The Nation Newspaper

Tag: quarrel

  • Offa, neighbour quarrel over court verdict on land dispute

    There is anxiety in Offa and Erin-Ile communities of Offa and Oyun local government areas of Kwara State.

    Erin-Ile claimed it got a Supreme Court judgment on December 14, ceding some parcels of land in Offa to Erin-Ile, but Offa community has described its sister community’s claim as false.

    Both communities had engaged in bloody clashes over ownership of some land.

    Speaking on the judgment, the National President of Erin-Ile Progressive Union, Samuel Olu Alabi said: “In 1973, pursuant to administrative judicial panel, headed Justice Daramola, we got a Supreme Court judgment on December 10, that same year, confirming the boundary of Erin-Ile as far as NEPA office – the present Offa Descendants Union (ODU) and several other places – as belonging to Erin-Ile.Thereafter, there had been some administrative interventions to distort the Supreme Court confirmation.

    “Few years after, the Offa community and some other individuals in Offa felt they should litigate the once resolved boundary. Like any other court case, it started from the High Court, and they lost. They appealed to the Court of Appeal and they lost. Finally, they went to the Supreme Court. On December 14, just a few days back, the Supreme Court not only dismissed the appeal, it (also) awarded a cost of N500,000 in favour of Erin-Ile.

    “The court also classified the appeal as an abuse of court processes against known legal norms. It confirmed that the Erin-Ile land covers where we know now as the Federal Polytechnic, Offa, Avalon Hotel and many other places. That is the background and the summary of the judgment.”

    Alabi added that the community would soon swing into action for the enforcement of the judgment.

    He said: “We are running a community, not a one-man show. We have already set up a committee to review the judgment. The committee will advise the EPU national body and the Elerin of Erin-Ile on the way forward.

    “It will be too hasty for us now to say the steps we will take. We are studying the judgment and, at the end of the day, the whole world will know where we are heading to.

    “But, unlike the 1973, when we did not take steps, this time round, we will take necessary steps in accordance with the judgment. When and how we are going to do it is not yet determined. The steps we are going to take include the execution of judgment validly delivered by the highest court of justice in Nigeria.

    “There are established procedures for executing a court judgment. This is what we are going to adopt. We will not do anything against the law. Any judgment that is not enforceable is a mere waste of time, and our judges would not deliver judgments that cannot be enforced.

    “We must know that there is no appeal after the Supreme Court judgment. Like I said, it is not going to be like a military intervention; the whole world will be told. Our neighbours will be duly advised through newspaper adverts. We will not allow people to work on sentiment and allow least informed people to think Erin-Ile is troublesome and violent.”

    The President of Offa Descendants Union (ODU), Alhaji Najim Yaasin, urged the state government to caution Erin-Ile not to cause unnecessary tension by spreading false claims and reports to unsuspecting members of the public.

    In a latter to the state government, he said: “Contrary to the claim of Erin-Ile, the Supreme Court did not award any land to Erin-Ile. The land dispute between Offa and Erin-Ile dates back to the Adaramola’s boundary report, which awarded part of Offa land to Erin-Ile.

    “That decision was challenged up to the Supreme Court and the court held that the decision could only be varied by the state government based on the law setting up the boundary commission.

    “The present case arose from some families in Offa, who want their ancestral land that was wrongly given to some families in Erin-Ile.

    “The Supreme Court’s recent ruling struck out the appeal on technical grounds of improper parties before the court and the matter has been settled by previous decision of the Supreme Court.”

    The letter reads: “That the Dr Funsho Daramola’s report has been varied by different military governments of Kwara State. In 1975, Col. Ibrahim Taiwo amended the Bamgboye Edict to set aside the Dr Funsho Daramola report and, in its place, set up a committee of traditional rulers, headed by the late Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Zulu Karnaeni Gambari, which eventually fixed the boundary at the crest of the hill between the two community, called ‘Kere Ipinle’; a peace accord was then signed by both communities.

    “In 1985, Group Captain Salaudeen Latinwo published an advertorial acquiring some 500 metres on both sides of Kere Ipinle boundary for buffer zone. In 1986, Wing Commander Ndatsu Umoru surveyed the buffer zone with register beacons and deposit, accordingly. In 1997, Col. P. A. M. Ogar (Military Administrator, or MILAD) signed the buffer zone into law and gazetted it accordingly.

    “It is now crystal clear that various governments had varied severally the decision of Dr Funsho Daramola report and is no longer valid.

    “Offa, therefore, rejects any claim to land by Erin-Ile beyond the present status quo. Offa will not concede any part of its land to Erin-Ile. Offa reiterates its position that the Supreme Court has not awarded any land to Erin-Ile.

    “The Kwara State government is hereby called upon to caution Erin-Ile from creating problems where none exists.”

     

  • Family, developer quarrel over land

    Who owns a large parcel of land at Sangotedo in Lekki-Ajah, Lagos State, which is a subject of dispute between a family and a developer?

    The Oyemade Royal family of Sangotedo is laying claim to the land, which it accused the developer, Kelechukwu Mbagwu, of grabbing from it.

    But Mbagwu denied the allegation.

    Addressing reporters yesterday during the family’s protest in Oyetubo Jokotade Estate in Sangotedo, its lawyer, Tunde Popoola, asked that Mbagwu be brought to justice.

    The protesters carried placards with inscriptions, such as: “How can an individual take laws into his hands?”; “Justice must be done”; “Kelechukwu Mbagwu is lawless”; “Kelechukwu Mbagwu is a land grabber”.

    They were accompanied by the family head (Olori Ebi), Mr. Tajudeen Ajenifuja; the heads of the three houses in the royal family, Alhaja Simirat Adenike Hassan (for Oyetubo House); Mr. Biliaminu Yekeen (Banjoko House) and Alhaja Ganiat Balogun (Okunade House).

    Others are: the Baale, Alhaji Jamiu King, of Oyemade family.

    According to Popoola, from August 19; 20, Mbagwu allegedly moved into the said land with his boys, gun wielding men of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) and bulldozers and levelled buildings that were under construction.

    “After that act, he stationed armed Mobile policemen on the property who started shooting indiscriminately at the approach of any person and prevented the family members and owners of the buildings who came the following day to assess the damage done”.

    Popoola said it took a petition from the family to the Area “J” Command of the police in Ajah to get the Mobile policemen off from the property.

    “Kelechukwu invaded the parcel of land with a bulldozer and demolished all the existing structures. There was no order of court authorising him to demolish the property in the midnight. He took laws into his hands without any appropriate court order; the level of lawlessness is alarming and unprecedented.

    “The Oyemade family demands justice, Kelechukwu must be brought to book and we will not rest until Kelechukwu is brought to book,” he said.

    Popoola said the family gave Mbagwu, CMB Building Maintenance and Investment Company Ltd. Managing Director, some hectares of land in March 2003 on which he built the Pearl Garden Estate.

    “But he has since gone beyond that parcel of land to be taking possesion of the family land illegally and selling without reference to the owners”, he said.

    Ajenifuja, the Olori-ebi General, said land grabbers were not doing the public any good because “they deny owners the right to their property and subject them to penury”.

    He said: “All we want in this matter is justice, we want the government to assist us to get justice”.

    A property owner, Chima Duru, said he had spent over N5million on his property before it was demolished. His wife, he said, collapsed and was admitted in hospital when she heard about the demolition.

    Speaking on Mbagwu’s behalf, his lawyer, Alexander Okpako said: “At no time did CMB demolish anything on the said land.”

    CMB , he said, had the tittle to the land.

    “The family has been trying to rescue the land from CMB and they have been on it for some years now and in doing that they employ some tricks, they send some landgrabbers to demolish properties, they then run to police to say CMB has demolished their property. They have been harassing CMB with police on the land,” he said.

    Okpako said there were about three to four cases on the matter in court, adding, CMB has handed over the matter to the court, both parties have joined issues in court.

    “But because of desperation to possess the land, they commit atrocities and go to the police to say it is CMB,” he claimed.

  • Man kills friend over quarrel with wife

    Man kills friend over quarrel with wife

    Tragedy struck in Ijegun suburb of Lagos on New Year Day as a father of five, Mr Olayiwola Stephen, 39, was allegedly stabbed to death by his friend and co-tenant, Mr Ibrahim Adetunji, during a quarrel.

    An eyewitness, Mr Ademola Adegbola, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that a quarrel started between the two friends when the victim was trying to broker peace between Adetunji’s wife and other tenants in the building,

    Adetunji allegedly got angry at the way the deceased was addressing his wife when mediating in the dispute, the eyewitness said.

    The eyewitness said Adetunji, in anger, used a broken bottle to stab the victim.

    He said the incident happened at about noon on Monday at 66, Lafunke Street, Ijegun, a suburb of Lagos.

    Another eyewitness, Mr Sharafa Ogunbisi, said that Stephen was first treated at a nearby hospital from where he was referred to Ayinke Hospital in Ikeja due to excessive bleeding.

    Ogunbisi said Stephen eventually died on the way to hospital and his corpse was deposited at Isolo General Hospital mortuary.

    The suspect was detained at Isheri-Oshun police station for further interrogation.

    Spokesman of the Lagos State Police Command, Chike Oti, told NAN that he was yet to be briefed of the incident.

    The late Mr Olayiwola Stephen was an indigene of Ilua in Kajola Local Government Area of Oyo State.

    He left behind a wife, Mrs Fasilat Olayiwola, and five children.

  • Imo govt, ex-minister quarrel over plan to demolish his home

    •Govt: action not meant to intimidate anyone

    A former Minister of Interior, Capt Emmanuel Ihenacho, has faulted the alleged plan by the Imo State Government to demolish part of his building in Owerri, the state capital.

    The building, which is on Orlu Road, was recently marked for demolition by the engineering firm working for the state government.

    But the government defended the action, saying it was part of its urban renewal efforts to make Owerri a modern city befitting its state capital status.

    Ihenacho, the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) governorship candidate in last year’s general elections, vowed to resist the attempt to demolish his property.

    The former minister described the government’s action as a violation of his rights to own property.

    Addressing reporters yesterday in Owerri, Ihenacho said it was sheer intimidation for anyone, nay government, to demolish his property without any correspondence to him or deliberation with him.

    He said: “My attention was brought to the demolition mark on my wall by an engineering firm working for the state government. I wonder how someone would remove my walls with any form of correspondence with me. I have owned this property for years, even before the emergence of this administration. So, it would be wrong for anybody to ask me to remove my property. I have rights and I want people to respect my rights. If I allow it, that means I am a slave without any right in Nigeria.”

    But, a statement in Owerri, the state capital, by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Sam Onwuemeodo, said: “In our response, we want to reiterate that Governor Rochas Okorocha has vowed to build a state we all can be proud of. He has also pledged to make Owerri, the state capital, a model city, especially when the state capital is now adjudged one of the fastest-growing cities in the country. That has been the reason behind some of the construction works going on on some major roads in Owerri, including MCC/Uratta Road, MCC/IMSU Road, Orlu/Amakohia Road, Mbari Road and the relocation of some markets.

    “In the course of doing all these, certain structures, including block outfits, have been touched or removed. Their owners have always exhibited high level of understanding because they know that the governor meant well, ab initio. The whole exercise was never targeted at any particular individual.

    “In other words, if the fence or building of Captain Ihenacho has been affected by the construction or rehabilitation works going on on Orlu/Amakohia Road or somewhere else, it would invariably enjoy the same fate others have had. It is not a personal thing as to warrant his launching media attacks on the governor. He should have even been expected to commend the governor for the good job, considering the enviable level of his exposure.

    “Threatening fire and brimstone should not have been the best approach, especially when one recalls that he had aspired to govern the state for progress…”

  • How to make up after a quarrel

    I HAVE a challenge, and this has to do with how to make up after a quarrel. Please, I need your counsel. Thanks.

    Gbenga, Lagos.

     

    The ability to make up after a quarrel is extremely important in sustaining a relationship. While some people find it easy to make up and move on, others might find it very difficult. No matter how bad the case may be, there are many different ways of making up after a fight and some of them are as follows:  Learn to discuss the issue openly and freely, expressing your feelings and expectations calmly to the person involved, Also look underneath the argument, try to identify the root of the problem that might have caused this bitter reaction. For instance, issue like when someone feels that he/she is being taken for granted.

    You feel unappreciated, taken advantage of, perhaps used as a tool, so avoid sweeping the issue under the carpet without talking about it.  Not talking about the issue can prolong the argument and any negative feelings you may hold. Because we have different ways of dealing with hurt, if you feel that you are hurt badly and you need time to calm down and think. Do so but let it be for a short period of time. That we are angry does not mean that we should love the person less, but instead it will be nice to condemn the action carried out not the person.

    Self-assessment is another aspect that we must tackle in dealing with making up. People are sometime quick to blame the other person, forgetting that it takes two hands to clap, for example. Accepting that you are partly responsible for the quarrel as well can be of great help to him down well with the other person.

    Pride is another aspect that must be mentioned. You must not allow your pride to prevent you from telling yourself the honest truth about the part or role you played as well that led to the quarrel. Learn not to allow your despair to prevent you from mending the relationship at least for the sake of peace to reign. In most cases, things might not be the same again after a bitter quarrel. Time, they say, heals  wound. Never mind it is natural but gradually your relationship will come out stronger for some reasons. Relationships come out smoother after argument sometimes because now the parties involved have a better understanding of their likes and dislikes, boundaries are set and respect becomes the watch- word. The step to make up after a bitter quarrel is to learn to overcome the common question of why do I have to make the first move ? Thoughts like this do not get you any way. Making up helps you as a person, likewise your offender. The person who understands the benefit of reconciliation takes the initiative without any expectation from the other person.

    Further step is not to dwell on the bad. After a bitter quarrel with a friend, for example, it is easy to feel wrong and hurt, but the most important thing in the midst of all the happenings is to actually try to remember whatever good qualities your friend has. Even after the bitter quarrel, don’t forget the care and likeness you both shared. An argument or disagreement should not be allowed to change that.

    Apology is very key in a situation like this. Some people find it very difficult to apologise when they are at fault. Learn not to allow your pride take the better part of you. After self-assessment and you know that you are in the wrong, whether by action or words, it is important that you apologise. Avoid trying to rationalize or justify your behaviour or making excuses for it.

    At the same time, don’t apologise just to move past the argument. If you honestly don’t believe you have done anything wrong, you should calmly explain that to your friend. But take good care to make sure that is really the case.  In addition, learn from the bitter argument. It is vital to take something from an argument.

    May be you suddenly recognize in yourself some behaviour you want to change or you have noticed things that your friend is sensitive to. The fact that you have this issue with your friend or family member does not mean the end of the relationship. It is important to make amends after an argument in order to move on and get back to being good friends. In so doing, you strengthen your friendship. Making peace with friends after a fight is an important step to maintaining harmonious and happy relationship between the both of you. It is always good to resolve any lasting anger and address it rather than let it fester.

    Listening attentively in the process of making up must not be left out. Make sure you listen carefully to what is being said by your friend. Read his or her body language and make sure your body language is not communicating something else. When sorting out issues, with your friend listens when he or she is giving his own explanation, don’t start thinking about what you are going to say next, but listen to your friend, so you can understand where he or she really stands.

    Situation may not have been as they appeared and there’s always room to learn. Finally, bear in mind that there are always three sides to every story: yours, theirs and the truth, so don’t look at your side only. See the other side as well.

     

    Harriet ogbobine is a counselor and a motivational speaker. Send your questions and suggestions to her on bineharriet@gmail.com or txt message only 08054682598. You can also follow her on twitter: @bineharrietj

  • Taraba poll: My quarrel with tribunal’s verdict —Gov Ishaku

    Taraba poll: My quarrel with tribunal’s verdict —Gov Ishaku

    Governor of Taraba State, Arc. Darius Dickson Ishaku, recently spoke with some journalists on the nullification of his mandate and some developments  in his state. Managing Editor, Northern Operation, YUSUF ALLI, captures the session. Excerpts:

    The Taraba State Election Petitions Tribunal nullified your election because you were not nominated as Governor of Taraba State and that your opponent should be sworn in. Did this verdict take you by surprise?

    The verdict was not only a surprise but total disappointment in view of the fact that the main issues before the tribunal were not considered except for the promotion of trivialities. As a matter of fact, the issues before the tribunal were purely election issues, but regrettably, the tribunal in its judgment picked a pre-election issue. By this singular act, one can easily conclude that certain interests are coming to bear in the judgment. It is a calculated attempt to deprive me of the people’s mandate to lead them. I contested the primaries under the platform of the PDP and won. I was presented with the party’s flag as a mark of recognition as its candidate for the last polls. Therefore, it will be out of place for someone or the tribunal to insinuate in its judgment that I never contested the primary or I was not validly the candidate of the party.

    Why didn’t the PDP primary take place in Taraba?

    Truly speaking, the PDP primaries did not hold in Taraba. The PDP resolved to conduct the primaries in Abuja the Federal Capital on security grounds. Emphatically, during the period of the primaries, Taraba was experiencing security challenges which as a result informed the conduct in Abuja to avert any breakdown of law and order.

    With the tribunal sitting in Abuja and not Taraba for security reasons, are you feeling justified by the PDP decision to hold the primary in Abuja over security concerns?

    I must confess that the action of the tribunal to shift its sitting from Jalingo the Taraba State capital as provided for by the Electoral Act to Abuja on security grounds is not different from what the PDP did during the conduct of its primary. In view of the foregoing, I feel justified. Issues of insecurity are not issues that can be taken for granted because human lives cannot be compromised for anything, election inclusive.

    An INEC official said the commission was not present at your primary and therefore could not confirm that you indeed held a primary. Did you think this played a role in the tribunal’s verdict?

    Although, I don’t think the testimony of the INEC official at the tribunal played a role in the verdict, but I am optimistic there was a ploy to undo me by bringing into play the issue of primary and leaving out the election which is the main issue at stake. Sometimes actions like this, exhibited by the tribunal on this case, leave more to be desired as justice was thwarted outright to promote certain interests at the expense of democratic principles.

    Many people are condemning the verdict. The governor of Ekiti State, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, said it cannot stand before God and men. Are you surprised by the general reaction?

    I am not surprised or perplexed by the sporadic general reaction in many quarters concerning the judgment of the tribunal, because many people including educated and non-educated believed the tribunal erred in law by picking or dealing with pre-election issues rather than the election which was the main issue that was brought before it. To be candid, the last election was won by me in a landslide after having fulfilled the requirements as prescribed by the law. The PDP on which platform I won the last general election had earlier presented my name to INEC as its sole candidate and it was on this basis that I was cleared to contest the polls. The PDP had only one primary and I was the candidate.

    Many people expected you to appeal but do you really think you have a good reason to appeal?

    It is true that many people expected me to appeal the judgment on the grounds that it does not reflect justice as provided for in law. As a result of this action coupled with my personal conviction that justice was not given by the tribunal in my case, I have decided to appeal the judgment to get justice as well defend the people’s mandate at the polls.

    APC said PDP is paying for impunity and this is responsible for the tribunal verdicts. Do you think that is a correct reading?

    The insinuation by APC that PDP is paying for impunity is false. PDP laid the foundation for sustainable democratic practice on the principles of law and good governance and as such cannot  be accused of impunity after losing power to the APC despite the characteristics and other factors that came to play during the last election.

    Your opponent, Minister Aisha Alhassan, is a woman and would be the first elected female governor in Nigeria if she wins her case. Will you say this is a factor in the support she is getting from some Nigerians?

    It may be one of the factors responsible for the support Aisha Alhassan who contested the election with me is receiving, but I want to say that the much propaganda her supporters are making on the issue in the media, especially the social media which had so much promoted falsehood on the issue among others reasons are contributory factors. As a matter of fact oftentimes, the issue of religion is another factor her supporters are using to attract sympathy from different quarters for her.

    What is the message to your supporters as you seek to retain your mandate through the judicial process?

    My message is simple and direct. Since election is not made to divide or fan embers of disunity or disaffection among the people, but a means of selection or election of leaders for effective leadership for the attainment of developmental goals, it therefore behooves the people to remain calm and law-abiding during and after every issue involving litigation.

    I  am appealing to the people of Taraba State to adhere strictly to the rule of law which guarantees peaceful living beneficial to all and sundry. I will not relent in pursuing peace with all men, including my enemies so that a platform which will guarantee good development will be actualised.

    Election petitions apart, what has changed in Taraba since you became governor?

    I have restored water supply in the state capital, raised the power supply from two megawatts to 18, ensured peaceful co-existence among the various communities who were hitherto ravaged by communal and ethno-religious feuds, mobilised construction firms to resume work on the Jalingo, Kona and Bali-Serti to Gembu roads, among others.

    What are your plans for the state?

    My plan for the state is to open it up to development and make it compete more favourably with other advanced states that have made it.

    What is your assessment of President Muhammadu Buhari so far?

    I assess him as a man who wants to also contribute his own quota for the development of Nigeria for posterity, hence his policies and programmes, even though they are yet to mature.

  • APC, PDP quarrel over court‘s decision on Rivers council chiefs

    APC, PDP quarrel over court‘s decision on Rivers council chiefs

    •They have been reinstated, says Ikanya
    •Wike: no such order was given by court

    Did the National Industrial Court (NIC) in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, yesterday reinstate the 22 of the 23 local government areas of Rivers State?

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) said the court held that its earlier order restraining Rivers Governor Nyesom Wike from dissolving the local government areas still subsists.

    But the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said such a verdict did not emanate from the court yesterday in Yenagoa.

    Rivers APC Chairman Davies Ibiamu Ikanya, through the party’s Publicity Secretary, Chris Finebone, said the council chiefs should return to their offices.

    But Wike, through his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Opunabo Inko-Tariah, alleged that “disgruntled” elements wanted to cause a crisis and make Rivers State ungovernable for him.

    As at July 9, when the Federal High Court sacked the local government chairmen and their councillors, there was a subsisting order of the NIC that the council chiefs retain their seats.

    The sacked 22 chairmen and their councillors were APC. They were elected on May 23 during Rotimi Amaechi’s administration.

    The tenure of the chairman and councillors of Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area will expire next year. They were not affected by the dissolution.

    Ikanya said: “The ruling today (yesterday) has confirmed our earlier position that Justice Lambo Akanbi embarked on judicial rascality, because this same National Industrial Court, presided over by Justice J. T. Agbadu-Fishim, on June 22, 2015, barred Wike, the court, Rivers House of Assembly, the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) and others from tampering with the existence of the 22 councils and their chairmen.”

    The PAC chairman described the development as a victory for democracy and the rule of law, which ended Wike’s alleged impunity and desperation.

    But Inko-Tariah said: “The falsehood dispensed by some frustrated elements of the APC in Rivers State that the National Industrial Court in Yenagoa has reinstated the local government chairmen sacked by Justice Lambo Akanbi of the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt, is malicious and a calculated attempt by the disgruntled elements to stimulate a crisis in the state, thereby making it ungovernable for Governor Wike. They have failed.

    “While I urge Rivers people to dismiss this falsehood, I call on the police to arrest the messengers of doom for trying to cause a breach of the peace in Rivers State.”

    The 23 local governments’ chairmen, on behalf of their councils, approached the NIC in Yenagoa, seeking an interim injunction restraining Wike from dissolving the councils.

    Their prayers were granted on June 22.

    The court yesterday failed to hear the applications asking it to vacate its initial order, which restrained the Rivers Government and the House of Assembly from sacking the 23 elected local government chairmen.

    Following the chairmen’s sack, the parties to the case returned to the NIC with the lawyers to the state government raising different applications against the court’s initial interim injunction.

    One of the lawyers to the government, Mr. L. A. Njemanze, told the court that their two applications, filed on July 1, were ripe for hearing.

    He said one of the applications sought a pronouncement discharging the order of interim injunction made ex parte by the court on June 22.

    The lawyer said the second application sought to dismiss the suit by the claimants (local government chairmen) for being an abuse of court process.

    Njemanze said the court had no jurisdiction to entertain the matter.

    Another lawyer to the government, Dr. Z. Adangor, reminded the court that his client filed a notice of preliminary objection, dated June 30, challenging the jurisdiction of the court on the grounds that the subject matter was outside the court’s jurisdiction.

     

     

    But the lawyer to the local governments, R. E. Wanogho, averred that some of the motions were not ripe for hearing.

    The lawyer urged the court to give him time to respond comprehensively to the applications filed by the state government.

    He said: “It is our desire to respond holistically to all the applications that are served us. We have also filed Form 48 because during the pendency of this order, the third defendant dissolved the claimants in disobedience to this court’s order.

    “Even if this court does not have jurisdiction, it does not mean that the parties, on their own, should resort to self-help and overrule the order of this court, when the order has not been specifically set aside by this court.”

    Justice James Agbadu-Fishim held that there was need to allow the parties to file the necessary processes and submit relevant exhibits to support their applications.

    The judge adjourned the matter till October 6 for hearing on pending applications.

    Following the submission of the court, reports went virile across the state that the sacked local government chairmen had been reinstated.

    But Wanogho told reporters that since the court had not vacated its order of interim injunction, the directive was still subsisting, pending a counter-order discharging it.

    Rivers State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Emmanuel Aguma, said nothing unusual happened in the court.

    He said: “Nothing happened. The only thing that happened in court today (yesterday) was that the matter was slated for the hearing of the motion. Each of the parties had raised various preliminary objections.

    “The claimants had not responded to the motion. They sought an adjournment on the two that were ripe for hearing and his lordship graciously granted them the adjournment. We agreed to come back on October 6, to argue on preliminary objections.

    “The court never set aside any order of the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt. There is no such application before the court.

    “The court never reinstated any local government chairman anywhere because no such application was before the court. All the court did was what is fair and just in the circumstance.

    “People had been calling me to say that they heard I fainted in court and that I was missing. But I told them nothing like that happened. None of the claimants were in court. So, I wonder where this malicious rumour against the integrity of the judge is coming from.”

     

     

     

     

     

  • Unhelpful quarrel

    • MTN and UNILAG should settle amicably their differences over the library donated by the telecoms giant

    The report that MTN, one of the preeminent mobile networks operating in Nigeria, has decided to withdraw the multi-million naira digital library it donated to an equally preeminent University of Lagos (UNILAG), is worrisome. Even more shocking is the trading of blames between the university and her donor, over who is responsible for the development. For a university that lays claim to excellence and for a telecommunications company that parades itself as a leader in the industry, we are surprised that such an important contribution to learning in Nigeria, has become a subject of controversy.

    Mr Akinwale Goodluck, an MTN corporate social executive, said the telecommunications company was withdrawing the facility because UNILAG has failed to keep to an agreement in the memorandum of understanding it signed in 2004. On her part, the university countered that it has given MTN the go-ahead to remove the facility, as it has been unable to keep to sections of the agreement it reached with the institution. Following this disagreement, the state-of-the art digital library with the capacity to link-up the university with other centres of learning across the globe, has been under lock and key for five years.

    At its commissioning in 2005, the library had 125 network computers, three laser jet printers, a VSAT-based internet connectivity, a server, 15 air conditioners and an alternative power generation source, which all ran efficiently in the first few years. With its link-up to other institutions, the university had access to varied reference books and research materials; 5,500 libraries, organisations, publishers of academic journals and scholarly works from across the world. At that commissioning, the Executive Director, MTN Foundation, Amina Oyagbola, was quoted to have said, “This library will support the assembly and creative use of up-to-date information at the click of a mouse”

    Considering the enormous benefits of the library, we urge the university and MTN to find a common ground for the use and maintenance of the facility. The University of Lagos which prides itself as one of the leading centres of learning in Africa cannot acquiesce to the notion that it does not give a damn about such research-supporting library; or even the more noxious comment that it lacks the capacity to maintain such a high-tech facility. While the comments that governments in Nigeria lack maintenance culture may be true, it will be embarrassing if University of Lagos gives the impression that it has been afflicted by that reprehensible culture.

    Before taking the decision to move the facility from the university, MTN should consider the wider implications of its action, particularly the perception of the public with regards to the company’s sense of social responsibility. For a company that has done so well in Nigeria, its robust balance sheet can maintain that facility for as long as it does business in Nigeria. This is not to say the university is right. At any rate, the debate over who is right or wrong is unhelpful. Even when MTN is threatening to re-locate the facility to Lagos State government, that act may not cure the backlash of such an action, since the state would rather prefer to gain its own facility, instead of being a second-hand beneficiary of one that was earmarked for another institution.

    Even as there is a disagreement over the state-of-the art facility, we commend MTN for the initiative in the first place. That type of library should no doubt represent the primary interest of any developing country like Nigeria. Considering the enormity of costs, particularly the foreign exchange component, a library that gives researchers access to costly research materials, books and academic journals from across the world, should be a prime resource for any academic institution; and in our view should be treated with pride and care.

  • N20b libel suit: Obasanjo, Kashamu quarrel

    N20b libel suit: Obasanjo, Kashamu quarrel

    Former President Olusegun Obasanjo and a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State, Buruji Kashamu, have resorted to trading in invectives over the N20 billion libel suit the latter filed against the former.

    While Obasanjo described Kashamu as a known debtor and an individual lacking in reputation at home and abroad, Kashamu referred to the former President as “a poverty-stricken dropout from school and otherwise, a social misfit”.

    These are contained in court documents filed by both men in the suit now before Justice Valentine Ashi of the High Court of the Federal Capital territory (FCT), Wuse Zone 2 Abuja.

    Kashamu had sued Obasanjo for alleged defamation of character over his (Obasanjo’s) claim in a letter to President Goodluck Jonathan and the immediate past PDP National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur that Kashamu was a fugitive wanted in the United States.

    In his statement of defence filed on May 14, Obasanjo stuck to his claims, as contained in his letter to President Jonathan and Tukur, and said there was no basis for him to retract the words in the letter “because the statement/words are correct, true and justified”.

    Obasanjo added that “the plaintiff has no iota of good reputation locally and internationally. Aside the plaintiff’s illicit drug business for which he was indicted and wanted in America, the plaintiff has penchant for taking loans from unsuspecting banks/financial institutions with intention to permanently elude/avoid repayment or liquidation of such loans”.

    “Further to that, the plaintiff has been judicially adjudged/confirmed a debtor by a competent court of law in Cotonou, Republic of Benin. And the plaintiff presently occupies a choice position on the Assets Management Corporation of Nigeria’s list of notorious bad debtors.

    “The plaintiff is a person, who with his true name/identity supplied, will not be granted visa by German government or any country of the world having good relationship with the United States of America,” Obasanjo said in the statement of defence of April 30.

    He described the suit as “frivolous, speculative and gold digging” and urged the court to dismiss it for lack of jurisdiction and on the ground that it failed to disclose any reasonable cause of action against him.

    In his reply on May 21, Kashamu averred that the ex-President’s reliance on his touted national and international acclaim to “malign more productive members of the society is uncalled for and could be symptomatic of megalomania”.

    Kashamu said he was aware “that the defendant (Obasanjo) …eventually found fame and fortune by joining the Armed Forces of Nigeria and benefitting disproportionately from opportunism of military adventure into governance in Nigeria which led to an otherwise avoidable civil war and the corrupt and decadent socio-political system the nation struggles to be free of till today

    “When the vaunted international acclaim of the defendant was tested in his contest with a barely known diplomat from Egypt for the position of Secretary-General of the United Nations in 2008, the defendant was put in his place as he failed to  fly the flag of the nation successfully and lost the contest disgracefully,” Kashamu said in the reply filed by his lawyer, Alex Iziyon (SAN).

    Although hearing in the case is slated for July 28 and 29, Obasnajo’s lawyer, Gboyega Oyewole told the court on June 10 that his client will not attend court to testify in person

  • Offa rerun: APC, PDP quarrel

    Ahead of tomorrow’s rerun in Offa Local Government Area of Kwara State, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state have accused each other of plotting to disrupt the election.

    The PDP alleged that it “uncovered a clandestine and dangerous plot by the APC to violently disrupt the election”.

    But a chieftain of the APC in the state, Mohammed Dele Belgore (SAN), described the allegation as baseless and false.

    Belgore addressed reporters on Wednesday in Offa during a campaign rally for the APC chairmanship candidate, Prince Saheed Popoola.

    He said: “The allegation is false. There is absolutely no basis for it. While would a party that is popular want to disrupt an election? Where has that been ever done? If you are popular and you know you are going to win in a free and fair contest, why would you want to disrupt the election? It is totally false allegation. I see it as perhaps the PDP laying the foundation for what they are probably planning.”

    On the allegation that the APC cannot participate in tomorrow’s poll, the senior lawyer said: “It is extremely infantile. The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) no longer exists; APC now exists. The process as to when a political party can stand for an election is very clear; it is written in plain language. Everybody can read it. You don’t have to be a lawyer. But again, what manner of government would be raising this kind of issue? It is only an unpopular government that feels threatened by a party in opposition.

    “A party that has been in power for 14 years should have no problems with an opposition party emerging and contesting an election. But I can tell you that these people are so shameless that all they want to do is to disenfranchise everybody so that at the end of the day it will be their own very fractious and ailing machinery that is left to contest the election against the will of the Nigerian people.

    “We have the people; we have the support. The people will turn out en masse. The people will be there in a lawful and orderly manner to await the rest of the process.

    “This is because the voting is just one process. There is the counting and there is the collation and there is the announcement. The people will be there at every stage in accordance with the law: it is pure and simple. If the PDP people are confident enough, then they should do the same thing.”

    Popoola said: “The people of Offa are ready for this election. The only thing we need is tight security. That is why we have written a letter to President Goodluck Jonathan. We don’t want our community to go up in flames. We don’t want a situation where some people will rig and our community will be in problems. We love our community; we don’t have any other than this place.

    “Contesting the election is because it has been ordered by a court of law. That is why we are contesting. We have seen the desperation of the PDP and the state government. If it were a normal election, we might decide to boycott it, but it’s because it was ordered by a court of law. We don’t have any option than to participate. I want to assure you that the ratio will be 10 to one. The only advice I have for our people is for them to come out en masse and fear nobody.

    “Sincerely speaking, Offa Local Government is just like Israel in the Bible. God will see us through.”

    PDP spokesperson Mash’ud Adebimpe said: “As a law-abiding party, we wish to alert the public and the good people of Offa to be wary of uninvited guests and visitors who may disguise as election monitoring team members and observers before and during the election.”