The cost of running government is excessive

For years, the sheer lack of transparency that shrouds the remunerations of National Assembly members and the magnitude of their financial outlay had been an issue. Despite repeated promises to make open to the public what they earn, they have always hedged and for the past 20 years Nigerians, have had to rely on speculations on the pay of their representatives. All that changed last week when Senator Shehu Sani (representing Kaduna Central) revealed that each senator receive as much as N13.5 million on a monthly basis as office running costs, in addition to a N700,000 monthly salary.

Although the Senate spokesperson, Senator Sabi Abdullahi, has tried to play down the revelation by saying that it is nothing new, he did not address Sani’s charge that there is little or no accountability for the expenditure of the funds and that the National Assembly is one of the most non-transparent arms of government. While the earnings for members of the House of Representatives are yet to be revealed, it is safe to assume it is close to what their ‘senior’ colleagues earn, assuming they are not the same since they always claim equality. That explains why majority of Nigerians agree with Sani that “if the expenses payment system was ended, then parliament would only be attractive to people who contribute ideas.”

At a period when there is a compelling need for the lawmakers to ensure robust, painstaking and timely legislation and oversight so that Nigerians can begin to derive the benefits of good governance, the only thing that seems to concern them is their privileges. And, as we stated during the controversy over the purchase of jeeps for the lawmakers, this session of the National Assembly, especially the Senate, is about to set the standard on how a legislature can become a subversion of all the ethical aspirations that ought to drive a society.

However, we must also put it on record that this sort of outrageous pay is not restricted to the legislature. The executive is also guilty, both at the federal and in the states. Former Anambra State Governor, Mr. Peter Obi, once said that Nigerians would be shocked to know how much governors earn monthly. Yet, we are talking of a society where hunger has become a staple for majority of the people. By diverting scarce resources to a few private hands at the expense of much needed projects such as schools, hospitals, roads and reliable institutions, poverty is being reinforced.

The most important message here is that it is these outrageous perks that have made political offices very attractive to all kinds of desperados – people who have no inkling of patriotism but motivated mostly by self-interest. That explains why many of them would commit all sorts of atrocities just to get to power, mindful of the fact the coveted offices cast some sort of immunity on them. And unless we change that by reducing the monetary gains of political offices, our elections would continue to be a “do or die” affair.

Thisday

Kosewe, kosegbo, kosewe, kosegbo
Won tip’omi gutter po- ojuti dirty
Won tipo chemical po- awon omo Science Students

-(Olamide, Science student)

The rave of the moment in Nigeria hip-hop circle is the ‘Science Student’ song by Olamide, the one they call ‘Badoo’ and its associated ‘shakushaku’ dance. The innovative labelling of the song as ‘science student’ is patterned after students in science class who normatively carry out experiments in laboratories, mixing different substances to get the desired results such as the famous iodine solution mixing with starch to give blue-black colour.

By implication, what is mixed determines the outcome. If you mix the right substances, the outcomes become desirable and vice versa. Wrong substances (Tramadol, Bajinatu, etc) litter major streets with huge patronage; they are seen as performance enhancing drugs.

The unintended consequences of the intended action are misbehaviour and poor body coordination emblematic in the staggering shakushaku dance. “Wón tipo chemical pò ojúti dirty” (they have mixed different substances) therefore reveals a person whose eyes become defocused, blurred and uncoordinated to the extent of being capable of doing the unexpected owing to a wrong combination.

How are President Buhari and the ‘trashed’ leader, Bola Tinubu, ‘science students’? After three serial failed attempts to win elections and control the Federal government, Buhari and Tinubu did a political amalgamation of ‘northern and southern’ Nigeria collapsing their structures from the Congress for Progressive Change and the Action Congress of Nigeria into the new All Progressives Congress.

They used traitors in the Jonathan government to oust it. Rather than test their popularity with the masses, they utilised the structures of persons with ‘dirty’ antecedents to actualise their political victory. They forgot that once the common enemy is defeated and power is won, the conspirators will engage in a battle of strength and supremacy over party governance and government control. Today, Senator Oluremi Tinubu has told us how the combination of wrong political elements has made the eyes of the ‘leader’ dirty. Just like Olamide pleads with the smoky ‘science student’, Buhari now saddles the aggrieved leader “ejèbùré nítorí ànóbì” (pacify partymen) assignment ahead of 2019. 

The 2018 poor international ratings of Nigeria in corruption and poverty rightly attest to the ‘science student’ character of the present government which thrives on mixing ‘gutter’ characters with saints. The government recruited supporters across party divides, not minding that those with clean records were the only essential elements needed in a government that wants to fight corruption.

After forming government, fighting corruption from within becomes a problem. They even appointed those who have come to dent their anti-corruption crusade as ‘science students’ to drive their agenda. It is to the credit of these characters and the behaviour of the ‘Oga at the Top’ that has made corruption and poverty ranking nosedive. Little wonder, “kòséwé kòségbò, wón tipo chemical pò, o júti dirty, won ti po chemical pò awon omo science student.”

In this revealing combination of progressive and anti-progressive forces, no propaganda seems to do the magic anymore. Why? “Àsírí èko ó tití lójú ewé” (pap secret is unveiled in the presence of its covering). Olamide constructs this line to underscore the revelation of hitherto impossible things which have now become the essential features of the APC government. Many traits which were packaged for Mr President before 2015 elections have fallen like a pack of cards.

The clannish, nepotistic and favouristic manifestations rather than altruistic posture reverberated again in Buhari’s justification of his first visit to Taraba rather than Benue and Zamfara based on his belief that more persons were killed where his tribal affinities domicile. In Benue, Buhari revealed that he was truly in charge when he said he was not aware that the Inspector General of Police he ordered to relocate to Benue never stayed beyond a day! Olamide maintains that “aféfé ti fé atirí fùrò mother nature, gòbe ti selè àsírí tú” (the wind has blown open, the hidden trouble has started).

Now, the smoke of insecurity, kidnapping, poverty, and unemployment on the one hand and poor health infrastructure, poor education, poor road network and electricity continue to billow (eruku ti pojù àsírí tú), that even the pre-2015 mystical ozone layer constructed by the likes of Tinubu for Buhari as the solution to these problems is losing its protective testimonial. Today, the Buhari monstrosity of the pre-2015 era is fast depleting.

This is why it is funny for a Nigerian president to promise assisting Ghana, a better ranked country in fighting corruption! When ozone layer bursts (Ozone layer ti be, àsírí tú), the earth becomes warmer and more heat creates more problems. Such is the current fate of Buhari as political actors begin to pitch their tenths strategically ahead of time. The fate of the corrupt party-men being ‘ill-treated’ under the present structure is to re-align with other ‘science students’ since they have become internally displaced persons in the instant structure.

While Tinubu may be sounding as if things are normal with the ruling party, Buhari continues to search for new ‘science students’ ahead of 2019. Let those interested in fighting corruption align forces with the people who are interested in ridding the society of corruption and not curry the favour of the corrupt for electoral victory and later turn back to haunt them. To do that is, in my view, fraud and corruption.

At the receiving end are the masses who suffer from ineffectual policy mixtures and implementation by the APC appointed ‘science students’. Nigerian voters as the third ‘science students’ should therefore mix correct elements for positive impact and discard ‘gutter water’ politicians that make us suffer. Also, identified political extorters (èèmò) and power merchants who lack empathy and are non-performing must not be remixed. To do that is to allow “goobe” (trouble) to replay.

Eligible voters must shun ethnic, religious and clannish sentiments and elect the right mix of politicians who will not glory in health tourism but construct a world class health facility for Nigerians within the first 365 days. This is when Nigerians, like Aisha Buhari, shall tweet to celebrate the birth of a new dawn.

When 73 people were killed in Benue State in early January, the Minister of Defence, Mansur Dan-Ali, briefed State House correspondents, after a meeting of the security chiefs with President Muhammadu Buhari, and gave the government position on the reasons for the continuous attacks by the herdsmen.

He said: “Whatever crisis that happened at any time, there has to be remote and immediate causes. What are the remote causes of this farmer-herder crisis? Since Independence, we know there used to be a route which these cattle rearers use.

“Cattle rearers are all over the nation. You go to Bayelsa, you see them. You go to Ogun, you see them. If those routes are blocked, what happens? These people are Nigerians. It’s just like you going to block river or shoreline. Does that make sense to you? These are the remote causes. But what are the immediate causes? It is the grazing law. These people are Nigerians. We must learn to live together with each other. That is basic. Communities and other people must learn how to accept foreigners within their enclave. Finish!”

The cattle owners association known as Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria had also blamed the killings in Benue on the anti-grazing bill that was then just passed into law. The Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, had also blamed the killings on the anti-grazing law.

However, people of Benue refuted the claim, arguing that even before the anti-grazing law was passed, hundreds of people had been repeatedly killed by herdsmen in Agatu and other parts of Benue. Other people also noted that in many states like Enugu, Zamfara, Ondo, where people had been massacred on many occasions, there was no anti-grazing law.

But the icing on the cake was their attack on Kogi State last week. In February 2018, the Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, had donated 15,000 hectares of land to the Federal Government to be used as “cattle colony”. Bello has always tried to create the impression that he is not an enemy of the herdsmen, their interest and well-being and, by extension, President Muhammadu Buhari. Last week, the herdsmen struck in his state, killing 32 people, although the Governor later said that only 12 were killed.

The question that has kept gnawing at the mind of most people is: “What exactly do these herdsmen want?” If they attacked states that refused to provide grazing routes for them as well as states that have banned open grazing, why did they attack states that have provided grazing “colonies” or “ranches”?

What is their grouse? Are they angry at those who oppose them and also those who support them? Are they indirectly telling Governor Bello that they are not satisfied with the size of land he gave them? Or are they telling him that they want the entire state as their territory? Are they saying that they do not want to be restricted at all, that they want to roam freely as they wish?

In February this year, Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, condemned the persistent attacks in the North-Central states and urged all the herdsmen in different parts of Nigeria to relocate to Kano, where there are enough facilities and grazing space to accommodate them and protect them from cattle rustling and diseases. The advice has been ignored while the killings have continued. Are these killings executed to have access to space for cattle to graze freely or are they carried out as an attempt at ethnic cleansing or religious expansionism?

Ethnic cleansing and religious expansionism have been denied by some people, with the argument that many of the herdsmen are not even Muslims and do not care about owning any land. But those who do the killings are not the herdsmen who go about with their cows. Rather the killers are fighters assembled from different states, when the need arises, to attack a given community and return to their bases once the attack is done. Those who can determine the reason for the attacks are those who sponsor the attacks and approve where an attack should take place.

The reason is simple: Buhari sees the herdsmen as “his people” that need to be protected. His words and actions show that he believes that the herdsmen are poor victims who are merely fighting for their survival in a hostile environment. The words of his Defence Minister, Inspector General of Police, and other lieutenants on the issue clearly depict that mindset.  They all believe that the herdsmen are fighting to survive in a wicked and intolerant environment that wishes them dead. To them, what is taking place is not a massacre but ordinary clashes between farmers and herdsmen, and the only solution to it is for farmers to accept the herdsmen as their brothers, tolerate them as compatriots and live in peace with them as good neighbours. End of story!

That is why the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria can publicly issue threats and statements that show that they are aware of the killings and endorse them. Yet they are not arrested. Rather they are pacified and invited for discussions.

If the herdsmen were of a different ethnic region and religion, Buhari would have been vicious on them and would have crushed them. It is one of the reasons that show that Buhari does not have the capacity to treat all parts of Nigeria equally. Other Presidents and military dictators before him could mask their preference for their ethnic region and religion, but Buhari has never hidden his. Patriots are differentiated by their ability to rise above all ethnic, religious, sexual, and political considerations, put the nation first and take care of the security and welfare of the people.

States which think that once they create “grazing colonies” for herdsmen, they would achieve peace are merely joking. The killings by herdsmen go beyond grazing space for cattle. Only time will tell what the real motive of the killers are.

Justice dispensation in Nigeria is like a shipwreck. And the reasons for this calamity are obvious to the stakeholders. A former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Mariam Aloma-Mukhtar, decried in Abuja recently the prevalence of lobbying and favouritism in judicial appointments, instead of being merit-driven.

Her observation is a knock-out on the judiciary. These base criteria, she noted, have led to a decline in standards, weakening of the judiciary and enthronement of incompetent judicial officers. With the “rising culture” label she attached to it, it is obvious that the tumour has been with the system for long.

Politicians of note are involved in this racket. In a highly corrupt country like ours, this is tragic. As someone who chaired the National Judicial Council until 2014 when she retired, revealing what she did to tame the scourge would have made more sense.  However, she was right in stressing that “these practices negate the principles of justice and breed indiscipline.”

Globally, the values of a judge define the quality of the bench. The position is magisterial, reserved only for men and women of distinction – with integrity, honour and high intellect – given the fact that they are expected to deliver justice to all; and hold the power to decide matters of life and death over fellow human beings.

The method will “ensure that only fit and proper persons and the most intellectually astute, morally sound, meritorious and deserving candidates are appointed as judges of courts. It is the best way to proceed in reforming our judiciary,” Mohammed had intoned.

But Aloma-Mukhtar’s recent misgiving simply means that Mohammed’s reform was either ineffective or it never took off. The dominant practice has been for the Federal/States Judicial Service Commissions to prepare a list of nominees. The NJC screens and successful candidates are then forwarded to either the president or the governor for eventual appointment.

If mundane considerations, as outlined by the ex-CJN, still mess up judges’ selection process, it means then that the NJC deserves a big hit. Its incumbent chairman and CJN, Walter Onnoghen, should now hit the bull’s-eye. Undoubtedly, the extant procedure or Mohammed’s template is open to abuse. For instance, if a CJN once arrested a judgement of an election petition, or tried to influence its outcome in the past, then such a figure cannot be trusted with the responsibility of nominating an upright candidate to the position of a judge.

Again, a retired President of the Court of Appeal, Ayo Salami, a few years ago, took the lid off the disgraceful post-retirement misconduct of some retired senior judges who intimidated judges handling cases at Election Petitions Tribunals, funnelling bribes to them on behalf of their desperate “clients” who wanted to win at all costs.

Therefore, the selection process should be broadened to involve the larger society. It will beget public confidence for our beleaguered judiciary. This works in Kenya, Canada and Australia. In Canada, a Supreme Court nominee submits an application to a screening committee comprising judges, lawyers, government officials and members of the public.

A former Chief Justice of Australia, Anthony Mason, now a law professor at the University of Cambridge, the United Kingdom, says higher courts appointments are made with the public knowing the procedures that are followed. The process, he emphasises, involves consultation and enquiry with professional groups and people who can speak for the public interest.

The racketeering in Nigeria’s judiciary and high-level of indiscipline on the bench have become too rampant and laughable: Judges from courts of coordinate jurisdictions still give conflicting judgements; it is doubtful if granting of ex parte motions, relief not sought, interlocutory injunctions, perpetual injunctions, use of other discretionary powers have been abandoned by the judges who traffic in them. These are abuses driven by graft.

Instructively, the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015, which prescribes procedures for speedy trials and is meant to address these concerns, is being undermined by judges in many ways, which include giving ruling on interlocutory applications, instead of doing so while delivering judgement in the substantive case. The abuse, says a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Itse Sagay, constitutes “gross misconduct deserving of sanctions by the NJC.”

While Aloma-Mukhtar and Mohammed may have expressed their anxieties, which others share, howling over the matter does not solve the problem. The beneficiaries of such flawed appointments should be fished out and sent packing. It is just like the efforts by states to cleanse their payroll by sacking workers who got into the civil service through the back door.

This remedial step makes sense. The depravity should not be like the “billionaire judges” the late jurist, Kayode Eso, bemoaned; or the corrupt judges that a SAN, Femi Falana, says information on them freely circulates within lawyers circles. The country should abort this rot by ensuring that judges pass through the furnace before their appointment, for a better society.

Punch

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Yakubu Dogara has once again explained why he is clamouring for restructuring of the existing federal system of Nigeria.

Dogara said the call for restructuring became imperative because it will give a sense of belonging to all Nigerians.

He said this while speaking on the topic, “Reforming the Nigerian Federation: Which Way Forward”, at the 3rd annual Political Summit organised by the Save Democracy Africa in Abuja on Monday.”‎

The Speaker noted that, “The talk ofNigeria’s success or genuine federalism can no longer hold waters giving the state of internal insurgencies, divisiveness, ethnic and religious schism witnessed in several parts of Nigeria. Efforts at wishing away the problem associated with Nigerian federation have only resulted into several tribal, ethnic and religious movements that have even metamorphosed into terrorist syndicates.

“One can, therefore, no longer fold his arms but engage some of the issues that have confronted us as a nation and threatened the Nigerian federation. This forum provides one of the opportunities for such interrogation. Accordingly, I commend the organisers for bringing this issue to the front burner once again.

“That Nigeria could survive despite predictions to the contrary by the World Powers not only portrays a ray of hope but also demonstrate that Nigerian Federation has come to stay.

“Nigeria is far behind many Nations and everything possible should be done to takeNigeria to where it rightly belongs among the comity of Nations given her huge and rich minerals and agricultural resources, and population.

“It is therefore incumbent on us to fashion out our own type of federalism that is best suited to our people and to local circumstances. There should be genuine efforts to build the nation. Therefore ethnic, religious and sectional agenda should take back place. The essence of federalism is to foster unity and development. This has however, not been achieved.

“Consequently, the recruitment processes of our elective office holders are being re-visited in the Electoral Amendment Bill to ensure that the system is able to recruit the best at all strata of leadership. We need leaders who are visionary, selfless, prudent, intelligent and indefatigable and having integrity and honour.”

He added that the current National Assembly had shown enough determination to ensure that the federation of Nigeria is managed effectively for the good of every citizen in its several initiatives to address imbalances.

Hon Dogara stated, “There should be massive awareness to change the mindsets of the rulers and the ruled. This is where there is the need for proper education and awareness for both the rulers and the ruled. I challenge our tertiary institutions to break the disconnect between them and the political institutions and industries not only to fashion out the appropriate curriculum to drive this new orientation to confront our political and economic malaise but also to lead cutting edge research in providing correct local solutions to our diverse of problems.”

The speaker also identified some emerging issues in Nigeria’s federation political gerrymandering, corruption and nepotism, state creation and boundary delimitation, electoral boundary manipulation that discriminates against voters on account of tribe, language, religion, or related status.

“The same is also true of boundary adjustments, state creation and Local Governments in Nigeria. The minority tribes have complained of being short-changed. The issue of fiscal federalism and resource control.

“The allocation of revenue in Nigeria is presently heated as there are always allegations and counter-allegations of manipulations against the federal government by states. There are also allegations of zero allocation to local governments by states despite very clear constitutional provisions. In addition, there has been complaint of total neglect of the states that generate the revenue as such the derivative formula has been very contentious. There is over concentration of powers and responsibilities on the federal government. There are several responsibilities that can better be handled by the states.

“The power sharing between the Federal Government and the states will have to be revisited and the issue of the autonomy of local governments in Nigeria which state Houses of Assembly keep voting against,” he further stated.

Dogara added, “The issue of resource control must be properly addressed. The communities where those resources are found should be adequately compensated. The Host Community Bill initiated by the House of Representatives on the Oil and Gas industry will be a test case. The call for resource control may by implication have a semblance of territorial devolution.”

DailyPost 

New research indicates more than $4008million in public funding collected to expand internet access in Africa is sitting dormant in public coffers.

The research from the Web Foundation, Alliance for Affordable Internet and United Nations Women, released at the 62nd UN Commission on the Status of Women, found many governments are failing to take action to connect women and other offline populations, despite funds earmarked for it.

UN Women calls on government to invest at least half of the Universal Service and Access Funds (USAFs)—communal public funds dedicated to expanding internet connectivity—to enabling women access and use the internet.

USAFs offer “an incredible and vastly underutilized opportunity for making real progress, an opportunity we cannot afford to miss,” said Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations, Executive Director of UN Women.

“Every day that these funds remain unused is another day women and girls are sidelined in the digital revolution. We call on governments to take immediate action to put these funds toward their intended purpose, and to work to make the digital divide history—starting with women and girls.”

The connection could bring six million women online, provide digital skills to 16 million women and girls, according to the report Universal Service and Access Funds: An Untapped Resource to Close the Gender Digital Divide.

It noted that failure to utilise the funds risks widening global inequality and undermining global development.

“We can’t reduce global inequality without closing the digital divide and online gender gap,” said Sonia Jorge, executive director of the Alliance for Affordable Internet and head of digital inclusion programmes at the Web Foundation.

“We must act now to stop the online world from entrenching offline inequalities. We call on governments to make effective and timely use of available funds, and to invest at least 50 per cent of them in projects aimed at bringing more women online.”

Up to four billion people are not connected online globally. Only around 2 in 10 people in Africa are online.

The continent has the widest gap in internet use between men and women.

This is even though 37 African countries have a USAF in place, and 62% of the funds considered active, the research found.

But, most governments are failing to spend the USAF funds collected. In 2016, USAFs across Africa disbursed just 54 per cent of funds collected.

Few countries are focused on improving women’s internet access and use — despite the worsening digital gender gap.

Just three of the 37 countries with USAFs have universal access policies guiding the USAF that explicitly aim to connect women and girls through the fund.

Analysis in the report shows that in order to reduce the growing global gender gap in internet use—a gap which is widest in Africa—USAFs should boost investments in programmes that aim specifically to tackle obstacles to internet use and access faced by women.

DailyTrust 

The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, has said the party will deploy every available resources to win the July 14 governorship election in Ekiti State.

Describing the election as a ‘must-win’ for the party, he promised that the APC would conduct a free, fair and credible primary to choose its candidate.

The state Chairman of the party, Chief Jide Awe, who had taken cover outside the state since Governor Ayodele Fayose assumed office, made a surprise appearance at the event on Monday.

The state government has obtained a bench warrant against Awe over his alleged complicity in the death of one Mrs. Juliana Adewumi and Ayo Jeje, who were killed in Erinjiyan on May 30, 2014 during the administration of Dr. Kayode Fayemi.

Odigie-Oyegun said the delegates’ list that would be used to conduct the primary had been compiled, promising to make copies available to eligible aspirants.

The former Edo State governor added that the party was not oblivious of the importance of the Ekiti election in the history of politics in Nigeria.

He said,“We will work hard to ensure that Ekiti returns to the progressives’ fold. Though, we are in power at the centre, but that doesn’t mean we should not work hard.

“President Muhammadu Buhari as you know him will not rig or compromise or subvert the will of the electorate, so we must work hard to deserve the victory that will come to us.”

Odigie-Oyegun spoke in Ado Ekiti on Monday during the commencement of the  party’s continuous registration, at the APC secretariat in the Ajilosun area of the capital city.

Later, Odigie-Oyegun moved to the Eagles Civic Centre along Ado-Ikere Road where he addressed the party faithful on the seven points agenda set for the National Working Committee by the Ekiti APC members to make the primary a success.

Odigie-Oyegun was received by party chieftains, including the Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, the Deputy National Chairman (South), Chief Segun Oni, and members of the State Working Committee.

Other aspirants at the event were Senator Gbenga Aluko, Senator Ayo Arise, Wole Oluyede, Wole Oluleye, Capt. Sunday Adebomi (retd.), Bimbo Daramola, Dr. Mojisola Yaya-Kolade, Victor Kolade, Mr. Kola Alabi, Mr. Diran Adesua, Dr. Bayo Oriire and Femi Bamisile.

Opeyemi Bamidele, Senator Babafemi Ojudu and Bamidele Faparusi sent representatives.

Addressing the party members, Odigie-Oyegun dispelled the rumour of an alleged plot to impose a particular candidate on the party.

“We have listened to your demands and we also want to tell you that we expect something  from you too while giving you assurances that there will be no imposition and that the primary shall be free, fair and credible.

“To all the aspirants, you must not campaign as if there won’t be tomorrow. Don’t campaign in a way that breeds enmity. I learnt that you are above 30, but the large number shouldn’t be a source of discord.

“Let me say this clearly, anybody who wants to fly the flag of our party must maintain decorum. But we shall be fair to you as much as possible because there can’t be peace when justice is denied. We must not also have bad losers; you must work with whoever the electorate pick as their candidate.”

Odigie-Oyegun appealed to the aspirants to ensure that there was no division before and after the primary.

He said members of the State Working Committee would not be allowed to campaign for any of the aspirants.

Odigie-Oyegun added, “We must know that Ekiti is facing one of the most important elections in our history. God has put the victory on our laps, He has put it in our hands and we must not lose it.

“We at the national headquarters have decided that this election is one that we will work hard, leave no stone unturned, because to us it is a must-win election,” he stated.

Punch 

The absence of a prosecution witness yesterday stalled the trial of former Oyo State Governor Rashidi Ladoja, for alleged N4.7 billion money laundering charge at a Federal High Court in Lagos.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is prosecuting Ladoja alongside a former Commissioner for Finance, Waheed Akanbi.

Both men were arraigned on December 14, 2016, before Justice Mohammed Idris on an eight-count charge bordering on N4.7 billion money laundering.

They pleaded not guilty to the charges and were granted bails.

But at the resumed hearing of the matter yesterday, the EFCC Prosecutor, Mr Oluwafemi Olabisi, apologised that he could not proceed because of the absence of his witness, a director in the employ of Oyo State government.

Olabisi said the witness was attending a meeting with the World Bank in Lagos but pleaded to be in court today.

He urged the court to adjourn the matter till today  and tomorrow as the dates were set down for the continuation of the trial.

Mr Bolaji Onilenla and Mr Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika, counsel to the first and second defendants, did not object to the request for an adjournment.

But the lawyer urged the prosecuting counsel to ensure that his witnesses were in court on the agreed dates.

Justice Mohammed Idris adjourned the matter till March 20 and March 21 for continuation of trial.

The defendants are said to have conspired, siphoned and laundered N4.7 billion from the coffers of Oyo State.

The EFCC is also accusing the defendants of converting N1.9 billion belonging to the state to personal use, through the account of a company — Heritage Apartments Limited — to commit the crime.

The Nation 

The Police have charged Senator Dino Melaye and three others with criminal conspiracy and unlawful possession of prohibited firearms before a Federal High Court in Lokoja.

Police spokesman Jimoh Moshood, an assistant commissioner of police, told reporters in Lokoja yesterday that the case was filed on March 16, following the confession of a “wanted criminal”  that the senator gave him arms and cash.

Moshood said the senator failed to cooperate with the police investigators having failed to report for questioning even after the Police wrote to Senate President Bukola Saraki seeking the release of the senator to answer to the allegations.

Melaye who is battling to retain his senate seat, last week lost his bid to prevent the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from proceeding with his recall at the Court of Appeal.

The suspects, Kabiru Saidu, a.k.a Osama (31), Nuhu Salisu (25 ) aka small, and Alhaji Muhammed Audu, a politician, who is now at large, are charged along with Melaye, who is representing Kogi West.

The Police said Kabiru and Salisu were arrested on January 19 at Ogojueje in Dekina Local Government Area of Kogi State, after a shootout and they confessed to being hired by Melaye to cause mayhem in the state.

The police said they seized from the thugs and their gang members, two AK47 rifles, five pump action guns, two locally made pistols and heaps of charms.

According to the police, the men not only confessed to have been involved in several kidnappings in the state and environs, they also claimed to be hired thugs for politicians.

“According to the gang leader, Osama, he had been working as a political thug for Alhaji Mohammed Audu .

“ He said Alhaji Mohammed Audu invited him to Abuja and introduced him to Senator Dino Melaye and they met on Airport road, Abuja inside Senator Melaye’s car in the month of December, 2017.

“The suspect further confessed that Sen. Dino Melaye told him that they should start working for him as his political thugs and they should recruit and train other thugs to work for him in preparation for the 2019 general elections to enable him ( Sen. Dino Melaye ) challenge his political opponents and disorganise Kogi State.”

The police said Osama also confessed that Melaye handed over a bag containing one AK47 rifle, two Pump Action guns and the N430,000.00 to share with his boys.

Senator Melaye however described the allegations against him as framed-up and an orchestrated attempt by the Kogi state government to discredit him.

He said he had never set eyes on the suspects in his life.

He described the move an attempt by the Kogi State government to shut him up.

He said: “This is an attempt to shut me up and stop me from speaking the truth, but they have failed. It is an orchestrated lie by the governor and the police. I have tweeted about six weeks ago that they want to set me up because I got information from the Government House when they met to set me up

“You can see the conflicting statements by the criminals. I heard one said I gave two AK47 and pump action, while the other said I gave only one rifle and that I gave N430,000 to train militia and that I met them on Airport Road, in December 2017, but they didn’t give a date and time.”

The Nation 

The son of deposed Libyan despot Muammar Gaddafi has announced he will run for president later this year.

Saif al-Islam al-Gaddafi made the annoucement through his lawyer in Tunis on Monday, according to al-Araby al-Jadeed.

Gaddafi Jr. will run as the candidate for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Libya, a political party formed in December 2016 pledging to unite Libyan activists to "liberate the country from control of terrorist organisations".

Saif is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) following Gadaffi's brutal crackdown in the wake of popular

anti-government protests in 2011. An armed revolt led to the overthrow of the regime, with Saif and his father fleeing south.

Muammar Gaddafi was captured by anti-government fighters and brutally killed. Saif was held by a Libyan militia but reportedly freed six years later.

Sources, who requested anonymnity, told al-Araby al-Jadeed that since then Saif has been living in Zintan, in northwest Libya. 

He regularly meets supporters and party members in secret at one of his properties on the outskirts of the town.

Gaddafi also boasts an extensive network of contacts in influential countries, the source alleges.

The director of Saif al-Islam's political reform programme, Ayman Boras, claimed during a press conference in Tunis that despite Saif's bloody past, his planned reforms will appeal to many Libyans. 

He said that the party is well aware of the difficulties Libya faces but is confident that the people will lend their support to Saif's campaign.

Boras told al-Araby al-Jadeed that Saif is "under the protection of Libyans", and will announce details about his election campaign shortly. 

He assured that Gaddafi junior is not a "military man" and unlike his father, rejects the use of violence in politics with a "modern" and "open-minded" vision for the future of Libya.

Human rights activist Khaled Guel told al-Araby al-Jadeed that despite being wanted by the ICC, the eastern government in Tobruk - which has connections to some elements of the old regime - has granted Saif amnesty.

"The humanitarian situation is deteriorating and the path forward is unclear. Therefore many Libyans now believe that the only way to save the country is through Saif al-Islam," said Guel.

He added that the only way Libya can get past the current impasse is to overcome political divisions.

The whereabouts of Saif al-Islam have been uncertain since he was released by militiamen who held him hostage for six years until July 2016.  

Saif al-Islam came to prominence in Libyan politics some 16 years ago.

He was viewed initially as a reformer and spoke of modernising the country and opening up the state-controlled economy.

To some extent, he also highlighted some of the rampant human rights violations perpetrated by his father's regime, and was soon tipped as the heir in waiting.

This changed when he took the side of his father following the outbreak of the 2011 revolution. He soon lost any popular support he once had when a brutal crackdown was launched on the people by the regime.

Alaraby