The Nation Newspaper

Tag: violations

  • LASBCA urges engineers to report safety violations

    The Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) has urged engineers to be whistleblowers by reporting safety standard violations resulting in buildings collapse in the state.

    LASBCA General Manager, Olalekan Shodeinde, made the appeal when the Association of Professional Women Engineers of Nigeria (APWEN) paid him a courtesy visit in Ikeja.

    “Whistle blowing is an avenue to give us whatever information on any structure, be it construction or reconstruction, that is structurally defective,” Shodeinde said.

    He urged engineers and concerned members of the public to call the agency’s toll free lines to give information of deviation from approved permits and approvals and other atrocities on sites capable of jeopardising safety.

    Shodeinde listed the agency’s toll free lines as 070050504040 and 07000527222.

    He appealed to APWEN to sensitise building professionals against shoddy deals, which compromise safety and standard of buildings.

    “We need floods of information. We need to get professionals to get the force behind materials to avoid safety reduction in construction,” he said.

    He said Lagos, with about two million households, was the only mega city growing horizontally instead of vertical growth.

    According to him, developments in various parts of the state usually preceded governance such that hinterlands would have been built up without requisite building approvals and permits before government would get the information.

    He said the involvement of engineers to expose atrocities in building sites was important for an all-inclusive fight against buildings collapse.

    According to him, builders on sites often shun LASBCA advice and stressed the need for constant presence of professionals on construction sites.

    He said that getting building permits and approvals was not expensive, adding that many developers deviated from approved plans to short change government thereby compromising safety.

    Earlier, APWEN National President, Mrs Felicia Agubata, and its state Chairperson, Mrs Laolu Adedapo-Aisida, said the association had embarked on career mentoring of more women into engineering in tertiary institutions to accelerate Nigeria’s technological advancement.

    Other members of APWEN delegation included, Mrs Funmi Akingbagbohun, Mrs Edith Alagbe, Mrs Atinuke Wuraola-Owolabi, and Mrs Shakira Subair.

  • Reps probe BPE over statutory violations

    Reps probe BPE over statutory violations

    The House of Representatives yesterday mandated its Committee on Privatisation and Commercialisation to ascertain the veracity or otherwise of the accusation of multiple Statutory Violations by the Fiscal Responsibility Commission against the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE).

    The committee is to report back to the House within four weeks for further legislative action.

    The resolution of the House was sequel to the passage of a motion by a member, Abbas Tajudeen titled: “ Call to foster Fiscal Responsibility through the investigation of multiple statutory violations by the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE).

    While moving the motion, he said at a forum organised by the Fiscal Responsibility Commission, the BPE was accused of operating in contravention of several provisions of the Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2007, which include the failure to provide audited accounts for the financial years 2012 to 2015 and non- remittance of its operating surplus of N81.8million in 2007.

    He said: “ The action of the BPE violated Section 22(1) and (2) of the Public Enterprises (Privatisation and Commercialisation ) Act, 1999, which compels the Bureau to keep proper accounts and cause them to be audited by auditors appointed from the list of and in accordance with the guidelines supplied by the Auditor- General of the Federation.

    “The conduct of the BPE lacked probity, transparency and accountability and is a violation of Section 48 (1) of the Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2007 which imposes obligation on the Federal Government to ensure full and timely disclosure  and wide publication of all transactions and decisions involving involving public revenue and expenditures and their implication for the finance of the federation..”

  • Lagos Traffic Law ( violations and penalties )

    As the Lagos State Traffic Court begins sitting on Monday find below a link to the Lagos State Road Traffic Law of 2012 which lists violations and penalties for offenders, including jail terms.
    Click to see full text of Lagos Traffic Law

  • Tackling rights violations

    Tackling rights violations

    By all standards, human rights violations are considered to be a crime against humanity.

    Human rights activists maintain that “a right is a freedom of some kind; it is something, to which you are entitled by virtue of being human.

    “Human rights are based on the principle of respect for the individual. The fundamental assumption is that each person is a moral and rational being who deserves to be treated with dignity.’’

    Human rights advocates, however, lament that 60 years after the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the preservation of human rights, all over the world, still appears to be more of an illusion than a reality.

    “This is because violations still exist in every part of the world, even as Amnesty International’s 2009 World Report shows that individuals are tortured or abused in at least 81 countries.

    “Individuals also face unfair trials in at least 54 countries and are restricted in their freedom of expression in at least 77 countries,” they add.

    Human rights activists say that the types of human rights violation include child trafficking, violence against women, sexual harassment, early marriage, child labour, rape, war crimes and insurgence, among others.

    For instance, Human Rights Watch’s World Report 2014 said that human rights abuses by insurgents in Northern Nigeria dominated Nigeria’s human rights landscape in 2013.

    “In 2013, more than 400 people died from violent inter-communal conflicts in Nigeria’s Middle-Belt states, and scores were rendered homeless from the clashes,” the report added.

    To part of efforts to draw global attention to such human rights violations, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly designated Dec. 10 as the Human Rights Day.

    “The Day is set aside to bring to the attention of the peoples of the world the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as the common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations,’’ the UN says.

    The theme for this year’s celebration, Human Rights 365, encapsulates the notion that every day of the year is Human Rights Day.

    “It celebrates the fundamental proposition in the Universal Declaration that each one of us, everywhere, at all times is entitled to the full range of human rights.

    “It also reminds us that human rights belong equally to each of us and bind us together as a global community with the same ideals and values,’’ the UN says.

    The UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, therefore, calls on states to honour their obligations to protect human rights every day of the year.

    “I call on people to hold their governments to account and I call for special protections for the human rights defenders who courageously serve our collective cause,’’ Ban says.

    “Let us respond to the cries of the exploited, and uphold the right to human dignity for all,’’ he adds.

    Going from the general to the specifics, observers say that human rights violations still exist in all countries of the world, including Nigeria.

    For instance, Mr Sule Tajudeen, an Abuja-based civil servant, insists that security personnel often infringe on the people’s rights.

    “On many occasions, the police have harassed me when I never committed any crime,’’ he says, calling for the reorientation of country’s security personnel, as part of efforts to protect the citizens’ rights.

    Speaking on the forms of human rights violation, Mr Emmanuel Onwubiko, National Coordinator Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), says that rights violation includes the abuse of a person’s right to life.

    “In Nigeria, the most disturbing human rights violation is the abuse of the right to life and the activities of terrorists, who wantonly waste the lives of innocent and law-abiding Nigerians,’’ he says.

    Onwubiko also considers the high rate of extra-judicial killing of suspects in police custody as a serious breach of the people’s fundamental human rights.

    “Besides, the total lack of welfare packages for the poor in Nigeria can be described as human rights abuses, on the part of government at all levels,” he adds.

    Onwubiko claims that HURIWA was set up basically to enlighten Nigerians on their fundamental human rights.

    “We organise lectures annually and carry out vigorous advocacy campaigns to draw the attention of the relevant authorities to cases of human rights abuse across the country,’’ he says.

    He also says that his association partners with relevant organisations in its crusade to sensitise Nigerians to their rights, privileges and duties as citizens.

    The national coordinator, however, calls on all human rights groups to redouble their efforts in the fight against “gruesome human rights violations such as sexual violations and molestation of young girls’’.

    Nevertheless, Onwubiko underscores the need to retrain and reform the police, while equipping them with the wherewithal to establish functional anti-rape squads in all police formations and divisions across the country.

    “Above all, the Nigerian Human Rights Commission (NHRC) must be up and doing in efforts to protect and promote the human rights of Nigerians.

    “The Freedom of Information Act and the amendments of the enabling Act setting up the NHRC should be used as tools in efforts to facilitate a holistic change in the human rights profile of Nigeria, which is currently low,” he said.

    Sharing similar sentiments, Mrs Aver Gavar, Deputy Director (Legal) and Head of Focal Areas Unit, NHRC, says the UN initiated the Human Rights Day, as part of the campaign to ensure the protection of the people’s rights.

    “The Day is about knowing and living your rights every single day,” she adds.

    Gavar stresses that human rights violations include extra-judicial killings, displacement of people from their communities and places of abode, and loss of people’s right to education, shelter and health.

    “As a commission, we have observed the huge burden of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), who have complained of being despondent.

    “This situation could be viewed as a gap in governance, even as Nigeria is a party to the Kampala Convention, which places the primary responsibility of the care of IDPs on the government,’’ she says.

    The NHRC official says that in instances of human rights abuse, the commission often intervenes by seeking redress.

    She says that the redress could be in the form of compensation or by way of restitution.

    She expatiates that the restitution ensures the reinstatement of the original status quo of people whose rights have been violated or trampled upon.

    Gavar, however, notes that the amendment of the Nigerian Human Rights Commission Act in 2012 has increased the citizens’ confidence in the commission’s ability to handle complaints about human rights abuses.

    “The number of complaints brought before the commission, particularly from 2012 to date, has doubled.

    “We count this as an indicator of increased public confidence in the commision,” she says.

    Gavar says that the commission regularly receives complaints on public rights issues such as forced evictions and other matters of public interest.

    She says that while some of the complaints are dealt with internally — in the Protection and Investigation Department of NHRC — others that are more sensitive in nature (matters of public interest) are handled by the commission’s tribunal.

    “Decisions of the commission’s tribunal have a status that is akin to that of high court decisions. Appeals against the tribunal’s decisions can also be brought before the Court of Appeal,’’ she says.

    Gavar says that NHRC is collaborating with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and civil society organisations (CSOs), adding that a lot of the commission’s success can be attributed to such collaborative efforts.

    “We have met with certain NGOs to set up an agenda for the new Inspector General of Police, Mr Suleiman Abba,’’ she adds.

    The deputy director reiterates that the main mandate of NHRC is to create an enabling environment for the preservation of the citizens’ human rights.

    “We are proactive, and not just reactive, in our approach to human rights issues.

    “We create public awareness of human rights and we also embark on advocacy visits to decision-makers who are the people in government.

    “Such visits are made on the implementation of some of the laws as well as the international and regional instruments which Nigeria has ratified,’’ she adds.

    Gava believes that sustained efforts should be made to encourage the government to protect the citizens’ human rights, as part of the strategies put in place to promote a better society.

    All the same, human rights activists underscore the need for all countries of the world to initiate pragmatic measures to promote the fundamental rights of their citizens and guard against human rights violations.

     

    • Source: News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)
  • 2015 Campaigns: The issues, excesses, violations

    2015 Campaigns: The issues, excesses, violations

    Assistant Editor, Dare Odufowokan, reports on the campaign issues of President Goodluck Jonathan and General Muhammadu Buhari, including the excesses and electoral violations of their political parties; the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and All Progressives Congress (APC).

    Political parties and politicians participating in the ongoing general elections that kicked off across the country yesterday found and used several methods to reach out to the electorate during the many weeks of electioneering campaigns that saw political campaign trains crisscrossing the lent and breadth of the various constituencies.

    Aside from pasting posters and erecting billboards, vote seeking groups and individuals mounted podiums and organised programmes all in their quest to have the people consider them or their candidates worthy of being entrusted with the peoples’ mandate during the general election.

    They also found the social, print and electronic media as useful platforms to get closer to the people, especially voters. And all the parties, especially the two leading ones, made extensive use of these platforms so much so that the electorates themselves were treated with what many analysts described as political campaign war.

    The ‘war’ came in various shades; some interesting, some gory, some peaceful, some violent, some good to hear and see, some unsavory. In and out of the expected and the unexpected, politicians and their political parties meandered as they curry the votes of Nigerians desperately.

    Issues

    On his part, President Goodluck Jonathan said as the President of Nigeria in the outgoing tenure, he concentrated much of his efforts at rebuilding the physical infrastructure that could galvanize national industrial development.  He said much has been achieved in his quest to transform the country.

    Consequently, as a presidential aspirant in the 2015 elections, he focused on the development of the human capital. According to him, “a nation is as developed as its human capital. Education, women, and youth development are the indicators of a nation’s development. Having laid the foundations for industrial take off, I want you to vote for me to make good these areas of our national life.”

    Women: The Goodluck second tenure will embark on large scale women empowerment programme as well as increase number of women that occupy public offices. We have developed a road map to integrate women into the nation’s development processes. I will fully implement the Affirmative Action of at least 35 percent positions for women in appointive positions. I will do more to promote increased girl-child education in the northern parts of Nigeria. The G-WIN Initiative will be the plank to economically empower women and girls. The reduction in maternal and child mortality will be aggressively pursued through already existing programmatic platforms. Nigeria women must be fully engaged to contribute to national development. We are committed to making work and effort of women to count in National Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

    Youth: Youths are the heartbeat of the nation. The Goodluck second term administration will give greater attention to the task of lifting up the Nigerian youth to a higher level of attainment. We work to harness the energies and potentials of the youth for national development through specialised programmes; including support for youths in ICT; Youth in Sports; Youth in Agriculture and Youth entrepreneurship.

    The Elderly: The Goodluck Jonathan Administration will ensure that pensioners and the elderly are protected, supported and provided for so that they can continue to enjoy good health and longevity. Special attention will be given to the elderly in our society.

    All through his own campaign, Buhari affirmed that he would do things differently from the PDP presidents if elected, and outlined a nine-point agenda to achieve this, namely:

    *Protection of lives and property.

    *Pursuing economic policies for shared prosperity and immediate attention on youth employment.

    *Quality education for development, modernity and social mobility.

    *Agricultural productivity for taking millions out of poverty and ensuring food security.

    *Reviving industries to generate employment and “make things” not just to remain hawkers of other peoples’ goods.

    *Developing solid minerals exploitation, which will substantially attract employment and revenue for government.

    *Restoring honour and integrity to public service by keeping the best and attracting the best.

    *Tackling corruption which has become blatant and widespread. The rest of the world looks at Nigeria as the home of corruption. Nigeria is a country where stealing is not corruption.

    *Respecting the constitutional separation of powers among the executive, legislature and judiciary and respecting the rights of citizens.

    The candidates and their parties strived vigorously to send the messages into the hearts of the people. The people listened to it all. And more than ever before, the 2015 campaigns were indeed issues-based as the people strived to hear more from the political gladiators.

    Hate campaigns

    The electioneering contest, at some point, also degenerated into a string of hate campaigns leading to allegations and counter allegations between the two frontline political parties and their candidates.

    At the peak of the highly condemned hate campaign, a serving state governor ran a series of newspaper adverts that insinuated that the APC presidential candidate may not have much years left to spend on earth.

    The governor, Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State, however appeared unperturbed by the knocks he received for sponsoring the obscene advertorial. Rather, he insisted that he is entitled to express how he feels about Buhari and any other candidate in the presidential race.

    The advert placed on selected newspapers, has the pictures of past Nigerian leaders who died in office; Murtala Muhammed, Sani Abacha, Umaru Yar’Adua with the picture of Buhari placed beside the pictures of the late leaders and a huge question mark over it.

    It was accompanied by excerpt from the Bible book of Deuteronomy 30 verse 19, asked its readers: “Will you allow history to repeat itself? Enough of State burials.” “Nigerians be warned! Nigeria…I have set before thee Life and death. Therefore, choose life that both thee and thy seed may live,” it said.

    This advertisement was widely condemned by both supporters of Buhari and President Goodluck Jonathan, with many people asking the president to dissociate himself from it.

    Ex-president Olusegun Obasanjo, while reacting to the advertisement, said “Ayo Fayose mocked the death of our great past heroes. This is too much of politics to play. I hope Nigerians now know the right camp to vote. Ayo Fayose is nothing but a celebrated hooligan. His offensive advert should provoke and strengthen Nigerians to vote for change.”

    Earlier, the PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation had alleged that the APC, in a video advert, was inciting the military to take over the affairs of government and also planned to assassinate key government officials. But the inability of the camp to substantiate its claim with evidences, robbed it of any political mileage it may have intended in raising the alarm.

    And the APC Presidential Campaign Organisation (APCPCO) was to introduce another dimension into the matter when it said it has evidence that a top management staff of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) is behind the dirty campaigns of hate against the presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari, alhaji Bola Ahmed Tinubu and their families aired in the documentaries by AIT and NTA.

    The APCPCO’s Director of Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, said the campaign office has confirmed that the agency was indeed the sponsor of all the dirty campaigns against the APC presidential candidate on AIT, NTA and several other media platforms. The party noted that the Buhari documentary, apart from being fabricated and planted, the broadcasts were a complete negation of the recent noble violence-free election accord.

    The petition read in part: “Campaign of hate, particularly when based on twisted facts and ill intentions, is a constructive incitement to violence. Campaign of hate is not only dehumanizing, it is against the spirit of our constitution and unwholesome to national interest. The electorate have right to base their evaluation of every election candidate on true facts, not deceptive and cooked manipulations.”

    APC also condemned the Africa Independent Television (AIT) and the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) for what it called “offensive documentary” against the person of the party’s National Leader, Asiwaju BolaTinubu. The documentary, which was entitled: The Lion of Bourdillon, alleged that Tinubu was corrupt and treating Yorubaland as his personal estate, among other allegations.

    The Publicity Secretary of Ekiti APC Elders’ Forum, Dr. Bayo Orire, described the documentary as a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) evil propaganda against the person of Tinubu, whom he said the ruling party is afraid of.

    However, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), denied the allegation and accused the APC of paranoia and desperation in its futile attempt to claim power.

    Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Alhaji Abdullahi Jalo, said, “It is now clear that the APC has nothing else to tell Nigerians, who have made up their minds to return President Goodluck Jonathan and the PDP. Ask them, how much is Nigeria’s budget? They should talk on issues and stop this propaganda.”

    Online

    The online campaign was not less competitive.  Candidates and political camps went all out to engage the over six million Nigerian Facebook users and about a million users each of messaging services such as Twitter, BlackBerry Messenger and WhatsApp.

    Sites and accounts of various contestant and party sprung up on these messaging services, leading to a fierce online war between the APC and the PDP. Other political parties were not left out as the platforms proved to be veritable area where candidates and parties with less financial muscles competed with their more endowed counterparts easily.

    Cosmas Chikelu, a social media analyst, and Chief Executive Officer of CyberScenes, a social media service outfit, commended the improved utilisation of the global trend by Nigerian politicians ahead of the 2015 general election.

    “The social media allows faster communication and reach citizens in a more direct manner. It is relatively cheaper and of course more effective than the conventional media. The better use Nigerian politicians put the platforms to this time around is commendable.

    “The arguments, reactions, feedback, conversations and debates generated online over the weeks have been very useful in helping the electorate to decide which direction to go. It has also reduced the tension usually associated with electioneering campaign in Nigeria because through the social media, many questions were asked and answered,” he said.

    First to hit the waves was President Goodluck Jonathan, who, with nearly two million Facebook followers, is the first Nigerian President to use social media to reach out to the people. Every Facebook post of the President attracted several likes and comments from both friends and foes alike.

    The PDP, now with about 80,000 followers on the Facebook and about 32,000 Twitter attentions, also made good use of the online platforms to disseminate information to the people and promote the candidacy of its flag-bearers. The party also engaged the use of the online services in promoting the various support groups that sprung up for its candidates across the country.

    Likewise, the APC and Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd) took the campaign for voters’ support to the social media. As we speak, Buhari has over 90,000 followers on Twitter in addition to the 200,000 Facebook friends he now boasts of. It is instructive to note that before his emergence as APC presidential hopeful, the retired general was not really a fan of the social media.

    But his entrant unto the social media scene witnessed prompt accreditation for him by many Nigerians on the services. And he has been very consistent in using the platforms to reach out to supporters and opponents alike.

    All in all, the APC appears to have won the online campaign war. The APC now has about 100,000 Twitter followers having tweeted about 9,000 times. On its part, the PDP has just about 2,000 tweets.

    Violations

    In the course of the electioneering campaigns, the political gladiators went beyond stipulated and acceptable norms and practices in some of their actions and inactions. Chief amongst this is in the area of campaign expenditure as established by concerned bodies.

    A report by the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ); a non-governmental organisation, revealed that both the PDP and the APC violated the electoral law on campaign funding. The report titled “Second Campaign Finance and Use of State Administrative Resources Report in the 2015 Presidential Election” was presented to journalists recently.

    Lead Director of the centre, Barrister Eze Onyekpere, who presented the report, said the essence of making it public was to show Nigerians how politicians and their political parties were dipping their hands into state coffers and using public funds for their private uses.

    The Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria (TAN), a pro-Jonathan Campaign Organisation, was specifically mentioned in the report as violating the electoral law by contributing far above the N1million ceiling as donation from individuals or groups to any candidate.

    It also highlighted the issues of allegation of bribery to pastors, visits to traditional rulers where undisclosed huge sums of money were allegedly doled out, inducement of socio-cultural organisations, sale of PVCs, cost of hate campaigns, renting of crowd and use of government agencies as conduits to siphon funds among others.

    According to the report, all persons, associations and organisations who have sought to induce voters with money and materials should be prosecuted in accordance with S. 124 of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended). This should include the candidates and their agents through which the corrupt acts were perpetrated.

    The report also called on security agencies to investigate the allegations and counter allegations of bribery against Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and its members. It also called for the investigation of the allegations of sale of PVCs and its demand as collateral to be deposited with a company that offers loans to the poor. It urged the Nigeria Broadcasting Commission to intervene to stop hate campaigns in the electronic media.

    Also, that INEC should demand that all abuse of state resources and the diversion of public goods and materials for partisan purposes should henceforth be stopped. It called for those who have participated in the act to be brought to book. It recommended that those in charge of the MDGs, NEMA and ATA, who allowed state resources to be used to the advantage of the incumbent, should be made to resign their appointments among others.

    As the results of this weekend’s presidential election begins to trickle in, observers will compare it with the campaign efforts of the candidates and their promises as Nigerians are concerned with what the new leader will bring to the table.

  • Badminton official warns against rule violations

    Badminton official warns against rule violations

    Amechi Akawo, Secretary, Badminton Federation of Nigeria (BFN), on Wednesday warned players against the use of banned substances during the 18th National Sports Festival (NSF).

    He also noted that engaging in any form of incriminating acts would attract sanctions from the federation, in line with international regulations.

    Akawo told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that any player found to have cheated through the use of illegal substances would be penalised, in accordance with the rules of the Badminton World Federation (BWF).

    “If for any reason, a player wins a laurel illegally, such player would either be banned from participating at the next NSF or have the medal withdrawn and awarded to his opponent. We will practise what is obtainable at the Olympics and the BWF because the festival is our own Olympics. We will not tolerate any form of misconduct,’’ he warned.

    The secretary, then, advised athletes to adhere strictly to the rules, saying winning at all costs could tarnish the image of the athlete and the state.

    “When we see a potential talent, the BFN would gladly manage such player but if you win through an unfair means, such a player has disgraced himself and his or her state,’’ Akawo said.

    He said the BFN already had developmental plans to harness talents discovered from the festival and move them into the junior national team, to be formed after the festival.

    “It will be the beginning of change for the athletes’ careers because we are looking for young talents for future world junior competitions.

    “We want to form a strong younger team that can replace the likes of Ifraimu Jinkam and Enejo Abah, but they need to start from somewhere and the festival will help them,’’ he said.

    The BWF was founded in 1934 as the International Badminton Federation.