December 29, 2013 by Allwell Okpi 30 Comments

Civil society groups have demanded the release of the report of the presidential panel that investigated the role of the Minister of Aviation, Ms Stella Oduah, in the purchase of two bulletproof BMW cars by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority.

The administrative panel, set up by President Goodluck Jonathan, submitted its report on November 13, two days after its deadline but as of the time of this report, the Presidency had not made it public.

Leaders of the Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders, and the Campaign for Democracy, who spoke to SUNDAY PUNCH asked the Presidency to make the report available to the public, the way the House of Representatives made its report known recently.

The Executive Director, CACOL, Debo Adeniran, urged the Presidency to release the report if it had no intention of shielding Oduah. Continue reading “Oduah: Groups demand release of presidential panel report”

19 December 2013 Last updated at 17:00 CET

 

By Ola Awoniyi

 

Abuja (AFP) – Nigeria’s opposition said Thursday the country should expect a more accountable democracy after the party which has ruled since 1999 lost its majority in parliament.

Thirty-seven lawmakers elected as members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) defected to the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) on Wednesday, stripping the PDP of its majority in Nigeria’s 360-seat lower house.

“I think there is a window of hope after 14 years,” APC spokesman Lai Mohammed told AFP, a reference to the PDP’s complete dominance of national politics since military rule ended in 1999.

“The PDP can no longer take the electorate for granted,” Mohammed said, with 2015 general elections looming. “We should have a more competitive, accountable democracy.” Continue reading “Nigeria opposition vows new era after ruling party defections”

Culled from The Source Magazine

The battle for Nigeria’s political space entered a dangerous bend last Wednesday as President Goodluck Jonathan came under a fresh attack . This time, it was a bombshell from his mentor and a former President, General Olusegun Obasanjo. The cannon from the former Head of States, actually rattled the political landscape and in fact, cleared the fog of the Nelson Mandela’s celebration from our political firmament.
The Balogun of Owu, Abeokuta, Ogun state, in what looked like a call for a general uprising, took his time to pen what he felt to be Jonathan’s failings. In an 18-page letter to the President, titled: Before it is too late, Obasanjo accused him, among other things, of not honouring his words and taking actions calculated at destroying Nigeria. In the letter, Obasanjo accused the President of pursuing “ selfish personal and political interests based on advice from his “self-centred aides.” Continue reading “A General’s Plot”

 

2014-01-09 21:35 Lagos – Locals have condemned plans by the government to reintroduce toll gates on federal roads.

On Wednesday, Minister of Works, Mike Onolememen announced yesterday that government has concluded plans to reintroduce tolling at the facilities that were constructed through private sector funding.

Onolememen said his ministry had earlier organised a conference aimed at “preparing the minds of Nigerians for tolls.”

Reacting to the development, some citizens who spoke to our correspondent alleged the re introduction of tolling on roads was just a ploy by officials to line their pockets.

Kazeem Ibrahim, a Lagos resident said government had not satisfactorily justified the reintroduction of the polls.

“I seriously condemn the idea. We all know what happened with the former tolls gates that were later dismantled by the Ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo administration. Monies were just collected without being used for construction of roads. I do not know why government now feels it is now convenient to reintroduce toll gates again. Since Obasanjo dismantled the old toll gates and now, nothing has changed. Corruption has in fact doubled and I don’t see how bringing back these gates will improve our roads,” he said. Continue reading “Analysts slam tolls re-introduction”

Posted by: Olakunle Abimbola in Columnists, Olakunle Abimbola 11 hours ago
THE NATION
Tuesday, December 17, 2013

The Senegalese, Mariama Ba (1929-1981), wrote So Long A Letter, a semi-autobiographical novella, that chronicled the plight of the African woman, under the combined pressure of African and Islamic cultures.

The male chauvinists that dominate both worlds would scoff at the late Madame Ba’s “ranting” against the marital status quo, so violently skewed against the woman in both cultures. But her 1980 classic has provided gender rights activists, determied to right these age-old wrongs, an evocative literary tool. Continue reading “So long a letter”

 

Culled from Daily Independent

Saturday, December 14, 2013

 

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*God has vindicated me –Ex-NPA chairman    *Lagos PDP hails judgement     *Verdict will encourage corruption–Afenifere, Aturu

By Ajibola Abayomi and  Temidayo Akinsuyi, (Lagos)  Joe Nwankwo (Abuja Assistant Editor, Abuja

Chief Bode George

The Supreme Court on Friday set aside the conviction of  former board chairman of Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA), Bode George and others who were convicted and sentenced to prison by a Lagos High Court over the splitting of on contracts and fraud on the grounds that the acts for which they were convicted was not a criminal offence as at the time of their conviction.

It would be recalled that a Lagos High Court had in 2009 convicted George and others on a 68 count charge bordering on splitting of contracts and intention to defraud.

All the accused persons pleaded not guilty to the charge. George and others have since served out their jail term.

The appellants, after serving their jail term had approached the Court of Appeal, Lagos Division to challenge the decision of the Lagos High Court that convicted them.

The appellate court on January 21, 2011 in its judgement on the appeal affirmed the decision of the lower court.

However, not satisfied, the appellants approached the apex court to challenge the decision.

Reading the lead judgement, Justice John Afolabi Fabiyi held that one of the offence for which the applicants were convicted Tender Splitting has not been made an offence by an Act of the National Assembly and even its disobedience is nowhere penalised in written law. Continue reading “Supreme Court upturns Bode George’s conviction”