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  • IBA rallies lawyers on rule of law, human rights

    Several lawyers from Nigeria attended this year’s International Bar Association (IBA) conference in Rome, Italy. They spoke to Legal Editor JOHN AUSTIN UNACHUKWU on their experiences.

    Thousands of lawyers from around the world, including Nigeria, gathered in Rome, Italy for the International Bar Association (IBA) conference.

    There were over 200 sessions at the conference, culminating into the rule of law symposium.

    There were also showcases and committee sessions, which offered the chance to hear from the best experts in the field.

    IBA President, Martin Solc, urged lawyers to be warriors for rule of law in their respective countries.

    He said: “Certain core values underpinning democratic civil society are being corrosively eroded. I speak of the rule of law and the battering it is facing in these turbulent global political times.

    “We, as lawyers, cannot ourselves turn the wheels of history, but being the servants of the blindfolded lady holding the sword and the balance, we must do all we can to preserve the rule of law.

    “Not because it is the raison d’etre of our profession. Not because it is what we learned in school. But because as guardians of the rule of law, we understand often better than others that when the rule of law gets suppressed and forgotten, society  falls  under the  uncontrollable rule of individuals with vested interests and, ultimately, dictators.”

    Lawyers seek improvements

    Nigerian lawyers, who attended the conference, spoke to The Nation on their experiences and areas they think the IBA should improve on.

    NBA President, Paul Usoro (SAN) said: “If a session is to start at 10.00 am prompt, it starts at 10.00 on the dot. Another thing that I observed, which I intend to bring home to NBA conference – you noticed that we heard the voices of people introducing speakers, but you didn’t see them.

    “So, that business of having to have a Master of Ceremony coming to spend some bit of time is something that we could cut out because it saves time and it looks more businesslike,” Usoro said.

    Poor organisation mar conference

    Abia State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice Umeh Kalu (SAN) said the conference did not meet his expectations.

    “IBA must up their game. This conference is a little below the standard we have seen in the past. We must keep pace with what is happening elsewhere,” Kalu said.

    Another SAN, Dr. Livy Uzoukwu, echoed Kalu’s views. “I am a bit disappointed because I had attended so many IBA conferences in the past. This is the only one I found the organisation to be poor.

    “We were given the impression that there would be conference buses to take us from our hotels to the conference venue. But that wasn’t the case.

    “What they did was to select a place where all of us from different hotels would assemble to board a bus. That was not good enough and it was misleading. I hope that this will not happen again. To that extent I am very unhappy with the organisers of this year’s conference.”

    For J.T.U. Nnodum (SAN), there is room for improvement.

    “This is not the best IBA conference that I have attended. I believe that there are still many areas of improvement, but on the whole, it is satisfactory. I must commend the fact that we must improve and make diversity an ingredient of the organisation.

    “We must remember that some people come from Africa, some people come from Nigeria and we have our peculiar needs. These should be attended to.

    “In organising a conference of this magnitude you take into account that a particular people of the membership may need certain specific things because of their own cultural peculiarities and need. Everything shouldn’t be European tailored; there should also be an African flavor,” Nnodum said.

    For Ndukwe Nnawuchi (SAN), the conference fell below the standards of previous years.

    “This year’s IBA conference is not as well-organised. Previous IBA conferences were better. However, there is an improvement in the  contents of the conference bags.

    “But, in terms of other logistics arrangements like the bus shuttles, the  hotels, etc, they were not as well arranged as they ought to be,” Nnawuchi said.

    ‘Security arangement excellent’

    Former Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (NIALS) Director-General Prof. Epiphany Azinge (SAN) said the conference venue was of international standard.

    To him, the conference ranked among the best he had attended.

    “I commend in a special way the quality of the speakers, the approach adopted and the areas interrogated.

    “I want to say that there is always room for improvemet but on the score card I will rate this as quite an excellent outing,” Azinge said.

    He said he enjoyed a moot session in which participants were given green cards and red cards to determine their views.

    “Those who felt that the preliminary objection should be upheld were asked to raise the green cards, while those who held contrary views were asked to raise the red card.

    “For me as a teacher, I believe that it was quite innovative and is another way of trying to encourage people to participate.

    “At the end of the day everybody seemed to be happy. The approach was quite innovative for me and I take that away for other uses,” Azinge said.

    Mallam Yusuf Ali (SAN) said his session discussed the responsibilities of government in preventing natural disasters.

    “In all the places where you have these natural disasters, it was foreseeable. For example, in areas that are prone to earthquake, it is foreseeable. Flooding is also foreseable in Nigeria.

    “So, we should begin to hold our governments accountable for such natural occurrences when they happen to the citizens in terms of damages to their property, lives and so on,” Ali said.

    Bauchi State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr H. D. Mohammed said the session on the International Criminal Court (ICC) impressed him the most.

    “I am a prosecutor, so I enjoyed that session most, the challenges, the difficulties and the opportunities we still have there,” he said.

    Mohammed said it was unfortunate Nigeria lacks the facilities to host the IBA.

    ‘My expectations were met’

    Dr Garba Tetengi (SAN) described the conference as “wonderful” and “excellent”, saying it lived up to his expectations “so I commend the organisers.”

    Tetengi also enjoyed the ICC session.

    “More effort is needed from state parties that have signed the convention to ensure  that  there is full implementation of the judgments of the court,” Tetengi said.

    He urged lawyers who can afford it to attend IBA conferences because of the intellectual benefits.

    ‘Mitigating damages’

    Prof Abdulwahab Egbowole, who chaired the session on Negligence and Damages, said: “On  the whole we came to the conclusion that we need to find a way of mitigating damages instead of looking for reliefs for the damages.

    “We also agreed on the need for governments to be more proactive in terms of positioning at the level of budget for damages.

    “We also came to the conclusion that we need to find a division between natural disasters and climate change and that government must try as much as possible to ensure that the evolving climate change challenges must be adequately prepared for.

    “Finally, there was a resolution that it is very important for us as lawyers to take up class  action inspite of the challenge of locus standi that we have in our various laws.”

    Wanted: Voluntary tax system

    Former Lagos Solicitor-General Mr Lawal Pedro (SAN) said he benefitted from the session on tax laws.

    He said the session suggested the need for “more friendly” tax systems.

    “We must have a tax system that commands voluntary compliance and that is what we were shown in that session.

    “When you have a tax system in place that commands voluntary compliance, you spend less money and resources in pursuing people to come and pay tax,” he said.

    He said the use of mediation in resolving tax disputes was also recommended, as it saves time.

    Don Umealor of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said the conference, his first, was “very rewarding”.

    “We are about four from INEC and we are grateful to the commission for allowing us to be part of this global voice of the legal profession,” he said.

    Activist-lawyer Femi Falana (SAN), speaking after the ICC session, said states should do more to bring perpetrators of crime to book.

    “I wrote to the NBA last year: why don’t you challenge the Attorneys –General for their failure to bring perpetrators of killings to book?

    “Culpable homicide or murder is a state offence, so you cannot even expect the Attorney-General of the Federation to go to Plateau, Zamfara, Taraba, Benue or Adamawa to bring anybody to book.

    “It is the duty of the state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice.

    “That is what is happening in Lagos State: the alleged notorious kidnapper is being prosecuted by the Lagos State Government.”

    NBA has learnt lessons

    NBA General Secretary Jonathan Gunu Taidi said the assocation would copy most of what IBA does.

    “There is a lot of take away from here so that going forward, we  can replicate all or 98 per cent of what have seen and witnessed here that makes the conference workable, so that our members will  have a seamless conference in 2019.

    “One of the take away is the seamless manner in which the registration is conducted.

    “Once every member pays and registers for a conference, every arrangement should be made for that member as of that date so that when he/she comes to the conference venue, he/ she picks up his material without any much ado.

    “One of the wonderful things I picked up from the IBA is the way  it works.

    “The Legal Practices Division (LPD) is the one that controls all the programmes of the IBA and by extension all the membership of the IBA and they are generating revenue for the association.

    “For now they have over 30 million pounds sterling   in their reserve so that is very healthy for the IBA.

    “We hope to get to that point in Nigeria where our  conferences will be making profits and the profits will be there in the reserve and not only profits that will be declared on paper.”

    For Tawo E. Tawo (SAN), the session on human rights was unique.

    “The opening ceremony was quite exciting and the resource persons on top of the their game. It is indeed a time of great refreshing and intellectual enrichment,”  he said.

    ‘Let’s be time-conscious’

    Ken Njemanze (SAN) said Nigerian lawyers should learn to keep to time.

    “The people are well-organised, friendly and they have been punctual, keeping to time for each programme.

    “These are some of the things lacking in our country and with what we have learnt here, I believe that when we get home, we shall improve our own system,” Njemanze said.

    Mr. Victor Muruako said the conference was “a great improvement the from the one we had in Australia last year”.

    On the session that impressed him most, Muruako said: “Well I belong to several committees here but I have special interest and was fascinated by the session on Public Finance. That is my area of interest considering what we are doing at the Fiscal Responsibility Commission.

    “Even the government of Italy is presently having its own challenges. They are having their budgetary challenges, just like in Nigeria.

    “But the ability of all the institutions to come together to take a common position to find a way out, that is what we need,” he said.

    ‘All sessions add value’

    For Okey Akobundu, outide the huccups of the first day, everything went “like clockwork”.

    “All the sessions I have attended mainly on arbitration and human rights have been on point, nothing lost. Everything is with me and am going home to Nigeria with a lot of things,” he said.

    According to him, some lawyers from Nigeria only attended the opening ceremony .

    “It is not good for Nigeria. All the sessions have value to add to what we are doing back home either in arbitration, human rights, litigation.

    “We should pay more attention to the sessions and advance ourselves. I advise the NBA to learn from IBA and improve our own situation at home a little,” Akobundu said.

    For Steve Abar, the sessions gave him fresh insights into current legal issues in different jurisdictions.

    “We try and learn as much as possible so that at the end of the day we improve our quality of legal service delivery to our clients and the country.

    “The session on Alternative Disputes Resolution (ADR) for me was very illuminating and educative,” he said.

    For Muhammad Adamu, the contents of the conference were highly enriching both in practice and procedure.

    “It is a forum where lawyers interact, exchange ideas in law, practice and developments across the globe and public life,” he said.

    Adamu appreciated the African Regional Forum because “most of the issues in the African region are peculiar and you learn a lot.”

    Ada Edozie said the conference was “world class” and “well-organised”.

    “The session that impressed me most was the session organised by the Negligence and Damages Committee, which looked at natural disasters and the role of governments and their agencies in preventing and mitigating the consequences of such disasters on their citizens.

    “Whether lawyers should represent individual victims or come by way of class action was considered. This makes a great deal of sense to me.”

    Plateau State Local Government Service Commission chairman Mr. Robert Taple said the organisational structure of the conference was wonderful.

    “So we as a leading professional association in Nigeria has a lot to take home from here.

    “The sessions are good because they bring us close to current global trends in our profession.

    “This reinforces our responsibility in the legal profession as the light of the world, review our current status and be in tune with developments in other jurisdictions in line with international best practices,” he said.

    ‘Tackling poverty, inequality’

    Ololade Salami said he found the Poverty, inequality and Social Development session rewarded.

    He said the session ‘opened the eyes’ of lawyers to how they can use their skills to contribute towards poverty alleviation efforts.

    “At the session, erstwhile perception of lawyerly obligations within the narrow confines of application of hard laws in the daily performance of our professional roles was viewed as myopic and therefore a perception in need of attention.

    “In this regard, lawyers are to play more participatory roles beyond the narrow confines of pro bono work or offering of legal aid in court proceedings.

    “Lawyers are to view access to justice in a much broader sense or perspective.

    “This expanded perception entails public advocacy and representation of the needs of the poor in all facets of legal practitioners’ roles, duties and responsibilities, including policy making and law making/law reform where lawyers can and do play major roles.

    “This session was indeed a call to ‘arms’; for lawyers to care more about the poor in the society and to recast their thinking in their professional relationship with the communities they live and operate in,” Salami said.

    Jamila Malafa said the conference examined “very broad and colourful kaleidoscope of themes”.

    He added: “There were lots of interesting topics one would have loved to attend but could not as a result of clash in timings of the sessions.

    “For instance, the assigned times for some sessions were not sufficient enough to discuss the topics and issues raised,” Jamila said.

    ‘Food as right’

    For Nkechinyere Nwachi, her preferred session was on human rights law as it highlighted such issues as where there is no war but there is lack of food, the use of starvation in times of conflict, and why the world cannot cope with providing food for all men.

    “It is universal recognition that all humans have right to food. The concept of denial of food during conflict amounts to denial of human right.

    “Also the use of starvation in times of conflict amounts to violation of human rights of victims to their God given right to food.

    “It is most unfortunate that the resolution on right to food has not been enshrined in the UN Guidelines. Moreso, most member nations do not have provision for right to food in their constitution,” Nwachi said.

  • Women group rallies against killer-disease

    About 2.7 million Nigerian women are suffering from Rhesus disease, Rhesus Solution Initiative (RSI) President, Mrs Olufunmilayo Banire, has said.

    The statistic, she said, amounted to 5.9 per cent of Nigerian women being Rhesus negative.

    Rhesus factor is a protein found on the surface of the red blood cells and can be inherited from parents.  Rhesus incompatibility comes in when the mother is Rhesus Negative and the baby is Rhesus Positive.

    Mrs Banire spoke in Ikorodu during RSI Walk for Life from Government College near Agric Bus Stop to Ikorodu Local Government.

    Rhesus negative, she said, accounted for the high rate of still births and loss of babies.

    She said Rhesus incompatibility had no link with witchcraft or Abiku

    She said, so many people are ignorant of the disease, hence it deserves attention.

    “According to the National Population Commission (NPC), out of 195 million Nigeria populations, women are about 86 million. 5.9 per cent of these women have Rhesus disease.  With our birth rate, it means that over 400,000 children would be affected with Rhesus disease,” she said.

    She described the statistics as disturbing.

    She said: “Nigerians are ignorance about the disease because the government and citizens believe it is not a  common disease like malaria, typhoid fever, polio and HIV. If the United States with just 10,000 deaths was able to proffer a solution 50 years ago. Why can’t Nigeria that has over 400,000 children affected? You can imagine how enormous the problem is.

    “It is actually causing a lot of pains in our homes, causing broken homes, people are being stigmatised.”

    She said it is important for the public to know their rhesus factors, blood group and genotype.

    “RSI is sensitising the public on the need to know their rhesus factors, blood group and genotype. We are taken it to the grass root, secondary schools most especially to catch them young. Rhesus negative women must get Rhogam Anti D injection 28 weeks into their pregnancies and within 72 hours after birth. The injection will save them from miscarriage and delivery of dead babies or babies with Sickle Cell anaemia,” she said.

    She urged women to check their babies’ rhesus factors, blood group and genotype the moment they put to bed, saying “such child that is rhesus negative should be counselled right from childhood. By the time the child is becoming of teenage age, the child already knows what is expected and the risk involves when she goes through an abortion.”

    Banire said the treatment is a major concern because prophylaxis injection is expensive for an average Nigerian.

    “The injection is about N30,000 and you imagine the income of an average Nigerian, which is N18, 000. So how much of that would be required before the person can afford the injection during pregnancy and three days after delivery. So it is a big problem. At RSI, we are assisting the victims but we are unable to attend to everybody; that is why we want the government and well-meaning Nigerians to come to our aid so that this disease will be totally eradicated,” she said.

  • Labour to organise rallies in states owing salaries, others

    Labour to organise rallies in states owing salaries, others

    The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) is poised to organise rallies in states that have failed to use the bailout funds and the Paris Club refunds to pay workers’salaries.

    At the end of its Central Working Committee (CWC) meeting in Abuja.

    NLC President, Ayuba Wabba, said the “Name and Shame rallies” would  draw attention to the  suffering of workers who have not been paid for several months.

    The CWC meeting urged President Muhammadu Buhari to direct the Minister of Finance not to release the third and final tranch of the Paris Club refund until the governors make a commitment to pay the backlog of salaries and pensions.

    The CWC directed all workers, pensioners and their families to support governors that have used their funds judiciously.

    On the persistent lack of electricity, despite that power companies received about N740 billion since 2015, Ayuba said he found it difficult to rationalise why the government was planning to give N39 billion more to the Electricity Distribution Companies (DisCos) for metering.

    “Given that one of the conditions before the privatisation by the last administration was that the new owners would provide meters for customers within 24 months, CWC said the defaulting DisCo ought to face sanctions and not additional bailout,” Ayuba said.

    The union also condemned Morocco’s request to become a member of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

    “CWC feels that on account of Morocco’s continuing defiance of the United Nations (UN) and the African Union (AU), by continuing to occupy Western Sahara, the Kingdom should not be allowed into ECOWAS.

    “The CWC, therefore, resolved to mobilise Nigerians and all its stakeholders to ensure that the National Assembly does not support the admission of Morocco into ECOWAS,” it said.

    The NLC also hinted that it would engage in public discussions on major national issues, geared towards sensitising Nigerians and directing the government’s and citizens’ attention to the task of nation-building and inclusive development, during this year’s Independent Day celebrations.

    It also bemoaned the non-composition of the National Minimum Wage negotiation committee even after labour had submitted the names of its representatives to the committee.

    It urged the Federal Government to kick off negotiation, as the negotiating committee should have  been put in place long ago in line with the 2011 Collective Agreement.

    Congress stressed that the government and its partners should fast-track and conclude the negotiations on  time.

  • Group rallies support for Ugwuanyi

    Over five thousand supporters of Enugu State Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi on Wednesday converged on Enugu, the state capital, for a rally in support of his administration.

    The supporters, under the aegis of United Enugu State Men and Women for Gburugburu, said they held the event “in appreciation of the leadership qualities of the governor.”

    The group’s leader, Mrs. Josephine Nwokedike, said at the Government House, Enugu that the governor performed well, even in the face of limited resources.

    She said the support group comprised grassroots politicians across political affiliations.

    “We appreciate your achievements and have decided to support your administration as well as prepare the people for future elections.

    “We are proud of your government, as you have shown residents the way to God,”   Nwokedike said.

    The grand patron, Chief Jovita Okafor, said   Ugwuanyi showed himself to be the most honest and humane governor the state had ever produced.

    He said Ugwuanyi deserved more time to actualise his vision, adding that there would be no vacancy at the Government House in 2019.

    The governor said he appreciated the message of hope, goodwill and support spread by the people.

    He said such support and prayers were for the good of the people, adding that the state would grow from strength to strength.

    “I appreciate your sacrifices, which are for the good of the state. We are but willing instruments in the hands of God.”

    Ugwuanyi hailed political stakeholders, who ensured peace.

    He said he would support any move that would consolidate the good governance and peace enjoyed in the state.

  • Pro-Buhari rallies to hold in four cities

    Pro-Buhari rallies to hold in four cities

    A coalition of pro-Buhari organisations on the platform of “Citizens Support for Good Governance in Nigeria” is mobilising for a week-long mass rallies in four cities in support of President Muhammadu Buhari.

    The rallies, which are expected to hold between tomorrow and Friday in Abuja, Lagos, Kaduna and Kano, are tagged: “I Support President Buhari”.

    The convener, Comrade Moses Abdullahi, in a statement in Abuja yesterday, said the rallies are in response to the anti-Buhari rallies, which took place in Lagos and Abuja last week.

    The statement added: “As a people, we witnessed the systemic looting and raping of our collective resources and consciousness by a few, with far-reaching psychological damages, which has rendered us bitter, bruised, battered and hopeless.

    “Nigeria today is a nation undergoing rebirth, a people seeking a new path to higher attainment, a diverse community, where a new awakening of self-discovery can bring about a better economy for us all.”

    “We have a leader, who we know is different. We know he will not steal our resources. We know he will not sleep until things are made right for us and our children. We know he means well. What then must we do to help get it right faster?

    “We must support President Muhammadu Buhari because with him, it can only get better. Our economy today is in chaos not because of him, but because of the lies and deceit of 16 years he inherited. PMB is not out for quick fix measures, he is out to make sure the foundation of this change is well-laid such that even in the next 100 years, we will never suffer what we have gone through before today. The pains and agony of today are temporary.

    “If we rally round PMB and support him, we will ensure the enemies of our progress and agents of corruption (who only want thing to continue like before) will be shamed and exposed.”

  • ‘Rallies aimed at destroying Buhari’s popularity’

    ‘Rallies aimed at destroying Buhari’s popularity’

    A NON-governmental organisation, Nigerian Youths for Buhari, said yesterday that there was an attempt by some people to destroy the popularity base of President Muhammadu Buhari among youths and the citizenry.
    Its National Organising Secretary, Success O. Success, who addressed a news conference in Abuja, said reports of the illness and death of the President and organised rallies against his government were aimed at destroying his popularity base.
    The group said there has been a savaged and premeditated move by some online social media against Buhari and his administration.
    It noted that “while constructive criticism is good, those with bad motives destroy”.
    The group asked youths not to allow themselves to be used against the President, but to come out and make useful suggestion on the way forward for the nation.
    They said there were visible signs of progress being made by the government in trying to address the needs of Nigerians.
    Success said: “We have seen a relentless push against corruption in this nation since the advent of this administration. For the first time as a nation, we are hearing people say the government may be fighting corruption too hard too earnestly and not enough time for other things.
    “The truth is that corruption is the cankerworm eating away at the soul of our nation. We need an unyielding campaign against corruption to pull down decades of building what has manifested as a national misadventures.
    “In this administration, there has been no sacred cow that cannot be touched. We know there are cries of extra-judicial proceedings coming from detractors of the government”.
    He added that it was no longer news that the 14 local government areas hitherto occupied by terrorists had been salvaged by the military after dealing with insurgents.
    According to the group’s leader, while there was hardship in the country, the government has made so much efforts at revamping the economy and putting smiles on the faces of Nigerians. They expressed the hope that with the 2017 budget, the Buhari government was on the path of restoring the nation’s economy back to its past glory.
    According to the group, “what needs to be done to bring the needed change to the infrastructural backbone of Nigeria is mega funds, which explain why the government need to raise funds through borrowing.”

  • Police to youths: No permission, no Christmas carnival

    Police to youths: No permission, no Christmas carnival

    …Massive deployment across Lagos, Ogun

    As the yuletide draws near, the Assistant Inspector-General of Police  (AIG) in charge of Zone II, Abdulmajid Ali has advised youths resident in Lagos and Ogun states to ensure they get approvals before holding carnivals, rallies.

    He stated this Wednesday at the zonal headquarters, Onikan, noting that there would be aggressive patrols across the states.

    Ali, who spoke through the zonal spokesman, Muyiwa Adejobi, a Superintendent of Police  (SP) disclosed that the command would massively deploy policemen before, during and after the festive period so as to forestall criminal activities.

    He warned that organising carnivals workout due approvals would not be tolerated, urging youths to ensure they operate within the ambit of the law.

    He said: “The command has sent out special teams to see how we can tackle major challneges in the zone including kidnapping, armed robbery, land graining and cultism. We know that the festive period is around the corner and we would not take it lightly with anyone who wants to jeopardise the security arrangement we have on ground.

    “We are sending a note of warning that zone two would not be conducive for criminals. We are using this opportunity to tell youths to ensure they get necessary approvals before having carnivals. We do not want a situation were they will block the roads and extort Nigerians. That’s tantamount to robbery.

    “Some of them even drink and have bottles and other dangerous weapons with them. We would any of them caught for armed robbery. They must respect and act within the ambit of the law. We urged them especially fun seekers to respect the law.

    “You are going to see presence of policemen all over the place.  There would be appreciable presence of police across the states. Frequent patrols, stop and search and other security checks. We want Nigerians to respect our men doing their jobs. If they go beyond their bounds, we have already rolled out the numbers to call. But residents should assist them in their quest to save lives and properties.”

  • Rallies mark World Hijab Day in Lagos

    Rallies mark World Hijab Day in Lagos

    •Assembly warns military against harassing women in hijab

    Rallies were held across Lagos yesterday to commemorate the World Hijab Day.

    From Jibowu to Yaba, Ojo to Okokomaiko, Ikorodu, Epe and Alausa in Ikeja, among other places, Muslim women came in their hundreds, carrying placards to express their displeasure over the maltreatment of hijab wearing women.

    With the theme: Beautiful, Confident and Empowered, the World Hijab Day is globally marked on February 1.

    The placards read: “My hijab, My pride; choice and religion; “Hijab signifies superiority and not inferiority”; “I love the hijab”; “Hijab by heart”; “If beret is for Christians, hijab is for Muslims”; and “No matter the murmuring, hijab till I die”.

    Other inscriptions are, “Just do it, wear hijab for a day”, “I am happy I wear the hijab”, and “Don’t let the grave be the first time you will use the hijab”.

    In her remarks, the Amirah (female president) of the Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria (MSSN), Lagos State Area Unit, Hajia Hafsah Badru expressed displeasure over the increasing human rights abuses against Muslim women wearing hijab.

    She said despite the awareness about the importance of hijab, some Nigerians still harass Muslim women who wear hijab and veil under the guise of being security conscious.

    She said: “Without bias, an abuse carried out against anyone’s freedom to practise the tenets of his/her religion is a disrespect and disregard to the constitution and it constitutes a grievous abuse on human rights. It is shameful that human rights abuses are increasing in Nigeria at a point when they should be decreasing.”

    Badru, who condemned the Boko Haram insurgency, explained that Muslim women were not supporting Boko Haram by wearing hijab.

    She said: “Muslim women validity to wear hijab should not be what will be infringed upon because we are not the ones who diverted the fund that was supposed to be used to buy the needed arms for the country to boost security.

    “Even when the Federal Government has successfully established that the arms fund was diverted, it is shocking to now see the same government, its soldiers, police and citizens portray religious intolerance to the tune of removing Muslim women’s hijab and veil, a calculated action to naked them.”

    Lagos State House of Assembly, yesterday, also warned all government agencies including the military against harassment of women wearing hijab.

    Speaker Mudasiru Obasa gave the warning while addressing scores of women who stormed the assembly to express their displeasure over the continued harassment of Muslim women wearing hijab by the military, Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), telecommunication operators and Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) among others.

    Obasa was represented by the Chairman House Committee on Health, Segun Olulade, when members of the Secretariat Community Central Mosque visited the assembly to rally support for hijab.

    The speaker said no religion was superior to the other, adding: “Both religions (Christianity and Islam) are important. And that is why we often preach peaceful co-existence among residents of Lagos State.”

    He said: “We will not tolerate any agency of government that harasses Muslim women with the Hijab. We believe in the rule of law and in the integrity of every religion including Islam. We will always stand by residents of Lagos State irrespective of their religion.

    “We urge you to always conduct yourself in a peaceful manner. Islam cannot be termed as the religion for terrorist. We are joining you in urging people to desist from using Islam to perpetrate illicit acts.”

    Women Affairs Secretary, Secretariat Community Central Mosque, Mrs. Aisha Adams, said that Hijab was often misinterpreted and larger percent of Muslim Hijab women were discriminated and emotionally abused through deliberate insensitive remarks.

    She said: “This rally is a call for Hijab-wearing women to be recognised as modest and liberated religious adherents capable of ensuring peace and stability in the society. We are not in any way threat to the security. Rather than harassing us, they should do their duties and we shall support them as law-abiding citizens of Nigeria.

    “Apart from being an ideal dress-code for the believing woman, the Hijab encompasses modest behaviour and mannerism. Wearing Hijab purifies the society by reducing the incident of sexual abuse and other related immoralities.”

    She warned those who disguise under the Hijab to perpetrate crimes to desist from such acts and seek Allah’s forgiveness else they will face the wrath of Allah.

     

  • TAN’s offensive rallies

    SIR: If Nigeria were to be a country where commonsense means anything, especially the ruling elite, kick-starting any form of political campaign or rally ahead of the 2015 general election at this critical moment would be the last thing on anyone’s mind.  I consider it shameful and laughable that a country of Nigeria’s size and pedigree now runs to Cameroun and Chad to secure her borders!

    We are presently at the mercy of Boko Haram’s increasing onslaught and our leaders’ screaming incompetence. An average Nigerian lives in fear, lacks access to basic needs of life. To worsen matters, the nation’s abundant material resources is tapped, processed and shared by our glutinous leaders and their cronies. Nothing is said about the poor masses. They only remember them during elections.

    It is the annoying how some individuals are trying hard to sell a cheap dummy to us ahead of the 2015 general election. The body behind this badly packaged campaign is the Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria (TAN). It claims it is doing the bidding of Nigerians by collecting signatures of those who desire that President Goodluck Jonathan seeks re-election in the 2015 presidential election.

    Those behind TAN are faces we are very much familiar with. These same individuals were part and parcel of those who worked for President’s Jonathan election way back in 2011.

    I wonder why we should daily be viewing 2015 election campaign ads at a time the whereabouts of over 200 school girls remain unknown, having been seized from their hostels by suspected Boko Haram members more than four months ago. The sad reality is that the system, after operating in denial, appears clueless as to what to do to secure the release of these innocent girls. One had expected the system to remain sober, and keep reassuring Nigerians of what it is doing to bring back the girls alive. It is however disturbing that, apart from the #BringBackOurGirls group and a few other voices, most Nigerians have since moved on as though these girls in captivity were never part of us as a nation. This is how terrible things have become in this part of the world. We are always in a hurry to forget things that should ordinarily remain permanent in our hearts.

    Imagine a nation grappling with excruciating and monstrous insurgency spending heavily on pre-election campaigns through money-gulping rallies and media ads. TAN and its activities are a sad reminder of what we all witnessed when the dark-goggled General Sani Abacha nursed the evil idea of transmuting from a military head of state to a civilian president. The story of how one Daniel Kanu launched his One Million Man March code-named, Youth Earnestly Ask for Abacha (YEAA) is still very fresh in our memory. Kanu and his team of opportunists formed part of those recruited to drum support for Abacha’s plot to remain in power for life. The rest as they say, is now history.

    Sadly, since we are bad students of history, we have since obliterated that part of our recent past from our minds and information warehouse. We have since moved on, as usual, pretending as though all is well. Like the YEAA campaigners, these TAN fellows are spending heavy sums of money to ‘impress it on the President to seek re-election’.

    The whole thing is a grand deception; an unintelligent attempt to divert attention from burning national issues. Regrettably, the President, the very man these fellows are spending heavily on, keeps recording spectacular lows in all areas of our national life. He appears ill-informed and not abreast of happenings within and around his office as president.

    Who is financing TAN’s activities is another germane question. We demand urgent answer to this question. How come the group’s activities are centred around President Jonathan alone? We had better watch this disturbing trend before it consumes us and all that we hold so dear to ourselves.

    Abdullahi Yunusa

    Imane, Kogi State

  • ‘PDP officials should not be part of rallies’

    ‘PDP officials should not be part of rallies’

    The leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has given a directive to those organising rallies in support of individuals ahead of the 2015 general elections.

    It said yesterday in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh: “While we recognise the inalienable right of citizens under the 1999 Constitution (as amended) to freely associate and publicly express their support for persons of their choice, we, however, wish to restate that no official of the PDP at any level should for any reason whatsoever be involved in such events until after the primaries.

    “In this regard, all support groups struggling for legitimacy, supremacy or recognition should henceforth desist from trying to actualise such by using the names of the officials of the PDP.

    “PDP issues this as a last warning to all support groups and will not hesitate to take measures against any further infraction on its integrity and that of its officials.

    “For the avoidance of doubt, the leadership of the PDP recognises that party officials as unbiased umpires have a sacred duty to observe the dictates of internal democracy and as such remain neutral until the emergence of candidates through our primaries in line with the provisions of the PDP constitution.”