01062019 - APC lawmakers move against party

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38—SATURDAY Vanguard, JUNE 1, 2019 •Justice Mary Odili •Justice Atinuke Ige •Justice Fati Abubakar •Justice Bulkachuwa Female judges and gender stereotypes By Richard Akinnola The first salvo was fired last year by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) when the anti-graft body sent a letter to the Chief Judge of the Federal High court, Abdul Kafarati. In the said letter, the Chairman of EFCC asked the Chief Judge to reassign all corruption cases being prosecuted by the EFCC, from the court of Justice Nyako. Not because the judge had been found wanting in the discharge of her j u d i c i a l responsibilities but because of her marital connection. Justice Nyako is one of the wives of Murtala Nyako, a former Governor of Adamawa State, currently undergoing trial, along with two of his sons for alleged corruption. On the basis of the trial of her husband, the EFCC felt that corruption cases were For me, l think it is rather unfair to subject female judges to this sort of discrimination just because of the vocation of their husband’s as politicians not safe in the court of Justice Nyako. To me, l find this premise preposterous. Does it mean that if the judge’s husband was standing trial for any other alleged offence, her wife would also be divested of any case relating to such an offence. It is against that background that l view the application of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), asking the president of the Court of Appeal, Justice Bulkachuwa to recuse herself from the election petition case of Atiku Abubakar, which though the court dismissed but the judge acceded to the PDP’s request. For me, l think it is rather unfair to subject female judges to this sort of discrimination just because of the vocation of their husband’s as politicians. Why not the other way round, that is, male judges being subjected to this sort of discrimination because their spouses are politicians? The perception that these female judges would be compromised based on the political standing of their husbands, to me, is illconceived. After the 2015 Governorship elections, Mr Dakuku Peterside, the Rivers State Governorship candidate on the platform of APC, challenged the election of Nyesom Wike of the PDP. The sitting of the Tribunal was moved from Port Harcourt to Abuja for security reasons. Wike kicked against it. He challenged the relocation in court, up to the Supreme Court. Justice Mary Odili, wife of Wike’s political leader in Rivers State, was on the Supreme Court panel and she dismissed Wike’s appeal. Similarly, while Justice Odili was at the Court of Appeal and the appeal of Charles Soludo, Anambra PDP governorship candidate came before the court, she gave judgment against Soludo. Also, few years ago, Justice Fati Abubakar, wife of former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, as the Chief Judge of Niger State, had to swearin her Son in-law as the Governor of Niger State. In other words, there was a situation in Niger State where the mother in-law of Governor was the Chief Judge and the First Lady, was the daughter of the Chief Judge. The fact that her son in-law was the Governor did not affect her job as Chief Judge of the State because she swore to a Judicial oath. I’m also not aware that Justice Atinuke Ige (of blessed memory), recused herself from political cases involving the Unity party of Nigeria(UPN) /Alliance for Democracy(AD) when she was a Judge and her husband, Bola Ige was a Governor in Oyo State and later a Minister under Obasanjo. As a matter of fact, it is on record that when Justice Odili’s husband became governor of Rivers State, Justice Atinuke Ige, who was like her mentor, went to meet her in Port Harcourt and admonished her not to quit the Bench but to concentrate on her Judicial duties, irrespective of the new status of her husband, particularly since she had been on the Bench before her husband’s foray into politics, of which he has retired. Justice Mrs Pedro was also a Judge of Lagos Judiciary when her husband, Olufemi Pedro was the Deputy Governor of Lagos State. The husband even had a momentary bitter fued with the then Governor, Ahmed Tinubu, while his wife was still in the Bench of Lagos Judiciary and that never affected her job. Today, Justice Mrs Ogala is a judge of Lagos Judiciary, an APC state, while her husband is the National legal Adviser of the APC. Would Justice Ogala be asked to recuse herself from cases involving Lagos State? I think the objection of PDP in the Atiku case on Justice Bulckachawa is misplaced. I don’t think a female Judicial Officer should put her Judicial career on hold just because her spouse is a top politician or recuse herself in polical cases. Justice Umaru Abdulahi, then president, Court of Appeal, was a classmate of General Buhari. But when Buhari’s appeal on Yar’adua’s election came before the court, he didn’t recuse himself. In fact, he ruled in favour of Yar’adua. Judges are human beings, not spirits. They interact with people. They have old students and belong to village associations. If we continue to raise objections either on the basis of consanguinity or marital relationships, no judge would hear any case. While working on the biography of Justice Yaya Jinadu in 1988, he told me that his wife, a lawyer, sometimes appeared before him and they NEVER discussed official matters at home. Every judge, particularly whose spouse is a politician should be true to her conscience and oath of office.
SATURDAY Vanguard, JUNE 1, 2019—39 How Delta community seized Agip station By Emma Amaize, Regional Editor, South-South and Chancel Sunday FOR 48 hours between last Friday and Sunday, the people of Tuomo, a federated riverine community in Burutu Local Government Area, Delta State, took over the Field Station of the Italian oil giant, Nigeria Agip Oil Company, NAOC, in the community, citing the firm’s alleged refusal to build a flow station in the area. Astonishingly, traditional ruler of the community, Chief Gimba Tamani led the siege and with elders, women and youths of the town, they occupied the station, not only sleeping, cooking and eating their meals there, but also conducting their Sunday worship inside the facility. Sources in the community, who spoke to Saturday Vanguard, said the people were tired of the antics of the oil form, which reportedly promised to build a flow station in the town, but purportedly abandoned the project over the years, while pumping oil from the community to Ogbonibiri Flow Station in Bayelsa state. “NAOC officials hardly want to negotiate with their host communities, especially those outside the immediate catchment of their Port- Harcourt office in Rivers state. That is the strategy it had been using to avoid the Tuomo flow station project for a long time, but the people decided that enough is enough when they embarked on the make or mar demonstration,” a community leader hinted. The youth leader, Gabriel Bekesuoyeibo initiated the revolution when they stormed the company’s field station in the community over supposed ill-treatment for Astonishingly, traditional ruler of the community, Chief Gimba Tamani led the siege and with elders, women and youths of the town, they occupied the station, not only sleeping, cooking and eating their many years, which propelled the entire community to besiege the station. The monarch, Chief Tamani and his cabinet, Community Development Committee, CDC chair, Hon. Timi Andaye and his executive members, elders and women joined. The protesters, who occupied the company for three days first locked its wellhead from where it pipes crude oil to Ogboinbiri flow station, Bayelsa state with padlocks and chains. Knowing that NAOC scarcely bow to such agitation by host communities, the community rolled out conditions among which were that they would not leave the station except Agip dispatched officials to the town for proper negotiation. Chief Tamani, who insisted that the company had deceived the community for so long with noting to show in the last 40 years, stated, “This is a peaceful protest against Agip over neglect for the past forty years; we are here because we have been taken for granted by Agip.” “We have come to stay at Agip here and we will not leave until Agip will come down personally to Tuomo community for negotiation. They told that this is gas field, but now we have discovered that it is oil field and no single benefit has accrued to this community. “We want Agip to commence the long-awaited flow station project; we want jobs for our youths; we want internal roads, potable water and a Global Memorandum of Understanding (GMoU), which Agip has failed to fulfill”, he stated. Acting on intelligence that the passive people of Tuomo were dead serious and not ready to quit unless the firm took decisive action, the management of Agip sent a • Tuomo indigenes protesting at Agip station over alleged neglect. delegation to the community the next day, Saturday, for negotiation. Elders of the community, who also participated the protest, vowed that they would sleep at the site and would not go back to their houses until Agip was ready to address them. Speaking for the elders, Chief Akpola Ekperi stated they were not ready to go to either Port-Harcourt or any other place for negotiation, noting, “Agip must come to us here.” Agip sends first delegation A top official, Mr Owuga, who led the delegation, said the company mandated the team to dialogue with the community on the way forward and for amicable settlement of the issues between the company and Agip. He absolved the community of blame in the events that led to their protest. Presenting the community’s position, the traditional ruler, Chief Tamani said Agip should kickoff the proposed flow station project in the town. He also demanded that the company enter into a GMoU with the community, which it had failed to do since its operation in the community. He recalled that the management did not respond to appeals and letters previously sent to its head office in Port-Harcourt the community, asking for what the people expended on daily basis during the protest. Mr Owuga, however, said the delegation noted all the demands of the community and would present them before the company’s executive in Port-Harcourt. The people ignored the company’s plea to unlock the wellhead, maintaining the signing of all agreements before heeding the entreaty. Not even the intervention of the Commander, 222 Battalion, Bomadi Division, could save the situation that Friday. Villagers cook, sleep and hold Sunday service On Sunday, the second day of the siege, the protesters organized a Church service in the morning hours with processions, dancing, singing and preaching of the word of God. Community chair, Hon Andaye, speaking with Saturday Vanguard, said that it became imperative to hold a Sunday service at the station because most community folk had decided to stay back at the station to press home their demands. “We cook, eat and sleep here day and night, according to our vow. If Agip think they can deceive us to leave this place, this time around, they will wait in vain. “We have decided to thank and glorify God here being Sunday morning for the strength given us to embark on this task,” he said. Second delegation/unlocking of wellhead Agip, again, sent a second delegation on Sunday morning to continue negotiation. The state government sent a team led by the Burutu council chair, Hon. Godknows Angele. At the end of a closed-door meeting, both parties miraculously agreed to move to Port- Harcourt, Rivers state to finalize issues, especially the flow station and the GMoU undertakings. A source, who was part of the meeting, disclosed that the community also yielded to the plea to unlock the wellhead before their departure to Port-Harcourt. He revealed, “We discussed and agreed that we will unlock the wellhead when Hon. Godknows Angele stood out to volunteer for the company.” “We had a verbal agreement that if Agip at the end of negotiations refused to attend to our demands we will carry out a more serious action which both parties agreed”, he added My vow for Agip, Hon Angele, Burutu LG chair Responding, the council boss, Hon. Angele, confirmed that he actually vouched for the company on the issue of unlocking the wellhead with the belief that Agip would do the right thing. “Yes, I vouched for Agip as chairman of Burutu local government council that the people unlock the wellhead believing the company would do the needful for peace to reign in the council area,” he said. As at the time of filing this report, the villagers had unlocked the wellhead and vacated the premises, leaving the men of the 222 Battalion, who are the regular security guarding the facility. What came to light at Port Harcourt The community leaders moved to Port- Harcourt on Tuesday. Disclosing outcome of the meeting in Port-Harcourt, chair of Ijaw Youth Council, IYC, Tuomo Clan, Comrade Osuwo Port-Harcourt, said, “Agip has agreed to sign GMoU with us and we have already presented our own GMoU to them and they promised to crosscheck it for possible corrections.” “They also promised to delegate officials to Tuomo community, Monday, next week to ask the community leadership to provide a land to implement some items in the document presented to them,” he disclosed. •Chief Akpola Ekperi
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