The Nation Newspaper

Tag: immunity

  • Defection not immunity against trial for corruption, says govt

    The Federal Government assured yesterday that the gale of defection in the nation’s party politics will not shield any corrupt politician from investigation and prosecution.

    Minister of Information and Culture Alhaji Lai Mohammed gave the assurance during a visit to the Abuja office of The Authority.

    Fielding questions from members of the editorial board of the paper, the minister said defection, even to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), would not immune politicians who had looted the nation’s economy from being prosecuted.

    “Nigerians should be rest assured that the fact that some persons are moving from one party to another does not mean that they will escape prosecution.

    “Nobody will escape investigation and prosecution on the ground that he or she has moved to APC.

    “We have shown that with a former governor and a member of our party that was convicted. We will never terminate anybody’s prosecution on the ground of decamping.

    “However, it is not for the Executive to do the work of the Judiciary,’’ he said.

    The minister, however, said that many of the defections being witnessed were not premised on the allegation of escaping justice.

    He said some defected for “political calculation and personal reasons’’.

    The minister reiterated that the ruling party was not perturbed by the gale of defection, especially by members of the National Assembly.

    “We did not just start noticing this, the foundation for it was laid the day Dr Bukola Saraki became the Senate President.

    “In every part of the world, when a party has the majority in Parliament, the party decides who is going to be the leader of the parliament.

    “This is a case where the party was still waiting for the President to resolve the issue when Saraki, from the back door, emerged as Senate President.

    “From then, we have known, because his emergence was illegal and against the wish of the party,’’ he said.

    The minister said that to make the matter worse, Saraki made a deal with the opposition PDP, by conceding the Deputy Senate President’s position.

    “In the last two years, the National Assembly has been behaving as if the opposition is in control. We have a Senate President that is so hostile to the government.

    “For three years, budgets are passed only in June. As I speak today, there has been no disbursement on capital project in 2018 budget.

    “Critical appointments are also being delayed and the government is being blackmailed every day,’’ he said.

    “I have never seen in history, where a leader of parliament will announce the defection of 15 members from his party.

    “The proper thing is, if you are loyal to your party, you put stumbling blocks on such defection,’’ he said.

    Mohammed said Kwara, his state and that of Saraki which is the epicentre of the defection, remained solidly behind APC and Buhari.

  • Immunity for judges?

    SIR: UNAMBIGUOUSLY, Section 98 of the Criminal Code, CAP C38, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, provides for ‘official corruption’ by public officials including inviting or receiving bribes, property or benefits for a favour in the discharge of official duties, and pegged the punishment to seven years imprisonment if found guilty of the felony. The classification clearly includes judicial officers and condition precedent is commission or omission of deeds that are listed therein.

    The theory of separation of powers is domiciled in the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria providing for each of the three arms of government, to wit; executive, legislature and judiciary some degrees of protection from interferences. Essentially, the objective is to entrench checks and balances in governance against absolutism.

    The Court of Appeal in Hon Justice Ngajiwa v FRN par Justice Obaseki Adejumo, JCA in the lead judgment stated that by the doctrine of separation of powers in the constitution, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) lacks powers to investigate or prosecute serving judicial officers except such judicial officers have first been dismissed or retired by the National Judicial Council (NJC).  However, the court failed to put into consideration a scenario where a particular act by a judicial officer amounts to both a criminal offence and gross misconduct which implies that whilst the NJC battles it as a gross misconduct, the Police or EFCC freely investigates and prosecutes on the criminal aspects. Emphatically, a deed could simultaneously amount to misconduct and crime, and distinguishably, the former only breaches professional ethics unlike crimes that are offences against the state.

    In all fairness, the judgment is isolationistic for the judiciary. It implies that the court has diplomatically designed additional immunity clauses for the judiciary, on a par with the president, vice president, governors and deputies. The legislature too have severally, moved motions to accord same to their principal officers but still pirouetting. It therefore leaves the helpless masses as the only losers without any immunity as any misconduct pitilessly quarantines them up to the maximum prison.

    By the existing constitutional arrangements, judicial officers are not immune from criminal prosecutions except while on official duties. A judicial officer who commits criminal offences can be arrested outside the court premises as official duties are strictly limited to juristic obligations which bribery, treasury-looting, murder and other vices are not inclusive. At the moment, immunity from criminal prosecution is provided in Section 308 CFRN and covers only the government officials listed therein.

    A salient question is – could a judge who pulled out a rifle and shot a person be left for NJC to investigate prior to prosecution by the Police? Even whilst the immunity as stated above subsists, Section 143 supra unequivocally enabled the legislature which is a different arm, pursuant to checks and balances, to investigate the executive officials covered by the clause and if culpable, impeach them in lieu of prosecution unlike the present strange judicial missile that judicial officers are untouchable except by colleagues in the profession.

    The verdict is a mockery on the Montesquieu theory and must not see green light at the apex court.

     

    • Carl Umegboro,

    Lagos.

  • Impunity, immunity and leadership problems

    There is a growing harvest of street fights by members of the security forces lately.  The sights are as ugly as they are national embarrassment; hoping that we are not arming hooligans to maintain law and order. It has gone from inter-agency to intra-agency brawls all the way; members of the armed forces against the Nigeria Police, the Federal Road Safety Corps against the Police, EFCC against the DSS.  It has reached a crescendo where members of the Nigeria Police Force now turn their guns against one another and drag themselves on the street because they are attached as security details to politicians in opposing camps.  It is simply nauseating and sickening.  Impunity has become the signature tune of government officials and members of the security forces and even the paramilitary.  It takes just to be on uniform of any kind, even Boys Scout to preside of the ordinary citizen like a lord and abuse the law flagrantly.  This is how far impunity has gone and it beats ones imagination how we got to this point.

    Wherever we get the mentality that service in any capacity in government places one above the law is a grave concern.  I am not aware that the office anybody occupies makes him an outlaw or above the rule of law.  There is a growing trend in the abuse of power amongst the ruling elite that when they are out of government they still employ the coercive power of the state for personal aggrandizement and trample on the law of the land.  We even rationalize their lawlessness and abuse of office by saying that having served in a particular capacity in government, the law does not apply in equal force to them; this is nonsense!

    Our political leaders and head of government institutions and agencies have because of the office they once held, placed themselves above the law by using sheer force to ward off invitation and lawful arrest to answer for alleged malfeasance while in the office. One wonders if we are operating a democracy that is based on the rule of law or rule of might and strongmen.  If Nigeria is to overcome the problems of corruption and bad leadership, there should be equal subjection to the rule of law irrespective of office occupied.  The law should not be respecter of any person where we have viable state institutions.   Bracton, the Philosopher once held that, “The world was governed by law, human or divine, and held that the king himself ought not to be subject to man but subject to God and to Law because the law makes him King”.

    I watched with disappointment the confrontation between agents of the EFCC and the Departments of State Services when the former, armed with a search and arrest warrants on the former directors of the DSS and the National Intelligence Agency were prevented from carrying out their lawful duty.  It turned into a street brawl as between rival gangs than agency of government that should enjoy some synergy and cohesion.  Incidents of this nature are becoming so rampant with this administration that one wonders if anyone is actually in charge.  Recall a few weeks back, the convoys of the minister of transport and that of the governor of Rivers State engaged themselves in a free for all fights leaving trails of blood and tears.

    Government officials are taking impunity to another level that if care is not taken, could lead to a spontaneous revolution as in Tunisia where the mistreatment of a fruit and vegetable seller sparked off the Arab Spring.  Convoys of government officials have scant regards to other road users and indeed, they drive so recklessly as if they have appointment with death.

    The former directors of the DSS and NIA do not enjoy constitutional immunity by any means.  Assuming they do by an unwritten rule or laws which I am not aware of, having left office, they are subject to the law just like anyone else.  That is how a society and a democratic society should be run.  The former Chief of Defence Staff Air Marshal Barde, some former service chiefs and generals have had their days with the EFCC and the heavens did not fall; why not the former directors of DSS and NIA?

    The rivalry between the DSS and EFCC in particular appears to be more of personal clash between the heads of the two agencies than inter-agency rivalry.  Ibrahim Magu may be brash and not very cosmopolitan, but he is enthusiastic in carrying out his job and indeed enough irritant to the corrupt politicians.  The fight against corruption should be seen as a work in progress and we should not allow our resentment to an individual because of his method to kill the momentum.  The competition between the two agencies is uncalled for and to be seen to be working at cross purposes when they are both under the presidency is an eloquent testimony of the president’s inability to coordinate and control his appointees.  It is a clash one too many to be tolerated and I am not sure the two agencies are adding value and good public relation to the presidency in the way they are carrying out their duties.  If as claimed, the operatives of the DSS were acting on instructions from above, it would be a height of executive recklessness for anyone to use his official position to stop the agency of the same government you are serving from doing their job.

    Heads of agencies and government officials are not clothed with constitutional immunity; only the president, vice president, governor and deputy governors are so clothed.  Even at that, Section 308 of the 1999 Constitution that confers immunity on the mentioned officials did not make it a life time conferment.  They can be proceeded against whenever they ceased to occupy the offices so described.  It was therefore impunity taken to the extreme for the past heads of DSS and NIA to employ the force of arm to enjoy the status not conferred on them by law and prevent the EFCC from arresting them for questioning.  The world is watching President Buhari to act fast on these two agencies and he does not have all the time in the world.

    Our leaders appear to be suffering from ego neurosis; believing that they are beyond the ordinary citizens and supposed to be worshiped because they occupy government offices; and out of office, they should be revered even when there are obvious cases of abuse of office against them.  We have leaders whose examples are responsible for the socio-economic and political problems we are facing today; corruption, nepotism, poor attitude to work and other official engagement. There is no Nigerian official who will honour official function without going late to that occasion.  The constitution did not confer life immunity on any leader or head of government agencies; this impunity must stop.

  • Monkey virus, polio vaccine, cancer, immunity, herbs

    Monkey virus and monkey pox are the latest health issues in Nigeria. Ebola fever, with its potential to depopulate nations as the Black plague which wiped out about 30-60 percent (75-200 million) of Europe’s population between 1346 and 1353, is long forgotten now. So is HIV/AIDS which once caused a stir. Cancer is still on the ravage, with breast and prostate cancers being major causes of cancer deaths. But few people, doctors and patients alike, link a cancer with fungi, candida, bacteria, viruses and even heavy metals, which are regularly found in cancer tumours.

    Until 1994, monkey virus was not linked to a cancer in humans. This monkey virus, known to researchers as SV 40, was before 1994 known to cause cancer in animals. In 1994, Dr. Michelle Carbone, a Loyola University researcher, found the Monkey virus in half of the lung tumour he was studying. Dr. Carbone thought his discovery was a mistake. But it was not, as 60 laboratory studies other than his found Monkey virus in other human tumours that were investigated in Britain, New Zealand, France, Switzerland and Belgium.

    Acrimony among researchers, as in the case of HIV/AIDS, has hindered research progress, with some investigators challenging Dr. Carbone’s finding’s and saying the virus could have been induced by polio vaccine.

    Dr. Janet Butel, a virologist at Baylor College of Medicine, United States, agrees humans may have picked up Monkey virus from polio vaccine because the vaccine is made from monkey kidney cells. Thus, between 1955 and 1963, an estimated 20 million Americans may have been contaminated with Monkey virus SV 40 from polio vaccine. Nigerian data are not easy to come by. But a United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) campaign in 2016 aimed to vaccinate 41 million children in 18 Nigerian northern states, Chad Republic, Niger Republic, the Cameroon and Central African Republic, according to a report by Anna MacSwan. Last year, just when it was thought that polio had been eradicated in all countries except Afghanistan and Pakistan, some attacks in North-east Nigeria brought UNICEF back there to vaccinate 25 million children. Last month, polio vaccination raised the political temperature in two states in Nigeria’s South-east where the Army had just put down a social protest to balkanize Nigeria into independent nations. The army had joined other organisations which, for good community relations, were offering free polio vaccination for children. The army’s olive branch was ill timed, however, as its antagonists waged a social media campaign against the drive, claiming it was designed to depopulate the region.

    The antagonists of the Nigerian Army in the south-eastern states of Nigeria may be wrong or simply waging an ethnic war against a President they did not elect to power in 2015. But their reactions may have been instinctive or even intuitive at other levels if, indeed, Monkey virus SV 40 causes cancer, and the vaccine against it, derived from the monkey kidney, may have been contaminated by this virus, with the potential of contaminating vaccinated children and, some day, exposing them to cancer. Thus, the Monkey virus may be a cancer-causing agent in the bodies of everyone who has taken the polio vaccination derived from monkey kidneys. That may explain why adults of my age or younger, or even children under 10years of age, are now falling prey to cancer in today’s Nigeria, and we wonder: why children? Yet the answer is simple. If today’s children habour monkey virus in their bodies, but their immunity still being strong fends off a cancer, it may be only a question of time before the ugly bear raises its head because of the anti-health diet this children are expose to. What may mark the difference between the person who took the vaccination as a child and did not suffer from cancer till death from other cause(s) in ripe, old age, and the one who died of cancer at any age may be the quality of the immune function, diet and other factors.

    This column wishes to suggest that, in the treatment of Monkey virus, the immune system should be given priority attention as should the use of anti-viral herbs, some of which are presented below. It is interesting and helpful to note that the black plague which killed 200 million people did not kill four thieves in Marseilles, who picked pockets of the dead and ransacked their graves and homes but were not infected by this highly contagious disease. They protected themselves with herbs given to them by the mother of one of them who was a herbalist. There are many accounts of this story and herbal protocol. One of them came from Dr. John Christopher, a popular American herbalist.

    According to www.kitchendoctor.com: “Dr. John Christopher had a slightly different story and a variation of the formula that is clearly American, not French. His “Four Thieves” story is that there was a man named Richard Forthave who developed a remedy for the plague that was marketed under his name, a name which was corrupted to “Four Thieves.” There might indeed have been grave robbers who used this remedy to protect themselves while they divested corpses of treasures they would no longer need. The King of France had the thieves arrested and they bought their freedom with the remedy they had been using. Thus, the remedy did not fall into obscurity and has been used for centuries since to protect against contagion.

    “DR. JOHN CHRISTOPHER PLAGUE FORMULA

    • 8 parts apple cider vinegar, •5 parts glycerine U.S.P.
    • 5 parts honey, •2 parts garlic juice, fresh, • 2 parts comfrey root concentrate •1 part wormwood concentrate, •1 part lobelia leaf and/or seed concentrate, •1 part marshmallow root concentrate, •1 part oak bark concentrate •1 part black walnut bark concentrate, •1 part mullein leaf concentrate, •1 part skullcap leaf concentrate •1 part uva ursi, hydrangea, or gravel root concentrate.”

     

    Monkey virus

     As the name of this disease suggests, it is caused by a virus. To prevent or dislodge it, a therapy may follow two directions. Viruses strike when the immunity is low. So, the immune system must be addressed. Secondly, anti-viral herbs should not be too far from reach.

    Some useful immune boosting and anti-viral herbs are Red Marine Algae, Astragalus, Cat’s claw, Cranberry, Olive leaf, Oregano leaf, Echinacea, Calendula (Marigold), Garlic and Cinnamon.

     

    Astragalus

    Like Burdock root and Dandelion, Astragalus tea, tincture, capsule or powder added to stew, for example, improves immune defences against viruses.

     

    Cat’s claw

    Loaded with antifungal, antiviral and anti-bacterial substances the tea may be taken regularly in place of beverage drinks which add little or no value to immune function or combat viruses.

    While some authorities believe more studies are required to confirm folklore claims that cat’s claw can fight cancer and boost immunity, some studies say it actually does. In one animal study, water soluble extract of Cat’s claw was given for eight weeks to the subjects. The white blood cell count rose significantly in all of them. The researchers found that the supplement repaired damage to single and double DNA strands. No acute or chronic toxicity was observed in the experimental animals. In a human study, human subjects took cat’s claw supplement for two months before they were vaccinated against pneumonia. The report of the study speaks of “statistically significant immune enhancement” in the individuals taking the cat’s claw supplement compared with the untreated control group.

     

    Olive leaf

    This herb has the outlook of a broad spectrum fighter of diseases. We take it for granted. Yet scientists have found that one of its constituents, oleuropein has the potential to lower blood pressure, curb elevated blood sugar, lower total cholesterol and, in addition, destroy fungi, bacteria and viruses. Oleuropein and other compounds in Olive leaf have been shown to prevent viruses from reproducing by inhibiting their ability to produce amino acids. This is an advantage over antibiotics, which lack “a targeted attack of the problem” rather than attack the viruses and the host human cells.

    Traditionally, olive leaf has been used to boost immunity and provide antioxidant protection against free radical ravage. One study suggested that a liquid extract of olive leaf has four times more antioxidant than Vitamin C and twice as that of Green tea. Some of the viruses which have been shown to yield to Olive leaf extract are those of common cold, herpes and flu.

     

    Shark liver oil

    This oil helps in cold and flu which are known to be caused by viruses. Its leading chemical factors are Alkylglycerol and Squalene. Squalene helps the sharks to survive low oxygen environment in deep water. Squalene is present in human skin, but its production and availability there reduce with age. Alkylglycerol have been used in northern Europe to prevent and treat cancer. In other European countries, it is widely used for making the immune system more efficient. It is prescribed for conditions such as asthma, and other respiratory conditions. It is finding new uses in anti-aging therapies, particularly for immune cells and the cardiovascular system.

    An Italian study in the flu season of 2009/2010 experimented with 100mg of Alkylglycerol two times a day at the peak of the season. The study involved 52 participants. The control group, comprising 60 participants, received no Alkylglycerol. All the subjects took the traditional flu vaccine. Of the 52 Alkylglycerol group, 42 participants (81 percent) had no flu symptoms during the flu season with the other 10 having only mild symptoms. Their ailment cleared between two and three days without any drug treatment. The control group presented only 20 of 60 participants (33 percent) with no flu symptoms. The others were infected in varying degrees.

    We should thank the people of Norway and Sweden who, for hundreds of years, have used shark liver oil to heal wounds, respiratory and digestive system problems and swellings in the lymphatic system, especially inflammation of lymph nodes.

    In the human body, the largest concentration of Alkylglycerol is in the bone marrow where immune and red blood cells are produced. It nourishes the bone marrow and suggests why shark liver oil or Alkylglycerol is prescribed for chemotherapy patients whose white blood cells, red blood cells and platelets are suppressed by this poisonous anti-cancer drug.

    The second largest concentration of Alkylglycerol in the body (.05 percent) is in the spleen, an important segment of the immune system which performs anti-bacterial functions. As a member of the immune support system, the spleen, when nourished well with Alkylglycerol, offers support for this crucial system, especially in Monkey virus therapy. The immune system may be healthy and good, but its hands may be too full and this may lower its efficiency. When the spleen helps to clear bacteria out of the way, the system has reserve energy to deal with viruses and other troublesome agents. It is not surprising, therefore, that Alkylglycerol is present in human breast milk at 0.1 percent concentration, to give the baby immune protection.

     

    Red Marine Algae

    As early as 600 B.C., this algae has been used as food and as medicine to clear circulation obstructions and improve well-being. Its use as an anti-viral remedy is popular in China. But this does not dwarf its other uses in, say, “boils, urinary infections, goiter, asthma and stomach problems, and also for ulcers and tumours with varying degrees of success”.

    In European countries, Red Marine Algae is well known for the treatment of cold sores, which are virus-derived. For a long time, cold sore sufferers had no long-term relief. As this column once wrote.

    “Herpes I, or cold sores are not nice viruses because they can be dormant for years and then be activated by one trigger or another. These triggers include menopause, stress, dental work, other infections, sunburn and fatigue caused by overwork…it starts off as a small blister, perhaps one or two, with a slight burning sensation. You don’t take much notice of it, suddenly it expands and becomes very painful. Like an itch on your skin, you can’t.

    Jobelyn maintains record in LASUTH breast cancer study

    I HAVE not trailed Jobelyn for about one or two years. But when I finally did about two weeks ago, I was not disappointed. I probably would if Mr. Olajuwon Okubena, the chartered accountant who produces Jobelyn, has become tired, for whatever reason, of subjecting it to rigorous laboratory and clinical studies.

    Jobelyn began its life in Nigeria as a traditional herbal remedy for anaemia in all sorts of health conditions, especially sickle cell challenge. Later, it was found useful for arthritis. Later, it was found good for diabetes. Later, it was found to improve well-being of users who suffered from HIV/AIDS, cancer, mental illness and stress. All these discovered benefits were known through rigorous studies at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) pharmacy department, the University of Benin, the University of Ibadan, Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), the Military Hospital in Ikoyi, Lagos, and at various laboratories in Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States.

    The latest experiment with Jobelyn was undertaken by LASUTH to determine if this product can reduce negative side effects associated with chemotherapy in breast cancer treatment. The study was to answer four questions.

    • Does Jobelyn improve PCV of breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy?
    • Does Jobelyn improve white blood cell count of Breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy?
    • Does Jobelyn improve red blood cell count of breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy?
    • Does Jobelyn improve heamoglobin readings of breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy?

    Chemotherapy is the treatment of choice of conventional medicine in the treatment of various types of cancer. It is a poisonous, free radicals laden drug which is targeted at fast-growing cells in the body, cancer cells being fast growing as well. Unfortunately for many patients, Chemotherapy is non-selective and wages war on even healthy, fast growing cells as well. These include hair cells, those of the skin, intestine and bone marrow. Other healthy, but non-fast-growing cells may also be affected. Some of the common negative side effects of Chemotherapy are experienced with…

     

     

    Bone marrow cells

    These cells produce white and red blood cells and platelets. White blood cells fight infections. Red blood cells carry oxygen round the body. Platelets prevent bleeding. Chemotherapy may suppress the bone marrow, causing anaemia (low red blood cell count), neutropenia (low neutrophil count), neutrophilia (high neutrophil count) and thrombopenia (low platelet count).

     

    Hematocrit

    This is the percentage of red blood cells in relation to total blood volume. In earlier experiments with Jobelyn regarding anaemia in malaria, the hematocrit was found to improve within 24hours, giving Jobelyn at that time the image of an “alternative to blood transfusion”. The hematocrit is thought to be normal at a range of 31.8 to 43.2 percent.

    The kidneys participate in the production of red blood cells by producing a protein called erythropoietin which stimulates the bone marrow to produce red blood cells. Chemotherapy may suppress the production of this protein.

    During the LASUTH Jobelyn study in which some breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy were given Jobelyn along with their treatment and another group was given a placebo, the following observations were made…

    “1. Jobelyn given in combination with breast cancer chemotherapy appears to stimulate red blood cell production as HCT values are considerably higher compared to those breast cancer patients who received chemotherapy alone.

    1. Jobelyn given in combination with breast cancer chemotherapy also appears to directly stimulate red blood cell production as RBC values are higher compared to those breast cancer patients receiving chemotherapy alone (RBC= 3.58-4.99 mil/mm3).
    2. Jobelyn given in combination with breast cancer chemotherapy elicits a very slight increase in haemoglobin production compared to those breast cancer patients receiving chemotherapy alone (haemoglobin=11.1-15.0g/dL).

    In summary, jobelyn given in combination with breast cancer chemotherapy stimulates red blood cell production improving both HCT and RBC and reduces chances of developing anemia by improving haemoglobin levels.”

  • Immunity for NASS

    SIR: Nigeria has a fundamental problem. It has little to do with the current frenzy for restructuring or resources derivation and control. Most Nigerians are in the political terrain for entirely self-interest.  They prosecute this interest with zest and vigour, ignoring the interest of the larger community they claim to represent. Indeed the nakedness of Nigeria’s politicians can be observed at very close quarters through their representatives in the various legislative assemblies which they have carved out for themselves.

    The case of our National Assembly especially the Upper House is a study in the ways of the black man, especially as regards his attitude to public office and his sense of accountability.  Nigerians have over the years considered the cost – benefit ratio of having a Senate in its present form.  The complaints against the status quo have been on for long, but regrettably they have assumed alarming proportions in recent years, in particular during the 8th Assembly.

    Now what does the Nigerian populace have against the Senate?  First, no one outside the National Assembly knows what the law makers are earning.  By law, the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) is the sole authority to state, determine and recommend the salaries and the various allowances accruable to members of the National Assembly.  By law, not a kobo can be added to these financial benefits.  But in real fact what the RMAFC recommends is just a fraction, perhaps a negligible fraction of the quantum of perks and perquisites these few privileged Nigerians take home. How would one describe the constant purchase by the National Assembly of expensive limousines the latest of which are expected to cost over N6 billion?  This is in addition to the horde which they keep in Abuja and in their home constituencies.

    On top of all the above and more, our lawmakers want immunity in the course of their stewardship in the chambers.  This would put them virtually beyond or above the ordinary laws of the land.   Already the nation is groaning under a system that allows governors to be immune from any punishment, whatever the level or enormity of their behaviour in office.  Although many observers believe that what the lawmakers are looking for is a big joke, yet the mere mention of it is an assault on the sensibilities of Nigerians.

    What is the way out of this quagmire?  Various solutions have been advanced.  Notable are that the National Assembly should be a one-chamber legislative house with a ceremonial “upper” House consisting of natural leaders – Obas, Ezes, Emirs etc.  who are paid sitting allowance – unlike the present Senate where members are alleged to take home about N20million per month.

    Also that the chamber should be enlarged to have about 500 members to cover the whole country; that all emoluments, salaries, wages be made open like all other public servants, and should be pinned down to N2, million per member per month.

    In our present set-up and mind set, it might be difficult to achieve these lofty ideas, but the fear of many people is that we were dangerously moving  to a stage when the youth and  unemployed will rise it recover the country from a population of less than  10% which has enslaved and continue to enslave us all.

    The latest news that the Senate President is offloading 98 staff, perhaps leaving 98 to 100 others is the latest in our peculiar world.  How on earth can an official be supported by about 200 personnel?  I presume that some would hold his hand, some his agbada, some his biro and some will help lift  him up when he wants to move!

     

    • Deji Fasuan MON; JP,

    Ado Ekiti.

  •  ‘Malnutrition hinders children’s immunity against polio’

     ‘Malnutrition hinders children’s immunity against polio’

    Molecular Biologist, Dr Bamidele Iwalokun, says malnutrition is a major hindrance to Nigerian children’s mounting adequate immunity against Poliomyelitis, even with vaccination.
    Poliomyelitis, often called Polio or infantile paralysis, is an infectious disease caused by the polio virus.
    Iwalokun, head, Immunology and Vaccinology Research Department, Nigeria Institute of Medical Research (NIMR), Yaba, Lagos, in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos, said the inability to mount adequate immune response with oral polio vaccine was one of the factors leading to the resurfaced cases of polio in parts of the country.
    “Malnutrition is described as the most common immunodeficiency globally, a malnourished child may not be able to respond effectively to vaccines and this is not peculiar to polio vaccine alone.
    ”Some children that are being vaccinated for measles still come down with measles sometimes and we are expected to have long time immunity after been vaccinated.
    “We do have confounding factors that are making Nigerian children not to mount adequate response to vaccines that have been given to them and our immunisation programme does not take this into consideration.
    “When a child is vaccinated, after few months, it is expected that the blood sample of such child should be taken and screened for antibodies raised against the antigens in the body,’’ Iwalokun said.
    He said besides the nutritional effects on the response to oral polio vaccine, environmental virology was needed to survey for polio virus in an environment where an index case was being reported.

     

  • BBNaija: Seven housemates on edge, three get immunity from eviction

    BBNaija: Seven housemates on edge, three get immunity from eviction

    There is palpable tension in the Big Brother Naija house after controversial housemate, ThinTallTony, secured immunity from this week’s eviction after beating other contenders in all the keenly contested Head of House tasks on Monday.

    Following last Sunday’s all-inclusive nomination, eight housemates were subjected to a series of contests as parts of the routine to select a new Head of HAouse. Marvis, TBoss and ThinTallTony were the three housemates who made it to the final in the HoH contest, after scaling through a series of contests.

    In the final contest, the trio was required to deflate several balloons with their bums in order to find a mystery paper that will give the mandate to the would-be HoH housemate. The only male housemate in the final contest, ThinTallTony ultimately emerged winner; thereby joining Bisola and Bally who are immune from nomination come Sunday’s eviction show. The seven housemates that will slug it out in Sunday’s eviction show are Uriel, TBoss, Marvis, Kemen, Efe, Bassey and Debbie-Rise.

    Meanwhile, the eight housemates including ThinTallTony still believe that the road to winning the coveted 25 million naira and SUV has become narrower as two of the most popular housemates are supposedly out of the race.

    As the new HoH assumes his throne in a triumphant manner, he is immune from eviction, but does not wield the power to save or nominate any housemate from eviction. As the BBNaija draws inexorably towards the end, more mysteries have continued to unfold and no one knows what Biggie has up his sleeve.

  • Wabba: strip governors of immunity

    Wabba: strip governors of immunity

    Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) President Comrade Ayuba Wabba has said governors should be stripped of immunity because nobody is above the law.

    Speaking with The Nation, Wabba said all citizens are equal before the law, adding that the fact that governors are privileged to provide leadership did not mean they are above the law.

    He pointed out that the issue of immunity was absurd. “Criminal proceedings should, therefore, not be allowed to be deterred by immunity. For civil cases, it may be allowed. This is to strengthen our democracy.

    “If you look at most of the cases that have festered in courts for years, you will see that the immunity granted these public officials contributed a great deal to delaying them.

    “On the fight against corruption, every Nigerian must subject himself to the rule of law and while in office, criminal proceedings should be allowed to be initiated, irrespective of the person involved,” Wabba said.

    He said labour had submitted a formal letter to all the tiers of government, especially the executive, to address these issues.

    According to him, if immunity is removed, having specialised courts for the quick dispensation of justice would advance administration of justice.

    His words: “We will not relent in lending our voice through advocacy, and at the end of the day we should be able to have a result.

    “We call on Nigerians and the media to join us to advance these issues together because those that are enjoying the immunity are not likely to make a move. They are benefiting from the system and so they won’t be happy if for the immunity removal.

    “There is going to be a memorandum, because we will provide an opportunity for organisations and individuals to submit memorandum and be part of the process. Law is about the people and we are the people”.

    On minimum wage, he said discussions had been on for a long time; what is left is for the government to announce the composition of the constituted committee earlier set up and inaugurate it.

  • Immunity bid for NASS leadership uncalled-for, Senator Buhari insists

    Immunity bid for NASS leadership uncalled-for, Senator Buhari insists

    The Senator representing Oyo North Senatorial District, Senator Abdulfatai Buhari has described the push for immunity for the Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives including their deputies as uncalled for and posited that the bill cannot scale through.

    Speaking on a live radio and television network programme of Osun State Broadcasting Corporation, “Guest of the Month” at Ile-Awiye, Oke-Baale, Osogbo, Senator Buhari maintained that the Senate President, House of Representatives Speaker and their deputies do not

    need the immunity for any reason.

    Senator Buahri explained that the bill that is seeking to alter the 1999 Constitution to provide immunity for the presiding officers of the National Assembly couldn’t have come at this moment, saying that Nigerians would oppose the bill and that it would eventually die.

    He noted that such push for immunity for NASS leadership at a time when all eyes are on them, especially the Senate appeared very suspicious to the citizenry and that Nigerians would mobilise across the country to kill the proposed bill in their determination to tackle selfishness.

    Senator Buhari noted that even the Governors and their Deputies do not need the immunity that they enjoy currently, saying that only the President and the Vice President actually deserve the immunity.

    “Any politician that is popular among the people would not be seeking immunity which cannot last forever. Even if you are given the immunity, it is only for the period when you are in office. You will still go back to the people after your tenure and meet what you have ran away from,” Buhari said.

    Speaking on the anti-corruption efforts of President Buhari, the lawmaker said the Federal Government needs the understanding of Nigerians to succeed in the war against corrupt practices and cautioned against unnecessary sentiments and sympathy for looters that are being prosecuted by anti-graft agencies.

    “I have discovered that Nigerians still have confidence in the administration of the President Buhari. People of this country know hat Buhari will not steal and he would not tolerate stealing of public fund by his aides. But the President needs more encouragement in the area of anti-corruption war.”

    “For those claiming that the anti-graft bodies are doing selective prosecution, they must understand that the looters were also selective when they were stealing the public funds. Therefore, we must shun unnecessary sentiment and support war against corruption”, he added.

  • Immunity, impunity and anti-corruption war

    Immunity, impunity and anti-corruption war

    A bill before the House of Representatives, seeking to alter the 1999 Constitution to provide immunity for the presiding officers of the National Assembly has sparked a controversy. Assistant Editor LEKE SALAUDEEN examines the row over proposed amendment.

    THE bid by the National Assembly to amend Section 308 (3) of the 1999 Constitution to provide immunity for the presiding officers of the Senate and the House of Representatives has drawn the ire of the Nigerian public. The section provides immunity for the President, the Vice President; state governors and their deputies. The bill before the House seeks to extend that provision to the Senate President, the Deputy Senate President, the Speaker of the House of Representatives and his deputy, as well as those of 36 states’ House of Assembly and their deputies.

    Observers say the move is to circumvent the trial of the Senate President Bukola Saraki and his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu, over alleged forgery of the National Assembly Rules and Procedure at the Federal High Court, Abuja. The Senate mooted the idea following the arraignment of Saraki before the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) for alleged under and anticipatory declaration of assets, when he held sway as governor of Kwara State between 2003 and 2011. The outrage that greeted the bill forced the Senate to drop it.

    Nigerians are surprised that members of the National Assembly had the effrontery to re-visit the issue which had given it a bad name in the eyes of the public. The consensus of analysts is that the leadership of the legislature is not sensitive to public opinion. According to such analysts, the lawmakers, particularly those in the upper chamber, are considered as a greedy lot who think only about their comfort at the expense of the people they represent.

    Legal luminary, Chief Niyi Akintola (SAN), is opposed to the idea of extending the provision to the leadership of the National Assembly, on the grounds that they would abuse it and that it would further breed impunity. He said: “It is customary to abuse privileges in Nigeria; it is not in Nigerian character to respect the law. The way some of our lawmakers behave nowadays put fears in the minds of the people that if they are granted immunity, they would misuse it.

    “Rather, I will advocate that the immunity granted state governors be abolished, because they are using it to perpetrate impunity. I know a governor who drove against the traffic with his convoy and in the process hit a lawyer’s car. It was the Attorney General of the state that was sued, not the governor, because he was covered by immunity. The court awarded damages to the car owner, which was paid from the state’s coffer. You can imagine the governor using the tax payers’ money to pay for the offence committed by him.

    “If governors should enjoy immunity, it should not cover criminal offences. There is no law that allows governors to drive against traffic. If we should extend immunity to the Senate President and Deputy Senate President; Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, we are preparing fertile grounds for impunity to further spread in the system.”

    Former Deputy Senate Minority Leader, Senator Olorunnimbe Mamora, said granting immunity to principal officers of the National Assembly is unnecessary.  He said: “You can’t compare the executive with the legislative; they perform different roles. The nature of the assignment of the executive arm of government informed the decision of the drafters of the constitution to grant them immunity, to allow them to operate without distraction.”

    Mamora said it is not out of place for the President, the Vice President and the state chief executives and their deputies to enjoy immunity. He added: “But, we will be stretching it too far by extending it to the legislature. The position of Senate President, the Speaker of the House of Representatives and their deputies is just like electing class captain and deputy class captain. It is totally unnecessary, given the nature of the assignment being carried out by the legislature. Legislators enjoy immunity, as far as what they say within the hallowed chambers of the National Assembly is concerned.

    “There is nowhere in the world where legislators enjoy immunity in the classic sense. We have to conform to international practices. The people you are representing don’t agree with immunity. If you include it in the constitutional amendment proposals, it won’t get the required two-third majority in the National Assembly and two-third of 36 Houses of Assembly. I can assure you it won’t pass; it is a futile exercise.”

    Another lawyer, Malam Yusuf Ali (SAN), wants an amendment to the constitution, to make chief executives accused of corruption and mismanagement liable for prosecution. Ali said if the National Assembly wishes to consider immunity for its members, there should be public hearing to gauge the views of the people. He regretted that constitutional amendments carried out in the past did not achieve tangible results.

    He added: “All the millions invested are usually wasted. We make a lot of movement in this country without progress. There is no provision of immunity for the judges, but you can’t stop them from doing their job. As a nation, we should not look at the immediate problem, but our future. There is merit and demerit to both sides of immunity.”

    Afenifere chieftain Senator Olabiyi Durojaiye said emphatically that there should be no immunity for legislators. He said immunity was meant for the executive arm alone. He recalled that he recommended the removal of immunity for the executive in the 1998 Constituent Assembly that drafted the 1999 Constitution.

    Durojaiye who was in the Senate between 1999 and 2003 went down the memory lane: “I made a recommendation that the immunity enjoyed by the executive should be withdrawn and that their security vote should also be abolished. But, it was shut down as being ultra radical. I cannot contemplate extending it beyond executive.

    “When I was in the Senate, the country was blessed with experienced and matured people serving as senators. They regarded election into the Senate as a great honour and call to service. We never contemplated any suggestion for self-servicing or personal aggrandisement. At that time, we had people of impeccable character; people who had made their mark in their chosen professions like public service, military, academic and private life. It is unfortunate that the Senate has descended from the height of honour and prestige such that it is being derided and referred to as corrupt chamber.”

    The Chairman, Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption, Professor ItseSagay (SAN), said the quest for immunity by members of the National Assembly tantamounts to planning for a crime and demanding immunity in advance to cover up.

    Sagay said: “Many are still questioning the immunity granted the President and the governors and then some are proposing immunity for senators. Should all Nigerians be asking for immunity then? I am so shocked that some could be dreaming of such outrageous and annoying idea.”

    Justifying immunity for the presiding officers of the two chambers of the National Assembly, the initiator of the bill and the Minority Leader, House of Representatives, Hon. Leo Ogor, said the amendment was purely for the independence of the legislature as an arm of government. He said the on-going forgery case against Saraki and his deputy is an interference with the independence of the legislature, hence the need for immunity.

    Ogor, who represents Isoko Federal Constituency, Delta State, harped on the need for the independence of the legislative arm of government, arguing that immunity would protect the presiding officers from unnecessary distractions. The essence of the amendment, he added, is to address any act of mischief directed against the National Assembly, as being alleged today.

    In his own estimation, the former Chairman of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), Ikeja branch, Mr. Monday Ubani, believes that people who do not consider public service as honour will abuse immunity, if granted. He said extending immunity to legislators is unacceptable to majority of Nigerians.

    Ubani said it is revolting that members of the National Assembly are asking for immunity when people are clamouring for the removal of the one granted the executive. He said: “They are demanding for immunity because they want to use it to shield their principal officers from trial when they commit crimes. Nigerians are against it and if they go ahead with the proposal, they will rise against it. If their hands are clean and if they don’t have skeletons in their cupboards, they will not insist on immunity.

    “They are already enjoying limited immunity. Any expression made on the floor of the National Assembly by its members cannot be challenged in the court of law. But, what they want is a blanket immunity which they will never get it.

    “The leadership of the Senate should be mindful of its image, which is nothing to write home about. For the Senate to be proposing immunity for its leadership is unacceptable. If care is not taken the eighth National Assembly will be the worst in the history of legislature in this country.”