Business
#EndSARS: Police brutality still evident after SARS dissolution
The Inspector-General of Police announced the scrapping of the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (FSARS) on Sunday. However, a few minutes after the announcement, the Police attacked #EndSARS protesters with tear gas, water cannons, and live ammunition according to a Nairametrics analyst.
READ: How SARS “robbed” me – Yele Bademosi, CEO Bundle
Backstory
Nairametrics reported on Sunday that the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, dissolved the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (FSARS).
“The IGP appreciates and commends all citizens particularly those who genuinely express their concerns for a better policing orientation in an organized, patriotic, and civil manner. He reaffirms the determination of the Force to bequeath to the country a Police Force and System that is professional in service delivery and most importantly, accountable to the people,” the IGP said.
READ: #EndSARS: State Governors should have necessary powers to control the Police Force – Seyi Makinde
However, Nairametrics covered the protests over the weekend and it turned out the officers stationed at the Force HQ may not have gotten the memo.
They’ve Started Attacking The Abuja Protesters Right Now. #EndSARS pic.twitter.com/78rLsvqhjM
— OZO (@IsaOzo) October 11, 2020
READ: Why some placard-bearing protesters stormed SON’s Abuja office
The protesters after getting the news of the dissolution of the SARS, listened to a speech by activist, Aisha Yeshufu, at the Maitama roundabout in Abuja. The protesters agreed to take their protest to the Force HQ in a peaceful manner, marching from Maitama roundabout to the Secretariat.
Immediately after crossing the Federal Secretariat and approaching the Force HQ, Policemen attacked peaceful protesters unprovoked using tear gas, water cannons and also dispersing the crowd with gunshots warnings.
Explore Data on the Nairametrics Research Website
The world needs to see this.
On the very day the govt told us #SARS had been dissolved, the police reminded us that their brutality was here to stay. They attacked us, they assaulted us.
The Abuja police is attacking peaceful protesters!!#EndSarsNow#EndPoliceBrutalityinNigeria pic.twitter.com/3ALJhVEY7w— Olorogun (@OkKevwe) October 11, 2020
Journalist, David Hundeyin, who was at the scene of the attack after the IGP’s announcement said, “Just staged a PEACEFUL March to the Force HQ and got badly teargassed for the 2nd time today, after which we were hit by a water cannon and then multiple live bullet rounds into the air”
“They came after us on foot brandishing horsewhips” he added.
READ: France increases minimum wage after protests, as Nigeria refuses to do same
According to the Nairametrics analyst, the Police chased the unarmed protesters from Secretariat down to Transcorp Hilton junction. The Police perpetrated a number of atrocities; they slashed car tyres, hit cars, manhandled fleeing protesters, seized phones and arrested whoever they caught up with. All these happened a few minutes after the IGP announced the dissolution of SARS.
Bottomline
The FG needs to address the issue of total Police brutality which is related to the SARS protests. Protesting is a constitutional right, and the Abuja protesters were mainly peaceful and unarmed. However, they were teargassed 3 times on Sunday, which begs the question of whether the FG is truly ready to implement the publicized dissolution of SARS.
Business
Twitter to establish its first African presence in Ghana
Twitter has announced Ghana as headquarter of its operations in Africa.
Jack Dorsey, CEO of Twitter Inc has announced today in a tweet that the company is establishing a presence in Africa.
“Twitter is now present on the continent. Thank you, Ghana and Nana Akufo-Addo,” Dorsey tweeted.
As part of its mission to serve the public conversation, Twitter is making it easier for everyone to join in and provide more relevant experiences for people across the world.
Why Ghana as a choice…
Twitter stated that it chose to expand to Ghana first because the country is an advocate of free speech, online freedom, and the Open Internet.
In a blog post the company said, “In line with our growth strategy, we’re excited to announce that we are now actively building a team in Ghana. To truly serve the public conversation, we must be more immersed in the rich and vibrant communities that drive the conversations taking place every day across the African continent.”
“Furthermore, Ghana’s recent appointment to host The Secretariat of the African Continental Free Trade Area aligns with our overarching goal to establish a presence in the region that will support our efforts to improve and tailor our service across Africa.
“Whenever we enter new markets, we work hard to ensure that we are not just investing in the talent that we hire, but also investing in local communities and the social fabric that supports them. We have already laid foundations through partnerships with Amref Health Africa in Kenya, Afrochella in Ghana, Mentally Aware Nigeria Initiative (MANI) in Nigeria, and The HackLab Foundation in Ghana. As part of our long-term commitment to the region, we’ll continue to explore compelling ways we can use the positive power of Twitter to strengthen our communities through employee engagement, platform activation, and corporate giving,” Twitter stated.
The company is also looking to hire specialists to join several teams to operate in product, design, engineering, marketing and communications.
The choice of Ghana as HQ for Twitter’s Africa operations is EXCELLENT news. Gov’t and Ghanaians welcome very much this announcement and the confidence reposed in our country. 1/3 #TwitterInGhana #TwitterGhana https://t.co/HdCqFgXK0x
— Nana Akufo-Addo (@NAkufoAddo) April 12, 2021
Reacting to Dorsey’s announcement, Ghanaian President, Nana Akufo-Addo, in a tweet said that the government and people of Ghana welcome welcomed the micro-blogging site.
“The choice of Ghana as HQ for Twitter’s Africa operations is excellent news. Government and Ghanaians welcome very much this announcement and the confidence reposed in our country,” President Akufo-Addo tweeted.
Business
Youths need critical skills to strengthen Nigerian economy – Bankers Committee’s FITC
Nigerian youths need to embrace adequate skills and create a pool of well-engaged workforce to directly strengthen the nation’s economy.
Bankers Committee’s FITC has called on Nigerian youths to embrace adequate skills and create a pool of well-engaged workforce to directly strengthen the nation’s economy.
This was disclosed by the Managing Director, FITC, Chizor Malize, during the launch of its Future of Work Academy for Youths on Monday.
According to her, the initiative is to continuously bridge the knowledge gap in the country and Africa at large, as it is expected to equip the youths for the peculiar needs of the Future of Work.
It also seeks to solve the prevalent issue of producing university graduates with degrees and skills that have limited practical use in the current global job market, as well as the requirements for the Future of Work.
She said, “The world of work is changing rapidly, and competition for the right talent is fierce. Graduate talents have for decades been primarily identified and employed based on academic excellence, however, in the emerging world of work, creativity, innovation, and work-ready skills have become the non-negotiable indicators for competitive advantage, and to evaluate capabilities.
“It is therefore important for youths to build critical skills, that will equip them for the requirements of the Future of Work in the ever-evolving business landscape. The value FITC FOWA is bringing to corporations at this time cannot be overemphasized. By equipping youths and creating a pool of well-engaged workforce for organizations, FITC FOWA will be directly strengthening the economy and the society in general.”
Malize added that the initiative offers essential courses in Data Science, Data Analytics, Coding, Digital Marketing, Graphics Designs, MS Excel & Analytics, Digital Marketing, Use of PowerPoint, and other key areas that have been strategically packaged to educate, enlighten, and upskill undergraduates and graduates with the vital skills for the Future of Work.
What you should know
Owned by the Bankers Committee (CBN, NDIC and all Nigerian deposit money banks), FITC was established in 1981 as a non-profit organisation limited by guarantee to provide capacity building and serve as a knowledge hub for the Nigerian Financial Services Sector.
