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The minister of
labour and productivity, Emeka Wogu, has urged Nigerians not lose sleep
over the contentious issue of zoning of the presidency, saying it would
not in any way affect national unity after the 2011 elections.

He made the
assertion in Umuahia yesterday while delivering a lecture, entitled
“2011 Elections and Nigeria’s Unity, as part of activities lined up for
the 201 Press Week of the Abia State Council of the Nigeria Union of
Journalists (NUJ).

The minister said
the controversy arising from the issue “is undoubtedly borne out of the
deliberately fanned tension located among a few individuals. It is
highly regrettable that after 50 years of independence, that a sitting
President that is just over 50 years of age could be the target of a
self-serving interests masked by zoning of political office.” Mr Wogu
said it was the same politicians who have lost bearing with current
global political trends that are fanning fears of disunity.

“It is indeed
remarkable to note that a sizeable proportion of those who have stoked
the embers of disunity on the issue of zoning cannot show proof that
their own geopolitical zones fared better in terms of overall
development at the time they were at the helm of political affairs,”
the minister said.

Elect credible people

He therefore
enjoined the media “to drum it into the ears of all Nigerians” that
even though ethnic nationalism was part of Nigeria’s political history,
the current mood in the nation as “expressly canvassed by well meaning
Nigerians, is that national interest would be served better by
institutionalizing a multi- and credible political process.” The deputy
governor of Abia State, Acho Nwakanma, said Nigeria has been passing
through trying times over the issue of zoning, even “to the point of
mediocrity where some people have failed to see that we currently have
in the person of President Goodluck Jonathan is what is best for us.”
He said that the actions of journalists, both singly and collectively,
both before and after the 2011 elections, would critically affect the
nation’s unity.

“As opinion moulders, your reportage and interpretation of events must be done with the greatest sense of patriotism,” he said.

The Abia NUJ
chairman, Hyacinth Okoli, said Nigerians should concern themselves more
with electing credible people into positions of trust for positive
transformation of the polity.

“Nigerians must resist the temptation of allowing an exercise they
should ordinarily perform with enthusiasm to throw the nation into
turmoil or, in the extreme case, break up the county,” he said.

“Since Hannibal, no
African general has won a battle against a foreign invader,” he
declared, rather arrogantly. I was frightened to argue with my European
teacher who had made that assertion, simply because the facts for a
counter offensive were not properly researched.

It was a class in
Europe; I was only too sure how my white classmates would react – the
familiar majority howl of “here we go again,” and the usual accusation
that I had a chip on my shoulders. So, I held my peace and spent some
time at the library to cross-check.

The statement is
incorrect. Apart from successful campaigns by the Zulu kings, Chaka and
Dingaan against white settlers at the Cape, the Ethiopian Emperor
Menelek II defeated the Italians at the Battle of Adwa in 1896. Yet,
African armies have been busier more recently killing and raping their
own people in civil wars, since the white folks left.

Ethiopians, by
their manners, are not a people you would associate with war and
conflict. Yet that country has known nothing else for a very long time.
It is cut off cruelly from the sea by its hostile neighbours – Eritrea,
Djibouti and Somalia, and has little in the way of natural resources in
economically viable quantity to rely on.

The Ethiopians are
wisely developing tourism and the hospitality industry within their
tropical monsoon climate in high plateau, with central mountain range
that is divided by the Great African Rift Valley.

There had been full
scale war with Eritrea from 1998 to 2000, but another conflict is
imminent as both sides mass destructive weapons and troops on the
border while their people face recurrent food insecurity. My experience
in Addis Ababa has been that people loathe discussing politics, unlike
Nigerians. Cynics cite the long periods of feudalism and communism as
the reason.

It is a debatable
point, but Ethiopians are cultured, mild, extremely friendly,
disciplined and polite, yet they have one of the fiercest armies on the
continent of Africa, but also arguably the best commercial civil
aviation outfit.

Ethiopia is, with
about 70 million inhabitants of almost 80 ethnic groups, the second
most populous country in Africa. The country is the ideal place for the
Nigerian visitor to stop, reflect and gain perspective on the essence
of Africa. Apart from a brief colonial intermezzo by Italy, Ethiopia
was never colonised. This is an ancient country with its own alphabet,
one of the oldest sites of human existence known to science. It adopted
Christianity in the 4th Century, in addition to being the oldest Muslim
settlement on the continent and the spiritual homeland of Rastafarian
religious movement. Bob Marley posters and t-shirts are on sale in
every shop, dreadlocks are a common sight.

Nurtured by environment

My cab driver in
Addis Ababa and I struck a more mundane conversation on the quality of
Ethiopian runners, his country’s best ambassadors. He repaid my
compliments by inquiring after Kanu and Okocha, feeling disappointed to
hear they had retired. The driver’s excitement rose when I recalled the
feat of Abebe Bikila winning the gold medal for the Marathon event at
the Rome Olympics in 1960.

“Can you imagine running 42 kilometers barefoot!” he cried.

I disembarked at my Churchill Hotel, not far away from Nigeria
Street, to walk uphill in the direction of the Piazza through Mahatma
Gandhi, past General Wingate Street. By the time I got back, I had more
respect for long distance running; but I also understood the Ethiopian
successes in those disciplines much better. The altitude had left me on
the brink of collapse with fatigue!

The Nigerian Railway Corporation, Mass Transit Train Service (MTTS), currently lifts about 60,000 passengers weekly, as against the 36,000 passengers it lifted weekly last year.

The Lagos District Manager, John Dottie, told the News Agency of Nigeria, in Lagos on Monday, that the figure represented an average of 12,000 per day as against 6,000 per day last year.
Mr Dottie explained that the increase was due to more awareness and better services provided by the corporation. He said that there might be an increase in the number of passengers using the service as more people were becoming aware of the operations. He said that once the northern track being rehabilitated by the China Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC) was handed over, the number of trains would be increased from three to four.

“In addition, six coaches are being renovated and when completed would be attached to two of the trains to increase their coaches and accommodate their high patronage,” he said. “At present, the coaches are congested as commuters still stand inside and at the entrance of the coaches.”
According to him, each of the new locomotive engines has the capacity to pull 30 coaches on a rake. He said that NRC officials had inspected tracks on the downward line where spots requiring repairs had been identified. “We have ordered our engineers to move to the site and effect the necessary repairs to boost our operations,” he said.

The All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) has called for the conduct of all elections on the same day in 2011.
Ogbonnaya Onu, the National Chairman of the party, made the call in Abuja on Monday at a one-day public hearing on a bill for an Act to alter the provisions of the 1999 constitution after the first amendment.

“We in the ANPP therefore call for an amendment of the 2010 Electoral Act to reflect the conduct of all elections on the same day,” he said. “We believe that by so doing, we can determine the true will of the Nigerian people.”

The second amendment of the 2010 Electoral Act is aimed at shifting the date of the general elections, from January to possibly April, in line with requests from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The hearing was organised by the House of Representatives ad hoc committee on the review of the 1999 constitution.

According to Mr Onu, the popular feeling is that the subsisting order of elections will subvert the true desire of the people to elect their leaders during the forthcoming elections. “We in the new ANPP believe that if this problem of election dates is not addressed, it will work against the interest of Nigerians in the electoral process,” he said. “We need to ensure that only the choices of the people are declared winners of elections.”

He said that the conduct of free and fair elections in 2011 was a great challenge for all Nigerians, and urged the National Assembly to address indiscriminate defection by politicians during the second amendment. “Democracy and the rule of law must go hand in hand to ensure the credibility of our electoral process,” he said. “We cannot continue to use the provisions of freedom of association in our constitution to encourage and support what is clearly unprincipled. The challenge we face as a people is to rededicate ourselves to the strong need to work to ensure that our democracy endures in our polity.”

The national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)
said yesterday that it will scrutinise the list of corrupt politicians on the
website of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to ensure that
those proven guilty are not given its ticket to contest for any position during
the forthcoming elections.

The party’s national publicity secretary, Rufa’i Ahmed Alkali,
who spoke to journalist last night after a meeting of the National Working
Committee, said it has not received any formal letter from the EFCC on the
matter, and that it will not take action based on newspapers reports since it
(party) is not a court of law.

The anti-graft agency reportedly listed the names of over 50
corrupt aspirants on its website. It also advised political parties not to
field them for any elective offices until they are cleared by the courts.

“What is important is that whatever that is be done has to be
done through a thorough work. Even though the names are there on the advisory
list, since we are not the court, it is not possible for us to pass judgement
whether somebody is guilty or not. That is why in the process of looking at all
the issues involved, there must be proper consultations and discussions at
every level so that everybody will be comfortable with the outcome,” Mr Alkali
said.

The PDP spokesperson noted that many members of the party will
be concerned about the list.

“When the EFCC which is the professional organ responsible for
this assignment issues a statement like this, many people will be concerned. We
should be able to calm them down to let them know that the party will not go
after their jugular just like that. So we want them to remain calm and continue
with their normal activities as party men and leaders.”

ANPP to checkmate the
move

The All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) said it is not in
possession of the list of corrupt politicians reportedly sent to the political
parties.

A statement by the its spokesperson, Emma Eneukwu said the EFCC
action must be checked.

“The ANPP views as a throw-back to the pre-2007 election era
the purported submission of list of politicians tagged as corrupt by the EFCC
and a development that must be checkmated.

“The ANPP is not in possession of any list containing names of
its either former or serving elected public office holders and therefore
defends its members of allegation of corrupt practiceswhen nine of them have
been found guilty by the competent court of jurisdiction.”

The party however said it does not tolerate corruption in any
form.

“Much as we welcome any legal move that will ensure that politicians with
questionable character are not allowed to return to office to continue their
looting spree or seek refuge against prosecution, we are also against the
decision of the EFCC to raise allegations and seek to stop such alleged
politicians from further pursuing their political ambition.

The Edo State House of Assembly yesterday passed a resolution
to dissolve the 18 local government councils with immediate effect. This is
sequel to a letter from the state governor, Adams Oshiomhole, requesting the
House to dissolve the councils.

The motion was moved by the majority leader, Phillip Shaibu,
and was seconded by the deputy speaker, Paul Ohonbamu.

The council chairmen were directed to hand over all government
properties in their possession to the head of local government administration
in their respective areas, just as the accounts of the councils remain frozen
with immediate effect.

The constitution of the Edo State Independent Electoral
Commission (EDSIEC) by Mr. Oshiomhole last week was an indication that the local
councils might soon be scrapped to make way for another election.

Caught unawares

Many of the local government bosses were, however, caught
unawares. Interestingly, Mr. Godsent Akhabue of Esan West local government was
putting finishing touches to a programme for the commissioning of some projects
in his local council on Thursday.

The chairmen were elected in December 2007 during the
government of former governor, Oseriemen Osunbor.

In a swift reaction, the Edo State chairman of the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP), Dan Orbih, faulted Mr. Oshiomhole’s action, describing
it as illegal and unconstitutional.

“I am not surprised by the illegal action of the governor
because from his behaviour and conduct he has shown he has no respect for the
constitution. He is used to taking arbitrary decisions,” Mr. Orbih said.

He called on Mr. Oshiomhole to rescind his decision, saying
that if the governor failed to do so, the PDP would call on the federal
government not to release the local government allocations meant for the state
until he returned the local government administrations back to the elected
officials to complete their tenure.

According to him, Section 7 of the Constitution guaranteed the
tenure of elected local governments. He also said there were three tiers of
government and that the laws that govern the three tiers must be respected.

“The man thrives in illegality. It is like the federal
government saying it has cut short the tenure of state governors. Has he asked
himself how he will feel if the federal government wakes up and dissolves his
administration?” Orbih further said.

The trial of the
former chief executive of Intercontinental Bank Plc, Erastus Akingbola,
did not start yesterday as expected as the Chief Judge of the Federal
High Court, Daniel Abutu, transferred it to a new judge.

The trial which was previously handled by Mohammed Idris will now be presided over by Charles Achibong.

Mr. Akingbola is standing trial over an alleged missing N364 billion linked to him by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

The former CEO,
who returned to the country two months ago to clear his name over the
allegation of financial impropriety during his tenure as managing
director and CEO of Intercontinental Bank, was also in court yesterday
for the trial before his counsels were briefed about the change of
judge.

A counsel to Mr.
Akingbola, Felix Fagbohungbe, told journalists that no definite date has
been fixed for the trial as the prosecuting counsel were absent from
the trial.

Mr. Fagbohungbe, however said the court registrar would send hearing notices to the parties on the next adjourned date.

Meanwhile, Mr.
Akingbola has resolved to challenge the CBN on how it arrived at the
figures quoted as the amount allegedly misappropriated by him.

From the content
of the charge preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crime
Commission (EFCC), funds movements as alleged are loans to companies
related to the directors of the banks, reclassified loan portfolio of
the bank; direct investments by the bank into the stock market and staff
performance bonuses.

Mr. Akingbola is
querying the connection of the funds to his name or companies in all the
reports produced by CBN, National Deposit Insurance Commission (NDIC)
or EFCC.

In his statement
of defence, Mr. Akingbola averred that the total amount reported to have
gone as loan to companies related to some directors of the bank is
about N40 billion, out of which N22.9 billion has been repaid with N17.1
billion outstanding but he was accused of permitting the amounts to be
outstanding.

The second
component of the figure in the charge amounting to N87.6 billion
represented the value of bank’s loan portfolio, where, the former bank
chief was accused of allowing this amount to be translated as commercial
paper, which according to the apex bank, understand the bank’s
non-performance loan portfolio.

The third
component of the charge comprises the various sums the bank invested in
the stock market, totalling N179.4 billion; Mr. Akingbola was accused of
approving the investment in order to boost the bank’s share price in
the stock market.

The balance of
about N39 billion out of the N346 billion quoted as misappropriated
represented various staff performance bonuses paid to bank’s staff over
several years which the apex bank considered inappropriate.

The governor of Ondo state, Olusegun Mimiko, has urged the
Independent Electoral Commission to speed up the process for a new voter’s
registration, saying it is the only means to have credible elections in the
country.

While speaking as the special guest of honour at an event
organised by the Campaign for Democracy, the governor said Nigeria’s
development depends on credible elections.

“If I am to give a three point agenda for Nigeria future, I
will say number one credible election, number two, credible election and number
three, credible election. For me, I don’t believe there is a short cut to it;
this Nigeria must rise and shine again.”

Mr Mimiko urged that stakeholders must ensure that there is
healthy internal democracy within all political parties, stating that, “issues
where people that are not even members of a political party emerges as the
aspirants should end. That has always been the beginning of the panic at every
election year.”

Getting it right

also giving a possibility of getting the conduct of election
right in the country again, the convener of the Save Nigeria Group and keynote
Speaker at the event, Tunde Bakare told the audience that the only means for
Nigerians to take charge of the country’s destiny is to understand the power of
their vote and be part of the coming voters’ registration to get one.

“If it is like a supreme sacrifice, and we must pay it. Until
we know the right thing and do it rightly, we cannot get it right. Until what
was wrong was put right and every Nigerian stand and be counted to have a fair,
free and credible election.” He said.

The Resident Electoral Commissioner for Lagos state, Adekunle
Ogunmola who got to know about the event while on a visit to the office of the
commissioner of Police Lagos state command, Marvel Akpoyibo, also had
accompanied Mr. Akpoyibo and urged the organisers to always ensure that he is
approached and invited for such event in the future.

Mr Ogunmola said Nigerians can take to Mr. Bakare’s advice on
not trusting INEC, believing that INEC is a body that comprises many
individuals, “so until we give what we promised. I only know myself, we can’t
speak for all of us.”

Speaking on a topic, “Security Environment for a free and fair
election,” Mr. Akpoyibo advised Nigerians to help the police by granting
information resource to help its work, claiming that the causes of crime has
always been every ones faults.

“Whenever there is a failure or a candidate has lost an election, of course
the police are always being held accountable, even those who lost lawfully and
those who lost unlawfully. Perhaps there is this fact, that if there has been
any failure in the past, it was a systemic failure.”

A shake up of the
Nigeria Police Force on Monday saw about 16 senior officers, including
the Force PRO Emmanuel Ojukwu, redeployed and another detained for
tampering with officer salaries.

NEXT, gathered that a
group of pay officers had tampered with the salary increases approved
for each cadre of the police personnel stalling the salary payment
process. The officers are accused of deducting up to N20,000 each from
the salaries of the rank and file, while the salaries of more senior
officers were muddled up in such a manner that it will be difficult to
confirm their actual take home pay.

According to police
sources, the officers connived with the commissioner of police in charge
of budget at the force headquarters to perpetrate the act, which has
been a common phenomenon in whenever there is an increase in officers’
salaries.

Other states affected in the scam include Kogi, Kwara, Nasarawa, Kaduna and Lagos.

An officer, who
spoke on condition of anonymity, said his salaries and allowances,
including three-month arrears, were far less than what his counterparts
in Abuja and other parts of the country were expecting.

“Well, I didn’t want to talk until I sign my voucher and collect [my salary],” he said.

“Some of my
colleagues in Abuja here have started writing their petitions that is
why they invited some of the pay officers from about seven states,
including Lagos State, to write statements.”

However, police are
denying the allegations. Yomi Ajayi, Chief Superintendent of Police and
acting force public relations officer, said his enquiry at the budget
office in Abuja revealed scams of any kind and dismissed the reports
‘rumour mongering’.

Officers redeployed
In a related development, the force public relations officer and
assistant commissioner of police, Emmanuel Ojukwu, and 14 other senior
officers have been redeployed from the force headquarters in Abuja to
other state commands and departments.

Mr Ojukwu has been
moved to Imo State as the officer in charge of the State Criminal
Investigations Department (SCID), Imo State Command, Owerri.

The redeployment
letter was signed by the Force Secretary, Suleiman Fakai on behalf of
the Inspector General of Police, Hafiz Ringim. The letter said that the
new postings were immediate. Mr Ojukwu is replaced by CSP Yomi Ajayi
becomes.

The redeployment affected eight deputy commissioners, three assistant
commissioners (ACPs) and four CSPs. It is the first major shake-up by
Mr. Ringim since his assumption of office in September.

An Ibadan-based group, Touch-Bearers,
has called on the Olubadan of Ibadan, Samuel Odulana, Odugade 1, to
intervene in the internal wrangling of the Oyo state council of the
National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) to avoid the
bloodletting associated with the protracted fight.

The group, in a statement made
available to journalists on Sunday and jointly signed by Muse Popoola
and Dupe Adewoye, Chairman and secretary respectively, also called on
other eminent Ibadan indigenes to call the leaders of the two major
factions in the union, Messrs Lateef Akionsola (aka Tokyo) and Lateef
Salako (aka Elewe-Omo) to order for the peace and tranquility of the
state.

“NURTW crisis should be seen as a tiny
spark of fire that can burn a whole house down if care is not taken,”
says the group, while stressing that since the two factional leaders
are from Ibadan, they must consider sheathing their swords and allow
peace and security of lives and property to reign in the land.

The release also urged the state
government to lift the proscription order on the union and allow it to
continue to function like other registered trade union in the state, as
it equally urged the leaders of the union to stop giving the world the
impression that their union is a military arm of the successive state
governments used to intimidate political opponents.

Reiterating the need for the Oba to intervene, the posited that
“only bastards in the society can disagree with the orders and
directives of a Royal father. The two leaders should see each other as
brothers, after all, Eleweomo is like a son to Tokyo”.