The Nation Newspaper

Author: The Nation

  • NBA wants Suntai to address House ‘in person’

    NBA wants Suntai to address House ‘in person’

    The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) on Thursday urged Taraba State Governor Danbaba Suntai to address the House of Assembly in person if he is indeed healthy enough to resume official duties.

    The association took the position during its Annual General Meeting at the ongoing Annual General Conference in Calabar, Cross River State capital.

    It said the controversy over the governor’s health status is capable of creating constitutional and political crisis in the state.

    NBA said reports that there are “pseudo-governors” in Taraba should be cleared once and for all to restore the people’s faith in governance.

    NBA President Okey Walli (SAN) said: “The governor should address the House of Assembly. If he does not address the House, then it means he is not there.”

    On indiscipline among lawyers, Wali said NBA in May this year barred five lawyers and suspended two for five years after its disciplinary committee concluded 22 of 41 cases before it.

    “We are determined to deal with corruption and indiscipline at the Bar. I am sorry to say that more (disbarrments) are on the way.

    “Some of our colleagues have turned themselves to conduits of all sorts, hobnobbing with clients and, with respect, some judicial officers to subvert the rule of law.

    “We are determined to return the legal profession to its past glory. The message is clear: it is no longer business as usual,” Wali said.

     

     

  • Taraba Assembly stops Suntai

    The Taraba State House of Assembly has stopped ailing Governor Danbaba Suntai from  resuming  office.

    Speaker of  House, Haruna Tsokwa told newsmen in Jalingo on Thursday that the lawmakers after meeting with Suntai  believes that he is  not yet fit and should  return to United States to complete his treatment.

     

     

  • ‘Why Jonathan sacked youth minister’

    ‘Why Jonathan sacked youth minister’

    The inability of the sacked Minister of Youth Development, Alhaji Abdulkhadir Turaki, to effectively manage his portfolio and the presentation of a forged list of new executive of National Council of Youth of Nigeria (NCYN) to President Goodluck Jonathan when no election took place cost him his job.

    President Jonathan relieved the minister of his appointment on Monday.

    Disclosing why the minister was sacked in Minna on Wednesday, the Chairman of the Northern States Governors Forum (NSGF) and Niger State governor, Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu, said the minister did not show enough understanding of his job as he failed to present the actual facts to the President on the botched NCYN election that took place last February in Makurdi, Benue state.

    Aliyu said the NCYN election did not hold in Makurdi and a transition committee was put in place, but he alleged that the minister and his aides presented a forged list of new executive members of the council to the President.

    The governor, who commended the action of the President made these revelations while receiving the Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Christian Pilgrims Commission Mr. Kennedy Okpara, in his office.

    He said,” Please thank the President for me for what he did to the Minister of Youth.

    “The President did what was expected of a leader that does not want any of his officials to cause disharmony among the people.”

     

  • Anambra poll: Nwoye gets certificate of return

    … Ubas, others shun PDP summon

     The governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the November 16 gubernatorial election in Anambra State, Mr. Tony Nwoye, was on Wednesday presented with a certificate of return by the National Chairman of the party, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur.

    The presentation came just as the Uba brothers, Andy and Chris shunned the summon extended to them by the leadership of the party.

    Also summoned alongside the Uba brothers were Chief Benji Udeozor and Mrs. Tonia Nwankwo. They were ordered to appear before the party’s leadership at 10am on Wednesday.

    None of them honoured the invitation.

    They were summoned to explain their roles in the conduct of an August 24 parallel primary election through which Andy Uba emerged as PDP candidate for the Anambra poll.

    Shortly after collecting his certificate, Nwoye told reporters that he remained the authentic candidate of the party.

    Nwoye emerged from the Ken Emeakayi led faction from which the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had withdrawn recognition.

    On the other hand, Andy Uba emerged a parallel candidate from the Ejike Oguebego led faction. Oguebego is recognised by the electoral commission as the authentic chairman of the Anambra chapter of the PDP.

     

     

  • Taraba Speaker misinterpreting the constitution – Commissioner

    Taraba Speaker misinterpreting the constitution – Commissioner

    The crisis over Taraba Governor Danbaba Danfulani Suntai’s resumption of work continued across the state on Wednesday.

    The state Commissioner for Justice, Barr. G.T Kataps, on Wednesday accused the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Haruna Tsokwa, of misinterpreting the constitution.

    “Misinterpreting the law, as the Taraba Speaker is doing is capable of causing discord to our people who may not have access to the constitution and may not know the correct position of the law,” he said.

    Kataps said that Suntai has indeed returned to work.

    He briefed reporters in his office, State Secretariat, Jalingo –the state capital shortly before the cabinet was dissolved by Governor Suntai.

    The Speaker on Tuesday disagreed with the House Majority Leader Hon. Joseph Albasu over Suntai’s purported resumption of work.

    Suntai was injured when a plane he piloted crashed near Yola, Adamawa State, on October 25, last year.

    He returned to Jalingo on Sunday after a 10-month stay in German and American hospitals.

    On Monday, he transmitted a letter to the House of Assembly, informing the lawmakers of his readiness to begin work. But while the House Majority Leader and other members of the House proclaimed Suntai as physically and mentally fit to govern, the Speaker, who thought otherwise, insisted that Suntai must appear on the floor of the House and speak to them.

    The governor’s return has divided the House of Assembly and the entire state.

     

     

  • NUJ arrests fake CNN correspondent in Bayelsa

    The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Bayelsa State chapter, on Wednesday apprehended a suspected impostor who was parading himself as a correspondent of the Cable News Network (CNN).

    The 36-year old suspect identified as Paul Yempe was immediately handed over to the police for further investigation and prosecution.

    The suspect who was alleged to have hoodwinked unsuspecting government officials with his pretence was unmasked by the state Chairman of NUJ, Mr. Tare Akono who immediately reported the matter to the police.

    After claiming that he was working for CNN, the suspect could neither produce an identity card nor any document linking him to the broadcast company.

    He was said to have defrauded a few commissioners.

    He was said to have been found with an identification card of the Rivers State Broadcasting Corporation popularly known as Radio Rivers and a fake Identification card of the CNN.

    The NUJ chairman was said to have unmasked the true identity of the alleged impostor in the office of the state’s Commissioner for Energy, Mr. Akio Francis.

    He went to the office under the pretence that he wanted to conduct an interview with the commissioner for a purported CNN documentary.

    But luck ran out on him when he met the NUJ chairman in the same office.

     

     

  • 3rd Mainland Bridge to undergo comprehensive test

    The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved N290, 745, 000.00 for a comprehensive test to be carried out on the 3rd Mainland Bridge in Lagos.
    Speaking with State House correspondents at the end of Federal Executive Council  meeting in Abuja, Minister of Information, Labaran Maku  said that the Council took the decision based on a memo submitted by the Federal Ministry of Works.
    Maku explained  that the job done on the bridge last year was to address specific problems identified on the road while the new approval is to carry out a comprehensive test on the road in order to detect any possible need for repairs.
    “The Minister of Works tabled a memorandum to seek approval for the comprehensive underwater inspection, assessment of pilings, river bed bathymetric survey, profiling and echometric test on Third Mainland Bridge.
    “The bridge is a vital artery on the Federal Highways network connecting Lagos mainland to the island. Following reports of oscillation and excessive vibrations of the bridge under traffic load, investigations and tests were carried out by experts on the bridge in 2008 and the reports indicated that the bridge was structurally sound but required the replacement of damaged expansion joints and bearings.”
    “The ministry decided that Advanced Integrity Assessment including echometric (sonic pulse) tests on piles was inevitable in order to authenticate the findings of the Nigerian Submarine Divers Limited (NSD).”
    “In order to save the bridge from extensive deteriorating condition, council approved the award of contract for the consultancy services for the comprehensive underwater inspection, assessment of pilings, river bed bathymetric survey, profiling and echometric test on Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos State in favour of Messrs ICECON (Nigeria) Limited in the sum of N290, 745, 000.00 only with a completion period of two months,” he stated
  • Stowaway boy Daniel has accomplished his dreams – Sister

    Stowaway boy Daniel has accomplished his dreams – Sister

    The street of the 13 -year old stowaway boy Daniel (Rikcy) Oikhena, Ehiegba street, off Goodwill, Off Ekenwan road, Benin City, has turned to a tourists site since last Saturday with all sort of people trooping into the street to find out what really happened.

    Journalists, security agents, market women led the bulk of visitors to the street and the family house of Daniel Oikhena.

    The family house of Daniel at No 7 Ehiegba Street, off Goodwill, Off Ekenwan is about 500 metres away from the Benin Airport run way.

    During a visit to the house, our reporter met two of Danie’s younger brothers and some family members who beg to be excused comments but the eldest sister, Tonia simply said he is a reserve, gentle and intelligent boy.

    Daniel, who is a junior secondary school two student of Asoro Grammar school, Benin, was said to have woke up around 3.30am on that faithful day watching an America film that led to disagreement between him and his eldest sister.

    Tonia said, “Oga Journalists, lack of perimeter fencing at the Benin Airport made Daniel gain entrance into the airport. If properly fenced, I don’t know how he can enter.

    “You see, any time,you discusses with Daniel, all he do say is that, one day I will surprise you all. He loves watching America films. If you put Nigeria drama, he leaves.

    “Daniel is a quite person, he has no friends. Even in his school. He likes to do things in his own way. In most cases, he does confide in his junior brothers that one day, he will fly an Airplane. That is why one of them told their mother to go the Airport to rummage around.

    “The junior brothers also told their mother that, Daniel confided in them that one day he would make the family name popular. They never told us.

    Now he has done that in a negative way. Thank God he is alive to tell the story himself, “she said.

     

  • What senators earn monthly – Ndoma-Egba

    What senators earn monthly – Ndoma-Egba

    The highest paid senator earns no more than N900, 000 monthly in basic salary, Senate Leader Victor Ndoma-Egba (SAN) has said.

    He said claims that lawmakers earn “jumbo” salaries were not true, and that he once earned N25,000 per month in the Senate.

    He said contrary to the figures peddled in the media, only five per cent of the national budget goes to the National Assembly.

    The senator wondered why Nigerians were not asking questions about how the remaining 95 per cent is utilised, adding that citizens are only being distracted from the real issues.

    Ndoma-Egba spoke while responding to a presentation by Prof. Nsongurua Udombana at programme organised by the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Section on Public Interest and Development Law (SPIDEL) at the ongoing Annual General Conference in Calabar, Cross River State.

    Udombana, a professor of International Law, in his paper titled: ‘Justice in Public Interest,’ said corruption eats up the country, while the hard work of the many is being lost to the selfish desires of a few.

    He criticized the National Assembly’s salary structure, which he said was among the highest in the world.

    According to him, as at 2009, a senator in Nigeria earned N240million (about $1.7million) in salaries and allowances, while his United States counterparts earned $174,000 and his United Kingdom counterparts earned about $100,000 annually.

    But Ndoma-Egab said the tales of jumbo pay is fable. “When I got to the Senate in 2003, my salary in the first three months was N25, 000.

    “I can tell you here and now that the highest paid senator in Nigeria earns not more than N900, 000!

    “In the figure released recently, I am supposed to earn the same salary as a Supreme Court Justice and a minister, but their salaries are not called ‘Jumbo pay’,” he said.

     

  • Suntai has resumed, says divided Taraba Assembly

    Governor of Taraba State, Danbaba Suntai has resumed work. His deputy, Alhaji Garba Umar is no longer acting but deputy governor, a section of the State House of Assembly said on Tuesday.
    Suntai returned into the country on Sunday after spending 10 months in Germany and United States, treating the injuries he sustained when a plane he piloted crashed near Yola, Adamawa State on October 25, last year.
    On Monday he transmitted a letter to the legislature, informing them of his readiness to begin work.
    The House Majority Leader, Hon. Joseph Albasu who briefed reporters at the state Assembly Complex, Jalingo, Tuesday  said the House received the governor’s letter and gave him the go ahead to take charge, having fulfilled the provision of the Nigerian Constitution.
    Albasu is representing Lau constituency in the Assembly. The Speaker, Haruna Tsokwa was not present but Albasu said he was speaking on behalf  of every member. With him at the briefing were: Hon. Charles Maijankai (Karim-Lamido constituency), Ishaya Gani (Wukari) and another member representing.
    The Taraba Assembly also said Suntai was physically and mentally fit to govern.
    But a section of the House is alleging that the signature appended on the governor’s letter is not Suntai’s.
    The members, believed to be pro-Umar also said they were stopped from seeing Suntai, “an indication that he is not fit”.
    But Albasu refuted the allegation, citing mischief.
    “We saw Governor Suntai in New York and now that he has returned, and judging from the conversation we had with him, the governor is sound to resume work”, Albasu said.
    Showing the letter to journalists, the Majority Leader said the House has verified that the signature is Suntai’s. Whoever that is denying is only bringing confusion.
    “The governor could have thump printed the letter, if he wished, provided forensic test shows he is the one.”
    The Majority Leader said: “Pharm. Danbaba Suntai who is the Executive Governor of Taraba State has transmitted a letter to this very House indicating his intention to resume work and take over the functions of the state as the executive governor.
    “The letter was caused and addressed to the Taraba State House of Assembly, and I, as the Majority Leader being the Chairman of the business of this Assembly received the letter.
    “The Clerk of the House acknowledged the letter and handed over to the Speaker of the Taraba State House of Assembly Hon. Haruna Tsokwa.
    “Governor Suntai has complied with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, in Section 190(2)”.
    The other group wants Suntai to appear before the House.
    But the House majority leader yesterday maintained that the Constitution does not compel a governor to appear before the house on the matter in contention.
    “The governor can even transmit a letter in soft copy via e-mail to the House. But Suntai went a step further to transmit a letter to us in hard copy, so what are those mischief makers talking about?
    He said it is even against the Constitution for the House to hold plenary on the matter.
    “This issue is not a debative matter anywhere in the worid. Governor Suntai has done exactly what the Constitution requires him to do”, he said.