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Attahiru Jega, the
chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) must
be ready to become a miracle worker or magician to deliver all that he
has promised Nigerians ahead of the 2011 general elections, Ishola
Williams has said.

Speaking at the
11th Mike Okonkwo annual lecture held in Lagos yesterday, the retired
military general who spoke on the coming elections while referring to
the N87 billion for the commission said, “I do not know why he is
asking for that amount of money. He must have some reasons for doing
that, therefore, let us see what the outcome will be.

“But like I said
when he was taking over the job, he must be a superman or a magician to
do all that. Whether we like it or not, we have to vote.”

Forfeited chance

Mr Williams who
narrated his experience during the late Sani Abacha-led junta said, “I
will not agree with the cancellation of the election (1993 election)
and I told them then that if they are going to take over the
government, I will go, and then I left. I left with three days notice.
I couldn’t agree when Abacha took over and I left because I felt very
strongly and I still feel strongly about that election. That was the
second greatest mistake after decree number one that Nigeria made.

“That was the best
election we ever conducted, and what did we use? Option A4. In fact,
when my name was been tipped as the chairman of INEC, I said one of the
conditions that can make me take the job is if they allow option A4.”

Nigerians arise

Mr Williams also
urged Nigerians not to be disappointed if the Jega-led INEC’s promises
were not delivered and things did not turn out as expected, citing the
fact that Nigerians have so much relied on the leadership class for
change, despite the fact that the abetting and compromise of a teaming
percentage of the followers have allowed the leadership to go on
unchallenged.

According to him,
no matter the integrity of those that the government may be packing
into the electoral commission, Nigerians must realise their role in
ensuring the success of installing true governance.

After a decade
devoted to the research and development of African traditional
medicine, researchers, practitioners, scientists and policy makers
alike are still dissatisfied that it is not given proper recognition in
the national healthcare system.

The Africa Union
(AU) had in July 2001 declared the year 2001-2010 as the decade of
traditional medicine in recognition of its vast potentials and its
immense contribution to the continent’s sustainable development in
health and wellbeing of her people. This is based on the WHO’S (World
Health Organization) premise that 85 per cent of the people utilize one
form of traditional medicine or the other.

It also recognizes
it as a source of poverty alleviation, wealth and job creation with an
estimated annual global trade worth USD100 billion.

But at the
commemoration of the ‘End of Decade for Traditional Medicine last week
in Lagos, the conclusive remark is that much more still needs to be
done to officially incorporate this form of medicine into the national
healthcare delivery system.

According to the
director general of the Nigeria Natural Medicine Development Agency,
(NNMDA), Tamunoibuomi Okujagu, progress has been made in the area of
sensitization and popularization in the last decade.

“However, more
needs to be done in issues of policy, legal framework
institutionalizing traditional medicine, inauguration of National Board
to regulate traditional medicine and establishment of centres of
excellence.”

A bill too long

One of the efforts
made at institutionalizing the practice is an attempt to pass a Bill on
traditional medicine into law. The Bill titled ‘Establishment of
Nigerian Traditional Medicine Policy and the Bill to establish the
Traditional Medical Council of Nigeria’, was developed by the Federal
Ministry of Health in 2006, but has only passed through the second
reading since then. Subsequently, the house was dissolved in 2007 due
to the 2007 national election. Researchers believe a change of
government may affect the success of this Bill.

“Presently, I don’t
see much to be again done this year,” Mr Okujagu says. “The elections
are coming up again (2011 polls) and the House will be dissolved soon.
We hope that when a new House is constituted it may push it, but that
means we have to begin again. And of course the success of the Bill
will depend on someone in the House who will be able to champion the
cause.” The Bill, if passed is expected to regulate the practice by
polishing the knowledge of existing practitioners thus preventing
quackery. Studies have continued to show that a large percentage of the
population will definitely patronize herbal medicine practitioner
because they are the most accessible especially in rural areas and they
are affordable.

The chairman of the Lagos State Traditional Medicine Board, Bunmi Omoseyindemi emphasizes the need.

“We just have to
sensitize them enough so that they can pass the bill. Our current
healthcare delivery system cannot effectively meet the need of the
population alone; patients.” He adds, “so there is a need to develop
the manpower in traditional medicine so that they can effectively
support orthodox medicine for health promotion and illness prevention.”

So far, so good

So far, NNMDA has
made progress in developing traditional medicine through research of
medicinal plants in collaboration with university scientists and
traditional medicine practitioners who possess the indigenous
knowledge. This has led to the publishing of books on medicinal plants
of the six geopolitical zones in Nigeria. The Agency also houses a
digital virtual library said to be first of its kind in Africa. It
contains up to 589 books on traditional medicine and 80 CDs.

Dr Omoseyindemi remarks that this is commendable but not enough compared to other African countries.

“We need an institute for traditional medicine. In countries like
Ghana for instance, they have a several institutes, even universities
where a master’s degree in traditional medicine can be obtained. But
here we have only one agency for traditional medicine and one digital
library that has documentation on it.” He adds that the Lagos State
Board is also doing quite a lot in the area of training of
practitioners and accreditation to prevent quackery.

The National Human
Rights Commission (NHRC) has formally demanded the prosecution and
dismissal of an army personnel who viciously attacked a civilian with a
combat belt, leaving him blind in both eyes, in a typical case of
unrelenting violence by security operatives against civilians.

Joseph Agu’s fate
was brought to the fore during a public tribunal on police abuses held
in Imo State by the commission in collaboration with the Network on
Police Reforms in Nigeria (NOPRIN) a forthnight ago. A former truck
driver in Enugu State, Mr. Agwu was allegedly assaulted by Francis
Ogah, an army sergeant attached to the force 82nd division, Enugu, in
January 2009.

Although details of
the previous events are unclear, the sergeant reportedly cornered Mr.
Agwu’s truck with a Mitsubishi bus, hauled him out, before handing him
several blows on the eyes with the metallic belt fastener, severely
injuring the victim’s both eyes, Mr. Agwu said in testimony at the
tribunal.

Rather than a
relief after medical treatments spanning more than one year, Mr. Agwu
totally lost his sight amid repeated complaints to the military
authorities, who allegedly offered him no proper medical attention or
compensation.

He said in his
testimony that he personally financed the treatment through proceeds he
raised from the sales of his family and personal belongings.

The public
tribunal, which had appointed adjudicators, featured several such heart
rending tales, mostly against the police and its officers in numerous
abuses against the civil populace they are paid to protect.

Sanctions for perpetrators

In the communiqué
released at the weekend, the NHRC recommended sanctions against the
perpetrators, and compensations too for their victims or the families,
with a promise to table the complaints to the highest authorities.

The commission also
formally demanded the prosecution and dismissal of Mr. Ogah, in a
petition sent to the minister of defence, Adetokunbo Kayode, dated
August 30, 2010, in one of a few such cases championed by the
government institution.

“Your urgent
intervention will be in accordance with the principle of rule of law
and respect for human rights of which you are one of the key proponents
in this administration,” the letter, signed by Tony Ojukwu, on behalf
of the commission’s executive secretary.

Amongst other things, the commission asked Mr. Kayode to ensure that
the accused is released for full investigations and prosecutions while
a befitting medical attention and compensation is given Mr. Agwu.

The National Drug
Law Enforcement Agency has set two hectares of cannabis farm ablaze at
a village in the Ushongo Local Government Area of Benue State.

The News Agency of
Nigeria (NAN) reports that the agency’s operatives who could not remove
the weeds from the farmland due to logistic problems, had to set the
illicit drug on fire.

The state’s
commander of the drug agency, Samuel Azige, said that the suspected
hemp farmer who confessed that he deliberately cultivated hemp among
pepper plants to avoid attention has been arrested.

He said 224 kg of cannabis was taken from the suspect to serve as an exhibit for possible prosecution.

The Akwa Ibom State
government says it has concluded plans to build 12 new secondary
schools to replace those handed over to churches.

Victor Attah, a
previous governor, has handed over some schools to their original
owners. Jerry Emah, Senior Special Assistant on Education to Godswill
Akpabio, said yesterday in Uyo that the plan is to build new schools to
replace the “returned” ones.

He said the idea is
to ensure that communities which hosted the schools returned to
missions get new ones to serve people in the localities.

“The model schools
will be completely boarding and each of the 31 local government areas
will eventually have two each,” Mr. Emah said.

Gyang Dantong, a senator representing
Plateau-North has urged Nigerians to vote out non-performing Senators
in the forthcoming 2011 general elections.

Mr Dantong stated this in Jos during the
Accountability Forum organised by the Correspondents’ Chapel in Plateau
for political office holders to give account of their stewardship.

“If someone goes to represent you and he does not perform, then that person needs to be changed.

Mr Dantong also said that members of the National
Assembly were not executives but legislators who should concern
themselves with the act of lawmaking.

He said that National Assembly members were given
constituency allowances during the former President Olusegun Obasanjo
era but that the practice had since stopped.

“After that, we realised that we have no business in executing projects.

So they have stopped giving us the constituency
project allowance and up till now, the allowance is no longer given to
us.” He said.

Human rights
activist and lawyer, Tunji Abayomi, has joined the call by some lawyers
for the scrap of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) titles, saying the
title was no longer serving the purpose it was initiated for.

Mr. Abayomi, in an
interview with NEXT in Akure, said the award of SAN titles to lawyers
has destroyed the very fundamentality of equality among lawyers.

The Nigeria Bar
Association, at its recently concluded election, had equally directed
all its branches in the country to review the award of SAN to lawyers.

The award has generated controversies among lawyers, several of whom said the honour was no longer relevant to the profession.

An oligarchy

Mr. Abayomi, who
has practised for over thirty years but is not one of those bestowed
with the award, said SAN award has become a professional oligarchy in a
profession of equal members. He also said the call for the scrapping of
the title was not borne out of unnecessary malice or envy.

‘It does not add anything to my reputation as a lawyer. Rather, it will take something out of it,” he said.

“It is not because
I am not given. If I want it, I will apply because I am highly
qualified. I meet all the criteria. I don’t just like it because it
creates master servant relationship at the bar. The very fundamentality
of equality has been destroyed by subjective conferment of senior
advocate of Nigeria.

“SAN is absurd. Is
it an honour or a promotion? If it is an honour, why applying for it?
Why lobby for it? On the other hand, if it is a promotion, it should be
applicable to everybody because if you want to be a fellow of West
African College of Physicians, you have to pass through examination,”
he said.

He lamented that
those who have the titles are using it to oppress junior lawyers in
court, stressing that SANship only adds personal glorification to the
profession.

“We don’t see them
campaign for the rights of the people. I have not seen SAN oligarchy
campaigning for the down trodden masses. How many of them stood against
dictatorship? The only thing it has brought for them is abuse of
professional power and undue charges simply because of the title.

“It has done tremendous damage to the development of legal
profession. No distinguished lawyer can emerge under the oppressive
umbrella of this SANship,” he said.

The PDP chairman in Delta State, Peter Nwoboshi, said power rotation still subsists in the state.

According to him, the system is in line with the
party’s zoning policy. He said the only way peace could be sustained in
the polity at all levels of governance was the retention of zoning
formula.

Mr Nwoboshi told journalists in Asaba that the
principle was integral to an all-inclusive government, “I have been a
protagonist of zoning because I know that it is the only way we can
have peace in the country.”

The PDP chairman said the national body was
irrevocably committed to zoning as affirmed by the national chairman,
Ezekwesili Nwodo, at a recent National Executive Council (NEC) meeting.

“Nwodo said that power should rotate between north
and south at the national level, among the three senatorial districts
in the state, and among the communities for council elections.

“So, in Delta, we will abide by the party’s
resolution and ensure that for now, power remains in the southern
district,” he added.

The Niger State
government has denied entering into contractual agreement with any
private waste disposal company for the cleaning of streets in Minna.

Hadiza Mohammad,
permanent secretary of the state’s ministry of environment, in a
statement made available to the press in Minna on Sunday, said that the
claim by a private waste collector, Messrs Remi O Nigeria Limited, that
it had entered into a contract to clean some streets in the state
capital, was frivolous, spurious, and unfounded.

She accused the owner of the company of trying to defraud Niger State, adding that government would not condone his act.

“It is obvious he has criminal intent to defraud the government of
its resources from the inconsistent amounts he claims and is only
making noise to attract public sympathy,” she said.

The recent British
Petroleum (BP) oil spill incident in the Gulf of Mexico unconsciously
drew global attention to the damning situation in Nigeria’s Niger Delta
region.

For barely 67
days, between April 20 and July 15, 2010, that the Macondo deepwater
horizon drilling rig blowout lasted, the United States government,
through a National Response Team (NRT), mobilized its resources to
ensure that the spill was not only curtailed, but also its impact to
the environment contained.

Indigenes of the
Niger Delta, who have lived with a similar situation for over half a
century since oil was first discovered in the region, could only watch
in envy. Routine spillages into the environment by oil companies
operating in the region are poorly cleaned, nor impacted areas
remediated.

The average daily
flow from the spills may not usually be as heavy in a singular incident
as that of the BP incident, but environmentalists say drops from more
than 10,000 oil spill incidents reported in almost 3,000 sites, apart
from several other unreported occurrences since 1956, would have formed
a flood of concern.

Chairman, Friends
of the Earth International (FoEI), Nnimmo Bassey, puts the figure more
succinctly: “There are more than 300 spills incidents, major and minor,
every year.”

Conservatively, that translates to about 15,000 incidents in the last five decades.

Though the exact
volume of oil poured into the environment for the period remains
debatable, the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) records show
that more than 7,000 spills occurred in the facilities of the various
operators between 1970 and 2000.

The National Oil
Spill Detection & Response Agency (NOSDRA) describes the scale of
pollution in the region as mind-boggling, saying that between 1976 and
1996 alone, more than 2.4 million barrels of crude oil contaminated the
environment.

Minister of
Environment, John Odey, disclosed last week in Abuja that between
January 2006 and last June, another 3,203 oil spills were recorded in
the region.

“The devastation
of oil pollution in the Niger Delta region over the last 50 years is
horrendous, yet the oil companies have always gone away with a slap on
the wrist,” Godfrey Enyinanya, an environmental rights activists, told
NEXT in Abuja last week at the sidelines of a workshop on oil spill
management.

Mr Enyinanyam said
if the Niger Delta region was to be accorded half the kind of attention
the incident in the Gulf of Mexico received, there is no way the region
would continue to experience the level of restiveness that appears to
have unsettled the peace of the region.

“Most of the oil
companies have drilled and spilled oil over the years without bothering
to clean up and remediate the environment. Nigeria is reputed to be
flaring the highest volume of natural gas annually. Yet, adequate
reparations and compensations have not been paid to the people whose
lands have remained devastated. Government is ill-prepared to initiate
legal actions to compel the companies to do what is right,” he said.

At the workshop,
organized by NOSDRA in collaboration with the United Nations
Development Programme (UNDP) to review regulations and guidelines on
oil spills in the country, participants identified the reasons the
Niger Delta is today one of the most polluted places in the world.

Apart from corrupt
government officials, who regularly connive with oil companies to
exploit loopholes in existing laws, participants traced the problem of
inadequate environmental protection in the country to duplication and
contradictions in existing codes and regulations.

Regional Manager,
Environment, Shell Exploration & Production Africa, Charles Okoro,
who presented the views of multinationals, said there are several laws
in existence which tend to promote conflict in monitoring and
regulating issues on environmental in the country, because various
agencies of government assume similar responsibilities or functions.

Mr Okoro, who
called for the harmonization of these laws for efficiency and
effectiveness, said some of these regulations come under the purview of
the Federal Ministry of Environment and DPR, while others come under
the Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA).

These include the
National Guidelines for Environmental Pollution Control in Nigeria;
National Guidelines for Environmental Audit; National Guidelines for
Environmental Management; Effluent Limitation and Pollution Abatement
for Facilities Generating Waste and National Environmental Protection
Management of Solid and Hazardous Waste.

“There should be
consistency in laws regulating operations in our environment,” he said.
“The greatest challenge operators face in the country is the
multiplicity of regulations and regulators. We need to harmonize and
align these existing laws, and have a focus of what we have to do as
well as have a common goal as a country.”

But one other
point that became apparent in the course of discussions was the
vulnerability of NOSDRA, the government agency statutorily mandated to
spearhead oil spill management issues in the country, but whose
functions have often been subsumed under the authority of the DPR.

Though NOSDRA,
under the draft National Oil Spill Contingency Plan (NOSCP), has the
mandate to respond to all tiers of spills, the debate was whether the
agency possesses the requisite capacity to handle such a responsibility
effectively, without resorting to the support of the companies it is
supposed to monitor and regulate.

Willing officials, weak agency

If NOSDRA is faced
with the kind of situation in the Gulf of Mexico, does it have the
capacity to mobilise and deploy hi-tech resources to curtail and
contain the situation without turning to the oil companies for
assistance?

Acting Director
General of NOSDRA, Uche Okwechime, could not provide answers to these
posers in her response to NEXT’s online inquiries at the weekend.
Rather, she pointed out that “a lot has been achieved by NOSDRA to
safeguard the Nigerian environment from the menace of oil spillages”.

Mrs. Okwechime
said NOSDRA has initiated measures to better its capacity to function,
including the review of the NOSDRA Establishment Act; review of NOSDRA
regulations and guidelines, setting up of a committee to fashion-out
modalities to create awareness on environmental impact associated with
oil facilities’ vandalism, oil theft and operation of illegal
refineries.

“The Agency’s
field officers are available at all times to ensure compliance with the
agency’s mandate on clean-up as stated in Part III of NOSDRA Act,
Section 6 (3) as well as the international principle of Polluter- Pays-
principle. The Agency also carries out the following activities to
ensure better management of oil spills by oil companies: Regular oil
spill response equipment audit; drills/exercises; regular facility
inspections; and periodic meetings with health safety and environment
(HSE) managers of oil companies,” she said.

She listed some
major oil spills incidents the agency handled in the last five years to
include the 2,500 barrels spill at the Brass River Manifold to Brass
oil terminal and the 10,000 barrels Tebidaba/Brass pipeline incidents
by Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC) in 2006; the 3,500 barrels Diobu
creek field spill by Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) and the
7,809 barrels spill at OML 58/Obagi-Rumuekpe by Total Nigeria Limited.

Others include: the two incidents recorded by ExxonMobil, involving
a total of 3,963 barrels spilled at Qua Iboe Terminal last year.