Death of female student: LASU clarifies issues

The Lagos State University (LASU) on Monday said the organisers of the party at which a 200 level female student died earlier in the month did not inform the university authorities of the event.

The university said this in its official bulletin. It identified the late student as Miss Omolara Gbadeyan of the Department of Industrial Relations and Personnel Management, Faculty of Management Science. According to the bulletin, Gbadeyan attended a party hosted by the History and International Studies Students Association on Feb. 11 at an Event Centre at Igando, Igando/Ikotun Local Government Development Area. It said that the organisers of the party did not inform the university authority or seek its approval for the event.

My 63-year-old wife starves me of sex, divorce-seeking Septuagenarian tells court

A septuagenarian, Mr Tajudeen Giwa, has asked an Ikorodu Customary Court in Lagos State to dissolve his marriage of over 40 years because his wife ignores him and denies him sex. The petitioner is also alleging that his 63-year-old wife, Karimut, has become a threat to his life and usually incites their seven children against him. “Karimut does not care for me again; she denies me my matrimonial right to sleep with her. “She gangs up with our children against me, to the extent that they threaten my life on her behalf. “I am fed up with the marriage and I no longer love her,” the petitioner, who resides at No. 1, Idiorogbo Village, Itokin Road, Ikorodu told the court

600,000 children in Jigawa are malnourished–UNICEF

The United Nations International Children Fund (UNICEF) on Monday stated that no fewer than 600,000 out of 1.1 million children below the age of five in Jigawa are malnourished. The organization Chief Nutritionist in Nigeria, Mr Arjan de-WAGT, made the disclosure when he led other partners on `Improving Nutrition in Northern Nigeria’’ on a courtesy visit to Gov. Muhammad Badaru in Dutse. 

He said that 165,000 children between the ages of five to 59 months were severely malnourished. He warned that if not catered for, an estimated 32,000 of the number were likely to die this year. “In our latest statistics, Jigawa has the highest number of malnourished

Unemployment, the ravaging disease facing Nigeria’s economy- Lawmakers

By Ikenna Asomba

FEDERAL lawmakers elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), on Monday, decried the alarming rate of unemployment in the country, noting that it is a ravaging disease facing the nation’s economy.

Speaking in Lagos, at the opening ceremony of a six-month programme tagged: ‘Empowerment and Wealth Creation Scheme‘, organised by the lawmaker representing the Kosofe Federal Constituency in the Federal House of Representatives, Hon. Rotimi Agunsoye, in collaboration with the Nationwide Apprenticeship Scheme for Technicians, Artisans, Entrepreneurs and Agro-preneurs (NASTAEA), for 200 youths of Kosofe Federal Constituency, the legislators lamented the rising youth and graduate unemployment in the country, stating that it was gradually becoming an everyday normality and must be arrested. Agunsoye-Ashafa-Gbajabiamila Those who raised this concern were Hon. Rotimi Agunsoye,

Ambode receives FC Barcelona of Spain

Lagos House, Ikeja. Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode (right) and the Board member of FC Barcelona , Pau Vilanova i Vila Abadal, 

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode; Board member, FC Barcelona of Spain, Pau Vilanova i Vila Abadal and Director, FC Barcelona Academy, Oscar Grau. 

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode (middle), flanked by Board member, FC Barcelona of Spain, Pau Vilanova i Vila Abadal (left) and Commissioner for Sports, Pharm. 

(Mrs.) Uzamat Akinbile-Yusuf (right), during a courtesy visit to the Governor, at the Lagos House, Ikeja, on Monday, February 22, 2016. (L-R) Behind are General Manger, Gaton Construction Company, Carlos Gaton; Director, FC Barcelona of Spain, Oscar Grau; Commissioner for Information & Strategy, Mr. Steve Ayorinde and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Sports, Mr. Hakeem Muri-Okunola

Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/02/in-photos-ambode-receives-fc-barcelona-of-spain/

Alleged N225, 000 bribe: SERAP drags NJC, NBA to UN

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has sent a petition to Ms. Monica Pinto UN Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers requesting her to urgently prevail on the National Judicial Council (NJC) to suspend the judge involved in the alleged receipt of N225, 000 bribe. The group also asked Ms Pinto to prevail on the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) to ask the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) to suspend the lawyer involved in the alleged payment of N225, 000 bribe in Nigeria, pending the completion of any investigation as well as final determination of any trial on the matter The petition dated February 19, 2016 and signed by the Executive Director of SERAP, Adetokunbo Mumuni, read in part: “SERAP is concerned that despite these serious allegations of bribery and corruption the National Judicial Council has failed and/or refused to suspend the judge involved pending any investigation and/or trial of the judge.
Similarly, the Nigerian Bar Association has failed and/or refused to ask the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee to suspend the senior lawyer involved pending the final determination of the case against him.” “SERAP is concerned that the allegations of bribery and corruption such as the alleged payment and receipt of N225, 000 threaten the very essence of the independence of the judiciary and the actors in the legal profession.” “Such allegations also severely undermine the rule of law, the public’s confidence in the judiciary, raise the cost for judicial services because litigation is driven by corruption instead of by the legal process, discourage people from resorting to the formal justice system, and ultimately victimise the most disadvantaged sectors of the population who do not have the means to play by the informal rules set by a corrupt system.” “The allegations also undermine fair competition and economic growth, as there is a clear correlation between the level of economic activity in a country and an effective judiciary combating corruption.” “SERAP believes that the NJC and the NBA are in the best position to tackle judicial corruption and corruption within the legal profession, and to ensure the application of appropriate disciplinary measures in cases of bribery and corruption such as the alleged N225, 000 bribe highlighted above.” “Indeed, both the NJC and the NBA have clear responsibilities to counter and combat all manifestations of judicial corruption and corruption within the legal profession. Therefore, the continuing failure by the NJC to suspend the judge involved, and the NBA to ask the LPDC to suspend the lawyer involved will continue to allow judicial corruption to grow, undermine the efforts of all other institutions of governance, and can lead to impunity.” “SERAP notes that article 14 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights recognizes the principle of equality of all persons before courts and tribunals and the guarantee of a competent, independent and impartial tribunal established by law. However, the enjoyment of the right to a fair, effective and efficient administration of justice is impossible if the judiciary and the legal profession cannot act with integrity.”

SERAP therefore urged Ms. Pinto to prevail on both the NJC and the NBA to:
1. Exercise their mandates to deal fairly with any suspicion or evidence of acts of corruption;
2. Take measures to strengthen the integrity of the bench and the bar, and to prevent opportunities for corruption among members of the judiciary;
3. Fully and effectively enforce the codes of conduct to promote and ensure correct, honourable and proper performance of judges and lawyers;
4. Promptly and adequately investigate any allegations of corruption in the judiciary and the legal profession, and to ensure that any sanction or investigative process against judges and lawyers does not undermine the credibility of judiciary and the legal profession or offend the right to a fair trial;
5. Place the independence of judges and lawyers at the centre of their policies aimed at preventing and combating corruption and strengthening the rule of law and human rights;
6. Contribute to strengthening safeguards for the independence of the judicial system and safeguards against judicial corruption in order to ensure the accountability of judges and lawyers;
7. Encourage judges and lawyers to discharge their functions with integrity and impartiality and preserve the dignity of their profession;
8. Recognize that the requirement of independence and impartiality of the judicial and legal professions does not exist for the benefit of the members of the profession themselves, but rather for the users of the justice system, as part of their inalienable right to a fair trial

It would be recalled that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has charged Rickey Tarfa, a senior Nigerian lawyer, for allegedly making phone contacts with Justice Mohammed Yunusa in a case before the judge. The EFCC alleged that Mr. Tarfa’s law firm, Rickey Tarfa & Co. paid N225, 000 into Justice Yunusa’s bank account.

Omokore opens up on oil swap deals

*$2.1bn arms probe: I don’t open President’s parcels—Jonathan’s ex-ADC By Soni Daniel, Northern Region Editor 

ABUJA— The Chairman of Atlantic Energy Drilling Concepts Nigeria Limited, Mr. Jide Omokore, has reportedly been cooperating with operatives, who are probing him over multi-billion oil swap deals between his firm and Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC. Ibrahim Magu Omokore, an active player in the oil sector during the previous administration, was taken in by EFCC last week to assist them in unraveling how his firm won oil swap deals running into billions of dollars, and whether such money had been remitted to the coffers of the government.

A source confided in Vanguard last night: “We are trying to extract from him the quantity of oil his company was awarded under the oil swap deal and how much he has so far remitted to the government. “So far, he has been cooperating with our operatives but we have not extracted the exact figure of what the deals were worth; we are certainly making progress.” Asked if he would be charged to court over the deals, the source said the investigation had not progressed to where charges could be pressed yet. Omokore’s company was among those accused of lifting crude oil, worth billions of dollars, but only remitting a fraction of its worth to the government.

ACF, Ohanaeze condemn killing of unarmed MASSOB, IPOB members

*As IPOB accuses FG of plan to suffocate Kanu

By Emeka Mamah, Francis Igata & Chimaobi Nwaiwu
ENUGU—The Arewa Consultative Forum and Ohanaeze Ndigbo have condemned the killing of unarmed Biafran agitators by security agents and asked the Federal Government to release Nnamdi Kanu,Okechukwu Isiguzoro and other detained MASSOB agitators.

ACF National Chairman, Alhaji Ibrahim Coommasie made this known in Enugu yesterday while clarifying some of the issues discussed at a joint closed-door meeting of both ACF and Ohanaeze.Detained leader of Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu in court

Corruption cuts across tribe, religion in Nigeria – VP Osinbajo

By Levinus Nwabughiogu

ABUJA—Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has said corrupt people pervades the social, economic, political and religious spheres of the country. He alleged that the people appeared to be united in corruption and would protect the identity of one another.Osinbajo Speaking at the annual dinner of Apostles in the Market Place, which had its theme as Change Agents in Nation-Building, the Vice President,

Russian supermarket under fire for selling ‘monkey Obama’ chopping board

An upscale Russian store chain apologised on Thursday for selling chopping boards with an image of US President Barack Obama as a monkey, after the US embassy reacted furiously. The product features a family of monkeys, with an image of Obama’s face superimposed onto that of the smallest primate. The store chain on Thursday announced it had pulled the item from its shelves, saying it had not been aware of Obama’s image.

Monarchs ranking: Why Oba of Benin is number one, by Odia Ofeimun

I am a Republican, not a Royalist. But, in a country in which we have all conceded the coexistence of Republican and Royalist values, it should be considered quite unseemly to watch one set of the interacting values being rough-handled, muddied or treated with improper decorum without feeling a need to intervene on behalf of rectitude.

I have been so challenged since the eruption of the controversy ignited by the Alake of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo, who allowed himself to do a ranking of Yoruba Obas that placed the Oba of Benin as third in the hierarchy.*Oba of Benin

In one sense, as Chief David Edebiri, the Esogban of Benin, immediately retorted, it is wrong to rank the Oba of Benin among Yoruba Obas because the Oba of Benin is not a Yoruba and therefore cannot be placed on a list of Yoruba Obas. I call it ‘in a sense’ because the Esogban’s position may be disputed on the grounds, as will soon be clear, that there is too much sibling hood between Yoruba

Buhari in diplomatic shuttle to stabilise oil price

By Levinus Nwabughiogu, Michael Eboh & Ediri Ejoh, with Agency Report 

ABUJA — President Muhammadu Buhari jets out to Saudi Arabia and Qatar today to engage officials of both countries in further talks to ensure stability of oil prices. Nigeria, yesterday, agreed to freeze the country’s crude oil production at 2.2 million barrels per day this month, same as the level recorded in January, in a bid to address the declining price of crude oil in the international market. The government’s move is a reaction to Saudi Arabia and Russia which have agreed to freeze oil output at near-record levels, the first coordinated move by the world’s two largest producers to counter a slump that has pummelled economies, markets and companies.

Buhari Speaking after a meeting with Qatar’s Energy Minister, Mohammed Al Sada and Qatar Petroleum Chief Executive Officer Saad Sharida Al Kaabi in Doha, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Mr. Ibe Kachikwu, said the decision was in support of the decision of Saudi Arabia and Russia to freeze oil production. He, however, disclosed that Nigeria was looking for ways to increase crude oil production, not for the purpose of export but for local consumption. “Nigeria will continue to look at the possibility of increasing production, not to sell it, because we have local consumption that is essential for us. “Right now, we are not even exporting the quantity that OPEC has given us. Demand from domestic refineries is at least 500,000 barrels of oil a day,” he explained. Kachikwu also gave far-reaching recommendations on how Iran and Iraq could regain some of their lost market share due to sanctions and war.

Angry reactions trail postponement of Imo re-run polls

By Chidi Nkwopara & Chinonso Alozie 

OWERRI—Angry reactions have continued to trail last weekend’s sudden rescheduling of the re-run elections for Okigwe senatorial seat

and some state constituency seats in Imo State. Gov. Rochas Okorocha Addressing a news conference in Owerri, the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Imo State, accused the state government, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, and security agencies in the state of complicity in the aborted re-run election earlier scheduled to hold last Saturday. “The postponement of the scheduled polls was the handiwork of the state government, whose top officials recruited miscreants and street urchins and stormed INEC premises midday with dangerous weapons
and blocked the entrance gate with a heavy duty truck”, the State PDP Chairman, Chief Nnamdi Anyaehie, fumed. Continuing, Anyaehie said: “It beats our imagination and the minds of all right thinking individuals, how such an ugly incident could successively be accomplished in the presence of fully armed security personnel, including soldiers, and yet nobody was arrested.” The Imo PDP boss, who also took exception to Governor Rochas Okorocha’s broadcast, which was aired on the airways of Imo Broadcasting Corporation, IBC, a day to the aborted re-run election, during which he urged the electorate to vote for All Progressives Congress, APC, candidates, dismissed this as a brazen abuse of office. Speaking also,