A Nigerian newspaper and Online version of the Vanguard, a daily publication in Nigeria covering Niger delta, general national news, politics, business, energy, sports, entertainment, fashion,lifestyle human interest stories, etc
FRONTLINE indigenous rapper, Blessed Okoh, popularly known as Blixxy D RapKing, who debuted in 2015, with his hit song, "Irionor" is set to make his international presence in the American music scene.
Blxxy
WG gathered that the Money Gang Records artiste has penned down a management deal with an American-based company. Details of the deal are yet to be made known, but our source, however, confirmed that the company would be handling the artiste's international bookings, branding and promotions.
The company is said to have managed such American rap stars as Lil Cease, late notorious BIG Junior Mafia /Bad Boy Records protege and recently, Uncle Murder, who is currently signed to 50cent's G-Unit label.
Meanwhile, the talented rapper recently released his trailblazing hit track, "Tomorrow Carry Belle", featuring the MSN Gang musical taliban, Oritsefemi. The song, which is currently enjoying massive airplay is Blixxy's message to the streets. It was produced by PJay, mixed and mastered by Indomix. The video, directed by Adasa Cookey, showcases the raw feel of the streets, the pain of the young hustler in this new era of the entrepreneur, with emphasis on the rewards of hard work. Its a brilliant interpretation of the song, portraying the very real struggles of this generation.
The artiste believes his talent and competence to mix different languages and produce music with a global appeal is his unique selling point.
POPULAR comedian Akpobome Ogude, a.k.a, Ogus Baba, may not have been forthcoming in hyping his upcoming comedy show, "Ogus Baba Laugh Goes On." But his mentor, Richard Mofe Damijo, RMD, has taken it upon himself to do so, as he galvanizes support for him on his Instagram page. The veteran actor took to his Instagram page, yesterday, to plead with fans to show the original Warri Boy some love.
Ogus
He wriote, "This one is special to me. He is truly one of the first young Warri boys in comedy business. I brought him on the Lagos stage through my live comedy show, 'Made In Warri.' Since then, he has grown into an accomplished comedian, OAP, runs his own mock news channel and hosts his own annual comedy show. So, my people, please show some love to my son, original Warri Boy Ogus Baba and come and see his show."
The show, featuring galaxy of talented comedians, including Basketmouth, Okey Bakassi, Bovi, Gordons, I Go Dye, FunnyBone, Klint Da Drunk, Kenny Blaq, I Go Save, Gandoki among others will hold on Saturday, June 17, at Muson Centre, Lagos. One hopes that this show will help to actualize the comedian's dream of becoming a household name in the country, as he once expressed.
US-returnee singer, Abiodun Koya has commemorated the country's Democracy Day, which was observed on May 29, with the release of her inspirational song, 'Lift Up Nigeria.'
Abiodun Koya
"Lift Up Nigeria" was composed and arranged by the talented singer while it was produced by award-winning music producer, Wole Oni.
Abiodun has had a successful career as an opera singer in the United States for about 20 years. The soprano vocalist who studied Business Management at the University of Columbia, Washington and later had her Masters Degree in Music at Catholic University, describes the new song as 'inspirational', adding that 'it's different from what I have done in the past.'
"Lift Up Nigeria" is a song that everybody would learn easily. My dream is to ignite a fire of love and patriotism among the citizenry. Passing negative comments about Nigeria would be a disservice to the nation. We shouldn't join others to put our country down. We should love our country irrespective of our religious and ethnic differences."
The song, according to Abiodun, has earned rave reviews from world leaders after it was performed first at the grand opening of ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo Library in March, and later, at Aso Rock during a special thanksgiving service for Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo.
The Senate on Thursday passed a Bill scrapping Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) and replaced it with Federal Roads Authority (FRA). The bill, sponsored by Senator Kabiru Gaya (Kano-APC), was read for the third time at plenary before it was passed through a unanimous vote by the senators.
The Senate, however, rejected the report on National Road Funds, stepping it down for further legislative action.
The proposed Road Funds Bill has generated controversy over alleged plans to introduce additional N5 fuel levy as one of the major sources of financing the fund.
Speaking in favour of the bill, Gaya explained that it would "provide a predictable funding for roads in Nigeria."
He said that it would create environment for effective participation of public-private-partnership.
The lawmaker said the idea of road funds was not new, citing examples from countries like Tanzania, Kenya, Ghana, Malawi, Togo and United States where funds were generated from fuel levy.
According to him, Nigeria can generate N94 billion annually from fuel levy to help fund roads in the country.
He said that the levy would be paid directly into signatory account of the National Road Funds, adding that Nigeria Customs Service would be responsible for the remittance.
In his contribution, Sen. Kabiru Marafa (Zamfara-APC) said it was not entirely correct that the proposed N5 fuel levy was captured in the industry's template.
Marafa said that the plan to introduce N5 fuel levy would further put pressure on an already stressed petroleum downstream sector and cause hardship for the people.
He advised the Committee on Works to explore other areas such as toll fee or any other road taxes, cautioning strongly against fuel levy in whatever guise. In his remarks, Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, who presided at plenary, said the Senate had no plan to increase pump price of petroleum products.
The report was subsequently stepped down to enable other relevant committees go through the content of the Bill.
bY Soni Daniel, Northern Region Editor After three days of stormy deliberations over the belated 2017 budget, the Presidency and the National Assembly have resolved all the grey areas that prevented the President from assenting to the appropriation bill passed into law by the legislature last month.President Muhammadu Buhari presenting the 2017 Budget before a joint session of the National Assembly on Wednesday, December 14, 2016.
A top presidency source confirmed to Vanguard Thursday night that the major areas of disagreement had been resolved by the two sides, paving the way for the President to assent to the bill, which is already six month late in coming and holding back major financial transactions of the government.
Google, Thursday, announced plans to train 6 000 African journalists in data journalism skills by the end of February 2018.
Google News Lab and the World Bank according to a press release are working with Code For Africa to empower journalists in Africa by giving them the necessary support to better understand the Web and how to use the tools available to them online. The Code For Africa Digital Journalism initiative will take place over the next 9 months (to February 2018) and see 6 000 journalists trained in 12 major African cities – Abuja, Lagos, Nairobi, Cape Town, Johannesburg, Durban, Casablanca, Dakar, Freetown, Dar es Salaam, Kampala, and Yaounde.
Code For Africa is a data journalism and civic technology initiative operating across Africa that trains and supports journalists and civic activists to better understand and use web tools for news reporting and storytelling.
Training will take place in three formats.
Beginning June 15, in-person training sessions will be held in the cities mentioned above. In each city, we will conduct training in 3 newsrooms and training will be held twice a month for the duration of the initiative.
Beginning August, a massive open online course (MOOC) will be made freely available online, covering a range of web concepts and practices for digital journalists.
Also there will be monthly study group meetings in collaboration with Hacks/Hackers to provide more focused, in-person instruction. Monthly meetings will take place in Cameroon, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda.
Commenting on the initiative, Daniel Sieberg, Head of Training & Development at Google News Lab said: "The web and digital tools present an interesting array of options for journalists, but learning how to use these tools can be a daunting task for many media people.
While the global news industry faces a knowledge challenge with regards to digital tools, Africa, by virtue of its non-digital education systems, faces even greater odds in the battle for digital integration in news and storytelling. In Nigeria for instance, only a few of the journalism institutions offer training programs that focus on Web tools, and many top news organisations lose out on stories due to their inability to utilise newer and more engaging digital techniques."
In 2016, Google announced its commitment to train one million African youth within one year to help them create and find jobs via the Web. "With the Digital Journalism initiative we want to contribute to the growth of Africa's news and media ecosystem by training present and future practitioners on how to employ existing tools to tell stories, and support them to create locally-relevant tools that will reshape how Africans consume news," he added.
Interested journalists can learn more and register for the training HERE
The Eastern Consultative Assembly, ECA, Thursday described the "quit notice" given to Igbo to leave the north as "childish and thoughtless," saying "that 47 years slavery by Ndigbo for losing a war would no longer be acceptable as we cannot take it anymore."
They further said that Ndigbo preferred "death in the process of fighting for our honour and dignity rather than eternal slavery."
These were contained in a statement jointly signed by the Deputy National Leader and National Publicity Secretary of the ECA, Chief (Mrs) Maria Okwor and Rev Fr John Odey respectively shortly after its 7th General Assembly in Enugu.
"We are tired of Nigeria as presently constituted," they added, pointing out however, that the reactions of northern leaders who upbraided those who gave the quit notice but refused to address the issues at stake as insincere.
They, however, commended Igbo groups and other individuals who participated in the sit-down- order by the Leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, thereby making it a huge success.
"The ECA coalition carefully appraised the state of the nation and wishes to state as follows: That the quite expected difficulty by certain sections of the country to recover from the shock of the successful May 30, sit at home, ordered by Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, and the paranoia exhibited by these oppressors and their agents, through a thoughtless quit order on Ndigbo in the north and pressure mounted by the national security community on our neighbours to issue press releases (usually for a fee) distancing themselves from our people, in a failed attempt to isolate us, is not lost on anybody.
"These childish actions are confirmation, that the total compliance of our people during the May 30 Sit at home, has sent jitters, down the spine of the oppressors, who have just learnt that, Nigeria's artificial, unjust, unworkable and lopsided unitary structure, created solely by unelected soldiers of fortune, cannot survive much longer.
"These childish reactions by the oppressor and their agents (which include issuing press releases in the name of non-existent South East groups, reprimanding Kanu, reminiscent of RIPOB AND TRIPOB (fake IPOB splinter groups) era, cannot in any way resolve the issue of total loss of faith in Nigeria as presently constituted by more than half of the population.
"If anything, these desperate reactions, only confirm to all, that the oppressors have run out of ideas. The bully is usually the last to note that the traditional victims of his ruthless abuse have lost all fear of his domineering and abusive exploitation, and are all too ready for a showdown.
"The bully's humiliation, all through history, could have been avoided, if only he could read the mood correctly. We sympathize with the bully blinded by hubris, who cannot see that the time is up. Reconstructing Nigeria consensually to true federalism is inevitable, and the window for that opportunity is closing. Those who have ears let them hear.
"A new constitution anchored on regional autonomy, is the only route open, to save Nigeria. It does not matter, that the oppressors, who have consistently shown the world, that, they are only good at mishandling self- determination agitations by always applying the wrong strategy, is at their usually folly again… "What truly matters, is that the oppressed have resolved to get justice and nothing else as 47 years of servitude, for losing a war, is enough punishment, nothing will make this generation accept second class citizenship anymore.
"The oppressors can continue to beat around the bush, for as much as they like but they must come back to the truth that Nigeria must restructure or perish. "The ECA commends the South East governors, Ohaneze Ndigbo leadership, our friends and lovers of truth from the middle belt, the South West, the Niger Delta and beyond, for standing by our people as we are asked to quit the North.
"Finally, ECA, assures the Northern leaders who reprimanded and disowned the quit notice givers, that everybody knows, that the emotions that inspired the quit order is so deep seated, and stagnation as a result of the faulty, unitary structure, are so fundamental, that the platitude from right thinking northern folks, who called for peace and calm without addressing the real truth, cannot and will not solve the problem.
"Calling for calm and unity without addressing the truth, is unhelpful and deceitful. What is the real truth? Ninety five percent of the oppressed, do not want to continue the 1970 experiment of master/servant relationship. Restructure Nigeria now or let us go. We simply do not wish to transfer our second class status to our progeny, Period."
MULTIPLE award-winning pop star, Wizkid has said that making people happy with his music remains one of his greatest accomplishments in life.
Wizkid
Starboy made this assertion when he stormed MTV International studios to talk about his mixtape and how he deals with his fame among other things. He said he was not doing music because of fame, but "for the love he has for music."
Asked how he manages his fame, Wizkid said, he does it for the love of the music. "I don't do music for the fame, I don't see that. So, I don't let that get into my head, I'm really more into the music," Wizkid enthused, adding that when the fans show him love, he does appreciates it. "There is a bigger vision of where we are trying to take this to. So we have to just stay working, humble and relaxed," Wizkid added.
On his greatest accomplishment, Wizkid simply replied, "It's the feeling I get whenever a fan comes up to me and expresses how my music makes them feel. My greatest accomplishment is just making people happy with my music."
About his summer mixtape "Sounds From The Other Side," Wizkid says, it's for the fans and hopefully wants to be dropping it every two years. Explaining the concept of the tape more clearly, Wizkid said, it's about his local producers and international producers working together as well as he working with international artists and merging it all to make good music. He noted, however, that an album would follow the mixtape.
REVERED scholar, Sheikh Daud Adelakun, has said that Muslims are under obligation to shun haram business transaction, quoting from the Quran 2 verse 275 that though Allah allowed trading and business transaction but forbids usury.
Adelakun, a Chartered Accountant and Chief Imam, Omitoro Central Mosque, Ikorodu, stated this at the 15th Annual Ramadan Public Lecture organised by Federal Low Cost Housing Estate Central Mosque, Ikorodu, Lagos last Sunday. The theme of the event was "Islamic Economic System: The Solution to Economic Crisis."
He noted that in order to mitigate against the biting economic recession in the country, some Muslims engage in all kinds of business which are not halal merely to make ends meet, adding that Allah has allowed trading but forbids usury.
He added that engaging in halal (permitted) business transaction is like engaging in act of worship.
According to him: "In Islam, money must not be idle, no fixed deposit and it is a great sin to consume usury. Again, Islam made provision for different modes of business transactions namely: Mudaraba, Musharaka, Murabaha, Muzaraha as well as allowing Muslims to own properties and wealth in a halal way.
He added that Zakat as an institution, could help to alleviate poverty if those whose wealth has attained Nisab, give out 2.5 % (1/40) of their wealth to the poor.
Earlier, in his welcome address, Chairman of the community, Alhaji Ismail Bello stated that the topic was considered in view of the present economic recession in the country, just as he thanked members who have contributed immensely in one way or the other to ensure the development of the Mosque and the entire ummah.
Highlights of the programme were the Security tips and Health talk delivered by Princess Adegboye Kofoworola (Divisional Representative of Lagos Neighbourhood Security Corps [LNSC], Ikorodu) and
Dr Abdul Hameed Omotayo, Chief Medical Director (CMD) of Helping Hands Royal Clinic, Ikorodu, respectively.
RAMADAN should be a time to avoid being wasteful. Some Muslims are unable to distinguish between their needs and luxuries, hence they engage in wasteful spending. Some, at the end of each fasting day, pile-up varieties of food that they cannot consume thereby spending more on what they do not need. If you have more, remember the have-nots. The act of giving is ibadah, and no act of ibadah can be said to be too much.
Some sleep through the whole night with the alibi that they had a hectic day. Some even find it easy to compromise their sahur for more hours of sleep. Ramadan is a time we have to increase all our spiritual devotion, the day and night should be a beehive of spiritual activities. Like I said some few days ago, at the moment, if you visit some mosques during tarawih prayers, you will notice a drop. We should rather step up activities because it will take another 12 circle of the moon before we witness another Ramadan. So, we need to maximise the period by using our time wisely and spending in the way of Allah.
Muslims should explore all avenues and opportunities of carrying out good deeds, while also realising that his priorities should be dictated by the desire to secure al-janah and be less concerned about mundane things.
The Muslim should apply himself to deepen his sense of following the practice of Holy Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W), in every aspect of his life, at all times and especially during the month of Ramadan. This requires seeking more knowledge about how to maximise the benefits of the month, its etiquette, assimilating the wisdom and goals of fasting, and facilitating the means that allow all the Muslims to benefit from their fasting and increase in their ibadah.
The non-Muslims could not possibly imagine the joy that Muslims feel in Ramadan. The wealthy and the poor, the environment and economy including all strata of the society are inundated in the spirit of Ramadan.
Apart from the spiritual blessings which every Muslim yearns for, the spirit of giving and care for the have-nots enliven the society and every Muslim is happy. The giver gives cheerfully while the receiver receives with joy.
Overtly or covertly, this is the rahma of Allah on us. No amount of words can describe how important Ramadan is or the blessings and the benefits we, as Muslims, take from it.
Feeling of festivity
No words can describe how good it feels to complete a day's fast or the joy and the feeling of festivity when each day's fasting is over with gifts exchanging hands.
We cannot pretend not to know that there are many Muslims in our environment whose fast will not end. In fact, thousands are starving merely because they have no food to either commence fasting or break their fast. We cannot pretend not to know the extent of poverty in this country.
So not only giving our time to Allah, but also giving our material goods to others is a way of celebrating Ramadan. It really costs us very little to give out of our plenty to those who have nothing. By doing so in Ramadan, we learn to thank Allah for all His blessings on us. We can go round, identify the needy and help them. We can arrange sahur and iftar for fellow Muslims through Mosques, communities and individual.
There was a time a 'man' was craving for food to break his fast. As the food was being presented to him – when it was time to break his fast – he heard someone saying, 'Who will give to the rich, the reliable and the Self-Sufficient One?' The righteous man answered, 'His servant who is deprived of all good. He then rose up, took the plate of food and gave it to the beggar and passed his night in hunger.' It does not matter whether you have so much or not, feeding of people in Ramadan is a huge ibadaa that attracts great reward. The Qur'an amplifies this episode by saying: "And they give (others) preference over themselves, even though they were in need of that. And whosoever is saved from his own covetousness, such are they who will be successful." (Al-Hashr: 9)
Efe Ambrose, 28, has joined Scottish club side, Hibernian on a two-year deal following a successful short-term loan from Celtic towards the end of the 2016/17 season, where he played twelve times.
Efe Ambrose
The defender, who can operate at centre-back and right-back, required an endorsement from the Scottish Football Association and a Visa prior to his deal being wholly ratified.
Hibernian Chief Executive Leeann Dempster said of the deal: "Efe is a player of real quality, and one who excited the fans when he arrived on a short-term deal. The Club as a whole are delighted to be bringing in a player with his quality and experience.
"Neil was really keen to get Efe over the line, and we're delighted to have been able to achieve that.
"Bringing in a player like Efe is a coup and the supporters played their part. We now have over 11,300 season ticket holders, this is the sort of backing that helps us to bring in players with his quality as we prepare for the season ahead."
Efe joins Simon Murray and Danny Swanson as signings made by Neil Lennon as he prepares his squad for the forthcoming Ladbrokes Premiership season.
Police fired tear gas as clashes erupted Thursday between them and demonstrators in the Moroccan city of Al-Hoceima, epicentre of a protest movement that has shaken the northern region for months.
The tear gas was fired as dozens of young people threw stones at the riot police in the alleys of Sidi Abed neighbourhood, where demonstrations have been held for days without any violence.
The northern port city of Al-Hoceima, in the neglected Rif region, has been rocked by social unrest since the death in October of a fishmonger.
Mouhcine Fikri, 31, was crushed in a rubbish truck as he protested against the seizure of swordfish caught out of season and his death has sparked fury and triggered nationwide protests.
The demonstrations have snowballed, giving way to a wider protest movement demanding more development and railing against corruption, repression and unemployment.
In Sidi Abed on Thursday, groups of young people gathered again for a surprise demonstration in the alleys of the neighbourhood.
Police responded by forcefully pushing them back to a square where several of them began throwing stones, an AFP correspondent reported.
At least two people were injured, a policeman hit in the jaw by a stone and a demonstrator who had been struck with truncheons.
Despite defeats in Iraq and Syria, the Islamic State group has reorganized and is now “more focused than ever” on attacking Europe and other areas outside that conflict zone, a senior UN official said Thursday.
“ISIL, despite continuous military pressure, continues to resist, particularly in Mosul and Raqa,” said UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman, using an acronym for IS.
“At the same time, ISIL has reorganized its military structure, giving more power to local commanders and is more focused than ever before on enabling and inspiring attacks outside of conflict zones.”
Speaking before the UN Security Council, Feltman cited recent attacks in Belgium, Britain, France, Germany, Russia, Sweden and Turkey.
The group has posted fewer messages on social networks in the past 16 months, but “the threat persists as supporters outside Syria and Iraq collect and redistribute this propaganda.”
The total number of IS fighters and the group’s revenues have also dropped during the same period, Feltman added.
But IS can count on tens of millions of dollars per month from oil sales, extortion, ransom kidnapping, antiquities trafficking and mining exploitation in territories they control.
While the number of foreign fighters recruited by IS has also decreased, “returnees and the relocation of fighters from the conflict zones to other regions now present a considerable threat to international peace,” Feltman said.
He called for reinforced ties between the UN system and regional actors to support Sahel G5 states — Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger — in their counterterrorism efforts.
On Tuesday, France asked the UN Security Council to authorize the deployment of a five-nation African military force to fight violent extremists and drug traffickers in the Sahel.
The Sahel G5 states agreed in March to set up the special counter-terrorism operation of 5,000 troops for the region.
“It is important that the Security Council gets united behind this draft,” French Ambassador Francois Delattre said.
“Again, on terrorism, there is no place for disunion. So we cannot imagine that the council doesn’t bring its full support behind our draft.”
Diplomats say the United States has resisted financing this force during initial discussions.
Music icon, Innocent Idibia, popularly known as Tuface, has pledged to donate the proceeds from his song to the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), Nigeria, to assist Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).
Tuface, who is the Chairman of the Tuface Foundation, made the pledge on Thursday when he visited the UNHCR office in Abuja.
He said that his foundation would donate 60 per cent of the proceeds from his music dedicated to Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).
Tuface said that the song, which would be launched in commemoration of the World Refugees Day on June 20, is part of his contribution to alleviating the plights of the IDPs.
"I have decided to dedicate my time, resources and my voice to support the UNHCR in this massive endeavor of alleviating the sufferings of displaced persons.
"On the June 20th which is the world refugees' day, I am going to be commissioning a song and this song will be monetized.
"60 per cent of the proceeds will be donated to the UNHCR to further its humanitarian effort to alleviating the plights of refugees and IDPs.
"We want people to join in this campaign by downloading the song to use it as their ring tones, caller back tones.
"This download, which would cost between N50 to N100, is an opportunity for every Nigerian to contribute in their own little ways to the course of assisting displaced persons,'' Tuface said.
The Music icon stressed the need to create more awareness for people to understand the magnitude of the forced displacement and suffering of the IDPs and refugees so that they can do more to assist them.
Tuface said, "It is very disheartening to be stranded in your own home, many people who have not been hit directly downplay the situation''.
He commended the Nigerian government, UNHCR, International and Local Organisations and kind hearted individuals who have contributed in assisting the displaced persons.
In her remarks, Mrs Bridgette Mukanga-Eno, Deputy Representative, Protection, UNHCR, Nigeria, appreciated the Tuface foundation for supporting UNHCR in its intervention in the North-East.
She said that the collaboration with the Tuface foundation started last year but was concretize in February when the agency received a donation from the foundation to support its activities in the North-East.
Mukanga-Eno said that the contributions from the Tuface foundation have really helped in assisting the IDPs, especially in developing livelihood activities for them.
She said that the agency developed vocational facilities including mechanic trainings, iron bending, carpentry for the men and sewing for the ladies among others.
She said that the Nigerian government through relevant Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDAs) has done a lot in assisting the IDPs but a lot still need to be done to address the huge humanitarian crises in the North-East.
Mukanga-Eno said that the food scarcity is overwhelming and is not sufficient for the over 1.8 million IDPs, saying that the influx of over 19,000 Nigerian refugees from Niger, Chad and Cameroon has made it worse.
She called for more support to cater for the IDPs and returnees in the areas of protection, food, livelihood, healthcare, education among others.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that in February, Tuface donated N3.5 million to the UNHCR to support its humanitarian intervention to the displaced persons in the North-East.
A private lawyer for Donald Trump denied bombshell allegations made by his ex-FBI director James Comey under oath Thursday, and suggested the ousted lawman should be prosecuted for leaking “privileged information.”
The president, said Marc Kasowitz, “never told Mr. Comey ‘I need loyalty, I expect loyalty’ in form or substance,” rejecting a key allegation made by the sacked FBI director before a Senate panel Thursday.
Rejecting key parts of Comey’s damning testimony while claiming others as a win for the president, Kasowitz also suggested Comey may face prosecution.
“Today, Mr. Comey admitted that he leaked to friends his purported memos of these privileged conversations, one of which he testified was classified.”
“We will leave it the appropriate authorities to determine whether this leaks should be investigated along with all those others being investigated.”
By Henry Umoru ABUJA – THE Senate Thursday passed for third reading, the Witness Protection Bill that recommends a two -year jail term or N500, 000 fine for any insincere witness in court. Judicial symbol for justice
In the Bill, which seeks to protect witnesses, it also made provisions for stiff punishment for anyone who abruptly pulls out of any ongoing case for which he’s standing in a witness.
The passed Witness Protection Bill would enable certain persons receive protection in relation to certain information and evidence people render to law enforcement agencies during investigation.
The bill which seeks to enable certain person receive protection in relation to certain information, evidence or other assistance rendered to law enforcement agencies during enquiries, investigation or prosecution under the bill was sponsored by late Senator Isiaka Adeleke who represented Osun West Senatorial District in the current 8th Senate before his death in April this year.
Presenting the report, Chairman Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, Senator David Umaru, APC, Niger East while highlighting the essence of the Bill, stated that the witness protection programme contained in the bill is a universally accepted concept for the protection of witnesses who are willing to provide information and evidence for the purpose of enhancing the justice systems and whose lives may be threatened.
According to him, the bill seeks to address a major lacuna in Nigeria's justice system as there are no extant laws in place which are specific enough to "address what this bill is to achieve, unravel highly organized criminal activities with the help of people who are willing to supply information.
"It is to give impetus to the current anti-corruption drive of this administration. No doubt it would restore confidence to our justice system.
"It also seek to provide an enabling environment to effect government policies that enhance the administration of criminal justice and the fight against corruption and assist unravel criminal activities which has constituted major challenges in corporate existence.
“Such a programme is a universally accepted programme for the protection of witnesses willing to provide information and evidence for the purpose of enhancing a justice system and whose lives may be threatened as a result thereof.
“The legislation will give impetus and credence to the current anti corruption drive of this administration. It will also restore confidence in our justice system.”
Speaking on the findings, Senator Umaru said, “Flowing from the submissions/presentations made by stakeholders and the general public on this proposed legislation and having analysed same in our subsequent mark-up sessions on the bill, we hereby make the following observations/findings:
“That all the stakeholders and members of the public that submitted memoranda and also made oral presentations at the public hearing, supported the passage of the bill;
“That the bill, if enacted, will address a major lacuna in our justice SYstem as there are no extant laws in place, which are Comprehensive and SpeCifiC enough to address what this bill seeks to achieve; That witness protection programme is a universally accepted concept that is aimed at unravelling highly organised criminals
activities with the help of persons who are willing to volunteer information, evidence and other forms of assistance to law enforcement agencies.
“That the passage of this bill will provide an enabling environment and give effect to government's policies that seek to enhance the administration of criminal justice and promote the fight against corruption; and
“That the enactment of this law would assist in unravelling Organised criminal activities, which have constituted major challenges to our corporate existence, growth and development.”
In passing the Bill yesterday, it was an emotional environment in the Senate chamber as the report of the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters which handled the Bill was considered by the parliament because it was a Bill sponsored by the late Senator Adeleke .
In his contribution, Senator Kabir Marafa, APC, Zamfara who drew the attention of the Senate to the fact that the penalty stipulated in the proposed law was not stiff enough to deter those who might wish to be mischievous while standing as witnesses, said that it is essential to make the penalty real stiff to deter any witness who tries to contravene the law by pulling out during trial, and therefore, suggested an increase in the fine for such to N500, 000 with a jail term of 2 years.
Clause 15 of the Bill had originally made provision of N100, 000 for such infraction.
In his remarks, Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremedu who presided over yesterday’s plenary, said that the Senate took time to appreciate the late Senator Isiaka Adeleke for sponsoring the bill, just as he said that the Senate was committed to ensuring the enhancement of our judicial process, adding that the bill will ensure that the wheel of justice was not in anyway encumbered.
Ekweremadu who dedicated the bill to the memory of Adeleke who died in April, said, “This is one of our contributions to that process. I believe that going forward those in the judiciary especially those in the prosecution process will have it easy to securing witnesses and are sure of protection.”
Delta State Governor’s Aide on Special Duties (Media) Mr Ossai Ovie has said that Delta State is not part of Biafra.
Ovie who was speaking to pressmen today at Asaba, told Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra to removed Delta state from Biafra map.
He noted that, it is clearly a patent error for the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra to add Delta state To Biafra Map.
According to Ovie, Delta state has never be part of Biafra, the people adding Delta To the map are being unfair in their judgement .
“Delta is not part of the South-East region and does not subscribe to the renewed agitation by the Indigenous People of Biafra”he said .
“We are from the South South part of Nigeria and we are proud Nigerians” he added .
By Dirisu Yakubu ABUJA-Constitutional lawyer and Human Rights activist, Barrister Mike Ozekhome, SAN, has petitioned President Muhammadu Buhari to make public all monies recovered so far in the fight against corruption even as he threatened to commence legal proceedings against the Federal government if his request is ignored.President Muhammadu Buhari
In a letter entitled, "My Humble Request for an Account of All Monies Recovered and Properties Attached by the EFCC, ICPC, DSS, NIA, Police and Other Security Agencies," addressed to Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo, Ozekhome said he made the request given the widespread hunger in the land since the assumption of office by President Buhari.
According to the rights activist, money and properties so far recovered in the fight against corruption ought to be deployed for the benefit of suffering Nigerians, wondering why government has not deemed it fit to explain to Nigerians the whereabouts of the recovered loots.
"I write this letter to you sir, as a Nigerian citizen, a patriot, and an advocate of the Rule of Law, accountability, transparency, human rights, entrenched democracy and good governance. I am genuinely concerned that the President’s immediate aides and people who always have direct access to him before your Acting appointment in accordance with Section 145 of the 1999 Constitution, have only been showing Mr. President the smaller, rather than, the larger picture of Nigeria’s gargantuan and multi-faceted problems; and the back-breaking suffering and misery Nigerians are currently living under.
"There is wailing and gnashing of teeth in the land. Nigerians hear of humongous recoveries of billions of naira, millions of dollars, pounds and other foreign currencies on a daily basis. Some of these monies, mercifully, are even orphaned. But, the use, or none use, of these recovered “loots” have been shrouded in utter mystery, opaqueness and under eerie masquerades and ghosts of utmost secrecy," he wrote adding that as a result, the stashed monies "have not impacted on the dreary, searing and agonizing lives of the common men and women of this great country (exacerbated in the last two years of your government). Their only pre-occupation with life, is not luxury, but merely to have three square meals a day, train their children and have a roof over their aching heads."
The legal luminary challenged the Buhari administration to provide answers to questions being asked by concerned Nigerians and groups in the last couple of months. The questions according to Ozekhome include "How much monies have so far been recovered by the various Security Agencies, in naira, pounds, dollars, euros, yen, and other foreign currencies? Where are these monies kept? Are the monies kept with the Central Bank of Nigeria, Commercial Banks, MDAs, ware houses, abandoned houses, shopping complexes, canals, cemeteries, airports, septic tanks, toilets, private accounts, official pockets, lust where sir? Is the TSA still operative, and if so sir, does it operate with relation to these “recovered loots” or are these monies specially exempted from the operation of TSA?, amongst others.
He also noted that his petition was premised on the recoveries by the present administration published by the Federal Ministry of Information, wondering if Nigerians do not reserve the right to know what has become of such huge sums in different currencies.
"Details of the recoveries, published by the Federal Ministry of information, showed that the Nigerian government successfully retrieved total cash amount N78,325,354,631,82, $185,119,584.61, £3,548,355A6 and €11, 250 between May 29, 2015 and May 25, 2016. -Also released were recoveries under interim forfeiture, which were a combination of cash and assets, during the same period: N126, 563,481,095.43, $9,090, 243, 92015, £2,484,447,55 and €303,399.17," he wrote, even as he urged government to swing into action by providing answers in the spirit of transparency and openness.
He therefore pray the federal government to immediately avail Nigerians the account of all discoveries made and cause same to be published in the media within three weeks. His prayers: "That you cause the Chairmen and Heads of all the Security Agencies, to immediately render full account of all recoveries so far made, cash and realty, and to publicly disclose and publish same to the Nigerian people; that the said publication shall be made in all national dailies, the electronic and social media; that in making this publication, lines of communication shall be left by each anti-graft agency to answer questions and queries from interested citizens and other members of the public; and that a period of three weeks certain from the date of this humble letter shall be sufficient to enable these humble prayers be looked into and granted.
The lawyer stated that in the event of government failure to act in three weeks time, he would be left with no other option but to commence legal action against relevant parties, without further notice.
"If after the expiration of the three week period mentioned…no positive action has been taken on these my genuine concerns and complaints, I shall, most respectfully, without any further correspondence from me, institute legal proceedings against Mr. President, the Honourable Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and all the Anti-graft and Security Agencies, for a redress of the above issues," he threatened.
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