Nigeria Content Online

The National Agency for the Control of
AIDS (NACA), says it requires $280 million to conduct HIV counselling
and testing on 20 million Nigerians by 2012.

The agency’s Director-General John
Idoko, said this on Monday in Abuja at the NACA and Research Alliance
to Combat HIV/AIDS (REACH) symposium, entitled ‘Emerging Strategies to
Combat HIV and AIDS in Nigeria’.

“I therefore call on our development
partners, policy makers, private sectors and all stakeholders in
Nigeria to resolve, support and strive towards achieving an ambitious
target of counselling and testing 20 million Nigerians by the year
2012.

“At the cost of $14 per person tested, Nigeria will therefore need $280 million to make this a reality,” Mr Idoko said.

He urged all Nigerians to know their status, saying that recently
published, 2010 UNGASS report revealed that 11.7 per cent women and men
aged 15-49 went for HIV test in the last 12 months, stating that so
far, 14 per cent of the population had been counselled and tested. Mr
Idoko said that the agency in collaboration with all its partners would
start the promotion of the exercise.

Abductors of
Maxwell Obiajulu, the proprietor of Obilink Petrol station in Asaba,
have demanded a N70 million ransom for his release.

The spokesperson of
the police in Delta State, Charles Muka, disclosed the demand to the
News Agency of Nigeria in Asaba on Monday.

Mr. Muka stated
that the 38-year-old man was kidnapped on Wednesday, at the filling
station located close to Central Bank Cash Centre, along the
Asaba-Benin highway in Asaba.

He said that the
hoodlums were fully armed and had shot the victim on one leg before
whisking him away in a vehicle, amidst sporadic shooting.

“The kidnappers
phoned the man’s wife to make a demand of N70 million,’’ he said,
adding, however, that the police command had stepped up effort to
rescue him and arrest the kidnappers.

In another
development, the spokesperson said the police have apprehended 60 young
men suspected to be cultists at Issele-Mkpitime in Aniocha North Local
Government Area of Delta.

He said the
suspects were mainly students from institutions in Warri and Sapele,
both in Delta, adding that they were arrested on a tip-off.

Mr. Muka said the
cultists were nabbed by a joint team of the police and a vigilance
group in the community, while “the boys were planning an invasion of
the town.’’

He also disclosed
that 32 other suspected cultists were intercepted at Otoro-Abraka on
their way to Abbi in Ndokwa West Local Government Area of Delta.

The state Governor, Emmanuel Uduaghan, recently launched a renewed attack on kidnappers in the state.

The governor’s initiative was meant to put security agents on the
alert to enable them to react swiftly to any suspected case of
kidnapping and other related vices.

Business mogul, Aliko Dangote, has donated N100 million to the flood victims in Sokoto State.

Mr. Dangote announced the donation in Sokoto, on Monday, when he visited the Sokoto State governor, Aliyu Wamakko.

“It is a great
disaster. But it is the creator that sent it. I believe that He will
bring succour to the victims. The disaster is really very overwhelming
and the efforts to assist the victims should not be left to the state
government alone,” Mr. Dangote said.

Responding, Mr. Wamakko commended Mr. Dangote for the gesture, and described the business mogul as a friend and brother.

“Dangote is also a
household name in the state. It is a name that is associated with the
story of respect, hard work, and the fear of God. I cannot thank you
enough for coming personally to commiserate with us and to make this
generous donation,” the governor said.

Mr. Dangote also donated N15 million to the Sultanate Development Initiative to boost its activities.

Paying a visit to the palace of the Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’ad Abubakar
III, Mr. Dangote promised to partner with the initiative to alleviate
the sufferings of indigent people. He commended the Sultan for his
tireless role to ensure the sustenance of peace and unity across the
country. The Sultan thanked him for the gesture and urged other wealthy
Nigerians to emulate him.

The Academic Staff
Union of Universities (ASUU) in University of Calabar, on Monday
embarked on a three-day warning strike in solidarity with their
colleagues in some state universities.

Addressing newsmen
at its secretariat, the union’s chairman in the university, Chike
Ekeopara, said the strike followed a resolution by the national
executive of the Union, at a meeting held in Calabar in September.

He said that the
strike was to draw the attention of Nigerians to the state of affairs
in some state universities. He recalled that in 2009, the union had
entered into an agreement with the Federal Government which he said was
a benchmark for all the universities in the country.

Mr. Ekeopara said
the agreement was binding on all the universities in the country,
including both the state and private institutions. According to the
ASUU chairman, all the Northern state governments and many of the
South-West state governments have implemented the agreement.

He lamented the failure of the South South and South East state governments to implement the agreement.

He said, “this
strike is embarked upon as a warning strike to the state governments
where we have state universities. They should implement that
agreement.’’

Mr. Ekeopara also
warned politicians against undermining the education of Nigerian
children, adding that it would not augur well for the growth and
development of the country.

He advised the state governments concerned to do everything to
implement the agreement to avoid total strike. He said that after the
three-day warning strike, lecturers would return to the classrooms, and
await further directives from the national executive of the union. All
the state-owned universities in the South East have remained closed for
months now over the non-implementation of the 2009 ASUU-FG agreement by
the state governments.

The Ogun State
government, yesterday, declared the Isheri axis of the state and its
environs as a disaster zone. The area has been affected by serious
floods caused by heavy rainfall and water released from the Oyan Dam by
the Ogun Osun River Basin Authority.

Governor Gbenga
Daniel made the declaration when Mohammed Sani-Sidi, the
Director-General, National Emergency Management Agency, (NEMA), visited
the state to assess the damage caused by the flood. Meanwhile, the
technical group set up by the state government to explore ways of
addressing the situation, said through its preliminary report that the
construction of three artificial lakes in the affected areas would end
the flooding.

Soliciting help

The flood has
caused massive destruction of property, economic hardship and the
displacement of hundreds of people. Mr Daniel noted that apart from
palliative measures put in place through the State Emergency Management
Agency, the construction requires major funding that is beyond the
capacity of the state government. He added that if urgent steps were
not taken, the long bridge on the Sagamu Expressway, linking Lagos with
other parts of the country, may be weakened by the flood and eventually
collapse. He lamented that this year had been a most challenging one
for the state in terms of natural disasters, recalling that a major
rainstorm ravaged Sagamu four months ago destroying over 50 houses and
several school buildings.

Similarly, another rainstorm ravaged Abeokuta, the capital,
destroying four major bridges and several houses. He described the
flood in the Isheri axis as well beyond the capacity of the state
because of the level and degree of the disaster. Mr Sidi said he came
with his officials to commiserate with the people of the state, adding
that he would also visit the affected areas with a view to determining
the extent of damage and making necessary recommendations to the
federal government.

The Federal Government will introduce
an electricity pricing regime in November before it sells off
distribution companies and allows private investments to build power
plants in the country.

“Pricing and regulatory issues are
being sorted out and should be completed next month,” Barth Nnaji, an
adviser to Nigeria’s President, Goodluck Jonathan, said in an interview
on October 8 in Abuja.

The government will then be able to provide “the appropriate information to buyers as to what tariffs they can expect,” he said.

The market-determined plan will replace subsidised prices where consumers pay six naira ($0.04) a kilowatt, he said.

Goodluck Jonathan on August 26,
announced a plan to end the state power monopoly and allow private
investments in generation. The government will sell 11 distribution
units of Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) and allow private
companies to build gas-fired, coal-fueled and hydropower plants.

The government wants to increase output to 14,019 megawatts by 2013.

Six companies, including Goldman Sachs
Group Inc., Standard Chartered Plc, have expressed interest in advising
on the sale of the power generation and distribution companies that
will be completed by the first half of next year, the adviser said.

An investors’ forum will be held from October 14 to 15 in the
capital, Abuja, that will be attended by representatives from General
Electric Co., Rolls Royce Group Plc, and companies from China, South
Korea and India, Mr Nnaji said.

Members of the Ondo
State chapter of the Labour Party have been divided over the recent
congresses conducted at various wards and local governments in the
state.

The crisis, NEXT
gathered, started when the old executive members from wards to local
governments were sacked without any notice from the state government.
Most of the affected members, who are foundation members of the party,
claimed they did not benefit from government before they were voted out.

They also accused
the state government of spearheading the congresses, knowing that they
have not been compensated for their efforts in building the party.

The aggrieved
members also alleged that most of the newly elected officers from ward
to local government levels were recent defectors from the Peoples
Democratic Party.

A statement issued
on behalf of the affected politicians, over the weekend, by their
spokesperson, Philip Jayeoba, said failure to address the issue will
spell doom for the party in the forthcoming elections.

Mr. Jayeoba noted
that if urgent step was not taken, the aggrieved members of the labour
party would defect enmasse to other political parties.

“I want to inform
Mr. Governor that some of us lost our children, jobs, and valuables to
ensure that LP won in the April 14, 2007 general elections. Despite all
our efforts during the election, we were neglected by the leadership of
the party,” he said.

“To do the worst,
they voted us out during the congresses; even some people were
handpicked and forced on some of us who started the party from the
scratch,” he added.

Accept your defeat

Mr. Jayeoba
appealed to the state governor and the leadership of the party in the
state to wade into the matter before it becomes uncontrollable.

“We want to implore
the leadership of the party to urgently take a step to address the
issue. The party leadership should not forget they promised that level
playing ground will be provided for all but the reverse is the case, as
some cabals have hijacked the structure of the party from ward level to
the state level,” he said.

The publicity
director of the Labour Party in the state, Seyi James, said the issue
of congresses should not generate controversy because every member is
free to contest for any position. He said the aggrieved members should
learn to accept defeat because the modalities for the congresses are
clearly stipulated in the party’s constitution.

“The modalities of the congresses are clear for every members of the
party to see. LP has plans for every member of the party and the entire
people of the state. Mr. Governor has promised to touch the lives of
everybody, but he cannot do it at once. Our people should realise the
fact that there is global meltdown, which has affected the country,”
Mr. James said

A governorship candidate of the
Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) in Kano State, Abba Anwar, has
said that the ambition of Mohammed Abacha, who joined the CPC recently,
does not pose any threat to his aspiration to govern the state.

Mr. Anwar, who made the declaration at
a forum organized by the Kano State Correspondent’s Chapel over the
weekend, said “For me, I never feel threatened by the coming of
Mohammed, because we have different programmes and I know the terrain
well”.

“I have been there for a while. I
welcome him and pray for him to stay in the party. I feel encouraged
and thrilled because he is a blessing to the party.”

The candidate said his priority is to restore law and order in Kano if elected governor of the state.

“I want to restore law and order, I
don’t want to be popular and I don’t want second tenure my aim is to
have a conducive atmosphere for ethical governance so that I will
restore people’s confidence in governance,” he assured.

Mr Anwar promised to use government
funds to execute and pursue human-oriented programmes, noting that in
the area of water supply, he would maintain and use the existing dams
in the state in a more systemic manner to ensure steady water supply.

He proposed the building of a new Kano that will restore confidence
in the minds of the people, through increased internally generated
revenue that will open up partnership investment to the outside world
and the industrialization of the state, where the teeming youths will
be gainfully employed.</

An Akwa-Ibom-based medical doctor, Esin Nkereuwem was on Saturday, kidnapped by unknown assailants in Uyo.

Mr Nkereuwem, a
former deputy governorship candidate in 2003, on the platform of the
All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) in the state, also had his car stolen
by the assailants. The car was however, recovered by the police
yesterday. The kidnappers are believed to be demanding N5 million, as
payment before their victim is released.

A daughter of the
victim, who confirmed the kidnap, told NEXT that “he was kidnapped on
Saturday. The kidnappers are asking for 5million naira. They allowed us
speak to him on his telephone number, so we know he is alive and well.”

Though the
kidnappers are insisting on the payment of the ransom, NEXT learnt that
the matter has been reported to the police and is at present being
investigated by the Akwa-Ibom police command.

The kidnap of Mr
Nkereuwem, who is a Russia-trained specialist in Obstetrics and
Gyneacology, increases the speculation making the rounds that
opposition politicians in the state are targets of kidnappers.

Last week, on October 6, the wife of an ANPP gubernatorial
candidate, Sam Ewang, was kidnapped in front of her husband’s school,
Beulah International School, few weeks after he declared his intention
to contest the gubernatorial election in the state.

The Nigeria Bar
Association (NBA) has said the suspension of the Senior Advocate of
Nigeria title of former Minister of Justice and Attorney General of
Justice, Michael Aondoakaa, did not follow due process saying it was
ordered by the wrong body. It, therefore, called for the reversal of
the decision.

The body, in a
statement signed by its president, Joseph Bodunrin Daudu, the statutory
body responsible for such disciplinary measures is the Legal
Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) and not the Legal
Practitioners Privileges Committee (LPPC), which issued the suspension.

Mr. Aondoakaa was
last week stripped of the title for a period of six months pending the
determination of a petition on his misconduct while he was the nation’s
chief law officer between 2007-2009.

On the argument
that the privileges committee possess powers to remove its appointees
from office, just as it is empowered to appoint, the NBA stated that
the Legal Practitioners Act, under the maxim Generalia Specialibus non
derogant, displaces ‘the general’ as it “does not envisage a
withdrawal, removal or suspension of the rank of Senior Advocate of
Nigeria” citing Section 5-(1)-(8) and 6 of the Legal Practitioners Act.

The association
stated that the rank of SAN is a leadership position, conferred only on
persons who have shown exemplary character and, consequently it can
only be taken away where another statutory body, the Legal
Practitioners Disciplinary Committee, adjudges the person accused of
infamous conduct or breach of any of the rules of professional conduct.

The NBA president
said the LPPC, notwithstanding its eminent membership, “cannot and is
not equipped to deal with matters of discipline.”

He added that the
LPPC’s foray into “looking at matters of the discipline of a lawyer
under the guise of suspending a person of the rank of SAN is ultra
vires, illegal, unconstitutional and therefore null and void.”

Error in procedure

The NBA also argued that the LPPC’s action against Mr Aondoakaa was pre-emptive as the petition is yet be to adjudged.

Mr Daudu said a
petition is a mere allegation which carries with it the presumption
that the object is presumed innocent until proven guilty. He said it is
condemnable to punish a person with the full weight of the law, such as
suspension or temporary stripping of the rank of SAN and public odium
attached to it and at the same time admit that the petition has not
been proven.

“We stand for the
promotion of the Rule of Law and regardless of the personality of the
person involved herein, we cannot acquiesce to a situation where a
person, legal practitioner and senior advocate is punished even before
the allegations are established against him, moreso by a body that
clearly has no jurisdiction to inquire into matters of alleged breach
of professional ethics,” the NBA president said.

“Unless and until the laws are changed, the power to discipline a
legal practitioner, silk and non silk alike, is vested exclusively in
the LPDC” the statement read.