Notwithstanding that Nigeria’s military has described as false a Reuters report that Nigeria’s military forced about 10,000 women to have abortions over a 10-year period, the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called on Nigerian authorities to investigate allegations of systemic and coerced abortions reportedly perpetrated by its army.
Military Defence Chief, Gen. Lucky Irabor, had described the report as ‘spurious allegations’ noting that the military does not intend to investigate the claims.
According to the UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric, “The Secretary-General takes note with concern of the allegations of systemic and coerced abortions reportedly perpetrated by the Nigerian Army against women and girls who had already been victimized by Boko Haram,” Dujarric said in an email to Reuters.
He called for a thorough investigation and “immediate remedial actions and accountability measures,” if such measures were necessary.
“We call on the Nigerian authorities to fully investigate these allegations and make sure there’s accountability.”
A US State Department spokesperson according to Aljazeera said the Biden administration was “deeply troubled.”
“Our embassy in Abuja is seeking further information, including from the government of Nigeria and stakeholders working in this space,” the spokesperson said. “We have encouraged the government of Nigeria to take the allegations seriously and to conduct a thorough and transparent investigation, and we will continue to do so.”
The Reuters news agency reported on December 7 that the Nigerian Army has run a secret, systematic and illegal abortion programme in the country’s northeast since at least 2013.
The programme they allege involved terminating at least 10,000 pregnancies among women and girls, many of whom had been kidnapped and raped by Boko Haram, according to dozens of witness accounts and documentation reviewed by Reuters.
Reuters reports that Information Minister Lai Mohammed could not immediately be reached for comment on the UN call for an investigation.
It is a season of discoveries. Days ago, Reuters published a report about the Nigerian Army running a secret, systematic and illegal abortion programme in the country’s northeast since at least 2013. On its part, the military through Nigeria’s Chief of Defence, General Lucky Irabor said it will not investigate the report because it was untrue. In Denmark, women in the course of routine medical checks have discovered that contraceptive coils were fitted on them without their knowing it. Many women including some as young as 12, had a contraceptive device implanted in their womb – often without consent – as part of a Danish campaign to control Greenland’s growing Inuit population in the 60s and 70s… Continue reading..https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-63863088.
Accuses NBA of wasting hundreds of millions of Naira on bar conferences
Rights activist and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr. Femi Falana has said judges and legal practitioners in Nigeria should be held responsible for the impunity exhibited by law enforcement agencies over time in the country.
A thoroughly piqued Falana in a statement revealed that all his efforts to get the human rights Committees of the over 128 branches of the NBA to mobilise Chief Magistrates and accompany them to the police stations have proved abortive.
The statement reads:
“Lawyers and judges are to blame for the impunity of law enforcement officers in Nigeria. Two laws require Chief Magistrates to conduct monthly visits to all police stations while Judges designated by the CJ of FHC are to visit all other detention facilities in the country.
“During the visit, suspects may be released, granted bail, or ordered to be arraigned in the appropriate courts.
“All my efforts to get the human rights Committees of the over 128 branches of the NBA (in the 36 states and FCT) to mobilise CMs and accompany them to the police stations have proved abortive.
“When the CJ of FHC turned down my request to designate judges to conduct the monthly visits I sued him. The case has been subjected to unending adjournments since it is not a political case!
“However, I am convinced that the antigraft agencies and other security agencies would have been forced to stop illegal arrest and primitive investigation of suspects if lawyers and judges have ensured the implementation of section 34 of ACJA and section 70 of the Police Establishment Act.
“Every year we waste hundreds of millions of Naira to organise wasteful annual bar conferences and law week programmes at the expense of the liberty of our generality of our people.”
I came into the waiting room and this man was grinning widely at me. There was something familiar about this patient, but, uncharacteristically, I couldn’t place this guy. I know thousands of my patients by name, including their medical histories and often most of the medications they take, and they are usually happy when I glimpse into the waiting room and I call out: “Sandra, Mr. Cummings, Ms. Blanche, Sister Andrea how are you guys doing?” Some blurt out, “oh, Doctor, you still remember my name?” I assure them that they are all very important to me.
My confusion arose from the fact that Ralph (not real name) had changed so much since the three years I last saw him. Ralph, who was robust, contented, and very good-looking, now had a gaunt appearance, his frontal hairline is receding and his cheeks were sallow, like someone who had been starved, or living in a concentration camp. I was completely shocked by the transformation as he sat to my left in the consultation room. After recovering from the initial shock, I could not help myself from asking him the question: “what exactly happened to you?”. That was when he told me his tale.
“You remember Doc about three years ago I told you that I was going through a divorce? Well, I took it really hard. She just told me that she didn’t want me anymore, after two children.” “Why did she do that?”, I interjected. “Did she catch you having an affair?” “No, no Doc”, he protested strongly. “I never had another woman; I never had an affair.” “Okay, did you beat her up”, going down the list of the second commonest cause of the breakup of homes. “No Doc, I never touched her. Besides, she is a cop, she has a gun.” “It was just arguments, you know Doc, we argued a lot, and she said that she was done with it. I took it real hard after she asked me to leave the house, and then I started drinking, and I got caught in a DUI”. (Driving while Under the Influence).
“It all started when I left my work in the Bronx on a Friday evening. You remember that I am a Licensed Respiratory Therapist (not real profession). I felt so lonely that I went into a Bar and started drinking. I drank a lot, Doc. It was raining and I drove all the way from the Bronx to Queens, then towards Long Island, and it was raining very hard.” Now that made me really cringe, how could someone drive drunk over all those sky-high narrow bridges in the Bronx? I get scared, gripping the steering wheels real tight whenever I drove on the Triborough Bridge and the George Washington Bridge in the Bronx. “You drove all the way from the Bronx to Long Island while drunk?” I asked incredulously. “Yes, Doc,” he confirmed.
He continued: “I was on the Cross Island Parkway when I got pulled over. The cop said that I was driving zig-zag on the road, while it was raining heavily. I was so drunk, and the visibility was so bad that I didn’t see the flashing lights. He had to be blaring on the speaker system ‘pull over now, stop the car, pull over. I heard the sound before I saw the flashing lights. That cop probably saved my life, because I was so drunk. The cop said that he was already off duty, that he was going to his home in Brooklyn, and he realized that he left something in the office, and he turned back and saw me driving erratically in the rain.”
“I got convicted and had my driving license suspended for three years. You know I worked three different jobs. It has been so difficult to be taking taxis from job to job. And I have to pay child support. To compound matters, I was reported to the New York State Office of the Professions because of the DUI. They would not renew my Respiratory Therapist License. I was referred to the Divisional Office in Manhattan. I had to have two hearings. They were going to suspend my license to practice for two years. I told the Secretary that I had child support obligation; I think that probably made a difference — they don’t want my kids to become dependent on the State. Finally, they made their decision last week. I could get back my license, but I have to be on probation for the next three years. I am not allowed to take any alcohol; I must undergo urine toxicology screening every three months, at my expense, and send the results to them, and that is why I am here today, to do my first test.” We took urine samples for Ralph’s required drug testing.
Two weeks later, Ralph was back in the office. He was a happier man. Not only was his Therapist License restored, but he had served his three-year Driver’s license suspension and he could now drive again. Now he came back to do the required physical examination for a new job, and to complete the medical forms. His urine toxicology results were clean. I was happy for Ralph, his smile was brighter, and life was looking better for him again. But Ralph has another problem.
During the divorce, he kept calling the wife, asking to be allowed to return. The wife filed for an order of protection, that he be barred from further contacting her, and her request was granted by the judge. Maybe Ralph did not understand how this works, or perhaps he was too drunk to care, but he had kept calling the wife. His disobedience earned him a prompt arrest, and he was convicted with one year’s probation. Now his sentence came to haunt him. He landed a plum job with the State, but when they did a background check and found that he was convicted of order of protection violation, they rescinded the appointment. I had Ralph why he didn’t look into expungement of his conviction, so that the records become sealed. He informed me that his Attorney informed him that he was not qualified for sealing of records, because he had pled guilty. “Why the heck did you plead guilty”? I yelled at him. “They had the goods on me, Doc, I left messages on her answering machine!”
Now Ralph is trying to get his life back together. He really misses his children, but his ex-wife would not let him see them. The order of protection has lapsed, but Ralph says that every time he calls the home, and wants to arrange to see the children, the ex-wife would not speak with him. She would rather ask the daughter to “tell him I don’t want to speak to him; tell him not to call me; tell him to go away, tell him you don’t want to see him, etc.” Ralph wondered why she would not even pick up the phone to tell him what the problem is. Ralph is very embittered about this: “why won’t she pick up the phone and talk to me man to man, instead of sending my daughter to tell me all sorts of bad stuff?”, he wondered.
Ralph is trying to put his life back together, but he has refused to marry, or even speak to another woman. He says that he is a Christian, and his church forbids remarriage after divorce. I told him that the Bible has a provision for the situation when someone throws you out and refuses to continue with the marriage relationship (1 Cor 7:15) but he is adamant in his conviction. Ralph’s ex-wife had him thrown out of the house, refused him access to his children, filed criminal charges, and almost had him in jail, and almost took away his professional license and means of livelihood, a playbook I am all too familiar with. Yet Ralph seemed to be still obsessed with her, and still hoping for a reconciliation. My hope is that he doesn’t hit the bottle again in frustration, because, as he must have found out by now, DUI could do you in!
Emmanuel O. Fashakin, M.D., FMCS(Nig), FWACS, FRCS(Ed), FAAFP, Esq. Attorney at Law & Medical Director, Abbydek Family Medical Practice, P.C. Web address: http://www.abbydek.com Cell phone: +1-347-217-6175 “Primum non nocere”
Senior Advocate of Nigeria and Law Professor, Joy Ngozi Ezeilo, another Nigerian Ibijoke Faborode, co-founder of ElectHER, a non-governmental organisation addressing female under-representation in politics across Africa, Tunisian Tennis player Ons Jabeur and Rwandan referee Salima Rhadia Mukansanga have been listed among the ‘BBC 100 Women 2022’.
Ibijoke Faborode
Ezeilo, SAN, and Faborode are the two Nigerians who made it into the BBC’s list of 100 inspiring and influential women from around the world in the year 2022.
It is indeed a season of celebrations for Joy Ezeilo who was recently preferred with the prestigious rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria by the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Hon. Justice Olukayode Ariwoola.
On Monday, November 28, Ezeilo a leading authority in the field of international human rights and emeritus dean of law at the University of Nigeria and former United Nations Special Rapporteur on Trafficking in Persons along with 62 top lawyers was elevated to the rank by the Legal Practitioners’ Privileges Committee (LPPC). The rank SAN is awarded as a mark of excellence to members of the legal profession who have distinguished themselves as advocates and academics.
JoyEzeilo, SAN
As founding director of the Women Aid Collective (WACOL), Prof Ezeilo has provided free legal aid and shelter to 60,000 vulnerable women in Nigeria within the last 25 years. She also founded the Tamar Sexual Assault Referral Centre, to provide a rapid response to victims and survivors of abuse.
BBC 100 Women celebrates the achievements of women internationally, from grassroots volunteers to global leaders.
The announcement of the list kicks off BBC’s 100 Women 2022 season – focusing on women’s experiences around the world with a week of special interviews, documentaries, features, and digital content across the BBC’s UK and international TV and radio services, BBC iPlayer, and online.
Ons Jabeur, became the first Arab or African woman to reach a Grand Slam final in the Open era – months later she reached the final of the US Open. She also made it to number two in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) ranking – the highest position ever held by an African or Arab person. Jabeur has won three career singles titles.
Ons Jabeur
Salima Rhadia Mukansanga, was picked by FIFA as one of the first three women referees to officiate at a men’s World Cup in Qatar 2022 – the first time the tournament had women in the role in its 92 years. Last January, she became the first woman to referee a match at the men’s Africa Cup of Nations, and she also officiated at the Olympic Games in Tokyo. Before working in sports, she trained as a midwife.
Salima Rhadia Mukansanga
Other women from Africa on the list include: Asonele Kotu, Tech entrepreneur (South Africa), Judy Kihumba, Sign language interpreter (Kenya), Wegahta Gebreyohannes Abera, Humanitarian aid worker (Tigray, Ethiopia), Sarah Chan, NBA scouter (South Sudan), Samrawit Fikru, Tech entrepreneur (Ethiopia), Gehad Hamdy, Dentist and humanitarian (Egypt), Marie Christina Kolo, Climate entrepreneur (Madagascar), Hadizatou Mani, Anti-slavery campaigner (Niger), Monica Musonda, Businesswoman (Zambia), Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah, Author (Ghana), Kisanet Tedros, Educational entrepreneur (Eritrea), Esraa Warda, Dancer (Algeria/US)
Asonele Kotu
Notable names on the BBC 100 Women list include global music phenomenon Billie Eilish, actress and producer Priyanka Chopra Jonas, actress and disability activist Selma Blair, and ‘West Side Story’ Hollywood icon Rita Moreno.
From sport, Iranian climber Elnaz Rekab who recently made waves in her home country for competing in South Korea without wearing a headscarf is also on the list.
From the world of politics, Ursula von der Leyen – the first female President of the European Commission, Mia Mottley – the first female prime minister of Barbados and Ukraine’s First Lady, Olena Zelenska, also make the list.
This year for the first, the BBC asked some of the previous 100 Women to nominate women they feel deserve a place on the 2022 list.
Joy Ngozi Ezeilo was nominated by 2021 100 Women laureate, writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, who said: “Professor Ezeilo has impacted many lives through the provision of free legal aid to the poor, especially to women and girls whose human rights have been violated.”
It’s a special year for BBC 100 Women as it celebrates its tenth season, as well as the 90th anniversary of the BBC World Service and the centenary of the BBC. As such, the theme for 100 Women 2022 is progress – and the season will take the opportunity to look back at what’s changed over the past decade, as well as highlight the inspiring women who have made a difference.
Women have been at the heart of conflict around the world in 2022 which will be reflected in this year’s nominees – from those bravely demanding change in Iran to the female face of resistance in Ukraine and Russia.
Tim Davie, BBC Director-General of the BBC, said: “It’s wonderful to see this year’s list of 100 Women and to be celebrating its tenth season. The women on this year’s list are all remarkable in what they have achieved and contributed to their communities and society, and I am proud that the BBC continues to do vital work by shining a spotlight on them and sharing their stories around the world through our first-class journalism and storytelling.”
Liliane Landor, Senior Controller of BBC News International Services and Director of BBC World Service, said: “In the tenth year of 100 Women, it is brilliant to see how the annual season has gone from strength to strength. I remember our launch and very first intake of 100 Women – little did we know how much the project would grow.
“I’m delighted to see the women featured on this year’s list. They, like all the women before them, have contributed to our world in incredible ways, and we celebrate this. This is about increasing visibility and giving recognition where it’s due.”
“With this year also being the 90th anniversary of BBC World Service, I am glad that 100 Women continues our commitment to reporting and telling the stories of people’s lives from all over the world.”
The BBC 100 women season sees several high-profile names in conversation for a special series of programmes across the BBC.
At the age of 20, Billie Eilish is the first singer born in the 21st century to hit number 1 in the Billboard charts and win an Oscar. She has more than 200 million followers across her social media. We exclusively join her for the last night of her world tour to talk fame, imposter syndrome and identity for BBC 100 women.
Ukraine’s First Lady Olena Zelenska has spoken with BBC 100 Women about feminism, the impact of the current war on mental health, and what victory looks like. She also shared deeply personal insights in terms of how she feels finding herself in the role of first lady.
BBC 100 Women have also exclusively spoken with actress Priyanka Chopra Jonas, actress and disability activist Selma Blair, and Hollywood icon Rita Moreno.
Spurious, sweeping, and unsubstantiated allegations against judicial officers, legal practitioners, or any member of the society, only goes to hurt the nation and rocks the foundation of its existence. – Y.C Maikyau, SAN
For failing to withdraw her comments on a judgment of a court and tender an apology to the court within seven days, the president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and a Senior Advocate of Nigeria Mr. Yakubu C. Maikyau has revealed that the association has concluded plans to institute an action against the Minister of Women Affairs, Dame Pauline Tallen.
Maikyau SAN, in his address at the Special Session of the Supreme Court to mark the commencement of the 2022/2023 legal year and the conferment of the rank of Senior Advocates of Nigeria noted that on 15 October 2022, the social media was agog with the news of the statement credited to the Minister of Women Affairs, who described the Judgment of the Federal High Court sitting in Yola as “a Kangaroo Judgment”.
Consequently, he made attempts to reach the Minister to confirm if she indeed made the statement.
“When I did not get any response or acknowledgement” he continued, “I wrote a letter to the Minister and requested her to withdraw the statement and apologise to the Court because the statement was contemptuous of the Court and an affront to the Rule of Law.
“I added that, if the Minister fails to withdraw the statement as requested, the NBA will approach the Court and seek for declarations that the Minister is unfit to hold public office. My Lords, 7 days have lapsed, the Minister has not recanted and the NBA will definitely seek redress in Court.”
According to the Bar President, “the reaction that followed my letter to the Minister was a publication credited to one John Egbeazien Oshodi, who cited previous statements credited to Mr. Mike Ozekhome SAN and Femi Falana SAN, to justify his (Oshodi)support for the Minister’s remarks, insisting that the minister properly described the ways in which Nigerian Courts conduct themselves.
“The title of the publication read ‘In Nigerian Courts, Kangaroo and perverted methods abound Maikyua (sic), why are you requesting Mrs. Tallen’s Apology Over Human Rights Concerns? As Ozekhome and Falana Voiced the same concerns.’ The said Oshodi was inter alia introduced as an American based Police/Prison Scientist and Forensic/Clinical/Legal Psychologist.
“In my inaugural speech on 26 August 2022, I referenced the email by Adekunbi Ogunde which clearly portrayed the entire Legal Profession – Bench and the Bar, as susceptible to manipulations. This email led to several derogatory remarks about the Courts, the administration of Justice in Nigeria with cartoons, making a caricature of the Legal Profession.
“My Lords, all these are matters within the public domain. The psyche of Nigerians have been fed with these information and we are being watched every day, every step of the way. The Judge who sought to have Mr. Falana explain if he obtained the judgment from his Court as a commodity from a supermarket was summoned before the National Judicial Council (NJC) on a petition that he was intimidating and harassing Counsel.
“Beyond this effort by the trial Court to challenge such sweeping derogatory reference to the Courts which was short-lived or truncated by the conversion of the Judge to a respondent to the petition (which I must admit was within the purview of the NJC to look into), Judges and Justices cannot speak for themselves and nothing to my knowledge was done by either the NJC or the Bar to challenge this statement and deal with the negative narrative created in the minds of Nigerians. The reaction to all these was a complete silence.
“Lest we be misunderstood, the NBA does not and will never support any form of corrupt practice amongst members of the Bench or Bar or in way condone any professional misconduct no matter the age or status of the legal practitioner involved; for there are no separate rules of professional conduct for the old and for the young. The standard is and remains the same for all legal practitioners and ditto the code of ethics for all judicial officers from the apex court to the lowest court in the land.
“My concern has to do with how members of the Bar will make far-reaching sweeping remarks about members of the Bench and the Bar without any proof of the allegations so made. If any Judge or Justice is alleged to have been compromised, the most patriotic thing that anyone would do is to provide the evidence to the law enforcement agencies – ICPC, EFCC or the Police and insist they proceed against such a Judge or Justice based on concrete evidence.
“But where sweeping allegations are made, negative and damaging impressions are created of the judiciary and the entire legal profession in the minds of the public, the necessary confidence which the justice system must command in order to deliver justice to the people will be completely eroded and the inevitable result will be chaos and anarchy.
“While those who have continually found delight in making such far reaching but unsubstantiated statements to the applause of some Nigerians, appear to have been firmly set in their ways, it is important to let them know that any spurious, sweeping and unsubstantiated allegations against judicial officers, legal practitioners or any member of the society, only goes to hurt the nation and rocks the foundation of its existence. For where the Nigerian public loses confidence in the judicial system, there will not be a country for even those who make the accusations to live in.
“When we talk this way, we as legal practitioners are doing the greatest disservice to the Nigerian people… To talk about the institutions of justice in derogatory manner; as corrupt and fraudulent, as supermarkets and kangaroos, without stepping out with concrete evidence to punish the erring members of the legal profession allegedly involved in these practices, is self-incriminating, if not worse than the alleged corrupt practices…
“But my Lords, what those who make these comments (lawyers and non-lawyers) say or do to bring dispute to the Legal profession – the Bench and the Bar, and erode public confidence in the justice system, is not as colossal in its destruction of the Nation as the silence of many members of the profession, who should speak up to negate the false narrative that is being fed into the psyche of Nigerians on a daily basis.
“It is not so much about the action of those who abuse and disparage the justice system without substantiating their allegations, as it is about the reaction to what is being done or said; our collective silence…When the impression was given to Nigerians that the entire legal profession can be manipulated by one individual or group of persons, we know that was not true but we all kept quiet.
“That silence could only have meant that it was true and that is what has been fed to the psyche of Nigerians, who look up to the legal profession for guidance. For if the legal profession accepts that it can be manipulated, then what we are telling Nigerians like I said earlier is that when we come together to dispense justice, we should not be taken seriously and definitely we are telling Nigerians not to accept the outcome of the process…
“In my inaugural speech, I did say that unless issues of professional misconduct in the legal profession are dealt with decisively, the silence over such issues will hurt the profession and the Nigerian public. It is our responsibility as lawyers to always speak-up and we must not shirk to provide this leadership…
“We must consciously and deliberately shape the mindset and psyche of the Nigerian public with honest and sincere information that will keep their confidence in the Justice that we serve…
#SomberTuesday! Electioneering campaigns are in motion, with candidates and their proxies presenting their platforms to Nigerians.
If citizens were to hold the winners accountable, Nigeria will be closer to the accomplishment of the desired transformation and aspiration of greatness. The problem is that historical experience shows suboptimal performance on both sides. Majority of the people equate civic engagement with voting, leaving civil society organizations to do the work of demanding accountability from elected officials.
Once elected, said officials develop selective amnesia and show scant interest in fulfilling promises made in their platforms. For Nigeria to begin showing progress toward reaching its full potential, both sides (citizens and government) must not only take a serious approach toward the fulfilment of promises made during elections, but also address serious challenges in our nation.
This includes the #EndSARS protests where Nigerian youths demanded, among other things, an end to bad governance, impunity, violence, and police brutality. It is a matter of public record that they were brutally suppressed. This contradicts the expectations of Nigerians that our government will contribute to deepening democracy, not subvert and weaken it. The economy is in a downward spiral. Insecurity is rampant. Kidnappings and abductions are perpetrated casually and routinely. Families with members in captivity are on their own when it comes to ransoming them.
They do so amid great trauma, while incurring extraordinary financial burdens. There are numerous internally displaced and destitute citizens coping with the aftereffects of unprecedented floods. Catastrophic deaths, injuries, losses of property, and livelihood are distressing. Two years on, #Nigeria must remember the massacre of peacefully demonstrating youths at #LekkiTollGate and other locations. We should declare emphatically: #NigerianWomenArise #EndPoliceBrutalityinNigeriaNOW #EndSars #EndSWAT #EndImpunity
While I may appear to be a broken record, I find Howard Zinn’s statement important in Nigeria’s current predicament: “Civil disobedience, that’s not our problem. Our problem is that people are obedient all over the world in the face of poverty and starvation and stupidity, and war, and cruelty. Our problem is that people are obedient while the jails are full of petty thieves, and all the while, the grand thieves are running the country. That’s our problem.” Let the kleptocrats give back our stolen wealth so that we can fix our infrastructure, schools, hospitals, and also offer worthwhile social protection to our people.
Let the masses enjoy the full benefits of citizenship in Nigeria. Let the leaders and political class repent and build peace with justice. This is no time for politics as usual. The people elected should be those trusted to bring justice, equity, and human security to the entire country, not expedient, unethical, and egocentric individuals determined to dominate for self aggrandizement or sectional gain. We don’t need oligarchs’ continued domination. We also need a government that puts the interests of majority of citizens first.
In a press release issued on 6 December 2022, the Chairman/CEO of Innoson Vehicles has approached the Court of Appeal, Awka Division, seeking an order of the Court disqualifying Chief Wole Olamipekun, SAN as a Counsel to Guaranty Trust Bank in Appeal No. CA/E/288/2013.
The grounds for the application are related to the “Saipem Scandal”.
It is doubtful if the application will succeed in view of the decision of the National Industrial Court (Suit No. NICN /PHC/120/2021 – Mr. Wilson Udo Essien v. Unitech Drilling Company Ltd.) to the effect that the Rules of Professional Conduct for Legal Practitioners do not apply to a law firm. Rather, only legal practitioners called to the Nigerian Bar are captured.
More so, the claims by the former Partner of Wole Olanipekun & Co., Ms. Adekunbi Ogunde, and the culpability of the Firm (and other members of the Firm) are yet to be established.
Worse still, granting Innoson’s application at this stage is tantamount to making a “winding up order” against the law firm of Wole Olanipekun and Co. and an automatic disqualification of Chief Olanipekun, SAN, and his colleagues from further practice of law before our courts.
Meanwhile, all of these may not be on board if Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN had hearkened to the call by the Nigerian Bar Association to resign his position as the Chairman of the Body of Benchers.
It is left for the Court to decide. These are indeed trying times for the legal profession in Nigeria.
Innoson Ask Court To Disqualify Olanipekun As Counsel To GTB
The Chairman/CEO of Innoson Vehicles has approached the Court of Appeal, Awka Division to seek an order of the court disqualifying Chief Wole Olamipekun, SAN as a Counsel to GTB in appeal no. CA/E/288/2013 on grounds of a statement by Wole Olanipekun’s law firm that as the Chairman of the Body of Benchers he compromises any court in Nigeria court in which he appears in favour of his clients. The Body of Benchers is the highest legal body in the Nigerian Legal Profession, made of the Supreme Court Judges, presiding Justices of the Court of Appeal, and Chief Judges of the State High Court.
In a Motion on notice filed in the court by the Counsel to Innoson, Prof J.N. Mbadugha SAN of McCarthy Mbadugha & Co praying for an order of the Honorable Court to disqualify Chief Olanipekun, SAN in his capacity as a legal practitioner or counsel from signing, filing, instituting or prosecuting Appeal No. CA/E/288/2013 between Guaranty Trust Bank PLC vs Innoson Nigeria Limited. More so the counsel to Innoson further sought the prayers of the court for an order setting aside all processes signed and filled by chief Wole Olanipekun SAN as Counsel/Legal Practitioner of or to GTB Plc on the same appeal on the grounds that the processes are incompetent. Lastly, an order striking out GTB Motion on Notice, dated 26 October 2018 prepared by Chief Wole Planipekun, SAN for want of competence, he also signed an amended notice of appeal.
The grounds upon which the motion is brought are:
1. Wole Olanipekun & Co in its email published that: a. its “Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN is currently the Chairman of the Body of Benchers, which is the highest ruling body in the Nigerian Legal Profession made up of the Supreme Court Judges, presiding Justices of the Court of Appeal and Chief Judges of the State High Court. In other words, Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN OFR, is the head of the entire legal profession in Nigeria”; b. Presence of Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN in the matter will significantly switch things in favor of the party that engaged him in the matter.
2. Appearance or continued appearances of Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN in this matter will jeopardize or imperil the integrity of this Honorable Court.
3. The appearance or continued appearance of Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN in this matter will compromise the integrity of the court or give the impression that the court is compromised and that no justice will be done by the court.
4. The involvement of Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN in this Appeal for GTB will create an appearance of impropriety or such a fashion that will imperil the Court’s- Court of Appeal- status of legitimacy to enable the legitimacy of the court- court of Appeal- need to be maintained.
Recall that GTBank stole the sum of N560 Million from Innoson’s account. This resulted in Innoson commencing suit No. FHC/AWK/139/2012 against GTBank at the Federal High Court, Awka. The court rendered judgment in favor of Innoson on 16th May 2013 in the sum of N4.7 billion with a 22% interest rate until it is fully paid.
GTBank appealed against the judgment in Appeal No: CA/E/288/2013 at the Court of Appeal Enugu Division. On 9th December 2014, the Court of Appeal made an order that GTBank pays the judgment debt which then stood at about N6Billion to the Deputy Registrar of the Court for onward payment into an interest-yielding account. Chief Wole Olanipekun is the Counsel to GTB in this appeal at the Court of Appeal.
Interestingly, in an email sent on 20th June 2022 to SAIPEM SPA by Wole Olanipekun & Co, the author of the email stated that “It will also reveal that the presence of our lead partner, Chief Olanipekun SAN, OFR, in the matter will significantly switch things in favor of SAIPEM. Chief Olanipekun SAN, OFR is currently the Chairman of the Body of Benchers which is the highest legal body in the Nigerian Legal Profession, made of the Supreme Court Judges, presiding Justices of the Court of Appeal, and Chief Judges of the State High Courts, including the Rivers State High Court. In order words, Chief Olanipekun SAN OFR is the head of the entire legal profession in Nigeria. Wole Olanipekun & Co. has also helped other multinationals, such as in the famous cases of MTN tax dispute, Shell Petroleum, Equinor (former Statoil) dispute, etc., avoid huge payouts in more complexes, sensitive and highly-political matters”.
This boastful claim made to SAIPEM SPA by Wole Olanipekun & Co has generated a huge outcry and condemnation and made headlines in several media and this has propelled the Chairman/CEO of Innoson Vehicles to approach the Court to pray for an order of the Honorable Court to disqualify Chief Olanipekun, SAN in his capacity as a legal practitioner or counsel to GTB.
Cornel Osigwe Head of Corporate Communications IVM Innoson Group
As Cancer remains top among the diseases ravaging people across the world, particularly, in developing countries like Nigeria, Serah Shimenenge Yugh whose breast was cut off after cancer misdiagnosis is calling for justice.
Days ago a non-governmental organisation, Project Pink Blue (PPB), expressed concern over the poor contribution of Nigerian scholars to cancer research in Africa despite its records of 120,000 cases and 72,000 deaths annually.
The World Health Organisation’s 2020 report shows that cancer tops the list of killer diseases with nearly 10 million deaths.
During an interview, the Executive Director of Care Organisation Public Enlightenment, (COPE) Mrs. Ebun Anozie a cancer care organisation, revealed that 70 percent of cancer patients are misdiagnosed in Nigeria while the ill-equipped and inefficient health facilities continue to hamper the treatment of patients.
Anozie whose father was a victim of cancer misdiagnosis remarked that “we still have a long way to go as 70 percent of cancer patients are misdiagnosed.” According to Ebun Anozie: “My late father, for example, was misdiagnosed and badly treated in his cancer journey. Sadly, I have witnessed numerous cases. We have many cases of false positives and false negatives. This leaves much to be desired.”
And that was the story of the now 34-year-old Serah Shimenenge Yugh whose ugly journey commenced in 2017 when she was diagnosed with Stage I invasive ductal carcinoma of the left breast.
We have been told that basic human rights include —Freedom from discrimination, the right to equality between men and women, the right to life, freedom from torture, freedom from slavery, the right to liberty and security of person, right to be treated with humanity in detention and freedom of movement.
However, a top Italian court has added the sound of a flushing toilet at night to the list of human rights violations.
The ruling by the European Court comes after a 19-year legal battle that started when a couple living in a flat near La Spezia complained that their neighbour’s new toilet was keeping them awake with “intolerable noises.”
A lower court had earlier ruled against that couple and they took the case higher to an appeal court in the northern city of Genoa. The court ordered an investigation into the complaint, which showed facts on why the toilet was so loud. According to the Time of London, four brothers who owned the apartment close to the couple had set their water tank on a nine-inch wall not far from the couple’s headboard.
It turned out that the court was considerate of the couple’s struggle to get good sleep. The noise of flushing “aggravated by frequent night use” distorts their quality of life, which is in violation of the right to freely exercise daily habits that were established by the European Convention on Human Rights, the appellate judge said, according to Il Giornale.
And so for breaching the European Convention on Human Rights the court ruled, the brothers would have to move the water tank plus payment of about $565 to the couple for every year since the device was installed, approximately $10,760 in total.
In turn, the brothers asked Italy’s Supreme Court to intervene, but that panel ruled against them. The European Court of Human Rights had upheld the “right to respect for one’s private and family life,” the high court said, according to Il Giornale. The judge added that the nighttime flushing’s interference with rest also violated the Italian constitution’s right to health.
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