#EndSARS is Not Enough

#EndSARS is Still Going On

President Buhari of Nigeria was invited to attend the House of Representative’s meeting yesterday. The House had requested his appearance. But he announced three days ago that he would not attend.

Buhari gave no excuse for his failure to attend. I wonder if the House of Representatives would now wish to pursue a further indictment of him.

The sides are at odds. Some are saying Buhari has a right to do whatever he wants. Others say he is obliged to attend, even though his request isn’t a form of “order.”

We will have to see how the House of Reps responds to the apparent snub.

As one of the speakers said, “As much as the NASS (House committee) can’t compel the President to appear, it will be downright insensitive and politically unwise for the President to ignore the invitation.”

I am in favor of his attending, if not this, then a future one. He has to see that the ongoing disruptions caused by Boko Haram, #EndSARS, and other disruptions to the health of the economy of Nigeria isn’t safe.

Fatal Shooting at Lekki Toll Gate

The fatal shooting at Lekki Toll Gate was part of the “meeting” between protestors and #EndSARS. The people at the Lekki Toll Gate were protesting #EndSARS activism, saying that it violated their right to hold peaceful protests.

Their concerns were addressed. The President and his people agreed that the #EndSARS decision would be implemented.

Still there have been ongoing protests. Among Black Americans there has been an effort to accommodate protestors’ efforts. “A co-founder of Black Lives Matter was joined by singer Alicia Keys, actress Kerry Washington, climate activist Greta Thunberg and 62 others in signing an open letter calling for the ban on peaceful demonstrations to be lifted to ‘allow Nigerians exercise their constitutional right to protest.'”

With persons like these supporting their will to protest, there has been unrelenting effort for their convictions.

Awards for Students

At least one state in Nigeria, Oyo, is awarding scholarships in the amount of “N834,500,000 in the proposed 2021 Budget, for bursary awards, financial assistance to outstanding students, and local and foreign scholarships for students of Oyo State origin.”

I don’t know what bursary awards are, or foreign scholarships! But some are clear to me. Awards are being given to the schools where law students are preparing now. Other awards will go to tertiary students. These are in their final year of university.

I’m sure they will appreciate this boost to their studies.

Family Planning Faces Difficulties

The Chairman of the Technical Management Committee of the Association for the Advancement of Family Planning (AAFP) says that it is facing some challenges. They include having state governments take charge and lead the efforts.

Right now Kano State and Kaduna are acting on the requests. Lagos State is also doing their share. Dr. Ejike Oji, who is also the person in charge of the meeting going on now, says that others have to see that their states are ready to take up the charge.

Dr. Oji said that the four-day meeting, from Tuesday to today, is to encourage other states to take up the cause of family planning.

He says that a “Christian perspective and Muslim perspective have been developed in terms of family planning for the major two religions.” These should address some questions in both religions. They will also share their common perspectives.

Congrats to Ghana

President Buhari has complimented the people of Ghana on their election to the presidency of the 2nd term.

He said they reflected the decision to re-appoint their president.