Nigeria Content Online

The Head of the
Civil Service of the Federation, Stephen Oronsaye, yesterday
inaugurated the administrative panel set up by the federal government
to investigate the crisis in the Ministry of Interior.

Speaking at the
inauguration, Mr. Oronsaye said the government was concerned because
the incident at the Ministry of Interior on Wednesday, last week, where
workers demonstrated and demanded for the removal of the Permanent
Secretary, was unprecedented.

He added that the aim of setting up the panel was to understand the remote and immediate causes of the crisis.

The panel, he said,
is free to go into any area and summon anybody in the course of its
investigation. He however urged its members to be fair.

Solve the problem

“The
recommendations of the panel should not only help to solve the problem
in the Ministry of Interior but also assist in defining the
relationship between workers and management and that between Ministers
and Permanent Secretaries,” he told the panelists.

The Head of the
Service disclosed that members of the three-man panel were carefully
selected because of their track record in administration and public
service.

Responding on
behalf of other members, chairman of the panel and Special Adviser to
the President on New Partnership for Africa Development, Tunji
Olagunju, thanked the federal government for trusting them to do the
job and said the assignment is a challenge which members will try to
discharge responsibly.

Others members of
the committee are Titilayo Iroche, a retired Permanent Secretary and
Commissioner with the National Salaries and Wages Commission; and Isa
Bello Sali, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Power, who will also serve
as its secretary.

The panel has a period of two weeks to complete the assignment.

Akure kingmakers may soon take
disciplinary measures against the Deji of Akure, Oluwadare Adesina, who
publicly assaulted his wife, Bolanle, at her residence on Monday. The
woman has also resolved to seek legal redress.

The head of the kingmakers and Lisa of
Akure kingdom, Folorunsho Davies, said in a telephone interview that
the monarch’s action was unacceptable, and against the customs of
Akureland.

Mr Davies, who noted that the council
of chiefs was taking statements from the monarch and his estranged
wife, said if the claims are true, it was wrong for a first class
monarch to have descended so low.

“We are meeting on the matter to decide
what will be our next line of action. It is unacceptable in the custom
of Akure for a Deji to fight in public places,” he said. “We have once
reported his behaviour to the state government before and we are going
to report him again so that necessary action is taken on the matter”.

Mrs Adesina also told us in a telephone
interview that she will be suing Mr Adesina over what she labelled his
indecent behaviour in public.

“I am not going to treat the matter
with levity because he infringed on my human rights. He ordered me out
of his house eight months ago and he came to assault me in my private
residence,” she said. “If not for the police that rescued me from him,
what would we have been saying? Maybe I would be dead by now. My family
and I have resolved to take the matter to court”.

Meanwhile, notable indigenes of the state have started reacting to the action of the monarch.

The former leader of the Ondo State
House of Assembly, Kunle Agunbiade described the behaviour of Mr
Adesina as repulsive and unwarranted.

“The Action of Oba Adesina is not only
an embarrassment to himself but the entire Akure people who are noted
for hospitality and good conduct,” Mr. Agunbiade said.

The former secretary to the government of the federation, Olu Falae refused to discuss the matter. “I have no comment,” he said.

The oba’s public assault on his wife
has also attracted scathing criticisms from members of the civil
society, who labelled his action as barbaric, nauseating and criminal.

Women want justice

The state chairperson of Grassroots
Women Emancipation Movement, Phebean Adejuyi called for the immediate
arrest and prosecution of the monarch.

“Every mother and house wife must do
everything in their position to see that the matter is not swept under
the carpet. Justice in this case must be seen to have been done; it
must not end on the pages of newspapers alone,” she said. “This will
serve as deterrent to other people of crude character like Oba Adesina.
We have decided to write the state assembly to take over the matter, so
that justice can be achieved”.

The President of Women Alert, Joe
Okei-Odumakin described the monarch’s action as embarrassing and
inhuman. Mrs Okei-Odumakin, who is also the president of Campaign for
Democracy, said in a telephone interview yesterday that the action of
the traditional ruler has revealed that our leaders are highly
intolerant. She added that the action of the king, who should be a role
model for the society, portends serious danger for the future of our
youths and challenged security agencies in the state to ensure that the
king is brought to book.

“In a sane society, anyone, no matter
how highly placed, should not be allowed to carry out such act against
a woman and be allowed to go scot free. The police should take
immediate action and ensure that the King is punished,” she said.

“As the President of Women Alert, I will mobilize other Nigerian
women groups to ensure that the case did not die and this will be a
litmus test to the Nigerian police.”

Lessons from Nigeria’s eleven years of democracy

Glory be to
almighty Allah for His mercies in seeing us through eleven unbroken
years of democratic rule in Nigeria. It is a great achievement and
quite an exciting experience. I sincerely commend Nigerians for the
consistent faith they have shown, and the patience they exhibited to
sustain democracy.

From all indications, Nigerians cherish democracy. The system is growing and our trust in it is deepening.

There is no doubt
that the challenges have been enormous, but with the commitment of the
people and the leadership at all levels, the nation has overcome most
of the initial obstacles and pessimism. It is a cause for joy that
democracy has come to be. In our 50 years of political independence, it
is this time around that we as a people have been able to sustain
democracy for over a decade. This is no mean feat.

That is why the PDP
deserves special commendation for providing the longest period of
democracy in the history of Nigeria, despite all the odds.

Critics say Nigerians have little to show for the years of civil rule

Not exactly. Before
you draw any conclusion on whether Nigerians gained something or not in
the journey so far, you have to cast your mind back to the period
before the advent of the current democratic dispensation. Nigeria was a
virtual pariah nation, with totally collapsed socio-economic
structures. Fundamental human rights was non-existent. But with the
advent of democracy in 1999, human rights of the people were restored.
Social and economic activities received greater boost at all levels.
The people now have a say on how they are governed. Agreed, some of the
expectations of the people have not been met. This is due to the
distortions in our system. That was exactly what prompted the renewed
focus on rule of law and strict adherence to the concept of due process
in public administration.

Visible achievements by politicians in the North West Zone

More than anything
else, since my election as zonal party chairman for the North West zone
on Tuesday 4th March, 2008 to date, our ability to ensure sustenance of
atmosphere of peace, unity, stability, and steady party progress in all
the seven states under the zone remains paramount.

Secondly, is the
enthronement of internal party democracy and cohesion in all the state
chapters and at all levels. Let me hasten to express my profound and
sincere thanks to all the party leaders in the states, particularly the
governors, local party leaders, and all members and supporters of the
PDP in all the seven states for their consistent support.

One notable
achievement was the successful and peaceful conduct of party congress
in Kano State in August 2009, which produced the first ever
democratically elected state executive committee. I also spear headed
the decamping of Zamfara State governor, Mahmud Aliyu Shinkafi, and his
government from ANPP into the PDP in December, 2008. We also received
two senators and five members of the House of Representatives,
representing Zamfara State, from ANPP into the PDP. The political
profile of the North West zone was boosted once again on Wednesday 19th
May, 2010, when Muhammadu Namadi Sambo was elevated from governor of
Kaduna State, to the position of Vice President.

Litany of court cases in the zone

Yes, indeed we were
in courts defending the election of our candidates. All the cases have
been conclusively decided, and we appear to have won most of them, if
not all. Some of these include the election of the governor of Kebbi
State, Saidu Dakingari; that of the governor of Sokoto State, Aliyu
Magatakarda Wamakko; the election of Katsina State governor, Ibrahim
Shema; and the election of the former governor of Kaduna State,
Muhammadu Namadi Sambo.

Crisis in the party’s Kebbi State chapter (over the position of party chairman)

Yes, the issue of
the position of PDP chairman in Kebbi State has been resolved, once and
for all. A new state chairman has been appointed and he is Mansur Shehu
(Mamser). He was duly ratified as the state party chairman on Tuesday,
May 25, 2010.

Support for the federal government

My expectation is
that the people of Nigeria would give maximum support to our President,
Goodluck Jonathan. He is our leader, a patriotic and credible leader
who deserves our full support to enable him succeed in the task of
nation building.

A 12-member jury which deliberated at the money laundering trial of relatives and associates of former Delta State governor, James Ibori has found his sister, Christie Ibori-Ibie, guilty of all charges of money laundering and mortgage fraud levelled against her.

The jury however acquitted Mr. Ibori’s former assistant, Adebimpe Pogoson, of all charges as it prepares to announce its verdict on the third accused, Udoamaka Onuigbo, today. Ms Onuigbo has already been acquitted on one of the counts yesterday.

The money laundering trial involving Mr Ibori’s female aides began at the Southwark Crown Court, London after Ms Pogoson, (a personal assistant on confidential matters during his tenure as state governor) and his sister Ms Ibori-Ibie, were charged in December 2007 on three counts of conspiring “together with Mr Ibori, Ms Onuigbo and others to defraud the Delta State government.”

The aides were alleged to have helped the former governor to move an estimated £70 million worth of looted funds through several London banks.

Mr Ibori is presently under surveillance in the United Arab Emirates,

where his passport was seized after his arrest by INTERPOL on a United Kingdom warrant for money laundering, last month. Prior to this, Mr Ibori evaded arrest for four weeks in Nigeria after he was declared wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for allegedly mismanaging N528 million shares of Delta State in Oceanic Bank.

Authorities in both Nigeria and the United Kingdom are calling for his extradition to face criminal charges.

A UK based solicitor, Daniel Elombah, however said there is no overt relationship between this judgment and Ibori’s troubles with the UK metropolitan police, which led to his arraignment in Dubai. “I don’t think there is any link,” Mr Elombah said. “Remember, by the time Ibori was arrested in Dubai, the trial has finished, both the defense and prosecution has summed up.”

The charges against the defendants

Ibori’s aide, Ms Pogoson, aged 39, and 49-year-old Ms Omatie Ibori-Ibie were both charged on December 19, 2007 on the following counts:

Count 1) Between the 1st day of June 1999 and the 29th day of May 2007, they conspired together and with Mr Ibori, Ms Onuigbo (also known as Okoronkwo) and others to defraud the Delta State government by dishonestly, among other matters:

(i) Being a party to an inflated price fraud in respect of the contract for the building of a sports track for the Delta State government (ii) Being a party to the provision of an inflated invoice fraud in respect of the supply of vehicles to the Delta State government (iii) Being a party to working for the private interests of James Onanefe Ibori whilst the Governor of Delta State whilst being paid by the Delta State government.

That contrary to common law, between the 1st day of May 1999 and the 24th day of March 2003 they conspired together and with Mr Ibori, Ms Onuigbo and others to enter into or were otherwise concerned in an arrangement whereby the proceeds of the criminal conduct of Mr Ibori were used:

(i) To ensure that funds were placed at the disposal of Mr Ibori; or (ii) For the benefit of Mr Ibori to acquire property by way of investment, after knowing or suspecting that James Onanefe Ibori was or had been engaged in criminal conduct or had benefited from criminal conduct.

That between the 23rd day of March 2003 and the 30th day of May 2007, they conspired together and with Mr Ibori, Ms Onuigbo and others to conceal, disguise, convert, transfer, or remove criminal property, knowing or suspecting that the property constituted a person’s benefit from criminal conduct, or it represented such a benefit in whole or in part and whether directly or indirectly contrary to section 327 of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002. Others are, that Ms Omatie Ibori-Ibie on or about the 2nd day of November 2001 dishonestly obtained for herself or another a money transfer from GMAC -RFC Limited in the sum of £356,250.00 being a loan by way of mortgage in respect of the property known as 76 Woodhill Crescent, Kenton, Harrow, Middlesex HA3 0LZ by deception, namely by making false representations, among others, contrary to section 15A of the Theft Act 1968.

Ms Omatie Ibori-Ibie’s additional charges are:

On or about the 20th day of April 2006 she dishonestly obtained for herself of another a money transfer from Abbey National PLC in the sum of £374,000.00 being a loan by way of mortgage in respect of the property known as 76 Woodhill Crescent, Kenton, Harrow, Middlesex HA3 0LZ by deception, namely by making false representations, among others, contrary to section 15A of the Theft Act 1968.

That on or about the 3rd day of July 2001 she dishonestly obtained for herself or another a money transfer from GE Money Home Lending Limited (part of I Group Limited) in the sum of £50,500.00 being a loan by way of mortgage in respect of the property known as 139 Kingfisher Way, London NW10, by deception, namely by making false representations, among others, contrary to section 15A of the Theft Act 1968.

Heads of Nigerian
Universities yesterday condemned the recent call by lawmakers for
post-JAMB tests in the country to be stopped, saying the entrance
examination into the tertiary institutions conducted by Joint Admission
and Matriculation Board (JAMB), is no longer credible.

Chairman of the
Committee of Vice Chancellors and Vice Chancellor of University of Port
Harcourt, Don Baridam, who briefed reporters in Abuja, said it is out
of place for members of the House Representative to outrightly call for
the university entrance examination to be stopped.

Mr. Baridam said
JAMB is no longer credible, as it does not in any way present a
candidate’s true stand academically, hence the need for an additional
test.

Hear from us

“If they want to
scrap the post UTME (Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations), the
first thing is to invite the universities and hear from them,” he said.
“More than 90 per of those who wrote it have graduated. The first batch
left last year, the second batch will leave this year and from the
reports they are doing well.

“Post UTME is not
illegal. Universities had laws and the laws of the universities were
done by the government binding the behaviour of members of the
universities. This idea of post UTME started in 2004. The
implementation was in 2005 and members of the National Assembly were
quite aware of it. If it is illegal, they would have stopped us then.
We are doing it for the interest of this country, not for personal
interest. We want to see that we get in the best candidates. We cannot
compete globally if we admit those who cannot write their names. We
must ensure that right candidates are admitted into the universities.”

On the fees paid by
candidates before being admitted to write the test, Mr. Baridam stated
that technologies and materials are used in conducting the examination
and should be paid for; adding that the fees charged go towards
validating the credibility of the examination.

“It is not an avenue for exploitation but for selecting the best candidates,” he said.

Easy to cheat

The university
administrator said the post UTME had become imperative considering that
JAMB examinations cannot be depended upon.

“It is easy to cheat in JAMB exams as the security measure is porous,” he said.

The president of
the Academic Staff Union of Nigerian universities, Awuzie Ukachukwu,
also told newsmen that the National Assembly should have been
interested in reviewing the act that set up JAMB.

“They are just grandstanding. They should look at the JAMB, review
the act holistically,” he said. “Since there are more qualified
Nigerian students who are not admitted because of lack of access, NASS
should create access for children to get to the universities. They
should not be talking about post UTME, the trivial aspect of the whole
thing while the main issue is access. Access centres on funding,
providing facility for every child to go to tertiary institution.”

The resignation of
the Catholic Archbishop of Benin Diocese, Richard Burke on Monday,
following an alleged sex abuse of a minor, has jolted the clergy and
laity in the denomination into renewing their agitation for his being
replaced with an indigenous priest.

Emmanuel Emovon, a
professor and devout Catholic who is championing the agitation, said
the Bini will certainly make a fresh presentation to the Catholic
Pontiff, Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican City, Rome, on the matter.

He explained that
the Bini now have well-qualified priests who can be bishops, even as he
named the Vicar General of the Diocese, James-Mary Okunbor, and the
incumbent parish priest of St. Maria Gorretti Catholic Church, Upper
Sokponba in Benin City, among others. “This time around, God will
answer our prayers as He answers and always hearkens to the prayers and
neediness of the oppressed,” he said.

When the former
catholic Bishop of Benin Diocese, Patrick Ekpu, retired owing to old
age some two years ago, the Bini people clamoured for a Bini priest to
replace him. It was said then that there was no qualified Bini priest
and the Pope did not want any ethnic crisis in Nigeria. As such, he
transferred Mr. Burke, the Irish Bishop, from Warri Diocese in Delta
State to Benin, as Archbishop.

However, Mr. Burke
has been out of Nigeria for more than one year now, with the church
saying he was sick. This was the official reason until this weekend
when it became known that the former Arch-Bishop was facing
interrogation over a sex abuse scandal in Ireland. He has resigned his
appointment.

But Mr. Burke’s absence in the country has delayed a lot of things
in the church, as over 10 deacons who would have been ordained priests
could not be ordained, as only the Arch-Bishop could ordain a priest.

The governor of
Cross River State, Liyel Imoke, after assessing democracy in the
country in the last 11 years, last weekend said civil rule has come to
stay.

Mr Imoke said the
military has no excuse to stage a comeback, and advised Nigerians to
have faith in this new system of leadership, as it will take the
country to greater heights.

In a town hall
meeting with the people of the state to mark Democracy Day , the
governor said that since democracy means service to the people,
government at all levels is expected to serve those who elected them,
stressing his belief in popular governance and commitment to the Cross
River project. The governor noted that 11 years on, there was need to
thank God for peace which must be sustained because when the state
remains as one, it can grow bigger and better, adding that though there
were a lot of challenges in the past, opportunities should be created
for others to grow because politics is not a stepping stone or wealth
creation but service.

He said that
democracy has to mature with the introduction of electoral reforms
where those elected are responsible to the electorate “as the era of
carry go don end” because it shows a bad example to the youth, saying
that Cross River will certainly become an example of electoral reform,
by creating a level playing field for the people to chose whom they
want to represent them and not accept candidates presented by the
elders.

Imoke promised that
there will be open primaries which will be monitored by civil societies
and NGOs, because he wants elections to be peaceful, stating that he
has no candidates for local government chairmanship and as such no
caucus chairman has a candidate. This, he said, was the intention of
the party — to inculcate internal democracy which will give the people
hope.

On the economy, Mr
Imoke disclosed that the state has got back its revenue derived from
other sources. He stated that last year was very critical as its
revenue was taken to another state with the ceding of the oil wells,
disclosing that revenue from the Federation Account fell to about N600
million per month, while salaries alone gulp N1.3billion.

The governor
regretted that some of the programmes initiated by his government did
not create the expected impact, not because of lack of resources, but
because those given the responsibilities have not performed.

Citizen obligations

Imoke reminded the
people about the need to pay taxes as their social responsibility, to
enable the government provide social amenities.

Victor Ndoma-Egba,
the Deputy Senate Leader and senator representing Central Senatorial
District, said despite many setbacks, the country has witnessed 11
years of uninterrupted democracy which is the longest in the nation’s
political history since independence.

Mr Ndoma-Egba
explained that Cross River has a government with human face and heart
as can be seen with its various people-oriented projects, as some of
the strides covered in Cross River have eluded other states.

The Town Hall meeting was attended by members of the National
Assembly, state House of Assembly, local government council
chairpersons, members of the State Executive Council, traditional
rulers, politicians, women and youth organizations, civil
organizations, NGOs, and civil servants.

The Ondo State
government will spend N1 billion as compensation to owners of buildings
to be affected in the dualization exercise of the Arakale Road project
in Akure metropolis.

Olusegun Mimiko,
the state governor, disclosed this in Akure on Monday while speaking on
the television programme, ‘Mr Governor Explains’.

He said that the dualization of the road would necessitate the pulling down of about 80 buildings, to pave way for the project .

Mr Mimiko described
Akure as the mirror of the state, the outlook of which would determine
the in-flow of massive investments into the state, noting that his
administration intends to create a state capital which will be a pride
in the country and that will attract investors, thereby, generating
revenue into the state coffers.

The governor
explained that the state government was carrying out massive urban
renewal projects across the state for the overall improvement of its
aesthetic outlook as well as improved and easy traffic system.

He also assured that apart from the two ultra-modern neighbourhood
markets already built by his administration in Akure and the abandoned
ones which were refurbished by his government, new markets would be
built to accommodate market women in Akure and all over the state.

This year’s World Environment Day is to be marked on Saturday, June 5.

Activities marking
the day kick off today under the theme “Many Species. One Planet. One
Future.” The Minister of Environment, John Odey, said this year’s theme
further underscores the need for fundamental and drastic changes in
human behaviour, to avert an ecological crisis.

He, therefore,
called for the cooperation and partnership of all Nigerians in
safeguarding the healthful environment that is essential to life, by
practicing good environmental habits.

World Environment
Day was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1972 at
the Stockholm Conference on the human environment.

Another resolution,
adopted by the General Assembly the same day, led to the creation of
the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

Since 1972, 36 World Environment Day celebrations have been held
around the globe. The event is usually observed in Nigeria with
activities running simultaneously in all states of the federation.

The Vice President,
Namadi Sambo, on Monday, said the Federal Government is committed to
addressing the menace of the almajiri system of education in the
country.

Mr. Sambo gave the
assurance in Kaduna while opening the National Executive Council
meeting of the National Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA).

He said the
government had sought the intervention of some of its educational
agencies like the Universal Basic Education Commission and the
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to address the problem.

“We, particularly
in Nigeria, cannot be said to achieve any MDGs goals without addressing
the menace of the almajiri system,” he said.

Mr. Sambo, who
recently vacated the seat of the governor of Kaduna State to become the
nation’s vice president, commended the efforts of the Kaduna State
government in its quest to realise the goals of the itinerant Islamic
education of the almajiri system.

He pledged that he would make himself available during the launch of the programme in the state.

The vice president
also expressed the commitment of the Federal Government toward ensuring
a credible, free and fair election in 2011, and added that the
government is committed to “speedy implementation of the blueprint for
the restoration of the Niger Delta question, provision of adequate
power, and necessary infrastructure at reasonable cost for national
development.”

“We must imbibe the
doctrine of tolerance of one another if we desire a united and
egalitarian society,” he stressed, while calling on all Nigerians,
irrespective of affinity or affiliations, to be patriotic by ensuring
that the country is counted among the comity of nations.

He commended the
leadership of the NSCIA for its effort at ensuring that youths are
adequately educated in both Western and Islamic tenets.

In his address, the
Kaduna State governor, Patrick Yakowa, enjoined the religious body to
intensify dialogue with similar bodies in other faiths, for the general
progress of the nation.

Religious Tolerance

Mr. Yakowa, the
first Christian to ever govern Kaduna State, also urged Nigerians to
continue to co-exist peacefully and to use religion, ethnic, or
sectional divide, to advance positive values for the overall
development of the country.

He stated that the
state government would continue to provide a conducive environment “for
all that have one cause or the other to be in Kaduna State, to enable
them effectively operate.

“We are compelled
by history and the sacrifices of our past heroes to ensure that we turn
Kaduna State into the most cosmopolitan city within Nigeria.

“Only through that
can we look back and with pride tell ourselves that we did not
disappoint our past heroes and the present generation,” he added.

Earlier in his
remarks, the Chairman of the NSCIA, who is also the Sultan of Sokoto,
Sa’ad Abubakar, charged the National Assembly not to relent in its
efforts at electoral reform.

He urged the lawmakers to ensure that Nigerians have a genuine electoral process that would guarantee free and fair elections.

“Until we do that,
our nation will continue to be haunted by the unholy alliance between
fraudulent elections and illegitimate electoral outcomes.

“We must break away
from this vicious circle and confer on Nigerians the power and indeed,
the ability to decide, freely and willingly, who leads them at all
levels of governance,” he added.