The Oyo State Governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, has approved the appointment of six new judges into the state judiciary.

A statement issued in Ibadan on Wednesday by the state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Bayo Ojo, said that the appointment was sequel to the recommendation of the National Judicial Council (NJC).

The new judges, according to the commissioner, include the Chief Registrar of the state High Court, Mrs. O. O. Olatunji, Mr. Bayo Taiwo from the Federal Ministry of Justice, Abuja and the immediate past Vice-Chairman of the Ibadan branch of the Nigerian Bar Association, Mr. Lekan Owolabi.

Others are Mr. G. A. Sunmonu, Mrs. O. M. Fadeyi and Mr. E. O. Ajayi, all Ibadan-based private legal practitioners.

The appointment of the new judges, whose swearing in will be performed by Governor Ajimobi on 27 May, 2013, has brought the number of judges in the state judiciary to 22, while more judges may still be appointed before the end of the year.

The last time judges were appointed into the state judiciary  was ain 2006.

—Gbenro Adesin/Ibadan

Samm Audu, the Team’s Media Officer, said in a statement released in Abuja that Egbedi joined the squad the same day that Rangers International FC of Enugu striker Alhaji Gero, Olympiakos FC of Greece attacking midfielder Michael Olaitan and Daddy Moses joined the team.

According to the statement, Moses has reportedly signed a contract with Ajax Amsterdam FC from an academy in Nigeria.

It said the 30-man squad was expected to feature at this year’s Toulon International Football Tournament, where they are drawn against defending champions Mexico, Portugal, Brazil and Belgium.

The Flying Eagles’ final 21-man squad is expected to be named latest 11 June.

The Nigeria U-20 team are drawn in Group B alongside Portugal, South Korea and Cuba.

The team will set out for Turkey from Germany on 17 June and will play their first match on 21 June against Portugal in Kayseri.

The team made up of Uwazie Jude and Alex Adewale lost the first match on Monday against Spain without hitting a ball as the Spanish side walked over the Nigerian contingent due to the late arrival of the team to Turkey.

This was followed by a 0-3 defeat to Belgium on Tuesday as Alex Adewale lost in two straight sets 0-6, 0-6 to Joachim Gérard, while Uwazie Jude also lost 4-6, 2-6 to another Belgian, Gert Vos.

The Nigerian pair were later bundled out in the Men’s Doubles when they lost to Belgium’s Mike Denayer and Joachim Gérard, 0-6, 1-6.

Despite these defeats, President of Nigeria Tennis Federation, NTF, Engr. Sani Ndanusa is still hopeful that the Nigerian players can still make it to the next round of the competition in the Men’s Singles if they can win the playoffs.

—Damilare Okunola

For the first time after almost six months of an alleged cold war between Banky W, owner of Empire Mates Entertainment and his biggest star, Wizkid, it was a pleasing sight for many to see both showing each other so much love as it was in the beginning.

The two were brought together by mobile telephone giant, Samsung, during the ‘Design for Life Fashion Show’ to launch the brand’s Galaxy S4 recently at the Oriental Hotel in Lagos.

•Banky W and Wizkid

P.M.NEWS Showbiz Trends learnt that Wizkid had sneaked into the hall midway into the show and took a sit right next to his boss, Banky W.  As if that was not enough to show that there is real love in the EME family, while Banky was on stage, he gave a shout out to Wizkid and invited him on stage to do a couple of his songs.

Banky revealed to the crowd that Wizkid was not paid to perform at the show but was doing so as a favour to him. They both lit up the stage performing Roll It, and left the fans craving for more.

Style and couture were the stand-out features of the Samsung Galaxy S4 launch. It kicked off with a fashion show specially organised by Samsung to celebrate young designers, the event highlighted the distinctive qualities of the phone while the crème de la crème of the entertainment industry laughed for several hours in the company of compere Seyi Law.

On the heels of the success of his last single Good Life, top singer, J. Martins has returned to the studio to make another good music, P.M.NEWS Showbiz Trends can reveal.

This time, he is offering from his creative factory a beautiful split; a mid tempo hip hop number, Touchin Body and Nkoli remix, a love song featuring rap star M.I; rave of the moment, Phyno and amazingly, Basket Mouth, the comic merchant extraordinaire.

•J.Martins and Phyno

Nkoli remix, rendered in smooth and soothing Igbo lyrics, is laced with raps from two of the industry’s front-liners, while Touchin Body takes music lovers swiftly back to memory lane.

“I’m grateful to God that Good Life came to start the year on a good note, that’s pretty much cool…First of all, Good Life was not a Nigerian song, if you really notice what we know Nigerian songs to be. But my fans also embraced it and gave their support as they have always done. But we have to return to the studio to work,” said J.Martins.

He added: “For now, no albums, we’re just making good music all the way, that’s the best service I can render to everyone who believes in my artistry,” he said.

J. Martins, a United Nations Youth Ambassador, is a song writer, singer and producer. His many songs, most of which are evergreen from Fine Fine Love, Oyoyo, Good or Bad and even the last single, Good Life, gets rave reviews by pundits.

Accomplished South African-based Nigerian filmmaker Akin Omotoso’s special documentary film Wole Soyinka: Child of the Forest is one of the selected films showing at the 2013 Cinema Africa Film Festival in Tokyo, Japan.

This year’s Cinema Africa event, which started on 18 May and will run till 23 May, also has on the lineup features, documentaries and short films. Among those films selected to be screened are Nigeria’s Kunle Afolayan’s two recent films: Phone Swap, a romantic comedy and The Figurine.  There will also be a documentary on Ousmane Sembene and short films like Wanuri Kanuri’s sci-fi Pumzi.

Cinema Africa is a non-profit organisation in Tokyo, Japan, established in 2006. “Our mission is to develop understanding and appreciation of Africa in Japan through African films made by African filmmakers or producers. For this purpose, we have organized Cinema Africa in Tokyo, the only one African film festival in Asia and the Pacific region. We also recently started distribution of the films to non-profit organizations, non-governmental organisations, and municipalities,” said an official of Cinema Africa.

Nigeria’s Super Sand Eagles will this evening at the Mazagan Beach Resort, El Jadida, Morocco confront Libya in their first Group B match of the African Beach Soccer tourney, which kicks off today.

The team would return to action again tomorrow, when they trade tackles with Egypt before confronting Cote d’Ivoire on Friday.

Speaking on the readiness of the Nigerian team for the tournament, Head Coach, Audu Adamu expressed confidence in the ability of his men to reach the last four and also qualify for the World Cup in Tahiti later this year.

“It’s a good draw for us; our target is to first reach the semifinals and then the final which will mean qualifying for the World Cup. Qualifying for the World Cup is always our priority right now,” Adamu stated.

•Nigeria’s Super Sand Eagles during the last Copa Lagos Beach Soccer Championship. Photo: Idowu Ogunleye

Corroborating the stand and belief of Adamu is Abu Azeez, who was the top scorer at last year’s Copa Lagos Beach tourney. He said that the team are raring to go. “We arrived safely in Morocco and we’re really set for the stiff challenges ahead.

“The team know what is at stake and we are going to ensure that we do our best to make the nation proud, by not only do well in Morocco, but qualify for the world championship in Tahiti,” Azeez said.

Nigeria are a powerhouse in beach soccer on the continent, and have represented Africa at the world stage on numerous occasions.

The team are packed with beach soccer stars that include team captain and Dolphins FC midfielder, Isiaka Olawale, Ogbonnaya Okemmiri and top scorer Victor Tale.

Meanwhile, former Super Eagles defender turned clergyman, Taribo West is upbeat that the Sand Eagles would do well at the tourney based on the level of their exposure at last year’s Copa Lagos Beach competition, saying “I expect them to win and qualify for the World Cup given their exposure in Copa Lagos. I think they have what it takes, they are an incredible team, and I believe their handlers know what to do to keep them at the top.

“If they maintain their form from what I saw in Copa Lagos, I think they will be unbeatable; they are incredibly good”.

The two finalists will qualify for the FIFA Beach Soccer World, taking place in Tahiti between 18 to 28 September later this year. Group A comprise of Morocco, Ghana, Senegal and Madagascar, while countries in Group B are Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Libya, Egypt.

—Adebobola Alawode

On 23 June, pop star D’Banj will be a year older. But on that day, the entertainer is planning to shut Lagos down with another five-star concert, featuring live appearances from some of the finest stars on the continent and beyond to celebrate his 33rd birthday.

The MOBO and BET-winning hit-maker said he is throwing a big, spectacular gig, at Eko Hotel and Suites, Lagos, to launch the debut DKM album, and celebrate his recent achievements with friends and fans in Nigeria.

D’Banj, early this week said the hugely anticipated concert will be rock electrifying performances from him and his friends, including Fally Ipupa  from Congo DR, 2face Idibia (Nigeria), 2Chainz (USA), Olamide (Nigeria) and other big names from home and abroad.

“It will be my first time in Nigeria and I can’t wait,” 2Chainz said in a video drop released by D’Banj. “My birthday is in September but I’ll act like it’s my birthday,” the rapper, mostly known worldwide for his mega hit Birthday Song added jokingly.

• Dbanj and Snoop Lion performing at the MTV Africa All Stars concert in Durban

The big-budget concert, D’Banj said, will be the first in a series of DKM Concerts to be staged in collaboration with Ndani TV in Lagos and other parts. It will also feature DB Records acts KaySwitch, JSol, JSleek and others.

“We have done it all over the world, with the support of our fans everywhere. I know Nigerians have been yearning, and I can’t wait for 23 June to bring Lagos alive and treat my friends to all the new stuff we’ve been working on,” the star entertainer who performed with Snoop Lion at the MTV All Stars Concert in Durban, South Africa over the weekend, concluded.

Chief Coach of the Flying Eagles of Nigeria, John Obuh and his wards would have an opportunity to perfect their acts ahead of the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Turkey when they take part at the 2013 Toulon International Tournament which kicks off in France later this month.

The international football tournament would provide the technical crew led by Obuh an avenue to test their strength before the World Youth Championship, WYC which will hold next month.

The Flying Eagles relinquished their title at the last edition of the African Youth Championship, AYC held in Morocco. They will be using the tournament in France to look at the areas of weaknesses before the commencement of the WYC.

At the AYC in Morocco, the Flying Eagles were wasteful in front of goal as they threw away litany of scoring chances and it is expected of the coaches to use the 10-nation invitational tourney to correct the shortcomings of the team.

The team came under serious criticism following their poor showing in Morocco but it was the attacking department that got much of the bashing because of their wastefulness.

Expected to lead the team’s onslaught is Kayode Olanrewaju, who will be getting the desired support from  Edafe Egbedi of AGF Aarhus, Denmark, Moses Daddy-Ajala Simon (Unattached), Lucky Omeruo of Bayelsa United, Chidi Osuchukwu of Dolphins, Bright Ejike of Heartland, and the ever reliable Alhaji Gero of Rangers International of Enugu. Some football aficionados are of the view that Obuh should use the pre-tournament competition to fine tune the team into a rich blend that can terrorise their would-be opponents.

With the bulk of 2011 set returning to the world stage again, they are expected to perform better based on the wealth of experience they have garnered.

The Flying Eagles are in Group B of the 10-team tournament and will kick off their campaign on 29 May against the defending champions, Mexico, who they coincidentally lost1-4 to in another invitational tournament in Panama when they were preparing for the 2011 WYC in Colombia.

Some analysts and stakeholders are however of the views that Obuh is bereft of ideas, they reasoned that the coach lacks the technical and tactical wherewithals to lead the team to great heights.

They faulted Obuh for failing to discover young and promising players, stating that there is no point calling up players that participated at the last edition of the WYC.

First to air his grievance is former member of the Nigeria Football Association, NFA, Godwin Dudu-Orumen, who reckoned that it is unwise for Obuh to rely heavily on players from the Nigeria Professional Football League, NPFL and foreign clubs to prosecute an age grade competition.

According to Dudu-Orumen, “Obuh is just wasting our money, why should he be inviting players from abroad when we expect him to use players from academies and secondary schools in the country.”

Flying Eagles coach John Obuh (left) and his players during a training session. PHOTO: AFP

Obuh’s assistant at the Nigeria 2009 U-17 World Cup, Monday Odigie reasoned that the France tournament would afford the U-20 team an avenue to blend before the World Cup proper.

A board member of the Lagos State Football Association, Dotun Coker said the invitational tourney is a welcomed development for the Flying Eagles because it would avail the team the opportunity to know how readiness they are for the WYC.

“The invitational tourney no doubt is good for Obuh and his players because they would be playing against teams that they would eventually confront in Turkey.”

Nigeria will be playing in Group B that contains the like of Belgium, Mexico, Portugal and Brazil, while Group A consists of South Korea, France, Colombia, USA and DR Congo.

—Adebobola Alawode

Other things being equal, two former undisputed boxing world champions, Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson are expected to visit Nigeria this weekend, P.M.NEWS Sports has scooped.

Information on good authority has it that the former professional boxers are expected in Lagos on Friday to visit FESTAC Boxing Gym and Academy situated inside the Federal Housing Authority, FHA playground, 23 Road, FESTAC Town on Saturday.

Oluwafemi Sholanke, who was a professional heavyweight boxer turned boxing coach, informed that both boxers would use the opportunity to spot talented amateur boxers to see how they can them develop their talents.

Sholanke stated further that after visiting the gym, both boxers would likely square up in the ring inside the gym of Golden Tulip Hotel, Amuwo Odofin, Lagos from where they would proceed to the Black Heritage, Badagry.

According to Sholanke, “plans are in top gear to play host to two world boxing champions. Amuwo Odofin Local Government led by Comrade Ayodele Adewale is working round the clock to ensure that our two visitors from America have a swell time during their short stay in the country.”

—Adebobola Alawode

The Port Harcourt side would miss the services of six players due to injuries or national call-up, but Obioha is convinced Dolphins can still present a formidable side, more so with the backing of their supporters at the Liberation Stadium.

He reckons that the depleted Dolphins side have earned their respect after forcing Kwara United to a draw in Ilorin.

“We have been analysing the situation at Dolphins since their coach Stanley Eguma raised concerns about the loss of key players to national assignments, but we also know they have a good squad and should be able to cope,” he told supersport.com.

“That they could go all the way to Ilorin and pull a 1-1 draw with Kwara United shows they are no pushovers.

“It is obvious the rookies in the team want to seize this opportunity to make a statement, so it would be dangerous to underrate them,” he said.

•Adamu, Sand Eagles coach

Head coach of Nigeria’s beach soccer team, Audu Adamu, is confident that Nigeria will qualify for the Beach Soccer World Cup to be held in Tahiti in September.

The Supersand Eagles arrived Morocco on Sunday with a 12-man team to begin preparations to secure one of the two tickets available for Africa for the biennial Beach Soccer World Cup.

The Nigerian team are packed with beach soccer stars that include team captain and Dolphins FC midfielder, Isiaka Olawale, Ogbonnaya Okemmiri and  at last year’s Copa Lagos Beach tourney, Victor Tale.

Speaking from the team’s hotel in Morocco on BrilaFM on Tuesday, coach Adamu, popularly called ‘Ejo’ by his fans, said the players are not only ready to qualify the country for the championship but also raring to go all the way to Tahiti and bring the elusive world cup to Nigeria.

“We arrived safely and we’re really set for the stiff challenges ahead,” Adamu said.

“The team knows what is at stake and we are going to make sure we do our best to make the nation proud, by not only qualifying but also bringing the cup from Tahiti.”

After representing Africa at the world stage on numerous occasions, Nigeria have become a powerhouse in beach soccer on the continent.

Senegal are the reigning African beach soccer champions, after seeing off Nigeria in the final of the 2011 edition held in Morocco.

—Bamidele Olowosagba

By John Tosin Ajiboye

The rate at which foreigners are smuggling arms into the country is alarming and it calls for serious concern for all and sundry.

With the kind of security challenges Nigeria as a nation is facing, security agencies ought to be more vigilant in detecting illegal arms importation. It is unfortunate that some bad politicians, greedy customs officers and some disgruntled elements among other law enforcement officers are encouraging and supporting these criminals from different parts of the of the world to import all sorts of arms into Nigeria.

It will be recalled that on July 17, 2010 one Iranian, Azin Aghajani accompanied  by one unpatriotic Nigerian named  Ali  Jega  illegally imported a 13-by-20 feet container load of firearms and explosives into Nigeria from Iran by falsely declaring on the Bill of Lading that the consignment contained construction materials.

In the same vain, 15 Russians were also arrested in Lagos by Naval officers on 18 October, 2012 and arraigned on 19 February, 2013 for unlawful importation of arms into Nigeria. The accused Russians who have found Nigeria as a country where anything goes are: Zhelyyazkov Andrey, Savchenko Sergel, Chikanov Vasily, Varlygin Igor, Komilov Alexander, Lopatin Alexey and Baranovskly Nikolay. Others are Mishin Pavel, Liia Shubov, Dimitry Bannyry, Alexander Tsarikov, Kononov Sergel, Korotchouko Andrey, Vorobev Mikhail and Stepan Oleksiuk.

These accused persons were alleged to have entered Nigerian territorial waters without due clearance from the Nigerian Customs Service and refusal to declare the content of their vessel, an offence that contravenes the Provisions of the Firearms Act, Cap F28, Laws of the federation of Nigeria, 2004 as well as the Provision of the Miscellaneous Offences Act, Cap M17 Laws of the federation of Nigeria 2004.

Using the porous borders with Chad, Niger and Cameroon in the desolate scrubland around Lake Chad and some of our waterways, these criminals from foreign countries smuggle in bigger weapons for the members of Boko Haram sect and other militia groups that are terrorizing our dear country.

According to the Reuters, the recent Bama attack showed Boko Haram sect’s substantial fire power, including machine guns, large numbers of rocket propelled grenades (RPGs) and pick-up trucks mounted with anti-aircraft guns. It clearly shows that the weapons flow from the Libyan war that helped rebels seize parts of Mali last year. This is also an indication that something urgent must be done to stop these illegal importation of arms into Nigeria.

While I commend Justice Okechukwu Okeke of the Federal High Court in Lagos for sentencing Azim Aghajani and his Nigerian accomplice,  Jega to 17 years imprisonment each for illegal importation of firearms into country on Monday 13 May, 2013,  (I would have wanted a harsher sentence for the convicts) I will also appeal to Federal Ministries of Justice and Interior not to allow Aghajani to serve his jail term in his home country (Iran) as requested by his counsel. He should be allowed to serve it here in Nigerian prison where he committed the offence so that it will serve as a lesson for other foreigners who think they can do whatever they like in Nigeria and go scot free.

I will also urge Justice James Tsoho who is in charge of the case of the alleged arms importers who are Russia nationals not to let them go scot free if they are found guilty.

On the other hand, Nigerian lawyers should be more patriotic in the course of discharging their duties. They must not because of the money they will charge and be encouraging or supporting the criminals that are importing arms into the country because they or any of their family members can be victims of the arms that are being smuggled into our country.

The Minister of Interior, Abba Moro, whose ministry is overseeing Nigerian Customs must be up and doing. Corruption in Nigeria Customs Service must be checkmated and any officer found aiding and abetting smuggling of arms into the country must be sacked and prosecuted. The Chiefs of Air and Naval Staff must also caution their officers from supporting the foreigners from smuggling arms into the country via our air and waterways.

Lastly, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Olugbenga Ashiru must also address members of the diplomatic community to warn their citizens against causing trouble in Nigeria either directly or indirectly, and should any foreigner be arrested for any offence in Nigeria, he/she must be allowed to face the full wrath of the law as it is done in other countries.  For instance, Iran, Saudi Arabia, China and other countries have executed many Nigerians while thousands are languishing in jail for trafficking cocaine and other hard drugs into their countries. Therefore, any citizen of these countries who smuggles hard drugs or arms into Nigeria should be punished harshly.

Nigeria has enough challenges  and no foreigner should be allowed to add to our problems.

Enough is enough.

•Ajiboye writes from Osogbo, Osun state. •E-mail: johntosin21@yayoo.com •Tel:+2348138966292

By Olawale Salau 

Since Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation returned to civilian rule in 1999, Nigerians are desperate for a government that responds to their most basic needs: personal security and hope for improvement in their lives.

Recently, President Goodluck Jonathan said that Nigeria was currently facing its worst security challenges in recent times. This crisis is in various forms; communal, religious, political and socio-economic with varying degree of casualty, mostly innocent citizens of this country. From the Niger Delta to Boko Haram crisis, the nation has known no peace and that shows we need to talk about space science as technology as a special tool to enable Nigeria solve its problems.

On 14 May the Nigerian leader declared a state of emergency in three northern Nigerian states, Borno, Adamawa and Yobe, and ordered the immediate deployment of more troops to those volatile states in response to a surge of violence the president says poses a “very serious threat” to Nigeria’s territorial integrity.

The use of satellite technology by Nigeria could help us solve our common problems such as desertification, flooding, erosion and food insecurity.  It is imperative for the Nigerian government and multinational firms operating in Nigeria to embrace and invest in the use of satellite technology for disaster management.

Space based technology such as earth observation satellite, communication satellite, meteorological satellite and global navigation satellite system play great roles in early warning, disaster monitoring, assessment and management.

No doubt, the use of satellite has become the most effective method of monitoring and managing disasters across the globe.

The tsunami disaster of 2004 and the one that happened in Japan recently, as well as wide range of floods in 2012 were indications that satellite technology was relevant for disaster management.

We need to remind ourselves that desertification is a common problem all over Africa. We need to remind ourselves that coastal erosion is a common problem; flooding is loose, staring at us.

With the climate changes all over the world, Nigeria went through enormous flooding problem in 2012 that had never been so. We have never recorded this in the last 50 years.

Natural disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, hurricanes and cyclones often occur unexpectedly. However, the 2012 flooding in Nigeria, which wrecked considerable havoc       across the country, was predicted by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA). According to a NEMA report, 7,705,398 persons were affected by the floods, while 2,157,419 persons were displaced from their homes.

Waves of attack by the Boko Haram sect have been reported in northern parts of Nigeria. Boko Haram made its name with drive-by shooting and suicide bombings in northern Nigerian cities, and the capital Abuja. Targets were security installations, markets, churches and even the UN headquarters in Abuja in August 2011.

Recent, high-profile raids against military and police in the far northeastern border towns of Baga and Bama, however, highlight what experts say are key shifts in the group’s tactics and capabilities.

Insecurity is a risk factor which investors the world over dread and makes them to move elsewhere. Several international investors have indicated their interest to come to Nigeria, but for insecurity.

Our dear country Nigeria is under siege, as kidnapping is fast spreading to every state in the federation. In the last four months, there has been an explosion in the incidence of kidnapping in several parts of the country.

Space technology can help Nigerian authorities control the situation in the country including movement of members of Boko Haram in the north and pirates in the Gulf of Guinea.

Space technology can be used to get the data about consequences of natural disaster and can help to work out right strategy to locate a disaster.  Space technology is key to achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in Africa as a whole.

There is the need for Nigeria to leverage on the spin-offs of the advances in space technology for sustainable management of its resources and wealth creation.

Seidu Mohammed, the director-general, National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA),  said that Nigerian satellites had proved its efficiency.

Seidu also stressed the need for the establishment and maintenance of a space-based integrated natural and artificial resource information system (IMSD) for rapid and sustainable resource mapping, planning, monitoring and management.

NigeriaSat-2 which was carried into orbit by Russian rocket Dnepr was tasked for image acquisition covering the affected states during the 2012 flood incidence.

If Nigeria increases the number of satellites it can collect data about natural disaster, predict it and make efforts to minimise its negative effect.

Already boasting scores of satellite launches, a handful of crewed orbital missions and two lunar probes, Red China now stands poised to assume a leading role in the Big Black.

Nigeria has good experience of cooperation in this sphere with Russia and China which launched NigeriaSat-2, NigeriaSat-X and NigComSat-1R.

If Nigeria continues to cooperate with these countries it can help Nigeria to increase the number of satellites during a short period of time.

Nigeria signed an agreement with Russia and China about cooperation in mutual space development. This agreement can help Nigeria to train its experts, to design, to launch, to operate and to utilise satellites together with Russia.

Nigeria, therefore, needs to embrace and incorporate the use of satellite technology-based solutions. However, in order to incorporate the use of satellite for disaster management, there is a need to increase awareness, build national capacity and develop satellite applications.

Nigerian authorities should activate cooperation with international partners in space technology that will help to develop the economy of the country and to attract new investments in the country.

•Salau, a journalist and public affairs analyst, wrote from Lagos. •Email: walesalau99@gmail.com 

By Tayo Ogunbiyi

Last year, when the Federal Government terminated the concessionary agreement it entered with Bi-Courtney Limited (the Concessionaire) in May 2009, for the redevelopment and modernisation of the Lagos-Ibadan expressway, the general consensus across the land was that it was a welcome development in view of the concessionaire’s foot dragging on the project. The Federal Government subsequently went ahead to appoint two reputable construction firms, namely Julius Berger Plc and RCC to do some palliative works on the road in order to reduce the stress of motorists along the road. According to the Federal Government, the palliative works to be carried out on the road was particularly meant to make the road motorable for people travelling during the 2012 Christmas and New Year festive period. Consequently, Julius Berger was asked to handle the section of the road from Lagos to the Sagamu Interchange while RCC was given the second leg of the road, stretching from the Sagamu Interchange to Ibadan.

It should be stressed that the palliative works done by the two firms, to a large extent, reduced the trauma of motorists along the road, especially during the December 2012 festive period.  However, the understanding then was that by 2013, real work on the redevelopment and upgrading of the road would begin in earnest. However, till date, there is nothing concrete on ground to suggest that government is about to start work on the road. The result is that the road is gradually returning to its hitherto distressing and frustrating state.  In particular, the portion of the road from Sagamu intersection to Lagos is the worst. This is quite understandable as this is the busiest section of the expressway consisting of a vast business and residential hub made up of emerging communities such as Mowe, Arepo, Magboro, Ibafo, Asese, Olowotedo, Pakuro among others.

Hence, traffic chaos has become heightened along this axis as a result of failed portions of the road at places such as Mowe, Ibafo (especially the portion leading to MFM Prayer City) as well as the OPIC end where quite visible pot (man?) holes constitute great danger to motoring on the road. Particular reference should be made to the nuisance which the OPIC end of the road has turned to in recent time, especially when it rains. It has become so bad that a journey on the popular long bridge linking OPIC to Berger which ordinarily ought to take less than ten minutes now takes up to one and half hours. No thanks to the failed parts at OPIC which have made driving on the road for regular commuters and motorists quite a nasty experience. It has become so bad that motorists moving from Mowe/ Ibafo to Lagos now drive against traffic, facing on coming vehicles from Lagos to Ibadan, in order to avoid the traffic jam occasioned by the failed portions of the road at the OPIC end.

If nothing is urgently done to address the situation, it could lead to health hazards, road accidents, untimely deaths among others. Recently, a school bus conveying school children was involved in a ghastly motor accident with a petroleum tanker on the NASFAT side of the road while trying to avoid failed parts of the road.

Foreigners travelling for various reasons on the road would surely have quite a spiteful opinion about the country because of the chaotic situation that has become a regular occurrence on the road. It is understandable to some extent, if we are finding it a bit challenging to tackle rising terrorists’ insurgency in the country.  But we need not turn ourselves into a laughing stock over the rehabilitation of a major and important road such as the Lagos-Ibadan expressway.

For all our efforts at attracting foreign investments into the country, if we cannot take care of minute details such as improving a major highway that could enhance such investments, then we had better forgotten it. Being the main expressway, providing the primary link between Lagos, the former administrative capital and major commercial centre and other parts of Nigeria and hence, a road of primary economic and social importance to the nation, it is imperative that the Federal Government takes urgent steps to ensure that the condition of the road improves.

The attendant road crashes occasioned by the dilapidated state of the road and the fallouts — deaths, injuries and destruction to properties (vehicles, goods, etc.) have, no doubt, come with enormous economic cost. In its most recent record, the FRSC disclosed that Nigeria lost three per cent of her GDP which translated to 17 per cent of current national reserves through road traffic crashes in 2009. The income loss from 2009 and road traffic crashes in Nigeria was more than GDP of over 20 individual African countries. No nation that is desirous of economic development and growth will handle with levity a situation where its vibrant work force and other citizens are wantonly wasted through otherwise avoidable occurrences as in the case of the carnage on Nigerian roads.

To put the Nigerian economy on the lane to speedy recovery and growth, Federal Government would have to immediately commit itself to a result-driven programme that would make the road a driver’s delight.  There must be a time-frame known and acceptable to Nigerians for the completion of this road. While the Federal Government is fine tuning efforts to redevelop and modernise the road, one would like to implore the Federal Road Maintenance Agency, FERMA, to as a matter of necessity mobilise its men and resources to address the failed portions of the road in order to avert imminent disaster, reduce travel time as well as prevent every trouble associated with travelling on the road.

•Ogunbiyi is of the Features Unit, Ministry of Information and Strategy, Alausa, Ikeja.

The arrest of Arik Air staff on Tuesday for drug trafficking in London constitutes a national embarrassment and a failure by our anti-drug trafficking agency to do an efficient work at home. According to the National Drug Law Enforcement, NDLEA, Arik Air staff Temitayo Olubunmi Daramola was found in possession of six kilogrammes of cocaine worth N180m while Delita Abibimgbi also of Arik Air was found with 60 packets of cigarettes.

They had left the Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos with eight other crew members and arrived at the Heathrow airport in London, United Kingdom, early on Tuesday. But while the other staff were all cleared  Daramola and Abibimgbi were held by the British officials.

In 2011, Chinwendu Uwakaonyenma Ogbonnaya, 29, also a cabin crew with Arik Air was arrested in London for drug trafficking. She was jailed five years in 2012. While Abibimgbi’s crime might be considered minor, drug trafficking is a serious offence anywhere in the world because of the devastating effects hard drugs have on the society.

The arrest of Arik Air staff with cocaine will further dent our already battered image in the international community. It also shows, sadly, that NDLEA failed to properly check the crew members before their take off in Lagos. It is a good thing Ahmadu Giade, NDLEA boss, has opened an investigation.

We must determine how the drug successfully passed through NDLEA checks and landed on the plane without being detected.

The officials on duty and NDLEA airport commander must be probed as we suspect that it is not the first time airline staff are allowed to take drugs outside of Nigeria. We also suspect that the six kilogrammes of drug were given to Daramola by a drug baron in Lagos. A proper investigation must lead up to the baron.

Hard drugs are harmful and we must do everything at home to defeat drug trafficking and consumption.

Arunima Sinha, 26, from the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, reached the peak on Tuesday morning after a slow climb from Everest Base Camp.

“She left high camp at 6pm on Monday evening and arrived at the summit at 10:55 am (0510 GMT) on Tuesday,” Ang Tshering Sherpa, founder of Asian Trekking, the company that organised the expedition, told AFP.

Sinha’s guides were concerned about her slow pace until the team reached an 8,750-metre (28,707 foot) junction that climbers pass through on their way to the top of the mountain, Sherpa said.

“But once she got to that point, she gained energy and confidence and started moving really quickly,” Sherpa said.

Two years ago, the former national-level volleyball player was shoved from a moving train by thieves when she reportedly attempted to fight them off as they tried to steal her purse.

A passing train crushed her left leg, forcing doctors to amputate below the knee to save her life.

“At that time everyone was worried for me. I then realised I had to do something in my life so that people stop looking at me with pity,” Sinha told Indian TV before leaving for the climb.

The Tata Steel Adventure Foundation, which sponsored Sinha’s climb, contacted Sherpa’s Asian Trekking company in 2012 about providing training and guiding for the expedition.

“We knew her story, we knew she recovered well from the amputation because she’s a very active athlete,” Sherpa said, adding that the company trained her on Nepal’s Island Peak during the 2012 spring climbing season.

Hundreds of climbers have thronged the world’s highest peak during a window of good weather. May is considered the best time for climbing in the Nepalese Himalayas because of mild weather and some 300 people have reached the 8,848-metre high Everest so far this year.

The mountain has become a popular symbolic pilgrimage site for record-setting, awareness-raising, and pledge drives for charities, which have increased crowds on the peak.

Tom Whittaker, a British mountaineer, became the first person with a disability to summit the peak in 1998 after a car crash almost two decades earlier had forced him to have his foot amputated.

She spoke at the 3rd Lagos State Education Summit at the Eko Hotels and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos, southwest Nigeria on Tuesday. The summit has the theme: Qualitative Education in Lagos State: Raising the Standard.

According to Ezekwesili, Nigeria “accounts for 6 million out of 36 million school girls that cannot attend primary education worldwide. There are about 56 million illiterates in Nigeria. Primary school completion rate ranges between two percent to 92 percent depending on the state.”

She said the issue of bureaucracy was a major hindrance to raising the standard of education in the country, while lamenting the overwhelming power of the education minister with respect to decision-making at the unity schools, which she said, was the practice before her appointment.

Ezekwesili explained how she found out that 96 percent of the capital expenditure appropriated for the unity schools in the federation went into the construction of fences and toilets, among others and called for intensive, increased and meaningful efforts at developing public schools, showing data that more than 65 percent of Nigerians still depended on publicly funded secondary education while about 75 percent depended on publicly funded primary education.

She said when she became a minister, enrolment “was low; quality of education below standard; schools were not well-managed; and it displayed wide inequity in terms of gender enrolment, though differed across the states.”

Delivering his address on the occasion, Governor Babatunde Fashola explained that the government had not taken any decision on whether pupils would wear Hijab or not, adding that the emphasis was on what the children know and not what they wear.

According to him, government was mindful of the inequality in the society and thought also that  continuous investment in education would help to bridge those inequalities, adding that the results from public examinations from 2007 showed that education was heading in the right direction in the state, and that if it was a quick fix, it would have its many political appeals.

“It is not a quick fix. I understand that it is a very long journey. It yet may be many years long after we have left that we will see the result but it is a journey that I am convinced that we should undertake,” he said.

“Today, one of the outcomes of our investment is that a poll conducted among 5,000 disaggregated citizens in our state recently showed that 51 percent of the citizens would put their children in public primary schools. This was not the case a few years ago. It also now shows that 60 percent of the citizens will put their children in public secondary schools and the reason is not far-fetched.

“What are we doing to improve further on those outcomes? It is the training of our teachers. In the last three years, they have spent a larger part of their long vacation in training at our Staff Development Centre in Magodo,” he explained.

Fashola also spoke on the policy shift that now placed emphasis on real success in examinations to earn promotion to the next class, saying that “we are already planning this year’s training immediately they finish the exams but perhaps to underscore what our teachers have done; over the years, our children went through school from primary through secondary school moving from one class to the other with a grade of 30 percent. So the only time they ever have to score 50 percent is when they are doing the external WAEC.”

Deputy British High Commissioner in Nigeria, Mr. Peter Carter said Britain is personally committed to the success of the Summit as it believes that education improves the quality of living of people.

He noted that the United Kingdom had continued to play roles such as facilitating inclusion of Lagos as one of the six states that is benefitting from education support programme from the Department for International Funds and Development, DFID.

Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Olayinka Oladunjoye said the State Government had been using the Lagos Education Summit to generate new ideas to take the education sector to new heights.

—Kazeem Ugbodaga

Some artistes in the Nigerian music industry on Tuesday turned out en masse to clean up the streets of Lagos, feed the hungry and visit the homeless.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that musicians who participated in the exercise included TuFace Idibia, who was accompanied by his manager, Mr Efe Omorogbe.

Others were Ras Kimono, Dizzy Falola and Chibuzor Orji, popularly called “Faze”, amongst others.

The exercise was organised by the Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON) as part of efforts to create awareness about the industry and bring music to the doorstep of every Nigerian.

The event was one of the major highlights of the COSON week which commenced on May 19 with the tag “COSON in the streets”.

In a brief remark during the exercise, Orji commended COSON for protecting the interest of musicians and urged the society to do more

“I appreciate what they (COSON) are doing. They should keep it up,” he said.

In an interview with NAN, Falola also commended COSON for its efforts to make the future of Nigeria’s music industry secure.

He said the exercise was an indication that Nigerian musicians were serious and committed to the progress of the country.

“Musicians and other celebrities are always viewed as different and separated from other Nigerians, but we have come out to involve ourselves in activities we normally do not do.

“The activities include cleaning the streets, disposal of waste and visiting the homeless.

“We are human beings. If the people see what we are doing, they will realise that we are all the same,” he said, and urged other organisations to emulate the misicians.

“What we are doing is unusual. It is something that is hard for other organisations to do, but we have to start from somewhere and COSON has taken the giant step.

“With the success of the event in Lagos, we can begin to move from state to state in order to reach the masses and positively improve the music industry,” Falola said.

On his part, TuFace Idibia commended COSON for its efforts to improve the livelihood of musicians as well as its transparency and openness.

He said Nigerians were not recognising the dignity of labour and were looking down on jobs like cleaning and waste disposal.

“There is dignity in labour. Some Nigerians view some jobs like cleaning and waste disposal as inferior.

“People who do these jobs are earning money and we need to respect them and what they do. They are not doing anything illegal. There is dignity in what they do,” Idibia said.

He urged Nigerian youths not to wait for government jobs only but to engage in jobs that are legal to earn their living.

Justice Okon Abang gave the order while delivering judgment in a suit filed by the plaintiff against the airline over loss of business due to cancellation of flight.

Abang awarded the sum as general damages for the inconvenience and emotional trauma suffered by the plaintiff as a result of the defendant’s negligence.

“The defendant ought to have put in place measures to ensure that a passenger does not incur further expenses where there is a flight cancellation.

“The defendant is hereby ordered to refund to the plaintiff the difference in value of the cost of the plaintiff’s business class ticket,” the judge said.

The court also ordered the defendant to refund the cost of the economy class ticket of the alternative airline which the plaintiff was eventually made to fly.

“The defendant is also ordered to pay the expenses which the plaintiff incurred on his journey back to Nigeria through Ghana, as well as cost of township transportation in Ghana.”

The judge added that the airline should pay post-judgment interest on the damages sum per annum, until it was fully liquidated.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that Ogunniran filed the suit in December 2012, claiming damages for loss of business due to a cancelled flight by the airline.

The plaintiff averred in his statement of claim that he had paid for a business class ticket for a business trip from Nigeria to South Africa on the defendant’s airline on 14 December, 2012. Ogunniran said that on arrival at the airport and after waiting for several hours, it was announced that the flight had been cancelled.

“I was so devastated that I sat on the floor of the departure hall of the airport in anguish over the loss of my business opportunity worth millions of naira,” he said.

The plaintiff further averred that the defendant paid no compensation to affected passengers, but only left them to their fate. He said he was forced to fly by an alternative airline the following day, while he lost his business deal.

The plaintiff therefore sought an order of court to direct the airline to compensate him for all the losses he suffered due to its negligence.