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 Governors Gbenga Daniel of Ogun State and Ibrahim Shekarau of Kano state are to be conferred with chieftaincy titles during the 1^st year coronation anniversary of Timi of Ede, in Osun state, Nigeria coming up soon.

 

 The chairman of the first year coronation anniversary committee, Alhaji L.Afolabi Dokun, announced this week that the personalities are being honoured for their contributions to the development of the Ede town.

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Press Statement: SENATE’s UNPOPULAR STAND ON PROF. MAURICE IWU
 
Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) and indeed, other numerous Nigerians, particularly those that have been advocating for a credible electoral process in Nigeria, were thrown aback yesterday when the Senate Committee on INEC led by its Chair, Senator Isiaka Adeleke told Nigerians that those clamouring for the removal of the INEC National Chairman, Professor Maurice Iwu were mere dreamers.
 
Nigerians and the entire world are aware of the damage that the INEC as presently constituted, has caused to the democratisation process in the country since he (Iwu) became Chair in 2005. Even President Umar Yar’Adua acknowledged this in his maiden speech on the 29th May, 2007 when he took over the mantle of leadership and again re-iterated it at the inauguration of the Justice Lawal Uwais led Electoral Reform Committee last year.
 
The recommendations of the ERC, which included the unbundling of INEC as submitted to the President was testimonial to this fact. More so that the upturning of some of the election results by the courts and the call for re-runs in some cases added vent to the shabby and ridiculous manner in which INEC conducted the 2007 General Elections in Nigeria.
 
Now that the recommendations are before the President, and with the 2011 Elections by the corner, Nigerians are worried that if urgent steps are not taken to quickly reform the electoral process, the democratic process may be endangered if the likes of Professor Maurice Iwu are allowed to be in the saddle again.
 
Recently, the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and some civil society activists in the country renewed the call for the removal of the INEC Chairman, bearing in mind the dis-enchantment and the lost of confidence in the Chairman by Nigerians. This agitation is not unmindful of Sections 154, 155 and 157 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which clearly stipulates the process of his appointment and removal from office.
 
However, given the enormity of Professor Iwu’s sins against the aspirations and expectations of Nigerians, we expect that the leadership of this country should harken to the popular voice of the people by speeding up his removal through due process in line with the popular demand of the Nigerian people.
 
It therefore baffles us to note that against the backdrop of all these, the Nigerian Senate, which is suppose to draw its mandate from the people and be responsive to them, is throwing its weight behind the INEC Chairman. Such unpopular stand portrays the distinguished members of the National Assembly either as beneficiaries of the Iwu’s electoral fraud or that they have de-linked themselves from the golden voices of their constituencies. We also see this act as a consolidation of the massive attendance by the members of the National Assembly and other political leaders during the ‘Thanksgiving Celebration’ organised by the INEC Chairman in December 2008.
 
We also doubt the position of the Senate on the current Constitutional amendment process, which is expected to approve whatever final proposal that will come from the President on the recommendation of the Electoral Reform Committee.
 
CISLAC therefore, views the position of the Senate Committee as not only undemocratic but a deliberate attempt to scuttle the smooth march towards consolidating democracy in the country. It also call on the President to as a matter of urgency consult with members of the National Council of State to deliberate and take immediate actions towards removing this enigmatic personae that stands between Nigerians and the much anticipated credible elections in 2011.
 
Boniface Kassam
Senior Programme/ Media Officer
CISLAC

 Comrade Elijah Olusegun Dada (JP) is the Chairman, Nigerian Union of Teachers, NUT, Oyo State Wing. In this exclusive interview with Ojo Peter, he spoke about the on-going teachers’ strike and other issues affecting education in the state. Excerpts:

 

Why are Teachers on strike?

 

The strike is about the fight for the implementation of the demand for 27.5 percent increment in teachers salary from the Government. If you could recollect, last year there was a demand by teachers for special salaries nationwide, but with the intervention of various governors throughout the nation on the 6th of August 2008 an agreement was signed with the Governor Forum. They all promised that by January 2009 payment of the 27.5 percent would commence.

 

Some states have started paying while some have not. So, when the North and the Western Zone of NUT met on the matter this month it was agreed those teachers should commence their strike Wednesday, 25th February 2009 until the agreement signed with the government is executed.

 

You gave the government a 21 day ultimatum before commencement of this  strike. What was the actual date?

 

We gave the governor notice of the strike on the forth of February this year. It was a twenty-one day ultimatum which collapsed on the twenty-four. So, when the deadline passed without any positive response from the state governments yet to implement the teachers agreement, we then embarked on the strike as a last option. So, we closed all schools.

 

So, how far has the government made overtures to you since the strike started?

In fact, the issue is not to negotiate or to meet again. It is a matter of signing and implementing the agreement of the 27.5 percent as demanded by us. Though the Oyo state government has called us, we are still on it and we hope that the state government will do something positive about our agreement with them.

 

Some states are said to have started implementing 27.5 percent, NUT demand?

Well, we have about thirteen states that have responded positively. There is Kano, Niger, Gombe, Delta, Ekiti, Borno, Edo, Kaduna, Yobe and others in this category. Even Kano started to do so in November last year. There, however, some states that are paying their own teachers up to 30 percent. We were so  moved by the responses from these states.

 

In Oyo State, we hope that the Otunba Adebayo Alao Akala led government would soon do so. This is because all the discussion we have so far had with him, he has always assured us that he would do something. He is not around at the moment. Immediately he comes back, he would automatically approve this thing.

 

 

The Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), the umbrella bodies of members of the Bench in Nigeria, has passed vote of no confidence on the Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Maurice Iwu and called for its sack.

Rising from a National Executive meeting, the NBA in a communiqué signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Muritala Abdul Rasheed said: “In the light of the 3 recent court -ordered rerun elections in different states of the federation, the National Executive Committee of the Nigeria Bar Association for the umpteenth time, calls on the President, Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar ‘adua as a matter of national importance to remove Professor Maurice Iwu as the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission. In this regard, NBA passes a vote of confidence on the capacity of Maurice Iwu led INEC to conduct a free and fair election in Ekiti State”

Media reports recently quoted Professor Maurice Iwu as saying that only the National Assembly is constitutionally empowered to remove him from office

Three members of the Action Congress, (AC) the opposition party in Osun state, South West Nigeria have been re arraigned before a Magistrate Court in Osogbo for being in possession of explosive chemicals, attempt to commit felony and attempt to bomb Osun state secretariat in Osogbo. The charge is in connection with the Bomb explosion that rocked the Osun state secretariat on June 14, 2007, and the accused persons had faced similar charges in the past.

Those charged are Alhaji Moshood Adeoti, Hon. Gbenga Famodun and Mr Gbenga Fayemiwo -the Action Congress state chairman, Secretary and Media Assistant to Engr. Raufu Aregbesola AC’s Governorship candidate respectively

Presiding Magistrate Ijiyode adjourned ruling on the application for bail till March 9th, 2009 and ordered the accused persons be remanded in Ilesha prison in Osun state.

Mr Ayodele Fayose, the former Governor of Ekiti state, has vowed to work against the interest of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the forthcoming re run Governorship elections, unless his supporters and him are rehabilitated by the party.

 

The Court of Appeal in Benin City, this week sacked Peoples Democratic Party’s Dr Segun Oni as the State Governor, and ordered a re run of the Governorship elections in 10 Local Governments in Ekiti state within 30 days. Dr Oni will square up with Dr Kayode Fayemi of the Action Congress, the opposition party.

 

 But Fayose, who describes himself as the “beautiful bride of Ekiti state” said he will not support the candidature of PDP’s Dr Segun Oni in the re run unless his conditions are met.

 

 

“Let me tell you, I love to remain in PDP but I can not tolerate injustice in the party. Mark my words; except Justice is done in the PDP, I will not work for the party in the rerun election. I mean it, honestly if the PDP fails to do justice and meet the conditions I gave the Party, I will not work for them” Fayose said this week during a visit to Osun state Governor, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola in Osogbo.

 

 “People have been cheated simply because they are my followers. Now we want everybody integrated back into the party unconditionally. We want the party restructured, we demand for payment of allowances of past political office holders that worked for me, we want the cases of political detainees to be revisited without delay and above all.

We must be assured that nobody would be victimised among my followers because we expect at this age of our democracy, there should be freedom of expression. Nobody should intimidate another because of access to power“

Tree Planters Association of Nigeria has raised an alarm on indiscriminate tree felling by officials of the Osogbo Local Government, Osun State, Nigeria, and has called on the Osun State Governor, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola to curb this menace

The Group in a statement signed by its State Chairman, Comrade Amitolu Shittu, called on the Osun State Government to set up a probe panel to look into the indiscriminate felling of trees within the Osogbo Local Government area, expessing worry that the Osun state Government have not implemented a Tree planting project since it assumed office 2003.

Shell Petroleum has expressed fears that uncertainty over planned reforms to its oil and natural gas sector was deterring new investment vital to the industry’s long-term health.

Ann Pickard, head of Shell in Africa, spoke at Abuja at a Stakeholders Roundtable to discuss the Petroleum Industry Bill which passed through first in the Senate on Tuesday 13th January 2009. The second reading has not yet been scheduled

Energy companies are worried that the terms -contained in a petroleum industry bill, which lays down the legal framework for the biggest shake-up of the industry since independence, will cost them billions of dollars in profits.

“We do see that the legislation, the bill, will have a profound impact on the way the industry functions and how the companies move forward,” Ms Pickard told the conference. “Getting it right [is] absolutely essential. Getting it wrong will not be acceptable for Nigeria or the [oil -companies].”

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) yesterday in Abuja signed a “Modified Carry Agreement’’ to the tune of $1.69 billion with Shell Petroleum development Company, (SPDC), TOTAL and Nigeria Agip Oil Company (NAOC) designed to finance their Joint Venture Upstream project in Gbaran-Ugbidie, in Bayelsa state.

Modified Carry Agreement is a financing agreement whereby the International Oil Companies (IOC’s) will advance loan to NNPC for the purpose of investing in upstream projects. The Three oil giants are operating in Nigeria under a Joint Venture arrangement with NNPC, in the NNPC/SPDC/TOTAL/NAOC Joint Venture.

The financing agreement signed is a modification of the existing Carry Agreement. The “Modified Carry Agreement’’ (MCA) introduces greater level of transparency and accountability with repayment and compensation being on “Cash-basis’’ not oil. (more…)

A Russian firm Gazprom (GAZP.MM) plans to invest $2.5 billion in Nigeria’s Gas sector, the funds wiil be spend on development and production of Nigeria’s Gas

“We are one month away from getting a conclusion on the JV (joint venture) deal,” said Vladimir Ilyanin, Managing Director of Gazprom Nigeria, during a Stakeholders Roundtable to discuss Nigeria’s Oil reforms, in Abuja

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corp. (NNPC) www.nnpcgroup.com said in September it had signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Russian gas export monopoly on joint venture projects, but gave few details.

NNPC said at the time that the deal covered petroleum and gas exploration, as well as power.

Nigeria has the world’s seventh-largest proven gas reserves, but has been unable to develop its gas industry to anywhere near full potential because of a lack of funds and regulation.

Some industry experts in Europe see Russia’s deals with African OPEC members like Nigeria as an attempt to increase control on Europe’s natural gas supplies. Gazprom already provides a quarter of Europe’s gas.