The Speaker of the Kogi State House of Assembly, Momoh Jimoh Lawal, has resigned from the post, according to him ‘in the interest of the state.’
Lawal, who was the arrowhead of the G-15 group of lawmakers, dropped his letter of resignation to the clerk of the House on Tuesday.
The letter reads: “We are all aware of the needless pain, the leadership crisis that had engulfed this noble assembly in the past few months caused our constituents and retarded the development of our beloved Kogi State.
“I would have preferred to continue with the struggle for the entrenchment of democratic values, but the interest of Kogi State must always come before my personal considerations.
“Today, my resignation as speaker of this House was a difficult decision, but I do believe it is the right thing to do. This I am sure will bring joy to some and anger to others.” [myad]
As politicians in Edo State struggle to outshine one another in the build up to the forthcoming September 10th governorship election, Edo people must be vigilant to avoid the deceit that has become the attribute of many a politician and ensure the election of the best candidate. The narrative in informed circle across the state captures this sentiment and the need to return Edo to its glorious past.
It is unfortunate that even the modest infrastructure which Edo inherited upon its creation in 1991 has so lost value that one wonders whether successive governments have been asleep. Take the roads in Benin the capital city for instance; there is hardly any in the main city without deep gullies. Even where you manage to find a tarred road, be rest assured that the adjoining streets will be no better than swamps. Driving in Edo during this raining season is particularly hellish for motorists.
In the area of sports, one hardly hears anything these days about what government is doing to heighten its development. Even Samuel Ogbemudia stadium which had all manner of training equipment back in the days is now a shadow of it old self as there is hardly anything on ground for athletes to keep form. A nostalgic recall of the good old days of sports performance can in fact induce tears.
In the realm of human capital advancement, Edo showcases one of the worst case scenarios in the country. Figures released by National Bureau of Statistics ranks Edo State 7th among the top 10 states with the highest unemployment in Nigeria.
Consequent upon the above, it is not surprising that the security situation in Edo has so degenerated thereby making it a cesspit of crime and criminality. The youths nowadays easily take to such monstrous crimes like kidnapping, cybercrime and daylight robbery to mention but a few.
In the educational sector, public schools can no longer boast of full staff establishment. Lack of teachers and inadequate teaching tools are now the other of the day. Even the red roof campaign in primary and secondary schools started by the out-going administration is only a scheme meant to mask the true state of the schools. Most of those red roofs have no chairs in the class rooms they adorn. When the non-payment of salary to state and local government staff is added to the woes currently being experienced, the gloom picture of what Edo has become will almost be clear.
The argument that the dwindling federal allocation should be accepted as excuse for this parlous state of affairs can’t be sustained. In 2015, Edo ranked 5th in internally generated revenue in Nigeria yet nothing much to justify the tax burden on the people.
When a government becomes insensitive to the yearnings of the people, that government has renounced its democratic title. The APC government in Edo state has abandoned the people and can therefore not be trusted to decide who occupies government house later this year.
The September 10th 2016 election in Edo state is another opportunity for the people of Edo to make a statement concerning their future.
Although all the candidates cleared by INEC for the election do certainly have some selling points, Earl Osaro Onaiwu the APGA candidate for the election stands out in so many respects. As former DG of governors’ forum, Onaiwu’s exposure to the patterns of development in all other states of the federation means he is not coming to learn on the job. Having also piloted the affairs of governors’ forum without any blemish to his name indicates that the man can be trusted because he has already been tested.
At a time when other candidates hire thugs that are armed with dangerous weapons and rascally parades same to further warp the psych of the people whose votes they ostensibly canvas, Onaiwu simply surrounds himself with decent, fair minded supporters. A honest man, Onaiwu is not one that will send his children far away from himself just because of election. For him, it is not a do-or-die venture but one that signposts his passion to build. He has severally being spotted with his eldest son even on a road show. This attribute speaks volume about his congruence with the people.
Similarly, an encounter with Onaiwu reveals a man at peace with himself. No wonder he speaks with so much wisdom embedded in a patriotic desire to realise his vision for the state. Unarguably, it is at the level of vision that the aspirations of a people are subsumed in a clear cut policy direction. Onaiwu understands this hence the christening of his campaign slogan as SOLUTION.
It is therefore easy to see the need for the solution that Onaiwu represents, a solution that simply means, the emancipation of the Edo people from long years of underdevelopment caused by governmental under performance and lack of creativity. In real terms the solution matrix purports to offer Edo people a creative way out of the doldrums that have become their reality.
A fine gentleman with a penchant for excellence and a track record of being associated with progress in so many states of the federation, Onaiwu has never meddled with politics of bitterness. At a time when APC and PDP in Edo State are struggling to outdo each other in campaign of calumny, Onaiwu restrains himself to issue based campaign. He humbly engages the electorate one on one on street corners and major road across the state.
With a character like Onaiwu at the helm of state affairs, the transformation that has eluded Edo people would have been surmounted.
Emeka Nwagwuna, a Public Affairs Analyst, writes in from Benin-City.
The Nigerian Body of Benchers on 12th July 2016 admitted almost 2300 successful candidates into the legal profession; one of them was the president’s daughter, Halima Buhari. With this addition, the number of lawyers in the country is estimated to be about 110,000. With the numbers of judges estimated to about 1,050, this is obviously an under supply of lawyers and judges to service our population of about 168 million. To put this in perspective; it gives a ratio of one lawyers to 1,500 Nigerians, and a judge to 160,000 Nigerians.
Compared with our dream justice systems, I dare say we need more lawyers and judges. The United State with a population of 322 million boasts of 1.3 million lawyers while the United Kingdom has about 169 thousand solicitors with a population of 65 million. This gives a ratio of one to 247 citizens for the US and one to 384 citizens for the UK. The differences in technological advancement and justice systems notwithstanding, the forgoing numbers raises a question about access to judicial justice in Nigeria.
The Law Commission of Ontario simply defined Access to justice as “access to lawyers and courts.” The Commission further notes that in this sense “increasing access to justice may mean ensuring physical accessibility to the court house, simplifying procedural rules, using plain language in a statute, explaining what the law means on the internet, provision of translation, dispute resolution other than through the court, legal and similar steps in removing barriers of various kinds.”
For these new wigs, they are expected to provide legal services to our teaming population and promote the course of justice in general. To achieve this, they are expected to open a law firm or join an existing one where salary mostly as low as 15000 naira per month; in a nation where inflation is at an all time high of 16.5%.
The direct consequence of this is mass movement of lawyers into lucrative or at least constant paying jobs in the civil service, banks, private business etc. Many are still out of jobs ironically in a nation where the statistics suggests under population of lawyers. Niyi Akintola (SAN), one to the aspirants for the Nigerian Bar Association top job lamented in a recent interview that about 100 lawyers are on him for jobs.
While statistics suggests we need more lawyers; lawyers say they need jobs; one is then apt to ask what kind of jobs are they seeking? In the face of wanton human right abuses; harmful traditional practices; abuse of power, etc? But the fact that they are looking for job suggests disconnect between the people and the legal system and between the legal system and the lawyer. Beyond the job loss due to ADR, new entrants seem to have emerged on the legal sphere- religious diviners and traditional doctors.
For instance, an in-law adversely claims a deceased property; the widow of the deceased runs to her pastor who declares seven praying and fasting. Within these seven days, the in-law renounces claim to the land; the pastor receives bounties as tithes and offering. On another hand, a search for missing items requires only a consultation of these traditional doctors. The suspect is revealed, confronted and often confesses. The traditional doctor gets goats, offerings and recommendations. This system is largely effective and simple though limited in scope. However they carter for millions of our population mostly in the rural areas. There are challenges but they seem to be growing in demand and perhaps, effectiveness; thus administering justice with our society.
The residue of these legal problems, mostly in the urban centers is the concentration of these teaming lawyers, both old and new. These include cases on company law, politics, tenancy and contracts. Accordingly, many are out of jobs. There is an apparent over supply against a low demand, price invariably becomes poor.
So it’s not just about numbers but the implementation of the recommendations of the Law Commission cited above like:
Simplifying procedure rule;
Providing interpretations;
Using plain language etc.
This becomes more interesting when we consider that one of the sources of Nigerian law is customary laws. In a nation of more than 300 ethnic groups, this becomes challenging for the Nigeria lawyer. Surprisingly this customary law do not form part of the curricular for the Nigerian Law School; while the universities teaches customary law, only as part of a course- “Nigeria legal system” at the introductory stages of learning law- second year. This teaching, not surprising is in the negative; the fact that for this customs to be upheld, it must not be “repugnant to natural justice, equity and good conscience” ;( the precise meaning of the italised words largely uncertain).
The growing resort to these practices is also a testament of the cumbersome nature of our judicial process shrouded in antiquity and mythical terms. “Motion on notice;” “injunctions,” “affidavits”, writs and adjournments etc. The lawyer demands appearance fee for a section that barely lasted for three minutes and adjourned for months, having just resumed after three months. The growing frustration, cost and lack of believe in the ability of the justice system to do justice draws many Nigerians to this praying/vision centres and traditional doctors. The lawyer is often called upon as an appendage to this process or when something goes wrong.
Solutions to all this is far beyond our new wigs; am sure many senior advocates will be delighted to offer Halima a good pay; but the hundreds that look to Mr. Niyi Akintola want something done. The system therefore must rise up and clear up its desk. The Bar association, ministry of justice and all concerned must look inwards and reform our laws to meet reality. Lawyers must also adhere to their professional ethics to maintain available clients and shun the get rich quick syndrome. Senior lawyers must also be generous with their resources and encourage young colleagues to rise to the ranks.
Ugwuta Emmanuel Ugochukwu is a lawyer, writes from Abuja Nigeria.
The Kogi State Auditor General, Alhaji Yusufu Okala, has discovered a total of 25,103 unidentified workers, known as ghost workers, that have been receiving a monthly salary of about N213,034,857,280.44. Okala who spoke when the Staff Screening and Validation Committee, jointly led by the himself and the Auditor General of the Local Governments Areas, Mallam Usman Ahmed Ododo, submitted their report to the State Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, at a Stakeholders Forum held in Government House, Lokoja, on Monday, said: “as at the time of inaugurating the Staff Screening and Verification Committee on February 22, 2016, the total staff on the nominal payroll of the State (State MDAs and Local Governments) was 88,973 with monthly wage bill of N5,809,578,703.72. “However, after the conclusion of this exercise on July 24, 2016, the cleared and validated workforce is 63, 870.” Okala’s committee had the mandate of reviewing and authenticating the report earlier submitted by the Staff Screening and Verification Committee under the chairmanship of Dr. Jerry Agbaji. The governor, who received the report, lamented the colossal loss recorded by the state through the ghost workers’syndrome, adding that henceforth, his government has put a permanent stop to financial theft in the state. The Governor said that the screening exercise is the first layer of civil service reform, which his administration is embarking on, adding that he is determined to re-position the State Civil Service to play a vital role of facilitating economic drive growth in the state. The State Auditor General, who presented the report, recommended the computerizing of the payroll system of the State, Local Government workforce and pensioners, Centralizing Payroll Processing, Biometric for All State and Local Governments Staff and Introduction of Pre-Disbursement Audit for Salary Payment among other recommendations. Meanwhile, the Governor has set up a review committee to entertain complains that may arise from the screening exercise. The 11-man committee is expected to submit its report within 21 days. [myad]
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has insisted that rogues and armed robbers have filled the legislative arm of the federal government.
His position, which he first mooted in 2012, came on the heels of the gory allegations making the rounds the National Assembly, especially, the House of Representatives on the resurrected case of budget padding. Hon. Abdumumuni Jubril (APC, Kano) who was hitherto the Chairman, House Committee on Appropriation had, on Friday, opened a can of worms on the padding of the 2016 budget by the lawmakers, implicating the Speaker, Mr. Yakubu Dogara in the padding controversy of over N40 billion. The exposure came on the heels of his sack on Thursday by the Speaker.
Obasanjo, who attended the Fourth annual conference of the Academy for Entrepreneurial Studies in Lagos, had said in 2012: “integrity is necessary for all systems and institutions to be strong. Today, rogues, armed robbers are in the state houses of assembly and the national assembly. What sort of laws will they make?”
Obasanjo, who spoke to news men on Monday shortly after he had an audience with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Aso Presidential Villa, Abuja, said that the institution stinks.
“Well, if you said that I have said it in the past and if they are people who didn’t believe what I said in the past then you now say that what has come out confirms what I said in the past, then you can say what I said in the past is what I will say now.
”It is not a question of investigation; we should get men and women of integrity in the place and the president should be very vigilant, whatever should not pass should not pass.”
Obasanjo said that he was in the Villa to deliver messages from Liberia, Gambia and Seychilles to President Buhari.
“I am visiting this time because I have some messages for the president. Not too long ago, I was in Liberia and Gambia and I have messages these two countries will want me to deliver to the president.
“Also, only yesterday I came back from Seychelles Island where I attended this year’s Annual General meeting of Africa Export Development Bank. And there are aspects of the proceedings that I think I should update the President.”
Obasanjo said that traveling to different countries has educated him more.
“Travelling is a good education, what you will learn about a country by visiting that country for two or three days you won’t learn by reading through books”, he said. Asked whether he intended to slow down, he said “May God not allow you to slow now.” [myad]
The President of the Nigeria Economic Society (NES), Professor Ben Aigbokhan has faulted the prediction made by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that Nigeria is facing bleak economic future.
The economist, who spoke in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), insisted that the IMF was wrong in forecasting that Nigeria’s economy would contract by 1.8 per cent in 2016. The IMF had predicted that the Nigerian economy will now grow at a much slower pace than South Africa’s, which is expected to grow at 0.1 per cent in 2016. It also reported that the economy will contract for the first time in more than two decades as it adjusts to foreign currency shortages, lower power generation and weaker investor confidence. Aigbokhan said: “I am not as pessimistic as the IMF. You know how IMF forecasts do go. “Sometimes they use it to put pressure on government to act. So, I don’t think Nigeria’s economy will grow at minus 1.8 per cent. “No! Things will not be that bad.”
He praised the Federal Government for doing everything possible to improve the living conditions of Nigerians, adding: “the government wants to be seen to achieve something and will not allow the economy to be nose-diving as to come to minus 1.8 per cent in the last quarter of the year. “I think between now and the last quarter, the government is going to release some amount of money for the capital projects. So, the government will want to be seen doing something. “That is why I’m optimistic that the country will come out of recession.” [myad]
The visiting President of world football governing body, FIFA, Gianni Infantino, has ruled that there is crisis in the leadership of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).
The FIFA President who spoke to news men at the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Monday, shortly after meeting President Muhammadu Buhari said: “I don’t think there is any crisis in football management in Nigeria. There is an elected president in place and he is functioning.
“In a big country like Nigeria, you are bound to see opposition; that’s what you see,” Infantino said.
He said that he discussed football development in Nigeria when he had the meeting with President Buhari, saying: “I have had some intense discussion on football in Nigeria and Africa. “We discussed how we can best develop football in Africa because there are talents, potentials and passion to do great things in football in Nigeria and Africa.”
The FIFA President said that he had the mandate to ensure accountability and transparency in the organization and that one of his mandate is to develop football.
A statement by presidential spokesman, Femi Adesina, said that the FIFA boss had during the meeting with Buhari, asked the Nigerian authorities to pay attention to infrastructure and find a lasting solution to the problem of violence and insecurity at match venues.
“I foresee Nigeria as bedrock for the development of the game in Africa, however infrastructure, stability and security are needed to make this happen.”
Buhari was said to have promised at the meeting that his administration will pay keen interest to accountability and transparency to fast-track football development in the country.
Infantino was accompanied on the visit by FIFA Secretary-General, Fatma Samoura; the Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Solomon Dalung; President of NFF, Amaju Pinnick and the President of Nigerian Olympics Committee, Mr. Habu Gumel. [myad]
Senate Leader, Mohammed Ali Ndume, on Monday dismissed reports of a planned impeachment process against President Muhammadu Buhari, saying it was untrue.
Ndume said it is futile for anybody to think the Senate alone can impeach the President.
The Senate leader told journalists in Abuja that impeachment process is never a sole business of the Senate.
The Borno South lawmaker was emphatic that the Senate cannot impeach the President.
He said, “The impeachment process is a National Assembly matter not the Senate alone. Senate cannot impeach the President. It is the National Assembly that can impeach the President. The Senate cannot impeach President Buhari.
“It is the National Assembly and it is by 2/3 majority.
“It is a process, a long tedious process and in this country we don’t even need that. We are not even contemplating it and even if anybody contemplates it, it is not going to work because this is an APC Senate.
“We have the majority. It is 60- 58 senators and you need 72 senators to start off impeachment process.
“Where are they going to get the 24? Let me tell you as some of them are coming into PDP, many of them have their other legs with us in the APC.” [myad]
The Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, has vowed that never again will the public funds be diverted for political campaigns in favour of any of the political parties.
Speaking on Monday at the 2016 Annual Conference of the Mallam Bashir Yusuf-led Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) held at the Yar’adua Centre, Abuja, Osinbajo recalled that when the current government took over from the PDP-led government in May last year, it found out that a huge chunk of money meant for the purchase of arms to fight terrorists in the North-east was diverted.
Osinbajo, who was represented my his special assistant on political parties, Senator Babafemi Ojudu, said the federal government is not targeting opposition parties in its anti corruption drive but wants to bring sanity to the polity in order to sustain democracy in the country.
“Politics and elections should not be war or depletion of public resources. Never again will government agencies be used in favour of any political party to win elections. The war against corruption is not targeted at the opposition parties. What government is doing now is that money meant for essential services should not be diverted for campaigns or any other purposes.”
He said that the reason why the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is going after some of the stalwarts of the PDP is because the party diverted money meant for public services for political campaigns or other questionable purposes.
He said that the Buhari’s anti corruption drive had gone to show that huge sums of money voted for security was diverted into private pockets while part of the money was used for campaigns by the PDP-led government.
According to the Vice President, the trend cannot be allowed to continue, even as he called on the IPAC tp play critical role in educating political parties and the general public on the issue so that democracy can survive in Nigeria.
Osinbajo recounted the terrible experience of the military in the hands of Boko Haram insurgents during the regime of the former President, Goodluck Jonathan, when some of the soldiers went to the battle with obsolete weapons. The Senate President, Bukola Saraki in his remarks, called for concerted efforts to sustain the democratic culture in the country. [myad]
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Malam Muhammad Musa Bello has said that his government is thinking of reviving sporting activities in the capital territory so as to allow sports to take their rightful position in the socio-economic development of the Territory. The FCT received a delegation of the Nigerian Hockey Federation led by its President, Senator Abdul Ningi, said that sport is a very important avenue to engage the youths and also serves as employment opportunity. Muhammadu Bello who acknowledged the assistance the FCT has been receiving from the Nigeria Hockey Federation, made it clear that the FCT Administration would partner and support Sport Federations to take sporting activities to greater heights in the Territory. “The current FCT Administration would do everything possible to revive sporting activities in the Federal Capital Territory particularly hockey, because it also goes a long way in improving the health status of the people.” The Minister emphasized that the FCT has an international standard hockey pitch which he asked the Nigeria Hockey Federation to take advantage of, saying he would leverage on the experiences of the President as well as the Board members in engaging the FCT youths. He assured that the FCT Administration would be represented at the closing ceremony of the on-going super league competition in Abuja as requested by the Federation. Speaking earlier, the President of the Nigerian Hockey Federation, Senator Abdul Ningi said that the Federation is expecting some sports facilities from the International Hockey Federation and the Federation will be attending the African Hockey Federation meeting in Accra, Ghana in September 2016. He therefore solicited for the FCT Administration’s support. [myad]
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The Speaker of the Kogi State House of Assembly, Momoh Jimoh Lawal, has resigned from the post, according to him ‘in the interest of the state.’
As politicians in Edo State struggle to outshine one another in the build up to the forthcoming September 10th governorship election, Edo people must be vigilant to avoid the deceit that has become the attribute of many a politician and ensure the election of the best candidate. The narrative in informed circle across the state captures this sentiment and the need to return Edo to its glorious past.
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Malam Muhammad Musa Bello has said that his government is thinking of reviving sporting activities in the capital territory so as to allow sports to take their rightful position in the socio-economic development of the Territory.
Access To Justice: More Lawyers Or Better Lawyers? By Ugwuta Emmanuel Ugochukwu
The Nigerian Body of Benchers on 12th July 2016 admitted almost 2300 successful candidates into the legal profession; one of them was the president’s daughter, Halima Buhari. With this addition, the number of lawyers in the country is estimated to be about 110,000. With the numbers of judges estimated to about 1,050, this is obviously an under supply of lawyers and judges to service our population of about 168 million. To put this in perspective; it gives a ratio of one lawyers to 1,500 Nigerians, and a judge to 160,000 Nigerians.
Compared with our dream justice systems, I dare say we need more lawyers and judges. The United State with a population of 322 million boasts of 1.3 million lawyers while the United Kingdom has about 169 thousand solicitors with a population of 65 million. This gives a ratio of one to 247 citizens for the US and one to 384 citizens for the UK. The differences in technological advancement and justice systems notwithstanding, the forgoing numbers raises a question about access to judicial justice in Nigeria.
The Law Commission of Ontario simply defined Access to justice as “access to lawyers and courts.” The Commission further notes that in this sense “increasing access to justice may mean ensuring physical accessibility to the court house, simplifying procedural rules, using plain language in a statute, explaining what the law means on the internet, provision of translation, dispute resolution other than through the court, legal and similar steps in removing barriers of various kinds.”
For these new wigs, they are expected to provide legal services to our teaming population and promote the course of justice in general. To achieve this, they are expected to open a law firm or join an existing one where salary mostly as low as 15000 naira per month; in a nation where inflation is at an all time high of 16.5%.
The direct consequence of this is mass movement of lawyers into lucrative or at least constant paying jobs in the civil service, banks, private business etc. Many are still out of jobs ironically in a nation where the statistics suggests under population of lawyers. Niyi Akintola (SAN), one to the aspirants for the Nigerian Bar Association top job lamented in a recent interview that about 100 lawyers are on him for jobs.
While statistics suggests we need more lawyers; lawyers say they need jobs; one is then apt to ask what kind of jobs are they seeking? In the face of wanton human right abuses; harmful traditional practices; abuse of power, etc? But the fact that they are looking for job suggests disconnect between the people and the legal system and between the legal system and the lawyer. Beyond the job loss due to ADR, new entrants seem to have emerged on the legal sphere- religious diviners and traditional doctors.
For instance, an in-law adversely claims a deceased property; the widow of the deceased runs to her pastor who declares seven praying and fasting. Within these seven days, the in-law renounces claim to the land; the pastor receives bounties as tithes and offering. On another hand, a search for missing items requires only a consultation of these traditional doctors. The suspect is revealed, confronted and often confesses. The traditional doctor gets goats, offerings and recommendations. This system is largely effective and simple though limited in scope. However they carter for millions of our population mostly in the rural areas. There are challenges but they seem to be growing in demand and perhaps, effectiveness; thus administering justice with our society.
So it’s not just about numbers but the implementation of the recommendations of the Law Commission cited above like:
Simplifying procedure rule;
Providing interpretations;
Using plain language etc.
This becomes more interesting when we consider that one of the sources of Nigerian law is customary laws. In a nation of more than 300 ethnic groups, this becomes challenging for the Nigeria lawyer. Surprisingly this customary law do not form part of the curricular for the Nigerian Law School; while the universities teaches customary law, only as part of a course- “Nigeria legal system” at the introductory stages of learning law- second year. This teaching, not surprising is in the negative; the fact that for this customs to be upheld, it must not be “repugnant to natural justice, equity and good conscience” ;( the precise meaning of the italised words largely uncertain).
Solutions to all this is far beyond our new wigs; am sure many senior advocates will be delighted to offer Halima a good pay; but the hundreds that look to Mr. Niyi Akintola want something done. The system therefore must rise up and clear up its desk. The Bar association, ministry of justice and all concerned must look inwards and reform our laws to meet reality. Lawyers must also adhere to their professional ethics to maintain available clients and shun the get rich quick syndrome. Senior lawyers must also be generous with their resources and encourage young colleagues to rise to the ranks.
Ugwuta Emmanuel Ugochukwu is a lawyer, writes from Abuja Nigeria.