Author: The Nation

By Rasaq Ibrahim, Ado-Ekiti

An Ado-Ekiti High Court has reinstated six lawmakers suspended by the 5th Assembly and also ordered payment of their salaries and other emoluments.

The suspended lawmakers include Tunji Akinyele ( Oye II) Ekundayo Akinleye (Ijero), Olusanya Aladeyelu (Irepodun- Ifelodun II), Olawale Onigiobi ( Ekiti South West 1), Ayodele Fajemilehin ( Gbonyin) and Dr Samuel Omotoso (Oye 1).

In its ruling at the weekend Justice Abiodun Adewodun declared the suspension null and void, describing the decision of the State Assembly to suspend and also stop the salaries and emoluments of the lawmakers as egregious, indecorous, unbecoming and clearly out of order.

The court declared that the Assembly erred in law when a factional meeting of October 11, 2018, suspended some honourable members and described it as anomalous, defective, unseemly, out of place, wicked and outright abuse of power.

The Court also faulted the purported impeachment of Speaker Kolawole Oluwawole and the Deputy Mr Adesina Animasaun, thereby declaring the purported speakership of Hon Adeniran Ebenezer Alagbada and his team of principal officers as unknown to law and therefore non existent in the history of Ekiti State.

The 5th Assembly had on October 11, 2018 suspended the two impeached principal officers along 10 others loyal to Fayose for 125 legislative days.

Their removal and suspension were spearheaded by some All Progressives Congress lawmakers in the Assembly, alongside some aggrieved Peoples Democratic Party members barely five days to the end of the tenure of the immediate past Governor Ayodele Fayose.

Reacting to the judgment, the legal counsel to the six lawmakers Barr Obafemi Adewale said that the judgment was not only about Ekiti State House of Assembly but the 36 States House of Assemblies.

“The judgment is for the House of Assembly as an institution abiding by its own rule. That is the principle that is also applicable to all the Legislature in Nigeria. The Judge relied on the case of Ovie Omo-Agege. It is about the rule of law. It is about checking impunity. When the judge held that somebody that was made Speaker was never a Speaker in the eye of the law, then it says something about the future of those who occupy such position.

“We started with 12 of them but some of them crawled back to go and beg but they can now see the virtue of having confidence in the law.”

Also reacting to the judgment on behalf of other lawmakers, Dr Samuel Omotoso said it was victory for the rule of law.

He expressed his believe that Dr Kayode Fayemi being a custodian and a product of the rule of law would abide and respect the court judgement and pay the outstanding salaries and allowances as ordered by the court without further delay.

He said that the emoluments of all honourable members are statutorily recognised under the rule of law since the position of an elected Lawmaker is tenured under the 1999 Constitution as amended and thus cannot be wished away.

He also appreciated the judiciary for standing firm as truly the last hope of the masses.

The former Chairman of the House Committee on information also commended his five colleagues, describing them as men of integrity, courage and faithfulness whose unblemished names and records in reliability and loyalty to a worthy cause would go down in history of Ekiti State as a memorable reference.

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But one of the principal officers whose offices were declared a nullity, Mr Gboyega Aribisogan faulted the judgement, describing it as a murdered of justice.

He said the House of Assembly has filed an appeal to seek redress on the judgement, saying “all what Omotoso and his retinue of ignoramus are saying is just a figment of their imagination.

“They took the Assembly to court on their suspension. The court ruled that their suspension was illegal, I was also suspended for two years. If theirs was illegal, why would my own not be illegal too?

“If they had perpetrated such an illegal act, why are they justifying what the court has said? Does that mean they have also erred by even going ahead to suspend me in the first place?

”All those ones are just political and judicial gymnastics that will not have any impact on what is happening in the state House of Assembly. We have filed an appeal, we are expecting that the court process will continue,” he said

By Nwanosike Onu, Awka

Four Communities in Governor Willie Obiano’s Anambra East local government area have been submerged by flood with residents losing millions.

The communities are Mkpunando, Eziagulu Otu, Umundeze and Enugu otu

As a result, the Governor has met with members of the State Emergency Management Agency SEMA, the Nigerian Red Cross Society, the Navy among others to look for ways of getting it right in those flooded areas.

Some of the residents had raised the alarm that if nothing was done by the state government urgently, communities would be as good as forgotten.

One of the displaced persons, Mr Izuchukwu Nnoli, pleaded with Government to come to their aid as the flood had taken over their homes and farmlands.

According to him:“This 2019 flood is a terrible experience. I call on the state government to do something about the flooding because farming is our only source of livelihood,’’

However, the State Government, had pledged immediate attention to persons displaced as a result of 2019 flooding in the coastal areas across the state.
In his meeting with the agencies at his home town, Aguleri at the weekend, Obiano said his government would do everything within its capacity to ensure that health and food needed of the displaced persons were made available

He gave the directive to all relevant agencies to ensure that transportation facilities were in place for immediate evacuation of those trapped in flooded areas.

Obiano said: “All medical personnel will also be on ground to assist in avoiding diarrhea outbreak. Food and clean water will be available for all too”

Executive Director, SEMA, Mr Cyril Agupugo briefed the governor on the happenings in Enugu Otu, Eziagulu Otu, Mkpunando and Umundeze communities in Anambra East LGA.

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He said the current situation in the communities were scary as most of the houses were completely submerged.

“These areas are underwater with victims’ farmlands and household items worth millions of naira and they are calling for government’s immediate intervention,” he said.

The Transition Committee Chairman, Anambra East Council Area , Mr Obi Nweke urged the displaced persons not to panic and lose hope but to trust in God as help was underway.

“I believe things will be better in no distant time. Life is most important now as you can still re-acquire your lost property.

“When the flood becomes too much, we have no other option than to evacuate to safer places until water recedes then you can move back to your houses,” Nweke said.

While thanking the state government and SEMA, Nweke re-assured the displaced persons of immediate intervention by Government and in any little way he could also help.

By Oseheye Okwuofu, Ibadan.

The Registrar, Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN), Professor Segun Ajiboye, has said that it has successfully conducted the October Diet of the Professional Qualification Examination.

Ajiboye said that a total number of 69,123 persons registered for the October diet of the Professional Qualifying Examination.

The Examination was successfully conducted and concluded in 46 out of the 47 centres nationwide.

While the exam wa concluded at the LAUTECH centre in Oyo state, Professor Ajiboye stated that the exam failed to hold in UI DLC centre Ibadan due to the uncontrollable behaviour of the candidates.

He stated that the examination coordinators deployed to the state reported that all necessary arrangements were made for the candidates in two centres in Oyo State- UI DLC and LAUTECH Ogbomoso.

However the behaviour of the candidates at the Ibadan centre forced the coordinators to suspend it till further notice, he informed.

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According to him: “Reports from across the country indicate the exam went without hitches.

” In the Abuja Centre where the Permanent Secretary Federal Ministry of Education , Arc. Sunny Echono monitored the exam over 4000 candidates wrote the exam between
Friday October 11 and October 12th successfully.”

Ajiboye vowed to look into the happenings at the center with a view to remedying such in the future while candidates are assured of alternative date for the exam to be announced.

By Osagie Otabor, Bénin

A 12-year -old girl (names withheld), who was repeatedly raped by a popular Pastor, a native doctor and a neighbor, has given birth to a baby girl at the Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital (ISTH).

The three suspects have been arrested by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) and would be arraigned in court next week.

It was gathered that the pastor is 30, the herbalist 59 and the neighbour 30.

A source at NAPTIP said all of them confessed to repeatedly have carnal knowledge of the girl.

Sources at the ISTH said the young mother was admitted for a case of pre eclampsia (one of the hypertensive disorders in pregnancy) and she was booked for an emergency cesarean section (CS).

The source said she was delivered of a baby girl.

It was gathered that the raped victim lost her father at five and was asked to stay with the Pastor when she was six years old.

The Pastor was said to slept with her repeatedly until she was taken away to stay with the native doctor, who also took his turns on her.

She was said to have been taken to stay with her aunt and a neighbour raped her severally until she got pregnant.

A doctor at the ISTH, Dr. Eugene Usifoh, in his Facebook page described the situation as terrible, causing him to shed tears.

“You know what? She is just 12 years old, yes a minor who hasn’t even seen her first menses and since ovulation occurs before menstruation, she probably ovulated and sadly her first ovulation got her pregnant at this tender age.

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“I really don’t know the kind of supervision she got from her care givers but one thing I know is that they failed to protect her, they failed to shield her from the wickedness of this world, they failed to perform their duties as care givers and guardians, as such, life got her scared. Imagine being a mother at 12.

“A devastating tale, however, the abused child has the tendency to be abused again, if she isn’t rescued now, she’ll probably have 3 or more babies before she becomes an adult and that’s if she lives up to adulthood and survives the complications of pregnancy as well as those of sexual abuse and every other difficulties which she would surely face. Think about the risk of contacting sexually transmitted infections/disease or VVF.

“Therefore, we are appealing to all well meaning Edo sons, daughters and Nigerians at large for their assistance in order to save this helpless girl and her two (2) days old baby.

“Spread the word, there’s a 12 years old in Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital (ISTH), Irrua, Edo state that needs to be rescued.

“Whoever this may get to, please help save this young mother and her baby, help give them a better life.”

By Agency Reporter

Lagos Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has appointed Mr. Olajide Oduyoye as General Manager (GM) Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA).

Oduyoye, an engineer and fellow of the Chartered Institute of Logistics & Transport (FCILT), was appointed following the elevation of the former GM Olawale Musa to Permanent Secretary Ministry of Transport.

According to a statement by LASTMA’s Public Affairs Officer Olumide Filade, Oduyoye had his tertiary education in the United Kingdom where he studied transportation, airport planning design and management.

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He started his career at the London Borough Hammersmith and Fulham as traffic engineer from 1990 to 2005 before joining the Lagos Area Metropolitan Transport Authourity (LAMATA) as a World Bank technical adviser on traffic systems management in 2005 and rose to the position of Deputy Director, traffic management and transport safety, prior to his present appointment as the LASTMA General Manager.

He has been involved in so many projects since joining the employment of Lagos State Government at LAMATA including designing of junction improvements at 57 locations in Lagos; design/supervision implementation of BRT Mile 12 to CMS (traffic management and safety); Ikeja, Yaba and Oyingbo bus terminals (traffic systems management).

By Garba Shehu

Last week, the Nigeria’s senate majority leader reintroduced anti-sexual harassment legislation to parliament, following a serious exposé by the BBC of a sex for grades scandal at the University of Lagos.

The bill had been tabled before – in 2016 – but it was not passed: some members of our party, working with the opposition, then stronger in numbers than today, blocked it.

This time around, there has been no such attempt by the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to scupper the legislation. We cannot tell whether they remain opposed to it, for they have been too busy to let the 200 million citizens of Nigeria know.
Instead, last week – whilst this matter was in the Senate, and the first Federal Budget following our February General Election, was being tabled before the House – the opposition’s full attention was elsewhere: on the affairs of the President, who we were told by the internet, was planning to marry in secret to one of his cabinet ministers.
The interminable nonsense of fake news is hardly unique to Nigeria. In the United States, Britain – indeed across much of the democratic world – we see waves of falsehoods and untruths peddled across digital and mainstream media. It has led to journalists and the press to become less trusted than almost any other profession or estate. Yet elsewhere, whether the fake facts emanate from governments or oppositions, neither have sought to abdicate their unique responsibilities in the act of governance.

In Nigeria, the opposition is close to reneging completely on the compact it holds with the voters. Every modern democracy exists for its checks and balances. Voters may elect a government to govern but they also elect an opposition – to oppose, to scrutinise, and to hold the majority to account. In the absence of either weight or counterweight, the scales of democracy become imbalanced. This cannot continue for long without the full functioning of governance being affected.

Whether citizens voted for President Buhari and the All Progressives Congress (APC), or for the opposition’s presidential candidate and his People’s Democratic Party (PDP), no one voted for failure. They may have voted differently on policy and personality, but regardless of a voter’s choice of candidate and party, for their vote they expect responsibility. No voter expected, nor wanted, the opposition somehow to simply go missing. But that, effectively, is what they have done.

Immediately after the February election that saw President Buhari re-elected to a second four-year term, and his APC secure a workable majority both in the Senate and House, the PDP went to court to challenge the result.

The world over election losers tend towards “lawfare” once they have lost the campaign battle in the field. None can begrudge the PDP their day in court: yet it was never in doubt that they would fail to persuade the judiciary to overturn President Buhari’s 4 million votes and 14 percent margin of victory over his opponent.

“Biased judges!” screamed the opposition. Perhaps. Judges do tend to be biased – towards the facts. Yet those, it would seem, matter no longer to the opposition at all – for last week they opened their next salvo in lawfare by taking their exact same, fatally flawed case to Nigeria’s Supreme Court. We must sincerely hope the opposition have the wherewithal to appreciate they will fail once more, given the facts and the math remain the same.

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The opposition’s over-excretions are leaving a mess for the elected government to clean up. These do not just extend to the fact that even the most serious, and well-intentioned anti-sexual harassment legislation needs scrutiny, or the fact that the opposition yelled “corruption, padding!” at the Federal Budget – even before it had been tabled. More importantly, it leaves a stain on the terms of acceptable debate.

The median age of our 200 million population is 18 years old. Over 100 million Nigerians have access to the internet, and to cell phones. Many will, of course, see the opposition’s fake news and failure to hold the government to account fully and sanely for what it is: dereliction of duty. But there will be those who do not.

Nigeria is leading the fight in Africa against terrorists claiming to be adherents of Islam. This battle is being won – but not without cost. Our fight matters not just to our country, or West Africa – but to the whole world. We are defeating the terrorists both through military and through educative means. We hold up to the terrorists the inalienable truth that society is better when there is reasoned debate, the exchange of views, argument without harm – and that it is through this process of consent which leads to unity.

Without that process working as it should, not only is good governance threatened but it imperils the principle of our system of governance – based on scrutiny of the executive based on facts – and makes it out to be a sham. It imperils the principle of governance by consent which is the firewall against impressionable young people being swayed towards terrorists, whom it emboldens. Nigeria’s opposition is missing. We need them back.

Garba Shehu is Senior Special Assistant to the President (Media & Publicity)