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COLUMN

Rev Iwuchukwu

The Church, Foundation And Its Life (1)

B ecause of God's Special favour to me, I have laid the foundation like an expert builder.  Now others are building on it. But whoever is building on this foundation must be very careful. For no one can lay any other foundation than we already have, Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 3:10-11).

A foundation makes sense only when it is built upon. The foundation and building constitute an aspect while the materials used form another aspect of the structure. The materials used could be gold, silver, brass or wood.

The Church at a time was an anticipation, futuristic and yet a reality. The Church is translated “Ecclesia” and it means “to call or Assemble”. It is also translated in Greek as “Kuriakon” which means “To belong to Christ”. This is a Catholic (Not Roman Catholic). Catholic Church means universal Church which Christ alone and no other one or denomination brought into being. Every Christian organization or denomination came into being by virtue of the Day of Pentecost irrespective of whether it is Anglican Church, Roman Catholic, Assemblies of God Church, Redeemed Brethren Mission, Four Square Church, Church of God Mission, Methodist Church, Christ Army Church etc. All these came as a result of the Pentecostal outpouring as recorded in Acts 2.

The Theological argument that the church started in the Old Testament does not hold enough ground. This discourse is however not purely a theological discussion. Christ died for both local and universal church. The church is a spiritual entity with physical and human structures, (Matthew 16:18; 18:17; Lev. 4:13; Acts 7:35; 1 Cor. 11:20; Rev 1:10; Acts 2:1-12).

The church started its initial records from 120 to 3000 and then to multitudes. The church that started with the Day of Pentecost will end in unity not in isolation or segregation. The rapture or “being caught up” in glory at the second advent of Christ on Earth.  There is the MILITANT  CRUSADING CHRUCH that is visible and actual, there is also the invisible, triumphant church made up of those who have been glorified and are now in Heaven.

Doctrines Of The Church:

The doctrines of the church universal include but not limited to Bibliology (Bible-Scriptures), Theology (Science of God), Christology (Christ) Pneonatology (Holy spirit), Anthropology (Man and society), Soteriology (salvation from sin), Ecclesiology (church and its practices) etc.

Organization Of The Church:

The organization differs from one denomination to the other (Eph. 4:11-13; Acts 6; Eph. 2:20). There is the Episcopal, Congregational systems of church organization and the Representative also. The Episcopal church denomination refers to the Apex spiritual and physical control by the highest in the spiritual and administrative hierarch. The one on top makes final decision and such decision is not subject to debate. The CONGREGATIONAL church denomination allows the members to decide everything. The Brethren Church is a good example.

THE REPRESENTATIVE church denomination allows a select few leaders with governmentally invested power to direct the affairs of the church. In this system, the Elders handle spiritual matters while the Deacons take care of the temporal needs of the church. The Bible recognizes basically five powerful church officers such as Apostle, Prophet, Pastor/Teacher and Evangelist. Generally, the Bible recognizes two more officers such as Elders and Deacons.

ELDER  as a word has three meanings such as:

(1)        Elder in terms of Age and maturity (Luke 15:25; 1 Timothy 5:2)

(2)        Elder as per the Old Testament office-continuation of Israeli Elders (70) (Acts 4:5-23).

(3)        Elder can also mean a Name or Title for local church officer to whom is assigned spiritual Authority.

“Episcopos” refers to Bishop while “presybyteros” refers to Elder. These were involved in the management of the local church and ministry in the word. A distinction must be made between the RULING ELDER and the TEACHING ELDER (1 Peter 5:2-4; 1 Timothy 5:17; 3:2-7; Titus 1:5). The highest office of Spiritual Leadership in the Local Church was referred to, in a Bishop and an ELDER. Bishop is descriptive of the office or position occupied. The title does refer to fanfare or Robes as the 'robe does not make a monk” the “Dog's collar” does not also make a Pastor or Reverend (Clerical collar is also called Dog's collar in some parts of the world). The “Elder” refers to the Recognition of the person chosen to bear such a Name.

Deacons have much to do  with Temporal things including finances, food, clothes, welfare etc while the Elders cater for the spiritual needs of the church (1 Peter 5: 1-2). Such officers are not expected to be religious/ denominational demagogues but as servant leaders. They are not expected to impose their self-will on the congregation so far they were appointed to serve the membership. Such could be subjected to election, selection or reelection by the people they serve. Their duties include to discover and enact the general will of the people and the scriptures.

Qualification:

 Those so appointed, selected or elected into such sensitive church offices must necessarily know the sensitive nature of such offices or positions in the church. In the early church, such officers were APOSTOLICALLY appointed persons. Presently, in some churches only the paid pastors are recognized as Elders of the Local Church. In some other churches, Elders are terrible disciplinarians as well as super spiritual Directors with Pastors as Heads. Some Pastors are just ceremonial in their church functions as they lack the apostolic authority to change things for better. There are variations no doubt in church forms but the qualifications must be the same as enshrined in the Bible.

Ordinances Of The Church:

Ordinance could refer to order, Rule, or statute made by an authority. Sacrament is not an ordinance per se because it has the elements of rituals. The followings are ordinances of the church  Marriage, Baptism (water/spiritual) the Lord's Supper. The Lord's Supper has different connotation to different people. Some view the Lord's Supper as standing for the “real flesh and blood” of Jesus Christ. Can this be really true? I think not so. The second view on the Lord's Supper is CONSUBSTANTIATION.

Consubstantiation which means according to the adherents is a chemical change of the items used in communion. The third view is the SYMBOLISM which states that these items used in communion are mere symbols of the Flesh and Blood of Jesus Christ. This is reflective of the scriptural position (Lk. 22:10, Matthew 26:28; 1Cor. 11:26). The frequency of the Lord's Supper should either be weekly or monthly. The meaning and manner by which it is observed is crucial. Honesty and self-judgment are required before individual participation.

Vocation Of The Church:

The Church has a divinely vocation such as:

1.         To glorify the Almighty God through genuine worship and avoid sociological strangulation.

2.         To Evangelize the world through the gospel of Christ and avoid “St. John's Syndrome or loss of the First Love which results in not being cold or hot (Rev. 3:15-16).

“I know all things you do, that you are neither hot or cold, I wish you were one or the other! But since you are like Lukewarm water, I will spit you out of mouth!”

3.         To Build each other to maintain and achieve maturity in Christ Jesus.

4.         To avoid stunted growth or arrested development in the spirit.

5.         To prepare for future glory.###

EXTRA

Mouse Builds Nest Egg In ATM With $20 Bills

A mouse found inside an automatic teller machine  along with a nest it had built with chewed-up $20 bills  gave an Oregon gas station employee the surprise of her life. The mouse, discovered Thursday, had thoroughly torn up two bills and damaged another 14 to line his nest. Employee Millie Taylor said she screamed and slammed the machine's door shut.

The bank replaced all the money that wasn't extensively damaged, and the ATM has continued to work just fine. The mouse also got a reprieve: He was evicted from his nest but set free outside the station.

Other workers at the Gem Stop Chevron in La Grande in eastern Oregon say they're mystified about how the mouse got inside the machine.

Drunk Police Intern Arrested For Impersonating Cop

A Madison police intern has been arrested after he allegedly impersonated an officer to detain three people. A police report said the 20-year-old intern was drunk early Friday morning when he approached three men. The man allegedly flashed his police intern badge, claimed he was an undercover detective, pantomimed a gun with his thumb and index finger and ordered the men to the ground.

Police said he talked into his cell phone saying he needed backup.

Authorities said he eventually let the men leave, saying they were lucky.

Police arrested the man on tentative charges of impersonating a police officer, disorderly conduct and underage drinking. The police report notes, "It is anticipated his internship will be ending."

Fans Urged To Drink Whisky To Ward Off Swine Flu

Russian soccer fans have been told to drink whisky on their trip to Wales for next month's World Cup qualifier to ward off the H1N1 swine flu virus, the head of the country's supporter association (VOB) said Monday.

"We urge our fans to drink a lot of Welsh whisky as a form of disinfection," VOB head Alexander Shprygin told Reuters.

"That should cure all symptoms of the disease."

Russia's Health Ministry has issued a public warning against traveling to Britain because of the spread of the H1N1 virus but Shprygin said he expected at least several hundred fans would go to Wales for the September 9 qualifier in Cardiff.

"Health officials say this virus is very dangerous but being a fan myself I can tell you that for a real fan nothing is more important than the well-being of the team," said Shprygin, who also sits on the executive board of the Russian FA.

"Russian fans don't fear anything or anybody so this virus will not stand in our way of supporting our team."

The Russian FA also said health issues should not prevent fans from traveling.

"We don't want our team to be without any support for such an important match so we urge our fans to go to Wales despite the health warning," a spokesman said.

Germany lead European Group Four with 16 points from six games, one ahead of Russia, with Wales in fourth place on nine points from seven matches.

Chinese Bride Trains Eye On Wedding Dress Record

A Chinese bride is hoping to enter the record books after getting married in a wedding dress with a train more than 2 km (1.2 miles) long trailing behind her.

It took guests more than three hours to roll out the gown, complete with 9,999 silk red roses attached to it, in the northeastern province of Jilin, state news agency Xinhua said.

"Both the length of the dress and the number silk roses pinned on the wedding dress can make history," the report quoted groom Zhao Peng as saying.

Zhao, who has applied to Guinness World Records, said he was inspired after seeing a story on the previous record holder in Romania, where the dress measured just over 1.5 km.

"I do not want a cliche wedding parade or banquet," he said.

Bride Lin Rong "laughed and cried at the romantic gesture," Xinhua said.

The dress cost around 40,000 yuan ($5,856), which prompted initial opposition to the plan from his family.

"It is a waste of money in my opinion," said Zhao's mother. "Though I understand that he wants to show his love on the big day."

($1 = 6.830 Yuan)

NM Thieves Steal Coins, New TV... And Man's Ashes

A woman in New Mexico wants the burglars who broke into her home to return something she can't buy or replace: her son's ashes. KOAT-TV reported Wednesday that Dianna Towndrow's home in Los Chavez was broken into last week and the thieves took a wooden box containing the cremated remains of her son, Dave.

Towndrow said her 20-year-old son drowned in 2000 and that she kept his ashes, personal items, and his birth and death certificates in the box thinking "it would all be safe and sound."

Towndrow said the thieves also took some silver coins and her new flat screen TV, but all she wants back is her son.

She said it's hard "to lose him twice."

She's asking for the return of the ashes to Belen's Riverside Funeral Home, no questions asked.

 Protesters Back Woman In Trousers Case

Police used teargas to disperse protesters rallying in support of a Sudanese woman facing 40 lashes for wearing trousers in public Tuesday, a case that has become a public test of Sudan's indecency laws.

Lubna Hussein, a former journalist and U.N. press officer, was arrested with 12 other women during a party at a Khartoum restaurant in July and charged with being indecently dressed.

Women's groups have complained that the law gives no clear definition of indecent dress, leaving the decision of whether to arrest a woman up to individual police officers.

Dozens of men and ululating women gathered outside a Khartoum court room where Hussein appeared Tuesday, carrying banners with the message "No return to the dark ages" and "Lubna's case is a case for all Sudanese women."

Speaking after the hearing, Hussein said the judge had adjourned her case until September 7. "They want to check with the U.N. whether I have immunity from prosecution. I don't know why they are doing this because I have already resigned from the United Nations. I think they just want to delay the case," she told Reuters.

Hussein said she resigned from her U.N. job last week to give up any legal immunity so that she could pursue the case to prove her innocence and challenge the decency law.

Journalists were allowed into the downtown court building, but a line of police prevented them from entering the room where the case was heard.

Hussein went on to greet her supporters, gathered on a traffic island, then led them on a march, blocking a busy road. In a rare and short unauthorized rally, they flashed V-for- Victory signs and received supportive hoots from passing cars.

Armed riot police advanced toward the crowd, beating their shields with batons. Officers later fired teargas canisters into the air, forcing the crowd to disperse.

"We are against this law. It is against women, against Islam and against human rights," said Zainab Badradin, one of the women in the crowd.

"I want to send a message to the government to stop harassing women," said Nusayba Abdel Mahmoud, 20, who came to the rally wearing jeans. "This is what I wear. It is normal."

Indecency cases are not uncommon in Sudan, where there is a large cultural gap between the mostly Muslim and Arab-oriented north and the mainly Christian south.

Hussein has attracted attention by publicizing her case, posing for photos in her loose green trousers and inviting journalists to campaign against dress codes sporadically imposed in the capital.###

COLUMN

By Emma Okah

Cancer Centre: Before We Crucify Turai Yar'Adua

The fund-raising effort of Turai, wife of President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua, in the FCT the other week to give bite to her campaign against cancer has scratched up both funds and criticisms. We are told that the centre is designed to handle cancer diagnosis, treatment and research at a top level. A section of the polity is excitedly condemning the entire exercise, seeing corruption through it.

The problem with excessive criticism especially from the opposition is that it seems to see nothing good in anything and this beclouds the essence of constructive debate. A piece of logic says when everything is right, something is wrong. This therefore goes that when everything is wrong, something is right. The problem in our polity however is that the nation has been deceived so much so far that it seems to entrench in the citizens to see nothing good anymore from the public domain.

Each time a first lady launches for funds for the establishment of one project or the other, the opposition seems to vibrate with condemnation. In my opinion, the time to vibrate is late. We are all usually there when the office of first lady is set up in the presidency in each regime right from General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi to date. We are usually there when she announces her programme or NGO and we say nothing. We search the budgets and find that no money is appropriated to her office, and we go to bed. We are usually there when she announces her agenda of action and begins to travel round the country or state (in the case of a state first lady), and we see nothing wrong in it. The moment she executes a launching and the billions begin to roll in, we cry blue murder.

Those who do not want to hear anything about the International Cancer Centre being promoted by the first lady should first of all review what cancer means and how it is treated so far in the country. Cancer is not a new ailment, even if its cure has remained elusive. Even before the 12 century, the Romans, who had advanced in science and philosophy, had discovered the illness and gave it the name; crab, probably because of its creeping nature beneath the skin or deep in the body organs.

Health experts reckon there are about 500,000 cancer cases in Nigeria every year even though the WHO thinks of 100,000. In 2005, 89,000 Nigerian women were thought to have died of breast cancer. About 12,500 also died of cervical cancer during the same period. Also of significance is the fact that the disease, unlike others, does not discriminate in terms of gender, age as well as social or economic class.

Cancer is a malignant tumour, often an outgrowth caused when cells multiply uncontrollably, destroying healthy tissues especially in the prostate glands, liver, bones, brain, breast and cervix as well as the lymph in children. It is simply a radical behaviour of cells in the body. The different forms are sarcomas, carcinomas, leukemias, and lymphomas. This causes several other illnesses. It is a fast-spreading bad phenomenon; usually something negative, that develops or spreads quickly and usually destructively. This is why Nigeria must wake up fast to this challenge.

Now, as food consumption is endangered through production of foodstuff from genetically manipulated sources and preservatives of all kinds as well as differing temperatures and microbes, it is obvious that the cells of the human body are behaving most radically. This is evidenced in the strange behaviour of children of today, and the crab-like progress of the youths of this generation. Cancer is indeed a present danger, medically, socially, economically, and otherwise.

Yes, huge sums were realized at the launch by the first lady, but whether the project would survive may be another matter. The hidden clause in the effort to set up the International Cancer Centre (ICC) is that it may turn out to be a worthwhile venture that may outlive the present administration, just like Mariam Abacha's did. It may change our national image in the health sector and within the context of the MDGs.

Many of us may have forgotten that the National Hospital Abuja was a private initiative of the wife of the late maximum ruler, Mrs Mariam Sanni Abacha which the Gen Abdulsalami Abubakar's regime took over by Decree in 1999. Admitted that Mrs Abacha is not of very high educational endowment but she has today touched many lives, even more than her late husband. She succeeded where Health Ministers who are professors failed. The hospital began as another NGO project but today, it has emerged as a centre of medical excellence in the seat of power in Nigeria, a flagship of some sort. It is the best public hospital we have in Abuja today. If that money was stashed away like the other billions of Dollars we read about, we would all be jostling in the same debate of looted funds and trapped loot.

It was Mrs Maryam Babangida that established the International Women Centre which today plays crucial roles in the tourism sub-sector. It is now a low-cost hotel facility for women coming into Abuja, and this helps to guarantee healthy and decent lodging for family people. There are other worthy centres around the country established by wives of governors still giving meaning to life. True, there are many failed projects and others that fizzled out with their benefactors.

Anyone who has not nursed or looked after a cancer patient will hardly appreciate the danger the sickness presents to us in this country where health facilities are scanty. The men suffer most from prostrate cancer while the women often fall to breast cancer. A prominent journalist once narrated his ordeal before his ailing wife who later died of breast cancer. The pain he communicated in the narration was enough to bring down tears from any sympathizer. It is an agony that mangles logic and defiles pacification.

At the moment, there is no strong local centre to manage the incurable ailment. The media is full of pleas from afflicted Nigerians asking for assistance to fund cancer treatment abroad. What we see is traffic to foreign cancer institutes by the rich and the wealthy. This has raised fresh agitation that our democracy is for the rich. Much money is being pumped abroad by wealthy Nigerians in search of medical tourism, as they call it in the tourism sector. The middle and lower class cannot afford to travel abroad to get the same benefit. Our major streets are often assaulted by the sights of cancer ravaged patients who beg for money to eat. The horrors can only be abhorred.

Democracy or the dividends cannot be reserved for the rich only, and no country develops for the rich alone. The rich and the poor must co-exist, else a revolution is on the way.

This is why the ICC and the effort that goes with it must be supported by those who are interested. The least we can do is pray for it to be another success, because it can become another monumental achievement in the medical history of Nigeria. I can see a place where the middle class or even the common man with cancer problems can run to and get about the same care that is given abroad. If this ends up to be the fate of this baby called ICC, then it is worth the effort.

The danger of excessive attack on well-intended projects is the tendency to scare away donors and make those who made pledges to do a rethink. It also casts doubts that often scare away foreign donors who usually do not want to dabble into scandalous issues in foreign countries. The West regards the opposition as the authentic voice of the people, and this is why the opposition elsewhere offers constructive criticisms rather than destructive condemnation.

This is not saying the promoters of the Centre should not listen to the criticism and learn a thing or two from it. At least, the first lady must realize that doubt and incredulity has risen to a national attribute and eccentricity. She should ensure that nobody drags her name to the mud by fleecing the centre of its funds. The new nature of Nigeria is for scandal to trail every single project or person that had served in a big office. Mrs Turai Yar'Adua can avoid this and go ahead to leave behind a legacy of credibility instead of shame. Mrs Mariam Babangida and Mariam Abacha are not in office today and irrespective of their shortcomings or what Nigerians think about their husbands, these women have left solid structures that the eyes can see and hands can touch. The choice is for Mrs Turai Yar'Adua. For a nation in search of role models, any contribution by anybody in high office towards the good of the society should be encouraged and not damned. Gradually, we shall overcome our hopelessness and get there someday. I believe we should give her a chance.###

COLUMN

BY PATRICK

The Trials of Evangelist Helen Ukpabio (1)

Wednesday, July 29, 2009, was the last Wednesday of that momentous month called JULY. That Wednesday was the climax in the dreadful drama that swept some states of the northern part of Nigeria like a fatal thunderstorm. It was that Wednesday that the Nigerian security operatives deployed their uttermost violence against the Mohammed Yusuf led Boko Haram, the Islamic group operating in the north. The Nigeria Police exhibited its bestiality and executed the 39-year-old Yusuf, leader of the Islamic sect. Alhaji Buji Fai, a politician and an ex-commissioner for Religious Affairs in Borno State who the police claimed, is a backer of Boko Haram was also, summarily executed. That Wednesday wasn't too good. The Wednesday was in the week of that maximum madness.

The Nigerian state  Boko/Haram tumult took much of the attention of some Nigerians and the wider world these past days. My attention and others were not on that; ours was on the casualties arising from offensive cast by hundreds of monstrous militants faithful to Evangelist Helen Ukpabio, a Nollywood (Nigerian movie) star and head of  the Liberty Foundation Gospel Church. The militias acting on her order raided a child rights symposium and disrupted it. The Nigerian Humanist Movement (NHM), a national not-for-profit organization that campaigns to promote science, reason, human rights and humanist ethics in partnership with Stepping Stones Nigeria, a United Kingdom (UK)  based registered charity working to protect, save and transform the lives of vulnerable and disadvantaged children in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria had organized the crucial conference.

The Southern part of Nigeria  the rainforest zone, is characterized by intense rainfall from April to  November every year. However, the weather over Calabar, the capital of Cross River State was bright and amiable on that Wednesday. Some of us who are NHM members and other non-governmental organization (NGO) activists who had journeyed from far and near had gathered at the Success Hotels Limited. That modistic and delightful Success Hotel sets on the northern axis of the green and clean Calabar city. At about 8:30am on that Wednesday, we had just commenced our procession in a small group with two banners held by other members while we marched behind them. We were led by Leo Igwe, the bespectacled, passionate and good-humoured executive secretary of NHM. Costumed in white T-shirts with the inscriptions at its front, “Child abandonment is immoral and illegal; Belief in Witchcraft is no excuse; Stop it now”.

“Please come and join us” we chorused discordantly as we distributed leaflets about the event, while we marched in triumphant mood to the venue. The conference centre is an average dimension rectangular auditorium at the Cultural Centre Complex, and some few metres away from the hotel. As we arrived there, we streamed into the hall, but other participants from Nigeria and beyond had arrived before us. As usual, we swapped sally with one another. Few minutes after, Leo moved to the rostrum to pick the microphone and said “very soon we will start,” I responded jokingly “You better start in time and not the Nigerian time”.

We were about to start the business of the day at about 10:30am when suddenly a gang of furious-looking young men, women and few old ones wore orange coloured T-shirts boldly written on it, “Liberty Foundation Gospel Ministries” marched in  columns like a band of soldiers going to war, chanting loudly and repeatedly, “We are Christ Soldiers going to the battle in the Name of Jesus we shall Conquer”. They later splashed into the hall like angry bees sprouting for a vicious bite. They took over the stage, singing without talking to any of us. Their songs rent the air in the place; while a young man in his early 40s, ordered his “troops” to stop the combatant melody. He raised his left hands toward us and declared it aloud and angrily, “… If you don't believe that there are witches it means you don't believe in God. Stepping Stones Nigeria is an illegal organization. This conference won't hold” And at interlude of his declarations, the bigots would shout wildly, “It is decreed”. I got up and walked weakly from a small plastic chair I had perched switching my curious eyes into that of Leo, and inquired, “Leo! What is happening?. “I don't know what they mean” fixing his eyes on the invading militants rather than me, he replied casually.

I was deeply disturbed about the safety of those who had traveled with me from Port Harcourt, the capital of Rivers State, not mine. Nigeria is a jungle and I am used to the torment of jungle life. In my team were Gaia Sprocati, the slender Italian activist and researcher who works for the London-based non-profit making group, Stakeholders Democracy Network (SDN), and her Nigerian colleague, Pius Dukor. I was also worried about the safety of Peter Bloom, the American citizen, a journalist and activist who is in Nigeria, to offer some technical assistance to the Centre for Environment, Human Rights and Development (CEHRD); CEHRD is a non-governmental organization based in Rivers State that I coordinate. I was also weighed down by the worry for the safety of Dr. Enyeribe Onouha, a traditional ruler from Imo State who quit the Catholic priesthood and took to humanism. He is the chairman of NHM. It was a Wednesday of Madness! And Igwe was already a hostage held by the assailing Ukpabio's zealots. I turned to Mr. Placid, a Superintendent of Police, sent by Ibrahim Ahmed, the new police boss in the state to attend the forum. Placid was helpless too, he roosted in his chair to watch the unfolding sardonic drama.

The hall was choked with commotion.  Some members of the fanatics went wild into some violent mental derangement with their left hands raised up, pricking the air pointlessly, while blinking their eyes and trembled like a patient afflicted with the ailment of sporadic muscular contractions. And at intervals screamed uncontrollably, “Holy Ghost fire consume them”, God of Elijah send down your fire…”.  The evangelical curses were quite endless and noisy.  Amidst the uproar, some of them mostly in their late 20s and mid 30s, roaring from one corner of the hall to another still held poor Leo hostage.  He was strapped to them like a defenseless chicken in the claws of a wicked hawk.  I decided to go for his rescue; I struggled with them, but when they over-powered me they cut off Leo's leather bag tied to his neck containing his cloths, books, money, phone, digital camera and the address he was suppose to read at the occasion.  They disappeared with the bag after inflicting bodily harm on him.  His blood splattered on my shirt.  That was Leo in the hands of  those ignorant maniacs loyal to Evangelist Helen Akpabio. That Wednesday was a day of madness in Calabar.  A team of Policemen arrived the scene to chase away the militants who besieged the halls, but the security officials were small in number.  They couldn't afford to confront hundreds of the unscrupulous belligerents.  Several hours after, the police reinforced with more personnel and recaptured the place from them.

A certain Jeffrey Bassey, one of the militants who was visibly proactive during the attack, was arrested by the police.  He wrote in his statement to police that they acted on the orders of Evangelist Helen Ukpabio, but denied stealing Leo's bag.  Surprisingly, Tony Effiom, a Calabar-based attorney working for Ukpabio later tendered Leo's address which was in the stolen bag as an “exhibit”, and lied to the police that Leo Igwe distributed it before his clients attacked him. Effiom should know more about the stolen bag!  I am a member of the pen fraternity, but the Nigeria media is one of the problems of this society. The Ukpabio Nollywood drama of folly took place before the watchful eyes of reporters from leading Nigeria newspapers and local radio stations in Nigeria. And lamentably, there was no mention of it in the media. Instead what monopolized the media space then was the Boko Haram report. After all the troubles we later re-grouped and held a successful conference on the theme, “Child Rights and Witchcraft”. Special thanks to James Ibor, a promising Calabar-based lawyer who offered professional services during the Ukpabio's mess, and Jim Kelly Abegbe, another upcoming statistician and humanist. He is a courageous young man who re-mobilized the attendees after the attacks and we held the teach-in.###

COLUMN

FOR FACE OF THE LAW

In Defence of Man: Who Marginalizes The Woman?

T Oday, all over the world, the woman complains of being marginalized and placed in a second fiddle to a man. The third world countries especially Nigeria parades the greatest number of women crusading against the marginalization of womanhood. On the radio, screens and in the prints woman liberation has become the daily and popular jingle. The pulpits have joined in the marginalization crusade and so even in the churches and mosques female marginalization gradually become a second sermon, yet the real woman knows the truth about the position and conditions of womanhood.

The questions that the woman crusader has failed to answer is who marginalized the woman. The simplest answer to this poser is that the perceived marginalization or the problem of woman is caused by woman herself. How do we mean?

We shall examine the following sub-heads to concretize our assertion.

The Girl Child Question

More often than not one hears woman complaining that the status of the girl child is second class in the society. The truth is that the woman/mother knows that in any society nature (not man) has so destined that the man or boy child is as the scriptures put it the head of the house. So when a woman gives birth to a boy even herself is glad. You hear the mother saying that she has built a home by that act. In the contrast, if she gives birth to only female children she remains worried. In this instant case, is it not natural that the boy child is superior to the girl child? How can God create two things and make them equals? It is not possible unless he (God) made it so, which he did not. We should stop deceiving ourselves to say that God created man and woman as equal. No one can point to such areas or verse in either the Bible or the Koran.

It is on the strength of this, that make even the mother to more often than not choose the early training of the boy child. Believe it or not, no woman not even the so called women crusaders would except by mere precepts or in principles like to give birth to not at least a male child. Not only because of societal resentment but the natural feeling of absence which she too has. She can only suppress it momentarily but deep inside her she eternally feels it.

There is reported a situation where a husband whose mother gave birth to only boys told his newly wedded wife that he had prayed to God for only female children and that his Pastor told him just before the marriage that God had revealed to him that his prayer's have been answered and the wife threatened to leave the matrimonial home should such prayer be real.

Who then is marginalized, the girl child? Infact, research and statistics have shown that in some part of the country (Nigeria) male children sacrifice their chances of going to school for their sisters. Hence they go into trades from which they finance their sisters in schools. This is typical of the Ndigbos especially the Anambra people. Among the Nembe people of the Ijaws and among the Ashanti people of Ghana the law of inheritance is maintained. Does this amount to matrilineal. Does this amount to marginalization of the woman or girl child by man?. The Yoruba's recently recorded a female regent to the throne of the Oba. What do we call this? Marginalization?

Women Living Together

Girls are of course the off-shoot of their mothers. What is inbuilt in their mothers is what they display any where they are seen. Women are by nature always conscious of themselves anywhere, any day. They can by nature only accommodate themselves only if the nearest woman has nothing to indicate a possible competition.

If in any event, the next woman in the environment offers any competition instead of competing with her contemporary, a woman will offer resistance, anger, hatred and infact threat for a healthy competition. The result of this is concomitant quarrels, gossiping and in the end fight will eventually ensue. The pathetic event in this struggle is that no women sees himself as small or put it lucidly a middle class to another woman. It is clearly difficult to meet two woman sitted without discussing another woman with all passion. The level of jealousy among women is purely unimaginable. Where their number is much, they will certainly form groups, gossiping group. And in the end, the question is, what is the problem of women? Is it a man that makes them behave the way they are behaving? Even among Pastors wives, there are these groupings. These gossiping groups, which go to show that a woman is a woman anywhere and whatever she is.

The Second, Third Etc Wife Question

One of the major reasons why woman insist on marriage under the statute erroneously referred to as court marriage or white wedding is to protect and secure their marriages. A woman would not like her husband to marry the second wife not even the third wife. This is as a result of the inability of women to accommodate themselves and not for the purposes of religious or scriptural sanctity as they claim. They also don't want their husband to have affairs outside marriage. Off course this is evil and a big chart on the woman.

However, the question arises, this person that always disturb a married man and who is ready to be married as a second or third wife, is she not a woman? The gospel and home truth is that a woman only detests second wife syndrome only when she is the first wife, but majority of woman today don't give a damn whether or not they are first wives. The same girl who was here yesterday saying God forbid that she should be a second wife is the same girl that will even wed as a third wife today.

The fact remains that if woman adhor this syndrome let them take a position against it and let them not turn tomorrow to be violating the position. How will a women be here campaigning against the position while the other is celebrating in the crime. It is true that a woman is being married as a second, third, fourth or even fifth wife she invites fellow woman who jubilate and celebrate with her. Why is it so? Why is it that girls hostels in school always display fleet of assorted cars every week end parked by “Sugar-Daddies”?. These are girls who are or will tomorrow campaign against the same act. These are girls who are not ignorant of the fact that these sugar daddies have wives and female children also. So while one woman is wailing her piteous condition, another woman or girl is jubilating. Why can't women take a position and stop deceiving themselves blaming their problems on man.

How many boys in any given school succumb to a “Sugar mummy”? even the rare cases of sugar mummies are orchestrated by the woman involved. Why won't girls as under graduates or whatever at least fight this epidemic while in school? Is it not a social time bomb? It is not a malign development. Let women arise and blaze up and not blame woes on man.

Women And Politics

One distinctive characteristic problem of women is found in politics. From women liberation campaign women started political adventures. Indeed, some of them are forces in the game of politics and are therefore very useful.

However, the biggest obstacles facing women in politics is their fellow women. If a woman happens to contest with a man, her major opponent is not the man she contests against but women. This is because a woman finds it difficult to support her fellow woman against a man.

She will see the woman politician as being too unwomanly to challenge a man in a political feast, she will believe that she cannot make it and so would be a lame battle to contest with a man at all.

Naturally, by the numerical strength of the woman folk, no man would have been able to successfully challenge a woman in a political battle.

How many times has a woman contested an election and secured massive support from the women  folk? Has it not always been the man that has always made the few women what they are in politics? Is it still the man that marginalizes the woman?

It is also observed that woman always believes which belief is right that a man must head them even in their gatherings. This is more so in their various associations, unions and so on. There is therefore hardly a gathering of women that men are not represented either as a Patron, Adviser, Financier and so on. Among local women bodies, they do seek a man leader or man secretary to assist them in the conduct of their affairs. Is it the man that is marginalizing them here? Women may wish to forgive me if I sound harsh but I just had to be brutally frank.###

Culled from my book Entitled

 “The Armagedon Of Women”

THE MENACE OF CHURCH POLITICS (2)

By  Dr. Lewis Akpogena

One important fact about good leadership is the fact that leaders produce other leaders. Some people believe that leaders are born and not made; others say that leaders are made and not born. But [ believe that it is a balance to say that leaders are born and made. By that I believe that some men are born with some given talents or qualities of leadership and these qualities need to be developed to make them real leaders. The process of leadership development can only thrive where those already in leadership are not politically minded. Then they will begin to train and delegate responsibilities to potential leaders. Such good leaders will on their own scout for, and recruit men with leadership potentials, and will be willing to see those younger ones succeed thern even while they are yet alive. But such a laudable plan and process of leadership development and succession is bound to hit the rock wherever church politics gain ascendancy. The power-thirsty leaders do not recognize leadership potentialities in younger, fellow ministers. Rather than recognizing and helping to develop younger ministers, the politically minded leaders tend to be obsessed with jealousy and are so paranoid at seeing the younger aspiring leaders, (who they refer as their rivals) that they will start persecuting them Like the tyrant king Herod who killed all newly born babies in his days, the politically minded church leader will seek means to eliminate their supposed rivals - the young, aspiring leaders. Church politicians like their counterparts in the world have a slogan, viz, "Up me and I will up you" in other words they show favour to mernbers of the clique rather than to the generality of the membership.

The fact the Church politics breed innumerable social evils like, hatred, bitterness, rancour, acrimony, strife, and even murder, cannot be over emphasized. A story has been told of two church deacons in a well-known church in Nigeria who lost their post during an end-year election and went away in their bitterness, conspired and literally murdered the pastor in charge. Very shocking! Isn't it, but that is just a little bit of the sour taste of fiuit produced on the soil of any Church where the seed of politics is sown and allowed to grow. It is always, survival of the fittest during elections. Human brain and cleverness replace the superintending guiding ministry of the Holy Spirit in the church of Jesus Christ. What a mess! While it is true that some young ministers of God are themselves politically ambitious and insorboninate to authorities; and while it is also true that some of them do as a result split churches, it is equally true that some "super-leaders" or the "Founder-God-ordained-soleleaders" do suppress, and victimize the young and promising leaders and so frustrate them Only God in heaven knows the degree of troubles, harms, and set-backs His churches on earth suffers as a result of church politics.

Solutions to the menace of church politics: Before we can think constructively on how to stop politics in the church we must first of all see it as a great evil. We must be alarmed by its devastating effects on the church of God. And we must be willing to reject it as an alternative system of church leadership. Having done this, we should then look to God for what he has to say on the issue of church leadership. The following points should be care fully considered: Recognize the difference between the church and tile world. The practice of politics in the church is indeed as a result of failure to recognize the sharp difference between the church order and the world order. The church is more than an organization it is equally an organism; it is the mystical body of Jesus Christ and God's kingdom on earth. It is of heavenly origin, and an integral part of God's own family on earth. Therefore, her rules, standards, principles of government, etc, must needs conform to the heavenly order, and have the endorsement of God, the father/King.

Recognize the life, law, and spirit of the Church. The church should never be run like a social club, or the same ways the political states or governments are run. The word of God not that of men should be the final authority. The blood of Jesus and not human tie or affinity should be the unifying factor in the church. And, the Holy Spirit and not the human brain should be the ever-present guide and controller of lives and actions of members of the church; this means that the church must exhibit the kind of life, practice, and attitudes that agree with the Holy Scriptures. The church should never condone carnal or worldly spirits. Spirituality and divine life should be the guiding principles for every member of the church. Have a carefully written, Bible-based church Manual. Upholding and maintaining of scriptural standards in the church should be cemented by a careful entrenchment of such scriptural principles into the church manual or constitution. The character and qualifications of those who would hold any church office should be enforcement which is the most crucial aspect of the job. Church rules, criteria, and standards do no good unless they are enforced by those concerned. Enforcement of church rules, etc; should be done without any partiality, irrespective of people's social status. By so doing unspiritual men shall be weeded out or prevented from occupying church offices. And with the strict adherence to the above well proven principles, church politics is bound to die a natural death.

Fortunately there are some Christian denominations where politics is not allowed to hamper the progress of God's business. Members are not allowed to hamper or strive for church posts, or struggle to grab leadership positions. They are taught to accept church offices with fear and trembling and with a sense of responsibility - as God's stewards. This is not to say that there are no members in those groups with worldly ambitions for leadership. The point is the fact that such churches are guided by spiritual principles and standards that ensure that politically minded members do not have. their ways. It is a pity that there are just too few Churches in the world today that are not plagued with the menace of church politics. This piece is aimed at affecting a leadership reform in Christian churches, and this is to alert the churches of God of the EVILS AND DANGER of politics in God's church and to suggest some lasting solutions to the devil-inspired anomalies that have been hampering the progress of the church. The bitter truth is presented here. The universal problem every sincere Christian faces in the churches is exposed here. It is left to every denomination to resolve to wage a holy war against the age-long, nagging monster, and live to see its complete demise in God's church. This can be done by a faithful application of the principles such as raising the spiritual standard of the church's life high, and bringing the governmental system of the church to a spiritual and scriptural height as God would have it. Of course, someone must be willing to risk his life to speak out for God in total conderrmation of the evils of church politics, and to contend for the maintenance of scriptural standards in the Church of God.

Defeat of church politics does not necessarily require crises or "storm" in the church. But it certainly calls for a proper orientation in the church as far as leadership is concerned. There has to be well planned process of education of people of God relating to qualification for church leadership. Every member is entitled to know, among other things, the scriptural imperatives relating to the qualifications of the church leaders. People of God must be made to have visions of what the main objectives of the church of Christ on earth are. They should be made to know that their priorities should be place on pleasing God in their individual lines, as well as contributing to the accomplishment of God's missionary task on earth. When the eyes of God's people are thus opened to eternal realities, and when they are organized to take their proper positions and engage activities in their Lord's business (the GREAT COMMISSION), I believe they will have no problem hating and denouncing such a carnal phenomenon as Church politics. At least most of them will like to obey and follow God's word, and His Holy Spirit, rather than following the ways and the wisdom of men. They will love to belong to the "Universal Jesus People's Party (UJPP); rather than belonging to any human clique in the church, which is set for political reasons. To belong to the UJPP simply means to belong to universal brotherhood of all true Christians loving one another and having fellowship with one another in God's church. Credit goes to my brother and colleague for his scholarly work that I have adapted on this subject, Rev. Emmanuel M. C. Ibeh. Have any question, you may call: 08055059656, or write akpogena0J,yahoo.com Stay blessed.###

DISCOURSE

Re: 'Odili Cannot Hijack Rivers AC’...Suage Badey Is Unconsciously Digging His Own Political Grave-By Our Political Reporter

And having looked to government for bread, on the very first scarcity they will turn and bite the hand that fed them” 

- Edmund Burke

There could not be a better description of the so-called Suage Badey, a political nymph and controversial factional chairman of the Action Congress in Rivers State.

Not even in the smallest of the small States in the  sub-Saharan Africa let alone Rivers State can a political neophyte feel so free as to seek relevance by picking on a man of honour, one of the names and figures that gives meaning to our State in the comity of nations under the pretext of impressing his paymasters.

Thank God, the State Governor, Rt. Hon Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi is not the kind that is easily impressed and, or deceived by such antics, moreso when the malice is centred on his political master, Sir Dr Peter Odili.

In that statement as reported by The Port Harcourt Spectator newspaper, Suage Badey was quoted as alleging that he has uncovered surreptitious moves by the former State Governor, Sir Dr Peter Odili and the then Secretary to the State Government (SSG) and former Minister of Transport, Dr Abiye Sekibo to hijack the Rivers AC with a view to destabilizing the Amaechi-led government.

Angered by the report which he described as the highest level of intellectual profligacy, a political commentator, Hon Dominic Saata, vice chairman, Rivers Democratic Working Group (RDWG) and Chief James Korobia Banyonwa, PDP chieftain of  Bodo city in Gokana Local Government Area of Rivers State, said Suage Badey is unconsciously digging his own political grave in a bid to satisfy his inordinate ambition of becoming force to be reckoned with  by government.

“Lost in self delusion of impressing the State government, Badey as ignorant and visionless as he is, could not remember that he is neither of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) nor its spokesperson. Rather than warn or reassure his party faithfulls of the steadfastness of the AC leadership in the State not to allow any infiltration if he was sure of the dummy he was trying to sell, he betrayed his intention by acting as Gov Amaechi's advocate unsolicited. What a shame!”, They said.

Perhaps, Suage Badey and his cohorts are yet to realize that Dr Peter Odili, Abiye Sekibo and a few others notwithstanding the seeming political impasse in the State cannot be wished away in the political history of Rivers State.

Even if there were misunderstandings between the present and past leaderships as Badey was trying to suggest, does that create room for mediocres like him to cast aspersion on the duo of Dr Odili and Dr Sekibo. Does it not amount to a greater injury and insult on the personality of Rivers State for the likes of Suage Badey to carry such inciting and malicious stunts further debased with loose and watery use of English Language on these two illustrious sons of the State. Further exposing himself as a confused political jobber, Suage Badey in the same statement in which he tried to praise-sing the State government and the ruling party under the leadership of Gov Amaechi ended up slamming the party for misrule, greed and plotting to perpetuate itself in office. He also congratulated the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammed Sa'ad Abubakar for openly accusing the ruling party of doing nothing to stop the incidences of kidnapping, injustice, corruption, armed robbery amid public outcry for social amenities which are practically acting at all levels.

We regret that political jobbers like Suage Badey is bereft of ideas that will move Rivers State forward.

Suage Badey should be told that his party, the AC is the actual party plotting at the State and federal levels to destabilize the PDP led- government.

Suage Badey should rather seek ways of how to plaster the wounds in the AC in Rivers State and Gokana, his local government area.

He should also look at how to build a credible image, rather than attempting to destroy profiles of political leaders that have attained heights that he cannot dream of.

In view of all this, it is only instructive to advise the paymasters of Suage Badey to launch a more insightful hunt for better and well schooled propagandists and do away with chaffs in the mould of Badey who will end up rubbishing themselves and their benefactors.

It's also imperative at this juncture, to state categorically that there is no AC in Rivers State let alone being hijacked by anybody. What exists here is an extended arm and surrogate of the ruling PDP composed of hungry touts using the name of the genuine AC, such that obtains in Edo State and at the federal level.

Should Dr Odili and Sekibo wish to declare for any other political party, definitely it can neither be AC nor at the State level. They are much bigger than local champions.

Commenting on the report by The Port Harcourt Spectator, another political observer said, “the likes of Badey and his paymasters who perhaps, may have caught cold as a result of that malicious, baseless falsehood for fear of being displaced from their beggarly and gluttonous position where they feel satisfied and comfortable feeding on crumbs falling from the PDP table should be rest assured that there is no such threat. May God help 'you' to remain in your much cherished position so that sycophancy will continue to take a greater part of 'you'.”###

INTERVIEW

Oil Industry Reforms: The Devil Is In The Detail    - Ajumogobia

Mr. Ajumogobia (SAN), Nigeria's articulate, soft spoken, Harvard trained Minister of State for Petroleum Resources needs little introduction. Recently, the ministry of petroleum resources organized a stakeholders' consultative forum on the Petroleum Industry Bill before the National Assembly. Afterwards, he spoke with Hector Igbikiowubo, Editor of Sweet Crude on the Petroleum Industry Bill before the National Assembly, touching on concerns by the international oil companies regarding the sanctity of existing contracts and federal government's amnesty for militants in the troubled Niger Delta.

Excerpts:

Sir yesterday, the ministry of Petroleum resources organized a consultative forum where stakeholders exchanged positions on the Petroleum industry bill. Interestingly, even though some stakeholders had earlier stated they weren't being carried along, it would appear the forum marks a turning point especially with all stakeholders suddenly expressing support for the bill. What do you think accounts for this sudden turn around?

I think there was a bit of hysteria over the bill initially and that is largely because people are generally resistant to change, especially fundamental change. The new petroleum industry bill is really transformational change transforming the industry. For example let me talk about something quite fundamental: we've always talked about the upstream and the downstream. The midstream has been ignored in terms of transportation, transmission of fuel and gas. Now we have a new agency that is going to be created to deal with that. But more importantly, the thing the minister talked about in his keynote address that was so fundamental is acreage management where huge acreage have been given to companies but they have not exploited it for about 40 years. So other people who are ready and able to participate in the industry, both local and foreign, we don't have any acreage to give them. Yet, there are companies sitting on huge acreage. These are fundamental issues and touching on some of those issues is what has created the hysteria. But I think what we saw yesterday was an alignment with the reality that the legal and regulatory framework which governs the industry needs to be reformed for the industry to grow. Naturally there are going to be concerns from the sectoral perspective. You heard the NARTO (National Association of Road Transport Owners) representative talking about with holding tax that is his' grief. The IOCs didn't express any specific concerns but they may have some concerns about what are the implications. What does it mean in terms of the time line that has been given to them to relinquish unused acreage. But like the saying goes, 'the devil is in the detail'. But the law by its nature doesn't always deal with all commercial issues which would be discussed and agreed upon even after the bill has been passed.

While speaking on behalf of the IOCs. Mr. Fawthrop, the Managing Director of Chevron Nigeria Limited had pointed out that there are issues that were  not clear that there is the need to clarify these issues before the bill is codified.

Have these IOCs raised any aspect of the ongoing reform that is of concern to them?

Not specifically, the whole concept of interpretation of statute is a whole subject in legal training. Every time you write something down, it is susceptible to interpretation, depending on your perspective. A good law, and I think the PIB (Petroleum Industry Bill), is clear when you put it in the context of the subject and part of the interpretation is interpreting the words in their context. I think it is going to be difficult for anyone to say you must draft a law that is not capable of interpretation, it goes with legislation interpreted in the context of the subject and that is why laws will always have a purpose for which the law was made. Now if there is any specific area where there is clear ambiguity, where the meaning is unclear, then we will address those, but nothing specific has been pointed out. We hope that before the National Assembly, they would draw up a memorandum. That is what we expect for example, 'section 253 of the bill is  not clear  because is clear when you refer to minister of petroleum resources or whoever', something like that. If there was that sort of ambiguity. Then of course we shall look at it.

I spoke with Ali Moshiri Vice President of Chevron Corporation in Houston, TX. USA on the sidelines of the last Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) and he raised issues concerning the 1993 PSC (Production Sharing Contract) and he was a little concerned about government plans to renegotiate it under the guise of the ongoing reforms. Even Ann Pickard, the Vice President of Shell E&P, Africa had raised concerns about the sanctity of existing contracts. Can you please respond to these concerns?

The 1993 PSCs had been an issue for a while and we were in the process of actually renegotiating them anyway and that by itself shouldn't be an issue. I think the real issue is with the broad concerns about the change in fiscal regime. I think that is what they are talking about. For example, under the 1993 PSC, it is zero royalty and the cost recovery mechanism makes it unattractive revenue wise for the government. For a long time, because the ratio of JVs or PSCs was in favour of the JVs, government revenue was not so relatively affected. But today, more of our production is offshore and there is concern about our take. And when compared to global best practices, in terms of what other oil producing countries get, it is only practical that we should sit down with our partners and review the situation, that's essentially what this is about.

Is there provision in the 1993 PSC agreement for such review?

Of course every agreement has provisions for such review and especially when the issues involved are of such a fundamental nature. I don't think there has ever been any question about the review. What you would hear them say is that they need to know what the new fiscal terms would be. Because it is difficult to plan unless you know what the fiscal terms are. And I think yesterday we touched base on a few of these. In fact that was the first formal interactive process by which specific issues can be raised.

It is interesting to note Sir, that since the ongoing reform exercise gathered momentum, practically all ongoing projects in the industry had stalled. How much longer do you think the industry can take this wait and see approach especially in view of our current economic realities?

I alluded to that in my brief remark yesterday, I talked about transition and this is a process that takes you from one regime to another. There are existing contracts, there are contracts in the making and there are proposed contracts. Basically people are concerned about how the new regime is going to affect them how is it going to affect what I have already, how is it going to affect what is in transition, that is, the new thing that I am proposing. There is a tendency for people to “wait and see”, I think that is natural. But it is not going to be for much longer. We are hoping that the bill would be passed very shortly and once that is done, it would be clear to everyone. That is the point that Dr. Lukman made which I think is very important. This is a law of Nigeria, of Nigeria and our partners who have been with us for the last 50 years in the case of Shell, have shown mutual respect and given us a lot of value as we have offered them a lot of opportunities to continue to operate and we believe that we will continue to work together in our mutual interest. What we will not do is let our partners draft the law that is going to govern them, for us. I think there is obviously a tension between government take and reasonable rate of return on investment, I think that is the issue. So when you hear the hysteria about the fiscal terms that is what it boils down to. But when all is set and done what do we take home having invested this much? And there is a point where investments no longer make sense. We believe that the fiscal terms that are in the PIB are reasonable and fair having regard to what happens in other parts of the world, they say not. I think that is the only issue that I can see and I think some further dialogue is appropriate considering that they are our partners, we have great regard for them and they have added a lot of value to Nigeria and continue to do so and we thought it only right to listen to them. That was what this consultative forum was all about. It is not even the first, there was a previous meeting, not with the ministry but the OGIC (Oil and Gas Industry Committee) during which they expressed some of their concerns. But at the end of the day, the decision rest with the National Assembly ultimately. 

A concern about an earlier provision was expressed yesterday and it had to do with the unbundling of the NNPC. Now we hear talk of rather consolidating the corporation. Would you like to address that?

I think there is no conflict in that. The reform in NNPC started with the breaking up of the corporation into eleven business units and as part of the strategy to make NNPC more commercial. What we are talking about today is NNPC Limited, and integrated oil and gas company that embraces all this business units, to give them a certain level of autonomy to run the business. I think that they are not mutually exclusive. The idea is not to break up the company. It is to consolidate the business unit but give them autonomy to be able to operate efficiently. A particular case in point is that of the refineries which until now have had to come to the NNPC board for approvals of all sorts. They can't compete with the private refineries and that is where the managing directors should be able to take decisions regarding whatever the needs are. I think the business units are adequately funded and given the empowerment to run and make a return to the holding company which should be able to make the dividend returns to the federal government. It is a completely different structure from what we have now where the NNPC takes money from the federal government budget and next year it goes back again for allocation. This time around once it's been capitalized and that is after the passage of the bill. It will sink or swim as other firms do based on its own action.

I notice that clear roles for governors haven't been defined in the implementation of the amnesty package by the federal government. What is your take on this?

I think that the amnesty package is a good thing, especially when you look at it within the context of the origins of this conflict. Amnesty is basically a pardon for people who might otherwise have been prosecuted. And what the President is saying is that nobody who has been involved in this would be prosecuted, would be taken as if they've committed any crime. I know that there has been a lot of rhetoric in the newspapers about this, 'you can't give amnesty to a person who has not been convicted”. I think the language of the constitution is that if you have been confirmed as having committed an offence, then you might be granted an amnesty. I think the principle of it is to say let by gone be by gone. These are young Nigerians who have found themselves in a conflict situation, have done things which may have against the law, and the State is not going to look into those things. The State is going to give a blanket reprieve to those people as a platform for us to sit down and resolve issues in a peaceful and productive way. I think it is a good thing. By its nature, it involves all stakeholders and the governors are critical stakeholders in that process. The local government chairmen, traditional rulers all have a role to play and these roles would be clearly defined as time goes on.###

ABUJA

ACROSS THE NATION

Clinton To Discuss Sectarian Violence With Yar'Adua

There were fresh indications that the alleged extra-judicial killing of the Boko Haram leader, Mohammed Yusuf, may have assumed a global dimension.

Reason: The issue is said to top the agenda of the meeting scheduled next week Wednesday between the United States (U.S.) Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, and top officials of the Federal Government.

The U.S. government confirmed that the recent sectarian crisis and its management, including the killing of the sect leader, would now be a significant part of Clinton's talk with President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua and Foreign Affairs Minister, Ojo Maduekwe. U.S. Assistant Secretary of State, Ambassador Johnie Carson, said last week in Washington DC that the U.S. Secretary would raise the issue of the sectarian crisis in her Abuja talks.

According to Crowley, the U.S. has been closely monitoring the situation in Nigeria, adding that Mrs. Clinton would be there soon to discuss the matter.

Crowley said: "Obviously, there have been reports of incidents, of clashes in northern Nigeria, and we are monitoring the situation closely. And I think what is happening in Nigeria will be a significant subject of her - Mrs. Clinton - discussions with both the President and foreign minister of Nigeria while she's there."

Last week while briefing the press about what Clinton would discuss in Nigeria, the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Africa, Ambassador Johnnie Carson, had said "it's important to discuss with Nigeria a range of issues. We are concerned about having a good energy relationship with them. We're interested in seeing them continue to play a positive regional role, including providing peace-keepers to key conflict areas. We also believe it is also important for them to deal with some of their domestic issues. We'd like to see greater improvement in their electoral performance, which will help to strengthen their democracy."

However, news of Yusuf's killing has filled the Internet and the Western press, including an outright condemnation from the United Nations Human Rights Commissioner on Tuesday from Geneva.

Some U.S.-based Nigerians, concerned about the Yusuf's killing, sent a private petition to the President earlier in the week calling for an investigation.

Dr. Baba Adam, chairman of U.S.-PRONACO, said in an e-mail sent on Monday to several top Federal Government officials, including ministers and special advisers to the president, that "we are speaking up as friends of Armada Administration. Sooner someone intervenes - the better - It is high time anyone who knowingly broke the law should be held accountable, if not those killing in the name of the state are equally as worst as the Haramites."

The following day in response to a reporter's question, President Umaru Yar'Adua announced that his National Security Adviser was already investigating the matter.

In the same vein, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, released a statement expressing deep concerns.

"We are deeply concerned by reports of violence and of the plight of civilians in the affected states in Northern Nigeria, following the reported attacks by the 'Boko Haram' sect. In particular, the High Commissioner is concerned over reports of the killing of civilians," she noted.

According to the statement, "the UN High Commissioner recognises that the government faced a major crisis, with fighting taking place right in the heart of the state capitals.

She hopes, however, "that the government makes every effort to achieve security with full adherence to legality and respect for human rights."

She added: " Every effort should be made to avoid unlawful killings, arbitrary arrest and detention while calling upon the government of Nigeria to fully investigate all incidents and hold those responsible to account. "###

NIGER DELTA

FG Wants To Kill Me - Asari

The Niger Delta Peoples Volunteer Force (NDPVF), headed by Muijaheed Dokubo-Asari, has said that it would not accept the amnesty proposal of the Federal Government even as the group has raised alarm over alleged plans by the government to kill its leader upon his return from Germany, where he is said to be receiving medical attention.

"We also have adequate information that the Nigerian State has once more planned to arrest and assassinate Dokubo-Asari on arrival from Germany under the guise of armed robbery," the group said.

Meanwhile, true to his word, President Umaru Yar'Adua on Friday at the Presidential Villa personally received the first batch of Niger Delta militant leaders led by Victor Ben Ebikabowei (General Boyloaf), who have accepted the President's offer of amnesty.

Boyloaf is a factional leader of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) and used to command the Bayelsa State operations of the militant group. He led 31 other militant leaders of his faction to the Villa.

During the 25-minute ceremony, Yar'Adua commended the militant leaders for their patriotism and courage evident in their decision to embrace the amnesty offer for peace and stability to reign in the Niger Delta.

According to him: "It is not a small feat; it is a very courageous act on your part. And again, I want to thank you and commend you for displaying this extraordinary courage, for displaying this patriotic zeal for the people of the Niger Delta states and for the nation in general.

"Issues that have given rise to militancy itself, the agitation which culminated in having an armed wing of the agitation, we will collectively look at them and find ways to salvage them in such a way that everybody throughout the country will be satisfied with what solutions we come up with.

"Also, we must take note that once this is done, development in the region will be rapid but it will not be overnight."

He lamented that "it is disheartening to see that young, energetic, intelligent Nigerians are spending their lives in the creeks, which is not allowed for any Nigerian. No Nigerian leader will wish to see any Nigeria living that kind of life.

"I think it is high time we gave the opportunity to our teeming youths in the Niger Delta states that are in the creeks to come out to be rehabilitated, live a normal life like any other person in this country and have the opportunity that any other person in this country has.

"I have confidence that we have youths who are energetic, who can contribute to nation building, who will contribute to humanity, who have great support in seeking the peace and security in this region."

As he called on other militants to emulate Boyloaf, the President directed the Chairman of the Amnesty Panel and Minister of Defence, Godwin Abbe, to continue liaison with the militants and work out logistics on how to get them surrender their arms and benefit from other amnesty largesse.

That is even as the NDPVF denied reports in the media that Dokubo-Asari had returned a large cache of arms to the government in the spirit of the amnesty.

Dokubo-Asari's spokesman, Rex Anighoro, who made the disclosure in a statement in Warri, said it was agreed that members could accept the government's olive branch out of their own volition.

He said: "It must be clearly stated that at our well published General Assembly held on Saturday, July 11, 2009 at Golf Prince Hotel, Port Harcourt part of our resolution was, and is that the People Salvation Front cum Niger Delta Peoples Volunteer Force (PSF/NDPVF) will never accept amnesty. This resolution was a product of a clear and well-articulated debate. However, in accommodating minority opinion, we made it pellucid that any member of our movement interested in taking amnesty is very free to do so.

"We are convinced beyond reasonable doubt that Dappa Dappaiye and Kingsley Solomon may have taken this option and we are not against that. We are so confident that since Alhaji communicates directly through the office of the Secretary General and the Spokesman and since he is in Germany he may not be in the know. Up to this moment Dappa Dappaiye and Kingsley Solomon are still people we have links to and we can never deny them."

He stated that both Dappa Dapaiye and Kingsley Solomon arrested over alleged criminality were bona fide members of the PSF, and denounced claims by Prince Wisdom Amachree that he is the second-in-command to Asari, "as our movement is a people movement with no such structure."

He implored the government not to kill them as any attempt to harm or kill them would paint the amnesty in bad light.

Bayelsa State Governor, Timipre Sylva, who facilitated the acceptance of amnesty by the Boyloaf group, said in Abuja on Friday that his magic wand was his ability to inspire trust and confidence to conquer the skepticism and anxiety of the militants.

Espousing his strategy of triple E -Empowerment, Engagement and Enforcement of Law - the Governor said the release of MEND leader, Henry Okah, gave a boost to his efforts, aside the fact that the militants themselves wanted the amnesty but were not sure of government's seriousness.

"They needed assurances and they felt they could trust me. What I have done is to give them confidence. Amnesty is also their idea, they wanted it. I only opted to put myself forward with assurances of safety. They have now left a life of uncertainty to that of certainty.

"I know they are very serious about returning their arms. They will keep their word and not return to fighting in the creeks."###

N15 Billion Fraud: Transcorp Official to Remain In Kuje Prison

After spending 71 days in Kuje prison,the hope of a temporary freedom for Mike Okoli, the suspended company secretary of Transnational Corporation (TRANSCORP) Plc was dashed on Wednesday August 5, 2009 when a Federal High Court, Maitama, Abuja dismissed his application for variation of his bail condition.

Okoli was first arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on May 27, 2009 alongside Thomas Iseghohi, Group Managing Director and Muhammed Buba, Deputy General Manager of TRANSCOP Plc on a 32 count charge of criminal conspiracy, criminal breach of trust, money laundering and misappropriation of public funds to the tune of N15 billion.

The accused subsequently filed application for bail, a move that was vehemently opposed by the prosecuting counsel. The trial judge, Justice Anuli Chikere however granted them bail on June 22 on stringent terms which include:

 * A bond of N500 million each

* Accused persons to produce surety in like sum.

* Sureties must be civil servants with either a federal ministry, parastatal and must     produce evidence of appointment;

* Sureties must be owners of landed property in Abuja with evidence of ownership from Abuja Geographic Information System (AGIS);

* Sureties must show evidence of tax clearance for three years from the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS);

* Each accused must deposit his international passport in the court registry.

While Iseghohi and Buba were able to meet their bail conditions, Okoli has found it tough meeting the conditions. As a result, he approached the court through his counsel, Joe Gadzama, SAN to seek for a variation of his bail terms.

While pleading with the court to vary the bail condition, Gadzama said it took the two other accused persons, almost a month to meet the conditions. "Staying behind bar is not easy and he cannot deliberately say he could not meet the conditions. The 3rd accused person has a seven year old child to take care of. He does not have a surety who has landed property in Central Area and cannot get a civil servant who can guarantee a N500 million," he pleaded.

But delivering her ruling on the application on Wednesday, Justice Anuli Chikere dismissed the application as she noted that two of the accused persons had already met the conditions for bail. "If the two are able to meet the conditions, there is no reason why the third accused cannot do so," she said.###

Freedom of Information Law Will Help Curb Corruption – Waziri

Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Mrs Farida Waziri has said that the Freedom of Information (FOI) bill presently before the National Assembly will boost the fight against corruption and other forms of economic crimes in Nigeria when eventually passed into law.

The anti-graft agency boss disclosed this in a paper she presented at the first annual forum of serving and retired permanent secretaries which ended at the weekend in Abuja. 'There needs to be in place a conscientious system for the gathering and dissemination of information and this is linked to societal values. The press must castigate the villains and praise the heroes. It is through such activities that people will appreciate that it pays to have integrity. To this extent, a freedom of information legislation coupled with investigative reporting could be helpful. These will also engender a culture of freedom of speech which is a constitutional guarantee but in practice hardly utilised.

The freedom of information bill could tremendously help the process', Waziri argued while speaking on 'Maintaining Personal and Institutional Integrity in the Public Service' at a session chaired by Dr Christopher Kolade, a former Nigerian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom. She stated that for any anti-corruption initiative to succeed in any society, certain structures and specific pillars of integrity such as political will, effective law enforcement, judiciary, legislation, media, civil society must be present and functional.

According to her, 'where any of these are not functional, then there will be a problem and there is no incentive for anyone to have integrity. If the law enforcement agencies are working at full throttle but the judiciary is not effective, the criminal will simply ambush the process at the doors of the judiciary and get away. Conversely, there must be the political will to squarely address the problems and the legislature must intervene with remedial laws whenever it is necessary. Of course, the media and effective civil society groups must serve as dispassionate watchdogs of the system.’

She argued that it is only when the needed structures are in place and are functional that acts of corruption will be effectively discouraged and integrity rewarded. 'This has been the plank from which the EFCC has consistently insisted that the missing piece in the jig-saw puzzle in the fight against corruption is the establishment of a special court to try all cases of corruption and other forms of economic crimes. Time without number, the Commission has gone through the whole process of investigating crimes only for the process to be stultified in the courts of law for unnecessarily periods of time', the EFCC Chairman added.

She urged all public office holders to follow the exemplary leadership style of President Umar Musa Yar'Adua by working to enthrone personal and institutional integrity in any office they find themselves.###

NEWS

ICT Certification Now A Must For RSUST Students

By Ngozi Anosike

The Senate of Rivers State University of Science and Technology (RSUST) has made it compulsory for all students to have on graduation ICT certification irrespective of their course of study.

The Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof. Barineme B. Fakae disclosed this in a parley with media  executives in Port Harcourt.

He noted that the course which is meant to be offered by students at their convenient time within their period of study is to make them more viable in the labour market.

Chronicling the gains of ICT, he said the school embraced it to ensure orderliness thereby preventing chaotic situations, pointing out that there are no more stories with regard to students' results and admission procedures as all these are now done on-line.

On the issue of e-examinations, the State owned University boss described it as one of the off-shoots of e-learning which is a new order in education all over the world.

Prof Fakae said it is necessary for the school that is to develop into a world class institution which according to him necessitated the need for every staff and student of the school to be trained on the use of computer free of charge hence the introduction of “learn computer by the use of computer” for all.

He however maintained that the e-process embarked by the school for its admission procedure which was discredited in some quarters including the ASUU chapter of the institution is not only cost effective but most suitable in providing the speed, dexterity and accountability required to select only 3,000 out of over 14,000 candidates for admission.

Prof. Fakae regretted that the reform which has improved service delivery, removed credibility problems while making the institution more standardized has been resented by the lazy ones and those who specialize in mutilation of results as this has already led to the sack of one of the lecturers by the Senate.

Poised to vigorously pursue his mandate in the institution that has a total of 22,366 students, the Vice Chancellor called for commitment on the side of the staff and urged them to be “innovative bound rather than rule bound”. ###

Ken Khana Traditional Rulers Council Dissolved …Gbenemene Calls For Support

The Ken-Khana Council of Traditional Rulers, an umbrella body of all Chiefs in Ken-Khana Kingdom, Khana Local Government Area of Rivers State, has been dissolved.

The Gbenemene Ken-Khana, His Majesty, King (Dr.) M.S.H Eguru, Gbara II, who announced the dissolution over the weekend, said the decision was taken following lack of focus, ineffectiveness and gross abuse of office on the part of officers of the dissolved council.

According to His Majesty King Eguru, two thirds majority of members voted against the former executive council, hence the dissolution.

The Gbenemene Ken-Khana also disclosed that the dissolved executive had in their possession a constitution of the body, which has not been approved.

While thanking the dissolved Exco for accepting to serve, he urged them to hand over all properties of the Ken-Khana Council of Traditional Rulers in their possession to the Acting Secretary, Ken-Khana Council of Traditional Rulers, Chief D. F. Nwidag.

His Majesty, King Eguru solicited the support of all members towards the building of a strong and united Ken-Khana Council of Chiefs for the benefit of all.

Meanwhile, a nine man caretaker committee headed by His Majesty, King M.S.H Eguru has been inaugurated.

Others are Chief  D. F. Nwidag, Bua Baen, Acting Secretary, while Chief Ike Dimkpa, Bua Baen, Chief Godpower Nwibani, Bua Bom, Chief Konee Nae, Bua Bom, Chief Madu Deeyor, Bua Kenwigbara, Chief Monday Dugbor, Bua Kenwigbara, Chief Leyira Nwinam, Bua Yaasere and Chief Benson Deezia, Bua Yaasere are to serve as members.###

Rivpoly Rector Proffers Hard Work As Panacea For Gender Barrier

Women in technical education in the country have been called upon to break gender barriers and make their impact felt in the practice of science and technology.

The Ag. Rector of the Rivers State Polytechnic, Bori, Prof. T. G. Sokari, made the call when the Rivpoly Chapter of Women in Technical Education (WITED) paid him a courtesy call in his office.

Prof. Sokari said that any woman, with a high sense of commitment and hard work, could excel like her male counterparts, in any chosen profession, and urged women in technical education to face the challenges of the profession as they would be given every necessary support and encouragement.

He noted that the management of the Polytechnic has always encouraged women to ascend to exalted positions in the Polytechnic and pledged the continued support of his administration to enable WITED achieve set objectives.

Earlier in her briefing, the co-coordinator of Rivpoly Chapter of WITED, Mrs. Charity Kpabep, who is also a lecturer in the department of mechanical engineering of the Polytechnic, had said that it became necessary to introduce WITED which was recently formed in the polytechnic, to the management of the institution, and used the opportunity to solicit for support towards the formal inauguration of WITED in the Polytechnic ###

NEWS BRIEF

Suspected Militants Kidnap Ndoni Citizen

By Polycarp Nwaeke

Chukwudi Odili, an indigene of Ndoni in Ogba-Egbema Local Government Council of Rivers was on Sunday 2nd August, at about 9:30pm abducted near a popular suya spot at Rumuodara by three uniformed men suspected to be militants.

According to an eye-witness who watched the drama played out, few minutes after a man parked his ash colour Infiniti Jeep and went to buy suya at a nearby suya spot, a red Honda car bearing Imo State Plate Number surfaced immediately and parked close to the jeep. Three men in army uniform had come out of the car, leaving the fourth person, the driver on the steering. They had distributed themselves around where the jeep was parked. The moment they did that, their driver zoomed off with the red Honda car. As the man came out from the suya spot and entered his car, the three uniformed men emerged from their hiding places pounced on, and threatened him with their guns. They dragged him out from the steering and put him at the back seat of the jeep. Having successfully done that, two of the suspected gunmen barricaded him at the back seat, while the third one went into the front seat and drove the car away.

Narrating further, the eye-witness said he was sure that the kidnappers had been trailing their victim, until he was finally way laid at the Rumuodara suya spot so easily.

The eyewitness said he made enquiries and found out that the kidnapped man is a relation of former Governor Peter Odili, insisting that he is a lawyer and lives at Rumunduru, off Eneka Road. Other eyewitnesses interviewed corroborated his claims.

When contacted, the DPO of Okporo Division of the Nigeria Police confirmed the kidnap incident and gave the names of the kidnapped man as Chukwudi Odili, an indigene of Ndoni in Ogba/Egbema Local Government Area of Rivers State. He however said, he did not know if he is related to former Governor Odili, insisting that many people from that area bear the name, Odili. He also told National Network that the man's Infiniti Jeep had been located some where at Owerri, in Imo State. He equally spoke of the concerted efforts his division made in relaying information across to police check-points and departments concerning the incident while directing further enquires to CIB section of the Nigeria police at Moscow Road, Port Harcourt###

Commissioner Shuns Parents Of Collapsed  Rivers Malaysia’s Student

The woes of Rivers State students studying in Malaysia are increasing by the day as one of them has reportedly collapsed as a result of hunger occasioned by the inability of the government to remit their allowances to them.

However, despite the sorry situation of the students, some of their parents who went to intimate the commissioner of education with the latest development (the collapse of the student) were reportedly not allowed to see her.

The students were said to have earlier called the commissioner but the person who answered their call allegedly told them that the commissioner had traveled to Europe.

Information indicated however, that the commissioner did not travel but was shying away from visiting Malaysia to answer the call of the university authorities on why her ministry has elected to suffer Rivers students there by not paying their allowances promptly.

The woman is said to be afraid of going to meet the students who she allegedly described as very rough, having heard how they treated the former permanent secretary  in the ministry, who once visited them during this kind of a situation.

Now, with no allowance and having not paid their tuition fees for two months, some of the students are said to be considering going for diploma courses instead of coming home with nothing.

The students are surprised that the terrible situation has not moved the commissioner, who instead of bringing succour, has elected to terminate the consultancy services they have been making use of, in Malaysia.

Heavily in debt and without money to buy food, the students have made a passionate appeal to governor Amaechi to come to their aid very quickly as the situation may get worst###.

NEWS

Ngo Community, Councilors Laud Council's Electricity Project

Commercial activities in major markets in Ngo Community, headquarters of Andoni Local Government Council were temporarily  stalled penultimate Saturday in glee of the arrival of electrical equipment in the community, which sparked off jubilation among residents of the area.

The celebration, which attracted both young and old along major roads in Ngo town was in anticipation of likely end to the protracted power outage in the community when installation of the equipment is completed.

The equipment include three high capacity transformers and electric poles that were provided by the two month old administration of Madam Emilia Gilbert Nte, Acting Chairman of the Local Government Council to restore power supply to the people after over four decades of power outage in the area.

Besides, serving members of the legislative arm of the council have also lent their voice in praise for the performance of the council chairman, saying that they see in her the vision to transform the area.

Speaking with newsmen at the council secretariat, Ngo, the leader of the legislative council in the area, Hon. Awajimimam Alafonye Uriah said the delivery of the electricity project one month after the assumption of office of the administration was a clear manifestation of the visionary leadership of the Acting Chairman.

He assured the people of his councilors support to encourage her create positive impact of the government in the council headquarters and the various communities of their representation.

Also in his own reaction, the House Chief Whip, Hon. Gogoteh Lazarus Nteoguile said the project is significant in the life of the people due to its socio-economic importance, stressing that it would encourage visitors and commercial activities in Ngo, the council headquarters.

The execution of the project was in fulfillment of the Acting Chairman's earlier promise on assumption of office two months ago to restore power supply in the headquarters of council, among other meaningful development projects that would have direct bearing on the lives of the people.

The new transformers are to complement the existing five which the administration is also currently undertaking repair works to recover them from their bad state in order to step up the capacity required to generate power supply for the people.

The project, when completed will serve over seven communities, between Ngo and Agwut-Obolo communities at this first start.

Meanwhile, a team of engineers has been engaged on sites to ensure the installation of the equipment for immediate take off of power supply for the areas.

Addressing journalists amid jubilation, Lawrence Ereferokuma (JP) Chairman of Ngo Community Development Committee, CDC expressed satisfaction for the provision of the electrical installation, saying that Madam Nte has broken the jinx of non performance in the council.

Ereferokuma, who is also the Chairman of Andoni council of community development committee (CDC) said the giant stride of the Acting Chairman, development would be witnessed in the area.

“Today is a great day in the new direction because what we have yearning for has come. And because there is light today, there is hope for prosperity”.

Also in his speech, Prince Esukuile Awajiogak Esukuile, the Secretary, Community Development Committee (CDC) in Akradi Town in the LGA said “The CDC in the entire Andoni, is happy because this is what we have been crying for” adding that” if the State House of Assembly wishes to help Andoni is to allow this woman, Hon. Emilia Gilbert Nte to remain as our Chairman###.

NURTW Boss Denies Overcharging Drivers, Harbouring Criminals

By Gilbert Amadi

The Chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) Rumuokoro, Motor park, Chief Dr. S. O. Amadi has denied the allegation of overcharging commuters using the park.

Also described as false and mischievous is the allegation of using the motor park to habour undesirable elements who have constituted a nuisance in the area.

The NURTW helmsman, Chief S. O. Amadi made these clarifications while briefing newsmen in his office.

According to Chief Amadi, he and his exco are only concerned with maintenance of order and peace at the park as a result of which the services of security personnel like the police and civil defence have been employed to guard against insecurity.

On the allegation of extortion, Chief Amadi said the park authority only charges N200.00 per driver on daily basis which he said is used for the running of the motor park which include salaries of those working there, provision of security, environmental sanitation and provision of conveniences etc. Apart from the N200.00 charge for which receipt is issued, the Chairman said his exco was not aware of any other charges.

He however added that the State Ministry of Transport and the Local Government Council (Obalga) collect the sums of N10,000.00 and N5,000.00 respectively from each driver on annual basis which is not  the business of the motor park authority. Chief Amadi described those accusing his exco of extortion and harbouring criminals as doing so in bad faith and advised them to desist from such mischief forthwith.

The NURTW boss also used the opportunity to extol the leadership qualities of the State Governor, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Amaechi, stressing that his developmental strives have given meaning to the people's lives.

Also given a pat on the back is the Chairman of Obio/Akpor Local Government Council, Hon. Timothy Nsirim who, Chief Amadi said has performed creditably in the provision of democratic dividends to Obio/Akpor.

He prayed both leaders to continue in their effort to do their best for the Rivers people###.

Action Congress Chieftain Makes Peace With Council Boss

The problem between the Executive Chairman of Khana Local Government Council, Bariledum Nwidam and Comrade Sunny Bekanwah of Action Congress has been discovered to be politically motivated.

Bekanwah alleged that being an Action Congress member, the Council Chairman has been accusing him of not supporting his administration and even attempting to run it down.

He said for these reasons, the Local Government Chairman who is a card-carrying PDP member has been going about and telling people that he Sunny was responsible for all the kidnapping that has been taking place in Ogoniland.

Bekanwah said the Chairman openly disclosed at the burial ceremony of Late Michael Nwikina Kwawa that no other person except him has been responsible for the kidnappings going on in Ogoniland.

It was for this reason that the Action congress chieftain sue the chairman to court for defamation, claiming the sum of N10 Million from him at the Bori High Court 2.

He said people have come with the intention of settling the two of them but that he had vehemently refused until during the day of the presentation of his book when the Chairman came to address the audience, praising him that he decided to make peace with him.

This peace has begun to pay off as Sunny has promised to bring his group to support Nwidam administration and to campaign for him during the 2011 election###.

Rivers NULGE Is Intact – President

By Amadi Gilbert

Amidst reports of in- fighting and factionalization of National Union of Local Government Employee (NULGE) Rivers Chapter, its president, Apostle Godwin Tumini Diri says the body is intact.

The clarification came on the heels of the warning from the National President of the union, comrade Prince Kingsley Ogba that the factional group led by Dr. Ajie should withdrawa the suit it instituted against the body before 13th August.

Diri who made this known during an interactive session with journalists at the NULGE Consulate Port Harcourt disclosed that there was no time Rivers NULGE has not been in peace since 1998 it came into existence, except of recent, when opposition led by Dr. Chibor Ajie emerged from Akuku-Toru branch.

The president said in order to maintain the legacy already left behind by the union, his exco and branch chairmen during their last general meeting canvassed for the possibility of making Barr. Francis Ajunwo who has served the body meritoriously for eight years as vice President, the next president. He said having worked for eight years he has in-depth knowledge of the union and so would continue to build it, as opposed to electing a green-horn who will start learning the ropes.

He said Dr. Ajie, Akuku-Toru branch president who has gone to court to seek redress could not even deliver the workers of the LGA during the last election, or improve their welfare and wondered why he is scheming to be in top position.

However, Dr. Ajie said the exco breached the constitution of the union by their campaign and manner of presenting their manifestoes, adding that the delegates for the coming election were hand picked, stressing that it was those reasons that he went to court.

The election has since been postponed by the National President, Comrade Prince Kingsley Ogba###

Rotary Club:

Rtn Dieme Odom Is New President For P/H South-By Amadi Gilbert

Rtn Hamilton Dieme Odom is the new President of Rotary Club of Port Harcourt South. Rotarian Odom, an Estate Surveyor who was installed the new President at the Delta Hotels, Port Harcourt recently replaces the former President, Rtn Dr. F. S. Wokoma who led Port Harcourt South branch of the International Club for year 2008/2009.

Addressing newsmen after his installation, Rtn Hamilton D. Odom thanked his club mates for considering him worthy for the exalted position. He called on men and women of goodwill to join the club and support the cause of humanity.

Lauding the vision and public spirit behind the Rotary Club worldwide, Rtn Odom said what was being witnessed was a mere formal hand over of leadership, stressing that the Rotary Club has a well defined means of electing new officers which is never in doubt.

As he rounds off his tenure in 2010, he said a new president to take over from him has already been elected in the person of Rtn Florence Appah.

According to Rtn Odom, the Rotary Club which has been accorded a permanent observer status at the United Nations will continue to pursue its humanitarian objectives that have stood it out among all the other international non-governmental organizations.

Anchoring his leadership on the club's concern for child welfare, immunization against polio, relief for refugees, rural development and world peace, president Odom stressed on the need to provide portable water to at least two communities that lack water as a challenge to his administration.

“In the world today, there is so much to do, problems to solve, many conflicts to settle, many needy children to reach, much to do about polio eradication. The harvest is indeed, plenty but the labourers are few” he stated.

In his address, the immediate past President, Rtn Dr. F. Wokoma said the main reasons for the ceremony were to review the activities of the past exco, formal installation and public presentation of the new club president and to present and launch the community service projects of the club for 2009/2010 Rotary year.

He also used the opportunity to solicit support for the new Rotary President.

The highlight of the ceremony was the conferment of awards and honours on some distinguished personalities for their humanitarian services to the society.

They include Hon. Collins Chukwuemeka Ordu, member representing Obio/Akpor in the Rivers State House of Assembly, Engr. Efobudu Nwenendah Emessobi from Emohua, Mr. Iloye Braide from Delga, Duntonye Joseph Olaileye from Kwawa State and Hon. Ms. Mediline Tador, General Manager, Radio Rivers###. 

Wokoma Raises Alarm Over Plot To Sell Co-Operative’s Properties …It's A Lie - Alasia

By Polycarp Nwaeke

Tubonimi Wokoma, the president of Rivers Transport and Investment Co-Operative Union Ltd, has raised alarm over alleged plan by Victor Alasia led management of Co-operative Federation of Rivers State to sell the organization's properties.

This is coming barely four years after the former president, Martins Amabipi in conjunction with his board members sold plot 126 Trans-Amadi, one of choicest properties owned by Rivers Co-operative Federation at a ridiculous price of Ninety Six Million naira (N96M) to Schlumberger. The property which Wokoma estimated at Two billion naira (N2 billion) is today the subject of litigation between the co-operative Federation and Schlumberge. Concerning that particular property, Victor Alasia, the Federation's president, told National Network that the Director of co-operative then and now, Mr Okere had written an official letter to Amabipi, warning him and his management not to sell that property as well as other co-operative's properties. Amabipi management  he said, disregarded the warning and went ahead to sell the property, stressing that, that was why his management deemed it necessary to go to court to recover possession.

However, Wokoma alleged again that the president has sold another of the co-operative's property at Rumuosi at a cost of four million, five hundred thousand naira (N4.5m) and misappropriated the money. Alasia admitted that he sold the property but said the proceeds were not mismanaged as it was recorded into the co-operative account. He said everything he has done in the organization so far, is documented, stressing that he was ready to give account anytime, anyday.

Despite that the dusts generated by the sale of these properties have not died down, Alasia is said to have come up again with a brilliant idea that would put money into his pocket. Wokoma said the president recently came up with the idea of establishing a micro-finance bank for the co-operative. To do this, Alasia hinted to him that he was planning to mortgage another of the union's property at number 131 Aggrey Road at a price of thirty million naira (N30million).

Wokoma said the idea of trying to raise thirty million naira (N30m) from the co-operative property at Aggrey Road seemed like a huge joke to him. This, according to him, was because the property there is so small that no bank in its right sense will pay five million naira (N5m) even as mortgage fee.

Few weeks after, Wokoma continued, Alasia brought in estate valuers to value the co-operative building at No 34 Ikwerre Road. It was then it dawned on him that having realized that the property at Aggrey Road would not fetch the required N30 million, Alasia may have decided to use the Ikwerre Road Co-operative building as mortgage for the thirty million naira (N30m) required for the proposed micro-finance bank. This he said, could account for why he brought the estate valuers to estimate the current price of the property. Reacting, Alasia said this imputation was not correct as his administration had made it a point of duty to value the organisation's properties every year.

The Transport Department President also requested to know what the Federation's president has done with the rents he has been collecting from the co-operative's properties. He equally asked questions concerning the organisation's estimated ten million naira (N10m) worth of shares in Sky Bank. He  said he strongly believed that the shares have been but and not accounted for. “If the shares are still there, why shouldn't the management look for how to sell them and with the money realized from it coupled with the ones coming from rents float the micro-finance bank?” Wokoma asked.

What embittered Wokoma was that when he did all that the President never consulted the co-operative members. He said since the past three years Alasia took over from the former management, he has not held AGM and wondered how he has been relating with other members of the board and members of the organization. He said it was this lapse that has embolden him to act arbitrarily most of the time.

To this charge of not calling Annual General meetings (AGM), the Rivers Co-operative president said he was first of all trying to put the organization on a sound footing, having been left in disarray by the administration of Amabipi. He said the moment he is through with what his management was planning to make the co-operative viable, AGM will start holding.

Amidst all these allegations, Wokoma called on the State government, in particular, the Commerce and Industry Commissioner, Ogbonna Nwuke to look for a way of salvaging Rivers Co-operative Federation, saying it is a legacy their forefathers bequeathed to them and so should not be allowed to die.

When contacted, the President of the Rivers Co-operative Federation, Victor Alasia denied the allegations, saying what ever he was doing is in the interest of the organization. He said when the time comes he will present documents to prove his accusers wrong.##
NEWS

Andoni Indigenes Drag TOTALFINA, ELF, Two Others To Court … Demand Change of Name, N700 Billion Compensation

Indigenes of Andoni (Obolo) ethnic nationality in the oil-rich Rivers State, under the aegis of Andoni Supreme Youth Congress (ASYC), have dragged three multinational crude oil and gas companies to court over a contentious oil field.

The three major multi-national hydro-carbon, crude oil and gas producers in the suit are Total E & P Nigeria Limited, Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

In a suit with No. BHC/84/2009, the Andonis are asking the court to declare against the oil conglomerates that the huge Amenam/Kpono oil field jointly operated by the defendants situates in the Andoni local council area territory in Rivers State and not Akwa-Ibom State.

The youths are also praying the court to order the three defendants to change the name of the oil field in contention from "Amenam/Kpono" oil field to "Andoni" oil field.

The suit, which was instituted by Deacon Peter Timothy and three others, for themselves and as representing the Andoni Supreme Youth Congress (ASYC), further seeks an order directing the oil companies to pay Andoni communities the sum ofN700 billion as special and general damages.

According to the claimants, since the commencement of the defendants' operational activities at the Amenam/Kpono offshore oil field, about six years ago, till date, the companies had wrongfully paid all the compensations, homage, royalties and other entitlements that accrued and are still accruing to Andoni communities in Rivers State to communities in Akwa-Ibom State.

They further averred in their 30-paragraph statement of claim that Andoni communities in Rivers State are the people entitled to payment of adequate and Commensurate compensations, royalties and other accruable benefits being the defendants' host communities with regard to the massive Amenam/Kpono oil field.

Meanwhile, a date has not yet been fixed for the hearing of what promises to be an epic offshore oil field case which was filed at the Bori High Court recently.##

NEWS

Brick  House: Twist In Guber Tussle …As Rivers People Take Case To Yar'Adua, NJC, AGF, CJN ... Query Justice Kastina-Alu, JSC

Trouble seems to be blowing anew in the Treasure Base of Nigeria as some Rivers Citizens have regrouped to petition the president, Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar'Adua, the National Judicial Council, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, the president of the Court of Appeal, Justice Umaru Abdullahi and the Attorney General of the Federation, Mr. Michael Kaase Aondoaka. Their grouse is sited on the legal jiggery pockery that has attended the election petition case between Governor Rotimi Amaechi and Chief Bekinbo Soberekon currently at the Court of Appeal sitting in Port Harcourt.

According to our sources, these aggrieved citizens of Rivers State are uncomfortable with the way and manner the Supreme Court which according to them led by Justice A.I. Katsina-Alu and Justice C.M. Chukwuma-Eneh now twist the arm of the law, the constitution and Equity to ensure that Rotimi Amaechi-led undemocratic and unelected government prevails over good sense.

This group which is fearlessly led by Emenike Chinda as chairman and Datubo Kalada as secretary under the aegis of National Movement for Equity and Justice (NMEJ) chronicles Judicial precedents and plethora of legal authorities to fault the actions of these Supreme Court wisemen in the enterprice.

The group  insists that the Supreme Court decision of 25th October, 2007 delivered by Justice A.I. Katisna-Alu which declared Amaechi as Rivers Governor was a travesty of Justice as according to them, Amaechi never contested any Guber election and as such did not satisfy the conditions stipulated by the Constitution for him to be a legitimate Governor.

The group also wondered why it is the same Justice A. I. Katsina-Alu that decides to always offer himself as a succour and last resort to every Constitutional kwashiorkor of Amaechi.

According to them, section 246(3) of the 1999, constitution says that the decision of the Court of Appeal in respect of appeals arising from election petitions shall be final and that it was a clear abuse of court process to assume jurisdiction or to attempt to hear the appeal brought by Amaechi.

The duo queried the rationale behind the four months adjournment at the Supreme Court in Amaechi's case from June 2nd to 8th October, 2009 which was done by Justice A. I. Katsina-Alu and his penchant to perpetuate Amaechi in office inspite of the questionability of his tenure and declaration as governor.

The group therefore draws the attention of President Yar'Adua who rings bell as rule of law president to call the affected Justices of the Supreme Court to order advising them to do justice and not to twist it for what ever reason. They also called on the Attorney General of the Federation, Mr Michael Aondoaka, the National Justicial Council whose duty it is to recommend who becomes Justices of the Supreme Court, the Chief Justice of the Nigeria, Justice Idris Legbo Kutigi, the President of the Court of Appeal and Justice Umaru Abdullahi to intervene and save the Rivers masses from the horror of undemocratism and twisted Justice now imminent at the Supreme Court copiously being abated by Justice A. I. Katsina-Alu and co.

The group continues to ponder on what exactly could be the interest of the said Justice of the Supreme court in Rivers politics and the rationale behind using only Katsina-Alu to always adjudicate over the Rivers political legal battle at the Supreme Court, “Why must it be Katsina-Alu?” they queried. “And why is it that each time Katsina-Alu makes legal pronouncement on the issue it is always the controversial and constitutionally illogical pronouncements that aches Rivers people and indeed legal minded Nigerians? These according to the group now needs a judicial satellite if the Supreme Court should still earn the respect of the Riversman.

Some legal questions raised by the group include but not limited to;

1.         Why is the Supreme Court entertaining Amaechi's question of its made on a clearly pre-election matter, though delivered as a post election judgment question.

2.         Notwithstanding the constitutional or frivolous or extremely important legal questions Amaechi may want the Supreme Court to answer, according to section 246(3) of the constitution can that procedure vitiate the provisions of the Nigeria constitution and/or ever be used in the final decisions of the court of Appeal in respect of the guber election?

3.         Has the Court of Appeal not made its Ruling and is it not the conclusive pronouncement, on the substitution Amaechi is seeking the Supreme Court to upturn or determining his lawful installation as Governor? Is the Court of Appeal not final Court with respect to Guber Electoral Matters?

4.         Is Amaechi not estoppelled on the matter of substitution, likewise the Supreme Court?

5.         Why is the Supreme Court seemingly hungry for jurisdiction or struggling with the Court of Appeal for jurisdiction and thus allowing Amaechi to foist a situation of helplessness upon itself by entertaining what it did not tolerate in previous cases before it and had scolded senior lawyers who assisted politicians so to do?

In the mean, for those who thought that the political legal unrest has been whittled away by Amaechi's policy of road construction, the tense atmosphere posed by these questions and petition of this group proves them wrong. But will their petition bring justice?###

Rumuokwurusi Town Council Election: Forum Refutes Alleged Statement On Zoning… The Publication Is Malicious - High Chief Amadi

Concerned citizens of Rumuwokerebe, Rumuokwurusi in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State has described as false, malicious, baseless and a calculated attempt to create bad blood in the community a statement credited to Hon. Ebere Achor, former Vice Chairman of Obalga and the current Secretary of Rumuwokerebe Community Council in Surveillance newspaper of August 3-10, 2009, Vol/10-15, page 2 on the forthcoming Rumuokwurusi Town Council election.

Hon. Anchor, a highly respected community leader and erudite scholar has also denied ever making any statement or contribution that had to do with a call for zoning in the forthcoming election as erroneously contained in the Surveillance newspaper.

Also peeved and angry over the publication is a concerned citizen of Rumuwokerebe and convener of the forum, High Chief Okechukwu J. Amadi.

Chief Amadi who feels highly embarrassed by the brazen misrepresentation of the intention of the forum and facts highlighted at the meeting said it was very unfortunate that the mischievous publication was coming at a time the people of Rumuwokerebe are fighting for a common goal.

“From our point of view, the intention of the writer of that publication is to cause disaffection among the members of the newly created forum who are doubtlessly veritable partners in progress. For avoidance of doubt, I wish to categorically state that Hon. John Achor did not author any suggestion on zoning”, High Chief O. J. Amadi declared.

According to High Chief Amadi, Hon. J. E. Achor, one of the elites in Rumuwokerebe Community clearly understands and appreciates the myriad of challenges confronting the progress of the community and moreso is literate enough to know his contributions in a gathering of such significance.

High Chief Amadi therefore enjoined the reading public to discountenance the report as published in Surveillance newspaper as it did not represent the discussions and facts raised at the meeting###.

Eneka Old Students Association Appoints New Members Into BOT

The Eneka Old Students Association (E.O.S.A) has appointed new members into its Board of Trustees (BOT) with a view to boosting the corporate image and improving the welfare of the association.

At its emergency general meeting held on Saturday, August 1, 2009 at Rumuobiakani Town Hall, the following persons were appointed into the exalted position of Trustees of the Board:

High Chief Okechukwu J. Amadi- Chairman, Mr. Collins Orji  Secretary, Prince Henry Ihunda  Member, Barr. Worgu Boms, Member and Princess Ure Ejims, Member.

Responding, the chairman of Eneka Old Students Association, Comrade Kennedy Ogbondah expressed joy and appreciation over the calibre of persons appointed to serve as Board of Trustees (BOT). He went further to say that the formation of the Board of Trustees, would facilitate the registration of this noble association with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC).

Among the notable products of Eneka Secondary School is the Chief of Staff, Government House, Port Harcourt, Barr. Nyesom Wike, Dr. Okechukwu Onuchukwu, Head, Department of Economics, University of Port Harcourt Chief Nnamdi Wokekoro, Chairman Rivers State Environmental Sanitation Authority, Barr. Worgu Boms and many other important personalities that have excelled and distinguished themselves in various areas of human endeavour.

Responding, the chairman, Board of Trustees, High Chief Okechukwu J. Amadi thanked the Association for the honour done him and his board members. He enjoined all the members to be in attendance at the next meeting slated to hold on August 29, 2009 at Rumuobiokani Town Hall by 4:pm.###

Public  Notice

CONCERNED CITIZENS Of Rumuwokerebe

Communiqué:

At the meeting of CCR held on Saturday, August 1, 2009 at the palace of High Chief Okechukwu Amadi, the following resolutions were taken:

* CCR Commended the people of Rumuokwurusi town for adopting zoning system for selecting executive officers for RTC and RYM.

* That since some elective offices have been zoned to Rumuwokerebe, all hands must be on deck to ensure that we present credible candidates for the election.

* That during the electioneering period, nobody from Rumuwokerebe should carry out any campaign of calumny against any person running for the election.

*That all family chairmen in  Rumuwokerebe should be invited to the next meeting.

*           That chieftaincy issues should not be discussed in the CCR Forum.

*           That all sons and daughters of Rumuwokerebe should be concerned with, and bring suggestions on how peace can return to Rumuwokerebe.

Signed:

High Chief Okechukwu Amadi                           

Chairman

Esotericist Monday Wehere

JP, FCE, FNCIPA, CPA

Secretary

ISSUE

Residents Groan Under Amaechi’s Bulldozers

The first title I conceived for this piece was 'Amaechi, the Excavator' and it was inspired by the destruction and excavation of offices, homes and roads for the restoration of the garden city status of Port Harcourt, the capital city of Rivers State and the unofficial headquarters of the Niger Delta. I had a rethink because it came out negative and sounded to me like professional criticism.

Governor Amaechi clearly has good intentions for his State but good intentions can midwife bad projects and can also produce bad results in as much the same way as bad intentions. This is the lesson of history. But besides the teachings of history, it is dangerous to trust a ruler whose rulership is traceable more to a court of law than the will of the people. I mean this to come out as a fact the people of Rivers State have to live with, not necessarily as a 'yabis' of the Governor. Another reason for which we must pay attention to the unfolding agenda of the Governor is that he has been 'blessed' with a docile House of Assembly whose members are more concerned with politicking than the pursuit of their constitutional functions. He is, in this regard, as fortunate as his predecessor, Governor Peter Odili.

Now the excavations: Governor Amaechi has excavated most of the artery roads that connect the suburbs to the major roads. The people are told he has advised to do so by a committee he put together soon after he was sworn into office. They are reported to have given two reasons for their advice: solving the impossible traffic situation and beautifying the city. The inordinately few professionals on the committee we have spoken to; say that the Governor disregarded the core of the advice he was given. What we know now is that Governor Amaechi has destroyed more than four hundred offices and homes to actualize his beautification plan. We have no sympathy with office and home owners who breached the rules of government but we are outraged by the destruction of valuable property to actualize a beautification agenda more so because the goals could have been achieved by other methods. We are also outraged by the destruction of public facilities: like the former General Hospital on Hospital Road, returned to the State government by the University of Port Harcourt which had used the facility temporarily for its teaching hospital requirements. Promising the people a mega hospital he had shelved now for soil content reasons. Governor Amaechi had the facility destroyed. The soil tests should have preceded the destruction. For his mistake, if it truly was a mistake, the people of River, State, have been denied the use of a medical facility that was conceived and constructed with pains years before the Governor was born.

Like the general hospital, the Rivers State government, has excavated roads like the Oginigba, Trans Amadi Road, the Mgbuoba/NTA/Choba Road, the Rumuomasi/Rumuobiakani/Old Aba Road, Rumuola/Rumuokwuta link road, all functioning before the excavation exercise. The government has however failed to repair roads in need, roads like the Ada George/Rumuepirikom Road, Stadium Road, Abuloma Road: uncompleted projects that were inherited are also casualties of this Government as they have remained uncompleted. Another feature this Government should win awards for is its slowness in completing, projects. From the time this Government was sworn in it has not completed one road project it started. Of course, excluded from this are roads that were patched up by the road rehabilitation committee that Governor Amaechi put together soon after his swearing in. All the roads under re-construction have been perpetually abandoned. The wide and deep gullies created by the excavations on the Shell/Rumuobiakani/Old Aba Road have been left unattended, except for mosquito larvae, for more than four months.

Enter the human casualties. Men and women whose properties have been sacrificed for Gov Amaechi's beautification project have died of hypertension and cardiac attacks, bringing into question the final intentions of this Government. Homes and offices have been destroyed on roads the Governor has no intention of widening. Most importantly however, not much has been achieved by way of beautification for all our trouble. The traffic situations are getting worse and the former garden city looks more like a rubble city than anything else.

Traffic situations are caused more by the concentration of housing projects and public facilities than by the narrowness of roads. In old Lisbon, most of the inner city roads are one lane roads. Instead of destroying, ancient architectural masterpieces. the Portuguese Government simply opened up new cities. Cascais, Carcavelos and Estoril all around and beside the old city, relocating key ministries and facilities that attracted citizens to the old city. Governor Amaechi should have stayed with his Greater Port Harcourt project and should pursue it with more haste and wisdom than he has applied to other projects. It is simply immoral to first render people homeless and out of business before conceiving ideas to resettle them into homes and shops. That brings me to the contentious Port Harcourt waterfronts question. The Government proposes to destroy the waterfronts dwellings where the Ijaw people of Rivers State and their cousins from other states prefer to live. The official reasons proffered by Government do not in my humble opinion suffice to render about 1 million people homeless. If Government had had the sense to build alternative dwellings, the people would feel less hostile about the plan. If Government destroys their homes first before thinking up alternative it would have disqualified itself from being a viable Government as the primary responsibility of government is to provide safety and security for its people.###

ADVERTORIAL

NATIONAL MOVEMENT FOR EQUITY & JUSTICE (NMEJ)

Rivers State Chapter

17 Ekuku Street, Off Ebony Road, Orazi, Port Harcourt

e-mail: nmejphc@gmail.com Tel: +2347063718976

Invitation of A State of Anomy & Anarchy in Rivers State, is Supreme Court “Hungry”

For Jurisdiction Over Court of Appeal's Final Decision On Guber Election?

Your Lordship,

We have simplified and chronicled in this piece, the facts of the Rivers State Governorship Election of April 14th 2007 as follows:

1.In the Supreme Court Judgment of 25th October, 2007 the Supreme Court (panel headed by Justice A.I. Katsina-Alu, JSC) had ordered Rt. Hon. Rotimi Amaechi into office as Governor of Rivers State (Amaechi himself not having been voted for in the elections but being the sole beneficiary of the judicial 'benevolence' of the Supreme Court);

2.         On the strength of that Supreme Court Judgment (and for all intents and purposes) Barr Celestine Omehia was lawfully, physically and unquestionably replaced, and substituted by Rt. Hon. Rotimi Amaechi;

3.         Promptly after the Rivers State Governorship Election, several candidates of other parties challenged both the conduct of the Guber Elections and the original Supreme Court Judgment of 25th October, 2007 which candidates for the purposes of this discussion are limited to (1.) Chief Bekinbo Soberekon (Accord Party's guber candidate) who challenged the conduct of the elections (right up to the Court of Appeal (Tribunal), and (2.) Barr. Kelechi Onyekwere (PPA guber candidate) and Dr. Abiye Sekibo (former Minister for Transport, former PDP guber aspirant) both of who challenged the Supreme Court Judgment (right up to the Supreme Court again):

4.         On the 26th day of November, 2008, the Judges of the Court of Appeal (Tribunal) unanimously ruled to the effect that: (1.) Amaechi's substitution of Omehia is automatic; and (2.) On the basis of the reasons above, Amaechi henceforth be reflected as the 1st Respondent (in place of Omehia) in the appeal before them;

5.         Contrary to S.246 (3) of the Constitution which states: The decisions of the Court of Appeal in respect of appeals arising from election petitions shall be final", and in clear abuse of court processes, Amaechi (the beneficiary of the original Supreme Court Judgment of 25th October, 2007) challenged the Ruling of the Court of Appeal (Tribunal) at the Supreme Court again; in effect asking the Supreme Court to upturn the substitution of Omehia made by the Appeal Court (Tribunal);

6.         The Supreme Court (panel again headed by Justice A.I. Katsina-Alu, JSC with Justice C.M. Chukwuma-Eneh, JSC sitting) on 2nd June 2009 very surprisingly, entertained an application of Amaechi's (challenging the Ruling of the Court of Appeal (Tribunal) in a Governorship Election matter, at the Supreme Court) and adjourned the case from 2nd June, 2009 (four full months away)             to 8th October, 2009; 

7.         Your Lordship, you reconstituted the panel on 22nd June, 2009 with a full array of seven (7) Justices of the Supreme Court to hopefully give the case accelerated hearing since the substantive election matter was time-barred given the Court of Appeal's pre-scheduled sitting for 25th June, 2009:

8.         In the Supreme Court's sitting of 22nd June, 2009, Femi Falana. Esq. (Chief Bekinbo Soberekon's lawyer) relying on S.246 (3) of the Constitution, pointedly held that the Supreme Court had no jurisdiction to hear this Amaechi's case; while Justice A.I. Katsina-Alu, JSC with Justice C.M. Chukwuma-Eneh, JSC sitting) held that the matter still be delayed and adjourned till 8th October, 2009 exercising plain authority, notwithstanding the urgency desirable for the case;

9.         Prior to 22nd June, 2009, the same Supreme Court had declared its lawful stand (which is precedence for itself and plank on which it ought to stand) giving decisive Judgments. a few of which are as follows:

ON ABUSE OF COURT PROCESS, 'RES JUDICATA' AND 'ESTOPPEL',

i. In Yoye VS. Olubode & Ors, (1974) 10SC. 209, per P. 220 the Supreme Court maintained that " ... .'Res Judicata'as a successful plea is a bar to the jurisdiction of the (Supreme) court; as evidence it is conclusive…”;

ii.          In Ude vs. Nwara (1993) 2SCNJP, per P. 47 the Supreme Court maintained: "By the operation of the rule of 'Estoppel' a man is not allowed to blow hot and cold, to affirm at one time and deny at the other; or as is said, to approbate and reprobate. He cannot be allowed to mislead another person into believing in a state of affairs and then turning round to say, to that person's advantage, that the state of affairs which he had represented does not exist at all of as represented by him”;

iii. In Buhari vs. Obasanjo, (2004) 114 LRCN. 209, per Pp. 2723 & 2766, the Supreme Court maintained: “Litigation is not a game of chess where the players try tricks at each other, to maneuver to get victory. Litigation is rather a judicial process where all the cards must be placed on the table of the judicial process so that parties know in advance the case each has over the other: "It is elementary law that courts of law, like nature, do not act in vain but for a purpose, and the purpose must exist and be identifiable and identified; Courts of law do not embark on academic exercise because they are not academic institutions. Courts of this country are enjoined to exercise their judicial functions within the provisions of S.6 of the Constitution and the section does not anticipate exercise of their equitable jurisdiction… In respect of completed acts"; 

iv. In Awuse vs Odili, (2004) 114 LRCN 2874 at 2920-2921, the Supreme Court maintained: "Counsel, who calls on a court to over-rule its earlier decision, has a Herculean task to satisfy the court that the decision is wrong in law. He must show that the decision has caused or perpetuated injustice through the doctrine of stare decisis, as a desideratum;

v.          In Military Governor of Lagos State vs. Ojukwu. (1986) All NLR. Pt. 1. P 194, it was maintained that: It is trite law that a party has no right to take matters into his hands once the court is seized of it. The decision shows that the court will order a “Status Quo Ante" in case of breach. What the courts have always done was to preserve the 'status quo', pending the determination of the matter, and not to allow a party to be master of the situation. The 'status quo" to be protected is the one THAT EXISTED BEFORE THE ILLEGAL ACT of the defendant which is protected, pending the matters to be determined in the substantive suit. As In Ojukwu's case, the court had to protect the illegal eviction pending the determination of the substantive case pending at the Lagos State High Court.

ON SUPREME COURT ANNULLING ITS JUDGMENT, OR ADJUDICATING WITHOUT JURISDICTION

vi. Igwe vs. Kalu (2002) FWLR (Pt. 121) 1 the Supreme Court maintained that the Supreme Court has inherent power 10 set aside its own Judgment when: (a) The judgment is obtained by fraud or deceit either by the court or by one or more of the parties. Such a judgment can be impeached or set aside by means of an action which may be brought without leave. (b) The judgment is a nullity. A person affected by it can ex debi to justitae, have it set aside. (c) It is obvious that the court was misled into giving judgment under a mistaken belief that the parties consented to it being given”;

vii. Peter Obi vs INEC & 6 Ors, the Supreme Court on 13th July, 2007, per lead judgment of Justice A.I. Katsina-Alu, JSC, in suit no. SC.123/2007; Pp. 9-10 of his "Reasons for Judgment", it was maintained that by S.285 (2) of the Constitution, only the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal have the exclusive jurisdiction to 'validly' declare one's valid election as Governor;

viii. In the words of Lord Denning in Macfoy vs U.A.C. (1962) AC. 152 at 160, & in Salati vs. Shehu (1986) All NLR(Pt. 1) Pp. 50-51, it was maintained that "If an act is void, then it is in law a nullity. It is not only bad, but incurably bad. There is no need for an order of court to set it aside. It is automatically null and void without more ado, though it is sometimes convenient to have the court declare it to be so. And every proceeding which is founded on it is also bad and incurably bad. You cannot put something on nothing and expect it to stay there. It will collapse";

ix Harriman vs Harriman (1987) 6 SCNJ J.P 218, the Supreme Court maintained that "No matter the exigencies of the frivolities Of the vexatious nature of the substantive appeal, the Supreme Court cannot hear the substantive appeal from the ruling of the High Court which is now pending in the Court of Appeal. To do otherwise, is to usurp the jurisdiction of the Court of Appeal and such usurpation will certainly amount to the violation of the Constitution and will therefore be null and void. The Supreme Court will not do anything of the sort in the same vein, no matter the problems with the case at the High Court, Court of Appeal and the political maneuvers, the court can still not assume jurisdiction over who is validly elected as Governor under S.285 of the Constitution";

x.         LSDPC vs Adeyemi Bero (2005) 8 NWLR P. 355, it was maintained that "There is a distinction between an order, or judgment, which a court is not competent to make, and an order or judgment which if even erroneous in point of law or in fact is within the court's jurisdiction, the decision is void. Where a proceeding is incompetent or without jurisdiction, no right can be hoisted on it.” It is the duty of the Court to interpret the words used by legislature and not to interpret what the legislature has not written or to recommend an amendment";

xi. Erisis & Ors vs. Idika & 11 Ors (1987) 11-12 SCN JP.27 at 35-36, it was maintained that "The Inherent jurisdiction which includes power to make consequential order, must be with jurisdiction." "In this case the inherent jurisdiction of the Supreme Court cannot empower it to make a consequential order on an issue, that it lacks jurisdiction";

xii. AG Lagos State vs. Dosunmu (1989) 6 SCNJ P. 134 at 166, it was maintained that “All courts in the federation derive their jurisdiction from the Constitution. Where the Constitution expressly and in clear and unambiguous terms ousts the jurisdiction of any court of law from determining a particular Issue or question, then the court is duty bound to give effect to the ouster: At P. 153:  "It is the duty of the courts to expound their jurisdiction but it is no part of our duty to expand our jurisdiction";

xiii. Agu vs. Odofin (1992) 2 SCNJ P.161 & 173, it was maintained that "The competence vel non of a court is a legal condition which cannot be waived away by the parties, where the condition of want of competence exists, it is a fundamental defect fatal to adjudication." "It is not a mere irregularity which can be cured by considerations of substantial justice";

xiv. Aqua Ltd. vs. Ondo State Sports Council (1988) 10-11 SCNJ P. 26 at 52, it was maintained that: "A right conferred by the Constitution cannot be taken away by any other provisions except by the Constitution itself';

xv. The provisions of S.6 of the Constitution which deal with inherent powers is of assistance only where there is valid exercise of jurisdiction. Power cannot be exercised unless where there is jurisdiction in respect of the subject matter. It is not exercised in vacuo.

10.  As if all this precedence was not sufficient, even as recent as Monday, 8th June, 2009 and in the case S.C.21/2009 (Elder Bassey Etim vs. Hon. Emmanuel Bassey Obot & Ors) five other Justices of the same Supreme Court (Niki Tobi, A.M. Mukhtar, I.F. Ogbuagu, J.O., with Justice C. M. Chukwuma-Eneh, JSC sitting) gave another clearly worded 1-page ruling, thus RULING: “… I am satisfied that it is an election matter which comes within the provision of Section 246 of the Constitution. By Section 2.46(3), the decision of the Court of Appeal in respect of appeal arising from election petitions shall be final. This court, though the final court of appeal cannot be hungry for jurisdiction. This court cannot struggle with the Court" of Appeal for jurisdiction. In the circumstances, the preliminary objection succeeds. The application filed on 3rd February, 2009 is struck out. ... ." Delivered by Justice Niki Tobi, JSC;

11.  And in the most recent Supreme Court Judgment on Andy Uba's Anambra Governor Election Appeal to it, the Supreme Court strongly tongue-lashed both politicians and the senior 'silks" who assist them to abuse court processes, and made a similar award of N30.000 costs.

12.  Your lordship, it is not in doubt how all the above directly and properly relate to Amaechi's case before the Supreme Court? Other relevant citations abound!

GIVEN ALL THESE FACTS NOWTHEREFORE

A.         The Supreme Court has put it self, actions and intentions to serious question;

B.         The Supreme Court has also forced the people of Rivers State to question what now seems to be "justice delayed and denied" asking why Amaechi's case must be so different from what lawfully obtained right in the same Supreme Court in consonance with the provisions of the Constitution and laws of Nigeria?

C.         Questions, Questions, Questions:

1.         Notwithstanding the constitutional, or frivolous, or “extremely important" legal questions Amaechi may want the Supreme Court to answer, according to 5.246 (3) of the Constitution, can that procedure vitiate the provisions of the Nigerian Constitution and/or ever be used in the final decisions of the Court of Appeal (Tribunal) in respect of the Guber Election? Whatever issues, or questions Amaechi raises concerning the Ruling of the Court of Appeal, cannot be (and shall not be) entertained if outside of election matters; if they are election matters. It makes any attention given it (even just for another hearing) a nullity, fraudulently contrived and a grave miscarriage of justice!

2.         Has the Court of Appeal (Tribunal) not made its Ruling, and is it not "the" conclusive pronouncement on the substitution Amaechi is seeking the Supreme Court to upturn, or determining his lawful installation as Governor? Is the Court of Appeal (Tribunal) instead not the "Supreme" court with respects to Guber Electoral matters?

3.         Having been the beneficiary of the original Supreme Court Judgment of 25th October, 2007; having substituted Omehia as Governor of Rivers State for twenty (20) months, and now applying to the Supreme Court, is Amaechi denying or affirming the fact consequent upon the Supreme Court Judgment that the Supreme Court should not have, did not or cannot substitute Omehia with him? Is he not 'estoppelled' on the matter of substitution, likewise the Supreme Court?

4.         Why is the Supreme Court entertaining Amaechi's question of its Judgment made on a clearly pre-election matter (no matter when it was delivered) to become a post-election Judgment question?

5.         Given that the Rivers State Governorship Election has been held; given that the original Supreme Court Judgment of 25th October, 2007 did not, and could not have ruled out lawful challenge of the elections at the Tribunal (i.e. could not have given the elections a seal of 100% compliance outside the ambience of the relevant "Electoral Act 2006" electoral laws ); and given the undisputed unlawful exclusion of at least one other party's candidate from the ballot (a violation of the Electoral laws), then what rules of the Supreme Court, laws of Nigeria, or provisions of the Constitution does Amaechi rely on to presume that the original Judgment of the Supreme Court cannot or should not be subject to S.246 (3) of the Constitution? Is he there on an academic or political debate or exercise?

6.         Why is the Supreme Court (according to the Judgment of Justice Niki Tobi, JSC.) seemingly hungry for jurisdiction, or struggling with the Court of Appeal (Tribunal) for jurisdiction; and therefore allowing Amaechi to foist a situation of helplessness (or anomy) upon itself by entertaining what it did not tolerate in previous cases before it, and had scolded senior lawyers who assisted politicians so to do?

7.         What is so different between Rotimi Amaechi's, Emmanuel Obot's, Andy Uba's and several above-quoted cases, that the urgency of settling a Governorship Election matter that has lingered for two (2) years now should be scorned through incessant delays?

8.         How come the same panel headed by Justice A.I. Katsina-Alu, JSC, is being asked to judge itself on-an original Judgment given by it?

9.         If the Supreme Court wants to justify Amaechi's application for any further question on its original Supreme Court Judgment that put Amaechi in office, is the Supreme Court not to blame for (1.) Not making its Judgment explicit and without constitutional labyrinths; (2.) Declaring a candidate winner the way they did: (3.) Building in unnecessary delays to deny other parties (Amaechi's opponents) justice?

10.       When does 'Res Judicata' apply in the Rivers State Governorship Tribunal?

11.       Why is the Supreme Court again bent on formulating, synthesizing and creating another shortcut for the same Amaechi, create a situation which by its previous Supreme Court Judgments is a nullity ab initio; as it were, to make sure that the interested party, Amaechi, buys as much time even till eternity, to enjoy1he spoils of the earlier shortcut designed specially for him?

12.       Is the Supreme Court practicing 'judicious tyranny', just because it is the last port of call for Nigerians? And what will anybody do if its judgments are so upheld? What are the consequences of a decision of the same Supreme Court, without jurisdiction?

13.       By the way, if Amaechi does not think he ought to be substituting Omehia in an election which Omehia physically ran in, why is he interested in the automatic and undisputable substitution made by the Supreme Court, or in the office of Governor of Rivers State? Should he not just resign? Does he want to inherit the credit accruable to the Judgment and office, but reject the liabilities of facing the Tribunal and a re-run election?

14.       Can the Supreme Court be serving the purpose of justice this way, and what express purpose do the powers exhibited by the Justices of the Supreme Court serve by throwing an ongoing Election Tribunal matter (too long delayed for close to two years) four idle months away in limbo, from June 2nd to October 8th?

15.       Should the Court of Appeal (Tribunal) not follow its own "legal procedures and schedule" and simply proceed to give final Judgment in the Rivers State Guber matter; and should the Supreme Court challenge?

D. ANARCHY AND ANOMY LOOM WHEN JUSTICE BECOMES POLITICIZED.

Plainly and clearly put: Without doubt, what has kept Nigerians from running amok in our brand of democracy is the water of justice poured from time to time on the inflamed polity, out of the hallowed chambers of the judiciary. As the last hope of the common man, it has by its decisions, rescued this country repeatedly from the brink each time our politicians take to the path of suicide and dishonour. However, when the judiciary seems confused over very dear and straight forward matters, it will soon talk from both sides of its mouth, thereby adorning the garb of politicians and muddling up our laws! Or else how do you explain the seeming confusion of judges?

Who is it that does not know that the decisions of the court of appeal are FINAL with respects to appeals arising from Governorship Election petitions? Every politician knows literate and illiterate: the 'Okada' rider knows; the 'Molue' driver knows. The only Nigerians that seem not to know are the judges of the Court of Appeal (Tribunal) themselves or else, how do you expect the Supreme Court to remind the Court of Appeal (Tribunal) that their programme or jurisdiction is very different from that of the Supreme Court as provided by the Constitution: and that the Supreme Court has no business or jurisdiction pertaining to post-election matters arising as appeal from an Election Tribunal or Governorship Elections.

Putting it simply, the Court of Appeal (Tribunal) is the OMEGA of all decisions from an Election Petition touching on National Assembly, Governorship, or State Legislative elections. The Supreme Court has no jurisdiction or powers; not even supervision of the Court of Appeal on those matters because, for those matters the Court of Appeal (Tribunal) is SUPREME period!

It therefore insults the intelligence of Nigerians and tries the patience of Rivers people, for the Court of Appeal (Tribunal) to delay adjudication of the Rivers State Governorship tussle based on appeals and applications in the Supreme Court! The result is that, whereas Delta and Bayelsa States have strategized on how to move forward with or without militants, Rivers State has her present Governor distracted by too many court cases, with militants or criminals continuing with acts of destabilization in the State.

YOUR LORDSHIP, IN THE INTEREST OF OUR PEOPLE, YOU MAY WISH TO INTERVENE TO SAVE RIVERS PEOPLE from this torment by ensuring that the JUDICIARY carry out the function handed them by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and save the State from a situation of anomy and anarchy; saving the Judiciary from ridicule, and upholding for Nigeria its democracy.

 Long may you live!

Emenike Chinda

State Chairman

Datubo Kalada J.

Secretary

CC:

President, Federal Republic of Nigeria

President, National Judicial Council

President, Court of Appeal

Attorney General of the Federation.

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