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TheCable Editor Wins African Media Initiative Award

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TheCable Editor Wins African Media Initiative Award
Fisayo Soyombo
Fisayo Soyombo

Fisayo Soyombo, editor of TheCable, has been announced as one of the winners of the Zimeo Excellence in Journalism Awards organised by the African Media Initiative, in Nairobi, Kenya.

Soyombo won the Maritime Economy category, for his story: UNDERCOVER INVESTIGATION: Nigeria’s ‘Customs of corruption, bribery and forgery’ which waspublished in December 2015.

Three other Nigerian journalists were also on the 15-man list of winners which was drawn from more than 700 entries from journalists across Africa.

They are Adedayo Oketola of Punch Newspaper, Hannah Ojo of TheNation Newspaper and Eromo Egbejule of Ventures Africa.

Soyombo has won several other awards in 2016 including, the Newcomer of the Year — Hans Verploeg Award at the 2016 Free Press awards, which held in The Hague, Netherlands and Journalist of the Year (Business and Economy Reporting) in the PricewaterhouseCoopers Awards.

On Sunday, December 4, he was named second runner-up in the Diamond Awards in the Investigative Journalist of the Year category for the 25th Diamond Awards for Media Excellence, DAME.

Soyombo, is a 2013 recipient of the Deutsche Welle/Orange Magazine Global Fellowship for Young Journalists, contributes opinions to Doha, Qatar-headquartered Al Jazeera and Germany-based TAZ.

A finalist for the 2015 Thomson Foundation Young Journalist from the Developing World FPA Award, his works have been translated into French, German and Arabic.

Ten Feared Dead In Adamawa Bomb Explosions

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Ten Feared Dead In Adamawa Bomb Explosions

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Unconfirmed reports have it that several people were killed on Friday when two bomb explosions occurred at a market in Madagali town, Adamawa State, North East Nigeria.

But eye witnesses say not less than ten dead bodies were seen after the explosions.

The Borno State Police Command speaking through its spokesman, Othman Abubakar, confirmed the incident but added that there was no official figure yet on the number of casualties.

Similarly, the coordinator of the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, in charge of Adamawa and Taraba States, Sa’ad Bello, confirmed the twin bomb attack.

Bello, also said that the number of casualty was yet to be ascertained.

Speaking to newsmen, Chairman of Madagali Local Government, Yusuf Mohammed, said the incident which occurred around noon was at the animal and grains sections of the market.

“Certainly there is casualty but I can’t really give you a figure for now,” Mohammed said.

An eye witness, Ahmadu Gulak, said that the two explosions struck simultaneously at opposite ends of the market selling grains and vegetables.

He added that he counted at least 10 bodies and many wounded people being ferried to a nearby hospital by ambulance.

Another resident of Madagali, who only gave his name as Hamma, told journalists that many people were affected as the blasts took place at the busy areas of the market.

“You know today is our market day. I just pray God to minimises the casualty,” He said.

Rivers Re-Run Not Do-Or-Die – Buhari

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Rivers Re-Run Not Do-Or-Die – Buhari

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President Muhammadu Buhari has urged political stakeholders in Rivers State to ensure that Saturday’s legislative re-run election in the state is peaceful and orderly, adding that the election should not be treated as a do-or-die affair.

Buhari called on political parties and their candidates as well as the people of the state to create an atmosphere that is devoid of rigging, violence and intimidation of opponents and electoral officials.

“The rerun elections should not be seen as a do-or-die affair to the extent that people will be killed, maimed and property destroyed in a mindless display of crude primitive instincts,” the president said.

“Innocent blood should never be sacrificed on the altar of political contest for temporary power.”

President Buhari charged the security and law enforcement agencies to be professional and non-partisan in the discharge of their duties even in the face of extreme provocations.

He also directed them to ensure that trouble-makers are fished out and decisively dealt with.

Buhari called on the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to conduct the re-run election with all fairness and transparency, to reflect the will of the people of Rivers State.

The president restated his administration’s commitment to deepen democracy in the country through a culture of free, fair and credible elections.

Supreme Court Affirms Election Of Governor Ayade Of Cross River

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Supreme Court Affirms Election Of Governor Ayade Of Cross River
Governor of Cross Rivers State, Ben Ayade
Governor of Cross Rivers State, Ben Ayade

The Supreme Court has reaffirmed the election of Ben Ayade as the Governor of Cross River State.

A gubernatorial aspirant, Joe Agi, who contested the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, governorship primary election in the state in 2015, had asked the court to sack Ayade over false declaration of age but the apex court held on Friday that Agi could not prove the allegation against the governor.

After losing the primary election, Agi filed a case against Ayade at the Federal High Court, claiming among other prayers that Ayade was parading conflicting age declarations, maintaining that by the constitution of the party the respondent was not qualified to be governorship candidate.

Agi asked the court to declare him candidate of the party having come second in the primaries.

However, On July 31, 2015, Justice Abdul Kafarati of Federal High Court dismissed the case on grounds that the matter was not proved beyond reasonable doubt.

On appeal, the judgment of the high court was later upheld by the Court of Appeal in a three-man panel of Judges led by Justice Tinuade Akomolefe.

Agi who is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, took the matter to the Supreme Court but lost again.

In a unanimous judgement , a five-member panel of justices dismissed the application for lacking in merit.

Supreme Court Orders Retrial Of Sokoto APC Governorship Primary Case

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Supreme Court Orders Retrial Of Sokoto APC Governorship Primary Case
Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal
Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal

The Supreme Court has ordered the federal high court in Abuja to retry the case instituted by Umaru Dahiru, challenging the emergence of Governor Aminu Tambuwal, as the flag bearer of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the 2015 primary election held in Sokoto State.

Dahiru, a former Senator in the 7th National Assembly, had gone to court after the primary election, arguing that the exercise was characterized by gross irregularities.

But Governor Tambuwal challenged the suit, saying that the primary election had been overtaken by events; an application that was upheld by both the lower courts and the court of appeal.

However, in a unanimous decision of a five-man panel of Supreme Court Justices, the Apex Court held that to agree with Tambuwal that the primary election that produced him cannot be challenged by another governorship aspirant is to allow democracy to be murdered by the governor.

The Apex Court ruled that the governor’s nomination should be challenged by another governorship aspirant who participated in the exercise provided that he has sufficient justifiable cause.

In the lead judgement written by Justice Musa Mohammed and read by Justice Chima Nweza, the apex court set aside the decision of the court of appeal which held that the court action instituted by Dahiru against Tambuwal had been overtaken due to the fact that Tambuwal has already won the governorship election.

The Supreme Court stated that the Appeal Court erred in law by holding that the event had overtaken the case of the appellant simply because the governorship election had been conducted after the primary election.

It therefore ordered that a Federal High Court in Abuja should retry the case on its merit and make decision as demanded by law.

53 Persons Burnt To Death In Edo Auto Crash

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53 Persons Burnt To Death In Edo Auto Crash

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At least 53 persons lost their lives in a road accident that occurred along Benin-Agbor-Onitsha express road, precisely at Abudu town in Edo State, on Thursday.

The Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC confirmed this in a statement released by the Edo State Sector Command of the FRSC on Friday, adding that five other persons who sustained injuries have been taken to the hospital for treatment.

Two commercial Toyota hummer buses, one Dyna truck, one petrol-carrying tanker, one Toyota Sienna, one ford bus, one Toyota Corolla and one motorcycle were involved in the mishap.

The FRSC statement noted that everyone in the two hummer buses, Toyota sienna, and corolla car burnt to ashes, saying that the accident was caused by break failure of the petrol tanker, which subsequently burst into flames.

An eyewitness told newsmen that security agents and officials of FRSC were helpless as the victims burnt to death because there was no fire service station at Abudu town, headquarters of Orhiomwon local government area of Edo State.

The statement said Health officers from the local government authorities have been invited to take charge of mass burial for the victims.

When contacted for comments, Edo State FRSC Sector Commander, Samuel Olukoya, said he was on his way to the scene of the accident to get first-hand information.

South Korean Lawmakers Impeach President

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South Korean Lawmakers Impeach President
South Korean President, Park
South Korean President, Park Geun-Hye

South Korea’s parliament has voted to impeach President Park Geun-Hye over a corruption scandal.

The motion passed by 234 votes to 56, meaning some members of Park’s ruling Saenuri party voted in favour.

Thousands of people took to the streets in recent weeks demanding Park’s removal. After the vote, she again apologised for creating “this national chaos with my carelessness”.

At the heart of the crisis is the relationship between president Park and a close confidante, Choi Soon-Sil, who is accused of using her connections to gain influence and financial benefits.

She is presently in custody, facing charges of coercion and abuse of power.

Prosecutors say President Park had a “considerable” role in the alleged corruption, which she has denied.

Park and Choi have been close friends since the 1970s, when the President was acting as first lady after her mother was killed during an assassination attempt on her father, then the country’s military strongman.

It is alleged that after Park became president in 2013, Choi used their friendship to pressure powerful corporations into donating to two foundations she controlled and then siphoned off funds for her personal use.

On Tuesday the corporations’ leaders were grilled by members of the Parliament on whether they made the donations in exchange for political favours.

Park has also come under fire for allowing Choi inappropriate access to government decisions, something which she has repeatedly apologised for.

The parliamentary vote means Park – South Korea’s first female president – has been suspended.

The case now goes before the Constitutional Court, which has 180 days to make a final ruling.

If at least six of the court’s nine judges approve the decision, Ms Park will become the first sitting South Korean president to be deposed in the country’s democratic era and a new presidential election will be held within 60 days.

In 2004, parliament impeached President Roh Moo-hyun, who was suspended for two months.

However the court overturned the impeachment vote and Roh was reinstated.

Meanwhile, Hwang Kyo-ahn, South Korea’s Prime Minister, has become interim president.

Kyo-ahn has spent most of his career as a prosecutor and had served as justice minister, before becoming prime minister in June 2015.

History As 22-Year Old Wins Parliamentary Seat In Ghana

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History As 22-Year Old Wins Parliamentary Seat In Ghana

HISTORY has been made in African Politics as a 23-year old has won election into Ghana’s Parliament in the ongoing general election in the West African Country.

Francisca Oteng-Mensah, a law student and member of the New Patriotic Party, NPP, caused an upset in June 2015 when she defeated the sitting lawmaker of the Kwabre East Constituency in the Ashanti Region in the NPP parliamentary primary Election.

In the Primary election, Oteng-Mensah polled 321 votes while the incumbent MP Kofi Frempong got 187 votes.

Born on Valentines’ day – 14 February – 1993, to Dr Oteng Gyasi, a doctor and a businessman, the MP-elect is currently a second year Law student at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana.

In an interview after her victory in the Primaries, Oteng-Mensah admitted that she had support from her father’s companies, but insisted that her victory was more about her message.

She said while her opponent focused on vilifying her, she stuck to her message of transforming the lives of the youth.

Oteng-Mensah’s victory in the elections may be the beginning of a new era in African politics which has over the years witnessed little or no youth or women participation.

In Nigeria, a non-profit organization, Youth Initiative for Advocacy, Growth and Advancement, YIAGA, is campaigning for a reduction in the constitutional age requirement for running for political office in Nigeria.

On June 8 this year, a bill seeking to reduce the age qualifications for interested candidates to contest for the positions of President, governor and senate in Nigeria to 30 years passed second reading in the House of Representatives.

The bill, which also provides for independent candidacy into Nigeria’s electoral process, further reduces the age qualifications to contest for the House of Representatives and State Houses of Assembly to 25 years.

The Bill seeks to amend section 65, 106, 131 and 177 of the 1999 constitution which prescribed qualification into the office of President to 40 years and above, office of governors and senate, 35 years and above as well as House of Representatives and state Houses of Assembly to 25 years and above.

 

FG To Launch Information App Dec 15

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FG To Launch Information App Dec 15
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Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed

The Federal Government Information Application, FGIAPP, will be launched in Abuja on December 15, 2016, as part of efforts to enhance the dissemination of government activities.

Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed announced this on Thursday at a meeting with Resident Information Officers, RIOs, from Ministries, Departments and Agencies, MDAs, ahead of the launch.

He said that with the introduction of the application, the federal government is leveraging the New Media to communicate government’s policies and programmes to the people anywhere in the world and on real time basis.

“We as a government and as Information Ministry will leverage on the unique technology to inform the world about what we are doing.

“With the new App, it means anybody anywhere in the world will get to know, real time, what is happening in Nigeria at least from our own perspective and narrative,” Mohammed said.

He said the activities of the present administration are hugely under-reported, hence the need to align with the global trend in information sharing.

“The information architecture has changed completely…Today, the story is very different because we have the New Media, and unless you show a very strong presence there, you are not communicating to the world,” the Minister said.

Mohammed stressed the essence of rich content to make the App viable, adding that necessary training and working tools will be provided for the RIOs in order to build their capacity and ensure effective contributions from their respective MDAs.

Also, Director of Information Technology in the ministry, Veronica Adeyemo, said that the App will be a cache of timely and credible information that will drive the authentic narrative from the side of the government.

The App Developer, Olawole Falope, said it will be another veritable platform for Nigeria to blow its trumpet.

“The truth is if you heard only one side of the story, you make your decisions based on just one side. It’s about time that our great nation Nigeria starts to speak and we have to speak to the world,” he said.

He noted that most of the information being put out about Nigeria is either false or fabricated, hence the need for the government to reverse the ugly trend.

House Of Reps Pushes For President To Nominate Ministers Within 30 Days

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House Of Reps Pushes For President To Nominate Ministers Within 30 Days

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A bill seeking to make it mandatory for a president to nominate ministers for confirmation by the Senate within 30 days of being sworn in has passed second reading on Thursdays at the House of Representatives.

The bill, when passed, will also ensure that nomination of commissioners will be made within 30 days from the day a governor takes oath of office.

It should be recalled that it took President Muhammadu Buhari almost six months to nominate his ministers after being sworn in on May 29, 2015.

The sponsor of the bill, Solomon Adaelu (PDP-Abia), said the bill would amend sections 147 and 192 of the constitution, stressing that the amendment would bring about efficiency in governance.

He said that sections 147 and 192 of the Constitution are not explicit as to when the president or governors are to make the nominations for appointment of ministers and commissioners.

Adaelu said that, “Consequently, it is feasible and practically necessary to impose a constitutional time limit for a president to present nominated ministers and their portfolios to the Senate.

“Preferably, 30 days’ time limit after swearing in will be ideal as it provides sufficient time for the president to settle down into governance and carry out final vetting of his nominations.

“And also ensure that the running of governance is not necessarily delayed or held up by the absence of ministers to run the various government departments.”

He pointed out examples from other developed countries where the president already have clear nomination list prior to swearing-in.

He said that, “And this is forwarded to the parliament within a short time of inauguration.

“This practice should be constitutionally mandated in Nigeria to improve the efficiency of governance upon a change in government.

“The experience of 2015 whereby it took almost four months after swearing in for the president to forward nominated names to the legislature resulted in a serious setback for governance.

“This adversely affected the serious handling of pressing national issues in the country; this must be prevented by constitutionally imposing time limit.”

Adaelu also advocated that portfolios of the nominated ministers and commissioners should be attached when submitting their names for confirmation by the legislature to ensure effective screening.

He said that, “This will greatly reduce the fixing of round pegs in square holes which is the bane of governance in Nigeria.

“The discretion of the president to assign people to whatever department he deems fit after screening by the legislature is unhealthy as the legislature will not be able to adequately assess his suitability for that role.”

The Speaker, House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, referred the bill to a special ad-hoc Committee on Constitution Review for further legislative input.

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