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For the second time
in the year, Judicial Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN), Oyo State, began
a fresh strike action, locking out lawyers, litigants, and other
members of the public who have businesses in the court premises
yesterday.

Jelili Obisesan,
state chairman of the union, said they were withdrawing their servicers
due to the insincerity of the state government on the agreement reached
with them late last year on the controversial Consolidated Judicial
Salary Structure (CONJUSS).

Like the equally
controversial Teachers’ Salary Structure for the state’s public primary
and secondary school, most states have started implementing the
CONJUSS, which the Oyo State government is yet to implement, even after
reaching agreement with the aggrieved judicial staff.

Before it called
off its two-month strike early this year, the state government signed a
memorandum of understanding with JUSUN leadership, promising to start
paying the special salaries by March.

It, however, defaulted, forcing the judicial workers to embark on a brief strike shortly after the appointed time expired.

Mr. Obisesan
informed that the strike then was suspended on May 4, following
intervention from some concerned members of the public, who vouched for
the government that it would honour the earlier agreement.

Another disappointment

“Lawyers and
leaders of thought in the state negotiated with the state government on
our behalf in order to see a lasting solution to the problem, but the
negotiation has produced no genuine results,” he said, adding that
Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala must listen to the union now and act before
the strike will be called off.

He added that they
were disappointed that the state government has failed once again to
fulfil its promise, making resumption of the suspended strike
inevitable.

The strike was
fully visibly effective at the premises of the state High Court and the
Magistrate’s Court, both in Ibadan, where placards with many
anti-government inscriptions were placed on the gate and sides of the
wall. Some of the inscriptions read, ‘Stop subjugating the third arm of
government, Oyo State Government’, ‘let us enjoy what other states are
enjoying’, ‘fulfill your word, Mr. Governor’, and ‘enough of deceits’.

One of the striking workers, said, “Since the state government had
declined to let the negotiation work, we have no option but to resume
our strike. This time around, the strike will be indefinite until the
state government sees reason. This time around, nobody is left to
negotiate with the state government again on our behalf.”

The National
Orientation Agency (NOA), Monday, said it would need the support of
international donor agencies in the efficient discharge of its
assignment.

NOA’s Lagos State
director, Nasir Kaka, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos
that there was the need for international donor organisations to
support the agency in the area of logistics.

Mr. Kaka urged
other agencies and development partners to emulate UNICEF’s effort and
direct resources to promote enlightenment programmes in communities.

“For some time now, UNICEF and NOA have been working harmoniously in ensuring development of children and women.

“The agency
presently does not only need the support of UNICEF, but also other
international organisations within and outside this country to achieve
its objectives.

“We need their
assistance in the production of posters, handbills, and jingles to
enhance community enlightenment and sensitization programmes across the
country,” he said.

Mr. Kaka said the
agency needed such support to be enable it get closer to as many people
and communities as possible. He expressed optimism that the support
would enhance enlightenment information dissemination in market places,
churches/mosques, motor parks, schools, and other places.

Kaka, however,
reiterated the agency’s commitment to ensuring the smooth flow of
information on development programmes in the communities.

“Especially with
the forthcoming elections in the country, a lot of support would be
needed from local and international organisations to scale up
enlightenment,” he said.

The NOA official commended UNICEF’s continued support to children and women development programmes in Nigeria. (NAN)

A sculptor with Universal Studio of Arts,
Iganmu, Lagos, Patrick Agose, on Monday urged government to establish
more galleries in the country.

Mr. Agose told the News Agency of
Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that such institutions would promote and
encourage visual artists to take their works to the grassroots.

He urged policy makers to encourage
visual art by ensuring that every state government build galleries for
the collection and preservation of visual art works.

“We seem to pay so much attention to
other sectors of the economy to the detriment of areas such as visual
arts, which could generate revenue if given equal opportunity,” he said.

Mr. Agose, who is in charge of training
students on industrial attachment in the studio, said it would be a
disservice to an artist if he had no gallery to showcase his work.

“A gallery is a place where visual art
works, which are self-expression and intellectual properties, are
displayed and appreciated. It is at the galleries that such works
attract patronage and promote cultural exchange”, he said.

According to him, the few available
galleries are owned by private individuals who make a fortune from the
sale of visual art works.

“There is an urgent need for the
government to revisit the art sector because this is one avenue of
promoting our culture as well as a source of revenue for national
development.

“In other countries, the economy is
driven by arts, especially visual arts, as super models of automobiles
being produced and driven around the world are all products of the
visual artists,” Agose said.

He argued that visual arts appreciate
faster than shares, as an art work acquired currently at N70, 000 could
sell for as much as N500, 000 a few years later.

He noted that with the economic meltdown, many investors were currently investing in visual arts, rather than buying shares.

The National
Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) on Monday urged UNICEF to always
support state governments that have implementable emergency management
laws in place.

NEMA’s South-West
Zone Coordinator, Iyiola Akande, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)
in Lagos that some state governments were yet to pass emergency laws.
“It is not enough to come up with ad-hoc emergency management policies
without the necessary legislative backup,” he said. “UNICEF should
reach out to governments where the emergency agencies are inactive, to
keep pace with development in other states. For partnership between
government and UNICEF to be result-oriented, it is imperative for state
government to have laws guiding emergency management.”

The NEMA official lamented that the lack of a regulatory document
had made emergency management effort ineffective in some states. He
also suggested the need for UNICEF to come up with a measure that would
ensure that they only deal with governments committed to their
counterpart funding. Mr. Akande noted that some states were already
lagging behind in UNICEF-assisted development projects in the zone. He
urged chief executives of the State Emergency Management Agencies to
ensure that Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with UNICEF was executed.
Mr. Akande restated the agency’s commitment to mitigation of
emergencies through awareness creation and capacity building of
stakeholders. He said the agency had in the last one year trained 1,600
grassroots emergency management volunteers across the zone.

The Fisheries Society of Nigeria (FISON), on
Monday, has called on the Lagos State government to establish a common
fishing harbour in the state.

Foluke Areola, national president of
the society, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that a
common harbour would help to reduce the prices of fish.

“This is because trawler owners can
freeze, bulk buy, and do things together to make the prices of fish
cheaper. Besides, the government will also be able to regulate the
supply of diesel to the terminal. Trawler owners have had problems with
the supply of diesel because it is difficult to get diesel at the right
time,” she said.

Mrs. Areola also urged the federal
government to beef up security on the nation’s territorial waters, to
avoid indiscriminate fishing by foreign vessels. According to her,
piracy at sea has resulted in loss of humans, products, and
navigational equipment.

She said that the National Institute
for Fresh Water Research in New Bussa had begun research on ways to
breed tilapia through bio-technology.

“We are trying to shift a bit from
catfish because there has been a lot of improvement with that. Nigerian
catfish is now in high demand at the international market,” she said.

According to her, tilapia can be developed because it is also acceptable to many Nigerians. (NAN)

The Nigeria Civil
Aviation Authority (NCAA), on Tuesday, issued the first Air Operator
Certificate (AOC) under the new federal government mandatory
recertification order, to Arik Air.

Harold Demuren, the
director general, during a conference at the regulatory agency’s
headquarters annex in Lagos, disclosed that the federal government,
after the 2005 and 2006 air crashes in the country, directed the
authority to undertake a complete recertification of domestic airlines,
which is aimed at ensuring safety in the industry.

“Several years ago,
we had terrible accidents in Nigeria, and the federal government gave
out safety reform agenda to enforce international safety standards. As
a result of this, our airlines had to go through ICAO (International
Civil Aviation Organisation), USFAA (United States Federal Aviation
Authority) safety certification, among others,” Mr. Demuren said.

The authority’s
boss disclosed that the airline is to obtain the certificate after
having successfully completed the licensing and recertification
process, adding that the carrier has been working towards achieving the
feat for a long time with the US FAA.

“Today, we will be
issuing for the first time in Nigeria, after the recertification
exercise order, an Air Operator Certificate to a Nigerian carrier,
which is Arik Air. It should be noted that we have been working closely
with the FAA for the certification so as to be able to have this
airline commence direct flights to America,” he said.

“Once we complete
this exercise, other airlines in the country will pass through the same
baptism. They must demonstrate compliance by flying their planes for
about 50 hours without any passenger onboard, just like Arik did,” he
said.

Long, tedious, expensive process

Accepting the
certificate, Arumemi Johnson, chairman, Arik Air, said that the journey
to attaining the requirements for the certificate was very difficult.

“Today is a
historic day, and we are very proud to receive this certificate. It’s
been a very long, tedious and expensive process, but be that as it may,
the truth is that we will not play with lives by compromising safety,”
he said.

Mr. Johnson,
however, called on the US FAA team at the conference to fast track the
process of granting the country the highly coveted Category One
certification, which guarantees the carrier the privilege to fly
directly from Nigeria to America.

“For any Nigerian
carrier to be fully viable, it has to get that category one, so we need
that certification, as we promise to continue doing our best,” he said.

“We wish to assure you that we will maintain this standard and we
hope to get the Category One Certificate as soon as possible,” he said.

Mr. Kumo told ANPP
delegates in Gombe, on Saturday, that he wanted to concentrate fully on
his gubernatorial campaign activities. “I will resign my position as
the national secretary in one or two weeks to enable me to face the
challenges ahead,” he said.

The scribe said time was of essence and
advised all those nurturing political ambitions to declare their
intention in earnest. “I am strongly advising those who intend to
contest political positions in Gombe State to declare their intention
publicly because time is running out. For me, I will return to Gombe
after the national convention and launch my campaign activities,” he
said.

Political leaders
in Argungu Local Government Area of Kebbi State have decried the level
of acrimony and political thuggery by party supporters in the area.
Some politicians, including the Peoples Democratic Party Chairman in
the area, Musa Dakwaya, warned aspirants and their supporters to
exhibit restraint in the quest for victory during the 2011 general
elections.

He advised politicians to shun violence and thuggery while
campaigning for support, adding that guidelines for campaigns and
elections required to be followed strictly. The Sole Administrator of
the Area, Salisu Ahmed, also expressed dismay over the activities of
some supporters of aspirants, saying that those who disrupted public
peace would be prosecuted.

Livinus Nwambe,
Secretary ANPP National Convention Committee, said in Abuja that the
contribution made by INEC toward the party state congress across the 36
states as well as the FCT was “highly commendable and impressive.”

He
also stated that such effort was a renewal of hope to Nigerians who
were looking forward to the delivery of “free and fair election” in
2011. Equally, he said that ANPP reposed its confidence in the
commission led by Attahiru Jega, “It is a new INEC entirely,” he said.
“ANPP is ready to credibly and transparently position itself to match
the new INEC in the process of discharging commendable electioneering
in Nigeria.” Mr. Nwambe also stated that all necessary logistics needed
for the party’s convention had been adequately provided ahead of the
exercise. The convention is schedule to hold on Saturday, July 17 at
Eagle Square in Abuja.

Wale Ojo-Lanre, the
Chief Press Secretary to the governor, in a statement on Sunday, said
the awards were for the 2008/2009 academic year; and awarded through
the state scholarship programme initiated by Governor Segun Oni in
2008. Mr. Ojo-Lanre said 14 students, who undertook doctorate degrees
in universities abroad, got N1.5 million each; while 88 students, who
went for the same programme in Nigeria, received N750,000 each.

He said
N500, 000 and N200, 000 each was given to 47 students who undertook
Master degrees abroad, and 131 in Nigeria, respectively, while 282
Senior Secondary School students received N30, 000 each and 86
physically challenged students got N100, 000 each as scholarships.