The Emir of Daura, Alhaji Umar Farouk Umar, has appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to kindly reconsider his decision on the Nigerian Peace Corps (Establishment) Bill.

Alhaji Umar is the paramount ruler of the community where President Buhari hails from in Katsina State.

President Buhari had, on the February 27, 2018, transmitted to the National Assembly, his decision to withhold assent to the Bill, giving paucity of funds and duplication of duties of existing security agencies, as reasons.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria, the monarch while addressing a delegation of officers of the Corps led by its National Commandant, Ambassador Dickson Akoh, said that as a father, he would look into the demands of the Corps with the hope that the bill will see the light of day.

He commended the organisation for its doggedness, conducting itself peacefully and resorting to the rule of law and advocacy in pursuing its goals.

“When the Nigerian Peace Corps Bill becomes law, it would serve as a platform for providing massive job opportunities for the Nigerian youths and creating the desired peaceful atmosphere against the prevailing height of insecurity in Nigeria,” he said.

Speaking earlier, the Peace Corps boss said the Corps has not breached any known provisions of the laws of the land to warrant the constant harassment it has been suffering in the hands of some security agencies.

“When it became obvious that there was a grand conspiracy to misrepresent the noble intentions of the NPC Bill before Mr. President with a view to frustrating his assent to it, the Corps, in September 2017, formally requested for an audience with Your Royal Highness, which was graciously granted.

“On getting to Katsina, we were told that Your Highness was indisposed.

“If that visit with you had held and the facts of our case laid bare before you, it would have averted this temporary setback.

“Notwithstanding, now that we are with you, we do know and very hopeful that you will use your good office to appeal to your son, our president who we hold in high esteem to reconsider his earlier stance on this all-important Bill,” Akoh said.

The national commandant assured the emir that contrary to all negative reports against the Peace Corps, the organisation has remained steadfast in its obedience to the rule of law.

He insisted that evidence abounds that the organisation was highly misrepresented before the president and prayed the president to take a second look at the corps through an Independent Commission of Inquiry. (NAN)

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•  Queen’s request for discussion Friday

By Omololu Ogunmade in London

Queen Elizabeth of Great Britain Thursday formally declared open the 2018 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) at Buckingham Palace in Central London, pleading with Commonwealth heads of governments to allow her son, Prince Charles, succeed her.

Although Queen Elizabeth took over from her father, King George VI, who died of lung cancer in 1952, the position of the queen or king of England as the head of Commonwealth is not hereditary, hence, the monarch told the leaders that it was her “sincere wish” that her son, Prince Charles, be allowed to occupy her office as the head of the Commonwealth after her reign.

She recalled that when the meeting of Commonwealth Heads of Governments was first conveyed by her father in the same venue in 1949, it was made up of only eight nations, observing that with only eight nations on board of the Commonwealth body at the time, she couldn’t have imagined that during her reign, the number would rise to 53 with 2.3 billion people.

The queen then pleaded that in the interest of stability and continuity, her son who is also the Prince of Wales should carry on with her duties, pointing out that as the group continues to treasure its association and activities, a safer, sustainable and prosperous world will continue to be guaranteed.

“It is my sincere wish that the Commonwealth will continue to offer stability and continuity for future generations, and will decide that one day the Prince of Wales should carry on the important work started by my father in 1949,” she said, ahead of her 92nd birthday on Saturday.

“By continuing to treasure and reinvigorate our associations and activities, I believe we will secure a safer, more prosperous and sustainable world for those who follow us: a world where the Commonwealth’s generosity of spirit can bring its gentle touch of healing and hope to all,” she said.

BBC had reported that it was the first time that the queen would publicly raise the issue of succession as she is said not to be strong enough to embark on long trips any longer and hence, won’t be part of the next CHOGM billed to take place in Malaysia in 2020.

It also reported that in Friday’s meeting at Windsor, London, the issue of succession raised by the queen would be thoroughly discussed.

In her own speech, Prime Minister Theresa May praised the leaders whom she said had been with Britain amid challenges over the years.

“You have seen us through some of our most serious challenges and we commit to sustaining this Commonwealth which you have … nurtured. For your service, for your dedication, for your constancy, we thank you,” she said.

Also speaking, Secretary-General of Commonwealth, Patricia Scotland, said: “Our presence in this place, united in purpose, and aware of the many millions we represent, is a supreme expression of faith in the Commonwealth – a Commonwealth of the people.”

According to her, the group had unmatched “ability to draw together streams of wisdom from secular sources, and from diverse traditions of religious and philosophical thought and practice”.

Scotland also said the common values and aspirations contained in the Commonwealth Charter, signed by the queen as the head of Commonwealth are symbols of free association, respect and understanding that Commonwealth leaders have for one another.

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By Omololu Ogunmade in London

The presidency Thursday in London, denied the insinuations that President Muhammadu Buhari mocked Nigerian youths while speaking at the Commonwealth Business Forum, a session of the ongoing Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) on Wednesday.

The president, after giving a keynote address on “Making Business Easier Between Commonwealth Countries,” had responded to a question, during which he said: “We have a very young population; our population is estimated conservatively to be 180 million. More than 60 per cent of the population is below the age of 30. A lot of them have not been to school and they are claiming that Nigeria has been an oil producing country, therefore they should sit and do nothing and get housing, healthcare and education free.”
The president’s remark was however accompanied by a wild outrage among Nigerians who accused him of “attacking” the youths of his country on global stage.

But in a swift reaction to the outrage Thursday, Mr. Femi Adesina, the President’s Special Adviser, Media and Publicity, said the remark was twisted as it is “typical of the stock in trade” of those he described as “manipulators and twisters of statements of Mr. President, who lie in wait to make mischief”.

According to him, such persons who have cultivated the habit of misinterpreting the president’s comment, twisted it “to mean that President Buhari had taken all Nigerian youths to the cleaners”.
According to him, elementary English recognises a wide gulf between “a lot of” and the word “all,” adding: “How can ‘a lot of them,’ suddenly transmogrify to mean ‘all of them?’ Mischievous and unconscionable!”

He said it was impossible for Buhari, whom he described as the father of the Nigerian nation in every sense of the word, and who equally has biological children of his own in the youths’ age bracket to pass a vote of no confidence on all youths, adding: “It can only exist in the imagination of those who play what the president has described as ‘irresponsible politics’ with everything.”

Adesina added: “President Buhari has always applauded and celebrated Nigerian youths who excel in different areas of endeavour, from sports, to academia, and other realms. And he will continue to do so, because he values the youths, and knows that they are the fulcrum on which the future of the country rests.

“Indeed, every country has its share of idle population, and it is the bounden duty of government at all levels, to create an enabling environment for them to actualize their potentials. That is what President Buhari is committed to doing.

“The focal areas of the administration; securing the country, reviving the economy, and fighting corruption, are actually intended to give youths a future and a hope.

“This much was emphasised in an April 5, 2018 comment by President Buhari, while receiving Letter of Credence from the Head of Delegation of the European Union to Nigeria, when he said: ‘Our insistence on probity is to encourage people to be accountable, and accept honesty as a lifestyle so as to secure the future of our youths.’
“The President also said more than 60 per cent of Nigerians fall into the age category of youths and deserve to inherit a stable and prosperous country that they can be proud of, adding that the government will work assiduously to prevent waste and the depletion of resources by corrupt Nigerians.
“It is futile for mischief makers to lie in wait, and take a minor part of the words of the president, and turn it into negative commentary, peradventure they could diminish the profile of the President.
“Nigerians across all walks of life know who is serving them faithfully and truly, and they will always reciprocate such fidelity as occasions demand.”

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Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja

Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, has disclosed that 257 people were killed in clashes between farmers and herdsmen in at least seven states this year.

Mustapha made the disclosure Thursday at the opening ceremony of the Federal and States Security Administrators Meeting (FSSAM) in Katsina.

Mustapha was represented at the parley by the Permanent Secretary Special Services Office (OSGF), Umar Mohammed Bello.

The SGF said the deaths involving farmers and herdsmen happened in 30 documented incidents in at least seven states.

The states he listed states were Adamawa, Benue, Nasarawa, Niger, Kaduna, Plateau and Zamfara.

“Within the last few months, we have recorded a total of over 30 incidents, which have claimed lives of more than 257 persons within this year alone in Zamfara, Adamawa, Benue, Nasarawa, Plateau, Niger, Kaduna to mention but a few,” he said.

Apart from the herdsmen/ farmers clashes, Mustapha also listed the increasing cases of kidnapping and abduction as other security challenges that deserved attention.

“Aside from herdsmen/farmers clashes, we also have other problems posing security challenges and are also compounding the security landscape. This is in the area of kidnapping and abduction. In the past, kidnapping and abduction used to be restricted to some areas but now and it is virtually a national menace and has become so rampant everywhere. We have worrying and increasing instances of child abuse. Children are now becoming victims of criminal rape and molestation, ” Mustapha said, adding all hands must be on deck to put the disturbing trend under control.

He also appealed to the political stakeholders to desist from actions and comments capable of setting the country on fire ahead of the 2019 general elections.

Katsina State Governor Aminu Bello Masari declared the FSSAM open.

Masari said the state government was particular about security issues and had invested heavily in the protection of lives and properties of people in the state by spending N60 million monthly in support of security agencies in the state.

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Chiemelie Ezeobi and Emma Okonji

Despite pockets of suicide bombings in the North East (NE), the Nigerian Army (NA), thursday maintained that the military have decimated the Boko Haram sect.

The Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai, said this during a telephonic press conference organised by the United States Mission, Nigeria to wrap up the African Land Forces Summit, 2018 organised in conjunction with the Acting Commander, US Army Africa, Gen. Eugene LeBoeuf.

This is just as he said plans have been concluded to reintegrate Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) from Northern Borno back to their communities.

He said the IDPs, who fled their residences following attacks from Boko Haram, would be returned home and protected by the military for four to five months.

When asked by this reporter on the military’s repeated assurances that Boko Haram has been defeated despite pockets of violence from the sect, he maintained his stance that they were on top of their game.

He said: “First, look at where we are coming from, where we are and where we are going to. Boko Haram as a formidable force used to move around freely across the country.

“Before 2015, they had reached Abuja, Lokoja, Sokoto, Kano, Kaduna, Jos, Bauchi and virtually across many parts of the country especially the northern and central parts.

“But since 2016, there was no major attack outside the North-East (NE). In 2017, there was no major attack in the NE. In this context, you will agree with me that Boko Haram has been defeated.

“Even within the NE, where we have suicide bombings and few isolated cases. Note that they use propaganda as one of their tactics.

“If you are in Maiduguri or any part of the Northeast, you will know Boko Haram has been defeated.
Boko Haram is restricted between very few isolated areas.

“They have been moving from one point to another and we have continued to pursue them. We were not in Sambisa forest about a year or two ago but today we are firmly rooted in the Sambisa forest.

“Along the border areas we have some attacks where they cross over from Cameroon to attack. With the combined efforts of all our forces, we are working together to get them contained.

“As far as I am concerned, the narrative is that Boko Haram has been defeated. We have gone further than that. Many of the residents have started moving back to their communities.

“The latest one is in Bama Local Government of Borno. The movement is still ongoing. Very soon people will return to all those areas where they were displaced and start their lives again.

“We have to apply all the necessary means available to provide essential amentities, like schools, hospital for them to be able to move around.

“The insurgents have not been able to hold any ground or move freely like before. Do not be carried away by the propaganda of the insurgents. People hardly pay attention to the efforts security forces are making.

“The whole of Nigerian Army is moving to Northern Borno State to bring back those who left and we would stay with them in the next four five months.”

Continuing, Buratai said there was need for Africa countries to work together to combat terrorism, adding that challenges of porous border, trans-border intrusion and other immigration concerns needed to be addressed.

He said: “So we also taking advantage of that to see that the right troops are mobilised to ensure that we degrade Boko Haram terrorists.

“Collaboration with our neighbouring countries is very important and crucial to complete eradication of the Boko Haram terrorist.

“You see that the effort of the Multinational Joint Task Force (MJTF) is most fundamental in the effect that there is need for us to continue to work together and this is being done right now with the bilateral as well as multilateral arrangement in place.

“As it is, our troops are working alongside each othe. Therefore, there is need for total cooperation. We need to put our forces on ground and for necessary gadgets to be put in place.

“We are working to ensure right direction and right political support is gotten in terms of road infrastructure, health facilities, schools.”

Explaining the use of armed drones by the military in the northeast, Buratai assured that NE were taken, adding that the drones were mainly deployed inside the Sambisa Forest.

He said, “The drones are used as force multipliers and they also provide us with intelligence on the movement of arms. We also them to monitor the movement of troops and also mark the insurgents. It helps us improve response time of our troops in any area.

“Some of our neighboring countries using these facilities will help us facilitate quick reactions before terrorists attack.”

Acting Commander, US Army Africa, Gen. Eugene LeBoeuf said the focus of the summit was to bring the armies of the region together in order to tackle security challenges.

He said, “It was to ensure protection, safer logistics cooperation among the African continent. To support African partners in security operations through training techniques. Insecurity is one of the major forces we are confronted with.”

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• Summons IG, DSS DG

Damilola Oyedele in Abuja

The Senate Thursday said the plotters and perpetrators of the invasion of its chamber must be punished.

It also resolved to summon the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Idris, and the Director General of the Department of State Services, Mr. Lawal Daura, next week to brief lawmakers on the investigation into the incident.

The Senate chamber was on Wednesday invaded by thugs believed to be loyal to suspended Senator Ovie Omo-Agege. The thugs who stormed the chamber during plenary carted away the mace, the symbol of authority of the upper legislative chamber. The mace was later recovered by the police under a bridge in Abuja and returned to the Senate chamber at about 11.54 am on Thursday.

Rising from a closed-door meeting on Thursday which lasted for one hour, ten minutes, the Senate insisted that those who plotted, aided, abated, and executed the invasion, must be made to face the full wrath of the law.

The Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, in his address after the closed-door session, said the desecration of the mace was a sad testimony, a derogation and smear on Nigeria’s democracy.

He confirmed that the mace had been recovered and returned, in line with the resolution of the National Assembly mandating the police IG and DG, DSS to ensure its recovery in 24 hours.

“Nevertheless, we believe that there should be consequence for bad behaviour. It still beats the imagination of Nigerians and the civilised world, that the attackers passed through the several security checks and barriers into the National Assembly, and the inner recesses of this chamber, and also escaped with the mace into thin air, despite the well-known fortified surroundings of this parliament,”

“Therefore, we hold that it will be a detour to the state of nature where life was lawless and brutish, if what happened yesterday (Wednesday) is allowed to go unpunished, or to be swept under the carpet. It will never happen. We will get to the roots of the matter. We call on the Inspector General of Police and Director-General of the State Security Service to ensure that all those who plotted, aided, abated, and executed this dastardly affront on our democracy and belittled Nigeria before the international community must be brought to book to serve as a deterrent to others,” Ekweremadu said.

The Deputy Senate President said the invasion also brought to the fore, the clamour for a decentralised police system, lamenting that the security of the National Assembly is fully outside its control.

Ordinarily, a big institution like the National Assembly should have its own police, apart from the Sergeants-at-Arm, he said.

“I want to assure Nigerians that we will never waver in the responsibility they have elected us to shoulder. We will all stand together to defend this institution of the parliament and our democracy. We will never fear to legislate; and we will never legislate out of fear,” he said.

Ekweremadu lauded his colleagues for their maturity in the face of the flagrant provocation.

“I want to also specially appreciate the leadership and members of the House of Representatives, the management and staff of the National Assembly, especially our chamber staff for their gallantry. We appreciate Nigerians, the media, civil society, the political parties, and the international community for the outpour of solidarity and concern,”

“Ugly and provocative as the event of yesterday was, it soothes that the entire nation and the world stood together in total condemnation of the ugly drama, brigandage, and desecration of the National Assembly by those who hold themselves above the laws and institutions of our land,” Ekweremadu added.

Wednesday’s invasion of the Senate, which lasted a few minutes, caused commotion at the National Assembly, and spread shock waves across the country.

The plot to invade the chambers and cart away the mace, was allegedly concluded on Monday night at a meeting of the Parliamentary Support Group (PSG), made up of ardent supporters of President Muhammadu Buhari. The group, which was banned by the Senate leadership, had vetoed the Electoral Amendment Bill last month. There are also speculations that the invasion of the Senate chamber may not be unconnected with the amendment bill.

The National Assembly last February changed the order of elections and slated the presidential poll to be conducted last. The amendment to Section 25 of the Electoral Act provides for the National Assembly polls to be conducted first, followed by governorship and state Houses of Assembly elections, and then the presidential poll, all on separate days.

Some senators who later metamorphosed into the PSG, led by Senator Abdullahi Adamu (Nassarawa APC), had kicked against the amendment, with Omo-Agege claiming the motive was to weaken Buhari in the 2019 polls.

Omo-Agege had claimed while addressing the media that the Senate and House did not follow laid down procedures for amending the bill.

His comments, and subsequent developments, led to his suspension from the Senate for 90 legislative days. Surprisingly, he was in the chamber on Wednesday when the thugs invaded the chamber and took the mace away.

Omo-Agege, who had maintained on Wednesday that he attended plenary as his suspension could not stand, was however absent on Thursday.

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• Poor infrastructure hampering digital technology in Africa, says Elumelu

Kunle Aderinokun and Obinna Chima in Washington DC

The President of the World Bank Group, Dr. Jim Yong Kim, has said policy makers in Nigeria and other African countries are ill-prepared to compete in the digital technology space, expressing concern over the continent’s low level of investment in human capital.

Kim, who made the statement at the 2018 IMF/World Bank spring meetings opening press conference in Washington D.C., pointed out that investment in human capital would assist Nigeria and others in the region to drive growth.

The World Bank chief also lamented the rising level of public debt in the region.

“We are extremely concerned that many African countries are not prepared to compete in what is increasingly becoming a digitalised economy.

“We also see evidence that many of the low-skilled jobs will be taken over by technology and there is also tremendous hope for technology in many African countries.

“We just have to find new ways of driving economic growth. There is no getting away from the need to invest much more effectively in health and education,” he said.

Kim said there was need to adequately prepare youths on the continent to be able to compete favourably with their peers from other continents in the future.

According to him, “Human capital is a huge issue. If we look at all the difficulties in terms of increasing resources for targeted infrastructure like roads and energy, we also need to look at increasing investments in human capital.

“I think every African country has to look more seriously at how to increase its own domestic resources. In other words, they should be better at collecting taxes.

“To provide basic resources, every country should collect at least 15 per cent of tax-to-GDP. Many countries have not reached that level. Also, if African countries were to remove fossil fuel subsidy that are regressive, helping the rich more than the poor.

“Even some agricultural subsidies are regressive, they don’t help the small holding farmers.”
In his opening remarks, Kim noted that the global economy was showing solid momentum.

He said the World Bank had projected global growth to edge up to 3.1 per cent in 2018 – its strongest performance since 2011 – as the recovery in investment, manufacturing, and trade continues, and as commodity-exporting developing economies benefit from firming commodity prices.

“The challenge now is to ensure that strong growth will translate into inclusive growth, so that the benefits of global economic integration are enjoyed by all members of society.

“This period of robust growth is a great opportunity to invest in human and physical capital. Filling infrastructure gaps, improving education and health outcomes, and increasing female labour force participation could continue to drive growth.

“If policy makers around the world focus on these key initiatives, they can increase their countries’ productivity, boost workforce participation, and move closer to the goals of ending extreme poverty and increasing shared prosperity,” he added.
In a related development, the Founder of the Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF) Thursday pointed out that without the development of critical infrastructure on the continent, it would be difficult to achieve a successful digital economy.

Elumelu, who spoke during a session on Digital Technology, which was moderated by the World Bank president, said: “The truth is that the population of Africa presents opportunities. We have 60 per cent of our working population at the age of 30 and we have 65 per cent of our economy in the informal sector.

“But this presents quite interesting opportunities for a digital economy. In my interactions with young Africans, I have seen people who are determined, energetic, hungry to succeed and make a difference and are extremely intelligent, but the environment makes it difficult for them to succeed.

“You can’t talk about a digital economy in Africa without fixing critical infrastructure. Digital connectivity is a major issue in Africa and you can’t fix it if you don’t have reliable access to electricity.

“So, if we want to truly address the issue of a digital economy in Africa, these challenges have to be fixed.

“Secondly is the issue of governance. Governments need to understand that if we prioritise the young ones and make the operating environment conducive, they would be able to optimise the required intellect, they would do well, and we would be able to solve some of the problems on the continent.”

Elumelu, who is also the Chairman of the United Bank for Africa Group, also highlighted regulation, intellectual property and the need to incentivise investors, as other factors that would help drive the digital economy on the continent.
“For the entrepreneurs in Africa, I will say let’s not look at the challenges, but the opportunities. There are lots of opportunities in the continent and we need to look at these opportunities.

“Let’s fix policy issues and all these issues I have identified and investors will come to Africa,” Elumelu added.

The post World Bank: Nigeria, Others Not Prepared for Digital Economy appeared first on THISDAYLIVE.

• Summons IG, DSS DG as court stops them from arresting Omo-Agege

Damilola Oyedele, Paul Obi and Alexander Enumah in Abuja

Despite the return of the mace less than 24 hours after it was stolen from the upper legislative chamber, the Senate Thursday insisted that the plotters and perpetrators of the invasion of its chamber must not go unpunished.

It also resolved to summon the Inspector General of Police (IG), Mr. Ibrahim Idris, and the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Mr. Lawal Daura, to brief it on investigations into the incident.

The Senate on Wednesday was invaded by thugs loyal to suspended Senator Ovie Omo-Agege during plenary. The hoodlums carted away the mace, the symbol of authority of the Senate.

The invasion, which lasted for a few minutes, caused commotion in the National Assembly and sent shock waves across the country.
The plot to invade the chambers and cart away the mace was allegedly concluded on Monday night at a meeting by the now proscribed Parliamentary Support Group (PSG) made up of ardent supporters of President Muhammadu Buhari, who had vetoed the Electoral Amendment Bill last month.

The Electoral Amendment Bill, which is proposing a change in the sequence of elections conducted in the country, is believed to be at the root of the invasion on the National Assembly.

The National Assembly last February had changed the order of the elections for the presidential poll to be conducted last. The amendment to Section 25 of the Electoral Act provides for the National Assembly polls to be conducted first, followed by governorship and state Houses of Assembly elections, and then the presidential poll, all on separate days.

Some senators who later metamorphosed into the PSG, led by Senator Abdullahi Adamu (Nassarawa, APC), had kicked against the amendment, with Omo-Agege claiming the motive was targeted at weakening Buhari in the 2019 polls.

Addressing the media, he had also claimed that the Senate and the House of Representatives did not follow laid down procedures in amending the bill.

His comment led to his suspension from the Senate for 90 legislative days, and culminated in Wednesday’s invasion, which saw the thugs escape from the premises with the mace.

However, the police Thursday said it had recovered the mace, saying that the hoodlums who stole it from the National Assembly had dumped it under a flyover in Abuja.

According to the Police Deputy Public Relations Officer, SP Aremu Adeniran, “Sequel to the invasion of the Senate chamber of the National Assembly on April 18, 2018 by some suspected thugs who disrupted the Senate plenary session and carted away the mace, the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim K. Idris immediately instituted a high-powered police investigation and intelligence team coordinated by the IG monitoring unit of the force and further directed a total lock-down of the Federal Capital Territory with intense surveillance patrol and thorough stop and search operations at various police check-points with a view to arresting the perpetrators and possible recovery of the stolen mace.

“The police teams engaged in massive raids of identified criminal spots and flashpoints, stop and search operations, visibility and confidence building patrols, intelligence gathering which forced the suspected miscreants to abandon the mace at a point under the flyover before the city gate, where a patriotic passer-by saw it and alerted the police.”

Adeniran stated that “while a discreet investigation into the incident is still ongoing to arrest and bring the perpetrators to justice, the Nigeria Police Force appreciates the spirited members of the public, most especially motorists within Abuja metropolis for their support, cooperation and timely information during the rigorous stop and search operations for the recovery of the mace”.
However, after taking possession of the mace Thursday, the Senate after a closed door meeting insisted that those who plotted, aided, abetted, and executed the invasion, must be made to face the full wrath of the law.

Omo-Agege, who on Wednesday had maintained that he attended plenary because his suspension could not stand, was however absent Thursday.
The Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, in his address after executive session, said the desecration of the mace was a sad testimony, a derogation and smear on Nigeria’s democracy.

He confirmed that the mace had been recovered and returned, in line with the resolution of the National Assembly mandating the Police IG and DG, DSS to ensure its recovery in 24 hours.

“Nevertheless, we believe that there should be consequences for bad behaviour. It still beats the imagination of Nigerians and the civilised world that the attackers passed through the several security checks and barriers into the National Assembly and the inner recesses of this chamber, and also escaped with the mace into thin air, despite the well-known fortified surroundings of this parliament.
“Therefore, we hold that it will be a detour to the state of nature where life was lawless and brutish, if what happened yesterday (Wednesday) is allowed to go unpunished, or to be swept under the carpet.

“It will never happen. We will get to the root of the matter. We call on the Inspector General of Police and Director-General of the State Security Service to ensure that all those who plotted, aided, abetted, and executed this dastardly affront on our democracy and belittled Nigeria before the international community must be brought to book to serve as a deterrent to others,” Ekweremadu said.

The Deputy Senate President said the invasion also brought to fore, the clamour for a decentralised police system, lamenting that the security of the National Assembly was fully outside its control.

Ordinarily, a big institution like the National Assembly should have its own police, apart from the Sergeants-at-Arm, he said.
“I want to assure Nigerians that we will never waiver in the responsibility they have elected us to shoulder. We will all stand together to defend this institution of the parliament and our democracy. We will never fear to legislate and we will never legislate out of fear,” he said.

Ekweremadu lauded his colleagues for their maturity in the face of the flagrant provocation.
“I want to also specially appreciate the leadership and members of the House of Representatives, the management and staff of the National Assembly, especially our chamber staff for their gallantry.

“We appreciate Nigerians, the media, civil society, political parties, and the international community for the outpouring of solidarity and concern.

“Ugly and provocative as the event of thursday was, it soothes that the entire nation and the world stood together in total condemnation of the ugly drama, brigandage, and desecration of the National Assembly by those who hold themselves above the laws and institutions of our land,” Ekweremadu added.

THISDAY gathered that the executive session of the Senate was very heated as some senators were said to have verbally attacked the members of the PSG for the invasion of the hallowed chamber and the seizure of the mace.

“We told them that what they did yesterday was a thorough embarrassment to the nation where they are called leaders and ‘Distinguished Senators,” a senator told THISDAY off the record.

The senator further disclosed that Senator Dino Melaye was particularly miffed when some lawmakers called for the review of the security structure of the National Assembly.

“Dino queried the sense in the idea when the current one in place was sabotaged from within. He argued that unless the issue itself, which some want to shy away from, is addressed, the place cannot be secure.

“Dino also alleged that the PSG still held a meeting last night after all that had happened,” the senator also revealed.
Another senator said most of his colleagues had called for harmony and for all contentious issues to be resolved.

Meanwhile, Omo-Agege who has been identified as the alleged mastermind of the invasion on the National Assembly and theft of the mace, said Thursday that he was never arrested by the police on Wednesday.

Omo-Agege, an ardent supporter of the president, was whisked away by the police from the National Assembly on Wednesday.
However, he was let go a few hours later, raising suspicions that the IG was under pressure to let him go and not to press charges against him.

After his release on Wednesday, his aide also said that the senator was not involved in the invasion of the National Assembly and theft of the mace from the Senate.

Speaking on his brief visit to the FCT Police Command, Omo-Agege in a tweet Thursday, said he “merely” left with the police who wanted to hear his perspective on the matter.

The senator said after he had given his perspective of what transpired, he “immediately” left the police.

“FOR THE RECORD; I was never arrested!!! I merely left with the police who wanted to hear my perspective on the matter. Told them my perspective and left immediately after,” Omo-Agege who posted a picture of himself smiling, tweeted.

However, despite his claim of innocence, Omo-Agege, a qualified lawyer, proceeded to an Abuja High Court where he got a restraining order against the police and DSS from arresting him.

The Chief Judge of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, Justice Ishaq Bello, gave the order Thursday in an ex parte application granted to the applicant.

His counsel led by Aliyu Umar (SAN) approached the Abuja High Court for an order of the court restraining the government and its agencies from arresting him.

Respondents in the suit are the Attorney General of the Federation(AGF), IG, Commissioner of Police, FCT Command, and the Director General, State Security Service.
In the ex parte application filed and granted by the court, the respondents have been restrained from arresting or detaining the senator.

The court also restrained the respondents from any attempt or threat to violate the applicant’s rights to personal liberty and right to freedom of movement, pending the hearing and determination of motion on notice filed in the suit.

The court further restrained the respondents from taking any further steps detrimental to the fundamental rights of the applicant in connection with the facts stated in the matter, pending the hearing of the motion on notice filed in the suit.

Justice Bello adjourned till May 7 for the motion on notice to be argued before Court 30 where the case was assigned.

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•  #LazyNigerianYouths trends on social media

Omololu Ogunmade in London, Chiemelie Ezeobi in Lagos and Victor Ogunje in Ado-Ekiti with agency reports

President Muhammadu Buhari Thursday came under attack over his remarks on Nigerian youths, forcing his media team in the presidency into overdrive as it tried to clarify what the president meant to say.

Buhari, who is in the habit of committing cringe-worthy gaffes when he doesn’t have a written script before him, had on Wednesday in London at the Commonwealth Business Forum described Nigerian youths as ill-educated, lazy and in the habit of looking for freebies.

According to the president, Nigerian youth just want to sit and do nothing, relying on the notion that Nigeria is an oil-rich nation.

“More than 60 per cent of the population is below 30, a lot of them haven’t been to school and they are claiming that Nigeria is an oil producing country, therefore, they should sit and do nothing and get housing, healthcare, education free,” the president had said to a room full of business and global leaders.

The president’s comment adds to an earlier one he made criticising Nigerian youths.
During a February 2016 interview with UK Telegraph, Buhari had said some Nigerians in the UK, mostly youths, were disposed to criminality and should not be granted asylum there.

He was fiercely criticised at the time for the comment, with many saying it failed to convey the reality of Nigerian youth’s exploits.
His statement on Wednesday equally elicited an outcry from youths in the country and several Nigerian leaders who blamed the president for failing to recognise the ingenuity of Nigerian youths and shirking his responsibility by providing decent healthcare, education and ensuring that jobs are created for teaming unemployed youths in the country.

Seeing the push back by the public, however, the presidency Thursday was quick to clarify that Buhari who is seeking re-election in 2019 and will need the votes of young voters, was not referring to all youths in the country and has a lot of respect for them.
Reacting to the president’s remarks, former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar took to his Twitter handle to say he would never call Nigerian youths lazy, noting that they are hardworking.

“Our youths are charting new frontiers; creating a huge tech industry on their own! Their entrepreneurial spirit, work ethic, and creative abilities are things of pride and should be applauded, encouraged and nurtured.

“I will never refer to Nigeria’s youth as people who sit and do nothing. They are hardworking. I should know, I have thousands of youths working for me all over the country who have been the backbone to our success,” Atiku said.

Senator Ben Murray-Bruce (PDP, Bayelsa East), in his Twitter post, pointedly accused Buhari of being the lazy one.

“Whoever says Nigerian youths are lazy should just buy a mirror and he or she will see the real definition of laziness! I have over 1,000 Nigerian youths in my employ and not one of them is lazy,” he tweeted.

Former presidential aide, Reno Omokri, said the president was only describing himself as he sits in Aso Rock (the State House) and does nothing.

“He is describing himself. He sits and does nothing at Aso Rock. He gets free housing at the Presidential Villa. He spends 103 days in London and we pay for it! Joblessness makes him talk anyhow!” he said.

Femi Fani-Kayode, former Aviation Minister, also lambasted the president via Twitter, stating: “Two years ago in London you clapped for David Cameron when he said… the Nigerian people were ‘fantastically corrupt!’ Today in London you tell a group of foreigners that Nigerian youths are lazy illiterates who do nothing and who expect to be given everything for free.

“What type of leader takes pleasure in slandering, shaming, denigrating and humiliating his own people before the world? What type of man tells foreigners that his own children and youths are lazy and unproductive?
“You have destroyed your own people and shamed them before the world!”

Also, several youths created the hashtag #LazyNigerianYouths to project their entrepreneurial spirit and success stories to counter the president’s negative narrative.

According to them, the president was fond of casting Nigerian youths in a bad light in the eyes of the international community.

Udoka Uju, popularly known as the Lady Painter, while sharing her success story said: “I am Nigerian. I paint homes and offices for a living. @MBuhari I am not lazy, we are not lazy. #LazyNigerianYouths.”

Cordelia Okpe said: “Can our leaders show us where their children work? The ‘first children’ for instance, what work do they do? Where do they work? What have they contributed to Nigeria’s growth or death? You call other people’s children lazy? We refuse that label. #LazyNigerianYouths.”

Adaku Nonso said: “So many old men and women from the 1970s and 1960s have refused to retire in public offices and allow promotions. How many government projects have been put in place to even consider us? You employ the old and dead to public office but youths are lazy.”
@Ilynem wrote: “Buhari didn’t get an education when it was free now calling us #LazyNigerianYouths when education has become a luxury and getting a good paying job is now regarded as a miracle? Can’t believe I once campaigned this man. God forgive me.”

Prosper Otemuyiwa said: “Nigerian youths are lazy? Lol. I can tag at least 80 developers/techies that are shaking and breaking tables here and abroad without government’s help.

“Also, we still pay tax that helps you and family survive your stupendous health bills #LazyNigerianYouths.”

Oke Umurhohwo said: “I am a Nigerian youth and working very hard. I pay my bills and my taxes even when the government does little or nothing to provide basic amenities.

“There are many Nigerian youths like me and we won’t be ridiculed by a charlatan of a president. We are not #LazyNigerianYouths.”

Princess of @onenaijababe said: “I’m a teacher in three different places. I also sell cars, I don’t do anything illegal. I work round the clock. I am a Nigerian youth. I am a superwoman. I am not lazy.”

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, however, preferred to issue full-blown statements to criticise Buhari’s remarks on Nigerian youths.

Fayose, in a statement issued by his media aide, Lere Olayinka, called on youths in the country to show their strength by voting against the present government in 2019.

According to the governor, “It was painful that the president could describe youths in Nigeria that are daily struggling to make a living under a harsh economy as lazy people.

“Contrary to the morale-killing comment of the president, Nigerian youths are hardworking, intelligent and enterprising.
“Their future was mortgaged by past leaders like President Buhari, who had everything at their beck and call as youths. I imagine the youths of today having half of the opportunities available in the 50s and 60s.”

Fayose recalled that Buhari at age 19 left secondary school to join the Nigerian Army and by 21 had been commissioned a second lieutenant and appointed platoon commander of the Second Infantry Battalion in Abeokuta, present day Ogun State.

“Within his 24 years in the army, the president was governor of North Eastern State, Minister of Petroleum, Chairman of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and head of state. Where can our youths get such opportunity today?

“Under his watch as Minister of Petroleum, N2.8 billion went missing from the accounts of the NNPC in Midlands Bank in the United Kingdom. That N2.8 billion at that time was like $2.8 billion (over N1 trillion) now and here is he insulting the youths whose existence his likes mortgaged,” he added.

The Ekiti governor advised the president to stop de-marketing Nigeria and its people in foreign lands and reminded Nigerians of Buhari’s interview with the British Telegraph newspaper in 2016.

The governor, who insisted that the negative foundation the likes of Buhari had laid for Nigeria had made life impossible for the youths, went to ask: “As military governor of the North Eastern State, what difference did President Buhari make in the lives of youths in the North?”

He described Buhari as an analogue president, adding: “There is no connection between him and the youths because I doubt if he can even use a common android phone.

“One can’t really blame the president; he does not understand what is obtainable in the country anymore. That’s the reason he was still seeing West Germany and Deutschmark in 2015.”

Urging the youths to use their votes to send Buhari out of office in 2019, Fayose said: “I did say before now that majority of the youths that voted for President Buhari in 2015 never knew who they were voting for because they had not experienced him as a military ruler.

“Most of them were those that were born in the 80s and they did not witness Buhari’s clueless and draconian government.”
Also, in a statement issued by spokesman of the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, the main opposition party faulted the president’s remarks on Nigerian youths, saying by their demonstrated industry, they could not in any way be described by anybody as lazy.

The party said Nigerians found it extremely shocking that Buhari could make such a false, derogatory and unpatriotic comment against Nigerian citizens at a time the nation was looking up to him to properly present its potential to the global business community.
PDP said it was alarming that at every international event, the president has made it a favourite past time to de-market, paint and project Nigeria and her citizens in very negative light, an indication that he has stopped believing in Nigeria.

“Mr. President’s latest salvo is totally unacceptable and must be condemned by all right-thinking people to avoid further verbal assaults against our country, particularly at international fora.

“How can President Buhari describe Nigerian youths as lazy, when they have proven, without doubt, to be one of the most industrious set of individuals in the world?

“Here is a president, whose administration has in its three years of governance, contributed nothing towards providing opportunities for our youths and which has not initiated or implemented any development project or set up any industry to provide jobs for our aspiring youths.

“Here is a president under whose watch, factories and businesses have shut down resulting in over 24 million job losses and under whom no meaningful foreign direct investment has been attracted to the country.

“This is a president who daily watches Nigerian youths sweating at menial jobs under very strenuous conditions on the streets of Abuja, Jos, Lagos, Ibadan, Kano, Kaduna, Maiduguri, Bauchi, Calabar, Port Harcourt, Enugu, Onitsha and other major cities, yet he unsympathetically described them as lazy,” the PDP said.

The party said Nigerians, when given the right opportunities in other countries, are known to have excelled in various fields of endeavour.

“Nigerians can now see that when the PDP accused President Buhari of de-marketing our nation, we were not playing politics. It is however saddening that after de-marketing his own generation, President Buhari is set to destroy the future of younger Nigerians.
“We ask, now that President Buhari has gone ahead to denigrate our youths, who form the bulk of our workforce, as lazy and lovers of freebies, how can he expect any foreign investor to bring in investment into our country?

“Most disheartening is that these are the same young persons who form the highest demography of voters that put their confidence in him in 2015. Now they are receiving the short end of the stick from the president.

“Our final take is that the APC has done enough harm to our dear nation and there are no signs that they will change their stance. Nigerians, especially the youths, must therefore spare no thought in their resolve to vote them out in 2019,” it said.

However, the presidency Thursday dismissed the perception that Buhari had mocked Nigerian youths while speaking at the Commonwealth Business Forum.

His media aide, Femi Adesina, said Buhari’s remarks had been twisted as is “typical of the stock in trade” of those he described as “manipulators and twisters of statements of Mr. President, who lie in wait to make mischief”.

According to him, such persons who have cultivated the habit of misinterpreting the president’s comments, twisted it “to mean that President Buhari had taken all Nigerian youths to the cleaners”.

According to him, elementary English recognises a wide gulf between “a lot of” and the word “all”, adding: “How can ‘a lot of them’, suddenly transmogrify to mean ‘all of them?’ Mischievous and unconscionable!”

He said it was impossible for Buhari, whom he described as the father of the Nigerian nation in every sense of the word and who has biological children that are young, pass a vote of no confidence on all youths.

“It can only exist in the imagination of those who play what the president has described as ‘irresponsible politics’ with everything.”
Adesina added: “President Buhari has always applauded and celebrated Nigerian youths who excel in different areas of endeavour, from sports, to academia, and other realms. And he will continue to do so, because he values the youths, and knows that they are the fulcrum on which the future of the country rests.

“Indeed, every country has its share of idle population, and it is the bounden duty of government at all levels, to create an enabling environment for them to actualize their potential. That is what President Buhari is committed to doing.
“The focal areas of the administration; securing the country, reviving the economy, and fighting corruption, are actually intended to give youths a future and hope.

“This much was emphasized in an April 5, 2018 comment by President Buhari, while receiving letter of credence from the head of delegation of the European Union to Nigeria, when he said: ‘Our insistence on probity is to encourage people to be accountable, and accept honesty as a lifestyle so as to secure the future of our youths.’

“The president also said more than 60 per cent of Nigerians fall into the age category of youths and deserve to inherit a stable and prosperous country that they can be proud of, adding that the government will work assiduously to prevent waste and the depletion of resources by corrupt Nigerians.

“It is futile for mischief makers to lie in wait, and take a minor part of the words of the president, and turn it into negative commentary, peradventure they could diminish the profile of the president.

“Nigerians across all walks of life know who is serving them faithfully and truly, and they will always reciprocate such fidelity as occasions demand.”

The post Buhari Under Fire over Comment on Nigerian Youths, Presidency Clarifies Remarks appeared first on THISDAYLIVE.

…Education marshalls to stem loitering by students

To kick-start the overhaul of the Edo State’s basic education sub-sector, Governor Godwin Obaseki has launched the Edo Basic Education Sector Transformation (Edo-BEST) programme, with over 1,500 teachers in the state graduating from the training on Information and Communication Technology-based teaching method.

Obaseki urged parents to take advantage of the reforms in the state’s education sector and warned that Education Marshals will be deployed across local government areas to stem loitering by school children. He said parents who fail to ensure that their children are enrolled and remain in schools will be arrested and fined.   

Speaking at the launch of Edo-BEST Programme at Samuel Ogbemudia College in Benin on Thursday, April 19, 2018, Obaseki said the state would work with Local Government Areas (LGAs) to coordinate the Education Marshalls, who would be on the watch to ensure students do not loiter about during school hours.

“If a child is found loitering during school hours, he or she will be apprehended and the parent of the child will also be arrested and fined,” he warned.

The governor also assured that perimeter fencing will be erected around all schools across the state, noting that President Muhammadu Buhari tasked all state governors to ensure security in schools.

He added that any building located inside the schools would be fenced in and such properties then automatically belong to the school.

The governor stated that his administration wants to ensure that any child who receives basic education would be able to read and write, which is why new technology-based learning method is being deployed in the state’s basic education sub-sector.

He assured that the Edo-BEST programme would be extended to all schools in the state, calling on communities to show commitment to protecting schools from vandalism.

Commissioner for Education, Hon. Emmanuel Agbale, said the overhaul of the basic education sub-sector and the adoption of new methods of teaching and learning will bring unprecedented change to the sector.

He said the governor would kick-start a reward system for teachers who distinguish themselves in the Edo-BEST programme.

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Davidson iriekpen

As the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) prepares for the 2019 general election, indications have emerged that the ghost of the creation of 30,000 new polling units in the run up to the 2015 elections has resurfaced, with the move by the commission to re-introduce new polling units, but this time disguised as Voting Point Settlements.

Should INEC adopt the format used in 2014 when it attempted to create precisely 30,062 new polling units, with more units allocated to the states in Northern Nigeria than the South, this could compromise the integrity of the 2019 elections.

Pointers that there were surreptitious moves to reintroduce the initiative was let out of the bag last month when the former INEC chairman, Prof Attahiru Jega, congratulated the current chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, for among other achievements, what he called the “review of the polling units, registration areas…” as part of the commission’s “significant, commendable progress made to sustain, deepen and defend the integrity of the Nigerian electoral process”.

However, when further investigations were conducted to verify the development from some internal stakeholders, the remark by Jega came as a surprise to many of them who seemed unaware that INEC had initiated, let alone concluded a review of the polling unit arrangement under any guise whatsoever.

Curiously, those who have sighted an internal memo on the introduction of Voting Point Settlements further revealed that it was targeted at re-introducing the controversial 30,000 polling units that were rejected by the public before the 2015 elections.

Many insiders in INEC wondered how the erstwhile chairman knew about it while those of them who work in the very office where such decisions are taken were not aware of the so-called Voting Point Settlements.

By bringing it up, Jega had brought to the fore the creation of the additional 30,000 polling units which he was particularly passionate about implementing in his time as INEC chairman and is now encouraging his successor to re-introduce under a new nomenclature.

The first time the introduction of new polling units was mooted in 2014, it was very controversial because many saw the allocation of polling units as skewed and not reflective of the registered voter demographics of the country.

Many had argued that the North was unduly favoured because the North-east which was heavily under siege by Boko Haram terrorists at the time was allocated more new polling units than the South-west which was peaceful and had two heavily populated states – Lagos and Oyo States in the zone.

Also, the South-east, made up of five states, had almost the same allocation of new polling units as the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

The allotment of polling units then by the Jega-led INEC was as follows: North-west – 7,906, North-east – 5,291, and the North-central – 6,318.

However, INEC under Jega allotted the South-west 4,160 polling units, the South-south – 3,087 and South-east – 1,167 while the FCT got 1,200 new polling units.
At the time, Jega had argued that the additional polling units would bring the total to 150,000 polling units nationwide with 500 voters per unit.

He also said the new polling units were being created to: decongest over-crowded polling units and dispersing voters as evenly as possible among all them;

• Locate polling units more effectively within commuting distances of voters, given that movement is usually restricted on election day;

• Relocate the unit from “in-front of” private houses, and such other unsuitable places, to public buildings or where this is not possible, to public open spaces where tents can be provided;

• Locate them inside classrooms or such other suitable enclosures, in line with international best practices;

• Split large polling units such that they have on average of 500 registered voters; and

• Create additional polling units to cater for the splitting of large polling units as well as new settlements not serviced by any existing units.

With the latest move by the current INEC leadership, many are concerned that the so-called Voting Point Settlements is an attempt to bring back the skewed 30,000 polling units by subterfuge with the same numerical electoral advantage given to Northern Nigeria.
They wondered why the electoral commission would introduce the same polling unit controversy and reinforce Nigeria’s fault-line through the clandestine intended changes very close to the 2019 elections, given the distrust it might cause.

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Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has warned against erecting structures under high tension cables in the state, urging those still dwelling or doing business in such locations to vacate the buildings to avoid environmental and health hazards.

The governor, in a statement, said it was regrettable that some residents in the state ignored several warnings issued in the media and relayed during town hall meetings that they should vacate such dwellings in different parts of the state.

According to him, “We are constrained to make this appeal again after initial attempts to dissuade the people from living or doing business under high tension cables were not heeded. It is a source of worry for us as a government because we are aware of the risks involved and are determined to prevent any unfortunate incidents.

“Much as we have the option to forcefully evacuate these persons from such places, we would want to first tread on the path of caution and treat them as reasonable, responsible fellow humans who will heed advise.”

He cautioned those who live in such locations to work with relevant government agencies to ensure the safe evacuation of their belongings and businesses.

The governor explained that the warnings were imperative because of the unfortunate past incidents such as the death of 30 persons at viewing centre in Calabar after a high-tension cable fell on the facility among other similar incidents.

“It is in the interest of our people that we have decided to rev up this campaign. We are witnesses to the wanton destruction that can result from a mishap with the high-tension cables. And it will be saddening when this occurs and we have people trapped under the rubbles because they fail to heed warnings.

Noting that the state government values the lives of its people, he said, “We will continue with the campaign because, above all else, we value the lives of our people and will not allow harm come their way when such can be prevented.

To reiterate, we caution Edo people to vacate dwellings under high-tension cables, move to safer locations and reduce the chances of preventable tragedies.”

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…LAPO CEO, Ehigiamusoe, Okojie lead panel sessions on SME financing, agribusiness, others

The Edo State Government Strategic Planning Team (SPT) and the Youth Wing of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Edo State Chapter, have announced a one-day training session for youths on entrepreneurship, empowerment and leadership.

In a statement, Chairman, Edo State SPT, Prof. Julius Ihonvbere, said the one-day seminar themed Owning Your Future will take place on Tuesday, April 24, 2018 at Buvel Events Centre, in Uromi, Esan North East Local Government Area, Edo State.

He said the seminar will feature panel sessions by top government officials, business executives and professionals, including Chief Executive Officer (CEO), LAPO Microfinance Bank Limited, Dr. Godwin Ehigiamusoe,  Secretary to the State Government, Osarodion Ogie Esq., and Special Adviser to the State Governor on Agriculture, Food Security and Forestry, Prince Joe Okojie.  

He added that the seminar will focus on understanding the purpose of leadership, developing business plans, sourcing funds for business and grooming entrepreneurial skills. He said youths will also learn how to tackle hurdles in establishing businesses and prepare for the job market.

Explaining that the seminar is divided into two panel sessions, he said “In the first session, the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Osarodion Ogie Esq., will deliver a paper titled Edo State Development Initiatives, while the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Skills Development and Job Creation, Ukinebo Dare, will speak on Skills and Personal Development  for Employment.”

Other speakers billed for the first panel session are: “Special Adviser to the Governor on Agriculture, Food Security and Forestry, Prince Okojie who will speak on New Opportunities in Agriculture; and Commissioner for Wealth Creation, Cooperatives and Employment, Hon. Emmanuel Usoh, who will focus on Cooperatives and Accessing Small and Medium Entrepreneurship (SME) Funds.”

Ihonvbere said that the second panel session will feature the CEO, LAPO Microfinance Limited, Dr. Ehigiamusoe who will deliver a paper on Building a Future for the Youths through Entrepreneurship, while a resource person from Farmer Joe Limited, IK Ogbebor and CEO, Cake Island, Gregory Owie would deliver talks on Running a Small Business: Understanding Pitfalls and Opportunities.

The post Edo Govt., APC Youth Wing to train youths on entrepreneurship, leadership at seminar appeared first on THISDAYLIVE.

…urges partnership to harness gains of heritage objects

The Governor of Edo State, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has assured of his administration’s resolve to reclaim, remodel and preserve the Benin Moat as part of the new tourism super-structures that will pull tourist traffic to the state.

Obaseki gave the assurance in commemoration of the International Day for Monuments and Sites, marked on April 18, each year.

“The Benin Moat is a priceless asset and part of our heritage objects with global appeal. We have commenced the reclamation of the Benin Moat and our grand plan is to make it one of the superstructures in our tourism master plan.

“We are very proud to have inherited this massive earth work which is considered the largest man-made structure in the world and we are determined to unlock its cultural and tourism potential,” the governor said.   

He added that similar attention would be accorded other cultural assets across the state to boost social-economic activities in the culture and tourism sector.

Obaseki called on culture enthusiasts, tourism promoters, art collectors and other stakeholders to key into the culture and tourism value chain to maximise the gains the sector holds for development.

He stressed: “Culture is our strongest asset as a state and we must make the best of this prized inheritance. Part of our plan for our heritage objects is to partner with the Oba of Benin, Oba Ewuare II, to build a world-class Royal Museum to hold stolen artefacts being recovered by the Benin Kingdom.”

He explained that “the museum will put an end to the argument by holders of these stolen works, that we lack world class facilities for preserving our art works.”

According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), the International Day for Monuments and Sites (World Heritage Day) is an international observance held on 18 April each year around the world with different types of activities, including visits to monuments and heritage sites, conferences, round tables and newspaper articles.

The day was proposed by the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) on 18 April 1982 and approved by the General Assembly of UNESCO in 1983.

The aim is to promote awareness about the diversity of cultural heritage of humanity, their vulnerability and the efforts required for their protection and conservation.

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The post Nigeria’s Brent Crude Hits $73.79 per Barrel appeared first on THISDAYLIVE.

An improvement in Nigeria’s oil earnings is on course as prices held firm on Friday near three-year highs reached earlier this week as ongoing Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)-led supply cuts, as well as strong demand, gradually draw down excess supplies.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Brent crude oil futures were up at $73.79 per barrel at 0440 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures down 2 cents at $68.40 a barrel.

Both Brent, which Nigeria produces, and WTI hit their highest levels since November 2014 on Thursday, at $74.75 and $69.56 per barrel respectively.

WTI is set for its second weekly gain.

Oil prices have been pushed up by a gradually tightening market.

Led by top exporter, Saudi Arabia, OPEC has been withholding production since 2017 to draw down a global supply overhang.

The tighter oil market is feeding into refined products.

Oil supply tightness is also a result of healthy oil demand.

Beyond OPEC’s supply management, crude prices have also been supported by an expectation that the United States will re-introduce sanctions on OPEC-member Iran. (NAN)

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By Ejiofor Alike with agency reports
 

Crude oil prices stabilised yesterday after an earlier slide driven by comments by the United States President Donald Trump, who accused the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) of “keeping oil prices artificially very high.”

But responding from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, OPEC secretary general, Mohammad Barkindo, stated that the United States’ oil and gas industry was a beneficiary of the cartel’s efforts to restore stability in the oil market.

In a tweet, Trump said the cartel’s pricing cycle “will not be accepted” as there is no scarcity of oil supply to warrant such “high prices.”

“Looks like OPEC is at it again. With record amounts of Oil all over the place, including the fully loaded ships at sea, Oil prices are artificially Very High! No good and will not be accepted,” Trump reportedly tweeted.

However, Barkindo said OPEC members were friends of the United States and had a vested interest in its growth and prosperity.

He added that the cartel’s efforts had restored stability in the oil market for the benefit of the United States and other producers.

“We in OPEC pride ourselves as friends of the United States who have vested interest in their growth, development and prosperity,” Barkindo said, adding that OPEC, non-OPEC deal “has not only arrested the decline but rescued the oil industry from imminent collapse and is now on course to restore stability on a sustainable basis in the interest of producers, consumers and the global economy”.

Global benchmark, Brent crude oil futures were down six cents at $73.72 per barrel while West Texas Intermediate crude futures  for delivery in June, the most active U.S. contract, were down two cents at $68.31.

The May WTI contract, which expires on Friday, CLc1 gained three cents at $68.29.

Since early 2017, the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies have curbed output in the hopes of eliminating a global oil glut.

“We are doing our role to correct the market and the market, as we said, is not yet balanced,” UAE energy minister Suhail al-Mazrouei said in response to the tweet, adding that prices were not artificially high.

OPEC Secretary-General Mohammad Barkindo said members were friends of the United States and had a vested interest in its growth and prosperity.

 Earlier this week, both Brent and WTI hit their highest levels since November 2014, at $74.75 and $69.56 per barrel respectively, buoyed by geopolitical risk and a tightening market. For the week, both benchmarks were on track for a gain of over one per cent.

Saudi Oil Minister Khalid al-Falih said OPEC and its allies had not yet reached their target and that drawdowns in oil inventories needed to continue.

The United States has until May 12 to decide whether it will leave the Iran nuclear deal, which would further tighten global supplies.

The post Trump Accuses OPEC of Keeping Crude Oil Prices “Artificially” High appeared first on THISDAYLIVE.

By Alex Enumah in Abuja
 

The Supreme Court on Friday voided the sack of about 860 Nigerian employees of Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited, employed in the year 2000 as security officers, but named by the company as Supernumerary Police officers (SPY). 

The five man panel of justices of the apex court in a unanimous judgment, held that it was illogical and without legal backing for Mobil to have employed the Nigerians and sought to off-load them to the Nigeria Police through the back door. 

The apex court voided the termination of the appointment of the Nigerian employees yesterday in Abuja while delivering judgement on an appeal marked: SC/33/2010 by Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited.

The oil company had approached the apex court to reverse the 2009 Court of Appeal judgment which upheld the Nigerian workers’ claim to being employees of the company. 

In the lead judgment delivered by Justice John Inyang Okoro, the Supreme Court upheld the decision of the lower court which agreed that the Nigerians, led by Okon Johnson, were and are still Mobil’s staff and should be accorded all benefits.

In the earlier judgment, the appellate court further ordered Mobil to pay the Nigerian staff all outstanding allowances and salaries from when they were purportedly variously disengaged. 

“The summary of the facts is that the 1st to 15 respondents were employed by the appellants as Supernumerary Police officers (SPY) and issued with appointment letters.

“Thereafter, it (appellants) tried to off-load them (the 1st to 15 respondents) to the Nigeria Police, a decision the Nigerian employees rejected. 

“The court below upheld their argument that they are not police officers, but staff of Mobil Nigeria Unlimited. 

“So Mobil appealed to this court. And after we have painstakingly looked at all the exhibits before us, including the appointment letters and we have also looked at the Police Act as it relates to the mode of appointment of SPYs, we agree with the lower court that the respondents were employed by Mobil Nigeria Unlimited as their security staff. 

“There is nothing in the Police Act, which gives Mobil the authority to appoint security officers and then, off-load them to the Nigeria Police. 

“If the Police Council wanted to appoint SPYs it would have done in accordance with the Police Act, which it failed to do.

“The law is very clear. Whoever wants the services of policemen in its establishment, should apply to the Inspector General of Police (IGP). The IGP would then request for and receive clearance from the President of the country.

“After receiving clearance from the President, the IGP will now authorise the Police Council to direct the Police Service Commission (PSC) to appoint. That is the way the law puts it.

“The PSC will now appoint these officers and then, post them to any establishment that requires them.

“But, in this case, Mobil advertised for recruitment, conducted interview, issued them with appointment letters; and then, gave them that name: Supernumerary Police Officers (SPY).

“Whatever name you give them, the basis is, who appointed them? So, whoever appointed them is their boss, which is Mobil Nigeria Unlimited.

“So, this appeal lacks merit and it is hereby dismissed. The judgment of the lower court is upheld,” Justice Okoro said.

Justices Olabode Rhodes-Vivour, Mary Odili, Amiru Sanusi and Sidi Bage, who were also on the panel, agreed with Justice Okoro’s lead judgment.

The apex court dismissed a similar appeal by the IGP, on the grounds that it was unnecessary and a waste of public funds.

The Nigerian workers were variously employed in early 1990s by Mobil in its security unit. But for unknown reasons, the company chose to refer to them as: “SPY Police of Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited,” a decision that later created confusion over the actual status of the workers.

In 2000 a dispute arose about the status of the security guards, with Mobil claiming to have transferred their employment to the Nigeria Police Force (NPF). 

Mobil claimed it engaged them as SPY police personnel, and not actual staff; a claim the affected workers disputed, with some of them refusing to be transferred out of their stations.

They (the Nigerian workers) alleged being victimised, with some sacked unceremoniously for insisting on right to being entitled to be treated as other employees of Mobil. 

They further alleged that, aside from being subjected to harsh working condition, they were compelled to sign a document identified as “Mobil Producing Nigeria status agreement for supernumerary police service condition agreement.”

The workers said although some of them succumbed and endorsed the documents, others stood their ground, and later sought the protection of the court by filing a suit at the Federal High Court, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, marked: FHC/UY/CS/2004.

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By Davidson Iriekpen
 

The Court of Appeal in Calabar yesterday struck down the powers of regulatory agencies to impose fines without recourse to the courts.

In its judgment in favour of ExxonMobil in an appeal filed by the National Oil Spill Detection & Response Agency (NOSDRA) against the decision of the Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu of the Federal High Court in Uyo, the Court of Appeal struck down section 6(3) of the NOSDRA Act empowering it to impose fines on organisations it is regulating, saying it was in clear violation of the 1999 Constitution.

Justice Ojukwu’s decision delivered on May 16, 2017 on the motion filed by Mobil against NOSDRA at the lower court was to the effect that the imposition of fines by regulatory agencies, as was done in this case by NOSDRA, without due recourse to the courts, was illegal and did not accord with the rules of natural justice and fairness.

Dissatisfied with the judgment, NOSDRA appealed the decision.

But upholding the submissions of counsel to Mobil, Prof. Fabian Ajogwu (SAN), as canvassed by Mr. Ituah Imhanze, and affirming the ruling of the lower court, the Court of Appeal in Calabar in a unanimous decision, held that by the imposition of penalty on Mobil, without due recourse to the courts, NOSDRA had “acted in a judicial capacity which they were not imbued with” under the 1999 Constitution.

In the lead judgment delivered by Justice Chioma Nwosu-Iheme, she held that by fining Mobil, NOSDRA constituted itself into a court with judicial or quasi-judicial powers, when in fact the law creating it did not donate such jurisdiction to it.

The judge noted that by the imposition of the fine, the federal agency acted in a judicial capacity which they were not imbued with under the constitution, and by so doing, it became a judge in its own cause, the complainant as well as the judge.

She submitted that penalties or fines were imposed as punishment for an offence or violation of the law, adding that the power, as well as competence to come to that finding, belongs to the courts. She said that NOSDRA was not clothed with the power to properly exercise that function in view of the law creating it.

The jurist held that since Section 6(6) of the Constitution in Section vests judicial powers on the courts, “sentence can safely be pronounced after a conviction for an offence has been made by a court of competent jurisdiction.”

Saying that it is very well known in law that a fine is a criminal sanction, She cited the judgment delivered by Justice Abba Aji of the same court in the Abdullahi vs. Kano State (2015) LPELR – 25928 (CA) where he defined fine as a payment of money ordered by a court from a person who has been found guilty of violating law and that a fine it may be specified as the punishment for an offender, usually a minor offence, but could also be specified and used as an option to imprisonment for major crimes or a complement to other punishments specified for such crimes. 

Justice Nwosu-Iheme averred: “I must here underline the fact that awarding a fine is a judicial act and it is the sole prerogative of a court of law under Section 6 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended). No other organisations or bodies can usurp that power. Any law that would consign to anybody other than the courts the power to award fine is unconstitutional.”

She held that the courts will not allow any authority to act ultra vires its powers under the Constitution, adding that Sections 1 and 6 of the 1999 Constitution empower the courts to declare any Act of the National Assembly inconsistent with the provisions of the Constitution, null and void.

The panel consequently, restated the power of the courts under the constitution to declare any Act of the National Assembly that is inconsistent with the constitution as null and void and pronounced that the offending provisions of the NOSDRA Act which provided the basis for the arbitrary imposition of fine by the federal agency constitutes a lacuna in the NOSDRA Act.

“By the provisions of Sections 1(1) and (3) of the 1999 Constitution, the Constitution is supreme and its provisions are binding on all authorities and persons in Nigeria. Therefore, if any law is inconsistent with any provisions of the constitution, the constitution shall prevail and the other law shall to the extent of that inconsistency be void,” Justice Nwosu-Iheme held.

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