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The Imo State House of Assembly, on Wednesday, passed the amended Bill on Bush Burning Prohibition.

The Speaker of the House, Goodluck Opiah said in Owerri that having met the necessary legislative requirements, the bill will now be sent to the Governor, Ikedi Ohakim, for assent.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the bill, which seeks to curb environmental degradation through bush burning, was sponsored by Chukwuemeka Egbuchulam, the Majority Leader of the House.

Hajiya Maryam Babangida, a housewife, on Thursday, announced that
she will contest for a seat in the Adamawa State House of Assembly in
the 2011 elections.

Mrs Babangida told the News Agency of Nigeria, in Mubi, Adamawa,
that she would be proactive as a lawmaker, if elected. The aspirant,
who wants to represent Mubi-North State Constituency on the PDP
platform, promised to give special attention to the problems of
maternal mortality and youth unemployment through legislation.
“It
is time to effectively address the nagging problems of family health
and unemployment among the youth through legislation,” she said.

Mrs Babangida also pledged to collaborate with like-minded
colleagues in the House to enact gender-sensitive laws as part of the
process of improving the socio-economic status of women. She said such
laws would go a long way in addressing the problems of domestic
violence, juvenile delinquency, street begging and other forms of
violation against women and children.

“We need to develop a mechanism to ensure proper implementation of
poverty eradication among the youth and women,” she said. “I will
initiate economic empowerment programmes at the grass roots to uplift
the standard of living of women and youths.”

She also urged women to join politics and vie for elective positions
so as to ensure quality and proactive representation at all levels of
government. “It is desirable to evolve mechanisms to deal with issues
militating against effective women’s participation in politics,” she
said. “Nigeria is blessed with abundant talented women, but our
greatest setback is the lack of wisdom to support them and recognise
their contribution to national development.”

Business activities were on Wednesday paralysed for the second day running at the Chevron’s corporate headquarters in Lagos as it workers stayed off duty.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that some women from Ilaje area of Ondo State had on Tuesday besieged the company’s head office protesting alleged neglect. Subsequently, the management of the oil giant directed the workers to stay off duty pending when the issues that led to the women’s protest would be resolved.

The protesting women, who vowed never to vacate the company’s premises, accused management of the company of neglecting the host communities in Ilaje area. NAN gathered that the women also complained that the multi-national company had reneged on its promises to improve the welfare of the people in the host communities. They also demanded for better treatment from the company in the area of employment for the indigenes, good roads and portable water among others.

A staff of the company, who did not wish to be named, confirmed that the workers could not come to work on Wednesday because the management directed them to stay off from duty.

Folorunso Oginni, the Lagos Zonal Chairman, Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, also confirmed that the workers were directed to stay off from duty. He said that the decision was taken to avoid possible attack of the workers by the protesting women.

Efforts to reach Femi Odumabo, the company’s General Manager, Government and Public Affairs, were unsuccessful as calls and text messages sent to his mobile phone were unanswered.

The Federal
Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), on Wednesday, embarked on
thorough screening of motorists and air travellers at the Murtala
Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.

The development,
which is a fallout of the October 1, 2010 twin bombings in Abuja, is
aimed at curtailing the influx of people into the nation’s premier
gateway, and to “painstakingly screen” all guests to the international
airport. Akin Olukunle, the General Manager, Public Affairs for the
organisation, said that Aviation Security (AVSEC) operatives have been
ordered and stationed at strategic positions at the airport to enforce
the screening procedures.

“The airport is a
public place where several people engage in different activities and
that is why it is always a target for terrorists,” he said. “The
airport should therefore be properly secured, as this was one of the
prerequisite to the safety of the people that make use of the airport.”
He also added that operatives from the Nigerian Air Force, Police
Anti-Bomb Squad, Immigration, Civil Defence Corps, and the Aviation
Security are all going to be involved in the screening exercise at the
international airport.

All must be screened

Mr Olukunle also noted only the president and his vice are exempted
from the screening processes. “All airport users, whoever is coming to
the airport must have a business to do,” he said. “If you don’t have
anything to do at the airport then you are a tout and such a person
will be arrested by the Aviation Security personnel and handed over to
the police, no matter who you are,” he said. Mr Olukunle, however,
admitted that the road block mounted by the security operatives about
two kilometres away from the international terminal resulted in the
traffic jam at the airport, adding that passengers are therefore
advised to arrive the airport early enough to be able to go through the
screening and catch their flights on time. The authority’s spokesperson
said that commercial vehicles operating into the airport are also
inclusive in the screening exercise and that passengers on the buses
and cabs have to be searched thoroughly before getting to the
international airport.

To forestall
possible attempt to rig the forthcoming general elections, the Edo
State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole, has urged Nigerians to be prepared to
defend their votes by all available means.

He called on all
Nigerians to embark on civil disobedience if the 2011 general elections
were rigged, saying “it is either we have free and fair election in
2011 and Nigeria survives or they rig it and Nigeria will perish.”
Speaking at a lecture, titled ‘Democracy and the Nigerian Media: The
Challenge of Ensuring One-Man-One-Vote,’ organized by the
Correspondents’ Chapel of the Edo State Chapter of the Nigerian Union
of Journalists, yesterday, the governor said “the country is ready for
change, but the people need to knock the door harder for the change to
come.” He said the cost of challenging the system was not as much as
the cost of allowing the system to continue to degenerate. “The
campaign to entrench one man, one vote should be seen as a struggle for
survival,” he said. “It is either we struggle to survive or we allow
Nigeria to go under.”

Recounting his
experience in 2007 when he contested the state governorship election
and the tortuous court processes he went through to claim his mandate,
he urged Nigerians to resist election riggers right from the electoral
ground because “there must be balance of madness for our people to
recognize that there is no more time.” He said Nigeria cannot lay claim
to be a democratic society if the people cannot freely elect those to
represent them, adding that those who claim to have been elected under
a compromised situation cannot be accountable to the people.

An independent INEC

Mr Oshiomhole
argued that the test of the commitment to one man-one-vote must reflect
the way political parties handle their primaries. “A party that insists
on the return of its elected officers irrespective of their performance
in office was indicative of imposition,” he said, adding that this
defeats one man-one-vote. He also argued that multiplicity of political
parties could create situation for some elements to manipulate
elections, just as he observed that factionalization of the opposition
gives strength to the dominant party.

The governor said the apparent danger signs in 2011 electoral
process include attempts by the PDP dominated National Assembly to
encroach on matters that should be within the jurisdiction of political
parties and INEC. He said fixing the order of election by the National
Assembly was an attempt to turn Nigeria into a one-party state. “So we
must begin to notice and connect the media with some of these actions
that suggest some desperation to manipulate the process,” he said. He
also added that INEC should be the only one to make its rules and that
making such rules through legislation makes INEC to cease to be
independent umpire. “When a governor or a president conflicts with the
interest of the people, it must be resolved in favour of the people
because, governors and presidents come and go but the people and the
country remains.”

Hazeem Gbolarumi, a
governorship candidate and former aide to late strongman of Ibadan
politics, Lamidi Adedibu, has accused the state governor, Adebayo
Alao-Akala, of failing the people of the state by the policies of his
administration.

Mr. Gbolarumi, in a
letter sent to the governor to inform him of his ambition to succeed
him in 2011, said Mr. Alao-Akala has betrayed the trust he had in his
ability to transform the state.

“Permit me to say that a political career is a call to service,” he said.

“It affords one the
opportunity to attend to the needs of a wide range of people that
include the needy and the privileged. This is the cause I have pledged
my life to, and which I hope to devote my years on this earth.

“The dream of Oyo
State that I have will become a reality only when I am positioned to
bring about those changes that will lead to positive transformation.
This, I have at some point in time, thought could be achieved with you,
but the realities of the last four years have proved me wrong,” he
said.

In a bid to put a
lie to the claims of the state’s leadership of the Peoples Democratic
Party (PDP) that only the incumbent governor has indicated interest to
run for the governorship post in the 2011 elections, Mr. Gbolarumi told
journalists in Ibadan on Wednesday that he had picked a form at the
party’s national secretariat and had sought the support of the state
governor on his ambition.

The challenger was
the deputy governor of the state during the 11 months stint of
Alao-Akala as the state governor when former governor, Rashidi Ladoja,
was said by the courts to have been illegally impeached in 2006.

The two were also
among the close associates of the late Adedibu, but since the demise of
their political godfather, they have split into different groups to
further their political interest.

The gulf became
apparent as the presidential race hots up. Alao-Akala has expressed his
support for President Goodluck Jonathan, while Gbolarumi is the Oyo
State coordinator of the Ibrahim Babangida 2011 presidential campaign
organisation.

Opposed to return

By his declaration,
Mr. Gbolarumi seems to have joined the league of the state’s PDP
faction, who are contesting for the gubernatorial seat in 2011.

Mr. Gbolarumi made available to journalists copies of his letter to the governor.

Dated October 5,
the letter read in parts: “The letter, I must say, is an outcome of a
deep reflection on the great moments we shared, the political family we
belonged, and the beautiful Oyo State we both envisioned. Having come
along this far, and by virtue of your position as the leader of our
political party in Oyo State, I then, consider it a duty to notify you
of any decision and step taken in respect of my career goals.”

He went further to
remind the governor of the relationship between them and how they had
worked together to envision a new Oyo State.

The Oke-Ijebu area
of Akure metropolis was, yesterday, thrown into mayhem as a 10-year-old
pupil of All Saints Anglican Primary School allegedly pulled the
trigger of a single barrel gun found behind the toilet of the school
and killed his friend.

Unknown people had
dropped two single barrel guns at the back of the toilet of the Primary
School, in Oke-Ijebu. The students, who were playing during the break
time, discovered the guns and started playing with them, thinking they
were toys. In the process, one of the boys mistakenly pulled the
trigger and killed his playmate in the process. The shooter also
sustained injuries in the process.

The agitated
residents of the area trooped to the school premises to confirm the
incident, with parents expressing their worries about the condition of
pupils in the school. Some of the parents hurriedly took their children
home. The name of the two students involved in the incident was not
confirmed as at press time. The school authorities declined to speak
with journalists. The school was closed down, and the corpse of the
dead student was deposited at a mortuary, while the injured one was
receiving treatment at the state specialist hospital.

Aremu Adeniran, the spokesperson for the Ondo State Police Command,
confirmed the incident, adding that the police suspect that the two
guns were hid there by armed robbers. He also said that a sledge
hammer, cutlass and other instrument were recovered, were unearthed
during a routine search after the incident. According to him,
investigations are ongoing to unravel those behind the cache.

A Federal High
Court, sitting in Lagos, yesterday, ordered the National Assembly to
stop further amendment of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution.

The presiding
Judge, Okechukwu Okeke, ordered that no parties must take further steps
in respect of the subject matter. The suit was initiated by the former
President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA). Olisah Agbakoba. Mr
Agbakoba had asked the court to hold that the Constitution (First
Amendment) Act 2010 passed by the National Assembly cannot take effect
as law without the assent of the president. He had posited that the
exercise by the lawmakers without the assent of the president was
illegal and unconstitutional, urging the court to nullify the
amendments on the grounds that the National Assembly had contravened
section 58 of the 1999 Constitution. “I have taken cognizance of the
counsel to the plaintiff that the first defendant (National Assembly)
is making moves to further amend the subject matter before the court,”
said the judge. “The 1st defendant counsel has posited that there are
no such moves but I conceded that while the matter is pending, his
client have no power to take further steps.”

Defying the court

At the resumed
hearing of the matter yesterday, Chijioke Emeka, Counsel to Mr
Agbakoba, told the court in his notice of interlocutory injunction,
dated October 6, 2010, that there is pending before the judge a
substantive case challenging the constitutional validity of the
Constitution (First Amended) Act 2010. Mr Emeka argued that while the
suit is pending, the respondents have continued to carry into effect
the provisions of the disputed legislation in defiance of court process
and exposing the subject matter of the suit to disrepute.

However, Counsel to
the National Assembly, Johnson Usman, debunked the allegation, saying
that it was not correct that the first defendant has continued to carry
out the process of further amending the constitution. “I am aware that
when parties are in court, status quo has to be maintained and the
first defendant is doing everything to maintain status quo to show
regard to the majesty of the court,” he said.

In a similar
manner, Emmanuel Akaa, the Counsel to the Attorney General of the
Federation, said his client would not do anything that would sabotage
the processes which are already in court on the matter. “We shall obey
which ever order the court gives on this matter,” he said.

The president must sign

Mr Agbakoba is also
asking the court to hold that in view of the provisions of section 58
(1) of the 1999 Constitution, the assent of the president is a
prerequisite before the amendments can become law. According to the
plaintiff, unless the assent of the president is overridden in pursuant
to section 58 (5) of the Constitution, president’s assent is required
before the amendments become law. He is also asking the court to
“declare that the exclusion by the first defendant (National Assembly)
of the assent of thepPresident of the Federal Republic of Nigeria from
the process of alteration of the Constitution, unless section 58 (5) of
the 1999 Constitution is complied with, renders the ‘Constitution
(First Amendment) Act 2010’ embodying such altered provisions
unconstitutional, null and void.”

The plaintiff is
seeking an order nullifying and voiding the Constitution (First
Amendment) Act 2010’ for contravening the provisions of section 58 of
the Constitution. According to Mr Agbakoba, section 58 of the 1999
Constitution is unequivocal on the mode of passing an Act of the
National Assembly and therefore, an Act does not become law unless it
gets the consent of the president.

The matter was adjourned till October 26, 2010 for hearing of all the applications and the main motion.

None of the
survivors of the Abuja bomb blasts taken to the National Hospital,
Abuja has died, the head of management and information services of the
hospital, Tayo Haastrup has said.

“We have
stabilized them,” he said. Mr Haastrup told a delegation of ANPP
leaders led by its national chairman, Ogbonnaya Onu that 19 out of the
27 victims brought to the hospital in the wake of the blasts have been
discharged, leaving only eight of them.

The ANPP leaders, who visited on Tuesday,

pledged to give N1 million to the survivors of the bomb attack.

“We are really
touched by the level of destruction and lives involved, it is very
disturbing, we have never had something like this; we pray we will
never have anything like this again,” Mr Onu said. “Our heart is with
the families of this innocent Nigerians, they do not deserve this. We
are very happy that the national hospital is doing very well as they
have not lost anybody and they are working very hard to restore the
health of those affected.” Unveil the suspects Mr Onu said the party
will make available the sum of N1million to the family and ask the
Chief Medical Director (CMD) to share the money among the survivors.

“We know that the
president has promised to take care of the bill but we still believe
that there is the need for us to do something additional,” he said. He
said that the primary responsibility of government is to secure the
lives and property of the citizenry adding that the federal government
must ensure that all Nigerians live and work in an environment that is
secured.

Mr Onu also said
security agencies must do their best to unveil those behind the plot
and that the findings into the blasts should not be swept under the
carpet.

Amongst the party’s entourage were the deputy national Chairman
(South), John Odigie-Oyegun and other senior members of the party.

The Yobe State deputy governor, Abubakar Ali, said
on Wednesday that 132 deaths and 2,273 cases of cholera were recorded
in the state from July to date.

Fielding questions from journalists in Damaturu,
the state capital, Mr Ali said 79 people were on admission in various
hospitals in the state. “These were cases that were brought and
recorded at the hospitals by the epidemiological unit but the deaths at
home were not recorded,’’ he said. The deputy governor, who is also the
commissioner for health, said the government has established camps in
local government areas like Gashua with high incidence of the disease.
He also announced that “special funds have also been allocated to local
government areas in the state to tackle the disease while government
supports them with drugs from the state Ministry of Health”. Mr Ali
attributed attitudinal problems of poor hygiene and sanitation to the
recurring outbreaks of the killer-disease among the populace. No fewer
than 50 deaths were registered recently in a fresh outbreak in Bade,
Jakusko and Bursari Local Government Areas of the state.