All Posts in "Day: October 29, 2023"

Isale Eko Descendants Donates Medical Supplies To Mark Oba Akiolu’s 80th Birthday

Mohammed Shosanya

The Isale Eko Descendants’ Union has announced the donation of medical supplies to the Iga Idungaran Community Health Centre to mark the 80th birthday of Oba Rilwan Babatunde Osuolale Aremu Akiolu, the Oba of Lagos.

In a press statement signed by its Chairman, Adeniji Kazeem, SAN, the union said the significant milestone is a testament to a lifetime of service, leadership, and unwavering commitment to their beloved community.

Born on October 29, 1943, HRM Oba Akiolu is a distinguished alumnus of Ansar-Ud-Deen Grammar School, Surulere, and a graduate of law from the University of Lagos. With a remarkable 32-year career in the Nigeria Police Force, he ascended to the position of Assistant Inspector-General of Police in 1999. His glorious journey led him to be crowned as the 21st Oba of Lagos on May 24, 2003, succeeding the late Oba Adeyinka Oyekan, who reigned from 1965 to March 1, 2003.

The IDU said Oba Akiolu’s legacy is deeply interwoven with the history and identity of Lagos, saying his reign has been marked by wisdom, grace, and a profound dedication to the well-being of his subjects. The group insisted that under His Majesty’s leadership, Lagos has witnessed remarkable growth and development, and the city continues to thrive as a centre of commerce, culture, and tradition.

The group said Oba Akiolu is celebrated for his benevolence, candour, and bravery, stressing further that the monarch’s impact on the lives and well-being of the people of Lagos and Nigeria is profound.

IDU added that the retired Assistant Inspector General of Police should also be celebrated for his modernization efforts at the palace, which include the construction of a guest house, library, and health centre, adding that the Iga Idunganran Health Centre, funded entirely by the Oba, provides free healthcare services to the community.

“He has also been instrumental in securing employment opportunities for numerous Lagos indigenes within the Lagos State, Federal Government, and private organizations. Additionally, he has been at the forefront of the return of properties belonging to Lagos indigenes, including the iconic Tafawa Balewa Square in Lagos, from the Federal Government.

“Our revered monarch has been a resolute and effective leader, ensuring peace and harmony in his domain through timely and astute guidance to his subjects and governmental bodies. Oba Akiolu’s reign has witnessed the progress of his subjects in all aspects of human life, including the attainment of the highest offices in the nation.

“As the traditional custodian of our heritage, Oba Akiolu has been a source of inspiration and guidance to Isale Eko and the wider Lagos community. His commitment to preserving our cultural heritage while also promoting progress and modernization is a testament to his visionary leadership.

K’ade pe lori,

ki bata pe lese

Ki ase pe lenu

Omo obalufon,

Omo erin jogun ola,

Omo Oba ado kenme, bini arokun tayo,

Omo oba ologunkutere asa logun,

Orisha ni e be ,

e ma be kutere,

Orisha a gba obi,

kutere a gba odindin ori eni,

omo atupa idunganran,

Igba odun odun kan ni oooooo Olowo Eko Baba Fuad

We wish His Royal Majesty, many more years of purposeful leadership as the Oba of Lagos, filled with good health and tranquillity,” Kazeem was quoted in the press statement.

admin by — October 29, 2023 in Oduduwa 0
Lessons From P&ID Case

On Monday, October 23, 2023, in a stunning victory for Nigeria, the High Court in London set aside the arbitration award obtained in January 2017 by P&ID, a British Virgin Islands registered company, against Nigeria.

The award was originally for about $6.6bn but had increased to about $11bn as of the date of the court judgment because of interest. P&ID had brought the claim against Nigeria before the arbitral tribunal, alleging that Nigeria breached a gas supply and purchase agreement (GSPA) to supply gas to a P&ID project that was to be located in Calabar, Cross River State.

Nigeria successfully obtained leave of the High Court in London in September 2020 to appeal against the arbitral tribunal award. Hearing on the appeal took place for eight weeks between January and March this year.

While Nigeria’s victory has brought enormous relief to the country, it is crucial to understand the basis for the judgment of the court and the lessons the country should learn from the case.

Several allegations of corruption were at the centre of Nigeria’s challenge to the arbitration award.

Nigeria alleged that P&ID paid bribes to several officials of the Nigerian government involved in the entry into the GSPA between Nigeria and P&ID between 2009 and 2010.

Among the officials alleged to have been corrupted by P&ID were the former Minister of Petroleum Resources, the late Alhaji Rilwanu Lukman, a former NNPC official, the late Mr. Taofiq Tijani and a former Director of Legal Services, the late Mrs.. Grace Taiga.

It was also alleged that P&ID paid bribes to the first lead external counsel for Nigeria during the arbitration proceedings, Mr Supo Shasore, SAN and government lawyers that advised on the arbitration, including Mrs Kemi Adelore, then Director of Legal Services in the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, and
Mr Ikechukwu Oguine, then Coordinator, Legal Services of NNPC, and that these lawyers colluded with P&ID to ‘throw’ the case.

Another key allegation made by Nigeria was that P&ID told lies to the arbitral tribunal to secure the award.

These lies included claims that it had obtained the financing and completed the engineering for the Calabar project when in fact, it had not done either. These lies amounted to perjury and had deceived the tribunal into making the award in P&ID’s favour.

P&ID denied all the allegations and asserted that Nigeria lost the arbitration proceedings because of incompetence on the part of its officials responsible.

Allegations of Corruption

The court upheld the allegations made regarding late Mrs. Taiga and found that some payments she received from P&ID were indeed bribes.

The payments continued until 2020 when the arbitration was in progress, and the court held that P&ID continued to make payments to Mrs Taiga to ensure she did not
reveal the earlier payments made to her.

Thus, the dealings between P&ID and Mrs Taiga related not just to the entry into the GSPA, but also tainted the arbitration proceedings.

This was one of the main grounds on which the arbitration award was set aside.

The court dismissed Nigeria’s allegations of corruption against the late Alhaji Lukman for lack of evidence.

Also, it dismissed the allegations against the lawyers who were involved in Nigeria’s behalf in the arbitration. The court instead found that the lawyers had represented Nigeria honestly and made concerted efforts to resolve the matter in Nigeria’s interest. Concerning Mr Shasore SAN, the court highlighted several steps he took to defend Nigeria.

It noted that the people to blame for any failings in Nigeria’s defence were the senior officials of the Nigerian government who took no action on several recommendations made to them by Mr Shasore on how best to defend the case at the arbitral tribunal.

Perjury

The court agreed with Nigeria that P&ID had lied to the arbitral tribunal about how much progress it had made in obtaining financing and in performing the engineering for the project. These lies, the court found, assisted P&ID in securing the award.

A P&ID witness, the late Mr Michael Quinn, had given a witness statement to the arbitral tribunal
purporting to set out how the GSPA had been entered into. The statement did not mention the payments made by P&ID to the late Mrs Taiga. The court held that if the arbitral tribunal had been aware of the said payments, its decision would likely have been different. That concealment, in the court’s view, amounted also to perjury. These examples of perjury on P&ID’s part constituted the second major basis for the setting aside of the award.

Lessons
One of the major lessons from the case is that the nation must ensure that contracts entered into by government are prepared by competent and experienced legal and other experts.

The court was very critical of the GSPA and the obligations that Nigeria assumed under the contract. While setting aside the award, it noted that Nigeria had failed to provide the right resources for entering into such a significant
contract.

Another obvious lesson is that senior government officials entrusted with decision-making power must show a strong sense of responsibility and should be held accountable where they do not.

The tribunal identified several instances where key recommendations concerning the arbitration were not acted upon by the officials responsible, including Ministers of Justice and of Petroleum Resources.

The court has come to Nigeria’s rescue this time, but it is clear from the judgment that if the heads of the relevant ministries had performed their duties effectively, this case might not have arisen at all.

Jerry Amao wrote in from Lagos

admin by — October 29, 2023 in Opinion 0
Stop Putting Undue Pressure On Us,Manufacturers Tell FG

Mohammed Shosanya

The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria,MAN,has implored the federal government to stop putting undue pressure on its member through multiplicity of taxes.

The group said,the government should consider expanding tax net to bring in new tax payers which invariably will generate more revenue for the government.

MAN’s President, Otunba Francis Meshioye,disclosed these at the 40th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of Oyo, Osun, Ondo, and Ekiti state branch of MAN with was themed: “Tax Regime and Effects on Manufacturing: A Strategic Approach for Manufacturers.”

He said:”On daily basis, vehicles of members transporting raw materials and manufactured goods are harassed by different consultants who use tout tactics to demand for diverse taxes and levies, many times, these entities behave unprofessional to company personnel.”

He noted that government reform measures and policies had such as removal of fuel subsidy, floating of Naira exchange rate and increase in monetary policy rate had a lot of effect on manufacturers in the country.

He added that the poor performance of economy in the past few years made it imperative for state governments to appreciate the contribution of the manufacturing sector in job and wealth creation.

He,however,commended the Oyo, Osun, Ekiti, Ondo states government support to the manufacturing sector,saying discounts and concessions should also be giving to manufacturing outfits especially members of the association, to reduce imposed financial burden.

He stated that despite challenges facing his members, they has shown remarkable resilience and
determination and would continued to produce high-quality goods, create jobs, and contribute to the growth of the nations economy.

Speaking at the meeting, the chairman of Oyo, Ondo, Osun, and Ekiti branch, Mr Lanre Popoola, call for immediate rehabilitation of roads at the industrial estates.

Lanre Popoola also said its members are inundated with diverse taxes by agencies of the Federal, State and Local authorities. He listed the taxes such as Capital Income Tax (CIT), Value Added Tax (VAT), Stamp Duties, Personal Income Tax, Withholding Tax, and Industrial Training Fund Tax, among others.

He urged regulatory agencies within the branch comprising of Oyo, Osun, Ondo and Ekiti States to harmonize their taxes and levies, saying discounts and concessions should also be giving to manufacturing outfits especially members of the association, to reduce imposed financial burden.

Speaking on the level of roads at the industrial estates, Lanre Popoola said, “In Oyo State, Oluyole Estate and its Extension along the Lagos/lbadan expressway, the Egbeda Industrial
Estates and several road networks are in deplorable state.”

“We call on government to prioritize rehabilitation of these affected roads considering the high revenue generated and we are willing to partner with government in exchange for tax holidays.”

“The situation is similar in Osun, Ondo and Ekiti States and using the same template we can achieve more together sufficient and economically stable future.” Popoola said.

admin by — October 29, 2023 in Business 0
Abduction:Benue Police Recover Three Children From Child Traffickers

Mohammed Shosanya

Benue State Command of the Nigeria Police have rescued three children that were abducted in Makurdi, the state capital from the hands of child traffickers.

The children who were abducted along Badagry street, opposite St. Peters Catholic Church, Wurukum, Makurdi about a month ago, were recovered in Rumu-Okoro area of Rivers State.

The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO),SP Sewuese Anene, disclosed this in a statement,on behalf of the State Commissioner of Police, Bartholomew Onyeka and made available to newsmen in Makurdi on Sunday, Anene .

She said the police have reunited two of the children with their parents, while they were yet to identify the parents of one of the children.

She said, “You will recall that on 24th September, 2023 at about 0730hrs, the family of Godwin Kpaakpa of Badagry street, opposite St. Peters Church, Wurukum, Makurdi reported that two of their children were missing; Philomena Kpaakpa 6yrs and Benedict Kpaakpa who is less than two years old.

“Investigation started immediately and a signal was sent across the country as usual.

“On 20/10/2023, information was received from River State Police Command that in the course of an operation at, Rumu-Okoro area, they rescued three children from a medical doctor that seem to be the same children earlier reported by Benue Command.

“A team of detectives were sent to Rivers state for identification and other necessary actions. Fortunately, the two children were identified alongside with one other child; Godsgift Julius whose parents are yet to be identified.

“Philomena and Benedict have been reunited with their family while Godsgift is yet to be connected with his family. The medical doctor is being investigated at River State command, while efforts are being made to locate his counterparts in Benue.”

“Subsequently, the Benue command have warned “Parents,Guardians, Teachers and people who are involved in managing children are advised to watch over their children/wards more closely to forestall such cases of child trafficking.” End.

admin by — October 29, 2023 in Crime/Metro 0
Makinde, Oyo Govt Appeal Court Rulling On Sacked Soun

Mohammed Shosanya

Oyo state government has filed an appeal challenging the court ruling which invalidated the selection and installation of Oba Ghandi Afolabi Olaoye as the Soun of Ogbomosoland.

Besides,an application for stay of execution pending the hearing and determination of the Appeal defendants/applicants against the judgment at the Court of Appeal, Ibadan Judicial Division has also been filed at the High court.

The application is also seeking for an order from the Court restraining the Claimant/Respondent by himself or through his servants, agents, privies or otherwise howsoever prevent him from taking any step or further step in recognition or in pursuance of
the Judgment of this Honourable Court, Coram: Honourable Justice K. A. Adedokun delivered on the 25th day of October, 2023 in Suit No: HOG/27/2022 between: Prince Muhammed Kabir Olaoye Versus Executive Governor of Oyo State & 11 Others in executing the ruling.

Justice K.A Adedokun had on 25th october in his judgment on suit no HOG/27/2023 between Prince Muhammed Kabir Olaoye Vs The Governor of Oyo State and 11 others said that the procedure for the nomination of the Soun of Ogbomoso the 12th Defendant was “ irregular, null and void.’’ for not strictly complying with the provisions of the Soun Chieftaincy declaration of 1958.

The same judge had in a suit number HOG/20/2023 instituted by Prince Taofeeq Akorede Olaoye also challenging Oba Olaoye in which judgment was delivered on October 3, Justice Kareem Adeyimika aAdedokun ruled that the procedure was “right, valid and proper.”

Displeased with the judgment, the appeal filed by Akin Onigbinde SAN and Co in Ibadan on behalf of the Executive Governor of Oyo state, Engineer Oluseyi Makinde, Attorney General and Hon Commissioner of Justice, Oyo state and Hon. Commissioner Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy matter.

The notice of appeal dated 27th october is seeking for an order setting aside the Judgment of the Trial Court of 25th October or an order of re-trial before another judge of the Oyo State High Court.

The six ground of appeal pointed out how the Trial Judge erred in his submission and how the judgment of 25th October, 2023 is against the weight of evidence before the Honourable Court.

The respondents includes, Prince Mohammed Kabir Olaoye, Ogbomoso North Local Government Kinnira, Ogbomoso, the Traditional Council of Ogbomoso North Kinnira, Ogbomoso, S. A. Mohammed, Esq. Mohammed & Mohammed & Co. Mobolaji Chambers , Kola Fatoye, Esq, Chief Samuel Otolorin JP, Chief Salawu Ajadi, Chief Tijani Abioye Chief David Adeniran Ojo, Pastor Afolabi Ghandi Oladunni Olaoye and others.

admin by — October 29, 2023 in Law/Human Rights 0