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Tag: accountable

  • ‘Why citizens can’t be held accountable for reporting crimes’

    ‘Why citizens can’t be held accountable for reporting crimes’

    FACTS

    This appeal is against the decision of Kano State High Court in Suit No. K/M963/2018, delivered on 1st April, 2019 by Justice Ibrahim Musa Karaye. At the trial Court, it was revealed that the 1st Respondent had a civil disagreement over a piece of land, which 1st Respondent bought from the 2nd Applicant/Appellant, through the 1st Applicant/Appellant, as agent. A 3rd party, one Alh. Yusuf Ahmed, later emerged to claim ownership of the land, resulting in attempt by the Alh. Yusuf Ahmed to use the Police against the Appellants, and this led to an application for enforcement of Applicants’ fundamental rights.

    The 1st Applicant had, in fact, been arrested and detained for 4 days, and ordered to produce the 2nd Appellant. At the High Court, in another Suit, No. K/M74/2018, the trial Judge A.J. Badamasi gave an order restraining the Police from further interfering with the subject matter of the Suit. In that Suit, No. K/M74/2018, Appellants, herein, and 1st Respondent were Applicants, in the fundamental rights action against Alh. Yusuf Ahmed, Mallam Dadda’u, Commissioner of Police, Kano State, and A.I.G Zone 1, Kano, as Respondents. The said Applicants were granted reliefs restraining the Respondents in the said case from arresting, detaining, harassing or intimidating, or in any way tampering with the rights or liberty, dignity of freedom of movement of the Applicants or taking any further steps in connection with the subject matter of the suit (which was complaint over land), at the behest of the 1st and 2nd Respondents.

    The Applicants herein, filed their fundamental rights action on 26/10/2018, against the Respondents because the 1st Respondent (who was 3rd Applicant in suit No. K/M74/2018) had reported the Applicants herein to the Police in respect of the said land transaction, causing the Police (2nd Respondent) to arrest and detain the 1st Applicant, for 4 days and seek to arrest the 2nd Applicant, too. All these, despite the fact that there was another pending High Court, suit No. K/127/2018, pending in the Court between Alh. Yusuf Ahmed (Plaintiff) against the Applicants (as Defendants) and Ungogo Local Government, over the said land dispute. The Applicants had deposed that 1st Respondent was desirous to use the Police to harass and detain them over the land transaction.

    The trial Court had said that the 1st Respondent had a right to complain to the Police where he felt he had been cheated, and that the 2nd Respondent had power to investigate such criminal complaint. The trial Court, simply dismissed the Applicants’ claim, without considering whether the use of the Police by 1st Respondent, in such circumstances, violated Applicants (Appellants) fundamental rights. Dissatisfied, the Appellant appealed.

    ISSUES FOR DETERMINATION

    The Court determined the appeal on a sole issue, viz:

    Whether the trial Court was right to dismiss the claims of Appellants for the simple reason that 1st Respondent had the right to lodge a complaint with the Police (2nd Respondent) where he felt that he had been cheated, and the 2nd Respondent had power to investigate criminal complaint, without determining the fact that the complaint was founded on a purely civil matter.

    COUNSEL’S SUBMISSIONS

    In his argument, at the trial Court, the 1st Respondent had said that he lodged a complaint of criminal conspiracy, cheating and criminal breach of trust with the Police, against the Appellants, and that the same was founded on Criminal allegations, different from the civil case before the High Court in the Suit No. K/127/2018.

    According to the Appellants’ Counsel, there was a civil dispute over land pending in Court between the Appellant and the 1st Respondent. The Counsel acknowledged that the dispute did not require Police intervention and argued that a land dispute is a civil matter that should not result in the brutalization, intimidation, and harassment of innocent parties.

    However, the Counsel contended that the trial Court failed to make any declaration or mention whether the case was civil in nature. The Appellants had presented evidence, such as the sales agreement (Exhibits B1 and B2), to demonstrate that the transaction between them and the 1st Respondent was purely civil. The Counsel argued that the Police, as per Section 4 of the Police Act, should focus on crime prevention, investigation, detection, and prosecution, not involving themselves in contractual disputes arising from civil transactions.

    To support their argument, the Counsel referred to the case of Okafor & Anor Vs A.I.G. & Ors (2019) LPELR – 46505 CA, which emphasized that the Police should not interfere in contractual disputes resulting from civil transactions. The Appellants conceded that the Police have the power to investigate crimes but believed that it was not justified to intervene, arrest, and detain the 1st Appellant, who was an agent to the contract, for four days.

    The Counsel cited the case of Anogwie & Ors Vs Odom & Ors (2016) LPELR – 40214 CA, which stated that the Police’s role does not include settling civil disputes, collecting debts, or enforcing civil agreements. They argued that detaining a person for four days was not only unconstitutional but also inhuman, referencing Section 46 of the 1999 Constitution and the Fundamental Rights (Enforcement Procedure) Rules 2009.

    The Counsel contended that the trial Court’s failure to address the issue of the case being a civil matter, which did not require Police involvement, resulted in a miscarriage of justice for the Appellants. They referenced various cases, including Ogbe Vs Kogi State Govt. & Ors (2018) LPELR – 44796 (CA), Mokeme Vs Okonkwo (2012) LPELR – 9799 (CA), and Kanjal Vs Mary IFOP (2013) LPELR – 22158 CA, which emphasized the need for a Court to address all relevant issues raised by the parties to ensure a fair hearing.

     In response, the 1st Respondent argued at the trial Court that they had lodged a complaint with the Police, alleging criminal conspiracy, cheating, and criminal breach of trust against the Appellants. The Respondent submitted that these criminal allegations were separate from the civil case before the High Court.

    RESOLUTION OF ISSUES

    The Court stated that the counsel for the 1st Respondent made a grave error by distilling two issues for the determination of the appeal from a single ground of appeal formulated by the Appellants. This is in violation of the law, which states that a party cannot distill or formulate more than a single issue for determination from a single ground of appeal. The law requires that the issues formulated must relate to or arise from the grounds of appeal.

    The Court struck out the 1st Respondent’s brief for incompetence and decided to consider the appeal based solely on the Appellants’ brief.

    Read Also: Why we must correct Africa’s poor leadership style’

    Regarding the complaint lodged by the 1st Respondent with the Police against the Appellants, the Court stated that it is generally permissible for a party to complain to the Police if they feel cheated. However, if the complaint is motivated by malice or bad faith and relates to a purely civil transaction or an attempt to recover a debt, both the complainant and the Police are estopped from taking coercive action as it would be unconstitutional. The Police’s duties do not include settling civil disputes or enforcing civil agreements between parties.

    The Court further stated that several cases have affirmed that a person who employs the Police or any enforcement agency to violate the fundamental rights of another should be prepared to face the consequences. Merely lodging a report with the Police does not make the person liable for unlawful arrest or detention unless the report is false, malicious, or made in bad faith. A person can only be held liable if they did more than make a complaint and actively spearheaded the arrest, detention, and prosecution of the accused.

    In conclusion, the Court agreed with the trial court’s decision that the first Respondent had the right to file a complaint against the Applicants due to feeling cheated in a land transaction, and the Police had a duty to investigate. However, the Court believed that the Police mishandled the case by detaining the 1st Applicant for four days and pursuing the second Applicant for arrest and detention. The 2nd Respondent (the Police) did not provide a defense or explanation for their actions. The Court stated that it is the responsibility of the Police to treat legitimate complaints properly and that citizens cannot be held accountable for reporting crimes unless it is proven that they acted in bad faith. The Court posited that citizens have a right and duty to report crimes to the Police for investigation.

    HELD

    In the final analysis, the appeal was allowed in part. The sum of Five Hundred Thousand Naira (N500,000.00) was awarded against the 2nd Respondent and restrained from further violation of the Appellants’ fundamental rights. The 2nd Respondent is without prejudice to charging the Appellants for prosecution over any offence disclosed in the said land transaction between 1st Respondent and the Appellants.

    APPEARANCES:

    Ibrahim Nurudeen Umar, Esq.

    (who settled the brief)

    And

    A.A. Idris, Miss  For Appellant(s)

    A.S.Umar,Esq.- 1st Respondent                                                            

    For Respondent(s)

  • Rann attack: Hold FG accountable, says PDP

    Rann attack: Hold FG accountable, says PDP

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has urged the United Nations (UN) and the international community to hold the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government directly accountable for the deaths of humanitarian workers in Rann, Born State.

    In a statement yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, the party also called for full-scale investigation by independent bodies into circumstances surrounding the alleged compromise by security in flash points as well as alleged release of some arrested insurgents by agents of the Federal Government.

    The opposition party described the incessant killings in the north east as sad and disheartening.

    It blamed the federal government for issuing false security assurances when it claimed to have routed the insurgents, thereby making communities and international aid workers believe a lie.

    The statement reads: “The PDP is pained that defenceless individuals are being mowed down daily by marauders because those vested with the duty to protect them are busy telling them lies and even engaging in acts that embolden their attackers.

    “Nigerians have become weary, despondent and disappointed as insurgents, murderers and marauders rove our land while the Buhari Presidency engaged in cosmetic reactions.

    “We ask: what was the actual security situation in Rann and what was the information available to the community before the attack?

    “What has the Federal Government to say to the allegations that it released some arrested terrorists as well as allegations that monies were even paid by government agents to terrorist groups as ransom in controversial swap deals?

    “These developments are being alleged to have emboldened acts of terrorism in the country”.

    Also, former National Caretaker Chairman of the party, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, sympathised with the government and people of Borno over the attacks.

    In a statement yesterday by his spokesman, Mukhtar Sirajo, Makarfi described the attack as cowardly, saying that innocent people were made soft targets, including those engaged in rendering humanitarian services.

    He stressed the need for security agencies to intensify the fight against the insurgency in that part of the country as it had lingered for too long.

    The party chieftain appealed to aid agencies in the country not to be deterred by this incident but be further emboldened by it.

    He said it would send a message to the insurgents that the agencies would not be deterred on their commitment to rendering humanitarian services.

  • ‘Youths promote stable economy, accountable govt’

    A new book which offers varying perspectives on the importance youths in building a stable and accountable government in Nigeria and others countries has been launched.

    The 2017 Lagos Book and Art Festival was preceded by a reading from ‘How to Win Elections in Africa: Parallels with Donald Trump’, the new book by the co-founders of RED, Chude Jideonwo and Adebola Williams.

    StateCraft Inc in conjunction with the Committee for Relevant Art (CORA) hosted young and politically-aware Nigerians at a symposium, focusing youth involvement in elections and the creation of the next world order.

    According to Williams, the book is intended to provide a comprehensive guide to understanding the key factors that contribute to the success or otherwise of any elections, especially with insights from their roles in the election of three presidents in Nigeria and Ghana, including global epochal events such as the election of Donald Trump and the Brexit vote.

    An interactive panel session moderated by award-winning journalist Tolulope Adeleru Balogun followed immediately, with Dayo Israel, an International Development Specialist and Lagos-based politician, Okechukwu Ofili, the CEO and founder of Okada Books, Vimbai Mutinhiri and Adebola Williams as members, all offering varying perspectives on the importance youth participation in building a stable and accountable government in Nigeria and others.

    Speaking during the session, Ms. Mutinhiri stated that youth apathy in Zimbabwe has contributed to the 30-year long leadership of the Southern African nation, while Adebola Williams and Dayo Israel gave practical examples on the involvement of the youths involvement in unseating the incumbents in Nigeria and Ghana during the respective 2015 and 2016 elections. Despite these recent developments in West Africa, Mr Ofili offered the caution that the youths must not relent as it remains important to ensure that elected officials are constantly engaged and held accountable with the use of social media.

    ‘How to Win Elections in Africa: Parallels with Donald Trump’ which was launched earlier during the week at Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut has begun a tour around the United States of America. On Thursday, 9 November, 2017, Chude Jideonwo was hosted by the Africa in Ohio platform of Ohio University for a reading from the new book. The book tour is scheduled to continue in Washington D.C, Pennsylvania and neigbouring country, Canada.

  • Making varsities accountable

    Making varsities accountable

    Executive members of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) have visited the Institute of Management Technology (IMT) in Enugu State for assessment of Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) projects. The visit turned out to be a saving grace for Students’ Union Government (SUG) president, Kingsley Isiani, who was expelled by the management a few months ago. EMMANUEL AHANONU and KADIE KENECHUKWU report.

    The executive of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) was at the Institute of Management Technology (IMT) in Enugu State last week to assess Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) projects. The NANS team, led by its national president, Comrade Tijani Usman, was warmly received by the institution’s top management staff led by the Rector, Prof Mike Iloeje.

    Tijani said the visit was informed by allegations that some beneficiaries of TETFund grants were misappropriating the money. He said the association took it as a duty to investigate how school administrators, which have benefited from the TETFund cash are utilising the grant.

    The NANS president explained that similar visit was paid to Michael Okpara University of Agriculture in Umudike (MOAU), Abia State, noting that the group was shown how the grant was utilised. He urged varsities’ administrators to be open in disbursing the grants.

    Tijani said NANS under his watch had been going through modernisation and rebranding, noting that violent unionism was becoming a thing of the past. He said students were now being seen as partners in the progress of their schools, which was why, he said, private-owned institutions were making efforts to be engage NANS in their activities.

    A member of the NANS delegation, Igwe Ude Umamta, said there was no need for higher institutions to hike tuition fees, because of the planned move by the Federal Government to increase education budget. He said most of the facilities required in higher institutions were being provided by government agencies overseeing education.

    Responding, Prof Iloeje, said the institution would not fail to give an account of how the grant it got from TETFund was spent. In previous years, Prof Iloeje said the institution could not access TETFund grant, because his predecessor did not explore the appropriate channels.

    The rector listed 17 projects carried out using the TETFund grant, stressing that the money had assisted the school to raise its standard.

    He listed some of the projects to include School of Engineering complex, central library, School of Technology building, Centre for Entrepreneurial Studies, School of Arts and Design and hostel, among others.

    He also said his administration had institutionalised scholarship for best students with the TETFund grant to promote excellence.

    Before the NANS executive toured the campus to assess the projects, a drama ensued when Tijani raised expulsion of the Students’ Union Government (SUG) president, Kingsley Isiani, with the rector. While pleading with the management for leniency, the NANS executive members prostrated before the rector and vowed not to get up until the Prof Iloeje ordered Kingsley’s recall.

    The rector assured the NANS executive that management would review Kingsley’s expulsion and recall the students’ leader to complete his studies. The NANS president praised the rector for listening to their plea.

    After the tour of the campus, the NANS Public Relation Officer (PRO), Ezekiel Ikechukwu, who spoke to CAMPUSLIFE, said the students’ body was satisfied with the “marvelous projects” embarked on by the school management. He said NANS would write an appeal letter to the state government to assist the school to complete the remaining projects.

    Chairman of Joint Campus Committee (JCC), the state arm of NANS, Udochukwu Aligwoekwe, said the improved facilities in the school would raise the bar of academic excellence among students, praising the rector for utilising the TETFund grant judiciously.

     

  • PMB: LGAs must be made accountable

    It is most salutary that President Muhammadu Buhari did not disappoint in his inaugural speech on May 29. The address was short, affirmative and inspiring. Without mincing words and shone of any obfuscation, he set the tone for his administration and government in the next four years.

    This column is particularly buoyed by his stance on the question of the state of the local units, our third and grassroots tier of government. Readers of this page would have noticed that one is particularly passionate about this level of governance where the poorest and the highest number of our people reside. It has been a near-crusade here to stop the anomaly of the last 16 years that has seen state governments across the country (without a notable exception) taking liberty on the LGAs funds and grossly abusing it.

    On May 1st, in a piece here titled: “Five quick points for General Buhari,” one had written: “Four, he MUST ensure that the 774 LGAs across the land come back to life. This will be a long-drawn battle but it is important that he makes the statement from day one that anyone pocketing allocations meant for any LGA anywhere in the land would be incurring his wrath. All sorts of evil have infested the land because LGAs are virtually shut down across the land; few people pocket their allocation and the entire economy of this units of government is vitiated.”

    It is most heart-warming that the president did not disappoint on this most important score. Despite the cries from ALGON and numerous concerned Nigerians, previous presidents could not muster the courage to face the governors on this matter. But that this president can set the tone from day one will help tilt the scale on this problem.

    Let’s have it from his inaugural speech: “Elsewhere, relations between Abuja and the states have to be clarified, if we are to serve the country better. Constitutionally, there are limits to powers of each of the three tiers of government but that should not mean the Federal Government should fold its arms and close its eyes to what is going on in the states and local governments. Not least the operations of the Local Government Joint Account. While the Federal Government cannot interfere in the details of its operation, it will ensure that the gross corruption at the local level is checked. As far as the constitution allows me, I will try to ensure there is responsible and accountable governance at all levels of government in the country. For I will not have kept my own trust with the Nigerian people if I allow others abuse theirs under my watch.”

    Very well spoken, most beautifully laid out. Worried by our mired LGAs, one had made it a duty to take the matter up with governors in the course of interviews with them in the past few years. What I have deduced from these enquiries is that governors consider local governments part of their ‘kingdom’ which they reserve the right to ‘manage’ as they deem fit. One governor retorted dismissively that “LGA is job for the boys”; meaning that it is just one of the ways to ‘settle’ political hangers on. Many are so suffused with disdain they will tell you that local government chairmen would mismanage the LGA funds! Thus only the all-wise and all-prudent governor can disburse the funds.

    In the last 16 years, the concept and objective of the LGA in Nigeria have been damaged. The 3rd tier has been hijacked by state governors and or godfathers who install the occupants and control their funds. They will raise all sorts of arguments and go to any length to see to it that this aberrant status-quo remains.

    The result is that governors – all of them – run from pillar to post as if they are bionic, trying to do everything in their various states and claiming credit for every slab cast over every gutter. Since they usurp the functions of the LGAs they wear themselves out trying to carry out rudimentary statutory functions of the grassroots tier.

    After 16 years of a ruinous farce, we certainly cannot live with this any longer. Most of us know too well the dangers and consequences of this sustained rape of our LGAs. They have already manifested by ways of increased wave of crimes and social maladies like terrorism, kidnapping, cultism, neighbourhood gangs, human trafficking, baby factories, dilapidated primary schools and primary health facilities, influx of youths to the urban areas and pernicious rural poverty.

    Most LGA headquarters across the country have long become comatose with a good number overgrown by weeds. Some are so derelict and so reptiles-infested that the ‘stakeholders’ dare not go there anymore. They meet in hotels to share the monthly ‘booty’ from Abuja. Most LGA chairmen don’t live in their locale anymore; they live in hotels in the cities and only visit occasionally.

    Most of us do not remember anymore that once upon a time, LGAs were well-structured, organic units of governance with chairman as head, councilors as lawmakers/executive secretaries and they had annual budgets that are presented publicly, ratified by the body of councilors and implemented. There were councilors in charge of wards and various socio-economic arms of government like health, education, security, works, utilities, agric, etc. Unlike in this age of locusts when LGAs have become wastelands, every LGA used to be a fledgling economic unit reaching deep into every nook and cranny of hinterland.

    Today, we have lost all this. It is uncanny that most of us fail to see the connection between moribund LGAs and  Boko Haram insurgency. No ‘baby factory’ would find space where councilors are on ground and work with landlord associations and town unions.

    So much mischief has been introduced into the debate: States are terribly jittery over the word, autonomy – you cannot have an autonomous tier of government in a federating unit, they are quick to claim. Nice point but what is the alternative? Sixteen years of purloining funds meant for the people and converting such for private use? One cannot find one state that showed example by devising a system that made the LGAs work or gave proper account of the LGA funds. If the LGAs cannot be autonomous they could at least be accountable and functional.  Not even one state could hold a credible election in the LGAs in 16 years.

    The critical point is that the tier be properly organized and that allocated funds deployed for the good of the people.  Nigeria will never grow if we sustain a system that allows about one quarter of our resources to be mismanaged by a few people. We are simply talking about giving account; about making sure the cash hit the target. President Buhari would be within his right to insist on this.

  • NLC: public officers must be accountable

    NLC: public officers must be accountable

    The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has said public officers must be accountable to the people that elected them, arguing that they should learn a lesson from the last general elections through which the people spoke with their permanent voter cards (PVCs) and sacked a non-performing government.

    The workers also added that the election is a warning that the era of impunity is over in the country.

    Speaking during this year’s May Day celebration in Abuja, President, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, said the achievements of Gen Buhari’s government would depend on the manner in which his administration immediately hits the ground, post-inauguration; to deliver the change it promised Nigerians.

    ‘On the part of the NLC, we are already working towards the presentation of our views on the state of the nation and our perspectives on how we can all move forward together as a nation. We look forward to presenting our positions to General Buhari when we eventually meet with him as soon as he assumes office. However, we must seize this moment to make pronouncement on a few urgent national issues,” he said.

    Wabba said the social challenges facing the Nigerian workers are many but it appears that most compelling are uncertainties in the work place.

    He said many Nigerian workers are no longer sure of the commitment of employers to the fundamental work place principle of timely and adequate pay for work done.

    He said: “The gale of unpaid salary arrears in different public and private establishments has only compounded the perennial injustice of poor compensation for the sweat and blood of Nigerian workers. To crown frustrations faced by the average worker in Nigeria is the overt and covert threat of retrenchment devoid of reasonable social benefit or retirement plans. Delay and outright refusal by some states and federal agencies to pay the gratuities and pension of our retirees have forced our older colleagues into an undignified post work life. This is most unfortunate, reprehensible, abominable and condemnable.”

    He said the nation at the moment is confronted with daunting socio-economic challenges underscored by mounting unemployment, appalling infrastructural deficit, unprecedented cost in governance and corruption, abysmal poverty, and insecurity, among others.

    “The fact that our national economy is almost prostrate is no longer news. The fall in the price of crude oil in the international market, the gross mismanagement of our national resources by the political class and their cronies in the private sector and the failure of successive Nigerian governments to build critical infrastructure that can support the diversification of the national economy have all contributed to the construction of our narrative of economic woes,” he said.

     

     

     

  • Hold governors accountable, Okonjo-Iweala urges Nigerians

    Hold governors accountable, Okonjo-Iweala urges Nigerians

    Finance Minister Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has urged Nigerians to hold governors and local government chairmen accountable for allocations given to states and councils.

    This, she said, would facilitate national transformation, adding that the revenue allocations of some states surpass the annual budgets of some neighbouring countries.

    Dr. Okonjo-Iweala was delivering a lecture titled: “Transforming Nigeria’s economy: Opportunities and Challenges” at the 12th Convocation of Babcock University at the weekend.

     The minister, who was  conferred with the Doctor of Human Letter, lamented that Nigerians often turn their anger against the Federal Government, instead of asking what their states and local governments did with their resources.

    The minister said: “In those days, states said they were not getting their money. That is no longer the case. States are now getting the money that is available as it is shared each month. We publish it in the national dailies every month so that people can know what their state, local government and the Federal Government receive in terms of allocation.”

    She advised Nigerians to seek answers from their governors, adding that poverty eradication and the building of infrastructure should not be left to the Federal Government alone.

    Listing the top 10 states in revenue allocation, Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala said: “In 2013, the top 10 allocations went to Akwa Ibom, N260 billion; Rivers, N230 billion; Delta, N209 billion; Bayelsa, N173 billion; Lagos, N168 billion; Kano, N140 billion; Katsina, N103 billion; Oyo, N100 billion; Kaduna, N97 billion; and Borno, N94 billion.

    “These were the allocations that all these states got last year, so the question is what did they do with it? Analysis shows that many states receive revenue allocation that are larger than the budgetary allocation of neighbouring countries, such as Liberia, whose budget is $433 million and Gambia, $210 million.

    “You can see that our top 10 states receive more money than these countries and you should be asking what this money is being used for? We should ask ourselves what is the role of states and local governments in supporting our transformation? We know from the constitution that the provision of public services, such as health, education, agricultural services and so on, are on a concurrent list and, therefore, are joint responsibilities of the federal, state and local governments.

    “However, it is not often that you hear people asking what a state has done? Most of the attention is on the Federal Government. We need to ask what our states and local governments do with the resources they get?”

    The minister urged the graduands to be job creators and not job seekers.

  • Obi: hold public officers accountable

    Anambra State Governor Peter Obi has urged Nigerians to hold elected office holders accountable on how they utilise public funds.

    He said the essence of genuine leadership is giving service to the people.

    Obi spoke on Tuesday night at The Champion Man of the Year ceremony in Lagos.

    The Minister of Aviation, Princess Stella Oduah, was conferred with the Man of the Year award.

    The governor said there is nothing strange in the electorate calling on elected officials to give account of what they do with the allocation they receive from the Federation Account.

    Obi said the concept of governance has been misinterpreted in Nigeria, because people find it difficult to correct public officers because of what they expect to benefit.

    He observed that sycophancy is fast becoming a sub-culture in Nigeria.

    Obi said:” There are many good people in this country, but the problem of Nigeria is about all of us.

    “This is because we find it difficult to challenge people in position of authority, on what they do with public funds.

    “ It is regrettable that only kids these days will tell you the truth.

    “The culture of sycophancy is fast gaining ground.

    He, therefore, urged Oduah, not to be carried away by the euphoria of the award.

    Guest lecturer, former Vice-Chancellor of University of Lagos, Prof. Ibidapo Obe, said for Nigeria to move forward, its leaders must show the capacity for vision, courage and justice.

    Obe said the qualities the ideal Nigerian leader must possess include vision and imagination to lead the country on the path of integrity.

    He said until leaders synergise collective capacity, without putting merit at the bottom of the ladder, the road to transformation may not be far in sight.

    Obe canvassed a return to regional administration, a proposal, he said, would accelerate the march towards greatness.

    Also speaking, the chairman of Champion Newspapers, Chief Emmanual Iwanyanyu, described the almagamation of Southern and Northern Protectorates in 1914 as a convenient arrangement by the colonial masters, rather than achieving unity for Nigeria.

    He said Nigeria, could accelerate its development, if it uses its natural and human resources.

    Oduah said : “A lot has been said about the milestones we have attained in the transformation drive in the aviation sector.

    “ I only need to add that we are just beginning; the mission is far from being accomplished.

    “This award is therefore significant in one profound respect – it challenges me and my team in the ministry not to rest on our oars, but to continue to do all we can to expand the frontiers of transformation in the aviation industry beyond what we are seeing today.”