Corrupt, non-performing judges ‘ll be disgraced – NBA

The Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, has expressed its readiness to publicly disgrace any judge found to have compromised standard in the dispensation of justice.
This was even as the legal body has accused the National Judicial Council, NJC, of paying lip-service to the fight against corruption in the judiciary, noting that the council, “in that regard is part of the problem.”
Consequently, NBA while imploring the Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Justice Aloma Muktar to quickly address the issue of institutional decay in the judiciary, said it has also resolved that from now on, “judicial vacancies be advertised so that qualified legal practitioners may apply as opposed to the current disgusting situation whereby cronies, relatives and adopted sons and daughters of a select few are appointed to the exclusion of otherwise meritorious candidates and corrosion of an effective Justice Delivery Sectors.”
In a 15-page communiqué issued at the end its 52nd annual general conference in Abuja, the legal body decried that “there are too many cases of clear violation of ethics in the legal profession which have culminated into ambulance chasing, legal practitioners arguing their cases in the media: there is thus the urgent necessity for bad eggs in the profession to be disciplined and shown the exit door.
“That corruption in the judiciary equally connotes corruption by lawyers and there is a collective responsibility between the bar and bench to stem corruption to attain the goal of justice.
“Regarding corruption, the judges are not the sole actors. Other accomplices or participes criminis include lawyers, court room staff, friends, family etc and any attempt by a lawyer to compromise a judge is not only unethical but criminal and amounts to corruption.
“The NJC is advised to monitor the performance of judges through input from the local NBA branches; there is a need for NBA to look into cases of frivolous filing of cases, applications or processes.
“The downward spiral in the quality of legal education offered by Nigerian universities, especially new institutions will no longer be tolerated and must be halted”.

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Pastor Adeboye, Aregbesola urge focus on education

THE General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Adejare Adeboye, has stressed the role of education in human development. He therefore urged parents and guardians to ensure that their children and wards get quality education.
He said his love for education and the grace he received from God for saving his life made him to become what he is despite his humble background.
Adeboye spoke yesterday in Ede, Osun State when he led the principal officers of the Redeemer’s University (RUN) to lay the foundation of the permanent site of the university in the town.
The cleric, who doubles as the Visitor to the university, said Nigerians should not treat the education of their children with levity. He appealed to them to do everything possible to ensure that their children are properly educated in order not to make them slaves to others.
He narrated his humble background and the anxiety, which greeted his parents over how to raise his school fees when he was given admission to Ilesa Grammar School, noting that his insistence that he should be sent to school contributed to his success in life.
The clergyman said the challenges he faced at the conceptual stage, pushed him to establish the university and called on the host community to regard the project as a means to enhancing the development of the area.

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Mimiko betrayed us, says Tinubu

Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu at the weekend spoke with reporters on national issues in London. He was on his way to  the Democratic  Party’s Convention in the United States. Excerpts:
On Ondo election
imiko is a traitor. We are going to defeat him without rigging. He has betrayed others in the past. He got into the late Chief Adebayo Adefarati’s executive council in 1999, betrayed him and moved to the Peoples Democratic Pary (PDP). He later betrayed Olusegun Agagu and came back.
He promised that within 30 days of his declaration when we were fighting the case in the court, he would join Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and after being sworn in, he started dilly-dallying. That is his trait. He’s not principled; a person with character would not do that definitely.

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Police recover corpse of murdered graduate in Bayelsa

The police in Bayelsa State have recovered the body of one Mr. Athur Kpe, a  28-year old graduate of the Bayelsa State College of Arts and Science.
Our correspondent gathered that the victim was beaten to death by unknown persons who later dumped his corpse along the Alameiseigha Road, Yenagoa Local Government Area of the state.
It was learnt that the body was discovered by the Patrol team of the special police squad codenamed, Operation Door Akpoo.
The police were said to have recovered a mobile telephone and some cash from the pocket of the victim.
Our correspondent learnt that the deceased was a cousin to the late former Commissioner of Sports, Elder Bethel Amababe.
He was said to have hailed from Otuan in the Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of the state.
Some friends of the deceased suspected that he might have died in the hands of a gang of criminals that specialised in abducting and dispossessing their victim  of their belongings under the guise of operating a taxi.
But some of his family members claimed that the mobile telephone of the deceased was tampered with and that his received call log was deleted by his killers.
It was further gathered that the victim left home on Saturday at about 5pm but that nobody sighted him until his coprse was recovered by the police.
A brother to the decease, Mr. Asiere Amababe,told our correspondent that all efforts of his family members to contact him through his mobile telephone proved abortive.
“A call put through by a neighbor known as Stephine at about 7am on Sunday was picked by a male voice but we later discovered that the voice  was a policeman”, he said.

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Iyanya, Yvonne Nelson: At the beach

Kukere crooner, Iyanya and the top Ghanaian actress, Yvonne Nelson have taking their love affair beyond what anyone can imagine. Ever since the versatile Ghanaian actress, Yvonne Nelson was name checked by Iyanya in his latest club banger, Ur Waist, series of controversies have been trailing their friendship.

Some people are of the opinion that there is strong affinity between the two, other people said it’s just a mere friendship.

But recently, the two were spotted together having fun on the beach, when Iyanya was asked to comment on their relationship, he denied it and said it’s a mere rumour peddling by detractors.

"We were just chilling at the beach. She's just a friend. I really care about her. There's nothing between us. We are cool. She is a darling to me". Another source said, 'Yvonne and Iyanya are just admirers of each others' works, nothing more.' What do we believe now?

Nigeria to establish air link with Namibia

MINISTER of Aviation, Stella Oduah-Ogiewonyi, has assured that Nigeria would establish direct air links with Namibia next year as part of efforts to end the challenges facing intra-Africa flights.
The assurance came as Namibian President, Hifikepunye Pohamba, said African aviation potential remained largely untapped, adding that aviation in all parts of the world “plays a central role in the development of economies.”
The duo spoke at the 18th Aviation and Allied Business Leadership Conference with the theme “Rethinking Africa’s Air Transport Strategy” organised by Landover Company in Windhoek, Namibia.
Declaring the programme open, Pohamba, who was represented by the country’s Minister of Works and Transport, Mr. Erkki Nghimtina, lamented that only very few African airlines, could sustain their operations in the long run, adding that at the moment, the fortunes of the continent’s airline were dwindling.
Nghimtina assured the delegates that his country would continue to improve the safety standard of the industry.
“Namibia is very conscious of the safety standards as prescribed by international bodies .The commitment is already yielding good fruits. It is also committed to implanting all the international aviation rules and regulations, that Namibia is signatory to,” he said.

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Military says it is not overstretched by Boko Haram insurgency

Military authorities have assured Nigerians that despite pulling most of its men to combat the Boko Haram insurgency, it is still ready to adequately counter any external threat to the country.
Olusola Obada, the Minister of State for Defence, gave the assurance on Monday at the State House, Abuja, while briefing journalists after she made a presentation of the ministry’s budget performance to President Goodluck Jonathan.
“On the issue of Boko Haram, I can assure you that the Nigerian Armed Forces is one of the best trained in the world, always combat ready, and I can assure you that we have the officers and men to address any external threats at any point in time,” she said.
“We must give kudos to our men in uniform in the armed forces of Nigeria for taking part in all these internal security arrangement because it got to a point that they just had to be brought in. You can imagine what would have happened if they had not been part of the arrangement for the internal security that we have. So we must appreciate their efforts and contribution.”

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