APC, PDP, Civil groups, others react to INEC decision on Kogi election

Sen. Dino Melaye said on Sunday in Lokoja that the All Progressives Congress (APC) had accepted the decision by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on the inconclusiveness of the Kogi Governorship election.

Dino said this while addressing journalists shortly after the declaration of the results of the election by INEC.

He said that in spite of the inconclusiveness of the election, the APC would eventually win the supplementary election.

He urged party members and supporters to remain calm ”and be confident that victory will surely come”.

In a separate interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Mr Joe Agada, an agent of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), expressed satisfaction with the decision, adding that it was based on the observation he made.

Agada said that the the PDP would participate in the supplementary election, saying the party could still win the election.

However, Coalition of Civil Society, politicians and voters in Kogi have called on INEC to intensify efforts in educating the electorate on the need to abide by the Electoral Act.

Some of the respondents said that educating the electorate would check the unruly behaviours of voters which could lead to the cancellation of election results.

Mr Habu-Rajan Suleiman, the secretary of the Coalition of Civil Society Groups in the state, told NAN in an interview on Sunday in Lokoja, that the education of voters on the provision of the Electoral Act was imperative in view of the circumstances that led to the cancellation of the results of the election in 91 polling units.

He, however, appealed for calm in the state, adding that the peaceful conduct of the election was the best way to achieve fair, credible and acceptable election in the country.

Also reacting to the development, the Executive Director, Centre for Human Rights and Conflict Resolution (CHRCR), Mr Abdul Miliki, blamed the unruly behaviours of some voters on INEC’s decision.

Miliki told NAN in separate interview that INEC acted in compliance with the Electoral Act, adding that the negative conduct of some of the electorate led to the snatching of ballot boxes and other anomalies which resulted in the inconclusiveness of the election.

He, however, appealed to the parties and their supporters to maintain the peace.

Mr Segun Abayomi, a civil servant, called on the electorates in the state to eschew money politics, adding that it was that kind of mindset that always brought about political crisis.

Abayomi also called on INEC to intensify effort in its voter education programme, adding that doing so would help to guide the electorate in the choice of their leaders.

Evangelist Frank Kato, who is also the Chairman of Independent Democrats (ID), an NGO, called on youths to moderate their actions and to avoid being used as ”stooges to the whims and caprices of selfish politicians”.

He, however, called on security agencies to beef up their operations in the upcoming supplementary election to curb malpractices.

Meanwhile, Mr Tajuddeen Yusuf, a member of the House of Representatives (PDP-Kabba/Bunu), who also spoke with NAN, advised INEC to perfect the application of the card reader in future elections.

Also speaking, Mr Tosin Adeyanju, a Chieftain of the APC in Kabba, headquarters of Kabba/Bunu Local Government Area of the state, said that APC would still emerge victorious in the supplementary election. (NAN)

Director of Radio Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu finally appears in Court [PHOTO]

The embattled Director of Radio Biafra and Leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, on Monday finally appeared before an Abuja Magistrate Court at Wuse zone 2 over charges bothering on alleged terrorism and sedition.

Recalls that the court had last week Wednesday ordered the Department of State Services, DSS, to produce the defendant in court today.

An eyewitness, Edith Otubo through her Facebook said: “Though he now looks thin and somehow unkempt because he hasn’t had a hair cut.

“But I can assure you that everything including everyone is on high tempo but calm, considering the fact that after much rumours and speculations that our director is dead.

“The mantle carrier finally appears on a sky blue packet shirt full of smiles.”

An earlier report had it that the Director of the Radio Biafra may have been killed.

A faction of the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), last week had alleged that the radio Biafra director may have been killed.

How drunken gang member shot dead 9 DSS officials at Arepo —Agbara robbery kingpin

LAGOS—Leader of the dreaded gang of bank robbers which had been terrorising commercial banks in Lagos and Ogun states in military uniforms has disclosed that his gang never intended to kill nine officials of the Department of State Service, DSS, who went missing last September.

The suspect, identified as Kelly Fotor, an Ijaw native of Arugbo, Ondo State, was arrested last Saturday by operatives of the Inspector General of Police Special Intelligence Response Team, SIRT, at a wedding ceremony in Sapele, Delta State.

Gun battle with Police and arrest

Vanguard gathered that the suspect, who was at the ceremony with some armed men, had a gun duel with the operatives which led to the killing of one of the policemen, while Fotor and  three of his colleagues, were arrested with bullet wounds.

It was gathered that the SIRT operatives, led by CSP, Abba Kyari, who had been on the trail of the gang, trailed Fotor to the wedding ceremony after their last operation at Agbara area of Ogun State where they robbed a bank and left three persons, including a pregnant woman, dead.

Fotor, who sustained a bullet wound during the  shootout, told Vanguard while he was being transported for treatment that he was the leader of the South South group of the gang.

He explained that the gang also had a Lagos leader who he identified as Ossy, adding that his gang was made up of 12 men, including himself, with bases in Delta, Rivers, Bayelsa and Ondo states.

Fotor also said his gang normally teamed up with their Lagos group for operations, disclosing to Vanguard that  he and his gang were formerly  into sea piracy before teaming up with Ossy.

According to him, Ossy is the leader of the pipeline vandals at Arepo and Ikorodu areas.

Lekki, Ikorodu, Festac and Agbara robbery operations

Fotor also said he and his men took part in the Lekki, Ikorodu, Festac and Agbra bank robberies, adding that they made N28 million from Agbara bank robbery.

“I and my group got N14 million share from the Agbara operation, while, Ossy and his group got N14 million. I left Lagos by waters that day after that operation with my men back to Igbokoda, Ondo State, where we shared the money and everyone got his share of the loot.

‘’It was Ossy’s men who usually pick out our targets. They were the ones who picked out all the targets, my job was to give support and my boat is very big and my boat boy is a professional and knows his way around the water very well,” he stated

When  Vanguard inquired who was the woman in the group, he explained that there   was no   woman in the gang.

He, however, said it was one of Ossy’s boys who normally dressed like a woman during operations.

How the DSS operatives were killed

On how they killed the nine DSS officials, Fotor told Vanguard that as commanders of the groups, he and Ossy never intended to kill the operatives when they were captured.

He explained that the operatives stormed their hideout wanting to rescue a woman who they abducted from Festac.

He explained further:  “ One of our boys who was heavily drunk met us while we were interrogating the suspects after we captured them and he opened fire on them.

‘’I was at their camp at Ikorodu when the DSS operatives were captured and they brought them before me and Ossy and they knelt down and we interrogated them, but that guy, he was Ossy’s man.  He was very drunk, walked in and without asking questions opened fire on all of them and killed them.  Neither myself nor Ossy ordered their killing, we never wanted to kill them,” he explained.

Meanwhile, Vanguard gathered that Fotor and three other suspects arrested along with him have been transferred to Abuja, while SIRT operatives are still combing the area for other members of the gang.

How military under-developed the Police

By Mike Ebonugwo & Bose Adelaja

It is not exactly known when fortunes of the Nigeria Police as a crime-fighting force nosedived, but there is palpable agreement that things took a turn for the worse in the Force following termination of the Second Republic, and summary retirement of then Inspector-General, Chief Sunday Adewusi. Adewusi was succeeded by Adamu Suleiman, who in turn was succeeded by Etim Inyang.

Armed robbery was rife, and a notorious robber, Lawrence Anini, a.k.a. Ovigbo The Law, ruled the underworld, terrorizing Nigerians in daredevil banditry and escapades. As Inspector-General, Inyang was embarrassed by former military president, General Ibrahim Babangida, when, at the end of a meeting of the Armed Forces Ruling Council, the president turned around as he led other officers out of the meeting venue at Dodan Barracks and asked Inyang: “My friend, where is Anini?”

By then, morale in the force had plummeted to an all-time low, in the aftermath of the travails of former Force PRO, Alozie Ogugbuaja, whose experience became iconic of the Police’s travails. However, a Divisional Traffic Officer, DTO, who pleaded anonymity lamented poor treatment of the Nigeria Police which has persisted over the years.

According to her: ‘’I was happy to join the Police in the early 1980s. But I became sad from the 1990s over the predicament policemen were continually exposed to in the course of their job. It was then I swore and prayed that no member of my family, if I can help it, will ever go through such a bastardised system. In those years, we were kitted up quarterly at    government’s expense but because of corruption in the system, many policemen today cannot help but appear dirty and unkempt as government no longer meets its responsibilities as regards our uniform. Many policemen cannot afford to own two or more uniforms at a time”.

As regards working tools, some of the policemen who spoke with Vanguard said in spite of the fact that some philanthropists donate regularly to support the police, the unfortunate irony of it is that the government does not provide fund to fuel or maintain the vehicles donated to the police. ‘’How do we combat crime in this regard? Do we fund investigations with our personal money”?

Indeed, it has been argued in several quarters that the NPF is a product of the flawed Nigerian system and a victim of the processes that gave birth to it. The Force was established to ensure internal security, especially the protection of lives and properties of the citizens. This, it succeeded to some extent in doing until 1983 when it seemingly lost its relevance following the military coup d’etat that overthrew the Second Republic civilian government of President Shehu Shagari.

The military authorities who were visibly irked by the overbearing presence of the MOPOL unit of the police simply went out of their way to cut the Force down to size, relegating it in the process to the servile role of only enforcing the law in the breach. This demeaning of the Force continued in successive military regimes such that the police was eventually forced to evolve a process of its own survival in the face of institutionalised neglect.

For instance, former Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Coomassie, in April 1998 berated the military because “men and women of the (police) force have been serving under a harsh political environment, torn between military authoritarianism and civil society so much so that they have lost their civil traditions”.

Civil taditions

In the same vein Benjamin Okereke Brownson, quoting Clement Nwankwo et al in his research report, “The Role of Nigeria Police Force in the Administration of Justice: Issues and Challenges”, averred thus: “Under the military, the police gradually deteriorated. It became possible to cite them for the most heinous to the most trivial acts that violate the rights of the very citizens whose friend they purported to be”.

And thus was born the process which led to the police becoming a highly corrupt institution with its officers not only commercialising the process of law enforcement but also taking pride in doing so, and in fact often defiantly making a public show of extorting money from those perceived as having fallen foul of the law.

It soon emerged that the Police which was supposed to enforce the law began increasingly to operate outside the confines of the law, thus building and promoting legacies of inefficiency, illegality and decadence.

Police barracks

Another pointer to how poorly the police as a key security institution is treated is the usually run-down state of where most policemen and their families live: the Police Barracks. A visit round to some police barracks in Lagos revealed that they are nothing short of ghettos or slums. Indeed, life inside the barracks approximates the Hobbesian description as being nasty, brutish and short. In summary, the average police barracks is not a place worthy of human habitation. But because they have little or no choice, policemen are virtually compelled to live in such degrading places.

A visit to a Police barrack behind the Customs office, Ikeja, revealed how wastes from the septic tank find their way into living homes. The reporter noticed some of the structures were dilapidated, coupled with the filthy environment.

Humiliating situation

Some of the officers who spoke with Vanguardsaid their welfare is nothing to write home about. For example, as soon as an officer is posted to a new station, his belongings are thrown out within two weeks in order to create space for the one taking over from him. This humiliating situation is said to be responsible for the younger policemen desperately seeking money through all means to be able to afford befitting accommodation.

Vanguard also visited some Police barracks at Ajeromi Ifelodun, Keffi, Obalende, including Queen’s Barracks Apapa. Findings revealed that the accommodation for the men varies from executive to low-cost, and this depends on rank and to some extent, godfatherism.

An average policeman prays never to fall ill or sustain injuries as existing medical centres in the barracks leave much to be desired because they are poorly run and maintained. ‘’Anyone rushed to the police hospital stand little or no chance of survival because the health centre is nothing but a white elephant project,” said some of the policemen. Indeed many observers are of the view that the prevailing plight of the police, especially the dearth of their operational equipment and poor welfare can be traced to their poor performance or inability to discharge their duties creditably.

Education and literacy in the Force: Another important factor is the educational status of members of the Force presently believed to be embarrassingly poor. Investigations reveal that many police men are barely literate, a reason why they have limited grasp of what their duties entail.

According to the leadership of International Society for Civil Liberties & the Rule of Law (Intersociety): “The Nigeria Police Force (peopled by over 370,000 officers), going by modern policing technology, is no longer haunted by lack of manpower but lack of machine power and its competent handlers.

For instance, it is an indisputable fact that up to 95% of the Force personnel, particularly from constables to Inspectors, are not computer literate. Also, most of the so-called Investigating Police Officers in over 6,500 field formations in the country including state CID operatives fear computers and their hardware and software methodologies.

The Nigeria Police Force as the country’s general overseer of internal security must be re-focused, socially re-engineered and reconstructed to enable her face competently the mounting internal security challenges such as internal terrorism; violent, cyber and administrative crimes.”

Abubakar Audu: Wada declares 3 days of mourning

By Kingsley Fanwo

Kogi State Governor, Capt. Idris Wada has declared 3 days of mourning in honour of former governor of the state and candidate of the All Progressive Congress, APC, in the Saturday Governorship election, Prince Abubakar Audu.

Abubakar Audu

Prince Audu died yesterday, after the announcement of the election result that was declared inconclusive.

In a statement, Monday, by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Adegbemiro Jegede, Wada described Prince Audu as a great Kogite and a great Nigerian who has contributed immensely to the socio-economic and political development of Kogi State.

He commiserated with the family of Prince Audu and the entire people of Kogi State, describing Audu as a leader who always strive to give his pursuit the best.

Audu was on his way to a historic third electoral victory, with 240,867 votes as his closest challenger, Governor Idris Wada of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has 199,514 votes.

However, instead of being declared as the winner of the election, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announced yesterday afternoon that the election was inconclusive, saying that there would be re-run polls in 59 polling units which have about 49,000 registered voters

How APC Governorship Candidate, Abubakar Audu, died — Relative

Former Kogi State Governor, Abubakar Audu; Photo credits: savidnews.com

There are indications the  candidate of the All Progressives Congress for Saturday’s governorship election in Kogi, Abubakar Audu, may not have died as a result of the news of the declaration of Saturday’s election as inconclusive.

This newspaper learnt that Mr. Audu’s health problem started on Saturday evening.

A relative told PREMIUM TIMES his problem started when he complained of stomach cramps on Saturday.

“He suffered a stroke this morning,” the source told PREMIUM TIMES.

“Another one occurred this afternoon and that was fatal.”

A close friend and close associate of the late politician had confirmed his passing to PREMIUM TIMES.

“Audu is gone,” the distraught associate, who requested not to be named, told our reporter on the telephone.

Though too shattered to provide details of the politician’s passing, he confirmed he was in the candidate’s company when he passed on.

The source said the former governor suddenly took ill and was being rushed to Abuja preparatory to being flown abroad when he passed on.

Mr. Audu’s son, Mustapha is not answering or returning calls and so were all the other close family members we tried to contact.

One of his media aides, Phillip Obin, also did not answer or return calls.

The Independent National Electoral Commission had declared the Saturday governorship election inconclusive, but Mr. Audu was in a pole position to be declared winner eventually.

LATE POLITICIAN TO BE BURIED MONDAY

Family members, friends, associates and sympathisers have thronged the residence of Abubakar Audu, in his hometown, Ogbonicha, in Ofu Local Government Area of Kogi State.

A family source told our correspondent that many people had gathered in his family home weeping over the sudden passing away of the APC governorship candidate.

“I am aware that right now so many people have gathered in his house and they are weeping seriously,” the source who would not want to be named, said.

“As a Muslim he would be buried at 10 am tomorrow morning.”

Relatives and associates have also gathered at his residence in the GRA area of Lokoja, the Kogi state capital.

Our reporter, who visited, saw some mourners weeping uncontrollably.

Sympathisers had started gathering at the residence some hours ago anxious to confirm news of the politician’s death.

A supporter of the politician said news of the sudden illness, and later death, of Mr. Audu stalled celebration at his residence Saturday afternoon.

“As we were preparing for the celebration (of his victory at the election) and awaiting Prince Audu, one politician came and said we should stop drumming,” the supporter said

INEC Weighs Its Options on Kogi, Lawyers Disagree

INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu

NEWS ANALYSIS

By Bolaji Adebiyi in Abuja
 
The death on Sunday of the All Progressive Congress (APC) candidate in the Kogi State governorship election, Alhaji Abubakar Audu, has thrown up issues that may require judicial interpretation of the courts on the legal status of a gubernatorial election in which a candidate dies before the declaration of results by the electoral commission.

While some lawyers, including Prof Itse Sagay and Mr. Olisa Agbakoba, both Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SAN), said the death of a candidate before the declaration of results or emergence of a winner renders the election inconclusive and mandates the conduct of a fresh election, others held the opinion that the election would have to be concluded and the party that wins, even when the candidate is dead, would have to be declared the winner.

Of paramount consideration for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will be the glaring fact that this is the first time a candidate will die midstream into an election, after it has started and before it was concluded with the declaration of a winner and losers.
This dilemma was not envisaged by the framers of the constitution or the Electoral Act, 2010 (as amended). All the constitution provides for is a situation in which a declared winner dies or is unable to be sworn into office after the election while the Electoral Act provides for a situation where the candidate dies after his/her nomination, but before the election.

Specifically, Section 181(1) of the constitution states: “If a person duly elected as governor dies before taking and subscribing to the oath of allegiance and oath of office, or is unable for any reason whatsoever be sworn in, the person elected with him as deputy governor shall be sworn in as governor and he shall nominate a new deputy governor who shall be appointed by the governor with the approval of a simple majority of the House of Assembly of the state.”

Section 36(1) of the Electoral Act states: “If after the time for the delivery of nomination paper and before the commencement of the poll, a nominated candidate dies, the Chief National Electoral Commissioner or the Resident Electoral Commissioner shall, being satisfied of the fact of the death, countermand the poll in which the deceased candidate was to participate and the commission shall appoint some other convenient date for the election within 14 days.”

Also, Section 33 states that “a political party shall not be allowed to change or substitute its candidate whose name has been submitted pursuant to Section 32 of this Act, except in the case of death or withdrawal by the candidate”.

In the Kogi election, however, INEC is confronted with a situation whereby voting has taken place, results have been released, but the poll was declared inconclusive owing to the number of cancelled votes in select polling units and wards in 19 local government areas of the state exceeding the margin of difference between the two leading candidates, thus necessitating supplementary elections in the affected polling units or wards.

In addition, the amended Electoral Act requires the name and the party of the candidate to be published on the ballot paper, effectively ensuring that the candidate supersedes the party on which he/she is contesting, an amendment made by the National Assembly in 2010 in response to the Supreme Court ruling in Chibuike Amaechi Vs. Celestine Omehia and the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP) in 2007, in which the court recognised the victory of the party in the Rivers State poll that year and declared Amaechi victorious despite his absence on the ballot.
Since INEC is required to publish the names of candidates on its ballot paper, if in the event of his/her death during the election and he/she is replaced by a running mate, can it really be said that the new candidate can take over the votes cast for the dead candidate? Can INEC really say that was the intendment of the Kogi electorate? 

It is apparent that INEC would have to decide on the Kogi electorate, which clearly did not vote for anybody else other than Audu. In arriving at a decision, a fresh election seems like the most obvious scenario that would satisfy the yearnings of the voters of Kogi.

However, before it can arrive at a decision INEC, THISDAY gathered, was already consulting with a battery of lawyers last night and is expected to continue its meeting with them in Abuja today.

According to a source, INEC and its lawyers will be looking at a number of scenarios, which may prove quite challenging to resolve and require it to go court to seek legal interpretation.
•Scenario one entails Audu’s running mate, James Abiodun Faleke, insisting on being declared the winner of the election.
•Scenario two would entail Faleke, backed by the APC, insisting on concluding the election with him as the governorship candidate of the party and being allowed to chose a running mate/deputy governorship candidate.
•Scenario three could see Faleke, backed by the APC, contesting as the candidate of the APC in a fresh election as the governorship candidate with a running mate.
•Scenario four would entail the outright cancellation of the Kogi governorship election by INEC and APC nominating fresh candidates to contest in the new poll.
•Scenario five could also see Governor Idris Wada of the PDP insisting on being declared the duly elected governor on the grounds that he cannot be blamed for the death of Audu and he is the next substantive governorship candidate left in the race, as opposed to Faleke who is a running mate.

In his remarks on the legal lacuna, Prof. Sagay said: “Obviously, the election has become inconclusive. If the person who scores the highest votes dies before being declared the winner of the election, in that type of situation, there has to be a fresh election, giving the party affected to provide a substitute.

Agbakoba was similarly inclined, stating: “The fact that the candidate is dead, invalidates the ticket,” arguing that “you need to have a person and a party to complete the ticket”.
He said the situation would have been different if the candidate had been declared the winner of the election before his demise. “The deputy would have been elevated to the position of the governor,” Agbakoba said.

When reminded of the Supreme Court ruling in the All Nigeria Peoples Party Vs Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, a 1999 case interpreted and given effect to this section of the constitution when it held that Mr. Bonnie Haruna, who was the running mate of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar who was elected governor, but was also elected vice-president before he was sworn in as governor of Adamawa State, was eligible to be elevated to position of governor without recourse to a fresh election.

But Agbakoba said the Atiku case would not apply to the Kogi case because there was no declaration of results. “The deputy governor would have been elevated to the position of the governor if results had been declared. They didn’t get to that point; they were on their way there,” he said.

On the other hand, Festus Keyamo, while admitting that the death of Audu had created a “strange and novel constitutional scenario”, he said it fits more into Section 181(1) of the constitution, “and as such James Abiodun Faleke automatically becomes the governorship candidate of the APC”.

In a statement he issued yesterday, he said: “This is because even though the election is inconclusive, votes have been counted and allocated to parties and candidates. As a result the
joint ticket of Audu/Faleke has acquired some votes already.

“James Abiodun Faleke is as much entitled to those votes already counted as much as the late Abubakar Audu. He has a right to cling to those votes going into the supplementary election.

“There is only one problem, though. Who nominates Faleke’s deputy? Unlike Section 181(1) of the 1999 Constitution, he cannot approach the House of Assembly of the state to approve a nomination by him of a deputy.

“This is because, in reality, he is not duly elected yet. Therefore it is only reasonable to conclude that it is APC (Faleke’s political party) that should submit the name of a fresh deputy governorship candidate to INEC for the supplementary election.

“This is the only position in this situation that accords with reason and good sense.”
But some other lawyers, who preferred not to be named, argued differently, citing Section 221 of the constitution. According to them, it is the party, not the candidate that contests an election. Therefore they contended that if a candidate dies, the party has the constitutional right to replace him.

Section 221 states: “No association other than a political party, shall canvass for votes for any candidate at any election or contribute to the funds of any political party or to the election expenses of any candidate at an election.”

This section along with some sections of the Electoral Act 2007 came under Supreme Court scrutiny in the 2007 case of Amaechi who had challenged his substitution with Omehia by the PDP in the Rivers State gubernatorial election.

The principle the case established, said a lawyer, is that it was the political party, and not the candidate, that is elected at a poll. But Professor Sagay said while this position is correct, the Amaechi case would still not apply to the Kogi election.

“The Amaechi decision does not apply because the person who contested (Omehia) was not the person nominated. In that case, the person nominated was deprived of his victory. But in this case, the person nominated (Abubakar) was the contestant but died before he was declared winner,” he said.

Certainly, the days ahead would be testy for the INEC, as its lawyers would have to ponder over the legal lacuna arising from that the death of the APC candidate.

Now that no one has been validly elected, is there a legal basis for INEC to still hold a supplementary election in the local government areas where elections could not hold before the demise of Audu? Would it on its own invoke the doctrine of necessity to allow the deputy governorship candidate to become the governorship candidate for the purpose of concluding the elections?

Would it allow the principle established by the Supreme Court that political parties and not the candidates contest elections to be invoked to save the election? And could this apply in an election that is inconclusive? Would INEC conclude that the death of Audu has doomed the whole election and a fresh nomination has to be made by the APC for a fresh election?
These and many more questions are begging for answers. The only institution that can provide answers is the judiciary. But more importantly, does INEC even have the luxury of time to take the case before the court?

NSC, SuperSport to partner in grassroots development

Football- image source noshahronline

The National Sports Commission (NSC) and Super Sport Africa are planning a partnership that will promote grassroots sports development in the country, according to head of SuperSport Africa, Andre Venter has revealed.

Speaking when he paid a courtesy visit to the Minister of Youth and Sports, Barrister Solomon Dalung, Venter, who was accompanied by the General Manager Strategies, West Africa, Felix Awogu, said there was need to key into the vision of the new Sports Minister to empower Youths through Sports.

“We will want to get young people to play sports, not just to compete but to stay fit and healthy,” he added.

Speaking on the occasion, the head of strategies, West Africa, Felix Awogu, emphasized the readiness of SuperSport to work with the Minister to bring about the much-needed change in the sports sector.

“As sponsors of the National Team, the Super Eagles and the Nigeria Football Premier League, SuperSport will want to understudy whatever vision the minister has for sports and see how we can support that vision,” he said.

Responding, Dalung said his major assignment was to sanitize the sports industry in order to make it more attractive to investors.

According to Dalung, “Any company putting funds for sports development in Nigeria must get valued satisfaction for their investment in Sports. Other countries do not depend on government for funding, so we will understudy the success stories of other countries to find out how they succeeded in generating and managing their funds and resources.”

New UN report cites policy potential to cut emissions

UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon

strong>It also highlights both national and international cooperative actions while underling the vital role of non-State actors such as companies, cities, regions and provinces in realizing bigger reductions in current and future emissions.

A NEW report packed with best practice climate policies from across the world was released today by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), revealing a wealth of existing opportunities to immediately scale up reductions in greenhouse gas emissions while powering up ambition to keep the global average temperature rise below 2 degrees Celsius.

“Science tells us that there is one path for us to be able to have a stable planet and a safe stable economy, and that is to get onto a below 2 degree path – that is fundamental – and policy is actually following science as it should,” said Christiana Figueres, the Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC, speaking to reporters in Bonn, Germany.

Less than two weeks away from the UN climate conference in Paris, widely known as COP 21, she announced that 168 countries, covering almost 90 per cent of global emissions, have now submitted their national climate targets, known as INDCs.

“These do make a huge dent in the projected increase in temperature that we would have by the end of the century, so if these INDCs are fully implemented then we would no longer be on a track of 4 or 5 degrees, we would be on a track of anywhere between 2.7 and 3 degrees, which is a much, much better projection in temperature rise,” Ms. Figueres continued, but warned that this is not yet two degrees or below 2 degrees, which is what some countries still need for their survival and safety.

Introducing the new UNFCCC report—Climate Action Now – A Summary for Policymakers 2015, Ms. Figueres said it is a “solutions” guide. It explains how nations can deploy a wide range of proven policies and utilize existing initiatives to meet the common challenge of climate change and sustainable development.

It also highlights both national and international cooperative actions while underling the vital role of non-State actors such as companies, cities, regions and provinces in realizing bigger reductions in current and future emissions.
UNFCC further described the report as providing, at the request of governments, a straightforward, inspiring go-to-reference to assist ministers, advisors and policymakers pursuing climate actions now and over the years and decades to come.

The findings spotlight how effective policies across six key thematic areas not only reduce emissions rapidly but also advance goals in 15 other critical economic, social and environmental areas.

“Under the UNFCCC, governments have, over the past few years, led a significant effort during a series of technical expert meetings to identify and scope out the policies that lead to effective climate action – this report is the fruit of that effort,” Ms. Figueres explained.

“It underlines the myriad of remarkable transitions that are already occurring nationally and internationally in areas ranging from renewable energy to transportation and land use. In doing so it provides governments and their partners with the blueprints and tool-kits to cost-effectively catalyze action now and take the Paris agreement to the next level of long term ambition,” she added.

She also noted that the “remarkable reality” revealed in this report is that the very policies that deal most effectively with climate change also offer a ready-made portfolio of actions that can equally assist the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), adopted by UN Member States in September.

Meanwhile, responding to questions from the press on how the recent attacks in Paris could affect the conference, the Executive Secretary said the UN is still addressing how security around the many events planned can be increased, and that she thinks “this should be a call for personal prudence” on the part of everyone.

Kerry in Abu Dhabi for talks on Syria peace plan

John Kerry. Source: Wikipedia

US Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Abu Dhabi on Monday to meet his Emirati counterparts on efforts to build a Syrian opposition coalition to lead peace talks with the Damascus regime.

Kerry has scheduled meetings with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed al-Nahyan and United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan.

US officials said he also hoped to meet Saudi officials.

The American envoy is spearheading international efforts to halt Syria’s four-and-half-year civil war by putting opposition and rebel factions around a table with Bashar al-Assad’s government.

Major powers with an interest in the conflict have set an ambitious target date of January 1 for talks and a ceasefire to begin, but the participants have yet to be identified.

Saudi Arabia, which supports some of the Sunni rebel forces active on the battlefield, has taken charge of assembling a motley coalition of exile groups, armed factions and Islamist parties.

These would exclude the Islamic State jihadist group and the Al-Qaeda affiliated Al-Nusra Front.

However, they could draw in groups such as Al-Nusra’s powerful Islamist ally Ahrar al-Sham.

The hope is that if a broad enough “moderate” opposition coalition can enter a ceasefire and peace negotiations with Assad’s loyalists, a path to a political transition an be found.

Meanwhile, the various local and international armies who have been drawn into the conflict will be able to focus their fire on the hardline jihadists like the Islamic State group.

Monday’s one-day stopover in Abu Dhabi is the first leg of a Middle East tour that will also take Kerry to Israel and the Palestinian territories on Tuesday for talks on an upsurge of violence there.

Army Accused of Extra-judicial Killing in Yobe

 The Nigerian Army

By Michael Olugbode in Maiduguri

Members of Bundigari community in Damaturu, the Yobe State capital on Sunday accused the army of extra-judicial killing of one of their own, 26-year-old Ibrahim Bala, who was arrested after a raid within the community.
A member of the community, Ali Useni, who spoke to journalists in Damaturu on behalf of the community, said Ibrahim was brutalised by the military and could not make it to the hospital after he was released to them.

He alleged that: “The military after serious torture of Ibrahim and the other six people that were arrested called us and handed them over to us but the torture on Ibrahim by the military was too much that he died before we could get him to the Gen. Sani Abatcha Specialist Hospital.”

The spokesman of the 27 Task Force Brigade Damaturu, Lt. George Okupe, who responded to the accusation, said the deceased and the others were arrested because were curfew breakers.
He also denied knowledge that one of the suspects was dead.

“As far as I know, those arrested were curfew breakers but I don’t have knowledge that one of the people died because the information I got was that those boys were released this morning and none was reported to have died,” Okupe said.
Okupe said based on the accusation, the commander of the 27 Task Force Brigade has set-up an investigation team to look into the matter.

The military recently issued a warning to residents of Damaturu who were flaunting the curfew orders in the state which normally starts from 10p.m. to 6p.m. to desist.
The army in the fresh warning, said anyone caught flaunting the orders would be dealt with.

Lagos fracas: 8 in Police net for alleged murder

LAGOS—Lagos State police command, weekend, arrested eight persons for allegedly murdering one Akeem Ajanaku who was attacked at Enu-Owa/Ido Olowu area of Lagos Island.

NABBED: The suspects arrested over alleged murder of one Akeem Ajanaku at Enu-Owa/Ido Olowu area of Lagos Island.

The suspects, identified as Animashaun Akeem, Qudus Atakoro, Abduramon Onisemo, Muritala Oyejobi, Tabiu Mujib, Iyaniwura Idris, Tayo Oladimeji, and Segun Adeyemi, were arrested by the police at the scene of the murder, while others escaped.

Vanguard learned that on November, 15, 2015, at about 1pm, Ido-Olowa/Enu-owa on Lagos Island, was invaded by thugs armed with cutlasses, axes, guns and other dangerous weapons which they used to attack one Akeem Ajanaku.

According to  Supol Segun Adebayo, who reported the case at Central Police Station, Adeniji-Adele, Lagos, “the victim, Akeem Ajanaku, was rushed to Lagos Island General Hospital by the police and other sympathizers; unfortunately, he gave up the ghost.”

The case was later transferred to the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS, Lagos State Police Command, for further investigation.

Vanguard gathered that investigation is still on going to apprehend other members of the gang who are currently on the run.

Suspects account

One of the suspects, Tayo Oladimeji, explained his role:  “I was at home sleeping on a Saturday morning when I heard my mum’s voice asking if I wont go to work.  Reluctantly, I got up from my bed and headed towards the bathroom to take my bath when I was arrested.’’

Denying the allegation, Segun said:  “I don’t know anything. I was in my shop that Monday when policemen came to arrest me, saying I was involved in last Sunday’s fracas on Lagos Island.   The only encounter that I had was when some unknown guys came to me at Oduduwa bus stop  and collected my wristwatch.

‘’Immediately I was arrested, I called my parents but  I couldn’t reach them and then police also seized my phone and brought me here (Lagos command)this morning. While I was in the police custody, I was told that Major and Paulo called my mobile phone. I don’t know the reason they  were calling me.”

Effect of FG’s ban on mini generator sets

Worrisome indications emerged in the past week that the Federal Government might have placed what was described as “prohibition by trade” on the importation of mini electricity generating sets, more popularly known as “I better pass my neighbour”.

Breaking this controversial news to reporters, the Comptroller, Federal Operations Unit Zone A of the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) in Lagos, Mr Madugu Sani Jibrin, alleged that government took this step because the sets cause air pollution which has a harmful effect on the lungs and the respiratory system.

While pollution and risks to the respiratory system are dangers associated with all engines that use hydrocarbon energy to operate (including all classes of electricity generators) the extra risk of these tiny generators is evident in the fact that because of their popularity among the low income classes, they are used mainly in confined spaces.

Due to the inability of successive governments to provide adequate and reliable public power supply, low income earners, such as traders and artisans, are forced to depend on these cheap generators in markets, shops and at home in the various congested slums and low cost urban housing areas. The amount of smoke these usually poorly maintained generators pump into the  atmosphere indeed poses great dangers to health. It often leads to carbon monoxide-related deaths which sometimes involve whole families. It also sparks off fire outbreaks.

However, we view the ban on the importation of these gadgets without providing alternative means of power supply to the poor and vulnerable strata of our society as an act of  insensitivity towards the needs of the downtrodden members of society.

If this policy is implemented, time might come when it will be difficult for the artisans and traders to survive at all. How would the ordinary people be able to survive the heat of the dry season which is upon us earlier than usual this year? This policy is bound to be seen as unkindly targeting the poor.

Besides, it will make the smuggling of these generators  become even more lucrative and fuel more corruption among Customs officials, especially at the borders.

We believe it is possible to solve this problem by encouraging Nigerians to form groups to own and operate bigger generators. It is also even better if government provides cleaner and renewable energy sources such as inverters and solar options in the markets and dwelling areas while greater efforts are made to find a permanent solution through the provision of adequate public power supply.

We deplore the knee-jerk, militaristic attitude of government to problems. Before the importation of the mini generators is banned, government must first of all provide alternative options to the low-income citizenry.

Izeze, Enabulele get UNIBEN alumni awards

University of Benin (UNIBEN)

EMINENT personalities, alumni, friends and associates of the University of Benin, including the Managing Director, Guardian Newspapers Limited, Mr. Emeke Izeze, were at the weekend conferred with ‘Friend of the Association Award’ by the University of Benin Alumni Association (UBAA).

They were honoured for their outstanding personality and contributions to development of the society.
 

Izeze was represented at the Global Home Coming (GHC)/Distinguished Alumni Award ceremony held at the Banquet Hall of the University of Benin, Ugbowo Campus, Edo State by Justin Imodu.
 

Speaking at the event, President Worldwide, UBAA, Ifaluyi Isibor, while lamenting the decline in the number of members of the Association, said UBAA has only 5,000 active members even when the university have since inception graduated no fewer than 300,000 alumni.

 
He tasked alumni of the institution to show interest in the activities of the Association by contributing their quota to the development of the university, stressing the need for members, “to support the school in any way.”
 

Others presented award in the category of Distinguished Alumni (DA) include, a former President of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Dr. Osahon Enabulele.
 

Others are, the Chief Medical Director of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), Prof. Michael Ibadin, former Vice-Chancellor, Benson Idahosa University (BIU), Prof. Macdonald Idu, Prof. Joseph Osemwenkhae, a professor of Mathematical Statistics in the Department of Mathematics, University of Benin and Senator Ighoyota Amori, among others.

75.9m unemployed in third quarter, says NBS

IN the third quarter (Q3) 2015, the labour force population which refers to those within the working age population willing, able and actively looking for work increased to 75.9 million, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has said.

According to Unemployment and Under Employment 2015 Q3 report made available to The Guardian yesterday, the figure represents 2.60 percent rise in number of unemployed which stood at 74.0 million in Q2 2015.

The bureau said this means 1,929,800 economically active persons within the ages of 15 and‐64 entered the labour force between July 1 and September 30 2015.

“This consisted of newly qualified graduates, new entrants into the economically active population (became 15 in Q3 2015) actively seeking work and previous members of the economically active population that choose not to work for whatever reasons in earlier periods (number of those not willing to work in the economically active population declined to 28.3 million in Q3 2015 from 29.5 million in Q2 2015 meaning about 1.3 million people in the working age population that choose not to work in Q3 decided to work in Q3 2015 thereby adding to the labour force).

“Within the same period, the total number in full time employment (did any form of work for at least 40hours) increased by 840,773 or 1.52 percent. The sharp growth in the labour force and especially in the number of those in full time employment is largely as a result of the beginning of the planting season resulting in a huge amount of rural farmers’ previously underemployed suddenly working longer hours,” the bureau said.

The survey showed that an economically active or working age population of 104.3 million and labour force population of 75.9 million, this means 28.37 million persons within the economically active or working age population decided not to work for various reasons in Q3 and consequently are not part of the labour force and cannot be technically considered unemployed even though they are not working.

The NBS also maintained that the number of underemployed in the labour force (those working but doing largely menial work or jobs not commensurate with their qualifications or not fully engaged and merely working for few hours) during the review quarter however, decreased slightly by 365,593 resulting in a decrease in the underemployment rate to 17.4 percent in Q3

Emmanuel canvasses review of training for ex-militants

Udom

GOVERNOR Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State has advocated a review of the training given former militants in the Niger Delta under the Presidential Amnesty Programme to make them self-sustainable.

Emmanuel, who made the call at the weekend while receiving the Coordinator of the Niger Delta Presidential Amnesty Programme, Brigadier General Paul Boroh (rtd) and his team at the Government House, Uyo, said the training offered through the programme does not address the local content needs of the Nigerian society especially in the oil-bearing communities, thus the trainees do not fit into the available opportunities in the oil industry.

He suggested a liaison with the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) for the development of the scheme, stating that the ex-militants should be trained in line with the manpower needs of the society.

The governor said, as a practical step towards reintegrating the ex-militants, motivational talks should be used to encourage them to earn a living rather than engage in agitations and called on the companies operating in the coastal communities to devise modalities for dialogue to address issues of environmental degradation, which he noted, were root causes of the agitations.

Emmanuel, who traced the relative calm in the area to the stipends being paid to the agitators, harped on the need to make them earn a living rather than rely on pay-outs to forestall frustration which could make them to return to the creeks.

He, however, supported Boroh’s decision to establish offices in the oil-rich states, saying the initiative would allow for timely settlement of grievances when they arise.

Earlier, the coordinator said they were in the state to seek collaboration towards the successful disengagement, disarmament and reintegration of former warlords.

He noted that the programme, which was set up in 2009, had successfully disarmed 425 agitators, with 368 of the number trained in different areas.

Boroh said he would create additional state offices and collaborate with the military, paramilitary and other security agencies to achieve a complete reintegration of the ex-militants.

Boroh commended the state government’s decision to create jobs through agriculture, which he described as the mainstay of the nation’s economy, urging other states to emulate the move.

Ohanaeze, Southeast govs hold parallel meetings, differ on Biafra

Biafra

South-East governors and leaders of Ndigbo at parallel meetings in Enugu yesterday differed on how to manage the ongoing agitation and protests by the Movement for the Actualisation of Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) and the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) over the continued
detention of the Director of Radio Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu.

At its rescheduled emergency meeting with selected National Assembly members, traditional rulers and other stakeholders held at Government House, Enugu, the governors opted to set up a committee to dialogue with MASSOB/IPOB and the Federal Government on the protests.

After its meeting, the leaders of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, IPOB and MASSOB and South East, South-South Professionals (SESSP) resolved to convoke an emergency Imeobi (its highest decision making organ) where the agitation by the pro-Biafra groups will be discussed.

The Ohanaeze, MASSOB and IPOB were neither consulted nor invited to the meeting convoked by the governors hence the parallel meetings.

Meanwhile, MASSOB and IPOB leaders showed faith in Ohanaeze leadership and decided that they would only negotiate through Ohanaeze Ndigbo on any issue.

In a four-point communiqué read by Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, the governors, on the presumption that
there was a leadership problem in Ohanaeze Ndigbo, resolved to set up a committee to immediately address the impasse.

They also examined poor state of infrastructure in the South East zone, marginalsation in federal appointments and other socio- economic issues that have impacted the development of the zone and resolved to set up an economic council to interface with the Federal Government.

The meeting agreed to raise a delegation of the elders of the zone to meet with the president on the state of affairs in the Southeast.

The President of the South-East/South-South Professionals, Mr. Emeka Ugwu-Oju, who read the communiqué of the Ohanaeze meeting, said: “Ohanaeze will summon an emergency meeting of the Imeobi to discuss the current situation in Igboland.

“MASSOB and IPOB have been advised to maintain the peace so far. Ohanaeze has noted the demand of the IPOB and MASSOB, which is the release of Nnamdi Kanu.

“The meeting condemned the rascality of the chairman of the Anambra State chapter of Ohanaeze in publishing a position pertaining to himself and purporting it to be Ohanaeze’s position, since his position does not qualify him to speak for the general body.

“MASSOB and IPOB demand the sanctioning of the Igbo saboteurs. MASSOB continue meeting with Ohanaeze, the South-East/South-South Professionals and resolved that Ohanaeze should be the only medium through which any negotiation will be made.”

FG vows to check exams malpractice, cultism in schools

THE Federal Government has vowed to firmly tackle the twin problems of examination malpractices and cultism in schools as part of efforts to improve on the quality of education in the country.

Government has also announced plan to review the curriculum used for the training of teachers at the Colleges of Education for proper preparation of teachers to teach in primary and secondary schools.

Minister of State for Education, Professor Anthony Anwuka, speaking at an interactive session with newsmen during the weekend in Abuja, Anwuka, said government was concerned with the level of damage examination malpractice has done to the nation’s educational system.

He said teaching in Nigeria would no longer be an all-comers affair, saying by law, a National Certificate in Education (NCE) was supposed to be the minimum qualification for teaching at the primary school level. 

Prof. Anwuka, said it was unfortunate that the training of teachers at Colleges of Education nationwide does not appear to be in consonance with the expectation of primary school teaching and learning.

He said for instance that an NCE student in a college of Education studying Education Physics, Education Chemistry, and Education Biology, could not effectively teach primary school pupils because the curriculum has no bearing with that primary education.

The Minister said: “Right now what we are doing is to prepare NCE graduates for admission into Faculty Education to read Bachelor’s Degree in Education and that is where their mind is and the preparation is geared towards but not to come and teach at the primary school level because they have not been prepared adequately for teaching in primary school.

“Teaching must stop being an all-comers game in this country. When they studied Chemistry from a University, because there is no job, somebody will say let’s go and teach. Teach what? You have not been prepared to teach,” he said.

He urged the National Teachers’ Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) to be up and doing, stressing that anybody who wants to teach in Nigeria’s school system must be trained and certified to teach in the system.

Anwuka, insisted that the Federal Government would look at that at all levels of education in the country, saying those who want to remain in the system must have to go and take some courses in pedagogy in order to teach.

He vowed that the current administration would do all it could to elevate the status of teaching in this country so as to attract best hands into the system.

The Minister said the Federal Government would enhance the working condition of teachers and make the profession much more attractive through enhanced remunerations than any other profession in the country.

The Minister, who also spoke on the sales of the Federal Government free textbooks supplied to schools, warned that anybody involved in that illicit deal would face the wrath of the law. 

DPR sells petrol for free in Kwara

Following threat against any filling stations in the habit of hoarding fuel, the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) in Kwara State on Sunday dispensed fuel to motorists and motorcyclists free of charge at two filling stations in Ilorin.

The erring filling stations, situated along Olorunsogo area, Ilorin and Otte, in Asa local government area, were caught hoarding a total of 4,600 litres of fuel known as premium motor spirit (PMS).

The Nigerian Tribune gathered that the surveillance team of the department swooped on the stations following tip off by concerned citizens that management of the stations was hoarding the commodity.

Acting on the information, the team led by Operation Controller of DPR, Mr. Salvation Philip, said the team uncovered large volume of fuel after the stations had allegedly told frustrated buyers that they had exhausted their stock.

It was pandemonium, as motorists and other buyers scrambled for the commodity when the DPR boss instructed that the fuel be sold free of charge in line with ministerial directive.

It took the intervention of security agents attached to the agency to control the unruly crowd of motorists and commercial motorcyclists.

Speaking with journalists after the exercise, DPR boss said the action of the department was in accordance with the directive of Minister of State for Petroleum.

He stated that the punitive measure would serve as deterrent to other hoarders that it was no longer business as usual.

Philip said the agency was poised to ensure that the commodity was properly distributed among commuters.

"We have out for surveillance because of the situation on ground, and we want to make sure that the fuel that comes in is distributed to commuters. When we got to this place (Alkad), we dug and discovered that they (management of the station) were hoarding 2300 litres of fuel

"So, we are simply enforcing the ministerial directive. We are giving the fuel free to fellow Nigerians that need it. It is a critical time, we have to utilize what is available. This is the second station so far we caught hoarding and the ministerial directive is that whichever station that is caught hoarding, fuel should be given free to the citizens.

"We want to use this to serve a very strong warning to all marketers that anybody caught hoarding, diverting or flouting petroleum laws and regulations, that infractions would be meted with the full wrath of the law.

"So, we are not joking about it. Let this serve as a deterrent to all intending hoarders of petroleum products. The situation is critical. We want to make sure that what is available is utilized. Any violation would not be tolerated by the Department of Petroleum Resources especially here in Kwara State.

"And I'm using this to send a very strong warning to marketers, desist from hoarding, desist from diversion because if you don't, appropriate sanctions would follow suit and I mean it with every sense of seriousness", the DPR boss said.

Ogunwusi to be Crowned Ooni Today

 Ooni-designate, Prince Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi

By Yinka Kolawole in Osogbo
 
Prince Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi will today be installed as the new Ooni of the ancient city of Ile-Ife.

The Ooni-designate began the traditional rites at Ilofi in Iremo area on Friday, October 30 and was expected to have left last Thursday after 21 days, but THISDAY gathered that he left Ilofi Sunday evening.

Investigations revealed that a few more days were added to ensure that all the rites were completed before his coronation today.

His coronation, however, will not be done in the open.

A palace source explained that the new Ooni would be installed at Ile Oodua (House of Oduduwa), stressing that the new monarch would be entering the palace for the first time as an Oba this Monday.

He said: “In line with Ile-Ife customs and traditions, his coronation will hold behind closed doors. Only the Isoros and Ife chiefs will be involved but I can confirm it will be done inside the palace.”

Also, former Special Adviser, Youth and Sports to the Osun State State governor, Mr. Biyi Odunlade, confirmed that Ogunwusi would be crowned today at Ile Oodua but added that the event would not be open to the public.

Ogor: Jonathan’s Govt Never Paid N413bn for Subsidy in One Go

 Leader in the House of Representatives Hon. Leo Ogor

• Says subsidy no longer sustainable

The Minority Leader in the House of Representatives Hon. Leo Ogor (Delta PDP), has raised questions over the N413.36 billion being appropriated by President Muhammadu Buhari as emergency provision for petrol subsidy in the 2015 supplementary budget, saying the past administration of President Goodluck Jonathan never paid such a huge amount in one go.

Speaking with THISDAY in an interview, Ogor added that the subsidy regime was no longer sustainable, especially as the masses do not really benefit from it, but instead continue to buy fuel above the official price or have to endure long queues.

Ogor spoke against the backdrop of the protest by members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) during his presentation at the second reading of the budget last Thursday, where he also raised concerns over the extra-budgetary expenditure by the executive in respect of N1.5 billion for the already concluded All African Games.

“First, the government is trying to pay a subsidy of about N413billion; that is the highest figure ever as one lump payment. Be mindful of the fact that the price of petrol has dropped drastically in respect of the international price of crude.

Today, the budget was predicated on $48 per barrel, but we should look at how long there has been a drop in the price of oil. What has led to this high increase of subsidy specifically when the APC government has continuously insisted that the subsidy is a fraud?,”  he said.

“That is why I insisted that yes, we are going to pass the budget, there is no problem in passing the budget, but the committee on finance which is a committee of the house and not a committee of a political party should go in and do a proper research and query why we should be paying subsidy at such a high rate when the price of crude oil is dropping,” Ogor said.

The Minority Leader added that the amount being appropriated raises fundamental questions on the sustainability of the government subsiding the product, and called for a debate to determine the advantages and disadvantages of the policy.

“Can we sustain it? Can we continue to subsidise imported products? Can we continue to use resources from a primary product that we export, and use the proceeds to buy a finished product thereby funding employment opportunities for other nations? Is there room for competition? Can we allow other people to step into the market so that they can create an effective competition? Can we survive this whole exercise?,” he queried.

Speaking on the timing of the supplementary budget’s submission, Ogor said the timing was indicative that the federal government would not submit next year’s budget before 2015 run’s out. This, he said, was unconstitutional, citing Section 11 of the Fiscal Responsibility Act.

“So automatically the only way out is for us to either extend the financial year to about April and see how we can work out the modality and the methodology of having the medium-term expenditure frame work accepted by the House and now have a budget to be treated. Because there is no way we can carry on with the way things are at the moment,” he said.

Judge Hands off Akpolobokemi’s Wife’s Suit against EFCC

 Former Director General of NIMASA, Dr. Patrick Akpolobokemi

By Davidson Iriekpen

Justice Ofili Ajumogobia of the Federal High Court in Lagos has taken his hands off the fundamental human rights enforcement suit filed before her court by Mrs Timi Beauty Akpobolokemi, the wife of the embattled former Director General of the Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) Dr. Patrick Akpolobokemi against Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)

When the case was mentioned and Dr Joseph Nwobike (SAN) announced his appearance for the applicants, and Uchenna Moneke announced his appearance for the EFCC, Justice Ajumogobia said: “For personal reasons I am handing off the case. Consequently, the case file will be returned to the chief Judge for re-assignment.”

The co-applicants alongside Mrs Akpobolokemi are Clement Akpobolokemi, Stephen Akpobolokemi, Julius Akpobolokemi, Victor Akpobolokemi who are all biological brothers of the former NIMASA boss.

In an affidavit sworn to by Stephen Akpobolokemi and filed before the court by Nwobike, the deponent averred that on July 31, 2015, fully armed operatives of the EFCC numbering about 25, stormed the residence of the former NIMASA boss at 6 Ondo Street, Banana Island, Lagos State on account of EFCC’s investigations into the stewardship of Dr Akpobolokemi during his tenure as the Director General of NIMASA.

Stephen averred further that without any search warrant, the EFCC operatives harassed them and coerced Mrs Akpobolokemi to write an incriminating statement against her husband on account of his stewardship and without the order of the court, blocked the woman’s account maintained at United Bank for Africa Plc while she was invited by the agency to report at their office on November 5, 2015.
Whereas the woman has never been a staff of NIMASA and has never impeded the investigation of her husband.

The four brothers also alleged that they have been under constant threats of arrest and detention by EFCC on the account of being the brothers of Dr. Akpobolokemi, while Julius Akpobolokemi  accounts domicile with Ecobank and Diamond Bank had been frozen, Victor Akpolobokemi’s account maintained with First Bank of Nigeria was also frozen

Stephen also contended that by the actions of the anti-graft agency their fundamental right to liberty have been breached.
Consequently, the applicants while claiming damages in the sum of N100million against the EFCC for the irreparable emotional, and psychological damages jointly and severally suffered are urging the court to declare that the harassment and intimidation and the threat of their arrest and detention on account of their affinity with Dr  Akpolokemi are unconstitutional, illegal and unlawful.

Two of the applicants whose accounts have been frozen are also urging the court to declare the freezing of their accounts as illegal and to also unfreeze the said accounts.

Dasuki: Justice Minister appears in court today

The Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Mallam Abubakar Malami (SAN) is expected to appear before the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja today to explain why the Department of the State Services (DSS) is still laying siege to the residence of former National Security Adviser (NSA), Col. Sambo Dasuku (rtd), despite a court order.

Dasuki is standing trial over a four-count charge bothering on illegal possession of arms and corruption. After pleading not guilty to the charge and admitted to bail, Dasuki had applied to the court for the release of his international passport in order to go for medical treatment abroad.

The trial judge, Justice Adeniyi Ademola, had granted the order and gave Dasuki three weeks to travel and come back to the country. Despite the court order, Dasuki has not been able to travel because of the siege laid to his house by the DSS. Not comfortable with the situation, Dasuki had, through his counsel, J.B Daudu (SAN) an filed an application against the Federal Government seeking enforcement of his fundamental human rights to dignity and security of his life.He also applied to the court to compel the Federal Government to allow him travel abroad to treat his ailment as ordered by the court since November 3.

Dasuki complained that rather than allow him to go for the medical treatment, agents of the Federal Government, mainly operatives of the DSS, had laid siege to his house and kept him under house arrest in spite of his deteriorating health conditions. When the matter was first heard, the court summoned the AGF to come and give reasons why the order of the court has not been complied with. At the resumed hearing last Monday, the court extended the date of appearance due to submission by the Solicitor General of the Federation, Taiwo Abidogun, requesting for more time.

Abidogun, who was in court last Monday, submitted that the AGF was yet to assume office fully. The Solicitor General, however, noted that the AGF would assume office last Wednesday and will be briefed on the Dasuki’s court action between Thursday and Friday. He urged the court to grant him permission to appear in the court today.

‘Ekiti won’t slash workers’ pay’

Fayose, governor of Ekiti

Ekiti State Government has said it will not slash the minimum wage it is paying its workforce despite the financial challenges it is grappling with.

Also, to ensure the smooth payment of the salaries, the state government may decentralise the payment system.

Disclosing this at the weekend when he went on sensitisation tour of Irepodun/Ifelodun and Ekiti South-West Local Government Areas, the State Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose, said the current minimum wage of N18, 000 was grossly inadequate and that any slash would not augur well for the workers and their dependants.

In a statement in Ado-Ekiti on Sunday by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr Idowu Adelusi, the governor said the state government in consultation with the labour unions would agree on the mode of payment.

The governor, who first visited, Igede-Ekiti, said there was no point hiding the financial situation of the state government from the workers.

“I am enjoying your grace for returning me to office and I am not going to take the grace for granted. A governor who hides the true position of things from his people is only deceiving himself. The power of the people is greater than that of the leader.

“I won’t reduce workers’ salaries, the N18, 000 minimum wage is even not enough. I will never hold your money one day extra. The shortfall in the bail-out fund will be redressed,” he said.

The governor also added that a unit would be set up in the Governor’s Office to look into complaints about workers’ welfare.

At Ilawe-Ekiti, following complaints by some workers in the delay in getting their salaries when paid, the governor said a team of experts would be constituted to look at the possibility of decentralising the payment system.

Fayose noted that the need for workers to come to Ado-Ekiti whenever they had complaints about their salaries would be reduced if the system was decentralised.

The governor promised to also look into the welfare of pensioners, saying as soon as the Federal Government releases the remainder of the bailout funds concerning their issue, they would be paid.

The governor used the occasion to tell the workers the financial situation of the state, saying statutory allocations had reduced by over 56 per cent in the last one year

Obi urges caution on N75bn controversy

The former Governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi, has called on parties in the ongoing media war on the state finances to “stop all hostilities and remember that the dignity of the state and its people must be upheld at all times.

In a statement made available to The Guardian by his media aide, Valentine Obienyem, the former governor who said he was in the final week of his programme at the University of Cambridge and has not been physically available for clarifications, expressed displeasure over the controversy, which he said could be put to rest by a simple recourse to available and verifiable public records. He urged his supporters and those of Governor Willie Obiano to apply restraint in the interest of peace and development in the state.

Obi said that it was becoming clear that “some people, including aides, are going beyond the issue at stake.

“The N75 billion cash and investments include naira savings in banks, dollar savings and investments, which he left, are documented and verifiable and should not warrant unnecessary write-ups and calling of names,” according to Obienyem.

Describing the many write-ups — news, opinions, commentaries and features — he read on the matter as very sad, Obi appealed for caution, especially as he has offered to clarify any issue or doubts about his tenure if need be.

He said the incumbent governor remains a friend, and that the good people of Anambra State should join him in prayers to succeed in the improvement of the fortunes of the children of the state.

Court dismisses fraud suit against Edo ex-scribe

A HIGH Court sitting in Benin City, Edo State has struck out the case of alleged misappropriation of N113 million belonging to the Edo State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB).

The case was brought before the court by the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related Offences Commission (ICPC) against a former Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Dr. Simon Imuekheme and three SUBEB officials.

They were erstwhile chairman of the Board, Sir Joseph Emoabino, David Eson Igbinoba and Aghator Gaskin Efe.

The ICPC had in March 2014 taken the officials to court over the alleged fraud.

In her judgment, the presiding judge, Justice Esther Edigin, noted that the prosecutor failed in his case when it charged the four accused persons under Section 22 (5) of the ICPC Act 2000 which was defunct, noting that the law in operation was the 2003 ICPC Act authenticated by the National Assembly in 2007.

“The Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Act 2000 under which these persons were arraigned had ceased to be part of the body of Nigerian law having been repealed by Section 55 of the Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Act 2003.

So at the time the accused persons were said to have committed that offence stated in the charge, the 2000 Act was no longer in existence,” she said, adding that it would be travesty of justice to convict one under a non- existent law.

One dies as herdsmen, vigilance group clash

A CLASH between Fulani herdsmen and a vigilance group has resulted in the death of one person along Warake Road in Owan East Local Council of Edo State.

The brawl, which occurred at the weekend, also led to the hospitalisation of a member of the group in a private hospital at Auchi, while one of the herdsmen was reportedly arrested.

The fight was said to have broken out when the group went in search of a missing woman who was believed to have been abducted by suspected marauding nomads .

It was learnt that the herdsmen were moving their victims from one point to another when the group was alerted.

The state Commissioner of Police, Chris Ezike, who confirmed the development, said his men recovered a locally made pistol from the scene of the incident.

It would be recalled that the Principal of Ivbiaro Secondary School, simply identified as Mr. Afekhai, was recently abducted in the area by men suspected to be Fulani herdsmen.

Delta okays N5b for roads, cancels Warri BRT project

Delta State Governor, Okowa

THE Delta State Executive Council has approved more than N5 billion for the construction of roads in the state just as the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project in Warri has been terminated, the Commissioner for Works, Chief John Augoye, has disclosed.

He told reporters in Asaba that government had approved the dismantling of the BRT lanes to ease congestion in Warri and its environs.

Augoye was flanked by the Commissioner for Information, Patrick Ukah and his Water Resources counterpart, Chief Fidelis Tilije and that of Transport, Vincent Uduaghan among others.

According to Augoye, the dualisation of Sapele Road from Amukpe Roundabout would take N2.056 billion, while that of Nnebisi Road to Cable Point, Asaba would cost N1.076 billion.

Other road projects are....

Continue @  
www.ngrguardiannews.com/2015/11/delta-okays-n5b-for-roads-cancels-warri-brt-project/ 

Buhari now going solo

In my articles during the presidential campaign, I had wondered aloud whether a President Muhammadu Buhari would share power with the touted National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. I also answered the question by saying that knowing the professional and cultural background of Buhari, and against the precedents of our political history, he would gradually relegate Tinubu to his proper place as just one of the big men in the ruling party, on assuming power.

Those who were expecting Buhari to “share power” with him in line the merger that produced the APC, I warned, should be prepared for a different ball game if Buhari became president. I even referred to the proverb: “those who dress up a masquerade are usually the first to be flogged by it”. I prognosticated that as soon as Buhari assumed power, his hordes of Arewa kinsmen who were hiding in the shadows while Tinubu and Rotimi Amaechi were rebranding him, supplying him with the propaganda fuel and profusely providing his campaign with endless funds, would emerge into the spotlight and claim the place of pride in his government.



President Muhammadu Buhari

I also added that Buhari would gradually recreate the ruling party after his own image, and as we approach 2019, it will look more like the Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, than the APC which Tinubu helped him to build into a winning political platform. These are no “predictions” but merely the political punditry of a person who has monitored politics and power play in Nigeria for over two decades as a reporter, writer and .....

Continue
 www.vanguardngr.com/2015/11/buhari-now-going-solo/ 

Kogi: Constitutional crisis looms as Audu’s death divides lawyers

By Clifford Ndujihe, Charles Kumolu, Gbenga Oke & Omezia Ajayi
LAGOS—DIVISION was the lot of lawyers, yesterday, over how the country could proceed with the Kogi State governorship election following the death of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Governorship Candidate, Prince Abubakar Audu.

With results from the 21 local councils of the state, Audu with 240,867 votes was on his way to a historic third electoral victory after six attempts as his closest challenger, Governor Idris Wada of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has 199,514 votes.

However, instead of being declared as the winner of the election, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announced yesterday afternoon that the election was inconclusive, saying that there would be re-run polls in 59 polling units which have about 49,000 registered voters.

Audu died shortly after the announcement raising questions on how the exercise could be concluded because the the 1999 Constitution and the Electoral Act are silent on what should be done if a candidate dies while the election is on-going.

There should be fresh election – Braithwaite

Speaking on the issue yesterday, Second Republic politician and legal icon, Dr Tunji Braithwaite said the demise of Prince Audu calls for a fresh governorship election in Kogi.

His words: First, it is sad that Audu died. Our thoughts are with his family at this time. However, coming to mankind, life and activities must go on. If the front runner in an election drops dead, the next person with higher votes cannot automatically be declared winner.

‘’The deceased according, to INEC scored higher votes. Audu’s death calls for another election. The incumbent, Capt Idris Wada will continue as governor until another election. There must be another election.’’

Just another election  – Adegbuyi

Dr Braithwaite’s views were shared by Barr Bisi Adegbuyi, a stalwart of the Afenifere Renewal group, ARG.

‘’There is nothing other holding another election. APC should be allowed to present another candidate. Since the election has not been concluded, the deputy governorship candidate cannot take his place, he is not the candidate,’’ he said.

The re-run polls should be concluded  – Basorun

However, Chief Olorunfunmi Basorun, Second Republic politician and Secretary to the Lagos State Government under Governor Lateef Kayode Jakande, said the re-run polls in 59 polling units should be concluded and the winner declared by INEC.

Reason: ‘’It is the party that matters. The party sponsored the candidates. In 1999, when Alhaji Atiku Abubakar was nominated as Vice presidential candidate, although the Adamawa governorship election had been concluded, the deputy governorship-elect, Boni Haruna, stepped in. So, the INEC should conduct the election in the remaining polling units and declare the winner.’’

Audu’s running mate should step in – Quakers

In his reaction, Mr Norris Quakers, SAN, said since the Nigerian Constitution did not envisage what has happened, it makes it tricky and dicey.

He however said, “In my thinking, if you read sections 36, 39 and 40 of the Electoral Act as amended, I think the Independent Electoral Commission will have to conduct elections in those areas where they are inconclusive. What the party that was affected needs to do is to allow the deputy governorship candidate run as its governorship candidate while a new deputy governorship candidate is picked”.

Ticket belongs to APC – Ngige

On his part, Chief Emeka Ngige, SAN, said:  ‘’There is no lacuna. In Adamawa, after Obasanjo picked Atiku, who had already won the governorship election in the state to be his running mate, the opposition led by Bala Takaya kicked against the decision to pick Haruna as a replacement for Audu. The opposition went to the Federal High Court to stop it and the matter dragged to the Supreme Court that it was right for Haruna, who was Abubakar’s running mate to become the governor. The opposition demanded for fresh election but that was rejected by the Supreme Court. ‘’However, this is a peculiar situation. What is happening now is a combination of a lot of issues. In Rotimi Amaechi’s case the court ruled that it was the party that owned the ticket. It also said that the party owned the votes. So, such a scenario may play up this time again. The situation we have at hand is called areccondite situation in law. And it will require a lot of interpretations. I foresee a very stormy and testing period for INEC. The judiciary will also be put on trial.

‘’In Amaechi’s case, he had no running mate but since the court had ruled that the party owned the ticket, Ikuru, who was Omehia’s deputy, became his deputy. In my opinion, I will say that the APC owns the ticket. INEC should go ahead with the elections and conclude it because the votes belong the the APC.’’

A source at the INEC headquarters in Abuja said yesterday: “Ordinarily, the commission would normally cancel the polls and fix another date for the election, but since an election has been conducted, INEC can give seven days to the party to announce another candidate before the conduct of the supplementary polls.”

Nigeria internet market to hit N1.1trn by 2017 – Alcatel Regional Director

Nick Imudia, Regional Director, Nigeria and Central Africa, Alcatel Onetouch, spoke to Princewill Ekwujuru  on the re-entry of Alcatel into the Nigerian market, its propositions, global position and new phone trends and other sundry issues. Excerpt.  

Market positioning and Nigerians expectation

Alcatel OneTouch is unexpected, down to earth, irreverent and colourful. We believe that what makes technology smart is what you can do with it rather than what it can do. Alcatel Onetouch is a global brand which has redefined the mobile mass market by making the latest mobile technologies accessible to everyone. It is the first to recognize the mass market’s needs and has since brought choice, variety and flexibility to customers – from operators to consumers.



Imudia

By combining its understanding of local insights and control of the end-to-end manufacturing process, Alcatel OneTouch delivers the best user experience with innovative, feature-rich and high performance mobile devices designed with simplicity in Alcatel OneTouch views the device as a hub, meaning that we consider complete home connectivity when we are designing and producing every product.

We are a global base with more than 100 offices in excess of 160 countries, seven    Research and Development,    R&D centres and carrier relationships in all regions around the world.

Alcatel OneTouch is a brand within TCL Communication, an international multicultural company which designs, develops, and markets globally a growing range of mobile and Internet devices. TCL Communication is a public company listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (2618.HK) and part of TCL Corporation one of the largest consumer electronics companies in the world.

Alcatel Onetouch produces everything from feature handsets to smartphones, modems and tablets, providing solutions to all your mobile communication needs.   It is the third Telecommunications company to partner with Google in developing the Android Operating System and one of the first to produce handsets that runs the Mozilla Firefox Operating System.

The Nigerian market entry

As the smartphone and tablet markets have grown, especially here in Nigeria we want to bring to the Nigerian market affordable, yet attractive and feature-rich devices in order to meet the needs of our customers.   We recognise that every mobile user needs and deserves a device that offers good performance, beautiful aesthetics and rich functionality. As such, we’ll strive to offer choice, variety and flexibility to consumers irrespective of their budget.

We also wanted to ensure that we had the correct infrastructure in place in order to get these devices into the hands of our customers.  We believe that we now have the correct mix to grow the brand and make an impact in the Nigerian market. Nigeria is a middle income, mixed economy and emerging market, with expanding financial, service, communications, technology and entertainment sectors:

In tech/internet connectivity   in Nigeria has 38 percent population online, which is approximately 67.3million, 94 percent mobile phone penetration, 27 percent   smartphone penetration.  Not only will the internet be the fastest growth area for expenditure, but it will also be the largest market that will   worth US$5.6 billion in 2017, ahead of TV (US$1.1 billion) and sports (US$722 million).

It will be great   opportunity for Nigerian market to migrate from feature phone to smartphone and get access to the internet.

Marketing plans and communications

We have put down fundamental elements in place when launching new products into the market place.   This includes a focus on training of staff, a solid in-store presence with live/dummy devices, point of sale, promoters and the appointment of a field marketing team as well as a competent Advertising, PR and Social Media agency.

This will ensure a good customer experience at store level. Furthermore we have introduced an online purchasing arm which ties into the strategy that sees a large focus on online purchasing and a strong digital approach.  Once this solid foundation has been built, Alcatel OneTouch will embark on an Abov-the-Line, ATL campaign to build awareness with the consumer.

Global overview

Alcatel Onetouch ,one of the world’s fastest-growing smartphone manufacturersis a global brand which has redefined the mobile mass market by making the latest mobile technologies accessible to everyone. It is the first to recognize the mass market’s needs and has since brought choice, variety and flexibility to customers – from operators to consumers.

By combining its understanding of local insights and control of the end-to-end manufacturing process, Alcatel OneTouch delivers the best user experience with innovative, feature-rich and high performance mobile devices designed with simplicity in Alcatel OneTouch views the device as a hub, meaning that we consider complete home connectivity when we are designing and producing every product. We are a global base with more than 100 offices in more than 160 countries, 7 R&D centers and carrier relationships in all regions around the world.

Alcatel OneTouch is a brand within TCL Communication, an international multicultural company which designs, develops, and markets globally a growing range of mobile and Internet devices. TCL Communication is a public company listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (2618.HK) and part of TCL Corporation one of the largest consumer electronics companies in the world.

Alcatel OneTouch produces everything from feature handsets to smartphones, modems and tablets, providing solutions to all your mobile communication needs.   It is the third Telecommunications company to partner with Google in developing the Android Operating System and one of the first to produce handsets that runs the Mozilla Firefox Operating System.

Alcatel OneTouch is one of the fastest-growing smartphone brands, which designs, manufactures and markets mobile and Internet products worldwide. The Group’s product portfolio is currently sold in more than 160 countries throughout the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific with Headquarters in Shenzhen, China, TCL Communication employs over 12,000 people

New innovation

Alcatel OneTouch is a global brand which has redefined the mobile mass market by making the latest mobile technologies accessible to everyone. It is the first to recognize the mass market’s needs and has since brought choice, variety and flexibility to customers – from operators to consumers. By combining its understanding of local insights and control of the end-to-end manufacturing process, Alcatel Onetouch delivers the best user experience with innovative, feature-rich and high performance mobile devices designed with simplicity in mind.

Alcatel OneTouch views the device as a hub, meaning that we consider complete home connectivity when we are designing and producing every product Alcatel OneTouch is focused on Nigeria and offering choice, variety and flexibility to consumers irrespective of their budget. We have the brand, the products, the price points and the distribution capabilities to grow aggressively in the years to come