The government of Ghana has suspended seven out of 12 High Court judges for allegedly receiving bribes as shown in a documentary made public by an investigative journalist. The documentary was followed immediately by public outcry after the judges accepted bribe money through intermediaries, as shown in a three-hour film last month in Accra.
However, the documentary put Chief Justice Georgina Wood and other judicial leaders under pressure to show a forceful public response.
The country’s Judicial Council in a statement said: “the judges’ suspension follow the establishment of a prima facie case of stated misbehaviour against them by the Hon. Lady Chief Justice (Wood).’’
The Council had previously suspended 22 junior judges who appeared in the video and investigated the conduct of high court judges to see if there was a case for their impeachment.
Some of the judges had denied any wrongdoing and had filed a challenge in court, saying their suspension had no legal basis because documents relating to the video that were submitted by the journalist were not made available to them.
Ghana’s judiciary is revered for its efficacy and impartiality and seen as a bulwark of society that prides itself on its reputation as one of Africa’s most stable and peaceful democracies.
Ghana’s judiciary is revered for its efficacy and impartiality and seen as a bulwark of society that prides itself on its reputation as one of Africa’s most stable and peaceful democracies. [myad]
Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki has finally announced the 21 ministerial nominees contained in the list sent to the Senate by President Muhammadu Buhari last week Wednesday.
Senator Saraki said that the list contained the first batch of nominees and that the subsequent names according to the president would come shortly.
The Senate announced the names of the potential ministers as follows:
President of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote has been named along with President Barak Obama of the United States, Pope Francis, Angela Merkel who is Chancellor of Germany as some of the 50 World’s influential personalities by Bloomberg. The group of personalities chosen by the Bloomberg Market, consists of Chief Executive Officers, world leaders and religious leaders.
Bloomberg said: “those on the list build companies and assemble fortunes. They shape economies and spread ideas. They manage money and wield the clout that goes with the billions of dollars they invest.”
“Aliko Dangote, founder, Dangote Group, Africa’s most successful businessman built his fortune in sugar, textiles, and cement in his native Nigeria where, today, he’s a political as well as a financial power broker. He’s expanding in other countries and may list his cement company in London.”
This is even as Aliko Dangote expressed confidence that Nigeria would endure the oil price crash that has reduced government revenues if it steps up its fight against corruption.
In a statement yesterday, Dangote at the Financial Times Africa Summit in London, insisted that Africa’s most populous country would flourish, adding: “Nigeria’s GDP won’t stagnate and we will have a short term shock but people should remember the Nigerian economy is resilient and huge.”
Dangote said that if the government of President Muhammadu Buhari continued its crackdown on corruption, the near 50 per cent oil price slump in the past year would be mitigated.
“The government has also suffered a lot of leakages; when oil was $100 a barrel we weren’t seeing all that revenue collected.
“If the government collects all its taxes and duties, I think we will be okay. We will not have as much as we had before but it will be okay.” [myad]
President Muhammadu Buhari has made it clear that the reform in the education sector cannot function without a fundamental change of the attitude, orientation and behavior of teachers.
President Buhari who spoke today during the 2015 World Teachers’ Day celebration in Abuja said: “it is commonly acknowledge that the quality of learning depends, first and foremost, on the quality of teachers. Consequently, in 1966, the international community adopted a standard to promote quality teachers and teaching. In this new world order, knowledge is power and all the strategic sectors of society are expected to be manned only by individual whose capabilities and understanding of the sectors are not in any way doubtful. Logically therefore, like other professions, only those who are adequately prepared and regulated should be entrusted with the teaching and learning process.”
The President, who was represented by the Secretary to the government of the Federation, (SGF), Babachir Lawal, ordered therefore that only those adequately prepared and regulated should be entrusted with the teaching and learning process even as he promised that Federal Government will not rest in its efforts aimed at improving the standard of teaching and learning by empowering teachers through its agencies.
He said that government would rely heavily on the activities of agencies like the Teachers’ Registration Council of Nigeria, National Teacher’s Institute, National Commission for Colleges of Education, National Universities Commission, Tertiary Education Trust Fund, and various faculties and departments of institutions of higher learning to improve teachers performances and education.
“These institutions are directed towards the realization of government’s goals in the improvement of quality of teacher education programs, registration and licensing processes and, the overall professionalization of teaching.
“However, this process cannot function without a fundamental change in the attitude, orientation and behavior of teacher towards greater values, ideals and practices. A comprehensive ethical framework is, therefore, required to define what the new values, ideals and practices should be. There might also be the need for the new legal instruments and programs that are designed to enforce the provisions of the ethical framework.” [myad]
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said that the manner in which another bomb attacks were carried out on Friday in parts of Abuja by members of Boko Haram indicated either a dereliction of duty on the part of the security operatives or a sabotage against the anti-terrorism fight.
Reacting to the multiple suicide the Friday bombings in Nyanya and Kuje areas of Abuja, which killed at least 20 people, the party also picked hole in the way the Department for State Security (DSS) has been handling security issue in the country, saying that the agency appears not to be in full grip of Nigeria’s security intelligence.
In a statement signed by the party’s acting national chairman, Uche Secondus, PDP condemned the resurgence of terrorism and renewed attacks at the FCT.
“That the Abuja’s coordinated attacks came just as the nation was already celebrating the success of our security forces in their efforts to rout terrorists, indicates either a fact of dereliction of duty or sabotage against the anti-terrorism fight.
“Whereas we have remained steadfast in our commitment to support each and every policy adopted by the government of President Muhammadu Buhari aimed at ending terrorism, especially knowing the importance of secured environment in achieving peaceful co-existence, an imperative for development.
“And whereas we are aware that a bomb is an ill-wind that blows no good to anybody in the community, scaring away potential investors, we are therefore duty bound to draw attention to certain grave factors, possibly leading to the unfortunate resurgence, which, if unchecked could worsen the ugly situation.
“Our checks reveal that poor intelligence gathering by the Department of State Services (DSS) and other relevant intelligence group is largely, if not directly responsible for the resurgence of terrorists, who have earlier been pushed to the precipices in the Sambisa forest in Borno state, to the extent that they have slipped back into other cities, including the nation’s capital.
“From all indications, the DSS under the watch of the current Director- General, Alhaji Lawal Daura does not seem to be in full grip of the intelligence situation.
“This is apparently traceable to the avoidable distractions occasioned by the flagrant use of the agency for political assignments since the emergence of the new Director-General, in addition to the apparent administrative disharmony within the service, all resulting in the erosion of professionalism, harmony and loyalty among personnel.
“In the last few months, the DSS, instead of concentrating on its primary statutory duties of providing domestic intelligence, security service and criminal investigations for the state, has, under the new Director-General, directed all its energies on political matters; chasing after opposition elements, interfering in election tribunal activities, intimidating and hounding tribunal witnesses, while terrorists resurge, and combatant security forces left with scanty intelligence.
“The situation with the DSS has become so pathetic that it could not even effectively analyze reported suspicious tweets “predicting the attacks” as a cue to forestall last Friday’s attack in Abuja and other parts of the country.
“Indeed, our nation cannot afford a retrogression from the gains already made in the fight against terrorism due to the failure of a disorganized, improperly coordinated and distracted intelligence agency, that is not able to live up to its billing.
“It is on this note therefore that we urge President Buhari, as a matter of urgency, to take a critical look at the situation in the DSS, overhauls its management, administration and operations to ensure that the required leadership and spirit needed to operate optimally exist in the agency.
“We wish to note that our position is beyond politics. Security is a matter that concerns all Nigerians irrespective of political, religious and ethnic affiliation and must be taken seriously in the general interest of our dear nation.
“This nation belongs to all of us and we, as citizens and critical stakeholders must join hands, irrespective of our political differences, to ensure that we give the Federal Government the required support in the fight against terrorism in our country.
“A great nation is the dream and aspiration of every Nigerian and that was demonstrated just on Thursday, when the populace renewed their faith in the oneness and progress of the country during the 55th Independence anniversary celebration.” [myad]
When will the goat be strong enough to kill a leopard? This would remain not just a proverb but a rhetorical question because a generation of confused youths has allowed themselves to be mere pawns on the political chess board in our society.
What I find disheartening is the seeming inexorable rise in demonstrations and protests among the youths, in solidarity to those politicians supposedly painted with the tar of corruption.
It is becoming very difficult to fathom the bone of contention of some species of humanity in youth forms, whose stock-in-trade is to barricade the streets and institutions to wail in support of our permissive and profligate politicians, regardless of what the person is being accused of. Could such acts of unflattering servility be passed as fool hardiness or unquantifiable stupidity?
The one that defies not just logic but also philosophy was the inexcusable manner a generation afflicted by the worst side of corruption, last week Tuesday, barricaded the National Assembly complex and queued desperately like pipeline vandals in support of the embattled senate president, Bukola Saraki, who is facing trial over 13 count charges, including false and improper declaration of assets to CCB when he was governor of Kwara State— 2003-2011.
After watching the show of shame, I wept for those faceless and incapacitated youths of my generation who could best be described as “slaves in love with their chains”. They have without any modicum of shame allowed themselves to be used as an object of public ridicule by desperate politicians who are on their way to public odium.
To those incongruous and venile youths, who have not only sold their conscience but have constituted themselves as crass supporters of impunity— nothing is wrong in such social opprobrium, as long as something will come out of it, no matter how meagre it is.
Stupidity is when we blame our past leaders for dumping us in this hell hole we found ourselves but when such persons are called to come answer corruption charges against them, we make an abrute and complete reversal of attitude, opinion or position in support of the accused persons.
It is an unmitigated irony that our political class who widened the inequality gap in the country to a large degree and those who are yet to find us a place in our national polity are the ones we have allowed to always toss us around like the devil’s mail bag.
To those youths that obstreperously trooped out in support of the embattled Saraki, given their demeanor, it is justifiably stupefied that mentality of wretchedness was at play.
With such mentality of wretchedness, will the goat (which has been existing in the same world with the leopard) ever be strong enough to kill the leopard?
Joe Onwukeme wrote from Enugu and can be reached on unjoeratedjoe@gmail.com. [myad]
Former Nigeria Minister of Petroleum under the Goodluck Jonathan’s administration, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, failed to show up today at Westminster Magistrates Court 10, in the United Kingdom as scheduled.
Information reaching us showed that the embattled former minister was neither in the court premises nor her mother, Beatrice, even as an application was made for detention of cash seized under the Proceeds of Crime Act under which she was first arrested last Friday in UK by Serious Organized Crime Agency (SOCA).
The court granted the application for seizure of her 27,000 pounds. The cash was seized under Section 295 of Proceeds of Crime Act 2012.
By granting the application, which was filed by the UK’s National Crime Agency, the money would be held in the custody of the court until April 5, 2016.
Reports said a separate application was also made against Ms. Agama for the seizure of an undisclosed amount of money.
Information had it that the money seized by the court was found recently with Mrs. Alison-Madueke as the National Crime Agency applied for the seizure within 48 hours.
An overview of the Proceeds of Crime Act says: “The Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (“POCA”) sets out the legislative scheme for the recovery of criminal assets with criminal confiscation being the most commonly used power.
“Confiscation occurs after a conviction has taken place. Other means of recovering the proceeds of crime which do not require a conviction are provided for in the Act, namely civil recovery, cash seizure and taxation powers.
“The aim of the asset recovery schemes in POCA is to deny criminals the use of their assets, recover the proceeds of crime and disrupt and deter criminality.
“Since 2010, more than £746 million of criminal assets has been seized (to 2013/14) across all four methods of recovery – a record amount.
“Over the same period, assets worth more than £2.5 billion have been frozen denying criminals access to these resources and £93 million has been returned to victims.” [myad]
The Nigeria’s Trade Union Congress (TUC) has asked the Federal Government to carry out detailed investigation on the sources of arms supply for the Boko Haram sect and step up intelligence gathering in order to stamp out insurgency in the country.
In a statement today by its President, Comrade Bobboi Bala Kaigama and Secretary General, Comrade Musa Lawal, the Congress condemned last week’s bombings in Abuja and Maiduguri, describing the attacks as needless and mindless.
It advised the government to draft security agents to cities, including the interior villages to ensure the safety of Nigerians, stressing that such move is necessary now. “It expedient also that intelligence reports are stepped up, especially as it is being rumoured that the insurgents could have sent out more suicide bombers to the FCT and some states in the Northeast.
“Everyone knows that the security operatives are doing so much to curtail the activities of the sect. But we would like to add that they become more and more proactive, to prove superiority of strategies. It is bad the attacks took place, but worse that it happened a day after the nation’s 55th independence.” [myad]
The new Commandant of the Police Staff College, Joseph Mbu, has said that God has put his enemies who wished that his transfer to the College was a demotion to shame, saying that the posting to the college was not a demotion or punishment.
Mbu, who spoke with news men after he resumed work at the college today said: “some said I have been forcefully retired, while some said I have been demoted. Some even said my posting to Jos was a punishment.
“These are the wishes of my detractors. As far as I’m concerned, I am a professional police officer, ready to serve anywhere wherever I am posted to and I will deploy my professional training to make a mark at my duty post.
“Let me tell you that the Inspector General of Police has promised that training of officers will be a priority. And the IGP wanted to send one of his finest officers to the college so that the college can be transformed in such a way to be able to serve the training need of police officers in the country.
“That is the main reason I was posted to the college. So my posting was not a punishment as my detractors intend to portray.
“And I want to assure everyone that very soon, within the next two months, this college will begin to witness serious transformation. The college has been dormant, there are people in Jos that does not even know this college exists. That is not good enough, now that I’m here, the impact of this college will be felt positively.” [myad]
A 42 year old woman, Mrs. Odeyemi Joke who has married to Akintunde for the past 20 years with children that have married, got an Ado-Ekiti Customary Court in Ekiti state to dissolve the marriage, complaining that the husband was lazy as he refused to work to take care of the family. She also complained that her husband was in habit of frequently beating and threatening her life.
The first child of the couple, Mrs. Sefunmi, 20, had gotten married, while the second child, Kayode, 16, is currently staying with her brother. The last three children are said to be staying with her.
Joke,who resides at No. 18, Oke-Ila, Ado-Ekiti, in her testimony before the court said that her husband always beat her whenever she demanded for money to buy food items. She added that the inability of her husband to pay the tenancy of where they reside made the Landlord to send them out of the house and that this made them to start living separately.
Joke said that she secured another apartment where she resides with the children, while her husband went to stay in his mother’s house, adding that whenever he comes visiting, he would foment trouble in the house.
The mother of five said that her husband was not ready to work, thereby making it difficult for him to feed his family, adding: “there was a day he threatened to kill me with cutlass. I reported him to his aged mother and younger brother and they said that they were fed up with his behaviour.”
“He does not bother to take care of me and the children, but it is also not convenient because I am a fruit seller.”
It was learnt that the husband had repeatedly refused to appear in court ven as the President of the Court, Mr. Joseph Ogunsemi, concluded that the marriage had broken down and as such it was better for the couple to go their separate ways.
Ogunsemi then granted custody of the last three children to the wife while ordering the husband to be paying the sum of N3, 000 on each of the three children as their monthly feeding allowance.
He also urged that the education of the children should be taken care of by the couple. [myad]
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
