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Former ICPC Boss Makes Case For Improved Legal Education

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Former ICPC Boss Makes Case For Improved Legal Education

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Former Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, Emmanuel Ayoola has called on stakeholders in the legal profession and the judiciary to work towards improving the quality of legal education in the country.

Ayoola, a retired Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, made the call while delivering a welcome address at the Regional Dialogue on Legal Education with the theme: “Beyond the NUC Bench mark” held at the Ayoola Institute and Resource Centre, Ibadanon Thursday.

He said: “My urgent appeal to the nation is that more attention should be paid to legal education in all its ramification.

“Law teachers should not only be well remunerated but also well equipped.

“Every sector of legal education should be better funded than it is now. A nation can only be as great as the vibrancy and quality of its laws.”

Ayoola noted the aim of the dialogue was to “generate best practices and approaches that can be employed to redesign legal education and make it responsive to contemporary realities and needs of society.”

According to him, the content of legal education in the Nigerian university system needs to be evaluated in order to prepare the students to be able to adequately respond to the needs of the legal profession, public sector and society at large.

Ayoola said: “In particular, it will review and evaluate existing curriculum for legal education in Nigeria with a view to advocating the improvement of not only teaching methodology but also the introduction of new subjects.

“This would also involve the identification of key skills that the law students should acquire in the course of legal education to enable a smooth transition from the university to the law school and eventually to the service of all sectors of society.”

He added that a sound legal education system would not only benefit the legal profession and the judiciary but also the larger society.

“The quality of law we apply and administer can only be as good as the quality of education imparted to law students,” explained the former ICPC chairman.

“If there is no creativity and critical thinking in legal education the legal practitioner and the judge are retarded from achieving excellence, nationally or internationally.”

Participants in the dialogue included key stakeholders from the legal profession, the judiciary and prominent law teachers in leading Nigerian universities as well as undergraduate and post graduate students from selected institutions.

Denmark Offers To Clear Land Mines From Farmlands In Borno

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Denmark Offers To Clear Land Mines From Farmlands In Borno
Danish Ambassador to Nigeria, Torben Gettermann
Danish Ambassador to Nigeria, Torben Gettermann

Denmark has offered to help in clearing farmlands in Borno State of land mines planted by Boko Haram terrorists so that displaced Persons returning to their homes can safely engage in farming activities.

A delegation of the Danish Refugee Council, led by the country director in Nigeria, Shah Luton, made the promise during a meeting with Governor Kashim Shettima in Bama.

Luton said: “We have seen serious destructions here in Bama.

“We also know that as people prepare to return they will be concerned about going back to means of livelihood, one of which is their farms.

“We will offer to bring specialists to remove mines planted in those farms to make it possible for people to use the farms.

“We will also want to know your other priorities so as to know where to intervene.”

Governor Shettima  had appealed to the Danish delegation for assistance in the rebuilding of the state devastated by terrorists, saying that the financial burden was way beyond the state’s capability.

Shettima said his office had been temporarily relocated to Bama so that he could better supervise ongoing reconstruction works in the area.

He promised donor countries and agencies that his government will continue to be transparent with regard to donations and charities towards the rehabilitation and resettlement of  displaced Persons.

The governor criticized those who he said were in the business of peddling falsehood about the situation of IDPs or destruction in their midst in order to get donations.

He said: “Here in Borno State, we have two million IDPs, the issue of IDPs has become big business that every state would claim they have over 700,000 or 500,000 as the case may be.

He pointed out that some of the IDPs in Yola, are from Borno.

“Borno was the nerve centre of the uprising; we have suffered more than any other community or any other state in the federation.

“The population of Maiduguri has swollen from about a million to three million now,” Shettima said.

He insisted that his government was not asking for cash donations rather it requires assistance in the form of building materials.

Shettima said the areas of need include  the ongoing reconstruction including schools destroyed by the insurgents, intervention in agriculture to create jobs, and gender empowerment with particular interest in education and economic empowerment of women.

Lawyer Sues Buhari Over Ministerial Appointments

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Lawyer Sues Buhari Over Ministerial Appointments
The late Minister of State for Labour and Employment, James Ocholi
The late Minister of State for Labour and Employment, James Ocholi

Daniel Makolo, a legal practitioner has taken President Muhammadu Buhari to court for failing to appoint a minister from Kogi State to replace the late Minister of State for Labour and Employment, James Ocholi.

Makolo filed the suit at the Federal High Court, Lokoja on Thursday, praying the court to declare that the President’s failure to appoint a qualified indigene of Kogi as a Minister after Ocholi’s death was “wrongful, unlawful and unconstitutional.”

Recall that Ocholi died in a road accident on his way to Abuja from Kaduna, alongside his wife and son on March 6 this year.

Makolo said the president had “denied the people of Kogi state representation at the statutory mandatory regular meetings held by the president with his vice and ministers”.

He asked the court to issue an order compelling the president to appoint a minister representing the people of Kogi.

“This is not an optional responsibility; it is mandatory which our beloved President has deliberately failed, neglected or refused to do in respect of Kogi State and her people,” Makolo said.

The legal practitioner also wants the court to declare every decision or resolution reached at statutory meeting(s) held as void “to the extent of its effect on the life and property of the people of Kogi.”

Makolo asked the court to void the resolution reached at subsequent meetings to be held by the president and his cabinet without a representative of Kogi People,

He is also seeking for an order to compel the president to respect and apply Section 14 (3) of the Constitution in all his appointments including those of the “heads of coercive forces of the sovereignty of Nigeria, the paramilitary agencies, and all arm-bearing institutions of Nigeria.”

In addition, the applicant sought an order directing the Attorney-General of the Federation to initiate and carry out a corona inquest into the Sunday, March 6, death of Ocholi on Kaduna-Abuja road to uncover and make public the actual and remote causes of the accident.

The Senate President and the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice were also joined in the suit.

Money For Employment: ICPC Charges Top Civil Defence Staff

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Money For Employment: ICPC Charges Top Civil Defence Staff

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By Obiejesi Kingsley

The Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission, ICPC, has charged a senior staff of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, to the Federal High Court, Abuja, for collecting money to give employment to some Nigerians.

Adeyemo Samson Sunday, a Senior Corps Assistant with the NSCDC, was accused of allegedly collecting the sum of N420,000 through another officer of the corps, Bosede Faloye, to facilitate employment for people into the corps.

The two count charges read: 1) “That you, Adeyemo Samson Sunday (m) sometime in May 2015, or thereabout, in Abuja, while being in the employment of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Abuja, as Senior Corps Assistant, did confer corrupt advantage upon yourself when you received the sum of N420,000 via your Skye Bank Account with account number 1040068828, to secure fresh employment for unsuspecting Nigerians into federal government agencies and you thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.”

2) “That you, Adeyemo Samson Sunday (m) sometime in May 2015, or thereabout, in Abuja within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, being entrusted with the sum of N420,000.00 which you received via your Skye Bank Account with account number 1040068828 from one Mrs. BOSEDE FALOYE for employment, did commit criminal breach of trust by dishonestly misappropriating the said sum of N420,000.00 and you thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under section 323 of the Penal Code CAP 532 Laws of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja 2006.”

The ICPC, in the charge document, said it acted on a petition it received on March 10, 2016, from one E.I. Okani and Associates on behalf of their client, Ike Innocent Nduka, against one Mrs C.O. Chukwura, also a staff of NSCDC.

The petitioner alleged that their client had paid the Sum of N350,000 to the said Chukwura in “November/December 2012”, for the purpose of securing employment into the NSCDC.

However, Chukwura failed to secure the job for Nduka and has refused to refund him the said amount.

The anti-corruption agency pointed out that the main petition was not directly against the accused person, Sunday, however investigations revealed that he received the sum of N420,000 from Faloye who is also linked to Chukwura in the main petition.

The ICPC stated that the accused person received the money “sometime in May 2015 or thereabout” through his Skye Bank Account with account number: 1040068828.”

It was while scrutinizing the account statements that investigators found that Faloye had paid in a total of N420,000 into Sunday’saccount, leading to the suspicion that the initial petitioner may not have been the only victim of the NSCDC syndicate.

A list of four witnesses was provided by the ICPC to prove its case, consisting of two of the commission’s investigators, Bosede Faloye and a representative of Skye bank. The case was charged on September 20.

Buhari Invites UN Negotiators For Chibok Girls/Boko Haram Swap

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Buhari Invites UN Negotiators For Chibok Girls/Boko Haram Swap
President Muhammadu Buhari and the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-Moon
President Muhammadu Buhari and the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-Moon

President Muhammadu Buhari has told the United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, that Nigeria will welcome intermediaries from the global body in swapping the over 200 abducted Chibok schoolgirls with Boko Haram prisoners.

In a statement by Femi Adesina, Presidential Spokesman on Thursday, Buhari was quoted to have made this request during a bilateral meeting with the UN scribe at the sidelines of the 71st UN General Assembly in New York.

He said this was a show of Buhari’s administration’s commitment to swapping the abducted schoolgirls from Chibok with Boko Haram fighters in custody.

President Buhari said the Nigerian government was willing to bend over backwards in order to get the Chibok girls released from captivity.

“The challenge is in getting credible and bona fide leadership of Boko Haram to discuss with,” the President said, adding that, “The split in the insurgent group is not helping matters. Government had reached out, ready to negotiate, but it became difficult to identify credible leaders. We will welcome intermediaries such as UN outfits, to step in,” he stated.

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Buhari reiterated that the teachings of Boko Haram were far from being Islamic, as neither Islam nor any other religion, advocates hurting the weak and innocent.

“The fact that they kill men, women, children, and other people wantonly, and shout Allahu Akbar (God is great) shows that they do not know that Allah at all. If they did, they would not shed innocent blood,” the president said.

Buhari thanked Ban Ki-moon for the moral and material support given to Nigeria which, he acknowledged, had enabled the country surmount many of the challenges facing her.

Responding, the UN Secretary General congratulated Buhari on the anti-corruption war.

Ki-Moon declared: “You are highly respected by world leaders, including myself. Your persona has given your country a positive image.”

The United Nations’ scribe stated that the the global body recognised President Buhari’s government’s achievements against the Boko Haram insurgents.

He, however, urged that human rights be upheld always in order to prevent a repeat of the scenario being witnessed in Syria.

Ki-moon also thanked the Nigerian leader for his commitment to issues on climate change, adding that the government should “own the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” for the good of its citizens.

Buhari Wants Investors To Support Nigeria’s Economic Diversification

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Buhari Wants Investors To Support Nigeria’s Economic Diversification
President Muhammadu Buhari delivering his speech at the US/Africa Business Forum in New York
President Muhammadu Buhari delivering his speech at the US/Africa Business Forum in New York

President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday called on international investors to take advantage of the diversification of the economy currently taking place in Nigeria and invest in the country.

Buhari made the call when he addressed the US/Africa business forum on the sidelines of the ongoing UN General Assembly in New York.

The forum was organized by the United States Department of Commerce and the Bloomberg Philanthropies and is aimed at providing the opportunity for African leaders to meet and parley with potential investors.

President Buhari noted that the US has  been one of Nigeria’s top trading partners; for decades as the biggest importer of its crude oil, adding that many American companies, like Exxon-Mobil, Chevron, Microsoft, Procter and Gamble, Coca-Cola, Pepsi Company, etc, are thriving in Nigeria’s business space.

He acknowledged that the country is going through challenging times economically, but added that his administration sees the challenges “as an opportunity to set the economy firmly on the path of true diversification, sustainable economic growth, and shared prosperity.”

Buhari told participants at the forum that successes are being made on the three major policies of his leadership namely: security, fight against corruption and economic diversification.

The President said investment opportunities abound in various sectors of the economy, including Infrastructure, Industry, Agriculture, Mining and the Digital Economy.

He said: “We are working hard to bridge an electricity deficit of several thousands of megawatts, which will require substantial private sector investment, especially in Transmission.

“Our railway system is being opened up after decades of a government monopoly that has hindered the needed private sector investment.”

On Industry, Buhari said “investments and partnerships are being directed to leather and leather products; sugar; palm oil processing; food processing, specifically tomato and fruit processing.”

“Automobile assembly and manufacturing are important to the diversification of the Nigerian economy. Industrial zones and parks are being established. This is work in progress.”

The President further said Nigeria is ready to partner with and support willing private investors in the agriculture sector by creating an environment that is stable, safe, and competitive.

“I am pleased to note that Coca Cola has recently invested substantially in one of Nigeria’s best-known dairy and fruit juice companies, and is looking to increase its stake over the next few years,” he said.

In the mining industry, Buhari said that his administration is determined to build a world class minerals and mining ecosystem designed to serve a targeted domestic and export market.

He said the country’s digital economy also holds huge promise for potential investors.

He stated that “Young Nigerians are increasingly demonstrating that they have the talent and the passion to leverage the digital economy for solving our most pressing challenges.

“There are currently 150 million active mobile phone lines in the country – sixty percent of which are connected to the Internet.

“I can confidently say that Nigeria is in the early stages of a domestic technology revolution, and the government is paying serious attention and offering its full support.

Buhari informed the gathering that a few months ago Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, “had invested $24 million in Andela, a technology company that has Iyin Aboyeji, a 25-year-old Nigerian as one of its co-founders, and maintains its main campus in the city of Lagos.”

He urge the American businesses to take advantage of the investment opportunity that Nigeria represents, adding that the country “remains the number one investment destination in Africa, with total FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) inflow of about US$3.64 billion in 2015.”

“Apart from our domestic market of 170 million,” Buhari said, “the largest in Africa, we are also the main gateway to a combined West African consumer market that is about as large as ours.”

“With a median age of 19, and with 70 percent of the population below the age of 35, Nigeria’s greatest potential lies in the talent and energy of her youth.”

“In order to encourage private capital inflow, we have packaged some fiscal investment incentives which include the following: up to 5 years of tax holiday for activities classified as ‘pioneer’; Tax-free operations; no restrictions on expatriate quotas in Free Trade Zones; among others.”

He used the occasion to announce the U.S. Nigeria Commercial and Investment Dialogue.

“This Dialogue, which will focus on Infrastructure, Agriculture, the Digital Economy, Investment and Regulatory Reform, will be jointly led by the Nigerian Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, and the US Commerce Secretary, and will include business executives from both countries,” Buhari noted.

He enjoined investors to take advantage of the forum in order to build synergies that would translate to increased trade and investment flows between Nigeria and United States of America.

Women Group Supports “Change Begins With Me” Campaign

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Women Group Supports “Change Begins With Me” Campaign
Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed poses with representatives of the NCWS
Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed poses with representatives of the NCWS

The National Council of Women’s Societies, NCWS, has committed to partner with the federal government on the newly-launched national re-orientation campaign “Change Begins With Me.”

National President of the group, Gloria Shoda, announced the decision in Abuja when she led a delegation on a courtesy visit to the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed.

She said, “We crave the indulgence of the Minister to direct the NOA (National Orientation Agency) at the federal and state levels to co-op members of the NCWS during the advocacy campaign, ‘Change Begins With Me’.”

“This is important to us because a lot of Nigerians tend to view the campaign as having a political undertone, whereas it is meant to provoke Nigerians to change from negative behaviours and embrace discipline and patriotism; it is meant to be a value added initiative for a better Nigeria.”

The NCWS president also appealed to the government to set up a special task force to curb the cases of rape and child molestation, which she said have become rampant in the country.

In his reply, the information minister pointed out that the “Change Begins With Me” Campaign was not meant to put a burden on Nigerians, rather it is a deliberate effort to change citizens’ attitude for the good of the country.

“We are particularly pleased that you have stretched your hand of fellowship to our new campaign ‘Change Begins With Me’,” Mohammed said.

“It’s laudable that you want to join us because from the way you spoke, you understand that this ‘Change Begins With Me’ Campaign is about national rebirth; it’s about going back to those values that made women to be able to bring up their children in a godly manner.”

The minister noted that the truth about the Campaign is that it started from the top to the bottom, contrary to criticisms from some quarters.

He said, “People have criticized the campaign; some have said the campaign ought to start from the top and we agreed simply because they have not even followed the campaign.

“The campaign actually started from the top because the best campaign is that campaign that you do what you are preaching,

”This government is leading by example, especially Mr. President, the Vice-President and Ministers.

“This is the least ostentatious cabinet you can ever have. We are all living and showing good examples. We obey traffic rules, queue up at airports and public places; we get to work early and close late,” he said.

Mohammed expressed optimism that despite the criticism, Nigerians will soon imbibe the tenets of the campaign and make it a huge success.

“This campaign is going to succeed. The campaign is not asking Nigerians to do anything extra; we are not putting any burden on any person. What is our campaign? We are saying Nigerians must first of all resolve that the change we are looking for is in each and every one of us; that all of us must change what we are doing from the negative to the positive,” he said.

The NCWS, an umbrella body of women’s societies in Nigeria, was formed in 1958 to promote gender-related issues.

LAUTECH To Re-Open Soon

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LAUTECH To Re-Open Soon

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By Samuel Malik

The age-long problems affecting the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, LAUTECH, Ogbomosho in Oyo state, jointly owned by Oyo and Osun states, are almost over and normal academic activities will resume in the next two weeks, as the two state governments have renewed their commitments to the school.

The www.icirnigeria.org also gathered that a major announcement on the future of the school is expected to be issued jointly by the two states in a few days’ time. The states, however, are refusing to confirm or deny the information, only volunteering that the school’s resumption is “very, very close”.

LAUTECH has been closed down since June 13, when the school management asked students to proceed on an indefinite break “until further notice”, as uncertainty over the long time future of the school, particularly with regards to funding, reached a critical level.

But a highly placed university source, who did not want to be named, confirmed that Governors Abiola Ajimobi and Rauf Aregbesola of Oyo and Osun states respectively met recently and agreed to work towards a peaceful resolution of the problem.

“There is high hope that we are returning sooner than expected. Management has been meeting and I am also aware that the two governors are doing their best to see that the situation is resolved so that our students can come back to campus

“The two governors have agreed to find a common ground and it is expected that within the next two weeks, students will be asked to resume,” the source said.

Confirming the development, the public relations officer of the school, Lekan Fadeyi, said with the progress made by the two governors, the school would soon resume.

“There is high hope that we are returning sooner than expected. Management has been meeting and I am also aware that the two governors are doing their best to see that the situation is resolved so that our students can come back to campus,” Fadeyi said, adding that while he could not give a specific date, “it is going to be very very soon and things will take a commendable shape”.

Our findings revealed that Osun state has failed to meet its financial obligations to the school for some time, after allegedly removing the institution from its payroll. This forced the Oyo state government to also withdraw its support, saying it was not ready to solely finance the school. Recently, Oyo state released some money to the school but directed that it must not be spent until Osun state also released its part of the funding.

But there are indications that Osun is now willing to pay its dues.

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A sourced stated: “We met with the state government officials and they told us they have put us back into their payroll and will fulfil their end of the deal soon. The states thought we could sustain ourselves but they have been proved wrong. The person in charge of Osun state’s payroll confirmed that LAUTECH has been added.”

Fadeyi also confirmed that Osun state has agreed to resume funding the school, saying the present economic situation in the country might have affected the state.

“Yes (the state is putting LAUTECH back on its payroll) but there has never been a time the state government said it was not going to meet its obligations. Like every other institution, and when I say institution I mean state, federal government inclusive, the economic recession is affecting everybody. The state admitted that as a visitor and co-founder of the school, it has some obligations that must be met. Maybe because of the economic situation of the state, we had some inability to pay but the governor has said that they will resume payment very soon and we have no reason to doubt him,” he pointed out.

The Special Assistant to Governor Abiola Ajimobi on Youth and Sport, Bolaji Repete, confirmed that the two states are talking and that a resolution is near.

He said: “The two state governments are working together to resolve the crisis and I can assure you that very soon LAUTECH will be reopened.

“Oyo state government has been so responsible when it comes to the welfare of LAUTECH as a whole but you cannot blame Osun state. Everybody is aware of what is going on in Osun state, so I cannot condemn or criticise Osun state government for not being able to pay or meet their own obligation concerning LAUTECH,

“As far as I am concerned, Oyo state government has been meeting up its own obligation in its own little way. The issue is not all about Oyo state. Oyo state has played its own part, so I think Osun state government should also help in order to resolve the issue.”

The Commissioner for Information in Osun State, Sunday Akere, also confirmed that talks are underway and a statement is expected soon. He admitted there are issues between the two states but said there is need for the issues to be sorted out in order for students to return to the classrooms.

“The two states are joint owners of the school and although we may have some issues but definitely in the interest of students and the generality of the people of the two states, we belong to the same party, we must work to resolve the issues and get things going. Officials of the two states are working and talking and we know that very, very soon the areas of contention will be sorted out,” Akere said.

Findings by the www.icirnigeria.org revealed that funding has been at the centre of the crisis in LAUTECH.

Since Ajimobi and Aregbesola became governors, LAUTECH has not received capital expenditure from the two states, with the school depending solely on its internally generated revenue and whatever fund it can get from the Tertiary Education Trust Fund.

“The school is not properly funded and that has been the genesis of whatever problem exists now or in the past,” the source said.

“Since two years ago, the two states stopped giving the school subventions and the school has been on and off. Whatever it generated from its IGR, it used to pay salaries. This time around, money has dried up completely from the coffers of the university and that was why it had to close shop.”

The two governors, the source said, called the school management to say they could not give it 100 percent of its recurrent expenditure. They could only afford 70 percent and asked the school to generate the balance internally.

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So, what Oyo state was said to have released last month was its 50 percent of the 70 percent recurrent expenditure, with the expectation that Osun would release the other 50 percent.

On September 9, parents and indigenes of Ogbomosho, apparently dissatisfied with Osun state’s role in the school, protested the continued closure of the school and called on the Oyo state government to take full ownership of the school.

This website gathered that part of the reason for the protest was that Oyo state had been consistent in the last few months in making its contribution, but Osun had continued to default.

Akere, however, condemned the protest, saying the people had no right to determine for the states what should happen to the school.

According to him: “It is not for the indigenes of Ogbomosho to decide what should be done or not. The institution belongs to the two states and the fact that it is cited in Ogbosmosho does not give indigenes of Ogbomosho the prerogative to decide for the government.”

Repete agreed that the protesters should not dictate to the two states what should happen to LAUTECH.

“LAUTECH is situated in Ogbomosho, so they have the right to protest and demand for whatever they want but as a government, we have to look at the merits and demerits of their protest, then the government will issue a statement concerning that,” he said.

With the two states said to be working assiduously to reopen the school, Repete said whatever the reasons for the protests, everything would be settled when the two states issue a joint statement as soon as Friday.

“Immediately the two states issue a statement, I think before Friday, denying or rejecting the call for sole ownership, I think the strike will definitely die a natural death,” he said.

 

INEC Begins Nationwide Re-distribution Of Uncollected PVCs

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INEC Begins Nationwide Re-distribution Of Uncollected PVCs
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INEC said there are over 12 million unclaimed PVCs

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, said it had directed its states’ offices to recommence the distribution of unclaimed Permanent Voters Cards, PVCs, to their owners.

Nick Dazang, Deputy Director of Voter Education and Publicity in the commission, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN,on Wednesday, in Abuja.

He said that the exercise will be an ongoing one in order to ensure that uncollected PVCs were distributed to their owners.

“It will be recalled that after the 2015 general election, we had over 12 million uncollected PVCs,” Dazang said.

“What the commission did was to direct all states of the federation, including the FCT to strategise ways of distributing the uncollected PVCs that are with them.

He added that there was no deadline attached to the directive, rather each state is at liberty to decide on the modality for the distribution.

Earlier in June this year, INEC hinted that plans were underway to distribute the over 12 million uncollected PVCs before the end of the year.

House In Rowdy Session Over Dogara, Jibrin

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House In Rowdy Session Over Dogara, Jibrin
Speaker Yakubu Dogara and Abdulmumin Jibrin
Speaker Yakubu Dogara and Abdulmumin Jibrin

The House Of Representatives was thrown into a rowdy session on Wednesday, following suspected moves to suspend Abdulmumin Jibrin.

Speaker Yakubu Dogara had recognised Emmanuel Orker-jev, Chairman of the House Committee on Rules and Business, to speak and he moved a motion on breach of his privilege and that of the House by the embattled former Chairman of the Appropriations Committee.

Oker-Jev spoke amidst heavy shouts of ‘no no’, supposedly from members of the Transparency group.

He said that the budget padding allegations raised by Jibrin, had brought the House under heavy criticism.

At that point, Jibrin was reported to be pacing around the chamber under the close watch of the sergeant-at-arms.

The motion was however passed and referred to the ethics and privileges committee, to look into the matter while Dogara loyalists kept shouting “Dogara, Dogara.”

Another member, Aliyu Madaki was recognised to speak, but he was barely heard, as many of the lawmakers were screaming all at the same time.

Brief calm however returned to the house and Madaki was allowed ‎to speak.

He pointed out that the motion by Oker-Jev was not seconded by any legislator, and reminded Dogara that there was a call for him to step down on account of the allegations brought against him by Jibrin.

Dogara said‎: “We all know who seconded the motion. The allegations were against the house; if I must resign, I will wait for you to tender in your resignation first.”

At this point the House became rowdy once more as some Dogara-loyalists started hailing the speaker at the top ‎of their voices and distributing faze caps and mufflers with the inscription: “I stand with Dogara.”

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