January 28, 2006

EFCC seeks bulk buyer for Tafa Balogun's properties

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission is set to auction 11 choice houses owned by former Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Tafa Balogun, in Lagos and Abuja.

Sesan Olufowobi

Balogun is currently serving a six-month jail term at Kuje Prison in Abuja over his refusal to cooperate with the EFCC while he was being investigated for money laundering offences.

He is also facing another 56-count charge for corruption and money laundering.

Late last year, the EFCC had obtained the order of a court in Lagos to auction identified properties of the former police boss.

Saturday Punch gathered that the commission decided to auction the properties located in choice areas of Lagos and Abuja since it had established beyond doubt that the houses belonged to Balogun.

Our correspondent learnt that two registered government auctioneers had been approved by the EFCC to handle the first phase.

Sources said the auctioneers would soon place notices in national newspapers, announcing the auction.

They would give a 21-day notice before the auction would be held on a date which was not disclosed to Saturday Punch.

An EFCC official, who confirmed the auction, said that necessary paperwork had been finalised to pave the way for the sale. He, however, added that the auction may be done privately while other properties might be sold before the end of the year.

The houses include a duplex at VGC, Lekki, three houses at Ikoyi and a two-wing duplex at Magodo Estate in Lagos. There are four houses located at Garki and the other two duplexes in Asokoro, Abuja

During a tour of the houses in Lagos on Friday, our correspondents discovered that one of them was in the final stages of renovation. A worker at the site, who claimed ignorance of the owner of the property, said that it was abandoned for a long time and was being renovated for unknown reasons.

Saturday Punch also discovered that some of the properties were occupied.

When contacted, EFCC's Head of Media, Osita Nwaja, confirmed that the commission would dispose off Balogun's properties. He, however, said the auction would not be open to the public.

According to Nwaja, the EFCC would prefer to sell the houses to corporations or government parastatals that would manage them properly.

Nwaja said, we want to avoid a situation where a few people would be used as fronts to buy the properties and later hand them over to the person they are representing.

We are not conducting a public auction. What we want to do is to find a responsible and clean organisation, whether government or private, which can buy all the properties in bulk. We want to avoid any manipulation.・

SATURDAY PUNCH, January 28, 2006

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January 25, 2006

Oyo deputy gov's name not in school records

Efforts to trace the academic records of the Oyo State Deputy Governor, Mr. Hazeem Gbolarumi, at the Timi Agbale Grammar School, Ede, Osun State, proved fruitless on Tuesday.

Tunde Odesola, Musikilu Mojeed and Kayode Ketefe

There was no record that he attended the school between 1970 and 1974.

The deputy governor had on Monday told The PUNCH that he attended Timi Agbale for his secondary school education.

His curriculum vitae at his inauguration indicated that he obtained a General Certificate of Education in 1974.

But a painstaking search through the school's records from 1969 to 1977 showed that the claim by the deputy governor that he graduated from the school in 1974 was false.

The fresh tissue of unverifiable claim compounds a web of untruths by the deputy governor. He had earlier claimed that he attended the Pacific University, US, but Internet checks on the University's site and on those of five others bearing similar names in the US did not corroborate his claim.

The revelation came as the Speaker, Oyo State House of Assembly, Mr. Adeolu Adeleke, petitioned President Olusegun Obasanjo to facilitate the restoration of Alhaji Rashidi Ladoja as governor.

Also on Tuesday, civil rights groups issued the Federal government a 48-hour ultimatum to restore Ladoja to office or face a nationwide demonstration.

Computer printouts of students who sat for the West African School Certificate Examinations at Timi Agbale between 1969 and 1977 did not contain the name of Gbolarunmi, who was on Monday inaugurated as deputy to Chief Bayo Alao-Akala.

Also, his name was not on the list of the alumni who had collected their certificates upon graduation from the 44-year-old school.

A member of the school staff, who spoke anonymously with our correspondent on Tuesday in Ede, challenged the deputy governor to come up with proof of his studentship.

The official said, if the records of the school cannot confirm that the former student attended the school, it is up to him to prove it. His name should be on the list of students who sat for the WASCE or the list of those who have come to collect their certificates.

The inability to trace his studentship only points to one thing: he never passed out of this school.

Civil rights groups whose protest march was aborted on Monday by the police, gave a 48-hour ultimatum for the restoration of Ladoja as governor and the release all those arrested during the protest.

Addressing newsmen on behalf of the groups in Abuja on Tuesday, the Deputy National President, Campaign for Democracy, Mallam Shehu Sani, said activists and other progressive forces would launch a full-scale protest nationwide after the expiration of the ultimatum.

Sani was reacting to the arrest of CD's President, Mr. Moshood Erubami, and some other protesters by the police in Ibadan on Monday.

He spoke shortly after the Peoples Democratic Party declared that it had decided to recognise Alao-Akala as governor so as not to allow a void in the governance of Oyo State.

The party also said it was hamstrung from intervening in the crisis by the numerous cases pending before courts on the matter.

The PDP's National Publicity Secretary, Mr. John Odey, said, we do not want to mix up political solution with judicial solution, and obviously you don't expect that there should be a vacuum. As far as the party is concerned, we shall respect the decision of the court. But obviously, the wishes of the people will prevail.

Odey added, I am sure you are aware that before the issue went to court, the party intervened and tried to resolve the crisis politically the best way we could.

But unfortunately, the parties went to court and we are hamstrung. We had to stay clear because as a party, we do not want to do anything that would undermine the judicial process.

Sani in a statement, said, the CD demands the unconditional release of Erubami and the restoration of the legitimate government of Oyo State, failing which human right groups and other progressive forces in the country will meet to launch a full scale protest.

The protest in Ibadan is just the first phase of the resistance, and there will be no respite until Erubami is released and the constitutional government of the state is restored. Mobilisation will continue nationwide until the demands are met.

What happened in Oyo State would continue to be resisted by civil society groups and all progressive forces in Nigeria.

He said no amount of intimidation and use of thugs to hound activists would stop the mobilisation against thugs and political beasts, who he said had held Oyo State captive.

The Speaker, Adeleke, urged President Obasanjo to compel by the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Sunday Ehindero, to obey the court order nullifying Ladoja痴 removal as the state governor.

In a statement dated January 23, 2006, and signed by all the 14 lawmakers loyal to Ladoja, a copy of which was made available to our correspondent on Tuesday, Adeleke insisted that Ladoja remained the governor on the strength of the judgment of Justice M. Bolaji-Yusuff of the High Court of Oyo State. He called for the immediate restoration of his security personnel.

Adeleke said every step taken by the anti-Ladoja group of 18 legislators in the purported removal was illegal, unconstitutional and a mockery of the democratic process.

He also accused the police of being partisan in the crisis by openly supporting illegal measures taken by the 18 legislators, while preventing the group of 14 from opposing the nefarious and shameful acts of our colleagues on the floor of the House.・

The statement added, it is apparent and evident that Section 188 (1)-(9) of the 1999 constitution was not only disobeyed, but also flagrantly and blatantly contravened, leading to the purported impeachment of Senator Rashidi Ladoja and the stealing of the peoples' mandate.

Adeleke faulted the whole process, saying it infringed on constitutional provisions.

He further alleged that on the day of the purported removal, mobile policemen armed to the teeth,・who allegedly said they were acting on instructions from above, turned the 14 lawmakers back from the House of Assembly.

They (the police) said they were ordered to protect the pro-impeachment legislators while anti-impeachment lawmakers should not be allowed to get into parliamentary chambers,・he stated.

The PUNCH, Wednesday, January 25, 2006

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January 21, 2006

Supreme Court declines to nullify emergency rule in Plateau

The Supreme Court on Friday shied away from making a pronouncement on whether the proclamation of a state of emergency in Plateau State in May 2004 was done in violation of the 1999 Constitution.

Tobi Soniyi, Abuja

The Supreme Court, which was constituted by seven justices, hid under a technical ground to dismiss a suit filed by Plateau State and members of its state House of Assembly in which they urged the court to declare that under the constitution, President Olusegun Obasanjo could not suspend a democratically elected executive governor of a state.

The court also failed to decide on the legality or otherwise of the imposition of the state of emergency on Plateau State because the Sole Administrator of Plateau State at the time the suit was filed, Maj-Gen. Chris Ali (rtd.), did not authorise the filing of the case.

The court consequently struck out the case because it was filed without authorization.

Justice Idris Kutigi, who delivered the lead judgment, said, it is a notorious fact that Maj-Gen. Chris Ali (retired) was appointed sole administrator of Plateau State during the state of emergency in that state from 18/5/2004 until 17/11/2004 when the emergency ceased.

It is also a notorious fact that during the state of emergency, both the Governor and the House of Assembly were suspended and therefore were not functional. It is also a notorious fact that throughout the period of state of emergency, only the sole administrator took decisions for and on behalf of the state.

It is therefore common sense to say that as at 24/6/2004, when the plaintiffs filed this suit, only the sole administrator could have authorized the filing of the suit on behalf of the Plateau State of Nigeria.・

He concluded that since Ali did not authorize the suit, the objection filed by the Federal Government succeeded.

The court, however, refused to dismiss the suit on the ground that no useful purpose would be served since Dariye had since returned to office.

Reacting to this ground of objection, Justice Kutigi said, a declaration of a state of emergency is a serious business anytime, anywhere.

Plateau State went to court to challenge the legality of the declaration of a state of emergency.

In the suit, which was argued by Prof. Ben Nwabueze (SAN), the state demanded for a compensation of N11.5 billion from the Federal Government as damages for the injuries suffered by the state Governor, Chief Joshua Dariye, and the state's lawmakers during the proclamation of a state of emergency on the state by President Obasanjo.

The state argued that Dariye and the state's lawmakers were entitled to compensation, having been unjustifiably suspended from office.

The Federal Government, however, opposed the claim for damages.

The Federal Government's counsel, Mr. Seeni Okunloye (SAN), argued that Dariye and the state's lawmakers did not supply any details to show that they suffered damages while the state of emergency lasted.

He urged the court to discountenance the claim on the ground that Dariye was not a party to the suit and that the apex court had no jurisdiction to award claims to someone who was not a party to an action.

The court agreed with the Federal Government that it lacked the power to award damages to people who were not parties to a suit.

Obasanjo had on May 18, 2004 slammed a state emergency on Plateau State.

While he was on suspension, Dariye caused an action to be instituted at the Supreme Court by the state, challenging the constitutionality or otherwise of the state of emergency imposed on the state.

The state asked for various declarations including the following:

A mandatory order compelling the Federal Government to pay to the Plateau State Government and the House of Assembly of the State the sum of N6 billion and N1 billion respectively for denying them the chance to perform their duties; a mandatory order compelling the Federal Government to pay to Chief Joshua Dariye, the Chief Executive of Plateau State and his deputy jointly the sum of N2 billion, to the commissioners of the government N5OO million and to the Speaker and each of the other members of the House of Assembly a total sum of Nl billion as compensation for loss of emoluments, including allowances, accommodation, transport and other privileges and perquisites, during the six months・period of their suspension.

Other prayers sought by the state were a mandatory order compelling the Federal Government to pay to Dariye the sum of N1 billion only as compensation for the damage caused him by false and malicious information credited to the former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Chief Akinlolu Olujinmi (SAN), to the effect that Dariye no longer enjoyed immunity having being suspended from office; and that the court should declare that Dariye's suspension by Obasanjo was unconstitutional and amounted to a violation of the provisions of sections 176 and 90 of the Constitution.

It challenged the appointment of Chris Alli as the state's administrator and urged the court to hold that his appointment was unconstitutional.

The state attacked the Emergency Powers Act 1961, the law under which the President appointed Chris Alli as the state's administrator.

The state said, A Declaration that the Emergency Powers Act 1961, supposing it to be an existing law, within the meaning of section 315 of the said 199 Constitution, is unconstitutional, null and void and an abdication of the legislative powers vested in the National Assembly by section 4 of the Constitution.

A declaration that the Government of Plateau State headed by Chief Joshua Dariye as the constitutional and duly elected Governor and Chief Executive of Plateau State is entitled to be paid compensation by the Federal Government for the deprivation of its constitutional right to administer the affairs of the State during the six months, May 18 to November 17, 2004, by its unlawful suspension by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

A declaration that the House of Assembly, Plateau State, as the constitutional and duly elected legislative organ of the State, is entitled to be paid compensation by the Federal Government for the deprivation of its constitutional right to make laws for the State and to exercise other functions vested in it by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 during the six months, May 18 to November 17,2004, of its unlawful suspension by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.・

SATURDAY PUNCH, January 21, 2006

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January 20, 2006

Oyo crisis: Soyinka wants Obasanjo impeached; It's a laughable suggestion - Presidency

The Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, on Thursday asked President Olusegun Obasanjo to resign or reverse allegedly unconstitutional acts of his government.

Yusuf Alli, Semiu Okanlawon and Ibanga Isine

One of such acts, according to him, is the purported removal of Alhaji Rashidi Ladoja as the Oyo State Governor.

He accused the President of having a hand in the state's political crisis.

But the Presidency, in its reaction, said Soyinka's call for Obasanjo's resignation was laughable.

The Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, who spoke with our correspondents on Thursday, said it was also ridiculous to claim that the President was behind the crisis in Oyo State.

Also on Thursday, the House of Representatives resolved to caution the Presidency, the judiciary and security agencies against contravening the rule of law.

Soyinka said in the event of Obasanjo refusing to obey the rule of law, Nigerians would be mobilised to compel their elected representatives at the National Assembly to initiate impeachment proceedings against him.

Addressing journalists in Lagos, he urged the President, leave quietly, peacefully. Take your quite considerable successes in governance policies with you.

Make it possible for us to call on you in retirement as a respected elder statesman. Do not leave the nation with such lacerating memories, with such bad taste in the mouth that the people would dismiss even your successes as mere accidents, as flashes in the pan or the work of others.

Soyinka said there was no need asking Obasanjo to speak up on the Oyo crisis.

He added, president Obasanjo has already spoken. He has spoken loud and clear over the Oyo crisis, and all that is left for the people is to respond. Actions speak louder than words, that is common wisdom.

And for those who try to suggest that there has been no overt action by the President before, during and after the Oyo crisis, I can only respond that there are times when inaction speaks even louder than both action and words.

Inaction becomes eloquent when it involves a deliberate avoidance of duty, a failure in the case of any citizen in a responsible position to take preventive action to head off anarchy and disaster. Inaction becomes even criminal where such an individual, by virtue of his or her special position, is saddled with that very special responsibility.

The Nobel laureate further said Obasanjo's guilt in the Oyo crisis did not end with his failure to act decisively. According to him, it was clear that the President was an active participant in the unfolding drama.

He said, he has been an active, propulsive, and unabashedly partisan participant in the formulation of that crisis. So the burden of guilt that rests on the presidential shoulders is not simply one of failing to act, but of instigating, stoking and guaranteeing the state of chaos.

According to Soyinka, the actions of the Nigeria Police in the crisis illustrated the stand of the Presidency. He added that since the Inspector-General of Police took orders from the President, it was easy to see which side the Presidency belonged in the whole crisis.

He also accused Obasanjo of using the police to enforce what he described as his personal political vendetta.

Stating that he was not a partisan supporter of the embattled Ladoja, Soyinka said the issue was beyond partisan politics.

The intra-party politics of any political organisation is none of the business of non-members of the party. They become the business of one and all, however, indeed a life and death issue, when the protocols that bind us together as a nation are flouted, mocked and debased, he said.

Outlining Obasanjo's alleged unconstitutional acts, the Nobel laureate said, Obasanjo has mangled the constitution and turned its polluted pulp into a weapon of offence against the rights and legitimate expectations of the people. We are confronted by a mind that has gone awry, a mind that is subject to no order except that of the crudest, most despotic notions of dominance in a primitive society. Nigeria is not a primitive or private fiefdom.

Accusing Obasanjo of endorsing violence as an instrument of governance, Soyinka said the President had empowered individuals whose actions ran contrary to the tenets of democracy.

He noted, if this presidential conduct persists, we have an obligation to call on our legislature to rescue that instrument of constitutional remedy from the current debasement and apply it to the author of our present predicament.

Commenting on recent statement by the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Dr. Ahmadu Ali, Soyinka asked Obasanjo if he was happy that a state such as Oyo was categorised as a garrison where orders must be obeyed.

He added, and was Ali's pronouncement merely the arrogant advance notice of the well-laid conspiracy to destabilise that state?・

Answering questions after the briefing, Soyinka would not rule out the imposition of a state of emergency on Oyo if the opposition to the new governor, Chief Adebayo Alao-Akala, persists.

He said he was aware that a state of emergency had become an instrument of intimidation in the hands of Obasanjo.

But he noted that this would not prevent a mass action being planned to enforce the rule of law in Oyo State.

On the activities of godfathers in the nation's politics, Soyinka said the trend had become a hallmark of this administration, adding, the President wants to be the godfather of godfathers.

Fani-Kayode, however, accused the Nobel laureate of being uncharitable in his comments.

He said, it is a laughable suggestion to ask the President to resign; it cannot possibly be justified. We have tremendous respect for Soyinka and of course, he is entitled to his own views.

But the overwhelming majority of Nigerian people are very pleased with the efforts that Mr. President has been making since 1999. All anybody has to do is to look at where we are coming from, in virtually every sphere, and compare it to where we are today. Under Obasanjo, Nigeria is moving forward and she would never go back.

On Soyinka痴 allegation that the President is behind Oyo crisis, he said, that is an unsubstantiated and ridiculous allegation.

的f he (Soyinka) said the President had spoken on Oyo crisis, I want to ask him, where did the President speak and what did he say? Throughout the whole crisis, both sides will confirm this to you, Mr. President had attempted to make peace between them. But there was nothing he could do when the matter went to court.・

Asked why the President gave a party in Oyo crisis, Alhaji Lamidi Adedibu, a royal reception at the Ibogun Day celebration, Fani-Kayode said Obasanjo treated every guest equally.

He gave Adedibu a royal reception because Adedibu was his guest and every single individual that took the trouble of coming to Ibogun on that day was accorded the same level of respect and warmth as Adedibu was.

On Soyinka's observation that Obasanjo is assuming the status of a 堵odfather of godfathers,・Fani-Kayode said, that is a very uncharitable, sinister and uncomplimentary submission.

We reject that toga in its entirety and we reject the sinister connotations that go with it.

Following the conclusion of a debate on the political crisis in Oyo State on Thursday, the House of Representatives noted the spate of constitutional violations all over the country.

It stressed the importance of the rule of law in a democracy.

The House adopted its resolution after Mr. Alex Nwofe submitted the report of the Joint Committee on Judiciary and Justice on the motion for the restoration of the rule of law and observance of the constitution in Oyo State, during the plenary session on Thursday.

Some members had disrupted the House proceedings on Wednesday when the Deputy Speaker, Mr. Austin Opara, committed the motion, which was moved by Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila and 14 other lawmakers, to the joint committee.

Shortly after Nwofe presented the committee's report on Thursday, the Speaker, Alhaji Bello Masari, who presided over the session, called for the dissolution of the House into executive session.

When the doors to the chambers were reopened at about 12.15pm, Nwofe, read out the full text of the report.

He said the committee had considered the provision of Order 9, Rule 5 that was raised by Mr. Depo Oyedokun.

Referring the House to the suit filed by Ladoja and the eight reliefs he sought, as well as the ruling of Justice M. Bolaji-Yussuff of Oyo State High Court on the matter, Nwofe said, it is obvious that we cannot safely discuss the motion as it will be prejudicing the matter in court.

However, the committee is equally of the respectful view that the anxiety generated by the recent events in Oyo State with its attendant consequences on our nascent democracy cannot escape the intervention of a responsible parliament like the House of Representatives.

He said that the most convenient way of intervening in the matter was to rephrase the prayers in the motion so that it did not offend the rules of the House and the principle of separation of powers.

When the matter was thrown for debate, the House Leader, Mr. Abdul Ningi, said the crisis in Oyo State reflected the general degeneration of the country into lawlessness.

He said that it was necessary for the legislature to tackle the rising negative political trend in the country.

Ningi said, the resolve of this House to call for obedience to the rule of law speaks volumes about our resolve to move this country forward.

We make bold to say that when you help somebody to get a political office, it does not mean that you have conferred a mandate on the person.

The mandate is that of the people. We should be man enough to answer our father's name and no individual or group has the power to manipulate this chamber.

As soon as Oyedokun, who raised the point of order on the motion, rose to speak, some members sympathetic towards Ladoja started murmuring.

However, Oyedokun lauded the Nwofe-led committee for its report and assured that he would abide by whatever decision the House would take on the matter.

He blamed the crisis on Ladoja's unwillingness to balance the various political interests in the state.

But Mrs. Patricia Akwashiki disagreed with him, noting that political office holders owe allegiance to the electorate and not to individuals or godfathers.

Other members spoke against the porous way the Oyo State House of Assembly conducted the impeachment process, and the involvement of the Acting Chief Judge of the state.

When Masari called for a voice vote to determine the acceptability of the prayers contained in Nwofe's report, all the members responded with yea.

The PUNCH, Friday, January 20, 2006

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January 19, 2006

Ladoja wins round one

An Ibadan High Court on Wednesday upheld its ruling that Alhaji Rashidi Ladoja was still the governor of Oyo State, pending the determination of an application before it on January 30, 2006.

Our correspondents

The decision of the court came amid the disruption of the plenary session of the House of Representatives over a motion on the crisis in Oyo State.

At the court's session, Justice M. Bolaji-Yusuff, refused to set aside the court's ruling on January 12, which declared the impeachment proceedings against Ladoja illegal.

Before the ruling on Wednesday, there were three applications at the court for determination.

The three applications were filed by the acting Chief Judge of Oyo State, Justice Afolabi Adeniran; the 18 lawmakers who purportedly removed the governor; and the three lawmakers loyal to Lodoja.

The acting CJ had, in his application, sought for an order setting aside the ruling of the court and the striking out of the suit on the ground that the court lacked jurisdiction to adjudicate on the subject matter (impeachment) in view of Section 188(10) of the 1999 Constitution.

On their part, the 18 lawmakers urged the court to set aside its January 12 ruling, claiming that the order was a nullity having been given without jurisdiction.

But the three lawmakers ・Hassan Ogundoke, Babatunde Olaniyan and Jacob Ojekunle ・wanted the court to refer the January 12 ruling to the Court of Appeal for determination.

They said the Court of Appeal would be able to determine four issues arising from the ruling.

In her ruling on Wednesday, Justice Bolaji-Yusuff, turned down the applications from the acting CJ and the 18 lawmakers to set aside her ruling, which declared the impeachment proceedings illegal.

The judge said it was procedurally better to determine the application for a referral of the January 12 ruling to the Court of Appeal before deciding on the jurisdiction of the High Court.

She said, it is my view and I so hold that before a court can determine whether a question involves jurisdiction or not, it must have heard both parties on an application for reference to the Court of Appeal and the question for reference must have been determined if the application succeeds.

It is my further view that it is after this that the court will be able to know if there are other issues in the case apart from the constitutional question set for reference to the Court of Appeal if the application succeeds.・

Bolaji-Yusuff added, 的n the instant case, it is my view and I so hold that the application for reference to the Court of Appeal should

be heard first. If the application succeeds, the court will be able to ascertain what questions are to be referred.

And if there is any issue(s) outstanding subject to the above condition, they will be determined before the reference to the Court of Appeal, if the appeals fails, the court will proceed with the application to set aside the ruling of the court delivered on January 12 2006.・

Bolaji-Yusuff, granted the request of Mr. O. Ayanlaja (SAN), who appeared for the acting Chief Judge and the 18 members of the state House of Assembly, for the adjournment of the case.

She adjourned the case to January 30 for arguments on the application seeking transfer of the matter to the appellate court.

In applying for the adjournment, Ayanlaja said there was no vacuum in the post of the Chief Executive of the state.・

In an interview with journalists after the ruling, the lead counsel to the three lawmakers, Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), said the legal battle was not because of the removal of Ladoja but for the sustenance of the rule of law.

The former President of the Nigerian Bar Association stated that the effort of the lawyers was to forestall a reoccurrence of the same trend of the alleged violation of the rule of law and the constitution.

Olanipekun said that the nation's leadership should cultivate the attitude of being guided by the law.

He said, the fight, like we have said, is not for Ladoja. The other time, we said it was not for Diepreye Alamieyeseigha. It might be anybody's turn. And if we don't fight for the rule of law in this country, we are goners. We must defend and espouse it. We must stand by it.・

He said reference of the constitutional questions to the Court of Appeal would quicken the determination of the case.

He added, if the constitutional issues are referred to the Court of Appeal, the court will take the issues once and for all, expeditiously. We want to avoid a situation where the case will last for long. The process is faster and the Court of Appeal will simply determine all the questions that will be raised and referred.

The SAN explained that the questions to be referred, include, the determination of the two thirds of the 32-member House; the position of the Acting Speaker; and the legality of the constitution of the panel by the ACJ, whose report gave birth to the removal of Ladoja.

He said the issues were 杜inute but so germane and fundamental to the determination of the case.・

The President of the West African Bar Association, Mr. Femi Falana, held that he was sure that the appropriate agencies would comply with the ruling of the court by reinstating Ladoja to his post.

He said, the Inspector General of Police is a senior lawyer and I知 very sure he is going to defer to the ruling of the court as well as the advice of the bar, particularly of the Body of Senior Advocates of Nigeria and the NBA.・

The lead counsel to the defendants, Chief Lekan Latinwo, however, said that Chief Adebayo Alao-Akala, who was inaugurated as the governor remained the chief executive of the state.

Latinwo, a former Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice in the state, said that the only means by which Alao-Akala could be removed was through impeachment.

He argued that his position was informed by the earlier decision of an Ibadan High Court before the investigative panel submitted its report.

He said the High Court had ruled that the impeachment panel could not be stopped from functioning through court process.

Another counsel to the G18, Mr. Michael Lana, who handled the presentation of the allegations against Ladoja before the panel, said the inauguration of Akala as the governor of the state had not been challenged in court as at Wednesday.

In spite of the legal battle, Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State came alive once again on Wednesday following the suspension of a two-day strike called by the 12 industrial unions to protest the removal of Ladoja.

Commercial vehicles・operators, under the aegis of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, who joined the sympathy strike also returned to work.

The usual hustle and bustle in Iwo Road, Gate, Challenge, Molete, Mokola and Beere area of the city returned on Wednesday.

Workers at the state secretariat, Office of the Governor and the House of Assembly, were equally in their offices.

Commercial activities also peaked on Wednesday as traders at Dugbe, Gate, and Alesinloye markets displayed their wares.

The tight security witnessed on the two days that the action lasted had also been relaxed, as police presence had now been restricted to the state secretariat, with fewer policemen on guard.

The police armoured personnel carrier stationed opposite the secretariat was however still in place.

In Abuja, however, the plenary session of the House of Representatives was on Wednesday disrupted when the Deputy Speaker, Mr. Austin Opara, referred the motion on the political crisis in Oyo State to the Joint Committee on Judiciary and Justice against the wishes of some members.

About six security operatives and three officials from the office of the Sergeant at Arms were drafted to guard the mace against any attempt to seize it by the aggrieved lawmakers.

As soon as Opara, who presided over the session, read the first order of the day, involving a motion for the restoration of the Rule of Law and Observance of the Constitution in Oyo State,・more than four members called him to order simultaneously.

The deputy speaker however insisted that it was wrong for a point of order to be raised when a motion has not been moved on the floor of the House.

He therefore called on Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila, to move the motion, which was co-sponsored by 14 other lawmakers.

Based on this, Gbajabiamila, on behalf of the other lawmakers, told the House about the alleged violation of the Constitution in the removal of Ladoja.

He condemned the roles played by the state's Acting Chief Judge as well as 18 members of the House of Assembly in the impeachment process.

He also reiterated the need to obey the rule of law and the Constitution for democratic sustenance.

He said, Mr. Speaker, this House should resolve to call on all authorities and persons to obey the rule of law and therefore regard the ruling of the High Court of Oyo State declaring the impeachment of Ladoja null, void and of no effect.

Let us request the Inspector-General of Police to ensure the obedience to the orders of the court and restore security aides of the governor and generally restore law and order in Oyo State.・

The lawmaker further said that Ladoja alone be recognised as the governor of Oyo State.

He urged the Chief Justice of the Federation, Justice Mohammed Uwais, to investigate the action of the Acting Chief Judge of Oyo State and sanction him accordingly.

Gbajabiamila had barely finished his presentation, when Mr. Depo Oyedokun shouted on top of his voice, point of order, point of order, and when leave was granted him, he referred Opara to Order number 9, Rule 1 and 5.

Oyedokun argued that since the matter was before the court, it would be subjudice to discuss it on the floor of the House.

When members who were in support of the motion asked him to sit down, he went into frenzy, shouting, Mr. Speaker, this matter is before the court. This matter is before the court.

We shall not discuss this matter on the floor of this House. It is against the rule of law,・he said.

Efforts by the deputy speaker to restore order failed, as the House broke into two factions with each of the factions trying to get its point of view across.

During the confusion, Alhaji Bashir Nadabo, a member from Katsina State displayed the poster of President Olusegun Obasanjo with the letter, drawn across it with the words, No to Third Term Bid.

This incensed some lawmakers including, Mrs. Mercy Almona Isei, who made a swift move to take the poster from Nadabo, a situation that nearly degenerated into a fight.

Other members who exchanged hot words included Mr. Balla Ibn Nallah; Mr. Farouk Adamu; and Mr. Uche Nwagoacha. Both Mr. Cairo Ojougboh and Mr. Chuma Nzeribe persuaded the members to be calm.

When order was partially restored, Nallah, Mr. Cyril Maduagbum, Mr. Celestine Ughanze and Mr. Dati Baba Ahmed argued on the desirability or otherwise of the motion.

The deputy speaker finally dropped the gavel to commit the motion to the Joint Committee on Judiciary and Justice against the wishes of members who preferred it being discussed.

This led to another round of pandemonium that forced Opara to adjourn for an executive session.

The PUNCH, Thursday, January 19, 2006

Posted by Publisher at 03:47 PM | Comments (0)

January 18, 2006

Ibadan grounded

Commercial drivers in Ibadan, Oyo State, withdrew their services on Tuesday in compliance with the strike order by the state branch of the Nigeria Labour Congress.

Tobi Soniyi, Semiu Okanlawon,Akin Oyedele and Ademola Oni

Fourteen unions in the state affiliated to the NLC called a strike on Monday over the precarious security situation sparked off by the removal of Governor Rashidi Ladoja.

Ladoja also on Tuesday filed a fresh suit at the Federal High Court, Abuja, seeking an injunction to restrain the Federal Government and the Nigeria police from recognising Chief Bayo Alao-Akala as governor.

There were indications late on Tuesday that Ladoja could file a suit at the Federal High Court, Lagos, on Wednesday, seeking to restrain Alao-Akala from using the state痴 financial resources until the ongoing dispute is settled.

Our correspondents reported that most commercial drivers withdrew their services to protest the removal of Ladoja.

As early as 7am on Tuesday, most of the motor parks in the metropolis were jam-packed with stranded commuters.

Areas affected were Iwo Road, Mokola, Challenge, and Agodi Gate.

When our correspondents called the Chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, Alhaji Wasiu Abubakar, one of his drivers, who simply identified himself as Sheriff, said he was holding a meeting with the state Deputy Commissioner of Police, Mr. Jonathan Johnson.

The action of the transporters was fuelled by what a source described as the decision of the new government to clampdown on labour leaders.

Workers at the state secretariat, Agodi, partially observed the strike.

A visit to some of the ministries indicated that few workers braved the odds.

Following the resumption of the18 pro-Adedibu members of the House of Assembly, few workers at the adjoining Assembly complex were also on duty when our correspondents visited.

The state Chairman of the Nigerian Union of Teachers, Mr. Dada Elijah, and his secretary, Mr. Olu Abiala, were arrested on Monday evening. They have since been released.

The two leaders were arrested at the Alayande Resource Centre as they were about convening a meeting of the industrial unions to review the situation in the state.

A former Chairman of the state NLC and Special Adviser to Ladoja on Labour Matters, Mr. Ibrahim Bolomope, alleged that operatives of the State Security Service invaded his residence at about 5.30am on Tuesday and arrested his wife, Zainab.

Bolomope, in a telephone interview, however, told our correspondents that Zainab was later released.

However, a source at the office of the SSS, who pleaded anonymity, said the labour leaders were invited for interaction.

Findings further indicated that labour leaders in the state met with Alao-Akala and the new Secretary to the State Government at about noon.

After the meeting at the Governor痴 Office, the Chairman of the Committee of Industrial Unions, Mr. Adeolu Arowolo, said the session was fruitful.

He added, 典he governor has assured us of adequate security of our members both in their offices and outside. In the light of this, we hereby call on all our members to return to work immediately.

滴e also assured us that no worker would be victimised as a result of his not coming to work.・

Others at the meeting were the Chairman of the state NLC, Mr. Alamu Oloyede; his Secretary, Mr. Remi Adediji; and Abiala.

The President of the West African Bar Association, Mr. Femi Falana, said the arrest and intimidation of labour leaders would only aggravate an already tense situation.

He expressed worry at the turn of events in the state, saying the crisis had already taken a toll on the social and commercial activities in the city.

的 went through the city and I saw empty streets. Is that a normal situation?,・he asked.

An Ibadan High Court presided over by Justice M. Bolaji-Yusuff will on Wednesday (today) give a ruling on the jurisdiction of the court to entertain the suit challenging the removal of Ladoja.

The court will also rule on the application by three members of the Oyo State House of Assembly that any question arising from the court痴 earlier ruling on Thursday should be referred to the Court of Appeal.

The court had last Thursday given an order nullifying the impeachment and subsequent removal from office of Ladoja.

But at the resumed sitting of the court on Tuesday, the 18 lawmakers who removed the governor argued that the motion challenging the jurisdiction of the court should first be addressed.

Counsel to the 18 lawmakers, Mr. Michael Lana, submitted that the argument of Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN) questioning the jurisdiction of the court, needed to be settled first before the issue of transfer or reference could be heard.

Lana referred to the request for transfer as procedural irregularity, arguing, 的f the (High) court cannot hear the merit of the case, the issue of 祖ase stated・cannot come in. It would have been a different thing if the issue of jurisdiction is one of the questions to be sent to the Court of Appeal.

He added, 展hen the questions you are sending to the Court of Appeal are answered, will your court be competent enough to answer the substantive suit? The questions to the Court of Appeal may turn out to be mere academic.・

Olanipekun argued that every other motion was subsumed to the application to transfer the case to the Court of Appeal.

He said, 展here there are two competing motions; one seeking to destroy and the other seeking to preserve or keep alive, the one seeking to preserve will be taken first. And that痴 even looking at it like the Biblical Pontius Pilate.・

The former NBA boss explained that the reference of the case to the appellate court would save time and ensure finality and certainty, adding that the move would preserve jurisdictional provision.

He noted that the word 訴nterpret・in Section 295(2) of the constitution was all encompassing; including the question on the court痴 jurisdiction, saying the law 塗as conferred a non-appellable jurisdiction on the (High) court.・

Olanipekun appeared with three other SANs ・Akeredolu Rotimi, Kola Awodein and Niyi Akintola.

Others who appeared with him were Falana; the former Secretary-General, NBA, Mr. Dele Adesina; and Deola Omotunde.

Ladoja launched a fresh legal battle to regain his seat with a suit against the Federal Government, the Inspector-General of Police, the Attorney-General of Oyo State, the Oyo State House of Assembly, Alao-Akala and the Acting Chief Judge of Oyo State.

In the new suit, which was filed at the Federal High Court, Abuja by Mallam Yusuf Ali (SAN), Ladoja asked the court to declare that he remained the governor of Oyo State on the strength of the ruling delivered by Justice M. Bolaji-Yusuff of the Oyo State High Court on January 12.

He asked the court to restrain Akala from parading himself as the governor of the state.

He also sought an order restraining all the defendants from disturbing him from performing his duties as the governor of Oyo State.

Other reliefs sought by Ladoja are:

・An order directing the Attorney-General of the Federation and the Inspector-General of Police to restore to his office as the constitutionally recognised governor of Oyo State;

・An order setting aside the purported swearing in of Akala as the governor of Oyo State by the Acting Chief Judge of the State;

・An Injunction restraining all the defendants from recognising Alao-Akala as the state governor;

・A declaration that the police and the Federal Government have no constitutional or legal authority to recognise Alao-Akala as the constitutionally elected governor of Oyo State; and

・A declaration that having regard to the provisions of Sections 6 and 188 of the 1999 Constitution, coupled with the ruling of Justice Bolaji-Yusuff, the administering of oath of office on Alao-Akala as the governor of Oyo State was illegal and unconstitutional.

He had already filed an ex parte application to serve the defendants by substituted service so as to quickly notify them of the suit.

The case has not been assigned to any judge and therefore has not been fixed for hearing.

In a related development, the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Mr. Adeolu Adeleke, said the lawmakers would not reconvene until Alao-Akala quits.

He also warned the governor against tampering with the treasury of the state.

Adeleke, who spoke with our correspondents on telephone, said, 典he Oyo State Assembly will only reconvene after the usurper (Alao-Akala) has vacated office.

鄭ll lawmakers in the state have accepted Ladoja痴 directive not to draw their salaries. We expressed our support for Ladoja痴 decision to pay the salaries of workers in the state.

展e are, however, seizing this opportunity to warn Alao-Akala against tampering with the funds of the state in any form.・

In spite of the warning by Adeleke, the 18 lawmakers who spearheaded the removal of Ladoja, on Tuesday reconvened at the House of Assembly complex under tight security.

Addressing a news conference shortly after holding a meeting with Alao-Akala, the Chairman, House Committee on Information and Culture, Mr. Babatunde Eesuola, said the aggrieved lawmakers could no longer afford to hold the state to ransom.

He said the lawmakers would start to treat pending legislative issues and correspondence, which had piled up since the political crises engulfed the state, leading to the factionalisation of the 32-member House.

On their mission in the governor痴 office, he said the lawmakers deemed it fit to familiarise with the governor and inform him officially about their resumption.

He explained that the meeting with the governor bordered on the state of insecurity in Ibadan, for which he said Alao-Akala gave the assurance that there was no cause for alarm.

Eesuola said Alao-Akala had been mandated to present a new Appropriation Bill for 2006.

The Punch, Wednesday January 18, 2006

Posted by Publisher at 08:48 AM | Comments (0)

Shell: Hostages warn against use of force, oil prices hit $65

The four foreign oil workers kidnapped last week by militants in the Niger Delta have warned the military against the use of force in securing their freedom.

Clara Nwachukwu with Agency Reports

Dispelling fears about their safety, the foreign hostages, all employees of the Shell Petroleum Development Company, said they were in good health.

The four ・a British, an American, a Bulgarian and a Honduran ・spoke with Reuters on Tuesday just as the Federal Government raised a committee to facilitate their early release.

The American who gave his name as Patrick Landry, told Reuters on telephone, 的 would like you all to contact my family and let them know that I知 alright, these people are treating me good, but the climate is not what it should be.・

The Briton, Mr. Nigel Watson-Clark, read out five demands, which their captors said should be met within 48 hours.

They include: Control of oil by the region; the payment of $1.5billion by the SPDC to Bayelsa State to compensate for pollution; the release of the Leader of the Niger Delta Peoples Volunteer Force, Alhaji Mujahideen Asari-Dokubo; the release of the former Bayelsa State Governor, Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha; and the release of an unnamed Ijaw militant.

However, the whereabouts of the hostages remained unknown as at press time on Tuesday.

Indication that the Federal Government was not considering the use of force to free the foreign oil workers emerged in Abuja after a meeting between President Olusegun Obasanjo and security chiefs.

A statement by the Senior Special Adviser to the President on Media, Mrs. Remi Oyo, said the government had set up a committee to work out modalities for the prompt release of the kidnapped oil workers.

Present at the talks, according to Reuters, were the Vice-President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar; Governors Goodluck Jonathan (Bayelsa); James Ibori (Delta); Peter Odili(Rivers); Segun Agagu(Ondo) ;and the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Sunday Ehindero.

Others were the Minister of State for Defence, Dr. Rowland Oritsejafor; army chiefs, representatives of the Navy; the Airforce and other security agencies. The Minister of State for Petroleum, Mr. Edmund Daukuro, was also part of the team.

The Associated Press later reported that Federal Government negotiators had made contact with the kidnappers.

Initial reports from security agents and community leaders dealing with militants indicated "positive signals that the matter will soon be resolved amicably."

But a government source, denied the demand for money by the kidnappers.

"Let it be stated clearly that no ransom has been demanded so far and no amount has been paid," the source said.

Our correspondents reported that the IG, Ehindero, after the meeting in Abuja, despatched five patrol boats to the Niger Delta to strengthen the efforts at rescuing the hostages.

A previously unknown group, Movement for Emancipation of Niger Delta, claims to be holding the oil workers.

The foreign oil workers were kidnapped last Tuesday. Five days after, militants also attacked a flow station belonging to the SPDC, killing more than 10 people and wounding many.

The Commander of the Joint Task Force in the Niger Delta, code-named 徹peration Restore Hope,・Brig.-Gen.Elias Zamani, said the dead included four soldiers and eight assailants.

The SPDC loses some 211,000 barrels of crude daily, or 8.4 per cent of Nigeria痴 exports of 2.6million barrels due to the attack.

In a statement on Tuesday, the company reiterated its resolve not to pull out of the Niger Delta but made no mention of plans for staff on the fields in the region.

Meanwhile, world oil prices hit a three and half-month high on Tuesday, partly due to threats by militants to use more aggressive tactics against oil workers and their families from February.

Prices are already itching up to last August record-high of $70.85 per barrel.

Crude rose to $65.53 per barrel in the United States, more than two per cent above Friday's trading at $63.92

An analyst, Tobin Gorey of the Commonwealth Bank of Australia said, "Nigeria's escalating problems... are boosting prices. Nigeria puts almost 2.5 million barrels of crude into the market daily -- around three per cent of global oil output."

Another analysts, Craig Pennington, said, "Nigeria has always been a difficult place and now they have targeted the offshore platforms. They have never done that before. Obviously, that's very dangerous."

The Punch, Wednesday January 18, 2006

Posted by Publisher at 08:47 AM | Comments (0)

States reject N200bn allocation

Representatives of the 36 state governments in the country on Tuesday walked out of the meeting of the Federation Account Allocations Committee in protest against the withholding of N67billion oil revenue by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation.

Oluyinka Akintunde, Abuja

The states, represented by their commissioners of finance and accountants-general, rejected the over N200billion provided for disbursement to the three tiers of government for the month of January, insisting that the NNPC had to provide the balance.

FAAC, which is headed by the Minister of State for Finance, Mrs. Nenadi Usman, meets every third week of each month to share the revenue that accrues into the Federation Account in the previous month.

Apart from the commissioners of finance and accountants-general of the 36 states, the FAAC meeting is also attended by the Accountant-General of the Federation, Mr. Ibrahim Dankwambo; representatives of the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission, the NNPC, Federal Inland Revenue Service and the Nigeria Customs Service.

The meeting, which was to share the revenue realised in December 2005, was, however, presided over by the Chairman of the RMAFC痴 Indices and Disbursement Committee, Alhaji Ahmed Iliyasu, due to the absence of Nenadi, who was attending the Presidential Stakeholders・Meeting on the Economy and Consolidated Bank that held simultaneously with the FAAC meeting.

Sources, who attended the meeting held at the Le Meridien Hotel in Abuja, confirmed to our correspondent that the meeting came to an abrupt end 40 minutes after it commenced due to the disagreement over revenue from crude oil sales, which the NNPC pays monthly into the Federation Account.

According to the sources, the NNPC paid the sum of N40billion into the Federation Account as crude oil revenue for December as against the expected N107billion.

A finance commissioner said, 典he 36 states rejected the collection of the allocations for the month of January totalling over N200billion. What we agreed is that the NNPC either pays all the N107billion or at least 70 per cent of the amount into the Federation Account.・

Our correspondent gathered that efforts by the RMAFC representative in the committee and some Federal Government officials to break the deadlock did not yield result as the 36 states stuck to their position and refused to go ahead with the meeting.

When asked for the reason given by the NNPC for the shortfall, the source said the corporation attributed it to subsidy.

典he corporation as usual, was talking about subsidy, an excuse the 36 states rejected. We told officials of the corporation that the states do not want to hear about subsidy anymore,・the source hinted.

A senior official of the Ministry of Finance, who also confirmed the development to our correspondent, said appreciable progress had been made by the ministry to douse the tension created at the meeting, which resulted in the deadlock.

Commenting on the development, the Group General Manager, Corporate Affairs, NNPC, Dr. Levi Ajuonuma, said, 展e will look into the issue but there is no cause for alarm. The intricacies of the Federation Account are quite complex and so there is no reason for anybody to walk out of the Federation Account Allocation Committee meeting.・

The Punch, Wednesday January 18, 2006

Posted by Publisher at 08:45 AM | Comments (0)

FG and bungled Hajj operations

Whereas the Federal Government's handling of Hajj operations, over the years, has always been poor, the predicament of hundreds of Moslem pilgrims who fulfilled all the conditions to perform this year's Hajj in Saudi Arabia, but could not be airlifted to the holy land, is the worst in recent times.

Chairman of FG's Technical Committee on Hajj, Prof. Abubakar Gwandu, while apologising to the affected pilgrims, stated that out of the nation's 58,000 intending pilgrims, only 45,000 were airlifted for the religious rite, leaving a balance of 13,000 stranded at various airports in the country. Indeed, other reports claimed that roughly 20,000 pilgrims were yet to be airlifted by the time the deadline expired on Wednesday, January 4. This was in spite of the 48-hour extension the FG secured from Saudi authorities and the government痴 unethical, sudden diversion of a South Africa bound Virgin Nigeria flight from the Murtala Muhammed International Airport to airlift pilgrims to Jeddah.

Most of the pilgrims waited for close to two weeks in inhospitable, makeshift camps provided for them at various airports in the country, from where they returned home, exhausted and traumatised. Governor Peter Odili of Rivers State has since suspended the state痴 Pilgrims Welfare Board for its incompetence. Pilgrims from Lagos State and those who are members of some Moslem organisations, which did not rely on FG痴 arrangements, were said to be among the lucky ones that made it to Mecca.

Lack of aircraft, FG痴 monopoly of the handling of Hajj operations, stifling bureaucracy and corruption have been blamed for the latest harrowing experience of Moslem pilgrims in the country. President Olusegun Obasanjo says, for instance, that the contractors who were employed for the airlifting operation knew nothing about the job. The funds provided by government for airlifting operations are often deposited in private accounts by corrupt officials to yield interest. In response to this clear case of graft and ineptitude, the government says a stakeholders・meeting is to be convened to find a permanent solution to the problem. The Senate, on its part, said it would probe the bungled Hajj. In addition, a National Commission for Hajj Bill is said to be before the Senate as a panacea for the crisis.

It is on record that countries with larger Moslem populations like Indonesia, Palestine, Bangladesh, Malaysia, etc., which sponsor more than double the number of Nigerian pilgrims to Mecca, have consistently done so without subjecting their nationals to avoidable hardship. But the Hajj operation in Nigeria has become chaotic because it has been centralised and placed in the hands of government cronies and rent seekers. Like the centralised distribution of fertiliser and other business operations conducted by the public sector, organising for pilgrimages will remain a cesspit of graft and ineptitude if it remains under the control of the Federal Government. Its monopoly of Hajj operations is serving more as a source of corrupt self-enrichment for some public officers than assisting intending pilgrims.

Travelling to Mecca or Jerusalem is a purely commercial activity, which private travel agencies can handle without hitches. The private sector is better equipped to plan and organise for the annual event. The FG could render consular and other services to assist the private sector to handle same. Indeed, it is in the interest of all religious bodies to discount government in making arrangement for all intending pilgrims. The fact that some Moslem societies successfully airlifted their members to the holy land without government assistance strongly suggests that private operators would be more conscious of their responsibilities to pilgrims than incompetent, government-appointed cronies and contractors. In addition, the FG should borrow the Rivers State example, by investigating the handling of the bungled Hajj operations and bringing to book those behind the national embarrassment.

The Punch, Wednesday January 18, 2006

Posted by Publisher at 08:42 AM | Comments (0)

Liquidation: The waiting game begins

The first phase of the banking sector reform programme formally came to an end on Monday with the announcement by the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Prof Charles Soludo that the licences of 14 banks that failed to meet the N25billion recapitalisation deadline, which lapsed on December 31, 2005, have been revoked.

Ayo Olesin

Though the action was not unexpected, the finality of the pronouncement still sent shock waves across the system, especially the revelation that about N177billion in depositors funds are trapped in the failed banks with N107billion uninsured.

The pronouncement dashed hopes of a last minute miracle, that 都omething can still be done・and for the affected banks・workers, shareholders and depositors, it heralds a season of uncertainties.

However, Soludo has assured Nigerians that depositors・funds would be safeguarded and as first step, appointed interim management boards for 11 of the failed banks and all of them sealed by police to prevent asset stripping, which would limit the possibility of depositors getting their monies in full as envisaged by the apex bank.

The experience of the failed banks episode of the 90s show that recovery of the affected banks・funds from debtors and indeed, the entire liquidation process can be long, tedious and expensive.

The Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation, the official undertaker of dead banks, has to overcome various challenges relating to recovery and management of outstanding loans, disposal of fixed assets, compilation and verification of claims, increased personnel requirements, impatience of depositors arising from the associated delays, public perception about the entire process and of course, a slew of law suits that may compound the effort.

With the argument by some of the affected banks, some of which were actually doing well as small niche players, and others that were on the road to recovery after surviving near collapse just a few years ago, that they needed more time to recapitalise, the liquidation process needs expert handling to further justify the banking sector reforms.

Some of the concerns are that the banks do not have enough assets to cover liabilities. The CBN boss revealed that the Alliance Bank group of eight, for example, had negative shareholders funds of N54.3billion. Insiders confirmed before liquidation that the group had outstanding bad loans totalling N75billion.

Most of the banks operated from leased premises and the quality or existence of the 殿ssets・carried on their balance sheets are clearly suspect, as revealed during the due diligence exercises conducted by prospective merger partners. A few had had difficulties meeting depositors・obligations as far back as 2003.

What should depositors expect? In a liquidation situation, the Banks and Other Financial Institutions Act (1991) and the Corporate and Allied Matters Act (1990) provides that depositors would be paid first before other claimants such as trade creditors. This is designed to sustain confidence in the banking system.

The CBN governor has already announced that the existing deposits would be transferred to those that scaled the hurdle for safekeeping within 90 days.

Small depositors, which constitute the bulk of customers, have little to worry about as the NDIC will first pay claims on insured deposits, which is still limited to N200,000.

Then begins the payment of uninsured claims or liquidation dividends, likely in batches as the corporation recovers outstanding loans and realises the failed banks・fixed and other assets.

According to a 2004 NDIC publication, 釘ank Liquidation in Nigeria (1994-2004)・ between 1994 and 2004, it closed 34 banks and paid a total of N3.29billion representing 63 per cent of the N5.24billion insured deposits in the 34 banks-in-liquidation as at the close of 2004.

It also declared an aggregate dividend of N10.7billion for 32 out of the 34 banks in liquidation out of which N5.72billion or 53 per cent of the amount declared paid to depositors as at December 2004.

Indeed, depositors in 10 of the liquidated banks recovered 100 per cent of their deposits, while dividends ranging from five to 96 per cent were declared for all the other banks.

However, the main challenge for the NDIC is the recovery of the outstanding loans, which, from past experience form the bulk of the failed banks・assets.

Apart from the repayment of N4.8billion insider-related credit by two of the failed Alliance Group members, it is not clear how much of the loans have or can be recovered.

The CBN and NDIC have indicated that they will go tough in this regard and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has been mandated to assist in tracking down big loan defaulters, some of who are 菟rofessionals・that move from bank to bank using different companies to obtains 斗oans・they never intended to repay.

Already, some bank chief executives, directors and big loan defaulters have been arrested by the EFCC, but this does not necessarily translate into funds recovery.

Chief Executive Officer of Intercontinental Bank Plc, Mr. Erastus Akingbola, recently called for a more effective judicial system that would facilitate the recovery of outstanding loans, which is the major challenge facing the banking sector as a whole.

According to the NDIC, out of the 743 judgments obtained in favour of the 34 banks liquidated between 1994 and 2004, valued at N6.18billion and $34.14million, only N239million was recovered, compared with the total claim of N14.14billion.

But lawyers will still have a field day, as desperate large depositors are likely to file suits to recover their deposits despite all assurances of safety by the CBN.

Assets valuation and disposal is also expected to be transparent to prevent any backlash that might smear the liquidation process.

In the final analysis, NDIC staff, from top to bottom will be very busy in the coming months.

The corporation is likely to complement personnel deficiencies relating all aspects of the liquidation process by engaging accounting firm and consultants as closing agents, though the tedious work of claims verification should be made easier since banking operations are largely Information Technology-driven.

It will also have a hard time explaining payout delays to the illiterate, unenlightened depositors, especially in the rural areas, so it could help itself by carrying along the mass media every step of the way.

For the CBN, having opted for liquidation of the affected banks, it will have to keep its word that depositors would be paid in full by issuing government securities, say CBN Bills, as earlier proposed, to meet any shortfall in cash realised from the disposal of their assets.

This is the sacrifice the Federal Government must make to sustain public confidence in the banking industry, which the consolidation exercise had inadvertently helped to diminish, despite its good intents and purposes.

The Punch, Wednesday January 18, 2006

Posted by Publisher at 08:41 AM | Comments (0)

Works minister projects N36bn revenue for National Road Fund

The Minister of Works, Chief Adeseye Ogun-leye, has projected an annual funding of N36billion for the rehabilitation and maintenance of Nigerian roads through the proposed National Road Fund.

Oluyinka Akintunde, Abuja

Ogunleye, who stated this in Abuja on Tuesday at a news briefing, emphasised that only the establishment and implementation of the National Road Fund could make Nigerian roads user- friendly at all times.

He said, 撤resident Olusegun Obasanjo is determined to make Nigerian roads what they are supposed to be. The funds from the National Road Fund will be split for use into three categories, Federal, State and Local Government.

典his will ensure that Nigerian roads are motorable, thereby improving agriculture, reducing cost of living, accidents, and expanding economy. It will also expand intra and inter-state transportation.

He stated that only the private sector would manage the fund in order to ensure judicious use of the funds realised.

Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Dr. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, urged Nigerians to learn from the success recorded by Ghana through the establishment of the Ghana Road Fund.

Baba-Ahmed explained, 典he Ghana Road Fund was established 20 years ago and implementation commenced immediately with a little sacrifice, their roads have changed for good today.・

He said that for Nigeria to come out of its deplorable condition of roads, there must be a little sacrifice which will go a long way in touching the lives of Nigerians.

It would be recalled that the Federal Government had in 2004 abolished toll plazas, which generated a monthly sum of N65m-illion for the maintenance and rehabilitation of federal roads across the country.

The Punch, Wednesday January 18, 2006

Posted by Publisher at 08:40 AM | Comments (0)

150m capital base too low for PFAs

The N150million capital base stipulated for Pension Fund Administrators in the Pension Reform Act is inadequate for the volume of business transactions expected of them, the Managing Director, Premium Pension Limited, Mr. Aliyu Dikko, has said.

Michael Faloseyi, Abuja

He said this in Abuja on Tuesday during an interactive session with members of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria on the role of PFAs in the new pension regime.

The National Pension Commission certified PPL alongside with others as pension fund administrators last year, having met the minimum capital base, among other conditions as required by the Act.

Dikko said that his company has since increased its capital base to N500million with N400million fully paid.

He said that the stipulated capital base was too small for the volume of business required and that the company spent about N15million to acquire its information technology from Canada.

The PPL, he said, reached an agreement with a subsidiary of First Bank of Nigeria Plc as its pension fund custodian and that branches of First Bank would be used to carry out transactions with owners of pension fund accounts with PPL.

Meanwhile, President of ASCSN, Mr. Olukunle Olaitan, told his members to take keener interest in their pension management so as to ensure that they are not ripped off.

He said that the association had organised the forum to interact with PFAs and the Pension Fund Custodians so as to enable civil servants decide on their choice of service providers.

Olaitan said the workers should decide early enough on the choice of their PFA so that their pension now in a dedicated account with the Central Bank of Nigeria would be invested and enable them to control of their pensions.

He told the workers to evolve a method that will ensure mass and active participation and provide effective monitoring mechanism that will guarantee the safety of their funds.

The Punch, Wednesday January 18, 2006

Posted by Publisher at 08:36 AM | Comments (0)

January 17, 2006

NCC moves against poor telecoms services

The Nigerian Communications Commission will sanction fixed and mobile telecommunications companies which fail to meet minimum quality standards set by the regulatory agency.

Everest Amaefule, Abuja

Apart from sanctions, the commission has also concluded plans to publish the quality of service performance of the operating companies on a regular basis.

NCC's Executive Vice-Chairman, Mr. Ernest Ndukwe, disclosed this in an exclusive interview with our correspondent in Abuja.

According to him, the publication of the performance of the companies is aimed at putting pressure on the firms to meet the standards or lose subscribers to competitors.

He said, "Quality of service is an issue that all hands must be on deck to address. We intend to be very strict with the operating companies this year. We want to make examples of some companies with sanctions.

"We also intend to publish the quality of service reports on all these operators. We hope that those of them who are not doing well will be exposed. The exposure might cost some operators some subscribers who will transit to other networks."

The regulatory agency had, in a quality of service publication last week, indicted all mobile operators in the country for poor services, which it described as "a far cry from expectations of consumers."

The NCC had in December demanded that operators implement intra-network call completion rate of 90 per cent and inter network call completion rate of 80 per cent.

Other minimum standards set by NCC include intra-network call set up success rate of 90 per cent and inter network call set up success rate of 85 per cent.

The regulatory agency also wants mobile operators to record a maximum call drop rate of two per cent within their networks and five per cent for inter-network calls.

The minimum standards set by NCC also include intra-network call retention rate of 98 per cent and inter-network call retention rate of 95 per cent.

Call set up success rate is defined as the number of unblocked calling attempts divided by the total number of calling attempts.

On the other hand, call drop rate is the number of dropped calls divided by the total number of calling attempts.

In a reaction, Vmobile contended that the standards set by NCC were not realistic. Other operators were either yet to reply or had given non-committal answers to the quality issues raised by NCC.

The PUNCH, Tuesday, January 17, 2006

Posted by Publisher at 12:45 PM | Comments (0)

January 16, 2006

Labour begins strike in Oyo

The Council of Industrial Unions in the Oyo State Public Service has directed workers to stay away from their duty posts from Monday (today) until the current political crisis in the state is resolved.

Our correspondents

Rising from an emergency meeting in Ibadan on Sunday, the Council, comprising 14 Unions, said in a statement, that it feared that the security of workers might not be guaranteed under the present climate.

The workers, according to the council, will only resume duty when President Olusegun Obasanjo has 電eclared the rightful・governor of the state and given 殿ssurance for the security of the lives of workers.・

Lamenting the political development in the state, the union called on the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Mr. Adams Oshiomhole, and his counterpart in the Trade Unions Congress, Mrs. Peace Obiajulu, 鍍o rise immediately in defence of democracy and rule of law in the state.・

Shortly after the meeting, the Chairman of the State chapter of the NLC, Mr. Alamu Oloyede, Secretary, Mr. Remi Adediji, were arrested by men of the State Security Service.

Attempts by our correspondents to speak with the SSS Director-General, Col. Kayode Are (rtd), on the arrests proved abortive.

But the President of the Campaign for Democracy,

Mr. Moshood Erubami, confirmed the arrests around 8.30pm.

It was gathered that their arrests might not be unconnected with call on workers to boycott work from today.

Also in Ibadan, the Personal Assistant to Oyo State political chieftain, Alhaji Lamidi Adedibu, Mr. Hazeem Gbolarumi, said he was ready to become the next Deputy-Governor should elders of the Peoples Democratic Party in the state reach a consensus on his candidature.

Sources confided in our correspondents that Gbolarumi, who is said to possess only a School Certificate, had been penciled down as the Deputy Governor.

Gbolarumi, however, claimed that he had obtained a degree in Business Administration. When asked from which university, he told our correspondents to call back. About five minutes later, he said he obtained the degree from the Pacific University, US.

Being tipped as the Secretary to the State Government is Chief Layi Lakojo, a former commissioner in the administration of a former governor of the state, Dr. Omololu Olunloyo.

A former Special Adviser on Inter-Governmental Affairs to Ladoja, Dr. Saka Balogun, is also being tipped as the Chief of Staff.

Meanwhile, seven notable lawyers, among them five Senior Advocates of Nigeria, have volunteered their services to Ladoja over a proposed suit by the new governor, Chief Adebayo Alao-Akala challenging the verdict of an Ibadan High Court on Thursday, which said Ladoja痴 impeachment was illegal.

The Oyo State Police Command, as at Sunday had deployed additional personnel in Ibadan to beef up security.

The deployment followed altercations between Alao-Akala, and his predecessor, Alhaji Rashidi Ladoja, who had on Friday vowed to resume in his former office on Monday (today.)

Besides two armoured personnel carriers stationed at the Government House and the state secretariat complex housing the Office of the Governor and the Assembly, riot and regular policemen have been deployed in strategic locations.

The police presence is most noticeable at Beere, Agodi/Gate, Mokola and Bodija.

In a telephone interview with our correspondents, the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Oyo State Command, Mr. Jonathan Johnson, allayed the fears of city residents over the tightening of security.

Johnson said, 典he security we are providing is for every resident of the state and not because of the former governor痴 threat. We will take the threat on its merit and if it happens, we will tackle it accordingly. If not, we will continue with our routine security surveillance on the city.・

The police boss advised residents to go about their normal duties, with a warning to troublemakers not to test the might of the police.

But the twelve industrial unions in the Oyo State public service have asked their members to boycott duty as from Monday in view of the uncertainty over the security of lives and property.

Rising from an emergency meeting on Sunday evening, leaders of the union, which included the Nigerian Union of Teachers, the Amalgamated Union, crisis, Non-Academic Union of Universities, Civil Service Union and Senior Staff Association in the public service, said they were left with no other option.

A communiqu・by the leadership of the unions read, 典he meeting observed with regrets the political crises within the PDP in the state, which led to the purported impeachment of Governor Rashidi Ladoja on Thursday.

典he meeting is confused that arising from the court ruling of Thursday which annulled the constitution of the investigation panel and the consequential impeachment of the governor, the state had been left in a vacuum as to who is in charge of its administration.

典he leadership of the unions are confused, disturbed and worried about conflicting claims by Ladoja to return to office (on Monday) and the counter claim by Alao-Akala of being in charge of governance, which has left the lives of workers threatened and endangered.・

The President, West African Bar Association, Mr. Femi Falana, and six other prominent Nigerian lawyers have volunteered to defend pro-Ladoja lawmakers in the ensuing legal battle to reclaim the governorship mandate.

The other lawyers are Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN); Chief Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN); Mr. Kola Awodein (SAN); Yusuf Ali (SAN); Mr. Niyi Akintola (SAN); and the former General Secretary of the Nigerian Bar Association, Mr. Dele Adesina.

The legal tussle, which is expected to begin before the presiding judge of an Ibadan High Court, Justice Bolaji Yusuff, on Tuesday will involve the seven lawyers to the three pro-Ladoja lawmakers, and those of the acting Chief Judge of Oyo State, Justice Afolabi Adeniran.

Adeniran was the defendant in suit No 1/1056/05 in which Justice Yusuff set aside the entire proceedings of the Chief Bolaji Ayorinde (SAN)-led impeachment panel.

The acting CJ had filed an application challenging the jurisdiction of the court to grant the order, which voided the impeachment proceedings against Ladoja.

Adeniran was joined on Friday by the 18 pro-Adedibu lawmakers as co-defendants.

The Body of Senior Advocates of Nigeria asked the Chairman of the National Judicial Council, Justice Muhammadu Uwais, to sanction Adeniran for alleged professional misconduct.

The senior advocates, in a letter dated January 14 but made available to our correspondents in Lagos on Sunday, condemned the role of the acting CJ in the impeachment saga.

The letter entitled, 鼎omplaint against the Acting Chief Judge of Oyo State, Hon Justice Afolabi Adeniran,・was addressed to Uwais, who is also the Chief Justice of Nigeria.

The Chairman of the body, Chief T.A. Bankole Oki (SAN) and the secretary and Chief Seyi Sowemimo (SAN) signed the letter.

It read in part, 的n spite of the undertaking and coupled with the fact that the Adeniran was served with the motion for interlocutory injunction, we find it disturbing that the Acting CJ would go ahead to do the very thing in respect of which he was being sought to be restrained.

典his is a conduct which we find unbecoming of a judge of the High Court, which we believe your lordship should refer to the National Judicial Council for sanction.・

The body also wrote a letter to the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Sunday Ehindero, asking him to obey the court order by Yusuff.

The senior advocates said, 的t is our considered view that it is the duty of Police to obey court orders and ensure compliance with same in a transparent manner.

展e note that you are a prominent member of the Bar Association, and you owe it a duty to the profession, even though you are presently the Inspector- General of Police. We do hope therefore that you will act in a manner that will not defeat and/ or subvert the ruling of the Hon Justice Bolaji Yusuff nullifying the setting up and the proceedings of the impeachment panel. This nullification is still valid and subsisting until reversed by an appellate court.・

The, lawyer to Ladoja during the impeachment proceedings, Alhaji Yusuf Ali (SAN) described the events leading to the removal of his client as 殿n affair shrouded in political chicanery.・

According to him, the panel did not observe the provisions and procedures provided in the Constitution as regards impeachment.

Meanwhile, Alao-Akala on Sunday donated N1million to the organisers of this year痴 Armed Forces Remembrance Day on behalf of the state government.

The governor, who was on his first official outing, expressed gratitude to the people of the state for their support and prayers since the political crisis in the state began.

He urged the people to embrace peace and put the events of the past behind and imbibe the spirit of good neighbourliness, without which he said development would elude the state.

Meanwhile, the Ayo Fasanmi-led faction of the pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, on Sunday, called on the Yoruba nation to back Ladoja.

The organisation described as a coup, the removal of the governor insisting that the due processes of law were not followed.

Afenifere, in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Yinka Odumakin, also noted that the removal of the governor was not about the welfare of the state but the selfish interest of some politicians.

Reacting to the crisis in Oyo State, the Abia State Governor, Chief Orji Kalu, advised the military to steer clear from any act that could threaten the nation痴 democracy.

Kalu, however, called on his colleagues to rise to the challenge posed by the removal of some of them by the Houses of Assembly.

The governor also harped on the need to strengthen the Independent National Electoral Commission to improve on its past performance instead of reviewing the constitution.

The PUNCH, Monday, January 16, 2006

Posted by Publisher at 11:12 AM | Comments (0)

10 killed as gunmen invade Shell flow station

The fragile peace in the Niger Delta snapped again on Sunday, as unidentified youths killed no fewer than 10 persons, including soldiers of the Joint Task Force in the region, code-named 徹peration Restore Hope.・

Sola Adebayo, Bisi Olaniyi and Clara Nwachukwu

The youth were said to have opened fire on the people at the Benisede Flow Station of the Shell Petroleum Development Company, in Bayelsa State.

Nine others sustained varying degrees of injuries in the incident.

Our correspondents learnt that the youth, who were armed with sophisticated weapons, stormed the flow station at 7am.

Using dynamite, the youth reportedly blew up the flow station and the houseboat, which served as the abode of soldiers and oil workers.

The attackers, according to our source, fled the scene.

The incident caused a panic among security operatives in Delta and Bayelsa states.

A senior army officer described the extent of damage to lives and property in the incident as 都erious.・

Findings by our correspondents revealed that the remains of the fallen soldiers and oil workers littered the scene on Sunday morning.

The Commander of JTF, Brig. Gen. Elias Zamani, later dispatched a team to evacuate the bodies.

An Agusta helicopter of the Nigerian Navy over flew the scene at about 9:00am.

A member of the naval team confided in our correspondents that five soldiers died in the incident while nine persons sustained serious injuries.

The flow station was located in Ekeremoh Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.

It was one of the four flow stations shut down by the management of Shell on Thursday, following the attack on its flow line, identified as Trans Ramos Pipeline at Brass Creek Manifold in Bayelsa State.

Shell, in a statement on Sunday, said that although there were unconfirmed fatalities and missing persons, 都ome 42 SPDC contractors and staff were at the Benisede flow station at the time of the attack.

典he attackers invaded the flow station in speed boats, burnt down two staff accommodation (units), damaged the processing facilities and left.・

It added that all the injured persons had been moved to Warri, Delta State,for proper medical attention.

Although no official number of casualties was given, reports said that Shell confirmed that five of its staff had been injured and evacuated to Warri, while a witness said that he had seen at least, three troops shot and injured.

Following the growing insecurity in the area,the Anglo Dutch oil giant has commenced evacuation of personnel on duty from Benisede, and neighbouring flow stations including Opukushi, Ogbotobo and Tunu.

Shell said that all four flow stations had been shut as a result of the vandalisation of the Trans Ramos pipeline on Thursday.

The shutdown will lead to a loss of 106,000 barrels daily.

Sunday痴 incident occurred barely four days after four expatriates oil workers working at the AE Fields of the Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company, were kidnapped by some persons in the area.

The kidnap led to another 120,000 bpd shut in of crude production.

Agency reports indicated that security operatives have, however, uncovered the whereabouts of those abducted.

The Chief of Naval Staff, Vice-Admiral Gani Adekeye, said, 展e know where they are and we are aware they are safe.

展e also have reasonably good information and data on the people who carried out the action.・

A spokesman for the Bayelsa State Government, where the kidnapping took place, Mr. Ekiyor Conrad Welson, said a team was dispatched to contact the kidnappers and find out what their grievances and demands were.

According to him, 展e hear that the hostages are being held off the coast.・

The SPDC痴 External Relations Manager, Western Division, Mr. Harriman Oyofo, confirmed the incident in a telephone interview with our correspondents.

Oyofo, however, said details of the incident were sketchy and asked our correspondents to contact the JTF for further inquiries.

He said, 鄭ll that I can tell you now is that Benisede Flow station was attacked this morning by some unknown persons, but if you want more information, you can contact the JTF.・

Oyofo痴 colleague for the West, Chief Charles Akeni, also said that no reason had been given on this recent attack, while 敵overnment security agencies have been contacted to assist in securing all SPDC facilities and to secure law and order in the area.・

Benisede is a riverside pumping station, which gathers crude oil from a network of wells in swampland around the Bomadi Creek, part of the Niger Delta which is 300 kilometres (185 miles) South-East of Lagos.

Zamani, who confirmed the report, said a team had been dispatched to the scene.

He said, 的 am aware of the attack on Benisede Flow Station, and we are investigating it. My men have gone there to assess the situation and report immediately.・

Incidentally, this year marks the 50th year that Shell discovered oil in commercial quantity in Oloibiri, in the same state.

Both the kidnapping and the pipeline blast have been claimed by a previously unknown separatist group dubbed, the 溺ovement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta,・which seeks independence for the region痴 14-million-strong Ijaw people.

The group has demanded the release of two local champions, including Ijaw guerrilla leader, Mujahid Dokubo Asari, and warned in an e-mail statement: 展e are capable and determined to destroy the ability of Nigeria to export oil.・

Asari declared a ceasefire in August 2004, but vowed to win Ijaw independence and control over the Delta痴 oil through political agitation.

He was arrested last year after threatening to tear Nigeria apart and will appear in court on Tuesday charged with treason. Asari痴 lawyer, Uche Okwukwu, insists his group has no link with the recent attacks.

But the supporters of the detained leader of the Niger Delta Peoples Volunteer Force, Alhaji Muhajid Asari Dokubo, on Sunday dissociated themselves from the kidnap of four expatriate oil workers in Bayelsa State.

At a press briefing in Port Harcourt, the Secretary of the NDPVF, Mr. Odum James, said the group and Dokubo had nothing to do with the kidnap of the oil workers.

James said, 展e, the members of the NDPVF have no knowledge whatsoever concerning the destruction of oil installations in the region and the kidnapping of persons. We are also not in support of such acts.・

On his part, the Governor of Bayelsa State, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, on Sunday said the military may take over Ekeremor local government area of the state, in line with the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Speaking at the Government House, Yenagoa, during a reception for legionnaires as part of the Armed Forces Remembrance Day celebration, wondered why militant youths kidnapped the four expatriate oil workers of Snepco, a sister company of Shell.

Jonathan also said he got a report Sunday afternoon that another set of yet-to-be-identified youths had taken over SPDC痴 Benisede Flow Station in the same Ekeremor council.

He said, 鏑et us meet with our people, to ensure that our communities and LGAs are not turned to sanctuaries of criminals and hoodlums. We do not want Bayelsa waterways to be taken over by criminals.

典he military may also take over the waterways for the state to function. Everybody knows the implication of the Federal Government taking over the trouble spots or LGAs.・

The PUNCH, Monday, January 16, 2006

Posted by Publisher at 11:11 AM | Comments (0)

Rimi weeps over wife's murder

Bereaved former Minister of Communications, Alhaji Abubakar Rimi, wept on Sunday when he made an attempt to speak to a delegation of women who paid him a condolence visit over the assassination of his wife, Sa誕datu.

John Alechenu and Mosun Ogunfowoke

Our correspondents reported that after the women, mostly friends of the Rimis spoke, the former minister stood up to respond, but was overwhelmed by grief.

The Kano State Governor, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, who was present intervened by taking over the microphone from him.

Shekarau described the late Sa誕datu as a humble woman. He recalled that barely one week to her sudden death on Saturday, she personally served her husband and himself food despite the presence of a horde of domestic staff.

Shekarau who conveyed the condolences of the entire people of Kano State to the Rimis, said the government would do everything possible to bring the culprits to justice.

The governor, in company with some members of his cabinet, prayed for the repose of the soul of the deceased.

Shekarau had on Saturday appealed for calm over the incident.

He said, 鄭s Muslims we know that death is sure and when Allah says it will come, it will surely come. There is nothing one can say now, other than security personnel are still doing their job.・

President Olusegun Obasanjo has, however, directed security agents in the country to fish out those behind the killing of Sa誕datu.

Obasanjo, in a condolence letter on Sunday to Rimi, said, 的t was with great shock and sadness that I received the unfortunate news about the dastardly murder of your dear wife, Sa誕datu.

徹n behalf of myself, my family and the entire nation, please accept our heartfelt sympathies on this painful and irreparable loss.

的t is even more shocking that at this critical time when we are building stronger and more viable platforms of tolerance, dialogue, understanding, peace, stability and security that a few misguided persons could perpetrate such barbaric acts in our society.

釘e rest assured that the relevant agencies have been directed to leave no stone unturned in apprehending the criminals and ensuring that they face the full weight of the law.

的 pray that God, in His infinite mercy and wisdom which surpasses all human understanding, will give you the fortitude to bear this loss.

溺ay God grant Hajia痴 soul perfect rest in His bosom and that the very positive, peaceful and purposeful life she lived on earth will remain a source of inspiration and direction to many, now and always.・

While the police are still investigating the incident, sympathisers have continued to troop to Rimi痴 home in Durbin Katsina, Bompai GRA in Kano.

Although the Commissioner of Police, State Police Command, Alhaji Mohammed Abubakar, is yet to comment on the incident, domestic staff of Rimi are being questioned by the police.

Among those that have visited the former governor of Kano State over the incident are: Members of the emirate council led by the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero; the Chairman, Arewa Consultative Forum, Chief Sunday Awoniyi; and the Protem Chairman, Movement for the Restoration and Defence of Democracy, Alhaji Gambo Jimeta.

Meanwhile, the pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, has called for a probe of the assassination of Rimi痴 wife.

Afenifere, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Yinka Odumakin, said the killing of Sa誕datu was done due to Rimi痴 critical views on President Olusegun Obasanjo痴 administration.

It recalled that Rimi left the Peoples Democratic Party on account of its takeover by undemocratic forces.

The group also said that the recent edition of Newswatch contained an interview in which Rimi spoke unfavourably about the present government.

It likened Sa誕datu痴 murder to the Gen. Sani Abacha years when women like Alhaja Kudirat Abiola and Suliat Adedeji were also coldly murdered.

The group said that only a credible and thorough investigation would clear the government of any suspicion.

Afenifere commiserated with Rimi and prayed Allah to grant him the fortitude to bear the loss.

Also, a former joint Leader of the House of Representaives in the Second Republic, Dr. Junaid Mohammed, said the Federal Government should take responsibility for the assassination of Sa誕datu.

Mohammed, in an interview with newsmen in Kano, said it was unbelievable that all the politically motivated killings in Nigeria since 1999, were 殿ccidental.・

The PUNCH, Monday, January 16, 2006

Posted by Publisher at 11:10 AM | Comments (0)

10 killed, 150 houses burnt in Cross River communal clash

SOME 10 persons were feared killed and about 150 houses razed following a clash between residents of two villages in the Abi Local Government of Cross River State.

Ofonime Umanah, Calabar

Scores of the villagers have been forced to flee their homes while the police have taken over Ebom and Ibjerika villages to safeguard lives and property as the face-off between the community over the ownership of a parcel of land degenerated.

Our correspondent learnt on Saturday that the communities had been at war over the ownership of the land where a clinic is said to have been located.

It was learnt that people from our one of the villages attacked the other when the inhabitants had gone to farm. They reportedly razed their houses and stabbed some of the people.

A reprisal was said to have been launched by the other villagers and this led to the deployment of riot policemen in the communities to restore peace.

Our correspondent learnt that the first batch of riot policemen was deployed there last week, but it was noticed on Friday that some regular policemen were also moved there apparently to beef up security .

Another batch of policemen was moved to the area on Sunday, according to the Commissioner of Police, Cross River State Command, Mr Danlami Yar誕dua.

He told our correspondent on Sunday that from reports available to him, he could only confirm the death of four people.

According to him, two of the people were said to have drowned while trying to escape.

Meanwhile, the state government has said that in keeping with its earlier promise, the two villagers would no more enjoy government痴 presence.

The Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Mr Joe Ushigiale, said on Sunday that no compensation would be paid to victims of the clash.

The PUNCH, Monday, January 16, 2006

Posted by Publisher at 11:09 AM | Comments (0)

A day not to be forgotten in Kano

January 14 is not a day the people of Kano State will forget in a hurry.

John Alechenu

Residents of the ancient city woke up to the news that Hajiya Sa誕datu Rimi, wife of the Second Republic Governor of Kano State, Alhaji Abubakar Rimi, had been killed by suspected assassins in the wee hours of that morning. The news of her death came as a shock to most people because she was not known to have any political or business ties. She was simply described as a decent housewife who took the job of keeping the home front while her husband went about politicking.

While the police are battling to unravel the mystery behind the high profile killing, a lot of people believe Sa誕datu痴 murder was the job of assassins. Watchers of events are of the opinion that this line of thinking should not be waved aside considering the political killings that have taken place in the country between 1999 and now. This is more so because of the thinking that Rimi, who was away in Kaduna for a meeting, must have been the target of the suspected assassins. Indeed, the killers used Rimi痴 entrance to the house.

Rimi痴 niece who gave her name as Halima was the last person to see late Sa誕datu before her corpse was discovered. Halima said those in the house, including the politician痴 wife, watched television until about 2 am. She said it was only in the morning that they were woken up by the wailing of As知au, late Sa誕datu痴 daughter. She said nobody heard Sa誕datu scream nor was there a sign of struggle. She also said there was no signs of forced entry into the house, adding, 鉄he was not slaughtered. They stabbed her in the neck because when we saw the corpse it had a hole in the neck and there were dry blood stains on her neck and nose. Even when the doctor came an raised her head, there was a big hole on her neck. I suspect it happened in the night because even her corpse was stiff.・

The Commissioner of Police, Kano State Command, Mr. Mohammed Abubakar, who assumed office two days before the killing, led the police investigation team to the house. Abubakar, obviously, is under pressure to bring the culprits to book. As a first step, Rimi痴 domestic staff have been moved to the state police headquarters for questioning.

Kano State Governor, Malam Ibrahim Shekarau, who was one of the early callers at the home of the Rimis, appealed for calm after the murder. Shekarau said it would be premature to comment on the incident, adding, 鄭s Moslems we know that death is sure and when Allah says it will come, it will surely come. There is nothing one can say now other than that security personnel are still doing their job.・

If the suspicion that the killing of Mrs.Rimi was politically motivated turns out to be true, it would mark the second time Rimi is experiencing the death of a close confidant in horrendous circumstances in his political career spanning over three decades. The first was the killing of his Political Adviser, Dr. Bala Mohammed, during Rimi痴 tenure as governor of old the Kano State.

In the last few weeks, petitions and counter-petitions based on threat to life had flooded the office of the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Sunday Ehindero. The North has had its fair share of such petitions. In Bauchi State, former Minister of Aviation, Alhaji Isa Yuguda, reported the state Governor, Alhaji Adamu Mua築u, to Ehindero for allegedly plotting to kill him.

The battle for a stake in the political future of Gombe State has pitched the Governor, Alhaji Danjuma Goje, against Minister of Inter-governmental Affairs, Youth Development and Special Duties, Colonel Musa Mohammed (rtd). Mohammed, in a petition to Ehindero, said, 的 wish to urge you (IG) to proscribe this terrorist militia group, 塑an Kalare・(a group of youths believed to be the governor痴 supporters) that have constituted themselves into a security nuisance just like the Bakassi Boys.・He also requested that steps be taken to protect his life. Goje dismissed the allegations as baseless. His commissioner for Information, Umar Abubakar, who spoke on his behalf said, 的t is rather unfortunate that a serving minister representing the state would resort to desperate measures in trying to seek attention.・The case is not different in Vice-President Atiku Abubakar痴 home state, Adamawa State, where Governor Boni Haruna and the Minister of Agriculture, Alhaji Adamu Bello, are struggling for the political space.

The PUNCH, Monday, January 16, 2006

Posted by Publisher at 11:08 AM | Comments (0)

Ladoja: What Obasanjo told me ・Alayande

Former President, Yoruba Council of Elders, Pa Emmanuel Alayande, told SEMIU OKANLAWON that Governor Rashidi Ladoja of Oyo State should have been allowed to complete his tenure

How do you feel turning 96? I feel that God has helped me. I did not know I would live up to this age. But God has made it possible for me to live up to this age. I cannot thank God sufficiently. But what comes up immediately after my 96th birthday is what makes me very sad.

And what is that?

I mean this trouble in Ibadan. This impeachment. It is a kangaroo court. Why? Why should they remove him now? Ladoja has been on for about three years now. It remains about one year now for him. Why can稚 they allow him to complete his term?

President Olusegun Obasanjo visited you yesterday (Wednesday). What was your discussion with him on the matter?

Well, I asked for a private discussion with the President. I took him away into my guest room because the whole of my sitting room was filled up with people. We entered into my guest room with Bode George, the Governor of Ogun State. And I asked my own governor (Ladoja) to follow. But the moment he saw Ladoja, he burst into anger. He said he was not in my house to discuss Ladoja痴 case. He said he did not want to see him. Then, I told him that if you don稚 want to discuss the matter, I can稚 be happy after this visit. I said do this for me by stopping this impeachment. Then, Obasanjo said he wanted to ask one question from Ladoja. I told him to ask any question he wanted. Then, he asked Ladoja who it was who revealed the discussion we had in Ota to the press after the meeting on Tuesday? The President must have been annoyed. He said only three of them were at the meeting. So, who was it that leaked it to the press? Then, he said Ladoja had to go out. That he would not discuss his matter. Then, I begged him, do this for me. So, after Ladoja had gone out, I discussed with Daniel and George. I asked them what can they do for me? But they said it was not my concern alone. That it was the concern of all of them too and that they had tried their best. Even they said that on one occasion, all the governors wanted to settle the matter and called Ladoja but that he did not come. They said instead of coming to Ota, he went to Ijebu-Ode for the birthday of Otunba Subomi Balogun. And then, they asked me what the elders of Ibadan had done to stop the impeachment. They said because the elders did not do anything, the matter had been allowed to drag for a long time. They saw me taking over the matter with the way Obasanjo left the room. He left us there.

So, Obasanjo left you in anger?

Yes, he left us in the guest room and came to the sitting room before us.

Did you ask Obasanjo what Ladoja痴 offence was?

But he has seen a copy of the offence. I don稚 know any point in the offence. Only one point was mentioned yesterday and that is that he paid government痴 money into his account. Well, I don稚 know. He could have paid it into another bank. And I even think that could be overlooked. That was the bank that was well known to him although he was a director of the bank. But I also believe he could have used another bank.

Do you also share the belief that the problem is not about corruption but the 2007 presidential race?

Well, I don稚 know about that. I heard about it also. But Ladoja came to me on Chrismas day and told me that he would do everything they wanted him to do.

How do you feel about the inauguration of Ladoja痴 deputy as the governor this morning?

Has he been sworn in?

Yes. What do you think?

Ah, ah, is there no more the rule of law? How can I be happy about that? They did not do it lawfully and systematically. How do you want to impose a governor on us overnight? It is more or less imposing a governor on us.

You consider that an imposition?

They can say anything but I consider it improper.

The PUNCH, Monday, January 16, 2006

Posted by Publisher at 11:07 AM | Comments (0)

Maritime stakeholders

For about 10,800 members of staff still being retained by the Nigerian Ports Authority out of the over 13,000 inherited by the current management, the actual number that would scale the post-port concession is still largely guess work even as the exercise nears completion.

Isiaka Adams

Although the Managing Director, NPA, Chief Adebayo Sarumi, had disclosed during a recent media interaction, that the authority had won back virtually all its duties that would have been privatised and thus lead to massive job cuts, the imminent take-over of the already privatized port terminals, which currently employ about 30 per cent of the workforce, is a bitter pill that the labour had battled not to swallow.

The NPA is said to have lost only its terminal operations to the new private terminal operators that were scheduled to take over full operations at the terminals in June thus giving a ray of hope that many of the workers would be retained.

Sarumi had repeatedly emphasised that the ports authority would retain functions such as channel dredging, pilotage security, improve and regulate the use of the ports, provide, for the approaches to all ports and the territorial waters of Nigeria, such as pilotage services and lights, marks and other navigational services and aids, including cleaning, deepening and improving of all waterways.

The management disclosed that the Presidential Task Force on Port Concession, headed by the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, was close to signing an agreement with the NPA management and the house unions and expressed optimism that a Memorandum of Understanding would be signed before the end of January.

But, as the port concession exercise reaches its final destination, the staff of the NPA has said that the most critical issue, which is the severance package, had not been satisfactorily negotiated.

One issue they highlighted is the absence of the manning structure to be adopted in the post concession period in order to accurately calculate the number of staff to be compensated, although speculations are rife that the NPA management had set aside over N30billion out of its internally generated revenue for payment of severance package for workers.

Stakeholders noted that lack of the manning structure and the manning level under the port concession arrangement had forced the union to continue to negotiate for the entire NPA workforce although labour had continued to express the belief that in subsequent meetings, government would be very specific on the number of people that would be needed in the future NPA.

展e should know the number of people that will be going away from the transaction specific area and once we know this number, then we may not even need up to N20billion. After all, the bulk of the workers will still remain in the NPA given the fact that some of the functions of the NPA are still retained,・the President, NPA Senior Staff Association, Mr. Peter Abolarin, stated.

He added, 泥iscussions on the severance package are still ongoing and we are moving towards an agreement. At least the last meeting penultimate Friday was better than the previous ones. Although we have not really agreed on any thing, we are discussing various options.

展e are looking at the pension fund available and we are also considering the severance payment option by which workers will be paid a lump sum or a take home pay but we are yet to agree on the number of staff to be affected and the money required for the exercise.・

He argued that if the NPA is closing shop for instance, N30billion would be nothing to write home about, but port concession was not meant to close shop in the NPA, adding that the talks about using N30billion to settle between 20 to 40 per cent of the present workforce might be realistic.・

Abolarin noted that the development would have been cheering news to labour 澱ut all that I know is that as at the last meeting of the Presidential Task Force of which the labour has been fully co-opted, we are yet to agree on any figure for the severance package.・He insisted that such gesture would depend on the number of people that would be affected.

典he area we disagreed could be agreed upon in less than two hours if there is sincerity on both sides and judging from the way the NPA MD has spoken, we want to believe that it could be that the government has fully reconsidered their own position and, if that is the case, we could move forward as fast as possible.

典here is a major disagreement on what should be our severance package. I can tell you authoritatively here that what government is pushing to us are our legal entitlements and when talking of legal entitlements they are those things that are not negotiable.・

The Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, who is the Chairman of the task force, had summoned the NPA SSA to a meeting of the presidential task force penultimate Friday.

The union leader said that they had looked forward to discussing a disengagement package that would really take the affected people home and one that would make everybody happy at the end, adding, 摘ven if someone has to leave the port industry, that person could function responsibly in any other sector of the economy.・

哲obody will go out and become a pauper or become an irrelevant person in whatever endeavour they choose to operate. The same thing has happened in the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, so ours should not be an exception,・he enthused.

He, therefore, advised all workers to remain focused and calm, saying that the leaders of the unions were doing everything to make sure that nobody was short-changed even where they are unable to continue to operate in the port system.

The PUNCH, Monday, January 16, 2006

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Consolidation: SMEs ask CBN for extension

The Association of Concerned Small and Medium Scale Enterprises has appealed to the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Prof. Charles Soludo, to grant one month痴 grace period to the 15 weak banks that could not make the N25billion benchmark, to enable them prepare for acquisition by bigger banks.

In a statement signed by ACSME痴 Coordinator, Mr. Wale Akinbolu, the organisation said the extension would help some big banks, which had indicated interest in acquiring the weak ones, to scrutinise their books before absorbing them.

The organisation said that the period given by CBN had been reduced by the two days earmarked last week for the Eid el Kabir holiday.

He said, 鏑et us not deceive ourselves, three days are not enough to check the records. That is why we appealing that if Soludo gives the approved banks one month, it will encourage Nigerians that it is a policy that means well for Nigeria and Nigerians, especially the Small and Medium Scale Enterprises.・

The PUNCH, Monday, January 16, 2006

Posted by Publisher at 11:05 AM | Comments (0)

FG withdraws bitumen blocks, opens new bids

The Federal Government is to withdraw the two bitumen blocks awarded two years ago over what it perceived as low level of activities on the concessioned areas.

Michael Faloseyi, Abuja

The Federal Ministry of Justice is expected to offer legal advice on the cancellation before the actual withdrawal of the concession is announced by the Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals Development.

However, the government has set in motion the process to re-award the concession through an open bid exercise that would hold before the end of the first quarter of 2006.

Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Mrs, Obiagele Ezekwesili, said this at a two- day retreat that rounded off the restructuring exercise that led to the disengagement of about 1,300 staff of the ministry and its parastatals.

Justifying the withdrawal of the concessions, she said that not much progress had been made to realise the economic value of the bitumen blocks and that the processes were not transparent enough.

Consequently, new criteria and processes for an open bid to be held before the end of first quarter, are being prepared, according to her.

She said that eight multinational companies have indicated interest to participate in the bid.

She listed those companies as: Manesfield of United Kingdom; China Oil and Gas Development Company; Elf Petroleum Nigeria Limited; Trinidad and Tobago Lake Asphalt; Ventura of Venezuela; AAA Group of Korea; Eurochem of Indonesia and PW Group of Ireland.

Similarly, she said the award of concessions for coal explorations might hold at about the time as the Bureau of Public Enterprise winds down the Nigerian Coal Corporation and the Nigerian Mining Corporation.

The minister said that the movable assets of the two parastatals of the ministry of Solid Minerals Development would be disposed off by the BPE.

She said that the world痴 foremost coal mining company, Enel of Italy, has also expressed interest in Nigerian as soon as the laws guiding mining and exploration of solid minerals in Nigeria are streamlined.

Ezekwesili said that the policy review of the Nigerian mining industry was on going and that the amendment 1999 Mining and Exploration Act might be passed by the National Assembly within the first quarter pf 2006

The new policy and law, according to him, will seek to protect investors・interest, outlawed illegal mining and optimise government revenue profile in the industry.

The PUNCH, Monday, January 16, 2006

Posted by Publisher at 10:32 AM | Comments (0)

January 12, 2006

Igwes: Mbadinuju seeks transfer of case file to Anambra ministry

Former Governor of Anambra State, Dr. Chinwoke Mbadinuju, has asked the police to transfer the case file on the killings of the former Chairman of the Onitsha Branch of the Nigerian Bar Association, Mr. Barnabas Igwe, and his wife, Amaka, to the office of the Anambra State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice.

Tobi Soniyi, Abuja

In an application for bail filed at the Onitsha Division of the Anambra State High Court by Chief Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN), Mbadinuju is asking the court to compel the police to hand over the case to the commissioner so that the state's Director of Public Prosecution could issue the proper legal advice concerning his prosecution.

He is also asking the court to admit him to bail pending the determination of the charges brought against him before an Anambra Chief Magistrate痴 Court.

Mbadinuju was first charged before an Abuja Chief Magistrate痴 Court for his alleged roles in the September 1, 2002 assassination of the Igwes.

He was also charged before another Chief Magistrate痴 Court in Anambra State.

Although, Chief Magistrate Shaibu Usman of Abuja admitted the ex-governor to bail, his counterpart in Anambra, Mrs. A.M. Mbakwe, sitting at Onitsha, refused him bail.

Mbakwe while refusing the application for bail, said, "Under section 73 (1) of the Criminal Procedure Law of Anambra State of Nigeria 1991 it is provided that a person charge with any offence punishable with death shall not be admitted to bail, except by a judge of the high court.

"The word shall is mandatory and does not leave the court with any discretion.

"Since the accused person's being charged with a criminal offence the provisions of the criminal procedure law is applicable in the present situation.

"Relying heavily on the provisions of section 73 (1) of the Revised Law of Anambra State, since the accused person is charged with offence punishable with death where it is provided that only a judge of the high court shall admit him to bail, I hold that this court, not being a high court, has no jurisdiction to grant bail to the accused person."

She ordered that Mbadinuju be remanded in prison custody.

In addition to he bail application, Mbandinuju is also asking the high court to make an order compelling the police to transmit the case file to the Anambra State Ministry of Justice.

The case has not been given to any judge of the Anambra High Court.

Last Monday, Chief Magistrate Shaibu Usman sitting in Jabi ordered the police to produce Mbadinuju before it on January 20, this year.

Usman issued a warrant for the reproduction of Mbadinuju after he was told that the former governor had been re-arrested and charged before a court of co-ordinate jurisdiction.

The PUNCH, Monday, January 12, 2006

Posted by Publisher at 06:43 PM | Comments (0)

Southern leaders oppose third term

Southern leaders have once again expressed their opposition to a third term tenure for President Olusegun Obasanjo.

Semiu Okanlawon

They said at a news conference in Lagos on Wednesday that the proposed constitutional amendment should maintain the status quo of two terms of four years each for the president and state governors.

Rising from another meeting held at the Airport Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos, the southern leaders under the aegis of the South-East, South-South and South-West Summit, also denied being sponsored by Obasanjo to achieve any third term ambition, adding that the rotation of the presidency should be based on the existing six geopolitical zones and not between the North and the South.

Addressing newsmen at the end of their meeting on Wednesday, Ambassador Mathew Mbu, said the proposal of the group was borne out of a painstaking examination of the draft amendment of the 1999 Constitution as proposed by the Joint Committee of the National Assembly on the Review of the Constitution.

Mbu stated, 典he southern leaders endorsed the retention of the status quo of two terms of eight years non-renewable. Also on power shift, we have affirmed the belief in our proposal that it shall be six zones and not between the North and the South. And we have also agreed that the next president of Nigeria shall come from either the South-South or the South-East.・

On why the meeting became necessary, Mbu said this was to enable all the southern geopolitical zones harmonise their positions on some crucial issues proposed for amendment in the 1999 Constitution before the commencement of the public hearing on the amendment of the constitution.

He added, 典his session of the meeting of southern leaders has dealt exhaustively with the amendment of the constitution being presented by the National Assembly for public hearing. After taking a look at the draft amendment now in circulation and studying the various provisions, we have come out with some proposals of our own where we felt the National Assembly draft amendment fell short of expectations.

典his position that we have presented will be the position of the leaders of the three zones of South-East, South-South and South-West during the public hearing.・

Mbu, who said the forum also discussed derivation, expressed the desire of the southern leaders to return to the 1963 Constitution which gave 50 per cent of revenue made from resources to the states where such resources were found and 50 per cent to the federation account.

He explained, 鄭nd our proposal is that this provision should apply to all the minerals, where they are found, and the same percentage shall apply on VAT.・

Those present at Wednesday痴 meeting included the General Secretary of the Yoruba Council of Elders, Dr. Kunle Olajide; Dr. Tunji Otegbeye; Chief Olu Falae; Dr. Pat Utomi; Dr. Raymond Dokpesi; Prof. A.B.C. Nwosu; and Commodore Ebitu Ukiwe (rtd).

The PUNCH, Monday, January 12, 2006

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January 11, 2006

Ladoja fights back ... says I didn't divert N2bn LG fund

The embattled Governor of Oyo State, Alhaji Rashidi Ladoja, on Tuesday said he did not divert the controversial N1.99billion meant for the 33 local governments in the state.

Yusuf Alli, Dotun Oladipo, Akin Oyedele and Ademola Oni

Ladoja's defence was contained in a public response to some of the 14 allegations levelled against him by 18 of the 32 members of the Oyo State House of Assembly.

In the response, signed by the Special Adviser (Media) to the Governor, Prince Ade Adekanmbi, the governor also said he had ceased to be a director of the defunct Standard Trust Bank.

He said he was never a signatory to the account in the former STB where the fund was lodged.

The 18 lawmakers had accused the governor of diverting the local government allocation from the Excess Crude Oil Reserve into his account in STB in contravention of paragraph 1 of the Fifth Schedule of the 1999 Constitution.

They also alleged that Ladoja had remained a director of STB contrary to paragraph 2B of the Fifth Schedule of the constitution.

The governor痴 counsel, Mallam Yusuf Ali (SAN), had on Monday urged the impeachment panel to give his client ample time to file his defence.

The panel, however, only gave the governor痴 counsel a grace of 90 minutes to respond to the 14 allegations.

As at 6.15pm on Monday, the panel had not received the governor痴 defence.

But in what appeared to be a public response to some of the allegations, Ladoja took exception to the claim that he diverted the N1.99billion.

The response read, 典hat Account was opened by the Oyo State Government vide letter Ref: SJLG/AGC/02/01, dated 27 June 2003 and signed by the then Accountant-General of Oyo State, J.O. Otunla, in the name of the State Joint Local Government Statutory Allocation Account whilst the letter stated the signatories to the said account as: Mr. J.O. Otunla, (Accountant General of Oyo State); Mr. Ademola Oyadeji, (Permanent Secretary Ministry of Local Government); and Mr. Hosea Ayoola Agboola, (Commissioner for local Government and Chieftaincy Matters).

的t is worthy to note that the Oyo State Government has been doing business with STB/UBA bank prior to the current administration.

展e further note that all the accrued deposit on the account is paid into an 的nterest on fixed deposit・account nos. 00849378602106 and which today has accrued an interest income of N22,228,997.45 to the local governments.

鉄hortly before assumption of office his Excellency ceased to be a director of the bank. In further proof we shall request that the honourable panel issue a subpoena testificandum on the Company Secretary/Legal adviser of the bank.

典he account being referred to belong to the State Joint Local Government Statutory Allocation Account and not a personal account of the governor of Oyo State and to which he is not a signatory.

的t is to this account that all sums received from the Federation account in favour of all the 33 Local Governments in the state are directly paid by the Federal Government. Also 10 per cent of the Internal Generated Revenue of the state being the statutory apportionment to the local government areas is also paid into the said account.

鄭ll sums so stated above are distributed by an allocation committee comprising: all the 33 local government chairmen; Auditor-General for the Local Governments; Accountant-General of the State; Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Local Government; Commissioner for Local Government and lately the representative of the Federal Revenue Mobilisation and Fiscal Allocation Commission; and the representative of the Accountant-General of the Federation.

典he sums received from the Federation Account as Excess Crude Oil Allocation for the months of April and May 2005 were duly paid into this account and distributed aforesaid by the above stated committee and in concurrence with the local government chairmen.

典he presumption of profit by bank is the basis of accepting deposit and the operation of current accounts and payment of dividend to shareholders of any such institution is clearly the basis of investment and done in the ordinary cause of business all over the world.

鄭s His Excellency has no role to play in the determination of this function and clearly cannot be accused of misconduct simply because he invested in the bank from its inception.・

On the operation of a foreign bank account, the response said, 典he allegation had been investigated by the Code of Conduct Bureau and found unsubstantiated. For the avoidance of doubt His Excellency stated that he opened the account well over 20 years ago and has since closed same on assumption of office.・

In spite of the defence, three governors and Ladoja on Tuesday met with President Olusegun Obasanjo in Abeokuta, Ogun State.

The governors were those of Osun State, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola; Ondo State, Dr. Olusegun Agagu; and Ogun State, Otunba Gbenga Daniel.

Oyinlola, who has been in the forefront of moves to resolve the face-off, was said to be the first to arrive after the host governor, Daniel, who had been with the President since morning.

Ladoja reportedly arrived for the meeting at 4.10pm while Agagu joined at 4.30pm.

Obasanjo was said to have left in company with Daniel for his Ota Farm at 5.30pm while Oyinlola, Agagu and Ladoja remained behind for further discussion.

The meeting was said to have ended at 6.10 pm.

The details of the discussion were under wraps at press time.

Meanwhile, Ladoja and Adedibu stayed away from the Ibadan Central Praying Ground, Agodi, venue of the Eid-el-Kabir prayers on Tuesday.

While an aide to Ladoja claimed that his boss prayed inside the Government House, our correspondents learnt that Adedibu had his at a plot of land close to the old Ibadan tollgate.

The Chief Imam of Ibadan, Alhaji Busari Suara, had last week told them to stay away from the praying ground, if they would not guarantee peace.

The PUNCH, Wednesday, January 11, 2006

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NITEL: Govt orders fresh bid

The Federal Government has directed the Bureau of Public Enterprises to conduct a fresh bid for its 51 per cent equity in the Nigerian Telecommunications Limited.

Oluyinka Akintunde and Everest Amaefule, Abuja

Officials of BPE痴 adviser on the transaction, BNP Paribas of Paris, who were expected in the country on Tuesday, will be briefed on the government痴 decision.

The consultation with the privatisation advisers will centre on modalities for the implementation of the directive early this year.

A top official of National Council on Privatisation who confirmed this development to our correspondents on Tuesday, in Abuja, said the government was 兎mbarrassed・about the $256.53million offered by an Egyptian firm, Orascom Telecom, to acquire NITEL.

The NCP official said, 展e have not got approval to negotiate with the winner because the government and all Nigerians were disappointed with the bid price of Orascom. The company might have done that because it was like a sole bidder.

鄭 parallel bid process or what you might call fresh bid has been approved. More investors would be invited to come and join Orascom to bid for the telecommunications company. The BPE is expected to make consultations and implement the new government痴 directive.・

The official also confirmed The PUNCH report on December 29, 2005 that Orascom and Newtel International had common ownership.

Efforts by our correspondents to speak with the BPE痴 Head of Public Communications, Mr. Chigbo Anichebe, on the directive proved abortive as he was said to be out of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

However, a source said the Director-General of the BPE, Mrs. Irene Chigbue, would brief the media on Friday on the government痴 latest decision on NITEL.

Orascom had on December 29, 2005 won the bid for NITEL/Mtel, which was offered for sale along with the international submarine cable popularly known as SAT-3.

Newtel International, which competed for the 51 per cent government equity with Orascom, failed to show up for the second bid. It offered $127.5million in the first round of the bidding.

Apart from falling below the reserve bid price, Orascom痴 offer was less than the $285million paid by NITEL to acquire a digital mobile licence for Mtel from the Nigerian Communications Commission in February 2001.

The winning price was also far below the $1.317billion, which the International Investors of London Limited, offered for NITEL in the botched sale in February 2002.

IILL, which had paid 10 per cent ($131.7million) of the bid price, failed to meet the February 12, 2002 deadline for the payment of the outstanding 90 per cent bid price for the company.

Our correspondents gathered that prospective investors, including the Transnational Corporation led by the Director-General of the Nigerian Stock Exchange, Dr. Ndi Okereke-Onyiuke, were expected to join the race for NITEL in the fresh bid.

The PUNCH, Wednesday, January 11, 2006

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FG set to sack 30,000 workers

Renewed fear has gripped federal civil servants as indications emerged on Monday that the downsizing and right-sizing・of the service have entered their final stage.

Sam Akpe and Onyedi Ojiabor, Abuja

Sources informed our correspondents that the controversial exercise that could affect 30,056 workers might take effect before the end of March. This represents about 21 per cent of the total federal workers.

Already, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Alhaji Yayale Ahmed, has ordered final verification of the workers most of who are on grade levels 01 and 07

The retrenchment was put on hold in August 2005 following investigation by the Senate into allegations of irregularities and non-adherence to procedures against the HCSF by labour unions.

The Senate had, in its recommendations, approved the retrenchment but insisted that it must be done in line with extant laws particularly with the involvement of the labour unions in compiling the final list.

Our correspondents learnt on Monday that Ahmed had on December 7, 2005 directed that a letter be sent to all the ministries and departments to be affected by the exercise to effect final personnel audit and forward the same to his office immediately.

The letter by the Director of Personnel Audit and Monitoring, Mr. B. A. Ameh, stated that each of the audited staff should complete and attach passport photographs to some forms to be sent to them.

The letter however did not state when the forms should be completed.

One of the letters addressed to a permanent secretary read, 添ou will recall that this office embarked on the staff survey and verification of all officers on the payroll of the Federal Government in 2004.

鉄o far, only Grade Levels 07 to 17 have been surveyed and verified while Grade Levels 01-06 are still outstanding.

的 am directed to inform you that this office has commenced the survey and verification of this category of officers.

典o this end, I am further directed to request you to assist the officers who have been assigned to carry out this assignment in your ministry.

鄭ll staff on Grade Levels 01 to 06 are required to complete the attached forms with their passport photographs where necessary, while your office should forward a comprehensive nominal roll of the same category of staff with the completed forms and the diskette in Excel, to this office through the officers who have been assigned to your office.・

The Senate had in its resolution in September directed that the sack implementation committee should provide it with a comprehensive list of those to be affected, including all relevant data.

It was also agreed that all information regarding the categories of people to be sacked, including the number of directors and other senior officers, should be made public.

Sources told our correspondents that the government might spend about N26billion on both terminal benefits, cost of training and administration after the exercise.

Out of the amount, more than N24billion would be spent on terminal benefits, while about N1.5billion would be spent as administrative costs to train those to be laid off.

The terminal training programme is to be conducted by the National Poverty Eradication Programme and the Central Bank of Nigeria. This will cover psychological counselling, hints on post-retirement endeavours, investment and entrepreneurship.

A breakdown showed that 10,425 workers whose services had become untenable as a result of the government痴 monetisation programme would be affected.

They include drivers and stewards attached to senior officials.

Those within this category will receive about N5billion as terminal benefits, while their training programme will gulp N314million.

Another group comprising 8,002 workers and referred to as 途edundant・staff will receive about N6billion as terminal benefits, while training will cost N397million.

The third group is made up of 6,168 workers with no acceptable entry qualifications and mandatory skills.

Sources said the government had set aside about N6billion as terminal benefits, while training would cost N407million.

About 2,102 workers are also to be shown the way out for 妬nsufficient/unsatisfactory behaviour.・

Their terminal benefit is put at N2billion, while the training will cost N139million.

Workers who have received mandatory number of warnings are categorised under 電isciplinary cases・and they are 1,645 in all.

Six hundred and eleven workers are to retire voluntarily and 457 others will go due to 杜edical-related cases.・

The PUNCH, Wednesday, January 11, 2006

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Aviation fuel scarcity in Lagos

Most domestic airline operators are currently experiencing aviation fuel scarcity following the non-lifting of the commodity by oil tanker drivers in Lagos.

Akin Olukunle and Babatunde Oke

The tanker drivers under the aegis of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers had, last Thursday, stopped the lifting of aviation fuel as a result of the towing away of 70 tankers belonging to their members by the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority.

The action was on the order of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, the owner of the piece of land, where the tankers were earlier parked by the drivers.

FAAN towed away the tankers on December 31, 2005, in conjunction with the Presidential Task Force on illegal structures at the nation's airports.

Most international carriers, which fuelled their aircrafts in neighbouring countries before now, did not feel the impact of the scarcity.

Sources said on Tuesday that the affected NUPENG members, who met shortly after the towing away of their vehicles, had vowed not to lift aviation fuel until their impounded vehicles were returned.

About four of the tankers, our correspondents gathered, contained aviation fuel billed for delivery to some of the airlines before they were towed to the headquarters of LASTMA at Oshodi.

Only Total Plc, a major oil marketer, has been supplying Jet A1, some officials of the indigenous airlines in Lagos said on Tuesday.

The Deputy General Secretary of the Airline Operators of Nigeria, the umbrella union of the indigenous operators, Alhaji Mohammed Tukur, confirmed the scarcity, which he said had adversely affected the operations of most airlines.

Tukur explained that the scarcity had compounded the problems of the airlines, which are currently combining flights for their different routes to break even.

Tukur, who is also the Coordinator of the Chanchangi Airlines, said, "The scarcity of Jet A1 is causing serious delays in the operations of most of the airlines. The few passengers that we have are not happy with the situation.

"We are also experiencing the problem at Chanchangi Airlines. We have, since the problem started, been asking our men to fuel their aircraft in Abuja and Port Harcourt instead of struggling endlessly for the commodity in Lagos. This is the case with many other airlines. So, we just hope FAAN and the oil marketers would resolve the crisis immediately.・

The Zonal Chairman of NUPENG, Lagos State, Mr. Solomon Kilanko, told our correspondents on telephone on Tuesday that the union officials had met with the management of FAAN on Monday and agreed that the impounded tankers be returned to their owners.

The President of NUPENG, Mr. Peter Akpatason, further explained that the union had backed down on the issue of compensation for its affected members because of "the intervention of the major marketers."

The PUNCH, Wednesday, January 11, 2006

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NITEL's sloppy privatisation

The declaration of Orascom as the winner of the 51 per cent shareholding in NITEL and its mobile telecommunication subsidiary firm, M-Tel, has, again, raised serious doubts about the credibility of the privatisation process.

Ordinary Nigerians were surprised when Orascom痴 paltry offer of $256.53 million won the bid in the second round. Though the Federal Capital Territory Minister, Mallam Nasir el Rufai, said the price offered was far below the over $7 billion that had been injected into NITEL in the last few years, he added that the disappointing sale could not be helped because investors had lost confidence in NITEL.

It is claimed that whereas the organisation generates about N40 billion annually, it has N140 billion debt profile and a N15 billion wage bill of 11,800 employees to settle. There are indications that Orascom is being persuaded to review its offer to meet a reserved price that is only known to the privatisation agencies. What is clear, however, is that in a botched attempt to sell NITEL in 2001, one firm, the International Investors (London) Limited, offered to buy the public telco for $1.317 billion. What has drastically slashed the 2001 worth of the state-owned telecom firm? Are some corrupt officials using fronts to sell NITEL to themselves?

The first signs that the renewed attempt at NITEL痴 privatisation would be anything but transparent were seen when the National Communications Commission excluded some genuine local operators like MTN and V-Mobile from the bidding process, by insisting that they had to forfeit their existing licences first. This had paved the way for only Orascom and Newtel that offered $154.96 million to make the first round of the bidding process. Though the NCC hinged its action on the need to guard against market dominance and monopoly tendency, the ban unduly disqualified already nimble market players from the bidding process and cleared the turf for just two firms.

It is quite shocking that a firm which recently had about $7 billion capital injection, licensed to operate in all segments of telecommunication business and with multi-billion dollar fixed assets in all parts of the country, is being devalued in the name of privatisation. Even Orascom痴 $256 million offer fell short of the $285 million the FG paid on behalf of NITEL to secure the M-Tel GSM licence. Whatever may be Orascom痴 pedigree in telecommunication business in the Middle East, the deliberate stifling of competition in the bidding process gives the impression that some dubious Nigerians are at it again.

The stalled sale of Aluminium Smelter Company (ALSCON) to RUSSAL, the fraudulent contracting of Ajaokuta Steel Complex to an incompetent SOLGAS and the scandalous PENTASCOPE deal to turn around NITEL, have really given the noble policy of privatisation a bad name. Dr. Gbenga Obasanjo captured the rot in a recent interview: 鏑ook at the AP and the privatisation process. They just sold the entire country to themselves. Look at the Pentascope deal; they stole over one billion dollars from Nigeria without fixing a single telephone line.・Though the President痴 son has denied granting the controversial interview, those remarks are not different from the observation of many watchers of the privatisation process. In most of the privatised firms, the so-called core investors are interested more in asset stripping than in doing genuine business.

The opacity in the sale of NITEL should be redressed immediately. When all the competing firms fail to satisfy the reserved price, the usual practice is to cancel the entire bidding process and order a fresh and more inclusive one. Pleading with Orascom to raise its offer is curious and unusual. The firm痴 ridiculous offer is unacceptable. The FG should, therefore, stop the transaction and return to status quo ante. The government must overcome the huge scramble by various powerful groups to use purely political means to acquire NITEL. But if it is unable to do so, it makes good business sense for the FG to liquidate the troubled telco like the Nigeria Airways and settle workers・entitlements.

The PUNCH, Wednesday, January 11, 2006

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FG seeks China's assistance to revamp railways

The Federal Government has begun moves to rejuvenate the nation's railway system through the assistance of the Chinese Government.

Oluyinka Akintunde, Abuja

To give fillip to the government痴 plan, the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has led a 23-man delegation to China to discuss with the country痴 government towards assisting Nigeria in rejuvenating the railway system.

The Special Assistant to the finance minister, Mr. Paul Nwabuikwu, who disclosed this in a statement in Abuja, said the revival of the railway system was a major objective of the Budget 2006, which is aimed at boosting the nation痴 infrastructure.

Nwabuikwu further stated that the delegation would also discuss the financing of hydro-electric power plants in the Mambila region with the Chinese government.

He said, 典he discussions, which are based on the interest of the Chinese government to assist Nigeria in these areas, will focus on direct investment as well as technical assistance and grants.

典o underscore its seriousness to ensuring that the projects become reality, the federal government will put down $2billion as seed money for the projects.・

He quoted the minister as saying that the delegation was in China because the Nigerian president was focused on the development of infrastructure to spur growth in the Nigerian economy.

徹ur assignment is to discuss with the Chinese government assistance that can lead to the rejuvenation of the railways and other infrastructure,・Okonjo-Iweala further said.

The minister, who cited the study of the World Economic Forum, which identified poor and inadequate infrastructure as the number one disincentive to wealth creation in Africa, said the federal government was determined to realize significant improvement in this area.

The PUNCH, Wednesday, January 11, 2006

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January 06, 2006

Nigeria may get two vice-presidents

The National Assembly sub-committees on the review of the 1999 Constitution have recommended two vice-presidents for the nation as from May 29, 2007.

Yusuf Alli

The sub-committees also want severance benefits for senators, members of the House of Representatives and the 36 state Houses of Assembly.

The severance benefits will be paid to the lawmakers either on completion of their tenure or in the event of a coup against a democratically elected government in the country.

These recommendations are the major highlights of the 101 amendments to the 1999 Constitution being contemplated by the National Assembly.

The main Committee on the Review of the Constitution, headed by the Deputy President of the Senate, Alhaji Ibrahim Mantu, will soon begin public hearing in the six geopolitical zones on the recommendations.

In the proposals obtained by The PUNCH, the sub-committees also said there should be power rotation only between the North and the South, instead of being on the basis of the six zones.

But out of the recommendations, the introduction of two vice-presidents is a major development in the power equation in the presidency since 1960.

Nigeria had adopted a parliamentary system in 1960 with the Presidency managed by both a ceremonial President, the late Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, and a Prime Minister, the late Alhaji Abubakar Tafawa Balewa.

In 1979, the nation moved from a parliamentary system to the presidential system with one vice-president.

It could not be immediately ascertained why the sub-committees are seeking two vice-presidents for the country.

Findings however showed that the recommendation might be as a result of the crisis of confidence between President Olusegun Obasanjo and his deputy, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.

The recommendations on vice-presidency are in Sections 141 to 149 of the proposed amendments.

The sections read, “There shall be for the federation two vice presidents. First vice-president from the zone of the president and another vice-president from another area.

“In any election to which the foregoing provisions of this chapter relate, a candidate for an election to the office of the President shall not be deemed to be validly nominated unless he nominates two other candidates, one of whom shall be from the same geopolitical zone with him, as his associates, for his running for the office of the president, who are to occupy the offices of vice presidents.

“And those candidates shall be deemed to have been duly elected to the office of the vice-presidents if the candidate for an election to the office of President who nominated them, as associates, is duly elected as President in accordance with the provisions aforesaid.

“The vice-president from the same geopolitical zone as the president shall hold the office of President if the office of President becomes vacant by reason of death or resignation, impeachment, permanent incapacity or the removal of the President from office for any other reason in accordance with Section 149 or 150 of this Constitution.”

Another issue in the proposals deals with plans to pay severance package to members of the National Assembly after their tenure.

Section 70(2)(3) and (4), reads, “A member of the Senate or House of Representatives who has served for a period of not less than four years shall be entitled to payment of severance benefits to him or his personal representative(s) on ceasing to be a member either by his death, retirement or dissolution of the National Assembly.

“A member of the Senate or House of Representatives shall receive adequate compensation, to be determined by the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission, in the event that he loses his position or life through coup or any event while in active service.

“All entitlements referred to in sub-sections (2) and (3) of this section shall, unless otherwise provided by this Constitution, be charged upon the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the Federal Government.”

The sub-committees further restated that three options were being considered on the tenure of both the president and the 36 state governors.

They added, “Three options emerged during the sub-committee’s deliberations: After exhaustive discussion on the pros and cons of each opinion, no consensus was reached on anyone of the options.

“The sub-committee therefore recommends the three options to the main committee for further consideration.”

The options are the retention of the status quo of two terms of four years each; two terms of five years each; and three terms of four years each.

On the controversy over power shift, the sub-committees in Section 137(1)(b) said, “The office of the President shall rotate between the North and the South.

“The office of the Governor of a State shall rotate amongst the senatorial districts of the state.”

Concerning the revenue formula, the sub-committees were adamant on the 13 per cent derivation recommended by the National Political Reforms Conference.

It added, “And in determining the formula, the National Assembly shall take into account, the allocation principles, especially those of population, equality of states, internal revenue generation, landmass, terrain as well as population density.

“The principle of derivation shall be constantly reflected in any approved formula as being not less than 13 per cent of the revenue accruing to the Federal Account directly from natural resources.”

This recommendation contravenes the proposal by the National Political Reforms Conference to increase the derivation revenue to 17 per cent.

The South-South had walked out of the conference over the conference refusal to accept 25 per cent derivation that was to be raised to 50 per cent over five years.

The sub-committees also recommended to the National Assembly to empower the President to “authorise the withdrawal of moneys from the Consolidated Revenue Fund if the Appropriation Bill in respect of any financial year has not been passed into law.”

They further sought for the creation of a Contingencies Fund at both the Federal and state levels.

They said, “The National Assembly may by law, make provisions for the establishment of a Contingencies Fund for the Federal Government of Nigeria and for authorising the President, if satisfied that there has arisen an urgent and unforeseen need for expenditure for which no other provision exists, to make advances from the Fund to meet the need.”

Public hearing on the amendments, which was to begin on January 8 in Port Harcourt, has been put off indefinitely.

The PUNCH, Friday, January 06, 2006

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Ladoja Panel: Members’ neutrality raises questions

Questions bordering on the conflict of interests of members of the seven-man panel to investigate allegation of gross misconduct against Oyo State Governor, Alhaji Rashidi Ladoja, have been raised.

Sunday Aborisade.

A government source who craved anonymity , observed that contrary to the import of the provisions of section 188(5) of the constitution, most of the panelists were interested parties.

The source, in an interview with our correspondent on Thursday, insisted that members of the probe panel would not be fair in their final report because of their political antecedents and perceived sympathy for Chief Lamidi Adedibu.

Section 188 (5), states that persons of a questionable integrity, members of a public service, a legislative house or a political party, should not be appointed into such panel.

The source however, x-rayed the antecedents of the members and submitted that most of them fell short of the constitutional prescriptions.

According to him, Mr. Segun Alli is a well-known member of the Alliance for Democracy and the immediate past chairman of Ibadan North Local Government, the same council of the governor.

He alleged that Alli hated the governor with a passion and had been using his weekly newspaper, Oyo Echo, to launch attack on the governor.

He also said another member, Mrs Adegboye, is a well-known female politician from the Peoples Democratic Party, based in Abuja.

Her name was said to have been included in the list of commissioner- nominees submitted by Adedibu but was reportedly dropped by the governor hence she would not be fair in her opinion on the matter.

The Chief Imam of Oyo town, Alhaji A. Adebayo, who also made the list according to the source, had openly rained curses on the governor on several occasions.

He also said another member, Mr. Gbenga Olaofe, was a well-known member of the PDP, and attended the last convention of the party in Abuja in Adedibu’s camp.

The source also observed that Mr. Adetoro, another member of the panel, was nominated by Mr. Gbenga Babalola, who, according to him, is a gubernatorial aspirant for the 2007 election, was a prominent politician who should not make the list.

He therefore urged the Chief Judge of the state to review the list so as not to run foul of the nation’s constitution.

None of the indicted members of the panel could be reached for comments on Thursday obviously because of the warning by the chairman that they should refrain from granting interviews because doing so would be sub judice.

The PUNCH, Friday, January 06, 2006

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January 05, 2006

2007: Southern leaders insist on poll boycott

Southern leaders on Wednesday restated their position to boycott the 2007 general elections and demand for a confederation if the presidency was returned to the North.

Dotun Oladipo

At a news conference in Lagos, the Chairman of the Southern Forum, Chief Mathew Mbu, said that there was no going back on the threat made at the inaugural meeting of the body in Enugu, Enugu State, on December 19, 2005.

The forum is made up of governors, legislators, political appointees, leaders of thought and traditional rulers in the Southern part of the country.

Mbu, flanked by a former Secretary to the Oyo State Government, Chief Dejo Raimi, and a royal father, Prof. Sam Ukpabi, said that the southern leaders would not concede the presidency to the North in 2007 under any circumstance.

He recalled that at the Enugu conference, the members of the forum agreed that having held political power for 35 out of the country’s 45 years of independence, the North had no right to demand for power again until the South-South and the South-East had taken a shot at the presidency.

Mbu also said that the forum demanded for an urgent review of the constitution with a view to correcting its defects that had made the establishment of true federalism impossible.

He added that rather than the presidency rotating on the basis of the North/South, it should rotate among the six geopolitical zones.

He said it was surprising that the North was still agitating to produce the next president.

He said, “If as a result of the arrogance and intransigence of other zones, the presidency fails to go either to the South-East or South-South, the three zones in the South will opt for a confederation and boycott any election in this country till further notice.”

He restated the demand for an immediate review of the revenue allocation formula with emphasis on derivation.

He said such review should raise the derivation to oil producing states to 25 per cent with immediate effect and a steady rise in the next five years to 50 per cent.

The Southern Forum also demanded for the inclusion of ethnic and religious data in the next census scheduled for March 2006.

Mbu said, in a response to a question, that the demand by the South was not going to cause any problem in the country, adding that negotiation would resolve all the areas of conflict.

He said that the South was not opposed to the call by the Middle Belt that President Olusegun Obasanjo should convene a meeting of elders from all the geopolitical zones to resolve the problems of the country.

On the order by the Peoples Democratic Party that its elected representatives should not attend regional meetings such as the one called by the Southern Forum in Enugu, Mbu said that it was left to those affected to decide on what to do.

He said that the forum was not in a position to force anybody to attend its meeting, adding, “If you believe in what we stand for, you are welcome.”

The PUNCH, Thursday, January 05, 2006

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January 04, 2006

Marwa regains freedom

The former Military Administrator of Lagos State, Brig. Gen. Mohammed Buba Marwa, was on Tuesday released by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, after about ten days in detention.

Yusuf Alli

Marwa was arrested on December 22, on allegations that funds belonging to the former Head of State, late Gen. Sani Abacha, passed through his account.

The Federal Government had estimated that Abacha stole over $2.2billion.

Out of the looted funds, about $505million was traced to some accounts in some banks in Switzerland.

The Swiss government had approved the repatriation of $458million out of the $505million.

Despite the recovery of some funds from Switzerland, the Federal Government is still trying to track down Abacha loot in some countries in Europe.

A probe into the loot indicated that Abacha awarded about $110million worth of contract to Mr. Raji Arjandras Bhojwani and his company, Tata Overseas Sales and Services Limited SA.

The contract was for the supply of armoured personnel carriers to the police; Tata trucks to the Ministry of Defence and the Independent National Electoral Commission.

Investigations by the EFCC revealed that the contract was inflated, on April 19, 1996 from $110million to $149million.

About $12.8million out of the inflated sum of $39million for the contract was allegedly traced through Cayman Island to Marwa’s accounts in Transnational Bank, Nairobi.

Marwa denied the allegation. He admitted that some funds passed through his account but he expected that no money would stay there.

He also explained that he had been constrained to release his account number to Abacha on demand, because the former military ruler was his commander-in-chief.

Efforts to reach Marwa on Tuesday night failed but a close aide said, “He is a victim of highwire politics by some powerful forces who have an axe to grind with him.”

Marwa’s release came as a surprise to many because of his perceived closeness to the Presidency.

There were conflicting reports on how his release was negotiated.

A source said a powerful delegation from the Presidency met with some top EFCC officials in the early hours of Tuesday to secure Marwa’s release.

Another source said Marwa had given commitment to the EFCC to cooperate with the commission in its investigations.

A source, however, said, “some conditions were given to Marwa, including a deposit of his passport with the EFCC.”

The PUNCH, Wednesday, January 04, 2006

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Obasanjo, Ali, others meet over Ladoja

President Olusegun Obasanjo was expected to meet on Tuesday night with the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Dr. Ahmadu Ali, over the bid by some members of the Oyo State House of Assembly to remove Governor Rashidi Ladoja.

Akin Oyedele, Ademola Oni and Semiu Okanlawon

Sources told our correspondents on Tuesday that the meeting, which would also be attended by three other unnamed stalwarts of the PDP in Abuja, could offer a lifeline to Ladoja.

The news of the meeting in Abuja is coming after Ladoja announced at an interdenominational service in Ibadan on Tuesday, that he had finally survived the plot by some state legislators to remove him from office.

Also on Tuesday in Ibadan, a high court restrained the acting Chief Judge, Justice Afolabi Adeniran, from constituting the panel that was to investigate the charges of gross misconduct against the governor.

The case instituted by three lawmakers – Hassan Ogundoke, Babatunde Olaniyan and Jacob Ojekunle – seeking an order of perpetual injunction restraining Adeniran from acting on the letter written by 18 pro-Adedibu legislators was on Tuesday argued at an Ibadan High Court.

The three members were also seeking a declaration that the 18 legislators did not constitute the mandatory two-third majority of the 32-member House.

The group of 18 had during its sitting at a hotel in Ibadan (D’Rovans) on December 13 claimed to have suspended seven members of the rival group of legislators, including the Speaker, Mr. Adeola Adeleke, to leave the House with 25 members.

After preliminary arguments by counsel to both parties, the presiding judge, Justice Bolaji Yusuf, adjourned the suit to January 13.

Respite for Ladoja came after two separate groups of elders from Oyo State visited Obasanjo in his Ota Farm before and after Christmas, followed by two feverish visits by Ladoja on New Year day and the day after.

Obasanjo has been particularly irked by accusations of partiality in the crisis.

He has brushed aside charges that the governor’s leading foe, Chief Lamidi Adedibu, had instigated the latest round of crisis on frivolous grounds.

Sources said that the Tuesday night meeting in Abuja might use the report of the PDP fact-finding committee, headed by the Deputy National Chairman (North), Alhaji Ibrahim Shema, to broker peace.

Said one source, “The main reason why Obasanjo and the party chieftains are meeting is to use the committee report to provide a kind of face-saving platform for all those who are involved.

“From what the (fact-finding) committee has found so far, it’s obvious now that the pro-Adedibu lawmakers are on weak grounds. But the President’s ego (and that of some top party people) is involved; there’ll have to be some sort of soft-landing. That’s what the Tuesday meeting is about.”

Early on Tuesday, Ladoja, at an interdenominational service organised by his government to mark the New Year, in Ibadan, said that those calling for a state of emergency in the state had failed.

He therefore called on indigenes of the state to give peace a chance in 2006.

Describing 2005 as “a traumatic one for the state and the nation,” the governor reminded the people that it was only in an atmosphere of peace that development could take place.

Recounting the disasters witnessed last year, Ladoja said it was unfortunate that what happened in the defunct Western Region House of Assembly in 1963 was replicated in the state towards the end of the year.

The governor said he was glad to realise that the support of the people for his administration had not waned.

He emphasised that it was traditional for Yoruba kings to relinquish their throne when the people turned against them, but said the reverse was the case in the state as “the people still love their governor.”

Ladoja reminded the members of the state House of Assembly seeking his removal that, “The mandate we are holding is not the mandate for one person, but for everybody that voted for us, whose interest we ought to be protecting.”

He added, “I am glad to see the people who were apolitical for the first time rising to defend democracy. It shows that we are ready to pay the price to safeguard that democracy.

“The essence of democracy is disagreement in order to agree. We put our own side of the case forward and submit to stronger argument, where there is a superior view.”

Ladoja added that Obasanjo deserved a pat on the back for his troubleshooting efforts.

The governor, however, regretted that, “what is happening in Oyo State can be likened to somebody who is good outside but not good at home.”

He promised to continue to serve the people, vowing not to stay a day longer when his services were no longer required by the people.

In a sermon at the occasion, a Muslim cleric, Alhaji Nurudeen Azeez, called on workers to remain loyal to the state government and to be committed to their defence of democracy.

Also, the General Overseer, Bible-based Church, Pastor Joel Iyiola, urged workers to mind their utterances.

Iyiola whose message centred on “Mind your tongue,” said the tongue was a “dangerous weapon of warfare.”

He advised Ladoja not to react angrily to issues since by his position he was the father of all residents of the state.

Present at the service were the state’s Deputy Governor, Mr. Alao Akala; the Speaker of the House; the Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Ayodele Adigun; the Acting General Officer Commanding, 2 Mechanised Division, Nigerian Army, Brig-Gen. U. S. Essien.

Also in attendance were the Deputy Commissioner of Police at the state command, Mr. Jonathan Johnson; and the factional Chairman of the PDP in the state, Chief Jacob Adetoro.

Meanwhile, the Speaker of the Oyo State House of Assembly, Mr. Adeolu Adeleke, on Tuesday claimed that the impeachment process against Ladoja was carried out by suspected party loyalists masquerading as members of the House of Assembly.

He described the resolution passed by the 18 members of the House loyal to Adedibu, on December 22 as “fake and unconstitutional.”

To buttress his point, Adeleke at the news conference showed a video clip where the unidentified party loyalists were seen at the Assembly chambers mimicking the proceedings of the House.

The arrowhead of the pro-Adedibu group and Chairman, House Committee on Information, Mr. Babatunde Eesuola, however, described the video show as a “charade and a fraud meant to deceive the public.”

Reacting to the allegation in a telephone interview with our correspondents, he insisted that the 18 lawmakers sat at the Assembly complex on the day in question, and would not know what transpired after they departed the chamber.

The PUNCH, Wednesday, January 04, 2006

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January 03, 2006

Obasanjo is dispensable – David-West

A former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Prof. Tam David-West, on Monday said President Olusegun Obasanjo was not indispensable as Nigeria’s leader.

Segun Olugbile and Atser Godwin

Speaking with our correspondents in Lagos against the backdrop of an alleged third term bid of the President, he said the project being “spearheaded by sycophants that surround Obasanjo” was an invitation to anarchy.

He said there were credible Nigerians who could govern the nation after the expiration of Obasanjo’s tenure in 2007.

David-West said, “Obasanjo is not a messiah and he is not indispensable. I am not a prophet, but a scientist. As a scientist, you look at the data available and the 2007 project, and you will see that everything points to a very turbulent future. And the future here is not 10 years from now, but 2007.

“It is only God that is indispensable; it would be an insult to Nigerians for somebody to say that it is only Obasanjo who can provide answers to the nation’s problems. ”

The Professor of Virology, who served as minister under the Buhari and Babangida regimes, advised Obasanjo to listen to the counsel already offered by the World Bank President, Mr. Paul Wolfowitz; the former South African President, Mr. Nelson Mandela; the former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon (rtd.) and the United States Government.

He described the President as four times lucky, and urged him not to be carried away by people who want to destroy him.

He said, “I’m not seeking to become a minister. People who have expressed similar views are not your (the President’s) enemies. Do the World Bank President, Mandela, Gowon and others hate you? No, they do not. Remember that the voice of the people is the voice of God.”

Reacting to comments by the Peoples Democratic Party Chairman, Dr. Ahmadu Ali, that the country’s leadership should not be changed for the sake of change, David-West said the party chieftain lacked the moral justification to make such comment.

He also faulted Ali’s claim that the nation made no progress since Obasanjo relinquished power in 1979.

He said, “Ali is talking nonsense, and I mean nonsense. After the exit of Obasanjo, we had Alhaji Shehu Shagari and we had changes in government, and currently, the government is worse than before – if you check all the economic indices.

“More people are now jobless than in 1979, our petroleum industry is more badly managed than before. It is absolute rubbish and this, at least, is known to everybody.”

David-West said that it was insulting for anybody to say it was only Obasanjo who has answers to all the nation’s problems out of over 120million people.

The PUNCH, Tuesday, January 03, 2006

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December 30, 2005

Britain slams 29-count charge on Alamieyeseigha

Despite his ongoing prosecution in Nigeria, the former Governor of Bayelsa State, Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, will soon face trial in London on 29 charges.

Yusuf Alli

Investigations by our correspondent indicated that the Crown Prosecution in the United Kingdom had filed the list of charges at the Bow Street Magistrates’ Court on December 19, 2005.

Alamieyeseigha was arrested at the Heathrow Airport, London, on September 15 for allegedly laundering over £1million.

On October 14, the Southwark Crown Court granted the former governor bail on six conditions, including the seizure of his passport.

But on November 21, 2005, Alamieyeseigha jumped bail and fled to Nigeria.

The Bow Street Magistrates’ Court in London on December 8 issued a warrant for the suspect’s arrest.

Although the former governor was removed from office on December 10, 2005, there had been a diplomatic deadlock on whether he should be extradited to London for trial or not.

Alamieyeseigha, however, on December 15 applied for a visa to return to London but the British High Commission in Nigeria rejected his application.

As at Thursday, findings showed that it appeared the problems over Alamieyeseigha’s extradition were being resolved.

It was learnt that the charges were filed at the court in anticipation of the extradition of Alamieyeseigha to the UK.

Out of the charges, 28 border mainly on suspected cases of money laundering and the one-count charge is on his jumping of bail on November 21.

Most of the cases of money laundering were committed between December 14, 2001 and September 28, 2005.

The former governor will be tried under four laws in the United Kingdom.

These laws are, the Bail Act 1976; Criminal Attempts Act 1981; Justice Act 1988 and Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.

A copy of the papers filed by the Crown Prosecution, exclusively obtained by The PUNCH further revealed that the 29 allegations against Alamieyeseigha are divided into three existing charges and 26 additional charges.

The three existing broad charges read:

• That he on or about the 14th December 2001 concealed or disguised property, namely a credit of £420,000.00 received into his account at the Midland Bank Plc (now the Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank Plc), which was, or in whole or in part directly or indirectly represented, his proceeds of criminal conduct for the purpose of avoiding prosecution for an offence to which Part VI of the Act applies. Contrary to Section 93C(1)(a) of the Criminal justice Act 1988;

• That he on or about the 22nd March 2002 concealed or disguised property, namely a credit of £475,724.08 paid into the account of Nedd and Co solicitors, which was, or in whole or in part directly or indirectly represented, his proceeds of criminal conduct for the purpose of avoiding prosecution for an offence to which Part VI of the Act applies. Contrary to Section 93C(1)(a) of the Criminal Justice Act 1988;

• That he on or before the 15th September 2005 concealed, disguised, converted or transferred criminal property namely monies in Sterling and United States dollars, amounting to a total value of £73,749,16 which constituted his benefit from criminal conduct or represented such a benefit in whole or in part whereby directly or indirectly and which he knew or suspected constituted or represented such a benefit. Contrary to Section 327(1) of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.

Some of the additional charges include:

• That he on or about the 1st November 2004 concealed, disguised, converted or transferred criminal property namely the sum of £949,763.65 debited from the account of Santolina Investment Corporation with the Royal Bank of Scotland Plc and dispatched to Berndadt, Vukic, Potash and Getz at the First National Bank, Cape Town, South Africa.

• That he on or about the 30th August 2005 attempted to conceal, disguise, convert or transfer criminal property namely the sum of £1,853,849.73 from the account of Santolina Investment Corporation with the Royal Bank of Scotland Plc and to Joseph Kokkinos and Co (Clients Account) in Cyprus at the Cyprus Popular Bank which constituted his benefit from criminal conduct or represented such a benefit in whole or in part whereby directly or indirectly and which he knew or suspected constituted or represented such a benefit. Contrary to Section 1(1) of the Criminal Attempts Act 1981.

• That he on or about the 28th September 2005 concealed, disguised, converted or transferred criminal property namely monies in Sterling and United States Dollars, amounting to a total value of £73,749.16 which constituted his benefit from criminal conduct or represented such a benefit in whole or in part whereby directly or indirectly and which he knew or suspected constituted or represented such a benefit. Contrary to Section 327(1) of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.

• That he on 8th December 2005 having been released on conditional bail in criminal proceedings failed without reasonable cause to surrender to Bow Street Magistrates’ Court. Contrary to Section 6 of the Bail Act 1976.

The PUNCH, Friday, December 30, 2005

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December 29, 2005

Oyo: Court can’t stop impeachment bid – Judge

For the second time in five days, Ibadan elders met with President Olusegun Obasanjo on Wednesday in Ota to stop the bid by 18 members of the Oyo State House of Assembly to remove Governor Rashidi Ladoja.

Yusuf Alli, Toyin Obadina and Akin Oyedele

Our correspondents learnt of the meeting hours before an Ibadan High Court declined jurisdiction to entertain a suit by 14 members of the Assembly to stop the impeachment proceedings against the governor.

The 18 lawmakers are said to have sympathy for Chief Lamidi Adedibu who is engaged in a face-off with the governor.

A six-member delegation of Ibadan elders had on Saturday visited Obasanjo over the Oyo crisis.

A source said that although Obasanjo told the team that Ladoja must be removed from office, he could not say in concrete terms what the governor did wrong.

It was learnt that the elders decided to give the President a few days to have a second thought on the impeachment proceedings.

The source said that the elders returned to Ota on Wednesday to prevail on Obasanjo to stave off the impeachment process.

Our source said the elders also felt that the presidential intervention could assist in facilitating a truce between the two parties to the crisis.

Findings revealed that the peace initiative might have been informed by the degeneration of the political situation in the state.

Apart from the mayhem at the Assembly, the two petitions sent by the governor to the national secretariat of the Peoples Democratic Party, to nip the crisis in the bud, got missing in transit, till last Monday.

It was also revealed that the elders’ peace move was encouraged by alleged recent rapprochement between Ladoja and Adedibu.

Adedibu, according to our source gave four conditions for reconciliation with the governor.

The conditions are the release of the state chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, Lateef Akinsola (a.k.a. Tokyo), from detention; the release of some funds as welfare and palliative package; the allocation of two constituency projects to each of the 18 lawmakers who are against the governor; and unrestrained access to Ladoja.

Investigations further indicated that the government might have given an unspecified amount of money to Adedibu as “welfare package” in the past two weeks to appease the aggrieved PDP chieftain.

The governor also allegedly consented to the allocation of a second constituency project to each of the 18 pro-impeachment lawmakers with a proviso that the first contract should be completed.

But at 5pm on Wednesday, the bid by the 14 legislators to stop the removal of the governor on Thursday (today) suffered a setback as an Ibadan High Court said it had no jurisdiction to hear their suit.

After hearing the suit in the morning, the court deferred ruling till 6pm.

Justice Olagoke Ige, who delivered a terse ruling after listening to the arguments of counsel in the case, said that impeachment and related proceedings of the Assembly were purely political matters over which the court could not intervene.

Ige said it was clear that the jurisdiction of the court had been ousted, adding that the action of the 14 legislators was not justiciable.

“The issue of impeachment is a matter that comes within the internal affairs of the House of Assembly. The court will therefore decline jurisdiction in this matter,” he said.

Counsel to the applicants, Chief Adeniyi Akintola (SAN), had in the course of the proceedings tried to change his clients’ application by filing a fresh one.

He lamented that all the court officials expected to attend to the matter deserted their duty posts.

Akintola added that a new case had been instituted against the acting Chief Judge of the state, Justice Afolabi Adeniran, to prevent him from appointing the seven-member panel to probe the allegations of misconduct against the governor.

In the case instituted by two members of the Assembly, Hassan Ogundoke and Babatunde Olaniyan, against the CJ, they prayed the court to declare that the letter requesting Adeniran to raise the panel was unconstitutional.

They also asked for an order restraining the acting CJ and his agents from acting on the letter.

Counsel to the 18 legislators, Mr. Lekan Latinwo, had earlier brought a notice of preliminary objection challenging the jurisdiction of the court to entertain the case.

After a heated argument, the court upheld the arguments of Latinwo that the objection be heard first.

The judge argued that Section 188 (10) of the constitution ousted the jurisdiction of the court to entertain any matter relating to the proceeding of the Assembly.

He however did not award costs as prayed by the lawyers to the pro-Adedibu group.

Reacting to the ruling, Akintola said he had filed an appeal.

Security was however tight as armed policemen frisked people entering the court premises apparently to forestall a repeat of last Thursday’s mayhem at the city.

However, hundreds of market women besieged the Olubadan of Ibadan’s palace on Wednesday to drum support for Ladoja.

Prince Jide Ogundipe, one of the chiefs in the palace, who received the women on behalf of the Olubadan, Oba Yinusa Ogundipe, said the Oba was abreast of the situation and that normalcy would soon be restored.

The governor held a security council meeting, shortly after which he inspected the extent of damage to the secretariat complex and his office in the aftermath of last Thursday’s violence.

Our correspondents gathered at about 8.30pm on Wednesday that some prominent indigenes of Ibadan had intensified efforts to make the pro-Adedibu legislators jettison the move to remove Ladoja.

Sources however said that the police headquarters had concluded arrangements to deploy more policemen to the city to complement the efforts of the state command.

One of the sources claimed that some of the policemen might be assigned the duty of ensuring that the 18-pro-Adedibu legislators had easy access on Thursday (today) to the Assembly complex.

Already there were speculations that the Adedibu-18 could mount pressure on the CJ to set up the panel to investigate the governor to prepare the grounds for his impeachment in the next few days.

As at 9.45pm on Wednesday, the outcome the meeting between the Ibadan elders and Obasanjo was not known.

The PUNCH, Thursday, December 29, 2005

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December 28, 2005

OPC withdraws vigilance services

Two months after the arrest of its leaders and their arraignment for treason, the Oodua Peoples Congress on Tuesday directed all its members to withdraw from vigilance services.

Oluseto Olatuyi,Kunle Adeyemi and Semiu Okanlawon

The group had in the last five years engaged in security vigilance services to communities in the South-West, ostensibly to supplement police efforts.

But their mode of operation has always placed them on collision course with the police.

A statement by the National Secretary-General, of the group, Alhaji Lateef Lawal, said the withdrawal from vigilance services was to put an end to the frequent confrontation with the police.

He hoped that the step would stem the mutual suspicion between the organisation and the police.

Factional leaders of the OPC, Dr. Frederick Fasehun and Chief Gani Adams, were arrested on October 22 following a spate of violent clashes between the factions in which many persons were killed and properties destroyed.

They were arraigned at a Federal High Court, Abuja, for treason on December 1.

Lawal, who is a leading member of the Fasehun faction, said, “We have since the arrest and detention of our leaders on October 22, 2005, and their subsequent detention in Abuja discovered that the police hierarchy and the rank and file always nurse a misconception about the complementary role our members have played in the recent past to stem the spate of armed robberies and other vices, especially in the South-West states.”

He lamented that social miscreants and motor park touts usually claimed to be OPC members when they were caught after committing criminal acts.

“We are therefore imploring the police to always demand for a duly signed identification card by our national President, Dr. Fasehun, from whoever falls foul of the law and claims to be a member of the congress,” he added.

When contacted by our correspondent, the Adams-led faction said the two camps agreed on the withdrawal of vigilance services.

An aide to Adams, Mr. Segun Akanni, in a telephone interview, said his faction took the decision two weeks ago when it became clear that nobody had come to the aid of the organisation since the arrest of Fasehun and Adams.

He said, “We are united on the matter. It is true we did not formally meet to take that decision. But we have since realised that nobody appreciates what our group has been doing in the area of protecting lives and property. If they do, at least, people would have risen in defence of our leaders and seek their release.”

The Lagos State Police Command said the OPC’s decision to dump its vigilance services was welcome.

The command argued that the group’s activities never had any positive impact on police work. It added that OPC members created problems for the police.

Spokesman for the command, Mr. Olubode Ojajuni, a deputy superintendent of police, told our correspondents that the police’s task of maintaining security would better be felt without the involvement of the OPC.

He said, “Their so-called vigilance services have no impact on the police. We are not in any pact with them, we never employed them to do that job for us. In fact, their activities usually bring misunderstanding between us and members of the public.”

The PPRO acknowledged that the OPC volunteered to work with the police, but he said the police did not give them the licence to take the law into their hands.

“What we said was that any group that was lawful and had respect for the rule of law would be accommodated by the police and we will work with the group, but the OPC members has always been controversial in their acts,” Ojajuni said.

He cited the Neighbourhood Watch (another vigilance group), saying nobody ever heard any bad report on the way its members went about their activities.

Ojajuni said if some members of the OPC had not been reckless in their activities, the group would have been left to operate like the Neighbourhood Watch.

He added, “What the law says is that anybody or group that arrests any suspect must hand over such person to the police immediately, but these people do all sorts of unimaginable things with the people they claim to have arrested.

“We can do our job, we are equal to the task, our men are doing wonderfully well and some members of the public have attested to that. We need no group to tell or teach us how to do our work.”

The PUNCH, Wednesday, December 28, 2005

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December 27, 2005

Ladoja petitions PDP • Sheathe your swords, Obasanjo tells parties to Oyo crisis • Truce panel due in Ibadan •I was not abducted – Chief Judge

The Oyo State Governor, Alhaji Rashidi Ladoja, has petitioned the national secretariat of the Peoples Democratic Party over the political crisis in the state.

Yusuf Alli, Toyin Obadina, Akin Oyedele and Niyi Odebode

Our correspondents learnt of the petition on Monday, just as President Olusegun Obasanjo appealed to a stalwart of the PDP, Alhaji Lamidi Adedibu, and other politicians in the state to sheathe their swords.

A source said that Ladoja, in his petition dated December 24, 2005, and addressed to the National Chairman of the PDP, Dr. Ahmadu Ali, requested that a decisive step be taken on the crisis.

He also demanded that Adedibu and those who caused last week’s mayhem in Ibadan should be penalised.

He said, “In spite of provocative statements and violent attacks on me, my parents and my administration, I have behaved like a mature politician and a statesman. I have not joined issues with Baba Adedibu.

“The last straw that broke the camel’s back was the attack on my office while the police were watching helplessly.

“The PDP should look into the crisis and apply appropriate sanction on whoever is involved.”

The governor listed 21 items he wanted the party to investigate and attached other relevant documents, including copies of some interviews Adedibu granted some newspapers.

He accused Adedibu of creating fear and terror by instigating the public against his administration.

Ladoja, however, urged the PDP leadership to ensure an open inquiry into the crisis.

He added, “All stakeholders in the crisis should be called to lay their cards open and once and for all, so that people will not run away with the impression that the party has no discipline.”

Although the petition was submitted to Ali on Monday in Abuja, it was learnt that a panel from the PDP might visit the state on Tuesday(today).

In Ibogun, Ogun State, Obasanjo advised the parties to the Oyo crisis to embrace peace.

“I will just plead with you and others, who are in the mainstream of Oyo State politics, to bear in mind, these four important items: peace, security, solidarity and loyalty,” the President said.

Obasanjo, who spoke when he received Adedibu during the celebration of the 2005 Ibogun Olaogun Day, described the strongman of Ibadan politics as a force to reckon with.

The President said, “We appreciate your coming. We appreciate not only your coming, we appreciate your coming in a very special style.

“Chief Adedibu, you have for a long time been a force to reckon with in the politics of Ibadan in particular and Oyo State in general.”

The President had earlier apologised to Adedibu for the insistence of security agents that he should disembark from his horse before entering the venue of the ceremony.

Obasanjo explained that when Adedibu came, he instructed that he should be allowed to enter the venue on a horse.

He said, “There are times that the security people overrule us. This is one of such occasions. I was overruled. In fact, rudely overruled by my security experts and I have no choice but to keep my mouth shut, when I had been rudely overruled.”

Obasanjo urged Nigerians to focus on the development of their communities, irrespective of their political affiliations.

He also congratulated the new Olowu of Owu, Oba Olusanya Dosunmu, saying that his appointment was not a mistake.

Meanwhile, the Oyo State Acting Chief Judge, Justice Afolabi Adeniran, has dispelled the rumour of his abduction.

In a telephone interview with our correspondents, Adeniran also confirmed receiving a letter from the group of 14 lawmakers loyal to Ladoja asking him to discountenance a directive by the 18 pro-Adedibu legislators to raise a panel to investigate the alleged gross misconduct of the governor.

The acting CJ, however, said he would on Wednesday look critically into the two letters to determine his next line of action.

A delegation of top PDP functionaries is billed to arrive the state on Tuesday as part of efforts by the stakeholders to resolve the crisis.

The Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Ayodele Adigun, said the state was well prepared to receive the PDP team.

Obasanjo had reportedly said the findings of the delegation would determine his final position on the matter.

He also said that he would appraise the situation from reports expected to be submitted by the police and the State Security Service.

Also on Monday, the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Mr Adeolu Adeleke, insisted that the state police command was acting a script handed over to it by an unnamed group in withdrawing his security aides.

Adeleke, who leads the 14 pro-Ladoja legislators, said that the police had by their action exposed his life to danger.

The PUNCH, Tuesday, December 27, 2005

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FAAN introduces new security measures at airports

Aviation authorites and airline operators have introduced new security measures to check movement of passengers and luggage at some of the nation’s airports.

Oluseto Olatuyi

The measures include the installation of baggage screening machines and presentation of identity cards by passengers before boarding an aircraft.

Most of the screening facilities were installed by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria shortly after the Sosoliso Airlines plane crashed in Port Harcourt on December 10.

At the domestic wing of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja Lagos, for instance, almost all the airlines pasted notices requiring their passengers to submit their luggage for checks, and to present an item to identify themselves.

One of the airlines, Chanchangi, in a small attachment to its tickets wrote, “Dear customers, kindly present one of the following at the boarding point – National Identity Card, international passport, driver’s licence and organisation’s identity card.”

All luggage to be checked in by the airline officials must also pass through the giant screening machine at the departure hall of the airport.

These measures, according to the Public Relations Manager of the airline, Alhaji Tukur, are mandatory.

Shortly after the Bellview plane crash at Lisa, Ogun State on October 22, the Federal Government banned the transfer of tickets by passengers.

Unlike before, FAAN security operatives are now stationed at the entrance of the departure lounge.

The FAAN had last week closed the second entrance to the departure lounge to enable it instal a screening machine.

Our correspondent also learnt that the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, in its bid to ensure safe operations, particularly at cargo processing areas, had closed the cargo shed at the domestic wing.

A source said that the measure was taken because the shed had no screening machines.

Security at the airport has also been beefed up in order to check touting .

The recent air accidents in the country gave rise to the suspicion that they might have been caused by security lapses at the airports.

The PUNCH, Tuesday, December 27, 2005

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NITEL: Orascom, Newtel emerge final bidders

Only two investors, out of the six pre-qualified for the acquisition of 51 per cent Federal Government shares in the Nigerian Telecommunications Limited and its mobile arm, Mtel, have made it to the final stages of technical and financial bids.

Oluyinka Akintunde and Everest Amaefule, Abuja

A source, who confirmed this development to our correspondents on Monday in Abuja, named Orascom of Egypt and Newtel International as the two investors.

He said the two firms were the only bidders that met the December 16, 2005 deadline of the Bureau of Public Enterprises for the submission of bids.

“Four firms dropped out in the bid for the companies,” the source added.

The four investors that failed to submit technical and financial bids are: MTN Group of South Africa, Telkom/Vodacom Consortium from South Africa, Celtel International B.V, and Huawei/Jacuz Consortium.

The PUNCH had earlier reported that at least three of the investors had withdrawn their bids.

According to our source, the withdrawal of the four firms from the bid for NITEL/Mtel may not be unconnected with the controversy that surrounded the International Submarine Cable, otherwise known to as SAT-3.

In an interview with our correspondents on December 16, the Director-General of the BPE, Mrs. Irene Chigbue, disclosed that the telecommunication firm would be sold on Thursday, December 29.

She also revealed that the government had finally approved the sale of the company along with SAT-3, which is regarded as the cash cow of NITEL.

She stated, “Most of the bidders had threatened to withdraw and some actually withdrew. They were not patient to wait for government to take a stand to resolve the matter.

“But as you know, it has been resolved and the sale will hold on December 29, 2005. We are going to sell SAT-3 along with NITEL/Mtel.”

Our correspondents gathered that the bid documents submitted by the remaining two bidders contained detailed post-acquisition plans for the first national carrier.

BPE had required the investors to specify in the bid documents the number of shares they were willing to acquire in the telecommunication company, as well as the value of the shares.

The technical evaluation of the bidders is aimed at determining their competence. Only the successful ones will proceed to the final stage of the financial bid on December 29.

Vodacom had on October 21, 2005 pulled out of the Telkom Consortium’s bid for NITEL, because the Federal Government was not considering a separation of the fixed and mobile businesses of Nitel.

The MTN Group on December 1, 2005, indicated that it would withdraw from the bid.

Its reason was not unconnected with the initial plan to withdraw SAT-3 from the sale of Nitel/Mtel.

SAT-3, which happens to be the main attraction for many of the bidders, is a 15,000-kilometre high performance fibre optic cable that links Europe with South Africa and some West African countries.

The Nitel/Mtel transaction has been troubled by controversy and an uncertainty over whether or not to sell it with SAT-3.

While the Minister of Communications, Chief Cornelius Adebayo, is inclined towards selling the telecommunication firm without SAT-3; the industry regulator, the Nigerian Communications Commission, and the BPE are in support of its sale with SAT-3.

Another twist was added to the controversy when the NCC on December 1, 2005, said that Nitel/Mtel would not be sold to any existing Nigerian mobile licence holder.

According to the NCC, Nitel/Mtel would be sold only to an existing Nigerian Mobile licence holder on the condition that such holder forfeits the existing licence.

By implication, the MTN Group was at a disadvantage because it has a subsidiary in the country, the MTN Nigeria Communications Limited.

The PUNCH, Tuesday, December 27, 2005

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Third term: Presidency tackles bishop

In spite of its denial of a third term agenda for President Olusegun Obasanjo, the Presidency on Monday said there was no need to change the nation’s leadership in 2007 for the sake of it.

Yusuf Alli and Chiawo Nwankwo

It also said only few Nigerians could fit into the shoes of President Olusegun Obasanjo.

The position of the Presidency was made known by the Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs Chief Femi Fani-Kayode.

Fani-Kayode spoke in Lagos in a response to a comment by the Catholic Bishop of Abuja Diocese, Archbishop John Onaiyekan, who asked the President to shelve his bid for a third term tenure.

Onaiyekan said there were over 5,000 Nigerians that could provide better leadership for the nation than Obasanjo.

But Fani-Kayode said Onaiyekan was not addressing the fundamental issue at stake.

He said, “We believe the distinguished archbishop completely missed the point. And the point is this. How many of those people are really capable of running the country in an efficient, just and equitable manner as is being done today?

“How many are capable of running the economy and fighting corruption the way it is being done today? How many are capable of restoring the fortunes of our great nation in the international arena as is being done today?

“As you know, we have tremendous admiration for church leaders, and of course we revere the church of God. But with all due respect, the suggestion that in a country of 150million people, only 5,000 Nigerians are capable of ruling is simply not true.When you really look at it, I am sure that up to one million or even two million are capable of ruling.

“But how many could have won us debt relief and debt cancellation as is being done today?

“How many could have boosted our foreign reserves, increase agricultural production, consolidate our banks and revive our manufacturing sector as is being done today?

“We agree that in every institution, whether government, a private company, a media house, a political party or even the church itself, there must be room for a change of leadership and at the appropriate time, such changes must come. But the quality, not quantity, of individuals that are capable of taking over then becomes the issue.

“And when you have a choice in any of these institutions, you don’t change leadership simply for the sake of change.”

Fani-Kayode said the Presidency’s interest in the 2007 poll was to avert the re-emergence of bad leaders.

He added, “It is not whether there are one million or 5,000 that can maintain a high standard or keep the flag flying. The fact of the matter is that judging from the type of bad quality of leadership that we have had in this country between 1979 and 1999, people will need to be extremely careful in making decision as to who should rule them in the future.

“This is a very critical point. We cannot and we must not allow ourselves to be taken back to the root and the degeneration of the past by anybody. We must cultivate courage to insist on the very best quality of leaders and we must insist on maintaining the very high standard that this administration has set, no matter what that takes.”

Meanwhile, a member of the House of Representatives, Mr. Emmanuel Arigbe-Osula, advised Obasanjo to be satisfied with the 11 years he would have ruled the country when his tenure expires in 2007.

Besides being in power since 1999 under civil rule, Obasanjo ruled the country between 1976 and 1979 as a military head of state..

The legislator alleged that those advising the President to perpetuate himself in office were public officers, most of whom he said, “did not win elections and may have no relevance outside party politics.”

Arigbe-Osula, representing Oredo federal constituency in Edo State, expressed his view in an open letter to Obasanjo, made available to our correspondent on Monday in Abuja.

The PUNCH, Tuesday, December 27, 2005

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Neglect of sea and rail transportation

President Olusegun Obasanjo, last week, directed the immediate production of a blueprint to revive waterways and railway transportation, the age-long neglect of which his administration continued in the past six years. President Obasanjo gave the Minister of Transport, Dr. Abiye Sekibo, one year to breathe life into the moribund inland waterways mode of transportation.

The abandoned N8 billion contracts to dredge River Niger and make it navigable to seagoing vessels is to be resuscitated.

For the rails, President Obasanjo directed the Transport Minister to follow up talks with the Chinese government and access proposals from the government of South Korea on how to resuscitate the aged and abandoned rail tracks. To achieve the task, the President has set up another committee of four ministries: finance, water resources, transport and works.

It is sad that the government is just realising, six years after taking office, that the rail and water modes of transport it neglected are far cheaper. The claim that government cannot afford $2 billion to revamp the rails is even more heart-rending, considering the over $11 billion idle excess oil revenue for 2005 alone and over $28 billion in external reserves. Setting up committees now, after local and foreign investors that initially showed interest in developing the rails have been shooed away, does not portray a spirit of urgency and determination which the sector requires. For more than six years, the Transport Ministry has failed to respond to the glaring and urgent need of using water and rail means of transport to reduce pressure on the road system and boost productive activities and employment countrywide.

The neglect of rail and waterways by government for decades has contributed to the nation’s dependence on food importation, as agricultural produce from one part of the country cannot be transported cheaply to other parts. Lack of cheap means of transportation has discouraged many farmers whose harvests perished because they could not access the market.

Also, the nation has continued to record the same socio-economic loss from the failure of government to expand railway network to all the states, so that agricultural produce could be evacuated cheaply to urban markets with effective demand. More distressing is the inability of government, over the years, to maintain the existing linear north-south colonial rail track. Consequently, the decline in rural economic activities is largely responsible for high rates of joblessness, crime and declining quality of life.

Indeed, it is a paradox that there exists a federal National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), established since 1956, to regulate activities in the over 3,000 kilometers of waterways in Nigeria, among the longest in the world. NIWA has been largely dormant, while it receives subventions yearly. Even at the state level, governments have done little to boost water transportation. The riverine Niger Delta states have not seen the need to provide floating-barge fuel stations for their communities. The five ferries inherited from the Lateef Jakande administration in Lagos have gone into disuse, despite the big relief they brought to commuters on the CMS-Mile 2 axis. Similarly, the government has been throwing away good money at the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC), as if mere capital injection would move the carcass. In four years, the NRC gulped N100 billion without adding value to the system.

Government’s lack of interest, and failure to provide incentives, might have dissuaded the private sector from investing in rail and water transportation. The NRC monopoly law should be abrogated and a regulatory framework set up to guide private investments. Besides, Nigeria now has the money to network all the states if the Obasanjo administration is genuinely committed.

The PUNCH, Monday, December 26, 2005

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Ladoja/Adedibu: The fire this time

When the former Commissioner for Commerce in Oyo State, Mrs. Kemi Jayeola-Olounsogo, resigned her appointment from the cabinet of the Oyo State Governor, Alhaji Rashidi Ladoja, last week, not many saw any political undertone in the step.

Semiu Okanlawon

But unknown to many, Jayeola-Olounsogo was just a victim of the high wire political intrigues playing out between the Oyo State Government and top government functionaries in Abuja.

What happened? Ladoja, in a search for solutions to the unending crises in the state, was willing to shift grounds so as to let peace reign and allow him concentrate on the serious business of governance. Ladoja’s calculation was that his running battle with his estranged godfather and a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party in the state, Alhaji Lamidi Adedibu, was being fueled by forces outside the state. Ladoja believed the outside forces were giving Adedibu the needed muscle to square it up to him. In Ladoja’s calculations, if he pleased the Abuja forces, it would weaken the backing Adedibu allegedly enjoys from Abuja. The governor felt that one of those things considered his ‘sin’ was his alleged romance with the Vice-President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, and possible support for the latter’s presidential ambition in 2007. Our correspondent gathered from sources close to the governor’s office that Jayeola-Olounsogo was reportedly the link bridge between Abubakar and Ladoja. To prove that he was not in any ‘unholy’ alliance with the Abubakar, Ladoja decided to ‘sacrifice’ Jayeola-Olounsogo. She was asked to resign.

But then, events after the forced resignation of Jayeola-Olounsogo showed that the move had not brought the expected relief. So on Thursday when fracas broke out at the Oyo State Secretariat housing the Governor’s Office and the State House of Assembly, it was seen as an indication that the forces (within and outside the state) angling to remove Ladoja, had not been pacified. The belief in Ibadan, the state capital, last week was that ‘Abuja’ had ordered that the governor be removed immediately. Many believe that informed Thursday’s move by the 18 members of the Oyo State House of Assembly loyal to Adedibu to forcibly seat at the Assembly to enable them order the state Chief Judge to constitute a panel of investigation to look into Ladoja’s alleged wrongdoings.

Since the renewed offensive against the governor, which had polarised the 32-member House, the G-18 had abandoned the floor of the House, taking refuge at one of the highbrow hotels in Ibadan. At Thursday’s sitting by the G-18, the legislators ordered the state Chief Judge, Justice Afolabi Adeniran, to set up a seven-man panel that would investigate Ladoja for alleged wrongdoings. The Speaker, Mr. Adeolu Adeleke, had also been suspended. Adeleke’s security aides were also withdrawn by the Nigeria Police, Oyo State Command. According to the police, the command acted based on a letter informing the command that Adeleke had been suspended and therefore was no longer entitled to the privilege of police protection.

For those who witnessed the movie-like invasion of the seat of the Oyo State Government on Thursday, it was, perhaps, the worst scenario ever witnessed by the state’s seat of power, especially under democratic rule. For about four hours, there was sporadic shooting that sent the expansive complex and the adjoining neighbourhood into panic. By the time the dust settled and the government took stock, it said over N450million would be needed to fix the damages. Apart from the fracas that broke out between the 18-member legislature and supporters of the governor on the one hand and the supporters of the governor and men of the Nigeria Police on the other hand, the invaders did all possible to ensure that they demystified the seat of government by entering into the office of the governor.

After Thursday’s mayhem, Ladoja, sources said, made efforts to reach the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Sunday Ehindero, to demand for the reasons policemen, who allegedly backed the invasion of his office, were still being kept at the secretariat complex with a police armoured tank. The source said on the complaint by the governor that the policemen were still around, the I-G was said to have asked the governor whether the policemen he complained about were entering his office or were just doing their duty where they had been posted. Shortly before the fireballs on Thursday, the Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr. Audu Abubakar, reportedly travelled out of Ibadan. When our correspondent called Abubakar on his telephone, he demanded to be left out of the drama playing out in Oyo State as he directed all inquiries to his Deputy, Mr. Jonathan Johnson. However, on Friday evening, the policemen and the armoured tank were withdrawn.

For the better part of Saturday, Ladoja was engaged in marathon meetings. The governor had to cancel all other engagements for the day, some of which included a function at the Ogbomoso hometown of his deputy, Chief Christopher Alao-Akala. The day before that, Ladoja was with President Olusegun Obasanjo in his Ota Farm, Ogun State, to formally give Obasanjo details of what happened on Thursday. Despite arriving early enough to meet Obasanjo, the meeting with the President was said to have started very late. This, our correspondent gathered, was because Adedibu was being expected at the meeting. But he did not show up.

During his stay in Ota, Ladoja was said to have attended a Christmas carol organised by a choir group at the farm with the President. It was not until late in the night when it was certain that Adedibu would not honour the invitation to the meeting that the President attended to Ladoja.

However, what has continued to give the governor and his supporters some confidence, despite the alleged backing of the move by ‘Abuja’ is what is considered to be the many loopholes in the process being employed to remove him. On Friday, Mr. Niyi Akintola, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, secured an injunction seeking a status quo against the removal of the governor. In the nine reliefs sought, the lawyer pointed out the many flaws in the processes being employed. The matter, which was adjourned till December 28, is believed to be a respite for the governor. And because of the festive season, with public holidays, the dust seem to have settled down now with each camp watching the steps of the other.

One other thing believed to be giving the governor some confidence is the belief that at least four of the G-18 legislators had left the camp. Even though the four were said not to have crossed over to identify fully with Ladoja for fear of possible attacks from the supporters of Adedibu, they are believed to have depleted Adedibu’s arsenal to the extent that the impeachment moves would merely hit the rock. But spokesman of the pro-Adedibu lawmakers, Mr. Babatunde Eesuola, told our correspondent that none of the 18-member legislators had abandoned the camp.

However, there is palpable fear in Ibadan. Adeleke, who has vowed not to abandon Ladoja, has already alleged threats to his life and those of his family members. With the withdrawal of his security aides, Adeleke said this was aimed at opening his flanks to possible attacks from his opponents.

With the outbreak of violence in Ibadan on Thursday, many were quick to cast their minds back to the pre-2003 general elections campaigns in the state. During the period, Ladoja was the guest of the Oyo State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists. By that time, it was certain that Ladoja was already riding on the back of Adedibu to the Agodi Government House. Adedibu had spread out his tentacles, winning support for Ladoja and the two were always seen together at almost all political rallies of the PDP.

But watchers of events at that time were worried by the kind of relationship existing between the two, given what some believed was Adedibu’s antecedents concerning his relationship with a past government in which he played a prominent role in installing. This was what prompted one of the questions Ladoja was asked during the question and answer time at the NUJ fora. How would he handle the affairs of the state without taking orders from Molete (being the expansive residence of Adedibu) if eventually elected the governor of the state? Ladoja cleared his throat. And in a most confident manner, he told his audience that he was already 59 at that time, a grandfather and a successful businessman and that he was going to be his own man, running his government in the best manner possible, taking advice when they are good, rejecting them when not helping the course of good governance.

The governor was believed to have lived up to this when, on assumption of office in 2003, he came out with a cabinet and appointment formula believed to have irked his godfather. But it turned out to be the beginning of all the drama that had been witnessed in the state since May 29, 2003.

Many believe that if it was true that the forces against Ladoja had insisted he must leave before next year, then the next few days will witness more upheavals. How the governor navigates the current turbulence to safety is what people are waiting to see.

The PUNCH, Monday, December 26, 2005

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December 23, 2005

Supporters of Ladoja, Adedibu in bloody clash

Ibadan, the hotbed of South-West politics, was on Thursday turned to a theatre of war in a violent clash between the two factions of the state House of Assembly.

Toyin Obadina and Akin Oyedele, Ibadan

In spite of the heavy presence of policemen at the assembly complex, adjacent to the governor’s office, a group of 18 lawmakers loyal to the governor’s estranged godfather, Chief Lamidi Adedibu, engaged the group of 14 lawmakers loyal to Governor Rasheed Ladoja in a gun duel that lasted for over four hours.

Though there were rumours of deaths resulting from the clash, our correspondents gathered, that no fewer that 21 persons were injured.

Hundreds of bewildered civil servants scampered to safety as a pall of tear gas enveloped the entire area.

The pro-Adedibu legislators and their supporters, backed by a massive police contingent, subdued the pro-Ladoja group and forcibly gained entrance into the assembly complex where they had a hurried sitting.

At the brief sitting, the group, which only last week initiated impeachment proceedings against the governor, directed the Chief Judge of the state, Justice A. Adeniran, to raise a seven-member panel of enquiry to look into the allegations of gross misconduct and maladmistration levelled against the governor in an earlier notice purportedly served on him.

According to the Chairman, House Committee on Information, Mr. Babatunde Eesuola, the panel must be inaugurated within seven days in accordance with Section 188 of the 1999 Constitution.

But it is doubtful if the move initiated by the legislators can be sustained in law. The constitution requires two-thirds majority to support the motion that any allegation of misconduct against the governor should be investigated.

The Oyo State House of Assembly has 32 members, 18 of whom are in support of Adebibu, while 14 are in support of the governor.

Eesuola said the House also extended the contract of the Sergeant – At – Arms, Mr. Olawuyi Abioye, for another two years and overruled the earlier termination of the contract of the SA announced on the state radio on Wednesday evening.

The group further directed that the proceedings of the house presided over by the Speaker, Mr. Adeolu Adeleke, in the last one week be expunged from the assembly records, because it was conducted with an illegally procured mace.

Eesuola, who spoke with newsmen after the Thursday sitting, said the House also dispensed with the services of the Assembly Clerk and his deputy for failing in their responsibilities.

The two officials were therefore directed to report to the chairman of the Civil Service Commission for immediate redeployment.

The governor’s supporters, who had received information of the plan by the pro-Adedibu group to storm the Assembly complex, had arrived early to resist them.

But the police moved in to ward off the governor’s supporters. The riot policemen, assisted by the anti-bomb squad, as well as regular policemen, arrived the vicinity in about 10 lorries including those marked Mopol NPF 28526, NPF 8520, NPF 8561G and NPF 6295 and cordoned off the area.

There were already signs on Wednesday of an imminent showdown in the state as a detachment of riot policemen took over the parliament building, which houses the assembly complex.

By Thursday morning, the police had sent in reinforcement.

It was not clear, however, why in spite of the security build up, the police failed to prevent a breakdown of law and order.

Contacted on the development, the Commissioner of Police at the state command, Mr. Audu Abubakar, said he was not aware of the development as he was in Abuja for an “important assignment.”

The Deputy Commissioner of Police, Mr. Jonathan Johnson, said policemen were at the assembly complex at the instance of the legislators who, he claimed, sought for police protection.

He dismissed the allegation that the policemen were there at the instance of the Federal Government.

He noted that the police had provided similar protection to the group of 14 when they met two days ago.

The team that managed the Thursday clash was led by a police Area Commander, Mr. M. Ajiboye. He was assisted by the Assistant Commissioner of Police, Operations, Mr. Shola David, and the Divisional Police Officer, Iwo Road, Mr. Ezeifedikwa C.

Supporters of the governor, comprising mostly youths, traders, members of the Hausa community and members of the road transport unions, dared the police and marched into the secretariat premises chanting anti-police and anti-Adedibu songs.

At exactly 11.20a.m, the situation got tense when the Commander of the Mobile Unit of the state police command, Mr. Basil Idegwuo, arrived the scene with another contingent of about 50 riot policemen.

Idegwuo was however met by the daring supporters of the governor who insisted that the police should stop taking sides in the crisis.

The protesters held sway until noon when the pro-Adedibu lawmakers arrived and attempted to forcibly enter the Assembly premises, which was under lock and key.

The police shot several tear-gas canisters into the protesting crowd. They hurriedly took cover inside the governor’s office.

They were also repelled with heavy gunshots from the police.

Determined not to be cowed, the governor’s supporters engaged the security men in a gun duel that lasted four hours.

The ugly scene stalled traffic flow on all the four routes leading to the secretariat as motorists, civil servants and passers-by scampered to safety.

The commercial banks in the area were forced to scale down their operations and hurriedly close shops, while outpatients and workers at the nearby University Teaching Hospital fled from the pervasive effect of tear gas.

Bullets shattered facilities in the governor’s office and in the neighbourhood.

The police later used an armoured personnel carrier to dislodge the protesters, paving the way for the group of 18 to gain access to the Assembly complex.

The proceedings were closed to the public. After a short meeting, they relocated to the De Rovans Hotel, Ibadan, where they have been sheltered in the last one week.

The state government reacted immediately with a statement by the Secretary to the State Government, Mr Ayodele Adigun, saying the whole plot was part of a scheme to destabilise the government.

The statement read in part, “It is unfortunate that the Nigeria Police Force is involved. At the end of the day, they got the doors of the parliament building broken.”

The government appealed to the people of the state not to panic, stressing that efforts were being made to address the situation.

Fielding questions from newsmen after the fracas, Adedibu said he was appalled that the supporters of the governor attacked the group of 18 lawmakers who were on lawful assignment.

He said that nobody attacked the governor and his supporters at the governor’s presentation of the 2006 budget to the house two days ago.

According to him, there was no justification for the Thursday confrontation, which he described as “satanic.”

The PUNCH, Friday, December 23, 2005

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December 22, 2005

PDP bans governors from regional meetings

The Peoples Democratic Party has directed governors elected on its platform to stop attending meetings called by regional groups.

Musikilu Mojeed, Abuja

The party gave the directive on Wednesday at a meeting with the governors at its National Headquarters in Abuja.

Though the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr. John Odey, said the meeting only discussed the fortunes of the party, a source quoted the National Chairman of the party, Dr. Ahmadu Ali, as having directed the governors to severe links with regional political groups.

The directive, it was learnt, was as a result of the far-reaching decisions taken by southern leaders under the aegis of Southern Forum at a one-day meeting in Enugu, Enugu State, on Monday.

Almost all the governors from the southern states attended the meeting where the South threatened to boycott the 2007 general elections if the North insisted on producing the country’s next president.

The southern leaders threatened to demand for a confederation arrangement if the North eventually had its way.

The source at Wednesday’s meeting in Abuja said Ali and other party leaders expressed displeasure with the “divisive declarations” made at the Enugu meeting and other such gatherings in the recent past.

The PDP Chairman, according to our source, also expressed disappointment that the governors and other political office-holders were fanning the ember of disunity through such gatherings.

Insisting that the country would collapse if the trend were not checked, Ali was said to have declared that the party would no longer tolerate a situation where its chieftains were gathering to express sectional or ethnic sentiments.

The source said, “The chairman expressed bitterness with the utterances of leaders of the Northern Senators Forum, Southern Senators Forum, Southern Forum, South South Peoples Assembly and other such groups. He told the governors that their roles in the formation and existence of the groups were despicable.

“He also told them that as governors, they should always work to unite all parts of the country rather than divide them. He therefore directed the governors not to attend such meetings any longer and that the party would punish any governor who violates the party’s position on the issue.”

The Oyo State Governor, Alhaji Rashidi Ladoja, confirmed that issues bordering on sectional and ethnic political groupings dominated the meeting.

Briefing newsmen after the meeting, Ladoja said, “The party told us that we should not turn Nigeria into an ethnic enclave; that we should face issues that will unite us and not those that will divide us. It said we should remember that we all belong to the PDP family and that we should not do anything that is divisive.”

The Osun State Governor, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, also told journalists that the meeting discussed modalities for using the party’s platform to further cement national unity.

Odey said in a statement made available to newsmen after the meeting that the leadership discussed party issues with the governors.

The statement said, “The dire need to build bridges of understanding within the polity in order to ensure national unity was stressed. The National Chairman emphasised on the need to put the nation first over sectional interests.”

Other governors at the meeting included those of Bauchi, Alhaji Adamu Muazu; Taraba, Rev. Jolly Nyame; Nassarawa, Alhaji Abdullahi Adamu; Niger, Alhaji Abdulkadir Kure; Kogi, Alhaji Ibrahim Idris; Kwara, Dr. Bukola Saraki; and Kaduna, Alhaji Ahmed Makarfi.

The deputy governors of Edo, Akwa Ibom, Adamawa and Benue States were also at the meeting.

The meeting came on the heels of a similar one the party held with senators elected on the platform of the party on Tuesday.

At the meeting, Ali had counselled the senators to put national unity above all other considerations and desist from using regional and sectional platforms to cause disunity in the country.

The meetings became necessary following vociferous claims to the presidency of the country in 2007 by the North, the South-East and the South-South.

The Arewa Consultative Forum, the Northern Senators Forum and the Northern Lawmakers Forum are insisting that the presidency must return to the North in 2007 in line with an agreement on the issue before the 2003 elections.

But the South-South and the South-East are also saying they should be allowed shots at the presidency in subsequent elections.

The PUNCH, Thursday, December 22, 2005

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December 21, 2005

Alamieyeseigha in court, faces 40-count charge

The former Governor of Bayelsa State, Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, is to face a 40-count charge bordering on money laundering, false declaration and illegal acquisition of assets.

Tony Amokeodo

Alamieyeseigha, who was brought to a Federal High Court in Lagos on Tuesday, was also charged along with seven companies in which he is said to have substantial interests.

His lawyers however said that the charge sheet was served on their client late on Monday and that they did not have sufficient time to study the offences before proceedings opened in court.

An official of the EFCC, Mr. M.S. Hassan, signed the charge sheet, made available to journalists.

Going by the charges, the former governor was said to have embezzled N3.89billion, $160.25million and £258.98million.

The offences are contrary to Section 14 (1) of the Money Laundering Act 2003 and Section 27 (3) (a) (b) (c) of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission Act 2004.

The seven companies joined as co-defendants in the suit No FHC/L/328/C/05 are: Solomon & Peters; Santolina Investment Corporation; Pesal Nigeria Ltd; Salomein & Associates (Nig) Ltd; Kpedefa Nigeria Ltd; Jetty Properties Ltd and Herbage Global Services Ltd.

Before 8.40am when Alamieyeseigha arrived in the court presided over by Justice Mohammed Shuaibu, riot policemen had taken strategic positions within and outside the premises.

Alamieyeseigha who is facing almost similar charges at the Code of Conduct Tribunal in Kaduna, was brought to the court in a green Peugeot Expert marked HD 421 AA.

The former governor wore a white and blue long-sleeved stripe shirt with a pair of black trousers and a black slip-on.

He was sandwiched between 10 EFCC security agents and scores of riot policemen.

Inside the courtroom, the former governor was calm, as he appeared to have come to terms with the situation.

Intermittently, Alamieyeseigha looked furtively at the faces in the courtroom.

At a stage, he shared a joke with a photojournalist who was taking his photographs.

He said, “If you take my photographs, your paper may not sell o!”

The joke drew laughter from lawyers, litigants and journalists in the courtroom.

Alamieyeseigha, later took his seat in the middle of the courtroom, when his lawyers, led by a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Prof Alfred Kasumu, and the prosecution counsel, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs, engaged in a heated argument.

Jacobs had told Justice Shuaibu to allow the accused to take the necessary pleas since he had been served with the court processes.

But Kasumu, leading two other lawyers-Chiefs Mike Ozekhome and Mike Okoye- kicked against the idea.

The SAN argued that it was not proper to ask one accused (Alamieyeseigha) out of eight accused persons to take his plea on a joint charge.

Kasumu, who claimed that the other seven accused had not been served, added that they must also be in court.

He added that he had just seen a copy of the charge and needed some time to study it in order to advise his client accordingly.

Kasumu also hinted that he would file an application to challenge the jurisdiction of the court to hear the matter.

He consequently urged the court to allow him come on Thursday for further hearing of the matter.

But Jacobs insisted that the plea should be taken since the accused were duly served.

In his short ruling, Shuaibu held that the accused were duly served, based on the proof of service before the court.

The judge therefore adjourned the matter till Wednesday (today) and directed that the former governor be kept in the custody of the EFCC.

“He should also be allowed access to his lawyers,” he added.

Some of the charges against Alamieyeseigha are:

• Buying Chelsea Hotel, Abuja at N1.5billion;

• Spending N450million on the purchase of a property on Plot 26, Bashir Dalhatu Close, Abacha Estate, Ikoyi, Lagos;

• Transferring £3million from Lagos to Barclays Bank Plc, London;

• Transferring £122,175 from Lagos to Royal Bank Scotland, London;

•Transferring £198,814.88 from Lagos to Royal Bank Scotland, London;

•Transferring £299,465.61 from Lagos to National Westminster Bank, London a subsidiary of Royal Bank Scotland, London;

•Transferring £203,753.34 from Lagos to Barclays Bank Plc, London;

•Transferring £1.75million from Lagos to London 247 Water Gardens, London, W2 2DG London;

•Using £241 million to buy flat 202 Jubilee Heights, Shootuphill London NW2 UQ;

• Using £475,724.08 to buy a property on 68-70 Regent Park Road London;

• Transferring $160,000 million from Lagos to America to open an account number 0054 8256 2491

• Failure to make full disclosure of his assets by not disclosing his account No 2010062850006 with Bond Bank Plc with the outstanding balance of N105million;

• Failing to declare the five accounts Nos 541-510036-110, 541-510037-110, 541-510038-110, 541-510039-110, 541-510040-110, respectively held by his children and funded by Bayelsa State Government at Guaranty Trust Bank;

• Using N1billion to buy shares in Bond Bank, Lagos.

Alamieyeseigha is expected to also appear on Wednesday (today) before the CCT in Kaduna where he is facing an 18-court charge brought against him by the Federal Government.

The PUNCH, Wednesday, December 21, 2005

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December 20, 2005

Obasanjo orders deployment of 6,000 policemen in Lagos

President Olusegun Obasanjo on Monday directed the Inspector-General of Police, Mr Sunday Ehindero, to deploy additional 6,000 policemen in Lagos State.

Tobi Soniyi and Oluyinka Akintunde, Abuja

The order, it was learnt, ,was to curb the high rate of crimes in the state and make the nation's commercial hub attractive to investors.

The Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Dr. Segun Mimiko, told journalists after a four-hour meeting between Obasanjo and officials of the Lagos State Government, led by Governor Bola Tinubu, that the Federal Government was concerned about the deplorable security situation in the former Nigerian capital.

Mimiko added that Ehindero was also asked to support the increased police presence in the state with such logistical support as speedboats, communication gadgets, accommodation for the personnel and increased security intelligence gathering.

"We must separate politics from security in Lagos,” he said in apparent reference to the disagreements between the Federal Government and the Tinubu administration on issues bordering on the creation of new local governments and the maintenance of some roads in the state.

A standing committee, headed by Prof. Akin Mabogunje, was inaugurated by the President to review the Lagos State Master-Plan and recreate the city as quickly as possible.

The committee is expected to submit an interim report by March next year.

Mimiko said that other issues such as the chaotic transport situation in the state and sanitary conditions, taking into cognisance the metropolitan nature of the city, would also be tackled.

He said the meeting also created a better rapport between the Federal Road Maintenance Agency and the Lagos State Transport Management Authority, which had been engaging each other in a battle for the control of Lagos roads.

Obasanjo was said to have directed FERMA to stick to its job of road maintenance only and avoid squabbles with LASTMA.

But a statement by Tinubu’s Chief Press Secretary, Mr Kehinde Bamigbetan , claimed that the President banned FERMA officials from meddling in traffic control on highways in the state.

Mimiko also said that the kind of demolition of illegal structures witnessed in Abuja, but with a human face, might be extended to Lagos, if really necessary.

"If you want to recreate Lagos, it will be done in a painless manner and the people will see the benefits as they will be integrated into the master plan," he said.

The PUNCH, Tuesday, December 20, 2005

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December 19, 2005

Alamieyeseigha sues FG

FORMER Governor of Bayelsa State, Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, has taken the Federal Government to court, challenging his detention and plans to extradite him to the United Kingdom.

Tony Amokeodo and Adesina Wahab

In a suit filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja on his behalf by three lawyers – Prof Alfred Kasumu (SAN), Mr. Mike Okoye and Chief Mike Ozekhome – Alamieyeseigha said his arrest on December 9, 2005 was illegal because it did not follow due process.

In the court processes of December 12, made available to our correspondents on Sunday, the former governor named as respondents, the Attorney – General of the Federation and Minister of Justice; the Inspector-General of Police; and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

Alamieyeseigha, who raised 12 questions for the court’s determination, argued that the impeachment panel did not sit before submitting its recommendation of his removal.

The claimant’s application was supported by a 25- paragraph affidavit in support of an originating summons deposed to by Vincent Obianyi.

He further argued that his detention for the purpose of being extradited to the UK without being heard in an appropriate court in Nigeria was unlawful.

The former govenor also claimed that it was procedurally wrong to extradite him to the UK when the AGF had not applied or obtained from the appropriate court in Nigeria, a provisional warrant for his arrest.

He said the application ought to be based on exhibited request for surrender as required under Section 6 of the Extradition Act Cap E25 LFN, 2004.

According to him, prior to his removal from the Government House on December 9, he had been kept under virtual house arrest since December 6 by armed soldiers and the police who cordoned off the Government House.

He argued that this development was contrary to Section 308 of the Constitution which granted him immunity.

Alamieyeseigha prayed the court to set aside any criminal arrest or extradition processes issued against him.

He also urged the court to direct the IG and the EFCC to release him from the illegal detention. Besides, he sought a mandatory injunction directing the IG to restore him to office.

Meanwhile, the President of the West African Bar Association, Mr. Femi Falana, has criticised the British Government for refusing to grant Alamieyeseigha a visa to travel to Britain to face money laundering charges.

Falana said the denial was a slap in the face of the judicial systems of both Nigeria and Britain.

Speaking in an interview in Ilawe-Ekiti on Saturday, he noted that with a competent court of law in Britain issuing a warrant for the arrest of Alamieyeseigha, there was no reason for refusing him a visa.

Falana faulted the claim by Britain that it would formally call for the extradition of the former governor, describing it as an afterthought.

“Money laundering is not a crime that Britain should want to follow the process of extradition to get the accused person. What they have done is uncalled for, it has made a mockery of the judicial systems both here and there. The man was removed from office for jumping bail and money laundering, he ought to have been granted a visa to face the charges,” he said.

THE PUNCH, Monday, December 19, 2005

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December 16, 2005

Forget third term, Buhari tells Obasanjo

A former presidential candidate of the All Nigeria Peoples Party, Maj.-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, on Thursday asked President Olusegun Obasanjo and governors alleged to be scheming for a third term in office to drop the idea.

Chiawo Nwankwo and Sam Akpe

Buhari, who reminded them that the constitution made no room for such, described the third term bid as a “monster” which could overwhelm the country if not nipped in the bud.

The former Head of State, who spoke during his visit to the National Assembly in Abuja, however, advised lawmakers bent on seeking re-election, to resign now.

He indicted The Presidency for masterminding the third term campaign.

Buhari advised the ANPP lawmakers in the National Assembly to lobby their colleaques in other parties to ensure that the third term campaign did not succeed.

Reacting, the Presidency wondered why the Katsina State-born former soldier turned politician was fixated on the third term issue.

Buhari, while interacting with the ANPP legislators in the Assembly, stated that those sponsoring the plot would go down in infamy, when our present democratic history would be written.

He said that to amend the constitution to enable a sitting government perpetuate itself in power was more than what Nigerians could tolerate.

He added, "You (National Assembly members) as arrow-heads have a duty to preserve and protect the constitution from burglary. The whole thrust of the movement for continuation rests on amending sections 136 and 137 of the 1999 Constitution.

"There is no limit to how many times you can stand for elections to these important positions. But rules are rules. You cannot contest after two terms, if you are president or governor. Simple and straight forward.

"For once, the issue is clear-cut. This matter is in the court of the National Assembly. The National Assembly can facilitate or kill the third term movement from the beginning. Small fires cause large fires. This one could end up as a catastrophic conflagration."

In a five-page address to ANPP legislators, Buhari also advised them to resist some highly-placed members of the party, whom he did not name, working in tandem to destroy the party.

"You should not only resist this but fight them to a standstill. Anybody who is no longer interested in the party should honorably quit and leave us alone. We intend to build this party and make it the party of government in 2007, by the grace of God," he said.

Justifying his visit, he said the frosty relationship between President Olusegun Obasanjo and his deputy, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the turmoil in the Peoples Democratic Party and the crisis in Bayelsa State had made his visit timely and crucial.

He said,"But more far-reaching is the incipient crisis threatening the country by the now open movement for a third term sponsored by The Presidency.

"Even though you are the minority and in opposition, you can still utilise your experience and all the legislative engineering at your command to influence your colleagues so that all of you for the sake of this country will do your job of oversight and ensure that the interest of the ordinary people is not forgotten amidst this general confusion."

Buhari noted that, in 2003, the topical issues were alleged rigging of elections, violence, mass action, and the National Political Reforms Conference, where government tried to “smuggle (in) undemocratic provisions”.

"Now, the monster has returned in disguise. Wise people say there is no smoke without fire. Every schoolboy now knows that there are moves to change the constitution with the sole aim of this government continuing in office beyond 2007," he said.

Buhari lamented that the third term campaign had obscured the more important socio-economic problems of the people, such as security, food scarcity, lack of potable water, clinics and good roads.

While asking the ANPP legislators to protect the party, Buhari expressed concern over the crisis in the PDP, which he said was capable of altering the configuration of parties in the country.

Shortly after Buhari's address, the Senate Minority leader, Alhaji Shuabu Lawali, asked journalists to leave the hall for a closed-door meeting with Buhari.

In its reaction to Buhari’s comment, the Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, said the Presidency was yet to understand why the former Head of State, was so obsessed with the issue of third term.

He said, “The question is why should Buhari be talking about one when there are 99 others to consider.

“What is very clear is that the National Assembly is being urged by the relevant committees to consider over 100 constitutional amendments.

“The truth is that I don’t think anybody needs to worry about the submission of Gen. Buhari and all those that are aligned with him.”

The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria has, however, called for a meeting by Manufacturers Association of Nigeria and National Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), to examine the third term agenda.

The ICAN President, Alhaji Abdul-Lateef Owoyemi, at the presentation of a book, "Budget Implementation and Value for Money- The Due Process Experience," described third term as being important to the welfare and well being of all Nigerians.

Owoyemi said the issue should no longer be left solely to politicians, whom he berated for having failed the country in the past.

He argued that it was not in the country's interest for professional bodies and institutes to show a seeming disinterest in the third term agenda.

The PUNCH, Friday, December 16, 2005

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December 15, 2005

FG procures new passport for Alamieyeseigha ... set for his extradition; Tribunal orders IG to produce him

The Federal Government on Wednesday night allegedly procured a new international passport for the former Governor of Bayelsa State, Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha.

Yusuf Alli and Segun Olatunji

The procurement of the passport is preparatory to his extradition to London where he jumped bail while standing trial for money laundering.

Findings showed that the former governor was taken to the Passport Office of the Nigerian Immigration Service, Garki, Area 3, Abuja, at 8.15pm by a four-man team of policemen.

The movement of the former governor was effected in a convoy of six vehicles.

It was learnt that members of the team were a Deputy Commissioner of Police, in mufti; and a Deputy Superintendent of Police and two Assistant Superintendents of Police in uniform.

Alamieyeseigha, who was in handcuffs, wore a solemn look as he alighted from a blue Hiace bus at the Passport Office.

When he came out of the bus, the handcuffs were removed to enable him climb upstairs.

Clad in a white long-sleeved shirt over black trousers, the former governor was said to have answered all questions on his dossier “calmly.”

A source said, “The Comptroller-General of Immigration Service, Mr. Joseph Udeh, supervised the processing of a new passport for him by an Assistant Comptroller General and Comptroller.

“As I am talking to you now, the former governor has been issued a new international passport to enable him go back to London.”

He said the development was a signal that Nigeria and Britain had reached “some understanding to extradite Alamieyeseigha.”

But the source could not immediately ascertain when Alamieyeseigha will be flown to London.

Our correspondents learnt that the former governor might be flown to London any moment from now.

President Olusegun Obasanjo had at the national convention of the Peoples Democratic Party on Saturday said the governor would accede to a request by Britain to extradite Alamieyeseigha.

A Crown Court had last Thursday issued a warrant for his arrest when the former governor failed to appear before it during the resumption of his trial on December 8.

Alamieyeseigha was arrested at the Heathrow Airport, London on September 15 for laundering over £1million.

On October 14, the Southward Crown Court granted Alamieyeseigha bail with six conditions, including the seizure of his passports.

Despite the restriction of his movement to a three-mile radius of any port or airport, the former governor jumped bail and fled to Nigeria.

The odium attracted by his action was one of the offences which accounted for his removal on December 9 by the Bayelsa State House of Assembly.

In Kaduna, the Code of Conduct Tribunal ordered the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Sunday Ehindero, to produce Alamieyeseigha before it on Wednesday.

Alamieyeseigha, who has been in police custody since his removal from office and arrest by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Friday, is to face fresh 18 charges of corrupt enrichment and illegal acquisition of property.

The charges were filed immediately after the lead prosecution counsel, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs, received the tribunal’s nod to withdraw the former 19-count charge brought against Alamieyeseigha by the Federal Government.

Jacobs had told the CCT, headed by Justice Bashir Sambo, that the former charges, which included false declaration of assets; operation of foreign bank accounts; and abuse of office,had been overtaken by event.

He said that the prosecution was unable to produce the embattled former governor due to the inability of the police to issue relevant documents for his release and movement to Kaduna.

The counsel therefore prayed the CCT to issue a production warrant on Ehindero or the force headquarters to enable the Federal Government bring Alamieyeseigha before it on December 21, 2005.

Counsel to Alamieyeseigha, Mr. Adebisi Ofeoshi and Mr. Edafe Eniakpor, objected, expressing displeasure with the prosecution’s style of handling the case against their client.

They argued that the defence did not follow laid down legal procedures in their presentation of the fresh charges against Alamieyeseigha.

Ofeoshi and Eniakpor argued that the oral application by the prosecution counsel to withdraw the former charges and replace them with the new ones was improper.

Besides, they cited the lack of affidavit or summary of proof of evidence supporting the new charges as another reason why Jacobs application should be rejected.

Eniakpor also told the tribunal that Alamieyeseigha had been denied access to his lawyers since his arrest.

But his claim was faulted by Jacobs who said that Mr. Femi Falana had been having access to the former governor.

Sambo, in a brief ruling, directed the prosecution to provide the evidence of proof to support the fresh charges before the close of work on Wednesday in order to continue the trial on December 21.

Like the former 19 charges, the fresh ones centre on false declaration, operation and maintenance of foreign bank accounts and abuse of office.

All the offences are contrary to the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act Cap 56 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 1990 as incorporated under the Fifth Schedule of the 1999 Constitution.

The PUNCH, Thursday, December 15, 2005

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December 14, 2005

WTO summit: Delegates split over free trade

The Sixth Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organisation opened in Hong Kong on Tuesday with rich and poor countries agreeing on the benefits of freer trade, but with hardly any agreement on a blueprint on how to move forward.

Azubuike Ishiekwene, Hong Kong

While the G-20 ministers, representing 21 developing member countries (including Africa, Asia and Latin America) are pressing for reductions in farm subsidies and the removal of other "trade-distorting" measures by the developed countries, Europe and the United States are locked in a bitter debate over who should give up what.

The only point on which the rich countries seem to agree, however, is that developing countries need to do more to improve their own capacity to trade.

Delegates from developing countries that had come to Hong Kong with the hope that progress would be made on the Doha round, which started four years ago, discovered on the first day of discussions in Hong Kong that neither the US nor the EU was prepared to make substantial new commitments on market access.

Before now, the Doha round was supposed to put development on the global action agenda by, among other things, bringing down tariffs and other barriers to trade on products that are most important to developing countries.

Many African economies are heavily dependent on a few commodities, dominated by traditional agricultural crops, such as coffee, cotton and sugar.

According to the recent report on the Commissin for Africa, these crops constitute about 50 per cent of Africa's total agricultural exports; yet, they are heavily subsidised in the developed countries.

For example, the Commission’s report shows that while the US supported cotton farmers with an estimated $4billion in 2002, driving down cotton prices by about 20 per cent, and costing West African cotton producers about $250million in revenue for that year, the EU provided subsidy of nearly $1billion for cotton producers.

About 10million farmers in West Africa - especially in Chad, Burkina Faso and Benin - rely on cotton for their income.

Similar support for sugar and fisheries by the developed countries have thwarted efforts at market access and capacity building in developing countries - issues that were expected to top the agenda in Hong Kong.

The hopes of the developing countries were, however, dimmed when the US Trade Representative, Mr. Rob Portman, said the US government could review tariffs but would not touch subsidies.

Shifting the pressure to the EU, Portman said, “Agriculture access is the top challenge. The gains of expanding trade will not occur unless the EU is willing to agree to a formula that meets the requirements of the WTO's Doha round of trade liberalisation talks."

The EU is currently the largest protector of agriculture in the world, with nearly $350billion spent annually on subsidies.

In spite of the gloom that foreshadows Hong Kong, however, the G-20 has said that it is united in its bid to press for the removal of distortions in agricultural trade rules and in re-claiming the development agenda of the Doha round.

The Lesotho Minister for Trade and Marketing, Mr. Mpho Malie, while answering questions on helping countries trade, admitted that developing countries needed to help themselves by bringing down internal barriers to trade, but added that market access was not a substitute for trade.

The Hong Kong Ministerial conference is being attended by about 148 countries

The PUNCH, Wednesday, December 14, 2005

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December 12, 2005

Black box found; Obasanjo summons airline chiefs

The manifest of the Sosoliso Airlines Flight 1145 aircraft which crashed on Saturday at the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa, Rivers State, was formally released on Sunday by the airlines・management.

Our correspondents

The release of the manifest coincided with the disclosure by the Ministry of Aviation that the planes's black box and flight recorder had been recovered.

Before the manifest was made public, President Olusegun Obasanjo had summoned top officials of airlines and aviation authorities in the country to a meeting in Abuja on Tuesday.

According to the manifest , 102 passengers, including 71 students of the Loyola Jesuit College, Abuja and seven crew members were aboard the plane.

One hundred and six of them have so far been confirmed dead.

Fifty one corpses have been claimed.

Three of the passengers ・Bunmi Amusan; Aligba Priscilla; Nkechi Nchukwuchi ・were however lucky.

Prominent among those that perished in the crash are: the Co-Pastor of Fountain of Life Church, Pastor Bimbo Odukoya; the President, Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, Mr. Uche Okoro; and the Rivers State Commissioner for Education, Prof. Thompson Okugagu.

A former Force Public Relations Officer, Mr. Chris Olakpe, lost his son while the Vice-Chancellor, Catholic University of Nigeria, Prof. Charles Ofegbu, lost his wife, Beatrice.

Medical aid agency, Doctors Without Borders, said that two of its workers, an American and a Frenchman, were also among the dead.

The Rivers State Government has already directed the five hospitals where charred bodies of the victims are deposited to release them to their relatives.

The hospitals are : Military Hospital, Aba Road; Shell Hospital, Market Road; University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital; Kpaima Mortuary, Elechi Road; and Braitwaite Memorial Hospital.

Announcing the recovery of the black box and flight recorder of the ill-fated aircraft, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Aviation, Mr. Tomi Oyelade, said that an accident investigation expert had arrived from the United States to probe the crash.

Oyelade, who represented the Minister of Aviation, Dr. Babalola Borishade, described the incident as pathetic and a national disaster.

He said, on behalf of the Minister of Aviation, Dr. Babalola Borishade, we sympathise with the families of the victims and we pray God to give them the fortitude to bear the loss.

We have come with our accident investigation expert. He is an American with 27 years experience in accident investigation.

So far we have been able to recover the black box, the flight recorder and we have handed over the site to the investigation team.・

Oyelade said preliminary findings linked the accident to bad weather, adding that the investigator would give a true account of the circumstances of the accident.

He said, all we are told is that the bad weather of yesterday (Saturday) might have caused the accident. We believe that the investigators will be able to confirm the actual cause.

Obasanjo, in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media, Mrs Remi Oyo, condoled with the families of the victims.

Oyo said in the statement that the President who shelved his planned trip to Portugal on Tuesday to discuss the lingering problems in the aviation sector with the stakeholders.

It is expected that conclusions reached at the meeting will help to give more practical effect to President Obasanjo's avowed determination to carry out urgent and much needed reforms in the aviation industry,・she said.

Oyo added that, the President is particularly saddened by the untimely and abrupt termination of the lives of many young school children, who were on their way home for the Christmas holidays.・

Obasanjo had shortly after a Bellview plane crashed in October announced an immediate review and enforcement of aviation safety rules, vowing to "plug loopholes" which had allowed operators to bend the rules.

"I want to say that part of the problems with aviation in Nigeria is human. All the parastatals (state agencies) are corrupt from top to bottom. But we are going to fight it, whatever it takes," the president told aviation ministry officials.

Also, the management of Sosoliso Airlines described the crash as regrettable.

The Director, Ground Operations of the airline, Mr Obi Ogbolo , commiserated with the bereaved families.

He said, we deeply regret the accident. We have a long history of safety. We don't know what caused it. All we have to do at the moment is to commiserate with the bereaved families.・

Agence France Presse reported that senior aviation officials who visited the site of the disaster, said the Sosoliso plane appeared to have slewed off the debris strewn runway of the airport shortly after landing in heavy rain.

It then hit a drainage ditch and tore itself apart.

"You can see that it hit this culvert. This is the reason for this accident. The man (pilot) lost control because he hit this culvert," said the Minister of Transport, Chief Abiye Sekibo, as he inspected the burnt remains of the aircraft.

The Deputy Inspector -General of Police in charge of Operations, Mike Okiro, agreed, adding that the plane burst into flames as it tore itself up on the soft grass alongside the tarmac.

"If you were here yesterday (Saturday), you would have seen pieces of human flesh all over the place, burnt beyond recognition," he told reporters.

The PUNCH, Monday, December 12, 2005

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December 02, 2005

PDP backs third term if...

The Peoples Democratic Party on Thursday said it would back a third term in office for the nation’s incumbent political leaders if the National Assembly adopted the proposal.

Musikilu Mojeed and Festus Owete

Briefing newsmen at the end of the NEC meeting in Abuja, the National Secretary of the party, Chief Ojo Maduekwe, described critics of the third term agenda as noisemakers.

He said the “railings” of the critics would not force it to meddle in the resolve of the National Assembly to amend the constitution.

Maduekwe, who declined to say whether the President would seek a third term or not, said the recommendation was a mere proposal on which a consensus was yet to be reached.

He said the PDP would, however, support the proposal if it became a consensus of the National Assembly and the 28 Houses of Assembly controlled by the party.

He said, “Let it be further understood that the PDP will only give support to proposals for amendments that are democratic, of general application and are conducive to the stability and good governance of the Federal Republic.”

The PDP secretary said it was curious that opponents of the proposal had continued to criticise the President over the third term proposal when “no name was inserted as an expected beneficiary of any of the proposals that may get through.

“From the foregoing it is therefore difficult to see how any third term obsession can be attributed to President Obasanjo or the PDP on the basis of the records of what transpired in the hallowed chambers of the National Assembly, or indeed any other record anywhere.”

Pressed to say whether the President will seek a third term, Maduekwe added, “What do you understand by

third term? What we are saying is that our party will support any proposal that is democratic and of general application.”

He urged the National Assembly and the state Houses of Assembly to go ahead with “constitutional amendments that reflect our history and address our future.”

The national secretary, however, described the opposition to the third term agenda as ill-informed and a mere noise making.

He said, “It is clear that the compilation of over 100 amendments to the Nigerian Constitution was the work of eminent Nigerians duly elected as representatives who in the months of dedication to their work of improving the Constitutional infrastructure did not allow themselves to be distracted by noises from the ill-informed or plainly ignorant, noises aimed at mobilising around a phantom issue with intended consequences for polarising the nation.

“It will be of great disservice to such patriotic Nigerians in the National Assembly if some of them were seduced by the prospect of a North-South polarisation on the issue of tenure instead of looking ahead to what is truly best for Nigeria.

“Nothing has exposed the poverty of politics of opposition politicians more than their collective seizure of the mantra of third term to rail against an administration whose performance in every aspect has earned it great respect at home and abroad.

“The imagination of such incontinent critics, nay-sayers and self-styled leaders of opinion lacks the capacity to embrace any other issue of statecraft in which this administration has been laudably involved.”

Maduekwe said the party would continue to support the Obasanjo administration “in the excellent and historic work that is being done to bring peace and prosperity to all Nigerians for today and tomorrow.”

Also in Abuja, the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Mr. John Odey, said the NEC received briefing from the Chairman of the National Assembly Joint Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution, Alhaji Ibrahim Mantu.

He said that the NEC noted that it was the “duty of the National Assembly to review the constitution as it deemed fit based on the yearnings of the people.”

Besides the third term issue, Odey said the NEC also ratified the expulsion of the embattled Governor of Bayelsa State, Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha.

It also confirmed the readmission of the Anambra State politician, Chief Chris Uba, to the party.

Odey, who spoke separately with newsmen after the meeting, said the committee considered a memo from the National Working Committee on Alamieyeseigha and approved his expulsion.

He said the readmission of Uba to the party was based on the appeal from the wards, local government, state and five state chairmen and the zonal chairman of the party in the South-East.

On the alleged deregistration of Vice-President Atiku Abubakar during the recent re-registration exercise of the party, Odey said that the NEC advised all members of the party to desist from spreading rumours, but rather seek opportunities to close ranks.

He said, “That the vice-president was duly registered during the last membership revalidation exercise.

“The NEC therefore advised all to desist from spreading rumours; rather seek opportunities to close ranks within the party; and that the vice president in a lighter mood made remarks that were misrepresented.”

He added that the meeting also considered request for the amendment of the party constitution on loss of membership, power of NEC on matters of discipline, and membership and loss of membership of Board of Trustees.”

The meeting, which lasted about two hours, was attended by President Olusegun Obasanjo, Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, the President of the Senate, Chief Ken Nnamani, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Alhaji Aminu Bello Masari, and their deputies, Alhaji Ibrahim Mantu and Chief Austin Opara.

However, only 12 governors and five deputy governors were present at the meeting.

The Acting governor of Bayelsa State, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, was also in attendance.

THE PUNCH, Friday, December 02, 2005

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NCC stops MTN’s bid for NITEL

The Nigerian Communications Commission on Thursday said it would not allow the sale of the First National Operator, Nigerian Telecommunications Limited, to an existing mobile licence holder.

Oluyinka Akintunde and Jonah Iboma

The decision effectively squelched the strong bid by the MTN Group of South Africa for NITEL.

And in a dramatic twist on Thursday, the MTN Group said in Cape Town, that it would withdraw its bid for NITEL.

It, however, did not give full explanations for its decision.

Reuters quoted the Chief Technology Officer, MTN Group, Karel Pienaar, as saying that the company would pull out of the NITEL bid.

“The interest in NITEL has waned quite a bit, we will back out,” Pienaar said.

In response to enquiries, the Bureau of Public Enterprises said in Abuja, that the NCC would not endorse the sale of the FNO to an existing mobile operator in Nigeria except such an operator forfeits its mobile licence.

The Head of Public Communications, BPE, Mr. Chigbo Anichebe, explained that the NCC’s decision was aimed at maximising competition in the industry and to prevent the negative implications of market dominance by “an over-bearing operator.”

The statement read, “The NCC argued that this arrangement will ensure the success of the privatisation programme and not compromise the competitive environment.

“The Commission further stated that a situation where a bidder is considered to hold a significant share in the industry, any attempt to acquire another licence by means of the privatisation programme will have the effect of lessening the competition in the industry and may ultimately lead to the creation of a monopoly.”

Anichebe explained that the NCC had the exclusive right, under the Nigerian Communications Act of 2003, to determine, pronounce upon and enforce compliance of all persons with competition laws and regulations as they relate to the communications market.

He said, “The Commission also has the right to issue licences to operators and the licences have several provisions and conditions that must be fulfilled by the operators to ensure a competitive environment and a level playing field for all operators.

“One of such conditions is that the NCC must give written approval before a licensee can transfer or assign its licence and the Commission has absolute discretion to grant or refuse such approval, hence the BPE approached the regulator for guidance on the issue.”

The BPE had on July 22, 2005 pre-qualified six investors for the sale of NITEL/Mtel including MTN, Telkom/Vodakom Consortium from South Africa, Huaweii/Jacuz Consortium, Orascom of Egypt, Celtel International B.V. and Newtel International.

Vodacom had on October 21, 2005 pulled out of the Telkom Consortium’s bid for NITEL because the Nigerian Government was not considering a separation of the fixed and mobile businesses of Nitel.

The withdrawal by MTN is, however, not unconnected with the recent government’s decision to sever the undersea cable, SAT-3, from the list of assets of the national operator to be sold. SAT-3 is considered as NITEL’s cash cow.

It had been predicted that the government’s decision to remove it from the assets of NITEL could put investors off.

THE PUNCH, Friday, December 02, 2005

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November 30, 2005

... Plateau Assembly moves against Dariye

The Plateau State House of Assembly has finally bowed to pressure to investigate allegations of money laundering against the Governor, Chief Joshua Dariye.

Jude Owuamanam, Jos

The House, at its sitting on Tuesday, set up an eight-member committee headed by the Deputy Speaker, Alhaji Zumunta Musa, to investigate the charges against the governor.

The committee has two weeks to submit its report.

Although the House had rebuffed previous attempts to probe Dariye over the incident, our correspondent gathered some courts in Abuja and Kaduna made a U-turn following a letter to it by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

The letter was a follow-up to an earlier one on the subject by the former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Chief Akin Olujinmi (SAN).

However, in a reply to the minister, the lawmakers dared him to bell the cat by releasing the assets and liabilities of the members of President Olusegun Obasanjo’s cabinet.

The Speaker, Mr. Simon Lalong, who presided over Tuesday’s session, however, told members that the EFCC’s letter contained the same allegations of money laundering against the governor by the Metropolitan Police, adding that the decision to set up the committee was based on the powers vested on him by the constitution.

Though he said he would read the contents of the letter on the floor of the House, he refused to do so on the grounds that the authenticity of the letter was in doubt as the contents were incomplete.

Lalong said that seven pages were missing from the document, which was torn before it got to him, while the seal of the letter had also been broken.

Following the flaws in the letter, the House unanimously recommended that while the members should take the report seriously, it should probe the report.

All efforts to get a copy of the EFCC’s letter from the Chairman of the House Committee on Information, Mr. Gambo Mbilamut, who was mandated to make copies available to the press, failed as he left immediately the House adjourned.

Following the spate of ethnic crisis, which had rocked the state since 2001, Dariye was on May 18, 2004 suspended from office and a six-month state of emergency clamped on the state.

However before the emergency rule could be lifted, Dariye travelled to London where the Metropolitan Police arrested and interrogated him over money laundering charges.

Dariye was alleged to have £10,000 on him as at the time of his arrest

Another £80,000 was allegedly found in his hotel room, while £920,000 was said to have been traced to his London accounts.

Attempts by both the EFCC and the Code of Conduct Bureau to try the governor for money laundering had failed, as some courts in Abuja and Kaduna ruled that because of the immunity he enjoys under the constitution, he could not be tried until after the expiration of his tenure.

THE PUNCH, Wednesday, November 30, 2005

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November 28, 2005

‘Leaders need mental examination’

The Chairman, Board of Management of the Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital Enugu, Prof. Augustine Ahiauzu, has advocated a psychiatrist test for present and future political office-holders, at least every six months to ascertain their fitness to hold such offices.

Tajudeen Suleiman, Enugu

He said the purpose was to save the nation from needless embarrassment since, according to him, most of the actions taken by public office-holders on certain issues affecting the well-being of the country and the citizenry left much to be desired.

Ahiauzu, who spoke at the 36th Annual General Meeting and Scientific Session of the Association of Psychiatrists in Nigeria, held in Enugu on Saturday, said the call for a compulsory mental examination of public officers had become imperative because investigations had shown that most of them “are mentally unstable to pilot the affairs of the country”.

“The psychiatrists are remembered only when people go mad. But I tell you, many people in leadership positions in this country need the services of the psychiatrists. Our leaders need to be carefully examined and through this, Nigeria would have been saved from a lot of trouble. Their actions and activities sometimes raise doubt about their mental stability,” he said

He stressed that the situation called for government’s immediate intervention by way of providing the necessary support for the psychiatric institutions to enable them perform their duties effectively.

Ahiauzu, who maintained that such an examination was done in developed countries, urged the Federal Government to review the enabling statute guiding the operations of the psychiatric institutions, as the current statute made in 1979 was no longer effective and could not accommodate the needs of the institutions.

He noted that the theme of the conference, “Mental health care for the disadvantaged and special groups,” was timely, adding that it would help improve psychiatric health care delivery system in the country.

He urged the participants, who were drawn from all over the psychiatric institutions in the country, to come up with blueprints for the sector.

He urged the Federal Government to increase funding for the institutions in the country in order to improve their efficiency.

THE PUNCH, Monday, November 28, 2005

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Bill wants banks shut for money laundering, 419

If a bill seeking the repeal of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act sails through in the National Assembly, banks and any other financial institutions found guilty of aiding money laundering and advance fee fraud (419) would be wound up.

Ibanga Isine, Abuja

Known as the Advance Fee Fraud and other Fraud -related Offences bill 2005, it also seeks a 20-year jail term, without an option of fine, for anyone convicted of 419.

It was gathered that the bill, a copy of which was obtained on Sunday by our correspondent, was sent to the National Assembly shortly after the Bayelsa State Governor, Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, was arrested in London over charges of money laundering.

Section 10 of the proposed law reads, “Where an offence under this bill which has been committed by a body corporate is proved to have been committed on the instigation or with the connivance of or attributable to any neglect on the part of a director, manager, secretary or other similar officer of the body corporate or any person purporting to act in any such capacity, he, as well as the body corporate, where practicable, shall be deemed to be guilty of that offence and shall be liable to be prosecuted and punished accordingly.

“Where a body corporate is convicted of an offence under this bill, the court may order that the body corporate shall thereupon and without any further assurance, but for such order, be wound up and all its assets and properties forfeited to the Federal Government”.

The bill also wants the courts to be empowered to, in addition to prescribed penalties, order convicted persons to make restitution to victims of fraud through the payment of amount equivalent to the loss they sustained.

Where the transaction involves a property, the bill provides that a property of equal value be retuned to the victim or a person designated by him.

The possession of pecuniary resources or property for which a fraudster could not account for and which is disproportionate to his known income could be used to corroborate the testimony of a witness during trial under the proposed law.

Section 7, sub-section 2 (b) of the bill prescribes a 10-year term for persons involved in laundering of funds.

Persons involved in unlawful transportation of monetary instrument or funds from the country or outside it, risk 10-year imprisonment or a fine of N500,000 or twice the value of the amount involved or both.

Also under the bill, a person or persons who with an intent to defraud, produces from a piece of paper or from any other material, any currency note by washing, dipping and treating the paper with a chemical substance would be liable to more than 15 years imprisonment on conviction.

Individuals or institutions involved in the provision of telecommunications or Internet services are expected to register such businesses with the EFCC and maintain a register of all fixed-line customers, which may be inspected from time-to-time.

The bill also makes it compulsory for persons involved in electronic communication businesses or Internet services to obtain the full names, residential or corporate addresses of their customers.

They must give such information to the EFCC on demand.

THE PUNCH, Monday, November 28, 2005

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November 25, 2005

Failed banks: Depositors now to get N200,000

The compensatory claim of depositors in any failed bank may be raised from N50,000 to N200,000.

Sam Akpe and Gbade Ogunwale

If the licence of the bank is revoked by the regulatory authorities, however, the maximum claim from the Deposit Insurance Fund will be N100,000.

However, the claim will be subject to periodic review by the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation, which manages the DIF.

These are some highlights of the new NDIC Act considered by the Senate on Thursday for passage into law based on the report of its ad-hoc committee.

While the Senate passed all the provisions, the bill was deferred for further consideration of Section 40(7), which deals with courts permitted by the constitution to handle matters of original jurisdiction against the NDIC.

The NDIC was established in 1988 to insure the deposits in licensed banks subject to a maximum of N50,000 per depositor.

The Senate agreed on the need to review the amount 妬n view of changes in macroeconomic variables and the need to sustain public confidence and ensure the stability of the banking system.・

Preambles to the new law show that the new amount covers 96 per cent of total depositors in the Nigerian banking in the industry and 42 per cent of the total volume of deposits in the industry as revealed by the banking survey conducted in September, 2004.

It noted that the new claim being recommended 努as 3.5 times the per capita income in Nigeria based on the 2004 figure of the country痴 per capita income of about $408.・

It, however, stated that any further upward adjustment could only take place if DIF becomes larger through increased premium collection

The new law seeks to improve the efficiency of the NDIC in protecting depositors of insured institutions and in promoting safe and sound banking practices through effective supervision.

It will also ensure that the NDIC discharges its functions of deposit guarantee and liquidator of closed banks in a timely, less costly and efficient manner, thus engendering public confidence in the banking system.

The law, which repeals the NDIC Act of 1988, also seeks to harmonise the provisions of the Central Bank of Nigeria Act of 1991 and Banks and Other Financial Institutions Act of 1991, which brought all the banking matters under the supervision of the CBN.

Previously, the Federal Ministry of Finance had overall responsibility for the supervision of banking business in Nigeria.

The new law also restores to the NDIC, the legal authority to act as a receiver instead of the status of a liquidator conferred on it by the Banking and Other Financial Institutions Act that has been repealed.

The law has a new provision that also affirms that only the NDIC can insures all licensed banks・deposits.

Also in the new law is the period during which victims of failed banks could submit their claims for payment of insured deposit beyond the 18 months stipulated in the existing Act.

The new law states that notices for claims shall be published in two national newspapers and that the period of claim or transfer of deposit will span six years.

The proposed law also establishes prompt corrective measures to check imminent bank distress based on findings from examination of banks, among others.

The Punch, Friday November 25, 2005

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November 14, 2005

Alamieyeseigha's deputy may take over this week

Barring any last minute change of strategy, the Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, may this week be named the state' acting governor.

Bisi Olaniyi and Semiu Okanlawon

Our correspondents gathered on Sunday that the 24 members of the State House of Assembly met in the office of the Speaker, Mr. Boyelayefa Debekeme, on Friday, to perfect the modalities for Jonathan to assume office as the acting governor.

The acting appointment is pending the time when a London court will dispose of the money laundering case against Governor Diepreye Alamieyeseigha.

A principal officer of the Assembly who confirmed this on Sunday, said, 的 can tell you authoritatively that we have decided that the deputy governor should takeover the running of the affairs of the state in acting capacity in the absence of our governor.・

The source, who pleaded anonymity, said the lawmakers did not want a vacuum in state affairs.

He cited the state痴 2006 appropriation bill as one example of a pending, crucial state matter.

Before the lawmakers met on Friday, security was beef up at the Assembly complex, a move widely interpreted as a prelude to the governor痴 impeachment.

The source, however, said that the lawmakers would wait for the outcome of the case against the governor.

It was gathered that the deputy governor was being pressured by prominent Bayelsans and PDP chieftains to accept the office of acting governor.

Meanwhile, the Special Assistant to the President on Public Communications, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, has described as wild and unfounded, the allegation by Alamieyeseigha that there was a plot by the Presidency to eliminate him.

典hat is a far-fetched and ridiculous allegation. This is not a banana Republic and neither is Mr. President a killer,・Fani-Kayode told our correspondents on phone on Sunday.

The governor was also reported on Sunday by a national newspaper as tracing his travails to his support for the presidential ambition of Vice-President Atiku Abubakar.

Justifying the government痴 message to the London court through the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Chief Bayo Ojo, Fani-Kayode said that it was not a case of interference.

He added, 典he A-G was only pursuing the Federal Government痴 battle against corruption. It is not an indication of bias. We are simply following the due process. And there are antecedents where people in similar circumstances had escaped and if we don稚 act that way, we can be accused of colluding with them when at the same time, we claim to be fighting corruption.

的f he is facing trial, he should go and face the charges and stop blaming the Nigerian government for his problems.・

On the allegation that the governor was in trouble over his support for Abubakar, the presidential aide said, he would not dignify the allegation with an answer.

He described it as 殿n old story.・

The PUNCH, Monday, November 14, 2005

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Senate flouts rule on gazetting

The Senate has violated part of its Standing Rules, which provides that notice of presentation of bills, either from the executive or from a private member, must be done through publication in the Official Gazette or in the National Assembly Journal.

Ibanga Isine, Abuja

Order 11, Rule 77, which deals with Procedure on bills, indicates that notice of presentation of a government bill should be given by publication of the provisions proposed to be embodied in such a bill in an issue of the Official Gazette or in the National Assembly Journal and copies sent to members.

Section two of the rule reads in part, 鄭ny Senator who wishes to move for leave to bring a bill shall give notice of provisions proposed to be embodied in the bill to the Clerk, who shall cause them to be published in two successive issues of the Official Gazette or National Assembly Journal and shall send a copy of the first of such issues to every Senator.・

So far, the Senate has passed over 20 bills into law without following the laid down rule.

But the Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba, said that the Senate suspended the mandatory rule during one of its plenary sessions to allow for speedy treatment of bills.

This, Ndoma-Egba said, was based on a motion moved by Senator Jonathan Zwingina on August 26, 2004.

However, investigations have revealed that the House of Representatives has published its bills in gazettes.

Some of such bills have received the assent of President Olusegun Obasanjo.

Some of the laws assented by the President and which have not been gazetted by the Senate included the Trade Union Amendment Act 2004; the Law to prescribe the number of judges for the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, sponsored by Senator James Manager; the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Law Enforcement and Administration (Amendment) Act 2003; and the Money Laundering (Prohibition) (Amendment) Act 2003 sponsored by Senator Lawal Shuaibu.

Others were the Act to Amend the Central Bank of Nigeria (Amendment) Decree No. 41 of 1999; the National Lottery Act 2004; and the Act to Repeal the Federal Capital Territory Act Cap 128 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria and to provide for the Constitution of a Federal Capital Development Authority.

Also on the list are the Emergency Powers Act (1961, No 1) Emergency Powers (General) Regulations 2004; the Emergency Powers Act (1961, No 1) Emergency Powers (Procession and Meetings) Regulations 2004; the Emergency Powers Act (1961, No 1); the Emergency Powers (Reporting of Persons) Regulations 2004; the Emergency Powers Act (1961, No 1) Emergency Powers (Control of arms and Expulsion) Regulations 2004; the Emergency Powers Act (1961, No 1) Emergency Powers (Curfew) Regulations 2004; the Emergency Powers Act (1961, No 1) Emergency Powers (Detention of Persons) Regulations 2004; the Emergency Powers Act (1961, No 1) Emergency Powers (Restriction Orders) Regulations 2004 and the Emergency Powers Act (1961, No 1); the Emergency Powers (Protected Places) Regulations 2004.

Except for the 2005 Appropriation Law, the Senate has not gazetted any of the bills sent to it by the President or those sponsored by its members since the beginning of the year.

The last bill gazetted by the Senate was number SB. 56.

The Chairman, Senate Committee on Business and Rules, Senator Umaru Tsauri, also corroborated what Ndoma-Egba said, stating that sometimes, bills sent for gazetting were delayed for about two to three weeks, thereby delaying legislative processes of the upper chamber.

Tsauri said, 展e sat at the chamber and decided that gazetting of bills should not constitute a problem to our legislative efforts.・

Gazetting, he said, was set aside last year by a resolution based on Rule 1 (b) of the Senate, which reads, 的n all cases not provided for hereinafter, or by Seasonal or other Orders or practice of the Senate, the Senate shall by Resolution regulate its procedure.・

He agreed that while the resolution allowed for bills to be considered without gazetting at the level of first and second readings, it was imperative that before being passed into law, all such bills must be gazetted.

But Ndoma-Egba differed on this when he argued that Section 60 of the 1999 Constitution empowered the Senate to regulate its activities and in line with this, rules made by the upper chamber of the National Assembly could be suspended if the need arose.

When asked whether the action did not violate the provision of the Evidence Act that indicate that all public documents must be published before it could be admitted in the court, he answered, 典hat is not the only way of admitting records in courts. A true copy of the bill could be certified by Clerk and that would be accepted in court.・

However, the Deputy Clerk of the National Assembly, Mr. Ogunyemi Oluyemi, confirmed that the Rules of the Senate and the House of Representatives made it mandatory for all bills to be gazetted before they were passed into law.

He, however, said that it was the responsibility of the Clerk of the Senate and the Chairman of the Business and Rules Committee to ensure that all Senate bills were gazetted, adding that his office and that of the National Assembly Clerk had no hand in the matter.

The Leader of the Alliance for Democracy in the House of Representatives and an expert in legislative drafting, Mr. Wunmi Bewaji, argued that the perpetual suspension of the rules of the legislature to enable bills to be passed into laws without being gazetted was wrong.

Bewaji said, 典he suspension of rules perpetually as to make bills to be passed into law without gazetting is a gross violation of the legislative process. I will say that the power conferred on the National Assembly to make laws in Section 4 of the 1999 Constitution is not absolute on itself. It is subject to conform to the provisions of the constitution and the applicable procedure established in legislative enactments.・

He cited the cases of the Attorney-General of Lagos State versus the Attorney-General of the Federation and that of the Attorney-General of the Federation versus the Attorney General of Abia State (2), as some of the judgments that showed that the National Assembly in exercising its functions must follow the provisions of the law and its laid down procedure.

Bewaji also cited the famous judgment of Lord Denning in the case of UAC versus Macfoy, 1962, A.C, where the judge ruled, 添ou cannot attempt to put something on nothing and expect it to stand. It will all collapse together.・

He maintained that the delay by the Government Printer was not a justifiable excuse for the Senate rule to be suspended in perpetuity, adding that the rule for gazetting of bills was made to regulate the lawmaking procedure of the upper chamber.

While making reference to the American legislature, he said that no bill could be passed into law without first placing it at the public domain.

He said the essence of gazetting bills was to create a platform for public participation in the legislative process, saying that majority participation was one of the basic ingredients of democracy.

On his part, Lagos lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana, argued that it was imperative for the Clerk of the National Assembly to ensure that all laws passed by the legislature were gazetted based on the provisions of the Act Authentication Act.

The Supreme Court ruling against the 2002 Electoral Act, according to Falana, was due to the variations, which existed in what was presented to the court, adding that if the law was gazetted accordingly, the problem could not have arisen.

Falana said, 釘y virtue of the Act Authentication Act, it is illegal not to gazette any law passed by the National Assembly under the current democratic dispensation.・

The PUNCH, Monday, November 14, 2005

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Nigeria saves N42bn from debt servicing

Nigeria will save $42.706billion from the debt relief by the Paris Club, the Debt Management Office has said.

Oluyinka Akintunde, Abuja

The sum, according to the Director-General of the DMO, Dr. Mansur Muhtar, would have gone into debt servicing between 2005 and 2021.

As at December 31, 2004, Nigeria owed the 15-member Paris Club $30.848billion and other foreign creditors $5.096billion.

Muhtar, represented by the DMO痴 Portfolio Management Director, Dr. Abraham Nwankwo, at the fifth Annual Monetary Policy Conference by the Central Bank of Nigeria in Abuja, said that even if $5.649billion arrears on Nigeria痴 debt were excluded, the government would still have spent $35.176billion within the next 17 years.

He said that huge borrowings in the 1980s to finance economic development gave rise to the high debt profile of the country.

Muhtar who confirmed that the country would exit from the Paris Club debt by April 2006, however, said it would continue to access funds from foreign and local sources to leverage growth and to develop the economy.

He said, 典he debt write-off of about 60 per cent is a direct saving of debt service payments which the country would have had to make over the next few years. It will now be used to finance economic and social infrastructure.

典he implicit declassification of the country as a bad and doubtful debt economy will encourage the restoration of export credit insurance cover for exports whether in the form of foreign direct investment or long-term credit to both private and public sectors, for the development of the real sector of the economy.・

The DMO chief added that the debt deal would also encourage Export Credit Guarantee Agencies to restore insurance cover for exports as well as boost investment capital to the Nigerian private sector.

Nigeria had on October 31, 2005 paid $6.4billions to the Paris Club.

Muhtar said that the payment of the arrears alone would cost between $2.5billion and $3billion each year on repayments from now till 2012.

Moreover, he said repayment on the principal would continue despite Nigeria痴 foreign reserves ranging between $2billion and $3.36billion each year until 2021.

Nigeria痴 delegation, led by the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, had on October 20, 2005 signed an agreement with 15 out of the 19 Paris Club members, to seal the debt deal and mark the commencement of the implementation of the debt.

The agreement is a follow-up to the approval by the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund of the Policy Support Instrument on October 17, 2005 and it includes a debt reduction under Naples terms on eligible debts and a buy back at a market-related discount on the remaining eligible debts after reduction.

At a meeting of the Board of the IMF, planned for March 2006, the Nigerian Government will pay amounts due under post-cut off date debt.

The Paris Club creditors will also grant a further tranche of cancellation of 34 per cent on eligible debts, and Nigeria will buy back the remaining eligible debts.

The PUNCH, Monday, November 14, 2005

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N25bn: CBN, 15 banks in crucial talks

The Central Bank of Nigeria will on Monday (today), hold crucial talks with the Managing Directors/Chief Executive Officers of 15 small banks over the ongoing consolidation in the industry, particularly the N25billion minimum capital requirement.

Oluyinka Akintunde, Abuja

The 15 banks are yet to find any bank willing to merge or acquire them in order to escape liquidation at the expiration of the December 31, 2005 deadline set by the CBN for them to raise N25billion.

Sources, who confirmed the development to our correspondent on Sunday, disclosed that the apex bank might at the meeting, announce the dissolution of the boards and managements of some of these banks.

The move, the sources confirmed, was aimed at safe-guarding depositors・funds in the banks.

Some of the banks expected at the meeting on Monday, our correspondent learnt, include: Allstates Trust Bank, Fountain Trust Bank, Triumph Bank, International Trust Bank, Metropolitan Bank, Eagle Bank, Gulf Bank, Fountain Trust Bank, African International Bank, Societe Generale Bank of Nigeria, Afex Bank, Fortune Bank, and Assurance Bank.

The PUNCH had on October 31, 2005, exclusively reported the decision of the CBN after a meeting to sack the boards and managements of some banks which have yet to initiate merger or acquisition plans towards meeting the N25billion requirement.

At that meeting which was chaired by the Deputy Governor, Financial Sector Surveillance, CBN, Mr. Tunde Lemo, it was agreed that the apex bank clampdown on the boards and managements of banks which had no merger or acquisition programme with any other bank.

The meeting, however, agreed not to extend sanction to the banks that submitted their merger/acquisition proposals on efforts to meet the N25billion.

The board and management of the City Express Bank, were removed on Tuesday while those of Allstates Trust were sacked in September.

Besides, sources said the accounts of some sacked chairmen and directors of some banks have been frozen on the orders of the CBN and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

Also last week, the CBN endorsed the proposed takeover of a smaller bank by one of the emergent mega banks as part of efforts to ensure the success of the consolidation programme.

The PUNCH, Monday, November 14, 2005

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Lessons from France

Nigeria has a lot of lessons to learn from the massive riots sweeping across over 300 French towns. The disturbance was triggered largely by unemployed youths.

Angry immigrants of African and Arab descent have burned over 3000 cars in two weeks in riots that have spread to Berlin, Germany. This followed the death of two teenagers who were electrocuted in a power station while hiding away from humiliating identity checks by the Police in trouble-prone districts. Burnt in the impoverished sections of Paris and other cities were schools, business premises and churches.

President Jean Jacques Chirac was pressed to invoke a 1955 law to empower regional authorities to impose curfews to keep destructive youths off the streets. France drafted the colonial curfew law to check violent demonstration in the streets of Paris by Algerians who were demanding independence from France. The fury of marginalized French citizens this time was fuelled by lack of jobs and limited access to education and other opportunities enjoyed by other French (white) citizens. With copycats already replicating the French mayhem in Germany, the fear is that the current madness may spread to other European cities with large populations of marginalized and impoverished ethnic minorities.

President Chirac has vowed to punish the arsonists. While the suburbs, populated mainly by immigrants have become the battleground, this 田ivil war・has sparked passionate debates about the integration of immigrants. The zero-tolerance policy on violence by French Interior Minister, Nicolas Sarkozy, who eyes the Presidency in 2007, is not helping matters. Indeed, it was the execution of Sarkozy痴 zero-tolerance policy to rid the suburbs of 斗outs and scum・that led to this smouldering crisis.

After several nights of violence, however, the French government is coming to terms with treating not only the symptom: violence, but the root cause: unemployment and discrimination. President Chirac has acknowledged that France must confront the social inequalities and discrimination that fuelled the violence. 展hatever our origins, we are all the children of the Republic, and we can all expect the same rights・ he remarked. France, the President said, was determined to promote 途espect for all, justice and equal opportunities・ Specifically, the Finance Minister, Thierry Breton, said government would relax restrictions on highly regulated service industries and business startups to help create more jobs in poor suburbs.

It is instructive that no rioter was shot dead by the Police in the violence, France痴 worst since the 1968 students-workers uprising. In fact, the Police suspended eight officers partly for beating a riot detainee. Another lesson is that the duty of security agencies to maintain law and order is near impossible if the underlying social roots such as frustration arising from unemployment and injustice remain untreated. In Nigeria, for instance, the distortion of federalism has disallowed the federating units from growing at their own pace. The fallout of an imposed unitary system of government has been widespread cries of injustice and marginalisation.

While the discrimination in France is about race and colour, in Nigeria, many citizens are denied access to education, political positions and employment on account of ethnic and religious differences. Political leaders amass obscene wealth and have failed to tackle effectively the growing joblessness causing massive social distress nationwide. All tiers of government must design ways and means of reducing unemployment by reviving the labour-intensive productive and manufacturing sectors. Inflation should be checked for wages to be meaningful.

There is also the urgent need to reduce the number of idle hands that could be prone to mischief. The rise of ethnic militias, mass unemployment and soaring crime rate, are all indications that Nigeria already has all the ingredients that sparked the riots in France. The challenge now is to grow the economy and make government work for the people so that anarchy can be averted.

The PUNCH, Monday, November 14, 2005

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Don't steal state funds, Olunloyo counsels Fayose

Former Governor of the old Oyo State, Dr. Omololu Olunloyo, on Saturday advised the Ekiti State Governor, Mr. Ayo Fayose, to keep his fingers off the state coffers to earn the respect of the people.

Akin Oyedele, Ibadan

Olunloyo gave the advice during a visit by Fayose to the Molete, Ibadan, home of a Peoples Democratic Party leader in Oyo State, Alhaji Lamidi Adedibu, adding that this would stand the governor in a good stead for a second term in office.

Extolling the virtues of the governor, Olunloyo said feelers from Ekiti State indicated that Fayose had charted a new path for the state.

He advised Fayose not to be deterred by the scathing criticism of members of the opposition, who he said would never be impressed no matter how well he tried.

In a veiled reference to the face-off between Adedibu and the Oyo State Governor, Alhaji Rashidi Ladoja, Olunloyo advised Fayose to always crosscheck with the Ibadan politician whenever any of his governor colleagues said anything untoward about him.

Olunloyo said, 的f any governor says anything bad about Baba (Adedibu) to you, ask the person if he (Adedibu) has ever done anything bad to him. Virtually all former governors of this state, irrespective of political party affiliation, have done good business with Baba without any problem.・

The PUNCH, Monday, November 14, 2005

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Corruption can lead to disintegration ・Gumbi

Kaduna-based renowned Islamic cleric and Chairman, International Research Centre For Islamic Education, Sheikh Ahmad Gumbi, in this interview with Segun Olatunji said the worsening level of corruption in Nigeria could lead to war

As a religious leader, what role do you think religious bodies should play in reducing the incidences and impact of corruption in Nigeria?
Corruption in Nigeria is not a new phenomenon. Right from the period of colonisation, this evil started rearing its ugly head when the whitemen demanded for and received gratifications from indigenes for small favours. The colonial masters established a government that was based on demand and receipt of gratification. Historically, what we learnt from our parents is that if one had a problem in the court of law or with the district officers or any member of the colonial administration, things like eggs, chickens and others would be given to mediators to take to the whitemen. On receipt of the items, the whitemen would ask what you wanted them to do for you and it would be granted. This is what the whitemen taught all over Africa and wherever they could be found. Now that this evil has taken firm roots in the society and has spread so wide, curbing it will be difficult. Almost everything demands for bribery before it can be done. Corruption has become part and parcel of us such that even the way we speak is corrupt. People not only give bribes through money or with other materials but also with personal integrity and respect. This cankerworm called corruption is dangerous disease because even your dignity and belief can be battered for a pittance. Therefore, this storm before us is a terrible thing and if not quickly checked, it can cause chaos, war, loss of lives and property. We can all see what eventually befell our neighbour, Liberia where corruption first reared its ugly head in the West African sub-region, where it was fashionable to give 遡ola・to government officials. Corruption has really eaten deep into the fabric of the society, nobody is held in high esteem again. It is now easier to take up arms against one another and this can be traced to the corrupt nature of the society. Nigeria has a big lesson to learn from this before we degenerate to the level Liberia did. Everybody should reject bribery and corruption even when they are offered so that we can all maintain dignity before our creator and before fellow human beings. Nothing works today in the country unless you are prepared to give bribe. Should this trend continue, virtually everything will collapse. The painful aspect is that the poor people will be worse for it because they have no money to facilitate services that ordinarily should have been freely rendered. Corruption rules our lives in this country.

What steps do you think can be taken to effectively eliminate corruption in Nigeria?
This is a difficult question which I知 prepared to answer. We know the president has set up various agencies to fight corruption in Nigeria. My prayer is that may these agencies of government succeed because corruption has become part of our existence in this country. My advice is that these agencies should be up and doing in their work and we pray that they do not become corrupt in the discharge of their duties. We don稚 want a case of the doctor becoming the patient. Just like President Olusegun Obasanjo is taking a bold stand against corruption in the country, let all the governors and ministers follow suit. But painfully, from what we are hearing, corruption has become a garment for some of them. Their followers are watching and copying them. This is why these agencies should be allowed to do their work without fear or favour, let or hindrance as mandated by the law. Whatever step that is needed to curb corruption should be supported by all and sundry so that Nigeria can take her place in the comity of nations. This country desires progress and every Nigerian also desires the same but corruption has barred our way to greatness. We pray Almighty Allah for the strength in our battle against this big evil.

I can comfortably say that corruption is not part of our heritage but was brought here by foreigners like I said earlier. In today痴 Nigeria, Arabs, like the Lebanese, help in perpetuating corruption by giving government officials bribe so as to have their way. They did a very bad thing by imparting this evil culture on our people. Therefore, the war has to be all-encompassing by checking the activities of these foreigners.

We, the Islamic scholars are fully in support of this war against corruption and call on our followers to do likewise. If this is not checked, corruption will swallow Nigeria up and nobody will be able to find her on the world map anymore. Corruption is a dangerous evil that should not be left to thrive because if it is left alone, it can destroy a nation. Places like Somalia and Liberia where it has become the order of the day for presidents, ministers and governors to receive and give bribe, are so backward in their development such that nobody sees anything good coming from them. To avoid becoming like them, corruption demands a firm stand to be able to curb it. We should all join hands in this effort. A lot of the problems in our society today can be traced to corruption. Armed robbers get their weapons from corrupt police officers. Fake drugs cross the boundaries because of the activities of corrupt officers. Wrong people are in position of power because of corruption.

The PUNCH, Monday, November 14, 2005

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15 injured in Ile-Ife as PDP factions clash

No fewer than 15 persons, including the immediate past Commissioner for Water Resources in Osun State, Chief Dele Awofisayo, sustained serious injuries when political supporters of Senator Iyiola Omisore clashed with another faction of the Peoples Democratic Party in Ile-Ife, on Saturday.

Tunde Odesola, Osogbo

The clash came few hours after the verbal and psychological attack meted out to Omisore in Osogbo at the venue of PDP South-West zonal congress, where the senator was followed around by some young men who were jeering and throwing objects at him.

The Ife free-for-all occurred at Oduduwa College, venue of a social function attended by Omisore痴 loyalists and those pursuing the second term ambition of Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola.

Commercial activities came to an abrupt end in the area as shop owners hurriedly locked up for fear that hoodlums might capitalise on the rowdy situation occasioned by the commotion.

Incumbent Commissioner for Water Resources, Mr Femi Fagbola, an indigene of Ile-Ife was a former loyalist of Omisore.

He replaced Awofisayo, another Ife indigene, believed to be loyal to Omisore.

It took senior police officers time to pacify the youths.

The PUNCH, Monday, November 14, 2005

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Labour seeks new oil, gas policy

Labour leaders have urged the Federal Government to put in place a new policy for the oil sector to ensure that multinational companies declare their true incomes from the exploration and exploitation of oil and gas in the country.

Babatunde Oke

They alleged via a statement obtained on Sunday, that most oil companies, especially the multinationals, have not been declaring true incomes from their operations in Nigeria.

According to the leaders, who spoke during the First National Delegates Conference of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers in Benin, Edo State, which was concluded on Friday, most problems in the oil and gas industry, resulted from bad implementation of some global policies.

Addressing the workers, the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Mr. Adams Oshiomhole, accused political leaders of not asking the oil companies to render proper accounts of what they get from their operations.

He said, 摘ven the quarrel of the Niger Delta people about the resource control was only about the crumbs falling from the tables of the oil companies and nobody, even our political leaders, did not bother to ask about the whole thing that comes from the operations.

的 don稚 think there is anybody in this country that can swear by the Bible or Koran that what the oil companies usually declare is the actual thing expected from our land.・

的f you are talking about corruption, the oil companies are the worst corrupt in the whole world, even in the United Kingdom, Prime Minister Tony Blair, accused some oil companies of either evading tax or under-declaring their income,・he added.

He alleged that the joint venture agreements between the Federal Government as represented by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, and the multinational oil companies had never reflected the true state of accounts of the companies.

In his welcome address, the President of the NUPENG, Mr. Peter Akpatason, said that most events in the industry since 2002 marked the climax of globalisation, where in decisions were taken by their employers purely on profit maximization with little or no regards for workers・welfare.

He said, 展orse still, the government is pursuing privatization and deregulation policies with so much desperation that care is often not taken to put measures in place to mitigate effects on consumers, workers and job security.

Other policies Akpatason listed as impacting negatively on labour include mergers and acquisitions, redundancies, right-sizing, conversion of permanent employees to contract staff, expatriate quota abuse and shifting of oil companies operations from onshore to offshore.

The PUNCH, Monday, November 14, 2005

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NDIC seeks review of code of conduct for banks・directors

The Managing Director and Chief Executive of the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation, Mr. Ganiyu Ogunleye, on Friday called for a review of the existing code of conduct for directors of licensed banks, in view of the increasing capital inflow through the banks.

Oluyinka Akintunde, Abuja

Ogunleye, who made this known at the monetary policy conference in Abuja, said many banks in the country were yet to imbibe the canons of good corporate governance.

Presenting a paper on 典he Role of Regulatory Institutions in the Management of Capital Flows,・he emphasized the need for the regulatory authorities to review the code of conduct for directors to include highest standards of ethical conduct and behaviour and create a conductive environment for whistle-blowing.

He stated, 迭esponsive corporate governance remains a critical success factor for the viability and survival of banking institutions. The apparent lack of transparency and accountability on the part of some operators may make tracking of capital flow a lot difficult thereby making its management a Herculean task.

鄭 zero tolerance for unethical behaviour and breaches of rules and regulations must be strictly enforced. Generally, sanctions should be targeted at the directors and officers rather than the institutions.・

He noted that this had become imperative if capital flows were to be properly managed in order to minimize the risks.

According to him, capital flow (net) was needed to bridge the gap between the desired level of investment and domestic savings in order to accelerate the pace of economic growth and development on a sustainable basis.

He regretted that factors such as weak corporate governance in banks, money laundering, malpractices in foreign exchange operations, over-invoicing or under-invoicing of imports, overheating of the economy, and financial instability were hindrances to capital inflow to Nigeria.

He said, 的n order to promote capital flows, the regulatory institutions should evolve appropriate means of monitoring and verifying the genuineness of capital flows.・

典he role of institutions in that regard will involve the adoption of the following tools: sound monetary policy, effective supervision, strengthening of the financial superstructure, strengthening corporate governance practices, thorough inspection of imported materials, and strict enforcement of laws.・

He stressed that a healthy domestic banking system was a pre-requisite for ensuring an optimal capital flow in any economy as it improves a country痴 attractiveness to foreign investors.

He said, this informed the radical change embarked upon by the Central Bank of Nigeria in the banking system through the ongoing reform and consolidation programme.

Besides, the NDIC boss also called for effective coordination of external debts as he noted that the country became neck-deep in external debt problems due to the lack of effective coordination by successive administrations.

The absence of accurate records of many of the borrowings, he explained, had made the management of capital flows through foreign borrowing difficult.

He added that the establishment of the Debt Management Office by the current administration had facilitated the coordination of capital flows through foreign borrowing.

The PUNCH, Monday, November 14, 2005

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November 11, 2005

We were approached over third term bid - Reps

The House of Representatives on Thursday confirmed speculations that a group campaigning for the extension of President Olusegun Obasajo's tenure approached some of its members for support.

Ibanga Isine, Chiawo Nwankwo, Gbade Ogunwale and Akin Oyedele

It, however, explained that as a body, the 吐aceless group・had not approached it.

The Chairman of the House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Mrs. Abike Dabiri, and her committee on Education counterpart, Dr. Ahmed Lawan, spoke against the backdrop of an allegation by a member of the House, Prof Sola Adeyeye, that the group offered N70million to each member of the House.

They spoke just the first President of the Yoruba Council of Elders, Pa Emmanuel Alayande, called on the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to probe Adeyeye痴 allegation.

Briefing journalists on the activities of the House in Abuja, Dabiri and Lawan described those canvassing for the extension of President Olusegun Obasanjo痴 tenure as 兎nemies of democracy.・

They vowed to expose the group if approached.

Dabiri said, 的 haven稚 been approached, but all I know is that there are certain persons who have been trying to sell the idea to some of our members and they are faceless.・

On his part, Lawan said the campaigners were people outside the National Assembly, who were trying to cause disaffection in the country.

He said, 的 don稚 see any reason why people who want to campaign for the extension of the President痴 tenure cannot come up openly to sell their ideas to the people.

展e have sworn to defend the Constitution and for anybody to claim that we can support the idea of tenure extension does not arise.・

In a telephone interview with our correspondents on Thursday, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Publicity, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba, said that neither the Senate as a body, nor its members had been approached by the group.

鄭s I知 talking to you now, there is no such proposal before the Senate. And I stand by that statement,・Ndoma-Egba, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, claimed.

Meanwhile, Pa Alayande has described the allegation by Adeyeye as a moral burden on the National Assembly.

Alayande, in an interview with our correspondents in Ibadan, Oyo State, however, dismissed the insinuation that the group was acting for the Presidency.

The nonagenarian said, 哲igerians are incredible people. They are not predictable. Corruption is too much in the land and this is worrisome. There is a Constitution that specifies the tenure of each office holder.

的 believe they lied against Obasanjo and he should come out to say this. The House is the one coercing him probably because of what they feel they will get from him. That is corruption of the highest order.・

Adeyeye, the only Alliance for Democracy member from Osun State in the House, was quoted by a national newspaper as saying that some beneficiaries of Obasanjo痴 administration promised N70 million to each member of the House to support the third term agenda of the President.

Adeyeye said that some National Assemby members, including himself, were invited to the Nasarawa Hall at Nicon Hotel Abuja, where the pro-Obasanjo campaigners tried to induce them with money.

展e had a meeting at the Nasarawa Hall. The meeting started at 9 o・clock and I did not leave until 3 o・clock and we were told that if we embraced this thing, each of us will be given N70 million,・he said.

The Special Assistant to the President on Public Communications, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, has however challenged those making the allegation to substantiate it.

He said, 哲obody has asked anybody to go and campaign for or offer any money for the purpose of an extension. It is a ridiculous idea and we know nothing about it. The onus is on those claiming to have been approached to tell us who these people are and whose interest they are representing.

THE PUNCH, Friday, November 11, 2005

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Foreign airlines may suspend flights again

Foreign airlines from the European Union may, once again, suspend flights to Lagos.

Yomi Odunuga, Abuja

The British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr. Richard Gozney, told journalists in Abuja on Thursday that the EU airlines could be forced to suspend their operations if the repair of the Runway 18R at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, was not completed on time.

The repair of the runway, which started last year, has put pressure on the only serviceable one and placed air traffic at risk.

Gozney, who spoke at a luncheon in his residence, said the six international airlines from the EU plying the Nigerian airspace might be forced to take 殿 collective decision・if there were delays in repairing the runway.

He however said the Minister of Aviation, Dr. Babalola Borisade, should be praised for his determination to put the runway in shape.

Gozney said, 的 can稚 emphasise how much strongly we support what the Aviation Minister is trying to do down there in Lagos to get the Runway 18R in service quickly. And it matters because, otherwise and before long, the airlines are going to take a collective decision. And we don稚 want that to happen.

鄭nd the minister is well aware of that and he doesn稚 want that to happen either. If he can get 18R into service quickly, then it won稚 happen.・

Although the envoy was silent on the nature of the 田ollective decision,・industry sources said the airlines might once again stop flying into the country.

The foreign airlines had last weekend, in concert, refused to operate flights out of the MMIA in Lagos, complaining about the state of the only functional Runway 18L.

The airlines cancelled all their scheduled flights, prompting the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria to shut the runway for many hours on Sunday to allow for some repairs. The runway was eventually reopened late on Sunday, and the airlines resumed their operations soon after.

The six airlines from the EU are the British Airways and Virgin Atlantic (United Kingdom); Alitalia (Italy); Air France (France); KLM (Holland); and Lufthansa (Germany).

Gozney said members of the EU would be ready to assist the Nigerian government in tackling the problem of air safety if approached.

He noted that though Runway 18R had been resurfaced by the contractors, it was yet to pass through 斗ighting and electronic calibration.・

The envoy further said, 展e致e been encouraged that Minister Borisade is now based in Lagos and he is going to make sure that this runway comes through quickly, because what happened last weekend was only the last of a series of near incidents, which are potentially serious.

的t is very important that work on Runway 18R is completed quickly and Minister Borisade deserves our fondest possible support. Runway 18L needs a rest so that it can be resurfaced. But that is not possible until 18R is in service. There are six companies in the EU, which have airlines flying. We have been working and talking together.・

He also responded to questions on the likelihood of reprisal attacks on British citizens working in the Niger Delta as a result of the ongoing trial of the Governor of Bayelsa State, Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, and the arrest of his wife, Margaret, in London for money laundering.

Gozney said apart from sensitising its citizens in the country, the British embassy had been meeting with stakeholders to assuage their fears.

He also said there was no link between the arrest of the governor in Britain and the incarceration of Alhaji Mujahideen Asari-Dokubo of the Niger Delta Volunteer Force in Nigeria.

On the rumored third-term bid by President Olusegun Obasanjo, Gozney said it would be inappropriate for the EU to react to the matter since there was nothing to suggest that the President would not quit office in 2007.

典he idea of a third term is an hypothetical one. So the issue of what we would do does not arise. The President has not amended the Constitution and we believe he would respect the position of the Constitution. That (the rumoured bid) is hypothetical and that would be a matter for Nigerians to debate openly and transparently,・he noted.

Gozney said the EU would insist on a free, fair and transparent election in 2007; adding that observers would be on hand to monitor the elections.

展e should give our clear impression of the 2007 elections. We want an election that will be better than that of 2003. None of us are under any illusion about the fact that, in some parts of this country, the 2003 elections were not good. I think that was the case in parts of the South-East and South-South.

釘ut there is a difference between that and the saying that the whole election was fraudulent. That would be a very difficult judgment,・he said.

Blaming state governors for most of the rot in the system, Gozney said, 典he reforms at the centre have increased transparency, increased good governance. But in the states, there are still big steps to be taken. The state assemblies should be the ones nudging the governors to perform. The state assemblies should not see themselves as part of governance. They are the people who, together with the media, should be roasting and toasting the governors. That痴 why we need the fiscal responsibility bill.・

THE PUNCH, Friday, November 11, 2005

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At last, Bellview plane excavated

The Bellview Airlines恥lane, which crashed and was entombed in Lisa village in Ogun State, was excavated on Thursday, 20 days after the accident.

Niyi Odebode and Sunday Aborisade

Decomposing and partly burnt parts of human bodies were also recovered and taken to undisclosed government mortuaries.

Our correspondent observed that foreign experts arrived at the scene of the crash at about 10.00am and worked till at about 3.30pm.

A senior official of an aviation agency told our correspondent on condition of anonymity that the remains of the plane and personal effects of the victims were recovered.

According to him, the left wing of the plane was dug out around 11.04am while the left and the right engines were brought out at about 12.45pm.

The source was, however, silent on the recovery of the black box and the Cockpit Voice Recorder which are expected to give clues to the last minute discussions and movements in the plane.

He said experts sorted out parts of the plane, which could be useful for their investigations and did not know whether the two prized items were among them.

He said, 鏑et us wait for the experts to tell us the specific parts so far recovered but I can tell you that most parts of the aircraft, including the fuselage, had been dug out.・

Investigations by our correspondent revealed that the experts would return to the site on Friday (today) to complete their assignment.

Mass withdrawal of security operatives, especially naval personnel stationed at the site since the crash occurred, were noticed on Thursday, an indication that the excavation was almost over.

An official of the Ministry of Aviation explained to our correspondent that the Accident Investigation and Prevention Bureau would handle official briefing on the latest recoveries at the site.

The people of Lisa have, however, petitioned the state Governor, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, over their arrest, detention and harassment by the police.

The community, in a petition by its lawyers, Tale Owolabi and Co, obtained by our correspondent in Abeokuta on Thursday, said four of their members had been in detention since November 3.

According to the community, the continuous detention of Lateef Odugbemi; Segun Oyebola; Dauda Ojeleye and Akeem Ogundipe, is not only unfortunate, but will create an impression that Nigeria is a Banana Republic, 努here anything happens and there is no respect for the rule of law.・

It said the police from Sango-Ota on November 3 disrupted a meeting at the official residence of the village head and arrested the head and 10 other members of the community.

The community alleged that those, who were arrested, were 鍍ortured, harassed, intimidated and forced to sign implicating statements.・

It stated that although the village head and six others had been released, four of the detainees were still being held by the police.

It said, 鄭s at today, they are still being detained without being charged or arraigned before any court of jurisdiction, despite the fact that there is a magistrate痴 court and a high court within a radius of five kilometres from the Sango Police Station.・

Faulting the allegation levelled against them, the villagers wondered how they could loot a plane that buried itself in a crater.

Absolving the community from blame, the petition said the crash destroyed their farms and polluted their water.

It said residents had been denied access to their farms and deprived of their means of livelihood.

The community, therefore, urged the governor to ensure the release of those detained.

THE PUNCH, Friday, November 11, 2005

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NSE, SEC and Trade Alert

The threat by stockbrokers to shut down the stock market come November 28, to protest the imposition of a security device called Trade Alert by the Nigerian Stock Exchange, is disquieting.

The NSE had ignored objections of the Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers and made the device compulsory, instead of optional, for all the four million shareholders in Nigeria.

The electronic device is intended to prevent stock broking firms from unauthorised sales by instantly alerting the actual share owner of the trading via a cell phone text message. The investor will be informed of the actual time, price and quantity of shares bought or sold on his or her behalf by the stock dealer. The investor could then stop any unauthorised trading through which some stockbrokers have made illicit gains at the expense of stockholders.

The cost of this protective device, however, is the major bone of contention. Individual investors will pay N6,000 for a six-month subscription, or N10,000 per annum; while institutional investors pay N20,000 per annum. Following protests, the NSE has excluded stock broking firms from paying for the device, and free subscription has been extended to transactions below N100,000 and dormant accounts of retirees and serving diplomats abroad.

Despite the free subscription extended to it, however, the stockbrokers・association is still expressing its objections, though it supports the introduction of the device. Stockbrokers fear that the N10,000 mandatory annual cost of subscription would drive away small investors and discourage other inactive or irregular investors whose trading profit per year might not cover the cost.

In addition, the stockbrokers have accused the helmsmen of the regulatory agencies: NSE and Securities and Exchange Commission, of providing a platform for their business associates to milk stockholders. It reckons that the Trade Alert, produced by a private company and being foisted on shareholders, could generate up to N2 billion revenue monthly, or N24 billion per annum. NSE Director General, Dr. Ndi Okereke-Onyiuke, has confirmed that Adonai Net Limited owns the Trade Alert product, not the NSE or SEC. The body of stockbrokers argues that it is fraudulent to portray the new alert system to the public as a product of the NSE.

It is instructive that both the NSE and CIS agree on the need to protect shareholders・investments. But a shrinking market, arising from a too costly protection device, could be bad business to stockbrokers. Also, unchecked fraudulent transactions by stockbrokers threaten the sustenance of the emerging stock market, eroding the competence of regulators. Stockbrokers, therefore, must check against malpractices, while the regulatory agencies must protect investors without chasing them out of the market.

The SEC and NSE痴 imposition of a private firm痴 device, no matter its integrity, is arbitrary and a gross abuse of office, punishable under the nation痴 statutes. Going by the fact that Bode Agusto痴 rating of banks・status is voluntarily subscribed to by commercial banks, without the Central Bank痴 intervention, the compulsion in Trade Alert amounts to using official position to benefit a particular monopoly vendor, without going through any transparent bidding.

Besides, the amount fixed for the device and those exempted are arbitrary and so cannot stand. It is the statutory duty of SEC and NSE to make the budding market more attractive, by protecting, without additional costs, the investments of all shareholders. Since big-time traders had subscribed to the device before it was made compulsory, the Trade Alert should be made optional immediately, while stakeholders should agree on a pro-rata rate for beneficiaries of the security device, based on the volume of transaction. Nobody should be compelled to subscribe. Security agencies should investigate allegations of fraud and abuse of office.

The PUNCH, Friday, November 11, 2005

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Anti-corruption crusade good for Nigeria

In this interview with OFONIME UMANAH, founder of the Christian Central Chapel International, Calabar, Evangelist Emmah Isong, said that most states houses of assembly are an extention of the government houses whose occupants they are supposed to check. Excerpts:

The Bayelsa State Governor is being detained in London on money laundering charges. How do you see this?
This is one administration in which the managing director of a bank has slept in detention, a former police IG has been handcuffed, a serving governor has been detained and exposed. Never has there been any government in Nigeria that has placed this number of people on trial for corruption. Never have we had any governor suspended, never have we seen a federal minister thrown out of office on grounds of bribe. Never has anybody as a police IG faced the high court judge. Never has any government come out to say all of you Generals who have tasted power, you are out. It has never happened. If this has happened, whether President Olusegun Obasanjo is pursuing his enemies, I want all Nigerians to rejoice.Nobody should see it as an Ijaw problem or as an anti-Obasanjo problem.Even the Obasanjo-Atiku problem, I am happy. When these people disagree, the bourgeoisie class is broken. The next Nigerian generation should learn a lesson that it is no more business as usual. Do you know how many senate presidents have fallen under this dispensation? It is a good omen. We need to collaborate. When there is silence, they are eating money. But when there is noise, then it means they are in trouble.

Are you surprised that the Bayelsa House of Assembly has refused to return to the House to discuss the matter?
Let me tell you, there is no House of Assembly in Nigeria. Believe me. All houses of assembly are extension of the various governors・offices. Most speakers are the Personal Assistants of the governor. From Rivers to Bayelsa to Sokoto, the speakers cannot bite. Go and touch the Anambra governor and the members would fight you. Go and touch the Plateau State governor, the house of assembly would fight you. Go to Bayelsa, dare you speak against the governor. So, there is no Assembly.

What are your fears as the 2007 elections draw near?
I pity 2007 because the expectations of people would be dashed. Politicians would be frustrated because of the clamour for 2007 and over preparation. Therefo,re with the tension involved in such a clamour for a year that is not even close, we the people who know God have started praying and asking God to do His will. And don稚 forget, when we gather like that and pray, God always acts.

The PUNCH, Friday, November 11, 2005

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Danjuma, Timolini lose bid to take over Pan Ocean Oil

Justice Rebecca Olomojobi of a Federal High Court in Lagos, on Thursday, held that Timolini Anabela (a Swiss) and the former Minister of Defence, Lt-Gen Theophilus Danjuma (rtd), were strangers to Pan Ocean Oil Corporation.

Tony Amokeodo

In a judgment that lasted two hours and 40 minutes, Justice Olomojobi, also held that there was no evidence that any shares was transferred to Timolini.

The judge further said that Timolini and other defendants could not challenge the authority of Dr. Festus Fadeyi-led management of Pan Ocean Oil to sue.

Justice Olomojobi consequently overruled the preliminary objection of Timolini to the instant suit.

Pan Ocean Oil had through its lawyer, Chief Afe Babalola (SAN), filed the suit against Timolini and eight others.

This followed a dispute over the ownership of the oil company and the purported resolutions of March 17, 2004 by Timolini and other defendants.

The said resolutions had removed Dr. Fadeyi-led management team and replaced them with another directors.

Joined as co-respondents to the suit are Dr. Patrizio Di Gveara Fabbri; Inter Ocean Oil Development Co. (Nig.); Inter Ocean Oil Exploration (Nig.); Mr. John C. Brunner, Mr. J.B. Eruhero; Mr. H.C. Rooks and the Corporate Affairs Commission.

The claimant had in its 52- paragraph statement of claim and 19-paragraph affidavit in support, alleged that Timolini, the wife of the late Dr. Fabbri, who had substantial interest in the oil firm, is now laying claim to the ownership of the company without a letter of administration.

The oil firm added that Fabbri had divorced Timolini many years before his death in September 1998.

The defendants, however, in their notice of preliminary objection together with a 19- paragraph affidavit in support, alleged that the claimant lacked the authority to sue in the name of the oil company.

Having reviewed the submissions of Afe Babalola and that of the lawyer to Timolini, Mr. Supo Sasore, Justice Olomojobi upheld the submissions of Babalola.

The judge further held that there was no sufficient evidence before the court that Dr. Fabbri transferred his shares in the oil company to Timolini.

Regarding the stock transfer agreement tendered by Timolini in court, the judge held that the transfer did not meet the procedure for transfer of shares.

She added that the meeting of March 17, 2004 was illegal, null and void.

According to Olomojobi, since Timolini and eight other defendants were not shareholders of the oil firm, they could not sign any resolution on behalf of the company.

The judge also said that the resolutions did not follow the procedure listed by section 262 of the Companies and Allied Matters Act.

Olomojobi further held in her judgment that the certificate of shares could not be issued by the transferee, as was the case of Timolini in the instant suit.

THE PUNCH, Friday, November 11, 2005

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Why SMEs are not growing

Stakeholders in small and medium scale enterprises have blamed the government for the low level of development in the sector.

Emmanuel Obe, Benin

But they also said the SMEs must adhere to standards in order to attract respect and patronage.

At a workshop organised in Benin on Thursday by the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria and the Nigeria Employers・Consultative Association, the stakeholders said the public sector had failed to provide the conducive atmosphere for the thriving of SMEs.

The Project Manager of NECA, Mrs. Adebimpe Opegbemi, said SMEs have continued to find it difficult to access funds set aside for their use by financial institutions.

典here are also the perennial problems of inadequate managerial capacity and poor quality services and products, which compromise SMEs・prosperity,・the project manager added.

She said the workshop was designed to build the capacity of SME managers/operators and their companies so that they can access funds from financial institutions, which were also invited to participate in the project.

An industrialist, Mr. Demola Richard, said the atmosphere in Nigeria was very hostile to small and medium scale businesses.

He said energy costs are high, when available, roads and water supply are not dependable, the financial institutions charge high interest rates on their funds and bureaucratic bottlenecks bog down importation and exportation of necessary materials that were needed for the industry to thrive.

He said for the situation to improve, government must live up to its obligation as the facilitator of the economy by providing infrastructure, the banks must relax stringent lending measures, SME operators must respect their contracts with financial institutions and they must also take advantage of dynamic technology.

The Benin Zonal Coordinator, Mr. Udeme Udom, said for small and medium scale industrialists to derive optimum and long term benefits from their investments, they must conform with local and international standards in making the products.

He said substandard goods with short life span could lead to destruction of the commercial reputation of the economy.

的t is possible to get away with it for only a short time. In the medium and long terms, it backfires,・he said.

In a paper sent to the workshop, the Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Administration and Control, Prof. Dora Akunyili, said fake and counterfeit products were responsible for the poor acceptance of goods manufactured in the country.

She said quality was the bedrock on which any company can sell its products and expand, and therefore urged small and medium scale enterprises to adhere to set quality standards in their products.

THE PUNCH, Friday, November 11, 2005

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November 03, 2005

Nnamani gets N40m bulletproof car

The Senate leadership has ordered for a Lexus Armoured B6 car valued at N39.8million for the President of the Senate, Chief Ken Nnamani.

Gbade Ogunwale, Abuja

Our correspondent learnt that part payment has already been made for the car.

The Senate has also taken delivery of an RII50 RT Super Escort BMW motorcycle worth N5.5million for the convoy of the Deputy President of the Senate, Alhaji Ibrahim Mantu.

Investigations revealed that N19.9million, being 50 per cent of the cost of the bulletproof car, has been paid to Jatech Nigeria Limited, the firm that was awarded the supply contract.

The contract for the supply of the escort motorcycle was awarded to Coscharis Motors through a letter dated July 18, written by Masur S. Jarkasa, for the Clerk of the National Assembly.

At least N13.7million has also been spent to procure and install three soundproof generating sets for the use of some principal officers of the upper legislative chamber.

The expenditures have fuelled criticisms by certain members of the legislature, who have threatened to call the leadership to account.

When our correspondent contacted the chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Affairs, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba (SAN), on telephone on Wednesday, he initially denied the purchase of the items, saying he was hearing of it for the first time.

Ndoma-Egba, however, called our correspondent back about an hour later to confirm the purchase of the bulletproof car.

He said the car was provided for in the Senate’s 2005 capital estimate, adding that it is only the President of the Senate who is entitled to a bulletproof car.

The President, the Vice-President, the Deputy President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives and his deputy are all likewise entitled.

Reminded that the President of the Senate already has a bulletproof car in his convoy, Ndoma-Egba said the car that was inherited from the former occupier of the office, Chief Adolphus Wabara, had broken down.

“You will recall that Senator Wabara got stranded at the roadside at a certain time when the bulletproof car broke down. He was rescued by Senators Tunde Ogbeha and David Mark who gave him a lift in their car,” the Senate spokesman stated.

One of the senators, who expressed concern over the expenditure, said the items could not have been ordered for in the public interest.

In Britain, the prime minister and other senior cabinet ministers use Jaguar cars.

Other cabinet ministers use the lesser “Omega class.” Though the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Mr. Gordon Brown, is entitled to a Jaguar, he opted for “Vauxhall Omega.”

Unlike in Nigeria, there are rules of disclosure in Britain that compel ministers, who are also parliamentarians, to disclose all expenses incurred in the use of their official cars.

The Special Adviser, Media, to the President of the Senate, Mr. Augsten Adamu, told our correspondent on Wednesday that decisions about the purchase of official vehicles are not taken by the President of the Senate, but by the leadership.

Adamu added, “It was in 1999 that The Presidency gave the National Assembly one. And it has been having problems since then. In fact, one particular Senate President was stranded when it broke down.

“At the first executive session of the Senate in 2003, a decision was taken to buy one. But it was held till now because there was no budgetary provision for it. Since then, this is the first time there will be budgetary provision for it. So, it wasn’t that he just woke up and decided on it. It won’t serve any purpose for the Senate President to be stranded on the way because of an epileptic car.”

The PUNCH, Thursday, November 03, 2005

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Switzerland refunds $170m Abacha loot

The Swiss government has directed banks in the country to return to Nigeria $170million, being the final tranche of about $700million held in accounts linked to the late Gen. Sani Abacha

The country’s Justice ministry spokesman, Mr. Livio Zanolari, was quoted in a report by Swissinfo Switzerland’s official news platform as saying that the banks had been ordered to pay the funds to the Basel-based Bank for International Settlements in the past few days.

The BIS would then credit the money to the Central Bank of Nigeria.

At the end of September, the World Bank in Washington applauded the previous Swiss payment of $290 million.

The Abacha funds had been frozen in Swiss banks since 1999. The Swiss Federal Court in Lausanne approved the return last February when it rejected an appeal by the Abacha family.

But the Swiss government said it first wanted the World Bank to guarantee the money would go towards development projects in areas such as health, education and infrastructure, as promised by Nigeria. That agreement with the World Bank has now been signed.

The final $170 million was in assets that had to be converted to cash before the transfer could be made.

In May, Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo accused Switzerland of stalling on the return of the funds but Swiss officials said they were held up only because of the need to work out details with the World Bank.

The Nigerian government accuses Abacha of creating a criminal organisation after his takeover in 1993 and plundering $2.2 billion from state funds until his death of an apparent heart attack in 1998.

After he died, Swiss officials blocked accounts in Switzerland linked to Abacha and his associates, and the money has been released in stages.

Nigeria has been pushing, with some success, for the return of Abacha’s looted funds from other countries, including Britain, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein and Austria.

Between 1993 and 1998, Sani Abacha is said to have plundered more than $2.2 billion from the coffers of Nigeria.

About $700 million was frozen in Switzerland in 1999.

More than $200 million of that amount was returned to Nigeria in a first payment in December 2003.

The Swiss Federal Court decided in February that a further $458 million should be returned.

The World Bank confirmed in September that Switzerland had repatriated a further $290 million.

The balance of $170 million is now being paid to Nigeria through the Bank for International Settlements in Basel.

The PUNCH, Thursday, November 03, 2005

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November 02, 2005

I’ve not forgiven Obasanjo – Buhari

The presidential candidate of the All Nigeria Peoples Party in the 2003 election, Major-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, has said his condolence visit to President Olusegun Obasanjo over the death of his wife, Stella, should not be mistaken for a truce in his political battle with him.

Chiawo Nwankwo and Musikilu Mojeed, Abuja

Buhari, a former head of state, was at the State House in Abuja early last week in company with all surviving former heads of state and presidents to condole with Obasanjo on Stella’s death.

He said on Monday that the visit was not a sign of a truce, but a demonstration of his belief that people should share in one another’s pains.

Buhari spoke through his Special Adviser on Media, Alhaji Ya’u Darazo, in a telephone conversation with our correspondents from Kaduna.

He also confirmed speculations that the political camp of Vice-President Atiku Abubakar had made overtures to him.

The spokesman said, “Gen. Buhari broke his resolve since 2003 not to visit the Presidential Villa, not on personal grounds; but because he, as a believer in God, shares in the pains of others when something of this nature happens.

“The struggle is not against Chief Obasanjo as a person. He is there as a public officer and we still feel he is not performing his job as expected. And he was not legitimately elected.”

But in a swift reaction, the Special Assistant to the President on Public Communication, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, said while Obasanjo appreciated Buhari’s gesture, he would admonish him to see this period as a new era for unity.

The ANPP presidential candidate said through his spokesman, that what the Supreme Court did was to pre-emptively close election disputes.

He added that certain events in the countdown to the 2007 poll might renew the lingering political brawl with the President.

The likely sources of friction, according to him, include contentious provisions in the Electoral Bill 2004, pending before the National Assembly for amendment; and the alleged plot to extend the tenure of elected public officers beyond 2007.

He however expressed high regard for Obasanjo, whom he noted was his senior in the Army and under whom he served as Minister of Petroleum Resources, when he (Obasanjo) was military Head of State from 1976 to 1979.

Buhari further said he could not understand how Obasanjo, whom he described as a very disciplined and listening person, became a changed person when he assumed office as President in 1999.

The spokesman said, “Since 1999, he (Buhari) said he found it difficult to know why President Obasanjo had changed, because he had seen him as a highly disciplined and listening person.

“He (Obasanjo) now has contempt for the National Assembly and for everybody.”

According to him, Obasanjo had unsuccessfully tried to end the rift with Buhari by making representations through Gen. Yakubu Gowon and the former South African President, Dr. Nelson Mandela.

He added, “But talking to Buhari was not the issue, the issue is that he (Obasanjo) is not duly elected. The international community and Nigerians who observed the election said that the election was anything but free and fair.

“Buhari told the mediators his position and confronted them with facts and figures.”

On the alleged overture by Atiku’s group to Buhari, Darazo said the vice-president’s loyalists had met with some members of the Buhari Campaign Organisation, headed by Alhaji Sule Hamman.

But he was not say whether the group had approached Buhari in person.

The spokesman also said that the doors of the Buhari Campaign Organisation were open to those who would like to work with it for the betterment of Nigeria.

He added though that the mission or agenda of the Atiku group was not yet clear.

He said, “We want to know from them why they want to work with us now. What is the nature of the relationship; what is their aim, to help them fight Obasanjo or what?”

The spokesman also criticised the resolve of the Independent National Electoral Commission to use electronic voting machine for the 2007 polls, without test-running it in bye-elections.

He added that only a determination to do what was right could guarantee a free and fair election.

Responding to Buhari’s claims, Fani-Kayode said, “We believe that this very difficult period, regardless of the pain that it has brought, has also ushered in a new era of unity, reconciliation and peace. And we believe that it is time for all of us to move the country forward together.

“We hope that Gen. Buhari would see things in that light.”

Fani-Kayode added that the Presidency did not subscribe to Buhari’s view that Obasanjo was not democratically elected.

SATURDAY PUNCH, October 29, 2005

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CBN begins withdrawal of N100bn NNPC funds from banks

The Central Bank of Nigeria has directed all banks holding the NNPC accounts to transfer them to it.

Oluyinka Akintunde

Although the CBN refused to disclose the amount, independent sources put it at over N100billion.

Also, the bank directed all banks collecting revenues on behalf of the NNPC to henceforth remit them to its vaults within 48 hours of collection.

The Governor of the CBN, Prof. Charles Soludo, at a news conference on the developments in the economy, in Abuja on Tuesday, said the decisions were the outcome of the October 25 Monetary Policy Committee meeting.

Three senior officials of the Federal Ministry of Finance also attended the meeting.

The CBN had in August 2004 ordered banks to relinquish government funds, but had a rethink when the initial withdrawals threw the system into a spin.

The CBN warned that managing directors of banks that failed to adhere to the latest directive would be suspended for three months in the first instance.

Their banks, according to Soludo, would be made to pay interest charge of the prevailing Minimum Rediscount Rate, plus five per cent.

The CBN governor said, "We started massive withdrawals of NNPC funds from the commercial banks on October 31 and we have asked all banks to report to us from Monday (October 31). At any point in time, there is a minimum of N60billion NNPC funds in the hands of the banks and we have made it clear to everyone that all such funds must be paid to the CBN."

The measures, he said, were aimed at bringing down the money supply in line with the target growth rate of 15 per cent.

He explained that inflationary pressures had become a major concern to the MPC, citing the high inflation rate recorded in July and August.

"The sharp spike in inflation rates for July and August measured on a year-on-year basis to 26 and 28 per cent respectively posed a concern to the MPC. A decomposition of the inflation numbers of the National Bureau of Statistics shows that inflationary pressures in recent months are driven essentially by rising food prices.

"Food price inflation (year-on-year) jumped from 18 per cent in June to 35.6 per cent in July and 36.1 per cent in August. On the contrary, the non-food inflation declined from 16.2 per cent in June to 10.76 per cent in July and 13 per cent in August (measured on year-on-year basis).

"Obviously, money supply plays a role but the extent of the contemporaneous and lagged effects of money supply on price formulation- both core and food inflation-remains an empirical question. We have defined a major research agenda for 2006 to fully characterise and understand the inflation dynamics in the Nigerian economy."

The CBN announced the following as measures to tackle excess liquidity and rising inflation:

•Complete the sale of N60billion of the CBN instrument, and sell more, if need be;

• Sale of treasury bills that will be sterilised for liquidity management;

• Sale of additional foreign exchange to mop up liquidity; and

• To ensure effective monitoring and implementation of the liquidity management programme, the MPC set up a Monetary Policy Implementation Committee, which shall meet every two days to review developments and take necessary action.

Throwing more light on the decisions, Soludo said it was imperative for banks not to rely solely on public sector funds.

"If there are banks whose only life support was NNPC or public sector funds, I think it is better to remove the life support. We don't want such banks to still be in existence in a post-consolidation era. We want banks that are not depending on public sector funds. These sets of banks are sustainable," he added.

The CBN, he noted, would ask the NNPC to designate six banks that are to hold reserves for the corporation's day-to-day activities.

He stated that the six banks would only be allowed to hold between N500million and N1billion of NNPC funds.

Market watchers fear that NNPC bankers might, from next week, experience some shocks as a result of the massive withdrawal of the corporation's funds, but the CBN governor dispelled such fears.

He disclosed that the country's foreign reserves had grown to about $29.5billion as at Friday, October 28, as against the target of $9.7billion for the year 2005 under the National Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy.

Soludo, however, declined to answer the question on the level of the foreign reserves as at Monday, October 31, which was intended to confirm if the Federal Government through the CBN had paid the first installment of $6.4billion to the Paris Club.

He said, "I know what you are getting at indirectly. You are getting at the issue of whether we have paid the first installment of the Paris Club debt or whether we haven't paid. That is where you want to head to. Unfortunately, you would not hear that.

"That is still being processed. I have given you the figure as at October 28, 2005, which is $29.5billion. What is sufficient for the aggregate economy or aggregate impact is the total level of foreign reserves and not the components."

He said that the repayment of the $12.4billion Paris Club debt wouldn't impact negatively on the foreign reserves and exchange rate.

With a foreign reserves level of $29.5billion, he said the government had surpassed the target of $9.7billion for the year 2005 and $12billion for 2006 under the National Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy programme.

SATURDAY PUNCH, October 29, 2005

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November 01, 2005

Seven Ladoja’s aides die in auto crash • Another crash in Enugu claims 14

Twenty-one people died on Monday in two separate accidents in Ogun and Enugu States.

Tajudeen Suleiman and Toyin Obadina

Seven aides of the Oyo State Governor, Alhaji Rashidi Ladoja, died along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway; while the other 14 victims were killed in an accident on the Ninth Mile corner on the Enugu-Nsukka Road.

Earlier on Thursday, 20 people died in an accident on the Ninth Mile corner.

The accidents are coming while the nation still mourns the killing of 117 people in a plane crash and the death of President Olusegun Obasanjo’s wife, Stella.

Those who died along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway were Ladoja’s Special Assistant on Protocol, Mr. Tola Duro-Ladipo; his personal physician, Dr. Tijani Ladoja; two drivers - Mr. R. Ajagbe and Mr. M. Jasope.

Our correspondents could not get the names of the three policemen that also lost their lives when the accident occurred near the Sagamu junction.

The victims were said to be part of the team that had gone to Lagos to receive Ladoja from Abuja, where he had attended the thanksgiving service in honour of the late Stella.

The ill-fated team was the second batch of the governor’s convoy, which had stayed behind in Lagos for an official assignment after the first batch, conveying the governor, left for Ibadan.

Witnesses said the accident occurred when a trailer heading towards Lagos suddenly veered off its track and rammed into the convoy.

The Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Mr. Adeola Oloko, who confirmed the accident, said five vehicles were involved.

He said the victims died on the spot, adding that their remains had been deposited at the mortuary of the University College Hospital, Ibadan.

Oloko could not give the number of those injured in the accident, but said that their families had been informed.

He explained that two of the vehicles involved in the crash belonged to the Oyo State Government.

“The two vehicles had two principal staff of the governor, two drivers and three policemen. The governor was not in the same convoy with the two as at the time the accident occurred.”

The Commissioner of Police, state command, Mr. Audu Abubakar, described the accident as unfortunate.

Our correspondents reported that the crash on the Enugu-Nsukka Road involved several vehicles, including a truck carrying grains.

The truck, according to eyewitnesses, ploughed into a broken down Mercedes 608 bus, which in turn smashed other vehicles, including a mini-bus carrying passengers, and a Mercedes Benz car.

Four of the victims, all occupants of the Mercedes Benz, car were burnt beyond recognition

Some of those injured were treated at a private hospital in the area, while the more serious cases were referred to the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital and National Orthopedic Hospital, Enugu.

The Enugu Sector Commander of the Federal Road Commission, Mr. John James, confirmed the accident and the casualty.

James, who said that added that one person died in a different accident on Sunday on the same road, attributed the recent spate of crashes to reckless driving.

The Acting Chairman of the Udi Local Government Council, Mr. Martin Udensi, also attributed the accidents to the poor state of the road.

He therefore called for the immediate dualisation or expansion of the road.

The PUNCH, Tuesday, November 1, 2005

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NNPC may sack 1,000 more

There are indications that the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation may lay off about 1000 workers between now and December.

Sola Adebayo, Warri

The downsizing will affect workers at the corporation’s 11 strategic Business Units and Corporate Services Units.

The NNPC had carried out similar retrenchment in December 2004, when about 2,634 workers were fired in an exercise to weed out ageing and unproductive workforce.

Thereafter, the corporation employed about 700 young graduates and engaged professionals from other establishments in a bid to re-invigorate the corporation.

A reliable source at the Zonal Office of NNPC in Warri, said the retrenchment exercise would continue until the corporation was rid of the deadwood.

The source, who is a senior official in the zonal office, said workers who had attained the age of 55 and above and those who had served the corporation for 20 years and above might be asked to go home this time.

The source informed our correspondent that the Group Managing Director of NNPC, Mr. Funsho Kupolukun, had directed the helmsmen of the SBUs and the CSUs to forward the names of their workers, based on the two parameters, to his office before November 10.

The 2004 exercise involved workers, who had attained the age of 57 and above and had served the corporation for 30 years and above.

“The management of the NNPC is at it again. About 1,000 of us (workers of NNPC) would be laid off before December. The management is claiming that the corporation’s workforce is ageing and unproductive, thereby hindering service delivery.

“A similar step was taken the same time last year (2004). The GMD has ordered all the heads of the SBUs and the CSUs to nominate workers to be disengaged”, said our source, which craved anonymity.

However, investigations by our correspondent revealed that the management and leaders of the labour unions had agreed on severance benefits for the workers that would be sacked.

The agreement, sealed on Friday October 13, was made available to our correspondent in Warri on Saturday.

It was signed by the General the Manager, Human Resources, Mrs. L. D. Adegbite, and Manager, Employee Relations, Mr. Peter Odjoji, for the management; while the President of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, Mr. U. M. Okoro; the Group Chairman, PENGASSAN, Mr. A. K. Isah; and the Group Secretary, PENGASSAN, Mr. Idowu Edun, endorsed the document on behalf of the workers.

The parties in the document, entitled “Collective Agreement on Disengagement package, reached between the management of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, NNPC Group Executive Council,” agreed as follows, “Employees, who are disengaged from the services of the corporation as a result of the ongoing reforms and privatisation exercise shall be entitled to five consolidated monthly salaries as payment in-lieu of notice.

“Staff disengaged as a result of the ongoing reforms and privatization shall be paid one year pension upfront and shall revert to monthly pension as contained in the NNPC Pension Scheme, after one year of the collection of the upfront.

“The affected staff shall be paid seven per cent of terminal base salary. In addition, the corporation shall write off balance of all NNPC loans taken by the disengaged staff in those SBUs and CSUs.

“One consolidated monthly salary shall be paid to disengaged staff as in-lieu of Pre-retrenchment course.

“The Corporation shall pay 30 percent of TBS as Relocation Allowance for the transportation of self, family and personal effects.

“This agreement comes into effect on 13th of October, 2005 and shall remain in force throughout the period of the reforms and privatisation in NNPC.”

The General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division of NNPC, Dr. Levi Ajuonumah, said the plan to rejuvenate and reposition the corporation under Kupolukun was an ongoing exercise.

Speaking in a telephone interview with our correspondent on Saturday night, he described the corporation’s workforce as ageing, adding that it was being rejuvenated with fresh graduates and world-class professionals, to guarantee service delivery.

He, however, denied that any retrenchment exercise was imminent in the corporation.

The PUNCH, Tuesday, November 1, 2005

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October 27, 2005

My mother’s greatest wish - Stella’s son

A cloud of grief hung over the chambers of the Federal Executive Council, Abuja, on Wednesday as Olumuyiwa, the only child of the late wife of President Olusegun Obasanjo, Stella, recalled a time his mother told him that she wanted her life to be celebrated.

Our correspondents

Olumuyiwa said his mother shared this wish with him after the death of his maternal great grandmother in 2004.

Speaking at the memorial FEC meeting, which was also attended by members of the Abebe family, he said his mother called him on phone after the burial and said if she died, she would like her life to be celebrated the way her grandmother’s was.

Holding back tears as he spoke, the law graduate said his mother was full of life while preparing for her 60th birthday.

He said, “As you know, only last year she lost her grandmother, who is my great grand mother, who died at the age of over 90. And while she was telling me about it, on the phone, she said it was a celebration.

“My mom wanted her life to be a celebration. Indeed, as we mourn her passing away, please remember to celebrate her life. That is how she would have liked to be remembered. Please, pray for all of us. Pray that her soul will rest in peace.”

At this point, Olumuyiwa broke down in tears but received assistance from his father (Obasanjo) who gave him a handkerchief.

Mrs. Obasanjo died in Spain on Sunday after cosmetic surgery.

Also speaking at the FEC meeting during which a minute of silence was held in honour of the late Mrs. Obasanjo and the 117 victims of the Bellview plane crash, the Vice-President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, said the two tragedies had united Nigerians.

In a tribute he read at the meeting, Abubakar said that the tragedies cast a gloom over the country and had thrown Nigerians into a state of national mourning.

He said, “This is indeed a very difficult time for Mr. President and his family, the Abebe family and indeed all Nigerians, especially those who lost loved ones in the plane crash.

“Our hearts go out to them. Mr. President, Nigerians mourn with you and your family and they mourn with the families of the victims of the air disaster.

“These tragedies have strengthened our resolve to assist one another as citizens of one united country. I know that Nigerians pray for Mr. President and his family and for the families of the victims of the plane crash.

“And we all pray for the repose of the souls of all the departed.”

The vice president also read a poem by P.B Shelley, which indicated that though Stella’s life was brief, it was bright.

He said that there was no doubt that Stella performed her role as First Lady with distinction.

“Perhaps, what prepared her for this challenge was when she willy-nilly became a human rights activist with the arrest, ‘trial’ and imprisonment of her husband over an alleged coup plot against the Abacha government,” the Vice President added.

He also said that the Bellview plane crash “has justified the concern that Mr. President has often expressed that we are ill-equipped to cope with national disasters.”

The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Chief Ufot Ekaette, said that death of Mrs. Obasanjo and the 117 Bellview passengers as well as crew members were devastating and too painful to fathom.

Ekaette noted that the late Mrs. Obasanjo registered her presence on the nation’s social and political landscape as a mother, patriot, friend of the poor, caring and loving wife of the President.

“She will be remembered for her pet project, the Child Care Trust, a private, non-profit, non-governmental organization, which she established and developed entirely on voluntary donations to address the needs of the under privileged and physically challenged children in Nigeria,” the SGF said.

In most public offices and some corporate organisations in Abuja and other parts of the country, activities stood still as other Nigerians observed one minute of silence directed on Tuesday by Obasanjo.

From Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos to Sokoto, Port Harcourt to Maiduguri and other state capital, the situation was the same: Governors led their state executive members and other top public functionaries to observe the moment.

Workers in ministries, parastatals, agencies and some corporate organisations were also not left.

At Alausa, Ikeja, Governor Bola Ahmed Tinubu and top officials of his government were in mournful mood while observing the minute silence.

As the second hand ticked 60 at exactly noon, the pin drop silence was punctured by the voice of the state’s Solicitor-General, Mr. Fola Arthur-Worrey, who prayed for the repose of the souls of the deceased.

Many Lagosians however went about their businesses during the period.

The Oyo State Governor, Alhaji Rashidi Ladoja, led political office holders, civil servants and other Nigerians to observe a prayer session in honour of the deceased.

Two permanent secretaries in the state, Cannon Tinwo Fatoki and Alhaji A. M. A. Alimi, led the prayers.

In a short speech at the end of the prayers, Ladoja described the death of Mrs. Obasanjo and the plane crash victims as a national calamity.

They later observed a minute silence in honour of the deceased.

In Asaba, Delta State, the silence was observed mostly by civil servants and workers in other formal sectors.

Like their counterparts in Ibadan and Lagos, traders in Asaba and residents of Warri and Effurum, did not observe the silence.

Although many people had planned to observe it, they claimed that they forgot.

While government workers in Ekiti State also observed the silence, most private business concerns did not.

Governor Olusegun Agagu led members of the Ondo State Executive Council to mark the silence.

Addressing the gathering in his office, Agagu eulogised Stella as someone who lived her entire life in a manner that showed warmth, love and care.

“She was a pillar support for her husband. This encouraged the President to perform much better than he would ordinarily have performed.”

The governor commiserated with he families of the victims of the air crash, saying the two incidents were terrible and agonising to recall.

The governor said the air crash was a cruel reminder for the country to be more stringent on issues affecting the aviation industry.

Also in Akure, the Country Women Association of Nigeria, began a three-day inter-religious prayer and fasting to avert a recurrence of the Bellview Flight 210 mishap.

The Kwara State Chief Judge, Justice Timothy Oyeyipo, inmates and officials of the Federal Prisons Ilorin observed one-minute silence in Ilorin.

After the brief moment, Oyeyipo, who was in the prison to review cases of some inmates, prayed for those who lost their lives in the aircraft and the late wife of the president.

Some officials of both federal and state ministries also observed the brief moment.

However, commercial drivers and private vehicle owners went about their normal businesses during the period.

Meanwhile, the Lagos State Police Command and the Airport Command will deploy about 10,000 of their men to provide security along the routes that the remains of Mrs. Obasanjo would take.

Her remains will be buried in Abeokuta, Ogun State, on Friday.

THE PUNCH, Thursday, October 27, 2005

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Pilot crashed on third flight in one day

The family of the pilot of crashed Bellview Flight 210, Captain Lambert Imasuen, on Wednesday threatened to sue the airline for alleged negligence. They alleged that Imasuen made three trips on the ill-fated day, suggesting that fatique in part induced the crash.

The family’s threat coincided with the police’s launch of an investigation by the police into claims of responsibility for the crash that killed the 117 persons on board by a faceless group, the Coalition for Militant Action in the Niger Delta.

According to the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Sunday Ehindero, the Force has not been able to identify the source of the claim. But he said it believed that “it’s some people connected to the Niger Delta Peoples Volunteer Force” whose leader, Alhaji Mujahid Dokubo-Asari, is currently facing prosecution for treasonable felony.

The COMA had claimed in a statement on Tuesday that until Dokubo-Asari is unconditionally released, its members would continue to attack the infrastructure of the Nigerian state.

Imasuen’s sister, Mrs. Ester Eryo, who spoke in an interview with journalists at the crash site in Lissa, Ifo local government in Ogun State, accused Bellview of negligence.

She alleged, in company with other members of the family, that before the Boeing 737 aircraft finally crashed on Saturday, there had been several complaints about its condition by the late pilot.

According to her, the plane was not only old, it was out of use in other parts of the world.

Eryo said she learnt that her late brother had flown twice last Saturday, hinting that this could have caused him fatigue on the ill-fated flight.

Amid tears, she called on the Federal Government to outlaw outdated and old planes used for commercial purposes, adding that the late captain left four children and a wife.

She said, “I learnt that some people had complained about the particular aircraft before the crash. My brother was very good and very obedient. The bringing of old aircrafts to Nigeria should be banned.”

A blank cheque in the name of the captain was seen at the scene of the incident.

The cheque was taken away by his family members.

Eryo added, “I will sue the company. I will sue them. Why should they go and buy an aircraft that had been rejected in other parts of the world.?”

Efforts to get the response of Bellview Airline to the allegations were unfruitful as the corporate spokesman, Mr. Habib Mohammed, was not picking his phone.

According to the International Civil Aviation Organisation standard on flying hours, if a pilot is on duty for 12 hours, he must also rest for 12 hours before taking up any other flight.

Flying hours, according to industry sources on Wednesday in Lagos, depend on the number of landings.

If a pilot, for instance, is to make two landings, he can be on duty for 12 hours.

If a pilot is to make six landings of an hour flight, he cannot be on duty more than nine hours.

The maximum hours in 28 days are 100 hours. Maximum flying hours for a year is 900 hours.

Imasuen was said to have exceeded the normal flying hours when he allegedly made 180 hours two months ago.

His airline like some others in the industry, sources said, often violate the normal rest hours. The airline, they alleged, pay N3,000 to its pilot for every extra hour of flight made.

Sources said the pilots, sources said, do not write such extra hours in their log book.

Ehindero on Wednesday said he had ordered immediate investigation into the claim of responsibility by COMA for the crash.

Represented by the Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Ogbonnaya Onovo, he told journalists at the Force Headquarters, "Some of you might have heard that some people are claiming they are responsible for the Bellview aircraft crash.

"Some people also have claimed responsibility for some of the explosions in the past few weeks or so as a result of the arrest of Asari- Dokubo. So we cannot afford to take things for granted."

Ehindero said that the war against terrorism was a global one.

The police chief said there was no official confirmation of the authenticity of the claim. “We have not seen the said press release. We are trying to find out its authenticity, we're investigating it."

Four days after the ill-fated flight, the wreckage of the plane buried 50-feet deep in muddy soil is still smoking, prompting criticisms of the Federal Government by families of the victims over the delay in execaution.

With the scene stinking to high heavens, members of the Nigerian Red Cross Society warned visitors to the scene against eating the produce of the farmland or picking items littering the arena.

Our correspondents observed that the wreckage of the plane, which was 30-feet deep on Sunday, had sunk about 20-metres further due to the continuous smoldering of the wreckage, creating more cracks in the muddy ground.

An aviation official who pleaded anonymity said the wreckage of the plane was still smouldering four days after the crash because it was probably carrying a full tank of fuel before it went down.

Breaking down in tears at the scene of the disaster, the sister to the Mr. George Enenmoh, chief executive of Ascon Oil Company, who died in the crash, Mrs Aido Oise, said the Federal Government was insensitive to the plight of the victims’ families.

According to her, the response of the Federal Government to the disaster was slow. She added that it was agonising for bereaved family members to watch helplessly as their beloved ones were buried in the earth.

Notable lawyer and social critic, Chief Gani Fawehinmi, SAN, deplored the claim of responsibility by COMA as senseless. He said such violence did not serve the interest of Niger Delta people. ” In a statement in Lagos, the lawyer said, I, Fawehinmi, am disheartened by the claim of a Niger Delta coalition’s responsibility for the Bellview crash.

“People who died in the crash were innocent victims who knew nothing about the Federal Government’s misguided policies against the Niger Delta people.

“It is true that the Federal Government is repressing the Niger Delta, but that is no justification for this coalition to visit their anger on innocent Nigerians.”

The nation's disaster-monitoring satellite christened NigeriaSat-1 failed to pick images of the ill-fated Bellview aircraft on Saturday because it arrived the country on Sunday morning, several hours after the incident occurred, and it had not been programmed in advance to capture the scene of the accident.

However, the United Kingdom disaster monitoring satellite, a member of the Disaster Monitoring Constellation to which Nigeria belongs, was able to capture images of the accident the following Monday, October 24.

The Director, Space Application at the National Space Research Development Agency, Dr. Joseph Akinyede, who spoke in Abuja on Wednesday at a press briefing, explained that NigeriaSat-1 passes over any part of the country once in three to five days.

Akinyede said whenever it was passing through the country, it had been programmed on the locations to capture during the daytime, while it downloads the images to the ground monitoring station in Asokoro, Abuja in the night.

According to him, even if the satellite had been programmed to arrive at the scene of the crash at the time of its occurrence, it would still have been difficult for it to capture the image because it was night, whereas the satellite works with sunlight.

Akinyede explained, "The first pass of NigeriaSat-1 over the accident area was on Sunday morning after the crash; we could not image the scene of the accident due to lack of information on its location.

"NigeriaSat-1 is a passive system and sun-synchronous. This means that it depends on the sun energy for imaging. The crash happened in the night; even if Nigeria Sat-1 were passing over the scene of accident, it would not have imaged the scene of accident at that time of the night.”

The Chief Executive Oficer of Bellview, Mr. Kayode Odukoya, had told a newspaper on Monday in Abuja that the airline would learn from this experience and move on.

He condoled with the families of the crash victims, adding, “We will work out some compensation. We share in the grief of the families. No amount can atone for a lost life. No amount can redeem a soul that is gone. It is only a token that we share in the grief of the families.”

THE PUNCH, Thursday, October 27, 2005

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PDP postpones state congresses

The Peoples Democratic Party on Wednesday postponed its state congresses earlier scheduled for Saturday.

Our Correspondents

This is to serve as a mark of respect for the late wife of President Olusegun Obasanjo, Stella, and the 117 victims of the Bellview air disaster.

The congress will now hold on November 5.

A statement by the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr. John Odey, made available to our correspondent in Abuja on Wednesday, said the decision to postpone the congress was taken at a meeting of the National Working Committee of the party on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the Ogun State Governor, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, on Wednesday approved the renaming of the headquarters of the state's employment generation agency after its late Chief Executive, Mrs. Maria Sokenu, who died in the ill-fated Bellview Flight 210 on Saturday.

A statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the Ogun State Governor, Mr. Dare Folarin, said the decision to honour Sokenu, who was also the Special Adviser to Daniel on Employment Generation, was based on her meritorious service to the country.

Also, a former Chief of General Staff, Mr. Oladipo Diya, and former Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, on Wednesday extolled the virtues of Stella.

Both Diya and Anyaoku in seperate statements made available to our correspondents on Wednesday also commiserated with the families of those who lost their lives in Saturday's plane crash.

An Islamic organisation, the Nasrul-Lahi-Il-Fathi Society of Nigeria, however, admonished relevant authorities to be more pro-active on issues relating to aviation safety in the country.

The statement from NASFAT by its National President, Mr. Abdulrahman Abdulwahab, said, "We call on the Federal Government to ensure that its regulatory bodies in this crucial sector are made to do their work. This will spare us the agonies of needless human and material losses."

The Economic Community of West African States expressed its sorrow over the death of three of its staff who were among the 117 people that died in the plane crash.

The victims of the crash were the ECOWAS Deputy Executive Secretary for Defence and Security, Gen. Cheick Oumar Diarra; the Director of Finance, Mr. Emmanuel Quaye; and Mr. Andreas Petermann, a German consultant working for the organisation.

The ECOWAS has declared four days of mourning, starting from Tuesday, for the deceased.

The European Union also condoled with the government and people of Nigeria on the twin-tragedy.

A statement from the Head, Press and Public Affairs, British High Commission, Abuja, Mr. Graeme Bannatyne, on behalf of Prime Minister Tony Blair, who recently assumed the presidency of the EU, said the EU was grieved by the tragedy.

Also on Wednesday, the presidential candidate of the All Nigeria Peoples Party in the 2003 elections, Maj.-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, described the plane crash as a national tragedy.

A statement by the Public Affairs Secretary of the The Buhari Organisation, Mr. Ya'u Darazo, quoted the former head of state as saying that it was a national embarrassment that the incident caught the country unawares.

Dunlop Nigeria Plc lost two members of its staff-Messrs Sunday Meseko and Lukman Jimoh-in the ill- fated Bellview flight210.

Meseko and Jimoh were returning to their base via Abuja after attending a training programme in Lagos.

The virtues of the late Chairman of the Nigerian Railway Corporation, Alhaji Waziri Mohammed, who died in the plane crash was extolled in Ibadan on Wednesday as the Western District Manager, Mr. Sola Ogunsegun, said “the messiah of the Railway Corporation is gone.”

“Our messiah is gone. With the death of Alhaji Waziri, the lifewire of the Nigerian Railway Corporation is gone. Only God Almighty can give us another Waziri Mohammed,” he said shortly after a prayer session held at the corporation’s office Ibadan in memory of the departed soul.

THE PUNCH, Thursday, October 27, 2005

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Sympathisers seek speedy excavation of crashed plane

Families and friends of the victims of the Bellview plane crash have continued to register their disappointment over the inability of authorities to excavate the crashed Bellview Airlines’ plane so as to recover the bodies of the passengers.

Dayo Ayeyemi

A clergyman in the Synagogues Church for All Nations, Pastor Steve Blessing, said he was at the site for the likely recovery of the remains of one of the members of his church, Mr. Uche Okolo.

He said, “My pain is that, for four days after the incident, no one has come to commence excavation on the site. Government owes it a duty to let us know as soon as possible if there is anything or anybody still buried in the ditch.”

Blessing said security officials at the site told him that the excavation would begin next week.

Mrs. Bimbo Babalola, who said she came for the body of a friend’s daughter, Mrs. Bade Ojora, stated that excavation ought to have commenced, stressing that bodies of the passengers and survivors could still be found.

Students from Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago Iwoye, Ogun State, who visited the site, said they came to sympathise with President Olusegun Obasanjo and the families of the 117 victims that died in the crash.

The Vice-President of the institution’s students’ union, Mr. Oludayo Ajayi, called on Nigerians to rally round the President at this trying moment.

He advised Nigerian leaders to fashion out appropriate means of developing information technology-based facilities to prevent such occurrence in the future.

The Ogun State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Tunji Alapini, denied allegations that ritualists in search of human parts had invaded the site.

He added that since the police took over the scene, there had been no such incident.

He said, “People are speculating because newspapers reported that human bodies were scattered at the scene of the accident. People became wary that ritualists might have invaded the site and I want to tell you that there is nothing like that.”

THE PUNCH, Thursday, October 27, 2005

Posted by Publisher at 03:42 PM | Comments (0)

NBC’s arbitrary closure of AIT

At a time when the nation was waiting for an official acknowledgment and commendation of Daar Communications’ excellent coverage of the ill-fated Bellview plane, the Nigeria Broadcasting Commission, did the exact opposite of what was expected of it.

In a military fashion, the NBC shut down African Independent Television and its sister radio station, Raypower, over a comprehensive broadcast that mitigated the national embarrassment caused by gross ineptitude in the nation’s aviation emergency management. The two privately owned broadcast stations were ordered off the airwaves for about fifteen hours between Sunday night and Monday afternoon, over what NBC described as “unprofessional coverage” of the Saturday evening crash. The regulatory body’s director in Lagos, Mrs. Bunmi Cole, classified AIT’s airing of the dismembered body parts of victims discovered by AIT as “indecent, obscene and horrifying”. As if the nation was still under the draconian era of Decree 4, the NBC also said it was offensive for AIT to have ruled out survivors “when competent authorities had not fully ascertained the situation and when the families of the victims had not been informed”.

The curious clampdown came at a time when relevant government agencies that should know and feed the public with genuine information were groping in the dark. The Aviation Minister, Prof. Babalola Borishade had led, for many hours, a wild goose search to Kisi, near Kwara State, when the actual crash site, as discovered by conscientious AIT reporters, was at Lisa, Igbore in Ogun State, few kilometres from the Lagos airport. In tow to Kisi were officials of the Federal Civil Aviation Authority (FCAA), National Emergency Management Authority (NEMA), Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA).

The failure, for more than 15 hours, of these agencies and the supervising minister to give a coherent statement on the fate of the 117 passengers and crew on board prompted radio and television stations to request for phone-in information from the public. Anxious children, wives and relations had besieged the Lagos airport, from where the ill-fated plane took off around 8.30pm on Saturday, eagerly waiting for clues. The confusion got worse with some broadcast media reporting that some survivors had been taken to hospitals. Frantic but fruitless phone calls worsened psychological traumas, until the no-survivor AIT/Raypower confirmation. In addition, AIT’s scoop helped security agencies to cordon off the area and minimise looting and tampering with clues as well as assisting rescue workers, in case of survivors.

Yet, in conformity with broadcast codes, the AIT footage had forewarned viewers that the footage might be offensive. So, the viewer was availed the option to switch off. In any case, where was the NBC when the horrendous pictures of tsunami and Hurricane Katrina were beamed live around the world?

It is soothing, however, that the obnoxious order did not come from above. President Obasanjo has rightly expressed shock that Daar Communications was unjustly punished when it ought to have been commended for its gallantry. It has also been reported that NBC did not obtain clearance from the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mr. Frank Nweke Jnr., before the unfortunate closure. What was the NBC trying to hide about the crash? Whose interest was the NBC protecting when it took the highhanded decision? Were the NBC officials simply incompetent or overzealous?

Mr. Nweke must quickly determine the suitability of all key NBC officials for the sensitive offices they hold. They must not be allowed to further tarnish the image of this government. The nation’s Constitution protects everyone’s right to hold, receive and disseminate information, ideas and opinions without interference. As the NBC remains unrepentant, DAAR Communications Limited should explore legal redress for the unwarranted violation of its constitutional rights.

THE PUNCH, Thursday, October 27, 2005

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October 22, 2005

Six dead, 42 vehicles smashed in Lagos clash

No fewer than six persons were feared dead while 42 vehicles were destroyed on Friday in Iyana Ipaja area of Lagos in a clash between members of the Odua People Congress and commercial transport operators.

Eyewitnesses said the clash sparked off when elements of the banned militia organised a reprisal attack on the transport operators early on Friday because the latter handed over an OPC member to the police some days ago.

Friday痴 attack, which occurred on the Iyana Ipaja-Egbeda Road, was said to have started between the early hours of 3am and 6am and also led to the burning of 12 vehicles and the vandalisation of 30 others.

Residents of the area told our correspondent that they woke up in the morning to discover burnt corpses and wrecked properties in the three motor parks in the vicinity. They said that they heard strange noises in the night, including gunshots, which prevented them from leaving their homes until the break of dawn.

But, the Chairman of Alimosho Local Government chapter of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Alhaji Sake Saula, told newsmen that an OPC faction loyal to Dr. Fredrick Fasehun was responsible for the devastation.

According to Saula, NURTW got on OPC痴 bad side when its members prevented a commercial motorcyclist from operating in the area two weeks ago because he had no number plate.

He said that the motorcyclist, who is an OPC member, quickly mobilised his colleagues to attack the transport operators. After the attack, NURTW members were able to arrest one of the attackers and handed him over to the police at the State Criminal Investigation Department of the Lagos State Command.

According to Saula, Friday痴 attack was a reprisal attack against the operators for handing over the motorcyclist to the police.

He ruled out power tussle between him and some NURTW members as the cause of the clash.

However, the Chairman of the Lagos State Taxi Drivers and Cab Operators Association, Iyana Ipaja branch, Alhaji Samsudeen Opeloyeru, said his association lost three members and 10 cabs to Friday痴 mayhem, adding that his group had no problem with OPC.

A combined team of armed policemen and soldiers was drafted to the area to keep the peace.

Spokesman of the state command, Mr. Bode Ojajuni (ASP), confirmed that the clash was between OPC and NURTW. He said that law enforcement agents had been drafted to the area and added that the incident was being investigated.

SATURDAY PUNCH, October 22, 2005

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Pipeline vandalisation: Traditional ruler, 146 others held

A 76-year old traditional ruler in Abia State, Chief Chidume Denwosu, was among 147 suspects paraded before newsmen in Abuja on Friday by the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Sunday Ehindero, for allegedly vandalising oil pipelines.

Olusola Fabiyi, Abuja

The monarch is also the prime minister of Mbata in Osisioma area of the state and is a retired headmaster.

Ehindero said that about 60 drums of crude oil were said to have been found in Denwosu痴 house when policemen swooped on the place.

Also, items found in the possession of the other suspects include three single barrel guns, two double barrel guns, one pump action gun, 73 live cartridges and N270, 000 that one of them allegedly used to bribe the policemen.

Denwosu, however, told newsmen that he was innocent of the offence. He also claimed that he was arrested because he could not raise the sum of N80, 000 bribe allegedly demanded by the police team but failed to explain what the drums of oil were doing in his yard when he was queried by Ehindero.

The traditional ruler said that if he was allowed access to the IG, he would expose 努hat transpired and expose so many atrocities being committed by the people on the ground.・

Ehindero agreed to see him, promising that he would be let off the hook if he cooperated with the police.

Apart from the traditional ruler, many of the suspects were young people aged between 20 and 35.

The police boss, who personally interrogated the suspects, later released four of them for want of evidence after listening to their complaints.

One Engr. Tina Peter claimed that she was not doing anything illegal in her business, adding that she was always remitting money to the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas (NUPENG).

Tina also said she was always making use of waste products she got from black oil.

的t is this black oil that I refine and sell again,・she said.

An official of the Pipeline Product Marketing Company (PPMC), however, punctured her argument, saying there was nothing like waste product in their business.

SATURDAY PUNCH, October 22, 2005

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National ID Card: Computer rejects oba's name

A computer used for the National identity Card project has rejected the name of the Oba of Benin, Omo N弛ba N脱do Uku Akpolokpor, Oba Erediauwa 11.

News Agency of Nigeria reported on Friday that the monarch received the shocking news when the Minister of State for Internal Affairs, Dr. Patrick Itotoh, paid him a courtesy visit in Benin on Thursday.

Itotoh gave the oba the information moments before the commencement of the official distribution of cards to residents of the state.

Making a spirited attempt to explain the situation, Itotoh blamed the lapse on 鍍imid・officials of the Department of National Civic Registration, who supervised the oba痴 registration in 2003.

撤erhaps, the officials were not bold enough to ask the monarch all the information required to be fed into the computer,・he said.

However, the monarch protested immediately, saying he was asked all the questions and he supplied all the answers 電uring the over 45 minutes I took to do the registration two years ago.・

Explaining further, the minister said the Benin monarch was to receive the ID card with No 0731050008 but that the computer rejected its issuance as it could not recognise any first name but only Erediauwa as surname.

He lamented that the registration officials ought to have imputed 摘rediauwa・as surname and ``Oba of Benin鋳 as first name to avoid the problem.

He, however, assured the oba that once the problem was rectified, he would personally deliver the card.

Members of the royal family were, however, luckier, as the minister delivered their identity cards to the monarch for onward transmission to them.

There was another hitch at the official distribution of the cards at the Oba Akenzua Cultural centre in Benin, as there was an error in the entry of Egor Local Government Area of Edo State, which stopped the distribution of thousands of already processed cards.

NAN learnt that 鄭gbor・was erroneously entered instead of 摘gor・Local Government Area.

Amongst officials who received their ID cards were the Edo governor and his deputy, along with their wives, as well as key officials of the state.

SATURDAY PUNCH, October 22, 2005

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Lagos explains non-release of N20bn council fund

Lagos State government said on Thursday that it had refused to disburse the N20 billion fund for the 20 local governments in the state because it wanted to ensure judicious use of the money.

The Public Relations Officer of the state Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Mr. Tunji Bakare, told our correspondent in Lagos that the state government directed the council bosses to submit a comprehensive list of development projects and programmes which they intend to prosecute with the allocation.

The sum was the first tranche released by the Federal Government out of the outstanding council allocation estimated at N34 billion. The Federal Government had withheld the fund since April 2004 because the state government failed to scrap 37 new councils it created two years ago but released only N20bn in August upon the intervention of a committee headed by former Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Prince Bola Ajibola.

Bakare said the state government would thoroughly scrutinise the submissions of the council bosses before releasing the money to them.

典he disbursement of the N20bn local government funds will soon be made but it is contingent upon what the state government asked all the council chairmen to do. The chairmen have been asked to compile a comprehensive list of developmental programmes to be executed for the benefit of Lagosians. Practically all the chairmen have submitted lists and they are being appraised.

徹ne point that must be clearly made is that the state government wants to ensure that no room is given to anybody to fritter away such money. But, it will soon be released while measures would be put in place to monitor the execution of the projects,・he said.

Speaking on the suspension of the chairmen of Epe Local Government and Ikoyi/Obalende Local Council Development Area, he said the action was taken in response to the breakdown of law and order in these areas due to allegations of financial misappropriation levelled against them.

He said the state government had set up a judicial panel of inquiry headed by the former chief judge of the state, Justice Afolabi Adeyinka, to examine the reasons for the crisis in both areas, adding that the suspension would be reviewed when the panel submits its report.

SATURDAY PUNCH, October 22, 2005

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We should stop blaming the IMF for our woes

Former Commissioner for Finance and Economic Development in Oyo State, Prof. Ademola Ariyo, is the Director, Centre for Public Private Cooperation. He spoke with SEMIU OKANLAWON on Nigeria's relationship with the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund as they affect the nation's growth. Excerpts

Some Nigerians are of the view that the Federal Government is just following the dictates of the IMF and the World Bank without asking questions and at the detriment of the masses and the economy, how do you react to this?

The idea of just blaming IMF for everything, I don't think it is proper because Nigeria is a member of this institution. We signed a couple of documents and we know how they operate, if they don't operate according to their mandates, we also have a right to question them. But what I think is happening is that, given their mandate, if they come up with any proposal, initially each country is to come up with its own proposals and look for real assistance and then they will look at your proposals and advise you. You have a right to accept or reject. But what is common in developing countries is that we don't have any idea at all but we want money from the World Bank and they will tell you the IMF is a lending organisation.

For example the IMF, every year, presents a position paper (Article 4 documentation) for all countries. But while Nigeria sees that document as a judgment that must be executed, a country like the United States of America will look at it and even ignore it every year.

But in Nigeria, what do we do? We just swallow the pill in full dose and the IMF has said that we don't carry along our people adding that we fail to carry out detailed analysis and most of the agreements we sign are not clear to us. We don't know.

From my own perception about the workings of this institution, I think we are just diverting attention unnecessarily by blaming them. The fact is that the IMF will not impose on you, what you don't want if you know what you want.

The Federal Government seems to have succeeded in pushing the kind of information it want Nigerians to have on the recent debt deal. As an expert, what are those things you think Nigerians should look for in terms of the real effect of the conditions attached to the debt relief?

Well, let me start from the first one. I can't claim to know the real conditions attached to them because there is no official document regarding the content and extent of the conditional ties. But again, being guided by experience, we can't get relief without an exchange for something.

There is a problem of playing upon some technical words. For instance, what is relief? It is like when they tell you they are giving you development assistance and in actual fact, it is a loan. There are many versions of debt relief. For instance, if they restructure your loan by giving you much grace period, to the IMF, it is a relief. But, at what cost? Because if you have to restructure your loan, that means technically, you are bankrupt and so there is a penal interest rate you have to pay. Hence what they have succeeded in doing for such a country is that, they are postponing the evil day at a higher level. If you had not done some restructuring to make sure you reshape your capability to manage these loans, they just deferred. Then the long run commitment is even higher and it is a type of relief we don't want.

The other relief is the one that actually reduces your burden both in the long or the short term, that gives you some breathing space without additional burden or cost here and there, so we don't know the type of relief, because we have to look at the content but the bottom line is that for a relief to be a real relief, it must reduce your burden in the foreseeable feature.

Sir, there are speculations the last standby facility we signed with IMF has a conditionality that we should increase the price of fuel and double tax rate, do you think we need that kind of agreement in order to get a standby facility from the IMF given the fact that our external reserve is now in excess of $26 billion dollars, because to the lay man on the street, it doesn't add up?

Again you have to know what these organisations are up to. IMF in particular is concerned with structural reforms and one of the instruments of doing this is the issue of subsidies, they believe it doesn't allow the market to reflect true prices of goods and services. The other one like you're mentioned, is the issue of taxation. The argument is that value added tax (VAT) is the best way of capturing people to perform their obligations based on their consumptions and the reason is that consumption based tax is more equitable, if you don't buy, you don't pay.

THE PUNCH, Friday. October 21 , 2005

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October 18, 2005

Protesters risk 20-year jail term

The Presidency has proposed a law seeking 20 years imprisonment or N10million fine for those who plan protests through the Internet.

Tobi Soniyi and Sam Akpe, Abuja

Under the bill already pending before the National Assembly, anyone who solicits sex from, or entices a girl below 18 years to engage in sexual acts, will face no less than seven years in jail.

The proposed bill, forwarded to the National Assembly with a covering letter from President Olusegun Obasanjo, is yet to undergo the first reading by the legislative chambers.

Details of the bill obtained exclusively by our correspondents showed that activities related to civil protests are now to be regarded as acts of terrorism.

In section 16, the bill defines terrorism as “(a) any act which is a violation of the Criminal Code or the Penal Code, and which endangers the life, physical integrity or freedom of any person, or causes serious injury or death to any person, any number or group of persons, or causes or likely to cause loss or damage to public property, natural resources, environment or cultural heritage, and is calculated or intended to (i) intimidate, put in fear, force, coerce or induce any government, body, institution, the general public or any segment thereof to do or abstain from doing any act, or to adopt or abandon a particular standpoint, or to act according to certain principles; or

(ii) disrupt any public service, the delivery of any essential service to the public, or to create a public emergency; or

(iii) create general insurrection in a state; or

(b) any promotion or sponsorship of, contribution to, command, aid, incitement, encouragement, attempt, threat, conspiracy, organisation or procurement of any person, with the intent to commit any act referred to in paragraph (2) (a) of this section.”

The section provides that upon conviction, anyone caught using the Internet or computer networks for these purposes will be liable to 20 years imprisonment or a fine of N10million, or both.

Other computer/internet -related crimes that the bill stipulates penalties for include pornography/sex; advance fee fraud; plagiarism; unlawful access to computers and unauthorised disclosure of access code to computers.

The proposed law recommends a seven-year jail term or a fine of N3million, or both, for anyone who lures a minor (a person under the age of 18 years) into sexual acts through the use of computers.

Section 18 of the proposed law states, “Any person who, using any computer- (a) engages or solicits or entices or compels any minor to engage in any sexual or related act; or (b) engages in, or facilitates any indecent exposure of a minor or creates, possesses or distributes child pornography; or (c) facilitates the commission of a sexual or related act which constitutes an offence under any law for the time being in force in Nigeria, commits an offence under this Act and shall be liable on conviction- (i) in the case of paragraph (a), to a fine of not less than N3,000,000 or imprisonment for a term of not less than seven years, or to both such fine and imprisonment; and (ii) in the case of paragraph (b) and (c) of this subsection, to a fine not less than N1,000,000 or imprisonment for a term of not less than five years or to both such fine and imprisonment.”

Though there are an estimated 1.6million Internet users in the country with a penetration rate of 1.3 per hundred, there has been growing public concern about the use of the medium, especially among the youth, for sex crimes and frauds.

Section 5 of the bill imposes a jail term of two years for any person who sends spamming messages or unsolicited electronic message with the intent to defraud, and makes the recipient to suffer any damage(s) or loss of properties.

Intellectual property rights, like copyrights, patents and trademarks are protected under section 17.

Violations of these rights will attract three years imprisonment.

Under section 20, the President, acting on the recommendation of the National Security Adviser, is given the power to designate certain computer systems, networks and information infrastructure vital to national security.

The President is also empowered to prescribe standards for the registration, protection or preservation of critical information infrastructure.

Offences against critical information infrastructure carry the severest punishment under the law.

Offenders under this section face life imprisonment; between 25 to 30 years in jail or N20million fine, or both.

Offences under the bill can be tried by state High Courts or the Federal High Courts.

A person may be abroad and yet be accused of contravening the bill once it is established that the acts done would affect someone or an interest based in Nigeria.

The bill also empowers the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice to consult with other countries where any crime is hatched, with a view to determining the appropriate place to try the offenders.

The proposed law makes it mandatory for service providers to keep all traffic and subscriber information on their computers for such a period to be determined by the President.

The service providers must also make such information available to law enforcement agencies upon request.

The PUNCH, Tuesday, October 18, 2005

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October 16, 2005

Straight from hell! How I escaped death. Kidnapped ex-commissioner recounts chilling ordeal; I lived on biscuits and pure water for 10 days

The former Anambra State Commissioner for Works, Mr. Ken Emeakayi, who was abducted penultimate Thursday by gunmen, has opened up on his harrowing experience in the hands of his captors.

John Ameh

For the 10 days that he remained in captivity, Emeakayi, an influential cabinet member in the administration of the immediate past Governor of the state, Dr. Chinwoke Mbadinuju, received a raw deal, surviving on pure water and biscuits.

Giving the chilling details of his ordeal in an exclusive interview with Sunday Punch, the former commissioner revealed that apart from blindfolding him, the hired gunmen also gave him the beating of his life.

"I was thoroughly beaten by the four gunmen, all who carried AK-47 rifles. They tied my face with a black cloth. I don't quite know where they took me to on the first day.

"All I can recall is that I was taken from place to place and for the first two days, I was given no food. It was from the third day that they started to give me water and biscuits," Emeakayi told Sunday Punch as he wreathed in pains.

It would appear that what saved his life the first two days and the duration of the abduction was an argument that allegedly ensued among the gunmen almost immediately the politician was kidnapped.

It turned out that one of the gunmen identified him and reportedly brought up a suggestion that instead of "shooting the target until he is wasted," as they were instructed, they should negotiate and collect a huge sum of money from him.

"When I heard the argument for the first three days, on the fourth day, I decided to seize the opportunity and offered to negotiate with them.

"We got talking and in the process, they also disclosed to me those who planned this dastardly act. They asked me to buy my life with N200 million. I said okay, fine, I will comply, but I have to make contacts to be able to raise that kind of money", he stated further.

Emeakayi added that the idea of allowing him to call friends to raise the money, was rejected by them as they believed that the method might give them up. As a result, they continued to intimidate him and consulted among themselves.

Investigations by Sunday Punch showed that his ordeal, as confirmed by the police, started in the morning of Thursday, September 29, 2005.

On that fateful day, some men in plainclothes claiming to be police officers, had visited his Okija home in Ihiala Local Government Area of the state.

They had allegedly told him that they came to search his house because somebody wrote a petition against him.

"They did not show me a copy of the petition, but they wanted me to accompany them to Awka. I refused to follow them but agreed to be in Awka later that day to see the Commissioner of Police. When I went, he was not there.

"So, on my way back to Okija from Awka, somewhere around Nimo-Nneni, just before the hill, I saw a black jeep, same as the one that came to my house earlier, trailing me on top speed.

"I slowed down in my Isuzu jeep, but on getting to me, the four men suddenly alighted and dragged me out. They pointed their guns at me, beat and kicked me severely and dragged me into their own vehicle before driving off," he said.

Men of the State Anti-Robbery Squad, allegedly acting on a tip-off, rescued the politician from the gunmen on the 10th day in a forest in Nnewi.

They were said to have exchanged fire with members of the squad before they later beat a retreat and escaped through the forest.

The Commissioner of Police, Anambra State Command, Mr. Felix Ogbaudu, confirmed the rescue but admitted that he had not personally set his eyes on Emeakayi.

"I know those who planned to kill me, but I don't want to talk about that now because of my security.

"A certain politician in this state feels that I know too much, having served in government before. He is seeking for something, which he hopes to achieve in the next couple of months.

"He believes that I am the only person, who can scuttle that bid; I think that was why they went to my house searching for documents they could destroy.

"I leave the police to do their own work. I have made a full report to them; it is left to them to continue from there," he added.

Sunday Punch gathered that the abduction made headlines and generated immediate national interest because Emeakayi has been in the news since September 2002.

For almost two years, he had been detained in prison custody as the principal suspect in the celebrated murder of the former Chairman of the Onitsha Branch of the Nigerian Bar Association, Mr. Barnabas Igwe and his wife, Amaka, on September 1, 2002.

He was only granted bail early this year. The abduction took place just five days to the date hearing in the criminal charge of murder brought against him was to have continued at a Nnewi High Court.

The seeming coincidence was said to have generated controversy as a school of thought in favour of his prosecution had wondered whether he planned the abduction to escape a possible decision of the court remanding him in custody again.

"Is this line of thought not wicked? That a man will subject himself to denial and physical harm just to avoid going to court, how does that help my case?

"Is it not by appearing in court that the judge handling the case will have confidence that you have not jumped bail and therefore, will not issue a Bench Warrant on you? The former commissioner reacted when Sunday Punch sought his comments on the allegation.

He added, "That sitting of the court you talked about was not even a judgment day. If it were the case, maybe you could have concluded that I wanted to escape to avoid being jailed.

"But, here you have a case that is just at hearing stage and you are accusing the suspect of planning an abduction. So, how many abductions will I plan before the case is concluded?", Emeakayi asked.

Asked whether he was nursing a gubernatorial ambition, he said that even if he had the ambition, the political equation in the state today "does not favour another Ihiala man becoming a governor soon after Mbadinuju."

"The problem is what I have just told you. Some politicians, who think that politics is about deceiving people, are behind my ordeal.

"They are afraid of people like us, who are close to the grassroots and tell the people the truth.

"They framed me up in this murder charge, now they want me dead as well," he added.

SUNDAY PUNCH, October 16, 2005

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October 13, 2005

Paris Club to ratify Nigeria’s debt deal next week

The Paris Club will next week ratify Nigeria’s debt deal with member-countries of the Club at its meeting from, October 17 to 19, 2005 in France, well-placed sources have said.

Oluyinka Akintunde, Abuja

The Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, will also on Saturday lead a high-powered delegation of the Federal Government to the meeting.

Listed in the delegation are the Director-General of the Debt Management Office, Dr. Mansur Muhtar, and the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Prof. Charles Soludo, among others.

A source in the Ministry of Finance confirmed this to our correspondent on Wednesday at the end of the Economic Management Team meeting in Abuja.

The source said the team would hold discussions with member-countries of the Club, particularly on the outstanding debt owed to each of them and the amount so far paid.

He explained, “The meeting is a normal Paris Club meeting where Nigeria’s debt deal with the Paris Club is expected to be ratified. The essence of the ratification is to make the member-countries of the Club know how much has been paid to each member-country and how much is left.

“The ratification is a follow-up to the agreement on the $18billion debt relief signed by the Federal Government with the Paris Club in August 2005. The government’s team to the meeting would also brief the member-countries on the efforts of the government to manage the country’s debt through Fiscal Responsibility Law.”

Our correspondent, however, gathered that the modalities and sources of funding the repayment are to be determined by a Committee, which will be set up by the Federal Government when the team to the Paris Club’s meeting returns.

“I can’t say who and who will be in the committee. The committee will be working on the outcome of the meeting between the delegation and the Paris Club members, particularly the discussion on the issue of debt buy back and at what rate. The Committee is expected to work out the modalities for the repayments and where the money will be sourced,” the source said.

Disclosing that all the members of the economic team were in support of the debt relief and the repayment, our source affirmed that the arrears of $6billion required by the Paris Club would be paid before the end of this year.

Details of the Nigeria’s outstanding debt to member-countries of the Paris Club, which were obtained from the DMO on Wednesday, showed that the country owed the Paris Club $30.848billion (about N4.103trillion) as at December 31, 2004.

The breakdown showed that the outstanding principal accounted for $25.199billion of the debt to the Club; principal arrears, $1.936billion; interest arrears, $3.355billion; and penalty arrears, $357.60million.

As at December 31, 2004, Nigeria owed United Kingdom, $8billion; France, $6.249billion; Germany, $5.289billion; Japan, $4.448billion; Italy, $1.975billion; Netherlands, $1.708billion; and United States, $984.492million;.

Others are: Belgium, $608.192million; Denmark, $571.753million; Austria, $521.378million, Spain, $249.538million; Switzerland, $201.009million; Russia, $36.974million; and Finland, $3.989million.

At the World Bank Annual Meeting in Washington D.C. on September 26, the Minister of Finance was quoted as saying that the country was close to final debt deal details.

She stated that the final details of the debt deal with the Paris Club would be ready within six to eight months.

The PUNCH, Thursday, October 13, 2005

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October 12, 2005

Oyinlola, Ogunlewe bid for Ikoyi houses,Obasanjo’s in-law, Dangote, UAC, IGI also on the list

The Osun State Governor, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, and the Minister of Works, Senator Adeseye Ogunlewe, were among those who bid for some Federal Government properties in Ikoyi on Tuesday.

Funsho Aina and Akinpelu Dada

During the bid ceremony, which was held in Abuja, Ogunlewe was announced to have bid N120 million for a property located at 9, Alexander Avenue.

It was, however, doubtful if he would acquire the property as the reserve price was pegged at N229million.

The minister had, in an earlier controversial attempt by the government to sell the properties, offered N94.8million for the same property.

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Chief Afe Babalola, also reportedly bid N350million for a property at 2, Alexander Avenue. The property’s reserve value was put at N270million.

Though the value of the house that Oyinlola bid for could not be readily ascertained as at press time, it was reliably gathered that his bid surpassed the reserve price.

Oyinlola had earlier paid N112.8million for one of the houses at 16, Alexander Avenue, Ikoyi.

The Federal Government is set to rake in N83billion from the sale of the properties. The listed amount is the total open market value of the houses.

Out of the 12 boxes containing the bids, the names of Ogunlewe, Babalola and Oyinlola, were drawn in the first box containing about 500 ballots.

Others who also put in bids in the current exercise include the Dangote Group; President Olusegun Obasanjo’s brother-in-law, Mr. John Abebe; the UAC; Vigeo; the IGI insurance company; the Nigerian Stock Exchange; and the Institute of Directors.

The hail of controversy that ruined the previous bid centred on the lack of transparency and public outrage that most of the beneficiaries were either longstanding public servants, who could not possibly pay from their legitimate income, or cronies of the President.

Five hundred and forty eight properties were valued in all, while 457 were validated for bidding.

Fifty-two properties were excluded from the bidding because of one controversy or the other, while 219 were not bid for because of some problems.

Some of the 50 valuers are: Bode Adediji Partnership; Yinka Sonaike & Co.; M. I. Okoro & Co; Akin Olawole & Co.; Dosu Fatokun & Co.; Samuel Ukpong & Co.; and Nweke Umezuruike & Co.

Eighty-two of the properties were valued but not advised for sale because the government still plans to retain them for official reasons.

The Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Dr. Segun Mimiko, who presided at the ceremony, said a group of 50 independent firms of estate surveyors and valuers determined the open market value of the houses.

While promising that the right of first refusal would be given to all qualified sitting tenants of the houses at the price of the highest bidder, Mimiko also said the 10 per cent drafts of those whose bids were unsuccessful would be returned.

He said, “Unlike what obtains in the private sector for this type of sale transaction, the payment terms and conditions are very friendly as successful bidders are being given the opportunity to effect payment gradually over a maximum period of 180 days from the date of contract.

“In the spirit of transparency, and to ensure that we do not run foul of any financial legislations, the 10 per cent bid drafts, which is the value amount of unsuccessful bidders, will be returned to the issuing banks within a maximum period of two weeks. This will be with notice to the bidders. The drafts will not be cashed at all.”

The transaction is the second phase of the implementation of government’s White Paper on recommendations of the Brig.-Gen. Rotimi, Commission of Inquiry into the Federal Government Properties in Lagos involving 1,105 units.

About 427 of them were advertised in March 2005 while another 198 were offered the general public in April 2005.

Along the line, the former Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Chief Mobolaji Osomo, allocated 207 to some governors, ministers, lawmakers and members of Mrs. Stella Obasanjo’s family.

Some of the beneficiaries had paid for their allocations.

But Obasanjo cancelled the allocations/sale following public outcry and directed that payments be refunded.

The President sacked Osomo and asked the Ogunlewe to oversee the Ministry of Housing pending the appointment of a new HUD Minister.

The Federal Executive Council in May discovered the “disappearance” of 145 houses in Ikoyi, belonging to the government.

They were said to have vanished after an inventory taken in 1976 was compared with a recent one.

The PUNCH, Wednesday, October 12, 2005

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October 11, 2005

Court stops PDP convention, voids congresses

An Abuja High Court sitting in Gwa-gwalada, on Monday, invalidated the decision by the National Executive Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party to hold non-elective congresses and convention.

Tobi Soniyi and Musikilu Mojeed, Abuja

Justice Sunday Aladetoyinbo, ruling on a suit by four party members challenging the NEC decision, held that the party was duty-bound to comply with the provisions of its constitution.

Article 20 of the PDP constitution, titled, “Mode of elections into party offices,”states that, “The National Convention shall meet to elect the officers of the party as specified under the party constitution at the various levels of the party structure.”

Article 18 (1), also states that, “All national, zonal, state, local government area and ward officers of the party shall hold office for a period of four years and shall be eligible for re-election at the appropriate convention or congress for a second term only.”

Those pressing for non-elective congresses, however, are doing so on the basis of Article 20 (1) of the party’s constitution, which gives the NEC the prerogative to approve the guidelines for election to party offices.

They have also maintained that the party’s decisions in such matters are supreme and that the aggrieved members had not exhausted the internal mechanisms for peace.

The judge, however, ordered that the ongoing ward congresses and plans for a non-elective convention be halted.

He ordered the party to put in place a procedure for holding elective ward and state congresses, as well as a national convention.

He also dismissed the objection filed by the party leadership against the locus of the four plaintiffs namely, Mr. Godie Ikechi; Alhaji Abubakar Gomina; Alhaji Salisu Abba; and Mr. Yemi Ajayi, in instituting the suit.

The PDP suit will go down in the history of litigation in Nigeria as one of the fastest to be determined. The judge took less than three weeks to decide the case.

The judge noted that the party did not produce its register to support the claim that the plaintiffs were not its members.

According to him, the mere fact that a membership re-registration was going on did not mean the plaintiffs had stopped being members of the party.

The judge further held that the request by the plaintiffs that the PDP should comply with its constitution was not an internal affair of the party.

But in a swift reaction to the judgment, PDP’s counsel, Mr. Kayode Adetokunbo, SAN, headed straight to the court of appeal.

As at press time, he was at the registry of the court trying to file the appeal.

The PDP leadership also reacted to the judgment. The Deputy National Chairman, North, Alhaji Ibrahim Shema, said the party would study the judgment before deciding on the next line of action.

Shema said, “We can only decide what to do after studying the judgment.

“The details of the judgment are not yet before us. We can only make a statement and decide on what next to do after we study the judgment.

“I can assure you that the party will make its position known soon.”

In the judge’s view, the issue of non-elective convention is a constitutional matter that cannot be overridden by the decision of the party’s NEC.

The plaintiffs had on September 20 dragged the PDP; its Chairman, Dr. Ahmadu Ali; and the National Secretary, Chief Ojo Maduekwe; to court challenging the decision to hold non-elective convention.

The plaintiffs asked for an interlocutory injunction restraining the PDP, Ali and Maduekwe, from carrying out further action in respect of the non-elective congresses and convention.

While the suit was pending before the court, the PDP went ahead with the ward congresses.

The plaintiffs were represented by a former Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Alhaji Abdullahi Ibrahim; Chief Kola Awodein, Dr. Alex Izinyon, Chief Mike Igbokwe and Mr. Rickey Tarfa, all of them Senior Advocates of Nigeria.

Izinyon, speaking on behalf of the lawyers, commended the judge’s courage.

The PUNCH, Tuesday, October 11, 2005

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October 02, 2005

Ribadu opens up on Bayelsa gov

For the first time, the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC), Alhaji Nihu Ribadu, has opened up on the arrest and trial of Governor Diepreye Alamieyesiegha of Bayelsa State over money laundery charges in London.

Bamidele Adebayo

Ribadu, in an exclusive interview he granted Sunday Punch in Abuja on Friday night, said it was necessary for him to put the record straight over what he considered as falsehood being spread by some individuals over the fate of the governor.

He said that part of the falsehood included the circumstances that surrounded the arrest of the governor by detectives from the Metropolitan Police on September 15, at the Hearthrow Airport.

Another grey area which he claimed some individuals and groups had propagated as truth was the actual worth of the property allegedly owned by the governor in the British capital.

According to him, Alamieyesiegha allegedly owns many houses in London, all estimated at 10 million British pounds.

Besides, the EFCC boss claimed that the governor was not with his diplomatic passport as at the time of his arrest.

The governor, who is facing a three-count charge of money laundering offences, was on Thursday remanded in Brixton prison.

The Bow street court has adjourned his case to October 6, after the futile bid by his lawyers to secure his bail.

Giving a clearer insight into the arrest and arraignment of the governor, the EFCC boss, told Sunday Punch, that the houses traced to Alamieyesiegha did not show any evidence that the property belonged to the state government.

滴e owns a couple of houses in London and those houses were not registered as the property of the government of Nigeria. They were never registered as diplomatic premises.・

The Metropolitan Police conducted a search on one of his houses shortly after his arrest and allegedly found about one million pounds.

Though unconfirmed reports claimed that the governor has about 43 houses in the British capital, Ribadu could not confirm the actual figure, but he said the houses were not up to 43.

Sunday Punch also sent e-mails to the Metropolitan Police on the authenticity of the report on the number of houses owned by the governor in London.

However, there was no response on the enquiry as at 9.30 pm when we went to press.

Ribadu accused those individuals who had been defending the governor over the money laundering charges against him of ignorance since they do not have concrete facts on the case against him.

滴e must have revealed the source of the money found on him and, of course, he made a statement as to the origin of the money. So, may be those that are defending the governor should shut up because they do not know what they are talking about.・

The EFCC boss also shed light on the raging public controversy, especially among legal luminaries on the arrest of the governor since he was supposed to be covered by diplomatic immunity.

According to Ribadu, the governor travelled out of the country with the Nigerian passport contrary to claims that he was with his diplomatic documents at the time of his arrest.

His words: 展hen the governor travelled, he did not use a diplomatic passport. He used a common Nigerian passport.

展hen he went there, he did not go to London to transact any diplomatic business on behalf of the state. He went there to care of himself and he was found completely not in possession of anything in government. His journey was personal.・

SUNDAY PUNCH, October 02, 2005

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September 27, 2005

OPC, Police clash in Ilorin ・Two more killed, 10 arrested ・Lawal's houses burnt

Two more people were feared killed on Monday in Idi-Ape area of Ilorin, Kwara State, following a clash between suspected members of the Oodua Peoples Congress and the Nigeria Police.

Doyin Adebusuyi, Ilorin

Two houses belonging to a former governor of the state, Alhaji Mohammed Lawal, and a part of a house owned by his father, the late Mogaji Are of Ilorin, Alhaji Busari Alabi Alasa, were also burnt in the renewed violence, which started around 4.30am.

The affected houses are located in Idi-Ape and Amule quarters in Ilorin.

Attempts to torch the courtyard of Magaji Are were resisted by Afonja descendants.

But the mayhem left the always bustling Oja-Oba market deserted.

The Police Public Relations Officer of the state command, Mr. Markus Gideon, confirmed the death of one person. The other, whose identity could not be ascertained as at press time, was said to have died during a cross-fire.

Gideon, who claimed that dangerous weapons and charms were recovered from one of the victims, also said that only a part of the house belonging to Lawal痴 father was burnt.

He said, 典he problem we have now is that these people regrouped and attacked our men. After the attack of yesterday (Sunday), they regrouped and by 4.30am today (Monday), they attacked our men again but no casualty.

典his morning by 5am, they came calling with OPC inscription, ammunition, bulletproof, and hand bags containing charms to attack our men, but we responded and as God would have it, we were able to kill one of them and we recovered some dangerous weapons from him.・

The PPRO said that 10 people arrested on Sunday in connection with the crisis were helping the police in their investigations.

Gideon said two people, including a riot policeman, Corporal Obatayo Obatoke, were killed on Sunday

It was gathered on Monday that there was sporadic shooting on Sunday night between the police drafted to the area and the suspected OPC members.

Riot policemen patrolling the major streets around 11.30am on Monday prevented people from going beyond the junction leading to Idi-Ape.

They thoroughly searched the people and made them raise their hands before allowing them in and out of the area.

Shops, markets and filling-stations remained closed.

Bonfires were still smoking when our correspondent visited the area on Monday.

A source told our correspondent on phone that, 鍍hey (residents of Idi Ape area) were surrounded by the police; nobody can venture out.・

It was also gathered that supporters of the deposed chiefs disallowed the new Balogun Gambari, Alhaji Mohammed Adebayo, and Balogun Alanamu, Alhaji Abubakar Akanbi, from entering their palaces.

The state Chairman of the OPC, Mr. Bayo Ifabiyi, denied that the police killed one of his men.

In a telephone interview with our correspondent, Ifabiyi said the OPC was not involved in the crisis.

哲obody should drag the OPC into this crisis,・he said, adding that the Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, should take the blame.

The OPC Coordinator, Chief Gani Adams, had on Monday cautioned the monarch against acts that could worsen the crisis in the city.

Adams said the only way bloodshed could be avoided was for Sulu-Gambari to honour the wishes of Yoruba-speaking people of Idi-Akpe in respect of the office of Magaji Are.

The crisis broke out on Sunday following the installation by Sulu-Gambari of Alhaji Shuaib Zubair as the new Magaji Are of Ilorin against the choice of the Afonja family.

The PUNCH, Tuesday, September 27, 2005

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IMF predicts slow growth for Nigeria in 2005

The International Monetary Fund has predicted that growth in Nigeria will drop to 3.9 per cent in 2005, compared with last year's figure of six per cent.

Azubuike Ishiekwene, Washington D.C.

In the September 2005 edition of regional economic forecast for Sub-saharan Africa released in Washington on Saturday, the Fund said while growth in the country would slow down in 2005, it would increase by eight per cent in 2006 with the coming on stream of major oil and gas activities.

The slow growth rate in the current year is not unconnected with the rising rate of inflation, which was 26 per (year-on-year) last July, pressures from the higher oil prices and slacking industrial capacity caused by rising production costs.

Manufacturers under the aegis of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria have complained persistently of rising production costs, high cost of funds and poor infrastructure.

Inflation, which had been reined in by the Central Bank to about 12 per cent in early 2004, spun out of control in 2005 as a result of the failure of the authorities to manage money supply.

The Fund, however, commended the economic reform programme of the Obasanjo administration, saying, "Nigeria's macro-economic policies have been consistent with the objectives of achieving macro-economic stability and reducing the economy's vulnerability to oil price shocks."

The report said the growth of six per cent recorded in 2004 was largely as a result of higher growth in the non-oil sector, particularly in agriculture and some areas of manufacturing and services.

It warned, however, that there were still challenges ahead, including the issues of corruption, infrastructure and weak public institutions.

"The medium term outlook hinges on the government's ability to consolidate the progress so far made," the report said.

The forecast showed that performance in the Sub-saharan African region remained buoyant, despite the continued worsening of the terms of trade of oil importers.

Projected growth in the region, according to the forecast, remained strong at 4.5 per cent in 2004 with a rebound to 5.3 per cent expected in 2006.

According to the report, "The number of countries anticipated to achieve growth in excess of five per cent is expected to increase, while the number growing at less than two per cent is expected to decline."

The leaders in the fiscal year, according to the forecast, are Ethiopia, Mozambique and Sierra Leone, where growth is expected to average seven per cent; while the laggards are the Central African Republic, Comoros, Cote d'Ivoire, Gabon and Zimbabwe, where growth has remained below three per cent in the last four years and GDP per capita continues to decline.

The PUNCH, Tuesday, September 27, 2005

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September 23, 2005

Mobitel: Police suspect shooting

Indications emerged on Thursday that the late Mobitel President, Mr. Alaba Joseph, who died in controversial circumstances last Thursday, was shot.

Olalekan Adetayo

The Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command, Mr. Ade Ajakaiye, hinted at that possibility in a statement in which he said the command had “forwarded its interim post-mortem and ballistician reports to the Inspector-General of Police for further directives.”

The lifeless body of Joseph was found on the ICON House premises of his firm on the day a receiver/manager moved in to take possession over an indebtedness.

There were earlier reports that Joseph committed suicide by jumping from his three-storey office. But his wife, Folasade, debunked the claim, saying her husband was murdered.

Our correspondent's investigations on Thursday revealed that the report of the autopsy conducted on the body showed that Joseph was shot and that the police were taken aback by the sophistication of the gun used.

But the state police command, contrary to its promise, was not forthcoming on the content of the report. Ajakaiye, in his statement, said due to the sensitivity of the case and the controversy it had generated, the command had forwarded the reports to the Acting IG, Mr. Sunday Ehindero.

He restated his command's determination to solve the mystery of the death.

Investigations revealed that the police may be working on the theory that Joseph died from a shot fired from a gun with silencer, since there was no reported case of gunshot.

Our correspondent learnt that it was against this backdrop that the police were critically looking into the internal board wrangling in Mobitel.

A source said the police's decision to chat with the company board members was hinged on the discovery that some of them were ex-intelligence officers.

The PUNCH, Wednesday, September 22, 2005

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Alamieyeseigha: EFCC investigates 10 banks

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has begun investigation of 10 banks over money allegedly laundered through them by the Governor of Bayelsa State, Chief Diepreye Alamie-yeseigha.

Oluyinka Akintunde, Abuja

Sources said that the EFCC operatives visited 10 banks in Lagos on Wednesday during which top management staff of the banks were quizzed.

There was apprehension on Thursday evening that the Chief Executive of one of the banks at Oyin Jolayemi Street, Victoria Island, was arrested by the commission.

The Commission confirmed that it was following up on its lead on Nigerian banks used by state governors for money laundering.

The acting Director, Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit of the EFCC, Mr. A.B. Okauru, told newsmen in Abuja on Thursday, that the commission was tightening the noose on money launderers and financial institutions used for such transactions.

He said Nigerians laundered $7billion annually, out of $10billion laundered across West Africa.

Okauru said, “By our calculation, the sum of $10billion is laundered in the West African sub-region, out of which Nigeria accounts for $7billion. The Nigerian economy is the most buoyant in the sub-region. In West Africa, you have a population of 210million, out of which Nigeria accounts for 150million.

“The EFCC is responsible for the enforcement of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act and a new department, the NFIU, is responsible for managing suspicious transaction in the country.”

The World Bank had in the first quarter of this year disclosed that a total of $1.5trillion is laundered annually across the world.

Asked if the arrest of two Nigerian governors by the Metropolitan Police in London for money laundering did not suggest failure on the part of the commission, Okauru said the apprehension of money launderers resulted from a collaboration between the EFCC and the rest of the world through the Financial Intelligence Unit.

He said that the commission was currently investigating some banks used by governors in the country for money laundering.

He, however, refused to name the affected banks and the governors under investigation for money laundering.

He said, “There are a number of leads that we have and we are looking at a number of issues around the question you asked on banks conniving with governors to launder money abroad. I am not in a position to verify anything or to tell you the banks. There are a number of cases under investigations and I will like to leave it at that.

“When you say failure on the part of EFCC, I don’t understand. We are doing what we are supposed to do. It is a small world now and you could be tracked anywhere. The beauty about the new regime is that the world is one community and you could be tracked either within or outside a country.

“It is no longer possible to pick up money here and run to North America or to Europe. Once you route your funds through any financial system, there is tendency for them to track what you have. We have FIU in Nigeria and a pre-condition for having FIU is that you have relationship with other FIUs.

“Every country has got one FIU. The NFIU under EFCC has relationship with virtual all other FIUs around the world. Every time there is a problem anywhere, we can track that easily unlike what it is before.”

The PUNCH, Wednesday, September 22, 2005

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September 22, 2005

Mobitel: Lagos releases autopsy report

The Lagos State Government has handed over the autopsy report on the late Mobitel President, Mr. Charles Joseph, to the police.

Olalekan Adetayo and Kemi Obasola

The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Dr Jide Idris, said on Wednesday that the report was given to the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the State Criminal Investigation Department, Panti, Yaba, Lagos, Mr. Olayinka Balogun, on Tuesday.

Idris, in a statement, said the police deposited the body in the mortuary of Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja at about 4pm on September 15, but the post-mortem examination did not commence until about 1.50pm on September 16.

He added, “It (the autopsy) ended at 4.30 pm same day.

“On receiving the body, the hospital pathologist conducted preliminary studies, which included a radiological examination as well as a visit to ICON House, Victoria Island, to assess the scene of the incident.

"In view of the need for other ancillary studies, the report writing and typing took a few additional days".

Idris said details of the report would be made public at the appropriate time.

He said that it was expected that the report and other documents would be made available to the Lagos State Director of Public Prosecution for legal advice.

Joseph died in mysterious circumstances last Thursday on the premises of ICON House after a team headed by a receiver/manager arrived in his office to take over Mobitel.

There were reports that Joseph committed suicide by jumping from his three-storey office, but his wife, Folasade, debunked the claim, saying he was murdered.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Lagos State Command, Mr. Olubode Ojajuni, said the autopsy report would be made public on Thursday.

The mystery surrounding Joseph’s death appears far from over as the management of the company has said the account of the Receiver/Manager on the incident contradicted what transpired on the fateful date

According to a statement issued by the company on Wednesday, the account of the Receiver, Mr. Kemi Pinheiro, published in some national dailies that he (receiver) came to Mobitel with only three Policemen was not true.

The statement read in part, “In the press release of Mr. Kemi Pinheiro, he failed, refused and/or neglected to mention that he came to Mobitel premises with about ten (10) policemen, most of whom were armed.

“It is pertinent to note that whilst three (3) of the armed policemen followed the staff into the conference room, the remaining were stationed along the corridors and strategic entry/exit points of Mobitel premises.”

The PUNCH, Thursday September 22, 2005

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September 17, 2005

British police seize Bayelsa governor's passport

Despite a bail reprieve, the passports of the Governor of Bayelsa State, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha was on Friday seized in London by the Metropolitan Police.

Yusuf Alli, Sesan Olufowobi and Olusola Fabiyi with agency reports

In a swift reaction, the Bayelsa State Government said the governor could not immediately return to Nigeria because he was on bed rest.

Alamieyeseigha was arrested on Thursday at the Heathrow Airport in London by detectives from the Economic and Specialist Crime Unit of the Metropolitan Police for alleged money laundering.

About ｣1million was recovered from the governor.

It was also alleged on Friday that the Metropolitan Police recovered another 70,000 euros from Alamieyeseigha.

The Federal Government, however, said the law would take its course because the governor had no immunity against prosecution for any offence in London or any foreign country.

Investigations by our correspondents indicated that he was on Friday taken to a London court where he pleaded not guilty to the allegation of money laundering.

It was learnt that the court granted Alamieyeseigha bail, on health grounds, in the presence of his wife and a few aides.

The next hearing of the case was fixed for November 15, 2005.

The bail terms were, however, kept under wraps as at press time.

But the Metropolitan Police seized the passports of the governor after the court session, fuelling speculations that the court may have restricted Alamieyeseigha痴 movement to London.

Agence France Presse quoted an unnamed spokeswoman for the Metropolitan Police as saying, 鄭 53-year-old man was arrested at Heathrow on September 15 by officers from the Metropolitan Police SCD6 (the economic crime squad) in connection with an ongoing investigation.

滴e was taken to a London police station and released on bail to return on November 15 pending further enquiries.・

The spokeswoman declined to say why he had been arrested and what his bail conditions were.

The Bayelsa State Government, in a statement by its Commissioner for Information, Mr. Oronto Douglas, said the governor was on bed rest in London.

It, however, protested alleged gruelling interrogation of the government which worsened his health.

The statement read, 鼎hief DSP Alamieyeseigha, Ph.D, JP, Governor of Bayelsa State, was intercepted and held for questioning in the United Kingdom by the London Metropolitan Police.

典he governor, still recuperating after a major surgical operation in a German hospital, and who can hardly work unaided, was on his way back home when he was accosted at Heathrow Airport by the British Police. He was subsequently made to undergo a gruelling interrogation, which has more or less worsened his health situation. He has since been released.

典he Government of Bayelsa State wishes to appeal to Bayelsans, Ijaw nation, and the Niger Delta to remain calm in the face of this horrendous assault on the civil rights of one of their own.

展e wish to point out that this is nothing more than an orchestration of political strategies at various levels of government and interests in the build-up to 2007. This is even more so, since only one week ago, officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, invaded Yenagoa, arrested, interrogated and subsequently released three top officials of the state.

鄭s we pointed out then, the target of that offensive was Alamieyeseigha. The latest show in London is only a further dramatization of home grown plots.

展e are convinced that there is a structured attempt to devalue certain political offices because of alleged political loyalties, political camps and political differences of the temporary occupants of those offices.

Other executives of the Federal Republic of Nigeria have been similarly humiliated, despite the fact that under the Nigerian 1999 Constitution, they enjoy immunity from arrest. The attempt to treat our political offices with contempt has nothing to do with the fight against corruption. It is about our national dignity and the future of our democracy.

的t is on record that since Governor Alamieyeseigha assumed office six years ago, Bayelsa State has recorded a remarkable transformation. Even President Olusegun Obasanjo, was so impressed that after his visit to the state in May, last year, he wrote a letter of commendation to the governor.

徹nce again, we would like to appeal to the Ijaw people worldwide to remain calm despite these provocative attacks on the Governor-General of the Ijaw nation.

展hile the governor would have loved to return home right away, the London incident has taken a fresh toll on his health and he has been advised by his physician to rest for a while before coming back home.・

A militant group in the Niger Delta, the Ijaw Youth Council, said British citizens could be attacked if the governor was not released.

The council said, 展e advise the British authorities and their collaborators in the Federal Government of Nigeria to immediately release our number one citizen, otherwise we cannot continue to guarantee the safety of their investment and citizens in our territories.・

Bayelsa is a region of coastal swamps in the Niger Delta largely inhabited by members of the restive Ijaw ethnic group. The Anglo-Dutch energy giant, Shell, operates a large network of oil wells and pipelines in the state and employs large numbers of expatriate workers.

The Federal Government on Friday said the governor should be tried without immunity.

The Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, said the government would not interfere in the governor痴 travails.

He said, 徹ur position is that our war against corruption will remain focused and unrelenting. We will do everything in our power to bring corrupt individuals, whether from the public or the private sector, to justice in an effective and clinical way.

的 assure you that our channels are open. As things unfold, we will let you know.

典he President is not making any comment on the specific details of the case because it is an ongoing investigation.

溺r. President has said it before, and I will say it again that if there is any evidence implicating anybody, no matter how highly placed, in any act of corruption, either inside or outside Nigeria, the relevant law must take its course.

典he laws of England do not confer immunity on a serving governor where he had allegedly committed a crime. We need to see the evidence, but this matter is firmly for the British authorities and the British police.

展e have said it before and we would say it again: That our security agencies will join hands with security agencies, both within and outside Nigeria, to ensure that we can all fight corruption together.・

Fani-Kayode denied a suggestion that the governor痴 arrest in London was a set-up by the Federal Government.

He said, 的 completely reject that suggestion. We don稚 need to set anybody up and neither have we done so. The issue is not a set-up. The issue is whether there is any evidence of a crime.

的 think it will be premature to pronounce anybody guilty at this stage. We need to be presented with the relevant evidence before we can comment on that.

展e should also allow the investigation to unfold without any interference or comments from us.

展hether we are in the picture or not is not relevant. The issue is that somebody is being investigated in another country and we cannot interfere in that process. If it is an issue of bail out, it is an issue of due process to unfold in a foreign country. They have their own laws and regulations and we are bound by that.・

There were indications on Friday that the Peoples Democratic Party was waiting to discipline the embattled governor, if the report of his arrest in London by the Metropolitan police was found to be true.

Our correspondent who visited the PDP secretariat in Abuja gathered that the party痴 top hierarchy was waiting for the confirmation of his arrest by the security agents before taking any action.

His arrest, it was gathered, had become a source of worry to the top officers of the party who would not spare the rod if the report of his