Ishaq Akintola, director of Muslim Rights Concern, MURIC, says governors who allowed congregational Eid prayers committed impeachable offences.

On Sunday, congregational prayers held in different states while some religious faithful openly flouted guidelines issued by the presidential task force (PTF) on COVID-19 such as physical distancing and compulsory use of face masks in public places.

For instance, in Kano, which currently has the second-highest number of active COVID-19 cases and fatalities in the country, Eid prayers featured large gatherings of people.

In a statement, Akintola said the actions of the governors ran contrary to directives by the federal government, Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI) and the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA).

He asked lawmakers of the states to “do the needful as the governors committed impeachable offences”.

“It is a shame that governors can play to the gallery even when it has to do with human life. This is not Islam. It is articulated religiosity,” Akintola said.

“There must be consequences when people in positions of authority gamble with the lives of their citizens.

“This singular action has put the whole country in danger and we only have to wait for the next two weeks as the virus incubates for us to know the impact of the governors’ intransigence.

“This is how not to worship Allah. Neither is it about the right to celebrate a festival. MURIC as a human rights body will not defend the indefensible. Islam is a religion of justice.

“Therefore we will not bend the rules or change the goal post after the game has already started just because Muslim governors are involved this time around.

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“The fact that we vowed to promote Allah-given fundamental human rights of Muslims does not mean that we would look away when Muslims do the wrong thing.

“After all we were all here when Christians marked Easter without fanfare, pomp and pageantry. So why can’t we as Muslims control ourselves?

“We have not seen the end of this incident if we have conscious lawmakers in the state assemblies.

“Any lawmaker worth his salt will know that the action of the erring governors stand in contra-distinction to the provisions of Article 14 Section 2(b) of the1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria which stipulates that the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government.

“In essence, the governors have committed impeachable offences. We, therefore, call on the state legislators to do the needful.

“We do not want governors who do not care about human life.

“The choice before the governors is this: apologise publicly or resign and pack out of government house, otherwise your impeachment is just around the corner.”

He apologised to Nigerians “on behalf of the Muslim community”.

Akintola on behalf of MURIC, also called on President Muhammadu Buhari to speak against the Congregational act which he described as an embarrassment.

“Every Nigerian Muslim must take responsibility for this. These recalcitrant governors have embarrassed Islamdom.

“We must admit our wrong, particularly because what we did is capable of bringing untold hardship upon the whole country.

“The next two weeks will tell. But to start with, we must show remorse and apologise to fellow Nigerians for exposing the country to danger,” he said.

“It is on this note that we of the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) tender unreserved apology, first to President Muhammadu Buhari, the Federal Government and all law-abiding citizens in the country.

“If we have always been quick to confront those who maltreat Muslims, we must not be silent when the Muslims themselves wrongly defy the rest of Nigerians and embark on actions capable of causing mass death among innocent Nigerians.

“We must speak truth to power because the truth is sacrosanct. The governors simply went on a show of shame.

“It is disgraceful. It is a huge blunder. When did Nigerian Muslims become more Muslim than their Makkan counterparts?

“Why must we assemble for Congregational Eid Prayers in Nigeria when Muslims in all Arab countries prayed at home? Muslims in Senegal, Gambia, Ghana and other West African countries prayed at home.

“President Muhammadu Buhari must not allow these erring governors to go scot-free. They must be sanctioned. FG must speak up.

“The action of these recalcitrant governors must be condemned in strong terms. Thereafter, Mr President must design suitable punishments that will touch only the office and personality of the governors without necessarily affecting the gullible and misled citizens in the state.

“Those who fail to take responsibility have no cassu belli for occupying the government house.”

• The Cable

Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has denied solely taking the decision to demolish two hotels in the state for a violation of Coronavirus lockdown order.

The governor of Rivers State made the comments on Tuesday after coming under intense public fire for several days with many individuals and groups calling for his ‘head’ after the decision to demolish two hotels.

He said, “I don’t take decisions alone in the fight against COVID-19. All decisions are taken by the State Security Council and they are for the overall interest of Rivers people. 

Governor Nyesom Wike added that“You know people applaud government decisions when it suits them but when it does not favour them they say it is politically motivated.

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“Rivers State Government does not have anything against hoteliers in the state, but decided to shut down their activities because some cases of COVID-19 were recorded in hotels.”

Governor Wike also blamed the hoteliers for failing to assist the government in providing relevant information regarding those that test positive for Coronavirus in their facilities.

According to him, adequate information would have helped the state’s Ministry of Health and other relevant agencies to carry out proper contact tracing.

Lawmakers of Nigeria’s House of Representatives have accused the leadership of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, of engaging in illegal spending of funds belonging to the commission.

The lawmakers also accused the NDDC of refusal to submit its performance budget since 2018.

A forensic audit is ongoing in the NDDC after the commission squandered N40bn in three months.

The NDDC was also involved in the spending of N5bn for the procurement of Personal Protective Equipment for health workers and provision of community-based sensitisation campaign against the spread of COVID-19 to a company named Signora Concept Services Limited.

ABN TV reports that The spokesperson for the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, in a statement on Tuesday also denounced claims by the Executive Director in charge of Projects and member of the Interim Management Committee of the NDDC, Dr Cairo Ojougboh, that the lower arm of the National Assembly was against the ongoing forensic audit of the commission.

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Kalu stated that while the House had been pushing the commission “to do the needful and render account to the Nigerian people”, it was not against the audit of NDDC’s expenditure.

Kalu said, “The House recalls that for more than 13 months after the time required by law, the commission deliberately failed to submit its 2019 budget to the National Assembly for approval, choosing instead to engage in illegal and unauthorised spending to the tune of billions of naira.

“It took the intervention of the House, following a motion moved by Rep. Benjamin O. Kalu on November 26, 2019, to compel the commission to present its 2019 budget.

“On December 10, 2019, the date fixed for the budget defence, the commission failed to appear with its 2018 budget performance report, a document critical to assessing its previous expenditures and approving its 2019 budget; as a result of which, the budget defence had to be stepped down.

“The commission was only able to return with their budget performance report on February 5th, 2020 following which the House passed the 2019 budget three weeks after (February 27th, 2020)

“The negligence and/or deliberate mischief of the commission has also frustrated all efforts by the National Assembly to expeditiously approve the commission’s 2020 budget till date, the commission has refused to render an account of their 2019 budget expenditures to Nigerians.”

The lawmakers insisted that the supervision of the auditing process by the IMC or any other subjects of the audit defeats the cardinal principle of natural justice and undermines the integrity of the investigation.

The House also vowed to continue with its independent investigations, in order to be equipped with information in anticipation of the outcome of the forensic audit.

Anambra state has recorded its first death from COVID-19 just as three patients have been discharged from the state’s isolation centre.

ABN TV reports that The Anambra state governor, Willie Obiano, disclosed this to newsmen while giving an update on its fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the governor, the deceased, a 66-year-old man died in a private hospital in the state

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”Three of the cases have been discharged. It is important to explain that the only COVID19 death we have recorded so far was a 66-year-old man who did not report ill at any time.

“He went to a private clinic where our COVID19 team were invited 

We took his sample and by the time we came back 24 hours later, the fellow was already dead in the private hospital he was receiving treatment. ” he said

The state has 10 confirmed cases of the viral disease.

Food items delivered to Kano State government by the Federal Government as palliatives are left rotten at open space and are being beaten by rain and sun, The Guardian has gathered.

The Federal government two weeks ago delivered 110 trucks of food items to the state meant to be distributed to vulnerable and less privileged whose sources of survival are being crumbled due to lockdown directive. No thanks to COVID-19 pandemic.

Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development Sadiya Farouq delivered the consignment on Sunday 17th May 2020.

The palliatives include 5,318 metric tonnes of rice; 2,438 metric tons of maize; 1,380 metric tonnes of millet and 900 metric tons of Sorghum.

Worried to notice, however, the relief items worth millions of naira are still left abandoned at the warehouse of Kano Agricultural Supply Company (KASCO) premises at Farm centre without cover to prevent from any circumstantial damage.

The food items which already opened to any eventualities are being drained by three consecutive rainfall; several bags already soaked by water, The Guardian gathered.

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A source at the premises who regretted how the food items left rotten under the rains, told The Guardian the consignment have spent more than one week unattended to.

“Many people are living hungry because they cannot go to fetch for their daily sources of livelihood.

“The government brought the food to assistant people but look at the items here under the rain and in the sun.

“How can people be starving and food meant for them left idle this is wrong”.

When contacted, Chairman of the State Fundraising Committee and Vice-Chancellor, Bayero University Kano, Professor Mohammed Yahuza Bello explained that plan for the evacuation and distribution of the Federal government palliatives is slated to commence on Thursday.

Professor Bello who led the distribution of the first phase of the state-owned palliatives stressed that the committee is being constraint by logistics from government, which he noted is being addressed.

Although, Kano State government recently disbursed similar palliatives to 50,000 households across the 484 political wards in the state.

The palliatives being handled by the Adhoc Committee on COVID-19 fundraising had announced two weeks ago plan to commence the Federal government palliatives to additional 50,000 households across the 44 local government area to crushing the effect of the COVID-19 induced lockdown.