Thursday, 10 January 2013
Forbes has ranked Nigeria as the 20th saddest place to live in the whole world
Forbes has ranked Nigeria as the 20th saddest place to live in the whole world.
In its analysis, it said: “The best of the worst, Nigeria ranks 123rd overall on the Legatum Prosperity Index.
Decades of corruption have squandered great oil and gas wealth, while new concerns involve sectarian violence.
The list of saddest countries on earth is dominated by African and Asian countries and the top 20 are: Central African Republic (1st), Republic of Congo (2nd),Afghanistan (3rd), Chad (4th), Haiti (5th), Burundi (6th), Togo (7th), Zimbabwe (8th), Yemen (9th), Ethopia (10th), Pakistan (11th), Iraq (12th), Liberia, (13th), Angola (14th), Sierra Leone (15th) Guinea (16th),Ivory Coast (17th), Sudan (18th), Mozambique (19th) and Nigeria in 20th position.
NaijaCenter
LASTMA Officers Kill Driver, Abandon Family As Lagos Government Boycotts Funeral
The remains of the commercial bus
driver who died after a fierce struggle with an officer of the Lagos
State Traffic Management Authority, LASTMA, was laid to rest on
Thursday.
Isaac Popoola, 54, died on Christmas Eve inside his vehicle after the LASTMA traffic officer banged his head, repeatedly, on the bus’s door as he struggled to clutch the steering wheel.
Two weeks after the incident, the deceased’s family said that state government officials had not reached out to them.
And during his funeral ceremony at his Akowonjo residence where Mr. Popoola was laid to rest, there was no government representative.
“There is no sign of condolence. I feel very very bad because this is ungodly. There is no justice in this country as far as I’m concerned,” said Ibukun Popoola, 26, the deceased’s eldest son.
“Since his death, the governor even if he is too busy, he ought to send a delegate, somebody to just pay his own condolence to my father. The LASTMA officials, none of them came. It is disappointing,” Ibukun added.
The officiating minister at the funeral, Julius Otumilara, while describing the deceased as “a godly man” asked the family to leave judgment to God.
“The Lord is the judge, so let’s leave judgment to God,” Mr. Otumilara, pastor at Foursquare Gospel Church, Akowonjo, said.
Modupe, the deceased’s wife, listened attentively, occasionally shaking her head and spreading her arms, as the preacher’s voice ebbed and flowed.
When it was time to pay the last respects; she joined a horde of sympathizers as they walked around the opened casket, momentarily gazed at her husband’s dead face, shielded by a white transparent cloth, walked away and wept.
The faces of her four sons, clad in white shirts and black pants, were a blank mask throughout the four hour ceremony.
“It has been appointed for man to die once, after that it’s judgment,” Mr. Otumilara’s voice thundered over the din of the generator.
An indifferent state
Ibukun said that he was overwhelmed by the goodwill of their church as well as family and friends who had stood beside them in their grief.
“My mum, it’s been very hard (for her). The breadwinner has left, it’s not easy for her and the family,” Ibukun said.
“A phone call from the governor or state government is enough.
“I feel disgraced as a Nigerian because in other countries, such things cannot just happen and the government immediately not do something.”
Hours after the incident, LASTMA issued a statement saying that Adesanya Olatunde and Oludele Ogunride, the officers involved in the incident, “acted on their own contrary to the operational guidelines of the agency.”
When contacted on Thursday, Bola Ajao, LASTMA’s Public Relations Officer, told PREMIUM TIMES that the agency had handed the officers to the police and “we’ve been co-operating with them.”
When asked if the agency had reached out to the family of the deceased, Ms. Ajao responded by asking if the reporter had spoken with the family.
After she got an affirmative answer, she said “I’m sorry I can’t talk about that. I’m driving now. Call me back later.”
When she was contacted later, Ms. Ajao simply said that the “agency was not aware that the man was buried today.”
Tributes to a “very nice man”
Mr. Popoola’s colleagues at the Oshodi Under Bridge garage declared Thursday a work-free one as a mark of respect to their departed chairman.
“The man was a very nice man. And that is why we did not work today and we are all here,” said Chibie Ikemba.
“There is no one who will not want to honour him as a person, not to talk of the fact he was our chairman. I wish the government will allow justice to reign in this matter,” Mr. Ikemba added.
Tunde Saka, another colleague, said that he lived in the deceased’s house for 15 years “without paying a kobo.”
“I slept under Oshodi Bridge for a long time till I met Baba. Then he took me in and built a small room for me in his compound,” Mr. Saka said.
“If government will compensate for his death, N100 million is not enough because so many families depend on him. Even till now, I still depend on him.
“They killed a wrong man. They killed somebody that the society should celebrate because of his character and benevolence,” Mr. Saka added.
For Sunday Fakomilogbon, a mechanic who uses the deceased’s compound as his workshop; life wouldn’t have been the same without him.
“He used to repair his vehicle where I was an apprentice. That’s where I knew him,” said Mr. Fakomilogbon, who has been living with the deceased since 1996.
“When I finished and had nowhere to start, he helped me. His compound became my workshop and he brought all the clients I have today,” he added.
Aremu Salau, the deceased’s bus conductor, said that his boss would have been alive if help had come early.
“Baba would not have died if he got help early but the LASTMA officials kept saying he was pretending. They wanted to force the door open but the door was locked and while pulling him, they hit his head on the door,” said Mr. Salau.
“Passengers were also demanding for the man’s offence because he didn’t do anything. But immediately he fainted, they all ran away and there was nobody to help me,” he said.
Musibau Majolagbe, a driver at the garage, urged the government to unsure that the deceased’s children are taken care of.
“If not for the respect we have for Lagos State government, LASTMA officials that would have been killed in retaliation would have been many because this man mean so much to us,” said Mr. Majolagbe.
“He is the reason we, who people called riff-raff, are what we are today.”
Isaac Popoola, 54, died on Christmas Eve inside his vehicle after the LASTMA traffic officer banged his head, repeatedly, on the bus’s door as he struggled to clutch the steering wheel.
Two weeks after the incident, the deceased’s family said that state government officials had not reached out to them.
And during his funeral ceremony at his Akowonjo residence where Mr. Popoola was laid to rest, there was no government representative.
“There is no sign of condolence. I feel very very bad because this is ungodly. There is no justice in this country as far as I’m concerned,” said Ibukun Popoola, 26, the deceased’s eldest son.
“Since his death, the governor even if he is too busy, he ought to send a delegate, somebody to just pay his own condolence to my father. The LASTMA officials, none of them came. It is disappointing,” Ibukun added.
The officiating minister at the funeral, Julius Otumilara, while describing the deceased as “a godly man” asked the family to leave judgment to God.
“The Lord is the judge, so let’s leave judgment to God,” Mr. Otumilara, pastor at Foursquare Gospel Church, Akowonjo, said.
Modupe, the deceased’s wife, listened attentively, occasionally shaking her head and spreading her arms, as the preacher’s voice ebbed and flowed.
When it was time to pay the last respects; she joined a horde of sympathizers as they walked around the opened casket, momentarily gazed at her husband’s dead face, shielded by a white transparent cloth, walked away and wept.
The faces of her four sons, clad in white shirts and black pants, were a blank mask throughout the four hour ceremony.
“It has been appointed for man to die once, after that it’s judgment,” Mr. Otumilara’s voice thundered over the din of the generator.
An indifferent state
Ibukun said that he was overwhelmed by the goodwill of their church as well as family and friends who had stood beside them in their grief.
“My mum, it’s been very hard (for her). The breadwinner has left, it’s not easy for her and the family,” Ibukun said.
“A phone call from the governor or state government is enough.
“I feel disgraced as a Nigerian because in other countries, such things cannot just happen and the government immediately not do something.”
Hours after the incident, LASTMA issued a statement saying that Adesanya Olatunde and Oludele Ogunride, the officers involved in the incident, “acted on their own contrary to the operational guidelines of the agency.”
When contacted on Thursday, Bola Ajao, LASTMA’s Public Relations Officer, told PREMIUM TIMES that the agency had handed the officers to the police and “we’ve been co-operating with them.”
When asked if the agency had reached out to the family of the deceased, Ms. Ajao responded by asking if the reporter had spoken with the family.
After she got an affirmative answer, she said “I’m sorry I can’t talk about that. I’m driving now. Call me back later.”
When she was contacted later, Ms. Ajao simply said that the “agency was not aware that the man was buried today.”
Tributes to a “very nice man”
Mr. Popoola’s colleagues at the Oshodi Under Bridge garage declared Thursday a work-free one as a mark of respect to their departed chairman.
“The man was a very nice man. And that is why we did not work today and we are all here,” said Chibie Ikemba.
“There is no one who will not want to honour him as a person, not to talk of the fact he was our chairman. I wish the government will allow justice to reign in this matter,” Mr. Ikemba added.
Tunde Saka, another colleague, said that he lived in the deceased’s house for 15 years “without paying a kobo.”
“I slept under Oshodi Bridge for a long time till I met Baba. Then he took me in and built a small room for me in his compound,” Mr. Saka said.
“If government will compensate for his death, N100 million is not enough because so many families depend on him. Even till now, I still depend on him.
“They killed a wrong man. They killed somebody that the society should celebrate because of his character and benevolence,” Mr. Saka added.
For Sunday Fakomilogbon, a mechanic who uses the deceased’s compound as his workshop; life wouldn’t have been the same without him.
“He used to repair his vehicle where I was an apprentice. That’s where I knew him,” said Mr. Fakomilogbon, who has been living with the deceased since 1996.
“When I finished and had nowhere to start, he helped me. His compound became my workshop and he brought all the clients I have today,” he added.
Aremu Salau, the deceased’s bus conductor, said that his boss would have been alive if help had come early.
“Baba would not have died if he got help early but the LASTMA officials kept saying he was pretending. They wanted to force the door open but the door was locked and while pulling him, they hit his head on the door,” said Mr. Salau.
“Passengers were also demanding for the man’s offence because he didn’t do anything. But immediately he fainted, they all ran away and there was nobody to help me,” he said.
Musibau Majolagbe, a driver at the garage, urged the government to unsure that the deceased’s children are taken care of.
“If not for the respect we have for Lagos State government, LASTMA officials that would have been killed in retaliation would have been many because this man mean so much to us,” said Mr. Majolagbe.
“He is the reason we, who people called riff-raff, are what we are today.”
Naij
Isaac Popoola, 54, died on Christmas Eve inside his vehicle after the LASTMA traffic officer banged his head, repeatedly, on the bus’s door as he struggled to clutch the steering wheel.
Two weeks after the incident, the deceased’s family said that state government officials had not reached out to them.
And during his funeral ceremony at his Akowonjo residence where Mr. Popoola was laid to rest, there was no government representative.
“There is no sign of condolence. I feel very very bad because this is ungodly. There is no justice in this country as far as I’m concerned,” said Ibukun Popoola, 26, the deceased’s eldest son.
“Since his death, the governor even if he is too busy, he ought to send a delegate, somebody to just pay his own condolence to my father. The LASTMA officials, none of them came. It is disappointing,” Ibukun added.
The officiating minister at the funeral, Julius Otumilara, while describing the deceased as “a godly man” asked the family to leave judgment to God.
“The Lord is the judge, so let’s leave judgment to God,” Mr. Otumilara, pastor at Foursquare Gospel Church, Akowonjo, said.
Modupe, the deceased’s wife, listened attentively, occasionally shaking her head and spreading her arms, as the preacher’s voice ebbed and flowed.
When it was time to pay the last respects; she joined a horde of sympathizers as they walked around the opened casket, momentarily gazed at her husband’s dead face, shielded by a white transparent cloth, walked away and wept.
The faces of her four sons, clad in white shirts and black pants, were a blank mask throughout the four hour ceremony.
“It has been appointed for man to die once, after that it’s judgment,” Mr. Otumilara’s voice thundered over the din of the generator.
An indifferent state
Ibukun said that he was overwhelmed by the goodwill of their church as well as family and friends who had stood beside them in their grief.
“My mum, it’s been very hard (for her). The breadwinner has left, it’s not easy for her and the family,” Ibukun said.
“A phone call from the governor or state government is enough.
“I feel disgraced as a Nigerian because in other countries, such things cannot just happen and the government immediately not do something.”
Hours after the incident, LASTMA issued a statement saying that Adesanya Olatunde and Oludele Ogunride, the officers involved in the incident, “acted on their own contrary to the operational guidelines of the agency.”
When contacted on Thursday, Bola Ajao, LASTMA’s Public Relations Officer, told PREMIUM TIMES that the agency had handed the officers to the police and “we’ve been co-operating with them.”
When asked if the agency had reached out to the family of the deceased, Ms. Ajao responded by asking if the reporter had spoken with the family.
After she got an affirmative answer, she said “I’m sorry I can’t talk about that. I’m driving now. Call me back later.”
When she was contacted later, Ms. Ajao simply said that the “agency was not aware that the man was buried today.”
Tributes to a “very nice man”
Mr. Popoola’s colleagues at the Oshodi Under Bridge garage declared Thursday a work-free one as a mark of respect to their departed chairman.
“The man was a very nice man. And that is why we did not work today and we are all here,” said Chibie Ikemba.
“There is no one who will not want to honour him as a person, not to talk of the fact he was our chairman. I wish the government will allow justice to reign in this matter,” Mr. Ikemba added.
Tunde Saka, another colleague, said that he lived in the deceased’s house for 15 years “without paying a kobo.”
“I slept under Oshodi Bridge for a long time till I met Baba. Then he took me in and built a small room for me in his compound,” Mr. Saka said.
“If government will compensate for his death, N100 million is not enough because so many families depend on him. Even till now, I still depend on him.
“They killed a wrong man. They killed somebody that the society should celebrate because of his character and benevolence,” Mr. Saka added.
For Sunday Fakomilogbon, a mechanic who uses the deceased’s compound as his workshop; life wouldn’t have been the same without him.
“He used to repair his vehicle where I was an apprentice. That’s where I knew him,” said Mr. Fakomilogbon, who has been living with the deceased since 1996.
“When I finished and had nowhere to start, he helped me. His compound became my workshop and he brought all the clients I have today,” he added.
Aremu Salau, the deceased’s bus conductor, said that his boss would have been alive if help had come early.
“Baba would not have died if he got help early but the LASTMA officials kept saying he was pretending. They wanted to force the door open but the door was locked and while pulling him, they hit his head on the door,” said Mr. Salau.
“Passengers were also demanding for the man’s offence because he didn’t do anything. But immediately he fainted, they all ran away and there was nobody to help me,” he said.
Musibau Majolagbe, a driver at the garage, urged the government to unsure that the deceased’s children are taken care of.
“If not for the respect we have for Lagos State government, LASTMA officials that would have been killed in retaliation would have been many because this man mean so much to us,” said Mr. Majolagbe.
“He is the reason we, who people called riff-raff, are what we are today.”
Isaac Popoola, 54, died on Christmas Eve inside his vehicle after the LASTMA traffic officer banged his head, repeatedly, on the bus’s door as he struggled to clutch the steering wheel.
Two weeks after the incident, the deceased’s family said that state government officials had not reached out to them.
And during his funeral ceremony at his Akowonjo residence where Mr. Popoola was laid to rest, there was no government representative.
“There is no sign of condolence. I feel very very bad because this is ungodly. There is no justice in this country as far as I’m concerned,” said Ibukun Popoola, 26, the deceased’s eldest son.
“Since his death, the governor even if he is too busy, he ought to send a delegate, somebody to just pay his own condolence to my father. The LASTMA officials, none of them came. It is disappointing,” Ibukun added.
The officiating minister at the funeral, Julius Otumilara, while describing the deceased as “a godly man” asked the family to leave judgment to God.
“The Lord is the judge, so let’s leave judgment to God,” Mr. Otumilara, pastor at Foursquare Gospel Church, Akowonjo, said.
Modupe, the deceased’s wife, listened attentively, occasionally shaking her head and spreading her arms, as the preacher’s voice ebbed and flowed.
When it was time to pay the last respects; she joined a horde of sympathizers as they walked around the opened casket, momentarily gazed at her husband’s dead face, shielded by a white transparent cloth, walked away and wept.
The faces of her four sons, clad in white shirts and black pants, were a blank mask throughout the four hour ceremony.
“It has been appointed for man to die once, after that it’s judgment,” Mr. Otumilara’s voice thundered over the din of the generator.
An indifferent state
Ibukun said that he was overwhelmed by the goodwill of their church as well as family and friends who had stood beside them in their grief.
“My mum, it’s been very hard (for her). The breadwinner has left, it’s not easy for her and the family,” Ibukun said.
“A phone call from the governor or state government is enough.
“I feel disgraced as a Nigerian because in other countries, such things cannot just happen and the government immediately not do something.”
Hours after the incident, LASTMA issued a statement saying that Adesanya Olatunde and Oludele Ogunride, the officers involved in the incident, “acted on their own contrary to the operational guidelines of the agency.”
When contacted on Thursday, Bola Ajao, LASTMA’s Public Relations Officer, told PREMIUM TIMES that the agency had handed the officers to the police and “we’ve been co-operating with them.”
When asked if the agency had reached out to the family of the deceased, Ms. Ajao responded by asking if the reporter had spoken with the family.
After she got an affirmative answer, she said “I’m sorry I can’t talk about that. I’m driving now. Call me back later.”
When she was contacted later, Ms. Ajao simply said that the “agency was not aware that the man was buried today.”
Tributes to a “very nice man”
Mr. Popoola’s colleagues at the Oshodi Under Bridge garage declared Thursday a work-free one as a mark of respect to their departed chairman.
“The man was a very nice man. And that is why we did not work today and we are all here,” said Chibie Ikemba.
“There is no one who will not want to honour him as a person, not to talk of the fact he was our chairman. I wish the government will allow justice to reign in this matter,” Mr. Ikemba added.
Tunde Saka, another colleague, said that he lived in the deceased’s house for 15 years “without paying a kobo.”
“I slept under Oshodi Bridge for a long time till I met Baba. Then he took me in and built a small room for me in his compound,” Mr. Saka said.
“If government will compensate for his death, N100 million is not enough because so many families depend on him. Even till now, I still depend on him.
“They killed a wrong man. They killed somebody that the society should celebrate because of his character and benevolence,” Mr. Saka added.
For Sunday Fakomilogbon, a mechanic who uses the deceased’s compound as his workshop; life wouldn’t have been the same without him.
“He used to repair his vehicle where I was an apprentice. That’s where I knew him,” said Mr. Fakomilogbon, who has been living with the deceased since 1996.
“When I finished and had nowhere to start, he helped me. His compound became my workshop and he brought all the clients I have today,” he added.
Aremu Salau, the deceased’s bus conductor, said that his boss would have been alive if help had come early.
“Baba would not have died if he got help early but the LASTMA officials kept saying he was pretending. They wanted to force the door open but the door was locked and while pulling him, they hit his head on the door,” said Mr. Salau.
“Passengers were also demanding for the man’s offence because he didn’t do anything. But immediately he fainted, they all ran away and there was nobody to help me,” he said.
Musibau Majolagbe, a driver at the garage, urged the government to unsure that the deceased’s children are taken care of.
“If not for the respect we have for Lagos State government, LASTMA officials that would have been killed in retaliation would have been many because this man mean so much to us,” said Mr. Majolagbe.
“He is the reason we, who people called riff-raff, are what we are today.”
Naij
Beware: Shipload of toxic e-waste arrives at Lagos port
e-Waste consists of old and outdated electronic gadgets and materials such as refrigerators, containing chlorofluro carbons (CFC) or green house gases. According to Mr Dike Ejiogu, a computer Engineer at the Ikeja Computer Village: “Although some of these gadgets were manufactured for human good, the expiration of the chemicals used in manufacturing them converts them to toxins which ironically becomes injurious to human health particularly when the gases are inhaled.
“Besides, they are also environmentally unfriendly as they pollute the air and reduce the oxygen which is the main ingredient of the air we breathe for life” he added.
The vessel which is currently anchored at the Tin-can Island Container Terminal (TICT), was quarantined by officials of the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) with other port agencies keeping vigil on it.
Reliable sources said the vessel which berthed on January 5 originated from Tilbury in England and that the importers were based at Alaba International Market.
Customs confirm report
Confirming this to Vanguard, Public Relations Officer of Tin-Can Island Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Mr. Chris Osunkwo, said that NESREA had written to the Command informing them that they have intelligence report that a vessel which is erroneously called M.V. Mavia, was coming into the country with two container loads of e-waste.
Osunkwo said that the NESREA officials in the letter said that the vessel should not be allowed to discharge, adding that the inspection would be done onboard the vessel before it is sent back to it’s country of origin. The numbers of the containers are ECMU 9894590 and ECMU 9870858.
Also contacted, Assistant General Manager in charge of Public Affairs of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Ileya Musa, told Vanguard that the management of Tin-Can Island Port was aware of the development, adding that the vessel has since been isolated while the relevant agencies were on ground awaiting the inspection of the vessel.
On where the ship came from, Musa said he did not know but promised to get back to our reporter. He never did at press time.
Efforts to get to the area where the vessel was anchored proved abortive but a source at the TICT told Vanguard that the crew of the vessel had told them that the containers were in transit, adding that the final destination was the United Kingdom.
However, a senior Customs officer who spoke with Vanguard on condition of anonymity , explained that the claim might just be a way of avoiding detention by officials of the Nigerian government.
It would be recalled that NESREA had on several occasions detained some vessels that had brought in e-waste into the country.
Some vessels detained before now were MV Maersk Nashville and M.V. Gumel.
Head of NESREA at the port, Mrs. Miranda Amachree, told Vanguard when M.V Gumel was detained that they got intelligence report from their counterparts in Antwerp, Belgium, that the vessel was bringing used fridges, television sets, compressor pots and batteries.
Amachree explained that the report from Antwerp was a result of the agreement entered into by Nigeria and European countries to do away with CFC, which were brought in by the vessel.
YNaija.com
Late MC Loph’s Record Label Boss Adopts His Surviving Son
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By virtue of that, he is now responsible for the boy’s upkeep and total upbringing.
Here is what he said:
”MC Loph’s family became my second family from the very day that unfortunate incident happened and I have been living up to expectations. This is not a joking matter.
No one prays for a thing like this, but once it happens, it’s no time to start feasting on it negatively.
None of these people who called themselves MC Loph’s friends have deemed it fit to even pay a visit to his mother and yet they maintained they are his friends and Morgan.
“As for Obiajulu Jnr. (Loph’s son), he has been adopted by me, which makes him my son and as his father, I have and will continue to be responsible for his upkeep”.
MC Loph and his fiancee, Nkiru were traveling home for their traditional marriage in November 2011 when he died in an auto crash.
Naijaurban
Prison Officer Admits Collecting N11.6m Bribe From Job Applicants
A suspended female officer of the
Nigeria Prison Service (NPS) on Tuesday admitted before the National
Industrial Court, Abuja that she collected bribe totaling N11.6 million
from job applicants.
Mrs Josephine Mba, a Superintendent of Prison, made the admission while being cross-examined by the defence counsel, Mr Shehu Ilegieuno, in a case she instituted against the Nigeria Prison Service.
Joined as defendants in the case are the Minister of Interior and the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice.
In the case before Justice Babatunde Adejumo, the claimant is challenging her suspension from duty and seizure of her full salary on the grounds that due process was not followed by the NPS board.
In her statement of claims, Mba argued that under the Civil Service Rule, an officer on suspension is entitled to half of his/her monthly salary.
However, under cross-examination by the defence counsel, she admitted to collecting a total of N11.6 million from 113 persons seeking employment in the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS).
She told the Court that the said amount was collected by her and five other officers, also on suspension, to assist the applicants secure employment with the NIS.
Ilegieuno was cross-examining her on her statement of claim and a petition she wrote to the Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG), Zone 7, Abuja dated Sept. 7, 2008.
In the petition admitted in evidence by the Court, Mba agreed that she and her suspended colleagues collected between N80,000 and N110,000 from each of the 113 applicants out of which 48 were successful.
She further told the Court in her witness statement: "My suspension followed petitions written against me by some of the remaining 65 unsuccessful applicants.
In Paragraph 1, Page 2 of the petition to the AIG Zone 7, the claimant said: "I handed over the N11.6m to another officer identified as Ahmodu Ahmed who is also on suspension."
She however told the court that she personally collected part of the money while other officers, also on suspension, collected the balance and handed over to her for onward transmission to Ahmodu.
When asked by Ilegieuno whether by her schedule of duty she was mandated to collect money from job applicants, she answered in the negative.
The case was adjourned till Mar. 5 for further hearing.
Naij
Mrs Josephine Mba, a Superintendent of Prison, made the admission while being cross-examined by the defence counsel, Mr Shehu Ilegieuno, in a case she instituted against the Nigeria Prison Service.
Joined as defendants in the case are the Minister of Interior and the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice.
In the case before Justice Babatunde Adejumo, the claimant is challenging her suspension from duty and seizure of her full salary on the grounds that due process was not followed by the NPS board.
In her statement of claims, Mba argued that under the Civil Service Rule, an officer on suspension is entitled to half of his/her monthly salary.
However, under cross-examination by the defence counsel, she admitted to collecting a total of N11.6 million from 113 persons seeking employment in the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS).
She told the Court that the said amount was collected by her and five other officers, also on suspension, to assist the applicants secure employment with the NIS.
Ilegieuno was cross-examining her on her statement of claim and a petition she wrote to the Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG), Zone 7, Abuja dated Sept. 7, 2008.
In the petition admitted in evidence by the Court, Mba agreed that she and her suspended colleagues collected between N80,000 and N110,000 from each of the 113 applicants out of which 48 were successful.
She further told the Court in her witness statement: "My suspension followed petitions written against me by some of the remaining 65 unsuccessful applicants.
In Paragraph 1, Page 2 of the petition to the AIG Zone 7, the claimant said: "I handed over the N11.6m to another officer identified as Ahmodu Ahmed who is also on suspension."
She however told the court that she personally collected part of the money while other officers, also on suspension, collected the balance and handed over to her for onward transmission to Ahmodu.
When asked by Ilegieuno whether by her schedule of duty she was mandated to collect money from job applicants, she answered in the negative.
The case was adjourned till Mar. 5 for further hearing.
Naij
Jonathan Fails To Resolve PDP Crisis; Governors Insist On NEC, Ousting Bamanga Tukur
President Goodluck Jonathan and PDP excos
By SaharaReporters, New York
Tukur was this week weakened by 10 of the 12 members of the National Working Committee (NWC), who dissociated themselves from his activities in the party in his home State, Adamawa.
As the crisis grew today, Olisa Metuh, PDP’s National Publicity Secretary, issued a statement in which he said the party had commended its Board of Trustees for the “prompt resolution” of the conflict in the NWC, bragging that the PDP is the only political party in the country where differences in the leadership of its various organs could be resolved within a record time.
“In a political party as large as the PDP, divergent opinions on issues are normal but in the ability of its leaders to resolve and find a common ground on such issues, dwells the strength and dynamism of such an organization. In this instance, it is only in the PDP that misunderstandings are not just resolved but done in matter of hours. The National Working Committee of the PDP therefore wishes to commend the Board of Trustees of the Party for proving its role as the conscience of the Party."
Mr. Metuh had apparently not consulted with the governors, who are livid that Tukur unilaterally and illegally dissolved the Adamawa State executive committee of the party on account of his differences with the state governor, Murtala Nyako.
At the Presidential Villa meeting, Jonathan reportedly appealed to the governors to forgive Tukur and thereby save him and the party from public disgrace.
The effort was largely futile because the governors are of the opinion that Tukur is carrying out Jonathan’s secret agenda aiming at pulling the rug of the party from the feet of any governor that is viewed as not cooperating with Tukur and the President’s secret political plans for 2015.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, the Governor of Akwa Ibom, Chief Godswil Akpabio, did not deny the chaos, but he played it down, saying it was “normal” in a political party.
Mr. Metuh did not stray far from that point. “In a political party as large as the PDP, divergent opinions on issues are normal but in the ability of its leaders to resolve and find a common ground on such issues, dwells the strength and dynamism of such an organization.
Working hard to keep the genie in the bottle, he stated that the divided NWC had assured all members of the PDP of the “unwavering unity of purpose” in their ranks.
“We are united under the able and dynamic leadership of our National Chairman, Dr. Bamanga Tukur,” he said. “We are ever determined to ensure that the Party fulfills its electoral promises to the people by securing an undiluted compliance of all our members in various positions of authority to a credible performance target."
It was unclear what he meant by that, given that many Nigerians, including Olusegun Obasanjo, who is credited with imposing Mr. Jonathan on the country, are criticizing his weakness and incompetence.
How NLC’s Omar and TUC’s Peter Esele @peteresele betrayed #OccupyNigeria – An Insider’s memoir
I was uncomfortable the moment I received the Mail above. Who wouldn’t be? In the heat of the Occupy Nigeria protests along with the NLC strike, we were being summoned to Abuja for a meeting. Equally unnerving is the announcement that the Airspace would be temporarily opened to facilitate the meeting.
When a Viable Union meets a Recalcitrant Government, something’s got to give. Until the January 2012 watershed, Nigerians had become used to the Oshiomole-esque kind of strike, and the pattern had become predictable. The Government announces an increment, NLC demands a ‘status quo or nothing’ and all of a sudden, pulls a volte face and goes into negotiations.
The Obasanjo government had, between 1999-2007, hiked the pump price successively from N20 to N 30 (June 1, 2000), amidst mass action, came down to N 25, and eventually bent further to N 22, on June 13 the same year. On January 1, 2002, Obasanjo increased the petrol pump price from N 22 to N26 , and on June 23, 2003, just after he was sworn-in for his second term as president, Obasanjo again increased the fuel price to N34 and then to N40. Obasanjo’s administration actually hiked the price of fuel seven times with the last one on May 27, 2007, two days to his exit from office, when he raised it from N65 to N70.
The Yar Adua administration was burdened with the unpleasant task of negotiating an ‘inherited’ decision with the Labour Union, and reversed the N70 pump price to N65. Intense negotiations however continued on the deregulation of the downstream sector.
The Oil and Gas Unions, PENGASSAN and NUPENG gave a conditional support for deregulation; that the ‘government must provide the necessary succour and palliative measures to assuage the impact of import-driven deregulation within the set timeframe’
PENGASSAN also provided a further condition, that the ‘Original PIB, as drafted by the Rilwanu Lukman Oil and Gas Sector Implementation Committee (OGIC) be implemented’. The Petroleum Industry Bill, as originally drafted, was to eventually end Government interference in the Oil and Gas Sector, and eventually provide a framework for the growth of the Oil Industry and end the inherent Corruption spawned from a Subsidized Market that was import driven.
The Goodluck Jonathan administration, amidst a façade of intense consultation, would spin a notorious surprise on January 1, 2012 with a 117% increment from N65 to N141.
For the first time in the history of pump price hike, protests sprang from a Rag-Tag team of Youths while Labour was still sprawling in lethargy. The Occupy Nigeria logo and T-Shirts sprang up and spates of peaceful demonstrations commenced.
Eventually, the NLC/TUC would announce an ‘Indefinite Strike Action’ commencing January 9, 2012.
January 8, 2012
To All Branches, Zones and CWC members
RE: STRIKE DIRECTIVE
This is to inform all members of the CWC, Zonal & Branch Executive Committee that the indefinite strike action scheduled from Monday January 9, 2012 in protest against Government approach to Subsidy Removal will go on as directed.
The strike Monitoring Teams at all levels shall ensure that essential services are maintained while all our members are strongly advised to stay at home.
The strike monitoring teams shall go round to assess compliance and give reports through the Team Leaders.
The National Secretariat shall give all information and directive on further devel
Aluta Continua!! Victoria Asserta!!
At this time, I had joined the ‘Rag-Tag Team’. Setting out to Ojota in the wee hours of January 9th 2012 did not come without apprehensions. Parents who saw the horrors of the June 12 agitations did not want their children involved in any struggle. Moreover, Nigerians had begun to see protests as ‘NLC declared Public Holidays’ at the end of each Strike, pump prices never get reverted to status quo ante. I went, anyway, and before my eyes, I saw the gathering grow to a record ground-breaking watershed that sent strong signals to the Jonathan administration. Not so many Nigerians would realise the level of fear the Ojota Rallies generated in the heart of government, and even Labour Leaders.
For the next five days, I’d set out to Ojota, and by evening, hold meetings and plot strategies for the next day.
NLC’s decision to go into negotiations with the Government in spite of the earlier stance of ‘Revert first, we discuss later’ sent the first distress signal for the heavy blow that would be dealt the Occupy Nigeria movement.
The Save Nigeria Group (SNG) switched the strategy and methodology of protests in Nigeria. Until January 9th, Nigerian protests had been limited to Tyre burnings, and long marches. No one had ever thought gathering in one spot could make such an impact. SNG was however, not alone. Loose coalitions emerged all over, with Ikoyi spinning a great surprise, Corporate Moguls, Celebrities, Medical Directors, amongst others joined the throng. No one would forget Ali Baba’s Truck in a hurry.
For me, the high-point was seeing Muhammed Fawehinmi, the Son of the late human-rights activist/legal luminary, Chief Gani Fawehinmi coming for the Rally in his Wheelchair.
There however, remained a grey-area/loop-hole the Government would cash into: The Convener of the Save Nigeria Group was the running mate of General Buhari in the 2011 elections. This normally would mean nothing in a sane society where freedom of speech/association is sacrosanct. Unfortunately, in a Winner-Takes-All society like ours, IT IS A CRIME TO BE IN THE OPPOSITION! The ballot is meant to be the bullet that kills your Freedom of Speech!
It is worth of note, however, that when the Late Chief Gani Fawehinmi became silent shortly after running for Presidency under the flag of his National Conscience Party, the general populace appealed to him not to be quiet. But then, that’s another musing for another day.
Against this backdrop, I found the Abuja summons unnerving and initially resolved not to go. What if the meeting turned out to be a ‘Settlement Meeting’?
My good friend, Gbenga Sesan as well as others in the ‘Rag-Tag team’ asked me a question: ‘If you do not go, how would you know what happened?’ At that point, I made up my mind to go, and ensure I cover my Transportation expenses myself. That would be another obstacle, considering the Strike and the draining out of most ATM machines at that time. Gbenga facilitated my ticket fare to Abuja and I got some personal funds on standby for my return.
By Saturday, January 14th 2012, I had met with other PENGASSAN members and we headed for Abuja. We had arrived at the Hotel venue before it all became clear: All Labour Leaders from NLC/TUC had been summoned to Abuja! As a matter of fact, in a ‘We know where you live’ manner, we were lodged in the same hotel wing. This was coming on the heels of the directive issued by PENGASSAN to commence a Systematic Shutdown from midnight of that same Saturday the 14th January, 2012.
The Hotel was a hub of events, from Reporters nodding off on chairs clutching their ‘Panasonic’ to Union leaders split into several camps, from those sympathetic to GEJ to those who had been part of the Ojota and Abuja rallies and wanted nothing but a total showdown. Apparently fed up with the NLC/TUC leadership insisting on the fact that they were accountable to various NEC (National Executive Council) members, they had been told to summon us all to Abuja. I would later discover upon checking out of the Hotel that all Hotel Bills (Lodging and Feeding) were on NLC/TUC account; that was huge, considering the number of Unions and Leaders.
A lot of Nigerians might not know this, but NUPENG and PENGASSAN were/are still licking the wounds sustained in the 1994 June 12 actualization struggle. Pascal Bafyau of the NLC had betrayed NUPENG/PENGASSAN when the Oil Workers’ Union went ahead with the Shutdown. Pascal Bafyau (NLC) walked free while Frank Kokori (NUPENG) and Milton Dabibi (PENGASSAN) went to jail and remained in Prison Custody without trial till June 16th 1998, a week after the death of General Abacha.
The likes of Asari Dokubo had been making personal calls to threaten the Leadership of the Oil Workers’ Union.
In spite of all these, PENGASSAN NEC meeting held that evening in the Hotel. Tribal/Political sentiments were rife at the onset, ‘nothing must happen to Jonathan’, ‘the day you kill a madman, na im you go know say e get family’ ‘we should not be used by these Politicians, is it Bakare that did not even win a Local government?’ In essence, those who went to negotiate directly with Government from the core NLC/TUC leadership had claimed that the Lagos struggle had been ‘hijacked by Politicians’. Comrade Peter Esele himself had said ‘We’ve lost Lagos (to Politicians), we’d have lost Abuja too, but we were there to make sure the Politicians did not hijack it’.
The PENGASSAN Chairman presided over the PENGASSAN meeting. Along the line, we were addressed by one of the 1994 PENGASSAN detainees, who reminded us that Posterity will judge whatever decision we made that night. He reminded us that although neither himself, Kokori nor others who went to jail in the heat of the June 12 struggle had anything physical to show for their struggle, they had a clear conscience about the decision they made. He, however, advised that should we opt for the systematic shutdown; we should make sure we had all returned to the safety of our bases before a total shutdown.
Eventually, a unanimous decision was made to go ahead with the Systematic shutdown. Truth is, a total shutdown would invariably throw the Nation into darkness, among other things. For the Old Oil Wells, it would take a sizeable time span to get the Wells back to Optimum Production. In essence, a shutdown is an economic Coup d’etat; that was why Kokori and Dabibi back then were held for ‘treason’.
We sang our Solidarity Song, unsure what would befall us all with the decision, but with the calm assurance that Posterity would judge us for good….while the Communiqué was being edited for print, Comrade Peter Esele came to chat with us. He told us how scared the Government had become and how a Minister was even begging that the Union accepts even a marginal increase to N67 so that the President won’t be seen as weak.
Unknown to us all, the NLC Chairman had gone on Air to pull the greatest Coup on PENGASSAN. He had announced on our behalf that we were not shutting down. Funny how you are in a meeting and made a decision, only to hear a contrary thing on the Social Media who had access to TV that was to cover our Meeting!
The Ghost of 1994 had come calling; we left the Hotel in haste the following morning, my family and friends worrying about my safety. By Sunday, we were back at our bases without a clue how it all changed. I was still in a haze when Omar and Esele came on air. I’d have sworn I saw Omar dictating to Esele what they would tell Nigerians before Esele lowered the Mic from his mouth. Soldiers had been deployed to crush Ojota, and Labour was announcing to Nigerians that from a vantage point of victory, she preferred to Kiss Defeat (Kiss the Feet). That was a Mystery I could not understand, even as an eye witness. I never recovered…I hope I do someday.
UwemSpeaks:-)
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