A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has affirmed Dr. Asue Ighodalo as the duly nominated and authentic governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo State.

In a Judgement delivered by Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court, on Wednesday, the Court declined jurisdiction in the Edo PDP candidate's case involving a forged voter's card.

The Court held that the allegation of a forged voter’s card is not one of the requirements for disqualifying a governorship candidate under the Nigerian 1999 Constitution.

The suit was filed by the impeached deputy governor of Edo State, Philip Shaibu, Anselm Ojezua, and one other.

Justice Omotosho held that the suit, being a Pre-election case, was filed outside the 14 days allowed under Section 285(9) of the Constitution.

The judge ruled that even though forgery or non-possession of a voter’s card was a disqualifying factor under Section 182 of the Constitution, the plaintiff failed to prove that Ighodalo forged his voter’s card as alleged by the plaintiffs.

The honourable justice therefore dismissed the case for lacking in merit.

Recall that Asue Ighodalo emerged as the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in a keenly contested primary election that held on February 22, 2024, at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin City, Edo state.

He polled a total of 577 votes, beating 10 other aspirants to clinch the party’s ticket.

A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has affirmed Dr. Asue Ighodalo as the duly nominated and authentic governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo State.

In a Judgement delivered by Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court, on Wednesday, the Court declined jurisdiction in the Edo PDP candidate's case involving a forged voter's card.

The Court held that the allegation of a forged voter’s card is not one of the requirements for disqualifying a governorship candidate under the Nigerian 1999 Constitution.

The suit was filed by the impeached deputy governor of Edo State, Philip Shaibu, Anselm Ojezua, and one other.

Justice Omotosho held that the suit, being a Pre-election case, was filed outside the 14 days allowed under Section 285(9) of the Constitution.

The judge ruled that even though forgery or non-possession of a voter’s card was a disqualifying factor under Section 182 of the Constitution, the plaintiff failed to prove that Ighodalo forged his voter’s card as alleged by the plaintiffs.

The honourable justice therefore dismissed the case for lacking in merit.

Recall that Asue Ighodalo emerged as the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in a keenly contested primary election that held on February 22, 2024, at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin City, Edo state.

He polled a total of 577 votes, beating 10 other aspirants to clinch the party’s ticket.

In “Finding long-lasting solutions to Nigeria’s woes”published on 11 June, 2024, I commented on a post sent to me by a comrade and classmate at “Great Ife”, Wale Olajire Ajao, titled “The role of the public space in a democracy” In it, I disagreed with Wale that critics do not necessarily have to offer suggestions; the role of defending the government, he said, rests squarely on the shoulders of the public relations managers of the government. Today, I am honouring my pledge to publish Wale’s treatise in full (with little editing because of space constraints) and to further explain why I disagree with some of his views. Read on:

“Public space can be defined as any medium or avenue made available for citizens to express views on the public affairs of a society. Such mediums could be above-the-line, below-the-line or on-line channels. Among above-the-line channels are magazines, newspapers and electronic mediums like radio and television. One of their major characteristics is that a vast or mass audience can be reached at a time. For example, Tokyo Daily in Japan or Washington Post in the USA can circulate up to five million copies daily. Below-the-line channels include leaflets, posters and interpersonal communication channels such as letters or intra-organization communication channels like house journals or newsletters and other new media avenues like WhatsApp group where up to two hundred members of the platform can exchange ideas by chatting up one another. On-line channels are usually new media avenues like e-mail, Facebook, X and WhatsApp. On-line channels can disseminate information faster than traditional media like newspapers and magazines . New media can also reach the vast majority of communication consumers more than newspapers and magazines. Electronic channels, however, can reach the audience faster than any new media channel.

The common characteristic of any public space channel is that it is an avenue for the exchange of ideas. In effect, in the public space there is bound to be advertisement and dis- advertisement of ideas. This is so because in the public space, it is ideas and opinions that are in competition; not the owners of the ideas or opinions. Views compete for attention in the public space. It is clear, therefore, that in a democracy, the public space is open to all the stakeholders to express their views. In popular language, the right of a stakeholder to express his or her opinion on any issue of public interest is what is described as the citizen’s fundamental human rights. This means that each citizen has an equal right of access to the public space. No citizen has a right to inhibit another citizen from expressing his opinion. Therefore, the first thing all users of the public space must accept is that each citizen has equal access or equal right to the public space whatever their opinion. In effect, it is clear that all users of the public space cannot have the same opinion on an issue. Therefore, the first condition for a proper use of the public space is that all users must allow others to express their views without harassment or intimidation. One major demand which the public space makes on all users is what is known as the right of reply. Just as every citizen has a right to express his opinion, it is also the right of everyone to reply to whatever has been put in the public space which they agree or disagree with.

One very clear role of the public space is that it gives everyone the right to react to whatever they agree or disagree with. This means, for example, that if Mr. Julius Akpojiovi is fond of writing only negative things about Nigeria, other users of the public space can respond by publishing what is good about Nigeria. That is how to use the public space. Whenever someone expresses an opinion that is not acceptable, those who disagree have the right of reply. Democracy thrives on difference of opinions because it provides for the right of expression and right of reply. In a democracy, no one should abuse another person just because of difference or divergence of opinions. The public space can accommodate everyone because it has provided freedom of speech or freedom of expression as well the right of reply. It is an abuse of the public space to abuse or attack someone just because of his or her opinion. All a good user of public space has to do is to exercise his right of reply whenever and wherever he deems it necessary. When stakeholders refuse to abide by the freedom of speech and the right of reply, they endanger democracy by unwittingly resorting to gagging the press or polluting the public space. When people are threatened or attacked just because of their opinion, the society loses because it is when two opposing camps engage in a debate that stakeholders can have a deeper understanding of the issues at hand.

One common manifestation of abuse of the public space is to resist or be openly intolerant of dissenting opinions. Critics of the government are often regarded as enemies of the government simply because they criticized the government. Supporters of the government often say that those who criticize the government should come up with alternative views or suggestions for the government to consider. But the rules of the public space do not include making suggestions to the government. In other words, a critic who does not have suggestions to make to the government has not violated the rules of the public space just because he did not make suggestions to the government. In fact, his duty is not to make suggestions. His duty is to criticize. If someone has made destructive criticism, the media officers of the government or those supporting it may choose to exercise their right of reply. No more no less!

The beauty of democracy is that the traditional media law has a way of dealing with mischief-makers who deliberately publish falsehoods against the government or fellow citizens. There is the law of libel; there is also the law of defamation targeted at any medium which publishes libelous information. The fact that new media has been making it difficult to punish those who publish falsehood is the reason governments all over the world are calling for new laws to regulate it; just like it obtains for Facebook, X, WhatsApp, etc. With new media, so many things can be thrown into the public space by anonymous authors. In fact, new media has turned everyone into a journalist, which is not so with the traditional media because not everyone acting as journalists in new media today was trained to be one. Newspaper editors will not accept for publication many of the materials we see on new media because they are not ethical and are injurious to society and the public space.

In effect, new media is potentially capable of abusing the public space because it is abusive of people with dissenting opinions; it also contains falsehood or deliberate distortion of facts and figures. In Europe and America, more and more people are calling on the government to look for ways of streamlining the use of new media. In fact, in China and some Asian countries, new media is not licensed to operate. One other common source of abuse of the public space is when non-experts on a subject insist that everyone on a platform must accept his view as an authority on the issue at hand . Such persons often easily resort to abusing people with dissenting opinions.

In conclusion, the most important role of the public space is that, in a democracy, it allows everyone to speak their mind without fear of intimidation. The public space provides for freedom of expression and the right of reply, both of which make abuse or attack unnecessary. This is more so as there are ready laws to tame offenders”.

The only aspect of this beautifully-crafted piece that I disagree with is where Wale posits that critics need not provide suggestions; I think they should for many reasons. One: It will drastically reduce the number of ignoramuses who simply jump on board, especially on social media, to run their mouth. Two: The suggestions they make will let us know the stuff of which they are made. Three: Those in government do not have a monopoly of knowledge; therefore, suggestions from all manner of places will be of benefit to everyone. Four: Scriptures say in the multitude of counsel, there is safety (Proverb 11: 14). So, counsel and advice cannot be too much. Five: It is a known fact that many of those who walk the corridors of power seldom tell our leaders the truth. Leaders are often cut off from reality; they get caged. A high-ranking senator made this same allegation recently. Six: Since we all have a stake in getting our problems solved and making our country better, offering possible solutions is one way of contributing our own quota to making the country great. If, truly, the rules of the public space is as Wale has said, then, it should quickly be amended to put a burden on critics. Otherwise, criticism just for the sake of criticism is mere hot air; a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing! Apologies, William Shakespeare! Aside from political partisans, skit makers and comedians qualify as some of the most vicious violators of the rule of the public space. How to rein them in without violating their freedom of speech is a challenge.

The assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump on July 13 at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania has sucked the oxygen from the debate on President Joe Biden’s fitness for a second term. The discussion will resurface, but Democrats should forget it. The party is stuck with Biden.

The odds are daunting. It must feel like a difficult marriage heading for a shipwreck. However, with only four months to the election, facing the odds is the only way to overcome them. Expectedly, Biden doubled down on his decision to run after the presidential debate with Trump left the president looking like the victim of a car crash.

He has tried to redeem himself several times and has snagged on his speeches every time. Yet, despite his frail health, stumbling speeches, and the mocking caricatures in the media, Biden insists he would stay in the race.

“I know I’m not a young man,” Biden said after the debate with Trump. “I don’t walk as easy as I used to. I don’t speak as smoothly as I used to. I don’t debate as well as I used to, but I know what I do know — I know how to tell the truth!”

Stuck on him

As doubts about his fitness persist, one truth that he weighs is whether it’s in his party’s best interest to run. With a heavy heart, it’s fair to say that the answer is yes. Democrats are stuck with Biden. However worrying the prospects of a defeat – particularly a defeat to Trump – might seem, Biden’s candidacy still gives the party the best chance to win or rebuild.

Some think Biden should let Vice President Kamala Harris run. She has received support from members of Congress, especially from her state of California, women organisations, progressive activists, and sections of the Asian American community.

Her supporters have given reasons, from her relatively younger age to the likelihood that, given her background as a prosecutor and Attorney General, she would pay more attention to issues like criminal justice reform, immigration and healthcare. Others have added that her ethnic nationality would bring diversity to the ticket and energise Latinos, Asians and Blacks, who are increasingly important demographics among voters.

Others, like Illinois, Pennsylvania, and Michigan governors, have also been mentioned as possible Biden replacements, but none would appear as viable as Harris. Yet, for all the promises she offers, there are many reasons Biden, instead of Harris, remains the Democrats’ best card.

Remember Hilary?

Hilary Clinton, former First Lady and Secretary of State, apart from being a senator, a white woman and one of the best-kept secrets of the deep state, could not defeat Trump in 2016 because America was not ready. It was unprepared to discard the bogey of an “evil” Clinton dynasty. It was – and still is – unprepared for a female president.

Sure, more women are serving in the US Congress today, and voters’ attitudes toward having a female president have slightly improved. But not so fast when a woman of colour is on the ballot.

We never know what might have happened if Hilary challenged Trump again in 2020. But she declined not only because the previous contest had left her with deep emotional scars but because the Democratic party had also come to the inevitable conclusion that in what was supposed to be a post-modern society, gender – and the elephant in the room, race – remained a big issue.

It’s unlikely that Harris would succeed where Clinton failed, a hint that may also be responsible for Michelle Obama staying out of the race despite her popularity in the opinion polls.

Harris’ bonafide

Harris’ slim chance against Trump has little to do with her credentials. She was a former Attorney General and senator from California who formed a bipartisan coalition to enact a $1 trillion investment in infrastructure to remove every lead pipe in the US. She has also been on the frontline to reform the healthcare system, especially among the vulnerable, and reduce gun violence, among other things.

On a typical day, Harris is an asset to the Democratic party and might still be for some time. But this November election is an unusual one. America is deeply divided, and trust in politics is so severely broken that a Wall Street Journal poll indicated that even though this is the first presidential rematch in five decades, nearly 10 per cent of voters are still undecided.

That shouldn’t be because voters have records to judge the contestants: Trump, the demagogue, cut taxes for the middle class and massively removed regulations, among other things; Biden, on the other hand, has recorded two crucial years of job growth in a long time and managed to keep the economy steady, despite the supply chain disruptions of COVID-19. Inflation has taken a significant toll on families but could have been worse.

The jury is out on voters’ feelings, especially where it matters most: their pockets. Although the demographics of the undecided population – less educated, less wealthy, less politically aware and engaged, less interested in politics, but definitely more diverse – should favour Harris, the “silent voters” or “hidden Trump voters” who blindsided pollsters and torpedoed Clinton eight years ago are still alive and well.

Teflon Trump thrives in scandals. Today’s Feeble Joe is not the same Biden who faced Trump four years ago and got away by the skin of his teeth. While he is weaker, frailer and poorer even at sharing his accomplishments in the last four years, his opponent, Trump, has been emboldened by his worst excesses. The race for the US presidency is a match-up between horror and uncertainty.

Strength in weakness

Yet, Biden’s weaknesses, especially his common touch – not Harris’ strengths – are the Democrats’ most potent weapon against a candidate who would lie, cheat, inflate, incite and routinely invent stories to get by. It’s a hard thing to say, but Biden, with all his frailties, is the medicine for Trump’s demagoguery.

Biden stepping down at this time will further weaken and divide the Democrats, giving them very little time to rally before the election. And if the worst, a Trump victory happens – which I think is improbable – then the party would have the chance to rebuild from its potentially less fragmented ruins.

What’s in it for Africa? Heads or tails, not a lot. Trump made clear that it was America first and last and the rest of the world, especially Africa, was shithole. Some still romanticise the Biden Senate years, when he spoke against apartheid, railed against injustice in the Middle East and pursued global peace through multilateralism.

A new Biden

That was then. The Biden of the last four years has massively funded Ukraine’s senseless war with Russia, a meat grinder if ever there was one, and paid scant attention to Africa. He has also proved utterly ineffective in getting Benjamin Netanyahu to stop the killings in Gaza.

The election in November is not about Africa. It’s about whether an exceptional country that lost its way in 2016 – with horrific consequences for the rest of the world – is determined to lose it yet again.

Ishiekwene is the Editor-In-Chief of LEADERSHIP and author of the new book Writing for Media and Monetising It.

In stagecraft, ventriloquism stands out as one of the most entertaining and yet peculiar types of comedic performances. A lifeless puppet or dummy is placed on the thigh of a ventriloquist who inserts his hand into the body of the puppet. The ventriloquist mumbles words and creates a false illusion that the lifeless dummy is the one talking while it is, in fact, the ventriloquist that is secretly moving the lips of the dummy.

In his book titled ‘The Art of Ventriloquism: How to Throw Your Voice’ George Callahan teaches how to misdirect. The dummy has no mind of its own. It is an inanimate object incapable of imagination, speech, or motion but is still able to entertain an audience.

Enter Sam Oritsetimeyin Omatseye, the chairman of the editorial board of The Nation Newspaper owned by Bola A. Tinubu. To the undiscerning, Omatseye is a columnist who uses flowery language to express his opinion on topical issues. But a closer look would reveal to the discerning mind that this so-called writer is nothing but a puppet of his ventriloquist, Bola Tinubu.

In Omatseye, Tinubu has emerged the perfect puppet master pulling the strings and diverting attention from himself. This 63-year-old who ought to be a role model to the younger generation of journalists has sadly left his body and soul to the control of Tinubu, his master.

The sad part is that no one is spared from his vitriol. In June 2011, he penned a libellous article titled, ‘Awo Family Without an Awo’, where he launched an attack against the revered family of the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo and his wife, HID.

“This woman whom Awo once described as the jewel of inestimable value has lost value to his cause. If he came back to life, he would have committed the extraordinary act of divorce after death. Even his newspaper, The Tribune, has so stumbled and fallen that it swims in Awo’s vomit,” he infamously wrote.

The baleful article was crafted to diminish the legacy of Chief Awolowo just because many believed that Tinubu – the man who forfeited $460,000 to US authorities for alleged drug trafficking – was not worthy enough to tie Awolowo’s shoe laces yet alone compare to his matchless legacy.

During the last election, this same cantankerous writer described the Labour Party candidate, Peter Obi, as ‘Obituary’ because Obi dared to contest against his master.

His latest tirades are now directed towards former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and ex-Governor Nasir el-Rufai. Omatseye attacks Atiku weekly just because he seeks to run for office, which is his constitutional right.

Omatseye also pours invectives on el-Rufai and his children just because Tinubu suspects that he, the former Kaduna governor, still harbours a grudge since his controversial removal from his (Tinubu’s) ministerial list.

This unscrupulous writer is not bothered about the latest report by the United Nations that 82 million Nigerians will go hungry by 2030. He is unnerved by the fact that in Kaduna, Katsina, and Kano, bakeries are shutting down because food has been priced beyond the reach of the poor.

Omatseye is not bothered by the fact that over 20 million Nigerian children are out of school. He has no qualms about the exit of multinationals and the resulting job losses. He is unperturbed by the insecurity that claims hundreds of lives on a monthly basis, which has forced farmers to flee and contributed to the 40% spike in food inflation.

This agent of distraction sees no evil in the fact that a woman who was denied a fresh term in the Lagos State House of Assembly after hoarding COVID-19 palliatives meant for the poor has been smuggled back as one of the managers of the Nigerian Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSTIF) which holds billions of naira on behalf of workers.

Omatseye’s only assignment, like the puppet he is, is to distract the public. His duty is to attack Tinubu’s opponents merely because they dare to exist. But Tinubu needs to put an end to the charade. Even the feeble minded are aware that Sam Omatseye is only a weapon, an attack dog at best who takes a cue from the whistle of his master.

Unfortunately for Omatseye, once the stage play is over and the curtain is drawn, the ventriloquist will throw the dummy into the attic where it gathers dust. Were Tinubu proud of Omatseye, he would have treated him the way a mentor treats his protégé. He would have appointed him information minister or presidential spokesman or he would have put him in charge of the National Orientation Agency or the News Agency of Nigeria but even Tinubu knows that a puppet can never be fit to become a ventriloquist’s apprentice hence Omatseye has remained stagnant as chairman of The Nation’s editorial board since 2006.

Paul Ibe is the Media Adviser to Atiku Abubakar, Vice President of Nigeria (1999-2007) and Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (2023).

Each time the issue of cutting costs of governance is raised, most attention goes to the public officials’ salaries and allowances, including their retinue of aides and vehicles. Another popular area of focus is the Steve Orosanye Report which recommended pruning down the number of ministerial departments and agencies by scrapping or merging some of them.

 No doubt, these two instances are valid, especially given the prevailing dire economic situation in Nigeria. But there is yet another critical aspect that is mostly overlooked.

 That is the menace of abandoned projects. It is largely downplayed in national discourse yet it portends a great threat to the infrastructural and economic development of any nation.

 Among other several causes, lack of funding, poor budgeting, litigations and corruption account for project abandonment. Similarly, its numerous effects include creating avenues for economic wastage, providing hide-outs for insecurity or criminality as well as breeding grounds for dangerous animals and then propagating poor environmental aesthetics and hygiene. Abandoned health facility projects are a threat to the lives of the citizenry. Abandoned educational projects deprive the citizens of the opportunities to develop and enhance their living standards. Then, of course, the implications of abandoned roads, housing and electricity as well as industrial developmental projects are numerous.

 Put succinctly, abandoned projects constitute wasted opportunities for national development.

 Hence, a responsive government does not play politics or pay lip service to this issue of great concern. A people-oriented government is dispassionately concerned about employment and wealth creation opportunities including in some cases, lives, lost due to the absence of these basic amenities. It is not certainly about politics or about who initiated the projects. It is about the intentions and inherent benefits for the economy or end-users.

 This is the reason well-meaning Nigerians lauded the recent decision of the 10th Senate to set up an ad-hoc committee to investigate the reported case of 11,866 projects abandoned by the federal government since Nigeria’s independence in 1960. Not just, perhaps, since this republic, but since 1960!

 The question on every lip was: why would successive governments allow such a humongous waste of public resources to grow to this alarming level?

 One can only imagine the amount of money that will be saved and invested productively if only the government can deploy sufficient will to make a policy against initiating fresh projects in sectors where there are existing abandoned ones.

 For instance, a forward-thinking governor should identify and seek to complete abandoned projects in their domain that are of strategic socio-economic importance. It does not matter whether they were initiated by the federal government or previous state governments. This they can do either through partnership or requesting a refund upon completion. In an extreme case, they can approach the federal government with a request to convert such abandoned projects to state use, depending on their natures.

 Hence, the governor of Enugu State, Peter Mbah, recently earned widespread approvals for demonstrating a high level of strategic thinking and prudence in governance. He offered to collaborate with the Nigerian Communications Commission to see to the completion of the Digital Bridge Institute which was abandoned for over a decade along the Ibagwa-Ugwuogo-Opi-Nsukka Road in the state.

 This project was proposed to become the South-East training centre for manpower and expertise in the communications industry.

 It was facilitated by Senator Gilbert Nnaji. Motivated by emerging superior opportunities, he sought to make it the Southeast campus of the first African University of Information and Communication Technology. A bill on his name to that effect was ongoing before the termination of the 8th Senate.

 Meanwhile, this visionary initiative received an impetus from the Muhammadu Buhari administration. The then Minister of Communication, Adebayo Shittu, had announced that “we already have the Digital Bridge Institute, which is for short-term training programmes in six locations across the country and we will transform this institute into the ICT University of Nigeria. This unique university will, by God’s grace, take off effectively in September 2017 and will be run as a Public Private Partnership with the best business and entrepreneurship models.”

 He added, “I have engaged with several stakeholders at the international level – Facebook, Motorola and Ericson – and I am still talking to more stakeholders. We are encouraging them to come and adopt the respective university campuses as their own. I am happy to report that this project is receiving a global boost and endorsement. The committee set up has been working round the clock on the realisation of this objective, and has indeed submitted its final report. A vice chancellor and other senior officials will soon be appointed”. He was later to visit Enugu to ascertain the viability of the project.

 Nine years down the line, nothing has happened. Again, after eight years of Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi and one year of Peter Mbah respectively as governors of Enugu State, the project remained abandoned, despite being almost completed. Instructively, the project got to its present stage of completion when Sullivan Chime was concluding his second term in office.

 This informed the accolades that trailed Peter Mbah’s display of uncommon will and acumen. As a progressive-minded leader, he saw the overriding need to recover the wasted opportunities and create more, for the oncoming generations by extending a hand of fellowship for the ultimate realization of the dreams of the project.

 After he met with the executive vice chairman of the Commission, Aminu Maida, the governor announced that “our discussions focused on strategic initiatives to enhance collaboration for the advancement of Enugu State and the nation at large. We deliberated on several key projects, including the completion of the Digital Industrial Park in Enugu State, which is poised to become the South-East’s innovation hub. We also discussed ensuring that the Digital Bridge Institute is finalized and commissioned, subsequently exploring plans on transitioning it to a digital skills university or institute of technology”.

 It is also noteworthy that Mbah has since commenced works at the International Conference Centre which was initiated by the government of Chimaroke Nnamani and abandoned in 2007.

 This is a rare mix of leadership, pragmatism and patriotism at play. It is an open challenge for the other governors to look around their states for possible avenues for collaboration with the federal government, in the overall interests of the masses. Similarly, it is a statement to the effect that legislators should be true agents of meaningful development for their constituencies and states. In their core functions of representation, law-making and oversight, their focus should be on the things that offer life-enhancing opportunities for the people.

 In this regard, Senator Gilbert Nnaji stands out and deserves commendation for thinking home. He has since left public office but the products of his visionary leadership are still visible and impactful.

 Apart from the DBI project and quoting from a credible source, “as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Communications, Nnaji contributed immensely towards Communication Technology development and advancement in the country. Through his legislative interventions and in furtherance of his ideology that it is through qualitative technology  education that Nigeria can attain a knowledge-based economy, he sponsored a motion on the Integration of ICT in the Secondary School Curricula and also a bill for an Act to Establish the Information and Communication Technology University of Nigeria”.

 Records also reveal that “added to his numerous landmark investments in human capital development, Senator Gilbert Nnaji” ensured that all the tertiary institutions in Enugu State, both private and public, including the teaching hospitals, are equipped with various kinds of ICT facilities for qualitative teaching and learning. He used 58 post-primary schools to demonstrate the efficacy of ICT laboratories in technology  education.

 Commenting on this initiative by Peter Mbah to complete the DBI project, Senator Nnaji said “I am not only happy but my heart is full of joy. It is with a sense of fulfilment that I received the good news. Although I am not surprised that my brother and governor, Dr. Peter Ndubuisi Mbah, is making this positive move. When you see a true leader, nobody will tell you. If you have an opportunity to listen to his dream and vision for our Enugu State, you will agree with me that he is indeed on a rescue mission. So, I am overjoyed and grateful to God that the dream behind the project is becoming a reality”.

 On why the previous state governments could not look in that direction, he added that “our people say that God’s time is the best. So, there is no need to go back to history. Peter Mbah has done the needful and the people of Enugu State and Nigeria will never forget him for this singular show of wisdom and foresight. That is how governance should be. Am sure that other legislators will now be encouraged to bring more developments home”.

 Indeed, the joy of post-public service life is to sit and see how your legacies are serving the interests of the people.

 So once again, as we celebrate Governor Peter Mbah for his display of visionary leadership and prudence in governance, Senator Gilbert Nnaji, with this and many other legacy accomplishments, deserves our commendation.

 But this is just to wish him a happy birthday as he turns 58.

Egbo writes from Abuja.

The Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), the regulatory body governing the practice of engineering, has said that Nigeria recorded 22 building collapses between January and July 2024.

The President of COREN, Sadiq Abubakar, made this known at a news conference on Wednesday in Abuja.

The news conference is themed, “The Incessant Spate of Building Collapse in Nigeria in Recent Times – A Call for Sustainable Collaboration by All Stakeholders.”

Mr Abubakar said that from January to 14 July, at least 22 cases of building collapse were reported in Nigeria with Lagos accounting for 27.27 per cent, Abuja and Anambra 18.18 per cent each.

He added that Ekiti and Plateau followed with 9.09 per cent each and Kano, Taraba and Niger states accounted for 4.55 per cent each.

“Records also showed that Lagos takes the lead in the incidences of building collapse.

“As a matter of fact, over 91 buildings have collapsed resulting in the death of over 354 persons in Lagos from 2012 to date.

“Similarly, in Abuja, about 30 buildings have collapsed from 1993 till date resulting in the death of more than 64 persons and injury of many.

“The most recent occurrences of building collapse close to DMGS Onitsha, Anambra State on 12 June and that of a school (Saint Academy) in Plateau on July 13 where 22 students died and 134 injured as well as the building collapse in Kubwa, Abuja.”

He said that the incidents were worrisome.

According to him, the incidents call for deep reflection and collaboration of all stakeholders in stemming the tide.

’’While we commiserate with all victims and families, we want to commend the efforts of all emergency and security services for their prompt response at the time.’’

According to Mr Abubakar, the leading causes of building collapse vary from one location to the other.

He said some buildings collapse as a result of aging, and based on investigations and research conducted over time, the use of substandard construction materials and structural failure were also responsible.

He said that other factors included illegal change of use of buildings, illegal addition of floors, quackery, and inadequate or lack of supervision and oversight.

He added that other factors included faulty foundations, a lack of soil/geotechnical investigation, and sharp and corrupt practices.

Mr Abubakar also commended the respective affected state governments for constituting a panel of inquiry to investigate the various cases, finding the immediate and remote causes, and preventing future occurrences.

’’This is not the time for apportioning blame or contest of superiority within the built environment but a time for all stakeholders to unite and proffer workable and lasting solutions, particularly in the prevention of building collapses.

’’All professionals within the built environment have a role to play in this.

’’In this regard, we have identified and categorised many stakeholders that we will be engaging shortly,’’ he said

The president said that the proliferation of illegal miners even within residential areas, as reported in some quarters, was a danger to the structural stability of buildings.

He added that the council had, therefore, urged affected states to take urgent steps to reverse the trend, adding that it was also time to enforce the compulsory insurance of some buildings under construction.

He said that COREN had taken some steps in monitoring and preventing building collapses by training and licensing Engineering Regulation Monitoring (ERM) inspectors.

Mr Abubakar added that COREN had reconstituted its Council Committee on Engineering Regulation Monitoring (ERM) and added an additional role of enforcement to its responsibility in line with the amended COREN Act.

He said that COREN had constituted an ERM&E Task Force at regional levels, including Ibadan, Port Harcourt, Enugu, Kano, FCT, Gombe, and Lagos, among other steps to tackle building collapse.

(NAN)

Ghana’s Supreme Court on Wednesday deferred its ruling on a request to restrain parliament from transmitting a highly contested anti-LGBTQ bill to President Nana Akufo-Addo for his final approval.

The ruling means debate around the bill, which has dominated Ghana’s political discourse since parliament passed it in February, will be sidelined from the campaign for December’s presidential election race.

Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo, chairing the five-member Supreme Court panel, said the court will expedite the case. But the case has been adjourned indefinitely, with no date set for further rulings.

Ghana’s Attorney-General Godfred Dame welcomed the court’s decision, telling the media: “I think the court is fair in coming by that approach.”

Two lawsuits are challenging the passage of the so-called “Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill”, which has faced widespread international criticism for curbing human rights.

Broadcaster Richard Dela Sky is contesting the constitutionality of the bill, arguing it violates several provisions of the 1992 Constitution.

Amanda Odoi, the other plaintiff, is seeking a restraining order to prevent the parliament speaker, the attorney-general, and the clerk of parliament from sending the bill to President Akufo-Addo for approval.

The bill, which stipulates jail terms of six months to three years for engaging in LGBTQ sex and sentences of three to five years for promoting or sponsoring LGBTQ activities, has drawn condemnation from rights activists but gained wide support in the conservative West African state.

It has significant support among MPs and is backed by a coalition of Christian, Muslim, and Ghanaian traditional leaders.

Ghana’s finance ministry has warned that the country, emerging from its worst economic crisis in decades and under a $3 billion loan programme from the International Monetary Fund, risks losing close to $3.8 billion in World Bank financing due to the bill.

[DailyTrust]

Former president, Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Amaju Melvin Pinnick has revealed his preference for expatriate coaches.

Pinnick appointed Franco-German, Gernot Rohr to manage the Super Eagles for the majority of his reign in charge of the Super Eagles.

American tactician, Randy Waldrum also took charge of the country’s women’s national team, Super Falcons.

Pinnick, who is currently a FIFA council member, said his reason for being averse to indigenous coaches stemmed from lack of respect for them by the players.

“Yes, the Nigerian coaches have the requisite knowledge and the technical ability, but modern football is beyond that in managing players.

“Will the national team players respect the coach? The sad thing is that they don’t,” he said in an interview on Arise TV.

The NFF is still hunting for a foreign coach to tinker with the Super Eagles.

[DailyPost]

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday called for a political solution to the protracted crisis rocking Rivers State.

Governors on the platform of the major opposition party also renewed PDP’s bid for power shift in 2027, urging other leaders to work for its return to power at the centre.

The governors who met in Enugu, capital of Enugu State, under the aegis of the PDP Governors’ Forum, reiterated their support for Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara, who is locked in a lingering feud with his predecessor,  Nyesom Wike, Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had proposed a political solution to the Rivers logjam. But the peace deal was not totally implemented as Fubara later pointed out that the proposals were not legal.

The battle of supremacy has shifted to the court where the three-member House of Assembly, led by Victor Oko-Jumbo,  and the 27 lawmakers, led by Speaker Martins Amaewhule, are making claims and counter-claims. 

The Fubara/Wike rift was on the agenda of the Enugu meeting, apart from other critical national issues, the crisis in the PDP and its proposed national Congress.

At the meeting hosted by Governor Peter Mbah were Governors Bala Mohammed (Bauchi State),  Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Umo Eno  Akwa-Ibom), Sheriff Oborevwori (Delta), Godwin Obaseki (Edo), Caleb Mutfwang (Plateau), Agbu Kefas (Taraba) and Dauda Lawal (Zamfara States), Ahmed Fintiri (Adamawa),  and Douye Diri (Bayelsa).

Mohammed, Chairman of the forum, who read thd resolutions at the Government House, Enugu, said the governors have resolved to resolve the Rivers logjam without further rancour.

He said: “The forum notes the crisis in Rivers State PDP  and commits to supporting the governor of Rivers State and also resolved that the issue be solved through political solution and other measures.

“All the leaders and organs of the party will be committed so that we can go together and resolve this issue with minimal pressure and without rancour”.

The governors expressed support for what they described as the efficacy of the local government system and the import of bringing governance closer to the people as provided in the constitution.

They vowed to support the local government autonomy as enshrined in the constitution.

The resolutions reads:”In the spirit of the founding fathers of our great party, who adopted internal democracy as fundamental principle, which our party was built, the congresses leading to the election of our leaders at the various tiers must be all inclusive, transparent and must confine with the constitution of our party.

“We must ensure the successful conduct of congresses across the 36 states of the federation and the federal capital territory.

“In the off season elections in Edo and Ondo, we admonish  all the parties to ensure that the elections and campaigns are issue- based, violence free and in strict compliance with the Electoral Act.

“The forum urges the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)  to provide a level playing field, transparent, fair elections as any act of bias will be totally rejected.

“The forum urges Mr President to show leadership as a true democrat by refraining or making any statement suggestive of political interference in the entire process.

“On the economy, the forum notes with dismay and great concern, the mismanagement of the economy by the APC led federal government.

“On minimum wage, the minimum wage negotiations are becoming unduly protracted. In view of the attendant hardship on the people, we have resolved that the labour demand on salary increase is justified and therefore commands the total support of the forum.

“While the forum fully support labour in their demand, agreement and consideration must be made in the ability to pay between the federal government, state government and third tier of government

“While negotiations are ongoing, we appeal for restrain in utterances and actions that could lead to the complete breakdown of the law and order and the collapse of the economy.

“The forum believes in the efficacy of the local government system which ensures that governance is brought to the people as provided in the constitution.  The forum will continue to support the autonomy of the local government as enshrined in the constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria.

“The forum regrets that 16 years of growth and tremendous development of the country under the PDP led government, during which the country witnessed single digit inflation, the establishment of the existing anti-corruption institutions, and higher standard of living for every Nigerian, has been eroded during the lifespan of the lackluster APC led federal government.

“The forum identifies with the Nigerian populace in these troubling times and promises to bring back the old good days of low inflation rate, affordable food, fuel and transportation, steady FDI inflows, resulting in high naira value and create equality of human life as recorded.

“The forum commended the governors of the PDP controlled states for their innovative approaches to governance in many fields especially infrastructure, education, health, women and youth initiatives and timely delivery of developmental projects across the country.

“The forum notes the crisis in Rivers State of the party and commi8ts to supporting the governor of Rivers state and also resolved that the issue be solved through political solution and other measures. That all the leaders and organs of the party will be committed so that we can go together and resolve this issue with minimal pressure and without rancor.

“The forum called on all Nigerians to refrain from any anarchy as we march towards the return of the PDP to power in 2027”.

PDP will bounce back in 2027, say governors

The forum vowed to reclaim leadership positions occupied by other political parties in 2027.

Governor Mohammed said the Enugu meeting underscored the intention of the governors to showcase their perseverance.

He said: “Today, we are here to unify ourselves, discuss issues that affect the party and various matters within ourselves.

“Our agenda will go through governance across party administration, discuss inter-party affair, congress and other things we need to do in providing credible alternative to Nigerians.”

Mohammed said the assessment undertaken by the governors, the National Working Committee (NWC) and other party organs showed that Nigeria was drifting toward anarchy.

He said PDP would not allow the country to drift because it shared an aspiration for a better future.

Reiterating the party’s agenda for power shift, Mohammed said:“It is high time the party reclaimed its leadership position in all the states that are currently being occupied by other parties.”

[TheNation]

When information minister Mohammed Idris addressed the public on the Daily Trust’s recent controversial report, he took the worn path of adding moral panic to the existing one. Rather than address the matter at stake straightaway, he first went on self-justificatory explanations before whipping out the All Progressives Congress’s favourite allegations of ethnic bias and how everything else—except their poorly run government—can lead to potential social breakdown. While Daily Trust did not give a good account of themselves on that issue, we must keep in mind that they are a private media house that caters to an audience in a free market. They do not owe it to the current administration to be fair, just as the Bola Tinubu-owned media houses too were never nice to the past Peoples Democratic Party government.

For those whose memory of that controversy has receded, this is about the recent sensational report about the so-called Samoa Agreement the Federal Government signed. According to Daily Trust, the agreement contains clauses that compel underdeveloped and developing nations like Nigeria to support the advocacy by the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender community for legal recognition as a condition for getting financial and other support from western countries. Daily Trust’s report did not quite say how much we would be getting, but they hinted that some $150bn was involved. Merely implying a link between LGBT and money was enough for that story to be multiplied in the imagination of poor Nigerians. It got to a point that some people expressed their belief that Nigeria was getting $150bn for signing a LGBT agreement.

When you consider our society’s tendency to believe virtually anything, then you will understand why a Warri prophet is selling “miracle soap” and other magical items to his beguiled congregation. When a society’s moral ecosystem is already rigged with lies, there is no amount of absurdity people will not tolerate. Human gullibility is such a perpetually inelastic market that no matter how outrageous it gets, there are always people willing to buy falsehood.

The Federal Government vs Daily Trust debacle, at least while the sensation lasted, was perhaps the most amusing drama I have seen in our public space this year. Yes, it was most laughable to find out that there are actually Nigerians out there who believe that they—and their leaders—have moral values that can withstand a $150bn inducement. For the newspaper to have even drawn the associative line between the money and the agreement, they must know the peculiar disease of numerical a-literacy that afflicts their countrypeople and choose to exploit it.

Ours is a country where we mention “millions” and “billions” without corresponding association of value. There was a time in this country when corruption was measured in millions.  In the 1990s, the $12bn Gulf oil windfall seemed like the peak of financial corruption. Today, no self-respecting administrator goes that low. Even corruption to the tune of billions of dollars no longer scandalises.

The desensitisation also impacts how we understand and relate to figures. Ask a Nigerian what the population of their country twice in a day, and you might hear them say “200 million” in the morning and “250 million” in the evening. They will easily add zeroes to arrive at whatever they feel it should be without being struck by the absurdity. It is the same way we report casualty figures and hype the numbers. One death is not enough disaster in our part of the world; we must exaggerate just so the incident can register.

To the numerical a-literate, figures are just a bunch of zeroes written one after the other. Since they cannot conceptualise the inherent value, those numbers mean nothing. Because the figures have been de-anchored from reality, we can easily lie with figures.

Here is a quick example: In December 2022, the Independent National Electoral Commission announced it would spend N117bn (about one third of its budget) on technologies that prevent hacking and other electoral issues. When the election took place three months later, Minister of Communications and Digital Economy Isa Pantami claimed they managed to prevent 12.9m cyberattacks on the INEC server. That was an election in which 26 million people (likely inflated too) were recorded to have voted. How does it make sense that for every two votes cast, there was a cyberattack? That figure had to have been a statistical contraption by people who not only needed to justify their inflated budget, but also lay a firm ground for another future electoral corruption. Come 2027 election, you will see how much they will budget for anti-hacking technologies.

Whether willful mischief or just illiteracy on the part of the media, Daily Trust took advantage of our mathematically-challenged climate. The first proof that the story was bunkum was the amount they insinuated was involved. How much is the budget of Nigeria—or even the entire West Africa—that anyone would give us that much to decriminalise sexuality? According to the BBC, the said money (€150bn, not dollars) was not even dedicated to Nigeria but provided to Africa through a scheme known as Global Gateway to boost “smart, clean and secure links in the digital, transport, energy and climate-relevant sectors.”

But if truly we were being given the money for LGBT reasons, who says we would have resisted it? We have sold our souls for far less sums and not even for noble reasons. Nigerian—nay, African—leaders have acceded to far more terrible deals that will enslave people across generations for mere millions.

There must be a huge cognitive dissonance between reality and Nigerians’ processing of it for anyone to assume they can put up any resistance if truly western countries want us to change LGBT laws in exchange for money. Think of the World Bank loan of $2.25bn recently approved for Nigeria. Despite how much of our blood repaying that loan will draw, finance minister Wale Edun still described it as “the closest you can get to free money.” You think if the situation ever arises for that one to exchange Nigeria’s LGBT laws for actual free-no-strings-whatsoever-attached money, he will resist? And if that day comes, what can any of those raving and ranting against “LGBT and western agenda” do? Nothing.

Here is a counter-intuitive truth about western power and LGBT in Africa: they simply do not care enough to compel it. If that day ever comes that western powers decide that they need African leaders to decriminalise homosexuality, it will happen. A country like Uganda made one of the world’s most repressive LGBT laws to loudly signal its virtues of defying western nations. Yet, the same country lives off western charity. If their sponsors truly want them to reverse their anti-LGBT laws, do they not have the leverage? Think about it, if a Nigerian president sends a bill to decriminalise sexuality to the National Assembly, is it the Senate led by a morally lapsed fellow like Godswill Akpabio that will stand against it in the name of fighting for African values?

The best you will get from him and his fellow ideologically uninclined lawmakers in their hollowed chambers will be a tepid debate rapidly mouthed by people whose only conviction is money. They will pass the bill, and with even far more efficiency than they did with the national anthem. It will become a law, and there will be nothing any one of us can do about it. Even the religious leaders currently whipping up moral panic over nothing will sing a new song.

In Africa today, there is a lot of decay, disease, and decay because our leaders betrayed us for a mess of pottage. To think those who could do that will somehow develop the will to resist any more money—especially in billions—is just hilarious.