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Programme to speed up switch to electric vehicles inaugurated

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A new business campaign designed to fast-track the uptake of electric vehicles (EV) and infrastructure has been launched by The Climate Group at an event in New York on Tuesday, September 19, 2017 as business and government leaders gathered at Climate Week NYC.

solar panels
Electric vehicles and solar panels could halt worldwide growth in demand for oil and coal by 2020

Baidu, Deutsche Post DHL Group, Heathrow Airport, HP Inc., IKEA Group, LeasePlan, METRO AG, PG&E, Unilever, and Vattenfall are the 10 first members of EV100, an initiative that encourages global business commitments on electric transport, with members swapping their large diesel/petrol vehicle fleets to electric vehicle fleets and/or installing electric battery charging infrastructure by 2030.

Helen Clarkson, CEO, The Climate Group, said: “We want to make electric transport the new normal. There are two fundamental problems to be addressed. Transport is still the fastest growing area of carbon emissions, as the shift to electric vehicles is not happening fast enough; and mass system change, even with Government intervention, needs much greater customer demand.

“EV100 will use companies’ collective global buying power and influence on employees and customers to build demand and cut costs. The members being announced today see the business logic in leading a faster transition and addressing local air quality issues in their markets. They are setting a competitive challenge to the auto industry to deliver more EVs, sooner and at lower cost.”

Together, EV100 members will send a strong market signal that there is mass demand for electric vehicles by 2030 or before, well ahead of current forecasts for global uptake. By setting out their future EV purchasing requirements on an ambitions timescale, these big purchasers can drive mass roll-out, reduce costs, and make electric cars more rapidly affordable for everyone around the world.

Pia Heidenmark-Cook, Acting CSO, IKEA Group, said: “IKEA Group wants to show that a transition to electric vehicles is possible, bringing benefits for both the global climate and the local environment around our stores. That’s why we are excited to join EV100 as founding members, and accelerate the change towards more sustainable transportation.”

Reflecting China’s role as a global leader on climate action, and the world’s largest car market, the Chinese tech giant Baidu is joining EV100 and urging other Chinese companies to follow suit. Baidu is also a world leader in the development of Artificial Intelligence (AI), and is developing future autonomous EV technology across the industry.

Wang Lu, Vice President, Baidu, said: “We are delighted to be the first Chinese company to join EV100. As one of the world’s leading IT companies, we are inspired to create a better future for all through technology innovation, and are committed to sustainability across our business operations. We have already made significant progress in promoting low carbon electromobility. We hope that other Chinese companies will follow our lead.”

International leasing company LeasePlan is committing to transition its own fleets as well as those of its customers as part of its ambition to achieve net zero emissions from the corporate automotive sector by 2030.

Tex Gunning, CEO, LeasePlan, said: “LeasePlan is delighted to be a founding member of EV100 and proud to announce today that its own employee fleet will be going electric, making us the first major leasing company to make the switch. Our ambition is for all employees to be driving electric cars by 2021. Over half the cars on the road today belong to companies. Making the transition to an electric fleet is one of the easiest ways for businesses to help tackle climate change.”

Deutsche Post DHL Group and the Swedish power company Vattenfall are also signing up to EV100 to build upon their ambitious electro-mobility targets. Vattenfall is working to transition its corporate fleet to EVs over the next five years while Deutsche Post DHL Group has invested in its own vehicle manufacturer StreetScooter to supply specialised postal vans for its operations.

Magnus Hall, CEO, Vattenfall, said: “Climate change is one of our biggest challenges so we are very happy to join the EV100 initiative. Replacing our whole 3,500 car fleet with EV in the coming five years, working with our customers to deploy charging infrastructure, and building northern Europe’s biggest connected charging network, are three examples of actions we are taking to promote a sustainable and climate smarter living for customers and citizens.”

EV100 is being launched at a time when the transport sector is the fastest-growing global contributor to climate change, with businesses owning a significant portion of all registered vehicles on the roads. EV100 will draw on business leadership to accelerate the shift to electric transport and help to make electric vehicles “the new normal” by 2030.

EV100 members recognise that transitioning to electric transport makes business sense. As well as helping deliver on sustainability goals, it will generate long-term savings while increasing competitiveness, and help to future-proof their operations.

HP Inc. has committed to roll out their progressive workplace charging scheme internationally. US utility PG&E, which is already heavily invested in EVs both for its customers and in its own operations, has committed to expand its engagement both on staff and customer charging. German retailer METRO AG has also committed to supporting EV charging for their staff and consumers, benefitting the public as well as their business. Unilever and Heathrow Airport have pledged comprehensive action as part of their prominent corporate sustainability plans.

Companies joining EV100 make a public commitment to fast-track EV uptake in one or more of the following four commitment areas by 2030:

  • Integrating electric vehicles directly into owned or leased corporate fleets
  • Placing requirements in service contracts for electric vehicle usage
  • Supporting staff to use electric vehicles (by installing workplace charging infrastructure)
  • Supporting electric vehicle uptake by customers (by installing customer charging infrastructure)

Melissa Lavinson, CSO, PG&E Corporation, said: “With nearly 300,000 electric vehicles already on California’s roads and bold goals for the future, we are at the forefront of the transition to a low-carbon transportation sector. By expanding the state’s EV infrastructure and operating a clean transportation fleet, PG&E will continue to help California meet the climate challenge, while making it more convenient for our customers to choose clean, affordable electricity to fuel their vehicles. We’re excited to join EV100 and help demonstrate what’s possible.”

The Climate Group is a member of the We Mean Business coalition of nonprofits working with global businesses to take action on climate change. EV100 will be one of the We Mean Business coalition’s suite of commitments that together enable further, faster corporate action on climate change.

Nigel Topping, CEO, We Mean Business, said: “The end of the internal combustion engine is inevitable. Companies committed to EV100 send a powerful signal that adds to the chorus from states, cities and car makers that the transition to 100% electric vehicles will happen much faster than many had anticipated just a few years ago.”

Climate Action Leadership Network launched

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The High-Level Climate Champions, Ms. Hakima El Haite, and Mr. Inia B. Seruiratu, Fijian Minister of Agriculture on Tuesday, September 18, 2017 launched the Climate Action Leadership Network at the Climate Week in New York.

Climate Action Leadership Network
Members of the Climate Action Leadership Network

The vision is to bring together a high-level network of leaders to drive urgent climate action ahead of 2020, when national governments will meet to take stock of progress toward meeting the goal of the Paris Climate Change Agreement.

The launch coincided with the inaugural meeting of the Leadership Network, which convened at the United Nations Headquarters with the Executive Secretary of UN Climate Change, Patricia Espinosa.

During the meeting, the former President of Kiribati, Mr. Anote Tong, underscored the importance of broadening the leadership for Global Climate Action: “We need to go forward…there are different levels of challenges for countries regarding climate change; however, for the most vulnerable countries like mine, we don’t have a future if we don’t see immediate action. We need concrete solutions to guarantee our future.”

It is expected that this network – the founding members of which are listed below – will support the Champions and the Marrakech Partnership for Global Climate Action to encourage governments to raise the ambition of their national climate pledges, in advance of when they are scheduled to take effect in 2020. To ensure representation from all sectors and geographies, membership will expand over time.

Founding members of the Climate Action Leadership Network:

  • Mr. Saad Abid, President, Bahri Association
  • Mr. Thani Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, UAE
  • Mr. Miguel Arias Cañete, European Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy, EU
  • Mr. Marcelo Mena Carrasco. Minister of Environment, Chile
  • Ms. Anne Hidalgo, Mayor of Paris and Chair of C40
  • Ms. Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim, Co-Chair, International Indigenous Peoples Forum on Climate Change to the UNFCCC
  • Ms. Jill Peeters, Founder of the Climate without Borders
  • Ms. Romina Picolotti, President of Centro de Derechos Humanos y Ambiente and Former Minister of Environment, Argentina
  • Mr. Paul Polman, CEO, Unilever
  • Mr. Manuel Pulgar Vidal, Leader of the Climate and Energy Practice of WWF International.
  • Mr. Erik Solheim, Executive Director of the UN Environment
  • Mr. Ashok-Alexander Sridharan, Mayor of Bonn and First Vice-President of ICLEI
  • Mr. Achim Steiner, UNDP Administrator
  • Mr. Anote Tong, Former President of Kiribati

The need for broader leadership for Global Climate Action (GCA) was highlighted during the Marrakech climate negotiations last year when it was acknowledged that the Champions and the UN Climate Secretariat could not achieve the aims of the Marrakech Partnership by 2020 by acting alone.To create effective connections with those actors already directly engaged in accelerating climate action, the Champions therefore decided to establish a Leadership Network, as a means of mobilising decision-makers and thought-leaders committed to delivering of immediate climate action.

The Marrakech Partnership for Global Climate Action supports implementation of the Paris Agreement by enabling collaboration between governments and non-Party stakeholders (i.e. cities, regions, businesses and investors). It is led by the High-Level Climate Champions and its mission is to strengthen and enhance action by these actors to immediately lower emissions and increase resilience against climate impacts. To maximise the convening power of the UNFCCC and connect local, national, regional and international actors to promote solutions, the Partnership has spurred a range of initiatives, including the establishment of the newly-launched Climate Action Leadership Network.

Suit over control of Lagos inland waterways adjourned to Sept. 25

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A Federal High Court, Lagos will on September 25, 2017 hear the suit filed by Prince Toluwaleke Megba and Lucky Megba Ojonla Nigeria Limited against the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) and five others over theirs right to operate in the inland waterways in Lagos for specific number of years.

Other respondents in the suit are Lagos state government, Attorney General of Lagos, Oba Saheed Ademola Elegushi, Eleguishi Property Investment, and Van Oord Nigeria Limited.

Federal High Court
The Federal High Court in Lagos

The court had at the last adjourned date, ordered parties to maintain status quo, pending the determination of the application.

A decision, which the applicants are alleging has been violated by the defendants.

The case with suit number FHC/L/CS/655/2017 is before Justice M.S. Hassan.

Following the creation of Lagos State Waterways Authority, LASWA, conflict arose as to who is charged with the responsibility of regulating waterways in the Lagos between LASWA and NIWA.

As a result, the Incorporated Associations of Dredgers and Water Transport Operators had gone to court to challenge the state government on the LASWA creation, since they were already dealing with NIWA and the court ruled in favour of NIWA/NIMASA (Nigerian Maritime Administration and Security Agency) and the operators.

The court said then that operators should relate with NIWA since the 1999 Constitution places the control of the inland waterways on the exclusive list to be controlled by the Federal Government.

Although dissatisfied with the decision, Lagos State stopped interfering in the regulation and control of the waterways in the state but appealed the judgment.

Just recently, the Appeal Court, Lagos division delivered judgment affirming the powers of Lagos to control the inland waterways.

Now Lagos state government is bent on carrying out the judgment by approving the expansion of Ikate Kingdom by 200 hectares of land to Lekki Phase 1, through dredging of the lagoon, thereby dislodging those who were earlier in possession of the property.

Consequently, the applicants approached the court, seeking for an injunction to stop them for taken over possession of the disputed waterways.

By Chinyere Obia

Government urges media to report IPOB, others professionally

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The federal government has urged the media to report activities of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and other issues of national interest professionally.

Lai Mohammed
Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed (middle), during the meeting

Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, said this in a meeting with select media executives in Lagos on Monday, September 18, 2017.

According to Mohammed, the Nigerian media cannot afford to sit on the fence and allow anarchy to fester, because they cannot operative in an atmosphere of anarchy.

He said IPOB is a contraption sponsored by a “coalition of the politically disgruntled and the treasury looters” to destabilise the country and the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration.

For him, with Buhari in the saddle, those disgruntled elements would not have access to loot public funds anymore.

Mohammed said, “The activities of IPOB became heightened with the advent of this administration, and have been unrelenting since then. If this is coincidental, then that coincidence is uncanny, at the least. Remember that Nnamdi Kanu, who led a protest at the Nigeria House in London against Boko Haram insurgency and in support of Nigeria’s unity under the (Goodluck) Jonathan administration, has suddenly metamorphosed into an IPOB monster who will rather set the nation ablaze.

“Has anyone wondered why IPOB decided to up the ante, so to say, in its violent campaign immediately it was announced that Nigeria has come out of recession? Now, instead of the government being given the chance to consolidate on that monumental achievement, it is being distracted, and the airwaves have been polluted with the activities of IPOB. The good news of the end of recession and its fall-outs are being replaced in the headlines with the IPOB show of shame.

“We saw this trend early on and we warned the nation about it. The starting point was the rise of hate speech, fake news and disinformation. These were used in an attempt to downgrade the achievements of the administration and to hoodwink an unsuspecting public into believing that the administration has not moved the nation forward an inch since assuming office. Since 2016, we have been calling attention to the dangers posed by hate speech, fake news and disinformation. Our calls did not gain traction until those behind the campaign sought to overwhelm the nation.

“The self-imposed IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu, is the master of hate speech. No one, including the same people whose rights he claimed to be championing, escaped his vitriolic and primitive attacks. We challenge all his sympathisers to scrutinise his incendiary, divisive and inciting speeches, the name-calling and the derogatory remarks about the nation’s leaders, and then tell the nation if such do not constitute hate speech. Leaders of thought and commentators who have shown the inclination to accommodate Kanu and his excesses should say if this is what they expect from someone who wants to lead.”

Mohammed said no nation would take IPOB’s activities lying low.

He justified the military’s verdict that IPOB is a terrorist organisation, with the allegations that the group, which had been professing non-violence, mounts roadblocks and extorts innocent citizens, confronts Nigerian military, triggers conflagration nationwide through attacks and reprisals, among other atrocious acts.

“IPOB engaged in physical confrontation with troops at a checkpoint on September 11, 2017, during which they attempted to snatch soldiers’ rifles,” he said.

On IPOB’s claim that it was fighting for the rights of Ndigbo, the minister said the group was not fighting anybody’s rights.

However, the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, has condemned the labelling of IPOB as a terrorist organisation by the army, describing it as unconstitutional.

“I wish to state that the announcement of the proscription of the group known as Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) by governors of the South East states and the categorisation of the group as a ‘terrorist organisation’ by the Nigerian military are unconstitutional and do not follow due process.

“Our laws make clear provisions for taking such actions and, without the due process being followed, such declaration cannot have effect.

“I am sure the president will do the needful by initiating the right process. This will go a long way in demonstrating to the world at large that we are a country that operates by laid down process under every circumstance.

“So, those who have been hammering on this point should maintain their cool,” he said.

By Inno Onwuji

Guterres, leaders identify sectors for climate action, Paris Agreement implementation

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United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres and global leaders from local governments, the private sector and civil society on Monday, September 18, 2017 agreed to accelerate efforts on climate action and to implement the Paris Agreement at a meeting during the UN General Assembly High Level Week.

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Antonio Guterres, UN Secretary General

The discussions herald a new phase in efforts aimed at mobilising and scaling up transformative action that will allow the world to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement on climate change. They also recognise that the coalitions that have come together to develop and adopt the Paris Agreement must now shift their focus to implementation.

Leaders identified a set of sectors to aggressively push for low carbon pathways which included technology, the transition to cleaner energy, setting a realistic price on carbon, and insurance, reducing the risks from disasters and the impacts of climate change.

The meeting was part of a series of informal discussions organised by the Secretary-General with world leaders, from both government, private sector and non-governmental organisations, to forge alliances between governments and business for implementing the Paris Agreement in the run-up to a Summit he will hold in 2019.

The Secretary-General will also meet with a group of heads of state and government on climate issues on Tuesday.

Among those attending the meeting were California Governor, Edmund G. Brown Jr; Michael R. Bloomberg, UN Special Envoy for Cities and Climate Change; former Vice President, Al Gore; Climate Champion Hakima El Haite, Morocco, Inia Seruiratu; Climate Champion, Fiji, Patrick Pouyanne; CEO of Total, Safa’ Al Jayoussi; Executive Director of the NGO IndyAct, Jordan; and Manual Pulgar Vidal, from the World Wide Fund for Nature WWF.

The Secretary-General applauded the efforts of Mr. Bloomberg – including with the Global Covenant of Mayors, the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures, and the America’s Pledge initiative – to lead efforts driving climate action across a wide range of society. “I will lean on him as my Special Envoy to accelerate and deepen the role of sub-national actors in the implementation of the Paris Agreement in preparation of the 2019 Climate Summit.”

“Addressing climate change requires leadership from the groups that have the most direct connection to emissions – cities, regions, and businesses,” said Mr. Bloomberg. “I look forward to supporting the Secretary-General as the UN brings these non-national actors to the table to drive even more ambitious climate action.”

“Climate change, if unchecked, threatens all humanity,” said California Governor and UN Climate Change Conference Special Advisor for States and Regions Edmund G. Brown Jr. “California, with purpose and resolve, will join with the rest of the world to decarbonise the economy.”

Businesses and local governments are increasingly playing an out-sized role in advancing climate action – often surpassing the efforts of national governments. Cities, at the forefront of efforts to build resiliency and companies, businesses and investors have vastly increased action to reduce their global carbon footprint. But there is no formal mechanism to recognise and measure these contributions toward the goals set out in the Paris Agreement.

Mr. Gore said, “We are still behind where we should be in solving the climate crisis, but we see the path forward. Mobilising and engaging local, state and regional governments, businesses and investors and community organisers in the implementation process of the Paris Agreement is absolutely essential.”

Mayor Stephany Uy-Tan of Catbalogan, Philippines, welcomed the initiative to engage representatives from non-party entities. “It’s good to know that you’re not along in pushing for lower emissions. We cannot do this alone. This helps us move faster for our constituents and to help the lives of our people.”Safa’ Al Jayoussi, the Executive Director of the NGO IndyAct in Jordan, said “Getting all the actors in the same room as the Secretary-General is extremely important to us. It is really important as civil society to have our voices heard.”

The destruction and loss of life due to extreme weather events, such as the recent storms that ravage the Caribbean region and South Asia, have added an additional impetus for action.

Mr. Guterres said, “We count the costs in lives, livelihoods and damaged economies. Since 2008, some 20 million people a year have been forcibly displaced by floods, storms, fires and extreme temperature.”

He added, “Climate change is not a distant problem for future generations,” Mr. Guterres said. “It is here, now, and we need to deal with it.”  He added that governments alone cannot handle the enormity of the challenge.

The Secretary-General said the commitments under the Paris Agreement are still insufficient to limit global temperature rise to well under 2°C. “There is at least a 14 Gigaton gap,” he said. “That is why I asked you here today. We can change this situation. I hope, together, we can emphatically bend the emission curve by 2020.”

The Secretary-General called for boosting efforts to mobilise financing and creating bankable projects, and to intensify efforts in high impact areas such as in key areas that will result in the largest emission decreases and greatest efforts to build resilience to the more intense storms and impacts of climate change.

This informal dialogue was the first concrete step towards the Secretary-General’s Climate Summit in 2019, the dialogue will focus on engaging Heads of State and Government for enhancing leadership and building informal coalitions in key areas as well as outlining steps towards an accelerated transformation that continues to drive emissions reduction together with sustained economic growth.

Women group decries state of water, sanitation in Lagos

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The African Women Water Sanitation and Hygiene Network (AWWASHNET) has decried the state of water infrastructure in communities across Lagos, even as it demands innovative financing of the sector within the realm of public control.

Water
Observers believe that the bulk of the Lagos population have limited access to potable water

AWWASHNET made the demand after carrying out a fact-finding visit to different communities in Lagos, including Orile-Iganmu, Okokomaiko, Orile Agege, among others, drawing the conclusion that the state’s water infrastructure were in dire straits.

The group said women bear the brunt of the lack of water as they would have to go the extra mile to ensure they have adequate water for drinking and other domestic uses.

Vice Chairperson of AWWASHNET, Vickie Uremma, said: “In the communities visited, the stark reality of lack of water and rotting water infrastructure stared us in the face. Clearly, all the talk of the state government about guaranteeing access to water has only remained within the realm of talk.

“We observed broken pipes, commissioned water facilities that have never run for a single day and the attendant terrible sanitation situation that endanger the communities but most especially women that are generally known to be more susceptible to diseases related to lack of water.”

Uremma said that the situation would worsen if the state government presses ahead with plans to embark on Public Private Partnership (PPP) in the water sector instead of committing to democratically-controlled water systems.

“The solution to the water crisis we are witnessing in the communities is a sincere commitment on the part of the state government to ensure sustained funding of the sector just like it funds security and other sectors.”

She averred that water is a right and as such it is the responsibility of the government to ensure that it is available in adequate quantity for every citizen irrespective of their ability to pay or not, while exploring other not-for-profit innovations.”

The AWWASHN is a network of women activists and women-led organisations in the water, sanitation and hygiene sector in Africa formed in August, 2015.

Dangote Foundation, GBCHealth build health coalition

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The Dangote Foundation and GBCHealth have joined forces to forge a new model of partnership tagged: African Business Coalition on Health (GBCHealth) in Africa.

Aliko-Dangote
Alhaji Aliko Dangote

Chairman of Dangote Foundation, Aliko Dangote, shared plans to build an African Business Coalition on Health (ABCHealth), during the Bloomberg Global Business Forum, he co-hosted. The event took place alongside the United Nations General Assembly this week in New York.

According to him, the African-led coalition of companies and philanthropists will seek to improve the health and wellbeing of Africans, both within the workplace and within the broader communities. He stated that the partnership would develop and deploy impactful health programmes across Africa, deepening knowledge, building evidence for future investment and strengthening coordination among African philanthropists, business leaders, companies and local business networks.

The Coalition is building on the leadership, reputation and convening power of the Aliko Dangote Foundation and the experience, reputation and global reach of GBCHealth. Critical issues that will be the focus of the partnership  ranges from nutrition to malaria, with priorities identified and agreed by local leadership.

Through his Foundation, Dangote is said to have made an unprecedented grant and seed contribution to GBCHealth of $1.5 million over three years as a call to action and a signal to the African business community of the importance of working together and investing in health.

“The time is ripe for the private sector to proactively demonstrate its value in partnering to lead a new era in development,” said Mr. Dangote. “The coalition can provide much needed guidance to ensure activities and investments are driving results in areas where the

private sector can have real impact, focusing on holistic and integrated solutions that cross borders. We look forward to working with other business leaders as partners in development to drive this impact.”

Co-chair of GBCHealth’s Board of Directors, Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, said, “This coalition brings together two heavyweights in the health and development arena. Together we have an opportunity to demonstrate how investing in health and creating healthier populations, can help business maximise shareholder value, accelerate economic growth and make entry into new markets more feasible.”

The coalition will have five primary objectives over its first three years:

  • Incubate partnerships on priority health programmes to enhance and accelerate results;
  • Work directly with companies to optimise workplace and community health programmes;
  • Advocate for policies and initiatives that drive system-level changes; Create a hub of data and insights specific to Africa and African business; and
  • Curate leadership events to convene and drive action around common health issues, across sectors.

The programme will kick off in Nigeria and roll out through business regions in Africa and beyond over the next three years.

The continent currently has 400 companies with revenue of more than $1 billion per year, and these companies are growing faster, and are more profitable in general, than their global peers. Coupled with these fast-moving regional leaders, small and growing businesses create 80% of the continent’s employment and are stoking the engines of growth.

Against this backdrop, according to Dangote, there’s a new cadre of responsible business leaders and philanthropists who understand the value and promise of sustainable large-scale investments in African countries, and are poised to make an even bigger impact on the

continent’s people and economies.

Investments in better training, healthcare and supply chain accountability have demonstrated direct financial return through gains in productivity and efficiency, while support for social programs has accelerated economic growth and raised incomes which in turn unlocks a

wider consumer base and makes entry into new markets more feasible.

In her comments, CEO of the Dangote Foundation, Zouera Youssoufou, said, “GBCHealth has a strong track record of bringing diverse groups together to improve the health wellbeing of communities,We look forward to collaborating to build an African business community united as a force for healthier and more inclusive development.”

“What is needed now is an approach that combines the value of local insights and trusted networks with the leverage of a global platform and expertise to support the more coordinated and impactful involvement of the African private sector across the continent and within the global development community,” commented Mr. Aig-Imoukhuede.

“The coalition builds on the local-to-global business approach we have developed in Nigeria through our work with the Corporate Alliance on Malaria in Africa (CAMA). The Aliko Dangote Foundation has demonstrated expertise in implementing result-oriented health programmes in Nigeria and across Africa. We look forward to our collaboration to

bring insights from this work to a global audience,” said Nancy Wildfeir-Field, President of GBCHealth.

Immediate plans include hiring an African based CEO for ABCHealth, and building a support base for the coalition working towards a launch in early 2018. The foundation is generously providing office space and support for coalition staff over the first three years of development.

“It’s an ambitious and bold project,” said Dangote, “but the only way to move Africa forward is to take bold moves, to think big, dream big and do big things together – breaking down silos, working across borders and working across sectors.– with government and with each other.

Appeal court adjourns Mrs. Jonathan’s case to Nov. 3

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The Appeal Court, Lagos Division, on Monday, September 18, 2017 fixed hearing of an appeal filed by a former First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, against the temporary forfeiture of the sum of $5.8 million to November 3.‎‎

Patience Jonathan
Mrs Patience Jonathan

Justice Mojisola Olatoregun of a Federal High Court, Lagos had on April 26, in a ruling on an ex-parte application filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) made the order.

The judge had also ordered the temporary forfeiture of the sum of N2,421,953,522.78 found in an Ecobank Nigeria Ltd account number 2022000760 in the name of La Wari Furniture and Baths Limited, which the commission said is linked to the former First Lady.‎

But, dissatisfied with the ruling, Patience Jonathan, through her counsel, Chief Ifedayo Adedipe (SAN),‎ approached the Court of Appeal to challenge the ruling and also to ask that the order be vacated‎.‎

Although, the suit, which was initially assigned to three Justices: John Ikyeh, Abimbola Obaseki-Adejumo and Abraham Georgewill last July 5, could not hold at last sitting on July 12 following the withdrawal of Justice Abraham Georgewill from the panel.

As a result of this, Justice Ikyeh, who presided over the appeal, at the last adjourned date had noted: “Three judges were required to form a quorum before an appeal could be heard”.

However, at the resumed hearing of the matter on Monday, the new three-man panel of the appellate court Justices, Mohammed Lawal-Garba, Nimpar Yargata and Inyang Ogakwu, granted a prayer by the former First Lady seeking to amend her notice of appeal and file additional grounds of appeal.

The lead justice, Lawal-Garba, also directed lawyer representing La Wari Furniture and Baths Limited, Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN), to file separate notice of appeal for his client within 48 hours.

The order was sequel to the striking out of the name of La Wari Furniture and Baths Limited from the main appeal filed by Mrs Jonathan.

The court had earlier granted leave to the company to appeal against the decision of the lower court.

Consequently, the hearing of the two appeals has been adjourned to November 3.

By Chinyere Obia

Anti-corruption war: CJN gives CJs, others marching order

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The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Walter Samuel Nkanu Onnoghen, has directed all Heads of Courts in the country to compile and forward to the National Judicial Council (NJC) comprehensive lists of all corruption and financial crime cases being handled by their various courts.

Justice Walter Onnoghen
Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Walter Onnoghen

This is even as the CJN equally ordered the Heads of Courts to designate at least one court in their various jurisdictions as Special Courts solely for the purpose of hearing and speedily determining corruption and financial crime cases depending on the volume of such cases in their jurisdictions.

The Hon. CJN read the riot act on Monday, September 18, 2017 at a special session of the Supreme Court of Nigeria to mark the commencement of the 2017/2018 Legal Year and the swearing-in of 29 new Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SAN) in Abuja.

To ensure the effectiveness of this new policy, the Hon. CJN marching orders to all Heads of Courts to clamp down on both Prosecution and Defence Counsel who indulge in the unethical practice of deploying delay tactics to stall criminal trials.

To this effect, the Heads of Courts are to henceforth report cases of unnecessary delays to the National Judicial Council which in turn, would transmit them to the Legal Practitioners Privileges Committee (LPPC), in the case of SANs, and the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC), in the case of other legal practitioners.

In the event where such cases come on appeal to the Court of Appeal or the Supreme Court, the Hon. CJN directed relevant departments to fix special dates solely for hearing and determining such appeals.

To properly monitor and effectively enforce the new policy, Justice Onnoghen announced that the NJC would constitute an Anti-Corruption Cases Trial Monitoring Committee (ACTMC) at its 88th meeting to be saddled with the responsibility of ensuring that both Trial and Appellate Courts handling corruption and financial crime cases key into and abide by the renewed efforts at ridding the country of the cankerworm of corruption.

The CJN said that, with pre-election appeals cases now out of the way, the Supreme Court would henceforth channel energy towards clearing as many of the corruption and financial crime cases as possible.

“We in the Supreme Court, having reduced the pre-election appeals in the course of the Third Term of the last Legal Year, will devote much of this First Term in dealing, by way of task work, with the identified 18 EFCC, ICPC, and Economic Crime cases alongside the normal Civil, Criminal, and Political cases,” he said.

The CJN also warned bribe givers to desist from their dastardly act and vowed to bring the full wrath of the law on anyone caught in the act.

His words: “I encourage members of the public to cut off the supply side of corruption by stopping the offering of bribes to judicial officers. The full wrath of the law will be visited on all those caught in this nefarious activity that is capable of eroding integrity and confidence in the Judiciary.”

Calling on the 29 Senior Advocates of Nigeria to guard their ranks jealously, the CJN warned that the award was a privilege, which stood to be withdrawn if abused.

“I must remind you that being a privilege, it can, and shall be withdrawn if abused. The privileged you are conferred with today is not intended as a weapon of intimidation or licence for rudeness and arrogance,” he warned.

The CJN also used the medium to announce the advances the Supreme Court had made in the use of technology towards achieving fair and speedy resolution of cases to include a technology-enabled Judges’ bench, high-definition audio/video recording equipment, FTR software to enable real-time transcription and transmission of court proceedings, high-tech mobile podium for presentation, document camera to display exhibits, and viewing screen in the gallery, among others.

By Chinyere Obia

Police arraign banker over alteration of ATM machine, theft of N3m

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Police has arraigned a banker with Keystone Bank Plc, Mrs. Chinonye Okafoagu, before a Chief Magistrate Court in Ebute-metta, Lagos for allegedly stealing the sum of N3 million from the bank’s Automated Teller Machine (ATM).

atm-machine
The ATM machine

The banker is facing a four counts charge bordering on conspiracy, stealing, forgery and false modification of ATM’s data.

The accused was charged and arraigned before the court by the men of State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID), Panti-Yaba, Lagos.

Police in the charge marked N/73/2017, alleged that the banker and others now at large, committed the offence in March 7, 2016, at the Festac Branch of the bank.

The police alleged that in order to steal the N3 million from the bank’s ATM machine, the banker without lawful authority modified the ATM’s data, and thereby making the machine not to dispense money to the bank’s customers.

The Offences according to the police are contrary to and punishable under sections 409, 285(7), 389(1), and 365(1) of the Criminal Laws of Lagos state of Nigeria, 2015.

The banker was also accused to have allegedly written the name of one Elizabeth, who supposed to handle the bank’s ATM machine on the said date, and equally append her signature in the ATM’s loading staff register, which she equally presented to the management of the bank.

However, after the charge was read to the accused banker, she pleaded not guilty to all the charges.

Consequently, the presiding Magistrate, Mrs. A. O. Salawu, admitted her to bail in the sum of N500,000 with two sureties in the same sum.

The Magistrate also ordered the sureties to furnish the court with evidence of three years tax paid to the Lagos state government, means of livelihood, and have their addresses verified by the court’s registrar.

The matter has been adjourned till September 25, for commencement of trial.

Chinyere Obia

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