Outbreak of lead poisoning in Niger State troubles Saraki

Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, has decried the outbreak of lead poisoning in Rafin Local Government area of Niger State due to small scale or artisanal mining of gold in the area.

Saraki who stated this when the representatives of Doctors Without Borders led by Dr. Simba Tirima paid him a courtesy call, said it was unfortunate that the incident in Niger State occurred at a time the nation is yet to recover from the ravages of a similar incident in Bagega, Zamfara State where over 400 children were affected in 2013.

He lamented that 28 children had already died as a result of the lead poisoning in Rafin Local Government of Niger State and called on the Ministry of Solid Minerals to be proactive in tackling the incidence so as to safeguard the health of the people living in the area especially, children.

He said the Senate would work with the various stakeholders to ensure that all funds made available are utilized for proper remediation of the affected communities and the treatment of children already affected by lead poisoning.

Saraki said: “I want to assure you that this National Assembly will make this issue a matter of great urgency to ensure that all that was made available for the remediation that needs to be done either through the funds of the ecological agency or through the 2016 budget, is done not only to address the case in Niger State but also we must be proactive and there must be a level of funding available for this.

“This cannot happen in any developed society today. We need to begin to also identify areas in this country where gold mining is resulting to lead poisoning. Like he (Tirima) said, we cannot stop the miners because as a result of poverty, this is their only source of income to survive.

“It is our duty to improve and make mining safer. I think it is important also that the Ministry of Solid Minerals takes quick and proactive actions in addressing the issue of lead poisoning.

“The state government has a role to play as well. We must get the government of Niger State and Rafin Local Government involved. They should play their own role in educating the stakeholders there to understand why they must stop their mining activities.

“Really, we must ensure that this does not repeat itself in this country. It is very unfair to the citizens, most especially the children that are affected. We will take it up from here to ensure that prompt action is taken, so we can quickly address the issue and treat those that were affected,” he said.

Earlier, the representative of the Doctors Without Borders, Dr. Simba Tirima, commended the Senate President for his efforts towards curtailing the lead poisoning incidence in Bagega, Zamfara State in 2013 when he was the Chairman, Senate Committee on Environment and Ecology in the 7th Senate.

Tirima said: “Without His Excellency really, the funds that were allocated for that project would not have been released. But he personally went to Bagega to visit the people that were affected. I am very happy to report that Bagega is doing very well.
The kids who are on treatment are being discharged because there has been a lot of improvement and the treatment is going on very well through Doctors Without Borders.

“We want to thank you for your support in dealing with such a serious issue of lead poisoning which primarily attacks the very thing that makes us human and that is its impact on our brains especially poor children who are the future of this country. We thank you for your continued support,” he said.

Chibok girls are alive and can be freed - Sani

Senator Shehu Sani representing Kaduna Central Senatorial District on Thursday said the abducted Chibok girls are alive and can be freed.



He also says the government should use minimal force and negotiation to seek the release of the abducted girls.

According to him, after three failed attempts by the government to negotiate with the insurgents, what is needed in any new negotiation is a guarantee from the government and the insurgents that they will honour agreements.

He also asked the government to reach out to a few people rather than set up a panel of many people that will not be united in their thoughts.

Humblesmith Shares Life’s Untold Story

Now in the spotlight, a place he has toiled several years to arrive at, Humblesmith, born Ekene Ijemba, shares his untold story of struggling in Ebonyi state, eastern Nigeria, where he started out as a dancer, according to Channel Television.

He also worked as a producer and songwriter but was forced to move to Asaba, where he believed he would be able to establish himself as an artiste.

After several years of moving around in the entertainment industry, taking up different opportunities, no matter how little, Humblesmith wrote and released the song ‘Osinachi’, which shot him into the limelight.

Nigerians Must Communicate In Their Mother Tongues —Minister State Education

Prof. Anthony Anwukah, Minister of State for Education

Minister of State for Education, Prof. Anthony Anwukah has warns that Nigeria’s indigenous languages could go into extinction due to decline in usage by the youths.

This was disclosed in a statement issued by the Ministry of Education in Abuja, which said that Anwukah raised the concern during the celebration of International Mother Language Day.

The statement, signed by Mr Agidike Onu on behalf of Dr Ihuoma Priscilla, the Director of Press, said Anwukah was represented by his Special Adviser, Prof. Godswill Obioma.

It said that the minister expressed concern at the sharp drop in the number of Nigerian youths who were able to read or write in their mother tongues.

He expressed concern over youths, especially those living in the urban centres, that hardly communicate in their mother tongue.

The statement quoted Anwuka as saying that the theme of the celebration, “Quality Education, Language(s) of Instruction and Learning Outcomes” was apt.

The statement quoted Mrs Magdalene Maidoh, Secretary-General, Nigerian National Commission for UNESCO, as saying that the Minister of Education was the president of the commission.

According to Maidoh the President of the Nigerian National Commission for UNESCO has the mandate to coordinate all UNESCO activities in the education sector in Nigeria.

UNESCO proclaimed Feb. 21 of every year as the International Mother Language Day in commemoration of the massacre of Benghali speaking people of Indonesia for defending their mother tongue.

Earnings from non-oil exports drop to $1.6 billion

The inability of Federal Government to revive incentives for non-oil exporters, proceeds from the sector has continued to witness a southward trend, as the nation’s earnings hit $1.6 billion from $3 billion recorded in 2013.

According to stakeholders in the sector, earnings from non-oil export can easily cross $5 billion this year and bring some relief to tackle the foreign exchange crisis prevailing in the economy, if suspended incentives are revived and other challenges addressed.

Executive Secretary of the Organised Private Sector Exporters Association (OPEXA), Jaiyeola Olarewaju said that exporters have in the last two years, been sitting on a backlog of over N100 billion worth of unutilized export certificates issued under the seal of the Ministry of Finance, urging government to honour its financial commitments in regards to extant law, The Guardian reported

“It is paradoxical that one sector that had the potential to cushion the commodity shock has been paralysed due to lack of inter-ministerial coordination. Nigeria’s non-oil exports fell from $3billion in 2013 to $1.6 billion in 2015. In 2014, the country had realised $2.7 billion in non-oil exports. In 2015, exports of cocoa, Nigeria’s largest commodity declined by 35 per cent whereas leather exports, which is the main stay of industrial economy in the North plunged by 60 per cent.

“If the EEG policy had been sustained, our non-oil exports today would have easily crossed $5 billion by 2016 and brought some relief to tackle the foreign exchange crisis prevailing in the economy. The officials have been evading the issue by alluding to perceived abuses of the grant which led to its suspension. It is classic case of throwing the baby with the bath water. The exporters relied on the extant policy and repatriated forex through the banks duly verified by the CBN”.

He explained that while diversification is being advocated as the need of the hour to generate employment by boosting production in the non-oil sector, government should clear the backlog of unutilised NDCCs and exports made in 2014 and 2015 under the extant policy to sustain about 11 million Nigerians employed directly and indirectly in the non-oil export sector.

He noted that addressing unutilized export certificates could be done by converting them into government bonds with a medium to long term maturity to avoid undue pressure on current government revenue.

“The ministries of Industry, Trade and Investment as well as Finance, should harmonise their position and come up with a sustainable and effective EEG policy to put non-oil exports back on track,” he said.

Nigeria’s non-oil export sector is still in its infancy and came into mainstream in the last 10 years due to the policies that were put in place that encouraged the sector to invest in agricultural supply chains, export processing factories and overseas marketing.

“The root cause of the decline in non-oil exports was a legacy of the past administration inherited by the present government. There is an opportunity to reverse the trend by restoring the policy framework that led to the rapid development of the sector.

“Non-oil exports were boosted by the Export Expansion Grant or EEG policy meant to cushion the cost disadvantages faced by our exporters due to infrastructural deficiencies. It improves the price competitiveness of Nigerian products in the international market. Since 1999, EEG has been given in form of negotiable duty credit certificates (NDCCs). However, the former Minister of Finance arbitrarily suspended the utilisation of the certificates pending a review of the scheme which for the past three years has been languishing due to lack of inter-ministerial coordination”, he added.

Latest monthly economic report released by the CBN provisionally puts non-oil exports at $244 million in the month of November, noting that the month-to-month decline was precipitated by fall in receipts from the food products and minerals sectors. Industrial products, which earned $79 million, accounted for the largest proceeds.

The sector breakdown shows that proceeds from manufactured products, agricultural products and the industrial sub-sector grew by 13.3 percent, 13.5 percent and 38.3 percent, respectively, on a month-to-month basis.

On the other hand, proceeds from food products and minerals decreased by 86.4 percent and 49.2 percent, respectively.
In the month of November, non-oil exports stayed very low at approximately 1 percent of GDP.

The report stated that, “the agriculture and manufacturing sector, which underpinned non-oil exports in November, grew by 2.6 percent yearly and contracted by minus 1.8 percent in third quarter 2015, respectively. The national accounts are due for later this year.”

Resilient and efficient dispute resolution mechanism, key to strong capital market, says CJN

The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Mahmud Mohammed yesterday said that a resilient and efficient dispute resolution mechanism is an imperative for a strong and reliable capital market, The Guardian reported.

Justice Mahmud Mohammed, while declaring open the 2016 workshop for judges on legal issues in the capital market, organized by the Securities and Exchange Commission in collaboration with the National Judicial Institute (NJI) holding in Abuja, added that the entrenchment of sound adjudicatory processes must be seen as a precursor to a world class market and so, which must be accorded priority.

According to the CJN, the ongoing capital market reforms embarked upon by the Securities and Exchange Commission [SEC] are aimed at building a world class capital market with the underlying need to boost investor confidence in the dispute resolution mechanisms available in the Nigeria capital market, in the report.

Represented by Justice Ibrahim Tanko Mohammed at the occasion, the CJN said that all over the world, capital markets are principally established to mobilize long-term capital for investment and productive purposes even as the capital markets play a very significant role in our society because they enhance industrial growth and aid socioeconomic development by expediting the rate of capital formation, fostering free enterprise, promoting creativity, advancement and good governance.

Speaking on, ‘’Current Reforms in the Nigeria Capital Market and the role of the Securities and Exchange Commission,’’ former Acting Director-General and Executive Commissioner, Operations of SEC, Ms. Daisy Ekinelu said ‘’Reforms have been introduced to address specific concerns such as unclaimed dividends, corporate governance and compliant management, reforms have also taken a comprehensive form, all aspects of the capital market for transformation purposes.”

In his welcome address, the Director-General of SEC, Mounir Haliru Gwarzo said that the interactive workshop is one of such engagements conceptualized as a platform to hear from the judiciary, the most critical stakeholder in dispute resolution.

Nigerian Military Deploys Hi-tech Mine Clearing Equipment In Counter-Insurgency Operation

Col. Sani Usman, Acting Army spokesman

The Nigerian Army said on Wednesday that it had deployed its newly acquired hi-tech mine clearing equipment in the ongoing military operation against Boko Haram in the North East.

This is contained in a statement issued by Acting Army spokesman, Col. Sani Usman, on update of the counter-insurgency.

Usman said other supporting weapons and ammunitions had also been launched in the ongoing operations across the area.

He said the commissioned equipment were the first mine clearing machines in the inventory of the Nigerian Army and among the best in the world.

The army spokesman said the introduction of new equipment for the northeast operation had begun to yield results.

Usman disclosed that Nigerian troops in joint operation with their Cameroonian counterparts had destroyed many of the insurgents hideout around Bank-Kumashe axis.

He said several suspected insurgents were killed in the particular operation while different kinds of items were recovered.

According to Usman, 150 persons, mainly children, were rescued at Kodo community in Borno by troops in the ongoing offensive against the insurgents.

He said the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Butatai, while taking briefs from field officers at the command and control centre in Maiduguri, commended the efforts of the troops.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Buratai is visiting front-line troops in the northeast.

Secondus arrests: Party condemns action, says Ekweremadu, Akpabio on seizure list

It is more woes for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday arrested Uche Secondus who served as the Acting Chairman of the party’s National Working Committee from 2015 to 2016.

Secondus who was a two-term Rivers State chairman of the party was picked up yesterday morning by the commission in connection with an investigation that concerns Jide Omokore, an ally of former President, Goodluck Jonathan, and Chairman of Atlantic Energy Drilling Concepts Nigeria Limited.

Meanwhile, the EFCC is waiting for the court to fix a date for the arraignment of former Minister of Interior, Abba Moro and other four persons indicted in the N676 million immigration recruitment scam.

A reliable source within the commission yesterday said that the anti-graft agency was ready for the arraignment and had filed the charges but would need to wait for communication from the court in order to be given a date for arraignment, told The Guardian.

“The commission is ready to arraign the accused persons but the court is yet to fix a date”, he said.

 A source said that Secondus was alleged to have received some exotic cars from Omokore .

“What he benefited was not financial as such. He allegedly received some luxury cars from Omokore, and on this he has been asked to come and offer some explanations,” the source said.

The EFCC invited and quizzed Omokore in connection with some multi-billion dollar petrol import and crude export deals, among other allegations on January 27 and has since been released on an administrative bail as investigations continue.

The PDP yesterday expressed dismay over the arrest of Secondus , describing it as another example of oppressive and unfair treatment against its key leaders by the Federal Government.

A statement by the PDP National Legal Adviser, Victor Kwom said the arrest and detention of Secondus by the EFCC was part of the grand script by the All Progressives Party-led Federal Government to decimate the opposition.

‘‘We are also aware that plans have been perfected by the Federal Government to arrest and detain the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, Senate Minority Leader, Senator Godswill Akpabio and other leaders of the party on imaginary charges.

“Finally, we state that this war on the PDP and its leaders has indeed gone too far. It has now become a mockery of democratic practice.”

Moro, who has been in detention since Monday morning, will be arraigned along with Anastasia Daniel Nwobia, F. O. Alayebami, Mahmood Ahmadu (who is at large) and Drexel Tech Global Nigeria Ltd, which was allegedly used to obtain money online from the applicants in the failed recruitment exercise of March 2013.

Another reliable source said that 676,675 persons applied for the recruitment examinations, each of whom paid N1,000. The five persons are, therefore, charged for N676 million.

Britain's 'first black and white twins' born from same egg

Twins Jasmine (left) and Amelia  Photo: SWNS

These siblings are thought to be the first "black and white" twins born in the UK - despite coming from the same egg.

Libby Appleby, 37, was told her unborn babies would look so similar that they would need to be "marked with ink" to tell them apart.

But she was surprised when Amelia was born with dark skin, black hair and brown eyes - while her sister Jasmine has fair skin, blue eyes and mousey curls.

Despite their contrasting skin tones, the siblings are genetically identical and are thought to be the first of their kind in the country.

Ms Appleby said: "When they were born, we were flabbergasted, even the doctors couldn't believe it.

"They look like they're different races. Amelia is the spitting image of her dad, while Jasmine is a mini version of me."

The 37-year-old, of West Rainton, County Durham, said strangers assume the twins - who have just celebrated their first birthday - are step-sisters.

She added: "We get a lot of funny looks when we tell people the girls are actually identical."

Ms Appleby and her partner of three years, 40-year-old electrical engineer Tafadzwa Madzimbamuto, found out she was pregnant in June 2014.

Three months later, they were told it was twins and medics at University Durham Hospital warned they would be so identical they would be difficult to tell apart.

Ms Appleby said medics "gasped" when they delivered the twins - who are monozygotic - meaning they were formed in the same embryo but developed in separate sacs.

She added: "We put them next to each other in a cot and couldn't believe how different they were. Amelia was so much darker than Jasmine, they barely even looked related.

"Doctors told us the chances of conceiving mixed race twins are one in a million. We were thrilled they were so unique."

A sample of Libby's placenta confirmed the twins are 100 per cent genetically identical, despite them looking nothing alike.

She said: "I don't blame strangers for thinking they aren't sisters, because they do look nothing alike.

"The girls are just noticing the difference in their skin colour now, but they're so wonderful and unique. Looking back, it's funny that we were worried we'd never tell them apart."

Dr Claire Steves, from the Department of Twin Research, said that multiple genes control skin colour and while identical twins are very likely to share them completely, it is not definite.

Dr Steves, who works at King's College London, said that Amelia and Jasmine could look so different if there was a change in the way each developed in the womb.

She said: "However, an exception might be when a change in one of these happens after the twins separate in very early development - so called somatic mutation.

"Alternatively, sometimes markers on the DNA which influence the extent to which the DNA is expressed can be different in the twins. We do have some evidence that skin colour is subject to this kind of 'epigenetic' control.

"Lastly, if the twins have been exposed to different environments, they may differ in skin colour due to this - for example if one has had greater sun exposure or has developed a condition where the pigmented cells are affected, which may happen to one just by chance.

"Despite these possibilities which might explain this intriguing phenomenon, the vast majority of identical twins have very similar skin colouring and this case is very unusual indeed."

Breaking Into San Bernardino iPhone Would Be ‘Bad for America’ – Tim Cook

Tim Cook, Apple CEO 

Apple CEO Tim Cook on Wednesday said that complying with a court order to help the FBI break into an iPhone belonging to one of the San Bernardino shooters would be “bad for America,” and set a legal precedent that would offend many Americans.

“Some things are hard, and some things are right, and some things are both – this is one of those things,” Cook told ABC News in his first interview since the court order came down last week. He added that the government was asking for “the software equivalent of cancer” and that he planned to talk to President Barack Obama directly about getting the dispute “on a better path.”

Later asked whether Apple would be prepared to fight this case all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, Cook said, “We would be prepared to take this issue all the way.”

Apple’s chief executive officer also said there should have been more dialogue with the Obama administration before the U.S. Justice Department’s decision to seek relief from a federal magistrate judge in California.

“We found out about the filing from the press, and I don’t think that’s the way the railroad should be run, and I don’t think that something so important to this country should be handled in this way,” Cook said in an interview being aired on “ABC World News Tonight.”

Apple has publicly said it intends to fight the court order and has until Friday to respond.

The iPhone in question was used by San Bernardino shooter Rizwan Farook, who along with his wife went on a shooting rampage in December that killed 14 and wounded 22.

The Justice Department wants Apple to help access encrypted information stored on Farook’s county-owned iPhone 5C by writing software that would disable its passcode protections to allow an infinite number of guesses without erasing the data on the device.

Apple has said the request amounts to asking a company to hack its own device and would undermine digital security more broadly.

“This would be bad for America,” Cook told ABC. “It would also set a precedent that I think many people in America would be offended by and when you think about those, which are knowns, compared to something that might be there, I believe we are making the right choice.”

Some major tech companies have solidly sided with Apple while others have issued more muted statements on the importance of digital security. Verizon Communications Inc Chief Executive Lowell McAdam told Reuters Wednesday his company supports “the availability of strong encryption with no backdoors.”

The government has repeatedly insisted its request in the iPhone case does not amount to “backdoor” access.

President Buhari Hosts Saudi Business Community

President Buhari in a meeting with Saudi Business Community

The level of productivity of Nigeria’s Agriculture and Solid minerals sectors will be enhanced by the Federal Government as a deliberate attempt to save the nation from the hash effects of the falling oil prices in the global market.


President Muhammadu Buhari stated this at a meeting with leading members of the council of Saudi Arabian Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Riyadh.

Falana wants court to stop United States of America’s dollar as a legal tender in Nigeria

Human rights lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN), filed a suit before the Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday, praying for an order restraining the Central Bank of Nigeria from allowing market forces to determine the exchange rate of the naira.

The senior advocate also asked the court in his suit, FHC/ABJ/CS/146/16, to direct the CBN to stop the use of the United States of America’s dollar as a legal tender in Nigeria.

The suit was filed on behalf of Falana by a lawyer in his firm, Mr. Wisdom Elum.

The CBN is sued as the sole defendant in the suit, which has yet to be assigned to a judge.

Falana alleged in the suit that the CBN’s monetary policy had led to a situation where too much naira was made to chase a few dollars with an attendant weaker naira and adverse multiplier effects such as rising inflation, closure of factories and high level of unemployment.

He also alleged that the CBN had so “dollarised the economy” that the foreign currency had become a legal tender, with school fees as well as rents now being charged and paid in dollars “to the detriment of the economy.”

He contended that while the CBN had fixed the exchange rate at N198 to a dollar, and President Muhammadu Buhari had continued to restate his promise not to devalue the naira, the apex bank “had allowed market forces to increase the exchange rate to over N400 to a dollar.”

A supporting affidavit deposed to by another lawyer in Falana’s law firm, Mr. Femi Adedeji, stated, “The devaluation of the currency and dollarisation of the economy have made mockery of the yet-to-be-passed 2016 budget of the Federal Government.

“The monetary policy of the defendant (the CBN) has led to a situation whereby too much naira chase few dollars, thereby making the naira weaker in relation to the dollar and instigating an adverse multiplier effect.

“The monetary policy of the defendant has also led to increasing costs, rapidly rising inflation and interest rates, closure of factories and the attendant high level of unemployment.”

The lawyer, therefore asked the court to determine, “whether the monetary policy of the defendant, which allows market forces to fix and determine the exchange rate of the naira is not a violation of Section 16 of the CBN (Establishment) Act 2007 and Section 16 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as amended.”

The SAN asked the court to determine whether the CBN decision to allow the US dollar as a legal tender for payment of any amount in Nigeria was not a contravention of Section 20 of the CBN Act.

He sought the following prayers: “A declaration that by virtue of Section 16 of the CBN Act 2007 the defendant shall fix and determine the exchange rate of the naira by a suitable mechanism devised for that purpose.

“A declaration that the monetary policy of the defendant, which allows market forces to fix and determine the exchange rate of the naira, is illegal and unconstitutional as it violates Section 16 of the CBN Act 2007.

“A declaration that the dollarisation of the economy through the use of the US dollar as a legal tender in Nigeria is illegal and unconstitutional as it violates Section 20 of the CBN Act, 2007.

“An order of perpetual injunction restraining the defendant from allowing market forces to determine the exchange rate of the naira in any manner whatsoever and howsoever.

“An order directing the defendant to stop forthwith the use of the US dollar as a legal tender in Nigeria in any manner whatsoever and howsoever.”

With The PUNCH

PDP Approves 3 Months Tenure For Sheriff, To Hold National Convention In May

Ali Modu Sheriff, Embattled PDP National Chairman

The Leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has agreed and approved  a three-month tenure for the Ali Modu Sheriff as national party chairman to hold a national convention in may.

This was reached at a caucus meeting which has in attendance the PDP Governors’ Forum, the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT), the National Assembly Caucus, the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) and the state Committees.

The meeting was held at the Ondo State Governor’s Lodge, Asokoro, Abuja, the decision was unanimous from all the sections.

Ondo State Governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, who addressed the media shortly after the meeting, said the decision taken was in the best interest of the party.

He said Sheriff had been mandated to put in motion preparations for the party’s national convention to elect new members of the NWC to run the party.

The Acting Chairman of the BoT, Senator Walid Jibrin, also commented, saying that the BoT is in agreement with the decision.

According to him, Sheriff is expected to bring out a timetable within two weeks for the next convention to be convened in May.

He expressed the optimism that the lingering crisis in the party would be resolved within the period.

Commenting on the rejection of Sheriff by the party’s ex -ministers, Mimiko said they are members of the party at the state level headed by state chairmen, according, which in turn makes them automatically a party to the decision.

Mimiko added that the various party organs would still mediate to align they ex-ministers with the view to bringing them on board on the decision.

Rickey Tarfa withdraws N5bn suit against EFCC, others

Embattled Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr. Rickey Tarfa, on Wednesday withdrew the N5bn fundamental rights enforcement suit he filed against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and four others over an alleged violation of his right to privacy, The PUNCH reported.

Following the withdrawal of the suit, Justice Mohammed Idris awarded a punitive cost of N50,000 against Tarfa in favour of the five respondents.

The respondents are the EFCC, its Acting Chairman, Ibrahim Magu, Mrs. Rashidatou Abdou, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN) and MTN Nigeria Communications Limited.

Tarfa had filed the suit following his arrest on February 5 by EFCC operatives on the premises of the Lagos State High Court in Igbosere, where he allegedly hid two suspects of economic and financial crimes in his car to prevent their arrest.

His two mobile phones and his Mercedez Benz SUV with Registration No. KJA 700 CG were confiscated by the anti-graft agency.

But in his N5bn fundamental rights enforcement action, Tarfa had urged the court to declare that the respondents violated his right to privacy protected by Section 37 of the constitution, when, without a court order, MTN allegedly made the call log on his mobile line, 08034600000, available to the EFCC and the others respondents, who in turn allegedly released the information to SaharaReporters and other online media.

The senior advocate had also urged the court to hold that the respondents acted unlawfully when they accessed his bank details, clients’ information, private and confidential information contained in his iPhone 6 and Samsung 6 without a court order or any reasonable cause.

He had urged the court to award N5bn damages against the respondents in his favour, stressing that no amount of money could adequately redress the “unquantifiable and irreparable damage done to him, his reputation, his business and his goodwill.”

But a lawyer from his chambers, O. Oladele, appeared before Justice Idris on Wednesday with an ex parte application to discontinue the case.

Oladele gave no reason for Tarfa’s decision to withdraw the case.

Lawyers for the EFCC, Mr. Wahab Shittu and Rotimi Oyedepo, who also appeared in court, said they were not opposed to the withdrawal of the suit, but urged the court to award a punitive cost against Tarfa.

“My Lord, we have no objection to the discontinuance of the suit but we want the court to award a punitive cost against the applicant. Our names have been flying around in the major newspapers since yesterday,” Shittu said.

But Oladele argued that the EFCC’s lawyers had no right of reply because his application was an ex parte application. Besides, he said the respondents could not be asking for cost because Tarfa had not served them with the suit.

But Shittu argued that since the filing of the suit was widely reported in the newspapers, it was tantamount to serving the respondents by substituted means.

Two Cooperative Chiefs Get Two Years Imprisonment for N4m Fraud

The Economic and Financial crimes commission, EFCC, secured another conviction on Wednesday, February 24, 2016 as Justice A. I. Kutigi of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, convicted and sentenced the duo of Adegboyega London and Sylvanus Benedict to two years imprisonment each.

London and Benedict were arraigned in 2011 on a two count charge of criminal conspiracy and criminal breach of trust.

In a bid to free themselves of the charge, the defendants in 2013 filed a no case submission in which they were discharged on count one of conspiracy and ordered to enter their defence on the second count of breach of trust, which led to amending the charge.

London and Benedict were said to be Chairman and Secretary of Mbatoo Cooperative Society respectively. The Society was one of the Cooperative Societies in Nigeria awarded grants by the Federal Government to develop solid minerals sector of the economy with a view to increase the income of artisans and small scale miners.

The convicts fraudulently converted the sum of N4, 826,850.00 (four million eight hundred and twenty six thousand, eight hundred and fifty naira) to their own use as against the term of the agreement.

After diligent prosecution, Justice A. I. Kutigi found the first defendant (London) guilty on the first count and the second defendant (Benedict) guilty on the second amended charge.

While London was sentenced to 2 years imprisonment with an option of fine in the sum of N100,000 (hundred thousand naira) on count one, Benedict, got the same sentence on the amended second count.

The judge also ordered that, the convicts pay restitution of N2,413,425 (two million, four hundred and thirteen thousand, four hundred and twenty five naira) each to the Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel Development.

Rev. Jesse Jackson calls for boycott of Academy Awards, compares Hollywood to apartheid-era South Africa

                                                                                        SCOTT OLSON/GETTY IMAGES

“Once again, the Oscars have tuned us out,” Rev. Jesse Jackson said in a statement.

Rev. Jesse Jackson is calling for a boycott of the Academy Awards Sunday, comparing Hollywood to apartheid-era South Africa.

Several African-Americans involved in the film industry, including director Spike Lee and actors Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, have announced they won’t attend the ceremony.

The Oscars have been criticized for nominating an all-white slate in the four acting categories for the second year in a row.

Once again, the Oscars have tuned us out,” Jackson said in a statement. “We should reciprocate Sunday night by boycotting the broadcast, which amounts to a celebration of exclusion, narrow-mindedness and cultural distortion.”

                                                                                                                                                    STAFF/REUTERS

The Oscars have been criticized for nominating an all-white slate in the four acting categories for the second year in a row.

Back in 1996, Jackson said, the Rainbow PUSH Coalition called for the film industry to hire more minorities for jobs in front of the camera and behind the scenes.Back in 1996, Jackson said, the Rainbow PUSH Coalition called for the film industry to hire more minorities for jobs in front of the camera and behind the scenes.

But he said little has changed.

“This disgraceful, man-made drought is nothing new,” Jackson said. “In Hollywood, there has been no climate change.”

The Academy, which has been criticized for the lack of diversity among its governing body as well as the nominees, has promised changes.

“This is a difficult but important conversation, and it’s time for big changes,” Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences President Cheryl Boone Isaacs said in a statement released last month. “The Academy is taking dramatic steps to alter the makeup of our membership. In the coming days and weeks we will conduct a review of our membership recruitment in order to bring about much-needed diversity in our 2016 class and beyond.”

The Oscars, which will be hosted by black comic Chris Rock, will air Sunday on ABC.