The Nation Newspaper

Tag: seeks

  • Sultan seeks dialogue as CJN urges peace

    Sultan seeks dialogue as CJN urges peace

    Dialogue remains the best solution to end the Boko Haram insurgency, Sultan of Sokoto Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar, said yesterday.

    The Sultan spoke in Sokoto when he received Chief of Army Staff Lt.-Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika.

    He also spoke in Abuja at the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) Peace and Security Summit 2013, which the Chief Justice chaired.

    At the summit, the Sultan was represented by Senator Isa Mohammed.

    Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) Aloma Mariam Mukhtar, also spoke on why the fight against the sect has been difficult.

    The Sultan told the Army chief that it was necessary for the Federal Government to hold talks with the sect, which has declared a ceasefire, adding that “the dialogue would serve as a means of getting across to the other splinter groups within the sect.”

    Describing the ceasefire as a welcome development, he said: “That is why when a few days ago, we heard of a purported ceasefire by a faction within the Boko Haram sect, we welcomed it and I believe it is an issue we have to open up to.”

    The Sultan assured his guest that Nigeria would not break up.

    “Nigeria will remain one entity. Those clamouring for the division of the country are just making noise, seeking for relevance. God cannot be wrong by bringing us together. He has a reason why he brought us together as Muslims and Christians. There are many issues that bind us together; there are many reasons why we should remain together as brothers and sisters in this country.”

    To Gen. Ihejirika, Nigeria’s unity is not negotiable.

    Justice Mukhtar said dialogue remains the best solution to agitation. The Sultan said leaders of thought and good conscience must come together, irrespective of their beliefs, to find a lasting solution to the insurgency.

    But former Director General of the State Security Service (SSS) and Nigeria Intelligence Agency (NIA) Chief Albert Horsfall warned the country against seeking support from the United States Defence and Intelligence.

    He also warned governors against the call for state police because they could become victims of power games in the hands of their political opponents after leaving office.

    Horsfall said what the country needs from America is technical and intelligence support.

    “We do not need the United States defence and intelligence presence locally” because it will internationalise the Boko Haram and invite Al-Qaeda and the Taliban to the country.

    “What we further need to do to neutralise the threat of Boko Haram and other violent organisations in the country is justice, good and effective governance at all levels; good international cooperation and collaboration,” he said.

    NBA President, Okey Wali (SAN) said the summit was convened to search for enduring answers to the challenges to peace and security in Nigeria.

    He also said the Bar would investigate the case of 18 bodies found floating in River Ezu, in Anambra State on January 19.

    “Nobody, to date, has accounted for who they are and how they came floating in the river. This is happening in 2013 in Nigeria. What a shame,” Wali said.

    Former Head of State and presidential candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, in his goodwill message, said Nigeria is blessed with both human and material resources to be better in the black world.

    To achieve peace, Justice Mukhtar said: “A way must be found to transform the pervasive zero-sum, winner-takes-all mentality that is both the cause and the product of conflict. In Nigeria, this factor has contributed in no small measure in fuelling the insecurity in the country.”

    Represented by Senator Mohammed, the Sultan said the challenges facing the country could be overcome with the cooperation of eminent people.

    “We need to recognise the fact that if there is any problem in this country, it will not affect only the perpetrators, it will affect all of us,” he said.

    He urged the government to license preachers “because it is through preaching that some people get indoctrinated”.

    “We should to continue to preach peace. Our youths must be told that taking up arms against their brothers is criminal, the Sultan said.

    Horsfall said “home grown insurgency in collusion and collaboration with external terrorism networks constitute the greatest threat to peace and security in Nigeria.

    According to him, the Niger Delta insurgency is political; Boko Haram is religious and ideological.

    Horsfall canvassed psychological re-orientation and a publicity programme for the Boko Haram members to bring them back into the mainstream of Islamic beliefs and practices.

  • CAN crisis: Atilade seeks end to media war

    Chairman South-West Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Archbishop (Professor) Magnus Adeyemi Atilade has called for a cease-fire to end the raging press war by some national leaders of the organisation.

    In a statement in Lagos yesterday, Atilade said the war should stop before any damage is done to Christiandom.

    He warned that if the crisis persists, it might erode the vision, mission and objectives of CAN’s founding fathers.

    Urging aggrieved parties to embrace dialogue, the Southwest CAN leader said Christians would be shooting themselves in the foot, if they engage in unnecessary rancour instead of facing their common enemy, Boko Haram.

    Atilade urged CAN to put its house in order, adding that a house divided against itself can never stand.

    He said: :United we stand, divided we fall. CAN was founded by our fore-fathers to bring Christians of all dominations together, so that we can be one indivisible entity.

    “Christ gave us the ministry of reconciliation and our differences should be settled by dialogue. Please, let there be peace and unity in CAN. Let there be no more press war. We should stop washing our dirty linens in public.

    “Apostle Paul said Christians have been reconciled with God through Christ. Therefore, CAN leaders must strive to reconcile their differences.”

    CAN national leaders have been attacking themselves on the pages on national newspapers over the Catholic Church’s decision to temporarily suspend its membership of CAN.

    Mr. Sunday Oibe, spokesman for the 19 Northern states and Abuja branch of CAN, condemned the church’s decision.

    The Catholic Church argued that the CAN leadership’s approach to national issues was rebellious and did not promote the religious unity and peaceful co-existence the country needs.

  • Lawyer seeks improvement in judges’ pay

    A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Sebastine Hon, has advocated an increase in the salaries and emoluments of judges to discourage corruption and unethical conduct among judicial officers.

    Hon, in a statement yesterday, said Nigerian judges are paid pittance compared with what their counterparts earn in countries such as the United States and Canada.

    He said it was embarrassing that a magistrate in the US earned more than a justice of the Nigerian Supreme Court, and that a justice of the US Supreme Court earned four times more than a justice of the Nigerian Supreme Court.

    Hon faulted the grouping of judges with other state officials in the Salaries and Allowances of Certain Political, Public and Judicial Office Holders Act, 2008.

    He noted that if the country was serious about addressing unethical conduct at the bench, the least ranked judicial officer in the country should earn not less than N1million as basic salary.

    The Senior Advocate of Nigeria suggested that Supreme Court justices should be paid not less than N5million basic monthly salary, with justices of the Court of Appeal and judges of the High Court and other courts in that grade earning not less than N4million basic monthly salary.

    “If we can hire a foreign coach and pay him N10 million monthly, I wonder why we should pay our judicial officers peanuts, thereby encouraging corruption,” he said in a statement, entitled: ‘Red alert: Justices of Supreme Court earn lower than Magistrates in the USA.’

    The lawyer, who was reacting to a claim allegedly made by a retired Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, Olufonlula Adekeye, in an interview that justices of the superior courts were poorly paid, urged concerned authorities to remedy the situation.

    He said: “The Chief Justice of the USA earns $223,500 annual basic salary. If converted to Naira, it will stand at N33.5million. That is almost four times more than what the Chief Justice of Nigeria takes as his annual basic salary, going by the provisions of the Salaries and Allowances of Certain Political, Public and Judicial Office Holders Act, 2008.

    “Also, whereas an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the USA earns an annual basic salary of $213,900, which translates to N32.08million, his Nigerian counterpart earns an annual basic salary of N10.8million.

    “From 1987, the salary of a magistrate in the USA has been pegged at 92 per cent of the basic salary of a District Court Judge. A District Court Judge’s basic annual salary is $174,000, which translates to N26,100,000. This is N16million more than what a Justice of the Supreme Court takes home annually in Nigeria.

    “Also, 92 per cent of $174,000 is $160,000. If we convert this to Naira, we will have N24million. This is the annual salary of a Magistrate in the USA, which is more than the annual basic salary of a Supreme Court Justice by N14million.

    In Canada, the Chief Justice receives an annual basic of $370,000, while a Justice of the Supreme Court of that country receives basic package of $342,800, which rates are even higher than those in the USA.

  • FERMA seeks sanity on federal highways

    FERMA seeks sanity on federal highways

    Tough times await vandals and uncultured users of federal government facilities in Lagos. Reason: The Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) has inaugurated a Task Force for the purpose.

    With over 3,000 workers on ground, the Task Force, headed by AbdulRasak Rafiu Kolawole a.k.a Oto is, according to him, saddled with law enforcement, comprehensive monitoring and compliance with laid-down rules and regulations guiding the facilities.

    “Our concern is about all federal government highways, set-backs, and other such utilities. We have been set up and well-trained for these purposes and I must say this that the whole essence of the exercise is to create conducive environment for our people in general,” he emphasised.

    Asked if the Force would not usurp the activities of other such outfits already on ground in the state, especially the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), Kolawole replied: “It cannot because we have our well-laid-out rules and regulations regarding our operations. We are not thugs but responsible Nigerians committed to changing the existing system in our areas of attention.”

    Kolawole affirmed that their operations would kick off full-blast in the first week of February. “There is no going back because all the needed logistics are already in place. And I must add that the whole effort is also geared towards puncturing the festering joblessness in the country; no mischief, no ill-feeling,” he added.

    As early as 8 am yesterday, members of the Task Force, especially the new recruits, thronged the defunct Toll Gate Headquarters of the Force on the Lagos-Ibadan Road around 7 Up, Ikosi-Ketu, Lagos.

    Clad in all-white training sport wears, the recruits, after their usual daily training which The Nation learnt, began about three weeks ago, were bubbling with excitement that they were on their way out of the “suffocating” unemployment market.

    Oniya Omoebi, one of the officers who spoke with The Nation echoed Kolawole’s views, saying: “We are here to do for federal roads, what the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) has been doing for state roads. We will operate with all vital equipments like towing vehicle to take care of erring vehicles on the roads under our jurisdiction. We are for sanity in all areas of our operations.”

  • Benue ACN seeks withdrawal of Suswam’s US award

    The Benue State chapter of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) yesterday urged the management of the Martin Luther King, Jnr Centre in Atlanta Georgia, the United States to withdraw the award it conferred on Governor Gabriel Suswam.

    Suswam was at the weekend in US presented with the award by the centre for what it described as his meritorious service to his nation.

    In a statement by its chairman, Comrade Aba Yaro, the party said: “While ACN has no issues with Governor Suswam receiving a personal award for private endeavours, we feel ashamed, betrayed and embarrassed by the said award given to him for “meritorious” service to his nation.

    “We are even more appalled that though the centre was promptly alerted about the risk it was taking, the Centre still proceeded with the conferment, thereby betraying Dr. King’s legacy, in conferring this noble award on an undeserving individual.

    “The organisers of the 2013 MLK Award have robbed the people of Benue State and Nigeria of their right to commemorate the noble memory of Dr. King at this year’s remembrance, by the image of Dr. King.

    “As the organisers give the Benue governor this award for good service to his people, they should know that the good people of Benue State have been shortchanged in the last five years by his poor governance and activities that are at total variance with the ideals that Dr. King stood for. Governor Suswam has totally embraced unbridled violence to achieve his political ambitions, contrary to the non-violence principle that Dr. King promoted and died for.

    “The centre organisers need to be reminded that while Governor Suswam celebrated his award with pomp and ceremony at the Hyatt Plaza, Atlanta, hospitals in Benue State are starved of medication and teachers’ salaries remain unpaid.

    “Despite the purported inauguration of the water works in Makurdi, Otobi and Katsina-Ala by President Goodluck Jonathan, water is very far from being available to the people because reticulation has not been done. It is, therefore, not possible for Governor Suswam to have saved over two million children through the provision of clean water. Most families still depend on other sources of water for domestic use.

    “Therefore, the ACN rejects this award vehemently and demands its withdrawal by the MLK Centre. We respectfully and humbly call on the MLK Centre to withdraw the award.”

  • Tompolo seeks support for Jonathan

    A former leader of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), Government Ekpemupolo (aka Tompolo), has called for peace in the feud between President Goodluck Jonathan and former MEND leaders.

    The face-off between the President and former militant leaders assumed a new dimension on Wednesday when Ateke Tom and Victor Ben Ebikademor (aka Boyloaf) slammed Jonathan’s perceived lack-lustre performance and failure to develop the region.

    They spoke in a statement in which they described the Jonathan-led administration as a “huge embarrassment” and a “threat to their patience.”

    The duo’s attack came a week after Asari Dokubo, leader of the Niger Delta Volunteers Force, also blasted the President.

    The trio’s outburst has led to concerns that the hitherto robust relationship between the Federal Government and the ex-militants has degenerated.

    There are rumours that the latest tension between the President and his kinsmen may not be unconnected with the Federal Government’s refusal to renew the pipeline surveillance contracts awarded to former militants.

    Although Tompolo refused to condemn his former colleagues, he said: “There’s a need for all Niger Deltans to rally round Mr. President on the way forward.”

    He spoke through his media aide, Paul Bebenimibo, saying, “I beg to differ from them on their assessment of Mr. President.”

    Tompolo conceded that all interest groups have genuine reasons to be dissatisfied.

    He urged those who have better ideas on how to improve the nation to proffer solutions rather than ‘attack’ the President.

    “While we cannot speak for the President because we are not his spokespersons, there is the need for cooperation to develop the region.”

    Tompolo described the slow pace of work on the East/West Road as a cause of concern and advised those saddled with the responsibility to be rise to the challenge.

    “As a Niger Delta leader, Tompolo is committed to the development of the region and we agree that there is a lot to be done to achieve this.

    “We also feel that that the President needs the support of not only Niger Deltans, but all Nigerians, because the task before him is onerous.

    “We would, therefore, like to suggest that we give him time as he has promised to increase the pace this year,” he added.

  • President-elect seeks opponents’ support

    President-elect seeks opponents’ support

    AHEAD of his inauguration today as Ghana’s President, John Dramani Mahama has called for political unity, reaching out to rivals who are contesting his election due to suspicions irregularities in the voting process.

    Mahama, a former vice president who took office in July after the death of his former boss, President John Atta Mills, won a December 7 election. He is scheduled to be sworn in on today along with a new parliament.

    “For the long-term survival of our nation, we must agree and commit to a multi-partisan process,” Mahama said in a speech to parliament, adding. “Whatever our differences, whatever our politics, we must pull together and rise to meet these challenges.”

    International and local election observers said the December election – in which Mahama won 50.7 per cent of the votes – was free and fair despite delays and technical hitches that forced voting into a second day.

    Ghana’s main opposition party launched a legal challenge on December 28, saying the poll involved enough irregularities to affect the outcome.

    The opposition NPP party, whose leader, Nana Akufo-Addo, came second with 47.7 per cent, has threatened to boycott Mahama’s inauguration.

    Ghana is one of Africa’s fastest growing economies and has maintained three decades of peace, making it a favorite among international investors and an anomaly in a region better known for coups and civil wars.

    Mahama said economic growth in the cocoa, oil and gold exporting nation was between 8.5 and 9 per cent in 2012, but that political unity was required to ensure the rising productivity resulted in development.

    Ghana became Africa’s newest oil exporter in 2010 with the startup of Tullow Oil’s offshore Jubilee field, propelling economic growth to 14.4 percent in 2011. Mahama said he expected 2012 growth to be between 8.5 and 9 percent.

    The President-elect said: “We have not only held down inflation and maintained macro-economic stability, but we have also worked to ensure discipline in the government’s fiscal regime to avoid unbudgeted expenditures that could distort the economy’s performance.”

  • Okadigbo seeks support for victims’ widows

    Okadigbo seeks support for victims’ widows

    Senator Margery Chuba-Okadigbo yesterday urged support for the families of the late Kaduna State Governor Patrick Yakowa and former National Security Adviser (NSA) Owoye Azazi.

    Mrs. Okadigbo spoke to reporters in Abuja.

    The Senator said she was speaking out of experience and concern as somebody who had gone through what the widows are facing.

    She said the widows deserve all the support, sympathy and compassion that could possibly come their way.

    The Anambra North lawmaker said of utmost necessity to the widows is the welfare of the children left behind by their late bread winners.

    She appealed to the late Yakowa’s successor to ensure a befitting burial for the late governor as well as to put in place a sustainable programme for the upkeep of his family.

    “She who wears the shoes knows where it pinches,” she said.

    According to her, plans are afoot to bring a Bill to the Senate on ways to ameliorate the plight of widows in the country.

    She noted that it is particularly traumatic for a woman to lose her husband in the manner Yakowa and Azazi died “hence the need to support the family of those affected.”

  • Monarch seeks constitutional role for rulers

    The Olugbo of Ugbo-nla in Ilaje, Ondo State and Chairman of OBAT Oil and Gas Limited, Oba Frederick Obateru Akinruntan, has advocated constitutional role for traditional rulers.

    Oba Akinruntan spoke at the State House, Abuja, when he visited President Goodluck Jonathan, following the death of former Kaduna State Governor Patrick Yakowa, former National Security Adviser Gen. Owoye Azazi and four others in a helicopter crash.

    The monarch told State House correspondents that traditional rulers have a significant role to play in governance and urged the National Assembly to make amends in the ongoing constitutional review.

    He said: “The Senate and the House of Representatives have to accommodate us. Look at what is happening in Ghana, where traditional rulers play very significant roles in governance. That is what we are fighting for.

    “Look at what happened in the first Republic around 1953. Traditional rulers had significant roles to play in the Nigerian politics and were recognised as part of the government. They must have a window for us and I know they are going to do it.”

    On his visit, he said: “I came to express my condolence to Mr. President. If I had sent a letter, it would not carry much weight; that is why I came personally to see him. What happened was very unfortunate. Gen. Azazi was my friend; he was a gentle and nice man. I condoled with Mr. President and members of his family.”

  • Rep seeks inclusion of Lagos’ $600m loan in national budget

    A member of the House of Representatives, Mr. Michael Ogunnusi, has urged the Federal Government to shun partisan politics and include the $600 million World Bank Loan meant for Lagos State in next year’s budget.

    Ogunnusi, who represents Ifako-Ijaiye Federal Constituency in Lagos State, spoke with reporters yesterday at the National Assembly.

    He said he was surprised that the loan was not included in the Federal Government’s borrowing plan for next year.

    The lawmaker, who is a member of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) said he could not fathom how the Federal Government, which gave loans of $40 million to Ghana and $5 million to São Tomé some years ago, could frustrate Lagos State’s plan to obtain a loan from the World Bank for developmental purposes.

    He said: “It is our collective responsibility to improve our people’s standard of living, generate employment and create wealth. But when a state is denied access to loans, which can help it achieve all these, then it is the undoing of the Federal Government.

    “In my opinion, Mr. President can go to sleep if some states are doing well and meeting up with their responsibilities. With that, the President can concentrate on things, such as security in the Northeast, which has turned into a volatile area.

    “If the Southwest is doing well, it is to Mr. President’s advantage, and if Lagos State has been praised for past performance, its efforts should not be truncated.

    “If the door of the World Bank facility is closed by the Federal Government, then we are right to say that it is political and discriminatory, which is grossly unfair to the people of Lagos State.

    “We can also say that it is a way of ensuring that Lagosians do not grow. For instance, how do we justify the current Minister of Finance, who, during her first tenure, extended loans to neighbouring countries from the Stabilisation Account, even without the approval of the National Assembly?

    “The question is, if you can give loan to other countries, why truncate a certified and flexible World Bank loan for a component of your own country?

    “It is clear that Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola has been performing and will use the loan to perform more.”

    Ogunnusi said Lagos has a history of performance and credibility when it comes to loans, adding that former Governor Bola Tinubu paid back a loan he obtained to develop the state during his tenure.

    He said: “Are we playing politics with the standard of living of our people? Are we playing politics with employment? Is it not when there is money that you can meet the aspiration of your people?”

    The lawmaker urged President Goodluck Jonathan to “temper Justice with mercy”, so that Lagosians “would not react whenever he visits the state”.

    Fashola was at the National Assembly yesterday to get approval for the $200 million second tranche of the loan as well as its inclusion in next year’s borrowing plan of the Federal Government.

    He said the first tranche of $200 million had been received, but the second tranche is hanging because the Federal Government has not included it in its borrowing plan, despite two letters written to the Finance Minister on the issue.