The Nation Newspaper

Author: The Nation

  • Baraje’s suit against Tukur, others assigned to another judge

    Baraje’s suit against Tukur, others assigned to another judge

    The suit filed by Alhaji Kawu Baraje’s faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) seeking to stop Alhaji Bamanga Tukur from parading himself as national chairman of the party has been transferred to another judge.

    The chief Judge of Lagos State, Justice Ayotunde Phillips, assigned the matter to a new judge, Justice Oludotun Adefowope-Okojie.

    The change of the judges followed the withdrawal of the former trial judge, Justice Ganiyu Safari who was a vacation judge.

    Although all parties were present at the resumed trial on Tuesday, the suit failed to proceed as scheduled, in view of the fact that the case file had been returned to the office of the Chief Judge.

    At the last hearing, the Alhaji Baraje’s faction of the PDP failed in their bid to get the court to order the reopening of their Abuja national secretariat which was sealed up by the police.

    Mr. Robert Emukpaero, the counsel to the Baraje faction, had made an oral application in which he prayed the court to order the reopening of the secretariat.

    Ruling on the matter, Justice Safari ordered the claimants to file a different application joining the Inspector General of Police as defendant.

    Emukpaeruo had also accused the defendants of allegedly violating the court’s previous order to maintain the status quo pending the determination of the suit.

     

  • Jonathan submits expenditure proposal to Senate

    Jonathan submits expenditure proposal to Senate

    President Goodluck Jonathan on Tuesday submitted the 2014-2016 Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and the Fiscal Strategy Paper (FSP) to the Senate for consideration and approval.

    The MTEF/FSP was read by Senate President, David Mark.

    Jonathan in the letter to the Senate noted that the submission of the MTEF and FSP was in line with the provisions of the Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2007.

    He added that the development towards the preparation of the 2014 budget culminated in the 2014-2016 MTEF and FSP.

    Jonathan said: “Prepared against the backdrop of global economic uncertainty, the 2014-2016 MTEF and FSP reflect the reality of our circumstance; and we will ensure that planned spending is set at prudent and sustainable levels consistent with Government’s overall medium-term developmental objectives.”

    He lauded the Senate for the enduring partnership between the legislative and executive arms of government “in our collective efforts to transform the economy of our dear country.”

     

  • Utomi denies taking Bank PHB loan for election campaign

    Utomi denies taking Bank PHB loan for election campaign

    Renowned political economist, Prof. Pat Utomi , on Tuesday told a Lagos High Court, Ikeja, that he did not obtain any loan from the defunct Bank PHB to fund his 2007 presidential campaign.

    Utomi told the court presided by Justice Lateefat Okunnu that he spent only N30 million on the campaign.

    Utomi made this clarification while being cross-examined by the counsel to the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC), Mr. Kemi Pinheiro in a matter brought against the bank’s former managing director, Mr. Francis Atuche.

    He insisted that his presidential campaign did not gulp N2 billion as being suggested by the prosecution counsel.

    Pinheiro had suggested that Utomi’s campaign was funded by the bank while cross examining him as the defence witness in the matter.

    The EFCC had sued Atuche, his wife, Elizabeth and the bank’s former chief operating officer, Ugo Anyanwu over alleged theft of the bank’s N27.5 billion.

    Counsel to the EFCC, Mr. Pinheiro had alleged that the bank advanced a N2 billion credit facility to Baywood Continental Limited, a company whose board was chaired by Utomi.

    Pinheiro claimed that the loan was secured from Bank PHB about the same time Utomi was going around the country soliciting for votes for his presidential ambition.

    But Utomi, a former Chairman of Bank PHB Corporate Governance Committee, denied the allegation, saying that Baywood Continental did not collect any loan from the bank.

     

     

     

     

     

  • Uproar in House over Baraje’s faction’s proposed visit

    Uproar in House over Baraje’s faction’s proposed visit

    The House of Representatives on Tuesday returned from a long recess to a rowdy session when a letter by Alhaji Kawu Baraje’s faction of the Peoples Democratic Party requesting to visit the House was read by the Speaker, Aminu Tambuwal.

    The Speaker, however, revealed that a letter requesting a meeting with the leadership of the House and PDP Caucus written by the chairman of the PDP was withdrawn early Tuesday morning.

    If Bamanga Tukur had not withdrawn the letter, both factions would have been meeting with the lawmakers about the same time.

    The new PDP’s letter which was signed by Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola brought proceedings to an abrupt halt and set members off in a riotous shouting match that halted proceedings for almost 30 minutes.

    The Speaker in his opening speech lamented the level of budget implementation, saying it “remains a sore point of governance,” and that implementation of the 2013 capital appropriation “is way below expectation.”

    According to him, all committees of the House will proceed on one week of oversight to Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDA).

    The members also passed a vote of confidence on the Speaker and all members of the leadership in the House to demonstrate that there is unity in the House.

     

  • NUC seeks alternative ways to varsity education

    NUC seeks alternative ways to varsity education

    The Executive Secretary of National Universities Commission (NUC), Prof. Julius Okojie, has said the commission is fashioning out alternative ways of ensuring access to university education in Nigeria.

    Okojie made the statement in Abuja on Tuesday when he declared open a three-day workshop on e-learning and Education Resource.

    He said NUC was worried by the increasing number of students, who failed to gain admission to universities because of Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB)’s inability to meet the increasing demand.

    “This workshop is, therefore, aimed at bringing together stakeholders in the sector to discuss e-learning.

    “New technology has continued to change ways of doing things and there is the need to open ways that those intending to acquire university education can do so without having to go through JAMB,” he said.

    Okojie further shed light on the project, saying through e-learning, students could study and acquire degrees “at their convenience.”

    He said using Open and Distance Learning, the programmes would be designed according to the approved Academic Minimum Standards.

    Okojie also said materials for the courses had been designed for use by students without having to obtain any licences and without fear of violating copyright laws.

    He said the introduction of e-learning was to ensure that Nigeria would be on the same page with other ICT advanced countries.

    Speaking to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on what the NUC was doing to ensure quality of PhD graduates, Okojie said the commission had continued to enforce the Benchmark Academic Minimum Standard.

    He also said the commission also ensured the accreditation of courses offered in the postgraduate schools.

     

  • NPFL: Pillars, Enyimba to replay in Lagos

    NPFL: Pillars, Enyimba to replay in Lagos

    The Nigeria football authorities have ordered a replay of a Week 31 game between Kano Pillars and Enyimba in Lagos.

    The game, which was abandoned after crowd problem at the Sani Abacha Stadium in Kano, will now be played at the Teslim Balogun Stadium in Lagos.

    League Management Company (LMC) top official Salihu Ibrahim told MTNFootball.com that LMC has taken a decision on the game.

    “Decision has been taken over the abandoned Pillars, Enyimba match, it will be replayed in Lagos.”

    The LMC Twitter handle further disclosed that the replay will be for 90 minutes and that Pillars had been fined five million Naira.

    Because of the crowd trouble, Pillars will now play its remaining home games in Kaduna on order of LMC.

     

     

  • Jonathan tasks African leaders on development indicators

    Jonathan tasks African leaders on development indicators

    President Goodluck Jonathan on Monday asked African leaders to make a greater effort to achieve more significant improvements on the continent’s human development indicators.

    The president spoke at an audience with Zambia’s new High Commissioner to Nigeria, Lt.-Col. Newton Nkunika (rtd), at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    Jonathan said that while notable macro-economic growth had been achieved across the continent in recent years, African leaders must now focus more on translating such gains into improved living conditions for their people.

    He said that Africa’s political independence would only become truly meaningful to its citizens with visible improvements in human development indicators.

    He listed the indicators to include reduction in poverty levels, access to better healthcare facilities, good education and employment opportunities for children.

    Jonathan said the challenge of poverty had unfortunately continued to blur other achievements in Africa since the continent attained political liberation.

    He said that African leaders clearly needed to prioritise job creation and poverty reduction.

    “African countries need to improve on trade and investment as this is the only way to create jobs and to reduce poverty.

    “Nigeria will continue to encourage intra-African trade and business as that will help to move the continent forward,’’ he said.

    The president also urged other African leaders to fulfil promises of opening up their economies to greater regional and intra-continental trade.

    He also urged the leaders to reposition their countries to attract more foreign direct investments through increased political and economic stability.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the president also received letters of credence from the new Ambassador of Denmark to Nigeria, Ms. Margit Thomsen, and the new Ambassador of the Netherlands to Nigeria, Mr. Johannes Groffenf.

    Welcoming all three new ambassadors to the country, the President urged them to work for enhanced bilateral relations between their countries and Nigeria.

     

  • Death penalty for Bangladeshi Islamist leader

    Bangladesh’s Supreme Court has rejected the appeal of an Islamist leader against his jail term for war crimes and sentenced him to death.

    In February Abdul Kader Mullah, of the Jamaat-e-Islami party, was convicted by a special tribunal of crimes during the 1971 war of independence with Pakistan.

    BBC reports that the life sentence imposed at the time sparked angry street protests.

    His supporters said the charges were politically motivated but his opponents said that sentence was too lenient.

    Thousands staged vigils in Dhaka demanding the death penalty for Mullah, who had been convicted of charges which included overseeing massacres during the bloody struggle for independence.

    The protests prompted parliament to amend a law which allowed the state to appeal against any verdict reached by the war crimes tribunal.

    This meant that alongside Mullah’s appeal against his verdict the Supreme Court also heard an appeal from the government which wanted a tougher sentence handed down.

    Prosecutor Ziad Al Malum told AFP news agency that the decision to increase the sentence was approved by four to one at the court.

    Defence lawyer Tajul Islam told the agency he was “stunned” by the verdict.

    “This is the first time in South Asian judicial history that a trial court sentence has been enhanced by a Supreme Court,” he said.

     

  • Utomi to court: Bank PHB board ratified N25.7b loan

    Utomi to court: Bank PHB board ratified N25.7b loan

    A Lagos High court, Ikeja, heard on Monday that the loan totalling about N25.7 billion for which the former managing director of the defunct Bank PHB, Mr. Francis Atuche, is facing trial was approved by the board and did not offend the code of corporate governance for banks.

    A renowned economist, Prof. Pat Utomi made this declaration at the resumed hearing of the matter before the court presided by Justice Lateefa Okunnu.

    Utomi, who was the vice chairman of Bank PHB’s board of directors, in his evidence in chief led by Atuche’s counsel, Chief Anthony Idigbe (SAN), insisted before the court that the loans granted by Atuche, were ratified by the bank’s board of directors.

    The Economic Financial Crimes Commission had charged Atuche to court for allegedly stealing N25.7 billion belonging to the bank.

    Charged alongside Atuche as defendants are his wife, Elizabeth and former Chief Financial Officer of the bank, Ugo Anyanwu.

    Prof. Utomi read from the minutes of the board meeting where the loans were ratified.

    He said the loans were ratified during the board of directors meeting of Bank PHB held on July 9, 2008.

    He listed the companies that benefitted from the credit facilities to include Extra Oil Limited (N3.9 billion); Tradjeck Limited (N3.5 billion), Future View Securities Limited (N3.5 billion); Petosan Oil and Gas Limited ( N4 billion) and Falcon Securities (N8 billion).

    Utomi said the ratification of the loans did not offend the code of corporate governance for banks in Nigeria.

    He said neither Atuche nor Anyanwu violated the bank’s corporate governance ethics in granting the loans as the bank during its 38th board of directors meeting would not have ratified the loans if they did.

    He said,” In the business of banking which involves risk, it is the duty of the board to take decisions on the optimal risk that the bank can be exposed to.

    “We always ensured that illegality was not pursued but we also recognised that management needed to act and take risk on behalf of the bank.”

    He also told the court that integrity was the high point of the process, adding that the board did not notice fraudulent practices or illegality from any of the committees during the process.

     

     

     

  • Atiku deplores police harassment of Amaechi

    Atiku deplores police harassment of Amaechi

    Former vice president Atiku Abubakar has deplored the incessant police harassment of Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State, saying the situation has become incomprehensible, outrageous and humiliating.

    In a statement issued by his media office on Monday, Atiku said he was highly embarrassed by the excesses and open partisanship against a democratically elected governor who is also the chief security officer of the state.

    He called on the police in Rivers State to halt their siege against the new Peoples Democratic Party headquarters in Abuja, which has entered its second week.

    “Nothing justifies the advocacy for the decentralization of the police by allowing states to set up their own more than this.

    “There is nowhere in the world the police would take sides in private political conflicts at the expense of its constitutional role,” the statement added.

    The former vice president regretted that the persistent harassment of the governor has gone too far to be tolerated by decent public opinion and other leaders.

    The glaring partisanship of the police, Atiku argued would continue to elicit agitation for state police by the Nigerian people.

    “Police partisanship must stop immediately because it poses a threat to our nascent democracy. Our police force must concentrate solely on providing safety and security for Nigerians who face daily threats of violence and kidnappings.

    “Nigeria continues to head in the wrong direction. We face chronic joblessness and now a crippling, three-month long ASUU strike preventing students from attending school. That is where the Federal Government’s focus must be, not on launching partisan police actions,” Atiku stated.

    He also noted that, considering the heavy expenditure state governments make to equip and support the police, the harassment of Amaechi could undermine such cooperation.