Category: Special Report

At a stakeholders’ forum on the management and control of coronavirus, the Lagos State government outlined steps taken so far in handling Nigeria’s only COVID-19 case and asked residents to practise personal hygiene, reports Associate Editor ADEKUNLE YUSUF.

The event had all the trappings of a political gathering, but it was convened for a more important reason: public health. Yesterday, as early as 9:00a.m., De Blue Roof in Lagos Television (LTV) premises in Ikeja, Lagos, was already filled with people. In attendance were artisans; market men and women; community leaders; leaders of various professional associations; traditional rulers and many others chosen from the 20 local government areas and 37 local council development areas in the state. Devoid of the usual razzmatazz often associated with such popular political gatherings, the stakeholders’ forum on the management and control of the only coronavirus case in the country had one objective: arm the populace with the information on how they can stay safe and ensure that the virus is not allowed to spread.

On February 27, Nigerians woke up to the sad news of Nigeria’s first and only coronavirus case when the Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, confirmed that COVID-19 had sneaked into the state. Besides being the first case to be reported in Nigeria since the outbreak of the virus in China in January 2020, it made Nigeria the third African country to record a COVID-19 case. The case is an Italian citizen, who entered Nigeria on February 25 from Milan, Italy, for a brief business visit and fell ill afterwards. He was subsequently transferred to the Lagos State Biosecurity Facilities for isolation and testing on February 26.  The COVID-19 infection was confirmed by the Virology Laboratory of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, part of the Laboratory Network of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control.

Since the COVID-19 case was confirmed last month, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has consistently allayed fears of residents over the spread of the virus, saying Lagosians have no reason to panic. While assuring that the state government, in conjunction with federal health authorities, has put adequate measures in place to tackle the situation, he confirmed that the patient is in a stable condition at the bio-security facility in Yaba, Lagos Mainland, where the Italian is being isolated.

Yesterday’s event was also to provide updates on the Italian businessman’s case and efforts to trace all co-travellers in the flight that conveyed them to Nigeria via Istanbul, Turkey, on February 25.  In his welcome address, the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, said the forum was convened to enlighten Lagosians on the virus and provide information about the journey so far and stop fake news and rumour mill from misleading the public. While asking participants to assist the state government in ensuring that the information shared at the forum cascades to the nooks and crannies of the state, he urged Lagosians to form a strong bond to ensure that there is compliance with medical advice to prevent an upscale of the coronavirus situation in the state.

While providing updates on how the state has fared in managing Nigeria’s only case of coronavirus, Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, restated that the state is on top of the situation. Acknowledging that contact tracing is key to curbing human-to-human transmission anywhere there is a confirmed case of COVID-19, he said the state government is working with the World Health Organisation (WHO) to identify those on the plane with the Italian businessman. Abayomi, a seasoned expert in internal medicine and biosecurity, noted that so far100 persons, who were in same plane with the index case, have been identified and are being monitored on daily basis.

The Health Commissioner added that since 2014 when the state experienced the Ebola virus outbreak, capacity building to handle any disease outbreak has been taken seriously by the state government. He urged Lagosians to cooperate with the state in its efforts to curtail the spread of the virus by living healthy, maintain good hygiene, wash their hands frequently, should remain in-door and seek medical help immediately anytime they fall sick. “There is still only one case of coronavirus in Lagos. He is the Italian traveller that entered the country. We were able to identify him quickly and bring him to our sophisticated facility at Yaba where he remains. He is doing well. And it is important that those people he has been in touch with are not given the opportunity to spread the virus, we are tracing all his contacts from all the people that were in the airline to the hotel that he stayed in Ikeja and his trip to Ogun State.

“So far, we have been able to identify 100 persons and we are following them up on a daily basis. If any of them develops the symptoms, we will be able to bring them to our facility at Yaba and run the tests. If they are positive, we treat them. We are going to stop the opportunity for the virus to enter our community. That is what the government is doing. We have not been able to identify everybody on that flight because some people have gone to other countries while some have gone to other states. But we are working with the WHO to try and identify everybody on that flight so that we alert people who have gone to other countries that they have come in contact with a person we have confirmed to have the coronavirus. We need to put them on the high alert,” Abayomi said.

The WHO representative, Dr. Okudor Ifeanyi, commended the state government for the level of preparedness and swiftness in handling the case. He said the WHO will continue to support the country and state in ensuring that the country outlives the virus. He urged Nigerians not to panic but ensure that they listen to authentic channels for information on the right things to know and do to curtail the spread of the virus. “If we do the right thing, we can collectively curtail the spread of the virus. We need to maintain good hygiene. Most importantly, we should always wash our hands. We don’t need to panic,” he said.

While delivering a lecture on COVID-19 management and control, Dr. Bamidele Mutiu, Director of the Lagos State Bio-Bank, urged members of the public to adhere to safety and personal hygiene tips. “Lagos is fully ready to combat coronavirus,” he said. Washing of hands frequently with soap and water, use of alcohol-based sanitiser if soap and water are not available, and maintaining at least one and half meters (3 feet) meters) distance from people coughing and sneezing are some of the tips to stay healthy,” Mutiu, who was the guest speakers, said.

In his keynote address, Governor Sanwo-Olu, who was represented by his deputy, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, asked the public to stop listening to gossips and rumour-mongering on the coronavirus, adding that the outbreak calls for caution and obedience to medical advice. “Apart from the threat of coronavirus, an issue of great concern is fake news on the social media about the patient currently receiving treatment at the government facility,” he said.

The Governor emphasised that any information that does not emanate from the Federal Ministry of Health, Lagos State Ministry of Health or the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control should be authenticated before it is spread across the social media.

He noted further that as a responsible government, Lagos had no alternative than to activate all medical procedures that will ensure that coronavirus does not put the life of Lagosians at risk. Sanwo-Olu also assured that despite the fact that government does not wish to have an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases, the state government is prepared to handle any further incidents that might be discovered in the coming days. He said owing to the  experience with Ebola in 2014, the state government, in partnership with the Canadian government, set up Biosafety Level-3 Laboratory at the Mainland Hospital, Yaba to enhance the capacity to manage any disease outbreak such as the coronavirus, which now exists in over 67 countries across the world.

He further urged that all hands must be on deck to prevent the infection from growing among populace, adding that Lagosians must adhere to the simple procedure that can break the chain of transmission of the disease in the state.

Commenting on the symptoms, the governor urged anyone with fever, cough or difficulty in breathing to seek medical attention immediately at any public hospital in the state, saying the hospitals are prepared to attend to all patients who present themselves for attention.

“The coronavirus that is ravaging the world today is not a death sentence as long as detected cases are reported early, the patient isolated and the contacts traced and quarantined until tests are carried out to determine their status. The WHO has also indicated that some individuals, who had been infected with coronaviruas, only suffered mild illness and recovered while the infection was severe in other persons,” he said.

Due to pains and loss of lives and properties caused by road accidents, a Global Alliance for NGOs for Road Safety has called on governments and politicians to take urgent action to reduce the burden of road crashes in their countries. It also urged governments to commit funds for road safety delivery and adopt safe system approach, writes JUSTINA ASISHANA who is in Sweden.

Losing her 25-year-old son, Aron in a bus crash in Turkey in 1995 was the tragic experience Rochelle Sobel is yet to get over, but that tragic incident just made her determined in advocating for safer roads for road users.

“On May 3, 1995, our lives were shattered by a phone call that is every parent’s most unspeakable nightmare. A dispassionate voice that identified himself as a member of the U.S State Department informed me that my 25-year-old son, Aron, had died in a crash in Turkey.

“Aron was a University of Maryland Medical School student who was completing his final rotation by volunteering in a hospital abroad.

“Aron was the essence of enthusiasm, kindness, unshakable optimism, intelligence and social responsibility. He exhibited an overwhelming concern for every human being; he was loyal to friends and devoted to family. And, oh, that luminous, dimpled fun-loving smile that lit up the world of everyone he encountered.

“When we lost our child, we lost our tomorrow. Our hopes, dreams and trust in the world were shattered in an instant. For us, there are two-time frames: the time before the crash and the time after.

“Often, we become paralysed as we touch the photographs, acknowledge the birthday and attempt to negotiate the minefield of achingly beautiful memories. At times, we must force ourselves to breathe, for each breath seems like an insurmountable challenge”, she said.

Placing the shoe of her son to the pile of shoes set up as a monument of those who lost their lives in road crashes, Sobel declared that she and other road safety advocates will not rest until the roads are safe for the people to use.

Visibly crying when she placed the shoe of her son who had been gone for over five years, she hoped that a time will come when all sound of the shoes will be that of the loved ones who left home and returned back safely.

Peter Fraiser was another parent who placed the shoes of his daughter on the pile of shoes; Peter had lost his daughter, Sarah, in 2012 to a distracted driver because the highway she was trapped in the road she was in, the father still missed her cute, mischievous smile and hugs each time he returned home. It would be a long time before he forgets her.

“My daughter was killed by a distracted driver. The road she was walking on was not built with a specification. The road had three lines at 110 kilometers per hour and the emergency lighting was 1.5 meters wide, not even wide enough to get a car in there. There was a barrier running beside it for one-and-a-half kilometers on the other side filled down into literally into a little river with bangles. My daughter was trapped on that road and eventually killed by a person who was distracted.”

Placing the pink shoes of her daughter on the pile, Zoleka Mandela recalled how her daughter was not allowed to enjoy her teenage years as she was killed by a drunk driver shortly after her 13th birthday.

The monument of shoes displayed in the Central Station in Stockholm, Sweden was a showcase of sorrow and the pain of a lot of people who have lost their loved ones to road traffic crashes which are preventable.

Though preventable, every 24 seconds, someone, somewhere in the world did as a result of a road traffic crash which gives rise to 1.35 million people each year and behind these individual tragedies is a story.

There are stories of tears, stories of struggle, stories of the pain of losing a loved one, the pain of losing a part of the body, of not being complete, pain of being thrown into poverty.

Road crashes affect everyone either personally or through someone related or known, in the form of death, injury, disability or fear.

Road crashes have caused negative consequences that are common in the blow and medium-income countries and have left a lot of road users to feel unsafe on the road.

The pile of shoes, which is an idea of the Global Alliance of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) for Road Safety, which is a global umbrella network for non-governmental organisations committed to advocating for safer roads and victim support, was meant to draw the attention of governments and international communities to the physical effects of road safety crash.

They hope seeing the piles of shoes which had been a sight and placed strategically in the central station during the 3rd Ministerial Global Conference on Road Safety in Sweden will give them the political will to implement laws that would aim to reduce road traffic crashes and injuries in their countries.

Rochelle Sobel, who had a little speech before placing the shoes of her son said the shoes displayed are shoes of young and old from many countries that illustrate the shattered dreams of families and those whose lives have been cut down by this tragic incident.

“Shoes of young and old, shoes of many countries that accompany broken shattered dreams, shoes that once walked or danced or skipped or played were being cut down cruelly in a single moment on the road.

“These shoes are now on the earth, they are unmoving and frozen in time. Shoes that took first steps, shoes that took a child to school, that took a rush to catch a ball, that walked down the Isles, shoes that left to catch tomorrow in the wind.

These shoes are now our sacred monument to what was and would never be again.

“With resolute hearts, we place our loved one’s shoes on the pile and repeat the vow we made to them and to ourselves; we will never rest, neither will we be silent, for these shoes are our sacred promise that the time that would soon come when all shoes will bear the precious weight of loved ones returning safely home. For all of our children and all of our loved ones, let us place our precious shoes upon the pile.”

In its report entitled “The Day our World Crumbled: The Human Cost of Inaction on Road Safety”, the Global Alliance for NGOs for Road Safety called on politicians to take urgent action to reduce the burden of road crashes in their citizens, urging governments to commit funds for Road Safety delivery and adopt safe system approach.

“Road and transport systems must both be and feel safe for road users. They just, especially, meet the needs of pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists who are most at risk and feel the most unsafe.

“Speeding is the most common reason people feel unsafe and is a major cause of crashes; tackle speed to make road users safer and feel safer.”

The Alliance also called for the improvement of safety net for crash victims and their loved ones while urging activists to engage their communities and amplify their voices to advocate for change that will make the road system safe and align with a safe system.

The Lagos Resilience Masterplan which documents the various challenges the city is facing and the strategies to resolve them, was unveiled recently ADEYINKA ADERIBIGBE who was there writes.

Since the creation of Lagos State in 1967, the vision of the founding fathers has been the building of an egalitarian, inclusive and prosperous city-state.

Successive administrations have continued to leverage on good governance for the provision of social amenities and infrastructure that will empower the people to thrive.

Over the past 53 years, Lagos State has continued to surpass projections, becoming Nigeria’s fastest growing state, emerging as the nation’s commercial nerve centre and the fifth economy in the continent and Africa’s first megacity with a population of over 26 million people.

These growth in an area considered as the smallest land size in the country has left on its trail a huge pressure on all social amenities, water, electricity, markets, roads, housing stocks, and so many more, with successive administration developing initiatives aimed at domesticating the challenges and developing local capacities to containing their adversarial potentials and consequential implications.

It was in furtherance of this cause, that the State government recently made a public presentation of a Resilient Strategy (LRS), a master-plan detailing the various challenges and stresses prevalent in the state and the initiatives developed to put them in check.

The LRS was the 77th of such document worldwide, and the first of its kind not only in the country, but on the African continent.

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu who made the formal presentation of the document at a launch at the Adeyemi Bero Auditorium, Alausa, Ikeja, in February, described the document as the culmination of efforts of from cross-sectoral participants led by the representative of 100 Resilient Cities (100RC), the government, civil society, private sector, academia and residents to respond to “prioritised shocks and stresses that Lagos contends with on a daily basis.”

Sanwo-Olu who was represented by the Commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget Mr Sam Egube, expresses hope that the LRS will help transform Lagos into an innovative, sustainable, smart and successful city.

He said: “The document contains three pillars, 10 goals and 31 initiatives which aim to build the capacity of the state to respond to physical stress and challenges besetting its people.

According to him, the government will adopt the solutions in the document as they are achievable and scalable.

He assured that his administration will mainstream residents’ collaborative engagements and develop a strategic public private partnership campaign round all identified thematic areas.

He disclosed that the LRO will have independent powers to implement all mandates in the strategic document.

Beyond local partnerships and support, Sanwo-Olu expressed confidence that strategic international collaborations and partnerships such as the Resilience Cities Global Network would be willing to partner the government in the area of strengthening the resilience of the state and developing its peoples’ capacity to withstanding the shocks and stress of living in Africa’s most successful commercial megacity.

The LRS, according to him, is a product of Lagos State’s membership of the 100 Resilient Cities network, established by the Rockefeller Foundation in 2013, to help more cities across the world build resilience against the physical, social and economic challenges that has become a growing part of the 21st century.

The commissioner for economic planning and budget, whose speech was read by Adebayo Sodade, the special adviser on economic planning and budget, said the strategy document would help collate the various challenges the city experiences, opportunities for collaborations and actions to improve the resilience of the city of Lagos.

According to him, the initiatives articulated in the Lagos Resilience Strategy are affordable, scalable, replicable and measurable.

He added that the initiatives would support the efforts of communities in Lagos to adapt to global environmental changes towards surviving adversity, grow and to confidently thrive, resulting in a Lagos that is truly efficient, inclusive, enterprising and prosperous.”

In May 2016, from more than 400 city’s applicantions across the globe, Lagos was selected to join the 100 resilient Cities (100RC). It launched its participation in the 100RC Network by hosting a Resilience Agenda Setting Workshop in February 2017, a forum which midwifed the Lagos Resilience Strategy (LRS) as a hands-on document to be implemented by the government.

To drive the process, the government established a Lagos Resilience Office, headed by a Chief Resilience Officer (CRO) and officers posted from various ministries including Transportation, the Environment, Education, Water resources, Physical Planning and Urban Development, Economic Planning and Budget, Energy and Mineral Resources, Information and Strategy, Works and Infrastructure, Health and Finance.

The Office through technical support from the 100RC, would drive all strategies enunciated in the document as well as other government initiatives. It is to implement its mandate in three phases – the first being the conduct of preliminary resilience assessment; the development of a policy document on the resilience strategy and the final stage, being the implementation of its strategies.

In his review, the team lead, Professor Olanrewaju Adigun Fagbohun, listed some of the shocks with which the masses of the people are living in the state, to include; disease outbreak, flooding, economic downturn, major road accidents and building collapse.

Others, according to him are; storm surge, riots and civil unrest, urban fires and forced evictions.

Fagbohun, a Professor of Law, Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and Vice Chancellor of the Lagos State University also listed among top stresses to which Lagosians are exposed to include; traffic congestion, erratic power supply, overpopulation/overcrowding and inadequate physical and social infrastructure.

Other stresses are; unemployment and underemployment, inadequate health system, inadequate public transportation and formal and informal economic contestation.

The scholar, added that the team, also identified for further research, areas such as informality as an enhancer of community resilience, Lagos as African Water city, population and congestion management, energy poverty and Lagos as a citadel of knowledge.

Africa Global Resilient Cities Network’s Managing Director Dana Omran praised the commitment of the state government to finding solutions to the many chronic stresses and shocks the city of Lagos is experiencing daily.

She expressed hope in the willingness of the people to survive, despite the challenges of urbanization and acute shortages of infrastructure that prolongs quality life.

She expressed the hope that just as similar documents by city-members have led to landmark victories, the Lagos Resilience Strategy would in a short time transform Lagos State and give impact positively on the masses of the people residing therein.

She charged the government to be unwavering in its commitment to improving the parameters of life of the people, adding that what is needed is the political will by the leadership to make the difference in the lives of the people.

Dr Folayinka Dania, the Lagos State Deputy Chief Resilience Officer, said Lagosians despite the limited land size and attendant pressures have shown incredible capacity to survive.

According to her the shocks, stresses and challenges that assail the state are stimulants for the people who have continued to uncommon resilience and willingness to support all government initiatives aimed at improving their lives.

Dania charged the state government to implement the detailed initiatives contained in the document.

She said much of the initiatives developed by the LRO would be driven by community participation through the various community leadership channels already developed by the government.

The Chief Resilience Officer Architect Gbolahan Owodunni Oki, said his office was set up conduct preliminary studies, and to implement strategies to ameliorate the challenges.

According to Oki, with the public presentation of the strategy document, the LRO is now ready to move into the third phase of its mandate, which is the implementation of all identified solutions articulated in the LRS.

According to him, the vision of the strategy is to build a resilient Lagos which seeks the evolution of an efficient city, an enterprise city and an inclusive city. “It is a document that has 10 goals and 31 initiatives,” he said.

He said the 31 initiatives identified in the strategy align with the Lagos State Development Plan 2012-2025, and the THEME agenda of the present administration as well as the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals 2030.

“The Lagos Resilience Strategy provides a framework for protecting Lagos against present and future shocks and stresses,” Oki said.

The CRO said implementation of all that is contained in the document will make a whole lot of difference, adding that mainstreaming resilience and strengthening institutional structures are critical to measuring the progress of the implementation.

Oki said the Resilience Office will put in place interventions that will promote collaborative city governance, build resilience and realize resilience dividends on the social, economic and environmental fronts.

He held that through the LRO, the state, would be open to new initiatives and ideas aimed at improving capacities and opportunities, adding that the LRS is not an exhaustive, static document, but one that would be reviewed from time to time in line with the needs assessments conducted with the guidance of the RC100 team.

“We set out knowing and recognising that Lagos and its people are inherently resilient and the strategy merely intends to cultivate and harness this resilience in a more productive way such that it would boost the capacity of individuals, communities, institutions, businesses and sytems within the state to adapt to the stresses and shocks that are created in their daily lives,” Oki asserted.

One of the participants, Engr Tade Bilesanmi said the future is promising if the state government can leverage on the wealth of experience and partnership of the RC100 network.

“This administration must be commended for not dumping the programmes of its predecessors, because undoubtedly, this RC100 club to which the state has been admitted since 2017 is undoubtedly one of the ways to continue to grow its capacity to respond to the ever expanding needs of the state and her people.”

He expressed the hope that if the government will faithfully implement all strategies enunciated in the document, it may not be long before the vision of a greater Lagos, the slogan of the present administration would become a reality.

The Supreme Court wielded the big stick on two of the Bar’s finest Chief Afe Babalola, SAN, and Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN, on Wednesday, following its dismissal of the All Progressives Congress (c) and David Lyon’s bid for review of the Bayelsa State governorship election verdict. It was not the first time lawyers will face the apex court’s wrath, writes ROBERT EGBE.

Lawyers who worked closely with the late Chief Gani Fawehinmi, SAN, often recall what he said whenever he was irritated or annoyed.

“What is wrong with you nau?” Fawehinmi would often scold the squirming recipient.

They thought it was a special rebuke reserved for them, until the day they heard the legal giant saying to himself: “What is wrong with me nau?”

This was after he had turned his office upside down for a document that was right on the desk in front of him.

The Supreme Court told Chief Afe Babalola, SAN, and Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN, pretty much the same thing on Wednesday, albeit in a different choice of words.

The court, in a unanimous ruling, came down heavily on the legal giants, both counsel to the All Progressives Congress (APC) and David Lyon, after dismissing their application for a review of its verdict on the Bayelsa State governorship election.

The justices were so angry that they ordered the lawyers to pay N10 million each to each of the three respondents from their own pockets.

The seven-man panel led by Sylvester Ngwuta dismissed the two applications for lacking in merit.

Justice Amina Augie while delivering the verdict said the request to review the judgment was vexatious, frivolous, regrettable and a deliberate desecration of the judiciary.

“I cannot believe, and with tears in my eye, I say I cannot believe that in my life time, I will see very senior members of the Bar, bring applications of this nature to this court, which are aimed at desecrating the sanctity of this court, foul its well-known principle that the decision of this court is final and destroying the esteem in which this court is held.

“The end result of the foregoing is that these are applications are vexatious, they are frivolous and they amount to a gross abuse of the court process,” Justice Augie said.

Other members of the panel, including Ngwuta, Mary Odili, Olukayode Ariwoola, John Okoro, Kudirat Kekere-Ekun and Ejembi Eko agreed with the lead ruling.

The verdict brings to an end the APC’s hope of ousting Duoye Diri and the Peoples Democratic Party from office.

Cases where lawyers courted Supreme Court’s anger

But the Lyon/APC case was not the first time the court would vent its spleen on lawyers seeking a review.

It will probably also not be the last.

On January 14, the Supreme Court removed the PDP’s Emeka Ihedioha and ordered the swearing-in of the APC’s Senator Hope Uzodinma, as Imo State Governor following the last March 9 election.

Ihedioha and the PDP have approached the court for a reversal of the judgment.

Three days ago, the PDP also demanded a review of the Supreme Court judgments on the presidential election that affirmed President Muhammadu Buhari’s victory in the 2019 presidential election.

The party also said it will ask for a review of the apex court’s judgment in respect of governorship elections in Kaduna, Kano, Katsina and Osun states, which the party lost to the APC.

Omehia vs Amaechi

The apex court berated the counsel for former Rivers State Governor Celestine Omehia, when he sought a review of the Supreme Court judgment delivered on October 25, 2007, which replaced him with Rotimi Amaechi.

In December 2006, Amaechi contested and won the PDP primaries, but his name was substituted with Omehia’s.

In 2007, Amaechi filed a suit challenging the decision. The Supreme Court held that Amaechi was wrongly substituted with Omehia. It declared Amaechi as the governor.

Omehia’s counsel, James Esike, argued that the verdict was without jurisdiction as the highest court made an order not sought for.

On November 2, 2009, the apex court dismissed Omehia’s application for a review of its judgment and awarded N100, 000 cost against him.

Former Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), the late Aloysius Katsina-Alu told the lawyer: “In my view, your action here is serious professional misconduct. We have given our decision two years ago and you are here asking us to review it.

“Even if we stay here till December, you will get nothing. At best, you can attract punitive damages. Whether right or wrong, that judgment stands.

“You are treading a dangerous ground by asking us to reverse ourselves. We have no right to sit on appeal over our decision. Our judgment is not a nullity and you can go on and appeal to God.”

Uba vs Obi

A former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s aide Andy Uba and others twice sought a reversal of the Supreme Court judgment of June 14, 2007, which validated Peter Obi’s status as governor.

Dismissing the application, the late Justice Katsina-Alu said hearing the applications would amount to a wild goose chase.

At Uba’s second attempt, the Supreme Court said the application was a “thorough abuse of the judicial process.”

Then Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), the late Idris Legbo Kutigi, held: “This court held in its earlier judgment that the notice of appeal filed by Peter Obi at the Court of Appeal was valid.

“Yet, after our judgment, the applicant went straight back to the trial court to ask it to void the same notice of appeal which this court had declared valid. When he failed, he went back to the Court of Appeal and failed and has returned to us.

“What kind of country is this where Senior Advocates of Nigeria are used to mess up the judiciary? We will not allow this kind of practice. This is wrong.

“The appellant has been shuttling from one court to another on a matter that the Supreme Court had already delivered judgment.

“If the Supreme Court makes a mistake, there are procedures of correcting the mistakes; not this way, and we will not allow it.”

Dingyadi v Wamakko

Dingyadi v Wamakko which was delivered on April 8, 2011 is another case where the apex court refused to review its verdict.

The matter was between Muhammadu Dingyadi of the Democratic Peoples Party, DPP and Aliyu Wamakko of the PDP over the Sokoto State governorship tussle.

The lead counsel for the appellants in the case were Chief Akin Olujinmi, SAN and Mr. Rickey Tarfa, SAN.

Justice Olufunlola Adekeye, who delivered the lead ruling, said: “Any request by a court for a departure or overruling or re-visiting or reviewing or setting aside its previous decision will jeopardize the stable rules of judicial precedent – stare decisis.

“This is a basic reason why the courts particularly the Supreme Court may not find it easy to readily yield to such invitation.

“I hold that the application lacks merit and it must be dismissed in its entirety. There must be an end to litigation. This court is the final court in this country under the Constitution. The court of Appeal and all the lower courts are bound by the decisions of the Supreme Court. It is the mirror for viewing the sacred temple of justice.”

Ogboru vs Uduaghan

In 2014, former Democratic Peoples Party (DPP) governorship candidate in Delta State, Chief Great Ogboru, had, through his counsel Dr Dickson Osuala, sought a review of the judgment which upheld former Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan’s victory.

Osuala claimed that Section 285 (7) of the Constitution, which the Supreme Court relied on to dismiss his client’s case, was “fraudulently inserted by the National Assembly”, and that its addition did not follow due process.

The Supreme Court dismissed the case and awarded N8million cost to Uduaghan.

Former Chief Justice Walter Onnoghen held: “The said N8million is awarded as cost against the person of Dr Osuala and is to be paid from his pocket to the respondents.

“The plaintiff, through his counsel, wants to resurrect a dead and buried horse.”

Ogboru twice failed in his attempt to have the judgment reviewed.

The Zamfara case

One of the most recent examples of a failed attempt to have a judgment reversed involves the APC and its candidates on the last Zamfara State elections.

Last July 22, the Supreme Court rejected a request to review its May 24, 2019 judgment voiding APC’s participation in the polls.

A five-man panel, led by Justice Olabode Rhodes-Vivour, struck out the application filed on behalf of APC and its candidates by a leading lawyer, Robert Clarke (SAN).

Clarke said the application was for the Supreme Court to reconsider its judgment which transferred APC’s victory to PDP, which came second in the poll.

But, the justices faulted the application, saying the APC and other applicants did not provide a valid basis for a review.

Justice Ejembi Eko noted that the application was wrongly brought under Order 8, Rule16 of the Supreme Court’s Rules.

Justice Amina Augie noted that the grounds on which the application was brought did not qualify for the court to review its earlier decision.

Justices John Okoro and Amiru Sanusi noted that since the case, on which the earlier judgment was given, was a pre-election case for which the Constitution allows the Supreme Court 60 days to determine, the court no longer had jurisdiction to revisit the case.

Justice Rhodes-Vivour said: “The Supreme Court has no jurisdiction over the matter because anything that has to do with pre-election matter must be brought within 60 days after a decision had been delivered.

“We don’t seat on appeal over our own decision. We have no jurisdiction over this matter.”

A lone accident involving a PMS-laden tanker, which bursts into flames Tuesday night, left a gridlock that completely locked down traffic on the busy road, stretching into Lagos metropolitan roads. PRECIOUS IGBONWELUNDU and OMOLOLA AFOLABI chronicle motorists’ harrowing experience.

Several parts of Lagos metropolis were completely locked down on Wednesday. No thanks to the tanker explosion that followed a lone accident around Arepo on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway on Tuesday.

A white DAF truck carrying 33,000 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) fell on the Long Bridge and bursts into flames, bringing traffic on the nation’s critical road to a standstill.

Despite efforts by the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) and other emergency responders in Lagos and Ogun State to contain the situation, the gridlock saw scores of motorists spending over 10 hours in traffic as the hold up extended to other parts of Lagos, locking several arterial routes yesterday.

It was gathered that motorists going to work were trapped around Berger, Ogba, Ikeja, Ikorodu Road, Agege Motor Road for hours.

Some of the motorists, who slept behind the wheel in the traffic, took to social media to demand urgent action to stop the frequent fall or explosion of articulated vehicles, especially on the Lagos end of Lagos-Ibadan expressway.

The Nation Editorial Page Editor, Mr. Sanya Oni, who left the office on Tuesday about 11 pm, got home at 8:30 am yesterday.

On his Facebook page, Oni, at different times, wrote: “Hell has come down 3:05 am and no respite in sight. Welcome to the state of nature.

“Finally got home 8:30am after a gruelling 10-hour ordeal from Matori to Arepo!”

Oni, who could not make it to work, said he was treating pains and stress occasioned by long hours in traffic.

A Twitter user, Kolade Ayeni, said he returned to work from the traffic on Wednesday, as he never got home the day before.

“I didn’t get home on Tuesday night. Trapped at Berger, I just disembarked and boarded another bus back to work, about 5 am on Wednesday,” he wrote.

Another user, Toolz Ajibike, said: “I got home around 1 am, slept for four hours and back on the same road. Lagos-Ibadan blocked, Berger blocked. I am still expected to be productive at work today (Wednesday), and go the extra mile in discharging my duties.

Ishola said he spent over six hours in the traffic.

“I got to Berger from Mowe at dawn, because I set out at exactly 5 am.The tanker that got burnt has really weakened the bridge and it can give in at any time,” he said.

Olalekan Abiola described the traffic as annoying.

“My fellow drivers that set out from Ibadan at 7 am are just landing now at 1 pm. The situation here is terrible,” he said.

A transporter, Mutiu Asimiyu, said the traffic has affected his daily trip.

“I left Ibadan around 6 am and I’m just getting to Lagos. The incident has sapped us of both our business and energy. As you can see, I am sweating profusely. I have only gone once and I don’t think I will go a second round. But on a normal day, I would have gone on the third round but the traffic really denied us of that,” he said.

Ismaila Olayemi said the explosion occurred about 8:45 pm and it was burning till this (yesterday) morning.

“It was a total standstill from 9 pm till the early hours of Wednesday. I was in traffic for six hours. People coming to Lagos from Sagamu took off at 5:30 am and got to Lagos at 11 am for a 35 minutes journey,” he said.

Zonal Head of Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) Mabunmi Abiola narrated how the fire started; “We saw the accident, which occurred at 8:45 pm. All the vehicles were stopped and we called the emergency team. The firefighters made efforts to put out the fire. After exhausting their water about 10 pm, the fire erupted again and we battled it till about 7:45 am. The traffic was very heavy – from Kara to Mowe. The traffic extended to Alapere, Ketu and other connecting roads in the Lagos metropolis. Traffic got fairer only when the burnt tanker was evacuated from the road. We made use of counter-foil to control vehicular movements but some motorists were still non-compliant; some of them drove against the traffic.”

A man simply called Ayewa, who lamented that the night bus he boarded to Abuja from Maza-Maza about 10 pm on Tuesday was still in traffic at Mowe about 7:20 am.

“I entered a bus last night going to Abuja, departed about 10 pm from Maza-Maza, right now I am still in Lagos! Lagos-Ibadan express is blocked,” he wrote.

A commuter on Ikorodu road, Faith Olamini, said he trekked from Maryland to Ojota because everywhere was blocked, adding that those inside vehicles were envying pedestrians.

Benjamin Adindu lamented the absence of Lagos State bus services and commercial buses, saying passengers going to 7 Up, Ojota, Iyana Oworo were trapped.

According to Lawal Dolapo, it was the fourth time in two weeks articulated vehicles would have accident on that route, with the resultant bedlam affecting Ojodu-Berger and environs.

Oloye Gbadebo said: “Lagosians often think they are very hardworking, but the truth is that we spend the productive hours on roads. Lagos-Ibadan express is an example; often people get to their offices and homes completely exhausted.”

Speaking on the lone accident, FRSC Ogun Sector Commander Clement Oladele said it was caused by mechanical/electrical fault, adding that no life was lost.

He said the driver and two motor boys, who were in the truck, fled to safety before the fire escalated.

According to Oladele, it took so long to evacuate the debris and reopen the road because the tanker kept re-igniting.

“FRSC operatives mobilised promptly to the scene for rescue operations. Fire Services were equally invited to extinguish the inferno.

“The rescue operation continued till 3 am as the inferno kept re-igniting after being extinguished. This hampered removal of the debris, thus affecting the opening of that part of the road to motorists.

“The inferno impaired traffic and caused gridlock around the long bridge, which affected motorists, especially those driving out of Lagos after the day’s job.

“To cushion the effect on motorists, FRSC temporarily diverted traffic around OPIC, outwards Lagos to one lane of the inward Lagos-bound traffic. The FRSC admonished motorists to obey traffic instructions from officials around the crash scene and urged them to drive cautiously and restrict themselves to only the lane traffic was temporarily diverted to.

“The affected road was closed to traffic to prevent  fire affecting other vehicles.”

He said motorists not closed to Mowe and Ibafo were also advised to use alternative routes.

“Alternative routes recommended to such motorists include those travelling from Ibadan to turn from Sagamu Interchange into Abeokuta to connect Itori, Ifo up to Ota to connect Lagos by Iyana Ipaja.

“Those travelling out of Lagos this morning could use Victoria Island by Ajah to Ijebu Ode to continue their journey.

“However, motorists around Mowe, Ibafo and Warewa axis using the temporary diversion point on the Long Bridge should restrict their speed to maximum of 50 kilometres per hour … while the rescue operation continues.

“Operators of vehicles used for transporting highly inflammable petroleum products should operate in strict conformity with safety and operation standards prescribed by the 1957 United Nations Agreement Concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road (ADR), which Nigeria acceded to as a Contracting Party,” he said.

FRSC Zone RS2 Command, comprising Ogun and Lagos states, said it had removed the wreckage of the tanker.

Mr Samuel Obayemi, FRSC zonal commander, said: “The fire was put out, carcass of the burnt tanker successfully removed from the road and pushed down to the foot of the Long Bridge.

“The debris that could puncture tyres or affect other vehicles had also been cleared from the road.

“The road is hereby open to use. Motorists are, therefore, advised to tread with caution.

“Do not speed beyond the construction area speed limits of 50 km per hour and maintain lane discipline,” Obayemi, an assistant corps marshall, said.

According to him, FRSC operatives are still on ground managing the backlog of traffic.

The FRSC chief told NAN there was no casualty from the inferno.

On the cause of the incident, Obayemi said: “We are still investigating. The laden tanker fell and caught fire in the process. The cause of the fall is what is being investigated.”

With seven proposed security related legislations, the Senate appears poised to battle growing insecurity in the country headlong, writes Sanni Onogu

 

 

THAT the red chamber has been consistent in its demand for the restructuring of the security architecture of the country is not in doubt. What may be uncertain is the willingness of the government to heed the numerous resolutions of the Senate to tinker with the gaping security structure to help address the deteriorating security situation in the country.

Determined to change the apparent unworkable face of security architecture in the country, the Senate believes that some radical measures should be adopted. For the Senate, the traditional security inclination has failed the country hence the need to think outside the box for possible solution of the security challenges in the country.

 

Pot pourri of bills

 

The Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, has never left anybody in doubt that where necessary, the Senate and indeed the National Assembly would support the fight against crime through enactment of appropriate legislations. That may have informed the proposition of a barrage of security related bills pending in the upper chamber. Although, some of the proposed legislations appear flatly dead on arrival, others are mostly unpopular like the hate speech and social media bills also pending in the Senate.

Expectedly, the unpopular bills have attracted unsavory comments against the Senate.

The sponsors of the proposed controversial legislations seem to be unperturbed, determined to push ahead despite scatting attacks on their persons and the institution of the Senate.

Perhaps one of the most unpopular security bills is the proposal for the establishment of a “national agency for the education, rehabilitation, de-radicalization and integration of repentant insurgents in Nigeria bill, 2020.” Sponsored by a former Yobe State Governor, Senator Ibrahim Geidam, the bill has already scaled the crucial first reading in Senate.

The promoter of the bill believes that the agency when established would “help to counter the violent and poisonous ideology that the Boko Haram spreads as well as enable some convicted or suspected terrorists to express remorse over their actions, repent and recant their violent ideology and re-enter mainstream politics, religion and society.”

But no sooner was the bill introduced in the senate chamber than it came under a barrage of attacks. Senators, lawyers and other Nigerians were vehement in their opposition to the bill. Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC), Professor Itse Sagay, said the bill was “risky” even though not totally out of place. “I would say it is a risky concept, although it happens. “So, we have to be very careful about it,” Sagay advised. Emeka Ngige (SAN) on his own part, described the proposed agency as unnecessary. “I think the sponsor of the bill may have good intentions in proposing it but in truth the creation of such an agency is totally unnecessary,” Ngige said.

Senator Istifanus Gyang was even more frontal in his attack on the bill. The Plateau North Senator asked the leadership of the Senate to throw the Bill away. Gyang in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Protocol, Musa Ashoms, said that the Bill should be rejected because of its “obvious negative implications for the security of the nation.”

“The bill is not only uncalled for but assaults the sensibility of Nigerians in view of the fact that most of the victims and communities affected by insurgency, banditry and violent attacks are still suffering from neglect and lack of the much needed government attention and intervention despite repeated calls.

“The victim communities displaced by insurgency and banditry from their ancestral homes are the ones to be rehabilitated and reintegrated as against terrorists and bandits that are responsible for their pain and plight,” Gyang declared. He added that such an agency, if established, could end up as “breeding” haven for “terrorists.”

In view of the virulent opposition against the bill, it may qualify at the end of the day as one of the notorious bills to have been considered by the ninth Senate.

The “National Commission against the proliferation of small arms and light weapons and for related matters, 2020,” is another bill aimed at tackling insecurity in the country.

Sponsored by the Senator representing Kogi West, Smart Adeyemi, the bill seeks to create an agency to halt the proliferation of small arms and light weapons.

Senator Adeyemi in his lead debate on the general principles of the bill said the proposed commission is essentially to coordinate and implement activities to combat the challenge posed by small arms and light weapons in Nigeria, in line with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) protocol on small arms and light weapons.

One of the objects of the bill, he said, is “to identify the sources and main routes of small arms, ammunitions and light weapon” that find their way into the country. He added that the agency would also help to identify why the illicit trade thrives in the country and liaise with the relevant authorities, agencies and organizations with the aim of tackling the menace.

The agency, Adeyemi further said will also help to itemize and identify “promoters, users, patrons and reasons for the illegal activities” as well as curb insecurity in the country.

Besides, he lamented that the proliferation of SALW had been a serious issue in the international agenda since 1998 and equally constituted a threat that has been “eating into the survival of emerging nations in the international scene especially in Africa.”

“It is a phenomenon that is destabilizing the peace, development and threatening the national security of sovereign nations. The complications of illegal arms and weapons of terror worldwide informed the United Nations (UN), to come up with a programme of action to prevent, combat and eradicate the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons.

“However, in nearly all of the conflicts, the diffusion of illegal arms and weapons of terror, particularly from the industrialized nations to the developing world, has played a decisive role in the escalation, intensification and resolution of these conflicts.” He said that SALW are not only readily available, but easy to use and “have been the primary or sole tool of violence in almost all conflicts in every part of the globe.”

“These weapons of terror are in the hands of irregular troops operating with scant respect for international and humanitarian law, they have taken a heavy toll on human lives, with women and children accounting for nearly 80 per cent of the causalities.

“The proliferation of these weapons affects the intensity and duration of violence and encourages militancy rather than a peaceful resolution of unsettled differences.

In Nigeria, this has become a serious security challenge.

“There is general insecurity as most parts of the country experience high level crimes perpetrated using illicit arms. The UN estimated that a substantial percentage of the illegal arms that are in circulation in West Africa are in Nigeria.

“This has fuelled violent conflicts as witnessed in the Niger Delta, Kidnapping in the South East, armed robbery pandemic in the South West, Ethnic/Religious Violence on the Plateau, and the Boko Haram operations in the North-East, a situation which has plunged the nation into a serious state of insecurity. Uncontrolled arms have also impacted on the country’s democracy and development negatively.

“Electoral violence by gun-wielding thugs and assassinations of several political leaders since 1999, have jeopardized free and fair elections in many states of the federation.

“The illicit trade thrives because the return on investment is very high, if the smuggler is not caught,” Adeyemi said.

 

Security Related Bills

 

Other security related bills include the proposal for the establishment of the Nigerian Army University in Biu, Borno State which recently scaled second reading in Senate. The Bill was sponsored by the Chairman, Senate Committee on Army, Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume.

To make the institution attractive to non-Northeast dwellers, the Bill abolished the catchment area policy presently obtainable in most federal tertiary institutions across the country.

The Bill which has scaled first reading in Senate, barred the University from imposing any restriction on anybody on account of religious beliefs.

According to the Bill: “No person shall be required to satisfy requirements as to race, including ethnic grouping, sex, place of birth, family origin, religious or political persuasion, as a condition for becoming or continuing to be a student in the University.

“No person shall be subjected to any disadvantage or accorded any advantage in relation to the University.”

Also being considered by the upper chamber is a Bill meant to give legal backing to the Nigeria Police Academy, Wudil, Kano. The sponsor of the Bill, Senator Haliru Jika (Bauchi Central), lamented that the institution is yet to be recognized by law despite commencing academic activities in 1988.

He noted that the institution previously operated at two temporary campuses, namely: the Police Training School, Challawa, Kano, where cadet Inspectors were trained; and the Police College, Kaduna, where Cadet Assistant Superintendents of Police (ASPs) were trained.

According to him, the two campuses were merged and relocated to its permanent site in Wudil, Kano, after its formal commissioning on April 2, 1996, by then Head of State, General Sani Abacha, with the expectation that the academy will be affiliated to a University for degree awarding courses.

He, however, added that the Federal Government upgraded the Academy to a degree-awarding institution and the National Universities Commission, accordingly, recognised the Academy as the 37th Federal University and 124th University in Nigeria.

Senator Jika lamented that in spite of that, the training institution is yet to be backed by any law, a situation that has predisposed certificates and degrees awarded by the Academy not to be recognized both nationally and internationally.

“It is the recognition of the inappropriateness of the absence of a legal framework for the Nigeria Police Academy and the urgent need to reposition and enhance police effectiveness through proper training as means of fighting the seemingly intractable challenge of insecurity in our country that has necessitated the proposed enactment of a new law to strengthen the Nigeria Police Academy, in consonance with the dictates of international best practices.

“Nigeria needs an institution capable of producing qualitative, skilled and intelligent officers able to meet the manpower needs of its Police Force.

“The present security challenges in many parts of our country and the complexities of modern policing make it imperative that Nigeria continues to have a stream of middle level officers equipped with competences, backed by sound academic background, high professional and moral standards into its Police Force, for effective law enforcement and selfless service to the nation,” Jika said. The Bill has been read for the Second time and referred to a relevant committee for further legislative work.

Similarly, a Bill seeking to establish the Nigerian Civil Defence Academy, Pandogari, Niger State, has scaled Second Reading.

The Bill was sponsored by Senator Sani Musa (Niger East).

In his lead debate Senator Musa said: “The proposal for the establishment of the Nigeria Civil Defence Academy is a fall out of several internal security challenges we face as a nation which is clearly becoming overwhelming to our security agencies.

“It has become apparent that efforts have to be made to develop the capacities of supportive security organs such as the Nigeria Civil Defence Corps, who are expected to in conjunction with the Nigerian Police provide internal security, and to attain the highest standards of professionalism.

“This Academy will provide strategic leadership training to the Civil Defence Corps which is most desirable in our national security matters and will also act as a think-tank on domestic security frameworks and it will be an important platform in shaping up the Community policing system. The Academy will develop a broader outlook and understanding, out of which would grow a broader strategy.”

 

Curbing Youth Restiveness

 

The Senate has also moved to curtail youth restiveness in the Niger Delta region by tackling the root cause of the menace. It said that the problem of environmental degradation must be tackled through requisite technology to be provided by an institution entrusted with that mandate.

To this end, it has commenced the consideration of a Bill which seeks to tackle the Ogoni environmental challenge in the South South geopolitical zone. The Bill for an Act to establish the Federal University of Environment Technology last week passed second reading in the upper chamber. According to the sponsor of the Bill and Senator representing Rivers South-East, Barinada Mpigi, if approved, the university would be located at Saakpenwa, in Ogoni land.

Senator Mpigi in his lead debate argued that the establishment of an institution of higher learning in the area would provide the manpower needed to tackle the environmental degradation caused by years of oil exploration and exploitation. He noted that the proposed specialised university would be the first of its kind in Africa.

In their contributions, Senators Barau Jibrin and Ibikunle Amosun, among others, supported the Bill when it was debated.

Senator Jibrin, who is also the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriation, submitted that the proposed university would also be of tremendous benefit to other environmentally challenged parts of the country. He said the environmental institution would train professionals to tackle both the menace of erosion in the South-East and desertification in the Northern region.

Senator Amosun, a former Governor of Ogun State, concurred with both Senators Mpigi and Jibrin. The Ogun Central Senator said the establishment of the university would also reduce youth restiveness.

Senate President Ahmad Lawan sees the flurry of security, education and environment bills in the Senate as a deliberate undertaking by the ninth National Assembly to tackle insecurity through legislation. Lawan made the disclosure in his concluding remarks on three bills before the Senate which seek to establish the Nigeria Civil Defence Academy, give legal backing to the Nigeria Police Academy and to establish a Commission against the proliferation of small arms and light weapons.

He noted that the Bills are part of the National Assembly’s contribution to the sustainability and eventual winning of the ongoing war against insurgency and to ensure peace in troubled communities. He added that the bills are meant to create institutions dedicated to providing enduring solutions to the nation’s security and economic logjam. According to the Senate President, the National Assembly remains committed to ensuring that the security situation in the country is vastly improved.

 

Conclusion

 

Lawan said: “For the last two weeks or so, or even more, the Senate has been discussing and debating on security related motions for days. This is our commitment to our country. We want to see the security situation improve, and that is why we are doing this.

“We are dealing with this by trying to institutionalize certain situations that will provide enduring arrangements and solutions to the situation we face today.

“So, we will push this to ensure that we pass all these bills, and I’m sure Mr. President will assent to these bills because all the three or four bills are security related, none of them is frivolous or bills trying to play to the gallery.

“They are bills that are so important to the security architecture of this country, and infact when you talk about training, it is key and central to getting the kind of competent and qualified security personnel.”

It is however hoped that when these lofty laws are realised, the Federal Government will summon the needed political will to implement their provisions in such a way that they will not only remain paper legacies but be of lasting benefit to the country.