A Federal High Court in Jos has ordered the EFCC to pay N50.8m to Senator Festus Olabode as damages for the violation of his human rights.



The court awarded the damages to Olabode in a judgment it delivered in a case the Ekiti senator filed against the anti-graft body for allegedly infringing on his privacy and disrupting his business.



The senator had alleged that the EFCC on March 31, 2008, invaded his hotel, Friendly Hotel Limited, on Iworoko road in Ado Ekiti and carted away 27 computers from its cyber cafe.



The commission, Olabode further alleged, arrested him without any search warrant, adding that he was detained for some days.



In defence of its action, the EFCC had claimed that a swindler had used the cafe to dupe some unsuspecting persons; hence it raided the business centre and arrested the senator, being the owner of both the hotel and the café.



Angered by the EFCC action, Olabode had, through his Counsel, Mr. Gyang Zi, dragged the commission to the Federal High Court to seek redress.



Justice A.L. Allagoa, while delivering judgment in the case in Jos, said that the “EFCC acted in violation of the plaintiff’s fundamental human rights as contained in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.



“It is unlawful for the police to arrest, let alone detain a person before looking for evidence or without a court warrant; no law gives the police such powers.



“For the violation of the fundamental human rights of the plaintiff and disrupting his business for 369 days, I hereby award N50.8m as special and general damages against the commission.”



The damages awarded to the senator include N36.9m for the 369 days closure of the café estimated at N100,000 per day and N3.2m for the 27 computers at N120,000 each.



Also, N5m was awarded for unlawful arrest and violation of the senator’s fundamental human rights, N2m as general damages while N500,000 was to cover the plaintiff’s legal cost.



Meanwhile, the Italian government has indicated interest in broadening its ties with Nigeria especially in the area of sustainable partnership in the war against graft.



The indication was given in Abuja on Wednesday by the Ambassador of Italy to Nigeria, Dr. Robert Colamine, and Italy’s Chief Anti-Mafia Prosecutor, Dr. Pietro Grasso, when they paid a courtesy visit to the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mrs. Farida Waziri.



In her response, the EFCC Chairman assured that Nigeria would be ready to work with the Italian government on criminal investigation.

 
Compared to Nigerian legislators, Indian lawmakers are paupers 
By NNAEMEKA MERIBE and GBENGA ADENIJI   
Thursday, 16 Dec 2010   
 
 
A comparative analysis of Nigerian legislators‘ earnings and those of other countries reveals that the former can pay many of their counterparts in other countries and still remain very rich, NNAEMEKA MERIBE and GBENGA ADENIJI write.



An Indian lawmaker needs to work for at least 49 years to earn the annual salary of a Nigerian senator. A lawmaker in India earns $23,988 (N3.7m) per annum while a Nigerian senator earns $1.2m (N182m) per annum. A monthly breakdown shows that while an Indian lawmaker earns $1,999 (N305, 058) per month, a Nigerian senator earns $ 99,167(N15.18m) per month.



The Indian lawmakers‘ pay is also a far cry from what members of the House of Representatives earn. THE PUNCH reported last week that each member of the House of Representatives takes home N10.59m every month. Thus, a federal lawmaker in India will work for at least 34 years to earn the N127m annual salary of a member of the House of Representatives.



In fact, the pay of Indian lawmakers was only increased to the current level in August, after the legislators complained that their earlier monthly pay of $345 (N52, 648) was inadequate.



The jumbo pay of Nigerian lawmakers has been in the front burner in recent times, with the Nigerian public criticising it as outrageous. It is doubtful if the salaries and entitlements of National Assembly members had ever raised as much dust.



It was the legal icon, Prof. Itse Sagay (SAN) who first drew attention to the abnormality in August when he delivered a lecture on “Legislating for Common Good: Contemporary Issues & Perspective” during the celebration of the 47th birthday of the Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Opeyemi Bamidele.



Sagay told his obviously stunned audience that in spite of Nigeria‘s position as one of the world‘s poorest nations, with a meagre per capita income of $2,249 per annum as against $46,350 of the US, the nation‘s federal lawmakers were the highest paid in the world, with each earning more than President Barack Obama of the US.



And the constitutional lawyer had facts and figures to back his statement. He said that a Nigerian Senator, in 2009 earned N240m in salaries and allowances while his House of Representatives counterpart earned N203.8m.



With the dust raised by Sagay‘s revelation yet to clear, the Governor of the Central Bank, Mallam Lamido Sanusi, upped the ante while delivering a lecture, late November at the convocation ceremony of Igbinedion University, Okada, Edo State. He disclosed that 25 per cent of the overhead of the nation‘s budget goes to the NASS.



Sanusi‘s disclosure was like a blow below the belt for members of NASS. They accused Sanusi of inciting the public against them with false figures and summoned him to appear before them on different days to clear the air on his statement and also apologise to them.



But the turn of events did not rattle Sanusi, as he stood his ground when he appeared before them, insisting that he got his figures from the right source and that there was no need for him to apologise since he did nothing wrong.



But a critical analysis of the lawmakers‘ pay will reveal a huge disparity between their pay and the N18,000 (monthly) national minimum wage which state governments are yet to implement.



The least paid worker in the country, at the contentious N18,000 minimum wage earns N234,000 per annum if the 13th month extra pay is added. This means that the least paid worker in the country earns just 0.13 per cent of a senator‘s salary. Such a worker will also need to work for at least 777 years to earn a senator‘s N182m annual pay.



A further breakdown reveals that a senator earns N498, 630. 137 a day, N20,776.28 per hour and N346.270 per minute. In other words, a senators daily pay is two times more than the annual pay of the least paid Nigerian worker. A senator’s hourly pay is also more than the monthly pay of the least paid worker in the country.



Similarly, the least paid Nigerian worker earns just 0.18 per cent of a member of the House of Representatives’ pay. Such a worker will also need to work for at least 542 years to earn the N127m annual salary of a member of the House of Representatives.



A member of the House of Representatives earns N347, 945 per day, N14, 497 per hour and N241 per minute. In other words, the daily pay of a member of the House of Representatives is more that the annual pay of the least paid Nigerian worker. Also, the monthly pay of the least paid Nigerian worker is slightly above the hourly pay of a member of the House of Representatives.



A comparison with the pay of five other countries reveals that the pay of Nigerian lawmakers is indeed outrageous.



The minimum wage in the United States is $1,257 (N191,667) and a US lawmaker earns $15,080 (N2.3m) per month. This shows that the least paid worker in the US earns 8.67 per cent of the total pay of the country‘s lawmaker. Thus, a US legislator will need to work for over six years to earn the annual pay of a Nigerian legislator. The US lawmaker will also need to work for over four years to earn the annual pay of a Nigerian House of Representative member.



In the United Kingdom, a lawmaker earns $8,686(N1.3m) monthly while the gross national minimum wage is $1,883 (N283, 333) per month. Thus, the percentage of a UK lawmaker‘s pay that is the salary of the least paid UK worker is 21.68 per cent. This, like that of the US (8.67 per cent) is much higher than Nigeria‘s 0.13 per cent/ 0.18 per cent.



Also, Nigerian lawmakers earn higher than their counterparts in Sweden. With a monthly pay of $7,707 (N1.2m), a lawmaker in Sweden will need to work for over 12 years to earn a Nigerian senator‘s annual pay of N182m, and for at least nine years to earn the N127m annual pay of a House of Representatives member.



In France, the minimum wage is $1,805 (N275,433) per month and a legislator earns $6,754 (N1.03m) monthly. Thus the least paid worker in France earns 26.73 per cent of the pay of a lawmaker in that country as against Nigeria‘s 0.13 per cent/ 0.18 per cent.



Like Nigerian lawmakers, Kenyan lawmakers are also believed to be greedy. In July, the Kenyan public protested against a hike in the salary of the legislators. The lawmakers hiked their salary to $14,583 (N2.2m) per month. And with the minimum wage in the country at $69.17 (N10,555) per month, the least paid worker in the country earns 0.43 per cent of a legislators pay. But this is still better than Nigeria‘s 0.13 per cent/ 0.18 per cent.



Many Nigerians have been speaking against the jumbo pay of the lawmakers. On Tuesday, Lagos lawyer and human rights activist, Mr. Femi Falana, while addressing the members of the Edo State branch of the University of Ibadan Alumni Association, called on Nigerians to resist the jumbo pay.



A former member of the National Assembly, Prof. Sola Adeyeye, in an interview with THE PUNCH, said that the nation was beset with the calamity of legislation being turned into “legislooting.”



He lamented that the Nigerian politicking has become a brazen exercise in elite parasitism. He said, ‘‘Statecraft has degenerated into do-or-die power merchandising that turns senators into “stealators” and representatives into ”representa-thieves!”



Also, President of the Campaign for Democracy, Dr. Joe Okei-Odumakin was of the belief that the lawmakers had not justified the pay. Speaking in an interview with THE PUNCH, she called for a constitution-backed downward.



Perhaps, what these Nigerians want is what lawmakers in Venezuela did in December 2009. They passed a law prohibiting the President, judges and top government officials from earning above $6,750 (N1.03m) a month.

 
 

Na real wa for Nigeria, I just wonder if it will ever be possible to achieve "free and fair election"

 

DDC machines stolen at Lagos airport 
By Oyetunji Abioye   
Thursday, 9 Dec 2010   
 
 
 
 
 Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Attahiru Jega 
 
The porous nature of the nation’s airports has again been laid bare as some of the Direct Data Capture machines for the registration of voters for the 2011 elections were allegedly stolen at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.



Sources at the airport, who made this known to our correspondent on Wednesday, did not give the number of units that was stolen. But they said the incident took place on Monday night at the Cargo Terminal of MMIA.



They also claimed that the machines were awaiting clearance by Independent National Electoral Commission agent when the theft took place.



The Spokesman for the Airport Command of the Nigerian Police Force, Mr. Benedict Ifeanyi, confirmed the incident.



He said the police and other security agencies had commenced an investigation into the matter.



The Nigerian Aviation Handling Company, the ground handling firm which offloaded the cargo, was yet to make official report on the incident as at 10pm on Wednesday.



He said, “As at now, I can’t tell you the quantity that was stolen, neither will I be able to tell you who was and who was not on duty and not on duty when the incident happened.



“We can’t tell now whose fault it is whether it was the Nigeria Customs Service or the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria or the airline or the ground handling firm. All that will be determined when NAHCO makes an official report.”



Our correspondent gathered that the Nigerian Customs Service Area Comptroller, Military Airport Commandant and the Director of the State Security Service were at the Cargo Terminal on Wednesday to examine the remaining machines at the ramp.



An indigenous Information Technology company, Zinox Technologies Limited, had brought in 14,000 units of the DDC machines from China and Dubai, on Sunday.



The quantity is part of the 80,000 units of the electronic equipment the company was given contract to supply by INEC.



Two other companies— Haier Electrical Appliances Corporation of China and Avante of United States— also won contracts to supply 30,000 and 22,000 units respectively .



Efforts by our correspondent to get the clearing agent, identified as Services Solutions Limited, to comment on the alleged theft of the machines were not successful.



An official at the Cargo Terminal of the MMIA, who pleaded anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the matter, also confirmed that some of the DDC machines had been stolen.



He said, “Three shipments have arrived so far. The first one arrived earlier. The second one arrived on Sunday evening while the third one came in at about 5:10am on Monday morning.



“We arrived office on Tuesday morning and discovered that some parts of the last two shipments had been removed.”



It was gathered that the equipment were offloaded by NAHCO Plc and that Skyway Aviation Handling Company Limited was to warehouse them pending their clearance.



The NAHCO spokesperson , Ms Bekky IJyuse, who also confirmed the incident , said that although the company (NAHCO) offloaded the DDC machines, the agent decided to give it to SAHCOL to warehouse.



She said it was the responsibility of SAHCOL to liaise with the NCS on what happened to the cargo after they were cleared.



SAHCOL’s spokesman, Mr. Basil Agboarumi, however, said that the company (SAHCOL) did not take possession of the two shipments that were tampered with.



According to him, the first set of DDC machines that came in were still safe in the warehouse of the company.



He added, “Whatever happened, happened at the ramp.The first shipment that came in was brought into our warehouse, and nothing happened to it.



“But the other two shipments which were said to have been poached from the ramp ‘happened’ at the ramp, which is not our jurisdiction. That is the jurisdiction of FAAN. We don’t know anything about that.”



It was gathered that Customs officials at the airport said that their Area Comptroller had to give clearance before sensitive goods like the DDC machines could be cleared.



The NCS spokesman at the MMIA, Mr. Saturday Odum, said that the Customs was always interested in any goods coming into the country.



“The goods in questions are at the tarmac, and if anything had happened to them, they happened at the ramp,” he said.



Airline and ground handling officials at the terminal, however, said the problem was caused by the porous nature of security at the airport in general.



One of them said, “There is no control at the ramp there. Anything can happen. It is like the case of a market square. People steal things here any how. It is because this one has to do with election materials that it raising dust.”



When our correspondent contacted the General Manager, Public Affairs, FAAN, Mr, Akin Olukunle, over the theft, he said he would get back. As at the time 10.30pm he was yet to do so.


 

good people, great nation indeed  :'(

Thanks...just the kinda encouragement i needed.

My guy is in the UK - he wont be coming home till next year.
The problem am having now is that i feel very bad anytime i turn a guy down cos i always feel like hmmm - 
what if the one am chasing them off for decides to mess up?

And again, most of my friends are not helping matters cos they feel my guy can end up disappointing me.

What do u think I should do cos I really love this my guy so much.

lol...u can compensate urself by going  on strike na.

hmmm, mine call me his princess surest friend...
...i call him my treasure and when he does or says something extremely wonderful i call him 'my super love'.
Hope u like that?

As for me i feel there is really no big deal but if u are dating a stingy partner then I feel u should not disclose ur full income...to avoid he/she being a pest sorry i mean money pest...lol.