The Lagos State Government on Monday, September 4, 2017 flagged off the reconstruction of a 10-lane Oshodi-International Airport Road, with a pledge to complete the project within the next 15 months.
An impression of the Oshodi-International Airport Road after reconstruction
The state Commissioner for Waterfront Infrastructure Development, Adebowale Akinsanya, said at the ceremony that the project was in line with the state government’s commitment to transform the entire axis.
Mr. Akinsanya said that the state government took it upon itself to undertake the reconstruction of the road, being one of the busiest roads in the state with vehicular volumes average of 50,000 vehicles daily.
According to him, the poor state of the road is not acceptable for the status of the state as the fifth largest economy in Africa and the nation’s commercial hub.
Mr. Akinsanya said some of the fences along the corridor had been identified to be within the right of way, adding that government would minimise the impact of the project on property owners.
“To fast-track the project, three groups of workers will work on the project and they will work day and night, while upon completion, the project will be linked to the Oworonshoki Reclamation Project, which is also ongoing,” he said.
State of the Oshodi-International Airport Road prior to reconstruction
The commissioner said that a stakeholders’ meeting would hold on Thursday to sensitise people of the area about the project.
He urged the residents and motorists to cooperate with the state government while the construction would last, saying that the intention was to transform the area.
“There will be some minor inconveniences, but we are going to mitigate the impact. The work will be accelerated.
“The project is to make life easier for everybody. We just want to appeal to people to cooperate with us.
“We will be here to talk to the people in case of any issue, and we are also working with our partner, the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN),” Mr. Akinsanya said.
Also, Biodun Otunola, the Managing Director of Planet Projects, the firm that designed the project, said that, prior to the commencement of the construction, adequate feasibility studies were carried out.
Mr. Otunola said that the project, upon completion, would facilitate total transformation of Oshodi and International Airport corridor.
The managing director said that, in as much as there would not be alternative roads created specifically for the project, adequate measures had been put in place to educate the public on the staging that would be developed.
He said that the project would be executed in phases, while motorists would make use of other sections of the road during construction work on a particular section.
The project designs include reconstruction and expansion of the existing carriage to a three-lane expressway on both directions, construction of two-lane service roads in both directions.
There is the construction of a Ramp Bridge to provide a U-turn from Ajao Estate to Airport, construction of a flyover at NAHCO/Toll Gate and drainage works.
Others include the removal of existing Pedestrian Bridge at Ajao Estate and construction of Pedestrian Bridges at Ajao Estate and NAHCO/Hajj Camp, construction of Slip Road to provide access to Ajao Estate, construction of Lay-bys and installation of street lights.
The Lagos State High Court has restrained a former Nigeria international professional footballer, Wilson Oruma, and a firm, Dok Engineering Services Limited, from entering a piece of land measuring 57,739.633square metres at Idasho Village, Elekan in Ibeju Lekki.
Wilson Oruma
Justice W. Animahun granted an interim injunction restraining the defendants whether by themselves or their agents “from attempting to enter, entering or alienating or in any way disturbing the claimant’s possession of all that land…”
The order, granted for seven days on August 24, was to subsist pending the hearing and determination of the substantive motion on notice for interlocutory injunction.
The claimant, through its counsel K. C. Atuenyi, applied to the court for an extension of the order in the face of the long vacation to prevent the respondents from encroaching on the land while the suit was still pending.
Justice M. O. Obadina, who took over from Justice Animahun as the vacation judge, granted an extension of the order for another seven days. It will lapse on September 12.
The claimant, Megallus Nigeria Limited, is praying for an order compelling Oruma to assign and endorse all documents transferring his rights over the property.
In an affidavit of urgency, the claimant’s Managing Director, Ifeanyi Okafor, claimed that, during the pendency of the suit and upon commencement of the long vacation, Dok Engineering “in collusion” with the Oruma, “forcefully beset the land” and started erecting fences and partitioning the property in dispute into two equal halves.
The claimant said it was “in the bid to hoodwink the honourable court into believing that it (Dok Engineering) is in actual possession, and which we verily believe is also an act preparatory to selling and/or alienating same in a manner that will render nugatory any eventual judgment of the Honourable Court.”
Megallus Nigeria accused the respondents of contempt and urged the court to hear the suit urgently.
The claimant said that, sometime in August 2013, Oruma offered it a parcel of land for sale, and it made a part-payment of N5 million out of N90 million, with the balance to be paid in four months.
The claimant said that due to its inability to complete the balance, a new payment plan was drawn up, in which he paid additional N15 million, with the balance to be paid by March 31, 2014.
The firm said when it sought to complete the payment and presented Oruma with eight managers’ cheques on March 31, 2014, totalling N70 million, the defendant allegedly refused to collect the cheques and also did not execute the instruments of transfer, including deed of assignment.
The claimant said the former footballer instead offered to refund the N20 million part payment, rather than collecting full payment.
According to Megallus Nigeria, Oruma claimed that he received an offer double what the claimant first offered and, therefore, would not accept a lesser offer.
But the claimant said the defendant “is estopped from reneging on an obligation voluntarily contracted and upon which the claimant had already furnished consideration to the extent that it can no longer revert to its former position.”
Megallus Nigeria said Dok Engineering (the second defendant), which claimed to have also bought the land from Oruma, could not rely on any agreement between it and the ex-footballer to overreach the claimant’s initial agreement with Oruma.
Besides, the claimant said a deed of assignment between Dok Engineering and Oruma “was fraudulently procured” as the suit had already been instituted and proceedings ongoing when the deed of assignment, dated October 15, 2014, was procured.
Megallus Nigeria said requirements of the law were not complied with in executing the deed, including obtaining the governor’s consent, adding that it was not signed by the truly accredited representatives of families entitled to deal in or dispose of the land.
The claimant also sought an order of perpetual injunction restraining the defendants from entering or alienating or disturbing the claimant’s possession of the land.
Megallus Nigeria prayed for an order nullifying or setting aside any sale, alienation, assignment or transfer of the land to Dok Engineering or any other person by Oruma.
However, the defendants are praying the court to dismiss the suit.
Oruma claimed the plaintiff did not pay for the land in line with the agreement.
Dok Engineering is claiming it acquired the land legally, therefore, the suit was unmeritorious.
Justice Obadina adjourned until September 8 for hearing of the motion on notice.
A previously degraded acreage in a semi-arid settlement in Niger Republic has metamorphosed into life-giving grassland, thanks to a sustainable land management initiative that is now in its second phase.
Mahamadou Issoufou, President of Niger
Prior to the intervention in Tchirofondou, located in Urban Commune of Say within the confines of the Region of Tillaberi, the community was a bare stretch of dry, sullied land. But the transformed drylands now feature a stretch of vegetation in form of vegetables, grasses, trees and economic crops, which has become a source of livelihood to the local people.
Located 65km south of Niamey, the nation’s capital, Tchirofondou is one of the land recovery sites under PAC3, a CFA 13,888,450 worth project bearing two components that are listed to include:
Recovery of land degraded by the CES/DRS method with plantation of acacia Senegal and seedling of herbaceous plants on an area of 30 hectares (ha); and
Assisted Natural Regeneration (ANR) on an area of 70ha.
Plagued by land degradation due to high human and livestock pressure accentuated by a decline in rainfall, as well as shifting cultivation, Tchirofondou at the end of the 2016 wintering season reportedly produced a significant amount of straw that was judiciously used by the management committee. The produce, it was gathered, was used to feed animals, and build granaries and homes.
In the 2017 crop year however, the community has requested support from PAC3 to begin development of the site. The women of the various villages undertook a trial to produce cereal (sorghum) and legume (groundnut) in accordance with the objective of the micro project (increase in agro-sylvo-pastoral production). The experience is said to come from start-up and monitored closely by the municipality and all concerned technical departments.
The ANR component is implemented in the fields of the volunteers with the supervision of the service of the environment and the PAC3 personnel.
The revelations were made to a group of journalists and communicators attending the Regional Workshop on Communicating Project Results to Different Audiences in Niamey recently under the Building Resilience through Innovation, Communication and Knowledge Services (BRICKS) project. It was supported by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Global Environment Facility (GEF), World Bank, Sahara and Sahel Observatory (OSS) and Permanent Interstate Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel (CILSS).
An indigene of Tchirofondou, Ismanu Madu, said: “We now plant sorghum. Initially, we were faced with a lot of difficulties. From the fodder grown on the site, we were able to take care of our expenses. With the project, everything invested has helped improve living conditions and women’s livelihood.
“All the women are mobilised and have to work in order to draw the maximum benefits of the project. Even after the project ends, they will continue, as they have seen its benefits.”
Referring to the numerous bow-shaped mounds made of earth on the field, another local folk submitted: “It is used to trap the rain water, which infiltrates the soil, and from where vegetation grows. It is called the ‘half moon’.
“The site depends on rainfall exclusively. For the future, we plan to dig boreholes on this site as well as on others. The crops we grow here are drought-resistant, such as sorghum, peanuts, okra and sesame. We do mixed cropping. We sell grass for animal feed and gum Arabic, which yields about CFA 800,000 per ha per annum.
“We have other sites (total of 26 sites) that have started planting the gum Arabic, and it is on the basis of this that we did this projection. PAC1 and PAC2 featured 45,000 ha with the cultivation of gum Arabic and fodder grass. However, 86,000 ha are being cultivated under PAC3, with the cultivation of agricultural produce, gum Arabic and fodder grass.”
In furtherance to the implementation of the “Support to the Justice Sector in Nigeria”, a project funded by the European Union (EU), the United Nations office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has established Judiciary Research Centres in Osogbo in Osun State and Calabar in Cross River State.
The Judiciary Research Centre in Calabar, prior to the arrival of the computers
While finishing touches are being put to the centre in Calabar, the one in Osogbo has been completed and was recently commissioned. A typical centre is basically an electronic library meant to speed up and make judicial research more effective and convenient.
In Calabar, Mr James Ibor, Liaison Officer, Justice Sector Reform Project, UNODC in Cross River State, disclosed that the JRC is 80% completed, and awaiting delivery of some equipment for it to be officially unveiled and eventually operational. According to him, the IT staffs that will operate the centre have been trained by the UNODC and are ready to commence work.
The facility is located within the premises of the Cross River State Judiciary (CRSJ) in Calabar.
Josephine Effiom, Secretary to the Chief Registrar, CRSJ and one of the trainees at the recently-held UNODC/EU JRC workshop, said that the Calabar JRC occupies two separate rooms.
“There are a total of 35 seats, with the first room accommodating nine persons and most of the technical equipment line the inverters and batteries. The space in other room is completed devoted to researchers and can seat up to 24 persons. We are expecting the delivery of the computers,” she stated.
In Osogbo, Gov. Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State inaugurated the centre at the Osun High Court premises in the state capital.
Gov. Aregbesola lauded the EU and UNODC for establishing a modern Judiciary Research Centre in the state, as well as for their support in the judiciary sector.
Aregbesola assured the EU and UNODC that his administration would continue to ensure synergy with the judiciary toward effective use of the ICT facilities for justice delivery.
He said the centre would encourage more researchers to carry out more research in the best interest of the entire citizenry.
According to him, ICT is playing vital roles in the development of any nation and it is the role of the judiciary workers to maintain the equipment adequately.
Aregbesola also directed the Ministry of Science and Technology to ensure that Osun citizens outside the state capital have easy access to the facilities.
Chief Judge of the state, Mrs Oyebola Adepele Ojo, praised the EU for assisting the Federal Government to improve justice delivery, especially in Osun.
Ojo said the centre would be of immense benefit to judges, magistrates, lawyers, and other relevant stakeholders in the judicial cycle.
She said that the centre would go a long way in boosting research and improving justice delivery system in the state.
Ms Christiana Albertin, the UNODC Nigeria representative, said the organisation would continue to support the Federal Government on projects that would benefit the citizenry.
The project was funded by EU under the 10th European Development Fund (EDF) in conjunction with the UNODC).
Experts are gathering this week in Rabat, Morocco, to discuss how finance can be mobilised for infrastructure that is able to withstand the impacts of climate change, which include more frequent and severe storms and flooding.
Rabat, Morocco
The event holds from Wednesday, September 6 to Thursday, September 7, 2017.
According to observers, investing in climate resilience across all sectors and industries makes good business sense as it can prevent inefficiencies and costly retrofitting of infrastructure while reducing the vulnerability of societies.
The two-day event of the Standing Committee on Finance (SCF) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) brings together around 120 participants from around the world, including experts and practitioners from local and central governments, multilateral development banks, UN organisations, infrastructure project developers, and the financial sector including the insurance industry.
The meeting will feature presentations by leading researchers and practitioners as well as diverse case studies on climate-resilient infrastructure and its financing, ranging from the Lake Bizerte rehabilitation project in Tunisia and water adaptation measures in the housing sector in Jamaica to hydropower resilience in Tajikistan.
Participants will explore how to improve risk information and assessment so that they can feed the information into infrastructure investment decisions and policy making processes.
The mandate of the SCF is to assist the Conference of Parties (COP) in exercising its functions with respect to the financial mechanism of the Convention in terms of:
Improving coherence and coordination in the delivery of climate change financing;
Rationalisation of the financial mechanism;
Mobilisation of financial resources; and
Measurement, reporting and verification of support provided to developing country Parties.
It was established by the COP at its 16th session (COP16 – in 2010 in Cancun, Mexico) by decision 1/CP.16. Its roles and functions were further defined and its composition and working modalities elaborated on at COP17 (in 2011 in Durban, South Africa).
Africa faces some of the most severe impacts of climate change globally for a long period of time despite the fact that it has contributed the least to the issue. It is unfortunate that a relatively little amount of global climate finance has entered the coffers of sub-Saharan African countries, especially the poorest nations in that region.
Alex Rugamba, Chair of AfDB’s Climate Change Coordination Committee
However, there has been a generally accepted opinion that the need to ensure that climate finance provision is adequate, sustainable, predictable, and urgent for it to meet the demands of developing countries.
In the same manner, there has been increasing calls to recipient-cum-developing countries to ensure that the climate funds if received will be put to a judicious, efficient, and effective use in order to achieve the objective of transformation and green development in sub-Saharan Africa and the developing world.
Now, a multitude of key players has been involved in channeling climate finance to the region, to help the countries adapt to drastic climate change impacts already existing and to support low-carbon development.
The Clean Technology Fund (CTF) administered by the World Bank and the Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF) are the largest funders of climate change projects in the region. A total of $2.67 billion has been approved for more than 400 projects and programmes in the region since 2003, according to CFU.
The six biggest Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) in the world namely, the European Investment Bank (EIB), the Inter-American Development Bank Group (IDBG), the African Development Bank (AfDB), the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the World Bank Group (WBG), and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) have jointly mobilised the sum of $81 billion in 2015 as climate finance. Out of this amount, sub-Saharan African received only 9% of the total fund amounting to $7.29 billion.
Looking at the various regions of the world, Central Asia and the non-European Union (Europe) receive the lion share of the overall fund at 20%, followed by South Asia receiving 19% of the fund. Other regions receive the following amounts out of the overall fund: Caribbean and Latin America at 15%, the Pacific and East Asia at 14%, the European Union (EU) at 13%, sub-Saharan Africa at 9%, and North Africa and the Middle East at 9%, while multi-regional deals make up the remaining 2% of the total fund.
From the foregoing, it is obvious that current levels of climate funds directed to sub-Saharan African are probably not enough to meet the obvious needs of the region, especially for adaptation finance. Therefore, the most vulnerable group in the region has received little support in the long run.
The major obstacle to climate finance investment in the region has been the transaction costs of the micro-scale projects that are needed in the least-developed areas as well as the problem of designing and carrying out such projects in effective ways – financial viability and replicable ability.
Already, 20 climate funds are functioning in the region and the biggest contribution is coming from the Clean Technology Fund (CTF) which has approved $446 million to fund four big renewable energy projects domiciled in South Africa. The International Climate Initiative (ICI) of Germany, the International Climate and Forests Initiative (ICFI) of Norway and the International Climate Fund (ICF) of the UK have all invested in sub-Saharan Africa via their individual bilateral country climate finances.
Therefore, South Africa is the biggest recipient of climate finance in the region. It has received over 20% of funding approved since 2003 and the larger share of this fund has been channeled to Eskom Renewable Energy project.
Looking inward, Africa Development Bank (AfDB) has provided $905 million from her internal resources in 2015, in addition to $58 million of external resources to boost the region’s energy resources.
The bank has set ambitious goals for the key players in the industry to help ensure that Africa stands at the threshold of an exponential growth in clean energy access as well as benefit from an extensive increase in climate-friendly energy use and green development. This will assist the region in supporting innovative projects in solar, wind, geothermal, and water, noted Alex Rugamba, Chair of AfDB’s Climate Change Coordination Committee (CCCC).
Furthermore, the bank provided $305 million of her own resources and $91 million of external resources to support adaptation commitments and intensify the resilience of sub-Saharan Africa against climate change especially in forestry, agriculture and land use sectors.
Considering each sector, water, and waste water systems receive the biggest adaptation fund at 27% of the total amount, while other sectors followed suit as follow: energy, transportation and related infrastructure at 24%, crop, and food production at 18%. Renewable energy takes the bulk of mitigation finance at 30%, lower carbon transport at 26%, and energy efficiency commitments at 14%.
Looking into future, the Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) will increase climate finance activities in many sectors, especially in:
Renewable energy and energy efficiency
Low carbon and climate resilient cities, regions, and industries
Low carbon transportation
Natural resource efficiency
Climate-friendly agriculture and food security
These financial activities and efforts will assist countries to meet their objectives under the Paris Agreement, navigating them to a low carbon and more resilient future.
So, as the countries of the sub-Saharan African region work to put their development goals right with their committed Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) prescribed in the Paris Agreement, this focus on strengthened capacity in financial activities is an early indication to meeting these climate finance goals and an essential new area of engagement.
Three Nigerian entrepreneurs have been shortlisted for Shell LiveWIRE “Top Ten Innovators”, a global competition which highlights and rewards LiveWIRE businesses that demonstrate excellence in innovation. The three Nigerians have come up with creative ideas on energy efficiency and access to chemical and paint products, and join 22 entrepreneurs from nine countries to vie for the prestigious prize. A public vote of the shortlisted businesses takes place September 1 to 8, 2017, with the results helping to determine the winners.
Joanna Cochrane, Vice President Social Performance, Shell
“We are pleased at the opportunity for the Nigerians to showcase their talent on the global stage using Shell’s flagship entrepreneurship development programme,” said Igo Weli, General Manager, External Relations, Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Ltd (SPDC.) “SPDC launched the LiveWIRE programme in Nigeria in 2003, providing training, business development services and start-up capital for youth-owned businesses. Our ambassadors have benefitted from this support to make their mark and we call on Nigerians to encourage them by voting for their ideas.”
“Top Ten Innovators” is a worldwide competition open to the alumni of Shell LiveWIRE, a Royal Dutch Shell Social Investment Programme, operating in 15 countries, which enables young people to start their own business and create employment. The shortlisted entrepreneurs have the chance to win a top prize of $15,000, three Runner-up prizes of $10,000 or six Merit awards of $5,000. The programme aims to create role models for other young entrepreneurs, and demonstrate that introducing innovation supports growth and job creation.
Joanna Cochrane, Vice President Social Performance at Shell, said, “Shell LiveWIRE is very important to us, because when we help local entrepreneurs to set up businesses, they create long term sources of income for communities, they create jobs and they help to find innovative solutions to social and economic problems.”
The Nigerian businesses are:
Nigeria De-rahbs Energy Services: Produces, installs, services and repairs solar energy equipment, and also provides training to future engineers and energy entrepreneurs.
Nigeria Emobella Engineering Nigeria Ltd: Provides engineering services with a USP of 24h availability and high-quality customer service.
Nigeria Fendwall Paint and Chemical Products; Produces and retails household and commercial paint products via a business model supporting low-income customers to access their products.
Since its introduction in Nigeria in 2003, the LiveWIRE programme has trained 6,550 Niger Delta youths in enterprise development and management, and provided business start-up grants to 3,313.
Lion, tiger, leopard and jaguar are all considered majestic animals and symbols of power and courage. Yet globally they all face significant threats to their survival in the wild.
The big cats
All of the world’s big cats will come under the international spotlight on World Wildlife Day 2018, as the CITES Secretariat, the UN-designated global facilitator of the World Wildlife Day, in Geneva on Sunday, September 3, 2017 announced the theme of the most prominent global annual wildlife event as “big cats”.
The World Wildlife Day, an opportunity to celebrate the varied forms of wild fauna and flora and to raise awareness of the multitude of benefits that conservation provides to people, is observed on March 3 of every year.
According to CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora), big cats are among the most widely recognised and admired animals across the globe. However, today the charismatic predators are said to be facing many and varied threats, which are presumably caused by human activities.
Overall, their populations are said to be declining at a disturbing rate due to loss of habitat and prey, conflicts with people, poaching and illegal trade. For example, tiger populations plummeted by 95% over the past 100 years and African lion populations dropped by 40% in just 20 years. But a range of measures are underway to arrest this decline.
In an effort to reach as wide an audience as possible, the expanded definition of big cats is being used, which includes not only lion, tiger, leopard and jaguar – the four largest wild cats that can roar – but also cheetah, snow leopard, puma, and clouded leopard, among others. Big cat species are found in Africa, Asia, and North, Central and South America, representing a virtually global distribution, and representations of big cats, such as for car logos, by sporting clubs and the fashion industry, are used globally.
Logo of the World Wildlife Day
Secretary-General of CITES, John Scanlon, said: “Over the past century we have been losing big cats, the planet’s most majestic predators, at an alarming rate. World Wildlife Day 2018 gives us the opportunity to raise awareness about their plight and to galvanise support for the many global and national actions that are underway to save these iconic species. Through World Wildlife Day big cats will generate the level of attention they all deserve to be sure they are with us for generations to come.”
While big cats are found across several continents, trade in these wild animals and their products is global and comes in many forms, including as live animals, for decoration, fashion and medicine, and as hunting trophies. As an example, almost every part of a tiger has a market – but international commercial trade in the species has been prohibited since 1987.
As noted in the first UN World Wildlife Crime Report published by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in 2016, international illegal trade in big cat skins reflects many of the characteristics that are indicative of organised criminal activity.
“All big cats are protected under CITES due to the fact that unregulated and illegal trade poses serious threats to their survival. For nearly 20 years, CITES has highlighted the role of organised criminal activity in the illicit trafficking in Asian big cats, which have always been high on the CITES agenda, and over the last seven years we have seen our efforts to combat transnational organised wildlife crime at global level and on the front lines significantly enhanced,” added Scanlon.
In line with the UN General Assembly Resolution proclaiming World Wildlife Day, the CITES Secretariat calls on all member States and organisations of the United Nations system and other global, regional and sub-regional organisations, non-governmental organisations and all interested individuals, to:
observe and raise awareness of the theme for World Wildlife Day 2018 in an appropriate manner;
associate the celebrations with major national and international conservation events, where appropriate;
organise campaigns to reduce the demand for illegal wildlife and their products using targeted strategies in order to influence consumer behaviour; and
make use of the World Wildlife Day logo as widely as possible.
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, has condoled with the government and people of Benue State over the flooding that has displaced over a hundred thousand people in the state and destroyed properties in 12 local government areas.
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara
This was disclosed in a statement made available to the media by the Speaker’s Special Adviser on Media & Public Affairs, Turaki Adamu Hassan, on Saturday, September 2, 2017.
The Speaker also expressed deep sympathy for all the victims who lost their livelihoods, homes, business, farmlands, and families of those who died in the unfortunate natural disaster.
He disclosed that the House is in the final stages of providing legal framework to address natural disasters caused by the effects of climate change.
“I sympathise with the government and people of Benue State over the loss caused by the floods that ravaged their homes, farmlands and businesses and displacement of over 100,000 people from their homes.
“This is one flooding too many and emphasises the urgent need for targeted solutions to the problems affecting our environment.
“The House of Representatives has already gone far in this regard, with a Bill for the Establishment of an Agency dealing exclusively with Climate Change issues.”
He further enjoined the “National Emergency Management Agency, Ecological Funds Office and other relevant government agencies to urgently come to the aid of Benue State and the victims”.
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to urgently “seek from the International Criminal Court an arrest warrant to bring Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke before the court on allegations of corruption against her, which the government should consider as crimes against humanity and serious enough for it to sanction her prosecution before the court.”
Diezani Alison-Madueke. Photo credit: TODAY.ng
The organisation also urged the government to “pursue civil actions to ensure that all the funds allegedly stolen by her are fully recovered and duly accounted for.”
In a statement issued on Sunday, September 3, 2017 and made available to EnviroNews, the SERAP deputy director, Timothy Adewale, said: “The allegations of corruption against Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke suggest the manifest failure of the government of former president Goodluck Jonathan to protect Nigerians from such heinous crimes. Your government now has the responsibility to take bold action to sufficiently redress this injustice committed against Nigerians, and the significant long-term damage for the country.”
The organisation added: “By pursuing international warrant of arrest for Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke in order for her to be brought before the ICC, your government would be showing to Nigerians that it is indeed determined to match its stated commitment to combat grand corruption and its debilitating effects with concrete and bold action.”
SERAP’s request followed growing allegations of corruption against Mrs Alison-Madueke and the recent disclosure by the Chairman, Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption, Prof. Itse Sagay, that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had recovered about half a trillion naira from her. Several court orders have also seized millions of dollars from bank accounts and forfeiture of several houses both in Nigeria and abroad linked to her.
The statement reads in part: “SERAP believes that, as important as it is, the recovery of alleged stolen public funds from Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke is far from adequate to redress the crimes against humanity that have been committed against Nigerians. The allegations of corruption clearly suggest the exploitation of Nigeria’s natural resources to the detriment of its people, and are serious enough to meet the requirements of crimes against humanity, thus bringing her within the jurisdiction of the ICC.
“Pursuing this case before the ICC would also help to deter grand corruption and its devastating effects on Nigeria and contribute to the development of case-law in the field of corruption and citizens’ socio-economic rights, and ultimately advance the right of Nigerians to restitution, compensation and guarantee of non-repetition. Such bold initiative would also improve public confidence in the fight against corruption.
“We also urge your government should urgently propose legislation that would characterise the kind of corruption allegedly committed by Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke as crime against humanity within our national laws, and thus allow Nigerian courts to directly hear those cases.
“In this case, the inhumane acts committed against Nigerians take the form of grand corruption, and taking away our commonwealth for her personal benefit, the corrupt acts apparently took place over an extended and critical period during the government of former president Goodluck Jonathan. Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke knew or ought to have known that such level of alleged corruption by her would cause or contribute to or aggravate the suffering of marginalised and vulnerable Nigerians, denying them access to the basic necessities of life.
“The fact that such enormous crimes could went on for such a long time without any form of redress is an affront to universal human rights of Nigerians to their natural wealth and resources. SERAP believes that causing unspeakable hardships or aggravating the suffering of large numbers of Nigerians ought to constitute an inhumane act of a nature amounting to a crime against humanity, for which the most appropriate forum of redress is the ICC.
“The allegations of corruption against Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke deeply shock the conscience of humanity. Stealing of public funds meant to ensure basic necessities such as water, shelter and medicines for Nigerians rises to the level of crimes against humanity, as this has compelled the citizens to live in inhumane or degrading conditions, in violation of customary international law and treaty obligations particularly the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court to which Nigeria is a state party.
“Article 7(2) (b) of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court among others includes the intentional deprivation of access to food and medicine as crime against humanity. Under Article 30(2) (b), a person has intent in relation to a consequence, for example, where that person means to cause that consequence or is aware that it will occur in the ordinary course of events.
“Allegedly stealing such huge public funds from a developing country like Nigeria has not only drained Nigerians of their valuable commonwealth but also contributed to poverty, irregular electricity supply, bad roads, poor and inadequate health facilities, underdevelopment, conflicts, and insecurity.
“Primarily because of grand corruption under successive governments since the return of democracy in 1999, millions of Nigerians continue to live in extreme poverty, a condition manifested by the lack of clean water, malnutrition, high rates of child mortality and morbidity, low life expectancy, illiteracy, perception of hopelessness and social exclusion.
“Such basic necessities are those resources needed for individuals to maintain their physical and mental integrity. The resources may be material resources, services or access opportunities. SERAP believes that depriving individuals of basic necessities may cause physical or mental sufferings, material losses, physical or mental injury, or death.
“SERAP also notes the final report on the Question of Impunity of Perpetrators of Human Rights Violations by UN Special Rapporteur El Hadji Guiss which concluded that violations of economic, social and cultural rights could be declared international crimes that are consequently subject to the principles of universal jurisdiction and imprescriptibility.
“Similarly, Common Article 1 to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights stipulates an imperative prohibition against depriving a people of its own means of subsistence.
“The essence of crimes against humanity is a systematic policy or action of a certain scale and gravity directed against a civilian population. The expression ‘attack directed against any civilian population’ is defined as meaning ‘a course of conduct involving the multiple commission of acts against any civilian population, pursuant to or in furtherance of a State or organisational policy to commit such attack.
“The term ‘attack’ is not limited to violent acts. SERAP believes it extends to grand corruption committed with the intent or knowledge that such enormous crime will subject a civilian population to inhumane conditions of existence or perpetuate such conditions.
“The ICC pre-trial chamber issues a warrant if it determines that the summary of evidence that the prosecutor presented establishes reasonable grounds to believe that the person named has committed a crime within the court’s jurisdiction.”
