₦airaland Forum

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*PeacePro raises alarm over mutual suspicion between Govt, Media and Civil Society*

A Peacebuilding group, Foundation for Peace Professionals also known as PeacePro has called on government in Nigeria at all levels to create a meeting point with the media and civil society to enhance synergy and create a bridge of understanding.

PeacePro stated that, working in opposing direction will continue to create confusion and drag the nation backward, no matter the good intention of the respective parties.

In a statement by Executive Director of PeacePro, Abdulrazaq Hamzat, the organization explained that, government, media and civil society should be, in the real sense of it, partners in peace and nation building, but unfortunately, the reverse is the case as both parties relate with each other with mutual suspicion and also competing to discredit each other, a development that has continued to hamper the growth of the nation.

According to Hamzat, while government has been given, through election, the mandate, resources and legitimacy to chart a direction for the development of the nation, media and civil society on the other hand has taken upon itself, the responsibility of not only putting searchlight on grey areas to bring about transparency and accountability, it is also ensuring that what government is doing is in line with public needs and expectations.

Hamzat however noted that, PeacePro observed that government, media and civil society are working with different information, which is to say the least, problematic and has often lead to hostility, rather than synergy.

”The volume of information available to government is different from what it available to media and civil society and each party is making its conclusions based on the level of information available to it’’ Hamzat said, adding that, lack of adequate information to media and civil society has led to many wrong conclusions, which has created negative perception about some loudable government initiatives.

‘’ The unnecessary hoarding of information by Ministries, Agencies and Departments is largely responsible for the increasing resort to fake news and conspiracy theories and this has done more harm than good to the country, as the little information that trickles out is negatively amplified and misunderstood, thereby creating negative perception’’

Hamzat therefore call on government to create a meeting point to bridge the information gap in other to avoid unnecessary public misperception, which has largely created negative mindset about government, not just within the media and civil society, but also within the general populace.

He concluded that, media and civil society will play a major role in our quest for peace and nation building and the earlier we fashion a joint purpose that is devoid of undue suspicion, the better for the country.

Nigeria is God's will and not a mistake,says Olawepo Hashim

_Joined #BetterTogether trend on tweeter_

A former presidential candidate and Global Energy expert, Mr Gbenga Olawepo -Hashim has declared that Nigeria is the will of God and not a mistake.

He joined a tweeter trend tagged #BetterTogether to advance his growing call for national unity amidst rising tension in the country.

The politician who has demonstrated unrivaled faith and commitment to the nation ,is now a leading voice in advocating for a united country at a time that ethnic tension is on the rise.

Hashim, who many said is synonymous with nationalism, joined tweeter trend to promote a campaign tagged #BetterTogether

On his newly created tweeter handle, @GbengaHashim, he wrote

"Nigeria is God's WILL not a mistake".

"And hath made of one blood all nations of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation"(Acts 17:26)

Seek Equity but run away from Division .#BetterTogether

The hashtag #BetterTogether had earlier trended on tweeter, after the former presidential candidate was repeatedly heard saying Nigeria is better together during recent interviews on NTA, AIT and Arise TV and following the trend of the hashtag, Hashim decided to return to tweeter to join the trend in pushing back on the divisive narratives that has taken over public discuss in recent time.

*GBENGA OLAWEPO-HASHIM: A PROFILE IN WITS, GRIT AND RESOURCEFULNESS*

Global Energy Executive, former Presidential candidate and founding Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), is one of the few Nigeria leaders who combine solid business record with strong political background.

A successful entrepreneur with a 30-year impeccable business history. He is chairman of Oilworld Ltd., operator of OPL 241 in the continental shelf of Nigeria as well as chairman Transnational Energy Limited, Farmee of Hely Creek and Abigborodo fields on OML 49. He is chairman of Bresson A.S. Limited, owners of the 90mw Magboro Independent Power Producing (IPP) project, amongst many business concerns locally and globally. Gbenga is generally acknowledged as principled and courageous.

Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim started exhibiting leadership qualities from elementary and secondary school days. There are many instances. In Cherubim and Seraphim College, he was appointed Health Prefect as well as elected President of the Dramatic Society. At the School of Basic Studies, he was elected General Secretary of the Anti-Apartheid Association, Youth Solidarity on Southern Africa. In 1988, he was elected one of the leaders of the very active National Association of Nigeria Students (NANS). He was incarcerated under the Detention of Persons Decree 2 of 1984 (as amended in 1989), as a result of his leadership role in 1989 Anti-SAP protests, and his Pro-Democracy activities. The Amnesty International adopted him Prisoner of conscience for Nigeria in 1989. He was also a notable Pro-Democracy figure in the then Global Pro-Democracy resistance of the late ‘80s and a respected Youth leadership voice from Africa. He played prominent role in the 13th International Festival of Youths and Students in 1989.

In 1990, Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim became the National Administrative Secretary of the National Consultative Forum led by the indefatigable patriot and democrat extraordinaire, former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Mr. Alao Aka Bashorun. The group had in its fold, the technocratic group led by Alhaji Danshida, Tayo Akpata, Philip Asiodu, etc. It also had a political group led by former Zikist activist, such as Chief Kola Balogun and others like, Chief RBK Okafor, Mahmud Waziri and Alhaji Tanko Yakasai. The group was the first to raise the need for devolution of power and advocated for the convocation of a National conference as a programme of democratization of Nigeria under Military rule.

Born in Yelwa, Yauri, Kebbi State by a Yoruba mother to a Hausa father, Gbenga spent his early years in New-Bussa, Niger State and was raised in the family of his step-father. A Christian, he attended NEPA Junior Staff School, New Bussa; Cherubim and Seraphim College, Ilorin; School of Basic Studies, Ilorin; University of Lagos and University of Buckingham, United Kingdom, where he obtained a Masters Degree in Global Affairs and was best student in his cohort, securing the Max beloff Prize for Global Affairs. He was also the first student to obtain a distinction in the department course – History of the international systems.

In a correspondence to Gbenga on the Max Beloff prize won, the chairman of the International Studies Degree Programmes, M.J.M. Crostie wrote, “It is always pleasant to dwell on success and you should make a point of mentioning the prize in your curriculum vitae because it is this sort of distinction that will set you apart from other candidates.” He has also received training at the International Human Resources Development Centre – Boston Massachuset, United States.

Mentored into partisan politics by the progressive stock of politician led by the duo of Late Chief Solomon Lar and Alhaji Abubakar Rimi, Gbenga had onetime functioned as the National Publicity Secretary of the National Democratic Party, under the joint chairmanship of Ambassador Jolly Tanko Yusuf and Alhaji Yunusa Kaltungo. In 1998, working closely under the supervision of Professor Jerry Gana (Secretary), Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim and two other young political leaders; Late Senator Dahiru Ahwesu Khuta (Administration) and Dubem Onyia (Organization), helped in the years of the G-34 initiative for the formation of political parties at the group’s secretariat. Gbenga was responsible for the publicity beat.

After the election of President Olusegun Obasanjo in 1999, in the intervening transitional period, Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim served as member/Secretary Youth and Women Development Sub-Committee of the General T.Y. Danjuma Policy Advisory Committee with Late Hajia Laila Dogonyaro as chairman of the Youth and Women Sub-committee.

In 1999, Gbenga was elected as the first Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the then ruling Party, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He was a highly influential national officer and became the founding chairman of the Group of 54 NEC members. The group had His Excellency, Dr. Chris Ngige as Secretary and Alhaji Ahmed Gusau, former Minister of Mines, as Deputy chairman.

He was known for his commitment to the principle of internal democracy in the party, transparency and good governance. As a national officer, he spoke truth to power then at great risks.

Speaking of Olawepo-Hashim’s courage, deep patriotism, and selflessness; Late Chief Ojo Maduekwe, former Nigerian Foreign affairs Minister and Nigerian High Commissioner to Canada, said at a reception in 2005; “The lives of people like Gbenga should inspire us to speak well of ourselves. Gbenga is an inner driven person, not afraid to stand alone, not afraid to be unpopular, not afraid to hold a view. A man who is inner driven, listens to the music of his own universe, listens to the applause of the spirit inside that have etched out an horizon, which he must conquer and moving in that direction; he takes the lead and others follow. Who can see the horizon with him, of such is the stuff of history, of such is the stuff of greatness.”

He was appointed in 2003 as a member of the Political Advisory Committee to the President (In the office of the Political Advisor.) A national Bridge-Builder and complete detribalized, charismatic and excellent negotiator, Gbenga’s experience and deep roots in popular organisation’s and the broad political sphere will be useful in formulating a national consensus for Nigeria and Unity at a time of great division. His understanding of political economy and the global architecture of international finance will also be invaluable for an economy that desperately needs growth and development and a people that urgently need prosperity.

Mr. Olawepo-Hashim has won many recognitions and honours including The Kwame Nkrumah African Leadership Award conferred by the continental student body – All African Student Union, at Accra Ghana in 2003; The Veteran Award-in 2005 by the International Union of Students and World Federation of Democratic Youths, (WFDY). He has also received the 2000 Nigerian Union of Journalist Award for Professional Excellence. He is a fellow of the Institute of Corporate Administration

ISSUED BY THE COMMITTEE OF FRIENDS OF GBENGA
OLAWEPO-HASHIM (GOH)

Banditry crisis in Nigeria and the ethic dimension
By Abdulrazaq Hamzat

Alot of people have requested for my opinion on the menace of banditry in Nigeria and the increasing ethic dimention, especially with the development in Oyo State and other southern part of the country.

While i have delibately stayed away from the subject so as not to aggravate some people's agony, i therefore find it worthy to give my opinion now, before it is too late.

1. Federal Government of Nigeria failed to protect the herders from cattle rustlers, thereby leading to crisis in the industry.

For over a decade, cattle rustlers were having a field day, rustling of cows, killing and miaming fulani herders.

In the process of rustling, thousands of herders were killed, their sources of livelihood crippled and endless waiting for justice and protection from government produced no result.

2. When government has failed to protect the herders, who are often within the forest areas, they resort to self help, contributing money to acquire similar weapons used by their tormentors as a means of self defence.

3. With their new found power of the guns, they protected themselves from their aggressors, but that seems not enough because there's no much to hold unto, and soon, they take to crime and became the aggressors.

As history has shown us, every evil often start with a good intention, but a criminal without gun is still far better than a saint with gun. So, from the problem of cattle rustling, the dynamics of crime changed to human rustling, better known as kidnapping.

4. As more victim of cattle rustling, who have lost every source of livelihood discovers the possibility of escaping from their state of victimhood through human rustling in exchange for ransome, thousands of them were recruited into this business which is far easier than herding cows and soon, it became the new menace of organized banditry.

From victims, they became aggressors.

But the irony of it all is that, they feel justified within them, pointing fingers to government and their former tormentors.

5. The same government, which failed to protect herdsmen from rustlers during their decades of victimization, has equally failed to protect farmers and the general public from these highly wounded, highly populated and highly coordinated bandits.

From petty kidnapping, they grew into sophisticated banditry and now gradually metarmorphosing into insurgency.

Government must be held accountable for failing in its responsibility to the nation, it must be forced to be responsible and all efforts to solving the problem should be joint approach, not ethic based profiling.

This is not an ethic problem, it is a problem of government failure and a criminal problem.

6. Seeing failure of government to respond to the crisis appropriately, farmers and the general public are seeking a way out, through self help.

Quite notice and attacks against fulani community by the likes of Sunday Igboho is being supported by some people, under the guise of seeking solution to the current logjam.

7. However, just like the bandits, who are kidnapping and killing innocent people as a response to their own experience of victimhood in the hand of the rustlers, Sunday Igboho and their likes are largely attacking innocent people, a situation that may soon turn them to greater aggressors.

And because a criminal without a gun is far better than a saint with gun, we need to act with high level of restrain and responsibility, especially in giving them a nod.

8. It is important to note that, immediately local communities resort to self help, attacking, brutalizing and evicting others, just like the victim herders turn aggressor bandits, they may soon run out of fulani herders to attack, but instead turn greater threat, far beyond the one they currently claim to fight.

When they no longer have fulani herdsmen to attack with their weapons, they will turn to you, in greater proportion and there will no longer be anyone to evict or give quit notice.

9. Then, the circle of violence will continue, against you, by the people you enable.

10. However, if we resist the temptation of self help or blaming each other, but instead focus on holding government accountable and forcing them to take responsibility, we would have acted better than the herdsmen.

I therefore call on all well meaning Nigerians to become a voice of reason in this trying period, not re-echo or aggravate the situation.

*Abdulrazaq Hamzat is a peacebuilding professional. He can be reached at discus4now@gmail.com*

Nigeria is winning

Today, a Nigerian is the DG of World Trade Organization

Today, a Nigerian is Deputy Secretary General of United Nations

Today, a Nigerian is President of Africa Development Bank.

All of these became possible because of a leadership priority.

Politically, Diplomatically, Internationally, Nigeria is winning.

All that is left is to replicate our global success at home.

Fembleez1:
If you say so.



I'm tempted to not respond than the above. But I feel I should inform you there's a difference between Law and Morality. Yes, the defendant might be guilty or should be guilty. But will the defendant be left without a lawyer to defend him? Just because he is guilty or should be meant to face the wrath of the law? For the principle of Natural law must hold, and each party to the case must be heard, and given opportunity to defend himself. It is innate in human, the nature to always defend himself whether right or wrong.


So the defendant lawyer should help EFCC's lawyer? And not defend his client? Just because your moral view or religious view is overshadowing your sense of reasoning? And logic?


Even Jesus Christ was given the opportunity to defend himself in front of Pilate/High priest.


You go to court to argue cases based on fact, and of law. Tendering evidence and countering evidence. Accepting, Denying and Contending/Contesting!



If a person is contesting your ownership to a land and has papers/documents to back his claim, should we concede he owns the land truly, merely because he has papers? Without granting you or your lawyer the opportunity to prove your own ownership? Or to scrutinize his documents/papers/title to the land, that they might be forged?




With your moral and religious views sir, we should simply condemn every accused to death? Without granting them opportunity to defend their own case?



Loopholes are there in law for the Law makers to fill/rectify, or for opposing lawyers to use to help or destroy their case.

We are the problem of Nigeria

Hun

*How Lawyers fraustrate EFCC'S anti corruption battle*

In one of the cases I had against the EFCC, I was representing a man accused of defrauding a lady from the Netherlands. Apparently, this Dutch lady had a falling out with her Nigerian boyfriend, who relocated to Nigeria. She contacted the EFCC by phone. The EFCC coached her how to write a petition against the man, and how to embellish such petition. The lady wrote her petition claiming that the man promised her marriage and called it off after she had sent him a lot of money. In her petition, she referred to an attachment which was a breakdown of the monies she sent to him, dates and notes. That petition was translated into English Language. The attachment was also translated into English.

As I was preparing for trial the night before the date, I carefully read through the petition again. I could see the story did not add up. But when I was going through the attachment, I saw one line of footnote that was written in Dutch. I used my app to translate it to English. I got the message. But the fact remained that that part (one line of footnote) of the document was in a foreign language and was not translated into English as our Evidence Act required.

During trial, the EFCC lawyer tried to tend the petition and the attachment. I objected. The judge asked for my ground for objecting. I did not want to give my specific ground. Instead, I told the judge that the document they sought to tender did not conform with the requirement of the Evidence Act and thus should not be admitted. The judge pressed me to specify which section of the Evidence Act was violated. But I knew that if I were to tell the judge, it will alert the EFCC lawyer and they would quickly correct their mistake and try again to tender the document through their next witness. So, I did not reveal my ground at a time that the EFCC still had the opportunity to correct their mistake. I knew that the EFCC lawyer did not realize that footnotes are part of the document in which they appear and the language of the footnotes must also be translated into English. I knew they would think that one line of “useless footnote” would not make any difference.

This document was so important to their case. I knew that if that document was rejected by court, their case would fall apart like a pack of cards.

I waited until they had closed their case. There was no way they could correct their mistake. In the closing argument, I raised the issue again. I pointed out that their evidence must be rejected because it was written partly in a foreign language without English translation. They argued that it was “only a footnote”. I countered that it was part of the document. I argued that footnotes are so important because they explain the meaning of the main text, and the footnote must be in the language of the court, which was English. In fact, I asked the question: “What if the footnote is saying: ‘All that is on this document is untrue’” The footnote could actually have cancel everything in the document. So, it was an important part of the document and should have been in English language in order for it to be admissible into evidence and since it was not so-translated, it must be rejected. Indeed, without the footnote in English, the court could not be said to have read the entire document and it cannot reach a judgement based on a partial reading such important document. They put the footnote there because it was important for the understanding of the document. The court agreed. Their case failed again. It was beautiful, you know.

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Cow urine is so sweet and medicinal. Don't you know?

Tumbulum:
Written by a cow urine drinker. Has anyone ever rustled Fulani cow in the south?