₦airaland Forum

Jenams: ur friend's wife cud av bn one of those misinformed ones invited as a sham for d real deal! Common sense is not really common! Ameachi shud av distributed d said appointment letter tru local govt education board. I smell lies frm rivers govt. And he shud also show us a letter he wrote invitin d police for adequate security for such gatherin. Hogwash!

hey sharrap!! Nobody has the right to tell the rivers state govwernment how to run their buisness. When mrs. Jonathan was spending taxpayers money going around the country organising rallies after the 2011 elections. What was the reason? She claimed is to tell the states who voted for her husband thank you. Can't she just release a statement to say thank you? Who stopped her? And she is a inconsequential figure in the country. Who voted for her? And you are here telling an elected state government how to run their affairs. Idiotic!!

phantom: the commissioner is a liar! My friends wife was at the stadium for her letter and attested to the fact that it was only teachers who were present at the stadium.jonathan is just fooling himself with this saga.

i'm just thankfull that by throwing teargas as thousands of people sending them running, they did'nt trigger a stampede, then i'll see how mr. Mbu will point to dead bodies who have been identified by farmily members as unemployed teachers who came to seek employment as political thugs.

commissioner mbu said he will stop any rally aimed at disstabilizing the state. But wike's grassroots initiative group has held numerous rallies, protest, and meet many times at the liberation stadium. The police does'nt dsisperse them. Rather they have police protection. Nigeria is a shambolic experiment.

KwoiZabo: why shld Amaechi recruit 13000 teachers at once? Don't the Schools have teachers before or what? secondly why should he make all of them come to one place to collect their letters? it means that some of them might have travelled from distant LGAs to collect these letters? It is either Amaechi is not wise enough to know that he should take these letters to their various LGs or he wants to make a show or cause a scene with the crowd. Thirdly, he has been in office for six and hakf yrs he did not recruit these teachers he is only doing it now to score cheap popularity and increase recurrent expenditure for the coming Administration in the state.

are you deaf that you have'nt heard of the 250 schools ameachi has built and renovated? Are goats gonna teach there? Are you so blind that you can't see the that for months a thread on teachers recuitement in rivers has been on treading page for months now. What do you think that's for?

I'm just tired of commenting on this mbu, he just acting out a script from his masters in abuja, very soon, he'll get what's coming to him. Can you imagine the stupid lie. That a rivers man will carry a card in port harcourt that reads "it's time for the north". He has paid no price for all his previous lies so why not lie some more?

Wow! He has really shrunk...my sympathies to him and his farmily. I hope pres. Jonathan has sent a message of support.

Waspy: Although the pride and esteem of our people and compatriots is dwindling by the day, but come to think of it.... Person wey dey fid male pikin for over 10 yrs now, according to the OP, finally got the chance and you want her to deliver in some poorly staffed hospital where baby swapping fit occur or NEPA fit carry light at the peak of labour or ........#name it

there are sorphisticated private clinics in nigeria.

All these nigerians going to steal u.s citizenship better pray the tea party don't take over congress in 2014. All this citizenship by birth on u.s soil will stop. Can't your child be proudly nigerian? Ghastly.

@the spark and classicentity, the supreme court through the CJN overule an impeachment in a way, because they are part of the impeachment process. When the national assembly has resolved to impeached the president, they will communicated this to the chief justice, so will set up a panel of 7 people with integrity to investigate if the reasons for the intending impeachment of the president is valid. It will be like a mini trial. At the end, if the panel submits that the reasons for the impeachment is not substantial. The president stays put. If they concor with the assembly that the alegations are substantial..the president stands impeached.

theSpark: I think they are more than 15.
You missed this Honourable Justice
Justice Suleiman Galadima

do padon the mistakes. Justice rhodes and galadima were both comfirmed in 2010 but justice galadima has not been in the public eye too much so i mistakenly forgot him. Thanks for the correction.

A pleasure to know that our president is respected abroad. And despite all our challenges as a nation. We still command a considerable amount of respect globally.

You're most welcome. Glad to help.

jp philips: young man, i am done talking, put your money where your mouth is;

pastor: evidence time

congregation: my blessing time

this is your evidence? How about i post a picture of makoko in lagos for you? Will you turn your guns to fashola?

jp philips: Amaechi's traditional healing home aka health centers are numbered 105 not 150, most of them are virtually empty after all the money spent.

they are 150..show me a picture of a single empty primary healtg center in rivers state. You still have'nt showed me the picture of any other healthcare center number 150 of this quality in nigeria.

donroxy: Few weeks ago Justice Aloma voiced-out reduction in Allocation to the Judiciary retrogresively since few years back, If such is intentionally done by the executive, what Influence or protection does the Supreme Court/Judiciary have over such occurence or the Righteous of the executive must prevails in dolling-out unlike the Legislature who can issue threat of Impeachment,threat to disapprove of president favorite for Minister etc Does Supreme Court/Judiciary has a kinda threat/Influences against the other Arms in an event of deliberate surcharge



2. In the event of president deploying Military to Lagos, does the supreme court/Judiciary has legal backing to condemned unconstitutional moves outrightly (like Legislatures) or wait for person(s) to sue to them before proclaiming what is right or wrong !!!


3. Can issues be directly sued to Supreme Court without passing through the lower court, if there are , what issues qualify for such ?


4. How does supreme court/Judiciary ensures her proclamation is enforced and If not enforced, does the court has an Alternative Influencing course to ensure her will is implemented ?


Thank you !!

in the case of underfunding by the other arms of government towards the judiciary. That will have to be taken up by the NJC because according to the constitution, they are responsible for the management and disbursement of judicial monies. They will have to work out a compromise with the other arms or take extreme measures like shuting down the judiciary.

The court cannot act unilateraly. The case has to be brought before it.

It depends on the case. The constitution state clearly that the supreme court is the only body with jurisdiction in any dispute between the federal government and state or between states.

Constitutionally, the ruling of the supreme court must be obeyed. If it is criminal, the law enforcements are there. If it is governmental.eg..supreme court rules that president removes troops from lagos, president refuses. He will have to be impeached by the national assembly for not obeying the law he swore to uphold.

@donroxy....Under the constitution we have the executive, the legislature and the judiciary. And as a federalism. Each of the arms has their sub divisions between the federal and the state. The federal government has the presidency, national assembly and supreme court. The states have their governor, house of assembly and state high court. My submission today focusses exclusively on the supreme court, their powers and rights. The supreme court is an arm of the judiciary, we still have the appeal court, high court,etc all with their individual responsiblities. I have in no way portrayed the supreme court as the entirity of the judiciary.

You're correct. The chief justice is also the chairman of the NJC but the two positions are exclusive of each other. Only two members of the supreme court bench serve on the council, that is the chief justice and the second highest justice on the bench.

Hong Kong (CNN) -- A Beijing court
sentenced Li Tianyi, the son of a famous
Chinese "singing general" in the People's
Liberation Army, to 10 years in jail on
Thursday over a gang rape that unleashed
public outrage at the behavior of China's
"princelings," or children of the political elite.
The Haidian People's Court sentenced Li, 17,
and four other defendants to jail terms
ranging from three to 12 years over the
gang rape of a woman in a hotel room in
February. Li, also known as Li Guanfeng,
denied the charges, telling the court he was
drunk and could recall little of the night in
question.
He denied beating or having sex with the
woman despite his four co-accused issuing
guilty pleas by the trial's end, state media
reported.
Lawyers for the accused argued in pre-trial
hearings that the woman was a prostitute,
and the matter should be tried as a
prostitution matter, rather than a rape case.
In handing down the verdict, the court said
the evidence was "adequate" to uphold the
rape charges.
Users on Chinese social media applauded
the verdict, hailing it as a victory of justice
over the infamous "taizidang," or
"princelings," who are widely regarded as
spoiled and corrupt.
"The bastard is finally charged. God
finally works," wrote a user called
@Jiaxinglantianxiadezhiai on the
popular Chinese micro-blogging
service Sina Weibo.
However, others doubted that he
would serve out his full sentence.
"After people stop closely watching
this case, he will get out of jail
immediately. It's always easy as
long as you have money," posted
one user called @Miya-Qiu.
Li -- the son of a PLA celebrity
officer known as the "singing
general" for his televised renditions of
patriotic anthems -- previously made
headlines in 2011 when he attacked a family
in a road rage incident, threatened
bystanders and dared them to call police.
The incident provoked an outcry when it
came to light that he had 36 prior traffic
violations for driving without a license. He
was subsequently sent to a juvenile
detention center for a year, and his father
issued a public apology.
Li's mother Meng Ge, who is also a celebrity
singer in the PLA, also came under under
fire on social media after she blamed society
for her son's behavior.
Public opinion has been mounting against
the so-called princelings since an incident in
2010, when the drunk-driving 22-year-old
son of a deputy provincial police chief fatally
ran over a student and shouted: "Sue me if
you dare! My father is Li Gang!" The phrase
has since become synonymous with
nepotism and corruption in China.
President Xi Jinping has launched a high-
profile anti-corruption campaign in
response to public discontent with corrupt
officials, publicly rebuking PLA musicians
following a series of embarrassing reports
detailing their privileged lifestyles and
exposing incidents of commercial
exploitation of their positions.
The dressing down was accompanied by
new measures, signed off by Xi and detailed
in the PLA Daily, the official organ of China's
armed forces, designed to curb the excesses
of military musical troupes.
Xi's wife, the noted soprano Peng Liyuan,
herself served in a PLA performance troupe.

Mustay: @OP Good one but if any one reads your post, s/he could think the SUPREME COURT is the 3rd arm of government instead of the JUDICIARY. Perhaps, you could give some info about the Judiciary then focus on how the supreme court fits into the whole stuff. That way, there's a good understanding of the arm

i understand....but i wrote this in the context of the federal government. As in, the national assembly, presidency and supreme court. If i went into the context of legislature, executive and judiciary i'll have to go into states too. My focus is primarly on the supreme court and it's power in the country. I hope no one mix things up.

mars123: THE GREAT HALL is scary!...

extreamly!! Just imagine you're a lawyer arguing a case before those judges. Before you say one word, they have countered you. If you are'nt prepared. They will use you to wipe the floor.

There are some lawyers who specialize in teaching other lawyers how to go before the supreme court. Former clerks or secretaries in the court are hot cakes for employment in big law firms.

donroxy: Does the supreme court of Nigeria and the CJN posseses commensurate power as their counterpart in advanced nation of the world or they are somehow limited due to Nigerian Political Factor ?



What Influence does the Supreme court have over the other Arms of Government (Executive and Legislative) in matter of governance other than ''swearing-in'' , ''clapping hands when president arrives to deliver speech'' and adjudicating matters as they are brought to them( Supreme Court) ........ ?



How does supreme court protect herself from other arms political,financial and social Influences ?

the powers of the supreme court as enshrined in the constitution are numerous and fairly in line with advanced nations but the nigerian supreme court has'nt always exercised their powers. Many reason can be atributed to it, the political factor of which is paramount. But also nigerians have'nt held them accountable by bringing before them pressing cases. Eg. When the president sent the military to quell the fuel subsidy protest in lagos. Lawyers or the attorney general of lagos could have dragged the federal government before the court and the president's action would have been ruled unconstitutional, and the soildeirs will be ordered out of lagos.

The supreme court is suppose to guard the constitutional against abuse by the executive and legislature. They interprete the constitution. They can strike down laws made by the assembly and approved by the president. They can determine when the presidency is vacant or when a president's term ends, also they can define the line of secession to the presidency, amongs other powers.

The three arms of government are independent of each other and the constitution is designed in a way that no arm can bully or lord over the other. But financially the court is at the mercy of the executive(who prepares the budget) and the legislature(who approves the budget), that is why there is a going rift in the government today about funding of the judiciary.

I thank you all for your commendation.

Kingslaw: thanks.
what level of education do one need to get to that position?

to be appionted chief justice or justice of the supreme court, you must have practised law in nigeria for not less than 15 years.

homesteady: 1) Is the judiciary arm the least powerful among the 3 arms of government?
2) The president is the Number 1 citizen in Nigeria, the V.P is the number 2, the senate president is the number 3! Then The Chief justice is the number what citizen in Nigeria?

1. YES and NO. the supreme court holds less power than the executive and legislature but they are the least accountable and exclusive. In the sense that they don't stand for elections or fear loosing their jobs because of decisions they make. There is a saying that "the constitution is what the supreme court justices say it is". They can strike down a law made by the national assembly and approved by the president if by their estimation, it is unconstitutional. Cases of electoral malpractises or stalemate in presidential elections mostly comes to them and they can sack the president and declare a rerun.

2. By protocol, the chief justice is the number 5th citizen in the country after the president,vice, senate pres and house speaker so must be recognised accordinly in all national functions. But in the line of sucession to the presidency, the chief justice is not listed. The chief justice can never assume the presidency. If by some amazin invent the president, his vice and all national assembly leaders die, cabinet ministers have more power over the presidency then the CJN.

Hope this helps.

They must really be a liberal couple. Sharing such an intimate pic with the world. Congratulations.

NOTE: apart from those who sit on the supreme court, state chief justice and selected federal court judges. no other judicial administrator in the land shall be reffered to as "JUSTICE", all others in the lower courts. Shall be reffered to as "JUDGE". The title "JUSTICE" is the exclusive preserve of the members of the supreme court bench, state chief judges and selected senoir federal court judges. But this law is'nt widly known and therefore has been abused.

Futher questions will be entertained.

POLITICAL NEUTRALITY.
it is prominent in the constitution that justices must remain political neutral. They must not mix publically with members of the national assembly or presidency, even if they have personal friends in either arm of the government, they must not let those personal friends influence their judgement on the bench. The following are the closest supreme court justices get to politics:

1. When they are nominated by the president and when they have to go before the senate for their comfirmation hearing.

2. When they attend the president's annual speech to the national assembly. Here they attend in their official robes of office, they are expected to clap only when the president arrives, departs or makes a comment bothering on national unity. Apart from that, they are strictly forbiden from appauling the president's political utterances or achievements.

3. And finally, when the chief justice has to swear in the new president. The chief justices must not get involved with the politics of the day, he/she must swear in only the person elected president or in line to the presidency. Immediately a president is impeached or dies, the chief justice shall ask no questions or protest but immediately swear in the vice president.

SALARIES AND ENTITLEMENTS.
As of the last federal salary review. The salaries of the justices of the supreme court is as follows:

chief justice: 3,363,972
associate justice: 2,477,110

they are also entitled to an official car, a residence in the federal capital, multiple personal/official allowances and police protection.

THE GREAT HALL.
Below is a picture of the great hall. Were the justices sit in judgement, each justice owns a chair in the hall, as they are alloted immediately they are appionted. The chief justices seats in the middle and is flanked by the most senoir associate justices, the younger justices seat futher to the left and right. It is the most powerfull courtroom in the territory of nigeria. The judges have the power to strike down any law made by the national assembly, if it does not comform with the constitution.

THE JUSTICES.
The supreme court is currently made up of 15 justices nominated by the president and comfirmed by the senate. The justices are draw from every major region of the coutry to ensure fairness on the bench and they have a compulsory retirement age of 70. And they are:

1,hon justices aloma mariam muktar- chief justice.

2.justice mahmud mohammed-associate justice.

3.justice w.s nkanu onnoghen- associate justice.

4.justice ibrahim tanko muhammad-associate justice.

5.justice chukwuma eneh- associate justice.

6.justice muntaka conmassie- associate justice.

7.justice john a. Fabiyi- associate justice.

8.justice bode rhodes viviour- associate justice

9.justice nwali slybester ngwuta- associate justice.

10.justice mary ukaego peter odili- associate justice.

11.justice olukayo ariwoola -assocaite justice

12.justice clara bata ogunbiyi- associate justice.

13.justice musa dantijo muhammad- associate justice

14.justice stanley shenko alagoa- associate justice.

15.justice kudirat montonmori olatokunbo kekere-ekun- assocaite justice.

THE SUPREME COURT.
We always hear of the presidency and the national assembly, these two arms of our federal government we know all too well, but the supreme court has not been in the news and is scrouded with a certain level of secreacy. This write up aims to enlighten you on somethings you may not know of our third arm of government.

THE SUPREME COURT COMPLEX.
The supreme court of nigeria is located in the federal capital territory. Specifically in an area called the three arm zone. That area contains the presidential villa to the right, the national assembly at the center and the supreme court to the left. The three arm zone is the home of the nigerian government. The complex contains the offices of the justices and their personal staff, the clerk of the court,registra and other senoir management and policy officials. It also has one of the most elaborate law libraries in the country. At the center of the comples is the great hall where the justices sit in judgement. More will be said about the great hall subsequently.

jp philips: you mean the shrines? okija juju will do a great job for you in that regards, by the way, those were last tenure achievements, i ve not seen any thing for this tenure

where are the pictures?

jp philips: is this what you call a world class health center? lool, i cant even treat my dog there guess how much it cost the rivers tax payers?
the Kabiru whyte shrine cost tax payers a whooping $98m, are you not a fool?

post a picture of a single healthcare center of the quality numbering 150 of in 36 states of nigeria and the FCT, including that free government dental clinic.

jp philips: that Road is part of east west road done by the Ministry of Niger delta,

i guess the okrika ring road was also build built by the ministry of niger delta. Thank you very much godsday orubebe.

Preaching about rapture with an article long enough to keep something reading until the rapture comes and go, when will they repent?:Dghastly!