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April 29, 2005
Senate to strip Gowon, Buhari of benefits; Silent on the fate of Babangida
ABUJA —STRONG indications yesterday emerged that former military Heads of State may be stripped of their entitlements and privileges following the report of the Senate Committee on National Planning on a Bill prescribing the remuneration of former presidents, heads of the legislature and the judiciary.
By Emmanuel Aziken
Posted to the Web: Friday, April 29, 2005
Also yesterday, a bill seeking to transfer arbitration of all labour disputes from the High Courts to the National Industrial Court passed through second reading in the Senate.
The report of the Senate Committee on National Planning on the Bill entitled: "An Act to provide remuneration for former presidents, heads of federal legislative houses and chief Justices of the federation and other ancillary matters," was circulated to Senators yesterday but was not debated.
The Bill is an amendment to Decree No 32 of 1999 prepared by the erstwhile military administration of Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar which had among others recommended the payment of N350,000 monthly to former heads of state and presidents for their monthly upkeep. The decree had also prescribed the payment of N250,000 monthly to former Chiefs of General Staff and Vice-Presidents for their upkeep.
However, the amendment Bill sponsored by President Olusegun Obasanjo had removed the former heads of state and the Chiefs of General Staff in the provision. Section 1(a)(i) of the decree promulgated by the Abdulsalami regime had read thus:
•Presidents and Heads of State of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (in this decree referred to as "former Heads of State") shall be (i) paid the sum of N350,000 per month as upkeep allowance.
The Executive Bill proposed by President Obasanjo replaced the section thus: •Presidents of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (in this Act referred to as "former Presidents" shall be (i) paid such amount as shall be determined from time to time by the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission and prescribed by the National Assembly as up-keep allowance in addition to the pension entitlement under section 84(5) of the 1999 Constitution.
The report of the committee agreed with the provisions deleting heads of state from the section and also removing Chiefs of General Staff who were ranked number two in the political hierarchy of the military governments.
The Senate committee report was, however, quiet on what would be the fate of Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, the country’s only former military head of state who chose to be addressed as President. The Bill also grants privileges for all those covered by the bill including holidays, free postage, one telephone line to be maintained by government, and other prerequisites.
Also yesterday, the National Industrial Court Bill, 2005 sponsored by Senator Oserehinmen Osunbor, chairman of the Senate Committee on Judiciary and Legal Matters received robust debate in the Senate. The Bill in the main seeks to create the National Industrial Court which will have exclusive right to arbitrating industrial disputes.
Senators who spoke on the Bill generally praised Senator Osunbor for his initiative on the bill, though some of the contributors even in their praise disagreed on some of the provisions. Senator Leader, Dr. Dalhatu Tafida, while appreciating Senator Osunbor’s effort, said he was worried that the Senate might not have the power to create the court.
He was, however, countered by Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba (SAN) who said the court as desired would be a court of record, quite unlike magistrate and area courts that handle cases with summary dismissal. Senators Abubakar Sodangi (PDP, Nasarawa West) and Tawar Wada (PDP, Gombe South) equally joined in allaying the fears as expressed by Senator Tafida.
Posted by Publisher at 03:47 PM | Comments (0)
EFCC drops 20 charges against Balogun
EMBATTLED former Inspector-General of Police, Mr Tafa Balogun, yesterday had a moment of respite as Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) reduced the 70 count charge of stealing N13 billion earlier slammed on him to 50.
MALACHY UZENDU, Abuja
The court also entered a "not guilty" plea for six other persons, charged along with him, but who are still at large, and not represented by counsel.
Meanwhile, efforts made by the commission to ascertain the identities of two traditional rulers who signed Balogun’s bail bond was refused as Justice Binta Murtala-Nyako told the commission that, "I will not be intimidated. The bail conditions were not given by EFCC."
However, rather than commence trial yesterday, EFCC lawyer, Mr Rotimi Jacobs applied for withdrawal of the 70-count charges, replacing them with fresh 50-count charges to which Mr Balogun pleaded not guilty.
In the fresh counts, though not substantially different from the earlier 70, Mr Balogun was no longer accused of stealing money meant for the police.
Rather, all the count refer to obtaining public property in the value named after the charges, to which Balogun was accused to have diverted to personal use.
Chief Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN) and Chief Awa U. Kalu (SAN) counsels to Balogun not only hinted on filing preliminary objections to the trial, but also complained that EFCC was carrying out actions which were both contemptuous and an act of intimidation on the courts.
According to them, going by press statements credited to EFCC, traditional rulers and other persons who had offered to assist their client, were subtly frightened by the commission.
"In view of what had happened, I apply that an undertaking be made that EFCC would not re-arrest the accused or take steps to infringe on his personal liberty or detained whenever he goes to report to EFCC office as stipulated in the bail bond.
"I urged the court to order EFCC to operate within the law. It is disrespect to the court and to your lordship for EFCC to be addressing the press on a matter that is already before the court," Chief Awomolo said.
The prosecutor, Jacobs, had shortly after he obtained leave of court to replace the earlier charges, requested for access into the identity of personalities that guaranteed Balogun’s bail.
The prosecution counsel alleged that EFCC had the feeling that the court may have been deceived that the people possessed all the credentials required as bail conditions.
While the fresh charges were read, Mr Balogun told the court that he had never at any time been "known also as Adebayo Mustapha" to which the judge asked the lawyers to address in their briefs.
In taking the hint dropped by the defence counsels, Justice Murtala-Nyako cautioned the commission on its utterances and actions, pointing out that though EFCC had denied making references to the present case when it asked those who had received gifts from the police to return same, "the timing was improper" adding that "this court will not stop EFCC from doing its job."
Further hearing on the matter was adjourned to May 11.
Posted by Publisher at 03:46 PM | Comments (0)
Strike: Tanker Drivers Insist on Illegal Parking; Otedola pays N2m for release of trucks
Hopes of a quick resolution to the face off between the Lagos State Government and the Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) over the on-going strike by tanker drivers in the state, were dashed yesterday as the drivers insisted they must be allowed to park their trucks on the highways.
By Mike Oduniyi and Shaka Momodu, 04.29.2005
But Lagos State Government, however, said it would continue to impound vehicles illegally packed on the bridges and highways.
Managing Director of Zenon Oil Limited, Mr. Femi Otedola, had yesterday paid the sum of N2 million to cover the fine imposed by the Lagos government on the 40 fuel tankers earlier seized, in a spirited move to end the crisis.
NUPENG had given the release of their trucks as a condition for ending the five-day old strike, which has paralysed economic activities in Nigeria's commercial capital.
Addressing journalists yesterday in Lagos, NUPENG national president, Mr. Peter Akpatason, said after handing over the N2 million cheque from Otedola to the Lagos State Ministry of Transportation, the government issued fresh conditions that the union must meet before the release of the trucks.
"We intended calling off the strike this (yesterday's) evening after Otedola offered to pay for the release of the seized trucks. But the Lagos State Government said we have to meet their own demand, which we are not ready to do.
"In the light of this, we are not in a position to call off the strike...We have even invited our members in other states to join in the strike and it will be total," Akpatason said.
When asked what the new demands were Akpatason declined to mention them.
Lagos State Government officials later told THISDAY that the drivers were only requested to sign an undertaken that they would not park on the highways.
Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Dele Alake, told THISDAY last night that no fresh demand were issued except that the seized trucks must be collected by individual drivers and not by the association.
He said the 40 tankers were impounded separately and would be so released.
He accused NUPENG president of trying to whip up public sentiment. “They have paid and can come for their vehicles today. If they don’t, it means they have a hidden agenda,” Alake said.
Otedola had offered to pay the fine in his capacity as the National Patron of the Petroleum Tanker Drivers' Branch of NUPENG.
Speaking while receiving the cheque sent by Otedola to bail out the trucks, Alake, restated the danger posed to the unwary motorists by reckless parking on the bridges and the highways.
He said that the government was not interested in the money but the faithful compliance with the laws put in place by the state to regulate the transport sector.
Alake added that the enforcement of the law has enabled the state government to save many lives that could have been lost due to the illegal parking on the highways.
He expressed government's gratitude to Lagosians for appreciating the fact that the government did not maintain its stance to punish innocent citizens but to ensure that the rule of law is observed and to demonstrate that no group is above the law.
"The case of the tanker drivers should serve as a lesson to bus drivers who have turned the bridges at Idumota and Obalende in Lagos metropolis, into bus stops," he said.
Also speaking at the occasion, the state Transportation Commissioner, Mr. Muiz Banire said Governor Bola Ahmed Tinubu had directed that the Ministry of Transportation should review the bids of all investors who sent in proposals for the construction of the truck terminal if the tanker drivers do not begin to develop the place in the next seven days.
The strike today entered its fifth day. Commuters' hardship multiplied yesterday as the fuel scarcity bit harder. Black market operators were selling petrol at N250 per litre, compared to the official price of N50.00 a litre.
Many commuters were seen stranded at the bus stops as the few commercial transport operators on the roads hiked fares by as much as 150 percent.
Posted by Publisher at 03:44 PM | Comments (0)
Alleged N21m bribe : Ministerial nominee, three others docked
Ministerial nominee, Adetokunbo Kayode, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), was among four suspects arraigned by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) on Thursday for allegedly offering bribe.
By Rotimi Fadeyi
Snr Correspondent, Abuja
Others are Damien Dodo (also a SAN), former Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) Commissioner, Mary Obegolu and her son Emeka.
They appeared before an Abuja High Court on a 13-count charge of allegedly offering N21 million gratification in 2002 over the engagement of KDIO consortium of lawyers who drafted contract agreements for the INEC.
They all pleaded not guilty to the charges, however, Justice Isaq Bello ordered that they be remanded in ICPC custody until today when their bail would be considered.
Kayode, who represented himself, denied the allegation, saying he never offered gratification to anyone.
He maintained that the allegation was brought up because of his nomination as a Minister.
His words: “I am not worried, I have been a lawyer for 23 years, I should be on the other side. I was innocent in 2002 and I remain innocent. I will plead with my friends everywhere not to be disturbed; it is just for a short time. I thank the person that nominated me.
“Nobody asked me for money, I did not offer anybody money, I don’t have any animosity against anybody, I am a man of integrity. They just want to destroy the career that I have built for over 23 years but I know that justice will prevail”.
Kayode was singularly accused of failing to report to an officer of the INEC or a police officer, solicitation of gratification in the sum of N42 million allegedly made to him by Obegolu.
The offence is punishable under Section 23 (3) of the ICPC Act 2000.
Besides, he was jointly arraigned with Dodo on five counts for allegedly conspiring with each other to offer gratification of N21 million to Obegolu.
Dodo was singularly charged for failing to report to an officer of the commission or a police officer, solicitation of gratification in the sum of N42 million allegedly made by Obegolu.
Obegolu and Emeka were jointly charged on two counts for allegedly receiving a N21 million cheque from Dodo and Kayode, punishable under Section 10 (1) of the ICPC Act.
Emeka is solely answerable to three counts of allegedly receiving a N21 million cheque from Dodo and Kayode for his mother, punishable under Section 10 (a) (ii) of the ICPC Act.
Kayode pleaded for bail for himself, counsels for the others did so on their behalf, saying the offences are bailable.
They argued that bail should be granted on self-recognisance, particularly to the two SANs “who are responsible people in the society”.
But ICPC counsel, Sanusi Kado, opposed the application because it could be difficult getting them for the case.
He said if the court is disposed to granting them bail, tough conditions that would make them come for trial should be attached.
Bello will rule on the applications today.
Posted by Publisher at 03:42 PM | Comments (0)
South-South delegates want derivation raised to 60 per cent
DELEGATES from the South-South geo-political zone to the National Political Reform Conference (NPRC) have restated their demand for a true federalism, where the littoral states would be given the autonomy over their resources.
From Mohammed Abubakar, Abuja
In the event of majority of Nigerians opposed to the demand, the delegates requested that the derivation formula should be raised to 60 per cent.
At a press conference in Abuja yesterday, the conferees under the aegis of South-South Delegates Forum, decried what they called the politics of isolation and injustice being meted out to the people of Niger-Delta and the refusal of some confab members to appreciate the enormity of the problems faced by the region.
The press conference was jointly addressed by notable leaders from Bayelsa, Cross River, Rivers, Akwa-Ibom, Edo and Delta states, which make up the zone.
The group's chairman and First Republic Minister of External Affairs, Chief Matthew Mbu said it was regrettable that after four-and-a-half decades of living together under one flag, searching for, and learning how best to relate with one another, "some Nigerians are yet to imbibe the lessons of mutual tolerance, justice and fair play.
"Such lessons like truth and honesty in our interaction with one another, fairness and justice in the allocation and distribution of resources and opportunities are thrown overboard, and in their place, hard-hearted, uncompromising take-it or leave-it stance.
"This unwholesome attitude has been exhibited in more ways than one during the plenary session as well as during the committees. In the event, the very fundamentals, on the basis of which this conference was convened are being violated," he stated.
Referring to President Olusegun Obasanjo's inaugural address to the conference on February 21, where he stressed the need for the reassessment, refocus, redefinition and redesigning the country's political direction, Mbu said: "So far, the signals coming through the committees, portend an ill wind that will blow Nigeria no good. Unguarded utterances by some delegates have touched on the raw nerves of the peoples of the Niger-Delta," he declared.
Mbu cited the examples of the call for the relocation of all the inhabitants of the Niger-Delta ostensibly in view of the much complained of environmental despoliation and the threat to reduce the 13 per cent which "we have already given to you, unless you explain satisfactorily what you have done with it.
"Needless to say, that call for relocation, conjures up eerie feelings of that most infamous of events - the holocaust - the practicalisation of Hitter's bid to eliminate an entire race from the face of the earth".
According to him, the idea of a reform conference was borne out of the desperate need to correct the structural imbalances in the Nigerian polity, deliberately or inadvertently inflicted on some sections of this country, including the Niger-Delta and in the process, set a new nation-building agenda for a reborn Nigeria.
"Such patriotic ideals could be realised only if each delegate came to the conference with an open mind, not to negotiate away their freedom and the right to the good life, but to act in concert in order to realise greater sustainable freedom and collectively facilitate the right to the good for all Nigerians," Mbu added.
On the demands by the South-South to a measure of control over its natural resources, the Ffrum said it was basic and recognised by all laws and international instruments.
It said: "Resource control means the right of the states and communities mostly directly concerned to the management of resource within their respective territory including the rights of exploitation and disposal of harvested resources.
"The communities insists on a planned and controlled production to ensure the progressive replacement of the non-renewable resource by a reasonable product that is free of pollution and other environmental hazards," noting that mere increase in revenue without control and management is short sighted and deadly as it condemns the host communities to perpetual servitude and a present without a future.
Citing article 1803 of the United Nations, which affirms the principle of permanent sovereignty over natural resources, Mbu said such view as resource control as the ultimate aim of fiscal federalism has been recognised globally.
Posted by Publisher at 02:45 PM | Comments (0)
Many dead in Nigeria land clashes
At least 30 people have been killed in inter-communal fighting in south-eastern Nigeria, officials say.
The fighting between the Ukelle community in Cross River State and their neighbours, the Izzi people of Ebonyi State, erupted two weeks ago.
The clashes have been attributed to land rivalries.
Nigeria's 130m people are divided into many different ethnic and religious groups, which often clash for control of economic resources such as land.
More than 10,000 people have been killed in such clashes since 1999.
An Ebonyi state government spokesman told the BBC that more than 30 people had been killed.
But local reports quoting community leaders say more than 100 people are feared dead.
Peter Chigbe Ilop, a community leader in Cross River state, told Reuters news agency that more than 70 of his people had so far died in the fighting.
Joe Nwonumara, chairman of the Izzi local council in Ebonyi, told Reuters that 37 members of his community had died.
More than 150 houses are reported to have been burnt, and grain stores looted.
Posted by Publisher at 02:42 PM | Comments (0)
April 28, 2005
Bishop Okonkwo to Obasanjo : Don’t attempt 3rd term
IMMEDIATE past president of Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), Bishop Mike Okonkwo yesterday reviewed Nigeria’s myriads of problems, saying that the country has all the potentials to be the greatest nation in the world.
IHEANACHO NWOSU
•‘Nigeria’s potentials awesome’
He urged Nigerians to work out ways of harnessing the abundant natural resources of the country instead of wallowing in despair and hopelessness, even as he lauded the anti-corruption crusade of President Olusegun Obasanjo.
Besides Bishop Okonkwo also cautioned the President against bowing to pressures to go for third term, saying that it would be more noble for him to vacate office at the expiry of his second term in May 2007.
Obasanjo had last month declared in Germany that he was not available for the presidency in 2007 in spite of pressures from unnamed people.
The bishop spoke during a visit to Champion Newspapers Limited head office, Lagos as guest on Champion Arena, an interactive session with senior editors of the organisation.
He said, though Nigeria is a developing country, the resources she is blessed with were far more than those of any of the present day great nations.
He said: "Nigeria is a developing country, but I have always said to people, if there is nothing good, about Nigeria, how come that we are always having Boeing 747 (plane) loaded with foreigners coming into this country and asking for more air routes to Port Harcourt, Enugu and other cities."
The cleric explained that "there is a lot in Nigeria. This country has a lot of potential," arguing that it was because of this that "the devil is always fighting the country."
Speaking on the war against corruption, he said: "I must commend the president for the step he has taken so far in fighting corruption", adding, however, that the current effort is a mere scratching of the surface.
Dr. Okonkwo who is also the National Vice Chairman of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), and Bishop of The Redeemed Evangelical Mission (TREM) contended that a ruthless approach must be adopted by the President.
The approach, he explained must lay emphasis on taking the battle from the top echelon of the government to all sectors citing the example of Uganda where the leadership of the country did not have any sacred cows in its war against corruption.
"We must be ruthless if we must win the war against corruption," he said adding that "there must not be any sacred cow." He described corruption as the greatest challenge facing the nation, attributing the low growth of Nigeria to the vice.
Expressing disgust at the series of happenings in Anambra State, the Bishop warned against the unrelenting plot to unseat the state governor.
"Gov Chris Ngige must be left alone," he advised, arguing that his performance so far, especially his regular payment of salaries to workers as well as his massive road construction and rehabilitation were all that the people of the state were yearning for.
He said, "he is paying salaries and pensions. He is building roads and doing what he is expected to do," warning "there will be crisis if he is removed."
Although he does not dispute the claim that the election in the state was rigged, the charismatic preacher however insisted that elections in the other states were also rigged and that it would be unfair to only concentrate on Anambra State.
"It should be a chain thing. We are talking about electoral malpractices in all the states, why focusing on Anambra State alone?" the Bishop asked.
Dr. Okonkwo particularly criticised the Federal Government and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)’s handling of Anambra political crises, accusing them of double standards. According to him, perpetrators of the crises especially those behind the November 10-14, 2004 burning of public properties ought to have been arrested and made to face the law.
"How can somebody come out and say that he rigged election. How can some people go and burn down public buildings, and facilities, yet they are moving on the street free, no arrest?" he questioned.
On the rumour that President Obasanjo was angling to run for third term and that the controversial draft constitution given to the National Political Reforms Conference was to that effect, the TREM founder described that as a mere speculation.
He advised the president not to pander to such advice, noting that a country was blessed with great men who had the capacity to pilot the affairs of the country from where he would stop in 2007.
On whether the outcome of the national Confab would transform Nigeria, the CAN vice president submitted that the country’s problems are largely structural. According to him, unless the confab was able to come up with ways of restructuring the country to the extent that its political system will throw up credible individuals during elections, the nation will continue to wallow in uncertainties.
"I have continued to say it that until we restructure our political system so that good Nigerians will have a chance of contesting and winning elections, the country will not be transformed," the bishop said.
Commenting on the forthcoming national census, Dr. Okonkwo backed CAN’s position that religion and ethnicity must be included in the census data. He posited that the measure would help determine the true position about the population of the different ethnic groups as well as their religious affiliations.
Posted by Publisher at 02:52 PM | Comments (0)
Bush hides in bunker Over security scare in White House
The United States President, Mr. George W. Bush, fled to an underground bunker on Wednesday after his security detail feared an aircraft had entered restricted airspace near the White House, his spokesman said.
A report by the Agence France Presse, quoting White House Press Secretary, Mr. Scott McClellan, said, "It was quickly learned that it was a false alarm and that all was clear in a very short amount of time, and everything is fine."
The Vice-President, Mr. Dick Cheney, was also taken to safety, said McClellan.
The spokesman said Bush was in the bunker "a very short amount of time," and that he believed it was the first time the President had gone to the underground facility since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
"There was a report or an indication that an aircraft had entered restricted airspace around the White House, and so there was some precautionary measures that were taken," he said.
The US Secret Service, which is responsible for Bush's safety, "is still looking into that."
The invasion of the restricted airspace coincided with a report that terrorist activity in the world increased sharply in 2004 with the number of attacks and dead more than tripling.
The report was released by the US National Counterterrorism Centre said on Wednesday.
The NCTC, an arm of the Central Intelligence Agency, said there were 651 terrorist attacks across the globe last year, up from 208 reported by the State Department for 2003.
It said a total of 1,907 people were killed in the attacks in 2004, up from the 625 reported by the State Department for the previous year.
A total of 6,704 people were wounded in terrorist strikes, according to the NCTC, compared to the 3,646 reported for 2003. Another 710 people were taken hostage in 2004, the new report said.
The NCTC released the figures separately from an annual State Department country report on terrorism which said the global threat remained "significant" and Iraq was still the central battleground.
Earlier this month, the State Department said it had decided not to publish statistics after widely publicized errors were found in figures for 2003 that had to be revised.
More than half the attacks reported by the NCTC for 2004 were in South Asia, which recorded 327 incidents that produced 502 deaths.
The bulk of those killed were in the Middle East, where 726 people died in 270 attacks. But the bloodiest strikes were in Europe and Eurasia, where 636 people were killed overall in 24 incidents, including a train bombing in Spain and school seizure in Russia.
Nearly half the incidents (46 percent) involved armed attacks, the NCTC said, while suicide and other bombings accounted for 29 percent. Sixteen percent of the attacks involved kidnappings.
The State Department report highlighted the continuing terrorist threat despite what it said was success in whittling down the Al-Qaeda terrorist group.
The PUNCH, Thursday, April 28, 2005
Posted by Publisher at 02:49 PM | Comments (0)
PDP parley on Atiku, Marwa flops
A meeting of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) held in Damaturu to harmonise positions on the two Presidential aspirants on its platform, Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Buba Marwa, has ended in deadlock.
• Both jostle for presidential ticket
• Loyalists split party in Adamawa
By Sule Lazarus
Snr Correspondent, Yola
It was intended to facilitate the declaration of Marwa’s campaign, but it ended abruptly as his loyalists expressed dissatisfaction with the way the party leadership is handling the project.
Those backing Atiku are said to be frustrating the formal declaration of Marwa’s ambition in Adamawa State despite the directive from PDP national headquarters that the local chapter should ensure that the ceremony is held.
The state chapter insists that Marwa has broken protocol by not starting from the state and may, therefore, not get its blessing.
State PDP Chairman, Joel Madaki, confirmed that the members met without arriving at a resolution.
He said the party is not officially aware of any candidate in the state declaring to contest for the Presidency.
Madaki also denied the allegation that the state government is working against the ambition of Marwa, noting that the PDP is meant to accommodate all interests within its ranks.
However, a representative of the Marwa group at the meeting, Njidda Gella, also a member of the House of Representatives, insisted that “Marwa’s Presidential campaign declaration topped the agenda. The support of the state PDP is a right and therefore not negotiable”.
The disagreement between Atiku and Marwa’s supporters is tearing the PDP apart in the state and there seems to be no solution in sight.
Atiku loyalists insist that there should be no opposition from the state on his candidature, against the stand of the Marwa group that it is a matter of interest and right for people to have a choice of their candidates.
The crack in the party is illustrated by that in Mubi South Council. Its Chairman, Sajo Gidado Gella, is the National Co-ordinator of Grassroot Mobilisation for Atiku (GRAMA 2007) while his brother Njidda leads the Marwa camp.
The Marwa group is swelling by the day as those frustrated in the PDP and other parties have regrouped to throw their weight behind him.
The likes of Senators Halilu Girei, Paul Wampana, Jibril Aminu and Abubakar Musa Kamale are leading the crusade for him in and outside the state.
However, the April 30 date slated for Marwa’s declaration may not be possible as sources said Atiku may be present in the state on that date.
Nonetheless, the Atiku camp is also experiencing some vibrancy as it also records influx from other groups both within and outside the state.
Posted by Publisher at 02:38 PM | Comments (0)
Chrome, Freedom, Skyline Licences Revoked; Trans Saharan, Savanah, 4 others too
The hammer yesterday fell on nine domestic airlines as civil aviation regulator, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) revoked their operating licences otherwise known as Air Operator Cerificate (AOC).
By Ndubuisi Francis and Clara Udeh, 04.28.2005
The revocation which was conveyed to the affected airlines in separate correspondences by the NCAA takes immediate effect.
The airlines affected are Chrome Air owned by Anambra businessman, Chief Emeka Offor as well as Freedom Air and Skyline.
Others are Trans Saharan Air which was involved in last year's hajj operations, Amaco Air, Earth Air, Savanah Airlines, Millennium Air and Nexus Aviation.
A statement issued by the NCAA yesterday and signed by Media Assistant to the Director General, Mr. Sam Adurogboye said the action was taken because the affected airlines had failed to make effective use of their AOCs.
The statement noted that some of the airlines ceased operations three years ago, adding that the NCAA has the power to revoke the AOC of any airline if such an operator did not commence operations 60 days after its licence was issued.
NCAA stated that the airlines in question had been given seven days within which to surrender the AOCs, commencing from the date of receipt of the letter from the regulatory body.
The civil aviation regulator also issued a seven-day ultimatum to Premium Air Shuttle (PAS), a charter operator highly patronised by some state governors and other important dignitaries in the country.
PAS was given seven days to employ a quality assurance manager and provide evidence of compliance to the NCAA, failure which sanctions would be invoked on it.
Yesterday's revocation of the nine airlines' AOCs may have fallen in line with the recurring threats by the Aviation Minister, Mallam Isa Yuguda, to go the whole hog in maintaining discipline and standards in the industry.
The minister who read the riot act to both local and international airlines in the country in Abuja on April 14 said that there will no longer be room for compromise on safety and standards and announced the revocation of the AOC of Amjet, a charter operator.
The revocation of Amjet's AOC, according to the minister, was a penalty for the airline's managment's sacking of one of its pilots over disagreement on safety issues.
The Federal Government had also last year revoked the AOC of a new airline, Falcon over breaches and non-compliance with recommended standards.
It would be recalled that in March last year, the Federal Government also revoked the AOC and the Air Transport Licence (ATL) of Slok Air owned by Abia State Governor, Chief Uzor Orji Kalu.
Although political undertone was read in the revocation, the government has refused to revalidate the licence despite several pleas.
An Air Operator Certificate (AOC) is renewable every two years.
Posted by Publisher at 02:08 PM | Comments (0)
Nigeria demands more debt relief
A delegation from the Nigerian parliament is in Washington seeking support for relief on the country's £30bn foreign debt, which is owed mostly to rich countries.
By Andrew Walker
BBC economics correspondent
Malnutrition or inadequate healthcare is costing childrens' lives
Many African countries have had extensive debt relief over the last decade.
Nigeria is anxious to get in on the act too.
A small group from the Nigerian parliament is visiting some of the creditor countries seeking support.
The head of the delegation, Senator Udo Udoma, currently in Washington, says that he wants debt cancelled altogether.
He says it is unconscionable that Nigeria is paying so much on its debts when there is so much poverty in the country.
"At a time that about 79,000 Nigerian children between the ages of one and five are dying from malnutrition, lack of adequate healthcare and so on, I think that we are entitled to some relief," said Senator Udoma.
Corrupt
The past unwillingness of creditor governments to agree to debt relief reflects concerns about corruption, which has been a severe problem in Nigeria.
Creditors have also had concerns about economic policy performance, and Nigeria's reluctance to be monitored by the International Monetary Fund.
Mr Udoma said that Nigeria is now making progress on corruption.
He said that he at least would accept outside monitoring to ensure that funds released by debt relief were used properly.
He also said that much of the debt was incurred by previous military governments.
Much of the money lent never reached Nigeria, he said, and much was ostensibly for projects that in fact never existed.
Posted by Publisher at 02:07 PM | Comments (0)
April 26, 2005
Balogun released on bail
Justice Binta Murtala Nyako of the Federal High Court, Abuja, released the former Inspector General of Police, Mr. Tafa Balogun, on bail on Monday.
Tobi Soniyi and Kayode Ketefe
But it was not clear as at Monday night if Balogun had met the stringent bail conditions imposed by the court, as both the court and his counsel, Dr. Tunji Abayomi, kept the matter secret.
The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mr. Nuhu Ribadu, was out of the country but the commission’s officials claimed that they did not know if the bail conditions had been met.
A source told our correspondent on Monday night, “We received a production warrant from the court asking that Balogun should be produced. Our men took him there in obedience to the court order only to find that the papers for his release were ready.”
Some senior members of the bar have faulted the shielding of Balogun’s sureties from the public.
Balogun, however, regained his freedom after spending two weeks in detention.
The former IGP’s journey into freedom began, at about 3.40p.m, when officials of the EFCC drove him to the court premises in a green Peugeot Export bus.
He spent about an hour processing the bail bonds.
When the process was completed, the EFCC’s operatives insisted that the trial judge must sign the bail bond before they could release Balogun.
Abayomi was visibly upset by this condition. He insisted that once the court’s registrar was satisfied that all the conditions had been fulfilled, his client should be allowed to go.
When asked by our correspondent, Abayomi refused to disclose the names of the traditional rulers and eminent Nigerians, who stood surety for Balogun, saying he did not want them to be “harassed” by anyone.
As part of the condition for Balogun’s release Justice Nyako had on April ruled that he must produce two sureties of eminent persons who had been conferred with the nation’s merit awards of Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger and above.
The two sureties must be worth N50 million each and must have landed properties in Asokoro or Maitama district of Abuja.
The judge also said he must produce four first class traditional rulers spread across the country’s geographical zones.
Before he was driven out of the court premises, there was apprehension that he may be re-arrested.
Immediately the court officials told him that he could go, Balogun asked his driver, a uniformed policeman, to drive out of the premises.
But his lawyer, Abayomi overruled him, saying that the EFCC’s officials should be allowed to go first.
The former IGP was later driven out of the court premises located at the Maitama District of Abuja in a blue Mercedez Benz, Lagos DE 143 LSR, belonging to his counsel, Abayomi, at 4.50 pm.
Our correspondents who witnessed Balogun’s release exclusively in the court asked him what his experience was while in detention.
“I thank you all, but no comments,” he replied.
“But sir, we heard that you were sick while in detention, how are you feeling now?” our reporter asked.
“Oh people said I am sick. I am not as you can see I am in very high spirits,” Balogun replied.
Reacting to the withholding of the identity of the sureties of the former police chief, Prof. Itse Sagay and Mr. Femi Falana said it was irregular.
The two lawyers who spoke with our correspondents on Monday shortly after Balogun’s release said that the Federal High Court had no right to keep the names of his sureties secret.
Sagay said, “The entire court proceedings in Nigeria dwell in the public domain. The proceedings of court are meant for public consumption. The proceedings of the court form the records of the court, and these records are public documents, which should be accessible to the members of the public on request.
“A person has the right to apply for the records of the court from the Registrar and upon payment of the requisite fee he is entitled to have them”
Falana also stressed that Nigeria’s open system of administration of justice did not leave room for the proceedings of the court to be shrouded in secrecy.
He said, “Our law permits the public to know what transpires in our courts. It is wrong for the proceedings of court to be kept secret. Court records are public document.”
The PUNCH, Tuesday, April, 26, 2005
Posted by Publisher at 07:24 PM | Comments (0)
Confab dumps Obasanjo's dummy constitution — Supporters in fresh plot to prolong tenure till 2009
ABUJA —THE on-going national conference has thrown out the controversial draft constitution which prescribes a six-year tenure for executive office holders, Prince Bola Ajibola, chairman of the Conference Committee on the Judiciary and Legal Reforms, said yesterday.
By Bolade Omonijo & Emmanuel Aziken
Posted to the Web: Tuesday, April 26, 2005
His statement notwithstanding, supporters of the extension of President Olusegun Obasanjo’s tenure at the confab were unrelenting as they unfolded a fresh plot in the move to extend his second tenure beyond 2007 to 2009.
Ambassador Greg Mbadiwe, a delegate and Director of Strategy in President Obasanjo’s 2003 re-election campaign headquarters, told newsmen that the additional two years were needed to ensure effective consolidation of the on-going reforms by the present administration.
Prince Ajibola spoke in response to mounting tension arising from the admission by some Federal Government special delegates that they had indeed submitted the then “mysterious’ Constitution that recommended the six-year single tenure upon which it was suggested that President Obasanjo could achieve a third term.
The draft constitution, he said, was formally presented to his committee yesterday which after prompt consideration rejected it on the basis of late submission. He said the draft, like all other memoranda to the conference, should have arrived before the deadline of March 29 stipulated by the conference secretariat.
He said: “It wasn’t part of the documents put in our folders. It wasn’t part of any memoranda that we received since the whole process started in earnest. And nobody gave us any directive or any guideline that any Constitution or draft Constitution or amendment to the 1999 Constitution should be taken into consideration.
“Let me tell you that our own committee that has to do with this kind of document received it only today (Monday). We saw it and deliberated on it and we reached a very firm and definitive conclusion. After discussing it extensively, we found that this document is belated; it can no longer be presented to us because it was a document that if it had to be acted upon, it must have been presented before us before now and it is therefore a belated document which can be taken and marked as rejected. Full stop.
“If anybody knew that this was a Constitution to be acted upon, that would have come in before the 29th of March, but it wasn’t and this document was already in existence before then. It clearly indicates that nobody is prepared to throw our gauntlet this type of document and therefore, let’s be at ease. Let’s calm down, let’s cool things down. This document is not much of a force that you all think it is.
“Let me tell you, in our committee, we have been privileged to call for on our own Constitution, the Ugandan Constitution, the South African Constitution, the Indian Constitution, the American Constitution and so many other Constitutions. In fact, we have also looked into the 1995 Constitution that was drafted and was not passed. We have been privileged to look at so many documents on our own and definitely, this amendment to the 1999 Constitution wasn’t part of it. I think you are happy now,” he said.
However, making a case for the extension of President Obasanjo’s stay in power, Ambassador Mbadiwe in a session with newsmen said: “What is six years in the life of a nation for Christ’s sake. If the ills of nation are going to be sorted out by adding another two years to the life of this administration, I don’t think it hurts anybody.
“What is two years? This is a country in perpetuity. We have a long time and I think the President, the process he is carrying out right now, if he has extra two years to be able to ground it properly, I don’t see anything wrong.We add another two years for him to solidify and do a proper hand over. There is nothing wrong with that.”
Posted by Publisher at 07:23 PM | Comments (0)
Reps panel indicts El-Rufai over NITEL, Pentascope deal
After several months of probing into the circumstances surrounding the botched Nigerian Telecommunication Ltd (NITEL) and Pentascope of Netherlands BV management contract, the House of Representatives Committee on Communication has found the erstwhile Director-General of the Bureau for Pubic Enterprises (BPE), Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, guilty in the deal.
By Uchenna Awom
National Assembly
Correspondent, Abuja
The committee not only declared that the drafting of the agreement was faulty, but also asked the Federal Government to sanction el-Rufai for lying on oath.
Also, the committee, according to its report that will be formally presented to the House plenary this week, recommended that the former board Chairman of NITEL, Vincent Maduka, be barred from holding further public office.
El-Rufai, who is now the chairman, Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), was said to have told the panel lies concerning all he knew about company even when he was aware that Pentascope was not competent to handle a big company like NITEL still went ahead to award the contract to the company.
In the same vein, the Chairman of FCDA, the report added, went ahead to seal the deal in defiance of presidential directives that the BPE should not sign the contract.
Most stunning was that in the course of the investigation, it was discovered that el-Rufai assisted in recruiting three key staff of Pentascope, and for this and other actions which led to the termination of the contract, it recommended that he should be made to explain to Nigerians why the contract was awarded to Pentascope despite the obvious lapses.
However, the committee in the report recommended the involvement of the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation in future contract for legal guidance in other to avoid similar mistakes.
It would be recalled that following the termination of the NITEL/Pentascope management contract, which was signed in 2002, the House mandated its Committee on Communication to investigate the circumstances surrounding the contract and its eventual failure.
Posted by Publisher at 04:17 PM | Comments (0)
Fuel scarcity hits Lagos as tanker drivers begin strike
LAGOS branch of the Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) unit of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas (NUPENG) workers yesterday began an indefinite strike to protest the seizure of their members’ trucks for improper parking.
SOPURUCHI ONWUKA
Executive Secretary of NUPENG, Mr Elijah Okougbo who confirmed the strike however declined comment on strategies and duration of the action.
Trouble started when the Lagos State government impounded over 40 haulage tankers for parking at unauthorised locations, mostly under the bridges close to the Apapa depot clusters, demanding a fine of 25,000 on each of the vehicles.
The strike which was originally scheduled for penultimate Monday had to be suspended in deference to interruption by NUPENG President Peter Akpatason, the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) and Pipeline Products Marketing Company (PPMC).
A strike by the haulage tanker drivers is dreaded for its potential to cause acute fuel shortage in sections of the country supplied from storage facilities in Lagos.
The issue of parking space for fleets of haulage trucks that throng Lagos to lift fuel has been a traditional source of dispute between the Lagos State government and the drivers who claim that they have not been provided alternative parking spaces.
A collaboration between government agencies, major petroleum products marketers and the national executives of NUPENG has failed to develop a swampy location offered by Lagos State government as a garage for the haulage tankers.
Mr. Okougbo advised the Lagos State government to seek peaceful resolution of the issue with the drivers.
Comrade Peter Akpatason who spoke from Abuja said he had prevailed on PTD to suspend the strike by one week as he collaborated with PPRA and PPMC in a failed attempt to broker a truce.
He however regretted that the effort could not resolve the matter, leaving the tanker drivers to press ahead with the strike.
Executive Secretary of PPPRA, Dr Oluwole Oluleye, could not be reached to comment on the issue as he refused to take his calls but his aides said he was in a meeting with stakeholders over the issue.
Chairman of Committee of Major Petroleum products marketers, Mr. Wale Tinubu, could not take his calls either as all efforts to reach him on the issue ended in his voice mail.
Meanwhile, Comrade Akpatason who spoke said improper parking resulted from concentration of petroleum product importation through the Lagos ports, and dilapidation of downstream distribution pipeline network.
He tasked the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) whose subsidery PPMC operates the pipelines to quickly rehabilitate them to reduce bulk transshipment of products by road tankers.
He also urged government to channel fuel importation routes to other ports in the East to reduce pressure on Lagos ports and eliminate haulage trucks congestion on Lagos roads.
The NUPENG boss blamed the entire crisis on faulty method of market deregulation in the country, pointing out that most of the problems associated with downstream market deregulation arose from near absence of internal refining.
He described deregulation that depends heavily on importation to service the local market as improper, insisting that a robust local refining capacity should precede deregulation.
Contacts with PTD in other states indicated that the strike is not nationwide.
Executive Chairman of Aba Unit of PTD, Abia State, Comrade Patrick Okwunwanne, said his unit was not aware of the strike, assuring that movement of products would not be disrutped in the state.
Posted by Publisher at 04:15 PM | Comments (0)
Palace coup in Onitsha • Parallel Obi emerges • It’s a joke – Achebe
Tension soaked the commercial city of Onitsha, on Monday, as opponents of the reigning Obi of Onitsha, Nnaemeka Alfred Achebe, installed a parallel king.
John Ameh, Onitsha
The installation climaxed a protracted kingship tussle in the Onitsha Traditional Council.
Opponents of Achebe, led by the Onowu (traditional Prime Minister), Chief Olisa Mortune,crowned a former Managing Director of the Anambra Motor Manufacturing Company, Chief Godwin Odukwe, as the new Obi.
Observers feared that this action could lead to a breach of the peace in the commercial centre.
Mortune crowned Odukwe as Obi at 8.15am on Monday. He said that as the prime minister, he had the authority to perform the ceremony according to Onitsha customs and tradition.
But the supporters of Achebe dismissed Mortune’s action as an empty ritual.
Mortune said, “I hereby pronounce him (Odukwe) the 21st Obi Onitsha, the successor to our last Obi, Igwe Okagbue Ofala. This is the first time we have elected an Obi since his death.
“Anybody parading himself as an Obi since then is an impostor. I am the only person who has the powers to crown a new Obi, and I have done so today.”
Investigations by our correspondent showed that the disagreement between Mortune and Achebe arose from the process of selecting an Obi in 2002, which Mortune and his loyalists claimed was faulty.
Achebe was alleged to have failed to perform some of the traditional rites expected of a king among the Onitsha people.
Mortune said, “Such a person cannot be king. We have repeated this many times. I have been the Onowu for 11 eleven years and my duty is to tell who shall be the Obi.
“Today, for the first time since the death of Obi Okagbue, the 20th Obi of Onitsha, we have a new Obi; Chief Gowin Odukwe.”
He claimed to have the backing of a majority of the “truly recognised” titled chiefs in the Onitsha Traditional Council, including the Ajie of Onitsha, Col. Gabriel Emordi (rtd); the Odu of Onitsha (for his camp), Chief Arthur Mbanefo; the Onyia of Onitsha, Chief Aniweta Aningbowa; and the Owelle of Onitsha and son to the late Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Chief Chukwuma Azikiwe.
It was, however, learnt that out of the number, only Emordi, Mortune and some other loyalists of the group witnessed the installation of the Odukwe, which was held at one of the private residences of Mortune in Onitsha.
In their reaction, Achebe’s loyalists accused Mortune of taking the law into his hands and attempting to precipitate a major crisis in Onitsha.
One of the high chiefs in Achebe’s camp, Mike Areh, the Ede Gbugbugaga of Onitsha, said Mortune’s action was an open display of disregard for constituted authority.
He added, “As far as we are concerned in Onitsha, Igwe Achebe is the Obi of Onitsha and he remains so.
“What is happening in Mortune’s camp is mere amusement, which nobody should take seriously.”
Dismissing the installation of a new Obi, the secretary of the committee that selected Achebe in 2002, Mr. Onyeachi Ipkeazu, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, said the Achebe group would take it that it had not heard what Mortune purportedly did until the picture became clearer. He added that recourse to the law courts could not be ruled out.
Achebe, who assumed the throne in 2002, is recognised by both the Federal and Anambra State governments.
In 2003 and 2004, Achebe performed the annual Ofala festival, one of the traditional duties that confer legitimacy on a reigning king in Onitsha. The 2005 edition of the festival is scheduled to hold in August.
Achebe is currently attending the ongoing National Political Reform Conference in Abuja, as the representative of traditional rulers in the five South-East states of Abia, Anambra, Imo, Ebonyi and Enugu.
Shortly after becoming Obi in 2002, he was said to have relieved Mortune of his position as Onowu; and in his place, appointed a former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Chief Chike Ofodile, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria.
Last year, he also removed Mbanefo, a former Nigerian Ambassador to the United Nations, as the Odu (fourth most powerful chief in Onitsha).
In Mbanefo’s place, he named a retired director of First Bank Plc, Chief Onyeachonam Okolonji. The move that was interpreted as Achebe’s way of consolidating his position as the Obi. The matter is now a subject of litigation at an Onitsha high court.
The Onitsha Police Area Commander, Mr. Dennis Anyagafu, told newsmen on Monday that the most appropriate thing to do if the Mortune group felt aggrieved was to go to court.
“It is wishful thinking to have two Obis at the same time. The police have tolerated these people for long. We shall arrest and prosecute them if it is found that they crowned another Igwe,” the commander warned.
The PUNCH, Tuesday, April, 26, 2005
Posted by Publisher at 04:12 PM | Comments (0)
Togo ELECTIONS: Obasanjo meets candidates in Abuja, urges unity govt
President Olusegun Obasanjo yesterday in Abuja urged the Togo-lese presidential candidates to come together and form a Government of Unity at the end of the on-going election in their country.
According to President Obasanjo, he invited both Faure Gnassingbe and the leader of the opposition, Mr. Gil Chris Olympio to Nigeria in order that peace and unity should prevail not only in Togo but also in the whole of Africa.
He said he felt the need to invite the two opponents before the results of the elections in their country was made public in order to appeal to whoever emerges winner to endeavour to embrace the other and form what he called Government of Unity.
President Obasanjo expressed happiness that the two candidates have agreed that there is need for peace to reign in their country and that they also agreed that whoever wins will forge ahead to form a government of national unity.
Also agreed upon by the candidates, President Obasanjo explained, is as from April 25th, 2005, should be a period of establishing a true democracy among the Togolese political leadership.
President Obasanjo told the waiting journalists after the over three hours peace meeting that there would be an examination of the country’s constitution that will fashion out or be amended to really satisfy what today is called fundamental human rights.
To achieve these, he said they have also agreed to establish a follow-up committee that will have a representative of the ECOWAS, the representative of all the Central African ambassadors, among other things.
In his response, the leader of the opposition who has been in exile for sometime now, Mr. Gil Chris Olympio, thanked President Obasanjo for what he called his leadership role, while Mr. Faure Eyadema also responded in an affirmative and later, the leaders embraced each other in order to indicate their agreements over what was discussed and agreed upon at their close-door meeting which lasted over three hours before both leaders left the country for their respective destinations.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), has urged any candidate who wins the Togolese election held on Sunday to form a government of national unity with a view to forestall post election violence in the country.
ECOWAS Executive Secretary, Dr Mohammed Ibn Chambas, made the call while answering reporters questions in Lome yesterday.
Dr Chambas noted that it was imperative for all Togolese politicians to close ranks and eschew violence so that democracy could be entrenched in the country.
The ECOWAS scribe stated that there was no need for the Togolese to resort to violence irrespective of whoever emerges the winner of the presidential election.
The Togolese presidential election was contested by four candidates including the son of late President Gnassingbe Eyadema, Faure, who ran on the platform of the ruling RPT.
Other contestants include the major opposition candidate, Bob Emmanuel Akitani, who contested on the ticket of UFC, Harry Olympio and Lawson Nicholas Messan who were the flagbearers of the RSSD and PRR respectively.
Dr Chambas who remarked that the pre-election intimidation, harassment and violence in Togo were perpetuated by all the parties, advised political leaders to warn their followers to desist from such acts.
He noted that the intervention by ECOWAS in the Togolese political crisis facilitated some level of rapprochement between the government and the opposition and created a peaceful atmosphere.
The scribe said he was elated that ECOWAS succeeded in leading Togo back to democracy after the succession struggle in the country sequel to the death of President Eyadema.
An uneasy calm now prevails in Lome, capital of Togo, after pockets of violence were recorded at the end of voting in the presidential election on Sunday.
No fewer than two people were said killed while over 50 were injured in the post voting violence. 15 houses and six vehicles were also said to have been burnt.
Armed soldiers deployed to the streets of Lome since Sunday evening were still on patrol as at yesterday.
In an apparent fear of continued violence, many offices did not open for business in Lome yesterday, while the city’s central market, Marche Assigame, also remained closed.
Many of the streets of the Togolese capital were deserted while residents were seen discussing the election and the future of the country in groups across Lome.
Still, fears are rife that violence might erupt in Lome again when the Togolese electoral body CENI announces the results of the presidential election today (Tuesday).
The post voting violence was caused mainly by the alleged prevention of the agents of the Union of Forces for Change (UFC) – the main opposition party – to witness vote counting at some polling stations.
For instance, in Acheviye which is about 35 kilometres from Lome, more than 20 people were wounded in the violence that ensued after soldiers prevented the opposition party agents from witnessing vote counting.
Similarly, 15 houses were burnt in Dapaong area for the same reason.
Before the eruption of violence, voting had been concluded peacefully in all the 5300 polling centres across the country.
Expectedly, voters turnout was very high in the presidential election which is expected to lead Togo back to democratic governance after 38 years of autocracy.
The Togolese Interim President Abbas Bonfoh, voted at the Camp RIT primary school polling centre about 8.15 am while Faure Gnassingbe, the candidate of the ruling Togo Peoples Rally (RPT), voted at the same venue some minutes later.
Gnasingbe who voted amid shouts of “Le President” by his supporters, urged them to remain calm and law abiding and expressed optimism that he would emerge victorious in the election.
The candidate of the UFC, Bob Emmanuel Akitani, voted at the public primary school polling centre in Tokoin Wuiti area of Lome at exactly 10.15am.
After casting his vote, Akitani expressed fears that the ruling party might rig the elction, adding that if the polls were free and fair, he was sure of carrying the day.
He explained that the electoral process was riddled with many irregularities, noting that he only participated in the election so that the wish of the Togolese for a regime change in the country could be realized.
Over 300 international observers, including 162 delegates of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), monitored the election.
Posted by Publisher at 04:06 PM | Comments (0)
Obasanjo signs new LG bill; Lagos lawmakers plan hunger strike over funds
President Olusegun Obasanjo on Monday signed into law a new bill which forbids states from diverting council funds.
By Habib Aruna
Asst Politics Editor (Lagos)
and Chesa Chesa
State House Correspondent
(Abuja)
It makes it illegal for any organ, authority or official of a state to alter, deduct, or re-allocate funds standing to the credit of states’ joint council accounts.
As the signing ceremony went on in Abuja, Lagos lawmakers mooted the idea of going on hunger strike to mount pressure on the federal authorities to release the withheld council funds.
It was on a day emotions ran high on the running dispute between the state and Federal Government over the allocation, which has now accumulated to about N20 billion.
“Let’s go on hunger strike and let the whole world see us as fighting for the enthronement of the rule of law”, said Onibuyo Adelabu, while backing the call to go the extra mile in forcing Abuja “to do the right thing”.
Bayo Odulana told his colleagues that they should take the Mace to the seat of federal power to protest that withholding the money is at variance with the principle guiding the current war against graft.
The Federal Government is withholding the funds to show its opposition to the creation of 37 new councils in the state.
But the legislators queried its continued refusal to comply with the Supreme Court judgment on the matter. They demanded the money and urged the National Assembly to direct the Presidency to obey the court order.
“We should back our motion with action”, said Samuel Adejare. “We are here to let the world know what is going on and the pains of this disregard of the rule of law. I support the idea that we should go on hunger strike to let the Federal Government know our feelings”.
The legislators unanimously expressed reservation on the silence of the National Assembly on “executive arrogance and flagrant disobedience of the order of the highest court in the land”.
They said no action would be too much to let everyone know about the injustice.
Speaker Jokotola Pelumi added that it is wrong for Abuja to ascribe to itself the authority of controlling the Federation Account which belongs to the three tiers of government.
He stressed the need for the Federal Government to be conscious of the danger its attitude to the rule of law poses to the democratic process.
The motion moved by Majority Leader, Babajide Omoworare, read: “In view of the refusal of President Olusegun Obasanjo-led Federal Executive Council to comply with the Supreme Court judgment, this House do urge the National Assembly to direct the President to respect the rule of law and the sanctity of the Supreme Court, by unconditionally complying with the order which specifically declared that the President has no constitutional powers to withhold statutory allocations to Local Government for whatever reasons”.
Speaking on the new Act, Presidential Special Assistant (Media), Oluremi Oyo, said in a statement that it will boost the crusade for greater service delivery, probity and accountability in governance.
It prohibits states from borrowing revenue allocated to councils from the Federation Account and provides for the establishment of a joint council account allocation committee in each state and the Federal Capital Territory.
Should a state default, “such amount shall be a first charge on the state’s next allocation from the Federation Account and shall be credited to the affected local government”.
The committee is to ensure that all monies due to councils from the Federation Account are promptly paid into the joint account and distributed in accordance with the Constitution.
It will monitor payments and distribution of funds to ascertain the exact amounts paid each council and submit monthly reports to the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC).
Posted by Publisher at 04:04 PM | Comments (0)
Obasanjo to IGP: You’ve 3 months to stop luxury bus robberies
POLICE now have three months to stamp out the spate of armed robbery attacks on luxury buses or they will face the wrath of the Federal Government.
LERE OJEDOKUN, Abuja
President Olusegun Obasanjo who read the riot act to the Acting Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Sunday Ehindero also directed the police boss to meet with the operators and owners of the buses to evolve measures to eliminate such attacks.
Luxury buses are popular mode of mass transportation of human beings and goods nationwide.
President Obasanjo, who gave the ultimatum while receiving a delegation of Luxury Bus Owners Association of Nigeria (LUBOAN) at the State House, Abuja also vowed that government would not "abandon this country to armed robbers."
In attendance were the Minister of Police Affairs, Chief Broderick Bozimo, Chairman, Police Service Commission (PSC), Chief Simeon Okeke, Mr. Ehindero and Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), Major. Gen. Haladu Anthony Hananiya (rtd).
The president while asserting that luxury bus operators were providing very useful services to the nation, declared that "whatever needs to be done must be done" to check the problem of armed attacks on buses.
He also stated that government owed it a duty to provide them the enabling environment to operate and expand, maintaining that attack on luxury buses was a real problem which government must tackle headlong.
"In three months’ time I want to see results," he charged the IGP even as he said that "we must do everything that is necessary to assist you (luxury operators) to succeed and expand."
President Obasanjo further challenged all relevant stakeholders to join in the renewed effort to make road transportation a comfort for all and sundry.
Said he: "we have a problem which must be solved together by all stakeholders including the police, FRSC, bus owners and ordinary Nigerians."
Posted by Publisher at 04:02 PM | Comments (0)
Retrenchment: FG gets N5.6 bn World Bank grant
As a prelude to its plan- ned retrenchment of workers in the public service, the Federal Government may have received a N5.6 billion ($40 million) grant from the World Bank.
By Abdullahi M. Gulloma and Patrick Andrew
This is coming just as the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), called on trade unions in the public sector to frustrate moves by the federal government to use the World Bank grant to settle the entitlements of 75,000 public sector workers billed to be sacked soon.
A source in the presidency told Daily Trust in Abuja that the N5.6 billion World Bank grant will be used by the government to prepare the severance package of those to be affected in the rationalisation exercise.
A circular issued yesterday by the office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HOCSF), directed all executive officer cadres on grade levels six to 14 to fill their personal data in a register opened at block A, room 016.
The circular stated that any false data submitted by the officers concerned would work against the interest of whoever submitted such false information.
When contacted, an official of the office of the HOCSF said he was not aware of the moves by the federal government to borrow money from the World Bank for sacked workers severance packages.
He, however, told Daily Trust that the federal ministry of finance was working out modalities to pay the entitlements of workers to be disengaged from the public service.
In its reaction to the World Bank grant, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has called on trade unions in the public sector to resist federal government’s decision to borrow money from the World Bank to settle the entitlements of 75,000 workers in the public sector.
“This is not a matter that we should let go. We should strategise on how to frustrate this effort and make sure it doesn’t happen. Because if it does, the number of people who have nothing to live for will be overwhelmingly more than the few who are working.
“The security implication of it would be unmanageable even if you turn the police to shoot-and-go category,” the NLC said.
President of the NLC, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, who disclosed this to labour correspondents, said that the federal government decision to borrow money for the purpose of downsizing the public sector has made a mockery of the nation’s independence.
The NLC therefore called on the federal government to provide leadership to Africa on how to pursue inde-pendent policies “that are inward looking” rather than implementing the dictates of the World Bank and IMF.
An official in the office of the minister of finance whom Daily Trust contacted could neither confirm nor deny whether the federal govern-ment has received the World Bank grant.
He however promised to contact our reporter but failed to do so at press time.
Posted by Publisher at 04:00 PM | Comments (0)
April 25, 2005
House Protests $1.7bn Contract to Halliburton; Senate summons Shell over Bonga project
The executive and legislative arms of government may be on a fresh collision course over the recent awards of engineering contracts to US oil services company Halliburton, which was earlier recommended for ban by the House of Representatives.
By Mike Oduniyi in Lagos and Kola Ologbodiyan in Abuja, 04.25.2005
Also, the Senate Committee on Petroleum Resources (Upstream) has invited the Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Limited (SNEPCO) to appear before the committee on Wednesday and explain how the exploration cost of the Bonga Deep Offshore Field project shot up to $3.816 billion from its original cost of $2.9 billion.
The House is protesting against the recent award of $1.7 billion contract to a consortium of foreign companies that included an Halliburton subsidiary, KBR, for the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) of a gas-to-liquids (GTL) plant in Escravos, Delta State.
US oil major ChevronTexaco, which awarded the contract, however, said it approved of the award to KBR after it presented a letter from the Federal Government purportedly clearing the company to undertake business in Nigeria.
The House passed a motion late last year calling for the ban of Halliburton until the conclusion of an investigation into alleged payment of $180 million bribe by KBR to some Nigerian government officials to win LNG contracts.
KBR, along with its partners in the consortium namely Snamprogetti of Italy and Japan's JGC, was two weeks ago, awarded the GTL contract by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and ChevronTexaco Joint Venture.
KBR also last week won the EPC contract for the topsides of the floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel for ChevronTexaco Agbami deep offshore field. The value of the contract was never disclosed.
The Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Public Petition, Hon. Chudi Offodile, told THISDAY at the weekend that the award to KBR was unacceptable.
According to Offodile, investigation by his committee has already established a "prima facie" case against the company over the bribery scandal, disclosing that his committee would officially write this week to the president as well as the House Speaker to bring the issue to their notices.
"This is a company facing criminal investigation not only by the House, but also by the (Economic and Financial Crime Commission) EFCC," he said.
"In as much as it is not our responsibility to enforce the ban as passed by the House in a motion, the executive also owes it a duty to effect it," Offodile added.
A comprehensive report on the investigation would be presented to the House this week, said Offodile, who absolved the Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG) from culpability in the bribe case.
Contacted, the General Manager, Deepwater of ChevronTexaco Nigeria, Mr. Jim Pearce, said that the partners in the Agbami project indeed, raised the issue of the ongoing investigation of KBR by Nigerian authorities before the final award to the company.
"KBR tendered a letter some months back showing clearance by the Nigerian government and went further to demonstrate that it would be working with a whole lot of Nigerian engineers in executing the project," said Pearce.
A senior official of the National Petroleum Investment Services (NAPIMS), an NNPC subsidiary overseeing Federal Government's interest in oil projects, said that the corporation was not aware KBR had been banned from handling any contracts in the country.
The official who asked not to be named, said such issues "retard growth and development in the sector and the Nigerian economy at large."
The National Assembly has also frowned at the handling of another major oil project, the Bonga deep offshore field, by Shell.
THISDAY learnt the Senate Committee on Petroleum Resources (Upstream) summoned SNEPCO after the company had in a communication dated April 5, 2005 and addressed to the committee's consultant, Bashorun J.K. Randle of Sloane, Burford & Fullbright Consulting, that its terms of reference "exceed the mandate of the Committee on Petroleum Resources (Upstream) of the National Assembly, as well as matters which could legitimately be audited and examined by private persons under the laws and the terms of our (SNEPCO) Production Sharing Contract with NNPC."
The committee, headed by Senator Lee Maeba (PDP, Rivers South-East) is, however, insisting that SNEPCO must account for the N1 billion (N133 billion) increase in the exploration cost for the project with the first oil yet to be produced.
"We want to know how they have spent this much and there is no first oil. We have discovered lapses because they (SNEPCO) gave the contract to an inefficient British contractor but they are saying that NAPIMS forced them to give the job to the British contractor," a member of the committee told THISDAY.
"What we are asking SNEPCO to do is that they cooperate with our consultant, Bashorun J.K Randle, to enable them inform us how the cost of exploration escalated and how the expenses overshot. We are qualified to know because it's Nigeria's oil that would be used to pay the escalating cost," the source said.
The source disclosed that, "we are talking about escalation in the cost of exploration which is a debt on Nigeria and they will be taking our oil in payment. They (SNEPCO) were supposed to produce first oil in May 2003. They are already two years behind schedule. It's not something that the Senate would but Shell has refused to open their books to the consultants that is why we are inviting them.
"It's not their (SNEPCO's) risks alone because it carries debt on the country. The President (Olusegun Obasanjo) is also interested in knowing the basis of the escalation in costs and the nation wants to know."
A SNEPCO spokesman confirmed yesterday that the company had actually received the letter of summons from the Committee. "We are using the established channels of communication to respond as appropriate," the official said.
Posted by Publisher at 06:39 PM | Comments (0)
Senate probes NNPC, Shell over N138bn deal
ABUJA— THE Senate Committee on Upstream Petroleum has raised queries over an alleged N138 billion inflation of the Bonga Field Project, and summoned Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Limited (SNEPCO), the project manager to appear before it on Wednesday to explain the development.
By Emmanuel Aziken
Posted to the Web: Monday, April 25, 2005
Besides, Shell is also to explain why it has been unable to strike oil in the Bonga Field, nearly two years after the set deadline.
And following Federal Government’s anti-corruption crusade, the Senate Committee is set to investigate if it is true that the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) forced Shell to sub-contract the project to an inefficient British company. Shell is attributing it inability to strike oil to the inefficiency of the British company.
The Senate invitation also followed the failure of the oil company to honour invitations extended to it by Bashorun J. K. Randle, the committee’s consultant. Vanguard gathered yesterday that Shell was on its part aggressively querying the capacity of the committee and its consultant to engage it in the investigations on the Bonga Field project.
The Bonga Field project, one of the biggest investment decisions taken by the Federal Government and being handled by Shell, was reportedly inflated from $2.9 billion to $3.816 billion by the multinational oil company. Efforts to get Shell to respond to the development were unfruitful last night.
In its letter to the Committee’s Consultant, Bashorun J.K. Randle of Sloane, Burford & Fullbright Consulting, the oil company affirmed that the committee’s terms of reference “exceed the mandate of the Committee on Petroleum Resources (Upstream) of the National Assembly, as well as matters which could legitimately be audited and examined by private persons under the laws and the terms of our (SNEPCO) Production Sharing Contract with NNPC.”
That letter is said to have incensed committee members who thus summoned the oil producing company to explain the development. Besides, committee members are also concerned that the alleged inflation of the Bonga Field cost could undermine the transparency inclinations of the government.
A committee members debunking the claim by Shell that neither the committee nor its consultant was capable to look into its affairs said: “We want to know how they have spent this much and there is no oil. We have discovered lapses because they (SNEPCO) gave the contract to an inefficient British contractor but they are saying that the National Petroleum Investment Management Services (NAPIMS) forced them to give the job to the British contractor.
“What we are asking SNEPCO to do is that they co-operate with our consultant, Bashorun J.K Randle, to enable them inform us how the cost of exploration escalated and how the expenses overshot. We are qualified to know because it’s Nigeria’s oil that would be used to pay the escalating cost.”
Speaking further on the development, the committee official said: “We are talking about N138 billion escalation in the cost of exploration which is a debt on Nigeria and they will be taking our oil in payment. They (SNEPCO) were supposed to produce first oil in May 2003. They are already two years behind schedule. Shell has refused to open their books to the consultants, that is why we are inviting them.
“It’s not their (SNEPCO’s) risks alone because it carries debt on the country. The President (Chief Olusegun Obasanjo) is also interested in knowing the basis of the escalation in costs and the nation wants to know.”
A letter from SNEPCO’s Managing Director, Mr C. Ibeneche, to the committee consultant said: “Our position (which we must mention, remains unchanged as earlier communicated to you), is that any investigation and/or information into our activities must be within both the laws, and the PSC (Production Sharing Contract).
“With due respect, it appears that many of the items in the ToR (Terms of Reference) exceed the mandate of the Committee on Petroleum Resources (Upstream) of the National Assembly, as well as matters which could legitimately be audited and examined by private persons under the laws and the terms of our Production Sharing Contract with NNPC.
“This is because, it appears to cover not only audit, but also technical, fiscal, judicial, as well as environmental compliance monitoring roles. These appear to assume duties, which such government agencies and powers as the Federal Inland Revenue Services, are vested with exclusive powers over, and to which we are bound to submit.
“You will of course, be aware of the on-going Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative (EITI) of the Federal Government, which is supported by the British Government that aims to carry out comprehensive audits on the petroleum producing companies.
“In the light of the above, we strongly believe that we should avoid, as far as possible any duplication of effort or unnecessary expenditure of time, money and resources between various government agencies, as well as the necessary conflicts that these bring on us as a law-abiding entity. This is weighted against the need to prevent distractions from Bonga First Oil, which is due shortly.
“As we mentioned at our last meeting on 7th March, it is imperative that an investigation of this nature should demonstrate adherence to the law, due process and impartiality in order to justify its outcome. We are of course aware of your sound reputation. In this case, however, given that your fee is based on the amount‘which you are able to recover, which, we understand also, can be termed as a ‘Contingency Fee,’’ in the context of the ethics of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Nigeria, we are not unduly concerned that there appears already to be predetermined outcome.
“We note also, that the ToR includes the hiring of various experts. We have difficulty in assessing how the expenses of this investigation will be reimbursed, because the PSC does not have any scope for the payment of expenses of this nature. In view of the above therefore, we are very keen to engage in a further dialogue with you on the ToR in order to harmonise with the PSC, and on the part of SNEPCO, to prevent us from falling foul of regulatory agencies that are vested with sole statutory powers, some of which are contained in the ToR.
Posted by Publisher at 06:36 PM | Comments (0)
CBN Announces Unqualified Banks August; Dangers of bank mergers, by SEC DG
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is to make public by August, names of banks that could not scale through the on going consolidation in the banking industry.
But Director-General, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Mallam Musa Al-Faki, has cautioned that if the on-going consolidation exercise by banks is not well managed it could worsen the volatility and instability of the capital market.
By Ayodele Aminu in Lagos and Kunle Aderinokun in Abuja, 04.25.2005
N25bn Capitalisation
Directors of banks that fail to shore up their capital base to N25 billion and still are unable to refund depositors money will be arraigned in court after the December 31, 2005 deadline for the on-going consolidation exercise.
A top CBN official who made this known to THISDAY at the weekend, said the apex bank would also publish the names of banks that scaled through.
Under the on-going restructuring of the banking industry, the CBN had given banks up till December 31, 2005 to either individually raise the N25 billion minimum capitalization or merge with other banks to achieve the target. But following the slow pace of the exercise, the CBN recently rolled out a time table directing banks to conclude their pre-merger consent, approval-in principle and final approval by April, August and October 2005 respectively.
"The CBN will start showing the yellow card to banks that are not going to make it by June and by August the banks that will not be there (scale through) will be given the red card.
"Thereafter, CBN will announce both the names of banks that are managing to be there, those that have already made it and those that have not made it.
"By May/June all these developments will start to crystallise. Besides, the directors of any of the failed banks would also be made to face the courts," the source said.
Presently, the CBN is said to be undecided on what to do with the weak banks.
"The CBN is still meeting and discussing on what to do with the weak banks. There are three options for the CBN. One is to liquidate them (weak banks). The second is to isolate and manage them until the end of December 2005 and liquidate them thereafter, while the third option is for CBN to acquire them, write down their debts and sell them
"But by law the CBN is not allowed to acquire and sell any bank. It is the desire of the CBN to see every bank succeed but it will not hesitate to announce the failure of some of them.
"One thing is however clear and that is that the CBN will not allow the bunching of liquidation like the other 28 banks that were liquidated a couple of years ago," the source said.
He however maintained that from the look of things about 25 banks may scale through the on going consolidation.
The CBN had in the six weeks taken a number of measures to fast-track the exercise. It had earlier met with chief executives of the top 11 banks (Union Bank, First Bank, Zenith Bank, Guaranty Trust Bank, Standard Trust Bank, Afribank, Diamond Bank, Chartered Bank, Intercontinental Bank, Oceanic Bank, and Wema Bank) in the country and appealed to them to acquire the smaller and weaker banks first before considering merging with each other.
About three weeks ago, it also summoned chief executives and chairmen of some of the small and medium-sized banks to three separate meetings in Lagos and advised them to make themselves available for acquisition by the big banks.
Following discovery that most of these banks had been mentioning Union Bank as their merging partners, CBN also compelled Union Bank to name its merging partners, a development that made the latter to make public last week, its desire to acquire Broad Bank, Gulf Bank, Universal Trust Bank and its subsidiary, Union Merchant Bank Plc.
Also, two weeks ago, the banking watchdog also said it was prepared to write-off about N72.8 billion owed it by eight of the 11 weak banks, to enable them have smooth sail in the on-going recapitalisation exercise for banks. The amount represents 80 per cent of the total amount owed it by the weak banks.
The CBN said it has already made provisions for N82 billion in its books for the debt relief and that the ailing Bank of the North (BON) will benefit to the tune of N41 billion.
Meanwhile, the SEC is afraid the consolidation exercise could cause instability in the capital market.
While speaking at the just-concluded workshop on the Development of the Nigerian Financial Markets in Abuja last week, Al-Faki, the SEC DG cautioned that the consolidation exercise would produce highly capitalized mega-banks that could have tremendous concentration effect on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE).
Al-Faki who presented a paper on "Mergers and Acquisitions as Consolidation Strategy in the Reform of the Nigerian Financial Services Sector", also pointed out that consolidation would create mega-banks that can threaten the competitive market space with monopolistic tendencies.
The director-general pointed out that potential job losses will arise from mergers. To cushion the effect of such eventuality, he urged that adequate safety nets and compensation packages for affected banks must be put in place by the merging banks before the actual consolidation. He added that CBN should be sure of this arrangement before approvals are given.
He also said there could be possible disenfranchisement of the small depositor who may not be welcomed by the emerging mega banks. He said he expected the regulatory authorities to put mechanisms in place for the protection of this vulnerable group, suggesting, for example, a reduction in the minimum deposit base to open a bank account.
On the part of the banks, Al-Faki said that the corporate consolidation, which may be by way of mergers and acquisition may be resisted by management due to fear of loss of control and erosion of their powers. Although, he noted, "sometimes, this is not in the interest of the shareholders", he however said, "their decision to consolidate must be respected and effected by the board of directors."
He said that there might be rigidities in bank ownership that could block mergers. "Such rigidities", according to him, "may include a complicated web of cross-shareholding that bind banks to insurance companies, industrial groups and other banks."
He therefore advised that such webs should be untangled to pave way for a smooth consolidation with other banks.
Al-Faki said that market structure could pose problems, especially when the charters and memorandum and articles of associations of a bank prevent mergers and take-overs. He said in such cases, special extra-ordinary general meetings of shareholders should be held to pass the necessary resolution to remove such clauses.
Also, he said, some dominant banks may be tempted to force their smaller merger partners/acquisitions to assimilate/adopt their organizational culture, which could create post-merger trauma due to natural resistance to cultural imposition.
He prescribed that the two parties should do a "thorough pre-merger understanding of cultural differences and the development of appropriate integrative mechanisms before the merger is consummated."
He also noted as part of the challenges that must be handled to have a successful consolidation, banks must recognize the increased cost of maintaining several deposit accounts and the higher cost complexity of servicing a larger number of shareholders. According to him, "the projected revenue stream from the consolidation must justify these additional costs."
He, however, assured that, "the Self Regulatory Organization (SRO) of the market and the SEC will be constantly monitoring the market for signs of weakness from this source in order to protect investors."
"This", according to him, "is where the empowered regulatory authorities especially SEC would be particularly active to prevent such tendencies."
He advised the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) and the CBN to be constantly monitoring the activities and performance of the emerging mega-banks resulting from consolidation to prevent distress and failures.
“This is particularly so in a new era where the failure of one bank might have catastrophic consequences for the financial system and the economy as a whole," he said.
Posted by Publisher at 05:43 PM | Comments (0)
Ibori: Gani heads for Supreme Court
Chief Gani Fawehinmi has gone to the Supreme Court to challenge the decision of the Court of Appeal where it affirmed the clean bill of health given to the Delta State Governor, Chief James Onanefe Ibori over allegations that he was an ex-convict.
By Victor Efeizomor,
Law Reporter, Lagos
In a notice of appeal, filed at the Supreme Court holding at Abuja, Fawehinmi, on behalf of two members of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Goodnews Agbi and Anthony Alabi, is asking the apex court for an order allowing the appeal, setting aside of the judgment of the Court of Appeal dated March 21, 2005.
He is also seeking an order giving judgment for the plaintiffs/appellants and granting the plaintiffs/appellants claim and dismissing the fourth defendant (Ibori) counter claim and any further orders or orders as the Supreme Court may deem fit to make in the circumstance.
A five-man panel of Appeal Court Justices, headed by Raphael Rowland had on March 21, 2005, held that since the doubts about the convicted person still lingered, the case has to be resolved in favour of Governor Ibori.
Justice Olufumlola Oyebola Adekeyu who endorsed the judgment, had held as unreliable the claim by Awwal Yusuf, who was the magistrate claimed to know that Ibori was the person he convicted in 1995 of negligent conduct and breached of trust.
Also Justice Amina Augie held that the admission by Yusuf that he followed Governor Ibori’s lawyer, Bala Nailari, to see Ibori at 9.00 am, an office hour, rendered the testimony incredible and defective.
Agbi and Alabi, had shortly before the April 19, 2003 election asked an Abuja High Court to stop Ibori from seeking reelection on the ground that he is an ex-convict.
Gani, who is dissatisfied with the Court of Appeal’s ruling is challenging the decision on the grounds that the “Court of Appeal misdirected itself in law when it held that the trial de-novo ordered by the Supreme Court in SC.97/2003 – IbOri v. Agbi delivered on the February 6, 2004 6 NWLR (Pt. 868) (78) means a new trial on the entire case, that is on both question of fact and issue of law conducted as if there had been no trial in the first instance”.
Posted by Publisher at 05:41 PM | Comments (0)
INEC can’t fund bye-elections for now –– Guobadia
NIGERIAN voters will henceforth bear the cost of conducting bye-elections into Federal and State constituencies until the current poor financial standing of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) improves.
MATTHEW OGWUCHE, Bureau Chief Abuja & VINCENT EGUNYANGA
Its chairman, Dr Abel Guobadia, who disclosed this also advocated adequate funding of INEC and early preparations ahead of the 2007 general elections to achieve success.
Speaking with Daily Champion last week in Abuja he said the commission’s decision to transfer the financial burden to the electorate temporarily was informed by poor funding of the agency.
According to him, "All our cry was for the poor funding of the overhead and the recurrent expenditures which is still biting very hard on us. In fact I have recently decreed that bye elections will not be conducted until money comes into the system.
"If communities are set for bye elections, I will first ask, do you have money? If there is no money, I say defer it because at the moment we can’t commit ourselves to a particular date and on that date we don’t honour it, that may lead to chaos", he stated.
On how to ensure successful polls in 2007, Guobadia said adequate budgetary allocation must be made and released to INEC well ahead the exercise adding that this would give the commission’s staff ample time to prepare for elections.
He counselled against delay in releasing funds to INEC as was the case during the 2003 polls when money came three months to the exercise.
Said he: "If we move to 2007 the sort of problems we experienced in 2001 and 2002 come to play, the country will have problems... money should flow in steadily so that things can be put in place. Adequate money should be provided for the elections and make INEC staff work in a conducive atmosphere so that people who want to work can work."
Asked if he was satisfied with the commission’s handling of the 2003 general elections he said "I think we did a fair job. At least for once we should congratulate ourselves that we managed to have a civilian to civilian handover."
Guobadia further disclosed that his commission would update the voters’ register immediately government disburses funds to it. "If what we have asked for in 2005 budget is given, I am sure that within the next one or two months we will be in the field with the voters’ register," he explained.
Posted by Publisher at 05:00 PM | Comments (0)
Nigerians lured to work in Italy
In just a few minutes driving along a road on the outskirts of Milan in northern Italy, we counted 20 women, almost all African, standing by the kerb. It was a cold night, but you wouldn't have guessed it from the outfits they were wearing.
By Polly De Blank
BBC Africa Live, Milan
I used to have sex with many different men. As many as wanted to have sex with me
Tomissi
We got out of the car, and approached one Nigerian woman who called herself Gioia - Italian for "Joy".
She was pretty beneath her heavy make-up. We asked her if we could talk to her.
"Maybe later," she said. It was Saturday night, and we weren't the only people cruising the roads.
Jobs promise
It is estimated there are between 10,000 - 20,000 Nigerian prostitutes working in Italy today.
Almost all come from Edo state in southern Nigeria.
Many Nigerian prostitutes do not see the money they earn
As yet, no research has been done into why so many come from this one state, but the route may have originally been established by Nigerian women who came over to southern Italy to harvest tomatoes during the 1980s.
Valentina's story is typical. An old friend offered to bring her to Italy.
"He said finding work here was no problem, there were lots of different jobs I could do like working in a supermarket. I'd even be able to continue my studies," she said.
"I'd just finished secondary school, but it's very difficult to go to university in Nigeria. It's very expensive."
Promises of good jobs and education lure women like Valentina away from Nigeria.
The women in turn agree to repay hugely inflated costs for arranging documents and transport. But it's often not until they arrive in Italy that they are told that they will have to prostitute themselves in order to pay off the debt.
Criminal gangs
Valentina is not her real name. If her identity was revealed she would be in danger from the highly organised criminal gangs who traffic Nigerian women.
There is increasing evidence that the Nigerian criminals are becoming connected with Italian and other European Mafia.
About a month ago a girl was killed by a car full of drunk people. For a week all the other girls did not go into the street, because they were in mourning for her
Paolo Botti
Amici di Lazarro
Deadly migrant trade
In addition to the transport costs, the women are normally forced into paying hundreds of Euros a month in "rent" for the spots on the road that they solicit from.
Tomissi (again not her real name) is a shy, clever Nigerian who said she was 20 but looked at least two years younger.
After being brought to Italy last year, she had to sell her body on a lonely stretch of motorway outside Turin, and hour and a half west of Milan.
She ran away a couple of weeks ago.
"I used to have to have sex with many different men. As many as wanted to have sex with me. Maybe five, maybe ten different people a day," she said in a quiet voice.
"Some would pay me 20 euros, some would only pay 10. If I was really lucky I'd get 30 euros, that's about $35."
Tomissi was working for a "friend" of her mother's, who she said would beat her with a broom if she wasn't working hard enough.
Between January and March, about 20 prostitutes were killed in Italy, according to Amici di Lazarro, a group which gives legal and health advice to sex workers.
"About a month ago a girl was killed by a car full of drunk people. For a week all the other girls did not go into the street, because they were in mourning for her," said Paolo Botti, president of Amici di Lazarro.
'Hell'
Tomissi didn't see a penny of her earnings. According to Ibironke Adarabioyo, author of a recent book on the phenomenon, this is common.
"Just last week I met a woman who'd paid back 45,000 euros. All this time she wasn't allowed to send any of the money home".
According to Eki Igbinedion, the wife of the governor of Edo State who has her own charity helping women like Tomissi on their return, "over 50% of women don't know the gravity of what they're doing. If you go to any street in Nigeria and just say I'm going to take you abroad, it's like manna from heaven".
For those who manage to repay their debts, the money they send home can make all the difference.
But having worked with hundreds of women who've been prostitutes, Ibironke is adamant that the price is too high.
"Young girls should be careful. It's a hell they're going through here. It's hell"
Tomissi would like to add her own words of warning: "My advice to any girls who are thinking about coming to Europe is: Don't come.
"The madams say there's work here but they're lying because the only work here is prostitution. They're deceiving us Africans, and it's not fair."
Posted by Publisher at 04:54 PM | Comments (0)
April 22, 2005
Udenwa denies alleged misuse of N113b
GOVERNOR Achike Udenwa of Imo State has denied allegations that the N113 billion allocation he received from the Federal Government has not been judiciously utilised.
From Charles Ogugbuaja, Owerri
Udenwa's denial came on the heels of allegations making rounds in the state that the governor has not much to show for such a huge amount.
The amount is a sum total of the state's allocation from the Federal Government for the past six years.
While fielding questions from reporters yesterday at the Imo Broadcasting Corporation (IBC) Television and Radio, the governor described the allegation as "unfounded and baseless".
Udenwa explained that the funds had been used to develop the state on both road and infrastructure.
The governor also barred his mind on why he was yet to reshuffle his cabinet. He maintained that his cabinet members had been performing well, wondering why they need to remove them.
Udenwa pointed out that no amount of rumour of dissolution of cabinet would make him send his commissioners packing when the time is not rife.
The governor was accompanied into the studio by members of his cabinet.
Udenwa, however, pointed out that he is owing a 23,000 workers, but this, according to him, would be for a while as they would soon be paid.
He attributed the lateness in settling the salaries of the task force to the arrears of the federal allocation, which has affected the state.
Udenwa decried the activities of the disbanded task force as some of them still go out of their way to carry out their assignments religiously.
He assured that the state Orientation Agency headed by Chief Angus Oguike would work with the police to check all forms of street trading and obstruction.
Udenwa also regretted that the presence of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) is yet to be felt by Imo people.
He also denied that many officials heading some government parastatals in the state are on acting capacity.
Posted by Publisher at 07:47 PM | Comments (0)
Why I Abolished Regions, By Gowon; Middle Belt, South-south states form alliance
Former military leader General Yakubu Gowon yesterday said he abolished the regional structure and replaced it with states arrangement to alleviate the fears of domination by majority ethnic groups in the country.
From Chuks Okocha in Abuja, 04.22.2005
Gowon, who created 12 states in 1967, said at the summit of the Alliance of Middle Belt and South-south States in Abuja, "There was this fear that some ethnic groups were so strong and there was this threat to the unity of the country. This was a major fear to the nation.