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CSOs, Medıa Organisations, Urge Malı Burkına Faso, And Niger Juntas To Refrain From Transforming To Civilian Rulers, Call for Dialogue Against Withdrawal from ECOWAS

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CSOs, Medıa Organisations, Urge Malı Burkına Faso, And Niger Juntas To Refrain From Transforming To Civilian Rulers, Call for Dialogue Against Withdrawal from ECOWAS

By: Michael Mike

Civil Society Organisations as well as Media organisations have urged Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger military juntas to refrain from transforming to civilian rulers but instead allow for democrats back in power.

They stated this in a communique they issued at the end of CSOs, Media interactive meeting on the state of ECOWAS and regional integration in West Africa.

The communique signed by CSOs, media organisations, lamented: “The stability of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) as a regional bloc of economic, human and political development has been threatened in recent years by political instability and security challenges in some member states.

“Since August 2020, the region has recorded several coup d’etats where democratic governments have been toppled and constitutional procedures trampled.”

The CSOs, media organisations went further in the communique to state that to address these challenges, civil society organisations (CSOs) in West Africa, particularly in Nigeria, including the West African Civil Society Forum (WACSOF), Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), the Transition Monitoring (TMG), the West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP-Nigeria), Nigeria Network of NGOs (NNNGOs) and Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA) organised a CSOs and Media Interactive Meeting on State of ECOWAS and Regional Integration in West Africa.

The meeting which was held in Lagos on Monday, 5th February 2024 centered on the state of affairs within ECOWAS and measures required to avoid further instability and possible disintegration of the regional bloc which before now had been regarded as the template for regional integration in Africa.

It also acknowledged the relevance of ECOWAS to the integration of the region with notable achievements among which include the free movement of persons, the trade liberalization scheme and, above all, the establishment of the Customs Union, with the entry into force of the Common External Tariff (CET) in 2015 which have contributed to furthering integration of the region.

The CSOs and media organisations group observed the following; Given the security challenges in the region, the withdrawal of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger from the ECOWAS will cause set back to the gains of peace and security efforts under the direction of regional authority especially in the fight against terrorism; the withdrawal defeats the purpose of regional economic corporation within the ECOWAS bloc including the establishment of an African Continental Free Trade Area. It will adversely affect the life and livelihood of the citizens of West Africa; it will further exacerbate corruption, illicit financial flows (IFFs) and drug and human trafficking across the borders

They also stated that democracy in West Africa has become more fragile despite the principles of zero tolerance for unconstitutional change of government, tenure elongation, fraudulent elections and bad governance contained in the 2001 ECOWAS Supplementary Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance, the culture of impunity and disregard for the rule of law by political elites in West Africa have continued to weaken state institutions.

They recommended at the end of the meeting the following; ECOWAS should urgently call for an emergency extra ordinary summit to look into the state of affairs in the region in order to prevent further threats of disintegration; immediate dialogue must be pursued with the affected countries and all sanctions be removed to pave the way for genuine reconciliation, asking the Authorities of Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso to rescind their decisions to withdraw from ECOWAS because of obvious beneficial reasons, calling on state and non-state actors in the region to intensify engagements towards ensuring a more united ECOWAS.

Other recommendations include that ECOWAS should work with the authorities in these countries to urgently adopt transition plans with a clear roadmap for a quick restoration of democratic order:
urged the military authorities in the affected countries to refrain from attempts to transform themselves from military to civil rulers; ECOWAS should work with the Authorities in these countries to ensure free, fair, and credible elections; asking CSOs and media to engage positively and ensure electoral transparency, popular participation and inclusion in the electoral process.

They also recommended that in the spirit of the ideals of ECOWAS VISION 2050, ECOWAS should speed up the review of the ECOWAS supplementary protocol on good governance to prevent tenure elongation, electoral manipulation and rigging, curb unconstitutional changes of government; with the adoption of Vision 2050, ECOWAS Parliament should begin to have elective representatives rather than appointive representation. This will contribute to making it a truly ECOWAS of the peoples; ECOWAS should operationalize the consultative aspects of the functions of the ECOWAS National Units so as to ensure connection with the citizens of Member States in the implementation of ECOWAS Agreements at the national levels, in line with the spirit of the ECOWAS Vision 2050; civil society and media should embark on peace missions to consult key stakeholders in the affected countries to provide support towards quick return to constitutional democracy; ECOWAS, civil society and media should demand for quick, transparent, inclusive, free, fair and credible election in Senegal as earlier scheduled. They should also condemn the arbitrary arrest and banning of political opposition from contesting the election; and after successful resolution with the aggrieved countries, ECOWAS should support the member countries to strengthen their capacity in responding to present and emerging threats including activation of early warning and response capabilities.

The CSOs and media organisations that signed the communique include; Kop’ep Dabugat – West African Civil Society Forum (WACSOF); Auwal Ibrahim Musa (Rafsanjani) – Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC); Solomon Adoga – Transition Monitoring (TMG); Patience Ikpeh-Obaulo – West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP-Nigeria); Ayo Adebusoye – Nigeria Network of NGOs (NNNGOs); Sina Odugbemi – Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA); and Ezeobi Chiemelie – Thisday Newspaper.

CSOs, Medıa Organisations, Urge Malı Burkına Faso, And Niger Juntas To Refrain From Transforming To Civilian Rulers, Call for Dialogue Against Withdrawal from ECOWAS

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Primaries: Aspirants protest imposition of Reps candidates in Adamawa

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Primaries: Aspirants protest imposition of Reps candidates in Adamawa

The Forum of House of Representatives Aspirants of Numan /Demsa/Lamurde Federal Constituency under the platform of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Adamawa has protested what it described as imposition of candidates in the just concluded primary elections in the state.

Speaking during the peaceful protest in Numan Local Government Area, Adamawa, Vrati Nzonzo, the spokesperson of the Forum said, the committee responsible for the conduct of the exercise and the party officials failed to abide by the rules of the game.

Nzonzo said the rules for electing candidates were through consensus or direct primaries but stressed that none of the rules were observed.

According to him, with what happened, their mandate was stolen and given to someone who did not deserve the candidacy.

“The election was supposed to be Consensus or Direct primaries but we opposed the consensus and there were no direct primaries across the Constituency”, he said.

PNzonzo called on the National Chairman APC and Governor Ahmadu Fintiri to ensure justice and fairness for the victory of the party else they threatened that they won’t vote for the party at the general elections.

Justina Nkon another aspirant also condemned the conduct of the primary election across the constituency.

According to her, the electorate were at the venue of the primaries from 8:00a.m and no officials showed up until 2:00 p.m and later on they said they had conducted the election without seeing any election materials.

She urged Fintiri to live up to the promise he made at the time of his campaign that he would not betray the people in the state.

“It’s now under your watch as the leader of the party we are witnessing the undemocratic process of primary elections by enforcing candidates who have not been elected by the people in the Constituency”, she said.

According to her, the so-called primary elections are unconstitutional, hence the need to conduct a free, fair and credible primary elections.

Usoko ken-Supule, another aspirant, demanded justice and fairness for every aspirant and for the progress of the party in the constituency, state and the country at large.
“We want justice for the progress of the party and without fairness there is no progress, therefore we are respectful party loyalists.

“We are not happy in view of what happened and we are disappointed; we are calling on the party leadership and the state governor to consider the plight of the masses”, he said.

Primaries: Aspirants protest imposition of Reps candidates in Adamawa

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Zulum Assures Immediate Relief Items, Dignified Resettlement of Displaced Persons in Monguno

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Zulum Assures Immediate Relief Items, Dignified Resettlement of Displaced Persons in Monguno

By: Our Reporter

Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum, has assured displaced communities affected by insecurity that the government is working closely with the Nigerian military hierarchy to provide immediate humanitarian and long-term support.

Governor Zulum gave the assurance when he visited displaced persons in Monguno town on Sunday, reaffirming his administration’s commitment to ensuring dignified resettlement back to their ancestral communities.

While at the IDP camp, the governor interacted directly with displaced families as women, children and elderly residents gathered around him while he listened to their concerns.

“We have examined the situation critically alongside the hierarchy of the Nigerian military, and it has been concluded that we shall provide immediate humanitarian support to these displaced communities, especially in the areas of water, shelter, and sanitation,” Zulum stated.

“Apart from this, we shall also ensure that medium and longer-term sustainable solutions are being adopted, which is acceptable to this community and their ancestral home,” he said.

“We will improve the living conditions of the displaced persons; we will not allow our citizens to endure such hardship without urgent government intervention.”

He also urged residents to cooperate with security agencies by reporting suspicious movements and activities within their communities, noting that sustaining peace and security requires collective responsibility.

“Security is everybody’s business. Communities must continue to support security agencies with timely and useful information,” the governor stated.

Governor Zulum disclosed that there are over 50,000 returnees in Marte, stressing that plans were underway to facilitate the return of more displaced persons to the town as part of the medium and longer-term solution.

He immediately directed the Secretary to the State Government, the Commissioner for Local Government, the Commissioner for Internal Security, and the Chairman of Marte Local Government Area to work out the modalities for implementing the recommendations adopted.

The governor sympathized with the people affected by the recent insecurity and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to supporting them.

As part of the visit, Governor Zulum also met with health workers at the Monguno Eye Hospital, commending them for continuing to provide medical services despite difficult working conditions and limited resources. He announced financial support to improve their welfare and encourage greater commitment to healthcare delivery in the area.

The governor also visited the Commanding Officer of Forward Operation Base (FOB) Mairari for a security brief.

Governor Zulum was accompanied by the Senator representing Borno North, Senator Mohanmed Tahir Monguno; Speaker of Borno State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Abdulkarim Lawan, Member Representing Marte, Monguno, Nganzai, Hon. Bukar Talba, Secretary to the state government, Bukar Tijani, Commissioner for Information and Internal Security, Prof. Usman Tar, Commissioner for Local Government and Emirate Affairs, Hon. Sugun Mai Mele, alongside other government officials.

Zulum Assures Immediate Relief Items, Dignified Resettlement of Displaced Persons in Monguno

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Troops Discover Illegal Refinery Site in Rivers Forest

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Troops Discover Illegal Refinery Site in Rivers Forest

By: Zagazola Makama

Troops of 103 Battalion operating under the Joint Task Force South-South Operation Delta Safe (OPDS) have discovered an illegal refining site in the Orashi National Forest in Ahoada West Local Government Area of Rivers State.

Military sources said the operation was conducted between 10:30 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. on May 15, 2026, as part of ongoing anti-illegal bunkering operations in the Niger Delta region.

According to the sources, troops uncovered an illegal refining site containing one large drum oven, one reservoir, one large coolant, two receivers, two waste pits, and two galvanised pipes measuring about 50 metres each.

The site was suspected to have been used for the illegal processing of stolen crude oil and petroleum products.

The sources said the discovered items were handled in accordance with operational directives of Operation Delta Safe.

Security authorities reiterated their commitment to sustaining operations against crude oil theft, illegal refining activities and economic sabotage across the Niger Delta region.

Troops Discover Illegal Refinery Site in Rivers Forest

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