Irabor, Kanu to run Nigeria league

The changes in the Nigeria Premier League continues today (Friday) the Nigeria Football Federation releases the names of those appointed on an interim basis run the league until a new board is constituted. The NFF board was scheduled to meet on Thursday night to fine-tune the list and the draft terms of office before the names are made public on Friday.

The PUNCH learnt that a former member of the House of Representatives Mr. Nduka Irabor has been confirmed to serve as the chairman of the interim committee. Some other members of the committee include former Super Eagles captain and two-time African Footballer of the Year, Nwankwo Kanu. Former secretary general of the NPL Salisu Abubakar; former member of the NPL Shehu Dikko and Modele Sarafa-Yusuf are other members of the 10-man committee. Current acting Executive Secretary General Tunji Babalola will continue in his position.

It will be Kanu’s first foray into football administration but Irabor would be returning to the scene after overseeing the election that was meant to give Ibrahim Galadima a second term in office in 2005.

“The names have been carefully selected since the former board was confirmed sacked in Port Harcourt last week. Some names have come up and did not really fit in for the level of responsibility required and so were dropped. The NFF board will take a final look at this list which is believed to have general agreement of the members,” a senior football official in Abuja told our correspondent.

The committee is expected to run the league until the end of 2013. During this period, the members are to “reform and reposition” the league for proper growth in terms of administration, commercial viability and general reorganisation. They are also mandated to take final decision on the sponsorship of the league especially as it concerns the title sponsorship and broadcast rights. The league is running into its third season without any title sponsor after controversy and legal tussles truncated the bid carried out for the title sponsorship.

The league failed to kick off on December 1 as previously announced due to the crisis that engulfed the board. It is now billed to start in January just ahead of the club continental matches and the Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa.

TalkofNaija

PDP To Stop Imposition Of Candidates

It might be easier believing a Leopard will change its spot than for the ruling Peoples Democartic Party, PDP, to keep to its latest vow in a list of endless unfulfilled ones – that it will no longer impose candidates at all levels of the party’s primaries or elections.

PDP NATIONAL CHAIRMAN: ALH. BAMANGA TUKUR

The party’s leadership made this decision known at the end of a retreat in Akwa Ibom where the top brass took time off to deliberate on how to develop the operational machinary of the party.
The national chairman of the party, Mr Bamanga Tukur assured members of the party that imposition of candidates would soon become a thing of the past.
InformationNigeria

Ayo Olukotun : What does President Jonathan read?

 “The reading habits of politicians matter because in what they choose to read will be found what they think and what they will do”

 – Yarn Martell (Canadian novelist)

 

As the opening quote sourced from award-winning Canadian novelist Yarn Martell suggests, what politicians, presidents especially, read or fail to read are of profound importance to gauging the quality of their minds, worldview, imaginative depth and what decisions they are likely to take. In 2011, candidate Goodluck Jonathan appeared to grasp the importance of the reading culture of leaders when he launched “a bring back the book” campaign featuring a carnival and presentation of his book entitled “My friends and I.” The book was reviewed by the Special Adviser to the President on Media, Dr. Reuben Abati.

Ennobling as that campaign was, it left out the crucial question of the reading culture of Jonathan himself, an issue that has received fresh salience in the light of some of his enigmatic pronouncements on the fuel subsidy riots, on alleged media partisanship, on Boko Haram as well as the quality of his media appearances.

Let us embed this narrative in the global mainstream in order to avoid provincialism, to tease out edifying comparative lessons and throw the issues in bolder relief. Come quickly with me, therefore, to the desk of the British Prime Minister, David Cameron, who is described in a recently published magazine as a “voracious reader who speed reads his way through several tomes a week.” Cameron, by his own verified admission, went through a frenetic reading phase in which he devoured all the novels of the English novelist, playwright and critic, Graham Greene, who majored in thrillers that connote high-wire diplomatic intrigue.

We are assured by the manager of Cameron’s favourite bookstore in Westminster that the politician just before his annual holidays makes large purchases of books spanning the areas of political philosophy and contemporary fiction among others. Let us quickly cross the Atlantic and peruse the United States President Barack Obama as he wades through a diverse menu of books ranging from Shakespeare’s tragedies through books on Abraham Lincoln’s leadership to classic modern novels. Of course, it is well known that United States presidents maintain an official reading list of books, by which they not only improve their minds but rejuvenate a flagging national reading culture by force of personal example.

Zeroing back on Nigeria, it is pertinent to recall that an earlier generation of Nigerian politicians such as Sir Ahmadu Bello, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Chief Anthony Enahoro, among others, read and wrote avidly. At the 2012 Annual Obafemi Awolowo memorial, Toyin Falola, distinguished history professor at the University of Texas, posited correctly that Awolowo read and wrote more books on Nigerian politics than most professors of political science. The reader may be surprised to learn also that Nigeria’s former head of state, Olusegun Obasanjo, used to be a lover of books, at least in his first term as military president of Nigeria.

 The late Dr. Stanley Macebuh, one of the finest intellects to have passed through the Nigerian media scene, reported in his then weekly column at the Daily Times that he caught Obasanjo regaling himself with a book of some intellectual depth in the course of a trip to China, in which Macebuh travelled on the same plane with Obasanjo. No wonder, the retired general gave a better account of himself in the late 1970s than in his later incarnations as civilian president. Evidence? He avoided self-succession and set a democratic precedent at a time when sit-tight rulers mushroomed on the continent. Two, he was at the time an economic nationalist who stood up to the Western economic doctrines based on the so-called free market but which the western powers do not practise in their own countries. Who knows, had Obasanjo kept up the intellectual stamina of those years manifested in his love for books, he might have avoided the delusions of the third term project and the pitfalls of rightwing economic nostrums, which are especially hard on the poor.

That is a matter for another day, however. The focus of this enquiry is Jonathan and what he reads or fails to read. If Jonathan were to make public his reading list today, he would not need another “bring back the book” campaign to both convince a sceptical nation of his “mental magnitude,” to borrow a favourite expression of Awolowo and to rekindle the appetite for books in an increasingly Philistine generation. That kind of public testimonial on the part of Jonathan will also pull the rug from under the feet of some of his hardline critics like Prof. Ayittey, a world-acclaimed Ghanaian scholar who after watching one of Jonathan’s media chats dismissed him as “a joke.”

In the same connection, another group sought to initiate the process under the FOI Act whereby Jonathan will be compelled to reveal his IQ scores. The group of activists based their doubtful crusade on the premise that some of the utterances of Jonathan did not portray him as someone intellectually capable or intelligent. All of these criticisms it must be admitted sound somewhat ironic considering that Jonathan holds a doctorate and was expected to bring to governance a certain intellectual gravitas if not profundity of thought.

This writer does not think that Jonathan is the witless fool that caricatures of him have advertised. Nonetheless, a nation trapped in a siege of kidnappers and roving criminal gangs; caught in a protracted drift and inertia of massive proportions is surely waiting for the surefooted touch of a leader who will minister to its troubled soul. What Jonathan has going for him is a certain unpretentiousness and the easy going camaraderie of a politician who did not seek power but in a sense had it thrust upon him. But clearly more than pleasantness and a certain modesty deriving from an appreciation of one’s limitations are called for in a nation like ours stranded in a modern-day version of the forest of ghosts depicted in Yoruba fables. Jonathan has made many promises to the nation to turn things round but it will take incurable optimism to argue that things are not getting worse and in some respects like the soaring levels of squandermania and corruption getting out of hand.

To properly understand why the nation continues to travel downhill, we must put the searchlight on the president’s reading culture, his grasp of issues and understanding of what the times demand; in order to map out possible remedial steps in the area of improving or even modifying his appreciation of burning national issues. Though he belongs to a generation of politicians not famous for their love of books or the company of intellectuals, it is still possible in some respects to amend the situation. And what better way to begin than for him to make public his list of favourite books and other reading material?

- Olukotun is a professor of Political Science and Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences and Entrepreneurial Studies at Lead City University, Ibadan.
YNaija

Money Laundering: You Are Not Above The Law, Court Tells Wale Babalakin

The embattled Chairman of Bi-Courtney Highway Services Limited, Wale Babalakin on Friday failed in a second attempt to stop the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) from prosecuting him on money laundering charges.
A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos and presided by Justice Ibrahim Buba dismissed Wale Babalakin’s suit seeking, among other reliefs, an order barring the police and the State Security Service from arresting him in connection with charges of money laundering.
Justice Buba said it was wrong for the applicant to approach the court to enforce his fundamental human right when there was a pending criminal charge against him at the state high court. He said the personal liberty of an individual was not absolute. He said it will not augur well for the peace and progress of the society if any person with a criminal charge in a court approaches another to enforce his fundamental human right; nothing that ”nobody is above the law, no matter the person’s position or status”.
He said Mr Wale Babalakin as a Senior Advocate of Nigeria should not be afraid to face the court and, therefore, dismissed his application as lacking in merit.
The Counsel to the EFCC, Rotimi Jacobs had told the court that the commission is vested with the power to investigate, arrest and prosecute persons for financial crimes. He also told the court that Mr Wale Babalakin did not abide by the terms of the administrative bail granted him by the anti-graft agency.
On the issue of Mr Wale Babalakin’s ill-health which his counsel, Wale Akoni made reference to, Mr Rotimi said that there was nothing before the court on the current state of the suspect’s health.
“It is not a case of denial of fundamental human rights but a case of non-compliance to enjoy that right. The suit is intended to gag the EFCC so that they will not take him to court”, Mr Rotimi said.
Before today’s ruling Justice Buba had on Monday December 17, 2012 refused to grant an ex-parte order restraining the EFCC from arresting or detaining Wale Babalakin without hearing from the respondents. Rather, the judge ordered the suspect to serve the respondents to enable them respond to the motion on notice.
Another court had on December 15, 2012 dismissed a similar application by Mr Wale Babalakin for an order of prohibition against the EFCC and the Attorney General of Federation from arraigning him before the Lagos High Court on the grounds that the application was defective as it failed to comply with Order 35 Rule 4 of the Federal High Court Civil Procedure Rules, which require the applicant to depose to an affidavit after serving the court papers on the parties in the suit.
The judge held that failure to depose to such affidavit and file same before the court had robbed the court of its jurisdiction to entertain the matter.
The court vacated the order it earlier granted the applicant permitting him to institute the prohibition suit against the EFCC and subsequently awarded N5, 000 cost against the applicant.
Wale Babalakin, alongside Alex Okoh, Stabilini Visioni Limited, Bi-Courtney Limited and Renix Nigeria Limited are scheduled to appear before an Ikeja High Court on January 17, 2013 to take his plea on a 27-count charge of offences bordering on money laundering preferred against him by the EFCC. The suspects allegedly transferred various sums of money on behalf of the former governor of Delta State, James Ibori, through third parties to some foreign accounts under the guise of purchasing a Challenger Jet Aircraft.
They were to be arraigned before Justice Adeniyi Onigbanjo of the Lagos High Court Ikeja on November 29, 2012. The arraignment was stalled as Mr Babalakin failed to show up, claiming sudden illness that necessitated his hospitalization at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital.
While his lawyers were pleading with Justice Onigbanjo to adjourn the arraignment to enable Wale Babalakin to recover from his illness, he was attempting to stop his trial before Justice Mohammed Idris of the Federal High Court.
The lead defence counsel to Mr Wale Babalakin, Ebun Sofunde has withdrawn from the case, citing personal reasons.
Naijaurban

The Texas School Where Teachers Carry Guns For Protection; Other Schools To Follow Suit

Teachers carry concealed guns here

In Harrold, a tiny Texas town, children and their parents don’t give much thought to safety at the community’s lone school, mostly because some of the teachers are carrying concealed weapons. The teachers’ mandate is not only to educate the children, but also protect them.
In remote Harrold, the nearest sheriff’s office is 30 minutes away, and people tend to know and trust one another. So the school board voted to let teachers bring guns to school.
“We don’t have money for a security guard, but this is a better solution,” Superintendent David Thweatt said. “A shooter could take out a guard or officer with a visible, holstered weapon, but our teachers have master’s degrees, are older and have had extensive training. And their guns are hidden. We can protect our children.”
Following the unfortunate murder of children at the Connecticut elementary school shooting, lawmakers in a growing number of states including Oklahoma, Missouri, Minnesota, South Dakota and Oregon have said they will consider laws allowing teachers and school administrators to carry firearms at school.
Texas law bans guns in schools unless the school has given written authorisation. Arizona and six other states have similar laws with exceptions for people who have licenses to carry concealed weapons.
Harrold’s school board voted unanimously in 2007 to allow employees to carry weapons. After obtaining a state concealed-weapons permit, each employee who wants to carry a weapon must be approved by the board based on his or her personality and reaction to a crisis, Thweatt said.
Employees also must undergo training in crisis intervention and hostage situations. And they must use bullets that minimise the risk of ricochet, similar to those carried by air marshals on planes.
CaRae Reinisch, who lives in the nearby community of Elliott, said she took her children out of a larger school and enrolled them in Harrold two years ago, partly because she felt they would be safer in a building with armed teachers.
“I think it’s a great idea for trained teachers to carry weapons,” Reinisch said. “But I hate that it has come to this.”
The superintendent won’t disclose how many of the school’s 50 employees carry weapons, saying that revealing that number might jeopardise school security.
The school, about 241 kilometres northwest of Fort Worth near the Oklahoma border, has 103 students from kindergarten through 12th grade. Most of them rarely think about, or remember who is carrying a gun.
“This is the first time in a long time that I’ve thought about it,” said Matt Templeton, the principal’s 17-year-old son. “And that’s because of what happened” in Connecticut.
Thweatt said other Texas schools allow teachers to carry weapons, but he would not reveal their locations, saying they are afraid of negative publicity.
The Texas Education Agency however said it had not heard of any other schools with such a policy. And the Brady Centre to Prevent Gun Violence did not know of any other districts nationwide that allow school employees to carry concealed handguns.
InformationNigeria

22-year-old woman agrees to marry man who murdered her twin sister

A 22-year-old Argentine woman has agreed to marry the man convicted of killing her twin sister two years ago.
Edith Casas insists Victor Cingolani did not murder her sister, a model with whom he also had a relationship.
Cingolani was convicted of Johana Casas’ murder and is serving 13 years in prison in the town of Pico Truncado.
The couple have said they plan to wed on Friday at the prison in the southern province of Santa Cruz, to avoid media attention.
Cingolani is reported as telling Argentine media outlets that his relationship with Johana was “casual”, but that he was “in love” with Edith.
“We have lots of things in common and she isn’t jealous,” Argentine newspaper Clarin quoted him as saying.
“We always talk about Johana, about how she was,” he said.
Edith maintains that Cingolani was unjustly convicted, saying he is “a guy who would not hurt a fly”.
Their mother, Marcelina del Carmen Orellana, said it was clear to her that Edith was “psychologically ill”.
 DailyPost

Civil Society Groups Petition Senate on Demolition of Minanuel Estate, Abuja

By SaharaReporters, New York

Two major civil society groups have called on members of the National Assembly to protect the rights of the citizens of Nigeria in general and the subscribers to the Minanuel Housing estate in Abuja particular, in connection with the recent demolition of 500 housing units in that estate.
In a petition signed by the Chairman of HEDA Resource Centre, Olanrewaju Suraju, and the President of Campaign for Democracy and Women Arise, Joe Okei-Odumakin, the groups recalled that at the time the estate was demolished, it was valued at 10billion Naira.  Development of the estate, which started in 2005, had reached 80% completion.
They drew attention to a report in National Accord newspaper online on December 14 in which the spokesman for Minanuel Investments Ltd, Mr. Chukwuma Ogbuagu, stated that a few days to the demolition, the chairman of the Senate Committee on the FCT, Smart Adeyemi, accused the developer of trespassing into the land.  In a radio programme, the Senator described the land as having been allocated to Senators and called on the firm to liaise with the appropriate authorities.
The petitioners further stated that the developers of the estate claim that all the necessary allocation documents, approvals and permits had been obtained prior to development, and that the Minister of the FCT, Senator Bala Mohammed had issued no notices of a pending demolition.
“If these allegations are proven true, we are appalled that a minister in a democracy who is supposed to have the utmost respect for the rule of law and due process would act in such a contemptuous manner in breach of the fundamental rights of the citizens of the state,” the petition said.
Citing citizens’ rights deriving from the African Charter on Human and Peoples ‘Rights, the Universal Declaration of Human rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural rights, the groups asserted that access to safe and secure housing is one of the most basic human rights
The petition said: “Governments all over the world take the housing needs of their citizens seriously and put in place adequate measures to provide for it.
It is evident that the Nigerian government has not been able to meet this challenge with its ever growing population. In the recently held presidential retreat on housing it was reported that the country is currently having 17 million housing deficit. This single unguided action of an executive and government agencies does not reflect a government that is concerned about how to close this deficit or one that champions the cause of democratic values of due process and rule of law.”
The groups said that it is even more worrisome that an investment of over 10 billion Naira and involving over 500 families would be destroyed and the victims subjected to untold hardships to satisfy the thirst of lawmakers for land acquisition of lawmakers, as inferred from the comments made by Senator Smart Adeyemi and another by the minister that the land has been reallocated.