The apex court in Nigeria on Tuesday dismissed the appeal of Senator Henry Seriake Dickson against the decision of the Court of Appeal, Port Harcourt Division.

The Court of Appeal had ordered the Federal High Court to hear the suit seeking to disqualify the former Governor of Bayelsa State from contesting the Senatorial election having allegedly submitted false and forged documents to the Independent National Electoral Commission.

The suit which was filed by Dickson’s kinsman, Owoupele Eneoriekumoh with Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Peoples Democratic Party (PD) and Dickson Seriake as first, second and third respondents in suit no: FHC/YNG/72/2020 was dismissed by the trial court for want of jurisdiction having been allegedly filed out of time.

The Appeal Court disagreed with Hon. Justice J. E. Inyang of the Federal High Court, Yenagoa, but acceded to the argument of Plaintiff’s counsel, E. A. Aluzu, Esq that the suit was filed within the stipulated time by law. Consequently, it reversed the decision of the trial court.

The penultimate court further ordered an accelerated hearing of the matter on merit.

Dissatisfied, the former Governor appealed to Supreme Court with Owoupele Eneoriekumoh, INEC and PDP as first, second and third respondents respectively in appeal no: SC/CV/54/2021.

Dickson’s lawyer F. N. Nwosu Esq had sought to abandon his notice of withdrawal and rely on his brief of argument insisting that he made a mistake in filing it.

P. D. Pius Esq, counsel to the first respondent however countered that he could not do that and submitted that the appeal is deemed dismissed upon filing notice of withdrawal.

The Supreme Court agreed with P. D. Pius Esq and dismissed the appeal.

Likewise, the Supreme Court dismissed the appeal filed by the PDP in appeal number SC/CV55/2021 on discovering that their appeal was incompetent.

The International Federation of Women Lawyers, FIDA Nigeria has challenged government at all levels to incorporate the diversity of women and girls in policy formulation, implementation of laws, and in all response and recovery programmes of COVID-19 and post-pandemic.

Speaking at a press conference in commemoration of the International Women’s Day (IWD), at Abuja, Chairperson of FIDA Abuja, Mrs. Rekia R. Adejo-Andrew also expressed grave over the continual rise violence against women noting that cases of sexual violence on women and girls, along with domestic violence top the list.

FIDA according to Mrs. Adejo-Andrew insists: “That effective participation of women in decision–making; elimination of violence against women and girls; and the empowerment of women must be priorities for all if gender equality will be achieved.”

Full text of her speech co-signed by FIDA (Nig.) Abuja’s Publicity Secretary, Mojirayo Ogunlana-Nkanga reads:                   

“Happy International’s Women’s Day to women all over the World and particularly to women in Nigeria. As women all over the world gather today to celebrate International Women’s Day, it is important that we salute and celebrate the women in all diversities: faith, race, ethnicity, disability, work choice and social background. We choose this day to embrace the progress made in promoting the rights of women and entrenching an equal world where every woman’s right is acknowledged and defended as a human right in all strata of the Society.

“The campaign theme of the International Women’s Day 2021 is: ‘Choose To Challenge.’ This invariably means that women are responsible for their own thoughts and actions every day and thereby challenging the world they live in every day. The theme further signifies that women can choose to challenge gender bias and inequality in the world. People need to celebrate women’s achievements and also make the world a better place to live in with equality. 

“Since the year 1908 when 15,000 women took to the streets of New York to protest against work exploitations and demanded for shorter hours, better pay and voting rights, it became a move which necessitated changes around the world. This also invariably affected the call for women’s rights in Nigeria and to mention a few, the 1929 Aba Women’s riot which saw over 10,000 women on the streets of Calabar and Owerri protesting against the policies imposed by the British Colonial Administration which prompted colonial authorities to drop their plans to impose a tax on the market women and to curb the power of the warrant chiefs.

“This year’s campaign theme is very peculiar because it sums up the entirety of what International Women’s Day stands for: #choose to challenge. In the expression of the International Community:

“A challenged world is an alert world and from challenge comes change. So, let’s all choose to challenge….”

“There is no doubt that there is much to be challenged in Nigeria today. Even as we celebrate the progress made so far, there’s a lot of gap to be filled and this can only be achieved when both men and women rise up to bring to the attention of Governments, businesses and everyone else that women’s rights are human rights.

Furthermore, we focus on the United Nations theme: “Women in Leadership: Achieving an Equal Future in a COVID-19 world” The theme celebrates the tremendous efforts by women and girls around the world in shaping a more equal future and indeed, recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The COVID-19 pandemic had a devastating impact on humanity generally. Apart from health, there was a myriad of social and economic downturn with a disproportionate impact on women. The pandemic exacerbated poverty and gender inequality; the violation of women’s rights which was recorded all over the world in forms of rape, harmful workplace conditions, domestic violence which increased the vulnerability of women as many in the informal sector were out of jobs during the lockdown. The pandemic most unfortunately also increased women’s unpaid jobs as caregivers to sick and elderly members of their household.

“Women, as usual, rose to the occasion and carried disproportionate burdens during the pandemic as health workers at the frontline, caregivers to sick family members and breadwinners; we remember them and applaud their efforts.

“We note and also appreciate that the pandemic elicited the skills and perspectives that women bring onboard, for which leadership traits are worth celebrating as a way to encourage more women in leadership, to shape a more equal future and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Despite the pandemic and its challenges, women defied all odds and still championed and accomplished great things, rising to the pinnacles of their careers, in sports, beauty and fashion, media, entertainment, healthcare, education, as entrepreneurs, in government appointments and even the Judiciary. We appreciate you and join in blowing the trumpet for you all as great Nigerian women breaking boundaries.

“Article 21 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights embraces the right of every person to take part in leadership of his or her country. As such, FIDA has always promoted the equal access of men and women to power, decision-making and leadership at all levels as being a necessary precondition for the proper functioning of any democracy, such as ours.

“This year’s theme is also in consonance with the priority theme for the 65th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women: “Women’s full and effective participation and decision –making in public life, as well as the elimination of violence, for achieving gender equality, and the empowerment of all women and girls.” These are all efforts towards achieving gender equality and women’s full participation in the public sphere.

“FIDA Nigeria sadly notes that Violence Against Women is still rising astronomically with cases of sexual violence of women and girls, and domestic violence topping the list. FIDA states that effective participation of women in decision–making; elimination of violence against women and girls; and the empowerment of women must be priorities for all if gender equality will be achieved.

“Accordingly, FIDA Nigeria calls on government at all levels, agencies, policymakers, legislators and corporate organizations, to incorporate the diversity of women and girls in policy formulation, implementation of laws, and all response and recovery programmes of COVID-19 and post-pandemic.

“FIDA Nigeria celebrates all women in leadership positions at the local, national and international levels and encourages them to be steadfast and resilient in dealing with the challenges they face. We are still demanding for equal rights, equal pay, an end to all forms of discriminations, violence and an end to exploitation. We will not rest on our oars as we know that we have a lot to achieve because the progress made so far is not equal. We must remember that as long as one woman faces discrimination, prejudice, harassment, sexual assault, offensive and inhuman cultural practices, inequality or oppression, we all do.

“FIDA Nigeria continues to work to support credible, hardworking, meritorious women to break the glass ceiling in their respective spheres of operations.

“We implore everyone to rise up to raise their challenges on behalf of all Nigerian women as we celebrate this remarkable day in history. We, therefore, enjoin all women and men of goodwill to raise their hands high to show and choose to challenge inequality.

“Happy IWD2021.#IWD2021 #Ichoosetochallenge.”

It so happened that the loss of someone dear to his heart was what sent my friend George, cascading down the path of searching for life and its very meaning. At 22, his kid brother Kelvin was already a soccer phenom, brimming with high hopes and carrying big dreams. Described as affable and gregarious, the young chap was well on his way to landing a coveted spot in a Premier English club. But just like a light bulb, he flickered out so abruptly, while playing the very game that gave him so much joy and fame. “Kelvin’s short but rich life brought to me the importance of thinking about life and death. When we think about death, we also pause to think about life, and we then decide how we want to live”, my friend had said. Since we are living in times when there are many humans but not enough humanity, George seems to have come to his epiphany moment. That’s right, every single individual could use a little more time pondering about the whole essence of life and the inevitability of death.

Erik Prince, the former head of the infamous private security contractor-Blackwater, whose employees killed 17 Iraqi civilians and injured 20 in 2007, is in the news again. This time, according to a recent New York Times report, Mr. Prince, a retired Navy SEAL is under a United Nations investigation as a gun-runner. He is accused of violating a U.N arms embargo on Libya by sending weapons and deploying a force of foreign mercenaries in support of a military campaign attempting to overthrow the internationally backed Government of National Accord (GNA). The beneficiary of his effort is no other than Khalifa Haftar, the powerful militia commander believed to be responsible for the instability in the North African nation today. In fact, a Libya specialist and The Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) Senior Research Fellow, Alison Pargeter regarded Haftar as the “biggest single obstacle to peace in Libya.”

Recall that Libya began to fracture about a decade ago. Following the death of Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi, whose violent ouster set in motion a spiral of political crisis, the country splintered into armed factions that have so far resulted in brutal murder of thousands of Libyans. Mr. Prince is being accused of actively promoting this carnage. If the charges prove to be true, the big question is how much happiness can one man buy with cash that he has to go that far?

Whether Eric Prince would be found guilty or not remains to be seen. What is indeed most unfortunate is that the world is never short of men who not only built a fortune but sustain their luxury and influence by engaging in actions that cause record human catastrophe. In this league are a long line of African dictators, the likes of the late Joseph Mobutu of Zaire, gun-runners fueling wars all over the world and blood merchants fighting to take control of the vast gold and diamond reserves across the whole continent of Africa. These soulless creatures live in outlandish opulence from proceeds of crime that directly cause heavy human toll. Thankfully, not everyone is interested in primitive acquisition.

Chuck Feeney is the founder of one of the largest private charitable foundations in the world. The American businessman who made his fortune as a co-founder of the Duty Free Shoppers Group is arguably one of the most genuine philanthropists you have never heard. 

He had thus far given away more than $8 billion of his personal fortune, choosing to remain anonymous until a business dispute in 1997 resulted in his identity being revealed.

Chuck is known for his legendary frugality. He does not own a car, lives in an apartment and wears a ten dollar Casio F-91W. According to a New York Times article  in 2017, “Until he was 75, he traveled only in coach, and carried reading materials in a plastic bag.”

At the Daily Journal annual meeting in Los Angeles recently, Charlie Munger, the billionaire best remembered as Warren Buffet’s long-time business partner was asked what his secret to a long and happy life is. His response; “easy, because it’s so simple.” Charlie, who is nearly a centenarian, rattled off a long list of commonsense prescriptions but summarised by asking us to stay cheerful no matter the situation.

Of course staying cheerful is a wise thing to do, except if your model of success is stealing millions meant to feed the poor and the vulnerable or better still, if you profit from wars that kill and maim thousands of human beings. In such case, one might have murdered sleep in the process and easy doesn’t do it.

We are all wired differently and so no one expects all billionaires to be a Chuck Fenney. It’s however, not unreasonable to question if Mobutu Sese Seko is created by the same God that made Chuck Feeney? I believe it’s also fair to ask if such is within the limit of rational behaviour to steal billions that one doesn’t need and watch your fellow citizens die while begging for food in the streets.

For certain individuals, the demand for the mundane is comparable to the compulsion of narcotics addiction. They are driven by the emotional needs to achieve something but are never satisfied because it’s the elusive attempt of measuring progress against an emotional need. Psychiatry calls it the Great Gatsby Syndrome a.k.a Wealth Accumulation Disorder. Framed differently, it seeks to suggest that the pursuit of happiness premised on material acquisition is a distant mirage. 

Yet people don’t even have to be rich to suffer this disorder. A morbid obsession to build wealth is all it takes.

Of course ambition and success are both good and necessary. Our society finds it compelling and very attractive. Too much emphasis however, pushes it to the realm of greed and makes it difficult to acknowledge how such an attitude and belief could be potentially catastrophic to all.

My colleague was consoled that even though his brother, Kelvin died young, he lived full and brought so much joy and laughter to so many. He wasn’t wealthy but he touched countless lives. Unfortunately, a good number of men suffer from the fatal attraction of Power, Wealth and Privilege and in the process, valuable life lessons that helps one live a rich and fulfilled life is lost. Sadly, greed and narcissism have their roots anchored in self-doubt and to paraphrase Patrick Meagher, the victims end up becoming so poor that all they have is money. They fail woefully in their understanding of life.

•Dr. Agbo, a public affairs analyst is the coordinator of African Center for Transparency and Convener of Save Nigeria Project. Email: [email protected]