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Tag: compensation

  • Dana Air crash: Ground victims to reject compensation

    Dana Air crash: Ground victims to reject compensation

    Ground victims of the Dana Air crash are set for a showdown over the alleged payment of compensation by Dana Air and its insurer, Prestige Assurance Plc.

    A lawyer to one of the ground victims, Pastor Daniel Omowunmi, owner of the property, which the ill-fated plane crashed into, confirmed to The Nation that Dana Air offered them a cheque, but that he would reject it because the amount on it was ridiculous. He, however, did not give the figure.

    The lawyer, Olumide of the Dele Adeshina Chambers, said the offer was far below what their surveyors, Osas and Oseji, recommended for payment.

    Also, Chukwuemeka, a lawyer to Mr Iloka, said he has not received any offer from the underwriter.

    He said despite the meeting he had with the Dana Air officials and promises by them to pay, he was surprised to hear that the underwriter offered cheques to ground victims and he had not received any for his cllient.

    He, however, said he would sue the airline for a breach, adding that he did not go to court earlier, because he felt the claims would be settled.

    Last week, Prestige Assurance Plc, the lead insurer of the Dana Air, announced on behalf of its co-insurers, that it had handed over cheques to some owners of property destroyed during the incident.

    The Managing Director of the company, Mr Prakash Mittal, said these include those who were certified and forwarded to them by their legal firm.

    Mittal said: “On behalf of other co-insurers, the company wishes to assure families of victims of the air disaster that the insurance companies will pay compensations to all beneficiaries once their documentations are certified genuine and okay for payment by the competent authority.

    “It is on record that over 101 deceased passengers’ families’cheques/fund transfer certificates have been released to the solicitors for the initial liability payment of $30,000 while about 24 of them have been able to provide the required Letters of Administration and their cheques for the balance of USD70,000 each, as final payment have also been handed over to the firm of solicitors to enable them to hand over same to appointed administrators of the deceased passengers’ estate, after  finalisation of the legal processes involved.

    “In addition to this, we have also handed over the cheques for some of the third party property on ground which were certified and forwarded to us by the legal firm,” he said.

    He assured that the insurance companies working with the relevant government agencies would continue to work round the clock to ensure the processing and payment of these claims and compensations once proper documentation is done.

    Pastor Omowunmi said the crash into his property, which served as his business and residential building, has kept him out of job and means of livelihood, thereby making it difficult for him to cater for his himself and his family.

    He said: “Before the unfortunate incident, I had a warehouse with goods worth N300million while my building and fish pond, among other properties, worth N200million. What I received from them is $30,000 initial payment, which I used to get an accommodation. I lost four structures to that site.

  • Abiola’s family deserves compensation’

    Abiola’s family deserves compensation’

    The personal physician to the late Chief Moshood Abiola, Dr. Ore Falomo, has made a case for public inquiry into the circumstance that led to the death of the acclaimed winner of June 12, 1993 presidential election. He spoke with LEKE SALAUDEEN.

     

     

    The police officer in-charge of  Chief M.K.O. Abiola’s security and welfare while in detention ASP Theodore Zadok stated in his statement before the Justice Oputa panel that Abiola slumped after taking a cup of tea served on him by a United States official. Could he have died as a result of the tea or was it a coincidence?

    We have heard a lot about the tea story. What is important here is the presentation of ASP Zadok. The normal thing is that as the officer in-charge of Abiola’s security, he should have tasted the tea before passing it to Abiola but this did not happen. But Zadok was not around when Abiola was offered tea. According to him Abiola was taken to Aguda House from his detention camp around 3.00 p.m.on the fateful day to meet delegates from the United States. After Abiola was taken to where the delegates led by Susan Rice and Thomas Pickering were waiting for him. Zadok said he was handed away from Chief Abiola. By the time he returned to him, he had been offered tea. Zadok admitted before the Oputa panel that he committed a serious omission of his duty.

    On that day Abiola was very alert. He recognised Susan Rice whom he saw last in 1982. The Americans came with a flask containing tea. That flask had three layers. Why should they come down with their own tea, special tea. The two security men who brought Abiola from detention did not taste the tea. Abiola took about half cup of the tea; soon he was having pains in the chest. According to the Americans, they asked somebody to get his pain tablets. How did they know that Abiola had pain tablets? Who was the doctor that prescribed the pain tablets and at what time?

    At that time Abiola had become very restless. He said he wanted to go to the toilet; may be that would make him feel better. Abiola went to the toilet he didn’t come out on time. Nobody accompanied him. He should have been accompanied by a security guard so that he would not harm himself.

    When he came out, he was so restless. He was holding his chest. Then he slumped. His breathing was very shallow. He was writhing in pains. Then they called on personal physician to General Abdulsalam Abubakar, a very nice, decent doctor. When he came Abiola was already dead by the time he was asked to attend to him.

    It is now left to all of us to find the cause of Abiola’s death after taking tea. He died 15 minutes after the tea. My conclusion is that the tea is probably fundamental to his collapse and his sudden death. Until a detail investigation is carried out, the death of Abiola would continue to generate controversy, supposition, reasonable and unjustified conclusion for a very long time to come. Abiola died in government custody. It is the duty of government to unravel the cause of Abiola’s death after a cup of tea.

    You were reported as saying that Abiola’s heart was three times bigger than the normal size of a human heart at the time he died. What could have been responsible for this?

    The autopsy report showed that the heart was enlarged. It is not true that it was three times bigger than the normal size of a human heart. I don’t know where they got that report. It was superfluous. Those with enlarged hearts still manage them and they live long. It was not a surprise that Abiola’s heart was enlarged. What do you expect when someone was kept for over four years without allowing him to do physical exercise, he ate three times daily definitely it would reflect on the size of his heart. They didn’t allow him to talk to anybody. He was kept in solitary confinement for over four years.

    I told him to watch the quantity of food he took and should perform some exercises in his room to keep him fit. We were able to keep him alive until he was killed.

    As M.K.O’s personal physician, were you allowed to visit him and observe his health all through before his death?

    Initially, good arrangement was made for me to visit him thrice in a week. I was being assisted by one Dr Bako whom I praised for his professionalism He suffered for not doing the biddings of those in power. He refused to do anything that was unprofessional and he paid for it. I enjoyed free access to Abiola under the Abacha regime. But later things changed particularly under General Abubakar. On many occasions, permission to visit Abiola was cancelled for no just reason. Frequent visits to see Abiola were no longer permitted. It was reduced to once per week. There were series of speculations on this udden change. We thought it was because they wanted to release him or they didn’t want his persona Physician to come near him again. Later on, it became clear that they had a plan known to Abubakar and those close to him. The change in visits became noticeable shortly after Abacha’s death.

    Did you make formal complaint when you noticed there was a reduction in the number of time you were allowed to visit Abiola in a week?

    On July 4, 1998 when I attended American National Day, I had to complain to the United States ambassador in Nigeria that the military government headed by General Abubakar granted foreigners permission to meet Abiola which he (Abiola) did not request for but the same government disallowed Abiola’s sympathisers such as members of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), human rights groups, muslims and Christian associations in Nigeria to pay him visits. It was then the ambassador arranged for some NADECO members to join the American delegates at NICON-NOGA Hotel, Abuja. I organised the NADECO team late Senator Abraham Adesanya, Chief Bola Ige, Chief Ayo Adebanjo and Chief Ayo Opadokun. They got to NICON-NOGA at 12 0’ clock. They said they wanted to have a chat with Abiola, General Abubakar said no. That was where the politics started. NADECO team decided to go back to Lagos and went to the airport. The American delegation went to Aguda House to meet Abiola who was not told he was going to have visitors. They woke him up at about 3.00 p.m. to meet the visitors. Late Adesanya and his group were yet to board their plane for a return journey back to Lagos before Abiola died. Two of them (NADECO members) are still alive today to bear me witness.

    Would it be right to say that Abiola had good time in detention under Abacha compared with Abubakar’s tenure?

    The last one month of Abiola’s life under General Abubakar was agonising for him and those of us that were closed to him. His welfare was not properly taken care of. Feeding became a problem because funds for his up- keep were not released. Abubakar could not claim ignorance of Abiola in government custody. What prompted him to invite the Abiola’s family to visit him a day before he died? Did they have the knowledge

    that Abiola would die on July 7, that necessitated the invitation of Abiola’s family- two wives and first daughter? Such visit had never been allowed over the years when Abiola was detained. The family members were still in Abuja when Abiola died. What was thr purpose of inviting them? Why were they allowed access to Abiola before the American visitors met him?

    Who should be held responsible for the death of Abiola?

    Federal government under General Abdulsalam Abubakar should be held responsible. We were not afraid of Abiola’s life under Abacha. It was an irony of fate that the jailer (Abacha) died before the jailed (Abiola). There was a haste in getting rid of one those giving them (America) headache and MKO followed.

    What was the result of the autopsy that you and expatriates conducted on Abiola?

    The autopsy report showed that there were fatty layers in the vessels that supply blood to Abiola’s heart. The layers narrowed the space of the blood vessels. The amount of blood been supplied to the heart was reduced because of the narrow space. There was no area of occlusion (blockage) in the blood vessels. Nothing had stopped the supply of blood to the heart but the quantity had reduced. Nothing stops heart from functioning once it’s getting adequate blood supply.

    Have you submitted the autopsy report to the Federal Government?

    There were two copies. I kept a copy and sent one to the Federal Government. I have distributed copies to eminent Nigerians for safe keeping. A copy was also deposited in the bank. Federal government has taken no action on the report. Much as we supported the idea of setting up the Oputa panel, no one has seen the report or the White paper if any. The objective of the Oputa panel was to reconcile aggrieve parties. Unfortunately, reconciliation has not taken place.

    Don’t you think that the Federal government should compensate Abiola’s family since he died in government custody?

    Federal government is morally bound to compensate Abiola’s family for letting him die in their custody. For detaining him, government denied the family his patrimonial attention for more than four years. Abubakar promised to compensate the family when he paid them condolence visit after Abiola’ death. That promise has not been fulfilled.

    It’s a good thing that President Jonathan has recognised the June 12 presidential election and that Abiola won the election. He should tell us how much Federal Government owed Abiola before his death? When would the government pay his family? We have facts on this matter which are willing to release at the auspicious time.

    How best do you think Abiola could be immortalised?

    Naming ornaments after Abiola is not the only way to honour him. Any government that wants to honour MKO should implement all his campaign promises. Abiola promised to banish hunger and poverty if he assumed office as President of Nigeria. He made the promise 20 years ago and today the standard of living of ordinary people is worse than what it was in 1993. If Abiola had been allowed to rule the level of poverty would have been drastically reduced.

    He would have invested massively on agriculture such that we would be self sufficient in food production and even export to other countries. Apart from food production agro-allied industries would sprig up all over the country thereby creating job opportunities for the unemployed. Prior to oil boom era, Nigeria economy was based on agriculture. Then, we didn’t have problem of balance of payment. Nigeria didn’t belong to the club of debtor nations. Abiola had wanted to revolutionise agriculture and thereby diversified the economy. Remember, Abiola as a businessman had big farms all over the country. He knew what it takes to change farming method.

    We have millions of university graduates roaming the streets in search of jobs that are not there. How many of them can be absorbed in government establishments? The manufacturing sector, a major employer of labour is dying. Most of them have closed shops while others have relocated to neighbouring countries because of high cost of production. Abiola would have created enabling environment for industrialists to operate and as well encourage foreign investors to come and do business in Nigeria. Unemployment would have been tackled head-on by the Abiola administration.

    Nigerians in their millions voted for Abiola willingly and happily. Students, artisans, market men and women even police and army voted in their barracks for a President of their choice but the powerful forces used the brutal force to reverse the Peoples verdict.

    Was Abiola just a client or a friend to you?

    He was more than a friend or a patient. He was a confidant and also an in-law. His philosophy of touching peoples life is worthy of emulation. Abiola’s philanthropy transcends religious or ethnic divides.

     

     

     

  • Kano explosion victims yet to get compensation

    Kano explosion victims yet to get compensation

    The families of the March 18 terror attack on the New Road Luxury Park, Kano, are still awaiting compensation from the federal government, 82-days after.

    The attack left 39 passengers, passers-by and traders in the area dead and 79 injured, according to official figures.

    The management of the park, yesterday decried what it called the nonchalant attitude of the federal authorities to the sufferings of the bereaved families.

    The secretary of the Association of Luxury Bus Owners of Nigeria, Kano branch, Mr. Godson Nwokoma, said at a memorial service for the victims in Kano that while the state government intervened to foot the bills of the injured, no form of succour has come in from the federal government.

    The bereaved families, he said, are worried by the delay of the federal government in fulfilling its promise to assist them.

    Nwokoma said: “We are aware that government has been doing its best on this issue, but much still needs to be done. We receive calls from the family of the victims and we have been assuring them that government will come to their rescue. We have also been receiving help from nongovernmental organisations, especially, the ECWA Church.

    “The church has been very supportive in terms of prayers and words of encouragement. They have also donated food items and financial support to the wounded victims. As we gather here today, we have the hope that God will listen to our prayers and avert calamities of this magnitude. In spite of what happened to us, we do believe in the unity and progress of Nigeria. This is our country and we are determined to live in peace and harmony with the host community,” he said.

    Also speaking, Eze Ndigbo in Kano, Chief Boniface Ibekwe, commended President Goodluck Jonathan for what he called “the decisive action he has taken by imposing State of Emergency in three states. This action by Mr. President has gone a long way to curtail the antics of the Boko Haram insurgents in this part of the country.”

    He said the Igbo “will remain in Kano and we will protect our investments. We will continue to live in peace with our host community,” despite the Boko Haram crisis.

    He pleaded with government to come to the assistance of the bereaved families.

  • ‘How in-fighting, court cases delay compensation’

    ‘How in-fighting, court cases delay compensation’

    •23 families receive pay, says Dana

    One year after the Dana plane crash, Aviation Ms Stella Oduah and the airline’s Managing Director, Jacky Hathiramani yesterday explained why majority of the victims’ families have not been compensated.

    The minister and Hathiramani blamed in-fighting among the family, litigations and multiple claims for the delay.

    Ms. Oduah said multiple claimants and litigations were major challenges.

    She spoke through her Special Assistant on Media, Joe Obi in Abuja. She said the Federal Government was working to ensure that compensation is paid to legitimate next-of -kin.

    She said: “We will continue to share the loss suffered by these families. Our heart and condolences go out to them. The issue of compensation like the Minister said last Thursday, all efforts are being intensified by the Ministry of Aviation and the Federal Government to ensure that every victim’s family is fully compensated according to the regulations and according to the law.

    “One of the greatest obstacles is that in some cases, you have multiple claimants and the greatest evil somebody can do to the deceased is to pay compensation to somebody that does not deserve or warrant it.

    “We are taking our time deliberately to ensure that compensation is given to the right person; so in a situation where you have multiple claimants, you must make a deliberate effort to identify the legitimate next -of- kin.”

    On court cases against the management of Dana Air, she said: “The second aspect is the issue of litigation, as we speak; we have about 70 cases in court. Interestingly, some of these litigations are from members that have collected 30 percent and some 100 percent.

    “The truth of the matter is that compensation is given to families that have fully verified their claims. It is a process. Interestingly, the Ministry of Aviation was able to secure some waivers from the Lagos State government in terms of making the processes of this compensation to be a little bit easier.

    “So we have obtained some waivers. As the procedure is completed one after the other, every family that is fully verified is paid.

    “As we speak, 30 percent of the compensation has been paid. The remaining 70 percent are still trying to get the rightful claimants identified. Once that is done, the compensation will be paid.”

    Hathiramani , who spoke with reporters in Ikeja after a procession to mark the first anniversary of the crash of its MD83 aircraft flight 9J 992, said 23 families had been paid full compensation of $100,000 each as at last Friday.

    The procession took off from the domestic terminal 2 and terminated at the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) Headquarters within the Murtala Mohammed Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.

    Hathiramani said the delay in paying full compensation to many families of the deceased was caused by incomplete documentation and in-fighting among some family members and multiple documentation.

    The airline, he said, had made another offer to Pastor Daniel Omowumi, the main ground victim, aside the palliative measure of $30,000 given last year.

    Hathiramani, however, did not disclose the amount involved in the latest offer.

    He said: “We are praying that God should not allow accident to happen again in the sector.”

    The Acting Director General of NCAA, Mr Joyce Nkemakolam, said the agency appreciated the effort of Dana to remember the victims.

    Nkemakolam was represented by the agency’s Director of Human Resources and Administration, Mr Austin Amadi.

     

  • Committee seeks commission for resettlement, compensation

    Committee seeks commission for resettlement, compensation

    The Ministerial Committee on the Implementation of Apo Resettlement Scheme has recommended the establishment of a commission to handle resettlement and compensation matters in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

    The committee also called for the funding of resettlement programmes of the FCT Administration under the National Priority Budget.

    The chairman of the Ministerial Committee on the Implementation of Apo Resettlement Scheme, Alhaji Yusuf Tsaiyabu, stated this while submitting the committee’s report to the Minister of State for the FCT, Oloye Olajumoke Akinjide.

    Tsaiyabu noted that the establishment of a commission had become necessary in order to prevent the incessant set up of different committees to handle the resettlement schemes in the FCT.

    “The committee recommended that there should be a commission to handle all matters on resettlement and compensation in the FCT. Every issue on resettlement and compensation can be handled by the commission. It would prevent having numerous committees to handle different resettlement and compensation matters,” he said.

    He noted that the current funding of resettlement and compensation through statutory budget was inadequate.

    “The resettlement and compensation of indigenes cannot satisfactorily be funded under the FCT Administration’s statutory budget. The committee found out that the issue of resettlement and compensation is the business of the Federal Government. It involves huge capital resources, even as it constitutes security problems within the territory.

    “The committee recommended that resettlement and compensation should be funded through the National Priority Budget. The FCT Administration has to liaise with the Federal Government to include the resettlement and compensation of original inhabitants of the FCT in its National Priority Budget,” said Tsaiyabu, who is the Director, Administration and Finance of the FCT Area Council Services Secretariat.

    Receiving the committee’s report, the FCT Minister of State assured members of the committee and communities that the FCT Administration has the political will to execute the report and use it as a model for subsequent resettlement schemes.

    “We can assure you that you will begin to see fundamental changes in the way things are done in resettlement and compensation matters in the FCT. This is democracy at work in line with the transformation agenda of Mr. President.

    “The President is transforming Nigeria into a fully democratic society. This is why the participation and involvement of the people in matters that affect them is very critical. The Garki, Apo and Akpajanya communities fully participated in the committee’s report,” she stated.

    Akinjide had, on February 14, 2013, inaugurated the Implementation Committee on Apo Resettlement Scheme.

    The committee was made up of Director of Urban and Regional Planning, Alhaji Suleiman Abubakar; Chairman of Abuja Municipal Area Council, Hon. Micah Jiba; Director of Security in the FCT, Alhaji Bashir Mohammed; Director of Inspectorate, Planning and Management, Area Council Services Secretariat, Architect J. S. Kaura; Director of Satellite Towns Development Agency, Alhaji Tukur Ibrahim Bakori; Director of Development Control, Mr. Yahaya Yusuf, and Director of Resettlement and Compensation, Mr. Francis Okechukwu.

    Other members were Special Assistant to the Minister of State on Resettlement, Mr. Benedict Ogenyi; Director of Lands in the FCT, Alhaji Mainasara Babayo; Special Adviser (Lands) to the Permanent Secretary, Chief Steven Awoniyi; Special Assistant (Lands) to the Minister of the FCT, Alhaji Hussaini Badeggi; Special Assistant (Legal) to the Minister of State for the FCT, Mr. Festus Tsavsar; representative of Public Building, Mr. Momohjimoh Ibrahim; representative of Department of State Service, Mr. Adebowale Sanusi; Deputy Director of Monitoring and Control, Resettlement Department, Alhaji Baba Kura Umar, and Chairman of the FCT Press Corps, Mr. Sam Ogbeifun.

  • Oyo farmers demand N60m compensation for crops damaged by herdsmen

    Farmers from seven villages in Afijio Local Government Area of Oyo State are demanding N60 million as compensation for crops destroyed by cattle.

    The villages are Oluwatedo, Temidire, Idode, Kaye, Fitila, Isale-Awon, and Ekefa.

    At the weekend, the peasant farmers told reporters how herdsmen had been grazing cattle on their farms, destroying crops worth millions of naira.

    Their spokesman, Mr. Sunday Adeladan, said: “The invasion of our farms by herdsmen started about two years ago and efforts to check it are often met with violent attacks by the cattle rearers.

    “Farmers from each of the seven communities planted cassava, maize and yam on about 50 acres of land but were unable to harvest five ridges because the crops were eaten up by cattle owned by the bororo herdsmen. “Whenever we demand compensation, the herdsmen draw out their daggers and cork their double-barrel guns. When we complain to the police, they end up treating us as the accused. Often times, the police lock us up and torture us.

    “We are unable to repay over N20 million loans because we have no means of doing so. Our means of livelihood have been damaged and eaten up by cows and we have no other means of sustenance.

    “Our families are dying of hunger. We have nothing to eat, let alone send our children to school. It is that serious. We urge the authorities to intervene now before it is too late, because a hungry man is a mad man.”

    Chairman of the Ilora Farm Settlers’ Association Alhaji Azeez Giwa said over 8,009 acres of farmland were destroyed by cows between 2003 and 2013.

    He said the settlers have not been able to repay a N7 million loan received from the government and demanded N40 million compensation.

    Giwa said: “To worsen the situation, the role played by the police in this matter is sad. Our lives are often threatened whenever we report the herdsmen to the police.

    “I can show you some of the bullets picked up after policemen invaded this settlement a few years ago and shot at us indiscriminately to show their support for the herdsmen.

    “Some of us were arrested, brutalised, maltreated, unlawfully detained and charged to court on false allegations. The leader of the herdsmen, one Alhaji Jere, boasted that he is untouchable and vowed to continue to graze his cattle on our farms.”

    The farmers accused the House of Assembly of insensitivity, saying it failed to respond to their several letters.

    Giwa said many of the settlers have started relocating, following persistent attacks by the herdsmen.

    The Imam of the farm settlement, Alhaji Saliu Salami, said: “One of my son’s arms was almost amputated after he was attacked with machetes by the herdsmen. We are living in fear here because any attempt to check the herdsmen leads to threats to our lives. We have reported severally to the police to no avail.”

    The farm settlement was established by the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo. It has 105 houses and about 30 shanties.

    The houses, which accommodate about 700 people, are in a deplorable condition.

    The settlers urged the government to renovate the settlement and provide basic amenities for them.

    They said: “The transformer installed here is faulty and not functioning. Our only source of water supply is a well with a hand pump. We have no health centre. We always have to take our pregnant wives to town when they are in labour.

    “We have one primary school. Though the teachers are dedicated, they come from town because there is no befitting accommodation in the settlement. We urge Governor Abiola Ajimobi to come to our aid and save our dying souls.”

    The monarch of Ilora, Oba Stephen Oparinde, refused to comment on the settlers’ complaints.

    A top police officer said: “Whenever the farmers complain to us, we try to settle the matter amicably, but they always insist on compensation. When we take the matter to court, the farmers always back out on the excuse that they cannot withstand the long process of justice.”

    Farmers in 12 villages in Orire Local Government are also complaining of attacks by herdsmen.

    The villages include Odedaa, Baba Selee, Aba-Oba, Lasubulumi, Oko-Ile, Elesun, Adeosun, Fapote, Onitirin, Boosa and Ikoyi-Ile. The farmers are seeking the government’s intervention.

  • Boko Haram victims seek compensation

    Boko Haram victims seek compensation

    Christians in the North have set a precondition for amnesty for Boko Haram members. Victims of the sect’s violence must be compensated, the Northern Christians Forum (NCF) said yesterday.

    Also demanding compensation is the pan-Igbo socio-political organisation, Ohaneze Ndigbo, which lost many of its members.

    According to the NCF, Christians became targets of the sect’s mayhem for supporting the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan.

    The NCF described the amnesty offer as “wickedness”, if “nobody is talking about compensation for the innocent people who have been affected”.

    It said: “The Northern Christians Forum has been marginalised; deliberately underdeveloped; treated like vassals; seriously brutalised; and slaughtered under the watchful eyes of this regime more than in any other regime before.”

    A statement issued in Abuja by the NCF Chairman, Evangelist Matthew Owojaiye, said: “Government spent billions of naira on nomadic education, N5 billion on almajiri schools, which is specifically for Muslims, while Christian schools and hospitals taken over by the government without compensation are still being held tight by the government.

    “Boko Haram has tried to annihilate us and our Igbo Christian brothers and now the government is talking about granting the sect amnesty without saying a word about the people they bombed, slaughtered and traumatised.

    “Who underdeveloped the Muslim North? It is definitely not the Jonathan government. Neither the Christians in the North! It is the Northern Muslim elite that impoverished the Northern Muslim youth.

    “The Northern Muslim elite pocketed the largesse that came to the North. Only they and their families benefited. They turned the attention of Boko Haram to the innocent Christians in the North.

    “It is even more annoying that instead of the Northern Muslim elite releasing 50 per cent of their wealth to solve the poverty problem of the Muslims in the North, they are crying and putting pressure and intimidating the Federal Government to set up a Boko Haram commission.

    “It is wickedness! Since the post-election violence, thousands of Christians have been killed or maimed; thousands of Christian businesses have been ruined; and hundreds of Churches destroyed or closed down for supporting the Jonathan administration.

    “Contemplating granting amnesty to the people who have wrought wanton destruction of lives and properties in this nation is a call to other interest groups to rise up in arms against their fatherland, in order to be blessed when such an action should be treated as treason! Till date the killing continues!

    Intimidating the Federal Government to grant amnesty is the highest display of hypocrisy and lack of patriotism. Are such people not indirectly admitting that they are the shadows or ghosts behind the Boko Haram?

    “We totally object to even discussing amnesty when nothing has been done for the victims of the Boko Haram.

    “Let all who collude or sponsor Boko Haram or refuse to come to the help of Christians for political or economical reasons know that heaven is watching and nobody will go free! The blood of the Christian martyrs is crying to haven for justice.

    “Rev. 6:9-10 says that ‘When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held.

    ‘And they cried with a loud voice, saying, how long, o Lord, Holy and true, until you judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?’

    “We totally object to Paul Unongo and his friends speaking on behalf of the Christians, challenging the authority of the Christian Association (CAN) President. The Christians in Nigeria know their leaders. Definitely their teams are not among our leaders.

    “Northern Minority Commission is overdue. Do we need to take up arms before our plight comes before government?

    “The return of all schools and hospitals taken from the Christians and compensation paid for ruining them; release of N5 billion for Christian schools as done to muslims; henceforth, equal amount must be allocated to us as given to them yearly; and the setting up of Northern minority commission and a minister to be in charge.”

    Ohaneze Ndigbo supported yesterday Federal Government’s decision to consider amnesty for Boko Haram (Western education is a sin).

    The leadership of the group, which dropped the hint in Kano, said amnesty should be granted to the sect if the action would address the insurgency ravaging the North.

    But it demanded compensation for victims of the Kano New Road Motor Park bomb attack on Lagos-bound luxury buses.

    Led by its President, Chief Carry Nnachi, the group was on a condolence visit to Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwanso over the March 18 attack .

    But their host said the Kano Motor Park bombing that claimed more than 30 lives was not targeted at any ethnic group.

    The governor described the tragic incident as simply terror, which has no borders.

    The Ohaneze team also commiserated with the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero and the Igbo community in Kano.

    Nnachi described the attack as “vicious, unfortunate and irresponsible”, which must be condemned by all peace-loving Nigerians.

    He said: “The Ohanaeze Ndigbo supports all that can bring peace to the country. We support whatever efforts put together to restore peace and unity in the country.

    “We want Kano to continue to be in peace. Therefore, we must avoid tendencies that are inimical to this project by weighing our actions so that we can sustain our corporate existence as a people.

    “What has happened has happened. Therefore, we should all put it behind us and move forward.”

    The Ohaneze president stressed the need for the victims to be compensated.

    Speaking through his Commissioner for State Affairs, Abdulsalam Aminu Gwarzo, Kwankwaso noted that the nation has been passing through a trying period.

    He urged people to be cautious of their utterances, pointing out that the victims of the New Road Motor Park attack cut across all the ethnic and religious divides. The government has been doing everything within its power to tackle the security challenges.

  • Patriotism, NYSC and ‘True Federalism’; ‘Victims Compensation Fund’

    Patriotism, NYSC and ‘True Federalism’; ‘Victims Compensation Fund’

    N886.4 billion distributed in February! Meanwhile, no books in schools and unrepentant failure of power supply. We are so rich in our poverty! Shame on us! But at least the almajiris are sitting on the best school furniture in Nigerian schools.

    Apparently suggesting that the NYSC should be scrapped is ‘unpatriotic’. The ‘Unpatriotic List’ is long. It includes not to have true federalism and to have only 20 LGAs in Lagos State Vs 77 in Kano/Jigawa States but who cares about those aspects of patriotism! Changes will not get through a ‘patriotic’ National Assembly. NYSC, under the guise of ‘patriotism’, serviced educational, health and other needs of all but especially so-called disadvantaged states at a cheap rate, allowing billions to be stolen. Today’s resultant decay has given an excuse for terrorism and arises from yesterday’s failures to develop in spite of funds at each point in our fiscal history. In human terms, patriotic NYSC members are often treated little better than cheap labour, cajoled into accepting wretched accommodation and feeding during orientation as their ‘patriotic duty’ and in ‘the national interest’.

    Remember the hundreds of patriotic parents sending their patriotic starry-eyed sons and daughters to go for NYSC only to have them return in coffins. Sometimes they arrive in those coffins with their throats slit merely for being NYSC members attempting to serve their country patriotically. And we are not at war, so they were not sent into ‘enemy territory’ but into a neighbouring state! What compensation do you give those bereaved and grieving parents whose children’s goals have been so sadly truncated? One who has lost a husband or wife is a widow or widower and one who has lost both parents is an orphan, but there is no word in most languages for one who has lost a child. Those parents will weep fresh tears today as they read this small honour done to their children, forgotten by a country struggling and killing its children in order to become a nation.

    Where is the ‘NYSC Memorial Wall’ listing and honouring fallen NYSC members? I did my NYSC in 1975 and we lost comrades. I am here with family and children but they have been dead since 1975, 38 years. What impact has that loss had on their parents and siblings and economic loss to Nigeria? Does anyone think about these things? When you get in your car, bus or walk down a road, it may be the last time due to no fault of your own, no matter how patriotic you are! Our police and soldiers are dying in greater numbers than their colleagues posted to war-torn Mali, in shootouts, drive-by attack, robberies, bomb blasts and as escorts for bullion vans and VIPs.

    Money and other material compensation acts do not substitute for a life needlessly lost or the pain inflicted by such a loss on the family. Prevention of loss is better than compensation. But for many, compensation is all they can see as a survival strategy for their families. However, if compensation is big enough and regular, it becomes helpful in paying the daily maintenance utility and education survival bills of those left behind. What compensation actually comes to the family survivors of the victims of the robberies and bombs? What comfort does that give to the junior brothers and sisters of the slain who in their own turn are now being called up to serve NYSC in the same states where their brothers and sisters fell victim to ‘unpatriotic actions’ of others, actions which can be triggered at any time? One-off compensation, one dose cure, even N1 or 10million, is inadequate. We pay ridiculously huge salaries and outrageous disengagement allowances, and even life-time pensions and salaries to convicted or pardoned four-year office holders. Therefore government and NASS owe NYSC and other victims of bomb blast and violence in this ‘The Undeclared War’ in Nigeria regular stipends to enable siblings and children and old parents achieve some measure of physical and fiscal comfort.

    Such an all-embracing ‘Victims Compensation Fund’ would be a welcome act of ‘patriotism’ by government and NASS. It would need to be renewed every year by N1b or more budgetary allocation and run by public/private competent hands without huge governance, not by ‘pension scam’ government officials. Meanwhile NYSC is sending unarmed young men and women into violence-prone and armed areas-just because there are Nigerians living there. It is unpatriotic to send them into harm’s way as the uniform, title and job mark them as targets. The suggestion of scrapping NYSC may attract attention to the NYSC to provide better safety measures and protection and to get members deployed in relatively safe areas. Do the NYSC officials and those complaining against NYSC being scrapped send their own children into such unsafe areas? Perhaps not! If the NYSC cannot be run better and safer, then it would be patriotic to reappraise it and perhaps restructure it or suspend it in some states or scrap it as having outlived its usefulness. One of such reappraisal suggestions is that it should justify its existence and the cost in lives.

    Meanwhile, let us salute those currently in NYSC, pray for their safe return, set up state and national memorials to ‘NYSC Heroes Past’ and initiate political strategies to legitimise and legalise a ‘Victims Compensation Fund or Foundation’. To many heroes past and present are dying in vain.

  • Lagos pays N1b compensation to property owners

    The Lagos State Government has paid over N1.025 billion as compensation to persons whose property were demolished to make way for the expansion of the Orile-Badagry, Ikorodu, Ago Palace roads as well as the Lekki/Epe Airport project and the Re-settlement project for the Free Trade Zone, among others.

    The government also announced that another batch of 1,000 allottees, who bought property from the State Housing Agencies before January 2,000, will be given their Sub- Lease Registered Title Documents today.

    Home owners are to pick up the documents at the Adeyemi Bero Auditorium of the Secretariat, Alausa, Ikeja.

    The Governor Babatunde Fashola administration initiated the Registered Sub-Lease Title Documents process to allow house owners in Government Housing Estates get title documents, which would serve as their proof of ownership of the property and enable them to use the property for business transactions, such as securing mortgages and loans.

    About two batches of 500 and 1,000 flat owners have gotten the document.

  • Policeman demands N9.4m compensation from firm

    Five months after a transceiver mast belonging to May and Baker Pharmaceutical Company fell on the roof of his four-bedroom bungalow home in Ota, Ogun State, a police Sergeant attached to the Lagos State Police Command, Emmanuel Alademehin, is demanding N9.4 million from the company as compensation.

    Taking reporters round the house, which is located behind the company’s branch in Ota, Alademehin said his wife, Josephine and their four children narrowly escaped being killed.

    The policeman, who was away on a national assignment when the incident occurred, said his family was rescued by their neighbours.

    He decried the company’s alleged nonchalance to the incident.

    Alademehin said the company did not remove the mast until three days later and has failed to renovate his house as well as replace his damaged property.

    He said the house has been written-off by a certified building engineer.

    Alademehin said: “Since the incident occurred, my family has been in trauma. My children cannot sleep without the fear. The company re-erected the mast at the spot where it fell without showing remorse or compensation my family.

    “I was on an assignment outside the state when it happened. The company did not remove the mast until after three days. My family was exposed to sun and rain. The building is now weak to the foundation. You can see the cracks on the walls.”

    He said anytime he approaches the company, they direct him to their Lagos office.

    The company’s Head of Corporate Communications, Mr. Eugene Olewuenyi, said the company is safety conscious and the incident was an unforeseeable accident.

    Olewuenyi said the company repaired the building and is ready to listen to Alademehin instead of going to court.

    He said: “A truck accidentally pulled down the mast when it came to deliver some items to the company and we took care of the damage without minding the cost almost immediately. We are ready to listen, if he has any new complaint, instead of taking a legal process.”