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“Past Protests Led to Destruction and Unrest”: Otuaro Urges Nigerians to Remember Ahead of August 1 Protests
Says Nigeria Does Not Need Nationwide Protests Now
By Admin
The Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Program, Chief Dr. Dennis Burutu Otuaro PhD. has admonished Niger Delta Presidential Amnesty Delegates to refrain from getting involved in the planned nationwide protest, citing the likelihood of hijack of the protest by enemies of the people and unlishing untold mayhem on the common man. His position according to a statement personally signed by him is drawn from experience of how all previous hitherto peaceful protests ended.
Read his full statement below:
“Nigeria Does not Need a Nationwide Protest Now – Dennis Otuaro, PhD
“Peaceful demonstrations to convey felt needs are rights enshrined in our nation’s constitution, which also highlights ways and means by which such rights and dissents are disposed.
“But are protests and demonstrations necessary at the time our national ecosystem is recovering from a grievous pandemic and the worst economic crisis since the great depression? I profoundly, with all sense of responsibility, do not think so.
“In the apparently challenging circumstances this nation finds itself as it tackles headlong the triggers left unattended to in its 25 years of democratic practices, you would agree with me, that it is only germane that the present structural reforms put in place by the federal government, together with its many cushioning interventions are just the only way to get this nation out of the wood.
“When the mandate to govern this nation was given to the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, you could recall he took it as a honor of a lifetime to serve in that capacity and immediately went to work to rebuild this county. We have as a result seen historic progress made in the area of clearing $16b about (18%) from the nations external debt, added $4b to the nations external reserves, cleared all forests backlogs owed to foreign airline operators, started the path to full local government autonomy to bring decision making closer to the people, the most essential victory of which was got at the Supreme Court, students loan to federal and state universities, and reliefs emergencies in liquidity and palliatives sent through the subnational governments in line with the federation principles.
“Closing these yawning gaps together with the emergencies declared on oil and gas sectors where this government continues to bear the cost of variations in the unsteady fluctuations in the price of crude and its refined components, are critical to address balance of trade deficits, low manufacturing and production, producing to meet domestic demands, and decentralised aggregation and production network of small medium enterprises, which could mean the nation would earn forex and tax to pay back FG loans to meet capital and recurrent expenditures.
“Given these strides and the almost visible signs of turning from the headwinds, I consider that the present attempt by the conveners of the August 1st protest to want to go ahead with their planned protest would be premature, counter productive, distractive and disuasive
“Let’s not lose sight of the fact that there are persons who when they look at Nigeria in its present path to economic recovery, what they see is carnage, despair and darkness. They spread fears and lies for profit and power. They daily pray that this government fail to justify their misplaced idiosyncrasies and the concomitant effect is the avoidable gaps where they take advantage of the short term difficulties to create artificial scarcity, price gouging, food and double digit inflation. They only seek to use our people to fund their plot having failed in previous successive attempt to destabilise the federal government.
“There is the hope however that governmental interventions would slice through the double digit and food inflation and provide more abundant life for the teeming number of our citizenry.
“Be that as it may, We can’t soon forget how previous unhealthy demonstrations were hijacked and used to perpetrate unrest, properties worth billions of naira were destroyed, prison breaks became normative and very dangerous criminals were let back into society who soon became rapists, car jackers, kidnappers and killers. They foist back on society the very issues the present protest hope to achieve.
“It is in this regard that I use this medium, as the Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) to appeal to all ex-agitators not to be part of any protests, and not to allow themselves to be used to settle political scores or be used to unleash destruction of government infrastructure.
“In closing, I remember the words of the third century Greek philosopher Sextus Empiricus who said, “The mills of God grinds slow, but they grind exceedingly sure.”
” Taken from this, Let me say no radical surgery to remove a malignant tumor is pleasant ab initio, but once it is removed, it automatically impacts the quality of life of the index case.
“This should provide a renewed source of hope for us as we look forward to a greater, bigger, and better Nigeria”
Dr Otuaro, the Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme writes from Abuja
By Favour Bibaikefie
From a bold idea in ancient Greece to a breathtaking feat of engineering, the Corinth Canal in Greece stands as one of the world’s oldest and most fascinating man-made waterways.
Stretching over six kilometers and flanked by towering cliffs rising more than 80 meters high, the Corinth Canal cuts across the Isthmus of Corinth, linking the Gulf of Corinth in the northwest with the Saronic Gulf to the southeast. This narrow waterway dramatically shortened sea travel, saving ships a 320-kilometer detour around the Peloponnese peninsula.
According to a recent post from the BBC’s Daily Factfinder, “Before the canal was built, ships were forced to make a long journey around the Peloponnese peninsula, adding 320 kilometers to their journey.”
But the concept of bypassing the peninsula is far older than the 19th-century construction of the canal itself. The origins of the idea date back over 2,600 years.
“Around 600 BC, Periander, founder of the Cypselide dynasty of Corinth, had the ingenious idea of transporting ships overland, using a kind of railway, the diolkos (parts of which can still be seen today), along which ships were pulled on wheeled carts across the isthmus,” the Factfinder post states. This remarkable method was used for centuries, up until around the 9th century, when ships simply became too large for the system.
It wasn’t until the modern era that this ancient dream was fully realized. “In 1882, work began on the Corinth Canal, mostly by hand, and was completed 11 years later in 1893,” notes the post.
Today, the canal measures about 6.4 kilometers in length and features an 8-meter-deep channel of water. Though too narrow for most modern commercial vessels, the Corinth Canal is still in use and continues to draw visitors from around the world.
“The canal is a popular tourist attraction; large ships are towed through the canal by small tugboats, a fascinating sight to behold,” adds the post, originally shared by the Facebook group Weird, Wonder and Amazing Things, with photo credit to DronEye.
Beyond its practical use, the Corinth Canal remains a symbol of human innovation across the ages—proof that even the oldest ideas can shape the future when combined with determination and engineering skill.
Credit: Weird, Wonder and Amazing Things (Facebook group)
By Divine Perezide
Renowned Nigerian elder statesman and respected southern and middlebelt leader, Chief, Sen. (Dr.) Edwin Kiagbodo Clark, will be laid to rest on Tuesday, May 13, 2025, in his hometown of Kiagbodo, located in Burutu Local Government Area of Delta State.
This announcement was made on Saturday by Penaowei Clark, the first son of the late Chief Clark, during a press briefing held at the family’s Kiagbodo residence. He was joined by prominent family members and traditional rulers, including the Pere of Ngbilebiri-Mien Kingdom, HRM Prince Samuel Akpomiemie Fuludu (Ogiogio II), Professor Collins Clark, and Chief Ebikeme Clark, Delta State Commissioner for Riverine Infrastructure and Development.
The burial programme, which will span over a week, will commence on Wednesday, May 7, 2025, with a public lecture at the NAF Conference Centre & Suites in Abuja, starting at 11 a.m. According to the family, the series of events are designed to honour the legacy of the late national icon and will conclude with a thanksgiving service on Sunday, May 18, 2025.
Chief Clark, born on May 25, 1927, in Erhuwaren, Ughelli South LGA of Delta State, passed away on February 17, 2025, at the age of 97. He was widely recognized for his lifelong advocacy for justice, equity, and development, particularly in the Niger Delta region. Remembered as a tenacious leader and a statesman of remarkable stature, his influence extended across political and socio-economic spheres.
The itinerary of the burial events includes a valedictory session at the Senate Chamber on Thursday, May 8, and a day of tributes at the NAF Conference Centre on Friday, May 9, at 3 p.m. On Saturday, May 10, a wrestling contest will take place in Yenagoa, alongside a service of songs at St. James’ Anglican Church, Asokoro, Abuja, at 5 p.m.
Sunday, May 11, will feature cultural festivities such as a boat regatta and masquerade performances in Port Harcourt and Yenagoa. A candlelight memorial is also scheduled for that evening in both Abuja and Kiagbodo.
On Monday, May 12, a commendation service will be held at the National Christian Centre in Abuja, followed by a valedictory court session at the High Court of Justice in Warri. Later that day, the late elder statesman’s body will be flown to Yenagoa for another commendation at Ijaw House, before heading to Warri for a lying-in-state and onward journey to Kiagbodo for a night vigil.
The final funeral rites will be conducted on Tuesday, May 13, beginning with a lying-in-state and commendation service at Edwin Clark University, Kiagbodo. This will be followed by the funeral service, interment, and a reception.
The burial programme will come to a close with a thanksgiving service on Sunday, May 18, in honour of a man whose life was defined by service, leadership, and an unwavering commitment to the betterment of his people and country.
By Divine Perezide
As the nation prepares to bid farewell to one of its most esteemed elder statesmen, Pa. Edwin Kiagbodo Clark, members of the INC National Burial Committee saddled with the responsibility to coordinate burial burial ceremony have intensified efforts to ensure a dignified send-off. On Friday, April 4, 2025, the committee, led by High Chief Dumo Lulu-Briggs and the INC President, Prof. BenjaminOgeleOkaba, paid a courtesy visit to the Governor of Rivers State, Sir Siminalayi Fubara.
The visit took place at the governor’s private residence in Port Harcourt, where the committee briefed him on the arrangements being put in place to honour the late Ijaw nationalist. High Chief Lulu-Briggs, serving as Chairman of the committee, emphasized the importance of unity and support from regional leaders to give the late icon a burial befitting his stature.
Accompanying him on the visit were Professor Benjamin Okaba, President of the Ijaw National Congress (INC), and other prominent figures from the Ijaw community. The engagement forms part of a broader series of consultations and collaborations with stakeholders aimed at mobilizing support for the funeral rites.
Pa Clark, whose life and work have left an indelible mark on the Ijaw Nation and Nigeria as a whole, is being celebrated not just for his political activism, but also for his lifelong commitment to justice, equity, and national unity.
The burial committee is expected to continue its outreach efforts in the coming weeks as the countdown to the final rites begins.
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