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Following Saturday’s midnight invasion and the eventual arrest of some judges, the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, on Saturday declared a state of emergency in the judiciary, even as it asked President Muhammadu Buhari to order the immediate release of the affected judges or there would be consequences.
President Buhari
While addressing journalists alongside four past presidents, the NBA President, Abubakar Mahmoud (SAN), made the declaration at the Eko Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos.
Mahmoud addressed the press alongside four past presidents of the association - Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), Dr. Olisa Agbakoba (SAN); Mr. J.B. Daudu (SAN) and Augustine Alegeh (SAN).
Also in attendance at the declaration, were Prof. Kayinsola Ajayi (SAN), Mr. Yusuf Ali (SAN), Mr. Dele Adesina (SAN), Monday Ubani among others.
Mahmoud said two Supreme Court justices, Inyang Okoro and Sylvester Ngwuta were "abducted", with their families, adding that he had yet to have the full detail of other judges who could have been involved.
Mahmoud said the NBA condemned what it termed the Gestapo-style operation of the DSS. He announced the constitution of an emergency or crisis management team, comprising past NBA presidents to engage with the government.
Mahmoud, who said it was not the responsibility of the DSS to arrest judges, described the DSS action as an unconstitutional means of intimidating the judiciary and undermining its independence.
The NBA President called on President Muhammadu Buhari to order the immediate release of the arrested judges, vowing that there would be consequences should the demand be ignored.
Mahmoud said, "I want to emphasise again that we are not under military rule and we cannot accept this unholy event and Gestapo-style operation.
“We, therefore, call on President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately caution all the state security agencies and to respect the rule of law and to respect due process.
“Any issues affecting the judicial officers, there are established procedures for handling them and we demand that this constitutional process must be obeyed.
“Given the unfolding nature of the event and the seriousness of the situation, the NBA hereby declares a state of emergency as it affects the affairs of the judiciary and I hereby constitute a crisis management team, comprising all past presidents of the association.
“I want to, on behalf of the association, make the very following clear and unequivocal demands: we demand the immediate and unconditional release of all the judges abducted from about 9pm yesterday (Friday).
“The release must be done immediately and without any conditions. Two, we demand that the Department of State Services should limit itself to its statutory and constitutional responsibilities.
“I'll be meeting with the CJN later tonight or tomorrow. There will be consequences should these demands are not met."
By Funmi Komolafe Brethren, let's welcome one another to the beginning of another week. A week of a turn around. A week of an end to weeping in the mighty name of Jesus Christ.
These are not the best of times for many people in our country. Many are jobless, several others are losing their jobs, homes are no longer as peaceful as they should be because of financial inability to meet needs and several other reasons which, of course, include, delay in childbearing, awaiting a marriage partner, delayed promotion, etc.
Although these challenges are real, there is light at the end of the tunnel.
How do I know? Psalm 30vs 5 " For his anger endureth, but a moment; in His favour is life: weeping may endure for a night , but joy cometh in the morning".
Our emphasis is on the later part of that verse " weeping may endure for a night but joy cometh in the morning".
For joy to come in the morning, the one who has a challenge must be hopeful. To be hopeful is to be expectant. Your thoughts must be along the line of receiving. One who is expectant cannot and must not commit suicide. Suicide is becoming so common place these days . People take their own lives once an expectation is not met. Recently, in Ibadan, a man committed suicide because his former employers were yet to pay his entitlements and his car that he sold fell short of meeting his financial expectation.
Suicide is sinful and those who commit suicide are certainly not candidates of Paradise.
What is it that you are going through? You must bear in mind that the challenge did not begin with you and will not end with you. You must begin to see yourself overcome that challenge. No pastor can do this for you. You must do it yourself.
There is hope for you- Let me cheer you up with this testimony I read in one of the Pentecostal churches in Lagos. A young man wrote: "God has moved me from a jobless undergraduate to a comfortable man that can travel out of the country anytime I want".
The problem many of us have is that we imagine how God will do it. For instance , a woman who has been praying to have just one child for years, begins to think: Oh! May be if I had over a million Naira, I would be able to pay for IVF. If I had money, I would have gone abroad for the best treatment.
Such are the thoughts of a person who limits God but our God is UNLIMITED. His ways are so numerous that what we think is the sure way to overcome the challenge in most cases, isn't the way God would provide the solution.
I'll share with you, a sermon titled "There is hope for you". It was at a prayer meeting organized by Women On Their Knees held at the Chapel of Resurrection, RCCG, Ikeja Lagos.
The initiator of Women on Their Knees, Pastor Tinu Odugbemi said, "Every believer must be hopeful". Hope, she said, translates to faith .
She made reference to Psalm 77 verses 7 - 9. To imagine what goes on in the mind of a person who is not hopeful " Will the Lord cast off for ever? And will He be favourable no more? Is His mercy gone forever? Doth is promise fail for evermore? Hath God forgotten to be gracious..".
The answer is simple. God has not forgotten anyone and will never forget anyone. Take this in confidently.
It is written, Christ in us the hope of Glory . With Christ in you, brethren, you can never be put to shame.
Let's bear in mind, 1st Colossians 1 vs. 27 "To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you the hope of Glory".
Pastor Odugbemi told the women, " Don't give up. All is not lost . The situation may look hopeless . Whatever has gone dead in your marriage, your life, your business, the Lord will bring alive in the name of Jesus.
God's exceptional Favour- I'll narrate the story of a lady, Iyabo who was brought up by her father's relations because the marriage with the mother had broken up. These relations indeed, her aunt; refused to send her to school and this was at a time that public schools were not only free but of good quality. Iyabo was sent to hawk for her aunt while the aunt's children went to school.
She had primary education though . By the time she wanted to proceed to secondary school, her aunt stopped her. I'll cut the story short. Iyabo therefore grew up, married into a polygamous home and became a food vendor - the mama-put stuff.
Then the daughter of a family friend gave birth in the United States and they needed someone to help with the care of the baby. For some reasons, the girl's mum could not travel. Iyabo was asked to obtain a passport. She did and eventually made it to the United States. There, she re-married because her marriage had collapsed and today, she has a permanent stay in the United States. She was there when she began to hear news that two daughters of her aunt who went to school when she was denied, were not doing well. One was hooked on drugs and the other in jail for some reasons in the U.K.
What's the lesson here? God fought for Iyabo. Human beings delayed her destiny but God favoured her at the right time.
Steps to be taken – To demonstrate that you are hopeful you must take certain steps. Pastor Odugbemi enunciated these steps:
First, she said " You have to be violent in the Spirit". Remember the Gospel according to Matthew 11 vs.12 " And from the days of John the Baptist, until now, the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and only the violent take it by force".
She reiterated what we have always said in this column. "Tears don't intimidate Satan". I share her views completely.
Tears only make you vulnerable to the forces of darkness. Your tears give your enemies joy. Your mockers are usually the first to say, look at how she dresses, her inability to have a child or a husband has made her look so miserable.
Lose hope, lose sight- Pastor Odugbemi said: "When you lose hope, you lose sight and you lose your sense of hearing". In other words, the one who is hopeless will be so blind and deaf, spiritually, that he or she will not even be aware of the solution which may just be so near. More importantly, the one who has lost hope will stop praying and the one who stops praying may never receive from God. She reminded us that Hannah did not give up. Had Hannah given up, she would have simply taken in her husband's words, as recorded in Ist Samuel vs.8 " Then said Elkanah, her husband to her. Hannah why weepest thou? and why eatest thou not? and why is thy heart grieved? am not I better to thee than ten sons?
She chose to remain hopeful and consistent with prayers and God remembered her.
Pastor Odugbemi also mentioned the Woman with the issue of Blood. Had she not been hopeful, she would not have touched the hem of the Lord's garment.
She said with hope, "You can recover all".
Benefits of a hopeful believer - According to Pastor Tinu Odugbemi , " Hope will remove shame. Hope will silence your mockers. With hope, you can face the future with confidence.
She said we can hold on to hope by settling for violent prayers.
It is also important that you list out your focus with the determination to get an answer.
Pastor Odugbemi also reiterated our suggestion in this column, which is fasting. Fasting is a form of self-denial which quickens answers to our prayers.
Brethren, lets end on this note " Get serious with your prayer life and God will not only take your petitions seriously, He will answer you speedily".
With these steps taken, you can be sure, your testimony is around the imminent in Jesus name.
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Kuje Unit command, has advised drivers of school buses in the area to avoid the use of expired tires to prevent road crashes.
Mr Igbogbo Solomon the Unit Commander, made the call at a public lecture on "Causes of Road Traffic Crashes and Prevention'' on Saturday in Abuja.
Solomon said the public lecture was aimed at sensitising school bus drivers on the need to adhere strictly to traffic rules, dangers of expired tires and vehicle maintenance.
He said: "the essence of this lecture is to ensure safety on our roads and ensure that school bus drivers adhere strictly to road traffic rules.''
"Road traffic crashes are not mere occurrences but largely due to human errors. But these can be reduced through conscious effort by drivers to obey traffic rules.
"All we need to do on our highways is to examine our driving attitude to stay clear of any unhealthy practices and to be promoters of road safety advocacy,'' he said.
He identified human, mechanical and environmental factors to be the three major causes of vehicular crashes on the high ways.
The unit commander assured the participants that the corps would do its best to achieve zero vehicle crashes in the area.
The Chairman of National Association of Private School Owners, Kuje, Mr Michael Oladeji, said the lecture was required to mould the drivers to become more professionals.
" If the drivers became professionals the lack of adherence to safety rules will become a thing of the past.
"It is essential for the drivers to always keep to these safety rules as only school children make up their passengers.
"These children have no capacity to caution them when they go wrong, that is why they need to be properly orientated,'' he said.
Oladeji said: "you can be very educated and intelligent, but you cannot know all the techniques in driving, that is the reason why the corps has to sensitise them on safety rules''.
The chairman appealed to the Federal Government to establish bank of education to enable private school owners to develop the education sector.
He said the sector had suffered a setback, adding that the deficit was already affecting national development negatively.
According to him, the sector requires proper funding in order to reverse the negative trend.
Mr Peter Musa, on behalf of the drivers, expressed delight on step taken by the FRSC to expose them to good driving practices.
"We have resolved to cooperate with the FRSC to ensure strict adherence to traffic rules'', he said.
He urged the commission and other stakeholders in transport sector to assist in mounting more road signs at strategic points.
The lecture featured procedures of obtaining driver's license, validity of number plates and prevention of accidents.
Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State has described the invasion of residences of five judges, including those of two Justices of the Supreme Court - Justice Walter Onnoghen (who is in line to succeed the outgoing Chief Justice of Nigeria) and Justice Sylvester Ngwuta, by armed men of the Department of State Service (DSS) and reported arrest as a direct assault on the judiciary.
The invaded residence of one of the judges by the DSS
Governor Fayose, who addressed the press in Ado-Ekiti on Saturday, said; "It should now be obvious to all Nigerians and the international community that democracy is under threat in Nigeria and Nigerians must rise to save democracy from being truncated."
The governor said; "For all intent and purposes, there is no how the federal government can justify the gestapo and crude action of the DSS against our judiciary, the last hope of the common man and I believe they just want to hide under anti-corruption fight to blackmail and intimidate the judiciary. If not, have the affected judges been reported to the National Judicial Council (NJC), the body saddled with the responsibilities of investigating and sanctioning erring judges? Were the affected judges ever invited by the DSS and they refused to honour the invitation?
"I am particularly worried over the involvement of Justice Walter Onnoghen in the invasion, and I hope this is not a plot to prevent his appointment as the next CJN just because he is from the South South region.
"Nigerians should be reminded that I raised similar alarm when this regime of impunity started with the invasion of the Akwa-Ibom State government house and later the Ekiti State House of Assembly.
"I did say then that democracy in Nigeria was becoming unsafe in the hands of this APC government and that those keeping silent because of politics might also end up in the belly of the roaring lion that is threatening to consume our democracy. Then, those who ought to have joined in condemning the DSS impunity at that time kept silent for fear of the unknown. Now we have gotten to the height of it and Nigeria faces full-blown military dictatorship! This is sad!
"It is more worrisome that two of the judges involved, Justice Adeniyi Ademola and Justice Nnamdi Dimgba ruled against the DSS and condemned its impunity on the cases of former National Security Adviser (NSA), Col Sambo Dasuki (rtd) and retired Air Commodore, Umar Mohammed and one wonders if upholding the rule of law by refusing to help the DSS to sustain its reign of impunity has now become a criminal offence for which judges must be harassed, intimidated and arrested.
"The question to ask is that, will the DSS be a judge in its own case? Even if there are evidence(s) of corruption against the judges as they will want Nigerians to believe, the law is clear as to what to do. The NJC must be informed and the council will in turn investigate the allegation and take appropriate actions. It is after this that the affected judges can be invited for questioning and possibly prosecuted.
"It should be noted that few days ago, the NJC sacked three judges for breaching the Codes of Conduct for Judicial Officers and went further to recommend that one of them, Justice Kabiru M. Auta be handed over to the Inspector General of Police for prosecution for alleged corruption.
"If NJC could do this less than one week ago, has the same NJC been informed of any allegation of corruption against the judges whose residences were invaded?
"I therefore call on all Nigerians and the international community to rise in defense of democracy and the rule of law in our country because as it is, no one will be spared by this rampaging dictatorship.
"Particularly, the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and other stakeholders in the judiciary must not allow this to go unchallenged.
"Obviously, the DSS has become a threat to democracy in Nigeria, having abandoned its core mandate of providing intelligence for the protection of the internal security of Nigeria as provided in the Security Agencies Act Cap. N74 LFN, 2004.
"It has therefore become necessary that President Buhari put a stop to the actions and activities of these overzealous security agencies that can endanger democracy."
The Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) on Saturday said it would institute a legal action against the Kaduna State Government for declaring the group illegal.
Spokesperson of the movement, Ibraheem Musa told newmen in Kaduna that the ban announced by the government was illegal.
"Its an infringement on our basic right as citizens of the country.
"We are not going to be intimidated into taking any violence or unlawful activity but will take legal action against the Kaduna State Government for the infringement."
Recall that the government had on Oct. 7 declared the IMN an unlawful society.
The government in a statement said that it took the decision to preserve peace and security in the state.
"The action is also taken to ensure that all persons and organisations are guided by lawful conduct and with due allegiance to the Nigerian state and its Constitution."
Gov. David Umahi of Ebonyi has threatened to arrest herdsmen in the state who flout his directive of not wandering with their cattle around the state.
Umahi made the threat in Abakaliki on Saturday while inaugurating a committee to check disputes between communities and herdsmen, saying that he had given the last warning on the issue.
He said that the committee had enormous task because of incessant cases of cattle moving around in the state and destroying crops and others agricultural produce.
"Cattle must be in one location and the owners should search for food to feed them because our lands are occupied with agricultural ventures.
"I recently inspected areas we planted flowers and trees in the new city and beheld cattle all over the place.
"I asked my Aide De Camp (ADC) to ascertain if one leaf was eaten by the cattle because I would have ordered the arrest of the people rearing them.
"It will be difficult for us to feed ourselves when cattle move around and likewise to achieve our 'one man, one hectare policy'," he said.
The governor said that he was an advocate of Ebonyi people living peacefully with the Fulanis, some of whom had been in the state for over 70 years.
"The issue is not where the herdsmen come from because I will resist the cattle movement even if they are owned by Ebonyi indigenes.
"I will readily offer assistance to the herdsmen to enable them keep the cattle at a place because I will hate to see the cattle eating the rice that I laboured to cultivate.
"I borrowed N2 billion for the rice projects across the state and the Federal Government also invested funds which will break my heart if the cattle eat the produce.
"We can do without cattle but cannot do without food as it is proven that the dung from the cattle destroys the asphalt used to construct roads.
"The moment the dung drops on the road, it burns the asphalt due to its high-acidic nature and this is one of the major reasons for road failures across the country," he said.
Umahi commended the commissioner of police in the state for her efforts in preventing escalation of the disputes and urged the committee to tour the 13 local government areas to ensure that the directive was obeyed.
Chairman of the committee, Mr Augustine Nwakwagu, thanked the governor for his efforts in ensuring peace between the herdsmen and communities in the state.
"We are lucky not to record serious cases of disputes between these categories of people as the committee's inauguration is instructive to avert such grave occurrences," he said.
On her part, the Commissioner of Police, Mrs Peace Ibekwe-Abdallah, thanked the governor for inaugurating the committee and pledged that they would work assiduously in ensuring that his directives were heeded.
The committee consists of heads of security agencies in the state, traditional rulers, local government areas caretaker committee chairmen, and other stakeholders.
The Comptroller-General of Customs, Col. Hameed Ali (rtd), has, Wednesday, ordered the immediate lifting of the ban on rice importation from import restriction list and the re-introduction of import duty payment at land borders.
The Public Relations Officer of customs, Mr Wale Adeniyi, said this in an interview with newsmen in Abuja.
He said the restriction was only applied at land border stations before now, adding that the customs boss had lifted restriction on rice at border stations.
Bags of rice
Adeniyi said that all rice imports through land borders by rice traders would attract the prevailing import duty of 10 per cent with 60 per cent levy.
He also said rice millers (preferential levy) with valid quota allocation would also attract duty rate of 10 per cent with 20 per cent levy on rice importation.
"Over the years importation has been restricted to the seaports because border authorities have found it difficult to effectively monitor and control importation of rice.
"When the decision to ban it (rice) was taken it was not an effective measure because smuggling of the product thrives with people using different means of conveyance including small trucks, bicycles and even animals - putting them on donkeys and some actually carry it on their heads.
"These new measures will be for customs to re-organize their anti-smuggling operations in the border areas and ensure that all those importers through the borders bring their rice through approved routes and pay their extant duty," he said.
By Cndida IT took three years of playing one man against the other to finally convince Ada to decide on who she thought would be the better man to get married to. In the end, she settled for Dan. Four years later, and with a three-month-old baby in her hands, she walked out on her marriage.
"Dan was a drunk, a brute and a chronic womaniser," she said sadly. "I don't really know why I preferred him to Levi in my courting days. Levi was always a gentleman. Predictable, almost to the point of irritation. Dan on the other hand took me to interesting places and we did very daring things. I realized later that excitements like that shouldn't be taken into marriage.
"Levi was his predictable self when he found out about my separation from my husband. He took both me and the baby over completely. He changed the baby's nappies, took us for medical appointments and was forever giving us money. When his building was completed in one of the suburbs of Ikeja, he not only gave me a flat but equipped the living room so I could use that for my legal firm. For two years, I rushed through my divorce convinced that Levi and I would eventually get married. The month my divorce came through, I went abroad to buy much-needed law books and also to give myself a breather. Levi bought my ticket and gave me a generous cheque for my shopping. I was confident in the love I thought he had for me.
"When I came back, I was a bit surprised to see my younger brother waiting for me at the airport. He said Levi was in the car waiting to talk to me. He looked so embarrassed that I knew that something was wrong. Very wrong. Levi had this stony look on his face as soon as I came out of the lounge. He came straight to the point. His fiancee was pregnant and he'd already moved her into the house. His fiancee? I knew he had a girlfriend but he scarcely mentioned her when we started going out again. When I told him I didn't know he was still seeing her, he looked at me as if I was out of my mind. 'As at that time we met each other again', he reminded me 'you were already married. Surely, you didn't expect me to throwaway a single woman I'd been involved with for years for a married woman who once ditched me? I was shocked to say the least.
"But what about all the things you did for me? For us? I wailed. "Well, what about them?" he asked, looking distant. Suddenly, he was like a total stranger. A monster. "I was doing all I could afford to do for you before you decided to marry Dan. Surely you didn't think 1 would take you seriously a second time and let you hurt me all over again?
"It was then the penny dropped. Levi was trying to pay me back for the hurt I must have caused him all those years ago. And he did pay me back ten-fold. He'd moved all my things from the flat to my parent's house – including my law books. The shock was so much that a week later, I took an over-dose of pills. Unfortunately, I wasn't allowed to die as I was
discovered in time and rushed to the hospital. The doctor who treated me arranged for me to be counselled by a psychiatrist and that helped for a while. That was five years ago – I'm going to need a really long time to get over the depression that now gets hold of me some of the time … "
Lola thought she was a hard-bitten, seen-it all by the time she met Donald, a broadcaster who had a public relations outfit. "After over six years as a widow I thought, by the time I met Donald, that I knew his type!" said Lola. "I'd met plenty like him since I lost my husband. They all had big friendly smiles and such sincere desire to help the poor, lonely widow move heavy objects in the house or see to her car, or arrange for general security measures in the home. As soon as you let them get too familiar, you'd discover what
calculating rogues they were. My best friend's husband once cornered me as I struggled to fix a new bulb in its socket and tried to persuade me into having a relationship with him, saying that since I was still young and attractive, I had no right to deny myself the privileges at his disposal!
"Donald was a professional. There is no other word to describe him. He was a pleasant change from men who imagined they had an automatic right to a girl's compliance just because they took her out for meals. Donald had obviously discovered that a girl was more flattered if he called just when she least expected it. His tactics were to leave the impression that she had seen the last of him, especially when the first meeting had gone so well. Then he pounced. He is what is known as a patient fox! The time with him was good and part of the few moments I cherished. But then, like I said, he knew his onions – too clever by three quarters; and so sharp that one of these days, he "cut himself". "I knew all this modus operandi, laughed at it secretly yet felt hopelessly in love with the cad. When he finally dumped me, like I suspected he would, I was physically sick, yet I knew why he wanted me. It wasn't because he particularly loved me. Obviously, I was just another possession – like his posh flat, his flashy cars, his arrogant designer linen clothes. I was merely a beautiful woman whose presence by his side inflated his ego. There are always girls like me for him for the asking – only they're now younger!'
Invasion of Judges homes: Buhari has no respect for rule of law -Adeyanju
Prominent member of Peoples Democratic Party, Deji Adeyanju has taken a swipe at President Muhammadu Buhari following the invasion of homes of several Judges of the Federal High Court and Justice of the Supreme Court on Saturday by federal security operatives.
President Muhammadu Buhari
Adeyanju statement reads, "In its latest act of dictatorship & disrespect for the rule of law, the Directorate of State Security (DSS) raided the homes of several Judges of the Federal High Court and Justice of the Supreme Court in the early hours of October 8th, 2016.
In one swoop, raided the homes of Justices Walter Onnoghen & Sylvanus Ngwuta of the Supreme Court as well as the homes of Justices Adebiyi Ademola, Muazu Pindiga and Nnamdi Dimgba of the Federal High Court. DSS agents spent time breaking down the gate of Justice Dimgba's house with a sledgehammer before beating his brother to pulp when they could not find him. At this time, Justices Ademola & Pindiga have been arrested and detained.
This is new addition to a long list of actions that show that the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari has no respect for the rule of law, the principles of separation of powers and is only interested in using the apparatus of state to harass real and perceived enemies.
Many will recall the disdain with which President Buhari has spoken about the judiciary and the legal profession in Nigeria. On January 31, 2016 at a meeting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia he told an astounded audience that the judiciary was his main headache in achieving some of his plans. To buttress his point, he cited how the judiciary ruled against him in his previous bids to become President.
Many will also recall that prior to that comment, on August 13, 2015 at the opening ceremony of the 55th General Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) President Buhari had advocated that lawyers should not represent people accused of corruption, in spite of the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria that guarantees all accused people the right to be represented by a lawyer of their choosing.
Many will further recall that on July 18, 2016 the Presidential Advisory Committee on Anti-Corruption (PACAC) organised a conference where speaker after speaker took turns to take umbrage against the judiciary. At the end of that event, PACAC (a body unrecognized by the Constitution) gave out sentencing guidelines it had developed to Judges.
These acts of intimidation and harassment come on the heels of other such actions that started with the invasion of the Akwa Ibom State Government House in September 2015 by DSS and have gone on to include:
. the arrest & detention of online journalists and bloggers; . the mass murder of more than 1000 Shiite Muslims; . the continuous extra-judicial murder of Nigerian citizens in the South East; . the continued detention of several people despite Courts ordering their release; . the violation of the principles of separation of powers as enshrined in our Constitution, and . the constant refusal to obey orders of Courts.
It was predicted before the presidential elections that President Buhari lacked the democratic values to be a democratically elected President of Nigeria. He has continuously lived up to his reputation as a despotic, dictatorial leader who views respect for the rule not as the foundation of the existence of a democratic society but as a irritation to be dispensed with by whatever means necessary.
The events of last night mirror the abduction of Justice Benedict Kiwanuka - the then Chief Justice of Uganda - by the despotic President Idi Amin Dada of Uganda.
Members of the Bench are not above the law and must abide by its provisions at all times. However, our Constitution and other laws provide that erring Judges are to be disciplined within the framework provided by the National Judicial Commission not through Gestapo style abductions in the middle of the night.
It is particularly worrisome that these events are taking place when Yemi Osinbajo, a law professor and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), is the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
These actions are reprehensible, and all well meaning Nigerians - irrespective of tribe, religion or political leanings – must come together to condemn them in their totality before they completely erode the very fabric of our democracy.
Pandemonium broke out in some parts of Ogun state during the Local Government election which was underway on Saturday,as hoodlums reportedly stormed some polling units with guns and other dangerous weapons , snatched ballot boxes and burnt them.
Though, most of the polling units were said to have been peaceful as security agents were seen at almost all the polling units and strategic places across the state.
However, some polling units such as Itoko, Ake, Lafenwa , Iperu , Imeko, Ilugun, Oke -Sopin, Agbole Oluwo, Oru, Awa all in the state recorded various forms of violence.
Our correspondent gathered that, some political thugs stormed a polling booth at Isale-Itoko in Abeokuta South, snatched two ballot boxes and burnt them few metres away from the poling unit.
The hoodlums also reportedly stormed another polling unit around the area , beat the security officers , electoral officers and the electorate.
In Iperu, Remo North local government, a suspected political thugs was arrested after is failed attempt to snatch the ballot box in a polling booth.
At Ilugun in Abeokuta North local government , the security personnel arrested some political thugs after they had snatched ballot boxes.
Also in Yewa North and Imeko local government areas of the state, there were reported sporadic gunshots to scare the voters.
Chief Ramon Adegoke Adedoyin, the Maye of Ile-Ife, in his sixties, is an educationist.
Adedoyin started as a student of mathematics at the then University of Ife, now Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, decades ago, when one of his lecturers, because of his outstanding performance in the subject, assigned him to teach his children at home.
From there, other lecturers asked their children to join. After graduation, he started a coaching class in the family house which later metamorphosed into Universal Tutorial College, Ile-Ife and this has since become The Polytechnic, Ile-Ife.
Adedoyin later founded Oduduwa University, Ile-Ife, Oduduwa University International Secondary School, Ile-Ife, Our Saviors University, Delaware USA, Unique Citizens University College, Accra, Ghana, Raypower Guards Ltd, Lagos, Nigeria among several other investments in banking, medicine, tourism and hospitality.
Adedoyin, a prince of Ile-Ife, took a shot at the stool of the Ooni of Ife, before Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi ultimately emerged.
Adedoyin, in this interview, speaks on his ties with the late Ooni Okunade Sijuwade Olubushe II and the Ogunwusi.
Relationship with Oba Okunade Sijuwade
Adedoyin, Maye of Ife
One thing I am going to miss about the late Oba Okunade Sijuwade was the role he used to play each time I wanted to assist somebody. There was a Chairman of the National Museum and Monuments, Dr Omotosho Eluyemi, who died and a professor, also from Ile-Ife, came to me because he knew I was very close to the late Ooni, and so wanted me to help him deliver a letter to the monarch to help him secure the appointment to replace Eluyemi. In my usual manner, I collected the letter and went to the Ooni. Anytime he wanted to do something for me, it would just be burning in his mind. But whenever he didn't want to do anything, when I ask, he would just say 'sorry, how is that your school?', as if that was what I came to discuss. When the idea of Oduduwa University came up and I discussed with him, it was like he owned it. He gave Oduduwa University 25 hectares of land and that is what is still there today.
Then there was a problem with a land in Parakin. I gave N2m to somebody for the land and then the land became controversial. I insisted I would not allow them to take over the land. They knew the person they could go and talk to that could talk to me was the late Ooni and they went to him.
When they got to him, you know what he said? He said, 'Give them the land', that he had so many lands and one in Parakin and asked me to come and take the papers. But I told myself, that 'Somebody just gave me his personal land measuring 25 hectares, and says I should go and take another land', if I'm not a foolish person, I should use common sense not to go and take that land'. So, I left that land.
The late Ooni loved me more than his children. I have a letter, from him, duly signed by the Council of Chiefs that stated that he 'created a town in new Ife in the name of Dr R.A Adedoyin to be called Maye Town'. The man was like god-sent to all the successes I have and I believe his contributions made me what I am today. Again, before he died, each time he was travelling, he would send me a text message, "Adedoyin, take good care of our people, as you continue to do this, the Almighty God will continue to bless you".
There was a time I was chatting with the new Ooni, he said this load is big for him and I told him not to worry, that all of us would be carrying the load. And he is carrying it with dignity. All the 401 deities in Ile-Ife, he has started remodelling them to make the town a tourist centre. People from all over the world would be coming to visit, just like it happens in Jerusalem. So, what we have been doing is to make sure that we assist him so that he can succeed.
The contest for Ooni
I believe what happened was the way God wanted it. This is because, when you say you want something and God knows that what you want will affect you and what he has designed for your life, God may not allow you to get it. So, as far as I am concerned, I am happy, I am friendly with the present Ooni, we are from the same ruling house. He has visited me, he is peace loving, because the way some people wanted it was that there should be a very serious crisis during the contest for the Ooni stool, but I did not listen to them. At the peak of the contest, the Area Commander here visited me and said he learnt from Abuja that Ile-Ife was going to boil and that so many people will be killed, and many houses burnt. He claimed that the information from Abuja showed that there was a rich man in Ile-Ife who had universities, a security company, guns, and that the person wanted to cause problems in Ile-Ife. I assured him that there will be no problem. One of the king-makers also sent a message to me, asking me to be careful and refrain from causing trouble because I am among people with the largest properties in Ile-Ife. So, I will be the last person to cause trouble. Some people invited me, they said we should go to court, and I said, no, we are from the same ruling house. And even if I fight and remove him, I still can't become the Ooni because the stool will then go to another ruling house, so what would I be fighting for? Reasonably, I should not fight because if you look at the largest investor in Ile-Ife, it is me, so why must I fight? I will never fight him. The day after the new Ooni was announced, I just called my wife and the children and travelled out. You want to fight for somebody that is not around?. And when everything settled, I came back and congratulated the new Ooni. Today, we are very close, always chatting.
Business
Investing in the education sector is a very risky business because when you have invested so much, government keeps on telling you that it remains this and that. The process of accreditation is not a joke. Before you get a licence to operate a university, you have about eleven steps to take. If you look at the steps critically, you may say"I don't want to continue this business". But if you are sure that this is what you want to do, you are determined, I think success will come.
Sad experience
There was a time at the polytechnic level, when I had not got accreditation and some students rioted, destroyed buildings and cars. One welder who did a lot of works in the polytechnic came to me and said he didn't think the project will not die and advised me to try another business. I looked at it properly. It was a sober kind of reflection. I said the guy made sense but later something came into my mind, urging me to pursue and I pursued and eventually got the polytechnic programs accredited. As that happened, I used to have a hostel, about ten rooms. I thought about what the guy said, that if the polytechnic project failed, let me try hotel business. That was how Hilton Hotels came into existence. I turned a hostel of the school into a hotel. Today, look at Hilton Hotels. It is one of the biggest hotels you can think of in Ile-Ife. I am always optimistic about whatever I do, success will come. I thank God success has come.
Secret of locating businesses in Ile-Ife
My wife, a Christian, once took me to Jerusalem. We slept in one hotel and at 5 in the morning, I heard Allahu Akbar. I said this can't be in Jerusalem. And when we now started going round, the way we talk about Jesus here is deeper than the way they talk about Jesus in Israel.
So, I think that when you establish a business in your own town, if care is not taken, people who know how you started will always want to pull you down. People know me very well in Ife, they know when I started as a young boy. I think that is one of the reasons when people establish businesses in their own town, the business hardly succeeds. Apart from this, I believe there is a force which I don't possibly understand. I have houses in Ghana, Lagos, US and so on, but whenever I travel out of Ile-Ife to spend three days, before you know it, the second day, I am back home, to Ile-Ife.
I know there are forces urging me to stay in Ile-Ife and be doing this and I'm doing it and successfully. In Ife, they say we have 401 deities and that there is no day in the year that we don't worship one deity or the other. Some people also believe there are so many witches in Ile-Ife and that if you do anything in Ile-Ife, some things will happen. But we thank God that we are here, instead of them attacking us,they are encouraging us. The people of Ife should come home and invest, I will help them to talk to the witches and 401 deities.(laughter)
Efforts to encourage others
I started with a number of people who are natives of Ife in the U.S. One of them has now settled down inside my university. He said he wanted to start doing something in Ife, he is a pilot in the U.S, married to a white woman. His name is Prince Ademiluyi, who has set up Institute of Aviation, Oduduwa University. If I wanted to frustrate this my brother, I would have asked him to go and bring 25,000 US dollars, to have my affiliation. In Ghana, I own the Unique University. We went to Cape Coast and all manners of universities to affiliate with. Come and see what they are talking about in US dollars. That is how to kill a school that is coming up.
State of education in Nigeria
People say standard of education is coming down. I don't believe this, especially with the advent of the social media. Although our children are learning it the wrong way, like sending porno films to one another and so on, before you know it, if anything happens in America, you will know. It was not like that in those days. I think, if we are able to check the problems associated with the use of the social media, education will continue to increase in standard. As far as I'm concerned, the standard of education is increasing. But the Federal Government should ensure that government schools are well funded. It should look at government schools like private schools.
On FG assisting private universities
People have said severally that the Federal Government should give money to private universities. Currently they give money to state universities and federal universities, but with what happened many years ago when state governments took over schools from their owners, if you have invested all your life and government gives you money, it is possible for them to take it over sooner or later even though I know it is also possible for them to take it over when they didn't give you money. But that would be different from when they say they invested their money. So each time we talk about government that they should give money to private universities,I have a very different concept on that. I feel that so many people have seen the importance of private universities and I believe that very soon people will not attend government universities anymore, going by the problems there, including strikes by the staff.
And government can sponsor children of indegent parents in private universities. They don't even need to give that money to the school, they can contact the school and ask what the authorities want to do with the money. People are talking about bailout, that can be some kind of bailout for private universities too.
English Premiership club, West Ham United has donated the sum of £30,000 to the Anambra State Football Association and £5,000 to Okongwu Memorial Grammar School, Nnewi, to support football development in the state and Nigeria as a whole.
Okongwu Memorial Grammar School is the alma mater of the President, FC Ifeanyi Ubah. Dr. Ifeanyi Ubah.
Recall that the English Premier league stormed Nigeria on Wednesday to further consolidate its partnership deal with the top Nigerian Professional Football League, NPFL side, FC Ifeanyi Ubah.
WEST HAM donates £35,000 to Anambra football club, schoolWEST HAM donates £35,000 to Anambra football club, schoolWEST HAM donates £35,000 to Anambra football club, schoolEnglish Premiership club, West Ham United has donated the sum of £30,000 to the Anambra State Football Association and £5,000 to Okongwu Memorial Grammar School, Nnewi, to support football development in the state and Nigeria as a whole.English Premiership club, West Ham United has donated the sum of £30,000 to the Anambra State Football Association and £5,000 to Okongwu Memorial Grammar School, Nnewi, to support football development in the state and Nigeria as a whole.
Ben Agande, Abuja. The Department of State Service, DSS Saturday said it recovered over N270 Million from the residences of three judges following its simultaneous raids on Friday night? of the residences of over seven justices of the Supreme, Federal and high courts across the country.
A break down of the monies recovered from the residences of the unnamed three justices include N93,558,000; $530,087; £25,970 and ?5,680.
Addressing a press conference at the DSS headquarters yesterday to explained why it carried out the raids, an official of the service, Mallam Garba Abdullahi said it was aimed at restoring “sanity and sanctity to the esteemed third arm of government”.
According to Mallam Garba, a planned raid on the residence of a judge in Rivers where the service, he said, had intelligence that he had $2million in cash at home was frustrated by Governor Nyesom Wike who brought in thugs to prevent the service from carrying out its mission in connivance with an unnamed sister security agency.
He explained that the operations were based on allegations of corruptions and other ?acts of professional misconduct by the suspected justices.
The DSS official further defended the action of the service saying it was in line with us core mandate, adding that the affected justice’s “expensive and ?luxurious” lifestyle was being monitored by the service for some time
Human rights lawyer, Mr. Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, Saturday, asked the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA to indefinitely boycott the courts to protest the invasion of the homes judges by operatives of the Department of State Services, DSS.
He said the boycott should commence on Monday, October 10, 2016 till further notice, until there is respect for the rule of law and the Constitution,
The scene of invasion of judge’s home in Rivers early on Saturday by DSS operatives
Adegboruwa, in a statement described the raid as full blown dictatorship now in action, adding that it is now a case of anarchists in power.
The statement read: “As judges have no voices to speak officially, I call on the Nigerian Bar Association to declare an indefinite strike so that all courts of law in Nigeria will be boycotted until there is respect for the rule of law and the Constitution, commencing from Monday, October 10, 2016, until further notice.
“The clampdown on judges has been on for a long time, through agents of government in the various institutions of oppression. We are now back to the 1984 jackboot system of intolerance, where all dissenting views and opinions must be silenced.
“It is condemnable for the DSS, which is an arm of the executive, to be breathing down on the judicial arm of government, under the guise of fighting corruption. It is now clear without any shadow of doubt that the so-called anti-corruption war is a hidden agenda to perpetuate the Gen Buhari regime in office beyond 2019. It is meant to silence the opposition and to cover the inefficiency and cluelessness of this administration.
“The 1999 Constitution in sections 4, 5 and 6 prescribes the system of separation of powers between the three arms of government. But since 2015 when this government was sworn in, the executive arm under Gen Buhari has dominated and brutalised the other two arms of government. The leadership of the National Assembly is under trial and it is now the turn of the judiciary."
According to Adegboruwa, in a democracy, the rule of law prescribes the independence of the judiciary, where judges must be allowed to take decision according to law and according to their consciences.
He said the invasion of the homes of judges by the DSS "should never happen that the executive is indirectly threatening and intimidating members of the third estate of the realm.
“The judiciary is the arm that stabilises democracy and should not be exposed to ridicule or opprobrium in the manner that the DSS is currently doing," the lawyer said.
“I believe that the hidden motive of all these is traceable to the power tussle between leaders of the ruling party and in the days of lawlessness that will be unleashed by those who are in power, it has become necessary to capture the judiciary, to whom the victims of this power tussle will likely turn.
“Any fight against corruption must be done under the rule of law and there is no law that authorises the invasion of the home of a judge at an unholy hour of 1am. Being public officers, there is no way these judicial officers would have absconded or run away from normal arrest during the day, if need be.
“This is the height of executive lawlessness and crass intolerance. We do not advocate that those alleged to be corrupt should not face their due trial, but that should be done in an atmosphere of dignity and respect for the fundamental rights of the suspects."
He added that this was dangerous and condemnable since "we are not under a military rule".
Since Governor Akinwunmi Ambode assumed office on May 29, 2015, efforts have been geared towards creating a friendly environment for investors and for businesses to thrive.
In recognition of this, Ambode, penultimate week, at the 2016 International Forum on African Leadership, received an award for the Best Performing Governor in Nigeria, organised by the African Leadership Magazine, and held at the Regis Hotel, New York, United States.
This came as the state administration, through the Public Works Corporation, LSPWC, was awarded the Africa's best agency in quality road maintenance and management.
At the US event, the governor reassured investors of his government's commitment to not only become a shining example for Africans in Diaspora but also retain the status of the state as investors' haven.
Eko-Atlantic
Commissioner for Wealth Creation and Employment, Mr. Babatunde Durosinmi-Etti, led a high-level delegation which include his counterpart in the state Ministry of Information and Strategy, Mr. Steve Ayorinde; Special Adviser on Overseas Affairs and Investment to the overnor, Professor Ademola Abass; and Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Mr. Habib Aruna, to receive the award.
"Lagos as the fifth largest economy in Africa is like a country and, with the momentum with which the state is moving, it might soon emerge as the biggest economy in Africa. It is home to almost every religion, tribe and colour and accommodates the largest pool of black people all over the world, including Africa's richest man, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, who is from Nigeria and has a home in Lagos".
On the best agency in quality road maintenance and management, Lagos beat other African countries to clinch the African Quality Achievement Award 2016.
Representing Ambode at the award ceremony, tagged, "African Quality Achievement Award 2016," Special Adviser/Chief Executive Officer, CEO, LSPWC, Ayotunde Sodeinde, noted that the feat was achieved through God and the resilient spirit of the governor.
Meanwhile, the governor says the current economic situation offered an opportunity for the country to re-order economic priorities and develop other revenue generating channels.
He spoke at the National Tourism Conference, held at Eko Atlantic City, EAC, in Lagos to commemorate the World Tourism Day.
While alluding to a recent study by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), which projected that the travel and tourism industry in Nigeria would contribute 1.6 percent directly to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country by 2024 which in absolute terms represented N1.366billion, and 1,194,000 direct employment, Ambode advocated the development of a framework for the industry, especially the creation of incentives for investors.
Lagos, being a coastal location is blessed with unbroken 283 kilometers of coastline apart from other tourism potentials.
Apart from taking the opportunity of events and celebrations to showcase the rich culture and heritage of Lagos to the world, the state administration also adopted Project THESE, meaning Tourism, Hospitality, Entertainment and Sports for Excellence, all geared towards harnessing the potentials of the tourism sector for the benefit of the people.
"I would like to express the total support of this government to this project because at the end of the day we need to grow the economy of Lagos and this obviously is going to have multiplier effect on our IGR", the governor said.
"We promise that we are going to grow our IGR to N30bn by 2017 and N50bn by 2018 and this project is a sure outlet in achieving that goal".
EAC is a multi-billion dollar project sitting on over 10million square metres and is expected to accommodate over 150,000 people who would reside there and another 250,000 who would work and commute within the city on a daily basis.
The governor, while also inspecting the 8.5km long shoreline wall, otherwise known as the 'Great Wall of Lagos', built to protect the EAC, said the project will not only protect the new city, but also protect the whole of Victoria Island against ocean surge.
"This is a new and a bigger version of Victoria Island. We are going to have an Energy City here, a financial hub that is more or less going to run under a Free Trade Zone and so on", Ambode said.
"I just want to encourage other investors and other people who had taken one step or the other in respect of the Eko Atlantic City that the time is now because in another one and half years, this place will be something else".
So far, out of the over 10 million square meters of the project, about six million square meters had been reclaimed, while there are 15 bridges and two tunnels designed with the project.
The first two residential buildings in the new city had been completed in August, the second is slated to be ready before the end of the year, while the first office block is also expected to be ready by October, 2016, said the Chairman of EAC, Mr. Ronald Chagoury.
Chagoury described the project as an impressive financial district which upon completion, would compare with the financial district in Paris, France and the 5th Avenue in New York, United States.
The "Great Wall" of Lagos was scientifically designed to withstand any ocean surge and built to last for 1, 000 years.
Also, Managing Director of Access Bank, Mr. Herbert Wigwe, whose bank is the major partner with the promoters of EAC and Lagos State government, said aside the fact that adequate arrangement had been made to protect the city, the project was all about saving the state and creating a new tomorrow for people to live in Lagos.
However, Ojukwu had been under tremendous pressure for quite some time: he tried his best to calm separatist agitations in his region which became more stringent and vociferous since the pogroms of May, 1966. He was also struggling with the huge task of resettling about one million eight hundred thousand refugees that poured into the east from different parts of the country, especially from northern Nigeria. The issue of payment of salaries to workers displaced because of the disturbances was also pending. Overall, it seemed that Lieutenant-Colonel Gowon and his advisers in Lagos were not interested in assisting Ojukwu to resolve the myriads of problems facing the east. To be continued.
Abeokuta – Gov. Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun has described Saturday's local government poll in the state as "historic.''
Amosun made the observation while addressing newsmen after casting his vote at Polling Unit 1 in Ward 4 at Ajura in Owode Local Council Development Area (LCDA).
The governor hinged his statement on the ground that since the state's creation, Saturday's poll was the first in which election was being conducted into LCDAs alongside local governments.
The Ogun State Independent Electoral Commission (OGESIEC) on Saturday conducted election into the 20 local government councils and the 37 newly created LCDAs in the state.
" I feel great today because we are not just voting but we are also making history.Governor of Ogun State, Senator Ibikunle Amosun
"In the history of our state which is about 40 years and half now, this is the first time we are having LCDA elections with local governments elections.
"You will therefore agree with me that we are making history today," he said.
Amosun also rated the poll in terms of importance above governorship election, saying, "it is the closest to the people.''
He expressed satisfaction over the peaceful conduct of the poll at his ward, adding that reports that he got from other parts of the state indicated the same situation.
The governor was full of praises for the security agents who were on ground to maintain law and order.
He also commended the state electoral commission, particularly for the simultaneous accreditation and voting system adopted, which according to him, enhanced the credibility of the poll.
?The governor, however, argued that it would be difficult to assess the turn-out of people until the poll was over because of the system adopted.
"We cannot judge the turn-out of people based on the people at the polling units per time.
"This is because many people according to reports left the polling centres immediately they finished voting
"So after the voting, we need to compare the number of registered voters with the number of people that actually voted," he said.
Amosun gave an assurance that the exercise would improve development in all the council areas.
There was, however, a low turn in some parts of Ijebu-Ode.
At Ijebu-Ode, during the election, inspite of the heavy security presence, most people decided to stay back home.
Some respondents, who spoke to NAN, cited indifference toward the choice of candidates contesting in the poll as the reason for the low turnout.
However, those who turned out gave kudos to OGSIEC for a well conducted electoral exercise without incidence of violence.
The Ogun Deputy Governor, Mrs Yetunde Onanuga, who is an indigene of Ijebu-Ode, was also on ground to vote and monitor the poll across the town.
Most of the wards and polling units visited started the accreditation and voting exercise between 8.00am and 9.00am while those who started at a later time cited logistics reasons for the delay.
In most polling units visited, an average of between 45 and 100 accredited voters had cast their votes as at 1.00 p.m.
The voting exercise officially began at 8.00am and ended at 3.00pm, with all results to be collated by the Returning Officers at the OGSIEC Collation Centre in Ijebu-Ode Local Government.
The Presiding Officer, Italapo Polling Unit 10 in Ward 6, Ijebu-Ode Local Government, Mrs Olabisi Bello, told NAN that voting had gone according to schedule with voters cooperating.
She said the turn out had been fair and that the exercise was carried out without any case of violence or disruption.
Also, at the Ward 9, Odo-Egbo Polling Unit 1 in Ijebu-Ode Local Government, the Presiding Officer, Adetutu Osunsanya, also said the electoral commission provided adequate logistics to begin the exercise according to schedule.
She, however, complained of a low turn out of voters, saying not more than 50 persons had voted at the unit as at 11.00 a.m.
At the Ijebu-Ode South LCDA, Ward 5, Imepe Polling Unit 4, Mr Peter Olanlokun, the Presiding Officer, said the turn out was fair, with about 100 voters as at 12.00p.m.
He also said the exercise was hitch-free and well coordinated.
In Ward 6, Omoluwabi Polling Unit 5 in Ijebu-Ode South LCDA, Mr Moses Adebamigbe, the presiding officer said the turn out was not good enough.
Mr Segun Adebanjo, who cast his vote in Ward 1, Polling Unit 2, told NAN that he was satisfied with the conduct of the poll and was happy no incident of violence or ballot snatching was recorded.
Mr Tola Banjo, former Ogun State House of Assembly Deputy Speaker, who cast his vote at Ward 9, Polling Unit 9, also gave credence to a successful election by OGSIEC.
"No situation is perfect but with what we have seen, there has been calm and the turn out has been improving as the exercise went on.
"The system where people can do accreditation and vote simultaneously has facilitated the speed of the exercise as people can vote and go home immediately.
"That is why we are not having cluster of people around. Contrary to opinion, generally for me, the turnout has been impressive," Banjo said.
In Sango-Ota, accreditation and voting .started as early as 8:20 a.m. at many polling units.
At Unit 3,Ward 1,Iganmode road, Ota, the presiding officer, Mrs Funmi Odeyemi, said 475 people were expected to vote in the ward, saying that people turned out gradually.
Also at ward 2,Unit 4, the presiding officer, Mrs Kudirat Lawal, said that 541 people were expected to vote in the ward.
As at 11.00 a.m., however, only 40 had voted in the polling unit.
The Nigeria Women's U-17 team, the Flamingoes have crashed out of the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup taking place in Jordan.
The 2016 Flamingoes set came out as the worst ever assembled as the team could only get a point from three games and failed to score a goal in over 270 minutes of football action and finishing bottom of the table.
Korea DPR thrashed the Flamingoes 3-0 to confirm their exit on Saturday.
ABUJA – The Presidency has commended the Supreme Court of South Africa for upholding the jail sentence slammed on Mr.? Henry Okah.
In an appeal decision on 3rd October, 2016, the court convicted the accused on two out of the six-counts charge relating to the Warri bombings labeled against him.
The Court also upheld the 12-year sentence for his role in the October 1, 2010 Independence Day bombing in Abuja.
The convictions were all in respect of the Warri bombing for which Mr. Okah was found guilty of financial involvement and equipment that made paved way for the execution of the attacks.
The Court also held that Mr. Okah provided more than two million Naira (N2 million) to three (3) individuals for the purpose of acquiring vehicles and explosives for use in the Warri bombing. File photo: Okah in Court Photo AFP
Speaking to State House Correspondents, a presidency source who pleaded anonymity said that the Nigerian government had written “a measured letter” to the South African government, hailing the judicial decision as a big step towards removing terrorism from the continent.
“South Africa has projected itself an enduring partner to Nigeria in the war against terrorism. When African countries act jointly against terrorism, they send out clear and unambiguous signals that there is no more a place for terrorism on our continent”, the source said.
On the Abuja bombing, the Court upheld that Mr. Okah conspired, planned and executed the bombing by proxy by instructing his people on what to do while he was in South Africa.
The Court therefore, held that exemption clause on extra-territorial application could not apply as Mr. Okah orchestrated the Abuja bombing while in South African territory. ?
The Supreme Court of Appeal of South Africa, by this judgment has reduced the 12-year sentence for Warri bombing to eight (8) years but maintaining the 12-year sentence for the Abuja bombing, making the period 20 years all together as against the 24 years ruling by a lower Court.
The Presidency source also submitted that the judgment was a victory for the fight against terrorism in all its form and shape, which should be hailed by all well meaning Nigerians and citizens of the world.
“The South African authorities are therefore, urged to ensure that Mr. Okah is made to face the full wrath of the law for his acts of international terrorism. The scourge of terrorism as perpetrated by the Boko Haram terrorists and the so-called "Niger Delta Avengers or militants" has led to the death of several Nigerians and the monumental destruction of national assets”, the source stated
It will be recalled that Mr. Okah was granted Permanent Residency in South Africa in 2007, and was arrested in Johannesburg on 2nd October, 2010.
Meanwhile, Mallam Garba Shehu, President Muhammadu Buhari’s spokesman has confirmed that the Presidency viewed the conviction positively as serious signal in cleansing Nigeria of terrorism.
Gov. David Umahi of Ebonyi has directed that teachers who absented themselves from work for five times in a term should be sacked.
Umahi, who gave the directive when he inaugurated the newly constructed headquarters of Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) in Abakaliki on Friday, said those who absented themselves from work once in a month would forfeit half of their salaries for the month.".
He said that all local government caretaker committee chairmen, development centre coordinators and other relevant officials had been empowered to carry out the directive.
The governor urged the teachers to the embrace the government's initiated school agriculture programme, noting it would make them productive and supplement their income.
"I heard that the materials provided for the programme is being stolen in some schools and I mandate the Commissioner for Education to transfer any headmaster or principal in such schools to a remote area.
"The programme must be sustained and we are ready to give you soft loans even if everyone is not accommodated at the same time," Umahi said.
He commended the NUT chairman for erecting the edifice and paid glowing tributes to its past leaders who initiated and tried completing the project.
"We are going to look into ways of reviewing your Teachers Salary Structure (TSS) and praying for improved resources to enhance it.
"The government would also donate the sum of two million naira to the state branch of the NUT to adequately furnish the building for optimum productivity," he said.
Mr Joseph Nweke, NUT Chairman in the state, said that the building was initiated by Mrs Franca Egwu during the military administration of retired Capt. Walter Ferghabo.
"Successive leadership of the union tried to complete it and it became my leadership's main priority on assumption of office in 2010.
He commended the governor for showing sufficient concern in the welfare of teachers through prompt payment of salaries, other entitlements, among others.
"Your presence to inaugurate this building is a source of inspiration, joy and deepening of the spirit of comradeship between teachers and the state government," he said.
Mr Kelvin Nwankwo, a former NUT Chairman, and current NUT Deputy National President, commended the governor for his magnanimity toward teachers and workers in general.
"You are promptly paying workers salaries when other states are grappling with the payment and even slashing the salaries.
"You have also demonstrated unbridled commitment towards educational enhancement by providing basic facilities to ensure conducive learning in schools across the state," he said.
The highlights of the occasion include the inauguration and inspection of the building by the governor, goodwill messages from relevant stakeholders, among others.
Some Elder statemen, Retired Commodore Ebitu Ukiwe, Retired Lt.-Gen. Ihejirika and a former governor of Anambra, Chief Chukwuemeka Ezeife have called on businessmen and entrepreneurs from South-East to invest in the region.
They made the call at the second edition of Igbo Unity Forum in Awka on Saturday.
A former Chief of General Staff, Ukiwe said the exodus of Igbo businessmen from the region was attributable to the economic hardship in the former Eastern region at the end of the 30-month Nigerian/Biafran civil war.
Ukiwe said the Igbos, who were entrepreneurial in nature, could not stay idle but went to other parts of the country to create values which resulted in the development of such places.
He said it was time the business class established their businesses in the South-East to check the underdevelopment and rising unemployment in the region.
"The aim is to rally our people to invest at home, their movement outside Igboland was caused by the poverty and destruction that dotted the region after the war, the infrastructure was not there, so they had to go out and do what they know best.
"But now, we are calling on these people to end self-pity and take the responsibility of making themselves relevant by making the region viable," Ukiwe said.
On his part, the Deputy Governor of Imo, Chief Eze Madumere, said if part of the businesses owned by the people of South-East were brought to the region, the restiveness, crime and poverty would be drastically reduced.
Madumere said they were not calling on people to relocate their businesses but to establish a part of it, adding that a buoyant and vibrant economy would reduce the dependency of the state on Federal Allocation.
"Our strength lies not in education or wealth but on our unity, and that is what the Igbo Unity Forum which started in Owerri was meant to achieve.
"We need more of Onitsha, Aba in the South-East so that the Enugu International Airport and the Owerri Cargo Airport can be more effectively put into use. All these will reduce the crime and poverty among the people," Madumere said.
Also, the former Chief of Army Staff, Ihejirika, said the Igbos should look beyond the setback suffered in the past and forge ahead in the politics and economy of Nigeria.
Ihejirika said it was only sincerity and unity of purpose of the Igbos that could take them to the economic height they wish to be, adding that the call for people to invest at home was most appropriate.
In his remark, former governor of Anambra, Chief Chukwuemeka Ezeife, said most states in the country were not viable because they were politically created.
Ezeife said there was need to restructure Nigeria politically to return the system to regionalism where they could be greater economic value creation at the regions.
He also urged President Muhammadu Buhari to address resolutions of the 2015 national conference, pointing out that some of the issues there contained solutions to the current national challenges of Nigeria.
In his welcome address, Gov Willie Obiano of Anambra, stressed the need to bridge the gap between the Igbo intelligentsia, Igbo businessmen and Igbo politician, to achieve the purpose of economic prosperity.
Obiano said there was increased security in the region as exemplified by Anambra, adding that entrepreneurs had no reasons to deny their people business opportunities.
He called for more of such forum to drum home the need to revitalise the region as a step toward solving the recession crisis in Nigeria.
