Arase Knocks Idris For Making Media Show Of 24 ‘Stolen’ Police Vehicles

The immediate past Inspector General of Police, Mr. Solomon Arase, has condemned his successor, Ibrahim Idris’ decision to address the media, rather than personally reach out to him over alleged ‘missing’ police vehicles.
Acting IG of Police, Idris, had while addressing a press conference yesterday in Abuja, accused his predecessor of taking with him, following his retirement last month, 24 police vehicles, including two BMW 7 series; one armoured and leaving him with an old and rickety vehicle.

The police chief, who claimed Arase refused to return the vehicles despite writing him to that effect, disclosed that he had set up a Special Investigation Panel to “investigate all the vehicle purchases, contributions to the police and the distribution of those vehicles in the last three years”.
But Arase, who is in London for his son’s graduation, said in a statement on Monday that every information needed by his successor on vehicles bought by the police were in his handover notes.

RELATED POST: Arase Took Away 24 Police Vehicles, Including IG’s Official Car – Idris

The retired IG maintained that all vehicles bought by the police under him were distributed to the state commands and other appropriate units of the force.
He also denied getting any letter from Idris since he has been in the UK.
“I suspect there must be a disconnect somewhere because every information needed by my successor are provided in my handover notes”, Mr. Arase said.
“I’m also not aware that any letter was written to me because if there was any dropped in my house, someone would have alerted me.
“It’s unfortunate that this matter is being made a media issue because my successor has my telephone number and could have called me for any clarification or even sent me a text message rather than addressing the media on an issue well documented in my handover notes”, he lamented.

Ooni of Ife Attends Wedding Ceremony in full Regalia

Ooni of Ife, Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi & his adorable wife, Olori Wuraola were among the dignitaries at the wedding of Chief Wole Olanipekun, and Mr. Dele Adesina’s children at the prestigious Landmark event center in Lagos over the weekend.

Other guests at the wedding include Former Vice President, Abubakar Atiku, Oba Akinrutan, Governor Segun Mimiko of Ondo state, Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia state, Minister of information and culture, Lai Mohammed and his Communications counterpart, Barrister Adebayo Shittu.

See more photos below:

Why Ikpeazu was sacked as Abia governor – Court

Ikpeazu

The Federal High Court on Friday said Justice Okon Abang ordered Abia State Governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu’s sack because the judge found that he allegedly submitted false tax information to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The court said the case had nothing to do with forgery of tax documents.
The court’s Chief Registrar, Emmanuel Gakko, said in a statement that there were two different cases against Ikpeazu.
He said one of the cases was filed by Sir Friday Nwosu with Dr. Ikpeazu and Dr. Sampson Uche Ogah as defendants. The case was before Justice Ambrose Allagoa.
In the second suit before Justice Abang, Dr. Ogah was the plaintiff, while Dr. Ikpeazu and Sir Nwosu were the defendants.

The court said the case before Justice Allagoa bothered on alleged forgery or falsification of tax certificate and receipts for 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014 by Dr. Ikpeazu.

In deciding the case, Justice Allagoa held that “a mere nebulous averment is not enough for the purpose of pleading the crime of forgery.”
According to the judge, “forgery is a criminal offence and must be proved, which the plaintiff failed to do.”
The statement added: “The court further held that by the affidavit of the Abia State Director of Taxes testifying that the documents are genuine, the court held that there was presumption of genuineness of the assessment and the certificate and/or receipts issued to Dr. Ikpeazu.
“The court further held that the consequential reliefs have become unnecessary for the court’s consideration.
“It should be noted that the court did not make any consequential orders with regard to the position of the governor other than the allegation of forgery.”
The Chief Registrar said the case before Justice Abang had a different subject-matter, that Dr. Ikpeazu submitted form CF001 to INEC which were alleged to contain false information.
“The court held that the information in Form CF001 as shown by him (Ikpeazu) in the affidavit accompanied with other documents to INEC are false and has nothing to do with forgery.
“The, court, therefore made consequential orders under the doctrine of ‘lis pendens,’ which disallows any transfer of rights or interest in any subject matter that is being litigated upon during the pendency of litigation in respect of the said subject-matter.
“The court, accordingly, declared Dr. Ogah as the winner of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) primaries and should be issued with Certificate of Return accordingly.”
The Chief Registrar said the clarification became necessary in view of “misrepresentation of facts as published in some electronic and print media and comments by both legal practitioners and laymen on the correct facts of the cases involving the Abia State Governor and the Judgment of Hon. justice O. E. Abang and Hon. Justice A. L. Allagoa.”

Nice terror attack: Driver who killed 84 on French Riviera was criminal known to police

Police on Friday have identified the man who used a hired lorry to kill at least 84 people in a terrorist attack during Bastille Day celebrations in Nice, France, as a well known French-Tunisian criminal.
The man was shot by police after he deliberately drove at a packed street of spectators, killing at least 84 and wounding many more.

According to AFP, the perpetrator was a local 30-year-old career criminal who was born in Tunisia before moving to France.

His 19 tonne lorry had zigzagged through crowds massing on the Promenade des Anglais on Thursday night, killing anyone he could.
After being stopped by armed police, who fired bullets into the lorry’s windscreen, the so far unnamed man exchanged fire with officers using a 7.65pistol, before being shot dead.
The attack, which comes eight months and a day after Isis gunmen and suicide bombers killed 130 people in Paris, appeared so far to be the work of a lone assailant.

“People went down like ninepins,” Jacques, who runs Le Queenie restaurant on the seafront, told France Info.
“I saw people go down,” bystander Franck Sidoli, who was visibly shocked, told Reuters at the scene. “Then the truck stopped, we were just five metres away. A woman was there, she lost her son. Her son was on the ground, bleeding.”
The fact that the killer was known to the authorities will be of grave concern to those trying to prevent terrorist attacks in France.
Source: AFP/Telegraph UK

Court Refuses To Hear Omisore’s Bail Application

The Federal High Court sitting at Abuja before Justice Olukayode Adeniyi has declined to hear the Bail application of Senator Iyiola Omisore.

Justice Adeniyi stated that the Application is premature and therefore incompetent. Omisore was remanded in accordance with Section 293 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015 (ACJL) by an Order made by a magistrate court of the Federal capital territory pursuant to an ex parte application made by the EFCC.

Section 293 of the ACJL gives a magistrate the power to cause a pre-charge remand to be issued against a suspect depending on the gravity of their crime(s), where the Magistrate has no jurisdiction to entertain the matter .

The application for remand, when granted, subsists for a period of 14 days and can be renewed twice- each renewal for fourteen days.

Omisore applied through Counsel and the Judge stated that while the application is premature and incompetent, it puts the Court in a position to act in an appellate capacity for a Court of coordinate jurisdiction.

A lot of Counsel and Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) have spoken on the validity/invalidity of Section 293 of the ACJL as it seems to contravene Section 35 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (CFRN) which guarantees the right of a person to Liberty.

Those who toe this line are also of the opinion that it amounts to a Holding Charge which the Supreme Court has stated to be illegal. Some others are of the view that it is simply a pre-charge remand and it does not exactly contravene the CFRN Section 35 as the section further provided that any person arrested or detained “shall be brought before a court of law within a reasonable time” and shall be released either conditionally or unconditionally, if not tried within a period of two months from the date of arrest or detention in the case of a person who is in custody or not entitled to bail.”

They contend that 2 months is at par with the number of days cumulative laid down for remand by the ACJL. It is hoped that this issue is clarified by the Supreme Court in the near future.

I am in Support of Biafra – Prof. Wole Soyinka

Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka has, again, explained his support for Biafran agitators.
Soyinka said the Igbo people have been so wronged that they have no choice than to consider opting out of Nigeria.

Prof. Soyinka spoke on Al Jazeera, yesterday where he shed light on his support for Biafra agitators.
“I am very much pro- Biafra because I recognise that the Igbo have been wronged desperately.
“They have been brutalised in a way that justifies their feeling that they were not part of the nation.
“Let me also say this, Biafrans are not entirely innocent in this affair. They were not, but the unleashing of such venom, such devastation on them as a people, was sufficient to justify their decision not to be part of the nation.
“I was pro-Biafran in the sense that I felt that they needed justice.”
Soyinka denied he was a troublemaker, especially in the Biafran crisis, but added, “I grew up in certain circumstances being very conscious politically, in this very Abeokuta; my mother was involved in the politics, my aunt, Mrs. Funmilayo Ransome Kuti was a leader…
“I grew up among political arguments on issues that concern humanity and I find that basically gravitated towards recognising the basic worth of human beings.
“Something I disagree when they call me a patriot because I don’t agitate on some certain entity called a nation; I agitate on humanity.”
He criticised the removal of History and teaching of the Biafran crisis in schools.
“Officials do not want to confront their own history, especially the history in the making of which they feel uncomfortable but, if you do not confront your past, you are going to mess up your future.”
On Boko Haram and the breakup of Nigeria, he said ironically, Boko Haram might be part of the reasons Nigeria may stay together.
Soyinka said a few years ago, he would have agreed that Nigeria would break, but, now that a section of the country is in trouble, there is some kind of pulling together. He added that the conscience of many Nigerian has been awakened such that they cannot abandon that section of the country.
He urged Nigerians to recognise the plurality of Nigeria, how it came together and begin to devise and adopt a method of governance which cannot only be of massive decentralisation. “That way, we can stay together. If we continue to have a centralist government, then, Nigeria is on the brink.”
Source: Sun News

How to ‘defeat’ EFCC or die trying!

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission “carry” you? What’s there? It simply means you have arrived! Whatever you do, never plead guilty! The EFCC’s budget is not even up to N15bn, yet as a bonafide big thief worth N25bn, you already know you can match the EFCC naira for naira. Remember that its budget will not even be used to fight you alone, it has to fight other big thieves like you. When broken down per capita thief per thief, the EFCC probably has just about N100m to fight you. Before the battle gets started, your advantage over the EFCC cannot be over-emphasised but you must do more.
This is the time to remember you are a Christian and do not forget that the President is a Muslim. Every political battle is a battle of narratives before anything else, so you must make sure to sponsor analysts to critique the President’s inclination towards only going after thieves who are Christians. Some “oversabi” people will try to point out to you that he is also going after Muslims but that is not your business; your business is to focus on your agenda and spend and spend until you believe your narrative is actually the truth. In this game, the truth takes the shape of the glass you want it, the truth is not absolute here. Remember to let people know that the EFCC is coming after you because you are not from Daura. Have you not noticed that nobody from Daura has been charged by the EFCC? So, scream until Nigerians believe you. Let me tell you something about an average crowd, they do not exactly care for the truth, they care for who is able to dress their own truth best.
This is not the time to be wearing suits up and down; wear your traditional attire. You will need to be seen as being persecuted because of the “continued marginalisation of our people!” Who cares? It is not your business whether there is federal character in the comity of thieves. You will need to hire ethnic entrepreneurs whose nuisance value amounts to political value at this time. They are the ones to organise widows with husbands at home who just need the N1000 you pay to their wives after a successful protest against the government for “witch-hunting” you. I suggest you do not even use “witch-hunt” because it has been over-used and is now faded. Don’t say, “I am being witch-hunted,” because people will say that is all the big thieves say when they are caught; so, you must differentiate brand from those other thieves by saying, “I am being isolated for persecution.”
You cannot do this on your own. The easiest way to perish as a thief in Nigeria is to try to eat alone. You eat alone, you go down alone! So, organise some money for social media, you need people using your photo on their profile pictures and the #FreeBigThief (replace your name with Big Thief) hash tag will come in handy. This one is not expensive, you can give some of those people N5,000 and you are good to go. See, spare some money for analysts who cannot defend you directly but can scatter the conversation so that people can no longer understand if President Muhammadu Buhari is even fighting corruption or he is abusing human rights. These analysts are easy to identify; just look for the people that are quiet when people return stolen money or people who never bother to speak about human rights when the poor are abused. They are very loud when the conversation is about human rights and the rule of law but only when this rule is about how it applies to big yet-to-be-convicted thieves. Your media agenda will not be complete without some strategically placed articles in the newspapers.

Nigeria is a complex country; you must use that complexity to your advantage. Tweet about how you just finished hosting another student group and some tweets showing the visit to your house by Nigerians of other ethnic coloration does your national credibility a lot of good. Power is nothing without control, a Nigerian politician equals to zero without a sell-out crowd! Do not be naïve asking how to get a crowd screaming your name. N1000 times 2,000 is just N2m. So, with N5m, you can have a crowd of 5,000 people welcome you home on your return having secured a N500m bail. See, no one dares a loud crowd motivated by money!
Your job is not done! You need an international agenda to do with your local moves. You know Buhari used to be known as a dictator, all you need now do is wear him that cap again! You should be smarter than to think he will agree to wear such in this modern world where being a dictator is being regarded as being the modern Mussolini. He won’t agree to wear the cap but you can dress him in absentia. There are many willing foreign media consultants especially in Washington and London who will help you pen strategic, “Is Nigeria’s Buhari Really the Born-Again Democrat He Claims To Be?” or even more direct ones like, “Buhari Is The Reason Nigeria Is Failing!” Look, the credibility of the author does not matter, it does matter if even in his or her own country, the author is worth the price of two used tissue papers; what matters is that the article is on a foreign platform. Nigerians may not buy whatever you sell but once you package it inside a foreign attire, we “go buy am samsam!”
Your job is still not done. To whom much is given, much is expected so to whom Baba Daz sent too much money, much he must do, to survive the onslaught of the law! If you do all these and you don’t get the best lawyers, you will amount to a big fool who spent millions of naira trying to host a party but without good food and good music. It will only end in a disaster! Whether you are a Christian, Muslim or a mixture of one of them and some African religion, you must know that once the EFCC is after you for stealing, your prayer must now go straight to your lawyer o! That prayer will of course fail if not backed by the right billions. See, lawyers never lie; they only want to win in court. Meanwhile, do not steal N25bn and then hire a N25,000 lawyer, you will go to jail faster than it takes Usain Bolt to finish a 100m race and you’d have deserved it. Because not only are you a thief, you are a dishonourable thief! LOL. No one steals to “chop alone”, you steal most of it for yourself; you leave some for a possible refund or where you don’t want to be seen as a chicken that budged easily, you leave some for all of the above.
All of these would be useless without an illness. It does not matter that you have been hale and hearty through all your years of fruitful stealing, an illness is your fastest route towards getting a bail and possibly an opportunity to go see your doctors abroad. You are the only one who needs to know your doctor is simply the person in charge of helping to move your loot to safe havens.
By the time you do all of these, Buhari’s tenure would be closing in on its full mandate. Who knows, the next president could even apologise to you, return the money collected from you and even top it up with a national award. Except of course Buhari institutionalises the war and makes it hard for the next president to reverse the gains against unrepentant thieves like you. You do not want that, you must begin to identify the thief you want to run as president even now. See, uneasy lies the head that wears a crown, your own head will carry fire! Corruption must fight back, it needs you as a soldier! A Looting Continua!

Forgery: AGF meets senators, insists on Saraki, Ekweremadu’s trial

The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami, on Wednesday, justified the decision of his office to institute a legal action against the presiding officers of the Senate over the alleged forgery of the Senate Standing Order 2015.
Malami, who honoured the invitation of the Senate after three weeks the Upper Chamber passed a resolution to summon him over the matter, also told the senators that his office was convinced that the suit should be prosecuted in the interest of public.
The AGF, who reminded the federal lawmakers that making specific comments on the issue could be subjudice, however, clarified that his initial involvement as a counsel in one of the three suits instituted on the forgery saga, did not constitute any conflict of interest.
He maintained that the action of his office was informed by the police report attached to the suits which bordered on criminality, adding that the provisions of Section 60 of the constitution empowered him to file the criminal charges against the presiding officers.

Malami refused to answer queries by members of the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, on why he was prosecuting the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, and his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu, despite the fact that their names were not allegedly mentioned in the police report.
Malami noted that the matter was a case of conspiracy and forgery but that asking him to justify the reasons for involving the two presiding officers would be subjudice because the proof of evidence was already before the court.
Quoting from both the 1999 Constitution and the Senate rule book, the AGF said, “the proof of evidence is before the court. I am a party in the suit being the prosecutor. I can’t comment on the question you asked because doing so would be subjudice.”
He said, “I was invited to appear before the committee based on a letter which reads ‘Imminent threat to Nigeria democracy.’ I have a clear obligation to do whatever should be done within the context of the constitution to sustain the democratic process.
“The issue that constitutes the basis of this invitation is a criminal case instituted against certain members of the Senate. It is an act that predates my appointment. There are a series of suits.
“I was appointed on the 12th of November, 2015. That is four months after the investigation was concluded by the NPF. I have an obligation in the sustenance of democracy to institute a legal action from an investigation that has been concluded. It was based on this that I took the action.
“The action was not taken to truncate any democratic process, but was taken to protect democracy. There are now two pending cases in court. One is a civil case instituted by some senators. The other is a criminal case instituted by the office of the AGF.
“The initiation behind the forgery case was taken in the interest of the public and in the interest of democracy. I want to state clearly that my decision was based on public interest and the aim is to prevent abuse of public offices.
“The National Assembly has the powers to regulate its own procedure. But the basis for filing my case was that the position taken was not that of the Senate. The Senate Standing Rules allegedly amended in 2015 did not follow the traditional way of amendment.

50 Cent on filing for bankruptcy: It didn’t affect my lifestyle

Following the end of his bankruptcy case, 50 cent has revealed filing for bankruptcy did not affect his lavish lifestyle.Appearing on Tuesday’s The View , the rapper said
“I knew my audience wouldn’t get it,” he told the hosts. “Like, the day I did it [filed for bankruptcy] I was doing press for Southpaw and it was like, ‘Maybe you shouldn’t go and do it, and I was like, “No that’s the wrong approach.'”
“When you’re reorganising it doesn’t mean you don’t have things like companies that aren’t worth millions of dollars that are still functioning companies – and you have access to millions of dollars. So it doesn’t affect your lifestyle.
“My social network has increased dramatically since that. People love tragedy so much they were like ‘Oh is this real? Is this really happening?'”

Reverend father allegedly burnt in lover’s house (Photo)

A Reverend Father with a Catholic diocese in Anambra State (names withheld), who was allegedly burnt by a cooking gas fire in a lover’s house at Allen Avenue, Awka, has been,reportedly, flown abroad for treatment.
A source said the priest was flown abroad to cover traces.
Our source, who pleaded anonymity, said the lover died in the inferno while the Reverend Father sustained high degree of burnt.
“Your inquiry isn’t exactly false. His (Reverend Father’s) relative is a friend and he did not say anything different from your proposed report,” the source said.
It was gathered that the priest was relaxing in a one-room apartment of the alleged girlfriend (who was identified as a student of a university in the state) on the fateful day when the incident occurred.
“The girl died on the spot, but the priest was hurriedly smuggled away and we now hear that they have flown him abroad, apparently to cover traces. Are there no hospitals in Nigeria?
“I have told them to stop covering this story. What do they want to achieve by hiding this story? The truth should be said and shame the devil,” the source maintained.
But another source, who would not want to be named, said,
“The priest was involved in the gas fire accident trying to save a life. All these side talks are not unnecessary.”
When Abuchi, Onwumelu, the Press Secretary to the Bishop of the Diocese, Most Reverend Paulinus Ezeokafor, was contacted on the telephone for reaction, he said he had heard about the gas fire incident involving a Reverend Father, but had no full facts of the story.
Onwumelu, who said he was in a function when our reporter called him, promised to get back to our correspondent, but he never did by the time of filing the report.
Similarly, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Ali Okechukwu, said the matter had not been reported to his office.
He promised to reach the Divisional Police Officer of ‘B’ Division, where the incident allegedly occurred and get back to our correspondent, but he never did.
Punc

House Of Reps s*x Scandal Investigation Begins Today

When 10 members of the House of Representatives arrived the Renaissance hotel in Cleveland, Ohio as guests of the US government for the International Visitor Leadership Programme held between April 7 and 13, 2016, the millions of Nigerians they represent were oblivious that that the privilege would become an ill-fated trip of a sort. Constituents of these lawmakers went about their lives not knowing that the luxury hotel managed by the famous Marriott Hotel Group, would be the scene of an international s*x scandal, that has caused them major embarrassment and again blighted the country’s reputation.

In most cases, even some of the wealthiest countries, the US inclusive, when hosting international exchange programmes or summits, work with a budget, with such events being hosted at affordable hotels.
But probably due to the calibre of those invited for the leadership programme, the US government chose to host the event at the sophisticated hotel located in downtown Cleveland. Daily Sun findings indicate that rooms in the Renaissance’s hotel start at about N92,000 per night. Further research on the hotel by Daily Sun also showed that it has 33 event rooms one or two of which would have hosted the conference the Nigerian lawmakers attended. Also not coming cheap is the usage of the now famous parking lot at the hotel, where two lawmakers were accused of asking a staff who assists in parking cars, known as valet in America, to help procure the services of prostitutes.
According to the website of the hotel, parking
there for a day when a guest does that by himself costs about N7,600 and about N9, 000 when the parking of the car is done by a valet and in most cases, wealthy clients at such hotels still drop a generous tip for valets.
It is therefore easy to hazard a guess, that any commercial s*x worker who agrees to be pimped by valet at such a hotel would not come cheap.
It was in that luxury hotel that according to the outgoing US ambassador to Nigeria, James Entwistle, the three lawmakers were engaged in s*xual misconduct. Entwistle in a letter dated June 9, 2016, addressed to Speaker Yakubu Dogara, alleged that, Mohammed Garba Gololo (APC, Bauchi), Samuel Ikon (PDP, Akwa Ibom) and Mark Gbillah (APC, Benue) had during their stay in the hotel been involved in s*xual misconduct.
The envoy in his letter said Gbillah and Ikon asked a staff of the hotel to engage prostitutes on their behalf and Gololo made s*xual overtures to a housekeeper.
When the envoy’s letter became public knowledge, resulting in a roaring scandal, with members of the public expressing outrage both on social media and at different forums, Dogara in his first response, said in a series of tweets that his colleagues are innocent until proven guilty. On their part, the three lawmakers have held to their plea of innocence and just before it proceeded on a two- week break for Sallah, the House mandated its Committees on Foreign Relations, Ethics and Privileges to investigate the lawmakers.
The mandate given the joint committee was subsequent to the adoption of a motion raised under matters of privileges at plenary on Tuesday June 21 by Gbillah, who vehemently denied asking anyone to procure the services of a prostitute on his behalf.
Gbillah whose motion was presented in an atmosphere of pin-drop silence, explained that he was demanding on behalf of his colleagues, that the House conducts a “detailed and public” investigation into the matter.
He accused Entwistle of a “calculated campaign to tarnish and smear the image of we the lawmakers and this hallowed institution”.
The lawmaker in an emotion laden voice insisted that he has never cheated on his wife. He said: “For my colleagues who don’t know me and Nigerians out there , I want to categorically state here, for any avoidance of doubt, that no such incidence occurred.
“I want my colleagues and the nation to understand that though we are in the eye of the storm, we will bear this cross and courageously too. I want to say that this is calculated to tarnish the image of the three members and this very hallowed institution. I caution Nigerians who are quick to conclusion. I want to state categorically for all Nigerians to know again, that I love my wife without reservation. I have only eyes for my wife. I have never cheated on her. I wish she was able to come to this hallowed chambers to testify to this. I went on this trip with my wife and my baby. I travel everywhere I go with my wife and baby”.
Owing to the relevance of her committee to the investigation, Chairperson House Committee on Foreign Relations, Nnenna Ukeje( PDP-Abia), the only member allowed to speak after Gbillah, by Dogara, called for a “de-escalation of the situation”, probably in reaction to the deluge of negative comments against the lawmakers in the public domain. She maintained that the investigation of the House must be done with the understanding that Nigeria and the US share a long history of a peaceful and mutually beneficial relationship. The Speaker in his ruling emphasized the importance of the investigation to the House and the public as according to him, the reputation of the country was at stake. He said: “Few Nigerians were involved in Advance Fee Fraud. But it soon became what Nigerians were identified with.
“So if we think that this is about the three members, we will be wrong. It could become the standard which we and other Nigerians are judged”.
Dogara repeated his earlier call to uphold the legal mantra that accused persons be considered innocent until proven guilty. “Let me reiterate that the standard in the US and it is the same in Nigeria, is that you are innocent until proven guilty”, he restated. Even with the commencement of the investigation today, for many it is hard to predict its outcome as the situation is quite unprecedented. Regardless, a member of the joint committee, who spoke to this paper on condition of anonymity, said the House in recognition of the mood of the country over the scandal, will not only make the investigations transparent but will make findings public.
The Joint Committee met on Tuesday behind closed doors in preparation for its first public hearing holding today. Daily Sun learnt that the meeting was majorly to work out modalities by which this first of a kind investigation will be conducted. Nevertheless, the basic expectations are that the Foreign Relations Committee will handle the diplomatic angle, while the Committee on Ethics and Privileges will deal with the conduct of the lawmakers.
Of note is the fact that as investigations commence, again, the lawmakers are saying that the onus of proof lies with the US Envoy who turned down journalists at the Saturday July 2 cocktail party organised by the embassy to commemorate the 240th anniversary of America’s declaration of independence. “I have nothing to say about that” he said, when asked if the House had replied his letter or made any contact. But it is quite glaring, that the highly regarded envoy who is expected at today’s hearing will have to say all he knows about what happened in far away Cleveland, Ohio. Chairman of the Joint Committee, Ossai Nicholas Ossai, disclosed on Monday that the Committee decided not to invite the management of the Renaissance hotel because it believes the ambassador will come with all the necessary video evidence showing how and when the members he fingered carried out the actions for which he wrote the Speaker in protest.
Suffice to say that tensions are high in the House over the content of the video evidence the ambassador is supposed to present. Apart from the outgoing US ambassador, the Committee also extended invitations to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyema, the House Committee on Human Rights, the three accused lawmakers, the National Human Rights
Commission, as well as the other seven members that attended the leadership programme.
Most importantly, Nigerians, an overwhelming majority of whom are demanding for a thorough and transparent investigation will be watching the Joint Committee closely, more so a lot is expected from the duo of Ukeje and Ossai as ranking members whose contributions to debates on the floor are characteristically demanding of a higher standard of service and accountability from both elected and appointed government officials. It is safe to say that with this investigation, the House may just be facing one of its toughest tests as whatever report it comes up with will be freely critiqued by Nigerians, some of whom are already sceptical. Speaking to Daily Sun on the scandal, president of the Human Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA),
Emmanuel Onwubiko, opined that the Speaker shouldn’t have made any comments until investigations have been fully conducted.
In addition to this, Onwubiko is of the view that with the House conducting the investigation on the matter, the three accused lawmakers might just be exonerated. For him, a better option would have been, having the lawmakers investigated by a neutral committee set up by the Foreign Affairs ministry.
Also speaking on the scandal, lawyer and rights activist Esther Uzoma said it would be irresponsible to treat the allegations made against the lawmakers with levity.
Uzoma who is the National Coordinator, of the Proactive Gender Initiative, however posited that Nigerians have found it easy to believe the allegations, because of what she described as a “high prevalence of s*xual excesses” by Nigerian men, especially the highly placed, a category, lawmakers fall into.
Source: Sun News