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Bottled-water businessman dethrones Jack Ma to become China’s richest person

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Zhong Shanshan, a bottled-water and vaccine tycoon added almost $52 billion to his fortune this year, dethroning Alibaba’s founder, Jack Ma to become the richest person in China.

Bottled-water businessman dethrones Jack Ma to become China's richest person

▪︎Shanshan

TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports Shanshan’s net worth reached $58.7 billion on Wednesday, $2 billion more than Jack Ma’s net worth, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

Shanshan is now Asia’s second-richest person behind India’s Mukesh Ambani, and he is the 17th wealthiest person in the world, ahead of Charles Koch and Phil Knight.

The bottled-water businessman now leads a wealth ranking in China that is typically dominated by people who made their fortunes from tech companies.

Shanshan’s fortune has jumped by $51.9 billion in 2020, more than anyone else in the world except Amazon’s Jeff Bezos and Tesla’s Elon Musk.

Both suffered heavy declines on Wednesday as tech stocks stumbled and Tesla plunged after its “Battery Day” event fell short of expectations.

Musk’s fortune dropped by almost $10 billion.

Shanshan was propelled to China’s top three richest earlier this month by the initial public offering of his bottled-water company, Nongfu Spring Co.

TNG reports Nongfu Spring Co. turned out to be Hong Kong’s most popular among retail investors. (TNG)

We did not do it, says Kenneth Gbagi, as ‘staff’ demand N1b; photos, videos of ‘maltreated’ staff go viral

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Delta gubernatorial aspirant and former Minister of State for Education, Dr. Kenneth Gbagi, has personally debunked claims made against him and his companies in viral videos and photos accusing them of dehumanising some staff over a missing N105,000.

In an audio post he made, a copy which sent to Everyday.ng, he disclosed that videos and photos on social media are those of persons allegedly ‘sexually harassing themselves” in one of his guest houses and not any of his hotels.

He disclosed that the three ladies and a man are not his staff, noting that, at best, they were free-lancers seeking employment. Curiously, he said they were applicants who had not lasted six days working, but went into stealing of various sums of money.

“I categorically say all of this is politically motivated to smear my name, not knowing I am not moved by such lies,” he stated.

Gbagi also made damning allegations against the lawyer representing the four persons, Mr. Kunle Edun.

Silhouetted photo of the four ‘staff’

Meanwhile, The Punch newspaper is reporting that the former employees of Signatious Hotel, Warri, Delta State, who were reportedly stripped on the order of the chairman of the hotel and former Minister of State for Education, Mr Kenneth Gbagi, have demanded N1bn compensation and public apology from him.

The victims’ legal team, led by Mr Kunle Edun of Tri-Lex Partners law firm, made the demands, among others in a September 23, 2020 letter sent to Gbagi, who is also a lawyer, on Wednesday.

In a viral message showing the four affected persons, clad only in their underpants, the poster, who did not identify himself wrote:

“This is the climax of dehumanisation I have seen in recent times.

“As reported in Punch newspaper, former minister of Education Olorogun Kenneth Gbagi who owns Robinson Plaza Warri Deco road, Delta state, Federal Republic of Nigeria, a business mogul, a governorship hopeful allegedly stripped his staff naked on account of #5,000.00 theft; but refuted by the victims that it was a gift to them by a customer. He stripped them naked, and asked his 15 years old son to film them. The respected citizen went further to cease (sic) their ATMs, withdrew their monies, invited police officers from Ebrumede station to arrest them. He also threatened to make life miserable for them.

“Until the masses rise up against oppressive leaders and wealth owners, injustice will persist.

“I’m calling on Human right activists and right lawyers to pick up this matter and bring this wicked man to sanity.”

Meantime, the lawyers for the four, in the letter titled, ‘Trial by ordeal, torture, stripping naked and bestial conduct of Signatious Hotel and yourself in an organised show of shame and animalism: Notice of intention to seek full legal redress’.

Edun stated that their clients, Mr Victor Ephraim, Gloria Oguzie, Mrs. Precious Achibong, Roselyn Okiemute Diaghwarhe, because of the tips a guest who lodged at the hotel for four days gave to them on his departure on August 20, 2020.

The letter read in part, “That after the guest’s stay, he gave our clients the sum of N105, 000 as tips for the good time that he had at the hotel.

“This again, is not unusual in the hospitality business. That the hotel did not lose any money neither was any alleged to have been stolen.

“You told our clients menacingly that they are not entitled to tips, as all tips belong to you. As a matter of fact, you categorically stated that they were not supposed to have monies in their accounts as long as they were working for you.”

The letter added that on September 17, 2020, Gbagi allegedly forcibly took the victims, one of whom was a married woman to the hotel warehouse in the presence and assistance of the armed mobile policemen and at gunpoint ordered them “to pull off their clothes”.

The letter stated that with “the threatening presence of the armed policemen who willingly did your bidding, you directed your son of 15 years old (a minor) Master Egba Gbagi, to film and take photos of our clients’ nakedness” and then “summoned the other staff of the hotel to see the nakedness of our clients”.

The lawyers gave the ex-minister five days to among others, pay their clients N1bn “as modest damages and compensation for the unmitigated actions of yours.” 

Already, the spokesman to Kenneth Gbagi, Mr. Sylvester Omonigho, has warned ominously that those blacking his boss: will pay an unforgettable high price

He said in the statement, “From all indications, there is a poorly scripted and badly thought-out plan designed to tarnish the good name and hard earned reputation of Olorogun Kenneth Gbagi in the eyes of the general public by professional blackmailers.

“And, we wish to remind these dark-minded beings that Olorogun Kenneth Gbagi has through dint of hard work and sheer tenacity built this name over these years.

“Every choice a man makes has consequences. Those who have chosen to do the dirty jobs of cowardly and visionless politicians, whose primary goal is to scuttle a long held vision of selfless service to the good people of Delta State by willfully and maliciously casting aspersion on Olorogun Kenneth Gbagi’s growing popularity and acceptance within the Delta State political space in particular and the country in general, in the vain hope that they can abridge his political ambition by so doing, should be ready to face the full and unmitigated consequences of their ill advised choices. They will be made to pay an unbearable and unforgettably high prize for their indiscretion.

“It is trite Law that the burden of proof rests squarely on whosoever asserts. Those who have mastered the art of blackmailing innocent people, albeit masking their devious enterprises by parading themselves as human rights activists and defenders of the poor, will be told in no uncertain terms that every act of evil deserves the full wrath of the Law without any iota of mercy.

“It is common knowledge today in Delta State, that Olorogun Kenneth Gbagi remains the front runner among the aspirants who have overtly or otherwise made known their desire to lead Delta State come May 29, 2023.

“Expectedly, those who cannot match Olorogun Gbagi wit for wit, grit for grit, determination for determination, courage for courage and vision for vision have latched onto non-existent stories woven in manners that smack of tales by moonlight and gratuitously standing truth on its head just to tar his name with all manners of dirty brushes.

“We won’t advise you to stop. Those whom the gods want to destroy, they first run mad. Continue!

“But be reminded, it will be too late to cry or repent or ask for mercy when the head is off.

“Olorogun Kenneth Gbagi has been known to be a development minded lover of humanity, a well known philanthropist, a more than average employer of labour and a respecter of the rights, privileges and dignity of all and sundry and above all, a lover of peace.

“However, any attempt to capitalize on these humane qualities to abuse his person now or any other time and jeopardize his future, will be met with what President Donald Trump of the United States called “Fire and Fury”.

“Enough said!”

Additional reports by The Punch

UPDATED: 30 persons injured as tanker explosion rocks Lagos

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15 vehicles, 23 buildings affected 

Joy Anyim

No fewer than 30 persons were injured, on Thursday, after a tanker loaded with LP gas exploded in front of Mana Gas Station at Cele Bus-Stop in Iju Ishaga area of Lagos State.

The explosion which rocked the area around 3:05p.m. affecting 15 vehicles and 23 buildings was said to have been caused by a minor misunderstanding between the tanker driver and the management of the gas station.

According to the Director of Operations, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Olatunde Akinsanya, preliminary investigations revealed that Mana gas rejected the product conveyed by the tanker on grounds that the manufacturers seal had been tempered with.

Akinsanya, who spoke at the scene of the incident said the angry tanker driver reversed and was about driving out of the gas station when his tyres burst igniting the truck.

“There used to be a manufacturer seal from the place it is been loaded. So this supervisor at Mana gas who is to take custody of the gas said it has been tampered with so he is not going to take it. So it was with that annoyance the driver of the truck was coming out of this axis and suddenly the front tyre burst.

“In the process, the gear section hit the concrete and there was a spark. It was this spark that provoked gas explosion along the seal that had been tampered. Of course, if the seal had been intact, we would not be having an explosion like this.RELATED POSTS

“An attempt to move the vehicle out plunged the vehicle into the drainage and subsequently there was the second explosion. So the first explosion had given signal to the people around. If not, the casualty will be about 100 because along this corridor we have people that are welders, mechanics, carpenters, even an event centre.”

Speaking on the explosion, the South West Coordinator of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Ibrahim Farinloye said a church, a block industry and attached office, one cement store, a sawmill, several stores where building materials were sold were also affected.

“Fifteen people were admitted at Iju waterworks Clinic, two referred to General Hospital, three on critical observation and 10 are being treated presently at the scene, ”he said.  

The Director-General of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA),  Olufemi Damilola Oke-Osanyintolu said that the inferno was tackled head-on by the combined efforts of the LASEMA Response Team led by the Director Operations, LRU Fire, LASG Fire Service, Nigeria Police Force and NSCDC.

He said the fire had been extinguished and damping down is being carried out. ”

In a detailed breakdown of the casualties, the LASEMA said 20 adult males and 10 adult females were injured.

“LASEMA conducted a post disaster assessment. The Disaster losses were two residential buildings, one church building, one event centre, four commercial buildings, market consisting of 15 shanty shops, 11 cars, two mini trucks, one bus, and one heavy duty truck, ” the agency stated.

Another book details persecution under Abacha…and how it changed a man’s life

A certain young soldier of the Nigerian army, notorious for his gangsterism and a key figure of Fela Anikulapo-Kuti’s Kalakuta Republic, was chosen as the perfect fall guy for General Sani Abacha’s gang of murderous soldiers.  His name was Valentine Eleojo (Ele) Noel Adejoh.

Although totally innocent,  he was arrested on a trumped up charge of aiding the NADECO alleged bombing runs. Locked up by the fearsome and dreaded Col. Frank Omenka at the Notorious Security Group headquarters at Apapa. Ele was chained on both legs for eight (8) agonizing months in a solitary confinement.

He was  put under intense pressure to admit to crimes he didn’t commit.  It was a truly hopeless case from any human perspective.

But God had other plans. Right there in prison, Ele had an encounter with God that was to transform his life and the lives of many others forever.

The book is available for ₦1,500.00 only; it is available at his office in Bwari on 08131224488 or 07013331834.

Buhari: We Enacted CAMA To Help In Fight Against Corruption

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President Muhammadu Buhari has explained that the Companies and Allied Matters Act, 2020 (CAMA) was enacted to make the anti-corruption campaign stronger, enhancing transparency and corporate accountability.

President Buhari gave the clarification on Thursday in a video message to the Open Government Partnership (OGP) 2020 Virtual Leaders’ Summit on the sidelines of the 75th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA75) in New York, United States.

It would be recalled that there had been outcries from various quarters on some specific provisions of the Act, especially from religious bodies and some non-government organisations.

However, in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, President Buhari highlighted the administration’s journey in anti-corruption fight, pointing out that signing the CAMA into law was one of the milestones in the crusade.

”Since the inception of our Administration in 2015, the government has been committed to changing international and domestic perceptions regarding Nigeria’s commitment to fight corruption and foster good governance.

”We focused on the task of dealing head-on with this destructive monster, which led to us joining the Open Government Partnership and making reform commitments such as to establish a public central register of beneficial owners of corporate entities.

”Since then, we have made significant progress in implementing tougher anti-corruption measures, including my recent assent to the Companies and Allied Matters Act, 2020.

”The Act provides a legal framework for the implementation of Beneficial Ownership Information Disclosure in Nigeria.

”Being an OGP member-country has helped Nigeria learn from other countries tackling similar challenges, and to build a coalition to support these reforms across the private sector and civil society. It has also aided our journey towards building citizens’ trust in government,” he said.

As COVID-19 cases continue to accelerate worldwide, President Buhari told the Summit that it had become clear that governments cannot solve all the challenges of the pandemic alone, stressing it is only through open governance and working with citizens that nations can succeed.

”We face a significant contraction in the global economy in 2020; the world is facing the unprecedented twin challenges of managing the health and economic impacts of the pandemic.

”In these times, citizens worldwide are seeking more information, engagement, and support from their governments,” he said.

The Nigerian leader pledged that his administration would continue to use its OGP membership to ensure that open government approaches strengthen the pandemic management, adding that the Nigerian government will sustain consultations and engagements with citizens through Civil Society Organisations and the Organised Private Sector on COVID-19 response and recovery plan.

According to the President, ”these consultations are in line with the effort of our administration to encourage public participation in government policies and programs.

”Our recovery package includes support to businesses, to vulnerable communities and an expansion of public works. Our aim is to make all these efforts more effective by making them open. ”

President Buhari recounted that soon after joining this partnership; Nigeria had the privilege of being elected to the OGP Global Steering Committee.

As a leader in the OGP Steering Committee, President Buhari acknowledged that Nigeria has learnt from both government and non-government counterparts on international best practices.

”I am also glad that Nigeria’s pioneering sub-national Open Government Partnership Model has become one of the leading examples driving the expansion of the Open Government Partnership Local Programme.

”Nigeria will also champion the tenets of the Open Government Partnership through our leadership role in regional institutions.

”We aim to expand the partnership on the African Continent by continuing to play a leading role in the International Steering Committee.

”As we look forward to celebrating 10 years of the existence of the Open Government Partnership next year, it is my earnest wish that all countries in the world will adopt Open Government principles and help democracy live up to the expectations of citizens having a voice at and beyond the ballot box, ” he said.

President Buhari thanked the leadership and staff of the OGP Global Support Unit for the enormous work they do to ensure that voices are not only heard but valued.

He encouraged Nigerians to get involved in the OGP and help shape and sustain the country’s democracy now and in the future.

Among those who participated in the virtual event were Heads of State and Government of Argentina, Canada, France, Georgia and Germany as well as civil society leaders who have played a central role in their countries to ensure a full, fair, and inclusive response and recovery.

[Just In] Industrial Court Restrains NLC, TUC from Embarking on Planned September Strike

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The Abuja Vacation Judge of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria, His Lordship, Hon.  Justice Ibrahim Galadima has granted an order of interim injunction restraining the Nigeria Labour Congress and Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, their officers, affiliates, and privies from embarking on any strike or stoppage of work in whatsoever form described on 28th September 2020 or any other subsequent date pending the hearing and determination of the Motion on Notice.

The Court also granted an order of interim injunction restraining the Unions, their officers, affiliates, privies or howsoever described from disrupting, restraining, picketing or preventing the workers or its affiliates or ordinary Nigerians from accessing their offices to carry out their legitimate duties on the 28th September 2020 or any other subsequent date pending the hearing and determination of the Motion on Notice.

Justice Galadima made the order sequel to an ex-parte application filed by the Incorported Trustees of Peace and Unity Ambassadors Association through their counsel, Sunusi Musa Esq.

The Court also granted an order compelling the Inspector General of Police and the Director General Department of State Services to provide protection for the claimants and other Nigerian worker engaged in their legitimate duties from any form of harassment, intimidation and bullying by the officers, agents or privies of the Unions pending the hearing and determination of the Motion on Notice.

The Obaseki blowout in Edo poll

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By Ikechukwu Amaechi

It was a real shellacking. Even those who predicted a Godwin Obaseki win in the Edo governorship poll on September 19 didn’t foresee a blowout.

And four days after the result was announced, some are still pondering how Osagie Ize-Iyamu, a man reputed as a grassroots politician, took such a drubbing.

He should blame his political party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), and its two chieftains – Adams Oshiomhole and Bola Tinubu – for his loss.

I will explain.

Oshiomhole, former governor of Edo and sacked APC national chairman, is quite a character.

Crabby, grouchy and pugnacious, the former Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) president loves picking fights, most times gratuitously. As the Smart Alec he thinks he is, he behaves as if he knows everything. And because he is Mr. Know-All, he is opinionated, intolerant and blinkered. Like every Smart Alec, he is irritating. Little wonder, to borrow a cliché, he is the best hated man in the APC today.

Oshiomhole’s APC-Obaseki-Iyamu odyssey echoes the allegory of the tortoise who embarked on an ill-advised trip.

Advice by friends who were apprehensive the trip would end badly was derisively rebuffed.

“Must you go on this journey?” they asked in a last ditch effort to save him from himself. The wily animal riposted affirmatively.

Exasperated, they made the final push. “If you have to go, when will you return?” Tortoise retorted: “Not until I am disgraced.”

That is exactly the story of Oshiomhole. Many who are celebrating the outcome of the poll are as happy for Obaseki’s triumph as they are over Oshiomhole’s humiliation.

Blinded by infantile hubris and quest for vendetta, Oshiomhole could not correctly interpret the handwriting on the wall even when he saw and read it. If he was perspicacious enough, he would have noticed that his antagonism and Obaseki’s forceful pushback burnished the governor’s political credentials.

Obaseki won the battle when he successfully framed it as a resistance against wannabe godfathers with itchy fingers. Most APC stalwarts in the state agreed with him.

John Odigie-Oyegun, former Edo governor and former APC national chairman, not only refused to endorse Ize-Iyamu, he also distanced himself from the hustings.

He put it succinctly in his congratulatory message to Obaseki: “You and your exemplary deputy have shown that with good work and principled leadership, the ills of overbearing and egocentric politicking in our nation can be overcome.”

As the election drew closer, Oshiomhole became more boastful and conceited, likening himself to a “political lion.”

Told that Obaseki had vowed to end his political career after the election, a visibly irritated Oshiomhole thundered, “A political lizard is saying that he is going to end the political relevance of a political lion … examination day is on Saturday and we will find out.”

Of course, the result was announced a day after the examination and the political lion’s voice is now muted.

Beyond Oshiomhole’s theatrics, composition of the 49-member Edo APC campaign council was a study in self-hate.

By appointing the Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, and Hope Uzodinma, the Supreme Court Governor of Imo State, chairman and deputy chairman respectively, the Mai Mala Buni-led APC Caretaker/Extraordinary National Convention Planning Committee sent a very wrong signal to the Edo electorate that were already wary of APC.

What informed the choice of both men with purloined mandates, who most Nigerians believe typify all that is wrong with the country’s democracy, as arrowheads of APC’s quest to wrestle back Edo to its column?

What were they expected to bring to the table – ability to rig elections?

But the most egregious assault on the sensibilities of Edo people was Tinubu’s recorded broadcast which was released shortly before the election.

Perhaps, deceived by the self-appointed, albeit non-existent position of APC national leader, Tinubu overreached himself by directly calling on Edo people to reject one of their own at the polls.

His action was as dumb and needless as it was tactless.

If the video was intended to help Ize-Iyamu, it backfired spectacularly, energising the Obaseki camp. Even undecided voters easily made up their minds thereafter. It became the real game changer.

A vote for Obaseki became a vote not only against Ize-Iyamu and home-brewed godfathers but their ilk from outside the state seeking to extend the reach of their political empire.

By brusquely injecting themselves into the Edo political fray, Oshiomhole and Tinubu freely handed Obaseki the surface-to-air missile to shoot down Ize-Iyamu’s political copter. It was the axiomatic free chicken.

Instead of the election being a referendum on Obaseki’s first term, it became a referendum on the godfather scorecard of both. The result was predictable: An Obaseki blowout with 307,955 votes to Ize-Iyamu’s 223,619 votes.       

But the election, which many consider relatively free, fair and violence-free, has also thrown up a fundamental issue.

Many observes – local and foreign – have given kudos to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for a well-conducted poll. Ditto for security agencies, particularly the police, for creating the enabling environment.

But there is also a school of thought that believes that the bulk of the credit should go to President Muhammadu Buhari for giving the INEC and the security agents the freehand to conduct the election. I agree.

Obaseki reflected this sentiment in his thank you message.

“We thank President Muhammadu Buhari for defending our democracy and allowing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the security services to perform their constitutional functions without interference,” he said.

Many others are falling over themselves to eulogise Buhari for allowing free and fair election in Edo and pleading with him to do same in subsequent elections.

While I agree that the president’s disposition made all the difference, I equally find the supplication distasteful and insulting.

The president is not the guarantor of our democratic rights and free and fair polls should not be at his pleasure. In any truly democratic country, the idea of pleading with a president to allow institutions of state the free rein to deliver on their constitutional mandates is ridiculous.

Not when Buhari himself acknowledges that “without free and fair elections, the foundation of our political and moral authority will be weak.”

In his congratulatory message to Obaseki, the president rightly noted that “Democracy will mean nothing if the votes of the people don’t count or if their mandate is fraudulently tampered with.”

There is no doubt that Buhari kept his distance from the Edo election. And there could be a million and one reason for that.

Having secured his second term, he may no longer be interested in do-or-die elections, thus abiding by his May 29, 2015, “I belong to everybody, and I belong to nobody” vow.

It could also be that he was truly embarrassed by Oshiomhole’s antics and did not want to be seen as supportive, or it may well be that he was simply scared aware from interfering by the threat of sanctions from the international community.

Truth be told, those praising the police and the INEC for the success of the Edo poll are only telling a single story.

The other side of the story and perhaps the most important is what Buhari decided to do, which is, remain neutral and allow the democratic will of the people to prevail.

The police remain the same and Mohammed Adamu who superintended the bloody Kogi governorship election in November 2019 is still the Inspector General of Police.

The only difference is that this time around, there was no indication from Aso Rock where the pendulum should swing. If not, we would have had another Kogi drama.

The same goes for the INEC. Nothing has changed. Mahmood Yakubu is still the helmsman. If the body language from Aso Rock indicated otherwise, at best the Edo vote would have been inconclusive as happened in Osun in 2018 and Kano in 2019.

Therefore, while the outcome of the Edo poll is a huge big step forward in our democratic peregrination, the fact that it was only made possible because the president decided to be presidential is an issue.

For those who think this is the dawn of a new era, I say, maybe. But something tells me it is not yet time to ululate. It is not yet uhuru. What happens if the president decides to interfere tomorrow if there is no Oshiomhole to irritate him?

There is simply a fundamental problem when a country depends on the benevolence and goodwill of one man, even if that man is the president, to get free, fair and transparent elections.

I have not spoken to her In 2 years – Ned Nwoko speaks on romantic relationship with Chika Ike

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Nigerian Billionaire, Ned Nwoko has shaded more light on alleged relationship with Nollywood actress, Chika Ike.

Recall that he was recently dragged after rumours revealed that he was having a romantic relationship with Chika Ike.

In a video that went viral, a blogger named Ada Nanka was heard narrating how Regina Daniels’ mother, Rita Daniels threatened to go spiritual on Chika if she refuses to leave her daughter’s husband alone.

Nanka claimed that actress Chika has resumed a love relationship with the billionaire businessman, as she said Regina Daniel’s mother has warned Chika to leave her daughter’s husband alone.

However, Chika replying a question and answer on Instagram, address the issue as she said she has no intention of being anybody’s seventh wife.

After weeks of silence, the billionaire businessman has finally cleared the air.

Speaking in a statement released by his media directorate, he dismissed the reports as fake and wicked as he tells people to leave his family alone.

According to him, he hasn’t spoken to Chika in the last years.

Magu: ‘Malami Should Stop Appearing Before Justice Salami Panel’

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A CIVIL society organization (CSO), the Global Integrity Crusade Network (GICN), has urged the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), to stop attending the sittings of the Justice Isa Ayo Salami-led presidential panel investigating allegations of corruption against the suspended Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu.

The group said Malami’s appearance before the panel as a witness could negatively affect the outcome of the panel’s efforts.

GICN’s Executive Director Edward Omaga said the AGF’s appearance before the panel would compromise his constitutional duty.

Omaga added: “There were reports that Mr. Malami is to appear as a witness before the panel. And, like we rightly stated earlier, we at GICN want the members of the panel to be allowed to use their own wisdom in discharging their mandate without being tele-guided by people who are supposed to be busy defending themselves by responding to allegations made against them.

“Already, the panel has gathered evidence which is enough to do substantial justice. In case those calling on the AGF to appear the before the panel do not know, the AGF has been playing a supervisory role on the EFCC and we make bold to say that the number one chief law officer of the country has played this role creditably well, so there is no need to have him as witness before the panel.

“We at GICN also need to remind them that after the completion of the sitting of the panel, the report of the panel would be sent to President Muhammadu Buhari, who will in turn seek the legal view of the AGF, so, if he is invited to be a witness before the panel, he would be deprived from offering his constitutionally recognized legal view when sort, having appeared as a witness at the panel.”

We Need Stringent Laws To Punish Road Traffic Offenders — Justice Dongban-Mensem

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…Calls for fresh initiative to change anomaly
…Says Bill before NASS to deal with errant drivers

The President, Court of Appeal Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem, yesterday, disclosed that there were no stringent laws to punish road traffic offenders in the country.

Justice Dongban-Mensem, who made the remarks during the 9th annual road safety conference and FRSC/KRSD easy competition award 2020, held at ICT hall of Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, headquarters in Abuja, regretted the absence of severe punishment accounted for reckless and dangerous driving often result in death or injury.

Justice Dongban-Mensem spoke at the event to mark the 10th memorial of the passing of her son, Prince Kwapda’as Rangna’an Samson Dongban, who was killed by an unknown motorist in Jos, plateau State and in whose memory the Kwapda’as Road Safety Demand, KRSD Foundation was established.

She said, “We have set aside this day for annual conference to remember him and several others who have departed this world in similar circumstance and place at the front burner of public discourse the unabating road crash incidences in our country. “

According to her, “It’s my conviction that the penalties currently listed in our laws are no longer as stringent as they were when first enacted. On the contrary, the grievous acts of over speeding, reckless or dangerous driving often result in death or injury. It appears as though, drivers found guilty of road offences are given a proverbial slap on the wrist

“We shall continually embark on fresh initiatives so as to change this anomaly. Now, we are in the process of sponsoring a Bill in National Assembly. The Bill entitled ‘Proposal to the National Assembly for the amendment and addition of some Sections to the Federal Road Safety Commission Act 2007’.

“This amendment seeks to impose stringent penalties are meted to traffic offenders. This should ensure that errant drivers are effectively precluded from reckless behavior on our roads or otherwise adequately punished for it. The idea is to implore deterrence.”

The legal luminary stressed further that, “Also, we are reviewing the provisions on Third Party Motor Insurance Policy. In Nigeria, third party insurance is compulsory under the Motor Vehicle (Third Party) Insurance Act 1950.

“It is one of the six compulsory classes of insurance under the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. However, this policy stops at coercing motorists to buy the stickers. Motorists pay the annual premium of N5, 000 and it stops there.

“Actually, the policy is designed to make insurance companies pay compensation to road crash victims in form of restitution. It is meant to help the injured recover medical bills or relatives of the dead get compensations.

“However, we hear stories like Fake Insurance Companies collecting premiums, insurers adopting very frustratingly complex indemnity processes etc.

“Almost every vehicle on the road is covered with either Comprehensive or Third Party Motor Insurance policy. Yet victims of motor crashes hardly get compensated in Nigeria, thereby making the policy very unpopular in Nigeria.

“We would like to enlighten motorists and the general public on the benefits of the Third Party Motor Insurance Policy to ensure that the process of identification is seamless and transparent.

“We want to see a straightforward and fraud proof way of acquiring the insurance sticker. This has worked in a country like Uganda. It should work here also.

“I wish to remind us in ending my speech that the commitment to safer roads is for all Nigerians. The FRSC, Special Marshals and the Regular Marshals cannot do it alone.

“I urge all Nigerians to join us in making a personal commitment to Keep the Roads Safe by not drinking and driving, not over speed, wearing your seatbelts and helmets, observing the traffic rules and encouraging fellow drivers to obey traffic rules.

“That way, the loss of the lives of my son and all those who have passed, will never be in vain. Above all, I urge everyone to make a commitment to stop and save a road crash victim and please do not look away.”

On the KRSD Foundation, Justice Dongban-Mensem noted that, “In our nine years of existence as a foundation, we have performed credibly on a number of initiatives aimed at bringing sanity to the roads through education and active campaigns on road safety.

“With the slogan, ‘keep the road safe demand’, KRSD, the foundation has extensively advocated for road safety.

“This has been done through extensive sensitization through seminars, rallies, road walk and essay/quiz competitions among secondary school children and the general public.”