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Afe Babalola (SAN) has blamed the nation’s economic woes on the incursion of the military into political affairs.

At an interview
with journalists in Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, over the
weekend, Mr. Babalola faulted the economic policy implemented during
the regime of former military president, Ibrahim Babangida, adding that
the country has not recovered fully from the trauma caused by the
cancellation of the June 12, 1993 elections by Mr. Babangida.

He pointed out that
the Babaginda regime should be blamed for the devaluation of the
country’s currency that caused great havoc on the country’s economy
system. He identified the discovery of crude oil as the beginning of
the nation’s problem, saying “The discovery of oil in 1970s has done a
great damage to the country. The damage was compounded by the military,
which devalued the naira and introduced IMF loan, even when a few years
earlier, we were told that money was not our problem, but how to spend
it.”

The legal
practitioner also blamed the Babangida government for the current
political upheaval, stressing that the country would have moved forward
if Babaginda had not cancelled what observers adjudged as the best
election in the nation’s history.

According to him,
he was representing the late Moshood Abiola, the presumed winner of the
elections in court in Kaduna when the judge presiding over the case
announced that the case could no longer take place as a result of the
annulment of the June 12 presidential election.

The road to nowhere

He said, “When the
judge came and announced that the case could no longer go on because
June 12 election had been annulled, I was angry. How can a man annul
the wishes of the whole nation? But I said then that we were at the
beginning of a road which nobody knew its end, and here we are today.”

Answering questions whether Babaginda should contest next year, Mr. Babalola said,

“Babangida has the
right to say he wants to come back. But you will never have the right
people voted into power as long as the majority of the voters are
extremely poor.

“So many people
don’t make up to N10 in a day and politicians seeking their votes are
aware of this; they are ready to sell their houses and other property
to buy voters’ conscience.”

He advised that the remuneration of political office holders should be made less attractive too.

The governor of
Nigeria’s central bank, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, has criticized the
Federal Government’s continued spending on reducing fuel cost, renewing
the call for the removal of a subsidy programme that has gulped
trillions of naira but has failed to reach ordinary people as intended.

Mr. Sanusi was
speaking on Monday at a meeting of the House of Representatives Ad Hoc
Committee on Nigeria’s local and foreign loans. He said he supports a
full stoppage of the “immoral” subsidy because its intent has been
diverted from the target masses to a “cabal of elite.”

“This subsidy is going to a small group of people. The greater Nigerian people are not benefitting from it.’’ Mr. Sanusi said.

According to him,
‘‘the subsidy is creating a pool of funds for a cabal. These are the
same people who borrow from banks and do not pay; the same people who
are rigging elections.”

Mr. Sanusi is the
latest in line of a number of government officials who have made it
clear they would like to see the removal of the oil subsidy but the
first such public declaration by a member of President Goodluck
Jonathan’s administration.

Recent governments
have complained of channelling huge finances that could have helped
develop infrastructure, into minimizing domestic fuel cost, and have
proposed a deregulation programme which is severely opposed to by the
Labour union.

The CBN governor said the continued existence of the subsidy has significantly raised Nigeria’s debt profile.

According to Mr.
Sanusi, “last year, we spent over a trillion of which we are
borrowing,” he said. “Why should we be paying a N570 billion subsidy
that small elite are enjoying at the expense of the Nigerian people?”
he said.

The sort of
borrowing Mr. Sanusi referred to, internally and externally, including
those applied for other purposes, have soured to a peak figure, raising
federal debts to the highest level in four years. According to the
Minister of Finance, Olusegun Aganga, who also attended the event, the
country’s debt profile stood at $35.94 billion before the exit of
Nigeria from the Paris Club.

At the end of 2006,
the amount was $3.54 billion; by December 2007 it had risen briefly to
$3.67 and hovered at $3.72 at the end of 2008.In 2009, the figure stood
at $3.62 and has already clocked $4.3billion by ending of March 2010.

Mr. Aganga,
however, said the current debt level of the country was below the
international debt sustainability ceiling if it is compared to compared
to Nigeria’s peer countries. This is more so since over 85 percent of
the total debt was obtained from concessionary sources, and with a long
repayment period, he explained.

But the two officials both warned against a relapse into unbridled borrowing.

“The problem is not about borrowing but what the monies are being applied for,” Mr. Sanusi said.

“There’s a limit to
which you can cut down on expenditure; salaries have to be paid, roads,
hospitals and other infrastructures must be done. What we should focus
on is an increase in government revenue,” he added.

Christine
Ibori-Ibie, the only surviving sister of James Ibori, and Udoamaka
Onuigbo (Okoronkwo), his associate, were yesterday sentenced to 5 years
each in prison by Judge Christopher Hardy of a Southwark London Crown
Court.

The sentence
followed the June 1 and 2 2010 court ruling that found Ms. Ibori-Ibie
and Ms. Onuigbo guilty of the charges of money laundering and mortgage
fraud levelled against them.

The jury however, acquitted the third accused in the case, Adebimpe Pogoson, Mr. Ibori’s former assistant, of all charges.

The money
laundering trial involving Mr. Ibori’s female aides began at the
Southwark Crown Court, London, after Ms. Pogoson, (a personal assistant
on confidential matters during his tenure as Delta State governor) and
his sister, Ms. Ibori-Ibie, were charged in December 2007 on three
counts of conspiring “together with Mr. Ibori, Ms. Onuigbo, and others
to defraud the Delta State government.” The aides were charged with
helping the former governor move an estimated £70 million worth of
looted funds through several London banks.

A large turn out

According to those
who attended the trial, Judge Hardy had to shift the court venue from
Court 8 (which was the original venue of the sitting) to Court 9 and
then finally to the largest court room in the Southwark London Crown
Court to accommodate the number of Nigerians who came to witness the
sentencing of the Ibori women.

The convener of the
Nigeria Liberty Forum, a civil rights group, Kayode Ogundamisi, who was
also at the court sitting, said more than 300 Nigerians were already at
the court premises by 12:30pm, although the court did not begin
proceedings till 2pm.

“The courts were
filled and people were standing outside. They were brought in and
escorted by two prison guards and the prosecution filed an application
asking the court to confisticate all the assets recovered and
unrecovered from the convicts, but the defence opposed the
application,” said Mr. Ogundamisi.

The judge subsequently fixed a later date for the case on the confistication of the assets of the convicts.

Plea for leniency

The defence counsel
to Ms. Ibori in its final submission pleaded with court to be lenient
with her. The team hinged its plea on the fact that Ms. Ibori has three
dependent children, had lived in the UK for more than 25 years, and
also needed medical care. To buttress this last point they presented
medical reports. The defence teams also brandished a letter purportedly
from a pastor stating that she is a person of good character. They also
insisted in their final summation that the real criminal in the case
was James Ibori, and that two women were only pawns in his money
laundering activities.

They admitted that
the 40 million pounds found in fixed assets in the United Kingdom were
only 10 percent of James Ibori’s total worth.

Indicting the Nigerian judiciary

During his ruling,
Judge Hardy slammed the Nigeria judiciary for allowing itself to be
influenced by Mr. Ibori. The judge described as half hearted, the fight
against corruption by its anti-graft agencies in Nigeria.

“He (the judge)
also stated that Nigeria, being a signatory to the United Nations
Convention Against Corruption, must live to the true tenets of such
agreement.

Before he passed
sentence, Judge Hardy said although he had carefully listened to the
plea for mercy by the defence and taken into account the mitigating
circumstances they outlined, he has to send a strong signal by way of a
punishment to serve as a deterrent to others.

According to Mr.
Ogundamisi, Judge Hardy also said the jury in the case believes
strongly that the two accused persons were in the full know how about
the fraudulent activities of Mr. Ibori. Mr. Hardy is also reported to
have said the real victims in this case are the Nigerian people and the
people of Delta State who have been deprived of a lot of amenities.

Background

In December 2009 ,
a Nigerian judge sitting in the Delta State, which Ibori ruled as
governor, dismissed a 170-count fraud case against him. He subsequently
fled Nigeria after the country’s anti -corruption body invited him for
questioning, following new allegations that he used Delta State
government funds for a personal business deal. Mr. Ibori was arrested
on May 12, in Dubai, on a U.K. warrant and remains there on bail.

Meanwhile, Mr.
Ibori is himself wanted in the United Kingdom to answer charges similar
to those that led to the conviction of the two women. He is, however,
still in Dubai awaiting the processing of his asylum request by the
United Arab Emirate. Meanwhile, security agencies including the London
Metropolitan Police, are hoping the claim will be rejected and Mr.
Ibori extradited to the United Kingdom. Nigeria does not have an
extradition treaty with the United Arab Emirates so the authorities
here are hoping to piggy back on the United Kingdom to ensure Mr. Ibori
answers for the charges against him.

While fielding questions at a media parley organised to mark her
second anniversary in office, in Abuja, the EFCC boss, Farida Waziri,
said that the extradition process on Mr. Ibori is in progress and that
the agency is collaborating with the UK government. “There is no
extradition treaty with the United Arab Emirates, but we have with the
UK. We have been talking and he is likely to be extradited to the UK,”
she said.

Contrary to what some people think, women are top grade human beings. This explains why we always want to eat our cake and still have it in our hands! A woman would like her man to be a ‘man’, and at the same time, want him to be human. Now, what is the difference between the two? To many of the women that I have interacted with at one point or the other, being a man means fulfilling ALL the backbreaking, energy-sapping, nerve-wrecking societal expectations of the category known as ‘man’.

Though these expectations vary from place to place, the common elements may include bearing the sole responsibility for the provision of shelter (adequate or not); funding of formal education of the children; clothing for all; feeding; weekly salon costs and acting as driver in a situation where the family cannot afford a professional one. Others may involve meeting the obligations of the extended families both ways – basic needs, as well as costs of funerals, or sponsoring the education and wedding ceremonies of siblings. Similarly, he must not exercise his tear ducts or express himself in any ‘emotional’ manner. Moreover, being a ‘man’ may also mean ability to pummel one’s younger siblings to a pulp whenever they ‘offend’ madam, especially during courtship period. Similarly, it could show in engaging in a brawl at the slightest provocation, particularly if it is to ‘protect’ the woman. When a man can fulfil all these, then he qualifies as a ‘man’.

It is interesting that in addition to the heavy burden the man bears, most times suffering in silence, especially when he is still a ‘struggling man’, the same woman who benefits largely from his ‘suffering’ and enjoys her life at his expense, would still expect that the man will be ‘human’ or as they say, a complete gentleman. And what would this mean? Well, if a man respects the opinion of his partner/wife; shares household chores; relieves her of the burden of child-rearing by giving a helping hand from time to time; respects a woman’s dignity by not slapping her around sometimes (or all the times as in many cases) and supporting her to advance in her career; then he is a gentleman.

What most women fail to realise is that the law of reciprocity applies to most, if not every, situation. When you give something and receive in return. For instance, when a woman shares the burden of the responsibilities that are associated with societal expectations with her spouse/partner, he is more inclined to share the power and control levels with her. Some women want their partners to be ‘men’, as well as ‘gentlemen’ in one breath, whereas such women cannot share their own resources to alleviate their partners/spouses’ stress.

I always say that men are not born irrational or unfeeling, but have been conditioned that way through our actions. I am also sure that many of them would rather be a gentleman than be a man, but think they really have no choice in the matter, I believe that a woman should be aware of the differences between a ‘man’ and a ‘gentleman’ and make up her mind early enough on what she wants. This will also mean knowing the privileges that she may have to give up.

Thank goodness, I do not have to prove anything to anybody and I can express my emotions whichever way I please, as long as it does not infringe on the rights of others. Isn’t it pure delight to be a woman?

The
Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) said yesterday that
the incessant insecurity in the West Africa sub-region is a serious
distraction to the entrenchment of enduring democratic governance and
values in member-states.

The Council, made
up of ministers in the ECOWAS member-states in charge of security, has
a role to play in the effort towards sustaining peace and security in
the ECOWAS sub-region.

Odein Ajumogobia,
Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs minister, who made the observation at the
opening of the two-day ECOWAS Mediation and Security Council meeting in
Abuja, expressed regrets that the quest for lasting solutions to the
problem has taken prime attention over effort to mobilise resources
from the international community for the development of the sub-region.

“Urgent attention
needs to be given to the issue of Security Sector Reforms (SSR) in
member-states. In Guinea Conakry,Guinea Bissau, and Niger Republic, the
Armed Forces there and other ECOWAS member-states must be transformed
into professional armies that are subordinate to constitutional
authority and civil democratic rule,” Mr. Ajumogobia said.

He reassured the
Council of President Goodluck Jonathan’s commitment to the sustenance
of democracy and good governance in the sub-region, adding that the
administration is determined to continue Nigeria’s constructive
collaboration with the ECOWAS Commission and other sub-regional
organisations to find lasting solutions to the political crises in
member-states.

Apart from working
as a team to ensure a free, transparent and credible election in Guinea
Conakry in June 27, 2010, the minister enjoined ECOWAS member-states to
also encourage the Council for Restoration of Democracy (CRD) in Niger
Republic to fully implement its transition agenda for the election of a
democratic leadership in the country.

The minister drew
attention to the menace of small arms and light weapons (SALWs) as a
serious threat to the peace and security of the sub-region, adding that
though significant progress has been made in installing democracy in
most member-states, there is still a long way to go.

No new conflict

James Gbeho, the
President, ECOWAS Commission, noted the steady improvements in the
security environment in the region since last year, particularly in the
areas of advances in democratic restoration and consolidation, as well
as national reconciliation and development.

Mr. Gbeho
identified the absence of open conflict in the last decade, as well as
the successful presidential elections in Togo, and the breakthrough in
the inter-Togolese dialogue with the formation of an inclusive
government in the country, as indices of the growing political
stability in the region, though he noted the challenge of palpable
uncertainty over elections in Cote D’Ivoire and Guinea Bissau.

Apart from the
challenge of famine, Mr. Gbeho said the problem of drug trafficking and
other transnational organised crimes, like money laundering and human
trafficking, constitute mortal danger to politics and the region’s
growth.

He called for efforts to be intensified between ECOWAS and the
international community through the agency of the West African Office
of the United Nations on Drugs and Crimes (UNODC) in the implementation
of the West African Action Plan on Drugs, to help bring to an end the
drugs scourge in the region.

The
Vice President, Namadi Sambo, has held a meeting with contractors and
other parties involved in the National Integrated Power Projects (NIPP)
to ensure they actualise the targets set for the completion of the
various power plants and projects under the scheme.

This is the first
NIPP meeting Mr. Sambo has chaired as Vice president. In the past, he
has attended the meeting as a member of the committee set up to monitor
power projects.

The meeting
apparently followed a summons from the vice president to members of the
committee and the purpose was to ensure that they understood clearly
that the administration would not relent in its determination to solve
Nigeria’s power challenges.

According to the
minister of state for power, Nuhu Wya, Mr. Sambo was able to get the
contractors involved to commit themselves to working in accordance with
the government’s schedule and targets so that Nigerians can enjoy the
improved electricity supply promised by the administration.

While briefing
journalists after the closed door discussion, Mr. Wya, declined to give
the exact current of electricity generation level in the country at
present, saying “we are managing the challenges in a better manner, so
we are bound to have better results now. It is an ongoing process”.

Review of scheme

Ekiti State
governor, Segun Oni, who was also at the meeting, told journalists that
the entire NIPP scheme including gas supply, security of installations
and contractors as well as compensation for affected communities, was
reviewed and the committee was satisfied that everything was going on
schedule.

“Today, we looked
at the overall status of the NIPP projects. We looked at gas supply, we
looked at compensation, we looked at the issue of security and on the
whole we are satisfied that the projects are going on properly and
where we have challenges we will put up programmes to overcome them and
on the whole we are satisfied that NIPP will deliver on schedule. That
is the summary,” Mr. Oni said

The governor, who
also confirmed the administration’s plan to decentralise electricity
generation, said this is so that each plant will deliver electricity to
its immediate locality to avoid waste and extra cost of linking to a
national distribution system.

The
decentralisation policy will also help to reduce the incidences of
larger blackouts in some parts of the country whenever a single power
plant suffers a breaks down.

“This is called
distributed generation; it helps you to generate where you are
consuming. It will reduce loses that you would have otherwise have had
if you were trunking over very long distances, you have better control,
if you are down, you are down only a little within the geography and it
is going to add on to the flexibility that Nigeria will have handling
the power situation,” he added.

Following reports
that almost 300 people have died in Zamfara state in the past three
months from lead poisoning, the Action Congress has asked the federal
government to stop illegal mining activities in the country.

In a statement
issued in Ilorin, Kwara state on Monday by Lai Mohammed, its National
Publicity Secretary, the party also asked the federal government to
move quickly to complement the efforts of the Zamfara government in
providing medical assistance to those affected by the illegal mining
activities, in addition to helping the affected communities to restore
their devastated environment The party said some ‘powerful’ Nigerians
are behind illegal mining, and that the government needs a strong
political will to stop such activities.

“In the five
affected communities in Zamfara, according to media reports, sources of
potable water have been contaminated by lead, leading to the death of
humans and animals, while the environment has been massively degraded
by the non-stop activities of the gold diggers.

“But perhaps the
most devastating effect is the fact that the level of lead poisoning
among children in the communities has been found to be unusually high,
meaning that the children – if they survive – will be subjected to a
life of pain and mental retardation,” the party said.

The Action Congress noted that “No government that is worth its salt
will allow the lives of its future leaders to be wantonly ruined by
unscrupulous people,” and advised the federal government to act
promptly and save the future of the inhabitant of the villages and
other similar areas in the country.