The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), a Non Government Organisation, has called for tolerance on the controversy concerning child marriage.

MURIC’s Director, Ishaq Akintola, made the call in a statement issued on Wednesday in Ibadan.

The statement said that in conformity with the tenets of Islam, age was not part of the conditions which must be met before marriage could be solemnised.

It said that where the bride was a ‘minor’, Islam prescribes protective solemnisation of marriage to shield the bride from abuse.

“This means that the girl who is deemed to be of tender age is left untouched by the man until she attains puberty.

“Another major condition for child marriage is that the girl herself has the right to repudiate the marriage when she attains maturity if she does not like her spouse.

“MURIC believes that honourable and dignifying child marriage is better than child prostitution which is rampant in Nigerian cities and red light zones,’’ it said.

The statement compared the globalisation and promotion of homosexualism, lesbianism and same-sex marriage as a direct challenge to God’s divine order.

The Senate, on the recommendations of the Constitution Review Committee, rejected the deletion of the clause on renunciation of citizenship.

The Chairman, Senate Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution, Sen. Ike Ekweremadu, said that the clause was recommended for deletion because it was considered discriminatory.

He said the clause, which had been in the Constitution since 1979, had nothing to do with child marriage as was being insinuated by some Nigerians.

The Federal Road Safety Commission, FRSC, on Tuesday said it arrested 11,951 traffic offenders between July 15 and July 21 across the country.

The FRSC Corp Marshal, Osita Chidoka, made the figure known at the Pan-Nigeria Road Safety Awareness workshop in Eket, Akwa Ibom.

The workshop was organised for ExxonMobil Drivers, Quo-Iboe Terminal, Eket, in collaboration with the commission.

He said the offences, included seat belt violation, over speeding, use of phone while driving, lack of fire extinguishers, sign violation, road obstruction and excessive smoke emission.

Represented by Abayomi Olukoju, the Deputy Corp Marshal, Mr. Chidoka said the workshop was organised to check violation of road traffic rules and regulation in the country.

Mr. Chidoka said the commission was committed to zero tolerance to road traffic crashes, adding that during the period, 134 road crashes were recorded, while 59 people were killed. He also said that 756 people were rescued during the incidences.

The corps marshal appealed to the drivers and other road users to ensure the safety of lives on the road, adding that 85 per cent of the crashes were caused by human error. He urged ExxonMobil drivers and other road users to be conversant with Highway Code to reduce road accidents in the state.

“It is the responsibility of the road users to obey traffic rules and regulations,’’ he said.

In his remarks, Effiok Udouwem, the Unit Coordinator, ExxonMobil, Quo-Iboe Terminal, said that Nigeria was one of the countries with highest rate of road accidents.

Mr. Udouwem said the objective of the campaign was to sensitise road users on safety and driving advocacy for attitudinal change on road use.

“This is the target of the campaign, we want to change attitude of drivers on the road,” he said.

He said that the attitude of drivers on highway was responsible for the road accidents, saying that drivers should not exceed the speed limit of 80 kilometres per hour.

He warned drivers and other road users against wrong over taking, saying that many people lost their lives because of reckless over taking.

“If we are careful and obey all traffic rules and regulations, road carnage in the country will reduce by 50 per cent,’’ he said.

President Goodluck Jonathan has reiterated his commitment to strengthen and improve the Nigeria’s security capabilities.

The president, who paid a visit to the headquarters of the National Intelligence Agency, NIA, in Abuja, said his administration will continue to do all in its power to sustain and improve upon “our national security capability to enable (us) confront the challenges of the 21st century”.

Mr. Jonathan said the NIA was a unique national institution mandated to safeguard the national security and the wellbeing of the Nigerian people. He added that he was pleased to note that in its 27 years of existence, the agency has remained faithful to its core mission. It has acquitted itself well and advanced with the demands of time.

“Under your reform agenda the agency is continuously striving to improve on its service delivery. There is physical improvement in infrastructure. And that is what it should in anywhere we are working. I welcome this strong emphasis on capacity building and adherence to the maintenance culture that we are always advocating.

“In this regard it is encouraging to note the efforts that has been made to upgrade to international standard the agency’s specialists institute,” he said.

The president urged the agency not relent on investment in human capital development, saying it “is a critical requirement for effective participation in increasingly knowledge based and knowledge driven global environment.”

“It is indeed a critical component of the transformation agenda of this administration. In this connection, the policy and institutionalization of acquisition of foreign languages by agency staff is no doubt of critical importance for the effective execution of your mandate and for the protection of this country,” he said

The Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar on Wednesday summoned the leader of the Rivers State House of Representatives, Chidi Lloyd; the Aide – De-Camp to Governor Rotimi Amaechi, Debeware Semeikumo; and the Chief Security Officer to the governor, Tony Iweluare.

In a statement signed by the Deputy Force Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba, the police said the invitation was in continuation of its investigation into the Rivers State crisis last week.

Messrs Lloyd, Debeware, and Iweluare are expected to report to the Force CID, Force Headquarters, Abuja for an interview on their roles in the violence rocked the Rivers Assembly last week.

PREMIUM TIMES had published video clips of the violence where a fully dressed police officer got involved in the brawl while other security details were also seen participating in questionable and unprofessional manner.

The police said the invitation seeks to obtain further details that will assist in proper investigation into the matter as police personnel have been reminded by the police chief, particularly those attached to VIPs, to always remain mindful of their conduct and ensure that they uphold the professional ethics, tradition, and best practices of the Force at all times.

Mr. Mohammed further warned that any officer found acting in ways inconsistent with extant laws and regulations of the Force will be severely dealt with in accordance with Nigerian laws.

The police in Rivers have been accused of taking sides in the crisis in the state with the governor demanding the removal of the commissioner of police in the state.

Some governors who paid a solidarity visit to Mr. Amaechi on Tuesday in Port Harcourt, the Rivers capital, were attacked; with their convoy pelted with stones and water bottles. The governors also called for the removal of the police commissioner over the political crisis in the state.

Mr. Ardo is a top PDP gubernatorial aspirant in Adamawa.

Umar Ardo, a gubernatorial aspirant in Adamawa State under the platform of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has said President Goodluck Jonathan’s is not eligible to contest the presidency in the 2015.

“The president himself promised not to contest in 2015 during his 2011 electioneering campaigns. Now a leader’s word must be his bond,” he said.

Mr. Ardo, who was an academic before joining politics, also chided the Chairman of Board of Trustees of the PDP, Tony Anenih; former federal commissioner, Edwin Clark; for what he described as their antecedents in always promoting the elongation of tenures of incumbent presidents.

He advised the President to shelve his ambition in the interest of the nation and judicial pronouncement.

“It is my contention that based on the implication of the Supreme Court judgment of INEC versus the 5 PDP Governors (Nyako, Sylva, Imoke, Wamako and Idris) the president is unarguably ineligible to contest”.

Mr. Ardo also spoke about the president’s campaign promises and governing policies, as it affects the state of the nation which he said made the President ineligible to contest the 2015 presidential election.