Nigeria Content Online

Nigeria is
interested in whatever happens in Niger Republic because of shared
cultural affinities with the country, President Goodluck Jonathan has
said.

Speaking during a
meeting with the United Nations Deputy Secretary General, Asha Rose
Migiro, on the sidelines of the 15th African Union Summit in Kampala,
Uganda, the President noted that any negative occurrence in Niger
Republic would impact negatively on Nigeria in terms of massive influx
of refugees.

Mr Jonathan said
that Nigeria had “recently sent grains and financial support to
alleviate the harsh effects of the current drought in its northern
neighbour” and is “prepared to do all that is necessary to restore
democracy in Niger”.

A lasting bond

He also said
“Nigeria whose former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar
(rtd), is the ECOWAS Special Envoy and Chief Negotiator in Niger, is
midwiving the transition project in that country with the support of
Senegal and Ghana, adding that it would ensure that the March 2011
deadline for the interim military leaders to conduct elections and hand
over to civilians is met”.

Mr Jonathan who is
the ECOWAS Chairman, said there is need to encourage and mentor the
“young military leaders in Niger Republic who have shown some sincerity
of purpose” to hand over next year.

On the situation in
Guinea Bissau, the President urged the United Nations and other
development partners to provide the necessary funds to be used to
reform the old soldiers and officers, retrain the young ones and
conduct elections.

The UN Deputy Secretary General had earlier brought up the current
happenings in Niger Republic, Guinea Bissau, Guinea and Cote d’Ivoire
during the discussions.

Vice President Namadi Sambo has frowned at the poor and slow pace of work on the National Integrated Power Project projects.

Mr. Sambo expressed
his displeasure, yesterday, at a special Technical meeting with
consultants, contractors and stakeholders on National Integrated Power
Project (NIPP) distribution component in State House, Abuja,

The contracts for the project were signed in 2007 with a duration of one year and should have been completed before now.

The Vice President
said the administration is committed to providing Nigerians with
adequate power supply, noting that “the federal and state governments
have contributed over $10 billion for the project and generating plan
is at over eighty per cent completion, which will be handled by new
distribution companies owned by Nigerians. There will be no business as
usual”.

Noting that some of
the contracts period have expired, Mr. Sambo directed that the
Ministries of Power, Solid Minerals and the contractors concerned as
well as major suppliers of equipment such as transformers and
manufacturers should hold a meeting to review the contract agreements
to provide a revised programme of work to reflect the period of
completion, design and other associated components of the project
within four weeks.

He also disclosed
that he will soon make a detailed presentation of the NIPP project to
the National Economic Council and therefore urged that all problems and
challenges facing the project be made available for the presentation.

Mr. Sambo promised
to meet with the Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT) over the
problem of land in Kubwa, Nyanya and Mararaba, as well as write to
governors and local council bosses in whose domains the contractors are
facing land disputes to resolve the matter in order to allow for urgent
completion of the project.

He also directed that issues of letters of credit be addressed by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) within two weeks.

“Suppliers need to
have authentic delivery programme of supplies to ensure that they are
delivering the equipment within the time frame of the agreement,” he
cautioned.

Mr. Sambo
re-assured that all challenges working against the completion of the
project will be removed as he encouraged contractors and consultants
that those who performed well will be considered for another contract.

The contractors adduced their challenges to include land disputes
which impeded some of them from commencing work on site and lack of
letters of credit, among others. They specifically noted the challenges
they face in Ajaokuta, Okene, Ankpa, Opolo, Abolema and among others.

In view of the
rising spate of kidnapping cases in the country, the Nigerian Police
Force lacks the technology, skill, and organisation to effectively
communicate on an operational level, not to talk of saving life and
properties, KOWA party said.

Considering the
level of their inefficiency, Nigerians should not expect any miracle
from the police to put an end to the rising crime wave, the KOWA
party’s public relations officer, Remi Sonaiya, said.

“It is also a known
fact that management systems used by the police agencies are outdated
and inadequate. As a result, there is a dearth of accurate crime
statistics, proper evidence documentation and storage, and forensic
technology,” Mrs. Sonaiya said.

KOWA Party, an
acclaimed alternative political party in the country, however, indicted
the police on the alarming rate of kidnappings all over the country,
alleging their complicity in the seemingly unstoppable rate.

Briefing the media
over the issue, Mrs. Sonaiya said “that the state of insecurity in our
land, which led to the rampant kidnapping cases, is as a result of the
inability of those charged with the responsibility of ensuring our
safety and well being to do so.”

She stressed that
corrupt and inept leadership promotes insecurity and “breeds a general
state of anarchy all over the world.” According to her, “the police
have been used to terrorise the Nigerian people in various ways by the
leadership of this country. For instance, they provide covering and
protection to those who engage in heinous crimes and other illegal
acts, who normally should be prosecuted,” she accused.

The party claimed
that the Inspector General of Police, Ogbonnaya Onovo, in his recent
remarks, impliedly acknowledged KOWA Party’s stand on this issue by
indicting the police “as constituting a significant part of the
problem, thereby failing to render their statutory services to the
Nigerian people,” she said.

The party warned
that failed policing in the nation is a serious threat, even to the
nation’s sovereignty, and it must be immediately addressed.

The newly
established political party stated that the most effective way of
tackling the evil of insecurity is through the institution of good
governance.

“When those in leadership are perceived by the people as being
concerned only with their own interests, jostling for positions and
ensuring a life of extreme luxury for themselves and their families,
while the aspirations of the people for a simple but dignified human
existence do not strike any chord of compassion in them, then
frustration drives some to take the law into their own hands, and to
seek justice whichever way they can,” she explained.

The
Nigerian Police Force is compromised and has refused to prosecute
suspected certificate forgers in the Lagos State House of Assembly, the
Peoples’ Democratic Party had accused.

In a petition
addressed to the minister of police affairs, Adamu Waziri, dated July
19, 2010, and signed by Ishola Durosinmi on behalf of the Amuwo Odofin
chapter of the PDP, the party insisted that the police is shying away
from prosecuting the offenders.

“Not only have we
complained to the Nigeria Police Command in Lagos State, the command
investigated and found the allegations to be true. However, instead of
them prosecuting these people, it would appear that they have been
compromised in the last one year that the case has been pending,” the
PDP members said.

NEXT had, in
previous reports, detailed how two members of the Lagos House of
Assembly, Bola Badmus-Olujobi, the deputy speaker of the house; and
Risikat Adegeye, who represents Amuwo Odofin II constituency, are
involved in the forgery of their West African Examination Council
(WAEC) senior secondary school certificate examination result. Both of
them are members of the Action Congress.

Mrs. Badmus-Olujobi
claimed in the forms she submitted to the Independent National
Electoral Commission (INEC) that she attended Amuwo Grammar School,
Agboju, Lagos, and that she obtained West African School Certificate in
June 1988; while Mrs. Adegeye, in the form CF001 deposed to on 18
December, 2006, claimed that she attended St. Timothy College, Onike,
Iwaya, Lagos, and that she obtained West African School Certificate in
June 1977. The WAEC had since denied issuing both certificates.

Intervene urgently

The PDP, in its
petition, claimed that it had “written petitions to the office of the
Inspector General of Police, as well as the senate committee chairman
on police affairs, Gbenga Ogunniya; and that “Ogunniya indeed spoke to
the Inspector General of Police on this matter and the IGP assured him
that prosecution will be done immediately.

“This was about four months ago, and nothing still has been done,” the party claims.

The PDP, which claimed that some of its own members had been
prosecuted and convicted for similar crimes before, want the minister
to “intervene urgently towards ensuring the prosecution of these
fraudsters who have been illegally collecting all manners of allowances
and remunerations from tax payers money and using the funds to suppress
our party’s existence in Lagos State.”

The opposition
Action Congress has urged the federal government to provide the
N72billion that the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) said it
needs to prepare a new voter register towards the preparation of a
credible election in 2011.

“Let the Jonathan
administration back up the president’s persistent assurance of
organising credible polls next year by giving the much-needed resources
to INEC so it can build a solid foundation for the 2011 elections by
compiling a fresh voters’ register,” the party stated. “Failure to
provide the money required for that purpose will translate to setting
up INEC to fail next year, and this will be a disaster for Nigeria.”

The party also
challenged the federal government and the National Assembly to provide
all the required financial resources and the legal framework
respectively to make it possible for INEC to organise successful
general elections next year. In a statement issued in Ilorin, on
Sunday, by its National Publicity Secretary, Lai Mohammed, the party
said that “the federal government must urgently provide the N55 to N72
billion which INEC Chairman, Attahiru Jega, said would be needed to
compile a fresh voters register for the critical elections.”

It also requested
that “the National Assembly must provide the necessary amendments to
the Electoral Act to facilitate the compilation of the fresh electoral
register, which is the single most important requirement for the
organisation of free, fair, credible and transparent polls next year.”
Stating that for a country “that has $37 billion in Foreign Reserves
and $3 billion in its Excess Crude Account, N72 billion – which is less
than 500 million US dollars – is but a very little price to pay for the
organisation of successful polls next year and the consolidation of the
country’s democracy.”

New Electoral Act

The party also
tasked the National Assembly to provide the legal framework by amending
the necessary sections of the Electoral Act, especially Sections 10 (5)
and 21. “As our party has noted, the belated amendment of the
Constitution, especially Sections 116 (House of Assembly), 132
(President) and 178 (Governors), to the effect that elections must hold
between 120 and 150 days before the end of their tenures, has created
huge problems for INEC and made it a fait accompli for the commission
to organise the 2011 polls based on the hugely discredited Iwu’s
voters’ register,” stated Mr Mohammed. “

But if the National
Assembly will put national interest above any other considerations and
stop playing cheap games, it can still salvage the situation by
postponing the commencement of the Amendments so that elections can
hold in April, and amending Sections 10 (5) and 21 of the Electoral Act
to give more time for fresh voter registration. Amending Section 10 (5)
of the Act will reduce the end of registration and updating to between
30 and 60 days, and provide additional 8-12 weeks to the 16 weeks
available to compile a new register. Also, amending Section 21 of the
Electoral Act will reduce time for compiling supplementary register,
after calling for objections, from 60 days to 30 days and give about 20
weeks to correct the new register.”

INEC had, last week Thursday, said it will require at least N55.1
billion to organise a “substantially more credible” voter’s register
ahead of the 2011 general election.

Despite
the huge insult he received from the police for alerting them on an
alleged plan to disrupt the peace of the state by men of the state
National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), former chairman of
the union, Lateef Akinsola (aka Tokyo), has again warned the state
police command to be prepared.

He spoke with
journalists in Ibadan at the weekend, saying the police needs to appeal
to his successor, Lateef Salako (aka Elewe-Omo), whose loyalists had
allegedly concluded plans to unleash mayhem on the state tomorrow
(Tuesday). The warning was the second Tokyo is making to the police in
less than two weeks.

He said that the
National Industrial Court, Abuja, is expected to give a judgment on the
suit he instituted to challenge his forcible removal from office before
his term’s expiration. He told journalists that the plan was to cause
serious mayhem in the state capital and its adjoining towns, if the
judgement goes against Elewe-Omo.

According to him,
as a law abiding citizen, his piece of information was to assist the
police in being proactive in their efforts to maintain law and order in
the state.

“Their plan is to
print T-Shirts bearing my (Tokyo) portraits, which their boys will wear
on Tuesday and go to town to cause a breakdown of law and order. We
appeal once again to the Oyo State Police Command to rise to the
occasion.

“And let me seize
this opportunity to correct the misrepresentation in an earlier
interview where I was quoted to have said that we have no confidence in
Oyo Police. I want to say it categorically that we have no other police
to run to except Oyo Police, who have been trying their best in the
past to maintain law and to curtail the excesses of Elewe-Omo boys.

“We have confidence
in them to continue to perform their constitutional role to the best of
their ability. I’m using this opportunity to tell the police to arrest
and prosecute anybody wearing any T-Shirt bearing my portrait to
ferment trouble. I have waited patiently all this while because of my
confidence in the judiciary, which is the last hope of common man. I
don’t believe in self help, hence my decision to approach the court to
seek redress,” he said.

The police, last
week, upbraided Tokyo for portraying it as ineffective over its dealing
with the incumbent officers of the NURTW in the state.

In a press release,
signed by its spokesperson, Olabisi Okuwobi, the command described
Tokyo as a known criminal who jumped bail granted him by the court.

Leadership in contest

Apart from
cautioning his successor against inflicting chaos on the state this
week, Mr. Akinsola has also appealed to the police to prevail on Mr.
Salako to stop trespassing on a parcel of land he bought on behalf of
the union before he was sacked from office unceremoniously.

Explaining that the
land was acquired to build a befitting office, driving school, and a
hospital for the use of members of the union, Mr. Akinsola said he was
in possession of the title deeds of the land, which, according to him,
costs N6 million.

He added that such
action is necessary because the leadership status of the union is still
in contest before a competent court of law.

“We heard that
Elewe-Omo is planning to encroach on that land tomorrow (today) to lay
foundation. He did not buy that land, and since there is dispute in
court over the leadership of the union, he should wait for Tuesday’s
judgment.

“Moreso, he had
used the land to go and collect N200,000 each from 83 branches of our
union on the pretext that he wants to use the money to develop the land.

“The following
week, he used the money to buy jeep. He has no good plan for that land.
If not, he will not go and arrange for hand-made blocks to erect any
structure on the land. The police should prevail on him to steer clear
of the land for now,” he said.

But, Elewe-Omo, in a live television programme at the state-owned
station on Sunday, said his regime has been preoccupied by lifting the
status of the union and that of its members in the state.

The Speaker of the
House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole, has spoken of “wide measures”
Nigeria is adopting in response to the global financial crisis, in
which he named the well-criticized anti-corruption campaign as one.

Mr. Bankole spoke
to journalists in Abuja on a presentation he made at the United Nations
headquarters, Geneva, at the 3rd World Conference of Speakers of
Parliaments which held between July 19 and 21, 2010.

The theme of the conference was “Parliament in the world of crisis: Securing global democratic accountability.”

Mr. Bankole, who
has recently been accused of corruption and has yet to face an open
investigation, told participants at the meeting that Nigeria has
recorded a high level of anti-corruption campaign, and listed the
effort as part of strategies adopted by the government to deal with the
impact of the crippling global economic crisis. The speaker named last
year’s bank cleansing, in which senior officials were removed and
charged for aiding banking fraud and non-performing loans, as part of
such glory. “The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in fact
detained many bank executives and public officials, as it investigates
allegations of massive banking fraud and official corruption,” he said.

Diversify the economy

He said Nigeria’s
fight against all forms of corruption in the strive to enthrone
accountability, reduction of the Monetary Policy Rate (MPR), Cash
Reserve Requirement and the Liquidity Ratio are some of the measures
adopted by government to mitigate the effects of the global economic
downturn. Mr. Bankole highlighted other government’s intervention to
the crisis to include the Central Bank’s intervention, by providing
about $2.6 billion in emergency recapitalization to some banks whose
balance sheets was eroded by toxic loans.

This was
strengthened by the National Assembly’s passage of the Assets
Management Commission bill, recently signed into law by President
Goodluck Jonathan, to deal with the issue of bank’s toxic assets.

The measures, Mr. Bankole told the participants, were required to
shore-up liquidity in the Nigerian economy. He also informed them that
in an effort to diversify the Nigerian economy and broaden the non-oil
sector, government has commenced a comprehensive review of its
agricultural policy with focus on large scale private sector commercial
agriculture.

The
Oyo State chapter of the Action Congress (AC) has cautioned the state
governor, Adebayo Alao-Akala, against the deployment of threat and
intimidation to cow traditional rulers in the state into submission to
his second term bid.

The party’s
director of publicity in the state, Wasiu Olatunbosun, sounded the note
of caution in Ibadan at the weekend and pledged the party’s readiness
to protect the traditional institutions in the state against any form
of harassment and witch-hunting by the political class.

The party also
berated the governor for making uncomplimentary statements on former
governor, Lam Adesina, and the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi III,
both of whom recently alleged threats to their lives by the governor.

While addressing
the press in his office penultimate Thursday, the governor denied being
after the two prominent Oyo state indigenes and described their claim
as ‘stupid’.

He also spoke on
several other issues about the state’s politics, as well as the efforts
of his government to leave the legacies of good governance behind.

But the AC said the
governor was either being economical with the truth, or he was out on
mischief when he made the comments on the AC leader and the Oyo monarch.

“You don’t need to
be a student of history to remember what happened in December 2002,
when our leader, and former attorney general and minister for justice,
Bola Ige, was murdered few months to 2003 general elections.

“It would also
interest Governor Akala to know that the democracy he is now a
beneficiary of, was as a result of doggedness of some people like Lam
who fought the military to earn the title of ‘prisoner of war’, and he
has not reneged for once in fighting for the oppressed,” Mr.
Olatunbosun said.

Betrayal of trust

Commenting on the
governor’s position that Mr. Adesina became governor on a platter of
gold, while he had used his own popularity to occupy all elective posts
he has held in the state, the AC said Mr. Alao-Akala’s ascension to the
position of the state governor was made possible by his betrayal of his
former boss, Rasidi Ladoja, with the former president, Olusegun
Obasanjo, as the mastermind.

“Unlike a pariah
government, which is the hallmark of Akala’s administration, where few
charlatans hold sway, Lam ran a participatory government and has not
betrayed his leaders for once, as he still remained a principled and
exemplary statesman, and an epitome of selflessness,” the party said.

“In fact, one does not need a soothsayer to know that the state is
heading towards a failed state occasioned by high level tolerance for
corruption, insensitivity to the plight of people who are wallowing in
abject poverty, and intolerable level of unemployment, despite huge
revenue accrued to it for the past three years,” he said.

The Emir of Bauchi, Suleiman Adamu Gumba, who died at the weekend, was buried yesterday.

President Goodluck Jonathan expressed shock and sadness over his death.

In a message of
condolence to the government and people of Bauchi State, Mr. Jonathan
said the death of the 77-year-old emir was a great loss not only to the
people of Bauchi but to the entire country. He described the late chief
as a peace-loving and exemplary leader, whose life in public service
and on the throne impacted positively on his people. He noted that late
traditional ruler passed away at a time when his wise counsel was still
needed by his people and the Nigerian nation. “We have lost a father
and leader whose wise counsel will be greatly missed by all. He will be
fondly remembered for his immense contributions to nation-building,” Mr
Jonathan said.

Ismaila Sani, a director of Nigeria Re-Insurance Corporation also
described the death as a monumental loss. Mr Sani in a condolence
message weekend in Abuja, said the late Emir was a bridge builder who
dedicated most of his time in preaching and promoting peaceful
co-existence amongst Nigerians. “He will be greatly missed for his
fatherly role to all and remembered for his untiring effort in ensuring
peace and stability in his domain and its environs,” he said.

Abuja-based lawyer,
Joe-Kyari Gadzama, has announced his intention to contest for president
of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA).

In a letter of
intent to the bar, Mr. Gadzama called on the NBA to first clean up its
own ranks before it can effectively fulfil its obligations to the
larger public. “Despite the successes recorded, the truth remains that
the NBA is far from achieving its full potential,” he said. “Our
operations as a body remain marred by administrative inefficiency and
internal wrangling, and it is not surprising that we do not have full
participation by all members of the bar and that most young lawyers see
the NBA as a relic of the past; one which holds no relevance to them or
their careers.”

Mr. Gadzama said an association such as NBA deserves strong
leadership to ensure that it remains a vital organization and operates
in a manner consistent with its goals and objectives. He called for a
more inclusive leadership within the organisation and promised more
staff training facilities. Mr Gadzama said the bar was capable of
having a greater impact on the lives of the disenfranchised. He
announced the creation of a ‘giving-back’ initiative, where lawyers and
law firms would be required to meet a minimum pro-bono requirement
every year. “My primary goal would be to achieve unity within the NBA
by bringing together various factions and constantly mediating
different interests to find a common ground,” he said. “I have spent
the greater part of my adult years building bridges and connecting
people. This will also be brought to bear on the NBA.”