₦airaland Forum

Frail-Looking Picture Of El-Zakzaky, Wife Emerges As Court Adjourns Ruling On Application For Medical Trip Abroad


The Kaduna State High Court has adjourned its ruling on the application filed by the detained leader of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN), Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, seeking permission to travel abroad for medical treatment.

Members of Zakzaky's movement and rights group have raised alarm concerning his deteriorating health in recent months, ChannelsTV reports.

Justice Darius Khobo, the presiding judge, adjourned sitting on the matter to July 29, 2019, to rule on the application.

Counsel for Elzakzaky, Femi Falana (SAN), told the court that the health condition of his client was getting worse by the day, hence the need for him to seek urgent medical treatment abroad.

In a written application filed before the Court, Falana, said his client is in dire need of medical attention, having lost one of his eyes while in custody of the Department State Services.

The lawyer argued that Elzakzaky and his wife, Zeenat had not been given adequate medical care since their detention on December 14, 2015.

The Kaduna State Director of Public Prosecution, Dari Bayero, objected Elzakzaky’s application because Nigerian medical doctors had yet to be invited to ascertain if the IMN leader should be treated locally or abroad.

Elzazaky and his wife are facing trial over allegations of culpable homicide, unlawful assembly, and disruption of the public peace, among other charges filed against them by the Kaduna state government.

They were first arraigned on May 15, 2018, following their arrest in Zaria, in December 2015.

Justice Gideon Kurada, who is handling the case, had on March 25 adjourned the trial of the IMN leader indefinitely.

Stop Writing Rubbish On The Internet, Soyinka Tells Nigerian Youths

Prof. Wole Soyinka has said that Nigerian youths are full of spunk abroad, but gas at home.

He advised them to make good use of their time and stop writing rubbish on the Internet.

Soyinka said this at the official launch of Solution 17, in Lagos, Vanguard reports.

He said, “Nigerian youths are full of spunk outside but when they are inside Nigeria, they are full of gas. We are building a generation of illiterates. They are the first to comment on the internet on issues they are ignorant about. When you talk about education, I get texts from the New Generation and can’t believe these texts are from the youth.’

The Director of the United Nations Information Centre in Lagos, Nigeria, Mr. Ronald Kayanja, recounted his experience as a student in the UK saying, “When I was studying in the UK, many of my friends were Nigerians and whenever we were uncomfortable as African students, we asked the Nigerians to speak for us.

"But when I came to Nigeria and saw the kind of life that Nigerians had accepted, I was shocked. I ask why Nigerians accept abysmal conditions with all of Nigeria’s resources”.

“Africa cannot continue to agonise over poverty, colonisation, and slavery. There is a need to wake up and do something. We cannot wait for the government. Every Nigerian is a leader. Leadership not only refers to political leadership, but a leader is a person who excels in what they do.

“The UN goals are universal and should not be split between developed and developing nations. Do not expect the UN to support you when you have not done anything.”

Kayanja stressed that the UN wanted to mobilise enough Nigerians to make changes using the template of the UN 2030 goals and SDGs adding that the focus should be on mobilising Nigerians who cannot accept to live in pathetic conditions.

Soyinka tasked Nigerian youth to be proactive in demanding their rights from the government.

He said, “The Nigerian youth schooling outside the country reminded me of what it was like to be a student in racist England in the 50s. You always wanted to have a Jamaican with you when you were in a fight because Jamaicans never understood the term, ‘surrender’.

Soyinka added, “They are waiting for Wole Soyinka to lead a march to Aso Rock. It is about time to get off your feet and stop writing rubbish on the Internet about things you do not understand. I do not know how to describe the New Generation beyond a generation of Internet trolls.

“When I decided to build my century in the forest, I bought a second-hand diesel generator and asked someone to dig a borehole. I wanted it to be self-sufficient. What I want to pass on to you is that I thought of the possibility of being self-reliant. This entails that I can come to cooperatives with others and demand things from the government by any means necessary.”

Concerning the details of Solution 17, Soyinka noted that experts have studied the model and it is important that we focus on the details. Quoting the popular phrase, he recalled that “the devil is in the details”.

Kayanja further disclosed that while Nigeria had yet to adopt the Solution 17 UN-endorsed Sustainable Development Goals proposed by the CEO and Project Director of Creative Youth Community Development Initiative, CYCDI, Mrs. Foluke Michael, it has been approved in India, Morocco, and Switzerland as a model to alleviate the major problems facing today’s society.