Rita Dominic Clinches Actress Of The Year Award In Kenya

The awards just keep pouring in for sultry nollywood diva, Rita Dominic as she added another award to her trophies cabinet yesterday in far away Kenya. Miss Dominic was announced the winner of the best actress of the year category at the Kalasha Film and Television Awards held in Nairobi, Kenya.

The gap-toothed talented thespian won the award which is organized by the Kenyan Film Commission, at the expense of two Kenyans; Patricia Kihoro and Joan Amara. Again, her role in the Kenyan movie, ‘Shattered’ earned her the highly coveted award. Other actresses nominated in the same award category were Patricia Kihoro for her role in the film ‘Miss Nobody’ and Joan Amara for her role in the movie ‘Miss Pathetic’.
The UniPort Theatre Arts graduate will look back on a successful year where she won the best actress in a leading role at the 2012 AMAA awards for her role in the movie ‘Shattered’ and FAB awards’ most stylish actress of the year – with smiles.
InformationNigeria.org

BREAKING NEWS!!!!!!ABDUCTED CHIEF EXECUTIVE DAN ODIETE ESTATE MNGT CONSULTANT RELEASED.

THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER AND MANAGING PARTNER, DAN ODIETE ESTATE MANAGEMENT CONSULTANTS/VALUERS, CHIEF DAN ODIETE HAS REGAINED HIS FREEDOM FROM HIS ABDUCTORS. FAMILY SOURCES CONFIRMED THE RELEASE OF CHIEF DAN ODIETE TODAY.

We’ll expose Nigerian treasury looters —Swiss govt •Says Abacha’s son still wanted in Switzerland •Public office holders with loot in Swiss banks in trouble

 by  Christian Okeke-AbujaPOLITICIANS and government officials who steal from Nigeria’s till with the intention of salting the loot away in Swiss banks may soon have difficult times, as the Swiss government has vowed to expose public officers who stashed away looted funds in the country’s banks, following the country’s new laws which frown on anonymous bank accounts.
In a related development, the Swiss government also declared that the son of Nigeria’s late Head of State, General Sani Abacha, Abba, still had a case to answer in Geneva for supporting a criminal organisation, despite the return of his late father’s looted $700 million by the government of Switzerland to Nigeria.
The Swiss Ambassador to Nigeria, Hans-Rudolf Hodel, who spoke exclusively to Sunday Tribune through email enquiry, made these revelations. He declared that henceforth, criminals who used his country as a haven for their illegal wealth would no longer be accommodated.
He gave details of how the fund looted by Abacha was returned to Nigeria as well as how the World Bank participated in the review of the use of the returned looted funds, but did not name the criminal organisation linked to the son of the late Head of State.
He noted that the entire $700 million Abacha loots blocked in Swiss bank accounts had been returned to Nigeria.
Hodel told Sunday Tribune that “proceedings for support of a criminal organisation are still pending in Geneva against Abba Abacha, the son of the former Nigerian president,” but added that “as this is an ongoing case, we can give no further information.”
He said: “In December 1999, Nigeria presented to Switzerland a formal request for mutual legal assistance involving the former Head of State, Sani Abacha. On the basis of Swiss legislation, the Swiss authorities were able to gather, thanks to a close partnership with the Nigerian authorities, all relevant information and to proceed, between 2005 and 2009, with the restitution of the funds to the Nigerian government.
“Switzerland and Nigeria agreed to request the World Bank to participate in the review of the use of the funds in the framework of a budget control process of various welfare projects. Additionally, Switzerland funded a project of an NGO network which monitored the use of the recovered funds in the various development projects such as rural electrification, economic development, roads, primary health care and vaccination programmes, basic and secondary education as well as provision of potable water and rural irrigation executed by several Nigerian agencies.”
In a revelation that could prove catastrophic for the army of Nigerian public officials and others from the Third World countries, who have taken Switzerland as the sanctuary for hiding funds looted from their countries, the Swiss Ambassador declared that “Swiss banking secrecy protects the privacy of bank clients, but it is not unlimited. If there are suspicions of criminal activities such as terrorism, organised crime, money laundering or tax fraud, it is lifted and the authorities are given access to banking information. No anonymous accounts exist in Switzerland.”
He concluded that “money laundering was recognised as an offence in the Swiss Criminal Code since 1990. On 1 February, 2009, various improvements in Switzerland’s anti-money laundering arsenal came into force, enabling Switzerland to stay abreast of the more sophisticated international standards.”
NigerianTribune

INEC may deregister 25 more parties

 by Niyi Odebode, John Alechenu and Friday Olokor 

INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega

BARELY 72 hours after 28 political parties had their names deleted  from the register of  the Independent National Electoral Commission, indications emerged on Sunday  that 24 more political parties might cease to exist  before the 2015 general elections.

The PUNCH learnt that INEC  had  decided  that only 11 political parties  would participate  in the 2015 electoral processes. Sixty-three political parties participated in the 2011 elections.

INEC, last Thursday, had deregistered Pastor Chris Okotie’s Fresh Party; Balarabe Musa’s Peoples Democratic Party; the late Anthony Enahoro’s  National Reformation Party, Dr. Tunji Braithwaite’s  National Advanced Party  and  24 others for not meeting the provisions of Section 7 of the Electoral Act 2011.

The section states, “The commission (INEC) shall have powers to de-register political parties on the following grounds: (i) breach of any of the requirements for registration, and (ii) for failure to win a seat in the National Assembly or state Assembly election.”

Only 11, out of the parties that participated in the 2011 polls, satisfied the requirement of Section 7 of the Electoral Act by winning at least a seat in the National Assembly.

The parties  are the Peoples Democratic Party, Congress for Progressive Change, Action Congress of Nigeria, All Nigeria Peoples Party, Labour Party, Progressive Peoples Alliance, Peoples Party of Nigeria, All Progressive Grand Alliance, Accord Party, Democratic Peoples Party, and KOWA Party.

Apart from the 11, only Chief Chekwas Okorie’s United Progressive Grand Alliance, which was registered two months ago and which has not contested in any general election will be allowed to stay.

Our correspondents learnt at the weekend that INEC would wait for the conclusion of any suit occasioned by the deregistration of the 28 last week before announcing the 25 others to go.

Many of the promoters of the deregistered parties had threatened to contest   INEC’s action in court.

Commenting on  the possibility of the  deregistration of  more parties , the Chief Press Secretary to the INEC chairman, Mr. Kayode Idowu, said, “For as long as the provisions of the law subsist, they will be applied as and whenever deemed necessary by the commission. No consideration will feature outside the provisions of the law as we have them.”

Meanwhile, the National Chairman of one of the parties’ deregistered last week, Dr. Junaid Mohammed, has said Nigeria has too many political parties and that the registration of some of them is justified.

Mohammed, who headed the now defunct Peoples’ Salvation Party, said this in a telephone interview with one of our correspondents in Abuja on Sunday.

He said that while the PSP would not contest it’s deregistration in court, it would not hesitate to join others who might see the need to do so.

This, he said, was because the Chairman of the INEC, Prof. Atahiru Jega, did not base the decision to deregister the parties on provisions of the law.

Junaid said, “The parties were simply too many. Jega himself registered a few; it would have been difficult for him not to register them on resumption because the paper work had been done.

“Coming to my party, strictly speaking, I was simply tired with mine anyway because some elements were using the platform to go begging for money.

“I have no intention to challenge the decision in court but if other parties do so we will join them because Jega did not follow the rule of law.

“And without the rule of law, there is no basis for a democracy. My concern is that all of the actions of a body like INEC must be within the law.”

ThePunch

BoT chair: North’s interest tears PDP apart

by: Yusuf Alli

THE jostle for the chairmanship of the Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has split the organ with most members insisting on the zoning tradition of the party by allowing the North to produce the new leader.
Thirteen candidates have applied for the seat, including a former Chairman of the BOT, Chief Tony Anenih; a former National Chairman of the PDP, Senator Ahmadu Ali; ex-President of the Senate, Chief Ken Nnamani; Chief Harry Akande and Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu.
It was however learnt that some influential members of the PDP are mounting pressure on a former Vice-President, Dr. Alex Ekwueme to lead the BOT.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo vacated the seat in April.
National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Chief Olisa Metuh confirmed the number of interested candidates to our correspondent on telephone yesterday.
Metuh, however, could not give the names of all the candidates off hand, saying he was speaking from his village in Anambra and as such could not lay his hands on the file at the time.
“So far we have about 13 candidates on the list. I don’t have the file with me so I cannot recall all the names off hand. As a matter of fact I am speaking with you from my village in Anambra”, Metuh said.
A high-ranking member of the party yesterday said Ekwueme has not formally applied for the office.
But there were strong indications that more candidates might emerge following what a top member of the BOT as the “continuous search for an ideal candidate.”
Also, contrary to speculations, President Goodluck Jonathan has decided not to back any candidate.
Jonathan wants to leave the post open to BOT members to decide.
Investigation by our correspondent revealed that there is a split among members of the BOT with most of them insisting on the zoning tradition of the party.
A reliable top BOT member, who spoke in strict confidence yesterday, said: “Some of our leaders might have applied but it appears that we may need more leaders to signify their interest.
“I can say that the BOT is still searching for the ideal candidate because there are some variables which we still have to put into consideration.
“The position of most members is that the party must take its zoning tradition into consideration in choosing a new BOT chairman or else we may slip into a deeper crisis in the party.
“We have a tradition that anytime the North produces the President, the BOT chairman will come from the South.
“This is the zoning tradition we have adhered to since 1999. The last holder of the BOT chairmanship, ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo came from the South-West, what will be the rationale for choosing or electing a new one from the South again.
“So, you can see that we have a major zoning hurdle to cross in electing the new chairman of the BOT. The appropriate thing is for the North to produce the next BOT chairman.
“If Jonathan allows the party to abandon this tradition, we will assume that zoning is dead and this may affect the primaries for 2015 poll.”
Asked why the North will push for BOT chairman when the secretary of the board, Alhaji Wali Jibrin is from the North-Central, the source added: “Wali came in as an interim secretary. When we meet, the North will have the option to either serve as chairman or secretary.
“If the North opts for the chairman of BOT, Wali has to automatically step down.”
On the alleged intent of Ekwueme, the source said: “Some leaders of our party are pressurizing Ekwueme to lead this vital organ of the party.
“With age not on his side again, Ekwueme is actually not keen on the job. But our leaders won’t allow him to rest because of what he did to reconcile aggrieved members of the party some years ago.
Concerning the alleged anointing of one of the candidates by the President, the source said: “I am in a position to know, Jonathan has confided in some leaders of the party that he would allow democratic process to run its full course on BOT.
“The President is not backing any candidate but it is convenient for some people to drop names.”
But another source said: “You should also take note of the fact that the National Chairman of PDP is from the North-East. Do you want the North to produce the chairman of the BOT again?
“The situation is dicey. We have a tradition but this is a party that believes in equity too. I know at the right time, BOT members will iron out issues and move forward.
“I am aware that we also have a group within the BOT calling for a younger element to lead this organ of the party. I am talking of a leader who is between 60 and 65 years.”
Article 12.77 of the PDP reads in part: “The BOT shall elect a chairman and secretary from members of the Board. The chairman and secretary shall also be members of the National Executive Committee.
“Without prejudice to the provision of this Constitution, ensure that the person to be elected chairman and secretary respectively are of proven integrity and have contributed immensely to the growth of the party.
TheNation

Kidnappers make N750m monthly in Southeast, says CD

 by: Odogwu Emeka Odogwu, Nnewi and Osagie Otabor

The Campaign for Democracy (CD) yesterday alleged that kidnapping has become a big business in the Southeast, with abductors making an average of N750 million monthly.
It said abduction had increased in the region after a lull. The rights group urged governors to intervene.
The CD said the situation had made the region unsafe for industrialists and businessmen.
Chairman of CD in the Southeast Dede Ujoh A. Uzoh, in a statement, said:
“It is very depressing that notwithstanding the huge amount of money the governors of the five Southeast states collect each month, they as the chief security officers, are unable to contain the upsurge of kidnapping.
“An average of five persons are kidnapped per month in each state of the zone and they pay between N30 million and N20 million each.
“This amounts to about N150 million per month from wealthy individuals in a state, thus, totalling N750 million per month from the five states.
“There has been this massive exodus of industrialists, businessmen and women from the zone due to activities of kidnappers,’’ it said.
The statement added that the recent escalation of kidnapping is more rampant in major cities of Onitsha, Aba, Owerri, Awka, Umuahia, Enugu and Abakaliki.
“These are the cities where wealthiest people and their families live and carry out their businesses.
“This is making business and human security to collapse and the wealthy not free to move around within the zone due to fear of being kidnapped,’’ it said.
The statement urged governors to help stop the present exodus of the wealthy people; which, if not checked within some months, the economy of the zone would crumble,’’ it said.
The statement also called on mobile phone service providers to assist the police and other law enforcement agencies to track kidnappers as they use mobile phones to network their operations.
“Efforts should be made to energise the Southeast Economic Summit to revive the moribund industries in the zone; taking a cue from the South-South.
“The revival of industries has become paramount so that workplaces would be created to contain youths that would likely join these bad eggs perpetrating these heinous crime,” the CD said.
TheNation

A fast descending anarchy on Nigeria

Since he assumed office over two years ago, President Goodluck Jonathan, rightly or wrongly, has been the butt of criticisms as weak in or clueless to solving Nigeria’s myriad of problems. He, therefore, could not be luckier than now to prove his critics wrong by discharging his constitutional responsibilities. Tied down in the North with the Boko Haram insurgency, it is not clear if Jonathan is abreast with the state of insecurity in the entire South over uncontrollable cases of kidnapping and attendant anger of the ordinary citizen. Owing to the helplessness and inaction of state governors, kidnapping has now, overnight, boomed as a growth industry for extorting millions of naira for the release of the victims. Even after extorting such, the kidnappers still kill their victims.
Consequently, at the mere mention of security or insecurity, instant blame is heaped on President Jonathan. Oh yes, overall security in the country is the main but not the sole responsibility of a Nigerian President any more than overall responsibility in the United States rests with the White House in Washington. But then, in such situation, the President (in our own case, Jonathan) is no more than the supreme co-ordinator, with initial responsibility devolving on state governors and down the line to local government chairmen or in United States, the city mayors. This fact is essential in view of the anarchy gradually descending on every state (thirty-six of them) with the governors unwilling and unable to arrest the situation on the convenient and circumstantial excuse that they (the governors) do not control the police. Consequently, the situation in the country today is that crimes of murder, arson, armed robbery and kidnapping mostly resulting in death are committed on free will by the culprits.
These crimes have become so routine that newspapers no longer allot their front pages to such reports and where they do, the reports are completely compressed into second or third insignificant space in the front page or otherwise now tucked in the inside pages. The latest in the banditry of these criminals was the widespread rampage in Auchi, Edo State, which was an irony. An irony in the sense that among the 36 state governors, only Adams Oshiomhole has displayed the guts that he would sign the death warrant of any convict of capital punishment. Oshiomhole knows better. Not long ago, his Special Assistant, Olaitan Oyerinde was murdered by criminals inside his house. It is not tenable for state governors to excuse themselves from responsibility for near total insecurity on the ground that they do not control the police, or that state commissioners of police always insist on clearance from their boss, Inspector-General before carrying out any order directed by a state governor.
Whenever a state Commissioner of Police insists on clearance from his boss, Inspector-General at Abuja before carrying out an order of a state governor, it is usually because such orders are controversial or dicey, in most cases tainted with the governor’s political interest. It is only reasonable for a Commissioner of Police to be cautious in such situations. Such will not apply in all matters concerning detection or arresting of crimes like kidnapping or armed robbery, as may be directed by a state governor because on the contrary, the main duty of state governors through state commissioners of police is the maintenance of security. On his part, the president’s (Goodluck Jonathan) duty on security matters is to guard against or repel any external aggression or suppress any domestic insurgency such as Boko Haram’s. Today, Nigeria is not facing any threat of external aggression.
Boko Haram is being contained through security forces like the army and police. Hence, governors of states under siege by Boko Haram are not being blamed. Tackling Boko Haram insurgency is taking time but nobody can deny the fact of containing the misguided elements. The same cannot be said of murder, armed robbery, kidnapping etc. The responsibility for combating these crimes is that of state governors and not Jonathan’s. When last time the wife of Deputy Speaker of Osun State House of Assembly was kidnapped, Osun State government assumed responsibility for alerting the nation until some patriots in nearby Ogun State nabbed the kidnappers and their victim. But has there been any action since then? Failure of state governors to take drastic punitive action in such cases is the very reason the crime of kidnapping has been on the rise in recent months.
The consequent threatening anarchy is the fault of state governors and state Commissioners of Police. Yet, there are existing laws stipulating death penalty for armed robbery and even kidnapping. At least Rivers, Ebonyi and Enugu states have passed laws carrying death penalty for kidnapping. Such law is not for President Goodluck Jonathan to enforce. That is the duty of state governors. Where a state governor fails or is unwilling to enforce laws on security of lives and property, especially federal laws, such governor would be vulnerable to charges of dereliction of duty, in clear violation of the oath of office to which he swore to be eligible to assume office.
In the present state of lawlessness on account of armed robbery and kidnapping in most parts of the country, Jonathan should assume charge. For example, armed robbery and financial crimes largely committed in the states are now federal offences under federal laws. Such federal laws were enacted because state governments were weak and unwilling to tackle the crimes. With the existing federal law on armed robbery stipulating death penalty, Jonathan should equally seriously consider a bill to make kidnapping punishable by death. Such a bill will not generate controversy either at home or abroad. Foreigners in our midst have been easy targets for these kidnappers. In many cases, Russians, Britons, Italians, Filipinos, had been killed by these kidnappers even after collecting the ransom running into millions of naira, much to the embarrassment of Nigerian government. In any case, it is an international obligation for any country to guarantee the safety of not only its citizens but also the security of foreigners in the host country. Why is a federal law necessary for kidnapping?
The crime, which began on a seeming restricted scale in only some parts of the country, has now spread to virtually every part of Nigeria. Furthermore, the existing law of some three or four states carrying death penalty for kidnapping has turned out to be mere decorations in the statutes of the states concerned. A federal law carrying death penalty for kidnapping will provide security throughout the federation against the criminals. Relatives of members of the National Assembly had also fallen victims of the kidnappers. It is therefore in their interest to allow smooth sail for the proposed bill into law. At that stage, no state governor will allow kidnappers free rein. Such a law against kidnapping should not be a licence for police to shoot suspects dead. Dead suspects will serve no purpose or lesson. Instead, suspects should be subjected to full criminal procedure of law courts throughout which they will experience the rigour, agony and eventually reject, when sentenced to death.
That will deter other potential kidnappers. The death warrant of any convict facing death penalty even under federal offence, is signed by state governors and not the President of Federal Republic of Nigeria. It is a constitutional responsibility devolving on state governors. Afterall, Jonathan does not sigh the death warrant of convicted armed robbers. A state governor may feel strongly against signing the death warrant of convicted armed robbers or kidnappers. While maintaining such principle, the state governor concerned should be prepared for the consequences by resigning since the society cannot be thrown into anarchy because a state governor refuses to perform his constitutional duties. Governors are responsible for security in their states.
Where insecurity persists and threatens law and order, which may eventually engulf the whole country, President Jonathan has the constitutional responsibility to declare a state of emergency in the state(s) concerned, suspend the governor for six months and extend the emergency for another six months if necessary. By the time two or three state governors are so alerted on their dereliction of constitutional duties, others will sit up. A year or two ago, we were not under this threat of anarchy by kidnappers and armed robbers.
Accordingly, unless tackled frontally, these criminals will convulse the nation. Then, the man to be blamed is President Goodluck Jonathan and not any of the state governors. At what stage will Jonathan adequately assess the threat posed by these criminals? So far, state commissioners, university vice-chancellors and even Chairman of Lagos State chapter of Nigerian Union of Journalists had been kidnapped. Never mind any claim of improved economy or inflow of foreign investment.
These are mere illusions. Only a failed, as distinct from a stable state, allows anarchists to thrive. Insecurity and foreign investment are perpetual and uncompromising enemies. When next the Council of States gathers, President Jonathan must confront the state governors with his obligation to invoke his constitutional responsibility to ensure law and order in any of the state currently under siege of armed robbers and kidnappers creating doubts on the existence of governance in the states concerned.
TheSun