Less
than a week after a Mobile Police officer attached to Mountain Troop
Police, killed Beauty Nnenna Macleod at Emperor’s Place in Lagos,
another trigger-happy police officer has shot dead a commercial bus
driver in Lagos. A police officer attached to Area E Police Command,
Festac, yesterday, shot dead a yet-to-be-identified commercial bus
driver at Second Rainbow Bus Stop along Oshodi/Apapa Expressway, for
allegedly refusing to play ball.
According to reports, trouble started after some policemen stopped
the commercial bus driver for allegedly driving against traffic in a bid
to escape the traffic gridlock that has continually plagued the
expressway. It was learned that an argument ensued between the two after
the commercial bus driver refused to give in to his demand.
According to one of the passengers (name withheld) inside the
vehicle, “the police officer stopped the driver and ordered him to
reverse to the right lane or pay an undisclosed sum of money to avoid
arrest. It was during an argument that the aggressive policeman shot
him.”
Another eyewitness at the scene who simply identified herself as Aina
said: “I saw when the bus driver took ‘one way’ and was stopped by one
of the Amuwo-Odofin policemen on patrol who attempted to arrest the
driver. He told the driver to pay him some money as a condition for the
driver to proceed but the driver insisted that he was not paying since
other drivers were engaged in the same act and nobody was arresting
them.
The conductor, to support his oga, told the policeman that they had
passengers to drop off and they had not made any money for the day.
Angered by their resistance, the officer opened fire on the bus driver,
who died on the spot.” Saturday Vanguard gathered that the
conductor also got a fair dose of beating from the other policemen who
pounded on him for daring to challenge their colleague who shot the
driver.
Lamenting, Musa Yusuf, a motorcyclist, said “the bus driver was shot
because he committed an offence of plying ‘one way’. But it’s not his
fault in all truth because this road is always blocked. If he remains on
that road for two hours, do you know how much he would have lost for
the day? If I were in his shoes, I would have done same.
The state government should work on the road so that it can be free
again. No matter what he did, the driver did not deserve to die. Is the
police supposed to be asking for bribe?” It was alleged that the
policemen shot sporadically to scare off aggrieved “area boys” who
attempted to take laws into their hands, before the policemen carried
the corpse of the driver to an undisclosed location.
When contacted, the Lagos State Police Command Spokesperson, DSP Joe
Offor said he didn’t have enough facts and that he would get back to us
after he received situation report from Festac Area Command. But he was
yet to as at the time of filing this report.
It will be recalled that on May 10, 2015 a Superintendent of Police
simply identified as Mohammed attached to the Disaster Management Unit
of the Department of Operations, under the Lagos State Police Command
Headquarters, Ikeja shot dead one Akeem Aranse, a tricycle in Akowonjo
area of Lagos. On September 17, Mrs Udoh, a mother of four was also shot
dead by Police Corporal Musefiu Aremu at Ijegun area of Lagos.
Also on October 8, 2015 another police officer shot and wounded an
unarmed civilian, John Membu outside the gates of Chevy View Estate in
Lekki area of Lagos. And on Sunday, 24 October, Beauty Macleod was shot
dead by an officer attached to Mountain Troop Police.
Saturday, 31 October 2015
Good morning quote
Love. Fall in love and stay in love. Write
only what you love, and love what you write. The key word is love. You
have to get up in the morning and write something you love, something to
live for
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_morning.html#ujtpgKFlUqYBDYfs.99
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_morning.html#ujtpgKFlUqYBDYfs.99
The politics of the Amaechi confirmation
From the time President Muhammadu Buhari submitted the name of a
former governor of Rivers State, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, to the Senate
as a ministerial nominee alongside 36 others, it was one issue after
another, up till the time his nomination was confirmed by the upper
chambre, last Thursday..
The
screening of the former Director- General of the All Progressives
Congress, APC 2015 Presidential Campaign Organisation generated
accusations and counter accusations.
It was like the Senate building was going to fall and Nigeria will break. From politicians to academicians, commentators, critics, everybody appeared interested.
To the former governor’s political opponents from his home state or those in the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Rivers, the party on whose platform he was elected the state’s chief helmsmen and Speaker for eight years, and subsequently defected to the APC, it was time to exact their pound of flesh.
The Senate became the locale for the pro and anti-Amaechi forces to flex muscles. The Anti-Amaechi forces filed a petition, written by one Livingstone Wechie on behalf of group called Integrity Group and presented to the upper legislative chambre by Senator George Sekibo and the other two senators from Rivers State, alleging cases of fraud against the former governor.
Senate President Bukola Saraki, relying on Order 41(3) of the Senate Standing Orders 2015 , as amended, referred the petition to the Senator Samuel Anyanwu-led Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions.
The committee invited Amaechi who appeared before it, and where he was told it was subjudice to handle the petition since a case on the petition was in court.
Other members of the committee are Senators Bala Ibn-Na’ Allah; Omotayo D. Alasoadura; Binta M. Garba; Olaka J. Nwogu; Muhammad U. Shitu; Dino Melaye; Peter O. Nwaoboshi; Jeremiah T. Useni; Ogba J. Obinna and Omogunwa O. Yele.
According to Anyanwu, PDP, Imo East, it was not proper for the committee to look at the petition as the issues raised there were already in court, adding that, in line with the Senate Standing Orders, senators will not attend to it.
Anyanwu stressed that the Senate will not want to run foul of the law. On that note, the committee brought the sitting to a close on the day Amaechi appeared.
Section 41(7) of the Senate Standing Orders 2015, as amended, reads, “ The Senate shall not receive any petition on any matter for which there is a judicial remedy”.
The day the committee report was slated for consideration at the Senate plenary was the day the former governor was scheduled for screening according to the Order Paper. But, curiously, Amaechi’s name disappeared in another Order Paper released later as one of the ministerial nominees to be screened that Wednesday. Meanwhile, with assurances from Anyanwu that the report will be ready, hopes were high, even as PDP senators took a combative position that the nominee will not be cleared.
Interestingly, the report of the Ethnics, Privileges and Public Petitions Committee was signed by members from the APC and PDP. The signatories from the APC are Na’Allah, Melaye and Alasoadura.
On the PDP side were Anyanwu, Yola, Nwaoboshi, Useni and Ogba. Those who did not sign were Garba, APC; Shitu, APC, and Nwogu, PDP.
The reports said, “Following from the discovery that the matter before the Senate is actually before a competent court of law, the committee accordingly recommends as follows: That since the ministerial nominee had gone to the Court of Appeal, to challenge the content of the petition and the white paper of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry, the Senate is unable to recommend the consideration of his confirmation. That the Senate should consider and adopt the recommendation as proposed by the committee.”
In its observations and findings, the committee said, “ As investigation of the matter progressed, additional important documents, which viewed the case from various positions, were also tendered before the committee, and these were also taken into consideration in drawing the recommendations of the committee. The documents include: A letter from the Office of the Attorney- General and Commissioner for Justice of Rivers State forwarding the report (White Paper) of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into the administration of Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi on the sale of valued assets of Rivers State and other related matters under the chairmanship of Honourable Justice George Otakpo Omereji, dated October 8, 2015; the ruling/judgment dated 20th August, 2015 of the Rivers State High Court by Honourable Justice S.C. Amadi(Judge) which rejected the relief sought( to declare that the Judicial Commission of Inquiry lacks the powers to investigate and make findings known, and therefore dismissed suit; three different letters from Edward and William( a firm of legal practitioners) on behalf of the ministerial nominee as follows:
“ A letter that the ministerial nominee, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, could not appear at the committee hearing because of the constraint that the matter was in court, since whatever he might say at the committee hearing would be seen as prejudicial to court judgment. The letter was dated 8th October, 2015; a letter to counter the contents of the petition by Mr. Livingstone Wechie, dated 9th October, 2015; notice of summons from the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory submitted to the committee on the 20th of October, 2015, summoning the Senate President and the Senate of the National Assembly to appear before it. The suit seeks to clarify the position of the law as to whether the Senate can screen, consider, ratify, accept, approve or confirm an indicted ministerial nominee”.
The committee went on: “ Neither the Senate nor the presenter knew that the matter being presented on the floor of the Senate was already a subject of litigation in an Appeal Court in Port- Harcourt.
“Since the matter is already a subject of litigation in a competent court of law, and since the Senate could not work contrary to its own rules (Order 41(7), it is constrained in taking any further action.”
Amaechi appeared at the Senate floor for screening, the following day, Thursday, October, 22, the day Anyanwu laid the report on the table. But PDP senators refused to ask the nominee questions. The Senate Minority Leader, Senator Godswill Akpabio, spoke the minds of his party members. On hand in a show of solidarity for Amaechi was the APC National Chairman, Chief John Odigie Oyegun, who was at the chamber with other members of the ruling party’s National Working Committee, NWC.
Fireworks
The climax of the Amaechi screening came last Thursday when he was listed as one of the 18 ministerial nominees to be confirmed. Confirmed before him, because his name was last on the Order Paper, were Adebayo Shittu, Khadijah Abba Ibrahim, Heineken Lokpobiri, Cladius Omoleye Daramola, Baba Shehuri Mustapha, Ocholi E. James and Adewole Isaac Folorunso.
Others were Bawa Bwari, Geoffrey Onyeama, Zainab S. Ahmed, Mansur Mohammed Dan Ali, Usani Usani Uguru, Okechukwu Enyinma Enelamah, Anwukah Anthony Gozie, Mohammed Musa Bello, Adamu Adamu and Aisha Abubakar.
Signs of what was to come that day began to show shortly after the Senate plenary started when senators of the PDP told the Senate President Saraki that the exercise could only be carried out if the report of the Anyanwu Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions on Amaechi was considered.
Speaking through the Deputy Minority Leader, Senator Biodun Olujimi, PDP, Ekiti South, the PDP senators said it was necessary that the Senate considered the Anyanwu report before going into the confirmation of the nominees.
Olujimi, who raised a point of order, under Order 43 of the Senate Standing Rule, told the Senate President to suspend all the processes leading to the confirmation of the ministerial nominees until the consideration of the report on Amaechi was carried out by the senators in line with the Standing Rules.
But she was ruled out of order by Saraki who noted that the Senate would first screen those appointed as National Commissioners of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
Saraki said the issue raised by Olujimi would be handled when the red chamber went into ministerial confirmation.
At this point, the Senate Leader,Ali Ndume, introduced the first item in the Senate Order Paper, which was the screening and confirmation of Professor Mahmood Yakubu as Chairman and others as National Commissioners of INEC.
Division
Soon after the confirmation of the INEC officials, the Senate President called for a closed-door meeting. Ahead of the confirmation of the screened nominees, senators had entered into caucus meetings of the APC and PDP, just as they also went into an executive session apparently to cool frayed nerves. But this appeared not to have produced a positive result as the issue of Amaechi sharply divided the lawmakers along party lines.
After the closed-door session, which lasted almost two hours and during which issues on how best to approach the nomination of the Rivers former governor as minister was discussed, the report of the Anyanwu committee, which recommended that the Senate should not consider the nomination, was presented.
The committee had recommended that since the ministerial nominee had gone to the Court of Appeal to challenge the petition and the White Paper of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Rivers State affairs under his headship, the Senate should not proceed with his confirmation.
That was a real test for Saraki whose frantic efforts to prevail on his colleagues from both camps to allow peace to reign as they pushed their cases for or against the nomination of Amaechi at the closed- door session failed.
A source told Sunday Vanguard that, at the executive session, the Senate President had tried to bend backwards to allow a fresh debate on the matter of the Amaechi nomination even after the screening had been concluded.
According to the source, senators opposed to the former governor were promised to be allowed to publicly vent their grievances before a final voting, just as this was the demand of the PDP caucus and it was agreed to by APC senator.
Back in plenary, trouble started when Senate Leader Ndume moved that the chambre should jettison the report of the Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions Committee against the backdrop that it had confirmed that the Amaechi matter was pending in court, and that the lawmakers proceed with the confirmation of Amaechi.
Soon after, there was protest from Akpabio, who accused the Senate Leader of attempting to mislead the chambre from debating the report.
The Minority Leader, who cited Order 43 of Senate Standing Rule, reminded the chambre of an earlier agreement that when the Senate got to a nominee against whom there was a petition, the issue should be discussed before the Senate President would put a question on whether the nomination should be approved or not.
At this point, Senator Babajide Omoworare, APC, Osun East, observed that the part of the Senate Standing Rules the committee relied on to arrive at its recommendation was no longer relevant.
Not satisfied with Omoworare’s explanation, Senator Joshua Lidani, Gombe, told senators that the Section of the Senate Rule used by the Anyanwu committee was still in force, adding that it was in line with a Section of the 1999 Constitution, which empowers the Senate to regulate its affairs.
Scheme
When it became obvious that the senators were poised for a showdown, Olujimi, who told her colleagues that, against the backdrop of the unfolding scenario, it was crystal clear that the APC senators were out to scheme out their PDP colleagues, stressed that the majority will always have its way.
The senator urged her colleagues to note that there was a moral burden, not just on the Senate but also on the government of President Muhammadu Buhari, voted into power based on its commitment to fight corruption, saying, “There is a moral burden on President Buhari. Although the majority will always have its way, Nigerians will know that this government is not willing to fight corruption but will condone it all the way.”
According to her, what the Senate ought to do from the point of moral view was to allow the court to decide on the matter and probably absolve the nominee before he could be confirmed.
In his reaction, Sekibo, who presented the petition against Amaechi, cautioned the APC senators on the implication of their action as the world was watching how events would unfold, especially against the backdrop of the morality on the Amaechi ministerial screening, adding, “We represent our people and the Nigerian people we represent are the majority. The majority is not APC, the majority is the Nigerian people. The true judges are the Nigerian people. So, we must respect the Nigerian people.
“The report that was laid here talks of weighty allegations of corruption and the sale of government assets, mismanagement of funds and, above all, a standing issue on petitions. And you are magnanimous enough to refer the matter to the Ethics and Privileges Committee. There is no way a senator can amend the report.”
A former National Chairman of PDP, Senator Barnabas Gemade, APC, Benue, who spoke, said that the role of democracy was that the majority will always have its way while the minority will have its say, adding that, consequently, Saraki should ignore the PDP senators and go ahead with the question to senators as to whether the nominee should be confirmed or not. At this point, PDP senators, led by Akpabio, stormed out of the red chambre.
At a press conference later, the Minority Leader said, “ We were shut out when the we wanted to react to the report when it was laid. There was a little bit of something we don’t think is in conformity with morality there. Once a case is before a competent court of law, any action on that matter is subjudice and the committee was able to establish that the issues that were brought against the nominee are already issues that were adjudicated upon by the Court of Appeal and other courts of competent jurisdiction. So the issue of taking further action on his nomination, whether by way of appointment or otherwise, did not exist . We tried to make this point but they felt as a majority party there was no need to comply with the law.
“The law is very clear that, once a matter is before a court of competent jurisdiction, you can take no further action. So there was nothing wrong with suspending the issue of confirmation until those cases are disposed of and, in this case, I understand it is the nominee that went to court.
“It could have been a good idea for the nominee to withdraw his cases from court to allow the Senate to go into the matter, but, when that did not happen, we felt that, as lawmakers, we have a responsibility to Nigerians not to partake in that kind of charade.”
When asked if the action of Saraki will not affect loyalty, especially against the backdrop of the support the PDP gave to him before his emergence as Senate President, Akpabio said, “The Senate President was returned unopposed. There was no voting, so you cannot say that anybody supported the President. He was a sole nominee; nobody contested against him and there was none of us here that indicated interest in contesting for the position of Senate President . So when the CNA invited people to bring nomination for the post of the Senate President , Bukola Saraki was the sole candidate; so he was returned unopposed and you cannot say anybody supported him.”
On whether PDP senators will continue to walk out when not happy with issues, he said, “It is not normal for PDP senators to stage a walk out. This is the first time and it is because we feel very strongly that there is a total breach of the law; in this case, that where a matter is before a court of competent jurisdiction, any action you take will be subjudice. Our colleagues did not allow us to air our views, they were bent on what they had already discussed and performing an illegality and we will not be part of illegality. Walking out will not be constant in the Senate, but this was very clear.” At the end of the day, the minority had its say, but the majority had its way. Amaechi was screened and confirmed without input from PDP senators.
The
screening of the former Director- General of the All Progressives
Congress, APC 2015 Presidential Campaign Organisation generated
accusations and counter accusations.It was like the Senate building was going to fall and Nigeria will break. From politicians to academicians, commentators, critics, everybody appeared interested.
To the former governor’s political opponents from his home state or those in the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Rivers, the party on whose platform he was elected the state’s chief helmsmen and Speaker for eight years, and subsequently defected to the APC, it was time to exact their pound of flesh.
The Senate became the locale for the pro and anti-Amaechi forces to flex muscles. The Anti-Amaechi forces filed a petition, written by one Livingstone Wechie on behalf of group called Integrity Group and presented to the upper legislative chambre by Senator George Sekibo and the other two senators from Rivers State, alleging cases of fraud against the former governor.
Senate President Bukola Saraki, relying on Order 41(3) of the Senate Standing Orders 2015 , as amended, referred the petition to the Senator Samuel Anyanwu-led Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions.
The committee invited Amaechi who appeared before it, and where he was told it was subjudice to handle the petition since a case on the petition was in court.
Other members of the committee are Senators Bala Ibn-Na’ Allah; Omotayo D. Alasoadura; Binta M. Garba; Olaka J. Nwogu; Muhammad U. Shitu; Dino Melaye; Peter O. Nwaoboshi; Jeremiah T. Useni; Ogba J. Obinna and Omogunwa O. Yele.
According to Anyanwu, PDP, Imo East, it was not proper for the committee to look at the petition as the issues raised there were already in court, adding that, in line with the Senate Standing Orders, senators will not attend to it.
Anyanwu stressed that the Senate will not want to run foul of the law. On that note, the committee brought the sitting to a close on the day Amaechi appeared.
Section 41(7) of the Senate Standing Orders 2015, as amended, reads, “ The Senate shall not receive any petition on any matter for which there is a judicial remedy”.
The day the committee report was slated for consideration at the Senate plenary was the day the former governor was scheduled for screening according to the Order Paper. But, curiously, Amaechi’s name disappeared in another Order Paper released later as one of the ministerial nominees to be screened that Wednesday. Meanwhile, with assurances from Anyanwu that the report will be ready, hopes were high, even as PDP senators took a combative position that the nominee will not be cleared.
Interestingly, the report of the Ethnics, Privileges and Public Petitions Committee was signed by members from the APC and PDP. The signatories from the APC are Na’Allah, Melaye and Alasoadura.
On the PDP side were Anyanwu, Yola, Nwaoboshi, Useni and Ogba. Those who did not sign were Garba, APC; Shitu, APC, and Nwogu, PDP.
The reports said, “Following from the discovery that the matter before the Senate is actually before a competent court of law, the committee accordingly recommends as follows: That since the ministerial nominee had gone to the Court of Appeal, to challenge the content of the petition and the white paper of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry, the Senate is unable to recommend the consideration of his confirmation. That the Senate should consider and adopt the recommendation as proposed by the committee.”
In its observations and findings, the committee said, “ As investigation of the matter progressed, additional important documents, which viewed the case from various positions, were also tendered before the committee, and these were also taken into consideration in drawing the recommendations of the committee. The documents include: A letter from the Office of the Attorney- General and Commissioner for Justice of Rivers State forwarding the report (White Paper) of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into the administration of Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi on the sale of valued assets of Rivers State and other related matters under the chairmanship of Honourable Justice George Otakpo Omereji, dated October 8, 2015; the ruling/judgment dated 20th August, 2015 of the Rivers State High Court by Honourable Justice S.C. Amadi(Judge) which rejected the relief sought( to declare that the Judicial Commission of Inquiry lacks the powers to investigate and make findings known, and therefore dismissed suit; three different letters from Edward and William( a firm of legal practitioners) on behalf of the ministerial nominee as follows:
“ A letter that the ministerial nominee, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, could not appear at the committee hearing because of the constraint that the matter was in court, since whatever he might say at the committee hearing would be seen as prejudicial to court judgment. The letter was dated 8th October, 2015; a letter to counter the contents of the petition by Mr. Livingstone Wechie, dated 9th October, 2015; notice of summons from the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory submitted to the committee on the 20th of October, 2015, summoning the Senate President and the Senate of the National Assembly to appear before it. The suit seeks to clarify the position of the law as to whether the Senate can screen, consider, ratify, accept, approve or confirm an indicted ministerial nominee”.
The committee went on: “ Neither the Senate nor the presenter knew that the matter being presented on the floor of the Senate was already a subject of litigation in an Appeal Court in Port- Harcourt.
“Since the matter is already a subject of litigation in a competent court of law, and since the Senate could not work contrary to its own rules (Order 41(7), it is constrained in taking any further action.”
Amaechi appeared at the Senate floor for screening, the following day, Thursday, October, 22, the day Anyanwu laid the report on the table. But PDP senators refused to ask the nominee questions. The Senate Minority Leader, Senator Godswill Akpabio, spoke the minds of his party members. On hand in a show of solidarity for Amaechi was the APC National Chairman, Chief John Odigie Oyegun, who was at the chamber with other members of the ruling party’s National Working Committee, NWC.
Fireworks
The climax of the Amaechi screening came last Thursday when he was listed as one of the 18 ministerial nominees to be confirmed. Confirmed before him, because his name was last on the Order Paper, were Adebayo Shittu, Khadijah Abba Ibrahim, Heineken Lokpobiri, Cladius Omoleye Daramola, Baba Shehuri Mustapha, Ocholi E. James and Adewole Isaac Folorunso.
Others were Bawa Bwari, Geoffrey Onyeama, Zainab S. Ahmed, Mansur Mohammed Dan Ali, Usani Usani Uguru, Okechukwu Enyinma Enelamah, Anwukah Anthony Gozie, Mohammed Musa Bello, Adamu Adamu and Aisha Abubakar.
Signs of what was to come that day began to show shortly after the Senate plenary started when senators of the PDP told the Senate President Saraki that the exercise could only be carried out if the report of the Anyanwu Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions on Amaechi was considered.
Speaking through the Deputy Minority Leader, Senator Biodun Olujimi, PDP, Ekiti South, the PDP senators said it was necessary that the Senate considered the Anyanwu report before going into the confirmation of the nominees.
Olujimi, who raised a point of order, under Order 43 of the Senate Standing Rule, told the Senate President to suspend all the processes leading to the confirmation of the ministerial nominees until the consideration of the report on Amaechi was carried out by the senators in line with the Standing Rules.
But she was ruled out of order by Saraki who noted that the Senate would first screen those appointed as National Commissioners of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
Saraki said the issue raised by Olujimi would be handled when the red chamber went into ministerial confirmation.
At this point, the Senate Leader,Ali Ndume, introduced the first item in the Senate Order Paper, which was the screening and confirmation of Professor Mahmood Yakubu as Chairman and others as National Commissioners of INEC.
Division
Soon after the confirmation of the INEC officials, the Senate President called for a closed-door meeting. Ahead of the confirmation of the screened nominees, senators had entered into caucus meetings of the APC and PDP, just as they also went into an executive session apparently to cool frayed nerves. But this appeared not to have produced a positive result as the issue of Amaechi sharply divided the lawmakers along party lines.
After the closed-door session, which lasted almost two hours and during which issues on how best to approach the nomination of the Rivers former governor as minister was discussed, the report of the Anyanwu committee, which recommended that the Senate should not consider the nomination, was presented.
The committee had recommended that since the ministerial nominee had gone to the Court of Appeal to challenge the petition and the White Paper of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Rivers State affairs under his headship, the Senate should not proceed with his confirmation.
That was a real test for Saraki whose frantic efforts to prevail on his colleagues from both camps to allow peace to reign as they pushed their cases for or against the nomination of Amaechi at the closed- door session failed.
A source told Sunday Vanguard that, at the executive session, the Senate President had tried to bend backwards to allow a fresh debate on the matter of the Amaechi nomination even after the screening had been concluded.
According to the source, senators opposed to the former governor were promised to be allowed to publicly vent their grievances before a final voting, just as this was the demand of the PDP caucus and it was agreed to by APC senator.
Back in plenary, trouble started when Senate Leader Ndume moved that the chambre should jettison the report of the Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions Committee against the backdrop that it had confirmed that the Amaechi matter was pending in court, and that the lawmakers proceed with the confirmation of Amaechi.
Soon after, there was protest from Akpabio, who accused the Senate Leader of attempting to mislead the chambre from debating the report.
The Minority Leader, who cited Order 43 of Senate Standing Rule, reminded the chambre of an earlier agreement that when the Senate got to a nominee against whom there was a petition, the issue should be discussed before the Senate President would put a question on whether the nomination should be approved or not.
At this point, Senator Babajide Omoworare, APC, Osun East, observed that the part of the Senate Standing Rules the committee relied on to arrive at its recommendation was no longer relevant.
Not satisfied with Omoworare’s explanation, Senator Joshua Lidani, Gombe, told senators that the Section of the Senate Rule used by the Anyanwu committee was still in force, adding that it was in line with a Section of the 1999 Constitution, which empowers the Senate to regulate its affairs.
Scheme
When it became obvious that the senators were poised for a showdown, Olujimi, who told her colleagues that, against the backdrop of the unfolding scenario, it was crystal clear that the APC senators were out to scheme out their PDP colleagues, stressed that the majority will always have its way.
The senator urged her colleagues to note that there was a moral burden, not just on the Senate but also on the government of President Muhammadu Buhari, voted into power based on its commitment to fight corruption, saying, “There is a moral burden on President Buhari. Although the majority will always have its way, Nigerians will know that this government is not willing to fight corruption but will condone it all the way.”
According to her, what the Senate ought to do from the point of moral view was to allow the court to decide on the matter and probably absolve the nominee before he could be confirmed.
In his reaction, Sekibo, who presented the petition against Amaechi, cautioned the APC senators on the implication of their action as the world was watching how events would unfold, especially against the backdrop of the morality on the Amaechi ministerial screening, adding, “We represent our people and the Nigerian people we represent are the majority. The majority is not APC, the majority is the Nigerian people. The true judges are the Nigerian people. So, we must respect the Nigerian people.
“The report that was laid here talks of weighty allegations of corruption and the sale of government assets, mismanagement of funds and, above all, a standing issue on petitions. And you are magnanimous enough to refer the matter to the Ethics and Privileges Committee. There is no way a senator can amend the report.”
A former National Chairman of PDP, Senator Barnabas Gemade, APC, Benue, who spoke, said that the role of democracy was that the majority will always have its way while the minority will have its say, adding that, consequently, Saraki should ignore the PDP senators and go ahead with the question to senators as to whether the nominee should be confirmed or not. At this point, PDP senators, led by Akpabio, stormed out of the red chambre.
At a press conference later, the Minority Leader said, “ We were shut out when the we wanted to react to the report when it was laid. There was a little bit of something we don’t think is in conformity with morality there. Once a case is before a competent court of law, any action on that matter is subjudice and the committee was able to establish that the issues that were brought against the nominee are already issues that were adjudicated upon by the Court of Appeal and other courts of competent jurisdiction. So the issue of taking further action on his nomination, whether by way of appointment or otherwise, did not exist . We tried to make this point but they felt as a majority party there was no need to comply with the law.
“The law is very clear that, once a matter is before a court of competent jurisdiction, you can take no further action. So there was nothing wrong with suspending the issue of confirmation until those cases are disposed of and, in this case, I understand it is the nominee that went to court.
“It could have been a good idea for the nominee to withdraw his cases from court to allow the Senate to go into the matter, but, when that did not happen, we felt that, as lawmakers, we have a responsibility to Nigerians not to partake in that kind of charade.”
When asked if the action of Saraki will not affect loyalty, especially against the backdrop of the support the PDP gave to him before his emergence as Senate President, Akpabio said, “The Senate President was returned unopposed. There was no voting, so you cannot say that anybody supported the President. He was a sole nominee; nobody contested against him and there was none of us here that indicated interest in contesting for the position of Senate President . So when the CNA invited people to bring nomination for the post of the Senate President , Bukola Saraki was the sole candidate; so he was returned unopposed and you cannot say anybody supported him.”
On whether PDP senators will continue to walk out when not happy with issues, he said, “It is not normal for PDP senators to stage a walk out. This is the first time and it is because we feel very strongly that there is a total breach of the law; in this case, that where a matter is before a court of competent jurisdiction, any action you take will be subjudice. Our colleagues did not allow us to air our views, they were bent on what they had already discussed and performing an illegality and we will not be part of illegality. Walking out will not be constant in the Senate, but this was very clear.” At the end of the day, the minority had its say, but the majority had its way. Amaechi was screened and confirmed without input from PDP senators.
The University of Lagos…in deed and in truth! (2)
Mr. Baruwa and especially the girl he allegedly raped deserve to be
pitied because they might be, in different ways, victims of warped
psychology and epistemology of sex from childhood which tend to obstruct
cultivation of healthy sexual relationships between man and woman
devoid of the mumbo-jumbo of religious superstition. Thus, there should
be a paradigm-shift away from narrow-minded and obscurantist attitude
towards sex to a more open, rational-scientific understanding of
sexuality.
Now, although stringent measures by the University of Lagos can
minimise sexual violence on campus, on a general level public
institutions and non-governmental organisations that deal with social
and health issues can incorporate in their programmes imaginative
strategies for promoting civilised scientific attitude towards sex.
As I pointed out earlier, most sexual aberrations, including rape, are largely due to the dominant antiquated sexual morality propagated by psychologically thwarted moral prudes who uncritically regurgitate unscientific doctrines contained in scriptures and hide under the smokescreen of “fighting indecency” to unleash their sexual frustrations on others. So, unless the old sexual morality is replaced with rational sex education distilled from genuine knowledge of the emotional, physiological, intellectual, ethical and aesthetic dimensions of sexuality, rape and other forms of sexual perversions will continue to blight erotic relationships between human beings.
Another issue that has attracted undue negative publicity to the great University of Lagos is the tragic and unfortunate electrocution of Ms. Oluchi Anekwe, a brilliant 300-level student of Accounting. According to reports, on Tuesday September 8, 2015, Ms. Anekwe was walking into the New Halls Complex around 7 pm with her sister when an 11kv overhead transmission cable belonging to Eko Electricity Distribution Plc (EKEDP) fell on her. She was rushed to the Medical Centre of the University where, upon examination by the medical personnel on duty, she was found to have been brought in dead owing to the huge quantum of electric current that passed through her body, which caused massive irreparable damage to her vital organs.
It is unfortunate that several unfounded falsehoods have percolated around that tragedy. For example, it was alleged that Miss Anekwe’s life could have been saved if staff of the University’s Medical Centre handled her case professionally, and that she was not attended to immediately she was brought in because the staff on duty insisted on seeing her Student Identity Card first before commencing treatment – thereby wasting valuable time that should have been used to treat her.
A high-powered panel set up by the University to investigate the incident, comprising Professors M. Danesi (Neurology), F. Okafor (Electrical & Electronic Engineering) and A. Banjo (Anatomy & Molecular Pathology), concluded that Miss Anekwe was professionally handled upon arrival at the Medical Centre; that although she was brought in dead, the nurse and doctor tried their best to resuscitate her; that the request for her ID card afterwards was to prepare the necessary documents for transferring her body to the mortuary at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH); and, finally, that Miss Anekwe’s sister who was mildly affected received treatment for shock at the Medical Centre. In keeping with global best practices, an autopsy was conducted on the deceased. The pathologist concluded that her death occurred within seconds to few minutes of contact with the lethal 11kv cable.
Findings of the panel set up by the federal government indicate that the faulty cable which killed Ms. Anekwe belongs to EKEDP. The panel directed the company to replace all its high-tension wires on campus with properly installed underground cables. Interestingly, the panel praised the electrical distribution network belonging to the University of Lagos, particularly because the cables were installed underground and the distribution panels and other equipment are modern. Therefore, the University should not be blamed for the tragic incident that occurred on September 8.
Now, in a letter dated August 26, 2015, the University requested EKEDP to ensure that all its cables are buried underground in line with safety standards. If EKEDP had treated the request expeditiously, the cable that electrocuted Ms. Anekwe would have been safely under the ground. Let us not forget, no public university in Nigeria surpasses University of Lagos in the supply of stable electricity, a clear indication that it is the University of First Choice and the nation’s pride indeed!
As a highly responsible and humane institution, a delegation from the University has visited the Anekwes to commiserate with them on the sudden death of their young, promising daughter. I wish them the fortitude to bear their irreparable loss with dignity and fortitude. Of course, no amount of tears or pecuniary compensation can bring her back to her family and loved ones. But the consolation is that Ms. Anekwe, from all indications, must have made a positive impact on those she came in contact with, including her classmates in the Accounting Department. For members of her family and those of us still alive, the best we can do when someone we know or love dies – or, indeed, at every occurrence of death – is to resolve to live a more authentic productive life devoid of self-deception, given the precariousness, preciousness and irreplaceability of the individual. It is by transcending our finitude through honest work, love and solidarity with fellow human beings that the inevitable sorrow necessarily connected with death can be ameliorated, not eliminated, because as long as there is life there will be death, and as long as there is death there will be sorrow also.
On the issue of students’ protest concerning bedbugs in their mattresses, I believe that the protesters have a point, although some mischievous students who were unprepared for examinations orchestrated the problem, hoping that examinations would be postponed longer than necessary. The University periodically fumigates hostels and staff quarters to kill insects and disease-bearing rodents. In addition, mattresses in the hostels are replaced occasionally to mitigate the accumulation of germs and insects. Unfortunately, for financial and logistic reasons, the frequency of fumigation is inadequate, given the geographical location of the University, which renders it mosquito-infested. But the greatest problem is the huge demand and supply inequality between the number of students seeking hostel accommodation on campus and the number of bed spaces available – the estimated ratio being about 4 to 1.
Management of the University, in concert with the alumni association, has the capacity to build new hostels and attract private developers to do the same based on terms congenial to all stakeholders. Unfortunately, existing regulations by the federal government do not allow that. Hence, unless the relevant laws are amended to allow federal universities more autonomy to manage their affairs, the problem of inadequate hostel accommodation for students would persist and probably worsen with time. There is another challenge: the character profile of students that populate our universities. A large percentage of students in institutions of higher today learning are not properly brought up by their parents and guardians.
They are lazy, uncouth and bereft of the finer habits necessary for maintaining clean and healthy surroundings. That said, the hostels in our universities need urgent rehabilitation and cleanup. Presently, the University of Lagos authorities have taken measures to improve sanitation by distributing beautiful waste disposal equipment everywhere on campus and by implementing a more efficient waste management system. Although there is room for improvement, other universities should borrow a leaf from what authorities of my upwardly mobile alma mater are doing to provide conducive environment for teaching, learning, research and recreation.
Unilag
As I pointed out earlier, most sexual aberrations, including rape, are largely due to the dominant antiquated sexual morality propagated by psychologically thwarted moral prudes who uncritically regurgitate unscientific doctrines contained in scriptures and hide under the smokescreen of “fighting indecency” to unleash their sexual frustrations on others. So, unless the old sexual morality is replaced with rational sex education distilled from genuine knowledge of the emotional, physiological, intellectual, ethical and aesthetic dimensions of sexuality, rape and other forms of sexual perversions will continue to blight erotic relationships between human beings.
Another issue that has attracted undue negative publicity to the great University of Lagos is the tragic and unfortunate electrocution of Ms. Oluchi Anekwe, a brilliant 300-level student of Accounting. According to reports, on Tuesday September 8, 2015, Ms. Anekwe was walking into the New Halls Complex around 7 pm with her sister when an 11kv overhead transmission cable belonging to Eko Electricity Distribution Plc (EKEDP) fell on her. She was rushed to the Medical Centre of the University where, upon examination by the medical personnel on duty, she was found to have been brought in dead owing to the huge quantum of electric current that passed through her body, which caused massive irreparable damage to her vital organs.
It is unfortunate that several unfounded falsehoods have percolated around that tragedy. For example, it was alleged that Miss Anekwe’s life could have been saved if staff of the University’s Medical Centre handled her case professionally, and that she was not attended to immediately she was brought in because the staff on duty insisted on seeing her Student Identity Card first before commencing treatment – thereby wasting valuable time that should have been used to treat her.
A high-powered panel set up by the University to investigate the incident, comprising Professors M. Danesi (Neurology), F. Okafor (Electrical & Electronic Engineering) and A. Banjo (Anatomy & Molecular Pathology), concluded that Miss Anekwe was professionally handled upon arrival at the Medical Centre; that although she was brought in dead, the nurse and doctor tried their best to resuscitate her; that the request for her ID card afterwards was to prepare the necessary documents for transferring her body to the mortuary at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH); and, finally, that Miss Anekwe’s sister who was mildly affected received treatment for shock at the Medical Centre. In keeping with global best practices, an autopsy was conducted on the deceased. The pathologist concluded that her death occurred within seconds to few minutes of contact with the lethal 11kv cable.
Findings of the panel set up by the federal government indicate that the faulty cable which killed Ms. Anekwe belongs to EKEDP. The panel directed the company to replace all its high-tension wires on campus with properly installed underground cables. Interestingly, the panel praised the electrical distribution network belonging to the University of Lagos, particularly because the cables were installed underground and the distribution panels and other equipment are modern. Therefore, the University should not be blamed for the tragic incident that occurred on September 8.
Now, in a letter dated August 26, 2015, the University requested EKEDP to ensure that all its cables are buried underground in line with safety standards. If EKEDP had treated the request expeditiously, the cable that electrocuted Ms. Anekwe would have been safely under the ground. Let us not forget, no public university in Nigeria surpasses University of Lagos in the supply of stable electricity, a clear indication that it is the University of First Choice and the nation’s pride indeed!
As a highly responsible and humane institution, a delegation from the University has visited the Anekwes to commiserate with them on the sudden death of their young, promising daughter. I wish them the fortitude to bear their irreparable loss with dignity and fortitude. Of course, no amount of tears or pecuniary compensation can bring her back to her family and loved ones. But the consolation is that Ms. Anekwe, from all indications, must have made a positive impact on those she came in contact with, including her classmates in the Accounting Department. For members of her family and those of us still alive, the best we can do when someone we know or love dies – or, indeed, at every occurrence of death – is to resolve to live a more authentic productive life devoid of self-deception, given the precariousness, preciousness and irreplaceability of the individual. It is by transcending our finitude through honest work, love and solidarity with fellow human beings that the inevitable sorrow necessarily connected with death can be ameliorated, not eliminated, because as long as there is life there will be death, and as long as there is death there will be sorrow also.
On the issue of students’ protest concerning bedbugs in their mattresses, I believe that the protesters have a point, although some mischievous students who were unprepared for examinations orchestrated the problem, hoping that examinations would be postponed longer than necessary. The University periodically fumigates hostels and staff quarters to kill insects and disease-bearing rodents. In addition, mattresses in the hostels are replaced occasionally to mitigate the accumulation of germs and insects. Unfortunately, for financial and logistic reasons, the frequency of fumigation is inadequate, given the geographical location of the University, which renders it mosquito-infested. But the greatest problem is the huge demand and supply inequality between the number of students seeking hostel accommodation on campus and the number of bed spaces available – the estimated ratio being about 4 to 1.
Management of the University, in concert with the alumni association, has the capacity to build new hostels and attract private developers to do the same based on terms congenial to all stakeholders. Unfortunately, existing regulations by the federal government do not allow that. Hence, unless the relevant laws are amended to allow federal universities more autonomy to manage their affairs, the problem of inadequate hostel accommodation for students would persist and probably worsen with time. There is another challenge: the character profile of students that populate our universities. A large percentage of students in institutions of higher today learning are not properly brought up by their parents and guardians.
They are lazy, uncouth and bereft of the finer habits necessary for maintaining clean and healthy surroundings. That said, the hostels in our universities need urgent rehabilitation and cleanup. Presently, the University of Lagos authorities have taken measures to improve sanitation by distributing beautiful waste disposal equipment everywhere on campus and by implementing a more efficient waste management system. Although there is room for improvement, other universities should borrow a leaf from what authorities of my upwardly mobile alma mater are doing to provide conducive environment for teaching, learning, research and recreation.
FUTO SCHEDULE OF FEES FOR 2015/2016 SESSION
This is to inform all students of the
Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO) and the general public
that the University Management has not approved any increment in school
fees for the 2015/2016 academic session. However, in view of the
challenging and ever increasing cost of running the University,
Management is considering a marginal review of the charges on some of
the services offered to the students. If and when this is done, the
students and all stakeholders will be duly informed through the
appropriate channels of communication in the University.
The University Management therefore urges our
students and the general public to disregard rumors of the purported
increment in school fees currently in circulation.
Signed
Orje Ishegh-Nor, FNIM
Registrar & Secretary to the Senate
RESCHEDULING OF OPENING DATE FOR THE 2015/2016 ACADEMIC YEAR
RESCHEDULING OF OPENING DATE FOR THE 2015/2016 ACADEMIC YEAR
This is to announce to the general
public that as a result of unforeseen circumstances, the re-opening date
of the Federal University of Technology, Owerri, Nigeria previously
published to begin on Monday, October 26, 2015 has been postponed indefinitely. A new date will be announced in due course.
Signed
Orje Ishegh Nor
REGISTRAR
October 23, 2015
WELCOME TO IKEA NATHANIEL'S BLOG: My most romantic experience with my wife — Teju Ba...
WELCOME TO IKEA NATHANIEL'S BLOG: My most romantic experience with my wife — Teju Ba...: My most romantic experience with my wife — Teju Babyface Top comedian, Teju Oyelakin, host of the popular comedy show, Teju Babyface,...
WELCOME TO IKEA NATHANIEL'S BLOG: My most romantic experience with my wife — Teju Ba...
WELCOME TO IKEA NATHANIEL'S BLOG: My most romantic experience with my wife — Teju Ba...: My most romantic experience with my wife — Teju Babyface Top comedian, Teju Oyelakin, host of the popular comedy show, Teju Babyface,...
My most romantic experience with my wife — Teju Babyface
My most romantic experience with my wife — Teju Babyface
Top comedian, Teju Oyelakin, host of the popular comedy show, Teju Babyface, has never minced words when it comes to his feelings for his wife. He has never shied away from telling the whole world that he married the love of his life.
Teju Babyface
“My marriage has improved my career and also made me responsible. My marriage is great and gets interesting as the day goes by. I fended and thought for myself as a single man. I was also a bit reckless then. I am more responsible as a married man. I am an expert when it comes to women and I know a good one. She is one of the good ones and I will always appreciate her. She was kept for me“, he said.
Sharing his most romantic experience with his wife, the humour merchant laid it on the line with some mischievous smirk on his face.
“My wife is far from the traditional romantic woman, which is the exact reason I married her. She is not the type who would jump at a gift without knowing the reason behind it. She is a very serious minded type who does not really need a man before getting things right. She doesn’t crave for attention like many women do. There was a time we forgot our wedding anniversary and when we remembered, we laughed at it. I would not have lasted with a woman who will nag or sob at things like that. She is a strong woman. And that is the best romantic experience I enjoy with my wife.
Good Mornirg
My most romantic experience with my wife — Teju Babyface
Top comedian, Teju Oyelakin, host of the popular comedy show, Teju Babyface, has never minced words when it comes to his feelings for his wife. He has never shied away from telling the whole world that he married the love of his life.
Teju Babyface
“My marriage has improved my career and also made me responsible. My marriage is great and gets interesting as the day goes by. I fended and thought for myself as a single man. I was also a bit reckless then. I am more responsible as a married man. I am an expert when it comes to women and I know a good one. She is one of the good ones and I will always appreciate her. She was kept for me“, he said.
Sharing his most romantic experience with his wife, the humour merchant laid it on the line with some mischievous smirk on his face.
“My wife is far from the traditional romantic woman, which is the exact reason I married her. She is not the type who would jump at a gift without knowing the reason behind it. She is a very serious minded type who does not really need a man before getting things right. She doesn’t crave for attention like many women do. There was a time we forgot our wedding anniversary and when we remembered, we laughed at it. I would not have lasted with a woman who will nag or sob at things like that. She is a strong woman. And that is the best romantic experience I enjoy with my wife.
Thursday, 29 October 2015
The Journey Begins
I believe that if I want to experience change in any sector of life I have to change the way I think and look at situations from a number of perspective. I have learnt that leadership is not about the position I hold but my ability to influence others with the knowledge I have acquired and the choices I make. I am definitely glad that life has been made easy for me through social media, I can influence others with my writings through my blog.
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