Festus Keyamo mocks Dogara, El-Rufai over release of payslips

Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, has released details of the state’s expenditure, as well as security votes.

This comes as a response to Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, who had called on Governors to release their expenditure.

A statement issued by El-Rufai’s spokesman, Samuel Aruwan, on Monday read: “Our attention has been drawn to a challenge by Hon. Yakubu Dogara, Speaker of the House of Representatives, calling on Kaduna State to make public its security votes and local government expenditure.

“The budgets of all state governments in Nigeria are detailed out and presented at least under the headings of:“This challenge was thrown as a response to Governor Nasir El-Rufai’s request to the national assembly (NASS) to provide further details on the opaque N115 billion 2016 NASS budget. Malam Nasir El-Rufai welcomes this challenge as a necessary step to improve and strengthen our democracy and would like to respond as follows:

a. personnel cost
b. overhead, and
c. capital expenditure

“This is unlike the budget of the national assembly which is a single line item of over N100 billion that divulges zero information or details. NASS can at least break down its own single line budget into the hundreds of line items that are detailed in every state government budget in Nigeria. It is disingenuous to respond to every request for transparency by casting aspersions.”

The governor added that Dogara would not have asked him to publish security votes if he had done his search “very well”.

He said last year his government published not just its own budget but those of all the 23 local governments in the state.

“On our part, the Kaduna state government has consistently made public all its budget details. In 2016, in an unprecedented step, the state published not only its own budget, but also that of all the 23 local government councils online on the www.openkaduna.com.ng website,” he said.

“The local government budgets provide details of the recurrent and capital spending of every single LG in a transparent manner. The proposed 2017 LG budgets, currently before the state assembly, are also already online on the same website, and on www.kdsg.gov.ng. Approved state budgets 2016-2017 can be found onhttp://openkaduna.com.ng/Budget/approved-budget. We invite the right honourable speaker to download and peruse at his pleasure.

“As regards Kaduna state security votes, once again, if the honourable speaker had run an online search he would have discovered the details of our spending priorities on security as a state government. As our Kaduna Comprehensive Security Architecture (KADCoSA) outlines, the state is directing security spending on four pillars; justice, technology, community engagement and support to security agencies.”

“The 2017 budget details specific amounts:

“a. N1.5bn (one and half billion naira) for the procurement & installation of CCTV cameras for monitoring and surveillancetowards Reducing Criminal Activities within the Metropolis.
“b. N193m (one hundred and ninety-three million naira) for Procurement of Geo-position Interceptor and location of GSM UMTS System to Check the Trends andIntercept/locate kidnappers’ GSM calls.

“c. N265m (two hundred and sixty-five million naira) for the Procurement of Drones/Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) to identify locations of armed bandits in our Forest Reserves across the state and the Establishment of a Forensic Laboratory to assist in determining substantial evidence in cases that otherwise proved difficult in the past.
d. In addition, N2.6bn (two billion and six hundred million naira) is allocated in 2017 to support the network of federal Security Agencies in Kaduna with communications, logistics and materiel.

“Details of actual spending in 2015 for security and indeed every line item in the state budgets are also publicly available via the annual report of the accountant-general accessible on www.kdsg.gov.ng.

“The 2015 accounts of the Kaduna State Government have been audited, and the audit summary published in major newspapers and on the state website on 21st June 2016. The Accountant-General’s report for 2016 has been finalized and its audit is ongoing and will be published as usual. The audited state government accounts can also be found onhttp://openkaduna.com.ng/Budget/audited.

“The Kaduna state government will continue to remain transparent and open in all its finances. That is what we have promised to all our people and that is what our party, the APC and our president stand for.”

He also released details of his pay slip.

“Malam Nasir El-Rufai is today making publicly available his pay-slip as Governor of Kaduna State. In February 2017, the Kaduna State Government paid the Governor a net salary of N470,521.74, with the following details:

Income
Deductions
Basic Salary
N185,308.75

Hardship Allowance
N370,617.50

Gross Pay
N555,926.25

PAYE

N85,404.51
Total Deduction

N85,401.51
Net Pay
N470,521.74

“The amount may appear puny but it reflects what the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission approved as the salary and allowances of every state governor adjusted to reflect provision in-kind of accommodation and transportation.

“Governor Nasir El-Rufai would like to reiterate his call for the NASS leadership to do the same and disclose the details of the National Assembly budget, and the salaries and allowances of its leadership.

“The call to #OpenNASS is not a personal one. It is one which the leadership of the national assembly owes to all Nigerians. It is therefore disingenuous for the speaker to use state government budgets as the excuse for the opacity of the NASS budget. There is no state government in Nigeria with a budget nearly as opaque as that of NASS. In March 2016, this national assembly, led by its chairman, promised to provide a detailed breakdown of the national assembly budget. Nigerians are waiting.”

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Otodo Gbame: Court refuses throwing a governor to prison, CP Owoseni for contempt

A Lagos State High Court, Igbosere, has dismissed an application by thousands of displaced residents of several Lagos waterfront settlements seeking the committal to prison of Lagos State governor Akinwunmi Ambode, Commissioner of Police (CP) Fatai Owoseni and two others for contempt.

Justice Adeniyi Onigbanjo ruled yesterday that according to Section 308 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) the governor, who was the third respondent, had constitutional immunity from prosecution and imprisonment.

This, he added, meant that the court lacked the jurisdiction to entertain the application against him.
Attorney-General of Lagos and Commissioner for Justice Kazeem Adeniji, Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, and the CP are the first, second and fourth respondents respectively.

The judge ruled further that the other respondents, having acted under the clear order and direct supervision of the governor, they could not be said to be the contemnors.

The court added that following the concession by applicants’ counsel, Friday Oteiku, and defence counsel S. A. Quadri that mediation between the parties had broken down, he would go ahead and deliver judgment in the substantive suit on April 25.

The application was instituted by 33 applicants suing on behalf of themselves and other residents of settlements including Otodo Gbame, Tomaro, Otumara, Orisunmibare, Oko Agbon, Itun Atan, Sogunro, the Ikorodu communities of Ofin, Bayeku and Olufunke Majidun and the Bariga communities of Ago Egun and Ebute-Ilaje.

They claimed through their counsel, Friday Oteiku, that the respondents breached an order of last November 7 and 16restraining them “from demolishing any of the applicants’ “homes, business premises, properties or community facilities in waterfront communities across Lagos State inhabited by the applicants or evicting the applicants therefrom.”

The applicants, hundreds of whom besieged the court yesterday, also claimed that as recently as January 26, the respondents further disobeyed the court’s order that “parties shall maintain the status quo…pending the final resolution of issues between them either upon conclusion of mediation as directed by the court or the final determination of this suit.”

In proof of their allegation, they stated that their communities were demolished by two excavators brought by members of the Lagos State Task Force comprising soldiers, military police, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corp and police officers.

According to the applicants, a Task Force official stated that “This is Lagos State, we don’t obey court orders, take it to the governor,” while pointing to a Rapid Response Squad helicopter flying overhead through which the governor was said to be allegedly monitoring the operation.

Ruling, Justice Onigbanjo said: “Much as the court empathises with the applicants’ rights and would ordinarily take all steps within the ambit of the law to protect the sanctity of judicial authority and the rule of law, the facts and circumstances of this case, in my opinion, regrettably place a constitutional barrier to any such exercise of judicial power.”

He noted that it is settled law that committal proceedings are criminal/quasi-criminal which lead to imprisonment of the alleged contemnors if found guilty.

“Under those circumstances, I think that not only must the facts alleged in proof of contempt of court be proven beyond reasonable doubt, in this particular instance, because the respondents’ actions complained about as allegedly carried out with the direct supervision of the third respondent, who happens to be the Executive Governor of Lagos State, Section 308 of the 1999 Constitution unequivocally forbids the court from entertaining this manner of application or any other criminal proceedings against the occupant of that office so long as he remains in office.

“Now, because it is clear from the affidavit evidence adduced by the applicant that the third respondent ordered the actions complained about in flagrant disobedience of the above-stated directives of this court, then it must follow that the other respondents in this suit cannot really be said to be in contempt of this court or to be said to have caused the actions complained about.

“I would observe that reprehensible as the actions complained about in this application are, the court lacks jurisdiction to entertain these committal proceedings against the third respondent, and by implication, the other respondents by virtue of the immunity afforded the third respondent by Section 308 of the Constitution.”

Following the ruling, Quadri, the Lagos State Director of Civil Litigation, stated that contrary to Oteiku’s claims that the claimants were the first settlers on the land, the plaintiffs had no title to the land whatsoever.

He explained that the court order directing the parties to maintain the status quo was disobeyed by the plaintiffs who continued to build on the land.

But Justice Onigbanjo, who expressed grave concern if it was true that the governor deliberately disobeyed a court order, stated that the government and its lawyers had a higher moral burden in this instance.

He asked: “Are you saying that because a child is rolling in sand, you, an adult, will also roll in the sand? This court will expect a higher level of compliance from this (government’s) side than from the other side.”

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ASUP calls for end to dichotomy between Polytechnic and University graduates

Ogunseye Timothy, National Vice-President, Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), on Wednesday appealed to the Federal Government to end the dichotomy between polytechnic and university graduates in the country.

Timothy made the appeal on the side line of ASUP first International Conference hosted by the Lagos State Polytechnic (LASPOTECH) Chapter of the union in Ikorodu, Lagos.

The conference had the theme: “Africa’s Solution to Africa’s Challenges: Nigeria’s Perspectives’’.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that a bill for an act seeking to end the dichotomy between polytechnic and university graduates passed its second reading at the House of Representatives on Tuesday.

The bill, which was co-sponsored by Balanga Billiri, Ali Isa and Edward Pwajok, seek to create equal opportunities for graduates from universities and polytechnics, in terms of employment and promotions.

Timothy said that polytechnic graduates were not inferior to their university counterparts.

Ogunseye said the unwarranted discriminatory practice of ranking polytechnic graduates lower than university graduates was prevalent among some government agencies and private organizations.

He commended Kano State Government for its decision not to discriminate but ranked polytechnic and university graduates equally.

“I do not see any reason why the dichotomy should continue as the same admission requirement applies to candidates choosing polytechnics and universities.

“Reviewing the curricula of tertiary institutions in terms of practical and other educational contents, polytechnic graduates are far better than universities.

“Nigerian graduates are equal, notwithstanding the schools they attend. However, this discrepancy between polytechnic and university is worrisome.

“Without doubt, if the discrimination continues, the country’s technological advancement being the backbone of any economic growth will be negatively affected.

“As a matter of fact, there is need for employers to change their perception towards HND graduates because BSC holders are not in any way better than them.

“If care is not taken, competent hands will be short-changed which would handicap the country’s progress,’’ he said.

Also speaking on the discrimination, former rector of Lagos State Polytechnic, Mr Babatunde Iginla, said removing the dichotomy would encourage economic independence, employment and stability in the labor market.

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Court should help me Dissolve my 24 years marriage ,42 years old woman raise alarm

A Grade II Customary court in Effurun, Uvwie local government area of Delta State, has ended a 24-year-old marriage, after 42-year-old wife raised the alarm over battering, violent behavior and vitriolic temper of her husband.

“Please separate us, before he will kill me, and grant me the custody of our three children,” Mrs Ese Akpronor told the court, which was presided over by Chief Umokoro Akpormedaye.

She told the court that her husband, Mr Obukowho Peter, took pleasure in battering and had stopped caring for the family.

Ese, who apparently married her estranged husband when she was 18, accused him of “battery, violent behavior, quick provocation and lack of care and attention” for her and her children from the marriage.

She insisted that she could no longer tolerate the attitude of the husband, who she was married with for 24 years old and blessed with three beautiful children, aged 20, 15, 12 years.

“My husband is very violent by nature and is fond of beating me. He used to fight me and give me merciless beating of my life. There was a day he beat me to the point of coma and neighbours came to rescue me from his hand.

“I believe he does not love me anymore, that is the reason he is acting like that.

The husband (Mr. Obukowho) did not appear, in spite of several summons from the Court.

The Court President Chief Umokoro Akpormedaye, in his judgment, dissolved the marriage, saying that all attempts at reconciling the couple proved abortive.

The President referred the plaintiff to the welfare department of the state to decide who the children should live with.

Umukoro said that the dissolution document would be sent to Mr. Obukowho to let him know the decision of the court

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