The President, Rivers Leadership Advancement Foundation (RIVLEAF), Chief Alex Wele, has described Nigerian Maritime and SafetyAgency (NIMASA) Dakuku Peterside as someone who always upholds the integrity of the judiciary.
Wele, in a statement, said anything to the contrary amounts to painting Peterside in bad light.
A group known as Freedom House accused Peterside of only upholding the integrity of the courts when it suited him.
But, RIVLEAF said: “We read with utter dismay and shock statements credited to one Freedom House, ostensibly acting and representing the interest of a senator wherein they embarked on half-truths and outright lies all in an effort to paint the Honourable Minister of Transportation, Rt Hon Chibuike Amaechi and the Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr Dakuku Peterside in bad light.
“But for the reason that the so-called Freedom House had chosen to dance naked and point an accusing finger at both Rt Hon Amaechi and Dr Peterside, one would ordinarily have ignored them as those who are suffering from identity crisis and lacking a sense of responsibility.
“The truth of the matter is that Dr Dakuku Peterside appeared on a live radio programme, Rhythm’s 93.7FM View Point in Port Harcourt, Rivers State and talked about many issues including events that led to the May 5, 2018 ward congress of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
“It is worth stating that some persons claiming to be members of APC had gone to court, submitting that they were denied opportunity to purchase nomination forms for the ward congress and therefore wanted the local government congress scheduled for May 12 suspended pending the determination of their reliefs in court. On Friday, May 11, barely 24 hours before the local government congress, a Port Harcourt High Court was said to have granted an order stopping the Congress from holding.”
The group continued: “Throughout Friday evening, no one saw a copy of the court order, prompting many people to doubt the authenticity of the said ruling.
“It was against this background that Dr Dakuku Peterside appeared on the live radio programme on Saturday morning from 8.15am-10am. Throughout the programme, he repeatedly stated that the party leadership at both state and national levels had not seen the court order and as such the Congress would go ahead until there is a contrary directive from the party. It is sheer mischief to twist the fact and say he said the court order will not be obeyed without attaching a reason to it.
“It is also worthy to note that following a directive from the national secretariat of the party, the May 5th ward congress was cancelled and fresh ones ordered. As a loyal party member, Dr Peterside joined others to participate in the newly ordered ward, local government and state Congresses of the party, which took place from May 19-21, 2018.
“Dr Peterside never issued any threat and so could not have disobeyed a court order that was not served on him. Congresses were conducted strictly in compliance with the directive of the national office of the party.
“In all of these, Dr Dakuku Peterside, as a loyal and responsible member of the APC followed the party’s directive and participated in the all newly ordered congresses. He never acted on his own and had no reason to act on his own.
“Both Dr Peterside and Rivers chapter of APC complied strictly with the directives of the national office of the party which had the sole responsibility to fix congresses with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) observing. The national office of the party fixed the rescheduled congresses and, INEC and other relevant institutions were properly communicated.
“It is therefore simply unimaginable and ridiculous that the so-called Freedom House would attempt to link Dr Dakuku Peterside to actions that tend to denigrate and disparage the court or try to portray him as a violent person.”
•Rule of law pillar of democracy, say CJN, Babalakin
Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo yesterday urged Nigerians to insist on leaders with character and integrity.
He said good governance would be impossible without the right people in power.
The Vice-President spoke at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) Faculty of Law 2018 public lecture with the theme: The rule of law as panacea for peace, security and good governance in a democracy.
Chief Justice Walter Onnoghen, who delivered the lecture, and UNILAG Pro-Chancellor Dr Wale Babalakin (SAN), who chaired the event, said good governance and peace would be impossible without the rule of law.
They also called for an independent judiciary and for court orders to be respected.
Osinbajo, represented by Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC) Executive Secretary Prof Bolaji Owasanoye, said each arm of government must fulfill its constitutional role for rule of law to thrive.
He said: “The rule of law being the heartbeat of democratic governance, we must accept that obeying the law will promote peace, security and ultimately good governance.
“The rule of law is the principle of governance in which all parties are accountable to laws that are enacted, enforced and independently adjudicated.
“It is one of the sacred constitutional doctrines that require taking necessary measures to ensure accountability, fairness in the application of law, avoidance of arbitrariness and procedural and legal transparency.”
According to him, if the triad of government fails to fulfill their constitutional mandates, the aspirations for peace and security would be a mirage, everyone is victimised and the society pays the price.
“Irrespective of the composition of government and the dominance or otherwise of one political party controlling the executive or the legislature, the triad of the executive, the legislature and the judiciary will work together as a cooperative government in order that the expectations of the people for good governance are not dashed, because what the people want is good governance.
“The first step to achieve the goal set by the theme of this lecture is the proper evaluation of the character and the integrity of the persons elected or appointed to positions of authority in all the arms and levels of government. If we’re able to get this basic issue right, we’re closer to our dream of peace, security and good governance in our democracy.
“Failure at this level implies that the foundation has been destroyed, therefore leaving the righteous with the difficult if not an impossible task of building something from nothing.”
Osinbajo called for citizen involvement, saying: “For us to build a nation of our dreams, the citizens must also scrutinise the actions of those elected or appointed with objective and non-partisan mindset.”
The Vice President praised the CJN for taking pro-active measures towards strengthening the judiciary.
To Chief Justice Onnoghen, the observance of the rule of law is a pre-requisite for peace, security and good governance in a democracy.
He regretted that the rule of law was “disregarded” by past administrations while powerful individuals acted above the law.
The CJN said: “It is quite discouraging that the rule of law has over time been disregarded in Nigeria and successive administrations have continued to show total disdain for its development.
“Hence, it will not be improper or out of place to conclude that without improvement on the observance of the rule of law, it will be impossible for Nigeria to experience peace, security and good governance.”
Chief Justice Onnoghen believes that security is critical for national cohesion and sustainable development.
“Any government that is against the enthronement of the rule of law is by implication inviting anarchy into the system. A democratic government must not only obey the law but also courts’ orders,” he said.
The CJN believes that Nigeria urgently needs “a vibrant and independent judiciary” that must “at all times frown at any interference from other arms of government” while guaranteeing access to justice for all.
According to him, the court system must be truly independent, accountable, efficient, impartial, accessible and credible, as courts expect the utmost respect of the law from the government that rules by the law.
“The level of respect and obedience accorded by the citizens of any civilised democratic society to court orders, judgments and other judicial acts determine the level of development of the rule of law and consequently the maintenance of peace, order and public good in such a society or state,” Justice Onnoghen said.
Dr Babalakin stressed that the rule of law could not thrive in the absence of an independent judiciary.
“We’re still struggling to convince the entire society that it is to our mutual benefit that we have adherence to the rule of law. I’m relatively young in the system, but I’ve seen successive governments pay lip service to the rule of law.
“They emphasise the rule of law when they’re in opposition, and capitulate as soon as they’re in government. Without the judiciary standing firm, only God knows where we would have been as a nation,” Babalakin said, adding:
“We’ve seen arbitrariness of the highest order; we’ve seen total disdain for other’s rights. But we cannot have the sort of judiciary we desire unless we make it a collective assignment.”
To the CJN, Babalakin said: “I congratulate you for standing firm in the face of serious aggression against the concept of an independent judiciary. You have taken a position that is commendable to all those who appreciate that we can only have the rule of law if it’s situated within an independent, courageous and well funded judiciary.
“You have not allowed the convenience of the moment prevent you from pursuing your ideals. I have no doubt that by the time your tenure comes to an end, the Nigerian judiciary would have the platform for growth.”
He praised the Law faculty for organising the event, saying: “The Faculty of Law has set a pace and must be the envy of every other faculty in this university.”
He said the faculty was living up to the ideals of its pioneer dean, the late Prof Taslim Elias.
The faculty dean, Prof Ayo Atsenuwa, said the CJN was chosen in a bid to give the judiciary a voice.
She said: “When we conceptualised the 2018 lecture, we wondered who could give us a momentous lecture in the sense that we wanted a lecture that would speak to the issues of the day. We thought: why not give an opportunity to the judiciary to have their voices heard?
“By tradition and the exigency of their job, they don’t speak publicly because they don’t want to pre-judge cases. But we also must hear from the judiciary. We thought: who better than the CJN? And we thought that other arms need to hear from the Judiciary.”
Morpol Engineering Services Limited Executive Director, Engineering, Felix Ayejunikanwa, in this interview with EMEKA UGWUANYI at the yearly sub-Saharan Africa oil and gas conference in Houston, Texas, United States explains how his firm is managing security challenges in its host communities in Niger Delta, among other issues.
Could you give an insight into the operations of Morpol?
Morpol is an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor or firm and we are into pipeline construction work, equipment erection and we build process plants. We have been in the market for sometime. Morpol will be 50 years old by June this year. But we went into engineering about 26 years ago. Morpol started as a stockist, doing buying and selling until the owners, based on advice, had a rethink on why buying and selling only, because they were making supplies to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).
They heeded the advice and went into engineering, that was when they started bringing in some engineers. It is on record that since we started, we have not been awarded a job and it’s abandoned in the last 26 years. We have made a record in the industry in such a way that NNPC we started with, is promoting us everywhere, telling people about Morpol.The interesting thing to me also is the Shell project, we bidded for the job, Daewoo and Saipem bidded for the job too, among others. When the bids were opened and evaluated, they realised that our offer for the job was less than 50 per cent of the average price quoted by the foreign companies.
You know Daewoo and Saipem are international companies, so they felt that we would not be able to do the job, saying we have come there to commit suicide and there is no way we would be able to do the job. But we moved in as a management team and started the planning and preparation, at the end of the day we delivered the job and got commendation from Shell that we delivered the job a year ahead of schedule.
Secondly, Shell Vice President, Nigeria/Gabon, gave us meritorious performance award on the job. Thirdly, two of about 16 different host communities where we worked gave us commendation letters that they have not seen a company like this that is transparent, has integrity and is fair, and equally, we always see the communities as part of us. We sat with them and sincerely tell them what we have and that we would not be able to give them what we don’t have. We told them we are Nigerian companies just like you but, we want to prove to foreign companies that Nigerian companies can do it, give us the cooperation.
The government also supported us. Our professionalism, fairness, integrity and sincerity, among others, saw to our success. It was in the news that the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources said the government was able to save about $2billion by awarding contracts to Nigerian companies as against their foreign counterparts. We are part of that story. Imagine saving $2 billion, it’s not a joke. So, we continue to demonstrate our capacity that we can do what these foreign companies can do if not better. Any time EPC contracts are being discussed, we are there. Apart from Shell, we have other companies that we work for.
You have proven to have the capacity but how do you cope with the challenges of accessing finance, which is a major problem to Nigerian firms?
Everything has to do with planning. We don’t get to the farm before rolling our sleeves. We are proactive. We believe you have to plan well ahead. We are very conservative, in the sense that, we are quiet, moderate and we don’t waste money and don’t go for expensive lifestyle. Our office is moderate and we are not people that connect to buying private jets, among others.
So, we have been working over the years and have been saving money. Apart from the money we have saved as a result of our conservative lifestyle, we have been banking with United Bank for Africa (UBA) for about 50 years. They have seen our reliability and integrity, so when we knock on their door, they open it for us in terms of funding. Currently, whatever we need comes from UBA, particularly. UBA has demonstrated the willingness to support us as a Nigerian company that has not defaulted for once, so this is another way of managin’g funds. Just last month, Shell called us for a forum where they brought in a number of Nigerian bankers and said they have a project of about $2 billion to be executed and would want to see how their contractors will not suffer funding difficulty. The idea is for all payments to be made through these participating banks whereby the banks could rely on this to provide funds to the contractors as very attractive interest rates. This is another way to help Nigerian companies that are interested. That is one way of funding. Also you know the type of job we do is based on milestones whereby you are paid by stages you do, so the cash flow is always flexible and we are comfortable with that.
What are the challenges your firm and those in the same operational category face in the course of duty?
The first is security. To work in Nigeria, and particularly in the Niger Delta, is a tough one security wise. But again, we believe that this approach of involving people (the host community), giving them sense of belonging is helping us, so call those people that could be a threat and sit with them on a roundtable and tell them we have come to work here and can only deliver with your permission. I can tell you we moved into Gbarain-Ubie for the project in May 2014 and and we didn’t lose a life and nobody was kidnapped. It was peaceful for us. So, security was a major issue but again we were able to manage it.
Second one is the communities -agitation of the youths, among others, but we had community engagements – from the king or head of the community to the youths, we normally bring everybody to the table with patience, and that involvement also gave an edge over other companies in terms of having good community relations. I told you we got letters of commendation from two communities and they even wrote to the government that this is the company they would want to work in their area. So, that area of challenge, we have been able to manage it. In terms of manpower, we have a data bank of qualified Nigerians, who can do the job, so we don’t have challenge in that area.
Of all the jobs Morpol has executed, which one stood out ?
There are two projects I want to reference. One, of course, is the Gbarain-Ubie project because for us to get commendation letters and meritorious performance award from the Vice President of Shell, is not a joke, it doesn’t come easy. That is outstanding as far as our record is concerned. Secondly, we did the solid state polymerisation (SSP) project for Indorama Petrochemical Company in Port Harcourt. It is about 45 metres high installation. It is a PET plant, we did the erection of the plant for them completely. The ingenuity we deployed there is amazing.
There, another project given to us by the Lagos State government’s Water Corporation, replacement of 48-inch pipeline on Carter Bridge. The pipe carries water from the mainland to the island. That project was initially built by Julius Berger when they were constructing the bridge, so the pipe was laid under the bridge hanged but it fell into the water. A number of companies were called to replace it. They called Julius Berger, but it rejected the offer because it didn’t have the time and eventually we took interest and they gave us the job. What we did with that job was in the news. We didn’t use barge, which sometimes is used to carry your cranes amongst other installation equipment. The technology we deployed in that job is amazing to everybody and the Group Managing Director of Lagos Water Corporation, Holloway, made a comment on that feat, which is a commendation again on what we have done.
When will work start on Gbarain-ubie’s phase three project?
We expect to sign the contract hopefully in July this year and construction will kick off after Engineering and Procurement phase of the the project. It will be a three-year project. Remember the previous one we did was delivered a year ahead of schedule.
Senators are under attack following the revelation by Senator Shehu Sani that a senator collects a monthly allowance of N13.5 million apart from a salary of N750, 000 per month. Assistant Editor LEKE SALAUDEEN examines the implication of the jumbo pay on the nation’s economy and the integrity of the National Assembly.
NIGERIANS were outraged by the revelation that each senator takes home the sum of N13.5 million per month as running cost, in addition to the consolidated monthly salary of N750,000. The revelation made by Senator Shehu Sani, who represents Kaduna Central in the upper legislative chamber, has triggered widespread anger among Nigerians, who had always criticised the lawmakers for their selfish interests.
A number of eminent lawyers and human rights activists have described the jumbo salary and allowances senators of the senators as outrageous, when compared with what their counterparts in other climes earn. They said the lawmakers are insensitive to the plight of the people they represent, who are mostly living in penury. They agree that the basic salary of the senators is modest, but say their allowances are outrageous and cannot be sustained by the Nigerian economy.
Such analysts commended Sani for having the courage to make public the monthly emolument of his colleagues. The senator representing Kaduna Central said divulging the information on the lawmakers’ salary and allowances “is a moral issue”. He regretted that the National Assembly was being run with little accountability about how the money is spent.
He said: “The National Assembly is one of the most non-transparent organs of government. It pricked my conscience and I decided to burst the bubble and open the National Assembly to public scrutiny.” He called for the scrapping of what he described an illegal payment, so that the National Assembly would be attractive to people who can contribute ideas.
The salaries and allowances of the National Assembly members have been a subject of debate over the years. Sani’s revelation remained the first by a lawmaker from the Senate, since the clamour for a full disclosure of lawmakers’ earnings started.
Irked by the bogus allowances received by senators, Second Republic lawmaker, Dr Junaid Muhammed, castigated the federal lawmakers for what he described as insensitivity to the general feelings of the populace, with their opulent lifestyle which is at variance with the economic situation in the country.
Mohammed said: “It is unfortunate that the leadership of the country is now in the hands of people that have no feelings for the common people. They think of themselves and their families; they fix horrendous salaries and allowances for themselves at the expense of majority of Nigerians who can hardly afford a meal per day. This disproportionate allowance being paid senators is unacceptable.”
He recalled that the jumbo pay for lawmakers was introduced by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) under former President Olusegun Obasanjo and that it was upheld by the Umaru Yar’Adua presidency and sustained by the Goodluck Jonathan administration.
The Second Republic lawmaker said: “The PDP has monetised politics in this country; the elective offices are meant for the highest bidder. That is why people of integrity are very scarce in the National Assembly. The country is being blackmailed by these jokers in the National Assembly. None of them have done any serious job in their life. I pray there should be a revolution to clear all this mess and let’s see how many of them can survive it.”
The Kano-born politician regretted that the 1979 and 1999 Constitutions empowered members of the National Assembly to fix their salaries and allowances. He added “It was a mistake that the constitution allow the lawmakers to determine what they earn. In a normal society or matured democracy, you don’t allow members of the legislature to fix their salaries.
“In a civilised and rational society, the nation pays the people including lawmakers, based on the content of the service rendered and what the nation’s economy can afford. There is no justification for the outrageous salaries and allowances fixed by them. When the economy nose dives, the normal thing to do is to cut down the expenses and plug all the leakages in the system, so that the nation does not go bankrupt. The solution is that we should allow Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMFAC) to fix the salaries and allowances of all public servants, including the lawmakers.
“The constituency project is a conduit pipe for siphoning public funds. The lawmakers collect money for doing nothing; they collect allowances for oversight functions. It is unfortunate that what we have in the National Assembly today are people who are only interested in personal aggrandisement, rather than creating dividends of democracy for the people that they represent.”
The way out, Muhammed said, is for the country to adopt part-time legislature. His words: “The constitution mandated both the upper and lower chamber of the legislature to sit for at least 108 days. The amount of work could have been done within three months. Already our lawmakers have been operating on part-time basis. They meet two or three days in a week; they go on recess for months. The job content does not require full-time legislators.”
A senior lawyer, Malam Yusuf Ali, said there was no justification for the jumbo allowances collected by the lawmakers, because it was out of tune with the economic realities in the country. He said the allowance is insensitive, considering Nigeria’s minimum wage.
Ali argued that there is nothing to justify the outrageous pay in a country where average Nigerians earn less than five dollars a day. He said if the economy is buoyant, it’s a different ball game; but morality and common sense demand we should do things in line with acceptable standard. “There is no reason we should add to the cost of governance,” he said.
The lawyer said: “Even if there was no mass unemployment and if the economy were buoyant, such allowance was totally unrelated to our circumstances. It is very insensitive.”
The legal luminary appealed to the lawmakers to have empathy for the common people. His words: “You can’t be on part-time and still earn this stupendous money.” However, Ali disagreed with the idea of part-time legislature, saying that plenary sessions is just one aspect of their duties. He said lawmakers hold committee meetings and carry out oversight functions. What is important is that our legislators’ earnings should reflect the state of the ailing economy, in the interest of the majority who are living in penury.”
Lawyer and human rights activist, Mr. Monday Ubani, condemned what he called the ostentatious lifestyle of the National Assembly members. He said it is unfortunate that those elected to protect the interests of the people are insensitive to their plights; adding that they are feeding fat at the expense of the majority of Nigerians who struggle to have a meal in a day.
Ubani said: “We can’t continue with this jumbo pay earned by senators and their counterparts in the House of Representatives. It’s time for us to take action and put an end to this mess that is making us a laughing stock in the comity of nations. Some of us may likely challenge it in the court.
“I can’t imagine a person carting home N64 million apart from the basic salary every three months, simply because he’s a senator. The economy of Nigeria cannot sustain the greed of the members of the National Assembly who constitute less than 0.05 per cent of the populace.”
Ubani agreed with the suggestion of part-time legislature. He said: “Already, they are operating on part time basis; they meet three days in a week. How many of them attend plenaries? What we see on the screen every time is empty chairs in both chambers. Our economy cannot sustain the flamboyant lifestyles of these senators. We should do away with one of the chambers.”
But the Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ogun State chapter, Alhaji Sikirulah Ogundele, did not see anything wrong with the senators fixing own salaries and allowances, adding that the senators invested a lot of money to win their elections and they must find a way of recouping their investments. “The bane of our democracy is that elections have been monetised,” he said.
Ogundele advised the electorate to always cast their votes for people of integrity. He said: “They should look for those who are acquainted with their problems; retired teachers and principals would serve them better. These are the people that can accept a take-home of one million naira, rather than the moneybags who have no interest in serving the people. Until we start considering the credibility in electing our representatives, the moneybags will continue to dominate the National Assembly. Someone that is used to extravagance lifestyle will never change.”
Lagos lawyer and activist, Mr. Femi Falana, said the unearthing of lawmakers’ jumbo pay should provide an opportunity for Nigerians to review the entire costs of governance. He said the Buhari administration owes the nation a duty to ensure that no political office holder is paid salaries and allowances that have not been approved by the RMAFC.
He said Section 70 of the 1999 Constitution empowered the RMAFC to approve the salaries and allowances of the legislators. He regretted that the commission had never exercised this power by questioning the payment of the unauthorised salaries and allowances to federal legislators.
Falana said the time was ripe for government to stop the jumbo salaries and allowances of federal lawmakers. He added: “The Buhari administration owes the national duty to ensure that no political officer is paid salaries and allowances that have not been approved by the RMAFC.”
A legal practitioner, Mr Jiti Ogunye, said Senator Sani’s revelation has confirmed the long-held fears of Nigerians that their legislators are the highest paid in the world and that they have been short changing the people.
He said: “They are not expected to use that elevated position to serve their own interest at the expense of public interest. They are not expected to allow their selfish consideration to override their commitment to abiding by the law.”
To a student activist, Mr Uche Ejiofor, the bogus allowance drawn by the senators clearly show that they were not representing the people. He said: “I had always ignored the speculations about the legislators pay, but the fact that the revelation came from one of them and it has been confirmed by the Senate’s spokesman made me to believe that the federal lawmakers are living in a different world.”
Ejiofor said the senators have confirmed that they are not on the same page with the executive in the quest for prudent management of resources and efforts towards economic recovery. He recalled that President Muhammadu Buhari and his deputy, Professor Yemi Osinbajo at the inception of this administration announced a 50 per cent salary cut as their sacrifice towards economic recovery. He added: “I had expected members of the National Assembly would follow suit, because the ruling party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), has majority in both chambers of the National Assembly.”
He said the outcry wouldn’t have been if the legislators have been living up to the expectation of their constituents. He said Nigerians no longer see the lawmakers as people who are representing their interests.
He said: “The people are angry, because they have not been getting a fair deal from the lawmakers. Nigerians must demand a review of the lawmakers’ allowances. We have not been getting a fair deal from our legislators. If a single person will be earning that kind of money in a country where the minimum wage is N18,000, something has to be done. We must insist on a review of this jumbo pay.”
The Rivers Restoration Movement has described a former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Prince Chibudom Nwuche, as a man of integrity.
The group, yesterday in a statement in Port Harcourt, by its President, Dokubo Martins, and Secretary, Clarkson Jones, faulted the abuse of Nwuche by allies of the Transportation Minister Rotimi Amaechi.
It alleged that the Inter-Ethnic Network for Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi (INCRA) attempted to malign and persecute the ex-deputy speaker of the House of Representatives over imaginary fears.
Rivers Restoration Movement said: “ INCRA, in its members’ desperation to malign Nwuche, peddled falsehood and forgot that he (Nwuche) remained the beacon of his people, because of his monumental achievements for the four years he was at the National Assembly (1999-2003).
“Amaechi has shown no repentance for his hatred for Nwuche …Ekpeye people consider Nwuche as their political leader. Even His Royal Majesty, the King of Ekpeye people, Eze Robinson O. Robinson, has pronounced Nwuche so. Nwuche has supporters and followers across all political parties in Ekpeyeland.”
The Rivers Restoration Movement has described a former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Prince Chibudom Nwuche, as a man of integrity.
The group, yesterday in a statement in Port Harcourt, by its President, Dokubo Martins, and Secretary, Clarkson Jones, faulted the abuse of Nwuche by allies of the Transportation Minister Rotimi Amaechi.
It alleged that the Inter-Ethnic Network for Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi (INCRA) attempted to malign and persecute the ex-deputy speaker of the House of Representatives over imaginary fears.
Rivers Restoration Movement said: “ INCRA, in its members’ desperation to malign Nwuche, peddled falsehood and forgot that he (Nwuche) remained the beacon of his people, because of his monumental achievements for the four years he was at the National Assembly (1999-2003).
“Amaechi has shown no repentance for his hatred for Nwuche …Ekpeye people consider Nwuche as their political leader. Even His Royal Majesty, the King of Ekpeye people, Eze Robinson O. Robinson, has pronounced Nwuche so. Nwuche has supporters and followers across all political parties in Ekpeyeland.”
A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Mr Paul Usoro (SAN) has urged young lawyers to uphold the integrity of the Bar.
He said lawyers have a role in facilitating socio-economic and political development, but they can only do so if they uphold the highest ethical standards.
Usoro was the lead speaker at the first Annual Law Week of the Nigerian Bar Association, Ile-Ife Branch.
Speaking on the theme: Integrity of the Bar and Bench as a panacea for socio-economic development in Nigeria, Usoro noted that lawyers must maintain a high level of personal integrity in order to promote that of the Bar and ultimately effect positive societal change.
While encouraging lawyers to maintain the highest level of professional standards he said: “The major threats to the integrity of the Bar are attributable to both human and institutional factors.
“Lack of personal integrity and discipline are two major human factors that can hinder the progress of the Bar, while undue interference of the government, weak regulatory frameworks, poor education, remuneration and income for lawyers and financial dependence of the Judiciary on the Executive arm of Government are chiefly institutional problems.
“All of these factors, have telling consequences including delayed justice, subversion of the rule of law, civil unrest, loss of confidence in the judiciary as well as capital flight by investors, which consequences have adverse effects on the country’s socio-economic development.
“Efforts must be in place by both individuals and relevant institutions to address the integrity deficit in the Bar. The Nigerian Bar Association as an institution of change must raise its voice on critical issues as it concerns the nation’s well-being.
“The Bar has a critical role to play in the socio-economic wellbeing of the polity. It is the grand promoter of the rule of law and must raise its voice, especially when there is a subversion of the course of justice. It is important that competent people are elected to lead the Bar because this is also crucial to the integrity of the Bar itself,” Usoro said.
Usoro’s firm, Paul Usoro & Co (PUC) , has started receiving entries for the second edition of its pro bono challenge with the theme: My Pro Bono Story.
According to the firm, the initiative is aimed at rewarding the selfless and sacrificial efforts of lawyers who go the extra mile to defend the defenseless.
The six most-compelling cases will be rewarded with N100,000 each, PUC said. According to the organisers, each participant is expected to create a short video (maximum of two minutes) which could be shared via Instagram, Facebook or via email (puchallen ge@gmail.com).
On February 28, it will be 20 years since the late business tycoon and estate mogul, Chief Gabriel Akin Taylor passed on. His daughter, Adekunbi Akin-Taylor who is one of the administrators of his estate speaks to Medinat Kanabe about her late father’s ideals, disciplinary nature and the tumultuous task of preserving his legacies two decades down the line.
ho was Gabriel Akinmade Taylor?
My father, Gabriel Akinmade Taylor was born on the 24th of December 1921 and died at the age of 76, 20 years ago His father was from Ile-oluji, Ondo State while his mother was from Itu in Cross River State. He attended Hope Wadell College where he got his distinguished alumnus honorarium from. In the earlier part of his life, he dealt more with his Cross River relatives. He loved his two roots and never turned his back against any of them. When I was at the University of Ife, he would pick me up during breaks and take me to Calabar, where he had a house and to Itu during festivals.
He was also very homely and cultural; I can say he was a traditionalist because even though he was knighted in the Anglican Church, it didn’t stop him from identifying with Nigerian indigenous culture. There was no ceremony in my house that Calabar dancers would not come to perform; and while we were living in Obalende, Eyo masquerades would come to our house to pay homage.
He was a disciplinarian and believed so much in hardwork and integrity that he rejected the contract to construct the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway in 1970/71 because of the conditions attached to it.
As a family man, we didn’t understand him then and thought he was over the top. If he said you are allowed out for one hour, you dared not come back one hour, two minutes later. Nevertheless, I always thought he was a perfect man.
Often, we had to devise ways of going out, such as saying we wanted to take the Alsatian dogs for a walk; and on the way, we would tie them up and go visit our friends.
However, as strict as he was, he was a very humorous man but you could only detect that by looking at his face, which many of us children couldn’t dare to do.
To tell the truth, our best times were when he traveled. He was such a regimental man: you couldn’t touch the wall, you couldn’t make a noise; you had to be prim and proper.
The Polygamist My mother was the second wife and he had 16 children. But notwithstanding, he was a uniting factor. As long as you are an Akin Taylor, you belong to just one family. Out of the 16, children 13 are alive today.
Day he died
I was living in England, he died in Nigeria. Two months before he died, an incident that I will forever be grateful to him for happened. My younger brother was supposed to come to Nigeria to hold a proper traditional marriage after the marriage over there. But I wrote to my dad that I didn’t have enough money to come around because I was struggling in England. Surprisingly, dad sent me a letter with a cheque for £ 1, 000. In the letter, he asked why I was always too proud to ask for help.
The wedding took place in December 1997. I was to travel to England by early morning flight, so I went to tell him goodbye at night; but he came out that morning to tell me another goodbye and that was the very last time I saw him alive; it was 28th December 1997.
I remember him calling me into his room during that 13-day stay in Nigeria, evaluating his life, asking questions such as if he trained his children well… But he wasn’t spooky and I didn’t have any feeling that it was going to be so soon.
On the 27th of February, I got a call from my brother saying “baba is dead o!” When his will was read by his lawyer, the Late Toye Coker, I was made one of the executors of the estate. Six of his children were named but according to probate, only four could officially act under the probate law and I was one of the four.
Legacies he left behind
My father, in the will, left a big legacy. He had plots of land all over the place in Calabar, landed properties in Ile-Oluji, some in Lagos, houses in Lagos, a lot of them concentrated in 2, Allen Avenue and four others in different places. According to what we were told later, one of the properties had a court matter so we didn’t bother to include that; a house in Ile-Oluji.
He said in the will that all his properties must be managed and at the end of the year, percentages must be given out of the profits after every bill, tax and other expenses have been paid. Those that will be given percentages were also listed along with their respective percentages.
The Cathedral Church of Christ, Baptist Society, Federal University of Technology, Ado Ekiti, Boluji Grammar School, St Peters Church, family members for scholarship purpose, the Ile-Oluji Development Council, cousins; all got percentages. He warned that we should never split the properties which we tried hard to do but it didn’t work.
The problems
Immediately after the will was read, problems started and persisted to the extent that we had to place the properties under the Lagos State government. But we soon realised it was a bad decision and got the property back from the government. We put solicitors in charge, but challenges continued. This is why people have credited us for not selling the properties 20 years on.
Biggest challenges
It is the fight among his children. The most senior and head of the family who was managing the business died about three years ago but the problems didn’t stop. Often, people only think of the properties and the income accruing without bothering to check the expenditures or agents and solicitors fees.
But I just decided I wasn’t going to give up despite the attacks, which range from verbal to threat to life, to dragging ourselves to the police over all sorts of unfounded allegations.
Aside that, I do not want to give up because of the type of relationship I had with my daddy when he was alive. I dream a lot about him and if I begin to interpret the dreams, you will understand where I get my inner strength from.
How is the family business now?
We had to share some of the properties to keep the children happy. As much as it was a very difficult decision, I had to listen to the voice of reason to keep everybody from fighting. The private part of the business like the houses, everybody got one each. But that has not really solved the problem.
A lot of the boys(grown men) who depend on the inheritance to survive will tell you ‘This is not your husband’s house. Anyway you are not a married woman, so you want to use your father’s house as your husband’s house.’
I also think the inner strength that I have is because I am my father’s child. My father never had an easy life; he was not born with a silver spoon and had to work hard from the scratch. He never went into politics even if his friend was the late MKO Abiola.
Have you been able to take his business to greater heights?
I wouldn’t say we have but I can say that we have tried. Normally, when somebody dies and leaves such properties, it should by now have given birth to many others and his business expanded, but that has not been possible due to the challenges. But it is still a success story. The business or legacies left behind still stand. The properties have not been sold off or confiscated.
Did you take your philanthropy from your father?
Yes I picked it from him. It is inborn. You could say that I am a chip off the old block. Right from when I was a child, I always had the nature of giving to the poor. When I was about 12 years old in the secondary school, I didn’t know my mother was managing her resources; I just saw that we had food in the house, which she bought in bulk, and I would go and give the neighbour who didn’t have enough to eat a bottle of oil until my mum caught me. Even in school, I would save my money and at the end of the session share it to girls who didn’t have money for transport home.
My father too was helping the school. He would send a tanker from his industry, Associate Granite Industry in Abeokuta to bring water to the school for everyone to use whenever there was no water. Besides, the life lessons I got when God spared me from an incident that could have claimed my life made me want to live for others.
Any plans to perpetuate the legacies?
In a united family, we would have been able to sit down and talk about this but the Akinmade Taylor’s children are disunited. We have not been able to sit down and talk about the problems let alone talk about the future of the business when we are no more. We have even had to go against the instructions in the will just for peace to reign. And that is something he will not be pleased with. When my mother died, she wanted to be buried in Abeokuta or Lagos but her people from Sabongida- Ora and Agenebode insisted that we buried her in Sabongida-Ora saying the George Oboh children don’t sleep outside. In the end, we gave in, but my father gave us a big tongue-lashing, saying you never change the testament of a testator. So if he was adamant about this, how do you think he would have felt when his own testament was changed?
On February 28, it will be 20 years since the late business tycoon and estate mogul, Chief Gabriel Akin Taylor passed on. His daughter, Adekunbi Akin-Taylor who is one of the administrators of his estate speaks to Medinat Kanabe about her late father’s ideals, disciplinary nature and the tumultuous task of preserving his legacies two decades down the line.
Who was Gabriel Akinmade Taylor?
My father, Gabriel Akinmade Taylor was born on the 24th of December 1921 and died at the age of 76, 20 years ago His father was from Ile-oluji, Ondo State while his mother was from Itu in Cross River State. He attended Hope Wadell College where he got his distinguished alumnus honorarium from. In the earlier part of his life, he dealt more with his Cross River relatives. He loved his two roots and never turned his back against any of them. When I was at the University of Ife, he would pick me up during breaks and take me to Calabar, where he had a house and to Itu during festivals.
He was also very homely and cultural; I can say he was a traditionalist because even though he was knighted in the Anglican Church, it didn’t stop him from identifying with Nigerian indigenous culture. There was no ceremony in my house that Calabar dancers would not come to perform; and while we were living in Obalende, Eyo masquerades would come to our house to pay homage.
He was a disciplinarian and believed so much in hardwork and integrity that he rejected the contract to construct the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway in 1970/71 because of the conditions attached to it.
As a family man, we didn’t understand him then and thought he was over the top. If he said you are allowed out for one hour, you dared not come back one hour, two minutes later. Nevertheless, I always thought he was a perfect man.
Often, we had to devise ways of going out, such as saying we wanted to take the Alsatian dogs for a walk; and on the way, we would tie them up and go visit our friends.
However, as strict as he was, he was a very humorous man but you could only detect that by looking at his face, which many of us children couldn’t dare to do.
To tell the truth, our best times were when he traveled. He was such a regimental man: you couldn’t touch the wall, you couldn’t make a noise; you had to be prim and proper.
The Polygamist My mother was the second wife and he had 16 children. But notwithstanding, he was a uniting factor. As long as you are an Akin Taylor, you belong to just one family. Out of the 16, children 13 are alive today.
Day he died
I was living in England, he died in Nigeria. Two months before he died, an incident that I will forever be grateful to him for happened. My younger brother was supposed to come to Nigeria to hold a proper traditional marriage after the marriage over there. But I wrote to my dad that I didn’t have enough money to come around because I was struggling in England. Surprisingly, dad sent me a letter with a cheque for £ 1, 000. In the letter, he asked why I was always too proud to ask for help.
The wedding took place in December 1997. I was to travel to England by early morning flight, so I went to tell him goodbye at night; but he came out that morning to tell me another goodbye and that was the very last time I saw him alive; it was 28th December 1997.
I remember him calling me into his room during that 13-day stay in Nigeria, evaluating his life, asking questions such as if he trained his children well… But he wasn’t spooky and I didn’t have any feeling that it was going to be so soon.
On the 27th of February, I got a call from my brother saying “baba is dead o!” When his will was read by his lawyer, the Late Toye Coker, I was made one of the executors of the estate. Six of his children were named but according to probate, only four could officially act under the probate law and I was one of the four.
•One of his legacies: The Plaza by Allen Roundabout, Ikeja.
Legacies he left behind
My father, in the will, left a big legacy. He had plots of land all over the place in Calabar, landed properties in Ile-Oluji, some in Lagos, houses in Lagos, a lot of them concentrated in 2, Allen Avenue and four others in different places. According to what we were told later, one of the properties had a court matter so we didn’t bother to include that; a house in Ile-Oluji.
He said in the will that all his properties must be managed and at the end of the year, percentages must be given out of the profits after every bill, tax and other expenses have been paid. Those that will be given percentages were also listed along with their respective percentages.
The Cathedral Church of Christ, Baptist Society, Federal University of Technology, Ado Ekiti, Boluji Grammar School, St Peters Church, family members for scholarship purpose, the Ile-Oluji Development Council, cousins; all got percentages. He warned that we should never split the properties which we tried hard to do but it didn’t work.
The problems
Immediately after the will was read, problems started and persisted to the extent that we had to place the properties under the Lagos State government. But we soon realised it was a bad decision and got the property back from the government. We put solicitors in charge, but challenges continued. This is why people have credited us for not selling the properties 20 years on.
Biggest challenges
It is the fight among his children. The most senior and head of the family who was managing the business died about three years ago but the problems didn’t stop. Often, people only think of the properties and the income accruing without bothering to check the expenditures or agents and solicitors fees.
But I just decided I wasn’t going to give up despite the attacks, which range from verbal to threat to life, to dragging ourselves to the police over all sorts of unfounded allegations.
Aside that, I do not want to give up because of the type of relationship I had with my daddy when he was alive. I dream a lot about him and if I begin to interpret the dreams, you will understand where I get my inner strength from.
Akin Taylor
How is the family business now?
We had to share some of the properties to keep the children happy. As much as it was a very difficult decision, I had to listen to the voice of reason to keep everybody from fighting. The private part of the business like the houses, everybody got one each. But that has not really solved the problem.
A lot of the boys(grown men) who depend on the inheritance to survive will tell you ‘This is not your husband’s house. Anyway you are not a married woman, so you want to use your father’s house as your husband’s house.’
I also think the inner strength that I have is because I am my father’s child. My father never had an easy life; he was not born with a silver spoon and had to work hard from the scratch. He never went into politics even if his friend was the late MKO Abiola.
Have you been able to take his business to greater heights?
I wouldn’t say we have but I can say that we have tried. Normally, when somebody dies and leaves such properties, it should by now have given birth to many others and his business expanded, but that has not been possible due to the challenges. But it is still a success story. The business or legacies left behind still stand. The properties have not been sold off or confiscated.
Did you take your philanthropy from your father?
Yes I picked it from him. It is inborn. You could say that I am a chip off the old block. Right from when I was a child, I always had the nature of giving to the poor. When I was about 12 years old in the secondary school, I didn’t know my mother was managing her resources; I just saw that we had food in the house, which she bought in bulk, and I would go and give the neighbour who didn’t have enough to eat a bottle of oil until my mum caught me. Even in school, I would save my money and at the end of the session share it to girls who didn’t have money for transport home.
My father too was helping the school. He would send a tanker from his industry, Associate Granite Industry in Abeokuta to bring water to the school for everyone to use whenever there was no water. Besides, the life lessons I got when God spared me from an incident that could have claimed my life made me want to live for others.
Any plans to perpetuate the legacies?
In a united family, we would have been able to sit down and talk about this but the Akinmade Taylor’s children are disunited. We have not been able to sit down and talk about the problems let alone talk about the future of the business when we are no more. We have even had to go against the instructions in the will just for peace to reign. And that is something he will not be pleased with. When my mother died, she wanted to be buried in Abeokuta or Lagos but her people from Sabongida- Ora and Agenebode insisted that we buried her in Sabongida-Ora saying the George Oboh children don’t sleep outside. In the end, we gave in, but my father gave us a big tongue-lashing, saying you never change the testament of a testator. So if he was adamant about this, how do you think he would have felt when his own testament was changed?
Integrity is President Buhari’s most priceless asset. This has unfortunately come under serious threat in recent times with macabre dance among arms of state security services and the embarrassing role of Abubakar Malami, the Attorney General and Minister of Justice in the unfolding ‘Mainagate’. The President has maintained a dignified silence. And if the public was expecting the president to use the big stick against members of his kitchen cabinet engaged in a turf war capable of denting his image, what they got was loud silence.
Of course we are now very familiar with the president’s style. He keeps his head when others are losing theirs. It must also be conceded to the president that as a leader that has experienced pains of defeat and suffered pangs of sorrow following betrayal by those who swear by his name during the day and engage in palace coup in a night of long knives. He understands Nigeria and Nigerians.
As a defeated ANPP presidential candidate in 2003 and 2007, his vice presidential candidates and party chairmen were the first to abandon him while he battled PDP election riggers in courts. As a victorious APC president-elect in 2015, Saraki, Dogara with the active support of Atiku Abubakar, their godfather who crawled back to PDP last week, traded off his victory to the opposition.
As he valiantly battled inherited decayed infrastructure and economy in recession, those who brought the nation to its knees recommended devaluation of naira in an import-dependent economy, wrote-off his minister of finance as incompetent, and canvassed for a reconstitution of an economic team to tackle the economic crisis. Suddenly, those we all know as lawyers and human right social crusaders were on television predicting a long-drawn recession while accusing Buhari of harming the banks with the implementation of a policy that hitherto allowed banks to hold on to government funds which they give back to government as loans with high interest rate.
And perhaps because against predictions of prophets of doom, recession ended within a year and Treasury Single Account has liberated government from being held hostage by banks that sit on government funds which they give back to government as loans with interest, Buhari has come to believe his ‘suru-lere’ (virtue in waiting patiently without doing anything) can be a substitute for governance.
I think Nigerians want their elected government to govern. They want the president to start by first putting his own house in order.
First, most Nigerians have come to regard the minister of justice as an embarrassment to Buhari’s government. Junaid Mohammed, who holds no hostages, describes him as “Kano charge-and-bail lawyer’. He insinuated that Malami probably has a secret agenda for embarking on an alleged ‘trip to London for a secret meeting with a fugitive minister’ and for attempting ‘through some subterranean connection to quash the fine imposed on MTN by the government regulator, the National Communications Commission”.
If there is one area where Junaid sees eye to eye with Buhari’s government, it is on Magu’s competence and integrity in prosecuting the president’s anti-corruption war. Of Magu, he says “I believe from my heart of heart that the Economic Financial and Crimes Commission (EFCC) is doing an excellent job”. Unfortunately, this is one organisation Malami and the DSS seems not to have confidence in.
For instance, while testifying before Senator Emmanuel Paulker’s committee last week, Malami alleged “Nigerians were “blind folded” from getting answers to: What happened to the monies recovered from the syndicate? What about the 270 properties comprising of real estate and motor vehicles one of which is a mansion worth N1 billion situated at No 42 Gang Street Maitama Abuja allegedly given to a senior lawyer meant to crave for his “buy in” in maximizing media hype aimed at distracting the attention at the public pension fraud?”
Concluding he said “These properties are under the custody of the EFCC. The properties as we speak have been shared among top officials of the commission, friends and family members, including lawyers of the agency.”
He made similar allegation before the Aliyu Madaki-led House of Representatives ad hoc committee investigative hearing on the disappearance, reinstatement and promotion of Maina.
But denying all, EFCC has said “All the pension fraud assets that are in the recovered assets inventory of the commission were products of independent investigation by the EFCC, for which Maina and his cohorts had no clues. If Maina or any government official witnessed the sharing of any recovered pension assets by any official of the EFCC, they should be willing to name the official, the assets involved; when and where the ‘sharing’ took place”. And hitting Malami below the belt, it says “However, in view of the consistent display of public ignorance about the profile of recovered assets by even those who should know, it is important to state that it is impossible for anybody to share a property that is subject of interim forfeiture by court.”
Femi Falana (SAN), respected human right crusader has also accused Malami of mischief claiming Malami was trying to malign his name for “joining other well-meaning Nigerians in calling on President Mohammadu Buhari to sanction the members of his administration who had exposed the nation to ridicule”. ‘Contrary to Mr. Malami’s claim, I never bought any property from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)’, he insisted.
While the president by his own inaction is providing ammunition to the opposition for the 2019 battle which they will likely lose on account of their baleful legacies even if Buhari contests on a wheelchair, there are however some begging questions that have to be answered before then. “The reinstatement of Maina’’ according to Malami “was done with no strings attached, based on court processes and the fact that none of the parties exercised their rights of appeal. I acted in the best interest of Nigeria, not on any individual’s interest”. How come the minister of justice was more interested in reinstating a wanted fugitive than how a wanted fugitive secured a court judgment?
Malami claimed he got clearance from security agencies and National Security Adviser Babagana Monguno before his meeting that was arranged through a third party with Maina in Dubai, United Arab Emirate (UAE) where he was availed of further information on recovery drive and individuals involved. Again borrowing from Junaid Mohammed’s probing questions: In what capacity did Malami undertake this trip? Did he at the end of the suspicious trip avail EFCC, an agency he supervises and other security agencies of his findings that “pension fraud was beyond Maina, adding that a syndicate that cuts across all sectors, including serving and retired public officers, including members of the National Assembly, was involved in cornering N3.7b monthly from pension funds.’
If he got the information that “there were over 116,000 ghost workers responsible for N829m monthly spread across 29 bank accounts”, apparently from Maina the culprit now trying to play the victim, why did he not pass the information to the appropriate body equipped to investigate instead of directing “his office to begin investigation into the pension fraud in some key Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDA)”? And if as he said that ‘Maina was part of the syndicate until things fell apart between them’, how does his reinstatement become ‘the larger interest of Nigerians’?
Both the Head of Civil Service of the Federation (HoCSF) Winifred Eyo-Ita and the acting Chairman of the Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC), Joseph Oluremi confirmed citing the AGF letter requesting Maina to be reinstated, is Malami now the government? His actions seem to fuel the fears expressed by the president’s wife about those trying to hijack her husband’s government several months back.
