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Evidentiary hearing
into the cases of some former state executives is yet to commence,
nearly four years after the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission
(EFCC) filed criminal charges against them, the chairman of the
commission, Farida Waziri, has said.

Mrs. Farida Waziri,
who was speaking in Abuja yesterday at the public presentation of
Anti-Corruption Handbook authored by Tabi Joda, listed several
instances where the slow pace of court processes stalled the fight
against corruption.

Some of the ex-governors include Ayo Fayose, Saminu Turaki, and Joshua Dariye.

Mr. Fayose was
prosecuted on December 17, 2006 on a 51-count charge on financial
misappropriation totaling N1.2 billion; Turaki’s trial also commenced
on July 13, 2007, when he was arraigned on a 32-count charge for
laundering N36 billion; and Dariye’s was also set on the same date,
based on prima facie case of corrupt enrichment and money laundering of
N700 million.

While reiterating
her call for the establishment of special courts to try corruption
cases, Mrs. Waziri said court processes have frustrated the work of the
agency.

“I have also called
for laws that will enable us sequestrate the assets of accused persons
and convert them to government assets upon their conviction. Whereas
those are long term goals, I think the judiciary can do a lot to speed
up our trials,” she said.

She also added that
the commission has recovered $3.5 billion as proceeds of crime and over
N3 billion after investigating tax cases, which has been forwarded to
the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).

Minister of Police
Affairs, Adamu Waziri, and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Bell Adoke, in
their goodwill messages both agreed that fighting corruption was the
collective responsibility of Nigerians. Mr. Adoke promised that attack
on EFCC operatives would be a thing of the past.

Mrs. Waziri said the police must be reformed to execute its constitutional duty.

The Nigeria Labour
Congress has described the task ahead of elections’ boss, Attahiru
Jega, as enormous, stating that the electoral commission presently
lacks the operating environment that is required for him to succeed in
the office

“The question of
financial autonomy of INEC is highly imperative at this time so that
the new INEC chair would hit the ground running given the enormous
responsibilities awaiting him especially in cleaning up the messed-up
electoral register and other critical logistics that will ensure a
smooth general election in 2011,” said Abdulwahed Omar, NLC president.

Meanwhile, the Mega
Party Movement, applauded the nomination of Mr Jega. In a statement
signed by its secretary, Wale Okuniyi, yesterday, the party said Mr.
Jega’s appointment was a major victory for Nigerians who have been
agitating for an electoral umpire with high pedigree and integrity. The
party described Mr Jega as an icon of the democratic struggle, adding
that his nomination has restored hope and opened a new vista of faith
in Nigeria’s electoral system ahead of the 2011 general elections.

The way forward

It also hailed the
selection of Lai Olurode and other members on the new board of INEC,
and advised them not to allow themselves to be tainted. The party also
advised the federal government to fully observe the process of
electoral reforms recommended by the Muhammadu Uwais-led panel.

Another group,
Human Rights’ Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has challenged Mr
Jega to put in place a credible voters’ register for Nigerians.

Born in Jega on 11
Jan., 1957, Attahiru Jega attended Sabon Gari Primary School between
1963 and 1969 and Government Secondary School, Birnin Kebbi. He went to
Bayero University, Kano (BUK) in 1974 and graduated in 1978 with second
class upper division B.Sc. in Political Science. He started his career
as a graduate assistant with BUK and rose to become a professor, and
then vice chancellor of the university in 2005. His tenure as vice
chancellor is expected to end in October.

Resident doctors in
the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) resumed duties
today after calling off a one week strike action yesterday.

The Lagos branch of
the Association of Resident Doctors (LASUTH-ARD) called of the strike
after a meeting it held at the hospital premises on Wednesday. The
strike, which lasted seven days, was observed to press for the payment
of the deducted 12 days’ pay from their salaries by the state
government, for participating in a nationwide strike called by the
National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) in April.

”We have just
called off the strike, so we will resume work 8 am tomorrow morning;
they (state government) have answered us,” said the association
president, Saliu Oseni, who described the state government’s action as
an insult to the medical profession. Dr. Oseni also said the
association had forwarded a memo stating its other demands to the state
government for consideration, prominent among which is the
implementation of the Consolidated Medical Salary Scale (CONMESS), an
improved salary structure.

Getting back to business

The withholding of
the salaries to punish the doctors had, however, met with criticisms
from some quarters, including the Democratic Peoples’ Alliance (DPA),
an opposition party, and NARD, which have pushed for the immediate
payment of the deducted salary.

In its protest, the
NARD gave the Lagos state government seven days to pay the deducted
money, threatening a nationwide strike of resident doctors if the
demand was not met by then; the ultimatum expired yesterday.

While the strike
lasted, various wards of the hospital were empty, except for the
emergency ward, where consultants were on hand to attend to the
patients. With the return of the doctors, patients will be relieved of
their suffering.

A patient, Kabiru
Mohammed described the news of the doctor’s strike call-off as “a
welcome development.” “I think it’s a good thing that both of them have
resolved their issues, because it’s we people that will suffer, not the
doctors, not the government,” he said.

The Oyo State governor, Alao Akala on Wednesday said that individual Nigerians need reform.

Mr. Akala, reacting

to the appointment of Attahiru Jega as new INEC boss, told aviation

correspondents at the Murtala Mohammed Airport 2 on Wednesday that

Nigerians although the clamour for political reforms is right,

Nigerians should reform their ways.

“Everyone is

talking about political reforms, but it is we in Nigeria that have to

reform ourselves,” he said. “What Nigerian people don’t know is this,

the chairman will not be everywhere in every election.”

The governor also lauded the appointment of Mr. Jega, and stated that the new INEC boss is worthy of the position.

“He has good track

records and he has integrity,” he said. “With the man there now, there

will be a lot of transparency. You know he doesn’t take nonsense and he

is a nice man. I know he will not disappoint Nigerians.”

The National

Council of States, on Tuesday approved the appointment of Mr. Jega,

vice chancellor of Bayero University, Kano as the new chairman of

Nigeria’s electoral commission. Also approved by the council are ten

other electoral commissioners and 18 resident electoral commissioners.

Commenting on his political future, Mr. Akala, expressed his

confidence ahead of the 2011 general polls. “I have been doing that for

the past how many years now,” he said. “For when you have been on a

particular job for a very long time, the more time you spend, the more

you master the game.”

Constitutional
lawyer, Bamidele Aturu, has decried the ongoing process to amend the
1999 constitution, saying the process falls short of what the original
document stipulates.

Both arms of
national assembly, last week, agreed to forward the amended document to
the 36 states house of assembly for concurrence. But Mr Aturu said the
legislators “ought to have passed a resolution before passing the bill
and sending it to the states house of assembly.” He quoted section 9 of
the constitution, which stipulates that the “National Assembly can only
pass an act to amend the constitution when its proposal to amend the
constitution has been supported by two-thirds majority of all the
members of each chamber and the proposal is approved by the resolution
of at least 24 Houses of Assembly of the States.”

This section of the
constitution, which states the procedure to be adopted in amending the
constitution, according to the lawyer, has “simply been ignored or
deliberately trampled upon by the legislators. The implication of which
is that the whole exercise…is an exercise in futility, an unnecessary
waste of taxpayers’ money and an indefensible trivialisation of
legislative time.”

Mr Aturu said the
National Assembly has violated the 1999 constitution in the process of
trying to amend the constitution because in law, one cannot build
something on nothing and expect it to stand.

“The illegal process which the national assembly has embarked on will soon collapse,” he said.

Harmonised illegality

Mr Aturu expressed
shock at the pronouncement of the National Assembly that it has passed
a bill to amend the constitution, saying the lawmakers has only passed
a “harmonised illegality.”

“When a procedure
has been laid down in a statute for the doing of a thing, to do that
thing in a different way is an illegality,” he said. “If they go ahead
with the proceedings, anybody can challenge them to court to nullify
the whole process. It is better for the National Assembly to halt the
illegal process, recommence constitutional review by merely passing a
resolution and then take the resolution to the states for approval. If
they secure the resolution of 24 Houses, then they can pass the bill
for the amendment of the constitution. If not, then that is the end of
the attempt.”

The lawyer also warned against claims that the bill to amend the
constitution, once passed by the National Assembly, does not require
the assent of the president. Quoting Section 58 of the constitution, he
said: “the section makes it clear that a bill does not become law until
it has been assented to by the president; unless after a period of one
month, the National Assembly passes the bill by two thirds majority and
overrides as it were the president’s veto.”

The All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP)
has called on the nominated INEC Chairman Attahiru Jega to create a
“re-branded INEC by flushing out all bad eggs” in the commission, as
soon as the National Assembly ratifies his appointment.

Sabo Muhammed, the party’s National
Director of Publicity, made the call in an interview with the News
Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Bauchi on Wednesday.

Mr. Muhammed, a former Public Relations Officer of the Academic
Staff Union of Universities when Mr Jega was its national president,
said, “notwithstanding Jega’s credibility and pedigree, government must
create an enabling environment for him to conduct a free, fair and
credible elections in 2011”.</

The National
Council of States yesterday approved the nomination of Attahiru Jega as
the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission by
President Goodluck Jonathan.

The ratification
came during the council’s first meeting under Mr Jonathan’s
administration. An influential advisory body, members of the council
include state governors, all former heads of state, former chief
justices of the federation and the current one, the attorney-general
and minister of justice, Senate President and Speaker of the House of
Representatives.

Yesterday’s meeting
had, for the first time in a very long while, all former living
Nigerian heads of state in attendance, including Yakubu Gowon, Olusegun
Obasanjo, Shehu Shagari, Ibrahim Babangida, Ernest Shonekan,
Abdulsalami Abubakar, and Muhammadu Buhari who consistently shunned the
council’s meetings during the administration of Mr Obasanjo.

The full attendance by the former leaders signifies their confidence in the leadership of Mr. Jonathan, a presidency aide said.

The council also
approved 10 national commissioners and 18 resident commissioners for
the electoral commission, alongside Mr. Jega who was a former national
president of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, and the Vice
Chancellor of the Bayero University, Kano. All the names will be
forwarded to the National Assembly for confirmation.

Unanimous approval

The Edo State
governor, Adams Oshiomhole, who made the announcement after the closed
door meeting which lasted for about six hours, said,

“The council
considered the recommendation of Professor Atahiru Jega for appointment
as chairman of INEC and the council unanimously approved of it,” he
said, flanked by the governors of Niger, Jigawa, and Enugu States.

“We believe the
president demonstrated courage and statesmanship in appointing someone
who is not known to have any partisan political affiliation and a
Nigerian that has distinguished himself in his present and past
callings,” he said, adding, “The council also commended the president
for the quality of people nominated as national electoral
commissioners, about 10 of them as well as 18 other resident electoral
commissioners.

“The good thing
about it is that council was unanimous about these appointments because
the people concerned were considered to be men and women of integrity.
The fact is that we all accept that the president has exercised his
power quite judiciously in appointing someone that most Nigerians will
respect and appreciate, and it will be a major push on the electoral
reform line. The president also agreed that any of the existing
electoral commissioners whose tenure has not expired, but who might
have been found wanting of any particular wrong; where proven, will be
promptly removed and replaced.

“I think with council decision today, the recommendation will now go to the Senate for scrutiny and approval.”

Although the
council is essentially an advisory body, it is usually consulted on
significant national issues. Its meeting yesterday was essentially to
endorse the appointment of a new chairman for the Independent National
Electoral Commission (INEC).

Omotayo Mobolaji Johnson, a geologist and staff of
Chevron PLC has been arrested in connection with the attempt to kidnap
a bank executive at Ikoyi, Lagos.

Two middle-aged suspects, Tommy Ebikeme and Edward
Anigbhoro were also arrested during the June 1st kidnaping which the
police said was masterminded by Mr. Johnson who allegedly used a pseudo
name ‘Olumide.’ He was allegedly assisted by a woman called Anita to
recruit both Mr. Ebikeme and Mr. Anighboro who are militants from the
Niger Delta, to carry out the kidnap.

Their luck ran out when the police got a tip off and arrested them when they were about to kidnap their victim at Ikoyi.

The Lagos State commissioner of police, Marvel
Akpoyibo while parading the suspects at the state command yesterday
said the command’s intelligence -led policing strategy led to the
arrest of the suspect.

“Events that led to the arrest of the suspects
started on June 1st, 2010, when the command’s intelligence Unit
intercepted information that a group of persons had perfected plans to
kidnap a high profile target in Lagos. Members of the gang recruited
from the Niger delta of Nigeria were said to have intended to kidnap
the target victim from his office in Lagos island and whisk him away to
Ibadan, where Omotayo Mobolaji Johnson had a farm at the outskirt of
the town where the victim was to be taken to, after which a demand for
ransom will be made.” He said, “Acting on the strength of the
information, intelligent and undercover operatives were deployed in and
around the office and premises of the target victim for high level
surveillance mission, the efforts of the police yielded positive result
when hours later, operatives were able to effect the arrest of three
suspects connected to the plot.”

Mr. Akpoyibo added that preliminary investigation shows that the kidnap was masterminded by Mr. Johnson.

“His wife works in one of the companies owned by the
father of the target victim. The suspect worked with one Anita now at
large. Mr. Johnson owns a four star hotel and other investment in
Ibadan. He promised the other suspects a cash reward of ten million
naira from a windfall of fifty million naira expected to be made from
the illicit deal if the victim was taken to Ibadan. Some substances
recovered from the suspects include sleep inducing drugs, syringes
which they had intended to inject the victim with the substances
Halothane and Velum to facilitate his losing consciousness before
moving him to Ibadan.” Mr. Akpoyibo said.

Mr. Johnson however declined to comment on his
involvement in the crime. He said “I will not say anything until my
lawyer is here.” Mr. Ebikeme however confessed to the crime. He
indicted Mr. Johnson saying he was the one who recruited them and drove
them to the scene of the botched kidnap.

The oil company, Chevron could not be reached as at press time for its comment.

Kidnappers in Abia State have abducted
Etuk-Udo Sampson, the father of Akanimo Sampson, Editor (Niger Delta)
of Watchdog Reporters. Mr Sampson was abducted with three others on
Saturday on their way back to Eket, Akwa Ibom State from a wedding
ceremony.

The kidnapped elderly man, who is also
a royal father in Atai Ndon, Afaha-Eket, in Eket Local Government Area
of Akwa Ibom State, was at Ikeduru in Imo State, for the wedding
ceremony of his nephew, Mr Akanimo N. Sampson Etukudo, where he served
as the groom’s father of the day. Some five other relatives who
accompanied him to the wedding received serious gunshot wounds during
the abduction.

An eye-witness account said Mr Sampson
was abducted at Onicha Ngwa, near the Nigerian Christian Hospital,
after sporadic gun shots by the bandits which lasted for some 10
minutes.

The abducted citizens have been denied food since Sunday, while their abductors are pressing for a ransom of N30 million.

Already, the Nigeria Police, Rivers
State command, has made necessary contacts with the Abia State command,
to ensure that the captives regain their freedom.

Police Commissioner, Suleman Abba, said
on Tuesday that his command has brought the incident to the knowledge
of the Abia State high command.

Mr Daniel Abia, spokesperson for the
Journalists for Niger Delta (JODEL), a media group concerned with the
affairs of the oil and gas region, said Abia State was becoming
increasingly unsafe for Akwa Ibom and Rivers States citizens. The group
is, therefore, calling on the federal government to do something about
that axis of terror, since the authorities in Umuahia, the Abia State
capital, appear to be helpless.

From Eket, where Mr Sampson hails,
concerned citizens have called on the state government to ensure the
safety of Akwa Ibom citizens who travel through Abia State.

Ensure safe passage

Spokesperson for the Concerned Eket
People, Maurice Edohoeket, claimed that if the situation was not
curbed, “Akwa Ibom people could be forced to embark on reprisal
attacks. There are some prominent Abia people who live and do business
in Akwa Ibom.”

Family sources say the health of Mr Akpabio, who recently underwent surgery, is at risk.

Before the Nigerian civil war, Mr Sampson was a prominent figure in
the automobile industry in Aba, the commercial town of Abia and, before
retiring to become head of his community, he was the sales manager of
Auto Engineering Sales and Service Ltd, in Calabar, the capital of
Cross River State.

A
member of the House of Representatives, Ita Enang, has accused the
National Assembly of granting hasty approvals to executive requests for
foreign loans, calling the approvals “mistakes” that have raised
Nigeria’s debt to the highest in four years.

Mr. Enang, chairman
of the House’s committee on business and rules, said yesterday the
failure of the House in particular, to examine the requests sent to
them by the executive arm, before approvals, led to several erroneous
endorsements that have now lifted national debt to $4.3 billion.

“For example, if
the National Assembly had read through the document of the latest
proposal brought to us by the executive to approve $915 million loan
from World Bank, we couldn’t have approved it,” he said at the second
day of the House of Representatives Ad Hoc Committee meeting on
Nigeria’s local and foreign loans.

“The Fiscal
Responsibility Act says the National Assembly should examine and
approve the terms and conditions, but we don’t examine, before we
approve. We just approve and it goes.

“50 percent of
these loans are marketed by people at the World Bank; they market these
loans and take their percentages, sometime 1.5%, and so on. You hire
their consultants and you pay them from the same loan you have taken;
and at the end of the day, you still pay them,” he added.

Mr. Enang’s
committee is the major planning body of the House and is largely
responsible in deciding when and if, matters brought before the chamber
would be given legislative attention.

Rising debt levels

His comments would
be viewed as weighty representation of a part of procedural failures
that have characterised the working of the federal legislature. Between
2009 and date, the executive arm under the late president, Umar
Yar’Adua, and the incumbent, Goodluck Jonathan, have sought and secured
authorisations from the lawmakers, for foreign loans amounting to more
than $1 billion.

In each case of the
loan applications, their respective approvals received speedy treatment
and passage at both chambers of the National Assembly, most times over
ruling dissenting opinions of many members.

Finance minister, Olusegun Aganga, who also attended the event on
Monday, disclosed that Nigeria’s debt has risen from $3.54 billion in
2006 to the present $4.3 billion, rated by ending of March 2010.