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Following a petition by some civil society groups
seeking the trial of former military president, Ibrahim Babangida over
his alleged indictment by the Okigbo Panel, the nation’s Attorney
General and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Adoke, has requested for a
signed copy of the Okigbo Report from the group.

Responding to the petition, sent two weeks ago by 10
Nigerian civil society groups, Mr. Adoke acknowledged the receipt of
the petition in a reply dated April 16, 2010 signed by his Special
Assistant, Tunde Busari, requesting “for a signed copy of the Okigbo
Report attached to your letter under reference.” The groups, in another
letter to the Minister’s office yesterday, welcomed Mr. Adoke’s
response and his interest in the matter, which they described as
‘unprecedented.’ They said the minister’s response demonstrated the
willingness of the Acting President to exercise the requisite political
will to tackle the impunity of perpetrators of corruption, “which is
the single most important factor for the prevalence of high level
official corruption in the country.” The group however said a copy of
the report submitted to the Minister along with the petition is genuine
and reflects the original copy of the Okigbo’s Report, which they claim
is also in the custody of the government.

“Given that the Okigbo report is a public document,
and the huge public interest to see justice done in the matter, we urge
you to use your good office and leadership as the Chief Law Officer of
the Federation to obtain the original copy of the report from the
cabinet office through the Office of the Secretary to the Government of
the Federation,” they wrote. The group also drew Mr. Adoke’s attention
to the fact that a member of the Okigbo panel, Ufot Ekaette, is now
serving with the incumbent government. They directed the Attorney
General to meet him, as he “will have original copy of the report.”
“Accessing or obtaining the original copy of the Okigbo report is a
public function, which would be best performed through the Office of
the Attorney General and Minister of Justice and in criminal matters
like this, the government can also be asked to submit the original copy
of the Okigbo report by way of subpoena,” the groups said, adding that
“pursuing the above suggested course of action will ensure that
substance and justice prevails over technicality.”

Time for concrete action

They called for a concrete action within one week of
the receipt and/or publication of this letter, given the minister’s
expressed interest.

“We are leaving open the possibility of taking all
appropriate legal actions nationally and internationally to ensure full
compliance with Nigeria’s voluntary international anti-corruption
commitments, including under the UN Convention against Corruption,” the
group said in the letter. “Prosecuting the case and recovering any
missing public funds would have significant implications for the fight
against corruption in Nigeria. It will also send a strong message to
the citizens and the international community that the government is
capable of preserving the legitimacy of governmental activity.” The
letter was signed by the directors of all the groups, including the
Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP); Access to
Justice (AJ); Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC);
Nigeria Liberty Forum (NLF); Women Advocates and Documentation Centre
(WARDC); Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA); Committee
for Defence of Human Rights, (CDHR); Partnership for Justice (PFJ);
Nigeria Voters Assembly (VOTAS) and Centre for the Rule of Law (CFR).

The groups sent a petition to the Attorney General on 7 April 2010
expressing concerns about the continued failure or refusal by
successive governments to prosecute those involved in the mismanagement
of $12.4 billion.

The Speaker of the
House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole, yesterday said the current
review of the 1999 Constitution is not a self-serving exercise aimed at
benefiting the sitting members of the National Assembly.

Mr. Bankole, who
stated this before the House commenced voting on the amendment of the
constitution, said it is a joint effort by Nigerians to achieve a
people’s constitution because of the inadequacies of the document,
which has been in operation for nearly 11 years.

“Let me be clear:
this important project of constitution amendment is not a self-serving
exercise for the benefit of this National Assembly. No. It is a
conscious and concerted effort by Nigerians to achieve a people’s
constitution in view of the observed inadequacies in the procedure of
promulgation and vital contents of the 1999 Constitution,” he said.

The Speaker, who
alongside his deputy, Usman Nafada, did not vote on the amendments,
urged the lawmakers to conduct themselves in such a way that they would
be remembered as members of the 6th National Assembly who allowed
patriotism, sincerity, and conscience to guide them in doing the right
thing for the nation.

Recalling that
Nigeria is operating its 10th Constitution since 1914, he reminded them
that the exercise was a rare opportunity to deepen, broaden, and
consolidate those key institutions needed for the growth and sustenance
of our democracy.

More responsive House

“This is our chance with history. Let us use it well to bequeath lasting legacies to our nation,” the Speaker stated.

Mr. Bankole said
members would continue to work towards building a more responsive and
people-oriented House of Representatives, which every member would be
proud of.

“We will also continue to support the executive arm towards the
realisation of our full potential as a blessed nation, rooted in the
ideals of sustainable democracy, even as we all know that governance is
a social contract between the government and the governed,” the Speaker
said.

The Enugu State House of Assembly has
passed the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) Bill into law. This
followed the presentation of a report from the joint committees on
Health and Judiciary and its third reading during the plenary at the
House on Tuesday.

Chairman of the Joint Committee, David
Atigwe noted that with the passage of the bill, affordable health care
services would be provided for all levels of income earners in the
state’s civil service.

Ruling on the motion to pass the bill,
the Speaker, Eugene Odoh, commended members for their useful
contributions since the inception of the bill.

He apologised for the delay in the
passage of the bill which, he attributed to other official engagements,
urging implementing agencies to put necessary arrangements for its
immediate implementation.

“With the passage of this bill, the contributions of Enugu State
civil servants will not be in vain as it will enable them to access
health care services at minimal costs,’’ he said.

Aero Contractors,
one of Nigeria’s oldest commercial airline involved in domestic and
regional transport business, may suspend its flight operations
following accumulated debts of about $200m.

The airline, which
has been in regular negotiations with its banker (Oceanic Bank Plc) for
about six months, disclosed that it has now reached a point where it is
difficult for the carrier to operate on the terms of discussions with
the financial institution.

“Though flight
services might be affected if this continues, Aero is still flying and
operations are still on,” said a reliable source at the carrier on
Tuesday in Lagos.

Meanwhile, the
airline in a statement “regrettably” disclosed that the unilateral
decision taken by the bank on the morning of April 23, have effectively
prevented the carrier from paying its suppliers and lessors, including
Canadian Helicopter Company (CHC).

“The dilemma
centres on the allocation of historical debt. The management teams at
Oceanic Bank and Aero have been in constant dialogue about this matter
for the previous six months. However, they have been unable to agree on
a resolution that will allow Aero to continue trading as a going
concern,” said the carrier in a statement.

The carrier,
however, disclosed that it has approached Nigeria’s minister of
aviation, Fidelia Njeze; the National Security Adviser, Aliyu Mohammed;
and the Director General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority
(NCAA), Harold Demuren, in the belief that they will intervene as an
arbitrating party between Aero and Oceanic.

Commenting on the
development, the airline’s chief executive officer, Shaf Syed,
disclosed that the carrier is poised to set itself on a better
pedestal, regardless of the thorny condition.

“Despite the
difficult situation that Aero finds itself in today, I am sure the
strategic importance of Aero Contractors to the national economy will
be appreciated and good sense will prevail all around,” he said.

“We have every
confidence that Aero will be able to set itself on a good platform and
we look forward to a bright future, serving a third of the Nigerian Oil
& Gas industry and 1.5 million passengers each year.”

It would be
recalled that Aero Contractors commenced the online sales of reduced
promotional airfares varying from N7,000 to N3,000 across all domestic
routes, which it covers for one way trips.

The airline, which is notable for the introduction of online
check-in of passengers, recently introduced an advanced pricing
strategy and price optimisation application called Aviator, which has a
capacity of making available 26 different types of fare on every flight
for passengers.

For allegedly
assaulting a police officer, a 22-year-old businessman, Solomon
Nwankwo, was on Tuesday arraigned before an Igbosere Magistrate’s
Court, Lagos.

Mr. Nwankwo is facing a two-count charge of conduct likely to cause a breach of public peace and assault.

The prosecutor, ASP
Stanley Iwok, said the accused on April 24 at the Divisional Crime
Branch Office, Ogombo Police Station, conducted himself in a manner
likely to cause the breach of peace.

“The accused
seriously assaulted one PC Falana Adeniyi by slapping him on his face
and raining curses on the police officer,’’ Iwok said.

Mr. Nwankwo pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The magistrate, O. I. Oguntade, granted the accused bail in the sum of N50,000 and adjourned the case to May 12.

Civil society
organisations under the Network on Police Reform in Nigeria (NOPRIN),
promoting police accountability and respect for human rights, have
accused the police and the Borno State government of insincerity in the
aftermath of the Boko Haram crisis.

In a petition sent
late last week to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji
Bankole, NOPRIN’s programme coordinator, Okechukwu Nwanguma, said nine
months on, the Borno State governor, Ali Sheriff, refuses to release
the Panel of Inquiry report on the crisis which led to the loss of
hundreds of lives and the destruction of property worth millions of
naira.

“The governor of
Borno State, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, set up an Administrative Panel
of Inquiry one week after the crisis had been quelled. Although the
panel submitted its report to the governor one month after, the
governor is yet to make public the report, or issue a white paper,” Mr.
Nwanguma said.

Findings from an
independent investigation by NOPRIN also implicated the Borno State
government and the Borno State Police Command for failing to forestall
the crisis which rocked the Borno State capital, Maiduguri, between
July 26-29, 2009, despite several early warnings.

A Koranic teacher,
Babakura Fugu, whose father, Baba Fugu, was allegedly murdered by the
police for being the father-in-law to Boko Haram’s sect leader,
Mohammed Yusuf, had before the crisis alerted the Borno State governor
of Mr. Yusuf’s activities.

“I made a complaint
by a letter dated 15th July 2009, to the governor and the Attorney
General of Borno State, informing them of the activities of the sect,
which was duly acknowledged… But in spite of the receipt of the
letters, they refused or declined to act upon it,” Mr. Fugu said.

Mr. Nwanguma said
amongst the hundreds of victims yet to be compensated is the family of
late 72-year-old Fugu, who voluntarily submitted himself to the police.
His death is believed to be connected to his refusal to concede his
plots of land located behind Government College, Maiduguri, to the
state government.

“The Borno State
High Court, presided over by Justice Mohammed Mustapha asked the Borno
State government and the police to pay US$70,000 in compensation for
the extra-judicial killing of Baba Fugu. The federal government should
ensure they comply with the court ruling,” Mr. Nwanguma added.

Following released
video clips on international media showing Nigerian security officials
executing civilians after the crisis, NOPRIN decried the police’s
failure to unravel the identities of those involved; while still
awaiting the House of Representatives proposed public hearing into the
incident.

But in a reaction
from the Police Force spokesperson, Emmanuel Ojukwu, the faces of those
police officers shown in the clips could have been superimposed, thus
not providing enough evidence to make a case.

“It is possible
their faces can be superimposed so we are still looking into the issue.
It doesn’t take one month to investigate. It takes time. Investigations
are still ongoing,” Mr. Ojukwu said.

Amongst NOPRIN’s recommendations are that the Borno State government
immediately adequately compensate all victims of the crisis; while the
federal government identifies the ‘powers from above’ responsible for
making sure Mohammed Yusuf was killed and never prosecuted.

Something
rather strange happened on the floor of the House of Representatives
last Wednesday. Olufemi Gbajabiamila, the Action Congress leader
stirred the hornet’s nest when he accused the leadership of leading the
lower chamber to act against the opinion of Nigerians.

“One of the
problems of the leadership of this House today is that many members are
saying while Nigerians are going this way, the House is going the other
way,” the lawmaker said, as the debate on the constitution review
re-opened at the plenary session presided over by the deputy speaker,
Usman Nafada.

Mr Gbajabiamila’s
comment was sequel to his discovery that a clause, which had to do with
the appointment and removal of the chairman of the Independent National
Electoral Commission (INEC) in the report of the ad-hoc committee on
the review of the constitution, had been tampered with.

Although a member
of the ad-hoc committee, the lawmaker was not aware of the change made
because he was absent at the Kaduna and Makurdi retreats of the
committee where final touches were put on the report.

Expectedly, the comment generated anxiety in the House.

Some of his
colleagues, led by Halims Agoda and Bala Na’Allah, demanded an apology
from Mr Gbajabiamila as, according to them, he had ridiculed the
leadership. Some members shared Mr Gbajabiamila’s views, but others
merely booed; almost throwing the session into rowdiness. Mohammed Ali
Ndume, his ANPP counterpart, came to his rescue by apologizing on his
behalf; but members refused to accept it, threatening the Lagos
lawmaker with punishment.

Mr Gbajabiamila,
eventually withdrew the statement; but he insisted that he stood by it,
thereby causing more confusion and anger.

The legislator
seemed to have spoken the minds of many of his colleagues, however. A
trained lawyer, who represents Surulere federal constituency of Lagos
State, Mr Gbajabiamila ranks among the few lawmakers who speak
fearlessly and frankly on national issues as well as those concerning
the House. His contributions to debates on the floor of the House are
not only sound but convincing. He has demonstrated this in the last
three out of the seven years he has been a member of the lower chamber.

On some occasions,
the almost 48-year-old Mr Gbajabiamila is perceptibly belligerent and
combative – thereby lending to the suspicion that he is an activist of
sorts.

Interestingly, Mr
Gbajabiamila made his latest comment against the leadership at a time
the 360-member House was polarized over threats to sack the Speaker. A
day earlier, there was allegedly a plan by some members to remove the
Speaker from office over poor leadership style. Others also alleged
financial impropriety on the part of the young speaker. Although, there
was clearly anxiety over the plot, allegedly hatched by the Nigeria
First Forum (NFF), a pressure group in the House, no finger was raised
for a motion of no confidence on Mr Bankole and the leadership when the
House reconvened its plenary session on Tuesday after the Easter break.

Crack in leadership

The Forum, an
umbrella of lawmakers sympathetic to Goodluck Jonathan, had debunked
media reports that it was moving against Mr Bankole, largely perceived
as Umaru Yar’Adua’s acolyte. Even after three executive sessions in a
row where the development was reportedly discussed, members of the
group still claimed they never broached the subject of removal at its
meeting. They, however, confirmed that they were averse to the
Speaker’s leadership style, a view akin to that made by Mr Gbajabiamila.

Could the Lagos
lawmaker have spoken the mind of the group? Or was it a mere a
coincidence that he made his statement at the time the group members
were agitating?

Mr Gbajabiamila’s
direct attack may go beyond the issue of constitution review. He
attends meetings of the leaders and interact with them. Perhaps, he
could no longer stomach them. He is obviously in pains, but perhaps
because of the principle of collective responsibility, he cannot say
all he knows. But one thing is certain: this allegation is the
beginning of discomfort in the House and nobody can tell how it will
end until the tenure of this crop of lawmakers ends in June next year.

Nigeria’s foreign policy, which has
anchored on African relations for 50 years, should be reviewed and
replaced with a more citizen-friendly framework, the House of
Representatives told new Minister of Foreign Affairs, Odein Ajumogobia,
on Monday.

Umar Bature, the House Foreign Affairs
committee chairman, said half a century after independence, the nation
should reconsider the thrust of its policy which has in revolved about
African issues, with very little consideration provided for Nigerians,
mostly those abroad.

“Aware of the challenges, we should
refocus and sit as a country and ask ourselves what policy we have had
after 50 years. What has it benefitted us?” he said at the committee’s
first meeting with the Minister yesterday.

The call comes weeks after the Acting
President, Goodluck Jonathan, announced during his visit to the United
States that his administration is considering establishing a Diaspora
Commission to coordinate government responses to needs of Nigerians
abroad.

The commission already considered by
the lawmakers under a separate Diaspora committee headed by Abike
Dabiri-Erewa, has advanced through the public hearing stage. Ms.
Dabiri-Erewa, also on Monday at a separate meeting with the Minister,
said Mr. Jonathan’s declaration was “heart-warming, although
unexpected.” The committee chairman, Mr. Bature, and other members of
the committee, blamed the failure in the nation’s foreign policy over
the years on those implementing them. “We think there is a disconnect
between the policy and its implementation,” Mr. Bature said.

Mr. Ajumogobia, and the Minister of
state in the ministry, Aliyu Hong, met separately with the two
committees yesterday on a courtesy visit, weeks after they assumed
leadership of the ministry formerly headed by Ojo Madueke.

The committee members praised the team
for the visit, which they said distinguished the new Ministers from the
immediate past and assured them of support.

Running battle

The lawmakers said they had a season of
disagreement with Mr. Madueke whom according to them, rebuffed many
inquiries from the legislator into his stewardship.

“We have always thought of this
ministry as the most important because it carries the image of Nigeria
abroad,” said Davis Sekonte, a member from Rivers state.

“But for the past three years, this
important ministry has been run without adhering to its policy or
regarding the contribution of the legislature.” Mr. Madueke, the
committee disclosed, consistently refused to cooperate with the
committee in its investigation into the controversial sales of
Nigeria’s properties in Washington and the embassy’s tax failings in
New York, United States.

The Bi-National Commission, recently
adopted by Nigeria and the United States, was signed without the
approval of the National Assembly as required by the constitution,
although the US Congress was part of the deal, lawmakers further said.

“When we took it up with the former Minister, he expressed surprise and tried to defend it,” Mr. Davis explained.

Mr. Ajumogobia admitted the suggestions
for a policy review and spoke of his ministry’s plan to prioritize the
areas of focus, as Mr. Jonathan’s administration pulls through the
remaining less than one year left for it.

He pleaded for better funding for the
ministry to enable it first complete its headquarters building which
has received no allocation in the 2010 budget.

“The National Assembly graciously approved N3.6 billion for the
project last year, but finally it was not to be. The fund was returned
at the end of the year and has no allocation for this year. If nothing
else would be added, let that be re-allocated to the ministry,” he
appealed.

The 2010 Nigeria
Education Data Survey (NEDS) kicked off nationwide on Monday with a
mission to provide information on our nation’s education sector. The
chairman of the National Population Commission (NPC), Samuila Danko
Makama, who spoke at the launch of the survey in Abuja, said that as
Nigeria strives to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs),
policy-makers need reliable data not only about the nation’s social,
economic and health challenges, but also its educational challenges.

“Thus, a survey
which could provide hard numbers about the schooling status of Nigerian
children, for instance, would go a long way in achieving the MDGs,” he
said.

Mr. Makama added
that the commission had signed an agreement with the Research Training
Institute of the United States of America on September 28, 2009, for
the implementation of the survey. Signing the agreement, according to
him, has since thrown the commission into a series of activities to
prepare itself for the main survey field work.

Help the kids

The commission is
also partnering with the Universal Basic Education Commission and the
Federal Ministry of Education on the household-based survey, which is a
follow up to the 2004 NEDS and 2008 NEDS.

The survey hopes to determine factors influencing the enrolment of
children in school, reasons why pupils and students drop out of school,
and find out how much households are spending on children’s schooling.

The Director, Department of Petroleum
Resources (DPR), Billy Agha, has been redeployed with immediate effect
and is being replaced immediately by Andrew Obaje, a deputy director in
the regulatory agency.

Mr. Agha’s redeployment is part of a
major deployment exercise cutting across the DPR, the oil and gas
industry regulator, and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation
(NNPC) and some of its subsidiary companies undertaken by Diezani
Alison-Madueke, the Minister of Petroleum Resources, which she
announced at the State House Abuja on Monday.

Mrs. Alison-Madueke said the changes
and personnel movements are with a view to “greater efficiency in line
with the aspiration of the Acting President, Goodluck Jonathan, for the
oil and gas industry in Nigeria.”

Mostly affected in the redeployments
are high ranking personnel in the two organisations, particularly in
the NNPC where some group executive directors (GEDs) and subsidiary
managing directors and group general managers were given new portfolios.

Under the new arrangement, Mr. Agha
moves from the DPR to the NNPC as GED, Engineering & Technical
Services, while Aminu Baba-Kusa, former GED, Commercial and Investment,
becomes the new GED, Special Services.

Also, Attahiru Yusuf, former GED
Corporate Services, moves to GED Commercial and Investment, while
Faithful Abbiyesuku, former GED Engineering and Technology emerges the
new GED Corporate Services. In other categories, Sam Okeke former Group
General Manager, New Business Division of the NNPC swaps positions with
Reginald Stanley the former Managing Director of the Pipelines and
Product Marketing Company (PPMC).

Also, Abiye Membere former Executive
Director Operations, Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC),
becomes the Managing Director of the company, while Olakunle
Olaosebikan, the erstwhile chief executive of the company moves to the
NNPC New Frontiers on Exploration Services (NFES) under the GED
Exploration, as its new managing director.

Similarly, Morrison Fiddi, former
General Manager, Production Sharing Contracts of the National Petroleum
Investment Management Services, (NAPIMS), the investment arm of the
NNPC is now the new group general manager of the company, while Ayo
Balogun, who earlier occupied that now heads the newly created
International Trading Company (ITCO), as Managing Director. The ITCO
will merge all the activities of HYSON, NAPOIL, and Duke Oil.

Christopher Osarumnwese was appointed
the new group general manager, Human Resources while Godwin Jedy-Agba,
former General Manager, Commercial, Crude Oil Marketing Division, and
COMD. Anthony Ogbuigwe was made the new Managing Director of the Port
Harcourt Refining Company (PHRC). Also Mr. Vodka Mukoro was confirmed
as GED in charge of Gas and Power.

The minister also announced the confirmation of all the GEDs who have been functioning in acting capacity.

Industry operators describe the changes as “very bold”, and
expressed the hope that “the changes will have the desired impact given
the short tenure of this administration.”