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Hundreds of youth under the aegis of
the Arewa Youth Consultative Forum (AYCF), on Monday, staged a protest
at the Ministry of Justice, Abuja, calling for the release of Hamza
Al-Mustapha, former chief security officer to the late head of state,
Sani Abacha, and three others.

The others are former Lagos
commissioner of police, James Danbaba, former Zamfara State military
administrator, Jubrin Bala Yakubu, and former chief superintendent of
police, Mohammed Rabo Lawal. The youth carried various placards with
pictures of Mr Al-Mustapha, with various inscriptions calling for their
immediate release.

Some placards read: ‘President Goodluck
Jonathan, free Al-Mustapha and others for democracy’, ‘The youths want
Al-Mustapha released’, ‘Justice delayed amounts to justice denied’,
among others.

Let justice reign

However, another human rights group,
Education Right Campaign, called on Goodluck Jonathan to ignore the
calls for the release of the four who are currently standing trial in a
Lagos court.

According to Taiwo Soweto and Chinedu
Bosah, Mr Al-Mustapha and the others committed various nefarious
activities under the late Abacha, and must face justice rather than be
released.

But the leader of the AYCF, Shettima
Yerima, said that keeping Mr Al-Mustapha and others behind bars
contradicted Nigeria’s position as a signatory to UN and Commonwealth
Conventions and Resolutions on Human Rights, Torture, Detention and
Imprisonment.

According to him, all the witnesses
that the state has pushed forward in the court have, by and large,
debunked the allegations levelled against these gentlemen.

Neither the Attorney General of the
Federation, Mohammed Adoke, nor any official from the ministry,
addressed the protesting youth, while the two gates to the ministry
were locked, thereby preventing people from going in or coming out of
the building.

Nigeria has
officially received the exclusive United States of America Category 1
air safety rating which allows direct flight operations to the US.

Nigeria’s aviation
minister, Fidelia Njeze, received the certification from outgoing US
ambassador to Nigeria, Robin Sanders, yesterday at a brief ceremony in
Abuja, making Nigeria the sixth African nation after Cape Verde, Egypt,
Ethiopia, Morocco, and South Africa to receive the status.

The rating is
determined under the US Federal Aviation Administration’s assessment of
how countries meet the International Civil Aviation Organization safety
standards, and Nigeria’s certification is based on the results of July
2010 FAA review of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority.

The certification
means Nigeria has complied with the safety regulations set by the
international body, as assessed by the US aviation authorities, and
Nigerian-registered flights have direct permits to the US. Such flights
too would benefit from reduced premium charges and receive preference
for leasing.

Ms. Njeze said the
“covetous” status marks a “milestone” in the history of the nation’s
aviation. “By this certification, Nigeria has been put in the premier
league of aviation. We celebrate commitment today, we celebrate
dedication, and celebrate success,” she said.

Nigeria’s aviation
relations with the United States was seriously hurt after last
December’s failed terrorist attack on the US by a Nigerian, Umar
AbdulMutallab. In recent months, the NCAA director general, Harold
Demuren, has assured of efforts the agency has made to secure the
rating.

The US ambassador,
Ms. Sanders, said the recognition was “hard fought and well-deserved”
and praised Mr. Demuren, for the success.

“This achievement
is an important milestone for Nigeria and US bilateral relations. The
US Mission, NCAA, and FAA have worked together as a team in the true
spirit of bilateral partnership over the last two years to achieve this
goal,” she said.

The International
Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) carried out by the FAA, offers the
category 1 rating to countries with laws and regulations that can
oversee air carriers in accordance with minimum international standards
for technical expertise, trained personnel, record keeping, and
inspection procedures.

Ms. Njeze, becoming
the first aviation minister to achieve this, said “it was a long
journey that had ended well.” However, she said “the journey has just
started.”

“I thank the
American government for the confidence in Nigeria and assure them that
we will maintain that.” She said the government will continue to
upgrade the airports, personnel, and safety standards.

Farmers in Jigawa State have commended the state government for making fertiliser available and affordable to them.

Hashiru Umar, a
farmer in Auyo Local Government Area of the state, who spoke with the
News Agency of Nigeria, on Monday, in Dutse, said the gesture would
improve the state’s lot. “This singular gesture by Governor Sule Lamido
is one of the things that farmers in the state will not forget,” he
said. “You know Jigawa State is rated as one of the poorest states in
the country going by statistics released by the Central Bank of Nigeria.
However, with the provision of fertilisers, insecticides, and other
modern farming implements to farmers, the economy of the state will
improve.’’

Nasidi Ali, the
state’s Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, had told
announced that 14,463 tonnes of fertiliser, worth N1.5 billion, would be
distributed to farmers. Mr Ali said the gesture was meant to support
farmers who constitute the bulk of the state’s population and also to
boost food production. According to him, the fertiliser brands comprised
of NPK and Urea; and would be sold to farmers at a subsidised rate of
N2,000 as against the cost price of N4,600.

Giving a breakdown of how it will be distributed, the commissioner
said that 13,816 tonnes would be distributed to farmers across the 27
local government areas of the state, while 225 tonnes would be
allocated to the state’s Agricultural Development Programme. He also
reiterated the governor’s warning that anybody caught diverting the
commodity would face the wrath of the law. And to prevent diversion, Mr
Ali said fertiliser distribution committees had been constituted at the
state, local government and ward levels.

NAN

A total of 57, 000
candidates are expected to be screened for the 4, 500 vacancies
available for the 2010/2011 academic session in the Auchi Polytechnic,
Edo State.

The spokesperson of
the polytechnic, Mustapha Oshiobugie, who gave the figure, said that
the screening was for candidates who chose the institution as their
most preferred, more preferred and preferred school.

Mr Oshiobugie also
said that the post matriculation screening exercise would hold between
August 25 and August 27, and that the figure was 50 per cent more than
the number screened by the polytechnic in the 2009/2010 session.

More than 1.3 million candidates had applied to study various
courses in the country’s tertiary institutions of learning for the
2010/2011 session, while according to JAMB, only 550, 000 admission
spaces are available for the candidates.

The National Assembly Service Commission has confirmed the appointment of Salisu Maikasuwa as its substantive Clerk.

A letter signed by the Executive
Chairman of the Commission, Ahmed Dogondaji, dated August 17, said the
appointment followed the retirement of Oluyomi Ogunyomi from the
service.

Mr Ogunyomi, who had proceeded on a
mandatory three-month leave beginning May 13, finally left the service
on August 15. While he was on leave, Mr Maikasuwa, a former Deputy
Clerk, was appointed in acting capacity.

The letter quotes Mr Dogondaji as
saying that the appointment was in recognition of “his work,
dedication, responsible conduct and loyalty to the leadership of the
highest law-making institution in the country”.

The commission charged the new clerk to continue exhibiting good
conduct and attributes of exemplary leadership, to justify the
confidence reposed in him. The appointment takes effect from August 16.

Courts in Ekiti
State on Monday proceeded on the 2010 annual vacation, with the state
Acting Chief Judge, Silas Oyewole, saying in a statement in Ado Ekiti
that normal court activities would resume on September 24.

He said the legal
year for 2010/2011 would commence on September 27 and that the vacation
would not lead to closure of court activities, as criminal cases might
be heard subject to the leave of the court.

The statement added
that during the period of recess, courts would remain open and operate
throughout the vacation. Meanwhile, the state judiciary has released
the results of examinations conducted for the post of Higher Registrar
on Grade Level 08.

A statement issued
by A.J Apuabi, a Deputy Chief Registrar, on behalf of the Registrar,
said 24 out of 29 candidates passed the examination with more than 50
per cent, with the remaining five candidates scoring below.

Afrobeat creator,
Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, his brother, Olikoye, Nobel Laureate, Wole
Soyinka, and novelist, Abubakar Imam, are among 28 eminent Nigerians to
be inducted into The Nigerian Hall of Fame for Letters and The Nigerian
Hall of Fame for Science.

The induction
ceremony of the quartet and others including the late mathematician,
Chike Obi; psychiatrist, Adeoye Lambo; neurologist, Benjamin Osuntokun;
artist, Ben Enwonwu; poet, Christopher Okigbo; and Oladipo Akinkugbe
will hold at a gala night on Saturday, October 9.

Honour for excellence

A statement from
Ifeanyi Mbanefo, manager, corporate communications and public affairs
of Nigeria LNG Limited, said, “They will be honoured for outstanding
contribution to science and letters, which has put Nigeria on the world
literary and scientific map, promoted learning and scholarship, and
bettered the lives of Nigerians.”

The gas company is co-organising the ceremony with The Nigerian Academy of Science and The Nigerian Academy of Letters.

Mr. Mbanefo added
that the list of 28 people was arrived at after “three months of
extensive consultations and scrutiny by eminent panellists empowered by
The Nigerian Academy of Science and The Nigerian Academy of Letters.”

President, Nigerian
Academy of Science, Oye Ibidapo-Obe, and two other academics, Ekanem
Braide and Sunday Bwala, were on the science panel; while Romanus
Egudu, president, Nigerian Academy of Letters, worked with Ayo Banjo
and novelist, Zaynab Alkali.

Author of the popular ‘Things Fall Apart’, Chinua Achebe; the late
master potter, Ladi Kwali; and Gordian Ezekwe of the Biafran Ogbunigwe
fame, are also amongst the 28 people that will be honoured at the event
where winners of The Nigerian Prize for Science and The Nigerian Prize
for Literature will receive their prizes.

Seventy percent of
Nigerians believe that the country’s judiciary is corrupt, says a
survey released by a group, Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability
Project (SERAP).

The survey is part
of a report titled “14-Point Programme for Promoting Ethics and
Integrity at the Magistrates’ Courts” released recently.

The report, written by SERAP consultant, Modupe Atoki, also had the backing of the Royal Netherlands Embassy.

Speaking during the
launch of the report last Thursday, Adetokunbo Mumuni, the Executive
Director of SERAP said that “our research reveals that the absence of a
national action plan and policy to comprehensively address corruption
and the impunity of perpetrators is a major contributory factor for the
prevalence of judicial corruption in Nigeria”.

While pointing out
that corruption in the judiciary is not limited to magistrate courts,
the report said that the magistrate court was made the focus “given the
important role it plays in the administration of justice in the
country.”

The report said the
magistrate court “is the first point of call for all minor offences and
for all minor civil matters. Except offences that attract capital
punishment like murder, most of the offences created in our penal laws
are handled by the magistrate courts”.

It further stated
that “Over 80 percent of criminal cases end up before the magistrate
courts. Statistics show that in Lagos State magistrates have up to 1000
cases in their docket.” It identified the lack of judicial independence
and accountability as the major cause of corruption in the magistrate
courts.

It further stated
that corruption in the judiciary also stems from “undue influence from
the executive and legislative branch of government, low remuneration
and poor condition of service, the administrative nature of the roles
of judges [magistrates] which gives far reaching discretionary powers
but weak monitoring of the execution of those powers, lack of
transparency and the absence of computerised, comprehensive and
regularly updated database and backlog of cases which further worsen
the effects of corruption in the judiciary”.

The report revealed that support staff of court were identified as the arrow heads of corruption.

Ways of promoting judicial integrity

In order to
establish integrity in the magistrate court, the report recommended,
the security of tenure of magistrates through transparent appointment,
promotion and discipline regime; the advancement of professionalism,
continuing education and training of magistrate and support staff; and
ensuring sufficient transparency to command public confidence.

The National
Environmental Standards, Regulations and Enforcement Agency (NESREA) on
Monday in Abuja sealed a base station belonging to MTN Nigeria, located
at N0 2, Oyo Street, Area II, Garki.

Speaking to
journalists after the exercise, Timothy Okeowo, the Director,
Administration and Finance, of the agency said the action became
necessary after several complaints by residents of the area.

Mr Okeowo said that residents had complained about noise pollution which disturbs their sleep and other environmental hazards.

“People complained
and we wrote to MTN and they did not show any interest. That is why we
are here to enforce the provision of the law. We gave them up till
August 23 to submit their audited Environmental Impact Assessment
Report. As we are talking, they have not done anything concerning the
issue.

“We cannot sit down and fold our hands and let people suffer, the director said.

Bola Odugbesan,
the Director, Legal Services of the agency, also said that the exercise
marked the beginning of a clampdown on base stations of
telecommunications operators that had not complied with the deadline.

“The agency does not give deadlines and go to sleep; the clampdown has taken effect from today,” he said.

The agency has been having problems with telecommunications
operators over the location of masts and base station in residential
areas without an environmental impact assessment report.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Monday
that it had recorded more than 3,000 cases of cholera in northern
Cameroun, Nigeria and Niger.

According to the UN agency, Cameroun had the highest cases with more than 2,800 cases and more than 200 deaths since May.

Onyebuchi Chukwu, Nigeria’s Health Minister had
indicated that the death toll and infection rate from the epidemic
could be higher.

Last Thursday, Mr Chukwu told the Hausa service of
the BBC that the death toll from the cholera outbreak in northern
Nigerian had risen to 231 while 4,600 others had been infected.

The UN agency said the fatality rates linked to
cholera in these countries were too high compared to the 1.0 per cent
threshold tolerated.

The Coordinator of the WHO’s group on cholera,
Claire-Lise Chaignat said there was clearly an epidemic of cholera
around the Lake Chad Basin where access to safe water is very scarce.

“We know that cholera is food-borne disease that
is in fact food that has been in contact with contaminated water is, of
course, at high risk of transmitting cholera to people.

“So, very good food hygiene is actually very important for preventing the disease from spreading,” she said in a statement.