Nigeria Content Online

The chief judge of
Niger State, Justice Jibrin Ndatsu-Ndajiwo, on Tuesday, granted amnesty
to 15 inmates of Bida Prison on grounds of ill-health and other sundry
considerations.

A News Agency of
Nigeria (NAN) correspondent reports that the visiting chief judge
pardoned two prisoners because of deteriorating health condition.

He granted amnesty
to five prisoners due to old age and two for good behaviour, while six
others were about to finish their jail terms.

Speaking to NAN on the occasion, the officer-in-charge of the
prison, Babayo Maisanda, said the inmates’ release was part of efforts
by the Federal Government to decongest the country’s prisons and
commended the chief judge for releasing the prisoners, saying “the
gesture is appreciated.”

Samingo Etukakpan,
a community leader in Eket, Akwa-Ibom State, on Tuesday urged the state
government to either ensure the early completion of the public-private
partnership initiated refinery or recover state money. Mr Ekukakpan
told journalists in Eket that this was the only way to ensure that the
$10million (about N1.5billion) the state invested in the Eket Private
Refinery does not go down the drain.

He said the state Governor,
Godswill Akpabio, during his visit to Eket last weekend, said that the
$10 million state fund it invested in the project was trapped and that
the governor claimed that only $1 million (N150million) has so far been
recovered. The state government and Amakpe International Refineries are
collaborating on the refinery project. According to Mr Ekukakpan, the
governor said that the steps so far taken to recover the money from the
private investors have not yielded any good result.

The former governor
of Lagos State, Bola Tinubu, yesterday said he has forgiven Nuhu
Ribadu, the former chairman of the Economic and Financial Crime
Commission (EFCC) for his investigation by the anti-corruption agency.

Speaking in Lagos
at the launch of ‘Diary of a Debacle: Tracking Nigeria’s failed
Democratic Transition (1989-94),’ written by Olatunji Dare, Mr. Tinubu
traced the forgiveness to the spirit of humility occasioned by the
Ramadan fasting.

“Your period was a
big challenge. Manipulators wanted to use it for politics, but you did
what you had to do to some of us and we challenged that. I believe in
what you believe: transparency, honesty and integrity, making the
people the cornerstone of every economy of a nation,” Mr Tinubu said.

“But, I must thank
you once again that no matter the level of things here and there, you
did not falsely paint a crime and charge me falsely. Thank you, and in
the spirit of this month of Ramadan, I have forgiven you everything and
it is the truth. Some could have created chronic charges, even if the
court will let you go, but you refused to use that office to abuse it,
you refused to allow that. Thank you very much. You believe in what we
believe, so we are expecting you to join the democratic struggles and
liberate this country,” he said.

He, however, asked
Mr Ribadu to make good all the opportunity he has now to benefit the
needs and yearnings of Nigerians, which he claimed had been deprived of
quality leadership.

“I have heard so many speculations in the papers. So make it real. We must take control of our future,” he said.

The former Lagos
State governor was accused of certificate forgery and shoddy dealings
in the sale of the state’s N4 billion shares in the telecommunications
outfit, Econet (now Zain) during his tenure, an allegation which he
then denied.

With his name still
listed as one of those under prosecution for one case or the other, he
said that the transaction was a “straightforward institutional
investment”, which earned the state over N15 billion profit.

Anti-democracy

Berating how bad
eggs that contributed to the annulment of June 12 are now also parading
themselves as presidential aspirants and politicians in the country,
Mr. Tinubu described them as dubious, saying “did they say they are
democrats and they want to contest the next election and annul June 12?
If they were, they would not have annulled June 12.”

He said Nigeria only honours fraudulent men and those that have no reason for receiving national honours.

“Look at the annual
list of our national honour award. Only those that are known for their
notoriety and contributions to economic instabilities are there,” he
said.

Sitting beside
Atiku Abubakar and Bola Tinubu, Mr. Ribadu has also been linked to the
2011 presidential race and has promised that all Nigeria needs now is a
youthful leadership, which he is set to grant.

A delegate of the
National Association of Nigerian Students, led by Agbabiaka Ahmed, also
stormed the venue of the event at exactly 1:08pm to call for the
establishment of voters registration centres on university campuses.

The eight ICT
companies shortlisted by the Independent National Electoral Commission
for the purchase of equipment for the voters’ registration exercise may
know the outcome of their security screening today.

The names of the
companies were submitted to the State Security Service for screening on
Monday amidst criticism that not enough Nigerian companies were
enlisted. An INEC source close to the procurement process revealed last
night that only Google and Zinox Technologies had passed initial
clearing for the supply of software and hardware respectively.

Google is the
world’s leading internet-based services provider and is being
considered for the supply of the software that will power the data
capture machines. Zinox Technologies is a Nigerian company whose
chairman, Leo-Stan Ekeh, recently pledged his company’s capacity to
deliver the 120,000 direct data capture machines within eight weeks.

The other six
companies being considered are Dimension Data, Image Technology,
Resourcery ltd, Basmak, Pacific Millenium and Joint Komputer Company.

According to the
source there were two companies in particular that faced some
challenges because of a poor supply record particularly in regards to
the last general election.

“There are two companies on that list who were not first choice to deal with,” the source said.

“It would be unfair
of me to name them in the media but they may face some challenges with
the SS because they did not supply on time before.”

The N74bn contract
for the acquisition of the direct capture machines has been split into
three key components namely, the supply of the hardware consisting of a
laptop, a web cam and a finger printing device; supply of the software
needed to drive the entire process and lastly the expertise to
integrate the various components into one functional unit.

In sending the
shortlist to the SSS, the chairman, Attahiru Jega, is aiming for
transparency and credibility according to the source. With four
indigenous companies out of the total eight, the source said that Mr.
Jega was also aiming to aid the local economy.

“There were hundreds of companies bidding and we have gone for a
blend of both local and international skill sets,” the source said.

The southwest
leadership of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), has cautioned
governors of Osun and Oyo States, Olagunsoye Oyinlola and Adebayo
Alao-Akala, against further delay in resolving the crisis between the
governments of the two states over Ladoke Akintola University of
Technology (LAUTECH) to avoid the hammer of the National University
Commission (NUC) on the institution.

Ayo Afolabi, the
party’s director of publicity in the region, in a press release in
Ibadan on Tuesday, also called on elders of the two owner-states of the
university to prevail on the two governors on the crisis, for the sake
of posterity.

He said if the
governors fail to resolve the crisis now, and allow their ego to
eventually push the NUC to withdraw the university’s licence as earlier
threatened, posterity will not be kind to them.

“Throwing away the
LAUTECH licence deliberately on the altar of irresponsible fight by
these spoilt-brat governors, who obviously have no iota of respect for
education, as they do not have the benefit of it, will amount to the
greatest disservice to the institution,” the release stated.

Mr. Afolabi
wondered what could be the crux of the fight “that it could not be
amicably resolved in the corporate interest of the institution and the
owner states, as had been the case with matured and reasonable chief
executives who had managed the destiny of LAUTECH since 1991 when Osun
State was carved out of Oyo State.”

According to him,
educational activities in the two states have been in limbo for some
months, and students and staff in the educational sector have continued
to bear the brunt.

Destruction of university

“It is on record
that teachers in all secondary schools in Oyo State have been on strike
for well over three months now, while Osun State government had just
coned the lecturers of the four higher institutions it owned, to
suspend its four month old strike, which they called for legitimate
demands.”

He further noted
that the two states possess weak educational policies, as the incumbent
governors display little respect for the sector.

Suggesting a due
process if the owner-states desires halt the joint ownership of the
university, Mr. Afolabi accused Messrs Alao-Akala and Oyinlola of
working towards the destruction of the university “founded and nurtured
on the strength of integrity of reputable elderly and selfless
indigenes with great foresight for the future.

“Our party is of
the view that if it becomes inevitable that joint ownership of LAUTECH
will come to a halt, it should pass through due process and laid down
procedures, with the concerned parties taking their dues, the interest
of the students adequately protected, the staff taken in to due
consideration, while the institution’s future and destiny is not
disrupted.

“The ACN is calling
on the elders of the two owner’s states to come together NOW to rescue
the institution. The earlier the elders act, the better for the
institution that had been officially rated as the best state owned
university in Nigeria,” the release concluded.

The Chief Justice
of Nigeria (CJN), Aloysius Katsina-Alu, has ordered an Abuja High Court
judge, Othman Musa, to explain why he evicted the legal resident of an
Abuja house during a custody dispute. Mr. Musa has two weeks to explain
why he should not be sacked for his decision.

The Justice was
acting on a dispute between Mr Eyiboh and Hassan Muhammed Gusau, a
senator from Zamfara State. The two have been locked in a contentious
legal battle since 2008 over the land on which Mr. Eyiboh erected his
house.

On May 28, Justice
Musa granted an ex-pate motion evicting Eseme Eyiboh, a House of
Representatives member from Akwa Ibom State, from his private residence
in Area 11, Garki. Mr. Gusau had a writ of possession from a Sharia
court in Jigawa State and a letter from an Abuja Upper Area Court
judge, directing the police to aid the enforcement of the eviction.

On June 3, a team
of officers, led by a bailiff and Mr. Gusau’s relatives, arrived at the
house early in the morning and threw out Mr Eyiboh’s belongings. The
representative said that it took the intervention of his lawyers to
dissuade the team from carrying out the eviction.

The lawyers
questioned why Justice Musa had approved such an action when Mr. Eyiboh
had not been joined in the Jigawa suit, nor was his name mentioned in
the Abuja court order.

On June 30, the
judge reversed his order, saying that it was given in error. He ordered
Mr. Eyiboh to take back possession of the home.

However, not satisfied with the new order, Mr Eyiboh petitioned the
CJN, who is also the chairman of the National Judicial Council. “I
believe sincerely that Musa colluded with my adversary, Hassan Muhammed
Gusau, to forcefully evict me from my property and hand over possession
to the said Gusau,” said Mr. Eyiboh, in the petition.

The Oyo State
chapter of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday promised to
give more slots to women in the next political dispensation.

The state secretary
of the party, Bashiru Akanbi, disclosed this at the party secretariat,
Ibadan, on Tuesday, while receiving party members from Ona-Ara local
government of the state, who came to present Jumoke Akinjide, a
senatorial candidate from the council, for the Oyo central senatorial
district.

“Oyo State will be
gender sensitive. We are committed to the Beijing, China declaration
that gave women participation in politics 35 percent,” he said.

Mr. Akanbi also
said, in line with Goodluck Jonathan’s commitment to credible elections
in 2011, the party will ensure a level-playing ground for all aspirants
in the party during their primaries.

According to him,
since the president, as the leader of the party, has made the
commitment at every opportunity he had to speak within and outside the
country, it is expected that the local units of the party should
express its seriousness through internal democracy.

“Ensuring credible
election must start from home. The PDP executive in the state will
remain an unbiased umpire for the primaries.

“By being fair to
all, candidates would avail anybody that eventually grabs the ticket
the confidence of every member, including those who lost the ticket to
him,” Mr. Akanbi stated.

The party scribe urged all members of the party to participate fully in the proposed review of voters’ register.

Game of number

He explained that
since the president and the chairman of Independent National Electoral
Commission (INEC), Attahiru Jega, have assured Nigerians of free, fair,
and credible elections in 2011, the coming elections will be games of
number.

He asked them to go out and register, and mobilise their supporters to also do so, saying it is their civic responsibility.

Commending members
of the party in the senatorial district over their conduct during
campaigns and political rallies, Mr. Akanbi urged members from other
districts in the state to do the same.

“Oyo Central
senatorial district is the only place in the state where aspirants and
their supporters relate peacefully at rallies. In all their programmes
I have attended, there were never booming of guns and use of any
weapon. They have been peaceful,” he said.

The aspirant, in her speech, promised to give the district
responsible representation if elected to the upper chamber of the
National Assembly, saying she would not disappoint the party either.

Nasarawa State
joined other states in promising to support Goodluck Jonathan should he
decide to run for president in the 2011 elections after a 30-man
delegation led by the state’s governor, Aliyu Akwe Doma, and the
minister of state for information, Labaran Maku, visited the president
yesterday to convey the message.

“We wish to state
that should you decide to answer the clarion calls on you from
different parts of the country to contest the 2011 Presidential
Election, we, the people of Nasarawa State are resolved to give you our
total support and commitment,” Mr Doma, said.

The governor, who
spoke with journalists after meeting with the president, said the
decision was taken “because I am confident and believe in his capacity
to lead this country”.

Welcoming the
promise of support, Mr. Jonathan said he was greatly encouraged by the
delegation’s visit and its appreciation of his administration’s
achievements in the time it has had in office.

Mr. Jonathan said he will draw on the pledged support should he decide to contest next year.

Making votes count

During the visit,
the President reaffirmed his commitment to ensuring that every vote
counts in next year’s general elections, saying he will not compromise
his commitment to credible elections.

“We will not shift
an inch away from it. Public office holders must truly enter office
with the mandate of the people. If votes do not count, then public
office holders cannot be compelled to do the right thing. Ensuring that
all votes count is therefore the best way of ensuring that our
democracy stabilizes and our people reap its positive dividends,” Mr
Jonathan told the delegation.

Plea for better roads

The Nasarawa
delegation requested that the dualisation of the Abuja -Keffi road be
extended to Akwanga and Lafia, and onward to Makurdi and Enugu.

To this Mr Jonathan
said it was his belief that all the arterial roads into Federal Capital
should be expressways to facilitate easy movement in and out of the
city.

“We must factor it
into our long-term national planning,” he said, adding that his
administration is committed to strengthening institutional structures
to enhance proper long-term planning and continuity in project delivery.

The delegation
included the Nasarawa State Deputy Governor, Michael Abdul; former
governor Abdullahi Adamu; the Speaker of the State House of Assembly,
Musa Mohammed; the Emir of Lafia and Chairman of the State Council of
Chiefs, Mustapha Agwai; senators, Abubakar Sodangi and Walid Jibrin and
Yunana Iliya .

Others in the delegation were Yusuf Agade Ayitogo; PDP National Vice
Chairman, North Central Zone, Hussaini Akwanga; Joseph Umaru, Hassan
Mohammed Agwai; the Emir of Nasarawa, Hassan Ahmed; the Andoma of Doma,
Ahmadu Onawo; the Eus Karu, Luka Panya Baba and several community
leaders.

Enugu lawmakers, on
Tuesday, attended the plenary session of the state House of Assembly in
an all-black attire as a mark of respect to their colleague, Emma
Maduabu (PDP-Awgu South), who died earlier in the month. The late
lawmaker had been in coma for two weeks due to injuries sustained in an
auto crash in which his wife and five others died.

Before the session,
a minute silence was observed for the deceased and the others who died
in the auto crash. A condolence register has also been opened at the
entrance of the Assembly and at the legislators’ quarters. The Clerk of
the House, Ifeoma Okereke, described the death of the lawmaker as
unfortunate, because “he died without a word to anybody.” “There will
be a valedictory session for him on September 8 and a wake at his
residence in the evening same day,” she said.

The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas
Workers (NUPENG) says it has stopped the supply of petroleum products
to Lagos State to enable it get to the source of adulterated products
in the state.

Igwe Achese, the National President of NUPENG,
told journalists in Abuja on Monday that there was a claim from
government that union members were involved in the supply of the
products.

“We are workers in the sector and if there is any
problem of product adulteration we want to be involved and we want to
trace those who are involved in this and we are going to join
government to fight this.

“We want to fight the issue of product
adulteration whereby some individuals are adulterating products that
are causing fire incidents in various forms and posing danger to life
and property,’’ he said.

Mr. Achese disclosed that last weekend, the union
discovered about 20 trucks loaded with adulterated products at one
location in the state.

He said that the union informed the Lagos State
commissioner of police who deployed officers to guard the location till
Monday when the trucks would be handed over to the appropriate
authorities for investigation.

“Surprisingly, the same police DPO who sent his
people to come and join our members to protect the environment, came
back and ordered that the trucks should be released and also asked our
members to leave that place,’’ he added.

“So this morning our members who were asked to go and inspect the
area found that the number plates of the trucks had been removed. All
we want to do is to let government know that we are fighting a just
cause, so we decided not to supply petroleum products until this issue
is settled.