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Former military
ruler Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida, yesterday echoed his newfound
distaste for Nigeria’s federal character system, arguing that the
arrangement has impeded the nation’s progress since independence.

Speaking at a
conference organised by the National Institute for Policy and Strategic
Studies (NIPSS) in Abuja, Mr. Babangida said Nigeria’s growth and
democracy is being challenged because the nation still accords greater
emphasis to the religion and tribe of its citizens in deciding who
occupies public positions.

“For now, there is still too much emphasis on religion and ethnic origin and little respect for merit and competence,” he said.

Presidential strategy

The remarks, along
with recent appearances at public functions, are believed to be part of
the former military dictator’s strategy for his declared presidential
ambition in 2011.

At past events, Mr.
Babangida openly condemned many of the structural government
preferences, which he helped cement not only while serving in different
military administrations, but during his eight-year term as the head of
state.

He recommended the
creation of state police and gave fresh support for fiscal federalism,
which will allow individual states of the federation to generate funds
based on their natural resources and then remit taxes to the federal
government.

Mr. Babangida also attacked the federal character saying it has given rise to mediocrity.

Trumpeting democracy

At the Conference
on Political Stability and Democratic Imperatives in a Dynamic
International Environment organised by the National Institute of Policy
and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Mr. Babangida restated his position,
saying Nigeria’s stability will depend on democracy.

“Our country needs
clear-headed, public-spirited leaders at every level to propel this
country to [a] higher stage of development than is presently the case.
If we have the right calibre of people at the helms of affairs, then it
will be much easier to practice democracy in truth and indeed,” he
explained.

Mr. Babangida blamed the recurring religious and ethnic crises on poverty.

“It is idle hands that are the devil’s instrument,” he said. “If
people are fully engaged they would hardly have time seeing others as
enemies. Religion should be a personal affair. Each person would answer
for his deeds before the almighty.”

Yesterday, several
hundreds of young Nigerians, including musicians, professionals, and
students, engaged in a peaceful rally in the shimmering sun for about
three hours to the Lagos State Governor’s Office in Alausa.

Amongst the many
protesters, led by president of the Campaign for Democracy, Joe
Okei-Odumakin, were popular singers like Banky W, Eldee, Sound Sultan,
Roof Top MCs, actor Rita Dominic and comedian Ali Baba. The rally was
organised by a group called Enoughisenough Coalition, who had organised
a similar rally in Abuja on March 16. According to a statement, the
group is a collection of smaller bodies “spread across the country that
have worked with communities and in the grassroots for the past 10
years.”

The group’s demand
include electoral reform, an end to corruption, an overhaul of the
nation’s security structure and electricity, to which the group said
“6, 000 megawatts will not solve the electricity problems of Nigeria
but it’s a good start.”

The march

Some of the
messages on the placards carried at the protest include “Jos on our
minds,” “Light up Nigeria”, “Protect your vote,” “Jonathan We are
Watching,”. There was loud music from a hired public address system,
with the song, “She na like this we go dey dey?”, by Wande Cole, as one
of the crowd’s favourites.

The match, which
began at the Arch Bishop Vining Memorial Church Open Field, went
through Obafemi Awolowo Road, and terminated at the gate of the
Governor’s Office.

The Lagos heat did
not deter the marchers, who turned to the many vendors selling fluids
to quench their thirst. The crowd, which had most wearing white
t-shirts with inscriptions, attracted many on-lookers, some of whom
supported their cause.

“I was not informed
of this particular rally but I like things like this,” said an
onlooker, Tuoyo Tsekiju, a marketer. “Change will always come and I
like the way the youth are going about seeking for change. The time has
come for a change in Nigeria.”

“We are all
clamouring for good governance and from the look of things these people
are all youth. It shows that Nigerian youth are now ready to pick up
the challenge of leadership,” an auditor, Idris Adelabu. “If I had
known (of the rally) in time, I would have participated.”

Different capitals, same outcome

A considerable
contingent of police officers was on hand to ease traffic issues and
quail any potential disturbance. This is a reversal of what transpired
a month ago when gun-carrying police officers barred a similar group of
youth at the main gate of the National Assembly in Abuja and prevented
them from seeing the leadership of the Assembly.

In yesterday’s
case, while the police officers were helpful, again the protesters had
to go away angry when all attempts to get the governor the executive
arm of the Lagos State government to receive their letter of protest
failed.

Sources said the
governor was in the Acting President’s entourage to high-powered
meetings in Washington DC, USA. However, the governor did not designate
a representative – even though the protesters showed a letter received
and signed by his Chief of Staff as proof of ample notice.

The Speaker of the
House of Assembly, Yomi Ikuforiji, after making contact with the
organisers, tried to come out to address the crowd, but by then they
had lost their patience and the organisers declared the rally closed.

One of the organisers of the rally, Chude Jideonwo, cleared the air about the group’s objective.

“This organisation is not affiliated to any party or any person,
(and) has no interest in endorsing any party or any person. We just
want young people to go and exercise (their right to) vote. Just make
sure that your votes are counted, the elections are free and fair;
don’t leave polling booths until the process is ended and we protect
our votes, with our lives if necessary,” he said.

Over one month
after the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) announced the
installation of its acquired three-dimensional (3D) body scanners at
the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, the equipment
remained unused.

The scanners, being
an off-shoot of the foiled attempted bombing of a United States
aircraft en-route Detroit from Nigeria by Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab on
Christmas day last year, are to detect and reveal substances concealed
on a person’s body that could pose security threats to travellers and
the country.

“The scanners are
in good shape, although we have not started using them,” said a senior
aviation security personnel who spoke on conditions of anonymity at the
international airport on Tuesday.

The delay

According to the
source, the “major” delay is because some aviation security officers
expected to man the equipment are still on training, adding that most
airports in the world where the scanners are installed have not started
using the machines on passengers.

“Most airports
globally with the 3D scanners have not commenced operation with the
equipment because of series of protest and objections against the
machines,” the source said. “Though some of us have travelled out of
the country for training on how to us the machine, but the truth is
that some people are against the use of the machine as the say it
reveals the entire human body.”

Confirming that the
delay is due to the training of officers expected to man the equipment,
Akin Olukunle, general manager of public affairs for FAAN, disclosed
that, upon arrival of the aviation security personnel, the scanners
will begin operation.

“The officers are
now on training and the scanners will be used when these men are
around,” he said. “But for now the scanners have been successfully
installed and are ready to use.”

Changing the system

Stationed at the
internal boarding gate of the departure terminal, Mr. Olukunle
disclosed that the scanners will not only reveal and detect illegal
substances, but will enhance facilitation of passengers, reduce time
spent on screening, and will also relieve aviation security officials
of the need to do 100 per cent “pat down” on travellers.

“Such pat down will only be done when suspicious items are seen on the image generated after screening,” he said.

Commenting on the
health implications of the radiations from the scanners, the
authority’s spokesperson disclosed that the amount of x-ray energy
generated by the scanner is very small, adding that it is much less
than naturally occurring radiation that people are often exposed to.

“The National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurement (NCRP)
has reported that a traveller would need to experience 100 backscatter
scans per year to reach what they classify as a negligible individual
dose,” he said.

Members of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and
the Supreme Court yesterday clashed, after the court barred NBA President,
Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, and the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and
Minister of Justice, Muhammed Bello Adoke, from making speeches at the
swearing-in of new Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SAN).

The drama this time

The incident started when the Chief Registrar of the Supreme
Court, Usman Alhaji Musale, told the gathering that only the Chief Justice of
Nigeria (CJN) Aloysius Katsina-Alu, and the representative of the newly
sworn-in SANs, could make speeches.

The NBA president protested immediately, saying that it was not
part of the tradition and that the invitation he got showed that he and the
minister were to speak at the event. Mr. Akeredolu said if there were any
changes in the programme, the court ought to have notified him beforehand.
However, Supreme Court Justice Dahiru Mustapha said anybody who was not
comfortable with the arrangement should walk out.

The NBA president attempted to leave the venue, but was
prevented from doing so by his colleagues. To register his protest, he refused
to collect the CJN’s speech.

After the swearing-in, Mr. Akeredolu led a delegation to the
office of the CJN, whom NEXT learnt apologised to the president, saying that
there was a mix-up at the event. Mr. Mustapha also apologised for his utterances.

However, Kayode Ajulo, lawyer and chairman of the Egalitarian
Mission Africa, in a terse text message to NEXT, said “what happened today has
never happened in the history of the legal profession in Nigeria. It will be
unfortunate if speeches should be censored by the very institution that ought
to spearhead expansion of the scope of freedom.” He called the day, “a black
Monday” for the legal profession,

But in a phone conversation with NEXT, Mr. Akeredolu said what
happened was the result of an innocent mistake. “It has nothing to do with my
own speech as the Attorney General and the body representing the body of the
SAN were also denied from giving a speech,” he said. “It is an innocent mistake
that I hope will not be repeated next time.”

He further added that the justices “did not robe to come to the
court; they just wanted to roll the event into the new legal year.”

Unconfirmed reports have it that Mr. Akeredolu was asked to
delete some statements from his speech and the cancellation came when he declined.

The cancelled speech

In the aborted speech made available to NEXT, Mr. Akeredolu said
the award of the privileges to wear silk entails a strict adherence to merit in
everything. He said that the criteria must be such that practitioners can safely
assert that certain applicants merit the award. A situation where it seems that
only juniors in the chambers of certain influential people are successful once
they apply, calls for serious review, he said.

“It is worth reiterating the fact that any measure put in place
to select from among the best, those who come forward for recognition must be
transparent,” the NBA president’s speech read.

In the speech, Mr. Akeredolu mentioned recent calls to scrap the
SAN title by parties who are genuinely aggrieved by the current state of
things. The NBA president also suggested to the CJN the need for the
convocation of a meeting of all stake holders with a view to resolving the
issues.

The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Aloysius Katsina-Alu however said
the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) should be retained in spite of
criticisms trailing the selection process.

“While it may be true that some of the criticisms of the process
of conferment have been sired by the sour grapes, we must admit that the
process of the exercise of any power cannot be immune to error.” Mr Katsina-Alu
said that to improve this, a committee had been set up to review and improve
the selection process, adding that there had been two reviews in the last five
years.

New SANs

Mr. Musale, the Supreme Court’s chief registrar, said the
Privileges Committee, the body charged with the responsibility of appointing
Senior Advocates of Nigeria and led by Justice Katsina-Alu, met in Abuja about
two months ago to consider the applications for 2009.

According to him, a total of 126 people applied for the rank. Of
these, 19 were academics while 107 were legal practitioners. The committee
accepted 19 applications – in accordance with the guidelines for the conferment
of the rank. The accepted applicants were sworn in yesterday.

They include Mike Ozekhome, Nella Andem-Ewa, Joseph A. Nwobika, Offiong
Effiong Bassey, Sylvia Shinaba, Dorothy Udeme Ufot, Francis Dike, Chukwuma
Uchenna Ekomaru, Arthur Obi Okafor, Etigwa Owa, Jadegoke Adebanjo Badejo,
Abiodun Ishola Layonu, Adekunle Babatunde Ogunba, George Oguntade, C. O. Toyin
Pinheiro, Olusina R. Sofola, Samuel Mosugu, Andrew I. Chukwuemerie and Fabian
Ikenna Ajogwu.

Perhaps the luck bearer who got lucky and found himself in the
saddle is really serious after all. I say this because for the first time in
recent times, the Nigerian government has appointed a woman who is passionate
about the issues of women into the Ministry of Women Affairs with the
appointment of Josephine Anenih.

I know many will disagree with me and contend that she got there
by affiliation, because she was, at some point in her life, married to the
off-shore godfather who has been ‘fixed’ into surrender by the comrade
governor. Others say her strong connection to Madam acting first lady landed
her the job.

This reasoning, which implies that women who have one form of
association or another with a man high up ceases to be an active participant in
the life of her community does not and will never sway me. For me, the fact
that a woman is daughter, wife, mistress, or even sugar mummy of a powerful and
influential man is immaterial, as long as she is effective and others can
benefit from her knowledge and experience.

I met Mrs. Anenih at a forum organised by some groups in 2006 to
figure out how to improve women’s participation in elective positions to at
least 30 percent in 2011, in conformity with the recommendations of the Beijing
Platform for Action (BPFA). Prior to that time, I had tried almost
unsuccessfully not to follow the argument of the majority that women who have
such affiliations should not be elected or appointed into decision-making
positions.

However, her interventions at the forum helped me to make up my
mind to only base my assessment on the facts before me, and not listen to what
people say. Listening to her that day changed my perception of women of her
type completely.

In Mrs. Anenih, I saw brilliant and experienced person who can
champion the cause of women. So, the space a woman operates from to enhance the
lives of other women matters very little to me these days because come to think
of it, that does not determine a woman’s effectiveness or otherwise. What I
think are the significant determining factors include knowledge and competence,
as well as passion for the job at hand.

Now that the Acting President has asked the newly sworn in
Ministers to hit the ground running the challenge to our new Minister of
Women’s Affairs is to set an agenda that will generate dividends to Nigerian
women. The interest of Nigeria and of course Nigerian women, whether in urban,
semi-urban or rural areas should be paramount. This is the time to consolidate
those achievements she has made, in collaboration with others, which she
mentioned during her screening exercise.

Agenda for minister

Although I have no plans to set another 7-point agenda for the
Minister, there are some areas that I would like her to look into. These
include lobbying the male-dominated legislature to domesticate human rights
instruments that promote and protect the rights of women; forming strategic
alliances with relevant stakeholders with the goal of increasing women’s
participation from its present 7 percent, which sadly is the lowest in West
Africa; ensuring that there is ‘gender character’ of a minimum of 30 percent in
fielding candidates for political office by all the political parties.

In addition, women in conflict areas should be involved in
decisions that affect them. It could also be useful to learn from the
experiences of her colleagues in countries where there is significant progress
in the development of African women and girls, such as Rwanda, Liberia, South
Africa and Ghana, among others.

I wish Mrs. Anenih good luck (of course, without Jonathan!).

Contrary to the earlier announcement that the Ondo State House
of Assembly is going on an indefinite recess following change in the leadership
structure, some 14 lawmakers resurfaced in the assembly complex yesterday to
elect new principal officers.

Though the sitting was very brief, two lawmakers also officially
defected to the ruling Labour Party.

At yesterday’s sitting, Dare Emiola, representing Akoko South
West Constituency II emerged as the new Deputy Speaker while Ifedayo
Akinsoyinu, representing Ondo West Constituency II was elevated to the position
of Majority leader from the position of minority leader.

Also elected were Ayodele Awodeyi and Tayo Abidakun as the
Deputy Majority Leader and Chief Whip respectively.

The only Alliance for Democracy (AD) member, Abiodun Ogunbi was
the first to defect to the Labour Party on the floor of the house before
Bakkita Bello of the PDP also followed suit.

Mr Bello, who was a former speaker of the assembly before he was
replaced by Taofik Abdusalam, told the house that he decided to pitch his tent
with the ruling party because PDP has been factionalised in the state. Mr
Abdusalam, a member of the PDP, was removed as speaker last Thursday but he is
contesting his removal.

“I am openly pledging my loyalty for the Labour Party because
PDP is gradually going into extinction in the state,” Mr Bello said.

“PDP is divided into three in the state, so I don’t want to be
part of the party any longer.”

Labour on top

However, one of the lawmakers who participated in the
impeachment exercise, Igbekele Bolodeoku was conspicuously missing at the
proceedings.

The Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Samuel Adesina who
also defected to the ruling Party on Sunday, said the lawmakers were happy to
resume work.

He later set up a committee to look into the process of
reestablishing the different committees he earlier dissolved.

With the present development, the Labour Party is now in control of the
state parliament, while the PDP has found itself in the minority.

The former Vice President and presidential candidate of Action
Congress in the 2007 election, Atiku Abubakar said yesterday in Benin City, Edo
State, that his decision to return to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was in
response to the wishes of his political associates.

Mr Abubakar, who was in Benin to felicitate with the national
leader of the Action Congress and a one-time minister for foreign affairs, Tom
Ikimi, on his 66 birthday, shocked millions of his supporters when he made
public his intention to return to the PDP. He, however, said that his action
amounts to “playing politics.”

The former Vice President lost out in a power contest with his
former boss, then president Olusegun Obasanjo in a doomed campaign to contest
the 2007 presidential election on the platform of the PDP. He later dumped the
party for the Action Congress to further his political ambition.

Mr Abubakar, in an interview with journalists at the Benin
airport, however said “in the game of politics, you don’t have to agree with
everyone all the time.”

Pressure to decamp

Ikimi’s birthday attracted prominent dignitaries including the
former governor of Imo State, Achike Udenwa; governor of Anambra State, Peter
Obi; former governor of Edo State, Lucky Igbinedion and other top PDP and
Action Congress politicians.

NEXT gathered that a closed door meeting between Mr Abubakar and
Mr. Ikimi lasted into the early hours of Monday morning, but the details of the
meeting was not disclosed as at the time of filing this report.

But a source said part of the issues discussed by the two
political associates was to further mount pressure on Mr Ikimi to return to the
PDP. The former minister had vowed not to return to the party even at the risk
of rupturing his relationship with the Atiku group.

The Bayelsa State Commissioner for Finance, Silva Charles
Opuala, who was declared wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission
(EFCC) two weeks ago, turned himself in to operatives of the commission
yesterday.

Mr. Opuala, alongside two other officials of the state, reported
to the commission yesterday morning and were detained pending their arraignment
in court.

The officials, who were accompanied to the commission’s office
by a team of lawyers led by the Special Adviser to the state governor on Legal
Matters, Dennis Otiotio, arrived at the EFCC investigations department at about
9.50am.

Spokesman of the EFCC, Femi Babafemi, confirmed that the trio
were in their custody.

Mr. Opuala was declared wanted for deliberately refusing to
honour three invitations sent to him by the anti-graft agency to answer
questions concerning the diversion of N2.4 billion, for which charges have also
been filed against four other officials.

Minding government
business

The EFCC had dispatched three letters to Mr. Opuala in March,
but the commissioner chose not to honour the invitation letters and was
reported to have gone into hiding.

The Bayelsa State Commissioner of Information, Nathan Egba,
denies that Mr. Opuala had gone into hiding.

“We wish to state that he is not running away from the law. He
stayed back in Bayelsa based on an agreement between the EFCC and the state
government, in order that all government businesses would not ground to a
halt,” Mr Egba said.

He also added that Mr. Opuala needed to arrange for salaries of
civil servants for the month of March and ‘also make necessary arrangements for
the smooth flow of government business in his absence’ before turning himself
in to the EFCC.

The former finance commissioner and three other senior officials of the
state are facing a six-count charge of money laundering before a High Court in
Abuja.

The All Nigeria People Party (ANPP)’s 2007 presidential flag
bearer, Muhammadu Buhari, destroyed the party and then dumped it for a new
group, Ibrahim Shekarau, the Kano State governor, alleged yesterday in Kano.

Mr. Shekarau, who spoke through his Senior Special Assistant on
media, Sule Yau Sule, accused Mr. Buhari of destroying the party before leaving
for the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC).

“With all due respect, Buhari has added value to the cause of
ANPP; but it cost us more than what he brought in,” Mr. Shekarau said. “ANPP
started in 1998. Buhari was not there, so how can he be the backbone of the
party as (claimed).

“By 1999, nine Governors were sworn in from ANPP, Buhari was not
a member of our party by then. But by 2003, we lost two states while Buhari was
in the party. By 2007, we came down to three and a half and Buhari was still in
the party. Not even a single councillor from Daura nor Katsina, where Buhari
hails from, won election under ANPP.”

Mr. Shekarau said he doesn’t intend to tarnish the image of Mr.
Buhari, but said more prominent politicians would soon come out to narrate what
Buhari has done to ANPP.

“More eminent persons are coming forward to give a truer account
of General Buhari’s sojourn in ANPP,” he said.

‘Juicy fabrication’

The state governor, who was reacting to a story “why Shekarau is
against Buhari” attributed to the CPC spokesperson, Dennis Aghanya, said he has
nothing against Mr. Buhari and wishes him well with his future political
endeavours.

“Shekarau has nothing personal or political against Buhari and
the general had never personally claimed that Shekarau was against him,” he
said. “Like the party itself, Shekarau has accepted Buhari’s exit from ANPP in
good faith and has wished the general luck in his future political outings.”

The Kano State governor said that, as far as he is concerned, there
is no enmity between himself and Mr. Buhari, adding that any claims to the
contrary are just a figment of the imaginations of persons he described as
political jobbers.

“The enmity tale is a juicy fabrication of the Buhari organisation (TBO)
jobbers angling for political relevance,” he said. “Our candid advice to Buhari
is to embrace democratic traditions, respect party decisions, think and act
less like a Brigade Commander. Politics is a game of collective bargaining
where political actors must be ready to subsume their egoistical itches under
superior national or party interest.”