President Muhammadu Buhari

By Ismaila Chafe
President Muhammadu Buhari has pledged that Nigeria will within the limits of resources do her best to support the consolidation of democracy in West African countries.

Mr Femi Adesina, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, in a statement in Abuja, said Buhari stated this when he hosted President Roch Marc Christian Kabore of Burkina Faso, who was on a one-day official visit to Nigeria, on Thursday.

He said: We are keeping tabs on situations in countries that have elections ahead.

We know the countries that are calm and the ones where there have been unfortunate casualties. We will always support those who have elections ahead, so that things can go smoothly.

Burkina Faso holds legislative elections in November.

Kabore, who chairs the Economic, Trade and Liberalization Scheme of ECOWAS, said he was in Nigeria to discuss crucial sub-regional issues with Buhari.

These include the convening of a joint commission meeting between Nigeria and Burkina Faso, reported trade difficulties among Nigeria, Ghana, Republic of Benin, and Niger Republic, and the way forward.

Kabore commended Buhari for what he called strong leadership and support displayed by the Nigerian leader in his capacity as Chairman of COVID-19 response in West Africa.

I must also applaud your strong leadership against terrorism in the sub-region, the Burkinabe Leader said.

On the situation in Mali, Kabore expressed hope that the summit held in Accra, Ghana, on Tuesday, would yield positive results, stressing: We need cohesion all over West Africa.

Source: NAN News

By Hamza Suleiman
The House of Representatives Committee on the North East Development Commission (NEDC) on Thursday pledged adequate budgetary allocation to the commission to tackle humanitarian challenges in the region.

The Chairperson of the Committee, Khadija Bukar-Abba, made the pledge in Maiduguri during a two-day oversight tour of the NEDCs activities.

Bukar-Abba said that the committee had taken note of challenges facing the people of the Northeast zone.

She said that given the quantum of work that needed to be done, it became imperative that the commission should be provided with more funding to enable it effectively carry out its mandate.

The chairperson said the committee had gone round some of the projects being prosecuted by the commission in displaced communities and IDP camps, noting that a lot of people need life-saving assistance.

We have visited some of the IDP camps and had a firsthand experience of the depth of suffering people are going through, especially the women and children.

We have also seen the impressive works that the NEDC has achieved in such a short period of a year since it began operation.

But we have observed how overwhelming the work that the NEDC needed to do has been, and how their progress may be affected due to lack of resources.

We visited Ngwom village in Mafa Local Government, about 18km outside of Maiduguri, and we have seen the 1,000 housing projects that the NEDC has embarked on; we are excited that the project would be concluded before the end of 2020.

At the IDP camps, we have seen many women and children, and old persons who needed food more than anything else to survive, and we felt the challenges are overwhelming and the NEDC is underfunded, she said.

Bukar-Abba commended the commission for achieving so much in the last one year, noting that rather than being accused of misappropriation of funds, the NEDC is grossly underfunded.

Our committee and, of course the House of Representatives would not hesitate to approve all the request of NEDC concerning the welfare of the IDPs and people of the Northeast any time they approach us for additional funding, she said.

Commenting, NEDCs Managing Director, Prof. Mohammed Alkali, said that some of the properties acquired in the name of the commission were being used as warehouse, offices and accommodation for its guests and staffers.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that in many of the IDP camps, the displaced persons complained of inadequate classrooms which they said had impeded on learning by the children.

Muhammed Abacha, an IDP official, told the committee that their major challenges were food and education for children.

We in Customs House IDP camp are facing a serious challenge of lack of food to feed, Abacha said.

We have only nine classrooms here in the camp and we have well over 3,000 school-age kids in this camp. We need more classrooms, else our children will continue to roam about the camp without any form of education, he said.

Hajiya Yabawa Kolo, the Chairperson of the Borno State Emergency Management Agency, informed the committee that the state government had been providing daily food support and cash to the IDPs.

Source: NAN News

By Habibu Harisu

A Coalition of Northern Youths under the umbrella of Arewa Youths Parliament, has criticised former President Olusegun Obasanjo, for declaring Nigeria a failed state and trying to discredit President Muhammadu Buhari.

Mr Abdurrahman Umar, the secretary of the coalition said this while briefing newsmen on Thursday in Sokoto, that Obasanjos criticisms were his usual attacks on governments that failed to succumb to his self centered manipulations.

We view the recent attacks by Obasanjo on Buharis leadership as another attempt to bring out his previous government failures.

There was nothing tangible done by Obasanjo as a President then that was not self serving and disadvantageous to national interests as he could not corroborate his allegations with facts.

Obasanjo has many things unto himself, his recent contributions to political discourse wherein he alleged that Nigeria is divided under the leadership of Buhari is an indication that he suffers from exceedingly faulty memory.

He made fiery allegations against Buhari and did not offer corroborating evidences as he only presented reams of words portraying his past misconducts, Umar said.

He said that Obasanjo should ordinarily be the last to complain about state of the nation, because his past administration perpetrated unalloyed miscarriage of justice and best aspirations of the Nigerian people.

The coalition advised the former president to position himself to be the father of the nation.

The global economy wanted to fuel Nigerias growth, everybody wanted Nigeria to succeed after emerging from years of obnoxious military rule.

Instead of being a unifying figure as the Commander-in-Chief, he lowered himself to be divisive, vindictive conniver as there was no one who came to his company for a period with whom he did not fall out if he expressed divergent issue contrary to his mind.

Obasanjos Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) boasted that it will rule for 60 years, never did they boasted to govern Nigeria well during even one year.

He could have placed the economy on the path of durable growth and shared prosperity through diversification, industrialisation and creation of a societal safety to the benefit of the poor as being done by the present government, he added.

He urged Nigerians to be wary of the former president and his fake love and patriotism for the country, stressing that Nigerias redemption from the past inherited from Obasanjo and his cronies was still very much on course.

We shall not allow these yesterdays men to distract the journey to a greater Nigeria,Umar said.(NAN)

Source: NAN News

Bamanga Turku

By Ismaila Chafe

President Muhammadu Buhari has felicitated with elder statesman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, on the occasion of his 85th birthday.

President Buhari, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, in Abuja on Wednesday, joined members of Tukurs family, friends and well-wishers in celebrating the elder statesman.

He noted Tukur, former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party and one-time governor of old Gongola State, had devoted a greater part of his extensive political life to supporting democracy in the country and continent.

Buhari described Tukur as an accomplished businessman, pan-Africanist and philanthropist.

According to the president, Tukur understands very clearly that one of the best human legacies is to invest in people and many Nigerians who came in contact with him in business and politics would continue to cherish that embodiment in his character.

He also commended Tukurs notable accomplishments in the public service as Ambassador-at-Large, Cabinet Minister and in the countrys maritime sector, where he played a central role and laid the foundation for several landmark projects.

Buhari prayed almighty God to grant the octogenarian more years of good health and longevity to continue making contributions to the growth of the country.(NAN)

Source: NAN News

Boss Mustapha SGF

By Abujah Racheal

The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Boss Mustapha, has urged Nigerians to embrace theTogether Shall We Be.

Mustapha made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria(NAN), in Abuja, on Wednesday.

Nigerias 60th anniversary logo is a symbol of the our journey to nationhood that should be embraced by all.

TheInter-Ministerial Committee (IMC), on Nigerias 60th Anniversary celebration had a very robust input and finally settled on the one thatrecognises Nigerias sojourn to nationhood.

The IMC identified the challenges faced and what is required to move Nigeria to its enviable stage among the comity of nations.

Out of these 15 logos, the IMC chose the best four that were then subjected to a Diamond/Change/Innovation challenge on a website specifically designed for that purpose,the SGF explained.

pledged that his administration will continue to work towards greater inclusiveness.

Source: NAN News

GMD OF NNPC, MALAM MELE KYARI

By Edith Ike-Eboh

The Litigation Team of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has won the Leading Case Counsel Team of the 2020 Africa Arbitration Awards.

The corporation disclosed this in a statement by its spokesman, Dr Kennie Obateru, in Abuja on Wednesday.

He said that the award was given to the team in recognition of its stellar performance at the 8th Edition of the East African International Arbitration Conference (EAIC), held in Nairobi, Kenya, recently with participants joining virtually.

At the conference, which was aimed at promoting commercial arbitration and showcasing African lawyers and law firms, which have performed well in arbitration practice, the NNPC Legal Team gave a presentation on the challenges and lessons learnt from arbitration and the successes recorded.

Among the successful arbitration cases showcased by the team at the conference were the IPCO (Nigeria) Vs. NNPC in respect of the dispute over the Bonny Export Terminal Project in which 367.5 million dollars was saved after 13 years of litigation.

Also, the ESSO E

Lagos-Ibadan Rail line ready by December- Amaechi

By Yemi Adeleye

The Minister of Transportation, Mr Rotimi Amaechi, says the Lagos-Ibadan Standard Guage Rail line should be ready by December, considering the progress works on the construction of rail stationsby contractor.

Amaechi gave the assurance while briefing newsmen in Ibadan, Oyo State capital, at the end of his monthly routine inspection tour of the project.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the minister started the inspection tour from Ebute-Meta in Lagos, in company of other management staff of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC).

NAN reports that though, the track laying from Ebute-Meta in Lagos to Ibadan in Oyo State, had been completed, the 10 stations along the line were at various levels of completion.

Amaechisaid that there had been some improvements and progress in the construction of railways stations along the line.

He said that in some of the 10 stations along the line, the contractor, China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), had finished doors, windows, roofing, flooring, ceiling and lighting.

Olodo (Station) is just near the completion. At Kajola, what is outstanding is just painting. There are changes at Ebute-Meta. There was improvement in Kajola, Olodo, and Ebute-Meta, though, not to the extend I expect that it should be.

They have given us the target; by the end of September, three stations will be ready.

By the end of October, all the minor stations will be ready, that is six stations. By the end of December, every station will be ready.

The only one station they (CCECC) are afraid of is Apapa (Station), because they started very late, but I insisted that Apapa should be completed at the same time as the rest, he said.

The minister said he had assured the contractor of provision of a task force to help the speedy completion of Apapa Station, adding that he would come to assess the work by the end of September.

He expressed belief that everything would be put in place before the end of December for movement to passengers and goods.

Timeline has not changed. Do they meet my target? The answer is No. My target was before we come on Sept.15 for inspection, they should have finished all the minor stations, he added.

According to him, the excuse given by the contractor was that they didnt have enough engineers to supervise because of COVID-19 pandemic.

The same engineers supervising Agbado supervise Agege, that is slowing them down. For me, that is not an excuse.

I want this work done quickly, because I want to move out of this place.

Their position is that by next week more engineers will be coming; we expect them to isolate for seven days and work will commence. Once, work commences, they will be faster, the minister added.

On the Oshodi train accident on Monday, Amaechi, described loss of two lives in the incidentas unfortunate, urging motorists to be careful on the rail tracks.

He decried trading activities on the rail tracks, saying that there must be enforcement of law.

The minister said that government would fence the Lagos corridor to prevent people from trading and playing on the rail tracks.

On allegation of train attack on Abuja-Kaduna Standard Guage, Amaechi said that the news was not true.

On what next after the project, the minister said that apart from Ibadan to Kano rail line, the ministry had sent to the cabinet for approval of the award of two railway contracts.

According the him, the contracts are Port Harcourt Onne -Maiduguri; Kano-Maradi Railway and Lagos to Calabar.

On the inauguration of Itakpe-Warri Railway, the minister said that President Muhammadu Buhari was ready.

Also, Mr Fidet Okhiria, the Managing Director of NRC, said that the corporation was still discussing with the contractor on when to commenceskeletal operations on the Lagos-Ibadan Rail line.

Okhiria said that the rolling stocks had been delivered, but the corporation was discussing some modalities, including safety.

According to him, the NRC has not fixed any date for the skeletal commercial operation.(NAN)

Source: NAN News

Whoever has sexual intercourse with a male child below the age of fourteen years shall be punished with surgical castration and death.

Where a female adult is convicted for the offence of rape of a child, the Court shall punish the accused with Bilateral Salpingectomy and death.

Where the victim is above fourteen years, the Court shall on conviction sentence the accused with a punishment of surgical castration and life imprisonment.

Where the convict is a child, the Court shall order as appropriate under the Children and Young Person Law Cap 26 Laws of Kaduna State 1991.

Where the victim is a child, the Court shall in addition to the conviction, order that the convict be listed in the Sex Offenders Register to be published by the Attorney General.

Where the Court is trying the offence of rape involving a child below the age of fourteen years, corroboration of a medical report shall be necessary.

Source: NAN News

President Nicols Maduro of Venezuela

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro bears responsibility for grave rights violations including crimes against humanity, UN investigators said on Wednesday.

In a 411-page report, the UN Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela documented evidence of crimes aimed at quashing the opposition, including systematic and widespread imprisonment, disappearances, torture, sexual violence, and murder since 2014.

There are reasonable grounds to believe that the president, as well as the interior and defence ministers ordered or contributed to the commission of the crimes documented in this report, the UN-appointed experts wrote.

The report is set to be discussed by the UNRights Council in Geneva next Wednesday.

The fact-finding mission reviewed more than 5,000 killings by security forces, including more than 400 killings that were carried out in the course of crime-fighting operations known as the Operations for Peoples Liberation.

The killings appear part of a policy to eliminate unwanted members of society under the cover of combating crime, said mission chairperson Marta Valinas, a Portuguese rights experts who previously worked at the International Criminal Court.

The mission documented numerous cases in which intelligence agencies tortured political dissidents and activists with beatings, mutilations, rape, asphyxiation electric shocks and drugs.

The report highlighted the governments violent crackdown on demonstrators, which has resulted in the death of dozens of people.

There was a clear policy to torture and mistreat detained protesters, according to the report.

The fact-finding mission urged governments and the International Criminal Court to take legal action to prosecute the reported violations if Venezuelan authorities are unable to do so.

Democracy and the rule of law have broken down in Venezuela in recent years as the opposition-dominated parliament was shut down, the government expanded its powers and judges faced increasing pressure, the UN investigators said.

Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza said Caracas was cooperating with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights as he slammed the fact-finding mission claiming it was created for ideological purposes by countries with terrible human rights records, to attack Venezuela.

Arreaza tweeted that the report was plagued by falsehoods, written from afar, without relying on rigorous methodology by a phantom mission directed against Venezuela by governments subordinate to Washington.

Six American countries already lodged a request at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague in 2018 to launch an investigation into alleged crimes against humanity in Venezuela.

The fact-finding report was based on interviews with victims, their families and lawyers, as well as Venezuelan security and justice officials.

The UNexperts also used other sources such as satellite images, videos and photos.

Venezuela refused to interact with the fact-finding mission and did not let the experts visit the country.

Source: NAN News

Towards a peaceful governorship election in Edo

A News Analysis by Emmanuel Oloniruha, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)

Unarguably, peaceful and credible elections are essential tools for democracy to thrive.

Political analysts believe that peaceful and credible polls stimulate positively on the people, the economy, democracy and good governance.

They, however, identified the broad consequences of electoral violence to include diminished trust in democratic processes and institutions, undermined civil and political rights, ranging from disfranchisement through deprivation of citizens or groups rights to vote and be voted for.

While the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC ) has, at different occasions, expressed it preparedness and determination to ensure that the Saturday Edo governorship election is credible, the commission, like every other stakeholders, has also not held back it worries about issue of violence in the state election.

With the reports of violence and attacks that characterised campaigns of political parties as well as unguarded utterances by some political actors involving in the Edo election, INEC had in August threatened to suspend the election process if the actions of political actors lead to a breakdown of law and order.

Mr Festus Okoye, INEC National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, announcing the threat said that the commission had observed with deep concern, the escalating levels of violent actions and incendiary statements by political parties, candidates and their supporters, in the run up to the elections.

These actions include destruction of opponents campaign materials such as billboards, violent campaigns and use of offensive language.

It is important for political parties, candidates and their supporters to keep in mind that there are extant laws and regulations that must be adhered to, during campaigns.

The commission will not shirk its responsibility to enforce the rules of the game.

Consequently, parties and candidates must, on no account, underestimate the resolve of the commission to enforce the rules and regulations and apply appropriate sanctions against those who choose to break them.

Okoye said that political parties must realise that Edo and Ondo State governorship elections are taking place at a time of a global pandemic and the commission will work to observe and comply with all health and safety protocols issued by the commission and health authorities.

He said that with the pandemic taking its toll on the citizenry, the people of Edo and Ondo State must be saved from the burden of violent elections.

Political parties must remember that Edo and Ondo State governorship elections have strict constitutional and statutory timelines and threats of violence or actual violence can disrupt those timelines and create a constitutional crisis, Okoye said.

However, observers have commended various interventions and moves put in place to engender peace before, during and after the state elections.

Few of these interventions include stakeholders meetings organised by the INEC, Civil Society Organisations and, most important, the peace meeting organised among political parties and their candidates by the Oba of Benin, Omo NOba NEdo Uku Akpolokpolo, Oba Ewuare II, as well as the signing of peace pact organised by the National Peace Committee (NPC).

The meeting of oba with candidates and leaders of political parties in his palace in Benin on Sept. 2, sued for peace and urged them to emulate the action of former President Goodluck Jonathan in 2015 when he lost to President Muhammadu Buhari.

The monarch, noting that elections are not a do-or-die affair, said politicians must note that they have only Edo to call their own and, thus, must do everything to protect it from disintegration.

Edo politics have been in the news for quite some time now for all the wrong reasons. We have sleepless nights for quite sometimes now because these are all our people; these are people of the same stock, from the same body. There is nobody that is a stranger to each other, Oba Ewuare said.

In another move to ensure that the Saturday election is peaceful, the NPC led by it Chariman and former Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalam Abubakar on Tuesday, made the candidates for the election to sign a peace accord with pledge to abide by the rules and regulations as stipulated in the electoral law.

Abubakar, who said Edo deserved peace noted the NPC was in Edo to support this process, and not just signing the peace accord by all candidates but to encourage all to accept the result no matter the outcome.

As you are aware, since 1999, every election in Nigeria has been conducted with various degree of violence.

The tension and anxiety associated with election necessitated the setting up of the NPC who is to support peaceful election process and enthrone culture of peace.

The gubernatorial election in Edo is only a few days away and we want peace during and after the election.

We want to see Nigeria as a place where people come out peacefully during election and cast their votes without deprivation, intimidation and coercion.

Abubakar said that by signing the peace accord, the candidates were committing themselves to ensure that peace reign in Nigeria and Edo before, during and after the election, reminding them that violators of the accord would put their integrity on line.

He said while INEC had assured Nigerians of its readiness for credible election in Edo, it behoved on the people to do the right thing by desisting from selling their votes, vote buying, selling their rights, conscience and freedom.

Abubakar called on all stakeholders to use the Edo election as a test for future elections in the country.

Most Rev. Matthew Kukah, the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto and the co-convener of NPC, urged the candidates not to see the signing of the accord as a mere ceremony, but to ensure peace.

INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, commending the efforts of the NPC, reiterated the commissions commitment to conduct credible election in Edo.

Yakubu said that the ultimate objective of INEC was to ensure that the choice of who becomes the next governor of Edo would be in the hands of the voters.

The commission shall not take any action to the advantage or disadvantage of any political party or candidate.

Our focus is on our processes and procedures. Nothing more, he said

Yakubu said that the commission was also aware of the concern expressed in some quarters about the neutrality of INEC staff, in particular the ad hoc staff engaged for election duty.

We have heard allegations that some ad hoc staff were recruited in such a manner as to compromise the election.

In response, the commission deployed two national commissioners who reviewed the process for strict compliance with the guidelines for such recruitment.

I want to assure you that all categories of ad hoc staff have been vetted.

The integrity of the process will not be compromised and there will be no partisan infiltration.

Yakubu appealed to all political parties, candidates and their supporters for peaceful conduct, assuring them that their votes would count.

He said that INEC was determined that no one would benefit from impunity or rewarded for bad behaviour such as vote-buying, ballot box snatching and stuffing, multiple voting, hijacking and diversion of election materials, disruption of collation, falsification of results, attack on INEC officials or compelling them to declare unofficial results.

The Inspector-General of Police Mohammed Adamu , who had deployed 30,000 police personnel for the election, said that Edo would experience the best-conducted exercise in the country.

Adamu, represented by Adeleye Oyebade, the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of Research and Planning, advised the candidates to go back to speak with all their supporters about the accord that they had signed.

Adamu assured the public that police would remain professional in ensuring that the election was peaceful.

On his part, the incumbent Gov. Godwin Obaseki, who is the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, assured the electorate that he was fully committed to the contents of the accord as well ensuring that the election was violence-free.

The governor urged the peace committee to ensure that the political actors would not only sign the accord, but to persuade them to see the need to ensure peace in the state.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Mr Osagie Ize-iyamu, promised to talk to his supporters to conduct themselves in a manner to achieve peaceful poll.

We will do our best to ensure that the election is peaceful.

We support free, fair and credible elections. We believe that is the only way that we can sustain our democracy.

We want to assure all our dignitaries that, by the grace of God, the election is going to be very peaceful. We thank you and we are grateful, Ize-Iyamu said.

A member of YIAGA Africas board, Ezenwa Nwagu, described the accord as necessary, following the previous narrative that suggested the drums of war in the election.

Nwagu expressed optimism that next Edo governor would through credible and peaceful election.

While elections are seen as the largest administrative undertakings in democratic societies with a major financial burden on all stockholders, political actors should know that the consequences of electoral violence are enormous on the government, the society and the people, some analysts note.

All are, therefore, expected to promote peace in Edo as election-related violence will not only squander available resources but cause destruction of communities and infrastructure with negative economic and development impacts on the nation.(NANFeatures)

Source: NAN News