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Prominent pro-Democracy and civil rights advocacy group- HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) has described as preposterous, thoughtless, and wicked, the sensational claim by the new minister of the Federal Capital Territory Mr. Nyesom Wike that he wants Street hawkers, corn sellers out of Abuja streets because they create or enable insecurity in Abuja.
HURIWA instead thinks that the biggest enablers of insecurity not just in the nation’s Capital Territory but in all of Nigeria, are top government officials in charge of finances of the public sector and officers of government institutions including military Generals who man the offices of procurement but line their pockets with filthy lucre just as HURIWA has blamed transition from a ‘nobody’ to ‘somebody’ which he Mr. Nyesom Wike underwent by the help of benefactors and mother luck, for his new found hatred for the poorest of the poor. HURIWA reminds Mr.Wike of the wise saying that if ‘the poor people can’t sleep because they are hungry, then the rich can’t sleep because the poor are awake.’
HURIWA stated that all that anyone who has respect for only evidence based assertions should do to ascertain exactly why there is insecurity in the country and in the seat of power which is the FCT is to scientifically recollect the conviction rates of criminals in Nigeria to know that top public office holders disgraced from their offices by the anti-corruption agencies of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other offences Commission (ICPC), constitute the bulk of the principal criminal characters, to then draw an error-proof conclusion that in no way can any rational mind blame street hawkers or corn sellers for enabling crimes and criminality.
HURIWA recalled that few days ago when he arrived to assume duty, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, claimed that he has prohibited street vending in Abuja saying that street traders, including those selling corn, contribute to crime and instability in the city.
Besides, the immediate past governor of Rivers State made this announcement during a meeting with the management staff of the Federal Capital Territory Administration and Federal Capital Development Authority, urging them to prioritise doing what is right.
His words: “The important thing we must do is to ensure that Abuja is back to what it ought to be. I moved around Abuja and found out there is total darkness in most of the places. “What we need to do is to ensure light comes back as soon as possible,” he said.
Wike ordered the immediate cleanup of Abuja adding, “If you are in charge of sanitation, I will call you at any time of the day. Street trading is prohibited. People selling corn will drop their waste indiscriminately and these are the things that cause insecurity. Criminals come to buy and use the opportunity to spy and give information to criminals. It is imperative we clear street hawkers.”
HURIWA however said that the case of Mr. Wike is that of someone whom the gods have buttered their bread and rescued them from deprivation, want, hunger, and political hustling, have suddenly become addicted to an unfathomable and unprecedented hatred for poor people such as beggars, corn sellers and other street hawkers most of whom are even University graduates who couldn’t find employment and white collar jobs and don’t want to go into crime or advanced fees fraud but decided to venture into petty trading with the abiding faith and hope that one day God will butter their bread and perhaps mother luck may smile on them as it did on Nyesom Wike, and then make it possible for them to find better and much more profitable means of livelihoods.
HURIWA in a statement by the National Coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko vehemently kicked against such wicked move to ban street trading which it believed the minister not being a law maker lacked the legal right to so do but has to get a proper legislation from the National Assembly being the legislative House for the FCT. HURIWA which says it is not in anyway against any effort to clean up the streets of Abuja, but however warned that those who opportunistically gained appointments into public offices even when they belong to ‘opposition party’, must be careful and very circumspect to realise that political power is transient and then must speak with respect, decorum and be humane in their public and private activities.
The Rights group reminds the FCT minister that only last year, the then Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Abdulrasheed Bawa, disclosed that the commission had recorded 3,440 convictions on financial and cybercrimes across the country from January to November 2022.
According to the EFCC head, “In terms of prosecution of cases in court, I am glad to inform you that between January and November 25 this year, the EFCC has recorded 3,440 convictions. The potential for improvement is good as more ongoing cases are concluded in the remaining four weeks of the year.
HURIWA reminds Wike that a court in Abuja had ordered the interim forfeiture of some assets of the Accountant General of the Federation, Ahmed Idris, who is standing trial for stealing N109 billion from the government. The assets of Mr Idris forfeited temporarily to the government include the sums of $899,900 and N304,490,160.95, according to top sources at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). They also include 15 properties in Kano and Abuja.
HURIWA learnt that the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court ordered the interim forfeiture of the assets on 13 December. Over N30 billion worth of assets have been seized from Mr Idris since his arrest in May, EFCC chair, Abdulrasheed Bawa, told State House reporters in Abuja on 15 December. On the case of the former Accountant General of the Federation Idris Ahmed, we at the EFCC have recovered N30 billion from him,” Mr Bawa said during the 62nd Ministerial Media Briefing organised by the Presidential Communications Team at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. A judge of the FCT High Court, M.A Hassan, made the order of interim forfeiture of a batch of the assets of Mr Idris in a ruling delivered on 13 December on a motion exparte filed by the EFCC.
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission has been able to effect the seizure, recovery, and forfeiture of N67.1114bn assets from corrupt persons, including politically-exposed persons and retired or serving civil servants between January 1 and August 31, 2022.
HURIWA also referred to a document obtained by a media outlet recently, indicating that the anti-graft agency (ICPC) recovered N1.413bn in cash, $225,965, an equivalent of N95.69m after conversion, received N9.25m rent on forfeited assets, N1.264bn from tax intervention, seven vehicles worth N81.1m at the actual price, 323 buildings worth N2.603bn actual the price, 19 plots of land worth N679.13bn actual price, and 11 pieces of jewellery and electronics. The sum of N53.914bn was also restrained through ICPC advisory, and N6.435bn cash was restrained through the agency’s budget tracking, while N614.2m was recovered through other accounts.
Also, 672 investigations were concluded, with 538 projects tracked under CEPTI, and 565 non-petition intelligence-led investigations were carried out, while it secured 15 convictions from 34 cases filed in court.
HURIWA therefore asked Mr. Nyesom Wike to focus his attention on how to stop procurement corruption in government offices and to think more about building enduring transportation system for the FCT, rejig and comprehensively reform the department of development control within the FCDA who compromise with contractors and builders to allow substandard edifices that are now collapsing to spring up in the first instance. HURIWA totally exonerated corn sellers from the accusation of being the enablers of crimes.
HURIWA stressed that it is impracticable to have a city centre devoid of street trading because even in advanced jurisdictions like New York in the USA, London in the United Kingdom amongst a plethora of other urban areas around the World, street trading take place even though the traders themselves maintain the cleanliness of their trading environments and in some cases the street trading happens periodically within specific days in a week.
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