₦airaland Forum

CONVICTED former Chief Executive Officer of Oceanic Bank International Plc, Cecilia Ibru, has urged a Federal High Court in Lagos to transfer her from a highbrow private hospital, Reddington Hospital, Victoria Island, Lagos to the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi-Araba, for further treatment.



The convict had through her lawyer, Margaret Orakwusi, filed an application on October 29, seeking to transfer her client from Reddington to LUTH.



But the case could not heard on Wednesday following the absence of the lead lawyer to the prosecuting Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Dr. Konyinsola Ajayi (SAN).



The development prompted the court to fix Monday (November for the hearing of the application.



The ex-CEO was said to be suffering from chronic cardiac ailment just as she was sentenced to six months imprisonment by the Chief Judge of the FHC, Justice Dan Abutu, on October 8, without an option of fine.



The development was sequel to the convict’s decision to enter into a plea bargaining with the EFCC and her ‘guilty plea’ for granting $20m and N2bn credit facilities above approved limit by the Central Bank of Nigeria.



The EFCC had prosecuted the ex-CEO on a 25-count charge of alleged financial crimes before the plea bargaining and pleaded ‘guilty’ to a reduced three-count charge



In his judgment, the CJ convicted the ex-banker on the said three-count charge and directed the forfeiture of Ibru’s N191bn assets comprising 49 properties in Nigeria, United States and Dubai to the Federal Government’s agency, the Assets Management Corporation of Nigeria.



The forfeited properties also included shares in over 100 firms that were listed in the Nigerian Stock Exchange.



The CJ further held that the convict was sentenced to a six-month imprisonment on each of the three-count charge, saying that the terms would run concurrently.



The development indicated that the ex-banker would only spend six months in Ikoyi Prison.



But the CJ added a caveat when he directed the prison authorities to take the convict to Reddington Hospital for continuation of treatment, following a passionate appeal for leniency on the convict.



The CJ had said, “The convict is hereby convicted and is hereby sentenced to six months imprisonment on each of the three-count charge.



“The sentence is to run concurrently. In addition, all the assets set out in section VI of the Settlement Agreement are herby forfeited to AMCON.



“The prison authorities shall not later than two hours of after receiving the convict into their custody, take her to Reddington Hospital from where she was brought to court to continue her treatment in the hospital until she is certified fit by the hospital authority to continue to serve her sentence in the prison.”



Ibru had surrendered herself to the EFCC on August 31, 2009 just as the CBN Governor, Mr. Lamido Sanusi, removed her and other errant ex-CEOs on August 14, 2009.



The former CEO were Bartholomew Ebong (Union Bank); Sebastian Adigwe (Afribank); Okey Nwosu (FinBank); Erastus Akingbola (Intercontinental); Francis Atuche (Bank PHB); Ike Oraekwuotu (ETB); and Charles Ojo (Spring Bank).



The court had admitted Ibru to bail on September 4, 2009.


http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art201011043343867

Nigeria girls are so cheap and greed, a Nigeria female student ready to make love with a Dog to buy a car.I base in portharcout .Under Rumonla bridg we see all this Niger Repulblic girls ,begging you cann’t even touch there breast or agree to make love with you,despaite your money. we should not blame the Economy of the country or leader.

God will expose them,continue with ur good work.

Akwa Ibom State Governor, Chief Godswill Akpabio, on Tuesday accused those he described as “political backers and godfathers” of kidnappers of making the war against the menace a difficult one.



Akpabio submitted that cases of kidnapping would continue to be on the increase except the National Assembly enacted a law that would make kidnapping a capital offence.



He said, “Kidnapping has proved a difficult nut to crack because, like guerrillas, they strike when they like and at times of least resistance. They map their routes and ways of escape and take them. More so their political backers provide them with logistics and information and pick their targets for them.



“While they strike, their political godfathers drive the propaganda machinery to make some political capital gain out of the dastardly situation.”



Represented by his deputy, Mr. Patrick Ekpotu, Akpabio, who spoke at the ongoing three-day retreat of the Police Service Commission in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State capital, challenged the police hierarchy to find a lasting solution to the menace of kidnapping and armed robberies in the state.



The governor explained that he inherited a state in which kidnappers and robbers often held the cities to ransom for hours.



Akpabio noted that the Joint Military Task Force, nicknamed Operation Aduma, which was inaugurated in 2007 was an instance success.



He said that the state had succeeded in reducing the response time to emergencies by more than 200 per cent and had increased the firepowers of the security agencies through the use of modern communication gadgets and weapons.



He said, “Let me seize this opportunity to pay tribute to the men and women of that security outfit (Operation Aduma) who left legacies of courage and altered the situation. They effectively made robberies difficult for robbers and in recent times we have had only a few and scattered incidents of robbery.”


http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art201011034205557

Daniel is not fit to be the chairman of the Governor's forum. He has ruined Ogun State.he single handedly brought down the state.

Ahead of tomorrow’s meeting of the Nigerian Governors Forum, most of the 36 governors may have foreclosed the choice of Ogun State Governor, Gbenga Daniel as the new chairman of the Forum.

It was learnt that some of the governors are already considering Gombe State Governor, Danjuma Goje as the new chairman.

They reportedly listed eight ‘sins’ against Mr Daniel which would make it difficult for him to lead the Forum.

Some of his colleagues were reported to hold his alleged lack of respect for the rule of law and the principle of separation of powers; closure of Ogun State House of Assembly without just cause; recent resolution of the House of Representatives which called for a state of emergency in Ogun State; disregard for internal democracy within Ogun PDP, among others against him.

Others are alleged intimidation of opposition; disrespect for former President, Olusegun Obasanjo; supposed brawl with the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole, during the commissioning of Ota fly-over; and his partisan posture as a campaign coordinator of Goodluck Jonathan/Sambo Campaign Organisation.


http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/News/5637377-146/goje_may_succeed_saraki_as_forum.csp

I commend the thought and effort of all the leaders and participant. If we can all do this, is good for all.

LAGOS State Governor Babatunde Fashola (SAN) has stated that the idea behind Kuramo Conference is to address environmental challenges, saying that a new legal order is imperative to make the world more inclusive and to secure it for the next generation.



Fashola spoke on Tuesday at the opening ceremony of 2010 Kuramo Conference on Law and Development in Lagos.



The development came just as a Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, and former United States envoy, Rev. Jesse Jackson, decried corruption in Nigeria, saying that transparency and accountability remained the key factors to tackling the menace.



The event drew experts from home and aroad while participants from different walks of life attended the conference that would end on Thursday.



The Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, Justice Yinka Ayoola, had chaired the event.



Prominent Nigerians including a former Vice President of Nigeria, Dr Alex Ekwueme, former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Bola Ajibola (SAN), former Minister of Works, Chief Femi Okunnu (SAN), also graced the ocassion.



The Lagos State Attorney –General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Supo Shasore (SAN) had informed the audience about the importance of the conference and the need to sustain it for positive development.



In his welcome address, Fashola said that Kuramo 2010 would provide the platform for the best minds to examine the existing legal order for trade, finance, exploitation of natural resources, protection of the environment, global peace and the dignity of the human race.



He added that the development was to see whether the existing body of rules that comprise the current legal order, some of which were 60 to 100 years old, and which were made when territorial borders were more clearly defined but far flung, were still able to respond to the age of globalisation and fast disappearing territorial and far flung borders.



Fashola said, “I feel that a moment as great as the early 1900s has come upon us today in the early 2000s.



“The idea behind Kuramo is a response to my belief that at the turn of a new century and with globalisation, a new legal order is imperative in order to make our world more inclusive and to secure it for the next generation.



“When you reflect on the fact that after 80 years the FIFA World Cup which was supposed to involve participants from the entire planet just came to Africa for the first time and will go to Brazil in South Africa in 2014 for the second time, keeping it in the ‘Third World’ consecutively; you may appreciate the role that Kuramo 2010 stands to play.



“This is because until Africa hosted it, it had been a World Cup only in name and not in its global and economic impact.



Soyinka had in his short remark, revealed that he is presently putting together a play that would expose the new paradigm of corruption in the country.



He urged Nigerians to wake up and put their leaders on their toes, noting that endemic greed and vampire tendencies of African leaders could ruin the continent.



Jackson, who spoke on the topic titled, ‘A call to reconstruction and growth,’ said Nigeria was too rich for any of its citizenry to be poor. He called on Nigerians to rise up immediately to fight the scourge of corruption ravaging the country.



He said, “We can do it.



We can stop it, because corruption is a crime against humanity. Nigeria is so rich yet her people are so poor .We must fight in a big way . We must fight corruption and poverty. Fighting corruption is crucial to fighting poverty,” he said.



Jackson later told journalists after his speech that Nigerians had to demand accountability from their leaders.



He said, “Nigeria needs allies and help. Look at the impact of its oil-trading partners, who have benefited so handsomely from a relationship that is not mutually beneficial.”


http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art20101103418621

Fix LagosoreBenin road,make WarriPH road a sixlane rd and stop wasting time on fake OndoCR road that will only exist in paper (govt file)!

The Federal Government has commenced the survey and design of the 700km Niger Delta Coastal Road which will link all the oil producing communities in the Niger Delta region.



The Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Mr. Godsday Orubebe, disclosed this during the 28th Annual Olumide Memorial Lecture, organised by the Nigerian Institution of Surveyors in Abuja.



He explained that the road, stretching from Cross River to Ondo State, would complement the 33km East-West Road currently being dualised by the Federal Government.



Orubebe, who spoke through his Special Assistant, Mr. Sam Osasa, said the Federal Government had concluded plans to build a rail network to link all the oil producing communities in the Niger Delta.



He said, “The Federal Government has ordered the Ministry of Niger Delta to begin the survey and design of a 700km Niger Delta Coastal Road which will link all the oil producing communities in the Niger Delta.



“ The road will open up the area and drastically reduce the problem of inaccessibility, which is one of the major challenges of the area. The road, which perhaps, will be one of the longest roads in Nigeria, will stretch from Calabar in Cross River State to Ilaje in Ondo State.



“On completion, it will compliment the 337km East – West Road currently being dualised by the Federal Government. In addition, a rail network is also being proposed with other critical infrastructure to provide easy communication link for the oil bearing communities.”



Orubebe further stated that the government was working towards the actualisation of the New Town Development Project in each of the nine states that made up the Niger Delta region.



“Land is being acquired to in each of the nine states of the region. It is expected that perimeter and topographical surveys will be carried out with dispatch on the acquired land in each of the sites.



“Also, a consortium of relevant professionals will use these products of the surveyors to come out with the master plan for the new towns in respective states.



Speaking during the event, the President, Nigerian Institution of Surveyors, Chief Yakubu Maikano, said there was urgent need for the Federal Government to establish a mapping policy for the country.



He said, “ There can be no sustainable economic development without sustainable land governance. It is imperative for the Federal Government , as a matter of urgency to put in place a mapping policy for the country



“ The mapping policy will give clear guideline to the complete digital mapping of the entire country for the take –off land reform . The policy should spell out when our maps whether urban or regional are out of date and will require updating or new ones produced to cope with our speed of development.”


http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art201011034193514

You see, it never fails, when some of these people are rumoured to be dead and thier family members come out publicly boasting that they are hale and hearty, or will soon resume duties in their lofty offices, know ye that death is around the corner. Did Turai not assure us that Umaru was drinking tea with his little nephew? Did IBB not tell us that his wife dying in California hospital was recuperating and about to make a triumphat come back home? Beware of damned lairs.

Fears over the health of Nigeria’s nationalist leader, Chief Anthony Enahoro, were allayed on Tuesday, following reports that the Pro-National Conference leader, who was admitted to the intensive care unit of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin, Edo State, has stabilised.



A family source who spoke with our correspondent on the telephone disclosed that Enahoro was in a stable condition.



The source requested that his name should not be mentioned, saying he was not authorised to speak for the family.



News had gained ground in the state capital, on Sunday, that Enahoro had died at the UBTH.



But THE PUNCH learnt that Enahoro was recuperating at the teaching hospital where he was rushed to on Sunday. His health was said to have deteriorated for some days and became very critical before the decision to place him on admission.



Efforts to reach government sources, including the State Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Mr. Anslem Ojezua, for further clarification did not yield any result.



A source at the hospital, who confirmed that Enahoro was in a stable condition, however, said, the family had instructed that information about him should not be disclosed.



In a related development, the Pro-National Conference Organisation, in a statement on Tuesday said Enahoro was alive and recuperating after health relapse.



The statement signed by PRONACO spokesman and Special Assistant to Enahoro on public affairs, Olawale Okunniy, reads, “On behalf of close associates and confidants of Elder statesman, Anthony Enahoro, it suffices to clarify and allay fears of Nigerians, well wishers, associates and the international community as follows:



“That the Edo high Chief and the leader of the Nigerian progressives has been under close medical guidance for some time now due to weakness associated with old age



“That Papa Enahoro’s health is currently stabilising in Benin, Edo State Capital after an initial relapse occasioned by stress and old age.



“That Chief Enahoro, accompanied by his eldest son Ken, was rushed to University of Benin Teaching Hospital at about 1.30pm on Monday when his health conditions became critical



The group expressed appreciation to “well wishers, associates and the general public as well as the international community for their concern and prayers for our leader.”

http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art20101103481725

But Dokpesi why rushing to court if your hands are clean? Again SSS why did you release him when you would have requested the court to grant more time to you? Something is not right somewhere, period. We are talking about innocent Nigerians dat died and not a child’s play. I pray that our God in heaven will fish out the people dat committed this crime and punish them in his own, in Jesus name, Amen!

The State Security Service has raised objection to a suit by the Director-General of the Ibrahim Babadamosi Babangida Presidential Campaign Organistation, Chief Raymond Dokpesi before a Federal High Court in Abuja, saying the action was frivolous.



Dokpesi had filed the action to enforce his right and demanded N100m damages.



In a preliminary objection filed by the lawyer to the SSS, Dr. Alex Iziyon (SAN) the service claimed that Dokpesi was invited for questioning over the bomb blasts in Abuja on October 1 on the premise of some text messages which established a nexus between him and some persons suspected of complicity in the dastardly act.



Izinyon contended that since the SSS was statutorily empowered to invite any person for questioning on matters bordering on national security, Dokpesi’s action amounted to inviting the court into breaching the powers and compromising the duties of the Service.



He said, “The issue in this case which led to the invitation of the applicant by the first respondent relates to bomb blasts where several innocent Nigerians lost their lives. It has to do with state security which the first respondent is legally empowered to investigate.



“Edmond Ebiware, a suspect arrested in connection with the said bomb blasts during investigation admitted meeting the applicant (Dokpesi) some days before the said bomb blast and also further admitted receiving the sum of N4m from the applicant.



“Pursuant to its constitutionally guaranteed powers of investigation, the first respondent invited the applicant for questioning following the aforesaid statements made by Edmond Ebiware.



In the process of his investigation, the applicant was granted bail and requested to show up for further investigation.”



He therefore argued that the action brought by Dokpesi, seeking “a declaration that his arrest, detention, harassment and undue questioning is on a poor footing and therefore cannot be granted in law.


http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art201011034213548

What I don’t understand here is the statement that Segun Oni conducted election elections were conducted by INEC and if INEC had legal rights to conduct elections at that time and no court had said the LG elections were fraudulent I don’t think we can call it illegality just because the sitting governor at the time of the elections was illegal. I am not a lawyer but this doesn’t make sense to me.

THE House of



Representatives on Tuesday directed the Accountant-General of the Federation, Mr. Ibrahim Dankwambo, to withhold the allocations of the 16 local government councils in Ekiti State dissolved by Governor Kayode Fayemi.



The House said that funds should only be released to the councils after democratically-elected officials were sworn-in to administer their affairs.



In the interim, it asked the Acting Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Hafi Ringim, to provide security for the sacked council officials to return to their offices.



As at 5pm on Tuesday, policemen had been deployed in the LGA secretariats to prevent breakdown of law and order.



But the lawmakers’ directive attracted criticism from the state government, the Action Congress of Nigeria and three eminent lawyers — Prof. Itse Sagay, Chief Wole Olanipekun and Mr. Femi Falana.



The directive followed the passage of a motion by a Peoples Democratic Party member from Ekiti State, Mr. Adewale Aribisala.



He had drawn the attention of his colleagues to what he called the “illegality of the action of the governor” in dissolving the councils.



The House, in passing the motion, said that the sacking of the council officials by any governor without recourse to Section 7 of the 1999 Constitution (First Alteration) was a breach of law.



Aribisala argued that under the extant law of the state, Fayemi could only dissolve a council after a resolution passed by two-thirds majority of members of the state house of assembly.



The lawmaker claimed that the governor dissolved the councils without such a resolution being passed, neither were members of the House in the state when the governor ‘unilaterally’ carried out the action.



But as the motion was being debated, there was a sharp division between the PDP and ACN members in the House.



All the ACN members, who contributed to the debate, backed Fayemi’s action.



They argued that the election that brought the council officials to office was conducted by the Segun Oni administration, which they said was not a legitimate one.



The ACN lawmakers claimed that the recent court decision, which voided Oni‘s election and declared Fayemi as the legitimate governor of the state, implied that the council poll he conducted was also illegal.



However, the Minority Whip of the House, Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila, who is also the ACN Leader, advised the parties to the dispute to approach the court for the correct interpretation of the position of the law on the matter.



Mr. Patrick Obahiagbon, from Edo State, also opposed the motion and supported Gbajabiamila’s suggestion that the judiciary should decide the matter.



Also, a member of the ACN from Lagos State, Ms. Jumoke Okoya-Thomas, told the House that the “sacked council officials have been sitting illegally.



“Even the former governor (Oni) was sitting in office illegally; so the new governor (Fayemi) has done the right thing by dissolving the councils.”



However, in his lead debate, Aribisala described Fayemi’s action as “ultra-vires and capable of disrupting the fragile peace in the state.”



He noted that the councils were elected democratically and had a tenure of three years under the enabling law passed by the state house of assembly.



Aribisala said, “The governor, in disregard to the constitution, dissolved the 16 local government councils.



“These councils had a tenure of three years to terminate in 2012.”



The Chairman of the House Committee on Air Force, Mr. Halims Agoda; the Chairman of the Committee on Judiciary, Mr. Bala Na‘Allah; and Mr. Gbenga Elegbeleye, all PDP members, kicked against the dissolution of the councils.



The chairman of the South-South Parliamentary Caucus, Mr. Andrew Uchendu, who is a member of the PDP, opposed the motion.



He noted that the House was dabbling in matters reserved for states to sort out.



Uchendu said, ”The parties to the Ekiti crisis should go to court to resolve this issue.



“It is not our business as a parliament to go into this issue because there is no point passing a resolution that will not be enforced.”



He recalled that a similar resolution passed on the political crisis in the Ogun State House of Assembly two weeks ago had not been enforced.



Uchendu‘s advice was ignored, as the majority of the PDP members in the House passed the motion in a voice vote.



The Speaker of the House, Mr. Dimeji Bankole, observed after the motion was passed that such resolutions were enforceable to the extent that they received the concurrence of the Senate.



Reacting, the Ekiti State Government said the House alone could not take a decision on such matters.



“They need the concurrence of the senate. It is a resolution and it is not binding . It is not something they can enforce,” it said in a statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the governor on Media, Mr. Mojeed Jamiu.



Jamiu said, “The position of the government on the 16 local government councils is that they remain dissolved. We shall appoint a caretaker committee as soon as honourable members of the state House of Assembly reconvene.



“The Ekiti State Council of traditional rulers are behind the state government on the dissolution of the councils. They issued a communique to that effect today (Tuesday) and it was signed by Oba Adetunji Ajayi, the Aromijale of Ise Ekiti who is the chairman of the Ekiti State Traditional Council.”



In its reaction, the ACN said what the lawmakers did was “petty, lawless and vindictive.”



The party, therefore, advised the Accountant-General of the Federation to “disregard the meaningless resolution, in view of the ruling of the Supreme Court in the Lagos case that no one, not the President or the National Assembly, has the powers to withhold local government allocation for whatever reason.”



“The resolution passed by the House of Representatives is therefore unconstitutional, illegal and ultra vires, and should be ignored by the executive,” the party added in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed.



The ACN also urged the Senate to be “careful not to lend its backing to such an irresponsible and arrogant show of power by the House of Representatives.



“The resolution, which is very typical of the PDP and the institutions it dominates, makes a mockery of the Supreme Court, whose decisions override any law, and undermines the judiciary,‘‘ it said.



“It is sad for the PDP that instead of using its majority in the National Assembly to advance the course of democracy and enhance the welfare of Nigerians, all the party can do – through its clueless members in the House of Representatives – is to dabble in an issue that portrays the party as a bad loser,” the ACN added.



Also on Tuesday, Sagay and Olanipekun said in their separate reactions that the House lacked the power to direct Dankwambo to take illegal action, saying that the lawmakers were clowns and ignorant of the theory of separation of powers.



Sagay, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, said, ”The lawmakers are clowns and ignorant. Have they forgotten the case of the Lagos State Attorney-General v. Attorney-General of the Federation where the Supreme Court slammed former President Olusegun Obasanjo for withholding Lagos Local Government funds.



“The right to funds by the three tiers of government is sacrosanct and thousands resolutions of the House are not binding in any case, the House has no powers to give such a directive to the Acountant-General of the Federation. Dankwambo should ignore the laughable resolution as the lawmakers are childish.”



On his part, Olanipekun(SAN), said that the resolution was illegal and unconstitutional.



He also reminded the lawmakers of the “ landmark judgment of the Supreme Court where the apex court lashed out at Obasanjo for withholding Lagos State Local Government funds.”



Falana, who also described the resolution as unconstitutional, called on the Inspector-General of Police, and the Minister of Finance, Mr. Olusegun Aganga, not to comply with the Reps’ directive.



“We call on the IG and the Finance minister to ignore the illegal and contemptuous resolutions of the House and allow the Ekiti State High Court to determine the legality or otherwise of the dissolution of the LGAs by the Ekiti State Government,” he said.

http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art20101103434212

Why are we fooling ourselves with this corruption task force? How many of Nigerian looters will actually die in prison? This heartless crooks loots millions and billions of naira from the system. what do they get in prison sentences? 6months to 5years that they don’t even spend. you know what! The poor masses will gladly take 1% of Ibru’s loot for her 6months sentence. 9ja remain the only supposedly democratic country with civil servants billionaires.

Indication emerged on Tuesday that Nigeria Prisons Service had no plan to receive the convicted former Chief Executive of Oceanic Bank, Mrs. Cecilia Ibru, into prison, even if doctors certify her fit before the conclusion of her terms of imprisonment.



A visit to Ikoyi prison by our correspondent showed that the convict, who is currently receiving treatment at an high brow hospital in Victoria Island, Lagos, Reddinton Hospital on the order of Federal High Court, did not have identification number which is usually given to inmates of the prison.



An official of the Ikoyi prison, who accosted our correspondent outside the prison gate, directed him to contact the prison command’s spokesman for clarification.



But the official and others contacted consequently refused to answer our correspondent’s questions.



Sources at the prison however said that the NPS believed that Ibru might spend her term of imprisonment at the hospital as the NPS might not bother itself unnecessarily.







One of the sources said, “Haba, she is an old woman now. You don’t expect her to have quick recovery like younger people like you.”



Another source said that medical doctors in the employ of the NPS examined the convict, “and they confirmed that she was actually ill, so what do you expect us to do? Refuse her treatment?”



But another senior person told our correspondent that since Ibru was convicted on plea bargaining, the authorities of Ikoyi prison decided to handle her with kid gloves.



“I don’t think she even have prison number. A file was opened for her, but that was all,” the official said.



But the NPS spokesman, Mr. Ope Fatinikun, on the telephone said that Ibru was being handled like any other inmate.



“Go and read the court ruling, we are merely following orders. The court said she should be taken to the hospital for treatment, which has been done. And it is not true that she did not have prison number; if there is a file, there is a number. But don’t expect me to tell you the number,” he said.


http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art201011034235093

The whole house of Rep. Members are just a big fool, tell me why asking the 11 to apologies? What you fools should have done is to tell us dat the matter has been investigated and Bankole is impeached, then we will know dat you guys are serious. Where is the so called EFCC if it is a poor man dat steal 10,000 naria you will not need and evidence but Bankole is going up and down and nothing is happening?

The 11 suspended members of the House of Representatives have lost about N616m, findings by THE PUNCH revealed.



The figure represents the combined total of their quarterly allocation for the third and fourth quarters of the year (July to December).



Based on the allowances and entitlements fixed for lawmakers by the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission, each of the 360 members of the House takes home around N28m per quarter (or N9.33m per month).



There are three months in each of the four quarters on which the allocations of the lawmakers are calculated.



This translates to N308m per quarter for the 11 and N616m for the two quarters.



Although the 11 lawmakers have been on suspension for about four months (July to October) their colleagues have already collected the block sum for two quarters (July to December).



However, amid consistent denials by the House, there are speculations that the unofficial allocation for each lawmaker per quarter is N42m.



If this unofficial figure is to be used, the 11 suspended lawmakers would have lost N462m per quarter or N924m for the two quarters.



The 11, who belonged to a group in the House, the Progressive-Minded Legislators, were suspended in July after lawmakers loyal to the Speaker, Mr. Dimeji Bankole, fought with some of them on the floor of the House.



The group, led by Mr. Dino Melaye, was demanding an investigation into the alleged misapplication of N9bn out of the capital votes of the House by the leadership.



The group had demanded the resignation of the speaker, but the situation degenerated to a free-for-all, following which the 11 were suspended indefinitely for ‘disorderly conduct.’



THE PUNCH learnt that efforts to lift the suspension had not materialised, owing to an alleged sharp division in the ranks of the House.



Many of lawmakers backing the leadership were said to be against the return of the 11 on account of their being ‘troublemakers.’



“If for nothing, we have had some stability in the House in the last few months of their absence; their return will heat up the atmosphere again,” one lawmaker told our correspondent on Monday.



But there were those who interpreted the ‘perceived stability in the House’ to mean that lawmakers were afraid to comment on the style of its leadership, as “they do not want to be next in line for suspension.”



Seven of the 11 (Dino Melaye, Anas Adamu, Independence Ogunewe, Bitrus Kaze, Solomon Awhinawhin, Doris Uboh and Austin, Nwachukwu), had gone to court to challenge the suspension on the grounds that it was illegal.



The matter was last adjourned to November 15 by an Abuja Federal High Court.



Four others (Gbenga Onigbogi, Gbenga Oduwaiye, Ehogie West-Idahosa and Kayode Amusan) opted out of the legal option, but attempts to lift their suspension through political interventions had also not materialised due to the division in the House.



THE PUNCH investigation showed that following pleas made on their behalf by interested parties, the leadership had given the withdrawal of the law suit and the offer of an apology as a condition to consider their recall to the House.



Of the seven, only Nwachukwu has withdrawn from the suit but his suspension had not been lifted as of Tuesday.



Some of the 11 told our correspondent in Abuja that they had not been contacted on any discussions for their return to the House, just as they denied begging the leadership for pardon.



Adamu, for instance, said his group was still in court challenging the suspension.



“We are still in court and there will be a ruling on November 15,” he added.



When asked about his political future, Adamu replied, “When we get to the bridge, we will cross it; God will decide.”



Oduwaiye claimed not to have been contacted by the leadership of the House to tender any apology and neither was he keen on pleading to be pardoned.



He said, “Not me, and nobody has contacted me for an apology; the people of my constituency are very educated and they are aware of what is going on.



“My plans for the next elections are on and the decision regarding whether I will return to the House will be taken by the leaders and elders of my constituency.”



When contacted, the spokesman of the House, Mr. Eseme Eyiboh, claimed that the suspended lawmakers had been sending emissaries to the leadership to plead on their behalf.



According to him, the leadership is considering their cases individually, not as a group.



He explained that the first condition the leadership gave was for those in court to withdraw their suit and tender an apology.



Eyiboh added that there were ‘compassionate’ lawmakers in the House, who were ready to re-admit any of the 11 that had fulfilled the condition for pardon.






http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art20101103411570

All things being equal, the voters’ registration exercise for the 2011 general elections will begin in January, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega, has disclosed.
The disclosure yesterday fuelled the speculation that the contract for the supply of the Direct Data Capturing Machine might have been signed.

The commission had said the contract papers would be signed either late last week or early this week, but the explanation by the INEC chairman at the commencement of the ‘Train the trainers’ workshop for INEC staff in Abuja, on Monday, as regards the date for the start of the registration exercise gave strong indication that the contract papers might have been signed by the commission with the manufacturers of the vital biometric equipment.

“Despite the new time plan, the registration exercise will now be sometimes in January but when we announce the timetable, the details will be made available to the public,” Jega said.
The INEC chairman was of the view that the time extension being worked on by the parliament would help the commission to take possession of and deploy the machines needed for the exercise.
Jega stated that arrangements for the acquisition of the DDC machines had been concluded, adding that the machines would soon arrive.

He said: “We do not want to pre-empt things, we’ve done our preparations and our planning. As soon as formalities are completed we will make an announcement on the new time able. We have finished everything about the procurement of the DDC machines.
“And I want to assure you that the machines will now be in our hands in good time before the commencement of the registration exercise.”
The success of the voters’ registration exercise and the 2011 general elections were predicated on proficiently trained staff of the commission who would handle the conduct of these very important electoral activities.

However, a statement on the workshop signed by the INEC Director of Public Affairs, Emmanuel Umenger, said Professor Jega stressed the importance of the workshop, noting that the INEC staff who were undergoing the training could only impart to other trainers adequate knowledge about the voters’ registration exercise if they fully understood the modules and manuals properly.

He charged the master trainers to take advantage of the workshop to clarify any areas of ambiguity. Said he: “Make the best use of the opportunity of the workshop; attend all the sessions and make thorough use of the interactive sessions to clarify ambiguities.”
The INEC chairman said the commission appreciated that the staff were faced with a number of constraints but appealed to them to persevere.
He disclosed that the commission, having realized the tediousness and risks involved in elections, was working on a special salary scale for its staff. He gave the assurance that the process of getting the new scale off the ground would be fast-tracked if the commission’s staff worked assiduously to conduct a voters’ registration exercise and elections that would be credible and acceptable to Nigerians.

The INEC Chairman reminded the participants that Nigerians had high expectations of them for a positive change and that they should, by their actions, prove to Nigerians that it was no longer business as usual.
Earlier, the Chair of the Electoral Institute, Professor Lai Olurode, had described the Voter Registration exercise as the infrastructure on which a credible election rested. He appealed to the participants to take the workshop seriously.
It would be recalled that the INEC had carried out a mock registration with some of its staff trained for the purpose of the demonstration of the samples of the DDC machine.






http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/features/newsonthehour/2010/nov/02/newsbreak-02-11-2010-001.htm

I will surely believe it when it happens. Without any doubt in my mind, there are some “untouchables” backing the kidnappers up for their selfish gain. The Fed Government can buy as many helicopters to patrol the sky 24/7 it may not be effective unless the barons are rooted out and be made to face the law. Without that we will take a step forward and three steps backward. Good Luck President Jonathan. And this is what am thinking.

President Goodluck Jonathan has assured Nigerians that kidnapping will soon be wiped out in the country.



The President, according to a statement on Monday by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Ima Niboro, stated this during an interactive session with Nigerians in Chad Republic on Sunday.



In response to a question on how kidnapping had prevented some citizens, especially from the South-East from visiting Nigeria, he said government had put in place elaborate measures to fight the menace and restore peace.



Meanwhile, the Minister of Police Affairs, Alhaji Adamu Waziri, on Monday, said that the Federal Government had ordered three helicopters and protective gears to tackle kidnapping and other crimes in the state.



Waziri spoke at the opening of a three-day biennial retreat by the Police Service Commission in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.



Jonathan assured that their complaints of constant harassment of Nigerians on legitimate businesses by Chadian security agencies would be addressed.



On the absence of good English-speaking schools in Chad Republic, the president underscored the importance of quality education for the future development of any child and called for the establishment of private schools in partnership with government.



Jonathan also promised to assist in building a permanent office and residence for the Nigerian Ambassador.



Those who spoke during the meeting included representatives of various Nigerian ethnic groups resident in Chad Republic as well as the Chairman of the Nigeria-Chad Association, Stephen Osagie.



The Nigerian Ambassador to Chad, Abdullahi Omaki, disclosed that Nigeria established diplomatic relations with Chad in 1963 and the latter reciprocated in 1965.


http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art20101102435628

The Court of Appeal in Ibadan on Monday reserved its judgment in the appeal by the governorship candidate of the Action Congress of Nigeria in Osun State in the 2007 poll, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola.



The court is expected to communicate the judgment date to the parties accordingly.



Aregbesola is appealing against the verdict of the Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Osun State that upheld the Independent National Electoral Commission’s declaration of Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola as the winner of the April 14, 2007 governorship poll in the state.



The five-man panel headed by Justice Clara Ogunbiyi reserved judgment on the appeal after the lawyers to the parties adopted their briefs of argument.



Other members of the panel are Justices M.L. Garba, Paul Galinge, C.C. Nweze and Adamu Jauro.



In adopting his brief, one of the lead lawyers to Aregbesola, his running mate and the ACN, Chief Akin Olujinmi (SAN), drew the attention of the appellate court to the fact that even though the INEC filed a reply denying allegation of irregularities during the election, the electoral body elected not to call any witness to challenge any aspect of the evidence tendered.



Olujinmi, a former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, said such situation amounted to the fact that the INEC abandoned its case, claiming that the case of the petitioners was not challenged in any way whatsoever.



He argued that if the deductions his clients sought were made from the lawful votes cast in the disputed 10 local government areas, the petitioners would have more votes than the respondents and would have fulfilled the constitutional requirements to be declared winners of the election.



He faulted the lower tribunal’s verdict on his clients’ position on the alleged non-counting and non-releasing of results by INEC officials and their failure to produce voter register used in the conduct of the election.



Olujinmi said the tribunal claimed that it was a mere allegation because his clients did not call evidence in spite of the fact that they called 75 witnesses including supervisors whose evidence the court had in the case of Lasun v. Awoyemi had been declared as competent and reliable.



He also disagreed with the position of the tribunal that the allegations of non-counting of poll were criminal, saying that failure of the INEC to carry out its job could not be criminal but civil.



Citing Fayemi v. Oni and Agagu v. Mimiko, the former AGF claimed that the criminal allegations of ballot stuffing and thuggery raised in the petition were separable.



Others issues raised were alleged discrepancies in the number of ballot papers produced by the INEC and results declared as well as the production of voter register for only four wards out of 11 in Boripe Local Government Area despite the fact that such register was germane to a valid election.



He also drew the attention of the appellate court to Alhaji S.O. Nofiu, who was said to have served as agents of the Peoples Democratic Party in nine out of 11 wards, saying that was impossible considering the facts that the exercise was done simultaneously in the different places.



He also claimed that Exhibit 217 tendered by the appellants and Exhibit R18, although certified by INEC, tendered by respondents were all blank with some not signed or stamped contrary to the provisions of the election manual.



Olujinmi urged the court to void the results of the elections in the disputed 10 councils and declare Aregbesola as the governor of the state on the grounds that he had lawful majority votes after the results of the disputed 10 councils must have been deducted.



But adopting his brief, lead lawyer to Oyinlola, his deputy and the PDP, Mallam Yusuf Ali(SAN), faulted the testimony of the supervisors referred to by Olujinmi, saying that the court had in Amosun v. Daniel declared that supervisors had no roles in the Electoral Act.



In the case of Boripe LG, Ali insisted that there was no place in the appellants petition where over voting was pleaded and they could not be allowed at this stage to change the rule when the game was almost over.



He said that the totality of the evidence called were not enough to entitle the appellants to reliefs being sought.



He further stated that since the reliefs being sought were declaratory in nature, for a party to be granted such reliefs, evidence must be led and proved to the satisfaction of the court.



“This appeal deserves only one thing: a dismissal and I pray your lordships to do so,” he added.



INEC’s lawyer, Mr. Ayodeji Bobaderin, said that the commission elected not to call witnesses because the appellants did not prove their case.



“There is a difference between not calling witnesses and not adducing evidence. The burden of proof will only shift to us if the appellants have been able to prove their case,” he said.



He urged the court to dismiss the appeal.



Lead lawyer to the Nigeria Police, Mr. Niyi Owolade, aligned himself with the submissions of Ali and Bobaderin.



He said that rather confirming allegation of police’s connivance on alleged violence in the election, witnesses confirmed police presence in various polling stations.



Owolade added that appellants alleged existence of a police report but failed to tender the said document thereby abandoning the claim.



The court also heard a cross-appeal by Oyinlola and a preliminary objection by Aregbesola’s lawyer.



Aregbesola was present at the Monday proceedings.


http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art20101102438530

It’s rather shameful and out of igorance or better still lack of knowledge of Nigeria sociopolitical dimentions that a so called highly placed individuals will make such a calculated statement to question the rational of creating agencies that is helping to shape our complex society Nigeria. It’s not everyone in highly placed position need to be heard rather only to be seen. We have to always remember that these agencies are in their infancy they are making inroads but alot is yet to be seen.

The Chairman of the Police Service Commission, Mr. Parry Osayande, on Monday described the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission, the Federal Road Safety Commission, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and the Nigeria Drug Law Enforcement Agency as “white elephant security agencies.”



He argued at the opening of a three-day biennial retreat by the PSC in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State , that the funds that could have been used to strengthen the Nigeria Police Force were expended on the creation and sustenance of the EFCC, ICPC , NDLEA and the NSCDC.



Osayande whose views were shared by the Minister of Police Affairs, Alhaji Adamu Waziri, therefore, blamed government for the failure of the police to provide security in the nation.



The PSC Chairman said that the proliferation of security agencies in the country had undermined the effectiveness of the police and led to frequent frictions amongst the security agencies over issues of mandate and jurisdiction.



He said, “The NPF has been found to be desperately wanting in supporting successive administrations in fulfilling the primary purpose of governance. The situation is further compounded by the same government by assenting to needless proliferation of parallel security agencies in the country.



“These include the EFCC, the ICPC, FRSC, NSCDC, NDLEA, and so on. Consequently, the scarce resources that could have been used to strengthen the various organs of the NPF for effective performance, were expended in creating and sustaining these white elephant security agencies. This has led to frictions amongst them over issues of mandate and jurisdiction.”



Osayande, a retired Deputy Inspector-General of Police, also noted that the NPF suffered lack during the 30 years of military rule in the country.



He added that the Force was made to enforce two sets of law: one for the rich and the other for the poor.



But the Minister of Interior, Capt Emmanuel Iheanacho (retd.), disagreed with Osayande, saying that the EFCC and other agencies play specialised roles.



He argued that it would be impossible to manage the security agencies if they were under one umbrella.



Iheanacho urged the streamlining of information from different agencies and better management of security reports.



He said that there was the need the security agencies to cooperate instead of competing.



In his speech at the PSC organised retreat titled “Repositioning the Nigeria Police Force for the challenges of policing a democratic society in the 21st century and beyond,” Waziri said that Nigeria did not need a plethora of security agencies.



He explained that the recommendations of the Police Reform Committee were being implemented for the purpose of repositioning the Force.



According to him, the commission has introduced a new scheme of service for the specialist cadre in the force and had addressed issues of irregular promotions.



The minister, who said that the nation did not need the huge number of uniformed security agencies, argued that the police were the pre-eminent organisation in charge of internal security which other agencies must collaborate with.



He said that every security agency had a stake in policing matters.



Waziri said, “Too many hands, they say spoil the broth. All the men in uniform should join hands together; the success of one is the success of all. Unless there is peaceful environment, all of us are imperilled.”



The minister stated that the police were critical to the sustenance of democracy and free poll and warned that no Nigerian should be made to die in the forthcoming general elections.



He explained that the reform in the police started about five months ago, but added that it was not possible to “return it (police ) to the glory of 27 year ago.”



Waziri also said that the Federal Government had ordered three helicopters and protective gears to tackle kidnapping and other crimes in the country.



He said, “For the police to be reformed and repositioned, all Nigerians must be stakeholders. If you see a policeman committing an offence, report. In other parts of the world, where we quote statistics, the citizens don’t bolt their doors when crimes are being committed, they raise alarm.



“Nigerians must provide police raw data to checkmate criminality. The deterioration of the police has made us not to report because they will harass you, but now, they can’t because we are in democracy. Police must accept reform, there must be attitudinal change, and they must open up to reform.”



The Chairman of the retreat, Mr. Fidelis Oyakhilome, said that the police may need to be “democratised” to successfully police a democratic society.



He said although orders , the leadership at all levels should not assume a monopoly of knowledge and skills.



Oyakhilome, who is the first chairman of the NDLEA and a retired DIG, explained that the police leadership cannot afford to operate the way it did under autocratic regimes



“It should be admitted that a successful repositioning is based on the foundation of effectiveness and efficiency which ensures continuous existence and relevance, otherwise, the repositioning may be an exercise in futility, “ he said.



EFCC spokesman, Femi Babafemi could not be reached for comments as he did not respond to several calls to his GSM line.



Also a text message sent to him did not elicit any response.



The ICPC media consultant, Tolu Olamiti, could not reached as a man who picked his phone said he was in a meeting.


http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art20101102431129

They can talk of zoning now. The North should prepared to pay back the number of years of their misrule. They should tell Nigerians one single reason, they think it is their turn to rule. IBB ruled the country and swallowed the money that belongs to all of us. He single handed annuled the june 12th election. His government killed Dele Giwa. Abacha came with his own madness and stached Nigerian money all over the world.

The controversy over zoning heightened on Monday as the Goodluck/Sambo Presidential Campaign Organisation and the Northern Political Leaders’ Forum traded words on the issue.



While the NPLF warned that the Peoples Democratic Party would lose the 2011 elections if it rejected zoning, the Goodluck/Sambo Presidential Campaign Organisation urged the forum’s members ,whom it described as ‘elder statesmen’ to stop fanning the embers of disunity.



The forum, at a news conference in Abuja by its Chairman, Mallam Adamu Ciroma, said the PDP could not, in all honesty, pretend that there was no zoning.



“If they (PDP members) pretend that there is no zoning, then they may pay a price of pretending. The cost of setting aside zoning will be shown by the results of the election,” Ciroma said.



The former minister explained that the group’s insistence on zoning was based on truth and fairness. He argued that it would be wrong for the PDP to “change the rules in the middle of the game.”



Ciroma , who warned that the PDP’s foundation would be shaken if the arrangement was abandoned, asked, “If I reach an agreement with you and you depart from it unilaterally, how can I trust you again?”



Asked if members of the NPLF would leave the PDP if zoning was abandoned, he replied, “When the PDP calls its primaries, it will show whether the majority in the party respects fairness and justice or it can turn around anybody just to do what it pleases.



“If the majority cannot respect the truth, fairness and justice, then many people will decide whether it is worth their while to continue in that party. But this decision will not be taken until we reach the bridge.”



Ciroma said the forum was “ not arguing for zoning and rotation just because we are narrow minded Northerners, ” but because “everybody knows that this time, we stand on the truth, fairness and justice.”



He explained that zoning was adopted by the PDP “in order to ensure that minorities and other people will be in a position to produce a Nigerian President.”



The former minister said it was sad that zoning was “now being used against the North so that it (North) will be the loser in the process.”



But in a statement on Monday, the Goodluck/Sambo Presidential Campaign Organisation faulted Ciroma’s position that the PDP would lose the general elections if it abandoned zoning.



The organisation, therefore, advised Ciroma and other members of the forum “ to learn to be good party men” and to preach peace.



The statement by the organisation’s Director of Media and Publicity, Mr. Sully Abu, said Ciroma had continued to go against the PDP’s decision that Jonathan was entitled to contest the 2011 presidential election.



“Elder statesmen are expected to be forces of peace and unity, not of discord and disunity,” it said, adding that the NPLF chairman had continued to disparage the office of the President.



The organisation added that the PDP had resolved to throw the race open, in line with constitutional provisions and democratic tenets.



“The party’s decision does not preclude anybody from exercising his or her rights to aspire for the highest position in the land,” it said.



Meanwhile, Ciroma has said that the committee mandated by the forum to select a consensus aspirant for the North has visited all northern states, except Niger and Nasarawa, to seek the advice of stakeholders.



The former minister, who also disclosed that the forum had made a U-turn on its plan to press for the impeachment of Jonathan., said the next thing for the consensus committee to do was to analyse its report.



He said, “Now that the committee has visited the states in the North, it will sit down to consider the report as one of the input into the process of choosing a conscience aspirant.



“We have not been hurrying because we don’t want to catch coin; we think it is better to do it thoroughly than to do it quickly.



“We have been going round to confer with our people in the North. We have regarded this assignment (picking a consensus aspirant) has been more important than the issue of impeachment. So, in fact we didn’t have time to do that.”



He assured that the process of selecting a consensus aspirant would be acceptable to the contestants.


http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art201011024173568

There was anxiety on Monday over the health of an elder statesman, Chief Anthony Enahoro.



He was admitted to the intensive care unit of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital in Benin, Edo State.



A family source, who asked not to be named, said the 87-year-old foremost nationalist, had difficulty with breathing on Monday morning.



The source did not give further details but as the news of his (Enahoro’s) admission spread, some people speculated that he had passed on.



But UBTH sources and an Edo State Government House official dismissed the rumour, saying Enahoro was alive.



“He is fine. He is alive. He is in a ward in UBTH. But the cause of the ailment is not known,” the Government House official said.



He promised to contact one of the nationalist’s sons for further comments. As at 8pm on Monday, he had not contacted THE PUNCH.



The UBTH sources also said, “Chief is in our hospital and he is alive.”



Born on July 22,1923 in Uromi, Edo State, Enahoro, a journalist turned politician, rose to national prominence in 1953 when as a member of the House of Representatives, he attempted to move a motion for the independence of Nigeria.



He had argued in the motion that Nigeria should be granted independence in 1956 but it was vehemently opposed by Northern representatives and it failed.



Enahoro was a foundation member of the Action Group; secretary and chairman, Ishan Division Council; and member Western House of Assembly.



He later became Minister of Home Affairs in the old Western Region and also the opposition spokesman on Foreign Policy and Legislative Affairs in the House of Representatives (1959 – 1963).



Enahoro, who later became a pro-democracy activist, also had a distinguished career as a journalist. He became the editor of the Southern Nigerian Defender at the age of 21; editor, Comet; associate editor, West African Pilot; and editor-in-chief, Morning Star.



He was a delegate to most of the constitutional conferences that culminated in Nigeria’s independence in 1960.



During the crisis that engulfed the old Western Region in 1962, he was detained along with other Action Group members.



He was also accused of treason during the trial of the former premier of the defunct Western Region, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, but he escaped to the United Kingdom in 1963.



He was extradited from the UK and imprisoned. He was, however, released in 1966 by the military government.



Enahoro served in Gen. Yakubu Gowon’s government as federal commissioner for Information, Labour and Special Duties.



In the Second Republic, he joined the National Party of Nigeria.



As a pro-democracy activist, Enahoro was the chairman of the National Democratic Coalition, a body that opposed the despotic regime of Gen. Sani Abacha between 1993 and 1998.



He was marked for assassination by the regime and he subsequently went on exile.



With the return of civil rule in Nigeria in 1999, Enahoro floated the Movement for National Reformation and later became the chairman of the Pro-National Conference Organisation.

http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art201011024165056

The House of Representatives on Monday said its Speaker, Mr. Dimeji Bankole, had performed well in the last three years.



Bankole became the speaker on November 1, 2007, following the resignation of the former Speaker, Mrs. Patricia Etteh.



The Chairman, House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Mr. Eseme Eyiboh, gave the pass mark while briefing newsmen on Bankole’s activities in the last three years.



He said Bankole’s election was not prompted by external forces but by an overwhelming majority of members.



Eyiboh said the speaker had lived up to his inaugural speech, in which he had said the House belonged to the Nigerian people and would be guided by their wishes and aspirations.



Eyiboh said, “Input-output and outcome slogan of the speaker gave direction to the House in the discharge of its constitutional duties of legislation, oversight functions and appropriation.”



On the achievements of the House under Bankole’s leadership, Eyiboh said the words - unspent funds - came into Nigeria’s vocabulary through the oversight functions of the House.



He said through the oversight functions, the House discovered that more than N3tn Internally Generated Revenue was not being remitted into the Federation Account.



Eyiboh said the House’s achievements also included oversight functions in the customs, oil, power and aviation sectors.



The House also made significant contributions to the granting of amnesty to former Niger Delta militants, he added.



Eyiboh said that apart from Bankole becoming the chairman of the Afro-Arab Parliamentary Union, another member was elected vice-president of the African Parliamentary Union.



Eyiboh said the speaker attracted various investments opportunities to Nigeria.



In spite of challenges, the House under Bankole was able to churn out bills and carry out series of legislative interventions that saved the country from crisis, he said.


http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art201011022101245

These Assembly Men/Women dabble into issues irrationally. They just made an irrational resolution on LASU, despite the LASU laws (as amended) of 2004. Very few of them, I’m told are educated. No wonder!!!