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A Federal High
Court sitting in Abuja yesterday said that the 2009 National Convention
of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) under the leadership of
Chekwas Okorie was in order.

Last September, a
factional chairman of the party, Victor Umeh, had approached the court
for an order to stop the convention organised by Mr. Okorie. During the
convention, the National Working Committee of the party expelled Mr.
Umeh, Sani Shinkafi and Peter Obi as members and officers of the party.

Mr. Umeh’s faction
had also asked the court for an order restricting the Independent
National Electoral Commission (INEC) from implementing the resolutions
of the convention.

However, Justice
Tanko Soba said that Mr. Okorie had complied with the necessary
requirements before the convention was held and therefore the
convention could not be nullified.

After the court
decision, Orji Okorie, media representative of Chekwas Okorie, said the
dismissal of Mr. Umeh’s suit was the last obstacle in the party’s
preparation for the 2011 general election.

‘’Consequently, the
party has scheduled its National Working Committee meeting and National
Executive Committee meeting on Tuesday, 30th November, and Wednesday,
1st December 2010, respectively at Abuja to approve the party’s
programme for its nationwide congresses/primaries,” Mr. Orji Okorie
said.

Bashir Tofa, the
1993 presidential candidate of the National Republican Convention (NRC)
and a presidential candidate of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP)
has advised Ibrahim Babangida, Aliyu Gusau and Bukola Saraki to remain
in their party to safeguard their status as men of honour.

Mr Tofa, who was
reacting to the decision of the Northern Political Leaders’ Forum to
pick former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, ahead of the trio, said
they should remain calm and not be deceived by sycophants that will
advice them to explore another political platform to actualize their
presidential ambitions.

Mr Tofa appeared
keen to discourage any plans by the politicians to move to the ANPP to
pursue their presidential ambitions, an eventuality that could present
problems for his own campaign.

“Following the
recent decision of the PDP northern front to anoint Atiku Abubakar as
their consensus candidate, I wish to congratulate him and wish him
well. I also applaud the magnanimity of IBB, Gusau as well as Bukola,
for the maturity and good sense they have shown in this respect,” Mr
Tofa said.

“These three
leaders have proven that they are not desperate and are true believers.
I hope they will jealously safeguard their new status as men of honour.
They must not allow any sycophant and enemies in disguise to lead them
astray by suggesting that they can continue to pursue their
presidential ambitions in another party. That will surely lead to utter
disgrace and complete loss of the enormous respect they will enjoy for
the rest of time.” He advised Mr Saraki to be patient, as he still has
age on his side.

While
congratulating Mr Abubakar, Mr Tofa reiterated his decision to pick a
nomination form and contest the presidential election under the
platform of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP).

“As for me, I will pick my ANPP nomination form at the right time,
ready for the battle and victory ahead, by the grace of God,” he said

The Senate on Tuesday withheld its approval for the nominees of
Abia and Enugu to the board of the Revenue Mobilization and Fiscal Allocation
Commission (RMFAC), while approving 21 others.

The approval for both nominees, who were selected by the
president to fill vacant positions in the commission, was held back on the
request of the Senate president, David Mark, and his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu,
respectively.

According to the Senate president, Chris Adighije, the Abia
State nominee, is his personal friend, and he needed more time to clarify some
issues with him and report back to the Senate, perhaps, within the week before
his nomination is confirmed.

The Enugu State nominee, Uche Christopher Odika, also have some
outstanding issues with the Enugu State senators. Mr. Ekweremadu requested that
the Senate stand down the approval of his appointment, pending the
determination of the issues which bothers on objections to his nomination.

“We should allow the Enugu caucus to settle their issue and
report back to the House within the week,” the Senate president said.

“That of Abia; he is my personal friend, and there is information
that I want to clarify and report back to the House within the week. I have
consulted with the senators from Abia State about it,” Mr. Mark said.

The suspension of the approval of both nominees elicited
objections from members of the Senate committee on national planning, economic
affairs, and poverty alleviation, headed by Zainab Kure (PDP, Niger State),
which had earlier screened all the nominees and forwarded their names –
including the two dropped nominees – for approval.

The approval of the nomination of the remaining members of the
commission saw the emergence of Elias Nwalem Mbam, an engineer from Ebonyi
State, as the chairman of the commission, and 20 others as members. Five out of
the 20 members were, however, re-appointed for their second term on the
commission.

The reappointed nominees include Ignatius Amodu (Kogi); Otumba
Oladeji Ariyibi (Osun); Yusuf Pam (Plateau); Isa Geidam (Yobe); Muhammed Jabbi
Maradun (Zamfara); and Saidu Mohammed (Gombe).

Too old

Some senators did oppose the approval of all the nominees,
arguing that they are either too old or not just fit for the job, considering
their educational background and method of selection from the states.

“Most of the members graduated either in 1972 or 1979,” Ahmed
Lawal argued.

“I know they may say they have experience, but today’s financial
sector requires fresh brain,” Mr. Lawal said.

Abubakar Gada (PDP, Sokoto State) added that it is the politicisation of
such appointments at the state level that produces old men all the time. He
called for the review of nominees’ appointment methods “other than that, we
will continue to recycle old people who will see their nomination as a source
of livelihood.”

Nigeria is the second largest beneficiary of the
Global Environment Facility (GEF) fund allocation to Africa, Chief Executive
Officer of GEF Monique Barbut, said while South Africa is the largest
beneficiary in the continent.

Mrs Barbut, who disclosed this to the News Agency
of Nigeria in Washington DC, also said that GEF had shown a lot of interest in
environmental affairs in Nigeria. “As the second largest beneficiary of GEF
programme in Africa, the fund had impacted positively on programmes with
tremendous benefits to the country in its drive to safeguard and ensure
environmental safety.

Barbut, who is also the chairperson of GEF said that Nigeria in the past has
had challenges and difficulties in engaging with GEF,but that with the right
leadership in place, the country had taken its rightful position on GEF
programmes in Africa.

The Ekiti Justice
Group (EJG) has asked the Ekiti State governor, Kayode Fayemi, to
resolve the strike embarked upon by medical and health workers in the
state, saying “issues bordering on lives of Ekiti people should not be
treated with levity by any government.”

Its national
coordinator, Tunji Oluwasanmi, said it was painful that the strike
action has denied children in the state the benefit of the ongoing
national immunisation exercise.

“From information
available to us, the strike action was occasioned by Fayemi’s approval
of 60 percent increment in the health workers salary, as against the
100 approved by the immediate past governor of the state, Olusegun Oni.

“When Fayemi was
approached for revalidation of the approval already given by Oni, he
(Fayemi) revalidated the approval for University Teaching Hospital
(UTH) alone, leaving out those in State Hospitals, General Hospitals,
Comprehensive Health Centres, Blue Hospital, and other health
institutions in the state,” he said.

“For this reason,
health workers in Ekiti State have been on strike since last Thursday,
denying Ekiti people the benefit of health care delivery, and we have
gathered that casualties are already being recorded,” Mr. Oluwasanmi
said.

He said the group wished to implore Mr. Fayemi to pay more attention to the plight of the people affected by the strike action.

On the 50th
anniversary of Nigeria’s independence, Adams Oshiomole, governor of Edo
State, warned the nation against “focusing on the negative issues.”
Supposedly, this barbed comment was directed at the press and other
critics by a one-time “comrade” who spent much of his life in trade
unionism, attacking governance (or lack of it) in Nigeria. The comfort
of government house in Benin could be blunting Mr. Oshiomole’s cutting
edge and blinding him to the suffering of the common man.

Governors’
residences in Nigeria are practically in situ laboratories for the
horticulturist – massive compounds of lush green, breathtaking,
tropical vegetation – palms and pines, acacia, eucalyptus, roses,
zinnias and marigolds! Swimming pools and gyms, tennis and squash
courts, serviced limousines and chalets await relations and
girlfriends. Power cuts are anathema! And sometimes, cartons of cash,
held in safe keeping for the people by the governor, are found in the
rooms of state house.

If you live in
America or Europe, South Africa, Dubai, or anywhere, and you have a
state governor, minister, or commissioner for a relative, then this
Christmas message is not for you. Your benefactor will send an Angel of
the Lord armed with automatic weapons and described as “my orderly” or
“protocol officer” to clear you at the airport and take care of further
transport and security matters.

But perhaps your
social conscience is developed enough under the circumstances to note
some ethical issues – that the orderly and protocol people are on the
payroll of the public service. Their emoluments derive from the blood,
sweat, and tears of the Nigerian taxpayer. Kinship does not entitle you
to their services.

Most Nigerians
living abroad and returning to spend Christmas, on the contrary, have
no such godfathers and, therefore, must contend with horrendous
problems of security and safety that are part of life in this republic.
We should not be bullied by privileged politicians into leading
uncritical lives and refuse to focus on issues threatening the lives of
Nigerians.

Do’s and don’ts

On arrival this
Christmas, beware of being lured into conversation by strangers, while
not remaining stone-faced and aloof. Either by dress, speech or
mannerism, don’t give yourself away as “foreign.” Complaining about
electricity convulsions will show you have not been living with us. If
a chat is unavoidable, then limit to abstract events.

Do not personalise
and dominate conversation, bragging about your achievements, as many
Nigerians do. Listen more and ask questions. Make your exit from the
chat abrupt, apologise you’ve run out of business cards.

For road journeys
and checkpoints, remove airline tags and stickers on baggage. Cab
drivers are the fountain of all knowledge. Talk to the driver with
confidence to find out the state of things in the country. Never get
into any argument with the police at road blocks, but don’t offer an
unsolicited bribe. Leave the driver to do most of the talking and
negotiating. Don’t get out of the vehicle and start making phone calls.

Avoid lecturing the
officers on how much better the cops in America or England are.
Remember, the police at a road block in the middle of nowhere have got
guns, and you’re at their mercy! The police may ask who you are and
where you’re going. There is nothing wrong with that. Identify yourself
correctly, but think twice about handing over your passport to anyone,
except at the Immigration or Customs desk, or to the SSS at the point
of entry or exit.

There’s nothing you can do about criminals masking as security
agents at bogus checkpoints! That is a recent mutation of criminality!
Good luck!

Multinational drugs firm, Pfizer Incorporated, has commenced
work on the establishment of a $30 million medical facility at Dawakin Dudu, 15
kilometres from the Kano metropolis.

Ibrahim Shekarau, the state Governor, performed the foundation
laying ceremony of the medical facility at the occasion. He said that the
decision by Pfizer to establish the medical facility was in line with an out of
court settlement reached between the state government, victims of the 1996
Trovan drug test and Pfizer incorporated.

Spokesperson for Pfizer, Chris Loder, said the decision to
construct the medical facility underlines the commitment of the company towards
ensuring the wellbeing of Nigerians. “The construction of a new state of the
art medical centre in Kano is proof positive that Pfizer continues to fulfil
its commitments to Nigeria and its people,” he said. “This event allows the
company to further its work on what really matters – improving the healthcare
for all Nigerians.” The medical facility is to be equipped with a centre for
disease control, a public health laboratory, a diagnostic centre, a
micro-biological reference laboratory and residence staff quarters.

The Trovan war

Hundreds of people died or took ill in Kano after they were
administered by the drugs in a surreptitious test being conducted by the
company on the efficacy and effects of the drug. It was later sued by both the
state and federal government. The company reached an out-of-court settlement
with the two parties.

Recalling how he led a delegation to the negotiation talks with
Pfizer in the United Kingdom and America, Mr Shekarau expressed optimism that
the medical facility would achieve the desired objective of proper diagnosis
and treatment of chronic diseases afflicting children in Kano and neighbouring
states of Nigeria.

The chairman of the Healthcare Programme Trust, S.A.S Galadanci,
said that it is unfortunate that the less privileged ones in the society had
faced difficulties accessing treatment when faced with chronic ailments. He
explained that the facility would redress the problems associated with the
dearth of medical facilities and equipment at various healthcare centres in
Kano and neighbouring states by the time it becomes fully operational next
year.

Media owners from
across the African continent have vowed to end reliance on donor
funding and rid the industry of corrupt practices. This was made known
at the recently concluded African Media Leaders Forum (AMLF) in
Yaounde, Cameroon.

The purpose of the
meeting was aimed at coming to a consensus around the best ways to
develop African media that meets the needs of a dramatically changing
media landscape, while instilling the highest professional standards
and ethical reporting.

“This is a
watershed moment that holds out the promise of a new dawn in African
media,” said Trevor Ncube, co-chairman of the African Media Initiative
(AMI), a continent-wide body that sponsors the AMLF.

“News businesses
across the world are facing fundamental shifts due to changes in
content, demographic profiles, and technology,” said Amadou Mahtar Ba,
Chief Executive Officer of AMI.

“By bringing
African media owners together, the AMLF hopes to raise the profile of
issues central to development of African media, as well as African
democracy.”

The Yaoundé meeting
focused on critical issues affecting African media, including new
financing tools; easing barriers that impede access to capital;
promoting principled journalism through professional, ethical
reporting; strengthening media’s role in African development, and
curtailing the threats to media freedom that undermine democracy and
limit people’s participation in democratic processes.

“Media can help
accelerate Africa’s economic and social advance,” said Hunter-Gault, an
award winning journalist based in South Africa.

“This meeting comes
at a time when Africa is experiencing sustained economic growth in many
sub-Saharan African countries. Africa needs a strong media to record
these changes and to help its people understand and be a part of what
could finally result in an African Renaissance.”

Attending the meeting were representatives from African financial
institutions that pledged to assist in transforming media institutions
into both viable businesses and effective purveyors of credible news
and information.

The acting director general of the
Legal Aid council, Micheal Abiodun Awoponle, has said that Nigerian
prisons are congested with awaiting trial inmates, and not with
convicted prisoners.

Mr. Awoponle, at a press briefing in
Abuja yesterday, said about 75 percent of inmates in Nigerian prisons
await trial. Most prison inmates in Nigeria have not been convicted of
any offence; instead, they wait years for their trial in appalling
conditions.

According to him, he disagreed with
people that say Nigerian prisons are congested, saying that the prisons
are congested with those awaiting trial, but not with those already
convicted of any crime.

Specifically, he said under his
leadership, the council has set out to put in place in 2011 reviving
and strengthening the Legal Aid Council Human Rights initiatives, and
posting of lawyers to all the prisons in Nigeria under Prison Awaiting
Trial Mates (ATM) judicare scheme.

Furthermore, he said as advocates of
the weak and vulnerable in the society, the council would also
establish in all its offices structures that would take care of the
legal needs of women and children. In addition, awareness campaigns
would be held regularly for women and children. The council would
establish a Legal Aid Research library that would inevitably assist the
council in establishing its own Legal Aid case law report.

“The council is faced with inadequate
funding, hence, it cannot fully pay for extensive and intensive
publicity that is required to sensitise the teeming population of our
people, especially in the grassroot of our services. Because it is only
when these poor people are aware of our services that they can take
advantage of them,” he said.

He also said that based on the
availability of returns received from the headquarters, zones and
states, the council has received from inception a total number of
86,482 applications, out of which 75,259 were granted. Completed cases
stands at 51, 336, while 23,923 cases remain pending as at today.

The acting director general, who blamed
Nigeria’s judicial system said the reason why there are more people
awaiting trial, is that at times there is a disconnect between the
police authority, the Nigerian Prison services, and the court itself,
but called on the Federal Government to put every machinery in motion
to ensure that awaiting trial inmates case should be addressed to
decongest the prisons.

He said that another easy way of
settling disputes is the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), saying
that it is dispute resolution processes and techniques that act as
means for disagreeing parties to come to an agreement short of
litigation.

“Despite historic resistance to ADR by
many popular parties and their advocates, ADR has gained widespread
acceptance among both the general public and the legal profession in
recent years. In fact, some courts now require some parties to resort
to ADR of some type, usually mediation, before permitting the parties’
cases to be tried,” he said.

Further more, he said that the council
received appropriation in its 2010 budget to establish Legal Aid
centres in one local government area in each of the states in Nigeria
and the FCT.

“The concept of the Legal Aid Centre initiative is the council’s
means of taking legal aid to the fourth level of legal aid delivery in
Nigeria (grassroots’). The legal aid centres would serve as hub for
delivering the full complements of legal aid services at the local
government areas. The centres would be fully equipped with all the
electronic gadgets of a modern office,” he said.

The vice president,
Namadi Sambo, yesterday directed that all government contracts must
adhere to due process, including the Niger Delta Coastal Road project.

He gave this
directive during the Federal Executive Council Committee meeting to
fast track the conclusion of all necessary processes for the
commencement of work on the Niger Delta Coastal Road.

Mr. Sambo decried the situation where government agencies flout established procedure in the award of contracts.

He expressed
confidence with the consulting firm handling the project, noting that
as an indigenous company, it falls under the criteria that appeals to
the government to promote local companies, but that it was necessary to
follow the rule of law in the engagement of contactors handling all
government projects.

The VP said “Etheh
Aro is a competent firm and I am confident that it can handle any
service. I am one of the promoters of local engineering and
architectural services firms, even in the construction sector.

“It is a thing of
pride to have Nigerians involved in this important national project,
but that must be done within the rule of law,” Mr. Sambo said.

He further stated
that government was anxious to commence work on the coastal road, and
expressed delight that government can go for tenders by January next
year.

As a means of
tidying up all the loose ends, a technical committee to review the
submission of the consultant on the progress of work done on the
project, was set up.

The committee is to
be chaired by the director general, Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP),
Emeka Ezeh, and has its membership drawn from the Ministries of Niger
Delta Affairs, Finance and Works, Office of the Secretary to the
Government of the Federation, Solicitor General of the Federation, and
that of the Vice President.

The committee,
which has 2 weeks to submit its report, is to review all outstanding
jobs currently under execution; review all the commitments by the NDDC
on this project; and also come up with a far reaching recommendation
that will ensure quick dispensation of all outstanding issues.

Speaking, the
director general of the BPP, Mr. Ezeh, lamented infractions by
government agencies in the award of contracts, explaining that the due
process office had existed under the name of the Budget Monitoring and
Price Intelligence Unit (BMPU), before it was transformed into the BPP,
further disclosing that the Public Procurement Act was signed in 2007.

Earlier, the
consultants on the project, Pearl Consultant and Etheh Aro and
Partners, disclosed that they have concluded all the necessary survey
works on the project, including its Environmental and Social Impact
Assessment.

They also disclosed
that a draft tenders document is ready, so that by January, 2011,
government can go for tenders on the road project.

Also present at the occasion were the Minister of Niger Delta
Affairs, Godsday Orubebe; Minister of Works, Mohammed Sanusi Daggas;
the Minister of State Niger Delta Affairs, Samuel Ode; managing
director of NDDC, Chibuzor Ugwoha; and other government functionaries.