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Abuja varsity law students, others celebrate Rhodes-Vivour

It was not a crowd, but an assemblage of quality minds. It was the gathering of some of the nation’s best in the legal profession and some youths, who aspire after them.

The event – a book launch and public lecture – held last Thursday in Abuja by some Law students of the University of Abuja, was intended to celebrate the intellectual accomplishments of Justice Olabode Rhodes-Vivour of the Supreme Court, and his contributions to the nation’s judicial system.

Titled: ‘’The state of the Nigerian nation: Leadership crisis, terrorism, corruption and peace building,’’ the event, however, provided a platform for a frank analysis of the many ills plaguing the nation. Speakers identified impunity, avarice, corruption and bad leadership as the main contributors to the nation’s stunted growth. They contended that a solution lies in the people’s resolve to confront theses vices rather than complain about them.

In attendance were Justices of the Supreme Court, Justices John Fabiyi, Kayode Ariwoola, Mary Peter Odili, Kumai Bayang Aka’ahs and John Okoro; Justices of the Court of Appeal,Tajiani Abukakar, and Adeniyi Ademola; Justice Gabriel Kolawole of the Federal High Court and former Justice Minister and Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Kanu Agabi (SAN).

Also at the event were former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Wole Olanipekun (SAN), Damian Dodo (SAN), J. O. Olatoke (SAN), Joe Agi (SAN) and former Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Stephen Oronsaye.

Speakers praised the honouree. Olanipekun described him as “one of the very best that our profession has produced; one of the very best that is adorning our country’s Bench”.

It was not a crowd, but an assemblage of quality minds. It was the gathering of some of the nation’s best in the legal profession and some youths, who aspire after them.

The event – a book launch and public lecture – held last Thursday in Abuja by some Law students of the University of Abuja, was intended to celebrate the intellectual accomplishments of Justice Olabode Rhodes-Vivour of the Supreme Court, and his contributions to the nation’s judicial system.

Titled: ‘’The state of the Nigerian nation: Leadership crisis, terrorism, corruption and peace building,’’ the event, however, provided a platform for a frank analysis of the many ills plaguing the nation. Speakers identified impunity, avarice, corruption and bad leadership as the main contributors to the nation’s stunted growth. They contended that a solution lies in the people’s resolve to confront theses vices rather than complain about them.

In attendance were Justices of the Supreme Court, Justices John Fabiyi, Kayode Ariwoola, Mary Peter Odili, Kumai Bayang Aka’ahs and John Okoro; Justices of the Court of Appeal,Tajiani Abukakar, and Adeniyi Ademola; Justice Gabriel Kolawole of the Federal High Court and former Justice Minister and Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Kanu Agabi (SAN).

Also at the event were former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Wole Olanipekun (SAN), Damian Dodo (SAN), J. O. Olatoke (SAN), Joe Agi (SAN) and former Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Stephen Oronsaye.

Speakers praised the honouree. Olanipekun described him as “one of the very best that our profession has produced; one of the very best that is adorning our country’s Bench”.

Olanipekun, who praised organisers of the event for their effort, said it was one of the best ways to honour an individual who has given his all to the administration of justice. He said he had known Justice Rhodes-Vicour in the early 70s as an undergraduate at the University of Lagos, noting that the Justice has “quintessential and recondite” personality.

He said: “Nobody is remembered for the extent to which he acquired material wealth while on earth, but for the good you did. You can only be remembered through what has been written and said about you.”

Justice Fabiyi, who spoke on behalf of the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Mahmud Mohammed, said he had been unable to see the CJN since the courts were shut by Judiciary workers, who have been on strike since January 5 to force the Executive (both at the federal and state levels) to obey a judgment given on January 13, 2014 by a Federal High Court in Abuja.

Fabiyi, who seemed uncomfortable with the Executive’s reluctance to obey court orders, observed that the election period was when the Judiciary requires more prayers to enable it handle the post-election litigation challenges. “We are trying all our possible best to keep this nation afloat. And we know that many of you are praying for us in time like this. In the next six weeks, we will see what happens,” he said.

Agabi, who gave the keynote address, expressed concern about the growing disrespect for law and order. He praised the judiciary for sustaining the country, but advised judicial officers to always resist efforts to tempt them to betray their out of office.

He contended that as against the belief, the Judiciary is not corrupt, but it is imperfect. He argued that the allegation of corruption is intended to discourage the Judiciary, because it serves as the country’s only hope of continued existence.

Agabi regretted the practice where government and leaders deliberately ignore court judgments and orders, arguing that such practice was not healthy for the nation that seeks to grow its democracy on the principles of law and order, and rule of law.

“Those in authorities must always remind themselves that they will die one day and give account of their deeds. We have reached a point where corruption permeated every department of our national life, so that we all became corrupt. We all have to repent.

“A time is never going to come when we shall legitimize corruption or violence; a time is never going to come when we shall abolish the law and the courts. We belong to a nation, some of whose citizens are seeking immortality in the things that are perishable. You judges have the unique privilege of immortalising yourselves now that you are judging. That is what you do when you commit them to writing.

“Generations upon generations forever, shall condemn Pontius Pilate, who declared that he found no guilt in Christ, but nevertheless, sentenced him to death. That is the fate that awaits those judges who succumb,” Agabi said.

Justice Rhodes-Vivour frowned at the continued condemnation of the identified ills of the society, particularly corruption; but with people reluctant to confront the vices. He said what was needed for the country to exit the woods, was for everyone to resolve to work for a better society. He waived aside the anxiety being expressed over the next general election, assuring that the Judiciary will not fret, as it was capable of handling whatever the outcomes turns out to be.

“Anytime anybody stands up to speak, what he says is that this one is corrupt, that one is corrupt. I always say; nothing new is being said. If you read Genesis, chapter six, verse 12 in the Bible, God said the whole world was corrupt. That, man has corrupted the world. That was then. And now, we are still saying this is corrupt, that is corrupt.

“What we should do is to gather together and try to reduce corruption. I think it is high time we start addressing how to reduce corruption instead of reminding ourselves that this or that is corrupt. Let us think of ways to reduce it.

“The whole country is wondering what this election will be like, whether the country could handle it. I think we will handle it easily. As far as the judiciary is concerned, we are waiting for whatever comes from the election with pleasurable anticipation.

January 20, 2015
My investment plans for Lagos, Abuja

Mohammed Alabbar sits atop a 35 billion-dollar company called the Emaar Group. The outfit owns, among other top notch properties, the tallest building in the world, Burj Khalifa; the biggest shopping mall in the world, the Dubai Shopping Mall; one of the biggest water fountains in the world and one of the best hotel chains in the Middle-East, the Address Hotel and Apartments. He told OKORIE UGURU how he started one of the world’s biggest business empires and his plans to invest in Nigeria. Excerpts:

How long have you been in business?

We started our development business about 18 years ago. They call us a developing country but we are not really a developing country. We are a young country. This country (UAE) is about 45 years old. So, when I compare ourselves with the city of London that is 400 years old, and New York that is 200 years old, we are babies.

Of course, we are behind. Our people just want to live a normal life. They just want to stay in a comfortable place, civilised. Apart from the kids having their bicycle routes, we want to make sure we have electricity and running water. We want to make economic progress and safety and have a little bit of hope.

I spent seven years of my life in Singapore, I was in Singapore originally, but I came back to Dubai in 1992. I did a little bit of what some will call economic development for seven to eight years. I was doing a lot of business relations, stuffs like that. I had a lot of young people, about 200 of us. We really did an incredible job. We had so much fun.

After seven to eight years, I decided that I could see progress in the city and infrastructure was important. When I started the company, I had no money. That was the challenge. I drew a business plan and people believed in it and, I think, my credibility, based on the work I had done. So, investors put in about $15 million. The rules allowed me to go public at that time and I raised another $15 million from the market. But I never thought it was going to be this big. I really like to do things well.

We started development and drew up designs. I really like to do things well. I like reputation. I just believed I was in a business where if anybody wanted to buy a home from me, it was the most important decision in one’s life; and that is the biggest chunk of investment for anyone. You’re buying a house for investment or you are buying it to live in, that is the most incredible moment of your life.

What would you say has been your business philosophy?

Our philosophy here, me and my staff, is to do a good job. While we want to make profit, we still want to do fabulous jobs. Instead of making three dollars, because we wanted to do things well, we ended up making five dollars. People paid us more than we thought in our financial feasibility because they wanted to trust someone. We started that way and we continued.

We got lucky. We like to do large projects. We did 2,000,000 square meters, 4,000,000, and this is our third largest project that we have done (Downtown Dubai), and this is huge. We had done Dubai Marina, which is 6,000,000 square metres. We finished that and we came to town. This is about 3,000,000 square metres.

But all along we see ourselves and all of you travelling to London, Paris, New York, Kuala Lumpur and we say ‘Waoh! What beautiful places you have there. I get quite annoyed. I think they are good, but can’t we be just as good? We want to be proud of ourselves. We want to make some money while we are doing business, but can we do things right? This (last) year, we will finish with 80,000,000 visitors. I never believed that this would happen in my lifetime.

We have 1,500 sensors, so, I can tell you exactly how many visitors we have every day. And we are growing at about 10 per cent. But we control it. We manage the roads. We manage the flowers. We clean the bathrooms, the parking lot. Every day, we add one security. Everything is totally managed by us. We are so lucky to be trusted to do this. That in my life time I am able to build a monument like this or a large mall (Dubai Shopping Mall), the one I am doing in Cairo, it is such a great gift and we should be able to do a good job.

Don’t you think you can replicate these in Nigeria?

We are a young country and need to do more of the same thing in Nigeria. There is so much we can do. If we are making two dollars, why not do a good job? Isn’t that nice? To have a good brand, a good name is very critical for us. I am sure there are a lot of young people and older people in Nigeria who are probably doing the same thing. They are doing good quality work in technology, banking, real estate and so on. So, I think we are just being passionate about what we do.

But when you look at Nigeria, you look at Africa, there is so much that can be done in Nigeria. People complain about power supply issues and all that. I know it is a problem, but as we progress, it will be solved. We once had power cuts in the city (Dubai) too. This is a growing thing. We are very lucky. We are only 1.5 million people. Nigeria is about 170 million people; that is a different scale. I am sure it can be fixed and I wish it can be fixed as soon as possible. We can’t wait too long because we are all connected to technology. We are connected to the television. We see how other people lived everywhere and we just want to live as good. Whether we are practising democracy or whatever, we want decent life for our families.

I am in the business of providing reasonable, comfortable quality life. If it is the house you live in, how the road is laid, how it is maintained, how the playground of your kids is done, how the clinic is put there for your service, the nursery and school for your kids and the office building’s design, that is the business we are into. This site alone contributes four per cent of Dubai GDP. You know the velocity of business is so much. We are a big tourist attraction by the way.

Would you attribute all this to good planning?

Yes, we planned well, but we never knew it was going to be as big as this. We planned it by studying Las Vegas. There is a fabulous stuff in Vegas. We studied Paris, London and New York and we saw the fabulous stuff they had done, and we tried to go and talk to these people. For example, we have the Three Crown Boulevard here. We brought in the people who are working in museums and we said: ‘Let’s talk about designs.’ More importantly we told them: ‘Can we talk about mistakes? What are the mistakes we have in Chancery Museum? They said very simple: we have problems with parking because Chancery Museum does not have any parking space. We said okay, but what do you suggest we do? They said we think you should put the parking first and put your boulevard on top. We made space for 5,000 car parks, and then put a boulevard on top.

If you drive by the boulevard, there is actually a kingdom underground. We said okay, what is the other shortfall? They said it is very embarrassing that toilet is a problem; that with all these tourists, there is no place to go to toilet. We said waoh! So, we have 55 toilets underground and we make sure they are clean. Of course they want security and technology and we put those that in. But for us from the Middle East, I can’t put a mosque in this congested area. So, in our car parks, we have five mosques for men, five mosques for women.

Are you also making money from the parking space?

No we are not. But if we want to succeed, if we want to have a good environment, we have to provide these services and we make money from the real estate. We installed our fountain for 180 million Euros. You think I can charge people for the fountain? No, I can’t. But we discovered that every building that we have built with a view to the fountain, we make more money from the building than we paid for the fountain. I never knew that.

At the same time, we made mistakes. We adjusted some, and some we could not adjust. Today, we would like to take this experience to countries all around us. We are taking this to Nigeria. We will build one in Abuja and one in Lagos. These are great cities in the world, not only in Africa. In my job, I follow up designs in detail, and the marketing. I have got a strong team who manages the finance. We make sure that we do things right and there is always money in the bank. So, we’ve got a good team that manages that side. I manage the design, marketing and strategy sides.

Is your background in design and architecture?

No, my background is science. It is interesting. My parents and I lived in a government-owned house. When I got a job, the first thing I did was to borrow money and renovated my mother’s house, which was our house. I remember in those days, I think I liked designs, I like adjustments. So, I changed that government house that we lived in to something smart. I think design and construction is something that I like.

Where did you pick that skill from?

I don’t know. My grandfather, my uncles are all mathematicians and they are really into designs. They are quite good. Maybe it is something in the DNA. A lot of times, things in our DNA affect how we behave.

What was your first vision?

When I was in Singapore, I was flying back and forth. In Singapore, when you open the newspaper, the biggest news was always Mr. X,Y, Z, owner of a real estate doing this or that. Property was always the big news. When I came back to Dubai, it was still growing but not as much as now. Then you had one building built by Mr. Abdullah, one by Mr. John, and in between, you had maybe road, maybe not. I said it would be nice to do things right; plan the roads, landscape the roads, make sure the road and buildings are designed well and in harmony. I said it would be nice for someone to do this with a development company that has comprehensive planning. That was how it all started. I was lucky because Dubai was moving forward. That was pure luck.

What would you say has been your driving force?

When I started, as I said, I didn’t know it was going to get this big. There are two elements: one, because we became public. I live in a society that when I go public, I take your money and invest. In our society, and I am sure in Africa, the business that I take your money to invest and I don’t make money for you is unheard of; or I take your money and I lose it. No way. That is just not acceptable in my society. Now, maybe some people did lose money, but ethically, the home I come from and the society too, I think taking people’s money, it was a lot of pressure, unbelievable pressure up till this moment.

Number two, today we’ve got to the size where we are. We’ve got about $35 billion company. We are profitable. Do we need to run around to do projects in Morocco or do project in Nigeria? I don’t have to, but I think we need to enrich the world and enrich ourselves. These are opportunities. Okay, we are a company, we make money, but we need to come and make a change. For me, I am so excited to participate because Dubai is not as big as Nigeria, a huge country such as Nigeria needs business partners; it needs good, decent hotels. It needs beautiful neighborhood for people to live in. It needs a downtown for people. It is just common sense for me. But on top of that, I am very passionate about designing new neigbourhoods.

Funny enough, I don’t know how I did it. My first project was 500 homes. The site was about 400 hectares. Why I started that way and why I like big size? Because I like to control the environment and control what happens in it, good or bad. It has worked.

In some countries, if you hear a person talk like this, you would say he has a political ambition…

No, I don’t. Being a public company is enough pain for me.

How do you expect to sustain this?

You should have an open mind. You look at the world, look at the market you are in, and you always search for opportunities, surround yourself with good people. Make sure you have good business principles as you do your business, and one of them is that we want people to trust us. We have to have discipline, without discipline you cannot do a thing. You can’t.

You have the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world. You also have the biggest shopping mall in the world. Did you set out with projects like this in mind?

At the beginning, we just wanted to make sure that in the first two years, we succeeded. No clue at the beginning of what we wanted to do, to be honest with you. But we tried to do things and it is working and we say let’s push the boundary, let’s get bigger, let’s do things well. You know as you do this, you make mistakes, you learn, you become better. And then after, you say well, I can do bigger things because I have done this, I have done that, I have enough people, I have knowledge, I have ability. The original thinking was very simple: how can I do this business? I barely have money to start the company. And how can I make money for myself while I am becoming successful? It is really a very simple vision.

Now, as this comes up, till today, it doesn’t make a difference. What makes the difference is what we’ve been able to achieve. We’ve been able to add value to our society, to our investors. We built quality structures, we have good reputation.

January 17, 2015
Stephanie Henshaw cools off in Abuja

After hibernating from the prying public eyes for close to a year now, Stephanie Henshaw, the estranged wife of flamboyant Pastor, Chris Okotie, has gone grooving. The delectable lady, we gathered, relocated to Abuja with her kids and still struts the social space while her wedding band still glitters on her finger. Pastor Chris Okotie announced his divorce from Stephanie to his church members at the Household of God Church on Sunday, June 24th, 2012. The crash was celebrated by major tabloids as many could not believe the sudden and unexpected crash of the celebrated four-year marriage of funky pastor to Stephanie, a mother of three. An inside source revealed that the flamboyant man of God still cares for her kids because they only remain separated on principles and not formally divorced.

January 4, 2015
Transport firm sets to improve passenger services

The Urban Mass Transport Company (AUMTC) in Abuja said it has concluded plans to improve the safety of its passengers.

According to Mr. Tunde Akintola, Head of Marketing and Communication at AUMTC, in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Tuesday, the transport company plans to do this by regularly monitoring its drivers.

Akintola disclosed that the company had improved its customer care services in the interest of passengers.

“We are in collaboration with the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) to give daily pep talks to our drivers on the basic tenets of driving.

“We also mandate our drivers to properly check their vehicles every morning before they set out. This is to ensure comfort and safety of our passengers,” he said.

The head of marketing and communication also said that the company had increased its loading depots in 2014 to cover more areas in Abuja to enable passengers in most part of the city to have access to its services.

“In 2014, we were able to open four more depots in places such as Bwari, Mpape, Katampe and Gwagwalada; and we intend to open more in 2015.

“With this, it will become easier to pick more passengers from different parts of Abuja and to reduce the mass transport deficit in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT),” he observed.

He said that the need to satisfy customers also prompted the company to pay adequate attention to its Customer Care Unit.

“We ensure that our customers’ needs are adequately addressed and that is why we made efforts to modernise our Customer Service Unit by ensuring that our website is updated on a daily basis.

“We also ensure that our call centres are always functional to respond to their needs.

“Our commuters can easily reach us if they have complaints, and if customers send mails, we respond promptly, that is why activities like hawking and preaching in the buses have stopped.

“These modest efforts fetched us an award as the Best Customer Service Company in 2014 from the Nigeria Customer Service Award,” he said.

Meanwhile, Akintola called on passengers to support the company to enable it provide modern urban mass transport services in Abuja.

December 30, 2014
Displaced by Boko Haram, neglected in Abuja

Fleeing from the guns and bombs of insurgents, internally displaced persons (IDPs) from the Northeast hoping to find shelter and relief in the Federal Capital Territory are ignored by the authorities. GBENGA OMOKHUNU and GRACE OBIKE report that they are grappling with the worst circumstances

They must be grateful for surviving the insurgents but after that, daily living has presented internally displaced people (IDPs) from the Northeast with unspeakable challenges. Several towns in their home states have been overrun by Boko Haram fighters, the invaders’ black flags announcing the conquest. So many have been gunned down or killed by bombs. A good number have been kidnapped. Many more, though, survived and have fled to just about anywhere they can find shelter and relief. The less terrorised parts of the region are saturated with these fleeing residents of the frontline states such as Yobe, Adamawa and Borno.

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) is not spared. The IDPs are continuously streaming in, first finding shelter with relatives and friends but soon discovering that they are putting undue pressure on their hosts. Such problems as overcrowding and feeding challenges have pushed them further on to various locations.

At those locations, life is almost unbearable. Neither the FCT leadership nor the Federal Government has made any provisions for them. Feeding is as much a problem as is shelter. When they find something to eat, there is no water, so they make do with filthy stream water. With the cold season setting in, the displaced people are at the mercy of the elements, too.

Some individuals once offered the IDPs farmlands to build temporary shanties until they could return home but some yet-to-be-identified armed people, said to be security agents, raided the location and reportedly shot at some of the displaced people, even arresting a few. Some escaped with bullet wounds and fled to Nasarawa State and some villages in the FCT.

Although the Federal Government and FCT administration are aware of the existence of these people, they have refused to assist or associate with them. The IDPs now survive from assistance from well-meaning Nigerians or on odd jobs since they do not have any certificate or means of identification that can provide them with better jobs at the seat of power.

The Nation discovered that there are about eight settlements of IDPs in Abuja alone documented by the organisation, Ending Terrorism and the Restoration of our Ancestral Homeland, Northeast Nigeria. There are four settlements around Apo which include Waru, Wa’asa, Zintili and Panteka; there is another around Jabi Airport Road after the bridge and some around Area 1 but they are living inside and one can hardly identify them until you go there with some aid. They are scared after the experience with the security agents.

Although well-meaning Nigerians have tried to assist the displaced people, there are reports that some politicians about a month ago tried to take advantage of their situation. The report said that the politicians visited the displaced people and offered them T-shirts and cap, promising to give them N10,000 if they agreed to return to their troubled communities to vote for them.

A non-governmental organisa-tion was said to have visited the IDPs, attracting much media presence only to give the over 1,000 displaced people very little relief materials which caused a fight among them as they struggled to get the little they saw.

Aisha Hammid, an IDP from Gwoza, who is now sheltering in Wa’asa, said: “My husband is a welder but since we have been here only one organisation came to present some items to us but they were not enough. They brought ten bags of rice, one bag of sugar and nine blankets. They were shared and at the end of the day people fought because some did not get and my family did not even get any of the materials.

“The living conditions in most of the IDP settlements are so horrible and these people who obviously had comfortable houses back home have to live in degrading conditions; some live in shanties, others sleep in open fields while a few who can be said to be a bit lucky, like the Wa’asa community, live in an abandoned estate with no light and water and in some cases, no toilets, so they have to defecate in the bushes.

The stream in the Wa’asa community is almost dried up; snakes and cattle drink and defecate in the dirty yellowish water that the people drink and bathe in. When asked, the women explained that they throw alum into the water and lets it sit for a while before drinking. They also complained of the effects that the water was having on their children who now easily fall sick and have contracted various skin diseases.

A resident of Wa’asa, Mariam Muhammed, said, “I have five children. We have Gwoza, Bama people here and many others. We ran for our lives to settle here in Waasa village and we are about 3000. We are staying in an uncompleted estate by the mercy of those who are taking care of the houses. If by tomorrow peace is restored to these troubled villages we are willing to go back. We are struggling to survive here.

“Things are hard to come by. We the women stay at home while our husbands go out to look for what we will eat. My husband drives taxi while others ride Okada; the children are no more going to school because there is not much money; even to feed is a problem. We have been here now for about four months. Many of our people are still joining us but there is no more accommodation in this settlement. Many families are managing; for example, two families of 12 are sharing two rooms. No electricity, no potable water. The only water we drink, cook and wash with is from a dirty stream. We defecate inside the forest because there is no toilet facility. We are begging Government to come to our aid and save our soul. We are also Nigerians.”

Acting coordinator, Ending Terrorism and the Restoration of our Ancestral Homeland, Northeast Nigeria, Mr. Baba Oliver, an engineer, said that Northeastern youths are ready to take up arms and assist the military in the fight against Boko Haram to take back their ancestral homes if only the government is willing to train and give them weapons.

He also lamented that most aged parents, including his, are still trapped in their troubled communities, with some dying of hunger and exhaustion in caves and bushes since they cannot walk long distances like the younger ones to escape the insurgency.

His words, “From Gwoza, Madagali, Michika, up to Mubi, there is no way anybody can go back to Maiduguri; all those people displaced there ran through Cameroon to Yola and Yola is congested with no place to sleep; now what happened is that Abuja happens to be the centre of Nigeria where everybody from every Local Government has a brother, so if you run to your headquarters and there is nowhere for you to lay your head, what do you do? You try to run to where you can see your brothers to seek help.

“That was why people rushed to Abuja but when they came to Abuja, the houses of the brothers got filled up. What did they do? They now tried to live in camps which, we know, government went to disperse like the one in Durumi where security agents attacked the IDPs at night shooting at them, so they now dispersed all over like in Nasarawa State and some villages in Abuja like towards the end of Apo and other places.

“We have to talk because our first need is for the government to recapture our land for us; let us go back and cast our votes for the leaders we want and so that we can continue our businesses; all of us lost our houses, businesses; we lost everything. Our communities are now filled with dead bodies and burnt-down houses; we are just asking for the return of our land.

“We are not only willing but on standby; if today we see that killing has stopped, by tomorrow, almost 90% of the IDPs in Abuja will go back because they do not have a source of living; most of them are in farm settlements and stay there trying to farm to feed or engage in menial jobs.”

He also said, “In our letter to the President and speech at the National Assembly, we made it known that we the youths came out to protest because our leaders have refused to talk; they will go to a board room or hotel room and sit down to pass a memorandum on paper which they have never acted on, or they have never come out to tell the government anything tangible or put any pressure.

“That is why this insurgency is coming out because the government does not do anything that people do in a civilised way; the only good thing that I know is that the youths are willing to even go to the war front because what happened in Mubi, everybody knows that it is the determination of local hunters and vigilante groups that went with the army together to fight Boko Haram.

“Right now, the survival of the Abuja IDPs is by the grace of God and sheer determination of the people. Our people are hardworking most of them are farmers so they go out there to engage in menial jobs to earn money to take care of their families; then there are good-hearted Nigerians who go there every day to give them money or foodstuff.

“If the government refuses to recognise the existence of IDPs in Abuja, then what will NEMA do, since it is a parastatal under the government, this people are simply surviving from the help of well-meaning Nigerians and their sheer determination.

“To be honest, I cannot tell you the actual number of IDPs in Abuja but I will speak from the records we have. As of today, we have the records of about eight settlements; we have four settlements around Apo and they include Waru, Wa’asa, Zintili and Panteka, we have one around Jabi airport road after the bridge, we have some around Area 1 but the people are inside and you can hardly identify them except you go there with some aid. They are scared of people after what happened in Durumi.

December 16, 2014
NBA Abuja elects new officers

The Abuja Branch of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has elected officers to run its affairs for the next two years.

Mr Agada Elachi was elected chairman.

Other officers are Betty Umegbulem (Vice-Chairman), Kolawole Omotunigbon (Secretary), Christopher Etche (Treasurer), Silas Joseph Onu (Publicity Secretary), Chinedu Obienu (Welfare Secretary), Philemon Yakubu (Financial Secretary), Nduka Okatta (Social Secretary), Obioma Ezenwabodo (Provost) and Ego Umukoro (Assistant Social Secretary).

The contestants for the post of Assistant Secretary and Assistant Financial Secretary were disqualified because they did not pay their local dues as at when due.

The new officers were inaugurated immediately and they have taken the mantle of leadership from the U.M.Yamah led administration.

Elachi holds a Degree in Law (LL.B) from the University of Jos, Plateau State. He attended the Nigerian Law School, Bwari and was called to the Nigerian bar in 1999.

He has been engaged in active legal practice with a bias for resolution disputes outside the conventional Litigation system. He has varied experience in the practice of law covering areas like commercial law and company practice.

He is a qualifiedand Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) certified capital market operator. He is also actively engaged in investment and real estates practice, advising individual clients and corporations.

Agada has over a decade’s experience as an Alternative Dispute Resolution expert with a bias for mediation and arbitration.

Agada has a more than passing interest in the academia and served for two years as an external resource person for the Benue State University, Makurdi (Abuja Study Centre).

He holds a postgraduate degree in Peace and Conflict Studies from the University of Ibadan and is a member of the Society for Peace Studies and Practice (SPSP). He is currently in pursuit of a doctoral degree in Public Policy and Administration specializing in Terrorism Mediation and Peace with the Walden University (USA).

December 16, 2014
Abuja to have world-class heart hospital soon

Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, may soon have a world-class hospital for heart related issues.

This hint was dropped by a humanitarian group based in the United Kingdom and the United States made up of Nigerian doctors abroad.

The group is already in the country for free surgical operations for a week in collaboration with Garki Hopsital.

According to Pauline Odeyemi, Project Manager of the Hospital For Humanity (HFH), the group is preparing to establish a hospital mainly for heart-related issues in Abuja as a way of bridging the health gap in the country.

Odeyemi told journalists that the group was ready to move in and commence work towards establishing the specialist hospital.

Odeyemi hinted that the group was prepared to mobilize Nigerians abroad to come home and work in the hosptal, thereby saving the country a huge sum of money spent on foreign medicals yearly.

Odeyemi who is a specialist in Medical ICT in the United Kingdom observed that majority of the people who troop abroad for medical care,do so mainly for specialist needs.

Addressing journalists on the importance of the cardio thoracic surgeries to be performed by specialists on 19 patients in the first phase of the exercise, Odeyemi said that the move became necessary to save the lives of the patients whose parents could not afford the cost of a heart surgery.

December 13, 2014
Women and Abuja’s stoves
SIR: Recently, the Federal Executive Council approved the purchase and distribution of 750,000 units of clean cooking stoves and 18,000 wonder bags worth N9.2bn for rural women under the National Clean Cooking Scheme. Whether the contract for the stoves awarded to Messrs Integra Renewable Energy Services Limited is an election campaign strategy or not, its timing and necessity is most critical at this time when the world is experiencing massive energy shift and adverse effect of climate change. According to the Energy Information Administration (EIA) database, Nigeria’s energy mix for cooking and lightening is still dominated by the traditional use of charcoal, firewood, and kerosene. This is explained by the fact that over 51% of the population lack access to electricity supply and for those that are connected to the national electricity grid, inconsistent supply has been the norm. This has led to over 70% of those with access to power depending on generator sets to augment inconsistent public power supply.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) report, “Fuel for Life: Household Energy & Health”; more than three billion people still burn wood, dung, coal and other traditional fuels inside their homes. According to the same report, breathing kerosene fumes is the equivalent of smoking two packets of cigarettes a day and two-thirds of adult females with lung cancer in developing nations are non-smokers, but cooking mothers. From the report, such resulting indoor air pollution is responsible for more than 1.5 million deaths a year mostly of young children and their mothers; inducing acute respiratory infection, influenza and pneumonia.

If these traditional energy consumption pattern continues, not only is it going to lead to more respiratory diseases which most hospitals cannot handle given the inadequate skills and health facilities, it would also encourage massive cutting of trees and deforestation for firewood, making worse the effects of global warming; desertification, erosion, and flood. A multiplier effect; visibly observed in the rising food shortages; poor agricultural yield, inflation, excess heat, extinction of animals and unexplained diseases.

From international health standards, reducing indoor air pollution from burning firewood, fume emitting kerosene stoves and coal will reduce child morbidity and mortality. Protecting the developing embryo from indoor air pollution can help avert stillbirth, perinatal mortality and low birth weight. Getting rid of open fires and kerosene wick lamps in the home can prevent infants and toddlers being burned and scalded.

It is within these health and environmental reasons that such Federal Executive efforts to reduce the dependency and use of these traditional energy pollutants are commendable, especially when the substituting provision is established on the clean renewable energy sources. While many may fear that such effort may not be sustainable or expanded upon, there is need to urge the Federal Executive Council, Ministries of Environment and Power to take serious its obligations to invest in renewable energy. It should seek to implement to the letter all the contracts meant for investing in renewable energy such as the recently pledged support bid for renewable energy grant of $200million (N33.6billion) by the German Development Bank (KFW) and the signed MoU with Motir Seaspire, an American based renewable energy investor for a $4billion 1200MW solar power plant.

While the Federal Government’s funding of the National Clean Cooking Scheme is commendable, it would have been an excellent idea if the N9.2billion was invested in a facility that will produce the stoves back here in Nigeria. This would have made the intervention sustainable as it will grow local productive capacity, create jobs, provide new revenue in corporate income tax to government and reduce the pressure on the naira considering that the stoves under the extant scheme will be paid for in foreign currency. If we adopt this recommended approach, we would have had access to the stoves while at the same time deriving other benefits.

Climate change is now an undeniable reality. Cutting carbon emission and keeping the earth and her population safe is an obligation responsible governments and nations are signing up to. Clean renewable energy sources have become the key tool in doing this, as the breakthrough in clean technology have become viral. Nigeria cannot be an exception to the global renewable energy trend. Nigeria is richly blessed with the desired renewable inputs; sunlight, wind, hydro, biomass, and most especially the rich manpower.
- Donald Ikenna Ofoegbu
Centre for Social Justice, Abuja
December 11, 2014
Insurgency increases influx into Abuja

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has lamented that the insurgency in the Northeast and the recent bomb blast at Kano Central Mosque have increased the influx of displaced people into the city.

The Coordinator Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC), Mr Reuben Okoya disclosed this in Abuja at a press briefing where he informed journalists about the activities of the agency this year.

He revealed that AMMC is in charge of managing the nation’s capital in terms of development control, environmental issues, parks and recreation, relocation and outdoor advertising among other functions.

He said the sudden increase in the FCT population has taken its toll on the existing infrastructure which is now being overstretched.

Okoya stated: ”The unrest in the Northeast and Southsouth is driving many people into Abuja as a safe haven. The number of IDPs in Abuja is growing. I can tell you the last Kano bomb blast has driven a lot of people to Abuja. We cannot stop people from coming in. The best we can do is to manage them.”

The coordinator, however, blamed various state governments across the state for failing to make their states work.

“Until the various state government in Nigeria start succeeding, because they have failed, people won’t stop coming into the FCT.”

Okoya emphasises that the agency has continued to manage the city in the face of challenges without being deterred in spite of the dwindling revenues.

Meanwhile, Director of Department of Development Control, Yahaya Yusuf said that a total of 436 abandoned buildings were identified in the city, adding that 59 of the buildings have undergone integrity test after which the owners have commenced the redevelopment of the affected buildings.

He revealed that development control has demolished 2,636 shanties and 639 illegal structures this year.

December 9, 2014
‘Abuja can’t foist Bankole on Ogun PDP’

Ogun State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been embroiled in a crisis over preparations for next year’s general elections. In this interview with Assistant Editor LEKE SALAUDEEN, its chairman, Chief Adebayo Dayo, speaks on the disagreement over the choice of the governorship flag bearer.

Has the Senator David Mark led panel been able to integrate PDP factions in Ogun State?

The Senator David Mark Committee was set up to integrate the new and old members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Southwest states. You know Mark is one of the strong pillars of our party. He was appointed to lead a committee that will stabilise the PDP in the Southwest. When you see a good man, you will see a lot of good things in whatever he does. What the committee is doing in Southwest will help our party. It has been so far, so good.

Has the panel encountered any problem in that regard?

The only problem it has is in Ondo State where the state executive of the party was dissolved. It was unfortunate that the Ondo executive was dissolved because its Chairman, Ebenezer Alabi and members of his executive council worked very hard to make sure that the PDP remained strong in the state. As co-ordinator of PDP Southwest chairmen, when I heard Ondo State executive was dissolved, I knew that Senator Mark was not responsible for the dissolution because he believes in the rule of law and due process.

What is the position of the Southwest PDP Chairmen on the dissolved Ondo State executive?

As far as we are concerned, the PDP Executive Council is not dissolved. That is the court order. The matter is before the court and the court has ruled that the status quo should remain. The party chairman and members of his executive remain in office until we have a final judgment on the issue. I know that members of the National Working Committee are law abiding, they will always uphold the rule of law.

Is it true that a faction of the PDP in Ogun is calling for the dissolution of your executive?

I am not aware of that. It is not true. However, we are in a democratic dispensation; people are free to express their opinion.

The Ogun PDP executive cannot be dissolved until the expiration of our tenure in March 2016. Our executive is a product of a congress held in February 2012, which was validated by two courts of law. We have judgments from the Federal High Court and State High Court, Ilaro, confirming the legitimacy of the congress from wards to state level and the elected members of the state executive council. The speculators should be very careful, so that they don’t commit contempt of court.

What is your reaction to the speculation that the Presidency has endorsed former Speaker Dimeji Bankole for Ogun governorship?

The thinking of some people is that when a young man had the opportunity of occupying high office, he should remain there forever. It is not possible because time changes. Gone are the days when an individual will remain in the leadership position forever. The only person that remained a leader till his last day on earth was Chief Obafemi Awolowo. He worked for it and got it. Awo was a great man; a consistent leader who never misled his followers. Many people think they could be a leader like Awo. How many of them can shun social vices like womanising, drinking and lying like Awo did. Awo was always busy in his study room thinking of how to improve the lots of common Nigerians.

Bankole is a young man. I love him. But, he doesn’t know who his friends and enemies are. A man who is not ready to listen and learn from someone else’s experience, because he is too much in a hurry, how will he not make mistakes? He thought because he had occupied high office in the past that he will continue to be in big office for the rest of his life. That is why he is thinking of automatic ticket.

I have told all PDP governorship aspirants in Ogun State that I am the umpire for the race. I have no interest in who picks the ticket. My ambition is that the PDP should win in Ogun in 2015. If I am a younger man looking for appointment from a governor, I would probably take side with an aspirant. I don’t have ambition of seeking political appointment. I want to organise a free and fair primary that will be acceptable to all concerned.

If Abuja politicians give any aspirant automatic ticket, then they have to come down to Ogun State to vote for their anointed candidate. All I know is that we are preparing for the primaries through which candidates for elective offices would emerge. The delegates elected by the party members would decide the fate of the aspirants, including those seeking governorship tickets. Nobody can impose candidates on us in Ogun State. All the candidates would emerge through due process.

What is your working relationship with Jubril Martins Kuye (JMK) like?

What many people don’t know is that I happen to be a follower of JMK group for 18 years. JMK has been my leader. There are no more factions or groups in Ogun PDP. Kuye played a major role in making Gbenga Daniel governor in 2003. I regard him as my leader. But, he is not the only leader in the Ogun State chapter. Daniel is one of the leaders in Ogun State today, Prince Kashamu is another leader, Senator Otegbola is also a leader. Being leaders do not mean that they have groups. We have settled all our differences in Ogun PDP. If our governorship candidate emerged either through consensus or primary, we will all work together.

But, where an aspirant is contented with the promise of an automatic ticket by Abuja suggests that he lacks grassroots support. With the acceptability of a candidate by party members, 50 per cent of the workload is over. Through complimentary efforts, the party will make up the outstanding 50 per cent. If you are not popular among the party supporters, it is not possible for the party to win the election for you.

Have you fully integrate Gbenga Daniel’s group back into the PDP?

Thirty minutes ago, I received a text from Daniel, telling where he was. That speaks volume that our working relationship is very cordial. As someone who has been governor for eight years, he had helped many people through appointments. He has a lot of followers. The challenge I have now is how to manage the high calibre of people and having a working relationship with them. I don’t have any problem with Daniel and his followers. I am sure with the old and new group working together, the sky is the limit for us in Ogun PDP.

Are you reaching out to other opposition parties like Social Democratic Party (SDP)?

Yes, we have been discussing with our leader Chief Olusegun Osoba for a very long time. The relationship is very cordial, but we have not concluded any arrangement on 2015 elections.

How many governorship aspirants have submitted their nomination forms?

We have 11 in our records here in Ogun. They are Kayode Amusan, Tony Ojesina, Prince Yanju Lipede, Dr. Remilekun Bakare, Alhaji Sarafa Tunji Ishola, Dr. Femi Majekodunmi, Prof. David Bamgbose, Hon. Isiaka Akinlade, Omoba Segun Adewale, Prince Gboyega Isiaka, and Alhaji Rafiu Ogunleye.

What of Dimeji Bankole?

I am not aware of Dimeji Bankole’s intention. I have given you what we have in our records. May be he collected and submitted his form at Abuja.

In addition to governorship aspirants, 109 aspirants for House of Assembly, 59 for House of Representatives and 10 for Senate have submitted their forms.

How would you manage post-primary crisis?

Unless we want to deceive ourselves, the people that have remained in the party over the years will have an edge over those that are just returning. But, we will make sure that the positions go round. Most of the returnees have got waivers to contest. We will support them in achieving their political ambition. We shall work together at the general elections.

Are you prepared for the general elections?

The large number of aspirants filing nomination papers shows the strength of the party. We have 11 governorship aspirants that cut across the three senatorial zones, canvassing votes in their respective constituencies. It is a warm up for the party’s campaign to commence. With the party structure and the party manifesto, the PDP is the party to beat in Ogun State.

December 8, 2014