The Senate yesterday confirmed the appointment of Mr. Banire Muiz Adeyemi as chairman, Governing Board of the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON).
This followed the consideration of the report of the Senate Committee on Banking, Insurance and other Financial Institutions, which screened Banire for confirmation.
Chairman of the committee Senator Rafiu Adebayo Ibrahim presented the report, which recommended the confirmation of Banire as nominated by President Muhammadu Buhari.
The Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has urged the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) to enforce the suspension of its National Legal Adviser, Dr. Muiz Banire, for indiscipline.
Addressing reporters yesterday at the Lagos APC secretariat during a protest by members of his local government to enforce disciplinary action against the party chieftain, APC’s Mushin Local Government Area Legal Adviser Femi Martin said Banire’s activities had become uncontrollable.
Martin said the NWC must sanction him to prevent other erring party members from towing his line.
The party chieftain said the APC must summon the courage to sanction members who violate the party’s rules and regulations.
The protesters, who handed their petition to Lagos APC leadership, said: “The Lagos State chapter of the APC has been subjected to needless string of embarrassment for a member of the party; this climaxed with the suspension letter that was transmitted to the national secretariat of our great party. It was meant to curb the continuous embarrassment of the party in the media and social media platforms at his disposal.
“We, therefore, demand the leadership of the party to act in furtherance of the suspension at the local level by completing the process to serve as deterrent to other dissidents. The recalcitrant member has further grown wings, committing worse atrocities.”
Martin said Banire’s activities had reinforced the party’s earlier stance that APC’s values were being eroded by the conduct of some members who did not want to subject themselves to due process.
According to him, the party’s NWC should correct the wrong impression that some members were above the law by ratifying Banire’s earlier suspension from his ward.
Martin added: “The remaining days of the NWC of the party should be written in gold by completing the process of Muiz Banire’s suspension to lay the foundation for party discipline. Party discipline is, therefore, not an aberration but a standard practice everywhere democracy thrives on earth.
“Right from time immemorial and even in the First and Second republics, where parties faced challenges, discipline were enforced in order not to weaken the party…”
“The defunct National Party of Nigeria (NPN), Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN), Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) and National Advanced Party (NAP) had their internal wrangling, yet discipline was maintained to prevent erring members from misleading others.”
Receiving the petition on behalf of the state chairman of the party, Mr. Tunde Balogun, the state’s Vice Chairman for Lagos West, Chief Funsho Ologunde, promised to deliver the petition to the party’s national leadership.
An Ikeja high court heard yesterday how seven Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SAN) made deposits of N4.4million into the account of Justice James Agbadu-Fishim of the National Industrial Court (NIC).
Led in evidence by the lead prosecuting counsel of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Wahab Shittu, a staff of First Bank Nigeria PLC, Mr Solomon Akhanolu made the disclosure before Justice Raliat Adebiyi.
The EFCC had preferred a 19-count charge of unlawful enrichment against the judge.
The EFCC had alleged that Justice Agbadu-Fishim illegally received N4.4 million from seven SANs, a lawyer and a law firm from 2013 to 2015.
The seven SANs alleged to have unlawfully enriched the judge are Chief Felix Fagbohungbe, Mr Paul Usoro, Mr Uche Obi, Dr Muiz Banire, Chief Adeniyi Akintola, Chief Gani Adetola-Kaseem and Dr. Joseph Nwobike.
Mr. Agbadu-Fishim is also alleged to have received funds from a Lagos-based lawyer, Enobong Etteh and Alliance Law Firm.
Mr. Akhanolu said told the court that he was employed by First Bank of Nigeria as a forensic officer in 2009 and would be eight years in the service of the bank by November 3, 2017.
He said his primary duty is to act as an intermediary between the bank and law enforcement agencies.
He told the court that on October 13, 2016, he received a letter from the EFCC requesting for some bank account documents of James Agbadu-Fishim.
According to him, “there are three accounts numbered 3008199491, 2006900326 and 0009508696 respectively, belonging to Mr Agbadu-Fishim James.”
The witness gave a detailed account of how various sums were deposited by some members of the senior lawyers into Justice Agbadu-Fishim’s accounts between 2013 and 2015.
“From the information generated from account number 300819491, on December 5, 2013, Chief Felix Fagbohungbe (SAN) made a deposit of N200, 000. On December 19, 2014, a deposit of N250, 000 was made by Fagbohungbe.
In this piece, Oluwabukunola Adekumbi advises former Lagos State Environment Commissioner Dr Muiz Banire to retrace his steps from criticising the political family that catapulted him to fame over the handling of the recent local government primaries.
The maxims of equity, according to Wikipedia, are legal aphorisms that serve as a set of general principles or rules, which govern the way equity operates. However, for the purpose of this intervention, amongst the list of many maxims, a particular one appeals to the reasonability of this engagement and it is the fact that, “equity will not suffer a wrong to be without a remedy.” But, the fulcrum of the message here is that you must have been unjustly wronged to be deserving of the remedy here alluded to.
It is to this extent that in the doctrine of equity, the famous clean hands maxim applies: “He that hath committed iniquity shall not have equity.” The maxim is sometimes expressed thus: “He who comes into equity must come with clean hands.”
The National Legal Adviser of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Muiz Banire has, in the last few weeks, put up some curious credibility show and thrown up a no less character debate in the theatrics of Lagos politics. The young man, who rose from nowhere to become “someone” today by virtue of his appointment into the Lagos State Government in 1999, by former governor Bola Ahmed Tinubu, where he worked for an upward of 12 years, has suddenly realised that the system that threw him up and which has brought him thus far is no longer ideal in a sane democratic setting and is by all means possible, selling a convenient narrative, which of course, seems to appeal to those, who blindly share his tainted sentiments.
Indeed, it is arguable that the democratic approach of the so-called progressives, in this part of the country is to say the least, ideal. Their central control system, which jettisons the direct input of the people in their own affairs, is known to discountenance the tenets of all familiar democratic ethos and frowns at an effective collegiate system.
Ironically, this is the same system that has yielded what is widely celebrated today as the outstanding achievements of the progressives amidst the pervasive national disappointment, with impressive leadership (whether or not imposed) and which is of course, driving the poster governance in this part of the country.
People have complained. Even members of their party often grumble. But, after all said and done, everyone toes the same ‘condemned path’ and at the end of the day, it is business as usual. All along, however, it was clear to all that change would someday catch up with this self-styled approach to leadership and common sense would prevail, even if it would mean by way of revolution, but except something better and reasonable gives way.
But then, the much touted revolution cannot be an all-comers affair. Factors like credibility, track record, antecedents, integrity and other related virtues will certainly play a role, but not the licentious championing the war against a system perceived to be defective.
This is where the recent disposition of Dr. Banire appears curious. And like the maxim of equity, “When seeking an equitable relief, the one that has been wronged has the stronger hand,” Banire does not have the moral standing to drive the cause he is leading, because he has not been wronged in any way and cannot request to be extended an upper hand. He is inevitably ineligible here and his claims are defective in all the identified boxes.
But, the question remains: has anyone wronged Banire in the handling of the affairs of the party? The answer is expressly a resounding no. Rather, Banire rose on the strength of the now condemned system to become whatever he is today. He was not just a nominal member of the party or non-designate government official, he was a very active one – in fact, a kitchen cabinet member of the Lagos ruling by all standards and helped to orchestrate whatever wrongs of those years – covering two distinct administrations. On honour, therefore, regardless of whatever differences there may be now, it is not in Banire’s stride to challenge the system that made him – not him of all persons.
With a larger than life image that Banire courted as a commissioner, who traversed three different ministries in Lagos State – special duties, transport and environment – he literally dominated the space and acted as though no one existed before his coming even in Mushin, which parades many political juggernauts. He didn’t stop there. He extended his control and exercised this ‘awesome power’ in other parts of the state, without as much a challenge from anyone, especially given his control of the ‘Team Lagos’ – a group of young men and women recruited for political mobilisation in the state.
Coming from this background, has he even done any restitution? Has he apologised to the people he jointly or personally wronged at one time or the other through the unjust system or leadership, either by omission or commission and which gave him so much power? So, what is the problem about? That he lost out in the power tussle and because for the first time in many years, he didn’t get what he wanted, he would rather the roof was brought down?
This is the same Banire that would not even for once acknowledge the path that made it possible for him to be whatever he has become today through sincere and harmless recommendation for appointment into the Tinubu government and suddenly, he thinks he is qualified to debate morality or how not to run a system? People glibly discuss his habitual ingratitude and snicker at him with disappointing nods and yet, he gallivants as if he was the best thing that ever happened to the politics of Mushin and Lagos in general.
Sincerely, it was laughable to read Banire react to his recent legal suit, which challenged the manner the local government primaries were handled in Lagos and in the course of that, spoke about advising someone on the need to have a second address in politics? Please, for the record, what was Banire’s second address when he was in government? Was he even allowed to have a second address in the first place by requisite law and regulations?
If we have to flip this argument, between when Banire left office and now, how much has his legal profession turned in to justify what he owns today – from living in a two separate rooms and a parlour in Mushin to now living in the posh GRA, Ikeja and with properties in choice areas in Nigeria and London – and yet without any known well-paid job outside of government outside lecturing? What were the briefs that brought in so much money that he is now bigger than those, who made him? Was his lecturing job that profitable to earn him his present status?
Banire cannot grandstand on the political space of Lagos with the intent of bringing an entire political system to ridicule or disrepute simply because he failed to get what he wanted. That is not morality but, double standards. For 12 years, he rode on the back of this same system and leadership, but never saw anything wrong with it. Today, the system is evil because he would not, have his way? What manner of social crusader is that? Is he really sincere or this is just convenient for him?
For coming out this openly and incautiously to ‘fight for the masses’ and without as much having a rethink about how he got here, Banire carries with him greater moral burden than the people he seeks to castigate. Although I know he is innately intolerant to criticisms and would rather than debate issues, run to court to sue his critics, being a timid that he is, it does not change the fact that he stands to lose big should this debate continue and would leave the ring heavily bloodied than he could ever imagine.
Enough of his ‘convenient and isolated honesty’ and be disposed to a fact-based debate on how he got to where he is today and let’s see who goes back home all bruised. He’s been prancing around for too long, leading a debate he cannot sustain, either by virtue of the inherent facts or the understanding of the implications that come with the tenor of the issues. But, one thing is sure, at the end of the day, it is his loss – entirely his – Mr. Morality, my foot!
Thousands of members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday stormed the office of Lagos State Governor Akinwumi Ambode, demanding expulsion of the party’s National Legal Adviser, Dr Muiz Banire (SAN).
The protesters, were led by Mr. Femi Martins from the Odi Olowo Local Council Development Area and Mushin Local Government Area of the party. They arrived in Alausa in about 30 buses, armed with placards, with inscriptions, such as, “Banire is unqualified to teach us democracy,” “Banire must go,” and “Banire, enough is enough,” among others.
Martins who read the petition addressed to the governor, House of Assembly Speaker Mudashiru Obasa and APC state Chairman Henry Ajomale, said Banire’s expulsion has become imperative because of alleged anti-party activities.
The petition listed about 17 activities warranting Banire’s expulsion, adding that his expulsion will be in line with article 21 of the party’s constitution.
Some of the allegations against Banire include, “sponsoring cronies to write and cause to publish advertorials against the party, publication of negative correspondence against the party in the media, granting interviews to embarrass and have adverse effect on the party to the extent of attracting hatred, contempt, ridicule and disrepute upon the party.”
Others are, intentionally neglecting his duties as the National Legal Adviser to defend the party and the party’s interest, carrying out unauthorised publicity of a party dispute without exhausting all avenues for settlement or redress within the party, causing a legal representative to disavow the party in a law suit, arrogantly admitting that he caused a legal representative to disavow the party, predicting and working towards the electoral failure of the party and inciting the public against the interest of the party.
The petition claimed that Banire also falsely accused the party of candidates’ imposition despite being aware of the provision for alternative means of conducting primaries other than direct primaries.
It also accused him of sponsoring a group called MEF to ridicule it and bring the party into disrepute and perpetrating blatant imposition in Mushin against the wish of majority of party members to cause disaffection, among others.
Martins explained that members could no longer tolerate Banire’s activities, which party for Saturday’s have created fear campaigns that APC might be disqualified from participating in the poll because of the conduct of lawyers he assigned election cases to.
“We have to do this at this point because he has gone uncontrollable, we have tried to caution him, to make him see reasons that his action is anti-party, but it appears he has become uncontrollable.”
Receiving the letter on Ambode’s behalf, his Special Adviser on Community and Communications, Kehinde Bamigbetan accused Banire of embarrassing the party with his utterances.
He hailed the protesters for their peaceful conduct, adding that their request will be forwarded to ensure discipline in the party.
He said there was a time Timi Frank was disciplined by the party for anti-party activities, adding that Banire’s case would go the same way.
“What else can we say of a National Legal Adviser of the party who ought to know, to have gone out of the party system to undermine the party and the fortune of the party at a time election is around the corner? There is no grievance more than this. When given the ticket, he becomes loyal to the party and when not given, he worked against the party,” he said.
SIR: Political betrayers are in a class of their own –calculating, sly and out rightly chameleonic in their disposition. As opportunists they sometimes create crisis and come to the victims to offer solutions. But when they are obsessed by the quest for a political position they can go to any length to undermine or cast aspersions on those they feel constitute stumbling blocks to their vaulting ambition.
Back in 2014 when the political pendulum in the All Progressives Congress (APC), Lagos started swinging in favour of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, Muiz Banire, now APC National Legal Adviser went to town with his co-travelers that he did not possess the quality, charisma, vision and intelligence to steer the ship of Lagos State.
To them since Ambode had never been a member of the state executive council nor any antecedence in party politics, he would not be able to do the job. With that Banire started mounting a campaign of calumny against him. He told whoever cared to listen that the man did not have the capacity to govern the state.
Good enough, two years after mounting the pedestal of power as the governor of the Centre of Excellence, he has put his critics to shame, by his sterling performance in the areas of infrastructural development, security, education, healthcare delivery and job creation hasn’t he?
That has elicited the swan song in town of “two is greater than eight”, meaning that his achievements have since buried that of his predecessor, Babatunde Raji Fashola who was the poster boy of the APC. The million Naira question now is: “Has Ambode got the capacity now?”
This question is pertinent now because what Banire did in 2014 he has started re-enacting in 2017 like an ugly coin. He has gone to town again, sponsoring miscreants aimed at rubbishing the recently held APC primaries in the state. The good people of Lagos should therefore, be mindful of the man who says one thing in the night and denies so at dawn.
As Nigeria’s democracy evolves we should be wary of the Judas Iscariot amongst us. We should learn lessons from Marcus Brutus, a Roman senator, who joined a plot to oust Caesar from power. Another person is Benedict Arnold. At the start of the American War of Independence, Benedict Arnold was an American hero, a brilliant general who fought bravely in several tough battles. But by the end of the war, he was commanding British troops against his former forces, a general on the losing side who has gone down in history as a “turncoat” and a traitor.
With events unfolding and 2019 inching closer, Lagosians should be careful of those who have never stood for any elective post but angling to be a serial spoiler.
Oshodi , Lagos.
The National Legal Adviser of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Muiz Adeyemi Banire (SAN) yesterday dismissed as fiction media reports that he bribed a judge of the National Industrial Court (NIC), Justice Agbadu James Fishim.
The former Lagos State Commissioner said he has not met the said judge in the last 17 years.
Banire, who made the clarification in a statement, said he voluntarily visited the EFCC to assist in the ongoing investigation of allegations against the judge.
He said: “My attention has been drawn to the publication in several newspapers of Saturday 5th November, 2016 suggesting that I was arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in connection with an allegation that I bribed a judge with N500,000.00.
“I must say that while sensationalism may occasion a newsworthy item, it behoves the victim of same to educate the public on the actual development.
“It must, therefore, be understood that I was never arrested or invited by the EFCC but having read the allegation on the social media, I wrote a letter dated October 29, 2016 to the EFCC notifying that I would be visiting the Commission on November 1, 2016 to assist in its investigation of the matter.
“Thus, I voluntarily visited the EFCC on the said date and have clarified to the said Commission thereafter as follows:
Banire said the gift he gave the judge was not peculiar because it has been his culture to help others.
Continuing he said: “I must say this kind of assistance is not peculiar to this old colleague but that which is the nature of my usual disposition to all colleagues, associations, students, clubs, religious bodies and humanity in general.
“I am a strong advocate of anti-corruption campaign and will never descend into the insanity of offering bribe to pervert the course of justice.
“It is my strong conviction that the just shall live by faith and this passing phase shall soon give way to the triumph of the uncompromising truth. This development rather strengthens my resolve to continue to uphold my ideals and principles.”
A former Lagos State Commissioner for Works, Dr. Muiz Banire (SAN), has lamented the dearth of documentation of legal and other events in the country.
He spoke last week during the public presentation of two Law Reports by a Lagos lawyer, Mr. Adeyinka Kotoye.
The Law Report entitled: “Judgments of Appeal Cases of Nigeria,” and a book entitled: “Practice Digest For Legal Practitioners,” co-authored with Mr. Babatunde Adebayo Esq. were launched at the conference hall of the NBA Secretariat, Lagos High Court, Ikeja, Lagos.
Dr. Banire noted that over two decades since Ejigbo air crash in Lagos, there has been no book or journal that gave a vivid account of the event.
He said the introduction of the Law Report was timely, especially at this time when many important decisions of appellate courts are underreported in the country.
He urged Nigerians to embrace documentation of event for younger generation to be aware of the account of what happen at a state in our human life.
“The introduction of this Law Report is timely at the stage when important decisions of appellate courts are underreported in the country, especially decisions that have to do with principles of law.
“The practice digest is very imperative because, it will enable practitioners to have accurate reasoning that will convince the judge. It will also enable practitioners to challenge judges’ wrong decisions,” Banire noted.
In his remarks, the author Mr. Kotoye said the two legal books were unveiled with the aim of improving the quality of lawyers’ briefs, emphasising that the books are products of over two years of legal research.
Kotoye, who is the Editor-in-Chief of the Law Report, said the report was out to report cases of appellate courts of both the Court of Appeal from all divisions and the Supreme Court.
He said the two books are concise, up-to-date statements of the law, and contain almost three scores of relevant topics, including the position of the Supreme Court as it relates to the Nigeria Bar Association stamp and seal. The book also contains legal practitioners Act Cap 1.11, 2004, rules of professional conduct, 2007 and comprehensive index.
He further said the books contained up-to-date statements of law in various areas of law that all members of the legal profession need in their day to day legal research work.
The lawyers further stressed that they also contained statements of law as pronounced by eminent jurists in the appellant courts on topics such as action, arbitration, constitutional law, company law, criminal law and procedure, damages, election cases and allied matters and jurisdiction.
Kotoye said: “These have been succinctly covered in the practice digest for legal practitioners together with the latest judicial authorities/cases where these statements of the law can be found.”
“This, no doubt, will serve as a great quick reference tool for the practitioners and students of the law alike,” he added.
The books reviewer, Kola Abiri, described them as perfect jobs, saying they will key into legal challenges confronting the nation at this stage.
Other dignitaries at the event included: Hariat Balogun (Principal Partners, Liberal Law Chambers), Justice Habeeb Abiru (Court of Appeal, Kaduna), Olalekan Yusuf (SAN) and Mrs Titilayo Akinlawon (SAN).
Property law experts has urged the Lagos State Government to reduce the cost of registering land and other property so that more people can easily obtain their titles.
According to them, the high fees discourage people from registering their property, with the government losing more money that it makes.
They made the call at a workshop on the Lagos State Lands Registration Law 2015, organised by the Department of Private and Property Law, Faculty of Law, University of Lagos (UNILAG).
A former Federal Commissioner of Works, Alhaji Femi Okunnu (SAN); former Lagos Commissioner for the Environment Dr Muiz Banire (SAN) and Dr Abiola Sanni of the Department of Commercial and Industrial Law, UNILAG said if possible, title registration should be free.
Okunnu said fees charged at the Land Registry should be minimal so that people can afford to register their property.
“The excessive fees charged by Lagos State Government deters people from registering their documents,” he said.
Banire said if the cost is reduced, more people will register their titles and the government will earn more money than it presently does.
“The government seems myopic. If you lower the amount chargeable, the turnover will even be higher than what they’re getting now,” he said.
Sanni believes registration should be very low, or free if possible, because land registration ideally should not be a primary means of generating revenue.
He said: “Ideally the purpose of registration is not mainly to generate revenue but for management/regulatory purposes, while the essence of taxation is revenue generation.”
A former Lagos Attorney-General, Mr Olasupo Shasore (SAN) urged the state to make the process of obtaining land and property documentations transparent and less cumbersome.
He also urged the government to ensure increased transparency in its land management process, so as to increase confidence in the system and build its credibility. Shasore called for the abolition of what he called an anomaly of a Federal Lands Registry in Lagos, saying it is unconstitutional.
All Progressives Congress (APC) National Legal Adviser Muiz Banire, SAN, has urged ministers-designate to buy into the vision of President Muhammadu Buhari.
He believes that after taking the oath of office, they would hit the ground running because of Nigerians’ high expectations.
Banire spoke at a reception held in his honour for attaining the SAN rank by Muslim groups in the country.
The senior advocate, however, urged Nigerians to give President Buhari more time to restore sanity and establish efficient institutions, saying it was by so doing that people can benefit from the system.
He described the election of Buhari as the best option for the country given its present circumstances.
Dr Banire said the attainment of the SAN’s will spur him to do more in contributing his quota to quick dispensation of justice in the country.
The former Lagos commissioner for the Environment thanked the organisations for the honour, promising to assist the less privileged.
Speaking the organisers, Alhaji Musibau Oyefeso, a former Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) chief, said the reception was to appreciate Banire’s exemplary leadership traits for others to emulate him.
He enjoined Banire to champion more of the fundamental rights of the people as enshrined in the constitution.
Lagos State Deputy Governor Idiat Adebule, described Banire as a disciplinarian and a great political leader.
According to her, Dr Banire has always contributed his quota to the development of Lagos and national polity.
“I thank Allah for him for not only having a doctorate degree in law but also attaining the position of SAN. For us, it is an opportunity to honour him and celebrate what Allah has done for him,” she said.