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The National Environmental Standard and
Regulation Enforcement Agency (NESREA) says it has accosted five ships
bringing toxic waste into the country this year.

Spokesperson for the agency, Sule
Oyofo, told the News Agency of Nigeria, in Lagos on Saturday, that four
of the ships had been turned back. He said that the last attempt was on
October 5, when the MV Vera D brought two containers of toxic waste to
the Tin-Can Island Port in Lagos. According to him, the ship came from
the UK. He said that upon inspection, by a joint team of the agency
officials and staff of the National Toxic Dump Watch Committee, it was
discovered that two containers on the ship contained toxic waste.

Mr Oyofo said that the items found
inside the containers confirmed the fears of some foreign partners of
NESREA who sent the alert on the ship’s movement. He said that the some
of items included used refrigerators, black and white television sets,
computer monitors and compressors. He said that the items were
prohibited under the Nigerian Harmful Waste Act and the Basel
Convention Treaty on Trans-boundary Movement.

Mr Oyofo said that efforts were being made to return the consignment
back to its port of origin. NAN, however, reports that the shipper,
Grimaldi Shipping Line, has denied the allegation that the ship carried
toxic waste. A source at the shipping agency rejected the allegation
and stressed that toxic substances could not be determined via visual
observation. He said that the fact that NESREA was a government agency
did not confer on it absolute competence to make such allegations.

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has donated N10 million to victims of the recent flood in Jigawa State.

While presenting
the cheque to the state’s governor, Sule Lamido, Mr Atiku expressed his
concern over the plight of the flood victims, saying “the donation was
only a token to assist in alleviating the sufferings of the victims”.
The governor, in response, thanked the presidential aspirant for his
kindness and generosity.

Atiku thereafter addressed party supporters at Jigawa Hotels and
held series of meetings with possible delegates to the upcoming party
presidential primaries, where he described himself as a democrat, a
dogged fighter for justice and equity, an experienced administrator and
a great mobilizer of human and material resources.

Barely two weeks
after the introduction of thorough screening of motorists and air
travellers by security operatives along roads two kilometres away from
the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, the safety
exercise has been terminated.

The increased
security, which came as a fallout of the October 1 twin bombings in
Abuja, and was aimed at curtailing the influx of people into the
airport, resulted to series of complaints by passengers and airport
users following the high vehicular traffic it caused on the roads
during the period.

“They (security
operatives) have stopped screening us and our passengers for some time
now, and it is surprising because we thought it was going to last,”
said a cab driver at the airport, who simply gave his name as Anthony.
Explaining that the situation caused travellers and commuters untold
hardship following the traffic jam that resulted from the development,
Mr Anthony said that activities along the road has so far return to
normal. “Some of us almost increased our transport fare, because we
burn a lot of fuel on the holdup, but you can see that everything is
now okay and there is no more holdup as we use to experience that
time,” he said.

High security alert

Anosike Bright, a
passenger at the airport, argued that the recent terror scare in Abuja
must have led to the disappearance of the officers. “May be they
(security operatives) have all relocated to Abuja because of last
week’s threat to bomb the capital again by militants,” he said.
However, Akin Olukunle, the spokesperson for the Federal Airports
Authority, said that the security checks have not ceased, but refused
to comment on why the officers are no longer seen on roads leading to
the airport.

NEXT, last week,
reported that security operatives, including the Nigerian Air Force,
Police Anti-Bomb Squad, Immigration, Civil Defence Corps, and Aviation
Security were all stationed on roads at about two kilometres away from
the international terminal, where they enforce screening on both
commercial and private motorists using the airport.

Richard Aiseubeogun, the Managing Director of the airports
authority, had earlier urged the public to assist the agency in its
fight for a safe and secured airport, adding that with respect to the
prolonged traffic, passengers should endeavour to leave for the airport
early. “We want to advise members of the local communities and all
stakeholders to report any strange or unusual activities within the
airport environment to security agencies nationwide,” he said. “We
appeal to all airport road users to cooperate with the officials
involved in the screening exercises, to ensure smooth facilitation, and
undue delays.”

Environmentalist
and special adviser to the President on Research, documentation and
Strategy, Oronto Douglas has been named among the 20 most influential
writers, thinkers, and activists in the world.

Mr Douglas was
listed in a recent book “Political Awakenings: Conversations with
History” by Harry Kreiser the Executive Director of the Institute of
International Studies, University of California. Mr Douglas was
selected with 19 others, from 485 interviews of people which the book
described as “distinguished men and women who by the power of their
intellect and strength of character shape the world.” Mr Douglas made
the Science, Food and The Environment: Movement for Justice category
which comprised select individuals that have challenged corporate power
which seeks to disproportionately reap the benefits of science and
technology to the detriment of the society.

The other two other
individuals listed in the same category with Mr Douglas are Michael
Pollan who has in the past 20 years written books and articles about
places where the human and natural world intersect, and Eva Harris, a
molecular biologist, who implements a program to distribute DNA
technology to third world clinics to fight diseases.

Reacting to this
listing, Mr Douglas stated, “I am motivated essentially by the fact
that every human being ought to make a contribution towards human
progress. We are not just on this planet to eat, sleep, and then we
die. I think we came because we have a contribution to make.

“My little
contribution in the area of environmental human rights is to further
the whole debate about our progress.” Douglas is co-founder of
Nigeria’s foremost environmental advocacy group, Environmental Rights
Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN). He served as one of the
lawyers on the defence team for the Ogoni leader, Ken Saro Wiwa, who
was executed by late Head of State, Sani Abacha.

He is also the author of several works, including the groundbreaking
Where Vultures Feast: Shell, Human Rights, Oil in the Niger Delta,
which he coauthored with another activist, Ike Okonta.

Muhammed Saad
Abubakar III, the Sultan of Sokoto; and Babatunde Fashola, the Lagos
State Governor, on Sunday, at the Murtala Muhammed International
Airport, advised Islamic pilgrims travelling for the 2010 Hajj to be
good citizens of Nigeria at the programme.

Calling on the
pilgrims to pray for the country at the ceremony, the sultan advised
the pilgrims to strictly observe the religious obligations attributed
to the Hajj operations, adding that they should desist from any form of
business activity being undertaken by some during the exercise. “We
want you to cooperate with the Saudi Arabia authorities and shun any
act that is bad,” he said. “Also hajj is a religious obligation and not
an avenue to go shopping. Whatever you want to buy in Saudi Arabia can
be bought in Nigeria at a better quality, so save your funds.”

Mr Fashola implored
the pilgrims to pray for the 36 states in the country, especially at a
time when the country is warming up for its general elections. He also
commended Mr Abubakar for his agitation for cooperation and religious
tolerance among inhabitants of Nigeria.

Muniru Bankole, the
Managing Director of Med View Airlines, one of the carriers airlifting
the pilgrims to Saudi Arabia, promised that the travellers will not be
left stranded at the end of the pilgrimage. “You can see that the
pilgrims have been checked in,” he said. “We are operating with three
aircraft. As I am talking to you, one is in Ilorin which will airlift
those from Ekiti and Ondo States, and we have one in Maiduguri to carry
pilgrims from Yobe. We are operating 18 flights, so, we hope to finish
latest November 2, 2010.”

Pilgrims heading for Saudi Arabia form Nigeria for the 2010 Hajj are 95,000.

Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on NITEL/M-Tel restructuring and minister of Labour and Productivity, Emeka Wogu, has hinted that the 30-month labour crisis in the state-owned telecommunication companies, NITEL and M-Tel, has been resolved.

Proposals and recommendations of the task force were approved during a meeting with executives of the labour unions in the two companies and the task force, in the minister’s office in Abuja, at the weekend.

Emmanuel Aziken, spokesperson for the labour minister, quoted Mr Wogu as saying that under the approved recommendation by the federal government, N51.6 billion is to be applied in settling the exit package due to permanent and casual staff of the two companies.

“I am gladdened that this issue is now coming to a terminal point and it is time for all stakeholders in NITEL/M-Tel to forge forward with their lives and their careers. I salute the perseverance of all staff involved and the stoicism with which they have carried on these past two years,” Mr Wogu said.

“The quick resolution of this matter is a reflection of the commitment of the present administration to the welfare of Nigerian workers. On my part, the strong backing I received from the highest quarters of government in carrying out the assignment made the assignment of the PTF very fruitful.”

Resolution after pickets

The meeting with the labour unions followed earlier picketing of the minister’s office on the eve of the nation’s 50th independence anniversary, by aggrieved staff of the two unions.

Mr Wogu, in meetings with the staff on September 29, 2010, promised to convey the government’s response on their lingering concerns, on October 12. The promise to them helped to calm the restive workers who were otherwise set to carry their protest to the Independence Day anniversary grounds.

The recommendation of the task force provides that “all staff be exited and paid off their entitlements. Critical staff to facilitate a smooth handover to a core investor will be immediately re-engaged such that the wage bill will not exceed 10 per cent of the current wage bill.

Furthermore, security of facilities will be outsourced, with existing security personnel being absorbed so that a vacuum is not created.”

Following an attack
by suspected armed robbers on the Ondo State School of Midwifery,
Akure, students of the institution have boycotted their classrooms in
protest against insecurity on their campus.

Some armed robbers
had invaded the school last week and injured three female students. The
about five robbers inflicted machete wounds on the students’ heads
while trying to rob them of their possessions.

The robbers were
said to have gained entry into the school premises through a collapsed
fence around 2.15am last Tuesday, making away with items such mobile
phones, cash and jewellery.

Some of the
students who spoke with NEXT said that no student will enter the
classroom until something was done to enhance the security of their
lives, and the issue of social amenities that are lacking in the
institution is addressed.

Repeat offenders

They complained
about constant total blackouts as a result of the irregular power
supply from the Power Holdings Company of Nigeria (PHCN).

“We are tired of
the management of this school. We don’t know what they are using our
money for and we pay heavily,” one of the students said. “Yet, see what
we are passing through. This is not the first time robbers will be
invading us. Last time they came, after robbing us of our money, they
also raped some of the students. This is unfair.”

Spokesman of the
State Police Command, Adeniran Aremu, said the police received the
distress call from the students rather too late. “As part of the
complementary efforts to civilian security guards manning the school,
police patrol will be extended into their campus to ensure their safety
at night,” he said.

Mr Aremu said, as
part of the measures to ensure that the lives of the students of the
school are protected, the command has advised the management of the
school to re-build the collapsed fence through which the hoodlums
gained entry into the hostel.

“We gave the distress calls numbers of the command, control room and
my number to the students, so that we can respond to them whenever the
men of the underworld came calling,” he said.

I have always told
myself and anyone who cares to listen that I do not think that God is a
democrat. If He was, Satan would have succeeded with his coup. We were
really talking about crowd action and reaction, juxtaposed with
democratic actions and reactions. People should carefully observe
before climbing on any band wagon. It is easy to hear “but their course
was hijacked by hoodlums and touts”. We also know that good news is no
news and that bad news is what makes news. That is why CNN and
Aljazeera are hot.

Nigerians are very
quick to point to Ghana example. How Rawlings came on board and
annihilated all the criminals in power and opened a new page that
changed the sad story of Ghana to glory. Unfortunately we have had
Generals in Nigeria who came on board and changed the stories of their
private pockets to hilltop glories and left the masses in perpetual
servitude. They are still around and are shamelessly taunting the
populace with their loot. Well, the time of Generals has passed. They
had their opportunity.

My intention this
week is to advise Nigerians about the dangerous mistake of joining in
any kind of mass action without digging deep into what that crowd is
really intent on doing.

Some of us have
noticed how our children follow bad fashion and imbibe decadent
cultures; how a great majority of our girls and women now expose body
parts that should be hidden and our boys are now ‘saggin’, wear
ear-rings and are quick to adorn their hairs crazily?

We have seen how
good and progressive bills are tucked under, or killed even, in the
national assembly because they do not serve the selfish interest of
some sitting members, their past colleagues and their godfathers. I am
very convinced you now understand the drift of my story this week. But
if you do not, know that the road to heaven is very narrow and the one
that leads to hell is very wide.

I was actually
inspired to write on crowd reaction and I thought wise and good people
should be wary, so they are not misled. A few weeks ago, myself and
about three others were called to be judges in a ‘talent hunt event’ in
one of our university campuses. A dance competition was introduced as a
side attraction and the last eight contenders were asked to slug it
out. Then we noticed that one of the dancers, a very pretty young girl
who was declared the winner, was putting on a “low-waist jeans trouser”
and, as she danced, all her buttocks were outside in the full glare of
the cameras.

Crowd has decided
At first, I thought I was the only one seeing her. But when the other
two judges leaned over and said, this girl would have won but for what
she had on, I quickly agreed. Surprisingly, the MCs of the occasion, in
choosing the final three, cut us judges out of the decision, with the
help of the crowd of students who filled the one thousand capacity hall
to the brim. Each time the particular girl bent down to achieve a
particular erotic move, with her full buttocks staring us in the face,
the crowd screamed.

If you have seen Beyonce or Rihanna dancing, you would know what I
mean. Finally, the last three finalists were chosen and the indecently
dressed girl was among them. And before we could protest, the MCs
decided to use the famous national assembly style. “If this girl is
number three say yes;” “if this boy is second, say yes” and “if this
girl is the winner, say yes”. The crowd was actually ecstatic. I mean,
the girl’s dance was mainly erotic, what I will call ‘waist and yansh
dance.’ Get this straight, they had the preliminaries the week before,
where the final eight that made the finals were chosen from. So she
came prepared. To rub insult upon injury, the sponsor of that event,
right there, immediately increased the prize money after the girl has
been declared the winner by the crowd and he brought out the cash and
gave the girl. The crowd had decided and they say it’s the beauty of
democracy. Please, follow the crowd only when the course is right.

A divided opinion among the gathered youth coupled with the timely intervention of some elderly residents, and not Robert Onuoha’s plea of innocence, saved him from being lynched after he was caught stealing used car batteries inside a compound at Maza maza, Lagos, three weeks ago.

Mr Onuoha, a cart pusher, had allegedly stashed tens of the seemingly abandoned car batteries into his cart when the owner of the compound, Chidi Ewere, who was returning from the day’s church service, walked into him.

Instant execution of apprehended criminals or mob justice, popularly known as ‘jungle justice’, remains a common practice among the populace and critics blame it on the loss of trust in the judicial system.

“This is how they have been stealing all my properties in this house,” said a furious Mr Ewere, who was clutching a machete in his right hand and was being restrained from using it on the alleged thief.

Loss of faith

Respondents say that the practice has continued unabated because of the apparent loss of faith on both the law enforcement agents and the judicial system.

“Jungle justice is a sign that Nigeria is a failed state in this 21st century,” said Washington Ugwu, a Lagos-based legal practitioner.

“People resort to it for reasons (such as) slow pace and technicalities of our legal system, corruption of law enforcement agents who take gratification and allow criminals to go free,” said Mr Ugwu, of Vigil Ndulewe Chambers.

Last year, two armed robbers that were apprehended by a vigilante group at an estate in Maza maza were, after hours of excruciating torture by police officers from the Agboju police station, were allowed to go free.

Investigations revealed that some highly placed individuals in the community negotiated the duo’s release. Though a senior police officer at the station insisted that the suspects, who had confessed to using a gun to rob their victims, had been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Panti. The two men were seen parading the community the same week.

“We don’t trust the police. We have never trusted them. That’s why anytime we catch any robber here, we burn him immediately before they arrive,” said a youth leader at Maza Maza, who did not want to be named.

“If we continue to do them like that, it will serve as an example for their partners,” he said.

Criminals are tried

Police authorities in the state insist that no robber, either armed or unarmed, who had been caught in the act had been ever allowed to go scot free.

“What we normally do is that if a thief is arrested, we normally prosecute him in the court of law . That’s what we’ve been doing; we’ve not been flouting the laws,” said Samuel Jinadu, the Deputy Spokesman for the Lagos State Police Command.

Some respondents argue that because mob action is too hasty, it sometimes ends up victimising the wrong person or the right person but for the wrong reasons.

Last month, when a suspected gay pastor identified as Elijah Adisa was caught at the Amukoko area of Lagos, the irate mob that descended on him accused him of sodomy and practising witchcraft on a group of boys, a claim which the boys he allegedly slept with denied.

“The problem with jungle justice is that sometimes an innocent person is pronounced guilty or false claims can be levelled on a suspected criminal,” said Ayodele Adesuwa, a civil servant. “And by the time the real truth is revealed, it would have been too late because the person would have been killed,” said Mr Adesuwa.

A 2010 poll conducted by CLEEN Foundation revealed that of the people that reported their experiences of crime to the police, 44 per cent indicated outright dissatisfaction with the handling of the cases.

Jide Saliu, the Baale (community leader) of Alafia whose timely intervention prevented the angry mob from executing Mr Adisa, blamed it on the mentality of the people.

“The right thing to do is that whenever anybody suspected to be a criminal is caught, he should be handed over to the nearest police station,” said Mr Saliu.

Take the law and face the law

Mr Jinadu warned that those who engage in the summary execution of suspected criminals extra judicially would be made to face the wrath of the law.

“They are not supposed to do that. If they should do that it means they are taking laws into their hands and the law will definitely catch up with them. We’ve been sermonising about this; that members of the public should not take laws into their hands,” said Mr Jinadu, a Deputy Superintendent of Police.

He said that the state commissioner of police has put strategies in place to checkmate the obnoxious and nefarious attitudes of criminals in the state.

“And we also lecture people on radios and televisions that members of the public should not engage in jungle justice and I think it has been yielding positive results.”

But Mr Ugwu canvassed for an overhaul of the people’s value system as a solution. “There should be a total overhaul of our value system, first from our politicians because they set the pace in corruption by their ostentatious lifestyles, to law enforcement agents and the legal system,” he said.

The political family of the
victorious governorship candidate of the Action Congress of Nigeria in
Ekiti State, Kayode Fayemi are interpreting their weekend victory at
the federal appeals court as a morale booster for the opposition in the
country.

Residents of the state themselves
took to the streets on Friday celebrating the success. Feats of
acrobatic display of motorcyclists and party supporters were performed
on the streets.

With the confirmation of Mr Fayemi
as the lawfully elected governor of the state, the party has now
increased the number of states under its control to three – Lagos, Edo
and Ekiti. The last two were snatched from the PDP at the law courts.

The publicity secretary of the
party, Lai Mohammed, said the victory is a challenge for opposition
groups in the country, claiming the 2011 election will not be a
business as usual.

“If we can do it now, then this is
a sign of what the 2011 will look like. It is a morale booster for the
entire opposition group in the country. We have not only got that of
Ekiti and some part of south west, but we will go into all other part
of the country and win massively,” he said.

The governor of Edo State, Adams
Oshiomole, also described the victory as “a victory for progressive and
democratic forces” in Nigeria.

“This victory has definitely
opened a new vista not only in the annals of the Ekiti people, but the
democratic and progressive forces in the country,” he said.

A lawyer, Kayode Ajulo, also said the court ruling shows that democracy is gradually taking roots in the country.

“What is required is our
steadfastness, tenacity and resolution to pursue justice to the final
conclusion. Mimiko has exhibited this, and I am so glad that tear drops
to my face that Fayemi too has also registered his name on the side of
the uncompromising just,” he said.

Remarkably, President Goodluck Jonathan was one of the early backers of the court ruling.

“As Mr. Fayemi prepares to assume
the office of governor of Ekiti State, President Jonathan assures him
of the full support and cooperation of the Federal Government,” the
presidential spokesperson, Ima Niboro said at the weekend.

An ACN leader in Ekiti State and a
member of the House of Assembly representing Ikere constituency,
Funminiyi Afuye described the victory as the restoration of Zion’s
glory.

Mr Fayemi might not disagree. As
the Court on Appeal in Ilorin read its judgement on Friday, Mr. Fayemi
was with his supporters who had lodged at Sunview Hotel, Akure over the
night muttering words of prayers and hoping for victory.

The new governor and his
supporters jumped in victory at the announcement of the result also
stated that he be sworn in with immediate effect.

Mr. Fayemi told journalists that
he is “totally grateful to the people of Ekiti who stood by me during
my trivial in the hands of the illegal government. Despite the fact
that it took me a long time to reclaim my mandate, they stood by me.
The victory is not for Fayemi alone; but for justice, democracy, rule
of law and the entire Ekiti citizenry

“For three and half years, we
challenged illegality at the court and people stood by us during this
period. They never lose hope in me. For three and half years, I was
made a sacrificial lamb but today, I thank God that justice has
prevailed”.

Happy supporters

Ayo Fayose, a former governor of the state described Mr. Oni’s exit as the end of the PDP in the state.

“I had promised him that his stay
will one day be truncated by the long hand of justice. I salute the
courage of Fayemi for choosing to pursue his case, not on the streets
but in the normal court of law with so much zeal, hope and
perseverance. Ekiti will from now spot the difference between an
imposed leader and elected man of the people,’’ he said.

Jide Awe, chairman of the state branch of the Action Congress of Nigeria, was full of joy when NEXT contacted him on phone.

“When we were cheated, people
thought we would go to the street and start burning tyres and houses,
but Fayemi addressed the party faithful asking them to believe in God
and the Judiciary. That is the sign of a good leader. Today, we have
been proved right and I think that this can also happen in other states
too,” he said.

Rotimi Akeredolu, the immediate
former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, said the judiciary
deserves praise for the outcome of the case.

“This judgement brings to fore the
hallowed and attested adage that though the swift-footed lie race
furiously to out-pace truth in the contention for eternal verity; it
takes the courageous acts of some to quicken the process of unveiling,”
he said.

Judgement

The court, led by the President of
the Court of Appeal, Ayo Salami, last on Friday, ordered the immediate
swearing in of Mr. Fayemi as duly elected governor. According to the
court, Mr. Fayemi won both the April 14, 2007 election and the re-run
election of April 25, 2009 with highest lawful votes cast at the polls.

The court which resolved four out
of five grounds of appeal in favour of Mr. Fayemi, also ordered the
Independent National Electoral Commission to immediately withdraw the
certificate of return from Mr. Oni and issue new certificate of return
to Mr. Fayemi “Fayemi scored majority of lawful votes cast in the
election held on April 14, 2007 and April 25, 2009, while Oni has not
been duly elected with the majority votes cast,” Mr Salami said.

“Having satisfied the
constitutional requirements as duly elected governor of Ekiti State,
Fayemi is hereby declared as duly elected governor and should be sworn
in immediately.”