Category Archives: National Vanguard

By Anayo Okoli

ENUGU- ASSOCIATION of South-East town union, ASETU, the umbrella body of all the town unions in the South-East geopolitical zone has petitioned the United Nations over the influx of young men from theNorthern part of the country who are being smuggled to the zone in droves by yet to be identified persons, warning that the action constitutes danger and security risk to the people on the zone.

ASETU lamented that these illegal movements were taking place at very odd period when both the Federal and all the State Governments have taken measures to restrict movements across the country as a way offlattening the spread of the rampaging coronavirus global health crisis.

In a petition jointly signed by the National President of ASETU, Chief Emeka Diwe, the National Secretary, Chief Gideon Adikwuru and the presidents of the five South-East states, the association alleged that the aim of the invasion is for purpose of ethnic cleansing and land grabbing agenda and urged the United Nation to intervene.

Entitled Ethnic cleansing and land grabbing agenda in Eastern Nigeria, the petition said: It has come to our attention that able-bodied young men from Northern Nigeria are being smuggled into the South East and Eastern part of the country in droves.

This is in spite of the nationwide lockdown, the ban on interstate travel and the 1000 kilometers distance between many parts of North and South on roads which are manned by the Nigerian security agencies.

The volume of people arriving, the age of the people arriving and frequency and timing of their arrival in spite of the ban interstate travel due to the COVID-19 situation, indicates that this is a coordinated effort masterminded by an unknown group.

In the last five years, a number of bizarre events have occurred, including the bizarre over the polarization of the countrys security council membership towards people from the North, the numerous reports of helicopters dropping off packages in the middle of forests in Igbo land in the middle of the night and other bizarre occurrences.

Now we have the strange arrival of able-bodied young men in such a coordinated fashion. These bizarre occurrences can only make sense if there is an equally bizarre plan at foot.

This letter id to alert that, should there be any seemingly random attack in the South East and Eastern part of Nigeria, it is not at all random but part of a carefully choreographed attack that appears to have been carefully planned over the years and, in an insidious military fashion, is being executed to take advantage of the confusion and weakness caused by the COVID-19 situation.

It is not clear who the chief proponents of this agenda are but it is clear that these are important people of means in and outside the Government. Building on the menace of herdsmen that have terrorized many in the eastern part of the country, this additional effort joins in furthering the agenda of dispossessing people of their lands and forcing a different religion and lifestyle on them.

We in the South East and Igbo land will not allow this to happen. We urge you to advise the Federal Government of Nigeria not be a supporter of this initiative and not to acquiesce to it by omission or commission. The Government of Nigeria must identify all those that are part of this sinister plot and put an end to it immediately.

If these plans are not evil in nature, why would this secret group of Northerners that are masterminding this be obsessed with land in the South-East; for example out of when out of the 19 states of the north, 13 of them are larger than the combined landmass of the 5 South-East states.

Only an agenda of domination, ethnic cleansing and land grabbing can explain this interest.

We hereby ask the United Nations, the United States of America Government and the International Community to do all in their power to halt this barbaric endeavour which has gone on under the watch of Federal Government of Nigeria for years now.

On behalf of all Igbo people in and outside the South East of Nigeria, we thank you for coming to our assistance, ASETU said.

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Alleged ethnic cleansing, influx of Northern youths to South East: ASETU petitions United Nations - Vanguard

By Patrick MoranMay. 27, 2020

As if to underscore the current dystopian moment, this years graduating class will receive their degrees remotely with parting words from a professional assassin, four-star Navy admiral William McRaven. The announcement of McRaven as commencement speaker was praised by university leaders. President Reif, who has worked with McRaven through the Council on Foreign Relations, noted his integrity, intellectual curiosity, decency, humility, and self-discipline, and assured that he will fit right in at MIT. MIT News mentioned his passionate advocacy for freedom of the press and his role in several high-profile special operations missions, which have contributed to McRavens mythic reputation.

An exception to this admiration came from UA President Mahi Elango, who expressed concern over MITs longstanding ties to the military-industrial complex and McRavens prominent role in it. Indeed, McRaven has functioned as a commander and architect of the so-called War on Terror, whose central features include kidnapping, torture, and extrajudicial assassination. McRaven symbolizes this expansive, endless war that blurs distinctions between warzones and sovereign nations, between enemy combatants and civilians, and devastates families and nations. For MIT to give McRaven an honorary speaking opportunity is to whitewash his crimes and the unjust wars he represents.

A Navy SEAL by training, McRavens ascension as part of the U.S. Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), an ultra-elite special operations unit coincided with the neoconservative shift in U.S. foreign policy under the George W. Bush administration. Following the September 11 attacks, capitalizing on national anxiety and pro-war hysteria, administration officials like Vice President Dick Cheney and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld sought to forcefully reassert U.S. hegemony and increase the presidents ability to wage war with impunity, positioning U.S. special operations forces at the vanguard. Under the new regime, JSOC effectively served as the paramilitary arm of the White House, largely unaccountable to Congress and the traditional Pentagon hierarchy.

Far from being a pawn in Cheney and Rumsfelds game, McRaven helped to construct the military strategy and ideological lens of the War on Terror, a framework that has gained bipartisan acceptance and persists today. (In fact, McRavens masters thesis from the Naval Postgraduate School, The Theory of Special Operations, would later become the standard textbook on the topic.) Key features include the use of special operations forces and drones to capture or kill targets. Further, the Wars expansive definition of the enemy means that individuals are targeted simply for suspicious behavior or beliefs, amounting to the prosecution of thoughtcrime without due process; even U.S. citizens are not immune.

In an attempt to pursue an amorphous and decentralized enemy across the globe, the War on Terror has now expanded far beyond Afghanistan and Iraq to nearly 80 countries, spurred on by figures like McRaven. In the words of Rumsfeld, the entire world is the battlespace. The full extent of civilian casualties is unknown due to a White House policy of classifying drone strike victims as Enemies Killed In Action (EKIA), unless proven otherwise. In fact, an analysis of leaked internal documents found that, in one five-month campaign in 2012, nearly 90% of those killed by drone strikes were not the intended target.

Throughout his career, McRaven has been a vocal and effective advocate for increasing the reach and scope of U.S. special operations. Former Army Ranger, JSOC member, and Middle East analyst Andrew Exum credits McRaven, along with Generals Stanley McChrystal and Michael Flynn, as a key figure who fundamentally shaped the evolution of U.S. special operations since 2001. Under Bush, McRaven served as director of Strategic Planning in the National Security Councils (NSC) Office of Combating Terrorism and was the principal author of the administrations National Strategy for Combating Terrorism, a landmark policy document in the War on Terror. In addition to promoting a propagandistic narrative of Afghan and Iraqi liberation and the spread of democracy by force, the report called for the application of all instruments of national power and influence to kill or capture the terrorist, pointing to recent domestic surveillance successes such as the Patriot Act, and calling for significantly expanding Special Operations Forces and initiating the largest rearrangement of its global force posture since the end of World War II. Additionally, as the principal JSOC member of the NSC, McRaven vetted and assembled the Bush administrations kill lists of so-called High Value Targets. According to investigative journalist Jeremy Scahill, McRaven was one of the key players in militarizing U.S. counterterror policy and building up the infrastructure for the creation of kill lists.

Following his time in the Bush White House, McRaven commanded Task Force 121, the JSOC unit assigned to Iraq and Afghanistan. During this time, Task Force 121 engaged in regular kill/capture operations and torture. For example, torture at Camp NAMA in Baghdad, which included beatings, electric shocks, sleep deprivation, and confinement in dog kennels, was widely accepted practice, as evidenced by the camps motto No Blood, No Foul. According to Air Force interrogator Steven Kleinman, who visited the prison in 2003, the interrogation tactics used there were direct violations of the Geneva Conventions and could constitute a war crime. According to a 2004 Red Cross report detailing the mass detention and abuse of Iraqis at the time, an estimated 7090% of detainees were arrested in error.

Following the celebrated 2009 Maersk Alabama hostage rescue, McRavens star rose, and he eventually became a trusted advisor in the Obama White House. There he reportedly served as a bridge between the battlefield and the halls of power, as the administration codified and streamlined Bushs policy of assassination. McRaven worked closely with General McChrystal, commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, to design the administration's counter-insurgency policy in Afghanistan, and successfully pushed for the expansion of U.S. drone and special force operations into Yemen and Pakistan.

In 2008, McRaven was appointed JSOC commander. Under his leadership, JSOC not only routinely detained and tortured, but also killed innocent civilians. In December 2009, McRaven successfully pushed top national security officials for rapid authorization of a strike on suspected Al Qaeda targets in al-Majalah, Yemen. Missing the intended targets, the cruise missiles hit one of the poorest tribes in southern Yemen, killing 55 people, including 14 women and 21 children. Upon learning the details, Pentagon general counsel Jeh Johnson reportedly remarked, If I were Catholic, Id have to go to confession.

Several months later, JSOC conducted a night raid on a house in Gardez, an Afghan village. The inhabitants, gathered to celebrate the naming of a newborn child, were in fact Taliban opponents and had even collaborated with NATO forces in the past. Nevertheless, claiming they were Taliban forces, JSOC soldiers slaughtered seven, including two pregnant women. Additionally, the survivors were shackled, hooded, and suffered cruel and inhuman treatment in a JSOC prison, according to a UN report. Despite a cover-up attempt, which reportedly included JSOC soldiers using knives to dig bullets from the bodies of the female victims and NATO declaring their deaths the result of an honor killing committed by the family, the truth eventually surfaced and McRaven was forced to visit Gardez and offer a ritually slaughtered goat in reparations.

At a time when MIT is reevaluating problematic engagements, inviting a commencement speaker with a human rights record as deplorable as McRavens may seem inconsistent with recent moralizing about MIT values. However, this would neglect the fact that obeisance to the military is part of the fabric of a university that was largely built and shaped by World War II and Cold War defense contracts, earning it the moniker The Pentagon on the Charles. MIT has not been shy about giving war criminals a warm reception on campus: recent distinguished guests include Mohammad bin Salman and Henry Kissinger. At a university that invites trusted partners such as Lockheed Martin and Raytheon to Career Fair in order to direct students deeper into the U.S. war machine, it is perhaps fitting that MIT graduates will be sent off into the world with warm anecdotes and hardy life lessons from SEAL training. Indeed, Admiral McRaven will fit right in.

Patrick Moran is a graduate student at MIT and a member of MIT Students Against War.

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War criminals fit right in at MIT - The Tech

Nigerias response to the COVID-19 pandemic both exposes the fault lines of our peculiar federal structure as well as throw light on our present bind and the way to achieving nationhood as a federation of states with disparate needs, goals and concerns.

In the weeks following the announcement of the countrys index case, an unnamed Italian businessman on a visit to Ogun State via Lagos State, there was no response of any significance from the Federal Government. It was all silence from the countrys seat of power as Aso Villa appeared disconnected from happenings in Lagos and across the rest of the world.

It was left for the government of Lagos State, led by Babajide Sanwo-Olu, to take the initiative to act. With a Commissioner of Health, Akin Abayomi, that was more than capable, the State stepped up to fill the vacuum that was created by Abujas no-show. Ogun State that was the actual destination of the Italian traveller also followed the example of Lagos as the governor, Dapo Abiodun, swung into action.

Thus, was the stage set for what has now largely turned out to be a state-led response to a global pandemic. The Muhammadu Buhari administration would not do anything until our entry borders had been left open long enough for Nigerians and foreigners arriving from epicentres of the disease abroad to have free passage into the country, thereby spreading the virus to different parts of the country among people who had no travel history of any kind.

The pattern of transmission of the disease among members of the elite and others just back from abroad showed their complicity in spreading the virus and lent credence to the misleading notion that the pandemic was a disease of the elite.

The average Nigerians, therefore, chose not to take serious precaution under the illusion that they were immune from infection. Most have, to their cost, since learnt that this was not the case. But like an alien being just dropped from outer space, when Abuja decided it was time to act, alas, after a couple of weeks of avoidable infections that would take the life of many in the ensuing months, they acted as if everyone had been as tardy as they.

President Buhari decided to impose a lockdown on Lagos, Ogun and the Federal Capital Territory. Remember that Lagos and Ogun had taken pre-emptive steps of their own in responding to the announcement of the index case. But Buhari acted as if nothing had happened in these two states even while he praised the government of both states for their early response in the same speech in which he announced the curfew on the states.

The action of the president was a loud, belated and unnecessary assertion of federal might where all he needed to have done was to align his steps with those already taken by the two states. After weeks of inaction, the first steps by Abuja went into overdrive.

The manner the announcement from Abuja was made had subliminal import in the context of the tension between the exercise of state and federal powers in Nigeria. This was legible enough and was not lost on those savvy in the art of reading government action. It formed the context for the criticism that followed the announcement of the lockdown from Abuja which some Nigerians, not those wilfully blind to errors made by President Buhari, misconstrued as unnecessary provocation and posturing by litigious people.

For these supporters of anything Buhari, such erasure of state power was a mere detail that had no place in the face of imminent national deaths. Indeed, Nigerians could do without any delay at that time given the earlier tardiness of Abuja. But it was important to point out the error in the presidents action even when this was not pursued further.

After two extensions of the Abuja-imposed lockdown to which Kano State would be added following the irresponsible negligence of the state government that cued the people of the state into actively courting the pandemic after throwing all preventive measures overboard, leading to the rapid transmission of the virus- after the two weeks curfew was extended twice, it was clear Abuja could no longer pretend to be in charge. It ceded leadership to the states, asking them to take control of the countrys response.

President Buhari, whose government and party by their actions have refused to recognise the federalist intent of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) has, without willing to, accepted that Nigeria is a federation. It is remarkable that the President had to make this acknowledgement willy-nilly in the face of his own inadequate or the uncoordinated response of his government to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Severely sapped of the means, including funds and ideas for responding to and meeting the needs of different states, Abuja in a sense chose to wash its hand off the coronavirus wahala and invited each state to own its problem or do what it thinks right in the circumstances toward containing the pandemic. Its now To thy tent O Israel!

Like a true federation or what constitutes one (which nobody pretends not to understand now we have to respond to COVID-19), each state has been paddling their own canoe. Not even hitherto regional, ethnic, religious or sectarian links have held up.

Thus while a state like Kano, with Abdulahi Ganduje in charge, chose to throw its doors open to the pandemic, offering it board like a prostitute offers her client, neighbouring Kaduna State with Nasir El Rufai overseeing things has in place, arguably, the severest lockdown regime in the country and has been firm in turning back trailer loads of Kanos unattended youth population nicknamed almajarai to Kano, one of the worst-hit epicentres of the pandemic.

While Kaduna has chosen to keep religious centres under lock and key, Kano has resolutely committed to opening up such centres. The likes of Yahaya Bello of Kogi State and Ben Ayade of Cross River State downright denied the presence of the pandemic in their states while actively suppressing any report of it. From Sokoto to Oyo, Abia to Borno, its been to each its problem and there hasnt been many complaints.

At any other time before now, Abuja and our ever-ready, detribalised Nigerians would have insisted on a national or federal response; they would have impressed it on all who care to listen that no state can choose their own direction as the unity of Nigeria is not negotiable.

That has been the standard response to Nigerians agitating for state police, fiscal federalism and control of resources accruing to each state.

What Lord Lugard has joined together and mischievous regionalists masquerading as federalists have misread as federalism for their selfish reasons, coronavirus is putting asunder.

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COVID-19 and the practice of federalism - Vanguard

By Ibrahim Babatunde Sesay, Freetown, Sierra Leone

In the last two years since His Excellency President Julius Maada Bio envisioned that the countrys tourism sector should become a pillar of the countrys socioeconomic development, a lot of work has been done by the current Minister of Tourism and Cultural Affairs in partnership with its tourist promotion agency, the National Tourist Board.

The result showed quickly in the countrys tourist arrivals which were not more than 10, 000 in 2018 moving quickly up to over 100, 000 visitors by early 2020, with the sector contributing tens of millions of dollars to the national coffer.

In consolidating the gains made, the Ministry of Tourism and Cultural Affairs and Statistics Sierra Leone launched the National Tourism Census on Monday January 13, 2020 with the primary aim of placing the countrys tourism marketing in a very good position.

Funded by the Government of Sierra Leone, the report would contribute to the advancement of tourism in the nation by providing real-time information on touristic resources around the country.

After years in the doldrums, tourism in Sierra Leone has become the most dynamic and fastest growing industry. It is an aggregate of many different industries and services, and is influenced by almost every facet of society.Sierra Leone expects economic and social benefits from tourism development such as: Foreign exchange earningsThe development of areas with no other immediate possibilities of expanding economic activityCreation of employment opportunitiesA boost for the local production of the goods and services consumed by the touristsMore tax revenue for the stateThe integration of national cultures and societies and safeguarding of the national cultural identity from foreign culture influencesReasonable returns on investment in the sectorThe promotion of the true image of the country to attract holidaymakers and foreign entrepreneurs as part of the drive to step up international political and economic cooperation.Encouraging fair distribution of national income and creating new markets for consumer goodsProviding additional infrastructure and amenities that will encourage and support the tourist industry as well as benefit local and national interestsIt is in pursuit of these benefits that the government of Sierra Leone identified tourism as a priority sector for development thus tourism has now become the largest contributor to the economy of Sierra Leone after mining and agriculture.

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How Minisry of Tourism and National Tourist Board rebranded Sierra Leone - The Patriotic Vanguard

Stocks are struggling on Wednesday after a strong start to the short holiday week, as tech companies are dragging down markets overcoming financial sector gains.

Overnight the S&P 500 continued its rally to break to new local highs but gave back all of those gains and more in the regular trading session before bouncing some into the lunch hour.

Earlier in the day, the benchmark index exceeded its 200-day moving average, a positive indicator for technical analysts and a key level watched by traders, as the index traded over 3,000, a level not closed above 3,000 since March.

While the Dow Jones Industrial Average has been trending up on Wednesday, adding just over 1% as of noon EST, theNasdaq Composite has been stifling gains, with the indexdropping 1.3% as tech giants Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix, and Google-parent Alphabet all relinquished roughly 1% or more. TheDow Jones Industrial Averagehas struggled to remain positive but is well off its session high.

As investor optimism over reopening the economy broadens, stocks that Zoom Video and Netflix, which have been a source of entertainment and need for people sheltering-in-place lost ground on Wednesday as investors rotated out of those names. Zoom and Netflix sunk 8.1% and 3.3%, respectively, and e-commerce names Shopify, Amazon dropped 9.6%, 3.2%, and 8.9%, respectively as well.

Meanwhile, financial stocks continued their uptrend from Tuesday, as investors anticipated prospects of the economy gaining traction.

On Tuesday, the Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLF) rocketed 5.79% amid moves in the financials, as theVanguard Financials ETF (VFH) rallied 5.75%, and theFidelity MSCI Financials Index ETF (FNCL) climbed a similar 5.8%, driven by bank and credit stocks.

JPMorgan Chase was up another 3.6% Wednesday while Citigroup advanced 4.9%.The SPDR S&P Bank ETF (KBE) gained 3% along with the SPDR S&P Regional Banking ETF (KRE). Both ETFs were headed for their best weekly performances since April.

This is a rotation that we should get used to, said Art Hogan, chief market strategist at National Securities. He noted the broader indexes could be under pressure at the start of it since some of the stay-at-home names make up a big chunk of the S&P 500s market cap.

Its not necessarily index positive when that mean reversion happens, but its certainly much better to have this rally broaden out, Hogan said.

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Stocks And ETFs Are Mixed As Financials Continue To Rally While Tech Struggles - ETF Trends

As the first wave of COVID-19 hits communities during primary season, states are still resolving how to hold elections in the middle of a pandemic. Voter advocates and organizers see the primaries as a test run, with many assuming that the November general election will also need to adapt to COVID-19. Since April, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield, a virologist, and epidemiologistshave predicted that another, potentially worse, wave of the virus will hit communities this fall and winter.

Universal vote-by-mail is being promoted bysecretaries of State and voter advocatesalike as a clear solution to balancing voter access and public health concerns. In this area, the West leads the way. The crux of it is: Lets make it as simple as possible for people to get a ballot, said Heather Smith, executive director for ACLU of Wyoming, South Dakota and North Dakota. Now is the time to be thinking about November and making sure that processes are in place for the least amount of disruption possible to the voting system.

When it comes to Election Day, Western states might be more prepared to face pandemic-related election challenges than the rest of the U.S. Most of the nation uses traditional in-person voting in a poll booth. But in 2018, 69% of votes in the West were cast by mail, according to theVote at Home Institute, a nonpartisan, vote-by-mail advocacy nonprofit. That compares to just 27% in the rest of the nation. Of the five states that vote entirely by mail pre-COVID-19, four are in the West: Oregon has done so since 2000, Washington, Colorado and Utah joining in the last decade. And Western states that dont have statewide vote-by-mail still have high numbers of residents who use absentee ballots. The majority of voters in Arizona, Montana and California participate in their states elections from afar (thoughCalifornia Gov. Gavin Newsom has already declaredNovembers election will be entirely vote-by-mail). Nevada and New Mexico also depart from tradition, with the majority casting their votes early, before Election Day.

Why is the region so different from the rest of the U.S.? In short, its geography and a history of electoral reform. Western states are much larger and, generally, their populations are more dispersed than the rest of the country. Vote-by-mail has historically been decided on a county-by-county basis, making it a local government decision. Phil Keisling, the former Oregon secretary of State who helped usher vote-by-mail in Oregon in the 1990s, says that its popular not only among voters, but also among local election officials a sign of its grassroots success. This has been one of the keys of its evolution in the West: Locally elected county clerks, some elected on a partisan basis, others on a nonpartisan basis, have been at the vanguard of this approach to elections.

Thehistory of vote-by-mailhas had its heated partisan moments,just as it does today, selectively championed by both Democrats and Republicans. In 1981 in Oregon,Linn County Clerk Del Rileywondered if he could improve the countys election process by moving entirely to vote-by-mail, since the county already mailed sample and absentee ballots. Working withSecretary of State Norma Paulus, a Republican and the first woman elected to statewide office, they got the Republican-controlled Oregon state Legislature to agree to a test of vote-by-mail after observing a mailed election in San Diego in 1981. From there, it expanded; by 1987, all counties could conduct local elections by mail. Less than a decade later, Republican proponents decided to take vote-by-mail to back to the Legislature, this time to expand it to statewide elections. In 1995, legislation to apply it to primary and general elections statewide passed the Republican House and Senate, but Democratic Gov. John Kitzhaber, listening to state and national Democrats, vetoed it.

Theres really no evidence that vote-by-mail favors one party over the other.

The partisan views flipped, however, when Oregon held a special election for a U.S. Senate seat using vote-by-mail in 1996. A Democrat, Ron Wyden, won the race, and the next time vote-by-mail legislation came up, the roles had reversed; now Democrats were the champions, and Republicans the detractors. Republican House Majority Rep. Lynn Snodgrass wrote in a 1997 op-ed that voting by mail would destroy the integrity of the principal of why we vote in the first place, arguing that coercion and fraud would take place. An aide to Republican House Speaker Bev Clarno (who is currently secretary of State andsupports vote-by-mail) said it would help Democrats because there are more of them. Politics stymied the effort in the Legislature that year, but a volunteer-backed ballot initiative brought the question to voters in 1998. By then, some Oregon residents had been voting in local elections by mail for 17 years already, and the majority of voters supported it statewide. It passed. The parties in Oregon argued back and forth about which party would get an edge from it, said Priscilla Southwell, professor of political science at University of Oregon. Theres really no evidence that vote-by-mail favors one party over the other.

Today, there is bipartisan support in states that use vote-by-mail, andrecent polls show the majority of Americanswould support vote-by-mail elections. Because of the last two decades of successful elections in Oregon wherevoter turnout is among the nations highest vote-at-home advocates point to a ready-made model that other states can adapt. Still, advocates say transitioning states will need to work with tribal governments, Latino communities, rural areas and other historically disenfranchised voters to make sure theres awareness of the changes, and that early voting and vote centers remain an option for those unable to vote-by-mail, with social distancing measures in place.

The key difference among the Western states lies in their use of either vote-by-mail or absentee voting. And the approaches vary widely:

Primary date:Aug. 4Before COVID-19:Roughly 75% of Arizona voters were already absentee voters.The plan:Instead of vote-by-mail, Arizona election officials will send out forms to registered voters to apply for an absentee ballot.Will polls be open?Yes, though it will vary county to county.

Primary date:May 19Before COVID-19:Voters used absentee, early voting and Election Day voting. Idahoans must show their ID when voting at the polls.The plan:Idaho will have its first statewide absentee voting election, and voters had to request an absentee ballot by May 8. As of May 1,more than 185,000 Idahoanshad requested their ballots.Will polls be open?No. According to the office of Idahos secretary of State, fewer than 2% of the normal number of poll workers in one of the states largest counties were willing to facilitate the primaries during the pandemic.

Primary date:June 9Before COVID-19:In the 2018 primary election, less than 10% of voters signed up for absentee ballots, because most either voted early or used day-of polling sites.The plan:This spring, in response to COVID-19, the state Legislature passed a new law for universal vote-by-mail,which will send ballots to all active registeredvoters.Will polls be open?Not traditional polling sites, but every county will have at least one vote center.

Primary date:June 30Before COVID-19:90% of voters in Utah already use vote-by-mail.Will polls be open?No in-person voting will be available, but some counties are opting for a drive-up voting option. According to Utahs secretary of State office, with the removal of in-person voting, voters will not be able to register at the polls on Election Day, though that has been allowed in the past.

Voting-access proponents say a universal vote-by-mail system is necessary, but note that accommodations such as increased educational campaigns are critical to make sure voters are not disenfranchised by the changes. This is particularly true for ethnic minority groups, said Sonja Diaz, founding director ofUCLAs Latino Policy & Politics Initiative. Young Latinos and Asian Americans in this country are the two fastest-growing demographic groups. And they are very young in age, especially in comparison to older white voters, and that means that youre seeing a lot of first-time voters because theyre aging into the electorate.

Vote-by-mail has the potential to devastate the Native vote.

Most secretary of State offices are still closed because of COVID-19, meaning that voter registration has moved online. Thats a problem for many rural areas without access to broadband, including over90% of Indigenous communities on reservations. Other barriers to Indigenous voters involve inadequate mailing services and lack of language assistance. According to Jacqueline De Len (Isleta Pueblo), an attorney for theNative American Rights Fund, its critical that state and county election officers work with tribal governments to identify and address those obstacles ahead of the primaries and the November election. Vote-by-mail has the potential to devastate the Native vote, De Len said, because if you dont have residential mail delivery, youre not getting the ballot at your house.

This week, U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and House Democrats unveiled theHealth and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act, the latest coronavirus relief package. The HEROES Act would provide $3.6 billion to assist states in election changes like vote-by-mail, expanded early in-person voting and same-day or online voter registration. Pelosi has cited the importance of not forcing voters to choose between exercising their right to vote and contracting COVID-19. What country do we want to live in? said Keisling, Oregons former secretary of State. Id rather live in a country where a lot more people are voting even when my candidates lose, than winning because weve lowered the turnout.

Anna V. Smith is an assistant editor forHigh Country News.Email her atannasmith@hcn.orgor submit aletter to the editor.

This article originally appeared on High Country News and is republished with permission.

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Western states lead the way in vote-by-mail elections - New Mexico In Depth

By Dapo Akinrefon

An oil and gas industry watchdog, Transparency in Petroleum Exploration and Development Initiative, TIPEDI, on Wednesday, called on the National Assembly, NASS, to refrain from actions that appear to be distracting the Interim Management Committee of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, from completing the forensic audit on time as ordered by President Muhammadu Buhari.

TIPEDI lamented that the current crisis of confidence between elected politicians, particularly from the Niger Delta area, and NDDC will have serious negative effect not only on the Commission, but on the hapless people of the area who have suffered neglect for many years.

TIPEDIs National Coordinator, Chief Nathan Egba, in a statement in Yenagoa, said: The accusations levelled against the National Assembly by the NDDC Management are serious but common knowledge, because some federal legislators have perpetually milked the Commission over the years.

It is, therefore, not surprising that they are now engaged in a plot to derail the forensic audit exercise, which obviously will unearth their nefarious activities.

Egba said some legislators deliberately orchestrated the present conflict between the Professor Keme Pondei-led management of the NDDC and the National Assembly as a means of blackmailing the Commission to bow to some illegal demands as well as derail completion of the forensic audit.

But, unfortunately, it has backfired as the NDDC called their bluff.

Egba, a former Bayelsa State Commissioner for Information and Orientation, said: Over the years, succeeding managements of the NDDC have come under the same kind of pressures and blackmail, with several managements capitulating and allowing the legislators turn the Commission into their glorified cash-cow.In the process, a lot of funds meant for developing the Niger Delta area and improving the peoples lives have ended up in the pockets of few individuals to the detriment of the general population.

It is necessary to state at this point that the legislators, as representatives of the people, should rather cooperate with the NDDC to address the reasons behind their relatively poor performance over the years, which has been attributed to the National Assemblys slow and disruptive budget passing process.We in TIPEDI agree with the NDDCs submission that over the years the National Assembly applies three clear steps by which it stifles the NDDCs operations replacing the Commissions budget proposals with the legislators own projects, delay in the passage of the budget till very late in the year and when the budget is finally passed, demands by legislators for upfront payments for their projects, most of which are usually left abandoned, anyway.

Therefore, for us, Mr. President has signalled his seriousness in pursuing the forensic audit process to its logical conclusion with the appointment of the current Acting Managing Director, Professor Keme Daniel Pondei, a totally non-political academician with the courage to confront this albatross in order to make life easier for future management of the Commission.

The TIPEDI Coordinator, however, called on the Acting MD, Professor Keme Pondei, as someone with no political ambition or desire to perpetuate himself in office, to remain courageous and focused in order to be able complete the assignment and justify Mr. Presidents confidence in setting up the Interim Management Committee.

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The health of the President of any country is a national security priority. Elaborate structures are put in place to secure the capacity of the President to function.

No country leaves the primary care of its national political leadership to the expertise of another country, however friendly. Doing that leaves the possibility that a trojan horse can be introduced through control of the life and mental circumstance of the leader of a country by another country.

Countries are notoriously protective of their sovereign space. What better way to control the affairs of a nation remotely than by the control of a sick head of state whose life and survival is in the hands of a foreign government? He would do anything asked of him to stay alive! Buharis health, for the past five years, has been an issue. The health and activities of the President are shrouded in mystery.

This ring of silence around the life of the President gives the impression of the hijack of Nigeria by a cabal. This cabal is what Americans call the deep state. It is like a black hole. But Nigerias Executive Council is as remote as the President. No one knows exactly the mind of this administration regarding foreign and domestic policy.

While Nigerians are deeply divided and bicker, the grounds beneath their feet shift dangerously. For much of the time, Nigerians suspected that the late Mr Abba Kyari was the de facto President of Nigeria. But what is the Presidents will within the Constitution? How could the Presidents Chief of Staff prevent ministers of government from access to the President? All matters went through him.

How constitutional is this? The life of the Executive Council of the Federation is established by the Constitution. Although each minister serves at the behest and the pleasure of the President, once constituted, the Executive Council is the highest administrative council of the land.

It is a Council which means that if it came to procedural votes, the Presidents vote is one, and can only break a tie. This means only the Executive Council, with the President as the head, is the executive government of the land.

A presidential staff member who appropriates the right of the President is subject to investigation by the office of the Attorney General, and might, in fact, be tried for a high crime against the state.

In two instances, Abba Kyari seemed to have overstepped his bounds as the Presidents points-man: once was during the period in which the Vice-President acted for the President, and a conflict arose between Winifred Oyo-Ita, Permanent Secretary and Head of Service of the Federation, and Abba Kyari over the scandal of the reinstatement of Abdul Rasheed Maina, who had a cloud hanging over him over alleged Pension Fund racket.

The second was only just months before his death, over sore points with Mr Babagana Monguno, the National Security Adviser who accused him of interfering with the national security of Nigeria and issued directives to Service Chiefs to desist forthwith from meetings with the Presidents Chief of Staff on national security matters.

This public row very remarkably elicited no public response from the President, either backing his National Security Adviser or his Chief of Staff. It was almost as if he was not in the picture. One would also think that the Committee on National Security of the National Assembly, the oversight body of the House and the Senate on national security issues, would have summarily investigated this serious breach of the rules of public governance in the Presidency.

But no such thing happened. And it leads us only to the question: To what extent is the conspiracy if indeed there is a conspiracy? That row nevertheless led to the speculation that a great crack had finally appeared in the finely wrought partnership that had allegedly hijacked the Presidency.

There is great speculation by Nigerians that Buhari has not been in the picture since 2017 when he had his last major health crisis. Conspiracy theorists have even pushed the rumour that it is not Muhammadu Buhari that is there, but a double recruited from Sudan!

This, of course, is only still the yarn of folk with feverish and mischievous imaginations. But the distance and serial absence of Buhari in the public life; the larger-than-life image which the late Abba Kyari assumed in this Presidency, the various gaffes and public policy contradictions associated with this Presidency feeds these dangerous speculations and makes Nigerians sceptical, and increasingly restless.

This restlessness has increased, particularly with the shoddy response to the coronavirus event, and the lack of leadership shown in prepping Nigerians for its effects. There is no discussion even now about the post-coronavirus world, and preparations made to cushion its after effects, or even its current effects.

Kano was long predicted to be the pandemic bomb. In the last week, we have seen reports, especially on social media of a deluge of the northern poor or the Almajirai fleeing southwards, hiding in long trailers, breaking the Cordon Sanitaire erected to stave off the spread of the virus.

The disruption of the national balance of the states is the first stage towards national implosion which many of us have been predicting as a result of the very poor institutional response to public health, poverty alleviation, and population management by the governments of Nigeria. Since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, Buhari has remained unnaturally remote and silent for the leader of any nation.

He was slow in responding to the crisis. He has not been roused even now by the number of dying people in Kano. He was not even present at the burial of his closet aide, Abba Kyari. He only penned a short, very uncharacteristic eulogy, which every stylist could read, even with the most cursory glance, and does not sound like Buhari, and then he went into hiding.

The serious question every serious Nigerian is asking is: Where is President Buhari? Can the real Buhari stand up and be counted? Can he just get up and address Nigerians without the shield of bullish hide-and-seek swathed in the empty bloviations of the likes of Femi Adesina? Id watched Femi Adesina, the Presidents media spokesman, in a question and answer session moderated on Channels TV. Let me say he is constantly rude to Nigerians.

He uses his bully pulpit to really bully those who disagree with the government rather than rationalize and mediate the differences of perception. He calls the opposition, wailers. And he basically fudges the fact on behalf of the President. He says presidential broadcasts are rarely live. But all presidential address of the President with the media should be mostly live! It is just that President Buhari has rarely addressed a live media audience.

He relies on the likes of Adesina and Garba Shehu to hide him. A President who avoids the media; who does not speak directly to the people on a weekly briefing, particularly during a national emergency, has something to hide. That is a fact one. Buhari seems to be hiding something about himself and his ability to govern as a result of his health from Nigerians.

What, we dont frankly know. Adesina says it is a matter of style. It is Buharis style to be remote because style is idiosyncratic.

That might well be. But, as Mac Azuike drilled into my Sophomore English class on Stylistics in the 80s, style is also content and form. If it is the Presidents style to stay silent and indecipherable, while Nigeria suppurates, then, of course, the question must be raised: of what use is he as President? This is what many Nigerians tried to ask Femi Adesina in that chat. And he bullied, insulted, and dismissed their concerns.

He asked one caller to run for President in 2023 if he was dissatisfied and if he dared. This is what folk call, bullcrap. The National Assembly must take the necessary steps and find out if this President is still with us, and fit to run Nigeria. There are too many national security issues at stake.

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Ogbonnaya OnuBy Emmanuel Elebeke

The Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu says the Ministry is making frantic efforts to develop home-grown solutions to tackle Covid-19 pandemic and other challenges facing the nation.

The Minister made the revelation on Wednesday when he received the Report of The Ministerial Committee on The Repositioning and Strengthening of The Ministry to Effectively Carry Out Its Statutory Charged Responsibilities to the Federal Government, in his office in Abuja.

He said that one lesson to draw from Covid-19 is that the pandemic has offered us unique opportunity to think out of the box as a nation to think differently and utilize home-grown Science, Technology and Innovation to solve our problems, and urged Nigerians to start developing self-confidence so as to become self-reliant in all spheres of life.

Nigerians must begin to develop self-confidence in themselves and appreciate technological innovations produced by Nigerians. Realize that taking Nigeria to where it should be is our responsibility.

To move from recession to recovery, the nation must be attached to science and technology, he added.

He assured that the Ministry will fully implement the recommendations of the committee so as to reposition the Ministry for greater outputs.

For us to provide jobs for unemployed, there is need for us to provide the enabling environment. The Ministry will work hard and will not rest until we develop a home-grown solution for COVID-19. This virus is a wakeup call for us to wake up from our slumber to find solution to our problems, he said.

Earlier in his address, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry Dr. Mohammed Umar, stressed that the mandate of the committee cuts across Health, Agriculture, Infrastructure and many aspects vital to national life.

Presenting his report, the Chairman of the committee and Director of Bio-Resources Technology, Pharm. Abayomi Oguntunde said for Nigeria to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGS), the appropriate use of Science, Technology and Innovation must be considered in government policy formulation and implementation.

He said the committees report was informed by President Muhammadu Buharis directive to lift Nigeria out of poverty, diseases and technological backwardness.

He thanked the two Ministers for their faith in the committee and the opportunity to serve the country.

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The National Human Rights Commission has urged the 11 northern states of the federation that had yet to domesticate the Childs Rights Act (CRA) to quickly do so.

The Executive Secretary of the commission, Mr. Tony Ojukwu, stated that the passage of the law by the states could help to address the problems associated with Almajiri.

Ojukwu made the call in a statement in Abuja to mark the 2020 Childrens Day celebration marked every May 27 in Nigeria.

Children must be reunited with their parents and provisions made for their education in a structured and progressive manner as stipulated in the Child Rights Act.

NHRC strongly believes that the passage of the Child Rights Act by all state governments will go a long way in strengthening the capacity of Nigeria to build a better world for our children.

As the world grapples with the challenges of COVID -19, children as vulnerable groups are facing growing risks.

They need to be safe, many children are facing disorientation due to closure of schools, disrupted academic schedule, and limited recreational activities basic to their survival and development.

This Day offers us an inspirational motivation to advocate, promote, protect, and celebrate childrens rights and translate into action our love for our children.

We must do this as a matter of necessity not only for the children but for the future of humanity.

The CRA is an important document to protect the human rights of the Nigerian child, he said.

As of today, he said, only 25 out of the 36 states have passed the CRA into law in their various states.

The situation leaves a huge gap in our collective efforts to protect our children, he said.

He, therefore, called on all states that have not passed the CRA to do so without further delay.

Ojukwu added that children encounter domestic violence, sexual exploitation, torture, Inhuman and degrading treatment, and other forms of abuse.

He called on parents to take extra care of the children, help them stay socially connected with friends and family within their circle.

He said further that parents should support the children with information about COVID -19, teach them especially basic hygiene.

Ojukwu stated that the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child ( CRC),1989 is a legally binding international agreement covering a variety of rights including, civil, political, economic, social, cultural, and health rights of every child.

He stated that Nigeria ratified this in 1991 and domesticated it in the Child Rights Act of 2003 (CRA) as a measure of her commitment to the principle of UNCRC.

The CRA, he added, strengthens the human rights provisions in Chapter 1V of the 1999 constitution as amended with regards to children.

He said specific rights of children under the Act include the right to survival, protection, family life, a name, private life, dignity, recreation, cultural activities, health, and education.

The Act, he added, provides that in all matters concerning the child, the childs best interest takes precedent.

Ojukwu stated that the CRC is one of the most ratified human rights treaties in history and had assisted in the transformation of the lives of children all over the world.

Let us commit ourselves to build a society where the rights of children remain paramount he stated.

NAN

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