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Claims that the
Senate removed section 137 (7i) of the 1999 constitution to allow
corrupt officials contest elections are a disservice to senators, the
senate minority leader, Olorunimbe Mamora, said at the weekend in Lagos.

Mr. Mamora said
Nigerians misunderstood the senates’ decision which, he said, was
actually meant to differentiate between indicted officials and
convicted ones.

The section, which
was removed by the senate last week, had stated that a person could not
contest for office if “he has been indicted for embezzlement or fraud
by a Judicial Commission of Inquiry or an Administrative Panel of
Inquiry or a Tribunal set up under the Tribunals of Inquiry Act, a
Tribunals of Inquiry Law or any other law by the Federal or State
Government which indictment has been accepted by the Federal or State
Government, respectively.”

Mr Mamora also blamed the media for not doing enough to educate Nigerians on the issue.

“You people are getting it wrong,” he said.

“What we are saying
is that indictment is not the same thing as conviction. We are just
looking at the experience of 2007; you know, we have what we called
indictment list that was used to exclude some members.

“We have not got it right, but gradually we are going to get it right, as time goes on we will.”

The senate leader
also said the possibility of having a free elections after the
constitution amendment is concluded depends on the players.

“Well. There are so
many parts to having free, fair and credible election, especially in
the governorship and presidential election,” he said. “But as it is
now, with the proposed amendment before the senate, we are not doing
anything along that line. Like asking the NJC, as par the Justice Uwais
report, asking the NJC to screen and make recommendation, we are not
looking in that direction now. That affects section 164 of the code of
conduct … we don’t have that now.”

Get the right workers

Mr. Mamora also
said that whatever the decision of the National Assembly, having a
successful elections involves getting the right individuals to oversee
the process.

“If we are serious,
we should be able to identify individuals, men and women of integrity,
of good records, who can do the job, as oppose to those who are already
compromised,” he said.

“The attitude of
all of us, the politicians, is something else. So, we are also part of
the problem in terms of the capacity not to do the right thing.

“We need to play by the rules, every game have its rules and if we
play by the rules, we will all get there. So that at the end of the day
we can have the right calibre of people at the election management
board.”

Legal practitioners in Ondo State have
thrown their weight behind the re-nomination as minister of Adetokunbo
Kayode by Acting President Goodluck Jonathan, although his nomination
has caused division in the ranks of the state leadership of the Peoples
Democratic Party in the last few weeks.

A group loyal to former commissioner
for finance and governorship aspirant Tayo Alasoadura had rejected the
nomination of Mr. Kayode, while a group loyal to immediate past
governor Olusegun Agagu was solidly behind him.

There were also speculations that
senators from the state had decided to work against the former justice
minister’s clearance at the Senate when nominees appear for screening.

Resolving the issue

However, NEXT gathered that the crisis might be over because the leadership of the party had agreed to support the nomination.

A reliable source
in the party said the leadership of the party has agreed to give Mr.
Kayode their support in order to stop the division in the party The
source also hinted that the three senators from the state have resolved
to back his nomination.

“The allegiance of
Kayode to the PDP has never been in doubt, just as he has not joined
any of the factions jostling for the soul of the party in the state,”
the source said.

Speaking at the
weekend, the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) in the state has praised the
nomination of Mr Kayode, saying “the appointment of Kayode will help
develop the cause of justice.”

The outgoing publicity secretary of the association’s Akure chapter,
Rotimi Olorunfemi, who spoke on behalf of his colleagues, said Mr.
Kayode, who has served as the first vice president of the NBA and has
held several positions within the group, will be of good service not
only to the federal government but also the law profession.

A University of
Birmingham student’s inspirational story of student life in the UK has
won her a position as runner-up in the regional finals of the United
Kingdom’s biggest international students competition.

Linda Ilonze, a
Nigerian studying Electronic and Computer Engineering at the University
of Birmingham, was one of more than 1,300 students, from 118 countries
to enter the eighth annual International Student Awards. The programme
is an initiative of the British Council that promotes the contributions
of international students to life in the UK.

“I am really excited to be selected as a runner-up in my region,” Ms Ilonze said.

“Studying at
Birmingham has opened a new chapter in my life and no matter what
chapters come next, this one began an inquisitive and adventurous stage
and gave me a platform to learn and develop life skills.”

To enter the
competition, international students were encouraged to write a personal
‘letter home’ in English, detailing the out-of-class achievements that
help make their time in the UK rewarding.

Students studying
at universities, colleges of further and higher education, schools and
English language institutions across England, Northern Ireland,
Scotland and Wales shared stories about the extra-curricular
achievements that illustrate how they are making the most of their time
in the UK.

A judging panel met
last month to discuss the merits of short-listed entries from the
region. Ms Ilonze’s letter was judged to be one of West Midland’s best
and she will receive a £100 prize. Entrants are grouped into regions –
North West, Yorkshire, North East,

West Midlands, East Midlands, East of England, South West, London, South East, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

Raising money

Last year, she had an opportunity to undertake a year placement at the investment bank, Goldman Sachs.

While there, she took part in a 5km race to raise money for Cancer Research UK.

“I raised £200. The race was great fun; it was inspirational hearing stories from fellow runners.

“I am planning to run again this year, this time the target is £500!” she said.

Martin Davidson,
Chief Executive of the British Council, said, “Studying overseas can be
an incredibly exciting and rewarding experience and our academic
institutions offer some of the best opportunities in the world.

“International students make a huge contribution and commitment to
life in the UK and Shine provides a unique platform for the students to
gain public recognition for their achievements.”

The Bayelsa State
government at the weekend faulted media reports that the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is on the trail of the state
governor, Timipre Sylva, over alleged fraudulent practices to the tune
of N100 billion.

The chief press
secretary to the governor, Doifie Ola, who advised the EFCC to go to
court if it has a case against Mr. Sylva, said media reports of alleged
massive fraud in the accounts of the state government are part of a
campaign to tarnish the image of Mr. Sylva and ruin his political
relevance.

This is “a well
structured campaign to undermine the Bayelsa State Government, truncate
Governor Sylva’s political career by preparing the ground for his
illegal removal from office, and maybe send him to jail after his
governorship,” Mr. Ola said.

The N100 billion question

NEXT reported on
Sunday that the EFCC would soon slam Mr. Sylva with a multiple-count
charge of money laundering and diversion of public funds to the tune of
about N100billion.

Three top officials of the Bayelsa State cabinet were, last week, detained by the EFCC in relation to similar crimes.

But officials of
the anti-corruption agency said that this was just a tip of the
iceberg. “The whole thing is about the governor. All the other
officials are just collaborators. The governor is the ultimate
beneficiary of the corruption,” an EFCC official declared in an
interview.

Incidentally, other
newspapers at the weekend also reported on the political disagreement
between the acting President Goodluck Jonathan and Mr. Sylva.

An ongoing campaign?

The governor’s spokesperson said these show that a campaign against the governor is ongoing.

“We do not see it
as a coincidence that on the same day, two other newspapers carried
another story about the Bayelsa State governor, saying he was
contesting “power” with the Acting President,” he said. “This story
about grand larceny in Bayelsa State is bogus, and carefully planned to
achieve political ends, namely tarnish the image of Mr. Sylva, the
easier to remove him from Government House. This story is also meant to
arouse people’s emotions, and incite them against the Sylva
administration. If the EFCC has established a prima facie case against
senior officials of the Government of Bayelsa State as it is claimed,
the road to travel is the law courts, not the pages of newspapers.”

Mr. Ola said the
issues in the N101billion fraud case, especially over the Wilbros
fraud, predates Mr. Sylva’s days as governor of the state.

“Is the said EFCC
report an investigation of corruption in Bayelsa State or an
investigation into the Wilbros scandal? At best, this is confusion at
work!” He said.

The state’s
accountant general, Francis Okukoro; the director of treasury, Abbot
Clinton; and the director of finance, Ikobho Anthony Howells, have been
remanded in an Abuja prison.

The entire community of the Adekunle Ajasin
University, Akungba Akoko is in grief over the killing of a final year
student of Industrial Mathematics in the school, Adeyinka Adebayo, by
suspected armed robbers.

Mr. Adeyinka, 24, was said to have boarded a
commercial bus at Owo junction to Akungba Akoko yesterday, a
30-kilometer drive to his campus, when the driver ran into a gang of
armed men in military uniform who were carrying out a robbery.

Sensing that the driver would not stop, the gunmen
shot at the bus and in the process hit Mr Adeyinka, who sustained
severe injuries.

He was later rushed to the General Hospital, Ikare
Akoko, where he was treated for the wounds but he nevertheless died
from the injuries.

The death of Mr Adeyinka has since provoked
scathing criticisms from the students of the institution, who frowned
at the spate of armed robberies along the same road without any serious
effort by police authorities to put the situation under control.

The Ondo State police commissioner, Balla Mogaji
Nassarawa, who confirmed the incident, however said the police are
working on the case.

The Police boss also confirmed the arrest of two robbers in Ore when they were trying to set out for a robbery operation.

The police
constable, Christopher Obano, who allegedly shot into a moving bus
conveying some butchers to a slaughter house in Umuahia, Abia State,
killing one and wounding several others last Tuesday, has been
dismissed from the Nigeria Police Force.

Mr. Obano, who was
dismissed from the force after being found guilty in an Orderly Room
trial for contravening the rules of engagement in the police force, was
also arraigned before an Umuahia Chief Magistrate Court on murder
charges at the weekend.

Dismissed and arraigned

Speaking to newsmen
at the court premises before the arraignment, the officer in charge of
legal matters in the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID),
Joseph Micloth, said that at the end of both criminal and internal
investigation, the Orderly Room found the constable guilty and
dismissed him from the Force.

Mr. Obano appeared in civilian attire.

He said Mr. Obano,
who was on special posting to Abia state from the Bornu State command,
went outside the rules by shooting into the vehicle without an order
from his superior officer at the duty post.

The ACP, who said
that Mr. Obano acted recklessly by shooting into the bus, explained
that he opened fire on the bus after hearing a shout from men of the
Federal Road Safety Commission behind them to stop the approaching
vehicle, when it is driver refused to stop.

Temporary reprieve

Mr Obano, a father
of three who looked sober, said he shot at the vehicle after it refused
to stop at the check point, having brushed two other mobile policemen
at the post as the driver sped off.

“I feel bad over
what had happened. I advise drivers to stop any time they are asked to
do so at the checkpoint and my colleagues not to shoot whenever they
ask any motorist to stop and he refuses,” he said.

But when the matter
came up for hearing, the chief magistrate, Isreal Nwulu, declined
jurisdiction over the murder case and ordered that the case-file be
transferred to the state Director for Public Prosecution for vetting
and filing at the High Court.

Mr. Nwulu also ordered that Mr. Obano be remanded in the Federal Prisons till April 9, 2009.

In the one count
charge of murder, charge No U/183 C2010, Christopher Obano was said to
have committed an offence punishable under section319 (1) of the
criminal code section 77 Laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1990
as applicable to Abia State.

No plea was taken and no bail granted.

The
Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) at the weekend joined a growing chorus
of politicians and civil society activists calling for the sack of
Maurice Iwu as chairman of the Independent National Electoral
Commission (INEC).

The NLC said on
Sunday that it will collaborate with the Alliance for Credible
Elections (ACE) to reinforce its demand by staging a protest against
Iwu’s continuous stay and retention as the chairman of INEC at the
National Assembly on Wednesday.

‘Iwu must go’

Both bodies say
they are mobilising hundreds of Nigerians to join the protest march,
which will also seek the total implementation of the recommendations
contained in the report of the Mohammed Uwais-led Electoral Reform
Committee.

“Labour is saying
that Iwu lacks the integrity to remain in office as INEC chairman.”
Abdulahi Danja Yahaya, the vice chairman of the NLC’s Abuja chapter,
said.

He said Mr. Iwu
could not produce a credible voters register in 2007 neither could he
serially number the ballot papers used in the presidential election.

“We have had WAEC
(West African Examination Council), and NECO (National Examination
Council) registrations in Nigeria and we have not seen any case where a
candidate who registered in Yobe have his name appear in Anambra State.
So why should it be during electoral process we will be moving voters’
register from one state to another?” Mr. Yahaya asked. “It is because
the chairman lacks that integrity… let the head do the proper thing
first and let the politicians hijack the boxes.”

‘Stop the lobby’

The group also
alleged that the INEC chairperson is lobbying high profile government
officials to help retain him in office beyond July. The group also
alleged that Mr. Iwu has been renting crowds to sing his praise.

“It is wrong for
Iwu who is supposed to be an umpire is lobbying top government
officials to retain his job in INEC,” Emma Ezeazu, the general
secretary of the ACE, said. “His tenure should not be renewed.”

The second demand of the coalition, as they protest on Wednesday, will be for full implementation of the ‘Uwais report’.

According to the
Mr. Ezeazu, both labour and the larger society are not satisfied with
the partial implementation of the report so far by both the senate and
the House of Representatives.

“Financial autonomy without political independence is not good enough,” he said.

Mr. Ezeazu argued that except the Uwais report is fully implemented, Nigerians cannot be guaranteed free and fair election.

“The issue is the
strategic recommendation of the Uwais report that for the independence
of INEC, the power of the president to unilaterally appoint the INEC
chairman and commissioners should be whittled down by introducing an
element of quality control through the NJC (National Judicial
Council),” Mr. Ezeazu said. This recommendation was rejected by the
Senate.

“We think that electoral reform has been shot in the leg. We hope that the House or Reps will reverse this,” he added.

Members
of the Ekiti State House of Assembly at the weekend rejected the
reduction of the constituencies in the state from 26 to 24 by the
Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The lawmakers also
resolved to send a delegation to the National Assembly to protest what
they described as a slap on the people of the state.

A unilateral reduction?

The chairman of the
House Committee on Information, Adebayo Morakinyo, said it is wrong by
any standard for any commission or government agency to unilaterally
reduce the number of constituencies in Ekiti State without consulting
the people of the state.

The two constituencies removed from the present 26 are Ekiti East and Oye constituencies.

“The assembly
received a letter from the Independent National Electoral Commission
over the matter, stating that the result of the 2006 National
Population and Housing Census was used to arrive at the decision to
increase the number of constituencies in some other states,” Mr.
Morakinyo, a Peoples Democratic Party legislator, said. “The action is
not only an injustice of the highest order, but also a slap on the
entire people of Ekiti State. I don’t know the business of INEC in
reducing the constituencies of Ekiti State. This matter does not
concern local governments; constituencies don’t receive allocations
from the Federal Government allocations are given to states and local
governments.”

He said the state
assembly would not accept the reduction carried out by INEC, and urged
the National Assembly to throw INEC’s recommendations into the dustbin.

‘Battle ready’

Mr. Morakinyo added
that the electoral body has nothing to gain by promoting a reduction
when the people of the state are clamouring for an increase from 26 to
32 constituencies.

The deputy speaker,
Saliu Adeoti, criticised the merging of Ekiti East and Oye
Constituencies, saying Ekiti people would not accept the reduction.

“We have 26
constituencies and we were expecting six more to be created; but they
are saying that they have reduced by two. We say no to constituency
reduction in Ekiti State, we will not accept anything less than 26. We
want six more to be created and that is our position,” Mr. Adeoti, who
is an Action Congress member, said.

Mr. Adeoti said the
lawmakers will summon a meeting with traditional rulers, leaders of
various political parties and the National Assembly’s leadership to
find a lasting solution to the INEC decision.

“It (is) sad that the constituencies which were overpopulated were
not split; rather INEC decided to reduce the number of constituencies
in the state from 26 to 24.The whole of Ekiti Stat is battle ready to
correct the injustice meted on the people of the state by INEC,” he
said.

The chairperson of
the All Nigeria Peoples Party Caretaker Committee in Zamfara State,
Abdulazeez Yari, has accused the state government of fuelling the
crisis within the party.

Mr. Yari, who led
the party’s rally to sensitise supporters on the 2011 elections, said,
the PDP is afraid of the ANPP’s support in the state despite the
defection of some political office holders from its fold.

“PDP, in its own
style, is striving hard to create factions within the ranks of the ANPP
so as to justify the recent defection of some national and state
legislators.

In spite of the misunderstanding emanating from leadership, the ANPP in Zamfara State remains intact and is waxing stronger.

“ The party is sure of winning the state in the 2011 elections,’’ he said.

Mr. Yari, who represents Mafara/Anka constituency in the House of
Representatives, is also the 2011 ANPP governorship aspirant in the
state.

The thought of
going to, and returning from work has become a nightmare to Ayodele
Oyeleke, a bank employee. He resides in Ajah and his office is at
Onikan, Lagos Island. He spends an average of six hours (one quarter a
day) on traffic any day he goes to work.

“I tell you, it is
terrible. If you don’t live in this area you will not understand. I
spend like three hours going to work and three hours coming back, due
to traffic. This is even because I always try to leave early. Around
4am every morning I’m already on my way. Even at that, some days I get
to work after 7am. I tell you, I’m fed up. I’m seriously looking for a
house on the Mainland, maybe around Surulere,” Mr. Oyeleke said.

The Lekki-Epe expressway, which links Mr. Oyeleke’s neighbourhood with Lagos Island, is notorious for traffic jams.

With the rapid
urbanisation of Lekki, Ajah and other towns in that region, the
expressway became the way home for many, resulting into too many
vehicles plying the relatively narrow road.

On April 2006, the
Lagos State government, through the Public Private Partnership, engaged
Lekki Concession Company (LCC) as the concessionaire for upgrading and
expansion of the 49.5 kilometre road in Build-Operate-Transfer model.
The contract stipulates that LCC will operate and maintain the road for
30 years and then transfer it to the state government.

Months after the
expiration of the 36 months scheduled for the first phase of the
project, it has just gone a distance of less than five kilometres.

As a result,
adjoining roads get blocked while traffic is deviated to alternative
routes. The movement of construction workers and vehicles create a
hectic traffic situation.

“It’s even worse
these days; they started this their construction since. I don’t know
why they are not fast. They should round it off on time so that our
suffering will stop. These days, if you don’t come out on time, let’s
say 4am or 5am, just know that you want to go late that day. I had
spent up to one hour on this road from Ajah to CMS (a journey of about
30 minutes on free-flowing traffic),” said Helen Ifejiofor, a
salesperson in a boutique in Victoria Island, who also resides in Ajah.

The complaints of
commuters on the Lekki-Epe expressway are numerous, ranging from those
who claim to have lost jobs because they were kept in traffic longer
than they planned, to those who said they have developed waist pain and
other health conditions as a result of sitting for long hours
(sometimes in uncomfortable commercial buses) in the midst of endless
fumes from vehicles.

“But the traffic
congestion is a smaller issue compared to these toll fee they said they
want to start collecting by May this year”, said Samson Ovie, an
interior decorator who resides in Lekki.

On the LCC website
(www.lcc.com.ng) there will be three Toll Plazas in all. The first will
be located near the Palms Shopping Complex (Km 3); the second near
Chevron (Km 13); and the third near Crown Estates (Km 23). The toll,
according to the company, is the only means through which the company
will recoup its investment.

The announcement of
the commencement of toll collection in May 2010, which was billed to
start in the last quarter of 2009, has caused ripples, especially among
residents of Lekki and Ajah.

In their
advertorial in a national daily titled, ‘The fraud called toll
collection on Lekki-Epe Expressway’, the residents condemned the
intention of LCC to collect toll before completion of the project.

“If we may ask,
what is the urgency about toll collection in a 44-kilometer road, out
of which only a 2-kilometer stretch has been completed? It is laughable
and inconsistent with global standard practice to hear that a road
concessioning assignment with a life span of 30 years is already
attracting toll collection when only 5% of work has been done. LCC
obviously knows that this is fraudulent because expectedly, the period
from commencement to completion, which in this case, would have been
from 2006 to 2009, should ordinarily be taken as gesticulation or
‘test-run’ period,” read the advertorial which is a sequel to an
earlier one titled: ‘Lekki-Epe Expressway Expansion, Right Now a Curse’.

Opposition to the toll collection is mounting. For Mr. Oyeleke, it is a ‘No’.

“There is no way
I’m going to pay toll on this road. Maybe when they finish it and I see
how nice it is I may be motivated to pay, but not now. I know that many
people won’t even pay. It will cause a very big problem if they want to
force us to pay,” he said.

Enquires made in order to get LCC’s reaction on this were not replied as at press time.