THE NATION WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2013
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NEWS
hundreds of Nigerian prisoners home ‘
Legislation allowing Nigeria to enter such an arrangement was passed earlier this year by the Nigerian Parliament. We are now working with them on the text of a final agreement
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Drugs: Nigeria's albatross
IGERIA has the unenviable record of being the African country with the most citizens in foreign prisons, mostly in South-East Asia. As at the last count from the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs, more than 9,000 Nigerians are currently languishing in foreign prisons for different offences. According to the Director-General National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA Mr. Femi Ajayi, out of the total number of Nigerians in foreign prison, over 6000 of them were convicted of drug related offences. According to him, a conservative estimate shows that there are 4,000 Nigerians in Iranian prisons; Brazil 500, Thailand 500, Malaysia 300. Others are: India 400 China (368). ons here and reduce the cost to prisoner transfer agreement with the British taxpayer’. a country outside the European It was the first major bilateral Union.
Indonesia (110), Japan (80), Vietnam (24) and Nepal (17). Former foreign affairs Minister Gbenga Ashiru had lamented the 'get rich quick' syndrome which led many Nigerians into the drug trade to the Asian countries where the penalty for drug trafficking is mostly death. Nigerian prisoners in South East Asia are said to be in terrible conditions with many of them cramped together in a small cell and often denied of their rights to get bail. One prisoner who served 10 years in Thailand for drug offences told The Nation in May that Nigerians mostly are denied legal representation. " Many of them often die waiting for their legal representation. If you are convicted for drugs only a miracle can get you out," he said. There were around 250 Albanians in UK jails in June this year.
on process faulty’ ‘’After initial delay and some uncertainty, the National Council on Privatisation (NCP) last month approved the payment of the remaining 75 per cent of 14 out of the 15 bidders for the acquisition of the 15 Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) successor companies. ‘’Rising from its sixth meeting in the year, the NCP approved the late payments by North South Power and Interstate Electric Limited for Shiroro Power Plc and Enugu Distribution Company Plc respectively but subject to the late payment penalty as provided in clause 12.20 on interest for late payment and clauses 5.5, 5.5.1 and 5.5.2 of the Share Purchase Agreement (SPA). According to reports, the NCP had previously approved the payments of the 12 companies which paid on or before the August 21- due date. They include Amperion Power Co. Ltd (Geregu); Transcorp/Woodrock (Ughelli); Integrated Energy Company ( Ibadan ); NEDC/KEPCO (Ikeja); Vigeo Power Ltd. ( Benin ); Aura Energy Ltd. (Jos); Integrated Energy Company (Yola); Mainstream Energy Ltd. (Kainji); Others are West Power & Gas (Eko); Kann Consortium ( Abuja ); 4Power Consortium ( Port Harcourt ) and Sahelian Power SPV Ltd. ( Kano ).
However, the Council referred the case of CMEC/EURAFIC consortium, the preferred bidder for Sapele Generation Company who had paid $119,887,156 of the $201,000,000 bid consideration to the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice for advice. It was gathered that there were legal issues which needed to be resolved. ‘’Of particular interest here is the inability or reluctance of CMEC/ EURAFIC consortium, the preferred bidder for Sapele Generation Company, to fulfill payment terms binding its successful bid.. It has emerged that the company started developing cold feet after it realise it had grossly over bidded by its $201,000,000 million bid far higher than the reserved price to $106 million and JBNNESTOIL 106.500 million dollars which automatically made JBNNESTOIL the reserve bidder. Government reserve price was pegged at 106 million dollars. Faced with the difficult task of raising the funds to beat the August 21 deadline for the payment of balance 75percent, the company developed cold feet and consequently failed to make any payment but only managed to pay $119million after the deadline had lapsed. Two clear months after the expiration of August 21 deadline, CMEC/EURAFIC consortium is yet to make whole its bid.
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But securing an agreement with Nigeria would be seen as a much more significant breakthrough.
Latest figures show there were 534 Nigerian nationals in British jails, 485 men and 49 women. Nigerians account for one in 20 of all foreign prisoners, putting the country fifth in the league table of nations whose citizens have been jailed in the UK. Justice Minister Mr Wright said: ‘I am clear that more foreign prisoners must serve their sentences in their own countries. ‘That is why we are currently working with the Nigerian Government on a compulsory prisoner transfer agreement to increase the number of prisoners who are transferred. ‘Legislation allowing Nigeria to enter such an arrangement was passed earlier this year by the Nigerian Parliament. We are now working with them on the text of a final agreement.’ Overflowing jails abroad have made it increasingly difficult to deport prisoners to their own country. It is argued that by paying for building new jails or making existing ones more ‘comfortable’ so they approach British standards, will be repatriated. In April Mr Cameron said: ‘When people are sent to prison in the UK we should do everything we can to make sure that if they’re foreign nationals, they are sent back to their country to serve their sentence in a foreign prison. ‘And I’m taking action in Government to say look we have strong relationships with all of the countries where these people come from. ‘Many are coming from Jamaica, many from Nigeria, many from other countries in Asia. ‘We should be using all of the influence we have to sign prisoner transfer agreements with those countries. Even if necessary frankly helping them to build prisons in their own country so we can send the prisoners home.’
I’ll miss Omoruyi, says wife • Uduaghan, others mourn
•Mrs Omoruyi
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IDOW of the late Prof. Omo Omoruyi, Joan, has described the death of her husband as a rude shock, saying: “I will miss everything about him.” Omoruyi, the former DirectorGeneral of the defunct Centre for Democratic Studies (CDS), died in a private hospital in Benin, Edo State on Sunday night after a protracted battle with prostate cancer. Mrs Omoruyi said: “He came back from the United States some weeks ago; we know his medical condition but we were hoping for the best.’’ Omoruyi’s nephew, Dr Festus
Imuentinyan described the late Omoruyi as his mentor, saying: “He had been carrying everybody in the family.” “It was a great loss but we also thank God; it is to God’s glory for a man to live for 75 years with that kind of ailment; he was still very active even up till the point that he died.’’ Mr. Sunny Omoruyi, the immediate younger brother of the deceased, said: “We were all talking in the morning (Sunday) up till the later part of the evening. “We never knew he was leaving us but suddenly, my nephew called me that daddy couldn’t make it and I was confused and shocked,’’ he said. Delta State Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan described the late Omoruyi as a patriot and nationalist who had a burning passion for the unity and improvement of democracy in Nigeria. In a statement by his Press Secretary Felix Ofou, Uduaghan said Nigeria will forever remember Omoruyi as an advocate of good governance in the country. Uduaghan said the academic community, Edo State and Nigeria in General will be affected by the painful exit of a man who at great risk to personal safety and love for the common man would always want to speak the truth at all times.
“Even while he was on the sick bed. when he should be thinking only about his health, he never stopped talking. He was more concerned about deepening democracy and the distribution of the dividends to the grassroots”, he said. The governor urged all lovers of democracy, including the academia to see this moment of his death to honour the late Omoruyi by seeking to actualise the values and ethos for which he lived and was willing to sacrifice his live, particularly in service of the nation. He moreover prayed God to grant the family of the deceased, the Edo State Government and people, as well as Nigerians in general, the fortitude to bear the loss, especially at a time when Prof Omoruyi’s voice and wisdom were most needed. In a statement, Dr Osahon Enabulele, the National President of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), commiserated with the family of the deceased and the Edo Government. “The NMA is appreciative of the fact that not only did Prof. Omo Omoruyi leave behind indelible footprints in the sands of time; he showed uncommon courage in his inspirational struggle against prostate cancer.