Thirteen days after an Appeal Court, sitting in Ado-Ekiti declared that the
Ekiti state Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi lacked the constitutional powers to sack
local government chairmen and councillors elected into office in 2008 and
ordered the payment of salaries and entitlements of the sacked council chairmen
and councillors, a High Court in Ado-Ekiti, the State capital has ruled that
the governor must pay all salaries and entitlements of former Chairman of the
State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Prince Dayo Adeyeye.
Justice Oluwatoyin Bodunde, in a judgment delivered today ordered that
Adeyeye’s full salary and entitlements for his unexpired tenure be paid. The
judge had earlier dismissed the preliminary objection raised by Counsel to the
State Government and former Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr
Dayo Akinlaja (SAN) that the court lacked jurisdiction to hear the case.
The former SUBEB boss, who is a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party
(PDP), and other members of the board were removed by the governor in 2010,
shortly after he assumed office.
Adeyeye, who is also a PDP governorship aspirant was appointed the Ekiti SUBEB
boss by former Governor Segun Oni on February 12, 2008, for a four-year term.
He had filed a suit number HAD/133/2010, challenging his removal, claiming that
his appointment was statutory with four years tenure and cannot be terminated.
Justice Bodunde, who held that the governor could terminate the appointment of
political appointees, however ruled that; “since the government had by
itself acknowledged the existence of a debt arising from that employment and
the subsequent termination of same by the governor, their entitlements, which
is acknowledged by documents issued by the Office of Auditor General of the
State must be paid.”
Reacting to the judgment, Director General of Prince Adedayo Adeyeye Movement
(PAAM, Hon Bisi Kolawole said Governor Fayemi was gradually killing Ekiti State
with avoidable judgment debts.
Kolawole said; “We are worried because at the rate the government of Ekiti
State is going, the government might need to go aborrowing to settle all
judgement debts against it since its inception.
“This is because as at today, what the State is owing as judgment debts
arising from Fayemi’s illegal sack of statutory bodies and duly elected local
council officials cannot be less than N3 billion.”
The State government has however indicated its willingness to appeal the
judgment while Prince Adeyeye has also directed his counsel, Mr. Lekan
Olatawura to cross appeal against certain aspect of the judgment.
Nigeria’s secret police, the Department of State Service or State Security Services (SSS) has been hit by a recruitment scandal involving the violation of the principle of federal character.
Senate President David Mark is also implicated in the sordid affair.
Impeccable sources close to the SSS told News Express that during the last recruitment exercise embarked upon by the Service “David Mark alone sent in over 40 names of his kinsmen in clear and flagrant violation of the Federal Character principle.”
The sources alleged that “there were supposed to have been 155 cadets but federal character violators like the senate president increased the number to well above 300.”
The cadets are undergoing training at Ojo Barracks in Lagos, South-West Nigeria. The training, which began their around July last year, is scheduled to last for a year.
The manner in which the cadets were selected reflects the new but illegal practice of top Nigerian government officials sharing vacancies among themselves while more qualified candidates who have no godfathers roam the streets in search of non-existent jobs.
“Why is Mallam Abba Moro, the Minister of Interior, not screaming Federal Character violation?” asked a source who spoke on the condition of anonymity. “He sacked erstwhile Comptroller-General of Immigration, Mrs. Rose Uzoma, over a similar offence while he has remained mute over the scandal at the SSS, a department which his ministry also supervises,” the source observed.
Contacted by News Express, Marylin Ogar, Assistant Director, Public Relations, at the SSS, said: “I cannot respond to security issues over the phone. You have to come to our office and fill a form. You have to sit in front of me and ask your questions so that I’ll be sure I am talking to a journalist.”
Informed that News Express had earlier sent her a mail and requested her response through the same channel, Ogar cut the line after saying: “I cannot do that! Good day and God bless you.”
Contacted by News Express, Kola Ologbondiyan, Special Adviser on Media to Mark, replied: “Kindly scan the list and forward to me so that I confirm the letterhead and signature. Tanx.”
President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan will leave Abuja tonight for London and Paris to confer with the British Prime Minister, Mr. David Cameron and the President of France, Mr. Francois Hollande on matters of vital interest to Nigeria, Britain and France.
The President’s talks with the British Prime Minister in London are expected to focus on the expansion of trade and economic relations between Nigeria and Britain as well as the enhancement of cooperation between both countries on the war against terrorism.
In Paris, President Jonathan will confer with President Hollande and French Government officials on the ongoing deployment of Nigerian and ECOWAS troops to Mali to support the current military action against insurgents and terrorists in Northern Mali.
On his way to London, President Jonathan will stop over in Cairo, Egypt to participate in the conference of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) scheduled to open there tomorrow.
He is also scheduled to attend the launching of the Olusegun Obasanjo Foundation in London on Friday.
The President who will be accompanied by the First Lady and relevant government officials is due back in Abuja on Monday.
Boko Haram Republic of Arewa, Boko Haram Republic of Borno-Yobe, Boko Haram Republic of Northern Nigeria is not a bad idea. I have reiterated in an earlier write up ‘Boko Haram Republic: Why Not?’ that a referendum is necessary in the North so that northerners will either accept or reject an Islamic Republic on their own volition and save us all these killings in the name of religion. Referendum is simply the principle or practice of submitting to popular votes a particular idea, ideal or ideology be it social, political or economic. A “Yes” vote signifies acceptance while a ‘No’ vote signifies rejection.
Boko Haram Republic in concerned northern states is not a bad idea. It will at least stop the incessant killings of non- indigenes in the name of religion because the residents will be protected by international laws and perpetuators of such wanton killings could be treated as war criminals by the ICC.
The Boko Haram Republic should comprise of all the states where the populace through a majority vote have rejected the Federal Republic of Nigeria as presently constituted. A lot of people have argued that a Boko Haram Republic will not survive. I have a different opinion that a properly managed Boko Haram Republic which adheres to the tenets of Islam will survive and excel as a model for others to copy, provided the murderers now driving the Boko Haram train are replaced by refined Islamic professionals, bureaucrats, scholars and the more liberal Islamic middle class in Nigeria.
Boko Haram Republic will naturally be governed by strict Islamic principles. Foreigners living in the Islamic Republic will know ab -initio the conditions of their residency and will most likely not run into problems with the Islamic State. Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq are all Islamic Republics and foreigners are not killed at random. This is because they know from the onset the migration and residency conditions and they stick to it. If the Boko Haram Republic says close your shops every Friday between 12-4pm , then every foreigner will adhere and there will be less reasons for frictions.
Boko Haram Republic with the present mood of the north, will definitely stamp out corruption. The north have ruled Nigeria for forty years out of fifty two years of existence and produced leaders stepped in corruption. This republic will likely round up the looters and cut off their hands according to Sharia laws. Once hand cutting equipment is imported from China, Taiwan or Japan, there will be no need for EFCC, ICPC or other anti graft agencies. Those leaders who stole the north blind and underdeveloped them will either return the loot or face a hand cutting punishment. Billions of dollars and trillions of naira stolen by their leaders will be surrendered for accelerated development of the region.
The northern Muslim has so much dehumanized the womenfolk that a man has four wives, which is legal in Islam, and 24 ex- wives. The mischievous man eliminates old ones and adds fresh new ones just to maintain the legal four. The former governor of Zamfara State married thirteen wives, divorced nine, remaining four. This is not in accordance with the spirit of Islam. It is a Nigerian way of circumventing the strict provisions and conditions of divorce according to Islamic traditions. In the Boko Haram Republic, there will be strict adherence to the rules of marriage and strict conditions for divorce.
In the Boko Haram Republic, there will be no beer parlor for people to revel in alcoholic drinks. The citizens have to make do with soft drinks, Kunu, Zobo, Nunu and other healthy drinks. All the diseases and malfeasance associated with alcohol will disappear and the state funds will be diverted to other purposes. Those civil servants who hide under beer parlors at close of work will have no option than to go home.
The Boko Haram Republic will not tolerate prostitution therefore those politicians who send their aides to the streets to get a harem of babes for weekend will be made to stick to their legally married wives and allow the young girls to find another means of livelihood. Equally, men will learn to go home to their spouse and children after a hard day’s work instead of salivating around street corners looking for daughters of eve.
Boko Haram Republic will eliminate wastages in governance. All these exotic houses, cars and luxury ways of life would easily attract venom and resentment. Therefore, those who oppress the northern masses by flaunting their excessive wealth would either behave themselves moderately or relocate to Nigeria. Therefore, there will be less social tensions, agitations and less incentive to get rich quick which is injurious to any society it exists.
Boko Haram Republic will have no option than to invest in the education of the female child. The medical industry in the north is still dominated by males and it is suspicious for male doctors to treat female patients in most Islamic nations, therefore the republic will have no option than to accelerate the educational development of their women in the fields of medicine and other aspects of human endeavor.
Cost of living in the Boko Haram Republic will be very low. With as low as one naira, one could have a plate of Tuwo Shinkafa or a plate of pepper soup in a street corner , under shades of trees, and enjoy the full ambience of nature while savoring the meal. Simply put, life will be easy and there will be fewer agitations, less pressure and fewer cases of medical conditions associated with stress.
The Boko Haram Republic in question must not be led by Alhaji Shekau. He has so much blood on his hands and is morally not better than the change he wants to engineer. It must be pioneered by educated, refined and humane northern Muslims, and many of them abound, who will utilize the benefits of western education while rejecting the excesses of modernity associated with it. These leaders will know the difference between western education and misuse of western education.
If the Federal Republic of Nigeria continues to wallow in monumental corruption, injustice, electoral fraud, poverty, disease, murders, mediocrity and criminality and the Boko Haram Republic is able to entrench justice, fairness, security, electoral and financial integrity, hand cutting anti corruption mechanism and curtail excessive materialism, in a matter of years Nigerian residents will begin to apply for visa to live in the Boko Haram Republic. This Boko Haram Republic idea should not be a product of bombings, murder and senseless waste of human lifes , rather a product of consensus and sovereign conference.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has arraigned nine of the twenty suspected internet fraudsters arrested and handed over to the Commission by the Joint Task Force of the 4 Brigade of the Nigerian Army, Benin . They were arraigned before Justice A. M Liman of the Federal High Court 1, Benin on separate charges bordering on conspiracy to commit felony to wit: obtaining money under false pretence. They pleaded not guilty to the charges.
One of the charge reads in part; “that you Osaugwu Uchenna Kingsley (alias Sam Henric), Robinson Lucky (alias Justin Parker), Larry Edomwonyi (alias Mark Erixson), Amovie Mike (alias Jeffery Ares), Itua Samuel Robinson (alias Park Wetty, King Harry ), Iyen Oghodaro Destiny, Adesa Lucky Rute ( alias Peter Anderson, Eric Stern etc), Egbeifo John Endurance and Egbeniyi Oluwafemi ( alias Raymond Morrison, Mavis Mar) at No. 56 Siluko Road , Benin City within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court did conspire with one Dennis Osagie and others now at large to commit felony to wit: obtaining money under false pretence and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 8(a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under section 1(3) of the same Act”.
Justice Liman granted the accused persons bail in the sum of N1million each and two sureties in like sum. One of the sureties must be a civil servant and the other must own a landed property within the jurisdiction of court. He ordered that the suspects be remanded in prison custody and adjourned to 4th, 13th and 19th of March respectively.
The fraudsters were arrested on January 18, 2013 when men of the Joint Task Force, 4 Brigade, Benin in a surprise raid, stormed their cyber office tucked in an old building located on Siluko Road , Benin City . They were subsequently handed over to the Commission for further investigation and prosecution.
At the point of arrest, the fraudsters had in their possession forty five (45) laptops of different make, twenty eight (28) telephone sets, eight (8) internet mobile modems and one Nissan car with registration number USL 375 AG.
FOLLOWING the resolve of a section of the radical Islamic sect, Boko Haram, to embrace dialogue with the Federal Government, it has emerged that the administration has mandated security agencies to unravel the new sect, known as Jamatul Ansaril Muslima fi Biladis Sudan (JAMBS) which translates to Vanguard for the Aid of Muslims in Black Africa.
The sect had claimed responsibility for the attack on some Mali-bound Nigerian soldiers, in Kogi State earlier in the year.
Sources told the Nigerians Tribune that the government was being careful not to enter into a blind negotiation with Boko Haram leaders, while the JAMBS elements would remain potent.
Administration sources also declared that initial investigations had confirmed that JAMBS is a breakaway sect of Boko Haram and that most of its commanders were erstwhile commanders of Boko Haram, who were said to have got disenchanted with the leadership style of Boko Haram leader, Mallam Abubakar Shekau.
An administration source said that government had discovered that “JAMBS is affiliated to Alqaeda in Islamic Maghreb (AQIM and that it was formed by former commanders of Boko Haram who disagreed with the leadership style of Abubakar Shekau.”
Sources further stated that JAMBS is led by Mallam Abu Usamatul Aansari, who is known as the Supreme Leader or (Amir JAMBS).
According to information in official circles, the movement recruits youths between ages 16 and 22.
The targeted youths, according to information, are therefore sent for training in armed and unarmed combats as well as terrorist support trainings.
“JAMBS capitalised on this to source for funding and training needed for commencement of terrorism acts in the country,” an official communication read.
Information pieced together also indicated that the JAMBS leadership fell out with Mallam Shekau due to a number of allegations they levelled against him.
It was further confirmed that government had decided to watch the peace offer by Boko Haram carefully, so as not to create further problems for the peace process.
“The Federal Government is committed to ensuring peace and harmonious relationship among Nigerians but it should not be seen to be rushing to embrace peace deals in a way that would not last. We will check out the history of the splinter groups to ensure no stone is left unturned,” a source said on Monday.
Two senior Islamist militants have been captured in northern Mali, including a top leader of radical group Ansar Dine.
The Tuareg separatist group MNLA says it arrested Mohamed Moussa Ag Mohamed and Oumeini Ould Baba Akhmed on Saturday near Mali’s border with Algeria.
Ag Mohamed is the number-three leader of Ansar Dine and helped impose a harsh form of Islamic law on the city of Timbuktu.
Baba Akhmed is believed to be a member of the Movement for Unification and Jihad in West Africa, also known as MUJAO.
The two groups along with al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb controlled the major towns of northern Mali for about nine months before being driven out by the French and Malian armies. French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said Monday that French warplanes were continuing bombing raids on supply routes and training centers in the remote desert of northeastern Mali. He told French radio that the objective is to make it impossible for the rebels to stay in northern Mali long-term. Also Monday, U.S. Vice President Joe Biden met with French President Francois Hollande in Paris and praised the French operation in Mali, calling it “decisive.” Biden also backed France’s call for U.N. peacekeepers to be deployed to Mali Hollande is pushing for African forces to take over for French troops that have been battling the militants for the past three weeks. He made a one-day visit to Mali on Saturday, making brief stops in Sevare, Timbuktu and the capital, Bamako. He told a cheering crowd in Bamako that French forces are fighting so people in Mali, a former French colony, can live in peace and have democracy. Mali was plunged into crisis last year when soldiers overthrew the president, allowing the MNLA and Islamist groups to take control of the north. The Islamists then seized full control of the region and imposed strict Sharia law with measures that included a ban on music and forcing women to wear veils. The groups also carried out public executions, floggings, and amputations for alleged criminals, drawing strong condemnation for human rights groups and the United Nations.
Another Zimbabwean has fallen victim to the country’s ‘insult laws’ after being arrested for Photoshopping an image of Robert Mugabe.
Professional graphic designer Ronald Chikambure appeared in court on Tuesday charged with ‘undermining the office of the President’. The charges are linked to a picture he edited, using the Photoshop programme, where his own face was edited onto the body of Robert Mugabe.
The state prosecutor told the court this week that police were given a tip-off that Chikambure had the picture on the wall of his office. The prosecutor said that “the picture had been edited to give a false impression to people who entered Chikambure’s office that it was him in the picture, and not the President.”
Police did not find the picture when they searched Chikambure’s offices, but they did find a copy on his laptop. Chikambure has pleaded not guilty to any crime.
Activist Phillip Pasirayi from the Centre for Community Development in Zimbabwe (CCDZ) told SW Radio Africa that this incident shows that “we are still living in a dictatorship.”
“This strategy of muzzling people, it is a strategy of ZANU PF to silence critics, to silence civil society, to silence the media, to silence anyone,” Pasirayi said.
He added that repeated criminal cases using ‘insult laws’ were a sign of the party’s “paranoia.” He also emphasised that making a joke, drawing a caricature or changing a picture for personal use was not an offence.
“In an advanced democracy it is normal to criticise political leaders and government leaders in such a fashion. And the government should be drawing lessons from what the criticisms are about,” Pasirayi said.
He urged the Zim government to “reflect on that which they are insulted by and address the concerns without restoring to insult laws to prosecute people.” SW Radio Africa
To contact this reporter email alex@swradioafrica.com
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has declared he is prepared to risk his life and become the first human to be sent into space by his country’s fledgling space programme.
The launch added to western concerns about Iran’s space programme because the same rocket technology could potentially be used to deliver a nuclear warhead on a ballistic missile.
“I am ready to be the first human to be sent to space by Iranian scientists,” Ahmadinejad told a group of scientists in Tehran gathered to celebrate the country’s space achievements, according to the semi-official Mehr news agency. Ahmadinejad was speaking at an event organised for the anniversary celebration of the 1979 Islamic revolution.
“Sending living things into space is the result of Iranian efforts and the dedication of thousands of Iranian scientists,” he said.
It was unclear if the suggestion was a serious one, but one group of Iranians declared they would do everything in their power to help Ahmadinejad achieve his goal.
One user posted on the page: “We will accompany him to the platform, we will even pay for the shuttle’s fuel costs.”
Ahmadinejad’s second and final term as president ends in June, and his political star has been on the wane since he fell out with parliament early in his second term and appeared to lose the support of the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
On Sunday, he stood up in parliament to play a tape recording that he said provided evidence of corruption by the family of the parliamentary speaker Ali Larijani, his political arch-rival and a likely frontrunner to succeed him as president. Larijani and his brother Fazel denied the accusations.
The Senate Leader, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba has identified corruption as the major factor militating against the completion of the Ajaokuta Steel Complex.
The three-term Senator representing Cross River Central Senatorial District, who spoke in Abuja, maintained that if not for corruption, the project which started almost 40 years ago should have been completed.
Apparently worried by the pitiable condition of the steel company, believed to have the capacity of creating over two million jobs for Nigerians, he said: “I feel diminished as a Nigerian each time I remember the story of Ajaokuta Steel. That project started when I was still an undergraduate. And in a few years, I would have been a graduate for 40 years. Yet, the project is still going on. So, there are a number of issues. That it hasn’t worked certainly has been as a result of corruption. For Heaven’s sake, even for the pride of the nation, I think that project has dragged on for too long, that we should as a nation be embarrassed that almost 40 years later, we are still talking about an uncompleted Ajaokuta Steel.”
On whether he subscribes to the claim that there are external forces working with some selfish individuals in the country to dissuade the government from completing the steel project, the number-three man in the Upper Chamber declared that, “I don’t have evidence. I don’t have any fact. So, I can’t draw a conclusion. But one thing I can say with certainty, if we as Nigerians are determined to complete Ajaokuta Steel, we will complete it, external forces notwithstanding. I mean, no amount of external forces should stop the completion of a project that is capable of bringing total transformation and advancement to our economy.”
Vice Chairman Senate Committee on Niger Delta affairs, Nurudeen Abatemi-Usman, had in a statement issued by his Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Michael Jegede, asserted that some people within the government circle are collaborating with outsiders to discourage President Goodluck Jonathan from completing the project, even though he (Jonathan) is seen to be highly passionate about Ajaokuta Steel.
