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Tag: politicians

  • Boko Haram: Group uncovers plots by politicians to scuttle war against insurgency

    A Christian group, under the auspices of Northern Political Youth Christian Forum has claimed that it has uncovered plots by some Nigerian politicians to scuttle the ongoing war against insurgency in north eastern part of the country.

    The youth arm of the organization said the politicians have contacted some members of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) to cause mayhem in the already-troubled region.

    Addressing newsmen in Jos, the Plateau State capital on Thursday, Zephaniah Abui,
    National Coordinator of the group said the people have also perfected plans to use the CJTF to disrupt the visit of the Honorable Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbeh to Borno State as part of efforts

    He said, “We are aware that the disruption is being planned to appear spontaneous whereas it is clearly sponsored for some dark purposes.”

    While condemning the development in its entirety as the height of irresponsibility, NCPYF said the alleged plots portray the dismal low to which the sense of propriety has sunk among leaders who would do anything to massage their ego while the larger population of citizens are left to suffer.

    Abui said, “It is most unfortunate that the power brokers in Borno State and some parts of the north as represented by the Borno State government have not learnt from their past misadventures in allowing Boko Haram to emerge, fester and became a plague to the entire nation even though the north suffered most.

    “We use this opportunity to remind Nigerians and indeed the entire world of the fact that Boko Haram Terror group is a product of politicians arming youths against their opponents. From the experiences, we have been through it can be categorically stated that such enterprise has never ended well. We are consequently at a loss as to what the incentive of the Borno state government is at this time for being involved in such a dastardly plot.

    “We issue this timely warning because this was the same way “ECOMOG”, a ragtag group of street urchins, was exploited for political use and ultimately led to the emergence of Boko Haram. It is a mistake that is on the verge of being repeated with the incitement of the Borno CJTF members to harass a visiting minister and to equally carry out other activities in furtherance of their plots to sustain the existence of Boko Haram in the country. What other dirty assignment would the state government have for these youths next?”

    Abui added that the crux of the briefing was to draw the attention of the law enforcement agencies to the activities of these politicians who wished to hijack the CJTF for their selfish reasons.

    He added, “The visit of the Minister to Borno State is one of the strategies they have hatched to further their agenda in the next few days to sabotage the war against insurgency. The plot, as we gathered, involves inciting the CJTF members to disrupt the Minister’s visit and thereafter use the ensuing chaos as a cover for straggling Boko Haram fighters to regroup. Even more frightening is their expectation that any CJTF member arrested in contrived fracas would be detained alongside Boko Haram hardliners who will then radicalize the arrested persons.”

    He further called on members of the CJTF to resist any invitation to anarchy since those pitching this deranged plot to them have other hidden plans that involve great suffering for anyone that allowed themselves to be used.

    “Instead of causing confusion, anyone that meets with the Chief Audu Ogbe should rather listen to learn which of the many interventions he has unveiled in other states can be replicated in Borno as a first step towards re-establishing the state as an agricultural power-house as opposed to provoking a fresh circle of violence,” he tasked them.

  • Politicians’ pension vs. labours’ peanut

    SIR: What informed the decision to pay ex- political office holders’ pension aside from the severance package! Do they even deserve severance package?

    The political office is not like the NYSC scheme that is mandatory; the office holder voluntarily picks up the nomination form and willingly fulfils the rigours of the process which could be physical, financial or even spiritual.

    So how on earth is the mind boggling fraud in the name of the treasury draining pensions for these souls whose (dis)service to their constituencies cannot exceed eight years before their exodus to National Assembly.

    A case of the child yet to sleep while the dog is snoring, the civil servants cannot be paid the covenanted pension after a laborious 35 years of being paid transport allowance called salary, yet the politician that lived comfortably at the expense of the state for the eight forgettable years is again inordinately fed and sheltered for life.

    While the campaign to dissuade compatriots from blocking the drainage system in order to avert flooding is on, it is pertinent to ensure this drainage of the treasury is effectively blocked, and in the timeless verdict of Dame Patience Jonathan……”there is God o”

     

    • Opeyemi Ajala, FCA

    Oshodi, Lagos.

  • Failed politicians? What of failed priests?

    Nigeria is a great one for neither-nor figures, convoking neither-nor fora, assuming neither-nor names and thundering neither-nor verdicts, just to press neither-nor patriotism!

    The National Peace Committee (NPC), under the chair of former Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar, and convened by the priestly-constant-in-the-public-space, Matthew Hassan Kukah, Catholic Bishop of Sokoto, fits into such profiling.

    It just indicted “failed politicians” for the umpteenth tension in the land.  The NPC is an adjunct of the Matthew Hassan Kukah Centre.  But on Kukah, the medium and the message excellently gel in patriotic platitudes, given the priest’s own glaring failure as a moral voice.

    What does Hardball mean, by a charge not a few would insist is sensational, if not outright grievous?

    Simple.  With all of Kukah’s huffing-and-puffing, what is his stand on corruption, the most serious plague, ever to threaten the existence of Nigeria he so dearly loves?

    Well, Hardball remembers.  Kukah would rather the country “moved on”, grateful that Goodluck Jonathan had handed over after electoral defeat; and should consider itself privileged to drink from the poisoned chalice he handed over!  When outrage came from different directions, Kukah resorted to his time-tested sophistry of saying so much and yet saying nothing!

    Despite an eternal moral grandstanding, Kukah has remained near-funereally silent on condemning and punishing corruption.  If that is no grievous priestly failure, Hardball doesn’t know what else is.  Yet, here is Kukah posturing yet again about failed politicians!

    Of course, the Kukah case is fitting metaphor for Christendom Nigeria.

    Take Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) president, Sam Ayokunle, of the Baptist Convention.  One would have thought that after the wasted Ayo Oritsejafor years under Jonathan, CAN would have turned another leaf from its can of worms of chasing shadows and shunning substance.  Fond hope!

    Rev. Ayokunle, it is, who is leading a barren campaign over a new school curriculum, even when its details, and rationale, have been explained over and over.

    CAN postures some imaginary forces were imposing Islamic Religious Studies on others; and the same noxious forces are wiping Christian Religious Studies (CRS) from the curriculum.  That would have been utterly condemnable, if true.  But again, the proof was only in their Holiness’s ultra-creative imagination, fired by bigotry, if not actual visceral hate!

    O, another integral part of the CAN war: studying Arabic in schools, even in those swathes of the country in which that language has socio-religious-cultural significance, is evil!

    Yet, at other fora, these same characters would wax lyrical on “restructuring” and “true federalism”!  But pray: how can you accept “true federalism” in politics, and yet reject “true federalism” in the curriculum, within the same polity?

    That is the blatant contradiction in CAN’s anti-Arabic campaign.   In any case, you cannot accept English but reject Arabic.  Both are vehicles of cultural imperialism, used to plant Christianity and Islam in the African mind.

    But the clincher in all the hypocrisy is the Kukah NGO is condemning hate!  Who has contributed more to the tension and hate in the country today, than these intolerant pastors, who in their combustible preaching to the converted, go on as if whoever has a different faith is an enemy?

    As the Bible says, let these holy fathers remove the beam in their own eyes first, before working on the speck in others’, discussing the spread of hate!

    And while still at it, they should examine and thoroughly purge themselves of their own ignoble attempts at distracting the public, simply because Jonathan, their preferred candidate, lost the 2015 polls.

  • Supreme Court blames politicians for unsettled polity

    Supreme Court blames politicians for unsettled polity

    The Supreme Court has blamed politicians for the unsettled political climate in the country.

    It said politicians’ unwillingness to play by the rules and abide by the dictate of the law account for why the nation’s polity is riddled with crises.

    This forms part of the substance of two judgments delivered on Friday by a five-man panel of the apex court, led by the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Walter Onnoghen.

    Justices Musa Dattijo Muhammad, Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, Amina Adamu Augie and Ejembi Eko were also on the panel.

    Both judgments were in appeals marked: SC/ 583/2016 filed by Isah Shuaibu Lau (relating to Taraba North Senatorial District) and SC/733/2016 by Mrs. Dorothy Mato (relating to Vandeikya/Konshisha Federal Constituency, Benue State).

    The court found that both the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), in Lau’s case; and All Progressives Congress (APC), in Mato’s case, blatantly ignored the Electoral Act and parties’ guidelines, in the conduct of primaries, to impose unqualified candidates.

    The court noted that while the PDP in Taraba knew that former Acting Governor, Sani Abubakar Danladi was not qualified for its primary, it chose him over Lau, who was more qualified.

    In the Benue case, the court noted that the APC went further to breach its existing principle of rotation in Vandeikya and Konshisha Local Government Areas and handed both the Senate and House of Representatives seats to Barnabas Andyar Gemade and Iorwase Herman Hember (both from Konshisha Local Government Area).

    Justice Onnoghen, in the lead judgment in the Mrs. Mato appeal, wondered why politicians think of self alone.

    In deciding the appeal in favour of Mrs. Mato, Onnoghen said: “I am satisfied and hold that the plaintiff has proved that the 1st defendant/respondent (Hember) was not a member of the APC as at December 10, 2014 when the primary election was held. Accordingly, he was not qualified to contest the said primary election as he was still a member of the PDP.”

    Relying on a report dated December 16, 2014, issued by APC’s National Assembly Primaries Appeal Committee on the primary that produced Hember, and INEC’s report, dated December 11, also on the primary, Justice Onnoghen concluded that it was wrong for Hember to have been made APC’s candidate.

    He said: “From all I have endeavoured to say above, it is crystal clear that the primaries, which produced the 1st defendant/respondent (Hember) was frought with manifold irregularities aside the fact that he was not even qualified to contest same.

    “Thus, since only the plaintiff and the 1st defendant were the contestants, the 2nd defendant (APC) ought to have given effect to the recommendations of its Primary Election Appeal Panel, which recommended that appellant’s name be submitted to the 3rd respondent (INEC).

    “There is nothing on record to contradict the principle of rotation as contained in the said report.

    The principle of justice, equity and fair play demanded that, since Konshisha Local Government Area had taken the office of Senate, through Gemade, the other Local Government Area, that is, Vandeikya, where the plaintiff belongs, ought to produce a member of the House of Representatives.

    “I do not know how politicians think, but for me, it was unfair to give both the Senate and House of Representatives seats to Konshisha Local Government, while Vandeikya had nothing to show for it.”

    “In view of the above provision and the fact that only the plaintiff/appellant and Herman Hember were the candidates, who contested the primaries for Vandeikya/Konshisha Federal Constituency seat in the House of Representatives, I enter judgment for the plaintiff/appellant.

    Justice Augie, in the lead judgment in Lau’s appeal wondered why politicians and political parties find it impossible to play by the rules.

    She noted how Danlandi, who was not qualified, was imposed as candidate in disregard of due process.

    Justice Augie said: “The 3rd respondent (Garba Umar) basically admitted that he was screened and cleared as a gubernatorial candidate, but was allowed to participate in the primaries for National Assembly after he was removed by this court as Acting Governor of the state.

    “To make it very clear, the 3rd respondent admitted that he was not an aspirant for the said Senatorial seat; that as at the time he submitted his expression of interest form and nomination form for the gubernatorial office of Taraba State, the time for the submission of similar forms for the National Assembly had expired.

    “And that, although he did not obtain similar forms for the National Assembly election and was never screened nor cleared for the seat, the 1st respondent (PDP) declared him the winner of the primary election doe the Senatorial seat and sent his name to the 2nd respondent (INEC),” she said.

    Justice Augie noted that to drive its impunity home, the PDP, despite knowing that Lau was qualified to participate in the primary, preferred Danladi, who was not qualified.

    She said: “So, it (PDP) brings in the former Acting Governor of the state (Danladi), who did not do any such thing – satisfy conditions and fulfil all requirements. And after he had won the primaries, it submitted his name to INEC.

    “The appellant complained, then filed an action challenging the eligibility of the 3rd respondent (Umar) to participate at the said primaries.

    “While the matter is pending, the 3rd respondent withdrew his candidature, and the 1st respondent (PDP) did the same thing again.

    “This time, it brought the current Acting Governor (Danladi) to replace the 3rd respondent in total disregard for the action pending in court, that is, the action questioning the said primary that produced the 3rd respondent as its (PDP’s) candidate in the first place.

    “And it (PDP) thereby took it upon itself to determine the appellant”s right and obligations with regard to his complaint against the said primaries,” she said.

    Justice Augie, while ordering Danladi’s replacement with Lau, said “This is a hard and very better lesson for political parties to learn.

    “They may have chosen candidates or eminent personalities they want to present as candidates to INEC, but they have to play by the rules.

    “The chosen candidate must abide by the provisions of the Electoral Act, which creates a level playing field for all aspirants, who seek to contest elections. So, the political parties and their candidates must obey the rules,” Justice Augie said.

     

  • Ambassador advises politicians on environmental laws

    • Envoy condemns burning of used tyres

    Ecuadorian Ambassador to Nigeria Leopoldo Verdesoto Rovayo has urged  Nigerian leaders to take issues of environmental pollution seriously. He advised them to ensure that laws on environments are implemented to save the earth and climate from further depleting.

    Ravayo spoke in Port Harcourt, Rivers  State capital, when he partnered, a Rivers lawmaker, Hon. Victoria Nyeche on a campaign on “Sustainable Lifestyle on Environment”, to plant trees at Elekahia Secondary School, in Port Harcourt Local Government Area at the weekend.

    The campaign was an offshoot of the just concluded Port Harcourt Environmental Summit by members of the State House of assembly, and the brain child of Nyche.

    He said the government, multinational companies as well as residents in the state have roles to play, if the environment must be saved.

    He condemned the practice of indiscriminate emission of hydro carbon chemical and other harmful chemicals, elements into the earth and atmosphere through, oil exploration activities, and  burning of  used and dumped motor tyres, on meats and for wires, and charged the government to rise up against that to check the menace.

    “There is need for politicians to implement the laws on environment, and oil exploitation companies to do what is right in the way they carry on their businesses in the state to save the environment and the people from the effects of harmful emissions into the environment.

    “Also other people doing business in the state should also know that they have roles to play in the quest to saving the environment, sometimes people should think beyond making huge profits in their businesses and think about the implication of their activities on the environments and its inhabitants.

    “Imagine people recycling used and condemned tyres into firewood to burn meat for consumption and to get wires out of them, all these have huge negative implications on the environment and the people, the atmosphere is contaminated, people eat and inhale the contaminants and get sick and so on, so there has to be another better way of burning animal fur and extracting wires out of these tyres instead of this very cheap and crude way that is causing more havoc to the environment and its residents.

    “Again, educating and sensitizing the people on the effects of their negative activities on the environment to the atmosphere, water bodies and directly on human beings and the way to save the environment from further damage cannot be over-emphasized.

    “This is the reason we chose a school to start with, because if we should educate the young ones, we would have captured them while they are young and they will go out there and educate their parents and other people within their neighbourhood. We want to make them ambassadors of green and safe environments.”

    The lawmaker urged children to imbibe the habit of saving the environment from all forms of pollution, including tittering of the surroundings, especially with material that are not decomposable.

  • Nation building,the law and politicians

    I draw an analogy today between the role of the incumbent US Attorney General, Jeff Sessions in defending himself at the Senate on Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential elections and the role of Nigeria’s Acting President Professor Yemi Osinbajo in talking to leaders of both South East and the north over the rumpus of expulsion threat of Igbos from the North .

    I also today comment on the discharge and acquittal of the Senate President by the Code of Conduct Tribunal – CCT as well as the reason given by the Judicial Service Commission for the recall to duty of some judges whose residences were raided by the DSS and great publicity given to huge amount of currencies local and foreign found in their houses. It is my contention here that while the roles of Sessions and Osinbajo border on nation building and fence mending on behalf of the presidents they serve, that of the CCT judgement acquitting the Senate president as well as the reason given by the JSC were good example of making an ass of the law or making a mockery of justice.

    You may go along with me in calling the two issues both sides of the same coin in Nigeria’s temple of justice and you could be right; or you can name l them after that famous Clint Eastwood film called- the good, the bad and the ugly , this time of the Nigerian legal system and, you will have my genuine approbation. Let me start again with the Sessions/Osinbajo part of this story today. First, both gentlemen are time tested Attorney Generals well versed in the practice of law even though Sessions is much older and would have been a Federal Judge long ago but for charges of racism and discrimination that dogged and stopped his confirmation.

    Osinbajo of course is a professor of law and had spoken recently somewhere in Eastern Nigeria, at a summit of law teachers where he insisted that law teachers are the conscience of the spirit and practice of the rule of law, its sanctity and integrity. In a way both gentlemen are holding fort for their bosses. Sessions was in the Senate where he denied any knowledge of collusion with Russians in the election of his boss Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential elections. He called such allegation a detestable lie. He refused to disclose any discussion he had with the President of the US in public because he felt that was the proper thing to do.

    He literally paved the way for the prosecution of former FBI boss Comey who leaked similar discussion to the New York Times . He defended his decision to take part in the decision to fire Comey on the ground that it is part of his responsibility as US Attorney General and the FBI is just one of the many security outfits under his official purview . He said that the fact that he recused himself from one investigation , this time the Russian intervention allegation does not mean he has abandoned responsibility for the other duties of his job as Attorney General.

    Sessions defended his office and ipso facto that of his president brilliantly and confidently and it was obvious at a stage that he was enjoying himself before his former colleagues at the Senate given the mischievous glint in his eyes as he tried to suppress a smile or two because he knew his case was unassailable and that this would inevitably rub off positively on the many accusations against his boss, the president, on the matter. Similarly, the Nigerian Acting President held fort eloquently and brilliantly in the absence of our sick president in the way he spoke to leaders from the South East and the North and cautioned on the use of inflammatory language noting that words can cause war and that words like the pen can be mightier than the sword because that is what brings out the sword.

    This to me is vintage nation building through restraint and there is some warning to all sides in the matter that the state will not condone violence and will bring law breakers to order by all means. It is fascinating that the Nigerian Acting president has made fence mending and nation building quite easy and so desirable. He is also scheduled to meet religious leaders in the days ahead and that too is commendable.

    One can compare this with the famous effort of the US to do nation building in Iraq after the invasion of 2003 by establishing democracy which blew up Iraq as that gave power to the majority Shiite Muslims against who the better armed Sunni military cadre which ruled under Saddam Hussein have revolted ever since, and Iraq has not known peace. It is in that light that one should weigh the effort of the Acting President in cooling nerves in the absence of the president in the face of this expulsion and insurgency threat and tempest which really is an ill wind that does no one any good. We pray that the Acting President‘s efforts will yield the desired peace dividend and sanity will prevail at the end of the day.

    Let us now cross the fence as it were to the other side of the wall in Nigeria’s temple of justice where it is obvious the judiciary is at odds with the executive in Nigeria’s presidential system based on our now precarious separation of powers. On the two issues we highlighted, namely the acquittal of the Senate President and the return of the judges arrested by the DSS to duty, the Presidency through its Special Assistant on Prosecution has cried foul. In the case of the Senate President the Presidency disagreed with the judgement and an appeal may be imminent.

    In the case of the JSC recall of the judges, the institution’s spokesman took issues on dates for filing with the Presidency’s spokesman. But on both issues extra judicial considerations and politics were at play. With the Judges recall a case similar to what journalists call ‘dog does not eat dog‘ could be at play. It is similar to what senior civil servants call ‘espirit de corps’ which corrupt Nigerian policemen have bastardised when seeking illicit returns. Both the dog and corps narrative are about class protection against outsiders, this time the judiciary, protecting its own against the rest of us including those who are part of the legal system but are not judges.

    It is obvious the war against corruption will suffer seriously in the temple of justice because of this attitude at the top of the judiciary and we wait to see its logical conclusion in the light of overwhelming public condemnation. In the case of the Senate President, one can actually congratulate him for his doggedness in pursuing his acquittal to a successful end. But his victory is a pyrrhic one and its negative cost in the minds of Nigerians is monumental.

    Some have wondered why he went to the Supreme Court to stop the trial when the CCT judges knew all along that without his written statement he could be acquitted. Also, the question could be asked if the EFCC prosecution was ’shoddy‘ because of the pending confirmation of the appointment of the EFCC boss before the Senate as some have alleged. It is a sad day indeed for the EFCC in terms of prosecution but it should not be discouraged as this is a victory of politics over justice and as the saying goes, the struggle continues for equity and justice. Once again, long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

  • Lawyers, politicians, others: military’s assurance okay

    Lawyers, politicians, others: military’s assurance okay

    Three Senior Advocates of Nigeria -Yusuf Ali, Sylva Ogwemoh and Chief Charles Uwesuyi-Edosomwan- yesterday said they welcome army’s reassurance that there would be no coup.

    Ali warned that a coup was not even in the best interest of the Armed Forces, besides its negative consequences on democracy and development.

    He urged those floating the idea of a coup to jettison it.

    Ali said: “It’s not even in the interest of the Armed Forces to intervene in democratic governance. First, it’s not fashionable anywhere in the world for anybody to take over government other than in accordance with the Constitution.

    “Secondly, our experience has shown that military rule has retarded our overall development.

    “Thirdly, it also retarded the growth of the Armed Forces as a professional body.

    “Fourthly, it led to the truncation of the careers of so many officers, either by death of by dismissal. And of course, it’s a traumatising experience for Nigerians. It doesn’t make for progress.”

    Uwesuyi-Edosomwan said the matter should not end with the army saying there was no coup plot.

    Those behind the alleged plot should be tried, he said.

    “One is a bit disturbed about murmurings regarding a restive military. The military must be subjected to civil rule and any act of revolution or coup is treasonable,” he said.

    According to him, whoever is involved or is thinking about a coup should banish the thought. Depending on where the coup is coming from, it will result in untold consequences in terms of system of governance, and there will be far-reaching consequences on our economy,” he said.

    On the DHQ’s no-coup statement, he said: “I endorse it entirely. They should go further to fish out the people involved and publicly try them.”

    Mr. Sylva Ogwemoh said the Army still had questions to answer despite denying a coup plot.

    His said: “A reassurance may not be enough. But in my view it is simply not dealing with the main issue. The Chief of Army Staff had warned politicians to leave the military alone. I want to believe he made the statement following intelligence reports and information at his disposal.

    “The questions then is, who are the politicians attempting to influence the military into staging a coup? Who did they approach within the rank and file of the military? Did those in the military who were approached by politicians immediately make a report as required by law and extant regulations?

    National Chairman of the United Progressives Party (UPP) Chekwas Okorie, said the assurance from the military authorities is commendable, but not enough. He added that the officers suspected and their civilian collaborators must be fished out and punished.

    He said: “It is a patriotic gesture on the part of the military. It is patriotic because it is the only position that can project Nigeria in a good light and it is the duty of the military to protect the integrity of Nigeria as a nation. It is safer and better for everybody to continue the democratic practice, than to engage in a military combat for control of territorial estate.

    “So, I welcome that assurance, but I go further to say that those who by their action or inaction, including their body movement, brought about the rumour or the situation that made the Chief of Army Staff, Lt-Gen. Tukur Buratai, to go public, must be fished out and removed from the military. And this should be made public, because their action has damaged the image of Nigeria, particularly in the eyes of prospective investors and it has caused unnecessary trepidation within the country.”

    Elder statesman Alhaji Tanko Yakassai said: “In my view, it seems as if the issue is being blown out of proportion. If it were a clear-cut case of some officers planning a coup, the proper thing to do is for the military to arrest the people involved, both the civilians and the military officers.

    Afenifere chieftain, Senator Ayo Fasanmi said the denial of coup plan by the Defence Headquarters is a welcome development. Since they have denied it, we should just take it like that, he said.

    Fasanmi said the military intervention was responsible for the problems we have in the country; no reasonable person will ever support the return of the military; the military rule had destroyed the democratic structure and imposed unitary system of governance that we are yet to get rid of.

    The chairman of the Caretaker Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Ahmed Makarfi, described the assurances as a welcome development.

    He however called for caution on the part of both the military authorities and the political class.

    In a telephone chat with our correspondent last night, Makarfi said,

    “In the first place, the matter was raised by them but now that they have assured the whole world that there will be no coup, it’s a good thing for the country.

    “But it is also good to be diligent in whatever they do without adding to the political temperature. It is commendable but also, the situation calls for cautioning the part of everyone”

  • Fed Govt’s agents, politicians threaten judiciary, says CJN

    Fed Govt’s agents, politicians threaten judiciary, says CJN

    The independence of the judiciary and its ability to dispense justice unhindered are threatened by Federal Government agents and politicians, the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Walter Onnoghen, has said.

    Onnoghen regretted an emerging trend where judicial officers (judges and justices) were unduly castigated and accused of corrupt practices by agents of the Federal Government and politicians, without giving them the opportunity to be heard.

    He spoke yesterday during a thanksgiving service in his honour at the Methodist Church Nigeria, Abuja Diocese, Wuse Zone 3.

    “The Judiciary is under threat. Judges and judicial officers, including myself are being castigated without given the opportunity to be heard. But, God knows our heart.

    “I did not set out to be a judge, but today I am a judge by divine intervention. It’s the Lord’s doing, and mine is to follow. My prayer is that God should help me and should not let me down.

    “I thank Nigerians for attending this event. It is supposed to be a personal thing between me and my God, but I have no hiding place. I thank God for fulfilling His promise to me,” Onnoghen said.

    The CJN, who was accompanied by his family , cited the case of Anambra Central Senatorial election, where Senator Uche Ekwunife reportedly accused the Judiciary of robbing her of her mandate, without evidence, as a case of undue accusation of the Judiciary.

    He said the nation would only get it right when the leadership abides by the Constitution and Rule of Law.

    Justice Onnoghen, who thanked God for his eventual emergence as the CJN, urged Nigerians not to relent in their prayers for the sustenance of the judiciary.

    The event was presided over by the Archbishop of Abuja Diocese of the Methodist Church, the Most Reverend Joseph Oche Job.

    The cleric prayed God to direct and give the CJN the wisdom to lead the Judiciary.

    He prayed for peace in the country and urged all to be guided by the fear of God.

    Dignitaries at the event include the Head of Service of the Federation (HOSF), Winifred Oyo-Ita, former governors of Rivers and Cross River states – Peter Odili and Liyel Imoke; and Senator Ndoma Egba.are Justices Mary Odili, Bode Rhodes-Vivour, Clara Ogunbiyi, Olukayode Ariwoola, Chima Nweze and John Okoro (all of the Supreme Court). A retired Justice of the court, John Fabiyi, was also in attendance.

    Others are Adegboyega Awomolo and his wife, Victoria; former Justice Minister and Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Bayo Ojo, Niyi Akintola, Sabastine Hon, Alex Izinyon, Sunday Ameh, Yakubu Maikyau and Godwin Obla – all Senior Advocates of Nigeria.

    Officials of the Department of State Services (DSS) invaded the official residences of seven judges late last year and arrested them, accusing them of corruption.

    Following the development, the National Judicial Council (NJC) directed the affected judges to stop sitting, with the exclusion of Justice Nnamdi Dimgba of the Federal High Court, Abuja, whose house the DSS said was visited in error.

    Of the seven, two were charged to court. While Justice Adeniyi Admola (one of the two charged) has since been acquitted, the trial of Justice Sylvester Ngwuta (the second) is fast progressing.

    The others affected judges are currently left idle as the DSS has failed to either charge them to court or issue them with a clearance notice to enable the NJC to direct them to resume duties.

  • Stop demanding money from politicians

    Speaker of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Onofiok Luke, has said  politicians’ urge to steal public funds results from unrealistic demands made on them by citizens. He said political office holders are usually pushed to use illegitimate means of making money, because their loyalists expect them to meet personal, family and community needs that go beyond politicians’ earnings.

    Onofiok made this revelation when he delivered the second public lecture of Ritman University in Ikot Ekpene. He urged political leaders not to bow to pressure to steal public funds, saying they must show transparency and accountability in the management of the nation’s wealth.

    In his lecture titled: Good governance and community development, Onofiok said community development promotes the ability of community members to collectively make better decisions about the use of resources for their growth.

    To achieve community development, the Speaker said members must be ready to embrace attitudinal change and re-orientation. He said: “Just as the leaders strive to build an efficient and empowered community, rather than personal empires from the common wealth, people must be ready to support the effort by changing their attitude towards development. Aside campaign promises, citizens must stop making demands from politicians. Sweet without sweat is not sustainable.”

    Onofiok said good governance should be judged by accountability, transparency, rule of law and civil society participation in the decision-making process.

    The Vice-Chancellor (VC), Prof Celestine Ntuen, said the lecture was aimed at informing the public on national values. He described the school as a “place where knowledge crystallises into development and the creative capacities of humans to reach the zenith”.

    Pro-chancellor and Governing Council chairman of the University of Benin (UNIEN), Senator Bob Effiong, hailed Ritman varsity’s agenda to transform its host community into an economic hub, noting that the institution’s strategic plan would make it stand out as the best private university.

    Chairman on the occasion and VC of Akwa Ibom State University, Prof Eno Ibanga, hailed the lecturer for “incisive analysis” of developmental challenges facing rural communities.

    Chairman, Board of Trustees of Ritman University, Sen. Emmanuel Essien, said establishment of the school had proved to be the best achievement of the Ritman Group of Companies. He said the quality of scholars assembled by the school showed that the university was established to address knowledge deficit in the country.

  • BBNAIJA: POLITICIANS, FANS UP THE STAKES

    TODAY makes it a day to the end of the second edition of the Big Brother reality show targeted at Nigerians. With five remaining housemates, the race will be over by 7pm tomorrow when a winner will be crowned. It will end and one of Efe, T-Boss, Debie-Rise, Bisola or Marvis will win N25m, an SUV and other goodies to follow. That these young Nigerians have put up an entertaining show is beyond dispute. But they will need massive votes and on Thursday, they had their last chance to campaign for votes. Outside the house, the battle for votes has caught the attention of fans and politicians, including some state governors who are putting their resources to vote their favourite housemates.

    When 14 Nigerians were housed in a South African building competing in the Nigerian version of the global franchise, Big Brother Naija, naturally sparks could happen and throughout, it has been a case of ‘one day, one drama.’ While Nigerians asked why a show about Nigerians was taking place in South Africa? The producers gave valid reasons as stable power as responsible for the show being taken to SA. It won.

    And Nigerians finally settled to enjoy the show. Starting with 12 housemates aged between 23 and 36 drawn from different walks of life, the controversy of strangers living together without distractions of modern life to recourse to started.

    With the house full, the housemates got to know each other and there was no eviction in the first two weeks. By this time, the housemates had started finding loved and some couples started forming. The game had begun. Given the basics of life – food, shelter and clothing – and without phones, internet, television or radio, the housemates had themselves to contend with. Their favourite pastime was playing Whot and ‘Truth or Dare’ (which revealed a lot), especially after they had drunk alcohol. And to add to the intrigues, two new housemates – Bassey and Debbie-Rise were later added to the house.

    After two weeks, Miyonse and Soma were evicted and after the third week, Coco Ice was let out of the house, having scored the least votes from viewers. This was a day before she had let Bassey suck her boobs after a ‘truth or dare’ game. Week in week out, the intrigues went up as housemates were evicted one after the other, remaining the top five.

    In the early days, the Jacuzzi sessions and a kissing festival ensued many of the housemates shared erotic moments. Certain Nigerians felt the show had too much sexual content and didn’t portray Nigerian values and should be scrapped. Through newspaper, television, radio and online reports, these Nigerians, including a lawmaker, asked the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation to censor the show. Of course, nothing came out of the request. DSTv already rated the show a Parental Guidance (PG).

    And with the votes trooping for their various housemates, it was certain the Nigerians’ interest in the show was rising. A viral message went around stating that by a fortnight ago, over 11, 000, 000 votes were recorded, signifying a definite interest in the show.