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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.

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“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.

At least nine
pro-Palestine activists were killed when Israeli marines stormed a
Turkish aid ship bound for Gaza on Monday, triggering a diplomatic
crisis and an emergency session of the UN Security Council.

European nations,
as well as the United Nations and Turkey, voiced shock and outrage at
the incident. Boarding from dinghies and rappelling from helicopters,
naval commandos stopped six ships, 700 people and 10,000 tons of
supplies from reaching the Islamist-run Palestinian enclave; but a
bloody miscalculation left Israel isolated and condemned.

Once-close Muslim
ally Turkey accused it of “terrorism” in international waters. The UN
Security Council met for an emergency session. The European Union, a
key aid donor to Palestinians, demanded an independent inquiry and an
end to the Gaza embargo.

Israel’s most
powerful friend, the United States, was more cautious; but President
Barack Obama said he wanted the full facts soon and regretted the loss
of life. However, New York rights group, Human Rights Watch noted that
the incident, in which dozens of activists and several Israeli
commandos were also reportedly wounded, raises grave concerns about
possible unlawful and excessive use of lethal force.

Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu voiced regret as he cut short a visit to Canada and
rang President Obama to call off a White House meeting that had been
planned for Tuesday. “They were mobbed, they were clubbed, they were
beaten, stabbed, there was even a report of gunfire. And our soldiers
had to defend themselves,” he said.

“What Israel has committed on board the Freedom Flotilla was a massacre,” Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said.

Paintball attack

Military
night-vision video showed commandos being winched down, only to be
surrounded. Some Israeli commentators asked why commanders put troops
into a position where they were cornered. An Israeli minister admitted
plans to maintain the blockade on Hamas while avoiding an international
incident had backfired in spectacular fashion.

One marine told
reporters his squad went in with anti-riot paintball guns but, fearing
for their lives, resorted to using normal pistols or leapt overboard.
In military footage, a commando fired a paintball at a man who seemed
to be clubbing an Israeli. Other video showed a commando fire a pistol,
two-handed.

“We were prepared to face human rights activists and we found people who came for war,” the marine told reporters.

Turkish anger

The bloodshed
sparked street protests and government ire in Turkey, long Israel’s
lone Muslim ally in the region. Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, whose
Islamist views and outreach to Iran and other Israeli enemies are
blamed by many in Israel for souring relations, said before cutting
short a trip to Chile: “This action, totally contrary to the principles
of international law, is inhumane state terrorism.”

Ankara also
cancelled joint military exercises and recalled its ambassador. Israel
told tourists in Turkey to stay indoors and dismissed any accusations
that it had broken international law by boarding foreign ships far
beyond its territorial waters. Israeli forces were on high alert but
aside from scattered scuffles, there was little trouble with
Palestinian protesters.

Demonstrations in Europe included Paris, Stockholm, Rome, and
Athens. The Arab League condemned what it called a “terrorist act.”
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called it “inhuman.” A senior UN
official responsible for the aid on which Gaza depends said: “Such
tragedies are entirely avoidable if Israel heeds the repeated calls of
the international community to end its counterproductive and
unacceptable blockade of Gaza.”

REUTERS

Q:You of
course met with President Jonathan Goodluck-what assurances did you
receive from him with regard to the fight against corruption, electoral
reforms and energy.

A: With the
president we spoke mostly about the issues with to concern to our
working group. The energy is another working group and we will begin
discussions in June in Washington DC. the President demonstrated not
only full commitment to addressing these issues but also a great degree
of knowledge about the complexities of carrying them out. He did not
simplify it nor did he say this was easy to carry on. His words and
emphasis were based on all the different pieces that have to be
addressed. We believe that the leadership is in place and we are very
happy to be partners in that leadership in order to make this election
happen.

Q:Presently
the country is about to have a new chairman for INEC. What kind of
person will the United states like to see appointed by the Nigerian
President going by the fact there has been a lot of complaints over the
work of the previous Chairman, Maurice Iwu.

A:We will like to
see someone that can help highlight the I (independent) in INEC. And
someone who is credible and responsible with a level of commitment to
carry out electoral reform in the way that the President has outlined
it and the way in which we will like to see it move forward. We have
every confidence that the leadership of INEC will be able to take this
organization forward in carrying out a fair and transparent election

Q:From the
Executive to the Parliament and the even the Nigerian Public the debate
about electoral reforms arising from the Uwais report has raged. What
is your position on this and do you think the report should be adopted
in its entirety.

A: We believe what
is important is for the country to make decisions- for the national
assembly and the other institutions that are in place to take on the
decisions that together will enable the 2011 elections to be fair,
credible and transparent. We have made recommendations in that regard
and we believe it is important for those recommendations to be
seriously considered. No question that time is running short and that a
great work still needs to be done.

Q:Are you
very optimistic that the 2011 elections in Nigeria will be fair and
credible and what is the basis for that optimism if there is any.

A:You are saying
that we are optimistic. I like to tell you that in the last two days we
have had very good discussions, very promising discussions of the
Bi-National Commission. They have demonstrated a very good deal of
commitment on the part of the Nigerian government and I dont mean just
in words, but very clear actions are being taken in order to move
forward all the pieces that have to fit together to make sure credible
elections are held. We believe the leadership is in place. And the real
desire on the part of Nigeria to be able to carry out an election that
not only the Nigerian people but the world can see is free and fair.

We believe that
there is a great deal of effort being made to improve the institutions
ensure institutions that contribute to credible elections including
INEC. We will be able to provide technical assistance and training to
make this process move forward. The work of this bi-national commission
is a very strong signal of the work that is being done and the reason
for our optimism as we move forward.

Q:You
harped on the importance of the fight against corruption and you the
need for the EFCC to step up to the plate. US Secretary of state
Senator Hillary Clinton also a few months back harped on the same
issue-going forward in what ways will the US partner with the EFCC to
ensure the necessary work is done in terms of high profile corruption
convictions.

A: We will continue
working with EFCC. We will work closely also in looking at legislation
and the mechanisms that will ensure that high level corrupt criminals
are brought to justice. We believe that this is an area that a great
deal of work is needed. Transparency International continues to rate
Nigerian close to the bottom. And I would like to echo Secretary
Clinton’s urging that a great deal of work still needs to be done. The
United States is ready to help but it is really Nigerians and the
Nigerian institutions that will have to turn things around.

Q:Media reports have it that the US President will soon visit Nigeria. how soon will this happen and can you confirm.

A: You said media
reports (laughter)-You know how those are. I can’t confirm. The
president has no such trip planned at this time. So, I am not open to
say anything more specific than that. There is no such plan at this
time.

For full interview please tune to NN24. DSTV Channel 414.

Oluwadare Adepoju
Adesina the Deji of Akure land, on Sunday evening physically assaulted
one of his wives in a free for all in Akure, the Ondo State capital.

Oba Adesina, accompanied by his latest wife, Remi Adesina, descended on Olori Bolanle Adesina and inflicted injuries on her.

NEXT gathered that
Olori Bolanle had been ordered out of the palace by the monarch,
following a slight disagreement between the two. The traditional ruler
then invaded the private residence of Olori Bolanle with stern looking
people suspected to be thugs, who gave the hapless woman a thorough
beating.

The incident was
said to have happened around 5.30pm on Sunday when the the Oba, along
with Remi, stormed the residence of the second ‘Olori’ located on 141,
Hospital Road Akure, in an SUV and Toyota starlet.

On sighting the Oba
and his wife, Olori Bolanle sneaked into her room and asked the people
around to tell them she was not around.

But when they could
not see her, the monarch allegedly ordered the stern looking youth that
accompanied him to destroy the building.

NEXT further learnt
that it was at this stage that Bolanle came out of hiding and
challenged the people on the reason why they invaded her house. This
was said to have infuriated Oba Adesina, who directed that a hot
substance should be poured on her.

It was at this
point the younger brother of Olori Bolanle and some passers-by
descended on the Nissan Pathfinder brought to the scene by Oba Adesina.
The vehicle, marked “Deji of Akure”, was seriously damaged by irate
youth, who vowed to deal with him seriously.

In an attempt to
escape being dealt with by the people of the area, the Oba fell into
the drainage along the road and his cap allegedly fell off his head. It
took the quick intervention of the police from the state command to
save him from being lynched by the irate mob.

‘God saved me’

While narrating her ordeal, Olori Bolanle said it was God who saved her life from death.

“I had to block my
face because they wanted to pour the substance on me to deface me. But,
I was lucky to have blocked it with my two hands,” she said.

“Despite the fact
that I was forced out of the palace without the opportunity to take my
belongings, Oba Adesina still came to my house to fight me for unjust
cause. When I noticed that there was nothing I could do, I had to call
the police who responded swiftly to my distress call. It took the
intervention of the police to put the situation under control.” Olori
Bolanle urged security operatives to beef up security around her so
that the monarch would not be able to take her life.

Efforts to speak
with the Akure traditional ruler proved abortive, as he refused to
comment on the issue when contacted on his cell phone.

Oba Oluwadare Adepoju Adesina was on Novemeber 8, 2009 declared
unworthy of the throne and his seat vacant, by the kingmakers in Akure.
He was subsequently barred from the palace. Oba Adesina was also
accused of not completing the traditional rites four years after he
assumed the throne. It took the intervention of the state governor,
Olusegun Mimiko, before the kingmakers could revert their earlier
decision.

Mathew Kukah, a
Catholic priest, has urged Nigerians to be ready to embrace the wind of
change that is blowing across the country’s political firmament.

Mr Kukah, the Vicar
General of the Kaduna Archdiocese of the Catholic Church said during a
sermon in Abuja that Nigerians should see the Goodluck Jonathan
presidency as a clear indication that God is ready to change the
country’s political equation for good.

During the service
held in honour of Ojo Maduekwe, former foreign affairs minister, Mr
Maduekwe, rededicated the rest of his life to the service of the prison
ministry in the country.

“Sometimes God is
ready to do something when Nigerians are not. At other times, Nigerians
are ready when God is not. But now it is clear God is ready to change
Nigeria for good. But it depends on what Nigerians want,” Mr .Kukah
said.

“What God has done
for Nigeria has never been done in any other democracy in the world. A
situation where one man has become deputy governor and governor of a
state, vice president, acting president of Nigeria, and now president,
without standing for any election, is neither ordinary good luck nor
mere coincidence.

“Goodluck Jonathan
has never stood for any election into any of the offices he has
occupied. He has never spent any money to campaign to be voted for in
any election. Nobody has ever cast any vote for him in any election.
Yet, he has become the president of Nigeria without spending any money.

“My argument is
that God is ready to do a new thing for Nigeria. God went to the Niger
Delta region, where they say there is lot of kidnapping, hostage taking
and other vices that give the country a bad image, and picked Jonathan
to take over the presidency, against all expectations. One does not
need to be happy or accept (it), but it has happened,” he said.

According to Kukah,
the coming of “the Goodluck effect” has also brought with it the
“collateral benefit” now being enjoyed by the people of Kaduna State,
who, he said, were not only having a Christian as governor of the state
for the first time, but also its indigene as vice president of Nigeria.

Giving back

The erstwhile
National Secretary and member, Board of Trustees of Peoples Democratic
Party (PDP), Maduekwe, said he was grateful to God for sustaining him
throughout the difficult years in his political career, which saw him
occupying various top positions.

He said his
decision to invest the remaining part of his life in the ministry of
those who have found themselves behind bars is his own modest way of
giving back to God in appreciation of His favour to him politically.

“When I told my
father, who was a committed reverend minister of the Presbyterian
Church, that I was going into politics, he did not support the idea
initially. But when I explained to him that I was going in to render
service to the people, he changed his mind and gave me his blessings.
That blessing is what has made it possible for me to have this record
of over 11 years in service,” he said.

Though he said the father did not live long enough to see him make a
success of his dream career, he not only wants to erect a befitting
structure to his memory, but also to go into a ministry that would show
how grateful he is to God.