Month: April 2024

The Nigerian Army has dismissed allegation of ethnic bias in the trial of soldiers recently arraigned before a Court Martial in 82 Division, Enugu.

This is contained in a statement in Abuja on Saturday, by Maj.-Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu, Director, Army Public Relations.

Nwachukwu said that the Nigerian army was a composite national institution and not an ethnic militia.

He was reacting to a media report that there was a deliberate effort to convict soldiers of Southern extraction, while those from Northern Nigeria were allowed to go free.

He said the report alleged that some allegedly aggrieved soldiers who were arraigned before the court martial expressed the concern.

He noted that the misleading report was being circulated to cause disharmony within the army and by extension the Armed Forces of Nigeria.

According to him, the report is entirely bereft of any strand of truth and ultimately aimed at disparaging the current leadership of the army in particular and the armed forces in general, using the instru
mentality of ethnic and religious bigotry.

Nwachukwu explained that the composition of the said court martial was not based on regional representation but was diverse, with personnel drawn from various regions of the country.

He revealed that the President of the Court was of Northern extraction, while the Judge Advocate was from the South.

He added that 60 per cent of the court martial members were of Southern extraction.

According to him, this demonstrates a fair and balanced representation, even though religion and ethnicity are not major focal criteria in the decision making process of the army.

‘The decision of a court martial is collective and based on evidence presented during the trial.

‘The said court martial tried the personnel, irrespective of their ethnic and religious affiliations and the outcome was determined strictly based on the evidence presented.

‘In espousing the position of the Nigerian Army in the cases mentioned in the report, taking that of Pte. Usman Shonva for instance, where
in evidence revealed that there were other soldiers at the scene of the incident, who also fired their weapons.

‘Hence, the court, based on this finding among others, reached the conclusion that the shot that killed the dead soldier could have been fired by any of the soldiers at the scene, thus, leading to his discharge and acquittal.

‘It must be emphasised that the Nigerian Army does not task its personnel (including for court martial membership) on a regional basis in order to achieve national spread’.

‘The Nigerian Army is a composite national institution and not an ethnic militia. It will therefore not bite the odious bait being dangled to induce splintering along sectional, ethnic and religious fissures.

The Army spokesman said the court martial proceedings were conducted in a fair and unbiased manner.

He urged the publisher of the report to refrain from peddling misinformation capable of engendering disaffection and disharmony among army personnel, other services and security personnel.

‘We urg
e the public to note the true picture and discountenance the false report published by the online media platform.

‘Continued spread of the misinformation will only serve the ulterior motive of the author, which is to cause disharmony in the Nigerian army.

‘The army is committed to upholding justice, equity and discipline within its ranks, and will continue to ensure that all personnel are treated fairly and in accordance with the law,’ he added.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Fisheries and Marine Resources Minister Derek Klazen has denounced the alleged entitlement of fishermen who he claimed wants to dictate the type of work they should do.

Klazen during a renewal of employment contracts of fishermen employed under the governmental employment redressing programme, noted that the fishermen feel entitled and are disrespectful towards employers, continuously threatening employers with mass resignation and demonstration and threatening that the quota belongs to them.

The event which took place in Windhoek on Friday, aimed to renew the designation agreements with designated fishing companies as well as assess the performance of these companies in order to determine whether there is full compliance.

‘The designation agreements do not afford fishermen with the right to choose where to be placed as the agreements only require the placement of fishermen wherever an opportunity for placement arises,’ Klazen expressed.

The minister further noted that in this instance companies have been found to be fully compliant, with a few exceptions of challenges picked up along the way, which he said are receiving attention.

Some of those challenges being experienced according to Klazen, are limited employment opportunities within the fishing industry resulting in non-gainful employment of the fishermen.

Seven fishing companies in Walvis Bay in 2023 signed agreements to re-employ about 1 000 fishermen who lost their jobs in 2015 aboard numerous fishing vessels, following their participation in an illegal industrial strike, now referred to as the Okapale fishermen.

The group also includes fishermen who were laid off from Namsov, owing to a 48 per cent cut of its horse mackerel quota in 2015, and those who lost their employment after being abandoned by two fishing vessels operating under the Icelandic company Samherji, namely Saga and Geysir in 2020.

Meanwhile Leader of the Popular Democratic Movement McHenry Venaani who joined fishermen who petitioned the government at Walvis Bay on Friday, questioned the government’s employment redress programme of the unemployed fishermen and the allocation of the fishing quotas.

Venaani questioned why the government has given fishing quotas to companies, some of which do not have vessels.

‘Companies who do not have fishing vessels mean they do not have the capacity to absorb workers. You are coming to workers and lying to them. Companies are profiting off of these fishermen while they sit at home without jobs and claim they are paying them even while at home.

‘Let us reallocate quotas to companies who have fishing vessels and employ all these fishermen. Those who have no vessels should act like all business people and either go to the banks, buy vessels so that we can have all the fishermen back at sea,’ Venaani expressed.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

Oshikoto regional coordinator for Swapo, Armas Amukwiyu said it is time for youth to rise as they have been groomed by the Swapo Party to take up positions of governance at all levels.

Amukwiyu made the remarks on Saturday during the Oshikoto Swapo Party Youth League (SPYL) executive committee meeting underway at Oniipa, quoting that with privilege comes great responsibility.

According to Amukwiyu, they must uphold the highest standards of party discipline, symbolising unity of purpose and action in everything they do.

He indicated that as bona fide members of the Swapo Party, they carry the legacy of struggle, the legacy of sacrifice, and the legacy of victory.

‘We fought tirelessly, shedding blood, sweat, and tears, to secure our political independence. And now, as we enter the second phase of our struggle, we must channel our energies towards the economic and diplomatic battles that lie ahead,’ he said.

He urged the party youth not to forget the core principles of their party ideology – ‘Socialism with Namibian characteristics’ – which means defeating ethnic divisions and identifying first and foremost as Namibians.

‘It means fighting relentlessly against corruption and all social ills that threaten our developmental goals,’ he added.

Amukwiyu also reminded the youth that as they approach the November 2024 general elections, they should remember the power of voting, and should mobilise their fellow youth, ensuring that every eligible voter is registered with the Electoral Commission of Namibia.

He called on the youth to champion the candidacy of Vice President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, the Swapo Party Presidential candidate and make people understand that she will not lead alone; she will lead with the full support of the Swapo Party, its structures, and its systems.

Meanwhile SPYL leader assigned to Oshikoto, Willem Amutenya indicated that young people make up 71.1 per cent of the national population.

He said this clearly means the electoral decision is in the hands of young people.

‘We should work harder for fellow young people, for the Swapo Party and our presidential candidate to emerge victorious and continue with its legacy,’ he said.

Amutenya stressed that Swapo has entered into a contract with the people of Namibia through its manifesto – and they all have the responsibility to work towards its fulfilment.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

University of Namibia (UNAM) Vice Chancellor, Prof Kenneth Matengu said N.dollars 10 million has been allocated this year for the construction of lecture halls as part of the first phase of the southern campus development cycle.

Matengu revealed this during the 2024 UNAM Southern Campus graduation ceremony here on Friday, saying more funds are expected over the next two years to ensure that the first phase is completed. The construction of the first of five phases started in 2016 and it has cost Government N.dollars 93 million already.

He said the university, with strong support from the government is convinced that things will change for the better and more and better facilities will be built and more students enrolled.

‘The construction of these facilities will enable UNAM to solidify its position as the scientific and research and development partner for the emerging sectors of oil and gas, green hydrogen and other renewable energy resources as well as the exploration and exploitation of critical minerals that the country is so richly endowed with. We know what the skills gaps are and we will work to address them,’ Matengu said.

Speaking at the graduation ceremony, President of Namibia and UNAM Chancellor Nangolo Mbumba said he was concerned about the under representation of graduates from the two southern regions at university level, urging stakeholders to encourage students from the regions to enrol into university.

‘We are doing well nationally, more needs to be done to increase the numbers of graduates in the Hardap and ||Kharas regions. In this context, I would like to strongly appeal to the parents, families, communities, educational officials and councillors to join hands and encourage more students from the southern regions so that we can increase their participation and success at the university level,’ he urged.

Mbumba said the government remains committed to the development and wellbeing of the youth in the southern areas, as well as nationally, adding that the government has lived up to the expectation of ensuring quality education for the youth to use as a tool to empower themselves to advance their lives.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency