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Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki has advocated the need to prioritize deterrence rather than punishment in other to permanently win the ongoing war against corruption.
Saraki gave the charge in his speech at the Public Presentation and Book-Signing ceremony of Senator Dino Melaye’s book titled: “Antidotes For Corruption – The Nigerian Story”, held in Abuja on Monday, according to a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Sanni Onogu.
On why deterrence is a better approach to fighting the corruption scourge, Saraki said, “I am convinced that we must return to that very basic medical axiom that prevention is better than cure.
“Perhaps, the reason our fight against corruption has met with rather limited success is that we appeared to have favoured punishment over deterrence.
“We must review our approaches in favour of building systems that make it a lot more difficult to carry out corrupt acts or to find a safe haven for corruption proceeds within our borders.
“In doing this, we must continue to strengthen accountability, significantly limit discretion in public spending, and promote greater openness,” he said.
Besides, on that the 8th National Assembly is doing to fight corruption, the Senate President said: "We in the National Assembly last week took the first major step in this direction towards greater openness.
“For the first time in our political history, the budget of the National Assembly changed from a one-line item to a 34-page document that shows details of how we plan to utilize the public funds that we appropriate to ourselves."
Bukola Saraki
He stated that tremendous progress in the fight against corruption under President Muhammadu Buhari in the last two years, saying, “one area I believe we have made remarkable progress in the past two years of the President Buhari-led administration is that corruption has been forced back to the top of our national political agenda.
“Every single day, you read the newspapers, you listen to the radio, you go on the internet, you watch the television, the people are talking about it. The people are demanding more openness, more accountability and more convictions.
“Those of us in government are also responding, joining the conversation and accepting that the basis of our legitimacy as government is our manifest accountability to the people,” he said.
On anti-corruption legislation being considered by the Senate, he said, “At the moment, we are considering for passage into law the following bills: The Whistleblower Protection Bill, which I am confident will be passed not later than July 2017; The Proceeds of Crime Bill; The Special Anti-Corruption Court, which would be done through constitutional amendment and; The Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters Bill.”
He stated that it has become imperative for governments at all levels to demonstrate that they are not in office for the pursuit of private gain, “but to make our people happier by helping them to meet their legitimate aspirations and achieve a higher quality of life…Nigeria and Nigerians have not accepted corruption as normal; we recognize it as a problem; that we are determined to make a break with our past and live by different rules."
He stated that providing more opportunities for Nigerians will help in winning the crusade against graft and added that, "If we are able to build a quality public education system, especially at the basic and secondary level, which would not require parent to pay through their nose for their children's education…
“If we are able to build an efficient public health system that provide insurance cover to ordinary citizens so that when they fall sick, they can access quality healthcare without running from pillar to post looking for money; if we are able to build a system that guarantees food and shelter to everyone; if we are able to do all these, we would have gone a long way in removing much of the driving force for corruption at this level,” he stated.
He further stressed the need the need to simplify the nation’s bureaucracy and administrative procedures “because it is in the complexity and red-tapes that corrupt officials profit.”
A 25-year-old man, Oluwaseun Omolayo, on Monday prayed an Ikole-Ekiti Customary Court in Ekiti State not to dissolve his parents' marriage of 39 years.
Oluwaseun, the third among four children of the couple, made the plea while giving evidence in a divorce petition by his mother, Chief Idowu Omolayo, a former regent of Ayebode-Ekiti,
Judicial symbol
Idowu had approached the court and prayed for the dissolution of her 39 year-old marriage with Chief Olusola Omolayo, a farmer and civil servant.
She claimed that the husband did not take proper care of her and the children and in addition, constantly fought her.
Oluwaseun, who was the second witness of the petitioner's, said although his mother sponsored 95 per cent of the children's education, he did not want the court to dissolve the union.
He prayed the court to order his father to support his mother to take proper care of them (children).
Oluwaseun said his father earned monthly salary and sold palm-wine but refused to take care of the family.
Olusola, however, denied the testimonies of the witnesses and insisted that he supported his wife in paying bills for the children's education.
The President of the court, Mrs Yemisi Ojo, adjourned the case until June 5.
She asked the defendant to come with his witnesses and evidence that he contributed to the children education financially when hearing on the matter would resume.
Former Nigeria's Ministers of Health Babatunde Osotimehin and Adenike Grange have commended Nigerian doctors and nurses in the Diaspora for their contributions to healthcare in Nigeria and globally.
Newsmen report that Osotimehin and Grange spoke at an award dinner organised by the Nigeria Health Foundation (NHF) in Newark, New Jersey, U.S on Saturday night.
Osotimehin, who served as a Minister of Health under late President Umaru Yar'Adua, commended the foundation for giving hope to ordinary Nigerians.
Newsmen report that the former minister, now UN Under-Secretary-General and the Executive Director of UN Population Fund since Jan. 1, 2011, was one of the awardees at the event.
Prof. Babatunde Osotimehin, UNFPA Executive Director
He recognised the contributions of the founder of NHF, Dr Iwuozo Obilo for extending goodwill to the less-privileged and Dr Oluyemi Badero and Dr Otu Ovadje for their remarkable contributions.
Badero is a specialist in internal and cardiovascular medicine, invasive and interventional cardiology, nephrology and hypertension, interventional nephrology and endovascular medicine, nuclear cardiology as well as peripheral vascular interventions.
Similarly, Ovadje, a retired Brigadier-General, is a renowned medical doctor who invented the Emergency Auto Transfusion System (EAT-SET), an affordable, simpler and effective blood auto-transfusion system.
"I saw and I met Dr Badero around here; my heart is beating today because we have that cardiologist around.
"And we have several of you who actually are in medicine who are contributing in no small way to healthcare in the world and particularly in Nigeria.
"I thank Dr Ovadje for the useful and very indigenous contributions that you have made to healthcare, not only in Nigeria but in the world.
"This kind of opportunity actually gives me the kind of situation where I can speak and talk on medicine in Nigeria," he said.
The UNFPA chief commended the foundation, saying it was the kind of vision everybody should support.
"More importantly is that we are talking healthcare in Nigeria and we are talking about what are the things we can do, which of course, the foundation is doing.
"And then we are raising resources to give hope to others. It is good and I totally accept that we cannot just wait until everything gets better.
Prof. Grange, Nigeria's first female minister of health, also during late President Yar'Adua's tenure, in her remarks said she was so inspired by what had been done by Obilo.
"There are so many people who are in hopeless situations, that they don't have money, and have been deprived of even hope of getting anywhere.
"Thank you very much indeed for this kind of programme, which as we know, gives hope. Thank you for thinking about them, for using the latest technology to reach them.
"Technology is the networking, which you have set up among doctors, nurses and students, and I believe that you are on to a very great thing," she said.
Ovadje, in his remarks, said the primary healthcare system introduced by late Prof. Beko Ransome-Kuti remained the best for the country, and commended Diaspora Nigerians for their contributions to healthcare.
"The very basis of care not only rest in its communities, it rests in providing primary healthcare," Ovadje said.
Earlier, the representative of the Consulate-General of Nigeria, Mrs Kate Igbodike said the consulate was pleased with the foundation.
According to her, the consulate is always abreast of the foundation team's annual philanthropic travels to Nigeria to render help to the less-privileged.
Mrs Mabinty Funna, parliamentarian representing Sierra Leone in the ECOWAS Parliament, says her country is currently pre-occupied with the implementation of the counter-terrorism strategy of the community.
She made the remark on Monday in Abuja while presenting a report on her country at the ongoing 2017 Fourth Legislature First Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Parliament.
Funna said her country had undertaken a number of measures to guarantee full implementation of the counter-terrorism strategy of the community.
She listed some of the measures to include, the development of communication strategy which included radio and television discussion programmes and press conferences to counter radicalisation.
She said that the government recently organized national workshop for religious leaders from across the country in its bid to strengthen collaboration between the government and inter-religious community.
"In support of government's efforts, the religious leaders have also embarked on a nationwide tour delivering sermons on topics delinking Islam from terrorism and underscoring the Islamic precept of religious of peace.
"Counter terrorism training for security personnel are ongoing and anti-terrorism legislation has been drafted, validated and is currently with Law Officer`s Department for consideration ahead of its promulgation into law, " she said.
The parliamentarian however, maintained that at the moment there was "no serious security threat to the national security of Sierra Leone.''
Government, Funna said, had continued to put in place measures to address emerging security threats.
On management of refugees in the country, Funna said the return of about 2,713 Liberians refugees had been facilitated by the Sierra Leone government in conjunction with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees.
She said the government was exploring the possibility of concluding documentation of locally integrated Liberian refugees.
She added that out of the 2,713 Liberian refugees in her country, 1,324 had applied for the acquisition of Liberian passport as part of local integration package.
"Accordingly, the refugees have been granted the right to hold Liberian passports after proper vetting by the Liberian authorities, " she said.
She told the session that her home government through the Ministry of Internal Affairs had offered resident permits to Liberian refugees who had been issued Liberian national passports on grant.
The parliamentarian added that the process of issuing work permit to the refugees was also underway.
She told the session that Sierra Leone was not an exception to the economic difficulties faced by most under developed countries, especially being one of the worst Ebola affected countries in West Africa.
Funna said that under the rationalised ECOWAS convergence criteria, her country`s performance on the Primary Convergence Criteria deteriorated as it satisfied only one of the four primary criteria as at December 2016.
"In terms of the secondary convergence criteria, the country met only one criterion namely the ratio of public debt to Gross Domestic Product,'' she said.
She said that the average annual inflation rate during the period under review failed to meet the criteria of less than or equal to 10 per cent for average annual inflation rate.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Guinea Bissau, Republic of Benin and Guinea among other member states, also presented reports on their countries at the session.
NAN further reports that the ECOWAS Parliament is a forum for dialogue, consultation and consensus for representatives of West African states with the aim of promoting integration.
It was established under Article 6 and 13 of the ECOWAS Revised Treaty of 1993.
The Protocol relating to the Parliament was signed in Abuja on Aug. 6, 1994 and became effective on March 14, 2002.
Eight Ethiopians have been charged on suspicion with leaking secret political and economic information to leaders of terror groups, according to report by the Ethiopia state-affiliated media outlet — Radio, Fana in Addis Ababa on Monday.
The report says the eight will stand trial in Ethiopian Federal High Court, charged with leaking information they gathered while attending government meetings in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa and Oromia regional state.
The charge sheets state that the defendants used email and telephone calls to leak security and classified information on meetings they attended during a six-year period from 2010 to 2016.
They were also alleged to have provided list of journalists and government officials for the groups to take action against them.
The report, however, did not mention any specific terror groups the individuals were allegedly associating with.
The Nigeria Governors' Forum (NGF) on Monday said no money was stolen or embezzled from the Paris-London Club refunds to states or from any other source.
The Head, Media and Public Affairs at NGF Secretariat, Mr Abulrazque Barkindo, said this in a statement in Abuja.
Barkindo denied allegation that Gov. Abdulaziz Yari of Zamfara and Chairman of the Forum, was building a three-million dollar hotel from monies stolen from refunds to states.
Barkindo said that the false allegation gave cause for worry.
"The reports contain harmful, damaging and libelous insinuations which remain largely unsubstantiated, despite the fact that it attributes the leaks to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) officials in Lagos.
"Governor Abdulaziz Yari Abubakar has said emphatically that he does not even own a plot of land in Lagos not to talk of a hotel.''
He said some EFCC officials in Lagos claimed that "they have found a hotel being constructed by Gov. Yari with three million dollars he stole from London-Paris Club loan refund to Nigerian states". He also quoted the report as saying that "apart from the $3million, Gov. Yari also diverted N500 million from the Paris Club refund to pay off a loan",
Barkindo described all the claims as wrong, harmful, libelous and misleading disclosures.
"Gov. Yari is not building any hotel in Lagos nor were any monies stolen or embezzled from the Paris-London Club refunds to states or from any other source.''
Bakindo said that an online medium quoted the EFCC extensively as its source.
He said that the NGF was alarmed that the EFCC continued to feed the media fibs at the expense of its hard-earned reputation as anti-graft agency that Nigerians used to respect.
"This is perhaps why the EFCC has lost most of the high-profile corruption cases at the law courts after it had unfairly stage-managed media trials and caused their victims personal pain and public umbrage.
"This report, typical of most of the exclusive leaks that are becoming characteristic of the sources that court some sections of the media, lacks detail and compelling evidence to be fit to print.
Barkindo said that the sources were courageous enough to mention a hotel in Lekki area of Lagos but gave neither a street name nor any specific information on the property to give credibility to the allegations.
"This does no service to any investigation nor does it help the development of our country Nigeria.
"The media, we all know, is entitled to perform its duties as watchdog of society, which is enshrined in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
"It is not, however, entitled to make unfair attacks, based on unfounded, false and unsubstantiated allegations against responsible public office holders.''
The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) says it will resume oil prospecting in the Lake Chad Basin of Borno state.
The Group Managing Director of NNPC, Dr Maikanti Baru, made the promise when he visited Gov. Kashim Shettima at the Government House in Maiduguri on Monday.
Baru was represented at the occasion by the NNPC Chief Operations Officer, who is also the Executive Director, Gas and Power, Mr Saidu Mohammed.
He said that the corporation had concluded arrangement to mobilise heavy and sophisticated equipment to resume oil prospecting in the Lake Chad Basin.
He said the resumption, which would be done in the next six weeks, was based on the military's assurance to provide adequate security.
Baru explained that the move was due to the present relative peace in the state and the degrading of Boko Haram insurgents in the North East region.
" We are here in Borno to express our full alignment to the ongoing Reconstruction, Rehabilitation and Resettlement process by government in all the liberated communities.
An oil rig
"Therefore, NNPC wants to appeal and seek where it can come in and assist because the rate of devastation is worrisome.
"We are also in the state to inform you that in the next six weeks, we are going to redeploy our team of experts back to Maiduguri to resume oil exploration with better technology in the Lake Chad Basin.
"This is necessary with our renewed efforts in harnessing Oil, Gas and Power to increase the economy of the nation in line with the agenda of President Muhammadu Buhari on job creation and economic diversification," Baru said.
Responding, Shettima commended the team for the visit and the NNPC's resolve to resume oil exploration in the region.
The governor said his administration would partner with NNPC to actualise the mission.
According to him, the oil and gas, if found, will not only generate revenue but create employment opportunities to the people across the country, particularly the North East region.
Shettima therefore appealed to NNPC to assist the state government in reconstructing and rebuilding thousands of schools, and other facilities and infrastructure destroyed by insurgents.
He stressed that the education sector remained the only means of fighting poverty associated with emergence of Boko Haram.
The team also paid courtesy call on the Shehu of Borno, Alhaji Abubakar Garbai El-Kanemi, in his palace.
The monarch equally solicited the support of NNPC in the ongoing reconstruction and resettlement of millions of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) back to their liberated communities.
Prof. Babatunde Osotimehin, UN Under-Secretary-General and the Executive Director of UN Population Fund (UNFPA) has said that it is no longer acceptable for a woman to die during childbirth, therefor would be a painful experience for him considering his status in the medical line to see or hear women die during childbirth.
Osotimehin told newsmen on the sidelines of an award dinner organized by the Nigeria Health Foundation in Newark, U.S.
The UNFPA chief said people should insist that both local and state governments must deliver healthcare to them.
According to him, if people fail to hold government accountable as far as healthcare is concerned the nation's health problems will continue to persist.
"In the present job I have, it is very painful for me that I would hear and I would see women die during childbirth, as minister and as a doctor.
"I have seen women die needlessly because they don't have care and because they don't get care.
Prof. Babatunde Osotimehin, UNFPA Executive Director
"So a woman who is in labour goes into a care centre and she bleeds to death. This is totally unacceptable.
"Those are things that in present day world must not occur at all. These are not things we cannot prevent.
"We cannot and should not ever leave everything to the hands of the government," he said.
Osotimehin, who was a one-time Nigeria's Minister of Health, regretted that government had become disconnected from the people and urged well-meaning individuals and organizations to come to governments' aid.
"We must take charge of our lives and of our people and I want us to all go back to our communities; make sure that we connect with our people.
"We must make sure we hold our state and local government accountable to deliver care to our people so that at the end of the day, each one of them will have what they deserve in terms of healthcare."
He pointed out that in Rwanda, the rate of maternal mortality had been drastically reduced, urging other African countries to learn from the country's healthcare system.
"Rwanda is one country that met most of the Millennium Development Goals. You know why? Because of accountability.
"If a woman dies in labour in Rwanda, the doctor who is attending to that woman is obliged to send a text to the Minister of Health the moment she dies.
"And you must send the text and tell the minister why the woman dies. That's not all, they would investigate it.
"If they find that you were negligent, then they must punish you because life is not something we play with; life is what we all doctors are trained to preserve and to save.
"We lose patients not because we want to lose them but if you lose a patient because you are careless, then you must be punished," he said.
According to him, people must be accountable in whatever they do, whether in the health or any other profession.
Accountability, he said, should be the watchword in health.
"There's no reason why a nurse should not be at work. There's no reason why a doctor should not be at work.There's no reason why a pharmacist should not be there. There's no reason why drugs should not be available.
"There's no reason why a child should die of malaria or a woman should die giving birth.Those are things that in today's world and in today's Nigeria, we can look at them and be sure that we accomplish.
"And to say we must go beyond that; we must also make each one of us accountable for what we do in practice, in medicine and in every sphere of our lives," Osotimehin said.
The Speaker, House of Representatives, Mr Yakubu Dogara, has said that until strong institutions are built and strengthened, Nigeria might not fight corruption effectively.
Dogara said this on Monday in Abuja at the launch of a book titled "Antidotes for Corruption: The Nigerian Story'' written by Sen. Dino Melaye.
He said that only strong institutions could fight corruption in the country.
According to him, for the war against corruption to succeed, there must be institutional reforms that would help put in place measures to make it near impossible for people to engage in corrupt acts.
"Corruption as a disease must be treated from its roots and not just the symptoms,'' he said.
Dogara explained that it was the moral responsibility of all men and women of goodwill to fight corruption because every individual paid the price of corruption in the society.
"As a country, we ran into a situation where corruption was becoming the norm; there was this moral cult that we had created that celebrated corruption,'' he said.
He added that the motivation was always there for corruption, but that now, what was important was not just fighting the old corrupt system.
"Really, if we must make progress, our focus should be to replace the old order that was corrupt with a new order that makes corruption near impossible to take place.
"So, when those who celebrate the successes of the fight against corruption in terms of the high profile investigation, high profile prosecution and even detention, they are missing the point because that is dealing with the symptoms of corruption,'' he said.
On the book, Dogara said that he would not be surprised by the avalanche of criticism that may follow because Melaye was a combination of many things.
"Dino is highly opinionated, obviously, he will be a magnet for opinionated and truculent criticism as well, and he will not escape that,'' he said.
Dogara also commended the Nigerian Labour Congress, which protested on May 1, demanding for the rights of workers during the Worker's Day celebration in Abuja.
"Recently, in the labour community, we went for May Day and some of us were nearly held hostage. You cannot blame the workers.
"While they were agitating for their rights, agitating for minimum wage, some of us are talking about living wage.
"You see, the workers control, perhaps, about 96 per cent of the budget. In the National Assembly, we have about 92 per cent, judiciary and the rest.
"So, if you do not make the environment conducive for those who administer this money not to want to be corrupt, you will end up jailing people,'' he said.
The Federal Government is set to establish a website and reactivate its YouTube account, to provide access to the public for authentic information on its activities.Tolu Ogunlesi unveils government's plan on website, YouTube. Twitter photo.
Mr Tolu Ogunlesi, Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on digital and New media said in Abuja on Monday that that the YouTube account would be reactivated very soon while the website would be ready by the end of June.
"We have a YouTube account; it has not been active but one of the things we are working on over the next few weeks is to reactivate the page and upload our videos.
"Meanwhile, our videos go to twitter and face book but after reactivation, we are going to make sure all those videos go on to our YouTube.
"On the website, it will be a one stop shop, where people can have free access to authentic information about Federal Government's pronouncements, activities, policies and programmes."
The government's target was the end of second quarter in June by which the website would be up for people to find all the government information they need.
"However, we have since set up official Federal Government social media platforms on twitter, Face book and naira land; we have an official facebook account, face book.com/asovilla.
"We put up information regularly and speedily on those platforms; that is our job and we will continue to do more," he said.
The Presidential aide emphasised that other government ministries and agencies were rising up to the task of being active on social media and giving information the citizens needed.
"We have Ministry of Health, the Centre for Disease Control, the EFCC, NDDC and others doing a lot of fantastic jobs and giving out authentic information on their social media platforms."
On circulation of fake news, Ogunseli raised concerns on the activities of some bloggers and unpatriotic people circulating such news about government and some individuals.
According to him, fake news has negative effects on both government and some individuals in the society whose integrity is being destroyed by such news.
The presidential aide, however, said that it was not possible to block the circulation of fake news on the internet.
"That is the reason the government is providing its social media platforms for people to get authentic information as an alternative to sites that spread fake and unpatriotic news," he added.
Ogunlesi called on civil society organisations, journalists, media houses and citizens to discourage the circulation of fake news. (NAN)
Heavy gunfire erupted on Monday in Ivory Coast's two largest cities – Abidjan and Bouake – witnesses said, as the military pressed an operation aimed at ending a four-day nationwide army mutiny over bonus payments.
Loyalist troops began advancing towards Bouake, the epicentre of the revolt, on Sunday and sporadic gunfire was heard overnight there as well as at military camps in Abidjan. Shooting in both cities intensified before dawn.
Heavy shooting was also heard in Daloa, a hub for the western cocoa growing regions, on Monday.
"I've been hearing the sound of Kalashnikovs and a heavier weapon. That began at around 5 a.m. (0500 GMT) … It's intense," said one Abidjan resident, who lives near the U.S. Embassy and the presidential residence.
Ivory Coast gendarmes: heavy shooting reported in Abidjan, Bouake
Another Abidjan resident said mutinying soldiers came out of the country's largest military camp and erected barricades, blocking traffic along one of the main thoroughfares in the east of the city.
"There was heavy shooting at the northern entrance to the city and in the city centre. It's calmed a bit but we're still hearing gunfire," said one Bouake resident. A second resident confirmed the shooting.
Meanwhile, Ivory Coast's banking association, the APBEF, ordered all banks to remain closed on Monday.
"There was an emergency meeting this morning and the APBEF took the decision that, for security reasons, all the banks would stay closed," a senior official with Banque Atlantique, who asked not to be named, told Reuters.
A 101-year-old man from southwest England has become the world's oldest tandem skydiver.
Bryson William 'Verdun' Hayes, known as Verdun, completed the record-breaking jump Sunday. He skydived for the very first time a year ago to celebrate his 100th birthday.
"Last year's skydive was an amazing experience," he said in a press statement. "I must have got a bit of a taste for it, because it just made me want to do it again."
And he seemed to enjoy this year's dive just as much. Asked how he felt on landing, he said, "oh, absolutely over the moon."
The previous record was held by Canadian Armand Gendreau, who skydived from 10,000 feet in June 2013 aged 101 and three days.
Hayes, who jumped from 15,000 feet, added 34 days to that record.
Bryson William Hayes, the skydiver who created record
Eight members of his family jumped with him, including his son Bryan, grandson Roger and great-grandsons Joe and Stanley.
"He'd wanted to do it for many years and his wife wouldn't let him," Ian Honnor, Hayes' grandson-in-law who also took part in the skydive, told CNN.
"He would class himself as a bit of a daredevil," he said. "He did a gliding session when he was 90, but he's never done anything of this nature."
Hayes was raising money for The Royal British Legion, a UK charity that supports members of the armed forces, veterans and their families. He has raised over £2,400 ($3,100) so far.
It's a cause that has great personal significance for Hayes, who is named after a famous World War I battle.
His father, fighting with the British troops in France, wrote home to his pregnant wife asking her to name their child after the Battle of Verdun, if it was a boy.
Hayes later served in World War II as a Lance Corporal and was part of the D-Day campaign, which saw the Allied forces successfully begin the liberation of Nazi-occupied Europe.
Honnor is fairly sure that this won't be the last of Hayes' aerial feats.
"It wouldn't surprise me if he does it again in a year's time," he said. "And he's also talking about wing walking. So I'll now be looking into that to see if it's medically possible."
The Speaker, House of Representatives, Mr Yakubu Dogara, has said that until strong institutions are built and strengthened, Nigeria might not fight corruption effectively.
Dogara said this on Monday in Abuja at the launch of a book titled "Antidotes for Corruption: The Nigerian Story'' written by Sen. Dino Melaye.
He said that only strong institutions could fight corruption in the country.
According to him, for the war against corruption to succeed, there must be institutional reforms that would help put in place measures to make it near impossible for people to engage in corrupt acts.
"Corruption as a disease must be treated from its roots and not just the symptoms,'' he said.
Dogara explained that it was the moral responsibility of all men and women of goodwill to fight corruption because every individual paid the price of corruption in the society.
Speaker Dogara
"As a country, we ran into a situation where corruption was becoming the norm; there was this moral cult that we had created that celebrated corruption,'' he said.
He added that the motivation was always there for corruption, but that now, what was important was not just fighting the old corrupt system.
"Really, if we must make progress, our focus should be to replace the old order that was corrupt with a new order that makes corruption near impossible to take place.
"So, when those who celebrate the successes of the fight against corruption in terms of the high profile investigation, high profile prosecution and even detention, they are missing the point because that is dealing with the symptoms of corruption,'' he said.
On the book, Dogara said that he would not be surprised by the avalanche of criticism that may follow because Melaye was a combination of many things.
"Dino is highly opinionated, obviously, he will be a magnet for opinionated and truculent criticism as well, and he will not escape that,'' he said.
Dogara also commended the Nigerian Labour Congress, which protested on May 1, demanding for the rights of workers during the Worker's Day celebration in Abuja.
"Recently, in the labour community, we went for May Day and some of us were nearly held hostage. You cannot blame the workers.
"While they were agitating for their rights, agitating for minimum wage, some of us are talking about living wage.
"You see, the workers control, perhaps, about 96 per cent of the budget. In the National Assembly, we have about 92 per cent, judiciary and the rest.
"So, if you do not make the environment conducive for those who administer this money not to want to be corrupt, you will end up jailing people,'' he said.
Hotshot comedian, Francis Agoda, known as I Go Dye has finally dedicated the mansion he built for himself and mum at a housewarming ceremony that had many dignitaries like former governor of Edo State, Adam Oshiomhole and Apostle Suleman in attendance. The comedian picked last Sunday which coincided with Mothers’ Day to present the mansion named ‘Golden Eyes’ to his mother.
I Go Dye, mum and Oshiomhole, Inset: The Golden Eyes.
Having broken the news of the palatial edifice, Vanguard further investigation reveals that the mansion is a double castle; one for the comedian and the other for the mum.
These two edifices have been rumoured to be built by a former governor, while others have suggested that it was contracted to Revamp Construction Company owned by the comedian) to build it for Edo State billionaire, Captain Hosa Okunbo. We can authoritatively reveal after our investigation that the Royal Golden Seal, and Golden Eyes are both owned by Amb. Francis Agoda known as I Go Dye.
Each of the castle, ‘Golden Eyes’ and ‘Royal Golden Seal’ contains six bedrooms apartment, cinema pavilion, a front view with engrossed round concrete pillars of 95inches and 36feet height. The entire building was fortified with 75%concrete cast, just.
Speaking with Vanguard on phone, the comediam was effusive in his gratitude to God and all that graced the occasion.
"A trillion thanks to God Almighty for the gift of sound life and the grace that made this possible, also to all our mothers, who kept us alive,when we were conceived. Thank you so much.,," he gushed
"I am overwhelmed with the immense love and support on my mother’s housewarming,yesterday (Sunday) #motherday my emotions run dry with joy and gratitude. I thank you all who took time to show me unconditional love and criticism,you all made me one of the best. I say I big thanks to God Almighty and my spiritual father who told me it would not rain. Thank you Apostle Johnson Suleman for coming even after a tasty service in church,you still made it to come and unveil and dedicate the ‘Golden Eyes’ to the glory of God,my friend and father the immediate past Governor of Edo State, Comrade Aliu Oshiomhole who astonished me with his remarkable speech,while unveiling ‘Golden Eyes," he said.
Continuing, he also thanked Chief Michael Ikuku, who was father of the day who gave his mum the key to the house, including the Deputy Speaker of Delta State House of Assembly, Rt Hon. Friday Ossai Osanebe, who, he said drove from Asaba to bless his mum. He also thanked Matthew Iduoriyekemwen, former Majority Leader and Governorship aspirant, Amb.Karo EKewenu, executive director on oil and gas to Delta State and all his colleagues
The Peoples Democratic Pary (PDP) in plateau on Monday called called for out-of-court settlement of all intra-party crises, saying that "courts can't give us a party''.
The party's Chairman, Chief Damishe Sango, made the call while addressing newsmen shortly after a joint Caucus and Executive Committee meeting at the party's secretarieat in Jos.
PDP
"The meeting noted with concern, the lingering crisis withing the party at the national level.
"Having noted that the courts cannot form a party, the meeting was unanimous in acknowledging the fact that we cannot afford to allow the crisis linger on for a while.
"We there call on all relevant stakeholders to think outside the box with a view to tackling the issue head on, '' he said.
Sango said that the meeting received with sadness, the incident of Friday, when one Gyang Bandung and some people attempted to force their way into the party secretariat with protection from armed police men.
According to him, the May 2016 State Congress is adjudged to be free and fair and therefore, condemns in strong terms, all forces both within and outside the party which masterminded the move.
Consequently, he disclosed the constitution of a seven-man disciplinary committee to deal with erring members following the faction's action.
Newsmen report that the committee has Mr Ibrahim Kafi as chairman.
Sango said that the party could no longer tolerate the indiscipline being perpetrated by some of its members, particularly two of them who allegedly spearheaded a revolt at its secretariat.
"Due to the need to check the excesses of members and to bring order within the rank and file of the party, we decided to constitute a disciplinary committee, '' he said.
On the ongoing INEC registration of voters, the party chairman called on all party members and followers who attained 18 years of age to come out en-mass and register for the 2019 polls.
He noted that the registration was another window for all eligible Nigerians to exercise their franchise in future and called on them to take the advantage without any delay.
Assemblyman John Paul, lawmaker representing Munya constituency in Niger State House of Assembly, said that he had trained 160 youths in fish farming and cosmetology skills in his constituency.
Paul told the newsmen in Minna on Monday that the training programme was part of his social responsibility to his constituents.
He said that the beneficiaries were trained in fishery and cosmetology, adding that the training was to complement government efforts to diversify the state's economy and reduce unemployment in the state.
He said that the training was to equip the beneficiaries with the wherewithal to start small pond fish farming and improve fish production in the state.
Paul said that some youths were also trained in cosmetology, which entailed the manufacture of liquid soap, air fresher, body cream and ornamental beads. He said that training was to create diverse job opportunities, reduce unemployment and stem criminal tendencies.
He advised the beneficiaries to take due advantage of the knowledge they had acquired in the training to set up business ventures.
Mr Sam Nda-Isaiah, the Chairman Leadership Group says indigenous language newspapers do not do well in Nigeria because of limited circulation and the lack of advertisements to sustain them.
Nda-Isaiah whose company publishes Hausa language newspaper, "Leadership Hausa'' stated this on Monday in Kaduna at a Two-Day Annual Round Table on Cultural Orientation.
The event jointly organised by the National Institute for Cultural Orientation (NICO) and the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture has the theme: "the Indigenous Language Newspapers and National Development''.
Newsmen report the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed declared the event opened.
The publisher said that indigenous language newspapers have had very low shelf life because the publishers, in most cases, established them for the sole purposes of educating and informing the people and in many cases to advance their political aspirations.
He stressed that indigenous newspapers, like any other ones, must be run as a business if they must be sustained.
Nda-Isaiah said though there were still no daily vernacular newspapers, but the sway of the publication should not be underestimated.
According to him, vernacular newspapers "are the most consequential publications among the masses and they are strategic to national development''.
He, therefore, called on the nation's policy makers not to fail to understand the influence and power of indigenous newspapers as a force for good and to counter mischief and manipulation.
"Foreign policy makers surely understand this better than we do and that is why for instance, we have the BBC Hausa Service, VOA Hausa Service and similar radio services by the French, Germans and the Chinese.
"Of course, we are aware of Arewa24 TV recently launched by the Americans for counter-terrorism,'' he said.
Tracing the history of indigenous newspapers in Nigeria, Nda-Isaiah said the first ever to be established was a Yoruba language newspaper called "Iwe Iroyin fun Awon Ara Egba ati Yoruba'' (Newspaper for the Egba and Yoruba).
He said the newspaper was first published in 1859 by Reverend Henry Townsend, an Anglican Missionary in Abeokuta.
"Gaskiya Tafi Kwabo'', the most famous Hausa language paper was established in 1939 and was taken over by the New Nigerian Newspaper when the latter was established in 1966.
He noted that a significant development in history was the establishment of three indigenous newspapers by the Late Chief MKO Abiola on the same day.
Nda-Isaiah said the three newspapers – "Amana'' in Hausa, "Isokan'' in Yoruba and "Udoka'' in Igbo did not survive the death of the publisher in 1998.
The publisher advocated the codification of Pidgin English and publication of indigenous newspapers in it.
He said pidgin English commonly call "Broken'' has approximately 30 million native speakers in Nigeria and 100 million speakers in West Africa.
"We must take advantage of this God-given language, codify it and deploy it immediately as a medium for the unification of our people,'' he said.
The Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir el'Rufai, who was represented at the event by his Special Adviser on Media and Communication, Muyiwa Adeleye, said literacy must not function only on the understanding of English Language.
He underscored the imperative of protecting and preserving indigenous languages which he said are concrete manifestation of the nation's diversity.
With the World Health Organisation declaring an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has reassured passengers and airport users of safety at Nigerian airports.
FAAN gave the assurance in a statement signed by its Acting General Manager, Corporate Affairs, Mrs Henrietta Yakubu in Lagos on Monday.
Yakubu said that adequate measures had been put in place to checkmate the recurrence of any such outbreak in Nigeria.
She emphasised that all measures adopted in 2014 to curtail the dreaded virus were very much in place and had been fortified.
According to her, the Ebola Screening Points and detecting machines have been fully reinstated at the airports.
Yakubu said FAAN was also collaborating with the Federal Ministry of Health, through the Port Health Service, to reactivate the Ebola Awareness and Sensitisation Campaign.
While stating emphatically that there was no outbreak of Ebola in Nigeria or at any Nigerian airport, she advised passengers and airport users to go about their business activities without fear.
By Soni Daniel, Northern Region Editor A fresh row may be in the offing between the Executive and the Legislative arms of government over the 2017 budget. President Muhammadu Buhari (M) presents the 2017 National Budget to a joint session of the National Assembly at the National Assembly Complex in Abuja on Wednesday. This is because the Presidency appears not to be in a hurry to assent to the 2017 appropriation bill, which the National Assembly passed late last week, Vanguard learnt from a top federal official last night.
One of the top officials of the federal government expressed fear that the budget had been 'altered' in many ways by the lawmakers after spending more than five months deliberating on the document.
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