FG not transparent over Halliburton scandal –NBA

The Nigerian Bar Association, on Wednesday, insisted that the Federal Government should release the names of Nigerians linked with the Halliburton bribe scandal.

The President, NBA, Chief Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (SAN), who spoke at the opening of the NBA’s 4th Business Law Conference in Abuja, said that the Federal Government had not been transparent in the handling of the issue.

According to him, Nigerians are not satisfied with the way the office of the Attorney-General and Ministry of Justice is handling the issue.

He said, “Rule of law is not limited to obeying court orders. Government has not been transparent. Nigerians deserve to have fuller information.

“The names of those involved should be released to the public and they should also be prosecuted. That is our position.

“The matter has already been tried in court in the United States of America, so there should really be no secrecy about the names of Nigerians who were involved in the scandal.”

Akeredolu noted that “the struggle for the economic emancipation of Africa must be fought from all fronts. There is no doubt that Africa’s development has been wasted by poor leadership as most our leaders pay lip service to the issue of the rule of law, while most of our leaders have benefited and are still benefitting from the proceeds of corruption.”

He also faulted the advice by President Umaru Yar’Adua to his ministers that they should be transparent in their operations, saying that all the President needed to do was to support the passing into law of the Freedom of Information Bill.

“There is also no commitment on the part of the National Assembly to pass the bill. Otherwise, if they pass it and the president refuses to assent, they should override him by two-thirds vote,” he said.

Also speaking at the event, immediate past president of the International Bar Association, Mr. Fernado Pombo, said that transparency was needed in fighting trans-border economic crimes such as corruption.

He said that effort should be made to trace money involved in such crimes and how it could be retrieved and brought back home.

He pointed out that lawyers played key roles in facilitating corrupt acts worldwide.

The former IBA President cautioned lawyers about engaging in acts capable of tarnishing the image of the profession, adding that “a lawyer’s obligation to his client to close a deal has its limitations.”

He said such limitation should not extend to committing a crime, as anything beyond a legal advice was no longer part of a lawyer’s duty to his client while lawyers were part of the fight against corruption and abuse of power.

Deportees raise the alarm over Nigerians

The 45 Nigerians deported on Tuesday by the Equatorial Guinea Government have expressed fears on the whereabouts of 11 others, saying they may have been killed in that country.

They also demanded the release of the 15 corpses of Nigerians killed for proper burial at home and $100m compensation to the owners of seized boats and the detainees.

Out of the 128 Nigerians detained by the government of that country, 11 of them were removed from their cell, to an unknown destination, while efforts to trace them have proved futile.

A statement entitled, Report of Assault on Nigerian businessmen and Sailors in Malabo by the Government of Equatorial Guinea, signed by the Secretary-General of Nigeria/Malabo Boat Owners Association, Mr. Wisdom Archibong and made available to our correspondent in Lagos on Wednesday, also alleged that 12 of them died through torture and shooting.

They were arrested on February 17 by a combined team of Equatorial Guinea Police, Navy and Army who took 98 sailors and 30 other Nigerians and detained at the Central Police Station in Malabo.

Three of the people shot dead, alleged Archibong, included one Mr. Sola Jide, adding that “three of the people in the boat were tortured to death, including a woman. The Equatorial Guinea Police, after killing them, placed guns on their bodies, took photographs and branded them militants.’’

He stated that despite complaints to the Nigerian government, the Consul-General remained mute over the matter.

But the spokesperson of the Foreign Affairs Ministry, Mr. Ayo Olukanni, told The PUNCH on the phone that “both the Nigerian Mission in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea and the Federal Government have taken up the issue to ensure that the rights of our people are protected.’’

Reacting to the development, human rights advocate, Mr. Femi Falana, told our correspondent that he would reach out to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and draw the attention of the government to the plight of Nigerians in Equatorial Guinea.

JAMB set to release UME result

The joint admission and matriculation board JAMB, the body responsible for the entrance examination into higher institutions in Nigeria has disclosed the results of last Saturday university matriculation examination will be release next week.

The body made this known at a press briefing on Thursday.

Adesanya: Judge sentences Abacha’s aide, Shofolahan to 59 years

JUSTICE Olushola Williams of a Lagos High Court, on Wednesday, sentenced a member of a Strike Force of the late Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha, Aminu Mohammed, to 28 years imprisonment for the attempted murder of the late Senator Abraham Adesanya.

In her judgment that lasted almost three and a half hours, Justice Williams also sentenced Lateef Shofolahan, a former aide to the late Mrs Kudirat Abiola to 31 years with hard labour for his involvement in the plot to kill the late leader of Afenifere.

The judge further berated Mohammed, an Army corporal, for engaging in condemnable act, saying that, “Though he was part and parcel of a team that was maintained at the expense of tax payers, the excuse that he was under instruction is not enough to endanger the lives of the people.

“The first defendant must take responsibility for his act.”

Justice Williams also castigated Shofolahan for being garrulous, adding that it was regrettable that his conduct as an informant led to the covert act of shooting the late Adesanya

She said, “He denies simple truth. He said he did not know the location of National Theatre, Iganmu, Lagos, but he claimed to live in Ojuelegba for years. Under cross-examination, he reversed himself to say he knew the place.

“His defence does not hold water. He allowed greed and avarice to erode his conscience. He is like Judas Iscariot and abused the trust placed in him.”

But the judge directed that the defendants’ prison terms should run concurrently and must commence from October 7, 1999.

The Lagos State Government had brought Mohammed and Shofolahan to court on a two -count charge of conspiracy and attempted murder of Adesanya at Sura Market, Lagos Island on January 14, 1997.

The judge further held that three issues were fundamental to the 10-year -old suit and resolved issues one and three in favour of the state while issue two was resolved in favour of both parties.

Regarding the issue of credibility of Barnabas Jabila (a.k.a Sgt Rogers) testimony, the court held that the fact that Justice Joseph Oyewole found his (Rogers) testimony not credible in the case of the State v Ishaya Bamaiyi did not mean that his testimony in the present case was not credible.

She said “I must say right away that because a witness is not found credible in one matter does not affect his credibility in another. The judgment of Justice Joseph Oyewole is not binding on this court.

“I watched PWI (Rogers) in the box and he appeared sober and his testimony in court remains unshaken. He does not appear to me as a habitual liar. If indeed he was a drunk as alleged by the defence, he appeared to have had a change of heart. The fact that PWI used to drink alcohol does not make him an incredible witness.”

The judge further upheld the argument of the lawyer to the Lagos State Government, Mr Lawal Pedro (SAN) and held that the testimony of Rogers was credible.

She said, “I find his testimony to be true and credible. It can be useful for conviction.”

The judge further held that the evidence of Rogers was corroborated by the overt act of the team to eliminate the late Adesanya.

She said, “I hereby convict the first and second defendant accordingly.”

Lawyer to Mohammed, Mr James Ocholi (SAN) had during allocutus (plea for leniency) urged the court to temper justice with mercy.

Shofolahan’s lawyer, Mr. Lekan Ojo, also urged the court to be lenient with his client.

In his comment, Pedro urged the court to do justice in the matter.

In her sentence, the judge said, “I hereby sentence the first defendant to 10 years on the first count (conspiracy) and 18 years on the second count (attempted murder).

“I also sentence the second defendant to 14 years for the first count and 17 years on the second count with hard labour.

“The prison terms are to run concurrently and take effect from October 7, 1999.”

Halliburton: Why US may not release information

It will take a judicial order by a United States District Court before the American government can release any information to Nigeria on its investigation into $180m Halliburton scandal.

According to the Empowered Newswire reports, the US authorities will have to be convinced that the Nigerian government has, indeed, opened a criminal investigation into the matter before taking steps to provide the needed information on the Nigerians involved and the evidence against them.

Officials at the US Department of Justice in Washington, DC on Wednesday could not confirm the receipt of the much-publicised request to the US Attorney-General Eric Holder. The request was reportedly made by the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Chief Michael Aondoakaa.

The officials also could not confirm the visit of Aondoakaa to the US Department offices in Washington, DC. But Nigerian Embassy officials said the minister was in the city on Sunday and left on Monday night.

One of the officials, Ian Mccaleb, however, said he would not rule out the receipt of such a request, adding that if it was received, the department would conduct a review of such request and take a decision.

Sources also explained that Nigeria and the US had signed a Mutual Legal Assistance, which could be used to facilitate the request of the Nigerian government for information on Nigerians involved in the Halliburton scandal.

According to the sources, the US Justice Department is not currently favourably disposed to sharing the information with Nigeria because of the perception that the Federal Government has slowed down considerably from the pursuit of its anti-corruption campaign.

In fact, in the investigation of the corruption involving Halliburton and its subsidiaries like KBR, the American investigators left out Nigeria in their international investigation while cooperating openly with their counterparts in the United Kingdom, France. Italy and Switzerland.

Of all the countries involved in the probe, only the Nigerian authorities are left out in the international efforts to unravel the scandal.

Observers say this is a reflection of the perception of the US Justice Department on the political will of the Nigerian government to show serious interest.

However, with what seems to be a renewed interest of the Nigerian government with the letter sent to the Justice Department, sources said the US government will review the request and take a decision.

As it was explained to Empowered Newswire, if the department determines to assist Nigeria to provide the identities of the Nigerians involved and other relevant information and evidence, it (department) will then proceed to a US Court to ask for a release for the government to share the information.

Such a request will be based on the MLA treaty between the Nigerian and the US governments. It was also explained that other legal basis exists, including the United Nations Convention on Corruption, to which Nigeria and the US have both signed.

However, the sources said if the US government was not convinced that the Nigerian government was serious and did not receive sufficient evidence that a criminal and public investigation of the matter had been opened in Nigeria, the Justice Department would not bother to ask a US Court to order the release of the evidence or sharing of information.

Lagos State issues "Yellow Card" against child abuse

Lagos State has embarked on an action plan to fight child abuse in the state, as the state's ministry of women affairs and poverty alleviation on Thursday started a six-month campaign to sensitise and warn Lagos residents about child abuse and the child rights law.


The ministry's commissioner, Joke Orelope-Adefulire, disclosed this during a press briefing at the state house press centre.


The campaign

The mode for the campaign will involve the distribution of a "Yellow" or warning card, which contains the rights of the children in three major languages spoken in the state: Yoruba, Egun, and English. Another pamphlet will also be distributed which contains the codes of the Child Rights Law of Lagos State, 2007, what is expected of their parents and the government.


During the six-month campaign, specially constituted enforcement teams will arrest children found violating the codes of the law, and restore them to their guardians.


"This will serve as a warning," the commissioner said.


After the campaign, a "Red" or prosecution card will be issued to any offender. The commissioner, who attested to an increase in juvenile rape incidents in the state, warned parents: "Stop bringing children into this world if you cannot provide for them. Hawking exposes them to road accidents and rape. Last week, I heard of three rape cases and there may be many more unreported cases due to the size of Lagos State."


The Child Rights Law guarantees every child in the state free education, parental care, and protection against hawking, abuse, rape, and intimidation.


Ministerial account

Giving account of her ministerial activities in the last one year, Mrs Orelope-Adefulire said her ministry's vision is to provide economic, political, and financial empowerment for the women in the state.


"The means for achieving our vision is to promote self-employment, provide education and training, reduce prostitution and early pregnancy, provide technical assistance and micro-finance scheme, fight against all forms of discrimination against women, and provide free legal services for widows," she said.


She said 20,000 women were trained last year and about 4,000 this year, through the ministry's short-term training courses, which include Cake and Snacks, Hair Plaiting, Tie and Dye and Batik.


Through the Skill Acquisition Programme, 4,028 youth were graduated last year, she said. In addition to the 16 existing centres, three more are under construction at Ikorodu, Ibeju-Lekki, and Mushin.


The courses offered include Welding, Tiling, Aluminium Fabrication, Refrigeration and Air-conditioning, Wheel Balancing and Alignment. The ministry has also administered worm expellants for about 525,000 children in the state.


The graduates of the Skill Acquisition Centres also have access to microcredit loans operated by five Microfinance Banks, to which three more have been added.


Prostitution and infant mortality

Fielding questions after the briefing, the commissioner said that the responsibility of rehabilitating the commercial sex workers falls under the ministry of youth and sports.


"Where we come in is in the area of skill acquisition. We want the NGOs to help us because we can provide the training but we cannot provide accommodation for them. Our accommodation of about 250 beds will be ready by next month," she said.


On tackling infant and maternal mortality, Mrs. Orelope-Adefulire said her ministry's responsibility is to sensitise the women about the free health care delivery available to them at the Public Health Centres (PHC), while the provisions of health care facilities is the job of the ministry of health.


"However, we are training 100 medical Doctors that will be posted to each of the PHCs in the state to conduct examination for breast and cervical cancers," she said.

Yar’Adua grants amnesty to Niger Delta militants

President Umaru Yar’Adua on Thursday took his resolve to end the lingering crisis in the Niger Delta a step further by announcing amnesty for all militants in the region.

But the amnesty came with a proviso: It will cover only those who are ready to lay down their arms and ammunition.

Yar’Adua, who spoke at the National Executive Committee meeting of the Peoples Democratic Party in Abuja, added that the Federal Government would rehabilitate and integrate such militants into the society.

The National Security Council is expected to meet next week to work out the modalities for the amnesty.

The militants in the Niger Delta had in the past restricted their nefarious activities to blowing up pipelines and platforms, thereby partially disrupting crude oil production in the region.

They later extended their modus operandi by abducting and in some cases killing foreign and Nigerian oil workers in their contentious agitation for improved revenue allocation and sometimes for outright control of oil wealth in the region.

Among the notable militant leaders with an army of followers in the region include Mr. Henry Okah of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, Alhaji Mujahidin Asari-Dokubo of the Niger Delta Peoples Volunteer Force and Mr. Ateke Tom of the Niger Delta Vigilante Movement.

Asari-Dokubo was arraigned before an Abuja High Court on a five-count charge of treasonable felony, but was later granted bail on grounds of health after some governors in the Niger Delta had appealed to Yar‘Adua to release him.

But Okah is still standing a secret trial before Justice Stephen Adah of the Federal High Court in Jos on a 62-count charge of alleged treason, terrorism, kidnapping, illegal importation of arms and ammunition, possession and storage of prohibited goods and management of unlawful society.

Tom was last month indicted by the Justice Kayode Eso-led Rivers State Truth and Reconciliation Commission for being behind the killings in some communities in the state.

Many other militants belong to the Reformed Niger Delta Peoples Volunteer Force, the Martyrs Brigade and the Watchdog of the Niger Delta, whose leaders are largely unknown.

Yar’Adua also told the PDP NEC that the Federal Government was repositioning the Joint Task Force in the Niger Delta to make it more effective at enforcing law and order.

He said, “On the Niger Delta, we are working on the wholistics of the development and implementation of the Niger Delta Master Plan.

“We have created the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs to champion the overall wholistic development of the region. And this administration has been releasing full funds to the Niger Delta Development Commission.

“Also, we are funding a repositioned JTF to enforce law and order and we have worked out new rules of engagement for the force, giving it a period of six months.

“Also, we are working on terms for the granting of amnesty for all those who are ready to lay down their arms in the Niger Delta, and this amnesty will include not only to lay down their arms but also reintegrating them and rehabilitating them into the Nigerian society.

“Next week, the National Security Council will meet to deliberate and finalise this rule of engagement to grant amnesty to all those ready to lay down their arms and ammunition and be integrated to the Nigerian society.

“The government has released enough funds to the JTF to acquire in the proper capacity to be able to enforce law and order in the region.”

The President also spoke on the ongoing G-20 summit in London, the global economic meltdown and the need to improve on the state of roads in the country.

On the summit, Yar’Adua, who looked remorse, said he was sad that Nigeria was not part of the G-20.

He said that Nigeria had what it took to be among the best 20 world economies, adding that what was needed was the will.

Yar’Adua said, “I must say that today is a sad day for me. And I think it should be for all Nigerians when 20 leaders of the leading countries of the world are meeting and Nigeria is not there.

“This is something we need to reflect upon. We have the population, we have the potential. We have the capacity and ability. We have the population, we have the collective will. What do we lack? Is it the will that we lack?

“Honestly and sincerely to realise these potential, we have the capacity. Potential is nothing unless it is realised.

“No matter the potential you have, unless you work on it, it would not be realised. We must realise it and lead the nation to realise it. This is what PDP must do to realise these potential.”

On the global economic meltdown, the President urged Nigerians to brace up for hard times, saying that there was no hope that the crisis would end this year.

He said that though the meltdown did not start in Nigeria, nor any undeveloped country, but its implication had traversed the entire world.

The President said, “Indeed, as we are meeting today here, 20 leaders of the 20 most developed nations of the world are holding a meeting in London trying to work out a solution to the problem of global financial crisis and the global financial meltdown.

“This has affected this country and any other country throughout the world and the crisis is not a joke; it is real and it demands discipline and sacrifices for us to take measures to mitigate the effects of this crisis and ensure that the crisis does not degenerate in this country into a great hardship for our people and to ensure that Nigeria comes out of this crisis stronger than it has weaken it.

“I want to make a general comment not only to our great party but to all Nigerians – this crisis is real; it is not a joke. And its source is not from this country. Nigerian and other undeveloped countries did not cause it in any way.

“This crisis began in most developed economies – in the United States and Western Europe. And to a great extend some of the Asian economy.

“And it has spread throughout the world. We cannot see the end of this crisis within 2009; the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and all other institutions are saying that there is no solution in 2009.

“In fact, if the global effort is going to make impact at all, it may have to start somewhere, if we are very lucky in the year 2010.”

He also said that the government would announce the contract for the much-talked about road concessioning next week.

Contracts for the concessioning of the roads, which number he gave as eight, would be announced after the Federal Executive Council meeting next week.

Also speaking at the occasion, the National Chairman of the PDP, Chief Vincent Ogbulafor, said that the major challenge facing the party was finance.

In order to ameliorate this, he said the party had distributed templates to all its state chairmen to list all elected and appointed persons in the PDP.

He warned that non-compliance with a section of the party’s constitution which states that public officers must contribute five per cent of their annual basic salary to the party would attract serious sanctions.

The meeting was attended by Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan; the President of the Senate, Mr. David Mark; Speaker, House of Representatives, Mr. Dimeji Bankole; state governors, and other members of the NEC.

The Chairman of the party’s Board of Trustees, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, and Secretary, Alhaji Adamu Abdullahi, were absent.

Over one million candidates to sit for Jamb exam

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (Jamb) has said that one million candidates are registered to sit for the 2009 Universities Matriculation Examination (UME) this Saturday.
Prof. Dibu Ojerinde, registrar, Jamb, yesterday in Abuja told journalists that the examination would hold in 2,338 centres across the country. He said parents, guardians and students should disregard rumours of a shift of date for the examination, saying that the board is prepared for the conduct of the examination.
According to him, “the examination body has made every necessary arrangement and is well prepared for the conduct of a hitch-free examination. There is no way we are postponing the date, the examination will take place simultaneously across the country on Saturday, 4th of April, 2009.
“The rumour about the postponement of the examination is being peddled by those who were not able to register before the deadline due to negligence on their part. We are having the examination as already scheduled.”
Ojerinde said university education in Nigeria is becoming very competitive as the number of registered candidates for this year’s examination has increased far above the number registered last year. He disclosed that the examination would hold simultaneously in 207 examination towns in the country and five foreign centres comprising of Accra in Ghana, Buea in Cameroon, Cotonuo in Benin, Jeddah in Saudi Arabia and Johannesburg in South Africa for the first time.
On security and monitoring during the examination, he said the board has engaged the services of over 7,000 men of the Nigeria Civil Defence and security Corps (NCDSC) and 197 independent examination watch groups comprising university vice-chancellors, rectors of polytechnics, provosts of colleges of education, officials of federal and state ministries of education, members of governing board of Jamb and immediate directors of the board.
He appealed to both the supervisors and invigilators to desist from sharp practices during the examination as anyone caught would be severely dealt with while centres with irregularities would be blacklisted.

Student In Sexual Harassment From Lecturer In UNIBEN

A student in the Faculty of Education at the University of Benin is poised for a show down with one of their lecturers whose alleged stock in trade is luring female students to bed. The lecturer and former Head of Department, Dr. S.N Omobude Idialo, has allegedly been sexaually harassing female students in the department.Recently, Dr. S.N. Omobude Idialo was accused by one Blessig Igbineweka of making life difficult for her through incessant sexual harassment. In a petition written by the student and dated 3rd October,2008 and addressed to the Vice Chancellor in the petition, she wrote that “ I am Blessing Igbineweka of Health Education Department with matriculation number EDU/04/0907, I became a victim of this lecturer in my first year in 200 level when he asked everybody to submit their assignment individually to him in the office. When it was my turn, he took my assignment and asked me to write my phone number which I did. Ever since then it has been one form of sexual harassment or the other. I complained to my parent, my friends, course mates, class rep and my brother who is a full time student of this department. They said he was like that that and that there is nothing I can do about it. I only tried to play smart by refusing to visit when he asked me to visit and the few times I visited, I only had sad experience as he does all manner of things to me in his office. She said, she told him that she has just gotten a new job and that her work will not let her attend class regularly. He told her that he will have to contact another lecturer but she must see him in his office another time.Blessing said that she always does her assignments and has brought all the textbooks she required. She came back one weekend after the exams to thank him for his support and understanding, suddenly he grabbed her and almost raped her. Blessing told him that she is old enough to marry and that she is not ready for anything like that. However when the results came out and checked her result she noticed that she failed his course. In Blessing’s statement she has never failed any course since resuming for the course. I think since I am married now and he feels he can’t have me again that is why he is failing me in his course.

British Airways, UK government May Consider Transit visa waiver for Nigerians

Britain's number one airline carrier British Airways is in talks with the UK government over transit visa waiver for Nigerians traveling through London to other destinations in the world.

Currently, Nigerian passengers using British Airways and transiting through London Heathrow Airport, go through harrowing experience securing transit visa from the Home Office which grants visa in Lagos and Abuja.

While 60 percent of passengers who are on transit through BA count the cost by way of the difficulty, time and money paid for transit visas, other European airlines like Lufthansa German Airlines and Air France-KLM take advantage of their home country's waiver.