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
ABUJA-Acting President Yemi Osinbajo has said he was not under any kind of pressure to reign, saying he ran for his office on the same electoral ticket with President Muhammadu Buhari and that Buhari is hale, hearty.
He also said that the President was hale and hearty contrary to speculations that he was critical ill or even dead.
Osinbajo spoke with State House correspondents shortly after a closed door meeting with the National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, Chief John Oyegun, the Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters in Vice President’s Office, Sen. Babafemi Ojudu and the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora Matters, Hon. Abike Dabire at the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Monday.VP Osinbajo
Osinbajo said that the idea of asking him to resign his office was uncalled for and unfounded as the people of Nigeria who voted for him hadn’t asked him to resign.
Revealing that he had a long telephone conversation with the President who is currently on a medical leave in London, United Kingdom, Monday afternoon, Osinbajo stated that the President was well and alive.
He added that he briefed the president on the state of the nation including the on-going mass protests in the country.
Asked to speak on the nature of President’s illness, the Acting President said that the information was only at the discretion of the President to disclose.
He said: “I am not under no pressure to resign. I was voted for by the people of this nation, myself and Mr President and so the people of this nation have not asked us to resign. I am absolutely not under any pressure whatsoever. The truth is that there has been no pressure from any source asking me to resign
“The President is hale and hearty. I spoke to the President just this afternoon and we had a long conversation. He was interested in knowing about the budget process and how far we have gone and the meeting today with the private sector and the economic recovery growth plan and I informed him about the protest march and feedback about what people are saying about the economy. He is in good shape.
“Just like he said in his letter to the National Assembly, he needs to go for a cycle of tests and once he sees the test results and gets medical advice, we expect him very soon.
“I think that the health status of Mr President is an issue that only Mr President would discuss at the appropriate time. Again he is running test and all of that, before you will be able to determine your health status, you must be able to say this is my health status, do the test my doctors have advised me to do and will wait for the outcome of the tests and know my status.”
Shortly after the interview with Journalists, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Babachir Lawal was seen walking into the Office of the Acting President.
His mission was not known as at press time.
It will be recalled that President Buhari left the shores of Nigeria on January 19, 2017 for London on a medical vacation.
He was due to return to his duty post on Monday, February 6 but failed to do so, citing more medical laboratory tests as reasons for his continued stay abroad.
A press statement by his Media Aide, Mr. Femi Adesina on Sunday that announced the extension did not however give any specific date of his return, a development which many Nigerians feel was unconstitutional and unbecoming of a President of a country.
Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State on Monday, said he would banish yellow commercial buses from Lagos roads this year.
Ambode spoke at the 14th Annual Lecture of the Centre for Value and Leadership with theme: "Living Well Together, Tomorrow: The Challenge of Africa's Future Cities" held in Lagos.
Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode,
Ambode said that connectivity was a critical element for a mega city to work, which required having mass transit system to move people from one point to another.
"I tell you what, I want to banish yellow buses from Lagos this year.
"My dream of ensuring that Lagos becomes a true megacity will not be actualised with the presence of these yellow buses on Lagos roads" Ambode said.
The governor said there was still a lot more to be achieved as regard making Lagos one of the vibrant cities of the world.
According to Ambode, cities are the most attractive destination for those who want to realise their dreams.
He said that to this end, there was the need for government to be proactive in providing and expanding infrastructure, connectivity, other services to accommodate them.
"It is estimated that 86 immigrants enter Lagos every hour – the highest in any city in the world – and they have no plans to leave.
"This is because Lagos has remained over time, and most especially in the last decade, the most attractive destination for those who want to realise and live their Nigerian dream.
"This ever increasing population of the state however means that we have to be on our toes to provide facilities for this more than 23 million population, "Ambode said.
He said that government was also embarking on massive reform in waste management system, expressing optimism that the plan would be fully actualised by July.
"We are also embarking on massive reform in the waste and sanitation management system.
"I don't like the way this city is and the Private Sector Participants (PSP) collectors are not having enough capacity to do it, but again should I tax people to death? The answer is no.
"I don't want to tax people and so, we need this partnership with the private sector so that they can invest in the sanitation management of the city and in no time, maybe by July, the city will change forever, "he said.
The governor said that the main objective of his administration remained the growth of the Lagos economy from fifth to third largest economy in Africa.
On power, Ambode said the major issue had always been with transmission and advocated an embedded power initiative that would allow clusters of Independent Power Projects (IPP) to run the cities.
He said that he had remained focused on some issues such as infrastructure, security, job creation, power, adoption of technology as an enabler and driving investment through ease of doing business.
The Founder and Chief Executive Officer of CVL, Prof. Pat Utomi said that Lagos was thriving because of 18 years of good governance and ability to sustain the economy without and beyond oil.
Utomi said that with the theme, it was appropriate to expose the young people easrly to leadership skills as future leaders, describing leadership as a sacrificial giving of oneself to the advancement of common good.
Two opposing groups on Monday demonstrated in Abuja about governance in Nigeria.
While one group expressed support for the actions of the Federal Government in the areas of security and anti-corruption campaign, the other demanded improved quality of life for Nigerians.
The pro-government group came under the banner "#I stand with Buhari."
Some of the group's placards read, "I stand with Buhari"; "We are happy with your policies, especially the anti graft war", "Nigerians are fully with you", "We believe in President Muhammadu Buhari making Nigeria great again," among others.
Mr Amos Adaka, one of the conveners of the pro-government gathering, commended President Muhammadu Buhari for his laudable achievements since assuming office.
Adaka said the president had recorded huge milestones in the area of security and anti-corruption and also doing so much to ensure that the country was on sound footing.
He added that the president could not have reversed what past administrations destroyed within two years of his administration and asked Nigerians to give government more time to correct the anomalies.
The other group, "#I stand with Nigeria" carried placards that read "We demand the change you promise," "Where are the recovered monies?' "Exchange rate madness," "Emiefele must go," among others.
The anti-government group, led by Mr Ezenwa Nwagwu, said Nigerians should have better deal under Buhari and should be treated fairly.
Nwagwu said "Nigerians would no longer fold their arms and watch government."
He added that the era of waiting for Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and other civil society groups to fight for the citizenry was over, and urged Nigerians to come out and demand for their rights.
He said "our government needs to hear directly from us those things we say in our offices, markets, schools, Churches, Mosques and cabs about how bad things are, not through NLC or TUC."
While the protests lasted at the Unity Fountain in Abuja, the police monitored the situation.
President Donald Trump lashed out Monday at signs of rising public opposition to his controversial travel ban as tech giants threw their weight behind a push in US courts to roll it back.
With the ban suspended since Friday, the legal battle has moved to San Francisco where a US court of appeals ordered the administration to submit a brief Monday defending Trump’s January 27 decision.US President Donald Trump
The president’s executive order summarily denied entry to all refugees, and travelers from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen — a move critics charge will damage US interests.
Despite initial public support, two new polls show that a majority of Americans now oppose the ban — findings that Trump angrily dismissed as media lies.
“Any negative polls are fake news, just like the CNN, ABC, NBC polls in the election,” he said on Twitter. “Sorry, people want border security and extreme vetting.”
Trump, who spent the weekend at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, is said to be increasingly frustrated with his staff’s failure to contain the fallout from the ban’s botched rollout, which sparked chaos at US airports and drew international condemnation, the New York Times reported.
The order slapped a blanket ban on entry for nationals of the seven mainly-Muslim countries for 90 days and barred all refugees for 120 days. Refugees from Syria were blocked indefinitely.
But Friday in Seattle, a federal district judge ordered the temporary nationwide suspension of the president’s order, allowing the thousands of travellers who were suddenly barred from US soil to start trickling back in.
– Mounting opposition – In an additional blow, a slew of Silicon Valley giants led by Apple, Facebook, Google, Microsoft and Twitter filed a legal brief late Sunday in support of the lawsuit.
The 97 companies speaking out against Trump’s travel ban said it harms recruiting and retention of talent, threatens business operations, and hampers their ability to attract investment to the United States.
The ban “inflicts significant harm on American business, innovation, and growth,” said the brief, whose backers also include Airbnb, Dropbox, eBay, Intel, Kickstarter, LinkedIn, Lyft, Mozilla, Netflix, PayPal, Uber and Yelp.
A group of prominent Democrats including former secretaries of state John Kerry and Madeleine Albright joined their voices to the criticism on Monday, in a legal filing to the San Francisco appeals court.
“We view the order as one that ultimately undermines the national security of the United States, rather than making us safer,” they said.
“Reinstating the executive order would wreak havoc on innocent lives and deeply held American values.”
Specifically, the Democrats said Trump’s travel ban could endanger US troops in the field, disrupt counterterrorism cooperation and feed Islamic State group propaganda.
– ‘Frustrating’ – Top Republicans also have also shown renewed signs of discomfort with the new president, with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell chiding Trump on Sunday for attacking the judge who suspended the ban.
“I think it is best to avoid criticizing judges individually,” he said on CNN.
Trump had blasted Judge James Robart in a series of angry tweets.
“Just cannot believe a judge would put our country in such peril. If something happens blame him and court system. People pouring in. Bad!”
The appeals court in San Francisco on Sunday refused to overrule Robart, and ordered the administration to present a brief by 2300 GMT on Monday.
Vice President Mike Pence called the setback “frustrating.”
“We will move very quickly,” he told Fox News on Sunday. “We are going to win the arguments because we will take the steps necessary to protect the country, which the president of the United States has the authority to do.”
The attorney generals for the states of Washington and Minnesota, which won the temporary stay of Trump’s ban, have asked the appeals court to refuse to reinstate it.
Before now, they argued, no US president has imposed “a categorical bar on admission on a generalized (and unsupported) claim that some might engage in misconduct,” they argued.
“The order flouts Congress’s clear command prohibiting nationality-based discrimination,” they said.
– Arrivals – With the ban suspended, travelers from the targeted countries holding valid visas have begun arriving on American soil.
In New York, 33-year-old Sudanese doctor Kamal Fadlalla rejoiced — after a week blocked in his home country, he was back in the Big Apple with friends and colleagues.
“It feels great,” Fadlalla told AFP on Sunday at John F. Kennedy International Airport. “It was a tough week actually.”
Iranian graduate student Sara Yarjani, who was initially deported under Trump’s order, arrived in Los Angeles.
“I am so grateful to all the lawyers and others that helped me,” she said tearfully.
The State Department has said visa holders from the seven countries are allowed to travel to the US as long as their documents have not been “physically canceled.”
The Director General of the Campaign Organisation of President Mohammad Buhari during the 2015 general election and the current minister of Transport, Mr Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi on Monday accused the National Assembly of stopping the Federal Government from fixing infrastructure problems and creating jobs for the masses by failing to approve it's borrowing plan.
He equally said that the APC government did not promise to fix Nigeria's problem within a year and cautioned those lamenting the economic hardship to wait till the end of the tenure in 2019 for the desired change.
Amaechi
He said this just as the minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed cautioned Nigerians making statement that could cause religious disharmony warning that "no nation has ever survived religious war". The duo spoke in Ilorin, Kwara state capital during a north central town hall meeting for the people of Kogi, Niger and host state; Kwara by the federal government.
Amechi who speaking at the occasion said though the federal government had had the cries of Nigerians that things were difficult, they have to wait till the end of the four years mandate given to the administration before they could judge whether the government had performed or not.
According to him,"We did not promise you that those challenges will be solved in one year,if we promise you that those challenges would be solved in one year you would have given us one year but you gave us four years mandate so wait till the end of four years before you can conclude that we have not done well".
David Beckham’s squeaky-clean image as a British cultural icon has taken a battering following the leaking of expletive-strewn emails in which he apparently raged about not receiving a knighthood.
The former England football captain is said to have sworn in emails to his PR team after being told he would not be made “Sir David” by Queen Elizabeth II because of concerns about his tax affairs.
A spokesman for the 41-year-old said the emails, released by the Football Leaks website, were “hacked and doctored” to give a “deliberately inaccurate picture”.
But there has been a backlash against Beckham from sections of Britain’s tabloid media.
Monday’s Daily Mail spoke of the “Shame of Saint Becks”, with a columnist pronouncing him “a foul-mouthed, determined egotist” who had used charity work as part of an “increasingly desperate” bid for a knighthood.
Reports which emerged on Friday said the former Manchester United and Real Madrid star refused to put his own money into his humanitarian 7 Fund and tried to obtain reimbursement from the UN children’s agency UNICEF for expenses met by his sponsors.
Outspoken television host Piers Morgan told his 5.47 million Twitter followers the revelations were “sickening” and exposed Beckham as a “fraud”.
Beckham has not spoken publicly since the story broke, although he was pictured cradling his five-year-old daughter Harper on the Instagram account of his son, Brooklyn.
Cynics said even that was a crass attempt to show his best, fatherly side at a time of bad headlines.
– Miami project – For a man who takes such care of his public image, it is likely to be a deeply distressing situation.
Beckham has maintained a high profile since retiring from the game in May 2013 following a brief stint with French side Paris Saint-Germain.
He continues to carry out charity work and fronts several advertising campaigns.
He has faced problems finding a stadium deal for the football club he plans to launch in Miami, but Major League Soccer chiefs confirmed recently that the team remains in line to become the league’s 24th franchise.
He has managed to shake off previous scandals, both on and off the pitch.
He became a national pariah after his dismissal against Argentina was unfairly blamed for England’s elimination from the 1998 World Cup, but fought back to become England captain.
Reports of an extra-marital affair in April 2004 were dismissed and did not tarnish Beckham’s image as a loving husband to pop star turned fashion designer Victoria Beckham and father to their four children.
Beckham received an OBE from the queen in 2003, a lower honour than a knighthood.
His wife also received an OBE in the 2017 New Year Honours list despite her label being threatened with closure after failing to file company accounts.
She was criticised in British tabloid newspapers for telling her family she would be receiving the award before the official announcement.
– Brand Beckham – Born in Leytonstone, east London, Beckham was a member of the fabled “Class of 92” crop of young players who emerged at United, along with Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt and Gary and Phil Neville.
Blessed with an extraordinarily accurate right foot, Beckham was renowned for his dead-ball prowess and his seemingly limitless stamina, as well as his ever-changing hairstyles.
He won six Premier League titles, two FA Cups and the 1999 Champions League with United, creating both injury-time goals as Alex Ferguson’s side stormed back to beat Bayern Munich 2-1 in the final.
After his relationship with Ferguson deteriorated, he joined the Real Madrid “Galacticos” to great fanfare in 2003, but would win only one league title during his time in Spain.
Beckham moved to Los Angeles Galaxy in a trailblazing trans-Atlantic move in 2007 and won two MLS Cup titles, whilst also spending time on loan at European giants AC Milan and PSG.
He captained England for six years and played at three World Cups, his 115 caps making him his country’s third most-capped player behind Peter Shilton and Wayne Rooney.
“If you had told me as a young boy I would have played for and won trophies with my boyhood club, Manchester United, proudly captained and played for my country over one hundred times, and lined up for some of the biggest clubs in the world, I would have told you it was a fantasy,” he said in 2013.
Beckham’s global celebrity turned him into a one-man marketing phenomenon with a glut of lucrative endorsements.
He is the face of firms including Adidas, fashion chain H&M and Haig Whisky and his shared fortune with Victoria, dubbed “Brand Beckham”, is believed to exceed £500 million ($624 million, 582 million euros).
The Federal Government has declared that it is difficult to Islamise Nigeria by any government, saying that it has no hidden agenda to achieve such plan.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alh. Lai Mohammed made declaration on Monday at the North-Central Edition of Town Hall Meeting held in Ilorin, Kwara state.
He said that the alleged Islamisation of Nigeria under the current Administration is totally false and should be perceived in its entirety as a campaign of calumny, saying that the secular nature of Nigeria's Constitution makes the issue of religious dominance and impunity improbable.
Mohammed who condemned the action of those preaching religious intolerance stressed that it was difficult to Islamise Nigeria and those claiming the current Federal Government was plotting to Islamise the country were not only political but were also working towards diverting attention from the ongoing anti-corruption crusade.
''The media has been increasingly awash with incendiary statements that seem designed to pitch the adherents of the two prominent religions in the country, Christians and Muslims against one another. ''Such fallacies like the Islamization of Nigeria, the killing of Christians by Muslims, the labelling of Nigeria as the most dangerous place for Christians in the world can only serve one purpose: trigger a religious war.
''Needless to say that no nation ever survives a religious war. Those who are making these allegations know that they are not true, but they have found in religion another tool to demonize the government of the day, divert attention from the government’s anti-corruption stance and create undue tension in the polity.
''It is also important to note that the underlying principle of religious conflict may not be purely religious, but more often than not coloured with political connotations as vividly depicted in the case of the terrorist group Boko Haram.
''And more often than not, conflicts between Muslims and Christians are fuelled by political motivations, ethnic differences, extremism, intolerance and terrorism.''
On achievements of the administration, the Minister said, "a lot has been achieved by this administration, despite the challenges that we have faced since assuming office.
"But whatever has been achieved in all spheres will pale into insignificance if there is no peace in the country. And there is no bigger threat to the peace and unity of our country today than religion-coated incendiary messages, which are being carelessly sent out there by some religious, political and opinion leaders.
"Make no mistake about it, there have been conflicts between adherents of the two major religions in certain parts of the country. To now extrapolate from that to say Nigeria is the most dangerous place for Christians in the world is a disservice to Nigeria and an overkill.
''What those who are pushing this negative narrative about Nigeria do not know is that if they succeed in giving Nigeria a bad name in the comity of nations, they too will not escape the consequences that will result therefore,'' he warned.
By Levinus Nwabughiogu ABUJA- Acting President Yemi Osinbajo has said he is not under any kind of pressure to reign, saying he ran on the same electoral ticket with President Muhammadu Buhari.
Osinbajo spoke with State House correspondents shortly after a closed door meeting with the National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, Chief John Oyegun, his Special Adviser on Political Matters, Sen. Babafemi and the Special Assistant to the President on Diaspora Matters, Hon. Abike Dabire at the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Monday.
The National Industrial Court, Lagos on Monday fixed May 30 for adoption of final addresses in a suit by former employee of Newswatch, Francis Iwuchukwu.
Iwuchukwu's suit, numbered NICN/LA/200/2016, was instituted against Newswatch Times Ltd, over his seven months unpaid salary.
The trial judge, Justice O.A Obaseki-Osaghae adjourned for adoption following failure of the defendant to appear before the court to cross examine the claimant.
court
The defendant had neither entered a defence nor was represented by a counsel.
At the resumed hearing of the case on Monday, the trial judge, having satisfied itself on the failure of the defendant to enter a defence, urged counsel to the claimant to file final addresses.
The judge noted that the defendant was not ready to put up a defence against the action instituted against it, in spite of service of court processes.
The judge therefore directed that final addresses be filed in pursuant of the provisions of order 38, Rule 2 (4) and Order 38, Rule 3 (2) of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria Civil Procedure Rules 2016.
She adjourned the case until May 30 for adoption of final written address.
In his statement of fact filed by his counsel, Mr Yemi Omodele, Iwuchukwu averred that he was employed by way of a letter of appointment dated October 1, 2012, by the defendant.
He averred that Newswatch did not issue a letter of confirmation of his appointment, after being qualified for same in spite of constant demands for it.
He said that he was only informed at the registry of Newswatch "you have been employed, carry on with your work".
Iwuchukwu averred that upon noticing the indifferent attitude of the defendants management to its workers welfare, especially the none payment of outstanding salaries, he tendered a letter of resignation on May 28, 2015.
"In spite of my constant visits and demand for mine outstanding salaries, the defendant refused to pay same.
"This refusal prompted the claimant counsel, Mr Yemi Omodele (Esq) to write a letter dated Aug. 17, 2015 to the defendant demanding for the payment of all outstanding salaries of the claimant," he averred.
According to the Plaintiff, the defendant claimed that it deducted some money and remitted it to Lead Way Pensure Ltd, a claim the plaintiff said was false.
The plaintiff explained that when he visited the office of Leadway Pensure Ltd and requested for a copy of his retirement savings account statement, he was shocked to realise that the defendant did not pay a kobo to the said company.
Iwuchukwu noted that the defendant's action was fraudulent and constituted a clear intention to defraud the claimant, adding that he had suffered great loss due to nonpayment of his seven months' salary.
The claimant is consequently praying the National Industrial Court, for a declaration that the he is entitled to be paid salaries for the months of October, November, December 2014, as well as January, February, March and April 2015.
He also seeks a declaration that the nonpayment of the salaries by Newswatch, amounts to breach of trust and a willful intention to defraud him.
Iwuchukwu consequently, seeks an order of court, directing the defendant, its servants, agents and/or privies to pay forthwith the sum of N700, 000 to him, being salaries for the months in arrears.
He further seeks an order, directing the defendant, to pay 21 per cent interest on the sum, until judgment is delivered and executed.
By Emma Ujah , Abuja Bureau Chief & Levinus Nwabughiogu
ABUJA-Acting President Yemi Osinbajo on Monday told Nigerians protesting the severe economic hardship and hunger across the country that their message has been well received by the federal government.Ag President Yemi Osinbajo
Acknowledging that it fell within the purview of their fundamental human rights to demand a better economy, Osinbajo said that it also troubled the government that many Nigerians were groaning and suffering from the pangs of hunger and poverty.
Though it was not a direct address to the Protesters who took to the streets of Abuja and later tried to make inroads into the Presidential Villa, Abuja, the Acting President spoke at the Consultative Forum on Economic Growth and Recovery Plan, EGRP, held at the State House.
While also admitting that the economy was in deep crisis, Osinbajo however said that the government was determined to better the lot of the citizenry.
I was invited to deliver the keynote address at this year's special event on "Human Rights, Sexuality and the Law", an annual symposium organized to promote awareness on issues relating to the plight of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and/or Intersex (LGBTQI) Community in Nigeria. When this was announced on social media by the organizers, The Initiative For Equal Rights (TIERS) and @YNaija, hell practically broke loose within the LGBTQI community.
I was dismissed as a wrong choice, and the organizers were accused of being insensitive to the feelings of the community. A broad-based protest was launched on twitter and there were essays on the subject on NoStringsNG.com (the online media advocacy platform for LGBTQI issues in Nigeria), with the most scathing objection written by Bisi Alimi, the Nigerian-born, London-based gay rights activist. Bisi Alimi described me as a "homophobe." He said the invitation extended to me was an abuse of TIERS, and he was offended that a group he had helped to co-found, would offer its platform to an "oppressor."
Following a pre-event twitter chat with me on the subject, co-ordinated by @YNaija, the attacks got even more aggressive. Someone wrote that having Reuben Abati as Keynote Speaker was like inviting the "KKK to an NACCP event." An article written by Kritzmoritz and published by KitoDiaries.com (another Nigerian LGBTQI blog) was titled "Of TIERS, Reuben Abatiand all that angst."
The anonymous author reflected the sentiments of the gay community in the following words: "Let me get this out of the way from the onset so we are clear. I don't like Mr. Reuben Abati. Over the past five years, I have come to view him as a rather unpleasant human being…" Another commentator, Mandy in a piece titled "There is no engaging with a keynote Speaker" took the additional step of launching an online petition and called for signatures to "drop Reuben Abati" because in his or her view: "you cannot invite the person who killed me to come apologize at my funeral; things are not done that way."
My offence is that I had participated in a discussion of the Same Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Act 2014 shortly after President Goodluck Jonathan signed it into law. Alimi, in particular, was on an Al-Jazeera panel with me. He argued that I exhibited homophobia, defending the law. The complaints by the gay community were so loud and their objection to the possibility of my being allowed to invade "their space" was so trenchant. I called the organizers to ask if they were considering a change of mind about their choice of Keynote Speaker. Their answer was in the negative.
On December 14, I participated in what turned out to be a lively, engaging, open and inclusive symposium on Human Rights, Sexuality and The Law. I did not see any reason to beat about the bush. I opened my address with a response to Alimi and the critics. The labels used to describe me do not fit me. I am neither a homophobe nor an extremist. My views are liberal and I consider the rights of every man to be ontological, interdependent and indivisible. These rights are well-covered in all the major nine documents on International Human Rights, including the Universal Declaration on Human Rights (1948) and its 30 articles, the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (1965), the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1966) and the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (1979). Nigeria is a signatory to majority of these conventions, protocols and covenants as well as the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights (1981). Chapters Two and Four of the Nigerian Constitution, 1999, expressly uphold these rights.
The enactment of certain legislations such as – The Fundamental Rights (Enforcement Procedure) Rules 2009, HIV/AIDS (Anti-Discrimination) Act, 2014, Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act, 2015, the National Human Rights Commission Act, 2015, the Prohibition Against Domestic Violence Law No 15 of Lagos State, 2007, Gender Based Violation Prohibition Law of Ekiti State, 2011, Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Law Enforcement and Administration Act, 2003, the Legal Aid Act, 2011 and the Child Rights Act, 2003 – also point to considerable advancements in human rights legislation in Nigeria since 1999. Human rights are important. They are indeed matters of urgent and high priority because they are at the core of the idea of our humanity. They are indispensable vehicles for achieving peace, stability, justice and development in the world. Every human being is entitled to these rights; to devalue the right of any person is to violate that person's right to dignity and justice.
Nigeria in spite of acknowledged advancements remains a nightmare where human rights are concerned. The failure of institutional mechanisms and the absence of political will to translate constitutional rights into effective human rights realities has resulted in what is clearly a governance and accountability crisis. The average Nigerian suffers the after-effects in various ways: poverty, lack of access to justice, violence, kidnappings, police brutality, extortion, wanton resort to self-help by both state and non-state actors, and a general regime of lawlessness reminiscent of the brutal days of military rule. Political leaders and state officials are so powerful that they have no regard for the people. They choose when it is convenient for them to respect court orders.
There is a disconnect between Nigeria's international human rights obligations and what it does at home, creating conflicts and tensions in the implementation of human rights law. Nigeria is a member, for example, of the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice, but the government routinely ignores the rulings of this strategic regional court. Non-state actors are emboldened by the negligence of state actors to take the law into their hands, as seen in the conflict between Corporate Responsibility and Human Rights in Nigeria. Nigeria is a member of the International Labour Organization, the enabling principles of which are covered in the Labour Act, 2004, but with the unemployment crisis in the country, employers of labour trample on the rights of workers at will. The non-justiciability of the social, economic, cultural and group human rights goals in Chapter Two of the Nigerian Constitution further compounds the nightmare.
It is within this overall context of the human rights situation in Nigeria, that the issue of sexuality is to be located. Section 15 (2) of the 1999 Constitution talks about national integration without discrimination on the grounds of sex, among others. Section 17 states that the social order is founded on the ideals of "freedom, equality and justice", while Section 17(3) says state policy shall be directed towards "all citizens, without discrimination on any group whatsoever", a goal that had earlier been covered also in Section 14(2)(b). Section 42 further upholds every Nigerian's right to freedom from discrimination. Whereas the Constitution talks about sex, and not sexuality or gender orientation, the principle of equality before the law and the right to be human is without exemption of any persons or groups. Article 2 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights indeed says sex should be taken to include sexual orientation and gender.
Minority groups are often targets of violence in Nigeria – apart from ethnic and religious minorities, women, children, the girl-child and the physically challenged, perhaps the most targeted and the most violated in recent times are members of the LGBTQI community. Gays in Nigeria have found themselves in a hostile society. There have been reported cases of persons with suspected LGBTQI orientation being subjected to various forms of violence: kidnapping, extortion, rape, assault, inhuman and degrading treatment, denial of access to justice and curtailment of their fundamental rights. The state looks the other way, the rest of society says serves them right.
There is no plan or structure in place for protecting gay persons in Nigeria from outright violation even by the police and the state. Section 214 of the Criminal Code criminalizes "any person who has carnal knowledge of any person against the order of nature". Section 217 thereof frowns at "gross indecency". Similarly, Sections 284 and 405-408 of the Penal Code, and the Sharia Law in 12 states of the North make homosexuality a punishable felony. Public hostility towards the LGBTQI is widespread. It is risky to reveal sexual orientation in Nigeria. No political party or politician has formally endorsed LGBTQI rights in Nigeria.
The Same Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Act 2014, which is a particular source of anxiety and the target of protest by the Nigerian and global LGBTQI community, establishes a legal basis for formal discrimination on the grounds of sexuality. This law forbids any form of gay marriage, or civil union (sections 1-3), the registration of gay clubs, societies and organisations or the holding of gay meetings (section 4(1)) and the display of amorous relationship between two persons of the same sex in Nigeria (section 4(2). Anybody who enters into a same sex marriage contract or runs a gay club or association or group or is seen to be aiding and abetting homosexuality is considered guilty of a felony. The punishment ranges from 10 to 14 years (section 5). Although the SSMPA deals with marriage or civil union, it is a much stronger law than the Criminal and Penal Codes and the Sharia on gay issues. It is a law fraught with ambiguities, which devalue the gay person's rights to privacy, dignity of the human person, freedoms of expression and freedom from discrimination.
But it remains a popular law with the majority of Nigerians who rely on culture and traditional values, public morality as defined in Section 45 (1) of the 1999 Constitution, and the fact that Nigeria being a sovereign nation should be free to make its own laws and not subject itself to Western notions of sexuality. Research findings accordingly indicate that more than 95% of the Nigerian population considers homosexuality a sin. Religion and culture remain major barriers to human rights expression as seen in the case of Christians quoting such anti-gay Scriptural passages as Leviticus 18:22, 20:23, the poor fortunes of the Child Rights Act in spite of its ratification by 26 out of 36 states, constructive and continuing gender discrimination, and the disgraceful politicking over the Gender Equality and Prohibition of Violence Against Women Bill, 2016 which has now been reduced pathetically, at second reading, to a bill on violence and sexual abuse.
There are specific posers to be raised in relation to the SSMPA 2014. One, culture to the extent of its dynamism should evolve, and must not be erected into a given barrier to human rights expression. Two, human rights and sovereignty should not be antithetical. Three, who should determine what is right and wrong? Is there an objective universal morality in a world of diverse beliefs and practices? And is morality necessarily as determined by the majority? Can the majority possibly be wrong in a democracy?
Where sexuality is concerned, the insistence on basic rights can only be a continuous and inclusive struggle. The debate can only continue to evolve as society itself evolves. The irreducible minimum lies in the need by state and non-state actors to continue to make efforts to dismantle barriers and extend the frontiers of how human rights are respected, protected and fulfilled. Gay persons in Nigeria are subjected to police brutality and assault, targeted killings, hate crime, and sundry forms of discrimination. Their relatives are stigmatized. The jungle justice that is imposed on the community is outside the province of the law. Enforcing the law as it is, until it is amended, revised, or repealed, should be within the province of the rule of law, not the jungle. The right of all persons to freedom, justice and equality should be considered sacrosanct. Any law, which contradicts this principle, in its operation or expression, is to the extent of its inconsistency, questionable.
The more memorable aspect of the 2016 symposium on Human Rights, Sexuality and the Law, attended by both gay and non-gay persons, was the interactive session where further issues were raised and interrogated. One fellow stood up and insisted that I needed to apologise to the LGBTQI community for views I had expressed in the past. My response was that when I defended the SSMPA publicly in 2014, I was doing my duty as the Official Presidential Spokesperson. In that capacity, it was part of my responsibility to explain and promote government policies and decisions. A spokesman's loyalty is to country, state, government and principal; he or she is essentially a Vuvuzela. Besides, the SSMPA is not a law about my personal views but the values and the choice of the majority of Nigerians. What people do with their private lives is their business as free human beings without interpreting freedom as absolute, however, but as a guarantee for the equality of all persons.
Someone else wanted to know why President Jonathan considered it expedient and urgent to sign a bill that was first proposed in 2006 into law. The chronology is that the National Assembly rejected the bill in 2007. It was passed by the Senate on Nov 29, 2011, by the House of Representatives on May 30, 2013 and signed into law on January 13, 2014. If President Jonathan had withheld assent, the National Assembly could have exercised its power of veto override. What is required, in all of this, to be honest, is not ex post facto hand-wringing and blame games, but continued advocacy and awareness building. Incidentally, the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights has called on the Nigerian Government to consider a revision of the SSMPA given the manner in which it is being exploited to violate fundamental human rights. A day may well come when this would happen in line with the Yogyakarta Principles on sexual orientation and gender identity, as has been experienced in Mozambique, Nepal and Nicaragua.
A lady stood up and added: "Dr Abati, it is important that you realise you are in our space. This is a very sensitive space and community. My husband is your very good friend, but I still think you owe this community an apology because even when doing your job as a government official, there are certain things you should not say." I thought I already answered that question. Another lady intervened: "Hi, Dr Abati, I am made to understand you don't believe we exist in Nigeria. Well, now you know we do. I am a citizen. I work in this country. I pay my taxes. My name is Pamela. And I am a Lesbian." I have never said any such dumb thing as to insist that the LGBTQI community does not exist either in Nigeria or elsewhere in Africa. Having read Bernadine Evaristo and other writers on the subject, I have a clear understanding.
I left the symposium with two special gifts. The 2016 Human Rights Violations Report Based on Real or Perceived Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity in Nigeria, a 61-page publication by TIERS Nigeria which was formally presented at the occasion and "Tell Me Where I Can Be Safe": The Impact of Nigeria's Same Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Act, a 108-page publication by Human Rights Watch. Both publications provide detailed and up-to-date information including statistics and the impact of the law with regard to the status of the LGBTQI community in Nigeria, focusing mainly on human rights violations on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity. I recommend both publications for general reading and for the benefit of those seeking answers on the subject under review.
Sitting by my side during the interactive sessions was Olumide, the gifted and resourceful activist who runs TIERSNigeria. We reviewed the comments as they flowed forth from the participants in the room. What is clear is that there is a vibrant LGBTQI community in Nigeria led by internationally exposed, media-savvy and knowledgeable young men and women who are determined to insist on their fundamental human rights and their right to be who they want to be. They are aggrieved. They are organized. They have set up platforms for self-expression including the use of technology, publications, movies (re: Hell or High Water, November 2016), the media and other social networking opportunities. Their voice is likely to grow louder as they become more organized. For how much longer can they be ignored?
As the event drew to a close, the microphone got to a young fellow who incoherent at first, still managed to deliver his punch-line killer: "Please, I don't understand what people are saying. They are saying they are liberal, or that we need to unlearn certain things. Liberal, about what? When you say you are liberal, it is like you are patronizing us. Can you talk about rice when you have not even tasted it?" Yes, I think. One of the privileges of intellection is the right to talk robustly and nineteen to the dozen about rice, without ever tasting it.
While Nigerians rely on agriculture for their livelihood, Africa's leading fertiliser firm, Notore, is on a mission to give these farmers the knowledge they need.
Notore has constantly strived to give farmers the tools they needed to improve their businesses and has set up 400 Agricultural Learning Centres throughout the country.
Before now, the company’s tailor-made educational outreach programmes teach farmers ways to boost their productivity, so they can produce more crops and improve their market share.
Highly skilled extension, workers, according to the company lead the courses and help familiarise Nigerian farmers with innovative techniques, which they can use to maximise premium crop yields on their lands.
Notore cultivated the techniques taught in its Agricultural Learning Centres with domestic and global partners.
They integrated the best practices developed in Nigeria, with those which govern global agriculture, to produce an educational syllabus which specifically fits the needs of the farmers.
Speaking on how best to boost farming activities across the country, the Chief Executive Officer of Notore, Onajite Okoloko, said: "Our Agricultural Learning Centres have transformed Nigeria's farming sector. They have shown farmers how they can use Notore's Premium Fertilizer and Improved Seeds to double, or even triple, their yield in a single planting season.
"Through these educational programmes, Nigeria's farmers can now generate enough high quality crops to produce new revenue flows. Not only does this enable many farmers to secure financial independence, but also to contribute to the prosperity of their local communities, by unlocking the enormous wealth potential of agriculture that can be found in Nigeria's rural areas."
By Demola Akinyemi ILORIN- The Director General of the Campaign Organisation of President Mohammad Buhari during the 2015 general election and the current minister of Transport, Mr Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi Monday said APC government did not promise to fix Nigeria’s problem within a year and cautioned those lamenting the economic hardship to wait till the end of the tenure in 2019 for the desired change.Amaechi
Amechi also accused the National Assembly of stopping the Federal Government from fixing infrastructure problems and creating jobs for the masses by failing to approve it’s borrowing plan.
He said this just as the minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed cautioned Nigerians making statement that could cause religious disharmony warning that “no nation has ever survived religious war”.
The duo spoke in Ilorin, Kwara state capital during a north central town hall meeting for the people of Kogi, Niger and host state; Kwara by the federal government.
Amechi who speaking at the occasion said though the federal government had had the cries of Nigerians that things were difficult, they have to wait till the end of the four years mandate given to the administration before they could judge whether the government had performed or not.
According to him,”We did not promise you that those challenges will be solved in one year,if we promise you that those challenges would be solved in one year you would have given us one year but you gave us four years mandate so wait till the end of four years before you can conclude that we have not done well”.
University of Lagos Alumni Association has given Awards of Excellence to Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, Lagos State commissioners Ashade Akinyemi Jeremiah, Oluwo Olawale Wasiu, Akintola Benson Oke and Abdul-Akeem.
Others include; Abdul-Lateef, the MD/CEO of Dock Management Nigeria Ltd, Hon. Moshood Adegoke Salvador, GMD/CEO Vitafoam Nigeria Plc, Mr Taiwo Adeniji, MD Studio 24 Nig. Ltd and Mr Ifeanyi Oputa.
This was made public when the University of Lagos Alumni Association on Sunday held their dinner/get-together of members resident in Lagos to round off a week long activity during the Alumni week.
The dinner was set to raise a 150 million naira scholarship fund for indigent but brilliant students of the University and also for a reunion of members of the Alumni Association resident in Lagos.
In his opening speech, Lagos State branch chairman of the association Dr Lukumon Adeoti, an Associate Professor at the University of Lagos' Department of Geosciences thanked members and guests for coming and reiterated the need for the scholarship fund. He thanked members who have been participating in the Association's activities and mentioned Lagos state governor Akinwunmi Ambode, an Alumnus of Unilag, as one of the outstanding members.
Chairman of the occasion Olaide Adebowale Omotola, an entrepreneur told people present that the occasion has brought back pleasant memories having graduated from the university a long time ago. He praised the University for the Excellence they exhibit and noted that University of Lagos has become a very strong brand in the world.
The Vice Chancellor of University of Lagos, Professor Rahamon Bello praised the Unilag Alumni, Lagos Branch for their activities which has benefited the society and also emphasised on the importance of Alumni association in education and universities' development.
It was a colourful event with notable dignitaries like some commissioners of Lagos state: Ashade Akinyemi Jeremiah, Oluwo Olawale Wasiu, Akintola Benson Oke, Abdul-Akeem and Abdul-Lateef; captains of industries, CEOs, professors, doctors and members of University management particularly the DVC Academics and Research of University of Lagos Professor Oluwatoyin Ogundipe.
There were also donations from individuals and awardees to the Alumni for the scholarship fund. Some of the association's members and awardees were very magnanimous in their donations which the chairman of the occasion described as a good humanitarian gesture. The diner marked the end of a week of activities for the Lagos state Branch of Unilag Alumni week.
As the Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello clocks one year in office on January 27, 2017, the Omoluabi Foundation has commended him over his performance in key sectors of the state's economy.
The commendation was made by the Founder, Omoluabi Foundation, Omoluabi Onirinwa Folami, in Abuja, where he said the Foundation has been in the vanguard of promoting and supporting good governance, and also providing free human capacity building programmes for youths in the state and others. Folami said as a foundation they will consolidate on what the governor has started by engaging and sponsoring graduates and undergraduates through the foundation to help in teaching students in secondary schools and pupils in primary schools, and other areas of human capacity development.
He said: "If you may recall the state was at a political precipice and a lot of tension here and there but God used the judges to camp down the situation when Governor Yahaya Bello was declared the governor of Kogi State. "Assessing the one year of Governor Bello in office is something we as a foundation have closely examined and discovered that he has a lot of prospects to turnaround Kogi State in no distant time.
"What interested us most was his proactive move to stabilise the overheated polity by having serious meetings with tribes, interest groups, opinion leaders, youths, women, traditional and religious leaders for them to see Kogi as one big family and also to join hands with his government to move the state forward.
"Being a young, dynamic and charismatic man he (Bello) took the bull by the horn to tackle the bedeviling problem of ghost workers in the state's civil service, where thousands of non-existing names on the payroll were discovered, and huge sums of money looted and siphoned out from the state's treasury.
"We commend him for the great sanity he has brought into the civil service in the state, although some people were complaining about the exercise but to our knowledge nobody was unjustly sacked rather he was able to drastically reduce the recurrent expenditure now. Indeed, is a great step that has saved Kogi from looters."
According to Folami the governor has before clocking one year in office flagged off road construction projects in all the senatorial districts of the state and other projects that have bearing with the socio-economic challenges of the people.
Also based on their assessment the governor has transformed and restructured the state's Internal Revenue Board based on his financial background, which has made the board to have a new drive and mandate for revenue generation and the governor has been making to woo investors to the state.
"He has also brought governance close to the people by appointing 'ward governors' who serve as a medium between the people and the government for effective and efficient governance that also allow access to the governor by the people.
"In terms of security in the state the governor has taken it upon himself to ensure that lives and property are secured in the state. If not the backlash of insurgency, kidnapping that are national problems would have overwhelmed the state. He has been able to provide security equipment and it is commendable but could be improved upon. He has been able to stabilize the security situation in all the local government areas of the state.
"In the area of employment for the youth the government has been able to create jobs in the sanitation sub-sector by employing over 1000 youths, which is a good start to tackle unemployment in the state. We also urge people in the state to come up with useful initiatives that could add value to the lives of the people," he stated.
Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode on Monday insisted plans are afoot to remove yellow buses popularly known as Danfo from Lagos roads for a more efficient, well-structured and world class mass transportation system that would facilitate ease of movement within the city.
The Governor also said that his administration would soon roll out a comprehensive environmental sanitation policy that would make the city to be clean without much burden on the people in terms of taxes.
Speaking at the 14th Annual Lecture of the Centre for Values in Leadership (CVL) held at Muson Centre in Onikan with the theme: "Living Well Together, Tomorrow: The Challenge Of Africa's Future Cities," Governor Ambode admitted that the present connectivity mode in Lagos was not acceptable and befitting for a mega city, and as such a well-structured transportation mode would soon be put in place to address the challenge.
"When I wake up in the morning and see all these yellow buses and see Okada and all kinds of tricycles and then we claim we are a mega city, that is not true and we must first acknowledge that that is a faulty connectivity that we are running.
"Having accepted that, we have to look for the solution and that is why we want to banish yellow buses this year. We must address the issue of connectivity that makes people to move around with ease and that is where we are going.
"For instance, people going from Ikorodu to CMS have started leaving their cars at home because the buses are very convenient and so why can't we do that for other places? Yes, we don't have the money to do that but we can go to the capital market and then improve on the technology of collection of fares and that will encourage investors and then the city will change," Governor Ambode said.
He said government was also embarking on massive reform in waste management system, expressing optimism that the plan will fully be actualized by July this year.
He said: "We are also embarking on massive reform in the waste and sanitation management system. I don't like the way the city is and the Private Sector Participants (PSP) collectors are not having enough capacity to do it but again should I tax people to death, the answer is no. I don't want to tax people and so we need this partnership with the private sector so that they can invest in the sanitation management of the city and in no time maybe by July, the city will change forever."
The Governor, who recalled the massive infrastructures being put in place in critical sectors of the Lagos economy such as transport sector, road construction and rehabilitation, construction of lay-bys, and flyovers among others, said the main objective of his administration remained the growth of the Lagos economy from 5th to 3rd largest economy in Africa.
On power, Governor Ambode said the major issue had always been with transmission and advocated an embedded power initiative that would allow clusters of Independent Power Projects (IPP) to run the cities.
He said he had remained focused on some issues such as infrastructure, security, job creation, power, adoption of technology as an enabler and driving investment through ease of doing business.
In his opening remarks, CVL founder and renowned development expert, Professor Pat Utomi said the idea behind the formation of the group was to get young people to begin to appreciate early what leadership was all about being service to the people.
Speaking on the theme of the symposium, Utomi said Lagos remained the best governed State in Nigeria in the last 18 years, and a good example of what the country should be beyond and without oil.
He commended Governor Ambode on his leadership style, and particularly congratulated Lagos for being named by the Rockefeller Foundation as one of the 100 most resilient cities in the world.
Chairman of the occasion and former Governor of Cross River State, Liyel Imoke said the theme of the symposium was apt considering that Nigeria’s population by 2050 would have tripled and as such it was important for the country to start planning for livable cities.
He commended Governor Ambode over his achievements in office so far, saying that it was obvious that the Governor has been performing very well and he is a good example of continuity in governance.
On his part, Director of Centre for African Economies, Oxford University, Professor Paul Collier said from his over thirty years experience of coming to Nigeria, Governor Ambode has proven himself to be the third excellent Governor in a row in Lagos.
Collier, who was the keynote speaker, said judging by the population projection of Nigeria by 2050, now is the time for the country to start building its cities to conform with modern trend.
He said Nigeria’s oil had been a course which messed up the economy, and so there was need to start proper planning for development.
As a way out, Collier suggested alliance between the business community and political actors, saying that to build a city that works, attention must be focused on energy and connectivity.
The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA] has disowned Mr Chucks Nwoga, who has been parading himself as the party's National Youth Leader.
Mr Ifeatu Obiokoye, APGA National Publicity Secretary, said in a statement issued in Abuja on Monday that Nwoga was expelled from the party in December 2016.
APGA-Logo
According to him, Nwoga who hails from Enugu State had been making publications on Facebook, WhatsApp and other social media as APGA national youth leader.
"Let it be known that the APGA National Executive Committee (NEC) in its meeting held at Awka on December 21, 2016, expelled the said Chuks Nwoga and four others.
"Chuks Nwoga is therefore committing a serious crime of impersonation by his continued and unabated false representation to the public as the party`s national youth leader''.
Obiokoye stressed in the statement that Nwoga and his cohorts would be arrested and prosecuted, if he continues with the act.
FAMILY of former member of the House of Representatives, Nze Chidi Duru has faulted his (Duru’s) arrest by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, over allegation of corruption saying it as an attempt to embarrass him.
Duru was arrested, at the weekend, in his office at the Grand Towers Hotel, Katampe and taken to the EFCC office in Abuja.
In a statement signed by Duru’s family and his Special Adviser on Media and Strategy, Osita Ogbuagu Jr., described the former lawmaker’s arrest as a persecution.
The statement reads: "The entire Duru family of Npkologwu, Aguata local government area of Anambra State, in all sense of responsibility, express our sincere displeasure in the continued persecution of our son (with a surviving aged mother), brother, father and husband.
Nze Chidi Duru
"He was, on 4th of February, 2017, pcked up in his private property by the EFCC. The same EFCC in a letter signed by their acting Chairman, Ibrahim Magu on 7th of September 2016, said that after investigation of Nze Chidi Duru he was found not guilty and even called him an honest citizen who has been accused falsely.
"The intention is to charge him on a matter which the EFCC Acting Chairman, Ibrahim Magu in a signed letter withdrew on 7th September 2016 stating that Chidi Duru is a good man who has committed no crime, this was after extensive investigations were carried out on his person.
"This case was however withdrawn from a Lagos Court and now they intend to arraign him in an Abuja Court this is a clear case of double jeopardy.
"Efforts by our detractors have been uncovered to inject falsehood into the media, the family respects their right to free speech but call for fairness on the part of media houses to be balanced in reporting.
"We are informing the public that he has been molested and is only recovering from treatment, we would not hesitate to cry foul if anything happens to him.
"We are by this letter calling on all human rights campaigners to please intervene, this a clear case of falsehood and denial of his Chapter 4 rights enshrined in the 1999 Constitution. Is this what our beloved country Nigeria, Africa’s pride and giant has turned into, no respect or regard for the rule of law?"
The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Niger State has called on Nigerians to pray for the well-being of President Muhammadu Buhari and his safe return to the country.
The state's CAN Chairman, Rev. Echioda Mathias, made the call in an interview with journalists in Minna on Monday.
Buhari in London
Mathias said that based on the teachings of the Holy Bible, Nigerians should always pray for their leaders.
"It is God, who made Buhari our leader; therefore, we should imbibe the habit of praying for his well-being.
"Let us pray he gets well completely and returns quickly to continue with the good work he has been doing; we believe God will heal him,'' he said.
Mathias urged Nigerians to unite and defend the good intentions of the present administration.
He further advised Nigerians to be security-conscious and to assist security agencies with useful information that would help tackle the security challenges in the country.
The chairman also urged religious and traditional leaders to encourage peaceful co-existence in their domain.
"Nigerians should learn to live in harmony in spite of religious or ethnic differences; they should also be patriotic to move the country forward.
"Security is a collective responsibility; therefore, as individuals, we must contribute positively toward the development of the country and make it a better place,'' he said.
An FCT High Court, Gudu, Abuja, on Monday discharged a 35-year-old robbery suspect, Kelechi Isaac, for lack of diligent prosecution. Isaac was charged for alleged conspiracy and armed robbery.
Earlier, Mrs Ijeoma Ukagha, the prosecutor, had told the court that the complainants in the matter had abandoned the case."Since inception of this matter, the prosecution has been found wanting.
judicial symbol
"In spite every attempt to convince the complainants to come for this matter, every attempt has proved abortive," she said.
She also said that the case, which was first filed two years ago, had suffered several adjournments with no single witness willing to testify in court.
The trial judge, Abubakar Talba, said he was discharging Isaac based on the summation of the prosecutor that the complainants had abandoned the case.
Talba said that the beauty of prosecution was to prosecute and not to persecute and that where the prosecution was found wanting, the law had to take its course.
He also said that justice delayed was justice delayed, adding that he had no other option than to discharge the defendant.
Journalists recall that the defendant, who was first arraigned in court on July 29, 2015, had pleaded not guilty to the two-count charge of conspiracy and armed robbery.
