Nigeria's Aiteo Eastern E&P has reported an "extremely high order" oil spill from a jointly-owned well in the Niger Delta and has had to abort immediate efforts to control the leak due to the pressure emanating from the well head.

Local environment group Environmental Rights Action said the latest spill in Bayelsa State was yet another incident that would devastate the marine ecosystem on which most fishing depended.

The well, which is not in production, is jointly owned by Aiteo and state oil firm NNPC.

The leak was discovered last Friday. Its cause was yet to be determined but Aiteo did not rule out crude oil theft leaks and sabotage.

Oil spills, sometimes due to vandalism or corrosion, are common in the Niger Delta, a vast maze of creeks and mangrove swamps criss-crossed by pipelines and blighted by poverty, pollution, oil-fuelled corruption and violence.

"The magnitude of this incident is of an extremely high order. Immediate efforts to control the leak were aborted due to the high pressure emanating from the well head," Aiteo said in a statement late on Tuesday.

In Nigeria, Africa's biggest oil producer, oil spills have had a catastrophic impact on communities where people have no other water supply than creeks and rely on farming and fishing.

Aiteo said it reported the incident to regulators and mobilised control specialists to close the leak.

A spokesman for the environment ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

"No matter the cause of incident the facility owner ought to have stopped it and initiated steps to contain and clean up promptly," Alagoa Morris, Environmental Rights Action's field officer in the Delta said.

The well is part of assets that Aiteo purchased from Royal Dutch Shell in 2015, company spokesman Ndiana Matthew said.

Oil companies in Nigeria have run into problems trying to clean up spills, sometimes because of obstruction and even violence by local gangs seeking to extract bigger payouts, or to obtain clean-up contracts.

Reuters

Naira has appreciated by 3.6% to N540/$1 at the parallel market — almost four months after the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) stopped FX sales to Bureaux De Change (BDCs) operators.

The local currency gained N20 to close at N540 on Wednesday from N560 it opened the weekly trading on Monday.

Bureaux De Change traders in Lagos said the market had been experiencing massive gain against the greenback since last week.

Abubakar Salisu, a BDC trader, said they are now very reluctant to sell or buy at any certain rate except they get accurate confirmation from other operators.

“We sell today N540 per dollar. Last week, it was N565 to a dollar,” Salisu said.

In July, the apex bank accused BDC operators of working with corrupt people to conduct money laundering in Nigeria.

Godwin Emefiele, governor of the apex bank, had said CBN received about 5,000 applications every month for BDC registration, adding that the operators are making efforts to dollarise the Nigerian economy.

In September, the apex bank also went after Oniwinde Adedotun, founder of abokiFX — a web platform that reports movements in the foreign exchange market since as early as 2014. 

It accused abokiFX Limited of conducting “illegal foreign exchange transactions” through its daily parallel market data information.

The move forced the management of AbokiFX to shut down the data information segment of its platform.

Speaking at the ongoing Paris Peace Forum on Wednesday, Emefiele said the country’s forex reserves above $40 billion can cater for investors’ repatriation of profit.

Since July that the apex bank stopped forex sales to BDCs, the nation’s foreign reserves climbed $8.49 billion from $33.3 billion to $41.8 billion.

The Cable

The legal team of leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, on Wednesday, walked out on Binta Nyako, the judge of the Abuja division of the Federal High Court handling the separatist’s trial.

Members of the defence team, led by Ifeanyi Ejiofor, were earlier seated in court but walked out just before the arrival of the judge about 10 a.m.

Their action was in protest against the refusal of operatives of the State Security Service (SSS) to allow Bruce Fein, an American lawyer working with the team into the courtroom.

But they later accused the judge of bias for conducting proceedings in their absence.

Wednesday’s proceedings abruptly ended due to the lawyers’ walk-out, with the judge adjourning till January 19, 2022.

Kanu, who is being prosecuted on a seven-count charge bordering on terrorism, had before Wednesday’s proceedings, engaged the spy police agents in a shouting-match inside the courtroom when he observed the absence of his legal team.

As proceedings resumed after the judge entered the courtroom, Mohammed Abubakar, announced an appearance for the prosecution.

However, the defence team, led by Ejiofor was nowhere to be found, prompting the judge to ask Kanu of his lawyers’ whereabouts.

In his response, Kanu said his lawyers were protesting the denial of access to Fein, the IPOB lawyer in the United States, who was on the Federal High Court premises to observe the day’s session.

Prosecution asks court to dismiss Kanu’s pending applications

As a result of the development, the prosecuting lawyer, Abubakar, urged the court to dismiss all the pending applications that were filed by Kanu’s legal team.

“Having decided to stage a walk-out on the court, I urge my lord to dismiss the defendant’s pending applications,” Abubakar who is the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation prayed the judge.

But the judge, who was visibly unhappy about the walk-out, declined the prosecution’s oral application calling for the dismissal of Kanu’s pending requests.

“Staging a walk-out on the court is a very serious offence,” Nyako said.

“I will not dismiss the applications; let it be in the case file. But discuss with your lawyers so that their attitude can change,” the judge advised Kanu.

Nyako noted that individuals seeking to attend Kanu’s trial must write her court for consideration.

A diplomat from the British High Commission, who was in the courtroom to watch proceedings, said she had written the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, seeking his consent to attend Wednesday’s sitting, a procedure Nyako said was wrong.

“If you need to observe proceedings in my court, you must apply to me. But for the high respect I have for my Chief Judge, I will allow you for today,” the judge told the British diplomat.

Thereafter, the judge adjourned the suit till January 19 and 20, 2022 for trial.

The suit had earlier been fixed for Wednesday for the hearing of the defendant’s preliminary objection challenging the jurisdiction of the court to conduct a hearing on the seven-count amended charge, which Ejiofor described as “frivolous.”

‘Judge now part of the prosecution team’

Shortly after the judge adjourned proceedings in the suit, Ejiofor flanked by Aloy Ejimakor and Bruce Fein, told journalists that Nyako had taken sides with the Nigerian government by conducting proceedings in their absence.

“It is now clear that the honourable trial judge (Nyako) is part of the prosecuting team. She will have to recuse herself,” Ejiofor said.

Similarly, Ejimakor described the development as “strange” wondering why the judge sat on the matter behind their back.

Background

It will be recalled that the SSS barred journalists and lawyers from the court on October 21, when the trial last held.

Kanu is being tried on charges of treasonable felony regarding his separatist activities. The trial was scheduled to resume before Nyako, for arguments on an application challenging the court’s jurisdiction to hear the case.

The separatist, who was granted bail in April 2017, fled the country after the invasion of his home in Afara-Ukwu, near Umuahia, Abia State, by the military in September that year, a situation one of Kanu’s lawyers, Alloy Ejimakor, described as the “rule of self-preservation.”

Nyako subsequently revoked his bail for ditching his trial, and ordered his trial to be separated from the rest of the co-defendants’.

While the trial of the rest of the defendants has made some progress, Kanu’s has been stalled since 2017.

On June 29, 2021, the Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, announced that Kanu had been rearrested and brought back to Nigeria to continue facing his trial.

He said the IPOB leader was “intercepted” days earlier but did not give details.

Although there has been no official disclosure about where and how Kanu was arrested, relatives and lawyers to the IPOB leader, have described how he was “kidnapped” in Kenya under controversial circumstances.

There won’t be fair trail – Ohaneze Ndigbo

Ohaneze Ndigbo had said there will not be fair trial of Kanu.

Ralph Uwazurike, a lawyer, who was detailed to watch brief on behalf of Ohaneze, restated his earlier concerns on Wednesday pertaining to the attitude of the Nigerian security operatives at the court premises.

“It is now clear that Nnamdi Kanu will not get fair trial,” Uwazurike told journalists on Thursday at the court premises.

The atmosphere at the court was tense.

Chukwuemeka Ezeife, former governor of Anambra State and representative of Ohaneze Ndigbo were barred from accessing the court on Wednesday.

PT

At least five people have been killed in Anara, Isiala Mbano Local Government Area of Imo State.

A resident simply identified as Damian told our correspondent that many people could not sleep in the community as sounds of gunshot rend the air for a while.

He said, “In fact throughout the night, we had our hearts in our mouth as sporadic gunshots, not heard before, took over our environment. As I am talking to you now, not even a chicken is outside.”

Another resident earlier on Wednesday, some persons went round the community, asking people to observe the sit-at-home order of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

IPOB has asked Southeast residents to remain indoors any time its leader, Nnamdi Kanu, is arraigned in court.

When contacted over the fresh Imo incident, Police Public Relations Officer, Mike Abattam, asked our correspondent to call back because he was at a meeting.

Daily Trust

Bandits have killed 13 people, wounded eight and abducted at least 17 others in an attack on Batsari town Tuesday evening.

Police spokesperson in the state, Gambo Isa, said 11 people were killed but residents of the town said the number has risen to 13.

The member representing Batsari at the State House of Assembly, Jabir Yau Yau, also confirmed the attack but said since he had not gone to the town he could not confirm the number of the people killed.

He promised to contact this reporter when he visit the town and make his findings.

Abubakar Bishir, a local resident, told our correspondent Wednesday morning that the dead were buried at the Batsari graveyard around 10 a.m. on Wednesday

“The bandits killed 13 people and we buried them today before I left for Katsina,” he said.

Isa, the police spokesperson, said the bandits came in large numbers around 7:15 p.m.

“They came when some people were still in the mosque for the evening prayers. They came in large numbers and started shooting sporadically. 11 people were killed while eight were wounded in the attack,” he said.

Another source, Mukhtar Mamman, said the bandits’ attack lasted several hours.

“Because of the lack of access to the network, our people in the town could not seek security agents’ assistance, which made the bandits have a field day. They went from house to house, looting goods especially foodstuff. They also abducted about 13 people, mostly women, who they found hiding in their houses.”

He added that many injured persons have been hospitalised in Batsari and Katsina.

Batsari shares boundaries with Rugu forest and Jibia, which makes it the worst-hit area by banditry in Katsina State.

PT

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Maiduguri Zonal Command on Wednesday arraigned one Tope Jimi Fagun before Justice Aisha Kumaliya of the Borno State High Court, Maiduguri on a-two count charge of impersonation and obtaining N70 million  by false pretense.

The defendant allegedly presented himself as Pastor Ize Iyamu to one Alhaji Bukar Dalori and fraudulently induced him to deliver the said sum under the pretext that the money was meant to aid the All Progressives Congress 2020 gubernatorial election campaign in Edo State.

Count one reads: “That you, Tope Jimi Fagun sometimes between July and August, 2020 in Maiduguri, Borno State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court and with intent to defraud induced the Borno State Chairman of  All Progressive Congress Party (APC), one Alhaji Ali Bukar Dalori to cause the gross sum of Seventy Million Naira (N70,000,000.00) only (both in Naira and Dollar currencies) to be delivered to you in cash and via Bank transfers under the false pretence that the said sum was to be utilized in promoting the APC campaign activities in the Edo State 2020 gubernatorial election which fact you knew to be false, thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under sections 1(1)(b) and 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 respectively.”

The second count reads: “That you, Tope Jimi Fagun sometimes between July and August, 2020 in Maiduguri, Borno State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court falsely personated Pastor Ize Iyamu, the then All Progressive Congress (APC) gubernatorial candidate in Edo State 2020 gubernatorial election and in such assumed character induced the Borno State Chairman of  All Progressive Congress Party (APC), one Alhaji Ali Bukar Dalori to cause the delivery unto you the gross sum of Seventy Million Naira (N70,000,000.00) only (both in Naira and Dollar currencies) with the view to enriching yourself fraudulently and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under sections 179 of the Penal Code Law Cap 102 Laws of Borno State.”

The defendant pleaded ‘not guilty’ when the charges were read to him. Prosecution counsel, Alqasim Jafa’ar asked the court to remand the defendant in prison and fix a date for trial to commence.

Counsel for the defendant, Alli Apanisile however informed the court of a pending application for bail of his client which has been duly served on the prosecution.

He prayed the court to be allowed to move the motion for bail.Justice Kumaliya however declined the prayer of the defence. She adjourned the matter till November 24, 2021 for hearing of the bail application and commencement of trial. The Court ordered that the defendant be remanded in the Correctional Facility.

Vanguard

Rauf Olayemi, Bauchi 

A national legislation to institutionalise constituency development funds that will be responsible for managing constituency projects at both national and State levels has been advocated for, to enhance development across the Country. 

The Chairman of the Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures of Nigeria who is also the Speaker of the Bauchi State House of Assembly, Abubakar Suleiman made the advocacy while making a presentation during the 2021 National Legislative Conference organised by the National Orientation Agency (NOA) in collaboration with Hallowmace Foundation Africa.

The Chairman explained that constituency projects aside from enhancing development, would help legislators in ensuring prudence, effective representation, accountability and improve legislative-executive relations.

He added that the institutionalisation of constituency projects will help in the reduction of poverty and illiteracy through human empowerment and capacity development and also improve public perception of the legislature, saying "the move would redistribute national resources to the community to improve the rural economy".

Abubakar said that "the concept and institutionalisation of constituency projects dates back to 1999, during Obasanjo’s administration. It was originated as a circumstantial demand from the federal legislators in response to high demand for social services by their constituents.

According to him, "It started with allocation of small amount to the members of the National Assembly before a consensus is reached on enhanced figure, agreed sharing formula and procedure for initiating/executing the projects

"Constituency project which is institutionalised and has become an integral part of the budget process at the national level, is not uniformly institutionalised at the state levels.

"At the state level in Nigeria for now, it is only the Lagos State House of Assembly that has codified the administration of constituency development projects through a law," he said.

The Chairman further stated that legislators at the state level only identify the projects, occasionally recommend contractors and monitor the implementation of the projects through oversight and the absence of national or state legislation to institutionalise the existence of the fund and little involvement of legislators in the management of the projects affect development especially at the state levels.

He therefore, called on the National Assembly to enact a national legislation of constituency projects as in the public procurement which he said is very important because it would guide the process for state adoption with modifications to reflect local peculiarities.

The Secretary to the Government of the Federation Boss Mustapha, President of the Senate Senator Ahmed Lawan, Chairman Independent Corrupt Practices Commission Professor Bolaji Owasanoye, members of the National Assembly, Civil Society Organizations among others were in attendance at the event.

The United State Embassy in Nigeria has partnered the Ogun State Government on an Information and Communication Technology (ICT)-driven scheme for court Judges, to aid speedy trial of cases and administration of justice.

The scheme, ‘the Case Management/Scheduling Manual and System’, was launched by the state Governor, Dapo Abiodun, at the Judicial Complex in Abeokuta at a ceremony attended by various stakeholders in the judiciary sector, including Judges, lawyers and law enforcement agents.

Abiodun, while launching the scheme, said the digitalised judicial scheme was the first in Nigeria, describing it as a significant first step towards the automation of judicial processes in the state.

He said for a start, six Judges of the state high court would be enrolled on the platform as a pilot test.

 Abiodun said: “this innovative platform, which is being piloted with six judges of the Ogun State High Court, would provide end-to-end digital case management tools to enable electronic management of cases to curb delays in the judicial process and promote convenience for both the judiciary and parties who come before the court.

“It is my belief that this will mark the beginning of a new era for improving the efficiency of justice administration and ultimately impact the ease of doing business for the benefit of the state and the good people of the state.”

In her remarks, the Chief Judge of the state, Justice Mosunmola Dipeolu, said the case management and scheduling system would enable Judges to have access to the details of cases assigned to them at the touch of a button from either their laptops or mobile phones.

She disclosed that the state judiciary had established and equipped a staff development centre for training of judges and other judicial staff in preparation of the digitisation of the judicial system.

Dipeolu said: “If all stakeholders key into the digitisation process and the automated case management/scheduling, it will no doubt remove unnecessary and frivolous delays hitherto experienced in the litigation process as it presently stands.

“When the judiciary is fully digitised, each Judge will have access to his docket on his laptop or mobile phone.”

Speaking on behalf of members of the bar, the Chairman of the Sagamu branch of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Olufemi Adeniyi, noted that the platform would give lawyers the hope of a new dawn in Ogun State judicial system.

He condemned attempts by the federal government to use security agents to intimidate Judges in the country, saying: “the NBA has resolved to resist any action that will undermine judiciary in Nigeria.”

Adeniyi also called for financial autonomy for the judiciary in the state, arguing that it was not enough for the state to give administrative autonomy to the judiciary.

He insisted that full digitisation of the judicial system can only be meaningful when financial autonomy for judiciary is achieved.

He said: “lawyers are happy that this is happening in Ogun State. This is a new dawn for judicial process in the state. Judges that are going to manage the system must be managed also.

“The judges are here seated; they cannot complain but we can talk on their behalf, as their welfare is very important in order for the scheme to be successful and achieve the set objectives.”

This day

Rauf Olayemi, Bauchi

Top officers and some school administrators in Bauchi state are to be punished by the State government, over 15,000 cases of exam malpractice during the 2021 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE). 

Commissioner for Education, Dr. Aliyu Tilde made this known on Wednesday in his office while briefing newsmen.

The Commissioner said, "52,000 students sat for this year's BECE with 45,000 of them from public schools.

He said there were 15,000 cases of examination malpractice in the essay part. "I have video evidence of the exam malpractice in my possession. 

"We are not going to punish the students but certainly we will punish the top officers. And we will not allow them to conduct subsequent exams. That is the least we can do and, we will do that." 

Tilde regretted that his Treasury Single Account of the ministry was truncated two days after the Governor dissolved the cabinet in July.

"That tells me what will happen when I leave the office. We must change the leadership of the ministry if we must make a change. Within two days when I left the office when the cabinet was dissolved, I heard some people went and withdrew money in a sack and were sharing cash", Tilde said.

"Don't be surprised when you hear of some changes in the ministry. We must change things."

He said, a placement test for willing students has become necessary because "only about one-third of students admitted through Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) report to schools. 

According to him "they prefer day and private schools. Having learnt the hard way for two years, we have no option but to go the way we used 21 years ago to admit students into the Special Schools during the Mu’azu era. That method of admission has been yielding the desired results for two decades now," Tilde said.

He added that the exam has started since Monday 8th November and would end Sunday 15th November 2021 for only the indigenes of the State.

In his words, "the exam is ongoing in 23 centres from 9am to 4pm, the test would make them eligible for admission into JSS1, JSS2 , SS1 and SS2 of our boarding schools".

"No child will be admitted into boarding secondary school unless he is willing and found to be worthy of the extra investment of government in building the future of the State. No admission into SS1 Merit Schools through BECE. All BECE admissions this year will be into Day Schools, while those that are admitted into Merit Schools can be turn down.

"We are also admitting students into SS2 to fill in the vacancies that we have. In order to get quality students that will graduate in SS3, the State Executive Council in 2020 permitted the Ministry to reintroduce Junior Secondary School classes in the Merit Schools as well. This will allow for the proper grooming of the child as we have been doing in the Special Schools," he said.

Federal government has proposed 50.68 per cent as its share of shareable national revenue.

This is 2.03 per cent lower than the 52.68 per cent it presently receives.

The government also proposed 25.62 per cent for states and 23.73 per cent for local governments. The two currently receive 26.72 per cent and 20.60 per cent respectively.

Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, announced the federal government’s position on Monday at a town hall meeting organised to determine a new revenue formula. It also backed the current 13 per cent derivation allocation.

Represented by the Permanent Secretary Political and Economic Affairs, Andrew Adejo, Mustapha assured of the final outcome of the exercise as soon as the National Assembly enacts the relevant legislation to complete the process.

He said it is important to restate that revenue allocation should be done constructively in the face of a dwindling national revenue base and the imperative for states to generate their IGR.

“Equally important is the fact that this review should culminate in improved national development,” he said.

“We have to understand that just as the amount of money put into a project is a function of what the project entails, so should any review of the vertical revenue allocation formula be consistent with the constitutional responsibilities of all the tiers of Government.

“Until such a time that the constitution is fully reviewed and more responsibilities are taken out of the Exclusive Legislative List, we might not be able to arrive at an equitable, unbiased and sustainable vertical revenue formula agreeable to all.”

In his remarks, Minister of the federal Capital Territory, Bello Mohammed, said to develop the city and match the population expansion, a special funding status is needed.

“On increment, basically the SGF as represented by the Perm. Sec. Political Economic proposed some adjustment to revenue allocation formula and he gave the reasons for that, so really it’s now up to the commission as they do their own review to decide what is best,” he said.

Chairman of the RMAFC , Elias Mbam, said the formula will be tied directly to the responsibility of each tier of the government.

He encouraged states to improve their IGR.

“I cannot ordinarily say it will be less or more but if we can put the statistics down and the result is that any tier gets more, so be it,” he said.

“If it is the other way round, so be it. It is a process, you put the statistics down and the result speaks for itself.”

PT