BREAKING: SAHARAREPORTERS FLOORS SARAKI AT APPEAL COURT... N4BN JUDGEMENT OVERTURNED

The Appeal Court judges — Honourable Justice Ibrahim Mohammed Musa Salauwa, Honourable Justice Chidi Nwaoma Uwa and Honourable Justice Hamma Akawu Barka — unanimously ruled that the judgment be nullified and assigned to a new trial judge at the lower court for a retrial.

Saraki

The Court of Appeal in Ilorin, Kwara State, has nullified the lower court’s judgment that awarded a N4billion cost as sum of damages against SaharaReporters and its founder, Omoyele Sowore, in a suit between the two and Bukola Saraki, Nigeria’s Senate President.

On Tuesday, the Appeal Court set aside the judgment of Justice A.S. Oyinloye of the Kwara State High Court in Ilorin delivered on June 28, 2017.

The Appeal Court judges — Honourable Justice Ibrahim Mohammed Musa Salauwa, Honourable Justice Chidi Nwaoma Uwa and Honourable Justice Hamma Akawu Barka — unanimously ruled that the judgment be nullified and assigned to a new trial judge at the lower court for a retrial.

The account of Sahara Reporters Media Foundation, a Non Governmental Organisation, was garnisheed in a suit between SaharaReporters, an online citizen journalism news website, and the Senate President even though the foundation was never named in the suit, neither is it a news publishing platform. 

Justice Oyinloye had entered a judgment of N4billion against SaharaReporters and its founder, Omoyele Sowore, over allegations of defamation involving Saraki. However, the judgment was used to obtain a garnishee order against the foundation, a separate entity.

Sometime in 2017, Saraki had sued SaharaReporters and its founder to the tune of N1billion each as general damages for four different publications on SaharaReporters.

He also sought the court “for injunction restraining the Defendants from further writing, printing or causing to be written, printed or circulated or otherwise published of the Claimant, the said or similar libel".

However, Stanley Imhanruor, a senior lawyer from Falana & Falana’s Chambers, who represented SaharaReporters at both the High Court and the Appeal Court, argued that his clients were never served in the motion on notice neither were they given an opportunity to defend themselves during the hearings that led to Justice Oyinloye’s judgment.

Paul Erokoro, Saraki’s lead counsel, had claimed in court that he could not serve the counter affidavit on the counsel for SaharaReporters because there was no address for service within the court’s jurisdiction. He argued that he had no obligation to serve counsel directly unless the court ordered him to do so or if he sought the court’s leave to serve counsel directly.

Imhanruor contested this argument, stating that his chambers had sent one Adams Adebara to the chambers of Tunde Olomu & Co to pick up the counter affidavit, to no avail. He told the court that, rather than give the document to Mr. Adebara, the chambers rudely dismissed him.

He explained to the court that Saraki’s lawyer had asked Adebara, who was to collect the counter affidavit, to meet with him on the premises of the court so that the bailiff could serve him, but Erokoro failed to deliver on his promise. He told the court that multiple calls to Erokoro were ignored.

The case was, however, withdrawn from the lower court, having lost faith in the process and an appeal filed at the Court of Appeal.

The protracted case had taken several turns before the eventual judgement of the appeal court. In one of the hearings at the Federal High Court in Ilorin, journalists and student activists who had gone to court to observe the hearing were harassed by alleged loyalists of the Senate President.

Reporters from CoreTV, AIT News, and ChannelsTV who were in court to cover the proceedings were harassed and their cameras seized. They were also forced to erase footage of the court proceedings and the assaults that took place in the premises of the court.

The touts, perceived to have been supporters of the Senate President, also assaulted a middle-aged woman, Funmi Jolayemi Ajayi, stripped her Unclad and beat her. Ajayi, a civil society activist, had travelled from Lagos to observe the court proceedings in Ilorin.

Source: http://saharareporters.com/2018/12/04/breaking-saharareporters-floors-saraki-appeal-court-n4bn-judgement-overturned

ASUP TO BEGIN NATIONWIDE STRIKE DECEMBER 12, 2018

The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) has declared that it would begin an indefinite strike from December 12.

The polytechnic lecturers will join their university colleagues who have been on strike for a month.

In a phone interview on Wednesday morning, the National President of ASUP, Usman Dutse, said the federal government had failed to meet the demands of the polytechnic lecturers.

Prior to this impending strike, the union had on October 2 issued a 21-day ultimatum to the government before it extended it to November. But even then, it did not commence the strike.

But Mr Dutse said the proposed strike would be “total and indefinite”.

“This further emphasises the resolution of the 93rd National Executive Council meeting reached at the Yaba College of Technology, Lagos last week,” he said.

“Government has failed to implement and fulfil agreements it reached with the union as contained in the memorandum of understanding signed,” he said.

ASUP went on strike in November 2017; but when the federal government reached an agreement to implement the recommendations of the 2014 NEEDS assessment, the strike was suspended 15 days after.

The agreement particularly highlighted the need for increased funding of polytechnics.

Mr Dutse also said the roles of state government and the National Assembly is not encouraging when it comes to funding the education sector.

“The issue of the funding of the institutions has always been a major concern. After the government conducted the NEEDS assessment in 2014, it promised to implement it. Years after, there is no designed roadmap to implement that,” he said.

He said the bill meant to review the act on the establishment of polytechnics in the country was yet to be passed by the National Assembly. He said the union was hoping that the strike would also help fast-track its passage.

“The institutions are not funded. The states are even worse because state governments just establish schools without actually funding those schools. So, no infrastructure is in place,” he added.

The ASUP president also alleged that some state governments were owing salaries for up to 14 months just as institutions victimise union leaders who voice out against what he termed injustice.

“We have states that are owing about 14 month salaries. Some owe eight months. Benue, Ogun, Osun, Edo, Kogi are owing up to as long as 14 months,” he said.

SENATOR GODSWILL AKPABIO REWARDS YOUNG LAD WITH N500K FOR PLACING HIS SHIRT ON THE GROUND FOR THE SENATOR TO WALK ON.

A young boy went home in a happy state after he was handsomely rewarded by a senator his action.

It was gathered that the said boy placed his shirt on the ground for Senator Godswill Akpabio to walk on to the podium after arriving during an All Progressives Congress (APC) event organised for Obong Nsima Ekere’s governorship campaign on Sunday, 2nd November, 2018.

The young boy was rewarded with a whopping sum of N500,000 for his 'kind' gesture. 

The former Akwa Ibom governor, senator Akpabio, who was addressing the crowd of supporters, suddenly paused and called the boy to the podium to appreciate him
The boy was given N500K to buy himself a new shirt.

The excited crowd in return hailed the senator at the event.

Watch video HERE.

"BUHARI WASN’T CLONED BUT DEAD" - NNAMDI KANU REPLIES LAI MOHAMMED

Kanu, has faulted the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed on his position over alleged cloning of alleging cloning of President Muhammadu Buhari was cloned.

It will be recalled that the Lai Mohammed had said that it was “not only absolute idiotic but also sheer bunkum” to allege that Buhari is dead.

Lai Mohammed reportedly said the allegations of Lai Mohammed “does not require any response from any responsible government or its agencies”.

Nnamdi Kanu reacted to Mohammed’s statement during a live broadcast via radio Biafra on Saturday.

Kanu said: “We are going to dismantle the lies of Lai Mohammed and his brother, there was one Yoruba senator, very mischievous and a lying toad, he said he owes a doctorate degree in genetics as anyone heard about the man before? He a Yoruba senator.

“Do you see how clever they are? This Yoruba senator said that nobody can clone a 75-year-old. Lai Mohammed echoed the same sentiments.

“If you’re not intelligent enough, you will think Nnamdi Kanu said that Buhari was cloned into Jubril, that was not what I said. I said that Jubril is an impostor. They brought him in to act and behave like the dead Buhari. I never said he was cloned. But you see how clever these lairs are? Like lying Mohammed.”

DUE TO FEAR OF ARREST IN US, ATIKU RETURNS TO NIGERIA

The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has returned to Abuja after failing to secure assurances from the US Department of Justice that he will not be arrested in the United States.

Atiku who was reported to have been granted a US visa to travel to the United States was in London on Thursday prior to his departure to the United States.

A group, Initiative To Save Democracy said that it has credible information that the PDP presidential candidate returned to Nigeria after failing to secure assurances from the US Department of Justice that he will not be arrested if he sets his foot on the soil of the United States.

The Waziri Adamawa secured a US visa and had travelled to the United Kingdom from where he will fly into the United states where he had not been able to step foot for more than 13 years.

But the group in a statement signed by its president, Akinloye James said Atiku had on Thursday travelled to the United Kingdom after securing a United States Visa from where he hopes to travel to the United States.

“His mission in the United Kingdom is to get the British Government to help him secure the assurances of the United States Department of Justice that he will not be arrested upon setting foot in US soil. But the British government is reported to have informed Abubakar that the US Department of Justice has made it clear that it cannot guarantee he will not be arrested.”

Atiku has refused to travel to the United States since the case of money laundering allegation involving him and a US congressman, Williams Jefferson came to limelight.

His counterpart in the United States, Williams Jefferson has already served jail term and made to refund part of the money traced to him for money laundering, but Atiku has since been walking free even though he has been unable to set foot in the US.

Having failed to secure the assurances of the British government and fearing that he may be arrested by the International Police (InterPol), Atiku quickly returned to Nigeria to forestall any possible arrest.

Paul Ibe, Head of the Atiku Media Office who has been speaking on behalf of the PDP presidential candidate prior to appointing a spokesman for his campaign tweeted a while ago that Atiku has since returned to Abuja.

”HE@atiku embarked on a private visit to the United Kingdom on Thursday shortly after the inauguration of his Presidential Campaign Council. He has since returned back to Abuja. #LetsGetNigeriaWorkingAgain” Ibe tweeted

His tweet counters report by TheCable that Atiku will spend sometime in the United Kingdom before traveling to the United States.

“Report that Atiku obtained US Visa and travelled to the UK may be true, but the part that he would be traveling to the US is completely false,” Mr James said.

ATIKU FINALLY GETS US VISA, JETS OUT OF NIGERIA

Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has finally been issued a visa to the United States.

A family source disclosed this to TheCable on Saturday and confirmed that the former vice-president has left Nigeria for the UK, where he will spend some time before flying to the US.

TheCable also understands that former president Olusegun Obasanjo played a “critical” role in getting the American government to issue the visa to his former deputy with whom he was estranged for almost 15 years.

The trip marks another chapter in the controversy that has rocked the former vice-president for over a decade.

Atiku, who is widely travelled, has not been to the US in 13 years, intially fueling speculations that he might be avoiding possible arrest or prosecution.

His political opponents had used his absence from the US not just to taunt but to discredit him.

His row with the US authorities began after the FBI investigated a bribery scandal involving William Jefferson, former US congressman, in 2004.

Atiku was accused of demanding a bribe of $500,000 to facilitate the award of contracts to two American telecommunication firms in Nigeria.

The FBI had searched his residence in the posh neighbourhood of Potomac, Maryland, but no money was found.

The investigators had videotaped Jefferson, who was the congressman representing Louisiana, receiving $100,000 worth of $100 bills which he claimed was meant for Atiku, but the former vice-president has consistently denied the allegation.

Despite Atiku’s claim to innocence, the controversy raged.

Two months before he declared interest in the 2019 presidential race, Atiku granted an interview to Dele Mommodu, celebrity journalist, where he clarified his absence from the US.

“It is the sole prerogative of America to determine who they want in their country or not,” he said.

“I’m not running away from America. I applied but wasn’t issued a visa.”

He said the US did not categorically deny him visa.

“They’ve only said my application is going through administrative process,” he said.

On Thursday, Lai Mohammed, minister of information, had warned the US to be cautious in granting visa to the main opponent of President Muhammadu Buhari in 2019.

Asked to comment on Atiku’s visa status on Friday, Rusell Brooks, spokesman of the US consulate in Lagos, had said issuance of visa to Nigerians irrespective of their status is strictly a confidential matter.

He said the US government would not discuss such confidentiality in public.

Some All Progressives Congress (APC) members had alleged that Brian Ballard, publicist of US President Donald Trump, was working towards relaxing the visa ban on Atiku. 

NEW MINIMUM WAGE: YOU HAVE CONSPIRED WITH FG – GROUP MOCKS LABOUR LEADERS

The All Workers Convergence (AWC) has declared that the lingering new national minimum wage issue was a reflection of the conspiracy between labour leaders and the Federal Government.

AWC National Coordinator, Comrade Andrew Emelieze made this declaration while speaking with journalists in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital at the weekend.

He said that what the group has been seeing is a labour movement whose activities look more like a conspiracy between labour and the federal government to deceive Nigerian workers.

Emelieze said, ”What we have been seeing is a labour movement that has been begging the question, in activities that look more of a conspiracy of labour with the Federal Government to deceive the Nigerian workers and continually postpone the actualization of the new minimum wage.

”The scenario as it is unfolding compels one to re-examine the engagement of labour in this regard. One would not but say that for the workers to have waited for over three years and there seems to be no green light at the end of the day, portrays the labour movement as very weak, conservative and equally not willing to achieve a new minimum wage for Nigerian workers.

”But if labour is ready for the actualization of the new minimum wage, labour knows what to do even with the last aborted strike action by labour suggested that if labour has carried on with the strike action by now, the agitation would have been over.

He urged labour leaders to wake up from its slumber by saving workers from the current hardship in the country.

Emelieze said, “As far as the AWC is concerned, the Nigerian workers are saying that labour should wake up and not sleep over workers’ sufferings, as the situation is becoming more painful, when countries such as South Africa has increased workers’ minimum wage”.

GEORGE H.W. BUSH, 41ST PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, DIES AT 94

 

George H.W. Bush, the 41st president of the United States and the father of the 43rd, was a steadfast force on the international stage for decades, from his stint as an envoy to Beijing to his eight years as vice president and his one term as commander in chief from 1989 to 1993.

The last veteran of World War II to serve as president, he was a consummate public servant and a statesman who helped guide the nation and the world out of a four-decade Cold War that had carried the threat of nuclear annihilation.

His death, at 94 on Nov. 30, also marked the passing of an era.

RITUALISTS BEHEAD 12-YEAR-OLD GIRL, REMOVED VITAL ORGANS IN DELTA STATE (GRAPHIC PIC)

Suspected ritualists, in the early hours of Thursday, beheaded a 12-year-old girl, simply identified as Eguono, at Okwemeva junction off Scott road in Oghara, Ethiope-West Local Government Area of Delta State.

NG Reporters learnt that vital organs of the deceased were also severed by the suspected ritualists.

At the moment, residents, still in shock over the development, are afraid to speak to the press for fear of the unknown.

Men of the Nigeria Police Force, Oghara Division, have gone to evacuate the remains of the deceased.

When contacted, the Delta State Commissioner of Police, CP Muhammad Mustafa said, “The DPO actually called me; but they said the girl was not mentally okay.

“Yes, it is confirmed, but the DPO has commenced investigation to unravel the true story as to why the girl was beheaded.”

READ MORE + PHOTOS: 

http://www.ngreporters.com/suspected-ritualists-behead-12-year-old-girl-remove-vital-organs-in-delta/

UNPAID WORKERS ARREARS: NLC DECLARES WAR AGAINST GOVT OF KATSINA, RIVERS, OGUN, BORNU

Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) says it would stop at nothing to ensure that the Federal Government recalls the Paris Club Refunds paid to the government of Katsina, Rivers, Ogun and Bornu States for failing to pay arrears of civil servants.

The President of the NLC, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, stated this during the Joint National Service Negotiating Council meeting, organized by the office of the Head of Service of the Federation (OHCSF) in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State Capital.

According to Warba, the said States made commitments to use the Paris Club Refunds to offset arrears of several months they owe workers in the civil service in their respective States.

Explaining further he said the NLC entered an agreement with the Presidency to pay the Paris Club Refund to only States that agree that they would use the funds to offset workers salary arrears but that “amongst the States that agreed to abide by the terms, Katsina, Rivers, Ogun and Bornu States are yet to fulfil that promise.

“We are going to write to the Presidency to recall the Paris Club Refund sent to them because the funds have not created an impact in the life of workers in the civil service in these States.

“We are bent on taking this step because some States are more interested in diverting the funds meant to pay the salary of workers to pursue flagrancies. This is why many States owe workers salary and gratuity. This is why our universities are on strike because the government have been living on denial,” he added.

Presenting the constitution of the councils and declaring the three days meeting open, the governor of Bayelsa State, Hon. Seriake Dickson attributed the prevailing harmonious government and labour relationship in the state to his consultative and inclusive style of governance.

Dickson further underscored the importance of the public service in translating government’s policy objectives to tangible achievements, saying his administration would continue to prioritise the welfare of workers within the ambit of subsisting labour laws as no government could succeed without the cooperation of the public workforce.

He expressed gratitude to civil servants both at federal and state levels for their contributions and show of understanding especially during the period of economic recession which affected the payment of their salaries.

His words, “Let me also report to you that I’m very pleased with the attitude and quality of the manpower we have in our workforce in the new Bayelsa we are building. I’m particularly appreciative of the collaboration that is existing between those of us in government and the leadership of organised labour.

“To a large extent, that is made possible because of my consultative and inclusive approach to issues, which has informed not just my politics but also in the governance of this state. There is no major decision we take concerning the public service that we don’t sit down and discuss and get inputs from organised labour in this state.”

Using the opportunity to highlight some of the achievements of the state government, Dickson noted that his administration’s comprehensive reform programme has provided the enabling environment to promote workers welfare and productivity.

According to him, “Between the last time, you came to Bayelsa and now, so much new and wonderful things have taken place. In very a few days from now, people will land in one of the best airports in our country built here by my administration.

Also Speaking, the Chairman of the Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council, Mrs Didi Walson-Jack, commended Dickson for showing commitment to the welfare of workers in the country.

According to her, the Dickson was among the first few state governors to allow the state council to have a written agreement in respect of the payment of salary arrears owed workers from the Paris Club Refunds as requested by the Federal Government.

Assuring workers of Federal Government’s determination to improve their welfare and condition of service, Mrs Walson-Jack, urged public servants to imbibe the tenets of integrity, merit, performance and transparency in consonance with the ethics of the public service and national development.

Also speaking, the Acting Head of the Bayelsa State Civil Service, Mr Luka Wellington-Obiri described as apt the theme of the meeting, Sustaining Industrial harmony in the Public Service: An Imperative for Achieving Federal Government’s Change Agenda for National Development.

Mr Obiri noted that real change has already taken place in the Bayelsa State Public Service as a result of the dogged manner the present administration initiated and implemented its reform programme.

The high point of the opening ceremony was the unveiling and presentation of constitutions of Council one, two and three as well as that of the Joint Council by Governor Dickson.