Four traditional rulers in Ebonyi State have been dethroned by the state Governor, Martin Elechi for allegedly sabotaging government programmes.

The Monarchs who are from Ishielu Local Government Area are being accused of sabotaging the efforts of government towards reclaiming the Nigeria Cement Company (NIGERCEM) Nkalagu.

They were accused of conspiring with Ibeto group to castigate the state government and sabotage its efforts to stem the organized decimation of Nigercem.

In a release signed by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Dr. Onyekachi Eni, the Governor directed the deposed traditional rulers to immediately vacate their stools and cease to represent or parade themselves as the traditional rulers of the affected communities.

He also ordered them to handover unfailingly, their respective certificate of recognition and staff of office as traditional rulers to the chairman of Ishielu council area within 48 hours for onward transmission to the Ministry of local government, Chieftaincy Matters and Rural Development.

“The Governor of Ebonyi State, His Excellency, Chief Martin Elechi, CON, has noted with regret and embarrassment the attempt by some traditional rulers in Ishielu Local Government Area to sabotage the efforts of the State Government to reclaim Nigercem from economic invaders masquerading as cement manufacturers.

In 2009, the state government revoked the certificate of occupancy of the company on account of which the Eastern Bulkcem Co Ltd dragged the State Government to the Federal High court, first in Enugu, and later in Abakaliki. Among other decisions, the Federal High Court declined to nullify the state Government’s revocation of the C of O on Nigercem as prayed by the core-investor”, the statement had read in parts.

The affected monarchs include, HRH Eze Mathias Nnaji of Nkalagu; HRH Eze Michael Egbo of Amaezu community; Prince Benjamin Onwa, Regent of Umuhuali community and Prince Augustine Okwor, regent of Nkalaha community.

Source: Dailypost

A Democracy friendly Non-Governmental organization – HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS’ ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) has faulted the failure of the speaker of the Federal House of Representatives Aminu Waziri Tambuwal to inaugurate Mr. Tony Nwoye as the legally recognized member to represent Anambra East/West Federal Constituency in the National Assembly.

Convinced that Tony Nwoye, the erstwhile national president of the National Association of Nigerian Students [NANS] has obtained all the legally valid requirements to be inaugurated as member of the Federal House of representatives in exercise of the mandate of his constituents since last year as a consequence of the post-2011 election litigation and pronouncements from competent courts of law, the Rights body has therefore asked the House leadership to comply with the rule of law and swear -in Mr. Tony Nwoye without any further breach of the law.

These observations by the HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS’ ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) was contained in a media statement endorsed jointly by the National Coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko and the National Media Affairs officer Miss. Zainab Yusuf and made available to journalists in Abuja.

HURIWA stated thus; “our attention has been drawn to alleged abuse of office, arbitrary and unlawful act by the leadership of the Federal House of Representatives by its refusal to accord Mr. Tony Nwoye his constitutional right to be inaugurated to take his seat as the member representing Anambra East/West Federal Constituency at the National Assembly in full compliance with extant decisions of competent courts of law”.

HURIWA said it was aware that on July 13th 2012, Mr. Tony Nwoye secured the order of mandamus/Judgment mandating the Independent National Electoral Commission to recognize Mr. Tony Nwoye as the candidate of the April 2011 general election and also to issue him with certificate of Return in compliance to Supreme Court of Nigeria’s verdict of 9/6/2012 in appeal Number SC/69/2012 between Prince Emeka versus Lady Margery Okadigbo in which the apex Court among other prayers validly affirmed Mr. Tony Nwoye as the validly nominated candidate for the election by virtue of the fact that only the list produced by the National Executive Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party is sacrosanct.

HURIWA also affirmed that information available in the public domain is to the effect that the House leadership is breaching the law by refusing to inaugurate Mr. Tony Nwoye since he is the valid holder of the certificate of return issued on 16th/7/2012 by INEC in compliance to the due process of the law just as the rights group said any further violation of the due process of the law by the Federal House of Representatives in this instance remains an affront to democracy, rule of law and respect for the fundamental human rights of a Nigerian.

The Rights group therefore appealed to speaker Tambuwal as a reputable legal practitioner, to respect the due process of the law and the legal advice offered him on 12th September 2012 by the Director of legal services of the National Assembly, by immediately inaugurating Mr. Tony Nwoye as member representing Anambra East/West Federal Constituency rather than allow the current occupant of the seat Mr. Chriskato Ameke who from all available court records is adjudged not to be the validly nominated candidate of the ruling party which won the coveted seat in compliance with extant decision of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.

President Goodluck Jonathan has appointed Alhaji Bukar Goni Aji, OON as the new Head of the Civil Service of the Federation.

This is contained in a statement issued by the Special Adviser, Media and Publicity, Dr Reuben Abati, on Thursday, May 21.

Alhaji Goni, who was until his new appointment, the Permanent Secretary, Common Services Office, Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, will take over from Alhaji Isa Bello Sali who will attain the mandatory retirement age of 60 on Saturday, March 23, 2013.

Alhaji Goni hails from Yobe State and was born on January 13, 1959. He attended Government College, Maiduguri, Borno College of Basic Studies, Maiduguri and graduated from the University of Maiduguri in 1984.

A career civil servant, Alhaji Goni has held several key positions at the state and federal levels including Chief Administrative Officer, Governor’s Office, Maiduguri (1989-1991), Principal Secretary to the Military Administrator of Yobe State (1991-1992), Principal Secretary to the First Civilian Governor of Yobe State (1992-1993) and Principal Secretary to the 2nd Military Administrator of Yobe State (1993-1995).

Alhaji Goni was appointed Director, Planning, Research and Statistics at the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs in 1995 and moved to the Federal Ministry of Defence in the year 2000 as Director of Personnel Management. He headed various departments in the Ministry of Defence until his posting to the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation in 2008 as Director, International Organisations.

He was appointed Permanent Secretary in 2009 and posted to the Ministry of Defence. He later served as Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Police Affairs (August, 2009 – August, 2010) and Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Works (September, 2011 – November, 2012).

Ahead of the Local Government elections taking place this weekend, the Bayelsa State Governor, Hon Seriake Dickson has called on the security agencies to step up efforts at ensuring a hitch-free local government election.

Governor Dickson made the call at a State Security Council meeting in Government House, Yenagoa.

While commending the Security operatives for their dedication and commitment to the cause of keeping the peace, Hon. Dickson charged them to not to rest on their oars as government would not compromise the safety of the people.

Governor Dickson also urged the people of the State to play by the rules, stressing that his administration would not condone any act of lawlessness that could threaten the peace and stability of the state.

He called on traditional rulers, opinion and political leaders to cooperate with the various security agencies and electoral officials who would be deployed to their communities to conduct the election.

Governor Dickson enjoined the people to turn out en-masse to exercise their franchise, assuring that government has made all necessary arrangements to ensure their safety before, during and after the election.

In his words: “Let me use this opportunity to assure the people of this state that on Saturday, during the Local Government election, they should feel free and come out en-masse to cast their ballot for their preferred candidates and parties. We are working hard to ensure that nothing untoward happens. I want to also use this opportunity to call on candidates and party leaders to play by the rules and because we are committed to our policy of zero tolerance on criminality and violence particularly, electoral violence, we are not going to condone thuggery, violence in the guise of politics and any act of brigandage in any of our communities.”

Briefing Government House correspondents, shortly after the meeting, the state Commissioner of Police, CP. Kings Omire said arrangements for the deployment of security personnel to the various local governments have been concluded.

Expressing the preparedness of security agencies for the election, Mr. Omire reminded the candidates and their supporters of the deadline for campaigns which he said ends at midnight of Thursday, the 21ST of March, 2013.

The police have been commended for unraveling those behind the alleged gang rape at the Abia state university, Uturu published in the social media in 2011.

Briefing newsmen at the government house, Umuahia, the chief press secretary to Abia state governor, Mr. Ugochukwu Emezue said Abia state government and the Abia state university has been vindicated by the findings of the police which show that the incident never happened at the Abia state university but a village in Rivers state.

According to him, the police has confirmed that the case is before magistrate court, 9 Port Harcourt, Rivers state as the alleged victims are facing trial.

Mr. Emezue who said that detractors of the government who do not want to see anything good in the government insisted that the event took place at Abia University should now hide their face in shame.

He stated that Abia people are decent and cannot involve themselves in such barbaric act and urged Abians to ignore the antics of those who do not mean well for the state.

India’s top court upheld the death penalty on Thursday for a mastermind of the country’s deadliest series of attacks and ruled a Bollywood star who bought weapons from the bombers must return to jail.

Yakub Memon, brother of the alleged main plotter and fugitive Tiger Memon, was the only one of 11 convicts to see his death sentence upheld by the Supreme Court for his role in the 1993 blasts which killed 257 people in Mumbai.

The judges also handed down a five-year term for the actor Sanjay Dutt for possessing illegal weapons bought from gangsters accused of orchestrating the bombings. Dutt has already served 18 months but is currently out on bail.

Announcing the sentences, Supreme Court judge P. Sathashivam said the Memon brothers and another suspect, Dawood Ibrahim, who is said to be living in Pakistan, “were archers and rest of the appellants were arrows in their hands”.

“They were the architects of the blasts,” Sathashivam, one of two judges presiding over the case, said.

The remaining convicts who had appealed against the death penalty saw their sentences commuted to life imprisonment.

The attacks on March 12, 1993, were believed to have been staged by Mumbai’s Muslim-dominated underworld in retaliation for anti-Muslim violence that left more than 1,000 dead in the city a few months earlier.

Yakub, an accountant by profession, his brothers Essa and Yusuf and sister-in-law Rubina were all convicted for their involvement in the serial blasts at 13 different locations.

The Bombay Stock Exchange, the offices of the national carrier Air India and the luxury Sea Rock hotel were among the targets.

Tiger Memon and Dawood Ibrahim, the other alleged masterminds of the attacks, have been on the run since 1993. Indian investigators say they were helped by Pakistan’s intelligence service, a charge denied by Islamabad.

Executions are only carried out for “the rarest of rare” cases in India but President Pranab Mukherjee has rejected a number of mercy pleas in the last few months, ending an unofficial eight-year moratorium.

A Kashmiri separatist convicted of involvement in a deadly 2001 attack on the Indian parliament was executed in New Delhi last month while the lone surviving gunman from the deadly 2008 Mumbai attacks was hanged last November.

Dutt, who was appealing against an original six-year term, spent 18 months behind bars before being bailed in 2007.

During a police raid, investigators uncovered a pistol and an AK-56 rifle which were part of the consignment of weapons and explosives said to have been brought to India from Pakistan and then used in the attacks.

Dutt, a one-time heavy drug user who has a reputation as one of Bollywood’s bad boys, had admitted buying the weapons but insisted they were only meant to protect his family.

The 53-year-old was not in court while his sister Priya Dutt, who is a member of parliament, looked visibly upset when the verdict was pronounced.

His lawyer Satish Maneshinde said he has spoken to the actor who has four weeks to hand himself in to the authorities.

“He has accepted the judgement,” said Maneshinde. “He will go through the verdict and will consider all the legal recourses available to him”.

The actor shot to fame in the mid-1980s in a string of action movies in which he performed his own stunts, earning him the nickname “Deadly Dutt”.

He is best known for playing a mobster with a heart of gold in the popular “Munnabhai” series.

Dutt’s first wife died of cancer while his second marriage, to a model, ended in divorce. He married for a third time in 2008.

Source: AP

The Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders (CACOL) has warned President Goodluck Jonathan against increasing the price of petrol in the country.

Reacting to President Jonathan’s statement that petrol price would go up, the Executive Chairman of the Coalition, Debo Adeniran, warned that the federal government should be wary of heating up the polity with any careless move, because the nation is sitting on the keg of a gunpowder.

“President Goodluck Jonathan should desist from increasing the tempo of the polity unnecessarily. We all saw what the nation witnessed in January 2012 when the FG first took this step. The loss of lives and properties is enough to teach any reasonable government morals that Nigerians would resist any hike in the price of petrol vehemently. The masses are groaning under the economic hardship created by the hike in the price of the product from N65 to N97 early this year. The imminent crisis that will greet another hike is better imagined, “Comrade Adeniran said.

Stressing further, the anti-corruption crusader noted that President Goodluck should bother himself with the substantive issue, which is ridding the oil sector of corrupt practices with recovering our common patrimony from those who short-changed the nation to the tune of trillions of naira.

“The President should first map out ways to frontally combat the staggering corruption that is pervasive in our oil industry. Corruption in the oil sector must be dealt with first before talking about total subsidy removal. It is not only unreasonable, but sheer wickedness, for a government that some people have defrauded trillions of naira in the name of subsidy payments with other underhand dealing, and is yet to recover that, to now place the brunt on the masses. President Jonathan must decisively deal with all pending reports and cases that has to do with the petroleum sector and cleanse it of the pervasive sleaze before talking of total subsidy removal,” Adeniran submitted.