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  • Southwest curbs farmer-herder clashes with hunters, others

    Southwest Bureau Chief BISI OLADELE, OSEHEYE OKWUOFU (Ibadan), DAMISI OJO (Akure), ADESOJI ADENIYI (Osun), RAZAQ IBRAHIM (Ado-Ekiti) and ERNEST NWOKOLO (Abeokuta) capture the peace-building approaches employed by five Southwest states in ending the farmer-herder clashes

    It is a battle for survival. Herdsmen need to feed their cows. Farmers must protect their crops. This has been at the heart of the herdsmen-farmer clashes in the Southwest states of Oyo, Ogun, Osun, Ondo and Ekiti. The states have come up with different strategies to rein in the gladiators.

    Ekiti

    Aside from engaging stakeholders to build peace, the Ekiti State government recruited members of the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC) and hunters into a joint task force that combs the farms to prevent possible attacks. The state police command also drew a working template to ensure constant dialogue between the two groups.

    Commissioner for Information Muyiwa Olumilua said the existing security networks put in place by Governor Kayode Fayemi strengthened the state security architecture to checkmate herdsmen/farmers’ clashes.

    “At a point in time when herdsmen-farmers clashes were heated up, Governor Fayemi promised to look into the incident. But now, there are no longer cases of such clashes and kidnapping.

    “The security architecture is what has been improved. We have enlisted traditional security outfits like OPC, Vigilante group etc. And they have been working with police and other sister agencies to provide absolute coverage for the citizens of Ekiti state.

    “Even the borders leading to the state are being adequately secured. So the major reason why things are calm is because of the improvement of the security network”, he said.

    Ekiti State Commissioner of Police Asuquo Amba said the command had overhauled the state security architecture to make the state safe for all residents.

    CP Asuquo Amba said the command decisively drew a working template having done some threat analysis of what the major security problem that was confronting the State. This, he said, helped the command to identify some crime waves and the measure needed to take in combating the clash between herdsmen and farmers headlong.

    Amba, who spoke through the PPRO, DSP Caleb Ikechukwu, added that the police had increased the visibility policing of the plain-clothed

    intelligence gathering of the joint task force, stressing that the “dreaded sprawling Efon-Iwaraja, Ido-Ipere, Ise-Ikere forest that had become a beehive of activities for the kidnappers are being patrolled regularly…”

    AFAN Secretary Rotimi Kolawole said herdsmen invasion on farmland has reduced in recent times, lauding Governor Fayemi’s tactical approach to stop the clashes.

    Oyo

    In Oyo State, a combination of an establishment of a joint security force, farmers/herders forum and police constant engagements with traditional rulers, herders and farmers has helped reduce the crisis. Clashes were recorded in areas, such as Ibadan and Ibarapa. Oke-Ogun is the worst hit.

    At the height of the crisis, the Oyo State Police Command summoned a meeting of all stakeholders to its Eleyele, Ibadan headquarters where they were allowed to express their concerns and how they could be addressed. At the end of the meeting, herders agreed to stop grazing in the evening while farmers also agreed to stop poisoning the streams in their farms. Herders also agreed to report foreigners (non-locals) who intrude on the communities with their cattle to the police and community heads for arrest and appropriate sanctions. The herders were also advised to join hands to establish ranches as a permanent solution to the crisis. Implementation of their agreements was supervised by the police divisions across the state.

    The House of Assembly, has, however, added a new dimension to the peacebuilding by introducing anti-open grazing law. The bill has passed second reading at the House of Assembly and may be passed into law by the end of the year.

    The law, according to the Chairman, House Committee on Information, Hon. Kazeem Olayanju will protect the herders and farmers as well as all communities in the state against security breaches.

    Olayanju told The Nation that the Assembly recognised that the Fulani in the state have lived together peacefully with indigenes for several decades, adding that the lawmakers are aware that they have fully integrated into the various communities where they live and do their business.

    The Chairman, All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) in Oyo State, Olumide Ayinla, praised governors of the Southwest for establishing joint security initiatives that have succeeded in reducing the menace of kidnapping, herdsmen and banditry in the region.

    Osun

    In Osun, the state government has recorded tremendous achievements in halting the spate of violent clashes between farmers and herdsmen.

    Osun is perhaps the only state in the federation securing compensation for the farmers that fall victims of the destruction of their crops by the herdsmen.

    In 2014, the administration of former governor Rauf Aregbesola inaugurated a committee on peaceful coexistence between the Fulani/Bororo and Crop Farmers with a core mandate of ensuring the security of lives and property of residents in the state. The committee, which is headed by Hon. Oguntola Toogun, has achieved huge success.

    Speaking with our correspondent on the telephone, Toogun commended Governor Gboyoga Oyetola for sustaining and supporting the committee to meet its mandate.

    He said the composition of the committee, which comprises members of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) Osun State chapter, the Fulani, the Bororo, Women In Agriculture, state Ministry of Information, the Traditional Institution, covered all stakeholders.

    According to him, the modality of settling issues likely to lead violent clashes was very clear and simple.

    He said: “The victim, who is a complaint, is allowed to negotiate with the herdsmen while the committee only supervises the process. Between 2014 and now, our committee has settled over 7,000 cases amicably. Some of these issues could have resulted in violent clashes like maiming, killing and destruction of valuable property.

    “We even went as far as digging 13 hand pump boreholes in strategic locations across the state to meet the water need of the herdsmen. We are presently working on a multi-national arrangement to get grazing field for the herdsmen.”

    The National President of the Beekeepers’ Association, Dr Dokun Olagunju, who also spoke with our correspondent, disclosed that leaders of farmers are now regularly meeting to sustain the tempo of the peaceful coexistence between farmers and the herdsmen.

    Also, the President of the Osun State chapter of the Small Scale Women Farmers of Nigeria, who is also the National Public Relations Officers of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Chief Mrs. Janet Olaleye, told our correspondent that her members have resorted to researching into leaves to plant around their farms to prevent grazing cows from entering their farms.

    Ondo

    In Ondo State, farmers/herders clashes have notably declined in recent times. This can be attributed to peacebuilding efforts of the state government, police and community leaders.

    The Police Public Relations Officer(PPRO)of the Ondo State Command, Femi Joseph, attributed the decline to the constant engagement of stakeholders.

    According to him, the Commissioner of Police, Undie Adie, has been spending most of the days of the week outside his office, moving around the state to engage stakeholders. This he said has promoted the peace being witnessed between the two parties.

    The Special Assistant to the Governor on Hausa/Fulani matters, Bala Umaru, said the magic behind the peace being witnessed between the two parties is constant dialogue.

    He said: “For the past seven months or so, I have abandoned my office, visiting Hausa/Fulani camps to dialogue with them on peace initiatives. The same way I have been engaging farmers and host communities, especially in Akoko axis where frequent clashes between the two groups are predominant.”

    Ogun

    The approach is the same in Ogun State where several clashes have been recorded in the past.

    Governor Dapo Abiodun attributed the success of peace between farmers and herders to periodic meetings with the two groups to douse tension.

    Speaking through his Chief Press Secretary, Kunle Somorin, Abiodun identified the Ogun State Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP) as one of the approaches to sustain the peace between the two groups which his administration inherited.

    He said: “Ogun State has what we call Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP) that builds the capacity of herdsmen on new technologies of rearing livestock without destroying farm produce. We hold periodic stakeholders meetings on farmers and herders’ conflict to reduce tension.”

    The Ogun State Police Command said it created a line of understanding between farmers and herders.

    Speaking through its Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Oyeyemi, said police discovered that those causing the problem are “migrant or transitory herders” with no attachment with the people. The “transitory herders,” Abimbola said, were the ones who often perpetuate the clashes and disappear afterwards only resurface later.

  • Why NLC should resist the VAT increment

    SIR: When this administration came on board in 2015, it came with the change mantra, so we expected the government to do things differently and obey the constitution to the letter. The last wage increase was done in 2010 during former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration whereas the Nigerian constitution stipulates that every five years the minimum wage should be reviewed. The first assignment that the President Buhari-led government should have embarked upon when it came on board would have been to review workers’ wages, since 2015 was five years after the last review. Even if the wage increase was just symbolic, from N18,000- N21,000, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) would have welcomed it; they would have said’’ since this is his first assignment, it means he has the workers interest at heart, hence let’s understand’’.

    But nothing of such happened; instead in 2016 there was 50% devaluation of the naira due to low revenue from crude oil sales, which further impoverished the Nigerian workers and triggered a recession.  Most states could not even pay the initial N18,000 minimum wage.

    Now, with expansion of tax net, aggressive cost cutting, reduction of corruption via contracts awards and elimination of  ghost workers, most states can make N2- N4billion  internally generated income monthly and could have comfortably paid the initial N18,000, and possibly N30,000 minimum wage.

    NLC should resist the proposed 50% VAT increment which according to federal government is meant to meet the minimum wage of workers. Must government impoverish the workers before they pay them the wage they deserve? N30,000 is even not a deserving wage; just a miserly $83. This act is akin to robbing Peter to pay Peter. The proposed 2.5% Value Added Tax (VAT) increase may induce commodity prices in the market to increase by another 8-10% and this will further impoverish the people. Increasing VAT from 5% to 7.5% to establish the electricity  generation or refinery refurbishment fund could have made more sense, but not to use it to pay workers new minimum wage.

    There is money in the system if federal government can  look inward, cut costs (what are we doing with 43 ministers, over 400 government agencies and embassies in up to 100 countries), and reduce corruption via contract award. Early this year, the APC national leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu advised federal government not to toy with VAT increase idea. Does federal government not respect the ideas of its party leaders? In order climes, the party and its ideology is supreme, but here in Nigeria the reverse is the case as the President has the final say. But ironically, without the party, President Buhari would not have been elected president.

     

    • David Atta,

    Abuja.

  • Bayelsa poll: Okoko chides defectors

    Former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship aspirant in Bayelsa State, Mr. Keniebi Okoko chided politicians defecting to other parties after losing elections.

    He said the practice of jumping ship, which became rife in Bayelsa, following the governorship primary, was killing democracy in the country.

    Okoko, who came third in the PDP primary that produced Senator Douye Diri as the candidate for the November 16 governorship election urged politicians and their followers to begin to play value-based politics.

    He maintained that destroying a political platform because an aspirant lost an election was not in the best interest of the state.

    He called for ethical politics, adding that selfish interests must be discarded by politicians fond of feeling that if they failed to get a leadership position, the occupant should be destroyed and stopped from the position.

    The PDP chieftain advised party loyalists and other stakehokders threatening to leave the PDP because the primary did not favour a particular aspirant to have a rethink.

    He said: “The grass is not always greener on the other side. We must sit back and fix what is wrong with our party instead of running away from it. If you read a history of how the biggest democracies work, you will find out that focus and persistence will make a difference in the long run. Not jumping ship anytime a decision doesn’t favour this or that candidate”.

    “Leaving a party and coming back to it and leaving it and coming back to it is not a good example for our youths? Is it okay to act that way? For me, I believe that when a situation is not going the way you expect it, we should come together and repair it and not abandon it.

    Okoko added: “Many people are not happy with a lot going on in the party, but do we abandon it just like that? Who then will correct it and make the needed difference? I’m saying this because I strongly believe that we all have a role to play in changing this country and our state. We can’t keep complaining and when the plain truth is said we get offended. We should be able to say the truth without hiding behind the guise of politics.

    “I believe that we have changed politics to just a game of zero values and integrity. I’m not in agreement with a lot going on but we should stay to make the needed change”.

    He urged politicians to borrow a leaf from former President Goodluck Jonathan, who conceded defeat election to his opponent, President Muhammadu Buhari.

    He added: “It must not always be about ourselves and  our vision . It cannot be . The country or this state cannot move forward if we continue that way. We must always look at the big picture.”

    “What if President Goodluck Jonathan had decided at that time that he was not going to concede after the election. Do you know how many souls could have been lost or if after that, he abandoned PDP for the APC. How would it look. By now Nigeria would be a one-party state.

    “We must be able to do what is right for our people. When people tell me , you are young in politics, I say no. Values don’t change. You are who you are. What you are expressing is what and who you are. The way my father brought me up is the way I am today. I am not going to betray my people because of my own selfish interest” .

    Okoko explained that he visited to congratulate his fellow contestant, Senator Douye Diri, because he was convinced that it was in the best interest of the people of Bayelsa to do so.

    He said: “It’s the love for Bayelsa state that made me go and visit Douye Diri. The same urge to move my state forward , has made me go and listen to governor Seriake Dickson and to support the party because I believe that collectively, we can make a change. Not one governor can change a state. We need collective effort and if your governor is doing something that you don’t like, you don’t run away from the party, you confront him.

    “Today, if I am on the seat with governor Dickson, I can tell him , your excellency, this thing you are doing is wrong sir. We should try and unify the party and not divide it. We need the kind of people who will tell them the truth , rather than lying to him because of personal ambition. We need to say the truth”.

    END.

  • Where are Sowore, Ohimai, Dadiyata?

    SIR: Democracy is freedom; freedom to exist and to exercise the full catalogue of natural rights. The quality of democracy in an ordered system is assessed by the quantity and level of freedom the citizens enjoy.

    Any type of government – military, fascist or totalitarian – can deliver services of material nature to its citizens; building hospitals, schools, roads and providing other social amenities. But not all types of government can allow citizens be citizens — not subjects or minions. This is where democracy stands out.

    The office of the citizen is a critical one in a real democracy as legitimacy resides with the people, and they accord it to whichever government that deserves it.

    Also, the government exists because of the people. When citizens live in fear and are wary of raising their voice against the establishment democracy is in manacles.

    Joseph Stalin was a brutal Soviet dictator. Though he transformed the defunct USSR from an agrarian state to an industrial hub and even strengthened the military might of the country, making it a rival superpower to the US; he is most remembered for being an executioner and violator.

    People will remember more how you treated them than what you did for them. It is true that the late Sani Abacha, through the Petroleum Trust Fund, invested in building roads and other infrastructure across the country, but today, the memory of him is that sorrow, tears and blood.

    When citizens in their homes are abducted in the dead of night and thrown into the pits of silence by security agencies for raising their voice and for doing their bounden duty of holding the government to account, totalitarianism reigns.

    Boss Mustapha, secretary to the government of the federation, said last Thursday that ‘’there cannot be real democracy without the freedom of the press’’.  But I doubt if he understood the weight of his statement, considering how the actions of the administration he serves run antithetical to this aphorism.

    No one is spared. Journalists are hounded and intimidated. Activists are pursued and imprisoned. Citizens are threatened and attacked.

    Omoyele Sowore, publisher of Saharareporters  currently languishes in jail.

    The secret police say he “planned to violently overthrow the government through a protest; he planned to join forces with the Shiite group to bring down the government; he planned to mislead the public to overthrow the government, and that he formed an alliance with Nnamdi Kanu to launch attacks on Nigeria and topple the government”.

    It is enervating that we are at this curve. It is now the norm for security agencies to arrest citizens and rustle-up farcical charges to keep them silenced. “Threat to national security” is the defence, however vacuous, for this violation.

    No matter how long it takes, some Nigerians will not glide by until Sowore is released unconditionally.

    Ohimai Amaize (Mr Fix Nigeria), anchor and creator of Kakaaki Social; a popular, novel programme on AIT now suspended, had to flee the country after potent threats to his life by agents of the state for only doing his job. He now lives in exile.

    Abubakar Idris, better known as Dadiyata, was abducted in his home by men suspected to be security agents, and since this incident, there has been no word of his whereabouts.

    Why is the government resolute in creating fear and breaking citizens to become mutes – if they cannot be its mouthpiece?

    Why does the government harass and arrest journalists, activists, citizens, but pardon, and beg bandits with monetary inducements?  Is violence the only pidgin the government understands?

     

    • Fredrick Nwabufo,

    <fredricknwabufo@yahoo.com>

  • Group slams Speaker Gbajabiamila over unguarded utterances against Buhari’s govt

    The National Democratic Front (NDF) has warned Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, to stop playing politics with issues of national security and quit making utterances to derail President Muhammadu Buhari’s government.

     

    This caution trails Mr Gbajabiamila’s statement on Friday where he appeared to have berated the Service Chiefs for failing to honour invitation to the lower chamber.

     

    In a statement signed by Secretary General, Dr. Abdukakadir Bolaji, the NDF said it is appalled by the “careless utterances of the Speaker” who also vowed to report the Foreign Affairs Minister to the President over the xenophobic attacks on Nigerians in South Africa.

     

    According to the group, there is a   grand plot to discredit the administration of President Buhari and Mr Gbajabiamila appears to be in forefront.

     

    However, The National Democratic Front advised the Speaker not to return to the era where instead of parliamentary functions, the legislature issued summons to heads of critical agencies as bait for extortion.

     

    The NDF, therefore, urged Mr Gbajabiamila to retrace his steps and not bow to any pressure to derail the country’s democracy.

     

    Read full statement below:

     

    We welcome you all to the Press Conference that has become inevitable due to the flamboyance and overreaching disposition of some elected political office holders in the country whose actions and inactions are buoyed by the need to make headlines in the national dailies at all cost, not minding the effect on the overall interest of the country.

     

    As you all may be aware, the National Democratic Front (NDF) has been on the front burner on issues such as good governance and accountability on the part of political office holders in Nigeria.

     

    Consequently, our attention has been drawn to statements credited to the Honourable Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives, Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila wherein he berated the refusal of the Service Chiefs to attend a meeting with him over killings in the country.

     

    In another vein, Mr. Speaker also threatened to report the Foreign Affairs Minister to the President over the Xenophobic attacks on Nigerians in South Africa.

     

    The National Democratic Front is appalled by the careless utterances of the Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives, which by and large presents a despicable picture to members of the unsuspecting general public on how some political office holders though holding sensitive positions of authority, but not in tune with the realities on the ground in the country.

     

    The statements by the Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives gives a picture of one that is deluded by the paraphernalia of the Office of the Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives to think that the Federal House of Representatives is a parallel government in Nigeria.

     

    The carelessness, as well as the recklessness in the statements credited to the Speaker, is indicative of a grand plot by some unscrupulous elements within and outside government circles to discredit the efforts of the Muhammadu Buhari led administration in the fight against terrorism in Nigeria, as well as the securing the lives and properties of Nigerians in Nigeria and in the Diaspora.

     

    This is given the undeniable fact that the security of lives and properties is the primary responsibility of government and the Muhammadu Buhari led administration has been tackling the various issues with all the seriousness that it deserves.

     

    It is indeed ironic that the Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives has chosen the dishonourable path of displaying arrogance and blind ambition to play to the gallery on issues of national interest to the detriment of over 180 million Nigerians.

     

    The National Democratic Front (NDF) views with bewilderment that the Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives either by omission or commission is not aware of the various efforts of the Muhammadu Buhari administration in addressing the issues in South Africa.

     

    In the same vein, Mr. Speaker must quickly come to the realization that the Service Chiefs were appointed by the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, and as such, they are not subject to his whims and caprices, and neither are the Service Chiefs at his beck and call.

     

    The National Democratic Front is of the opinion that that Mr. Speaker should be aware of the electrifying schedule of the Service Chiefs and come to the realisation that they cannot abandon the business of National Security for summons and meetings at the slightest of calls.

     

    Mr. Speaker must also realize that the business of national security is not rhetoric. It requires a high level of strategic thinking, which has been the case since 2015 when President Muhammadu Buhari assumed leadership of this country, and Mr. Speaker must not be seen as working against this intererst by virtue of the position he occupies.

     

    The National Democratic Front is however convinced that the utterances by Mr. Speaker are not products of substance abuse or insanity as some would want us to believe or even the baggage of dishonesty being bandied around about his criminal conviction in the United States of America.

     

    The National Democratic Front wishes to advise Mr. Speaker not to succumb to the pressure of returning to the era where members of parliament turned oversight functions and summon to heads of critical agencies as bait for extortion because that era is Gone with the Wind and any attempt to reintroduce it might come with its attendant consequences.

     

    Whatever the case, The National Democratic Front candidly advises Mr. Speaker to retrace his steps and not bow to any pressure to derail our democracy for this is not the time to play to the gallery for the task at hand requires all hands to be on deck.

     

  • Fed Govt seeks more standard gauge rail lines

    Transport Correspondents Association of Nigeria (TCAN) has urged the Federal Government to construct more standard gauge railway lines across the country.

    Its chairperson, Augusta Uchediunor, said completion of the Lagos-Ibadan project would boost growth and reduce traffic congestion.

    The TCAN chief expressed the hope that the minister would accomplish the plan to extend the Warri to Itakpe standard gauge line to Abuja and Warri Port.

    The association commended the decision to establish a manufacturing factory for coaches at Kajola, Ifo area of Ogun State, and the establishment of  a University ofTransportation in Daura, Katsina State.

    The association lauded President Muhammadu Buhari for returning Rotimi Amaechi and appointing Ms Gbemisola Saraki as ministers of Transport.

    Read Also: LASG to clampdown on traders on rail lines

    The association, in a statement in Lagos, expressed confidence in Amaechi’s capacity to drive the reform initiatives of the government in the transportation sector.

    It said the return of Amaechi and the appointment of Ms Saraki reflected the unflinching commitment of the administration to taking the transportation sector to the next level.

    Its chairperson added: “We believe Saraki will bring her experiences and competence to bear in supporting Amaechi, who has, from the outset when he joined the Buhari government in 2015, showed a great zeal and passion for the transportation sector.”

  • Tribunal upholds Tolu Odebiyi’s election as Ogun West senator

    The National Assembly and State Assembly Election Petition Tribunal sitting at Abeokuta has declared Tolu Odebiyi of the All Progressives Congress (APC) winner of the February 23 election in Ogun West Senatorial constituency.

    The three-member tribunal led by Justice Wakkil Alkali Gana unanimously, in a judgement which Certified True Copy (CTC) was obtained last Friday, held that the petition filed by Odunjo Odunleye Abiodun of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) challenging the election of Odebiyi failed.

    The tribuna also  held that Odebiyi was returned as duly elected to the Senate by majority of lawful votes cast in the February 23, 2019 election.

    It dismissed Odunjo’s petition and awarded N100,000 costs in favour of the respondents.

    Justices Marian Jibo and Ashu Augustine Ewah are other members of the tribunal.

    First to third respondents in the case were Odebiyi, the APC and Independent Electoral Commission (INEC).

    They were represented by Abayomi Omoyinmi, Suleiman Salami and Abimbola Akerefolu (SAN).

    The petitioners on the other hand, were represented by the duo of Kolade Ala and Collins Ugama.

    Odunjo and his party, PDP, had dragged Odebiyi, APC and INEC before the tribunal, challenging the result of the Ogun West Senatorial district alleging irregularities.

    They claimed that Odebiyi was not entitled to be returned as duly elected candidate.

    The petioners in their petition, had requested the tribunal to declare the victory of Odebiyi null and void and that INEC should institute fresh election.

    They claimed that elections held in two local governments, Sango Ota of Ado-Odo Local Governments and Ilaro in Egbado South, was vitiated by non-compliance with Electoral Act 2010 as amended.

    They asked the tribunal to declare the votes cast in the two local government areas as unlawful.

    They claimed that their agents were harassed, intimidated, manhandled and teargassed by the Police employed by first and second respondents.

    They claimed INEC wrongly declared Odebiyi  of the APC with 56,452 votes despite he (Odunjo) had 45,454 voided votes in six local council areas.

    INEC in its application, aside from listing certain paragraphs of the petition to be struck out also asked for an order dismissing the petition in its entirety for failure to show reasonable cause of action.

    It noted that the petition failed to give specific particulars on allegations against the respondents.

    The petitioners brought seven  who were cross examined by counsels to the respondents.

    The respondents called no witnesses but tendered one document, form  EC8 and D1 and rested their case.

    The tribunal considered the applications and written addresses and issues raised by parties.

    The tribunal noted that issues raised by the petitioners border on allegation if crime.

    It however held that testimonies of witnesses brought by petitioners failed to prove the allegations beyond doubts, describing them as ‘hearsay’.

    Citing authorities of the Supreme Court, the tribunal held, “the allegations are weighty and only physical evidence would  sustain it. Having considered the testimony of petitioners’ witnesses, we cannot but state they were not able to prove their case even on the preponderance of evidence.

    “ First respondent’s counsel tendered documents, Form EC8 and D1 from the bar, stated that the documents were certified true copies of the results announced by the third respondent.

    “Exhibit D contained 20 participants who participated in the elections held in Ogun West Senatorial district.

    “The winner of the election ad as contained in the result sheet is one Odebiyi.

    “Tolulope Akinremi of APC scored 56,452. We are thus on all fours with the written address submitted by counsel of the first respondent and hereby state that first respondent was returned as duly elected to the Senate of Federal Republic of Nigeria by majority of lawful votes cast”.

    The tribunal declared that the national assembly election held February 23, 2019 from which Odebiyi emerged winner was held in accordance with the mandate of electoral act.

  • Nigeria-S/Africa Commission to resolve zenophobic attacks, others

    Chairman, Senate Committee on Diaspora, Non Governmental Organisations ( NGOs)  and Civil Societies, Dr. Surajudeen Ajibola Basiru, has said the Nigeria-South Africa Commission will resolve the challenges and issues between the two countries, particularly the incessant zenophobic attacks in South Africa.

    Basiru regreted that zenophobic attacks have become a regular occurrence in South Africa and, in the last three weeks, Nigerians and other West African nationals have been killed.

    In a chat with The Nation, Dr. Basiru said: The special envoy to South Africa  has briefed  President Muhammadu Buhari on his visit to South Africa. He was able to meet with the South African  President and held some meaningful discussions with him.

    “There was understanding on the part of South Africa that we do the needful to address the challenges.

    “Now the  Nigerian Government is evaluating the situation with a view to determining whether the proposed meeting with the South African President in October should go ahead depending on our  assessment of the situation.

    “There is  already a memorandum for South African – Nigerian Commission.  There will be a bilateral commission between South  Africa and Nigeria, expectedly one of the issues to be tackled in that commission is the zenophobic attack and other common factors that threaten the economic interest of the two countries and their citizens.”

    Basiru continued: ”As a government, we are highly concerned about the welfare of Nigerians in South Africa. About 604 Nigerians who have signified interest to return to Nigeria are already in the process of being evacuated back to Nigeria”, he said adding that it is a voluntary evacuation back to Nigeria, the Nigerian Government is not forcing anybody to come back to Nigeria, and South  Africa  is not expelling anybody.

    “ It is a voluntary evacuation so that we assist them to reunite with their families, their children, their wives and other relations in Nigeria,” he said.

    He regretted that those drumming economic war does not understand how integrated the two economies are.

    According to him, “Nigeria has a lot of interest in South African  businesses and even in South Africa.  So, the onus is on us as a government to ensure that we take options that will best advance the larger interest of Nigerians, particularly, those who are not under direct attack in South Africa.

    “The attack is not coming from the whole of South Africa. zenophobic attack is localised in certain areas it is not a complete South African affair . We are handling the situation in such a way to ensure that the general interest  of Nigerians is not jeopardised.

    “So what we are doing now is that Nigerian Government is evaluating the situation with a view to determining whether the proposed meeting with the South African President would still hold, Basiru said.

  • ICPC to implement African Union treaty

    The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has been nominated  as the second agency of government  in Nigeria under the African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption in the continent .

    The nomination of ICPC, according to a statement by its spokesperson, Rasheedat Okoduwa, was conveyed to the AU Commission in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia by the Nigerian Embassy, which is also the country’s Permanent Mission to the AU and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa.

    The nomination letter reads, “The embassy wishes to request the esteemed commission to facilitate the necessary processes in furtherance and to ensure the operationalization of the above-mentioned nomination by the Federal Republic of Nigeria.’’

    Okoduwa said: ”By President Buhari’s nomination, ICPC becomes the second Nigeria anti-corruption agency designated under the African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption. The nomination will help strengthen the work of the Commission, and enhance its relevance within the African continent.

    “The President’s action is a testimony to and recognition of ICPC’s positive impact on the anti-corruption campaign in Nigeria. Nigeria is a state party to the AUCPCC, which was adopted on July 1 2003.

    “Its objective, among others, is to ‘promote and strengthen the development in Africa by each State party, of mechanisms required to prevent, detect, punish and eradicate corruption and related offences in the public and private sectors.’’

  • ‘Why we introduced war risk charges’

    War risk surcharges on consignments are introduced to tackle attacks on ships, the  Group Executive Vice Chairman, SIFAX Group, Taiwo Afolabi, has said.

    Afolabi spoke at the fourth maritime conference held in his honour at the University of Lagos at the weekend.

    Afolabi, who spoke on the theme: “Innovations and practical reforms  towards sustainable growth in the maritime sector,” noted that insecurity had become worrisome in the sector and that it required strict measures.

    Afolabi, represented by SIFAX’s Group Managing Director, Mr Adekunle Oyinloye, said: “For our sector to grow, strict measures must be put in place both onshore and offshore. There have been various instances of piracy, attacks on ships and various terminals by men of the underworld and a host of others which led many shipping lines to introduce war risk surcharges on consignments heading to Nigeria.’’

    He added that it was imperative  for the Federal Government and its agencies to strengthen the coastal areas and maritime  boundaries against crimes.

    He, however, commended the Nigerian Maritime and Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and other agencies for the passage of the Anti-piracy Bill, urging them to push for more funding to secure the sector.

    While the industry has witnessed reforms in areas, such as port concession, truck standardisation, CabotageLaw and maritime safety laws, geared towards growing the sector, he said more reforms and strong implementation mechanism were needed.

    On his part, the Executive Director, Maritime and Cabotage Services, NIMASA, Mr Gambo Ahmed, said the agency had acquired 17 fast-intervention vessels and helicopters, which would be inaugurated before the year end, to  fight criminality.

    Nigerian Ports Consulate Council Chairman Otunba Kunle Afolarin explained that the new economic agenda in the maritime sector had raised concerns on port reforms and local participation policies.

    According to him, the agenda also called for direct foreign investment policies, and “the transformation of the ports from a public monopoly into a landlord model organisation with a master plan that will also include green field development”.

    Similarly, the Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC) Chief Executive Officer, Hassan Bello,  said the Council, throught bills, was  rooting for reforms to boost professionalism in the freight forwarding practice and haulage system.

    He argued that when such bills become laws, the NSC would be able to register fleets that would carry goods from the ports to the hinterland and carriage of goods by land.

    Explaining that most accidents are caused by drivers’ fatigue, the bill, he said would allocate six to eight hours rest to drivers to boost their efficiency.

    The Executive Vice Chairman, ENL Consortium, operator of Terminals C and D, Vicky Haastrup, lamented the loopholes in the Cabotage Law, stating that the government should rejig the law.