Tai Solarin’s Widow, Sheila, Dies

Sheila Solarin

By SaharaReporters, New York

Saharareporters has just learnt of the death of Sheila Mary Solarin (nee Tuer), the widow of Dr. Tai Solarin, one of once one of Nigeria’s foremost educators and agitators for social justice. With her late husband, she had founded the famous Mayflower School in Ikenne, Ogun State.
A family source told SaharaReporters that Mrs. Solarin died this morning at Babcock University Teaching Hospital in Sagamu, near Lagos. She was 88 years old.
The English-born Mrs. Solarin was a dependable ally of her husband who spent a lifetime fighting as a voice for the downtrodden Nigerian masses. 
She and her late husband had two children, Corin and Tunde.
Our source disclosed that Governor Ibikunle Amosun was on his way to meet with and console members of the Solarin family. Funeral arrangements will be announced in due course, said our source.

Statement by Ogun State government:
Amosun Mourns Sheila Tai - Solarin
Ogun State governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, has mourned the death of Mrs Sheila Mary Solarin, the widow of the late founder of Mayflower School, Ikenne and social critic, Dr Tai Solarin. She passed away on Sunday, 21st of October, 2012 at the
age of 82.
In a press release signed by his Senior Special Assistant on
Media, Mrs Funmi Wakama, Senator Amosun described the demise of Mrs Solarin as most painful and a great loss to Ogun State and Nigeria in general.
According to the governor "Mama Solarin was a foremost educationist, a great teacher and disciplinarian who rendered an immeasurable service to the people of Ogun State and Nigeria through the Mayflower School. The school founded in 1956 became one of the best schools in the country and has produced many of the leading lights in our nation."
Senator Amosun noted that Mama Solarin personified the common humanity we shared "not just by marrying our own revered Dr Tai Solarin but choosing to live in Nigeria and making it her true home."
"Mrs Solarin was an exampler of that much-needed global spirit that sees beyond colour, race and religion in inter-relationships among peoples, nations and continents of the world," the governor said.
"Ogun State and Nigeria have lost a first class teacher,an epitome of hard work, a humanist extraordinnaire and role model of distinction," Amosun said.
Mama Solarin, an education icon, was British by birth. She met the late social critic, Dr Tai Solarin, in England and both moved to Nigeria in 1952 where they worked in Molusi College, Ijebu Igbo before establishing the Mayflower School, Ikenne.
Governor Amosun has since consoled with the family of the deceased.
May the gentle soul of Mama Solarin rest in perfect peace.
Signed
Funmi Wakama

BRT buses destroyed as Okada riders protest in Lagos

Commercial motorcyclists popularly known as “okada riders” this afternoon marched through some majors roads in Lagos State protesting the recent law banning the riders from operating on about 500 roads in Lagos State.
Daily Post gathered that the protesters obstructed vehicular movements in some parts of Lagos, and attacked some government-owned Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) buses at Onipanu thereby making passengers to trek frustratingly to their destinations.
The Chairman of the Motorcycle owners and Operators in Lagos State, Tijani Perkis, stated that the union would meet with Governor Babatunde Fashola to relax the order banning okada from operating on about 500 roads in Lagos State.
“I have nothing to say now. But I will be meeting with the governor tomorrow and after our meeting I may talk to the press,” he said.
Recently, the state government’s task force on environmental sanitation and special offences destroyed over 3,000 bikes, a move that was criticized in some quarters as a high-handed response to the challenge posed by the motorcyclists.
DailyPost

Delta Gov’s Advisor Seen Skimming Millions From State Funds

By SaharaReporters, New York

Toju Isiche, special advisor to Gov. Emmanuel Uduaghan, is reportedly “amassing great wealth for himself” by skimming money meant for the region.
According to some of the opposition parties’ chairmen, the governor released $65 million but the Special Advisor appropriated it and lodged it into a personal fixed deposit account so as to profit from the interest to the detriment of the parties that the funds were meant for.
Mr. Toju Isichei disbursed the funds in connivance with leadership of the Association of Registered Political Parties in Delta state, it was alleged.
 It was gathered that the SA seeking to corner more money into his private pocket allegedly forced parties into conducting congresses although constitutionally he has no right to force any party to conduct congresses.
Our reporter learnt that, in his bid to buy extra time in order to accrue interest, the SA set up a verification committee and forced over thirty chairmen of the parties to embark on a verification exercise of parties in the state to their headquarters in Abuja to confirm their authenticity.
An act which has been condemned in its entirety by the parties was described as an avenue for the SA to grab more money for himself.
It was gathered that the embattled SA was able to verify only 25 parties in his Abuja trip but went ahead to bloat the list from the initial 40 parties to 52 parties and in all this, he still denied some parties the largesse claiming that the affected parties did not come forward for verification.
Some party chairmen, who asked for anonymity, confided in our reporter that before the appointment of Mr. Isichei as SA Inter-Party Relations, there were 40 political parties receiving Uduaghan’s funds, but as of last month, Mr. Isichei had increased the list to five-two parties.
It was further gathered that following complaints from party members as a result of how the SA disbursed the money, the State Security Service (SSS) confronted the embattled SA but he allegedly rebuffed the SSS saying it was purely an internal matter concerning his office as such they have no right to challenge him over his dealings as regard the disbursement of the funds.
Meanwhile, a party chairman disclosed that heand five parties were given the sum of N1 million each, out of which the SA allegedly deducted 20% each while other parties were given N300, 000, N250, 000 respectively with the SA deducting his percentage.
 Speaking to our reporter under the condition of anonymity, some party members who the SA allegedly dragged to Abuja for the verification exercise had this to say: “We are so disappointed with the foolish way the so called leadership of the Association of Registered Political Parties in Delta state is going about the whole thing as regard the governor’s largesse. The Association chairman who is known to be a chronic hungry and self acclaimed mushroom politician, has sold us all out to the SA who is now amassing wealth for himself to our detriment. It’s very unfortunate. Just watch in the few days we shall reorganize the Association.”
 

“We shall not bow to their threats” – Odumakin battles Lai Mohammed

Joe Okei-Odumakin, the firebrand president of Women Arise recently alert all security agencies and the general public of an alleged plot by Alhaji Lai Mohammed and his party to unleash violence against members of the group during yesterday’s polls in Ondo.
In her words: “Our highly informed source told us that thugs have been instructed to attack our members in different local governments in the state and advised that we should withdraw from the exercise.
We insist that would amount to succumbing to blackmail and intimidation by enemies of the open society.
Though we do not underestimate the capacity for evil by the forces Lai Mohammed represents, we shall not bow to their threats as we believe in the supremacy of law and order.
We therefore call on all security agencies to be on the alert and do their job of securing of lives of law abiding citizens” Dr. Odumakin alleges in a press statement she personally signed.
Speaking further she said: “We shall hold Lai Mohammed and his party responsible if anything happens to any of our members.
Lastly, we debunk the incitement of hate being peddled by Lai Mohammed that Women Arise is anti-Islam.
DailyPost

I’m ready to die for doing the right thing – Oteh

BY VINCENT UJUMADU
AWKA —Director-General of The Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC, Ms Arunma Oteh, said, weekend in Awka,  Anambra State that she was prepared to die for doing the right thing to save the Nigerian Capital Market.
Speaking after she was honoured by the Anambra State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, Oteh said many people in the country were afraid that with the return of sanity at the capital market, they would lose their strangle hold on the economy, adding that she would continue to do her best to ensure that the ugly past did not return.

Arunma Oteh, DG. SEC

She said: “People have said that I am very courageous and I believe that I am courageous because I am an Igbo. When I got the letter that the Anambra State Council of Nigeria Union of Journalists wanted to honour me as the most courageous woman of the year, I almost shed tears. This is because despite what people are doing to bring us down, there are people somewhere who are appreciative of the good work we do.
“I am not afraid to say that I will always do the right thing as the Director General of The Securities and Exchange Commission. I am not moved by what people are doing trying to pull me down, so long as I know that I am doing the right thing. In the past, we had a Capital Market where people wore suits and sat down to steal money belonging to peasants.
“But when I came in, I told myself that all these have got to stop. We must sanitize our Capital Market and build a trust that will let the poor man put his savings in it and be assured that it will not be stolen by people. What I am doing at the SEC, I am ready to die for. I am not afraid to die so long as I am doing the right thing.”
And I am very emboldened by the fact that people are watching. No matter the level of conspiracy against one, people are seeing your efforts and at the right time, one will be rewarded for every good work.
“We should learn from the horrible things that happened in the past when people lost everything after selling all they had to invest in the Capital Market Even up to 2010 it was still happening. People were told that their money will just double, and many of our people are crying today because they sold their houses, took their life savings and put them there. That is not what we are saying today.
“What we are saying is that if you want to invest, you must ask questions. It is not enough for us to just tell the people that once you put your money, it will double. You must go to meet financial experts and ask them questions before you invest.
It is your right to ask questions, but please don’t wait for people to come from other countries and invest today and when you are ready to invest, it would be that prices have gone to the top”.
Vanguard

Edo election tribunal dissolved, new panel constituted

 by Uchechukwu Olisah

The Justice Suleman Ambrusa-led three-man Edo State Election Petitions panel hearing the petition of the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the July 14, 2012 governorship election, Major General Charles Airhiavbere (retd), against the declaration of Governor Adams Oshiomhole as winner, has been reportedly dissolved.
Other members of the panel, which news of its dissolution came on Sunday, two days to the commencement of hearing on the remaining aspect of the petition scheduled for tomorrow, following the end of pre-hearing proceedings two weeks ago, were Justices Esor Teetito and  Danlami Senchi.
It was gathered that the dissolution came on the heels a petition by some lawyers, acting for Airhiavbere, to the National Judicial Commission (NJC), alleging that the panel had been compromised and had, therefore, lost confidence in it.
Consequently, a new panel, which would continue from where the dissolved panel stopped, was said to have been constituted. Names of members of the new panel were yet to be known.
However, Secretary of the tribunal, Mrs Josephine Aliu, denied knowledge of the dissolution of the panel, saying, “I am not aware about that. What I know is that the case has now been adjourned to October 31.”
The tribunal had, on Tuesday,  October 9, rejected the request of Airhiavbere to allow him to file for additional witnesses and statements in pursuance of his petition challenging the declaration of Governor  Oshiomhole as winner of the election.
Besides, the tribunal also refused the request of Governor Oshiomhole of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) to strike out Airhiavbere’s petition in its entirety.
Justice Ambrusa had fixed tomorrow as date for the beginning of the hearing on the only surviving ground of the petition, the aspect dealing with the allegation that the election was marred by corruption practices and did not comply with the provisions of the Electoral Act.
Justice Ambrusa had said the tribunal was unable to grant the plea for more witnesses and some statements as requested by the petitioner because those paragraphs of the petition had to do with the issue of the qualification of Governor Oshiomhole which the tribunal struck out on 27 September, 2012.
The tribunal also ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure that the voters register was  made available to the counsel to the petitioner as requested in order to have uninterrupted hearing on the matter from October 23.
However, while opposing the request for extension of time by two weeks made by Airhiavbere’s counsel, Sunny Aguinede, earlier in the hearing, Oshiomhole’s, Chief Adeniyi Akintola (SAN), said “Thepetitioner has no reason to delay the hearing no matter the carcass still remaining in the petition. There are 192 wards in Edo state, all the wards which they alluded to as missing are 47 which is not up to one-quarter. They should have subpoenaed INEC to get the original of the voters list rather than chasing shadows”.
Counsel to the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Adetunji Oyeyipo, said “The petitioner is not serious. If you look at what ever that is left in this petition, they have witness deposition in only five Local Government Councils and this witness depositions cover only 51 units across these 5 Local Governments, so their complaints covers only less than one percent of the total units.
“We are all seasoned lawyers, I don’t know if it will take the petitioner two weeks to prepare witnesses in respect of 51 units. Total of 32 witnesses available for them and some may not even come. I think that the tribunal will be over indulging the petitioners by giving them the two weeks. We think that they should concentrate on the Local Governments they are complaining about so that we can commence hearing”.
NigerianTribune



* With just two days to the commencement of the hearing of the remaining part of the petition filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate for the Edo State governorship election, Major-General Charles Airhiavbere (retired), the three-man panel chaired by Justice Suleiman Ambrusa has been dissolved.

Although the other members of the panel had included Justices Esor Teetito and Danlami Senchi, it was reliably gathered however that one of the other two members had not really been involved in the making of the decisions of the tribunal before the dissolution.


NationalMirror News

Edo: The Comrade at Bay.

By Okharedia Ihimekpen

There are many people who believe that Comrade Adams Oshiomhole deserves to be taught a lesson over the certificate scandal he is facing in an election petition tribunal in Edo state. A stunted growth adult, Oshiomhole believes he has finally got the Universal theory, which is “The political elimination of the Godfathers”, in other to rescue his people from the sterile dishes of good and bad governance. He regards himself as a child of history, destined to retire all perceived political enemies in other to impose himself as the only undisputed leader of his Edo people.
He combines an adroit machismo and daring, brilliantly evocative of Ibrahim Babangida, the self made ex-Military President and evil genius of Nigeria. It is not surprising then, because of his considerable skill and religious commitment to the use of abusive and uncut language, that he has used his fabulous labour experience to compel even the Edo intellectuals of the likes of Odigie Oyegun and the Chief David Edebiris, to bow to his whims and caprices to fashion for himself a catholic role in Edo state politics.
He is the symbol of Anti-Anenihism and Anti Godfatherism in Edo, a society dominated by formidable foes. The question is, assuming he Oshiomhole really posses the primary and the modern school leaving certificates he claims to have in the oath he deposed to before the Independent National Electoral Commission, is Edo state not too sophisticated to be governed by such a semi-literate fellow, who can hardly differentiate between micro and macro economics, nor put before the Lamido Sanusi the Edo’s position on his economics of the new Naira notes.
Oshiomhole firebrand personality had been forged in the furnace of trade unionism. Though as he confessed in the AIT sponsored political debate, that everybody knows his history, as haven started at the age of 17 years, he also has confessed in other occasions that he joined the Arewa Textile industry as a tailoring apprentice and junior staff before he joined the Labour Union.
Being a dropout after a year in the Modern school, on the account of his parents being unable to pay his fees, Oshiomhole grew up with cruel indignation and anger against all establishment, as being the only way to establish himself. Oshiomhole grew up a bitter man, whose past had been humiliated by deprivation and poverty and by a decadent leadership and absolute statecraft.
In 2007, the Lucky Igbeinedion cabal desperately in search of who to use against Chief Tony Anenih and the state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party found in Oshiomhole the needed qualities to silent the duo once and for all.
Igbinedion and his “Grace Group” while in the PDP served as moles by allegedly bankrolling Oshiomhole's election expenses in the Action Congress of Nigeria and at the same time giving Edo electorate the impression that they were still in the PDP. To compound the issue, Senator Oserheimen Osunbor of the PDP, though won the 2007 election, could not display political maturity in victory. He allowed himself to be engulfed in political intrigues he was poorly educated about, even when his election victory was still being challenged by Oshiomhole and the Igbinedion cabal in the tribunal. Osunbor eventually lost the contest, so much that, the shock has today rendered him into political irrelevance in the politics of the state.
Ironically it is the same PDP that has developed  cold feet in the people’s desire to challenge the election and the academic credentials of Oshiomhole in an election tribunal. Three factors had always worked against the PDP since 1999. First was the recycling of Lucky Igbinedion in 2003, in the sermon that there was no vacancy in the Government House except Igbinedion, even when it was obvious that he, Igbinedion, has not performed. Secondly, the arrogance the party displayed when in power and thirdly their lack of political will, inconsistency and inability to take radical decisions on issues that borders on the sensitivity of the people.
This is exactly what they have just displayed in the case of their withdrawal from court, even when the generality of their party faithfuls are behind their candidate General Ehigie Airhiavbere.
This also informed why the followers of the party unanimously filed behind Airhiavbere in November 2011, when the party held it primaries. Tired of the status quo, and anxiously in a hurry to bring on board a new PDP, the party faithful rejected the call to support old members of the party who were contesting the party primaries for the new comer Airhiavbere as their flag bearer, just as it is today that Airhiavbere has become the rallying point of the party.
Today, the tribunal is on course and there are two things that must come to pass in Edo after the titanic trial. First, whichever way the pendulum goes, governance of Edo State will never be the same again. Second, the tribunal would have redeemed the integrity of the judiciary to have done justice and Justice seen to have been done. But let there be no two opinions about it that, while Airhiavbere would have written his name in the league of Edo political history as a man that led his people at the time of need, Oshiomhole too would always remain a reference point even now as the Edo comrade is at bay.