Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Dutch smash 'voodoo' child trade

Dutch smash 'voodoo' child trade
Thursday, 25 October 2007
Red Light district, Amsterdam
The children were allegedly trafficked into the sex industry
Police in the Netherlands say they have cracked a crime ring which allegedly trafficked Nigerian children into the West to work as sex slaves.

At least 19 people were arrested in the Netherlands and five other countries including the US and Britain.

Traffickers used voodoo to gain a hold over children before smuggling them abroad in a racket which exploited the asylum system, police say.

Scores of underage Nigerians, mainly girls, may have been trafficked.

Dutch authorities had been investigating the disappearance of 140 Nigerian children from asylum-seeker holding centres since January 2006.

Several of the children were later found working as prostitutes in France, Italy and Spain, according to Dutch police.

'Voodoo vow'

Thirteen arrests were made in Dutch cities and towns while a further six people, all Nigerians, were detained in New York, Madrid, Dublin, Coventry and Antwerp.

Trafficking in Nigeria is... seen as an everyday part of West African life
Allan Little
BBC correspondent

Police said Germany and France were also involved in the operation but did not give details of any arrests there, though they said that "dozens" of arrests and searches of premises had been made overall.

Those arrested are suspected of people-trafficking and involvement in a criminal organisation, falsifying travel documents, fraud and money-laundering.

The Hague has asked for the suspects arrested abroad to be extradited to the Netherlands.

"The human-traffickers supplied the victims with false travel documents, flight tickets and instructions to seek asylum upon arrival at Schiphol Airport [Amsterdam]," a police statement said.

"The minors were placed in open shelters in the Netherlands, which made it relatively easy for the criminal organisation to keep control over the victims.

"Voodoo sometimes also kept the minors in line. In Nigeria they were forced to take a vow before a voodoo priest to repay a so-called debt.

"This debt had to settled with the earnings made in the prostitution. At their final destination the minor victims are under the constant supervision of a so-called 'Madam'."


Taken from bbc.com

Minister appeals to developed countries on technology transfer

Minister appeals to developed countries on technology transfer
Written by Chris Ochayi
Tuesday, 30 October 2007

ABUJA—Minister of Environment, Housing and Urban Development, Mrs. Halima Alao has pleaded with the industrialized nations to assist developing countries with cheap technology transfer and provision of adequate financial support that would enable them to stem the aftermath of climate change.



The Minister who stated this at the opening of a three-day preparatory meeting of the “African Group Negotiators in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Kyoto Protocol (KP) yesterday in Abuja, pointed that Africa nations are most vulnerable and of least capacity to combat the negative impacts of climate changes.

She said, there is need for enhanced human, institutional and systemic capacity building initiatives from developed countries.
According to her, there is need for increased level of Least Developed Country Fund (LDCF) as well as deployment and fostering the use of sustainable, less carbon intensive, cheap-energy and climate friendly technologies are important from mitigation and adaptation view points”.

She added that Africa remains the least to benefit from this arrangement due to lack of capacity to negotiate within the larger group our needs to face the challenges of global warming and climate change.

“African countries must effectively address the challenges posed by the adverse impacts of climate change and climate variability on our national development efforts as well as provision of adequate and predictable financial and technical assistance to assist our perspective countries to effectively implement adaptation and mitigation projects consistent with national sustainable development priorities”.

“Our ability to implement climate change activities to enhance our sustainable development largely depends on availability and access to fund and technology for the implementation of climate change activities”.

The Minister stressed further that provision of funding and transfer of technology would not only enable the continent to attain Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) but enhance efforts towards the implementation of the Convention and the Protocol.

Article taken from the online version of Vanguard newspaper.

30 die in Lagos-Ibadan road crash

30 die in Lagos-Ibadan road crash
From Charles Coffie-Gyamfi and
Adeyemi Adepetun, Abeokuta
Tuesday, October 30, 2007

THE Lagos-Ibadan highway has once again lived up to its billing as Nigeria's gateway to heaven, no thanks to its army of pot-holes and craters.

In a fell swoop, the road on Sunday night claimed no fewer than 30 lives in a ghastly accident involving a fuel tanker, four buses and two cars.

The Ogun State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Joseph Apapa, told journalists yesterday that the death toll could even be higher.

The accident occurred at about 11.00 p.m. near the Conoil fuel station, a few metres from the Sagamu interchange in Ogun State. The highway straddles Lagos, Ogun and Oyo states.

An eyewitness disclosed that the tanker was coming from Lagos. In an attempt to avoid a pothole, the tanker tipped on its side, spilling its fuel content on the road.

According to the source, as soon as the tanker fell, it caught fire and the fire started spreading with a lightening speed.

The fire caught all the six vehicles that were directly behind it, consuming most of their 90 passengers.

A doctor at the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital, Sagamu where the survivors were rushed to, told The Guardian that 10 of the victims who received various degrees of burns were on admission. He said that some of the cases were very serious.

The Police Commissioner told reporters: "The driver of one of the affected buses after the bus caught fire, in desperation, drove into the bus but none of the victims in that bus survived."

The Guardian learnt that the accident involved the aides of the Minister of Power and Steel Development, Alhaji Sarafa Tunji Isola. The aides were said to have seen off the minister who was in Abeokuta at the weekend to the Lagos Airport on his way to Abuja and were returning to Abeokuta when the accident occurred.

Two of the aides who were said to have received injuries were among those being treated.

Only last week, another accident on the same road claimed 17 lives early last year, an accident in which a fuel tanker fell in a similar manner, resulted in burning of about 15 vehicles and the death of several persons.

A source told The Guardian that there was no survivor in a 14-seater bus. All its passengers, including the driver were burnt to ashes.

One of the victims was a pregnant woman who sat in the front of one of the 18-seater buses. She was also burnt to ashes.

A long line of queues of wailing sympathisers formed at the scene yesterday morning, all decrying the poor states of the inter-city highway

Nigeria needs N3 trillion to end outage

Nigeria needs N3 trillion to end outage
From Anietie Akpan, Calabar
Tuesday, October 30, 2007

FOR erratic power supply to become a thing of the past in the country, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) will need a sum of N3 trillion.

Chairman of the Commission, Dr. Ransome Owan gave the figure in Calabar the Cross River State capital shortly after the commissioning of the Presidential Retreat and International Conference Centre at the Obudu Ranch Resort by President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua.

"We need N3 trillion investments for the country to have improved power supply. The country will have vast improvement with such injection of money. I am happy to report that as of today, we have granted licenses to 21 companies that are going to generate over 8,200 megawatts", he said.

According to Owan, the electricity sector in the country is undergoing tremendous changes for the collective interest of the nation. He noted that the Commission is working hard to ensure that electricity is made affordable.

The NERC chairman said since the Federal Government alone could not take up the responsibility on account of scarcity of funds, it had entered into partnership with the private sector and had also created an enabling environment to partner with the Independent Power Plant (IPP).

"Right now, the national budget is about N2 trillion. The power sector alone can easily take that on any given day", he said adding, "so it is critical that those private investors come in and invest in the energy sector of the nation's economy".

Owan added: "We have what we call suppressed demand in the country, that is, the demand for power as a country is more than the supply of power. Experts tell us that today we can use up to 14,000 to 15,000 megawatts, but our capacity to generate is about 4,000 megawatts. The demand is so high that anybody can build a power plant today. We can buy all the power".

He said the efforts of government towards ensuring regular power supply in the country had the granting of license to 21 companies to produce the required 8,200 megawatts.

"One of the companies, Geometric in Aba , Abia State would perform its ground breaking ceremony on November 1, kicking off with the construction of an Independent Power Plant".

Some of the problems towards having regular power supply in the country, he noted, include weak distribution points, non-overhauling of the power plants for over 20 years and paucity of funds.

According to Owan, it a typical power plant of 200 to 300 megawatts requires at least two to three years as the gestation period.

The NERC chief was however optimistic that with all the requirements in place, the problem of blackouts in the country would soon become a thing of the past.

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Four die as palace is torched in Osun

Four die as palace is torched in Osun
From Tunji Omofoye, Osogbo
Tuesday, October 23, 2007

IKIRE, the headquarters of Irewole Council area of Osun State was held by the jugular yesterday as irate youths took to the streets and set four persons, along with the palace of the monarch, the Akire of Ikire, Oba Olatunde Falabi on fire.

The angry youths, whose action resulted in the death of the four persons and destruction of vital artefacts in the traditional ruler's palace were said to be protesting alleged ritual killings of innocent people in the community.

Other sources said the youths were venting their anger against alleged political support given to a candidate by the monarch as against their popular choice at the concluded primaries of the council election in the area.

During the protest, which started in the early hours of yesterday, the youths reportedly combed the entire town in search of their perceived enemies.

The Guardian learnt that two of the four victims set ablaze were advanced fee fraudsters popularly called 419 who were operating in the town.

According to the sources, one of the fraudsters was apprehended and set on fire at Ode-Adie area while the other was overpowered and burnt to ashes at Sango, another location in the community.

It was gathered that the youths claimed that they had made a report of the rampant ritual killings in the town to the monarch without getting the desired response from him. The development allegedly sparked off the violent protest.

Falabi, whom they accused of not taking prompt action to stem the tide of loss of innocent people's life was outside the town when the violence broke out but his palace was torched while vital documents and artefacts were destroyed.

It was gathered that the mysterious disappearance of a woman whose corpse was later discovered at a remote location with her vital organs removed in the town at the weekend ignited yesterday's protest by the youths.

But another source, who craved anonymity attributed the cause of the violent protest to the disagreement arising from the local council primaries in which a candidate supported by the youths lost out.

The youths were said to be infuriated by the action of the monarch, who they accused of backing a candidate who contested and won the primaries.

The protest disrupted the social and commercial activities in the town for several hours before the police were drafted to restore normalcy.

It could not be ascertained as at press time the number of people arrested in connection with the disturbance but many residents were said to have fled their homes while other sought refuge in neighbouring towns.

Reacting to yesterday's development, Falabi who spoke on telephone from Lagos lamented the loss of lives and burning of his palace. He said the action by the youths had political undertone, which was targeted against him.

The Deputy Governor of the state, Olusola Obada, who visited Ikire accompanied by the Deputy Commissioner of Police and Director of the State Security Service (SSS) condemned the loss of lives and wanton destruction of property and traditional artefacts.

Obada visited the palace of Akire, which was still then burning and later went round the town to appeal for calm, adding that the people should report suspected criminals to the law enforcement agents instead of taking laws into their hands.


This article was taken from the online version of The Guardian Newspaper.

Three Nigerian dons on Nobel Prize-winning UN panel

Three Nigerian dons on Nobel Prize-winning UN panel
From Laolu Akande, New York
Tuesday, October 23, 2007


NIGERIA is sharing in the honour of this year's Nobel Peace prize.

This is so because two Nigerian professors from the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, have been identified as active contributors and authors to the work of the United Nations (UN) Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change, (IPCC), which won this year's Nobel Peace prize alongside former United States' Vice President Al Gore.

A third professor had also been active in working out the detailed process of producing the UN convention on climate change, which is closely linked to the work of the Nobel prize-winning IPCC.

They are Professors Segun Adegbulugbe, Francis I. Ibitoye and Felix Dayo, all of who have been associated with the Obafemi Awolowo University at different times in their academic careers.

Adegbulugbe actually spoke at last month's UN summit on climate change attended and addressed by heads of states, including President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua.

A UN official at the UN Spokesman's office in New York, Yves Sorokobi, disclosed that over a thousand experts drawn from UN member-states and nations outside the UN had been involved over the years with the work of the IPCC and the names of some of the contributors were listed on the panel's website.

The panel has been formed and has been producing reports about two decades ago with none of the experts receiving pay for their work. Specifically, the panel has produced in the main four Assessment Reports-AR- numbered AR1, AR 2, AR 3 and AR 4.

According to a recent statement made by the IPCC secretariat in Geneva reacting to the announcement of the Nobel prize award, the honour goes to all scientists and authors who have contributed to the panel's work. The Nobel prize was given specifically for the panel's AR 4.

The statement reads: "The awarding of the Nobel Peace prize to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (jointly with former U.S. Vice President Al Gore) is a remarkable testament to the dedication and commitment of thousands of experts and participants who have produced the panel's rigorous and comprehensive assessments of climate change research.

Chairman of the panel, Indian Rajendra Pachauri added: "This is an honour that goes to all the scientists and authors who have contributed to the work of the IPCC, which alone has resulted in enormous prestige for this organisation and the remarkable effectiveness of the message that it contains."

Confirming his participation, Prof. Segun Adegbulugbe, a former presidential adviser on energy under the Olusegun Obasanjo administration said in an email interview that he had been involved in IPCC work for over a decade now. Adegbulugbe was identified as a lead author and expert on the IPCC.

"I contributed to the second, third and fourth assessment reports. In addition, I have contributed to two other special reports of the IPCC,"he said, adding that the Nobel prize award acknowledge "the work of many great minds who work tirelessly on IPCC publications. I learnt a lot from working with these guys."

He observed also "the hard work of the secretariat for coordinating the work of so many people. I am surely delighted to have made my small contribution and for the Nobel Committee to recognise our work."

In his own response, Francis I. Ibitoye, Associate Professor at the Obafemi Awolowo University's Center for Energy Research and Development in Ife, said none of the over 600 experts that produced the AR 4 of the IPCC "had it in mind that the IPCC was going to be a Nobel Prize winner."

But he noted that the Nobel prize has a recognition of IPCC's excellence, relevance and contributions.

He was involved with Prof. Adegbulugbe as authors in third volume (Climate Change 2007 Mitigation), a part of the Fourth Assessment Report of the IPCC, which was recognised by the Nobel prize committee for the prize.

According to Ibitoye, "while Prof. Adegbulugbe was a coordinating lead author in chapter 4 (ie. energy supply), I was a lead author in chapter 11 (mitigation from a cross sectoral perspective)."

Ibitoye also served as lead author in another publication of the IPCC, that is the 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories.

Prof. Felix Dayo, the third Nigerian expert to be associated with the IPCC work, said he was not as directly involved as Adegbulugbe and Ibitoye, but he also contributed actively to the work of UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, (UNFCCC), while it was in process. The UNFCCC, as an international treaty had adopted the first assessment report of the IPCC as the basis for negotiating the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Prof. Dayo contributed to that process.

All three, Adegbulugbe, Ibitoye and Dayo are associated with the OAU in Ile Ife and the university's Centre for Energy Research and Development.

Adegbulugbe was the immediate Special Adviser to the President of Nigeria on Energy Matters between 2005 and 2007. Before then, he was the Director of the Centre for Energy Research and Development, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife between 1992 and 2005. He was educated at both the Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, U.S.A.

Ibitoye is currently Associate Professor at the same centre at the OAU, while Dayo formerly of the same OAU is now partly based in the Pittsburgh, U.S, where he's Adjunct Professor of Engineering and Public Policy at the famous Carnegie Mellon University and also the CEO of Triple E Systems Associates in Lagos, Nigeria.


This article was taken from the online version of The Guardian Newspaper.

Pregnant women, children to get free medicare

Pregnant women, children to get free medicare (Guardian Newspaper)
From Collins Olayinka,
Abuja
Tuesday, October 23, 2007

TO ensure that Nigeria achieve the health-related Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the Federal Government will soon begin offering free medical care to pregnant women and children under five years of age.

This was disclosed yesterday by the Health Minister, Prof. Adenike Grange, while unfolding the President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua administration's vision for the health sector in the next four years.

According to the minister, the main thrust of government's plan in the health sector in the next four years include eradication of polio by next year, reduction of maternal mortality and reduction of diseases burden on Nigerians, especially the vulnerable groups.

She said: "It is possible to make free medical care available for pregnant mothers and children under five.

"Indeed, some states are doing that already and they are all good for it because they are generating confidence in the community and the community is coming forward more and more to make their own contributions.

"The Federal Government has already instructed the heads of various parastatals to come up with the mechanisms for doing it. In other words, we have to know the cost and plan for it. This is not an issue of putting in any amount. Apart from this, a lot more is being done at the primary and secondary care levels to prevent the high cost of medical care at the tertiary level."

Grange stated that the Ministry of Health has a package for the maternal and children health, which will guarantee a reduction in maternal mortality in a few years from now. She explained that all the strategies would be applied at various levels of implementation - Federal, states, local governments and the community.

She hinted that the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) has about 1.5 million enrollees on its stable with 32 Health Maintenance Organisations (HMOs).

The Health Minister also painted a worrying picture of most Nigerians' inability to access qualitative healthcare, especially the vulnerable and rural dwellers.

Grange said: "Today there are about 32 HMOs looking after the formal sector both public and private with about 1.5 million enrollees. The role of the NHIS in defining and implementing the regulatory framework in order to achieve universal coverage of health insurance is laudable.

"However a vast majority of Nigerians (about 70 per cent) who are in the informal sector and rural communities cannot afford to pay for the health insurance premiums by themselves.

"The current widespread inability to take part in risk pooling and solidarity schemes continues to endanger this vast proportion of Nigerians as they are unable to access healthcare readily."

Proffering a way out of the disturbing situation, the minister said the National Health Investment Plan was designed to provide a subsidy pool that will be set aside to finance the poor and vulnerable groups.

Specifically, the Community Health Insurance Scheme shall be the platform on which demand-based and output-driven financing of the healthcare delivery system that will allow for better data sets for disease profiling and management will be achieved.

Thursday, October 18, 2007

Missing links in Abiola's autopsy, by pathologist

By Bertram Nwannekanm

THE sudden death of the acclaimed winner of the annulled June 12, 1993 presidential election, Chief M. K .O. Abiola has been revisited recently by an expert who declared that his demise ought to have been subjected to a coroner's inquest..

The expert, Prof. Albert Anjorin spoke at a lecture organised in honour of a foremost African professor of Forensic Pathology, Prof. William Olufemi Odesanmi on his 60th birthday by the Department of Morbid Anatomy and Forensic Medicine, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State.

Anjorin, an eminent professor of Pathology from the University of Ilorin, said that a forensic investigation would have revealed more facts on the cause of the death of the business mogul instead of relying solely on the post-mortem conducted by a team of Canadian pathologists.

He said: "It was not enough for the pathologist to conduct the post mortem and turn round to say that because of some disease in the blood vessel of the heart, the man deserved to die. If you go to Canada where the man (pathologist) came from and you examine the heart of a large number of Canadians, you will find the same level of disease in the blood vessel of the heart. Why are they not dropping dead?

"His (Abiola's) case is a classical example of how things are not always what they seem. The man was dead. What killed him? They said it was arterioscleroses. But was it arterioscleroses that killed him? Things are not always what they seem in forensic pathology."

Anjorin expressed regret that most sensitive deaths in Nigeria in recent times were never presented for coroner's inquest to involve forensic pathology.

The lecture, titled: Medicine and the law. . . Things are not always what they seem: A celebration of an African pioneer Forensic Pathologist, further revealed how forensic investigations would have helped in classifying such deaths into either natural, suicidal, homicidal, accidental, misadventure or simply to consign them as "open verdict," he said.

"If somebody dies, the forensic pathologist has the responsibility to establish whether this is a natural death, if the fellow dies of hypertension, diabetes, asthma, heart disease," he said.

The professor however attributed Nigeria's failure in utilising the expertise of forensic pathologists in resolving causes of many sensitive deaths and crime to factors such as the dearth of forensic pathologists in the country and the nation's poor premium on human life.

"I won't be surprised if the total number of Nigerians trained in forensic pathology and certified are not more than five. What has been happening is that if you are a morbid anatomist, you just take the body, dissect it and give your opinion. You are not a real and certified forensic pathologist. But it is better than nothing. At least you'll be able to give an opinion.

"But that is if the Police come back for the report. You can write your report, complete the coroner's form but the Police may never come for it. We have heaps of coroners form at Ilorin," Anjorin said.

He urged Odesanmi to help train more Nigerians as forensic pathologists before his retirement.

Odesanmi described his feelings on his 60th birthday as "mixed", saying he would have loved to see more qualified forensic pathologists in the country.

According to him, many states in the country do not have a forensic pathologist and therefore have to invite the experts from other parts of the country where the few forensic pathologists are located.

"After 30 years of service, I would have loved to boast of at least 20 forensic pathologists in Nigeria," he said, adding however that the gap could still be easily breached if government injected more funds into the medical schools to train more people.

A major highlight of the event was the fund raising towards the setting up of a library at the Department of Anatomy and Forensic Medicine of the university in his honour.

Govt okays N1.237b for steel workers' pensions

From Mathias Okwe, Abuja


THE Federal Government has approved the immediate release of N1.237 billion for the settlement of the pending pensions liabilities of steel workers in the country.

A statement yesterday by Mr. Joe Anichebe, Head, Public Communications of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) said the National Council on Privatisation (NCP) at its meeting last Monday, October 15, approved the payment of the money as the outstanding pension to workers at the Jos, Katsina and Oshogbo Inland Steel Rolling Mills.

He said the three rolling mills were privatised in 2004 through a hybrid of court-administered liquidation and core investor sales as approved by the NCP.

Anichebe submitted that in consultation with all stakeholders, it was agreed that all available balances in the staff pensions schemes and balances of proceeds from the transactions be used in settling the pensions liabilities of workers of the three steel rolling mills. The pension schemes operated by the three inland rolling mills were said to have been under-funded.

Following a competitive bidding process, Messrs Zuma Steel (West Africa) emerged the winner in Jos Steel Rolling Mill; Dana Holdings for Katsina and Kura Holdings for Oshogbo Steel Rolling Mills.

40 Oil Firms May Be Dragged Before EFCC


By Chika Amanze-Nwachuku, 10.18.2007

Bridging Fund

The Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) and the Petroleum Equalisation Fund (PEF) may invite the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to assist them in the recovery of over N8 billion bridging fund contribution owed by petroleum marketers.
The debt, according to the bodies is in relation to the imported Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) otherwise known as diesel in the last four years.
The bridging fund is part of the cost elements of petroleum products and is remitted to the PEF for the reimbursement of marketers who transport products from the coastal areas to the hinterland.
THISDAY learnt that the decision to invite the EFCC was taken at a meeting yesterday in Abuja between the Executive Secretaries of the PPPRA, Dr. Oluwole Oluleye and that of the PEF, Mrs. Sharon Adefunke Kasali.
At the meeting said to be at the instance of the PEF, the parties were said to have fashioned out the ways and means of enforcing remittance of the bridging fund by about 40 defaulting marketers.
Specifically, the parties resolved to employ the services of relevant government agencies such as the EFCC, the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in recovering the fund.
According to sources, the decision to involve the relevant bodies became imperative as the PEF was said to be finding it difficult to settle the claims of marketers who are involved in bridging products, a situation that is threatening the sustenance of products availability to all parts of the country.
More so, the stability of diesel distribution nationwide is crucial since haulage trucks that move petroleum products use diesel.
Oluleye was said to have at the said meeting, reiterated that the N2 per litre bridging fund contribution on petrol and kerosene also applied to diesel which in effect meant that marketers were expected to add it when fixing cost and then remit to the PEF.
He argued that the fact that diesel was deregulated did not give marketers the licence to sell the product at exorbitant rates, adding that the essence of the PPPRA approved benchmark prices of the products was to give an indication of the price band within which marketers could operate.
Meanwhile, THISDAY learnt that Zenon Petroleum and Gas, one of the affected marketers, has redeemed its own obligation to the PEF by paying the money, while most of the marketers are still in default.
THISDAY checks also revealed that a comprehensive list of about 40 defaulting importers is being compiled for publication in the national dailies, after which the list will be forwarded to the EFCC, CBN, DPR and the NNPC for necessary action. When contacted, the Executive Secretary of Major Oil Marketers Association, Mr. Femi Olawore, said he was not aware of any such meeting.
He said it would be unfair for the two agencies to go ahead with such meeting without informing him as a board member of both agencies.
Pointing out that the PEF in the past owed the major marketers to the tune of about N22 billion being part of the Petroleum Support Fund, Olawore said his members would meet with the PEF soon to reconcile whatever amount each party owed.
“I am trying to reach the PEF so that we can sit down with them and reconcile whatever is being owed by a party. We run three schemes with the PEF -- bridging fund, zonal equalization and inter-districting -- and we come together on quarterly basis to exchange cheques. Sometimes we owe them, and at other times they owe us. Sometime ago, the PEF owed us about N22 billion which was Petroleum Support Fund (PSF). We did not call the EFCC. So it will be unfair for them to have the meeting without informing us. The issue of EFCC does not arise at all,” he said.
An independent marketer who craved anonymity also denied knowledge of the meeting, but added that the marketers would pay even without EFCC’s intervention.

Italian Police Break Up Alleged Nigerian-Run Mafia

Thursday, October 18, 2007

ROME — Police have broken up an alleged Nigerian-run mafia — complete with blood-drinking initiation rites — accused of running prostitution, extortion and fake credit card scams in northern Italy, officials said Thursday.

Five Nigerians were detained in Brescia and in the southern town of Aversa, near Naples, police said. A sixth Nigerian already jailed in Turin for other crimes was served an additional arrest warrant, police said.

The six suspects comprise the "cupola," or the top decision-makers, of the "eiye" mob group, said Carmine Grassi, the Brescia police official in charge of the operation.

Like their Sicilian counterparts, the mobsters protected their territory by striking back violently at other Nigerian-run criminal organizations, police said.

Police displayed an ax and knife they said were used against rivals, sometimes to amputate body parts.

Initiation rites included drinking blood as part of a "blood pact," Grassi said. Members also had to wear blue hats and blue shoes, and used slang and hand gestures that distinguished them from other gangs, police said.

Grassi said the alleged leaders met while attending university in Nigeria.

Thursday, October 11, 2007

Nigeria holds US woman

Nigeria holds US woman
09/10/2007 23:03 - (SA)

Lagos - Authorities are holding a longtime American resident in Nigeria without bail on alleged violations of state security laws, with prosecutors saying the woman helped two filmmakers take images of petroleum installations in the lawless southern oil region.
Judith Asuni, an American charity worker who has lived in Nigeria for more than three decades, was arrested on September 26 with two German filmmakers and a Nigerian after the Germans filmed oil installations in the Niger Delta, court papers showed.
The two Germans, Alexander Orpitz and Andy Lehman, were granted bail on Friday. But Asuni, who's believed to be in her 60s, and the Nigerian, Danjuma Saidu, have been kept in detention and were again denied bail by a judge in Abuja on Monday.
Face long jail sentences
The defendants, who have pleaded innocent to the charges, face at least seven years in prison if convicted.
Prosecutor Saliu Aliu said in court on Monday that he had documents showing Asuni, who is married to a Nigerian, was a security risk, but the contents weren't released. Aliu refused comment on the documents, citing security regulations, and said it was the court's decision to grant only the Germans bail.
The US Embassy has expressed concern at the detention of Asuni, who runs a non-governmental organisation that seeks to promote peace in Niger Delta, where competition for oil riches has sparked violence.
"Doctor Asuni is an aid worker and longtime resident of Nigeria who is recognised for her efforts to promote understanding, conflict management, transparency, and sustainable development in the Niger Delta," the embassy said in a recent statement.
Nigeria's southern Niger Delta region has suffered serious security problems as militants stepped up activities in recent years, sparking a wave of hostage takings and battles between gunmen and security forces.
The new government of President Umaru Yar'Adua has stepped up efforts to calm the region and violence has waned since he took power May 29, but Nigeria has long been sensitive to the portrayal of the region by international media.
No filming allowed in military areas
While reporting in the Niger Delta region isn't expressly illegal, journalists are officially prohibited from filming in military or other prohibited areas.
Nigeria otherwise has a relatively free press, with more than a dozen mass dailies and several private television and radio stations routinely unearthing official corruption and human rights abuses by security forces.

Article taken from: News24.com

Nigeria 'mired in violence'

Nigeria 'mired in violence'

10/10/2007 10:07 - (SA)


Lagos - Politics in Nigeria remain mired in violence and corruption eight years after the end of military rule, says Human Rights Watch (HRW) in a report.
"Eight years since the end of military rule .. the conduct of many public officials and government institutions is so pervasively marked by violence and corruption as to more resemble criminal activity than democratic governance," said the report.
The New York-based rights watchdog continued: "Many of Nigeria's ostensibly elected leaders obtained their positions by demonstrating an ability to use corruption and political violence to prevail in sham elections."
In some states of the federation, unelected but immensely powerful "godfathers" dominated the political scene, having gained control over politicians.
Criminal gangs hired
The godfather provided protection for the elected politician and did his dirty work. In return, the politician turned a chunk of the state budget over to his sponsor and gave him a say over political appointments at state and local level, the report continued.
It cited among other examples, the southern states of Oyo and Anambra. The report also highlighted the tendency for political figures to "openly recruit and arm criminal gangs to unleash terror upon their opponents and ordinary members of the public".
In the southern Rivers state, criminal gangs initially hired to rig the 2003 state governorship elections had since become a law unto themselves, it noted.
Former Rivers state governor Peter Odili had not so far faced any formal investigation or sanction for his alleged role in sponsoring the gangs who plunged the whole of the Niger Delta into chaos, the report continued.
It said: "Public officials in Nigeria can usually expect to enjoy complete impunity for any crimes they may commit, however egregious."
On the rare occasions when a politician was sanctioned, it was normally an opposition politician rather than a member of the ruling party.
Such a long time after the country's return to civilian government "rampant official, corruption and human rights abuse can no longer be dismissed as the lingering after-effects of military rule", warned the report.
HRW said: "Violence, corruption and impunity are not just problems that government has failed to tackle; they are systemic abuses that flow from the heart of the very same government institutions that should be working to combat them."

Article taken from: News24.com

Tuesday, October 9, 2007

On Independence

Nigeria at 47
By Sun News Publishing
Monday, October 1, 2007

Erapi G.E

Today, the symbolism of Nigeria’s political independence which it gained from Britain 47 years ago is being reenacted. Over time, it has become an annual ritual which reminds Nigerians of the significance of the lowering of the Union Jack, the British colonial insignia, and its replacement with our national flag.

In real, concrete terms, October 1 of every year is a day which Nigerians ought to set aside for reflection and re-appraisal. Having liberated themselves from the clutches of colonialism, and having attained independent statehood, Nigerians owe themselves an obligation to tell themselves the truth about the state of affairs in their fatherland. As an independent country, Nigerians need to ask whether they have piloted the ship of state towards progressive attainment.

Nigerians, no doubt, have never failed to tread this familiar trajectory. But the sad fact is that they have never felt flattered about the state of affairs in their country. Every passing year, they return a verdict of lack of progress or at best a wobbly movement towards progressive statehood. Certainly, the mood in the seats of power in the country today would reflect this state of affairs and more. The government at the centre and the component units that make up the Federation will, through one ceremony or another, remind us that we have attained the age of 47 as an independent nation.

But 47 years after independence, how has Nigeria fared? Can the people thump their chests and declare with confidence that Nigeria is on the road to progressive nationhood? This is the issue before us today as we remind ourselves of the gains and joys of independence.

We can hardly deny the fact that things have not been what they should be in Nigeria. The country has lost a number of opportunities and chances of becoming great. The situation is one that can make a people lose confidence in themselves and approach the future with trepidation and a feeling of despondency.

However, it is gratifying to note that Nigerians do not think of despair. Instead, they are full of hope and vitality. Regardless of our many slips and somersaults, the people have continued to trudge on with Spartan courage. With their resilient spirit, Nigerians are keeping hope alive. They are looking forward to the day their country would rise from its deep slumber and strut into the world community with the boldness to achieve and excel.

This is certainly not an impossible height to attain. What is required for Nigeria to be where it ought to be is for the country to be governed by patriots. Nigeria is in dire need of men and women who should put the nation above selves. Rather, it has, over the years, been held hostage by a self-seeking, visionless and opportunistic cabal who do not care a hoot about how the country and its peoples can grow and develop.

To get it right therefore, Nigeria has to have the right people in positions of authority. Indeed, the real problem Nigeria faces is that of inept leadership. If we reflect, as we must do on a day like this, on the quality of leadership we have been having, we cannot but admit the cold fact that leadership in this country has been on the decline.

What we have been saddled with since the return of civil rule in the country some eight years ago is a leadership that did not and could not envision where Nigeria should be in the years ahead. In the absence of a sense of direction, the country groped in the dark to no end.

The monumental malpractices and irregularities that attended the 2007 general elections and the on-going crisis in the leadership of the lower chamber of the National Assembly do not offer hope for positive change. Rather, they are indicative of a porous and permissive system where no meaningful progress can take place. There does not, as yet, appear to be any end in sight to this barren and vacuous leadership.

Thus, as we mark yet another independence day, those at the helm of affairs and the people themselves need to spare a thought for this slumbering giant whose much touted greatness has remained in a state of potency. We need to reflect on what can be done for Nigeria to make real progress as recognized by global indices of development. We should ask ourselves when we should have a leadership that will be concerned about the decay in social infrastructure, education, healthcare delivery and other necessities that a modern state must have. It is not enough for us to roll out the drums and make merry. It is also not enough for us to take stock annually as we are doing today. What matters is for us to take action on some of the observed and acknowledged areas of failure with a view to addressing them. Lamentations alone cannot do.

On Independence

Nigeria at 47
By Sun News Publishing
Monday, October 1, 2007

Erapi G.E

Today, the symbolism of Nigeria’s political independence which it gained from Britain 47 years ago is being reenacted. Over time, it has become an annual ritual which reminds Nigerians of the significance of the lowering of the Union Jack, the British colonial insignia, and its replacement with our national flag.

In real, concrete terms, October 1 of every year is a day which Nigerians ought to set aside for reflection and re-appraisal. Having liberated themselves from the clutches of colonialism, and having attained independent statehood, Nigerians owe themselves an obligation to tell themselves the truth about the state of affairs in their fatherland. As an independent country, Nigerians need to ask whether they have piloted the ship of state towards progressive attainment.

Nigerians, no doubt, have never failed to tread this familiar trajectory. But the sad fact is that they have never felt flattered about the state of affairs in their country. Every passing year, they return a verdict of lack of progress or at best a wobbly movement towards progressive statehood. Certainly, the mood in the seats of power in the country today would reflect this state of affairs and more. The government at the centre and the component units that make up the Federation will, through one ceremony or another, remind us that we have attained the age of 47 as an independent nation.

But 47 years after independence, how has Nigeria fared? Can the people thump their chests and declare with confidence that Nigeria is on the road to progressive nationhood? This is the issue before us today as we remind ourselves of the gains and joys of independence.

We can hardly deny the fact that things have not been what they should be in Nigeria. The country has lost a number of opportunities and chances of becoming great. The situation is one that can make a people lose confidence in themselves and approach the future with trepidation and a feeling of despondency.

However, it is gratifying to note that Nigerians do not think of despair. Instead, they are full of hope and vitality. Regardless of our many slips and somersaults, the people have continued to trudge on with Spartan courage. With their resilient spirit, Nigerians are keeping hope alive. They are looking forward to the day their country would rise from its deep slumber and strut into the world community with the boldness to achieve and excel.

This is certainly not an impossible height to attain. What is required for Nigeria to be where it ought to be is for the country to be governed by patriots. Nigeria is in dire need of men and women who should put the nation above selves. Rather, it has, over the years, been held hostage by a self-seeking, visionless and opportunistic cabal who do not care a hoot about how the country and its peoples can grow and develop.

To get it right therefore, Nigeria has to have the right people in positions of authority. Indeed, the real problem Nigeria faces is that of inept leadership. If we reflect, as we must do on a day like this, on the quality of leadership we have been having, we cannot but admit the cold fact that leadership in this country has been on the decline.

What we have been saddled with since the return of civil rule in the country some eight years ago is a leadership that did not and could not envision where Nigeria should be in the years ahead. In the absence of a sense of direction, the country groped in the dark to no end.

The monumental malpractices and irregularities that attended the 2007 general elections and the on-going crisis in the leadership of the lower chamber of the National Assembly do not offer hope for positive change. Rather, they are indicative of a porous and permissive system where no meaningful progress can take place. There does not, as yet, appear to be any end in sight to this barren and vacuous leadership.

Thus, as we mark yet another independence day, those at the helm of affairs and the people themselves need to spare a thought for this slumbering giant whose much touted greatness has remained in a state of potency. We need to reflect on what can be done for Nigeria to make real progress as recognized by global indices of development. We should ask ourselves when we should have a leadership that will be concerned about the decay in social infrastructure, education, healthcare delivery and other necessities that a modern state must have. It is not enough for us to roll out the drums and make merry. It is also not enough for us to take stock annually as we are doing today. What matters is for us to take action on some of the observed and acknowledged areas of failure with a view to addressing them. Lamentations alone cannot do.

Thursday, October 4, 2007

Nigeria sues Pfizer for $8.5bn

Nigeria sues Pfizer for $8.5bn
30/09/2007 12:25 - (SA)
















Kano - A court case brought by Nigeria against Pfizer resumes on Tuesday with the US drug maker saying it answered a call for help to save the lives of African children during a meningitis epidemic.

Nigeria alleges Pfizer deceived patients and caused the death of 11 children in 1996 when it performed clinical trials for a new drug. With the northern state of Kano, it is suing the company for $8.5bn.

The meningitis outbreak killed more than 12 000 children in six months near Kano, a predominantly Muslim metropolis with a history of conflict with the West. Meningitis is an infection of the nervous system that can kill in hours if left untreated.

Ngozi Edozien, managing director of Pfizer in West Africa, said the company brought the experimental drug, Trovan, to Nigeria in response to an international plea for help.

"There was a compelling reason to look at Trovan because it was an oral formulation, it was known to have shown efficacy in meningitis and was a five-day treatment so it was perfect for an epidemic setting," she told Reuters.

The test involved 200 children, half of whom received Trovan while the other half received a proven meningitis treatment.

Nigeria alleges Pfizer was responsible for the deaths of 11 children and permanent health problems for many others. It says it failed to obtain all the required approvals for the test and did not get proper consent from the patients.

Pfizer rejects all the charges. It says Trovan saved lives and the alleged victims were affected by meningitis, not the drug.

The case was first brought in the United States, but thrown out in 2005 by a judge who said it should be heard in Nigeria.

On Tuesday, Pfizer will be in two courts for civil and criminal proceedings brought by the Kano state government. The federal government has also brought civil and criminal charges.

Testing

Trovan had already been tested on 5 000 people before it was used in Nigeria, Edozien said.

It was licensed by the US Food and Drug Administration for use on adults a few months after the Kano trial, and briefly became one of Pfizer's top-selling drugs.

However, the authorities imposed severe restrictions on its use three years later when it was found to cause serious liver injuries in some patients.

Mustapha Maisekili, the father of two alleged victims in the Kano trial, said his two daughters were walking and talking when he took them to the Infectious Diseases Hospital suffering from flu-like symptoms typical of meningitis.

They died a few weeks later.

"Most of the victims lost hope of getting any form of justice on the issue," he said.

"If we are compensated through the court judgment we shall be relieved somehow. Most of us are living hand-to-mouth."

Pfizer faces a hostile reception in Kano, a focus of Islamic radicalism in Nigeria with a history of religious bloodshed and rejection of Western medicine.

The state government banned vaccines against polio for nine months in 2003, alleging they contained HIV and were spreading infertility. The Kano boycott fuelled a resurgence of the crippling virus across Africa.

Civil rights groups say they are planning demonstrations against Pfizer in the city next week.

The Annual Nigerian Indpendence Day Celebration in N.Y.

New York, New York, October 1, 2005: Nigerians from across the United States were joined by other Africans and Americans to celebrate their 45th Independence Day. Nigeria is one of the African countries colonized by Britain. It obtained its Independence from Britain on October 1, 1960.


Nigerians Come Together



Cross Section of The Crowd


Some of the artists that performed at the event


HOW IT HAPPENED: The event started with a parade down the streets of Manhattan, New York and ended with a celebration at the Nigerian House on 44th street. Turn out was massive as streets were cordoned off going several blocks. The color of Nigeria's green-white-green flag dominated the entire area as Nigerians, both young and old donned in assorted combinations of green and white, cheerfully waved the Nigerian flags and interacted with each other confirming the survey that said that Nigerians are the happiest people in the world. There were speeches and addresses by several Nigerians concerning Nigeria's independence as well as the way forward. There were several cultural performances and a lot of Nigerian and African fanfare to go around. The event was to continue with an all night after party in Brooklyn, but we sadly report that authorities abruptly ended the after party because of some youths who taught fighting makes a party. In all, happy independence celebration/anniversary to Nigeria, the African giant!

Nigerian Independence Day

October 1st is Nigerian Independence Day. This year was Nigeria's 47th Anniversary. Across the seas in Nigeria, this Monday was honored in a variety of ways ranging from a National Holiday where no one went to work, to house parties and special meals.
At Dordt College there are four students with Nigerian roots, and although they had to attend classes and work they still made small attempts to recognize this day. Their efforts may have gone unnoticed by the Dordt Sudent population at large but they played Nigerian music in their rooms, ate a traditional Nigerian meal, and wished each other a "Happy Independence." They also wore clothes made out of Nigerian material or donned green-white-green attire that alluded to the colors of the Nigerian flag.
Statuses changed on Facebook as people verbalized their pride, dreams, and congratulations of Nigeria as students across the globe affiliated with Nigeria mentioned that it was liberated Nigeria's birthday.
Text messages traveled across the United States with the ones I received spanning from Iowa to Georgia to Tennessee, to New York.
Independent Nigeria turned 47 on Ocbtober 1st, 2007, and although many were none the wiser, to those whom it mattered to, it was a celebration of culture, freedom, and national pride.