including giving us guidance as to how some of those statements could be very dangerous. We always listened to his advice and we always appreciated his patience.”
On Zuma’s views of Mugabe and Zanu-PF
“I think Zimbabweans and Zanu-PF and President Mugabe, what contributes more to his hatred of those comrades is because of their close relationship with President Mbeki then. And I think he suspects that they might have supported President Mbeki and not him and this is an opportunity to get to them.”
On the reasons for his expulsion from the ANC:
“… I was expelled for Botswana, but Botswana is the resolution of the Youth League. It’s there in black and white. I was expelled for African leadership, but there has been a decline since the departure of President Mbeki. It’s there in the resolutions of the Youth League. Those are not Malema family trust resolutions. They are resolutions of the Youth League. They didn’t expel me because of those things. They are scared of the Youth League. They are scared of children. They are cowards because if they were not cowards, they were supposed to challenge our views through branches of the ANC.
They must put those views to the test and see if those views will see the light of day. But they know that if this Youth League is still there, its views will prevail. They are scared of nationalisation because they are in the pockets of capitalists.
On whether he believes he will one day lead the ANC:
“Yes, I will lead the ANC. When you grow up in the ANC, in the Youth League, you are actually in a school to become the leader of the ANC.”
On the recent South African court rulings against Zanu-PF regime:
“South African courts should never create an impression that they have jurisdiction in Zimbabwe. Zimbabweans have their own courts. Zimbabwe is a sovereign country and South African judges and the judiciary should respect that. They can’t instruct the government of South Africa to say go and do this investigation about Zimbabwe. It’s wrong. It’s not done. Zimbabwe should be respected. It’s not a tenth province of South Africa.”
Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State (2nd R), State Information Commissioner, Chike Ogeah, (R) Hon. Funkekeme Solomon, Commissioner for Works (2nd L) and Chief Frank Omare, of Environment during the Governor’s inspection of flooded roads and the ongoing drainage projects in Asaba.
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Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State (3rd L), the State Information Commissioner, Chike Ogeah (ESQ), (3rd R) Hon. Funkekeme Solomon, Commissioner for Works (2nd L) and Chief Frank Omare, (1st L) of Environment during the Governor’s inspection of flooded roads and the ongoing drainage project in Asaba.
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Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State and others during the Governor’s inspection of flooded Roads and the ongoing drainage projects in Asaba
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Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State and others during the Governor’s inspection of flooded roads and the ongoing drainage projects in Asaba.
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Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State and others during the Governor’s inspection of flooded roads and the ongoing drainage projects in Asaba.
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Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan, fielding questions from Journalists shortly after his inspection of flooded roads and the ongoing drainage project in Asaba.
Israel is expelling an additional 150 South Sudanese as part of its campaign to reduce the number of African migrants who have slipped illegally into the Jewish state.
Authorities are offering the migrants cash to leave voluntarily and threatening them with arrest if they don’t.
Interior Ministry spokeswoman Sabine Haddad says the latest flight with the expelled migrants is to leave after midnight Monday.
Some 60,000 Africans, mostly from Eritrea and Sudan, have slipped into Israel from Egypt since 2005. The influx has concerned officials and caused friction with Israeli locals.
Most of the migrants fled repressive regimes and Israel cannot expel them. Earlier this month, authorities began rounding up migrants from South Sudan, which has friendly relations with Israel and can be expected to treat its returnees reasonably well.
As the Supreme Court decision on Obamacare looms, the speculation and second-guessing is rife. I find most of it irrelevant and irresistible. The “what ifs” concentrate on two questions: What will happenpolitically and substantively if the law is overturned, and what did the Obama camp do wrong in its legal strategy? There are a variety of good summaries that try to answer these questions, and I’m not sure I have much to add to them. Instead, I have another Monday morning quarterback question: Why did Obama take on massive health-care reform in the first place?
In December 2008, about a month after Obama’s election, I told a few of my politically-oriented friends I thought Obama should cancel all the usual inaugural froo-froo — the balls, the parade, the corporate sponsors — as a signal to the country that there was only one priority for his presidency: resolving the economic crisis. Of course, the president did spend his first 100 days on the financial crisis and stimulus bills, but the actions — which have turned out to be inadequate — were presented as resolutions of the economic crisis as opposed to first steps. Instead of really explaining the depth of the financial, fiscal and economic problems facing the country and warning that further steps would be necessary, Obama created the expectation that he had solved them, or at least done all he could to solve them.
This is the original sin of the Obama Administration — the failure to make the economic recovery its one and only priority. Why couldn’t the administration have proposed that until unemployment had fallen for 12 straight months or until it had created 8 million new jobs, it would only propose initiatives that served the goal of job growth? Instead, the president immediately embarked on comprehensive health-care reform, the same reef that had battered and almost sunk Bill Clinton. Initially, the president tried selling his legislation as important for job creation, arguing, correctly, that health-care costs impact businesses’ ability to add workers. But this was a relatively obscure and tortured argument in a great recession given the fact that businesses had bigger barriers to hiring workers than health-care costs.
But the president pushed on, and as he did, the economy sputtered and stalled again, but he had already spent all of his considerable political capital so he could do nothing about it. In the end, he got his law, but it may just cost him his presidency no matter what the Supreme Court rules this week.
GOODLUCK COMMISSIONING E-LIBRARY WITH AKPABIO AND SERIAKE
ADDRESS
BY
HIS EXCELLENCY, PRESIDENT GOODLUCK EBELE JONATHAN (GCFR)
AT THE
2012 SENATE RETREAT
ON
MONDAY JUNE 25, 2012
AT
UYO – AKWA IBOM STATE
PROTOCOL
Let me express my appreciation to the leadership of the Senate for inviting me to declare open the 2012 Retreat of the 7th Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. It gladdens my heart whenever I have the opportunity to interact with functionaries of our other arms of government, deliberating on ways of making our country more stable and prosperous. It is a great honour to be here with you.
Nigerians deserve a country that is peaceful and secure. As elected leaders, our primary responsibility is to protect all our citizens, and those who come here to work or visit.
The theme of this year’s retreat, “National Assembly and National Security: Securing the Future for Development” underscores the commitment of the Senate to join hands with the Executive to defeat all threats to our national security.
As we look at matters of national security, we must recognize that it is an all-encompassing issue. The security of a nation depends on its economic growth and resilience. Our economy is growing well. We are diversifying the economy, especially through greater focus on agriculture, as food security is crucial for national security. We are committed to fiscal responsibility and consolidation, as we manage our economy in the face of global recession. We are re-building our external reserves. We must plan and manage our budget process better to ensure that government meets the social and economic security of our people.
We recognize we have several challenges including terrorism and other crimes, which undermine our national security.
I thank the Senate for its foresight, maturity and commitment in initiating this discourse on national security. The Senate being a body of all political parties can work to elevate national security above politics.
Mr. Senate President and distinguished Senators; before the civil war, armed robbery was not known in Nigeria. However, with the influx of small arms and light weapons into the country during the war many of our cities started experiencing armed robbery after the war. We had experienced militancy in the oil producing areas and other ethnic based militant groups in the South West and South East, as well as kidnapping and cybercrime that undermine our national security.
It is unfortunate that politics has become a major source of insecurity as evidenced in the do or die politics of some practitioners. Bitter and inflammatory statements, emanating from some politicians have, at different times in the history of this country, consumed thousands of innocent lives and threatened the foundations of our nation. We must return to politics as espoused by the late Ibrahim Waziri: “politics without bitterness”.
Terrorism, which has become a global phenomenon, is now unfortunately a direct experience in this country. A faceless group of enemies of our democracy and prosperity of our nation have continued to carry out terrorist attacks on innocent people in our nation.
This development is one that particularly concerns me as the President, and is one I will continue to decisively deal with. It is one on which I seek the support and cooperation of the Senate and the House of Representatives. We must work together under a new social and political contract, to safeguard our nation.
How did we get here? Some have suggested that the root causes of this malaise include weak moral foundations, poverty, dirty politics, poor governance, unemployment, religious intolerance and fanaticism.
Whatever be the causes, the solutions lie in a stronger union; employment and wealth creation for all; equity and justice; transparency and accountability; and above all the fear of God.
I call upon all Nigerians to remember that if God did not will it we will not be together today as a country of Muslims, Christians and traditionalists; if God did not will it we will not be together as a people of ethnic groups; if God did not will it we will not be Nigerians.
Our unity is the will of God and our diversity is the binding ligament of our strength. Those who want to weaken us use axes of hate to cut the tree of our strength. We refuse to be weakened. Let us unite to defeat the forces of darkness. Let us unite to prosper.
As a government, it is our responsibility to lay a firm foundation for our people to prosper. Through legislation, executive action and timely dispensation of justice we create the infrastructure, policy environment and sense of justice that form the bedrock of inclusive economic growth. This in turn will bolster stability.
I am committed to mobilizing all citizens to work together to achieve our national security objectives. Although our system of government rests on separation of powers amongst the three arms of government, this principle does not call for working in silos; it calls for synergy and commonality of purpose.
Distinguished Senators, I should like to dwell briefly, not so much on the formal mechanics of the separation of powers, but on the logic of this important doctrine variously theorised by scholars and Statesmen around the world.
This doctrine is even more relevant to us here in Nigeria as we continue to labour to move our fledgling and hard-won democracy to the stage of consolidation.
When our Constitution states that the Executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary all enjoy separate powers, and that these various powers countervail and balance each other, what it is simply saying is that you can never have enough of democracy and plurality of voices, small and big.
Now, this point is particularly important given the long and tortuous road we have travelled since colonial times to give unto ourselves an elected government where all are represented; and one which all citizens are constitutionally entitled to call upon to address their needs, dreams and aspirations.
The President of the Senate, Distinguished Senators, ladies and gentlemen, our country has walked a difficult road since our independence in 1960. Our people had to endure a civil war, and several seasons of military dictatorship. In 1999, our present system of government, an executive presidential system was established.
While our Presidential system of governance is not perfect, we must salute the commitment of Nigerians to the path of democratic discourse. Yes, we have our challenges, but make no mistake: Nigeria is moving forward. We continue to build stronger institutions, expand the political space and improve governance of political systems that can assure greater peace, stability and prosperity for our nation. For only strong and inclusive political and economic institutions can guarantee prosperity for all.
That was why I strongly supported and assured a free and fair 2011 general election. Free and fair elections are the strongest pillars for any democratic society. We must continue to build on these gains for the greater good of our nation.
National security requires that we continue to tackle corruption at all levels. Greater transparency and accountability, fiscal consolidation and responsibility, and development of a culture of service delivery for our people, must also form the hallmarks of our effort to assure national security.
Executive, legislative and judicial arms of government must continue to work together to fight corruption. We must not take for granted the patience of our people.
A clear consensus has emerged today in our nation that peaceful conciliation of opposing views, which is really what democracy is all about, is the only path to the prosperity and political stability that we all desire.
The Presidential system of government recognizes that diverse views are a fact of life, and deliberately put forward three separate entities, each with its own clear area of jurisdiction so that none performs the functions of the other.
The basic interest of all branches of government is the security and welfare of the Nigerian people. The principle of separation of powers does not overrule this fact. Each should see the other as a partner and not a competitor or rival, as each can rightly claim to represent the will of the people – the Nigerian people.
Let us continue to work together for the good of our country. Our Transformation Agenda has five key elements. The first is growing and diversifying the economy to create jobs, especially for our teeming youths; modernising our infrastructure; accelerating human capital development; improving governance; and reinforcing social cohesion and security.
I ask for the understanding and support of all Nigerians, and indeed extend a hand of fellowship to all patriots so that together we can all continue to make our young democracy yield the social and economic fruits without which, no system of government, no matter how perfect, will endure.
Nigeria cannot be in the margins of the global economic and political order. Now is the time to reclaim our place on the table of prosperity and stability. We are all politicians. But we must recognize that there is a difference between governance and politicking. We must together forge a strong understanding and promote progressive dialogue that moves our nation forward, not backwards. We must not play politics with everything – and certainly not with the sensitive matter of national security.
This is a trying period for us as a nation. The challenge of terror and insecurity should unite us, as we take the fight to the terrorists. As leaders, we must be resilient in the face of terror. The task of building a greater Nigeria to achieve her manifest destiny is a duty for all of us charged with the responsibility of governing the Nigerian people.
This requires the promotion of a conducive and cordial working relationship between the various arms of government, regardless of their individual constitutional functions.
Thus, for example, the performance of the oversight functions by the National Assembly or the use of executive powers by the President must not act as a barrier to the compelling need for cooperation in service delivery for the good of our country. We are one government with one constituency, the Nigerian people.
Mr Senate President, distinguished Senators, ladies and gentlemen, we must continue to hold hands as separate but complementary arms of government and make our presidential democracy a living institution that meets the needs of all our people and guaranties their safety and security.
We must continue to muster our forces and unite our people and bring to an end this challenge to peace, unity and progress.
Over the past one year, we have upgraded our capabilities and intensified our actions against this threat. Although the threat has far from abated, we have implemented several measures that weakened the terrorists’ infrastructure.
We have carefully studied the activities of terrorist networks across the continent and beyond. We are aware of the effects of the displacement of fighters and ammunition from the Maghreb and the precarious positions of some of our West African neighbours and we continue to take appropriate measures including the building of mutual security partnerships.
No challenge is too difficult when leaders cooperate, rather than dissipate energies. Through the collective efforts of the legislature and the executive, we brought the militancy in the Niger Delta to an end. Today oil production is at its peak and there is peace again. We must continue to be watchful and sustain the gains already made. Today as we face the new threat to our peace and stability, let us put politics aside, and as leaders work across the aisle to secure the future of our nation.
I take this opportunity to commend the men and women of the Nigerian Armed Forces, the police, the State Security Service and other intelligence agencies for their resilience and professionalism in combatting this new threat. Several have lost their lives in the defence of our nation. I salute their heroism and patriotism.
Mr. Senate President, Distinguished Senators, Ladies and Gentlemen, to assure the security and safety of our people, and safeguard our national borders from insurgents, I will continue to re-organize and reposition our security operations. As we do this, we need to put in place new legislations that will make it easier to track, obstruct, prosecute and punish terrorists. And I need your support.
I believe in the politics of give and take. I have worked to promote the power of the ballot as a vehicle for securing our democracy.
I believe strongly in the place of God in determining our destiny. And God will help Nigeria and help us as leaders as we boldly take steps to secure our nation.
As we work on securing our future, by securing our nation today, let us move to a new phase of governmental cooperation and citizens’ collective action, all in the defence of our country. We will not fail.
On this note I declare open the 2012 Senate Retreat to the Glory of God and the Greatness of our Country.
The shell Petroleum Development Company [SPDC] has concluded plans to
build a $3.5 billion gas plant in Imo State.
Briefing Governor Owelle Rochas Okorocha during a courtesy visit by
the management of SPDC to the governor in Government House, Owerri, the Managing Director, Mr Mutiu Summonu, said the Assa – North, Ohaji-
South Gas supply project is in line with the local gas content policy
of the Federal Government to boost power generation in the country.
He said the gas plant on completion would supply domestic gas to power
energy plants across the country as well as generates massive job
opportunities for Nigerians. The Shell boss further disclosed that
the project would be executed in two phases and would be executed in
two phases and would be completed in 2018.
While soliciting for the collaboration of the state government in the
handling of the project, Mr Summonu also urged the government to play
its part by providing 200 hectares of land for the project, enabling
and secured environment for the expatriates and workers and ensure a
healthy collaboration between SPDC and the host communities. He
promised that his company would always live up to expectation in the
area of its Corporate Social responsibility [CSR] in the course of
executing the project.
In his speech, Governor Okorocha who was visibly excited on the
development assured the SPDC team that the state government would
definitely play its part to ensure immediate commencement of the
project. The governor enumerated how SPDC began its operations in
Nigeria when gas was first discovered at Iho, Ikeduru LGA in Imo State
and urged the company to show enough presence by building a befitting
corporate office in the state.
Governor Okorocha further assured all adequate security, good working
relationship with host communities as well as general hospitality to
SPDC. He urged the company to improve on its Corporate Social
Responsibility by embarking on meaningful projects especially on the
power sector to ensure appreciable improvement on power generation and
distribution in the state.
Ebere Uzuokwa
For SSA Media to the Governor
25th June, 2012
CAIRO: As protests in Sudan continue, with many hopeful that it could be the beginnings of a mass movement to oust the ruling authoritarian regime of Omar al-Bashir, the country’s top police chief on Saturday said his forces would end protests “firm and immediately.”
The statement has activists worried that it could mean more violence meted out to them by security forces in the country, which have already used what protesters say is “excessive” force and tear gas to disperse demonstrations across the capital, Khartoum.
Gen. Hashem Othman al-Hussein told his aides to confront the “riots … and the groups behind them,” the official SUNA news agency reported.
It was a rare acknowledgement by the state media of demonstrations that have been concentrated in Khartoum, but have now spread to a provincial capital.
According to reports from Khartoum, security forces broke up the demonstrations on Friday after activists gathered following the noon prayers.
Initially, the protests erupted over government spending cuts, but have now expanded and have begun to call for an end to authoritarian rule of the country.
There were at least 7 separate demonstrations across the Sudanese capital on Friday, news correspondents said, including in neighborhoods that had not seen protests previously.
About 400 to 500 protesters began chanting “the people want to overthrow the regime” as they left the Imam Abdel Rahman mosque in the suburb of Omdurman, activists and two witnesses told Reuters news agency.
As security forces gathered, the protesters called for the police to join them, chanting: “Oh police, oh police, how much is your salary and how much is a pound of sugar?”
The police fired tear gas and then used batons as they clashed with the protesters, who threw rocks. Witnesses said men in civilian clothes also attacked the demonstrators.
The United States government is concerned about the reports of widespread violence in Sudan by police and security forces.
“The United States is deeply concerned by the crackdown by the Sudanese authorities on peaceful demonstrators in Khartoum over the last three days,” State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said on Tuesday.
“We call on the Government of Sudan to respect the right of its citizens to freedoms of expression and peaceful assembly in order to raise their grievances.
“In addition to the crackdowns on peaceful demonstrators, we are concerned that Sudanese authorities have increased pre-publication censorship of independent newspapers in recent weeks,” she added.
“We call on Sudan to respect freedom of expressing, including for members of the press, as guaranteed in the Interim National Constitution of 2005 and internationally recognized covenants to which the Government of Sudan is party.”
Sudanese activists said the security forces have dealt with protesters over the last few days with unprecedented violence, saying that Sunday was the bloodiest day in Sudanese street history.
Sudan has economically suffered since the oil rich south gained its independence in July of last year.
The government is facing a budget deficit and believes that canceling subsidies will save about two billion dollars annually.
The protest was met with massive violence from police, reported the pro-change group Change Sudan Now.
“We call for an immediate end to violence against peaceful protesters who are expressing legitimate demands,” the group said in statement released Monday online.
The group called on the media and non-governmental groups to document what they called “crimes against the protesters” in Sudan.
Activists reported that police opened fire on protesters, but no deaths have been reported to date.
Sudan, whose the Arab Spring wave of change seemed to pass without protests, is looking in the face of new challenges, with increasing food prices and soaring gas prices, and it is unlikely for protests to stop.
