The Nation Newspaper

Author: The Nation

  • Jail time; okada; police; fire; Olympics?

    We are borrowing billions to replace the billions stolen by a cohort of political and other so-called leaders who should all be deeply in jail by now.

    If one governor can take N7,680,000,000 from his people’s funds without a word of apology or remorse, what have the other governors and co-conspirators done? We blame an abusive federalism as the cause of our problems and it has contributed to our woes.

    However consider what that N7.6b, over N16b today, could have done against poverty and for job creation, scholarships, training, education, roads and agriculture in one state of 3.5million [N2000+/soul] or in your state. Check your governors. Does the time fit the crime?

    How do judges calculate the jail time for serious crimes like massive unimaginable fraud and mind-numbing theft? It seems that judges seem to under-calculate the jail time for serious fraud and theft?

    Is this because they are bound by outdated laws which were written when no-one, not even greedy politicians, ever imagined anyone being so sick as to steal N1billion, let alone N7b from suffering citizens desperate for your leadership? We in medicine know that fraud and theft cause death and disability.

    What is a just sentence, fair for the guilty and the deprived citizen? The idea that stealing money is ‘not really a crime’ because ‘no harm is done, no blood is shed, there are no dead bodies’ is a lie told first by thieving bankers and retold by serially thieving politicians.

    There is harm, bloodshed and dead bodies. If a person can face a sentence of life, and it was nearly a death sentence, in prison for ‘hate speech’ and 21 years for exam cheating, why can we not equate cash with equitable criminality and prison time?

    Remember that the same justice system puts thieves away for seven years for stealing a goat. If a person steals N100,000 should they go to prison for seven years or a week or a month or a year? If one steals N1million, N10million, N100m, N500,000,000 or N1,000,000,000 or 7,680,000,000 or N7.6billion, what are the appropriate jail times? Surely anything over N100,000,000 should attract a lifetime in jail – 30 years.

    Nigerian thieves appear to be the best and greatest. Justly, therefore, they deserve and should be given the very best and longest jail times because they steal so much, depriving so many of a successful life and sometimes depriving them of their lives.

    Judges should not be shy. Please give them the best and longest sentences. The thieves do not steal concurrently, they steal serially.

    Therefore, their crimes should be added together, one after the other.  There are many more governors and LGA chairmen needing jail time.

    Who gave motorcycles aka Okada, the authority to displace four-wheel vehicles on the roads? Who allowed okada to drive like cars in the middle of the lane instead of on the right side?

    Who empowered okada riders to be so foul-mouthed, to live so dangerously, to drive so fast, to ignore the safety of their passenger and themselves and to swarm like stinging wasps? The okada epidemic is a daily danger to everyone and not just the passengers and cars.

    Read Also: ‘2020 budget to tame corruption’

     

    One is always fearful seeing women and children, some babies, being driven at 40-80km per hour. The okada rider’s aggression, rudeness and speed must be combated. Already the death and destruction caused by okada have become the norm.

    Have you tried using a crossroad or a roundabout, especially if there is no police presence or a traffic warden in Ibadan or many towns and cities?

    There used to be ‘offside rule’ which merely says, ‘do not enter unless you can exit’ and prevents roundabouts and level crossings getting blocks. Unfortunately, from morning to night, drivers abandon their good manners, common sense, respect for others on the road and the Highway Code.

    They go mad, preferring to block the road with a mental plan of ‘if I cannot go then no one goes’. They do this rather than obey the first laws of the civilized road ‘after you’ and the answer to merging lanes ‘one each from each lane one after the other‘.

    Hurray: French court jails sex traffickers, mostly Nigerian, for forcing Nigerians into prostitution. At last they arrest the organisers and pimps not the girls. Nigerian police take note!

    Why do kidnappers and robbers maliciously kill policemen and drivers doing their job? More than six this last week. No compensation can be enough for the families of these ‘Killed in The Line Of Duty’.

    Another day another fire! Market fires are 80% of fires in Nigeria. This time at Owode Onirin market Ikorodu Lagos State where there as a fire last month.

    And we say we have no jobs for our town planners. We all know our fire services nationwide are often underfunded, have poor quality employment requirements and are treated as third rate or of no consequence by state political officials.

    In the UK and USA, the Fire Chief stands next to the governor during press briefings on fire disasters and can speak authoritatively. No so in Nigeria. Fire prevention must be our goal, not fire quenching.

    Olympics 2020. Let Nigeria know that it is almost too late to begin to plan. The USA, UK etc have been planning, practicing and preparing for over 20 years for the 2020 and 2024 and 2028 Olympics etc. Whither Nigerian sport?

  • Lagos and the prospect of a waste free future

    By Muyiwa Gbadegesin

     

    Just recently, the Lagos State government introduced the Blue Box initiative – a waste collection programme designed to help residents sort recyclable waste from the source, that is, at the point where an item or material is considered waste.

    This eliminates the landfill process for recyclables, and we see this as a long term step by step and collaborative approach, to engage with the everyday Lagosian in our journey to a sustainable waste free environment.

    Waste management is generally an inclusive practice which requires active participation and cooperation from individuals and the government, both driving a two-way agenda to ensure a cleaner Lagos.

    It is important for people to understand the consequences of uncontrolled waste, as it could be very costly to both the society and the economy with significant health and environmental impacts linked to air, soil and water contamination.

    The global waste management outlook report by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) identifies waste as a global issue which concerns everyone and also studies how society consumes and produces waste especially in the urban areas.

    Here, effective waste management is seen as a basic human need, sitting alongside the provision of potable water, shelter, food, energy, transport and other social amenities.

    This lays emphasis on how important the effective management of waste can greatly impact productivity and economic prosperity both from global and local levels.

    According to research, Nigeria is one of the largest waste producers in Africa, with an annual waste generation of more than 32 million tonnes.

    For Lagos State which is highly industrialized and one of the fastest growing cities in Nigeria and Africa with about 22million people, we generate about 10,000 metric tonnes of waste daily, which makes an average of 3.65million tonnes per year.

    This means that more than any other state in Nigeria, the Lagos State Waste Management Agency (LAWMA) has a responsibility to ensure that waste is managed appropriately, especially starting from the household and family levels.

    Read Also: How Nigeria can make money from waste

     

    Till date, we have increased private sector participation (PSP) by 32%, expanding access in the waste collection and transportation systems across Lagos state.

    Looking at the direct impact of improper waste management, this can be linked to two major aspects – public health and environmental pollution.

    Accumulated waste encourages organisms to breed, causing infectious and bacterial diseases especially for children. It also affects drinking water and can cause a widespread cholera outbreak, popular in some of the rural areas within Lagos.

    For the environment, this poses a serious threat to surface and groundwater, investors and tourist activities.

    Effective waste management collection, transportation and disposal processes, with the help of LAWMA and the PSPs, have become a very simplified procedure. First and most importantly, residents are encouraged to reduce activities associated with waste production, so that we can see a significant decrease in the amount of waste generated daily. Then it is also necessary for accumulated waste to be properly sealed and disposed in the waste storage materials provided by our agency across Lagos. Once this is done, the collection and transportation by the PSPs to the local landfills becomes a very straightforward and effective process and the cycle continues.

    While we continue to work to ensure our environment is clean and healthy, we must emphasize the need for an urgent shift in attitudes towards waste disposal by residents across Lagos State.

    Indiscriminate refuse disposal practices have proven to cause severe problems in our efforts to sustaining a waste free society. In managing this, we have involved in several educational waste management programs like the Community Advocacy and CDA/CDC Interaction, to create awareness on how we all have a role to play in keeping the environment healthy.

    The state of our environment is an integral part of the quality of life we receive as humans. A cleaner environment inherently contributes to better livelihood for us, our children and many generations to come.

    As an organization, our mandate is to ensure a more secure, clean and prosperous state. Our vision is to build a smart city which was a strong objective in the development of this initiative with components such as Residential Waste Collection and Processing, Commercial/ Industrial Waste Collection, Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Drainage Maintenance, Provision of Engineered/ hazardous Sanitary Landfill and Manual/ Mechanized Street Sweeping.

    Through this initiative, LAWMA have successfully introduced 62 compactors, more than 380 waste bins, with over 600 community sanitation workers. Some of our results so far have been significant.

    In our journey to building the future of a sustainable waste free environment for all, we have prioritized recycling, positioning it at the top of the agenda.

    We are challenged as a government to invest in solid waste recycling, exporting biodegradable waste which can be processed to high quality agricultural manure and other raw materials for several industries.

    Plastic wastes have also proven to generate wealth through recycling in the production of home and other domestic reusable items.

    Recycling also creates jobs and in a broader sense, it is a significant contributor to our economy through the foreign exchange earnings associated with exporting waste. Small, medium to large scale companies are gradually exploring new ways on how to generate wealth from waste which buttresses our efforts at LAWMA in ensuring that waste collection can be simplified with initiatives such as the Blue Box, to help people sort waste for recycling.

    Socio-economically, the state of our health and well-being affects the level of productivity which can either be positive or negative. A healthy nation is a wealthy nation, and we can only come together to build a sustainable and healthy environment if we collaborate to effectively manage the disposal, collection, transportation and recycling of our waste.

    We must ensure a cleaner Lagos with how we manage waste and we must begin to see the future of a waste-free Lagos, driving us to the future of a smart city. A cleaner Lagos is a better Lagos, and we remain optimistic about sustaining our environment, driving foreign direct investment and maintaining our position as one of the largest commercial hubs in Africa and the world.

    With natural disasters occurring across the world, partly as a result of environmental abuse, it should be considered a wise option for everyone to have a rethink about our attitude to the environment. It is whatever we give to the environment that it gives back to us. It is that simple!

     

    • Dr. Gbadegesin is Chief Executive Officer, LAWMA

  • On Buhari’s request for foreign loans

    Carl Umegboro

    SIR: PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari sought for legislative approval for external loans during the 8th Senate but was turned down. The US$29.96billion loan was to fund critical infrastructure in the country.

    The senate bawled that loans cannot be an option at all. Superficially, the senate was right in part on account of daily mega inflows to the economy. Inarguably, the country is sufficiently rich to be self-reliant for most capital projects, all things being equal.

    On the other hand, the senate stumbled knowing that the major drain pipe in the country is the senate and its counterpart, House of Representatives. The funds allocated to these two chambers are sufficient to fund robust infrastructures across the nation with ease.

    From record, Nigeria’s lawmakers are most highly paid in the world and with outrageous allowances. To review these anomalies and possibly scrap one of the chambers; either senate or lower chamber remain a way forward.

    It is imperative to distinguish between loans for recurrent expenditure or sustenance and that of infrastructure development. The former is an index of economic recession.

    On the other hand, most developed countries didn’t fund capital projects from money in the treasury but long-term infrastructure loans.

    To put the burden on funds in the treasury can slow down developments and negatively affect other operations.

    Most Nigerians don’t pay tax due to high level of corruption among the ruling class. For example, it was revealed by the Research Director of the Fiscal Policy Roundtable of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), Tayo Oyedele at the Nigeria Governors’ Forum Secretariat, Abuja recently that more than 81% of taxable adults and businesses in Nigeria do not pay their income tax. According to him, only 20 million out of nearly 200 million people do.

    Suffice to say that the ruling class must restore peoples’ confidence by good leadership.

    Read Also: Buhari’s $39.9bn loan request

     

    From the record, the 2016-2018 External Borrowing Plan targeted 39 projects spread across the country which includes the East-West Road; Mambilla Hydro Power Station; Standard gauge Ibadan-Kano Rail line; Calabar-PH-Aba-Makurdi-Bauchi-Maiduguri Rail Line; 2,500 KM Power Transmission Lines and Power Transformers across Nigeria; total overhauling of Ajaokuta Steel Company and Dualization of Lokoja-Okene-Auchi-Benin Road. Thus, the loan apart from being secured is tied to infrastructure unlike the previous loan regimen.

    President Buhari has presented the $29.96billion loan request to the 9th senate for approval.

    The lawmakers must be guided by objectivity and public interests rather than unnecessary show of power.

    The sensible action is to evaluate the capacity of the government vis-à-vis repayment by its protected revenue machinery in place and not fear of being labelled rubber-stamp legislature.

    Without the loan facility, the country will spend much time in planning without executions. Democracy is a time-frame system, therefore, if an administration must rely solely on available funds in the treasury, nothing substantial may be achieved in a four year an administration is billed to last.

    In other words, it is immaterial the volume of loans as long as there is a secure repayment mechanism and the objects are germane.

    Such arrangement will equally reduce corruption as inflows will be directed to repayment schedules. Interestingly, the constitution cloth the lawmakers with oversight functions which empowers them to supervise executive’s activities. Hence, there’s no cause for alarm.

    To decline loan request for infrastructural development simply for apprehension of misappropriation is unwise.

     

    • umegborocarl@gmail.com

  • Prosecute them

     

    Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State did the appropriate thing during his condolence visit to the family of a Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) official, Ganiyu Oyeshina, who died after he was attacked by two trailer drivers in the Sifax-Iganmu area of Apapa in Lagos.

    He not only condoled with them, he also vowed to bring the killers to book. That is what is expected of a leader in the circumstance.

    Oyeshina was stoned by the drivers around 5pm on November 29, when he and his team were in the area to clear the trucks obstructing free flow of traffic on the highway.

    An official of the agency said that “they were on normal enforcement in the area when they were attacked.

    Trucks are parked indiscriminately, causing serious traffic in that area. They had gone there to enforce the traffic law. They wanted to tow one of those trucks when the drivers and some hoodlums attacked them.”

    Since its establishment on July 15, 2000, LASTMA has lost some of its personnel to such attacks. On November 18, last year, a LASTMA official, Rotimi Adeyemo, was gunned down by a Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (FSARS) officer, Inspector Olakunle Olonade, at the Iyana-Ipaja area of Lagos, after the LASTMA official accused him of violating a traffic law. The police officer was said to have brought out a gun that he used to kill the traffic officer.

    An angry mob however descended on him and beat him to a pulp. He died while being rushed to the hospital. The then Commissioner of Police, Edgal Imohimi, however did the needful by ordering Olonade’s posthumous trial and dismissal from the force for his action.

    Similarly, in December 2016, a LASTMA commander, Mr Bakare Olatunji, was beaten to death by a mob at the same Apapa area. Olatunji had led a team to Liverpool on traffic law enforcement when the sad incident, triggered by the alleged killing of an assistant driver (motor boy) by a LASTMA van occurred.

    Governor Sanwo-Olu not only lamented Oyeshina’s death, he also spoke of the injuries sustained by some LASTMA officials in the course of duty. “In the last 48 hours, we have had heavy brutality on men of LASTMA who were doing their work.

    We have had people whose legs were amputated in the last 48 hours while on the assignment that was given to them to bring about enforcement of our laws and order.

    Read Also: Court remands two over alleged murder of LASTMA official

     

    “I think this is the level at which we need to make this very stern warning that we will not stop at ensuring that we implement and enforce our laws, not minding which force is involved”, he said,

    The truth of the matter is that traffic laws are being obeyed more in the breach on the streets of Lagos, especially by commercial motorcyclists, commercial bus drivers, drivers of articulated vehicles and even some private car owners that one should naturally think would always act on the side of sanity.

    It would appear they all took a cue from the body language of the immediate past administration in the state under which traffic laws were flagrantly disobeyed.

    That government literally destroyed virtually every achievement that the preceding administrations made concerning returning sanity to Lagos roads on the altar of politics.

    We appreciate the governor’s concern on these sad incidents and urge him to walk the talk. The killers must not go scot-free; they must be made to face the law so that other miscreants who kill at the slightest provocation can begin to value human life.

    Criminals should not get away with the impression that they can do and undo without having their comeuppance. Serving officials are demoralised when government stands aloof when their colleagues are killed in the line of duty as in the cases under reference.

    But their morale is boosted when the government which sent them stands by them in times of trouble.

    Lagos State cannot be investing huge resources on these officials only to have their lives terminated by miscreants who constitute nothing but a nuisance to the public. The time to end such impunity is now.

     

  • Celebrating 80 years of touching lives

    Crescent Bearers has celebrated its 80th anniversary of continuous commitment to fostering quality education among Muslims and providing charity to indigent Nigerians. The organisation established by 16 young men in 1939 out of passion for humanity, over the weekend held an anniversary lecture tagged “Education as a Resource for Growth and Development of a Nation: The Nigerian Case” at Yoruba Tennis Club, Onikan Lagos. CHINAKA OKORO reports.

    For solid eight decades, a group of 16 individuals have been touching lives of the downtrodden. They belong to the Crescent Bearers.

    At  their anniversary lecture, speakers harped on the importance of education.

    In attendance were the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu and  House of Representatives Speaker  Femi Gbajabiamila, Chairman, Caverton Offshore Support Group, Dr. Aderemi Makanjuola, eminent lawyer and a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Alhaji Femi Okunnu, Mr. Kemi Pinheiro (SAN), among other dignitaries.

    On how the organisation evolved, the Chairman, Crescent Bearers, Bearer, Wahab Dabiri, noted that it was an idea formed by 16 Bearers in 1939 out of love for humanity.

    “Crescent Bearers are made up of people who are in their 90’s and those in their 40’s who have come together to make promotion of education and morals among Muslims a priority and also charity support to indigent citizens.

    “It was founded 80 years ago by a group of 16 young men as at that time, who get together once in a month and decided to enjoy one another’s company.

    “But, while they were doing this, they felt that it was not good enough just to eat and drink and be merry. They thought it wise that since they were part of a society, a community they must support that community. Hence, as they were enjoying themselves, they were putting some money down to support two key courses.

    “First is tertiary education among Muslims on the Lagos Island and also to charity; to help the less privileged people. So, this began the gospel, and we are 80 years along the line and we are still waxing strong.

    “That was how we started the Association of Muslims Lagos Island. But we have moved away from just supporting only people on the Island. Scholarships that we give to any Muslim are not based on course of study or ethnicity. Although it still tilts more a bit towards Muslims from Lagos Island.

    “Just about a year ago, we decided to do more than those two issues that we talked about. We decided to go a little bit higher and we are building a mosque not for ourselves, but for the communities along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. We should complete the project by middle of next year,” he said.

    Speaking on the topic “Education as a Resource for Growth and Development of a Nation: The Nigerian Case” Bearer Wahab said: “Education as we have it today is not what it is going to be anymore. There is no way we can attract foreign investment into our country if our people are not fit for the purpose.

    “If they are still using black boards and typewriters to study and not using laptops and iPads, then we are in trouble.”

    The Chairman for the occasion and former Vice-Chancellor, University of Lagos, Prof. Rahman Bello, congratulated the organisation on its strides towards improving the lives of indigent citizens and the educational system for the past 80 years.

    He said: “To be 80 means a lot, let alone an association that has continued to improve the educational system among Muslims for that long. My prayer is that you continue to exist in perpetuity and the objectives be retained and be expanded upon all humanity.

    “Education is necessarily the bedrock for national development, and for Nigeria, it can’t be any different. We haven’t gotten it right yet, but we must get it right if we want to remain a great nation and God’s given nation.

    “As the focus on petroleum goes off as it would soon in the next decade, the human knowledge economy would be what Nigeria would need to be able to keep up and maintain itself. Our population is growing at an astronomical rate and the only way we can really take care of ourselves is to fully be educated, be able to apply technology for ourselves, be able to assist ourselves and create things here in Nigeria to support the nation and be able to export them to other countries.

    Read Also: Investments in education, infrastructure, others will be our priority — AbdulRazaq

    “I know we are currently exporting, but it’s not in an astronomical rate. By that time, we would be able to develop appropriately and do things ourselves and develop everything that we need in-house so that we can export to the world and contribute to the world economy. That is the only way we can move forward, and it can only happen through education.”

    Guest lecturer, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu began by congratulating the organisation for the milestone achieved over eight decades of its existence. He also noted that there is no happy or progressive society without a viable educational system and no nation can be greater than the quality of its educational institutions.

    “Let me start my congratulating the leadership and members of Crescent Bearers Association. Eighty years in the life of any organisation is a critical milestone. Your efforts to use education to address the relative disadvantage of members of the society are certainly a model of what a community can do to make the society better.

    “Education is the key to any nation’s growth and development. It is true that the population of any country is its greatest asset, but that asset can become a liability unless it is nurtured through education.

    “In other words, population forms the soil of a nation, education enriches that soil. If you want to understand the current situation of any country, go no further but look at the state of its educational institution. To know the state of any nation just visit its educational institution.

    “There is no happy or progressive society without a viable educational system. No nation can be greater than the quality of its educational institutions. This is because it is where you produce the future leaders; from engineers to bankers, to architects, to administrators and so on.

    “When we talk about education in this country, we should cast our net wide and go beyond literacy and numeracy, to provide some sound moral content, without which the mere ability to read and write alone would be inadequate. Education must have a meaning beyond passing literacy or passing numeracy to serve as means of positively changing the society.”

    The INEC boss also noted that character and learning must be combined for education to have real meaning and for products of the education system to serve as agents of social transformation.

    He insisted that nations must provide quality and relevant education and not just a motion of going through the four walls of our class room,

    “After all, the richest people in the world are no longer in the oil and gas and mining; they are into the knowledge economy of the 21st Century. The 25 richest people in the world in 2019 are largely in the IT economy of the 21st Century.”

    Speaker of House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila said the combination of education and Islamic religion “if we can get it right, which people hardly do, opens doors to every souls to have ease of life.

    “Education and Islam can never be divorced but we have to get it right. In this modern day’s economy that we are all facing, education is what we need to live up to the 21st Century. I think it is important that we all join hands together. I have seen and read statistics about founding of Muslim schools, enrolment of Muslim students and will I sit quietly back and watch its decline?

    “We have eminent Muslims in this country. But beyond eminence, I think it’s time that we put those human resources together to give our children a better education that would put and see them in good shape, going into the future.”

  • Formal sector employers breach pension law (2)

    In the concluding part of his series, OMOBOLA TOLU-KUSIMO writes that the continued success of the pension industry will largely be hinged on the ability of employers to honour their obligations as and when due.

    Speaking on “The Pension Industry – The Way Forward” the pioneer Director-General of the National Pension Commission (PenCom), Muhammad Ahmad said it is important to note that even though we are not where we should be, we are also not where we need to be as industry.

    Ahmad, who is currently the Chairman of Polaris Bank, is pleased that within the seven years since he left the commission, the pension fund assets have increased from N4.7 to N9.8 trillion as at October this year.

    He said the questions to ask therefore are what should stakeholders in the industry do to ensure that, as a minimum, pension fund assets double at least every five years and what are the potential roadblocks that will hinder the growth trajectory of the industry as an enabler of economic development and a safety net for many who would not have had any form of “fall back” in their retirement years?

    He stated that the first issue is for the Federal Government to prioritise the payment of accrued rights of retirees.

    He noted that although the government had been religiously paying the monthly pension contributions based on the old rates, it has not been able to meet up with the adequate and regular payment of accrued pension rights.

    He observed that this is causing untold hardship and pain to many who have been waiting for years for their RSA to be funded appropriately.

    This is non-negotiable and we should constantly bring this up at every opportunity until these accrued rights are funded by the government.

    He revealed that although PenCom has been statutorily empowered by the PRA 2014 to direct the Accountant-General of the Federation to deduct at source unpaid accrued pension rights, that power had never been exercised because of political constraints.

    He said: “The continued success of the pension industry will largely be hinged on the ability of employers to honour their obligations as and when due. In the recent past, the members of the National Assembly had assisted in getting the government to accelerate the payment of the arrears of accrued pension rights.

    “It would appear another tier of unpaid obligations have been built and the industry would once again require the collective efforts of all stakeholders for the timely payment of the accrued rights. It should be reiterated that the hallmark of the pension reform is the establishment of a fully funded scheme that guarantees the payment of retirement benefits as and when due.”

    Related to this, Ahmad said, is the need for state governments to be compliant with the provisions of the PRA 2014 and also fund their pension liabilities.

    Read Also: Formal sector employers breach pension law (1)

     

    The non-compliance by a number of states, he said, negates the intent of the Act and the spirit of the pension reforms. Since the governments at all levels employ the greatest number of Nigerians, the funding of accrued rights and the compliance to the Act by state governments will go a long way in ensuring that more Nigerians benefit from the pension reforms.

    He further revealed that he is aware that a bill is being sponsored to compel state governments to comply and to criminalise non-payment of pension liabilities.

    He urged legislators as the representatives of the people of Nigeria to get behind the piece of legislation.

    He said aside from issues of non-payment of pension liabilities, it is important to note that in some cases, deductions are actually made from employee’s salary account and payments are indeed done, but the employers are using the old rate of 15 per cent under the 2004 Act as opposed to the new rate of 18 per cent as stipulated under the 2014 Act as amended.

    “Essentially, we need to ensure compliance-both in respect of payments, for those who do not pay at all and for the correct percentage to be paid by those who still use the previous rate. In addition, we need to stipulate consequences for non-compliance and look for ways to incentivise those that have complied.

    Again, this is where you, Senators and Representatives, would play a significant role in ensuring that effective legislations are made to address the identified challenges.

    “Speaking about incentives, we need to remove any form of encumbrance to the employer and contributors (whether mandatory or voluntary) from making their contributions in the scheme”, he added.

    He further appealed to operators, legislators and regulators to regard their roles as a call to serve.

    “Calls to serve those Nigerians that have no voice – those Nigerians that have worked diligently hoping to retire to a decent life. Do not take this call lightly. If we get this right, posterity will judge us fairly and we all can retire in peace knowing that we have created a system for millions of Nigerians to also retire in peace”, he said.

    PenCom, on its part, believes the lack of political will by state governors has remained a huge challenge to the scheme.

    The commission revealed that out of the 36 states, 25 have enacted the CPS while nine states and the FCT have commenced implementation, remitting both employer and employee pension contributions.

    While speaking at the 2019 Journalists workshop entitled “Expanding Coverage of the Pension Industry” held in Benin, the Head, States Operation Department, Mr. Babatunde Philips said the need for states to adopt the CPS cannot be overemphasised as it presents opportunities for state governments to access available pension fund to deepen infrastructural development in states.

    He observed that delay in adoption of the scheme by some states is due to poor understanding by other state officials and labour unions.

    He said: “The CPS stands as a legacy against old age poverty as well as enhances the integrity of state governments’ payroll. The right of states to enact their own pension laws had been a clog in the wheel of progress as some states delay in enacting their laws. The lack of political will by some state governors had also hindered the implementation as the decision more or less depends on the states’ governors.

    “Steps towards ensuring full implementation of the CPS in states include enactment of the state pension law, establishment of state pension bureau, commencement of actuarial valuation to determine accrued rights of employees and opening of RSA for all eligible employees, among others.”

  • NHRC: We must protect old people’s rights

    By John Austin Unachukwu

    The Executive Secretary of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Dr. Tony Ojukwu, has stated that  all stakeholders should consider the social security, social protection and human rights of older persons in the society.

    Speaking in Abuja at the African regional high-level conference on Human Rights Situation of Older Persons in Africa, Ojukwu said older people in the society should not be discriminated against.

    Read Also: Human Rights Commission proposes law for elderly

     

    “The promotion and protection of the human rights of older persons should be a major concern for public authorities as older persons are full members of the society and their contribution remains important for national development.

    “These discussions and agitations for the human rights of older persons should be considered amid calls for inclusion and ensuring that no one is left behind in the scheme of things in achieving the aspirations of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)”, he said.

  • Body urges new SANs on professional intergrity

    By Robert Egbe

    The Body of Senior Advocates  of Nigeria (BOSAN) has tasked the 38 newly elevated Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) to live up to the ideals of the Silk rank.

    It urged the new Silks to maintain the highest standards of professional ethics, conducts, etiquette and discipline, and maintain the dignity of the rank.

    The body gave the challenge during the annual BOSAN dinner which held recently in Lagos.

    Besides welcoming the new SANs, the event also featured the presentation of BOSAN scholarship to five outstanding law undergraduates in the country.

    A former Nigerian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom (UK), Dr Christopher Kolade, who was the keynote speaker, said Nigeria needed to build a philosophy that boosts corporate morale rather than one that destroys self-confidence.

    Kolade was quoted recalling that in 2002 “at the height of the noise identifying Nigeria mainly with advance fee fraud,” the Nigerian High Commission in the UK chose to promote a change in the narrative by seeking out and celebrating Nigerians who were performing impressively.

    He said efforts must be made to make Nigeria a haven for the rule of law.

    Attendees at the dinner included the President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Mr Paul Usoro (SAN); Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr Abubakar Malami (SAN); Chairman of the Council of Legal Education, Chief Emeka Ngige (SAN); Court of Appeal Justices Garba Lawal and Justice Abdul Aboki; Justice Adenike Coker of the Lagos High Court; Lagos State Solicitor-General, Ms. Titilayo Shitta-Bey and the first female SAN, Chief ‘Folake Solanke, among others.

    Solanke, who chaired the occasion, urged BOSAN to “pursue nationalism as a higher calling, for the cause of the well-being of humanity.”

    Chairman of Continuing Legal Education for the BOSAN, Prof. Fabian Ajogwu, SAN, highlighted the aims and core values of BOSAN as: “Promoting professional responsibility amongst members and maintaining and defending the professional integrity of the members of the Body; Promoting the independence of the judiciary, the rule of law, the highest professional standards of legal practice, legal education and the advancement of advocacy and jurisprudence.”

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    Ajogwu highlighted the importance of maintaining the highest standards of professional ethics, conducts, etiquette and discipline; and ensuring and maintaining the dignity of the rank of Senior Advocates of Nigeria.

    The formal presentation of the 38 newly elevated SANs was conducted by Ajogwu, assisted by Mr. Lanre Onadekan, SAN.

    Ajogwu noted that of the 120,000 lawyers in Nigeria, only 548 (approximately 0.46 percent) have been elevated to the position of SAN.

    He implored all present to be aware that “the burden of leadership lies heavy on the Senior Advocates of Nigeria,” adding that to whom much is given, much more is truly expected.

    Chairman of the BOSAN’s Scholarship Committee Mr. Dele Adesina, SAN, presented the Scholarship Awards, a scholarship recognising exceptional academic excellence through cumulative grade tests, to the BOSAN Scholars for the year 2019.

    The BOSAN Academics are Buloka Fatima Alada of the University of Ibadan, Comfort Nguher of the University of Jos, Chioma E. Echebiri of Babcock University, Unyime Anieti Akpan of Afe Babalola University, and Olajumoke Janet Sorungbe of the University of Lagos.

    BOSAN Secretary, Chief Seyi Sowemimo, SAN, and Chief Felix Fagbohungbe, SAN, commended the efforts of the members and committee heads of BOSAN.

  • NOUN Law graduates reject Bar Part One offer

    By John Austin Unachukwu

    Law graduates of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) have  petitioned President Muhammadu Buhari over an offer by the Council of Legal Education which they described as unfair resolutions with discrimination, inequality and above all, unknown to any law in the country.

    This was contained in the communiqué to Buhari on Friday by the Law Graduates Forum (LGF) of NOUN, which was signed by Carl Umegboro and Ado Usman Garba, the group’s chairman and secretary.

    The CLE chairman, Chief Emeka Ngige (SAN), during the National Executive Committee meeting of the Nigerian Bar Association in Abuja on Thursday, stated that the Director-General, Nigerian Law School, Prof. Isa Hayatu Ciroma (SAN), suggested that NOUN Law graduates would be admitted into Bar Part-1 instead of Bar Part-2 which they qualified for as home students. He added that even the Bar Part-1 would be different from the three-month curriculum foreign students go through for as theirs would be for one year before they qualify for Bar Part 2.

    The group rejected the offer, stating that it was not made in good faith. the offer, according to them, would do more harm than good to them, noting that apart from making them inferior to their counterparts, it would discriminate against them and easily pave way for malice, intimidations and frustration while in the law school since they will be an isolated group.

    Umegboro said they would not shy away from reviewed curriculum so long it would be for all students, if the Council is of the view that reviews are necessary. He added that NOUN Law graduates once defeated their counterparts in a contest with a good margin, but to run a curriculum different from what others undergo is injustice and unacceptable.

    The statement reads: “We received a pleasant news on the resolution of NOUN/Law School crisis on Thursday only to read through and discovered an obnoxious clause in the statement issued by the Council of Legal Education after its meeting. The clause echoed double standard, and therefore not in good faith – ‘They will have to run the BAR PART 1 for one (1) full academic calendar year as in place of 3 months which foreign students use for the BAR PART 1’.

    “Your Excellency, Sir, the above is not only strange and prejudicial but discriminatory which Your Excellency’s assent remedied through the NOUN (Amendment) Act on 7 December, 2018. The ugly implications of the clause is that there would be three category of law students vis-à-vis admission in the Nigerian Law School, to wit: (1) Law students from ‘qualified’ universities in Nigeria; Bar Part 2 (For all categories); (2) Law students from foreign universities:  Bar Part 1 (3 months) + Bar Part 2; and strangely, (3) Law students from NOUN: Bar Part 1 (1 Full year) + Bar Part 2.”

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    “Your Excellency, Sir, it is indeed heartbreaking the manner of discriminations despite presidential assent which reconciled the alleged controversy in the NOUN Act coupled with unbearable provocations we have been subjected to by authorities since 2013 but calmed down for amicable resolution”.

    “Sir, Section 42 of the 1999 Constitution, Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) provides for Right to Freedom of Discrimination. Please, are we not also protected by the right? We make bold to state that we cannot run a separate strange curriculum outside the existing two; either as home or foreign students”.

    “Clearly, the clause amounts to discrimination, inequality and intimidations and we reject it in entirety. We studied in NOUN as NUC accredited home institution like others and therefore there’s no basis to be treated differently from other universities in the country. We believe the clause was to ignite disagreements to further prolong the crisis”.

    “However, if for any reason, Bar Part-1 must become an option, it cannot be different from the existing Bar Part-1 for foreign students which runs for three months. The strange 1-year duration exclusively for NOUN law graduates which will separate us from other students is unacceptable as malice and other plots may play out”.

    “Sir, we wish to categorically reiterate our position that we will not sit and allow fresh graduates admitted into the Nigerian Law School for vocational training again while we continue to roam the streets as we have been subjected to unbearable hardships and adversities for no just cause for years”.

    It was also added that when admitted into the strange Bar Part-1, those who fail cannot be allowed to rewrite unlike other students from other universities.

    The LGF appealed to President Buhari to use his good office to resolve the crisis without further delay adding that it is shocking that till date, the stakeholders meeting as directed by the Presidency has not been held which it said, is to say the least, strange in administration. The petition was copied to the Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu.

     

  • Lagos AG orders release of 11 minors in correctional centres

    By Adebisi Onanuga

    Lagos State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice Moyosore Onigbanjo has ordered the release of 11 minors in Nigeria Correctional Services (NCS) centres in the state.

    Their release followed a tip-off from concerned members of the public that some correctional centres were having  minors in their custody contrary to the provision of Section 207 of the Lagos State Child Rights Law of 2015.

    Onigbanjo ordered an investigation into the matter.

    “The result of the investigation confirmed a total number of 11 minors in custody in various Correctional Centres in the state.

    “With this discovery, the Attorney General further directed that the minors be released immediately from custody to the Department of Youth and Social Development for placement in appropriate facilities.

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    “As a result of this directive, one of the minors,16years old, was immediately released from the Correctional Centre, Ikoyi, “While sequel to section 211 of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, as amended, and section 71(1) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law of Lagos State 2015, the Attorney General on behalf of the other ten minors, filed a Nolle Prosequi dated November 29, 2019, seeking to discontinue cases filed against them”

    The statement said this was done to ensure their  release from the Correctional Centres to trained officials of the State who are equipped to handle minors in conflict with the law with  the aim of eventual release to their parents or guardians.

    The Attorney General has also cautioned against continued incarceration of minors in Lagos State