“We are very positive that soon we will be able to export these food products. We are also lucky that the farming season in the northern part of the country has been very good and we are expecting a bumper harvest this year”
These were the words of President Muhammadu Buhari when he addressed news men in Nairobi, Kenya on the margins of the sixth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD VI).
The President, who said that African countries had a lot to learn from Japan on developing agriculture, said that his government whas decided to devote more resources to agriculture in the 2017 budget as one of the measures aimed at sustaining diversify the economy.
“This year, in Nigeria, we started an aggressive farming programme that entails organising farmers into cooperatives in the second and third tier of government.
“We intend to put more resources in our 2017 budget, especially in the procurement of machinery for land clearing, fertilizers, pesticides and training of less-educated farmers, as farm extension instructors.
“We have already registered some success this year in a number of states, we identified some 13 states that will be self-sufficient in rice, wheat and grains before the end of 2018.
On his expectation for TICAD, President Buhari said Japan’s story of rapid economic growth, hardwork and advanced technology should encourage Africans to strive harder and solve its development challenges.
“Japan has greatly advanced in technology, particularly in solar power, infrastructure to spur growth in medium and small-scale industries. Because of the advanced use of technology, farming and agriculture can become competitive.
“Japan has the knowledge, technology and capital to assist African countries to develop and Japanese firms are in a very good position to successfully compete for the development of infrastructure in Nigeria.”
The President requested for increased participation of the Japanese government and the private sector in the Nigerian economy. [myad]
Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State has ordered the immediate sack of some non-academic staff, including 400 cleaners, 100 cemetery workers in the state university and college of education.
The governor heard that most of the workers in the two institutions did not deserve to be employed as they were recruited by the past administrations simply to settle political patronage. Governor Umahi, who gave the order in Abakaliki on Saturday while receiving the report of a committee to review the activities in the institutions said: “it is not economically viable for the institutions to recruit adjunct staff in the non-academic cadre, as the employees will be redundant in their duties. “It does not make economic sense for the institutions to employ 400 cleaners as one wonders the scope and nature of work they will be doing. We know that the managements postulated ‘professional sense’ in employing such workers, but with the prevailing economic situation in the country, we should effectively merge it with ‘economic sense.” The governor also ordered that promotion of staff in both institutions be suspended until the visitation panel concluded its duties. He directed the state’s fiscal responsibility commission to investigate activities in both institutions. “When we conclude all reviews and investigations, I am optimistic that we can reduce their tuition fees as obtained in other states of the South East geopolitical zone. “We are unhappy that our students seek academic pursuits in other states due to high tuition fees and we are committed to solving all the problems confronting these institutions.” The governor also ordered that the salaries of workers under the Consolidated Health Salary Structure be paid immediately provided there was an agreement between the Ministry of Health and the concerned local governments. “The salaries of those who do not have any binding agreement should also be paid but it must be on equal basis with workers on the same grade level in other segments of the civil service. “We have agreed that workers not enjoying CONHESS due to deficiencies in certificates should be paid a special ‘hazard allowance to motivate them.” The Chairman of the committee, Professor Chigozie Ogbu, said that it solicited the assistance of all unions and interest groups for effective discharge of its duties. Ogbu, a former deputy governor of the state, said that the committee advised the unions to shelve their planned strike and other acts that might disrupt academic activities in the institutions. The Chairman of the committee on CONHESS, Ignatius Unah, said that most of the workers did not deserve it as they were recruited to settle political patronage. “The case of cemetery workers was most intriguing as more than 100 workers collect CONHESS when there are non-existent cemeteries in the state,” Unah said. [myad]
The Niger Delta Avengers has nominated a seven-man team, including the former Governor of Abia State, Dr. Orji Kalu, Professor Wole Soyinka and others for a dialogue with the Federal Government. This was contained in a letter addressed to Kalu and signed by the contact person for the East and Central Zones of the (NDA) , Ballatyne Agiri. According to Agiri, the nomination of Kalu is based on his outspokenness, integrity and track records.
Others in the team are Professor Wole Soyinka, Professor Steve Odi-Owei, Dr. Anthony Ani, Nalaguo Chris Alagoa and Chief Mobolaji Osomo.
The letter by Agiri reads: “As the contact person to the Niger Delta Avengers, NDA, of Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Cross River and splinters from other oil-producing states of the Niger Delta Region, I, Mr. Ballantyne Agiri, wish to formally inform you that you have been considered credible to be nominated a member of the dialogue team on behalf of the Niger Delta Avengers of the aforementioned areas and the people of the region. “Your choice as one of the seven-man dialogue team is based on your integrity, outspokenness and life track records. “Issues constituting the agenda for the dialogue with the Federal Government shall be distributed to members on the floor of our inaugural /conceptualization meeting coming up next week in Port Harcourt. “Grateful Sir, as you accept to be part of the team to usher in peace, justice and fair play to the Nigerian State”. Kalu had, a few weeks ago, charged the militia group to sheathe their swords, said that for the sake of national well-being, it is important for all parties to thread with caution. He made it clear that government as an institution cannot be held to ransom. He however, pleaded with the Federal Government to embrace dialogue as a mechanism for conflict resolution, pointing out that in view of the heterogeneous nature of Nigeria, agitations are bound to arise from different quarters intermittently. [myad]
President Muhammadu Buhari has opened up on the issue of dialogue with the Niger Delta militants, calling on them to avail themselves of dialogue or face the same fire power with which soldiers dealt a blow on Boko Haram insurgents.
The President, who with Japanese Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, on the sidelines of the sixth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) in Nairobi, Kenya, made it clear that he is determined to make Nigeria clean and safe for local and foreign investors no matter what it would take.
President Buhari said that with the defeat of the Boko Haram terrorists by the military, the attention of the administration is now focused on stopping the destruction of the country’s economic assets by militants in the Niger Delta region.
“We are talking to some of their (militants) leaders. We will deal with them as we dealt with Boko Haram if they refuse to talk to us.
“As a government, we know our responsibility, which is to secure the environment. It is clear to us that lenders won’t fund projects in insecure environments. We realize that we have to secure the country before we can efficiently manage it.”
President Buhari told the Japanese Prime Minister that security in the Gulf of Guinea, which is greatly affected by piracy and armed robbery at sea, was a priority for the Nigerian government.
“We have provided funds to our Navy to buy new platforms, train and effectively organize the personnel to protect the area. We are looking forward to support from developed nations for satellite surveillance covering the Gulf.”
Buhari recalled his audience with G7 leaders in Germany, which was attended by the Prime Minister, even as he expressed appreciation to Japan for responding positively to the requests by Nigeria for the rehabilitation of victims of Boko Haram and rebuilding of infrastructure in the North Eastern part of the country.
The President said that there is still more to do on education, health and other infrastructure to ensure quick and voluntary return of displaced persons to their native communities.
On the United Nations Security Council reform, President Buhari agreed to work with Japan for the reforms, stressing that the case for a permanent seat for Africa on the Council was a moral one.
He equally expressed Nigeria’s support for Japan in their bid for a UN resolution on the problems in East China and South China as well as the “uncontrolled nuclear tests by North Korea.”
‘‘The UN system is sufficient for the resolutions of all disputes and no nation should be above the United Nations.
“This has to be made absolutely clear and I assure the Prime Minister that I will meet as many leaders as possible at the forthcoming UN General Assembly concerning the issues.”
In his remarks, Prime Minister Abe congratulated President Buhari “for courageously tackling Boko Haram terrorism.”
He said Nigeria and Japan must work together to improve the investment climate in view of the many Japanese companies wishing to invest in Nigeria.
He reaffirmed Japan’s commitment to rapid development in Nigeria through quality delivery of ongoing projects in the country, including Jebba hydro power scheme and the Lagos railway project. [myad]
Scientist have warned that earthquakes can be triggered by oil and gas exploration, among other human activities, especially in the Niger Delta. This is coming after the recent earth tremor in some parts of the country.
The facts were gathered by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) after speaking with some scientists and stakeholders across the country against the backdrop of earth tremors in some states which raised a lot of concerns.
Most of the respondents, warned that the country could be vulnerable to earthquakes and other seismological activities, especially by the oil and gas exploration, among other human activities, especially in the Niger Delta Region.
The earth tremors caused a wide spread panic among residents of the affected communities of Akenfa and Igbogene in Bayelsa State, and Akinima, Akieoniso (Oruama) and One Man Country and Mbiama in Rivers State. Tremors also happened many times in Saki, located in the northern part of Oyo State – a hilly town that lies near the source of Ofun River, which is about 60km to the Republic of Benin border.
The National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) said that oil and gas exploration as well as human activities among others were the likely causes of tremor in the South-South.
According to the Deputy Director, Media and Corporate Communications, of NASRDA, Mr Felix Ale, the organisation had done a preliminary report on the suspected earth tremors that occurred in July 15 and July 24 in Bayelsa and Rivers State respectively.
“The report shows that (i) oil and gas exploration (ii) suspected suture zones and; (iii) man-made activities are among likely causes of the incidents.
“At this stage, it cannot be concluded that the tremors occurred as a result of man-made activities in the region or from tectonic activities from natural sources until a detailed investigation in the entire South-South region is carried out by NASRDA’s research team.
“The detailed analyses by the team will help the agency to adopt requisite mitigating measures to avert loss of lives and property in case of future occurrences.
“In view of the nature of earth tremors or earthquakes, especially natural tremors, the Space Agency is making plans to deploy monitoring seismic equipment to the affected region for continuous micro seismic and macro seismic activities.
“This is imperative because tremors will continue to occur in the future, depending on either natural or artificial causative agents.
“Scientists from the Centre for Geodesy and Geodynamics, Toro, (Bauchi State), under NASRDA, are currently working on relevant seismic data to extract more information from seismic station located in Toro.”
Ale said that the scientists would also embark on a field trip to Kaduna, Ife and Abakiliki stations to acquire more data from the stations, saying comprehensive results from the detailed analysis would be made available in due course.
The agency said that similar tremor was observed at Saki, Oyo State, in May, which also sent residents of the area scampering for safety.
The agency said a team of researchers were immediately deployed to the affected areas and intensity was estimated as MM III-IV and local magnitudes as 2.5 to 3.0.
“Report on Saki incident has been submitted to the Space Agency for further studies.”
NASRDA enjoined citizens of affected areas and indeed the general public to remain calm as all scientific measures were currently being deployed to ascertain the causes of the earth tremors for possible mitigating measures.
“This is to avert loss of lives and property in case of future occurrences.”
A scientist and Director, Technology Acquisition and Adaption Federal Ministry of Science and Technology, Dr Adeneye Talabi, also attributed the incident of earth tremors to exploration of oil and gas.
Talabi said that the Federal Government needed to save more lives by enforcing all existing rules on exploiting natural resources.
Talabi said that the government should ensure due processes were followed to address tremors that occurred recently in the South-South region.
He said that the balance of the ecosystem had been distorted by the fact that oil had been extracted, adding that the vacuum created by extracting gas and crude oil ought to be replaced with close density commodity to avoid any future disaster.
“There is need for the Federal Government and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, in particular to enforce all the existing and rules guiding exploitation of natural resources like crude oil.
“Regarding the tremor at Bayelsa and Rivers, the fact that they have been extracting through the exploitation processes and methods, vacuum has been created.”
He explained that Nigeria was not immune naturally against such occurrence, adding that every appropriate measures ought to be put in place to avert them in future.
He said that the country needed to carry out world best practices in the processes of extracting natural resources such as petroleum and natural gas. (NAN). [myad]
Last Friday, my phones rang again and again (thank God for dead phones gradually playing Lazarus), but what triggered that ring-ring was the article: “The Man Who Named His Dog Buhari” (August 26) in which I had indicated all the positive attributes of a dog and why a man naming his dog Buhari should not generate a community and legal trial or so much stress in the public space. One caller kept me on the phone for close to two hours.
He said he was proceeding right-away to buy a dog and name it Reuben Abati and that he would bring that dog to my neighbourhood, with the name inscribed on both sides of the dog and he would in my presence call out the dog: “Reuben Abati, come and eat, Reuben Abati, stop shouting, Reuben, stop being stupid, Reuben, you this idiotic dog!” and he’d like to see my reaction. I laughed. He said it was not something to be amused about, because although I had argued that a dog is a man’s best friend, and that in other societies, a dog is treated with respect and considered loyal and trustworthy, his view was that I failed to acknowledge the fact that in our culture, to attach the name of a man to an animal is definitely an insult.
His point was that Africans are not cut out for that kind of indulgence, and we have not yet, given our peculiar circumstances of development and culture, attained that stage where animals are given such reverence, or a time when Africans will build hotels for cats and dogs, have sex with dogs, adopt animals as biological children or talk about animal rights. He said in Nigeria, dogs are variously perceived as a taboo, as a dirty animal, as bush meat to quench hunger or as item for rituals. He said a lot of other things.
“You were writing about a dog being so important in Western cultures. You should have told us what a dog is in our own culture and may be that will give you an idea of why Joe Chinakwe’s action should not be treated so lightly?”
He answered his own question.
“What you don’t now is that a dog is a dirty animal in our culture. Even in the Bible, the dog is referred to as something dirty and vile, don’t mind these Oyinbo people now turning a dog into something important. And if you are wondering why Joe Chinakwe’s neighbours want him dead, I need to tell you that in Islam, a dog is like a pig, a taboo. Go and do your investigation, you are not likely to find Muslim families keeping dogs as pets. People use dogs for rituals in Yorubaland to appease Ogun, the god of iron and they eat it afterwards. In the South South, a dog is also a special delicacy for the family soup pot. And have you seen an Ondo man eyeing a dog, and salivating? Special meat. So, if a dog in America is a king, here it is a sacrificial lamb. Should anybody then give the suggestion around here that Buhari is a sacrificial lamb or an edible offering? What nonsense!”
I kept quiet. I wanted him to exhaust his angst.
“The lesson of this whole thing is that people should avoid actions that can cause problems. We are living in a delicate country where people are suspicious of one another. People should learn to watch what they do. That your Chinakwe knew what he was doing. He took a dog, labelled it Buhari on both sides and went to a place occupied mostly by Northerners, and Muslims, and he started parading the dog. Look, he could have been killed. And if he was killed, the next thing we would hear is that Fulani herdsmen have killed an Igbo man and his dog. Nobody will ask for the cause of the violence, or talk about what the Igbo man did. Why should an Igbo man act that way? It is obvious a good number of them don’t like this government, and they have the right not to, but they should not disturb public peace, or try to frustrate this innocent man in Abuja.”
I gave a short speech about human rights and the freedom of choice, and the need to avoid ethnic labeling. He fired back, so loudly I had to move the phone a few inches away:
“Nobody is saying Igbos should support Buhari. But why is it that they are always the ones at the centre of every incident? When they live in your community, they want to take over. They will appoint an Eze Ndigbo, something they will not allow in the East for other ethnic groups, and they will disregard the local monarch. They have taken over a part of Lagos and claimed it as their own, but nobody else can claim any part of Igboland. Who introduced unitary government, but now Igbos are the ones saying they want Nigeria to be restructured. Every trouble in this country, there must be an Igbo hand in it. If that man and his dog had been slaughtered, the whole thing could have degenerated into an ethnic conflict.”
I made some statements about tolerance and why ethnic-labeling is unproductive. I argued that President Goodluck Jonathan was called a goat and that the goat had the name printed on it. He didn’t allow me to land.
“That was bad enough because a goat is regarded as a senseless animal among Igbos, they call it Mkpi. It wasn’t a Northerner that called Jonathan a goat.”
“They said worse things about him,” I interjected.
“But no Northerner went to Jonathan’s household or his community to abuse him to his face. We must talk about our culture not American or European culture. If Chinakwe had named his dog Buhari and kept it within his compound, there would have been no problem, but to carry a placard on the dog and begin to walk around with it, that is provocative. Do we write names on dogs in Nigeria? We don’t. You can call your dog what you like, but don’t behave in a manner that can cause problems.”
“But the police are being mischievous. They are doing eye service. They are chasing the wrong dog.”
“No”, he retorted. “It is their job to enforce law and order and to protect life and property. Your friend’s action posed a threat to what the police stand for. What was he trying to achieve? He deserves to be jailed”
“Because he is Igbo?”
“Because he did something stupid.”
“He says he named the dog Buhari because he loves President Muhammadu Buhari”
“He is lying. He should know that no Muslim will feel honoured being called a dog. And why is he mentioning the President’s name? A man who says his father is Alhaji Buhari, and he is aggrieved, took him to the police station. It has nothing to do with the President. He should be lucky he is alive. And being Igbo, he also knows that when you call a man Nkita in Igboland, he could take your head off in anger.”
“I stand with him. We are in a democracy. He has the right to call his dog any name he chooses.”
“Yes. But he cannot use the same name to provoke people. He is not being charged for naming a dog, he is being charged for inciting hate and behaving in a manner that could breach the public peace. If he loves President Buhari as he says, why doesn’t he name a child of his after the President? That is how we honour people we admire in African culture. In your article, you were quoting white people, dead and alive, I am quoting my grandmother in the village whose wisdom is more relevant.”
“I still don’t get your point. And I think we are spending too much energy on this naming of a dog and its parade.”
“We should because small things matter a lot, and small things can destroy a country. People should know their environment and behave properly. I want to see that man punished.”
“I don’t want him to be punished. We should aspire to make this country an open and free society.”
“Of course, it is people like you who defend gay rights, abortion and prostitution. One man has just been arrested, again in Ogun State, for stealing 18 tubers of yam (valued at N10, 000) and a bunch of vegetables (worth N50) I won’t be surprised if you argue that he is exercising his right to be free from hunger. Or you may even say- that is stealing and not corruption.”
“I will argue that it is a sign of the times, in the same manner in which the widespread theft of pots of soup in local compounds is a sign of the times, and in fact in the same manner in which Chinakwe’s naming of his dog is a poignant political statement. When the people are hungry, angry, helpless and afraid, they will resort to codes, actions, symbols and metaphors to reflect their sorry condition and frustration. For your information, the man who stole yam and vegetables is insisting that he is not guilty! He is 30 years old and he has been remanded in prison custody.”
“Good for him. We are waging a war against indiscipline and corruption.”
Long after the conversation with this fellow, who by the way is a government official in Abuja, I came to the same conclusion that Nigeria is at a tethering edge. We are not yet a nation. We are divided by ethnicity, culture, and religion and the walls of division are so strong, only a little push could pull down those walls. This situation places us far away from the currents of democratic leadership and limits our ability to balance primordial culture with new realities and the people’s aspirations. We are at a crossroads of belief, unbelief and faithlessness.
I had thought or read that it was Joe Chinakwe (whose name keeps changing curiously in various reports – Joe, Joseph, Joachim, Iroko- but no matter, he is at best a working metaphor) who had put dog Buhari to death, but it turns out that the dog was actually killed by aggrieved Northerners in Chinakwe’s community. Chinakwe’s dog is yet another Nigerian metaphor: a metaphor of extant fault-lines. That Igbo dog-owner must watch his back. If he gets roughly handled like his dog, the same policemen who have been so busy trying to punish him are likely to do nothing since in their view, he brought it all upon himself. [myad]
The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has disowned a statement made by one of its staff, Momoh Alhassan, that the Agency is opposed to the Comptroller General of the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) serving as chairman of the Board of the NIMASA. Momoh Alhassan also said that NIMASA is pushing to be represented on the Board of the NCS.
In a statement on Saturday by NIMASA Head of Corporate Communications, Hajiya Lami Tumaka, the abency said: “we want to state categorically that this is NOT the position of the Agency. The event which was held in Lagos and organized by the Nigerian Customs was intended to sensitize stakeholders and garner feedback on the proposed amendment to the Customs and Excise Management Act (CEMA). Mr. Momoh Alhassan, though a staff of the Agency, was merely expressing his opinion in his personal capacity.
NIMASA is not unaware of the correct procedure to be adopted in making its own presentations on matters of this nature which the Agency regards as very important. Being a draft law that will be forwarded to the National Assembly for legislative input and passage, the Agency will articulate its position at a public hearing at the National Assembly when the need arises.
As a responsible organization, NIMASA is dedicated to its core mandate of promoting the development of indigenous commercial shipping in international and coastal trade and the regulation of the maritime industry in Nigeria. The Agency will therefore always commit to only those ideals that can further this course.” [myad]
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has described the call by the president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Abubakar Mahmoud for the reform of the agency, part of which is for it to be stripped of its prosecutorial powers, as “self-serving” and aimed at creating “a cabal of untouchables.”
The EFCC, in a statement by its spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, said that the senior lawyers have been complicit in cases of corruption and money laundering, adding that some NBA members are “rogues and vultures.
“It is too much of a strange coincidence that the suggestion to strip the EFCC of its prosecutorial powers is being floated few months after the Commission, in unprecedented fashion, arraigned some senior lawyers for corruption.”
The Commission noted that the new NBA chairman, was silent on the reason for his position even as it said that it could comprehend how the redefinition of EFCC’s mandate in narrow terms, ultimately whittling it down, fits into the clamour by Nigerians and the vision of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration for a vibrant and courageous anti-corruption agency.
“Instead, Mahmoud’s suggestions appears perfectly in sync with a cleverly disguised campaign by powerful forces that are uncomfortable with the reinvigorated anti-graft campaign of the EFCC and are hell-bent on emasculating the agency by stripping it of powers to prosecute with the tame excuse that an agency that investigates cannot also prosecute.
“The question Nigerians must ask the Mahmoud-led NBA is, what is wrong with EFCC prosecution? Mahmoud is in a position to answer this question. He was the Attorney General of the Federation’s counsel in the trial of former Delta State governor, James Ibori at the Federal High Court, Asaba, a case which EFCC lost in questionable circumstances. But the same ingredients from that case were used to fetch Ibori a 13-year jail term in London. Mahmoud is also the Commission’s counsel in the appeal against the infamous perpetual injunction from arrest and prosecution by former Rivers State governor, Peter Odili, which is still pending before the Court of Appeal in Port Harcourt, many years after it was filed.
The full text of the EFCC statement goes thus:
The 56th Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association came to an end August 26, in Port Harcourt with the bar making pronouncements on major issues of national importance.
One of the new commitments as articulated by the new President of the Association, Mr. Abubakar Mahmoud, SAN, is to reinvent the association by reclaiming its moral high ground through a campaign for ethical rectitude by members of the bar.
“The NBA under my watch will fight judicial corruption. We shall make the legal profession unattractive for corrupt lawyers,” he said.
This is reassuring considering the evidence that senior members of the Bar have become complicit in cases of corruption and money laundering, leading to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, arraigning two members of the inner bar for acts of corruption. A Bar populated or directed by people perceived to be rogues and vultures cannot play the role of priests in the temple of justice.
The EFCC appreciates the NBA’s acknowledgement of the Commission’s strategic place in the fight against corruption in Nigeria and the modest achievements that it has recorded so it. It also welcomes the suggestion for reform. As the Acting Chairman, Ibrahim Magu has repeatedly started in his public pronouncements, the agency is open to suggestions that will improve its operations as it cannot pretend to have a monopoly of ideas on how to fight corruption.
Nevertheless, the Commission views with concern, the call by the NBA president that the EFCC be stripped of its prosecutorial powers. According to him, “We need to define its mandate more narrowly and more clearly… I strongly recommend that the EFCC be limited to investigation… while prosecution should be handled by an independent resource prosecution agency”.
The Commission’s discomfort over this seeming innocuous proposition, stem from the fact Mahmoud was silent on the reason for his position. More importantly, the Commission cannot comprehend how the redefinition of EFCC’s mandate in narrow terms, ultimately whittling it down, fits into the clamour by Nigerians and the vision of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration for a vibrant and courageous anti-corruption agency.
Instead, Mahmoud’s suggestions appears perfectly in sync with a cleverly disguised campaign by powerful forces that are uncomfortable with the reinvigorated anti-graft campaign of the EFCC and are hell-bent on emasculating the agency by stripping it of powers to prosecute with the tame excuse that an agency that investigates cannot also prosecute.
The question Nigerians must ask the Mahmoud-led NBA is, what is wrong with EFCC prosecution? Mahmoud is in a position to answer this question. He was the Attorney General of the Federation’s counsel in the trial of former Delta State governor, James Ibori at the Federal High Court, Asaba, a case which EFCC lost in questionable circumstances. But the same ingredients from that case were used to fetch Ibori a 13-year jail term in London. Mahmoud is also the Commission’s counsel in the appeal against the infamous perpetual injunction from arrest and prosecution by former Rivers State governor, Peter Odili, which is still pending before the Court of Appeal in Port Harcourt, many years after it was filed.
It is too much of a strange coincidence that the suggestion to strip the EFCC of its prosecutorial powers is being floated few months after the Commission, in unprecedented fashion arraigned some senior lawyers for corruption.
For the avoidance of doubt, the Commission has recorded more convictions in the last one year than all the states and federal ministries of justices combined.
Against this background, the current campaign appears to be self-serving, intended to create a cabal of untouchables who can be investigated but may never be prosecuted.
The EFCC however wishes to reassure Nigerians that there will be no sacred cows in the renewed fight against corruption in Nigeria. [myad]
President of the Nigeria Senate, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, us angry with people who were alleged to have diverted food items meant for the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the North East leading severe hunger and nutrition crisis in IDP camps and vowed that the Senate will investigate the matter.
Senator Saraki, who was reacting to the Thursday’s public protest by hundreds of women from camps in Borno State, described the development as desperate.
“Anyone that is found to be diverting the food aid deliveries should be investigated and brought to book if investigations prove their participation in these vicious schemes. Profiting from a complex humanitarian crisis is unacceptable. The people of the North East have suffered enough indignities in the past four years from the marauding Boko Haram terrorists. Stealing food meant for starving children is beyond the pale and only adds insult to injury.”
The Senate President called on the Police, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and other law enforcement agencies to quickly move in to investigate the diversion of food aid deliveries. He said that government officials and contractors should be held to account for how truckloads of provisions intended for the IDP camps mysteriously went missing.
“The situation in the North East has been underreported and under resourced for far too many years. In terms of scale and complexity, the situation in the North East is more dire than South Sudan. Yet, apparently the crisis appears not to be sexy or star-studded enough to attract greater international attention and support.”
He emphasized the need for Nigeria to quickly operationalise a more effective and efficient humanitarian response infrastructure to address the dire situation.
“It is important that we all focus on eliminating the coordination, access and food supply issues hindering us from successfully feeding the millions of IDPs. This is particularly important for the many children who are dying daily from starvation. It should break every Nigerians heart to know that our own women and children are enduring such horrendous hardships”, he stated.
Saraki plans to offer a motion on the situation in the North East when the Senate reconvenes from recess next month. The motion specifically calls for the establishment of a Senate Ad-Hoc Committee on the North East. Additionally, the motion will call for the conduct of a public hearing for the purpose of the Senate to use its oversight powers to review Nigeria’s humanitarian policies, better understand the current humanitarian coordination infrastructure and hear testimony from witnesses representing the government, humanitarian experts and the IDPs themselves. [myad]
A day-long heavy downpour, on Friday, rendered some communities in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) homeless, even as communities such as Kuchiyakwo, Shetukwo and Shadadi were completely cut off from Kuje, headquarters of one of the six area councils in Abuja.
This was even as unabated downpour in Kafanchan, Kaduna statel, which began on Friday and ran through to Saturday has forced residents of Aduan, Ungwan Musa and Soba areas of Kafanchan to live in fear of flooding any moment from now
From Abuja, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the heavy rainfall has flooded some houses and washed away the road linking Kuchiyakwo ECWA Church and its extension in the community. Some residents of the community, who spoke with the NAN on Saturday, described the state of the road as devastating and called on Kuje Area Council authorities for immediate action. Abraham Gado, a resident whose house was flooded, attributed the havoc to lack of standard drainage and improper building by some residents. Gado said: “The district head and some stakeholders of the community have had series of meetings to find a lasting solution to this road but have yielded no result. “The road has no drainage and some have built their houses very close to the road instead of giving some space. “The community leader and the stakeholders on regular basis have advised people to stop erecting structures very close to the road side but they refused to listen. “The past Kuje Area Council administration promised to construct drainages and put the road in good shape but nothing has been done. “If this kind of rain continues for a long time, many houses in this community will be seriously washed down.” Gado added that a tax force was appointed to stop people from erecting structures at the road side but some residents failed to adhere to instructions. Hadiza Musa, another affected resident of the community, described the flood as a strange disaster that needed immediate response from the Satellite Town Development Authority. Musa said: “I can’t even move out with my car because the road has been completely washed off and we can’t gain access to the main road. “This disaster requires an emergency response from the STDA or else some houses will not last another year. “The previous Kuje Area Council Administration promised it was going to rehabilitate the road but nothing was done about it. She said: “We want the relevant authorities to come and address the state of this disaster and put the road in good shape.”
And in Kafanchan, NAN also reports that most parts of the roads and pedestrian ways have been covered with water while some business premises have remained closed because of the flood. Some of the residents, who spoke with the NAN, expressed worry that if the rainfall continued for more days, they would be forced to start evacuating their valuables to safe areas. Sani Abubakar, who resides at Aduwan area said that the situation had remained the same in the past three years he had lived in the area. Abubakar said: “Although the drainage system behind my house was reconstructed before the rains this year, nobody can tell if it can help this year’s flood because of the amount of rainfall. “In the previous year, water enters our living rooms over flooding the entire compound.” Grace Samuel of Ungwan Musa said although the area was prone to flood, residents do not have alternative houses to move into as majority of them lived in their personal houses. Samuel said: “We only resort to prayers whenever it rains like this as we don’t have anywhere to run to.” Ndibusi Chucks, an electronics dealer at Soba Street, told NAN that he had to evacuate his goods to prevent them from being damaged by water. Chucks said: “As you can see, the water level has already covered the road and is gradually threatening to enter the shop as such a stitch in time saves nine.” Meanwhile, business premises have remained deserted due to the continued rainfall while the roads now witness low vehicular movements within the metropolis. [myad]
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The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has disowned a statement made by one of its staff, Momoh Alhassan, that the Agency is opposed to the Comptroller General of the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) serving as chairman of the Board of the NIMASA. Momoh Alhassan also said that NIMASA is pushing to be represented on the Board of the NCS.
A day-long heavy downpour, on Friday, rendered some communities in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) homeless, even as communities such as Kuchiyakwo, Shetukwo and Shadadi were completely cut off from Kuje, headquarters of one of the six area councils in Abuja.