Nigeria Content Online

The Nigerian Civil
Aviation Authority (NCAA) has called on Europe-bound passengers to
exercise patience with airlines in the country over delays in their
flights.

This is coming after European authorities shut down their airspaces, due to the recent volcanic ash experienced in Europe.

“Disruptions to
flights are likely to extend for up to one week as airlines attempt to
move delayed passengers and return to normal flight schedules,” said
Harold Demuren, director general of the NCAA, over the weekend.

Endangering aircraft

Mr. Demuren
disclosed that the authority is aware of the hazards of flying in an
airspace with particles of ash, adding that the microscopic particles
have the tendency of endangering aircraft engines as well as human
lives.

“Civil aviation
has become increasingly aware of the dangers of flying through
microscopic fragments of rock and pumice that make up ash clouds,” he
said. “Jet engines are highly complex machines designed to function in
environments free of debris and corrosive gases, and the effects of
volcanic ash have severely endangered safety on some flights.”

The authority’s
boss said the European airspace was shut down to flight operations
because of the particles, stressing that regular operations will
commence when the ash dissipates.

He, however,
advised intending passengers to liaise with their airlines to confirm
the status of their flights and any special arrangements made for
passengers whose trips have been interrupted.

Arik suspends flights

Still as a result
of the volcanic ash over European skies, Arik Air, an indigenous
carrier involved in domestic and international air transport business,
in a statement, announced the suspension of flight services to London
Heathrow.

According to the
airline, it will not operate its flights into London Heathrow since
there is no improvement in the weather conditions in the United
Kingdom, adding this is in compliance with a directive from UK Air
Traffic Control Services (NATS) and for safety reasons.

Arik, however,
advised all its customers who had been booked on any of the airline’s
flights to London Heathrow from either Lagos or Abuja to contact its
call centre or re-book their travel date and check the status of their
flight before leaving for the airport.

According to the
carrier, passengers holding confirmed travel tickets could re-book for
next week or a date of their choice within the next two weeks at no
additional charge, subject to availability of seats.

“Once normal operations are restored in London Heathrow; Arik would
request for extra flights, again subject to approval,” said the carrier.

The former
presidential candidate of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP),
Muhammadu Buhari, is to lead stakeholders from the north finding a
national secretary and filling other key positions in the newly-formed
Social Democratic Party (SDP).

The SDP has already appointed Pat Utomi as its protem national chairman.

Olawale Okuniyi,
the secretary of the Mega Summit Movement (MSM), which helped create
the new party, said on Sunday that though Mr. Buhari belongs to the
Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), he will help lead the movement
following the exit of former vice president Atiku Abubakar from the
group.

Mr. Abubakar has rejoined the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

“In spite of the
exit of former vice president Atiku Abubakar from the process, General
Muhammadu Buhari will lead key stakeholders from the northern axis to
endorse all nominations for the three geo-political zones of the
north,” Mr. Okunniyi said in a statement.

A new alternative

He said the party,
which comprises largely social democrats in the country may round off
its nationwide consultations this weekend in Abuja in readiness for its
launch. He said the party has intensified its final consultations with
key stakeholders and allies in order to get the best programmes and the
most competent hands.

Mr. Okunniyi also
said state and local coordinating teams will be announced at the end of
the party’s nationwide consultations, so that people can join the party
at the local levels. He asked all aspiring stakeholders in the 36
states and the FCT to immediately contact the national secretariat of
the SDP for further briefing.

He assured
interested members that the party’s registration is already before the
Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). He said women and
Nigerians in Diaspora would all be given a fair deal in the new party
structure.

The party chief said the MSM would align itself with the labour
movement in its buildup “to give the nation a formidable
mega-alternative similar to what happened during the third republic
when the labour movement, through its political commissions,
progressively facilitated the formation and success of the SDP led by
MKO Abiola and others.”

The former chairman
of the House of Representatives’ Committee on Information and National
Orientation, Dino Melaye, yesterday criticised former military
president, Ibrahim Babangida for ruling out the younger generation of
Nigerians from governing the country.

The former military
ruler, who has since confirmed his interest in the 2011 presidential
election, was reported as saying that the younger generation of
Nigerians cannot rule the country. Mr. Melaye countered that assertion
in a statement in Abuja, saying his generation is more versatile and
has the capacity to move the country forward.

“This negative
sweeping statement against my generation, a more intellectually
advanced generation, [a] more versatile generation, a generation
competing with the technological demands of recent times, a deprived
generation, deprived by gerontocratic rulers – I mean the Babangidas of
this world – is unfortunate,” Mr. Melaye said.

The lawmaker argued
that Mr. Babangida had insulted the generation to which his son,
Mohammed Babangida, President Barack Obama of the United States and
Lagos Governor, Babatunde Fashola, all people who the former military
ruler admired as achievers, belong.

Mr. Melaye
described Mr. Babangida as a failed leader, and challenged him to
publicly disclose how old he was when he seized power in a military
coup.

“The question to
ask this failed leader is how old he was 25yrs ago when he forcefully
became the president of an oppressed nation?” Mr. Melaye said.

“A coward who
hurriedly packaged an interim government and vamoosed, why are you (an
anti-democratic element) now interested in assessing democratic powers
by creating generational apathy and age cleansing?” Mr. Melaye vowed
that his generation would campaign vigorously to stop Mr. Babangida
from realising his ambition of returning to power next year.

“It is a battle of
no retreat, no surrender because an army of retired and expired
military officers and politicians will bring back sad memories to
Nigerians.”

Catholic opposition

Meanwhile, the
Catholic Bishop of Ekiti Diocese, Felix Ajakaye, has called on
Nigerians to work against the ambition of the former military dictator.

Mr Ajakaye, who
spoke during the dedication of a church auditorium built in memory of
the late father of the Action Congress governorship candidate in Ekiti
State, Kayode Fayemi also urged Mr Babangida not to contest.

“It is not funny
that somebody who stepped aside is now seeking to come back. Nigerians
must say no to corruption and corrupt leaders,” he said. “It is time we
stop recycling our leaders. As individuals we have to kick against
corrupt leaders. We have to say no to those who promise and don’t keep
their promises. They have started coming now, they will come and even
prostrate for you now that they need your votes, but you must be wise.”
He also advised journalists to focus on reports that would expose the
nation’s leaders.

“I want to beg journalists to be more dedicated to duty by dwelling
on investigative journalism in order to make sure that past and present
leaders are made accountable for all their actions and inactions,” he
said. “Nigeria need fresh bloods in its politics. I mean people who are
highly competent, upright and honest to paddle the affairs of the
country its affairs. The electorate must also stand up to make sure
that their votes count during election.”

Former Head of
Service of the Federation Adamu Fika has suggested that Nigeria should
go back to the parliamentary system of government to ensure good
governance, accountability and rule of law.

Mr Fika, who spoke
over the weekend at the 27th Aminu Kano Memorial Lecture held at
Mambayya House, Kano, said the political logjam being experienced in
the country over the years can only be solved if the country goes back
to the system of government that was obtainable in the First Republic.

Confidence and other benefits

In a paper titled
“the role of opposition in the attempt to establish democracy in
Nigeria,” Mr. Fika explained that the parliamentary system would
guarantee effective opposition and eases off the mounting anomalies
that has characterised the nation’s political space.

He said the shift
to parliamentary system, from the presidential system of government
imposed by the military on Nigerians, will also restore confidence in
the rule of law and the wellbeing of the people.

“The survival of
Nigeria as a genuine democracy with effective opposition and concern
for the rule of law and the welfare and the wellbeing of the ordinary
citizens and residents lies in our return to parliamentary system,” he
said. “We failed to understand and fully the basic principle and
practice of its (presidential system) operations.”

He said that the only way out of the quagmire is to reshape the nation’s political culture and embrace parliamentary system.

The parliamentary
system of government, he said, “provides for effective opposition and
real checks and balances; but also makes it possible for the ordinary
grassroots electorate to have a say in the selection of ministers.”

Formidable opposition

The former civil servant harped on the need for a formidable opposition in the march to political greatness.

“The dominance of
the ruling party with little, if any, opposition has made it impossible
for a balanced political equation to emerge,” he said. “Many states and
even at the national level, governments misuse state security
apparatus, seeking to subdue opposition parties and their members. In
extreme cases, assassinations of political opposition figures have been
recorded, but to date, not a single case has been successfully
prosecuted.

“To make matters
worse, the media have not been spared the dirty political intrigues of
the day. Private media houses that express opposing views are harassed,
temporarily closed, or ostracised by the government; while
publicly-owned media houses routinely deny opposition parties airtime.”

He recalled that the leaders of the opposition during the First
Republic were truly model leaders, who opposed government on
principles, adding that the case is different now as opposition
politicians have become mere political merchants.

Nigerians
scientists have released two new and improved cowpea varieties to
farmers as part of efforts to raise production and improve farmer
incomes in Nigeria’s savannah region, an official of the International
Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan has said.

The varieties –
IT89KD-288 and IT89KD-391 – were developed by scientists working at the
Institute, in collaboration with the Institute for Agricultural
Research of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria; the University of
Maiduguri, Borno and the Agricultural Development Programmes of Borno,
Kaduna, Kano, and Katsina States.

Proven superiority

Godwin Atser, the
West African corporate communications officer of the IITA, said both
varieties have proven superiority over the current lines being
cultivated and aim to overcome the challenges faced by cowpea farmers
in the country.

“For instance,
IT89KD-288 (now SAMPEA-11) is a dual-purpose cowpea variety with large
white seeds and a rough seed coat.” Mr. Atser said. “It has combined
resistance to major diseases including septoria leaf spot, scab, and
bacterial blight, as well as to nematodes, and tolerance to Nigeria’s
strain of striga gesnerioides – a parasitic weed that severely lowers
yield.”

Alpha Kamara, an
IITA agronomist who is leading efforts to rapidly disseminate the
varieties to farmers, added: “It also has a yield advantage of at least
80% over the local varieties.”

Planting dates

The scientists
recommend that the variety be planted in mid-July in the Sudan
Savannah, in early to mid-August in the Northern Guinea Savannah, and
by the end of August in the Southern Guinea Savanna. However, where
there is certainty of rains up till the end of October, IT89KD-288 can
be planted in September.

IT89KD-391 (now SAMPEA-12) is also a dual-purpose cowpea variety, but it has medium-to-large brown seeds with a rough seed coat.

“These are preferred seed characteristics for commercial production in northeast Nigeria,” Mr. Atser said.

“IT89KD-391 is a
welcome improvement over SAMPEA 7, Ife brown, IT90K-76, and IT90K-82-2
which are the main improved brown-seeded varieties available,” Hakeem
Ajeigbe, an IITA extension/dissemination specialist, added. “It has
been tested extensively in this area and is well-accepted by the
farmers.

The variety
performs well as a sole crop and an intercrop. It could also be planted
as a relay crop with maize in the Guinea Savannahs.”

Double the yield

Several on-station and on-farm trials have shown that IT89KD-391 (SAMPEA 12) produces double the yields of local cultivars.

This is not the
first improved crop released by the government. In 2008, Nigeria
released a Striga-resistant improved cowpea variety (IT97K-499-35).

According to Mr.
Atser, the scientists are currently setting up community-based seed
production schemes to make seeds of these improved varieties available
through the Project on Legumes funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates
Foundation.

“The demand for
these improved varieties is high because of their superior yields and
their acceptability by consumers,” Mr. Kamara said.

As the people of
Ekiti State await the judgement of the governorship election petitions
tribunal sitting in Ado-Ekiti, residents of the state have been urged
to shun violence and work for the progress of the state.

The call is coming
after the violence that trailed the adoption of written addresses by
counsels to the state governor Segun Oni of the Peoples Democratic
Party and his opponent, Kayode Fayemi of the Action Congress.

The Onikogosi of
Ikogosi, Elijah Olorunsola and the state chairman of the Action
Congress, Jide Awe, made the call at the weekend at Ikogosi during the
commissioning of constituency projects executed by the lawmaker
representing Ekiti West I at the state House of Assembly, Gbenga
Odebunmi.

The monarch urged the people of the state to focus more on what will move the state forward.

“Despite being
blessed with good human resources the state is still lagging in
development. Politicians in the state need to come together to tackle
the problems facing our dear state,” he said. “I am urging youths to
shun violence and work together to develop this state. They know that
those who are not lucky to win this time may win tomorrow.” The party
chairman, in his speech, said politics should be devoid of bitterness
and rancour and urged youths in the state not to allow any politician
to use them to foment trouble.

“I want to advise you to steer clear of trouble because if you are arrested those who sent you will deny you,” he said.

Question aspirants

He also urged
residents of the state to subject aspirants from all the parties to
rigorous questioning to ascertain if they have the intention to serve
the people or if their intention was to serve themselves.

“Cast your votes
only for good people who have the love of the majority at heart. Ask
them serious questions before casting your votes for them, make sure
they are people who are God fearing and who love the people,” Mr Awe
said.

He added that his party is at the forefront of developing the state.
We are interested in developing the people and the state. Odebunmi has
done well that is why we have been going round commissioning various
people-oriented projects.”

Last
week’s election in Sudan was the first in 26 years. It was expected to
last for three days, but as of the time of writing this piece, it was
still ongoing. This is not surprising. Sudan is the biggest country on
the African continent and it has had a chequered life of military and
civilian dictatorships, from the time of the religious Mahdis to Omar
al-Bashir. Apart from its size, there are other challenges that led to
the difficulties experienced during the voting process. The vast land
and the fact that not many of the citizens have witnessed such a thing
before. Those who are old enough have either never voted before or have
forgotten what the experience was like.

Those who are under
26 are going through it for the very first time in their lives. The
hiccups were therefore, not out of place.

I saw on the
television a 76 year old man who said he was voting because he never
remembered what it was like, and that he decided to participate because
it could well be the last time he would have such an opportunity.
Watching this on the television reminded me of the same experience and
sentiments some old South Africans expressed during the first
multi-racial election that brought Nelson Mandela to power. This is not
to say the two are on the same scale.

The run up to the
Sudanese election had been tough and deeply controversial because it
was like a fight between the north and the south of the country. This
was not in disguise at all. Most of the parties from the South decided
to withdraw from taking part in the election, so as not to lend
credence to the thoroughly discredited government in Khartoum headed by
al-Bashir. On the other hand, al-Bashir needed the participation of all
the parties to help shore up his own image at home and abroad. He
needed it because it would give him at least another five years of
moratorium from his indictment by the International Criminal Court,
which is waiting for him in the wings to stand trial for crimes against
humanity.

For all intents,
last week’s election was more about al-Bashir, than about the future of
Sudan. Although we may not be able to completely divorce the future of
the country from it, but the one that needs that election more is the
president. First, he needs it to send signals to the international
community that he is still ‘popular’, despite the charges against him.
He needs the endorsement to show that he is not the felon that the ICC
has categorised him as. It is, therefore, very important for him to
give the election a semblance of credibility. This was however, denied
him by the mass withdrawal from the election by majority of the parties
in South Sudan.

The parties were
unwilling to give him any credit because they understood that
participating in the charade was going to give him some points to
hammer on, that he conducted an election in which his popularity was
endorsed by all Sudanese. Now with the election over, and the counting
on, it goes without saying that al-Bashir’s party is going to ‘‘sweep’’
the polls, ala elections, in Africa.

However, how the
country moves from here is the important thing. In another year after
the 2005 peace accord, there is going to be a referendum during which
the South is going to vote whether to remain as part of the Sudan as it
is today, or go its own separate way, as an independent country. It is
almost certain that the South would vote for independence. It is
therefore, more about al-Bashir than for the citizens. What he has just
done is to tell the international community that ‘you demand for
elections or democracy, I’ve organised elections and Sudan now has
democracy, so what more do you want?’

We all know he is only hanging on a thin thread. If he thinks this would help him, he should ask Charles Taylor.

In my father’s stories of his posting to Karazau, a remote
location in Northern Nigeria, during his job as a station master with the
Nigerian Railways in the 1950s, was an account of how Fulani herdsmen would
emerge from the bush and the villages asking for ‘sweet water’.

“Esh Em, a bamu ruwa mai dadi” (S.M., please give us some of
that your sweet water). They were referring to clear, boiled water, free of
harmful bacteria, guinea worm and other parasites that my mother drew from the
well, treated and stored in their quarters situated between the train station
and the village. My parents’ home was the only source of clean water for miles
around.

Ironically, 60 years on, the search for ‘sweet water’ continues.
At home, the Water Corporation bills us monthly for mains water supply, yet we
have been buying our supply from private water tankers for over six months.

Most of my neighbours have boreholes. Yet, the cost of sinking
and maintaining one is so high. Securing water for our uses costs a LOT of
money.

At the recent Commonwealth Regional Law Conference in Abuja, one
of the speakers asked whether water is the new oil; not just for us, but for
the world. We are contending with a natural resource that is being consumed at
a greater rate than it can renew itself; communities migrating across
international boundaries to follow shrinking lakes; declining rainfall that
most rural population rely on, urban spread and struggling water utilities.

Do we realise how much drinking water costs? Think about it. One
litre of bottled water costs more than a litre of petrol! How many of us, like
me, pay the Water Corporation monthly not to supply water? How many, like me,
have bought new water pumps and paid for new lines to be laid, with no results?
We should prioritise water security above the elusive 6,000 kilowatts that the
Ministry of Power has been promising us. We are buying both water and diesel,
and while our industry and businesses will become moribund without reliable and
cheaper power supply, our health and bodies will become impaired without
reliable and cleaner water supply.

More importantly in comparing oil and water, people have died in
fights over access to water. Access to water continues to be a matter of life
and death between farmers and herders.

Aah! Sweet water! In the developed world, drinkable water is
truly sweet. It is available everywhere for free – at water fountains on the
streets and from taps in restaurants, offices and homes. For more discerning
palates, there is a selection of waters. What strikes your fancy? Still water
from the French Alps? Sparkling water from Scottish highlands? Water that
tastes sterile, or slightly salty. Don’t like the taste of plain water?

You can opt for a variety of flavoured waters – lemon or
strawberry perhaps? Feeling weak? Go for vitamin-infused water, or water with
an energy boost. Need a bottle that is pleasing to the eye and decorative for
your table? Go for the designer bottles in cones and cylinders, or water
presented like wine.

A natural refreshment

And where do we find ourselves on this continuum between no
potable water, abundance, and designer water? Day after day, the poor still
trek for miles to fetch water. Each day, the mass of our urban citizens get
their drinking water from ‘pure water sachet’ sellers by the roadside. The bulk
of office workers get their drinking water from water dispenser suppliers. The
majority of homes have supplementary water storage facilities that they pay
private contractors to fill up. Cart pushers plying our roads with six to
twelve 25kg kegs of water are common sights.

Bottling companies that used to make their money from bottling
imported spirits and wines for the local market, are now largely bottling
water! Our own Nigerian Bottling Company, the makers of Coca Cola went so far
as creating their own brand of water – leveraging their existing distribution
networks for sales.

The developed world has moved on from water purely as a
necessity to water as also a desirable and fashionable consumable and
accessory. Water resources for basic needs are managed, conserved, and
rationed. More sophisticated technology to desalinate water is being developed.

Our technology is ramshackle water tankers creaking, rattling,
and leaking their way between their depots and private deliveries to the water
storage tanks of homes and offices. The streak of darkened wet tarmac marks the
trail of their passage on our roads.

The criminals have also gotten in on the act. While the
government and civil society are fighting to ensure the availability of basic
potable water, the established bottled water brands and distributors are
combating ‘pirates’ who refill used bottles with untreated water, recreate the
seal, and resell them as genuine.

More than one glass of red wine a day is injurious to the health. Other
alcohol clouds our minds. Packaged fruit juices, minerals and sodas are
fattening. The caffeine in tea and coffee over-stimulates our hearts. It is
best to go the natural route. Drink clean, odourless, sweet water!

The Code of Conduct Tribunal trying Nuhu Ribadu,
former chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), for
asset declaration-related offences, has once again postponed hearing on
the official withdrawal of charges against Mr. Ribadu.

The tribunal had, in its resumed sitting in Abuja
last Thursday, postponed to April 15, 2010, the sitting to deliver its
verdict on the federal government’s intention to terminate the asset
declaration case initiated against Mr. Ribadu.

Federal government’s intention to withdraw the
four-count criminal charge against Mr. Ribadu was revealed by the
special assistant to the Attorney-General of the Federation on
Litigation, J.O. Olatoke, on March 31.

He had argued that the 1999 Constitution gives the
attorney general ‘Nolle Prosequi’ – the power to discontinue such
criminal prosecution – at any stage of the case. He also told the court
that it was within the prerogative of the attorney general to decide
the cases he wants to prosecute or terminate.

Yesterday, neither the tribunal judges nor Mr.
Ribadu’s lawyers were present at the court. Court officials sighted in
the premises could not say why the court did not sit. The siting is
part of the conclusion of the processes of documentation needed to get
the suit properly terminated.

Minister’s involvement

However, the inability of the court to sit might be
connected to the recent shake ups in the justice ministry. Last week, a
court official who sought anonymity, said the turn of events last week
Thursday may be connected with the recent redeployment of ministers at
the Justice Ministry.

Adetokunbo Kayode, the former attorney general of the
federation, who suggested that the case be withdrawn, was redeployed to
the Ministry of Defence in the recent reformation of the Executive
Council of the Federation.

Mr. Kayode reviewed the case against Mr. Ribadu
shortly after he replaced Micheal Aondoakaa, and directed that it
should be withdrawn immediately.

Mohammed Bello Adoke, another Senior Advocate of Nigeria, replaced him as the new attorney general.

Ribadu’s return

When asked for his reaction, counsel to Mr. Ribadu,
Femi Falana insisted he had no problem with the postponement, “I have
no problem with the adjournment.” He however said the court did not
give him any reason for the adjournment.

The federal government had late last month indicated
its willingness to drop the charges against Mr. Ribadu, as exclusively
reported by NEXT, and he has agreed to accept the position of Special
Adviser on anti-corruption and good governance to Acting President,
Goodluck Jonathan. His new designation will be to supervise the
nation’s anti-corruption agencies, which include his former agency, the
EFCC; the Code of Conduct Tribunal; and the Independent Corrupt
Practices Commission (ICPC).

Mr. Ribadu is at present concluding his fellowship at
the Centre for Global Development in Washington, USA. During his last
visit to America, Acting Goodluck Jonathan had reportedly paid homage
to Mr. Ribadu when he sighted him in a crowd.

With the 2011
general elections drawing closer, the Speaker of the House of
Representatives, Dimeji Bankole, has warned politicians against the
abuse of the power of incumbency.

Mr. Bankole spoke
through the House Chief Whip, Aminu Tambuwal, at the roundtable
conference on free and fair elections in Nigeria, organised by
Leadership Newspapers, in Abuja. He asked politicians to change their
“do-or-die” attitude towards elections, as it would not help Nigeria’s
democracy grow.

“There must be
transparency that checks the abuse and misuse of the power of
incumbency for extreme political advantage. Most importantly, there
must be attitudinal change by politicians and their followers.

“There is need for
a careful overhaul of our legal framework in order to ensure that it
does not allow lawless people to get away with impunity or allow all
sorts of tactical delays through legal technicalities,” the Speaker
cautioned.

Applying Uwais Report

The Speaker argued
that it is only when the wishes of the majority are respected and votes
of electorate are made to count, that they would accept the outcome of
any election organised in the country. He added that such a development
would also foreclose politically-motivated crisis and protracted legal
battles.

Mr. Bankole assured
that the National Assembly will adopt the salient aspects of the report
of the Electoral Reform Committee, headed by Justice Muhammadu Uwais,
with a view to fashioning an enduring electoral system for the country.

He added that the
electoral reforms that will be undertaken by the federal legislature
will broaden democratic participation and open up the electoral process
to greater transparency and credibility.

The Speaker said
that the legislature is concerned about the quality of the elections
Nigeria has had in the last eleven years, and expressed regret that
they have undermined the country’s reputation.

“The electoral
reforms are being fashioned to ensure that unwarranted executive, party
or electoral umpires influence in determining the final outcome of
ballot exercises, is decidedly stemmed.”

Blame the electorate too

Mr. Bankole said
the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) alone should not
be held responsible for the failure of the electoral process, adding
that the other stakeholders should also be blamed.

He said that the
nation’s quest for a credible electoral system cannot be achieved
through laws alone, but also a change in the general attitude of
Nigerians to the process.

“The National Assembly is sufficiently concerned about the quality
of elections we have had in the past. This is because democracies are
worth only little if the people do not vote, or votes do not count.
Free and fair elections, credible elections, are important because they
are the livewire of democracy.”