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A truck conveying
petrol from the Kaduna Refinery and Petrochemical Company (KRPC) burst
into flames when it fell off an overhead bridge in Sabo Tasha, Kaduna
on Tuesday, burning four other lorries at a nearby park.

While the truck
driver and occupants of the vehicle escaped unhurt, some other persons
at the scene of the accident sustained injuries, witnesses at the
accident told the News Agency of Nigeria.

Hundreds of
sympathisers thronged the scene and obstructed the movement of vehicles
and other road users going to Kaduna South from Kaduna North.

The Kaduna State Director of Fire Service, Mu’azu Danlandi, advised
truck drivers not to ignore haulage and off-loading procedures while
discharging petroleum products. He expressed regret that the state had
lost property worth some millions of naira to fires caused by neglect.

Kano State governor, Ibrahim Shekarau,
has blamed the poor performance of students in 2010 NECO and WAEC
examinations to the neglect of education by past governments in the
country. sAddressing members of Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation in
the Americas (NIDOA), New Jersey chapter, at a town hall meeting in
Newark, U.S., the governor said the situation was more pathetic, given
that it touched on the future of the country. He noted that most of the
current leaders attended public schools, which have now been left to
degenerate.

Shekarau equally criticised some of his
colleagues whom he said sacked teachers, claiming they could not afford
to pay their huge wage bill, but used the money to award contracts that
were never executed.

“The problem now is, if you neglect education for too long, usually
it takes you three times or five times longer to rectify. Tell those
that need to hear, to give our children better education, as this is
the future of Nigeria,” he said.

The moribund Shehu
Shagari World Institute for Leadership and Good Governance in Nigeria
(SSWI) is being revived to promote democracy, responsible leadership
and the rule of law. The Executive Director of the institute, Zayyanu
Umar said that “we have to utilise the institute in efforts to
consolidate the current democratic gains in the country and I believe
this should be supported by all well-meaning citizens of the country,”
adding that the institute would provide the vehicle for the networking
of noble ideals “and that is why attempts are being made to re-engineer
it.”

According to Mr. Umar, the institute was established in 1997 by the
admirers of the Second Republic President, Shehu Shagari in recognition
and appreciation of his great service to humanity and to promote his
lofty ideals. The institute has being moribund for four years.

Perhaps the luck bearer who got lucky and found himself in the
saddle is really serious after all. I say this because for the first time in
recent times, the Nigerian government has appointed a woman who is passionate
about the issues of women into the Ministry of Women Affairs with the
appointment of Josephine Anenih.

I know many will disagree with me and contend that she got there
by affiliation, because she was, at some point in her life, married to the
off-shore godfather who has been ‘fixed’ into surrender by the comrade
governor. Others say her strong connection to Madam acting first lady landed
her the job.

This reasoning, which implies that women who have one form of
association or another with a man high up ceases to be an active participant in
the life of her community does not and will never sway me. For me, the fact
that a woman is daughter, wife, mistress, or even sugar mummy of a powerful and
influential man is immaterial, as long as she is effective and others can
benefit from her knowledge and experience.

I met Mrs. Anenih at a forum organised by some groups in 2006 to
figure out how to improve women’s participation in elective positions to at
least 30 percent in 2011, in conformity with the recommendations of the Beijing
Platform for Action (BPFA). Prior to that time, I had tried almost
unsuccessfully not to follow the argument of the majority that women who have
such affiliations should not be elected or appointed into decision-making
positions.

However, her interventions at the forum helped me to make up my
mind to only base my assessment on the facts before me, and not listen to what
people say. Listening to her that day changed my perception of women of her
type completely.

In Mrs. Anenih, I saw brilliant and experienced person who can
champion the cause of women. So, the space a woman operates from to enhance the
lives of other women matters very little to me these days because come to think
of it, that does not determine a woman’s effectiveness or otherwise. What I
think are the significant determining factors include knowledge and competence,
as well as passion for the job at hand.

Now that the Acting President has asked the newly sworn in
Ministers to hit the ground running the challenge to our new Minister of
Women’s Affairs is to set an agenda that will generate dividends to Nigerian
women. The interest of Nigeria and of course Nigerian women, whether in urban,
semi-urban or rural areas should be paramount. This is the time to consolidate
those achievements she has made, in collaboration with others, which she
mentioned during her screening exercise.

Agenda for minister

Although I have no plans to set another 7-point agenda for the
Minister, there are some areas that I would like her to look into. These
include lobbying the male-dominated legislature to domesticate human rights
instruments that promote and protect the rights of women; forming strategic
alliances with relevant stakeholders with the goal of increasing women’s
participation from its present 7 percent, which sadly is the lowest in West
Africa; ensuring that there is ‘gender character’ of a minimum of 30 percent in
fielding candidates for political office by all the political parties.

In addition, women in conflict areas should be involved in
decisions that affect them. It could also be useful to learn from the
experiences of her colleagues in countries where there is significant progress
in the development of African women and girls, such as Rwanda, Liberia, South
Africa and Ghana, among others.

I wish Mrs. Anenih good luck (of course, without Jonathan!).

Members of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and
the Supreme Court yesterday clashed, after the court barred NBA President,
Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, and the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and
Minister of Justice, Muhammed Bello Adoke, from making speeches at the
swearing-in of new Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SAN).

The drama this time

The incident started when the Chief Registrar of the Supreme
Court, Usman Alhaji Musale, told the gathering that only the Chief Justice of
Nigeria (CJN) Aloysius Katsina-Alu, and the representative of the newly
sworn-in SANs, could make speeches.

The NBA president protested immediately, saying that it was not
part of the tradition and that the invitation he got showed that he and the
minister were to speak at the event. Mr. Akeredolu said if there were any
changes in the programme, the court ought to have notified him beforehand.
However, Supreme Court Justice Dahiru Mustapha said anybody who was not
comfortable with the arrangement should walk out.

The NBA president attempted to leave the venue, but was
prevented from doing so by his colleagues. To register his protest, he refused
to collect the CJN’s speech.

After the swearing-in, Mr. Akeredolu led a delegation to the
office of the CJN, whom NEXT learnt apologised to the president, saying that
there was a mix-up at the event. Mr. Mustapha also apologised for his utterances.

However, Kayode Ajulo, lawyer and chairman of the Egalitarian
Mission Africa, in a terse text message to NEXT, said “what happened today has
never happened in the history of the legal profession in Nigeria. It will be
unfortunate if speeches should be censored by the very institution that ought
to spearhead expansion of the scope of freedom.” He called the day, “a black
Monday” for the legal profession,

But in a phone conversation with NEXT, Mr. Akeredolu said what
happened was the result of an innocent mistake. “It has nothing to do with my
own speech as the Attorney General and the body representing the body of the
SAN were also denied from giving a speech,” he said. “It is an innocent mistake
that I hope will not be repeated next time.”

He further added that the justices “did not robe to come to the
court; they just wanted to roll the event into the new legal year.”

Unconfirmed reports have it that Mr. Akeredolu was asked to
delete some statements from his speech and the cancellation came when he declined.

The cancelled speech

In the aborted speech made available to NEXT, Mr. Akeredolu said
the award of the privileges to wear silk entails a strict adherence to merit in
everything. He said that the criteria must be such that practitioners can safely
assert that certain applicants merit the award. A situation where it seems that
only juniors in the chambers of certain influential people are successful once
they apply, calls for serious review, he said.

“It is worth reiterating the fact that any measure put in place
to select from among the best, those who come forward for recognition must be
transparent,” the NBA president’s speech read.

In the speech, Mr. Akeredolu mentioned recent calls to scrap the
SAN title by parties who are genuinely aggrieved by the current state of
things. The NBA president also suggested to the CJN the need for the
convocation of a meeting of all stake holders with a view to resolving the
issues.

The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Aloysius Katsina-Alu however said
the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) should be retained in spite of
criticisms trailing the selection process.

“While it may be true that some of the criticisms of the process
of conferment have been sired by the sour grapes, we must admit that the
process of the exercise of any power cannot be immune to error.” Mr Katsina-Alu
said that to improve this, a committee had been set up to review and improve
the selection process, adding that there had been two reviews in the last five
years.

New SANs

Mr. Musale, the Supreme Court’s chief registrar, said the
Privileges Committee, the body charged with the responsibility of appointing
Senior Advocates of Nigeria and led by Justice Katsina-Alu, met in Abuja about
two months ago to consider the applications for 2009.

According to him, a total of 126 people applied for the rank. Of
these, 19 were academics while 107 were legal practitioners. The committee
accepted 19 applications – in accordance with the guidelines for the conferment
of the rank. The accepted applicants were sworn in yesterday.

They include Mike Ozekhome, Nella Andem-Ewa, Joseph A. Nwobika, Offiong
Effiong Bassey, Sylvia Shinaba, Dorothy Udeme Ufot, Francis Dike, Chukwuma
Uchenna Ekomaru, Arthur Obi Okafor, Etigwa Owa, Jadegoke Adebanjo Badejo,
Abiodun Ishola Layonu, Adekunle Babatunde Ogunba, George Oguntade, C. O. Toyin
Pinheiro, Olusina R. Sofola, Samuel Mosugu, Andrew I. Chukwuemerie and Fabian
Ikenna Ajogwu.

The All Nigeria People Party (ANPP)’s 2007 presidential flag
bearer, Muhammadu Buhari, destroyed the party and then dumped it for a new
group, Ibrahim Shekarau, the Kano State governor, alleged yesterday in Kano.

Mr. Shekarau, who spoke through his Senior Special Assistant on
media, Sule Yau Sule, accused Mr. Buhari of destroying the party before leaving
for the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC).

“With all due respect, Buhari has added value to the cause of
ANPP; but it cost us more than what he brought in,” Mr. Shekarau said. “ANPP
started in 1998. Buhari was not there, so how can he be the backbone of the
party as (claimed).

“By 1999, nine Governors were sworn in from ANPP, Buhari was not
a member of our party by then. But by 2003, we lost two states while Buhari was
in the party. By 2007, we came down to three and a half and Buhari was still in
the party. Not even a single councillor from Daura nor Katsina, where Buhari
hails from, won election under ANPP.”

Mr. Shekarau said he doesn’t intend to tarnish the image of Mr.
Buhari, but said more prominent politicians would soon come out to narrate what
Buhari has done to ANPP.

“More eminent persons are coming forward to give a truer account
of General Buhari’s sojourn in ANPP,” he said.

‘Juicy fabrication’

The state governor, who was reacting to a story “why Shekarau is
against Buhari” attributed to the CPC spokesperson, Dennis Aghanya, said he has
nothing against Mr. Buhari and wishes him well with his future political
endeavours.

“Shekarau has nothing personal or political against Buhari and
the general had never personally claimed that Shekarau was against him,” he
said. “Like the party itself, Shekarau has accepted Buhari’s exit from ANPP in
good faith and has wished the general luck in his future political outings.”

The Kano State governor said that, as far as he is concerned, there
is no enmity between himself and Mr. Buhari, adding that any claims to the
contrary are just a figment of the imaginations of persons he described as
political jobbers.

“The enmity tale is a juicy fabrication of the Buhari organisation (TBO)
jobbers angling for political relevance,” he said. “Our candid advice to Buhari
is to embrace democratic traditions, respect party decisions, think and act
less like a Brigade Commander. Politics is a game of collective bargaining
where political actors must be ready to subsume their egoistical itches under
superior national or party interest.”

The Bayelsa State Commissioner for Finance, Silva Charles
Opuala, who was declared wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission
(EFCC) two weeks ago, turned himself in to operatives of the commission
yesterday.

Mr. Opuala, alongside two other officials of the state, reported
to the commission yesterday morning and were detained pending their arraignment
in court.

The officials, who were accompanied to the commission’s office
by a team of lawyers led by the Special Adviser to the state governor on Legal
Matters, Dennis Otiotio, arrived at the EFCC investigations department at about
9.50am.

Spokesman of the EFCC, Femi Babafemi, confirmed that the trio
were in their custody.

Mr. Opuala was declared wanted for deliberately refusing to
honour three invitations sent to him by the anti-graft agency to answer
questions concerning the diversion of N2.4 billion, for which charges have also
been filed against four other officials.

Minding government
business

The EFCC had dispatched three letters to Mr. Opuala in March,
but the commissioner chose not to honour the invitation letters and was
reported to have gone into hiding.

The Bayelsa State Commissioner of Information, Nathan Egba,
denies that Mr. Opuala had gone into hiding.

“We wish to state that he is not running away from the law. He
stayed back in Bayelsa based on an agreement between the EFCC and the state
government, in order that all government businesses would not ground to a
halt,” Mr Egba said.

He also added that Mr. Opuala needed to arrange for salaries of
civil servants for the month of March and ‘also make necessary arrangements for
the smooth flow of government business in his absence’ before turning himself
in to the EFCC.

The former finance commissioner and three other senior officials of the
state are facing a six-count charge of money laundering before a High Court in
Abuja.

The former Vice President and presidential candidate of Action
Congress in the 2007 election, Atiku Abubakar said yesterday in Benin City, Edo
State, that his decision to return to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was in
response to the wishes of his political associates.

Mr Abubakar, who was in Benin to felicitate with the national
leader of the Action Congress and a one-time minister for foreign affairs, Tom
Ikimi, on his 66 birthday, shocked millions of his supporters when he made
public his intention to return to the PDP. He, however, said that his action
amounts to “playing politics.”

The former Vice President lost out in a power contest with his
former boss, then president Olusegun Obasanjo in a doomed campaign to contest
the 2007 presidential election on the platform of the PDP. He later dumped the
party for the Action Congress to further his political ambition.

Mr Abubakar, in an interview with journalists at the Benin
airport, however said “in the game of politics, you don’t have to agree with
everyone all the time.”

Pressure to decamp

Ikimi’s birthday attracted prominent dignitaries including the
former governor of Imo State, Achike Udenwa; governor of Anambra State, Peter
Obi; former governor of Edo State, Lucky Igbinedion and other top PDP and
Action Congress politicians.

NEXT gathered that a closed door meeting between Mr Abubakar and
Mr. Ikimi lasted into the early hours of Monday morning, but the details of the
meeting was not disclosed as at the time of filing this report.

But a source said part of the issues discussed by the two
political associates was to further mount pressure on Mr Ikimi to return to the
PDP. The former minister had vowed not to return to the party even at the risk
of rupturing his relationship with the Atiku group.

Contrary to the earlier announcement that the Ondo State House
of Assembly is going on an indefinite recess following change in the leadership
structure, some 14 lawmakers resurfaced in the assembly complex yesterday to
elect new principal officers.

Though the sitting was very brief, two lawmakers also officially
defected to the ruling Labour Party.

At yesterday’s sitting, Dare Emiola, representing Akoko South
West Constituency II emerged as the new Deputy Speaker while Ifedayo
Akinsoyinu, representing Ondo West Constituency II was elevated to the position
of Majority leader from the position of minority leader.

Also elected were Ayodele Awodeyi and Tayo Abidakun as the
Deputy Majority Leader and Chief Whip respectively.

The only Alliance for Democracy (AD) member, Abiodun Ogunbi was
the first to defect to the Labour Party on the floor of the house before
Bakkita Bello of the PDP also followed suit.

Mr Bello, who was a former speaker of the assembly before he was
replaced by Taofik Abdusalam, told the house that he decided to pitch his tent
with the ruling party because PDP has been factionalised in the state. Mr
Abdusalam, a member of the PDP, was removed as speaker last Thursday but he is
contesting his removal.

“I am openly pledging my loyalty for the Labour Party because
PDP is gradually going into extinction in the state,” Mr Bello said.

“PDP is divided into three in the state, so I don’t want to be
part of the party any longer.”

Labour on top

However, one of the lawmakers who participated in the
impeachment exercise, Igbekele Bolodeoku was conspicuously missing at the
proceedings.

The Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Samuel Adesina who
also defected to the ruling Party on Sunday, said the lawmakers were happy to
resume work.

He later set up a committee to look into the process of
reestablishing the different committees he earlier dissolved.

With the present development, the Labour Party is now in control of the
state parliament, while the PDP has found itself in the minority.

The crisis
rocking the Ondo State House of Assembly deepened on Sunday as the
Peoples Democratic Party suspended the Assembly’s new Speaker, Samuel
Adesina, and his colleague, Pius Adebusuyi, for the role they played in
last Thursday’s impeachment of former Speaker, Taofik Abdulsalam.

Both men,
however, upturned political calculations in the state yesterday when
they defected to the Labour Party at separate events. Mr Adesina left
the PDP at Odigbo with his supporters while Mr Adebusuyi announced his
defection at Igbara Oke.

Two other members
of the PDP who spearheaded the impeachment against the former speaker,
Bakkita Bello and Igbekele Bolodeoku, were, however not affected by the
suspension and no disciplinary action was taken against them.

Mr. Bolodeoku moved the impeachment motion that ended the reign of Mr. Abdulsalam as the Speaker of the assembly.

The PDP, in a
statement issued at the weekend in Akure by its Publicity Secretary,
Adeyemi Adedipe, said, “The Peoples Democratic Party in Ondo State
received with shock the news of the illegal change in the leadership of
the Ondo State House of Assembly.

“It has however
been confirmed that the purported removal of the house functionaries
was initiated, contrived and executed by the Labour Party government.

“The PDP totally
disowns the purported change that seeks to impeach the Speaker and his
deputy. Our party views strongly the unwholesome participation in the
duo of Adebusuyi and Adesina as anti-party action which will not be
condoned in any manner whatsoever.”

The party also urged security agencies to probe the alleged forgery of signatures of PDP members used for the impeachment.

“The party
resolves to support all other members in the Ondo State House of
Assembly in their petitions before the security agencies in the quest
to investigate all those behind the criminal forgeries of signatures
that purportedly served the purpose of carrying out the unlawful
removal, which action is inimical to the peace and orderly conduct of
Ondo State,” the PDP said.

“We appeal to our
teeming supporters and the entire people of the state to remain calm as
our people will leave no stone unturned in ensuring that the rule of
law, accountability and transparency prevails as alchemy for good
governance in Ondo State.”

Fighting his removal

Mr Abdulsalam is
seeking assistance from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at the state
and national level for his reinstatement. He vowed not to vacate the
seat, saying the impeachment exercise was not done in line with the
nation’s constitution as the 16 people who carried out his purported
impeachment did not meet the two-third requirements.

The party’s
leadership is also planning to meet with lawmakers in the lower and
upper chamber for succour, although it is unclear how this could help
as an earlier intervention in the removal of the Edo State speaker by
the National Assembly came to nought.

Security details attached to the impeached Speaker and his Deputy were also withdrawn over the weekend.

Mr. Abdusalam, who confirmed the withdrawal in a telephone interview, said he would not allow the illegality to stay.

“I will not allow
the purported act to stay because the impeachment was done by only
fifteen people, which is not the right thing,” he said.

The defection of the two PDP members and the likely defection of
Messrs Bello and Bolodeoku would increase the number of the Labour
Party legislators in the Assembly, giving the party a majority and push
the PDP into the minority.