The Nation Newspaper

Tag: urges

  • Ekiti ACN urges probe of Fayose’s ‘assassination claim’

    The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in Ekiti State has urged the police to probe former Governor Ayo Fayose’s claims that hoodlums attempted to assassinate him.

    Fayose said his car was shot four times by suspected hoodlums in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, last Tuesday.

    The ACN described the claim as “suspicious”, adding that the Governor Kayode Fayemi administration has made the state one of the safest in the country.

    The party, in a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Mr. Tunde Adeleke, wondered why Fayose did not report the alleged attack to the police, instead of going to the press.

    The party said: “One would have expected Fayose to report the alleged attack to the police for investigation. The police said they are not aware of any attack since no report has been made.

    “We urge the police to invite the former governor to substantiate the claims in order to carry out a proper investigation.

    “Knowing Fayose’s antecedents and his capacity for mischief, it is important for the police to get to the root of the matter with a view to establishing the truth. Fayose’s claim should not be ignored.

    “It is on record that the state has been peaceful in the last two-and-a-half years that the present administration has been in place, hence claims of such close shave with death, if true, should be probed.

    “The investigation will discourage those who would like to hide under such spurious claims to introduce a violent dimension to politics in the state as well as those who would like to capitalise on such claims to perpetrate acts of violence and brigandage for which they are well noted.

    “We are not unmindful of massive killings and maiming of innocent citizens during past administrations of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), a development that has changed in this administration.

    “We urge the police and other security agencies to do everything possible to discourage any direct and indirect introduction of violence to Ekiti politics by remaining vigilant, carrying out a thorough probe of cases of violence and bringing culprits to book.”

  • Imo governorship petition: Group urges CJN to intervene

    A civil-society group, Lawyers in Defence of Democracy, has urged the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Aloma Mukhtar, to intervene in the Imo State governorship election petition impasse.

    It said it fears “there exists an understanding” to frustrate the respondents to the appeal by making the case drag on till the governor completes the term of the mandate in dispute, after which the case becomes an academic exercise.

    “We urge the CJN to take the following steps: give a nearer date to hear and determine the interlocutory appeal; recall the main case from the Court of Appeal since it is purely a constitutional issue that is currently heating up the polity; and change the panel or preside over it herself.

    “Without exaggeration, the above steps are the only ways the CJN can demonstrate to Nigerians that the judiciary, which is witnessing a new lease of life, is ready to live above board on this matter,” the group said.

    The group, an affiliate of the Leadership Watch International (USA), in a June 5 letter by its National Secretary Chimezie Onwu and Adebalogun Sai, expressed worries that the case was being unduly delayed.

    “Already, this appeal before the Supreme Court challenging the joining of Ikedi Ohakim to the case has been on for more than one year.

    “If this is added to the fact that the parties will still have to return to the main case, which is already more than one and half years at the Appeal Court in Owerri, it then means the saying that ‘justice delayed is justice denied’ finds a very eloquent expression in the instant matter,” the group said.

    The case is seeking to resolve the issue as to whether the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has the powers to conduct a governorship election outside the time-frame stipulated by the constitution.

    The plaintiffs also want the court to clarify whether INEC can conduct a “Supplementary Election” as it allegedly did on May 6, 2011 after which Governor Rochas Okorocha was declared winner.

    “Needless to say, Nigerians are eager to see this interpretation before the next election, as circumstances that led to the current case may rear their ugly heads again unless Nigerians are properly guided by the judiciary,” said the group.

  • Wada urges council chiefs to stop frequent travels

    Kogi State Governor Idris Wada yesterday urged the chairmen of the 21 local governments to remain in their local government headquarters instead of embarking on frequent visits to Lokoja, the state capital.

    The governor said the council chiefs’ itineraries were preventing them from doing the jobs they were elected for.

    Wada spoke at a sensitisation workshop for chairmen, vice chairmen, secretaries, treasurers and directors of local governments in the state.

    The governor decried the high rate of travels among the local government adding that it is better for them to remain in their domains, where their people need them most to enjoy dividends of democracy.

    The governor, who was represented by his deputy, Yomi Awoniyi, urged the council chairmen to make the Finance and General Purpose Committee a must and regular in the present dispensation.

    Wada said his administration would cooperate with anti-graft agencies to eliminate corruption at the grassroots.

    The governor advised the chairmen to maintain peace and tighten security in their areas because of the challenges posed by insurgents, herdsmen, political thugs and other security threats.

    He said his administration has zero tolerance for corruption, adding that the council chiefs need to hold regular Security Council meeting with heads of security agencies.

    Wada said the chairmen would henceforth be held accountable for any security breach in their area.

    The governor advised them to be conscious of their personal security and that of their areas.

    The governor also advised the council chairmen to work in harmony with their principal officers for the rapid and sustained development of the state.

    The Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Prof. Olugbemiro Jegede, said the seminar, the fourth under the present administration, was aimed at engaging elected and appointed key stakeholders for the attainment of the objectives of the Transformation Agenda.

    Various papers on the tenets of the Transformation Agenda of the Wada administration, sSymposium on transformation, transformation and good governance as well as creating an enabling environment for transformation were delivered by resources persons, including Dr Abdullahi Shehu, the Director-General of Inter-Governmental Action Group Against Money Laundering in West Africa.

  • Falana urges equal right to education

    Activist-Lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN), has urged the Federal Government to ensure that children are given equal right to education.

    He described as worrisome, a data released by the United Nations Children Education Fund (UNICEF), which said over 45 million Nigerian children have no access to formal education.

    Falana spoke in Ikeja, Lagos at an event organised by the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the June 12 election.

    He said it was unacceptable and criminal that the government would shut the doors of formal education against such a huge population of children, when there was enough to ensure that things were done otherwise.

    Falana said: “Let them (Federal Government) not tell us the problem is money because we know the money is there. There is a law that has made education compulsory, at least for the first nine years. One per cent of our consolidated revenue goes to the Education Trust Fund (ETF).

    “Besides this law, we also secured a subsisting judgment at the ECOWAS Court compelling the government to make education free and compulsory for children up to nine years.”

    He wondered why the present administration could be pursuing the policy of making illiteracy an option.

    “They must tell us what they are doing with the 52 per cent taken off the federation account. We must force the Federal Government to put every child in school. This is the basic minimum needed to secure a better future for our children,” the Lagos lawyer said.

    Falana said he was surprised that the government would avoid giving the citizens education, contrary to the existing laws mandating it to make it free to enable the poor have access to it.

    He said: “It is sad that a man who regaled us with tales of how he grew up without a pair shoes is determined to remove shoes from the feet of millions of Nigerian children.

    “Most of the children of my generation, to which President Goodluck Jonathan belongs, grew up speaking the language of poverty. Some of us never had more than one pair of shoes, which we wore occasionally. So, we knew about that. We would never be deceived by such tales.”

  • Jonathan urges police commission to sack bad officers

    President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday urged the Police Service Commission (PSC) to flush out those he called bad eggs from the police.

    The President expressed worry over the widespread indiscipline in the force.

    Jonathan spoke at the Presidential Villa after swearing-in the new PSC Chairman and retired Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Chief Mike Okiro, and five members. Other members of the PSC are: Yakubu Mohammed, Justice Olufunmilola Adekeye, Aisha Tukur, Comfort Obi and Tonye Anyim.

    The President urged the PSC to instil discipline in members of the force and ensure that promotions are done on merit.

    He said he was under pressure to sack police officers from the rank of Assistant Commissioner of Police (ASP) to the top following the bombing of the Force Headquarters in 2011 by the Boko Haram sect.

    According to him, indiscipline and irregularities in staff promotions are also rampant in other military and para-military services, which have been adversely affecting their performance.

    Recalling the recent screening of six candidates for the post of the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), the President stressed that most of them did not merit the position but deserved to be sacked from the service.

    He said: “But I believe there are two things: one is the issue of discipline. So, one of the responsibilities of the PSC is to instil discipline. Another thing, I believe, is that people who have no merit for certain ranks are being promoted to those ranks. One of your responsibilities is to handle promotions. I believe only those who merit or deserve promotion should be promoted.

    “Those who deserve to be disciplined or even dismissed must be disciplined. Few days back, I did approve the new Comptroller-General of Immigration, who brought the list of about six that were to be reviewed. Some were sent from the ministry, some were picked from amongst the most senior.

    “When we reviewed the six, from my intelligent investigation, most of them were supposed to have been dismissed. But those were the people that were being forwarded for appointment as Comptroller-General of Immigration. Only one of them is qualified to even stay and serve; others, ordinarily, are supposed to be dismissed from the records.

    “I believe that the story of Immigration is the same with most of our services. I believe also that is why the performance of some of our military and para-military officers is abysmal, because the yardstick being used for promotion is not based on competence, merit and performance.

    “That is one area I believe you will look into. People who are promoted to assistant police commissioners and above must merit the ranks. If you don’t merit the rank, you should be retired from the service, because it’s better for you not have enough manpower than for you to have viruses and all kinds of characters in the police force.”

  • Ajimobi urges football referees to be pillars of justice, fairness

    Ajimobi urges football referees to be pillars of justice, fairness

    Gov. Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State has appealed to football referees in the country to be pillars of justice through impartial officiating of matches.

    Ajimobi made the appeal at the three-day 2013 Annual General Meeting of the Nigeria (Football) Referees Association (NRA) in Ibadan on Sunday. He advised them to stop selling their conscience to the highest bidder.

    “Selling your conscience on the pitch of play will be against the transformation agenda of the Federal Government and the transformation being witnessed in the state,’’ he said.

    Ajimobi, who was represented by Mrs Kehinde Akintunde, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Youth and Sports, urged referees to be humble.

    “When a referee is humble, he will definitely be a victorious and successful person,” he said.

    Ahmed Maude, the President, NRA, described the occasion as one that enabled referees to rub minds on crucial issues and to proffer positive solutions to the challenges confronting them.

    Maude said that the appointment of Mr Peter Edibie as a FIFA referee for the just concluded African Cup of Nations and the Brazil 2014 World Cup was part of the NRA’s achievements. He appreciated the support and contributions of the Oyo State Government towards the success of the AGM and the development and growth of football in the state and Nigeria.

    “We have gone round Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State and we are delighted on the transformation of the city by your administration,’’ Maude said.

    He also commended the contribution of Mr Babatunde Olaniyan, Deputy Speaker of the state House of Assembly in sponsoring some of the programmes.

    Aminu Maigari, the President, Nigeria Football Association (NFA), said that the association made “tremendous input” to the development and growth of football and NRA.

    Maigari, who was represented by Mr Linus Mba, former NRA Chairman, said that the NFA had ensured the sustainability of the development and growth witnessed in recent times. He said that the NFA would support all programmes aimed at enhancing the growth and development of football in Nigeria.

    Olaniyan appealed to the football governing board, NRA and government to support the Oyo State (Football) Referees Academy. He said he established the academy to contribute to his constituency, the society and to assist the young ones in achieving their dream of becoming professional referees.

    “Twenty-one out of the prospective young referees of the academy, who are between ages eight to 12, passed the fitness test perfectly, out of 32 of them. They are qualified to write the NRA grade three examinations,” Olaniyan said.

    Awards of excellence were conferred on Gov. Ajimobi and some top dignitaries in the state.

  • Amnesty urges Jonathan to veto same sex bill

    Amnesty urges Jonathan to veto same sex bill

    Amnesty International has urged President Goodluck Jonathan to veto the proposed law, which prescribed up to 14 years imprisonment for anyone found guilty of same-sex relationships.

    A statement issued yesterday by the rights group and nine other international human rights organisations described the law as “ draconian’’.

    It said the law “will formalise discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans-gender and intersex people and have wide-ranging effects on civil liberties in the country’’.

    The rights group recalled that on May 30, the House of Representatives passed the Same-Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Bill with a recommendation of a prison sentence of up to 14 years for homosexual relationships.

    It noted that the Senate had already passed a similar bill and added that “if signed into law, the bill will also criminalise freedom of speech, association and assembly’’.

    Lucy Freeman, Deputy Director of Africa Programme, Amnesty International, said the bill was “a throwback to past decades under military rule when these civil rights were treated with contempt”.

    “It undermines basic freedoms that Nigeria’s civil society has long fought to defend; the civil rights of Nigerians cannot simply be legislated away,’’ Freeman said in the statement.

    The group claimed that the proposed law would also interfere with public health outreach efforts in Nigeria, given the country’s record of having the world’s third-largest number of people living with HIV/AIDS.

    “The proposed law would hinder efforts to target vulnerable groups by criminalising those who conduct outreach to such groups.

    “It would drive some groups affected by the epidemic further underground for fear of imprisonment,’’ it said.

    The statement was endorsed by the Centre for Environment Human Rights and Development, Collaborative Media and Advocacy Platform, Human Rights Watch and Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre.

    Other groups listed are Project Hope/Nigeria HIV INFO, Queer Alliance Nigeria, Stakeholders Democracy Network, the Initiative for Equal Rights, Women Advocates’ Research and Documentation Centre.

  • Bola Ige’s daughter urges Fed Govt to tackle insecurity

    The daughter of the slain former Attorney General of the Federation, Justice Bola Ige (SAN), Mrs. Funso Adegbola, has urged the Federal Government to tackle insecurity.

    Her father was killed by gunmen in his Bodija, Ibadan, home on December 23, 2001. His killers are yet to be apprehended.

    Mrs. Adegbola spoke at the weekend at her school, the Vale College in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, during the final selection of winners for the 10th annual scholarship award in memory of her mother, the late Justice Atinuke Ige.

    She described the declaration of a state of emergency in three northern states as a temporary measure and urged the government to find lasting solutions to insecurity in Nigeria.

    Mrs. Adegbola said: “Rather than paying lip service to the security challenges, the government should tackle the root causes of the problem.

    “As the chief security officer, the government has the responsibility of protecting the life and property of its citizens. It should take this seriously.

    “Youth restiveness, unemployment, poverty, imbalance in social class and corruption, among others, are among the major causes of insecurity. Until the government bridges the gap between the poor and the rich in this country, we may not experience peace.

    “Citizens also have a role to play by bringing up our children in the way of the Lord, so that in the future, they will be responsible people and not terrorists.”

    She said the government can solve security challenges through the use of modern technology, adequate remuneration and training of security operatives.

    Mrs. Adegbola said her mother sponsored the education of many children during her lifetime, adding that the annual scholarship award was to keep her memory alive.

    She said 89 pupils from 15 public secondary schools in Ibadan participated in the competition and 10 were shortlisted.

    The scholarship is worth N1 million a year for the ‘A’ Level programme at Vale College. It covers tuition, accommodation, books and uniforms.

    Any pupil that gets all ‘As’ in the ‘A’ Level examination would be sponsored to any government university.

    After the oral competition, three students were awarded scholarships at Vale College.

    They are: Ogunleye David from Alayande School of Science, Adeyanju Ololade from Wesley College of Science and Shuaibu Paul from Command Secondary School.

  • Falana urges Nigerians to defend freedom of expression

    Lagos lawyer Mr. Femi Falana (SAN) yesterday urged Nigerians to resist any move to use the machinery of state to erode the freedom of expression in the country.

    The frontline lawyer issued a statement in Lagos, entitled: The Abuse of Free Speech Must Stop Now! in reaction to the clamp-down on some media houses in parts of the country by government agents.

    Falana noted that despite the touted respect for the fundamental rights of Nigerians by the Goodluck Jonathan administration, the freedom of expression guaranteed by Section 39 of the Constitution and Article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights, the nation was witnessing the progressive proscription of free speech.

    He said in the last few weeks, some Nigerians have been subjected to crude harassment and intimidation by security forces for making statements or expressing views which were considered subversive by the Federal Government.

    The activist listed the media houses and individuals affected to include a private radio station in Kaduna, which was fined N2 million for allegedly embarrassing the Minister of Information, Mr Labaran Maku; two correspondents of Abuja-based Leadership , Tony Amokeodo and Chibuzor Ukaibe, who were arrested, detained and charged with conspiracy and forgery before the Federal High Court, Abuja; Mr Yushau Shuaib, the spokesperson for National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), who was sacked for allegedly embarrassing the Finance Minister, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, and Mrs Ibim Semenitari, the Rivers State Information Commissioner who was interrogated by the National Security Adviser (NSA) for “security breach” over a statement she issued.

    Falana declined comments on the detained Leadership Newspapers’ journalists because the matter was before an Abuja High Court.

    The Senior Advocate of Nigeria, however, noted that the power conferred on the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) by former military dictators to impose fines on media houses has become otiose and illegal under the current constitutional dispensation.

  • Disband Ondo election tribunal, CPC urges court

    The Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) in Ondo State has urged the President of the Court of Appeal to disband the Justice Andova Kaka’n-led Governorship Election Petition Tribunal and constitute a fresh panel to hear its petition.

    In a letter to the Appeal Court President on Wednesday, CPC alleged that the three-man panel was biased.

    When the tribunal resumed hearing yesterday, CPC presented a copy of its letter to the Appeal Court President.

    Consequently, the tribunal adjourned indefinitely.

    The tribunal earlier struck out CPC’s petition at the pre-hearing session and the party approached the Appeal Court.

    The appellate court ruled that it was wrong of the tribunal to dismiss the party’s petition without hearing it and ordered the tribunal to hear it afresh.

    The four-page letter to the Appeal Court President was signed by the CPC’s State Chairman, Mr. Olalekan Obolo and the party’s governorship candidate, Prince Soji Ehinlanwo.

    It urged the panel to excuse itself from adjudicating on the petition.

    The letter reads: “We write in respect of our petition, which was initially struck out by the lower tribunal, but referred back by the Appeal Court for full trial on its merit.

    “While we applaud the decision of the Court of Appeal that our case should not have been dismissed without allowing us to fully state our case and present our evidence, we are constrained to take the position that the present panel should excuse itself from dealing with our petition and a new panel should be constituted.

    “We do not understand how the panel came to the conclusion that the first petitioner (Ehinlawo) admitted that he scored 1931 votes. As far as we are concerned, he never made such admission.”

    CPC faulted the tribunal’s stand that Ehinlawo could not question the validity and credibility of the election.

    It said: “We feel the positions taken by the panellists in the judgment pronounced on February 4, without the petitioners stating their case, reflected bias against the CPC and its candidate.

    “This amounts to political antagonism against Ehinlawo. Some of the opinions expressed were extraneous and prejudicial.”